7 Quick Takes: March 26, 2010 (Vol. 35)

~ 1 ~

At the end of last week, I declared to Eric one night at dinner, "I need a PDA." Then, in my defense, I did follow that up with, "Hang on -- did I see need?  I meant I want one."

I went looking around on Amazon that night and saw that one of the things that came up again and again as something that other customers bought instead of one of the PDAs was an iPod Touch.  Hey!  I have an iPod Touch! 

That's when I sat down and realized that all of the things that I really wanted from a PDA were also things that my iPod Touch can already do.  I did buy one extra app, but $4.99 is definitely a lot cheaper than a PDA. 

I was so proud of myself!

~ 2 ~

I have yet to find anything to watch regularly from 11:30 pm - 12:30 am on TV. 

I still miss you, Conan.

~ 3 ~

I've been having a strong desire lately to unfriend some people on Facebook.  It's not that they have annoyed me or even that I know specifically who it would be (I have some ideas though).  But, when I have people that I only kind of knew in passing on an online message board or people that I went to school with but never remember talking to, it just seems silly.  But, then I don't want to make waves and take the chance at hurting anyone's feelings.

Then again, if I feel like I barely know them and would likely never comment on their statuses, they probably wouldn't notice if we weren't "friends" anymore.  (And, chances are, if you're reading this and feel that we actually are friends, I'm probably not thinking about unfriending you.  So, don't worry.)

Thoughts on this?

~ 4 ~

Holy Cow!  This week's episode of The Big Bang Theory was hilarious!

"A neutron walks into a bar and says, 'How much for a drink?' The bartender says, 'For you - no charge.'"

I laughed at this episode until I almost cried.

(I was extra thrilled then to find a Flash Gordon shirt for Noah at Once Upon a Child this week.  If you watch the show, you will understand my excitement.)

~ 5 ~

In anticipation for moving my blog to self-hosted WordPress, I am going to start selling ads for Many Little Blessings more actively.  They will be higher on the page than they are now (much higher), and I am starting the pricing off pretty darn low.  (Really low, especially considering that I tend to get my best traffic at this time of year.)

If you have a small business, this is a great opportunity to get a great rate on advertising.  Please contact me if you want more information about advertising here (or on any of my blogs, such as Catholic Mothers Online or The Homeschool Classroom).

~ 6 ~

Last weekend found us at my new favorite furniture store.  I mentioned it in #5 of my quick takes two weeks ago.  (It was the furniture store that gives a huge discount for paying with cash.  Love it!)

I'm now not allowed in there for a while. 

No, I didn't cause a scene or anything crazy like that.  It just seems that what with buying a desk for Molly and an awesome bunk bed last time, and then buying a love seat and a head board at our last trip, Eric thinks it's best for us not to go there for a while. 

On the up side though, the kids now have a great love seat for the play room (which used to be the school room), and we saved $45 off the price by using cash!  Love it!

~ 7 ~

I had realized that today (the 26th) was going to be my Grandma's birthday a few weeks ago, but then forgot about it until my Mom mentioned it on the phone.  I don't know why the whole thing still seems pretty surreal.  What I seem to have the biggest mental block on is that I just can't imagine that someone else lives in her apartment now.  That seems like such a funny sticking point, doesn't it?

Happy Birthday, Grandma.  We miss you.







This post is linked to 7 Quick Takes and Weekly Wrap Up.


lemonade stand photo by shaletann

7 Quick Takes: March 5, 2010 (Vol. 32)

~ 1 ~

I was about to suggest to a business owner that I knew that they absolutely needed to have a Facebook fan page set up.  Then, I realized, "Hey -- I don't have one set up for Many Little Blessings."  Sure, I have one for The Homeschool Classroom, but that's a cop out to suggest it to someone else if I'm not doing it."

So, ta da -- here is my Many Little Blessings fan page.  I would love it if you become a fan!  (Here is the Homeschool Classroom fan page, if you're interested in it, as well.)

