Planning a Disney Vacation? Love everything Disney? Then Stick Around for Disney Delights! BIGGEST Event Yet!

My family is taking our first Disney vacation in October! Woohoo! And, in honor of this vacation, I set out to find the most unique, fun, beautiful, essential, and awesome Disney inspired accessories, clothing, and items. If you love everything Disney then this is the event for you! There is nearly an item for every day of the month including adorable Disney wear, character inspired clothing, beautiful bows, autograph books, scrapbooks, bedding, safety items and more! I set out to find items that were truly unique and captured the authentic "magic" that is Disney. I hope that you will come back often and see what's new. There will also be other fun stuff for those of you who could pass on the Disney stuff :) And, many of the "Disney" items are not in fact Disney at all, but I have found them to be awesome for any vacation...including Disney!

So, what are you waiting for? Grab the new button (left sidebar) and spread some Disney magic by spreading the word! The "Disney Delights" button on your site will also get you 2 extra entries in any giveaway.

Mommy Works Potty Party 2009: Grab the button and join the party!

Looking for everything you might need to potty train your little one? Products to make potty training more fun AND successful? Then look no further! Throughout the next few weeks I am going to provide you with all of the latest products and information you will need to have success with potty training...and I do mean EVERYTHING! Look for great articles, reviews, and giveaways of potty training kits, wet bags, potty training pants, laundry detergent (for those accidents and cloth training pants!) and yes, you guessed it...a FABULOUS Potty Bench from Boon, Inc.! I am so excited about the Mommy Works Potty Party, and I hope that you will join in my excitement! We'll be kicking it off this Saturday, and I thought I would go ahead and make my first blog party button for this one since I have so many great items to share with you. I'd love it if you would grab my "Potty Party" button and put it on your blog. It will also gain you an extra entry into any of the giveaways (potty related or not!). Invite all your friends and join me right here starting Saturday. HAPPY TRAINING!

A Little MORE About Me...

I figured that I'd kick off the working mom features by telling you a little bit more about me. So...I answered the interview questions in order to give you a better idea of where I'm coming from and who I am. I have received several completed interview forms and can't wait to start featuring you guys! It's amazing the many different jobs, experiences, etc. that we all have! I hope that we can all learn from each other and that this will be of great benefit to all of us. So without further delay...my interview of ME...

Name:
Jess

Website:
This one! LOL

How many children:
1

Children's Names/Ages:
EG - 19 months

Work status:
Full Time

About my job:
I am a sixth grade public school special education teacher. Our school implements full inclusion, meaning that all special education students are taught in the regular classroom with a regular and special education teacher (for the subjects in which they have a need). I work with the Reading and English teachers (4 different teachers) and travel from class to class. It keeps me on my toes for sure! We share the teaching duties, so most students think they've just lucked out and have two teachers in their class (we tell them that the bigger classes needed an extra teacher...lol). I love what I do and enjoy working with the kids each day. Sure it's super stressful at times, but the job is rewarding and the schedule has allowed me to have more time at home than I might have with another profession.

My return to work:
Let me say first, that I would never want to repeat that experience! My husband and I decided to go ahead and try for a baby, understanding that our financial situation was not going to make a drastic change in a few years. I understood that I would have to continue to work, even though I've always dreamed of being a SAHM. Our financial situation just wouldn't allow that. Luckily, I was able to take the full 12 weeks of FMLA leave, and actually had some extra time built in. Because of when EG was born (September 18...EXACTLY 60 days/12 weeks of work days until the end of Christmas break...a miracle it happend that way!), I had about 15 weeks of leave. Our Fall Break, Thanksgiving Break, and Christmas Break were all during my leave time and don't count against my FMLA leave days. About a week before I returned to work, I started taking EG to daycare (a home daycare around the corner from my school) for just an hour or so to get her used to Ms. Tammie. The first time I took her, for just an hour, I went to my moms and cried the whole time. Long story short, it took me about three weeks before I stopped sobbing uncontrollably when I dropped her off. The first day I actually returned to work was a nightmare! My co-workers still joke about how "fragile" I was those first few weeks. My principal said "good morning" to me (rather than asking how I was...that was obvious), and I burst into tears again. It was rough, but EG settled in nicely at daycare and LOVES being there.

