Recognize me from Toy Story 3?

Two weeks ago, my work decided to dress up as Toy Story 3 characters. With a little (okay, a lot) of work, here's what came out of it!

And here, riding my horse Bullseye (okay, don't laugh too hard!) Kathleen's my data coordinator, and I know I ride her almost every day, but not like this!

Ever Play...

catch the flying electric toothbrush? Yeah...the start to my day. It is spinning around and I lose my grip. It drops, and I'm imaginary spittle everywhere, on me, on the mirror, and BOOM! I catch it, with nary a drop of spittle. Well, maybe one on my pj top.

If this is any indication of my day, I may be close to dropping some balls, but hopefully I'll catch them before they hit the ground. I don't know about you, but this is a frantic time of year for me, with the holiday, my son's b-day, and lots of family in town. I've never been busier, and we've never had (okay, that's not true, with the monster episodes a few months ago) more sleepless nights. Even my little guy was sick yesterday and needed a catch-up day.

Wishing you a day where you are able to catch all the balls you are juggling mid-air, or maybe even not let go in the first place! :)

WFMW: Looking Ahead

I'm a planner. You could definitely call me that.

I like to look ahead, plan ahead, and fill in my organizer.

One thing I have found that really works for me is to write those things on the side of my monthly calendar that I need to remember to do in an upcoming month, as a reminder.

For instance, as I turn the page to November, I see:
*Condition leather car seats
*Call and make dentist appt. for Feb.
*Make gift for Aunt Pat

It is really the only way I can remember some of these things, and by writing them down the month I need to do them, I can clear out my mind for more important, current events.

What works for you related to remembering dates?

For other great ideas, see We're That Family.

What I Learned this Week: Halloween Time

I think I'm in love with the holiday season (any holiday) have a child. It is loads of fun, but also loads of work too. Here are some things I've learned in the last week.

1. People dressed up in animal costumes for Halloween can be very scary and only Mommy should go near them (his perspective).

 2. Jack from Nightmare Before Christmas can be scary to Mommy, but intriguing to son (his perspective) and call for a High Five!

3. The time spent making a Mickey Mouse shoes and shorts for your son can be well worth it, and having a practice day, trying on the costume and trick-or-treating with Mommy helps.

4. Halloween time can be LOADS of fun as a parent, seeing it through your child's eyes.

5. The theme the staff choose at your work, for dressing up for Halloween, (Toy Story 3), can be exciting, and cause you to have to create yet another costume for yourself in just a few days (well, really nights as a working girl...oh, that came out wrong...working professional).

6. Working on a costume can cause you to miss your favorite shows and have to DVR them, so friends, don't tell me anything about the most recent Survivor, last or this week's and Amazing Race!

What are some things you love or learned about Halloween?

For more, see Julie's blog!

Case of the Icks

Don't you hate those days, where you go to bed feeling a bit off, slight sore throat, little headache, then wake at 4 AM realizing you really don't feel too good, and to top it off, lay there awake pondering, "Do I go to work, do I stay home, do I go to work, do I stay home?" and never go back to sleep, adding to your not-feeling-so-good day?

I think that may have been the longest sentence I have ever written, but seriously, I could have gone on.

If you're like me too, you figure you'll throw in a load or two of laundry while you're home sick, because it is so easy, only then you realize you still have to fold it, and punish yourself mentally because you'd rather be lying on the sofa or bed, sleeping.

You finally lie down on the sofa, two dogs curled around you, blanket on top and every so often think, "I'm going to sleep soon, I can feel it," and that kind of wakes you up? You lay there for oh, an hour and a half, get really hot under the blanket, feel drugged from sleep or lack of sleep, or this bug you have, and wonder if you ever really fell asleep?

Yeah, it is one of those days today, an "Ick" day, where I just feel downright icky, achy, and not worth much of anything, and I hope a good night's rest will turn all of that around. Afterall, it is Halloween season and our family has so many fun things planned!

WFMW: Lunch Break at Work

My lunchtimes at work are precious to me. I have found that sometimes this is my only quiet time in the day to think and organize things on my to-do list. Sometimes it is the only way to get "me time" too.

I close my office door and do any of the following, depending upon the day of the week, while I eat my lunch:

1. Write a blog post (doing that today)!
2. View coupons I might be able to use that week grocery shopping.
3. Send a much-needed and late email to a friend or family member.
4. Peruse other blogs I like to read.
5. Make my grocery list.
6. Write down my home to-do list.

