Tell Me Thursday - Resting

My Wordless Wednesday photo was taken on Sunday. November is going to be a whirlwind month, and we had some free time, so I decided we'd take our annual Christmas card photo.

We dressed up the kids and drove them out to the desert -- and then stopped at a local school (hence the grass . . . no, I don't understand it either, Ann!)  We ended up taking 253 shots (the perils of digital) and I think I found the one we'll use for cards.

That shot was one of the last shots taken and I love how they're all resting on the grass, patiently waiting to see what crazy thing Mom suggests next.  They were truly good sports! 

Here's another favorite from Sunday

Those are skulls and crossbones on their pants.  Yep, my kids are pirates.

Did you play Wordless Wednesday?  Then don't forget to tell your story on Tell Me Thursday!

Wordless Wednesday - Resting

 

If you play Wordless Wednesday, be sure to tell your story on Tell Me Thursday!

Just one of the reasons I love homeschooling . . .

This is a video I shot this morning.  It may appear a bit boring, but this is one of the reasons I love homeschooling.  It's a Monday morning.  My boys spent 3 hours so far on school work, and headed outdoors for a break.  Before they went out, they helped their sister find shoes so she could go outdoors to play as well.

I found these Crayola 3-D Chalk on clearance for $1, so I bought 3 so each kid would have a pair of the fancy glasses.  I surprised them with the treat, and they set to it right away.

I listened while Colin read the pamphlet while Nate immediately started drawing on the flagstone. Colin gently shared the information he learned, so that the 3-D effect was the strongest. Their baby sister was sweetly welcomed into the midst and she had just as much fun drawing as the boys.

They spent a good hour drawing on the walkway and trying different techniques.  Lydia got bored much sooner, and spent time throwing Pooh down the slide. One of the boys would run over occasionally and help her, and then return to their chalk.  At one point, Lydia came inside to get juice boxes for the 3 of them and took them out to her brothers.

They came in for lunch, worked on a chore, then worked on more schooling.  I enjoy the easy relationship between the 3 of them and enjoy the thrill of watching them learn.  Of course, there are the days that are frustrating, but today was one of the good ones.

Money Saving Monday #31 - Clearance!

For Halloween, we gave out Halloween themed pencils and dum-dum lollipops.  The pencils I purchased after last Halloween for $1.50 for 90 pencils. I put them away on the shelf where I keep these things, and pulled them out for Halloween.  My kids were mortified that I was giving away pencils, so I also bought a big bag of dum-dum suckers.

I took our Christmas card photo this weekend.  My boys each wore an adorable holiday tie that I picked up last year after New Year's.  The ties which sold for $15 during the season cost me $2.40!

Clearance sales are a great way to plan ahead for future holidays. If you're like me, and sometimes buy things for the future and then completely forget about them, I'll share my trick.  I put a note in my calendar!  I use Google calendar to plan our lives, so I scheduled an event for October 1 about Halloween pencils.  Google will email you about your events if you set it up, so on October 1 I received an email reminding me that I had a stash of Halloween pencils in the house!

I headed out yesterday morning to see what I could find for Halloween clearance this year, and the shelves were pretty bare already.  I think retailers purchased less inventory this year, so there is less to clearance.  If you want to catch some deals, I suggest heading out today and seeing what you can find! 

It's Friday, and A Giveaway

** Thanks to all who entered!  This giveaway is now closed!  Comment #11 was chosen using random.org on 11/3/09, and the winner contacted.  Watch for future giveaways!! **

Back in the days when I worked a regular, corporate job -- Fridays meant the end of the work week!  Woo Hoo!!  Now?  Between parenting and freelancing -- Fridays are just another day of the week.

I'll make this Friday a little special by running another quick giveaway!  Leave a comment from now until Monday night and I'll draw a winner Tuesday morning.  What am I giving away?  Two of Marie Callender's shelf-stable meals!

