I hope you don't mind but today's post is not going to have any pretty photos, client design work or inspiring decorating tips…..oh, who are we kidding, I haven't been very good at delivering on any of that lately. Life has been busy….but I am not arrogant enough to think mine is any busier than yours……I just seem to be having a hard time managing all the balls I am trying to juggle. I'd like it to be different but I am grappling with managing my priorities {family, friends, work} with all the other things that creep in {sick kids, unanticipated household repairs, saying 'yes' to things I should have said 'no thank you' to}. I imagine you too wrestle with the constant push and pulls that inevitably make up this crazy, wonderful life.
I have lots of thoughts swirling around in my head this morning, a 'to-do' list a mile long, dirty dishes piled in the sink - so what better way than to begin my day by spilling it all out here, right?
Here I go…...
* My two days at Wishbone Home & Design was many things…….mainly humbling - so many blog readers, friends and Instagram followers came out to see me and shop at Wishbone! The days were really like one big social hour in the shop! So many design enthusiast's in one place was heartwarming! I was honored to be included and look forward to doing it again! Thank you to everyone who showed up for me - I don't think I will ever be able to adequately express how much it meant to know that you made the trip, took time out of your day, to see me!
* Fall is just busy! You think that when the kids go back to school you are going to get oodles of hours to spend as you please - no work interruptions, cleaning out those closets, meeting a friend for coffee……but gosh, I am just not feeling it……We are loaded with sports obligations this fall - which is fun, but keeps me in my car many more hours than I care to count.
* I have a sixteen year old who is learning to drive and my friends keep telling me how nice it will be to have her driving but I am not convinced, is that weird? Does it make me a totally crazy mom when I admit that I am not that excited to hand car keys over to my precious, newly licensed 16 year old who I love with all my heart? She is already not around much with school/sports/social life……our car time is good for important conversations, appreciating her goofy personality and caring soul…..I don't want to let it go…..yet.
* Speaking of 16 year old {and 12 year olds}….parenting is not for the faint of heart - and just when you think you have it down, BAM! a new issue creeps up. I have to say, I LOVE the teen years. I never thought I would say that - when my girls were little the thought of having teenagers scared the hell out of me, but here I am admitting I love it. But don't get me wrong - the issues that face teens are BIG ones - their choices can be life altering, life changing……I recently learned that a friend's teen is not making the best choices and I am struggling with what to do with the information….The information was second-hand but from multiple sources……do I tell the parents? Might they already know? Is it MY business? I know, I would want to know and would appreciate someone telling me if my child was making poor choices but not everyone feels the same…..Advice, wise readers?
* Oh - 7th grade…..why do you have so much girl drama????? I swear it's the worst. Hormonal 12 year olds all trying to figure it out…..seems they all 'try-on' the mean girl persona at some point and my girl is in the thick of all of it…….I can just do my best to listen to her frustrations, offer advice and pray that she is not dishing it out!
* Design clients - I appreciate your patience with me…..for many reasons. It's been nearly two years since I took the leap and started my own design biz and I am still learning and adjusting how and why I do what I do……And you keep coming back and seeking my advice and hiring me! I never take it for granted and being SO busy is a blessing but sometimes the guilt of not being able to meet your needs quicker, with more efficiency is overwhelming……I am feeling it today. So if I owe you an email, a call…..please be patient with me, I am working in my office today and you should hear from me soon!
* I am hosting my first Noonday party on Friday! It's something I have wanted to do for a long time…..but I am feeling the pressure {self imposed, of course} of making my home and the event 'perfect'……yuck! However, I am aware that when you decorate other's homes for a living, there is an expectation……one, my imperfect home may not meet…..and I am getting more and more ok with that. So, if you are coming on Friday you are going to see real life and all my undone/half-done projects…..BUT, we are going to have a good time shopping for a great cause! If you are local and not a murderer and interested in coming, please email me at jillbeth@aol.com…..I'm serious.
Thanks for listening….now it's your turn, what's on your mind? Spill it.
I have lots of thoughts swirling around in my head this morning, a 'to-do' list a mile long, dirty dishes piled in the sink - so what better way than to begin my day by spilling it all out here, right?
