Snow Day Reboot

Last week I was struggling. I had too much to do. I'd said yes to too many things and too many people. I was feeling lost and confused and unappreciated and unsure where I fit in and exhausted. Totally exhausted.

Then I cancelled a meeting and told someone I couldn't do a freelance job and it was such a relief. It felt like a weight had been lifted or like someone somewhere gave me a raise. It felt good.

Then it started to snow, and snow, and snow, and snow.  Activities were cancelled. We were all forced to hunker down together and IT WAS FABULOUS.

Slow rolling family meals, Christmas movies, music, no schedule, hot chocolate, more movies and more food....I live for this shit. 

Sledding!

And THEN there was a snow day yesterday. Um, my faith in a higher power listening to my prayers/desperate pleas for life to slow down, may have just been restored a bit.

These two nut jobs had a blast in the snow all weekend. 

We made gluten free Christmas cookies.

Wade was a fan of the sprinkles. My sprinkle rule is the same as my glitter rule...there is never too much!

We ate so many meals together, which is my dream come true.

Hot cocoa in Christmas mugs!

It wasn't perfect. I cried a little bit because one of the kids wanted to go to a friend's house instead of being with us once the roads cleared. The little boys usually ended up punching each other at least twice a day, at least. The older kids had their phones way more than I wanted. Tim was still on the couch a lot because he is recovering from shoulder surgery. But so what? That stuff happens all the time. It's much easier to handle when I'm not running late or behind and wondering how I will do it all or when I will do it all. 

Even the moody tween was smiling. It was a GOOD weeekend.

This weekend was the thing I wanted most for Christmas--free time at home remembering who we are and who I am. We unplugged (a little). We rebooted. We hit the reset button. And we had fun.

Pinterest Poser Photo Booth & Valentines

It's time again for the Pinterest Poser Challenge.  In an attempt at not being a Pinterest Poser,* every week I  detail a new Pinterest challenge whether it be a new recipe or a craft.   

**My definition of a Pinterest Poser is someone who is all pins and no substance.**

This week I created my own Pinterest magic and tried out a few fun Valentine's Day decorating projects.

I love photo booths almost as much as I love wine and dancing.  I've shared before how I think a photo booth brings out the silly in almost anyone.  From my early days as a mall rat getting my picture taken with friends at the arcade photo booth (holy sh*t does that make me sound old) to the recent craze of mobile photo booths at weddings and special events, I am a true devoted fan.  Silly faces, kissy faces, smiley faces and props--it's just all good.

So, I decided to make a homemade photo booth.  A recent snow day seemed like the perfect time.  

Here's how it went down:

• I grabbed a sheet (from my bed) found a corner in my dining room that looked booth-y and just like Martha Stewart would do, I duct taped the sheet to the wall.

• I sent the kids to the basement playroom to get play clothes and props.

• I sat a piano bench in front of the sheet, gathered the kids together and they started posing.  I counted down five seconds in between clicking to make it more fun and the poses more spontaneous.

• For some Valentine's Day photos, we had special props and then I headed over to PicMonkey.com (my fav online editing site) and made some fun photo booth strips.

I love the way the pictures turned out.  And we all had a blast.  And guess what it cost me? NOTHING.  

This would be a fun idea to do at one of my children's next birthday parties and then use the pictures as thank yous.

Tim got home from work just in time to join in the fun.  I'm sure he was so glad he didn't miss it.

There are a ton of cute Valentine's Day projects on Pinterest.  Since I've had a few poser fails lately, I picked a fairly easy one project. 

Heart Paper Garland Strands (via Real Simple.com)

I did not follow the directions very closely, really I  just looked at the picture and sort of copied it.

  

I used scrap booking paper (in nontraditional Valentine's colors) that was on sale at Michael's.  I cut wonky shaped hearts and started sewing them together with a needle and thread.  It only took about 10 minutes and I love my new garland.    

Have you made something from Pinterest lately?  

Do tell.

Please share whatever you're working on in the comments here or over on Facebook.

Come on over and follow my Pinterest boards.

Here are some of the projects I've already attempted, the good and the bad:

Fake Bangs- click here

DIY Subway Art- click here

Furniture Painting and Bench/Chest Makeover- click here

Thanksgiving-y Project/Gratitude/Holiday Countdown- click here
The Smoothie-click here

The Free Printable Turned Artwork in a Boring Hallway- click here

The chalk board-click here
Seven Layer Dip in Individual Cups (my favorite so far!)-click here
The pumpkin address-click here
The Kitchen Dancing Sign--click here

Come play with me on Instagram @jumpingwithmyfingerscrossed.

Oh yeah, and come follow me on Twitter @AngelaYBlood and subscribe to my MomPulse YouTube channel here.