Are YOU on the List?

Happy Monday all!

I hope everyone had a fab weekend celebrating our great country! I was luckily enough to sneak in a quick little overnight staycation with my little crew.  We spent it poolside... with popsicles! And my little ones received their first pedicures (via me) so much sparkly fun!

This week, I am feeling *super* busy and *super* excited, because next week I have two huge events two days apart from each other. YES...I love when all the planning starts to come to life.

In case you missed the news I shared on Friday, I felt it was necessary to share again....J.Starr Stylized Weddings now has a Newsletter!

Over the past two weeks or so, my intern Emily and I have been working on developing a monthly J. Starr Newsletter. I am very happy to say that our July edition is hot off the press and ready to be sent out!  This is something that I've been wanting to do for a long time, and with the help and research of Emily...it's finally happening. 

I thought it was important to create a newsletter to be sent out each month so that you can stay up to date with J.Starr happenings.  The newsletter will feature all of the previous month’s blog posts, a few highlights from the month, as well as a planning tip, a stylizing tip, a vendor of the month, and a few of my fab finds all in one nice little email for your ease and convenience!

Now, onto the important part; where can you sign up?

If you haven't signed up already, you can still get in on the virtual party by clicking here.

So far, I'm blown away by the amount of subscribers!  Seriously in awe.  Let's keep this momentum going...in doing so.. I'm going to be offering a giveaway!  The giveaway will be a basket full of some of my very favorite things!  I'll release a few more details soon.  Until then, sign up.  The winner will be announced in our August J.Starr Newsletter edition!  All you have to do is subscribe, if you've already done so, then you're already entered :) 

As always, thank you for caring and connecting!

Much Love, Jennifer Starr

Life as a Mamapreneur

 

 

Happy Monday Friends, 

Special thank you to my intern Emily.  I've put her in charge of making sure my marketing stays consistent this summer. I received a text from her about an hour ago reminding me that my topic to write about today is "Life as a Mamapreneur." Deep sigh... I'm digging deep, here we go.

Well for starters, what is a "Mamapreneur,"  you may ask?
A "Mamapreneur" is a women who is the primary caregiver of her children and also runs her own business.  Does that sound ambitious with a touch of crazy?  Well, you nailed it.  It is.

I often have a hard time relating to "stay at home moms" and also "corporate/working moms".... That's because I'm stuck somewhere right in the middle, I identify with both and neither...all at the same time.   And honestly, I really wouldn't have it any other way.  But there are certainly times that are very difficult...as any role is for any parent. 

I'm often asked, "Do you have a nanny?" Nope.  "Do you have an assistant?" Nope.  "Do you have a house cleaner?"  ...ha ha ha, you're funny. My children are still small and growing just as my business is, so I'm not in a place where I'm able to bring in hired help (yet).  So how do I do it?  (here's where the touch of crazy comes into play.)

I'm often told "Wow, you do so much! How do you do it?" I never really know how to answer that question, because I've always enjoyed being a busy person.  And truth be told, "time management" isn't something that comes easy to me (ask anyone who knows me really well.)  I'm a dreamer/creative type, so I'm very easily distracted if I suddenly become inspired by a new idea.  Having children has definitely forced me to sharpen my time management skills and through this process I've learned a few "musts" that have helped me, so today I thought I would share a few...in case they help to inspire you..... regardless of your profession or season in life. 

"J.Starr Mamapreneur Musts":

