10 Things: October

It is already the 10th of the month, so it is time for me to share my "10 Things" inspired by posts at Shimelle.com We are having a busy fall, so here are 10 Things that we doing this month:

1. Going on an adventure to San Francisco
John and Alex went on an adventure last Saturday to San Fancisco while I was at a bridal shower. They had a picnic and saw some ships, boats, and airplanes that were in the city for both Fleet Week and the America's Cup. John took Alex's photo at the train station on their way to San Francisco.

2. Working
John and I are both keeping busy at work. John is working on a big project. I am mostly advising students on academic probation and juniors who need to be accepted into a major. Our work is both draining and rewarding.

3. Teaching
The semester is in full swing, so the class and grading are keeping me busy.

4. Feeding the dogs
Alex takes his "jobs" at home and school very seriously. He likes to help and gets upset if he does not get to feed the dogs each morning and night. He is learning how to measure out the correct amount of food for each dog. He also helps me make the beds.

5. Getting a Halloween Costume for Alex
Alex wants to be a "superhero with wings" so we are working on a Batman costume.

6. Looking for a rental house
Most people rent apartments and houses through Craigslist postings out here. I am glad that we are starting early. Places go quickly in the Bay Area! So far I have responded to 2 ads, but one of them was a scam. (Tear!)

7. Planning for the Holidays
Alex wants to "ride on an airplane and see snow".

8. Making cards and scrapbook layouts
I have been trying to squeeze in some crafty time even though things are busy.

9. Attending some Las Madres activities
We have some fun events coming up with the playgroups. We have a party and trip to the pumpkin patch coming up.

10. Learning
There is a lot to learn with new jobs and living in a new place!

My 10 Favorite Photos from our Disneyland Trip

It is time for my 10 Things on the Tenth of the Month post. These posts are organized by the talented scrapbooker and blogger, Shimelle, and you can read more on her blog.

We recently took a long weekend to go to Disneyland. Some friends from Texas were planning to visit Disneyland and California Adventure for two days, so we planned to drive down to join them. In the planning process, we invited John's mom and sister to come along. John's brother made the road trip with us to visit a friend in LA.

We had a fabulous trip! I have uploaded and edited so many pictures from our trip and could fill multiple blog posts. For now, I have decided to share my 10 favorite photos from the trip. Some of these photos were taken by my sister-in-law, Jenni. I love taking pictures with my iPhone, but I was really impressed with Jenni's Casio point-n-shoot camera. I may be in the market for a new digital camera, and they make a 14 mp version now.

Alex's first ride at Disneyland was the Astro Orbitor in Tomorrow Land with his Aunt Jenni.

We all had fun on the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters.

We had fun returning to Disneyland after dark for the fireworks. Alex loved playing with his new Mickey toy ($15 well spent).

I had to get a photo of the castle, Walt Disney, and Mickey Mouse at night.

On Saturday we headed to California Adventure. Alex loved the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail since it is a giant playground. He became a "Senior Wilderness Explorer." (Yes, Alex is wearing both his mouse ears and a Lightning McQueen hat is this photo.)

We headed over to Paradise Pier where Alex wanted to ride Mickey's Fun Wheel, and Jenni wanted to ride California Screamin'. I do not think that I have been on a roller coaster in over ten years, and it was a lot of fun.

"Say Cheese." Alex and I are on the ferris wheel.

Alex also had to sit with his Daddy and Aunt Jenni on the ride.

Alexander "Messy Man" lived up to his name at lunch.

Grandma Mickey was nice enough to stand in the long line with Alex at Cars Land for the Luigi's Flying Tires ride. The best part of Card Land is how they recreated the town of Radiator Springs. We'll have to ride the Radiator Springs Racers on our next trip.

10 Things

It's June, which is means that it is almost Father's Day and my dad's birthday. Last month I wrote about 10 things that I learned from my mom, so the natural follow up is 10 things that I learned from my dad. In no particular order:

1. How to Drive
I remember lots of driving lessons with my dad, especially...

2. How to pass the Ohio Maneuverability Test
The state of Ohio made us pass a maneuverability test instead of parallel parking. The problem was that I failed that part the first time but passed the road portion of the test. My dad spent countless hours the next week practicing with me in parking lots on our own maneuverability course, and then I passed the test.

3. How to maintain a car and keep it for a long time
My dad is great about keeping up with car maintenance and keeping cars for a long time. My first car is almost 10 years old and still going strong.

4. About Baseball
We went to at least one Cincinnati Reds baseball game each summer and sometimes more games on vacations. As I grew up, the baseball lectures progressed. I was ready for advanced baseball lectures by my teenage years. I still enjoy going to baseball games.

