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Thursday, September 2, 2010
Just A Houswife?
Recently my youngest started Kindergarten and I was a little lost for a week or two. Bayne and I made a plan 5 yrs
ago and we had arrived at the doorstep of our goal’s front door. We made it! In 2005 I made a decision to walk away
from a high stress job for a demanding corporation. I existed for as long as I could in that environment until I could take
no more of it. The abuse that goes on sometimes in cubbie hell is astonishing. I remember being in the ladies room one morning
pregnant with my first son, Baylor, whom I suffered morning sickness the whole time. I had a manager come in and tell me to
get back out on the floor making calls. I never let that resentment go, it literally felt like she punched me in the stomach.
But the reason I worked were always for the people I worked with. I enjoyed the sense of community. I just saw a window, it
was open…so I took it! I wanted to be home with my kids and I wanted a year off from trying to figure out what I was
going to be. Fast forward 5 years I’ve raised my toddlers, become an entrepreneur, dedicated my life to Christ,
become an Interior Decorator and a Professional Home Organizer, spoken at numerous functions, made it to TV a couple of times,
got to do a lot for charity and met some interesting people who’ve molded me as a whole person. Throw in those
little revelations I had over the summer, the threat of breast cancer is not nearly as scary as loose cannons so all in all
it was an informative season. While truly feeling the temptation to quit it all, to walk away even removing the Lula signs
from the truck I just kept thinking to myself…What would Lula do? Would she quit and let defeat leave its mark,
would I GO BACK to work? So I got kicked in the gut a couple of times…I’m no different than 10 other housewives
I know going through the very same transformations. We are thirty-something housewives, college degreed, and feeling frowned
upon for electing to be housewives. We feel we must prove to everyone that we are not lazy, soap opera watching bon- bon eaters!
It felt good to be home with Owen when he was a baby. Totally different than Baylor, who because of mom and dad’s
jobs had to be full timed daycared and became familiar with institutionalized child care at 6 weeks of age. He was a Babywise
Baby, thus today he is very organized and a little obsessive about where items belong. Great student, excellent handwriting
and eager to learn. However, has a bit of a temper and incredibly stubborn. Could it be because Mom and Dad were stressed
over work ALL the time? Owen was allowed free rein, we did what we wanted when we wanted. Baylor came home shortly after I
did and we were all together until 4K. Owen has his fits too but it an incredibly laid back child. So much his teacher has
written several times he needs to speed up a little. We joke that Owen is on his own time clock. But now they are at school
5 days a week. This having NOONE all day long has been a bit of a bother for me. Not sure how to structure myself. It
has had me thinking…what did Betty Jean do all day? My sister recently commented on Facebook to me that she thought
our Mother was possibly a secret spy, driving in the garage in her Maverick just in the nick of time to make it look like
she’d been home all day. We never had to clean though, I don’t remember EVER having to help with chores. She spoiled
us! But she was the quintessential housewife! So was grandmother Lula, and most of the women in my family. I get lectures
constantly from my Mother about how much I do, but I never want to be accused of being lazy. I work hard and I’m proud
of what I can do. So, why can’t I be satisfied just being a housewife? And apparently I’m not the only one, because
researching for this blog I found tons of women asking the same thing!! I do know that everything I have experienced in my
history has led me to this point, I am to do something great with this…but alas, there’s that fork again we talked
about a few weeks ago. But just being afraid to call myself a housewife has at times almost gotten the best of me. The
one thing I do know, is that my kids need me now more than ever. With homework, tests, social studies projects and new routines
they need my consistency and they definitely need a prepared mother. What I really enjoy is seeing ideas come to fruition.
