Folks that know me know that I love free. So, I registered for my free coffee sample of all 6 varieties of Taster's Choice coffee individual instant coffee packets. Positioned to be a wallet friendly competitor to the Starbuck's VIA, I figured it's worth a shot.
Want your free sample? Just register at www.tasterschoice.com/thesmartchoice
I've had the VIA and it's pretty good. As soon as I get my samples, I'll post my opinion here...
Enjoy!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Frugal Families: Saving Money with School Lunches and Snacks
Check out my latest post for Chesapeake Family....
Frugal Families: Saving Money with School Lunches and Snacks
You can also follow me on Twitter...
Frugal Families: Saving Money with School Lunches and Snacks
You can also follow me on Twitter...
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Blind Trust
What a difference between a 6 year old and a 3 year old. My poor daughter was busy being conned by her brother for M&M candies as he proceeded to tell her that the green ones were minty and the red ones were bloody. He scared her enough that she readily gave them to her brother, who was more than pleased to rescue her from those dastardly candies. While I didn't condone the cunning used by big brother to inherit more chocolate, I reveled in the purity of the 3 year old, so openly trusting her brother to warn her of the "bad M&M's". One day, she'll be a little wiser and it will be interesting to see how she handles his attempts to outsmart her.
Friday, August 6, 2010
What Would Wall-E Do?
I could go on and on about the ramifications of the environment and the more obvious message the movie presents, but the thing that really struck me about this movie is the hopefulness that Wall-E exudes. You see, it's not just enough that this poor ol' robot has been attempting to clean the earth by compacting an overwhelming overflow of trash. He's been at it for over 700 YEARS!!!! Although he longs for companionship, he never wavers at doing his thing. He hopes. He endures. He outlasts all the other Wall-E models and eventually gets to meet Eve.
Every time Wall-E interacted with another robot or person, he offered a polite handshake, another nicety that seems so out of place in this hectic, computerized, individualized world we live in. The people who met him remembered him because of his willingness to serve. I know, I'm talking about a fictitious film with an animated droid as a superhero. But it gave me pause. What if I always had hope about the future, even if it would be 700 years before my dreams were realized? What if I put others first and looked to help them, no matter how overwhelming the clutter of life seems to be?
So, there you have it. Wall-E is a great witness for having hope. If a computerized machine with no soul can have a heart, then maybe there's hope for the rest of us.
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. - Galatians 6:9 (NIV)
Monday, March 1, 2010
Beach Blanket Church
I have to thank my oldest son for teaching me an important lesson and I thought it was good enough to share here.
My seven month old (aka "biscuit") is a wonderful baby, but he's been clingy. It could be a number of things - teething, separation anxiety, exhaustion. Who knows. I've been attending church while he stays in the nursery and my 3 year old is in the toddler room. My 5 year old attends church with me and it's been more of a training session. You know - me telling him to be quiet, sit still, color in your book, listen to what the pastor is saying. It's been challenging, and I wonder if any of it seems purposeful.
Teaching my children about Jesus is important to me, so I trudge on in this exercise. I've even just decided to hang out in the narthex, or the church hallway with the boy and watch the service from the nice TV they have there. A few Sundays ago, the biscuit was not willing to stay in the nursery. Exasperated, I went to retrieve him after Sunday School with the thought of just going home. I was frustrated. It had been a tough time with record setting blizzards and weeks of cabin fever. Now, as I gathered our things and prepared to leave, the music started and Aidan sat in our usual spot. Impatiently, I said, "Aidan, what are you doing?" He said, "I'm just listening to the music, Mami."
The kid had a point. Why couldn't I just sit there with him and the biscuit and "go to church". Why was I getting frustrated over something I could not control or change? And, furthermore, if my little man wanted to sit and listen to praise and worship music, I was not going to force him to stop!
