A Lucky Charm Count Down

St. Patrick's Day is on its way. I decided it would be fun to do a count down with Connor this year. The idea came to me when I found directions to make "Dinosaur Rocks". Its a recipe using used coffee grounds, flour, salt and sand mixed with water. It turns into a paste and then you wrap it around a toy dinosaur or other toy. It can dry out on its own or you can bake it at a low tempature to dry it out.

When I saw this idea I immdiately thought of a lucky rock that holds gold coins..... The idea grew and grew..... here's how it went down....

Making the lucky rocks....

Kevin thought I was crazy when I started keeping our used coffee grounds and drying them out. When I finally had enough used coffee grounds I started the Lucky Rocks.

Mixed the dry ingredients together

I dyed the water green and used green sand to make it St. Patricks day themed....

Plastic gold coins and shamrocks as prizes

Mixed it alllllllllllllllllllllll together... gross....

Wrapped it around the trinkets..... read for the oven because I'm too impatient to let it dry out.



All done!!

Tonight I put together the whole package with the first craft! I laminated everything so I can reuse it next year! Each day our little guy Patty will leave another bag with another craft to do. There will also be a Lucky Rock to smash open.

Ready for tomorrow mornings count down!

Enjoy! Any St. Patty's day traditions you do around the house?

You Know You're A Momma When....

There's no room for your morning tea because the cup holders in your car look like this...........

I swear my car is a magical vortex where all random sippy cups end up! Missing one? It might be in my car!

Let The Sentences Begin!

Connor was always a babbler in his late infant state and early toddlerhood. You didn't understand a single thing he said but he just kept on talking.

Then we moved into specific words. Mommy, Daddy, Baby, Up, Snacks, Off, Animal Sounds, Letters, Numbers, Hi, Bye... you get the point....

Then we ventured into songs. He surprised us by singing the "Ashes, Ashes.... All fall down" from Ring Around the Rosie one day. Next came the ABC's and now he loves Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, Baa Baa Black Sheep, Apples and Bananas, and Row Row Row Your Boat.

Communication as still been a little sketchy because we only had specific words, ABC's and songs to try and determine what it is that he wanted.

BUT........ In the last week or so (I know I've finally noticed in the last week).... SENTENCES! He's beginning to communicate with us to a point where we can have conversations. Some of theme are useful conversations so we can figure out what he needs/wants and other conversations.... well... I don't know... we get to hear what's ticking away in that brain of his.

Examples:
Crazy Stuff In His Head
Connor has two Buzz Lightyears. He got them for his birthday. One is a stuffed animal type Buzz Lightyear that does pretty much nothing but snuggle him at night. No noises, no lights, no button that pops wings out... you know.. they way something SHOULD be when you're sleeping with it. The other Buzz Lightyear is the full blown Buzz Lightyear and has every gadget, noise, lights up, pops out wings and is pretty large, heavy and awkward for a 2 year old to carry around. The only thing it is missing is an OFF button. Sigh... thanks Disney! Thankfully he does sleep with the stuffed Buzz Lightyear and plays with the other one during the day.

Earlier this week I was getting Connor dressed and he was playing "BLAST OFF" with the stuffed animal Buzz Lightyear. Then he stops, looks at me and says, "Buzz no wings. Buzz no fly." Then he babbled a bunch of words I didn't understand and then said, "Big Buzz wings. Big Buzz fly." He was totally explaining to me that the stuffed animal Buzz does not have wings and therefore can not fly like the other Buzz.

Helpful Info
I picked up Connor from daycare this week and as I was putting him into the car seat I noticed he had a red bump on his lip. I was torn between worrying he had a cold sore and assuming he had fallen and bit his lip I asked him what happened to his lip. He replied, "Sun in my eyes. Fall down. I ok." The fact that he went into detail about the sun being in his eyes floored me and I thought he might have just added that for affect. When I got home I texted daycare to ask if he had fallen because of the bump on his lip. She replied that he had indeed fallen at the park. So... yes... I guess he could have gotten sun in his eyes and fallen at the park!

Then There is Just Plain Cute
In the car this morning Connor sneezed twice.
Me: "Bless you!"
Connor: "No mommy. Bless me!"
Me: "Yes Connor, Bless you"
Connor: "NO No Mommy... Bless me!"
Me: "Oh ok Connor. Bless Me!"

My, my he is just growing leaps and bounds. What is a momma to do?!

And Then........ I Lost My Mind....

