Why Don't We All Work From Home?

Isn't 2014 starting off with a bang? 

I mean we've made it through a week and I'm still going strong and have yet to make the mistake of dating something as 2013 or dating anything, amIright?. It's a real achievement, be proud of me guys!

This week I've been sending all kinds of Snaps about how awesome it is to still be laying in bed, with puppies, with pajamas on - until like 4pm. I started to think of all the reasons why working from home was amazing and thus a blog post was born. If I'm not lucky enough to be a stay at home mother someday, my next dream would be to work from home for all of the following reasons. 

J

:: Wake up at the same time you would normally arrive to work

:: Zero commute (this saves me close to 2 hours) and no fighting for parking

:: Music SO loud, all day, zero interruptions

:: Working in the kitchen = easy access to the pantry

:: Pajamas all day if I want in my well-worn flannels

:: Workout any time of the day - today I'm doing 100 jumps with a jump rope after every 5 emails I respond to. I'll keep a count!

:: I take an actual lunch break!

:: The fact that I just blogged in the morning before firing up the work computer

:: Multi-tasking to the max

:: Weekend chores during the daytime (laundry, dishes, vacuuming!)

:: Last but not least, these two girls have been giving me sympathy snuggles all week long.

Two more days of this bliss! Happy Thursday!

Get Busy Livin'

May I start by congratulating my amazing parents on 30 years of marriage?! Yes I can, it's my blog

These crazy kids are still in love the way that they were when they were married in 1984. Mom sent me this photo on Monday night and boasted "he still looks at me like that". Of course my initial reaction was Yuck, mom! but then I stopped for a second and thought yes, he does. 

That priceless look of love is what I hope for in my life and have 110% confidence that I'm going to have it. I won't settle for less after the example they've set for me. 

They've whisked away to Mexico for the week with swim suits and flip flops and hope to see Red and Andy out on the sands of the Zihuatanejo beaches. If you don't know that reference or the following one, you need to "get busy livin".

Of course while they do this, I'm keeping it easy at the house watching their golden retrievers. These girls are all kinds of playful when I visit, but all they did my first day with them was snoozed on the bed with me while I pulled a 6am-4pm shift.

I love the sleepy snuggles with these girls and will have a great week!

TED Tuesday: Coming Out Of Your Closet

If you are human, you can relate to this inspiring TEDx Talk about coming out of your closet. I know what your preconceptions of this phrase are, but you should really consider coming out of a closet to mean having a hard conversation.

Hard conversations are terrifying. I know this first hand. 

We hate having them, they hurt people, they cause you pain and sometimes the consequences are irreparable. You're concerned about the reactions of loved ones and you're fearful for what they will see you as in the future. It's scary, it's unknown and nothing is a sure thing. 

But you know what? We need to have these conversations and we need to speak our truth. A closet is no place for a person to live and we all need to break through our walls and be unapologetic about our truth. 

At some point in your life you will feel safe in your closet, but please realize that what's on the other side of that wall is where you need to be. As Ash Beckham explains in the video below, a closet is no place for a person to live. As long as you remain in your closet, you are holding a grenade in the palm of your hands. 

So let's do it. Here's three steps and a video on how you can open that closet door.

1: Be Authentic

Take the armor off. Show the other people you're sharing your closet with that you bleed too.

2: Be Direct

Rip that band-aid off. Sometimes the hurt you get from a hard conversation is so hard to stand that you go back on your decision or have regrets. Really like I said yesterday, go with your gut and know that there are better times beyond the closet door. This I promise you.

3: Be Unapologetic

You are speaking your truth. Never apologize for that. Apologize for what you've done but not for who you are.