tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85329639187285479892024-02-18T22:51:06.767-08:00M and J in a NutshellThe little corner of the web where we muse about whatever comes to mind...
...Etsy? ...homeschooling? ...grad school? ...travel? ...Facebook? ...virtual garage sale? ...friends? ...golf? ...writing? ...archery? ...financial aid? ...and who knows what else...Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger174125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8532963918728547989.post-61867697069629815882015-04-28T14:39:00.000-07:002015-04-28T14:44:33.474-07:00Foreign language learning - Duolingo is adding more languagesOne of my favorite platforms for FREE foreign language learning has added new languages! <a href="http://www.duolingo.com/" target="_blank">Duolingo</a> is a great platform for on-the-go language learning and they are growing. When I started with Duolingo, they only offered English, Spanish, German, and French. They've added several more languages and have plans for even more.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.duolingo.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="http://www.duolingo.com/" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1BAfuvWl9TEGAZB9z9n2LSieibX9LyTqyhbvqQb87Ik-u679N5t5lybk9JDKlvsCG0srCEJV2F6iejo_TMxelTLg9zeh5kkYiZGuN5kNAT8GrEeKAbuJlQ1NR9kLqpO6kEp7M5-kLcn4/s1600/duolingo.png" height="388" title="Duolingo" width="400" /></a></div>
Although I've been slacking quite a bit on my foreign language practice, <a href="http://www.duolingo.com/" target="_blank">Duolingo</a> has helped me to improve my (very) basic French, German, and Spanish skills. Now I can also use it to help with my (even more) basic Swedish and Turkish!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: magenta;"><b>What language(s) are you going to tackle today?</b></span></div>
<br />
Check out these additional posts on foreign language learning:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://mandjinanutshell.blogspot.com/2012/06/free-german-language-resources.html" target="_blank">Free German language learning resources</a></li>
<li><a href="http://mandjinanutshell.blogspot.com/search/label/Spanish" target="_blank">Free Spanish language learning resources</a></li>
</ul>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8532963918728547989.post-37888772056557912372014-12-31T00:09:00.000-08:002014-12-31T00:09:41.505-08:00My words for 2015...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Kdn6RjTVextGlDSe9UrWDhmA_ddEIziR4v5uWdrBErHlkDfTh9CI84bKn-CIK8JYgsY4SYJm9kYo_Qrrswfezpk1mjb3HrnBGiSpC8zz4oGQnaEY4fZcoHgHQD5BNSfxBd_tVAFHgB8/s1600/onward+resilience+persistence.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="onward persistence resilience" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Kdn6RjTVextGlDSe9UrWDhmA_ddEIziR4v5uWdrBErHlkDfTh9CI84bKn-CIK8JYgsY4SYJm9kYo_Qrrswfezpk1mjb3HrnBGiSpC8zz4oGQnaEY4fZcoHgHQD5BNSfxBd_tVAFHgB8/s1600/onward+resilience+persistence.png" height="400" title="2015" width="315" /></a></div>
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0.$end:0:$0:0">I have mentioned Leonie Dawson and her <a href="https://jlk86341.isrefer.com/go/2015wk/UrsaMajor/" target="_blank">Amazing Biz and Life workbooks</a>* in the past, and I am working on these workbooks again this year. If you work the workbooks and really follow the tips and plans set out, they pay off. One task in the workbooks is to choose your word for the year. This is a word that resonates with you, has meaning for you, and guides you throughout the year. In the private Facebook group that goes along with membership in Leonie's <a href="https://jlk86341.isrefer.com/go/abla/UrsaMajor/" target="_blank">Amazing Biz and Life Academy</a>*, many of the members have been discussing their words for 2015. Today, I joined in. Below is a slightly edited version of my response to one such discussion.</span></span></span></span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0.$end:0:$0:0"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0.$end:0:$0:0"></span></span></span></span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0.$end:0:$0:0"></span></span></span></span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0"></span></span></span><br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0"></span></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0.$end:0:$0:0">(The workbooks are free as downloadable PDF e-books with <a href="https://jlk86341.isrefer.com/go/abla/UrsaMajor/" target="_blank">membership in the Academy</a></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0.$end:0:$0:0">or available separately <a href="https://jlk86341.isrefer.com/go/2015wk/UrsaMajor/" target="_blank">HERE</a> as e-books or bound workbooks.*)</span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0.$end:0:$0:0"></span></span></span></span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0.$end:0:$0:0"></span></span></span></span><br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0.$end:0:$0:0"></span></span></span></span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0.$end:0:$0:0"></span></span></span></span><br /></div>
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0.$end:0:$0:0">When it comes to words for the year, I have three: Onward, Resilience, Persistence. </span><br data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0.$end:0:$1:0" /><br data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0.$end:0:$3:0" /><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0.$end:0:$4:0">They
have been my words for the last 12 years, and when I keep them front and
center and balance my choices and experiences against them, things
continue to grow and m</span></span><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$0:0">ove forward and change in the right direction. When I lose sight of them, things start to fall apart. </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: blue;"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$0:0">This is the story of my three words. </span></span></span></span></span></span></b></span></div>
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0"><br data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$3:0" /><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$4:0">I
was in an emotionally and mentally abusive relationship and had a young
child and I was struggling to go to school, to try to "save" or "fix"
my relationship, and to be the mom I wanted in my heart to be. My ex
threw up block after block after block and I wasn't dealing well. I was a
mess emotionally and physically. Then, in April 2002, around my 28th
birthday, I hit the wall and decided enough was enough. My ex basically
told me flat out that I didn't *DESERVE* a college degree and that I
wasn't *WORTH* a college degree - that I was nothing, had nothing, would
always be nothing. He'd been telling me this stuff all along, but never
so explicitly before. </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$4:0"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #990000;">Finally, after almost four years of this, something clicked.</span></span></b> </span></span></span></span></span></div>
<br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$4:0">The very next day I
managed to get to school despite all odds (he took the car, he took my
money so I had no bus fare, and he canceled the babysitter). I found an
academic counselor and told her I had to graduate as soon as humanly
possible no matter what it would take and that I was leaving an abusive
partner and taking my son with me as soon as I had my degree. Within 30
minutes I had a new major that only required two additional classes
beyond what I had already taken and beyond the classes I was already in
for that term, and I had a graduation date only 4 months away. I then visited
all of my current professors and told them the situation (crying in the
first one's office and feeling empowered and strong by the time I left
the last one's office), and they all agreed to help me in whatever ways
they could (letting me bring my son to class and sitting in the hall so I
could hear without my son disrupting the class, emailing me notes,
making special arrangements to meet with me outside of normal office
hours, letting me do work via independent study, etc). </span><br data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$5:0" /><br data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$7:0" /><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$8:0">I
graduated in August 2002. I researched my legal rights regarding custody of
my son, and I made a plan to leave for good (I'd already left three times before) that would allow
us to do so safely, legally, and with help from family that lived 600
miles away. On October 15th, my sister and brother-in-law helped me pack
a U-haul while ex was at work, and by 5pm that day I had left him for good!</span><br data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$9:0" /><br data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$11:0" /><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$12:0">Onward,
Resilience, and Persistence helped me do that, and they have helped me
overcome many obstacles since - some big, some small. They have helped
me do things I didn't know I was capable of, and they are helping me
achieve life long dreams now. That doesn't mean life is always easy or that I achieve everything I try, but it does mean I am constantly moving in the right direction, even if it means taking the occasional detour to get there. </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$12:0"><br /></span></span></span></span></span>
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$12:0">What are your guiding words for 2015, and how did you come up with them? I wanna know!</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$12:0"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i></span></span></span></span></span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0"><span data-reactid=".1af.1:3:1:$comment686143108172289_686222388164361:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$12:0"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">*These are affiliate links, but if you are committed to Leonie's programs, they pay off in ways you may not even realize!</span></i></span></span></span></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8532963918728547989.post-56937240693719594802014-11-14T18:52:00.002-08:002014-11-14T18:52:39.900-08:00Incoming mail...I haven't taken part in Postcrossing in a long while, but recently sent out 10 cards and received my first one in return today!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyV75vftcfDwOcnwKswNJ13qKpC5gAFeNz09EIy3sMZnfRetSJVRxmKxbN2yW8AtAv6HKiT0qUEpHLm3k9nN6Cg2wry0eYJ5L-hbQwDbqMDLIvpowgvua28ulp43rJechDEWykr6i3G7k/s1600/NL2753224.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Postcrossing" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyV75vftcfDwOcnwKswNJ13qKpC5gAFeNz09EIy3sMZnfRetSJVRxmKxbN2yW8AtAv6HKiT0qUEpHLm3k9nN6Cg2wry0eYJ5L-hbQwDbqMDLIvpowgvua28ulp43rJechDEWykr6i3G7k/s1600/NL2753224.jpg" height="400" title="Postcrossing" width="360" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8532963918728547989.post-47393303426488955972014-11-05T22:51:00.000-08:002014-11-05T23:16:19.712-08:0050 reasons why we love homeschooling<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
1. We have lots of
quality time together.</div>
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2. We can arrange our
schedule according to our own needs.</div>
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3. My son can work
ahead when it suits him.</div>
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4. We have time to review
concepts and skills as much as necessary if they are difficult.</div>
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5. We meet a much
wider variety of people than we ever did before.</div>
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6. We have time to
explore new places and new situations.</div>
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7. We can drop
everything for once-in-a-lifetime events.</div>
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8. My son has mentors
from many more areas of his life than he ever did in a traditional school.</div>
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9. We can learn in our
pajamas if we feel like it.</div>
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10. I worry a lot less
about his food allergies.</div>
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11. No one makes fun of
him at lunchtime if he doesn’t have the current popular snack.</div>
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12. It’s ok that he isn’t
the slightest bit athletic.</div>
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13. It’s ok that he
loves music and art.</div>
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14. He has taught
himself computer coding and scripting.</div>
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15. He has friends on
three continents.</div>
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16. We were able to drive
cross-country (twice) when other kids were either in school or getting ready to
go back to school (he’s been to 25 states now).</div>
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17. None of his friends
or mine find his large vocabulary disturbing.</div>
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18. Without the
distractions and interruptions that are a normal part of a traditional school,
a “school day” takes half the time it used to and without the commute.</div>
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19. My son has taught
himself many concepts that most kids don’t learn until college, if ever.</div>
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20. We have a lot more
fun thanks to a lot more free time.</div>
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<br /></div>
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21. My son’s writing
has blossomed now that he isn’t stuck to a particular rubric or school mandated
curriculum.</div>
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22. My son has a
practical understanding of math that isn’t taught at school.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
23. We can indulge both
academic and non-academic interests without sacrificing one over the other.</div>
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24. We don’t have to
wait for school breaks to go out of town.</div>
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25. We’ve found tons of
free or low-cost educational resources that are often better quality than
school curriculum – we obtained quality while saving money.</div>
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26. We spend time on
quality socialization rather than learning to manage bullying, conforming to
dress codes, and so on.</div>
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27. Without getting
into trouble or dealing with negative peer pressure, my son can excuse himself
from activities if they don’t feel right or if the atmosphere feels dangerous,
oppressive, stifling, or just wrong in some way.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
28. My son can get
enough sleep — he’s a teenager and they need more sleep. </div>
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29. We can take
advantage of my son’s natural rhythms — he is far more alert and able to retain
information in the evening hours.</div>
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<br /></div>
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30. Engrossed in a good
book? We aren’t limited to a brief “silent reading” period — there’s plenty of
time to read, and read, and read.</div>
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31. My son’s vocabulary
is huge in large part due to all the reading we do.</div>
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32. We have time to
discuss news stories in depth in addition to discussing media influence.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
33. My son has a better
understanding of how government is meant to work and how it actually works than
most adults I know.</div>
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34. In public school, my
son was socially awkward; as a homeschooler, he has found his tribe and now
fits in.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
35. His self-esteem
skyrocketed after we began homeschooling.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
36. He has learned
better coping skills at home than he did in school.</div>
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37. He has learned to
manage his perfectionist tendencies much better.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
38. Going to family or
kid-friendly places during off-peak hours is much more enjoyable.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
39. As introverts, we
can nourish our energy needs as much as we want.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
40. The people and
experiences in our lives are now much more diverse than they ever were before.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
41. We can focus on
what’s important to us and not whether or not he has the right backpack or
shoes.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
42. My son is more of
an independent thinker now than he ever was in traditional school.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
43. My son surprises me
every day with something new that he has learned without having an academic
lesson.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
44. Instead of learning
vocabulary and spelling from lists, he learns them from reading and context.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
45. He is more curious
about the world than ever before.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
46. He has gotten over
some phobias and obsessive problems by learning to face them on his own terms,
in his own way, and on his own schedule.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
47. We both have
significantly less stress and anxiety in our lives.
