This Place Called Motherhood

A family photo taken 8 years ago!

It's been many months (years?) since I visited my blog, and for quite a few good reasons; a new full time job, a daughter off to college and a side hustle flipping houses with Husband that has monumentally disrupted the flow of motherhood.

Call it the next stage, a new season, or as one of my friends calls it, "a mid life crisis," it' all the same but different, depending on what you do with it.

I used to tell other moms the story about how motherhood changed my life...and my emotions, my body, and my career. Wasn't it funny that everything I knew, was suddenly gone and in its place was a small being whose needs were so demanding, I was literally in a state of shock. The first baby.

And now, all the new mom questions: why didn't anyone tell me that going to the bathroom after giving birth was going to be painful? Why do I feel like a mother lion with her cub? Did I actually fall asleep when I was nursing? Who is going to HELP me, because I feel like I need help.

But, for Husband, nothing really changed. He went back to the same job and the same body. Basically picking up where he left off except with one more mouth to feed. I on the other hand, was a hot mess.

Fast forward seven years later, I was now a mom to three children. Motherhood was fast and furious and slow and debilitating all at the same time. Meals, laundry, a dirty house, juggling schedules and worrying about how to pay the bills for a family of five was the norm. That was a time when "the years went fast, but the days were slow," to quote a mom from a Hallmark movie (of course.)

Oh, there were many moments of joy, some even posted on this blog or on Facebook or in a physical scrapbook (because that was before smartphones and Instagram.) I remember fondly the crayon artwork, bedtime reading rituals, singing, snuggling, and catching our kindergarten-age daughter and her three year-old brother throwing dog food into the pool trying to bait the dog to jump in. Good memories, but they were all tied tight like a rubber band ball of chaos intertwined with hopes of a getaway to Target and a rare date night with Husband.

And now there is today.

As an older mom of a college freshman, a high school sophomore and a sixth grader; a new season has arrived. I was once a stay-at-home mom (SAHM) and then a work-at-home (WAHM) and now a mom who is reinventing herself and rebuilding a career full time and away from home.

Gone are the days of DIY projects and dinners on the table by 5pm. Instead, Husband and I are trying to create a "new norm" that will somehow keep our family communicating, keep a marriage thriving and allow me to pursue the next part of my life. Time has become a precious commodity.

So my question is this; did anyone tell you that aside from how motherhood changed you, that one day you would also have to reinvent yourself ?

A mom friend I recently spoke with reminded me that many moms have similar struggles, just not always a place to voice them. Well, voice them here. Share your story. Where are you now in this place we call motherhood?

It's Friday, Where Has Your iPhone Been?

If I hadn't traded in my dumb phone for an iPhone, I'm not sure I'd remember all the things I'd done in the last couple of weeks. And if it wasn't for Facebook and Instagram, I wouldn't know what my friends were doing either. :(

Should I have to describe my life in verbs it would be; "graphic-designing, writing, staging, website-developing, business-researching, kid-hugging, cooking, taste-testing, not-weight-watching, cleaning, driving, shopping, department-meeting, email-checking and social-networking."

Only another mother would get this kind of verbal rant. Anyhoo, here's where I've been and what I've been doing. If I'm lucky, one of my friends will make sushi tonight and invite me over so I can de-stress, hint, hint.

• Easter-themed cake, check out the details on how to make it on  Todays Wisconsin Mama.
• Staging my parents' home so they can sell it, eventually. (Don't go to Arizona Mom, there are scorpions!)
• A Spring Break trip with Husband to Titletown Brewing Company (funny, we did the same thing almost to the day the year before. See this Spring Break post from 2012.
• Reigniting my love for Pinterest.
• Pretty comforter set from Big Lots. (No I did not buy it, yes, I do regret it.)
• A quick stop at Home Depot before a design department meeting. Adore this glass tile.
• Moo. Don't ask. Visiting a former dairy farm with Husband. (Business related, not a date.)
• Visual Merchandising for a client. (Painting windows and showcasing Prom and Spring dresses.)
• Complaining that we still have snow. Our youngest daughter in the backyard while we were picking up sticks (and dog poop.)

What have you been up to?

Look Who I'm Writing For!

I'm so excited to announce that I am now a contributing writer for Todays Wisconsin Mama. I will be posting all my DIY projects there. Drop by and leave me a comment letting me know what you think about our master bedroom paint experience!

I'll still be posting recipes, my views on social media and family life here on my blog, so no worries! Also, if there is a DIY project on TodaysMama, I may post extra photos or tips on my personal blog, so keep stopping by! I appreciate all your comments!