5. About History
Sometimes he could even mix baseball and history.

6. About Politics
My dad has a knack for sharing his political knowledge without pushing his views onto anyone else. Political cartoons and opinion pieces were often marked with a post-it note for me to read. Now he emails links or mails us a particularly good political cartoon.

7. How to keep up with things
My dad is organized and keeps up with things. This rubbed off on me (most of the time...) and I still like marking a paper calendar even though I have electronic ones too.

8. How to avoid too much college debt
As student loan debt grows, my dad helped us (my brother and me) avoid taking on too much debt for our educations. He helped us navigate the financial aid systems at our universities, which was not easy.

9. How to manage money
I am glad that I had an allowance growing up and learned to manage money over the years.

10. How to be there for your family
Over the years, I observed my dad do so much for his parents, for my mom, and for his children. Thank you, Dad!

There are certainly more things that I have learned from my dad over the years, but I have used up my 10 Things list for this month.

You can read more posts about 10 Things on the Tenth of the Month at shimelle.com.

10 Things: Moving On

Earlier this month, we closed the sale of our house in Texas. This was our first house, and I lived there for five an a half years. We officially bought the house on July 14, 2006, and slept on the floor there the first night due to our excitement. Alex and I had one-way tickets to move to California on January 14, 2012. I snapped some pictures the week we moved, and now seems like a good time to share them.

The house was all packed on a Wednesday.

It took me forever, but the ugly wallpaper was removed in the master bathroom and replaced with yellow paint. The green carpet was replaced after we moved out.

This was Alex's room right before the move. The green carpet was also replaced after the move. Alex switched to a "big boy bed" once we moved to California.

Since I did not have years to remove the wallpaper, we had a contractor remove the wallpaper and repaint the hall bathroom. He was messy, but we were still happy with the results.

The moving truck was loaded on a Thursday. Alex and I flew to California the following Saturday. The dogs were actually the last to move. My parents took care of the dogs for a few days, and then my mom flew with the dogs to California. I am so glad that I did not have to fly by myself with a toddler and two dogs!

This was Alex's tree.

John built the shed.

Alex's teachers made him this awesome sign for his last day at the Child Development Center. We all loved his first "school."

We have many fond memories of our first house and living in Texas.

10 Things on the 10th of the Month is organized by the awesome Shimelle. You can find links to 10 Things posts from bloggers all over the world at Shimelle.com.

10 Things

For Shimelle's 10 Things on the 10th, I decided to share 10 Things that I am learning as a temporary stay-at-home-mom:

1. Lower You Expectations
I tried to get a lot done each day when we moved with an almost-three-year-old tagging along. This did not work well. Once I lowered my expectations, things went smoother. Slowly, I have crossed things off my "To Do" list.

2. Patience
I learned to be more patient with myself and Alex. I am also being patient with my job search.

3. Find some free or low cost activities
We go to the library and parks often. Alex really enjoys playgrounds and reading books at the library. Our local library has a wonderful story time each week.

4. Join a playgroup
Alex was joining random groups of kids at the playground, so I realized it was time to find a playgroup. I have enjoyed meeting other families in the area.

5. Get help if needed
This may look different based on your situation. For us, we found a home-based daycare for Alex two mornings a week. This gives me time for my job search and to do errands that are not as kid friendly (such as the DMV).

6. Quiet time is important
Even if Alex does not nap, we both need some quiet time each afternoon.

7. Balance a having a schedule with free play
It is good to keep some structure in our days, but it is also great for Alex to just play. He is getting more into pretend play, which is fun.

8. Take time for yourself
Sometimes it is nice to go to the store by myself. Blogging and crafting have been helpful outlets for me in this transition.

9. Play
You are never too old to go down the slide.

10. Enjoy
I do not know if I will have this opportunity to spend extra time with Alex again. I try to enjoy each day.

November: 10 Things on the 10th

I still can't believe that it is November already! In the U.S. we will be celebrating Thanksgiving later this month. I think that it is important for this holiday not to get lost in all the hype of Halloween and Christmas. Not only do I enjoy cooking and being with family for Thanksgiving, it is a time to focus on gratitude. This month, I will share 10 Things that I am Thankful For:

My Husband
My Son
My Family
My Friends
My Health
My Job
My Education
Crafting
A Little Quiet Time Alone
Our Home

For more "10 on the 10th of the Month" entries, visit Shimelle's Blog.

10 Things: Favorite Baby Products

It is already the 10th of the month! Here are my ten things and other bloggers are sharing their posts at Shimelle.com

Alex is no longer a baby... I did enjoy that phase, but I also enjoy watching him grow and develop. As I watch friends prepare to and add to their families, I thought that I'd share my 10 favorite baby items. (In no particular order.)

