Okay… here we go. Another year… and another session of family pictures. They always sound so great when you schedule them. You’ve got weeks, if not months. You’ve got time to get your hair done, lose a couple pounds, find something to wear for yourself and your entire family… and then it’s here. Out of nowhere! The weekend is here. Our friend, photographer, Iliana Natasha, does our pictures every year and we adore her for always making us feel like we’re mesmerizing the camera. The truth is… it’s a crazy morning filled with stress trying to get everyone dressed in clothes they’d rather not be in, me trying to actually do my hair and makeup with two hands and keeping everyone clean and pressed until we jump into the van and get somewhere by a certain time. It’s nuts. And all of these reasons plus some more, I’m sure… they’re exactly why families don’t get pictures done. I get it. But I would encourage you to look past the stress and the anxiety and see the pictures. The beautiful, gorgeous, effortless pictures. Examples of how your family looks right now. If you sit and think about the last time you had a family picture… you know it’s about time. Don’t wait, get the pictures done. Although next year… I’m highly considering a photo shoot in our pajamas. 

That’s the amount of sleep that I usually get a night. And in no way is it ever… go to sleep and wake up five blissful hours later. It’s get the kids to bed, get stuff ready for the morning, finally crash, wake up to a crying baby, rock back to sleep, there’s usually another one getting up with an upset stomach or needing a glass of water or having a bad dream or whoops — mom I think I just had an accident. So, it’s five hours, but piecemealed together. I rely on coffee to get me going and keep me going. I try to eat as healthy as I can but it’s hard. I would love to meal-plan on Sunday nights wearing an apron and heels from my freshly cleaned kitchen, but sister… it’s just not happening. (And I don’t get enough sleep at night to be able to dream that big.) And I’m saying all of this because I know I’m far from alone in any of this. Showers, a clean shirt, a hot cup of coffee, private time in the bathroom… the ‘you’ before kids would never believe that these were things you’d be so thankful for how many years later. It’s ridiculous. It’s fantastic. If you made it to your kid’s soccer practice on time, you’re amazing. If you got to your kid’s doctor’s appointment 10 minutes late… amazing. If you got lost as you tried to drop your kid off at a birthday party… still amazing. And even though Facebook shows a whole bunch of moms taking field trips, doing craft projects, cooking gorgeous meals and hosting beautiful events at their even more beautiful home… it’s alright! What I try to remember every day is to give myself a break. Let myself off the hook. Sometimes that means leaving a pile of laundry sitting in front of the washing machine. Sometimes that means leaving the shower running so it sounds like I’m still in there when really I’m laying on my bed making absurd purchases but doing it just because I’ve got a second to myself (I’ve heard that moms do this…I would never). You’re doing it. And it’s an amazing life. And this would’ve been much more concise… had I gotten more than five hours of interrupted sleep last night.

Hear Lanette Hansen on the Magic Morning Show, weekdays from 5:45-9! Get in touch with her and read more of her blogs here. 

Well that was fun! It’s often said that when you go away as a family, it’s a trip not a vacation. We planned for an Airbnb in Minocqua the week of the Fourth of July. It was going to be our first getaway as a family of five. I had used every single second of my vacation and sick time for my maternity leave, so I hadn’t taken a day away from work in quite a while. The kids did amazing in the car on the way there, we had a ton of fun swimming, biking, boating, fishing, cooking… you name it. Of course there were frustrations with sleeping arrangements and the usual arguments, but man did it feel good to forget about laundry and not set an alarm and turn my phone off. We’ve already booked the home we’re going to go to next year for the week of the 4^th… it’s further north in an attempt to get away from it all even more and I can’t wait. If it’s been way too long for you since the last time you escaped, I say, ‘do it now!’ There’s never a perfect time to do it… between school and sports schedules and work it’s hard to figure out when, but close your eyes and let your finger choose a date… and go.

Hear Lanette Hansen on the Magic Morning Show, weekdays from 5:45-9! Get in touch with her and read more of her blogs here. 

