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Making Time For You

A week ago, I was heading to SheStreams in NYC for the adventure of my life.

SheStreams 2011

I am still digesting all of the information that I learned during the two days in New York City. Maria Bailey and her team packed in an amazing weekend. Thanks to the amazing keynote speakers and panel members, my brain is still moving a mile a minute.

@ResourcefulMom - @TypeAMom - @ColoradoMom

SheStreams was also the first time I have been away for a night without one of the boys since NHL was born eight years ago. Yes, I missed TechyDad, NHL, and JSL – but it was nice only to worry about ME and put ME first. The wise words of Rene Syler (aka Good Enough Mother) came flooding back to me Saturday morning when she reminded us that it is ok to move yourself to the top of your to-do list.

Rene and Me - March 2011 

Late nights in NYC chatting, networking, and laughing with new and old friends reminds me of the importance of ME time.

Shannan - Janice, Amy, and Amy

On the flip side, I also know that TechyDad needs time away to do things he likes, and we need couple time as well. Mom and Dad need to keep their identities to be their best for the kids. As we begin 5772 this Rosh Hashanah – I hope that our family can work on this aspect of life.

So my question to you this week:

How do you make sure to get time for YOU and what do you like to do with these special moments?

It's Me

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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha Friday by Kailani at An<br<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />
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    Island<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />
    Life

Aloha #171

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Train Ride Home From SheStreams 2011

By the time this is posted, I will be home and back with my family. Right now, I am sitting here on the train coming home from New York City.

Time Square

So many things are going through my brain thanks to the SheStreams Conference. Maria Bailey  (@MomTalkRadio) put on an amazing conference. A huge thank you to her, the sponsors, and SheStreams staff for a truly magical weekend. I learned so much, met amazing people, and saw fantastic old friends.

SheStreams 2011

Although I am tired from an action packed weekend, I am energized and feel like I can take on new and exciting projects. I have been inspired to try items that may have scared me in the past, but now I am ready to take care of business and work on bringing things to a new level. I am a blogger, but I am so much more. The world of social media has shown me that a teacher on hiatus has a lot to offer the world. Now, I need to take the necessary steps to keep moving forward.

I have a lot of amazing things to share from SheStreams, but it is going to take me time to wrap my brain around everything. First, I must head home, hug my boys, give them something special that I bought them at the Disney Store and get back into the swing of things.

Disney Store in Time Square

A huge thank you to my amazing husband, TechyDad, for pushing me to go on this adventure. Being a major Type A person, this was a whirlwind weekend that I never could have imagine, but was so worth it. To Tamara, MomRN – I missed seeing you at She Streams, but was honored to have bought your ticket and go to this first ever event.

Another thank you to Shannan for kicking my butt into high gear and getting the ticket and then figuring out the rest. You were beyond right, I am glad I went. Of course, another big thank you to Kelby, the head Type-A-Parent, I can not thank you enough for all that you did this weekend. It was so much fun hanging out with you. I hope you are able to find your spot that was MIA all weekend and rendered your phone useless. My dumb phone and I can not even imagine the pain you must have been in.

TypeAMom and Slpowell

One other shout-out to Rene Syler (more coming later about the head GEM). Thank you for also kicking me in the rear and reminding me before SheStreams to move myself back to the list of important to do items. It was a pleasure seeing you speak, learning with you in ResourcefulMom’s rockin’ session, chatting, and surprisingly not needing the bail money that you told TechyDad to send me.

I met many other people and learned so much more, but that will be coming soon. If you went to SheStreams, I would love to catch up with you online if I missed seeing/meeting you in person. Please say hello and remind me to catch up on my Twitter followers since I have been slacking some. Safe travels to everyone as they head back home.

It's Me

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Cupcake Crazy With Bettie’s Cakes

It is no secret that I really like making, baking, decorating, and even buying cupcakes. The unfortunate part for my waistline is that there are a bunch of amazing cupcakeries in the area. One of them was even featured on Cupcake Wars on Food Network the other day.