Here I go…...
* My two days at Wishbone Home & Design was many things…….mainly humbling - so many blog readers, friends and Instagram followers came out to see me and shop at Wishbone! The days were really like one big social hour in the shop! So many design enthusiast's in one place was heartwarming! I was honored to be included and look forward to doing it again! Thank you to everyone who showed up for me - I don't think I will ever be able to adequately express how much it meant to know that you made the trip, took time out of your day, to see me!
* Fall is just busy! You think that when the kids go back to school you are going to get oodles of hours to spend as you please - no work interruptions, cleaning out those closets, meeting a friend for coffee……but gosh, I am just not feeling it……We are loaded with sports obligations this fall - which is fun, but keeps me in my car many more hours than I care to count.
* I have a sixteen year old who is learning to drive and my friends keep telling me how nice it will be to have her driving but I am not convinced, is that weird? Does it make me a totally crazy mom when I admit that I am not that excited to hand car keys over to my precious, newly licensed 16 year old who I love with all my heart? She is already not around much with school/sports/social life……our car time is good for important conversations, appreciating her goofy personality and caring soul…..I don't want to let it go…..yet.
* Speaking of 16 year old {and 12 year olds}….parenting is not for the faint of heart - and just when you think you have it down, BAM! a new issue creeps up. I have to say, I LOVE the teen years. I never thought I would say that - when my girls were little the thought of having teenagers scared the hell out of me, but here I am admitting I love it. But don't get me wrong - the issues that face teens are BIG ones - their choices can be life altering, life changing……I recently learned that a friend's teen is not making the best choices and I am struggling with what to do with the information….The information was second-hand but from multiple sources……do I tell the parents? Might they already know? Is it MY business? I know, I would want to know and would appreciate someone telling me if my child was making poor choices but not everyone feels the same…..Advice, wise readers?
* Oh - 7th grade…..why do you have so much girl drama????? I swear it's the worst. Hormonal 12 year olds all trying to figure it out…..seems they all 'try-on' the mean girl persona at some point and my girl is in the thick of all of it…….I can just do my best to listen to her frustrations, offer advice and pray that she is not dishing it out!
* Design clients - I appreciate your patience with me…..for many reasons. It's been nearly two years since I took the leap and started my own design biz and I am still learning and adjusting how and why I do what I do……And you keep coming back and seeking my advice and hiring me! I never take it for granted and being SO busy is a blessing but sometimes the guilt of not being able to meet your needs quicker, with more efficiency is overwhelming……I am feeling it today. So if I owe you an email, a call…..please be patient with me, I am working in my office today and you should hear from me soon!
* I am hosting my first Noonday party on Friday! It's something I have wanted to do for a long time…..but I am feeling the pressure {self imposed, of course} of making my home and the event 'perfect'……yuck! However, I am aware that when you decorate other's homes for a living, there is an expectation……one, my imperfect home may not meet…..and I am getting more and more ok with that. So, if you are coming on Friday you are going to see real life and all my undone/half-done projects…..BUT, we are going to have a good time shopping for a great cause! If you are local and not a murderer and interested in coming, please email me at jillbeth@aol.com…..I'm serious.
Thanks for listening….now it's your turn, what's on your mind? Spill it.
Posts
Oh Jill, you are so not alone!
ReplyDeleteHeres an idea on the friends/parents thing. Our kids run with a pretty tight circle. All the parents pretty much know each other. We agreed to tell each other everything. We {although I have yet to go} have formed a moms {or dads} group that meets once every couple months to talk about our kids and any gossip we may hear. It's not to call kids out or point fingers, it's just so we are all aware that suzy q has taken up smoking pot, or whatever. In that case, all the parents can hide their pot when Suzy Q comes over. Totally kidding of course, but you get the point.
