Vacation, All I ever wanted

Friends, another fantastic entry from our friend Amanda. She recently returned from the frontlines of family vacationing. And don't forget to vote for her here (just leave a comment on this post), she is vying to be the Sego Lily Spa Blogger.

Families have been making pilgrimages since the dawn of time, right? I mean even before there was fire, certainly some mother out there was trying to figure out how to get all the scrappy-headed Neanderthal children from their cave to Aunt Uga’s cave across the valley. So why oh why is it so hard to gear up for a family trip? I love family trips (note that I call them trips: This is because anything with kids is a trip, while anything without is a vacation. Makes sense, no?) yet agonize for weeks, nay a month before worrying about all the details. When my kids were little, babies and toddlers, I worried to no end about their sleeping. Sleep is my holy grail. I will move mountains, change tides, and dim the sun if it means my kids get a good nap in or go to bed on time. We don’t mess with the sleep around here – mock me all you want. But traveling to somewhere new with {gasp!} different time zones or loud sounds or no darkening shades was enough to make me lose, you guessed it, sleep at night. And then I worried about what they’d eat. And then I worried about sunburns, bed bugs, cleanliness and having enough diapers. And then, thank heavens, my kids got older and I relaxed.

We just returned from a nine-day trip to Newport Beach about two weeks ago. It was heaven – just what a family trip should be. There was sun, beach, waves, cupcakes, family friends and their children that traveled with us, pizza dinners and my kids sharing beds and waking up at the crack of dawn to jump on beds and ask, “When are we leaving, when are we leaving?” So here are the important details that you need to know:

1. We drove the whole way in our mini-van. It’s true; we’re publicly announcing that there’s no way on this earth we could afford to fly six of us to California. If we did that, we’d have to turn around and fly right home – the flight would be the trip! I guess we’d steal peanuts and Sky magazine, but still… And yes, we don’t drive for fifteen minutes, let alone to a different state, without our DVD player stocked, the Nintendo DS charged, coloring books, Leapsters, pillows, blankets, surprise treats and candy. I don’t know how we all did it back in the day when our options were a) sleep, b) fight with a sibling, or c) do Mad Libs. Seriously, what do kids have to complain about these days? Maybe the seatbelts, but that’s about it. I think I once rode through Death Valley strapped to the bumper. Now I don’t let my kids out of their belts for more than 7 seconds before I get panicked and sweaty and start yelling, “BUCKLE UP! BUCKLE UP – HURRY!”

2. I was determined to be a) frugal and b) healthy so I packed a cooler of things from home that were a) healthy and b) would not last the nine days because I refused to waste eggs, cheese and fruit when I could schlep them in a cooler. I’ve been known to stash a loaf of bread and jar of peanut butter in my suitcase on work trips so that I could use my per diem on clothes and eat peanut butter sandwiches instead for sustenance. We stayed at a Marriott Vacation condo so we had a fridge for my stash. Can’t tell you the satisfaction I got from saving the extra $14 at the store from bringing my own eggs, cheese and such.

3. When you have a big family, you have to rethink what defines a trip. Is it eating out? Is it shopping? Is it fancy activities? Our answers were no, no and no. We have learned that what makes the perfect trip is any activity that is free and physical and makes the kids exhausted by day’s end (swimming, swimming, swimming, walking, swimming), that spending money on food in a restaurant is a total waste because they will never eat what you order, they would always have been just as happy with a bowl of cereal in the room, and they will act crazier and naughtier in any restaurant that is not in your home town simply because the locals are watching you, mouths agape, wondering from under which rock you and your spawn just crawled out. Save it – buy groceries and eat in as much as you can. And the shopping? I’ve got to believe that some day I’ll spend days languishing on some exotic beach, all golden and perky, only to surface long enough to shower and dress into something fabulous and then wander the local streets for hours in search of the city’s hidden treasures. For now, the only wandering I do is in the foreign Walgreen’s searching for the cheapest brand of Children’s Ibuprofen. Sigh. Someday.

