"New" Microwaved Popcorn

I love popcorn.
I mean, who doesn't love popcorn (Ok, besides my husband!).

I think the absolute best popcorn is when my mom makes it over the stovetop, with oil, in a pan.  Delish!
I don't have the patience to do that myself, and I also don't like the calories that come with the oil.

I usually just do the standard pre-packaged, store-bought microwave popcorn. (You know, probably the only thing you think of when think microwave popcorn.---until now!)

I'm typically calorie conscious, which means I eat the oh-so delicious 98% fat free microwave popcorn.
Even that has tons of preservatives, which I'm not such a fan of, if it can be avoided.
I've asked for a hot air popcorn popper before, to which my husband responds, "yay, more crap!"
Then, probably a year or two ago I heard a trick about making your own microwave popcorn, using a brown paper bag (you know, like you used to pack your school lunch in) and popping corn.

I finally tried it last week.
I added about 1/3 cup of popping corn to the bag.  Nothing else.  Just plain popcorn kernels.
I folded the bag a few times (tightly).
Put it in the microwave.

Success!!

How have I never tried this before?  So simple, so cheap.  If I reuse the paper bag a few times, even cheaper!
The only thing I might do is add a little piece of tape to the fold on the bag, but this time it didn't matter.
So fair warning that if you're not careful, you might have a popcorn explosion in your microwave.  Just sayin'.

I added some salt and a little bit of spray butter

Now I want to expand into the world of popcorn seasonings.  Things might just get a little crazy.

Happy Popping!

The Perfect Gift

I love the holidays and gift giving. Yes, as much as I like receiving gifts, I love  giving gifts even more.

Every year, I am bound and determined to give THE PERFECT gift to family and friends.

　

I try to use a blend of homemade/creative with store-bought items to deliver the best gift someone receives that year. I typically try to stay away from gift cards. I'm not really a fan of giving gift cards because, to me, it just doesn't feel like a whole lot of thought went into it.

(Don't get me wrong, I like receiving gift cards, and do still give gift cards, but I think they have become too widely used as the go-to-easy-way-out gift. I mean, if we're just going to swap gift cards, we might as well just save our money and not even bother. Ok, mini rant over!)

I usually have lots of ideas. The problem is, I also have a budget. (note: the budget isn't very big)

I spend what feels like forever agonizing over what the perfect gift will be for each person on my list.

I get an idea, and then the next day it doesn't feel quite right. I think to myself, "Is this really the best gift idea? Is there something better?"

My stress level rises.

I dream up a different idea, and then it's over my budget. (I really try to stick to my Christmas budget).

My stress level increases even more.

Rinse and Repeat. Ugh.

After a few weeks...I'm out of weeks.  Christmas is here, and I'm still scrambling to find the perfect gift.

　

But this year will be different. I am vowing to make this year different.

I am teaching myself that when you have factors like kids, work, a budget, and wanting even a little bit of sleep, you just have to make do.

So, while this years' gift recipients will still receive some great gifts, I will NOT stress about it being absolutely perfect like I've done in years past.

This year's theme will be to give "great" gifts...maybe not perfect, but still great.

And that, in and of itself, just might be perfect.

　

　

...the rest is just sand...

My husband sent me an email yesterday, that I thought was only appropriate with Thanksgiving being tomorrow.

I did a quick search to see if I could find the original author (you know, to give appropriate "props"), but I couldn't seem to find the original author with enough accuracy to post it.

Anway, I've read variations of this story before, and while it is cheesy, it still rings true and helps put things into perspective, especially with the upcoming stress that I'm sure we'll all endure over the next few weeks.

I am thankful for so many, many things this year.

Happy Thanksgiving!

　

　

The Mayonnaise Jar and Two Cups of Coffee

When things in your lives seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things--your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions--and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.

The sand is everything else--the small stuff. "If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first--the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked.

It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

2,190 days

My husband and I celebrated our 6 year wedding anniversary on Saturday.
Some days it feel like we've been married so much longer than 6 years...other days it seem like only yesterday we were walking down the aisle.

So much has changed in the six years we've been married; and at the same time, so little has changed.

