I am very seriously on the quest to find a bathing suit.  Last summer I was having a baby and although this summer I am not quite feeling my best self yet, I am getting there.  I am a believer that a good fitting suit will make a big difference.  It needs to make your stomach feel flat, it needs to have defined cups, or at least a shape that does not look like a sports bra.  I have been bookmarking cute suite for months.  When will I take the plunge and actually buy one?  I'm not quite sure of that.

this one is cute.

I like this one but my hubby says no way.

Current fav!

And I also like this one.

Call me crazy, but I know everyone says how great Lands End bathing suits are, but I don't.  I feel like a grandma in them.  My current rule of thumb is, if my mother and mother in law are wearing something from a certain brand line, then I probably shouldn't be.

Mid thirties is waaay too young for that kind of nonsense.

However, I admit I did google various versions of bathing suits for postpartum multiple times.  How long do you get to say you're postpartum for, nine months one, nine months off... right?  I am teetering at the edge of not being postpartum.

I love this time of year when it is getting warmer, I love envisioning lazy days on the beach with me and my family.  Everyone is just so much happier when we can spend the days outside.

This Chef's Wife is much more than a Chef's wife lately.  Since I last decided to post, a while year ago!, a lot has happened.  We have another baby!  We have moved!  We are innkeepers!  We are currently in the middle of the crazy stressfulness of running another business.  It has been hugely expensive and we are trying to renovate.  Renovating is supposed to be fun but guess what?  It isn't.  I actually absolutely hate it.  I hate spending money and I really hate spending money when I feel like there are less expensive options out there.

Things have been stressful lately.  I feel like I never do enough.  There is always so much to do.  It can be exhausting.  At some point you just need to accept that you can't do it all.

I need to find help.  It's hard to decide how much help I should have with the kids.  I certainly need help so that I can work but I also don't want to miss too much.  We moved from the city so that I wouldn't miss all this.  I need to find the balance, which as always, can be a bit of a struggle.

We are trying to plan a vacation.  We haven't been on vacation in 3 years.  I'm not really sure how that's possible.  But, other than a few days to Long Island, the 4 of us haven't gone anywhere else.  Kind of depressing.  Even though money is sort of tight right now, we have to make this vacation work.  So, we are on a strict budget for the next 2 months because on April 1st, we will be going on vacation.  I can't wait.  All the saving will surely be worth it.  We are going to Las Vegas.  At first I was not into the idea at all.  We don't gamble, and we have 2 kids.  But after some research, I'm excited about it.  We're not staying on the strip, about 15 minutes away at what looks like a nice hotel with a pool.  I'm convinced that this is all I need to have a good vacation.  A pool and a ipad.  I can picture it in my head.  The children will be playing happily, splashing in the pool, I will be reading and relaxing. 
Other than the pool, there's some fun parks nearby, we'll also go to Hoover Dam, and take a one night trip to the Grand Canyon.  I guess there's also some kind of circus there. 

This trip is keeping me going, I can't wait...

Whirlwind

Life is feeling like a bit of a whirlwind at the moment.
Things are busy, we have a messy house and a very naughty puppy who constantly makes the house messier.
Currently my daughter is wetting the bed daily.
I am trying to work from home, and with my jewelry business.
I am 17 weeks pregnant.
I am constantly driving my kids from dance class to dance class and starting soccer soon.
I never have the time to exercise, or read, or knit, or do all these things I want to do.

And yet, I decided we must take on this really big project the same month I am due.  

When I look at the glass as half full I can say:
We have a lived in, well used house.
I am lucky I am able to do all this laundry in my home, quickly and efficiently.
Thank God I don't have a 9 to 5 job where I have to leave my house all day every day.
We are having another baby!
We are lucky that our kids are able to do the extra things they want to do.

