MommyCoddle

Woodlawn // weekending

Another weekend at Woodlawn means a few more steps forward on progress. And as with any remodeling project, there have been bumps in the road. 

I've been scheduling the arrival of everything from flooring to appliances and kitchen cabinets. And even with my cushions for setbacks and issues, things are still "lost" or there's "no word from the manufacturer".

The flooring debacle was a huge headache. Now the dishwasher is MIA. And the kitchen cabinets have no expected arrival date, despite the fact that I was given next week as an arrival date and I just bought a plane ticket for Dan's brother-in-law to come out and install them...with a cushion for "issues". So we're sweating a few things around here. 

Not only have I memorized the number for Home Depot, I've also memorized the number menus. Press 3 for kitchens. 5 for flooring. 0 for customer service... 

In the meantime, we keep taking little steps forward.

This weekend and last, we investigated a leak in the den. Expected with any old house. 

We moved a few things into the attic which means the girls rediscovered some favorite toys that had been stashed away. And I had to shoo little hands from opening up boxes of packed up, too-small clothes and shoes. The rediscovering of these things is like a mini-Christmas.

So we're moving forward. Little by little. I feel like we are on the cusp of things getting really crazy. Good crazy. But crazy nonetheless. 

Hope you all had a good weekend, too...more soon!

Chore charts, check lists and when can I watch TV?

It feels almost silly and naive to be writing about this, only three days in. Because every new system is bliss in its early days. The real measure of success comes weeks down the road when you find you're still using it and it still works. But still I know how it goes. As parents we see a problem, something that needs to be changed and we come up with a solution. Sometimes it's a temporary fix that gets us through a rough patch. Sometimes it's a crutch that helps establish new habits or new expectations. 

I should have known something as simple as a checklist would be the thing that seems to work for my kids. They are my offspring afterall and I'm a girl who loves her lists. And just like all the fuss over finding the perfect gift only to discover what they really want to play with is the box--this list has no gimmicks, stickers or stars. It's just a list. Turns out, they don't need all the other stuff. 

But here's why we needed it:

1.) My family has issues with technology. (I should say, everyone but my husband--he's could really care less.) We seem to waffle between extremes. We go through long seasons where the TV's locked away in a cupboard and no one even seems to remember that we have one. Or we swing to the other extreme--and I hit the end of the day feeling disappointed and frankly a little sick at the amount of screen time my kids have cosumed in the past 12 hours. I'm all for the lock it away philosophy. But in reality that's getting harder--there are presidential debates, Sunday morning news, weather to follow, and knitting to accomplish which requires a good teary episode of Parenthood. Then, there's the oldest child and her hard-earned and recently acquired iPod Touch. The list goes on and on. It seeps in and there has to be a way to live with it, but still be in control of it. 

2.) I was often reaching the dinner hour and feeling frazzled that there was still piano to practice, french lessons to do, eggs to collect, laundry to put away. I couldn't figure out where the time had gone and how we'd managed to get this far into the day without accomplishing some very basic tasks that needed to be done.

3.) The plus of a big family is that I've given birth to a small army of helpers. And frankly they are willing to help (and shhhh, I think sometimes they kind of enjoy it.) But I was not enlisting their help at all. And more often than not, when I did need help it was always falling on the shoulders of the oldest, because the girl can get a job done well and willingly. And that's not fair.

4.) I hate nagging.

5.) I hate whining. (my own and theirs.)

So simple as that, every morning I do a quick print out of each child's list. Tack it up on the chalkboard in the kitchen and that's it. Those basic, important tasks are getting done. I don't have to say a word. And everyone knows if there's any hope for channel flipping, afternoon movie watching, or iPod Touch touching, the list must be done. 

And yes, we're in the blissful stages. A real moment of bliss? This afternoon, I was tucked in bed easing a sick kid into a nap and downstairs I could hear someone speaking french and another little someone setting the dinner table. I totally nailed this one. Until the next one comes along.....

 

my new kick: homemade magic shell

Good morning. I'm on my second cup of coffee this morning after sleeping with a sick Elizabeth last night. We played musical beds, Dan sleeping in Elizabeth's room with Mary. And me, with Elizabeth in our bed. Confusing. But sleeping with Elizabeth when she's sick means waking up with her feverish sweaty legs draped over you, covers ripped off, or waking up with her feet in your face. She tosses and turns and cries all through the night. Fun times. We've all been there, I know. Hence, cup of joe number two. 

