1. When I ___ I feel that ___ paid off.

When I am tired or very busy and the kids pitch in with the housework or renovation work, I feel that all that childrearing paid off. I had all four kids in my 20s, a kid just about every other year. Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhh it was tough. But now that they are older, it was SO worth all those pukefests, dirty diapers, baby food slinging, and 3am feedings. Well… the 3am feedings and pukefests weren’t so worth it. But I survived!!!!!

2. I just realized that____.

I just realized that it’s Friday. ON Friday. Kind of a big deal for me. It’s like a whole extra day!

3. My _______ come from _______.

My ancestry comes from England, Scotland, Scandinavia, and the Netherlands. I am a true melting pot, American mongrel mix. Where do your ancestors come from?

4. If I had _____, I would ______.

If I had more money, I would pay off the debt IN A FLASH. I hate reading the news headlines because they make me SO nervous about the economy. I know God will provide- He’s never let us starve!- but I hate the debt. Can’t wait to have it paid off.

That’s it for today! How’s your Friday going?

A common complaint by some young kids around here is that there is “nothing to do.” No matter where I live, that seems to be a pretty common complaint. Well, I have an idea! How about the Boy Scouts of America!

The Boy Scouts has been around for over 100 years, did you know that? It was founded in 1911 by W.D. Boyce of Chicago. He started the Boy Scouts of America after encountering an “Unknown Scout” in London, who helped Boyce find his way through a foggy London street. The BSA was formed to teach boys “patriotism, courage, self-reliance and kindred values.” During this period in America, the progressive/socialist movement was forging aheda in America, and some men were concerned that young men and boys would lose their sense of American patriotism and values.

Boy Scouts is WAY more than just a bunch of guys who get together and go camping or play basketball. The organization teaches boys skills they will need for a wholesome, fulfilling life. Camping and survival skills are a part of that, but so is honoring God, treating people with respect, taking responsibility for one’s actions, and more. The famikly unit is very important, and scouting supports family values.

Check out more about the Boy Scouts of America, and see how you can Be A Scout or a scout leader. Yes, there IS something to do arond here! How about you help make it happen?

Olana is beautiful. It was the home of the late Frederick Church, one of my favorite painters. He was an apprentice of Thomas Cole, my most favorite painter ever. These painters were part of the Hudson River School, a group of artists that created a distinctive American romantic art movement called Luminism. I studied them in art school, and it was a real treat to see Church’s home and some of his paintings.

This is his home. It’s designed in Persian architectural style. After traveling through the Middle East, Church and his wife were smitten with the colorful designs of Persian and Arabic architecture. I love it.

At the top of the hill, the views were exquisite. This is the Rip Van Winkle Bridge over the Hudson River. We had to cross it to get to Olana. The view from the bridge was well worth the $1 toll charge.

I’ll have more photos and stuff about our trip on my travel blogs. We encountered some really quirky things in Catskill, NY, and had a blast! Stay tuned…. :D

So I’m procrastinating, reading some blogs that I haven’t visited in a long time. I have my “faithful few” that I visit every day. Others I visit less frequently because the bloggers don’t update regularly. There is such pressure in the bloggy-world to update every day. I don’t like that kind of pressure, personally. Once I find a blog I like, I visit it when there’s an update. I don’t write them off or delete them from my feed reader just because they don’t update every day. Yet I do feel that pressure to update every day. :-p

Anyway, some of the blogs had updates, quirky little homilies that sent me back down memory lane. I don’t think that I share enough stories here (and I am very fond of reading your stories), so I’ll write one. Doing so will serve several purposes: one, I get to continue procrastinating; two, I update the blog and won’t feel guilty; three, it’ll give you something to read (hopefully). My little story is a totally random childhood memory about the time I tried to run away from home.

I was the only girl in the family for several years. My mom had married my step-dad and we were a “Yours, Mine, and Ours”) kind of family. Did you ever see that movie, starring Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda? My parents absolutely loved it. Me, not so much. I especially hated the “breakfast” scene, when Lucille Ball cooked huge, huge breakfasts for the entire clan. Since I was the only girl in the family, all I got out of that movie scene was thinking of the massive piles of dishes that had to be washed after all that cooking and cleaning. Ugh….

Anyway, lol. We were a big family and I was the only girl in the house. We lived in a neighborhood that had no girls, none. Just boys. I also wore thick glasses and the family was poor, so I didn’t have many friends in school. So I was a pretty introverted and lonely little kid (and rather sensitive). When I was almost 8 years old, my mom had a baby, a little girl. I was hoping for a sister for SO long and she finally came. But like Lady the cocker spaniel in “Lady and the Tramp,” the joy of a new baby was rapidly eclipsed by the mother’s isolation and her absorbing attention and affections to the new baby. So I climbed into my little shell even more.