~ 2 ~

I love watching late night television.  This whole Tonight Show thing has messed me up though.  I have nothing to watch at 11:30 now.  This week I have watched everything from David Letterman (whom I don't care for) to an exploding SpermWhale on the Science Channel.  (Yeah, I know there's a space in between the whale's name, but I don't need people coming here looking for just the other word.)

~ 3 ~

The kids and I went on a solo trip into the big city to go to a Children's Museum as a field trip for school.  Now, it's not like we hadn't been there before (we actually have a membership).  But, I had never taken them by myself.  (We have always either taken Eric with us or we went with my friend Amanda and her kids.)

We had such a great time!  In fact, it was probably the best we had ever had going to the museum.  I must have told the kids about four times throughout the day, "I am really having a good time with you guys here today.  I'm so glad we came."  (We had originally planned our trip with Amanda and family, but with a couple of sick kiddos, they couldn't come.)

The museum wasn't very busy at all, which meant that we got to take our time with all of the things that we don't normally get much of a chance to do.  It was fabulous!

The only problem now?  I have a strong urge to take them somewhere out of town again soon.

(Okay -- I'm a cheater.  In interest of full disclosure, the picture is not from this trip, and is not even from the same children's museum.)

~ 4 ~

Even though I was just raving about how great of a field trip we had, I am already thinking, "So, when are we going to take Spring Break?"  Of course, we don't have to take a Spring Break.  But, you know what?  We really do need it.

~ 5 ~

After we finished schooling today, the kids were all keeping busy and I was on the computer.  I heard one of the boys playing piano and thought, "Great!  Love it that they are doing extra practice!"  Then, Alouette started having some wrong notes.  Not really wrong -- I still knew what they were playing, but several mistakes and I wasn't expecting it.

I turned around to see which of the boys was having troubles only to find Molly sitting at the piano.  She was just pecking away at the piano and humming to figure out the notes.  I have heard her doing that before to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Hot Cross Buns as well.   That little girl amazes me all the time.

~ 6 ~

For the record, Molly told me today that when she grows up, she wants to be "a tap dancer, a ballet dancer, and an art maker."  I love that girl.

~ 7 ~

We bought a retractable clothes line this week!  We're going to put it up in our screened in porch.  Sure, we won't get as much sun, but it should also keep out some of that pesky pollen.  I can't wait to give it a try.









This post is linked to 7 Quick Takes and Weekly Wrap Up.

7 Quick Takes: February 26, 2010 (Vol. 31)

~ 1 ~

I've been a total Olympics junkie.  Since I'm always a fan of late night television anyway, I have had a fabulous time watching it.  Have you been watching the Olympics too?

I have to admit to being emotional when I watch it though.  Eric would say, "When aren't you emotional?"  But, I swear -- if any of those Olympians cry, I think I'm contractual obligated to cry with them.  I just can't help myself.  I cry with them in both victory and defeat.

I just love the Olympics.  I'm already looking forward to the summer Olympics in London.  (Although it is a little unsettling to realize that when the Olympics open in London in 2012, I'll be the mother of a teenager.  Wow.)

~ 2 ~

Molly and I have been talking about what instrument she would like to play when she is older.  Having never taken any kind of lessons when I was growing up, it's funny to me to just automatically think that she'll take music lessons.  But, with two kids already taking piano lessons, it seems like a given.

I told her that she has to start with piano, since she can start that the earliest.  Then, we were chit chatting about the possibility of the cello.  I always wanted to play the cello.  Of course, I should probably just take lessons, rather than live through her.  But, our piano teacher does those lessons as well, and we were able to look at her cello not too long ago.  Molly was pretty impressed.

This discussion made me think about a comedian we watched online talking about how much he loved playing the cello.  Well, except one particular song.  You must go watch the video (and then come back, okay?).  I would embed it, but that has acted funny lately.

