I miss my job

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE being an event coordinator. Its awesome! I get to make people's dreams come true. I am selected for my patience, keen eye for detail, and an imagination for wonder in the world of event design. I love my job. I love owning my own business. But there are a few things that I could do without. Let's talk about that.

Here is the thing... as an event coordinator, I have orchestrated over 150 events, most of which were weddings. I have seen so many smiling faces, its no wonder that I chose this for a career. I wanted to work for myself, be there for the kids, and bring in an income. The hours and the work are completely sporadic. The work is tedious and hectic. People change their minds in an instant. The only thing that keeps me going in this business is my want to make others smile. I haven't had an event in almost eight-teen months. 

Granted, I haven't exactly been putting myself out there. I don't really have the time to do it right now. I wish I did, but the fact is I don't. I would be nice to figure out what it will take to get my business back up and running. How about we do that now:

• How much will it cost to get the sun room to be a home office?
• Paint
• Shelves
• Nice Desk
• Chairs
• Small 2 sofa seating area
• Filing system, and all of the stuff to go with it
• How much will it cost to start my own website?
• Design
• Up keep
• How can I get back to doing events if I don't have my portfolio up to par?
• Pro-bono events?
• Severely reduced rates?
• Hard core networking?
• How much will it cost in legal fees, taxes and other things I'm not thinking of?
• Get an accountant and an attorney?
• What are my goals for my company?
• 1 month?
• 3 months?
• 6 months?
• 9 months?
• 1 year?
• 18 months?
• 2 years?
• 3 years?
• What do I enjoy about owning my own business?
• I make my own hours.
• I am my own boss.
• I get to work with clients on a one-on-one basis.
• I work from home. 
• What is not enjoyable about owning my own business?
• Its really easy to get lazy...
• because I am my own boss.
• I have to find clients,
• but its hard because I work from home.
• What can I do to change this?
• Create an office space that is strictly for work between certain hours.
• Always get dressed for work.
• Research a way to market better
• And really stick to "work" space, and "home" space
• When can I realistically approach this?
• Not anytime soon.
• After the kids are all  on a regular school day schedule. 
• So.. in about 3 years. Fun stuff.

Needless to say, I'm rather upset about the fact that I haven't had an event in a year and a half. Its really getting to me. Being a stay at home mom is fun, and rewarding... but it would be nice to get back to work. Thanks for reading. 

Three Easy Steps to Teach Your Kids to Clean... and maybe your husband too: Part Two -- Prepubescents, and Tweens.

Hey there, welcome to the second installment of Three Easy Steps to Teach Your Kids to Clean. In this post we are talking about the steps for prepubescents, and tweens.

Here is the thing about this age of kids... They are at this point where they want to act more adult-like... anything you do, they will copy it. So if you are having issues with your own upkeep, be sure to check out my other post on Self-Scheduling. If you aren't on a schedule, its really hard to teach your kids how to do much of anything. There is not necessarily a lack of trying, but more of a lack of consistency. You might want to do some self-reflection before really giving this whole thing a go. When parents are doing well, kids do even better. You can do the thing!

If you want a tween to listen, this is not the way to do it.

Getting a tween to listen can be hard... like really hard. Like, almost infuriating. Welcome to the stage in your kids life that parents are starting to be uncool, and they will do everything to push you away, not express themselves they way they used to, and pretty much shut you out the more you yell and lose your cool. Seriously, don't lose your cool. Never lose it in front of them. You are trying to teach wild tweens how to be responsible, don't be irresponsible with your emotions.

