Mommy's Project 52:26 Networking

Networking. The kind of networking I do has changed in the phases of my life. When I was young and single it was a way to meet new people. In my career you needed to know different people in different departments and various locations. When you needed information or assistance, you always knew who to call or who could get something done about the situation.

With two big moves in the past two years, networking has been about survival. When you are in a new city with no friends or relatives you have to network quickly to get your family settled and into a normal routine as soon as possible. Where have I networked recently? You might laugh when I say story time at the public library, Jazzercise classes, and in line at the DMV. It is hard for me to be the one who initiates the conversation with a stranger. I have learned to put myself out there because with being in a new place I have to be the one who finds out what preschool has an opening mid-year, what pediatrician is accepting new patients, and where do you go to find the best breakfast burrito in town. It's all about networking.

Mommy's Project 52: 25 Making

Making things is a new favorite of my five year old son. There seems to be many projects out there for the five year old age group and my son has received several as gifts. We have been painting, gluing, and mixing our way through many little projects. It has become our thing during my daughter's nap time. I try to relax and enjoy this special time together and close my eyes to all the other things that seem to scream at me to be done. I'm assisting in the making of bouncy balls and painting dinosaurs. Our project for tomorrow is making my daughter's second birthday present. I took my son to the store to buy her a gift over the weekend and he looked at the toys and decided he wanted to make something instead. As I prepare for the birthday party on Saturday, I'm thinking I wish he would have just picked a gift from the store but we have it on the schedule for tomorrow that I will take time out to make his sister's gift with him. I am reminding myself that this is really a good idea.

Mommy's Project 52:24 Playing

Little kids "work" is playing. Here are my two kids hard at work with all the new toys from birthdays and Christmas. Let them play, play, play.

Mommy's Project 52:23 Dressing

Dressing to go outdoors has new meaning to me. When we lived near Houston, we either wore a light jacket in winter or it was too cold to bother going outside. Now that we live where there is more varied weather, we have to constantly adjust for the temperature. It can be 32 degrees in the morning when we head out to preschool and be almost 70 degrees by afternoon pickup so far this winter. I am still figuring out the best way to manage all the different footwear, coats, hats, and mittens.

We have a small bench for the kids to sit on and take off their shoes when they enter the house. In the bench each of the kids have cowboy boots, rain/snow boots, tennis shoes, and indoor house shoes. There seems to be always be a pile of shoes near the doorways to be collected and put away each day.

Then there is the hall tree. We added lower hooks so the kids could hang up their own coats and jackets. We each have two or three jackets/coats hanging ready depending on the weather. There is a heavy coat, a jacket with a hood, and then a long-sleeve light weight option. It always seems overcrowded but we use all the different options nearly each week.

Finally, we have the basket that is supposed to hold all hats, mitten, gloves, and ear warmers for all of us. The items never seems to be the basket so I am often hunting for them in the car, pockets, diaper bag, or on the floor. They seem to end up everywhere but the basket.

So you can see that I have lots more perfecting to do in my winter clothes management strategy. I have to admit that I am really enjoying wearing sweaters and layers after spending so many years in a warm climate.