Family Musings

I haven't forgotten about all of you... but I have been enjoying a break from blogging very much and it is recharging me to come back with a new blogging plan for 2009! I hope you have many wonderful things to look forward to in 2009. (By the way, only one more post until I hit 500 posts! I can hardly believe it... gotta make that one extra special!)

What is something you remember learning in elementary school? For me, it was learning how to be the teacher's pet. (If you knew me in real life, you'd totally understand!). This week, Tess shares something she wished she had in elementary school to make learning a little more interesting. *************************************************************** One of the things I remember about elementary school was learning where states were located on a map.  There was just no connection made for me to help me recall what I was learning.  Schoolside Press has published a book that I wish had been around for me when I was a child.                                                            ...

I'm on a little blogging break while I enjoy some time with my family! I will see you next week!

Want to know what Tess has to say about Time4Learning now that her review period is over? Then keep on reading! :) ********************************************** I’m back with my final installment to this site Time 4 Learning .  I really have had mixed emotions with this review.  I think it is a great site.  It covers all core subjects.  It is entertaining and engaging for the kids.  I think it definitely has its place in home schooling settings.  Here is where I had problems.  I love to interact with my kids.  I love for them to interact with each other.  This program is a curriculum that is solely on the computer.  There isn’t conversation.  I looked over at my child staring blankly into a screen.  I know that he was learning and I am sure the gears were turning in his head, but I felt like I was allowing him too much time in front of a screen for the sake of education.  This site doesn’t claim to be a Christian si...

I have 2 reviews from Tess to share with you today. In the first one, Tess  shares the dark side of her home schooling with us, sort of.  In the second, she offers readers a free 1-month trial to a new math training program. In more personal news, Tess's cat died yesterday and there is a general sadness over her house now. Leave her a quick note to cheer her up (or to let her know if you are going to try out the math program. ******************************************************************* Okay,  I have been letting you glimpse into my world of home schooling.  I have presented a pretty rosy picture so far.  Now I am going to let you in on my not so rosy side.  I am horribly deficient in the fine arts department.  I would rather go outside with the kids and play.  I would rather go to Disney, which living in Central Florida and being pass holders is an easy thing to do.  I would rather watch a movie or bake cookies.  I don’t wan...

Do all babies scrunch their whole faces when they are learning how to smile?

Well, not actually. But it would be cool. Wait. You don't know who Green Irene is? Oh. So you haven't heard of one of the newest companies to help mommas keep their carbon footprint smaller? Let me introduce to Green Irene then. Green Irene is an environmental consulting company that makes house calls. For $99 a Green Irene consultant will come to your home and show you ways to reduce your electric and water costs. Call it a Green Makeover (because that is what they call it!) Green Home Makeover Topics include: Energy conservation improvements Energy efficient lighting replacements Water conservation and purity tools Green energy sources available in your area (i.e. electricity from wind power and other renewable sources rather than coal) Improving indoor air quality Toxic free living by reducing harmful chemicals in use Recycling and waste reduction And so much more... And if having your own home made over isn't enough and you want to spread the envi...

  I love to read.  I want my kids to love to read.  I want my kids to enjoy rich literature that demonstrates moral values and encourages  positive character.  Those are strong statements but it is true.  We go to the library once a week without fail.  Sometimes I cringe thinking about what may be on those shelves.  Salem Ridge Press understands.  The founder is just a boy himself.  He is a young man in his mid twenties.  He is a home school graduate.  He loves history and literature.  He found a way to take the things he loves and turn it into a worthy product. I was sent the following three books to review.  The first thing about this company to impress me was the beautiful packaging.  A lot of time and effort was taken to hand wrap each book in tissue.  I could tell right away that this was going to be a special company to interview.  The books were all paperback but that was fine.  The qu...