(Just a heads up: It's just over five minutes long.  Up until four minutes, it is totally clean.  After that point, he does use three curse words.  All are ones that could be aired on primetime television, I have noticed.  However, that still doesn't mean that kids should watch it after that point.)

~ 3 ~

Why is it that once I turned 30, I had to start having pimples again?  Seriously -- that's not right.  I didn't have them very often when I was a teenager, and I felt lucky.  Flash forward and here I am with breakouts.  Boo!  So wrong.

~ 4 ~

This week, Noah came out on the Wii Fit as being "at risk for being overweight."  I was pretty distraught by this.  He is a big kid, but he's also a really tall 10 year old.  He was pretty bummed, and so was I.

All of the sudden, in the middle of the night that night, I said to myself (outloud), "Hey!  We've never changed his height in Wii Fit!"

Yep, that's what it was.  The next day, I measured his height (4'11", if you're interested) and then we went in to Wii Fit and added in his extra inches.  Apparently he was 4'5" when we got the game.  Let me tell you -- six inches makes a pretty huge difference in BMI measurements.  He was pretty thrilled, and so was I.

We also had to change Jack and Molly's heights, as long as we were at it.  Jack had grown five inches since we first bought the game, and Molly six inches.

~ 5 ~

I told the kids that I forgot about changing heights in the Wii Fit because I am not getting any taller.

"I'll never get any taller than this," I told the kids.

Jack chimed in, "Yeah - but I have heard that when you get older, you shrink."

Thanks, kid.

~ 6 ~

My sister-in-law has been sending us some videos of their new baby, Elizabeth, with their new flip camera.  Does anyone have one of these?  (The flip camera, not baby Elizabeth.)  Do you like it?

I go between thinking it might be something fun to have and we don't really need it.

~ 7 ~

Watching the Olympics has reminded me that I need to teach the kids the words to The Star-Spangled Banner.  It's funny the things that you realize that you need to teach the kids when you homeschool.  For this very reason, we started doing the Pledge of Allegiance at the beginning of our homeschool co-op this school year.

It may not be a surprise, but singing The Star-Spangled Banner makes me cry.








This post is linked to 7 Quick Takes and Weekly Wrap Up.

photos by: Olympic Rings - Miss Barabanov / cello - FaP ;-) / wii fit - nataliej / American flag in Chicago - Angie @ Many Little Blessings

Where I Officially Revise My Lenten Sacrifice

Oh yeah -- this is me.  I'm on the computer and this was going to be my day to shun the computer from when I woke up this morning until I wake up tomorrow morning.  But, still, here I am -- on the computer.

Did I give up and already break what I thought was going to be a really difficult Lenten sacrifice?

Surprisingly, no, I didn't give up.  It was actually shockingly much easier to skip out on the computer today than I thought.  (Although, it was softened a little bit by a few back and forth texts with Brenda.)  The only difficult moment was when I actually had a reason that I had to open my email account today and then saw emails from friends that I really wanted to read.  But, knowing the sacrifice I made, I didn't open them but just looked for the thing I had been on for.  That was my only computer today.

So, if it was so darn easy -- why am I sitting here now, you might ask.

I realized that I had to revise my plan.  I realized that one of the biggest benefits to my sacrifice was that I would be more present to my family and to the tasks I need to do around the house.  And, it was hugely successful for that today.  I didn't feel the urge to pop over to the computer to check "for just a second" that would turn into much more than just a second.  I was present today.

But, if I would suddenly be able to use the computer tomorrow morning, I knew what would happen.  School would start late.  I would be distracted trying to catch up on what I missed from a day away from the online world.  So, after talking to Eric tonight, we decided that it would be better for everyone if I turned off my computer from waking until after everyone except for myself went to bed (that includes after Eric goes to bed, not just the kids) on two days a week throughout Lent.  But, after everyone went to sleep, then I would be able to check up on the day's happenings in my email and online.

