Tag Archives: Work

Hello 2019

Posted in Blog, Motherhood by

Its a new year. I know its cliche to say it, but I can not believe how quickly last year went. I had so many plans. Many of those plans included blogging here, but clearly those plans didn’t work out. Oh well. Onward and upwards. No time to look back. 2019 is going to be different. Its going to be great, amazing, wonderful. 2019 is going to be my year. There I said it, and I meant it.

Maybe I’m just drunk on New Years promises of change, and resolutions and new beginnings. Yesterday I did go and cut off 9 inches of hair. You know, the whole “new year, new me” thing. And as my head starts to clear, I am realizing it may not have been the best idea. but its hair, it will grow back. Like I said before, onwards and upwards. No time to look back.

This year, I honestly don’t know what I want. I don’t have a word for the year. I don’t have a plan. I actually have a lot of plans all jumbled together right now. I want to do it all. I want to workout more, I want to drink more water, I want to get more organized, I want purge the house, I want to blog more, I want to meet all my work goals (that’s whole other long list). Basically, I just want this year to be great for me and my family.

I don’t know what this year will hold. I don’t know how often I will get to blog. I don’t know how many days I will for sure drink the right amount of water. I don’t know how many days will be Pinterest or Instagram worthy, but I do know this year will be great. One way or another. This year will be amazing.

So I hope you will follow along with me, here, or on Facebook or even on Instagram.

~ Michelle

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The Time I Turned Down A TV Show

Posted in Adoption, Blog, Motherhood by

I want to tell you about the time I got an interesting email, it was from a tv production company and they wanted me to be on their show. Um, say what?! I checked it out, it was legit, I had my husband check it out and it was still legit. So crazy. Someone had found my blog, loved my adoption story and my birth mom story and wanted me on their show. Crazy!

So when will you see me on TV? You won’t. I turned it down. I know what you are thinking… UM WHAT? CRAZY!


Yes, it was a once in a life time thing, probably, who really knows for sure! Yes it would have been an amazing experience. Yes it would have been great to be able to talk about adoption on such a large platform. But was it right for me and my family? No.

After much thought and many many conversations with my husband, who kept telling me to go, I decided it wasn’t right. As much as I would have loved it, as great as it would have been, as fun as it would have been, and scary and totally worth it, it wasn’t the right choice.

Saying yes to this would have meant time away from my family, as I would have had to go alone to the states. Is my husband capable of running the house on his own? Yes, of course he is. Would my boys been totally ok with me gone? Probably. Would my 3 year old have been ok? No. This happened right before my daughter was scheduled to have surgery a few months ago. She wasn’t in a good place her health and her sleeping.

It came down to, was it worth it the amount of stress this would cause on my then 2 year old before experiencing the added stress of surgery? Would this have been worth it for the added stress that would have caused on everyone else? No. Not right now.

I have to believe something better is coming. When one door closes, another opens. And any other cliche things you can think of.

Sometimes the hardest answer to give is the best answer. Sometimes a no is needed when you really want to say yes.

Now to look out for the next great opportunity.

~ Michelle

Working At Home

Posted in Blog, Motherhood by

I work at home. I consider myself a stay at home mom first and foremost. I try to work when I can, which can sometimes be a struggle. Today I am sharing with you a glimpse into my every day crazy, my every day life.

This is what my floor looks like at any given time. This is what happens when your “Office” is in the same room as the toys. This is how I get work done with the kids around.

This is what my desk looks like on any given day, coffee for sure is always there, product for Sugarplum And Applesauce is there, and necklaces for Inspired For Five are always in the works, my day timer is always within arms reach!

Do you work from home? I would love to see what your space looks like! Share in the comments!

~ Michelle

So Many Passions

Posted in Blog, Motherhood by

Hello New Day.
Hello New Week.
Hello New Adventure.

HelloMonday

Oh Monday. I have such a love/hate relationship with you. Monday for me is like a mini new years, in that I feel energized, motivated, hopeful, and dream big. But it is also Monday, and Monday can be a little mean. Monday is the Murphy Law of the week, if something can go wrong, it will. Yet every week my hopes grow, and every week… well Monday.

I have so many things I want to accomplish. So many plans. So many ideas floating around in my head. It is completely overwhelming. I have no clue where to start. I try writing out lists, but my lists end up having lists, and those lists have sub-lists, and it never ends.

I have so many passions and not nearly enough time. I want to do it all. And I will do it all. I just have to figure out how to manage my time so I can do it all. I love my blog. Its pretty awesome if you ask me. I love my first business I started, it has grown into something I never expected it to. Sugarplum And Applesauce is my baby. I found a new passion in my new jewelry business, Inspired By Five. And now I have a new passion I never knew I had, making wooden signs. I made two for my parents and I have so many more in the works. But it comes back to time. Everything takes time. Especially if you want something done right and done well.