I enjoy encouraging others, I especially enjoy encouraging other women who are just getting their windows open. I went
with the girls to watch Eat, Pray, Love a few weeks ago and had one moment of losing it…when the elephant
greets her in the garden. Ahhh! God speaks!! I get it because I am allowed to go out to a barn 3 times a week and witness
God’s creation in all it’s morning glory. It got me to thinking about my own Eat Pray Love as Oprah had Julia
lists during her interview. My Eat was Lula, My Pray was EASI and My love was my darling boys and husband. Yes, I’m
a lucky housewife.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Faith over Fear
Written for May 26th postDuring these last two weeks while I have been dealing with the ordeal of getting
this biopsy I have abandoned everything else. Now waiting another two weeks until surgery on the 14th leaves
me with a decision to make.Do I keep to my
bed underneath the covers cancelling appointments because I just don't feel like putting on a happy face or do I get
up and get moving? Well, I have to get up…I have two boys that can't see their mother like this
another day.They need me to function. They need
me to get the laundry done. I have been told by a very wise and kind woman "Faith over Fear". While
it has only been two weeks, I took the last 4 days off in-between these two unsuccessful attempts at a biopsy to study and
read all I could about what was going on.The same
dear friend brought me an excellent book by Dr. Susan Love, The Breast Book it is simply called. I spent four whole
days reading it! I have been on radiology websites for hours searching for answers. I
have let everything else fall around me while I gained too much knowledge that just made me more scared! I
had to choose in his office today, how much was I going to let this affect me? If we know it's probably nothing but
we have to test it anyway to find out and now it looks like we are, then I am in this to win it and I have
a few weeks to prepare. I can go to Montgomery the 7th, work a whole house job without being sore (from surgery). I can even
arrange to stay in town one night and meet my husband while he is in town and actually spend a night alone….in a
hotel even! I will be able to bring my mother back with me to stay since I know there is no way Betty Jean is going
to let me have surgery of any kind without her here. So, I have realized I can't fix this today, but I can make a plan. I have two weeks to prepare for being in the operating room. I, as some of you know, suffer
from recurring staph infections gained a few years back from a client's home. I battle with it maybe a few times a year. So,
I want my body's immune system boosted, can't lose any time with the rest of my summer. I would like to take off a little
bit of weight but not pushing. I think back to so many of my clients and I believe this is the
crossroad they are faced with when it comes to waiting for any kind of diagnosis…so which is it
going to be? Faith? Or Fear? June 1, 2010Spent
my long weekend re-organizing my own house, all the closets, the kids’ rooms and getting it ready
for a few hectic weeks coming up on the road and realized (once again) what a sense of calm comes over
me when the house is clean and in order. It isn't frantic, chaotic or unpredictable. When I head into a tailspin my house
follows me. I am a happier person when the weight of disorganization is off my shoulders. When my eye does not stop as I walk
through my house on something out of line, I feel calm enough to sit down with a good book or look through a magazine.
I feel I am caught up. Running behind all
the time is tiresome. And worse when LIFE happens, as it will, one is not prepared. Watching the premiere episode
of "Losing It with Jillian", NBC's trainer from "Biggest Loser", she said something that encapsulates
it all…"there is usually an instigative event" that begins a snowball for someone not equipped to handle
what is happening to them. A chain of clutter, excuses, weight gain, depression, exhaustion, debt stress,
even physical pain from stress and anxiety. In my experience as an organizer, I say 60% of my clients have
had an event that changed their lives forever and are simply having difficulty with the recovery part. So which is it going to be for me? I am going to take it on Faith!
As I stated earlier in the last blog, if He breaks me He will heal me. So of course I have great faith, BUT, I am taking an
ounce of prevention and preparing my surroundings just in case there is an “instigative event” lurking around
my corner!
11:13 am cdt
What do Faith, a Biopsy, Some Disorganization and The Horse Whisperer have to do with each other?
