Themes and Mommy Growth- Jewelry Week

On July 21, 2014July 21, 2014 By JillIn THEMES, Uncategorized, What's Going On?6 Comments

When I was in college, my Mom sent me this mouse pad (remember those?) and it had a motivational message on it. It said, “Do something.”

Yup, this simple task of simply doing something was a struggle for me (perhaps undiagnosed ADD?) I had all of this stuff in my head but couldn’t get going, continue going, that sort of a thing. This was particularly an issue in college, I couldn’t study well, write papers, or complete projects without major procrastination, and extreme debilitating anxiety. I remember wasting weeks writing index cards to study for an Anatomy exam… but then I didn’t really study the cards. I ended up failing that class and had to retake it…

This kind of a thing made the academic part of college and my work life difficult and very stressful. Extra thinking always plagues me… Researching, talking, wondering, a little progress, but mostly staying in a world of confusion, never feeling like I make a complete, satisfactory decision or complete a project with gusto is a frustrating part of my life.

And now your wondering, what does this have to do with anything? I decided to create weekly themes with the girls (for the summer) while working on some of my own problem areas…

This week was JEWELRY WEEK and my problem area that I worked on was too much thinking.

The following is the picture montage of the creative week.

Macaroni necklace and bracelets

POPCORN and gummy bear necklaces

FRUIT NECKLACES

Now we eat the fruit with yogurt- yum!

Candy necklaces – maybe not the best idea! BUT SO PRETTY!

Look at all of the candy! I think I have a problem with excess!

Making bead necklaces with friends!!! So much fun!

As for me, I took steps to just do it, buy some supplies and get working with the girls – not worrying about Ari having an accident in Michaels, perseverating on other messes in the house, getting distracted, etc…the usual thinking fluff that clogs my brain – the rust and gunk in the pipes preventing the flow of “Jilly water.” Yup, I decided to coin the flow of ideas in my head as Jilly water.

Here’s a picture of my chart. On top is an artistic masterpiece of a necklace. I colored in a “jewelry bead” at the end of the day and wrote a little note to myself. Mission accomplished – the question mark is for next week’s personal growth.

Who needs’s a self help book when you have this fab chart?

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I love you

On July 17, 2014July 17, 2014 By JillIn Funny kids, Uncategorized, What's Going On?Leave a comment

“I love you,” Gia said to the random lady, and I don’t mean random in a bad way, she was really sweet! This was the lady who bought our piano from us. She was from Craig’s list, we never met her before, but Gia loves her.

Isn’t it funny how kids just “say the darnedest things…” Or perhaps she really does love this woman because she took away that loud piano that took her friends away…I can’t tell you the amount of times Gia was so excited to boss a friend around (she can be a bit direct) and then they would come over and run to the piano that we somehow got conned into buying from the previous owners of our house. They would bang away on the keys as Gia sulked, but never for long though. She would quickly recover and go scrounge for a snack, her favorite hobby.

Gia would ask repeatedly when a friend was coming over, and by repeatedly, I mean over and over, about every five minutes, from the time we woke up, until said person’s arrival…”Mom, when are they coming? Are they here yet? What time are they coming? What day is it today? What day are they coming? I’m hungry…just thought I would throw that in there because G is always hungry… Come to think of it, I think she must ask to have a snack 15 to 20 times a day… I’m going to start keeping track and will get back with this most important figure.

So back to her love for this woman, she took away her biggest competition, the piano that used to steal her friends away….and “Yes Gia, what’s up?”

“Mommy, can I please have another snack, I’m still hungry!”

I am not making this up…it’s constant.

Insert quick video here of my crazy kid. I hope this works…still learning the blogging ropes. Try clicking on this link and see if we see Gia…

Hungry Gia

Oh now, this is getting ridiculous because today she just told the man who delivered our new couches that she loved him…should I be worried?

Bad picture – too lazy to take another – Gia’s second random love delivered these fabulous leather couches today.

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Am I really old?

On June 29, 2014July 1, 2014 By JillIn Uncategorized5 Comments

A few days ago, we had a trip into NYC, we were meeting up with my in laws, who were celebrating their 40th anniversary. My husband and brother in law planned a super fun day…we started out at lunch at Pier 66 Maritime, it was awesome, the weather was gorgeous and we were all having cocktails and eating lunch outside…

At one point, my Aunt was pointing to a group of ladies eating behind us, saying that, “Just think, in 15 years, those could be your daughters.” I whipped around to see what she was talking about…it was a group of attractive young ladies having drinks and socializing…I turned back and laughed but what I really was thinking was, “Huh- my daughters…I don’t think so, those girls are me! Add a few ladies and this could be me and my friends! I could totally see myself hanging out with the girls, frolicking in a sundress, sipping a Cosmo, checking out the scene…”

Do you ever find yourself forgetting you’re not so young anymore, like an awesome song comes on the radio and your right back in a bar or a club? That doesn’t happen to me as much as it used to, like when I first had a baby…I was still able to meet friends for lunch and the baby was more like a glorified tote that I had to carry around and occasionally feed. During those lunches I still felt young and free.

Fast forward to today, where my pedicure is half chipped off because my kids can’t seem to stop stepping on my feet, I always have something stained or stuck to my clothes, I wear mom shorts, I tend to have a blank or worried look going on ( not the open, smiling, come hither, seductive face I used to use to flaunt —- JUST KIDDING! Just figured I could dream for a minute… Flirty yes, seductive, not so much…but there’s still time…

I love this life and wouldn’t change it in a million years and despite the 50% put together look, I am feeling more fulfilled than I ever have…and p.s. It’s ten pm on a Saturday night and I am writing this! We already had an amazing time with friends and kids tonight…but the party is over! And my husband is already asleep. Ha – remember when we used to go out at ten.
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