4. Last but not least, as I had to keep reminding my husband, this is THEIR vacation too! Family trips are nothing if not memory building. New locations, rituals, and time spent together are what kids will remember. There’s a reason we remember family vacations from the early eighties but have no idea who our second cousin is. Vacations build lasting memories and are defined by the people in them, the mood the parents create, and the time together. No kid cares about how nice the hotel is or the size of the pool.

All in all, it was wonderful and money well spent. I love that as my kids (8, 7, 5 and 2 ½) get older, they are more fun to travel with. Every year it gets easier and I worry less about the minutiae and spend more time thinking about how we’re going to make our time together count. We also have a family cheer. I highly suggest getting a family cheer á la Griswold’s for a successful family trip.

Don't hate me for being beautiful

Chirpers, Mavis here. We at We Chirp are many things, but close-minded is not one of them. Opinionated? Very. Brunette? Yep. Super dang smart? You betcha. Always willing to learn something new? Affirmative. We are lovers of others' points of view. We love to hear and take part in thought provoking conversations. Our (well, Dove's. But Hi PagerStalker, I'm Mavis - heard great things about you, can we be friends?) friend PagerStalker has written something so thought provoking that we had to share it.

Dove was a little worried that it might offend some of our readers but I assured her (and she knows) that we are a smart and deep bunch. Without giving my own opinion about this topic of which you are about to read (because you might be surprised and you will hear it soon), I ask that you read it, ponder it, mull it over or go right ahead and respond. But no matter what you think, we would love to hear it. Of course, we love it even more when it is done with respect and decorum. Since I read PS's essay a few days ago, it has made me think things over, rethink previous opinions, form stronger ones and had me befuddled for a moment.

One more thing before you begin, PS is a medical doctor, but he is not a plastic surgeon. He does not benefit from pushing more silicon or slicing and sucking. Oh, and he is not a chauvinistic jerk. This you should know as you read. Here goes...


So what I say may be a little offensive, or maybe not offensive, but certainly disagreeable. I would like to talk about beauty and sexual attraction for a moment. But let’s start with this concept:

Let’s say you have a child that is born with a cleft lip. A cleft lip does not really affect a person’s functionally (unlike a cleft palate which certainly does affect function.) So to fix this defect is clearly just cosmetic. However, all of you would not think it too vain to fix. For one, the child will suffer from being an object of ridicule – no doubt and will develop self-esteem problems. But what of the argument that he should just learn to love himself, just the way God, or the Great IS (a Jonathon Livingston Seagull reference – how cool am I) created him? Well, what if he was in a foreign land and came to this country as an adult – so no more children teasing? Would you allow him, or fault him to get it fixed then?

Now let’s change the scenario. Let’s say that you have a few kids. Having a large uterus stretches out the rectus sheath so that what once could have been a washboard tight stomach is now two inches apart - and that’s just the lateral stretch. You also get the vertical stretch that leaves extra skin and marks up the once smooth and silky tummy with stretch marks and an extra pouch. And here is the deal – no amount of running and/or sit-ups can change it.
Your breasts get filled with life-giving milk, and then, after stretching the supporting ligaments, the milk leaves – and after a few rounds of children, they become just a shell of what they once were. No bench pressing or whatever can restructure that stretched tissue.

So what is my point? Many people have a real problem with plastic surgery. They find it vain. I don’t. I think it very useful. Tell me seriously – what is the difference between the cleft lip person who wants to look normal, and the mom who wants to again look normal? We know what looks good on a face – and that is a complete lip. We also know what looks optimal on women – it is normal looking (full and perky– not big – I am NOT saying that) breasts and a flat stomach. Now I already know what some of you are thinking – you are saying that what I am calling good looking or pleasing is what society has told us what women need to look like - and that it is ridiculous and women should be able to look however they want and not by what society claims. Well, I have two things to say to that. First, I do agree that you can look like however you want and that is great to be totally comfortable with how you look and are. But I have NEVER met anyone that would take being 400 lbs over having a trim body if someone could wave a magic wand. They just wouldn’t. Second, I disagree COMPLETELY that it is what society says that looks good. It has nothing to do with society. It is complete physiology.

