The first week of December started out pretty much as usual. December is always crazy... school programs, church programs, gifts to buy and wrap, parties to plan, treats to make, cards to make and send; the list can go on and on. December is also an expensive month. This year we had saved and planned to buy most of our gifts in one shopping trip. The list was made, my parents were in town and they had agreed to watch the kids. So off we went to buy a ton of stuff. We filled a cart with gifts for the kids, grandparents, brothers and sisters, a few groceries... maybe the most we have spent in one trip to WalMart without buying one big item. I was feeling pretty good.
In addition to all of the Christmas craziness, my computer had started acting kind of funny the day before our big shopping trip. I assumed it could be solved by using the disk first aid. Unfortunately I was wrong. The next day, I took it to an appointment at the genius bar and received the news that the hard drive was failing. Immediately, I was having some major buyer's remorse. Why had I just spent all of my extra money the night before?
I found someone who could replace the hard drive for a resonable price, but I was devastated to find out that we may not be able to recover my data. I have close to 10,000 photos on that computer! I have backed up maybe 9000, but it's been a year or so since the last time I backed up the photos. Pretty much all of Paxton's life. It was going to cost significantly more to do the data recovery, but I had to do it. I want those pictures and videos, and I should probably try to recover my tax returns, too. The computer headed to the shop.
I never realized how much I rely on my computer. I keep track of my spending, the weather, Christmas deliveries I was waiting on. I found myself not keeping track of the days because I usually get on the computer in the morning to check my e-mail, bank account and facebook. I forgot to go to an executive PTA meeting and my volunteer night at the dental clinic. I was late getting my Christmas cards out because I couldn't make them, then I didn't have pictures I wanted from earlier in the year. I couldn't print photos of Paxton or my nephew to put in First Christmas ornaments I had bought. I had to find recipes for Christmas treats on my Kindle and my phone. I gave up on the great ideas I had pinned for Christmas crafts and homemade gifts. I am totally lost without a computer!
It was only a week and a half before I was able to pick the computer up, but it felt like an eternity. Ultimately I survived. My holiday preparations were a little more troublesome and there were things that I just didn't finish. Two things were learned from this unfortunate inconvenience, maybe I need to back off a bit from relying the computer, and I absolutely must start backing up my data. I have yet to put anything back on the computer, but I will be using an external hard drive to back up all of my precious family memories from now on. They were able to recover all of my data, but that isn't always the case. The guy who did the repair said put it this way~ a failed hard drive can be a disaster, but if you keep up with your data back up, it is a mere inconvenience.
Lesson learned.
Friday, December 28, 2012
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
To smoke, or not to smoke... That's not the question.
I am going to have to stop reading posts on facebook! I don't find it useful to attack others' opinions, especially strangers who I know nothing about, but I am finding it hard to keep my mouth shut on several issues. There is always someone arguing the evilness of WalMart or the "right" way to raise children. I am a stay-at-home mom of four because my husband has a great job at WalMart. These things hit home. I know these are just opinions, and often, they are from extremists. So I bite my tongue and try to forget the comments. But today, I have gotten so riled up, I need to vent. So I am going to choose to write about something that can make a difference.
Our town is in the midst of a clean air debate. There are many looking for the city council to pass a smoking ban on public places. Currently there are several restaurants in town that already offer a non-smoking environment, but there are many that still have smoking sections. As with any debate, you have two sides. I am on the side for clean air.
I have been amazed at the arguments people have posted against Clean Air. One particularly offensive man made several posts about things he thought should be "band". Those included buffets (because "fat pigs stuffing their faces" made him sick), potatoes (because they make people fat) and kids under five in all public places (because he can't stand smelly, screaming kids that don't mind). Another guy said he smokes and he should have that right just like you should have the right to have a drink, and that everyone who supports it is crazy. Seriously? Do the people who wrote these really think the goal is banning things we don't like? Obviously they are totally missing the point. You can't get drunk just from standing next to someone. Alcohol doesn't enter your body through the air you breathe. And, the debate isn't about smoking or not smoking, its about where to smoke.
We have all been informed of the dangers of smoking and second-hand smoke, so I won't go into that. I appreciate not smelling like smoke after I go out to eat. While in college, I loved to play pool. My friends and I would spend lots of time at pool halls, which allowed smoking. I would have to do laundry more frequently just to keep the smokey smell out of the dorm room. It didn't bother me as much then, but now that I have experienced non-smoking establishments, I am hooked. We went to a birthday party in a bar a few weeks ago and spent several hours there. I was glad I didn't come home smelling of smoke. It's amazing how quickly the smell of smoke can permeate your clothing and how long it can last. Jackson went to a restaurant with a smoking section for lunch a couple of days ago. He sat in the non-smoking section and was only there for an hour. 5 hours later, he came home, and I could smell the smoke on him.
