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Is Anyone Bleeding?
The nightmare is always the same. It is Christmas morning. All of the stores are closed. The family is waking up and expecting Christmas to be here. Extended family will be coming by later. There are no presents under the tree, no tree, and nothing to wrap. The refrigerator is empty and I have no way to buy any groceries for Christmas dinner. The grocery stores are closed. Once again, I have waited too long and the results are complete devastation……
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Stress on a Daily Basis
I have been told that worry and stress are two of the biggest wastes of time. I agree, but have not yet at this ripe old age figured how to avoid them.
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Surrounded by Clutter
I deal with clutter on a daily basis. At home, at work, in my car… everywhere. I can never seem to get ahead. At work – I deal with clutter for clients. Taking all the miscellaneous paperwork they have and trying to help offices go paper-less. Wow – do some of them have a lot of paper around!! -
My Life is a Mess
The first thing that pops into my mind is….a messy desk is the sign of a creative mind. Is that how it goes? Well my desk is messy, my home is cluttered, my life often seems to be on the verge of chaos.
Kitchen…see that cute plant on the right?
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Clutter Be Gone!
Clutter in my life takes many forms. My main living spaces are clutter-free. My bedroom, kitchen, and living room are clear of clutter. I can’t stand it any other way. I am a pick-up as I go kind of girl. (Please don’t count the dust and dog hair)
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Clutter or Decorations?
Clutter makes my butt feel big!!!! Having a lot of clutter around makes me feel weighted down and out of control, depressed and rather hysterical.
I think I hate clutter and love it at the same time if that is possible.
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Schneider Family Creation
I always knew I wanted to be a mom. From the time I was little – I loved kids. That feeling continued throughout my life.When I got married, I just knew that there would be kids in my life. When I was pregnant with my first son, my family was very nervous about it because my family had a history of miscarriages. I was 25 and very blasé about the whole thing. I felt like a teenager does – “It will all be fine – of course…. What could go wrong?” Luckily – things went fine and my oldest is now 19.
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Motherhood in the Small Moments
The beauty is in the details…I became a mom at the age of 41 with my two boys and at 44 with my daughter.
First pic of Hoffman family (with Grandma Blue), fresh off the plane from Russia. -
Time to Eat Spaghetti!
I always said I needed to be a Mom like I needed to eat spaghetti…Not at all!
I was delighted when Sandy got pregnant and proceeded to nurture my niece, Lisa, as my surrogate, spoiling her rotten with the benefit of handing her back when I was done. I was totally pleased when my 2nd niece, Michelle arrived. Perfect, another little girl to spoil.
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Hardest Job in the World
I have never taken for granted being a mom. I have personally had six attempts with two wonderful successes. -
Who is ‘Chelle?
Who is ‘Chelle?
To start with, my most important accomplishment is being the mom to 3 amazing adult children. Soon it will be 4 as one of them is now engaged to be married! When I’m not spending time with my kids, I can probably be found working on the computers. In my 30-year career, I’ve done everything with computers from teaching, building, setting up networks, and programming. For the past 15 years, I’ve been at the same job as a Senior Solution Consultant. It’s the longest I’ve ever been at one job.
My other hobbies include crafts, my dogs, and spending time with my family. I’ve also become a cat person which totally shocks me! Recently, my oldest brought home 2 little black cats and they have stolen my heart! I LOVE to organize and plan and especially love it when I’m recognized for things I’ve done. If you ever want to discuss The Five Love Languages, I’m the one! It’s my favorite book. Lastly – when I’m not working on my computers, chances are I’ll be sleeping. I have to say, my favorite thing to do of all time is snuggling on the sofa, binge watching my latest favorite show and snuggling with the kitties!Sidetracked Sisters
You may ask, “What is Sidetracked Sisters?” Well – we are 2 sets of sisters that truly embody the word “Sidetracked”. When we get together, we have a very hard time staying on one topic. Frequently one topic will start and before that can be completed, someone has already moved onto the next topic. We love each other dearly, but also love to pick on each other just as much. One of us is a control freak, one of us is a little flighty, one of us is sensitive and the other is analytical. When I give these descriptions – I have certain sisters in mind. Now – tomorrow – if asked to classify the sisters again – it will be a different sister that is the control freak, a little flighty, sensitive and analytical. We are all very much alike but also very different.
