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The First Day of School

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 I'm sorry, but I just have to talk about it!  Today was the first day of school for the 2020 - 2021 school year. I know some moms are going to not like what I say next, and I am sure I might regret it in the coming days but....the first day was not that bad. The worst thing that happened wasn't even something I had anticipated. The younger girls (aged 4 and 5) complained about their ears hurting from their headphones. To be honest, I'm not really that concerned. The headphones are child-sized and comfortable (I wear them on occasion). I just think they need to get used to them - something they will have plenty of time to do.  Now, I am fortunate that I have a very good place to set up my three girls. It just so happened that my husband and I custom built some closets for them 2 years ago and the shoe drawers make for perfect writing desks with their clothing drawers in the perfect place to set up their iPads on. We were also able to pull some old curtains that we have neve
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Better Late than Never...Right?

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    So...I've been so busy the last few days that I completely missed my deadline for my weekly blog. Oops. Just know that my time was not wasted. Thank you for your patience as you've had to wait a few extra days to read it. Let's talk shopping Unfortunately, I don't mean the fun kind of shopping where you get to buy clothes, accessories, or the awesome and fun tools of your trade. I mean grocery shopping (said with a groan). Shopping is the first reason that my blog is late, so I thought it would be a good topic to discuss. As a family of 6, we go through a lot of food. Not as much as we will when the kids are older (another groan), but certainly more than a smaller family does. For a long time, I was making almost daily shopping trips for various things that we needed. I was so tired of this and we were spending so much on food that I decided to make a change. So what did I do?  At some point in the last 1 - 2 years, I changed from "weekly" (really daily) s
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Call Me Crazy

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  As I write this, I have a four-year-old in my lap. She is touching the keyboard and playing with my hands. She is pretending to slide down my lap playfully shouting "Help! I'm falling!" And then makes me drag her back up. 90% of the time I spend at the computer, I have someone on my lap, hanging on my arm, playing with my hair, or yelling at me from across the house. Who can relate?  Raising a child is not easy. Raising multiple is definitely not a walk in the park on a rainy day. Doing it while trying to run a business is in its own category of nearly impossible. Any parent who works from home knows that it is not a 9-5 job (Can I get an AMEN from parental victims of 2020?). You don't get to clock in and focus on your work while getting those helpful breaks that consist of quality adult conversations throughout the day. You don't get to clock out at 5 and head home where you can focus on family and home and shut off your work brain. I'm not saying all 9-5 j
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Location: Goldsboro, MD 21636, USA
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A Bend In the Road

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Some people never know what they "want" to be...Not me. I KNEW I wanted to be a teacher since I was a little kid. When I was in the 8th grade, I KNEW I wanted to be an 8th grade English teacher. Everything I did was in preparation for that goal. I KNEW I was going to work at Arnold Christian Academy, the school I had gone to from Pre K - 8th grade. I had no doubts whatsoever.  And then I met the love of my life when I was 17. We got married when I was 20. And when I turned 21 I found out I was pregnant with our first child. Now, I'm not blaming my pregnancy on my decisions. I was making these decisions long before I found out I was pregnant. The truth is, I was married and attending college 2 hours away from where I lived. I was working a lot of hours too. I also hated writing papers. Kind of an important detail when you are in school as an English major. I love books, I love to read, and I love to write. But I HATE writing papers. I was good at it, but I hated it with ev
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Location: Goldsboro, MD 21636, USA
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The Best-Laid Plans

Most things just don't go according to plan. We plan and plan and plan and when it comes down to it, things go in a completely different direction. It's unavoidable and it happens to everyone. It is a huge cause of frustration and anxiety. The important thing is how we respond to it.  For example, I had been planning for several weeks that I would get a ton of work done yesterday as I had a babysitter and a list of chores to get done that is longer than this quarantine. But, my body decided I would be doing other things. I won't go into specific details about those other things, but I will say that I didn't dare go too far from the bathroom. Enough said? Yeah, I thought so.  As a result, my bathroom didn't get sanitized, my bedroom didn't get cleaned, my workspace didn't get organized, my social media didn't get planned, and my blog post (the one I am currently writing) didn't get written. It was extremely frustrating. I'll admit, it was wonderfu
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Location: Goldsboro, MD 21636, USA
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My House of Dreams

Who doesn't love Anne of Green Gables? As a child, "Anne girl" was one of my favorite characters. I loved everything about her, from her red hair and freckles to her non-stop imagination. It wasn't until I was an adult that I discovered that there were seven Anne books. I was so excited! I immediately read them all and fell in love with her all the more. I mean, what's not to love? She is intelligent, kind, loving, passionate, and loves God. L.M. Montgomery created one of the world's most lovable characters who became a lifelong kindred spirit.  Anne has had such a huge impact on my life that I decided to name my business after a place in the first book.  Willowmere Designs  is where I design, make, and sell jewelry and art to help support my family and bring a little more beauty into this world. I've also decided to name my blog after one of the books, House of Dreams. Why would I name my blog that? Well, I am living in my House of Dreams at this moment.
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Location: Goldsboro, MD 21636, USA
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