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Balancing Blogging and Mothering

I squinted to make sense of scattered letters through the glare on my screen.  Focused attempts at deciphering HTML became distracted by bursts of giggling from the other side of my window.  Rejoicing from finally making a text box that scrolled, I missed a small excited voice asking me to “look at me”.  Dripping hair and sopping wet footsteps ran inside to beckon me to join their mini water park complete with a blow up monkey pool.  Promising just five more minutes I shooed away wet fingers from my computer.  Next I looked up and the time for sprinklers, popsicles, and water slides … Continue reading →

Holiday Jollies

  The best part of the holiday season is getting together with family and friends to share a few laughs.  Or, in some case, huge belly busters that have you rolling on the floor gasping for air. One of the simplest ways to share a seasonal smile is to tell a Christmas joke.  Kids and adults alike appreciate a good holiday riddle.  What’s more, clean, seasonal funnies can be added to Christmas cards, family newsletters or used as an ice breaker at a company party or family get-together.  If you are entertaining kids this month, consider printing out the following … Continue reading →

Turn Tree Trimming Into a Learning Experience

Do you have your Christmas tree up? I know there are many people who set-up their trees on Black Friday, but I just can’t motivate myself to decorate a tree when I am still stuffing myself with Thanksgiving leftovers. A string of Christmas lights in one hand, a fork filled with pumpkin pie in the other.  I stink at being ambidextrous. That and I don’t think I would be able to keep a tree alive until Christmas if I were to put it up on November 23rd. Still, tree trimming is an exciting undertaking in our family.  My 8-year-old delights … Continue reading →

Ways to Keep Kids Busy During Their Holiday Break

  Tis the season for parents to rack their brains coming up with ways to keep their children busy during the extended holiday break from school. Whether you will be home alone with two kids or you’re hosting a house full of hooligans in the days leading up to Santa’s arrival, consider the following holiday-themed boredom busters to keep your sanity intact: Activity Pages:  Print out free Christmas coloring pages from the Internet.  Not only do the jolly images provide for hours of holiday fun, but also, they’ll save you precious cash during a time when most moms and dads … Continue reading →

Holiday Gifts from the Heart

The holiday season is an ideal time to teach kids about the importance of giving.  This year, though, consider doing one better by giving your children the opportunity to take a hands-on approach to gift-giving. There’s no need to break the bank purchasing expensive holiday presents for loved ones when you can use your creativity and other talents to craft a slew of special treats.  Show kids that by putting their heart into making a personal present for a loved one they will be giving a giving a gift you can’t put a price tag on. Some simple ideas include: … Continue reading →

What’s New at Ancestry.com? – Week of June 22, 2012

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Ancestry.com is one of the most popular genealogy websites. Plenty of genealogists use it in order to get some genealogy research completed, or to put together their family tree. Ancestry.com frequently adds new stuff to its website, and occasionally offers some of their records for free access. Here is some of what is new at Ancestry.com this week. You still have a few days to go over to Fold3 and search through some Ancestry.com records that are being offered for free. The “War of 1812 Pension Files” collection is always free. Right now, until June 30, 2012, you can also … Continue reading →

Family History Stories Are A Good Read

As I looked for an interesting topic to write about for today, I came across a wonderful story that was posted on a genealogy blog. The story was about how the blogger’s grandmother and grandfather met – a friend had given a young woman’s address to a young man, they began writing letters to each other, and eventually met and got married. I really enjoyed reading that story, and it reminded me of just how wonderful real life family history stories can be. Whether the story is a romantic story, a funny story, a story of a brave hero, or … Continue reading →

Enter the “Watch It. Write It. Win It.” Sweepstakes

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The United States Postal Service has teamed up with “The Biggest Loser” TV show to put together a sweepstakes. Mail an encouraging letter to one of the current contestants on the show, and you could win a visit to The Biggest Loser Resort. The United States Postal Service (USPS) often creates special stamps that are only offered for a limited time. Right now, they have one called “Heart Health”. It has a very stylized male figure who appears to be in the process of doing some rhythmic gymnastics. Or, at least, that is what it looks like to me, since … Continue reading →

Enhancing Seasonal Scrapbook Layouts

So much for an extended January thaw. Our days basking in record warmth are about to come to an abrupt end. According to weather forecasters, 24 hours from now we’ll be back in the teens and buried under several inches of snow. Sigh! On the bright side, I can now resume designing my winter-themed scrapbook layouts with photos that include real snow, ice and sleet, instead of brown grass and bare trees. Nearly a decade ago my mom and I started a tradition of creating Year-in-Review scrapbooks. However, instead of waiting until the last week of December to design each … Continue reading →

Collecting For Christmas Layouts

Tomorrow is the first day of December, and we all know how fast that month flies by. The countdown to Christmas is officially underway and the chaos will likely continue into the New Year. Consequently, now is the time to start stocking up on items you plan to incorporate into your holiday-themed scrapbooks. I’m not suggesting you leave home right now to purchase Christmas-themed stickers, die cuts and stamps. In fact, you might want to hold off on buying bulk purchases of seasonal items if you know your local scrapbook supply shop will put them on clearance in early January. … Continue reading →