With the big project, we have the ability to make a real difference and that will be extremely gratifying.  We recently found out that our town has 50% of children in it who qualify for free lunches from the government.  These lunches are provided at school during the school year.  During the summer, they are not provided because there is no one who will do it.  We also have the opportunity to really serve these kids quality, local foods and teach them about nutrition.  So, we are going to a meeting today to try and find a way to make this happen this summer and serve the kids the good foods they deserve.

Today's Plan

Clean up my office.  A impossible task it seems, somehow my office became the dumping ground for things that need to be out of site.  I have a huge desk with papers on it and my kids laundry in a basket on the floor.  I am trying desperately to find some time to exercise.  That is the hardest thing to fit into my day.  Unless I get up at 6, which I just can't seem to do.  Oh well, we'll try again tomorrow.

On Life & Being Busy

To say I'm busy is a understatement.  Part of this is my fault, I understand.  I have a lot I want to accomplish.  I have a restaurant with my husband, I also have a part time jewelry business and I am attempting to maintain some kind of order in the household (often, a losing battle).

The kids are quite involved in extra curricular activities.  I struggle with this.  I don't want them to be too scheduled.  However, if they're interested in something I want them to have the tools to be the best they can be, so they will have confidence about these activities.  I was never really good at sports or dance or any of those things.  I was also shy, as is my daughter.  So I'd like her to have more confidence than I did.  So Samantha is currently doing soccer, music, voice and dance.  It sounds worse than it is.  Soccer is almost over and the other things just started.  Music and voice are each every other week.  And dance is weekly.  She asked to do all of these things.  She loves them, I ask her often, did you have fun?  Do you want to keep doing this?  It's a fine line between wanting her to stick with something and not being a "quitter" but also not wanting her to be too scheduled.  Then we add into it the fact that I am running around like a crazy person to all these things.

Ella is only doing dance and soccer, soon she will just have dance.  It's fun for her and she likes watching her sister doing the other things and can't wait until she can do it too.

I also have other things I want to do besides driving my kids to activities.  I want to grow my businesses, work on the catering company and eventually have a more casual restaurant as well.  I also want time to exercise, read and have time to myself.

How in the world do I have time for all this?  Well, I haven't quite figured it out yet.  I think being organized it one way, which I'm working on.  And maybe have a very strict schedule that I stick to with when I do what.  And I should probably get up earlier.  My goal is to be up at 6 and run from 6 to 6:30.  Then start my day.  We'll see.  It hasn't happened yet.

So, basically what I'm saying is I don't have time for this blog.  But I'm going to do it anyway.  Because I like it.   : )

Things have been busy to say the least.  We've been planning a lot for the restaurant, wine dinners, Harvest parties, food day festival, staff meetings.  We are coming up on 2 years and my husband and I are really trying to amp up our business.  We're trying to get tighter with paperwork stuff and trying to really make sure our staff is top notch.

Someone who came to the restaurant told us he is a business life coach and would be willing to coach us, her assured us if would help us to make more money.  I admit, I didn't take it very seriously.  We don't need a life coach.  And, really, what is a life coach anyway?  Then he mentioned that he would be willing to do it for barter.  Okay, I guess we would give this a try then.  So we went.  He asked us to take off our shoes (this is a personal pet peeve of mine).  I have lots of great shoes and I want to wear them.  Sure, the people who ask others to take their shoes off must have cleaner houses, but nobody really wears great socks.  Why can't we keep our shoes on?  Anyway, I digress...

So, we went and it was actually helpful.  We started out by talking about personal happiness and then we talked about the staff.  Tim and I separately discussed what we thought of each staff member (but in front of eachother).  It was actually really helpful.  So, we got our "homework" and decided to go back next week and see what we can improve on our business.

On a personal note, between, dance classes and soccer practices and games to say things are hectic is a understatement.  But it's fun.  I couldn't imagine my kids not having hobbies and doing these extra things.  And I definitely couldn't imagine someone else bringing them. 

Life is good (except when it's not.) But I'm working on realizing how good life is.  I tend to live in the moment, when things are good, I'm happy and things are great, but when the restaurant is slow I tend to think that it will never get busier.  But it always does.