While I initially felt like this would be cheating, Eric pointed out that the revised sacrifice was really going to be much better for everyone, and would actually involve more time away from the computer.  And, when he put it that way, it was hard to argue.







Photo by daviddumas

Is The World Changing or Are We Raising Nerds?

My boys were pacing the house as they were busy pretending.  This is a favorite past time of theirs.  They walk around and come up with elaborate scenarios.

On one recent walkabout the house, I overheard Jack coming up with an idea.   

Noah then said, "Can we do some beta testing on that?"

Beta testing?  

Where do these kids get this stuff?  Either the world is changing or we're raising nerds.  Then again, it could be a little bit of both.

Strategies For Getting Caught Up On Email for the Easily Distracted

Did that title catch your eye?  It probably means that you are a lot like me.  I have the best of intentions to get caught up on email, but then one email makes me say, "Oh yeah -- I meant to check that on Facebook."  Or, maybe an email mentions an idea that I want to look up.  Then, instead of looking it up later, I bring up Google.  An hour later, when I'm doing something completely unrelated to what I originally went to look for, I remember that I was working on email.

I'm not going to pretend that by giving strategies that it means that I'm keeping up with my emails.  Just ask Brenda, I'm not.  But, here are a few strategies that always seem to make me clear out my inbox (at least partially).

Work Offline: I have been making it a practice to take my laptop along with me to the boys' piano lessons.  We spend an hour at the teacher's apartment, and I spend most of that hour just working on email.  Because I'm offline while doing it, all of the emails have to wait until I get home to send.  But, it also means that I can't pop online to be distracted. 

Just this week, their teacher said that she had been meaning to ask me if I wanted her security code so I could get online.  I told her that as much as I would love it, I found the time to be most productive because I was offline.  I was proud of myself for not caving in to my usual distracted behavior.

Set a Timer:  I really enjoy using Tiny Timer to set a timer for working on my email (or other tasks where I tend to get distracted).  What I will do is decide how long I want to work on email and then put it in the timer.  Then, I can't do anything else on the computer (other than email) until the timer goes off.  I have been known to then give myself a little time to play around after the timer goes off, and then set it again.  The timer, of course, is great for any number of purposes though -- check it out.

Delete Emails that Don't Need Answers:  I have a tendency to forget to delete emails that ought to just be deleted.  When I let them build up, it makes me overwhelmed to check my email.  I am always more apt to work on my email when my inbox isn't brimming over with messages.

Set up Filters/Separate Email Accounts:  I don't tend to use filters on my email, but I do have a few email accounts.  While this may seem counter intuitive to being caught up on email, it helps me to have specific email accounts for specific tasks.  For instance, my email account for Catholic Mothers Online gets a lot of email, but it is also not something I need to check every day.  But, when I do check it, I tend to work through it all in one setting.  (This works for me because I use Outlook Express for most of these and can change between email accounts with two clicks of the mouse.)

Five Sentence Emails: Based on the idea on Sentenc.es - A Disciplined Way to Deal with Email, I work hard to keep some of my emails as brief as possible.  This helps me to move through some of them faster (and I'm less likely to let my mind wander).  Then again, I also manage to write emails that are as long as this post, so that does cut down on my efficiency.

Put Email on my To Do List: Sometimes, I just have to write a specific goal on my to do list, when I get really behind.  For instance, I may write, "Answer 20 Emails" as a to do item.  I really enjoy checking off tasks, so this is like a challenge to me.  It helps to keep me from being distracted when I know I can make a notch on a paper for every email sent.


Anything that I missed that works for you?  Do you tend to keep up with your email or let is pile up?







This post is linked to Works for Me Wednesday.

7 Quick Takes: January 23, 2010 (Vol. 27)

~ 1 ~

It is, of course, after Friday, which is when Jen from Conversion Diary posts 7 Quick Takes.  I, however, was sad that I hadn't posted a weekly wrap up in a few weeks.  So, I'm just doing it late.