If all three kids were there, there would have been running in the hallway and madness. It would have been fruitless. But Maya was having a great time in the toddler room so I spread a blanket on the floor and sat there with my boys. We ate snacks the same way we always do since Aidan is always conveniently hungry during church. We sat and listened and drew pictures and snuggled. I nursed Lucas and changed his diaper without having to leave my spot. I didn't have to rush after church service to get a cranky baby home and keep track of two kids running around like pinballs while I attempted to change a diaper in the bathroom.
It wasn't perfect and it may not have been as worshipful as I'd have liked, but it was nice. I was calm. I stood and sang the praise music even though there was no one else but us. I heard more of the sermon than I usually do and Aidan made funny faces trying to make his brother laugh. I basked in the stillness of worship and got the fuel I needed for the rest of the week. It was like being at the beach on a sunny day and just enjoying the atmosphere. So, for now, we're having beach blanket church. Yes, I'd like to join the rest of the congregation and eventually, we will. For now, I'm going to enjoy my time at the "beach" and allow my kids to soak up God's love their way.
My seven month old (aka "biscuit") is a wonderful baby, but he's been clingy. It could be a number of things - teething, separation anxiety, exhaustion. Who knows. I've been attending church while he stays in the nursery and my 3 year old is in the toddler room. My 5 year old attends church with me and it's been more of a training session. You know - me telling him to be quiet, sit still, color in your book, listen to what the pastor is saying. It's been challenging, and I wonder if any of it seems purposeful.
Teaching my children about Jesus is important to me, so I trudge on in this exercise. I've even just decided to hang out in the narthex, or the church hallway with the boy and watch the service from the nice TV they have there. A few Sundays ago, the biscuit was not willing to stay in the nursery. Exasperated, I went to retrieve him after Sunday School with the thought of just going home. I was frustrated. It had been a tough time with record setting blizzards and weeks of cabin fever. Now, as I gathered our things and prepared to leave, the music started and Aidan sat in our usual spot. Impatiently, I said, "Aidan, what are you doing?" He said, "I'm just listening to the music, Mami."
The kid had a point. Why couldn't I just sit there with him and the biscuit and "go to church". Why was I getting frustrated over something I could not control or change? And, furthermore, if my little man wanted to sit and listen to praise and worship music, I was not going to force him to stop!
If all three kids were there, there would have been running in the hallway and madness. It would have been fruitless. But Maya was having a great time in the toddler room so I spread a blanket on the floor and sat there with my boys. We ate snacks the same way we always do since Aidan is always conveniently hungry during church. We sat and listened and drew pictures and snuggled. I nursed Lucas and changed his diaper without having to leave my spot. I didn't have to rush after church service to get a cranky baby home and keep track of two kids running around like pinballs while I attempted to change a diaper in the bathroom.
It wasn't perfect and it may not have been as worshipful as I'd have liked, but it was nice. I was calm. I stood and sang the praise music even though there was no one else but us. I heard more of the sermon than I usually do and Aidan made funny faces trying to make his brother laugh. I basked in the stillness of worship and got the fuel I needed for the rest of the week. It was like being at the beach on a sunny day and just enjoying the atmosphere. So, for now, we're having beach blanket church. Yes, I'd like to join the rest of the congregation and eventually, we will. For now, I'm going to enjoy my time at the "beach" and allow my kids to soak up God's love their way.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Fabulous Five
But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way. - 1 Corinthians 14:40
I'm a really organized person. In my brain, that is. While my world is subject to more clutter that I'd care to admit, I long for a way to stay organized in a more meaningful way. However, I'm not willing to be a dictator to my family or get caught in the continuum of nonstop cleaning in order to do it. I've had to lower my standards, with two young whirling dervishes in my presence, but that does not have to mean that all hope is lost.
I might not win any awards from Good Housekeeping, but I'd like to introduce you to my "Fabulous Five". It's actually really simple, and it works from where you are now in life. The Fabulous Five has worked so well for me in the last month that I have managed to declutter my hall closet, purge and change out my kids' off season clothes, reorganize the board game and puzzle cabinet and see visible, practical improvements in the orderliness of my home. All without killing myself, staying up inordinate hours or missing out on the fun stuff of life.
