Mandi Ehman's Blog, page 28
February 17, 2015
What are you waiting for?
For a long time, I had the terrible habit of saving the good stuff for “someday.”
Okay—in full disclosure—while I recognize this tendency these days, I still find myself tempted to hold onto things rather than enjoy them:
A lotion or scrub that I want to save for a special treat. A journal I’m afraid to start because once I do there’s no going back. Art supplies that are so beautiful when they’re new and fresh. Dishes or serving pieces that I only use for a special occasion.For most of us, things like luxurious body products and journals are a small part of our budgets (and things we often receive for gifts), yet we hoard them as if they cost as much as a monthly mortgage payment.
I’m not suggesting that we take them for granted or become entitled about them, but leaving them on the shelf for someday isn’t really treasuring them either, is it?
I’m certain that this mindset led to the overwhelming amount of stuff we accumulated during our first five years of marriage. I remember cleaning out the upstairs closet in our tiny townhouse before we moved into our current home and just shaking my head at the number of lotions, creams, scrubs and sprays that I hadn’t been using regularly for fear of “using them all up” and then not having them to choose from.
Holding onto these things stems from the same place that leaves us needing to be reminded to buy new underwear or make time for something we love. I’ve discovered through conversations with other women that it’s a common mindset, but let’s face it: it’s just silly!
These things were made to be used, and every day is a special day, if you choose to see it that way.
So pull out the rich body cream you received for Christmas and use it. It’s good for your dry winter skin and your soul.
Use that new journal or sketchbook. Yes, the marks you make are permanent, but those books shouldn’t be for just writing or drawing what’s perfect; they should be about honestly capturing the process. Share what’s really in your heart, not what you think someone would want to read. Try new things without worrying about a sketch gone bad.
Pull the china out for a Tuesday dinner, hold a fancy tea party on a Friday morning, decorate with streamers just because you’re thankful to be alive.
You are worth pampering, and today is worth celebrating!
Do you hoard special things for “someday”?
What are you waiting for?
© 2010-2015 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved
February 16, 2015
A mishmash of books {Quick Lit with Modern Mrs. Darcy}
My January reading list was characterized by stories from World War II as well as books about creativity and productivity. February, on the other hand, has been a mishmash of whichever books grab my attention when I open the overflowing Books to Read folder on my Kindle. (I just can’t stop buying books from my wishlist when they’re on sale for $3 or less, which means that “pile” is growing faster than I can read!)
My reading has definitely slowed down to my regular pace of 2-3 books a week after my record-breaking January, which stinks only because there are so many books I want to read right now. Here are the ones I’ve read so far in February.
I’m linking up with Anne at Modern Mrs. Darcy for this month’s Quick Lit!
With tons of empirical research, anecdotes and observations, Susan Cain examines the “extrovert ideal,” the strengths of introverts, and coping mechanisms for those of us who find ourselves hanging back as the quieter and less brazen of the bunch. I really enjoyed reading and hearing about other introverts (and the confirmation that those traits are normal for my personality) as well as the focus on what strengths introverts bring to the table. Although I cope fairly well as an extreme introvert (people often seem surprised that I am one unless they know me well…or read my blog, ha!), I also appreciated the strategies Cain shares for achieving your personal and business goals in a culture that prizes outgoing, gregarious personalities.
Black Beauty
by Anna Sewell Written from the perspective of a beautiful and charming horse—Black Beauty himself—this classic children’s story has been a favorite of animal lovers for generations. Each story from Black Beauty’s life emphasizes the importance of treating our animals with kindness and respect, with plenty of other life lessons mixed in. It’s not my favorite classic children’s book, but I think that’s really a case of “it’s me, not you” and not a reflection on the story itself.
Fairest: Levana’s Story (The Lunar Chronicles) by Merissa Meyer
If you’re reading The Lunar Chronicles series (and you should be!), then you’ve probably already read this one or at least added it to your list. In the first few chapters, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I was enjoying the book about the least likable character in this series, but the first half of the book went on to include so many bawdy references to sex and seduction that seemed to be added just for the shock factor and not because they were actually part of the story. And then, just as those ended, Levana returned to her horrible, unlikable self. It’s still an important story to read as part of the series, but it’s not a feel good or “happily ever after” fairytale in the least.