~ 2 ~

Last night was the last Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien.  I will admit it -- I cried.  It was a great show, and it was the perfect way to end Conan's time on NBC late night programming.  Of course he only spent 7 months on the Tonight Show, but he was on Late Night With Conan O'Brien for 16 years prior to that.  I have my fingers crossed that he will be back with a late night show in September 2010, when he is allowed to start hosting a show again.

~ 3 ~

I have begun to seriously think about moving this blog to a self-hosted WordPress site.  I need to keep thinking it over, but I've been pretty pleased with self-hosted WordPress after moving The Homeschool Classroom over there.

I'll keep you all updated! 

~ 4 ~

We're still doing a good job staying on track with healthier eating and exercising at least five days a week, although I'm still not pulling big weight loss numbers at all.  I'm trying to just keep my chin up about that though.  I'm averaging maybe 1 - 1.5 lbs lost per week, and I was getting frustrated (though I'm starting to see more tone in some muscles).  Then, I realized that real life isn't like the Biggest Loser.  This is healthy weight loss numbers, and that's okay.

Plus, another thing that helped was talking to a friend from church about it the other night.  She has recently had weight loss surgery, and has been really taking off weight.  She told me that even with the surgery and eating only about a medicine cup full of food a day, she is only averaging a weight loss of four pounds a week.  That helped me put things in perspective more.

~ 5 ~

I want a catchy tag line for my blog (which is also a good description) -- have any suggestions?

~ 6 ~

Blissdom is coming up in just two weeks.  Actually, two weeks from this moment, it will be close to being done.  Wow!  I feel so ill prepared.  Hopefully about two weeks from now I'll have some fun stories to share with everyone.

I would normally not be looking forward to the drive, but my best friend Amanda is coming along for the ride and some quiet time (she's not attending the conference), so the drive should be "a hoot and a half," as Sheldon would say.

~ 7 ~

"Please do not be cynical.  I hate cynicism.  For the record, it's my least favorite quality - it doesn't lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get.  But if you work really hard, and you're kind, amazing things will happen.  I'm telling you - amazing things will happen."

 

~ Conan O'Brien, from his farewell speech on his last Tonight Show - 1/22/2010

 

 

This post is linked to 7 Quick Takes and Weekly Wrap Up.




scale photo by AMRosario

I Would Be Remiss If I Didn't Talk About Conan This Week

Many years ago (maybe around eight years ago), I used to post on a scrapbooking message board before moving on to LifetimeMoments.com (which has also closed now).  One day, after a big discussion of the infamous lists that were discussed on Friends, the moderators decided to hold a contest for anyone who was willing to divulge who would be on their list.

For those of you that have never watched Friends, the list was a list of five celebrities that they would be allowed to cheat on their significant other with (with no consequences to their relationship).  Of course, on the show, Ross runs into Isabella Rossellini, who was on his list but that he had just removed for someone else.

So, we all made our lists of five celebrities and emailed them in.  (The prize was a letter punch, just to give you a time frame of how long ago this was.)  The moderators then declared that they had originally planned to give two prizes -- one randomly chosen person who had submitted their list and then one randomly chosen from amongst those that had whomever ended up being the most popular on their list (I think it was George Clooney).

It seems that upon receiving all of the lists, they decided that they absolutely had to add one more prize.  It had to go to the person that, as they declared, had the most shocking/funny/surprising person on their list.  I was publicly called out as a freak (in a nice way, I think) for one particular celebrity on my list...

Yep, I won a prize, and the general disbelief of my peers, for having one Conan Christopher O'Brien on my list.   And, do you know what?  If I had to make the list again, he'd still be on there. 

I am just naturally a night owl.  Actually, I'm probably more of a delayed sleep phase syndrome owl.  So, late night programming has always been something I have watched.  It's hard to imagine my late night without Conan.  I have my fingers crossed that he'll have some other show deal in the works soon.