Speaking of numbers, I've been trying to teach Birdy how to count in french. Just as she's getting it down in english I'm throwing in french. I wonder if I have her completely confused? The girls are learning French with Rosetta Stone this year (and I'm refreshing my french) so it's always in my mind. But I just can't resist a sweet little two year old counting in french. 

Speaking of sweet (apprently I'm a fan of the segue today), I'm on a new kick in the kitchen. Remember the chocolate chip meringues? Mmmmn. I'm going to have to make those again soon. Anyway, my new kick is danergously simple and dangerously good. Yummy. Excellent. Divine. 

From my study of chocolate sauces this past summer, you know that I come from a long line of ice cream-with-sauce lovers. Now while I'll never let this recipe overshadow my grandmother's chocolate chewy sauce, this recipe is so so good.

We love magic shell in this house. You know, the stuff that gets all hard and crackly on top of your ice cream? But if you've ever read the back of the bottle (don't do it!) or felt that waxy post-magic shell feeling on the roof of your mouth, you know it has its down sides. 

I'm starting to realize there are about a zillion uses for coconut oil. But this just might be my favorite-homemade magic shell. The recipe is simple:

Melt together 1 + 1/4 cups of semi sweet chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of coconut oil (in its hard state) over medium heat. Once smooth, pour over your ice cream and wait for the magic.

It is so good (have I mentioned that yet?). No waxy mouth. No yucky ingredients. And it's made with coconut oil. Doesn't that put it in the healthy category now? So if you're looking for a little something to impress your kids, or your guests or your taste buds, you must, must join me on this new kick.

(And fyi, I poured my leftover sauce into a glass jar and have reheated it in a lightly boiling hot water bath. Works perfectly.) 

Goodbye Olympics, hello end of summer

Olympics are over and I have to admit that we weren't into it as much this year as I thought we would be. We took in our fair share of swimming, gymnastics and soccer. And streamed a lot of equestrian events online, but  overall we weren't glued to the games. No Olympics withdrawl. 

It's hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that it is mid-August. We're in the thick of back-to-school prep. Buying books, cleaning out and rearranging the school room. We'll start the first week of September, though with a cubby full of fresh school supplies the girls are begging to start. That's just the way I like 'em--champing at the bit for the beginning of school.

Fall always has the same fresh feel that January 1 does. Getting organized, falling back into routines, an excuse to buy a new planner. I love it. And of course, through the overwhelming power of Pinterest, I've been pinning tons of organizational ideas I'll never have time to accomplish because I'm so busy pinning them. 

But here are four fave pins of the week that have uber-organized written all over them. 

I think I'm actually going to do this calendar for our school room. I love having a big calendar to display, and this is way more attractive than the oversized desk calendar I've used in the past. I'm all over this idea from maple & magnolia. 

This gets to my inner-geek in only a way Martha Stewart can. The drawers are painted to show what goes where. Not only do I love the organization of this. I love that it helps kids get involved. But, I'm also completely in love with the idea of putting things like plates, cups, bowls in a drawer, where kids can reach them easily. Setting the dinner table is a great kid-chore and this makes it so do-able for them. 

I could get lost on this site for awhile, searching through every kind of printable paper you can imagine. A score sheet for cricket? Yahtzee? Softball? You'll find it here. And of course other kid-friendly things like lined paper, graph paper, manuscript paper, lesson plan sheets...all free, my friends. 

With four girls, tons of hand-me-downs and dresser drawers overflowing with clothes, I LOVE this concept of buying a few pieces that can be mixed and matched into tons of outfits. (more combinations are on her site) It reminds me of when I was younger and one of my mother's friends came over to help me organize my closet and put together outfits. She was great at taking a few pieces and wearing them lots of different ways. And she wrote down outfits on little notecards so I could choose a different one for each day. What I would give to have a personal sylist like that now. My middle school self had no idea how good I had it. Ha! 

Does the beginning of the school year get you excited for getting organized? What projects are you up to? I'd love to hear! 

You can find me on Pinterest @mollybalint

One simple question: No. 9

We're entering the season where I have to make a conscious effort not to talk about the hot weather, and the fact that we have no air-conditioning in this old farmhouse in every post. But I am going talk about it for just a wee bit. Because it makes me feel better. 

We are in the midst of a heat wave here in the mid-atlantic--one of those times when I'd consider trading all this in for a little condo in the city. 

