Simplicity Project #11

I'm making it in by the skin of my teeth this month. Actually, Dave and I completed this project before our vacation. I just forgot to publish it!

This month we tackled our closet. We have this great, unique closet that as you can see by the pictures is sorta shaped like an L. Dave is blessed with the back of the closet where he can hoard piles of who knows what. To be honest, Dave is a very neat man. I never have to ask him to pick up after himself. Which is why I was surprised by the piles and piles of clothes in the back of the closet. When I asked him about them, he told me they were mostly for Good Will but that he had to go through them first. He pretty immediately (within days) began cleaning like a madman. So I of course, jumped on board. Within a few hours, we had a clean and tidy closet and we felt like we'd gotten a new one (complete with some new items we discovered).

Here is our closet before. . .
Dave's half. . .

My half. . .

And after. . .
Dave's half. . .

My half. . .


We got rid of a ton of items to give to Good Will and also some that I will sell next month at the Encores and More consignment sale. They take adult clothes as well. I continue to dream of one day having a custom closet with built in shelves and drawers. Maybe someday, but for now at least I can find that black purse I was looking for. . .or that skirt I forgot about! One of these months I am going to tackle my jewelry. You do not want to look inside that top dresser drawer!

Top 10 Reasons to Staycation

{in this or any economy. . .}

As our vacation comes to a close, I write this post with great dread as I know it means I will be returning to work tomorrow. But alas. . .all good things must come to an end. Here are the top 10 reasons YOU should staycation this year, or any year for that matter. Although many of my top 10 reasons have to do with saving money, that is not really why we chose to do a staycation this year. Read the list and then you decide why you would staycation with your family.

10.Free, four-star accommodations. . .in my own bed. Does anyone like hotel pillows?
9. Coupons for local restaurants and attractions. Let's face it, local coupons are always better than tourist coupons. One entertainment book can cover your whole staycation and then some!
8. No maps or GPS needed. That in itself could save the vacation and your marriage.
7. People you like to hang out with. We spent several nights out or in with friends. It kept us from getting bored of each other.
6. Trusted babysitters or in our case, free babysitters. I always think I would never use a babysitting service while traveling. This way, we got to go on two dates in one week!
5. Trusted restaurants. Maybe it's just us. . .but we always pick the worst restaurants when traveling. How nice to know what you are getting and be able to splurge at a few of your local favorites.
4. No need to pack diapers, wipes, baby food, stroller, high chair, pack n play, toys, etc, etc, etc. Enough said.
3. No travel time. Eight hours in a car or airport/plane with a one year old is not my idea of a vacation.
2. Time to enjoy your home. As much as we are on the go all the time, there's never time to really enjoy the rooms we spent hours decorating.
1. No packing, no unpacking. It's like we never left. . .because we didn't.

Non-voyage!

Mommy . . . Unplugged!

Well, I am almost, officially unplugged this week. I have checked email once a day just to keep it down to a minimum. There is nothing worse than ruining your vacation with 250 unread emails when you return to work. To me, it's worth it to take a glance at it during Hope's nap each day. I've addressed a few emails but for the most part, I've been able to remain in our own little world.

Tuesday we ventured out to the Zoo. We arrived right as it opened and were met with hundreds of other ambitious families who, I'm sure, were also trying to beat the heat. No chance! Less than two hours later we left tired and drenched from sweat - despite the ample amount of shade at the zoo. I guess that's what we get for taking our staycation in June!

This morning we took Hope out to breakfast at Cracker Barrel (a real taste of vacation life) and then to the pool in Dave's parents' neighborhood. This was only Hope's second time in the pool but this time she was ready to go. Her favorite thing was to put her face in the water and drink it. A few times she rushed towards the pool like she would jump right in without any hesitation. Man, am I exhausted after chasing her around!

Here are a few pics from our time so far. I am so glad we decided to do this! Although I told Dave, next time we'll do this in the cooler month of April!

Hope, gazing at the fishies. . .

Hope, playing with the goats. . .

Hope, having the time of her life in the toddler play gym at the zoo. . .

Hope, rocking at Cracker Barrel (she never looks at the camera!). . .

Hope, splashing in the pool. . .

Spa Bliss!

This week we are on vacation. We decided to stay home and enjoy some time just relaxing and doing things around town. We figured it wouldn't be very relaxing to pack up everything, spend 8+ hours in the car and fight the sun and the sand with a one year old. So far it's been wonderful. Hope spent the entire day in her PJs, giving her a true taste of what it means to vacation at home and Mommy spent the afternoon at the spa!

I've visited the local spa several times to have a massage or a pedicure. But I've never done the whole package deal thing with multiple treatments and the robe and slippers and all. Wow! I feel like I've entered a whole new standard of living (one I am sure I will not uphold I am sorry to tell you). It was amazing! First I had a hydrotherapy soak complete with bubbles and jets and candles. Then it was off to the massage room where I was blessed with a 60 minute Swedish rub-down. And then lastly, I sat all hydrated and loose while a very sweet girl made my otherwise awful looking hands and feet look pretty. Three and a half hours later I headed home so relaxed and refreshed. And now I'm wondering why I don't do this at least once a year?!?! Mommy may need to put some dough aside every month for the "once a year spa day fund." I'm pretty sure that's just as important as the college fund!

When I got home, Hope immediately knew something was different. She looked at my finger nails all done up with paint. I don't ever paint my finger nails so she was a bit caught off guard. She started to pick at them, trying to remove the nail polish. I then showed her how they matched my toes. I always have my toes painted so I figured she'd understand the relationship. As she proceeded to try to remove the polish on my toes as well, of course I did what every good mommy would do. . .I jumped up and shouted "no, no". After all, I couldn't let her pick away my bliss!

So far the vacation has been wonderful. We hope to visit the Zoo (if the rain stays away) and Dave will get his day on the golf course later this week. Most of all, we are simply enjoying being home together for an extended period of time. Hope is doing and saying something new ever day. To us, that's so much more entertaining than sand castles and pool floaties. . .although I do look forward to those days which are soon to come.

What Does Mommy Do Anyway?

Now that I've decided to embrace my life as a working mom and blog about it, I thought I'd start by sharing what I do with some of you that might not know exactly how I spend my Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

I am a manager in the entertainment industry. Which basically means I spend my Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays much like I spend the rest of my days. . .taking care of a child (or children as it were in my work situation). I manage a Christian band and a couple of author/speakers. I am responsible for the development of their careers including everything from the products they release to their websites to their performance schedules. It's probably one of the most fun yet most difficult jobs one could have. On the one hand, I get to be a part of making records and writing books. I get to be creative with marketing ideas and promotions. And most of all, I get to be a part of sharing the message of Jesus Christ with people all over the world. Who wouldn't want this job, right? But on the other hand, I am the one they call when the concert gets rained out. I am the one they call with 528 new ideas that have to be chased before week's end. I am the one responsible for "making it happen."

It's a heavy load to carry. I felt that heaviness last night as I laid in bed at 11pm trying desperately to fall asleep but instead fighting back tears as I created a never-ending to do list in my head. Book venue for that event. Create promo video for this one. Develop website for that guy. Send pitch emails for this one. And so on and so on.

So. . . that's what I do. I absolutely love my clients, my boss and my coworkers and that keeps me going. We're all painfully aware that it's too much so we keep each other going from day to day. I guess as long as I feel called to this task, all I have to do is my best and He'll take care of the rest. Boy that sounds cheesy, but it's true.