Dog is one of Charlotte's newest signs. It took a while for her to get it exactly right though. There are a couple of ways to sign dog. You can tap your leg once and then snap your fingers. Or you can just tap your leg two times. Since snapping her fingers is a fine motor skill she hasn't achieved yet, we went with a simple two taps on the leg. She used to slap her chest for dog. I thought I'd share a couple of pictures of Charlotte with dogs. This is Charlotte at 4 months old, staring in to the loving eyes of her Great-Grandfather's puppy. Now, at 15 months old, she is much braver. This is her with her Grumpy's dog Mickie.

Living Proof Ministries recently asked their blog readers to answer a few questions about insecurity . After 820 women responded, they closed the comments and I didn't get a chance to answer the questions. They asked women to anonymously answer the following questions: What age-decade are you in? (Teens? Twenties? Thirties? ...Sixties?) Single? Married? Divorced? Or widowed? How big an issue is insecurity to you personally? Respond with one of the following answers: None at all; A little; Enough to bother me; Pretty big; HUGE. What do you see as the 2 leading sources of insecurity in your personal life? (Use brief answers please) Give this one serious thought: How much would you say a man or men play into your insecurities? (Use only a few words. If you have something to share and particularly if you feel your pulse rising a bit at the subject matter, write one BRIEF paragraph describing specific impact insecurity has had on you. Since I couldn't provide my answers, I d...

One of my new favorite blogs is FAIL Blog , devoted solely to pointing out silly things that people and companies do. I came across my own pricing fail, and had to share it with ya'll. Recently, while browsing my local drug store, I found a Hallmark Chill Buddy, a semi-cute stuffed snowman. Take a look at the tag. In case you can't read it (I did take the pictures with my cell phone ya'll), the front says "$6.00 Value". The back says "$2.99."

The 4 winners of my Clorox 2 giveaway are: Anna, ChrissyLW, Beeb , and Danielle . I'll send you e-mails tonight to let you know how to claim your prize. And... I had two winners from Holiday Handouts that never got back to me... so, the new winner of a Norton PC Tune-up is... Charlotte . And the new winner of the Mystery Gift Basket is... Jinxy & Me . Thanks for playing!

Her hands were cold. Even the expensive, white leather gloves she kept perfectly clean couldn't keep the chill from settling into her fingers. "Where is that man?" she muttered to no one in particular. "I've been waiting long enough." After another moment, a cream colored luxury sedan pulled up and a man in a black suit and cap quickly jumped out to open the door for Rebecca. As usual, he remained silent, performing his duty. And as usual, his thoughts were 7 miles away. With his 3 daughters, huddled under the covers together in one bed, doing their best to stay warm while they waited for their Daddy to come home on Christmas Eve. Under his breath, he said, "It's already been such a long day. Please God, let her be done with her shopping." "Just take me home. I am done for the day," Rebecca called out from the back seat, much to the driver's relief. But there was a problem. Even though she was tired from a day of lunchin...

"Wanna come play with me?" When we moved to our new community last summer, I knew that I wanted to get to know the other moms in our neighborhood. I just didn't realize that it would be so hard. Even though there are lots of sidewalks in our community and we take frequent walks, it is hard to meet people to form relationships. Now that it has been six months since we moved, I decided to be a bit more proactive and intentional about the whole thing. I made a flyer. Yep, I designed a simple little flyer inviting other moms to come over and have a play date with us. I posted it by the mail boxes and then made 100 copies of it to deliver door to door. We put them on the doors about a week ago and this morning is going to be our first offical community play date. I hope it goes well. I have a simple craft and snack planned for the kiddos and hope the mommas get to have some nice "getting to know you" chats. I'll share more later how it turns out.

If you are new around here, thanks for sticking around after the giveaways. One of the regular features here at Family Musings is guest posts. Recently, my friend Tess, a homeschooling mom of 3, has been sending me some great reviews to share with you. Since I have been kind of preoccupied with my mom lately, I am sharing another one of her reviews with you today. Let her know what you think! ********************************* Hi Everyone!!!! I don’t know how many of you have young children or children that may be having trouble learning how to read, but if you fit in either category this is a great product for you. First of all, the name of the company is not spelled wrong. Why Rime Not Rhyme? No, this isn't a spelling mistake. Rime is a word! Rimes sound and look alike.Rhymes (e.g. care, hair, where) sound alike but do not always look alike. There are all different reading programs out there and they are all different prices. The end result is still the same…..hopefu...