</div>
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48. We have time to
stop and talk to people rather than rushing from one activity to the next since
six to seven hours of our day aren’t taken up by a traditional school schedule.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
49. Instead of learning
multiple subjects from one teacher, my son can go to experts in each individual
subject he wants to learn about. </div>
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50. It may not work for
you, but it does work for us.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8532963918728547989.post-34009984046906756042014-10-03T22:46:00.000-07:002014-10-03T22:46:08.060-07:00Recent drawing...I've been doing a lot of drawing over the past several weeks. Some drawings have shown up in <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/marblesandjam" target="_blank">my Etsy shop</a> as stationery or coloring pages. Others are part of a drawing challenge called #Inktober on <a href="http://instagram.com/mia_ann_b" target="_blank">Instagram</a>. #Inktober is a challenge to draw every day of October. <br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8532963918728547989.post-88930211574395999522014-05-31T06:23:00.003-07:002014-05-31T06:23:35.583-07:00Pack light when traveling...I still owe a post in my 5-part homeschooling series, and I swear someday I will get it done! Today, however, I want to talk about packing light while traveling. Author <a href="https://www.facebook.com/GilbertLiz" target="_blank">Elizabeth Gilbert's FB page</a> today had a post about women traveling solo, and one of her suggestions is to pack light. A commenter, however, asked HOW does one do that. <br />
<br />
I've spent a month in Mexico with only one backpack to carry all of my things. I spent 10 days in New York City with the same back pack. I've traveled cross-country twice, and both times, although I had tons of stuff with me, I only dipped into one single bag for clothes and toiletries.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh66m3tWzc1TiKwiJh6T4K0Ip7WFsxYzBlOVgUW4vX0IX1BYFEZIR-WP73ZpoQAZHtAyAMpMuPsrK-e0sXnfHEzERFphvbcWgqBfGVg1knrUIx3kqlgJxLX3zhIAFeUq7rouWkql_a6wRE/s1600/il_570xN.503122398_4i28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh66m3tWzc1TiKwiJh6T4K0Ip7WFsxYzBlOVgUW4vX0IX1BYFEZIR-WP73ZpoQAZHtAyAMpMuPsrK-e0sXnfHEzERFphvbcWgqBfGVg1knrUIx3kqlgJxLX3zhIAFeUq7rouWkql_a6wRE/s1600/il_570xN.503122398_4i28.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/163107222/monogrammed-taupe-chevron?ref=sr_gallery_35&ga_search_query=travel&ga_ship_to=US&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery" target="_blank">Weekender tote bag</a> by The Orange Door Boutique on Etsy - I could totally pack for a month in this one bag. Isn't it gorgeous?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
Here are my tips for traveling light - this is my exact comment in response to the woman who commented on Liz's FB post: <br />
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<br />
<span data-reactid=".2.1:3:1:$replies643103902438395_643112132437572:0.1:2:$comment643103902438395_643116779103774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">Clothes that serve multiple purposes - a single pair of black paints or a black skirt in a forgiving, wrinkle resistant material can be worn for casual or dressy events or anything in between and goes with just about any kind of top. White, gray, black tops go with everything. Or, if you keep the bottoms neutral, take any top will pair with it. By taking easy to mix-match clothes you can take fewer clothes. Also, fabrics that can be worn more than once without getting smelly or that air out easily between wearings so you don't have to do laundry frequently.</span><br />
<br data-reactid=".2.1:3:1:$replies643103902438395_643112132437572:0.1:2:$comment643103902438395_643116779103774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$3:0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<span data-reactid=".2.1:3:1:$replies643103902438395_643112132437572:0.1:2:$comment643103902438395_643116779103774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$4:0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">I took a single backpack for a month long trip to Mexico once. We stayed in a hotel with a laundry service - it cost next to nothing so I could wear everything, put on my last clean outfit, and send the rest to be laundered every week for very little cost.</span><br />
<br data-reactid=".2.1:3:1:$replies643103902438395_643112132437572:0.1:2:$comment643103902438395_643116779103774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$7:0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<span data-reactid=".2.1:3:1:$replies643103902438395_643112132437572:0.1:2:$comment643103902438395_643116779103774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$8:0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">For a long trip, I pack 5-6 pairs of underwear and socks, an extra bra in addition to the one I'm wearing, a second pair of shoes (stuff the shoes with socks, underwear, and other stuff when packing to save space!), flip flops/sandals, one pair of pants, one skirt, and three tops. I carry a jacket or sweater on to the plane with me as I always get cold when flying. I usually wear a shirt and lounge pants on the plane and use those as pajamas while traveling. Oh, and I typically pack a hat of some sort (something that can be squished or folded up). Toiletries when traveling are toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, lotion. I buy any other toiletries (shampoo, tampons/pads, for example) at my destination.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<br data-reactid=".2.1:3:1:$replies643103902438395_643112132437572:0.1:2:$comment643103902438395_643116779103774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$11:0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<span data-reactid=".2.1:3:1:$replies643103902438395_643112132437572:0.1:2:$comment643103902438395_643116779103774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$12:0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">I don't take things like a hairdryer, curlers, etc when traveling...although I don't use those at home either!<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="emoticon emoticon_smile" style="background-image: url(https://fbstatic-a.akamaihd.net/rsrc.php/v2/yw/r/eL3qDNkpYJw.png); background-position: -85px -885px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: auto; display: inline-block; height: 16px; vertical-align: top; width: 16px;" title=":)"></span></span><br />
<br data-reactid=".2.1:3:1:$replies643103902438395_643112132437572:0.1:2:$comment643103902438395_643116779103774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$15:0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<span data-reactid=".2.1:3:1:$replies643103902438395_643112132437572:0.1:2:$comment643103902438395_643116779103774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$16:0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">I suggest pack a week before your trip. Two days later, remove 1/3 of whatever you packed. Two days after that remove another third. Only take what's left. Even with the small amount I pack, I always find one or two items that I don't wear at all during the trip.</span><br />
<br data-reactid=".2.1:3:1:$replies643103902438395_643112132437572:0.1:2:$comment643103902438395_643116779103774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$19:0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;" />
<span data-reactid=".2.1:3:1:$replies643103902438395_643112132437572:0.1:2:$comment643103902438395_643116779103774:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$20:0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">I love taking clothing brands like Royal Robbins, Ex-Officio, Patagonia, Columbia, etc as they often are designed for travel with forgiving fabrics that don't wrinkle or that can be shaken out, and often don't absorb body odor.</span><br />
<br />
My favorite book about women traveling solo:<br />
<br />
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</iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8532963918728547989.post-22332516951298530262014-04-07T13:55:00.000-07:002014-04-07T13:55:54.569-07:00We interrupt this program...to bring you a homeschooling BONUS lesson!If you were following my five part series on our family's homeschooling evolution, you know that I posted parts I, II, and III, but then I sort of disappeared. Yep, I just kind of vanished. Sorry 'bout that!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Read part I of our homeschooling evolution <a href="http://mandjinanutshell.blogspot.com/2014/03/our-homeschooling-evolutionpart-i-of-v.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Read part II of our homeschooling evolution <a href="http://mandjinanutshell.blogspot.com/2014/03/our-homeschooling-evolutionpart-ii-of-v.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Read part III of our homeschooling evolution <a href="http://mandjinanutshell.blogspot.com/2014/03/our-homeschooling-evolutionpart-iii-of-v.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>. </div>
<br />
You know those times when it feels like everything is rolling along and going great, then suddenly...<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">BLAMMO!</span></b></span></div>
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Everything kind of falls apart!<br />
<br />
Yeah, that's kind of what happened here. Thankfully, I think I'm climbing back up to the mountain, headed in the right direction, despite having lost the trail.<br />
<br />
I spent weeks and weeks feeling under the weather but kept plugging along when I should have taken a rest. As a result, I ended up fairly sick. I spent loads of time in bed, sleeping, when I wasn't at work. I couldn't afford to take time off from work to focus on feeling better, so my recovery took much longer than it should have. Of course, just as I began feeling better, my allergies went completely bonkers. Totally haywire!<br />
<br />
In the past week, I've spent more on new allergy medicine, asthma products, and so on than I think I spent on similar products in all of last year! Yesterday was the first day I've felt even slightly normal.<br />
<br />
So, although not part of my series on how our homeschooling approach has evolved, here is an important homeschooling lesson for you:<br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><b>Homeschooling BONUS lesson: Adapt and be flexible.</b></i></span><br />
<br />
Many new homeschoolers wonder, "How do we keep homeschooling when I'm pregnant and on bed rest?" or "I'm in the hospital with pneumonia. What do we do about lessons?" or "Grandma is super sick and we have to go take care of her. Will my kids fall behind?"<br />
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The answer is, take a break! Adapt and do what you need to do in order to take care of the situation at hand. Taking a break from lessons does not mean your children will stop learning or suffer. In my opinion, learning to deal with the problems at hand can be much more informative than just about any formal academic lesson. How you handle a crisis will go a long way towards how your children handle future hiccups in their life plans as well. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7SQt-hdY07Fry-gSHmDzNObiATef2FX1JvwA14bgtN4vaNrwETkcqmK_xD0P9Mx5M3MFGw-wKdGDBzIMqrr9eK9DIqCA3djr4IQwUb61YIgdYXvhAx6lhvuRGbdY5EzVsmMdvA7eNeco/s1600/ok.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7SQt-hdY07Fry-gSHmDzNObiATef2FX1JvwA14bgtN4vaNrwETkcqmK_xD0P9Mx5M3MFGw-wKdGDBzIMqrr9eK9DIqCA3djr4IQwUb61YIgdYXvhAx6lhvuRGbdY5EzVsmMdvA7eNeco/s1600/ok.jpg" height="400" width="282" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/167114450/typography-poster-inspirational-quote?ref=sr_gallery_18&ga_search_query=everything+is+going+to+be+ok&ga_ship_to=US&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery" target="_blank">Typography poster: Everything is going to be OK by NeueStudioArtPrints on Etsy</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><b>Here are my five steps to homeschooling through a crisis:</b></i></span><br />
1. Set the books aside and focus on making it through.<br />
2. Talk to your kids about what is happening and what is most important at the moment.<br />
3. Find alternative options to your usual lessons - documentaries and videos, books on tape, notebooks and pens, paper and crayons, whatever helps get you through without making you feel like you've lost your grip entirely.<br />
4. Tell stories. Either make up stories from scratch or tell true stories about your family's history. Talk to one another. Learning to communicate face to face is sadly becoming a lost art in this day of technology and social media. Communicating will bring you closer together.<br />
5. Reschedule lessons for another time. Instead of working Monday through Friday, do lessons on the weekends. Instead of taking a traditional breaks to match the local school calendar, take a break a week or two later. If you have to miss a significant amount of the school year, plan to work through part of the summer.<br />
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And, bonus step:<br />
6. Your kids will still learn even without formal lessons. It's going to be OK! In a crisis, loving your family and supporting one another is far more important than just about anything academic.<br />
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I hope to have parts IV and V of my homeschooling evolution series up by the end of this week. Thanks for being patient!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8532963918728547989.post-4386247508838172602014-03-20T10:45:00.001-07:002014-03-20T10:45:53.762-07:00Our homeschooling evolution...Part III of VOver the last two days, I've written about our start in homeschooling, thoughts on curriculum, when we do formal work, and much more. Today, I'll be talking about what homeschooling looks like for us now, seven years after we started, and also about why I let my son spend (almost) as much time as he wants on video games - and not necessarily educational ones.<br />
<span style="color: blue;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span>
<span style="color: blue;"><i><b>Homeschool lesson #6 - Your approach will evolve over time</b></i></span><br />
When we first started homeschooling, we followed a schedule (or lesson plan) that I made every week. Some pieces of curriculum that we used came with lesson plans which we either followed or tweaked to suite our needs. For other things, I made up my own lesson plans. Usually, I would spend an hour every Sunday evening reviewing what we did the previous week, goals for the upcoming week, and any special events that might be coming up in the new week. I plotted everything out on paper, gathered materials (books, science equipment, etc), and put it all in on the kitchen counter. On Monday, my son and I would review the week's schedule and get started. I had everything broken down by subject and day. We mostly got everything covered every week, but almost never followed the day-to-day schedule! Often we would do three days of science in one afternoon, an entire week's worth of reading on another afternoon, and so on.<br />
<br />
Now, I still make a schedule of topics or items to cover, but it isn't based on any specific curriculum or lesson plan, and often follows my son's interests or plans for getting into college (that will be a future post - and again, the way one homeschooling family approaches college will be different from the way another family approaches it). At this point, we also do very little formal schoolwork together. Now, I just hand my son a list periodically, and tell him to finish it either that day, by the end of the week, on a certain date, or whatever fits our needs at that particular time. I'm also perfectly happy to scrap the list if I see him doing something that appears to have more value than anything on the list. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxgZ09fcsdDmkDFrcT64MWIPH6_CVKyMN-rEfdVH-NOrKswveM-5YNOBbcByQNUouPD_cgPo7MxXRtcGgOomGW70yZjK1pyTkBPgdBzJZQxysw7Mj3_V6bvMLheGoPYY3Dik9VSSG7oJk/s1600/47464_1635711051778_6633206_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxgZ09fcsdDmkDFrcT64MWIPH6_CVKyMN-rEfdVH-NOrKswveM-5YNOBbcByQNUouPD_cgPo7MxXRtcGgOomGW70yZjK1pyTkBPgdBzJZQxysw7Mj3_V6bvMLheGoPYY3Dik9VSSG7oJk/s1600/47464_1635711051778_6633206_n.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Working on math.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><b>Homeschool lesson #7 - Your approach needs to work for everyone involved</b></i></span><br />
As our approach evolved, and we learned more about what worked for us and what didn't, we started to figure out what worked for me but not JP, what worked for JP but not me, what worked for both of us but not for my mom who we happened to be living with (for the past four years we have been on our own - just the two of us).<br />
<br />
For JP and I, it was enough to have the week's worth of materials in a pile, the plan for the week arranged by category but not by day, and to just work on things as the mood struck. However, I did realize that math was something that needed to be done daily for both my son and I. For my mom, it was important to measure progress - a list that we could tick off as we did each lesson, curriculum being used and learned from, and application of learned information.<br />
<br />