A big hello and thank you to the editors at TodaysMama!

There's No Place (To Paint) Like Home

A week away from home has (hopefully) made my family appreciate their mommy-chauffeur, a house that smells of crock-potted meals and soap in the shower. (Seriously, how can you shower without soap, kids?)

(A few little stops for treats to bring home: locally made chocolates, sushi for me and a sampling of craft beers for Husband.)

As the 80's Michael Jackson and Journey serenade me in the background, it seems I have returned to domesticity, beginning with paint.

Husband and I have finally started painting our entryway. As opposed to the latte-colored paint chip I was "instagramming" (trust me, this will become a word in the dictionary, just like "googling") two weeks ago, we ended up with "Tea Leaves," an earthy, sage green color, close to the green in this palette:

Our lake house is basically beige, which translates as incredibly boring and devoid of personality. So we had to fix that. (Also any paint color will hide drool marks from an English Mastiff.) Really.

Husband is a perfectionist when it comes to painting. And rightfully so, he's quite skilled with a roller. I however, am of the let's-just-get-color-on-the-wall, school of thought. At least we can agree on color. (Except for when I wanted our last kitchen "butter" yellow and the yellow chosen was so bright it looked like we were riding in a school bus every morning. Epic fail.) We now choose paint color together.

So we are painting right now while we have a little down time between swim practices and softball.

For more inspiring color palettes, check out my "True Colors" Pinterest board.

Social Media Equals Sales?

I've read a lot about how businesses must embrace the channels of social media. But I've also witnessed firsthand the criticism of how social media does not grow a business. I really had to think about this...and it hit me.

Social media can increase sales, but sometimes it does it in a round-about way.

Meryl Streep said it well in the movie, "The Devil Wears Prada," where she repudiates Anne Hathaway's snubbing of what seems to be insignificant decisions in fashion.

"...You think this has nothing to do with you. You go to your closet and you select...

I don't know... that lumpy blue sweater, for instance because you're trying to tell the world that you take yourself too seriously to care about what you put on your back. But what you don't know is that that sweater is not just blue, it's not turquoise. It's not lapis. It's actually cerulean. And you're also blithely unaware of the fact that in 2002, Oscar de la Renta did a collection of cerulean gowns. And then I think it was Yves Saint Laurent... wasn't it who showed cerulean military jackets? I think we need a jacket here. And then cerulean quickly showed up in the collections of eight different designers. And then it, uh, filtered down through the department stores and then trickled on down into some tragic Casual Corner where you, no doubt, fished it out of some clearance bin. However, that blue represents millions of dollars and countless jobs and it's sort of comical how you think that you've made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when, in fact, you're wearing the sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room from a pile of stuff."

What may look like a "pile of stuff" to a novice (or a business owner) may really be a necessary tool into sending your business/products/services skyrocketing out of the red and into the black.

Here are some brands that are trending on the growing social media giant, Pinterest.

Nutella, RumChata, Hershey's, NYX Cosmetics and Sephora, just to name a few.

These brands, like RumChata (a rum-based cream liqueur) are now the fundamental ingredient for making "RumChata Cupcakes," which has been re-pinned over 500 times
(at last count.) Did RumChata ever think about the cupcake business? I doubt it.

INFOGRAPHIC: Pinterest Infographic via Cool Daily Infographics

In this day of recycling and repurposing, women, who make up 80% of the Pinterest market, are now scouring for the above-mentioned ingredients/products or even discarded items (old Mason jars, shipping pallets, etc.) in hopes of creating the next best ____ (fill in the blank.)

So even if businesses are not seeing direct sales increases right now, give it time, and don't discredit social media. Because let's face it, it is everywhere and its influence, although seemingly insignificant at this point, might just be your next secret weapon in growing your profit margin.

Enjoy those cupcakes, people.
 

Constructing Your Creative Space

I once wanted to work at Google (see their Bangkok office below?) only because I thought their work space was cool and catered to the creative types. Now it seems, that everyone and their mother has jumped onto that bandwagon.

I've been thinking about my own work space and how it can be a conduit to creativity.

Then I began to think about our kids, and how Husband is a big proponent of thinking "outside the box" (although he would never use that cliched term) and prompting an environment of learning or as he calls it, "wondering." (Ask me one day about our parent meeting with our eldest daughter's science teacher, it's quite the story.)

If my children were still under the age of six and finger painting, I think a space like this would be so amazing:

(Of course I found this on Pinterest, of course Martha Stewart featured it. *sigh*)

In my perfect house, my perfect office would look like this, natural light, open but private, a clean space I could go on and on...

