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Picking Music Lessons Back Up Again

Posted by Admin on December 7th, 2011 filed in Homeschooling
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My mom — a retired math teacher — comes down every Wednesday to hold math lessons with my kids. It’s a really nice afternoon where the kids get to take a break from their regular math lessons to have some fun hands-on math lessons that teach them skills AND that math is fun!

Anyway…while my mom was here today, we got to talking about the kids and their musical lessons. I’ve fallen a bit behind in teaching the kids piano over the last few years. Our standard practice has always been to start kids on piano lessons when they reach seven years of age. Our ten-year-old and seven-year-old need some focused efforts on my part to get them going on their piano lessons.

I was thinking that maybe buying a new midi keyboard would give us the motivation to get going. There’s nothing like new equipment to renew everyone’s motivation and interest, right! I think it could help all of us get back into the music lesson groove.


Gift Inspirations

Posted by Admin on December 6th, 2011 filed in Shopping
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Even though we don’t celebrate Christmas in our family, December is a busy gift-buying month. I have to remember my mother-in-law’s birthday on the first and my oldest daughter’s birthday on the 27th. We also have two anniversaries so far in December — oldest daughter and her hubby will celebrate six years on December 17 and oldest son and his wife will celebrate two years on December 24.

I have some of the birthday shopping out of the way but I’m still looking for inspiration for the anniversaries. Can’t really do something easy like apple ipod nanos — we need couple’s gifts. I think I did gift cards last year…hmmmmm


C’Mon Snow!

Posted by Admin on December 6th, 2011 filed in Winter
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It’s been a while since we were in the situation of praying for snow! Well, this winter promises to be a little different since my dear hubby just bought a truck and a plow and is planning on taking a stab at snow plowing again.

He’s still got some work to do on the truck before it’s ready to roll, so we need to snow to hold off for just a little longer (the truck doesn’t need rv towing, but it does need a little help). He was plowing snow when we first met, but he sold his two plow trucks when we moved to Hawaii. He’s yearned for the challenge all these years and finally decided to give it a go this winter.

So…let the flakes fly!


Shopping for Diningroom Furniture

Posted by Admin on November 29th, 2011 filed in Shopping
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Having just finished hosting Thanksgiving for 21 family members, I have to tell you that I have had diningroom furniture on my mind recently. We have a dining table that seats eight comfortably and ten if we squeeze. It’s not nearly big enough for our growing family.

So…problem solver that I am, I took it upon myself to begin some online browsing to see if I could find any deals out there. Guess what? I did! I also found lots of beautiful furniture that I’d love to own.

If you are in the same boat as me, you might want to take a look at The RoomPlace dining room furniture and see if you agree with me. This website has both affordable and beautiful furniture.

I saw a variety of styles in a range of prices. Something for everyone on this website. In fact, I also appreciated the fact that they had packages available as well as selling pieces separately. You could purchase an entire set with hutch, buffet and sideboard, or you could purchase just the table and chairs — totally affordable and you can fit it to meet your needs.

Ever the researcher, I decided to do a little delving and see what the web has to say about purchasing home furniture. It’s not a small thing to purchase furniture for your home — you’re going to have to live with it for a number of years, so it pays to take your time, do your research and make sure you purchase something you will love for the long term.

Anyway, I was reading about furniture shopping at the Colorado State University. They recommend that consumers weight carefully the quality, price, comfort, style and color of furniture before purchasing anything. They recommend that consumers think about how they will use the furniture, the amount of maintenance they are willing to put into it, and the length of time they want it to last.

So, for our case, we would need to purchase dining room furniture built to last that would stand up to the tough daily use that our family would give it. I’d love to have upholstered seats, but only if the upholstery was high quality and it would resist stains.

I saw some beautiful pedestal tables at The RoomPlace that would fit our needs perfectly. Another plus — there are local shops located around the country…so shipping doesn’t need to break the bank!


Bring on the Basketball

Posted by Admin on November 29th, 2011 filed in Family
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I’m looking forward to this winter. We tend to be housebound a little bit…especially as the days grow really short, the winter winds begin to howl and the snow starts to fly.

My senior son is playing on the high school basketball team this year and my other two sons still at home (12 and 5) have made a standing date to go and cheer on the Cardinals at every home game. We might even try to make a few away games, if I’m really brave and energetic!

Anyway, home games start next week…so Michael, Isaiah and Mom will be in attendance in the bleachers of the high school! Can’t Wait!


Organizing Thanksgiving

Posted by Admin on November 24th, 2011 filed in Holidays
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As harried and hectic as life has been over the last several weeks, preparing for the holiday, I’m so glad I’ve succeeded in holding it together. No, no need for a San Francisco drug alcohol rehab treatment center for me, but I’ve been under enough stress to turn to unhealthy coping methods, I’ll tell you that!

