I had to call my husband after he’d left for work and apologize for being such a - er - not nice person this morning.

I ended up hanging up on him about 15 minutes later.

I’ve had to apologize for my crankiness repeatedly over the last few weeks, and I wouldn’t blame my family if they were starting to doubt my sincerity. I really am sorry and I do intend to be less crabby in the future. Really.

But I’m running out of ways (and time) to relieve a boatload of excess stress right now.

Read the rest of this entry

I need some advice, and the fact that I even have to ask this question is embarrassing so I’m going to attempt to lessen the mortification with a little back-story justification.

Last week, I mentioned that I find myself compulsively checking email, Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites on my iPhone throughout the day. I don’t do it because I’m dying to know what is happening online, but rather because I am temporarily bored.

I check it during the commercial breaks of my favorite TV shows or during the opening credits of a movie we’re watching on DVD.

I check it between work projects.

I check it if I’m stuck in a waiting room, amusement park line, or multi-floor elevator ride.

It’s as if I don’t know how to just stop and be still for a few moments.

Read the rest of this entry

Three weeks ago, I wrote about my latest efforts to prevent email from taking over my day. In order to reduce the amount of time I spent dealing with email every day, I was going to try:

• Checking email twice a day
• Setting a timer when I check my email
• Not using GMail as my homepage
• Turning off all unnecessary notifications
• Setting all group emails to digest mode
• Unsubscribing

Has my brilliant plan worked? Have I tackled the sprawling time-suck monster that was my email inbox?

Partially.

Read the rest of this entry

You know what the worst thing is about having my kids home for holiday break?

Wait.  I love having my kids home.  I love that we aren’t dealing with the morning arguments about getting ready.  I love that we can stay up late watching movies because they don’t have to get up early the next day.  I love the bike rides and the shopping trips and the extra snuggles and time together.

But I hate what it does to my schedule.

Read the rest of this entry

I am currently in the process of embracing a much more practical lifestyle than I’m accustomed to.  I’m downsizing, I’m decluttering, I’m drastically reducing my frivolous spending.  I’m not even wearing makeup all the time because it just seems silly to waste the time.  This is a dramatic turn around for someone who owns a shopping blog, refers to her makeup box as “the Toolbox” and has probably never once been described as practical by another human being.

I’m not sure what’s come over me.  Perhaps selling our home and everything we own in order to embark on a year of travel around the country has forced me to rethink a few long-held ideas about time and stuff and money.  Ironically, most people wouldn’t describe “selling everything you own and vagabonding in a van” as practical, and yet the result of that impractical dream seems to be a healthy dose of minimalist thinking.

Or maybe I’m just getting old and crotchety.

Whatever.

Point is - I find myself saying things like “well that just seems like a waste” and “that just isn’t practical” a lot lately.  Professionally, the payoff has been tremendous as I’m producing more and able to clearly see the fruits of my labors and logical decision making.  But I wonder if, at home, I’m being a little too practical…

Read the rest of this entry

I have already seen people mention that they have their holiday shopping done.

I want to do horrible, horrible things to those people.  And then give them my shopping list.

But these people have realized something that I don’t like to think about: the holidays are coming. Thanksgiving is barreling down the Google calendar and then it will be December before you know it.  Shopping! Holiday parties! Holiday greeting cards! More stuff to do than you can imagine! On top of all the stuff you already juggle!

Oh, the joy.

Read the rest of this entry

I watched a beautiful video yesterday that asked moms what advice they would give themselves if they could go back in time to right before their first child was born.  The video was a gorgeous montage of varied answers that ranged from “sleep now” to “forgive yourself”.  My personal favorite was a sign that read “you are the expert”.

It got me thinking about other times in my life when I could have used some advice from women who had gone before me: my first day at a new school, the last day I went to college, our first argument after my wedding, that time I thought I could pull off the pixie haircut .  All of these moments could have been made just a little easier with some words of encouragement and wisdom.

Another milestone in my life as a woman, specifically as a working mother, when I could have used a little hand holding was when I went back to work after having my babies.  Ouch.  The heartbreak of dropping them off, the giddiness at having adult conversations during the day, the guilt at enjoying adult conversations and being overly tired at night; I was not prepared for either return to the workforce.

Read the rest of this entry

I consider myself a pretty organized person.  Granted, that’s by necessity more than design - but still.  Organized.

Mostly.

I keep track of doctor appointments and work schedules and class plays.  I get one child out the door at 7:00 A.M. and another in the car at 7:30 A.M. five days a week.  I remember birthdays and due dates and everyone’s favorite color and least favorite food.  I keep my house and my family running like a well-oiled machine.

Mostly.

I do not, however, remember to pick up the mail.  The mail in our neighborhood is delivered to a centralized box made up of individual locked boxes, almost like a mini-post office box system.  In order to retrieve my mail, I have to take my key and go to the big block of boxes.

Read the rest of this entry

When someone suggests keeping dumbbells in a desk drawer so that I can squeeze a few bicep curls in between conference calls, my first thought is, “I’d bet money you don’t actually do that.”

I’ve also read that I should replace my desk with a stand up desk (yes, I can totally see requesting a purchase order for that) and use my lunch breaks to organize a walking group (because apparently I will no longer require food).  Does anyone actually do this stuff?

None of those tips worked for me because I couldn’t even imagine trying them.  But I have found a few things that I can do to be healthier - even while working a full time job - without having to purchase new office furniture or build a cubicle workout station.

Read the rest of this entry

I have used a planner off and on for about 10 years.  I started with the Franklin Covey paper planners when my mom took me to a seminar for my birthday, which might sound lame but was actually one of the best gifts I’d ever received.  Since then, I’ve experimented with numerous planning systems, including generic paper calendars, palm pilots (back when there was no such thing as a smart phone), iPhone planning apps, and Google calendars.

I can say with confidence that life with a planner is infinitely better than life without a planner, whether it’s paper, digital or a combination of both.  But…

Read the rest of this entry