this week {2.15 to 2.21}

~ i forgot to wear my pedometer for a few days and eventually just gave up on the challenge. (more on that later) ~

~ i had a heart-to-heart chat with my boss ~

~ i watched the westminster dog show ~

~ i worked on the "lists" album for my family ~

~ i took a half vacation day just to get my hair done and grocery shop. then never made it grocery shopping. ~

~ spencer had his first archery tournament. his team lost, but could still be eligible for state. he scored a 167 of 300. i honestly don't know if that is considered good or not. ~

~ i shopped super double coupons at harris teeter twice ~

~ coleman got his first hair cut ~

~ i wore a scarf in my hair (something i haven't done much sense i cut my hair shorter) ~

~ i picked up spencer from school and was entertained by a bunch of students doing the cupid shuffle ~

~ i got a skinny vanilla latte from starbucks ~

~ i filled out a "parent survey" for spencer's school ~

~ spencer got his progress report. all A's!! this was the first time this year. he finally brought up his language arts grade ~

~ we ordered pizza ~

~ i attended the last btms pep rally meeting ~

~ scott came over to hang out ~

~ i grocery shopped with coleman for the first time ~

~ coleman had PJ day at daycare ~

~ i added a Bible app to my iphone ~

~ brigitte and sydney babysat coleman for me ~

~ we finally had the big btms pep rally event ~

~ coleman and i went for a walk with tara and colton on saturday ~

~ coleman and i took a wagon ride to the playground on sunday. then he played with mccrea in the yard ~

~ later on sunday, we hung out in the yard with all of the neighbor babies ~

~ i went to bed at 8:30! ~

{pedometer challenge}
so, as i mentioned above, after a few days of forgetting to wear it, i just let it go. and i'm ok with that. i had always wanted to wear a pedometer for a bit and i did that for several weeks. it was cool. i have a better understanding of how active and inactive my days are. i learned what i need to do to keep my step count up, etc. it was a great experience and worth every penny of that $5.00 :)

{coleman's birthday party}

~ bought stamps and mailed the invitations~

~ i wrapped the plastic ware in napkins and tied with ribbon ~

~ finalized all of our outfits for the party ~

~ covered water bottle labels ~

~ spray painted cake boards ~

{one little word}

Several years ago, Ali Edwards began choosing *one little word* at the New Year. It was to represent what she wanted to be or accomplish or focus on that year. She describes the concept much better than I, so I encourage you to check out her original post in 2007, and her subsequent ones for each year: 2008.  2009.  2010. FYI - I just re-read all of these posts myself. This concept of *one little word* has grown in popularity and you will often see other blogs mentioning the concept (particularly scrapbooking blogs).


I have loved this concept since day one (I love words, ya know???), but I struggled each and every year to find the right word. Weeks would go by and I would eventually just give up. But for some reason, this year's word came to me easily. I took this as a sign that it was a good year to finally join this growing trend. So, what is my word?

STRIVE

At the New Year, I had so many goals that I felt strive was the strong action word that I needed to push me through my year. It encompassed so many things for me:
~ strive to be a better mommy
~ strive to be more patient
~ strive to renew my faith in God
~ strive to scrapbook more efficiently
~ strive in my career
~ strive for better balance


I'm a little late in posting this, obviously, and I really wish I had done this earlier, when I'd first chosen the word. But here we are, seven weeks into the new year and I have had a very clear realization. STRIVE is not the word for me. Not even close.

So, you may be wondering how so much could change in such a short amount of time. I honestly don't know the answer to that question. But, at some point in the last few weeks, I've gotten a smack in the face (one called "reality"). I quickly realized that I was over-committing myself. And not just in general, but committing to things that just are not important enough. My priorities needed some rearranging. I was giving up time with my family and friends to serve on committees. Is that what life is about? Planning pep rallys and food drives? It's good stuff, but not the good stuff.

A dear friend of mine made such a valid point when I confided in her on this topic. As working moms, or probably just moms in general, or maybe just women in general...we tend to *define* ourselves based on all that we can squeeze into our short little days. How much can we volunteer? How many cupcakes can we bake? How many events can we plan? How many funds can we raise? If you take that innate (yet crazy) tendency and add my own personal flaws which include, but are not limited to, being incredibly anal and a total control freak...well, it's a recipe for disaster.

In a matter of weeks, I managed to pawn my baby boy off on anyone that would have him (hubby, friends, family); I turned down multiple happy hour invites with girlfriends; I royally ticked off my husband; I spent time at work not working...and all for what?

So, here I am...confessing my errors and starting anew. It's time for a new outlook on the year, and my life; a new set of priorities; and a new one little word. so, what's my new word? It's quite predictable, but so very appropriate.

