Author Archives: MomofCurt

Back in the saddle

I’ve been MIA this summer due to vacations, business trips, and baseball. School has started and I completed my last long trip until Fall Break. This means I get to resume some normal activities and get back to work on my Project Life album.

I am still learning, but I learned a lot about myself. I love taking a picture every day. I may miss a day here and there, but I love recording my life through pictures. I love pictures because they are the visual evidence of my memories. They help me remember people, places, moments, and feelings.

I am still journaling every day through Oh Life! If you haven’t tried it, I highly recommend it. I continue using my Erin Condren Life Planner and I already have my planner for next year. Between my Oh Life! entries and my planner entries, I have everything I need to journal in my Project Life album. Why is this so important? Journaling has always been my hang-up when scrapbooking. This way it is done every day and it helps me remember the themes of our lives.

Something else that has changed this year, pictures of me. I don’t like pictures of me (I am my own worst critic). When scrapbooking trips and events and I wasn’t present, that was a problem. If I am going through the process of preserving my family’s memories, I should be visible. I want my son to remember what I looked like, even if I do not fall into the American ideal of beauty.

I watched Becky Higgins Project Life series on Creative Live. I have to say it is worth every penny. I’ve tried a few storage methods, but I haven’t found the one that works for me. I tried putting all my cards in my Raskog cart, but I quickly ran out of space. I tried keeping all my kits in their boxes, which was great when I worked on my album on the go. I want the best of both worlds. I want to have all my cards together, regardless of kit. I want to be able to take my cards on the road if I want to work on my album. I want to travel with my Project Life supplies in one bag, no more. If it takes more than one bag, then I’ve lost the simplicity of the system.

So my new method is to containerize all my Project Life cards in like containers. The duplicates of cards will be placed in another container for when I travel with my supplies. I will update further with pictures and evaluation of the new process. I will also include photos.

What I love about Project Life, I was able to work on my album at a small round table at Starbucks while waiting for the boys. I was able to record memories in a simple, beautiful format. What is most important is that it is done and I love the result. I can now show this album to my husband and son and they can see what we have done this year!

Summer fun and memory making

Today was Curtis’ last day of school. His last baseball game was Saturday. What does this mean, we don’t have anything scheduled for the next six weeks! So what am I gonna do with my new found time, I am going to document our life of the last three months. The last opportunity I had to work on my Project Life album was mid March. Since that time, I’ve been busy collecting memories.

I started watching Becky Higgins Project Life Course on Creative Live. Though pricey, I’ve learned a lot through the video series. I am still a newbie when it comes to Project Life, but I did learn one thing from this course, I was making it too difficult. The beauty of the album is, life is documented. The beauty is in the completion and the memories. I love traditional scrapbooking and my personal style is simple and balanced. I prefer my scrapbook pages to accent my photos; I don’t want the design of the page seen as the focus of the page.

One of the things that resonated with me when I watched the Project Life Course on Creative Live, is work in batches. I do this when I scrapbook, so I’m not sure why I didn’t start this with my Project Life album. So now I have started working in batches, which is my natural work flow.

First step, clean up my office from the spring chaos. Slightly reorganize my Project Life supplies in a method that will work for me. Even though I have a beautiful space for me to create, I want to be with my boys. So I need to make sure that I can take my supplies with me anywhere so I can be with my boys. What do I need to travel, my album, pages, photos, a core kit, and a pen. All of this will fit into a small bag when I’m gone for the weekend, or on the table in our living room when the boys play games. I have a beautiful room full of toys, but my family is my inspiration.

So in the last week, I have completed all of my week cards of journaling up to this week. I accomplish this by my daily e-mail to Oh Life! I export these entries into a Word document, then I make a 4×6 card for each week. This is how I am able to fully document our life. I’ve printed a few pictures to fill in gaps. I know what time-frame of pictures I still need to print. I’ve completed a few journaling cards in my album. With each page I complete, I am a little more excited about this life that I am living and the memories I will keep.

 

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A fresh focus

As many of us do, I have a stressful job. My job consumes much of my time, much of my thoughts, and a lot of my heart. A year ago April, I was burned out, emotionally fatigue on the verge of emotional death. I attended many sessions about compassion fatigue at many seminars that I attended. Last April, one of the speakers did not just talk about how to fix compassion fatigue. She did not speak on what compassion fatigue was. What she really talked about, what compassion fatigue did. While the emotional exhaustion was affecting me at work, I was concerned the effect it was having on my life and my family.

