Beneficial Thinking

I just got an amazing phone call from my sister (OK, technically my sister-in-law, but more like a sister) and she wanted to know if we wanted to go to Outer Banks with her family for a week! I'm not sure if we'll be able to swing it because it is very soon, but instead of writing a blog posting tonight, I'm going to try to figure out how we could swing this vacation!

Have a great evening!

Fridge Phonics: Magnet Alphabet Set from LeapFrog

Every Thursday my son goes to speech therapy (we think he has Apraxia). This week the therapist had the Fridge Phonics: Magnet Alphabet Set in her office and Ben showed interest in it, so she gave it a shot. While he drew, the therapist would put in a letter (B, for example), the toy would play a little tune (such as, "every letter makes a sound, b says buh") and he'd actually say the sound, no teeth pulling necessary. He did SO well, our BEST therapy session yet! So I broke down and bought one for home today so that we could do some work at home. Hopefully he'll work with it at home too, I'll keep you posted. Of course we are still practicing all the words he's already saying, focusing on trying to improve the two-syllable words like bubble (we blow lots of bubbles) and balloon (The Yellow Balloon by Charlotte Dematons). But every new word he says, my heart does a little pitter-patter.

I love seeing other bloggers lists of their favorites, and I have found a lot of great blogs through those lists. So, I thought I'd share my favorites with you!

1. Ideas to Inspire: Playroom with Daybed Storage and Play Room and Day Bed Reveal
   A great inspiration for the day after my son climbs out of his crib... I'm thinking it will be any day now!
   
2. Tool Time Tuesday... Let's "Switch" It Up A Little
   Such a practical idea, I love it!
   
3. Making Lists and Batching Tasks
   I love seeing how other people stay organized and make lists. I'm still looking for the "perfect" method for me.
   
4. Inspiration Wednesday
   I love Donna Downy, her video blog, stamps, and her new India Inks. Need I say more?
   
5. Scrap by Color: Red & a Question
   Stacy Julian is so entertaining and real! Her scrap by color video blogs are awesome and I can't wait to see what she shows us after her color bins.
   
6. What a Difference a Second Makes
   How many times have you thought that in your life? So glad McCall is okay!
   
7. The Week in Bentos: May 24-28, 2010
   I love Wendy's food creations! I love her weekly posts of foods.
   
8. Playhouse Closet
   This may have been posted in March, but I just stumbled across the Sawdust and Paper Scraps blog this week and am in love with this project.
   
9. Lessons in Motherhood: Do Over!
   I've had a day or two where I wish I would've had a do-over! It's always nice to see that other mothers have the same struggles.
   
10. Fun Kids Activity: Staying Connected Through Letters
    Another Juggling Motherhood post... I think I'll start my son writing letters to his cousins this summer, even though he's only 2! What kid doesn't love to create mail and receive mail?

So, I made this list sometime in March after finding the blog karenika and being inspired by her list and others that I have found since. I'm interested in seeing how far I get since I didn't really even start until April, but am hoping that by posting the list, it give me an extra push. There are more than 52 because of additions since its initial creation, in red. Without further adieu, here's the original list, I will post updates as appropriate!

Health, Diet, and Exercise

1. Lose 20 pounds
2. Establish a morning and evening routine
3. Start walking 10,000 steps a day
4. Complete the 200 sit-ups training program
5. Complete the 100 push ups training program
6. Complete the 200 squats training program
7. Start packing lunch 3 days a week
8. Collect two weeks’ worth of healthy ideas/recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks
9. Work on cookbook of tried-and-true recipes

Benjamin

10. Take a mommy-and-me class - (Done)
11. Find time to go outside with Ben while daddy is at softball - (In Progress)
12. Get Ben to sleep in his crib the entire night
13. Speech therapy for Ben - (In Progress)
14. Follow-up with sleep clinic and ENT about Ben's tonsils - (In Progress)
15. Follow-up with cardiologist about Ben's hole in his heart - (In Progress)

Crafts and Hobbies

16. Read 12 grown-up books from start to finish
    - Have a Little Faith
    - Heroes for My Son
    - Run Like a Mother
17. Take a scrapbooking class
18. Finish Ben's 1st year scrapbook
19. Finish Ben's 2nd year scrapbook
20. Keep Ben's 3rd year scrapbook up-to-date
21. Finish our wedding scrapbook
22. Take a photography class
23. Take monthly pictures of Ben (around the 17th)
24. Continue making jewelry
    Create a catalog of what's been made so far and its cost

Professional

25. Learn Wordpress
26. Complete the church's website in Wordpress
27. Apply to 3 jobs a week

Household

28. Find a paint color for the main portions of the house - (In Progress)
29. Organize the coat closet
30. Repaint the entryway
31. Paint the half bath ceiling
32. Paint the kitchen ceiling
33. Paint the kitchen
34. SCRUB all of the tile by hand (summer)
35. Clean the tops of the cabinets (summer)
36. SCRUB all of the tile by hand (winter)
37. Clean the tops of the cabinets (winter)
38. Wash all of the windows in the house
39. Clean behind and under the refrigerator
40. Clean behind and under the stove
41. Clean out and reorganize the kitchen cabinets
42. Window coverings for kitchen and breakfast nook
43. Hang glass-blown balls - (Done)
44. Paint the laundry room ceiling
45. Paint the laundry room
46. Hang cabinets in the laundry room
47. Organize the laundry room
48. Carpet the great room - (In Progress)
49. Artwork – Decide what stays, what goes, what gets added, etc.
    Hang artwork in loft
50. Organize the basement
51. Organized and inventory upstairs and downstairs freezer
52. Get the driveway sealed - (Done)
53. Get a shed in the yard - (In Progress)
54. Move stuff from garage to shed and organize
    Scrub the garage floor and paint
    Organize what is left in the garage
55. 2010 Taxes - (Done)

AND

56. Get pregnant

So, I just finished the LOAD challenge for May and didn't know what I should do with my free time, until I was reading the Lonely Scrapbooker's Blog and found out about the NaBloPoMo site and the post every day for a month challenge... and so I figured why not! I thought I'd start the month by taking a stab at today's prompt...

When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be an engineer at Proctor & Gamble just like my dad. I'm not sure if my perceptions are correct, but it always seemed like the company cared about building their hard working employees up and my dad may have come home flustered some nights, but overall he seemed content with his job. We had a wall full of patents at home that my dad had worked on and the company had framed for him. And P&G had great benefits beyond medical, dental, etc.... a day at King's Island, departmental parties, free tickets to events like David Copperfield and the Globetrotters.

We weren't rich, but we had a comfortable life when I was growing up. We went on vacations, always welcomed friends and family into our home, and helped whenever people needed it.

I may not be an engineer at Proctor & Gamble, and I may not have the perfect job, but that doesn't matter! What does matter is that as my son grows up he learns that hard work and dedication to your job is important  (even though I know I'll have more than one job in my adult life, unlike my dad). It also matters that he gets to experience things in life, that he knows anyone is welcome in our house, and that we should help the people that need it (even if we aren't asked to give it).