Of course there is my biggest passion, and life calling, who I am, however you want to refer to it, I am a mother to three beautiful children. I love my kids. They drive me completely crazy but they are my life, and they bring me so much joy, and they steal so much sleep from me, but they are prefect and I love them.

So instead of setting out 10 goals for the week, I only have one. Organize my thoughts and ideas, and figure out which ones can be done first, and make an action plan to accomplish everything I want.

Being a mom is my first and most important job, but I still want and need to do other things and follow my own dreams and passions that don’t involve my kids. Which is easy enough to say, another thing to figure out the time, and whole other thing to get over the mom guilt of it. Yes there is mom guilt. I hate mom guilt. I have it all the time, and its stupid, and a waste of time I know that. However I still can’t shake it at times.

So this week, is about organizing my thoughts and ideas and passions. That shouldn’t take too long, right?! … I may need more than a week.

What do you hope to accomplish this week? What are your goals?

~ Michelle

 

Lets Talk Dreams

Posted in Blog, Motherhood by

Hello New Day.
Hello New Week.
Hello New Adventure.

HelloMonday

Monday, lets do this. Today I am pumped. I am excited. I am hopeful. I am happy. I am blown away. Also I am a whole lot of anxious. But lets focus on the good.

I told you awhile back about my new adventure, following my dream, my new business Inspired By Five. It has always been a dream of mine to create and design jewelry. And now I am. I took the leap. Or rather my husband pushed me off the edge. Either way here I am.

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I have a small circle of friends and family. I’m a major introvert and it takes a bit for me to let someone in. So like I said, my circle is small. So I knew starting off the new business with zero money put away for any kind of advertising I would be relying on my awesome family and friends to help spread the word, and hashtags. I love hashtags. And Instagram. Instagram and hashtags are sorta of my happy place. Any who…

Yesterday I woke up and chased my kids around like normal, wrote out my grocery list, and decided to check on my social media accounts. There waiting for me was an order. Not just any order but an order for two, yes TWO Sea Glass Necklaces! Dude, I was so excited. Like happy dance in my kitchen happy. That was quickly followed by another order! 3 orders in one day. I was truly blown away! I still am.

I dreamed of this, but still in my wildest dreams I did not think I would be here. You know? Its crazy, right?

So here I am, Monday morning. The morning after. And I am thrilled. But being the anxiety filled person I am there is also my anxiety cloud following me around. Especially because I sent out a package of two necklaces, and until I know that they got to their home sweet home, I worry. It gives me major anxiety. Last week I sent out two packages and I was a wreck till I got word that they made it. I never expected to feel like this. Actually I never thought about it all. But I guess it is something I have to learn to deal with.

So right now, I want to focus on the good. The happy. The excitement. All the warm fuzzy feelings.

I also have to adult. So I have to focus on this week and my kids. I have a what seems like 37938202873893048 appointments this week. This week is all about balance. Balance of looking at the big picture of everything that has to be done, keeping track of it all, working on my business, being a kick ass mom and wife, but also just taking it one day at a time.

Deep breaths.

I can do this. I will do this. I will totally rock this week!

~ Michelle

I Want To Do It ALL!

Posted in Blog, Motherhood by

Hello New Day.
Hello New Week.
Hello New Adventure.

HelloMonday

What a whirlwind this summer has been! I can’t believe it is already August! Where as the time gone?

Summer is soon coming to an end. I have already done back to school shopping! I’ve been so busy with all the running around, errands, shopping, water fights, and such that my poor blog has been left alone. I have missed my little blog. My little slice of the internet. My escape and my release.

I don’t know what it is, but today I woke up with such determination to get so much done, and such a strong urge to blog, that I am just going with it. I must say, it is nice to be back.

Usually on Monday’s I write out To-Do Lists and goals. But today I just want to accomplish EVERYTHING that I don’t really have a list. If that even makes sense? See something amazing happened last night! My beautiful toddler actually slept all night on her own! This hasn’t happened in… well I can’t even remember when the last time she did this was, thats how long ago it was. So maybe that is the reason behind my sudden burst of energy!

Do you know what else could be behind my sudden burst of energy? My husband and I are planning a road trip in October. This will be our first real trip as a family of five! We have done Niagara Falls for a couple nights, but thats a few hours from home. This trip, we hope, will be a week long trip down to the states! I am equal parts nervous and anxiety filled, but also totally excited and over joyed!

I have a feeling today will be a great day. I will get a lot accomplished. Today will be a good day! I will make it a good day! I am not wasting my one night of sleep on a crap day!

So now to clean, organize, work, sew, make necklaces, spend time with the kids, workout, blog, read, run errands, meal prep, meal plan, and have a fantastic day!

What do you hope to accomplish today?

~ Michelle

Inspired By Five

Posted in Blog, Motherhood by

I thought that being a mom would be the scariest thing I ever did. And it is. It scares the sh!t out of me almost daily. But there is something else in life that I never thought would be scary and it ended up being so scary that it held me back for YEARS! Wonder what could possible have that much power over a person, well I will tell you: Following my dreams. Seriously. I’m not kidding.

