Category: WAHM

I can’t help myself

Embracing Change

So here’s the deal…. Covid screwed up everything…. I know you know….. but it’s different for everyone! In my case, the company I was representing closed in April and I had to figure out what to do with the rest of my life! It’s time to embrace change!

I’m 53.. so it was just time to re-invent myself….. I’ve done it many times…. From Broadway actress to Interior Designer to Direct Sales leader…. I’m not afraid of change and I’m happy to embrace it. I admit, however, that I was feeling a little lost not having a purpose but I was embracing the freedom of summer.

Actually…. let’s go there, CHANGE is something we can all count on… Why are people so opposed to change? The more we embrace change the more adaptable we are. Isn’t that what we want ultimately? Adaptability to different situations should be a positive trait, right?

Anyway, I was minding my own business.. enjoying summer and the freedom of NOT doing anything for a few months and a girlfriend I worked with 20 years ago messaged me….A new start up?

Okay, okay… I wasn’t going to sell ANYTHING EVER again…. Sales is hard. You can’t take NO personally. Some people want to tear you down because they don’t want to be “sold” on anything… they want to find it themselves or they are jealous because you are taking a risk that they aren’t willing to take and they low-key want you to fail simply because they are not willing to take the risk themselves. Mind you, this is not everyone. People who are confident in their own skin will be happy for you or are just happy being a consumer and that’s okay. At this age and stage, I am very aware of who those people are.

The Theorem Methodwww.theda.theoremmethod.com

I’m not afraid to tell you I am a product junkie… I love trying things and I love figuring out what I love and don’t love about stuff….. If I love it I can sell it….it’s not about anything other than that. I have to believe in it… and I have to believe to the bottom of my gut that what I am selling is good and benefits others..

Fast forward… Covid taught me that what I am selling needs to be consumable, responsible, needs to solve a problem and needs to be something that can ship to your door. Am I right?

So I stumbled upon a start up…. RISKY, I get it.. but truly, a phenomenal product at a reasonable price and it works! Sign me up!

So here I am finding myself promoting another brand that I feel is GREAT!!! I believe in it… it’s good! Actually it’s GREAT!

Can it help solve the worlds problems… no… but it can help us with hair issues? We may not be dressing up, we may not be doing much socially, but we do have pride in our hair… our confidence may even depend on it.. we wan’t to be a healthy version of ourselves when we do actually get out of this crazy Covid nightmare.

I’m excited for my next chapter. I’m excited that I’m taking a risk on myself because I truly believe that what I am doing now is helping others… and that, my friend, is what it’s all about! If I can help someone feel happier or more confident with their hair or if I can help someone start a business from home and make additional income that can truly help them with their finances or if I can help someone feel connected to a community in this Covid isolation then I am EXCITED!!! Thanks for listening!

Living and working from home

A realization of the new normal- a transition to a work at home family

My husband and I take daily walks, our only time to just chat about life and planning for our future. It hit me that this living and working from home is our “new normal”. I’m not sure why I hadn’t given much time to REALLY think about it but it’s sinking in!

At the beginning of the pandemic it felt like a snow storm. You know, the kind where you are stuck in the house for a while and you cook, eat and watch movies. The shelves of the grocery store were always bare but this time, the snow storm lasted 3-4 months. Stores ran out of toilet paper, cleaning supplies, flour, sugar and yeast.

Fast forward to summer, we have been enjoying being outside and since we live in NJ we know we will be inside living and working from home soon enough. It is hitting me, we need a plan! We went to the gazebo by our pool, which we now lovingly have deemed our “restaurant” when we want a change of scenery and we discussed our plan!

My Domain

The house has traditionally been my domain. I’ve worked at home for 20 years and it’s been great! I’m disciplined, organized and I’m used to having my space and time to do what I need and want to do all day. I stay busy all day long toggling between work and home duties and I like it.

We are empty nesters but we currently have 4 adults living and working from home. Quarantine was a slight adjustment to those plans. I’m not complaining at all! I love having family with me and I love having built-in social! Especially during the height of the pandemic it was great to have family in the house for company and conversation!

I can’t imagine being alone or even being alone with your spouse for that long without social interaction with friends. I’m a social person and I get my energy from others. This isolation stuff stinks! I don’t like it.

So, back to the house being “my office”. I love my family and we all get along super well but sometimes I need my space! Everyone is in “my office”, which has typically been the whole house, all day long. My sweet husband is now asking me about dinner every day and none of us have privacy.