From the start, learning to compromise has been imperative. Just because you are the adult, doesn't mean you know best when it comes to finding materials that work for your child - you need to figure it out together by trial and error. If your child is miserable with the materials or approach you have chosen, you will be miserable too, and vice versa. <br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><b>Homeschool lesson #8 - You may end up homeschooling in ways you never expected</b></i></span><br />
We started out with a lot of structure and expectations about how homeschooling would look. At the start, I assumed we would always follow a lot of structure, lesson plans, and so on because that's what I thought I saw the homeschooling families around us doing. Recently, however, it occurred to me that that wasn't what I was seeing at all! It might be true that some of those homeschooling families have gone year to year with little change in their routine or approach, but I was only seeing a moment in time in their experiences and comparing that with a moment in time of our experience (<span style="color: blue;"><i><b>Homeschool lesson #8a - Your homeschooling experience may be totally different from that of other families you know</b></i></span>).<br />
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Now, we are very loosey-goosey but aren't full-on unschoolers. We still follow a loose structure for math and history, and we do lots of reading. But, we don't follow any set curriculum - none at all. I cobble together materials and plans on my own. We may work really intensely on a subject or specific topic for several weeks, then nothing specific for several more weeks. We bounce back and forth based on the rhythms of our lives. When either of us wants to know something, we seek out information and sources (<span style="color: blue;"><i><b>Homeschool lesson #8b - You will most likely learn a ton along with your children!</b></i></span>).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyiHbD1GEImLOcu_HjvkqwtlVAO5jhEbPIw0Dldw5BFePbABcWDD4rj8FphQqkCR2R2cpbtAoZHMh8XN8_IRH1wOb2VCsFSO5_4hCqZ4thyphenhyphenEDrSboAhmS9ork8aPXRiNDyc295NWs2eaE/s1600/eggsperiment.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyiHbD1GEImLOcu_HjvkqwtlVAO5jhEbPIw0Dldw5BFePbABcWDD4rj8FphQqkCR2R2cpbtAoZHMh8XN8_IRH1wOb2VCsFSO5_4hCqZ4thyphenhyphenEDrSboAhmS9ork8aPXRiNDyc295NWs2eaE/s1600/eggsperiment.jpg" height="282" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A failed eggsperiment.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><b></b></i></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><i><b>Homeschool lesson #9 - Video games aren't mutually exclusive with homeschooling or learning</b></i></span><br />
I used to limit my son's video game playing to so many minutes or hours per day or week, or to times after schoolwork is done, or after chores. I don't do that anymore. I realized that even with non-educational games, my son was still learning. He was learning problem solving skills. He was learning to seek out information from reliable sources. He was learning cooperation. He was learning leadership.<br />
<br />
When he came to difficult parts in a game, instead of trying to figure it out for him, I encouraged him to seek answers himself. We started out searching the internet together for useful tips, cheat codes (which aren't really cheating if you really understand the way video games work - "cheat" is a misnomer when it comes to these codes), but eventually, I began letting him seek out the information on his own. He became savvier and savvier at searching the 'net, and he learned a lot about reliable vs unreliable websites and sources which has helped him in other areas of life as well.<br />
<br />
As my son's video gaming abilities increased, and his gaming interests matured, I began letting him play multi-player, online games - in essence, playing online with strangers. We spent a lot of time talking about online safety, and that has transitioned to safety in general. Over time, he got interested in games such as Blockland where there really aren't a lot of rules, and people make up games as they work and play together. My son has learned more about cooperation, leadership, and following than he ever would have on a public school playground. Because he seeks out information to help him play these games, he is often looked to as a leader in his gameplay, but the very nature of these games requires the ability to work together with others to achieve a common goal. He also has learned to let go of leadership when it comes to tasks in which another player might be more skilled. Again, this has translated to every day, real life situations.<br />
<br />
Through his online game play, particularly through Blockland, my son has also learned a TON about physics, computer coding, and game modification. He is so far beyond me in these areas that I can't even tell you about them! All I know is that if I have a computer problem, he can usually fix it now! He also is able to talk about computers, gaming, and all sorts of related topics with adults who have spent dedicated time learning this stuff.<br />
<br />
My son's video and computer gaming interests have also led to interest in art - both drawing on paper and with computer-based art. He's getting so good that we have been talking about putting together a portfolio, and possibly pursuing college level art classes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRpYnzZdPhhCExeN2zTZ5j-8G7Gde9UCX-iEAvXDN_s47ekXLh752MIKhw-xPItSzqw1boEmvIVvJb9h-JSJzCPN5Stn8RXOafkc0GvdhYHf8PSYDqLli12gcqrEOsnzLRr5-en0A4z_w/s1600/games.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRpYnzZdPhhCExeN2zTZ5j-8G7Gde9UCX-iEAvXDN_s47ekXLh752MIKhw-xPItSzqw1boEmvIVvJb9h-JSJzCPN5Stn8RXOafkc0GvdhYHf8PSYDqLli12gcqrEOsnzLRr5-en0A4z_w/s1600/games.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New video games for his birthday last year.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><b></b></i></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><i><b>Homeschooling lesson #10 - Even without formal lessons, your child will learn</b></i></span><br />
Have faith that your child will learn simply from existing in this world. Your child will learn if they see you learning. Your child will learn if you actively engage in honest, deep conversation. Your child learn if you set an expectation of seeking answers to questions.<br />
<br />
I know my son is learning because I see him applying knowledge that he
has sought out to situations he encounters in day to day life. I know he
is learning when I overhear him discussing complex ideas with his grandfather. I know he is learning when he suddenly mentions something he read weeks or months ago to a situation he is experiencing in the moment. I know he is learning when he questions the assumptions of others, especially when those assumptions appear to have no basis in fact.<br />
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Tomorrow, I will talk about homeschooling as a single parent and why I don't worry about the s-word (socialization). Farewell, until then!<br />
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~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
If you enjoyed this post, here are a few others you might also like:</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://mandjinanutshell.blogspot.com/2014/03/our-homeschooling-evolutionpart-i-of-v.html" target="_blank">Our homeschooling evolution...Part I of V</a></li>
<li><a href="http://mandjinanutshell.blogspot.com/2014/03/our-homeschooling-evolutionpart-ii-of-v.html" target="_blank">Our homeschooling evolution...Part II of V</a></li>
<li><a href="http://mandjinanutshell.blogspot.com/2012/05/free-art-resources-piet-mondrian.html" target="_blank">Piet Mondrian</a></li>
<li><a href="http://mandjinanutshell.blogspot.com/2011/08/turning-children-into-writers.html" target="_blank">Turning children into writers</a></li>
<li><a href="http://mandjinanutshell.blogspot.com/2012/07/poetry-and-children.html" target="_blank">Poetry and children</a></li>
</ul>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8532963918728547989.post-77714503748012682542014-03-19T16:00:00.000-07:002014-03-19T16:00:02.466-07:00Our homeschooling evolution...Part II of VYesterday, I began writing about <a href="http://mandjinanutshell.blogspot.com/2014/03/our-homeschooling-evolutionpart-i-of-v.html" target="_blank">how our approach to homeschooling has evolved over time</a>. I touched on starting out after a few years of public school, our first curriculum choices, and the first lessons I learned as a homeschooling mom.<br />
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Today, I'm going to write a bit more about curriculum, structuring our homeschooling days, and why we did (and still do!) most of our formal work at night.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiecMF_GIW0bMRbCh3ea3sa1RHEd90xCBhcid8ATCzff3VkSHbCkoEyfFtA23m4Fjfp5v4WNx5wpdXPv6bcatF4osEaPFYAhdn8ZZs0Qc5yeJPyoeF4cHHXHeQpVM8E6YJlpPwhD7MpIBI/s1600/walk+with+mattie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiecMF_GIW0bMRbCh3ea3sa1RHEd90xCBhcid8ATCzff3VkSHbCkoEyfFtA23m4Fjfp5v4WNx5wpdXPv6bcatF4osEaPFYAhdn8ZZs0Qc5yeJPyoeF4cHHXHeQpVM8E6YJlpPwhD7MpIBI/s1600/walk+with+mattie.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We spent a lot of time walking our dog near the river. Spending time in nature is a great stress reliever and opens the door to curiosity about the world.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b><i><span style="color: blue;">Homeschool lesson #4 - Selecting a curriculum doesn't mean you are locked in to using it</span></i></b><br />
Buying curriculum can be scary! I decided early on that I wasn't going to force my son or myself to use any curriculum we hate, that we aren't learning from, or that requires a lot of work just to figure out how to use it. Learning should be enjoyable! If we enjoy learning we'll want to learn more, right? So, why in the world would we use something that doesn't add to that joy of learning?<br />
<br />
We tried lots of curriculum, but I also talked to homeschooling friends, read reviews online, borrowed materials from others, and so on. We were lucky enough to know some homeschoolers already and met others fairly early in our homeschooling journey which made learning about curriculum fairly easy.<br />
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Before buying a curriculum, find out if you can return it if you don't like it. Borrow materials from friends of the library before buying them whenever possible. Don't sink a ton of money into anything that you aren't entirely sure of or can't return if it doesn't work out! We bought a huge history curriculum a couple of years ago - one that everyone I know seemed to love and one that looked great when I researched it online - and hated it. Thankfully I'd paid attention to the return policy and was able to send the whole thing back three weeks after we started it. Learn what you like and don't like in materials, and seek out or avoid those things as appropriate. <br />
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<span style="color: blue;"><i><b>Homeschooling lesson #4a - Figure out where your child is at before selecting curriculum </b></i></span><br />
When thinking about what type of curriculum and approach would work best for us, I considered where my son's knowledge level and interest levels were at.<br />
<br />
I realized before we even began homeschooling that my son is a natural at writing, but the public school's curriculum was ruining his natural ability. The program had a "stoplight" structure designed to reinforce the idea of a topic sentence, detail/supporting sentence, and concluding sentence in every paragraph. Unfortunately, my son is very rules bound, and he became fixated on this simple, three sentence structure. Even after his teacher pulled my son aside and gave him permission to write beyond the structure, my son couldn't do it - not because he didn't know how, but because doing so would to be going outside the rules of the curriculum. Eventually my son just stopped writing for school assignments until he lost recess time as a result of not doing the work. That's how demoralizing he found the writing program. I knew he could write at a much higher level, but I had to break down the damage that had been done. For writing, we tried Writing Strands but it didn't fit our style. We tried just reading literature and writing a little bit every day, but my son still was hanging on to the previous "rules." I stumbled upon a series of workbooks called Just Write that were really a couple of years below my son's grade level, and many years below his true ability level, but I jumped on them when I saw them! The structure fit my son's needs perfectly and allowed me to undo the damage done by the public school's curriculum rules. By going backwards in grade level, I was able to basically have my son start over with writing - one of the BEST curriculum and homeschooling decisions I have ever made!<br />
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For math, my son was at grade level, but for science he was far ahead. For history, he was also far ahead. And, he had lots of interests that weren't part of the public school curriculum - music, computer programming, art history, German, and Russian.<br />
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When considering that in some areas my son was ahead and in other areas I purposely wanted to go below his actual grade level, I realized that a complete, prepared curriculum just wouldn't work for us. I know many people that have great success with prepackaged, whole curriculums, but that just wouldn't fit my son's widely varying comprehension and ability levels. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZg01K-KKirGQLwXFoVUH5XjpTpzFU60ll3hUx7eNJv1XoScfWkK4pULZrStDWi4cACSLt2z_MG3F4SNLH94DK8emizfLYJHYg6ubu_33E2LahLs0Iby5JeiioOAsv8x616PWPbldSn3I/s1600/golf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZg01K-KKirGQLwXFoVUH5XjpTpzFU60ll3hUx7eNJv1XoScfWkK4pULZrStDWi4cACSLt2z_MG3F4SNLH94DK8emizfLYJHYg6ubu_33E2LahLs0Iby5JeiioOAsv8x616PWPbldSn3I/s1600/golf.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Golf is a great sport for kids who don't like team participation or aren't naturally athletic.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><i><span style="color: blue;">Homeschooling lesson #5 - Structure your lessons and time in a way that make sense for your family</span></i></b><br />
When we first started homeschooling, I decided to scrap the typical school schedule. There was no way we were going to do "school" starting at 8am, having lunch and "recess" breaks, and finishing by 3pm. At the time, I worked night shift, and neither of us was a natural morning person anyhow. I already knew from my son's public school experience that the first subject of the day in public school was often his worst, even if it was something he normally excelled at, purely because it was so early in the day. I knew from just parenting my son and paying attention to when he was most happy and most engaged with the world, that he functioned best in the evening.<br />
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Taking into consideration my work hours and my need to sleep, my son's natural rhythms, and when we were both at our most alert and engaged, I decided that we wouldn't <i><b>START </b></i>our homeschool day until after 3pm, and often not until after 5pm! Early in our journey, we did use a lot of structure and curriculum with a schedule for everyday and a list of things to accomplish. We still do use a schedule, but are much looser about it now, but at the time, my job schedule combined with living with my mom who was a teacher and had her own expectations about homeschooling made me decide to be fairly strict on making sure things got done every day.<br />
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For the first three years or so of homeschooling, we often started our formal lessons with science since it was the topic that most engaged my son. We would then do history and maybe an art project, followed by JP's personal interests and a few skills I thought were important. He might work on his piano followed by practicing typing. Typically, we'd have dinner next, and for a long time we were in the habit of reading immediately after dinner, while still at the dinner table. Often we would read classics or poetry - Kidnapped and Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, poetry by Cristina Rosetti or any number of other poets. After cleaning up after dinner, JP often helped make a dessert or helped make a snack for the following day - always easier to do it the day before thanks to my night shift schedule and having to sleep in the morning and early afternoon. Then, we would finish the evening with math.<br />
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Don't worry about following someone else's schedule. If lessons on the weekend or every other day or every other week or at night or first thing in the morning works for you, go with it! Doing something because someone else thinks you should doesn't work - do you what you need to do to get the best results for your situation!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhknu_JRCekw_FBti5q3fCula8JJDSeQeDckGwqAADu6m0B1PNWjGnNKFF-3hbBe07pMiLaFkhH0vcl_OpWaAD8kle-eDtU9X9HlOYLRkGEuEPaMhPe63Xn_o9KzMtF3hUw1TrO0r65ydY/s1600/science+museum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhknu_JRCekw_FBti5q3fCula8JJDSeQeDckGwqAADu6m0B1PNWjGnNKFF-3hbBe07pMiLaFkhH0vcl_OpWaAD8kle-eDtU9X9HlOYLRkGEuEPaMhPe63Xn_o9KzMtF3hUw1TrO0r65ydY/s1600/science+museum.jpg" height="320" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Learning about computer technology at a science museum - right up JP's alley!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Tomorrow I'll be talking about what homeschooling looks like for us now, seven years after we started. I'll also be talking about video games as educational tools - and I don't mean games that are meant to be educational! Stay tuned!<br />