We decided to each take a vacation day on Friday from work so that we could spend the day together...kid free.  The kids went to the babysitter, just like any other work day, and it was nice there wasn't a disruption in their schedule for us to be able to spend the day together.
We didn't do anything extravagant (um, that was partly because we had a slight change of plans when we dropped a pretty penny to have a new furnace installed at the last minute on Wednesday....)
We dropped the kids off at the babysitter's, dropped the car off for an oil change, then went to Starbucks and actually went inside and sat and drank coffee together.  With no interruptions.  It was heavenly.  I even commented to my husband while we were sipping our coffees...."Is this what we did when we were first married, before kids, because I can't even remember".
The rest of the day was really just spent, together.  We visited a new restaurant we had been wanting to try for lunch, ran some errands, did some shopping. 

On Saturday my in-laws offerred to watch the kids while we went to dinner.
We tried another resaturant we hadn't been to yet, but had been wanting to visit and stopped for a drink after dinner.
We made early dinner reservations so that we'd still be able to pick the kids up and head home at somewhat early hour.  Because THAT is definitely one way in how our lives have changed over the past 6 years. 
It's not about just us anymore.  It's about our kids too.  Our family.
And our kids don't sleep in. 

Happy Anniversary to my best friend.  Here's to many, many more years together!

Do you eat the seeds?

Wow, it's been a while since I've had time to sit down and write!
Remeber when I mentioned how much I love FALL?

I think I forgot to mention, that our fall also includes:

-My daughter's birthday
-My son's birthday
-My wedding anniversary
-Halloween
-My birthday

Oh, and all of that in less than a 4 week time span!  Say WHAT!?  To say we are busy this time of year is a bit understated.

Anyway, more on all of the fun we've been having with birthdays and anniversaries and such later. 
We finally carved our pumpkin tonight, which always prompts the discussion of the pumpkin seeds.

It was tradition in my family to scoop out the seeds, clean them and roast 'em up for eating.
My husband and his family NEVER roast the pumpkin seeds! 

We were with my in-laws last night and they carved their pumpkin....so naturally, I asked them for their seeds that they were just going to *gasp* throw in the garbage!
I brought them home, cleaned them up and put them in the fridge so I could add them to our seeds tonight.

I keep my pumpkin seeds pretty basic.  I add a little bit of butter and salt (ok, maybe lots  of salt...I have a bit of an unhealthy addiction).  Put them on a baking sheet and roast at 350 degrees for 10-20 minutes, turning once.
So easy, so yummy!

Do you roast the pumpkin seeds you save from your jack-o-lantern?

Reusable Grocery Bags

Do you use reusable grocery bags?
We do, and I love it!  We have all kids of them, small, medium, large, cloth, canvas, insulated, colorful, etc.  You catch my drift.  I even have one that rolls into itself and stays clipped to my key chain for those improptu trips to Target (or the grocery or whatever).  We even have some reusable produce bags!

This isn't to say that we never use plastic bags. 

Like when we had our recent weekly trip to the grocery store and realized we had forgotten ALL of our reusable bags at home. I didn't even have an emergency stash in the car!  We had both kids in tow, so the though of heading back home to get the bags was out of the question.  It crossed my mind for about half of a second before it was quickly wiped from my thoughts.

A few plastic bags won't be that bad, right?

OH.  MY.  GOSH.

I'm writing this blog post if for no other reason than to remind myself to bring my reusable bags every time we do our weekly grocery trip.  Every. Single. Time.



(my husband found 2 more bags in the car after I snapped this picture!)

 For reference, we usually have about 4-5 of our reusable bags full of groceries each week.
The amount of plastic bags used was just ridiculous.  Pair the fact that the plastic bags can't hold as much as the resuable bags with the terrible bagging process and it's just has WASTE written all over it.

The 3lb bag of potatoes that we bought was in a plastic bag by itself.  Really?  Was that necessary?

Don't get me wrong.  We still use these plastic grocery bags as liners in our bathroom garbage cans and for misc. dirty diapers that need to be brought outside ASAP, but we might only use 2-3 per week, if that many!
So, I gathered up the extra bags to be taken back to the store next weekend to be placed in the "bag recycling center".
From now on, I'll try even harder to remember to bring those reusable bags!

Do you use reusable grocery bags?
What tricks or tips might you have for a busy mom like me to remember to bring them with her to the store?!

