Day 13 ~ Breaking the Night Owl

Tonight I thought I would try to relax for a change. No cleaning, no working, no nothing!! I would like to tell you this relaxation was going to take place at a spa or a tropical island, but with my budget it will be held at home. My new thing for the day is relaxation and for once an early bedtime.

So you ask, "What is the big deal about going to bed early?" For me it is HUGE. Most people know I am a bit of a night owl. I rarely go to bed before 12 am and often am awake until 2 am. I cannot tell you the last time I was in bed before 11:30 pm. My problem is I have difficultly falling asleep at night and unfortunately regardless of the time I go to sleep, I am always up by 7:00 am at the latest. My children are all very early riser, Hailey often wakes up around 5:30 just like her father, and they are happy about waking up. I wake up tired every morning with one eyed halfway open and the other shut. I would be bold enough to say I bear a slight resemblance to Popeye. When I told my Mom that I was planning on being in bed by 9:30 pm she laughed at me. That is how bad I am about getting in bed early and getting rest. She laughed!!

It is funny, my husband can fall asleep in a matter of seconds, his head hits the pillow and he is out. I admit I have even timed him on how fast he would say something and then be sleep. His record is 30 seconds. Of course I had to wake up to say, "Hey it just took you 30 seconds to start snoring!" You can imagine how much he appreciated that one.

My goal for tonight was to try to relax early enough that when I did go to bed, I would sleep. We will see how that one works out. My plan is simple:
A quick chick flick
Hot tea or a cold beer
A hot bath with bubbles of course
Relaxing music
Bed time by 9:30
Wish me luck, I may wake up with a smile on my face or clenched teeth. My new thing for today is learning to relax and get some overdue sleep!

Day 12 ~ A New Boutique

Normally when I hear the word Boutique I think cute, sassy, unique and CHA CHING. When I see them a little voice goes off in my head, do not stop, do not shop, warning, warning! I wonder, will buying something there cost me my arm, my leg or both. I have driven by a little boutique everyday for a year with that warning in my head, today I ignored it and went in. I was glad I did.

I love shopping but these days with three kids I can’t decide which is more painful, a root canal or shopping with 3 little girls at the mall. My girls are sweet but you know the routine, stay close to the stroller, don’t touch that please, stop hiding in the clothes rack, please don’t be running in the store, we are inside so use your inside voice, stop messing with your sister! Today I had an hour to myself, well myself and my 2-year old co-pilot, and we headed to the local boutique in town I have heard so much about, but had not yet dared to enter. I had planned on going in and just looking. I love boutiques but quite often they are way out of my price range. With a tight budget, I rarely spend money on new clothes for myself, but I thought it would be fun to just look at the new fashions and styles.

I loved it! She had SO many cute things, many high end brands that I was sure were way out of my budget, but I was completely wrong. I was so surprised when I found her pricing to be very affordable. I even found the BEST jeans on sale (70 % off) that lifted and tucked in all the right spots. Is there anything better than finding an amazing deal? It is funny, it goes back to the simple idea that you don’t really know unless you try. All this time there has been a great little boutique that I have been passing by on my way to the mall, when I could have saved time and money by shopping locally. I plan on going back very soon! I tried something new today and not only did I find a cool shop, but now my new jeans have put my butt right back where it belongs!

Nikki Jane's Boutique
1505 Portland Rd (Hwy 99), Suite# 210
Newberg, Oregon 97132
503.538.2620
www.nikkijanes.com

Day 11 ~ Getting Organized

I once heard that your bedroom can be a reflection of your life. If that is the case then I am definitely in trouble. Day 11 included a day of cleaning and organizing my bedroom.

I walked around the house today picking up toys, tiding up things and realized something very strange. My girls rooms are organized, clothing neatly hung, toys in correct bins, but my room, my room looked like a bomb went off. I spend so much time picking up after everyone else, helping the girls with their rooms, I rarely have time to work on my room, my things. I love things organized, it is just the time it takes to get there is utterly painful. I wish I could just snap my finger and BOOM, everything would be put in its place. I love the commercial with Kelly Ripa where she walks around the house and throws things in the air and things magically go on hangers, in drawers, and are put away. Unfortunately in the real world that doesn't happen and organizing can take you alllllllll stinking day.

So..... that is what I did today, I completely reorganized my room and closet and made it soooooooo clean you could have taken a white hankie to it and not found an ounce of dust. I hear people talk about how cleaning is therapy, how they even enjoy it at times. Well, I am not one of those people. I love things clean and tidy but hate the process of it. I can not tell you how many times today I wanted to take a big trash bag and just throw it all away. I swear I was mumbling to myself the entire time, saying things I will not repeat. Once I was finished, it looked so beautiful! I felt like this weight was off my shoulders, and I was happy. All the work today, was worth it.

Note to self:
Do something fun tomorrow, cleaning sucks.

