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Theta Mom®

Redefining Motherhood

The Best of Theta Mom 2010

The end of the year is always a time to reflect on the past year including the triumphs, accomplishments and lessons learned. It’s also a time to look forward to another new year. One of my favorite bloggers, Scary Mommy shares the best of the year in blog posts and I just love this idea! It’s a great way to share your favorite posts as you reflect back on the past year.

Here are my favorites at Theta Mom from 2010:

January: I Have a Chotchkie Drawer and I know How to Use It {The best five bucks you’ll ever spend}

February: Responding to Snarky Comments {Sharing my experience of a difficult situation}

March: The Perils of Parenthood on Vacation {My thoughts on how very hard it is to vacation with children}

April: Don’t Measure Your Blog Worth in Numbers {Learn to measure your blog worth through producing great content not by numbers}

May: V is for Violets: The Epic Parent Fail {I simply will never look at another piece of art work from my son the same way again}

June: Motherhood is NOT One Size Fits All {You never really know what another mother may be dealing with}

July: Birth Order Parenting {A humorous reflection on how I may just parent my kids differently}

August: Every Mom is a Hard Working Mom {Regardless of whether you are a SAHM, WAHM or a work out of the home mom, we are all working moms}

September: The 5 B’s of Blogging {The top five secrets to successful blogging}

October: What I Would Say to Her {Reflections on what I would say to my young twenty-something self}

November: The Never Ending Question {The question that is constantly directed at moms}

December:  I am THAT Mom and I Have No Regrets {My words for those who don’t truly understand the severity of a life-threatening food allergy}

On a side note, thank you the never ending comment love, support, and friendship that has evolved from this little old blog. Life has never been the same since I launched my first post and began a Twitter account – and those of you who adore blogging and tweeting, you TOTALLY understand that last statement. I look forward to another fabulous year with you!!

Woo Hoo and Lame: The Holiday Edition

I still cannot believe that Christmas is a mere few days away and it’s usually right around this time that the panic begins to set in. But this year I got smart. You see, my mom came over on Sunday to watch the kids for me (all day) and I was able to lock myself in the basement and just wrap. I wrapped for hours.

And the payoff?

I am done. Right down to that last gift. Wrapped. Sealed.

Done.

So now it wouldn’t be a holiday in total Theta Mom style without sharing some recent #WooHoo and #Lame moments. If you missed the previous installment of Woo Hoo and Lame, be sure to check out that post. Be careful though, it’s #addictive.

I love our “fake” Christmas tree adorned with all of our kids’ little hand-made ornaments. #woohoo

We went fake ever since our last real tree did this when we were first married:

#lame

My kids love Christmas and every tradition we set for them. #woohoo

It becomes a little annoying when my two year-old redecorates the tree and every ornament she can reach along the bottom. #lame

I thought I was totally done shopping last week. #woohoo

That was until I realized I still had three peeps on the list. #lame

I always plan in advance to complete the Christmas cards and get them done early. #woohoo

Yet, I always misplace the list of addresses, every single year. #lame

I LOVE sending and receiving Christmas cards. #woohoo

But I can totally do without that infamous Christmas “letter” or poem stuffed inside the card. #lame

I love making my favorite Christmas cookie: Snowballs #woohoo

But I must be sure to make them nut-free since my son couldn’t eat them otherwise. #lame

I love, love, love Christmas music. #woohoo

But as of December 26th, it’s like already over. #lame

My kids adore our tree and enjoy spending time each night to admire all of the lights. #woohoo

We’ll be taking it down in like two weeks. #lame

Ok, totally off topic but if you read my recent drama about the Toddler Bed Fail, I have you know that Super Nanny would be proud. After six hellish mornings and grueling days of no sleep (as my child repeatedly cried hysterically and got out of the bed), she is now napping during the day again like a champ. That gets the biggest #WOOHOO of all. Yes, I’ll shout it to the rooftops #WOOfreakinHOO

Although last night, she woke up at 2 am out of the bed crying. #lame

By the way, I watched my son sing at his Christmas concert and I have to tell you that children remind us of the true spirit of this holiday. They really are the blessings in our lives. #woohoo

I am looking forward to unplugging for a bit and enjoying every ounce of my family and kids…which is also deserving of another fabulous #woohoo

So from my home to yours…..

Have a very Merry Christmas!!!

xoxo

Featured TMC Blogger: Alli-N-Son

TMC welcomes Allison, author of the blog Alli-n-Son. Allison has been a proud Theta Mom member and blogs about the motherhood journey with her very active little boy, her obsession with photography and baking. She has some awesome recipes that she shares every Monday on the blog so be sure to check it out! She’s a super supportive blogger so be sure to get to know her better and show her some TMC bloggy love! Here is how she describes her blog in her own words:

“My name is Allison, a slightly OCD momma and the mother of one speedy going-on-three big boy. Seriously, I’ve never seen a toddler move this fast. He’s the main source of my frustration and brings more happiness to my life than even an afternoon alone at Starbucks {peppermint mocha please}.

In the few moments that I have to myself you can often find me, camera in hand, snapping away. I love photography and have dreams of opening an online note card store. Some day. When I work up the courage to do it.

If I’m not annoying my child with the endless photos I take, I’m often cooking and baking. It’s one of the things that has helped me find myself, the part of me that’s not a mom, since I’ve become a stay at home mom. I love, love creating something new, especially when chocolate is involved.

