Perspective

Perspective

Is it just me or are you one of those people who sometimes needs a SERIOUS slap-in-the face to put life into perspective???

I tend to get so caught up stressing over little things, that I constantly lose focus.

I have to thank my husband for helping me regain focus recently. I’m sure that this is not necessarily information all of you would type out and post on the Internet, but it’s therapeutic for me and I have a feeling I’m not the only one who feels this way.

Being a Stay At Home Mom is seriously the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. Aside from the little munchkin constantly needing something from me (yes, I do realize that is part of having a baby!), I have been having a hard time dealing with what I call, THE GUILT. Oh…. The guilt. Let me try to briefly list just a few things that I was feeling guilty about 24/7.

Not working
Not having to drive to work
Not bringing in any $$
The house not being clean enough
Not contributing much to the family
Having fun at play dates
Visiting w/ my other stay at home parent friends
Taking Ellie to go do stuff
Having lunch w/ friends
Spending any amount of money
Not saving enough money
Not being frugal enough
Sleeping longer than Craig
Reading a book or napping when Ellie napped (I swear I only did this ONCE)
Not getting enough done around the house while Craig was at work

…… You get the picture right?

I’m not Catholic, but I think maybe the Mid-western hard working (farm or factory) genetics are something we are born with here. Either that, or Monsanto has been modifying it’s GMO Corn & Soybeans all these years to reprogram our brains. Either way, it’s a constant battle I deal with in life. It has taken me 34+ years to finally START (baby steps) making decisions for ME and MY FAMILY first, instead of other people. I’m getting there though.

Anyway, so, Craig and I got into a tiff last weekend which turned into a yelling match (Ellie was napping—don’t worry, she won’t be scarred for life—Although I’m sure she’ll need therapy for a slew of other things though—like the “Instant Gratification Syndrome” that Craig and I are predicting her generation will have to deal with. For example, she says Dora. We immediately put on Dora. Sorry. Tangent). The yelling match was about him working in the garage by himself and me wanting to go to Target by myself. It turned into him basically telling me that he feels like all I do is complain. Complain about being at home. Complain about Ellie. When I was working, all I did was complain about wanting to be home more. Now I’m home more and I’m complaining about working! Complain about this and that. I tried to argue back with him, but I realized he was RIGHT. Then came the tears. He then explained nicely to me (sometimes you have to cry to get men to communicate in other ways… ) that he simply wanted me to CHILL OUT and QUIT STRESSING. He wants me to enjoy my pregnancy, my time with Ellie. That he is proud of me for all of the budgeting I’ve been doing, the money I’ve been able to save and he is not worried about the future at all.*

*please note that I would like to go on record stating that we are not having any financial troubles… it has just been an ADJUSTMENT for me to not buy what I want when I want… or go out to eat when I want or do everything I want! We have plenty of money in savings and have not had to dip into that at all. I am not saying this to brag, I just don’t want anyone to think I’m one of those people who just “thinks things will work out”… I don’t. I think you have to make things happen.

I guess I really needed him to just SAY all of those things because I felt like the weight of the world has been lifted off my shoulders. First of all, now I truly believe what he said. Secondly, the guilt, although still constantly present, has subsided A LOT. If I am exhausted in the afternoon and want to take a quick nap, I DO IT. When Ellie wants me to play with her, I PLAY. I don’t pretend to be playing while sneaking glances at my iPhone or making lists. I am honestly trying to cherish every moment of it!

Don’t get me wrong, I am still busy… plotting and scheming my next business ventures :), but I am having fun doing it all! I hope that the time I am spending now working on some tiny business ideas will pay off and at some point I will have the liberty of working from home AND actually bringing in some $$ for the family!

Happy Friday everyone. Have a great weekend.

The Maddie James Foundation

I have been reading Whoorl's blog for several years now. I'm sure some of you do too. I just feel compelled to link to this to try to support her family in some TINY way. A close family member of hers was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor. There is no cure. She happens to be in Kindergarten. Take a few minutes and check out their website and help out in any way you can. Even just a prayer! http://maddiejamesfoundation.org/

I'm sure it's partially because I'm pregnant and partially because ANYONE would, but I seriously get choked up every single time I even THINK about this family. Honestly I'm sitting here bawling at this very moment.

Even though Ellie was up all night last night for no apparent reason and ended up having to come sleep with me... which means I got very little sleep, I'm going to hug and kiss her every chance I get today. And enjoy every moment. Even if she is screaming NOOOO in my face. I will smile and laugh at her :) I promise I will not plot ways to kill Dora and I will hold her every time she yells, HOOOORRRREEE (how she says hold).

Love you all!

Funny Video

I totally forgot that I took this video at Christmas at my Aunt Sue's house!!!

Untitled from Jennifer Skinner on Vimeo.

They are playing the dance game on the wii. Of course my mom totally does not get it :) But she actually does pretty well :)

Exciting Announcement

I have an important announcement to make! I recently signed up to be a Scentsy Consultant. What is Scentsy you ask?