Take for example any animal in the kingdom of mammals. They each have characteristics that attract the opposite sex. The peacock that shows the most colorful and large array of feathers attracts the opposite sex peacock.


They aren’t thinking about it - they can’t convince themselves that this peacock is a good mom, or that they are really kind – because it is all chemicals. Well humans have those same drives and chemicals, and what most men are attracted to are perky boobs, small waist, and child bearing hips. Now I know there are exceptions, and I am also not saying that a man or woman can’t love someone that is 400 lbs.


They certainly can, and they certainly can get past this and not have it bother them. Humans do have this capability.

But what I AM saying is that every man would be more sexually attracted to his woman if she had those secondary sexual characteristics and body shape that God, or the Great IS intended (the same goes for men having an attractive physique as well). So, isn’t it strange to think that plastic surgery (to make the women a step closer to what is the perfect form) is wrong or vain? I just don’t get it. Further more, I have met MANY women who have had work done, and not a single one of them regret it. In fact, they all feel better about themselves and feel more attractive. How can that be a bad thing? Everyone wants to feel more attractive.

But here is the sad thing. My brother told me a story about an old friend of his that was a big tub of goo. He was still a funny and nice guy, but he had just changed from the stunning tan and buff guy that existed in high school. He later got a divorce despite his deep love for his wife and my brother saw him again about 6 or 8 months after the divorce. My bro made a comment like – oh my you look so great. And he said to him “I knew that I could never get a girl by looking the way I did, so I got in shape again.” When I heard this, I thought that this statement was very sad. I didn’t understand why he would get himself looking GREAT for someone he didn’t know or really care about, but he wouldn’t do the same for the person he cared about more than anyone else in this world.

So really, what is my point? My point is this. Everywhere I turn, it seems like someone is getting a divorce, or just went through a divorce, or is telling me about their problematic marriage, or whatever. I know marriage is complicated and at times attractiveness has little to do with it – but maybe sometimes it does have a little to do with it. I do know in some cases that it made a huge difference when the woman is not attracted to her man because he is a lardo (for example.) But here is the bottom line, I think if you really love your partner, you should want to please him in every way, and that means looking as good as you can – and sometimes that would include plastic surgery and I don’t think that is shameful or wrong at all. I know a great couple and they get up very early every morning and go to the gym together so that they will look good for one another. I just love that they do that.

But, if you don’t want to get sliced with the surgeon knife, then that is okay too, there are still a lot of other things you can do. And here is the truth about that--I think we learned a ton this last year hearing about Michael Phelp’s diet. He ate 12,000 calories a day, and looked rock solid. And it was crappy, crappy food. So what is the message? It matters very little what we eat, but matters a LOT what we DOOOOO. So do more. Park far away and walk fast to Wal-Mart or even run. Take the stairs all the time. Get on your bike. Run with the dog rather than walk. My brother in-law once lost a TON of weight by riding a bike everywhere he went along with lifting weights. The pay off is that not only will your friend/lover/domestic partner like the way you look; you will love the way you feel.

My new friend DOVE runs almost every morning. That is so very commendable and cool – and hard. Good job Dove!

So if you do get plastic surgery – I have some tips.
1. If you get a tummy tuck – make sure the surgeon combines the tuck with some side and flank lipo. This is very important in the final look of things. If you watch Dr. 90210, that fruitcake does not do this.
2. If you do get a tummy tuck, strongly consider getting the breast implants. It is a little more, but I have met many that regret not doing this at the same time as the tuck. It really adds to the look.
3. If you do get breast implants, look for a surgeon that does under the muscle. This leaves a much more natural look and feel. Plus they last much longer and stay looking normal much longer. In fact, they may never need revised, unlike over the muscle implants. Over the muscle implants eventually will stretch the skin and tissue, which will need a breast lift and revision eventually. Surgeons will often try to convince you otherwise because below the muscle takes more time and requires more skill. More time to do the surgery means less money for the surgeon. Plus, many never learned this better technique well.
4. Please don’t go BIG. At least in my taste, that looks ridiculous and fake. We are going for the perfect body, not the ridiculous “I work at HOOTERS” body. Gross.