I had the chance to try four of their new meals -- Traditional Stuffing & Turkey, Garlic Herb Chicken, Classic Stroganoff and Sweet Sesame Beef -- and found them to be convenient and tasty.  Of course, they're not as tasty as a home-cooked meal, but when I'm busily trying to homeschool, meet deadlines, and feed my kids, they made a filling lunch.  My favorite of the ones sent to me was the Sweet Sesame Beef.

These meals steam the starch (noodles / rice / stuffing), then you heat up the sauce and mix the 2 together. The starches were cooked perfectly and there was enough sauce to mix together nicely. The flavor was not bland (I was worried about that!)  They weren't spicy, either -- but nicely flavored.

Would you like a couple to put in your pantry for those crazy days when you want a quick, hot meal?  Marie Callender is giving away TWO to one of my readers!  Leave a comment and let me know which 2 you would like to try.  Your choices are: Traditional Stuffing & Turkey, Garlic Herb Chicken, Classic Stroganoff and Sweet Sesame Beef

For extra entries, follow my blog and/or tweet this entry.  Leave new comments for each entry.  Comments will close Monday night at midnight, and I'll post the winner to this post Tuesday morning.

If you don't win this one, come back next week for another yummy food giveaway!!

Thanks to Marie Callender for providing me with 4 meals to try, and sending my giveaway winner 2 meals!

Child care

Years ago, when I had a management position and no children, I thought I was considerate and understanding of my employees with children.  While I still believe (want to believe?) that I was, I realize I did not understand . . . because I didn't have to deal with the issue myself.

When Colin was an infant, he spent time in part-time child care while I worked a regular part-time schedule. And, then, he was a year old and spent a few months in full-time care while I worked full-time.  I stayed home for a couple years, and then hired a nanny one day/week in our home to watch Colin & Nate while I worked in an office one day/week and additional hours from home.  That lasted a few months, too, as I recall.

Child care is hard.  Part-time child care is even harder. For the last year I've been back to work on a part-time basis and have been so grateful for the 2 families that watch my kids while I teach (with pay, of course) and even happier when I found a drop-in center for those times when neither family is available.  When you don't have consistent needs, it's very difficult to find care.  Not many centers, or day care providers, want to watch kids 3 days one week, a half day the next, nothing the third week and then 2 days the fourth.  Most want a consistent schedule so they know what to expect.

Homeschooling adds another level to all of this.  Even if the boys attended school full-time, I would still need before/after school care and holiday care.  Homeschooling is another time commitment for me, but I imagine that homework and school activities would be a formidable time commitment as well.

Even with child care available, I find myself limiting opportunities.  I don't work in the west valley because it would add at least 2 hours to my commute each day.  I don't attend meetings where I won't get paid, because they cost me money. I won't attend a meeting tomorrow because it would cost me $25 in childcare to attend a one hour meeting, and I don't know that I'll receive any value from it.  I'm hoping I didn't make the wrong decision.


I balance my choices, and there are times when I do pay for childcare when I won't receive compensation.  There are times when the opportunity, or future opportunity, weigh heavy enough to make it worthwhile to spend the money.  I'm trying to weigh the opportunities right now for a fairly inexpensive training seminar, which would cost twice as much in child care (I told you it was inexpensive!)

It falls on a day that is surrounded by many other commitments and I'm trying to figure out why I'm hesitating.  Is it the cost? Is it all the surrounding commitments? Am I afraid of the potential opportunities?  If I wait much longer, the seminar will be full, and my decision will be made for me.  Which is NOT how I want to live my life.

How do you decide if something is really an issue, or if you're using it as an excuse?

Tell Me Thursday - 2006

This picture is of my 2 little knights -- they're dressed as St. George, who slayed dragons.   This shot was from 2006, and they were adorable.  They wore these costumes until they literally wore them out in the next couple years! 

