Teeter Totter ~ Finding a Balance Between Me-Hood and Motherhood - creatress's Blog - SacMomsClub.com http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress In this blog I'll be covering as wide a variety of subjects as the duties of a real mom in today's culture. From raising special needs children, family vacations, marriage, relationships, sex, cooking, local to-do, school (both for you and the children), working, hiring a daycare provider, arts and crafts, decorating, holidays, to well... EVERYTHING! No holding back. In this blog I'll be covering as wide a variety of subjects as the duties of a real mom in today's culture. From raising special needs children, family vacations, marriage, relationships, sex, cooking, local to-do, school (both for you and the children), working, hiring a daycare provider, arts and crafts, decorating, holidays, to well... EVERYTHING! No holding back. en-us Those Three Little Words http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/9282 http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/9282 <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">Since it&rsquo;s Friday, <em><font size="3">(was it me? Or did this week go really fast!)</font></em> I thought I&rsquo;d leave you with the three little words that bring a thrill to any woman. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll take him&rdquo; <em><font size="3">(or)</font></em> &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll do it&rdquo; <em><font size="3">(or)</font></em> &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll make dinner&rdquo; <font size="3"><em>(or)</em></font> &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll clean up.&rdquo; Yes, &ldquo;I love you&rdquo; is nice too, but I&rsquo;d rather be shown just how much by my big helper.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">I was fortunate enough to hear those magical words a lot this week. My man offered to make me dinner last night, do the dishes AND take our son to school this morning. Hands off ladies, he&rsquo;s all mine.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">It&rsquo;s amazing how happy a little extra help can make you. I&rsquo;d rather know my man is being responsive to my needs, going the extra mile to help me out, than have a new gift any day. Of course, both would be my first choice <font size="3"><em>(as I&rsquo;m really greedy).</em></font> That&rsquo;s why when my man brought me home a <a href="http://www.onlinefitness.com/product.cfm?pr=2564"><em><strong>new Sigg cup</strong></em></a> to celebrate my first paycheck, that was the icing on the cake.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">When will ALL men learn that the more they help you out, the nicer they are to you, the more you want to reciprocate and make them happy in return? Personally speaking it took my husband about eleven years of marriage to catch on to that clue <font size="3"><em>(we&rsquo;re closing in on fourteen years soon).</em></font> For women it seems so obvious.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">I don&rsquo;t know about your weekend plans, but I plan on spoiling my man rotten so he keeps on jumping in with &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll do that!&rdquo; Nothing like a little positive reinforcement!</font></p>


Title:
Caption:
Credit:


Title:
Caption:
Credit:

Out of My Comfort Zone http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/9273 http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/9273 <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">I am attempting to do the un-thinkable this Fall. I&rsquo;m working part time, working for myself, PLUS taking three ECE classes. <em>(One on-line and two in Davis.)</em> I happen to have the same teacher for my two face-to-face classes and I adore her. She&rsquo;s funny, interesting, kind, thought provoking and she&rsquo;s shoving me outside of my comfort zone.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">I am not a team player. There may be no &ldquo;I&rdquo; in &ldquo;Team&rdquo; but there is in &ldquo;WIN!&rdquo; I don&rsquo;t work well in a group and personally hate it. I&rsquo;m comfortable in-charge, being a leader, a teacher rather than a student. I know&hellip; you&rsquo;re all shocked by this revelation. <em>(Hahaha!)</em> My teacher is a HUGE team player. So far everything we&rsquo;ve done has been in groups of 2-4 people. &ldquo;Find some people and team up!&rdquo; She&rsquo;ll yell like a cheerleader on crack. I start to sweat and tensely smile at the person next to me <em>(I&rsquo;m sure they&rsquo;re about as thrilled to be teamed up with a sweaty, grinning lady as I am to be &ldquo;forced to share&rdquo;)</em></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">Maybe it&rsquo;s because I&rsquo;m an only child? Maybe it&rsquo;s because I like to be right all the time? I&rsquo;m not really sure, but these two classes are causing me major discomfort. I&rsquo;ll survive; it&rsquo;s good for me to grow as a person. But I won&rsquo;t like it.</font></p> Make It All Better http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/9264 http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/9264 <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">I wonder&hellip; will there ever be a time in my son&rsquo;s life when I <em>DON&rsquo;T</em> want to rush in and make it all better? I can&rsquo;t imagine it ever being so.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">He&rsquo;s 14 &frac12; now, just starting the 9<sup>th</sup> grade and I STILL want to rush in and save the day every time. Of course I don&rsquo;t, I can&rsquo;t and that would teach him nothing. Instead I must sit on my hands, gauge the situation and what kind of reaction it warrants. Can he handle it himself? Can I just give him pointers of what I think he should do? Or should the Mama Bear come roaring out of her cave and make it all better? Yes, those are usually my three choices.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">There are some things however that even roaring Mama Bear can&rsquo;t make go-away. My son asked me the other day &ldquo;What is it like to talk without stuttering.&rdquo; My heart sank to my stomach. He&rsquo;s had a severe stutter that no amount of technology or therapy can help (trust me, we&rsquo;ve had him in SLP since 3 years of age!) I told him &ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s like drinking water. You just do it and don&rsquo;t think about it. I imagine that stuttering would be really hard and frustrating.&rdquo; &ldquo;Oooooh, you have no idea!&rdquo; He said. He shared that it&rsquo;s like getting water down the wrong pipe and you can&rsquo;t stop coughing (spinning off my liquid analogy). </font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">I want to make it all better for him. I want to take him to Hogwarts and have Hermione wave her wand and fix it. I want to give him a magic pill and make it all go away. I want the world to be perfect, and kind, and safe for him. Don&rsquo;t we all? Then I have to stop, put Mama Bear back in her cave, and remember. It&rsquo;s not just our strengths that make us who we are, but our weaknesses and struggles as well. If we all had everything done and perfect for us, it would totally change the person we are now. I personally adore my son just the way he is. So even though I wish I could make everything <em>&ldquo;All Better&rdquo;</em> for him, I know that if I did, he wouldn&rsquo;t be the same person. So go take a nap mama bear, the little cub is just fine!</font></p>


