Stream Of Consciousness Sunday ~ Time To Just Breathe

It's Week 16 of my Stream of Consciousness Sunday posts. Where in the heck did this year go! Can you believe it's almost Halloween?! The 2nd Spiderman costume I bought for Munchkin is now almost too short.  Thanks goodness for red socks & tennis shoes - no one but me will know. He's got two more times to wear it officially & then who cares.  I don't want to buy him a third Spiderman costume, but something tells me he'll figure out it's almost too small again & I'll have to buy him a third. There will be tears about it - from both of us.

I'm so grateful to have 2 days off from work, even if it's to spend money on my vehicle, which needed a lot of TLC in order to be ready for the winter.  I'm grateful that I found tires where I could get 0% financing for 6 months, plus a nice mail-in rebate.  Tires are one of those purchases you know you have to make, but it puts a big knot in your stomach knowing what else you could have spent that money on.

I did get my hair done on Friday... and I even let her trim it.  My girl literally put her hand on my forehead & asked if I was feeling alright. ( I always say "let's do it next time.")  She went scissor happy though, evening it out & adding in a few layers again but I'm okay with it.  I always leave feeling like it's too short - perpetually trying to grow my hair into long layers but it never seems to grow past my shoulders. Oh well it feels good & healthy again.

I'm getting nervous for Kindergarten planning.  I've started requesting info from schools & for the most part it's the logistics of it all as a working Mom that worry me so much.  I know everyone figures it out - but it's so much more difficult for working moms.  Before & after care, bus rides, shifting schedules - more expenses - more responsibility with homework.  The list goes on - but this is totally what I signed up for.

So much on my mind about my career, things we need at home, planning for the holidays & birthday parties coming up, the one thing I have to remember to do is take time to just breath.  Somehow it will all start to make sense - the best options will come to the surface making the choices ahead clearer. Doesn't it always?

This was my 5 minute Stream of Consciousness Sunday post. (Well sort of this week.) It’s five minutes of your time and a brain dump. Want to try it? Here are the rules…

Set a timer and write for 5 minutes only.

§         Write an intro to the post if you want but don’t edit the post. No proofreading or spellchecking. This is writing in the raw.

§         Publish it somewhere. Anywhere. The back door to your blog if you want. But make it accessible.

§         Add the Stream of Consciousness Sunday badge to your post.

§         Link up your post at all.things.fadra

§         Visit your fellow bloggers and show some love.

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:Thoughtful Thursday ~ Double Standard?! or You Can't Stop Time if you want a peek of Munchkin in his Halloween gear.

Stream of Consciousness Sunday ~ Gratitude

It's Week 15 of my Stream of Consciousness Sunday posts. I'll get my little rant out of the way first: Both at work & on Twitter - what is the deal?! People seem to be getting sick left & right.  Everyone was rushing to get flu shots at the office, then I got into a long discussion with some twitter friends on why they thought everyone should get a shot (including me) even though I don't think I've ever had influenza & I don't get the shots. I'm knocking on wood right now we've all been extremely healthy & none of us want to get sick! (Ok, I'm done ;  )

"Wall of Gratitude" is my object of inspiration for the week. If you tweet you may have seen a few Friday night tweets with the hashtag #oprahslifeclass.  It's a fun concept - a live class held simultaneously on the web & on Oprah's OWN network. So many people are looking for a way to get out of habits & thought patterns that are holding them back in life in one way or another.  Every week Oprah & Iyanla Vanzant address how to begin to change the way you process things or react to things & thus improving the way you live your life.

Some amazing quotes also come out of the show, i.e.:

"When you don't show up as who you are people fall in love with who you are not."

"Love doesn't hold you hostage to yesterday."

"You're responsible for the energy you broadcast."

Oprah's Life Class gives you homework in preparation for each show which airs in the evenings & then they post all the answers online for everyone to see & reflect on... something like this:

Today's #oprahslifeclass question: Where are you waiting for someone else to create what you long for? Respond here: http://ow.ly/73Y7N

The concept of a "wall of gratitude" had many of us who tuned in Friday night brainstorming about how to incorporate this into our lives. Thanksgiving shouldn't be the only time of year we reflect on the things we are grateful for in life. 

