Book Preview: Have More Fun

I am on the "Street Team" for Mandy Arioto's new book called Have More Fun: How to be Remarkable, Get Unstuck and Start Enjoying Life. Which means I received an advanced copy of the book and need to tell all my friends about it!

Mandy Arioto is the CEO of MOPS International, which if you know me, you know how much I love MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and have been involved in the San Francisco group for over 4 years. That is how I came to "meet" Mandy. She blogged and wrote a lot of articles for MOPS and then last year she started a podcast called "Have More Fun." Which I listen to every few weeks. She asks all her guests two questions after the interview: 1) What is the best advice you never got? and 2) What is one way you are cultivating more fun in your life right now? I love it. And then my friend Beth and I went to MOMCON (MOPS Conference) in September where we actually got to hear Mandy speak and meet her in person!

I was super conscious of my height when I met her . . . she is much more petite than I had pictured. And in my effort to say something meaningful and rememberable I stuttered out, "Thank you for what you do. You make being a mom more fun." I walked away feeling totally lame . . . but you know what . . . In her book, Mandy confesses to feeling the exact same way (in a different circumstance) and deciding not to let it define her. 

"If I said something weird to you once when I was twenty, rest assured I spent every night for the next ten years thinking about it. . . This type of ridiculousness should not take up one moment of brain space, am I right?" Pg 116

So, I'm off the hook! No more brain space wasted on what I said to Mandy when I met her that one time. Whew!

Mandy is a great story-teller. She has such a great skill of weaving in stories from her own life, friend's lives and lives of people she has read about from long ago to drive her points home. And she is funny. Her writing is very much like her speaking style and most of the time I felt like I was just hearing her tell me the story over a cup of tea. And me interrupting with "Yep, me too!"

So what is "Have More Fun" really about? Well, just what it sounds like. She tells us how she rediscovered joy, creativity, imagination and fun. She tells us how we might relearn the same things. Being an adult is filled with serious matters, but there are also moments and people in our lives that we should actually be enjoying.

She has chapters that cover parenting, marriage, workspace, friendships, spirituality and even your body. I really the way she ended each chapter with a page of ideas of how you could have more fun in that specific area of life. For example, at the end of the parenting chapter she gives this tip:

"On the day you're already running late for school, go ahead and swing through a fast-food restaurant for pancakes." Pg 68

Now wouldn't that be more fun than huffing and puffing about how late you are and how upset that is making you . . . and wouldn't that be the best memory for your kid? A special breakfast with mom! I probably won't remember this when the time comes but I'm hoping I can stop feeling so upset about being late.

Have More Fun is a quick read filled with great stories and reminders of the things that really matter in life. Like "choose to enjoy your kids" . . . as a mom, I find it easy to get stuck in the mundane or worried about the little things that in the grand scheme of life don't really matter. Since reading the book, I have chosen to play trucks, go down the slide, and chase my kids around the park instead of be on my phone searching for a new rug or couch for our new home. I found Mandy's book really refreshing and full of really fun ideas.

If you'd like to get a copy, you can find it on Amazon!
Thanks for reading my review.

I am on the "Street Team" for Mandy Arioto's new book called Have More Fun: How to be Remarkable, Get Unstuck and Start Enjoying Life. Which means I received an advanced copy of the book and need to tell all my friends about it!

Mandy Arioto is the CEO of MOPS International, which if you know me, you know how much I love MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and have been involved in the San Francisco group for over 4 years. That is how I came to "meet" Mandy. She blogged and wrote a lot of articles for MOPS and then last year she started a podcast called "Have More Fun." Which I listen to every few weeks. She asks all her guests two questions after the interview: 1) What is the best advice you never got? and 2) What is one way you are cultivating more fun in your life right now? I love it. And then my friend Beth and I went to MOMCON (MOPS Conference) in September where we actually got to hear Mandy speak and meet her in person!

I was super conscious of my height when I met her . . . she is much more petite than I had pictured. And in my effort to say something meaningful and rememberable I stuttered out, "Thank you for what you do. You make being a mom more fun." I walked away feeling totally lame . . . but you know what . . . In her book, Mandy confesses to feeling the exact same way (in a different circumstance) and deciding not to let it define her. 

