{ random brain musings }

Check out these adorable pre-designed seed packets from Modish.

Some LobotoME love on Todays Homemaker and the Lil Bee.

The most ridiculous use of $123,000 EVER. I think I'll go with this instead.

Some great eat smart to shape up tips from Gabby Reece.

Check out Jana rocking it on her mountain bike! You go girl!

A really cute blog I have been enjoying. I've been really into the live simply motto lately (and blogs that help me figure out how to keep doing that). De-cluttering, buying less, spending less, organizing more, playing outside more.

How is that for a random list? My brain is still not functioning at 100% post NYC trip. Can you tell? This weekends plans include: working on the garden, a trip to the farmers market, dinner with friends (fish taco night), and yoga class!

{ BE organized }

Pantry photo via Flickr.

It's funny - so many of you think that I (and my house) are super organized because of my business. While, I do find that I am pretty organized (and I do enjoy organizing projects), you clearly haven't seen my kitchen junk drawers (count: 3), my closets or my garage.

It can certainly feel overwhelming to start a project. Here are some tips on where to start with home organization projects. And here are some tips on creating a home organization binder to keep all of your household paperwork organized.

This past week we worked on our garage - a place to store things but it has never held an actual vehicle. It has 6 bikes; a raft; kayaks; business supplies; a table saw; a wagon; a sandbox we still haven't put together; 14 gardening pots; etc. but no car. It still has a long way to go before a car will ever fit in there but we took a huge truckload of items to the Salvation Army; took another load of recycling to the recycling center; 2 huge garbage bags of trash; and listed one bike and old scuba gear on craigslist. It feels so good to get rid of stuff we no longer need/use. Here are some tips on how to go about decluttering from Simple Mom {I am loving her blog right now.}

What's your biggest organizational project on your to do list?

Oh and some people have been asking me what I do with my weekly momME planner? Do I leave it on my desk, do I bring it with ME, etc.? I either tuck it into my wallet - if I don't have loads of other paperwork to cart around with ME (see pic below) or I put it on a clipboard with other paperwork and put it in my bag. Sometimes, if I have just one or 2 errands and then am coming right home, it stays on my desk, but I'd say the majority of the time it is with ME. I do know people who have whole-punched them and put them in a cute binder too. Next year's new product will most likely be a smaller, spiral bound organizeME planner with the mantra poster as the cover - a more portable version.

{ NSS finds }

Here are some great, new products we discovered at the National Stationary Show.

Mayfair Lane - Their new, revolutionary clips are made with a material grips to slick surfaces, including stainless steel refrigerators, with no residue.


Gauge NYC - Awesome metal letters, words, & sculptures.


Ink + Wit - Adorable letterpress company operating from a barn in upstate New York.


Eco-Jot - Carolyn is just as adorable & friendly as her line of eco-friendly journals & paper products.


Melange Collection - Adorable sea animals - I fell in love with this octopus.


And don't forget to check out our NSS & NYC highlights, debacles & adventures here.

{ order ME }

The new notepads are available now!

{ sam's adventures }

Here are some photos of Sam & Will's camping trip they took while I was in NYC and some pictures of Samme's FIRST bike race this weekend. Note: She came in dead last. She was more into waving to everyone and posing for pictures than actually racing. Pretty funny considering who her Dad is! :-)

I'm grateful that my parents raised ME to enjoy every moment in nature but also be adaptable to city life. I fit in both environments and while sometimes I crave the excitement that city life offers, I'm happy living in the town where we do where kids bike races rule and we know our neighbors. Yet at the same time, I can't help but feel as though I leave a little piece of ME behind when I leave NYC. I hope to raise Sam into a confident, adventurous young woman who delights in her outdoor adventures and who can navigate the exciting city streets of life.

Happy Memorial Day - Be sure and read Maureen's wonderful post about what Memorial Day is really all about.

{ caught in the ACT }

Hope you are all having a great Memorial Day weekend!