How often do you allow yourselves to stop & reflect on gratitude? I'd love it if you shared your own experiences with acknowledging gratitude.

This was my 5 minute Stream of Consciousness Sunday post. (Well sort of this week.) It’s five minutes of your time and a brain dump. Want to try it? Here are the rules…

Set a timer and write for 5 minutes only.

§         Write an intro to the post if you want but don’t edit the post. No proofreading or spellchecking. This is writing in the raw.

§         Publish it somewhere. Anywhere. The back door to your blog if you want. But make it accessible.

§         Add the Stream of Consciousness Sunday badge to your post.

§         Link up your post at all.things.fadra

§         Visit your fellow bloggers and show some love.

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:You Can't Stop Time or The Evolution of My Social Networking Consciousness 

Thoughtful Thursday ~ Double Standard?!

Have you heard?  

The POTUS is running a contest - an "Art Works Poster Contest".  "Obama for America is seeking poster submissions from artists across the country illustrating why we support President Obama's plan to create jobs now, and why we'll re-elect him to continue fighting for jobs for the next four years." 

Who determines who will win & the prize? " We'll pick the 12 best submissions received by November 4th, 2011, then put the finalists to a vote. Three winners will receive a framed print of their poster signed by President Obama and a limited edition of their poster will be sold in the campaign store."

I have to give a shout out to Ken Peters, aka @brand_BIG for tweeting about this story on Wednesday.  

It raised questions in my mind as to why it would be considered offensive to ask designers to volunteer their time & talents to come up with a winning poster to sell the jobs bill message, given this brave new world of crowdsourcing we live in today.  Is it purely the context of an unpaid assignment when the point of the agenda is to put together a plan to get people back to work that gets some people so hot & bothered? Or is it that President Obama's Labor Department has voiced concern over unpaid internships?

Crowdsourcing can be defined as "the practice of obtaining needed services, ideas, or content by soliciting contributions from a large group of people and especially from the online community rather than from traditional employees or suppliers." 

This isn't the first time we've seen politicians make use of crowdsourcing as a tool to more easily connect with their constituents & supporters. Microsoft developed tools, TownHall and Campaign Ready over a year ago for that very purpose & targeted politicians to utilize it.

We all know Guy Kawasaki utilized crowdSPRING to solicit design help in finding & deciding on a cover choice for "Enchantment". There were 760 entries all competing for a single $1,000 award. Even Guy has taken a few lumps from some that disagreed with the outcome of the contest. 

One blog post I found looks to cry on our shoulder over not winning the contest. Another post puts a positive spin on it - telling readers why it's not such a bad idea to participate in design contests such as these. It flies in the face of the contrasting ideas presented in the Rolling Stone post.

Doritos is once again using crowdsourcing to find a Superbowl Ad for the next superbowl. Their project is called "DORITOS^® Crash the Super Bowl Ad Contest ("Contest")" The difference with Doritos is that people are competing for a healthy prize package - not just an autographed poster. Just like the POTUS contest, the rules do say that all submissions are the intellectual property of the Sponsor and their agents:

"By entering this Contest and uploading your Submission, you irrevocably grant to Sponsor and their agents the unconditional and perpetual right to post, display, publish, use, adapt, edit and/or modify such Submission in any way, in any and all media, for any purpose, without limitation, and without consideration to you. Finalists agree to irrevocably assign and transfer to the Sponsor any and all rights, title and interest in Submission, including, without limitation, all copyrights and waive all moral rights in Submission. All Contest Entrants further agree to release and indemnify and hold harmless the NFL Entities (as defined below), Sponsor and the Contest Parties from any and all claims that any commercial, advertising, presentation, Web content or any other material subsequently produced, presented, and/or prepared by or on behalf of Sponsor infringe on the rights of Entrant’s work as contained in any Submission."

