Blog Nights

I've been geeking out like mad this week (what else is new?), watching the Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings films over and over again while I drink tea & blog my nights away. Many of you know I write for several websites, and quite often I end up getting the majority of my writing done at night, after lights out o'clock.

Tonight was no exception. With a little Harry Potter on in the background... I'm blogging, Pinteresting, tweeting and sipping Earl Grey at my kitchen table. Last night I shared an Instagram of what my evenings have looked like lately:

For the last few days, my roomie has been away with family for the holidays, and I think I actually forgot what it was like to live "alone". Usually she and I chat and watch Gilmore Girls, so rarely am I solo at night. Sometimes it's nice to be silent and still.

I really enjoying all of my blog work right now. It's exciting. It's always changing, growing, morphing... new opportunities, new ideas. Sometimes I look at my blogging schedule (via my trusty ol' Google calendar, aka brain) and it seems a bit daunting, but I love it. The only difficult part about all of it, is trying to make time for my blogging, birth work and life, all at once. (Wouldn't it be nice if we could actually make time... surely there's a recipe on Pinterest for this sort of thing.) So far, I'm managing to do a LOT of things fairly well, but it's tough balancing it all, on top of being mama to the raddest little lass. Things slip, as I'm sure you all understand. The goal, I suppose, is to do fewer things REALLY well, but my gosh, that's the trouble. Sorting it out, letting go, reorganizing, restructuring. Another venture has been brewing in my head for a good while now, and even starting it will be interesting by itself. I find myself a bit hilarious sometimes... but I have a great deal of trust in life sorting itself out. I know I'll be able to reconcile it all.

Life has a way of working out for the best, when you give it a chance to.

And that I shall.

Source.

A New Space For Mama

Since the break-in, I've been really uncomfortable working at my computer in the back room of our house. It's cut off from the main living space and I can't hear anything ie. the front door. Today, the boy moved my desktop computer and our old sewing table to the living room and created a new little workspace for me. It's not ideal to have my PC out where Gretchen has full access to it -- since those tiny fingers of her can't help but mash the keyboard at any given chance -- but I do feel better knowing that I am closer to the door, should something happen. I realize I may sound a little paranoid, but this mama needs to feel in control of her home, and I couldn't get that feeling back while sitting in our nearly soundproof office. No dice.






I'm definitely going to create an inspiration wall above my new desk and I'd like to recover the seat with a slightly more sophisticated fabric. I also want a cover for the monitor/keyboard when they're not in use and I'll be tying the cords back so they're not hanging down the wall (ick) like they are now.

So far, not too shabby. And I'm already feeling much more comfortable and productive.

Nighty, night.

Day 01: A Self-Portrait

Sometimes this is what working from home looks like. Lots of cozy couch time, with Sex and the City on in the background, delicious candles filling the house up with warmth and the scent of pine & Christmas. Lydia likes to sit behind me, mewing little secrets in my ear and yawning her kitty yawns. I sip my tea, I write, I read, I clean (Fylady style) and if I'm feeling ambitious I cook, or perhaps I just toss ingredients into the crockpot for a hearty evening meal. (Let it be known that Blogger tried to spellcheck "crockpot" to "crack pot".)

Recently I decided I need to make the boy & I a bit of schedule when it comes to work. After many months of working from home, I fear we're getting lazy & I'd like us to be whipped back into shape. Nothing has been finalized yet, but just the anticipation of planning it out has put a spring back into my step.

On that note, I see that time is ticking away from me (again) tonight & I really ought to be in bed already. My first doula mama will be welcoming her (3rd) little one very soon & so I've been trying to keep up on my sleep as best as I can. Tomorrow morning I'm also meeting up with a local doula friend to chat about all things doula-related. She's been attending births for years and has already been a great source of inspiration.

And with that, I'm off to tuck in & dream the night away. (I will tame my night owl tendencies one of these days. It's hight on my list of battles, believe me.)

Guten nacht, mes amis. Happy Novembering.

A Typical Day At The House Of Fawn

Before 8am: Gretchen & I snuggle in bed together, nursing until it's time to get up. Eventually we roll out from under the covers, leave daddy sleeping & head downstairs for a breakfast of oatmeal before heading down the street to daycare (where she spends three days each week).

After coming back home: I make tea, finish my oatmeal (with a little brown sugar & almond milk) and sit down on our comfy blue couch to sneak in an episode of Gilmore Girls while I enjoy my warm meal. Next I clean the bathroom (a quick swish & swipe) before folding last night's laundry to be put away upstairs.

Just after 9am: The bulk of my "work day" runs from 9-5pm, or at least this is when I try to get most things done. At this time of the day I am working on a few posts & doing all of the social media stuff that may bore you if I go into too much detail. I spied Lydia, the fluffiest of black cats, watching me from her perch on the piano.

Around 11am: At this time (on days when Gretchen is at daycare) I bring her home for a little nursing session so she'll be tanked up for the rest of the day. We sit on the couch together, she enjoys her milk, then daddy walks her back down the street & I get back to work.

A little while later: Today my lovely neighbour stopped by with some tasty banana muffins (which we devoured quite quickly, though I'll confess to eating most of them myself). At this point I was on cup of tea no. 2 (in a much bigger mug, as you can clearly see).

In the early to mid-afternoon: Usually I work in my office at the back of the house in the addition which is much colder than every other room. Today, however, it was just too dreary to lock myself back there, so I opted to do most of my work from the kitchen table on my netbook. A much nicer locale.

