I am finishing up week four of The Journey of Letting Go.

I have loved spending my days creating and having a studio overflowing with art!

{I will have originals in the shop soon}

I haven’t done a “You Ask {I Spill} post in awhile and thought it would be a fun post in the midst of the craziness of finishing up the course.

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*How do you have such awesome hair?

This is probably a joke but I will answer it anyways:-)  I have lots of hair and it is thick.  It is so thick that when a hairdresser blows it out it can take 45 minutes to an hour. I don’t have that kind of time. My hair looks all crazy and curly because….I shower at night, don’t dry it and wake up to whatever surprise that it becomes:-)  I also only need to wash my hair 2 times a week.  So pretty much the secret is not washing it (hahahaha) and sleeping on it while it is wet (I have the best hair secrets:-)).

Jack’s answer: You should see her hair right now!

These are the hair products I use:

Shampoo

Conditioner

Smoother

Curl Cream

* You are so accomplished! How do you balance homeschooling with everything else in your life?

That is nice that you think that but balance is far from the reality around here.  Just ask my kids:-)  We have learned how to put our attention into what is the most important that day and work other things around it .  Sometimes nothing else gets done that day.  I don’t believe there is true balance but there is the ability to ask yourself what really needs to get done each day and work on that.

Jack’s answer: When mom is working on videos we work on everything we can do on our own.  We have to take responsibility for some of our school work.  After she is done with videos mom will do school with us.

* Do you make scrapbooks of all the pictures you take?

I don’t.  It has been many years since I put an album together. My goal is to have my blog made into a book for my family or create albums through Snapfish of something similar.

We all love looking at the old albums together so this is something I hope to get to someday.

* Why do you always look like you’ve got your shit together?

hahahahahahahaha.  Sooooo not true!!!!

You should come over right now and see how the house and I look:-)

* Jeanne, did you learn by doing and lots of practice or have you been to art school? I’m asking because you are so talented and know so much about so many different things.

Thank you. That is really nice of you. No, I did not go to art school. For many years I was truly sad that I didn’t follow my heart with art school.  I finally got to a point where I let that go and just made the most of where I was at.  I have learned to read, watch and practice.  Practice is the biggest for me.  The more time I have given myself to practice the more I have developed my own look.  I have a major in Psychology and History:-)

* How do you balance work and being a mom? How do you stay organized with all of the tasks and yet have fun?

I put this one in (even though it is similar to a question above) because I get this question so often that I worry that people really think I have it all together. I don’t. I get a lot done because I am a really hard worker and I have worked creating this business for the past 5 1/2 years.  5 1/2 years and I have never taken a break. I don’t mean I haven’t taken a vacation or weeks off but I mean I have never stopped my business. What you see now is a result of consistent moving forward…even when I didn’t know which direction to go.

As I stated above..I do not have that “perfect” idea of balance.  I do feel like I know what to focus on. When we do school that is all I do. No computer open, no calls etc.  When I am working on a course that takes all of my focus so I can get it finished as quickly as I can and then I can move on to the next thing.  I know when we need dates nights and when we need to stop and go play for the day as a family. I also know when my house can’t take one more second without being cleaned.  It is making choices each day and prioritizing what really needs my attention that day.

* What’s your favorite store for accessories in your home?

Our home is a mixture of new and vintage.  Many of our larger furniture pieces are from Arhaus (this store is hit or miss), Restoration Hardware (only on sale) and even IKEA. For the details I love local stores that sell vintage. A few of my favorites are Dwell and Old Glory Antiques.  When you have a relationship with a store you can even let them know what you are looking for and they will 1) let you know when it comes in or 2) find something special just for you. Both of these store are like that.  Makes it even more special to shop with them.  My home has little touches like candles, books and coffee cups from Anthropologie.  Every once is awhile I will find something from Target.  My home is also full of art from local shows, artist friends and Etsy.  Etsy is your instant vintage satisfaction finder:-)

* What is your schedule/routine for homeschooling? I’m just wondering how you have time to do all of this amazing stuff… Unless you don’t sleep at night?!

I definitely sleep. My bed may be my favorite place to be:-)

I now have to set an alarm (yuck) but that is the only way I can wake up early enough (I am talking 6:30-7…nothing impressive) to catch the morning light in my studio.  I also return new emails etc. in the morning.  We start school at 9am and they have usually already finished some of the work they can do on their own.  We work until a little after lunch.  They are the attention from 9-1.  After school I then turn my attention to work, the house or extra activities the children are in.  I don’t stay up like I used to. I am in bed between 10-11pm.  No more 3 am nights for me:-)

* What is your favorite family meal to make?

Ask me when I am not in the middle of a course. Right now I will take any dinner that someone else makes:-) We eat gluten free and try not to each too much that is processed. That can make it hard when you don’t have the energy to cook.  The kids like when I make chicken chili, gluten free pasta salad and smoothies.  I guess they are easy to impress:-)  I like to make sauteed mushrooms, red onions and spinach and eat the whole bowl for myself. I am guessing that is not the answers you were hoping for:-)  I really just like to use fresh ingredients and not make it too fussy.

Chicken Chili

Pasta Salad

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There you have it:-)

If you have any other questions/comments please feel free to leave a comment on this post and I will respond as soon as possible.

See you on Monday when I will have an amazing new online class to tell you about (Jennifer Rizzo will be the teacher)!!!!