My Six Life Lessons.

I make grand plans. If I followed through on even 10% of my ideas, I'd be in amazing physical shape, have an impeccably styled home and be broke as a joke because I spent all my money on fad workouts and new flooring.

I view my time, money and very short, sometimes intense, attention span as hot commodities; they're in demand and not widely available.  Here are my six life lessons (so far):

1. Make time. There is always time for what matters in life. Yes, you have to drive your son to soccer practice every Friday, but instead of sitting in silence while music drowns out any chance of conversation, ask him what music he likes. BUT MAKE IT INTERESTING! Make him choose from your radio stations. This is how I learned my nine year old likes Third Eye Blind.

2. Do your chores. My house is rarely spotless, but I feel ready to take on nearly anything after I clean a room. The kitchen is usually my quick fix. After I wipe down the counters and load the dishwasher, I usually feel like the world is looking a little brighter.

3. Live so your friends wonder how much money you make.  No, not like that. We live in three bedroom 1960s slab ranch. It has one bathroom.  It's the last house before a city park, and we live only five houses away from the local elementary school.  My husband and I both work full time; I was promoted in 2012. This home was a choice we made. 

4. But don't be Scrooge McDuck.  This lesson took me a minute to learn. It's OK to spend money sometimes. This weekend we went out to eat as a family and were discussing Clue in the car on the way home. It sounded so fun my husband turned the car around, and we went to Target to buy the board game. We played three games on Saturday and two on Sunday. Can I tell you how excited I am that the kids are old enough to understand and enjoy Clue? Best $20 spent so far this month.

5. Allow yourself to flit. If I force myself to concentrate, it has the opposite effect: I shut down completely!  I find if I simply keep the end goal as an ever-present panic simmering just below the surface (thanks, anxiety!), I can flit around from project to distraction to unintentional nap back to the task at hand and it all works out!

6. Know when you've had enough. In addition to my ADD tendencies, I have an addictive personality. I now know this about myself and can uninstall games or apps that are a bad influence for me. That was a tough lesson to learn, one that came with about 50 pounds of weight gain! I was a big MMORPG gamer for a while, getting multiple characters to max level. I spent over a year in front of my laptop chasing the proverbial carrot and gaining a bunch of weight in the process.

Being in my early 30s, this list isn't nearly complete. I look forward to learning more about myself!

Once bitten, twice shy.

In February, we had new carpet put down in the hallway and bedrooms. The boys also got new beds. While there are still a few things I'd like to do in their rooms, overall I'm very satisfied with the transformations. The problem,  however, is that I've been bitten. Bitten by the home improvement bug!

This isn't the WORST bug to be bitten by, unless you have a big ol' tax bill due by 4/15, a puppy having surgery on 4/16, and two boys in extracurricular activities (one in private violin lessons & orchestra and one in soccer). But that's just about every human's tale. So what is a girl to do?

Get her butt on Pinterest. I've picked out the flooring for the kitchen & dining area, even opting to do it myself to save money. I'm no novice; I've tiled before. Just in case, though, I've been reading articles as if I'll be tiling this weekend.

I've also decided to dedicate an entire gallery wall to art I've created. I have a Pinterest board full of ideas.  Estimated cost: Who knows?  Lots, probably.

Looking for investors.

new hallway carpet.

I've got another confession to make. I'm your fool.

I have a confession: I haven't told anybody about this blog. It certainly isn't a secret,  as I link to it from both Pinterest and Twitter,  but I haven't proactively mentioned it.

I've kept a blog, in some form, since the late 1990s. This blog has been around since 2007, with a complete purge in 2011. People knew it existed, but I've not mentioned I'm writing again.  Mainly because I'm not saying anything. The other reason is because I don't enjoy the real life conversations that occur when someone reads your ramblings.

Them: I read your blog.
Me: Oh yeah?
Them: I had no idea you didn't know how to paint your nails.
Me: ...yeah. It never came up.
Them: That's weird.
Me: Sure is...

I'm fancy.