Have an extra glass of wine for me tonight friend, you are a great mama! xoxo
I have always said that there is nothing scarier in life then when your teenager gets their license. It is so hard to watch them drive away. Kind of like little birds that are learing to fly from the nest. But before you get too sad, soon you will be told by your teenage driver that YOU don't know how to drive. Yep, it'll happen. In regards to your friends teenager, if this is a very very close friend I would say something, otherwise I'd stay out of it but make sure your teenager knows the consequences of being friends with this person. I'm sure the parents know what's going on and may or may not want to face it yet. I tell my two even know that they're in their 20's that they need to always be careful when hanging out with these people. I explained the term "accessory to the crime" over and over again. You are so right, being a parent is not an easy task and definitely not the cute Norman Rockwell painting I had in my mind. i'm blessed to have a couple of great 20 somethings but we had our moments!
ReplyDeleteIf you're not a murderer, lol. And Melaine cracked me up too.
ReplyDeleteSince we have girls the same age, I can totally relate. I am petrified to have my 15 1/2 year old drive.on.her.own! Not looking forward to it at all. As far as the telling a parent about the troubled teen, that's tough. Some parents would be happy to be told, others surprisingly angry and defensive. I don't know the right answer, I guess you have to go with your gut.
Hang in there. :) and cheers to that glass of wine.
Oh boy, tricky issue. I am not sure I would appreciate the "gossip" from the kids coming back to me via a parent/friend. I know that may seem strange but I think there is a lot to consider. (slightly twisted, out of context etc. etc.) Personally, I would encourage my children to encourage their friend to talk with their parents. Obviously if you are being given the information second hand then your own children place a great deal of trust and value your opinion. Certainly there are degrees of situations that we hear about that make our decision to spill the beans to the other parent all that more obvious but it can bite back if you are not careful. I was once approached by parents who told me that there were some issues being discussed about something my son was 'apparently" doing. Anyway, without getting into details it blew up into a huge ordeal that really never needed to happen. One of those, he said, she said kind of situations. I felt terrible at the end of it and although I was the one "being told", the individual telling me did not have their facts straight which threw me into questioning if I now needed to "tell them" what their son had done. Oh boy...all this to say, I was glad when that was over and was able to move on.
ReplyDeleteI can so relate with everything you're spilling this morning- back-to-school just equaled back-in-the-car, how do I keep all the balls in the air?- especially when my kids keep throwing more for me to juggle? I have 15 and 12 yr old boys- so similar to you, but different gender- is it any easier? I have no idea. The oldest is a raging hormone and adrenaline junkie. I seriously think that if we get through high school and he's still alive we are successful. But don't get me wrong- I'm with you on loving the teen years- I am blown away by some of the talks we have and the talents that get uncovered. It's just as much a roller coaster for us parents as it is for them!
ReplyDeleteHad to laugh at "all the extra
ReplyDeletetime" when school starts. I've
thought that for the last decade,
but it never happens, because
life doesn't stop happening! The
important things, like cream, rise
to the top and seem to get dealt
with, though, as I'm sure they do
for you.....
My nearly 16 year old gets his
license in 22 days. I'll miss our
drives together, discussing current
events and laughing about stuff--
not generally the current events,
but just random things : )
Your energy is amazing and
inspiring ~ you do so much!
xo Suzanne
My daughter is almost 16 and I SO identify with not wanting to see her drive off on her own!! As far as telling other parents of your daughter's friend what you hear or read on social media or whatever, I say, tell them. We had a situation in our community where a girl was making many poor choices and even posting them on social media. She was writing disturbing things (I only know all this AFTER the fact, my daughter is not at the school where this happened, nor did she know the girl or any of her friends) and nobody alerted her parents. The girl committed suicide. Devastating her family and friends. People wanted to "stay out of it" thinking her parents somehow had to know what was going on, but unfortunately, they did not know. By the time they found out, it was too late.
ReplyDeleteMy son has had his license since January, but I still find ways to get him in the car with me, where we do a lot of chatting. Although, I admit, sometimes there is a coffee or smoothie in it for him. Well, that is the way I get him to go to antique stores with me. Ha ha!
ReplyDeleteInterestingly, I have found that he doesn't drive around that much- the high school is 5 minutes away, and with technology the way it is he doesn't seem to have the need to go all over the place socializing, like we did when we were younger. And the fact that both my kids are at the same school this year, and I don't have to drive at all? Fabulous.
girl i'm right there with you! seriously my stomach hurts just thinking about it. i'm not sure what i'd do with that information. that's a hard one. pray!
ReplyDelete