My little girl sure is getting smart. Every time I turn around, it seems she has learned something new or acquired a different skill. I've been trying to keep track of some of the smart things Charlotte has done recently to share with you. Charlotte loves to play in my plastics cabinet. It is the only one without baby-proof locks on purpose. It is "her cabinet." I keep several large plastic cups in there in case there are no clean dishes is unexpected company. Recently she has enjoyed pulling them out and stacking and unstacking the pink, green, and purple cups. One day, I decided to play the carnie and put a small ball under one of the cups and mix them up for her. After some vigourous mixing on my part, I asked her to show me which cup had the ball in it. She guessed right the first time, but I thought that might be because she had to choose between a purple and a pink cup, and remembered the ball was under the pink cup. So next, I took 2 purple cups instead and did...

Since I won't be doing a giveaway of my own this week, I thought I'd share with you a fun site that has lots of giveaways coming up. Props N Pans is giving away 2 $100 Visa Gift Cards . If I come across any other neat giveaways this week, I'll share them with you on this post. Make sure you subscribe so you don't miss any!

For me, this time of year can get very busy. There are more parties, special playgroup celebrations, and events at the children's museum than usual. Lots of people are requiring my time as a mother. That means I have to be extra careful to give attention to Charlotte when she needs it and not just when it is convenient for me. Even my La Leche League leader knows we have to be careful to spend extra time with our kids this time of year and shared a little 12 Days of Breastfeeding ditty with us. One way I make sure Charlotte and I get quality mommy-daughter time in is by reading. I have an attention span almost as short as my daughter's and like to keep adding new books into our rotation. That is why, when I received a Baby Einstein gift package from Mom Central recently, I immediately tore it open and we started in on the book. It is a Baby Einstein: Touch and Feel Baby Animals board book. We both loved petty all of the animals fur and skin. Not being a farm girl, I can't...

I am often asked to review products for my blog that people think I and my readers will like. A week or so ago, I received a request to review the movie Delgo , from Fathom Studios. It doesn't open until December 12, so the only thing I have to go by is the website and the press release I received. After browsing around the movie site and watching the trailers, I can definitely see that this movie has rich images and is a feast for the eyes. But other than that... I'll share with you the information I have, and leave you to judge for yourself. A Little Peace & Goodwill This Holiday Season – Animated Style Fast-paced action and adventure, a mystical land, an unlikely hero, a princess and a message of acceptance between different cultures make Delgo the perfect family-friendly movie this holiday season. Releasing in theaters December 12, Delgo’s impressive voice cast includes Freddie Prinze, Jr. (Delgo), Jennifer Love Hewitt (Princess Kyla), Anne Bancroft (exiled Empr...

Have you ever felt useless or helpless when a loved one was sick? If so, then I know you are relating to me right now. There is nothing I can do to help my mom right now. I can't give her my blood (I might have the markers for the same thing she has). I can't visit her (I still have this annoying cough). I can't even yell at the pharmacy when they deliver her meds two hours late and the nurses decide it is now too close to her next dose so they just skip it. All I can do is post updates on her Caring Bridge site and pray. And, well, it just isn't enough action for me. I want to be there, actively participating in her care and healing. Instead, I have to get phone updates several times a day from her or my dad. It just isn't the same. Especially when she sounded this morning just like she did on Monday when they admitted her. I can't tell you how mad it made me that the pharmacy was late delivering her meds. The only reason she is still in the hospital is ...