Many people who are against the ban claim the fear of loss of business. I will admit, I have not done my research, and don't have the time to do it at the moment. Someone did post a link that supported the increase of business after smoking bans, but I have not looked at it. My past experience tells me that it could definitely help business. There have been countless times I have gone to restaurants and waited for non-smoking seating while there are numerous spots available in the smoking section. More tables seated= more revenue, right? Who hasn't left a restaurant and headed to another to avoid a long wait? Places like bowling alleys, and maybe even pool halls, could see more business from families who avoid the smoking establishments for the health of their young children.
The thing that bothers me the most about the debates I read online, is the way people choose to argue their opinion; by attacking others and being offensive. I shared some of the comments above to show how offensive some people can be. Name calling and insults are not effective arguing techniques. Though I disagreed with many of the opponents, I tried to state my reasons without attacking anyone. I cannot say that I have never said someone who had differing opinions was crazy or nuts. I just read the post Jackson and caught myself saying, "Isn't that guy crazy?" I would never say that to his face, or post it on a public forum, though. I just wish people would show some respect. You are much more likely to have your opinions heard if you share them in a respectful way.
Our town is in the midst of a clean air debate. There are many looking for the city council to pass a smoking ban on public places. Currently there are several restaurants in town that already offer a non-smoking environment, but there are many that still have smoking sections. As with any debate, you have two sides. I am on the side for clean air.
I have been amazed at the arguments people have posted against Clean Air. One particularly offensive man made several posts about things he thought should be "band". Those included buffets (because "fat pigs stuffing their faces" made him sick), potatoes (because they make people fat) and kids under five in all public places (because he can't stand smelly, screaming kids that don't mind). Another guy said he smokes and he should have that right just like you should have the right to have a drink, and that everyone who supports it is crazy. Seriously? Do the people who wrote these really think the goal is banning things we don't like? Obviously they are totally missing the point. You can't get drunk just from standing next to someone. Alcohol doesn't enter your body through the air you breathe. And, the debate isn't about smoking or not smoking, its about where to smoke.
We have all been informed of the dangers of smoking and second-hand smoke, so I won't go into that. I appreciate not smelling like smoke after I go out to eat. While in college, I loved to play pool. My friends and I would spend lots of time at pool halls, which allowed smoking. I would have to do laundry more frequently just to keep the smokey smell out of the dorm room. It didn't bother me as much then, but now that I have experienced non-smoking establishments, I am hooked. We went to a birthday party in a bar a few weeks ago and spent several hours there. I was glad I didn't come home smelling of smoke. It's amazing how quickly the smell of smoke can permeate your clothing and how long it can last. Jackson went to a restaurant with a smoking section for lunch a couple of days ago. He sat in the non-smoking section and was only there for an hour. 5 hours later, he came home, and I could smell the smoke on him.
Many people who are against the ban claim the fear of loss of business. I will admit, I have not done my research, and don't have the time to do it at the moment. Someone did post a link that supported the increase of business after smoking bans, but I have not looked at it. My past experience tells me that it could definitely help business. There have been countless times I have gone to restaurants and waited for non-smoking seating while there are numerous spots available in the smoking section. More tables seated= more revenue, right? Who hasn't left a restaurant and headed to another to avoid a long wait? Places like bowling alleys, and maybe even pool halls, could see more business from families who avoid the smoking establishments for the health of their young children.
The thing that bothers me the most about the debates I read online, is the way people choose to argue their opinion; by attacking others and being offensive. I shared some of the comments above to show how offensive some people can be. Name calling and insults are not effective arguing techniques. Though I disagreed with many of the opponents, I tried to state my reasons without attacking anyone. I cannot say that I have never said someone who had differing opinions was crazy or nuts. I just read the post Jackson and caught myself saying, "Isn't that guy crazy?" I would never say that to his face, or post it on a public forum, though. I just wish people would show some respect. You are much more likely to have your opinions heard if you share them in a respectful way.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Part Time Project/ First Day
After I made the commitment to begin my project, I jumped right in. I spent the morning with my two little ones. We had lunch and around 1 o'clock, I started to work.