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~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ </div>
<br />
If you liked this post, here a few others you may enjoy:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://mandjinanutshell.blogspot.com/2014/03/our-homeschooling-evolutionpart-i-of-v.html" target="_blank">Yesterday's post: Our homeschooling evolution...Part I of V</a></li>
<li><a href="http://mandjinanutshell.blogspot.com/2010/06/2009-2010-year-in-homeschooling-roundup.html" target="_blank">Curriculum roundup of materials we used several years ago</a> (I still love these materials!)</li>
<li><a href="http://mandjinanutshell.blogspot.com/2012/06/free-german-language-resources.html" target="_blank">Free German language learning resources</a></li>
<li><a href="http://mandjinanutshell.blogspot.com/2010/06/response-to-loneliness-of-genius.html" target="_blank">Response to "Loneliness of Genius"</a></li>
<li><a href="http://mandjinanutshell.blogspot.com/2012/07/how-to-finish-whole-curriculum.html" target="_blank">How to finish a whole curriculum</a></li>
</ul>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8532963918728547989.post-39734273468422694712014-03-18T16:56:00.000-07:002014-03-19T18:14:14.495-07:00Our homeschooling evolution...Part I of VDon't worry, this post isn't about evolution vs creationism! It's about how our approach to homeschooling has evolved over time.<br />
<br />
Once upon a time, I had a glorious vision of books, curriculum, a beautiful abacus, and so much more! I envisioned us fresh faced, happy to meet the day with walks at sunrise, a healthy breakfast with fruit and whole grain waffles made from scratch, followed by play with Waldorf inspired toys, then reading fairy tales, learning math on an abacus and using blocks, and so much more. The light would shine in gently through the open window. Birds would sing beautiful songs...<br />
<br />
Then I woke up. Ha!<br />
<br />
Yeah, homeschooling for us never even came close to looking like that! Instead, it was a big messy pile of fun, hilarity, occasional reliance on curriculum, and mostly interest-led learning. But, along the way, we've tried different approaches, keeping some, ditching others, and making it all work for us. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSg_ycKdhNJySYWpDzNBQmXvi-H4Z_sGv-c1Uz1dsEW2BMe4sUdSRtXINtY6A_gT_6NgxwntyFEvhW-Ygye8VJNHDf4Sc22q9t-x95LYw_5EoEb9wa1uQiQvop1_bADOa8WYhyphenhyphen3hVf-ZA/s1600/workspace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSg_ycKdhNJySYWpDzNBQmXvi-H4Z_sGv-c1Uz1dsEW2BMe4sUdSRtXINtY6A_gT_6NgxwntyFEvhW-Ygye8VJNHDf4Sc22q9t-x95LYw_5EoEb9wa1uQiQvop1_bADOa8WYhyphenhyphen3hVf-ZA/s1600/workspace.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our "school" space early in our homeschooling journey was a kitchen table in a bedroom that we shared while living with my mom. I was a single mom, raising my son, working, homeschooling, and we lived with my mom. It was a lot of work but totally worth it!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<i><b><span style="color: blue;">Homeschooling lesson #1: "Make it work for you and don't worry about gaps."</span></b></i><br />
<br />
There is no one set way to homeschool and no one set way to learn. If you are new to homeschooling, or you've been at it and are feeling frustrated, keep that in mind. What works for my family, for my friend's family, for that stranger's family may not be right for you. It's ok to change your approach. It's ok to start one curriculum, hate it, and get rid of it. It's ok to not use any curriculum at all. It's ok to use only a little curriculum. It's ok to use a lot of curriculum.<br />
<br />
We have been homeschooling for over seven years now, and our approach has changed many times. We've loved some curriculum, hated some curriculum, and found others to just be so-so. We've tweaked and changed things. We've returned some materials after trying the first lesson, and we've loved others so much that we bought the next level. Through it all, my son has continued to learn and grow. <br />
<br />
I don't worry about not finishing a curriculum or text or having gaps, because schools do these things all the time! I don't recall ever finishing an entire curriculum or text (other than novels in English class) during my education - the year would end before we finished that history text or Algebra curriculum. My mom used to be a teacher and rarely could get her entire class through the entire curriculum. I spent time volunteering in my son and niece's classrooms and their teachers almost never finished a curriculum - it's the nature of the beast, and it's ok! I hear from new homeschooling families regularly about stress in not being able to finish a curriculum (or finishing "too fast" - more on that in the future), and my advice is to relax! Your child isn't missing out on anything. There is so much to learn and know that there is no way to learn and know it all! We ALL have gaps in our knowledge, and that is part of what makes living and interacting with others so interesting!<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;"><i><b>Homeschooling lesson #2: "There is no single right approach</b></i></span>."<br />
<br />
We actually didn't start out homeschooling, although I wanted to homeschool my child long before I even became a mother. In fact, I wanted to homeschool my future kids when I was still in elementary school myself and dissatisfied when I asked my teacher about mushrooms and was told, "You don't need to know about that right now..." The message I heard was, "Your interests don't matter."<br />
<br />
<br />
My son went to public school until halfway through 4th grade. He went to excellent schools. His teachers were top-notch, absolutely amazing at their jobs. But, my kid wasn't a fit for the public school mold, even when his teachers made accommodations and worked with us to help keep him engaged. My son's idea of playing on the playground was to discuss astronomy and make up intense, in-depth role-playing games. Most of the other kids wanted to play soccer or run around and climb the jungle gym. My son was frustrated by the rules of the writing curriculum, even after his teacher told him that he could go beyond the rules of the curriculum. My son was bored. He was frustrated. I was already doing a ton at home to supplement his school experience, including helping him manage his stress after school. My son was falling apart in public school. I looked at other options, including the local Waldorf school, some alternative schools, and so on, but none of them really touched on what I thought my son needed: understanding that he is an individual with intense curiosity, strong emotions, and creative impulses, and the ability to express those things.<br />
<br />
I had already spent years researching homeschooling, approaches, curriculum, etc. I finally decided we were going to do it and set a date - the winter break would be when we left public school and began homeschooling. I had read a lot about deschooling - the idea that children need to decompress and destress from the structure of school once they are transitioned to homeschooling. I didn't like the idea of my son just laying around and doing nothing of structure or substance though so I decided to jump into homeschooling right away, but gently and slowly.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMAJt7PpN6rnwoRVoE8NanqPCEWCqulpzI8bjNnyQLOe3gtQnDDpF-a5Cuy4MjZu0P9CzcOXsSMMx_j51gZN4KtDrhv4wMJtbLblnXi6bhLYOcZQr_TjCGv9RVg2iC_GHpGP9DiHomPLQ/s1600/archery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMAJt7PpN6rnwoRVoE8NanqPCEWCqulpzI8bjNnyQLOe3gtQnDDpF-a5Cuy4MjZu0P9CzcOXsSMMx_j51gZN4KtDrhv4wMJtbLblnXi6bhLYOcZQr_TjCGv9RVg2iC_GHpGP9DiHomPLQ/s1600/archery.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We found lots of free activities, including an archery clinic, during our homeschooling journey. Homeschooling is as expensive or inexpensive as you want it to be. The opportunities to have fun, enriching, low-cost experiences are amazing!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;"><i><b>Homeschooling lesson #3: "What does my child like and dislike?"</b></i></span><br />
<br />
In the couple of months prior to starting homeschooling officially, I began to think about what motivates my son to learn and engage with the world around him. He loved science. He was particularly into chemistry at the time, and he already had a chemistry set, but that set required a lot of extra work and research to make it meaningful. After researching homeschool science curriculums, I came across Noeo Homeschool Science. I loved their well-rounded curriculum, and although the company's Christian/creationism beliefs weren't in line with my own beliefs, I liked what I read and saw enough to buy their Level I chemistry program. We both loved it! The books were fantastic, the experiments were great, the step-by-step progression through the material made sense and wasn't overwhelming. We could easily go faster or slower through the material as needed. Once we got started, we were both hooked! It also turned out that the curriculum relied very little on creationism or evolutionary theory, and if you prefer one or the other, you could easily add other materials to go with your beliefs.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi69W9hYDLHgCNTFnerLCP66nYYLzMJmym0SJTvyTLHshCxrMqBLDJQJ1F56-_0W0svBYdPadq96wkNIrPVHdwk_dwdU2n5yqGUcGqfoqYVOjUgcNjdL3UZuqjIzlZ0mestu-9y_4CQqdQ/s1600/science.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi69W9hYDLHgCNTFnerLCP66nYYLzMJmym0SJTvyTLHshCxrMqBLDJQJ1F56-_0W0svBYdPadq96wkNIrPVHdwk_dwdU2n5yqGUcGqfoqYVOjUgcNjdL3UZuqjIzlZ0mestu-9y_4CQqdQ/s1600/science.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first science curriculum from<a href="http://logospressonline.com/noeo" target="_blank"> Noeo Homeschool Science</a>. This is one of the few things I splurged on. Everything else was as low-cost as I could make it!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On our first official day of homeschooling, I also sat down with my son to make a list of all the things he wanted to learn or do. We also made a list of all the things he did NOT want to learn or do. I let him list whatever he wanted in either category - it didn't matter how easy or hard or impossible the lists were. This was just to get a sense of where he was at compared with what I thought was should be doing. I also wanted to be sure that my son was engaged in his own education - that he wanted and was motivated to learn. <br />
<br />
With our science curriculum that felt more like play than curriculum, and with my son's lists in hand, we were well on our way to a fantastic homeschooling journey. In my next post, I will tell you more about what came next - our first curriculum choices, trying out lots of structure vs no structure, and why we did most of our formal work at night instead of during "school hours." Stay tuned! <br />
<br />
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~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Check out Part II <a href="http://mandjinanutshell.blogspot.com/2014/03/our-homeschooling-evolutionpart-ii-of-v.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>!</div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8532963918728547989.post-22781248866450170032014-03-03T12:00:00.000-08:002014-03-03T12:00:00.114-08:00Extra income with online data entry - one company that is realAfter having been broke for far too long, but also having to balance
being a single parent with earning an income, I have spent a lot of time coming
up with creative income generating ideas. One of these was to investigate at
home data entry. There a lot of scams out there — a lot! After reading through
numerous work at home mom websites and reviews of various at home data entry
companies, I happened upon Key For Cash which has since changed its name to<b>
<a href="https://workers.virtualbee.com/" target="_blank">Virtual Bee</a></b>.
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I’ve been doing data entry for Virtual Bee for a few years now, and
while I’m not getting rich from it, I do earn enough to pay for most of the gas
I use every month. Some months are better than others with Virtual Bee, but I
usually earn a minimum of $60 per month. Sometimes, however, particularly from
late February through the end of April, I am able to earn $60 per week with
Virtual Bee. </div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD3_DcCETLTDknifpIkZ5Rqd79kb74LkM-CZWqo9B3ZltHKBWjYjWd3x3Tlc9FOuyQitYrKJk9jIGfHVOPdAuMZG0XaJT-qb0UDp6hyZ_LxTdIIumFMyG1c1P4S2NtVNqfVLQdkz61Mq4/s1600/money+clip.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD3_DcCETLTDknifpIkZ5Rqd79kb74LkM-CZWqo9B3ZltHKBWjYjWd3x3Tlc9FOuyQitYrKJk9jIGfHVOPdAuMZG0XaJT-qb0UDp6hyZ_LxTdIIumFMyG1c1P4S2NtVNqfVLQdkz61Mq4/s1600/money+clip.jpg" height="247" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/99923935/personalized-money-clip-hand-stamped?ref=sr_gallery_1&sref=sr_2b022c74d921eb285171c27e549e9b740e36900d92ad977e3dcd3d8977ad28f4_1393861417_14113745_money&sref2=OTk5MjM5MzU.%3AbW9uZXk.%3AMTQxMTM3NDU.%3AbW9uZXk.%3AdzA.%3AMTM5Mzg2MTQxNw..%3AMjoxMzkzODYxNDE3Ok5La1BUSVdtalN5OHowTGo3dWd6djJVVEpBRlk6THA4YXhYMFZwVVZhM0RaQUpVcEdkTkFhVVR1TTplYzhhNzI1YzNmNzhhOGJiMmVmMDQwYzNlZWRkYTgzNGU4M2UwZTRl%3Aaa08c30bb7b718e5c1ce82dfa03ee208ccdc73c7&ga_search_query=money+&ga_ship_to=US&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery" target="_blank">Personalized Money Clip</a> from<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/99923935/personalized-money-clip-hand-stamped?ref=sr_gallery_1&sref=sr_2b022c74d921eb285171c27e549e9b740e36900d92ad977e3dcd3d8977ad28f4_1393861417_14113745_money&sref2=OTk5MjM5MzU.%3AbW9uZXk.%3AMTQxMTM3NDU.%3AbW9uZXk.%3AdzA.%3AMTM5Mzg2MTQxNw..%3AMjoxMzkzODYxNDE3Ok5La1BUSVdtalN5OHowTGo3dWd6djJVVEpBRlk6THA4YXhYMFZwVVZhM0RaQUpVcEdkTkFhVVR1TTplYzhhNzI1YzNmNzhhOGJiMmVmMDQwYzNlZWRkYTgzNGU4M2UwZTRl%3Aaa08c30bb7b718e5c1ce82dfa03ee208ccdc73c7&ga_search_query=money+&ga_ship_to=US&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery" target="_blank"> Bee Baubles Jewelry</a> on Etsy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<i><b>The positives of online data entry with Virtual Bee</b></i></div>
<ul>
<li><i><span style="color: blue;">You can do it from home</span></i> — You just need your computer and an internet
connection</li>
<li><span style="color: blue;"><i>You can do it at any time of day, any day of the week</i></span> — Mornings offer
the most opportunities, however. Weekends offer the least.</li>
<li><i><span style="color: blue;">You make your own hours</span></i> — Some work at home jobs require you to keep
regular hours. With Virtual Bee, you work whatever hours suit your needs. </li>
<li><i><span style="color: blue;">You aren’t penalized if you don’t work</span></i> — If you need to take a break
from Virtual Bee, it’s not a big deal. You won’t be penalized for not being
productive. You can log in to work whenever you need to or want to.</li>
<li><span style="color: blue;"><i>If you’re fast and accurate you’ll earn more</i></span> — The faster you type and
the fewer mistakes you make, the more you’ll earn. One nice thing about Virtual
Bee is they don’t care about capital letters — If the snippet to be keyed has
capital letters, you don’t have to bother with hitting shift or caps lock. Just
key the letter. This saves you some key strokes.</li>
<li><span style="color: blue;"><i>There are several types of data to work with</i></span> — If you are great with
10-key data entry, you can focus on those types of snippets. If you prefer only
alphabetical entries, focus on those. If you like a mix, choose alphanumeric. I
typically focus on numeric, dollars only, dollars and cents, or checkboxes data
entry, although I also occasionally do alphanumeric and letters only snippets. </li>
</ul>
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<i><b>The negatives of online data entry with Virtual Bee
</b></i></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #b45f06;"><i>It isn’t consistent</i></span> — There are dry spells periodically. Sometimes
there will be days and days with very little work. Sometimes there will be an
abundance of work one day and nothing the next. There is no pattern.</li>
<li><span style="color: #b45f06;"><i>You won’t get rich</i></span> — Online data entry with Virtual Bee pays 30-cents
per 1,000 key strokes for most types of work. For some types of work you can
earn up to 60-cents per 1,000 key strokes, but these higher paying segments are
less frequent or may be more complex. However, over time you will likely
naturally get faster and make fewer mistakes. I have definitely increased my
speed and accuracy, and thus my earnings.</li>
<li><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">Too many mistakes gets you cut off </span></i>— If you make too many errors, you
will be logged out from your snippet, and possibly the system. If you continue
to make a significant number of mistakes, you may have your access terminated
entirely.</li>
<li><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">The pay dates are inconsistent</span></i> — Payments come in the mail by check.
