How Do You Do It- Part 4

It is Thursday again and it is time for another How Do You Do It Series. Today I would like to welcome Heather from Inspire Me Heather. 

Heather has an amazing blog, where she links up tutorials, diy projects and home improvements projects. She has so many wonderful links and there is so much great information on her blog. 

Heather has recently started a fabulous series, called 'What I like about your blog". It starts on the first of every month and you sign your blog up on her site and two different bloggers will give you their thoughts and opinions about the blog. Make sure you check it out. 

And here we go. 

What does a regular day look like for you?


I get up at 3 am (without an alarm clock) for my blogging and computer time. I sit with my coffee and have time to myself before the family wakes up. After hubby goes to work and I get our son to Elementary School, I head off to work. Most of my work is done by contract so I'm able to work in school hours at the office and any extra work I can do at home. I pick our son up from school everyday and we do stuff together- swimming and soccer and just hanging around at home. He's great helping me get the household chores and the yard work done. Then it's dinner and family time until bedtime and yeah, I go to bed early.

When do schedule time to work on the blog and write blog posts?


I have lot's of posts in draft and update them while surfing around. I do all my blog posts in the morning (but think about them all day!) and on the weekends lately I've been fiddling with the html of it all.

How do you and your husband reconnect?

Date nights! I sure would like to have them more often too. Oh well, we're both busy and spend a lot of time with our son as a family - and I think that's more important than anything.

Is there anything that you would like to change about how things are now?

Nope, not at all! We have a fabulous life, we work hard and play hard too. We both have great jobs that are very flexible and close to home and we are both into fixing up our old house - we've always got a project ( or two) on the go. We're just about to tackle a huge home reno project and that's so very exciting!

Do you have special 'me' time and do you find it important?

Oh yes, very important! I just love my alone time in the morning - it's a great way to start the day! It doesn't interfere with anyone too (except the night thing - I'm no good at staying up late). My husband helps me out as well, just as I help him out so he can get the stuff that is important to him done too. Once in a while, I run away for an hour or two of retail therapy at the second-hand shops.

What are your best time saving tips?

I write everything down - I keep a list of "to do's" for around the house and when I get time, we get it done. I also meal plan and budget for the week, so I know what groceries to pick up and what errands to run. That and I don't let any of the housework get behind, I do a little every day so it's never so bad that I would be embarrassed if anyone dropped by.

What advice do you have for other mother out there, who are raising children, working, blogging and looking for that balance that is hard to achieve?

Wow yeah, balance. Hmmm. I guess it's being organized and having priorities. I get all my blogging time in while my family is sleeping and all my work and errand time in while our son is at school and then after school I belong to my home and family. Sometimes it's a juggle and sometimes it overlaps but I would make up for it eventually and everybody (like, my employers) know that. There will never be enough time in the day to get everything done and I don't worry about it. I believe that if you want it, you can get it. Above all, I will not ever regret anything like watching my kid grow up, you will never get that time back!

Thank you so much for this interview Heather! 

How Do You Do It- Part 3

First of all, I would like to say Happy International Women's Day to all the women out there. You are remarkable, strong, unique, beautiful and stunning! Keep doing what you are doing!

This morning I came across a couple of quotes that I just loved and had to share with you.

"I have yet to hear a man ask for advice on how to combine marriage and a career." -Gloria Steinem

"God gave women intuition and femininity. Used properly, the combination easily jumbles the brain of any man I've ever met." -Farrah Fawcett

"If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman." -Margaret Thatcher


How Do You Do It - Part 3

For my How Do You Do It series today, I would like to welcome Shannon from 8FootSix. Shannon started her blog to write about her basement renovation and now writes about everything house related. She and her husband welcomed their second baby boy last year and I thought she would be perfect to share her everyday how to. Shannon lives with her husband and two boys in Toronto. Thank you so much for this Shannon!

My day, 14hrs, 14 photos, 14 words:
mess, dishes, nursing, play, lunch, chiropractor, outside, nap, new, dinner, Baba, poop, bath, blogs

Thank you once again for this! Especially, since you are such a busy lady with two little ones running around. I have one and he is keeping me on my toes every day. 

If you would like to read some of the other wonderful ladies that I interviewed, you can find them here and here. 

B

How Do You Do It Series- Part 2

Welcome back to my series called, 'How Do You Do It', where I interview women who blog and are mothers on how they manage it all. Last week, the lovely Carol, from Design Pages shared her day and some tips with us. You can read that post here.