Do you remember getting yelled at when you were a kid to clean your room? I do. Did it make me want to do it? Nope. I didn't want to. I had to. There is a difference. If kids want to clean their room, then they will most likely do it on their own. Sounds impossible, improbable, and complete fantasy... but seriously, think about it for a second. When you are at work, and your boss is so far up your butt... it makes for a really crappy work enviorment. It really does. And what do you end up doing? Looking for a new job elsewhere. So, as a parent, you are kind of like a manager. Be a good manager. Nobody likes a crabby boss :)

So here are your three steps for Prepubescents and Tweens:

Step One: CONSISTENCY!!
If there is one thing that my tween hates, its I'm up her butt. "Did you make your bed?" has been something that if I had a dollar for, Wifey would make me at least $6 every morning. Over time, Brainy has gotten the hang of it. She's pretty good about it now. It's almost a part of her morning routine, and she's quite proud of herself. If their room is a complete mess, and they are overwhelmed, offer to help out for a select amount of time. If Artsy's room is a disaster, well.. I'm going to offer ten to fifteen minutes of time to help her out. I'm not going to do it all, but I am going to help. I encourage her to do it. Take it as a teachable moment. Life is full of those. Remember, you are raising little people -- NOT CHILDREN. They grow more and more everyday, and if they can learn these things now, they will become really good at adulting when they are adults. Keep at it! It takes about a month for kids and adults to start up a new routine! Don't give up!!

Step Two: SET A GOOD EXAMPLE OF WHAT YOU WANT YOUR CHILD TO DO, AND MEET YOUR OWN EXPECTATIONS.
You can't expect a tween to make their own bed if you don't do it yourself. You can't expect a tween to pick up after themselves -- if you don't do it too. If you are not on a schedule, work on getting on one, and as a leader, they will follow your lead. To expect kids to have this down NOW is to seriously set them up for failure. Be the role-model they need. Be the awesome parent you want to be!

Step Three: REINFORCE THE GOOD!!
Some people use allowance as a reinforcement tool -- and if you can afford it in this economy, I envy you. But here is the thing, positive reinforcement can come in several different ways. Artsy's guidance counselor is awesome, and one of the things that we have talked about in the past is positive reinforcement. Its been a good way to get her to do things that we want to do. A lot of what has worked for Artsy is verbal praise. It works with Brainy as well.

About a week or so ago, I walked into Brainy's room, and it was IMMACULATE! I didn't say anything, I was busy, but I didn't take the time to say "Hey, B! Nice job on the room! Looks awesome, keep it up!" Being busy is not an excuse. Its not. Positive reinforcement has to be consistent. Over the course of the next three days, Brainy's room was an absolute disaster. It was probably the worst I have seen it since we put the girls in their own rooms. I talked to her about it. And that brought us back to..

Step One: "Hey, B. When was the last time your floor was vaccumed? ... Oh, wow. Say, what are your thoughts on tidying up your room so we can take care of that?... Sounds good. Enjoy your practice session."
Step Two: "Rooms coming along a bit slow, would you like some help? ... Not a problem, I've got about 10 minutes or so to spare before I have to make dinner. Do you think we can knock this out before then?... Lets do this!!"
Step Three: "Nice hustle! I thought this was going to take so much longer for you to do, but you blew me away! Only 20 minutes to get your room done? WOAH! High five!!"

Lets just say Brainy's room has been kept up for about 86% of the time since. It's pretty awesome.

Sounds a bit like Part One doesn't it? Here is Part Three, and that covers teenagers.

Three Easy Steps to Teach Your Kids to Clean... and maybe your husband too: Part One -- Kids Aged Toddler to 8-years-old.

You'll never believe this... but I was walking around the house, and I saw an empty dishwasher, a sparkling sink, a swept up kitchen, a freshly vacuumed living room, an organized pantry... AND the kids toys weren't all over the floor. The beds were made. The laundry was kept up with. Everything was beautiful.

My kids were smiling. We were all working together. Birds were chirping.

It all was so wonderful... too good to be true.
And then I woke up.

Lets get real here -- teaching kids to clean is a real chore, but it doesn't have to feel like you are trying to heard cats. 

If you start teaching kids to tidy up when they are toddlers up to when they are about 8 years old, you have it made. Why are you here? Go to this post instead.