"If I said something weird to you once when I was twenty, rest assured I spent every night for the next ten years thinking about it. . . This type of ridiculousness should not take up one moment of brain space, am I right?" Pg 116

So, I'm off the hook! No more brain space wasted on what I said to Mandy when I met her that one time. Whew!

Mandy is a great story-teller. She has such a great skill of weaving in stories from her own life, friend's lives and lives of people she has read about from long ago to drive her points home. And she is funny. Her writing is very much like her speaking style and most of the time I felt like I was just hearing her tell me the story over a cup of tea. And me interrupting with "Yep, me too!"

So what is "Have More Fun" really about? Well, just what it sounds like. She tells us how she rediscovered joy, creativity, imagination and fun. She tells us how we might relearn the same things. Being an adult is filled with serious matters, but there are also moments and people in our lives that we should actually be enjoying.

She has chapters that cover parenting, marriage, workspace, friendships, spirituality and even your body. I really the way she ended each chapter with a page of ideas of how you could have more fun in that specific area of life. For example, at the end of the parenting chapter she gives this tip:

"On the day you're already running late for school, go ahead and swing through a fast-food restaurant for pancakes." Pg 68

Now wouldn't that be more fun than huffing and puffing about how late you are and how upset that is making you . . . and wouldn't that be the best memory for your kid? A special breakfast with mom! I probably won't remember this when the time comes but I'm hoping I can stop feeling so upset about being late.

Have More Fun is a quick read filled with great stories and reminders of the things that really matter in life. Like "choose to enjoy your kids" . . . as a mom, I find it easy to get stuck in the mundane or worried about the little things that in the grand scheme of life don't really matter. Since reading the book, I have chosen to play trucks, go down the slide, and chase my kids around the park instead of be on my phone searching for a new rug or couch for our new home. I found Mandy's book really refreshing and full of really fun ideas.

If you'd like to get a copy, you can find it on Amazon!
Thanks for reading my review.

#MinGame Round 2

For the month of January I did another round of the minimalism challenge. And I asked my facebook friends to join me. We agreed to get rid of 1 thing on day 1, 2 items on day 2, continuing this thru day 30 (or 31 if you so dared). This meant that we would get rid of over 450 items!

I created a facebook private group and we had 18 members of which 8-10 posted regularly on their successes/struggles. It was great to have the accountability and really fun to reconnect with some friends from long ago. I was and am really proud of all who participated.

I had a new motivation for going into this challenge a second time. We had learned that the application we had submitted for a loan for a 2 bedroom condo was approved and moving looked like it might actually become a reality. So, I entered Round 2 with new enthusiasm. But toward day 8, when we were supposed to be getting rid of 8 things I started to really struggle. It wasn't easy to come up with that many things to let go of. I was shocked because it was still early on in the challenge. I hadn't expected it to be hard. But I persevered and continued to find things that I had not used in years or had used and needed to replace.

And then on day 14 I was rear-ended. I had a concussion and couldn't do much for a week. I took myself out of the challenge for a few days hoping to make up the count but that proved to be too challenging. Thankfully my symptoms didn't last as long as I had feared and I was back to driving and participating in regular activity (slowly) 9 days later. But what do you suppose filled my mind with while not looking at my phone or reading (because eye strain can do terrible things when you have a concussion) . . . I planned what to purge next! I couldn't help it!

At the end of the month when I was falling behind I took the plunge and decided to let go of my baby clothes and supplies for a potential #3. We had been talking about it for the past year and now didn't feel like the right time. Maybe we'll hit that "right time" in a few months but the thought of storing all those clothes for something that was at best a year away or even more felt like a heavy weight I didn't want on my shoulders... and definitely didn't want filling my closet in our new home. So we said good bye to them. And I did totally Marie Kondo them and thank them for brining me joy and sweet memories of my babies.

At the end of the month I had missed nearly 100 items but knew that I would be getting rid of a lot more as I packed for our move which became official on January 31! 

And so far I think I'd have to say I'd made good on getting rid of those 100 items . . . at least it feels like it. 

