For A LIttle Fun……..

Ok, I heard on the radio that Oprah isn’t doing her yearly “my Favorite Things” episode this year.  Instead she gave each person in the audience $1000.00 in which they have to spend right away on a stranger.   Good concept…but I love her favorite things list….

So please start adding your favorite things to your site and post it here.  WHat are your favorite things????

My list will be a work in progress…….

1.   V Smile Pocket – Cool hand held game – Tommy loves this!!  He loves to learn and really enjoys these games.  Now they are even portable!!

2.  Bob Books – I taught Tommy to read before the age of 4 with these books.  He is great at sounding out words and will try to write me notes by himself. 

3.  BOOKS – I love to read, but I am trying to not spend so much money on books.  I love our library online, half. com, paperbackswap.com and the half price books store!!  

4.  Cooking/ Recipes –  I love to cook.  My favorite magazine is Simple and Delicious (used to be Quick Cooking).   LOVE Menus For Moms – free weekly dinner menus!

5.  Organizing/Home management – in my busy life I have to stream line everything and aI am always pumped when I come up with something new.  I love Flylady , her timer and calendar. (only calendar I ever buy!)  I must admit I don’t love her duster all that much. 

6.  Clothes – not much of a clothes person by I love Tommy Hilfiger Classic Cut jeans (only kind I buy) and Lee Casual Dress Pants for work. 

7.  Shoes – I love Boots!!  Franco Sarto’s are nice!!!  Gotta have good looking boots in MN.  I love sandals in the summer!   I like Eurostep

8.  SanDisk Sansa m240 1GB* MP3 Player – I love my MP3 PLayer and downloading books from the NetLibrary.com!!

9.  Weight Watchers – the point system worked great for me!!   I love eating Smart Ones.  It makes the counting of points easy! 

 

For A LIttle Fun……..

Ok, I heard on the radio that Oprah isn’t doing her yearly “my Favorite Things” episode this year.  Instead she gave each person in the audience $1000.00 in which they have to spend right away on a stranger.   Good concept…but I love her favorite things list….

So please start adding your favorite things to your site and post it here.  WHat are your favorite things????

My list will be a work in progress…….

1.   V Smile Pocket – Cool hand held game – Tommy loves this!!  He loves to learn and really enjoys these games.  Now they are even portable!!

2.  Bob Books – I taught Tommy to read before the age of 4 with these books.  He is great at sounding out words and will try to write me notes by himself. 

3.  BOOKS – I love to read, but I am trying to not spend so much money on books.  I love our library online, half. com, paperbackswap.com and the half price books store!!  

4.  Cooking/ Recipes –  I love to cook.  My favorite magazine is Simple and Delicious (used to be Quick Cooking).   LOVE Menus For Moms – free weekly dinner menus!

5.  Organizing/Home management – in my busy life I have to stream line everything and aI am always pumped when I come up with something new.  I love Flylady , her timer and calendar. (only calendar I ever buy!)  I must admit I don’t love her duster all that much. 

6.  Clothes – not much of a clothes person by I love Tommy Hilfiger Classic Cut jeans (only kind I buy) and Lee Casual Dress Pants for work. 

7.  Shoes – I love Boots!!  Franco Sarto’s are nice!!!  Gotta have good looking boots in MN.  I love sandals in the summer!   I like Eurostep

8.  SanDisk Sansa m240 1GB* MP3 Player – I love my MP3 PLayer and downloading books from the NetLibrary.com!!

9.  Weight Watchers – the point system worked great for me!!   I love eating Smart Ones.  It makes the counting of points easy! 

 

A Week in Review….

I guess i will have to just review the last week since I don’t seem to find time to blog anymore. 

MONDAY- 23rd –  I took Tommy to school in the morning and then headed to work.   I worked on paperwork in the morning and had late afternoon and evening appointments.  I got home around 9:30 that evening and went right to bed. 

TUESDAY, 24th – I had a morning homevisit with a lovely family.  I stopped at half price books in Apple Valley to check out their clearance books.   Then I needed to go to Anoka for a psych appointment for Erik.  That was our day in the evening we had out parent meeting with Erik’s current psychologist.  

WEDNESDAY, 25th – I got very little if any sleep on Tuesday night.   I got up and took Tommy to school and stayed to participate in his Birthday celebration.   I will post pictures later!   We had a fun time!   Then I went home and crawled into bed for the day.  I was just so worn out that I could not work if I had tried.   Erik called and missed the bus and I ended up going to have a chat with the principal about the things going on with Erik presently.   I also called to the church to see about confirmation for him. 