Recommended by several people as part of my World War II reading this year, this book tells the story of Marina, a young tour guide at the Hermitage Museum in Leningrad during the Nazi occupation of that city. Told from the perspective of an elderly Marina who is slowly succumbing to Alzheimer’s, I enjoyed this one more than The Sweetness of Forgetting (which is based on a similar premise), and I appreciated the glimpse into one part of WWII that we don’t hear about nearly as often.
I really loved this book, both for the story and the writing style. It’s quirky and offbeat (which I’m realizing is really my thing, at least when it’s well done!), and when I “solved” the mystery two-thirds of the way through, I had trouble putting it down, anxious to see whether I was right and what would happen next.
I enjoyed this book, but by the end I felt like Kristin Hannah was just trying too hard. In fairness, writing a story that full encompasses all of the challenges and sacrifices of the men and women that serve in our military (and their families) is a huge job. The story was engaging from the start, and I found myself fighting tears several times, but by the end—when I should have been even more emotionally invested—I found that I had trouble staying focused on the story. (I also experienced the weirdest case of deja vu halfway through, and I still haven’t been able to pinpoint why!)
Currently reading: Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin (as an audiobook) You Had Me at Hello by Mhairi McFarlane To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (as an audiobook)What’s on your reading list this month?
A mishmash of books {Quick Lit with Modern Mrs. Darcy}
© 2010-2015 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved
CommentsI started “Quiet” months ago, and while I've really enjoyed ... by Sarah ParsonsThat one's on my watch list, Kristen; I can't wait to read it! ... by Mandi @ Life Your WayI'm currently in the midst of “Call the Midwives” which I ... by Kristen
February 13, 2015
Skiing at Snowshoe Mountain
We spent the first four days of this week at Snowshoe Mountain (a local West Virginia ski resort), just Sean, the kids, me…and our oldest’s betta fish. It was so nice to get away—and our middle girls especially enjoyed their time skiing, despite the warm rain one day and the freezing temps the next—but I have to admit this vacation was on the “I need a vacation to recover from my vacation” end of the spectrum!
We must have tromped back and forth through Snowshoe Village a dozen times a day, often carrying ski equipment, a backpack full of stuff and/or a squirmy baby, since both the rental shop and Snowshoe’s Big Top play area were at the complete opposite end from the hotel where we were staying.
Add to that a baby who barely napped and didn’t sleep well at night, and Sean and I both felt a bit like the walking dead by the third day!
That said, we had a lot of fun, with the girls declaring more than one day “the best day ever” (their favorite hyperbole by far), and we didn’t have any of the crazy mishaps that have plagued our previous trips to Snowshoe!
If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you may have already seen some of these pictures. Going offline definitely does not include Instagram when we’re on vacation since it’s my favorite way to capture moments and memories!
Sunday
Hey, look, little man IS growing! He peed through his diaper at lunch, and the backup outfit from the diaper bag now looks like this on him!
Monday
Man, we know how to trash a hotel room.
This despite cleaning up several times every day.
Tuesday
Wednesday
This has to have been the coolest thing I’ve ever seen. The valley between the mountains was filled with thick, fluffy, dense clouds. When we first came around the bend on our way out on Wednesday, Sean and I both gasped at the sight of it. We then proceeded to stop and stare at almost every switchback, trying desperately to take a picture that would show the full glory of what we were seeing.
We were surprised when we got below the cloud level that it really wasn’t as thick as it looked from the top, but it was so crazy to think that it was a sunny day for everyone above the clouds (duh) and a grey, misty day for everyone below.
Skiing at Snowshoe Mountain
© 2010-2015 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved
February 11, 2015
When you find yourself in the middle
On most divisive issues—politics, health, parenting, food, vaccines—I tend to fall somewhere in the middle.
For a long time, I’ve felt alone in this middle space. The people at the ends are loud (and let’s face it, often obnoxious). They talk about the issue more, yell louder, and often criticize those of us who refuse to “choose a side.”
Despite what the people on both ends of the spectrum seem to think, though, living in the middle doesn’t mean I’m wishy-washy or that I lack conviction. It doesn’t mean that I don’t believe in objective truth or that I’m unwilling to stand up for my beliefs.