What with cleaning, organizing, shopping and cooking on top of school and work…well, it’s a wonder I’m still here to tell you about it! Thankfully, I have lots of help!


Happy Thanksgiving!

Posted by Admin on November 24th, 2011 filed in Holidays, Uncategorized
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It’s been a hectic week, filled with lots of preparation and anticipation leading up to the big day today. Family arrived last night and the house was full to the brim. It was a good full though, with the sounds of laughter and children playing throughout the rooms and bigger kids “playing” too.

Anyway, lots of work, lots of food, lots of fun. The house is put back to order again. I can’t believe the wreckage that one day with extended family in the house can do to order! I swear they reach every nook and cranny of the house! If we had trade show booth displays, they’d probably even get at those! I love every minute of it though, and it’s so worth it. I wouldn’t trade one second!

Hope you had a blessed holiday!


Old Fashioned Shutters

Posted by Admin on November 22nd, 2011 filed in Shopping
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I have always loved the rustic appeal of plantation shutters. Gone are the days when shutters are a necessary accessory for covering windows, but that doesn’t make them any less attractive to me. They lend such an old-fashioned and sweet charm to any home. It’s the sort of accessory that goes perfectly with window boxes filled to over-flowing with flowers. I love that look.

I was browsing around www.blindsleeds.com/shutters/ recently, looking at all of the different shutters they have for sale. So pretty…and available in a variety of different colors and styles.

The home I grew up in had shutters on a few of the windows…brings back good memories of a good old house.

Unfortunately, the windows in our house do not lend themselves easily to shutters. If we ever replace the windows in our bay window, though, I would love to incorporate light oak shutters over the windows, though. That look would be perfect for our old-fashioned home.

What do you think? Do you love the shutter look? Do you have them? Would you use them? Leave a comment and share your thoughts!


You’ve Been Sentenced Still a Winner

Posted by Admin on November 17th, 2011 filed in Family
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Remember this fun game? My kids are still loving it and it’s been a year since we’ve been playing it.

An update: You’ve Been Sentenced is now the proud winner of 17 national awards to recognize its high quality. Not only that, this year you can buy it at Barnes & Noble, Kohl’s and Toys R Us! How cool is that?!?

If you don’t remember my original post, here are the highlights:

311XNWQVrjL._SL500_AA300_We are game lovers in my family. Since we try to avoid television to some extent and look for alternative ways to spend time together, board games are one thing we spend a lot of time doing. As soon as children become readers in our household, they quickly move up to active game-players, participating with everyone else in rousing games during the evenings.

I was recently happy to receive a game to review. The game is called:

You’ve Been Sentenced!

This game combines several key aspects of a successful game, in my opinion. Not only is it exciting and enjoyable, it is educational as well. I love it when my kids can learn while they have fun.

Recently, we sat down to see what this game had in store for us.

Each player receives ten cards and then must build a grammatically correct sentence using as many cards as possible. The first player who finishes building a sentence starts a sand-timer and then the remaining players have until the sand runs out to finish their own sentences. After the sentences are finished, the judging portion of the game begins. Players can “object” to other players’ sentences on the grounds that the sentences do not make sense or are not grammatically correct. If a player’s sentence is challenged, he or she must then defend it. After each sentence is judged, it’s time to score — some words are worth more points than others.

Play additional rounds and the first player to reach 200 points is the winner.

I have children in a wide range of ages so playing some games can be a challenge. This game was fun for us because we buddied up with some of the younger children and I think everyone learned something.

I expect this game to be a favorite this winter as we while away the chilly evenings.


LEED for Green

Posted by Admin on November 17th, 2011 filed in General Abundance
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The economy is such a bust right now. How about something encouraging!

Ever heard of LEED? LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. This is a special building certification program for constructing green buildings. Any commercial or residential building can be made using green construction, using an comprehensive rating system.

Sound interesting? I know! Well then, perhaps you could take a course for LEED online and become a LEED® Accredited Professional. Anyone in the real estate or construction business should really think seriously about doing this to make themselves more marketable in the industry. Even if you don’t work in the industry, if you’re just passionate about all things green, give this some consideration!

I’m talking about CleanEdison’s LEED® Green Associate program where you take a course and then take an exam for accreditation into the LEED program. If you take the crash course, you can prepare for the exam in only a day! You’ll learn about the credit rating system, review general guidelines for that system and you’ll even get some tips and tricks for passing the test!

This could be just what you need to get your career in the green industry started!


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