Thanks for always making my late nights filled with humor, Conan.  I'll be anxiously awaiting your return.

7 Quick Takes: January 8, 2010 (Vol. 26)

~ 1 ~

As I already mentioned earlier this week, Brenda and I have been busy the last few months working on two sites that launched earlier this week -- The Homeschool Classroom (which is not new, of course, but moved to WordPress) and then Homeschool Lifestyle Media.

If you haven't stopped by the big giveaway at The Homeschool Classroom, definitely make a point of stopping by before Saturday night!

~ 2 ~

Have you read the blog Awful Library Books yet?  If you haven't, you must.  (This is fresh in my mind after just reading there about the book Latawnya, The Naughty Horse, Learns to Say "No" To Drugs.)

After the first time I read just a tiny bit of it, I had to immediately add it to my Google Reader.  It is one of those blogs that just doesn't cease to make me laugh.  Not only are the books they find in libraries a hoot, but the comments people leave are usually an added bonus.

~ 3 ~

Speaking of guilty pleasures, I have been enjoying driving our to clients' houses for therapy lately.  The reason?

The soundtrack of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.

(If you're familiar with Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, then you may realize what I just realized -- it's kind of funny that a quick take that mentioned a naughty horse was followed by one that centers on someone trying to impress Bad Horse.)

~ 4 ~

We really have been exercising and eating better!  WooHoo!

We kept saying that come January 1st, we were going to buckle down.  We eased into it during the last week of December, and then jumped right in on the 1st.  I know, it's only been about a week, but both Eric and I have been doing really well with eating better and exercising daily.

I've been inspired by Kris, and I keep thinking that I need to start a blog about the journey toward weight loss and a healthier life.  Well, honestly -- I already started it in November, but then abandoned it.  I keep thinking it might keep me more accountable.  Who knows -- maybe next week I'll be able to link to it, huh?

~ 5 ~

On the exercise front, we have primarily been using our elliptical trainer (that Eric got a great deal on in December) and recumbent bike.  But, today, I tried out EA Active for the Wii that I got from Eric for Christmas.

Oh. my. goodness.  That was a workout!  I did day one of the 30 day challenge.  Let's see if I can continue with it.  But, at least I can say that I still managed to do our 20 minutes of elliptical/bike later in the evening, plus some crunches.

~ 6 ~




How in the world is Blissdom less than a month away now?  Why didn't I start trying to lose weight about a year ago to get ready for it?


At this point, I am horribly ill prepared.  But, on the up side, one of my very best friends is coming along with me.  She won't be going to the conference, but will enjoy quiet time (she has six kids), go swimming, and work on her novel.  She just let me know this week that she is coming, and I'm thrilled.  Road trip!

Are any of you going to Blissdom as well?

~ 7 ~

It has been so much fun watching the snow today!  Granted, I didn't have to go drive in it at all, so that makes it a little better, I suspect.  But, still, there's just something fun about watching big, fluffy snowflakes fall for hours on end.

This post is linked to 7 Quick Takes Friday and Weekly Wrap Up.

snow flake photo by CaptPiper

If This Blog Post Was a Friends Episode

I love the show Friends.  It is probably one of my very favorite television shows.  One thing that always cracked me up about Friends is the way that they named their episodes.  Each episode's name starts with "The One..." and then ends with a short description of something that happens in the episode.  Some examples are "The One with The Candy Hearts," "The One Where No One's Ready," and "The One Where Ross and Rachel Take a Break."


If this blog post was an episode of Friends, it would be called "The One Where Angie Turns 33."

7 Quick Takes: December 11, 2009 (Volume 24)

~ 1 ~

I have recently read about a lot of people doing more relaxed schooling during December (or some portion of December).  I thought this sounded like a great idea, and so we started doing just that this week.  Of course, with having had a busy week, it was an easy decision.