But I think we try to apply Truth-with-a-capital-T to a lot of subjects that don’t deserve that label, based on our personal thoughts, beliefs, experiences and convictions.
Living in the middle means that:
I prefer to listen and hear what other people think, believe and know on a topic. (This despite the number of times I got in trouble for talking too much in elementary school.) I value the right of others to have their own opinion. I believe it’s worth considering what others have to say and not just dismissing them because their beliefs or opinions are different than mine. I think experience plays a huge role in our opinions, and I want to know what experiences have led someone to their conclusions.It seems to me that the ends of the spectrum tend to be where people dig in their heels and stop really considering the issues, afraid that if they move even an inch, they’ll lose the whole foundation of their argument.
But what I’ve realized over the past year or so—especially as I admit more often that the middle is where I fall—is that those of us in this space aren’t really the minority after all. In fact, I’m starting to think we’re actually the majority. Even though the people at the extremes (on any topic) are so much louder and would like us to think that there are only two choices, there’s a pretty big middle ground. And it turns out that a lot of us are comfortable there.
My conclusion is this: those of us in the middle need to speak out more often…not to add to the noise but to remind others that there are more than two options and that you can have strong beliefs and still respect the people who hold different opinions.
Do you find yourself in the middle? Have you ever felt alienated and afraid to speak up because you don’t identify with either “side” of a debate?
When you find yourself in the middle
© 2010-2015 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved
February 10, 2015
The paradox of setting limits
I’ve talked about a few of the lessons that I heard again and again during my retreat (through various books, courses, blog posts, etc.) and one of the ones that has stuck with me the most is the idea that limits can actually expand your life rather than shrinking it.
As a noncomformist who spends most of my time trying to shake off the shackles of other people’s expectations and limitations, this was a new concept for me and one I needed to really spend some time thinking about before it clicked.
What I’ve realized—through paying attention and testing the theory myself—is that it really is true: When there are limits in place in your life (on your time, the specs for a project, and even your actions) something happens that actually allows more to happen within that space.
I first explored this idea as it relates to creativity. Again and again, I heard something to the effect of, “Creative constraints lead to great breakthroughs” (most notably in The Creative Habit and Die Empty). That almost seems like one of those things that people say without really understanding what it means, but think of it this way: If you’re doodling on a smaller piece of paper, your creativity needs to be more focused and, well, creative because you don’t have a ton of blank space with which to expand your doodle, explore more ideas, etc. In other words, the limits make you try harder.
As another example, I recently shared that I don’t like planning out my editorial calendar in advance or writing on specified topics because it feels too limiting. While that remains true, I’ve found that writing on the topics we’ve decided on ahead of time for the Live course has been really good for me. Writing within the limits of the monthly themes has actually stretched my skills in new ways, and I’m proud of the things I’ve written.
I’ve also found that setting—and sticking to—office hours has made me much more productive. Although I’m still working 8 hours a day (at least on days when Jackson doesn’t have a doctor’s appointment!), I’m getting more work done than I was when I would let my work day bleed out into the whole day. I know that I have limited time to work, so I’m focusing on getting things done. (Most of us have experienced this in one form or another when we talk about how much more productive we are with a full schedule or to-do list.)
And, obviously, limiting my food choices (which I’m still working on!) is important to improving my health and—when I successfully do it—allows me to enjoy the food I do eat even more.
Finally, it can clearly be seen in relationships, where limits—whether that’s monogamy or healthy boundaries within the relationship—allow trust and respect and love to blossom.
It’s counterintuitive, but the practice of setting limits is an important one for living an intentional life, and limits don’t have to mean deprivation; they can mean a fuller life instead!
Where have you found that limits actually expand your life?
The paradox of setting limits
© 2010-2015 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved
February 9, 2015
A convicting dream and living a life that makes a difference
Rarely do I have dreams that seem to mean anything at all. More often than not, they simply involve the people I’ve talked to or thought about recently put into every day situations with some bizarre twist.
When I woke up from this dream last week, though, I knew it was different. Not only had it been a little scary, but I just had the feeling that it carried more weight than a bunch of nonsensical thoughts.
***
My oldest daughter and I were running through the streets of a modern American town (Crofton, Maryland to be specific), trying to escape some type of massacre, with bodies falling all around us.