Title:
Caption:
Credit:


Title:
Caption:
Credit:

Color Is Your Friend http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/9250 http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/9250 <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">When my son was in the third grade, I had the opportunity to attend a life-changing workshop. The workshop was presented by the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Davis</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">Joint</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">Unified</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">School District</st1:placetype></st1:place> and was all about organization skills and children on the Autism Spectrum. I know this sounds dull, but stay with me here.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">What I learned there not only was invaluable to my son, but to myself as well. Before this workshop organization was not my strong suit. I stank in school my whole life and really never learned how to study, or even read to retain information. Through this workshop I learned some shockingly simple, yet amazing tools that I still use to this day (my son does too).</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Anyone can benefit from these, as long as you&rsquo;re a visual person. If you learn best by visual reminders and&nbsp;cues (or have a child that does) then these tips should work great. I thought it would be nice to share them as I hope we all have a smooth school year.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><strong>1) <em><font size="6"><font color="#ff0000">C</font><font color="#ff6600">o</font><font color="#00ff00">l</font><font color="#3366ff">o</font><font color="#800080">r</font> </font><font size="5">is your friend!</font></em> Give each subject in school its own color. Or if it&rsquo;s for you, each class you&rsquo;re taking. For the house? Each area of what needs organizing. For example, vacation-blue, kitchen-green, bills-red, kids-yellow, medical-orange. Same with subjects. For my son this goes so far as he even has color binder paper. This way if something falls out of his binder, rather than be overwhelmed by reading and deciphering, he can tell by the color where it goes.</strong></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><strong><em>2) <font size="5">Simplify!</font></em> That&rsquo;s right. If you don&rsquo;t need it and aren&rsquo;t using it, toss it! This goes for school work, office supplies, home items, everything. No one can study with a desk covered in old graded work. If they don&rsquo;t need it, toss it! I like to keep a box with all my son&rsquo;s graded papers through the current school year just in case a teacher says they didn&rsquo;t turn something in or it&rsquo;s needed for a test. This will also make it easier to focus on your task at-hand. <br /> <br /> For school (for my son) I like the dividers with pockets. One side of the pocket is for things to take home or put away, the other side is to turn in. He HATES using the 3 rings (snapping them), so this way he can do it all at once, at home and not lose anything on the way.</strong></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><strong>3) <font size="5"><em>Clearly post what needs to get done and when</em></font>. See rule #1. For myself, I have a dry erase board in my study area that I write that current week&rsquo;s homework (in the color of the subject) and when it&rsquo;s due by. That way I keep on-task and don&rsquo;t feel overwhelmed. It&rsquo;s also a great sense of accomplishment to cross something off. Above that I have my calendars for each class for the semester. This helps me keep larger projects and deadlines in the back of my mind. My son has a student planner that works well for him.</strong></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><strong>4) <font size="5"><em>Post-it&rsquo;s are your friend.</em></font> Yup. Get different colors so you can use one that matches what task or subject you&rsquo;re on. This is especially great for studying for a test. You can mark relevant sections in the book, even write definitions or snippets. I personally LOVE the little arrow tabs that you can stick in books (without harming them) to remember important things.</strong></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><strong>5) <font size="5"><em>See #1.</em></font> That&rsquo;s the best tool you can implement!<br /> </strong></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">You may think these tips sound like they are for older children or even adults, but really they&rsquo;re not. It&rsquo;s NEVER too early to start good study skills and to teach your child how to organize their work. A simple system like the color system is one that can grow with them. It works just as well for my college classes as it did for my son in third grade.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">I have plenty more tips on the subject, but I think this post is quite long enough. I hope you all are having a great first week back (who are in school, or who have children in school). Have a GREAT three day weekend!</font></p>


Title:
Caption:
Credit:


Title:
Caption:
Credit:

Hey Bandwagon! Wait Up! http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/9235 http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/9235 <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="3">Being a busy mom, I feel like the bandwagon of pop culture is often a few miles ahead of me. Case in point, I FINALLY got to watch A Beautiful Mind yesterday. Yes, I know it won an Oscar. Yes, I have been told by many people how good it is&hellip; I just never had the time to watch it. I&rsquo;m guessing that&rsquo;s pretty common for most moms. In fact, it&rsquo;s rare anymore that I&rsquo;ve even seen even one Oscar nominated movie when that time of year rolls around. Maybe that&rsquo;s why I quit watching the Oscars altogether and just buy the issue of People with the beautiful outfits to flip through while on the porcelain throne?! I&rsquo;m hoping I&rsquo;m not alone here&hellip;</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="3">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="3">A Beautiful Mind was wonderful. I must say it was even better that I got to watch it in the middle of the day, in bed, alone (with my cold). I&rsquo;ll most likely have to wait till the next time I&rsquo;m stricken with kiddie goo to watch No Country for Old Men or Million Dollar Baby. When was the last time you felt in the &ldquo;now&rdquo;? </font></p>


Title:
Caption:
Credit:


Title:
Caption:
Credit:

