Moving out...to move back in

Pro tip: No matter how expensive it seems, or how much it will 'delay your move-in'--get your floors done BEFORE you have your stuff in your house.  Our 'little' project to redo our 1st floor hardwood is the equivalent of 1/2 move.  Not fun (or inexpensive)--especially when you have to hire movers to move a piano 20 feet.

How do you like what we've done with the place?

Summer Bucket List...almost complete

It's August 2nd & we are already through most of our summer bucket list.  We did good!  So more fun to be had, though...  

Art Institute Scavenger Hunt

Our summer bucket list included an "Art Institute Scavenger Hunt" with Wally and two of his good friends.  I designed a game that would give them different things to find / see & draw together throughout the museum.  By completing the hunt, they could win a group prize (2 lb bag of Sour Gummies--ick) and their own prizes as well. It ended up being really fun & I loved seeing them looking through the different galleries & talking about Monet, Seurat & Van Gogh. Here are a few pics if you wanted to do something similar with your kids.  I think being an Art teacher would be a pretty awesome job. 

30 Days in Review

I started 2016 with a controlled experiment (muting my main sources of social media for 30 days) as a way to quickly jump-start a few focused goals and free-up time.
Did it work? The short answer is, yes.
Was it hard?  Also, the answer is, yes.

Why did I do this?

I love social media...and by 'love', I mean I'm addicted to it.  I realize this even more today, now 30+ days later.  As a visual person, and extrovert--I'm drawn in (probably more than the average person). Even much of my career has had social as an integral piece to my work (and will always--for which I am glad!) But, I am always annoyed when I feel like someone isn't giving me their full attention when I'm talking...and I had become "THAT" person, distracted by the 'lure of the feed.'

What did I find out?
I had a lot more time to create stuff.  I wish I had a monumental piece of artwork to show, or a big project completed--but I do not.  Many of the projects I attempted ended in failure (read about one here and another here.)  But, I do in fact have a cleaner office, a few new photo albums & feel slightly more organized than I did before.

The biggest shift here however, was that of going from a spectator to creator.  My focus went from watching what everyone else is doing (or how they are responding to what I’ve posted) to creating and accomplishing goals for myself.

My train of thought was more complete.  I realized that I'm a bad multi-tasker and viewing my social feeds was the equivalent of channel-surfing--never fully watching an entire episode of anything. With less distractions from whatever task or concept I have in front of me, I do feel more 'present' in the moment in many cases and more able to complete a task without the lure of interruption.

There is tremendous power in on-line/real-time. I missed many things--and these 30 days were not easy (specifics here.)  Social media is an amazing tool that connects people, places and things together. I am grateful for every person that I am connected with on social media & am glad to share in some part in their journey. It truly has enhanced my life in many ways.

I became a better listener and people observer. There was a woman who tallied how many times her kids look at her (for approval / acknowledgement, etc.) during a 15 minute casual playtime period...28 times! How many of those times with Wally did I miss when my nose was buried in my phone?  I don't want to think about it. I became more fully engaged to hear important questions like, "which do you like better--Minecraft or Madden?" and also became more aware of how much time he was spending on electronics (oh, he loved this benefit--haha.)

Fresher real-life conversation. When I see friends in person, it’s been great to fully listen to what's going on with them—truly hearing about their experiences for the first time instead of assuming I know everything because I saw their last 20 pictures / status updates.  

My friends are still friends--whether online or not.  I texted and emailed much more--which was  more authentic & personal.

Battery life on your mobile devices improves when you aren't picking it up 25 times a day.

Will I go back?
Yes, but perhaps in a slightly different way.  Social media will always be part of the fabric of our lives--in one way or another. Running from it negates its power as a connecting and creative tool (that I truly enjoy).  I probably will limit my time to my intentional time periods, and perhaps do more creative writing as an outlet as well.

Thank you for reading this--and for being my friend...online and in real life.
Bonnie

Day 31: Cat Update

I've never had a cat.  Heck, I've never even liked cats.  This is not an ordinary cat--this cat is like a dog.  It is going to be hard to give him away--even though I'm so allergic. Maybe I can build up an immunity?  Benadryl?

 

Day 30: Cat is Out of the Bag

We had some excitement on our block this morning. Our neighbors told us of a cat that had been stuck up on their tree for 5 days--50 feet up!--and asked if we knew of anyone who was missing their cat.They had called the Fire Department, Police, Vet, Animal Shelters and no one could help with such a task (when you watch the video--you'll see why). Craig, having his amazing list of real estate contacts (and a kind heart) immediately called his tree trimmer to help. Sal came over this morning (at his personal time/expense), with his entire family & provided us with heroic entertainment.  What a treat to watch his skill to rescue this unknown cat who would have died up there.  Many of our neighbors came out for the show as well. (ps - Sal is the best tree trimmer ever & all around great guy as you can probably see--salvador@martinlawn.com / 224-522-5563)

So, we took the cat out of the bag--and brought him to a local shelter (Wright Way), who said they do not accept donations.  The cat does not have a chip--and thus she is now in our care...
Do you know anyone who might want a sweet little cat?  If we didn't have the craziest dog known to man, and I wasn't completely allergic, we would take her.  Sadly...

Day 28: This chapter

I've been thinking a lot about what happens Feb 1st. I'm kind of digging this quiet phase.
We shall see.