I thought I’d combine these two today. So here’s my favorite picture from today’s efforts:

This project has been so much fun to dig into! I got 80 more pictures scanned this morning in about 40-45 minutes. I worked on it while I did a load of laundry. I can’t believe how quickly time passes. I kept looking at pictures thinking how can it possibly be so long since then? I can’t help but think how often the most important things are those we put off doing. I don’t know why. I can’t imagine very many more things as important to me as making, recording and safeguarding family memories, yet I’ve put off getting to this photo project for 16 years! It is a WONDERFUL feeling to be putting this back on the radar for things to get done. Memories are best when they are remembered not forgotten on shelves or in boxes collecting dust. Today I’m reminded of that.

Oh and Ryan, just so you know I was sorely tempted to share one I scanned of you today. *snort*

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Family Sharing Success Wordless Wednesday Blogging Memories

My kids have been in school for 6 days today. The first 2-3 days were pretty smooth - I give credit to the “new” element of starting a new year, new clothes, new fever. *grin* However, Monday morning pretty much blew up in my face. Both kids drug their feet getting ready, I lost my cool after an hour of pushing to get everything done in time and it ended badly with everyone upset. When I finally dropped the kids off my son said quietly from the back seat, “Sorry for making you late mom.”

I came home utterly deflated.

It’s hard enough to not beat yourself up when schedules don’t work, when there’s stress or pressure in the home you’re responsible for setting the tone in, etc. But when your sweet 5 year old feels bad about it too it’s like dropping an anvil on your already growing pity party. So I did what any grown mamma does, I had my party, flushed the pity potty and came up with a new plan after discussing it with my partner in crime, dad.

We decided a new family schedule was in order as well as a few new rules for the mornings. So Monday night we spoke with the kids about some new basic rules for mornings. They are as follows:

1) Wake up happy. It’s your first decision of the day, it should be the best one too.
2) Spend 10-15 minutes exercising to get those endorphins flowing, appetites awake, etc.
3) Eat breakfast together.
4) Do ALL the above together…ALL 4 of us before anything else can be done.
4) Get ready (this includes socks, shoes, teeth brushed and hair combed)
5) Any free time left can be spent doing something they want until it’s time to leave.

I’m happy to report that it’s working much smoother than I thought it would. I worried that I wouldn’t have enough time if I tried to add a few more structured events into my morning but so far it’s been great. I never would have believe so much could be packed into one hour with such success. But we’ve been waking and starting the routine at 7am and by 8am we’re all completely ready for the day and out the door. This morning Taylor even had a full half hour to play his Transformer game. He left home so happy and content, instead of teary eyed and frustrated.

Now the hard part comes…keeping it up long enough to make it habit. Bring it on.

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Family Parenting Homemaker Sharing Organizing Positive Impact Potential Motherhood Balance Success

These posts are really more for myself as a way of tracking my progress on a giant of a project. I’m working to make digital copies and backups of ALL my photos (which means a ton of scanning), organizing them in my iPhoto for use as well as backups and getting all the paper copies of photos organized into matching photo albums. This is all above and beyond compiling any of my digital and regular scrapbook pages, albums and slideshow/DVD projects.

There were a few preliminaries I had to get out of the way but didn’t want to spend a lot of time on. I brought down my first photo drawer and threw some sticky notes on some blank folders by year. (They start with the blue folders) I grouped anything before ‘90 into one folder as well as anything after ‘01 when I think I moved to digital. As I scanned photos, I’d drop the original into one of these folders for future steps of organizing them in photo albums. Another thing that had to be decided but that I didn’t want to be a time buster was coming up with a digital file name system. I settled on the easiest thing that came to mind listing the year first and starting a numbering pattern from 01 (i.e. 97_01.jpg) and so on. My thought is that at least this way all the photos are grouped by year digitally, organizing them by event after that will much easier as will dropping them in date order into photo albums.

I’ve done some research on photo albums too. Although I’m not completely decided I found a possibility that meets much of my criteria. Two of the biggest are something that looks nice/professional on a shelf and, is a matching set that can be added to. I won’t make a final decision until I have a better idea of how many photos I’m needing books for but it’s a start anyway.

I’m happy to report that in the two hours I had to devote to the project today I was able to establish some of my system as well as scan about 100 items. I’m satisfied with the results. If I can do just a little at a time consistently, I should be able to make a pretty big dent into my elephant sized project. I also thought it might be fun to share a favorite I came across while scanning. So here’s today’s:

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Homemaker Sharing Organizing Memories

Why is it that so often you have to make a bigger mess before you can really clean? It seems moronic and torturous.

Friday I had to start finding more places to put things. Since my hubby started working from home I lost a lot of storage space. Well that’s putting it mildly. What I really lost was a throw away room where I could store stuff without effort or much organization! *giggle* I had attempted to organize the closet in the office better before he took the room over, but much of it wasn’t working. Friday I had to start over, which meant pulling things out of two closets before I could start putting things away. Too bad I don’t have a photo for how rotten that was! The first task was getting the games which had previously been put on the shelf in the office closet down where the kids could reach them. I shouldn’t have waited so long as this has been a major thorn in the side for both mom and dad as the kids had to constantly ask us to get them down. Now they’re in the bottom of the hall closet where they can reach.