Yep... I've lost my mind. I loose it more often these days then I like to admit. Sometimes it just hard when you have a toddler sucking away at your energy and brain power. BUT it isn't his fault this time....nope... its all me... I've decided to put on more classes at the college onto my plate.

Last semester I put three non credit classes that staggered in timing with each other and a full blown credit class on my plate. I passed them all and even got a 4.0 in the credit class. This semester I at least decided to keep it a little simpler and knock out four non credit classes in a month and a half. YIPES.

February 15th my Intermediate CSS and XHTML class started and will lasts until April 5th. My Google Analytics class starts on March 5th the same day as my other class Intro to ColdFusion class starts. Google Anlalytics will last until March 30th and the ColdFusion class is a four session class on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6-9. After the ColdFusion class wraps up I'm taking an Intro to Actionscripting class that starts on March 26th and is also a four session class on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6-9. Thankfully the CSS/XHTML and Google Analytics classes are online but what was I thinking?! Oh... I was thinking I like a good challenge!!!!

So they'll be lots to do... the normal day to day, spending time with a super cute toddler, homework, reading, blogging and running! March is going to be gone in a blink!

Getting Back on Track!

I was logged into RunKeeper last night and was checking out how many miles I have ran for the year. I ran week 3 run 2 yesterday and was wondering how far I have ran and how far I will run by the end of the year. See... some days I can't even turn off my brain while I'm running and "clearing my mind".

I haven't done much snooping around in the web application RunKeeper, but so far I like it. It shows me a map of where I ran, the elevation, my pace, and all sorts of other good stats. In January, I ran 5 times for a total of 10.15 miles. This was a portion of me trying to get back on track with running and then restarting C25K. So far this month I have ran total of 4 times for a total of 8.3 miles. Each month I'll be adding more miles than the next until I level off at 5K. There are all sorts of reports you can pull off of RunKeeper.

Before heading out to the track yesterday I was putting on my running shoes and even though I bought them at week 5 last year I still LOVE them and found myself admiring them. Soooooo.... I took a picture!

Kevin and I have finally decided which 5K we're officially running in! On May 5th we're going to run in the Fiesta 5K. The 5K supports the Packard Center for ALS Research at Johns Hopkins. They enable the world’s best ALS scientists to collaborate and access funding so that they may continue work to rapidly develop new treatments and find a cure for ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. We have a friend who was putting together and team and I thought May would be perfect timing for us AND hopefully perfect weather! Here is more information.

So yeah... I'm still moving and shaking. Some days are harder to get out there than others. But once I'm out there I'm soooo glad that I am. The weather this winter has been very mild so far and has helped me continue to push myself to get outside and not let my fear of running on a treadmill wimp me out!

Childhood Memories Relived

As a parent I wanted to share all my favorites as a kid with Connor. That way he can experience the things that I loved. I mean... if I loved them then of course he will! ..... Right?!

Two of my very favorite movies growing up was The Little Mermaid and The Care Bears Movie. I already had these on dvd before Connor was even a thought in my mind. I never really watched them but having that memory from my childhood close by brought me comfort.

When we introduced movies to Connor last year, I would let him pick which dvd he wanted to watch from children movie selection. HE ALWAYS CHOOSE LITTLE MERMAID. OMG. He veered over to Jungle Book for a while but shortly after went back to The Little Mermaid. I was starting to dislike my favorite Disney movie but have learned to just tone it out.

Last summer daycare took the kids to the movies and saw Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation. I was told that he sat and watched the whole movie and munched away on his goldfish. I filed that back in my brain of things to remember because I had both Care Bear movies at home. Sure enough... I put in the first movie and he was entranced with the bears. Both Care Bear movies have become a second to The Little Mermaid.

So not only did I watch these movies a bazillion times as a kid.... I'm now watching them a bazillion times with my kid. Sigh.......

I also have almost all my books from when I was a little kid. Lots of Dr. Seuss, Disney Clue Collection and other Beginner Reader books. Some have seen better days and some are out of print but I love sitting with Connor at the end of the night and reading the stories I read as a kid. That has not gotten old yet. I hope it never does.

Right now he LOVES the Disney book The Haunted House. Its where Pluto, Donald and Mickey run out of gas at night and stumble upon an old run down house. Donald and Pluto think its haunted but Mickey has them venture inside. They find out all the ghosts and scary stuff are really bank robbers and trap Mickey and Donald but Pluto gets away. Just when Mickey and Donald give up hope Pluto comes to the rescue with the Sheriff and his men. Pluto gets a bone at the end of the story for being brave.