Scentsy warmers use a low-watt bulb to slowly melt specially formulated wax. With no flame, smoke, or soot, the Scentsy wickless candle system is a safe way to enjoy more than 80 Scentsy fragrances! You simply plug in the burner, turn it on, place a Scentsy bar section in it and ENJOY!! Scentsy began with a simple idea—a safe, wickless alternative to scented candles—and quickly grew into one of the most successful direct selling companies. This wickless concept was born when two stay-at-home moms began selling decorative warmers designed to melt scented wax without the traditional wick and flame.


Most of you know that I resigned from my job in December. This is a great way for me to earn a little extra cash for the Mitchen family, but most of all, I am just in love with the products.

Check out my website for products and more info! https://jennifermitchen.scentsy.us

Here are the top five reasons that I love this product and company:

• Wickless! NO FLAME. Did I mention that there is no flame??
• Affordable... saves so much money over buying traditional scented candles
• Something for everyone –from full sized burners to travel tins
• Great company who supports many charities
• Fun way to earn extra money

I’m going to be hosting a launch party on Sunday, February 27th from 4-6 PM. Let me know if you can attend! Bring a friend! If you can’t attend, you can still try the products. Go to my website: https://jennifermitchen.scentsy.us and click on “buy from party”!

I would love for you to host a party, but I FULLY realize that option isn’t for everyone. There are several ways you can help me!

1) Host a party! I’ll provide everything you need to succeed. To get this going, you just need to choose which type of party works best for you. Of course, by hosting a party you will get *FREE STUFF*!

a. Home Party. I’ll set up a fun display table and demonstrate how safe and easy Scentsy Warmers and wickless candle bars are to use. Of course if you know me, I’ll bring some wine and we’ll share a few laughs! It’s a great excuse to get a group of friends together.

b. Basket Party. This is the best method for hosting on the go. I’ll provide you with a small kit, compact enough for you to carry w/ one and you can take it to your office or home to home as you visit friends & family.

c. Open House Party. This is a great choice if you and your guests are already familiar w/ Scentsy. I’ll just set up several small displays and we’ll show them new products and they can come and go as they please.

d. Online Party. If you live outside of Indy, please ask me about this option!

2) Attend a party hosted by me or one of my friends!

3) Purchase products from my website! You can do this at any time. https://jennifermitchen.scentsy.us

Don’t forget: Scentsy makes a WONDERFUL gift for almost anyone!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Pictures from Phoenix Trip

Here is a link to the Snapfish photo album (complete w/ captions of course) from our trip!

http://www1.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=3936602015/a=5766466_5766466/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

We tried really hard to visit w/ all of our friends in AZ, but it was hard to fit everyone in w/ nap & sleeping schedules! I also am SO MAD at myself... I did not take hardly any pictures of anyone besides Ellie. Of course she is the center of the universe right now, but we saw lots of GREAT friends and I didn't photograph any of it!

Ellie just had a blast going to the playground and being outside. It was nice to see the sun and get some much needed Vitamin D!

Here are a couple faves:

Stranded... in Phoenix!!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while! Ellie and I left Indy (in a snow shower) to visit Grandpa & Grandma on January 20th... and we are still here! We were scheduled to head home on Monday and that just did not happen. Of course, after I did laundry, packed for 2 days, got to the airport, checked bags, made it through security, chased Ellie around at the gate for an hour & a half, dealt w/ a flight delay--THEN they cancelled the flight (due to the Indy airport being closed). So, Grandpa & Grandma had to come all the way back to the airport, park and come in to get us (I could not manage all the bags, stroller, carseat, ellie by myself)!

We originally we rebooked for today, but the airport in Indy is still shut down (for the most part I hear), so now we are rebooked again for Friday. Of course, I can think of much worse places to be stuck! I can't imagine travelling w/ a toddler and getting stuck in some random city by myself. Gives me hives just thinking about it. I went hiking yesterday and Ellie got to play outside a little bit. It has gotten MUCH cooler here too (high today of only 47!), but it's sunny and clear, so we are not complaining!

We got to visit lots of great friends over the past 2 weeks! Ellie is quite a handful these days, so of course I have not taken very many pictures--I MEANT to take pics of all of our friends we saw... but not so much! I got to get my hair did by Vanessa and got to attend Kristina & Eric's wedding reception! What a party that was! I really wished I was not prego for one night :) We went to the zoo, ate lots of good food (OH good mexican food--I miss you!!!), shopped, played outside.... Mommy read an entire book and got to go hiking and walking outdoors.

The only thing I have to complain about is the fact that Ellie has refused to sleep in her pack & play--and has been sleeping with mommy. That has been a bit of a challenge... and one of the main reasons we are ready to get home...

But the main reason is that we miss Craig/Daddy and Rosco!!!!!

If I ever make it home, I will post some pictures.