If your kids are under the age of 8, YOU NEED TO TRAIN THEM!

Step One: CONSISTENCY!!
EVERY TIME your child makes a mess -- they need to pick it up... but don't expect them to do it all by themselves at first.

Step Two: BE THE HELPER YOU WANT YOUR CHILD TO BE
Work with your child, don't just bark orders. Get down there and find all of the Legos, My Little Pony figures, dinosaurs, and all of the Hot Wheels cars.  They'll get the hint, and since kids aim to please...

*

Step Three: REINFORCE FOR THE GOOD!!
Shortstack is 4 years old. He cleans up after himself better than Brainy and Artsy.  Its crazy. You know what he does it for? High Fives! Not even kidding. :) So reinforce the Good! It shouldn't cost you money. When Shortstack does something really awesome, we do have a prize bin for him. Just little things that we bought from the Dollar Store, little prizes he can earn. He keeps his room tidy. Our girls don't. But for kids that just won't clean... there is another post for that.

Follow steps one through three until its just routine. Thats how you can teach kids under 8 how to clean. :) Here is Part Two!!

Good luck

* I really need to start having Wifey take pictures for my blog. Ehh...

Keep Forgetting to Blog? Stay on top of JUST ABOUT ANYTHING with One Awesome App!

As the title suggests; I keep on forgetting to Blog.

Recently I have started to really work on my time management skills. I know Wifey wouldn't mind!!

I also got a wicked snazzy Samsung Galaxy S5 (you can read my review here), so now its out with the old apps that I have used in the past, and in with the new.

A friend of mine let in on a little secret: To Do Reminder for Android.

And its so easy to use and set up! It really does make life easier!

Now I have no excuse to miss a blogging day. Thanks To Do Reminder! Now I don't have to ask My Lady to be up my butt about blogging :)

Today I Forgot Who I Was

There is nothing scarier than not knowing who you are, where you are, or how you got there. Thats what happened to me today.

I have Bipolar Disorder. Its been about a decade since I have attempted medication. Pharmaceuticals have not worked for me. In the past, medications have made me homicidal, suicidal, or psychotic. I would rather feel crazy than feel like that. I would rather deal with mania, than want to die.

This time, I went in for an appointment for migraine prevention. Something wasn't right. I felt hollow. I felt empty. I felt like a shell. Couldn't think straight. It was only Day 1 of medication. I thought that the effects would wear off. That it would get better.

Explained this to my therapist.* She could tell something wasn't right, and pointed it out a bit. I felt so not like myself. I didn't even care about anything. After my appointment, I decided to go outside and wait for Wifey. She was driving me around because I didn't feel safe to drive.** I walked out, and decided it was time for a cigarette.*** I walked to the end of the parking lot, because I'm not an asshole, and I'm not about to smoke infront of a doctor's office... and in my opinion, those who do are jerks.

I kept on walking. I didn't know where I was going, but I was determined to get to where ever it was. I went down the road, and kept on gong.

I came to a busy road. It was a bit scary. I was worried about getting hit by cars. I started to panic. I didn't know where I was going but I did know that I had to cross this very heavily trafficked road. I ended up crossing safely, thank my lucky stars. I crossed another road. And then the next thing I know Wifey picked me up in the van. She told me to get in. I didn't know what was going on. I thought to myself... "Well, I guess this is where I was walking to."

I don't really remember much after that, but I don't think I am ready to play the "Medication Roulette" game ever again. I'll stick to self-medicating with cannabis****, thanks anyways.



* My therapist is quite awesome. Honestly, I have only had one other therapist that is comparable, and my current therapist is still the best. Wifey thinks she's awesome. Hubbs sings her praises... because honestly -- If I didn't get help, I'm sure Hubbs would be gone by now.