I remember reading that book a ton of times and LOVE reading to Connor. Its old, worn and reminds me of a happy childhood. If I can give that to Connor then I'll read it a bazillion more times.

Pasta Strainer Fun!

Last night I pulled out the pasta strainer, pipe cleaners and beads to have some motor skills fun with Connor. I had pinned the idea on Pinterest MONTHS ago and thought "what the heck" last night when we were getting bored with cars and blocks.

From the moment Connor saw the pasta strainer he called it a hat (an actually tried talking me into wearing it into work this morning). His eyes lit up bigger when I pulled out the pipe cleaners. I showed him what to do and he did well. He wouldn't bend it over and do the other side BUT he'll get there. Once I saw the pipe cleaners sticking out the top I ran got the left over beads that daycare sent home from a project he was working on. I showed him the idea of putting them on the pipe cleaners and he went to town before getting distracted by Nick Jr.

Workin it

What?! Nick Jr is on?!?!!

"Its mah hat mommy!"

Don't Forget to Love Yourself!

So it's Valentine's Day. Happy day full of love, mushy cards, yummy candy and sweet smelling roses.

AND if you're a mom its the week where you have to remember to send out cards to the grandparents and close family members, put together something special for the daycare kids at the last minute, and hunt down the  perfect card for the hubby or whoever is the most important person is in your life..... and if you really want to go alllll out you might even want to shave your legs.

We run around trying to get everything together for everyone. We want them to have a special Valentine's day and to feel loved. My question to you is.... do you take time to stop and love yourself?

It doesn't matter if you're single, married, dating, picked someone up at the bar that night or have a lot of people to spread your love too.... if you're not loving yourself, then what's the point? Now Valentine's day in my eyes is one be overly lovey dovey day where you SUPER express your love for whomever is in your life. Yes... yes... you should be expressing your love every other day out of the year but Valentine's day is the day of Love Super-sized. Sometimes we get caught up in the day to day and miss an "I love you" or a kiss in the morning but I know on a day to day basis I also forget myself.

I was due to start Week 3 in my running this weekend but being away and snowed in, it just didn't happen. I didn't feel like running yesterday and now here we are today.... I decided to do what was best for me and my body and start up Week 3. I'm so glad I ran. I was able to clear my mind and enjoy the weather. And THAT is how I showed myself some love today.

How are you showing yourself love?

The Winter Wonderland Getaway

Kevin and I had ourselves a getaway this weekend with friends. It was a cold snowy getaway but that is just how Kevin likes them! I love to getaway on a beach and relax with my toes in the sand. Kevin likes to getaway and relax with his toes strapped to a snowboard.

I guess the good things about these differences is.... I don't mind resting by a roaring fire and watching the snow come down outside and Kevin doesn't mind enjoying a fruity beverage while reading on the beach under an umbrella.

Kevin headed up to The Woodlands in WV on Thursday morning with our dog captain. I stayed behind to pack our toddler and ALLLLLLLLLLLL his things to go spend the weekend with his Pop and Nan. Its amazing how much stuff I still had to send for him even with him being a toddler instead of an infant.

The plan for the weekend was to ride up with my friend and her boyfriend and meet Kevin up at the cabin. Them, along with other friends, would go skiing and snowboarding while I relaxed and enjoyed the quiet on Saturday. We would then pack ourselves up and head home on Sunday.

We didn't get to The Woodlands until just before or after 11pm. The snow was coming down harder and thicker as we ventured further and further through Western MD into WV. We had to make a few stops along the way for tortilla shells (I left the original I bought in my car!) and much needed beer and wine.

We arrived and unpacked then enjoyed movies, a fire in the fireplace and good conversation. I found that it was 2am I and was still awake, enjoying a beverage and not worried about having to get up and when our son was waking up.

Saturday morning fast approached and we had ourselves a VERY yummy breakfast brought to us by Pinterest. My friend prepped very delicious oatmeal in the crock pot and I made a breakfast casserole when I woke up. It was a great hearty breakfast to get our skiing friends off to a great start.

The skiers packed up and rolled out to Seven Springs, PA for some snowboarding and skiing. Other friends packed up and headed out for some errand running and hopes of cross country skiing. Me... what did I do you ask? Well I started off with a nap and movie watching, then I woke up ate lunch, baked a double batch of brownies while enjoying another movie, took the dogs for a walk in the snow, read, watched the snow fall, watched another movie while prepping dinner and then made dinner when I heard the skiers were on their way back home. It was perfect. Quiet. Relaxing. Perfect.

