Should I find a "paying" job while trying to raise my 3 kids....?

Well, with the economy in the pooper and trying to raise 3 kids at home with a husband getting paid what he did in high school (even though he has 11+ years of financial experience under his belt...), I finally decided to go out on my own and find something that just might work for a busy mom of 3........I'll update you all to let you know if I find anything interesting.......

Why is it so hard to motivate on a Friday?

OK...so it's Friday and I am still in my PJ's and all three of my kids are as well.....if you look back on my posts you will see that this is a common problem of mine.....

After a long week of drop off and pick ups at different schools, and lessons & sports I finally have a day to sit and drink a cup of coffee and catch up on my email while my kids zone out to Hannah Montana reruns and play with their little kitchen. Fridays are like my Sunday (minus the husband) and if I could I would probably sleep in until at least 8 (years ago I would have said 10 or 11)!

I am looking at the clock and realizing I have three kids and myself to get ready for a birthday party in less than 2 hours and I still cannot get up from my computer and start the process - I dread it - maybe this makes me a bad mom sometimes but I find it hard to manage four bodies as sometimes I feel like I can barely take care of myself - but I guess that is part of growing as a mom? Maybe?

Happy Friday......

Something to put on your "To Do" list even when funds are low....

I'll admit...we aren't having the "best" year here in the G house....but - one thing I always try and do is take pictures of my kids to document their growth and the good times (so we don't just reflect on the bad...) I don't really have the funds right now for professional photography but I looked at my kids recently and realized that they are on their way to not needing me...which scares the heck out of me. Yes, I complain about the whining, the crying, the fighting - but things I will miss in a few years: the hugs (even in front of their friends), the snuggling, the crawling into bed in the middle of the night, the book reading......it is all going by too fast and if I could I would stop time just for a while so I could sit back and truly take it all in before it's gone.
I met a photographer in my area, (sorry if you are reading this and you don't live on the North Shore of Boston), who truly captures the innocence and beauty of childhood. I am not getting paid to write about her or anything like that but I love showing people her pictures, even if they don't live near me, as they truly inspire you to look at these moments and cherish them....now I know some people might be saying right now - "Is this Blogger mom getting a little sappy on us?"

Well....maybe just for today.....

Check it out if you have a chance - as I have to point out talent when I see it, if I only had this gift....

http://www.kristinayoungphotography.com/



Happy November!

Even when the market is down, we can have a good laugh.....

In these tough times we often need to look to things that might put a smile on our face...

My husband works in the financial industry and this was a very tough week - but I just showed him this video and I at least got a smile and laugh out of him, which is good enough for me.....

Signing off for now....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERtDaAtkvhQ

Where the Hell is Matt?

If you are ever having a bad day take a look at this project and email me if you AREN'T smiling after watching this!!!! This makes me feel almost as good as when I'm watching the Olympics....


Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

How many times a day do you warm up your coffee?

OK.....so it is 11:35 a.m. EST on Friday and I just warmed up my coffee for the 5th time - I am not exaggerating either - I swear - I warmed it up two times with fresh coffee and three times in the microwave - it is so weird not to even have time to sit and drink a cup of coffee anymore. (I got through only writing two paragraphs of the blog today and decided to ditch the coffee for a healthy snack of nachos - I'm not sure why people don't look to me for health advice....?)

I have read at least a dozen "organizational" books that say to start your morning earlier than your family by about an hour or so - this enables you to do the things you want before your household gets up. No offense to these authors as I truly respect their ability to write and get published but who can really do that? I just got through my newborn phase with baby #3 and he was sleeping through the night (briefly) and then the teething started (here we are up again in the middle of the night) so I am still tired in the morning and the only thing that gets me out of bed is a poopie diaper or one of my kids complaining of hunger pains.





NEW FEATURE (How exciting is this???!!!)
My favorite website of the day:
Do you have a dog? We have just one now after losing our older dog earlier this year - but I promise you if you click on this website you will get as laugh and your little ones will love it!

http://www.funpic.hu/swf/monitor_cleaner.swf


Today's post is dedicated to Chance - we miss you buddy!

What is the real deal with "The Secret"?