On the night that we should have been dining at Disney World, TechyDad and I went out to dinner while the kids stayed with Nana and Papa. After our amazing meal, we both wanted something special for dessert. So we went to try some sweet treats from Bettie’s Cakes at the local mall. Yes, there is actually a cupcake stand in the food court. Insert drool here:

Cupcake Choices

Giant Cookie Goodness

In the end, TechyDad and I were eyeballing the monster cookies. Of course, we HAD to try a cupcake. We agreed to get a Rasberry Zinger to split between us. Check out the amazing packaging that gets the cupcakes home safe and sound:

Ready to go

Are you hungry yet? No? Well, I think we need to remedy that with some more cupcake photos when the Rasberry Zinger and cookies made it home.

Yummy!

Although the cupcake was moist, delicious, and the frosting really great – my heart skipped a beat for the cookie. It was ooey, gooey, and amazing. My only complaint (which others will scoff at), is that it had a bit too much chocolate in it for my taste. I know the horrors – right?

Table at Bettie's

On Sunday, we took the boys to Hoffman’s Playland for what will likely be the last time this season. In front of Hoffman’s is a new location for Bettie’s Cakes. Yes, there are three locations, plus two cupcakery vehicles including their double decker pink bus. After going on some rides, we went in to check out Bettie’s ice cream or baked goods for a treat.

Fun look inside Bette's Cakes in Latham

The three boys opted to have a small ice cream (which was rather large). Each ice cream comes with a topping of your choice.

Ice cream toppings

JSL picked Death By Chocolate with gummy worms.

JSL's creation

NHL picked Bettie’s Three-Ring Circus – which was cotton candy flavored. He added marshmallows on top.

NHL's creation

TechyDad had Cookie Bookie and topped it with Reece’s Pieces.

TechyDad's creation

I was not too enthused with the ice cream choices. The cupcakes looked interesting, but well there was something else that really caught my eye. Here she is:

PB goodness

The boys loved their ice cream, and I took half of my cookie home even after sharing with everyone. Check the boys out. I think you can tell they were very happy:

My Happy Boys

It was not something we do often, but well worth it for some delicious family fun and together time. Thank you Bettie for this experience that we will always remember.

Do you have cupcake places by you? Do any of them deliver or have special flavors like Blueberry Pancake, Chocolate Covered Pretzel, Chocolate Covered Cherry, or Boston Cream (all coming later this week)? Would love to hear about them since I really do adore cupcakes. The weekly flavors at Bettie’s are always listen online – which is a great perk.

It's Me

Disclosure: I wrote this post as a customer of Bettie’s Cakes. We went there and bought our items both times. I wanted to share our experience and toot the horn of a great local business. I reserve the right to drool upon reading this and wishing for another visit soon.

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Tuesday Tales – The Reading Ultimatum

Tuesday Tales

We are now into the second week of school here. Over the summer, I made sure that NHL read books while playing outside, going to events at the library, and other items in the community. Of course, something else happened over the summer. My nearly eight year old son became a gamer. If we would allow him to spend the entire day playing Nintendo Wii and/or his Nintendo DS – he probably would.

Teaching Cousin S about games

This became worse after NHL’s birthday in mid August. You see, NHL received a game for his DS that he HAD to finish. Day and night we heard about this game on the bottom of the picture.

New games

Yes, my kiddo was really into Harry Potter in this format. Of course, I am hoping that we can translate his intrigue of Snape, Voldemort, and Hermione into the books. I would love to read them with NHL since it has been a long time since I started the series.

Now that school is back in session, NHL’s time outside of school is limited. He has Hebrew School obligations that are also taking up two days a week. Thanks to this, reading seems to have taken a major step back. As a reading teacher, I am not happy with this. So last night, when NHL would not come up for air from his Nintendo DS, I came up with a new system. Once NHL is finished with his homework, has gotten some play time outside (or Wii Sports when it’s cold/rainy), he must read one of his books to earn gaming.