For the month of January I did another round of the minimalism challenge. And I asked my facebook friends to join me. We agreed to get rid of 1 thing on day 1, 2 items on day 2, continuing this thru day 30 (or 31 if you so dared). This meant that we would get rid of over 450 items!

I created a facebook private group and we had 18 members of which 8-10 posted regularly on their successes/struggles. It was great to have the accountability and really fun to reconnect with some friends from long ago. I was and am really proud of all who participated.

I had a new motivation for going into this challenge a second time. We had learned that the application we had submitted for a loan for a 2 bedroom condo was approved and moving looked like it might actually become a reality. So, I entered Round 2 with new enthusiasm. But toward day 8, when we were supposed to be getting rid of 8 things I started to really struggle. It wasn't easy to come up with that many things to let go of. I was shocked because it was still early on in the challenge. I hadn't expected it to be hard. But I persevered and continued to find things that I had not used in years or had used and needed to replace.

And then on day 14 I was rear-ended. I had a concussion and couldn't do much for a week. I took myself out of the challenge for a few days hoping to make up the count but that proved to be too challenging. Thankfully my symptoms didn't last as long as I had feared and I was back to driving and participating in regular activity (slowly) 9 days later. But what do you suppose filled my mind with while not looking at my phone or reading (because eye strain can do terrible things when you have a concussion) . . . I planned what to purge next! I couldn't help it!

At the end of the month when I was falling behind I took the plunge and decided to let go of my baby clothes and supplies for a potential #3. We had been talking about it for the past year and now didn't feel like the right time. Maybe we'll hit that "right time" in a few months but the thought of storing all those clothes for something that was at best a year away or even more felt like a heavy weight I didn't want on my shoulders... and definitely didn't want filling my closet in our new home. So we said good bye to them. And I did totally Marie Kondo them and thank them for brining me joy and sweet memories of my babies.

At the end of the month I had missed nearly 100 items but knew that I would be getting rid of a lot more as I packed for our move which became official on January 31! 

And so far I think I'd have to say I'd made good on getting rid of those 100 items . . . at least it feels like it. 

Baby Hagen's Quilt

My brother John and his wife Ellen had their first child on December 30. They had a baby girl named Otilia Rose and from the photos I've gotten to see she is adorable and very closely resembles her mother (who is also adorable and lovely).

The gender was a surprise so when I started planning for the quilt I went with grey and teal thinking it would work for either a boy or a girl. I had just finished cutting the pieces to begin sewing before our trip to Texas for Christmas and was still there when Otilia made her early entrance. I was a little concerned that it would look too boy-ish for this sweet girl (who was already being wrapped in floral and pink) but I continued on anyway.

But when I finished the grey/white herringbone pattern with a strip of teal I felt more confident that it was meant for her. The finished size was 43" x 43" -- I had to measure it because it felt like it was the biggest quilt I had ever made but it wasn't . . . it was just 3 inches shy.

I have actually made the herringbone pattern before -- for my nephew Alexander. I did it navy and white that time. I'm hoping the grey and white is still contrasted enough for her baby eyes!

On the back, I did a darker teal circle fabric with a strip of solid colors. I had just enough left over fabric from my previous quilt to make that work (because my backing fabric was too short!!)

Oh sweet Otilia, I can't wait to meet you.

My brother John and his wife Ellen had their first child on December 30. They had a baby girl named Otilia Rose and from the photos I've gotten to see she is adorable and very closely resembles her mother (who is also adorable and lovely).

The gender was a surprise so when I started planning for the quilt I went with grey and teal thinking it would work for either a boy or a girl. I had just finished cutting the pieces to begin sewing before our trip to Texas for Christmas and was still there when Otilia made her early entrance. I was a little concerned that it would look too boy-ish for this sweet girl (who was already being wrapped in floral and pink) but I continued on anyway.

But when I finished the grey/white herringbone pattern with a strip of teal I felt more confident that it was meant for her. The finished size was 43" x 43" -- I had to measure it because it felt like it was the biggest quilt I had ever made but it wasn't . . . it was just 3 inches shy.