But still, I have much to be thankful for.

We still have our electricity, when folks all around us are black, many for the rest of the week. That never happens. It's always us.

The house has stayed remarkably cool for a good part of the day. 

We found the window in our room that produces the coolest temperatures at night and pumps in that fresh cold air that hits around 4am. Last night, I pulled up the comforter. Crazy.

My family has been wonderfully patient with my "it's too hot to cook" dinners. There's been a lot of tuna salad. And pasta salad. And taco salad. And cereal.

Yes, I'm not above a good dinner of cereal when the temperatures get really ridiculous. 

But here's my simple question for all of you, because I'm kind of reaching the end of my hot weather menu arsenal:

What's your favorite keeping cool, it's too hot to turn on the oven, meal? I need some inspiration. And if it involves cucumbers (because I have about 40 sitting on my kitchen counter, with about 20 still out in the garden) you get super bonus points. 

:::::::::::::::::::::

Apparently, I've asked these "simple" questions before. 

I randomly found these: (and hello?! I think I need to bring back the cute little question banner!)

No. 3 |  No. 4 |  No. 5 | No. 7 | No 8

Batten down the hatches

There are big storms brewing in our area this afternoon and this evening. We got a robo-call this afternoon from the county governemnt...hail....tornadoes...damaging winds....power outages.

Since the master gardener is still at work, the girls and I had to handle all the outside pre-storm prep this afternoon. 

Standing in the garden, cell phone in hand, I had to call him for his priority list--who would get covered, who would not? On a recent decluttering whim, I thrifted a bunch of mismatched, unused sheets. Crud. So we're short on garden cover and there's just so many vintage tablecloths that I'm willing to lend to the garden. 

So with our makeshift weights to hold down corners, and a good supply of clothespins we covered up as much as we could with priority to the tomatoes and cucumbers. Beans can always be replanted. Corn will have to fend for itself. We're crossing our fingers for you, potatoes. (***edited to add: So there's some controversy on covering the plants...will the sheets act as sails and knock everything over in the wind? Or is it the best defense against the hail? Opinions? Thoughts? Experience?***)

Animals are fed. Water buckets are filled. Flakes of hay are distributed. The barns feel all kinds of cozy.

Inside, water is gathered. We're starting a steady stream of baths and showers in anticipation of no power, no water. 

The big crock has been brought in, washed out and filled up with fresh water. I'm so thankful for this birthday gift from Dan many years ago. It's been put to lots of good use. 

There's nothing like a little storm excitement. I can hear the thunder as I sit here at my desk in the kitchen.

Happy weekend, friends. Here's to blue skies on the other side....

Instagram in print

There are a lot of things on my list of "Things I wish I was more diligent about". One of those is keeping track of our days in a more everyday way. There's the five year journal I've started and stopped. The 365 projects I've never signed on for. The Project Life series I've never been brave enough to try.

Then there's the notion of my grandmother's scrapbooks kept for her family of 15, full of report cards, doctor's bills, greeting cards, family letters--years and years worth of big, overstuffed leather-bound scrapbooks. 

The other thing on my more diligent list is printing pictures. I take a ton of pictures. And now with this shiny little iPhone in my hand, I take even more. But I never, ever print. When Emma was a baby and there was no such thing as digital cameras, I took and printed pictures. Slipped them into albums, captioned each, wrote a few lines, memories. And now the album is falling apart with use and love. 

Then, there's Instagram. While I don't do anything so organized as post every day or try to capture anything in particular, it has naturally evolved into this beautiful collection of special moments in my family's day. A trip out, the way they're sitting together at the kitchen table, a typical day running errands, a special moment at the stream. It's unrehearsed. Unposed. Natural. And, honestly, above all, convenient.

So when I recently discovered that Blurb has a bookmaking process that sucks all the photos in your *Instagram stream, right onto the pages of a book I was intriguied. And late one night when there were a million things to do but this thing, I decided to see what it was like. 

It was simple. I put them in my book in chronological order. Deleted and moved around a few that I didn't want in there, and basically held by breath and hit publish. 

But here's the thing. Just like my personal discovery that my moleskine journal needed to stop being what I thought it should be, and could just be what I needed it to be, I applied that same thinking to this book. I've thought about doing photobooks before but have gotten stuck on the idea of design, captions, and making it perfect. 