Grandparent Appreciation Dinner

My husband and I are very blessed to live in the same town as both of our parents.
After we graduated from college and were making plans for our future, we always dreamed of moving to a "big" city and getting away from our hometown (even though my husband and I didn't meet until our junior year of college, we actually only grew up minutes from each other!)

Now that we have kids, I recognize what a blessing it is to have each of our parents close by.  What a different life we'd be living if our family wasn't in the same city!  Some may take this for granted, and sometimes I do too.  I grew up with my maternal grandparents living 12 hours away.  We usually only got together once or twice a year, for a week or two at a time.  My kids have such a different experience having each set of grandparents only living about a 20 minute drive away!  It's also quite convenient (and wonderful, at the same time) to be able to call either of the grandparents to hang out with their grandkids when we make some last minute plans (and by last minute, this still means a few days in advance, but you catch my drift!)

So, this past weekend, we had a "Grandparent Appreciation Dinner"!
It was nothing fancy and planned less than a week in advance, but a great time was had by all. 
We had a pasta bar, with multiple types of pasta, various sauces, breadsticks and salad.  Of course there was plenty of beer and wine too (and milk for the kiddos!)

We know our parents love to spend time with their grandkids every chance they get.  But we still just wanted to take some extra time to say "THANK YOU" for everything they do. 
We love you!!

Manic Monday

Yesterday was full of surprises, and not all of them fun.

I'm chalking it up to it just being a Monday, and hoping (praying?!) the week can only get better from here!

The morning started off with a bang (or a leak) when I was washing my hands in the bathroom and noticed something looked funny in the mirror.

No, it wasn't just the scary sight of my own reflection first thing in the morning.

There was a water leak that had run down the wall and was bubbling, behind the paint. 

Awesome.

Only, this is the bathroom on the second floor, and above it is the attic.  Even more awesome because that meant there was most likely a leak in the roof (it had been storming for a few hours).

Baby was up and crying; my husband was working out in the basement.  So, the leak would have to wait.

Eventually my wonderful husband was able to climb into the attic and look for a leak, but couldn't find one.  The strange thing was that the ceiling wasn’t wet, just running down the wall.  By this time we were both already running late for work. 

Then it took me 40 minutes  to get to work (normal commute time is only about 20 minutes). 

Unbelievable!

Monday was not off to a good start.

Later in the morning, I received an email from the babysitter than one of the baby's bottles had a crack in it and half of the bottle had leaked into her fridge. 

More awesomness.

I remembered that I had dropped the bottle bag on the way in to her house that morning, so it must have been at just the right angle to cause the bottle to crack. 

Lunch time rolled around, and I realized I had forgotten my workout bag at home (I normally work out on my lunch break).  Manic Monday---> you win again!

Finally, as I was leaving work on Monday, I kept thinking I was forgetting something; but I couldn’t think of what it might have been....that is until I got home. 

I had left my little cooler of pumped breast milk sitting on the counter of the nursing room at work. 

Really!? 

Breast milk is like liquid gold, especially when my freezer stash is dwindling to almost zero.  I knew if I left it at work I’d have to pitch it the next day because it would have sat out too long. 

Since the hubby needed to get back up in the attic to look for that leak, that meant the kids got to take a trip to mommy’s work.

What a day! 

At least I got to finish off the night with a bowl of ice cream and a new episode of HIMYM (How I Met Your Mother – for those that aren’t in the know!)  At least the evening ended on a good note!

Do you have any Manic Monday stories to share from yesterday?

Here’s hoping your week is off to a better start than mine!

(note, that is the second bottle to crack this month!) 

Welcome, Fall!

Today is the first official day of Fall.

Fall is by far my favorite season.  I love everything about it:

Cooler temperatures, chili in the crockpot, firepits in the backyard, colorful leaves falling on the trees, pumpkin patches, jeans and hooded sweatshirts, and let's not forget Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte.

So, Welcome, Fall.
I have missed you.  I hope you decide to stick around for a while this year.


What is your favorite thing about fall?

Being Productive in the Evening

When you're a work-out-of-the-home-mom like me, evenings and weekends are the only time you have to do anything around the house.  And honestly speaking, I don't like doing chores or work on the weekends because I like it to be family time.
So, that really only leaves me the weekday evenings to get to all of those little things that pile up around the house.