Is that any more or less fair than relinquishing rights of the jobs poster designs, essentially as a donation to the cause of promoting a jobs bill?

I found a more extensive list of major brands who have engaged in similar sponsored competitions, including Electrolux, JetBlue, L'Oreal, Peugeot & Virgin just to name a few.

In the midst of the 2012 Presidential Campaigns, everyone rejoices in every misstep these candidates make & the POTUS is no exception.  We've poked fun of  & judged them all for every statement and platform agenda item which is not supported by one party or another or 100% by verifiable facts.

The question is do we hold an even higher standard for President Obama? What are your thoughts... it this contest a great idea or just a hypocritical thorn in the Obama campaign's side?

10/24/2011 Update:  Ken Peters, aka @brand_BIG posted this link where the AIGA wrote a letter asking the Obama Campaign to reconsider it's "Art Works Poster Contest". Check out their reasons why.

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:  Will You Wait & See or Are You Riding The Google+  Bandwagon?! or  How Relevant Are You? ...In the 21st Century Workplace

Stream of Consciousness Sunday - Time Is A Wasting

It's Week 14 of my Stream of Consciousness Sunday posts. The day is half over & already I'm wishing it was Friday...again.  I know I'm getting older. And how do I know? I can't seem to stop time from flying by.  

We've been spoiled by a gorgeous start to our fall where the 80 degree temps lasted much longer than we could have hoped for, but now the leaves are falling & the overnight temps are approaching the 30's again & the highs only in the 50's.

Reluctantly it's time to say goodby to my deck garden.  A few plants are still bursting with tomatoes of all sizes & modest sizes peppers will all be harvested in a couple of days & will have to ripen in the house.

I'm filling up my calendar with appointments pre-winter & am stressing about kindergarten registration in the Spring. I need to get new tires for my old car & get it winterized as well. 

"Time = Life, Therefore, waste your time and waste of your life, or master your time and master your life." by Alan Lakein

So time is also running out for me to get my act together & make headway towards being worthy to wear this shirt that I bought from my trainer when I found out I was going back to work and could no longer go & have her beat me to a pulp for a hefty price.  

Hard to believe, but this used to be true & it will be again.

Since then I haven't exactly found time for me ~ to get myself back in "athletic" shape again. I quit the health club to save money. We got an elliptical trainer back in February, a late Christmas present that has since forgotten what I look like because I visit it so infrequently ;  ) 

I bought a pair of Levis today. Too chicken to try them on in the store, I tried them at home & sure enough - they don't fit - but... they are not going back to the store. They will fit by winter if it kills me!  This chick is back on a mission.

There are mountains of exercise videos gathering dust. Kettle bells, hand weights & tubes are calling my name. I have no more excuses...time is a wasting.  

This was my 5 minute Stream of Consciousness Sunday post. (Well sort of this week.) It’s five minutes of your time and a brain dump. Want to try it? Here are the rules…

Set a timer and write for 5 minutes only.

§         Write an intro to the post if you want but don’t edit the post. No proofreading or spellchecking. This is writing in the raw.

§         Publish it somewhere. Anywhere. The back door to your blog if you want. But make it accessible.

§         Add the Stream of Consciousness Sunday badge to your post.

§         Link up your post at all.things.fadra

§         Visit your fellow bloggers and show some love.

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy: Stream of Consciousness Sunday - The Pieces That Make Us Whole or Inner Struggles

Stream of Consciousness Sunday ~ Soccer Mom

It's Week 13 of my Stream of Consciousness Sunday posts. It was a good sports day.  The MN Vikings pulled themselves up out of the toilet coming into today's game 0-3 & actually played 4 pretty good quarters of football in their win against Arizona.

Today was also Munchkin's final soccer practice of a very short 5 week session.  He started out the first day in tears, hiding behind my hubby & I, refusing to participate. Today he scored two goals in their game, & loved every minute of it.