But while I wanted to see these photos in print, in something my kids could hold in their hands and flip through, I also wanted my personal imprint to be on the pages. So I decided to print every page with nothing else but a photo. 

Now with the (beautifully published) book in hand, I'm adding my imprint to the book in the form of captions and dates in my own **handwriting. 

And honestly, it's exactly what I wanted. It's turned into the perfect balance of my photographs plus my own hand. Something that I hope my kids will love to flip through and read and enjoy for years to come.

And I hope there will be more.

Once again, I let go of what everyone else was doing, what I thought I should be doing and gave myself the freedom to do what I wanted and needed to do. I needed it to be simple. I wanted it to be personal. And I found a way to capture both. 

I'm so happy with the way it's turning out. 

*I'm mollybalint on Instagram. Come find me!

**The pen I'm using is this one, which also happens to be my favorite pen, which also happens to be the pen I use in my moleskine, which also happens to be perfect for this as well.

You are so beautiful

I've been wanting to order something fromy my lovely friend, Shanna Murray, for ages. But when I got her spring newsletter several weeks ago and saw her new spring decals, I knew some of her work had to come finally come live at my house.

Her Be Kind decal seemed like the perfect thing for this household of girls and it's shifting relationships and playmates, and testing out of friendships and learning and hurt feelings and...I think you all know what I mean, right?

It felt like the perfect, simple reminder and sits quietly on our kitchen chalkboard (next to that oddly empty grocery list. That never happens!) And I have a feeling Be Brave may need to join it there in the near future, too.

There were a few other little sweet goodies in my envelope, which quickly found a place in our home, as well. 

Welcome, of course, for the front door. 

And this one, now on the door frame above a certain ten-year old's bedroom door. 

I good reminder for us all, I believe.

You are so beautiful.

Things to love and a bonus

1. A pre-bed pile up in the backyard.

2. Embroidered cyanotypes

3. This kitchen scene

Source: thatkindofwoman.tumblr.com via Molly on Pinterest

 

4. This lovely little path.

5. Forgetting. Then remembering, this CD.

6. This playhouse.

Source: blogs.babycenter.com via Molly on Pinterest

 

7. This moment that feels so true to my crazy little family, including the begging. And yes, the duck came, too. And seriously, why do they always talk me into getting the big, unweildy truck cart? Because they NEVER ride in it. Obviously.

8. This gave me a chuckle.

9. This is huge.

10. And this, totally inspired me. (via DesignMom

BONUS: Know what I don't love? Stink bugs. If you have no idea what these are, thank your lucky stars. But, seriously, if I get dive-bombed one more time while reading in my bed, or sitting here working at my desk, I may just cry. I'm sorry, but I can't find any reason to be grateful for stink bugs.

moleskine + washi tape

I'm about to completely finish my first-ever moleskine journal. This is by far not my first-ever moleskine. I've owned several. But between losing motivation or just plain losing them, or never finding a "method" with them that worked for me, I've yet to ever completely fill one up. 

But I'm just a few pages shy of finishing up my first. Every page. Almost every blank space. I started it with no real rhyme or reason as to how I would use it. I didn't know if I'd journal in it. If it would only be for my list of three. If it would be my own personal scrapbook to clip, save and tape things into. 

Turns out it's been all of those things.

Instead of trying to decide WHAT it would be, I shifted my focus to letting it just be a notebook that was more about time than about what filled the pages. It didn't need to be just one thing or another. It could be everything. And anything.

Though it sounds silly to have that realization about a notebook, the whole thing was pretty freeing to me. 

Because I'm a person who really wants to be a journaller. I want to be a scrap saver, a note collector, a list maker, a calendar keeper, an idea brainstormer. But when I tried to force myself to be just one of those things it didn't work. 

Instead, I'm a little bit of all of those things.

And instead, my moleskine now chronicles many months of my life--the to-dos, the recipes, the scraps, the notes, the lists, the brainstorms. All of it. 

But just a month or so ago, I discovered that there was a way I could organize it just a bit. It's helpful for me to be able to jump back in my notebook and find something I'm looking for. Where I wrote down a phone number. A recipe. Where's that cute note Emma sent Mary on her birthday? Where's my grocery list. 

And there are other things, too. With my work at *Babycenter, I use my moleskine each week to write down what posts I plan to write, things I'm thinking of for the future, people I've been in conversation with. But I rely heavily on those notes because it's a ton to remember. 