While we have continued with math lessons and practicing piano each day (and social studies read alouds for the week), our days this week having also been filled with activities like: games, Legos, problem solving at the grocery store, going to Mass, a science lesson of watching someone's heart on an echocardiogram (thanks for taking one for the team, Jack), some video/TV watching (MythBusters one afternoon, and The Nativity Story one night after a Reconciliation Service), lots of free reading time, crafts, and whatever else pops into our head that has educational merit that is something we don't normally do.  Can I just tell you how fun it has been?

Next week, we are looking forward to doing some baking as part of school, as well as Christmas "party" school day with one of our favorite homeschooling families.

~ 2 ~

Happy Birthday today to one of the best men I know -- my Dad.  We love you like crazy!

~ 3 ~

 Why is it that my kids all name jobs that they want to do when they grow up that have nothing to do with going to college?  It's not that I'm a snob about it, but darn it -- I want those kids to all go to college.  When I was their age, I was saying that I wanted to be a teacher.

What do my kids want to be?

1. A Walmart employee (or maybe a hotel owner -- so there may be some hope for college there!)

2. A Build-a-Bear Workshop employee

3. A hair stylist, ballerina, tap dancer who works at Noah's hotel (see number one)

Good thing you aren't allowed to pick your profession when you're five years old, huh?

~ 4 ~

I love kids books that crack me up.  This week, we read Falling For Rapunzel by Leah Wilcox, and that's exactly what happened.  Everyone in the house laughed about it.  It is such a cute story, works on rhyming, and is just down right hilarious.  (It would seem that Rapunzel just can't hear what Prince Charming is saying while she is high in her tower.)

If you haven't read it, be sure to either pick it up or check it out from the library.  Too cute!

"Rapunzel, do you have any rope?"

Rapunzel dropped a cantaloupe. 

~ 5 ~

 Just love the new Dockers "Wear the Pants" campaign that they started.  If you haven't seen it yet, go check it out.

~ 6 ~

 The baby shower that I threw for my sister-in-law last weekend went really well!  It was nice to have so many people over, and she and her husband got a lot of great things.

And, as a side bonus -- we got our house so clean!  Thanks to everyone in the house (and my Mom too!) for helping to clean the house and get food ready.

~ 7 ~

I've been working on knitting (with my loom) a blanket for Christmas.  Christmas is now two weeks away, and while it is the correct width, it is only about nine inches long right now.  I'm either going to have to get to work or I'm going to end up wrapping it still attached to the loom with an IOU with it.

Wish me luck! 

This post is linked to 7 Quick Takes Friday at Conversion Diary.

Photos by: yarn shop - missteee / manipulatives -  jimmiehomeschoolmom

I Actually Accomplished Some Things This Weekend!

I have felt like I am falling so far behind in so many things lately.  The past month has just been one thing after another, and it has really left me overwhelmed.  Finally, however, I feel like I have had a pretty productive weekend, and I'm pretty psyched about that!

Oh sure, I still have to work on Christmas stuff for the first time we'll celebrate Christmas with extended family (which is coming up pretty soon).  I need to work on baby shower invitations for a shower I am hosting for Eric's sister.  I have to work on a large correspondence training project for the therapy that I do part time. 

Sigh.

Okay, happy thoughts.  Let me tell you what I actually did accomplish though. 

1. Got caught up on quite a few emails that I had been putting off, as well as a variety of other computer related tasks.

2. Watched half of season two of The Big Bang Theory with Eric.  (And, in what truly shows my ADHD tendencies, I stopped writing this post to go send him Big Bang Theory flair on Facebook and forgot I was writing this.  But, maybe it was on my to do list, right?)

3. Cooked three pounds of ground beef and made it into Sloppy Joes.  I froze it into two meals, in order to allow that everyone gets to have as much as they want and Eric will still have leftovers for work.