Written to post originally May 21, 2010 Discouragement, Hope and Victory. Three words
that I feel sum up the majority of our emotions! Throw in a little Fear and we come to a standstill. With my current situation I have for this past week pondered
difficult situations I am about to face even folks from my past I have never looked forward to seeing again. Along with a
strong pull to do something new, to be happier, to live longer and most importantly live according to God’s Plan for
me. Actually, ever since I read
Max Lucado’s book “The Cure for the Common Life” several years ago, I have done nothing but. After
some of the more challenging periods of my life I have done lots of self study trying to use my own progress and take my own
story to be a blessing to others. In order to do that you have to contend with constant scrutiny and validation of your own
actions. Becoming a Christian nearly
5 years ago my life has changed much indeed. But have I gotten too comfortable since then? Am I supposed to be moving a hair
to the right a bit? While I have been learning to ride horseback these past few years I have never felt closer to God. It
is almost like He lets me in on a little known secret of the universe…trust. When horse and rider are in rhythm something
magical occurs. You live as Max Luxado’s book points out “in your sweet spot.” That ball and groove continuity
is really nice. I’ve been blessed enough to be there for quite a while. When we moved in 08 I felt like I was giving everything up. I felt as though I had been successful
and that all of it was going to be taken away from me. It hasn’t. I have remained busy with great clients from my new
home and our old home. I don’t even mind the drive anymore and look forward to the trips and the people I meet. I haven’t
suffered lately. But I am
not restful either. My house is taking more time to keep together, I must get to every drawer soon as they are all brimming
with stuff but I have made major strides in the past week since I’ve been focusing on this procedure coming up. And
I realized something…sometimes our houses make us feel hopeless on purpose…we walk around disgusted by the mess
that illustrates clearly we are out of balance and feeling too tired to pay attention to it. Then there is the weight. After losing 65 lbs
after my second son I have nearly regained it all. The time before that one I lost 60 lbs after I left the domestic situation
and wanted to be healthy. I look at those times and think when I was happy I was healthier. Look again; I was getting into
my sweet spot….beginning the company, building the brand, joining the organizations, becoming a player in entrepreneurship,
setting my own schedule and naming my own price followed as result of that happiness. It felt good. But my schedule was increasing
and I was beginning to get worried comments from my mother on slowing down. I began having panic attacks and couldn’t
get outta bed. I developed staph from a client’s home and suffered days in the bed recovering. About that time Bayne
transferred and we were soon moving. That
was my call to take it easy, so after moving I didn’t even really want to pick up the business for a while. So here
I am again, growing, building, getting busy, over committing and what’s happening? Someone’s trying to get my
attention. My house stays a mess, my car is a mess, my children are too busy and grouchy, and my husband and I haven’t
had a date night in a while and are really feeling it. We are grouchy, tired, overworked and in bad need of some family time.
Summer can’t come soon enough. Then
this biopsy hanging over my head…it has made me realize that the unbearable times are truly worth it and necessary
in the end, but do we allow ourselves to fully feel the extent of what that someone is trying to tell us? We women labor with our children, sick, tired, in pain but then
we deliver that delightful creature. After laboring for so long our hope is restored in that one face to face meeting. We
find ourselves a prisoner of hope for this individual. Having allowed ourselves to feel the pain we get to experience the
exhilaration of victory. I have
come to this conclusion…If He will break me He will heal me. My house disrupts my Zen when my spirit is out of whack
for a reason. I am serious about feeling every bit of this…not succumbing to medicine to numb the anxiety or fear of the
unknown. I realize how many times I didn’t allow myself to feel something that might have otherwise fixed my path sooner.
Could I have been organized sooner and more completely? Could I have been thin all these years instead of struggling? After
watching an episode of Oprah, the author of “Women, Food and God” book was talking about how the food doesn’t
allow us to experience those feelings completely. You begin negative thinking and next you are in the pantry. Instead, go
with that feeling and find out where it is trying to take you. Our disorganization is suppose to be painful to us I think. After all, the word clutter comes from
the Latin root “Clot”, which makes one think of a clot clogging an artery. Our lack of focus
is supposed to redirect us onto the correct path. The further out of sync we are with our purpose the more uncomfortable we become. Sometimes we are not supposed to
stay where we are and change must occur to jar us from this convenient slumber of life where we are wasting our talents. We
are to transition from one stage to another. When breaking horses I think of the movie “The Horse Whisperer”
the gut wrenching seen as Pilgrim and the broken girl rise together after feeling the full extent of their pain. Victorious
in the struggle, glorified in complete harmony with every rise and fall of the horse’s gait. I live for those moments
of victory and joy. But if I see
that there is going to be a little pain involved well I go rearrange a room, tear out a closet or buy a dozen donuts...let’s
face it distractions must be made. What
if this is the “C” word, I am realistic enough to understand that He sometimes has to break us to make us holy.
Just like Pilgrim, Am I due for a little breaking? It is of His choosing! We must review, process, store and delete unnecessary information and respectfully
store the memories…if we are healthy. Otherwise we detour those negative thoughts with food, shopping or distractions. Realizing again, it isn’t about me but
what I am to others and how have I come this far to still need work. Humbling for sure. Obviously the Joel Osteen quote I
retweeted last week is still relevant, with great challenges come greater victories.
So until next week, when I should have results
back…Happy Organizing!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Hooray for Summer!!