So I had my little inspirational moment a few months ago when I realized I could use my rolls of washi tape to help me find some of the most important, most used pages in my notebook. And hello, a system was born. 

Not every page in my notebook gets the washi tape treatment--but the most often referenced ones do. Each Sunday when I'm finished my planning page for Babycenter, I get out my blue plaid washi tape and run a piece along and folded over the outside edge of the page. I do the same for my to-do lists, recipes, and grocery lists. Each with their own colored washi tape. Everything else in between doesn't require tape. That would get both colorful and crazy. 

Now, when my journal is closed, I can easily see where each "big ticket" item in my moleskine is. I can get to it easily, and I admit, I kinda like the well-loved look it gives my journal. 

I just updated my stash with some new tape from Lotta Jansdotter. The woman knows how to put together a bundle of tape that speaks to me. For my next moleskine, I may just change it up all together and break out new brighter tapes. Who knows. I'm crazy like that. (Though I do love me some yellows, browns and blues.)

It feels good to have it down. To finally have a system in place that works for me. 

But I'd love to hear what you guys do. Do you keep a journal? What kind of journaller are you? Are you a list maker? Do you keep your lists all together in one place? I'd love to hear from you, friends. 

------------------------------------------------

Speaking of Babycenter...I'm hosting a giveaway for a great little portable labeller from Epson right now. It will make you passionate about labels. 

Beware the sound of silence

Birdy is whole heartedly at the age where silence in my house means something very mischievous must be happening somewhere. 

It's no longer innocent either. 

And it usually involves markers.

You'd think I'd learn by now to keep the markers out of reach. And actually, I'm pretty sure I've made some rule about keeping markers in the metal can and keeping the can on top of the bookshelves in the school room. 

But when everyone else in the house is up to their elbows in daily art projects and sign-making for bedroom doors, and charts, and secret club sign-up sheets, it's hard to remember to always put the markers away. I guess. 

I've learned that the first place to check for her is under tables. If they're covered in a tablecloth, even more secretive and ideal.There will generally be a small collection of toys that don't belong to her. And a marker. Coloring her cheeks used to be her thing. Now, she colors her cheeks and lips, but quickly moves on to decorating the toys, too. 

She has also decorated the sofa arm. And inside the towel cupboard in the bathroom. And of course the walls. I've come to expect the wall-decorating. 

She highlighted the bookshelf in the living room. As well as running that same highlighter along the binding of each of Dan's books on the top shelf. How kind of her. We appreciate her hard highlighting work, we do. 

Two nights ago, after her bath, she discovered the joys climbing into the dryer. To be honest, I'm surprised it's taken her this long to make the discovery. She's a child who likes a "house" to engage in all her mischievous work. It used to a cupboard in the bathroom. My clue would be the towels all over the bathroom floor. And the closed cubpoard doors. And the silence. 

But two nights ago when she realized she could very easily climb into the dryer, and it fit several stuffed animals, and it echoed when you squealed inside? She was sold. 

When I hung up after a phone call yesterday and realized the house was silent, I began the (slightly panicked) search for Birdy. She doesn't answer when I call for her (something we're working on). And Mary couldn't find her upstairs. I couldn't find her downstairs. Or outside. 

Eventually she was discovered in the dryer. 

These are probably things I shouldn't admit openly. Losing track of my toddler. Or the damage she does while unattended. But this Birdy is a firecracker. She moves to the beat of her own drum. Determined. Strong-willed. All those things. 

And as of six days ago, facing the world as a newly crowned two year old. Here we go.

a busted-up binder

*Thanks to all of you that jumped in on my "guerilla goodness" idea. I just have to buy myself some fresh postage this morning and cards will be going out to all of you. I'm so looking forward to it!*

 

I don't know when it started exactly, college maybe? But I signed up for a subscription from Martha Stewart--but this one was a little different. This subscription was for "Good Things" cards--they came ever few weeks, in different categories from giving to homekeeping to entertaining. I'm suspicious I signed on solely for the linen-wrapped binder that came with your first set. Or for the "good mail", which doesn't come so often when you're in college. But those little bundles of cards kept coming and coming and coming....

 Eventually, I wised up and realized there was no end to Martha's Good Things and that if I wasnt' careful I was going to be bankrupt over this little collecting hobby. But the binder morphed into a place where I collected pages torn out of magazines--recipes, pictures of inspiration for my dream home, crafts, things I wanted to sew...

