Pirates, witches, princesses and bears -- oh my!

I just received a catalog from Costume Express yesterday. What an amazing selection of pirates, witches, princesses, bears and more this year! My daughter and I browsed through it and Amanda immediately found the costume she wants to wear for Halloween this year.

Think it's too early to begin considering Halloween costumes? Actually, it's just a few months away.

The way I see it is, if you order early, there will be little chance of the costume you want running out of stock.

Here's the one Amanda will be wearing this year:

Green Pixie

Going on a Trip? Don't Leave Without this Helpful Tool

Soon, we'll be visiting my family in New Jersey. We can't wait. What a joy it will be to see my parents and my sister's family. We'll be spending the first few days at my sister's beautiful home in North Bergen, NJ. The entire family will then drive on over to Hershey Park, PA for a 4-day side trip. Finally, we'll be spending the last few days of our trip in Princeton, NJ--a short drive away from where my parents live. We're looking forward to this much needed break.

In anticipation of our trip, I'll be updating our travel checklist this afternoon. I have it set up in a computer spreadsheet with 4 columns. The first column includes all the items we'll be bringing. The second, third and fourth columns are labeled Joe, Maria, and Amanda at the top, respectively.

For example . . .

Item Name..........Joe..........Maria..........Amanda
brush
comb
shampoo
conditioner
shaving cream

It's organized by categories like toiletries, clothing, personal entertainment, etc.

Once printed out, this format allows each person to check off if he or she has packed that particular item.

In addition, there's an extra section at the bottom of the checklist for items we need to bring that don't necessary belong to only one of us, such as laptop computer, digital camera, GPS system, airline tickets, extension cords, etc.

Prior to every trip we take, I take a quick peak at our last travel checklist, deleting anything that no longer applies and adding anything new we need to bring that pertains to the upcoming trip.

As we put each item into the luggage, it gets checked off. Later, when we're ready to return home, as we put each item into the luggage again, we circle the original checkmarks. In doing so, there's never a chance of us leaving anything behind.

This simple tool can save you lots of stress and aggravation, and will help you avoid making trips to the store at your destination--especially some of those higher priced tourist destinations.

Want to Know More About Your Family and Friends? Interview Them!

(Click photo to enlarge.)
As an avid scrapbooker, I'm constantly on the lookout for ideas to use in my scrapbooking layouts. I recently came across a magazine article on Interview Layouts that I enjoyed. Basically, you come up with a list of 10 questions to ask a family member or friend, and you include that interview on a scrapbook layout.

Even if you don't scrapbook, having a folder full of family and friend interviews can act both as a historical and educational reference--and as a dose of laughter and inspiration whenever you need it.

While you can come up with a list of questions for any age, I loved interviewing my 3 year old. Here were my questions and her responses . . .

How old are you?
3

How old is mommy?
I think pretty old.

How old is daddy?
As old as mommy.

What do you like to do with daddy?
Sing songs.

What do you like to do with mommy?
Scrapbook.

When you toss a penny in the fountain, what do you wish for?
I always wish for pretzels.

What is your favorite color?
I like pink, like my pants.

What is your favorite ice cream?
My favorite ice cream is pink! Just pink! Not vanilla (pronounced da-nella)

Who is your best friend?
Anna.

What is your favorite food in the whole world?
Hot dogs, and capers! Can I have some capers?

What is your favorite junk food?
Nilla Wafers . . . No, I think tootsie rolls. Next time we go to the post office, can Mister Brian give me a tootsie roll?

What is your favorite fruit?
Watermelon.

What is your favorite vegetable?
Broccoli. With ranch dressing.

What is your favorite song?
Hot Potato. Can you tape The Wiggles for Me? Pleeeeassseeee? Oh, please mommy.

What do you want to be when you grow up?
When I grow up, I just want to take pictures with mommy . . . when I get bigger, so I can scrapbook them!

Are you going to be a photographer?
What?! You're silly mommy!

How do you bake a cake?
You put everything in a bowl. And then you put frosting on it. Can we make cupcakes? Pink, with sprinkles! Pleeeeassseeee? Oh, please mommy.

What are you going to buy with your piggy bank money?
I'll buy you a new favorite book. Daddy too. And a new toy for me.

Who do you love?
Mommy, Daddy . . . and Anna and Grace.

How about your grandparents, brothers, aunts, uncles and cousins?
Them too.

An Annual Appointment with My Doctor

This morning, I went in for my annual doctor's appointment that has been scheduled since last year. I arrived at 9:15AM (I was the first appointment), and was out by 10:15AM.

Getting the first appointment of the day saved me lots of time. The later you go to a doctor, the better the chances you won't be seen at your exact appointment time and you'll get out much later than you originally expected.

I brought a pad and pen with me with a few questions I had for the doctor so I would not forget to ask. I also planned to write down my blood work results (cholesterol, blood pressure, etc.) Didn't have to do that though. They're very organized at my doctor's office, and they told me they would supply me with a detailed printout of all my results before I left. And that's exactly what they did. I always keep my numbers, so they can be compared from year to year.

I'm happy to say that after the examination and bloodwork, I left with a clean bill of health--in fact, my numbers were even better than last year. Must be that daily exercise routine I instituted a while ago. Bonus!

While I was there, I scheduled a mammogram AND next year's annual appointment. Next year's appointment is written on the last page of my 2007 calendar on the Notes page. When I get my new 2008 calendar later this year, I'll be able to easily transfer any 2008 appointments all at once.