The next step was making the most of that 4+ foot space from the closet shelf to the ceiling. I ended up piling up all those VHS tapes that I still want to convert to DVD sometime into towers. Between that and the old manuals I was able to get what had previously taken up easily 2-3 shelves to fit into a couple tall towers. It was a better use of the space but getting anything of the top requires a great stretch on the old stepping stool. I also moved the instruments and wrapping paper holder onto the remaining shelf which also turned out to be better use of the space. These are the only things that were in reach on the closet floor and ironically the only things I would have wanted my kids to have to ask for help/permission getting into. Sometimes parents are a little slow. I blame it on sleep deprivation which directly correlates with children.

The shelves that I had previously used to organize this closet went into my son’s to organize his toys and make more floor space in his closet (which makes perfect sense knowing I just cleared more space to make a mess in - sleep deprivation, I’m telling ‘ya.) He’s happy and old toys feel new again. Too bad you can’t make that benefit last longer. *snicker* It’s also too bad that adult shelves take much longer to organize than a child’s. I’m not so sure we can call that part of maturity progress.

The bottom half isn’t what I want but it’s a start to get me to the next point in my process. I organized projects and stuff into my empty Avon boxes for easy stacking and labeled them on the side trying to put what I was least likely to ever get into at the bottom. I think long term I want to move these into some clear bins. How is that you can still manage to have so much stuff when you continually go through things to simplify? The pile of donation items is taking over my garage but my closets are still full of boxes holding ’stuff’, it’s pretty twisted.

I brought in the old plastic filing bins from the garage…the ones I swore I wouldn’t bring inside my new home when we moved. I’m telling myself they’re only temporary. On the bright side, they also make better use of the space and keep the closet looking neat. It’s not that I hate the idea of the organizing it’s just that they’re so bulky and ugly. I moved the school supplies and summer fun projects into these drawers. But the real purpose of them and using them was for the ultimate project that I mentioned the first day my kids went back to school - the photos. The bottom two drawers of the black bins are full of photos waiting to be scanned and placed in books. There are also three clear drawers of scrapbook keeping items like school pictures, memorabilia, etc. that area also waiting to be digitalized and/or placed in books. My thought is that I can pull one drawer at a time to being my process and still be able to put it ‘away’ and out of sight at the end of the day. I’m visualizing an empty closet and a beautiful set of matching photo album books to keep me on track. Too bad I don’t have a Harry Potter wand or vampire super speed to aid me in my efforts. *sigh*

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Homemaker Sharing Organizing Balance Blogging

This post is dedicated to my sister today. It’s her 40th birthday and the motto of doing hard things has been a frequent one in her life this past year. Can it really be so long ago that we were little girls together, playing and delighting in Christmas mornings? The hours we spent playing Little House on the Prairie, Donny & Marie…okay some things are best left in memory but I want you to know I remember well.

You shared me with mom and dad even though they’d been all yours for 3 years, and it was hard but you did it. When I was little you were the one who pulled me in the wagon, even when it was hard. You let me tag along when you played with your friends, even when it was hard. You stood by me through puberty and we both know that was hard! You let me go when it was time to move and start you own family, even when it was hard. As a mother you have known more than a few days of hardship, but you kept at it even when it was hard. You earned your nursing degree with six children growing under your feet, even though it was hard. Today you understand a new milestone of maternal love, even though it is hard. Yes my dear, we can do hard things.

My heart is with you completely today. I’m right by your side just like I have always been and always will be.
Love always, your little sis.

p.s. But I’ll always be 3 years younger than you too! *snort*

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Family Relationships Memories

I have to take just a moment today to share some thoughts on blogging today. It’s such a weird word isn’t it? I’m not sure what a replacement would be because this is the only word we’ve known now but it sounds so sluggish to me. I’ve shared in the past my reasons for getting into this media outlet so I won’t go there again. Suffice it to say that everyone has their reasons and when you began is likely a large indicator as to what your reason was. But I will take a moment to share some thoughts about the developments and patterns I’ve noticed since I’ve been a blogger. (Why does that word make me think of booger?)

Stages of Blogging:
1) You mean I’ve got a blog? I just type now? Wow that was easy.
2) How do you keep track of all these other blogs? A reader? What’s that?
3) I can track stats? People are visiting my blog? I can make money? Really? How can I feed that?
4) What do you mean obsessed? I got something else done this week, I’m sure I did. Didn’t I?
5) I said/shared that? Are you sure? Hmmmm…

Styles of Blogging:
1) Coaching blogs: They play teacher from life skills to blogging.
2) Business/Personal agenda: They build platforms for their own products or ideas.
3) Mommy blogs: They’re a league all their own sharing daily life in the trenches while suddenly feeling much less alone.
4) Private blogs: They blog as a form of journaling and scrapbooking.
5) Combination blogs: These are the guys that try a little of everything at some time.