Advice for new moms returning to work:
My best advice for moms preparing to return to work is just to say "hang in there" and understand that, no matter what people say, you are simply trying to do the best you can do for your family. I still can't wait to pick EG up every day, and get antsy when I leave her in the morning. But, it's definitely easier than those first days (and believe me I NEVER thought it would get easier), and your child will still love you just the same :) I have found, too, that the time I spend with EG is so precious, and I don't take any second for granted. I'm not sure that I would understand just HOW precious it is if I didn't work. Maybe I would, but I know that it's always in the forefront of my mind, and that can't be a bad thing at all!

Come back next week for our next working mom feature!

Working Mom Features

Yay! I've had several working moms agree to be featured and I am so excited. Starting this Friday, I will feature a new working mom each week. They will be sharing their best advice, tips, etc.! I am still in need of several more moms to participate and any working moms are welcome. If you are interested in participating, please click the link on my right sidebar under "Blog Events" to fill out the interview questions. Thanks in advance!

Working Moms: Want to be featured? I'd love to hear your story!

Are you a mom who works outside the home, full or part time? If so, then I'd love to hear your story! I would simply like to find out how other moms out there handle every day life, and I figure we can all learn from and encourage each other. I am looking to feature one working mom a week right here on my blog. ALL working moms are elgibile to participate, as working outside of the home is the only requirement. You don't have to have an "interesting" job, be a blogger, have a website, etc. If you would be willing to participate, please leave me a comment below and I'll be in touch soon! I'd love to have some participation from and learn more about my fabulous readers out there. Thanks to all of you!

Unofficial Working Mom's Guide to Nursing and Working: It can be done!

Let me start by saying that my over all nursing experience was anything but typical. It started out very rough (she still had not latched on when we left the hospital) and I was thisclose to giving up altogether. But, thanks to a wonderful support system, and a lactation consultant from our local hospital, I stuck with it and am still a nursing (and working) mom nearly 18 months later. Twelve weeks after EG was born, I returned to work full time as a teacher (NOT the ideal schedule for pumping at all!) and was able to pump enough milk each day to send to EG's daycare. I'm here to tell you that, no matter what your schedule, etc. it can be done. The benefits certainly outweigh the drawbacks, and if you're not sure if you'll be able to continue full time nursing while working, my suggestion is to at least give it a try. You never know, it may work out! I was very skeptical at first because at school, our schedule rotates every 6 weeks (which means my planning (pumping) time rotated) and we don't really have a lunch break. So, if I was able to do it, you can too. I'd love to share with you some tips and tricks that I learned along the way...

Nursing in General:
The first thing I want to get across is that nursing is NOT easy for everyone. It was not easy for me, but something I was so determined to do that I made it work. EG really wasn't eating well when we left the hospital, and had only latched on maybe 1 time (and never for a full feeding). When we got home from the hospital with her I felt helpless. I dreaded every feeding time, because it took so long that about the time we finally got enough in her it was nearly time to feed her again. It truly took that long! And you can imagine how that worked at night. Hubby and I literally had maybe 1 hour of sleep between the two of us that first night. My mom came and helped me to let hubby sleep the next night, but I still had no sleep. On the sixth morning after she was born I was at my breaking point...no sleep, constantly in tears, and not enjoying my precious baby as much as I could and wanted to. So, hubby called and made an appointment with one of the lactation consultants at our local hospital. I wasn't too convinced that they were going to be that much help, because I had worked with them while we were still in the hospital. But, off we went, and thank goodness we did! The LC saved my nursing experience that morning! We had tried everything they recommended in the hospital, and when we got home. Nothing worked! When we got there she could see our frustration and our efforts, and, as a last resort, sent me home with a nipple shield (and a nursing baby!). Now, I had always heard (and still do) that nipple shields are an absolute "no no". But, I promise you we had tried everything else with no success. It was worth it to me to use it for every feeding, and she only used it for three months. It never reduced my supply, and she didn't have to use it forever. It was so worth it for us! Now, should you exhaust all other resources first? Absolutely. It's obviously better to try to get your baby to nurse without anything else to help. But, for us, there was nothing else. Anyhow, my experience proves anyone can do it so here is my advice for nursing and staying sane:

