Hair post

As I've mentioned before 2012 is about streamlining.  Doing things to save time, make my life easier.  I've been trying to be better about exercising.  I work full time so I either have to get up at ass crack of dawn 4:45am and work out or I can wait until 8:00pm after I put the kids to bed and then work out for an hour.  I go for the latter.  It still is not easy, after a long day all I want to do is relax but I'm determined to lose a few nagging pounds that really bother me.  So I work out five days per week for an hour.  After I work out I shower and then finally get to lay in bed and get on the computer or watch tv.  As many know, I'm obsessed with pinterest.  I saw a pin for a sock bun and sock bun curls.  I decided to give it a try.  I was most intriuged by the thought of showering at night, putting in a sock bun and waking up with beautiful curls.  This would allow me 30 more minutes of sleep in the morning which I am all for.  30 minutes might not sound like a lot but to me there is a big different between waking up at 5:30am and 6:00am.  Here is the youtube video that I watched to learn the basic sock bun:



And this is the video I watched to learn how to get sock bun curls overnight!



So I decided to give it a whirl, why not.  I have long hair so this is also better for my hair because I'm not damaging it by blow drying and straightening it every. single. day.  Here is a quick picture of what my hair looked like after sleeping with the sock bun in over night.

Not the greatest picture but you get the idea.  All I had to do was run a straightener through the front pieces and I was good to go!  So now I'm showering at night and making my mornings that much easier for myself!  I'm telling you, I am on a mission to simplify my life.  I am making small changes that are adding up to a big impact.  XOXO!

Family Reward System

2012 for me is about simplifying my life.  I've been feeling very stressed and overwhelmed with everyday life.  I work full time and when I'm not working I'm just trying to keep up with all that is on my plate.  I get up early in the morning, get myself ready for work, take the dog outside, feed the dog, get both kids up, get dressed, brush hair, brush teeth, feed breakfast, drop off kids, work all day, get out at five, pick up the kids, come home, cook dinner, eat dinner, clean up after dinner, help with homework, give kids baths, put to bed, exercise for an hour, go to bed and do it all over again.  Sun up to sun down is spent doing something.  The weekends I spend doing approximately 8-10 loads of laundry, cleaning bathrooms, cleaning kids rooms, cleaning playrooms, washing floors, doing all the things I don't have time to do during the week.  The days fly by, weeks fly by and I feel like all I ever do is bitch at everyone.  Get up, hurry up, get dressed, pick up your toys, stop hitting your brother, go clean your room, drink your milk, turn off the TV blah blah blah.  I'm fed up.  So 2012 is about streamlining.  Getting rid of clutter, getting organized, spending more quality time with my kids and husband.

Many times in the past I've tried to create some sort of rewards system for the kids.  Sticker charts and other little things that have never seemed to work or make an impact.  I have been feeling extra stressed lately and certain child behaviors are getting out of control so for my own sanity I did some may-jah research on chore / reward charts for kids.  I feel like it is still a work in progress and we will work out the kinks as we go but today was day one and it was awesome!  I went to a couple different websites, got some ideas and made it into my own.  This website is where I got the idea for chore jar/sticks: http://www.whateverdeedeewants.com/2011/07/terrific-tuesdays-chore-jar.html.  This was the other website that I got the idea for the token/reward system.  www.tipjunkie.com .

So the more and more research I did I started to see these amazing chore charts and magnet boards and it became overwhelming.  These women are crafty Martha Stewarts.  I was really anxious to get this going and didn't want to spend a lot of time buying stuff, making stuff before I could finally implement it.  The only thing I ended up purchasing was the extra large popsicle sticks, the rest I used what I had around the house.

First thing I did was select a color to assign to each room in the house.  Kitchen is green, living room is blue and so on. Then I started to think of chore ideas for each room some geared toward my older child and easier chores for my younger child.  I took extra large popsicle sticks, Avery filing label stickers, and colored markers.  Here are what some of my chore sticks look like:

Each child has a mason jar that I will load up daily with their chores that they need to do.  Once they complete a chore they can move their chore stick to the 'Complete' jar.  At the end of the day I will given them tokens for each completed chore. 

Next I created a jar for each child to collect their reward tokens in.  Daddy had a ton of old crappy poker chips that he doesn't use anymore so that is what we are using for "tokens."  Here are their reward jars:

I know it's only day one but the kids were jumping up and down and excited to complete their chores.  Having them help me do chores will certainly lighten my load which is a huge plus.  They now have incentive to get chores done and can feel pride when collecting their reward tokens at the end of the day. 

Besides chores, the other big issue around the house is behavior.  I wanted to be sure I am also rewarding for good behavior, eating dinner, drinking milk, saying please and thank you, no whining, no hitting.  I will also be taking away tokens, after a warning, as a consequence of bad behavior.  I still need to complete the final piece of this in which I will create a poster board called The Bosley Family store.  It will list a bunch of items and or activities in which they can get with their tokens.  For example 30 min. of playing Wii will cost them 3 tokens.  This will help to alleviate another one of my pet peeves where the kids turn on the TV or the Wii anytime they feel like it and start playing.  This way they will have to make a conscious effort if they want to spend their hard earned tokens on video games and it will allow me to put a better time limit on it. 