Themes/Fads of Blogging:
1) Ad sickness…surely if I add a few more I can make some REAL money!
2) Widget disease…that is just SO cute/cool!
3) Meme dysentery…join, create…’nuff said
4) Carnival madness…hey, it drives traffic!
5) Reviews/Giveaway migraine…affiliates, ads and traffic all in one!

Of course these are generals and not to be taken too seriously, although if you’ve been around the block a few times you’ll recognize a glimmer of truth in there. You probably even have some funny aspects you could add to the patterns, styles and fads. This past week my husband shared a spoof blog created just this summer on Mormon women. As Homer Simpson says, “Funny, ‘cuz it’s true.” And boy I’m so glad I never fell into that typical category! I feel a new fad/theme coming on in spoof blogs.

I like observing the blogging world and seeing where it goes. I like seeing patterns and watching new developments on the horizon. I like feeling more connected while making some of my own thoughts and memories more permanent. I like watching from the sidelines. In short, I like blogging.

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Blogging

And just like that they’re gone…

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Family School Sharing Motherhood Wordless Wednesday Memories

It feels like forever since I was able to write or read any blogs. I’m really looking forward to tomorrow as my first day with the kids back in school full time. I’m anxious to dig in to so many things with less interruptions. I hope I can be productive without setting too high a bar of expectations for myself!

Speaking of so close, it’s a good start to my review of the final book in the Twilight series, Breaking Dawn. I enjoyed the last half of the book, found the first half a little disappointing and the end so close to enough for me. Over all, so close. I guess that’s the problem with any sequel, by the time they come out we all know the characters and story enough to have our own expectations and it can never be new like the first. All in all, another great series and fun read. I appreciate it so much more after trying the P.C. Cast series, House of Night. It really is a feat to write a story in such a way that everything fits, interest is maintained and common sense remains in tact. To do all that while keeping it clean is a whole other ballgame and I take my hat off to Stephenie for it.

I also took my first step today toward my law degree. Another so close, to add to the list. It still feels really intimidating but you don’t know until you take a step right?

Another day is almost gone which means it’s also getting close to dinner time. Hmmmm what to fix?

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Sharing Organizing Blogging

It’s been eight years ago today that my husband and I officially launched our adoption website: HopeToAdopt I’d been chatting in adoption chat rooms for a few months and became aware of a growing need for waiting families to have reasonable options for creating online profiles. A few websites were offering the service, but as web developers and adoptive parents were unhappy with the high prices being charged for the minimal effort of an “online birthparent letter” so we created HopeToAdopt.com. My husband wrote the program that automated building a 5 page website by answering questions and making selections. I designed the main site and several personalized themes for families to choose from. While other sites were charging $400 for six months for a two page letter we launched our site giving families their own 5 page site, a personal site address and access to personal site stats for $39 a year. I had two dreams with the creation of HopeToAdopt, both of which happened within the first year: 1) I hoped at least one family would be formed with the help of their H2A profile, 2) I secretly hoped our daughter’s birthmother might find us.

I’ll never forget the first notification that a placement happened. It was an e-mail from a former online friend who had been deeply discouraged with adoption and online efforts after a recent scam. It was early January, 2001 and the e-mail stated that she thought I’d like to know they’d just brought their son home and that his birthmother found them on HopeToAdopt.com! I just started to cry. I was so happy for her, even more so because of her recent heartbreaks with online adoption efforts and I was so overjoyed to have played some small part in her success. It felt wonderful to give something back to the world of adoption that had given me so much. Within a few weeks I received word of two more families whose profiles played a role in their matches and successful placements. I knew if nothing else happened and the site went away that day I’d be happy and satisfied, but there was more in store.

In June of 2001 I would receive an e-mail from our daughter’s birthmother. It brought into view a door of reuniting and opening our adoption. A few months later we all met again. Cidnie was almost 4 years old then and to watch her run into Monica’s arms with the biggest hug reduced me to a teary mess. It was an incredible moment. However, the crowning moment would come that November when we were present at her wedding. My dreams were not only realized, they were bigger and better than I could have imagined.

Today, eight years later our site is adapting to the many changes of the Internet. Today marks the day we are no longer creating/accepting new profiles on our website. One year from now there will be no more HopeToAdopt.com profiles. The service simply isn’t required anymore, blogging is the new medium for personal websites and it’s free. I’m grateful for the run we had. We turned down offers to buy our website and the two of us have run it successfully for these eight years. Other websites and agencies copied what we did, which tells me we did something right. *wink* And we did it all while proving it could be done for a fraction of the cost of others. While we’re working on a continuation of beneficial online adoption services, the reality that today marks a big milestone is ever present in my mind. It’s a sign of growth, a sign of change, a sign of progression while at the same time marking the end of something that’s been very near and dear to my heart. It’s truly bittersweet.

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