1. Make sure you have a good support system that supports your decision to nurse. This makes things so much easier!

2. Seek help if needed. If we had not visited the LC that morning, I am certain I would have stopped nursing that day.

3. Drink lots of fluids. It's really that important. Keep yourself hydrated and keep the milk flowing...easy as that.

4. Relax. It's much easier to achieve let down when you are as relaxed as possible.

5. Have a great pump and begin pumping before your return to work. It's nice to have a little stash built up before you return to work for those days you don't pump quite enough, etc.

6. Don't be afraid to go out. I'm not one that was ever really comfortable nursing in public, and I never had difficulty finding a place to nurse discreetly. There are more places out there than you think, so don't be afraid to go out with your little one. You can find somewhere to nurse, I promise! (It may be your car, a dressing room, etc. but there is somewhere!)

7. Get a nursing cover (Bebe Au Lait makes a beautiful one...and you can win one right here too!) I used my nursing cover all the time and never once used it "publicly". It was great when we had visitors at our house, when I would nurse in the bathroom lounges in department stores, nursing in the car, etc. I LOVED mine, and there are some really beautiful ones too!

8. Have some great resources on hand. My favorite book was The Nursing Mother's Companion by Kathleen Huggins. It was a complete resource guide to have on hand. There are also some great websites, the best by far being kellymom. I haven't found a breastfeeding question that kellymom couldn't answer! From medication safety, to foods to increase supply, absolutely ANYTHING! Definitely bookmark it!

Nursing and Working - Pumping:
My work situation was less than ideal for continuing full time nursing, or pumping enough each day for EG to have only breastmilk at daycare. I would have two times a day to pump, one being only about 10 minutes long, max. The other time, during my planning period, would rotate every six weeks. Luckily, when I first returned to work, my planning period was mid-morning (a great time to have a pumping break) and then lunch was at 12:00. However, at lunch, all teachers are supposed to be "on duty" in the lunchroom each day so I really couldn't take my lunch in my room. So, I worked it out with another teacher to watch my class for 10-15 minutes while I rushed to my room, pumped, and rushed back to the lunchroom. I never thought that this situation would work, but it did. Somehow my body adjusted and I was able to make it work. I had talked to a LC before I returned to work to get tips and suggestions, and she was very skeptical that I would be able to pump enough. Especially on a long term basis. But, I did, for a full 13 months until EG started drinking cow's milk at daycare. I went to work and pumped from January - May, stayed home for June and July and nursed full time, then returned to work in August and pumped until October. If that crazy schedule can work, yours can too! Here was my typical pumping schedule, and some tips for nursing and working:

Typical Weekday Schedule:
5:45 AM - Wake up and pump before EG gets up
7:10 AM - Nurse EG at daycare before I leave
10:00 AM - Pump for about 15 minutes at work (**this time rotated every 6 weeks, but this is where it started out**)
12:00 PM - Pump for 8-10 minutes
3:45 PM - Pick EG up from daycare and nurse
9:00 PM - Pump after EG goes to sleep (I didn't always pump at this time, or have enough milk to pump at this time)

1. Give it a try. There's no harm in trying it to see if it will work. You might be surprised.

2. Have a GREAT pump. They can be expensive but are worth the investment. If you don't have a nice pump, your pumping sessions will not be as effective or efficient. The most popular pumps are Medela (I used a Medela Pump in Style Advanced and loved it!) and Ameda Purely Yours, and Hollister. TIP: I ordered mine from Hackley Home Healthcare and they have SUPER prices!

