kelly lynn creations

one month in

It's been just over a month since I started working full time. I've been surprised at how smooth the transition has been. I have really been enjoying going to the office and focusing on my work. It has helped to have a soft landing with this job. Not only am I familiar with the product offering, but I also know nearly a third of the employees from my previous work experience. 

On the home front, hubby and the kid have been doing quite well while I've been at work. When I asked my son how it was having me at work, he didn't hesitiate "Awesome!". I know he enjoys having more time with Dad and I think they are doing very well managing the schedules. 

We still have some things to iron out - like "What's for dinner?". I'm sure with time we will work out a routine that fits our schedule. Gotta go, I have to get to bed!

one little word: 2012

This is my 5th year participating in the one little word challenge. Over the years, my words have been:

• transformation
• calm
• courage
• discover

This year, "discover" turned out to be right on target. I started off last year by taking a certificate program in Digital Marekting Strategies. I ended up discoverying a new career as well as meeting a lot of great people through my program and various networking events that I attended. 

For this year, I want to focus on balance. Now that I am a working mom, I am finding that it is even more important to make sure I maintain balance in my life. I need to make time for date nights, girl's nights out, alone time and one-on-one time with the kiddo.

What's your word for 2012?

Happy New Year

We ended 2011 skiing as a family at our favorite ski resort. It was a beautiful day and it had snowed over 2 feet the night before. Perfect conditions. One of the many things we love about this resort is their tradition of having St. Bernard mascots for the lodge.

We all enjoyed playing with Heidi, the 16 month puppy. We are hoping that on our next visit, the 8 week old puppy, Bruno, will be available to play.

This photo reminds me of our dog Chloe, although Boxers and St. Bernards are very different - their coloring is similar. I miss seeing the kiddo interacting with a dog...

Hope 2012 is your best yet! 

ready, set, ski!

A few years ago, we were worried the kid wouldn't like skiing. He loves it!

This weekend we skied for the first time this season. There is very little coverage on the mountains, but the weather was so amazing we decided to go anyway. It was also fun to hang out in the lodge and check out the holiday decorations. 

For the first time since I can remember, I was the only one that didn't fall. I mean, my husband never falls - he is a very precise skier. I tend to catch an edge from time to time and on any given day I will typically take one fall. I happened to be right behind the kid as he tumbled in front of me as both of his skis popped off his boots. I did not enjoy watching it, but I was happy to see he slowed down - at least for a little while!

9 to 5...

I returned to full-time work this week, after staying at home with my son for the past 7+ years. The biggest challenge for me was just getting myself out the door. For the past several years, my mornings have been pretty slow moving. I never liked rushing the kid to get him to school. Luckily he wakes up pretty early so he gets a lot of down time before school starts. My challenge now is to get myself up early enough so I'm not rushed. Ideally I'd like to get up and actually work out, but that will mean getting up even earlier!

Last June, I completed a certificate program in Digital Marketing Strategies. It turned out to me a great move, as it gave me a new set of skills in an area that I found fascinating. My new skill set along with my previous experience gave me just the right mix to be marketable in the current economy. It also helped that I had maintained my network of connections as I now work with many of my previous collegues. 

I feel very fortuate that my husband's schedule allows him to be more involved with my son at his school. Several times this week I have received a photo of what the boys have been up to. Here they are decorating gingerbread men at the holiday party at school. 

 

The kid has adjusted very well to me going back to work. I think it's the right time for all of us. 

our tree

The boys ventured out on their own this afternoon to pick up our tree. I was getting worried that we wouldn't have the time to get a tree before Christmas. Yikes!

Whenever we go tree hunting, the kid and I usually walk around and compare notes about each tree until we find one that "speaks" to us. My husband is easy to please when it comes to trees, but the kid and I are pretty particular. Apparently this is the tree that spoke to him today.

It looks great in the house and I'm excited to decorate it with the kid tomorrow!

a little Q & A with the kid

A few weeks ago, I came into my son's room to find him taking down his Lego base. After building it for the past several weeks, he was ready to move on to his next project. I thought it would be fun to ask him a few questions about his process as he started a new Lego base. Here goes:

How do you know what you are going to build?