1. List Making/Scheduling Out my Day the night before ~ Every night I make a list for the next day and divide it into 4 quadrants: Health, Babies, Home, J.Starr.  This helps me to visually have awareness for a better balance of life on a daily basis.  I also write out a daily timeline.  This has helped me immensely to stay on track....as I'm easily distracted.
2.  Waking up 2.5 hours earlier than my kiddos~ always.  It makes me feel like I've got a much better handle on the day.
3. Running ~Not everyday, but ideally four to five times a week.  If I can get in a 30 minute run before I do anything else, my days so much more productive. 
4. Coffee~ Enough said.  Warm in the morning, Iced in the afternoon.
5. Eating Breakfast~ Before the kiddos wake up.  Otherwise I forget to eat and start to feel lethargic.
6. Social Media Time Blocks ~Huge time saver! HUGE.  Like I said I get easily distracted so scheduling only three blocks a day to check in, update posts, publish blogs, etc. The internet can be take up a ton of time.  I always sign out of my accounts completely, so I'm not tempted.
7. Tracking my Food ~life changing habit that I learned in Weight Watchers (amazing program by the way).  I track, and measure my food, the best I can.  It's like balancing a check book, after it becomes a habit it becomes a lifestyle..it's not always fun..but it's super powerful in making good decisions and being able enjoy indulgences from time to time.
8. Answering Emails in Blocks ~ Same as social media. I try and answer/send emails in batches rather than every time I get a new email (again too distracting).  I also just recently started to answering emails from the bottom to the top (oldest to the newest).  Maybe the rest of the world already does this. 
9. Interns~ My interns help me immensely and really help to keep my daily office hours consistent.
10. Office Hours~ Speaking of office hours, five days a week (1.5 in the morning + 2.5/ 3 hours in the afternoon).  This is perfect for my current workload.  These areas are devoted strictly to office hours...I'm really good about never wavering, because I really can't.  This is when I bust out emails, contracts, marketing, accounting, special projects, clients, prospective leads, etc.
11. Scheduling Something Creative (Non Work Related) The best way to work in a creative field is to allow yourself time to be creative (just for you!) I try and do something, each day....like home design projects.....or currently I'm loving creating personal photo albums with "Project Life."
12. Date Nights ~ The reason I stay sane (most days) is because my husband is an awesome supporter of my goals.  I'm so incredibly grateful.  Being parents and having careers isn't always easy....for anyone.  So date nights are the best thing ever.  Wish we could do more of them, but I'm thankful for the times we can escape a bit and catch up (have actual interrupted conversations). 

Stay tuned as I hope to share my "Mamaprenuer Must Nots" soon....I've learned a lot, lemme tell ya. 

{Monday Musings} "First Family Vacation"

Good Morning All, and Happy Monday! 

 

Wow, what a weekend.  Mine was chuck full of work related activities and tasks..."mock weddings", entertainment & floral meetings with a J.Starr couple "to be", sushi and catch up session with a dear friend...and the majority of Sunday was spent working on my new website and revising my pricing collections.  So needless to say, the little ladies got in tons of alone time with Daddy.  We did however sneak a little "Sonic Drive In" family lunch date, which consisted of Emma throwing tater tots at me in a fit of rage because I later realized she wanted to "hold" the tater tot container. (weird kid)

 

Anyways, I woke up this morning feeling tired...so I thought today I'd try and relax my mind a bit by sharing photos from our first official "Family" Vacation (back in November of last year) Justin and I had been able to get in two much needed resort staycations + one extended weekend Vegas Trip prior (since the babies were born) but this was the first time it was the "four" of us plus my Mom, Dad, and Brother. 

 

All in all, it was heavenly.  Here a few highlights.....



 My Tribe.

Emma Loving Life!

No place I'd rather be...

Searching for shells

Fun Times with Grandpa, Hannah never left his side. 

So Fun!

In true "Norris" Family form, we stayed at our beloved "Beach Cottages"

And if you're ever wanting to experience some of the most awkward moments of your life...you should try playing "Cards Against Humanity" with your parents. 

Beach Bums

We prepared our "Beachgiving" Feast, complete with fresh seafood from the Fish Market.

 

Pinch Me, Still Can't Believe They're Real...

"Whoa Daddy!" 

"Crystal Pier" holds special meaning to us.  The Babies loved it!

Fun in the Sun

"Beach Baby" nothing sweeter. 



Treasured time with my Brother

When can we go back? 


Thank you Mom and Dad for making this trip so special, We Love You! 



"Monday Musings" 1.19.15 {The Many Efforts in Regaining Control of Our Home}

Okay, confession....I'm not really sure exactly why I'm sharing this post...other than to give myself some visual encouragement to keep going on these types of projects.

You see...just over two years ago....within the same minute, our family multiplied.  And in the past six months those twenty little fingers and toes have started to take over our home.  And, truth be told, I'm not one of those moms who's "ahead of the game"...no, I  never really read the "lengthy 'how to' baby books", I never joined the moms clubs, I don't know my children's "exact" current heights and weights.  Don't get me wrong....I adore my children and try to inhale them at any given moment....I've just, (unlike) my husband... never really been a "read the instructions" kind of girl. 

I'm much more the "learn as you go type"...and I'm not saying that's the "right" way by any means...but it's been my way...in some cases when it comes to me being a twin mommy..."ignorance is bliss."  So, when we finally take the much needed time to make our lives better....(baby proofing + functional) I get EXCITED....like really excited. 

Hello World...Meet "The Toy Closet"....