I hate my dog http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/9230 http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/9230 <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">Ok&hellip; not really. I actually love both my dogs very much. However, our older dog Snack recently had to have a mass tumor removed from the back of her leg. My last month with her went like this.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">- There&rsquo;s a lump on the back of my dog&rsquo;s leg. Hey honey! Let&rsquo;s keep an eye on that!</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">-The lump is still there and looks like it&rsquo;s getting bigger. Hey honey! Let&rsquo;s take her to the vet.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">- Biopsy, tests and exam. It&rsquo;s not a big deal we&rsquo;re told. They&rsquo;ll call us with the lab results.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">- We get a call. It IS a big deal. She has a Mass Tumor and needs it removed right away.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">- Surgery, stitches, pain pills and a (too short) e-collar. She should be fine, but there&rsquo;s a 50% chance it can come back.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">-Three days later, she&rsquo;s able to get at her back leg in spite of the e-collar.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">-Yesterday&hellip; I come home to my husband telling me &ldquo;It doesn&rsquo;t look too good!&rdquo; Understatement of the year. She tore her stitches out and I can see inside her leg. I will NEVER know why he didn&rsquo;t call me on my cell phone (rrrrg.) We rush her to the only animal hospital open on a Sunday and bend over with our wallets open. My son had been asking about going to <st1:place w:st="on">Disneyland</st1:place> lately. I told him &ldquo;See your dog? There&rsquo;s our trip to <st1:place w:st="on">Disneyland</st1:place>. Her leg!&rdquo;</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">Now even people who LOVE LOVE LOVE their dogs would be a little irritated at this point. We&rsquo;re starting all over with her from a recovery point of view and I have to give her more pills than a 90yo who had a stroke. I love my dog, but this was a really bad week for her to decide to chew out her stitches. All the stress and exposure to various toddler body fluids at work have done their job and I&rsquo;m now down with a cold today. Did I mention my first class starts tonight?</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">Yeah, I&rsquo;m in a &ldquo;poor me&rdquo; space today, but I do still love my dog.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4"><em>(The pictures are Snack post-op-round 1- with her e-collar. The other one is our &ldquo;good&rdquo; dog Sweetie)</em></font></p>


Title:
Caption:
Credit:


Title:
Caption:
Credit:


Title:
Caption:
Credit:


Title:
Caption:
Credit:

I love Post Secret http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/9224 http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/9224 <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w6Zmg2NVeSQ/SLF3cvhUKxI/AAAAAAAACSs/e6bs314XvPQ/s1600-h/proud.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238099177284840210" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w6Zmg2NVeSQ/SLF3cvhUKxI/AAAAAAAACSs/e6bs314XvPQ/s400/proud.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="FONT-SIZE: 180%"><font size="5"> So TRUE! From Post Secret. </font></span><a href="http://www.postsecret.blogspot.com/"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 180%"><font color="#cc6600" size="5">http://www.postsecret.blogspot.com/</font></span></a> Hobby Show and Tell http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/9213 http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/9213 <font size="4"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 130%">As you know, I enjoy dabbling in some photography (just as a hobby). Here are some of my favorite photographs so far taken in 2008. Enjoy!</span><br /> <br /> </font><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w6Zmg2NVeSQ/SKx5WT9O81I/AAAAAAAACSE/cA52DTDr3SE/s1600-h/Marine+World+019.jpg"><font size="4"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236693890946233170" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w6Zmg2NVeSQ/SKx5WT9O81I/AAAAAAAACSE/cA52DTDr3SE/s400/Marine+World+019.jpg" border="0" /></font></a> Marine World (walrus w/ fish)<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w6Zmg2NVeSQ/SKx5XOKKHuI/AAAAAAAACSM/SsCrCtijfts/s1600-h/Marine+World+058.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236693906569699042" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w6Zmg2NVeSQ/SKx5XOKKHuI/AAAAAAAACSM/SsCrCtijfts/s400/Marine+World+058.jpg" border="0" /></a> Marine World (butterfly garden)<br /> <br /> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w6Zmg2NVeSQ/SKx5XYmqzaI/AAAAAAAACSU/5fY3aCzfMD4/s1600-h/mothers+day+08+030.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236693909373636002" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w6Zmg2NVeSQ/SKx5XYmqzaI/AAAAAAAACSU/5fY3aCzfMD4/s400/mothers+day+08+030.jpg" border="0" /></a> Headland Thistle<br /> <br /> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w6Zmg2NVeSQ/SKx5X2-9dXI/AAAAAAAACSc/OiugapZ1ffk/s1600-h/mothers+day+08+034.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236693917528585586" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w6Zmg2NVeSQ/SKx5X2-9dXI/AAAAAAAACSc/OiugapZ1ffk/s400/mothers+day+08+034.jpg" border="0" /></a> San Fransisco Lighthouse<br /> <br /> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w6Zmg2NVeSQ/SKx5YPHYDaI/AAAAAAAACSk/o6JHzpKTsb4/s1600-h/Ren+Faire+027.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236693924006333858" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w6Zmg2NVeSQ/SKx5YPHYDaI/AAAAAAAACSk/o6JHzpKTsb4/s400/Ren+Faire+027.jpg" border="0" /></a> Gopher (San Fransisco)<br /> <br /> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w6Zmg2NVeSQ/SKxzcc9i-VI/AAAAAAAACRc/qgnX0Xw2cqw/s1600-h/35th+b-day+012.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236687399372912978" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w6Zmg2NVeSQ/SKxzcc9i-VI/AAAAAAAACRc/qgnX0Xw2cqw/s400/35th+b-day+012.jpg" border="0" /></a> Sacramento Bridge<br /> <br /> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w6Zmg2NVeSQ/SKxzc6489wI/AAAAAAAACRk/L40Oftk_HlU/s1600-h/Davis+Walk+08+008.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236687407406708482" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_w6Zmg2NVeSQ/SKxzc6489wI/AAAAAAAACRk/L40Oftk_HlU/s400/Davis+Walk+08+008.jpg" border="0" /></a> UC Davis<br /> <br /> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w6Zmg2NVeSQ/SKxzdNWRrAI/AAAAAAAACRs/Ey8aBe32RBc/s1600-h/Davis+Walk+08+025.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236687412361538562" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_w6Zmg2NVeSQ/SKxzdNWRrAI/AAAAAAAACRs/Ey8aBe32RBc/s400/Davis+Walk+08+025.jpg" border="0" /></a> UC Davis<br /> <br /> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w6Zmg2NVeSQ/SKxzdtmK9kI/AAAAAAAACR0/7UlQWHM8SmE/s1600-h/Davis+Walk+08+024.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236687421018142274" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_w6Zmg2NVeSQ/SKxzdtmK9kI/AAAAAAAACR0/7UlQWHM8SmE/s400/Davis+Walk+08+024.jpg" border="0" /></a> UC Davis<br /> <br /> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w6Zmg2NVeSQ/SKxzdy7XGWI/AAAAAAAACR8/3XnAUuJrJzg/s1600-h/Kings+Party+012.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236687422449195362" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_w6Zmg2NVeSQ/SKxzdy7XGWI/AAAAAAAACR8/3XnAUuJrJzg/s400/Kings+Party+012.jpg" border="0" /></a> Reptile Show Ready…. Set…. http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/9201 http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/9201 <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><font size="5"><em>GO!!!!!!!!!</em></font></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="3">Man-cub starts the 9<sup>th</sup> grade next Wednesday. In <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Davis</st1:place></st1:city> that means this is his last year of Junior High School. Our HS goes 10-12<sup>th</sup> grade, but his grades still count as if he were in HS. Complicated, I know.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="3">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="3">My classes start Monday. This will be my third year of chipping away at a degree, but the first time I&rsquo;m jumping in with three classes. I&rsquo;ve learned from the past that I needed to create my own study space. Most of what I do, I do on the computer. But for reading, I needed my own quiet place to focus. I&rsquo;m easily distracted and having such a tiny house doesn&rsquo;t help. </font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="3">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="3">Yesterday I got to do my favorite activity, re-arrange the furniture. No really, I <strong><em>LOVE</em></strong> doing this. You know those HGTV shows where they take what you already own and re-arrange it to be totally new. I think that show was made just for me. I re-arranged my bedroom to also have a study corner for myself (see the picture here). I&rsquo;m really pleased with it. I think it&rsquo;ll be a great place to escape and study. Sure I&rsquo;d love an iBook on that desk as well, but we don&rsquo;t always get what we want. Maybe if I keep up my 4.0, I&rsquo;ll get one for Christmas?</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="3">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="3">Since this years grades are so important for my son, I&rsquo;ve stooped to bribery. I told him if he gets all A&rsquo;s on every report card this year, I&rsquo;d buy him an iPhone (and pay all the monthly service fees involved). Here&rsquo;s how I figure it. If he has all A&rsquo;s, it will save me money in the long run via scholarships. See! Win-win. We all need a little pay-off in the end and I have no problem rewarding for hard work.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="3">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="3">So, fresh school supplies? Check. Study space for me and my son? Check. Empty wallet? Check. I think we&rsquo;re all set for school.</font></p>


