Zoom About Ellen - video journaling and sharing ways to dream big and live authentically

Top 10 reasons why working from home in the summer is nearly impossible! 2010

So a year ago, I posted my Top 10 Reasons Why Working From Home in the Summer is Nearly Impossible!

It made sense to start an annual thing since I ran into similar struggles this year. When will I learn...right? 

Here goes:

10. Watching my new grass grow outside my office window

9. Shiny new recycled bottlecap creations

8. Softball/Soccer schedule

7. Nature calling/balancing rock meditation by the river

6. My puppy. (Seriously...could you resist that face)

5. Countless Doctor/Dentist/Orthodontist/Tutoring/Playdate scheduling and ferrying.

4. KID NOISE and interruptions...clear need for better boundries!

3. Downloading apps to my new Samsung Vibrant (and then wrestling it from my kids hands)

2. Bathroom remodel

1. Amazing musical concerts and festivals (ie. Treehouse Point, GreenNote, U. Village Concerts, Summer Meltdown) See Rocky Votalato below...

What's inspiring me to write these days...

 

My neighbor dog, Zoey, lazing in our street in the snow. Looking at her makes me smile.

Okay...so lot's of people I know out there are blogging about this blessed holiday season and what they got for Christmas and togetherness and all of that so I thought it would be a good time to blog about what's inspiring me to write these days (or I guess I should say today. I promise I'll start videoing again soon. I guess it's a testament to how I've been taking care of my appearance lately that I haven't been inspired to pull out the flip and record myself. Wait...I guess I DO have a little vanity and you thought I didn't from seeing me with ketchup in my hair, red nosed with a cold, after a run (pre-shower) and just whenever I felt like it! I'll be back to that soon, I PROMISE!

Now back to the topic at hand which is the awesome ladies that have inspired me to write this post.

1. The first credit goes to my amazing friend and soul sister Jen Grant and her blog post titled "laughin my ass off." She talks about my #2 inspiration and includes a hilarious disclaimer and...well, just go there and read it and you'll know what I mean. While you're there...peruse her other posts, because she provides inspiration for me daily with her blog AND her rockin' social network, Cr8 Everyday.

2. Jen's post inspired me to see what The Bloggess has been up to these days. Btw, when I need to laugh out loud with tears streaming down my face and escape my responsibility and reality for a moment, this is there I go. (I also follow her on twitter, another fun distraction). Today her post about "What I got for Christmas" stuck out for me, maybe because this year, the only gifts that came in my stocking were purchased and wrapped by me, not because I need presents, but because I didn't want the kids to feel badly and think that I was on Santa's "naughty" list. I'm not complaining...I did get the Wii fit I asked for and a certificate for a pedicure from hubby. Here's what The Bloggess said about what she got from her one and only...

A free session to get fitted for a bra.  Honestly, I could not even make this up.  Not a bra.  A free session.  That’s free to anyone who wants it.  My husband booked a free session for me to strip half naked and get molested by a disinterested clerk.  Because he’s an asshole.  And when I was all “Uh…oh” he was like “You know…for your boobs.”  And I realize that it was meant with all kinds of love but it doesn’t change the fact for Christmas I’m going to have some stranger groping me.  To see what size I am.  While I’m naked. 

Her candor and humor is one of the reasons her blog is so "shiny" for me! I thought it would be fun to get feedback from you all about your "surprise" Christmas gifts. (My friend Maria's present from her hubby was a handful of grocery store gift cards, because he said they should really save $$$...SERIOUSLY!) I've been telling my husband for YEARS that picking up a rock or a cool piece of wood that reminds him of something cool and meaningful or something I can put into a bottlecap is a better gift for me than anything, being the crunchy hippie chick that I am...

3. Another inspiration to me today is Kate McLaughlin. She DM twittered me today sharing her post "Got the Winter Blues?" which totally fits because it's been a bit of a blue Christmas for me with screwed up stuff and uncertainty in my personal life and the scary driving conditions keeping the my family and friends away on Christmas Eve and Day. Thank goodness for my amazing neighbors Debbie and Jerry (Zoey's people), good wine and snow to build with, otherwise the blues would have swallowed me whole this year. Anyway Kate is amazing and always has strategies and resources to deal with the blues and other imbalances that get in the way of truly embracing and enjoying life!

My gift to myself this year...I'm hitting the road with my Andrew Weil CD from my good friend Anneslise, Wii fit, yarn, dirty laundry and laptop and heading to my favorite inspiration's house in Oregon for 2 days of stress-free hang out time...did I mention I'm dropping the kids off at my parents house on the way? Get ready Jen :)

How I spent Christmas this year...

So, of course every family has traditions...Growing up we had BIG Christmases. Tons of aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents...the works. Uncle Gil made killer spaghetti on Christmas eve and all of the kids slept in the playroom in sleeping bags at the top of the spiral staircase l eading to the promised land...the living room where the tree, located next to the fireplace where Santa entered the house.