Suddenly we made it to a series of steps and underground tunnels, and as we’re running through them—down the stairs, around a corner, through a hall, down the stairs, up another set of stairs—she was repeating, “Six million…six million. Mom, we have to do something.” (The six million is clearly a reference to the number of Jews murdered during the holocaust, which I’ve been reading about a ton lately.)
We made our way back to a tall hotel (a hotel that, strangely enough, has appeared in my dreams before, even though I don’t recognize it as a real place).
She walked through the lobby of the hotel with a blank stare, horrified not just at what she’d experienced but at the idea of all of the people who were still out there. “Six million…six million. Mom, we have to do something.”
I remember explaining her dazed look to the people we passed, all of whom were completely oblivious to what was happening outside the doors.
We hopped in an elevator to head back to our room, and the most amazing thing happened: as we ascended to the top, her burden lightened.
By the time we made it to the level with the outdoor-moonbounce-slash-swimming-pool, she was back to her giggly, fun-loving self, splashing in the water, bouncing high above the ground…the six million apparently forgotten.
***
Sex trafficking in the U.S. and around the world
Refugees hiding from ISIS in the mountains of Iraq
Racial inequality in the U.S.
The Nigerian people being terrorized by Boko Haram
Lately I can’t shake the feeling that I need to be doing more. Not just reading about world events, not just sharing articles to raise “awareness,” not just throwing money at causes to absolve my guilt and to feel like I’m doing something. Actually doing something to change the world for the better.
The problem is I don’t really know what that looks like.
The issues above are the ones that are on my heart, but what can I do? Other than giving money (which we have done but don’t have unlimited amounts of) or leaving everything to go serve these people, how can I make a difference? Is sharing information on Facebook so that other people can wonder what they can do to help enough? Is praying enough? And how can I involve my kids? Is drawing a red X on our hands once a year and telling them where we’re sending our money really making a difference in their hearts?
Unfortunately, as I’ve been wrestling with this for the past few weeks, I still haven’t found the answer. I don’t know how to make a difference from my (safe, warm, comfortable) home. I don’t know how to find time to make a difference while schooling my kids and working to put food on the table.
The truth is I don’t know that my life is making much a difference at all. After following the story of Vidal, Principal Lopez and Mott Hall Bridges Academy through Humans of New York, I know I want to live a life that makes a difference….whether that’s as a Mrs. Lopez or as a Brandon Stanton. And more than that, I want to raise kids who are making a difference too.
I don’t have the answers, but it’s something I want to keep wrestling with until I find them.
I’d love to hear your thoughts. How are you making a difference? What causes are on your heart? How do you inspire your kids to change the world?
A convicting dream and living a life that makes a difference
© 2010-2015 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved
February 7, 2015
Weekend reading: February 7, 2015
Little artist. ❤️ {She came up with the idea and got all of her supplies set up by herself. Where did my baby girl go?!}
Tomorrow we are on our way to Snowshoe Mountain for 4 days of skiing, swimming and moon bouncing. This is the first vacation we’ve taken just as a nuclear family in a couple of years as well as the first offline vacation we’ve had in a while. Sean will take the girls skiing in pairs (everybody except our 5-year-old has been before) as well as get in some ski time by himself, and those of us who are “left behind” will be taking full advantage of our suite for playing games, crafting and making yummy food, as well as heading out to the village for swimming in the indoor-outdoor pools and visiting the Big Top.
We’ve actually been to Snowshoe twice before—once for our honeymoon and once when our oldest was a toddler and I was pregnant with #2. On our honeymoon (in October) we realized that this “four seasons” resort wasn’t quite as great in the off-season as they made it out to be. We did have a good time in the almost deserted resort, and riding a train through the mountains of fall foliage is one of my all-time favorite memories, but we ended up coming home a day early. The second time we went, we ended up confined to our room with the stomach flu. The third time’s the charm, right?!