Sometimes it is a little messy and I may get a little chip grease on my keyboard (oops), but it allows me to go back to work a little more focused and feeling like I accomplished something too.

When do you find those little snippets of time for to-do's or things you like?

What I Learned this Week

What I learned this week:
1. First of all, if you type "learned", really quickly, it turns out "learnded" and then you don't appear too learned.

2. On that same note, we went to a new park this weekend and saw these words in graffiti: "bich" and "fuch".....as an educator I think, if you're going to spray paint something, at least spell correctly! I'm glad my son didn't have to spell those out as he does many signs he runs across lately.

3. As the sun starts coming up later, my son is sleeping in more. Like now, it is 5:29 AM, and he is still sound asleep! (Remember those 3:45 and 4:30 AM mornings?)

4. Sometimes pumpkin flowers can be as fun to pick and carry around as the pumpkins you find.

5. Last, but not least, I learned something about myself last week. When I have serious time off, I take it seriously, and do too many darn things in that time. I think that's why people need getaway vacations, so they don't see all that needs to be done at home.

For more, see Julie's blog!

Thankful Thursday

I'm feeling that it is time again to write a Thankful Thursday post. I have been so frantically busy the last three days of my "break" that I need to take time to reflect on all I've accomplished, be thankful, and move ahead these last two days, doing LESS.

Today I am most thankful for:

1. Getting my son's Halloween costume and accessories all finished. Check out these Mickey Mouse shoes!

2. Having time to get some birthday and Christmas present shopping done.

3. Having time to go have lunch out with my husband and a day off with him as well.

4. Being healthy this time of year and having time to get extra allergy shots. I usually have bad allergies and have been getting shots. Hopefully they are helping!

5. Getting as much done as I have. Lots of errands and ability to do some shopping I needed.

6. My dog not having anything more serious than a possible prior bug bite that he has been consistently licking until he's licked all the fur off his paw. Poor guy has to wear this for a few days and is seriously in depression.

7. Having the opportunity to see my son in his little soccer class at preschool.

8. The weather finally trying to cool off out here. The car has still read 100 degrees a few times, but it has been noticeably cooler. I LOVE being able to be outside in the cool, fresh air.

9. My son really getting the potty training down! He is doing soooo well. Only #2 accidents at this point, and he'll be 3 on November 6th. I'm happy to have pushed the issue a bit, as I think he was ready and able.

10. Lastly, having two more days of break by myself, in which I really, really, really need to slow down and veg a bit. Really veg. Really try to let the stress of being so busy slide away, and get invigorated again.

What are you most thankful for in your life right now?

I Think I'm in Love

Through We're That Family, I just found an amazing (at least to me) blog called Simple Organized Living. I think I'm in love. Seriously. Not with her, but her blog. A little disclaimer though, I just read she doesn't have any children and I'm sure that plays a part in how much extra time she may have, and I say "may", because keeping up with a quality blog like the one she has takes time and commitment.

You should check it out too. My favorite section right now is Time & Money, though that is all I was able to read while eating my bagel (homemade...Trader Joe's..yum) and drinking my coffee, prior to having about 45 minutes to scrapbook, and this I must!

Oh, running a little late on that too, because as I dropped my son off at daycare this morning, he asked me to come read a book to him. Who couldn't resist on a day off, right? Before I knew it, there were three cuties sitting around me while I read them two books. My son had the cutest little smile on his face and I just know he was tickled that his mommy stayed to read to them. I so wish I could do it every day!

What I Learned this Week

I had an interesting "dropping things" weekend. I wasn't feeling particularly clumsy, but something was in the air.

Here are some of the things I learned about that and others

1. I still "have it" when it comes to light mountain biking. See here. I made it without any injuries at all. Surprising after over 3 years.

2. I can have no injuries on a mountain bike ride, and then jam my toe into the edge of the shower and scrape the skin off the top of my right toe 15 minutes later.

3. Half an hour after that, I can drop a soda can out of the refrigerator onto the top of my left toe, denting the can, causing me to yell in pain, and blood can seep out of the cut it made.

4. Three hours later,  my heavy water bottle (non-BPA of course) can fall out of my purse, onto that same toe.

5. Two days later, that same water bottle can go crashing out of a backpack and go sliding under two bathroom stalls in a park bathroom. So sanitary, yes?