I first made better use of the bookshelves. I had several things that could find other, more appropriate, homes. There was no sense taking up prime book space for an empty wedding album box or our home inspection binder. Those moved to long-term storage in the attic. I put away all of the books the children had left on the floor or on the desk. I made enough space to fit some new chapter books we had been given. They had previously been sitting in boxes just inside the doorway.
I kept a trash bag handy for all of the useless things I found... Broken pencils, scraps of paper, shopping bags and receipts left over after gift-wrapping, fast-food toys, etc. I also had a recycle box for paper and a box for things I wanted to sell or donate.
I went through and tossed about half of my craft paints that were nearly empty or dried out. I removed a canvas storage piece that no longer suited my needs. I found a few books we didn't need, though I should have spent more time sorting through them because I am sure there are more I could part with. I found several other things I could part with including scrap fabric from a Halloween costume I made 10 years ago!
In just 3 hours I had made a significant difference in the room! I had to quit for the day to get the older boys and head to church, but seeing the huge improvement in so little time gave me the motivation to finish the cleaning phase.
I first made better use of the bookshelves. I had several things that could find other, more appropriate, homes. There was no sense taking up prime book space for an empty wedding album box or our home inspection binder. Those moved to long-term storage in the attic. I put away all of the books the children had left on the floor or on the desk. I made enough space to fit some new chapter books we had been given. They had previously been sitting in boxes just inside the doorway.
I kept a trash bag handy for all of the useless things I found... Broken pencils, scraps of paper, shopping bags and receipts left over after gift-wrapping, fast-food toys, etc. I also had a recycle box for paper and a box for things I wanted to sell or donate.
I went through and tossed about half of my craft paints that were nearly empty or dried out. I removed a canvas storage piece that no longer suited my needs. I found a few books we didn't need, though I should have spent more time sorting through them because I am sure there are more I could part with. I found several other things I could part with including scrap fabric from a Halloween costume I made 10 years ago!
In just 3 hours I had made a significant difference in the room! I had to quit for the day to get the older boys and head to church, but seeing the huge improvement in so little time gave me the motivation to finish the cleaning phase.
 |
My Dirty Little Secret
I have a secret...
Though some have seen it, many have not. It is difficult to hide, frustrating to look at and something I am embarrassed by. My craft room/library is a nightmare to anyone who is neat and tidy. I walk by every day and ignore the challenge. It is a small room, but it has no door. The kids go in and out to get books or craft items and never put them away. I run in to wrap a gift and leave the scissors and tape out. Keepsake items and photos that I eventually plan to scrapbook are piled on every flat surface and fill at least two boxes. I look inside and can't even think of where to begin. We have lived here for 2 years, and though at times the room has been useful, it has never been the great space I dreamed of. I am now ready to conquer it. It will be my part time project. Something I work on a little at a time, with the goal of finishing someday. I don't want to be too specific with a timeline, and it may take a while, but it will get finished.
I am doing it part time because with four kids, anything I focus completely on, takes me away from the things that have to be done. When I was painting, I spent several days doing minimal laundry, cooking and cleaning. The older kids were away at Nanna's, so I could do work on painting. I have to work this project into my daily life without neglecting things. I have visions of painting and decorating. Having it all organized to maximize its usefulness.
For now, I have to start with the obvious... remove the stuff we no longer use and the things that don't belong and put things where they go.
Though some have seen it, many have not. It is difficult to hide, frustrating to look at and something I am embarrassed by. My craft room/library is a nightmare to anyone who is neat and tidy. I walk by every day and ignore the challenge. It is a small room, but it has no door. The kids go in and out to get books or craft items and never put them away. I run in to wrap a gift and leave the scissors and tape out. Keepsake items and photos that I eventually plan to scrapbook are piled on every flat surface and fill at least two boxes. I look inside and can't even think of where to begin. We have lived here for 2 years, and though at times the room has been useful, it has never been the great space I dreamed of. I am now ready to conquer it. It will be my part time project. Something I work on a little at a time, with the goal of finishing someday. I don't want to be too specific with a timeline, and it may take a while, but it will get finished.