So here is my Fabulous Five in a nutshell: When you walk into a room, find five things that are out of kilter and put them away. That's it. Just five things. You could either put them away, throw them away, or put them in the right room. If you don't know where it goes, you can put it in a holding basket until you decide where to put it. But, it's got to go someplace! It may sound too easy to be true, and if you have a lot of clutter, finding five things will take two nanoseconds. However, this concept really works for two reasons: 1) It does not require a huge amount of time. and 2) You can do this at ANY time - whether the kids are around or not.
You may not think that this will amount to anything, but if you put just five things away consistently every day, you will see change. It may also get trickier to find your five, which is another sign that you are making headway.
Now, you skeptics out there are already cringing. You're thinking, "Yeah, right! My kids will just undo anything I try to do!" That's why there's another key to my Fabulous Five. Toys don't count!! There are two good reasons for this. 1) The kids should be picking up their own toys and 2) If there is a constant battle with toys, you may have too many. Put away some of their toys at least temporarily, so that you are not constantly picking up the same things. (I get my kids to do their own Fab 5 when they want to play with the “next thing”!)
As long as you consider organization a slow and steady marathon and not a sprint, you will see improvements. I'm not winning any speed cleaning records, but I'm able to accomplish something even in the midst of chaos.
Paul's admonition above, to the Corinthians is in reference to how they should conduct worship. However, you really can apply it to all aspects of life, because when you do things in an orderly way, you can focus on the things that are really important in life, and not just clutter.
I'm a really organized person. In my brain, that is. While my world is subject to more clutter that I'd care to admit, I long for a way to stay organized in a more meaningful way. However, I'm not willing to be a dictator to my family or get caught in the continuum of nonstop cleaning in order to do it. I've had to lower my standards, with two young whirling dervishes in my presence, but that does not have to mean that all hope is lost.
I might not win any awards from Good Housekeeping, but I'd like to introduce you to my "Fabulous Five". It's actually really simple, and it works from where you are now in life. The Fabulous Five has worked so well for me in the last month that I have managed to declutter my hall closet, purge and change out my kids' off season clothes, reorganize the board game and puzzle cabinet and see visible, practical improvements in the orderliness of my home. All without killing myself, staying up inordinate hours or missing out on the fun stuff of life.
So here is my Fabulous Five in a nutshell: When you walk into a room, find five things that are out of kilter and put them away. That's it. Just five things. You could either put them away, throw them away, or put them in the right room. If you don't know where it goes, you can put it in a holding basket until you decide where to put it. But, it's got to go someplace! It may sound too easy to be true, and if you have a lot of clutter, finding five things will take two nanoseconds. However, this concept really works for two reasons: 1) It does not require a huge amount of time. and 2) You can do this at ANY time - whether the kids are around or not.
You may not think that this will amount to anything, but if you put just five things away consistently every day, you will see change. It may also get trickier to find your five, which is another sign that you are making headway.
Now, you skeptics out there are already cringing. You're thinking, "Yeah, right! My kids will just undo anything I try to do!" That's why there's another key to my Fabulous Five. Toys don't count!! There are two good reasons for this. 1) The kids should be picking up their own toys and 2) If there is a constant battle with toys, you may have too many. Put away some of their toys at least temporarily, so that you are not constantly picking up the same things. (I get my kids to do their own Fab 5 when they want to play with the “next thing”!)
As long as you consider organization a slow and steady marathon and not a sprint, you will see improvements. I'm not winning any speed cleaning records, but I'm able to accomplish something even in the midst of chaos.
Paul's admonition above, to the Corinthians is in reference to how they should conduct worship. However, you really can apply it to all aspects of life, because when you do things in an orderly way, you can focus on the things that are really important in life, and not just clutter.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
A Holiday Classic
I can't help myself.... I'm officially working right now on a writing assignment, so I thought I'd post some seasonal holiday music for your enjoyment.
This happens to be one of my all-time favorite Rankin/Bass classics....
Enjoy and Merry CHRISTmas!
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