What I’m reading: Quiet by Susan Cain (still), Black Beauty by Anna Sewell (still), The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean
What I cooked: roasted shrimp “boil” (based on this recipe, minus the kebabs), chicken parmesan (based on this recipe, with mozarella and sauce in place of the ham and swiss), beef and butternut squash stew (Jackson and I can’t get enough of this!), oven baked chicken fajitas, strombolis
What I’m thinking about:
{Follow my personal Facebook feed for the things I’m thinking about and talking about all week!}
Loving your husband, kids…and each other Love Looks Like [2:07am] | Sarah Bessey Things I am not an expert on | To Sow A Seed The Most Powerful Thing You Can Say to Another Mom | PopSugar Loving your home Back to Basics: Meal Planning For Beginners | Andrea Dekker Know why I clean up my house? Because *I* want to. | The Frugal Girl For All You Non-Cleaning Types Out There | Sarah Mae Loving your life Rethink. Reset. | Slow Your Home 25 Meaningful Things You Can Do in 30 Minutes or Less | Be More with Less Why You Need a Retreat | Winsome WomanHave a great weekend!
P.S. Meagan Francis has so much wisdom to share on loving ourselves and the people around us. Will you join us this month?
Mandi Ehman is the blogger behind Life Your Way. She and her husband have four beautiful girls plus one baby boy, and together they live, work and homeschool on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia. Mandi loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.
Weekend reading: February 7, 2015
© 2010-2015 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved
CommentsSounds like a fun vacation! I've never been skiing even though ... by Sara Kilpatrick
Weekend reading: January 7, 2015
Little artist. ❤️ {She came up with the idea and got all of her supplies set up by herself. Where did my baby girl go?!}
Tomorrow we are on our way to Snowshoe Mountain for 4 days of skiing, swimming and moon bouncing. This is the first vacation we’ve taken just as a nuclear family in a couple of years as well as the first offline vacation we’ve had in a while. Sean will take the girls skiing in pairs (everybody except our 5-year-old has been before) as well as get in some ski time by himself, and those of us who are “left behind” will be taking full advantage of our suite for playing games, crafting and making yummy food, as well as heading out to the village for swimming in the indoor-outdoor pools and visiting the Big Top.
We’ve actually been to Snowshoe twice before—once for our honeymoon and once when our oldest was a toddler and I was pregnant with #2. On our honeymoon (in October) we realized that this “four seasons” resort wasn’t quite as great in the off-season as they made it out to be. We did have a good time in the almost deserted resort, and riding a train through the mountains of fall foliage is one of my all-time favorite memories, but we ended up coming home a day early. The second time we went, we ended up confined to our room with the stomach flu. The third time’s the charm, right?!
What I’m reading: Quiet by Susan Cain (still), Black Beauty by Anna Sewell (still), The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean
What I cooked: roasted shrimp “boil” (based on this recipe, minus the kebabs), chicken parmesan (based on this recipe, with mozarella and sauce in place of the ham and swiss), beef and butternut squash stew (Jackson and I can’t get enough of this!), oven baked chicken fajitas, strombolis
What I’m thinking about:
{Follow my personal Facebook feed for the things I’m thinking about and talking about all week!}
Loving your husband, kids…and each other Love Looks Like [2:07am] | Sarah Bessey Things I am not an expert on | To Sow A Seed The Most Powerful Thing You Can Say to Another Mom | PopSugar Loving your home Back to Basics: Meal Planning For Beginners | Andrea Dekker Know why I clean up my house? Because *I* want to. | The Frugal Girl For All You Non-Cleaning Types Out There | Sarah Mae Loving your life Rethink. Reset. | Slow Your Home 25 Meaningful Things You Can Do in 30 Minutes or Less | Be More with Less Why You Need a Retreat | Winsome WomanHave a great weekend!
P.S. Meagan Francis has so much wisdom to share on loving ourselves and the people around us. Will you join us this month?
Mandi Ehman is the blogger behind Life Your Way. She and her husband have four beautiful girls plus one baby boy, and together they live, work and homeschool on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia. Mandi loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.
Weekend reading: January 7, 2015
© 2010-2015 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved
February 6, 2015
A day in the life of a work-at-home, homeschooling, introverted mom
It’s that time of year when Simple Homeschool invites bloggers to share their day-in-a-life posts, and now that our new routine is in place, I thought I’d give you a glimpse into what a “typical” (whatever that means!) day looks like in our home:
This day started out special because Sean sent me to sleep in the guest room the night before. These charts from my Fitbit show a normal night (top, with restless Jackson) compared to my night in the guest room (bottom).