I choose to believe that there’s so much more good going on in the world every single day than bad. And I betcha, if you weighed it all out on any given day… the fact would be that nice people prevail. And, so many times our kids get the brunt of the bad press. “Kids these days, they just don’t care.” Oh, but they do! Just this week, a woman had spent years in her front window waving to the high school kids walking to and from school. She was about to move to an assisted living facility and all the kids came to her house, together on her front lawn to wave to her one last time. And have you seen the video with Andy Grammar and the elementary school kids in New York City singing, ‘Don’t Give Up On Me?’ Forget about it… good luck not tearing up watching these kids truly feel the power that comes from the words of this song. And it’s not just the kids. We adults even manage to be nice to each other every once in a while. Last week I let someone go in front of me in the drive through line at Starbucks. When I got up to the window to pay for my Chai latte, she had taken care of my bill. So of course, I paid for the person behind me. (To be honest, I first asked what she ordered so I didn’t get stuck paying for an entire office of lattes. It was a tall Americano so I dished out the $2.86.) Hopefully, that lasted for a while and it made everyone involved at least smile. Every day good happens… you just have to want to see it. There’s so much good in the world. There truly is. You can’t tell me otherwise.

Hear Lanette Hansen on the Magic Morning Show, weekdays from 5:45-9! Get in touch with her and read more of her blogs here. 

Oh my gosh… I had no idea just how much bad energy was coming from the basement. And it wasn’t because there was any flooding… it wasn’t because we had any skeletons hiding in the closets… it was because there was so much stuff. Our basement had been overridden by toys. Even the boys didn’t want to go down there and play anymore because there was no room. So, we attacked it. We put so much stuff online to sell. And we didn’t want to make a million dollars, we just wanted it gone. So, we posted it for $10 and $20. The neighbors were probably talking a little because every day there were many cars pulling into the driveway to pick up their purchase. But little by little we started seeing how we could use this space better. It took about 10 days of crazy amounts of work and van loads of donations and injuries trying to move everything. But, now we’re finally able to think about freshening up other parts of the house. I couldn’t let myself think about other spots, because the basement had become such an overpowering brain suck. Marc’s office is in the basement and he was hardly down there… now, it’s so much easier for him to get to work because the space is fantastic. So, as de-cluttering is becoming all the rage, I encourage you to take the leap. It’s easier than ever now with Facebook marketplace and all the amazing Buy, Sell, Trade pages. Just dive in! You’ll change the energy in your entire house, it’s crazy!

Hear Lanette Hansen on the Magic Morning Show, weekdays from 5:45-9! Get in touch with her and read more of her blogs here. 

Spring Break can mean vacation in the sun, a staycation, sleeping in, some serious outdoor activities, and for some… boredom. Here’s what my seven-year-old, Everett and my four-year-old, Roman, have to say about it (listen below).

 

Hear Lanette Hansen on the Magic Morning Show, weekdays from 5:45-9! Get in touch with her and read more of her blogs here. 

So, here we go. It’s officially begun! The journey of taking off the pounds that being pregnant packed on. Things have changed. . . oh, have they ever. From high school when we seriously at pizza, breadsticks, and soda for lunch every day, to even my first pregnancy eight years ago. Because now I’m 42. I’m a nutrition junkie and I love biology and anatomy. Healthy food and a good workout are (sadly or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) two of my favorite things.  Plus, I’ve got a Communications minor with an emphasis on Human Social Behavior and a certification in mediation.  I love the human brain, psyche and behavior. All of this put together sets me up for more of a social science experiment than anything, it just happens to be me and not a Petri dish at the center of it all. I’m curious to see it all come together and hope that the end result is a ‘me’ who feels healthier with an extra bonus of wearing cute clothes again. Being pregnant in my 40s was definitely different compared to being pregnant in my 30s, and I’m only assuming that trying to get this off will also be a different journey. I’ve got to be mentally prepared. I worry about it affecting my milk supply as I’m still nursing, I’m annoyed that usually I’m making myself a different dinner than the rest of my family and I hate how slow it’s going — I bet that has something to do with… well, 42. Send me encouraging thoughts or better yet, do it with me. Wheeeeeee!