This is all a few days prior to a scheduled pedicure appointment. Do you need to worry about sanitary foot soaks at a nice spa with any cuts/abrasions on your feet?

WFMW: Making Cookies with my Son

This weekend, I made cookies with my son for the first time. The funny thing is, I think he's done it before at daycare, or at least done the motions of rolling out the dough and using the cookie cutters. We've used cutters for playdough before, but he seemed to have the groove already!

I bought pre-made dough, just to save time and have my son keep his interest up. I also chose to just use a few cookie cutters he could choose from in Halloween theme, and kept the frosting to simple vanilla, rather than any intricate designs (I don't even know how to do that anyway!)

As I was using the roller and trying to get it not to stick, he was telling me to use the handles. He had to model it for me. :)

He was much more into putting on the sprinkles than he was frosting the cookies, so I did that part. And most of all, the eating of them is the best part!

For more of What Works for Me Wednesday, go here.

Starting Another Week Off Right...or so I hope

Last week, week one of my break, started off with a free coffee from Starbucks, by taking in my used bag of grounds.

Today, my free Bruegger's bagel and cream cheese coupon helped me get a yummy bagel! Ah...the comforts of great breakfast foods (okay, is coffee a food?) I changed my mind mid-order though, noticing they had pumpkin cream cheese. I wouldn't recommend pumpernickel bagel and pumpkin cheese. Strange, but not so bad.

I have a lot on my plate this last week of my break, and even woke up anxious at all I'd like to do. Really, who DOES that, unless they are going on some great trip or something? I really need to get some "I do and plan too much" therapy. I realize though, I have to blame it all on my son. It is his fault. With him around, I can't do little knick-knacky things like scrapbook, make Mickey Mouse shoes for Halloween, sort through and organize drawers. All heck would break loose, including me losing my mind. I have to wait and cram it all into my break time instead. See, it not really MY problem.

Did I mention I got a free bagel? Oh..sorry, yeah..just took a bite and drank some really good Starbucks, brewed at home, French Roast. Ahhh.... It even feels like fall today, which makes a great start to the week. My car was registering 69 degrees at 8 AM, so I'm sure it was cooler out even when I dropped my son off at daycare.

I hope everyone is off to a great week themselves!

Back on the Bike!

My husband and I have the day off today and he had this great idea that instead of going hiking this morning after a great breakfast out, that we should back to our mountain biking spot and do one of the easy trails. I hadn't done this since at the very least, 3 1/2 years ago, after I found out I was pregnant!

We had THE BEST time and I was surprised that it all came back to me as well as it did, going through sand, over rocks, steering away from cactus. It was invigorating, and certainly the highlight so far of my break!

Keeping Busy

I have sure been keeping busy this week, running here and there on errands, getting extra allergy shots while I have the time, having lunch with friends, shopping for some needed new clothes...I am definitely not on the road to relaxation, yet. I am sure glad I have next week off too.

We just received our 4th invitation to a birthday party over the next month, 3 actually next week, and then there's also my son's party on the 30th. Fortunately, we're just doing a family one, with grandparents who will be in town, so it will be low key. I wasn't actually able to have it on his birthday, November 6th, because one grandparent is leaving that day, and one of my dearest friends is having her daughter's 3rd birthday party on that day too! Whew! The 30th of October is kind of a neat day though, in that that was my son's actual due date.

I'm planning a Mickey Mouse themed party for him and he's also going to be Mickey Mouse for Halloween.

I've been working on the costume a bit this week too. Here are the shorts:

I wish I could have found even bigger buttons, but these were the biggest I could find. I actually made a second pair of shorts too, as potty training backups. I wouldn't want my Mickey Mouse to be stuck wearing little boy shorts instead of his red ones with his costume. I showed them to him last night, and when we were getting ready to go to bed, he told me he wanted his "Mickey Mouse jammies". I coudn't figure out what he meant, because he doesn't have any, but he must have meant the shorts!

The next step is trying to make those crazy big yellow shoes. I got some things to start with:

Only, I ended up finding some fleece slippers yesterday at the store that I think I will use as a base and create the shoe on top of, instead of making fleece socks. This will be next week's creative endeavor.

On a totally different note, I mentioned having gone shopping for jeans. Ever find a pair that fits you so well you want to rush out and buy a second pair immediately? Like a pair that doesn't hang in the crotch, sag in the bottom (or too tight) and actually fits you in the waist without that big gap in the back? Well, I'm there, with these, wearing them today and just hoping I'll be able to find another pair out and about next week.

