Can I have it all?

I started writing this blog post a few years ago.  The post has been edited minimally.  The sentiment still rings true today as it did 2 years ago.  

One of those rare moments.....the 4 of us at a Cub Scout Pack Event.

There was a blogger, Amy Glass, who created a huge "discussion" with her blog post,
 I Look Down On Young Women With Husbands And Kids And I’m Not Sorry.  At first, I was appalled by her snarky tone and "all about me" attitude.  I knew she was probably just trying to make a name for herself and to get noticed by insulting moms.  You want your name or company in the news.... Insult a mom.

The bigger picture here, is how my generation is told "YOU CAN HAVE IT ALL!!!  THE HUSBAND, KIDS, HOUSE, CAREER!"  Life is going to be be Pinterest-ingly perfect!  After working in a male dominated career for over 18 years, being married for 9 years, working with said spouse for 13, being a mom for almost 8 years...  I have "it all".  It takes one hell of a woman to juggle this life.  For those of us who work out of the home, we have help.  We have to.  My help is my hubby who is anal retentive about cleaning (score one for me).  My In-laws who come to our aid as child care givers and pick up whenever and wherever we leave off.  Friends who will text me to remind me of school issues and deadlines. 

I know I will have to make a decision within the next year or so about whether or not I should continue working at the rate I am.   It is not that I am overworked at my day-job, it is just life as a funeral director/embalmer with a funeral director/embalmer husband is a lot of juggling.  It is not a lifestyle for the weak.  Our life revolves around funeral service being number 1, hubby and I together are number 2, family number 3.  My issue is that my boys are now realizing that we don't make it to the school functions OR only one of us makes it.  The guilt is not from other parents or from someone telling me this is what I am expected to do.  The guilt is from the big blue or hazel  eyes looking at me asking, "You and daddy are going to be there, right?"  Most of the time I answer,  "Yes, just as long as the funeral home doesn't need us first."

Then, you have the stay at home moms.  All I have to say to anyone woman who does not have kids, you can not begin to fathom what being a stay at home mom entails.  That is why I work!  There will be a special place in heaven for the stay at home moms/dads.  The stay at home mom/dad is the cornerstone of most of the extracurricular activities that our kids will have.  If you are lucky, you have a stay at home mom/dad looking out for you!

The real, unedited picture:  As a woman,  you are fighting so many fronts for your identity and you are told you are supposed to fit into different molds depending who you are talking to.  Women just need to support each other.  PERIOD.

***When I originally wrote this, I was just a stressed out mom who worked.  Now, I am a Cub Scout Leader, too!!!  The juggling is worse, but more fulfilling.  Being involved with such a one-on-one family centered group has been awesome.  It makes me slow down (while at Scouts) and just be there for the boys. ***

Chnaged the title to my blog!

My Blog was titled:  KAB-beading, Babies and Hubby.

The title did not fit.  I am more than KABbeading.  My babies are now active little boys.  I never once blogged about my hubby.  I need a title that encompasses all the messy that is me!  And a theme that I can blog about anything and everything important to me.  So..... Here it is the new and improved KABbeading Blog Title:

My 100 Things to Do.

The basis of the blog will be on my 100 goals for 2016.  These goals cover every aspect of my discombobulated life!  I have a goal planner from 2014 that I never completed.  I am going back to the planner and completing it.  The planner asks for 100 goals for the year.

