Important entry .... NEED input

The topic ..... MY HAIR :-)!!! Seriously once or twice a year I go through this mood where I need a make over, well it's that time of year. Anyone that received our family Christmas card can see my hair was TERRIBLE!! Since then I have lightened it and cut it a little shorter but the texture of my hair is really dry. So one of the things I'm looking for is product recommendations. Marla you hair always looks so shinny - do you use anything special?

Also - for all you busy women how often do you wash and style your hair? I find that when I'm working at home even if I wash my hair it gets pulled back in a wet bun 95% of the time. I hate that too because then I don't feel like I look my best (which I want to do for Justin). I think a lot of my feelings are because I feel like a big frumpy mess most of the time - being 6 months pregnant and being pregnant FOREVER I think makes you feel that way sometimes.

So ...... any recommendations on products, styles, quick tips for getting ready in the morning would be VERY helpful!!!

Sharing your time

OK, so this blog entry is for the women out there that have to share your time between kids, husbands/boyfriends, work, housework, etc...... I was going to write to just mom's and mom's that have multiple children, however I realize that as women we have a lot more to balance than just spouse and kids. Pets count too - i was really impressed by my friend Lauren recently because she had to take care of her boyfriends dog for 2 weeks while he was in Asia working and Lauren did an amazing job. The dog had a lot of health problems and Lauren cared for him like she would a child. I have to say Lauren, you have come a long way since not knowing Elijah couldn't sit in the front seat, hahahaha, you are going to be a great mom someday!!

I am not so much worried about the housework or work really (although when I am working I feel like I don't give the kids or Justin the attention they need and when I am tending to the kids and running errands, because the weekends are too short - I feel like I don't give my work the attention it needs.

Recently Elijah has expressed that he misses being an only child - because he had all my attention. You can only imagine how bad that made me feel - I really didn't know what to say because he has always been my main focus. I really do try and share my time between him and Cloe but I am worried that when the new baby comes it's going to be even more difficult to give all three kids the attention they need, plus be a good wife (yes I said wife - we have finally finalized the the wedding plans. we are getting married March 18th in Hawaii - so exciting)!!!

Does anyone have any suggestions/recommendation on how to balance life so everyone gets "equal" time and no one feels left out? I think it would also be nice to work in time for "me" but I'm not even considering or worring about that right now.

Well .... .anyone ??????

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You

I'd like to say Thank You to everyone for your support. I have such a great group of friends. I am feeling a lot better about things - I am trying to be a lot more organized and not worry so much about the clutter. I am taking it one step at a time.

I'm still trying to organize my time and cook more - any idea's how to organize your week so you're prepared for each nights dinner?

It's all starting to hit me .....

I'm so overwhelmed right now - I feel like all I do it go, go, go and I can't image what it's going to get ANYTHING done is 5 months when I have another little one to take care of. Right now seems so hectic that I can't think straight. My mind is all over the place, and I can't concentrate on anything - the wedding, organizing this house (funny I have a cleaning service come in one a week and my house is still a cluttered mess ALL THE TIME), laundry, oh yeah and there is my job!

How do you get it all done? I really don't ever remember feeling like this before - I know I need to take one thing at a time but I just can't, ugh it's so frustrating.

Any ideas of how I can focus on getting everything done and hold it together all at the same time?

Happy New Year

Another year has flown by and it seems like life keeps getting busier and busier!! I can't believe Cloe is going to be 6 months old next week and Elijah will be 12 in a few months. Life flies by so fast, and my life is about to get even busier. I am expecting another baby :-) !! Cloe and the new baby will only be 11 months apart (my due date is June 13th and Cloe will be 1 year old on July 7th)! So with having an almost teenager, a new baby turning 1, having another new baby, hopefully selling our house and buying a new one (we have out grown our current house) and getting married is definatly going to make 2010 one of the busiest years EVER!!!

So, with the new year here, I am not going to make any New Years resolutions. Instead I am going to set goals. And this blog is going to be very important to me - and all of you are too. Trust me, I am going to need lots of good ideas for organizing, meals, staying sane :-) this year. So anyone that would like to give ideas - not just to me but to everyone else reading this blog - please feel free to post an idea. Or if you need an idea for something, just ask.

A few goals that I am setting for 2010 are:
1. To be a better friend - i know i have not been a very good friend to a lot of people in the past year. This past year has been a whirlwind and I didn't take the time I should have with the people that I care about most.

2. Cook one new recipe a week - so please keep the idea's coming.

3. Organize, organize, organize! Any ideas you have are more than welcome too - I can't tell you how tired I am of clutter - and I mean all kinds of clutter!!!

the rest are private - but I can say I have very high hopes that it's going to be a VERY VERY good year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Laundry

ok ..... laundry is something I always seem to struggle with getting organized. Some weeks I feel like I am doing laundry every day. So once I get all caught up, I leave it go because I don't feel like doing it, then I spend all week getting caught up again. It's an endless cycle.

Is there a best way to organize laundry? Do you save it up and do it all at once or do you spread it out and do a little bit each day?

Asking for help

I know these are not mom idea's but today is a weird day - I have a lot of thoughts that I need to get other women's opinion's on.

I wrote a little while ago about delegating .... am I selfish or less of a women because I decided to hire a cleaning service to clean my house?

Now I am asking: is it OK to ask for help?

I have NEVER been one to ask for help - i would rather do it myself then depend on someone else. This is true in both my professional life and personal life. I have always felt like if I ask for help then it's going to make me look like I can't do it myself. I also feel that if I have to ask someone to help, they might do it but they really don't want to because they didn't just offer (rather then ask).

For example: If I am cleaning the house and someone asks, is there anything I can do to help? Why would I say yes? There is obviously things that can be done that would be a big help - if they wanted to help they would just do it, right?

Am I wrong in my thinking??