I knew I had compassion fatigue, for there was no doubt. Why did this speaker touch me? I think because as I heard her speak, I felt that it could have been me giving the same story at that front of the room. In that moment, I didn’t want to be that speaker. I don’t want to be that woman. So, I decided to do something that felt incredibly selfish and I was going to take care of me. Professionally, I take care of other people. That is what I do and I am really good at it. Unfortunately, when I got home, I wasn’t able to take care of my family. I didn’t have any serious health conditions, but if I continued my lifestyle of self-neglect, within five years I am sure I would.

The new me, a three step approach: Say no, exercise, and Bible Study. I like to help people, it is why I chose the profession that I chose. Saying no is not easy for me, but I’ve been practicing that for two years and I’m getting a lot better. I slip now and then, but I need to remember that I am choosing what is important. Because I can do “everything” doesn’t mean I should, so I don’t. Exercise, difficult for me because years of self-neglect had left me in poor physical shape. I will never be thin. I haven’t been thin since I was five years old. I look at my family, and I realize that genetically, I was not made to be thin. But despite my extra curves, I can still be healthy. So I started going to the gym on a regular basis. The transformation that occurred there can be its own post, but regular exercise is a must for a healthy mental state for me. Bible Study. Really, that is all that needs stated. However, I need to expand. I do not cognitively remember not believing in God. About five years ago I was faced with the question “Do you believe God?” I don’t think I did. So through this Bible Study I have gotten to know who God is. I am passionate about this God of love. When you learn who God is and what He does and continues to do, I am shocked people don’t want to experience this. Though like most people, until I took the time to study the Bible, study in community with others about the Bible, and through the guidance of an excellent teacher, I have finally learned WHO God is. I used to think the Old Testament was irrelevant since I believed in Jesus. The Old Testament was just history to me. While studying the New Testament, we had to look back at the Old Testament. In these years of Bible Study, what have I learned? God always was and always will be. Over 2000 years later, people have not changed an God has not changed. We have the same struggles today that the people of the church experienced 2000 years ago. God is still with us and He guides us.

I am a control freak with OCD. I cannot begin to say how difficult this makes life when trying to be a follower of Jesus. Those precious moments that I am able to put myself aside and let go of perfection, I get to experience peace, real peace. It is a state of being that is addictive. It is an experience that I wish for all of humanity. I think our world today would be a very different world if everyone had a taste of this peace. I am not an adrenaline junky, I haven’t been drunk, and I haven’t tried drugs. But I imagine the state of peace would be so addictive that no one would consider those self-destructive escapes from reality.

Last year was not an easy year for me. As a matter of fact it is the most difficult year I have experienced in my life. The what doesn’t matter. I will say I experienced a fear like I’ve never experienced. I experienced hurt like I didn’t think was possible. I experienced anger that threatened to consume. This was not one episode. Nope, this was an entire year. So how does a person near emotional death experiencing significant emotional trauma get out of bed in the morning? God!

God is the reason I am alive today to tell this story. However, if I had not started the work through regular exercise, saying “No!”, and learning who God was, I would not be here as a living testimony. Am I 100%? Nope. Is that okay? Yep. I take each day at a time and I thank God for each one. My boys are my priority and I’ve decided my actions need to reflect my priorities. If my actions don’t reflect my priorities, then my statements mean nothing. I still exercise, though I am not able to get to the gym as frequently as I like. I have set a goal for myself of 10,000 steps a day. If I have to walk circles around my table to accomplish this goal, so be it. Do I still see taking care of myself as selfish. Nope. I have to take care of my temple before I can take care of others. So mind, body, and spirt is my first job. Loving my family and taking care of my patients come after I have taken care of me. I haven’t asked my family, or my patients if I am doing a better job of taking care of them. I do know my perception has changed, and that has changed everything.

So while living life and recording memories is the goal of my life, I would not have a happy life to share without taking care of me. My ultimate goal, when people look at me that see Jesus. I don’t want to do what Jesus did. I want to do what Danyel does while being the hands and feet of Jesus on Earth.

What I love about Project Life

This winter has been harsh.  As a matter of fact, it is the worst winter I can cognitively remember in Indiana.  In Indiana, we have snow and we have cold, but I don’t recall it every being constant for the duration of winter.  Typically we will have a few days of “bad” weather, then it is in the 40’s again.  This year I am done with this weather.  I have become sluggish and unproductive the last few months.  Which is rather disappointing since I have been in the house more and our schedule has been less hectic.  Although I’ve accomplished something I’ve never accomplished before.

Today I did seven weeks in my Project Life album (see above to explain why I got “behind” so quickly).  What I’ve never done before is I have documented our life through March 1, 2014.  I’ve captured the details of our life, and for once in my scrapbooks, I exist.  I would make a guest appearance now and then in my scrapbooks of years past, but now my son will have something to remember me by when I am gone.  I am able to look on this year and recall my thoughts and feelings as I live each day and I feel that even though I’ve been less productive, I will be able to remember my life, not just events or moments, but the mundane, daily activities and how much my daily life means to me.