Here is my list of 100 Things to Do 2016!  I will BOLD when I complete a goal.
1.  Blog at least 1X/month
2.  Create a cleaning schedule (Boring....)
3.  Complete at least 1 round of the 21 Day Fix
4.  Give 10% to charity/church/good deeds
5.  Spend $10/month on advertising for my two businesses.   (Considering I spend $0, it is a start.)
6.  Purge clothes that no longer fit
7.  Donate said clothes
8.  Make it to the gym 1X/week in January  Big Fail
9.  Make it to the gym 2X/week in February
10.  Make it to the gym 3X/week in March
11.  Make it to the gym 4X/week in April
12.  Tip 100% at least once
13.  Make bed everyday (Yeah, right!)
14.  Shower 1 hour within waking (Yep... it's noon, still in PJ's!!!)
15.  Send out 1 general greeting card a week
16.  Get my Etsy shop back to 100 items.
17.  Spend 20 minutes a day on Etsy
18.  Try the Ben Franklin schedule
19.  Look up Random Acts of Kindness
20.  Pay off Hubby's car
21.  Get office studio cleaned and organised
22.  Keep office clean
23.  Cook a meal at least once a week  (Hubby does all the cooking)
24.  Wash and change all sheets on Sunday
25.  Plant flowers in the Spring
26.  Get my FB engagements up to 50/week
27.  Take the boys bowling
28.  Take the boys roller skating
29.  Purge all the boys old clothes
30.  Purge toys
31.  Eat breakfast everyday
32.  Make a budget
33.  Keep budget
34.  $1200 yearly sales for Bella Vintaj
35.  Drink alcoholic beverages only on days off/ weekends
36.  Lose 10 pounds by April
37.  Lose 20 pounds by August
38.  Eat more veggies
39.  Eat more fruits (my diet is pretty much all processed carbs....)
40.  No fast food (Funeral Director stand-by food source)
41.  Less soda, more water
42.  Drink 16 oz water/ day.  (I can go days with out drinking plain water.)
43.  Bring lunch to work
44.  Pray everyday
45.  Dust bedroom weekly
46.  Clean bathroom weekly
47.  Be better.
48.  Try not to eat after 10 PM
49.  Get Christmas cards out in 2016
50.  Call Dad once a week
51.  Write a thank you card to my HS Biology teacher
52.  Write a thank you card to my HS art teacher
53.  Have a dinner party
54.  knit a scarf and give it away
55.  Write more thank you notes
56.  Send monthly cards to Mom & Tom
57.  Send monthly cards to Dad & Linda
58.  Be positive
59.  Read to the boys everyday
60.  Bring work a treat a month
61.  Work on my listening skills
62.  Try not criticize
63.  Reply to emails and messages
64.  Take flowers to GG's grave in the spring/summer
65.  Donate blood regularly
66.  5 minute showers
67.  Have afternoon tea/ coffee dates
68.  Get a physical
69.  Get a passport
70.  Take the boys to a museum we have never been to
71.  Spend 24 hours secluded in nature
72.  Sing karaoke
73.  Try 12 new restaurants
74.  Go to a concert with the boys
75.  Take the boys apple picking
76.  Celebrate my half birthday!
77.  Create a jewelry piece that is based upon a goal
78.  Go see a play or musical with hubby
79.  Snuggle more
80.  Go to church every Sunday
81.  (private goal)
82.  Write a poem for hubby
83.  Do 5 things for my business a day
84.  Write a memoir for the boys
85.  Twitter more for business
86.  Learn about Google+
87.  Walk the Naperville Riverwalk with the boys
88.  Go tent camping with the boys
89.  Make something from a Craftsy Tutorial
90.  Buy a piano or full sized keyboard
91.  Bring Etsy Shop back to 125 views a month
92.  Get 25 Etsy Sales this year
93.  Participate in 2 craft/vendor fairs
94.  Take more walks
95.  Get Bikes for the boys  (I swear they are the only boys I know that have no interest in bike riding.)
96.  Get bike helmets for the boys
97.  Have a better Etsy year than 2012
98.  Give away all my Kindness Coins
99.  Go on a family vacation
100.  Give $1 to charity for any tasks not completed in 2016

I am reusing my planner from 2014 because I never finished it and I am trying to be frugal this year.

I am not as new-agey as Leonie Dawson, but I love her style.  She has a business planner and a life planner for 2016.  Check her out!

I was not compensated for this recommendation.  I just think she's fun, funky and someone to learn from!

Been out of the "Loop"

I feel so bad!  I let life fly by and stopped writing new posts!  I just looked today and saw some awesome feedback!  If I would have checked in, those comments would have helped keep me on track and in "the loop"!

