The Guavalicious Life

So you may have noticed I have been almost completely offline most of this year. My life was a mess and something had to give. Turns out that something was personal blogging.

The truth is, I can’t do it all. At least I couldn’t in my totally disorganized state. Since I had started working from home last spring (in addition to my work at home job as indentured servant) my house and life had continually spiraled towards disasterdom. And I so wasn’t taking good care of myself, my autoimmune disease was in full flareup due to my snacking diet and the ten pounds I gained from it. So in January, I stopped all personal blogging, finished up my current contracts, and concentrated on getting my house and life organized.

What a difference! Now that my house is in order and my schedule organised, I have a clear mind (and space!) to work in. No more working on contracts and projects at two am. No more uninspired review posts. No more constant sickness from being run down.

After I got my house in working order, it was time to get my work life in order. I needed to stop making the kitchen table my desk, especially when I had a perfectly nice home office waiting for me downstairs. For some reason I had decided it would be better filled with everything I did not have a place for. I am not going to lie, those things got moved to the guest room instead of disappearing, but now I have a clean space. With a door that shuts.

Next up was my schedule. I was trying to fit work in when I had free moments. And as a parent, those momenrts were few and far between. That’s how I ended up working until two in the morning every night. Now my family, friends, and the girls’ school know that I am just not sitting at home eating bonbons, I am working from 9-12 and 1-4 and cannot be disturbed during those times. I do paperwork on Saturdays and personal blogging on Sundays. I also started saying no more and pulled out of everything that wasn’t enriching my life. My priorities are my family, my work, and my friends. And my sanity too.

The one thing I am still really working on is my professionalism. A lot of the work I do is also done by agencies and firms in town and to compete with them I have had to step up my game. I have assembled a list of resources from website designers to SEO experts. And I know who to go to for printing now. Having been online for so long I sort of forget that people still need actual items in their hand from time to time. I have started using an online print firm that allows me to upload my custom design. Now I have high quality booklets to hand out to potential customers for way less than I was paying at the chain stores. And I can produce anything from notepads to catalogs for my customers.

So that’s how I got my life back and turned into an actual worker, albeit one that works in sweatpants. I would love to hear what your tips are for keeping sane while working at home. Got any advice for me?

The last two months have been full of goal setting, acheiving, striving, and lots of hard work. What better way to celebrate than with a pre-SXSW Interactive vacation? We flew into Austin early and then drove down to San Antonio, with a stop at the Salt Lick on the way. Incidentally, here is what I thought of Salt Lick:

After filling up on BBQ, we drove down to Blanco to try and visit Real Ale, one of my favorite breweries, but they were closed. They usually only have tours on Friday but we’re hoping to stop by for a brew on Tuesday, my birthday. My husband hopes they let us in because he doesn’t want to see my disappointed face again.

From Blanco, it was about an hour drive to our hotel in San Antonio. We lived in the Alamo city for five years and the drive in was full of us gawking at the changes. Former coworkers of my husband held a small party for us Saturday night where I nommed on amazing Vietmese spring rolls and spent hours chatting with my friend Claire, also known as The Half Hearted Housewife.

Today we dived full on into the surreal by going to eat at our favorite restaurant than driving around our old neighborhood. My stomach got butterflies as we turned onto our street. Soon I saw the bright blue of our house. It looked amazingly the same, down to the Honda in the driveway. We pulled over and got out for a better look. And then, even though my husband begged me not to, I knocked on the door and introduced myself.

The couple could not have been more gracious. They invited us in, showed us around, and talked about the changes they had made and what they still hoped to do. I have to admit, it looked better than when we owned it. They had a more cohesive look and had made improvements we hadn’t gotten to. It was quite surreal, looking around what used to be our home… the house we had our kids in.

We left and drove around a bit more before heading back to the hotel. The changes stayed in my mind all evening, making me think about how we see and treat our homes. I feel inspired to start putting in more of an effort on our home. There were so many things we waited on until we were ready to sell. I want to make the improvements now so I can enjoy them.

Confession: I am a secret hoarder. Out in my garage we have a gigantic stash of used plastics. You see, our city as great as it is, only recycles one and two plastics. So we save up our yogurt tubs and cheese lids and ferry them to Dallas when we visit family. Yep, we are a little bit crazy about recycling. We are one step away from joining the earth liberation army.