Traditional Home Office design by San Francisco Architect Polsky Perlstein Architects

Then again before I allow my interior designing thoughts to be boxed in, with the advent of
the laptop and wifi, should there only be one "space" in our home where we can work? Hmmm.

And what really helps with creativity? Is it environment? The merging of minds? Serenity? Or how about just plain old hard work?

I was intrigued by this Mashable article on the science of genius and their Q&A with author Jonah Lehrer.

It seems that everything factors into attaining creative ideas, but being creative is a plausible pursuit for everyone.

environment + fresh minds + debate + brutal honesty + perseverance

+ child-like "wondering" = creativity

Let me "wonder" about all of this and I'll get back to you about my decorating decisions. ;)

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

If you were to visit the local retail stores, it would seem that Christmas has come upon us! I'm guilty of adding to that premature Christmas cheer, seeing as I've spent the last two weeks getting Christmas displays up for several of my clients.

"Do you really want Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving?" I asked.

"Yes, yes we do." *sigh*

So here's a little pre-Christmas inspiration and a look at what I've been up to!

What a wonderful Christmas Advent Calendar idea from Pinterest!

How about this rustic table centerpiece I found and has been repined 714 times!

Other than Christmas merchandising and displays, I've been dealing with a lot of cupcakes again, this time for a client's anniversary event. These cupcakes were just beautiful!

Both of the above cupcakes were made by Angela at Angel Cakes It was fun taking photos of these masterpieces!

As I was setting them up, I felt like I was on Cupcake Wars! Hurry, hurry...

But who's complaining? I was fortunate enough to taste some great cupcakes from 'Amanda Cupcake,' she made sparkly cake pops for the event and I got to try her red velvet cupcakes and her vanilla, cranberry-filled cupcake! Yum-o! (Nothing says 'holidays' like sugared cranberries!)

Other than work, (and a bad cold - cough, cough) I've been trying to share the love, but not the cold, with my family. I made them some Pumpkin Pie French Toast for breakfast this morning and Husband and I shopped for our Thanksgiving festivities today. Hello Mr. 12 lb. turkey!

And if you must know, I put up my outdoor Christmas lights. Oh well, "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em!" ;)

I'm sure everyone is as busy as I am, so if I don't see you before Thursday, have a Happy Thanksgiving! :)

Why Moms Don't Sleep (Much)

This week I made an awesome raspberry vinaigrette, baked homemade brown sugar cupcakes (which will be frosted with a salted-caramel frosting later this week) and decided once in a while, fast food is okay. Every supper can't be a Pinterest supper, right?

Other than that...well, let's just say I've had a busy month. Someone once told me (when I was pregnant with our first child) that I would never sleep again. I do sleep, just not so much. Here's my Instagram overview:

1) Cleaned and organized my craft room (aka the laundry room) 2) Got our eldest daughter ready for Homecoming 3) Bought an iPhone, dumped my dumb phone 4) Learned more about Instagram 5) Made sure our 2 younger kids made it to soccer practices and games on time 6) Oh, they're on the swim team too... three times a week 7) Carved pumpkins, baked pumpkin seeds (an annual tradition) while listing to 'Monster Mash' 8) Baked cupcakes for two October birthdays 9) Redesigned a client's website.

Not pictured: Studying Facebook analytics for a client, merchandising a store, marketing meetings, scrubbing windows, doing laundry, huffing and puffing on a treadmill and coffee time with Husband five times a week at 5:30 am. <3

So on that note:

"It is not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is: what are we busy about?"

-Henry David Thoreau

It's all good.

I Don't Know How She Does It

On the second day of school, I took a vacation.

After three months of Husband, three children and Juno (the slobbery English Mastiff) being home ALL summer, quiet time was certainly overdue.

I embraced that time by finally renting the movie "I Don't Know How She Does It" starring Sarah Jessica Parker. I rented it for two reasons; one) Husband is sick of my chick flick choices and two) This movie is my life (except I don't make that much money, we don't have a nanny, we don't live in Boston and we have three kids instead of two.) Other than that, pretty much art imitating life.

I was surprisingly happy with my DVD choice because if it was a rotten one, no one would roll their  eyes at me and say "well, that's another two hours of my life I will never get back..." (Words never muttered by Husband.)