THURSDAY, 26th – Had my flu shot before work.  Then I had unit meeting and my boss stated that the stuff for the federal audit needed to be done by the end of the week.  I had blocked off all of Monday to do it, but I guess that won’t work.   So I canceled my afternoon appointments and got busy!   I got home a little later than usual because of it.   Hubby made Mac and Cheese per Tommy’s request and we celebrated Tommy’s birthday.   (Pictures to follow of course).  My baby is 5 years old….I can’t believe it.   Part of me is wishing we had another child, but another part is ready for the next stage of my life. 

FRIDAY – 27th –  Hubby and I had the day off since we were leaving town that afternoon.   Hubby took Tommy to school and took my FIL is consumer credit counseling.   Afterwards I raced home to pack us all up.   I can’t figure out what hubby did the time I was gone, but that is another story.   We ended up getting out of town late and I was not a happy camper about that.   I was hoping to meet my friend at 5:00 in Alexandria to have supper but didn’t get there until after 6:00.   So we went to Target to buy a lighter winter jacket for Tommy and we picked up a DVD to watch in the hotel.   Then we went to Perkins to have supper.  I had an omelet, hash browns and pancakes.   WOW…was I ever full.   Then it was back to the hotel and to bed.  

SATURDAY – I was up early and ready to leave for my conference by 8:40.  I rode with my friend to the Douglas COunty Hospital where the conference was.  It was a great conference.   It was on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome- (FAS).   The speaker was great and every engaging.   The day went very fast.   FAS is one disability that really needs alot of attention.   It is the only disability that is 100% preventable.  No amount of alcohol is safe during pregnancy.  I learned a few new things, but was amazed to learn that there was a study of children who were exposed to alcohol only and another group that was exposed to cocaine.   The researchers are finding that children exposed to only cocaine are able to eventually to catch up with their peers, but children exposed to alcohol never catch up with their peers and exhibit many behaviors and cognitive delays.   It is hard to believe that alcohol is more damaging than cocaine.  So many children that have been put for for adoption have been exposed to alcohol prior to birth.  At the conference there were alot of adoptive parents who had FAS children.   Ok, I will get off my soap box.  I just feel so strongly about preventing this disability as it is 110% preventable!

I got back to the hotel around 4:00 and both Tommy and hubby were gone.  I called them and they were out shopping.  So I was able to read for a bit and took a little nap before they came home.  It was very relaxing and what I desperately needed.   Tommy really needed some time with his Daddy as that has been rare.   Once they got back we went swimming.  I sat in the hot tub a couple of times and lounged and read my book.   AAAAH….

After swimming we went to eat.  We ate at Ruby’s!   WOW!!  I have not had a steak in about a year so I had one.  WOW was it ever good!  I ate the whole thing!   While we were there a bunch of people came in that were from a Halloween party so Tommy really enjoyed looking at them.  

Then it was back to the room. Hubby and Tommy watched the movie we bought, Monster House and I feel asleep.  

SUNDAY – I awoke around 7:30 and got up and read until hubby and Tommy woke up.   We got ready to leave and were on the road my 12:00.  I love places with a late check out time!   We ate late supper when we got back to the cities at Buca Di Peppo – yummy….   As you may have noticed I ate alot this weekend!!!   I will really need to watch what I eat this week.   We headed home and stopped off at Barnes and Noble to browse for a bit.  What a great way to end a relaxing weekend at my favorite store!    We also stopped at Once Upon a Child and I found some great things for Tommy.   I spent $35.00 and bought Tommy 4 winter shirts, 4 sleeping pants, a pair of Addias Tennis shoes and a set of Bob Books. 

Once home I got us all unpacked and did a few loads of laundry.  We watched the Monster House again and I finished reading my book.   Tommy was asleep quickly as was I. 

That has been my week…now starts another busy week!!   Hope you all had a wonderful weekend !!

