kelly lynn creations

cupcake challenge

Today the kid and I participated in a cupcake challenge. Every year there are a variety of community functions to attend to help raise money for all of the "extras" at his school. I have to say, it was one impressive party! To start with, each team received the following supplies: 

• 3 vanilla cupcakes
• 3 chocolate cupcakes
• Blue, Green and Pink frosting
• 6 toppings (sprinkles, chips, colored marshmellows, red hots, jelly beans and jelly bellies)
• pencils to sketch out ideas
• knife
• 2 colored straws

After a little training from an expert on the art of frosting - we were off and running:

The first phase was the speed competition. Next up was the secret ingredient - which turned out to be Oreos. 

The final phase was picking 2 "extras" from the creative board to use in the final cupcake. 

Here are the kids masterpieces for the judges review. He ended up winning "Best Alien" - which actually upset him because isn't it clear that one of his cupcakes is the Death Star which is Star Wars - not alien! I thought it was great that everyone "won"!

This was one of my favorites - a hamburger! They cut the vanilla cupcake in half and used the chocolate cupcake as the hamburger. They used red and yellow fondant for a tomato and a slice of cheese. To finish it off they put green frosting on it for lettuce. Very creative!

field trip study

This year I joined my son's class on the field trip to one of my favorite local parks. They were going as part of their Native American study tour. As it turns out - it absolutely poured for the entire outdoor outing. I mean - soaking wet, take a look:

And yes that is a grumpy face - one that I saw for most of the outing. The kid just wasn't excited about this particular field trip. As it turns out the first summer camp he had was at this same location - and he didn't have a very good time and he hasn't forgotten!

 

a day in my life

I figured I would document what I was up to yesterday as a reminder of how my schedule gets turned upside down when I'm juggling too many things:

6:30  -  7:30     Respond to work emails

7:30  -  8:30     Shower, Dress, Feed kid - out the door by 8:35 (so thankful we live 2 minutes from school!)

8:30  -  9:00     Catch up with my friends at the kid's school - It's always nice to feel so welcome, seriously love the community at our son's school

9:00 - 10:00     Physical Therapy for my knee (I managed to sprain my knee over 6 weeks ago, getting off the lift chair! Now I have 6 weeks of physical therapy so I can actually extend my right leg and squat down without pain. Hoping to ski before the season is over.)

10:00 - 4:00    Work at the office

 4:00 -  4:30     Pick up the kid from after care

 4:30 -  5:00     Wait while the kid finishes his project - and he says he doesn't like aftercare!

 5:00 - 6:00      Relaxing dinner with the kid listening to him talk about his day and trying to remember how to play Yahtzee - kid lost interest as I was trying to figure out the scoring. Maybe in a few years.

 6:00 - 6:30      Trader Joe's to stock up on the basics - thankfully the kid was in a great mood to tag along

 6:30 - 7:00      Quick trip home to drop everything off

 7:00 - 7:15       Drop kid off at his best buddies for an impromptu playdate - so thankful to have a friend I can   call at the last minute to help me out

7:15 - 8:30        Budget meeting at school - always lively conversation and I always have something to say!

8:30 - 9:00       Pick up kid, Go home, get ready for bed - Night Night

Yikes, I hope today is a little more mellow!

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?