Summer is so right around the corner. My kids cannot
wait, but most of all I cannot wait. Each year since I have owned Lulagrace I have planned my schedule around my boys. This
year is my last summer before my youngest, Owen, is going to begin kindergarten. I have been one of the most blessed mothers
to be able to take off the summer to spend with my children. This will be my 4th year and after spending some time
looking at my own life since our move I am ready to enjoy my home and my kids this year! When I started blogging for onlineorganizing.com
again last year I had not kept myself organized, I had let all my systems from the old house go. But I had taken a huge leap
of faith and vowed to get myself back in order. We are close!
This past month the boys split bedrooms and my husband
and I are going to need to share a closet for this to be a completed project. As I stare at the stackable hangers at CVS this morning I just cannot make myself buy
them. I know they won’t work for very long and that it is not about the hanger it is about what is inside the closet
that needs to come out. So, I have made myself a promise that this summer along with redoing our kitchen I am going to redo
our closet. I want to paint, may even decide to hang wall paper and then reorganize it accordingly. It just is not an inspiring
walk in as it is now. As I keep thinking about what we will do this summer I keep lumping projects on …well if I paint
the closet I’m going to want to paint the bedroom too. If I paint the bedroom I might as well paint the master bath
too. I always refer to that great children’s book “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie”…it kind of translates
to “If you give Melissa a paintbrush…she’s gonna want to paint the whole house.” So, here is my word of advice to you as you begin thinking about what you will try and accomplish.
While summer seems to be this idea of 3 glorious months off it is barely 10 weeks. Throw a few out of town trips and getting
ready for back to school it cuts to about 6-8. It can blow by before you even know it. So, plan out your projects, map out
your summer on a sheet of paper and make a list of what YOU want to get done. What will you need to do it? Be realistic. Remember
to do your research. So often, my clients have torn everything out of a room with the best of intentions only to realize they
mismanaged their time. Now, either it has to go back together all in a rush or it is left incomplete with an air of disappointment
forever hanging over the undone task. Even
I have to hold myself back and realize I can’t possibly tackle all of that at once and so I must too prioritize my intentions.
Putting them on paper and planning….remember the old saying “if you fail to plan you plan to fail!” Create yourself a notebook to house all of your summer plans
in. Who will you need to contact if you need to outsource painting, plumbing, and contractors. Create a section of tear sheets
of your favorite ideas from magazines and printings from articles found online. Anywhere you can keep all of your ideas collected
in one place. Hope you all will share some of your before and after summer pics of projects you have taken on this year. As
always…Happy Organizing and Happy Summer!!!
12:20 pm cdt
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Recycling Common Household Items for Storage and Organization Part I
When I usually tell people I am a professional organizer, most often their response is “wow, I didn’t know folks
like you really existed”. Well prior to the 1980’s we didn’t. But we have needed organization ever since
the first prehistoric man needed a tool more than once. Part of the need for professional organizers is due to the events
of our world since the last few centuries…the age of industrialization with the advent of the factory created the need
to organize workers, duties and productivity. Along with WWII many housewives were called out of the home making many double
duty moms and career women who still had households to manage. Sound familiar? In the late 1980’s nesting became a societal rage…focusing
on creating cozy and highly liveable spaces used for retreats from the hassles of the rest of the world. Then comes Martha
Stewart and suddenly being in your home was not just a daily habit it was now a pleasure and a hobby, being efficient and
practical while striving for beauty became a frequent topic on daytime talk shows. However, not everyone is Martha Stewart.
