Saturday, February 11, 2012

Working With Style: Wrapped in Red



 I don't feel very stylish today but I like what I'm wearing! White cami and red gauzy 3/4 sleeve wrap were given to me by my mom. The wide, elastic black belt makes me feel brave! It is from Target and actually has sequins on it which don't show up in the picture well. I made the bracelet and the necklace. (What you cannot see: boring black pants and shoes.) Overall, a red letter day! See more moms Working With Style here. 






Sunday, February 5, 2012

MyMemories for Valentine's Day!


Well... I sat down in front of the computer, after my Wii workout with Ivy (she's much better than I am) and absent an idea of a blog post, I took 10 minutes to create a MyMemories page. Literally - 10 minutes! What do you think? I used the "Back in the Day" paper set that comes with the software, and added a ribbon, a flourish and the words Brother and Sister. It was very easy!

With MyMemories version 3 software, you can also easily make calendars, books, movies and lots of other gifts at very reasonable prices. Perfect for Valentine's Day (or the Superbowl if you think it's a gift-giving holiday)!

I would not promote products that sucked. It is very cool. If you want to purchase the software, use my code
STMMMS40533 and get $10 off the software (making it $29.97) and you also get a $10 coupon to use at the online store! $10 will go far!

Thursday, February 2, 2012

13 Working Mom Shortcuts I can’t live without

  1. Wash-and-go $13 haircut from cheap haircut place (buy ten get one free too!)
  2. The 30-minute laundry wash cycle
  3. Online banking and bill pay (does Anybody balance checkbooks any more?)
  4. Planned leftovers (better the second go-round!)
  5. Juiceboxes, gogurt, bananas and cereal bars
  6. My Nook - especially Free Fridays!
  7. Online library services - Did you know you can 'order' up to 25 books online and they'll notify you when they're ready for pickup?L ove the Chesterfield County library!
  8. The daycare bag (though often forgotten) - For all the art, notices and show-and-tell items so I can manage to hold everything out the door.
  9. Saved passwords in drafts - Maybe the best idea I ever had. All important online passwords I saved in 'draft email' form... so I can access anywhere even on my....
  10. Smart phone. I heart it. I may buy it a valentine's gift.
  11. A Google calendar for each of us, plus a family one, all merged with my work calendar. Sync, sync and sync!
  12. Hummus and pureed pumpkin. Shhh... they'll never know there's healthy stuff on the grilled cheese or in the spaghetti sauce!
  13. The Wii. OK I'm not sure if I can live without it yet or not, but it's my new workout tool.

Toddler Friendly Knock Knock Jokes!


Big Sis is obsessed with knock-knock jokes these days. We've made up some fun ones and I've found others she loves. Who doesn't love a good knock-knock joke? What are your favorites?

Knock Knock Who’s there? Olive. Olive Who? Olive you! [I love you!]
Knock Knock Who’s there? Valen. Valen Who? Valentine I love you!
Knock Knock Who’s there? Woo. Woo Who? Woo hoo let’s party!
Knock Knock Who’s there? Atch. Ach Who? Bless you! You sneezed.
Knock Knock Who’s there? Moo. Moo Who? Why is there a cow in here??
Knock Knock Who’s there? Hoo. Hoo Who? How did an owl get in here!
Knock Knock Who’s there? Yoo. Yoo Who? You who – where are you?
Knock Knock Who’s there? Peek-a. Peek-a Who? Peek a boo!
Knock Knock Who’s there? Boo. Boo Who? Why are you crying?
Knock Knock Who’s there? Leena. Leena Who? Lean a little closer to me!
Knock Knock Who’s there? Senor. Senor Who? Seen your underpants!
Knock Knock Who’s there? Canoe. CanoeWho? Can you lend me some money?
Knock Knock Who’s there? Butter. Butter Who? Butter open the door quick!
Knock Knock Who’s there? Yo. Yo Who? Yo’ mama!
Knock Knock Who’s there? Gorilla. Gorilla Who? Gorilla cheese sandwich for me!
Knock Knock Who’s there? Orange. Orange Who? Orange you happy to see me?
Knock Knock Who’s there? Coocoo. Coocoo Who? Coocoo-ca-tchoo!

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Are Our Kids Geniuses?


OK If you don't like it when people brag about their perfect children, then stop reading now. I'm going to brag about my kids. They are amazing, beautiful, curious, little miracles.

Big Sister is three-and-a-half going on ten. Here are several of her hilarious quotes from this week.

Me to her: "Honey, when we're at the performance, you have to be very quiet so everybody can enjoy the dancers and the dancers can concentrate." Her to me: "But mom, I can't hold my breath that long!"

When we were out having lunch with a colleague last Friday, my friend is explaining her organization to me and refers to a new Board Chair. Ivy, happy to contribute, says "Oh! I got a new couch!"

On Saturday I took her to a local dance festival. I was in pure joy, as she asked me questions and got excited each time a new dance troop came out. "Mama! They have tutus like me!" or "Mama, their costumes are really cool!" My favorite was, when a couple did the fox trot, the lady was wearing a white dress. Big Sis: "Mom, they're getting married!"

She can almost write her name, is amazed at what words start with which letters, and has scored off the charts on developmental screening tests. She does things that some five years olds can't do yet. Dress herself. Brush her teeth. Remember things, compute ideas, and regurgitate them with very clear understanding.

Baby Genius is the same way, in his own way. He only has about 30 solid words in his vocabulary but he understands EVERYTHING you say to him. He has almost mastered going up and down stairs by himself. He's been feeding himself since about 10 months' old, and throwing things in the sink and trash since he could walk. He can clean up his toys like a pro. He loves to 'cook' and knows all the steps when he helps me. He plays a mean game of Memory for his age. He remembers almost all the words in books his dad reads to him at night. I could go on and on.

Clearly, my kids are geniuses. But WAIT! That directly contradicts the title of this post!

The thing is, in reality, my kids likely aren't geniuses. Of course I think they are. Any mom will tell you their kid is a genius. The fact of the matter is, all those moms are right. ALL kids are geniuses in their own way. So by virtue of EVERYBODY being a genius, none of them are.

Where I'm going with this is - I feel our challenge is to nurture the 'genius' in them. And not let the 'real world' squash their genius... which is what I think happens. Any ideas on how to do this??? I'd love to hear!