Finally, I think you should feel lucky that physiology for humans is the way it is. It could be much worse. Did you know that to attract a female goat, the male goat would urinate on his head for the smell? See, aren’t we lucky?


-PagerStalker

Welsh Pancakes

Ladies & gents (by a show of hands how many gents are reading this???), we are thrilled to have Christy with us today. She is a friend we have acquired through this here project we have going and we are quite taken with her. She's like a good Neil Young tune - has a Heart of Gold and writes 2 delightful blogs. This one is her personal blog (I LOVE this post [which features one of our dear Mavis's creations]. How can you not want to curl up and drool -affectionately- all over someone who says "I have a magnet on my fridge that says 'My goal is do something outrageous every day"...and it's true...that is one of my goals, EVERY DAY!!!'"). And she also has a food blog. I made this salmon last night and it was fantastic. My kids even devoured it. Christy is going to be posting recipes and other delights regularly so let's welcome her. Thanks for being here Christy!

Hi - I'm Christy, and I am thrilled to be guest posting here on one of my all-time favorite blogs today!

Since summer is coming (here on the east coast -- I understand it may already be hot out there in Utah where I believe many of you readers might live) I thought I'd share one of our family's favorite summer-time desserts: Welsh pancakes.

We're a British-American family after all - my husband is Welsh, I'm American, and our lucky daughter has dual citizenship. Since we currently live on this side of the pond, we try to incorporate as many British'isms and British meals into our life as possible, so my husband doesn't get homesick - and because I'm a Welsh-Wannabe. We watch rugby, drink wine with our meals, and eschew Hershey's for Cadbury, thank you very much. But one of my favorite British traditions are these pancakes - which look and taste a whole lot like crepes.

I admit, it took me a while, but now when I hear pancake, I don't think of the kind of stack you see at IHOP. I think of what I call a crepe. Mmm...

These pancakes are traditionally a dessert after a big dinner. Brits love them. Over there, Shrove Tuesday is also known as Pancake Day. For a quick, concise history of this day, click here.

But seriously. Pancake Day...how cool is that? Can you imagine our country naming a holiday after a dessert? If we ever did that, I'd lobby hard for Cupcake Day. Man, that would be great.

But back to the pancakes.

We think Delia has the best recipe, and we've adapted hers found here. Here is how we make them at our house:

Ingredients
4 oz of plain flour (about half a cup - if you have a scale, use that instead of measuring it in cups)
pinch of salt
2 large eggs
7 oz milk mixed with 3 oz water (same deal with the measurement here - 7 oz is about 3/4 cups, 3 oz is less than half a cup)
a few pats of butter
lemon juice (fresh or the fake-lemon plastic variety)
powdered sugar
regular sugar

Instructions
Sift flour into large bowl. Make well in center of flour and crack two eggs into the well.
Begin whisking egg and flour together with a whisk, or a fork. Slowly add milk/water mixture, whisking in between pourings. Mixture will be lumpy at first, but they will eventually disappear.

Melt the butter in a non-stick frying pan, which you will use for making the pancakes. We use a medium-sized pan, about 12 inches.

Add 2 TBSPs melted butter to the batter mixture. Set the remainder aside for greasing pan between pancakes.

Heat pan on high heat for about a minute or two, until the pan is really hot. Add a little of the melted butter. Then pour in slightly less than a 1/3 cup of the mixture (more than a 1/4, but less than a third...) to the hot pan. Swirl the mixture around the pan (lifting pan off burner as you swirl) to completely cover the bottom of the pan with the mixture. Cook for about 30 seconds. At that point you should be able to jiggle the pan and the pancake should come loose from the pan. You can carefully lift up the edge of the pancake with a spatula to check and see if it's lightly gold/brown on the bottom. When it is, flip it, and cook the other side.