3. Drink plenty of fluids. Equally as important for pumping!

4. Don't be discouraged by a decrease in supply. There were plenty of times my supply went down, but I just increased my fluid intake and made Mommy Milk cookies (a GREAT recipe from my local Meetup group that includes oatS, brewer's yeast, etc. that are all known for increasing supply - and they tasted wonderful!!). You can find a similar recipe HERE. They don't sound tasty, but try them, THEY ARE! Just do a search on kellymom for increasing supply, and you'll find many more suggestions as well.

5. Nurse before leaving your child at daycare. This was so nice because I could feed EG right before I left so that she could wait a little longer to eat, and I wouldn't have to pump as much milk. Definitely do this if you can.

6. Take a picture of your little one with you to work. Looking at a picture of EG helped me to do two things. One, it helped me to relax and focus on something for pumping. And two, it reminded me of the reason for my efforts.

7. Don't freak out if you have to give a little bit of formula once in a while. There were a few days (maybe 3) during the entire 13 months of pumping that I had to mix a little bit of formula with the breastmilk so that she would have enough for the day. One time, I spilled half of her milk when I got to daycare. Another time, I left it at home and didn't have any extra at daycare. I freaked out and was upset all day, but EG was totally fine. It didn't kill her, or upset her stomach, but it made me crazy. Looking back now, it was totally fine, no matter how many people told me it wouldn't be.

8. Keep a hand pump and extra bottles at work just in case. There were a few days that I forgot to put all of the pump parts in my bag, and had to have hubby go back home and bring them to school. This was alleviated by keeping a hand pump with extra bottles at school just in case.

9. Pump into ready to use bottles to save time. When you can, this works great. And you can freeze milk in some bottles as well.

10. Do it for as long as you can. There is no set amount of time that you should continue pumping and feeding your baby breastmilk all the time. Do what's right for you and your family. If it doesn't work for you at work, continue nursing at home. I've had friends who used formula during the day, and just nursed in the morning, at night, and on weekends. Your body is amazing and will adjust to almost anything. After 13 months, I stopped pumping and began giving EG cow's milk at daycare. Since then she's only nursed in the morning, at night, and on weekends. It's worked great for us!

Whatever you decide to do, I wish you the best and hope you've found some encouragement and tips that you can use! Please don't hesitate to contact me or leave me a comment with your questions and ideas too. Please check out the great nursing mom giveaways I've got going on as well (Bebe Au Lait nursing cover, Smart Mom jewelry, and a nursing bracelet)!! Thanks and happy nursing!

All You Need is Love...and a Little Creativity - Valentine's Day Ideas for the Family

In light of the current economic crisis, and my recent desire to simplify my life as much as possible, I was inspired to create a blog post for families out there looking to make Valentine's Day a little more meaningful this year...and for little to no money.  I decided that this year I want a Valentine's Day filled with love...real love that doesn't need all of the commercial "fluff" to be experienced.  Thus began my search for some great, low-cost (or NO cost) Valentine's Day ideas that were still fun and festive.  Lucky me, there were lots of ideas to choose from!  I would like to share a few, okay several, of them with you so that you have some great activities to choose from as well.  I hope you find something you can use!  