You'll have to come back next week to see what they decided to be for Halloween this year :)

Did you play Wordless Wednesday?  Tell your story on Tell Me Thursday :)

Listerine Oral Care Challenge

Mom Central, Listerine and Reach sent my family a box full of products to participate in the "October Oral Care Challenge!"  The assortment was to help us all brush, floss and rinse our teeth twice a day.  While we have always tried to make it a habit, there are days when it is a struggle to keep the kids brushing. 

My kids were excited about receiving new toothbrushes and flossers -- and were especially excited to try the Listerine Agent Cool Blue.  They laughed at the blue on their teeth and brushed longer than usual to make sure that the blue all went away.  We were also sent teeth stickers and a chart to help keep track of brushings, which helped cement the habit more than before.  We filled each day with stickers for all 3 kids, and they had fun putting their stickers on each square.

Dr. Lott, a pediatric dentist working with Listerine, encourages parents to show, and not just tell kids what to do.  We don't share a bathroom with the boys, so I tried to talk about brushing my teeth more often than in the past, since we didn't stand in the bathroom brushing together. I also took the time to visit them in their bathroom while they brushed their teeth to make sure they brushed long enough -- and to help them learn to clean their mess up right away!  If nothing else, the 2 week challenge helped them learn not to spit toothpaste all over the counter, and also to rinse the sink when they were done!  You can read more of Dr. Lott's tips at the Listerine Kids website.

This is a great time to encourage good oral health habits. Halloween is Saturday, which starts a season full of treats and candy.  It's important to foster good habits in kids while they're young, so the habits are ingrained as they grow.  We had fun with this challenge, and encourage you to start your own!

Mom Central sent me a box of products from Listerine and Reach to prepare for this blog post.  In exchange for participating in this blog tour, I received oral care products from Listerine and Reach, a gift certificate to GlobalGiving.org and a donation was made on my behalf to the National Children's Oral Health Foundation (www.ncohf.org), an organization committed to delivering comprehensive oral healthcare to economically disadvantaged children.

Wordless Wednesday - 2006

Play along at Wordless Wednesday!  Come back tomorrow for the story on Tell Me Thursday :)

Money Saving Monday #30 - Energy!

Saving energy is good for your pocketbook, as well as the environment.  It's never a good idea to waste energy, but most people choose to conserve energy in order to save money.  That's okay -- because those efforts that save money also help conserve energy being used.

We all have chargers around the house for our various portable devices.  How often do you unplug those chargers?  I make a conscious effort to unplug ours, but I'm the only one in the house that does so.  Some people think that it is such a small amount of energy that it can't make much difference, but all those small amounts can add up to a large amount over time -- especially when considering multiple chargers!

Did you know that in the US alone, $10 billion is wasted by power being wasted by devices on standby?

Chargers are not the only culprits of standby power -- computers, televisions, stereo equipment, home entertainment equipment, kitchen appliances -- even though they are turned off they can still pull a little power from the outlet. The best way to stop that is to unplug the device from the wall when not in use, or use power strips and be sure to turn the power strip off when the devices are not being used.

The website, Vampire Power Sucks, has lots of information and a calculator to help determine how much energy you may be wasting.  As an added bonus of visiting the site, you can enter their Augmented Reality page and enter a chance to win a year's worth of electricity for your home!  (That would be a money-saving tactic, now wouldn't it?)

If you have kids, the Department of Energy has a great site to help you share information with your kids about saving energy and different ways they can help. While parents have to be good role models, sites like this can provide great information in simple ways to help them get on board with saving energy.  Lydia especially likes Tinkerbell on that site!

I ordered a Kill A Watt Electricity Usage Monitor so that we can see exactly how much energy plugged in devices in our home use, even when turned off.  As soon as it arrives, I'll be updating you with what I've found out!  I'm hoping that my family will be more willing to unplug things once they see actual numbers of how much power is being wasted. I am also looking into using chargers that actually stop pulling power when they've charged the device, and can't wait to see how they compare to traditional chargers.

There is much we can do to conserve energy, but I believe in making many small changes over time, which will add up to one large difference.  Our first step is to reduce vampire power drainage from our home!  What are you doing to conserve energy?