Apple has topped the list, with Google biting at its heals, although behind by more than $70 billion (and yes, that’s a “b”). This battle is interesting considering the Apple vs. Android war that is raging. Personally, I love my iPhone and iPad. I had a Droid and it didn’t thrill me. I was very happy to leave it for an iPhone. I think Apple is stronger here because their product is consistent, whereas Google has allowed anyone and everyone to build off of their operating system. Both of my kids and Kindles, and it’s confusing. I know there are Android apps available, but they aren’t in Amazon’s store. I just don’t have time to be virtually running all over the place trying to figure it out. With Apple, it’s easy. I like that.

The rest of the brands aren’t very surprising: IBM, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, AT&T, Microsoft, Marlboro (OK, that one surprised me), Visa, and China Mobile (another surprise!). For the most part, these are brands that have dominated for some time.

Are there any surprises for you? Any that you expected to see but are missing?

The good news is that I am really enjoying my classes. So far I’ve taken 4: Introduction to IMC, Digital Storytelling, Marketing Research, and Audience Insight. Each class has been very different and I have learned so much. My only disappointment is that I can’t spend more time with my schoolwork. But so far I have all A’s (I’m waiting for my final grade for Audience Insight, but so far I have an A), so that counts for something!

I am very much looking forward to the summer. I have decided to take a break and won’t start classes again until August. I’m planning on taking 3 classes a year from now on out, one in the fall and two back-to-back in the spring. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned, outside of the classwork, is that I need to go into a session prepared. My house really needs to be in order and I need to plan ahead as much as possible. I had grand plans to get ready for my spring classes over Winter Break, only to spend a week at Children’s Hospital with my daughter for an asthma episode. Right now my house is a complete disaster! Everything has piled up, from paperwork to clothes to dust. We’ve managed to do *just* enough to get by, and it shows! People often say to me “I don’t know how you do it.” Well, the secret is a patient husband and a messy house.

I look forward to having time to blog again (I just get wiped out between so much reading and writing during classes). I plan to back-post some bigger events (such as our stint in Children’s Hospital) so keep an eye out for those! I also plan to share some insights gained from my classes. It’s going to be a great summer!

The Walking Dead Cast, Image from AMC at http://blogs.amctv.com/the-walking-dead/photo-galleries/

I realize it’s pretty standard fodder to write about what you’re thankful for during the fourth week of November, but that’s why we have Thanksgiving, isn’t it? To reflect on what we have and give thanks for those blessings?

On of my new favorite shows is AMC’s The Walking Dead. I had heard the buzz surrounding it, but since I can only watch grown-up shows after the kids go to bed, I avoid the nightmare-inducing ones. My husband started watching it during the marathon before the second half of the second season, and I was hooked. I did have nightmares for a few nights (still do, sometimes), but the show is so good I don’t even care anymore.

As in any zombie apocalypse, the survivors are simply doing that – surviving. Usually we see this scenario in a film, with less than two hours to tell the entire story. And that’s what makes this show so great, they get to tell the whole story. What happens the day after? The week? Month? Year? How do you survive when, at every turn, something is trying to kill you? How do you raise a family when you’re simply trying not to die?

The show, in it’s third season, has gotten much grittier and more desperate. The main characters have taken shelter in a prison because it’s the safest place, meant to keep people in – and by proxy, out. But can you imagine what living in a prison does to your psychie? It’s a place we spend out whole lives trying to stay out of, yet these people find their sanctuary there.

Watching this show, imagining what it would be like trying to live in that world with my family, makes me very grateful for the life I do live in. I may get stressed juggling a career, two active kids, a marriage, graduate school, family, friends… the list goes on. But I’m not holed up in a prison hoping we can find enough food to keep from starving to death, always on guard because around every corner could be death waiting to literally eat you alive. That’s the kind of stress I can do without.

I have more to be thankful for than I could possibly write. We may not be the richest family around, our house isn’t where we want it to be and we’re much busier than I prefer, but I’m thankful just the same.

Halloween trick-or-treating was delayed this year due to Superstorn Sandy, but the kids had a blast. It was chilly, which is why Spider-Girl is sporting a princess look as well. We’ve been going with our neighbors for years, and while it was cold, it was great to see them.

Now, to taste test some candy…

I know exactly what I wanted Sass to be for Halloween – Goldilocks. I have a dress my mom made be when I was about her age that is blue with a white apron, and it was perfect. Which of course meant that she wanted to be anything but Goldilocks. One of these days I’ll learn that when I want her to do something, I should tell her I don’t want her to. Instead, I keep hoping she’ll agree with me. You can see how well that’s going…

We looked on Pinterest for costume ideas, and she settled on this Spider-Girl costume:

I honestly didn’t mind too much, because it’s not too “girly.” I liked that she picked something that’s actually a boy’s costume, with a girly twist. Ironically, with all of the costumes Buddy has had over the years, he never had a Spider-Man costume, so I hit Facebook and found a friend with a costume his boys had outgrown. A few bucks for some tulle, and viola! Spider-Girl!

Everyone loved her tutu and it was super easy to make. There’s lots of tutorials all over the web. I wish I’d had bought some more tulle to make it fuller, but Sass loved it just the same.

I am one of those people who would prefer to have a homemade costume than a store-bought option, unless it makes no sense (such as superheros). This year Buddy decided he wanted to be either Captain Underpants or the black angry bird. While I was thrilled he picked a character from a book (even though the book is basically potty humor, hey, it’s a book that has no related TV show or movie), I couldn’t figure out a way to let him be Captain underpants and not go to school in his underwear. I put some serious thought into it, and even considered buying a flesh-colored bodysuit, but in the end, I couldn’t figure out a way to make it work, so the black angry bird it was!