Dinner conversations

Dinner is almost the only thing that varies every day so I guess it’s fun to talk about, but Cooking has always been my thing, I’m efficient at it. I know what ingredients we have and many times I make a decision at 5pm as to what I feel like making. Now I have to think about it all day long and discuss it. My husband is just trying to be helpful and I am so very appreciative but I don’t like to discuss it all day long. I’ve talked with him and coached him to ask “How can I help you with dinner?” as opposed to “What should we do for dinner?”

It’s a slight word change that helps me feel like I’m being supported on the plans I have made for dinner.

Work Space Allocation

Since everyone is working from home, I’ve decided that we need to set some ground rules for Fall. I believe we will all be more productive and focused if we do.

Everyone needs an office/ work space. My husband and I have separate offices in the house but many days he would “work” in the family room off my office so we could be close by. Oddly, I felt stifled like I just needed my space like I had for the past 20 years. It may sound strange but I would rather have him in his office and call or text me if he needs something than to randomly chat all day.

I’ve decided that the kitchen needs to be the “break room” and no one should work in it. It needs to be social just like a break room should be. Meals and conversations shared. NO actual work!

The dining room should be either the “board room”, “cubicle space” even “school” if needed. Many people collaborating or working side by side on productive work that doesn’t involve meetings or zooms.

If you have the space, add a small desk or workspace to bedrooms so that people can work independently and privately. Conference calls, classes or networking zooms shouldn’t disturb others.

Communication is key

The bottom line is to communicate. Gather the family and discuss what is working and not working so we can come out of this quarantine on the better end of this! We need to communicate so that living and working from home will be seamless.

Plan out shopping, cooking and cleaning so that everyone has a role. I expect once the weather gets cold, we won’t be inside restaurants so there’s going to be a lot of home cooking again!

Time management, organization and setting some ground rules for space and chores in the house will allow us all to cope with this new-normal a little better! I hope this gives you some ideas on how to deal with this work from home family life that we are all getting used to. I’m not an expert but I’m good at communicating what I need and I hope you do the same!

Are you tired of your Wardrobe?

Are you tired of your wardrobe?  Accessorize!   It’s a sure-fire way to update that little black dress or that sweater!   Whatever the wardrobe… the accessories  give it that UPDATE!

It’s all about the shoes, the handbag and the jewelry! For REAL!    If you are wearing the same little necklace you’ve always worn… the dress looks the same.    If you accessorize with new updated pieces… it can look like an entirely different outfit!

As you go into the weekend, I will challenge you to freshen up your accessories and if you need help, Text me…. or  send me an email with a photo of  your outfit!  I’d love to help you select some pieces to update your wardrobe!

 

Here’s two photos I took last week…. same new jewelry…. two completely different looks…. What if I had only worn my little necklace I had always worn?   Think about it and let me help you!   So much fun to create new looks with new pieces!   I love my job!!!    

Surprise Party!

SWEET 16!

My daughter turned 16 last week… and we had already agreed not to have a “Sweet 16” party in the modern sense…. inviting 50 or more kids or something like that.   My daughter wanted something more intimate with some close friends…. but I definitely wanted it to feel special for her.
I find it funny how different boys and girls are too!  My son was totally peplexed by even THIS amount of work to make her 16th birthday special…. as he doesn’t want a party at all…. but then again… he’s almost 18!  🙂
Anyway… I was excited to pull of some fun surprises to make her 16th special.
First… a Surprise Sleepover with close friends….. The girls totally loved being part of the surprise!
Second… Disco lights, fun music with  a club-like theme in the basement complete with CANDY BAR and snacks!
Third… A “photo booth” type set up where the girls could take fun photos of themselves all night!

 

I was told that the HIT of the party was the Candy Bar!   In this sugar averse culture we live in… and trust me… we don’t eat much sugar around here…. THIS was definitely a treat! And of course… it is called SWEET 16 for some reason, right?   Sweedish Fish seemed to be the big hit… just saying.