I have actually made the herringbone pattern before -- for my nephew Alexander. I did it navy and white that time. I'm hoping the grey and white is still contrasted enough for her baby eyes!

On the back, I did a darker teal circle fabric with a strip of solid colors. I had just enough left over fabric from my previous quilt to make that work (because my backing fabric was too short!!)

Oh sweet Otilia, I can't wait to meet you.

It's Happening!

It's happening. I have hesitated to write about our most recent housing experiences because I just didn't know how it would end. But now, I can tell you! It's happening. We are moving! WE BOUGHT A CONDO!

It's a long story, but a good one. So if you bear with me, I'll tell you about it!

We've been trying to find a home for over 3 years. I wan't yet pregnant with Stephen when learned about the loan assistance programs through the San Francisco Mayors Office of Housing. If you qualify, it's a pretty amazing opportunity. And we did! So we took the classes and started our search. Most of the buying opportunities are lotteries. But some are first come, first serve. All options require you to make below a certain salary, but some options give a higher bracket. The numbers take into account the size of your family too.  It's confusing but that's the gist. (If you live in SF and need details, call me!)

If you've read my housing updates, you know that we've come so close a few times but never quite won. Last year we were juggling a lot of decisions about the finances. Chris had the option for a raise but if he took it we wouldn't qualify for a majority of the housing available. But we couldn't really NOT take it either . . . we ended up putting it off a little while until we knew for certain the last home we applied for was a NO. And then in early November he got the raise. Which was awesome! And we were and are so very grateful! But we also were sad because we didn't know what that meant for our housing options. It felt like giving up on this thing we had been striving for.

Whenever I become sad over our housing situation, God meets me there. And usually within a day or two he has reminded me of all the blessings and abundance we have and he gives me a new contentment for staying where I am. And he did that again. I was ready to stay put.

And on November 25, we went to an open house for a 2 bed/2 bath condo. It wasn't a lottery property but it was listed on another loan assistance program through the city which was first come, first serve. It also had a higher salary bracket to qualify, so even with Chris's new raise we were able to apply!

We looked at it, completely open to the possibility that this was not going to work out for us again. Hopes were low, but we also wanted to give it a shot. It was a nice space. It wasn't perfect (third floor, no outdoor play are for the kids, smaller kitchen) but it was close (garage space available, in unit washer/dryer, two bedrooms, two bathrooms and an open layout).

Chris did all the application work again (it's like a part time job) and it was accepted and approved!  We entered the contract in mid December. We had never gotten to that step before. It was all so new and scary . . . and still in the back of my mind it wasn't going to really happen. It could stop for a number of reasons. But it kept going. We got the necessary inspections. We signed the loan papers at the bank. We signed the title papers. We signed papers at the Mayors Office of Housing, we signed more papers from our agent. It kept going. And then on Thursday, January 31 we closed.

And Chris got the keys.

It was done. We bought a condo.

And now, I can let the feelings consume me. I can let the reality sink in. That after 8.5 years of living in our apartment, after 3.5 years of looking and trying to move, I get to pack. I get to unpack. I get to make a new place my new home.

We move in 2 weeks. I will share more details with photos once we are settled. Thank you for your prayers and hanging in there with us. It's been quite a ride!

It's happening. I have hesitated to write about our most recent housing experiences because I just didn't know how it would end. But now, I can tell you! It's happening. We are moving! WE BOUGHT A CONDO!

It's a long story, but a good one. So if you bear with me, I'll tell you about it!

We've been trying to find a home for over 3 years. I wan't yet pregnant with Stephen when learned about the loan assistance programs through the San Francisco Mayors Office of Housing. If you qualify, it's a pretty amazing opportunity. And we did! So we took the classes and started our search. Most of the buying opportunities are lotteries. But some are first come, first serve. All options require you to make below a certain salary, but some options give a higher bracket. The numbers take into account the size of your family too.  It's confusing but that's the gist. (If you live in SF and need details, call me!)

