Traditions {old | new | forgotten | found}

The passage of time and the holidays reminded me of so many traditions with my family growing up, and with Cody’s family.

This is a gift giving tradition and one of my faves. Every Christmas, at my Mom and Bob’s - our presents from them would be wrapped in a black trash bag or a brown paper bag topped with the most sequined, sparkly, glittery, bedazzled bow I had ever seen.  The kind of bows that while you are untying them, leave some extra “sparkle” on your hands/face/floor.
I think one of the reasons, this is one of my favorite Christmas traditions is because it’s so easy to replicate – I’m pretty sure mom knew I would always have one of those things in my kitchen and could continue the tradition effortlessly.  Mom was always practical… but she always liked her bling and sparkle too.

A tradition that was started at Dick and Kaye’s house was the 12 Days of Christmas sing-along. A sing-along is a scary thought considering that I’m tone deaf but make up for it in HUGE volume. Each of Kaye’s dessert plates have a day of Christmas on it, and we go around the table and each sing our “part”. And of course the person that gets the 1^st day of Christmas gets to sing their line twelve times. I recall Grandma Helen (who had a beautiful voice) singing “5 Golden Rings” in her beautiful voice. 

Thanksgiving Day Zumba 2012

This Thanksgiving at Pam and Buck’s house – all of us ate a wonderful meal, with desserts, multiple courses, a wonderful selection of ham or turkey, Grandma Nanny-nanny’s pea salad. Then all of us (including the boys) put on our workout clothes and headed to Zumba. Pam convinced me to go to Zumba  – and it’s been a fun way for me to get AND STAY in shape. When Baylee has some extra time, she loves to come too – but it made me happy seeing Buck, Cody and Chance Zumba  - and knowing they did it because they knew it would make us girls happy.

My dad has been accused of spoiling my sister and I, it usually comes from my husband after he calls me a Princess because of some small request I have for him.  Dad has a huge family, and I loved it when all of his brothers and sisters and my cousins would squeeze into Grandma Jennie’s small and sweet home. Me and all my cousins would play a version of football in the front yard, while my uncles would watch the football game, and my aunts would help Grandma Jenny clean up the kitchen after the meal.  Now that we are older, dad gets us all together at his house – and he loves having all of us and I have to admit – he DOES spend a lot of time doting over Karen and I when we go over there. But – that’s tradition right? It shouldn’t ever change. J

When you dream about starting a business do you dream past the honeymoon stage?

Starting a business is a bit like starting a marriage. There is always the honeymoon stage at the beginning of it. Where it consumes your thoughts, your brain is fully engaged in your goals, plans, dreams. You lay in bed at night thinking about all the wonderful moments you will have.

Slowly, that honeymoon phase becomes an everyday responsibility, it becomes exhausting at times, it becomes something that's hard to get away from, it becomes part of you. It's the moment you leave the Honeymoon phase where "It Gets Real".

These are the moments where the work that you put in dictate whether not your business or marriage will last and succeed. After it's not new and exciting anymore it's not as much fun it's not as easy. When things can start getting on your nerves and start to effect your independent self.

It's these moments that we just have to just grind it out and work through the night to meet a deadline because you are a lean company with less employees than you have work. It's the moment that you have skipped a meal, lost sleep to meet that deadline that will dictate the success or failure. The same work as in a marriage when you realize that your needs aren't as important as your spouse's needs.

In business AND in marriage, the work is always worth it and your hard work will always pay off but you don't wake up one morning and are "successful".

You're successful because you wake up every morning and grind it out.



I don't see my marriage as a business transaction, nor do I feel like I am grinding it out in my marriage, but I am a realist, and I have seen remarkable similarities in my successful, happy marriage and my successful, happy business. It's hard work, but worth it.

Just make sure that when you start a business, that you can imagine yourself doing the hard work after the honeymoon phase is over. Don't turn it into a fairy tale, because the fairy tale ending is usually perfect, and perfect is boring.

Quit Kicking Your Own A**

I just got done reading an article about the "mommy wars". The debate that occurs between women who want so badly to believe that their way is the only way to raise good kids.

I have been on both sides of this argument. There was times when I stayed at home with my kids and I have also been in the situation where I had to pawn them off on family while I pulled an all-nighter while growing my business.

I guess my only advice in this situation is just do your best.

Quit Kicking Your Own Ass! Seriously.

Those negative words and thoughts that you let seep into your brain about how [insert woman's name here] is a better mommy and that's why her kids are so kind. And the reason why she's a better mommy is because she gets to [stay at home/go to work]. 

Sometimes it just comes down to the fact that the grass seems greener on the other side.
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I tell my kids all the time that "You have your whole life to get over how dad and I raised you". It's a pet peeve of mine when I hear grown adults say: "I act this way, because this is how I was raised." Pffffffft. Sounds like a great excuse to not ever grow, not ever change, accept things as they are, and keep things out of your hands to actually change something.

As parents, that's all we can do - Just our best.
The fact that you are trying to find out the best way is a great sign. But understand that you aren't perfect, there is no such thing.

Remind your kids that they have their whole life to recover from how badly you scarred them by not being able to stay home with them/staying home with them.