FINISHED READING :

Sex as  a Second Language – by Alisa Kwitney

There is a history of betrayal in Kat’s life. She’s had no contact with her father since he left when she was 10, her ex wants all their cash but no contact with their son, and her friends aren’t respectful of her needs. But she does have the support (and annoyance) of having her mother live across the hall, her job as an ESL teacher, and auditions that may give her entry back into her acting career. Although this should be sufficient complication and angst for a novel, Kwitney tosses in an attractive undercover CIA agent assigned to pose as an ESL student so he can locate Kat’s father, who was also an agent. Kat needs a boarder, the agent needs a room, and the rest is the stuff that dreamy stories are made of. With the help of our love-smitten CIA agent, Kat learns a great deal about her son, her ex-husband, her friends, and herself and finds the romance that completes her life. If you are looking for a pleasant, undemanding read, this is it.

A Week in Review….

I guess i will have to just review the last week since I don’t seem to find time to blog anymore. 

MONDAY- 23rd –  I took Tommy to school in the morning and then headed to work.   I worked on paperwork in the morning and had late afternoon and evening appointments.  I got home around 9:30 that evening and went right to bed. 

TUESDAY, 24th – I had a morning homevisit with a lovely family.  I stopped at half price books in Apple Valley to check out their clearance books.   Then I needed to go to Anoka for a psych appointment for Erik.  That was our day in the evening we had out parent meeting with Erik’s current psychologist.  

WEDNESDAY, 25th – I got very little if any sleep on Tuesday night.   I got up and took Tommy to school and stayed to participate in his Birthday celebration.   I will post pictures later!   We had a fun time!   Then I went home and crawled into bed for the day.  I was just so worn out that I could not work if I had tried.   Erik called and missed the bus and I ended up going to have a chat with the principal about the things going on with Erik presently.   I also called to the church to see about confirmation for him. 

THURSDAY, 26th – Had my flu shot before work.  Then I had unit meeting and my boss stated that the stuff for the federal audit needed to be done by the end of the week.  I had blocked off all of Monday to do it, but I guess that won’t work.   So I canceled my afternoon appointments and got busy!   I got home a little later than usual because of it.   Hubby made Mac and Cheese per Tommy’s request and we celebrated Tommy’s birthday.   (Pictures to follow of course).  My baby is 5 years old….I can’t believe it.   Part of me is wishing we had another child, but another part is ready for the next stage of my life. 

FRIDAY – 27th –  Hubby and I had the day off since we were leaving town that afternoon.   Hubby took Tommy to school and took my FIL is consumer credit counseling.   Afterwards I raced home to pack us all up.   I can’t figure out what hubby did the time I was gone, but that is another story.   We ended up getting out of town late and I was not a happy camper about that.   I was hoping to meet my friend at 5:00 in Alexandria to have supper but didn’t get there until after 6:00.   So we went to Target to buy a lighter winter jacket for Tommy and we picked up a DVD to watch in the hotel.   Then we went to Perkins to have supper.  I had an omelet, hash browns and pancakes.   WOW…was I ever full.   Then it was back to the hotel and to bed.  

SATURDAY – I was up early and ready to leave for my conference by 8:40.  I rode with my friend to the Douglas COunty Hospital where the conference was.  It was a great conference.   It was on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome- (FAS).   The speaker was great and every engaging.   The day went very fast.   FAS is one disability that really needs alot of attention.   It is the only disability that is 100% preventable.  No amount of alcohol is safe during pregnancy.  I learned a few new things, but was amazed to learn that there was a study of children who were exposed to alcohol only and another group that was exposed to cocaine.   The researchers are finding that children exposed to only cocaine are able to eventually to catch up with their peers, but children exposed to alcohol never catch up with their peers and exhibit many behaviors and cognitive delays.   It is hard to believe that alcohol is more damaging than cocaine.  So many children that have been put for for adoption have been exposed to alcohol prior to birth.  At the conference there were alot of adoptive parents who had FAS children.   Ok, I will get off my soap box.  I just feel so strongly about preventing this disability as it is 110% preventable!

I got back to the hotel around 4:00 and both Tommy and hubby were gone.  I called them and they were out shopping.  So I was able to read for a bit and took a little nap before they came home.  It was very relaxing and what I desperately needed.   Tommy really needed some time with his Daddy as that has been rare.   Once they got back we went swimming.  I sat in the hot tub a couple of times and lounged and read my book.   AAAAH….

After swimming we went to eat.  We ate at Ruby’s!   WOW!!  I have not had a steak in about a year so I had one.  WOW was it ever good!  I ate the whole thing!   While we were there a bunch of people came in that were from a Halloween party so Tommy really enjoyed looking at them.  

