Nancy made a comment on my last layout post about finding the time to scrapbook. I had to laugh a little because that layout (and this one) are probably the first two that I have made in weeks. I just got the itch and acting on it right then, which isn't my first tendency. Normally, I put it off until I think I'll have time to sit and get a bunch of pages done and then it never happens. :) Coincidentally, I read a quote this morning in a interview with Ali Edwards about how she manages to find the time to scrap and be creative when it seems like everyone is so busy now-a-days. She says:

I think what I would really like to change is the misconception that the people who do this are the ones with tons of time on their hands. Come on! Everyone is busy; everyone has stuff going on in their lives. Creating is really a lifestyle choice.

Love it. And I'm learning that a little bit of creativity goes a long way in helping me retain my sanity.

For example ... this morning was one of THOSE mornings. N1 had two incidents which required baths from the waist down ... I have no idea what hit her, but suffice it to say, UGH. And there was me with no Diet Coke in the house, 2 weeks away from having a baby, and a 14 month old who was also emitting some special smell herself. I sat down for a second, contemplated how hard I needed to cry about my situation, and decided I could either mope about the rest of day or change my attitude. So, I cleaned up the girls, put N2 down for a nap, put N1 in clean clothes and let her pick out a 1/2 hour video to watch, and I got out my scrap stuff. One thing I'm learning from folks like Ali Edwards and Stacy Julian is that in big picture scrapbooking, I want to remember to document as much of our life and memories as I can, no matter how random, or even if they are about dirty diapers. Thus, the layout above, done in about 30 minutes. The journaling reads:

One of those mornings! Bathroom blowouts requiring new outfits and a bath (and just throwing away the ARIEL underwe@r ... THAT BAD). Random photos of my girls to remind me these frustrations are blips in their life. The big picture ... it's all good. They are so worth these little incoveniences and mess.

Real life scrapbooking. :)