Blog Archives March 2008

I got home from work last night and received a bit of scrapbooking eye candy in my mailbox. Wrapped in this pristine piece of cellophane was the new Sassafras Lass product catalog. I was psyched because it is full of new patterned papers and rubber stamps. Seeing new patterned papers makes me want to sit down immediately and get my craft on. Their new collection is chock full of all things spring: owls, doves, rainbows, birdies, deer. I don’t know about you, but things in this part of the world are still relatively wintry and I could definitely use some spring. Even if it’s only in the form of patterned paper.

They also sent along a complimentary poster of this image. I don’t own a storefront, so I won’t be hanging the poster anywhere. But, in the spirit of being “environmental,” I will cut it up and use bits and pieces for some of my upcoming projects. Reuse. Recycle. Repurpose.

Have a great day!

Have you heard of Zumba? I heard a buzz about it a while back, but never really did much about it. Then, I saw this news story on it and decided I had to try it. I wanted to see for myself if it was as cool as they were saying.

The verdict is out. I LOVED IT!! It’s the most fun I have had at the gym in a long time (since cardio kickboxing circa 1999). It was aerobic. It was dancy. It was fun and funky. It worked my abs, my shoulders and my legs like nobody’s business. I felt like someone from Dancing with the Stars (minus the hunky partner and smokin’ body). It was so fun that I didn’t look at the clock once during the 60 minute class. I was drenched in sweat and it felt awesome. I swear I was on an endorphin high for 2 days.

Zumba rocks. Don’t believe me? Take a class and see for yourself!

Anyone who has known me for the better part of a decade knows that (physically) I am not the woman I was seven to ten years ago. Oh sure, I am fundamentally the same person; I still give and laugh and share and love. But, my physique has undergone some “changes” and quite frankly, there is a bit more of me to love. Somewhere between being a varsity athlete who was employed full-time in sports medicine to becoming the married mother of two with a desk job, I packed on a few (okay, close to 50) pounds.

I was okay with it for a while as I poured my heart and soul into being a mom. I was too busy caring for everyone else to truly pay attention to what was happening to my very own body. Fortunately for me, I am very tall and fairly proportionate so my 50 pounds probably resembled 30 pounds to the untrained eye. But, I am kind of at a new phase in life. I will affectionately call it The “I-need-to-take-better-care-of-me-so-I-can-be-the-best-I-can-be” Phase. As my kids get older and more active, I am realizing that I, myself, miss being active and healthy. I work full time, so I had the whole guilt thing going: “I can’t be away from them any more than I already am,” I thought. Nights and weekends were devoted to family time – and, as incredible and fulfilling as it is to nurture and bond with my children, there was never any “ME” time.

As my children get older, they clamor for more and more fresh air and extracurricular activities. I have discovered that I am longing for more of it as well. I want to run with them, ride bikes with them, and play catch with them. I am trying to balance my time at my “desk” job with more time outdoors, more time being “physical.”

So, in an attempt to be healthier, I have headed back to the gym. And it’s been awesome. Increased exercise = Happier me. It’s miraculous!! Endorphins are my friend! And, aside from the occasional guilt trip, my kids are on board. It’s going to take some time for them to truly get used to me being “out” a couple nights a week – but I hope they eventually learn a good life-lesson from this. And, I think that as the weather gets nicer and we are all out playing soccer and riding bikes TOGETHER (as opposed to me watching from the sidelines), they will appreciate it even more.

The reason I mention this on my blog is not because I am trying to be a champion for more physical activity (although I think it’s a good idea). And, it is not easy to admit to the world that I have become the stereotypical wife who has “let herself go.” I mention it because there are some good scrapbooking/journaling opportunities here. Scrapbooking is all about life; who we are, how we got there, what we loved, how we lived, etc. This is all a part of my story.

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Have you missed me? I haven’t been very blogalicious lately. I also have not been very scrapalicious. For me, the two have kind of gone hand in hand: when I have things to blog about, I have things to scrap and vice versa. I just haven’t been feeling it lately. I needed to recharge my creative batteries.

Honestly, I have taken some time to just chill out, enjoy my family, and get my own “house” in order. Personally and professionally, the fall and winter kind of took their toll on me and I needed to regroup. I’ve been spending the last few weeks enjoying time with my husband and the girls. I’ve really been trying to “be in the moment” with them and give them 100% of my attention. Instead of only being marginally present during story time and bedtime because I have other things on my mind, I’ve made a conscious effort to truly unplug on nights and weekends and enjoy those fleeting moments that are so easy to overlook. I had a choice, I could keep telling my kids to “wait 5 more minutes” while I blogged, or answered emails, or packed orders – or I could put things off until they were in bed. I chose the kids. These days, it’s so ingrained in all of us to be these multi-tasking, wired, overly caffeinated, go-getters and I honestly believe it’s not healthy. Not only has my family suffered for it, but I have as well. It was time to make some changes.  My kids won’t be little forever, and as much as I love my Babson work and this internet business endeavor, and I need to treat this fleeting time with my kids like the gift that it is.

That being said, I’ve said before that I have visions for this business, upcoming classes on the horizon, and I am trying to sketch a new product line. Those things all remain true. I just can’t put a timetable on things. But, I hope my faithful readers/customers all understand and will stick things out with me. I’m going to try to be more regular in my posting – I’m starting to feel the spark come back.

In the meantime, keep checking out this blog, look at my scrapbook pages at Two Peas In a Bucket, or peruse my Etsy shop for some discounted or one-of-a-kind offerings. I am still taking custom orders…that has not changed! Have a great night and thanks for stopping by.