If you've read my housing updates, you know that we've come so close a few times but never quite won. Last year we were juggling a lot of decisions about the finances. Chris had the option for a raise but if he took it we wouldn't qualify for a majority of the housing available. But we couldn't really NOT take it either . . . we ended up putting it off a little while until we knew for certain the last home we applied for was a NO. And then in early November he got the raise. Which was awesome! And we were and are so very grateful! But we also were sad because we didn't know what that meant for our housing options. It felt like giving up on this thing we had been striving for.

Whenever I become sad over our housing situation, God meets me there. And usually within a day or two he has reminded me of all the blessings and abundance we have and he gives me a new contentment for staying where I am. And he did that again. I was ready to stay put.

And on November 25, we went to an open house for a 2 bed/2 bath condo. It wasn't a lottery property but it was listed on another loan assistance program through the city which was first come, first serve. It also had a higher salary bracket to qualify, so even with Chris's new raise we were able to apply!

We looked at it, completely open to the possibility that this was not going to work out for us again. Hopes were low, but we also wanted to give it a shot. It was a nice space. It wasn't perfect (third floor, no outdoor play are for the kids, smaller kitchen) but it was close (garage space available, in unit washer/dryer, two bedrooms, two bathrooms and an open layout).

Chris did all the application work again (it's like a part time job) and it was accepted and approved!  We entered the contract in mid December. We had never gotten to that step before. It was all so new and scary . . . and still in the back of my mind it wasn't going to really happen. It could stop for a number of reasons. But it kept going. We got the necessary inspections. We signed the loan papers at the bank. We signed the title papers. We signed papers at the Mayors Office of Housing, we signed more papers from our agent. It kept going. And then on Thursday, January 31 we closed.

And Chris got the keys.

It was done. We bought a condo.

And now, I can let the feelings consume me. I can let the reality sink in. That after 8.5 years of living in our apartment, after 3.5 years of looking and trying to move, I get to pack. I get to unpack. I get to make a new place my new home.

We move in 2 weeks. I will share more details with photos once we are settled. Thank you for your prayers and hanging in there with us. It's been quite a ride!

Book Club: The Hate U Give

My bookclub finished The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas is January. I was actually the one to recommend it has a friend had recommended it. I knew it was going to cover some racial issues but I had no idea just how much it would open my eyes to how systemic and deep it goes.

It's a young adult novel and was a fairly easy to read story. There is a whole list of characters in this novel to keep track of, but I really liked how connected they were to the main character, which made it easy to follow. The people could have been real people, the relationships could have been real and the issues they dealt with could have been real -- and are.

The novel is about a young black man who is killed by a cop and how it rocks the boy's community -- more specifically his best friend who witnessed it. It uncovers the injustices that people of color face in a way that I need to be more aware of. It's easy enough to turn off the news (which I do most of the time) and go on my merry way, but when I read a novel that is so closely based on real events, that can somehow rock me in a real way --in the way that I should have been rocked years ago!

If you haven't read it, I would encourage you to do find a copy. It's a great read and I hope it opens your eyes to these important issues.  So much of the injustices we talk about now seem to stem from our ability to say "I matter more than you." And that has got to change.

It's also a movie now -- so you could watch it. I bet it will be great!

My bookclub finished The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas is January. I was actually the one to recommend it has a friend had recommended it. I knew it was going to cover some racial issues but I had no idea just how much it would open my eyes to how systemic and deep it goes.

It's a young adult novel and was a fairly easy to read story. There is a whole list of characters in this novel to keep track of, but I really liked how connected they were to the main character, which made it easy to follow. The people could have been real people, the relationships could have been real and the issues they dealt with could have been real -- and are.

The novel is about a young black man who is killed by a cop and how it rocks the boy's community -- more specifically his best friend who witnessed it. It uncovers the injustices that people of color face in a way that I need to be more aware of. It's easy enough to turn off the news (which I do most of the time) and go on my merry way, but when I read a novel that is so closely based on real events, that can somehow rock me in a real way --in the way that I should have been rocked years ago!

If you haven't read it, I would encourage you to do find a copy. It's a great read and I hope it opens your eyes to these important issues.  So much of the injustices we talk about now seem to stem from our ability to say "I matter more than you." And that has got to change.

It's also a movie now -- so you could watch it. I bet it will be great!