Day 10 - Movie Night with the Wild Six

My friend and I both have 3 girls and all our girls are under the age of seven. Every one of our girls have strong personalities and when we go places we feel like we just don't arrive, we seem to take over. Tonight I invited the girls over for a late night movie night, something we haven't yet attempted. So began my new thing for the day.


Tonight I had 6 girls on the couch, Madelynn 7, Madeline 7, Hailey 5, Margaret 4, Miriam 3, and Kyndall 2. They all got in their PJs, got their blankets, and parked it. They laughed and giggled together while shoveling handfuls full of popcorn in their mouth. If you think 6 teenage girls is loud, try 6 under the age of 7. They all talk to each other in one voice, loud, and each one gets louder with a new story to share. Their laugh though, it is almost contagious, and once one starts giggling, they all follow in a matter of seconds. My friend and I just sit and smile. We have learned so much from each other including the importance of patience and ear plugs. We love to sit and have a soda pop and laugh at how crazy our kids are.

Tonight my new thing was movie night with the wild six and although I have lost hearing in my left ear, we had a blast.

Day 9 - Secret Hideaway

I heard from so many people and in so many books that everyone should create a special spot in the home. A spot that brings them comfort, and joy. A Secret Hideaway where you can read, write, think, or even sketch. I finally created my own secret hideaway.

With three little girls, it seems as though they have taken over in most rooms. Of course I still claim the kitchen as mine, since I do most the cooking. My husband claims the garage, but can you blame him when he is out numbered 4 to 1? The truth is, you can find their little items scattered all over the house, and although our bedroom is our room, you can still find toys or clothing in there at some point during the week. I try to keep the house tidy, and I adore my wonderful children, but I figure it is about time that I had my own special space.



I created this spot in the corner of our office and put the things around me I love. My husbands grandmothers chair, my mothers beautiful settee she gave me this last year, a clock my father gave me for Christmas the year I got my first apartment, a picture we bought on our honeymoon in San Fransisco, a picture of our wedding day with our family, and also a picture soon to be filled of our beautiful little girls. Right above the chair sits a picture my brother got for me a few years back. It is tittled The Secret Hideaway. I felt is was so perfect, it was the finishing touch. What you don't see next to the chair are my special items. This includes my sketch books and pencils, my favorite magazines, my journal, and a book I have been wanting to read. I plan on spending 20 minutes in this spot everyday, even if the only thing I am hiding from is the children. (:

My something new today is my secret hideaway.

Day 8 - A Cup of Joe

I invited a new neighbor over for a cup of Joe and I made a new friend

When I was a child my mom would call her friends, or family and they would get together for a cup of Joe. They would sit around the table and talk about life, worries, happiness, and troubles. There was no problem a cup of Joe wouldn't fix and you can always get to know people over a cup of it.

Today I refer to my cup of Joe as coffee. I have this neighbor who lives down the street whom I have spoke to on occasion while getting the mail or in passing. I always thought she was so nice and funny and thought I would love to visit, so I would say "Lets have coffee." We always had good intentions, but it never seemed to work out. When running into her the other day I said, "Lets have coffee this Friday at my house." She agreed and today we sat and visited over a cup of coffee. I was so glad we did. I felt like I made a new friend. I had a great time getting to know her and sharing stories. It was almost like we had been friends for a long time.

There are so many things that come up in life, that we don't always take time for. There was a time when people knew all their neighbors by first name and considered themselves friends. I am happy to say that today I made a new friend on the block and I think this will not be the last time we talk over a cup of Joe.

Take time to get to know someone new. You'll be surprised at what a cup of Joe can do.

Day 7 - To the Moon or Bust

We flew to the moon tonight and had an amazing adventure.

I have had a Colormehouse rocket in my closet for 6 months waiting and saving it for a special day. The girls and I have colored the Colormehouse houses and LOVE them, but the rocket I was saving for a very special day. Today, today is that special day. In fact, every day is special. Why save things for another day, why not enjoy everyday and make every day count? You never know what will happen tomorrow.

With that I sent the girls upstairs to clean. You can imagine how happy they were about being sent to thier rooms to clean. You would have thought I sent them to scrub toilets and tubs with all the crying. When they went upstairs, I ran to the closet, got out our rocket, threw down a drop cloth, and set it up. Within 15 minutes they were asking to come down, rooms clean.

When they came down and saw the rocket, they all screamed, even Kyndall! We got out all our markers and starting drawing. The kids played in it all night and went to the moon several times laughing and screaming and giggling as little girls love to do. As they landed on the moon they would come out jumping up and down and then would head back to earth when they could no longer catch their breath. Kyndall kept yelling MORE! MORE!!

It brought me so much happiness to see them playing together and having so much fun. No TV, no Wii, just their creativity and their imagination leading the way. I plan on leaving this out for days and when it finally goes back in the closet it won't be there too long because I plan on taking many more adventures to the moon. We flew to the moon tonight and we had an amazing adventure!!!!