 

The binder was overflowing at this point. Bursting at the seams. D-rings bent, barely holding anything together. It got tucked away, tied up, boxed and forgotten. A year or so ago, I uncovered it again when my husband threated to throw it out. Shocked by his suggestion, I grabbed it from his hands, clutching it to my chest. 

As I flipped through it contents, I had to smile at my unmarried, no children, living in a college-apartment self. More often than not I asked myself, "What in the WORLD did I like on this torn out page?"

 

 But there still remained a few gems here and there. For some reason, these three got scanned and dumped on my desktop months ago. By no means the best of the bunch, but there are still little things about these images I love. I'm sorry I don't have a source, but you can probably guarantee it's either Martha Stewart or Country Home (a sadly defunct mag now.) 

 

 I have to admit I like my old-fashioned binder. Like holding the pages in my hands. Flipping through. Spreading them out. It was my Pinterest. Pinterest, which has been getting a lot of flack these days. I have to be honest to say that I haven't taken time to really read and understand all that's going on. Privacy. Copyright. Rights. sigh...

Makes me cling to my busted-up binder a little more....

7 lovely things

Good morning and Happy Valentine's my friends. Oh, I missed this place. I'm completely procrastinating on things like laundry and school work and showers and a huge mess in the kitchen from pink chocolate chips pancakes. But, it's been too long. So, hello. How about a list this morning, shall we?

1. I cashed in on my Christmas present this past weekend. A girls weekend away with two of my bestest cousins. We had grand plans of doing important things like historical tours and traditional working-farm visits--but it happily and comfortably turned into lounging and knitting in hotel rooms, long dinners out and antique shopping. It was perfect. And while, you know, I fought that mama-guilt about being away, it was such a good weekend. So so good. I have made it official that my husband can give me the same gift every year.

2. Do you see this aisle of goodness I stumbled upon in the very back of one shop? I may have had trembling hands when I took this picture.

3. First tractor-driving lessons with her great uncle. The report is that she's a pro and only stalled it out once. Learning to drive a tractor is on my to-do list. I think she just beat me to it. When asked if she wanted to trade in her pony for a tractor, we only got a roll of the pre-teen eyeballs.

4.  My new favorite and also perfect Valentine's listening: Us & Our Daughters (with a hat tip to my music soulmate. You know who you are.) On their site they share that last year was a tough year for them and their love. But they took to songwriting as their therapy. It pulled them through and this album is the fruit of that time. It's beautiful. 

5. Some love of the 4-hooved variety.

6. This knitted lovely is going in the queue. 

7. Some love it's good to remember.

xo.

Molly

Why not?

play soccer in your pajamas, tutu and rainboots!

hello again

This is my desk this morning.

It's actually a new little space I created for myself in the kitchen. While I try to do a few things this morning, Birdy is bringing me her stash of animals. I can hear her coming now. And she's dragging a xylophone behind her. Eventually, I'll start giving them back to her. "Back" she'll say and toddle with them back to her room. She's so meticulous. Picking up bits of trash and carrying them all the way to the kitchen trash can. Picking up her sleepers and putting them in her laundry basket. Pushing a chair under the kitchen table when she sees it out of place. I wonder how to nurture this behavior because I love it. I go a little overboard for now when she puts things where they belong. I'm hoping this will encourage her. 

Today is Monday and it marks the first day of a new "adventure" for me. It's a new writing opportunity that kinda shakes out to more than just the here and there kind of freelance writing I've been doing in the past. The work will be with Babycenter but I'll have to wait a bit to get the all-clear to give more details. Sorry. I hate it when people do that. But I'm writing about it here to let you know that there are going to be some growing pains at first. It's definitely more of a commitment. More of a job now, than a hobby. But a job I'm excited about with a company and group of people I'm so happy to be part of. And, to be completely honest, a blessing for my family--somewhat flexible, work-from-home, still homeschool my children, work with great people, add to our family's income. It really is a good thing. 

For now it feels a bit like bringing home a newborn. How it takes a bit to determine your new normal. Figuring out how you'll manage to still do laundry, make dinner and vaccuum the rugs, even though you have this little baby to care for. I know a routine will develop and I'll find ways to carve out time to get everything done. And I know, I'll be asking for help when I need it. 

So hello and thanks for listening and that's the news from Thomas Run. 

More soon, hopefully sooner...