BALANCE

Nothing about my actual goals have changed, only the way I'm going to go about reaching them. Think about these words. Seriously...take a second and mull it over. First let's look at the denotation of each. STRIVE means to exert one's self vigorously or to make strenuous effort toward any goal. BALANCE is defined as mental steadiness or stability and a habit of calm behavior. Wow...what a difference, huh? Now, think about the connotation of each. How do you feel when you think about each word? For me, it's significantly different. Strive brings about a tense feeling of obligation (something that is very *me* by nature). But balance makes me feel immediately at ease. I literally feel myself sigh when I think about the word. That feeling does not come easy to me.

So, there you have it...One Little Word for 2010 (Take Two). It's more than just a word. It's a state of mind.

I encourage everyone to choose "one little word"...and don't feel like it has to start on January 1st. There is no reason why you can't start right now. Or next week. Or next month. It's my opinion that you have to truly feel your word in order for it to work and you can't force that. So, take your time. If you decide to do your own "one little word", I'd recommend checking in at Ali's blog every once in a while. I loved this post where she provides some great ideas for working with your word and she is planning on posting similar things monthly.

{fye}

for your entertainment

ten things you may want to check out

as i browse through blogs that i frequent, i will "star" them in google reader if i want to refer back to them. i do this particularly if i'm on my phone so i can't really do much with it at that moment. later, when i have time and i'm on a real computer, i will go back through them. if they are still of interest to me and i want to save them in a more permanent manner, i will add them to my tumblr page.

dessert tower tutorial
used this as a guide for the one i'm making for coleman's party

the joyful life library
sounds like a good cause. i plan on donating.

how to blog
some nifty tips for blogging

mini-book DIY tutorial
super cute and it looks very easy to make

successful blog
haven't really looked around on this one yet, but if you are trying to "grow your blog", i think it would maybe be a good resource???

free valentine's day goodies for digital scrapbooking
have heart day photos? want to digi scrap? go here for freebies.

craft room roundup
nifty ideas for snazzy craft studios...love looking at this sort of stuff

couch to 5K program
i'm not a runner. not sure i ever could be. but if i was ever crazy enough to try it, this post mentions a "couch to 5k program" that sounds cool.

five things to read this weekend
haven't read them yet, but plan on doing so.

what is your blog wearing?
some suggestions of place to get "blog wear"

**it really IS worth it**

since i've started couponing, i've gone through a few different "phases" and changed my methods a few times...it can be pretty time-consuming and i've tried to figure out the most time-efficient way to do things, while still be pretty thorough. regardless of how much money i save, i often wonder "is it really worth it?". i found this article and it made me feel a lot better. whether you are a couponer, or you think coupons are stupid, it's a good (and very short) read. thanks to common sense with money for sharing the article link.

tutorial {easy digital valentines}

for several weeks, i'd had an idea floating around my head...i wanted to do some sort of super cute valentine photo shoot with coleman and turn those adorable shots into the most amazing digital valentine ever. well...that didn't happen. so i improvised.

i wasn't even planning on buying coleman a "valentine's day shirt" because it's such a girly holiday. however, i found the best shirt at target. it said "cupid is my homeboy". how flippin' cute! anyway, i digress.

on this day of creative goodness, i put the shirt on coleman and did a mini photo shoot. i got a few acceptable shots so i let the little munchkin off the hook. i created a very quick and simple digital design in PSE7.

my canvas was 4" wide by 3" tall. i began with a basic red striped background. then added my photo with a frame. in the left corner is a heart/love embellishment and then i just typed a quick note at the bottom. not very impressive, but i was short on time. here is the digital file:

i printed six to a page (on hp presentation paper)

i cut each one out leaving a thin white border, then matted with black cardstock.

i got lucky and happened to find some envelopes that fit. TIP: choose an envelope FIRST and then create your valentine based on the size! I just got lucky.

i needed 24 pencils for spencer's class and had a pack of 30. that means there were 6 remaining - the exact number of kids at daycare. see where my mind went??? i added decorative circles to the pencils (you see more information on these in my text tutorial for cupcakes).

i also used the decorative circles as "seals" on the envelopes, and then taped the pencil to each one.

Not super exciting and certainly not even close to the fantastic ideas in my head, but i was pleased to have done something personal. spencer has always done boring, store-bought valentines (which is fine). now that i have {minimal} digital skills that i lacked when he was younger, i hope to be able to do something cuter for coleman each year (until he tells me to stop!).

tutorial {valentine's day pencils}

last thursday was a marathon of valentine goodness. after being out of town for three days and left with one day to get everything done for school/daycare on friday, i was a mad woman of red heart creating. i did manage to take a lot of detailed photos and this week i will do a few tutorials featuring the (very simple) projects i did.

i will start by saying that regardless of how simple or complicated your project might be...if you are making multiples of something, the key is assembly line production. you will see that common thread in my heart day tutorials.

for spencer's "valentines", i opted to keep it simple and skip the candy (total confession: i just didn't buy any candy...therefore it wasn't an option). i had picked up some valentine's day pencils at party city the previous week, so that was my starting point. in planning coleman's birthday party, i have fallen in love with my 1.5" circle punch. you will see that common theme throughout my heart day projects, too.

