Wordless Wednesday - Santa List (Naughty or Nice?)

 

Here's my munchkin making his "Santa List"...inspired by Arthur Christmas. Here he was "pretend writing" and naming off everything on his list as he went along.
 

The next day, however, he got a little more serious & asked me how to spell everything he wanted to write & this is what we got: 

It's a must see flick for the little ones. I actually liked it much better than Cars 2. We went with a couple of friends this past weekend & the moms had a great time watching our kid's reactions. Be forewarned one of the previews is the Justin Beiber video which is a part of the sound track.  My kid didn't know who it was, but the 5 year old girl sitting to my left told me immediately who he was ;  )

I told him Saturday evening that I was going to download an app that senses whether you are naughty or nice & sends a message to Santa & Munchkin freaked out "No, Mom!" Hee Hee! Naughty Mom! :  )

Happy Christmas Shopping!

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy: Wordless Wednesday - More LEGO Fueled Imagination or Wordless Wednesday - LEGOs, Chalk & Endless Imagination

Stream of Consciousness Sunday - Disaster Avoided

Not only was it Thanksgiving this past week which we hosted at our home, the next morning we had a mini disaster & the washer started smoking mid cycle of washing a load.  The dryer was already on the blink, so it was time to bury them both & have a proper funeral. 

I've been querying people on Twitter trying to figure out what to buy.  Since there were a couple of Thanksgiving weekend sales going on, we didn't end up getting the Whirlpool Duets, which were not on sale, but something pretty comparable: A Maytag Front Load Washer Dryer Set. No pedestals... because they won't fit in our laundry room.  Momma is going to be quite happy as long as they work the way they're intended to once they finally arrive:

Photo from the Maytag website

Ok, watching the clock starting now...

It's Week 19 of my Stream of Consciousness Sunday posts. I made an unexpected trip to my old stomping grounds - a laundromat near the campus where I attended college.  My hubby laughed at me for going so far out of the way to wash & dry a water logged load of clothes, but it was a familiar spot & I felt more comfortable being there for as long as it took. 

The old guy working the counter spotted me right away & asked if I needed help.  He saw how little I had in my basket & pointed me to the smallest washers they had which cost $2.25 per load.  He also told me I couldn't just run a rinse cycle - it had to go the entire cycle.  For some reason I don't remember a timer on the machines or the fact that they lock till the timer goes off. but I guess it's a nice safeguard so that no one can just waltz over & rip off your clothes out of the washer.

Brought me back to memories from college when I'd go there all the time with my girlfriends who worked there part time.  There was a man there once who would wander around looking in ladies baskets for underwear & then he'd go into the bathroom & put it on under his clothes.  I can laugh about it because the guy was caught red handed once.  Strange things that can happen when you are stuck in a laundromat no doubt.

I'm bummed that I'll be without a washer/dryer till the ones we ordered are in stock, but it also makes me appreciative of all the things our family does have - so much we don't have to worry about that others don't have, so as we all know, it's important not to take anything for granted. So much so that I wouldn't mind if I had to make another trip to that laundromat.  It really wouldn't kill me. :  )

 

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 ~ Gratitude or Stream of Consciousness Sunday - The Pieces That Make Us Whole

Stream of Consciousness Sunday - Pre-Holidays Freak Out

This past week was full of ups & downs.  The first up: I had the opportunity to finally meet one of my virtual mentors, Olivier Blanchard aka @thebrandbuilder (in real life). He made a rare Twin Cities appearance to speak about the role of a Community Manager in an organization at a MIMA (Minnesota Interactive Marketing Association) event, so I took the morning off from work to attend. He's a down to earth "what you see is what you get" kind of guy, an awesome communicator, a blogger, business owner, family man & also a published author. If you haven't picked up a copy of his book: Social Media ROI - you really should add it to your business reading list. I have it on my phone as well as on paperback.  For more info on Olivier's book, click on the link to part 1 of my book review at the bottom of this post. One of these days I'll get around to writing the part 2.

 

Up number two was volunteering for the Greater Mpls. Crisis Nursery, which I've been doing for five years now with other ladies & gents from my church.  We cook lunch for the kids who are staying at this facility once a month & we all take turns rotating in 4 times a year.  I make a mean quesadilla & the staff always remembers me and asks how things are going for me & my family.  The kids are so sweet, you never leave without plenty of smiles & hugs from them.

The downs...Found out my hubby was going Deer Hunting (again), so I am solo Mom this weekend. Work is also ramping up - right at the wrong time when I need to be thinking about when to take the rest of my vacation & I just don't know how I'm going to make that work given everything on my need to accomplish list.  So, now that I've got that off my chest, I'm getting ready to time myself... It's now 10:11 pm.

After a brief hiatus last week due to a last minute Saturday post, it's Week 18 of my Stream of Consciousness Sunday posts. I'm starting to feel the "pre-holidays freak out."  It's only a few days away Thanksgiving. As I alluded to above, work is a B-word, so I have no idea how I'm going to do all the cleaning & prep work I normally to to prepare for the big family group we normally host for dinner.  I have a feeling I may be ordering food to be delivered & working from home on Wednesday... that might make it manageable.