I have to say I feel quite good about myself creating and implementing this wonderful reward system for my family.  This is in place to benefit everyone.  It will help alleviate some of my stress, help to encourage my children to make good choices and praise with positive reinforcement.

Sunday Blues

Sugar on the Floor

Etta James passed away yesterday. It struck a chord with me because my father is the one who introduced me to her music.  I remember we would sit together and listen to her albums for hours.  It bonded us, brought us closer.  Sometimes you just need to listen to the blues and there is not many people that can sing it better than she. She sang from the depths of her soul.  She was legendary and the Blues will never be the same with out her. 

Sugar on the floor was 'our song'. We danced to it at my wedding for the father/daughter dance. It was our song but it probably wasn't the best choice for the father/daughter dance as it was about a 7 minute song. I remember us laughing together and every time we would turn towards the DJ we would try and catch his eye to tell him to wrap it up. The DJ wasn't paying attention so around and around we would go, like dancing fools.

In May of 2009 only five months after my father had passed, I went to see Etta James at the House of Blues in Boston. I was excited to be going but couldn't help but feel sad too because I knew if my dad was still alive I would be going with him.  I felt guilty going with out him. The whole way there I had an anxious feeling inside. I had no idea what to expect, what she would sing. I kept trying to tell myself not to get my hopes up.  Here is a woman who has been performing for 50 years and probably has thousands of songs but there was one song in particular that I wanted to hear. I don't remember how many songs it was into her set but all of a sudden chills came over my body as she started to sing Sugar on the Floor. Instantly my eyes welled up with tears. I turned back to look at my mother, jaw agape. As I stood in this crowded place all I could feel was my father and all I could hear was Etta. He wasn't there physically but he was there in spirit. His presence was so strong it overwhelmed me.  I took a deep breath, shaking, while the tears rolled down my face.  I tried to enjoy every second of this moment because I knew how special it was.  There we stood, together side by side, listening to Etta James sing 'our song' to us.  It was a magical gift from his soul to mine. One that I will never forget, one that I needed so badly at that time. Thank you Etta for the wonderful memories your music has given me, I will forever be grateful for that night.  Rest in Peace.

"All I need. 
All I need is somebody to love me.
All I need.
All I need is somebody to care about me, so I won't be wasted.
Ohhh, wasted on the floor."

Sunday Blues

Sunday family tradition.  We always listen to the blues on Sunday.  Here is one of my all time favorite blues songs.  The one and only, Stevie Ray Vaughan - Pride and Joy.

Pure Joy

I adore this picture of my kids.  It represents an absolute 'loving life' moment.  I love pictures that when you look at them, they can evoke an emotion from you.  This picture always puts a smile on my face.  They are so unbelievably happy, running as fast as they can and jumping into a pile of dirty disgusting leaves.  I remember the day I took this photo I was in a bad mood about something, probably something stupid and insignificant.  I remember that night when I uploaded the photos I took I couldn't stop laughing.  Kids have a way of reminding you that you can find joy in just about anything.  Even dirty leaves.

Vermont

I was looking through old pictures today and I can't believe how fast time goes by.  I moved to Vermont 7 years ago with my now husband and our 3 month old baby girl.  It wasn't always easy being here navigating the beginning of my journey through motherhood away from my own mother, family and friends.  I'm glad I stuck it out.  Vermont is an amazing place to live and raise a family.  Some times I take for granted the beautiful place that I call home.  I try to let my children know how lucky they are to grow up here.  In honor of (one) of my new years resolutions to take more pictures, I've compiled some of my favorite Vermont photographs that I have taken over the years.......

My new obsession

My newest obsession in twenty.twelve by far is Pinterest.  I will first say that I am a very visual person and this website for me is the equivalent of crack.  For those who are not yet familiar with what Pinterest is, here is their definition:

"Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes.  Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests."

My definition:

"An endless supply of all things amazing.  An inspirational smorgasbord of ideas.  A place where you can go and suddenly feel as though you want to take up knitting and crochet.  A place that will make you think you can be as crafty as Martha Stewart.  A place that will make you think you can be a 5 star chef.  All things are possible on Pinterest."

I absolutely adore Pinterest.  End of story.  If you are not on it, get on it....and follow me!  You're Welcome.

https://pinterest.com/

Twenty.Twelve

It is a new year, a new beginning and I am feeling inspired.  I am feeling motivated.  A new year brings new resolutions:

• Get rid of my 'mummy tummy' for good
• Take more photos
• Go antiquing
• Buy a beat up piece of furniture at a yard sale and turn it into something beautiful
• Grow vegetable garden with my kids
• De-clutter my home and get more organized
• Blog more!

Welcome Twenty.Twelve, it's nice to meet you.