Project Life is new to me this year.  Last year I read, looked at ideas on Pinterest, and bought the Cinnamon edition by Becky Higgins.  What I love about having coordinated pieces is when I have a blank spot, I have coordinating thoughts and cards to quickly fill blank spaces.  I can make the blank spaces “white” space, journaling, or include a thought about the page.  All the colors match and coordinate, no thinking on my part.  Someday I may go back and add a few personal details, but if someday never comes, I have a pretty cool album documenting our life in 2014.

 

Long winter, looking forward to summer

Typically I like the winter.  I wouldn’t say winter is my favorite season, but isn’t my least favorite.  Living in Indiana I have the joy of all four seasons.  If you made me pick my least favorite season, it would actually be summer.  I don’t like temps above 90 and I HATE bugs.  This long winter and 6 weeks of constant white has made me look forward to summer.

So today, while sitting indoors, again, I planned next week, fall break, house projects, and our outdoor living space.  I used my Erin Condren planner to plan each week.  I sit down each Sunday, armed with pens and my planner and think about my upcoming week.  On Sunday I think about what needs to be done, where we need to be, what we will eat, and what I need to buy.  By planning ahead, we eat at home more because my meal plan looks at our schedule.  Everything is on one page, so I feel better prepared for the week ahead.

The fun part of my planner are the lists that I make at the back.  I am constantly thinking and if I don’t write things down, I don’t sleep.  So, I make lists.  I make lists for everything, but once it is on a list, it isn’t rolling around my head keeping me awake.  So as I was helping my husband move snow outside, I was daydreaming about what we would do this summer when in was warmer.  I want this to be the year we finally make an outdoor living space.  We have talked about it for years, but our schedule has always interfered.  To accomplish any goal, you have to make a plan.  So, I made a plan.  Of course my plan is in the form of a list.

We are planning on Fall Break being our main vacation this year.  We’ve considered Disney, and it is still an option.  However, we want to consider other ideas.  We’ve considered flying this year, but I wondered how the drive would be different if we made the drive part of the trip.  If we picked out two different locations there and back, planning to drive about six hours each day, the drive could be fun.  Normally I love green, trees, and nature.  This year, I’m in the mood for the beach.  We had so much fun in Myrtle Beach last year, but it was a little cool.  We haven’t taken Curtis to the gulf side of Florida yet, so that is an option.  I’m not sure what we will do, but I have a list to write down my ideas.  The bonus, the thoughts are out of my head and now I have a head start on planning our vacation.

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My first page completed

I am excited!  I just finished my first page for Project Life 2014.  It was easy, simple, and fun.  Now this is just one page, but I like having the pressure removed of having everything perfect.  I like the kit knowing that the colors match and I don’t have to think.

My Process: Planning

I used a variety of tools to make the page easy to complete.  My iPhone and iPad were my main tools.  I also had help from an awesome service called Oh Life! (https://ohlife.com).  If you haven’t tried it, once you register, they send you an email every day.  Recording daily memories are as simple as replying to the email.  I like the app Momento to gather memories for Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram too.  Now that my memories are recorded, journaling my week is simple and mostly done.  The next app I use is Project 365.  Although my Project Life album isn’t Project 365, this app helps me keep my memories chronological so I can look at a glance.  Finally, I used Marcy Penner’s planner pages (http://www.marcypenner.com).  Using the app Over, I type pictures and journaling I want to incorporate into my layout.

 

My Process: Assembly

I used the app Pic Jointer to make chosen pictures 3×4 and printed them at home.  I then inserted pictures into my pocket page leaving a space to denote the week.  I know this will be stressful for some, but I am not dictating at this time if I use one page for a week or three.  I thought I would let life dictate how many pages I use each week.  I do like the week in review cards that I have seen many people do on Pinterest.  So my upper left pocket was devoted to the week.  My lower right pocket was devoted to my week in review.  This week I made a 6×4 card on my computer.  I copied my journaling from Oh Life! for that week and pasted it onto the card.  Voila! A little formatting, and now my journaling for the week is complete.

 

New Year, New Project

I don’t make resolutions.  It isn’t that I disagree with them, I just make change when I am ready to make change.  So why did I wait until January 1st to start a new project?  Well, it isn’t really a new project, it is an old project done in an new way.  I have scrapbooked since I was in high school in the early 90’s.  Since my son was born in 2002, I have done a yearly album.  I like traditional scrapbooking and I don’t think that will change.  However, I like the idea of a new way to document our everyday lives, not just the events of the year.

