Occasionally, I do write more than 2,200 characters (thanks for the limit, Instagram), and when I do, you will find those words here. I also love participating in Calling It Home’s One Room Challenge, which happens every spring and fall. You can find past rooms I’ve worked on here. Want some help with your own One Room Challenge? Let me know so that we can get planning for the next round!
How do you stay on top of picking up after your kids? Do you fight the good fight Every. Single. Day? When you walk into a room is there always kid stuff on the floor? You know the things I’m talking about. Socks and books and toys seem to just fall off of your kids where ever they are and you are so over asking your kids to pick up after themselves. Good storage fine and all, but what about the stuff that doesn’t end up in its cute little identified storage space?
Read MoreThe clutter of kids is unfathomable. The doll accessories, the Legos, the stuffed animals (oh, goodness, the stuffed animals!), the clothing, the school papers, the sports gear, the art projects… It’s enough to drive any parent mad. If only there was some way to contain the chaos.
Before you get all excited, I don’t have *the* magic answer here. My kids leave their socks in the middle of the floor and walk over them 30 times just like your kids. I do, however, have some tips to lessen the load. And let me get right to it by saying that my number one tip isn’t a decorating tip at all, but rather a way of life instilled in my husband by my mother-in-law that actually works: the old circular file is your best friend.
Read MoreDon’t you just want to throw something at me for even suggesting it’s time to think about the holidays? I almost walked out of Target a couple of weeks ago because I couldn’t bear to see the red and green everywhere. Then the holiday music channels started on the radio and it was enough to drive me over the edge.
I wasn’t always this way. In absolute truth, if there was a crazy cat lady equivalent for Christmas, it would be me. I grew up loving the anticipation of the season, the noise, the gatherings, the food… If you have been around here any length of time, you know I’ve written about our family Christmas history before. Somewhere along the way, when my step-kids were about the age that my twins are now, I lost the feeling for the season. The to-do lists were out of control. The gift wants were out of control. The people and the noise made me feel like the Grinch surveying Who-ville.
Read MoreThe saga finally begins. You’ve heard me talk about this remodel for what seems like 200 hundred years already but now we are really getting somewhere. Maybe. The city took its time issuing our permits because someone over there thought we had plumbing where we didn’t have plumbing and required our builder to dig a 4’ trench across our yard to prove that we didn’t have said plumbing. Tiny hiccups. If you are one of those people who likes things done on a very specific timeline, I’m telling you now, don’t remodel.
Read MoreYou all know that pink is still flying high as color of the moment. Or maybe you think orange is the new pink. But did you know that pajama lounges are the new “it” room? This little blurb in the current issue of House Beautiful caught my full attention last week:
Read MoreI dread being asked “What do you do?” There is something about this question that makes me want to crawl into a hole. The answer should be save the world or create world peace, but let’s be honest, the Nobel Prize team is not going to be knocking on my door any sooner than the Publisher’s Clearing House Sweepstakes team.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m thrilled to talk about design. I’m going to talk all about it in a minute here and you are going to want me to shut up (good thing you can always x out of this page). That thrill is because there are things about family living that turn me from normal to nerd in half a second. I am now lucky enough to be pursuing something that makes me tick, that keeps me awake at night in a positive way, that creates energy rather than sucking it…You know what I’m saying, right? If you don’t, let’s definitely talk about that.
Read MoreI don’t know about you but suddenly we are mid-way through October and the clock is beginning to tick on holiday preparation and I woke up this morning wanting to go back to bed with the overwhelm. Just me? I would give you permission to go back to bed today, but we both know that isn’t the best idea. Your list will still be there tomorrow.
Instead of going back to bed, let’s talk about perfection. Wait! Really. This is going somewhere, I promise. My husband and I have an ongoing debate about my relationship with perfection. In his mind, I strive for perfection all the time and do not feel like I’ve succeeded until things are perfect. In my mind, I want things the way I want them. I hope I'm not as bad as Sally and her pie (and yes, "on the side" is a very big thing for me too, so I guess I am that bad). If you want to call that perfection, go right ahead, but I just call it “my way”. Perfection is a moving target. Just like beauty, it is in the eye of the beholder.
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