I'm terrible at painting my nails.  Awful.  You would truly think I grew up without nail polish, or maybe I was the only girl with seven brothers. Nope. I bought at least two bottles every time a new Avon campaign started, and, although I was an only child, I had three aunts not even six years older than me. I'm a girl. A girl with no future as a manicurist.

I recently found Gelous, though, a non-UV gel nail polish. Now my poorly applied nail polish lasts for about five days without a chip! So I can look like a kindergartener who got into the finger paints FOR FIVE DAYS!  Sold.

Not gonna lie, totally found the product on Pinterest.

This Is 31.

I recently watched This Is 40. I thought I'd like it more.  Maybe it touched too many nerves for me: raising kids, struggling in this broken economy, parental issues as an adult child, remembering to not take your spouse for granted after 10+ years of marriage.

I think I need to see it again. 

Lady Lumps.

My back has been itchy this week. I figured it was dry skin and took special care to dry myself off really well after my shower this morning. But all day long today, my back was itchy. "I'm wearing a sweater," I thought, "Terrible idea in this dry weather."

Cut to me changing into my comfy clothes tonight. I touched my back and was horrified! It felt like tiny pimples! All over! I called my husband in to tell me what it looked like, and after trying to figure out what I've done differently in the last few days, it dawned on me: I changed not only fabric softeners but dryer sheets, too.

So now my dilemma: Do I rewash all my clothes? Do I rewash EVERYONE'S clothes? I did some spring cleaning Easter weekend so I did a bunch of laundry. This is a bummer. Not as big a bummer as being covered in contact dermatitis...

Busy.

I'm overwhelmed. I feel like this isn't living. I truly hate the glorification of busy. I grew up in a house that glorified being busy; I was taught, even if nonverbally, if you aren't busy, you're lazy.

Now, in my 30s, I see that busyness is running away. I see it's distraction. Or, in some cases, it's trying to survive.

Stop glorifying busy. It's the enemy.

Etsy.

Real posts just aren't coming right now. I've been taking joy in browsing Etsy. I've been an Etsy shopper for years, but I just recently started curating treasuries. Today, one of mine landed on the front page!

Stress.

I haven't updated in a bit because I've been having a rough few days. I don't like airing my dirty laundry, so I've been keeping to myself. I will say, however, that I. Am. Stressed.

I'm starting to return to my normal self physically (stomach bug!), and I hope once I do, I'll feel able to handle everything else I have on my plate. I need to. The only way out is through.

Onward.

Happiness.

I'm truly inspired by the people behind tinybuddha.com, happiness-project.com, and the like. However, when I read entries, I only partially relate. I feel like they're all "beyond" me. As if their version of "I lose my temper with my family" and mine is vastly different.  Mine includes pursing my lips so tightly my eyes bug out of my head. I feel like theirs exclusively includes the word "gosh."

These are unfounded feelings of inferiority that I should explore in a post, right?

But really, what I'm saying is, I'm beginning this betterment journey, and one day I hope to keep my wits about me while muttering "gosh" as my children behave in a manner that used to summon threats of carnival lives. Really, they're kids, and they're only gosh darn kids once.

Party.

Smashing success!

I know you were concerned. That's why I'm making it a point to check in.

First guest arrived around 345pm, last guest left around midnight. There were 22 attendees, including us. We wound down the night with a bonfire and s'mores.  Really? I couldn't have asked for a better event.

Next year, maybe it won't rain for the 24 hours leading up to it so we can use the patio cushions. Maybe...

Instant Gratification.

Dr. Husband (who is not a doctor) said my shoulder blade is probably sore because I walk like Igor. He didn't use those words but the meaning was there. So I discussed his diagnosis with Dr. Internet, and she seems to agree.

Dr. Internet suggested some exercises to correct my posture and, hopefully, my pain. I started them last night and, would you believe it, I'm not cured! Isn't that some BS? That's the problem with choosing physical therapy over medication, though - it takes some time to see results. 

I should probably still go to a doctor, though, as I'm not sure Dr. Internet knows what she's talking about. She also suggested a shoulder pain support group in my area. It is not that serious.

Complaining.

I have a sore shoulder blade today. I'm pretty sure I got it from working out. Isn't that discouraging!?

