N is for No Time to Write.

It has been another busy week. I sure thought when summer got here we would slow down and have time to do “nothing”. But there has been more going on than just “nothing”. Most of my time this week has been used up in running my kids back and forth to their activities. Luckily a friend helped me out yesterday since I had so much going on and needed to be two places at once! And we have also had Vacation Bible School this week which has added to our busy schedule. So in the mix, there has not been much time to write. And I know that when school starts again, I will still have No Time to Write; but I’m sure I’ll work it in somehow!!

M is for Men and for Mood Swings, both a topic in this little exchange.

My husband and my son often talk a good deal of “smack” to each other. I get tired of it pretty quickly. Tonight, I told them “Boys, your testosterone is getting the better of you.” My son immediately responded with “Well, at least we are ALWAYS like this…at least we’re consistent!”

I guess even teenaged boys are aware of the difference between male testosterone and female mood swings…

L is for Los Angeles.

Yesterday, Los Angeles city council voted for a Plastic Bag Tax of .25 cents on every shopper who requests to use plastic bags. If this fails, the council will look at banning plastic bags by 2010.

In 2002, Ireland instituted a similar PlasTax . Consumption of plastic bags went down 90% and litter was drastically reduced. Over $9 million dollars was raised from the tax and put into a “green” fund to help the environment.

The purpose however is not to raise money, but to raise awareness of how much we consume and harm our earth each day without even thinking about it. I like the idea. I know it is hard to get into the habit of bringing shopping bags to the store. I forget at times too, especially if it’s not the grocery store. Each time I go grocery shopping, I am seeing more and more customers bringing their own bags. I do believe every little bit helps and maybe one day our kids will be the ones who live it as a lifestyle. Maybe Los Angeles will be the trend setter when it comes to breaking our habit with plastic bags.

K is for Kindergarten Readiness.

I am sure that every parent wants his child to be ready for Kindergarten and to have the best possible success in school. Knowing this, Funetics has developed a program to help get kids reading and give them a head start on Kindergarten.

This program has been designed to help pre-schoolers learn to read by the end of the program. It is backed by a money back guarantee. Funetics is only used about 90 minutes per week and is formatted to keep the child from getting bored. These are not 26 worksheets printed out over and over again. These are fun activities to keep the child engaged. They use songs, arts and crafts, and make believe to help keep the child interested, having fun and learning!

Funetics is also designed to be easy for the parent to use. You can print out the Basic scripted version or download the pre-recorded audio version. For those looking for another option, you can purchase the Deluxe CD version.

If you have been looking for a way to get your child Kindergarten ready, check out what Funetics has to offer with their free trial .

J is for July 17.

Yesterday my husband and I celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary. Twenty-one years ago we gathered with family and friends to celebrate our love and to begin our life together. Like any other couple, we’ve had some good times and some bad times. But we cherish the life we have made together. Here’s to many more years ahead!

I is for Ice Breakers.

This summer our congregation has been conducting several outreach ministries. One of the most fun, for us and for community members, has been our Ice Breakers. This is the day that we hand out free snow cones to anyone who wants it! No strings attached, no tips accepted! Folks can drive through and take their snow cones with them, or they can get out and eat it there. We also offer free hot dogs and chips. We do hand them a flyer with our Vacation Bible School and other activities information, but they don’t have to accept it to get the free treats. We have had a great time getting together and getting to know some of community neighbors and helping each other to stay cool in the heat of the summer. We even had one family come to church services today after getting free snow cones yesterday! It was fun to see them and recognize the kids who had enjoyed their icy treat.

Ice Breakers has been a “cool” way for us to get to know and be more known in the community.

H is for Homeschool Cooperative Library which I’d like to start.

well, it seems that I am always full of crazy ideas and I have been thinking about one for some time. As I’ve been doing some cleaning earlier this summer, this one kept recurring, so I guess it could mean something. It is not fully thought out, I don’t know exactly how to go about starting it, nor have I really thought it all the way through…

I have thought in the past about starting a home school cooperative library. Meaning, all us veteran home schoolers can pass on some of our used stuff by donating it to a library (that we start and maintain) in which other homeschoolers can come and check these items out, for say a month at a time. I would love to see if we could use half of the Impact Center, which is owned by our church, for this purpose. We could of course open it to others to donate items so that we would have lots of materials to choose from. We could have it open maybe two half-days a week or so. I think it is a cool idea if we can get it to work and would be a great out reach/service to many in the community.

Here are some of my thoughts:

This would be a great way for folks to find tons of free items to use that they would use for a short time and not want to spend the money on. Also a good way to give items a try before deciding to spend money on it, even a way for us to clean out w/o having to completely let go of things we are afraid we might need to get our hands on again…. perhaps even a way to do a few group things outside of a formal co-op (group readings/shaekspeare/spelling bee/etc)

So, we donate our old, still usable items to be placed in the library. I know we can purchase a library software that would help us keep track of the items in the library. We would also need book shelves, tables, chairs/sofas, a book cart and perhaps a computer or laptop. We could have a small section for free give aways if we want to….

I have not gotten much farther than that in my thought process…what do you think? a good idea? would it serve a purpose-is there a need? would it be used? would it be feasible to upkeep w/ enough helpers? would it just turn into a junkroom/dump for folks to unload old stuff on?

Is a Homeschool Cooperative Library an asset to the homeschool community?

G is for Gasoline that is becoming a strain for everyone I know.

As gasoline prices rise around the nation, and I suppose the world, it seems to be a topic in everyone’s conversation. The gas prices are making amends to many people’s travel plans, as well as their daily activities. Most folks are looking for ways to save money on their weekly gas bill. Ours has risen substantially. We have tried to save money by combining errands, car pooling and walking or cycling to close locations. Our area is not very conducive to cycling to lots of places that I would like to, like the grocery store and the library, though both may become necessary in the very near future. Other places are downright dangerous to cycle to, as you have to get on the freeway to reach them. I know my husband would do it, but for me and the kids, I am not too keen on that idea. We have considered buying a new car, one that gets better gas mileage, but the thought of a car payment to go along with the gas prices will really not help us out too much. As for now, we just keep looking for ways to make our gas go further.

What steps are you taking to help save on money on gas?