Although they are supposed to come on a schedule (you can log in and see when
your payment was processed), they sometimes come late. Most payments come about
two weeks after the processing date, but I’ve waited four weeks on occasion.
You also won’t receive a payment until you accrue $30 worth of key strokes.</li>
<li><i><span style="color: #b45f06;">Communication isn’t great </span></i>— I have never received a reply when I have emailed
with a question. However, when I emailed to ask them to update my address, I
never received a reply, but my email must have been received because two
payments later, my address was updated. </li>
</ul>
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<i><b>When I work</b></i></div>
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With Virtual Bee, I frequently work while I am watching television or
movies. It’s down time that is generally dedicated to little else, and I don’t always
feel totally engaged with what I’m watching, so why not? I also frequently have
two windows open on my computer so that I can watch Hulu or Netflix on the
computer while doing data entry.</div>
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As I said above, you won’t get rich from Virtual Bee, but you may be able
to earn enough money to cover a small or small-ish expense every month. It
definitely has made a difference for us. Please note that you do need to take a
typing test to qualify, and the test covers a variety of types of snippets. You
can take the test as often as you want (or at least you could when I signed
up). Even if you score really well on the typing test, you may experience a
wait before you are approved. This will coincide with how much work is
available and how many others are also testing. It was about two months from
the time I tested and when I was accepted into the program.</div>
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If you are ready to check out Virtual Bee, click <a href="https://workers.virtualbee.com/" target="_blank">HERE</a>. </div>
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***This post is cross-posted at my blog, <a href="http://savesallysave.blogspot.com/2014/03/extra-income-with-online-data-entry-one.html" target="_blank">Save, Sally, Save!</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8532963918728547989.post-56210217239499734312014-03-02T12:00:00.000-08:002014-03-02T12:00:00.933-08:00Link dump -- things from around the 'net that I enjoyed this past weekHere are the blog posts, news stories, memes, and other things I've enjoyed this past week from around the 'net. I hope you find something to enjoy as well!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/life-in-body/201402/is-too-much-juggling-causing-you-brain-drain" target="_blank">"Is Too Much Juggling Causing You Brain Drain?"</a> from Psychology Today<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/secrets-longevity/201402/the-little-known-secret-longer-life" target="_blank">"The Little Known Secret to a Longer Life"</a> from Psychology Today <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2014/02/25/282516865/everythings-amazing-and-nobodys-happy" target="_blank">"Everything's Amazing and Nobody's Happy"</a> from NPR<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/26/highly-sensitive-people-signs-habits_n_4810794.html" target="_blank">"16 Habits of Highly Sensitive People"</a> from HuffPo (Huffington Post, y'all)<br />
<a href="http://livelearnevolve.com/10-painfully-obvious-truths-everyone-forgets-too-soon/" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="http://livelearnevolve.com/10-painfully-obvious-truths-everyone-forgets-too-soon/" target="_blank">"10 Painfully Obvious Truths Everyone Forgets Too Soon"</a> from Learn Live Evolve<br />
<br />
Notice a theme in the articles?<br />
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Memes and pictures from the 'net, found via my FB feed - attributions as listed on the actual pictures, otherwise I don't know where they originated from...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTM15u1-uIDRf77qp_mYtHRuhLMK3tr_xb3fBk3PpxBK6mmy8AlF30h00juFCj-UaZJtizKyRjJgtNc3UjURS-zXGE_3Mf8XJSn-LsbOCHjKeIZbgA6wZ9RS6nFTffOyfknLSAx66CAKQ/s1600/love.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTM15u1-uIDRf77qp_mYtHRuhLMK3tr_xb3fBk3PpxBK6mmy8AlF30h00juFCj-UaZJtizKyRjJgtNc3UjURS-zXGE_3Mf8XJSn-LsbOCHjKeIZbgA6wZ9RS6nFTffOyfknLSAx66CAKQ/s1600/love.jpg" height="320" width="263" /></a></div>
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And the song I have on repeat in the car right now:<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/USh-cvBCLcw" width="560"></iframe>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8532963918728547989.post-21477795298428898122014-03-01T12:00:00.000-08:002014-03-01T12:00:03.564-08:00Going after my goals with vision boards...If you've read <a href="http://mandjinanutshell.blogspot.com/2013/12/2014-amazing-business-and-life-workbook.html" target="_blank">this post</a>, you know that I am working my way through <a href="https://jlk86341.infusionsoft.com/go/amazingyr/UrsaMajor/" target="_blank">Leonie Dawson's 2014 Amazing Business and Life Workbooks</a>. I didn't have printer ink when I initially purchased Leonie's program so I downloaded the workbook to my computer and reference it regularly as a guide while making my own binder-workbook. I made sections to go with each section in Leonie's workbooks, and am working through the various steps Leonie has laid out, and slowly but surely my efforts are paying off.<br />
<br />
I've had a small increase in my Etsy sales with very little additional effort. I've landed a job as a freelance writer that is almost enough money to pay my bills each month. I've redirected my life goals to things that are far more personal and fulfilling than ever before.<br />
<br />
As I first started working this program, however, I noticed that although I love Leonie's artwork throughout her workbooks, I needed my own artwork and personal touch. I decided to create a vision board for each section. I thought about using one large vision board for the whole thing, but for me that ends up being cluttered and creates more problems than it solves as I work towards my goals. Be separating my goals into individual vision boards, I can remain focused on one goal or task at a time. I am using page protectors, paper, and magazine cutouts to create the vision boards. Each one makes a page/section divider in my workbook as well. I also have been collecting little quotes and phrases and sprinkling them throughout my binder. When I'm feeling down or like I'm not achieving anything, I pull out my binder, look at these pages, and instantly feel my pep coming back.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyasQCi-Kw0YO27jcQu8yq1MZ5rgtK1cnpqEoDntjZ0wQESX2EQGZdjz9e_7ABRZCLR7ssDaOICNqKaw5Q5TvESVmCvn8xJz8wQBQCO43UXXHIuyd6LgD9vpfb-9_3arDdBU6iVv3ZiDE/s1600/KIMG0014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyasQCi-Kw0YO27jcQu8yq1MZ5rgtK1cnpqEoDntjZ0wQESX2EQGZdjz9e_7ABRZCLR7ssDaOICNqKaw5Q5TvESVmCvn8xJz8wQBQCO43UXXHIuyd6LgD9vpfb-9_3arDdBU6iVv3ZiDE/s1600/KIMG0014.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The vision board page for my "gorgeous body goals" section - the first page that is done! I love how it turned out. It reminds me to eat well, stay fit, and be happy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP8i5dwfP0V_JQwVboHRVF_rVrHvMhyphenhyphenx24H5hHW97pjTw_4IDOLbWKm3W2hKzPg2v84CVMjZUBd-MtvmqP75nMowbJFTJjwTunE2Y3eKDlPSRE8Zy5QGrOH8xkQlRlK3Jb8oEafKKU-rc/s1600/KIMG0015-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP8i5dwfP0V_JQwVboHRVF_rVrHvMhyphenhyphenx24H5hHW97pjTw_4IDOLbWKm3W2hKzPg2v84CVMjZUBd-MtvmqP75nMowbJFTJjwTunE2Y3eKDlPSRE8Zy5QGrOH8xkQlRlK3Jb8oEafKKU-rc/s1600/KIMG0015-1.jpg" height="320" width="263" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From my "100 things to do in 2014" section. Can you tell I want to travel?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaB2gmrHSmlaMNgaFquTxy3NDKuJ5jBMvt_0qhHa4hbwRmPaw4XRnAqId2DGGnPfPeZ9bu3ob8lhMU_jbfcMnqUYRHWkgvgLHMV6OcBNeq1bYdWciOdl0ciML71tasgxKq5UXrx0gpPOY/s1600/KIMG0016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaB2gmrHSmlaMNgaFquTxy3NDKuJ5jBMvt_0qhHa4hbwRmPaw4XRnAqId2DGGnPfPeZ9bu3ob8lhMU_jbfcMnqUYRHWkgvgLHMV6OcBNeq1bYdWciOdl0ciML71tasgxKq5UXrx0gpPOY/s1600/KIMG0016.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From my section on financial goals...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4gyB6cZEmNlVVEoWoVFd_L6lolUbwWFykGOX-lWEVD8EVrxd3q0Jh854bXaQLQmQA9ZJ-f7jqtnLaq2CxqnuBZ7RvDYCYhDb96Hp76gPEBrzyqfRY9Ng8zRzucAcSN6pyMdf1kXzEHGQ/s1600/KIMG0017-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4gyB6cZEmNlVVEoWoVFd_L6lolUbwWFykGOX-lWEVD8EVrxd3q0Jh854bXaQLQmQA9ZJ-f7jqtnLaq2CxqnuBZ7RvDYCYhDb96Hp76gPEBrzyqfRY9Ng8zRzucAcSN6pyMdf1kXzEHGQ/s1600/KIMG0017-1.jpg" height="320" width="280" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A few additions to the cover of my binder...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkGi2Dw52MBFNw4iPQf-pYertbG7hghwwq26qLmXro3nyBPx6nQBTi9E5BlrBOu7F1RJfIWh3p0-Na1qfTpUZCkxXGK4p9_WGRnrkvIXfApAYdMfpW2M6MRwI305fINSswwyUT20O1rN0/s1600/KIMG0018-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkGi2Dw52MBFNw4iPQf-pYertbG7hghwwq26qLmXro3nyBPx6nQBTi9E5BlrBOu7F1RJfIWh3p0-Na1qfTpUZCkxXGK4p9_WGRnrkvIXfApAYdMfpW2M6MRwI305fINSswwyUT20O1rN0/s1600/KIMG0018-1.jpg" height="197" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I have been carrying around this little quote for YEARS! It now has a home on the cover of my binder.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzw4G_LwBIP0dH4Vbqn51xSLOIlaKNYPKkhMqU1wkjpEgfysUQp8QIrO4MprJrNRYuX1LzpauAU8SP5XrvFrcg1Nia-h8ufKiZ0DXpUn3Ba4GKHH2YGDiL0zx2Ttqt20a6DAD1s2o6VLw/s1600/KIMG0019-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzw4G_LwBIP0dH4Vbqn51xSLOIlaKNYPKkhMqU1wkjpEgfysUQp8QIrO4MprJrNRYuX1LzpauAU8SP5XrvFrcg1Nia-h8ufKiZ0DXpUn3Ba4GKHH2YGDiL0zx2Ttqt20a6DAD1s2o6VLw/s1600/KIMG0019-1.jpg" height="233" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the spine of my binder. A good reminder when I am feeling lazy or unmotivated.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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What are you working on today, and what motivates you to keep working towards your goals?<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>***Please note, I do have an affiliate relationship with Leonie Dawson. If you choose to purchase her workbooks or other products through my link, I will receive revenue. I totally believe in this program though, and wouldn't provide the link otherwise. </i></span><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8532963918728547989.post-59260552989323252902014-02-28T14:00:00.000-08:002014-02-28T14:00:01.193-08:00According to BuzzFeed...Lately, I've done far more than my usual number of quizzes via Facebook. Most of these are through BuzzFeed, but I found them via friends posting their results to Facebook. I've linked to each quiz below. You will be amused to know that:<br />
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If I were <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/alannaokun/what-famous-work-of-art-are-you?bffb" target="_blank">a famous work of art</a>, I would be "The Scream" by Eduard Munch: "Omg CALM DOWN, STOP FREAKING OUT, everything is seriously honest-to-god
going to be okay, there are easy solutions to all your problems, just
RELAX. Jesus."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggTMmAWPKrKGaTdZdu-mt2KKEAXtVxu70BntrlKj2OdPtcxp2bIS_8_0ETk_h2h48aRSSk8SNEWHRaDLPJUnRJJDEaKkc0m07KCB0zP8aIGkB_DYte-FrZUyhqIYbTWPoWo5SMyj9dUKA/s1600/munch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggTMmAWPKrKGaTdZdu-mt2KKEAXtVxu70BntrlKj2OdPtcxp2bIS_8_0ETk_h2h48aRSSk8SNEWHRaDLPJUnRJJDEaKkc0m07KCB0zP8aIGkB_DYte-FrZUyhqIYbTWPoWo5SMyj9dUKA/s1600/munch.jpg" height="320" width="256" /></a></div>
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If I <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/marietelling/what-european-country-do-you-actually-belong-in?bffbquiz" target="_blank">belonged in a European country</a>, it would be Malta: "You’re endlessly curious, and love nothing more than getting stuck into a
good book. You like to take walks in order to figure out what you’re
doing in life."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYSh-JZPmPfsvwCdIbwRGIOqjmsHKnXMJI4e0cmhbSrpFQzg_h613s69cY-lO_bksL0XtKXhl0bwipS1lRGYTwpK_WMiJtXwnyAbWNg242QoRxlq0RNpOS5poHDXAfk0i_-FvUeDk06uo/s1600/malta.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYSh-JZPmPfsvwCdIbwRGIOqjmsHKnXMJI4e0cmhbSrpFQzg_h613s69cY-lO_bksL0XtKXhl0bwipS1lRGYTwpK_WMiJtXwnyAbWNg242QoRxlq0RNpOS5poHDXAfk0i_-FvUeDk06uo/s1600/malta.gif" height="222" width="320" /></a></div>
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The <a href="http://You’re cheese. You go well with almost anything. Sometimes you’re a little nerdy, but you’re wise. You can appreciate things that are both highbrow and lowbrow. And in the end, you make a lot of people happy." target="_blank">foot that best matches my personality</a> is one that I am allergic to - cheese: "You’re cheese. You go well with almost anything. Sometimes you’re a
little nerdy, but you’re wise. You can appreciate things that are both