And today, I have another fabulous blogger the wonderful Barbara from, Hodge Podge. 

Barbara is an incredibly talented lady, who has been working hard at making her house a home. She has been painting, sewing and giving old furniture pieces a new life. She has been featured on many different sites, such as Apartment Therapy, Style at Home, Babble, House of Fifty, Ikea Hackers to name a few. Barbara lives in British Columbia with her husband, three children and their gorgeous brown lab. 

-What does an average day look like for you?

My days are far from average! Each day differs, depends on if I work that day or not. With three teenagers, life is busy! I am usually up at 6:30, make lunches and breakfast. Once they head off to school I take our dog for a walk or run. Then I catch up on blogs and try to draft a post. The rest of the day consists of domestic duties; running errands, work on projects, etc. I also try to get a head start on dinner, as afterschool is what I call my “arsenic hours” because I am the family taxi driver!

-How do you manage/find the time to work and blog?

I work as a teacher-on-call so my work is flexible and I work when it suits our family’s schedule or if I want to buy a little something for the house, then I don’t feel so guilty because I earned it  I fit blogging in on the edges, in the mornings when I don’t work or at night when the house is somewhat tidy and everyone is settling down for the night. Blogging is an enjoyable hobby but it comes second to everything else. I try not to put pressure on myself or compare myself to uber bloggers. I write when I have something to say or when I have time. If this blog ever starts to bring in an income or that is a road I feel like taking, then I might devote more time. For now it is for fun! 

-When do you find time to 'hang out' with your kids? 

I “hang out” with my kids in the morning at breakfast, and then after school. We try to coordinate schedules so we can all sit down for dinner as a family. That is a priority, with everyone’s lives going in different directions, I feel it is important to have family meal to reconnect and to talk!

-When do you do projects and write up the posts?

I work on projects and write up posts during the day when they are at school or in the late evening when everything for the day is done and I can sit on the sofa to relax.

-How do you and your husband reconnect? And when?

Funny, if you could just see us on the sofa at night!! We sit beside each other, he on his iPad reading Twitter feeds, blogs and online newspapers and I on my laptop reading blogs, catching up on emails, blogging, etc. But on weekend mornings if we don’t have anything going on in the morning, we like to walk to Starbucks with the dog and talk along the way. Another bonus to having teenagers is we can go out for the evening and not have to find a babysitter, so we enjoy the occasional evening out when we aren’t exhausted!

-Do you have special 'me' time and do you find it important?

Yes, I find it incredibly important because an unhappy Mom just doesn’t do the family any good. My “me” time is when the kids are at school, and I am not at work, I just do what I love to do – create, sew, DIY, write blog posts, go for a run with the dog, meet up with a friend. Even going to school and teaching in various classrooms is “me” time. It is something I feel I am a natural at, something I enjoy, being a teacher. It is an identity that I have, when I am in a classroom, I am not “so and so’s mom” but I am me.

After all those years of sleepless nights, changing diapers, running after toddlers, taking kids to school, etc., I am loving the stage we are in, more time for “me”. I love getting reacquainted with who I really am and what I really love, which I am thrilled that blogging has created that outlet for me.

-If you could change anything about your present set up, what would it be?

I wish I could be a bit more organized. I try but I am really scatterbrained {just ask my family}. If I don’t write it down, I will forget it. That goes with blogging as well, I need to write my ideas, emails, posts I need to write or I will forget about it! 

-What are your best time saving tips?

Be more organized with your time { I am a fine one to talk!}  Write things down, schedule, and keep a daybook and a family calendar. I have one of those “Mom” calendars on the fridge where I write everything down, each child has a different colour so I can tell at a glance what is going on with every day with each child.

One thing I find really helps for time saving is to pre-plan meals ahead of time, that way I am not scrambling to make dinner last minute, it really is important on those days I work or when my afternoon is filled with various activities.

What I really hope to make for the kitchen is a chalkboard where I can write down the week at a glance and the meal for the day, that way everyone knows what is going on. 

-What advice do you have for other mothers out there, who are raising children, working, blogging and looking for that balance that is hard to achieve.

Schedule your time. Use a daybook to write out blocks of time that you need for the different parts of you day. Keep a daybook for your blog as well; it helps organize your thoughts and ideas. Sometimes that balance is hard to achieve so be flexible as well.

Don’t sweat it. Go with the flow. The more you fight it, the harder it is. Those sleepless nights will not last – trust me – teenagers SLEEP! Enjoy your time with your little ones, because time really flies. Our oldest graduates this year and my husband and my minds are spinning from the realization that they are slowly leaving. 

