So, this morning I had a friend share a blog post about the pressures that social media sites, specifically Pinterest, put on us mothers. It got me thinking. Pressures? What pressures? We need to be perfect. I'm perfect. Why aren't YOU perfect? I know why. Because you aren't looking at Pinterest and putting all those amazing ideas into practice. I need to help this poor woman. Right now. PROJECT!

So, friend, I have assembled some of my best ideas for you to pin and implement in your daily life. You'll be organized, healthy, skinny, beautiful, stylish and successful. All from pinning my ideas. AND...your friends will know how organized, healthy, skinny, beautiful, stylish and successful I am. WIN WIN.

Set the Tone For the Day

Never make your bed in the morning. Never EVER EVER. Only make it right before you get in it at night, so you are perfectly covered when you plop in front of your smart TV under the ceiling-mounted speakers. If your bedding is all up in a mound like this before your reality TV binging, how will you balance your wine and cheese? You won't. (Bonus tip: only change your sheets like once a month. Crumbs can be brushed on the floor on your husband's side of the room).

Streamline Your Morning Routine

If you travel, keep your stuff in the quart-sized bags you use for the airport. Don't mess with a make-up organizer. Leave the empty bag on the vanity and spread all the contents out. Leave it that way. FOREVER. (Or until your next trip). This way it's all out in front of you. All day long. Reminding you that it's too much effort to use it and to walk away. Immediately.

Get Dressed

Keep your clothes in baskets like these. It doesn't matter where they came from. Even cardboard boxes will work. It's much easier to grab clothes from these baskets than to 1) hang them up and 2) retrieve them from the closets. If they get messed up from digging for matching socks, that's ok. Go with it. Oh, and you may see that I have shoes stored behind these baskets. It's strategic. If I can't find matching socks, I can easily surrender and put on riding boots. (That's a time-saver tip).

Get Your Kids Dressed and Ready 

It's important that you not only set the tone for your day, but for their day. At the same time, they can't outshine you. YOU have to be the star. Don't brush their hair until AT LEAST noon. Leave them in their pajamas for days and if they want to play dress-up, give them a soft robe and call it a magical princess cloak. Leave their toothbrush and toothpaste on the kitchen counter all the time. I read on a blog once that keeping it in the bathroom is very bad. Very, very bad.

Organize Your Fridge and Pantry

Just throw it in there. Stack cans and jars on top of boxes. Place giant jugs of maple syrup next to instant Mac N Cheese. Put the ketchup in there with the back of the bottle facing you so you can easily read the nutritional content. Being healthy is a priority. READ LABELS.

Monitor Screen Time

Make sure that there is ALWAYS access to screens. Big screens, little screens, in between screens. For example, we have two kindles, an iPad, an iPhone, an iPod, a Galaxy III, three smart TVs, an iMac, a PC and a Chromebook. Use them all. CONSTANTLY. And keep them charged in the event of a power outage. Not to say books don't have their place, because they certainly do. But they are boring.

Maximize Small Spaces

Use your utility room for EVERYTHING. Food storage, glass pan storage, an art studio, winter gear storage, dancing, skinning caribou, ANYTHING.

And last, but CERTAINLY not least...

Look Amazing

So friend, stay in your pajamas for days! Wear the same blue robe for a decade! Forget the make-up. Never change your earrings. Wash your hair twice a week. Paint your nails and don't paint them again until the last chip of color falls off naturally. Look, feel, BE amazing. Pin THIS.

It's Holiday Card time! What photos will you use? Do you have photos? Have you designed your card? Uh-oh.

Maybe I can help! I rarely have time to book clients. My job is crazy and it's just not something I can do often.  But...I'm feeling the itch. So here's what I would love to do:

What:  Holiday Card Mini-Shoots

When: Sunday, December 8th from 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. and Sunday, December 15th from 2:00-4:00 p.m.

Where: Toledo area. Specific location TBD (likely Pearson Park [dress warm!] with the 2nd floor of downtown library as a weather back up).

Cost is $100 per family for 30 minutes of shooting, up to 8 digital files with print authorization, and a custom designed Holiday Card! Images will be posted in a private gallery where you will be able to download your files along with a print release so you can print them wherever you choose. I will do my best to turn these around within 24 hours so there is plenty of time to print them.

If you are interested, please email me at [email protected] as soon as possible as space is extremely limited!!

Please, no wardrobe changes. Price includes up to 5 family members. For each additional member, please add $5 to the session fee. Due to the need to turn these around quickly, I will not provide CDs of images. Only downloads. Design fee includes one round of revisions. Holiday cards will be designed for easy uploading to/printing from popular photo card printing websites.

Mallory will be five on tuesday. In these five years she went from an oversized, grouchy, needy, sleepless infant to a chatty, comedic, defiant, loving and unique kid. Never a dull moment with this girl around. 

Photos with her are a challenge.  Mallory, smile!

Mallory, don't smile.

Mallory, you look like you are gritting your teeth. Just look normal.

Ok, forget it. Do what you want. And it evolves from there. 

So before I insert some more photos, I will leave you with her latest gem. Mommy, why are my boobies SO SMALL (as she rubs them with her index fingers)? Will they get big when I grow up? Good, because I want GIANT ones.

Be careful what you wish for, Mal.

I have a feeling she is going places. Not figuratively. Literally. I just heard the door slam....