highbrow and lowbrow. And in the end, you make a lot of people happy."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQK4ma64UTW-9Vvml7QE3y8BxmvTSC7avmkuUwIiL4OKYqFOuUtJJexsE__1NiiT3_pOtTNcWOPGwBaRGpSML2Yd2xoE6cs2AKdlKK4UTuY6lKrd3mdJvOoDPt9UhEBFM5HQeaVvhrM-Q/s1600/cheese.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQK4ma64UTW-9Vvml7QE3y8BxmvTSC7avmkuUwIiL4OKYqFOuUtJJexsE__1NiiT3_pOtTNcWOPGwBaRGpSML2Yd2xoE6cs2AKdlKK4UTuY6lKrd3mdJvOoDPt9UhEBFM5HQeaVvhrM-Q/s1600/cheese.jpg" /></a></div>
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In the "Which New Girl character are you" quiz, I got Nick which didn't surprise me at all (I'm being totally serious here...): "Who wouldn't want a tender-hearted friend like you? You're charismatic, easygoing, and have a great sense of humor. You can be a bit grumpy and unmotivated at times, but who isn't? You also have problems committing, but once you're all in, you're all in - especially in the love department."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOK7UawnolvfixNbnFddFQs9QMhwKMUFI7voJKbch3_61eSm7IB5DWMSxR-9aOpTpdTPRDFOjBTR7TRp0CiUI0wIWE7p31tG29hY6uekF7pVGQPEyv6ZW6gdIfd7k6xNdBcmrb-WMtRUE/s1600/nick.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOK7UawnolvfixNbnFddFQs9QMhwKMUFI7voJKbch3_61eSm7IB5DWMSxR-9aOpTpdTPRDFOjBTR7TRp0CiUI0wIWE7p31tG29hY6uekF7pVGQPEyv6ZW6gdIfd7k6xNdBcmrb-WMtRUE/s1600/nick.jpg" /></a></div>
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Apparently, if I were <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/dorieanstevenson/which-roald-dahl-character-are-you" target="_blank">a Roald Dahl character</a>, I would be Charlie: "Some may mistake your calm, quiet nature for weakness, but you have them
all fooled. One day you’ll be running the show and they will all wonder
what hit them. Even if you fall on hard times your heart of gold will
get your through."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkF46NF0UKz35xUwOvVfxa0FOVtwXOx8HAGJyy4XdjMLaf4ZDQrJyQRcHP-viUtAMMlMQdtxYikhsC338ucFOpqKd9yHy3rdvKYQBLLuISBSRB71hx8s3FfhxrIDxSXX_Lbkg9spjdMks/s1600/charlie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkF46NF0UKz35xUwOvVfxa0FOVtwXOx8HAGJyy4XdjMLaf4ZDQrJyQRcHP-viUtAMMlMQdtxYikhsC338ucFOpqKd9yHy3rdvKYQBLLuISBSRB71hx8s3FfhxrIDxSXX_Lbkg9spjdMks/s1600/charlie.jpg" height="320" width="289" /></a></div>
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If I suddenly woke up as a punk icon, I would be Henry Rollins. I'm totally down with that and would have been most disappointed if I had gotten any other answer: "You're smart and clever, and strive for mental and physical perfection. You often resent others for not being as intelligent and disciplined as yourself. You're incredibly chatty and charismatic, which opens doors to sometimes surprising opportunities":<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoTXxM6VEX3IlQ5bLNv7QpiRkZGj3NLL0QIlUsYMgsS_2JO-Gud3iGv-X78451tH2Bluq_pps2jlt-AXUqtUi60CY17-25aUTsPT6a-PaUd5pBgBN-J7D_WCm8mI03nBhSx6QT9WvefP4/s1600/henry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoTXxM6VEX3IlQ5bLNv7QpiRkZGj3NLL0QIlUsYMgsS_2JO-Gud3iGv-X78451tH2Bluq_pps2jlt-AXUqtUi60CY17-25aUTsPT6a-PaUd5pBgBN-J7D_WCm8mI03nBhSx6QT9WvefP4/s1600/henry.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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Who, what, where are your quiz results?<br />
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~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: left;">
Monday, I'll be doing a "link dump" - providing you with links to some of the articles, stories, etc that I have found interesting lately. </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8532963918728547989.post-78099845394610937412014-02-27T14:00:00.000-08:002014-02-27T14:00:02.504-08:00Get organized: Simple, frugal home hacks<div class="MsoNormal">
Two things aggravate me in my home — well, more than two, but these are the ones I plan to focus on today:</div>
<br />
<ul>
<li>a messy kitchen silverware drawer</li>
<li>a messy pile of shoes and dog leashes</li>
</ul>
I finally got annoyed enough with these two mini-disaster zones and did something about them. Naturally, I forgot to take before pictures. These were both simple and (mostly) frugal.<br />
<br />
For my kitchen drawer, I was not only tired of how messy the drawer was, but I was also annoyed with everything sliding towards the back of the drawer every time I closed it. Instead of going out and buying all kinds of organizers and containers to hold all my doodads, I looked around my house for boxes or small containers. I found the solution in my recycling bin!<br />
<br />
I find the sensation of the juice from apples on my fingers really disturbing (I have a few sensory issues), so I buy them pre-sliced from Costco. They come in a big plastic "clamshell" container. I happened to have one in our recycling bin, and it was quite clean so I pulled it out and cut it into two parts — the top and the bottom. I emptied out the drawer, and organized the stuff into groups. I did the same with a smaller container that formerly held cherry tomatoes. I then put the silverware organizer that I already had back in the drawer and fit the other containers around it. It took a few different configurations before I got them to fit nicely, and I had to trim the edges of the plastic containers a bit, but now I LOVE how my drawer is organized! I haven't had a single irritation with this drawer since I did this. YAY!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLTen_3mflwGz8qbPbaDL879s6NwMUZm_vjhViX50EwwcF3Z5pxie-QMzPA78LMu-GDtN0V3TjsgNALD3VqDbMALeXhpZWrB2aZrtZAf_D_Ba_OHMOEONe87OYi2-DBTkT79uG5hWEu1s/s1600/KIMG0013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLTen_3mflwGz8qbPbaDL879s6NwMUZm_vjhViX50EwwcF3Z5pxie-QMzPA78LMu-GDtN0V3TjsgNALD3VqDbMALeXhpZWrB2aZrtZAf_D_Ba_OHMOEONe87OYi2-DBTkT79uG5hWEu1s/s1600/KIMG0013.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The organized drawer.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiheeTSQ5hmyKlyYGWtdmTmXr2TNwliGM7YGx2BcOEPmaCCGPhxYlx5w9u_j6DOf4_C5NC2WR_75IlPCwcV31071v0CK1ckUB6nTKsAFI_Wr-_Ghk6MHtF-bFhbzPW-NMVDyRTwUmMFOEo/s1600/KIMG0014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiheeTSQ5hmyKlyYGWtdmTmXr2TNwliGM7YGx2BcOEPmaCCGPhxYlx5w9u_j6DOf4_C5NC2WR_75IlPCwcV31071v0CK1ckUB6nTKsAFI_Wr-_Ghk6MHtF-bFhbzPW-NMVDyRTwUmMFOEo/s1600/KIMG0014.JPG" height="320" width="294" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The large Costco container of apple slices.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
My second mini-hack involves two baskets, shoes, and dog leashes. We used to just toss all of our shoes (except for nice work shoes) in a pile by the front door. I couldn't stand the pile! A few weeks ago, I bought a big basket that fit perfectly next to my front door and was deep enough to hold all of our shoes with room to spare. I tossed the shoes in, and tossed in the dog leashes. That solved part of the problem. Unfortunately, it still meant the dog leashes were all jumbled in with the shoes. </div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Today, I picked up some tiny zip ties (maybe 4 or 5 inches long) at the local hardware store. I emptied a small basket from my bathroom, and attached it to the big basket. It's the perfect size for the leashes. Most of the stuff I emptied out of the little basket fit nicely inside another basket already in the bathroom. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS_AC0eAY980vZRNfzLQy_q3Grv1YKZlkyrsj4pqgzIEtHhh7lJs9TBpka3vOZkuG0qtksViP27snAYlrzzkxYCR37O1l2zS_Un-5SoSo9TaseITrHVcXsxMstz0eRzL6H6fbR3tDDz1E/s1600/baskets.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS_AC0eAY980vZRNfzLQy_q3Grv1YKZlkyrsj4pqgzIEtHhh7lJs9TBpka3vOZkuG0qtksViP27snAYlrzzkxYCR37O1l2zS_Un-5SoSo9TaseITrHVcXsxMstz0eRzL6H6fbR3tDDz1E/s1600/baskets.png" height="222" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Basket in a basket.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
These are super simple, but they will make a huge difference in my daily stress level when it comes to keeping an organized, clean home!</div>
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What are your simple, frugal home hacks?</div>
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~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ </div>
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If you liked these simple, frugal organizing hacks, check out my other posts related to organizing:</div>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://mandjinanutshell.blogspot.com/2014/01/get-organized-calendars.html" target="_blank">Get organized - calendars</a></li>
<li><a href="http://mandjinanutshell.blogspot.com/2013/12/2014-amazing-business-and-life-workbook.html" target="_blank">2014 Amazing Business and Life Workbook</a></li>
<li><a href="http://mandjinanutshell.blogspot.com/2013/12/tame-that-e-mail-inbox.html" target="_blank">Tame that e-mail inbox</a></li>
<li><a href="http://mandjinanutshell.blogspot.com/2013/08/daily-goal-cards.html" target="_blank">Daily goal cards - <i><b>FREE</b></i> goal card printables!</a></li>
<li><a href="http://mandjinanutshell.blogspot.com/2012/08/homeschooling-and-tutoring-resource.html" target="_blank">Homeschooling (and tutoring) resource binder</a></li>
<li><a href="http://mandjinanutshell.blogspot.com/2011/06/part-i-of-how-we-homeschool.html" target="_blank">Part I - How we homeschool</a></li>
<li><a href="http://mandjinanutshell.blogspot.com/2011/06/part-ii-how-we-homeschool.html" target="_blank">Part II - How we homeschool</a></li>
</ul>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8532963918728547989.post-78466245033755649292014-02-06T15:00:00.000-08:002014-02-06T15:00:00.762-08:00Operation Nice February Something funny happens when we get online and interact with others in a virtual space. We seem to forget that we are interacting with real people. Not being able to see those we are interacting with doesn't make them any less human or vulnerable than if they were standing in front of us. Time and time again I see comments, posts, tweets, etc. that are not only rude but hurtful, even hateful.<br />
<br />
I was thrilled when I came across the idea of Operation Nice February on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Amy-Poehlers-Smart-Girls/37203609337" target="_blank">Amy Poehler's Smart Girls</a> Facebook page. This campaign is dedicated to creating an internet where we come together and remember the humanness of the person at the other end of the internet connection.<br />
<br />
Here are your Operation Nice February guidelines from Smart Girls:<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqq5I1Wag7_i_oEs4af8zUQxQpezwXq9nGuD0D6D-32_mVpxR6P5Ai-pr2W__2ZgBvIcZ8NzmFK4QgBO5WDjCEhWBaZz51TIPNHvExTaora2_aG16JjjXFzyOXOWgBXXMd7wZ3zpW1hnU/s1600/Operation-Nice-Feb-draft-5-1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqq5I1Wag7_i_oEs4af8zUQxQpezwXq9nGuD0D6D-32_mVpxR6P5Ai-pr2W__2ZgBvIcZ8NzmFK4QgBO5WDjCEhWBaZz51TIPNHvExTaora2_aG16JjjXFzyOXOWgBXXMd7wZ3zpW1hnU/s1600/Operation-Nice-Feb-draft-5-1.gif" height="328" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From <a href="http://amysmartgirls.com/" target="_blank">Amy Poehler's Smart Girls</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Apply these rules not only to your online interactions, but in your real life as well. If we all practiced these guidelines daily, and especially when we feel at our worst, we can make the world a better place. Don't limit your Operation Nice February to just this month though. Spread the niceness all year round!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8532963918728547989.post-87967248020097995222014-01-24T19:30:00.000-08:002014-01-24T19:30:43.058-08:00Get Organized - CalendarsAlong with using Leonie Dawson's<a href="http://leoniedawson.com/affiliate-redirect/?p=UrsaMajor&w=amazingyr" target="_blank"> 2014 Create Your Amazing Year Calendars and Workbooks</a>, I have implemented my own calendar system to keep my life organized and all of my due dates on track. Actually, this calendar system is one that I've used off and on over the years, but lately I've had so many new things popping up so that I've decided to renew my calendar program.<br />
<br />
To start with, I keep copies of my calendar in my Amazing Year Workbook binder. I happened to already have a full year of monthly calendars printed out prior to starting Leonie's program. So, I just added these into my binder. I also have a large deskpad type of calendar (that I hang on the wall rather than putting it on my desk). <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAyXeKT3WzZnQd4nRVOr42_WcW4Sp_bQFbHCBJYJEC5vzm7Bg-mbf6win72mK4vi38NAxMVff3ArOqvotAa8GrRtxFxpvDYzNUG57e0FnCbh7sHy4O-V9gcsaLVAhC3HVpdrbGHcsSU1A/s1600/100_0092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAyXeKT3WzZnQd4nRVOr42_WcW4Sp_bQFbHCBJYJEC5vzm7Bg-mbf6win72mK4vi38NAxMVff3ArOqvotAa8GrRtxFxpvDYzNUG57e0FnCbh7sHy4O-V9gcsaLVAhC3HVpdrbGHcsSU1A/s1600/100_0092.JPG" height="246" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">January 2014</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Before the start of every month, I take my large calendar and the next month's calendar from my binder, and I mark them all up. To get your calendar organized, you'll need:<br />
<ul>
<li>a large deskpad type calendar (I got mine at Staples, or maybe it was Office Max.)</li>
<li>a set of highlighter markers</li>
<li>a regular ball point pen</li>