WFMW: Numbered Sticker Chart for Potty Training

 The latest in our potty training at home has transitioned to every time my son goes pee in the potty successfully, he gets a sticker on a chart. I used numbered stickers so he can clearly see what number he's on, and prenumbered the spaces so he could put them on. Our deal is, once he reaches 10, he gets an ice cream cone, one made at home.

We filled up this chart and are now starting on our second. This has been such a great incentive that originally, he'd get an M & M or Lifesavers each time too, and he's more encouraged to just work toward the ice cream. I think we can probably phase it out soon too, but it has been fun to do together!

See We're That Family for more ideas.

What I Learned this Week

I have learned a number of interesting (at least to me!) things this week:

1) An almost three-year-old boy can be as opinionated about his clothing as a woman my age. Each day he wants to pick out a certain color of top to wear. Today he wanted blue stripes. Hm...we didn't have anything to fit that exactly, according to him, and when he finally did decide, he didn't care for the pink trim on the inside of the polo's collar. "Turn pink off!" he exclaimed! You might ask why I let him be so particular, right, that it is my fault? Well long ago, I started offering him two choices each morning for an outfit, choices I'd already put together. He's just added to that.

2) A movie is never as good as a book. I just finished Eat Pray Love, which in actuality, I didn't love, but thought I'd go see the movie for some me time. It was okay, but the movie producers took some shortcuts and added in some thoughts of their own. Did you see it/read it?

3) I may have a number of days off this and next week, but they can rapidly be filled with things. Too many things (I know that's not a sentence. I'm just trying to make a point).

4) Today my car is scheduled for an intensive cleaning and waxing. First thing my son wanted to do this morning is go look at the stars in the dark sky. We couldn't see any, because the storm clouds have rolled in. Nice for a car wash, an expensive one, isn't it? We all need our money, including the detailer, so I won't cancel. I hope this comes back in my favor one day.

5) Having a child (or maybe it is just my age?) can make you need more sleep and wake up feeling like you've had less sleep as well as having moved furniture all day-the pain in your back and neck-...oh wait, is that from "flying" my 38 pound son around the house and lifting him in and out of the swing set?

For more, see From Inmates to Playdates.

Starting the Week Off Right

Today is my first "real" day off for two weeks. Ahhhh....

I really did have Friday off too, but spent most of it cleaning for company this weekend, so I'm not counting it. It was really a work day.

I'm trying to start this week off right by just relaxing and going with the flow. That doesn't come easy for me in my life right now, with being a mom. The little things that used to get done when I felt like it, and little errands run here and there all get piled into my days off instead of happening whenever I felt like it pre-child. That's not very healthy in order to really have time off, is it?

Well, I started today off by taking my son to daycare. That's one way I'm trying to really get some me time this break, by keeping him in his routine, in a place he loves to be, instead of trying to save a little money and have valuable mommy/son time this go around. We've had a lot of quality time lately, so I'm not going to feel guilty about it (even though "feelingguilty" is my middle name). I have so many little errands to run and little tasks to do that I just can't do when my son is home with me, i.e.: wrapping birthday gifts for friends and for him-he'll be 3 November 6th-, sewing some Christmas gifts and Halloween costume, scrapbooking, and this is the big one, attempting to make some Mickey Mouse shoes for my son's costume. Anyone have any ideas? I'm pretty handy with sewing and such, but really need to get a sense of what materials to use for yellow, sturdy, BIG shoes. Hmm... So, that's reason enough for daycare, right? (Do you sense I'm trying to justify here?)

Then, I took my empty bag of Starbucks coffee grounds to a nearby Starbucks and received my FREE TALL BREWED COFFEE! Yes, on the side of some of the bag of Starbucks coffee it states just that, and by golly, it works. I'm sippy it now. That is start of "starting off week right" #2.

Later today, I'm taking myself to see the movie "Eat Pray Love". Has anyone else seen it? I thought the book was okay, enjoying the first and third sections the most. I just think it will be a good popcorn eating chick flick, and I love a good movie.

I'd love to also get caught up on reading some of the great blogs I got into this summer. I met some really neat people and so enjoyed their blogs, but I haven't paid visits lately. I'm doing all I can to post myself. I feel it is sad that I can't do everything all the time. :(

Wishing everyone else a good week too, and happy October! I'm feeling the season after having decorated a little Friday too. My son calls it "The Halloween Window."