 

Special shout out to my Mom, who helped to inspire us getting this project going.  After Christmas and the Babies 2nd Birthday flew by...we looked around and realized we had accumulated tons of "little" pieces.  And, I realized that the girls weren't even really playing with the new toys!  Instead all these little parts were strung all across our living room. 

Toy Bins... 

So, we cleared out one of our hall closets of random odds and ends and officially deemed this area "The Toy Closet".  So now, every activity, game set, craft collection...has it's own spot.  The coolest part is...now the girls love going to the closet and picking out (to them) a new toy!  It seems to be way less overwhelming to them..and so much more enjoyable for them to focus on one activity at time.  

Clothing Bins

 

Another issue that was making life nuts...was the laundry situation.  My little ones found great joy in tossing all of the clothing out of the their bins and mixing the clean clothes in with the dirty clothes hamper.  So (although admittedly yes, this isn't the most attractive looking) Justin drilled holes into the bins and inserted bungee cords (yes, completely safe and baby proof) So yes, one more step towards "less laundry"...I'll take it!

New Gate in the Master Bedroom/Bathroom

 

I have NO IDEA why we didn't install this baby gate earlier...completely worth the investment!  Wow.  We have the formal dining room gated off ( it's my one "fancy" room) and we keep the office doors shut...but I really didn't want to keep our little snuggle bugs out of our room, they love it in there. But the open floor plan to the master bathroom was dangerous...they we're crawling in and out of the jacuzzi tub, climbing up on the vanity area... and getting their little hands into Mommy's make up.  It was crazy town.  Until now.  They have access to our room....but not the bathroom area..and I LOVE how clean our bathroom is staying. 

 

 

"Monday Musings 1.12.15" {Stylizing those Christmas Cards}

Hi Friends,

How ya doing?  I'm gonna go ahead and ask you all to pretend that it's still Monday okay?  I've been wanting to get my blog rolling again since the beginning of the year...but wow...how is it already mid January??  Rather than continuing to feel "behind" and because I really want to be very consistent with blogging this year...again...I'm gonna go ahead and ask you again to please pretend it's Monday?  Okay?  Great...perfect let's move on.

So remember the last day of 2014 when my blog post discussed wanting "Domestic" to be my word of 2015? Well...as part of that goal, I'm starting a new series on my blog called "Mondays Musings" and with this I hope to share little fun projects and inspirations that help to inspire you to better "stylize" your day to day life.  My hope is to feature people and their talents.....while at the same time encourage myself to tackle all the home projects I've been wanting to check off.

First up.  {Stylizing those Christmas Cards} 

After the holidays what do you do with all those gorgeous cards that your loved ones took precious time to send you? Do you toss them out? (please say you don't!) Do you file them away in shoe boxes only to be seen once every three years?  Do you cut out the pretty designs and turn them into Christmas ornaments or gift tags for next year? (my creative Grandma Jane used to do this)

I love keeping things of sentimental value....I love finding old notes from family and friends ~ it instantly takes me back to that time period and remember sweet memories.  So, yes I keep my Christmas cards. 

And here is how I displayed this year's cards....

 

I covered frames on the wall in my kitchen with pretty Christmas paper then attached ribbon to each frame.  I found these super cute little mini clothes pins from Michaels to attached the cards to the ribbons.  There they hung for the holiday season....I can't tell you how many friends and family members stopped and looked through all the cards (the clothes pins makes this super simple to be able to pull off the card and read all sides of the cards) Yes, Justin thought it was weird that I was covering up the lovely large photos in our kitchen of our children and weiner dogs faces....but hey, I had to find a spot in our home where my "littles" couldn't tear them down. 

 

And here is how I save and display cards from previous years.....

 

Please allow me to preface this with....this is not my original idea.  In fact, the very first person I saw do this (way before Pinterest) many years ago was one of my best girlfriends/former college roommate, Andrea Keegan.  Among many amazing things Andrea is a an elementary school teacher and also a Mommy.  I've always admired Andrea's organizational abilities...she's able to keep things organized, very functional, but yet still atheistically pleasing to the eye.   

 

Tools Needed:

Ruler

Hole Punch

Loose Leaf Binder Rings

 

Steps:

1.) Organize your cards (as best as possible) by size

2.) Measure out the appropriate distance of each card

3.) Punch each card (with a double hole punch) directly in the middle

4.) Slip all cards onto the binder rings, and snap!

5.) Set cards out in a pretty basket, to enjoy each year.

 

 

My little ones loved looking at the cards of past years, they would stare at them and point out people they knew...and point out themselves as little newborns...it really was so cute.