 

I pulled this surpise off in just a week….. so I went to Oriental Trading Comlpany and ordered the Photo Booth essentials….. mustashes and lips on sticks… “frames” and the little white board bubbles to write captions on…. the girls had fun!  I pulled out some accessories from my costume box such as boas and fun sunglasses and hats and they just took selfies all night!    One friend had a selfie stick…. I think that would have been a good gift for the Birthday Girl too but I didn’t think of that one! 😉    I did take a few of the photos the “old fashioned” way with me taking the photo!
Anyway…. It was a fun filled evening…. Pretty simple to pull off and tons of fun!   I do believe it will be a birtday to remember and THAT is the best thing a Mom can do!
Good luck with your party planning!   Post other fun ideas you’ve tried or wanted to!  I’d love to hear
what you have done!
Theda

MOM Rocks!

It’s almost Mother’s day!   Have you thought about what to get her this year?  Think about a special piece of Jewelry you own…. whether a wedding band or a necklace from your grandmother…. a special piece of jewelry elicits thoughts  of the person who gave it to you every time you put it on!

Sure, gift cards are easy… but investing  just a few minutes to select something special you know she’ll love will be treasured for a lifetime!  Check out this 2 minute video for some ideas!

 

 

 

Salads taste better when someone else makes them!

SALADS!

I’m not sure why salads taste better when someone else makes them… but they do.    In my never ending quest to eat healthy with variety….. I think this will be my NEW staple side dish!  So simple and delicious!  Wait for it….. Tomato Cucumber salad!
Yep… pretty simple and easy to keep these ingredients in the fridge all summer long!  Whether you get them from the store, farmstand or your own garden… this is simply delicious! If you are a salsa connoisseur you’ll also love this fresh salad!  Add some cilantro and you pretty much have salsa or pico de gallo!
2 chopped Tomatoes
1 cucumber peeled and diced
Red onion to taste
1 TBS lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
I was looking for a non-mayo based salad that was healthy and yummy and stumbled upon this simple treasure!    It’s only 31 calories a serving.  A serving is 1/4 of the recipe!    There’s no carbs… no fat…. it’s a winner!
The ONLY downside is if you don’t like tomatos or cucumbers… but it’s going to be my summer staple for sure!   Enjoy!

The Jewelry Box

The Jewelry Box

This will be my 2nd Mother’s day without my mom…. and I miss her terribly.   As a mom myself, there’s such a joy in getting a thoughtful card, a thoughtful gift and simply being treated special on Mother’s Day!
After all…. Mom’s sacrifice quite a lot to have these babies… bodies that don’t quite go back the way they were…. sleepless nights… doing things for their kids instead of themselves… It’s truly a selfless job!
If you have a few minutes, you may appreciate this video link below!
TOUGHEST JOB in the WORLD
Anyway… when my mother passed away, and we were sorting thru her things, ONE of the things that I really loved keeping was her jewelry.   I could not and didn’t want to wear her clothes or her shoes….sometimes keeping large bulky things like furniture is a problem.. but wearing something like a ring or necklace that my mom wore is special.   It’s something that fits just about everyone.
Keeping “the good stuff” was also in consideration… minus a few costume things that were memorable.    I have to say that these nicer pieces became valuable to me…. and they don’t take up a lot of storage.
Don’t discount the quality jewelry gift to your mom…. or how it will come back to you one day.    There are many memories to be passed down that while will be in a jewelry box and worn occasionally or everyday… WONT be in a box in the attic to only be looked at every 5 years or less.
I know you know I sell designer jewelry… but I had to tell you about my own personal experience… that I loved going thru my mom’s jewelry box and keeping special treasures that she wore or I had given her or made her over the years.   What a gift!
www.esbedesigns.com/theda

Yes! I’m a “Dance Mom”

YES!  I’M A “DANCE MOM”

This kid inspires me!   So yes…. I’m a dance mom!   But if “Dance Mom” means I love watching my dancer dance, compete, work hard for a goal, and hopefully succeed while consoling the failures… then Yes…. I’m guilty!  Whether we are a dance mom or a soccer mom or anything in between, if we as parents support our kid’s passion… then we are doing a fabulous thing!

So lucky I can take my work on the road with me as we travel for her passion….. and it prompted me to share some crazy travel tips for any parent living out of a hotel room on the weekend!

So here’s my “office on the go” and here’s the Kitchen!   I always bring little oatmeals with me…. fill up a cup of hot water from the in room coffee pot (Don’t forget the plastic spoon- I have and it’s a pain)
Something simple like this is GREAT when you don’t want to spend the time getting food in the early AM when you have to get out and about early.   Not only does it save about $20 on room service, but it is very convenient!   Just had to share my tip!  Enjoy this when you travel with your kids or for a weekend… or as you plan summer travel!
Enjoy your day!