But I’m happy, really happy, to be where I am in my life, with my wonderful friends and family, even though I can’t post about it as much as I’d like.

I am thankful, truly thankful today, for everyone who is a part of my life. You are wonderful to me and make my days and life so great.

Well, here’s my truth lately. I am really feeling like I can’t keep with  reading the blogs I love to read and can’t even keep with with regular postings to the two blogs I have.

I have a family-focus blog where I usually post updates about my son and our family for our relatives who live far away, trying to post 2-3 times a week, and lately, I can’t keep those up. It needs to take priority, and I really need to focus there.

Work is really busy and I can’t seem to find moments to even jot down notes to blog about later. Later, my priority needs to be my family and then my own responsibilities for myself and our house, and I feel like I am falling  behind on those responsibilities. It may just be that time of year, or it may just be a time in my life that is harder to stay on top of.

In any case, truth be told, I may have to take a blogging hiatus from this blog for awhile, and from staying on top of my wonderful friends’ blogs. I’m so sorry if I can’t be “there” for your blog, but I am there in spirit and there for you in person.

I need to focus on my wonderful little boy, my husband, and myself for awhile. I’m sure I’ll be back soon or from time to time.

As I’ve mentioned before, this is one of my favorite themes of the week, and as busy as I seem to have been lately, sometimes the only post I get around to posting each week on this blog (I have another family blog too where I update photos for relatives far away).

This week, I’ve learned:

1. That I like to challenge myself beating my time on a 5K. My friend and I (I’m on the far right, and the friend in the middle is the one I’ve been training with) beat our first 5K time by 2 minutes at 58 seconds on Sunday! We did 35 minutes and 14 seconds! Nevermind our other friend who did 29 minutes…. I’m anxious for our next one, which probably won’t be until next fall. It is just getting too darn hot.

2. You can find GREAT deals on Amazon. I found all of our camping gear we needed (for our 3-year-old) last week as well as some Leapster items, no tax, and no shipping! So worth it!

3. Life gets much busier with even just one child, and seems busier each day. How IS that? (I should cherish it, right, because one day he will want to do only his own thing, without his parents, right?)

4. Multitasking gets impossible after having a child. Or is it that I’m an older mom and it is the loss of brain capability too?

5. Having routines in certain areas (like menu planning, grocery shopping, regular blogging) can just fall off the face of the earth one day, for some reason, and it can be hard to get them back into place. Should I just accept that and move on or fight to get it back?

6. Your child can be a t-ball dropout, but love, love, love joining gymnastics with a buddy!

What have you learned this week?

Be sure to check out Julie’s blog!

This week or so, I’ve learned:

1. One can have goopy oopy eyes in the morning, even after inserting contacts, and like 2 hours later. Where does that goop come from? (Sorry, maybe TMI, but I feel like I am crying goop as I write this.)

2. Lucky Charms can be like crack for a three-year-old. Addictive, has-to-have it, every morning, and get at those charms, kind of crack. I’ve already told my son after the big box is empty, there is no more. Because I feel guilty as a mostly healthy-eating mom to have even purchased them in the first place. Bad mom. Anything that leaves a blue tongue even after brushing the tongue cannot be good for your child unless you want him to have ADHD later, right?

3. Even after running pretty regularly, you can take a 6 mile hike, mainly downhill the whole way and feel like you blew out your calves and now walk like…well, not sure what like, but painfully and funny like. Day 4 now after and I’m starting to feel some relief at least.

4. Your child can start making up stories about how someone is taking his snacks at school. After talking with the teacher you can realize that perhaps he is creative and smart (positive words, right), and really just wants another snack at home and thinking of sneaky ways to get it.

5. Sometimes, as much as you would like not to have to, you just have to take some TV-free nights and get caught up on all those things you can’t do in front of the TV. (When I’m talking TV time, it is really just an hour-hour and a half after my son goes to be when I’m already too pooped to do anything else.)

6. On that “pooped” note, something I learned long ago is that people from other countries don’t know that slang word and look at you really funny-like when you say, “I’m pooped.”

7. While planning for a camping trip, I’m learning Amazon has some great deals, and for no tax in our state, even better, thinking about all the necessities to add a three-year-old to the mix. I’ve also learned that without reviews, one can surely question a product’s reliability.

8. Gel nails don’t really last all that long, and can even pull up a bit just a few days after you get them. I also think my nail tech didn’t know what she was doing. I ended up scraping off most of the shellac by Friday (only 6 days of use).

9. I’m learning there are all kinds of different booster seats for kids at age 4. Now I’d love some advice on the best ones that do have back and side head rests in case my kiddo wants to go to sleep. I know he’s too young yet, but I saw one on sale and it got me thinking. Any suggestions?

10. I learned that wow, some weeks I can make it to 10! Hmmm…a big one lately? To-do lists have saved my sanity a bunch over the last few weeks. I’ve had a lot to do, and unless I write it down, it slips out of my aging mind. Thank you t0-do lists!

What have you learned this week?

Here he is with his gifts.

He is so into colors, matching, and even hatching! He’s been “hatching” the eggs this morning and looking at what’s inside. It’s great too, that he’s not even really interested in eating the candy as of yet!

