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Day: August 9, 2012

  • Before Summer Says Goodbye {Guest Post}

    Summer… it seems like it takes forever to get here and is over in the blink of an eye! And August is summer’s last hurrah. But, fear not, there’s still time to squeeze in some super fantastic summer activities.

    1) Wish Upon a Star… Each August, Mother Nature treats us to a sky show in the form of the Perseids meteor shower. Perseids will peak this year on the night of August 11, and at the peak it’s possible that you might see dozens of meteors an hour. For more information and tips on enjoying the show, check out StarDate. And, if you miss Perseids, you can always catch the Orionids meteor show in late October.

    2) Fun at the Fair… Nothing says summer quite like a county fair. Usually, for the price of parking you can enjoy a variety of animal exhibits and crafts displays. Many fairs also have free events ranging from concerts to circus performances. If you happened to miss your county fair check out neighboring counties for an inexpensive day your kids are sure to enjoy!

    3) Fresh fruits and veggies… August, at least in our neck-of-the-woods, is the time when harvests start rolling in. Right now out in our garden the tomatoes are getting red, the peppers are getting fat, and before long we’ll have raspberries. If you don’t have a garden of your own (or even if you do) you can pick farm fresh fruits and veggies to enjoy now, or save for winter. Visit PickYourOwn.org to find a farm near you. If you don’t find anything in your area, you can always visit your local farmers’ market.

    4) Under a Blue Moon… August 31 is blue moon. When a month has two full moons, the second one is referred to as a blue moon. And while the moon won’t actually be blue that night, it’ll light up the sky and offer a great opportunity for a walk under the moonlight. Grab a jacket and head out with the kids to explore their world in the moonlight.

    5) Don’t Be Board… Pull out those board games collecting dust in the closet and have a game day – it’s a great way to spend a rainy day. Only rule – no electronic games allowed! No games? Check out your local thrift store, just make sure they have all the necessary game pieces, or you’ll end up with frustrated players. Puzzles are another terrific activity.

    6) We All Scream for Ice Cream… There’s no better way to end a summer day than with ice cream, especially when it’s homemade. And it’s super quick and easy to whip up. Fill a gallon zipper-top bag about half full with ice and add ½ cup rock salt (we found canning and pickling salt worked when I bought the wrong stuff. Table salt might also work.) Set aside. In a quart-sized zipper bag mix together ½ cup half-and-half, 1 Tablespoon sugar, and a few drops of vanilla. You can also add a spoon of chocolate milk powder if you want chocolate ice cream. Seal the quart bag and put it into the gallon bag. Seal the gallon bag and shake. After 5 – 10 minutes you’ll have ice cream! Remove the quart bag and rinse the top of the bag with cold water. Open and ENJOY; you can even eat right out of the bag! When you are done, wash out the bags and save them for next time.

    Alecia will be blogging at LifeAtOurHouse.com starting September 10. Until then, you can follow her on facebook.

  • Is too much computer time bad? Think About It!

    Is too much computer time bad? Think About It!

    Your hosts for this weekly meme are

    Today’s Topic:
    Is spending too much time on the computer bad?

    I think the obvious answer to this question is yes. Anything that is too much, is bad. 
    Too much sun is bad for you. Skin cancer, really painful sunburns, etc 
    Too much candy/sweets are bad for you.
    Too much sleep can be bad, or a signal that something is wrong with your body. 
    Individually though, these can all be good things as well. The sun provides a wonderful source of Vitamin D, has helped my jaundiced kids get better, and is a mood lifter for me and many others on depressing days.
    Candy is yummy, and a great treat or reward for accomplishing something. 
    Sleep is necessary, though most of us struggle to find that perfect balance. Without sleep we don’t function to the best of our abilities. Sleep lets our bodies relax, and take a breather. (speaking of sleep, I should probably get some!).
    So what about computers?  Too much time spent on the computer can be bad. That doesn’t make the computer bad, or any amount of time spent on it bad. As with all things, we need to moderate it. Evaluate your day.
    Let’s try a little exercise shall we? Take a 24 hour day. 12am to 12am. Break it down. How much time is spent sleeping?  For me it’s probably 7-8 hours, depending on when the kids get up, and when I go to bed. Now how much time is spent eating? Are you taking the time to prep meals for your family? Or are you making them fend for themselves while you check out what happened on facebook while you slept?  Are you enjoying a sit down dinner with the family, or are you pulling out the tv trays for your kids, while you check the nightly news on the computer?
    The rest of the day here depends on what your profession is. How much time are you at work?  How much time do you spend cleaning? If you have kids, how much time is spent playing with them, helping them with homework, doing what they want to do?  
    Now how much time is left, and how much time has been spent on the computer?  Are you spending too much time on the computer?

    If you can relate to this, you’ve spent too much time on the computer.

    I’ll be the first to admit, that there are some days, I have spent too much time on the computer. Things begin to get neglected, but I just can’t pull myself away from this online world we have created. I have to though. My kids need me, my husband needs me. My house needs me!  I can gladly say though, that I have never been guilty of the above picture! When I pin something, I make it eventually too. That’s a whole ‘nother topic though!  
    For the last almost week, I have been without internet. We moved into our rental house, while we look for a new home, and the internet has yet to be connected. I am finding so much joy in just sitting down with my kids, especially my little Princess R. Just holding them, and doing what they want to do. It’s not that I wasn’t doing this before, but I was always on the move before. Something always had to be done, including online things, that I just didn’t take the time to truly enjoy and relish in the spare moments I had with my kids. Living without internet has been a nice step back. 
    However, we just moved. I don’t know anyone in this very small town yet. I have wanted to shed some tears over many a topic. There’s a nice bunch of my mom friends scattered across the internet, that I missed, because I knew they could give me words of advice in a much needed time of emotional upheaval. I wanted to let some vents out, that I didn’t want to burden Mark with. You know guys, they want to fix everything, and sometimes we girls just need to be heard with no fixing involved. Plus I just felt bad complaining to Mark.  Get this, though! Since I couldn’t vent to my online friends, I did to Mark, and he was a good listener. So lack of internet/computer actually brought our marriage relationship closer too.  (I still missed my girlfriends though).
    Stay tuned later today for a guest post on some fun Summer Activities to get you off the computer and outside!
    Next week’s topic:
    Who would you choose to be shipwrecked on a desert island with?


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