{ more NYC fun }

Here are a few more pics from our booth and a picture of a friends sweet, totally green, solar powered loft in Brooklyn. We are back but super tired. No one sleeps in NYC! {Every night we'd eat dinner out at 11pm and not get to bed until 2am or so. Then we had to be up around 6am to get to the show on time. It just about killed ME. But it was so much fun...} Anyway, Alli & I had a blast (thanks to our friend & great host Richard) - we ate Magnolia cupcakes at midnight; ate some of the best food in NYC here & here; chilled at the famous Soho House; ate delicious vegan, sugar free cupcakes at Babycakes..are you sensing an eating trend here? I am. We caught up with old friends and met new ones. While we saw {& yes, ate} everything we had hoped for I didn't exercise one little bit. Well, we did schlep 20 boxes of items to & from the show and walked everywhere we could; but I didn't use my running shoes or yoga mat once. I am feeling it now. So, next week I will be using my new Fit ME fitness planning list and my Feed ME note pad and getting back in the swing of things around here - lots of yoga, lots of sweating and lots of sleep and letting my body (and my back) recover a bit.
ps - Read more about our adventures over at Bozeman Collaborative's Blog.

{ NSS }

More tales of our adventures next week when we get home...3 days down, 1 to go at NSS! It's been going great and we've been having a blast in NYC.

{ off to the big apple }

for NSS : Booth # 3867 :
Alli & I will be blogging about our adventures in NYC on Bozeman Collaborative over the next week!

{ it takes a lot.... }

To piss ME off. But a recent contest calling for America's Favorite Mom had a special category for adoptive moms called "Non-Moms". No joke.
I am Sam's MOM. I am the one who tucks her into bed each night and the one who snuggles with her in the morning. I am the one who teaches her about nature and the one who gives her baths. Just because I couldn't carry her in my womb, does NOT usher ME into a NON-MOM category.

{ the HUB }

The hub of our house (and many of yours I'm sure) is the kitchen. That's where we are a lot of the time...I had a whole messy drawer with arts & craft supplies for Sam so that she can create while I am making dinner or cleaning up the kitchen. But it was a mess and hard for her to find things, plus, truth be told, I really wanted that extra drawer for aprons and cloth napkins. So I put her art stuff in this caddy - it's cute enough that it just remains on the counter when not in use.

{ track ME }

So, I've been using the RescueTime computer tracking software for a few days...I can't recall where I heard about it but I think it might have been Tim Ferris's Four Hour Work Week blog. It's called RescueTime and it is a tool to measure how you’re spending your time on the computer. To get started you simply:

• Download and install a small application on your local computer(s).
• Establish an account at the RescueTime web site.
• Work as normal.

RescueTime works in the background, tracking the applications you use and the web sites you visit. Every twenty minutes, it sends this information to the web and sends you a weekly update.

Additionally, RescueTime allows you to set goals for how you want to spend your time. For example, you could choose to have a goal of "I want to spend 5 hours per day on stuff tagged as 'work'," or you could have a goal of "I want to spend less than 1 hour per day on stuff tagged as 'blogs.'

While the internet is an amazing tool, your time is too. I hope this will help me make wise choices.

I wanted to do this because I feel like some time I get "sucked" into reading blogs, news, etc. when I have many more things to be doing (like playing with Sam, exercising or working). I thought it would be good to take a look at what sites I'm spending time at and which ones I need to pass up (pop sugar, you are one that I must stop reading).

{ first annual kids day }

So, yesterday we did everything sam wanted to do! We...
- spent awhile (& many one dollar bills) at the photo booth!
- went swimming at the rec center
- had lunch together at a cute sandwich/smoothie place
- dropped off goods at the thrift store
- picked up new books at the library
- went on a hike in the woods near our house
- made healthy brownies (without sugar!) - will post recipe soon.
- snuggled in bed & watched this and ate popcorn before bed.

{ i'm so lucky to be YOUR mom samme }

Today, Sam said, "Mama, you know what comes after Mother's Day? KID's DAY!" So tomorrow, my sweet Samme is our first annual {Kid's Day} ~~ all day long I will do whatever you want to do ~ go swimming, have a picnic, have 37 tea parties, whatever you want. I will not turn on the computer, return emails or prep for the show. I will not clean the house. Because today, I feel very, very lucky to be YOUR mom and tomorrow I will show you how important you are to ME! (and remember that everyday has to be a {kid's day} to a certain degree!)

{ sneak peek }

Here are 4 of LobotoME's new brainiac note pads debuting at NSS next week. They will be available at LobotoME.com next week and in stores in early June!

