Up All Night To Get.... Tired

On the 8th of January, I took a giant leap of faith and started my own independent online Younique business, Younique by Jenneal. It has been a whirlwind of amazing-ness and is going better than I ever dreamed possible! But with that, comes a new world of challenges!

As you know, my uni classes have been taking up a LOT of my time but somehow I've managed to fit it all in and I've learned that thing you call 'sleep' is highly overrated. Brannon agrees with me too! He has been sick for the past week-- coughing, slight fever, sleeping a lot IN THE DAY, etc--- so when midnight hit and I started getting ready for bed, he woke up. Every. Single, Day. In a 7 day period, I got 16 cumulative hours of sleep but I did get loads done!!! I found that the middle of the night seems to be prime time for business, in the states, because that's when everybody is awake. Needless to say, I managed to make a whole lot of sales last week. Good for business. Bad for not getting sick. Brannon and hubby have kindly passed on their germs to me so I am now coughing away as I write this. You'd think I'd be asleep right now, but no. There's too much to do and I am too excited to meet my February goals! To be honest, I wouldn't even call it selling because all I do is post some selfies, interact with people on Twitter, and have online parties. It is too much fun to be considered work. I also REALLY love makeup in general, but this makeup is by far and away the best which is why I went from just buying it, to becoming part of a wonderful, supportive team. (Side note, guess who just woke up at 1:40 am?)

Speaking of Brannon, he has been a little terror this week! He learned how to get past my pipe cleaner cupboard security and I found him with his hands literally in the peanut butter jar, grinning ear to ear! So, I have had to revamp the design and it's now an interwoven mess that takes me ages to open myself. I guess that could be good if ever I was inclined to do some late night snacking because it's just not worth the effort. Lynnea has also been up to mischief. My mother taught her how to use the little sink plug to fill up the bathroom sink (thanks for that, mother!) and today, I came down just in time to turn off the tap before the water overflowed and turned our bathroom into a miniature lake.There is never a dull moment at our house and I have a feeling that there won't be for another....oh..... 16 years at least!

32 Hours

This may not be as exciting, sad or cringe-worthy as '127 Hours' but  that's only part of what my weeks have started consisting of. 32 hours minimum of study + house stuff + looking after the kids = one CRAZY busy week, every week, for the next 2.5 years. I am really excited about it though and it's going surprisingly well! Some how I have managed to keep on top of my studies whilst not neglecting the house or letting the kids form their own government with the sole mission of overthrowing mine. How do I do it you ask? Well, I'll tell you. You know that spare 2 minutes you have in the morning to drink a cup of coffee? Gone. You know that extra 30 minutes of sleep you can get if the kids don't wake you up? Yep, gone too. You know those 3 hours after the kids FINALLY fall asleep when you force yourself to stay awake to have some semblance of an evening? Yep, you guessed it, gone (well, for the most part). But it'll all be worth it in the end. If I can manage to keep mutinous plans under control and still feed everyone before the cat starts dancing around looking like a delicious steak as in the movie 'Madagascar'.

Balance really is key. People are always telling me that you can get everything done if you keep to a routine and stay on top of things. Like yesterday how I achieved just that. As I was immersed in learning all about the biology behind how nerves actually work (don't worry I won't bore you with the details but the term 'action potential' comes up a lot), I heard a curious noise from the other room. I looked up and realized that I was completely and utterly on my own. You know that this is NEVER a good sign. So I went to investigate. I felt a bit like if Sherlock Holmes decided in an out-of-character moment to surround himself with tiny humans (if that happens in any of the books don't spoil it for me. I've been 2 chapters into the Hound of Baskerville for over a year now but I'll finish it someday). Donning my imaginary hat and using my invisible magnifying glass, I followed the clues. And it wasn't long before I found the source of the noise. Standing on the dump freezer with the cupboard open, was Brannon.... and Whiskers. I was quickly informed by Brannon that he was after cake, which is the word he uses to refer to  not only actual cake but also rice cakes and crackers. This time, he meant crackers, and, stacked in a pile on top of the tuna can was a neat little pile of them. I think Whiskers might have even tried a bite as he was now halfway inside said cupboard.