One great website I stumbled upon was Family Fun.  They currently have a whole section of their website devoted to Valentine's Day with tons and tons of ideas that you can look through.  And the best part of all is that I found most all of them to be pretty budget and family friendly (hence the name I guess).  They have everything covered from recipes to printables to games.  There is something for everyone!  I especially loved the Crayon Hearts idea as a fun valentine that can be reused and isn't junk food.  I actually purchased crayon hearts for my daughter's daycare group before I found this and thought about how easy they might be to make.  I might go ahead and make some with her just for fun!  And don't stop at just hearts; you could also do x's and o's, cupids, etc.  Whatever you can find a mold for!  This is a great, easy idea for any holiday really, just change up the colors and mold.  For all of you moms out there who want something edible but are tired of junk food, I thought the Healthy Hearts were a great idea.  The only supplies you need are watermelon slices, orange slices, and bamboo skewers.  Makes a cute, festive, healthy, edible treat!  These were just two of my favorite ideas, but there are literally hundreds of others you can check out.  They even have how-to videos for some of their Valentine's Day crafts and recipes.  It's definitely worth your time to look through their website!

Some more great ideas I've acquired from friends, other websites, etc. are as follows:

- Sounds obvious, but I'll say it anyway.  Instead of store bought valentines, make your own!  All you need is some construction paper, markers/crayons, glue, accessories (googly eyes, sequins, glitter, stickers...), and some imagination.  A super cute idea (from the Family Fun website...lol) is to take a clothespin and glue two paper hearts side by side on it to make "wings".  Then add pipe cleaners for antennae and write your message on the wings.

- Put a different spin on the Christmas Advent calendar and make a countdown calendar for Valentine's Day.  Choose a simple, special activity to do with your loved ones on each day of the countdown.  If your child(ren) is old enough have him/her help decide which activities to do.  They don't have to be elaborate, just something you do together (i.e. moms and daughters might want to paint each other's fingernails one day).

- On Valentine's Day morning, have a special breakfast together with special Valentine's Day food.  You can easily "Valentine-ize" any foods by using a heart cookie cutter and/or red food coloring.  Pancakes and toast are super easy to cut out.  For snacks later in the day, you can make heart sandwiches or rice krispie treats.  Also, pretty much anything red or pink looks festive...how about a Valentine Smoothie from strawberries and raspberries?

- Create a Valentine's Day treasure hunt that leads to a small gift or a fun activity.  Place the clues on paper hearts.  If you're really creative, handy with a GPS, and it's going to be nice outside, create your own Geocache that leads your family to a favorite place in town (i.e. a restaurant or park).

- Have all family members write "love letters" to each other and deliver them on Valentine's Day morning.  Create and decorate bags or mailboxes for each family member in which to collect their "deliveries".

I hope you've found an idea or two that you can use and I'd love for you to comment with your own!  It doesn't have to take a lot of money to create a memorable Valentine's Day filled with love.  But, whatever you decide to do this Valentine's Day, be sure to include the best gift of all...your time.   :)

Life's Simple Pleasures Abound!

It all started with my 15 month old's first dentist appointment. Now, I know you're wondering how this could be any kind of "pleasure" but it truly was. I got to spend a beautiful day with EG that was full of many "simple pleasures". Usually I don't keep track of such things but today caught my attention for some reason. It all started when I remembered on Friday that her appointment was on Monday and I would need to take the day off to take her. Yay for the fact that I would be able to spend that day at home with EG (and have a long weekend :) ). But, if there was one thing I would change about my job it is the ability to be able to miss work and not have to find a sub and write lesson plans. It takes more work to be out for a day than it does to just be there and work! So, having not remembered her appointment until Friday, I had to frantically find a sub and scribble some lesson plans after school. Come Sunday though, I was very thankful for the day off! Simple pleasure #1...check.

Now on to today...one of my favorite things to do is to sleep late and snuggle with my precious little girl. I got to check that one off first thing this morning. We laid in bed and read stories and watched Jack's Big Music show until it was time for us to get up and get ready for the day. Her appointment wasn't until 10:30 so we had a very lazy morning. This was simple pleasure #2.