Suffice to say, I am a wee bit into green living. So I jumped at the chance to test out Tide Coldwater. We almost always wash our clothes in cold water but I haven’t used a detergent made specifically for cold water laundry. I love my natural detergents but I admit that they don’t always tackle the stains that two five year old girls leave on their play clothes.

And it totally came through. Even without any kind of pre-treatment. I am so looking forward to pulling that off of my laundry shelf and adding less plastic to our garage stash.

Disclosure: I received a product sample and was compensated with a $50 gift card.

Even though the oven is already going and the girls are running around me as I write this, I am finding it hard to believe that Thanksgiving is this Thursday. As the girls get older, the days seems to speed up to the point where I often feel like I just got up when I am headed to bed to start it all over again.

That feeling of time passing is why Thanksgiving, and the month of November, have always been special to me. It’s a time to sit, reflect, and enjoy the season. November means apple cider, jumping in leaf piles, and putting on sweaters to capture those last few precious evenings of light before winter starts.

For me Thanksgiving is never about football or camping out for the best deals the next day. Instead it is about sitting down to a good meal and relaxing. For years I worked retail, and Thanksgiving was a respite before the crazy holiday retail season. And the day after Thanksgiving is also the day I met my husband. So for me, it really is a day to be thankful for the family that I have.

This year we are blessed to be able to see a large amount of my extended family and also to honor my grandmother who passed away a year ago. We are being hosted by several different family members and to some I plan to bring something to add to the meal. To others I like to send something before or after like these Thanksgiving centerpieces or beautiful flowers from Teleflora. It’s a small way to say thank you for the effort they go to.

I hope that you have a lovely Thanksgiving however you spend it.

Disclosure: This promotional sponsored post was made possible by Mom Spark Media. I was compensated for my time investment and work on this campaign.

Today’s task: Hit the Post Office (virtually)
Time Investment: 5-10 minutes
 

Take a few minutes and visit the post office website to place any holiday holds you need. While there, order stamps for your holiday cards. I recommend the forever stamps in evergreen since they are suitable for any holiday card and are good forever in case you over buy. Plus they don’t scream holiday so you can use them on any type of mail. Give your gift list a check and see if you are going to need to mail any holiday presents. If so, snag some flat rates boxes. They are free ya’ll. Then you will be able to speed through any lines at the post office.

So I have been on a green kick this week on the blog with my Scotch-Brite Botanical Wipes giveaway and my Top Ten Green Cleaners. I think it’s because I am in the middle of deep cleaning before my inlaws visit this week. These spurts always get me motivated to reduce, reuse, and recycle. Part of this mantra is our determination to keep our second car going as long as possible. It’s more cost effective and we figure that there will be more “green” cars out on the market the longer we wait.

But that doesn’t keep a girl from day dreaming. So when I was asked to check out the new Kia Optima Hybrid, I jumped on the chance to do a little “window shopping.” Before my current mom mobile, I drove a Hyundai Elantra so I personally know the value and quality that Kia offers. The 2011 Optima Hybrid delivers 40 MPG on the highway and has a starting MSRP of $26,5002. Awesome gas mileage and even more awesome price. Plus it comes standard with a 16-inch alloy wheel design, headlamp design, fog lamps, heated outside mirrors, front and rear lower bumpers and side sills and LED tail lamp design. I think those extras make it look pretty darn sporty. There are plenty of cool options to add on too.

Check it out:

Want to know more? You can view a video series about the Optima Hybrid design, technology, value and battery here, check out the Kia Optima Facebook page to interact with the Urban Myth Busters app, and check out and Infographic about how hybrid cars work. Infogrpahics make my nerdy heart swoon. For now, i will have to be satisfied with videos and infographics. And maybe a test drive. You know, just to see.

“This promotional sponsored post was made possible by Mom Spark Media. I was compensated for my time investment and work on this campaign. Thoughts are my own.”

After my Scotch-Brite giveaway post yesterday, I started thinking about other green cleaners I use when white vinegar won’t do (or I am feeling lazy). Here are my top ten green home cleaners. They make it easy to go non-toxic.

1. Microfiber cloths: You probably already know about these but if not, get yourself a pack and never look back. They make dusting a snap and you don’t have to worry about inhaling a spray. Plus they are completely safe for kids to use.

2. Steam Mop: This household is ridden with allergies so hard floors are a must. Instead of risking build up, we use a steam mop to clean and disinfect our floors. We have Bissell Steam Mop Hard-Floor Cleaner, Green Tea, 1867-7“>this one and we have only had one hiccup in two years (and Bissel sent us a new one!) Unlike the ones with disposable cloths, you can use the mop heads again and again. Just run them through the washing machine.