OK.....so for months now, ALL people have been telling me is "You have to read 'The Secret'" or "Did you hear about whats-her-face and what happened to her after she read 'The Secret'"? So, I asked my sister (who lives in L.A. and seems to know what is going on) - what is the real deal with "The Secret" and why is everyone reading it and RAVING about it? She told me crazy stories about people she knows who have read this book. She even told me that after she read the book several times she came into some money which she really needed at the time (it was owed to her but the person who needed to pay it couldn't locate her for a while - I'm not claiming she won Publisher's Clearing House or anything like that....) I am still skeptical at this point after she tells me all this and then I see Oprah and Ellen talking about it - well now you have peaked my interest even more, because if my "daytime friends" (yes, they are my friends in my head - I'm not crazy, just suffering from momnesia, mommy overload, being committed at an early age, blah blah blah).
So my sister recently brought the book home as she was visiting from L.A. and my dad (who is an even bigger skeptic than I) read the financial section a few times per my sister's request. Well, I have to tell you that two days later someone put a letter in his mailbox telling my parents that they were interested in buying their house! (in this economy, how many notes like this do you think are flying around???)
So, today I logged on to amazon.com and purchased my own copy of "The Secret" - a friend told me not to get it from the library because I won't want to return it (which angers our local librarian) and I will want to write in it (which makes the library staff angry as well). I will write about my newly discovered fortune after I read the book on my vacation next week.......stay tuned....
(Please note: I am in no way affiliated with "The Secret", the people who wrote it or illustrated it or published it and I do not receive any residual checks from amazon.com for recommending books - although that would be nice don't get me wrong.....)

Today is a new day....

OK, so every night as I am sipping (wait, make that gulping) my glass of wine on the couch I think "Tomorrow is the day I will become organized - I will have the kids backpacks all set for preschool, I will have the diaper bag pre-loaded, and I will clean my "designated' section of the house without fail (more on this brilliant idea later.....)" and every day SOMETHING creeps up, the baby won't nap, I can't seem to find any clean clothes that fit me (post baby bodies are awesome!) or a friend calls for coffee which I can't pass up of course....my house could be overflowing with dirty clothes and dishes and if I get a call for coffee I am THERE, seriously, besides drinking wine it is one of my favorite activities. I actually had to laugh at my first blog as I thought I would start an "Idea of the week or month or whatever" - here's an idea for me - get at least one thing a day crossed off your "to do" list! Until I have a semi-clean house and some groceries in the fridge I am in NO SHAPE or FORM to be giving out ANY organizing advice. It is actually funny as one of my passions for a long time was organizing and I wanted to become a professional organizer - this makes me laugh now (hysterically laugh actually).
I am still in my bathrobe today and it is after 2:30 pm. Why am I in my bathrobe? Because it's easier than getting dressed. It's much more comfortable and if the baby spits up on me I can just wipe it off rather than being upset that my new $200 Juicy sweatsuit is now ruined (um, wait, I don't have $200 Juicy sweatsuit - but I think I have a $20 one from Old Navy, does that count?) 2/3 of my kids are still in their pajamas too - the only reason why my daughter is dressed is because she was with my mom today - sad isn't it? Why does it seem like every mom I know gets their kids dressed early in the morning and themselves all showered and cute and then runs a million errands and then says to me "I am taking the day off today, after all it's the weekend...." If I accomplished all those things in one day I would be so proud of myself that I would actually hire a local skywriter to let my neighbors know that YES, I did get out of my pajamas today!

TIP OF THE DAY:
I learned this from a friend the other day - don't let your kids stick peanuts up their nose as you will spend your whole day in the ER and then at some specialist's office trying to get it out and that will interfere with your viewing of back episodes of Ellen and Oprah......

Mom Is The New Blog Is Born!

So today is the first day of my blog. I have been thinking about writing this blog for a long time now and never started it because I wasn't sure if I had anything to say that was worth reading...I guess my daily life has taken a turn that I am so unfamiliar with I thought maybe writing about it might help. I just had my third child and when asked the other day how life with three was treating me I responded "There are two groups of moms - those who do well with a lot of kids and are patient and organized and then there is the second group who seems to be trying to keep their head JUST above the water on a daily basis - I am in the second group - maybe moving on to the third group soon...." Why is daily life so difficult? Why do I seem to be the only mom who looks like they were dragged behind their car the whole way to school? Why can't I seem to get a shower in? Why do I never seem to be able to finish a cup of coffee in the morning? I am not complaining - don't get me wrong - I love my kids and would die of anything happened to them but I am really not so great at my job - If I had a review right now I believe I would be placed on probation. The kids are fed and clean and loved - so DSS will not be visiting anytime soon but is it that hard to find a clean outfit without having to dig through the dirty clothes pile in the basement? I decided I would create a "Idea of the Day" or a "Idea of the Week" - heck, it might even have to be renamed at some point to "Idea of the Month" depending on how I am doing.....I have tried all the organizing websites and they just don't seem to work for me and my style - I don't have time to keep a journal or have index cards etc. - I know people swear by the Flylady (and I think she is just wonderful for what she has done for thousands of people!) but I just couldn't get her system to work for me - again, something I am not good at.....

TODAY'S MOM IS THE NEW BLOG "IDEA OF THE DAY":
Give everyone their own dirty clothes basket in their rooms. Every day of the week will be one person's day for the wash and that way you will not waste time sorting the laundry, You can wash, dry, fold and put away that person's wash. The other days can be for towels, sheets or general household items. Having 5 people in my family and a dog I am going to try this and see how it works. I'll let you know...wish me luck.