Let the season begin

It's finally baseball season, and while our Indians aren't quite where we want them to be yet, (5 games in, my husband is already yelling at the TV), it signals two things I'm grateful for: spring, and coming end to basketball season. While the boys love basketball, it's one of my least favorite sports. So, baseball is a welcome change.

The other thing that I'm glad about is that Greg finally likes pop culture music. While I do get tired of the same songs over and over (and over and over), it still beats "5 Little Monkeys" on repeat any day. One of his current favorites, All About That Bass, also segues well into baseball season (don't judge, he doesn't know what the words mean...right?). In fact it's so popular that it's all over shirts on Etsy. But, as usual, I'm too picky, and couldn't find exactly what I wanted. So, I made it myself. And while Greg likes it, I think I might be a bit more excited. But isn't it cute?

I'm not perfect - and that's OK

As a working mom, I constantly come across articles about trying to have it all or, why you need to spend more time with your kids. And while rationally I know it’s near impossible to successfully juggle a career and motherhood and not miss a beat in either one, internally I somehow refuse to believe it.

Sometimes, I’m ever more determined to make it work because I was such a latch-key kid. By the time I was 12, may parents were divorced, both working full time and my younger brother had some serious disabilities. So, as long as I wasn’t running the streets, I was fine. I always swore my children’s lives would be different, that I’d be super involved and be there for every big moment – and of course have a thriving career.

I had a particularly tough week last week when my assistant director resigned. The timing couldn’t have been worse, as I already had a staff member on leave, and another one month from going on leave. As I had one of my many breakdowns that week, I called my mom, trying to make sense of it all. “I’m so overwhelmed,” I cried. “Apparently I stink as a boss, and as a mom.” I was lamenting the present and future, feeling frustrated that I have to send my kindergartener to camp this summer. 

Then my mom, pointed something out: while I may have had a pretty independent childhood, it has turned me into a very strong, very ambitious adult. And my younger brother and 2 younger step-brothers, who were all respectively the baby – and were babied, are still trying to become self-sufficient at age 30 or above. So, maybe making your kids do these things on their own – have experiences, letting others teach them, learning to navigate the world, without you there for every milestone – or molehill – is a good thing.

Now, there are things my parents did miss (that I’m sure they didn’t mean to), that I will try really hard to avoid. But, I’m starting to realize that it’s also OK to put them emphasis into what makes me fulfilled, what makes me who I am, while I let my kids navigate the world a bit. Because the one thing I can say that I always noticed my parents' passion for their respective professions. And that's something I’ve always wanted in my own, grown-up life. So, maybe it’s OK to aspire to “do it all” as long as you are grounded in reality enough that you don’t beat yourself up if you fail. And more importantly, to teach your kids to go out there and do the same.

Pinterest hack bathroom

For the limited number of people who follow this blog, you should be very impressed that I managed to post 3 times in a month. But then the holidays happened... and it got cold... and I thought about posting, but never did it. And now it's April. So, yeah...

One thing I did want to share was our bathroom update, courtesy of Pinterest. I've been wanting to frame our mirror forever. And I also decided I wanted hooks for our towels instead of a towel bar, because they are always half hung up and look messy. But, just putting hooks on the wall seemed odd, so I searched around for something else and finally came upon this cute shelf, and I knew I could modify it for our bathroom. So, without further adieu, I give you our updated bathroom:

TBT: Our 2012 Christmas Card

In honor of Throwback Thursday, and the fact that this year's Christmas cards are on my mind, I thought I'd share one of my favorite cards to date. (Side note: yes, it's a Christmas card, not a holiday card, a solstice card, or anything else - in my house I'm going to call them Christmas cards. Ok, rant over.)

In 2012, my sleep deprived brain somehow came up with the idea to do an infographic Christmas card. I did one last year too, but this one is my favorite. The icing on the cake - I actually took a good picture of my boys that was suitable for the card. (As any parent of a young child knows - getting 2 children to smile at the same time is nearly impossible - so there may have been some rather ridiculous antics going on in the background, but the end product was worth it.)

Now my only problem is that I've done infographics 2 years in a row, so I'm no longer cutting edge - and I can't have that, so this year will bring quite the challenge. But in the meantime, here's my 2012 card.

Containing the toy explosion

A few years ago we finished our basement, for more space and with the idea that we could toss the toys down there nd not have to stare at the chaos. Except I knew the chaos was there, and cleaning up the room really didn't work because it boiled down to lining piles of toys against the walls. I had a longtime vision to create built in shelves along one wall. And I'm handy enough that I figured I could build them. So finally I did. Through a lot of research, consultations, and modifications of plans from www.ana-white.com, which I live to pieces), I give you our playroom shelves. I still need to build doors, but hey, baby steps...

Didn't I try this already?

I often think about blogging. Usually it's when I'm in the shower, picking up toys, making lunches or some other unnoteworthy part of my day. Problem is, I never do it. As I looked back at this blog I realized it's been 4.5 years (and a second child) since I've written! I suppose it's because life gets in the way, and I usually pass out on the couch before 9pm, or spend time pinning needless things. But, because so much of my life is spent on non-design, brand or other creative things, when I do do something, I kind if want to share it. For posterity, but also because I search others ideas so much too, and I want to inspire as well. (Or maybe I'm just, really, really proud - you be the judge). So, I'm going to try this again. I'm really, really going to try sharing what I do, personally and professionally, a bit more. Probably mostly for myself, but maybe my hashtags, or attempts at witty banter will interest you as well. #oldcollegetry

"...and then I accidentally hit Reply All."

Scandal seems to be among us lately, from Terrel Pryor to Anthony Weiner. And it's unfortunate that many perceived role models really no longer are such. While that brings up the issue of crisis communications, I'll save that thought for another day.

In the meantime, Anthony Weiner specifically leads me to another thought. With the technological advances we've experienced in the last few years, communicating via type on any sort of device is more mainstream than many phone calls. Yet, it's also more dangerous. I have flashbacks about a snarky email reply I sent to a coworker several years ago. In my haste to disply my brilliant and slightly offensive sarcasm, I accidentally hit "Reply All". I still shudder when I think about the damage contol I had to do with other coworkers who did not find my remarks particularly humours. But, I learned an important lesson: don't put anything in cyberspace if you don't want it to have a paper trail.

Karen Malone Wright, has a great blog entry on just that subject here. All about our perceived privacy online and how really it doesn't exist. It's interesting but true. And hopefully it's helpful to someone who might make these mistakes. Because no one wants to learn the hard way, just ask Anthony Weiner.