** If you know ANYTHING about me -- you'll know that I don't get carted around. I do just about ALL of the driving. To say that I didn't feel safe while driving is serious business. I mean, when I go out with others -- I'm the DD. When I am out in the snow -- nobody is driving but me. I am a bit of a control freak when it comes to driving. But I am also a pretty awesome passenger... on the rare occasion that I am a passenger.

*** Yes, I am aware smoking is bad. I'm working on it. See also, here.

**** I will eventually write a post about how cannabis works for me, and how I use it.

Everything Makes Sense at the Moment, and That's Okay.

Do you know that feeling when you feel like everything makes sense? I sure do. Its nice. Its that feeling when you feel like you are right where you are supposed to be.

I'm talking in a literal sense. I'm in my own personal space of the house, and its awesome. Do you have a runaway space? My run away space happens to be at my desk. And for once my desk is back where it honestly belongs.

In the living room, we have this nice big bay window that you can see the front yard from. Its nice, and right there, to the left of it is where my desk is.

Its my own personal 4' x 8' space of the house. I have my desk, and my chair, and my aloe plant, all right there in the front of the living room. I love this space in the house.

I feel more creative in this spot. I don't know why I feel that way, but its okay.

All of the kids are asleep, before and I'm okay with that.

Here is to easy nights, happy thoughts, and a nice writing session before bed.

It Doesn't Matter What Gender You Are, Glitter IS AMAZING!

Short-Stack rocking the glitter.

My Gram is amazing. She knows me very well. And for those who know me, the best go-to gift for the holidays is cosmetics.

I have a closeted cosmetics addiction. I love eye shadow, eyeliner, lipsticks of a million different varieties. But the one thing that I love more than glittery eye shadow that gets all over my shirt, its nail polish.

I’m a nail biter, you wouldn't think that I would have a love for nail polish. Oh, but I do. So for those of you who will most likely not read this – I love nail polish. For the love of glitter, and all that is shiny… I fucking love nail polish.

It was a no-brainer for my 84 year old Grandmother to pick out a pre-packaged “Color Workshop” holiday nail polish set. She knew that I would love it. And oh… I really really do! My face lit right up when I saw the box. I was all of the stoked.

It was a bit of a bummer for me, with all of the fiasco of yesterday… (See also, yesterday’s post)… all I wanted to do was go through my new nail polish set from my Gram. That’s it. But, life happens – and that is okay.

So FINALLY! After all of the 2 weeks of waiting, I finally got to check out my nail polish. The girls were all of the jealous, and I was completely okay with that. They were being butts anyways – not doing their homework, being general grouches. It was frustrating… but there is nothing more satisfying than seeing elementary school girls losing their minds over glitter polish, but can’t partake because they refused to do their homework over an hour previous.

When I came out with the box, Short-Stack followed me to watch the unveiling of new polish. He was almost as excited as I was when I opened the box, to reveal 12 new bottles of polish – some glittery, some solid, some pearlescent.

I also have a big makeup bag that Wifey gave me that holds all of the nail polish I already have. I am going to need a bigger bag soon. I need to take note of this. Anyways; I brought out the entire collection of nail polish. Short-Stack was ecstatic! I have seen him get excited about polish before, but this time took the cake.

I pulled out each little bottle one by one and lined them up like I do. Its sort of like the periodic table of elements for nail polish. Reds go here. Glittery goes here. Short-Stack figured out my system, and started helping out.

I’m just going to say something crazy here, just for a moment. If ANY of my kids end up NOT being a TOTAL AND COMPLETE SLOB, its going to be Short-Stack. Moving on…

So I took an inventory of all of the polish that I had, and Short-Stack picks some polish.

"Dees one," he says.
I looked at him, he smiled back at me, and I asked him, "Do you want me to paint your nails?"
"Yee... dees one... o-paan," he says back to me. So I painted my son's nails, and he was absolutely thrilled.

After we were done, he showed off to Brainy and Artsy. They were all the jealous.

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