Where do you stand on green cleaning? I would say I’m a “middle of the road” kind of girl. I prefer my vinegar and baking soda for lots of scrubbing and scouring…but there are times when I need the muscle of bleach and other chemicals when I’m cleaning something gross. Even before it was “en vogue,” I was scrubbing my sinks and counter tops with baking soda just because I think it works great. I also hate using scouring powder with my bare hands and I don’t wear gloves that often when I clean.
So…what green products do you use?
Here we are at the darkest week of the year and I find myself feeling solar powered. On days when we get bright sunshine, I’m happier and more productive. Unfortunately, the string of gloomy days that seems to never end does nothing for my mood or to-do list. Maybe I should think about a digging out the tanning lotions for tanning beds and hitting the local fitness center to get a few rays. Seriously…I’ve got my OTT light burning daily, trying to simulate the sun. What do you do?
I’ve been encouraging my 13-year-old to get busy choosing the second language she wants to study in school. Generally, I make them take a year of Latin as preparation and then they need to choose a language to study for a few years. My oldest choose French and she seemed to like it. My boys…not so much…I’m not even sure what they ended up studying. Now my 13-year-old daughter is following in her older sister’s footsteps with French. Did you know that ordis means computer in French? Nor did I, but that was one of the first things my daughter made sure she found out. YES…she has techie genes!
UGH – challenging, right? Unless you tend to hibernate…like me…you’ve got to go out in the elements. We, in the upper midwest, are experiencing a deep freeze this week. And…I’m not handling it well. In fact, I abhor it. I’d rather shop for cheap life insurance than go out into the freezing cold.
The only saving grace? My new car has heated leather seats. These babies are mahvelous, I tell you. While you’re sitting in the car, shivering and waiting for it to heat up so you can blast the heat…the seats are TOASTY! No kidding! Takes about a minute for them to warm up and then it’s bun toasting time! My weird husband doesn’t care for them, but I tell you…they are making my kid-chauffering service time tolerable!
We have been considering a new water filter recently. We have water filters on our refrigerator water, on our shower and at our sink. Over the past year or so, however, we have become aware of the potential poisons that are not being filtered out of water with standard filters. The biggest one? Would it surprise you to hear fluoride? Yep…this is not new news, either. In fact, Germans and Russians have historically used it as a tranquilizer in prison camps. It makes people stupid and docile. Isn’t that nice? They don’t use it in drinking water in Europe — in fact it’s illegal. Over here? We’re duped into thinking it’s a good thing. Yep…they want us stupid and docile.
Rushing around like crazy lately? I’m sure…it’s that time of year. Never enough minutes in the day nor energy to accomplish the things on your to do list.
Winter Solstice comes in the dead of winter — the longest night of the year. Ancients used this season for faith and the rebirth of spirit. Fires were lit with ceremony…people huddled around the blazing yule log. They lit ritual fires outside to get the sun to return.
It was at this time of the year that the Star Child was born. This child represented hope during the hard months of winter. The Winter Solstice was a time of magic and faith. People projected hope for the Sun’s eventual return and the Earth’s renewal.
Take some time to appreciate the calm and quiet of the solstice.
I admit it — I’m a boot junkie. With the first bite in the air, I’m shopping for new boots. This can get expensive…especially when you have as many daughters as I do who eagerly follow in my booted footsteps. That’s why I love finding great sales online. This year, I was have a horrible time deciding whether I wanted new booties that would give my feet a fresh, fierce style or whether I should go completely opposite with tall boots instead. Of course, there’s always those super chic over the knee boots that I am just dying for, too. Imagine how excited I was to find awesome prices for all three at Zappos.com. Gorg boots, great prices, free shipping! Scared about buying footwear online? There’s no risk at Zappos. You can return your unworn boots up to one year after purchase completely free. There now…see? You’re not scared about buying boots online anymore are you? I didn’t think so!
Blogging has it’s perks. I have found an awesome company that really appeals to me as a home educator. One of the most important things to me as I teach my children is to help them develop a love for learning. The best way to do this? Show them that learning is fun. To this end, I have found a company who’s philosophy and purpose is to create fun games and products “designed to help create brighter minds.”
About a month ago, we reviewed “You’ve Been Sentenced,” a word game where players take turns making sentences. We now have all of the add-on decks that make this game even more enjoyable. This game is perfect for family game nights.
Now, I am so excited to tell you about the newest game we received called “Twisted Fish.” My kids are really loving this game. You know the old “Go Fish” game, right? Well, here’s the newest version with an engaging twist. In fact, since you probably already know how to play Go Fish, you’ll learn Twisted Fish in only a moment or two. Get ready for hilarious memory-building fun!
Go check out the engaging games available from McNeill Designs for Brighter Minds so you can see what I mean. I promise you won’t regret it!
I got an unexpected package in the mail a few days ago. I hadn’t ordered anything and the company name wasn’t familiar. As I opened the package, out fell an interesting assortment of odds and ends…some address labels, holiday cards and stickers of varying sizes and shapes. My kids congregated around the engaging objects and quickly started sorting through them. I was intrigued and mystified — not sure why I was receiving this cute little gift.
A few days later, the mystery was solved. I found out that my blog and I had been selected to review this company and their paper products. Well…how cool! I love sharing information about great products and great companies. Unfortunately, I’d love to share a picture with you of what I received, but not knowing why I received the cards, I let my kids play with them and use the stickers. They’re long gone now, but they sure were pretty.
For starters — let me just say three words: VERY.high.quality. This paper is THICK and the colors are vivid.
I went to the website…intrigued and interested to see the other cards they had. I was pleasantly surprised. The cards are unusual, imaginative and engaging. I would have no problem sending any of these cards out to share holiday greetings. In fact, I spent way too much time browsing around the site looking at all the different card products they sell. A very nice website!
If you’re a procrastinator…perhaps you’re still meaning to buy your Christmas Cards. Check these holiday cards out. There’s still time to order and get your cards and dash a few off to share holiday greetings with friends and family. No more procrastinating now…go and take a peek!
It’s been awhile since I had a baby to entertain. They are fickle and tire of everything quickly it seems. I tell you I shouldn’t need to worry about finding the best weight loss pills with this little slave driver. She has a jumper, a bouncer, a saucer, a swing and a playmat to divy up her time between. It seems like she doesn’t spend more than ten minutes in any one piece of equipment, though. Luckily, I also have ample sets of hands to bounce and diddle her, too.