4. Separated a three pound log of ground beef (yeah, I had another one) into four portions to use for meals.  Then I froze each of those portions for later use.  It would have been easy to freeze it into three portions, but I like that with four portions (3/4 of a pound), we'll eat a little less meat and then it brings down the per meal cost of the package of ground beef.

5. Cooked a whole chicken (purchased on sale) in the crock pot, and then picked all of the meat off to freeze (after Eric had dinner).  I also picked all the meat off of a store prepared rotisserie chicken (it was on sale too).

6. Had a crafting evening with my Mom where I started working on a handmade Christmas gift for Molly.  I'll show you some of what I worked on soon. 

7. Learned to do a blanket stitch to work on #6.

In addition to the listed things, I worked on laundry, went to Mass, and a variety of other things.  Sure, I still have a lot to do, but it's nice to look at a list of things I have completed.

What do you really need to do this week?  What are you proud of having completed lately?

Photo by limonada

7 Quick Takes: October 23, 2009 (Vol. 19)

~ 1 ~

Right now, I have orange star-shaped Post It notes all over my house.  They are stuck to the walls and to many surfaces.  Many, many surfaces.  Some have pictures on them, and some have labels of whatever they are stuck to.

Molly and Jack did this yesterday.  They did one, and then asked if they could do more.  It would have been easy to say, "Don't make a mess, guys.  Let's not do that."

Instead, I said, "Sure," just about every time they asked about a new area of the house.  Not only did they have fun, but I am actually enjoying being able to see happy stars each time I look around.

~ 2 ~

I have been at a bit of a loss lately about what to write about on my blog.  The funny thing is, I feel busier than ever.  Isn't it amazing how you can be so busy sometimes, but have so little to say?

Does this happen to anyone else, or is it just me?

~ 3 ~

Are you planning on going to Blissdom 2010?

Registration will be opening next week for those that have not attended before.  This looks like such a good time!

~ 4 ~

I was so thrilled earlier this week to have officially finished a set of eight (mostly) identical handmade Christmas gifts that I had been working on!

I bought all of the materials last December, and then left them sitting around until late summer.  I even kept thinking, "I don't really want to work on this anymore."  But, of course, I had already invested the money into the project, and decided that I needed to stop being wasteful, and just suck it up and make them.

So, on Sunday of this week, after having spent four all day crops working only on this project, they are all done!  I'm so thrilled.  I would show pictures (I will after Christmas), but some people that will be getting them also read this blog.

I just hope that those receiving the gifts will like them!

~ 5 ~

This week, there were several days where I canceled things that we had planned.  Not only did Eric and I skip out on a class that we were supposed to go to (we still did our reading and homework though) in order to have dinner together instead, but I also canceled things throughout the week.  Things that it wasn't a big deal if we canceled or didn't attend, of course.

It was just what we needed!  I realized that sometimes a person just really needs to be a lot less committed, and it's not a sign of weakness.  Sometimes, it's just a sanity saver.

~ 6 ~

One thing that Eric and I did find time to do this past week was to watch the Netflix movies that we had received.  We watched The Proposal last weekend.  We both really enjoyed it, and I would recommend it. 

We also watched the first disc of season one of The Big Bang Theory, since we only began watching that show several months ago.  We agreed that we would only watch one episode before Eric went to bed.  Instead, seven episodes later, he had been up way too late (on a weeknight!), but we definitely enjoyed it!

~ 7 ~

Why do I have to consistently have such a hard time finding a science homeschooling program that I like for the kids?  Last year, we did Catholic Heritage Curricula's Behold and See 3, and I did like that.  But, now I'm at a loss.  We have tried a couple of things, and it's not working.

I will be continuing my science quest soon, I suspect.  Wish me luck.

 

Be sure to check out both 7 Quick Takes and Weekly Wrap-up!

photos by: google images (post it notes) / Image Editor (science)/ hannahspanna (writer's block) / creativeFlutter AKA MazerDesign (handmade gift box)