I love blogging. I’m not a veteran but I’m not a newbie either. I’m in that period where I’m comfortable with my voice and developing a wonderful community.  Blogging has opened the door to so many friendships and opportunities that I didn’t even know existed before I joined the blogosphere. To be able to connect with people across the country and across the world is simply amazing to me. I hope that you will pop over and visit. Grab a cup of coffee and get to know me! I’ll stop by and get to know you too. I like new friends.”

Be sure to check out the blog and follow her on Twitter!

New to TMC? Join us! We LOVE new members!

*I will not be featuring a TMC Blogger for the next two weeks due to Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. We will pick back up with the fabulous features in 2011! Thanks for your continued support of this wonderful community and have a fantastic weekend ladies!

A Total Toddler Bed Fail

Since Saturday my life has turned upside down. I’m not referring to a slight schedule change or holiday addition to the typical daily routine. I am talking about the kind of change that interrupts your sleep, steals your brain power and completely shakes your sanity to the core.

My 2 year-old daughter climbed out of her crib recently so if you’ve seen my Twitter stream lately, I can barely speak of anything else.

It’s killing me.

I am so not ready for this transition.

It was unexpected and unwanted.

But, I have no choice. I am living it. It came down to a matter of safety for my firecracker monkey of a daughter who scaled the sides of her crib each and every time. My husband and I were left with no other alternative but to immediately purchase a toddler bed when we realized the seriousness of the situation. Little did I know the real drama that would soon follow…

Part of me is still living in oblivion because my son never tried this crap. He had his moments at this age for sure (and did some silly things to boot) but he never tried to climb out of the crib and succeed. In fact as parents, we chose when to transition him to the big boy bed.

It was on our terms.

It was when WE felt we were ready and he would be ready.

We made the transition together.

This time, I was blindsided. I was not ready for this change, nor was it warranted and I am still reeling from the experience.

Case in point, my daughter used to nap like clockwork. I had a minimum of two hours of glorious time every afternoon. As of now, the nap is gone. After putting her back in her bed 139 times this afternoon over a span of 1 hour and 40 minutes (just to end up watching in sheer frustration as she still did not sleep), I think that constitutes as a total toddler bed fail.

My day has suddenly gotten so much longer I am praying to the toddler bed gods that she will adjust to this new transition and give me some time to myself.

If anything, for the sake of my sanity.

So any Theta Mom who is even remotely thinking of transitioning her child to a toddler bed? Do me a favor and REALLY think about it before you make the move.

You can thank me later.

Three Time Management Secrets That Work

I often receive emails from bloggy friends and tweeps asking me how I manage it all. You know, the whole working from home thing, being a mom to two children under five and maintaining this blog as well as staying active in social media. Quite frankly, it’s a total juggling act every single day.

By nature, I am a very task-oriented and driven individual. I’m also very Type A when it comes to organization. However, you can be the most organized person but if many distractions interfere as you try to accomplish daily goals then you won’t end up being as productive.

We are all given the same amount of time every day so it’s how you choose to spend this time that makes all the difference. I had to take a step back and assess how I achieve daily tasks I set for myself and find ways to save time while cutting back in the process. I also live a life outside of this online world so time to myself and my family must also be infused into the equation.

When you work from home, sometimes this area is very muddy for we are always accessible. It’s a fine line that we walk which is why it’s essential that you decide when it’s the “right” time to work with the realization that you can integrate this into your daily routine in a healthy way.

I recently implemented a few rules that I developed for myself that actually work for me and in the process, I’ve been able to get rid of a lot wasted time. Furthermore, I have learned to lessen the noise in my life which has also helped me to become more productive. Here are my three secrets that can help you strike a balance as well:

1. Limit How Often You Check Your Email: Put the smart phone down for a moment and really think about how often you check your email. Actually, most emails are not of an urgent nature and can wait a few hours. I used to check my email 8-10 times a day. I was checking it during snack time, in between conference calls and basically any “free” moment I had. This was totally counter-productive because when I opened the emails, I didn’t have a true block of time at that moment to actually respond, so I ended up having to do it later in the day anyway! By forcing myself to ONLY check it a few times a day, I actually save myself time in the end. I know it will be really hard to do this at first but the rewards are plentiful.

2. Make Daily To-Do Lists to Stay on Task: I actually handwrite and prioritize what I need to do on each given day. The key to implementing the list effectively is whatever does not get done by the end of the day is the FIRST thing to be placed on the new list for the next day. It’s also important to note that the list should be prioritized with all tasks that must be completed by the end of the day toward the top of the list. It takes me roughly ten minutes to create the list each day (which I recommend drafting the night before so you anticipate the next day’s activities and schedule) and it’s the most organized, productive and well spent ten minutes. I highly recommend it.

3. Write Uninterrupted and Without Distractions: I sit in a quiet space with my computer and write when I have a decent chunk of uninterrupted time. I can’t sit down to write an effective blog post in between snack time, nap time and one million interruptions. So I write early in the morning while my kids are still asleep or late in the evening after I put them to bed. Not only is this therapeutic (doing something I love to do in peace and quiet) but since I don’t have to move off task every three seconds, I end up saving myself a whole lot of time. This also means that I write without distractions, though. I make sure I am not on Twitter, Facebook or the internet that may detract me from the goal of finishing a piece. Honestly, this is another trick that has saved me tons of time in the end.

Those are my three time management and “lessening the noise” secrets which help me to strike some sort of daily balance. What are some of the things that work for you?