Let me share with you how motivated I usually am after I get home from work:

NOT motivated at all.

My normal routine when I get home from work is to kick off my high heels and change into some super comfy scrubby clothes.  I won't put on a pair of shoes unless I know I'm heading out for an errand or we are going for an evening walk with the kids.

So, how do I make myself get some things accomplished?

I put on my tennis shoes.




No, not so I can go play tennis (I actually don't even know how to play!), or go for a run.

For some reason, having shoes on (and not just flip flops) makes me feel like I have some sort of purpose. 

I might actually head out side and pull weeds from the flower bed.
I might sort through the endless pile of "Stuff" that accumulates on our kitchen counter
I might clean my closet to find some things to donate
I might even collect the garbage from all of the bathrooms and take it to the outside trash can


Please don't misunderstand. 
It's not like my shoes hold some sort of special power like Harry Potter's magic wand, or Clark Kent's glasses (even though that would be quite awesome).

But when I'm wearing shoes, I'm not going to just go curl up on the couch or jump into bed.
You might call it silly, but hey, whatever works, right?

Try it, and let know if it works for you, too!

Church Festival Weekend!

Wow. What a busy weekend we had. I think I'm still recovering.  And Yes, I realize it is already Thurday and the next weekend is getting ready to start.

But I still wanted to share our past weekend with you all!

My in-laws run the Hamburger/Sausage/Chicken booth at their church festival every year. That in turn means they need workers, and lots of them.

And THAT  means they start by recruiting family.

We have worked the church festival weekend, I think ever since I met my husband 8 years ago. I've skipped out on my duties the past 2 years since I had kiddos to watch (I even worked while I was 8+ months preggo with my daughter, but had frequent sitting breaks!)   But this year, I was back in the game. My husband and I worked Friday night while my parents watched the kids. Don't get me wrong, working the food booth is actually somewhat fun, as we get free beer and get to work it with friends!

Church festivals also mean festival rides.

Having an almost 3 year old means she wants to ride LOTS of rides. She doesn't quite get that they are expensive!

So she rode 2 rides on Friday night and promised her we'd come back. Which of course we did.

Sunday offerred an 4 hour, unlimited ride pass at a discounted rate. I thought she might ride just enough times to get our money's worth (she would have needed to ride at least 7 times)...boy did she ever!

I think the giant slide alone she rode 12 times!

　

　

　She also rode the "cars"  quite a few times:

And the other cars, where she got to "drive the wheel"

And don't forget the TeaCups!

Her little brother isn't quite big enough for any rides...so he just had to watch big sister have all of the fun:

The unlimited ride pass was definitely money well spent!

Church festival weekend is always a busy weekend spent with friends and family.  We all had a great time and can't wait for next year when we  can do it all again!

Meatloaf Surprise

Interesting title, huh?

I usually only make meatloaf one time a year.  It's one of my husband's favorite meals, so he gets it homemade each year as his birthday dinner.

I left work a little early so I'd have time to make it before I had two kids tugging on my legs.  It's just easier that way, trust me.

We try to eat fairly healthy, so I'm always trying to think of new ways to "reinvent" meatloaf.  You know, make it healthier, and more exciting.
My meatloaf recipe isn't all that special or exciting.  I usually just follow the tried and true recipe from my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. 

Doesn't every married woman have one of these?


Anyway, I loosly follow the meatloaf recipe that's in there, adjusting quantities based on what I have and to suit our tastes. 
But this year, I thought I'd liven it up a little more:

Shredded carrot is pretty exciting, isn't it!?


Wait, there's more....

Can you guess what it is?


I had an extra zucchini that needed to be used.  So I shredded that into the meatloaf, as well.
I know you can hardly contain yourself and your excitement.

As if the meatloaf couldn't get any better, I added yet another twist this year....

Individual portioned mini-meatloafs!


As a bonus, I was able to get EXACTLY twelve mini-meatloaves to fill the cupcake pan.  I can't even do that when I make actual cupcakes!

Unfortunately, there isn't a cooked picture of the meatloaf, because by that time the kids were home and chaos had ensued.  Trust me when I say that they were at hit!