<li>monthly printed calendar pages for each month of the year</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-9fKAGAcFgvC8cVuqXCco-ji31aecPmIJeGY88rWc7x48PzR-5ANxpe7-7OeoDxWzQVrpxoJpji5vZa7b8PZjV1IaqJhZkzI3Gp6cU4H_jFph9lYs-ySm93CkF30nOBngUN_pg4JFe0I/s1600/100_0093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-9fKAGAcFgvC8cVuqXCco-ji31aecPmIJeGY88rWc7x48PzR-5ANxpe7-7OeoDxWzQVrpxoJpji5vZa7b8PZjV1IaqJhZkzI3Gp6cU4H_jFph9lYs-ySm93CkF30nOBngUN_pg4JFe0I/s1600/100_0093.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Amazing Year binder, calendar, and supplies.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
First, figure out what categories you need to include on your calendar. Second, assign a color to each category (sometimes I forget my colors and end up with new assignments each month! As long as you are consistent within the month, it's not a big deal.). My categories and colors are:<br />
<ul>
<li>orange - bills</li>
<li>pink - job #1 (emergency department scribe)</li>
<li>green - job #2 (tutoring and some child care)</li>
<li>blue - freelance writing assignments</li>
<li>purple - personal and family activities (so far nothing listed for February yet)</li>
</ul>
Once you've got categories and colors figured out, start filling in your calendars! I usually work on one category at a time so I don't mix up my color assignments:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDqnJ7_g5yggT91wow7SzpruN7Ojs67WQBBECyQ0JUsSUhjMlvJksY8PE8RU8blkLm98Oz95x7m_YLPLOY6YbZtJfbplk5ZSCQwgjQF6ZphDQw_JEVQXL6VwlNs-KdGgDaiUhG5fSscAI/s1600/100_0095.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDqnJ7_g5yggT91wow7SzpruN7Ojs67WQBBECyQ0JUsSUhjMlvJksY8PE8RU8blkLm98Oz95x7m_YLPLOY6YbZtJfbplk5ZSCQwgjQF6ZphDQw_JEVQXL6VwlNs-KdGgDaiUhG5fSscAI/s1600/100_0095.JPG" height="236" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My blank calendars with a few things that I filled in a few weeks ago.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAdRw1JHsg0tCRz-6fHplaYKqCNBd5OGSxne6E_CXMocfnI95Rt0HwarXkDOrTSXU88IjBipzzzABmhVIrdJkgD75r8LJ3EYCJ-SQbDRicr5U__sjaa9EKc8lu7TrfiCouLjhVu55J9Ik/s1600/100_0097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAdRw1JHsg0tCRz-6fHplaYKqCNBd5OGSxne6E_CXMocfnI95Rt0HwarXkDOrTSXU88IjBipzzzABmhVIrdJkgD75r8LJ3EYCJ-SQbDRicr5U__sjaa9EKc8lu7TrfiCouLjhVu55J9Ik/s1600/100_0097.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All of my regular monthly bills (orange) filled in.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg58hKcfXKanlUZIVVMJ59T3exoPMf_Y8CZlM1x4ZC1SsV-bc6AJDhIDyKxu-KYZZ0FM8_GS5E-NK-LUchQ-hoIhtGzEFBY0pbC2bqQzoH9CFMzvL0poaSo2sATIFJPk35lNQL0bGVJSpk/s1600/100_0098.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg58hKcfXKanlUZIVVMJ59T3exoPMf_Y8CZlM1x4ZC1SsV-bc6AJDhIDyKxu-KYZZ0FM8_GS5E-NK-LUchQ-hoIhtGzEFBY0pbC2bqQzoH9CFMzvL0poaSo2sATIFJPk35lNQL0bGVJSpk/s1600/100_0098.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adding in my scribe job shifts (pink).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgznR8IaeMngiioLEZMndZQlhnvH6WhTbl18CtJtNz04AA56qjf34c_HZnpIwmXA9WRs8Y2seU2BCTM90RS4FlyIJJo-yV3gAZDfgotJMBue5gJ-VeJINQZIlU6GAZXUTEVAPOiVOxRhIQ/s1600/100_0099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgznR8IaeMngiioLEZMndZQlhnvH6WhTbl18CtJtNz04AA56qjf34c_HZnpIwmXA9WRs8Y2seU2BCTM90RS4FlyIJJo-yV3gAZDfgotJMBue5gJ-VeJINQZIlU6GAZXUTEVAPOiVOxRhIQ/s1600/100_0099.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tutoring and childcare (green).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Kxt42J9cyiP7LbLshBQmlDc10rwndm0Af90ZkwP5yXoBMBvlLjKXp6iSjhsDwzu3Hpy1gMsYqfFRPHC8-tUN3fY7gtvfSRc-UJZyHDEURla7SE2P88kRiKRs8mTQE2DhZgrefiby2Rg/s1600/100_0100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Kxt42J9cyiP7LbLshBQmlDc10rwndm0Af90ZkwP5yXoBMBvlLjKXp6iSjhsDwzu3Hpy1gMsYqfFRPHC8-tUN3fY7gtvfSRc-UJZyHDEURla7SE2P88kRiKRs8mTQE2DhZgrefiby2Rg/s1600/100_0100.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freelance writing assignments (blue).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Once you've filled it all in, pop your small calendar back into your binder or planner, and rehang your big calendar on the wall. I carry my planner with me almost everywhere, and I keep the big calendar on the kitchen wall so I see it every single day.<br />
<ul>
</ul>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8532963918728547989.post-66963810022841209652014-01-02T17:00:00.000-08:002014-01-02T17:00:03.784-08:00What do you do when...What do you do when you have:<br />
<ul>
<li>two clogged toilets and the plumber isn't calling you back?</li>
<li>a dog that is a picky eater?</li>
<li>another dog that is decidedly not a picky eater, and eats things like garden hoses?</li>
<li>weeds. Always more and more weeds?</li>
<li>birds that die in your yard if you use chemicals to kill the proliferating weeds?</li>
<li>a fly in the house that you just can't seem to get and the dogs aren't interested in?</li>
</ul>
Seriously, HELP! Today is just one of those "why did I have to become an adult?" kind of days.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD_K2Tl74kSvcgWWyPnWjdQKovnLTpmYJH-2tKRBuZYhyLIR4_XDrSWNrR8sP6C2UohvENc44Kk1X1VBTRQmhBI4s14nUX2sp4UM7UQI2RJjWdcNsCxQ5tinZMVhzZ0A00RyrEEknEBj0/s1600/adult.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD_K2Tl74kSvcgWWyPnWjdQKovnLTpmYJH-2tKRBuZYhyLIR4_XDrSWNrR8sP6C2UohvENc44Kk1X1VBTRQmhBI4s14nUX2sp4UM7UQI2RJjWdcNsCxQ5tinZMVhzZ0A00RyrEEknEBj0/s320/adult.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/158023980/being-an-adult-is-the-dumbest-thing-i?ref=sr_gallery_5&ga_search_query=being+an+adult&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_search_type=all" target="_blank">Being an adult... tile pendant</a> by TarryTiles on Etsy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8532963918728547989.post-43340490073192470622013-12-31T12:00:00.000-08:002013-12-31T12:00:02.843-08:00Happy last day of 2013...Many of us are bidding 2013 farewell and preparing to usher in 2014. I'm no exception. I've been reflecting on 2013 and the past several years, and thinking about how much my son and I have experienced, what we've gained, what we've let go of, and how we want to move forward.<br />
<br />
In 2013, we made our second cross-country drive, saw family, made new friends, lost old friends, and got a second dog. I learned a lot about what I will and won't tolerate for work, and my son began learning more about things that might interest him as he gets older and begins college.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAjdP8E8WYuhtpU7Wpq7Ww9EzMmOr1bJ6t6OOslN-ztY7Q6qSDCKRSe-gVGojM8tjcwlYwfy08LGt-MjpkLA85GyXMWxncHEn8H1kwQIgM2QjFOAOthr6sitjKvzFdEu89pvcwTYnJieg/s1600/celebrate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAjdP8E8WYuhtpU7Wpq7Ww9EzMmOr1bJ6t6OOslN-ztY7Q6qSDCKRSe-gVGojM8tjcwlYwfy08LGt-MjpkLA85GyXMWxncHEn8H1kwQIgM2QjFOAOthr6sitjKvzFdEu89pvcwTYnJieg/s320/celebrate.jpg" width="255" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/71879588/cupcake-sprinkles-celebrate-everyday?ref=sr_gallery_6&ga_search_query=celebrate&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_facet=handmade%2Fart" target="_blank">Cupcake Sprinkles Celebrate 8x10 art print by Dawn Smith Designs on Etsy</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I know that I will never work in a cubicle again. I will never take a job just because it is available. I learned that sometimes people we think of us as friends don't see us in the same way (do we relearn this one over and over as we go on in life?). I learned that sometimes a toilet gets so clogged you have to give up and call a plumber, even if you can't afford it. Two dogs are both easier and harder than one. Two house guests are both easier and harder than five. A house isn't always better than an apartment.<br />
<br />
I've also learned that I have more money than I realized. I just have to pay attention to what I am doing with it. I'm certainly not rich and still feel like I'm only getting by, but I no longer feel down-and-out-broke.<br />
<br />
I learned that I'm capable of doing a lot with my time and energy, as long as I channel it in healthy ways that move my son and I forward.<br />
<br />
I learned that having a gym membership is really important to me, and I need to schedule time to go. However, I need to pack my bag ahead of time and put it in my car. I thought I had once, and I got to the gym without it!<br />
<br />
I'm looking ahead to learning new lessons in 2014, and putting into practice the lessons I learned in 2013.<br />
<br />
What were your lessons in 2013?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8532963918728547989.post-6505750401513949882013-12-24T12:00:00.000-08:002013-12-24T12:00:03.037-08:00Unexpected visitors...Three nights ago, we had some unexpected visitors. While I was at work, someone rang the doorbell.<br />
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When my son went to open the door, this is what he found, along with a rather odd message reading, "Merry ****ing Christmas. I hope you **** someone. - Santa":<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYp1phyphenhyphenP0GIoVDkH1z7ZCBW5HbZhGU_TGxz8u8dmahyW3oDjbsO9nbd5A75QFP8bPz1XziPGtZ0eWa6qvEfdgaYORy2r-K84dlQVVGRW1VAdq5Ky_i3pkzAuJzZEMQxRcUl-hwJ4Qubco/s1600/100_0057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYp1phyphenhyphenP0GIoVDkH1z7ZCBW5HbZhGU_TGxz8u8dmahyW3oDjbsO9nbd5A75QFP8bPz1XziPGtZ0eWa6qvEfdgaYORy2r-K84dlQVVGRW1VAdq5Ky_i3pkzAuJzZEMQxRcUl-hwJ4Qubco/s320/100_0057.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Weird, right? It was probably just some kids pulling a prank, but I found it upsetting, especially since it happened while my son was home alone. When I got home and saw the note, I called the police (non-emergency number, mind you), and an officer came out. He agreed that it was probably just a prank by some neighborhood kids. He took the visitors to be impounded as "found property" and said that he figured someone would call in the morning upon realizing that their holiday lawn decor was missing.<br />
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Bizarre, right?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8532963918728547989.post-10495376100596730112013-12-23T12:00:00.000-08:002013-12-23T12:00:02.945-08:00Happy Holidays<div style="text-align: center;">
Whatever you are doing, wherever you are, and whoever you are with,<span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: red;">H</span><span style="color: lime;">A</span><span style="color: blue;">P</span><span style="color: orange;">P</span><span style="color: purple;">Y</span> <span style="color: red;">H</span><span style="color: yellow;">O</span><span style="color: purple;">L<span style="color: magenta;">I</span></span><span style="color: orange;">D</span><span style="color: lime;">A</span><span style="color: purple;">Y</span><span style="color: red;">S</span>!</span></b></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIdF_91M5q5_0BUciNl4nj8xgGL40mHPe9S1F5PuoixHdTOfG-ODOBrQB0QuOxHFkT8ESdgXz2YLTweBkna51qEpBA8WbHYlYkCuk9goUYDKnqMxDrfKmQRRecBGDpCAIajKBykpNuWIE/s1600/grumpy+cat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIdF_91M5q5_0BUciNl4nj8xgGL40mHPe9S1F5PuoixHdTOfG-ODOBrQB0QuOxHFkT8ESdgXz2YLTweBkna51qEpBA8WbHYlYkCuk9goUYDKnqMxDrfKmQRRecBGDpCAIajKBykpNuWIE/s320/grumpy+cat.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8532963918728547989.post-83119677165847308262013-12-15T12:00:00.000-08:002013-12-15T12:00:01.745-08:002014 Amazing Business and Life WorkbookI've mentioned <a href="http://mandjinanutshell.blogspot.com/#uds-search-results" target="_blank">Leonie Dawson</a> a couple of times lately, and I thought I'd share my progress on going through her <a href="http://leoniedawson.com/affiliate-redirect/?p=UrsaMajor&w=amazingyr" target="_blank">2014 Amazing Business and Life Workbooks</a>. Although there are two separate workbooks, I've sort of combined them into one big workbook. I'm out of printer ink, so instead of printing out all the pages, I've used the workbooks as a basis for putting together my own big workbook using a binder, paper, and page protectors.<br />
<br />
