A Thunderstorm in FEBRUARY in KANSAS!?

Today, it is President's Day. My kids are both home with me today. And they are even playing nicely, ate their lunches, took naps, and are back to playing again. But as I await my hubby to get home, I am listening to a Thunderstorm heading our way outside. Thunder and Lightening in mid February. Really?! This is Wild!! Things have been crazy with the weather this last year. Major Drought (you could fall into a crack in the yard and fall forever), then 6 inches of rain in 2 days. Then one inch of snow last week, and a Thunderstorm Warning today. WHAT?!!?!

Adventures of a Stay at home (working) mom

OK, I have found Pinterest... which means I have SO MANY IDEAS! 

A friend of mine made circle crayons....

 so I jumped on board and made these...

 

So, I added a cute little saying... and TADA! Cason's Preschool Valentine's are done.

Now, keep in mind that I did a little test run the day before. After a huge mess, a oven fire, and 4 hours of Oven doing a self-cleaning (thank the lord for this invention). 

I had a good idea of what to NOT do.

So here is the what you SHOULD do...

Recipe:

Reheat Oven to 360

Find a pan that is the shapes you want. (Mine was a sucker/cookie sheet mold)

Strip the crayons of the wrappers (regular size crayons only, fat crayons don't melt in the middle)

Crop crayons and mix and match as you wish into mold.

Foil a cookie sheet to place under the mold sheet (just in case)

And place in oven until melted. Took about 10 minutes.

Take out and let cool, then flip mold and pop out crayons.

Another Book that is after my heart

So, over a year ago, I received this AMAZING book from my sis in law.

I LOVE IT SO MUCH, that I sent it traveling. Alas, I have never heard from it since the first mother it made it too. (thanks to Citymom- but where has my favorite book gone???)

So, I found out just this morning that those crazy moms that wrote "Run like a Mother" now have a NEW book coming out soon.....

"Train like a mother" 

I AM SOOOOO EXCITED TO READ WHAT FUNNY THINGS THIS BOOK HOLDS!!!

Who is going to add this to their wish list???

It's a bird! It's a Plane! It's Super LittleMan!

 Yes! Here he comes to safe the day! SUPER LittleMan!

**Find awesome costume for sale HERE

I have been looking for a jogging stroller so I can get back to running. Since there is NO TIME to run during daylight anymore. The hubby leaves for work at 4am and I get home at sunset from Coaching. Between the hours of 4am and 530-6pm, I am at home with LittleMan. And without a jogging stroller, no running can commence. So after much looking, one came up this week, it is an hour drive but she is willing to take $50! YEPPIE!!!

before

InStep 5k! YEAH BABY!!

So, This blog may turn into a "26.2 B4 30!" 

I have the perfect book to help along the way... 

**Find Amazon link HERE

I'm Home..... all the time.

So, it has been a full 2 weeks now that I have been a stay-at-home-working-mom. I have learned a few fun facts about being at home.
#1- Much work CAN get done with the tv on. ( I have found that absolute silence--mainly at nap time-- is a "no-go" for me.)
#2- It is about multitasking, THANK THE GOOD LORD that I am a master at this. (ex. Mommy, can you help me set up this train track?, Mommy, can I have some juice?, Mommy, I need to go potty. )
#3- I have found many tasks that have been awaiting completion or even starting.

Not-so-fun facts
#1- It can get a little lonely, even with a 3 year old at home.
#2- Laundry and cleaning house are always there to do.
#3- Again, I have found many tasks that need done.

All in all though, I have found great things with being home with my littleman. He has already had a huge breakthrough in toilet training. We aren't seeing the finish line just yet, but we are closer. He loves his new part time preschool and he is a big mommy cuddle-monster now too. Work is no longer a "stress" for me. But that does not mean that I don't have stress. Seriously, is anyone NOT stressed about at least something these days?

We finally purchased littleman a big bed. We found it at a friends benefit auction and I will be working on that the next months to get it ready. Stripping the stain, removing a few embellishments and re-staining. Work, but worth it in the end. I goal is to have it done in 5 months, when littleman turns 4 years. (and I turn 30...)

So, what advise do you at-home-working-moms or just at-home-moms have for me??????????

The new adventures of the home office.

So, I am a week into my new job. Working from home, where I refuse to work in the dark basement (so my "office" is on the kitchen table, and sometimes the living room coffee table and .... well you get the picture. Thankfully, I have a wireless ALL-IN-ONE printer. So no matter where I am in the house, the documents print in the basement dark corner whole guestroom. :)

But today, I received my new file cabinet. And has most things goes these days... this is where I found myself at the start of a 2 to 3 hour project...

 Yes, this is PAGE #1.... do you see where I am going here? I had officially found the first thing (and hopefully last or close too) that I don't like about my job. Following the NASA based instructions for a 3 drawer short file cabinet. Seriously, who comes up with this stuff!? Because my guess is that they need a good "clean out". Just saying.

So after getting everything laid out in neat, organized piles around my living room (yes, a little OCD with organization) I had the urge to ride off into the sunset. Maybe on this,

...........if Littleman would loan it to mommy.
Alas, I stuck to it, and after a many "mommy, if my monster trucks" And "mom, whats for dinners"... etc. i completed the task.

Littleman was so happy for mommy!

So, I stuck with and I conquered. 

Next, only time will tell.

2012

2012...
So much new going on...
New job...
New preschool...
New KINDLE FREE....
New Cross necklace...
New neighbors...
New daily schedule...
New lease at life....

I have already gone through my clothes and gotten rid of a lot. I have started organizing and setting up plans for projects and changes in our lives and home. I have started seeing things in the house that we just don't need. My obsession to stream line and to pass things to families that are in need more that my family. I want to move forward, and not look behind me. I want to LOSE THE WEIGHT. BE HAPPIER AND BE A BETTER MOTHER AND WIFE.

I am READY.

What are your plans for 2012?????