I think about it in my head. I make a picture of it in my head. Like a garage, I see it in my mind and then I build it.

How do you decide which pieces you will use?

Sometimes I use the big pieces to take up a lot of space and sometimes I use the yellow and red bricks to build it. 

How do you know what color to use? (This was my favorite answer from the kid!)

Hmm, I can't remember if I see it in my mind in color. (He proceeds to squeeze his eyes shut to figure out what he sees). It depends!

One of my favorite things to do is to watch my son as he works on his Lego master pieces. It is such a great way to casually ask him about how things are going and I really enjoy watching him work on his project. He is always so intent on what he is building, that it is really fun to watch.

Here is what he built in a matter of an hour or so...

 

more treats from Halloween

The week before Halloween, I got a flyer from my dentist about his candy buy back program. Oh, I'm listening! Our son is not a big candy eater and I knew if we kept all of his Halloween candy, hubby and I would not have the willpower to refrain from dipping into the stash all to often.

I was all over the candy buy back program, but I really didn't know what the kid would think. It didn't take him long to decide that selling his candy for $1 per pound would be a wise choice for him. On Halloween, I overheard him say "I don't like candy!" - and he really doesn't. What does he like? Chocolate cake and cupcakes. He loves, loves chocolate  - just not in a candy bar format.

The week after Halloween we collected all of his candy and marched it to the dentist. He was pretty happy to earn $4 for his donation. Not bad! In addition to collecting funds for his next Lego purchase (which he has already made!), he was also entered into a drawing for a $25 gift card. 

When the phone rang today from the dentist, I was pretty sure it was to tell me the kid had won. Turns out the odds were pretty good that he would win one of the 4 gift cards, since not too many kids were willing to donate their candy. 

This is a win-win for sure!

the kid likes to cook

The kid has been a big helper in the kitchen lately. A few weeks ago, I roasted a butternut squash and I had big plans to make raviolis - the easy kind. The kid wasn't too interested in preparing the squash, but when it was time to fill the wonton wrappers he wanted to help out. 

Here he is putting the raviolis together. I think he did a great job!

I love how serious he is when he is cooking. He really pays attention and wants his creation to turn out. He kept asking me when he was filling the ravioli if he was doing it right. Yep, looks great!

Here he is showing off his finished ravioli. 

And yes, I didn't get around to cooking until later in the evening that night - which is why the kid is in his pajamas!

Last weekend, my mom came for a visit and she always likes to make pizza with the kiddo. This time he was quite the helper spreading the sauce and putting on the toppings. 

I think he is ready for our upcoming Thanksgiving preparations. We will be heading down to Granny's early to get started. I think I'll put him in charge of a Thanksgiving dish this year!

 

Halloween, the day after

We had a jam packed Halloween this year! For the past several weeks the kid has been decorating the house with drawings, spiders, pumpkins and even blood and goo. School always has a parade and a class party and they had some really fun crafts this year for the kids. I love the pumpkin my son decorated.

After school we had the kid rest before the big night started and then we headed down to the neighbor's house for a little get together. Since we are new to the neighborhood, it was a great way to get the low down on the trick or treat scene. 

A lot of the kids in our neighborhood go to the same area to trick or treat and we decided to do the same. We started off at the first house and already recognized parents from his class. By the second house the kid had found a buddy and he ended up going from house to house with him for the entire night. At one point, we lost track of him but since there were so many people we knew it wasn't that big of a deal - we found him fairly soon after and let him know to check in before he goes on to the next house.

It was a cold evening, but thankfully it didn't rain. I was pleasantly surprised when a homeowner offered me a hot toddy. Apparently, he has been serving up drinks to the parents for the past 12 years. I know I'll be back next year, it really hit the spot!

Just as we were walking back up to our car, our son spotted another friend and we ended up chatting with his parents and some other friends for another half hour before we finally made it back to the car. It was a fun night for us all!

I'm surprised the kid got up at a reasonable time this morning. By the time he counted his candy - which was pretty impressive since he combined what we had leftover from our house and hardly anyone took any. He didn't get to bed until after 9 pm.

When I noticed he was munching on a peanut butter cup along with his breakfast, I just had to smile. You're only 7 once!