i began by using PSE7 to design 1.5" circles. I kept in simple, for time's sake, and made sure they were NOT girly. I chose a darker shade of red, and added a black outline. I did add a heart, but I lowered the transparency so that it was barely noticable behind the text. I chose a font that looks like the ESPN font. I printed all 24 on one sheet and used my magic punch!

here you can see a good illustration of my assembly line process. the circles are punched and stacked. the pencils are ready. tools are handy. i went ahead and cut all of the ribbon pieces at once.

next, i tied a piece of ribbon to each pencil.

i added some dry scrapbooking adhesive to the back of each circle.

and then attached the circle over the ribbon on the pencil.

and there they are...finished products. like i said, SUPER SIMPLE.

photos {story of a snowy day}

the setting: saturday morning - a beautiful winter wonderland

the view from our front door....

close up of the bushes...

back patio table. final measure: 3.5"

so, i got myself and coleman all bundled up and we headed over to the monks' front yard.
i plopped him down in the snow.

and there he stood....

i had him taste the snow. he said "mommy, are you crazy??? this junk is cold!" and spit it back out :)

and there he stands. still.

and he's down!

and he wants to get up again..."uh, mommy...ya think i could get some help here. it's not easy trying to stand up with all these clothes on."

hey...maybe this isn't so bad...

just kidding. it's WORSE. "help me mommy!!!"

oh look, mccrea's here. cool.

"hey mccrea. i have my own snowball, you don't have to hug yours so close. oh yeah, mommy likes your sweater."

and here's the best dressed snow baby on the block...

apparently colton likes eating snow much more than coleman!

is it just me or does he look older in this photo??? i'm not sure i'm ok with that.

how funny is this???

 

still hanging in there...

overall, coleman was a good sport. he was pretty wish-washy in how he felt about being in the snow, but he handled it pretty well (and amazingly enough, kept his gloves on the whole time).

to see all of the 49 photos, click here.

this week {2.8 to 2.14}

~ i got up at 4:30 monday morning to pack and get ready for my trip to ohio. gotta love procrastination ~

~ security lines at the airport were obnoxious and i almost missed my flight ~

~ my friend (brigitte) and niece (christina) both celebrated birthdays ~

~ i was in ohio for three days ~

~ i went to a "little italy" for the first time...we don't have many of those down south ~

~ i finished the Book of Genesis (through The Journey) ~

~ i began reading Sarah Palin's book (Going Rogue) and i'm really enjoying it ~

~ i ate at a restaurant called fathead's ~

~ i spent a day and a half watching presentations ~

~ coleman threw up in his crib while i was out of town (this was a first - felt bad that matt had to deal with it on his own) ~

~ my boss and i had a "fireside chat" (literally...we chatted by a fire at caribou coffee) ~

~ coleman had some really bad nights for matt while i was away ~

~ it snowed a lot in cleveland and our flight was about two hours late getting home ~

~ i decided that i seriously need to get removitvated at work. i have a lot to do and the company has a lot of great momentum right now ~

~ i also realized that i desperately need to reprioritize things in my life ~

~ i got pulled over by a cop on the way home from the airport. thankfully i only got a warning ~

~ sherry watched coleman while matt and i went out to dinner on thursday night (because matt had to work on valentine's day) ~

~ i made valentine's for spencer and coleman, and cupcakes for coleman's daycare ~

here's a sneak peek...detailed tutorials to come...

~ i went to the btms committee meeting ~

~ spencer had a dentist appointment and his first orthodontist appointment is set up ~

~ i shopped at rite aid and walgreen's. matt shopped at wal-mart (without coupons...gasp!) ~

~ i missed an episode of american idol because the dvr priorities weren't set correctly and it didn't tape. ugh! this is only the 2nd episode i've missed in nine years ~

~ i bought four packs of diapers averaging $4.81 each (not too bad) and a tub of wipes for 87 cents ~

~ our neighborhood social committee pulled off a successful food drive ~

~ i donated a bag of food to above-mentioned drive ~

~ i got behind on The Journey ~

~ coleman brought home a heart day loot from daycare ~

~ it started snowing friday afternoon and we ended up getting about 3.5" ~

~ we got spencer's basketball pictures in the mail ~

~ spencer's basketball game was cancelled ~

~ coleman played in the snow with his friends, coleman and mccrea ~

more pictures to come...

~ i started my blog party and have been making sure to post daily (or at least schedule something to post) ~

~ coleman and i were pretty much hermit crabs all weekend ~

~ coleman ate his first "graduates" microwave meal ~

~ matt and i exchanged valentine's day cards ~

{coleman's birthday party prep}

~ i created and printed matching return address labels ~

~ invitations are ready to mail ~

~ i got the party supply order in the mail ~

~ i took this video of coleman walking ~

{savings tracker}

spent = $37; saved = $49 (57%)

annual savings = $530 (41%)

{pedometer challenge - week 6}

total steps = 38,085 (5 days)

average step count = 7,617

you can all photos from the week in these flickr sets:
Snow - Feb 2010
Valentine's Day 2010
2010 February