When it's done, gently slide it out of the pan onto a plate.

We like to eat them immediately - they're toasty warm and crispy around the edges this way. We suggest enjoying the pancakes three ways:

1. Spread a small amount of butter on them, sprinkle with a little lemon juice and sugar. Roll, and devour. Mmm.

2. If you want to add a little color to your plate, mix up some fresh fruit. We like grapes, strawberries and blackberries all mixed together, along with a bit of vanilla yogurt (if we were making these in Britain we would probably use Creme Fraise - but it's definitely more healthy to use yogurt). Roll up, sprinkle with confectioner's sugar and enjoy!

3. And for the most decadent dessert... my favorite...melt some semi-sweet chocolate chips in the microwave (stirring occasionally - takes a couple of minutes), spread on the pancake. Roll up, sprinkle with confectioner's sugar. Enjoy!

And here's what they look like when we're done. (I don't have a picture of the chocolate ones because we made these last night and we try to be healthy during the week!)

Yum!

I hope you try these out with your friends and family this summer. If you do, feel free to leave a comment here or on this recipe on my food blog, What We Eat . I'd love to hear from you!

Music Monday

I can't tell you how many times I pricked my fingers while sewing today. I don't know if it was because I was just being careless, or if it was from sheer exhaustion, but as I sit here typing I can tell you that it isn't easy to do with band-aids on your fingers! I have been working such crazy hours these last few weeks preparing for the launch of my new apron and kitchen textiles line, that I guess I should be happy that in my weariness I haven't done more damage to myself.

It is so gratifying to take a dream and make it come to fruition, but I will admit the process has been grueling. From the designing of the patterns and choosing fabrics, to tweaking prototypes, branding, package design, and sewing the final product; I have found each step to be as frustrating as it has been thrilling. I am a perfectionist to a fault sometimes, and have had to let go and rely on my instincts to keep this project moving forward. As I am sure you can imagine, an undertaking like this can be a bit stressful. I often find it difficult to turn off my thoughts at night and turn to music to help me settle. Though my taste in music ranges from The Mamas and The Papas to Lady Gaga, my ipod is always filled with multiple songs by Damien Rice. I first discovered his music after his song "Blower's Daughter" was featured on the movie Closer. I found the song hauntingly good and once I found who sang it, I was hooked! How he combines his acoustic guitar with the chello is nothing but brilliant. I just can't get enough! From his album O, I thought I would share with you the song that started it all for me.

Lindsay's Loves ♥

One of the things I look forward to most during the sweet months of Summer is the bounty of sun ripened fruits available at my local Farmer's Market. Nectarines come in second only to strawberries, and watermelon is a close third. It was the anticipation of these delectable fruits that inspired my post today. I do an Etsy feature on my blog every week, and Mavis enjoys it so much that she asked me to do one for all of you. Get ready to drool. . .


Babbs Boutique banana sorbet clutch $55











hawleywood watermelon necklace $18











SarahSeven lemon drop dress $395














jacquelineknits apple jacket $14


Elephant and Chickpea lime MaryJane house shoes $48









Polished Two pear earrings $9

Syko strawberry linen coasters $18

~Lindsay

An Awesome Book, Literally.

Remember Heather Nan Photography who so generously donated a free photo shoot to a We Chirp reader? Well, she has returned today to tell all y'all about a stellar find. I checked this out and was so impressed. Here's what she has to say:
I enjoy reading to my child, but I am very picky about the books I purchase or check out from the library. Why? All selfish reasons. Every parent knows once a child discovers a book they love, you will quickly be able to read it without turning a single page. This is why I choose books I want. Woo Hoo for me!
Recently, I discovered this grand little find by Dallas Clayton. The purchase for this book was two-fold. One, I am a sucker for the small business owner, especially when it comes to creativity (Loving Liv's dress? An Etsy find, here, local even!). Second, I am a lover of inspiration. And that's exactly what Mr. Clayton achieves, in his own quirky way.