Individually portioned and easy to serve.  And SURPRISE.....added vegetables that the kids don't even know they are eating.  Awesome!

I just might have to do this again before next year!

They Say It's Your Birthday.....

Today is a special day.... it's my husband's 30th birthday!

I wanted to take a picture of the kids together so I could make a birthday card for my hubby.  In my mind I had this ideal image of my kids sitting calmly (but of course super cutely) next to each other while each holding one end of a sign that read "Happy Birthday Daddy!"

A girl can dream, right?


A sampling of our mini photo shoot:





I promise she's not choking him

Really?

aww, look at those cute little baby feet!

Notice that I didn't even attempt the cute little sign idea.  I couldn't even get them to sit still long enough to take a halfway decent picture.
What you can't see is that everytime I sat them next to each other, they would both start laughing instantly.  It's like they were plotting against me!



Finally, after what I think was picture 536472 of the photo shoot, I got this:


Happy Birthday Daddy!

So HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my husband, my best friend, and the most amazing father to our kids.
I couldn't even dream of walking this journey without you.  YOU keep me balanced in this crazy, wonderful life...even on the days I might suggest otherwise ;)

Here's hoping the next year brings you even more joy than the 30 before it.



It's a Date

My husband and I recognize the importance of going on dates together, even though we have 2 little ones at home.  But because those little ones don't quite know how to sleep in (well, actually my son doesn't quite know how to sleep AT ALL) we try to have date days instead of date nights.

This way we aren't out late, only to be woken up at the nice early hour of say, 5:30am, by our sweet children.  And as an added bonus, the kids get some quality time with their grandparents!

We tend to steer away from traditional “dinner and a movie” dates, so this past Saturday we took at trip to Over-the-Rhine (OTR) in Cincinnati.  Not exactly a hot spot for a date in Cincinnati...but it was for us!

We finally experienced Findlay Market and then took a walking tour, sponsored by the OTR Brewery District.

I cannot believe it has taken me this long to visit Findlay Market.  It was so much fun!

There is an unbelievable amount of fresh food to choose from and so much fun variety!

Since we were going to be doing the walking tour right from the market, we had only brought a small cooler to store some food.  We didn't load up on the produce like I would have liked, but we definitely plan on heading back down soon!

At one of the entrances of the market, there is the Over-the-Rhine Biergarten at Findlay Market.  After we strolled through the market, drooling just about every step of the way at the amazing selection of food, we sat down to eat and have a beer before the tour started.



(Beer and Fudge, what could be better?!)



Our tour guide was so informational and you could tell he loved what he was doing.  While the tour was focused around beer brewing and the impact beer making had on  the city, there was a lot of historical information about the OTR area, then and now.  It was such a sad statistic to learn that an area that was once the home to over 44,000 people now cites a population of only around 8,000.  This in turn means that over 70% of the buildings in OTR and vacant.  Due to the sad state of the buildings (and the area in general), real estate is beyond cheap.  I think my husband was ready to call a realtor before we were even finished with the tour (but with 2 kids and a limited budget, I was able to remind him that we don't exactly have the time or finances for a complete building renovation right now)!

We were able to walk through some of the old vacant brew houses.  This one was in process (actually, halted) renovation to be turned into condos. 



Original conveyor system...how cool!



Do you know what this is growing on the side of this building? 

Hops!  (Who's ready to make beer?!)

Luckily we got a break from the heat and traveled into the old lagering cellars that are carved into the hillside!  It was dark, wet, and cool...and quite amazing.

 2.5 hours after we started our tour, we concluded our walk back at Findlay Market...time for another beer!

My husband and I had a great time on our date day.   We even finished early enough to eat dinner with the kids before it was off to bed (for everyone...including us!)

We definitely enjoyed our time visiting new places in the city, learning a little history, and of course, spending some quality time together!

Do you take the time to "date"?

What fun things do you do for dates, that are different than the standard dinner and a movie?

Where did the last 10 months go?

I can't believe it.

My baby boy is 10 months old today. 

10 months in the blink of an eye.