My husband's job is really great. He gets an entire week off for Thanksgiving. (And don't get me started on 2 weeks for Christmas, 1 week just because Spring has sprung, and the 3 months over the summer!) This year, we travelled all the way to Cape Canaveral, a whole 90 minutes away, to whittle away the time doing practically nothing. As licensed educators, we both earned free passes to Kennedy Space Center. It's a neat place to go if you like space exploration and reading a lot of long signs explaining what you are looking at. It can also be fun if you like to ignore the do not climb on me signs too. Charlotte was not breaking any laws when she climbed into this space thing at Kennedy Space Center. This is a mock-up of the Apollo capsule and is super tiny. I tried to get a picture of Bruce sitting in it properly, but he moved out of it too quickly once he realized I was reaching for the camera. This might just be my favorite picture of her from vacation. Getting fam...

I love the internet! Go ahead, say it with me. You know you do too. It makes our lives so much easier, especially when it comes to keeping in touch with friends and sharing updates with our families. I also like how it has made the world a little smaller, particularly when it comes to shopping. What if I told you there was an online mall with over 2000 merchants for you to shop with and you didn't have to deal with those pesky department store beauty counter ladies? You know, the ones who want to glop goop all over your face and spray you down with the latest teen pop idols perfume. There is. It is called SHOP.com . Purchases can be conveniently made from one over the 2000+ merchants using one universal "shopping cart" to buy everything at one time or by clicking over to participating merchants' sites. Not only does online shopping help us save time, frustration, and gas, but when I was looking around Shop.com I found the Save Green, Live Green page and was i...

I set up a Caring Bridge site for my mom and will be posting detailed updates there when we know more. For now though, I was able to spend a couple of hours with her this afternoon while my dad watched Charlotte. (Thanks Grumpy!) She is doing well given the stress she is feeling at wondering how a little headache and some dizziness could turn into a trip to the ICU. It is all happening fast, yet in slow motion at the same time. I don't know how to explain that paradox, it just is. Thank you to everyone who shared your prayers and thoughts with us. If you'd like, please visit her Caring Bridge site.

"The weather outside is frightful. Inside it's so delightful." It has been a lot of fun recently to start dressing Charlotte in her warm weather clothes. Now, before you laugh, anything below 70 degrees is cold to this FL girl. So, we got to bust out the cute velour outfits as well as the hat and mittens. And I can't think of anything else in recent history that has made Charlotte happier. It seems she must have at least 1 mitten on at all times. Let's just say they don't look as cute and pink now as they do in that picture above. She even tries to eat in them! I guess I need to bust out some Clorox 2 . :)

They finally gave my mom 1 unit of blood last night and, while we don't know what it did to her numbers exactly, it definitely perked her up. My dad reports that she was feeling more like her old self. One idea I had about this sudden onset of hemloytic anemia is that it might have been caused by an implant she had put in her foot a few weeks ago. But, they called the doctor who did the surgery and her implant is titanium, not synthetic. So, finding the solution won't be as easy as removing the implant. We are waiting to hear what her schedule holds today and if she will still have a couple of GI procedures the doctors want to do. I think I will be allowed to visit her today as well. We'll see... Thank you to everyone who responded that you are praying for her. I really appreciate it, and I know she will too when she gets back to her laptop.

My mom is in the ICU tonight in order to receive a blood transfusion for hemolytic anemia . Basically, her body has been attacking its own red blood cells and she hasn't been able to produce new ones fast enough. We don't yet know which of the 200 types of hemolytic anemia she might have, but we do know the situation is bad enough to require maybe up to 4 units of packed red blood cells (which is a blood transfusion of just the red blood cells, for maximum efficiency in cases of anemia like hers). I am not scared because I believe that all things work for the good of those who love the Lord. However, I know my mom, and dad, both feel overwhelmed with how fast everything has happened in the last 2 days and all of the doctors coming in and out of her room to tell them something else they need to test or check. Right now, she is getting ready to get the blood. She was supposed to have it last night, but the local blood banks had a hard time finding the type of blood she has. It is...