The most recent trend of downsizing has created a need in the industry like none other…we have too much and now have
to find some way to deal with all that stuff we’ve purchased to make our homes comfortable and pleasurable but are no
longer functional. So, what is
clutter? Clutter can be good and bad- it is all in the eye of the beholder…how does it make you feel? We are biologically wired to acquire and accumulate
– we are on a quest for more, more food, more money, more territory, more information, more stuff. Americans are programmed to “get” instead of “let go”…we
are taught that acquiring possessions is good and a symbol of our wealth. But clutter is a stress producer…we can actually define clutter as anything that
creates stress in your life, because of its appearance, condition, location, arrangement or quantity. “Overwhelm” is a condition created by our clutter that causes
paralysis of the decision making muscles. It causes us to spin in circles, repeating something like “I just don’t
know where to start”.As
the 6 billion dollar storage and organization industry continues to grow rapidly, manufacturers are filling every niche. Storage was only available once upon a time in industrial
blue or clear. Now, specialized storage products are available in an array of materials, from bamboo to faux leather to sea
grass to swanky decorator patterns to go with your own home décor.Organizers are no longer only available at home improvement stores, they are now getting floor space
at drug stores like CVS &Walgreens. Walmart has an entire section devoted to containers, Target has a wide variety to
choose from. Not to mention the
introduction of stores like Ikea and The Container Store. Even Lillian Vernon has an extensive storage section. According to the International Housewares Association, closet and storage
items were the fastest growing housewares category over the past five years, with consumer spending increasing at an average
of 20.5% per year.The Associations
latest Home Trend Influentials study ranks
home organization and home storage among the hottest housewares product categories through 2010. We are and have been for a few years now in a storage crisis. In a 2007 study conducted by the University of California in Los Angeles, 75% of the
32 families involved in the study stated they had put so much stuff in their garages they could not even fit one car in the space. From construction materials to excess furniture and toys… storage
of material goods has become an overwhelming burden for most modern day families. Annual consumer expenditures in the U.S. have almost doubled since 1990 to $8 trillion in 2006. We’ve been through a frenzy of getting and now there is a frenzy
of storing it all.Today…
organization is everywhere…there are magazines devoted entirely to the subject, home improvement
shows that make us believe we can completely redo a room (sans the crew of 25) in an entire weekend plus knock out a yard
sale in the process. Experts,
have projected the organizing industry to continue to grow at a rather robust rate despite the current housing slowdown. This
is due to the fact that people continue to make changes in their lives- downsizing homes, retirement, relocation, growing families, and organization helps to maintain
these transitions. The biggest
mistake people make when attempting to get organized is that they go to the store and buy a bunch of containers. Instead, they should think about how they want the
space to look and what they will
be storing and then buy products according to a plan.By sometimes trying to simplify our lives we add to the problem by simply purchasing the wrong containers.
Purchasing products with no idea of what is going to go in them…can
cause us to actually double our clutter by using inadequate or ill planned storage containers that will never fully live
up to their intended purpose. But we desperately need these containers. Professional
organizers operate under what is referred to as a “container principle”, by placing four walls
around a group of items you create boundaries around a particular category. Do you need more, do you have too much, or are you at capacity? So, In order to get it right we first have to look at how we are going to
arrange a particular space. We drag it all out, sort it, purge what needs to go (which “purging” is it’s own topic which could last more than an hour to discuss
why we have trouble with that particular subject)…and then create a plan of how
we intend to use and store the rest of the items. Always keeping in mind, is this collection going to grow? How often do we
need to get to it? Do we want
it to be attractive, am I the only one who will see the container it is in? It can get a little discouraging not to mention expensive. Many times we can use a little creativity and use the containers we already bring into our homes. Pause before you discard something that could potentially
help you de-clutter and organize
your stuff. Anything that originally served as a vessel of some sort can have the capability to continue serving as an organizer
for other things.
Come back next week for Part II
9:48 am cdt
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Proud to announce our newest service - Get organized with friends, family and a night of
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Time Management – two words I keep coming
back to week after week. I have throughout the years been notoriously late. I am impressed daily when the kids get to school
on time, dressed and nothing is left out of their lunch boxes because I am NOT a morning person. In a New Years resolution
induced state I proposed to my husband this year that we start getting up early in the morning to spend some time together
quietly before our children got up. He asked me this week, “You were just saying that, right?”
I had to
admit I never meant it. Anything before 6:30 am is just not fair.
In recent years I have realized that it isn’t
about controlling the clock, or logging my daily chores and responsibilities on a chart to see where I am wasting my time
from day to day. I KNOW where I waste my time, with folding and refolding laundry, searching for keys, checking to make sure
appliances are turned off before leaving (I know, tad OCD, come by it honest) not to mention all the daily distractions.
Here’s where I feel there has to be a better way and after doing some research on the subject I have found this…it
isn’t about managing time it is about managing prep time!
When I take the time to think forward and make preparations
say for example prepping for meals during the week all on Sunday, laying out clothes and lunches the night before, preparing
a basket that is to go in the truck of the supplies I will need in advance, I find my day runs smoother. Being able to multitask
is an awesome ability but multitasking without good results just leaves one frazzled. But to be truly effective we must learn
to gain ground. Each day we should strive to get ahead of the game. For the last couple of weeks we have been diligent about
cooking a meal and freezing the other half of it for later. It has truly come in handy.
