Happy Halloween!

C is almost 8, and N is 6 1/2. This is the first year they haven't either matched, or followed a theme for Halloween. I'm feeling bittersweet about it -- proud of them for speaking their minds and choosing their costumes, but missing the cuteness of matching costumes! (C is Luke Skywalker, N is a Power Ranger.)

When they were tiny, they were both pumpkins one year. So cute! One year N dressed up as a doctor and C as a skeleton. Another year they were both St. George. And last year, C was Peter Pan, N was Captain Hook and L was Tinkerbell.

I haven't decided if I will even dress L up tomorrow night. Her Tinkerbell costume should fit again this year, or I think I have the pumpkin outfit in the closet. Hopefully DH won't have any evening calls so he can walk them around the neighborhood while I hand out candy.

I let the boys choose the candy we'd give out this year. They chose Airheads and Sour Patch Kids. I don't know if I really gave birth to these kids or not. LOL!

I never really liked Halloween. I was always scared as a kid when people dressed up creepy or their houses were creepy. The candy was nice, but candy was never in short supply for me -- my great aunts always had candy for me, and my maternal grandparents had an entire drawer full of candy for the grandkids. I'm not a prankster, so that was never an appeal. I'm just ambivalent -- but my boys enjoy the holiday, so I do what I can to make it special for them.

L at 18 months

Walking with a Dog, Kids and a Stroller

Walking with a Dog, Kids and a Stroller is a post I wrote over at Prevention.com. Taking the time to train Beulah to walk with the stroller has been well worth the effort!

Posted using ShareThis

gas prices

Back in April, I posted in shock that gasoline cost $3.32/gallon. The price continued to rise from there, and I stopped writing about it, but it was just under $4/gallon not too long ago.

I was already limiting trips, consolidating trips, and had seriously cut back on get-togethers with friends who lived far away when gas prices creeped up to $2.50/gallon a couple years ago. DH had no choice but to drive for work, so I did my best to further limit our trips around town when prices broke $3/gallon.

I filled up yesterday for $2.62/gallon. This is a welcome relief, but gas prices stayed high long enough to force companies to increase their prices on things like groceries. While gas prices are dropping, those other prices will remain high. Companies will use the money they're saving on transportation to pad their profit margins, and help them through these current tough economic times.

Don't get me wrong -- I'm glad gas prices are dropping again. But, with the quick rise and drop of the gas prices, it makes me wonder what forces really were behind the price increase. Was it greed? Dishonesty? Both? It seems that much of our current economic woes can be traced back to the greed and dishonesty of a ridiculously large group of people in our country.

Autumn Fitness Goals

Check out my Autumn Fitness Goals over at Prevention.com! What are YOUR fitness goals as we head into autumn / winter? I'd like to know :)

Posted using ShareThis

I made it!

It's Monday night and I made it through the weekend.

• I didn't finish all my articles, but was able to get an extension for the couple I wasn't able to finish.
• Party goods shopped for and purchased!
• I didn't work on the proposals or the query. That was a self-imposed deadline, and I realize now it was not very realistic.
• Class successfully prepped by 10PM last night. C woke up at 3:30 puking. I had to get up at 6 to be on time. I was on time, and I had a great class. You couldn't have known I hadn't been in front of a classroom for 8 years! It felt great, and I can't wait for another class to be offered to me.
  
• I got the house clean in time for the party.
• The party was a great success. We hosted 24 kids and 8 adults stayed throughout the party. It was hectic, but fun! This was the 5th year in a row I've hosted a kid Halloween party, and I admit that I'm wondering if that might have been the last for a while.
  
• The pumpkin patch happened. It was hot this year (mid 90's) and sunny and I confess I was feeling miserable. Nate was also under the weather, but insisted he wanted to go. This is another family tradition, so we didn't want to miss. I really hope next year a cold front blows through.
• We skipped football this weekend. Nate wasn't feeling well, and I was overwhelmed with all that still needed to be done for the party. We won't miss again this season.
• My wonderful DH fixed the PC laptop in plenty of time for my massive prep session Sunday afternoon / evening.
  
• I'm still behind on laundry. Argh. Even more behind today since I was gone all day teaching. Oh, well.
• Kids were all fed and cared for all weekend.
• Husband was cared for and told how much I appreciated him.
• Dog was fed, cared for, and is actually spending more time in the house because DH realizes it's up to him to make it happen. I have no problem with the feeding and the walking, but was overwhelmed with the housebreaking . . . DH has taken that over when he's home. I love how we work as a team!

I'm tired tonight, but I have a couple days that I can use for catch-up. I do have deadlines in the next couple days, and C's birthday party to get ready for, and more -- but I can catch my breath a bit tomorrow.

my weekend

• 14 articles to write between now and tomorrow night.
• 1 Halloween party to shop for and execute on Saturday.
• 2 proposals and one query to complete and get out by Monday.
• 1 class to prep for in a software I haven't looked at in almost 10 years to teach on Monday.
• 1 pumpkin patch visit to happen on Sunday.
• 1 house to clean before the party on Saturday.
• 2 boys to football Saturday morning.
• 5 loads of laundry to catch up and get current
• 1 PC laptop to repair so that I can prep for that class mentioned above. Have I mentioned how much I love my macbook? I'll never go back . . . well, except to prep for classes apparently. Hopefully DH can help with this one.
• 3 children to feed and care for.
• 1 husband to love and care for.
• 1 dog to feed and keep out of the house.
  

I'm buried under my to-do list at the moment. I wish the above list was my entire list, but it's probably triple that. I'm afraid to look.

Frugal Pain Relievers

Over at Prevention, I wrote about ways we save money on pain relievers. Writing this post made me realize that I need to make some more rice packs for our freezer . . . now just to find the time to make them!

Living Life to the Fullest

Somehow, I don't think this woman will have any regrets on her deathbed -- may we all embrace life like she has!

I love to sleep

If you know me at all, you probably know I love to nap and sleep. Over at Prevention, I wrote a post about how I get a better night's sleep. I didn't mention how B & I used separate blankets for more than 10 years so we wouldn't fight over the blankets at night. LOL!