Trying to Focus After Having Twins

I had always considered myself to be a pretty organized, focused person before having twins. However, ever since having the girls, I've wondered if I might have developed at least a slight case of ADD. The one thing that makes me think this is, I have a tendency to start a lot of new projects, but have trouble finishing them.

Every once in awhile, I will get really determined to finish a project, and almost hyper-focus on it... I don't want to stop until it's completely, 100% perfectly finished. But, a lot of times I find that I have a lot of great ideas... but, actually seeing an idea through to completion and making it successful? Well, it's a work in progress :-p

It might actually be just plain depression, though... lately, things just seem to have gotten really messy around here :-p But, I've also been off my prozac. As you might have read before my doctor finally put me on a little bit of prozac in early 2009... and it truly was like a weight had been lifted off of me... a weight that I didn't even realize was there. However, since we're currently without health insurance (my husband is still looking for work), I've been off it for awhile. Finally, though, after just getting to a point that, I felt like I couldn't take it anymore, my husband called and was able to get my doctor to give me a refill now without coming in for an actual visit... although, I think I'll have to go in before getting another. Anyway, started taking it a couple of days or so ago... and, lo and behold, now I'm in a list-making mood :-p

So, I'm making a list of each website that I am currently working on, or plan to work on. And believe it or not, I have narrowed this list down a good bit :-p I have other domains that I'm already planning to let expire because, they were flights of fancy that, might have been good ideas... but, they're just not something I plan to pursue anymore.

Now, this post may really be of no interest to anybody but myself :-p Again, this is more of a way for me to organize my thoughts and plans. But, please do feel free to read and comment! I could probably use all the help I can get, on where my focus should be :-) So, here's my full list of projects that, at least for now, I'm still planning to continue trying to make a go of :-p

TwinHappy.com
Obviously, that's where we are now :-) TwinHappy in and of itself has gone through a lot of transformations... when I started it back in 2006, it was kind of a half-finished informational kind of site. But, finally in early 2009, I decided to turn it into a blog... and, that's when people actually started to look at it :-p

I'm still kind of struggling with it, though... besides the weekly TwinTuesday postings, I'm never quite sure what else to post. Sometimes I have a personal issue that I think would make a good "Twins Issues" type of post... but, for the most part, when it comes to day-to-day life, I pretty much just post little comments on my Facebook profile :-p (Mostly my personal profile, but I've been trying to post more on my TwinHappy Facebook Page... which is also connected to my @TwinHappyJen Twitter account)...

I guess for now, though, I'll just stick with the way things are... try to focus on at least making good TwinTuesday postings each week :-) And maybe just concentrate on trying to put together Twinstock...

Twinstock.org
So, onto Twinstock... the first Twinstock was last August. I kind of threw it together at the last minute so, while fun, it definitely could be better! I actually have a dream of hosting an IRL Twinstock someday.... but for now, I'm planning to make it like TwinTuesday, only super-sized :-p

I actually experimented with a lot of events last year, but finally settled on focusing on doing this one event each year... although, "The Twinnies" (kind of like the Emmys for twin blogs :-p) were very popular... but, I might just make them a part of "Twinstock" :-)

TwoSnowflakes.net
This is the website for my book "Two Snowflakes." Aside from posting more reviews of it, continuing to market the book, etc., I'm really done with this. I'm happy with the design, I'm happy with the new version of the book... see, I can actually finish something :-p

TwoPrincesses.com
I actually registered TwoPrincesses.com, and began to develop it as a kind of an online scrapbook for family/friends, with photos and maybe other things pertaining to Anna and Josie. However, I'm now planning to use it as the site for my next book, aptly named "Two Princesses." Which, still needs to be finished :-p It is written, and the illustrations are half done... and, I am planning on a summer release (hopefully early-to-mid summer, rather than late). However, both the site and the book are very much still in production :-p

AutumnRainDesign.com
Autumn Rain Design is my budding web design business :-) I've been playing around on the web since 1995, but the last few years I have been considering making a go of turning my web design skills into an actual business (even if it's just something I do on the side, occasionally). I am self-taught so, I may not be at the level of some college-educated designers... but I'm getting by better and better all the time :-p

I'm currently trying to build up a portfolio (since a lot of things I've worked on in the past, are no more)... so, right now, it does include a lot of my own sites :-p But, I have completed a site for my Mother-in-Law at SheilaJMiller.com (she makes beaded jewelry), as well as a site for my Mother at GRPetSupplies.com (for her pet supply business)... and, I'm currently working on a site for an old friend who is starting up a BBQ company at DoomersOnline.com. All of which has been paid work! So, this new beginning is off to a fairly good start :-)

HauntValley.com
Aside from my twin stuff, book stuff, and web design stuff, I do have one more passion that I plan on following: Halloween :-)

Yes, I was born on Christmas, but while I like Christmas, I LOVE Halloween :-p The site is a mess right now (so, please don't judge me, based on what it looks like right now :-p).... but, really hoping to whip it into shape before this Halloween, and at least get it started. I'm currently thinking of it turning it into a magazine-style blog, where I can just post anything Halloween-related. It's been on the back-burner for awhile because it does feel a bit frivolous... but, it's still something I really, really wanna do :-)

DavidKMiller.com
This is actually just an online resume for my husband, who again, is currently searching for work. I just did this design a little while ago... but, thinking of redoing it. First, I plan to redo his actual resume and then I might change the site to reflect the resume. He does have a standard-looking resume, but I want to create one for him that will really stand out. My goal is to have it reflect his personality... because, my husband definitely stands out in a crowd (and yes, I totally mean that in a good way!) :-D If he's able to make it to the interview process, he usually gets the job. But lately, it seems almost impossible just to get to that point.

So, since the standard-boring resumes seem to keep getting lost in the shuffle, I'm hoping I can create one that will stand out as effectively as he does in person :-)

CrossedBlades.com
This is actually a site that I registered and, at least put up a coming soon page, for my stepson, Ryan. He does little comic book type cartoons and, I've been thinking about turning it into a blog for him, so it'll be easy for him to update on his own. Another thing that's been on the back-burner, but maybe I'll make it my Christmas present to him this year :-p

Besides these sites, I also have things like my Flickr account that I want to use as an archive for my photos (especially photos of Anna and Josie). It's just a matter of going through everything and uploading it. Which is a big job... online scrapbooking can be as hard to get to as IRL scrapbooking :-p But, it is something that's really important to me. So, maybe I'll make a printed version of this list that I can hang on my desk, to remind myself of things I should be working on. (I also have accounts on GoodReads and LinkedIn that, could use working on as well, but those are really at the bottom of my list of priorities).

Well, that's it really... aside from cleaning and organizing my house (and someday scanning in all these old print photos we have laying around), that covers my current projects. Again, I had other things, but I'm letting them go... I really want to focus on the ones above.

I also want to try and get better at responding to emails, messages, replying back to blog comments... I'm so sorry to those I take forever to get back to!! I'm still a work in progress myself :-p

After the girls were born, I had an excuse for being lost in a haze... but they're starting full-time kindergarten in the fall... so, I think it's definitely time for me to get my act together and FOCUS! :-D