The endless driveway....

Walking the dogs in lots of snow!

Almost back to the cabin!

"Baby it's cold outside...."

I must say... we ate well that night. For dinner I made Creamy Chicken Enchiladas with Taco flavored rice. YUMMY! And for dessert of course... we had brownies.

Our yummy dinner!

Bedtime came a lot sooner than it did the night before. Kevin was tired from snowboarding the previous 3 days in a row and well... I was tired from relaxing.

It was really nice to get away but also nice to come home to our super cute toddler! We got so much snow over the weekend at The Woodlands but coming home there was no snow to be found! I've gotten my snow fix in a very wonderful way!

Milestones

I've been trying to put together this post all week. I've been feeling uninspired  blogging wise and while this post is very inspirational I didn't know how to put it into words so my thoughts for blogging got a little backed up..... Enjoy!

Kevin has reach two milestones in the last month. Two milestones that are pretty huge and something to be very proud of.

On January 25th, Kevin bowled his first 299 game and was only 30ish pins shy of an 800 set. HOW AWESOME! Kevin has been bowling pretty much since forever and for him to reach this was totally awesome. Of course he went through the whole, "If only I didn't rush myself on the last ball it could have been a 300." BUT that worry soon went out the window because a bigger event was about to happen....

When I re-met Kevin and we started dating he was an electrician's apprentice. Two years later we were engaged and moving into together while he wrapped up his apprenticeship. The moment he wrapped up his apprenticeship he immediately started talking about becoming a Master Electrician. Of course you have to have some time under your belt before you can even think about sitting for the exam but he got the software needed to prep him when the time came.

Over the last 5 years Kevin has off and on began to prep for the Master exam. We always talked about him taking the exam prep class at the community college but we never budgeted it into our expenses. When I started working at the community college, I found out that my spouse can take any class for free (you just have to pay the fees involved). Kevin was able to take the class for $5!!!! We knew now was the time to push forward and start the process of studying and applying.

Kevin took the class this fall and has been studying almost every evening during the week and some weekend afternoons. He did the research to figure out how to apply for the exam and then got accepted to take it last month. Last week (the week before he was scheduled to take the exam) he found out that they test you on the 2011 code NOT the 2008 code he had been studying since this fall. A little panic and some extra studying was done last week and he finally headed out the door last Saturday to take the exam.

Saturday afternoon he returned home calm and with lunch in hand saying he had passed!!! I was so stinking proud of him!! Very few pass the Master Exam on the first try. My husband is a Master Electrician! Woot woot!!!!!

Introducing Infinite Wisdom!

Over the last several months I've been working on helping create a blog for my mom, Dawn Fleming. The blog is Infinite Wisdom. Her goal for the blog is to talk about living consciously and creating a life that exudes joy, love, confidence, wholeness, abundance, and success. She wants to have conversations that help us to lift humanity into new realms of living and being that honors our diversity and is centered in love. 

Dawn Fleming has been working in the field of holistic health since 1989 providing quality services that assist her clients to get unstuck, heal, find their Truth, and step into the fullness of the Light that they are. She is a catalyst for positive change and inspires and empowers clients to express and be their Best. Dawn is a medical intuitive Reiki Master, certified Life Coach, Teacher, Speaker,  Freelance Writer, and Author of Creating a Successful Holistic Health Practice, Navigating the Continuing Education Approval Process, Teaching Workshops Effectively, and Perspectives on Ascension: Sustenance for Humanity’s Journey Home. Dawn works with clients in person, over the phone, Skype and provides distance Reiki sessions. Read more about her here.

I highly recommend following this blog. Not just because she's my mom (well maybe a little) but because she is an awesome writer with a lot to say and will bring a positive outlook to your life with each post. Its not too late to keep our New Year's resolution in check by keeping ourselves inspired and free. Here is an excerpt of the first blog! 

EXPECT THE BEST

This is my motto for this year. Our attitudes, thoughts, and emotions fuel our success or down fall. Even though the outer world may appear to be scary with all the changes that are occurring, a lot of the changes are for the better.

We can go kicking or screaming resisting our destiny. Or we can release our resistance to what is and walk through any situation with courage, faith, and a deeper knowing that we do not see all the forces of good that are working for us.

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