I'm sure there will be more experiences like this where he is apprehensive at first & we wonder whether we've made the right choice. Thank goodness we know he will settle in & prove us wrong - thriving.

My hubby who was a "Doubting Thomas" after that 1st soccer practice, stayed home (my suggestion) for session number two. That bit of space & no pressure I'm sure did wonders for Munchkin's confidence.  He was so excited to come back & tell his Daddy he participated. The next 3 sessions, he wanted his Daddy there to see how good he could do.

So much of what we go through & ultimately what we teach our kids is about the mental game, pushing forward when we don't think we have what it takes to succeed.  

Just like our Mn Vikings who finally put their heads into the game, stopped doubting themselves & finally they saw the pieces of the game plan come together. I'm thrilled Munchkin figured out what he was capable of & made a success out of this first soccer experience. I am officially a soccer mom.

This was my 5 minute Stream of Consciousness Sunday post. It’s five minutes of your time and a brain dump. Want to try it? Here are the rules…

Set a timer and write for 5 minutes only.

§         Write an intro to the post if you want but don’t edit the post. No proofreading or spellchecking. This is writing in the raw.

§         Publish it somewhere. Anywhere. The back door to your blog if you want. But make it accessible.

§         Add the Stream of Consciousness Sunday badge to your post.

§         Link up your post at all.things.fadra

§         Visit your fellow bloggers and show some love.

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy: Stream of Consciousness Sunday - The Pieces That Make Us Whole  or The Stranger

Stream of Consciousness Sunday - The Fall Purge Begins

It's Week 12 of my Stream of Consciousness Sunday posts. I'm writing this on Saturday evening. My Munchkin is sacked out still in his Spiderman costume. My hubby is studying for his final CMA exam quietly down in the man cave. He's also noshing on some of the venison sausage he finally take out to cook after I told him I was going to throw it out. Mind you he hunts for Bambi every year, brings in more of the stuff & does not eat any of it!

Okay moving onto my triumph of the day: The Fall Purge (has begun.)

I am the worst about sticking to that rule: "For every piece of clothing you buy, something else must go." This mama loves clothes - no doubt about it.  I keep pieces with a sentimental attachment because of how I looked in them or for what occasion they were worn. Letting them go (even if they no longer fit) has always been very difficult. Paying a lot of money for most of them has been inevitable.  Buying quality brand names when it comes to business attire are the way to go - for the way they fit & because they don't look totally worn out after a season of rotation.

I needed to buy some new separates for work for this fall & winter because quite frankly my jackets are almost all too tight.  Don't ask me how the hell that happened & after my c-section so many gorgeous tops are just too short.  

I pulled out 6 business suits & 4 jackets/blazers for the last time & made my way to Edina Realty, a drop-off site for a wonderful organization called "Dress For Success".  They outfit women in need with outfits from head-to-toe in professional work attire.  I've been meaning to donate for a long time & finally today was the day.

I filled two more bags with clothes for Goodwill & dropped those off as well.  The third bag is slated for consignment - we'll see how that goes...Need to make an appointment during the week.

The best part of purging just that much?  It left me room to breath a bit in my tiny master closet.  All my clothes have to fit in the upper & lower section of one side of our closet.  I am a freak about saving space, so I use the Joy Mangano original Huggable Hangers, which I love.

Amazing what just sorting like pieces together can do to organize the space & make you feel a bit more in control as you start the work week.

This was my 5 minute Stream of Consciousness Sunday post. It’s five minutes of your time and a brain dump. Want to try it? Here are the rules…

Set a timer and write for 5 minutes only.

§         Write an intro to the post if you want but don’t edit the post. No proofreading or spellchecking. This is writing in the raw.

§         Publish it somewhere. Anywhere. The back door to your blog if you want. But make it accessible.

§         Add the Stream of Consciousness Sunday badge to your post.

§         Link up your post at all.things.fadra

§         Visit your fellow bloggers and show some love.

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy: Wordless Wednesday - Simple Joys in Life  

or Stream of Consciousness Sunday: Last Minute Plans