3. Skoy cloth: Love this wonder cloth. According to the company, One Skoy cloth saves 15 rolls of paper towels. We use them in the sink and wash them in the washing machine to clean them. When we’re done, we just throw them in the compost because they are 100% biodegradable.

4. Ecover Automatic Dishwashing Tablets: I have always had dishwasher issues. But once we started using these tablets our spots have all but disappeared. I love that I can buy them in bulk because I am constantly running out of them. They contain chlorine or chemical residues (so they don’t pollute the water supply) and are safe for septic tanks.

5. Seventh Generation Dish Liquid: Most of our cleaning products are fragrance free but I make an exception for Seventh Generation’s lavender scented dish soap because I hate doing dishes and this makes it so much more pleasant. Plus it cuts grease like a dream. It contains no artificial or petroleum-based ingredients and is Biodegradeable and non-toxic.

6. Method Hand Soap: Since Method came out I have tried and loved most of their hand soaps. They use natural based ingredients, no antibacterials, and smell fantastic (thanks to essential oils.) A current favorite is the Minnie and Mickey shaped soap bottles. They make my kids excited about washing their hands without any gimmicks or weird colors.

7. The Sun: Free and almost always available (unless you live in the Pacific Northwest), the sun is the best stain remover I know. Got a stubborn spot? Stick it in direct sunlight for a few hours and it will be faded or gone.

8. Bon Ami All Purpose Spray: I have raved before about this natural (and great smelling counter spray). It’s nontoxic, hypoallergenic, and safe for kids to use. It works without phosphates or harmful chlorine. and the bottles are made from 100% post consumer recycled pet plastic. Even the paper labels are made from recycled paper.

9. Scotch-Brite Non-Scratch Scrub Sponges: Love that these natural fiber scrub pads are available everywhere now (it’s sometimes hard to find green products in my smaller market.) Since they are made from natural ingredients like wood pulp and nut shells, we can throw them in our compost when they are worn out.

10. Aluminum Foil: I save my aluminum foil that can’t be reused and use it to scrub pans in a pinch. It is one of the best tricks I know. Leaves your pans sparkly and free of scratches!!

What are your favorite green cleaners?

I couldn’t resist sharing this today since we are headed to see Disney Live : Enchanted Fairy Tales this Sunday!

As someone who suffers from an auto-immune disorder, I am constantly on the search for alternative pain relief methods. I carefully monitor my diet and what I put on to my body, since I have found that certain ingredients and foods can exacerbate my vulardynia. The worst symptom are those muscle cramps and aches that seem to come from nowhere. Besides popping ibuprofen like candy, I haven’t really found something that helps. So when Tropricin asked me if I wanted to try out their topical homepathic Topricin Pain Relief and Healing Cream, I was gungho.

Tropricin was originally developed to treat the muscle pain of its’ developer and since going on the market it has been used sucessfully by firbomyalgia patients. It definitely lessened what I call the “stabbies”, allowing me to get to sleep at night. But what I have really found myself using it for is the shoulder and back pain I get from carrying my four year old twins around (I know they shouldn’t be carried anymore but sometimes that’s the fastest way to get them from point a to point b.) I am thinking about snagging the travel size so I could throw it in my purse.

Other stuff I think is cool: the company also has a junior cream for use on kids. I am looking forward to trying it out on them for those “I need a bandaid” moments after they run into furniture or fall down. The rule in our house is no blood, no bandaid and I think the cream could be the answer to the medicine wants while also helping them feel better. The cream has the Heathy Child, Healthy World seal of approval. The company also makes a formula for foot pain. You can find Topricin on their website, Twitter, and Facebook.

Is there a natural pain reliever you use? I’d love to hear about it!!

Disclosure: I received a sampling of Topricin products for review. Opinions, as always, are my own. I only blog about products that I personally have used and feel comfortable recommending.

On the Sundays leading up to BlogHer 2011, I am posting a series of top ten tips that will make your BlogHer experience a little better (I hope!). Last Sunday I tackled packing so it seems appropriate to follow it with one on fashion. Especially since judging from the tweets, clothing seems to give people some of the biggest anxiety. This list will help you tackle your fears and prepare you to wow the crowds or at least keep you from dissolving into tears as you pack.