Here's what it looks like so far:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGiA8QrtFnFm6bbk_0vp2lhJugGxMJF_J3hyphenhyphenZggsatUk-IjlCCqDJcoeqTvic_VvbvFJmin7RSUvKN2zbTuQm7cOj7jCrWC4po9DzXHHTNTVW0nFWtIFhBZuA67RGkYQBeL9FnlSSHVTA/s1600/100_0043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGiA8QrtFnFm6bbk_0vp2lhJugGxMJF_J3hyphenhyphenZggsatUk-IjlCCqDJcoeqTvic_VvbvFJmin7RSUvKN2zbTuQm7cOj7jCrWC4po9DzXHHTNTVW0nFWtIFhBZuA67RGkYQBeL9FnlSSHVTA/s1600/100_0043.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cover with my primary goals listed on the front.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhClMCsBANPMuFXEVSXH-514Q3peKrr5FGkvhRNesawFeOAOMt4K-SajqGP8XjFtXaZjiy-vzVQdPizOIDSz7F4iJuQXCNqmQXmKDYSYHQM7xHbBc4CKTLVSdfkCOqf49-c7UH2jetdnMk/s1600/100_0044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhClMCsBANPMuFXEVSXH-514Q3peKrr5FGkvhRNesawFeOAOMt4K-SajqGP8XjFtXaZjiy-vzVQdPizOIDSz7F4iJuQXCNqmQXmKDYSYHQM7xHbBc4CKTLVSdfkCOqf49-c7UH2jetdnMk/s1600/100_0044.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Collaging "dream pages" on plain paper inserted into sheet protectors in place of dividers.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6VgGxL4bnhZoNLX2XWtj22qrQBLHxTk7omZfmZMq3bWODc22jnH8gsy1pQgG0zXXi3WK6I82tV4hjoJ1ss2Bfkl6Wguq1udomrNUUXQ6uH3QbfKnxjVEjAqpToruIr1zh87Nw1x2NIZs/s1600/100_0045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6VgGxL4bnhZoNLX2XWtj22qrQBLHxTk7omZfmZMq3bWODc22jnH8gsy1pQgG0zXXi3WK6I82tV4hjoJ1ss2Bfkl6Wguq1udomrNUUXQ6uH3QbfKnxjVEjAqpToruIr1zh87Nw1x2NIZs/s1600/100_0045.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My fitness/health/body dream page in progress - get fit, eat well.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTOpTkeF5_RtDhPvKRR5j7bixBrNAZoJmXRaU2jEnvHcgfFLIasqHfRxcoN9SIod23ThrORWIwhxoENG12Ioph_l6sBtTSSD7_4E22aQo4N4KxKYRjMXAso6ADO_9gMlwemb9fmPbQ2do/s1600/100_0046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTOpTkeF5_RtDhPvKRR5j7bixBrNAZoJmXRaU2jEnvHcgfFLIasqHfRxcoN9SIod23ThrORWIwhxoENG12Ioph_l6sBtTSSD7_4E22aQo4N4KxKYRjMXAso6ADO_9gMlwemb9fmPbQ2do/s1600/100_0046.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are old financial goals. I've pulled together all the random scraps of goals and ideas I've had around the house from the past couple of years. Slowly, I'm going through and reconfiguring them. Until I've got it all reconfigured and ready to work on, I'm keeping those old pages in the binder.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ZogmM88LhbKpksj1JHZatC1XpyYdnWbi2HZLMOPdq-dLT8VAryXSFxkvGf9IBoX9QsCqzOkzRBPklI8OLRDOf9uqXa7Zw3hXlSQPKmjJSoU7qoRNxyaXXE4G3veBQqpf5La6wT389wo/s1600/100_0047+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ZogmM88LhbKpksj1JHZatC1XpyYdnWbi2HZLMOPdq-dLT8VAryXSFxkvGf9IBoX9QsCqzOkzRBPklI8OLRDOf9uqXa7Zw3hXlSQPKmjJSoU7qoRNxyaXXE4G3veBQqpf5La6wT389wo/s1600/100_0047+(2).JPG" height="320" width="319" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I've been tracking ALL of my spending. I list my spending and income twice daily, and color code it. I'm extremely visual. The goal is to see more green than pink or yellow. Green is for income and <b><i>necessary </i></b>expenses. Yellow is for anything due to poor planning - for example, buying lunch because I didn't plan ahead and make a lunch. Pink is for wasteful spending, and seeing this much pink has been an eye opener!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW4v9PpMtqqNmRgk3c07wGgblFgot6z-ZSt_wxJCy4Hxxn0Ge5HTyrXLVjMbQQkdtuKCWKH4rQ_AF9SD7aetZOJzq9XnFK7c-JoNKmQNR4BMip7xH93D9jWylR0-upBcAHGKJ1lp_k5aY/s1600/100_0048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW4v9PpMtqqNmRgk3c07wGgblFgot6z-ZSt_wxJCy4Hxxn0Ge5HTyrXLVjMbQQkdtuKCWKH4rQ_AF9SD7aetZOJzq9XnFK7c-JoNKmQNR4BMip7xH93D9jWylR0-upBcAHGKJ1lp_k5aY/s1600/100_0048.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Week by week savings goals. This is going to be tough, and I've got to find a way to cut back spending while also increasing income if I plan to hit these goals <b><i>EVERY </i></b>week!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO_v1IrYG8-l9GN-EWn-oHbxz1SZUCPHAiQBooexrZhToEhLP3QK832UYo-VKWc5w6UGiamrcoFqYaUD6JHkepPCuODUrnBDbJQRWpMq1DqWR4mOa6iZcdcQWmhk-l7fuPprndOSnBVxA/s1600/100_0049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO_v1IrYG8-l9GN-EWn-oHbxz1SZUCPHAiQBooexrZhToEhLP3QK832UYo-VKWc5w6UGiamrcoFqYaUD6JHkepPCuODUrnBDbJQRWpMq1DqWR4mOa6iZcdcQWmhk-l7fuPprndOSnBVxA/s1600/100_0049.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Budget pages for every month of 2014. I also did one for the current month.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_y-sqEt5MXdl63HhkehEEwaUUYi5TH3cQ_w6_IN365gk9_D-WD5hTvrzmBUvXUDFUaJF1kw1UDumyiH8RIhbnr_uKANPGlPCHfZTdFC82z6fNcKR8KP4fQXlEBKKNs8-Wdc9pRE_nyvc/s1600/100_0051+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_y-sqEt5MXdl63HhkehEEwaUUYi5TH3cQ_w6_IN365gk9_D-WD5hTvrzmBUvXUDFUaJF1kw1UDumyiH8RIhbnr_uKANPGlPCHfZTdFC82z6fNcKR8KP4fQXlEBKKNs8-Wdc9pRE_nyvc/s1600/100_0051+(2).JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A sample of my sections, all based on Leonie Dawson's workbooks. Each section also has subsections which are my goals. Under each goal, I am breaking down action steps month by month, week by week, and in some cases day by day.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I've only been using these workbooks and working on my 2014 binder for a few weeks, and I've already seen major changes:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>My spending is more conscientious—I've resisted fast food and Starbucks temptations several times thanks to having the binder with me all the time and knowing I'd be logging those expenses and coloring them pink!</li>
<li>I've exercised more consistently by using <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/mabaer3409/fitness/" target="_blank">workouts I've printed</a> and put in the binder (see the picture above of my fitness/health/body dream page).</li>
<li>I've eaten better by planning better, and thus my jeans are fitting better!</li>
<li>I've made strides on several business goals, and am working on my business stuff daily instead of procrastinating and being too scared to do anything about it!</li>
<li>I've made more sales on Etsy than usual.</li>
</ul>
Overall, I'm loving this process, and feel more hopeful than I have in a long time. I feel my goals are more achievable because by writing them down and listing action steps, I've made them REAL.<br />
<br />
Check out the workbooks <a href="http://leoniedawson.com/affiliate-redirect/?p=UrsaMajor&w=amazingyr" target="_blank">HERE</a>. <br />
<br />
<i><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">**Please note, I do have an affiliate relationship with Leonie Dawson. However, I LOVE LOVE LOVE her workbooks and highly recommend them!</span></b></i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8532963918728547989.post-45502996521136980132013-12-12T12:00:00.000-08:002013-12-16T06:41:17.068-08:00Tame that e-mail inbox...<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I cut the messages in my e-mail inbox
from over 600 to only 128. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I was overwhelmed with not only the amount
of e-mail I was receiving, but also by how many emails were in my main inbox. I
couldn't find specific messages easily when I needed them, and a chore that should take minutes every day was consuming an hour or more at times.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It kind of made me want to scream...</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIe78GNvAeB5UstXcubs-jK5sklzMkFUoFTF9Vr6FTTjo6CJZvHUoXMfY4tdmh_BdYN_rqZMs0b_wKUfCc4FbReeom-b9sjTbYMVVdXmTIcGzIXYHW-nFCMfhwra7VUK0sVvxswVruvx8/s1600/il_570xN.413105703_gv1t.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIe78GNvAeB5UstXcubs-jK5sklzMkFUoFTF9Vr6FTTjo6CJZvHUoXMfY4tdmh_BdYN_rqZMs0b_wKUfCc4FbReeom-b9sjTbYMVVdXmTIcGzIXYHW-nFCMfhwra7VUK0sVvxswVruvx8/s1600/il_570xN.413105703_gv1t.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/119701145/can-you-hear-me-yet-8x12-self-portrait?ref=sr_gallery_24&ga_search_query=screaming&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_search_type=all" target="_blank">Can You Hear Me Yet</a> by <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/STILphotography?ref=l2-shop-info-name" target="_blank">STILphotography</a> on Etsy</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Last week, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I decided</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> to tame my e-mail inbox. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I started by doing the following:</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">changed my spam filter settings; </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">review the spam folder once
weekly, instead of daily; and</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">evaluated mailing lists I was
subscribed to, and unsubscribed from any I wasn't excited to see in my
inbox or that I hadn't used/read/looked at in at least a month</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]--></span>—<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">this alone
cleared out a ton of e-mail!</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">After completing those three steps,
I committed to focusing on individual topics each time I open my e-mail. For
example, only dealing with personal correspondence or sorting through e-mails for deals/sales on shops/vendors I like, or focus only on work
related e-mails. To make that manageable I did the following:</span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I created subfolders for specific
topics and sorted almost all of the messages I wanted or needed to keep into
those subfolders.</span></li>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Examples of my subfolders: <a href="http://amandagenther.com/" target="_blank">Amanda Genther</a>**, Apartments, Financials, Freelance, Friend#1, Friend#2, Friend#3, Continuing Ed, Etsy/Half/Ebay, <a href="http://leoniedawson.com/affiliate-redirect/?p=UrsaMajor&w=amazingyr" target="_blank">Leonie Dawson</a>**, <a href="http://whenigrowupcoach.com/" target="_blank">Michelle Ward</a>**, Tutoring, Writing Submissions.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I also have a few hidden folders for things I need to keep but don't need to look at very often. </span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Once or twice per day, I sort new messages
into those folders <i><u><b><span style="color: red;">WITHOUT READING</span></b></u></i> the new messages unless they are urgent</span>. <br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Then, when I have time to
dedicate to <u><i><b><span style="color: blue;">ONE CATEGORY</span></b></i></u> of messages, or one topic, I go through that folder
<u><i><b>ONLY</b></i></u>. As I go through that one folder, I also decide what to take action on
(save/keep, what to print and then delete (so I have a hardcopy only), what to
forward, what to respond to, etc.) and then I <u><i><b>DO THAT ACTION</b></i></u>.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I've gone from obsessively checking
my inbox to now only checking and sorting new messages once or twice per day
(total: less than five minutes of my time), and tackling one folder every day or
two (with time varying depending on my goals). Most days this simple task has freed up anywhere from an hour to three or four hours! (Seriously, I was spending that much time just on e-mail! Ridiculous!) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I now have a lot more time every day for my son, our dogs, fun, and working on my own interests.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">**These three ladies are solopreneur goddesses! I love them, and hope you will check them out! <span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>(Please note, I do have an affiliate relationship with Leonie Dawson, but even if you don't purchase anything from her, I really do encourage you to follow her</i></span></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i> because she has tons of wisdom to share!)</i></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8532963918728547989.post-21705207368795472932013-12-10T12:00:00.000-08:002013-12-10T12:00:02.420-08:00Spay and neuter your pets!This isn't the post I had planned to write this morning, but as I was driving home from work (night shift!), a little dog ran out in front of my car! Thankfully, I saw the little guy, but it sure scared me! The little guy ran across a hugely busy street during rush hour. I turned around and went to try to find him (or her?), and he darted across the road again! I found him scrounging around by a dumpster and tried to get the guy to come to me, but he darted away again with his little food treasure from next to the dumpster. He was so cute, but dirty, and terrified when I tried to approach him. The sweet thing obviously doesn't have a home. He took off again, and I wasn't able to find him again. :( If you have a pet, please neuter or spray the little boy or girl!<br />
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Our little girls:</div>
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If you find a stray, please take them to a no-kill shelter so they can get spayed/neutered and possibly find a new home. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8532963918728547989.post-77911387187022856902013-12-06T12:00:00.000-08:002013-12-06T12:00:03.253-08:00Realizations and ramblings...I am tutoring the cutest little 8 year old girl. She is struggling with reading, and it has been a pleasure to see her working hard to improve her skills and to learn to ENJOY to read. Since<a href="http://mandjinanutshell.blogspot.com/search/label/reading" target="_blank"> reading is my favorite activity</a>, this brings such joy to my heart! However, I realized that the combination of my great tutoring skills (not bragging - my families tell me I'm great!) and a motivated student means my job is really to put myself out of business!<br />
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Pillsbury peppermint sugar cookie dough smells great, tastes terrible (although my son likes the taste).<br />
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Watching cooking clips on Hulu is probably not the best idea when a) I've just cleaned the kitchen, and b) I'm ravenously hungry!<br />
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This person makes me smile every single day. I can't believe he's only 9 months away from being a legal driver (assuming he passes his driving exam).<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0