Ever since I was a little girl I have had an obsession with designing and creating. Anything from clothes, crafts, houses at one point, but mostly, always, jewelry. I used to have notebook upon notebook filled with drawers.

Then I met my husband, then we had 2 kids in 13 months. Then I started Sugarplum And Applesauce. Like I said I have always loved to create and design. I’ve always loved fabrics. The different colours, textures, all of that. But still my first passion was always jewelry. But I held back. Why? Because it absolutely, without a doubt, right down to my bone, scared me.

I have held off on my dream for years. Far longer than I should have. But then I suffered a miscarriage, then I had a high risk pregnancy. Then I gave birth to my beautiful daughter. My family was finally complete. Those events changed me. Changed me to my core. Finally having my whole family here supporting me and encouraging me finally gave me the strength to push forward. To take the leap. To jump in. Whatever phrase you want to call it.

And thus, Inspire By Five was born. You can also find me on Instagram  and Twitter.

Inspiredbyfive2

Now that it is here, I am still scared out of my mind about it! I haven’t fully launched it yet. But still, it is out there. Out there for the whole world to see. I feel like not only am I showing people a piece of jewelry I created, but a piece of my soul. And that thought terrifies me.

I hope you will join me on this adventure as I turn my dream into a reality.

And if you have a dream, I hope you find the strength to follow it! Don’t wait! Jump in now! When you do, I will be here to cheer you on to and encourage you!

~ Michelle

Less Screen Time. More Talking.

Posted in Blog, Motherhood by

Hello New Day.
Hello New Week.
Hello New Adventure.

HelloMonday

Oh Monday, we meet again.
Last week honestly when by in a blur. The weekend even faster.

I am happy to say that I did manage to get a lot done. Including the kids toy room. It took us 4 hours. 4 long hours. We cleaned, we organized, we vacuumed, we mopped, we moved shelves around, we threw stuff out, we got stuff to donate. It feels so good to have finally accomplished this. As sore as I am after doing this, it really gives me motivation to do more.

We have also been doing less screen time, for everyone. I love this. If I am going to be honest with you, its been hard. There are some days when I just want to let the electronics take over, give myself a break and all that. But the screens aren’t worth it. I love seeing the boys imaginations grow even bigger each day. Also the conversations, so many conversations. Some deep conversations, some totally random, all over which leave me scratching my head and wondering where on earth my kids come up with this stuff!

So for this week, lets see what I can accomplish.

Family Goals

1. Continue with less screen time for everyone.
2. Read together more.
3. Talk more. Stop rushing. Just be in the moment.

Personal Goals

4. Workout. 4-5 times this week.
5. Get back in touch with my creative side.
6. Finish projects. Stop starting so many at once!

Home Goals

7. Keep the toy room area clean! (And the boys still need to work on the laundry skills, mostly putting dirty clothes in the hamper and not ALL OVER the house)
8. Finish organizing and moving stuff around. Organize the boys bookshelves.

Work Goals

9. Get organized and have a plan for Summer.
10. Take more risks.

All that seems simple enough? Right?
At least I have a week to accomplish it all.

What do you plan to accomplish to this week? 

~ Michelle

Chapter 6

Posted in Blog, Motherhood by

Hello New Day.
Hello New Week.
Hello New Month.
Hello New Adventure.

HelloMonday

Monday, we meet again.
This weekend was a rainy gloomy cold weekend, the rain seemed to have washed away all my motivation. All I want to do is curl up with a blanket, a warm cup of tea and a good book. Which we all know isn’t going to happen. So lets hope this week I can find my motivation.

Last week I set my usual goals. I failed miserably on two of them, biting my nails and setting up a timer a night. None of that happened. Not even a little bit. Where am I? Sitting in a sea of toys and missing my nail polish. So lets see what happens this week. I am very happy to report that we did cut down on screen time! It’s amazing how much a child’s imagination grows when not distracted by a screen. My son read an entire book laying outside in the shade. Hope to see more of that this week.

So here we go…

Family Goals

1. Less screen time. More family time. More reading.
2. Set a timer in the evening and have Family Tidy Up Time.
3. Meal plan together. Stick to the meal plan. Cook together.

Home Goals.

4. Finish with the kids play/toy area.
5. Plan out my picture wall. (I’m so horrible with this. I still have frames from Christmas that I have yet to fill.)

Personal Goals

6. Workout at least 4-5 times a week. Eat healthy. No stress eating.
7. Stop biting my nails. Seriously.
8. Just Breathe.

Work Goals

9. Set aside dedicated time. And stick to it.
10. Have more faith in myself.

Even though I have zero motivation with this cold and rainy weather I still have high hopes for this week and for the whole month of June.

What do you have planned for the week?

~ Michelle