It's also way too close to Christmas & I'm not nearly as far along with my holiday shopping.  Munchkin is still dog-earing toy catalogs in hopes that Santa will back his sleigh up to our house & dump the mother load of toys down our chimney. I'm going to do my best to pare it down this year & give him a few bigger ticket items instead of a million small & medium things to open. It's tough because his 5th birthday is only a few months away.  

I know somehow everything will get done. Then I'll look back & say why was I so worried?!  But until everyone has walked out of the door after Thanksgiving, the house is clean and put back together, & I can sit with my feet up, over the next few days it will all seem so overwhelming.

What are you guys freaking out about lately...do you stress about hosting gatherings during the holidays?

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: Olivier Blanchard's Social Media ROI - Part 1 of a 2-Part Review or Walking the Fine Line

Guilty Pleasures - Spa Time

It's Veteran's Day, one of the few days that we have as a corporate holiday & I took it.  I spent the morning running errands & then headed to a spa to get a couple of services done after having to cancel last weekend's spa birthday party (for a friend) appointments due to a sick Munchkin. I had a gift certificate that a friend had given me a couple of birthday's back, so I was excited to use it for something other than running in to buy product.

Going to a spa in the middle of a strip mall doesn't have quite the same relaxing effect as it used to when we used to go to a Spa up North in the middle of winter for a couple of days with a large group of girlfriends, but I'll take it. I had a very nice pedicure. Every time I do, I say I need to find a way to do it more often, but it just doesn't happen. Having someone else do all the work while you sit back in the massage chair is almost healing - it shouldn't be legal. Here's proof... I have the world's ugliest feet & toes, so it's just a peek, but they look really lovely now. (I know, I'm crazy.)

I also got a 60 minute facial -  don't ask me what type - I have no clue, I don't even know everything that she did to me except I remember the hot steam & the feeling of the warm towel being wrapped around my face between steps. I requested extractions where they remove all the crud that clogs your pores & goodness gracious I never knew how much that hurts! Do people honestly subject themselves to that on a regular basis?! Thought I was going to cry & excuse me if a tear or two rolled down my cheek. I even caught myself holding my breath.

Contrary to my fears my face was not a bloody mess when she was done - it looked pretty darn good.  Not exactly ten years younger but definitely clear & hydrated. I can guarantee my hubby & Munchkin won't notice anything is different with my face, but my son will ooh & ah over my pretty toes, so it will make all the guilt that I feel for going at all go away for a while.

When was the last time you treated yourself to a special service (besides for your hair)? Did you feel guilty at all?

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy: Stream of Consciousness Sunday - The Pieces That Make Us Whole or Stream of Consciousness Sunday - Mom's Night Out

Stream of Consciousness Sunday: A Hunting Widow's World

It's Deer Hunting Opener weekend in Minnesota and once again I am a hunting widow. Nothing about my weekend is turning out how I planned it. Friday night Munchkin started coughing & whining a little.  I was hoping it was nothing major, however he came into our bedroom wanting to be cuddled & he felt a bit warmer than normal.  I started him on Tylenol equivalent to keep a fever from blowing up & making him miserable.

He slept through the night, but woke up Saturday clingy & cranky & I knew something was getting him - some type of bug. It was supposed to be my day to have Mom watch Munchkin so I could go hang out with a few girlfriends, celebrate one of their birthdays & perhaps have a glass of wine. I called & canceled my spa appointments. I was up several times Saturday night as the Acetaminophen would wear off & Munchkin's fever would creep up & the barking cough returned. Poor me...right? Not really.

It's Week 17 of my Stream of Consciousness Sunday posts. There's so many things I could dwell on but Twitter constantly keeps me in the loop about so many realities I wouldn't normally have time to take in. I have so much to be grateful about compared to others. I just want to take my time today to say anything I possibly might have to rant about doesn't compare to the hardships that so many others face every day being homeless.  

We were fortunate - I found work again after 18 months of unemployment, but so many are stuck with little hope to find their way back up out of the darkness they live every day.  It is entire families, single men & single women - teens alone & mothers with children - no one has been immune in the wake of this economy. And the numbers affected continue to grow.

If you don't do anything else this week take time to follow a homeless person on twitter or a blogger who is homeless.  There are a lot of them. Take a minute to understand what their day is like compared to yours & to learn the challenges that exist when there aren't enough resources to give everyone that needs it a hand up. Most are not looking for a hand out - they want a way out -a job - a way to become self sufficient again - a regular meal each day - a way to sleep indoors out of the elements, where they are safe from random acts of violence, drugs and the illnesses that result with sleeping outside.

It's something that I obsess about at times - wondering what I can do to make an impact - however small it might be - but more importantly how to find the resources to make a bigger impact someday.

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, or want to read some other posts about homelessness, you might also enjoy:Torn or Melsha Unplugged - Feeling Helpless or Lovely Morning Surprise - Random Act of Kindness or Not You?! You don't look homeless!

Here are just a few links to some recent stories related to our Homeless America:
Homeless Students 
We Are Visible on Facebook
Conversation on BlogTalkRadio about Teen Homelessness
Demonstration of mocking the homeless community
Ridiculous protests around not wanting to feed some homeless people
Vigil for Homeless Youth 
Homeless Veterans

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