Title:
Caption:
Credit:


Title:
Caption:
Credit:

A Farewell to Summer http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/9194 http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/9194 <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="#800000" size="4">It&rsquo;s that time of year again. I can practically SMELL the pencils being sharpened and hear the moaning as I mention that this week is the last week of summer. Sadly, it&rsquo;s the last week for us both (my classes start Monday, man-cub&rsquo;s start Wednesday).</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="#800000" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="#800000" size="4">We always like to do a little last &ldquo;hurrah&rdquo; to summer around this time. In years past it&rsquo;s varied from a quick trip to <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><a href="http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/">Monterey</a></st1:place></st1:city>, to enjoying the <a href="http://www.bigfun.org/fair/index.asp">CA State Fair</a>. This year we wanted to do something different. Instead, we sent summer out with a &ldquo;Huzzah!&rdquo; </font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="#800000" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="#800000" size="4">Yesterday we went to a <a href="http://www.sffaire.com/">Renaissance Faire in <st1:placename w:st="on">Golden Gate</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Park</st1:placetype></a> (<st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">San Francisco</st1:place></st1:city>). I asked my aunt, her daughter and fianc&eacute; if they would like to join our merry band. It turns out that my cousin lives right across the street from the area of the park where the fair was held. We donned our best costumes (thank you Ebay) and trouped over to the faire. We had an amazing time. I had honestly forgotten how fun they are. </font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="#800000" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="#800000" size="4">The weather was cloudy and grey, the sun was nowhere to be seen all day (just the way we all like it). The faire was pretty large, but very un-crowded. We shopped a little, my son did some archery, my husband and son did a little spontaneous play with a group of actors (check out the pictures). My personal favorite was a weaver woman there. She hand-spins her own yarn, then weaves the most beautiful blankets, wraps and capes I&rsquo;ve ever seen. Sadly her skill is reflected in her fair prices, but it was out of my budget for the weekend. I did slip her card to my husband and whisper (Christmas) in his ear.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="#800000" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="#800000" size="4">All the hand-made items were amazing. Of course, I was sad to see them sprinkled through &ldquo;Made in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">China</st1:place></st1:country-region>&rdquo; wares, but it&rsquo;s to be expected. As great as the fair was, it paled in comparison to the old Black Point Forest Ren Fair of old (where my husband and I got married years ago). </font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="#800000" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="#800000" size="4">My son had an amazing time. I don&rsquo;t think he&rsquo;s quite ready to go back to school yet, but it was a lovely farewell to summer.</font></p>


Title:
Caption:
Credit:


Title:
Caption:
Credit:


Title:
Caption:
Credit:


Title:
Caption:
Credit:


Title:
Caption:
Credit:


Title:
Caption:
Credit:


Title:
Caption:
Credit:


Title:
Caption:
Credit:

