Category Archives: SocialMoms

>Five Summer Getaways & Experiences

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Social Moms wanted bloggers to name five summer experiences that every kid should have. Think about it. The times that make memories are not those that were scheduled to the hilt, but they are the summer activities that were unique and fun.

Live Music – It’s too easy to think that music originates on iTunes or YouTube. Watch the street musicians (buskers), attend local outdoor concerts, look for free recitals, and enjoy hearing talented people share their performance skills.

Camp – Whether in a tent or cabin, a formal location with counselors or a small tent in the backyard, camping builds appreciation of outdoors. Children who are comfortable exploring the woods are more likely to grow up knowing and caring about their environment.
Road trip – Long or short, across town or across the country, coping and getting along in the limited space of a car or minivan is a life skill. Learning to use the bathroom before leaving the gas station, respecting each other’s personal space, and that the question “Are we there yet?” is not allowed under any circumstances – all of these are skills that will help get along with college roommates, coworkers, and bosses later in life. No matter where the family is going, surviving a road trip is a learning experience.
Alternate forms of travel – Children who’ve ridden on a ferry understand how large waterways can be. They may not be able to rattle off statistics like gallons or surface area, but they can describe feeling the motion of the waves and seeing water, water, in every direction. Traveling by train, if you’re lucky enough to have it available, provides a whole different set of scenery than highways. And don’t forget bicycles; riding a bike to the library beats driving there. Just remember a backpack for the books!
Farmers’ Market – Wisconsinite Aldo Leopold once described two dangers of not owning a farm. “One is the danger of supposing that breakfast comes from the grocery, and the other, and the other that heat comes from the furnace.” Seeing the people who grow the food goes a long way toward building an understanding that food doesn’t originate at a grocery store. It grows in the ground, and someone plants, tends, and harvests it.
I didn’t address organized sports or play-dates or summer school. All of these have value, too. The greatest value of a summertime activity is the experience itself and the memory that experience creates.
I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Alamo blogging program, for a gift card worth $25. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

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>The little switches that matter

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Little things really do matter. Things? Well, little actions and little pieces of life and little changes – slight switches in routine – make life feel good. Getting out of a rut. A quick hug. Finding a way to insert a thoughtful, supportive statement. I moved our supper time slightly later so Chuck and I can eat together more often. It’s a small change, a little switch in timing, and it makes a big difference in our spending time together.
Sometimes a little switch means sitting down for a restaurant treat. We eat healthy most of the time (we try, really, we do!), so a fresh batch of onion rings and fries still hot to the touch made this lunch out feel extra special. The server added a little touch, too; yes, that’s ketchup smiling at us. We couldn’t help it; we smiled back.

Chuck likes, no, LOVES ice cream, and while I enjoy it, I’m more likely to crave a piece of dark chocolate. But lately he’s been serving up a parfait that even I can’t resist: one scoop of vanilla topped with strawberries and whipped cream. The special touches: fresh grated nutmeg on top, and a dash of creme de cocoa. Mm. On my side, I’ve pulled out the ice cream maker, wiped off the dust, and tried out several simple recipes. Ice cream made from scratch or with a surprising special taste – both are little touches that matter.
Both of us enjoy looking for small pleasures in life. We’ve had some financial reversals lately, so simple pleasures are even more important. I enjoy looking at rocks, analyzing the fossils, and closely examining all things natural. It’s the science teacher geek in me; I can’t help it. But sometimes I find a strategically placed human-made surprise like this one. I think it fits the theme.
Chuck loves to swim and I don’t, so we made time for him to enjoy the pool in his way while I enjoyed it in my own manner. Between the plant life and the rocks surrounding the water, I also found this little message. I had to balance precariously on the edge of the pool to get both pictures. No, I didn’t fall in. And after I spent time exploring, I went back to one of my favorite relaxing hobbies: reading.
If you’re thinking, “Nah, I just don’t have time for this. My routines are perfect the way they are. I don’t have to start looking at rocks, making changes, adding new ingredients to ice cream and finding the writing on the walls.”
To that, I give you this statement:

If not now, then when?
I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Cottonelle blogging program, entering this post for a gift card worth $25. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

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>Keeping the family happy

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Happy and frugal – these two don’t always go together. We’re pinching pennies these days. Luckily, we’ve discovered thrift shopping.