I can't tell you how many of my daughter's outfits have been relinquished to the play bin because of stains I couldn't use bleach on. I also have to keep a stack of "at home only" bibs since I am too embarrassed to take the clean, but stained, bibs out in public. Or to my mom's house! :) I recently received a coupon for a free bottle of Clorox 2 to try out on these play clothes and bibs. And was pleasantly surprised that it seemed to work, even on set in stains. Not every stain came out, the blueberry ones are especially tough, but there was definitely an improvement. And some of the clothes seemed brighter too. Clorox 2 just launched a new advanced formula that works better on tough stains and keeps clothes bright. I always thought bleach was for white clothes, so I am excited about the new formula. I am sure you each have your own reason to try it whether fighting grass stains, arts and crafts spills, mealtime messes, or all of the above! Like I did, just a...

My mom recently visited Mercier Orchards in GA and brought me back 1/2 a bushel of apples (about 20 lbs). I thought I would get a chance to make apple butter and apple sauce with them, but there never seemed to be enough hours in the day to pull off a canning operation (mostly because it meant I had to go to the store to get some lids and rings). So, I decided to dehydrate as many of these beautiful Maya apples as I could. It wasn't very labor intensive and the results were delicious. I started out by reading several different people tell me how to do it in a dehydrator but since I didn't have one on hand, I needed to use my oven. All of the instructions I found said you had to do it at 140-150 degrees. And well, my oven doesn't go that low so... I present to you, Jennifer's Easy-Peasy Oven-dehydrated Apples: First, wash your apples thoroughly. Then, slice them in half and scoop out the core of the apple. You can be fancy and use a corer too, but, again, I don't ha...

I really want to write a super meaningful Thanksgiving Day post for all of you to read and get all teary eyed at... but even though I cry at Publix commercials, I just can't get all sappy tonight. So, let's just say I am thankful for all of the good things in my life and leave it at that. What are you thankful for? If you wrote a sappy list or shared a great Thanksgiving Day story, let me know in the comments so I can come and be inspired. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our "God is a consuming fire. Hebrew 12.28-29

I had so much fun giving away all sorts of great things and reading the comments everyone left on my giveaway posts last week. Thank you to everyone who entered and shared the event with your friends and readers. For those of you who subscribed to receive extra entries, thanks too. I hope you will stick around for a few weeks and decide to stay! Without further ado, here are the winners, chosen via the random integer generator at Random.org . Three The Secret Mountain Books - Ali #52 , Timestamp: 2008-11-27 01:04:36 UTC Norton PC Tune Up - MoziEsme #11 , Sherilyn #17 , Ginny #19 , Timestamp: 2008-11-27 01:05:13 UTC 2 Packs Bella Sara Trading Cards - Abby #7 , Timestamp: 2008-11-27 01:06:11 UTC Home is Calling Pilsbury Gift Pack - Nanja #7 , Juicebox Mom #63, Katy #65 , Timestamp: 2008-11-27 01:06:43 UTC Mystery Giveaway - Holiday Basket - Amy #21 , Timestamp: 2008-11-27 01:07:49 UTC I'll be contacting the winners either via their blog or e-mail address. Please get back to me ...

I've had so much fun the last few months baking and am glad that I could share my creations to you. Fortunately, no matter how they turn out, they will never show up on Cake Wrecks, I'm obviously an amateur (see above links if you think I'm kidding). For a Thanksgiving playdate, I made turkey cupcakes with Dove chocolates and candy corn. It was really simple and required no real skill at all. Even if they aren't the most realistic looking cupcakes, I can proudly say that I thought this idea up all by myself while staring at my choices in the candy aisle. Then, my sister-in-law, Michelle, wanted to take some corn cupcakes (from Hello, Cupcake) to school for her faculty party. I was more than happy to oblige and here are the results. They didn't turn out as good as the originals because I cut the jelly beans in half, thinking that would make them go further and we didn't have any black sugar to stand in for pepper. But I think they still look like corn, don...