Around 2pm: I sent the boy to grab ingredients for tonight's dinner (turkey meatloaf, which Gretchen turned her nose up at and opted instead to eat 1/2 a piece of toast and some applesauce). When he came back from the grocery store we did some tidying together to get the main floor back to ship shape. My new FlyLady routine is really working out.

At 4pm: The boy "goes" to work. He works from home so the "going" involves a trip upstairs.

Eventually 4.30pm rolls around: Back down the street I go to pick up Gretchen from daycare. Today I managed to snap one little pic before she saw me in the yard. I stayed a little while to chat with our neighbours before walking home, with Gretchen in tow, to check on dinner.

Around 5.30pm: Baby G decides it's time to play in the sink. Some water stays where it belongs, some she drinks and lots ends up all over the counter. She adores her time pouring water back and forth between bowls and measuring cups & I love listening to her count everything in sight.

After dinner & a warm shower together, it's finally 7.30pm: I get her teeth brushed, her pajamas done up and we head up to bed. She loves to climb up the stairs all by herself. Then it's time for nursing & snuggles as she drifts off to sleep.

Around 8.30pm: I sneak out of our bedroom and leave her to doze peacefully in our bed. Such a sweetheart.

Then comes mama time (some reading, some blogging, time with the boy & cleaning) until I go to bed myself (usually between midnight & 2am -- something I am working on. It's my goal, someday, to be in bed by 10.30pm each night).

Goodnight, dear hearts.

On A Monday Afternoon

It's a quiet day here with the boy off running errands on my pretty red cruiser, Gretchen at daycare & Winston napping on the porch. I'm typing away to finish up some writing, waiting for the Purolator man to deliver a computer part and for the pizza people to bring me a tasty gluten free lunch.

Things I hope to accomplish by 4.30pm: a clean living room, a tidy kitchen, two finished bits of writing, an empty Google reader & load of laundry switched and dried.

What are you keeping busy with today?

What Does Working From Home Look Like?

Today, it looked like this: I spent my morning under the new fuchsia umbrella that I finally got around to purchasing just the other day. It was such a pleasure to enjoy the backyard from my pretty new vantage point.

I worked away, writing and posting, and refilled my mug -- once or twice. Ate some rye bread & butter, enjoyed some plain yogurt and strawberries from the market.

Across from me sat my herbs -- coriander, although I usually say cilantro... rosemary, opal basil & kitty catnip.

Isn't she a beauty?

Eventually the netbook needed to be plugged in, so Ryan found me an extension cord (what a gentleman) and now, at nearly 3.30pm, I am still sitting outside. Enjoying the breeze, contemplating dinner, getting a little more work done & missing my little girl who I'll be retrieving from daycare in an hour and a half.

Also, while I'm here, remember the big news that I mentioned before, in this post? Well the news is that Ryan is now working from home too! Yes, he's finally left the evil cellphone company and is doing tech support from home (in his new little office) for a fabulous hosting company and he loves it! It's been a bit of a change having both of us at home all day, but we're getting used to it. We might have to work on learning how to leave the house more since it feels like we're ALWAYS here now, but thankfully we both love our home (and being around each other!) so it's been mostly great.

I don't for one moment take for granted the amazing fact that we've been able to find jobs which allow us to stay home. I know that when I was little and my mother ran a home daycare it was so wonderful to have her around all the time. However, when I was a little older and she was working 2-3 jobs and traveled a lot, it was a much sadder time for me. Ryan's mother also worked a lot when her sons were small and I feel extremely fourtunate for the opportunity to be with Gretchen as much as possible. Yes, she does attend daycare a few days a week, but it's all about balance, right? That's definitely the Attachment Parenting principle that I struggle with the most, but I suppose that's a whole other post!

And on that note I'm off to each a late lunch & finish this last cup of tea. I hope you're all enjoying your day as well, mes amis. Lots of love!

PS. I've implemented a new little commenting scheme for the blog, so let me know a) if it's working and b) if you like it. Merci!
PPS. Check out my latest post over on Mom Ok'd!

Just Like The Smell Of Rain

There's a mirror right behind my desk & sometimes I get distracted cause I can see my eyes in it just above my monitor.

Today I managed to get lots of work done, which is always nice -- it's so good to feel ultra productive, even if it's only once or twice a week that I actually manage to feel that way. Slowly but surely I think I'll get the hang of this WAHM thing.

There's also some really exciting work-related news that I'll be sharing soon. At the moment it's a little too fresh to talk about, but all in good time, mes amis.

How's that for a cliffhanger?

All I'll say is that it doesn't directly involve me, but will change my life for the better AND our collective household stress should drop significantly once everything has fallen into place.

I love this feeling, right before things change. Like a flutter, or the way you can smell rain before the drops start to fall.

Are any of you anticipating anything grand at the moment? Can you feel the flutter?

Seeking Sage Advice From Seasoned Pros

Today I pose a question:

What is your best piece of advice for managing life as a WAHM?

There are some days when I have it under control: articles are being finished, dishes get done, I manage to shower & my kid is happy. Other days my mind is a blur, my eyes are barely open, Gretchen has breakfast on her forehead at bedtime & it's 3am before I make my way to sleepytown.

At work in the office -- taken by the boy.

Do you have a schedule, or are you days less structured? Do you have help, or are you solo during the day? Do you measure your coffee intake in cups or buckets?

Tell me, dear friends, what works for you?

...

Note: As I write this post, my left eye is twitching. Is that a sign?