Even My Toes Are Tired http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/9180 http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/9180 <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">Ok, seriously now&hellip; my hat is off to you mommies who work full time. I just finished a 40hour week with Preschoolers and oh man&hellip; even my toes are tired. How do you women do it?! I told my boss today that there is no way I can handle 8hr days at the school. From now on, please call me for 4hour shifts only.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="#333399" size="5"><em>I&rsquo;ve learned a lot this week</em></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="#333399" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="#333399" size="4">* Our local co-op is wonderful. I ADORE their food bars. They saved us from fast food many times this week.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="#333399" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="#333399" size="4">* Leftovers are amazing. I used to hate them. Again, they saved my butt this week.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="#333399" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="#333399" size="4">* Coffee is the best thing ever invented. I seriously wanted to hook up an IV drip to my mouth each day and just roll the cup along with me.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="#333399" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="#333399" size="4">* Not enough people value art. If I heard one more parent or teacher say &ldquo;art is so messy! YUCK!&rdquo; One more time, I was going to scream. When you&rsquo;re child comes home &ldquo;messy&rdquo; it means they were busy creating, sharing, playing, learning and living. NOT intentionally &ldquo;ruining&rdquo; clothes.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="#333399" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="#333399" size="4">* A child&rsquo;s smile is the best gift ever. A hug is great too!</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="#333399" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="#333399" size="4">* To re-state the obvious, Crocs are the best shoes ever.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="#333399" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="#333399" size="4">* Someone made it so that toddlers napped for a reason. Sanity. Thank goodness for naps.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="#333399" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="#333399" size="4">* Showers may be a better invention than even coffee. Seriously. Nothing beats a shower after chasing 35 kids all day.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="#333399" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="#333399" size="4">* I can do anything I put my mind to.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">Regarding that last one... I was pretty anxious about being thrown into a new situation it such an intense level. I turned it into a great learning experience though and came out the other side stronger (in many ways. Those kids are surprisingly heavy!) I am mistress of the multi-tasking. Who can&rsquo;t wait for her man to come home with pizza and open a bottle of wine. <em>Mmmmmm.</em></font></p>


Title:
Caption:
Credit:


Title:
Caption:
Credit:

You’re Not Alone http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/9160 http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/9160 <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">My entire adult life I&rsquo;ve felt out of place. Mainly because when people ask, &quot;what you do?&quot; I take a deep breath and think hard. My jobs change frequently, as do the titles that accompany them. If I listed all the hats I&rsquo;ve worn in my life, you&rsquo;d be astounded, and then concerned <em>(at least I always felt that&rsquo;s how people would react).</em> <br /> <br /> Ask other people &ldquo;What do you do?&rdquo; You get &ldquo;I&rsquo;m a first grade teacher&rdquo; or &ldquo;I&rsquo;m a stay at home mom&rdquo; or &ldquo;I&rsquo;m in marketing&rdquo;&hellip; you get what I&rsquo;m saying? Ask me and I&rsquo;m like&hellip; &ldquo;Well, I have my jewelry business, but that&rsquo;s more just for fun, then I do face painting, but not too often, then I like to write, but don&rsquo;t dedicate enough time to it, oh yes&hellip; I&rsquo;m an artist, but haven&rsquo;t done anything in a bit, I&rsquo;m a teacher, but where?&rdquo; Oh yes. <em>LONG</em> answer. I was always envious of the people who would have a simple reply.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" size="6"><strong><em>I AM&hellip;(?)</em></strong></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Something interesting has happened regarding this feeling I have in my new job (as a substitute preschool teacher.) As I talk to the other teachers there and find out more about them, I&rsquo;m realizing I&rsquo;m not alone. For the first time I&rsquo;m hearing from other women, &ldquo;Well, I have a BA in art, but didn&rsquo;t like that, so then I did some writing, but love kids, so I&rsquo;m back in school going for ECE credits while teaching here and singing in a band on weekends&hellip;&rdquo; <em>JUST LIKE ME!!!</em></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">I&rsquo;m wondering if it&rsquo;s because ADHD people enjoy being teachers to young children? I know I love all the constant change and challenges. It&rsquo;s a great environment for me <em>(even if I am exhausted at the end of the day).</em> Or if it&rsquo;s just that creative mentality who enjoys giving back to the world no matter if it&rsquo;s through art, music, cooking, teaching&hellip; I&rsquo;m not sure.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">What I do know is that I&rsquo;m pretty excited and feeling more confident in my exhaustive answer when people ask what I do. It helps to know you&rsquo;re not alone.</font></p>


Title:
Caption:
Credit:


Title:
Caption:
Credit:

Call Me a Consumer http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/9154 http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/9154 <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">I have an issue I struggle with. Consumerism. On one hand I believe in reduce, re-use and recycle. I buy second hand, sales and take hand-me-downs from my aunt. I watch my budget closely and can pinch a penny well. Then something happens, I transmorph into a materialistic superficial elitist. I simply MUST HAVE another piece of jewelry, or designer purse<em> (my two weaknesses).</em> My focus on local grown healthy foods goes out of my mind as fast as I see an Outback Steakhouse commercial, dragging my new Coach bag and family out the door for an expensive dinner.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">I have no idea where this comes from and sadly, my husband is the same way. Great with a budget, healthy and conscious one minute, buying an iPhone the next <em>(and no, I&rsquo;m not making exaggerations here.)</em> I&rsquo;m thinking that the reasons for this uber consumerism impulses could come from starting out with each other so young and with nothing. Now as soon as we feel a little relaxed financially, we &ldquo;spoil&rdquo; each other. Not good.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">Of course there are saner things we need. A bathroom makeover, new tires on my car, a little family day-trip&hellip; but oh no! We need a Coach bag and iPhone more. Part of me relishes the ability to &ldquo;treat&rdquo; ourselves to something we REALLY want <em>(and let me stress this is rare).</em> The other part is disgusted at the example I&rsquo;m setting for our son. But is it really that bad? If you work hard, make sacrifices, you too can &ldquo;treat&rdquo; yourself to something you really want? Is that horrible?</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4"></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS"><font size="2">Image from </font><a href="http://www.joeledbetter.com/angel_devil.html"><font size="2">http://www.joeledbetter.com/angel_devil.html</font></a></font></p>