So, if you are itching for some words and illustrations that will make you and your child smile (even if you don't have children and you need a little push for your own personal goals, it's worth it), order this gem. If you would like to read the book prior, go here and enjoy.
Thanks ladies for letting me share today....

~Heather

My Favorite Things.

Along with blogging at Dandee, I also contribute to the sweet blog My Favorite Things. I thought it would only be fitting to share a few of my very favorite things with all of you dears before I say goodbye.

::Bran Muffins. This recipe is delicious.

::ETSY. I could get lost for days searching through the pretty treasuries. And every time I visit, {which is everyday} I find something lovely.

::This mascara is THE BEST. Go out to your nearest fine department store and buy it. Right now. You won't regret it.

::The Passionista is a very dear friend, actually we're cousins. And she creates the most amazing playlists. Please do yourself a favor and visit her blog today. Click here and see all of her fabulous recommendations.

::Letterpress. Favorite shops? Linda & Harriett, Simplesong, Sweetbeets.

::You! Thank you for making me feel so welcome while I was here this week. Your comments were so kind! I hope you'll come and visit me every now and again. Until then...

Feathering the nest.

Another inspiring post from Dandee

I have three weeks left of this pregnancy and the nesting phase is in full swing. I feel as if all I've been doing is organizing, decorating, rearranging, decorating, re purposing, decorating and decorating. With all of this feathering of my nest, I have spent plenty of time online hunting out the perfect products for an array of spaces in my home.

Here are a few of my favorite recent finds:

This Eames rocker from Modernica. It's perfect in so many ways and available in 16 colors! I still haven't bitten the bullet and bought one, but I want to really, really, badly.

While searching out some new toy storage solutions on Target.com I came across the Itso system. Basically, it's one of those multi cube ensembles that you can customize for any space. We bought this, two of these, and a bunch of these things for our needs. I am happy to report the toys in our home are now neatly tucked away and organized. Yay! [Tip: If you go to your local Target now through Saturday most of the Itso line is about 15% off. ]

One of the larger projects we have recently undertaken was moving our boys into one of the vacant bedrooms in the basement. I found this awesome print on Etsy by artist John W. Golden. Perfect, don't you think?

Chores: Our Family's Perspective.

(Another lovely guest contribution by Dandee)

As a mother of four children with one more little darling on the way, I have learned that I CANNOT keep up with everything on my own. The laundry alone that this family of mine creates in a week is a terrifying and daunting task. Each member is fully capable of contributing to our household. [Excluding my 17 month old daughter of course. She gets away with murder].

Chores are a tricky thing and I'm sure each of you has a different method that works for your family. Here is what my husband Ryan and I have learned with our children:

*Charts only work for a month or so. The children stop checking them, and frankly, so do I.

*You can't guilt a child into keeping a clean room.

*Bribery [and allowance] only works for so long.

So what do we do? At the beginning of this school year we held a special family night where we talked about how our home is a gift. We explained that we show our gratitude for that gift in the way we care for it. We then had the children list a few things they could do to show their personal gratitude for our home. This is what they came up with:

*making their beds

*cleaning up any mess they create

*putting away their laundry

*clearing their place from the table after a meal

Once they had finished with the list we asked each of them if they would be willing to do these tasks everyday to show their appreciation. They agreed. We also explained to them that there would be additional chores they could and would be asked to do. i.e. Taking out the garbage, retrieving a diaper, helping with the dishes. To get the ball rolling, Ryan and I promised them a meager reward at the end of every week we felt they worked especially hard.