The first thing out of my mouth this morning was a complaint. "I don't want to go to work today." "My alarm is the worst sound ever."

I got on Tiny Buddha as soon as I could (on my bus ride in) and was able to right the ship, but the shoulder blade? Phew! That sucker is jacked up. If you see me giving you a pained look, I'm probably not offended by your existence. Probably.

Shifts.

I swear I'm happier. Maybe because I've decided to force myself to remain aware of my thoughts. When they turn negative, I attempt to shift them. Or maybe because life hasn't gone over shit mountain in a while.

Baby steps.

You'll never guess what! The plumbers didn't care that my kitchen was messy.

Let's rewind to yesterday so we can all take this journey together. When I left you, I was slightly stressed over not cleaning my kitchen before the 5pm plumber arrival. I was secretly hoping they'd be late and I would have time to get things tidy.

I'm walking to my car at 430 when the borderline unthinkable happens: the plumbers call. They're in my driveway...30 minutes early. When will I be home? Give me 15 minutes, I tell them, and I race home.

But guess what happens when I get home! The plumbers went to the laundry room and got to work. They never gave a second glance to my kitchen.

I cleaned, without running water, while they worked, and I began to think, "Self, maybe you need to calm your silly ass down." So I followed Deepak Chopra on Twitter. Then I unfollowed, because...no thanks.

Baby steps.

Getting shit done.

I'm unhappy with the amount I'm accomplishing in a day. I spend about 11 hours away from my house, 7.5 hours sleeping and an hour getting ready every morning.

This leaves 4.5 hours to accomplish everything else. Things like making dinner, taking kids to whatever commitment, submitting to Jillian Michaels' 30 Day of Soul Sucking, watering the plants.  I also aim to wash and dry one load of laundry each weeknight. I have yet to accomplish that goal this week.

I have yet to accomplish a lot. Yesterday, while my husband took our oldest son to music lessons, I made a quart of vanilla ice cream and turned it into Drumsticks with the help of Pinterest. Then I made dinner and had it on the table when the boys got back. Problems? The dishwasher was already running, I created a boatload of new dishes, and I have plumbers expected at 5pm today, which happens to be the moment when I will be walking in the door.

Sorry, plumbers, not enough time in the day. By the time I finished cooking and serving up everything, it was 830pm. My back hurt, so I went and watched Sons of Guns. My show was more important than impressing you with a tidy kitchen.

My initial complaint is the correct one, I think. I'm not accomplishing enough. I would like to to wake up early (lol, I don't wake up early ever), go for a run (lol, I don't run currently), come back and have time to pull myself together nicely.

I'm torn. How much should I be accomplishing in a day? If I don't take that time to unwind before bed, I'll go crazy. Waking up early makes me grouchy.

Bad.

I'm a bad blogger. Not because I don't have anything to say, but because I never think to share it. Recently I've been thinking about becoming more active on here, so I'm going to see if I can do it.

Ya know, in the early 2000s, before blogging was cool, I maintained maggiediane.com. I'm not new to this. I'm just 10 years out of practice.

DrawSomething

You should play DrawSomething with me. User name: maggiediane

I got my dad playing on Easter. I keep about 15 games going. Fun little app!

I'm back.

I deleted the blogger app a while ago because I really didn't feel I was posting anything of merit. Then I remembered, I'm writing for me! So welcome back, Maggie! Where to even begin?

Well, I'll just skip straight to the kitchen update. I got the itch to update the kitchen in March 2012. We moved in in January 2011 & replaced the counters, sink, faucet & drawer pulls in April of that year. I'd been tossing around the idea of a backsplash and paint ever since, but never found a tile sheet to get the ball rolling.

Until March. I was browsing online on a Saturday night, bought the tile on Sunday, installed it (myself!) the next Saturday. Decided on a paint color over the next two weekends, and painted the last weekend in March.

The new dining table is on order; it'll be here in May. There are a few more finishing touches the room still needs, but I'm in love with the progress over the last year!

Thanksgiving & Black Friday.

Here are a few pictures from Thanksgiving & Black Friday. I work today, so the Christmas tree is on my desk.

Happy Thanksgiving!