Then it was back to the room. Hubby and Tommy watched the movie we bought, Monster House and I feel asleep.  

SUNDAY – I awoke around 7:30 and got up and read until hubby and Tommy woke up.   We got ready to leave and were on the road my 12:00.  I love places with a late check out time!   We ate late supper when we got back to the cities at Buca Di Peppo – yummy….   As you may have noticed I ate alot this weekend!!!   I will really need to watch what I eat this week.   We headed home and stopped off at Barnes and Noble to browse for a bit.  What a great way to end a relaxing weekend at my favorite store!    We also stopped at Once Upon a Child and I found some great things for Tommy.   I spent $35.00 and bought Tommy 4 winter shirts, 4 sleeping pants, a pair of Addias Tennis shoes and a set of Bob Books. 

Once home I got us all unpacked and did a few loads of laundry.  We watched the Monster House again and I finished reading my book.   Tommy was asleep quickly as was I. 

That has been my week…now starts another busy week!!   Hope you all had a wonderful weekend !!

FINISHED READING :

Sex as  a Second Language – by Alisa Kwitney

There is a history of betrayal in Kat’s life. She’s had no contact with her father since he left when she was 10, her ex wants all their cash but no contact with their son, and her friends aren’t respectful of her needs. But she does have the support (and annoyance) of having her mother live across the hall, her job as an ESL teacher, and auditions that may give her entry back into her acting career. Although this should be sufficient complication and angst for a novel, Kwitney tosses in an attractive undercover CIA agent assigned to pose as an ESL student so he can locate Kat’s father, who was also an agent. Kat needs a boarder, the agent needs a room, and the rest is the stuff that dreamy stories are made of. With the help of our love-smitten CIA agent, Kat learns a great deal about her son, her ex-husband, her friends, and herself and finds the romance that completes her life. If you are looking for a pleasant, undemanding read, this is it.

Happy Blog……

I think the best medicine for feeling down is listing the happy things in your life…….

1.  Weigh In Today….I have lost 22 pounds and I am below my weight watchers goal weight!   If I was still attending I would be a lifetime member.  My BMI is currently 23 so my next goal will be to be at 22, which would mean a loss of 6 more pounds. 

2.  My friends are a wonderful support and I appreciate them all so very much both those at church, xanga and work.

3.  Hubby, Tommy and I are going out of town tomorrow!  I am attending a conference all day on Saturday, but the rest of the weekend will be just hanging out with them and relaxing.  Which both hubby and I really, really, really need.   

4.  This one I am happy and sad about…..my baby, Tommy is 5 years old today!!!  He is such a joy in our lives. 

5.  Looks like Grandma will be coming out of the nursing home on Saturday and will be at home again. 

SUNDAY……

Busy., Busy……I am at the office right now trying to get a few more hours in for the week.   I didn’t get all my hours in since I was home with Erik.   I woke up last night with anxiety over all the work I have to get caught up on, so I am spending a fair amount of my Sunday at the office.  Yes, a committed or commitable government employee.   There are actually about two other cars in the parking lot as well.   I am not the only crazy one!

  • PAY BILLS
  • MENU/GROCERIES
  • ERRANDS – BINDERS/ORGANIZER MATERIAL, GOOD NIGHTS
  • LAUNDRY  – Hubby’s Doing hopefully while I am at the office!!!! 
  • PAY GRANDPA’S BILLS  – Maybe when I get home from the office??? 
  • WORK ON A FEW BUDGETS HOPEFULLY OR SSIS – doing now!

 

SUNDAY……

Busy., Busy……I am at the office right now trying to get a few more hours in for the week.   I didn’t get all my hours in since I was home with Erik.   I woke up last night with anxiety over all the work I have to get caught up on, so I am spending a fair amount of my Sunday at the office.  Yes, a committed or commitable government employee.   There are actually about two other cars in the parking lot as well.   I am not the only crazy one!

  • PAY BILLS
  • MENU/GROCERIES
  • ERRANDS – BINDERS/ORGANIZER MATERIAL, GOOD NIGHTS
  • LAUNDRY  – Hubby’s Doing hopefully while I am at the office!!!! 
  • PAY GRANDPA’S BILLS  – Maybe when I get home from the office??? 
  • WORK ON A FEW BUDGETS HOPEFULLY OR SSIS – doing now!