4:45am—As a natural morning person, I wake up easily in the early morning hours on the nights when I’ve had enough sleep. This morning I wake up suddenly and completely at 4:45am on the nose, amazed to have slept straight through without being disturbed. I head to the bathroom, grab a drink of water and check social media on my phone while my computer’s starting up. (I know they say you shouldn’t do that, but I’ve found it’s a good way to use those half-asleep brain cells and then I can buckle down and get to work.)
5:00am—Because I’m sticking to work hours, I’m doing my best to use them wisely, so at 5 o’clock I focus my attention on the things I need to be doing—writing emails, scheduling posts, etc. I work steadily and without interruption for two hours, and this is definitely my favorite part of the workday.
7:00am—With a little bit of work behind me, I turn my attention to my Bible study. At about the same time, our almost-9-year-old (and my fellow early bird) comes out of her room, where she’s been laying in bed counting the minutes until 7 o’clock…and starts rearranging furniture. I don’t even know.
7:30am—When I finish my Bible study, I turn my attention to a few other “personal development” tasks. Sometimes I’ll read a newsletter or an ezine, work through a prompt or exercise, etc. On this day, I take a few minutes to add an index to my journal and install fonts from a big package I purchased. Our 5-year-old wakes up and climbs on my lap, and the school computer isn’t working for the big girls, so there’s little hope of getting any serious work done at this point.
7:45am—Everybody’s awake, so we start Bible a little earlier than usual. We’re reading through Luke 22-24 right now (to go with the play the girls are working on with our church), so we read a passage and SOAP it (Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer).
8:10am—When we’re done, we head downstairs for breakfast. We have piano lessons this morning, so we decide on cereal, and the almost-9-year-old gets everything out and to the table while I work on straightening the kitchen and family room.
8:22am—Sean and Jack were still sleeping, but Jack soon comes to join us. I never get tired of seeing his sleepy face and crazy bed head walk around the corner first thing in the morning!
8:40am—When we finish breakfast, we start on chores. I’m surprised that our piano teacher hasn’t arrived yet. She’s supposed to be here at 8:30am, but she has a habit of showing up 20-30 minutes early. She’s almost never been late, and I start to wonder if I’ve mixed up the days {again!}. The 5-year-old and I put away the load of rags in the laundry room, and just as we finish, the big girls shout, “She’s here!” Sean takes the dog outside to help her work off some of her excitement that someone has come to visit her!
8:45am—We do piano lessons in order from youngest to oldest, and I work on keeping everybody else on track with school while chasing the toddler and doing chores. Sean uses this time for house projects and exercising. Today he’s working on installing a new water softener and shower door. I fold laundry, bark out orders for the girls to clean up the disaster that is their bedroom, grab a bandaid for a booboo, remove a splinter, rescue the lid to the olive oil bottle from Jackson (???), work on language arts with our 1st grader, read a few books with Jack, help the 5-year-old with her school, change a diaper, help our oldest analyze sentences…and finally put on earphones to listen to an audiobook for 20 minutes while I do the dishes in order to prevent my head from exploding.
10:30am—When that’s all done, I make myself a cup of Yogi Perfect Vanilla Energy tea and review the papers that my Essentials class wrote while the little girls play and our oldest does her piano lesson. When I finish the papers, I remember that I need to start on lunch because I’m leaving early to take Jackson for a well visit. I pull everything out for strombolis.
11:15am—Before I have time to actually start making them, it’s time for my piano lesson. Our oldest takes the baby for me, giving him a snack and keeping him occupied during my lesson, which works surprisingly well considering how close to nap time we are!
11:40am—After my lesson, I use canned pizza dough to make a pizza for the girl and a stromboli for Sean, Jackson and I.
12:00pm—Once that’s in the oven, Sean is at a stopping point and able to help me give Jackson a shower before hopping in myself. We decide that I’ll take our almost-9-year-old to spend the last of her Christmas money as well, but I probably don’t rush as much as I should because it’s warm and quiet in the shower! Sean gets everybody fed and dressed while I get ready and then I scarf down my stromboli on the way out the door.