The adults DID IT UP! Uncles on the roof with jingle bells, neighing like reindeer. One dressed up as Santa and snuck through the playroom carefully placing our stockings by our feet. One year I SAW Santa, which led to fabulous stories at school and me "believing" till I was like 14. I was popular in school (you can imagine). When my Dad pulled me aside to tell me...I wouldn't speak to him all day.

Anyway...Christmas was amazing for me. I loved having the packed house, chaos, tons of kids, food, family, friends thrown in here and there.

As we grew and had families of our own...I resisted doing anything different than sleeping over at my parents, crawling into bed with them on Christmas morning to open stockings if I had my way. You can imagine how THAT was for my husband, having come from a smaller family who had small quiet holidays.

SO, we compromised by having EVERYONE over to our house for Christmas Eve. For the past 7 years or so we've had a houseful., anywhere from 20-30 people for amazing venison spaghetti (thanks to hunter hubby) and games and music and fun... I LOVE IT!!!

This year, the show started to fall last week and didn't stop!  Beautiful snow that stuck...wierd for us and continued to pummel us, so much so that the roads were too sketchy for ANYONE to make it to our house this year for Christmas Eve OR Christmas day.  I tried to hide my disappointment from the kids and hubby by spending
WAY more time than usual outside in the snow seeking some art therapy in the form of snow sculpting. Along with my beaudacious snow goddess, we spent hours in the front yard building a wicked igloo/fort. Didn't come in till 9pm tonight...

Hope they're still standing strong tomorrow when everyone FINALLY comes to our house for spaghetti and fun! So glad the roads finally cleared...It just doesn't feel like Christmas to me without a full house.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night...xo

Consider this awesome opportunity!

Lots of new changes happening for me as we end 2008 and catapult into 2009. We have launched the new website for ZoomAlbum AND I will be releasing the new ZoomAlbum blog before the end of the day today. Zoom About Ellen will remain with a couple of changes I'll share as I make them. I'll still talk about ways to make the life of a multi-tasking mom easier as well as dreaming big and living authentically here, but most of the tips and tricks for sharing memories with digital photos will be on the new ZoomAlbum blog. The BIGGEST news of all (can you tell how excited I am) is our new Photo Book Coach opportunity!!! Please watch and think about the possibilities...

Read below for more information or go to www.zoomalbum.com
How you can make money
Simply show your finished ZoomAlbum photobook to someone - a family member, friend, colleague, or even the lady behind you at the grocery store. Explain what’s in a ZoomAlbum Kit and how to make a photobook. Then show them how to order online using your Coach ID. They will get a 15% discount, and when their order is processed, you will receive 30% in sales commission within 30 days. It’s really that easy! And you will receive Monthly Commission Check Payments! Your New Photobook Coach Kit includes valuable products & sales tools: • Permission to distribute and sell ZoomAlbum Photobook kits independently (there is no annual renewal fee) • (6) PhotoCover Kits (enough to make 18 Albums) • 5-Pack Refill Kit • (2) Photobook samples • (6) Software/Instruction DVD’s • 24/7 User Support/Training • Automated Customer Referrals from ZoomAlbum Website and Blog • Product Instruction Sheets & Order Forms • Monthly Online Newsletter with Photobook Software Updates and Selling tips • Opportunity to receive compensation for recruiting or referring new Photobook Coaches to the program Total retail value for the materials = $287.65 All yours with registration for only $119.95 (a savings of over 50%!) Canon Printer You will also have the option to buy a Canon IP3600 Inkjet Printer in addition to the above package for only $80. Perfect for printing your Photobook samples! Register as a Photobook Coach TODAY! Click here to download the form, fill out completely and fax to 408-521-0945 Call us for more information 1-888-SeeZoom (733-9666)

What I am doing this holiday season to make a smaller footprint?

I've always been a garage sale/thrift store junky. I LOVE the feeling of reusing and recreating. This year I also promised my kids that we would go a little crazy with lights outside and in...So, I've been to every goodwill, consignment store, thrift store within a 40 mile radius and collected all of the lights I could find. The thing is...they all work AND were so cheap. I've collected lots of other cool stuff too and have been busy recreating. I'll share some cool pics of ReCaptivation creations soon (hopefully launching our website too). In the meantime... I did it! I made my holiday card with Smilebox. Hardest part was picking out the pictures...too many cute ones. I didn't have any trouble with the song...Jack Johnson's version of "Someday at Christmas" is my favorite holiday tune and I can't stop humming it constantly. So...my gift to you...now it'll be in your head too!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Please comment and remember...there's still time to go green and make a Smilebox holiday card and by the way...if I don't have your email address, YOU LOSE! Just kidding...I am making ZoomAlbum photo books of the slideshow for stocking stuffers and gifts. Let me know what you think...don't be shy :)

Can YOU tell how unhappy they are?