I can't even tell you how much I love these new, fun yet functional lists. I can't decide which is my favorite but I think I am leaning towards the SitME (babysitting, housesiting, petsitting list)...But I've been using the List ME everyday (so has Will) and have already used the CheckME grocery shopping checklist in conjunction with my FeedME planner...And I need to USE the FitME list- right after NSS, start training, get back in shape ~~~ Fit ME!!! Hope you like! :-)

{ give your weekend a good, calm start }

With this yoga routine.

{ great song for a great day }

discovered via Stephanie.

{ happy campers }

So we spent the first night in our camper - what fun! I should mention we were in our driveway - Sam was dying to sleep in it and we didn't have anything in it so we got our sleeping bags and headlamps and called it good. But, we are gearing up for our first getaway in it....

I am working up some ideas to fix it up a bit - make it more homey - it's pretty new and in excellent condition but I can't stand the upholstered fabric or the fake wood cabinets, etc. So, I'm thinking of getting fun queen size bed sheets & comforter to cover up the beds with (until I can find time to get the cushions re-upholstered in a fun outdoor, easy to clean fabric); getting a chalkboard panel to put on the front of the mini-fridge. A few carpets (or this), some bright small kitchen appliances, pots & pans, some fun pillows, an outdoor rug to keep stuff from getting tracked in and some solar lights for outside. Any more ideas?

Amber over at Daisy Chain Blog is completely overhauling their camper they bought on craigslist ~ they tore up the linoleum floor and put bamboo in and are planning on replacing the cabinets with modern ikea cabinets & stainless steel appliances! impressed!

Oh, and check out this great muffin making camping recipe from Wee Life.

{ brain buzz }

a little lobotome love today from the saavy organizer.

{ ways to make saving a habit }

Check out these great tips from an article in the Wall Street Journal this past weekend.

A few of my favorites...

Choose your extravagances: Consider what you can and can not do without.
Set goals: Think of the guilt-free trip you can take after saving the necessary cash. Good memories last longer, when not trammeled by large credit-card bills.
Resist your children: Offer options by explaining their choices here and now, but don't give in to their push for more consumer goods.
Post it: Put post-its in your wallet reminding yourself of your goals, whether it's a vacation or paying off debt.

{ vote }

Remember to VOTE { for Obama pretty please } all of you Indiana & North Carolina folks! And get this FREE vote poster here.
and this video again {because there is no such thing as watching this too many times}

{ a blast from the past }

I saw NKOTB in concert when I was in 6th grade!!! Don't you think its a little late for a comeback?!?! LOL!

{ the perfect number }

Here's an article that I wrote for Sekund Magazine on our attempt(s) to adopt another child. {Back that way and WAIT!}

{ happy birthday lisa }

{ have a wonderful day filled with lots of laughter & joy! }

{ simple song }

I ordered 4 of these inspiration boards from Suann at Simple Song - 2 for friends (not telling who ~ it will be a surprise!); and the other 2 I couldn't bear to part with. Suann also sent along a thank you/happy bday gift for me - so sweet. Check out her great blog here; her adorable etsy shop here and her posts on sk*rt too! Thanks Suann!

{ partners in crime, design & now blogging }

Alli & I will both be blogging over at the Bozeman Collaborative blog chronically our National Stationery Show adventures during the next several weeks. Check it out here.

{ taking MY own advice }

So this morning, instead of my usual yoga class I decided to take a NIA class being offered at a new fitness studio in town. As you know, I always stress trying new things, adding adventure to your life, and mixing up your routine. Well, I took my own advice today and....well, I was WAY out of of my comfort zone. NIA is a combo of dancing, movement, martial arts, etc... The best way I can describe it is...you know when you have music blaring in your house while you are cleaning and you can of jam around and shake your hips and spin around? Well, the NIA class was like that but instead of dancing during a 3 minute song in the privacy of your own home we were doing that for 60 minutes in FRONT OF OTHER PEOPLE!!! I know lots of people who love NIA classes and I would suggest it to people who like dancing or who want a lower impact workout. It just isn't for ME. But I tried it. What new thing are you going to try this weekend?

{ organized chaos }

Some behind the scenes pics of tradeshow stuff in progress ~~
can you tell what I am doing this weekend?!?!

first a pic of our dining room...

and a pic of our living room...

and a sneak peek at my new products...