I don’t know exactly what caused me to do this– maybe it was a recent “Little House on the Prairie” episode where Laura runs away– or maybe it was the new little luggage set my uncle bought me for Christmas…. but I decided to run away from home. I was fed up with chores and brothers and school! I packed my most prized possessions– my “Black Beauty” paperback, a pb&j sandwich, a pair of socks and the 65 cents I’d stashed– and announced my intentions that morning.

My little stepbrother, with whom I’d formed a close attachment, was distraught. He didn’t like the idea of running away, but life at home would become so unbearable without me that he decided to come along. Glad for the company and support, I loaned him one of my pieces of little luggage (good thing they were blue colored and not pink) and he packed his Matchbox cars and a clean pair of socks, too. (Don’t ask me why clean socks was so important to us, lol – ??). We bravely informed my mom of our decision, and decided to strike our fortunes on our own that August morning.

My mom, not to be outdone by elementary school children, announced that if we left, then she was running away, too. She was tired of all the chores (inspired by Lucille Ball, no doubt), all the complaining, all the problems. She hopped in the car as we walked down the driveway.

I remained unmoved but my little brother was aghast. “The baby!” he said. “If mom runs away, no one will take care of the baby!” As if in chorus, all my brothers spilled out of the house into the front yard to watch us depart. They repeated my little brother’s concern: “The baby! The baby will starve! Who will take care of the baby??” My tender first-grade heart was touched by their care for the baby. But 35 years later, I now figure they probably cared less for the baby and more for the dishes that would pile up and THEY would have to do them, lol!

Anyway, my mom began to cruise the car down the driveway. The chants of my brothers got louder. I would feel just terrible if my baby sister starved. It would be all my fault. I had wanted a sister. I couldn’t let the baby starve. So I sat on the grass and pondered for a few minutes. My little brother plunked his little luggage down and sat beside me, waiting for my decision. Reluctantly, I got onto my feet and walked back toward the house. I couldn’t let my mom run away, she was needed. I said, “OK, I’m not running away,” and scurried to my room to unpack my things. I ate my sandwich and delved into “Black Beauty.”

Looking back, the whole thing seems silly. Kids are so funny, the way they think. Back then, inspired by TV and stories, I figured that my life would improve if I ran away. I grew up to know better.

Several years later, my mom had ANOTHER baby– a girl! And this time, my dad bought a dishwasher. It wasn’t only me that got a little wiser over the years. ;)

Have you moms and dads heard of Parent’s Choice Infant Formula Savings Sweepstakes? It’s a “generic” brand of baby formula that costs a fraction of the price of the fancy name-brand baby formula. The Parent’s Choice Infant formula is exclusively sold at Walmart as Walmart’s private brand baby formula. It’s a terrific cost saver. There is absolutely no nutritional difference between the name-brand formulas and Parent’s Choice. All formula sold in the United States must meet basic nutritional guidelines, and Parent’s Choice does. The only real difference between the two is the price. So save yourself some cash and get the Parent’s Choice– they’ve been in business for 13 years and have a reptutation for nutritious, inexpensive baby formula.

Another good reason to use Parent’s Choice is the Parent’s Choice Infant Formula Sweepstakes! It’s so easy to enter! Just go to the Parent’s Choice sweepstakes page and sign up. No purchase necessary. The prize is a $10,000 college scholarship in the form of a College Savings 529 Plan! The contest is already up and running, and will continue until August 1, 2011. So get your entry in. And save the money by buying Parent’s Choice forumla!

The helicopter is designed for outdoor use, but of course will move around very well indoors, in large rooms. I was immediately impressed with the very hardy construction of the helicopter. We’ve had a few remote-controlled toys in the past, and I’ve always been unhappy with the shoddy construction. Manufacturers should KNOW that a boy who’s going to operate a remote controlled anything is going to smash the thing constantly into walls! So when I saw the good construction, I was pleased.

The remote controller housing is a little flimsier. It’s very lightweight plastic and takes 6 AA batteries. I can see why it’s geared for ages 14 and up. A little kid or careless child would probably break the controller. The controls are good and strong, though.

The reception is good and the copter responds well to the controls, but there’s a definite learning curve. It’s good to encourage your child to have patience- he’s not going to be an expert as soon as you open the box. It takes time.

It’s very easy to charge the helicopter. You can either plug it in to the computer with the provided cord, or plug it in to the remote controller using the cord that is attached to the controller. It’s best to charge it with the computer. If you charge it by connecting it to the controller, you will use up the 6 AA batteries. Like many children’s toys, buying new batteries can REALLY add up. The guys have been playing with the toy on and off for about half a week, and the batteries are still OK. But more frequent users may need more batteries.

The helicopter is pretty fun to fly. Here’s a video I got from the Xenon Project website, showing you how the copter performs.

This is a good toy for boys ages 13 to 16.

After giving the toy a thorough review, here’s our consensus:

Pros:

• It’s very attractive.
• It’s built very well. The boys smashed it into walls and onto the driveway– enough to make me cringe– but the helicopter held up!
• Has 3 channels.
• Very good price, with free shipping.
• The instructions are thorough, brief, and easy to understand. Perfect for boys.