Simple pleasure #3:
Living in Alabama, we don't have a lot of the "winter weather" that is experienced in many other parts of the country. And, when we do, it really isn't welcome (unless it shuts down the city and gives all of us a day off...LOL). When it's just plain cold, we mostly just complain. Our local news has been reporting that this week would be the coldest we've had in a long time including lows in the single digits (*gasp*). So as I bundled EG up and got us in the car I was listening to the radio. They were warning drivers to be careful because the morning fog had frozen and caused patches of ice in some places. I have to drive over one of our "mountain" (I put that in quotes as I am sure that for many people, Cecil Ashburn Dr. would hardly be a mountain) roads to get to the dentist so I was already thinking "great". But, lo and behold, as I reached the top of the "mountain" the scenery made me feel like I had been magically transported into a fairy tale like winter wonderland. The trees were sparkling so beautifully and looked like they had been dusted with silver glitter. It was absolutely the most beautiful sight I have seen in a very long time. Usually when we have ice it is thick and heavy and causes branches to droop and power lines to fall. But, this frost in the trees from the frozen fog was simply awe inspiring. A beautiful, sparkling, dusting of frost. Unfortunately I was rushing to the dentist, a little late as usual, and didn't have my camera with me so I couldn't stop to enjoy it more! However, what I was able to see and enjoy as I drove past was wonderful. This day was already getting better.

Simple pleasure #4:
Getting to share yet another milestone with EG; her first dentist appointment. She got to have her little picture made and everything...haha. I easily could have let me husband leave work and take her to the dentist so that I didn't have to take off the whole day (and he certainly would have obliged) but I would have missed out on this "first" and didn't want to do that. Sure she screamed and tried to bite the dentist, but I wouldn't have missed it for the world!

Simple pleasure #5:
Getting to each lunch with my mom and hubby! Obviously, teaching school I don't ever get to go out and eat lunch with anybody so it was nice to eat with them for a change :)

Simple pleasure #6:
Getting a catalog in the mail that I wait for every month...silly, maybe. But, it still made my day a little happier!

The list goes on and on and on but I wont bore you with any more little things that thrilled me today. I simply write all of this to say that I'm sure most days are filled with life's simple pleasures but it is up to us to look for them, recognize, and appreciate them. I don't know what made me be so observant and thankful today but I'm sure glad I was. God has truly blessed my life! Now, I challenge each of you to take the time each day to find the joy in things, even the things that may not seem so joyful at first, and keep track of them. I feel confident that it will make your day a little brighter!

Making the Most of 2009

If you are anything like me, you have never been able to keep a New Year's Resolution in your entire life. Every year I make one, and every year I end up breaking it before the end of February. This year I made a resolution to not make any resolutions (okay, technically I guess that's still a resolution but that's beside the point...). Instead, I am simply going to go into 2009 with no expectations, no timelines, no lofty goals other than to make the most of the year. Nothing specific, no set weight loss goals, no "read x amount of books before (date)", no work out 30 minutes each day, nada. All I want from 2009 is to make the very most of the time I have. Being a working mommy, I don't have near enough of it, so making the most of the time I do have is super important. Over the last 15 months since I've had my daughter I've collected a plethora of ideas, tips, tricks, products, etc. that help me to save time. So, to kick off 2009 I am making a list of some of my best advice on making the most of your time and a I'll also share a few "must have" products. I hope that you would leave me some comments with your great ideas and products too. Here goes (in no particular order):

My best working mommy advice:

1. Always leave work at work. There will always be something to stress or worry about, but stressing and worrying don't change anything. Don't waste family time worrying about work. This is a hard one for me!

2. There is no such thing as having 'too many pictures'. Snap away when you're with your kids! I keep a small digital camera with me at all times, and my BlackBerry also has a little camera (more on the BlackBerry in a minute).

3. Find the right caretaker for your child during the day. Keep searching until you are 100% confident, no matter if you choose a home, daycare center, nanny, etc.

