Full Disclosure: My Living Room

Full disclosure. This is how my living room looks right now. 

I fought the urge to make it perfect before snapping these pictures on my cell phone.  But then it wouldn't be full-disclosure, would it? I have the trunks/suitcases arranged for photographing Sweater Monsters for Etsy listings.  Sweater Monsters and Owls have taken over the couch.  An A/C unit that my husband is meaning to bring upstairs.  My pile of craft show stuff.  Could be better, but could be worse!

My husband just hung that poster of "The Wave" on the wall, since we finally got around to buying a frame for it this weekend!

Sweater Monsters and Owls I have so far...

Scheduling a Balance...

I've always had trouble finding a balance between housework and my craft business work.  I tend to completely focus on one and ignore the other. So I am finally buckling down and decided to give myself a schedule to help me find a balance.

Coffee helps motivate me when I clean!

 I've had people suggest to me before that I schedule times of day for  housework and craft work. (for example: Housework from 9am-noon, craft work from noon to 5pm)  But trying to adhere to that kind of schedule stresses me out for some reason.  I think it's because I get into a groove. I hit a stride and then get frustrated when I have to stop... or I forget to stop.  So instead of assigning times of day, I'm assigning days of the week.  So then I have a whole day to devote to what I want to accomplish.  And a night's sleep makes for a nice, natural reset button.

 I always do my grocery shopping on Monday mornings and tend to spend the rest of the day cleaning the house after the fun/chaos of the weekend.  And I noticed over the last couple weeks that Tuesday through Thursday tend to be my most productive sewing days.  And then by Friday, I feel like the house needs to be tended to again.  So I've decided that my schedule will go like this:

• Monday - Housework
• Tuesday - Sewing
• Wednesday - Sewing
• Thursday - Sewing/Computer work (Etsy updating, photographing new monsters, etc)
• Friday - Housework 

And these are not set in stone.  But I'm fining it helpful to have a rough outline.  For example, I am babysitting kids for two different friends tomorrow (Tuesday).  One set I'm watching in the morning, and the other set I am watching in the evening, so I will most likely not get much sewing done tomorrow.  But I love my friends and want to help them out. That is the joy of working for myself at home (well, and having my husband's income to support us!). 

A scented candle also helps motivate me when I'm cleaning!  "Mulled Cider" makes me feel cozy and domestic!

Cat Calendar?

I feel like I could do a calendar with all pictures of Terra. She's such a photogenic cat!

Babysitting Hijinks: Sidewalk Chalk Photo Fun

I had a ridiculous amount of fun yesterday taking these pictures while babysitting my friend's kids! 

I had brought some art supplies and sidewalk chalk to do an art project with the kids.  After they'd done their projects, they wanted to play outside, so I let them use the sidewalk chalk on the patio.  All of a sudden, I remembered this idea I'd seen on Pinterest that I've always wanted to try.  So I started drawing some balloons and called the kids over and explained what I was doing and told one of them to lay on the ground and act like they were holding the balloons. Of course, after that, everyone wanted a turn!

Oh no! He's floating awaaaaay!  

 

I didn't even need a ladder, since they have a small back deck overlooking the patio that was perfect for me to stand on to get these overhead shots.

But I couldn't stop with the balloons!  We made the kids into flying superheros next!

He got a little bit of chalk on his butt while he was trying to get into position!

This girl is going to be a model.  Look at her looking into the camera with that cheeky little smirk!  

Laurel couldn't quite get the idea that she needed to lay on her side.  But it's okay... she's 3, and it's still cute!

I wish I could have done one with their 5 month old baby brother to complete the set, but he's still nursing and was out with mom and dad on their dinner date for their 13th anniversary!

Behind the scenes.  Eli decided to color in the balloons.  It looks like Lula is letting go of the balloons and falling!

Unofficial Homeschool Art Class: Bubble Drawings

I did this project with my friend's kids while I was babysitting them last night.  I was inspired by this blog post I found via Pinterest.

Top: Elijah (age 9), Lula (age 5), Laurel (age 3)
Bottom: Carlie (age 7), Liam (age 8), Kira (age 32)

The blog post said they did it with oil pastels.  I decided we'd try to experiment with different mediums and see which one worked best.  We tried crayons, chalk, and the oil pastels... and I see why the original blogger chose oil pastels, because those ended up working the best.

I've kind of decided I'm not going to be doing an official homeschool art class this year.  I want a bit of a break.  But I'm also giving myself the choice to change my mind later.  Who knows, I may get the itch later in the year.  So if I do end up doing art class at all, I definitely will be using this project in a lesson.  It's a good way to teach about reflection and transparency.  And we'd use nice black cardstock instead of the black gel-pen notebook paper!

Brainery Spectacular TODAY!

I'll have a booth at the mini Brainery Bazaar at the Brainery Spectacular today, 5pm-9pm, 1050 East Ave in Rochester. (There will be a free Yoga On The Lawn class at 6:30~7:30 pm! Bring your yoga mat!)