Title:
Caption:
Credit:


Title:
Caption:
Credit:

Man about the House http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/9147 http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/9147 <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">My husband&rsquo;s last day at his old job was on Tuesday. He doesn&rsquo;t start his new job till next Thursday. That means I&rsquo;ve had my man around the house this week. Starting a new job myself, I wasn&rsquo;t sure if this would be a good thing or extra work for me. Let&rsquo;s face it, as much as I love the guy it is an extra mouth to cook for, more clutter to pick up and his agenda to work around my day. I was a little apprehensive at first, but it&rsquo;s turned out to be great.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">Rather than adding to my stress, it&rsquo;s been helping. We did some back to school shopping together (a first for us, I&rsquo;m usually the one doing it then discussing what I bought and why. <em>HATE</em> that!) We also squeezed in some date time as our son was camping with the grandparents. I&rsquo;m feeling supported, assisted and loved. Just what a great husband should do.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">We&rsquo;ve also been working on much needed house projects together and making some headway there. The horrid yard always need attention and seems to suck our time like a black hole. He even got me soup and 7-up when I was feeling a little buggy last night.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">His birthday is this Sunday and we&rsquo;ll be heading up to Diamond Springs to spend the afternoon with his family. They&rsquo;re big game players, so it should be fun. Knowing that I&rsquo;m subbing next week full time is a little like trying to play on the beach with sharks breaking the surf behind you, but I&rsquo;m trying to just relax and live in the moment. </font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="#ff00ff" size="4"><em>Any tips for living in the moment? That&rsquo;s something that has always been difficult for me.</em></font></p>


Title:
Caption:
Credit:


Title:
Caption:
Credit:

Nature’s Gym http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/9134 http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/9134 <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Just like a superhero, I got the call yesterday morning. Two teachers were sick at my <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Child</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">Development</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Center</st1:placetype></st1:place> and they needed me! Eight hours and six liters of water later, I&rsquo;d finished my first day with about twenty pre-schoolers. Wow! At this rate, I&rsquo;ll drop 100lbs in a week. Mother Nature&rsquo;s gym for sure. I had totally forgotten what a work-out it is to chase after and entertain a toddler. Hats off to you ladies!</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">It was also a lot of fun. My favorite was nap time. Getting to rub the backs of the restless little ones... There is nothing more satisfying than knowing YOU helped get a little one off to a well-earned nap.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Even though I&rsquo;ve only worked one day, I do have some sage words of advice to share <em>(I know, you&rsquo;re all stunned!)</em></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" color="#0000ff" size="4">~ Crocs are the best kid shoe ever invented. <em><strong>PLEASE</strong></em> don&rsquo;t send your child to school in shoes that tie till they know how to put them back on themselves. I have never spent so much time putting shoes back on kids in my life! If they all wore crocs, there wouldn&rsquo;t be a problem! It was also very hot and the crocs are light and comfy. Socks and tennies? Not so much. </font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" color="#800080" size="4">~Pack Tupperware that your kid can open (or foods that they can open). Those little single string cheeses? Open them at home and put them in a little wax baggie or non-zip bag. This not only will make your child feel more independent, but will save the teachers a ton of time from having to open 20kids food items all at the same time. There were a lot of containers that even I had a hard time getting open! I can't imagine a 3yo being able to do it alone.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" color="#ff0000" size="4">~Teach them how to wash hands. <strong>IF</strong> little ones wash their hands, all they do is get them wet. I remember learning to sing the alphabet while I washed.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" color="#808000" size="4">~Your kid isn&rsquo;t alone. I was interested to see just how many kids pick their nose and eat their boogers. Let&rsquo;s just say it&rsquo;s more than you would expect.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Times New Roman" color="#808000" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" color="#339966" size="4">~Good manners go a long way. When you&rsquo;re dealing with so many kids at once hearing yet another one scream &ldquo;I WANT IT!&rdquo; or &ldquo;GIMMIE&rdquo; gets old. The child I hear say &ldquo;Can I please&hellip;&rdquo; will for sure get my attention first, and a compliment back on their good manners.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Like Batman perched on a roof, I now await my next call that a teacher is sick and they need me, or not. </font></p>


Title:
Caption:
Credit:


Title:
Caption:
Credit:

Transitions & Walruses http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/9120 http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/9120 <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">Whenever I think to myself, &ldquo;WOW! This is really a transitional period in life right now&rdquo;, something will come up to show me that it was really nothing. That was just life&hellip; THIS is a transition.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">This Tuesday will be my husband&rsquo;s last day at his current job. He will be moving on to something new and exciting and, oh yeah&hellip; 1.5miles from our house. We&rsquo;re so lucky to be able to change our life like this for the better. The job will be less-stress, less hours and closer to home. I&rsquo;m hoping this will mean more family time and a healthier husband.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">Me? I got a new job this week as well. I&rsquo;ll be working at a Children&rsquo;s <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Development</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Center</st1:placetype></st1:place> (as a substitute teacher part time) that is 2 miles from our house. We&rsquo;ll be living the dream every commuters fantasize about when stuck in traffic and paying $4.09 at the pump (and thinking that&rsquo;s a deal!)</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">I&rsquo;m also going to be taking three classes this Fall, managing both my businesses, my son will be starting 9<sup>th</sup> grade (which luckily in Davis means his last year in Junior High), and serving on two committees with two different organizations.. Yes, there&rsquo;s a lot on my plate. So much so that I see the scales tipping towards me and I&rsquo;m wondering if I can handle it all. I&rsquo;m telling myself that I just need to keep my eye on my priorities and be ok with letting things slide.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">Whenever I start to feel the fingers of stress tighten around my throat, life usually throws a little something my way to make me stop, laugh and live. Yesterday was one of those days. The whole family went to Marine World (as an event related to my husbands soon to be x-job). We spent the day feeding seals and dolphins (check the pics! I&rsquo;m so brave!) and having a great time. Everyone needs days of not answering their cell phone, e-mail, or questions from other people. You can&rsquo;t find anyone&rsquo;s lost anything when you aren&rsquo;t home! Now that it&rsquo;s the day after, I want more vacation therapy before the weights are piled on the scale.</font></p>