4. Eat dinner together as a family as often as possible. It's proven that families who eat together, stay together.

5. Cut down on TV time to actually play and be present with your children.

6. Loosen up on schedules. The only time I have with EG during the week is in the evenings and we don't have a strict bed time. I don't try to keep her awake by any means, but I don't rush her off to bed at a specific time either. Sleep experts somewhere are probably cringing at that thought, but it has worked for us!

7. Here's a new one for me...don't put on shoes and socks until you reach your destination. At about 14 months, my daughter's favorite new thing in the car was to tear her shoes and socks off and throw them (where I can't find them of course). By the time we had reached our destination I would have to go on a treasure hunt and then put them back on her all over again. Now, I just let her ride in the car in her bare feet and put the shoes and socks on when we get where we are going. This way I don't have to put them on twice.

8. Read together every day. It doesn't take that much time to read a children's book, and the time it does take is worth it. Not only are you spending priceless snuggle time together, but you are fostering a lifelong love of books and reading.

9. Enroll in an evening or weekend class together. We've tried out a couple of classes and our favorite is Music Together. EG loves music so this was a good choice for us. Also, it is near our house and is only 45 minutes once a week. These classes create built in time focused simply on spending time together. Search for a class or group in your city that is in an area you already enjoy. Some you might want to check out are mommy and baby/child yoga classes, play/fitness classes (Gymboree, Little Gym, etc.), and music classes. Bigger cities also have parent fitness classes that include baby, like Stroller Strides.

Some of my favorite "must carry all the time" products:

1. Moleskin notebooks (or any brand really...I just prefer this one for ease of use, style, and durability) - Probably the single most thoughtful gift I ever received from my husband was a mini moleskin notebook and a set of cute mechanical pencils given to me last Christmas as a gift for when I started back to work. They were given to me with the instructions to keep them in my diaper bag and write down any special thoughts or moments I had with EG. This way I could transfer them at some point to the computer or baby book or wherever, but I always had something with me that I could jot down important things.

2. The Snack Trap - This little contraption speaks for itself. Flexible "trap" top lets little fingsers easily get a few snacks out while the rest stay in, even if dropped. Less mess for on-the-go snacks. Couldn't live without it!

3. Mini video camera - This is a new "must have" that I received for Christmas and boy am I so glad I have it. I don't always have time to get together and carry around our main video camera all the time, and, let's be honest, it's just not practical. And, more often than not, we are somewhere other than home more often than we are at home during the week. These little gadgets easily fit in a diaper bag or pocket and let me capture anything I want to on the go! I love it! There are several options on the market; I have the Kodak zi6 (which you can get in a cool bundle at Walmart for a great price) and think it's fabulous! Other popular styles are the Flip cameras: Mino, Mino HD, and Ultra.

4. BlackBerry Curve - I LOVE this phone so much and I don't think I'll ever switch (except maybe to the Storm if it ever comes to T-mobile)! This is definitely a time saver because I have my calendar, e-mail, contacts, TwitterBerry, Facebook, etc. all right there in my pocket. And, in a pinch, it also has a built in camera and video camera (granted they are not that great, but definitely better than nothing). I love the whole BlackBerry line but the Curve is my favorite because of the full keyboard which makes for easy texting and Twitter-ing.

5. "From the mom of..." Notes - I love these because I don't have time to write detailed notes in the mornings. I'm always running out the door at the last minute, rushing to get EG to daycare and make it to work on time. I'm not a morning person. So, I couldn't live without my "From the mom of..." notes that already have the information you write on every note already there. It already says your child's name, your name, contact numbers (so the daycare doesn't have to look them up if there's a problem), and e-mail address and all you have to add is your note. It's not like it saves 10 minutes, but every second counts during my mornings. I also make my own template in Photoshop Elements and print several out to keep in the car, rather than buying expensive customized notes. If you'd like my template, let me know! I'd be glad to customize it and share it with you!

Hope these lists give you some tips for making the most of 2009! Best wishes everyone!