Faced with the dilemma of being fresh out of cupboard locks, I had an idea only a parent would have........ secure the cupboard and it's contents by fastening a brightly colored pipe cleaner between the two knobs. Now, not only does my home look like an advertisement for safety locks, it would also appear that I have let the children loose with the craft materials. There was that time when I was studying and Brannon picked up my orange highlighter and decided to decorate our cream colored sofa (which we were given. I would never make such a rookie mistake when buying furniture for a home with small mischief makers). And then there was that time when the children sneakily ran off with a crayon and made beautiful artwork on the wall in Brannon's room (I can't remember what I was doing at the time but it was a weekend so I'm going to kindly share equal blame with my husband). Or the time more recently when my mom was visiting and I got off the phone call to the bank only to discover that Brannon had taken his plastic garden spade (a gift from my mother) and used it to dig in the sandbox,conveniently located in our bathroom, that the cat frequents. It seems to me that Lynnea has been doing an even better job at teaching her little brother the 'ways to make mom do that funny face' than she could have ever dreamt of.

Even now whilst I'm writing this I can hear some commotion coming from the other room. I'm sure it's fine.......... ugh I'd better go check. Hang on a second, I'll be right back.









........ So....... hypothetically...... does anyone know how to keep a cat out of a pedal bin? Or should I just get rid of it and start dumping trash all over the floor?  I mean, should *a person* do that? I'm asking for a friend. The first person to come up with the best answer wins a free, adorable, calm, loving, non-mischievous little kitten! Phone lines are now open.

Too Long Since I've Seen Your Face

I am the first to admit that life with all of it's chaos has kept me away. I had severely underestimated the amount of free time my university course would take. The answer, every ounce of free time!

I had the pleasure of meeting my stunningly perfect nephew last night. He was born on Sunday morning and I am completely head-over-heels in love with this sweet boy! Lynnea named him Lullaby before we even knew he was a boy or a name had been decided. She still wants to call him that which is absolutely adorable. His name is Charlie, by the way, and Brannon says his given name along with the one Lynnea gave to Charlie. We were all completely shocked by this turn of events. He refuses to even attempt to say his sister's name or the shortened version she gave to herself, Nea. Instead, he calls her 'Do' which means 'you'.

So that's my quick recap of what I've been up to lately! I have loads of new adventures stored up and bursting to get out so don't leave yet!e1w2

Welcome to My Perfectly Imperfect Life

Hello and welcome! 

This is a fun and whimsical look into my wonderfully chaotic life as of a stay at home mother of 2. Follow me on my journey as I juggle my many different 'jobs' whilst finding time to pursue adventure and new hobbies. 

My name is Jenneal and I am American expat who lives in Birmingham, UK which is where my journey started 41/2  years ago with my darling British husband. We might as well laugh at ourselves as we battle through life raising our amazing and, more often than not, very cheeky children.

I've Moved!

Welcome to my blog's new home. After spending weeks finally perfecting my blog on the old site and only a few posts, the cut me off! I couldn't post anything new without upgrading to one of their expensive monthly packages. Infuriated, I packed up and moved! Thank you for visiting and following me on my newest adventure!

I am in the process of transferring my past adventures to this URL but if you're keen to read them and can't wait then feel free to follow the link to my old site!

http://theeverythingjob.my-free.website/

Shout Out to all of the Dads (and every parent/care giver) Out There!