I refused to spend $40 on a cheap foam costume, so I hit Pinterest and looked for other crafty ladies who had already figured it out, and struck gold.

I spent $10 on supplies. I had a bag of stuffing at home and picked up another at a rummage sale for $1, as well as a yard of yellow fabric for $1, which I used as the lining.

I made some alterations to this costume, making it bigger (my circles were 30 inches) and instead on attaching the fuse to the costume, I added it to a headband. Buddy was thrilled with it and he was a big hit at school.

I’m happy to say I received an A+ in the class, and learned a lot as well. I’ve decided to take the rest of the semester off (there are two terms in the fall and spring because each class is nine weeks long). It’s nice to have a few months between classes.

The next classes I’ll be taking are both required courses, so I expect them to be more intense. I’ve decided to take two classes during the spring semester, one at a time (one early, one late) and then take the summer off. I started in the summer, but because we weren’t in any sort of normal routine, it was difficult to establish a school routine. With the kids in school, it’s busier, but I’d rather be hitting the books when it’s not as nice outside and then spend the summer recharging.

Sass and Buddy at their aunt and uncle's wedding. I added the border using the SmileBox app.

My husband’s brother was married this past weekend, and it was a family affair. Jonathan was the best man, Buddy a ring bearer and Sass a flower girl. I wasn’t in the wedding party, but did a reading at the wedding. We had a great time, and it makes me so happy to finally see my brother-in-law so happy. I absolutely adore my new sister-in-law too, which is a bonus!

I have almost no pictures from the weekend, since I was basically wrangling the kids, so I can’t wait for the photos to come back from the photographer and to get copies from my in-laws.

I wanted to make the day extra special for Sass so I took her to get her hair done. She absolutely loved it, and looked to beautiful in her dress. I think this smile says it all!

Buddy and Jonathan were very handsome as well, and, I have to say, I have one good looking family!

My sister-in-law had asked me to make signs for the boys to carry (Buddy and her other nephew), but the other boy refused to carry it, so instead Sass and buddy walked together and carried the signs. Unfortunately, Sass was a bit upset that she didn’t get to throw petals, sop after the wedding we had her throw some down the aisle and fortunately she was perfectly happy after that.

I did not get a single photo of all of us, oops! We planned to, but we were so busy it never quite happened. The photographer got a pic of the entire family, so I’ll just have to settle for that when it comes in.

I think this photo says it all about how we felt afterwards:

My brother-in-law is getting married in a week, and my kids are both in the wedding as a ring bearer and flower girl. There are two ring bearers and three flower girls since the happy couple wanted to include all of their nieces and nephews.

The bride decided instead of pillows for the boys, she wanted some signs made. We found some examples on Pinterest, and I went shopping for some frames.

I found them both at a rummage sale and spent $5 on both. One was a sign and had a wooden backboard and the other was an open frame without a back or glass.

After some playing around, and more Pinterest investigation, I decided to use white foam board and a brown sharpie pen (the wedding colors are teal and brown) so it would be easy to write and look finished.

I’m happy with how they turned out, and the bride is too!

Sass has been having a bit of a rough time with the concept of kindergarten. I think it seems big and scary to her. She was very comfortable in her day care. I’m really happy I had her go to summer camp at Shady Side so she could get to know some of her classmates, but also to get her used to a new place. She’s like me (in oh, so many ways), she has a hard time with change. It’s the fear of the unknown. We are so alike in that way.

The biggest challenge so far has been the dress code because apparently I’m raising a fashionista who is very vocal when it comes to her attire. I showed her the pants, shorts and skirts (in khaki and navy) and she declared she’s not wearing the pants or shorts, so I should just take them back. I showed her the shirts (collared, in white, navy and yellow – well, if I could find them in yellow) and she said “That’s IT?!?” When I told her she could also wear dresses she was all for that (this is a girl who wore dresses and skirts to summer camp almost every day – no shorts for her!) until I showed the jumper (khaki and navy – see a theme here?).

Bless her heart, she tried to look on the bright side.

“At least I get to wear my sandals!” she declared.

Sigh. “Sorry, sweetie, you have to wear sneakers.”

Pause. “Even if it’s hot outside? What if my feet get hot?” “Even then.”

She pondered some more. “Well, I can wear my princess socks!” Triumph! Or not.

“No, honey, you have to wear white socks.” Foiled again.

“Well, I can wear my necklaces!” Ha, she’s thought of everything!

Crap. “Oh, honey, you’re not allowed to wear jewelry.” Her little face looked at me with such disbelief. So I happily told her she could wear whatever she wants in her hair – head bands, barrettes, hows, braids, ponytails – the hair is where it’s at!

This may seem like a great option, except Sass won’t let me DO anything to her hair. She barely lets me brush it. While she owns tons of head bands and barrettes, they rarely last more than 30 minutes in her hair. She has this gorgeous blond hair that I’m dying to adorn with accessories (that’s part of the fun of having a girly girl), and she’ll have none of it. Until now. I think I’ve finally got her, because she’s now letting me braid her hair and put it in ponytails and pigtails. Success!

I’m confident once she goes to school and sees all the girls wearing the same thing, she’ll be fine. But I also know she’s going to LOVE dress-down days, and I guarantee she’ll wear a dress or skirt every single time.