I think all the juggling she has to do is realistic and don't even get me started with the pressure of baking for school! My biggest fiasco (other than forgetting that it was my turn to bring in a class snack) was the time I spent hours making cupcakes that were supposed to look like ground hogs, but looked nothing like ground hogs. If there was a 'Cake Wrecks' for cupcakes, I would have made the cut.

As a former SAHM and now basically a Jane-of-all-trades freelancer, there are very few luxuries in my life, and scheduling one day off is a HUGE luxury.

Anyway, I liked the movie, I think all moms and dads should watch it. If you did, tell me what you thought!

Creating An Organized Home Office

We're in the process of moving, again. Which can be agonizing and exhilarating at the same time. The up side of a move is that I can use all those decorating ideas I've pinned on Pinterest!

{source}

Unbeknownst to my family, we might actually end up with a turquoise and white laundry room. Sounds divine, doesn't it?

{from Pinterest, of course}

The other area in our home-to-be which will have to be addressed asap, is the office. I'm going to need one to house all my techie gear and paperwork. (Why oh why, do I still have paperwork?!?) Anyhoo...

As usual, this home office will have to be put together on very little money. I emphasize that point because decorating/organizing can get pretty pricey. Husband and I have always tried to be smart with our purchases, but people, we have three mouths to feed (not to mention an enormous dog!)

So this means we will be repurposing instead of purchasing. With that being said, we'll need some inspiration, read this article on how to create an organized home office with ideas from my favorite place; Pinterest.

Happy repurposing!

A Day In The Life Of A Retail Specialist

The days that I'm not working from home, I'm usually out merchandising stores. I just worked at an 8th grade Career Fair last week and tried to explain exactly what a retail specialist does. Everyday seems to involve graphic design, photography and phone calls!

Sometimes, I design plan-o-grams and wall elevations:

{source}

Other times I'm moving things around and re-displaying them to help increase sales:

When I am at home, I might create an e-commerce store, design emails or create brochures for a client:

And if it's a particularly good day, I'm setting up client Facebook and Pinterest pages. :)

After six hours of talking, I wanted to say "Go to college and don't do drugs!" But seriously, in the end, it was a great opportunity to let students know that there are many great careers out there if you're willing to work hard and smart!

When In Wisconsin...

...do as the Wisconsinites do?

Hey-Oh! Husband's Spring Break. Destination? Appleton and Green Bay, Wisconsin. Why? Beer

I always look forward to this time of year when we get a breather from running 3 kids in 3 different directions and instead get a little alone time that isn't dependent on a bedtime schedule.

We decided to work and play, which meant visiting some local microbreweries. I actually don't drink much beer, but I've been learning a lot about the brewing process since

I now have a brewery as a client.

I don't think taste-testing beer is that much different than wine. The characteristics are similar; appearance, aroma, taste/finish and how some foods mesh better with some beers, and others don't.

The one thing I do know is what I like, and I love to taste a beer that has a great deal of "hoppiness." This references the hops which provide an herbal, crisp, bitter palate cleansing effect to beer.

I've also discovered that there are possibly as many varieties of beer as there is wine! Fascinating!

Two years ago, we discovered Door County and thus began our wine tasting experience. It was one of the best times Husband and I had together.

I have to admit, I get a kick out of the beer names too. The beer pictured above is an IPA called "Hopasaurus Rex," one of the many favorites at Titletown Brewing Company in Green Bay.

These names come from the Stone Celler Brew Pub in Appleton, Wisconsin.

But enough of that, now that my week has come to an end, I guess I can relax a little and read the "Hunger Games" with the rest of the world.

Thanks to my eldest daughter who has gotten me hooked!

Have a great weekend!

A Pinterest Inspired Home Office

I've gotten stuck on the color scheme of blue and white (and sometimes black) so when I had time to dream up ideas for a new home office, I came up with this:

{designed on olioboard}

I blame Pinterest. It's where I get all my ideas! It's where I also found this laundry room...

{Cameras And Chaos}

and this bathroom and blue door all from houzz...

Pinterest is addicting, only according to the now 18 million users! What's the last thing you pinned?

'Take Your Husband To Work' Day

When I decided to create my own career path, (using all my jane-of-all-trades skills) I never would have imagined that working could be so fun. But it was today, when I invited Husband to come to work with me. My job was to sample food at a new diner in a neighboring town. He didn't seem to mind one bit.

We feasted on hamburgers, beer battered french fries, French Dip and BBQ pulled pork sandwiches. (It's 5 hours later and we are still full.)

The best part was when we got to sample all of the desserts. Oh my, I love pie, how about you?

I've decided that every time I have to go do food reviews, they will become deligated "date nights."