Treat motherhood like a job, not a burden. I look back on all those years {I make it seem like I am really old, but we started our family in our early, early 20’s} and all the sacrifices I made are so worth it. Now I have children that are soaring to fabulous heights, all because I put their well being first. But that being said, I also made sure that I found time for me, because you can’t be a good parent or spouse if you aren’t happy with you. The wonderful thing about my husband is we both have found our own interests and have encouraged each other along the way, so that we don’t get lost in parenthood and marriage but have strong sense of whom we are.

Thank you so much Barbara for participating in my series! You have some great advice and it seems that you have found what works for you. You are an inspiration to us! 

B

How Do You Do It Series

Today, I would like to introduce to you a little series that I am introducing here at A Crafty Bee. The series is called, "How Do You Do It", where mothers and bloggers will share with us, how they manage to do it all, blogging, motherhood, working, spouses. I have been so fortunate that some fabulous bloggers have agreed to participate in this series and want to thank them so much for this.

My first guest blogger is Carol, from Design Pages. A huge welcome and thank you to Carol, for agreeing to be a part of my little series. I have been admiring Carol for quite some time and always wondered how she managed to do it all. When she expressed interest in taking part of the series, I was so thrilled to see how she does it.

Here are some of Carol's tips on how she manages to run a business, be a mom to two kids and have a fulfilled and happy life. I am taking notes, Carol. Thank you so much for being part of this. B

Welcome Carol!

Carol is the writer and founder of the blog Design Pages, where she writes about her home decorating adventures, which include sewing, painting and diy projects. She is an interior designer and has been busy decorating her new home. She has been featured on numerous great blogs, such as Apartment Therapy, Design Sponge, Ikea Hackers, Centsational Girl and many more. Carol lives in Kelowna, British Columbia with her husband and two children. 

What does an average day look like for you?

An average day starts with a 7am wakeup.  Get the coffee going and then get my kids up for school.  Pack the lunches, make the breakfast and send them along.  I try to spend a bit of time afterwards blogging (whether it's planning my week or reading other blogs). Some form of exercise is next on the list.  I attend quite a few structured classes, but if there's nothing on that day, then I hit the pavement for a run. After a shower and lunch, I work on client projects or grab any groceries I need, chores that need to be done and head home to meet the kids.  We do homework and head off to after school activities.  Back home for dinner and then it's family hangout time before bed. 

How do you manage/find the time to work and blog?

This is for sure the most challenging issue in my day. If only I could be paid to blog :) If I have a lot of work, then the blog has to take a back seat.  I usually manage to get my posts up, but I won't be able to visit all the other blogs I normally like to. 

When do you find time to 'hang out' with your kids?

As the kids get older (they're now 13 and 10), they stay up later and later and this has helped in finding time to hang out together.  In the past, weekends were all about family, but now the kids want to hang out with friends more and more.  I usually encourage them to hang out at our place because then I can still feel like I'm part of the action. 

Do you have a babysitter or grandparents that help out?

We have less need for babysitters now that my son is 13. My mom has been a great help over the years in giving us time for adults only nights out or even week long vacations.  Last year, I took my husband to San Francisco for his birthday and my mom flew out to Vancouver from Toronto to stay with the kids. She's the best!

How do you and your husband reconnect? And when?

My husband I both work from home, so we do a lot of connecting during the day. We sometimes just take off during the day and go shopping or go for a walk or even just sit and have lunch together. It's really great actually. 

What are your best time saving tips?

I heard this advice years ago and think it has saved my sanity. "Only touch things once".  This means if you start something, finish it and then it's finished.  If I leave something and then have to complete it later, it makes me feel like I've done twice the work necessary.  I also like to get it off my list, so my mind isn't racing with half finished work.

What advice do you have for other mothers out there, who are raising children, working, blogging and looking for that balance that is hard to achieve. 

For me, balance is really about feeling content at the end of each day so do what is most important and leave the rest for another day.  Sometimes the kids have to know that you need to make work or blogging a priority and I don't think there's any need to feel guilty about that. Alternatively, sometimes blogging has to be put on the back burner.  I've always been really good about making some time for myself.  I think it makes me a better mother and wife, if I feel like I still have some "me" time and I'm not totally consumed by responsibility. 

Carol, it was such a pleasure reading about your life and I definitely have to do just one thing at a time and not start too many projects at once. Thank you so much for this!

B