Reading For Game Time

Just one day in and NHL seems to get this new system. He woke up this morning and curled up on the couch with his book. Monday evening before heading to an appointment, he sat down with his Phineas and Ferb book and tallied up some more reading. Although early in the game, I do believe this may work well.

Have you ever had to do a reading system with your child to swap out for another item that they would prefer to do? I would love to hear any of your experiences.

Of course, since this is Tuesday Tales, I must ask the usual question. What have you read recently? Please be sure to link up to your Book Posts, and/or leave a comment below. Include something you read on your own, with a child or someone else. Tuesday Tales are all about spreading the love for books.

It's Me

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Wearing Disney Magic with My Fun Clothes

As I write this, I am in my car driving to Disney World. I have been a Disney fan for as long as I can remember. As soon as I turned eighteen I applied for a job at the Disney Store (they don’t hire anyone under eighteen). I can sing a long with any Disney soundtrack and no one I know will play Disney trivia with me because I always win.

I have passed this love onto my children. My son’s first in theater movie was Wall-E. Since then he has seen every Disney movie that has come through the theaters. My daughters’ own just about every Disney Princess book they sell at Barnes and Nobel. We took all of them to see Tangled opening weekend last November. My daughters’ are begging me to transform their Fab 5 (that’s Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Pluto for anyone who does not know) room into a Princess room. They are Disney enthusiasts to say the least.

Last summer we took the kids to Disney World for the first time. In preparation for the trip I decided I was going to make the kids Disney wardrobes. All three kids had a Disney outfit for every single day. It was so fun. Plus, I kept it a secret and surprised them with it on arrival. I had a lot of fun making things that fit my kids’ personalities. I was able to make things that you just can’t find anywhere. I made my daughter a Lightning McQueen dress and a Buzz Lightyear dress. This summer not only do the girls have "boy" character dresses but each of my (now) four children have matching outfits of Mickey, Pooh and McQueen. You just can’t find that anywhere. It’s fun to turn the traditional "boy" characters into something for the girls. And one day I will figure out how to "boy up" princess things for the boys, like my son, who like them as well.

Lightning McQueen Dress

They got many compliments the whole week. Many people asked where I got the dresses or the shorts. People seemed surprised that I had made them. Some asked if I sold them. We came home and I spent time making different things for my children. Trying to hone my skills, to improve and feel like I actually could sell these things I make. After several months, many different internal debates and some cold feet. I opened up an etsy shop – My Fun Clothes.

I have had so much fun over the last few months making things for my children (they did, of course, need a whole new wardrobe for this Disney trip) but for other children as well. I have been proud of the fact that other children are wearing clothes I originally designed for my kids. As a matter of fact their is a little girl who will be in Disney while we are there who has two dresses that I made. I have had the opportunity to make many custom things that have been designed by parents to be the perfect fit for their children. A Tinker Bell dress – specifically green fabric Tinker Bell because the mom wanted green and Tink, a Nemo dress made from Nemo fabric I had on a different style of dress and ruffle pants with the fabric from the Tinker Bell dress – I didn’t even make that style of pants yet but the mom emailed me and we designed it together. Mostly, I have enjoyed getting to do something I love while being able to bring people exactly what they want – characters, colors and designs.

Upstatemamma's Family Dressed for Disney

Whether your children are Disney enthusiasts as well or you are just looking for something different than everyone else has please come on by and check out the shop. I have recently added some fall and Halloween things. If you do not see exactly what you are looking for just get in touch with me and we can make anything you like. It just takes a little magic and some pixie dust to make your wish upon a star come true.

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I am Upstatemamma and I blog over at Our Life Upstate. I tend to write about a little of everything – from life with four kiddos to sewing to homeschooling to marriage stuff to breastfeeding to the occasional political rant and anything else that pops into my brain.

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