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One of the things that I wanted to do before my husband went back to work after the holidays was to organize our home. Well, I think I’ve basically run out of time to get his help on that, but I’m just going to move forward and try to tackle all of this on my own. I thought a good starting place would be the kids’ playroom. That’s one area that’s always messy, so I thought it might be good to get that worst room out of the way first. Plus, my kids will get to start enjoying it more again that way.

I looked online to find some tips about that and while I was looking, I ran across some info on new doors. Our front door looks so beat up and awful that I decided to use that site to get it replaced.

I’ve already started sorting through the kids’ toys, which is kind of just where you have to start out with this. It’s going much easier than I expected and I just hope that it keeps going that smoothly!

Using the Internet to shop has opened up the entire global shopping market to everyone that has an Internet connection. Many companies now offer free shipping, and having the goods delivered to your doorstep, or if it is a gift they offer giftwrapping, a gift card, and delivery to the recipients address. How’s that for convenience?! And best of all, there is no worries about finding a parking spot, or locating your car in the parking lot after a long day at the mall! Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy shopping at the mall from time to time, but sometimes the mall just does not have what I’m looking for, and sometimes I just don’t have the energy to deal with it.

I try really hard to be an example for my children, and to show them the importance of saving money. We have a “coupon clipping hour” every Sunday afternoon, where we all gather around the table and cut out our coupons for the week. We make our grocery list based on what’s on sale, and we’ve turned it in to a little game. The person who can make the most creative meal plan with the fewest amount of ingredients wins. Bonus points if all of those items are on sale, and extra bonus points if the meal ends up being delicious. I think it does a lot to really instill the value of money in them, and we actually all have a lot of fun every Sunday sitting around the table together. I was talking to a friend recently though who convinced me that saving money is not only about clipping coupons. It’s about making wiser choices with your money across the board. She even called shop electric companies in texas to see if she could get a more affordable energy provider, and she ended up saving a ton of money. I wonder if I could convince one of my kids to make the call for me…they really love to save money!

Thank goodness that I have local internet service. I have been on the internet all day today reading everything about Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries’ divorce. I was sad to hear that they are divorcing after only seventy-two days. I really like Kim and think that she is a sweet spirit. I hate to hear when marriages don’t work out. All over the internet people are giving her a really hard time about not working on the relationship. I wish that people wouldn’t be so critical. Sometimes people make mistakes. I know that I have made a lot, that’s for sure!! Yes, I’m sure she is upset that she wasted so much time and money and others are too, but I’m sure that this situation is emotionally trying for her. For people to be so hateful about the situation just isn’t nice. I haven’t seen the gossip magazines been this mean in a while. CNN and Fox News were even reporting on the divorce! It is like she is a politician and not a reality television star!

While I was waiting to hear from them about that I found out that there are some speech recognition programs already built into Microsoft word on Windows XP and Windows 7. I have Windows XP so I was really excited to find out about that. I installed it and am giving it a try. This is my first dictation and so far I have only found one error where I am saying the word blogging and instead it is typing blocking so I need to figure out how to fix that particular problem. other than that so far it looks like it’s doing a really great job!

Sometimes when you think about it, Walt Disney World is like a large city. There are the obvious big attractions but then there are the ones that are a little off the beaten (tourist) path. Well, I like to find those little things that not everyone is instantly attracted to. Plus, I’ve found that at Disney, that normally means indoor things with air conditioning.

Whenever I find these places with no lines and air conditioning, it’s such a relief to both me and the people who are with me. Well, I was checking a few nights ago to see if any new things like that have opened up since I last went there. As I was looking that up, I ran across the site wirelessinternetproviders.NET. Once I read through it some, I decided to sign up for the service for my home.

I even saw a TV special on insider Disney a few weeks ago and made sure to take notes of the things that they were talking about. I added them to my list of things that I want to do. This trip is going to be even better than the last!

I remember celebrating the 4th  of July back when I was a child.  It seemed bigger, better somehow.  But then again, things you remember from your childhood always do seem that way, at least for me.  I remember the fireworks and how big and beautiful they were and how long the show seemed to go on, and then there was the big family cookout.  But, as we grow up, I guess reality sets in a bit and things just aren’t the same.  The wonder of childhood is gone.

But, my niece did come to visit and she is in the military and stationed about 5 hours from here.  It was so good to see her and spend some time with her.  This will probably be my last chance to see her before Christmas because next month she is being transferred to Florida and will not be able to just drive up to see me any time she wants to.  So, that part of the holiday was great!!!!

As I watched her play on the slide, climbing up the 10 or so stairs to slide down again some 40 or 50 times and then move on to the swings for a bit and then to the merry-go-round, I noticed that the mulch they had on the ground was made of rubber.  I had never seen this before and found it very interesting and different.

After our playground romp, we went to the local ice cream shop for a sundae.  She decided that she wanted a banana split instead of a sundae. She ordered a hot fudge sundae and I  had my peanut butter sundae (my personal favorite).  Of course, being only 7 years old, Tabitha got fudge all over her clothes and face.  Her mother will have an absolute fit!!!  But, that is what being a kid is all about, isn’t it?  You should be able to get messy when you eat ice cream. 

After Tabitha’s visit, dropped her off at her house (after a little clean up in the bathroom at the ice cream shop) and went home and did a little research.  I found out that there is a company called Rubberecycle Playsafer that recycles old used tires and sells this rubber mulch for use on playgrounds and in horse arenas.  It makes a softer place to land if a horse or child falls, it is good for the environment and gives a person or a horse more sure footing.  I think it is a wonderful idea for recycling of tires and lasts much longer than traditional mulch.