As a child, we got a big chocolate bunny in our basket, then went to look for plastic and the eggs we dyed. We didn’t get much more in our basket, but I know more families do little gifts, like books or toys. Do you do that?

Did you dye eggs and hide those too? Is that sanitary to eat those eggs after sitting out overnight? Did your family make an Easter cake? (We never did, but it sounds cool!) My birthday is the week before, however, so would that be too much cake?

I’m looking for some great and fun ideas. I’m thinking maybe some Matchbox cars, craft supplies, ABC stickers, some healthy snacks (along with sweets too), and a rainbow theme to do some color matching. It will be a lot of fun this year and I’d love to hear some new ideas!

Here are some things I learned:

1. Ostriches WILL try to eat your hand when feeding. Better to feed from a distance.

2. Picnics on the back porch are fantastic! Your dogs may be confused why you’re on the outside and they are on the inside however.

3. You may wonder that three is too young for your son to play t-ball, and consider doing something more involved like gymnastics. (Last “trial” practice today)

4. Being a part of one of your best girlfriend’s wedding is an amazing thing.

5. Having someone else take a picture of you and your husband at the wedding may leave you looking like…well…you don’t have any clothes on, versus that you’re wearing a strapless dress.

What have you learned this week?

Be sure to check out Julie’s blog!

I realized what my contribution could be to What Works For Me Wednesday!

I love to scrapbook, and while I might not be as good as a lot of people out there, as I keep it pretty simple, it is something I really want to find time to do for those special occasions in my son’s and our lives. Most recently, it was for his birthday and Halloween.

As a busy working mom, I try to organize the photos I want to scrap, along with any paper or stickers I want to include (even ticket stubs and so on), inside one of the plastic sleeves in my scrapbook, so that when the time comes and I have some time to sit down and do the pages, I am pretty much ready to go. It also helps to keep me focused and keep pages from piling up on me.

What do you do that helps you save time scrapbooking?

Here are a number of things I learned in that fly-by week of mine:

1) Age 3 1/3 is a pretty fabulous age. I am just loving spending time with my son right now. He’s loving, can understand so much more, and he makes me laugh, hard. Example in #2.

2) When one sticks suction cups from a hanging bath toy bag on one’s chest, they DO stick, and make a “SLURP-POP!” sound coming off, sending your son and yourself into hysterics. I must clarify…HE put the cups on his chest, not me, and they certainly weren’t on MY chest.

3) Having a few days off with your son, filled with special fun activities, is AMAZING, and just fill that …oh, I’m terrible with metaphors….fills that bubble? That vase of rocks? That…. _____________ (you fill in the blank), that glorious place that makes you feel all happy inside.

4) Going on an early morning run right after a rain in the desert is a great thing. Only when you think you’ve plotted out a course that is long enough in your mind, to find out you didn’t go as far as you hoped (and ate a cream cheese covered bagel afterward), can be disappointing.

5) Spending time your friend,  celebrating her marriage in a week, is a wonderful thing. (Note new black dress.) Having a great photographer there doesn’t hurt either!

6) Having a day off to oneself (today) is something great to look forward to (even after the disappointing run-the distance only, yet cream cheese bagel, which was great), knowing I get to go to a fantastic restaurant at lunchtime with friends and include a margarita!

7) Leaving off on lucky number 7 (not my lucky number, but I’m sure it is someone’s, right?) today can be a good thing if it means having a little bit of time to scrapbook my son’s 3rd birthday and Halloween before lunch!

What have you learned this week?

Do I pack it with things I need to do? Do I plan all fun stuff and have a mini-vacation from home/in town?

Oh, the struggles of days off.

What I am learning most of all is that I think I’ll appreciate planning the fun stuff, the memorable stuff. I won’t remember the “to-do’s” that can get “to-done” another day, right?

That’s my tomorrow. I have some fun stuff planned, but grocery shopping and Target shopping are sitting on the burner too. Do I push them to the back burner for another day and just truly enjoy the day with my son? I would SOOOO love that, and at age three, it is soooo fun!

How do YOU decide?

So, as I am two weeks away from being a bridesmaid in a wedding (only my second time), here are some things I’ve learned about that:

1. I think I’m spending more time thinking about my nails and accessories for my friend’s wedding than I did my own 8 years ago. (We did a simple, in the park, close friends and family thing.) Though stressful, it is kind of fun to have the excuse too.

2. I’m definitely spending more money dressing for, sleeping in a hotel for, attending parties for this wedding than my own. I even bought special undergarments for two different outfits for this wedding, and I sure didn’t for my own cute dress I wore for my wedding.

3. Preparing a “Here’s everything you need to know for 24-36 hours with our son” list, while we’re gone, will be an adventure.

4. I’m not sure if this will be a learning experience or not, but when a party says, “Wear your little black dress,” will people really be wearing their little black dresses or will they all show up in jeans, a cool shirt, and heels, and I’ll be overdressed?

5. Again, maybe not a learning experience yet, but could use advice, if getting a French mani/pedi done for a wedding, should you do gel wraps for both to protect and pay the extra price? I think what I’ll learn from that is that I’ll have to pay the extra $ to have it removed in the shop. Thoughts anyone?

Be sure to check out Julie’s post this week!