This week we are deep in the
trenches with teaching my oldest how to study. Trying to impress upon him that if he studies a little bit each night he won’t
have to spend the whole evening doing so. As we all try to track our health on this new Wii Fit Plus we got for Christmas
it comes back again to doing a little bit every day.
On that note, I feel healthier when I run as scheduled. When I
take my own advise “it only takes 30 seconds to put that pair of scissors back in the same place” or keeping a
load of laundry going all the time, I can make the most of my time so I am not bogged down in the evening when everyone is
home. Preparation…isn’t there a saying “an ounce of preparation…” oh well maybe it is prevention.
Anyway, a lot can be said for thinking ahead. As I go into this New Year I am not going to look at the clock and manage my
time, I am going to focus on being better prepared!
After reading in a magazine this week the secrets of really motivated
people it seems they make their beds everyday, they don’t leave dishes in the sink overnight, they put their keys in
the same location every time. I strive for this. Do I hit the mark all the time? Of course not, but when I get 3 or so days
going at a good pace it’s alright to just enjoy that little ground gained.
This morning I am getting ready to
drive an hour or more to tape segments for a local channel. I got up at 5:30 (hate it) am and managed to get lunches made,
backpacks ready and have a few moments to myself. It is kinda nice….but then I like my sleep too.
Maybe next
week’s blog should be about discipline! Happy Organizing
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Happy 2010! Family time and Technology
Ahh! Christmas
break has been a wonderful two week period for me and family. We spent within our budget for the holidays, I prepared enough
“really good” food for my family single handedly and kept goodies coming to keep them all happy. We spent many
a night playing together on the Wii and Wii fit plus we got on Christmas, the many board games our children got or just Hot
Wheels on the living room floor. It was what they call a stay-cation I guess!
My husband normally takes two weeks
off but because of a still strugging come- back economy he opted to save one week for later this spring and focus on his month
end. Having this last week, between Christmas and New Year’s, to see how much we really enjoy each other has been quite
a new experience. We no longer have children under 3 and this season we got to experience a whole new way for us to relax
together we haven’t known before. We had Fun!!!
And…my husband and I actually found out we enjoy
cooking together in the kitchen and preparing our week of dishes and snacks. After a decade of marriage I dare say we have
always had one saucepan that I knew of until my mother in-law took pity on us along with my mom this year and bought us cookware.
When Monday morning after Christmas rolled around both our phones began beeping at 8am. Email messages were dinging
on both our desktops and kids were climbing into our bed in their little voices saying “can we play now, you said you
would”.
We made a promise to each right there that we would disconnect for that week. No email, no texts,
no Facebook, no Twitter, no Youtube. It almost worked too! I did slip in some Facebook time from here to there, I found myself
on Youtube once or twice. Texts were kept down but that was really hard too!
It is so hard for us to disconnect
ourselves from the virtual world. It is so hard to process all the information firing at us rapidly with the same brain that
processes each piece of information one issue at a time. So among all the distractions in my life, seems I am now unable to
walk past my desk without checking to see what RHOA’s Kim Zolziak is doing on her Twitter update?
Dave Ramsey
says that we should pay attention to the effects our attitude about money has on our children. They are very aware if money
is most often a topic in their homes and it influences them at a very young age. We should also be aware of the attitudes
we are passing down to them about technology. How many of us have told our children, “in a minute” when we are
really doing nothing…but maybe checking out Perez Hilton updates or texting a friend? Guilty!
Bayne and
I have talked extensively in our marriage about wanting to subscribe to the simpler life. That is what Lulagrace is all about.
Named after my grandmother Lula, the company seeks to make life easier to find for all my clients. And I find that I do that
best for myself when I focus on God and my family. When I allow outside distractions into my life they give way to negative
thoughts. Peer groups can be just as harsh in your middle age as they were in 7th grade! When I focus on my family, like making
them a plate of homemade fudge and hot chocolate for by the fire, I feel such great warmth inside, a peace and calm that is
just nice. All these distracting gadgets and even people can really take us away from our responsibilities. Like planning
and preparing for our home. Saving money, keeping a stocked pantry, preparing for college and living on what we make.
So this year, try not to get caught up in all this new technology being thrown our way.Put your eyes back on your
kids instead of on ___________( enter whatever device is your weakness).Keep it simple, prepare for a rainy day, and take
at least one weekend out of the month to arrange a complete disconnect. A stay-cation to check in with each and see what’s
going on with everyone…and have fun!!!
Happy 2010!!!
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