I am doing it part time because with four kids, anything I focus completely on, takes me away from the things that have to be done. When I was painting, I spent several days doing minimal laundry, cooking and cleaning. The older kids were away at Nanna's, so I could do work on painting. I have to work this project into my daily life without neglecting things. I have visions of painting and decorating. Having it all organized to maximize its usefulness.
 |
| Desk covered with papers and craft items. |
 |
| So many things out of place that you can't walk! |
 |
| Many things in here aren't even useful anymore. |
For now, I have to start with the obvious... remove the stuff we no longer use and the things that don't belong and put things where they go.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Birthday Resolution
It's been almost 2 weeks since my birthday. As a mom, birthdays often feel like just another day. Jackson was working this year, so I had all of the normal responsibilities. We also had church that night. I made cupcakes to take to our small group, and we had a quick gift opening just before sending the kids to bed.
My family was coming up the next day, and I had agreed to substitute teach. Things were feeling pretty hectic. I think that is what spurred my idea. So often, we try to set resolutions on New Year's Day. I have yet to stick by any that I can remember. This year, I decided to make a Birthday Resolution. I resolve to better my life, in several different areas, before my next birthday. Not sure why I think it will be easier to change things if start on my birthday instead of New Year's, and so far it hasn't proved any easier. But I am sure gonna try! Plus, by being so vague, how can I fail?
I have been subbing every day that Jackson has been off work this year, and I feel like things have been spiraling out of control. Housework, volunteer stuff, grocery shopping... The list goes on and on. Since my goal is quite vague, I am going to make little changes that will hopefully have a big impact. I need to set some routines in place, and I would like to do a better job at getting the kids involved with those routines. Great managers know how to delegate. To manage my household, I will have to get better at delegating, and give up some of the control.
Here are some areas I want to work on.
Clutter management
General housecleaning
Laundry (including keeping up with outgrown or unwanted items)
Grocery planning and shopping
Health
Financial management
Decorating
Scrapbooking
Now it's out there. Anyone who reads my blog will know the things I am working on and perhaps, this will inspire me to stick with my resolution. I have a whole year (minus 2 weeks) to make some changes. I had better get busy!
My family was coming up the next day, and I had agreed to substitute teach. Things were feeling pretty hectic. I think that is what spurred my idea. So often, we try to set resolutions on New Year's Day. I have yet to stick by any that I can remember. This year, I decided to make a Birthday Resolution. I resolve to better my life, in several different areas, before my next birthday. Not sure why I think it will be easier to change things if start on my birthday instead of New Year's, and so far it hasn't proved any easier. But I am sure gonna try! Plus, by being so vague, how can I fail?
I have been subbing every day that Jackson has been off work this year, and I feel like things have been spiraling out of control. Housework, volunteer stuff, grocery shopping... The list goes on and on. Since my goal is quite vague, I am going to make little changes that will hopefully have a big impact. I need to set some routines in place, and I would like to do a better job at getting the kids involved with those routines. Great managers know how to delegate. To manage my household, I will have to get better at delegating, and give up some of the control.
Here are some areas I want to work on.
Clutter management
General housecleaning
Laundry (including keeping up with outgrown or unwanted items)
Grocery planning and shopping
Health
Financial management
Decorating
Scrapbooking
Now it's out there. Anyone who reads my blog will know the things I am working on and perhaps, this will inspire me to stick with my resolution. I have a whole year (minus 2 weeks) to make some changes. I had better get busy!
Sunday, October 7, 2012
The Problem With Technology
Since last year, I have been concerned with Gray's spelling abilities. The school seems to be much more focused on the creative aspect of writing than the technical. I know that he is only in third grade, but I feel like spelling needs to become a habit. If you don't know how to spell a word, you look it up. I know that I am not always grammatically correct and my spelling my not be impeccable(everyone makes mistakes), but I am a proofreader at heart. I find errors in nearly everything I read. Newspapers, books, magazines, billboards, you name it. It drives me crazy to see things written incorrectly!
I was eating lunch with some teachers a couple of weeks ago. There was one guy who was talking about how great technology was(while he was texting on his phone and messing with his iPad). Somehow we got to talking about spelling, and he said that spelling and handwriting were becoming obsolete because most final drafts of papers would be typewritten, and the errors would be corrected. Anyone who has written very many papers knows that no matter how many times you run spell check and editing programs, there are often errors that make it through. One of the other teachers pointed out several things that couldn't be spell checked. She told us of a hand-written sign she had seen the weekend before that said "Welcome to the Neighberhood!" He kind of laughed it off. He said that he was "fresh-out-of-college" and most of the teachers he graduated with shared his opinion.
Because of my recent concern, I know that the teachers at our school don't agree with this guy's opinion, but it bothers me that any teacher would think spelling is unnecessary. I understand that many people rely on spell check or auto correct to fix their spelling errors without much effort. I also must confess that I have found myself whipping through a text or e-mail assuming that if I make any mistakes my device will catch it.