Top Ten BlogHer Conference Packing Tips

1. Be Comfortable: When planning what to wear, think about what you feel most comfortable in and then pack that. No, I am not advising you to pack the sweats and tee you wear around the house. But when picking out what to wear maybe you pack an elevated version. During the day a nice pair of jeans and a fancy tshirt with a nice blazer or sweater work just as well as slacks and a blouse.  Candice over at Fashionably Organized wrote a fantastic post with suggestions on how to step your favorites up a notch.

2.Shop Your Closet: The impulse is to run out and buy new clothes, but shop your closet first. Remember all those clothes you never get a chance to wear. Now’s the time to pull out shirts that are too nice for finger painting and those cool heels and favorite dress moldering in the back of your closet. We all have those items we bought just because, give them a chance to shine.

3. Comfortable Shoes: Just yesterday, I was lusting over some killer flower print stilletos at Marshall’s. They were only $17 and I knew they would look kick ass with about every night time outfit I was planning. But I didn’t get them. Why? Because I knew they would be killing my feet within thirty minutes of wearing them. It bears repeating again and again: your feet are going to hurt from all the walking and dancing. Wear shoes that are comfortable. Tom’s, Easy Spirit, and Keen all get high marks from BlogHer fans for being comfortable but also looking good. And if you didn’t listen to my advice, head over to the expo and stop by the Dr. Scholl’s booth. Their products are awesome for tired, achy feet.

4. Pack Transition Clothing: My friend Claire of Fashion Friday fame advises packing outfits that can transition from day to night with a change of shoes and accessories. One of the most versatile items, in my opinion, is a nice pair of jeans. They work well for day with a blazer or sweater, add heels and flashy accessories for the parties. To keep those transition items fresh hang them in your bathroom during a shower and pack some shout wipes.

5.  Acessorize!: In my normal life, I wear my hair in a ponytail and my only jewelry is a simple wedding band. At BlogHer, I am rocking a peacock feather headband and chained necklaces. Accessories not only dress up your outfit but they give you a chance to get fancy without spending a fortune. And at several of the parties, nothing is outlandish. I wore a BabyPop superhero mask to Sparkecorn last year and fit right in.

6. Prepare for the Paparazzi: So the women of BlogHer aren’t tabloid stars yet, even if we totally should be. But with thousands of bloggers in attendance, there will be more flashes going off than at a movie premiere. Angry Julie suggests double checking to make sure you’re camera ready or at least embaressment proof. Wear a black or nude bra under that black top, consider investing in some Spanx panties, etc.

7. Bring a Cover Up: Thrifty Jinxy advises packing a shawl or other cover up that works with all your outfits. The conference rooms get chilly so plan ahead. I am bringing a lightweight black cardigan that works well with my daytime outfits that I can also throw over my party dresses so I don’t look super boobalicious while walking around the Gaslamp district. Another of my all time favorite cover ups is a dark jean jacket. It looks good with everything (except dark jeans!)

8. Think Portable: You will be on the go all day so pack a few items that will keep you looking and feeling good. CiaoMom recommends throwing some roll up flats like the ones from Kushy Foot in your bag. I plan to carry either the roll up flats I got at last year’s Nikon party or a pair of silver flip flops. I also carry a tiny emergency bag with lipstick, oil blotting sheets, pain medication, Emergen-C, pepto, breath mints, and a tiny tube of mascara.

9. Plan Ahead: Before you buy anything new, pack, or start to panic. Sit down and plan out what you will need. Make a list of needed outfits plus other items like underwear and pjs. This will help you be realistic about what you really need. After I know my needs, I like to make a polyvore board to visualize the outfits I need. Want to see an example? Here’s my TypeA Conference set. Morgan over at The Little Hen House just put up a great day by day set of suggested choices.

10. Be Confident: The biggest piece of advice I can give is be comfortable with who you are. There will be some amazingly dressed people there and there will be some women who wear shorts and tees. Know where you fall on the spectrum and be satisfied with that. Don’t change who you are because you think have to to fit in. And that goes doubly for weight. There’s nothing wrong with trying to lose a little weight before the conference, I did last year so my clothes would be less tight, but don’t drive yourself crazy trying to do it. You look great just the way you are and I can’t wait to meet you not matter what you are wearing!

Have a specific fashion question? Want to know what to wear to a party or event? have more advice? Let me know in the comments and I will post about it on Friday along with my Polyvore sets for BlogHer.