Who are the Sidetracked Sisters?
#sidetrackedsisters #sidetrackedchelle #whoischelle
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Who is Lisa?
I’m Lisa.
When I was a child I wanted to be an artist. When I was a teenager, I would cry myself to sleep because I didn’t know what I wanted to be. In college, personality tests said…TEACHER! Ok, that stuck. So, now I am a RETIRED teacher, wife, mom, and closet artist. Oh yeah, even more recently, I’m a yoga teacher, a certified life coach, a podcaster, and a grandma!
I live in my hometown and stay sane through gardening. Although weeds were winning the battle when I was teaching, I have gotten a second wind and am making a solid comeback! I love to read books that give me something to talk about or think about. I dream of projects that I want to do. My house is in a relative state of chaos battling with occasional periods of calm and organization. -
Who is Judy?
I’m a student of life and I thrive on contact with people of all shapes and sizes. I prefer not to be judgmental of others. I would rather hear their stories and grow and learn from their experiences.
I can be outgoing. I feel it is very important to stand up for myself and others. If a spokesperson is needed, I can be that person.
Over the past fifty-plus years, I have lived in many different states and parts of the country. The hardest question I’ve had to answer is which place was my favorite. There are good points in every place I’ve lived. And yet, hands down, I love being back in Wisconsin. The main reason? My family is here and I’m back with my “Sidetracked Sisters.” The changing of the four seasons is also stimulating to me. Autumn is my favorite, and true to my nature, I find good things about each of the seasons.
So far, I have worked in banking, furniture retailing, and downtown revitalization. Currently, I’m enjoying my work as a guest service person in the hospital industry. If I can work with people, help solve problems and have interesting conversations, it doesn’t matter the industry, I’m happy.
My soulmate and I have been married for over thirty-six years. We both enjoy reading, learning and spending time together. Our son lives close-by in Wauwatosa. He has a career in the golf industry which follows his passion. We keep in touch and enjoy sharing his life. We have a dog that we spoil rotten. She makes us laugh and keeps us sane. (Most of the time)
Our happy place is at the family cottage in Door County. We often have fourteen or so family members and at least six dogs to share our time with. I find heaven on the water with the people I love, talking, walking, biking or just being. When we see the “Door County” sign, we breathe more easily.
Currently, the Sidetracked Sisters are enjoying our Facebook page, our blog and our new Podcast called “Sidetracked Legacies”. I think I have found my creative outlet. I’m looking forward to encouraging others to create their legacies.
Sidetracked Sisters
Sidetracked Sisters are two sets of two sisters one generation apart. The older sisters are as different and as much alike as two sisters can be. One brunette, one blonde, one green eyes, one brown eyes, one stayed put in Beaver Dam, one traveled a bit. Sandy had two girls. The second set of Sidetracked Sisters. One brunette, one blond, both brown eyes and as alike and as different as two sisters can be.
The name originated to label craft shows that we did in our homes each year, especially on “widow’s weekend”. Since we professionally consist of a Retired Paralegal, Retired Banker, Retired Teacher, and a hard-working Computer Engineer, Sidetracked allowed our creative sides to come out and play. It gave us one more outlet to joke, criticize, insult, tease and sometimes even support each other. We also learned that if you wanted an opinion, we had four different ones to offer.
Who are the Sidetracked Sisters?
#familyfriends #loveaffection #sidetrackedjudy #sidetrackedsisters #whoisjudy
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Who is Sandy?
I Am SandyI am one of four of the Sidetracked Sisters. I am, unfortunately, the oldest and seem to be the most challenged at my computer skills. This is a learning process for me. I love learning new things, but this is often very nerve-wracking.
