HOMEÂ SWEET HOMEÂ - November 15, 2011
Every Saturday morning, I steal a bit of keyboard tapping me-time before my children awake. With teacup in hand, I rev up my computer and scan my inbox for my brother’s weekly home-building updates.
While the sun comes up, I sit at my desk and watch the home’s foundation rise from the ground. Colorful electrical wires snake through the walls waiting to give life to appliances and central heat. I nod my head in approval of the lemon yellow exterior paint selection. With Eric proudly and consistently sharing his home’s progress, I can almost smell the fresh pine scent of new framing and feel sawdust underfoot. A small part of me is saddened I can’t visit every weekend, but with three children involved in activities, life is busy. We may not be able to picnic on the would-be dining room floor, leave handprints in the foundation, or hide a good luck penny in the wall, but I can virtually support my lil’ bro and his exciting home-building endeavor. It’s nice to feel included.
Then it hit me.
I am doing just the opposite with Choose Wiser’s expansion. I’m not sharing the process or progress with you! My little-girl habit of wanting everything to be Just Perfect before sharing has slowed my communication. The sheet-smoothing, counter-wiping, perfectionist part of me has repressed my bubbling pride in exchange for the flamboyant “Lookie! TA-DA! I made this for you!” exclamation.
But what if Eric had waited until his furniture was neatly arranged before inviting me over? Picture frames hung before a tour? I would have slapped him across the head (mentally of course), and admonished him for excluding me. I wanted to be part of his now-life, not his perfect-life. I know life is always under construction—sometimes I just need a reminder slap myself.
So please, look over my shoulder as I pull off the rubber band and spread the Choose Wiser blueprints across the floor for a peek-see.…. (Be careful of the nails on the ground!)
- In January, I will be launching my most-exciting project to-date, my new book, Little Changes: Tales of a Reluctant Home Eco-Momics Pioneer (Ta- da!) This has been my main relationship for the past year and a half, and why I’ve been slightly neglectful of you. But I promise, it will be worth it! You’re gonna love this read!
- Plans are in the works for speaking engagements across the country in 2012. Chicago, Phoenix, or Seattle anyone? Women’s conferences, colleges, networking groups, Moms Clubs, and book clubs galore!
- My Choose Wiser website is undergoing a makeover this month, with the goal to become a fabulous resource for tips and ideas, for everyone from Moms to teens and nurses to scouts!
So don’t divorce me over my silence! Check back frequently to witness the changes first-hand. Things might be messy for a bit, but renovation is always worth it!
TODAY’S TIP
Whether you are painting a new home or thinking about a fresh coat of periwinkle blue for your bathroom, choose wiser and select a low VOC or no VOC paint base. Paints, finishes, and stains can release low levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), toxic emissions, into your cozy sealed-up home for years after application. With advances in the industry and homeowners seeking alternatives, low VOC and zero VOC paints are widely available, just as durable, and much less harmful.
CAN YOU JOIN ME?
On Tuesday December 13, I will be a guest speaker for one of the installments of “Our Food Supply,” hosted by Longmeadow High School in Springfield, MA. This free event begins at 3:30 p.m. and is open to the public. Would you like more info? Email me.
Enjoy the Journey! Kristi Marsh
Subscribe for future editions.
Please join me on Choose Wiser’s Facebook page for daily updates and conversation!