12:40pm—We’re later than we should be getting out of the house, and I debate whether we’ll have time to stop at a store. At the last minute we decide we do, and she wants to go to Target. After spending 20 minutes debating craft supplies, we finally have everything and head to checkout…where I realize I left my wallet, with my keys attached, in the bathroom. Heart pounding, I race to the bathroom (not there) and then to customer service, where the relieved cashier hands me my wallet and tells me she didn’t want to have to enter it into the lost-and-found system anyway. I’m glad I saved her that trouble.
2:00pm—Jack’s appointment is at 2 o’clock and we arrive just in time. We’re called back quickly but end up waiting quite a while in the exam room. I’m disappointed that he weighs the exact same that he did three months ago (but a pound more than he did after he got sick and lost weight in December), so I spend that time texting Sean and my mom despite the “no cell phones” sign in the room.
3:10pm—We’re finally in the car and heading home. As we pull off the main road, we get stuck behind a school bus dropping kids off every block or so. Then, we watch a little girl, no older than 5 or 6, get off the bus and stand in the middle of a driveway looking lost. We continue on behind the bus, but Dylan turns around to watch just as the girl walks down closer to the main road. I decide to turn around and check on her. Thankfully, her mom pulls up just as I get there, as dumbfounded as I am that the bus driver let her off without a parent in sight!
4pm—We finally make it home at 4 o’clock. I’m so tired, and I still have so much to do, so I make some tea before heading up to my office to work. At this point, I’m scattered and having trouble focusing, so I bounce around answering emails, munching on snacks and writing snippets of posts.
6:15pm—With a lot of little tasks checked of my list, it’s time to buckle down and get to work. Although I really want to curl up and read, I settle for listening to an audiobook for a while.
6:45pm—After they eat a dinner of sandwiches and fruit, I remind the big girls to work on their history (Story of the World). By this point I have a headache, which means I’m still not making progress on my to-do list.
7:00pm—Rather than tackling the big project I have in front of me, I decide to work on our February budget, which includes making a list of all of our medical deductions and any business expenses paid out of our personal account in January (I’ve almost got our 2014 taxes done, but I’m hoping this extra step each month will make next year’s even easier).
7:15pm—As I’m contemplating just going to bed, I decide that I should at least work more on my lesson plan for the Essentials (language arts & writing) class I teach on Fridays. Then, I tell myself, I can go to bed.
7:30pm—At 7:30pm, the girls brush their teeth and come upstairs to go to bed. We stop mid-routine to watch the Snow Moon rise over the mountain in our neighborhood.
8:00pm—By 8 o’clock, I am stick-a-fork-in-me-DONE, so I tuck the girls and head downstairs to bed.
8:15pm—Of course, Jack wants to cuddle, and who am I to resist that, so we snuggle down on the couch, where he quickly falls asleep. I savor the feeling for a little bit while Sean gets ready for bed before handing him off for a bottle.
8:40pm—Finally, I crawl into bed, read for less than 20 minutes and fall asleep. (It’s worth noting that Jack slept straight through this night, so I ended up with two full night’s sleep in a row…a February miracle!)
The next morning I’m up at 5:00am…ready to do it all again!
A day in the life of a work-at-home, homeschooling, introverted mom
© 2010-2015 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved
CommentsErica, I always say—only half jokingly—that one of the ... by Mandi @ Life Your WayThanks so much for sharing. I have been debating homeschooling ... by erica
February 5, 2015
Doodling & hand lettering books and supplies
As I’ve been sharing my newly discovered passion for doodling and hand lettering on social media, I’ve gotten a lot of questions from other people who want to learn more as well. I spent some time digging into my new books and supplies this weekend and thought I’d share a few more of my thoughts about each for anyone who is interested in these art forms.
One of the best parts of this journey for me has been that whenever I pick up my supplies, the girls flock to my side to join me. They spend half their day creating anyway, so it’s not like they need me to model creativity for them, but there is something really sweet about sharing something so simple and developing our skills together.
I also feel creative for the first time in my life. It’s so much fun to watch a doodle come together and to realize that even when I don’t like the way a new drawing starts, most of the time I just need to keep tweaking and adding things to get a final product that I love.