This is the problem with technology... It is making us lazy. Why teach or learn spelling, grammar or handwriting when a computer can do it for you? Why learn your math facts when a calculator can solve all of the problems for you? I am going to continue to encourage my children to work on being great spellers. I am going to quiz them on math facts. I want my kids to know that technology is a wonderful tool, but nothing can take the place of a strong mind.
I was eating lunch with some teachers a couple of weeks ago. There was one guy who was talking about how great technology was(while he was texting on his phone and messing with his iPad). Somehow we got to talking about spelling, and he said that spelling and handwriting were becoming obsolete because most final drafts of papers would be typewritten, and the errors would be corrected. Anyone who has written very many papers knows that no matter how many times you run spell check and editing programs, there are often errors that make it through. One of the other teachers pointed out several things that couldn't be spell checked. She told us of a hand-written sign she had seen the weekend before that said "Welcome to the Neighberhood!" He kind of laughed it off. He said that he was "fresh-out-of-college" and most of the teachers he graduated with shared his opinion.
Because of my recent concern, I know that the teachers at our school don't agree with this guy's opinion, but it bothers me that any teacher would think spelling is unnecessary. I understand that many people rely on spell check or auto correct to fix their spelling errors without much effort. I also must confess that I have found myself whipping through a text or e-mail assuming that if I make any mistakes my device will catch it.
This is the problem with technology... It is making us lazy. Why teach or learn spelling, grammar or handwriting when a computer can do it for you? Why learn your math facts when a calculator can solve all of the problems for you? I am going to continue to encourage my children to work on being great spellers. I am going to quiz them on math facts. I want my kids to know that technology is a wonderful tool, but nothing can take the place of a strong mind.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
"31 Chairs"
When talking about cleaning and organizing, my mom would always bring up the FlyLady. My sister and I would roll our eyes and move on with the conversation. Yea, yea, FlyLady... what really does she have to offer? For some reason, I decided to look her up. I wouldn't consider myself a "Flybaby", but she definitely has some great ideas on getting your house in shape. I signed up for the FlyLady Digest e-mails and read them every once in a while. Today was one of those days.
I was struck by an entry entitled "31 Chairs". Quick summary, it was a letter from a woman who was decluttering her house an item at a time. She said she counted this weekend and she had 31 chairs in her 7 person household. I was shocked! 31 chairs! That seemed like a lot to me... until I counted my own.
We have six people in our family, but the baby only just started sitting up this month. Our list of chairs~
1 in the family room
1 in the living room
8 dining table chairs
1 high chair
4 dinette chairs
2 child's rocking chairs
3 desk chairs
2 chairs for a child size table
2 child's painted wooden chairs
1 bent wood chair that belonged to my great grandma
1 flip chair
1 bean bag chair
27 total inside the house! That doesn't even count the 6 or 7 camp chairs and 4 patio chairs. I'm not sure if the other lady counted things like high chairs and bean bag chairs, but still, I have a lot of chairs! Way more than I thought. The difference between the "Flybaby" and I? She got rid of 10... I will be keeping my 27. Maybe some day I will rid myself of a few chairs, but until then... I need to get to sitting.
And since I borrowed her e-mail, I had better give you the link for the FlyLady.
flylady.net
I was struck by an entry entitled "31 Chairs". Quick summary, it was a letter from a woman who was decluttering her house an item at a time. She said she counted this weekend and she had 31 chairs in her 7 person household. I was shocked! 31 chairs! That seemed like a lot to me... until I counted my own.
We have six people in our family, but the baby only just started sitting up this month. Our list of chairs~
1 in the family room
1 in the living room
8 dining table chairs
1 high chair
4 dinette chairs
2 child's rocking chairs
3 desk chairs
2 chairs for a child size table
2 child's painted wooden chairs
1 bent wood chair that belonged to my great grandma
1 flip chair
1 bean bag chair
27 total inside the house! That doesn't even count the 6 or 7 camp chairs and 4 patio chairs. I'm not sure if the other lady counted things like high chairs and bean bag chairs, but still, I have a lot of chairs! Way more than I thought. The difference between the "Flybaby" and I? She got rid of 10... I will be keeping my 27. Maybe some day I will rid myself of a few chairs, but until then... I need to get to sitting.
And since I borrowed her e-mail, I had better give you the link for the FlyLady.
flylady.net
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