Great idea from Bibliophilic Book Blog

Bookmark day!! Read the detail here: http://www.bibliophilicbookblog.com/2010/02/you-are-invited15-march.html

I think the kids and I may make bookmarks and pass them to Grandma's neighbors at the senior apartment.

It has been too long...

Hmmm, in the past year the kids and I have returned to school. I am not longer wearing the homeschooling mommy hat, but instead the full-time college student hat. The house is still messy, but mommy has more intellectual stimulation, adult conversation and loads of reading and writing. Occasionally I take a little time to draw or dabble with craft supplies, but not often. Even my pleasure reading time comes few and far between these days.

52 Books in 52 Weeks

Welcome to the 2009 challenge, 52 Books in 52 Weeks.

Created by "Kay of Cal," the challenge of reading a book a week in 2009 is open to the members of Well Trained Mind message boards.

The rules are very simple:
Read an average of a book a week - 52 books in 52 weeks
Re-reading a book counts--as long as you first read it before 2009
School related books don't count (unless you want them to)
You can start reading on 1-1-09 at 00:00:01AM

Each week, there will be a thread on the WTM board for participants to list what book they will be reading for the week. http://read52booksin52weeks.blogspot.com/ is a group blog for participants to discuss the books they are reading, book lists for suggestions and more.

Happy reading!!

The ABCs of Homemaking
You'll see that I'm no Susie Homemaker. LOL.

Aprons - Y/N? If yes, what does your favorite look like?
Brown/multi striped from Ikea. It mostly hangs in the pantry; Craig wears it when baking bread.

Baking- Favorite thing to bake?
Does conning hubby into baking bread count?!

Clothes line - Y/N ?
No, DH is anti-clothesline, lol.

Donuts - Have you ever made them?
No. Why compete with Krispy Kreme?! They are going to win.

Everyday - One homemaking thing you do everyday.
Make my bed, including all the extra pillows on it.

Freezer - Do you use a deep freeze?
Yes, gotta put frozen pizzas somwhere.

Garbage Disposer Y/N?
Yes, but I try not to use it much. Save the septic tank!

Handbook - What's your favorite homemaking resource?
The Internet.

Ironing - Love it or Hate it?
It is a love/hate relationship, but I won't go out in wrinkly clothes.

Junk Drawer - Y/N? If yes, where is it?
No, it's a junk desk.

Kitchen - color & decorating scheme.
Some red accessories. Does "cluttered" count as a scheme?!

Love - what is your favorite part of homemaking?
Being home brings family closer together

Mop - Y/N?
Yes, except for the carpeted rooms.

Nylons, machine or hand wash?
I don't wear them much, but when I do I wash them in the washer.

Oven - Do you use the window or open the oven to check?
I Always open the door.

Pizza - what do you put on yours?
We usually just have pepperoni because that's what the kids like. But I really like white pizza with tomatoes, green peppers and onions. Sometimes I order one with a lot of meat toppings for DH.

Quiet - what do you do during the day when you get a quiet moment?
Blog and read other blogs.

Recipe Card Box - Y/N?
No, besides my cookbook, I have a binder with a section in it for miscellaneous recipes.

Style of house - what style is your house?
2-Story

Tablecloths and napkins?
We have a plastic tablecloth and paper napkins. We're not fancy.

Under the kitchen sink - organized or toxic wasteland?
Mostly organized

Vacuum - how many times per week?
Once or twice

Wash - how many loads of laundry do you do per week?
About 16

X's - Do you keep a daily list of things to do that you cross off?
Sometimes.

Yard - Who does what?
Well, mostly over the summer I mowed and DH weedwacked. Our mower has not been acting right though, and we hired someone to mow last week.

ZZZ's - Put the kids to bed.

It's here: Banned Books Week 2008

September 27 to October 4, 2008
http://www.bannedbooksweek.org/

In honor of banned books week, I will place Dead Until Dark on hold and choose one (or more) of the challenged books to read. I think I will start with I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou as I have it upstairs (Shame on me for not reading it before now!)

What are you reading?!

Things you find online searching for VBS decor ideas

Quote from a blog on VBS decorations, etc....our vbs director enlists her husband to decorate. he's a carpenter and makes these elaborate villages or veggie-tale land. best part, she lets the kids take the stuff home at the end of the week. thanks leader of the cartel...now my son has a massive palm tree in his room. you can't just sneak that into garbage with someone noticing.

This is so Ross. The boy has rocks, rocks and more rocks. He knows were he found, bought or was gifted each one of them. And gets very upset when he hears the tell-tale "clink" of one of them getting sucked into the vacuum cleaner. I do not go after them. Yep, mean mommy of the year.

It's that time of year again (a fun post)

The Open Toed Shoe Pledge

As a member of the Cute Girl Sisterhood, I pledge to follow the Rules when wearing sandals and other open-toe shoes:

I promise to always wear sandals that fit. My toes will not hang over and touch the ground, nor will my heels spill over the backs. The sides and tops of my feet will not pudge out between the straps.

I will go polish-free or vow to keep the polish fresh, intact and chip-free. I will not cheat and just touch up my big toe.

I will sand down any mounds of skin before they turn hard and yellow.I will shave the hairs off my big toe.

I won't wear pantyhose even if my misinformed girlfriend, coworker, mother, sister tells me the toe seam really will stay under my toes if I tuck it there.

If a strap breaks, I won't duct-tape, pin, glue or tuck it back into place hoping it will stay put. I will get my shoe fixed or toss it.

I will not live in corn denial; rather I will lean on my good friend Dr. Scholl's if my feet need him.

I will resist the urge to buy jelly shoes at Payless for the low, low price of $4.99 even if my feet are small enough to fit into the kids' sizes.. This is out of concern for my safety, and the safety of others. No one can walk properly when standing in a pool of sweat and I would hate to take someone down with me as I fall and break my ankle.

I will take my toe ring off toward the end of the day if my toes swell and begin to look like Vienna sausages.

I will promise if I wear flip flops that I will ensure that they actually flip and flop, making the correct noise while walking and I will swear NOT to slide or drag my feet while wearing them.

I will promise to go to my local nail salon at least once per season and have a real pedicure (they are about$25 or $30and worth EVERY penny).

I will promise to throw away any white/off-white sandals that show signs of wear... nothing is tackier than dirty white sandals.

Roles of a Homeschooling Mother and how to budget time?

This is a topic that is weighing heavily on me lately. I have been grateful to others on this journey who take the time to mention their struggles with the same issues. At least I know I am not alone in this.