Cons:

• Difficult to control, at least for a “newbie.” Requires patience.
• Requires a lot of batteries.
• The helicopter will run for only 5 minutes or so before it needs another charge. It takes about 30-50 minutes to fully charge. My sons did not like waiting in between charges, and wished there was an alternative way (or faster way) to get going again.

All in all, the S107G Mini Gyro Remote Controlled Helicopter is a great “starter” helicopter for boys getting their first remote-controlled copter. It’s inexpensive, easy to operate but not so easy that the boy will get bored, and of very good construction for those “oops” moments that newbies make. Just be sure to have plenty of batteries!

Note: This product was provided for me free of charge by Xenon Project in exchange for a thorough review. Please know that my opinions are 100% mine. Thanks for reading!

In another paragraph about going to Walmart, he dryly wrote:

Walking through Walmart may not be as easy or relaxing as one might think. First there are the children sneezing on everything in sight like some kind of lawn sprinkler. Second there are crabby people whooshing their carts around as if no one else in the world exists. The dry air and cramped aisles make one as thirsty as a camel in the desert. Often times some 80′s song is playing, adding to the chaos. All these combined make my skin crawl; however, one can chose to be joyful, and will often be given plenty of space if one chooses to do so.

LOL!! Think he has a career in blogging?

I have a new little buddy. I picked up the cutest little stuffed animal while browsing stores. I saw it and my heart melted. Isn’t it adorable?!

I carry the little lamb around the house. It fits perfectly in my hand, and so I nuzzle it from time to time as if it was a kitten. Livvy the Cat has expressed only banal interest. She sniffs it heartily, then turns away, disinterested. I carry it around in my shirt pocket, or perch it atop my computer monitor during the day. I like it. It’s the next best thing to having another kitten (something we can’t have right now).

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of PBM Products for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I thank God every day that my four kids are out of diapers and off baby food. MAN oh man, that stuff was expensive. I have seen prices go up and up, and I wonder how families do it today.

Well, of course, there’s the Internet. That’s a money-saving entity. And I’ve got some good news for you– I have a stockpile of coupons and deals on the Internet for baby products. You can buy on diapers.com and get 20% off diapers for three months. Another coupon offers 10% off everything else. And Bright Beginnings baby formula is sold- for excellent prices– on diapers.com. Those are some pretty good savings. The website also has some deals on baby formula as well as bath and skin care, clothing, toys, books, shoes, and baby food. It certainly pays to pinch the pennies!

Many times, you can save quite a bit of money if you get emails or “follow” certain stores or companies online. The companies like to distribute coupon codes and notify you of sales and promotions before releasing sale information to the general public. For deals on baby products, check out diapers.com at http://bit.ly/g6NIYA, and  Bright Beginnings on Facebook. I’ve seen quite a number of very good coupon codes and promotions there.

Why pay more than you have to?? Check out the sales on baby products and save!

This is an extremely interesting organization: Kidzmet. You all know how I rail and rant about “cookie cutter” public schools. I attended several of these kinds of schools, and was never happy in them. Typical schools and tutoring programs tend to be geared toward mass production. But children are not factory parts to be assembled from blueprints. Well, Kidzmet takes that whole idea of cookie-cutter education/tutoring and turns it on its head. This actually looks pretty neat!

Kidzmet compares itself to food– different people like different foods, and even if you loved one particular food, you’d want variety, right? Right! Kidzmet realizes that children need tutors and teachers who will draw out the child’s strengths and help the child overcome his particular weaknesses. As I read the information, it reminded me of what education USED to be in this country, a society built on apprenticeship. Kidzmet acts as the middle man to connect children with specifically-matched tutors and teachers who will help the child develop to his full potential. The idea behind Kidzmet comes from a marketing professional and mom, Jen Lilienstein. You can read about Jen and her vision on the Kidzmet About Us page.

If you’ve been looking for such an opportunity for your child or grandchild, give Kidzmet a look. There’s a free trial, and a nice summer enrichment scholarship drawing for $400, too.

ActivityTree is a resource for parents. When you search by zip code, you will see results for kid’s lessons, classes and camps, anything that kids can do– from camp to piano lessons to tutoring to children’s theatre to soccer teams to classes and even chess clubs! I was wowed by the sheer amount of stuff for kids to do in my area. You know how kids are always lamenting “there’s nothing to do around here”? Well, show them ActivityTree. They will change their attitudes very quickly.

The website has maps, location directories, contact information, website links, descriptions of the activities and more. It’s a great resource! Additionally, you parents can get the kids active with the Get Kids Active! Facebook Campaign. Fans can share ideas and results and take polls and all sorts of Facebook-y type stuff.

And if you are stretched thin with the economy the way it is, be sure to check out the Kids Scholarships page. This benevolent program offers financial help to qualifying kids– check out the link on how to enter.

It’s free to use ActivityTree.com. And you have nothing to lose! It’s a great resource, bookmark this one.