Focus Friday

What a great idea this is by Thrifty & Chic Mom and I am going to participate.She says: As we enter a new year everyone, myself included, has a list as long as their arm of things they want to accomplish. Now I have a way to hold myself accountable by choosing one thing to focus on each week. It can be big or small, it doesn't matter just as long as I specify what it is and get it done.

So each week I will post my focus for the upcoming week as well as give a recap of how my week went with the previous focus. Now here is the fun part, I want you to join me on my little focus challenge. (And you can go to her blog to participate there with the Mr. Linky or you could just do it your own way, either way, it's a GREAT idea). So, I'll pick something this Friday and report on it next Friday.

So today is focus Friday and this is my first time playing along. I must say I could really use this in my life because I tend to make lots of goals and not get any of them done hence my lack of focus. LOL…

So this week my focus is on putting my house back in order. I have been on/again off/again sick for three weeks now and my house looks like it exploded. I always say if I don’t clean it no one will and that is really true in my house. Now my goal is not to scrub every room but to just put away the stuff from Christmas that is still out, the bags of presents that haven’t found a home yet and just the general mess that has been collected around the house. Maybe my goal is a bit lacked in focus… yeah I know it sounds that way but I promise I understand what it is I want to do and it is two or three hours worth of work and I have got to just get-r-done.

Aloha Friday #14

Play along at An Island Life for Aloha Friday. In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response. If you’d like to participate, just post your own question on your blog and leave your link at An Island Life. Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

My question this week…..

Has the rash of job losses, company closers and so on affected you or someone in your life?

Around where I live their have been some really large company closers causing thousands of people to lose their jobs. My son’s babysitter’s husband worked for GM for years and his plant just closed right before Christmas.

My husband works for a large company and they are talking job cuts in the near future. He is stressed at the idea of a possible job loss.

I am not worried at all. I work for a small company. My company is based in Ontario Canada and we have a US sales office where 7 of us work (including myself). 5 years ago none of these jobs existed and I was the third US employee hired to the company. In total we have about 28 employee’s majority based in Ontario. Our company has a wonderful owner who values every employee and I think times would have to get really tough before he would cut a job. Knowing that is a big relief because everyone I currently work with (in the USA) worked for my former employer and we all lost our jobs. Big company, things got tough and jobs were moved. It sucked but I think we are all happier and better off for it today.

In relative terms the unemployment rate is still down and considered at a good rate at 6.7%. I just think some Cities are hurting more than others. Did you know that the unemployment rate peaked at 25% in 1933 during the Great Depression? I think jobs can still be found but the types of jobs have changed and many are going to have to learn a new skill or trade.

A Little Prayer

I was reading Jeannie’s Happy World blog the other day and she had the cutest post about kids and things they say, (check it out here, it is a great laugh). When I posted my comment I shared a story about Luke with her and thought I need to blog about that. It was one of those things I forgot all about. My kid can amaze me sometimes in the things he will say.
One Christmas Eve we went to my in-laws for Christmas. On our way we thought we hit a bunny, it ran, we braked, not really sure what happened, the thump under the car wasn’t a good sound. When we left my in-laws we looked along the side of the road for the bunny. We didn’t see anything and I said maybe we hurt it. Eric say’s “well we will just have to say a prayer for the bunny”.

A little side note history here: My husband does not believe in God while I am a Christian and I am raising my boys to be Christians and I take them to church regularly.

My son Luke here’s his dad and instantly responds. Big sarcastic tone from a 6 year old “DADDY (big emphasis on daddy)…. You don’t believe in God, so WHY….. are you praying???? I laughed really hard over this one. The kid has a point.

My husband and I are on very different spectrums when it comes to a faith in God. My son does a great job pushing religion in his dads face. I pray often that Luke will be the one who brings his dad around someday.

The Bouncing Birthday Party

Saturday was the big birthday party for Luke. I spent a fortune on a bounce place for a couple hours of bouncing fun. The kids had a blast and it was a lot of fun. Here are a few pictures…..

Here is Eric shooting the kids with nerf balls.

I think dad was having more fun than the kids.

This was called the spider web.

It was a huge netting system the kids climbed & then slid down this big slide.

(I didn't get any pictures of the kids on this slide).

I have no clue what I was doing.

Eric had to help the kids up the net's. This was a work out for him.

Another fun slide.

Luke at the bottom with one of his friends right behind him.

Luke blew out the candles as soon as they were lit.

Finally the big king gets to open his gifts.

Sorry I have so many other photo's but I don't post photo's of other peoples kids. I just don't feel right unless their parents said it was ok.

Now for my complaining part of this. I know Luke had a lot of fun but our turn out was awful. I could have up to 25 kids and we had 17 including my two. I was very disappointed that so many of the kids that have gone to Luke’s past birthday parties were no shows this year. I don’t know if it was my fault for having it on January 3rd. So many people were off that week that it could have easily been a travel day for people who went out of town for New Years. I should have planned a little better.

The place was fun and it was our first time their. A few things I didn’t like about it, I took my 1 year old down the slide and the kid at the top looks at me and says do you have a wrist band. I look at him and say “I am an adult do I need a wrist band to play?” Apparently I did but not one person said that to me or many of the other parents that came signed their kids in. Yet parents are encouraged to play also. I was a little annoyed by that especially since another local bounce place doesn’t require anyone but the kids have wrist bands.

My second complaint was when I paid the bill. This place cost me $280 for this birthday party… yes, yes I am insane for spending that much money on a 6 year olds birthday party. Luke has asked 3 years in a row to have his party at one of these places and I have avoided it this long. Trust me I won’t do this again for a long, long time. Anyway the girl rings my bill and says you can leave a tip for the helpers of your party and they split it. Wait, you want me to tip after I just spent this much money???? I am not the type of person who will stiff on a tip so I tipped the kids who gave me and my guest’s attitude over wrist bands. I just wish the place would have been a little more organized and informed everyone of this when we arrived.