So finally there was a sunny day in the Pacific Northwest...perfect time to ride bike home from school with the kids and the Purple Pedal bike. I dropped the kids bikes off at school, drove home, hopped on the Purple Pedal bike and had a lovely ride to their school...so excited for fresh air and exercise with the kids. They greeted me with smiles and seemed excited...that is until they remembered that they would be riding home. My 7 year old son, who discovered that I did not bring his gameboy with me frowned but then begrudgingly put his bike helmet on. My 9 year old refused to acknowledge my presence and wouldn't even hold her helmet until all of the buses had left and there were no people around to see. You would have thought I was pulling their finger nails off...My son whimpered for the 1st half mile, saying his legs hurt and he couldn't possibly make it home. At one point, my daughter got off her bike, put the kick stand down and gingerly sprawled on the ground. The drama...I hope they can get enough tickets to accomodate our large family when they accept their Oscars in the future. Luckily...the camera mounted between the handlebars of the Purple Pedal bike caught none of the strife that I witnessed during the 2 1/2 hours it took us to ride 2 miles...Here is the flickr stream of the ride and a quick video I took along the way. Thank goodness for the sunshine and beautiful scenery! That was a week ago...since then, the bike has taken lots of pretty pictures of our front door (adorned with my BE NICE OR LEAVE sign) and of my lame attempt to catch up with the neighbors with lights on the house...Maybe the cold rain with take a break long enough for me to ride into Seattle next week...or maybe I'll just go in the other direction and ride it up at the pass so it can take pictures of the beautiful snow that has finally started falling in the mountains...we'll see what I decide.

Sparkly Princess Retreat Memories...

Just sent this out to my new friends from the Startup Princess Retreat. Fun memories and sweet, quick way to share them. Maybe something else special coming to them from Kelly King Anderson (and ZoomAlbum, shhhhhhh!).

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Coming soon...putting the finishing touches on my holiday Smilebox with one of my FAVORITE holiday songs by one of my FAVORITE artists (hint...his initials are JJ) AND will include exclusive pics of the ZoomAlbum I'll be putting in stockings this year. (Good way to test whether or not my family reads my blog by who's surprised on Christmas...hee, hee or should I say ho, ho).

Treehouse Point Thanksgiving

Family, good friends, yummy food, card games...all in the magical Treehouse Point. What a way to give thanks...and I put it into a Smilebox.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

For more picks of my favorite retreat click here http://www.treehousepoint.com/treehousepoint.html Seriously, this place is AMAZING! Oh, and btw, my Dad and I rode the Purple Pedal bike from my house to Treehouse Point and here is the flickr stream of pics it took along the way! http://www.flickr.com/photos/shoot_n_roll/

Pirate Pete...seriously took me like 5 minutes to make!

I know you expect to hear this from the mom, but dang is he ever cute...Don't you think? No kidding, fast, easy and cool gift to send FOR FREE, with added bonus of tunes too! I LOVE SMILEBOX!

Make a Smilebox postcard

Shoot n Roll's soccer tournament adventure...

So, it's been a crazy week around here...My Yahoo! Purple Pedal Bike arrived on Monday, just in time for me to go out of town for a few days for 6sight 2008 in Monterey where my dad and I WOWed everyone with ZoomAlbum (lol). Got back on Thursday night and got geared up for my 9 year olds weekend soccer tournament, The Turkey Shoot. Here are a few videos of my 1st week with the bike. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Purple Pedals, they are super cool purple bikes with camera phones mounted between the handle bars. While riding, the camera randomly shoots pics and uploads them to flickr, mapping the location of the pic and the route of the bike. Cool, huh? I'm planning all sorts of adventures on the bike while I have it (for 3 more weeks) and look forward to any comments and suggestions about where I should take it (in the Pacific Northwest, of course) between now and Dec. 17th. Here are some of my ideas:

• Around North Bend (my town) with flip video - promoting local business and getting reactions to the bike.
• To Tree House Point in Fall City
• In Seattle Marathon - I'm signed up to run in the 1/2 and am going to see if they'll let me ride the bike in it instead (since I've run 11 and am going to ride 13 before the marathon so I know I can do it :)
• Across I-90 bridge into Seattle
• Around Seattle Center
• At Snoqualmie Pass (if not TOO much snow)
• Ferry ride from Edmonds to Kingston and then ride to around Olympic Peninsula

Watch the videos and give me some more ideas. TALK ABOUT TAKING MY LIFE WITH ME!!! My only complaint so far about the bike is the lack of cup holder (I'll attach one) and no holder for my blackberry so I can be twittering/keeping up on email during ride. I may look at mounting something to hold my flip so I can have it videoing snippets of the rides. We'll see...I need to get some work done too! It will be tough while the bike is here so you can also support me by checking out ZOOMALBUM and SMILEBOX and trying both out!!!
CHECK IT OUT! and stay tuned for how I'm living authentically and DREAMING BIG this week and other silly stuff. May be time for me to change the blog name to Adventures of Ellenmental... :)

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