Amigo and La Petite and I were visiting relatives recently, and decided to check out the thrifting opportunities in their town. Amigo needed a polo shirt or two for his forensics meets, so that was our main goal. Amigo, of course, had his own idea: a bean bag chair.
First stop, their local Goodwill store. La Petite guided Amigo to the furniture department while I poked through the shirts in Amigo’s size. My teen, search through his own shirts? Oh, no, he had priorities. But I found two in blue patterns that worked for him, and we checked out. The next store on our list had a note on it. Sister-in-law had noted that this place had lots of clothes. I put La Petite and her smartphone in charge of navigating through town. Our journey ended in a strip mall with the thrift store and a Sears Outlet on the other end. Amigo teased me about trying on a pair of shoes on the way to the men’s shirt racks – heck, I didn’t know he’d be there before I was because they had no furniture, much less bean bag chairs in stock! I picked out two more – orange this time to go with his school colors, orange and black.
The Sears location was mainly an appliance outlet, and they didn’t have coffee grinders. Yes, dear readers, my coffee grinder bit the dust last week, and I was sad. Very sad. I did find a vacuum-sealer for preserving my garden produce next summer. It’s out of season, and that’s fine with me! I can store it until it’s time to pick and freeze the vegetables.
Keeping me happy: 4 polo shirts at an average of $1.50 each and an inexpensive tool for preserving the garden yield.
Keeping La Petite happy: chief navigator status. She’s good at this, with or without GPS. Need directions? Ask her.
Keeping Amigo happy: listening to store announcements in Spanish followed by English, testing his memory from high school Spanish classes. He has excellent hearing and a knack for languages and accents.
Keeping all three of us happy: time bonding together.
And the happiest fun? Playing with their baby cousin and the cats when we got to our home away from home. Yes, it was priceless.
I wrote this post (after returning from our visit and thrifting trip) while participating in Social Moms blogging program, this time in cooperation with Farm Rich. It is not a paid post, but I could qualify for a Target gift card worth $25. To find out how you can participate, click here.

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>Simple Changes

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>One week ago I posted a few simple pleasures. I’m still adjusting to the major changes in my career outlook and in my health, so when SocialMoms Network asked for bloggers to post about simple changes, I wondered if I could manage to view any of my changes as simple. Long term leave of absence: major change. Diagnosis of clinical depression: major change. Are there any simple changes, less complex than these?

One small change I’ve made is drinking half-caffeinated coffee. Now that I’m home all day most days, it would be very easy to over-imbibe in the delicious coffee gifts I received for my November birthday and for Christmas. Instead, I’m mixing the lovely flavors with a standard decaf. I still get the pleasure of the flavor, but I don’t get excess nervousness or hyperactivity from the caffeine.
Another change is the way I’m eating: increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables in my diet. We already eat a few servings of vegetables and/or fruits every day. I’m aiming to increase that to the recommended five a day in this category. A handful of berries on breakfast cereal or yogurt at lunch. A serving of vegetables at lunch and at supper, with a fruit snack such as an orange or apple for mid-afternoon. It’s a small change that will take my diet balance to the next level.
I’ve always been a goal-setter. This year I’m concentrating on keeping those goals reasonable and writing them down. If I set a goal that takes too much energy and too much time, I’m not likely to achieve that goal, which will be disappointing at best and at worst very upsetting. There’s enough negative in my life; I need to stress the positive and keep plans and goals accessible. Big goals are weekly or even monthly; smaller goals are daily, and may be part of a larger goal. This week I had planned to investigate mall walking, but I decided to put that one off and finish progress reports instead. The reports are due at the end of next week, but I wanted them done and out of my mind. The mall-walking exercise goal will have to wait until next week. It’s important; it’ll happen.
That’s the main point to remember with changes, small or large. If it’s important, make it happen. Setting goals, eating well, and watching the amount of caffeine in my (I admit it) addiction, all are simple changes that make a difference in my life. If all goes well, these simple changes will make an impact on my full recovery and my eventual return to teaching.
I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Simply Orange® blogging program. If I am one of the first 65 blogs received by SocialsMoms, I will receive a $25 Target gift card and a gift pack that includes a Simply Orange® cooler bag and logoed fleece. I believe they’ve already received 65 posts, but I thought the topic was worthwhile.

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