Doodling
Creative Doodling & Beyond by Stephanie Corfee I don’t mean to be such a fangirl, but this really is the book that started it all. I just happened to stumble across Stephanie Corfee’s blog a few months ago, and the girls and I immediately signed up for the A Year of Doodles course. When I saw her list of books, I knew I wanted to get this one, and I’ve enjoyed the exercises and prompts so much. Stephanie also includes some basic lettering prompts, which made me feel like lettering might actually be something I could do (I’ve dismissed it as far beyond my skill level many times in the past).
I had to laugh as I was writing this post because I noticed that this book has quite a few low ratings from people who say it’s too juvenile, but I really like these prompts and exercises as well. They’re fun and whimsical, which is definitely the style of doodling I’m drawn to, and I love that the book shows the step-by-step process for each exercise.
Lettering
Like the Craft-a-Doodle book above, this book was compiled by Jenny Doh, featuring the work of many different artists. Each artist gives examples of their style as well as several step-by-step projects. The book itself feels somewhat unpolished to me with so many different voices, but there are a lot of really fun lettering ideas and a ton of ideas to use as a jumping off point. It makes lettering feel very accessible.
This book claims to be the perfect ledger for beginners and experts alike, but in all honesty, it’s a bit advanced. I love the illustrations of various lettering terms, and Mary Kate McDevitt walks you through the different styles of fonts very clearly, but there’s no step-by-step process for drawing the exact letters, and for someone who is intimidated by lettering, it feels a bit overwhelming. That said, the content really only makes up 1/3 of the book, with a ledger filling up the rest. With every type of paper imaginable (lined, grapher, dotted, etc.), I’m looking forward to using this one as my hand lettering ledger to see how I progress.
I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I don’t really love this book, which is more art journaling (with lots of layers and colors) than just lettering. I’m not a huge fan of the art journaling style (black-and-white and straight lines is more my style!), and I just realized last weekend that this was expensive enough at $19 to justify media mail postage to return it, so I’ll be doing that this week.
I was hopeful that this book would be a great source of inspiration for hand lettering, but it’s really more about precise styles like already established fonts—for use in advertising and other mock ups—rather than the somewhat imperfect style of hand lettering that I enjoy. I’m going to send this one back as well and try Zenspirations: Letters & Patterning instead.
Supplies
I looked at sketch books forever trying to decide on the best one to get before settling on this one. I like that it’s half-sheet size because working on an 8.5″x11″ sheet of paper can feel overwhelming to me. The paper is thick enough that my Sakura pens and various markers don’t bleed through. And carrying it makes me feel like a real artist. (Ha!)
Magic House Auto-Feed Pencil I had originally gotten these pencils for the girls because of the constant pencil sharpening and tip breaking in our house, but it wasn’t long before I packed them away because they were either tapping them incessantly (causing the leads to feed out and break), losing them or even breaking off the ends (seriously?!). However, I love having a pencil that is always sharp, and I’m enjoying using these for my doodle sketches, especially for lettering where I’m not as confident or skilled.
Sakura Micron Ink Pens: 6-Piece Black Set, 8-Piece 01 Pens in Assorted Colors, 8-Piece 05 Pens in Assorted Colors I haven’t tried any other brand of these pens, but I really love these pens so much. They’re high quality, feel good in my hand and on the paper, and I’m learning about the tip sizes that I prefer for different tasks.
Any good office supplies geek knows that Sharpies are a staple supply, and I love these as part of my art supplies as well. The colors are vibrant, and the precision tip really does offer precision. However, these should only be used on a heavier weight paper because they will bleed through.
These pens—also known as markers in layman’s terms—offer a variety of great colors, but they’re not my favorite. The tip isn’t as precise as I’d like for smaller doodles, and I’m often disappointed to realize that the color doesn’t match the barrel of the marker. They are, however, the girls’ favorite.
***
Notably missing from this list are watercolors, paints, nib pens, colored pencils, etc. I might venture into those areas at some point, but for now this is plenty for me to explore and learn.
Do you enjoy doodling or hand-lettering? What are your must have tools or inspiration sources?
Doodling & hand lettering books and supplies
© 2010-2015 Purple Martin Press, LLC | All rights reserved
CommentsI like the Craft-a-Doodle book, too (and I have lots of art ... by nurturedmamaI love the Craft-a-Doodle book! I agree with you, the exercises ... by Belle WongI'm so glad you posted this! I too have been intrigued by your ... by Sara Kilpatrick