For the first few months the children were very excited about that reward [$3.00 per week]. Over time, they got more in the habit of doing their daily chores and less concerned about the money [although, we still offer the cash when it is deserved]. When they see their laundry pile, they know what to do with it. After a meal, they clear their plates. They aren't perfect, and I don't expect them to be. We have our good days and our bad days with this system, but I hope they are learning more than the importance of keeping a clean room. My hope is that we're teaching them how to contribute. One goal that Ryan and I have in raising our children is schooling them in the relevance of hard work and service. Not only the kind of service you do for a community, but service within the walls of our own cozy brick house.

If you have a chore regimen that works especially well for your family, do share!

Well, hello friend.

When we first began We Chirp (oh so long ago), we really wanted to bring our readers good stuff, coolio content. Great music, great finds, great dialogue and great guest bloggers. And not just any guest bloggers, but ones that we admire and enjoy ourselves. So far, so good - great, in fact. I'm pleased as punch with our content thus far. And to add to our track record, I bring you Danyelle who writes and creates over at Dandee. I've been reading her blog for a while now and what has struck me most is how she doesn't depict anything with a nice, thick dusting of sugar-coating. Just real, down-home lovin'. I love to see that some other mom is having a hard time with their daughters' messy drawers, it makes me feel a little less inadequate and a little more like we are all in this together. What I love more is the cheerful and honest manner in which she approaches life. Wife and mother to 4 with one on the way, she juggles numerous balls in the air - and you can tell loves each one of those balls madly. She lives in the great state of Washington, grew up wanting to be Martha Stewart's right hand gal, is a self-declared water snob (no tap for this lady), would love to have her own brick and mortar store someday. Oh and she loves the color green (you, danyelle, need to come visit - my living room is kelly green, you would love it). Dandee is with us for a series of posts this week and we at We Chirp are grinning from ear to ear. Enjoy. And of course, make her feel welcome.
~ mavis

I'm not very good at this. You know, the guest blogging gig. My mind has been racing since sweet Mavis and Dove asked me to contribute to their darling new blog. What should I say? I'm not a writer! Does anyone really want to hear what goes on in this brain of mine? And then it occurred to me. Maybe this little experience is more for me than any of you. I have to admit that I'm not a deep thinker. I very easily let things roll off my back. I don't over analyze. I don't obsess [unless it's over a project I want to create]. But sometimes, I think it's good to analyze. Even obsess over the things you are passionate about. And trust me. I have plenty of things in my life to be passionate about. So this week friends, expect to hear a bit of the things that make me happy. That give me butterflies. That I simply can't do without. And if you think we have some things in common, please come and visit me on a regular basis over here or here. My door is always open and I would love if you came for a visit.

But first things first. Mavis very kindly introduced us at the beginning of this post. The most important things she mentioned about me is that I am a wife and a mother. These two words make me tick. They keep me sane and grounded and so very happy. Aside from these, the word that best describes me, I hope, is creative. I love to make pretty things. I MUST do it. For my sanity and for all that is right in the world I HAVE to make stuff. I celebrate when something inspires me.

Unfortunately, with this desire, no, need to create I am often asked a question. A question that at times, has made me cringe. "How do you find the time?" "How do you keep up on it all?" I have had a few people make innuendos about how surely something is amiss. I MUST be ignoring something important so that I can do the things I want to do. I'll admit, there are days when the laundry goes unfolded. I get rings around my toilets. The carpet is screaming for a good vacuum as I type this. But I have happy children. And a happy husband. And frankly, I'm happy because I allow myself to do some things that I love.

I have learned when I am asked questions of this nature to simply reply, "People make time to do the things they want to do." And I truly believe that. If someone likes reading, they make time for it. I love to create and nest and browse through magazines looking at inspiring things, so I make the time for it. These activities fill me up. In doing them, I am being true to myself and my interests. Not neglecting my family. There is a balance that we must all find and like everyone else, I struggle with that balance. When I devote everything I have to my family, I day dream about the projects I want to work on. When I'm working on a project, I feel guilty about the things I could be doing for my family. Finding the balance between these two passions is an everyday endeavor. An endeavor I feel I am slowly conquering.

And that my friends, is something worth celebrating.