Project Life has been around several years, but 2014 will be my first Project Life album.  I like the idea of working on my album a week at a time.  I am not committing myself to recording a picture a day (though I have done Project 365 for three years).  I plan to look at my pictures taken for a week and select the ones that represent our lives.  I like the simplicity of Project Life.  It is just pictures and journaling when I am short on time.  I can add embellishments when I need to express my creativity.

My Erin Condren Life Planner will be my main tool for my Project Life album.  There are several apps I plan to use as tools as well, and I will probably write about those later.  I’ve used my planner for three weeks, and even if I wasn’t doing Project Life, I’m in love.  I used the calendar at the beginning of the month to write down our monthly schedule.  The weekly pages I use as a journal, meal planner, goal list.  Sundays I sit down and write out the meal plan for the week.  I am not strict about my meal plan.  Sometimes life gets busy, or my desire for a particular meal changes.  If this happens, I cross out the anticipated meal, and write in the actual meal.  The list to the side I use to write my goals for the week.  The the calendar section of the week I use to write down happenings of the day.

When I would scrapbook before, I had my Vera Bradley agenda at my side.  I kept the monthly calendar of each year in a larger binder.  When I scrapbook, I have the dates for the special events we attended.  I also journal and have for years, so my journal is also at my side to help refresh my memory on emotions and atmosphere.  I am excited about one book on my desk when I scrapbook.

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My own personal bully

I read a post by HandsFreeMama earlier this week about the bully close to home.  I realized as I read her story, I am my own personal bully.  I bully myself in believing perfection is possible.  It is difficult for me to not be the best in all things, so when I decided to take it easy this Christmas, I’ve had a difficult time forgiving myself.

I love Christmas and everything that involves Christmas.  However this year Christmas is different.  Don’t get me wrong, I still love the decorations, food, and music that celebrates the precious gift of Jesus.  This year I am not doing all of these things.  I have a tree, but it is a small tree.  I normally decorate a tree in several rooms of my house, each worthy to be displayed in Macy’s.  Each room is fully decorated with a theme for each room.  I am still baking, but I am fine with the simple snickerdoodles.  I still enjoy listening to the Christmas music, but I’m not singing in the choir.

After reading this article, I am reminded that all of these activities are lovely, but they are not important if they separate me in anyway from  my boys (my husband and my son).  So instead of spending a weekend decorating, I am watching a movie with my boys.  Instead of choir practice I am catching up on the day.  Snickerdoodles are Jeremy’s favorite, so that is hardly a loss.

What I need to do, is give myself the permission to not be perfect.  I need to remember that it isn’t perfection Curtis will remember when he leaves our home, but how he felt when he was at home.

 

HandsFreeMama http://www.handsfreemama.com/2013/12/10/the-bully-too-close-to-home

Updated organized plan

I love my tech toys, but when it comes to organizing my day, I love paper.  The monthly calendar is the most important tool I use when planning my day to day life.  I need this to see what is going on in my life at a glance.  I love Easy Calendar for my iPad, but it still has not replaced paper.  

The past several years I have used the Vera Bradley agenda.  I love the agenda and I do not have any complaints or recommendations.  This year I decided to try something different.  I plan to start Project Life in 2014.  2013 is a year I would rather forget, so I have not done much memory keeping from this year.  Next year I want to start a new approach that records our every day lives.

After following several Project Life boards on Pinterest, I saw a repeated theme, using your planner to plan Project Life.  You use the planner as you normally would, to plan your life.  What is different, you use the weekly space to plan your Project Life layouts.  The planner used most often, Erin Condren.  So I decided to splurge and I purchased the Erin Condren Life Planner.  

My Erin Condren Life Planner arrived today.  I have been so anxious to receive it since it shipped.  So while waiting on my son during his Boy Scout meeting, I added the events I already have planned for next year.  I love the look and feel of the planner.  The fact it was designed for me makes me happy and the photo stickers just make me smile.  

My planner includes December 2013, so I am going to try and get my Project Life method down this month so I am ready to go next month.  I am excited about what 2014 has to offer.  I am looking forward to the memories to be made and the album that follows to be enjoyed.  

So as I work through this process, I will update more reviews about my planner and if it meets my needs.  I had originally made my planner for next year.  So at the end of 2014, I will write a final review of the Vera Bradley Agenda vs. homemade vs. Erin Condren Life Planner.

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Let it snow!

This weekend we had our first measurable snow of the year.  I don’t think anything beat the site that could be seen with the Eagles and Lions game in Philadelphia.  I don’t think the snow bowl could compare.

When I think of snow, I think of Christmas.  This year my approach to Christmas is very different.  I don’t have all the decorations out, my big tree is still in the attic, I’m not singing in the choir.  Though my public display of Christmas is very muted, I pray my internal display of Christmas glows.  Without the love and peace of God, I would not be here.  My very existence depends on the presence and movement of God.