Some of my feedback:

Very informative and interesting post.It is really a big help. Thank you so much for sharing it with us. Custom Beading Bead andTrim on Weekly Challenge 3: Use Tila Beads

Fantastic blog, Thanks for sharing. Keep posting like this.  Weekly Challenge 3: Use Tila Beads

I can not believe I have not wrote a new post in over 6 months!  I have learned a few new things and branched out a bit.  I now have a little more direction in my jewelry!

A little re-cap:  After Mother's Day, I went on a little creative hiatus.  I just felt spent.  I didn't make anything new until September.  I was getting ready for a craft show at my son's school.  I was bestowed a huge amount of handmade glass beads by Sarah Jane Fisher. 

 Anytime I make anything with one of Sarah's beads, the piece sells!!!  I utilized her beads, my new found love of messy wrap wire work, some Christmas themed odds and ends I have complied and had a very successful show  I even had another person selling jewelry ask me if I though my pieces were too "edgy" for the show!?!  I loved that question!  Me, edgy....?!?  I am a conservative funeral director!  And the show was at my son's Catholic School.  The funniest thing, after her asking me about my "edgy creations", our Priest's wife came over and bought 3 necklaces from me for Christmas presents!  ***Yes, our priest is married.***  I just wish I would have taken photographs of the necklaces.  I did not think all three would sell and I would have to photograph them for Etsy.  After the show, I took more time off of beading and jewelry design.

  

(My messy wrap ends and handmade necklace closure)

I am now ready to get back into it!  I have recently obtained my wholesale account with Vintaj Natural Brass and received my first order.  This weekend I actually created my first piece (but more on that in my next post!)  I also bought a Vintaj Big Big Kick Machine, Vintaj Patina Kit by Ranger and a whole bunch of Martha Stewart Jewelry Enamels and Jewelry Glaze (on clearance at Michaels).  The photo is of my first group of Vintaj Blanks that were run through the Big Kick with the Nouveau Roses Die and treated with the Vintaj Patina in Weathered Copper.

So many new items and techniques!  More to come!

30 DAY 30 ITEM VIDEO WRAP UP

I decided to make my 30 Day- 30 Item Challenge Wrap-up more fun!  

I created an awesome slide show showing the 12 items I did get created, photographed and listed!

Free slideshow design generated with Smilebox

Please watch and share!  I love Smilebox!  I am debating getting a subscription for the collage options!

As far as the number of listings, I am a little disappointed that I did not get at least 15 completed.

That would have brought my shop to 101 items.  

Between my "day job", household, kiddo's..... sometimes a game of CandyLand is more important.

SHE BELIEVED SHE COULD SO SHE DID.

She believed she could so she did.
I came across this quote a couple of weeks ago when I was making my Dry Erase Goal Sheets. (More on that later.) The quote is so simple. I have had a rough start this New Year. We have been busy at the office, so not much has been getting done at home. There is so much that needs to be attended to. I was going to have a pity party for myself, and then reality slaps me in the face.

My struggles are tiny compared to the struggles of others. I have been following a blog called “EBing a Mommy.” It is a narrative of the struggles a Mommy has caring for a toddler son that has a rare genetic disorder (explanation is at the end of this post.) Courtney (the mom) has unbelievable strength and grace in her writing. I know her days are hard and trying, but her posts are so calm and inspiring. Her little boy passed away this weekend. With extraordinary grace she wrote a small post to let everyone know. Her life has revolved around the constant care her son needed. I don’t know if I could have done all the things she did. SHE BELIEVED SHE COULD SO SHE DID.

There are struggles all around us. Some are very public. Some very private. My life is trying because I see the struggles every day. I get a bit numb. As a funeral director, every detail at work is important. At home, the details of running a household are not very important to me. But my children, family and home need to be as important as the families I serve. I need to work on me. I need to work on my goals. I need to be there for my family. I need to find pleasure in the small things. I need to slow down. We only do this once. There are no do-overs.

She believed she could so she did.

The information below is copied from http://www.debra.org/
Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) is a rare genetic disorder that is painful and can lead to disability, disfigurement & early death. There is no cure or treatment today. EB makes the skin so fragile that the slightest friction causes blisters and skin tears. The eyes, mouth, throat and other internal organs are also affected.