Infant car seat aka the Baby Bucket

Crib Mobile

Pack-n-play

Onesies, especially from Carter's

Umbrella Stroller

Sleep Sack

Robeez (shoes)

Jumperoo

Baby Monitor

Glider

We still use the stroller, glider and baby monitor at two and a half. What are your favorite baby items?

10 Things We Love about Living in San Antonio

These are in no particular order.

1. It is a big city with a small city feel.
San Antonio’s growth really took place after the 1968 Hemisfair. The city retains the feel and friendliness of a smaller city. As long as you can avoid rush hour, you can get around the city quickly. During the week, we can get to work in 10 minutes and on the weekends we can be in Downtown or Alamo Heights in 20 minutes.

2. So Many Good Restaurants!
This is not always good for the waistline or pocketbook, but it sure is fun to go out to eat around here.
Favorite Pizza: Rome’s Pizza
Favorite BBQ: Rudy’s
Favorite Deli: Shilo’s
Favorite Tex Mex: I could not pick just one...

3. The city has a unique character.
San Antonio has been influenced by Texas, the South, Mexico and German immigrants. All of this mixes into a culture that I don’t think can be replicated. Where else can you find the Alamo, Riverwalk, and surrounding Hill Country towns?

4. Spring, Fall and Winter
When it is not 100 degrees, the weather here is great.

5. Our Friends
We have made great friends here. They are the friends that you can have fun with who will also be there for you when you need them. We are grateful for the friends we’ve made over the past seven years.

6. Having Family Here
John's sister lived here for a few months and now my parents live here. We’ve tried to persuade more family to move down but no luck so far...

7. We’ve created a home here
We been in our house for five years and have slowly made it our own. (Well, Alex’s stuff quickly took over when he arrived!) It has been satisfying to work on projects including Alex’s room, the garden, and the shed, and we have many more to do. (I’ve torn down about half the wallpaper in the master bathroom...) We have good neighbors and can walk to the swimming pool and playground.

8. Being part of UTSA
I started working at UTSA in 2004, and John was not far behind in 2005. We have both held a couple of positions within the university, but we have been “part of the university” from day one. We have seen the campus continue to grow and change over the past 7 years. We are now watching the University start a football team and have our season tickets.

9. There is so much to do in San Antonio
We have lived here for seven years, and I still have a list of things I want to do here. We still need to visit Sea Word, The Witte Museum, and the Children’s Museum. There are fun annual events including Fiesta San Antonio and the Texas Folklife Festival.

10. There is so much to do just a short drive from San Antonio
There is the Hill Country and Austin within an hour or hour and a half from the city. In a few hours, you can be on the beach.

Fore more "10 Things" posts, visit shimelle.com. Coincidentally, she wrote ten things about her city today.

10 Things that I Miss about Dayton

I had started to draft a different post for July's 10 Things, but then I changed my mind after seeing a photo on Facebook. I have lived in San Antonio for seven years, and here are 10 Things that I miss about Dayton, Ohio:

1. Family
I grew up living near most of my family, and I miss having them nearby. Our families have spread out, but most of them are in the Dayton area.

(Christmas 2007)

2. Friends
Many of my friends are still in Ohio, and I miss them. Facebook, email and visits help.

3. Spring, Summer and Fall
I have never been a fan of winter, but we only have 2 seasons in South Texas: Hot and Not Hot.

4. Dayton Dragons Minor League Baseball
The games are a blast! Someone posted a picture on Facebook from their 815th sell out game, and got me thinking about the things that I miss from Dayton. It is especially fun to watch some of the guys go up to the Cincinnati Reds.

5. Marion's Pizza
It is the best thin crust pizza ever!

6. Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm
I can't wait to take Alex there. I spent a lot of time there growing up, and then John and I had our wedding and reception at the Center.

(My friends and bridesmaids before the wedding at Aullwood in 2004.)

7. MetroParks, including "The Englewood Reserve"
I also spent a lot of time there growing up.

8. Festivals
The Dayton area has a great variety of free and low cost festivals including City Folk, the Celtic Festival, and the Aullwood Festivals, and more.

(Cherish the Ladies at the 2005 City Folk Festival)

9. University of Dayton
I loved the two years that I spent as a student there for graduate school and still cheer on the Flyers.

10. It is home.
There is a history and familiarity there that will take decades to develop anywhere else.

For more 10 Things posts, head over to Shimelle's blog. Please come back on August 10th for 10 Things that I Love about San Antonio.