Title:
Caption:
Credit:


Title:
Caption:
Credit:


Title:
Caption:
Credit:


Title:
Caption:
Credit:


Title:
Caption:
Credit:


Title:
Caption:
Credit:

One Regret http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/9108 http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/9108 <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" color="#003300" size="3">I have but one regret; so far, in the way I&rsquo;ve raised my son&hellip; Food. I wish I would have been more educated on how important it is to eat local, organic,<font color="#003300"> </font><a href="http://www.slowfoodusa.org/index.html"><font color="#003300">&ldquo;slow&rdquo; food.</font></a> My own zeal for the greasy joint has dribbled onto my son since the time of his first Happy Meal (younger than I&rsquo;d like to publicly announce.) </font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Times New Roman" color="#003300" size="3">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" color="#003300" size="3">I did switch to all organic milk by the time he was four years old, and from there bought what other organic foods that didn&rsquo;t break the bank. I became educated about factory farming about three years ago, and since have attempted to make the majority of our meat purchases from smaller, free-range, grass fed, hormone-free farms. However, I NEVER thought about how important it is to eat local until recently.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Times New Roman" color="#003300" size="3">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman"><font color="#003300" size="3">I&rsquo;ve been reading a great book on the subject called </font><a href="http://www.animalvegetablemiracle.com/"><font color="#003300" size="3">Animal, Vegetable, Miracle</font></a><font color="#003300" size="3"> that&rsquo;s teaching me the importance of eating more local whole foods. Yesterday I learned about the </font><a href="http://www.slowfoodusa.org/index.html"><font color="#003300" size="3">Slow Foods movement</font></a><font color="#003300" size="3"> (also very interesting and again, makes a lot of sense). I&rsquo;ve also been watching </font><a href="http://www.sundancechannel.com/thegreen/#/homePage"><font color="#003300" size="3">Big Ideas for a Small Planet (on the Sundance channel)</font></a><font color="#003300" size="3">. Now yes, I live in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Davis</st1:place></st1:city>, so it is easier for me to shop local and organic when we have the best Farmers Market around, but it&rsquo;s really not as hard as it may sound. Here&rsquo;s what you do&hellip; before you buy something, look at where it came from!</font></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Times New Roman" color="#003300" size="3">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" color="#003300" size="3">At Costco last weekend they had two different tomatoes. Once I looked, one group was from <st1:country-region w:st="on">Canada</st1:country-region>, the other from <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">California</st1:place></st1:state>. I bought the CA tomatoes instead. See! Easy! Why should you care and do this? Well, food that hasn&rsquo;t been mutated to live while being transported from another country will be fresher and healthier than mutant food. If you go another step and buy at a co-op, or farmers market, you are also helping small business local farmers (who have environmentally friendly farms), earn a living over large corporate owned farms. </font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Times New Roman" color="#003300" size="3">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" color="#003300" size="3">Ok, now I&rsquo;m sounding preachy. My point is that I feel I let my son down nutritionally, but it&rsquo;s never too late. My husband and I are currently in the works of hammering out a &ldquo;FAST FOOD FREE&rdquo; plan for our family. Yup, I&rsquo;m getting off the crack. Just the thought of it freaks me out, but it would be the right thing to do. I also quit caving in and buying my son Pizza Pockets about a month ago. See! Never too late!</font></p>


Title:
Caption:
Credit:


Title:
Caption:
Credit:

Good Morning! Meet Your Son! http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/9095 http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/9095 <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="#003300" size="4">You know how much kids change from day to day. One day your little toddler will want to do everything himself (or herself, I have a son&hellip; so forgive me if I say he here). Or want to play &ldquo;alone&rdquo; rather than with you?</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="#003300" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="#003300" size="4">Well, I&rsquo;m learning that with a teen it is that feeling times a million. I seriously never know who I will wake up to each and every morning. The son who adores me, gives me hugs and kisses, wants to snuggle and watch I Love Lucy? The kid who has a million friends and a million things to do? The kid who thinks life is so hard and tragic and just wants to lurk in his dark room with a sweater on? The kid who won&rsquo;t want to help with anything and will complain about everything, or the one who will be so helpful without a word that you&rsquo;ll spend all day singing his praises? It is a serious toss up.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="#003300" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="#003300" size="4">Ever since breaking up with his latest girlfriend, my son has been great! Sweet, kind, helpful, affectionate, thoughtful. It&rsquo;s like he only has a set amount of these qualities and if he&rsquo;s dating someone, then they get them. If he&rsquo;s free, then they come my way.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="#003300" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" color="#003300" size="4">In a way, it makes life interesting and also makes me appreciate the &ldquo;good son&rdquo; more than I would if I had him every day (sad, but true). Is it this way with teenage girls as well?</font></p>


Title:
Caption:
Credit:


Title:
Caption:
Credit:

Stiff Upper Lip http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/9076 http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/9076 <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">If you are ever lost in a snow storm, I&rsquo;m the one you want with you. Stuck on a rock in the middle of white water rapids? Been there! Had your arm bit off by a bear? I&rsquo;d fasten you a tourniquet out of my skirt <em>(just like in the movies)</em> and keep you calm till help came. In short, I&rsquo;m a great person to have around in an emergency. I always have been.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">As I age however, I&rsquo;ve noticed there&rsquo;s an exception to this rule. If I&rsquo;M the one hurt and it involves blood. No blood? I&rsquo;m a trouper. Blood, I lose it big time.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><strong>Case in point&hellip;</strong> Yesterday I decided my son really needed a haircut. The salon that does it the way he likes is really expensive, so I sit him on the patio and do it myself. Something I&rsquo;ve done a million times by now. I&rsquo;m cutting away <em>(almost done thank goodness)</em> when a fly buzzes around my head. In one swift non-thinking-at-all reaction I swat it away&hellip; with my right hand&hellip; the one holding the scissors! I dragged the scissors across my face and cut my right eye.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">I don&rsquo;t freak out <em>(yet)</em> because I don&rsquo;t want my son to freak. I was so shocked that I didn&rsquo;t make a sound. I tell him I&rsquo;ll be right back. In the bathroom all I see is my eye full of blood. I take out my contac lense. Grab a towel to apply pressure and go back outside to calmly tell my son that we&rsquo;re done and I cut myself, but I&rsquo;m ok <em>(not knowing if I am or not)</em>. I tell him to&nbsp;take a&nbsp;bath and get the hair off. As soon as he&rsquo;s in the bathroom, I call my husband sobbing. I know it&rsquo;s not bad enough for a 911 call, but it&rsquo;s bad enough to get checked out and I can&rsquo;t drive with one eye!</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">I&rsquo;m sobbing so hard that he can&rsquo;t understand me and only hears &ldquo;cut eye&rdquo;. YIKES! By the time he gets home I&rsquo;ve calmed down quite a bit. I have ice on it and have called our Dr <em>(yes, they can see me). </em>I&rsquo;m starting to feel like maybe I&rsquo;ve over reacted.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">At the Dr&rsquo;s office I&rsquo;m very much starting to feel like I&rsquo;ve over reacted. I have two cuts, one on my nose and one on my eye lid (where my lashes are). Nothing IN my eye at all. When the Dr asks if I&rsquo;ve been crying, I actually tell her to &ldquo;shut up&rdquo; because I&rsquo;m so embarrassed. As the evening wears on, my sobbing freak out just makes me feel worse.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">How can I be so calm and cool with everything else, but turn into a two year old who thinks they put their eye out when its just a little cut?! I&rsquo;m not that person!!! Or&hellip; I didn&rsquo;t think I was!</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" color="#000080" size="5"><strong><em>So, here&rsquo;s what I learned&hellip;</em></strong></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><strong>~My husband is the best. He came to my rescue fast AND took me out to lunch after my appointment. Not ONCE did he tell me I might have over-reacted.</strong></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><strong>&nbsp;</strong></font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><strong>~I&rsquo;m vain. My first thought was &ldquo;CRUD! I hope I don&rsquo;t have to wear an eye patch till it heals!&rdquo; (While I&rsquo;m cupping my bleeding eye).</strong></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><strong>&nbsp;</strong></font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><strong>~I&rsquo;m <em>REALLY</em> vain. I have a BBQ to go to tonight and I can&rsquo;t wear makeup for 3 days. I&rsquo;m not happy about it.</strong></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><strong>&nbsp;</strong></font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><strong>~My son is useless. He didn&rsquo;t notice I got hurt at all and didn&rsquo;t ask if I&rsquo;m ok when I got back from the Dr. He heart felt-fully apologized for this later, but I was pretty irritated at the time.</strong></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><strong>&nbsp;</strong></font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><strong>~I&rsquo;m a wuss. I think of myself as a stoic do-it-all mom, but deep inside, I&rsquo;m a total wuss.</strong></font></p>


Title:
Caption:
Credit:


Title:
Caption:
Credit:

Does this ever happen to you? http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/9066 http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/9066 <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS"><font size="4"><em>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just going to check my e-mail real quick.&rdquo;</em> </font></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4"><strong>1 Hour later&hellip; </strong></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman"><font size="4"><font face="Comic Sans MS"><em>&ldquo;Where did the time go?&rdquo;</em></font> </font></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Times New Roman"></font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4"><br /> I find my computer is like a big black hole. I go on to check my e-mail, then end up wanting to see what&rsquo;s going on with the news, the moms here, Facebook, friend blogs. Like many inventions that are supposed to make our lives easier, I find the computer is really a shocking time sucker!</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">Don&rsquo;t get me wrong, I don&rsquo;t know where I&rsquo;d be without it. Without my computer I wouldn&rsquo;t have met many of the friends I have, know how to make banana bread, or get to the last mom coffee we had. I rely on it for the weather, movie times and to stay connected with loved ones. For me personally it&rsquo;s also my main source of income as well as education (as I&rsquo;ll be taking an on-line class for the first time this Fall). I also am aware of just how much it pulls me out of my &ldquo;real life&rdquo; and into its own world.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">This is something I&rsquo;m working on. Rather than spending an hour reading friend&rsquo;s blogs, I really should make more of an effort on dinner, or better yet! Do some &ndash;gasp- art! I call myself an artist and yet I couldn&rsquo;t tell you the last time I just sat down and did something for the sheer pleasure of it. Not good.</font></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">&nbsp;</font></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS" size="4">How about you? Do you notice that your computer sucks more of your time away than you&rsquo;d like? What would you rather spend some more time on instead of checking your e-mail ten times a day (like I do)?</font></p>


Title:
Caption:
Credit:


Title:
Caption:
Credit:

Who Needs Video Games http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/9057 http://www.sacmomsclub.com/home/Blog/creatress/9057 <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><font face="Comic Sans MS"><font size="4">While pondering the un-attainable concept of attempting to keep the scales of my life in balance, I was struck with an epiphany. Women don&rsquo;t need video games. Know why? Because our whole lives are one big Zelda quest, one huge Tetris (make everything fit), one big magic show. <strong><em>We multi task on waves that men couldn&rsquo;t even fathom!</em></strong></font></font></p>