It seems that all of the dads out there need an advocate so let's see if I am up to the challenge and give all of the wonderful caring fathers their moment to shine! Today I was in the shop looking at the baby aisle as I got on with my shopping. I really have no idea why I still peruse this stuff. I don't buy nappies or wipes or baby food anymore but for some reason I just like to see what's going on over there just in case anything awesome catches my eye. I look at the endless jars of baby food with their colorful packaging and slogans that make you want to buy them when, once again, I see all the dads being completely ignored! One jar was staring me down with it's label that read "inspired by a recipe from Susan, a mom just like you". I thought to myself, "hmmmm ok" and looked at another jar, then another, and another.....until I had looked at all of the jars and not one of them was 'inspired by a recipe by a dad just like you'. BUT WHY???? Don't dads love their kids just as much as moms do? What about all those delicious meals lovingly prepared by dads all around the world? Working dads, stay at home dads, divorced dads, single dads.......... WHY ONLY MOMS, baby food?? I then went home and turned on the tv only to be bombarded by baby adverts telling me that 'moms choose this or moms approve that' and, frankly, I was outraged! I know that moms work hard and, believe me, this isn't anything against all of the mothers out there. For I am a mother and I speak for the.......dads.....and moms.....and grandparents, foster parents, step-parents, and anyone else who has ever looked after and lovingly taken care of a child. I have to ask, why can't things be 'parent approved'? So I am calling out to all of you dads wherever you are I salute you and I know you care for your kids. And I am calling out to all of the moms out there wherever you are because I salute you as well. It's not a competition! Parents have it tough sometimes. Heck, people in general have it tough sometimes. And I can't stress this enough: it is not about being perfect because that will drive you insane and to an early grave. I hear you snickering about how Jane dropped her kids off to school wearing her bedroom slippers and challenge you to think of a day when you didn't wish you could do the same. I see the pointing at Bob when little Kyle is waiting to go into class with chocolate on his face. Do we know for sure it was a chocolate bar and does it really matter??? I will put my hand up and say I have bribed my kids once or twice with a granola bar or cookie to get them ready on time just so I don't completely lose my mind. You put their clothes on, they take them off. You ask them to brush their teeth and they use it to brush the cat's teeth instead. Do I do it every day? No. Because then it would stop working! Hahahaha!  I'm only joking and I do try to keep all of my posts fun but I do want you to come away with a bit to think about and that is: we all do the best we can and we fall short of perfection. I would love to be the super mom with the immaculate house and freshly baked goods who always looks completely put together and smiley. I have been that person and I will tell you this. It never feels as good on the inside as it looks on the outside. So when you see me stopped at the curb begging and pleading with my kids to hold my hand while we cross the street, in the same jeans I have worn every day this week, a t-shirt I bought at Aeropostale when I was 16, and fluffy hair that would put a baby chick to shame just know that I read to my kids, make them healthy food, play with them when they get home from school, do my best to get everything else done in the middle. I am well aware that my life is perfectly imperfect and that's the way I like it. 

We Don't Lick Our Pets

Did you know that most people don't go around licking their pets? Maybe I am in the minority and unaware of what the cool kids are doing these days so I'm just going to have put this in the book of 'things I never thought I'd have to say' until I do some research or public opinion polls on the subject. We all realize at some point that we find ourselves saying things to our kids that we never thought we'd have to. This morning was one such occasion when Brannon was holding the kitten and rocking him like a baby, as you do, and I caught him licking the kitten! I can only imagine his sweet 2 year old thought process went something like this: 'Whiskers is my baby and he gives himself a bath so I should help him!'. I really can't blame the sweet boy, his thinking seems quite sound and a mouthful of fur is a small price to pay for being a good 'parent'. I am not sure why I am constantly surprised by these instances. It's just that they keep getting weirder and weirder! The other day I had to remind Brannon that we don't bite the cat even if Whiskers is playing a bit roughly. It's a good thing little Whiskers (who isn't quite so little anymore) has the patience of a saint. I am sure not all cats wouldn't put up with being dressed up in baby doll hats, being put in the play kitchen for a delicious roasted kitty lunch, made to sit like a person and watch the childrens' favorite shows, taking a quick zoom on the ride-on car against his will, and let's not forget the lavish tea parties he gets invited and then quickly uninvited to for not behaving as a proper gentleman should. That's love for ya!