At 10 months old, my sweet boy:

• has his 2 bottom teeth, and is working hard on a top one (I'm sure it will be weeks before we see it pop through!)
• Climbs the stairs
• (almost) ALWAYS has a smile on his face
• Cruises around ALL of the furniture
• Will walk by pushing anything that will move with him (but is not walking on his own...and I'm not pushing it!)
• Love to get into anything mama says he shouldn't (you know: trash cans, dog food, electrical cords)
• Doesn't sleep more than a few hours at a time (including both naps AND the middle of the night!)
• LOVES his big sister
• Brings so, so, much joy to our family

These past 10 months have certainly been a whirlwind.  Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in the mundane daily "stuff" and forget to take time to appreciate what's really important.

As the saying goes:

"The days are long but the years are short".

And some days certainly feel very, very long....

But, I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.  Anything.

The Cleaning Lady

After I was married, but before I had kids, quite a few of my co-workers had a cleaning person come to their home.  For some it was weekly, others it was every other week.

I could not  fathom the idea of paying someone else to clean my house. Frugal me couldn't imagine the added expense.

My other thought?

"Are you that lazy that you need someone to come clean your house?"

　

I now have a cleaning lady.

　

She does the basics like sweeping, mopping, dusting and the ever dreadful task of cleaning the bathrooms (showers included). And of course, I pay for this service.

Me, one of the most frugal people in my group of friends, and I'm the one with the cleaning lady.

Last summer, while about 6 months pregnant with 20 month old running around, I just could not seem to keep up with the housework. Well, not without feeling stressed about it.

I had switched jobs a few months prior, and with the raise in salary, I could then sort-of justify hiring a cleaning person. Sort-of. I was so tired though, entering my third trimester of pregnancy and keeping up with a toddler was just exhausting! So, I bit the bullet and did it.

Not all of the cleaning is done exactly how I would have do it, but admittedly, I also have some control issues.

But let's be honest. After working all day, making dinner, putting the kids to bed, doing the dishes, packing lunch for the next day, and throwing in a load of laundry, the last thing I want to do is clean the bathroom before I go to bed. And those Saturday morning hours of cleaning just aren't happening with 2 kids running (or crawling) around.

Now that my baby boy is 10 months old, and doesn't need me holding him or feeding him every second of the day, I have a little bit  more breathing room in my day. Not much though.

As I look at the budget and where to trim next, I really contemplate cutting out the cleaning lady.

Can I really give it up?

Do I really want to add the stress of needing to vacuum, dust, mop, bathroom duty, etc to my weekly routine?

How will I fit it all in?

I've thought about a "Chore Chart" but specifically for cleaning. Almost like a checklist of each specific duty that needs to be accomplished each week. Like cleaning the 2nd floor bathroom would be a separate item than cleaning the 1st floor bathroom. When I break it into smaller actions, it seems more manageable.

Then I think - "Is it crazy for an almost 30 year old woman to have a Chore Chart"?!

I guess not if it helps get the job done.

How do you manage the cleaning in your household?

What tricks, ideas, or tools do you use to make it easier?

　

　

　

The Balanced Equation of Life

While I'm a little removed from the engineering trade, I'm still an engineer at heart.  I like to figure out how to make all of the puzzle pieces fit together.  And it's even better if calculations are involved (I love numbers). I mean, who doesn't love balancing equations?!

Do you ever feel like LIFE is just one big equation that you are trying to balance? Only, each day, a new piece of information gets added to make the equation that much more difficult. Add kids to the mix, and it's an infinite number of unknown variables. Just when you think you have it figured out, something else gets thrown at you and you start all over again.

That's where I am. Just when I start to feel like I have life under control, something changes, and it's all off balance again. Funny thing though; even though life might seem  like a perfect balancing equation...everyone will come up with a different answer. And no two equations are written exactly the same, even if they appear that way on the surface.

Because everyone is different. What works for me, and keeps me balanced and sane, doesn't work for my friends, my neighbors, even my siblings. Only, I still don't know exactly what I need to stay balanced. Each day is a learning process and brings more clarity to the equation (or sometimes more confusion).

To help gain more clarity on this crazy balancing act, I decided I needed a place to centralize my thoughts. So, here I am!

In the process of my sharing of general thoughts and ideas, I hope that I can help you see things from a new perspective and help you gain better balance, too.

I'm hoping that we can learn--together.