You are currently browsing the monthly archive for September 2009.
In addition to the articles and blog entries that I enjoyed this week, I want to call your attention to one of my “new very favorite things”. Leo Babuata from Zen Habits has started a new blog about minimalism, mnmlist. I have really enjoyed what I have read so far. Check it out for yourself and see what you think.
Our Tribalism Belies Our Better Nature - John Archibald, The Birmingham News
We Mourn An Age of Civility That Never Was - Tom Scarritt, The Birmingham News
10 Ways To Enjoy Doing Nothing - Tom Hodgkinson, CNN
Spend It Well - Rubel Shelly, Heartlight
It’s time for WHAT’S ON YOUR NIGHTSTAND? sponsored by 5 Minutes for Books.
What I finished reading:
The Mighty Queens of Freeville - Amy Dickinson
Wrapped In Rain - Charles Martin
Life After Genius - M. Anne Jacoby
The Condition - Jennifer Haigh
Money and Marriage God’s Way – Howard Dayton (I am reviewing this title for Christian Library Journal. Check out their site for lots of great titles.)
What’s next on my list:
I See You Everywhere - Julia Glass
Dating DaVinci - Malena Lott
Safe At Home: Confessions of a Baseball Fanatic – Alyssa Milano
Shop Class As Soulcraft – Matthew Crawford
I’m late posting today because I have been busy with football today!
Recycled homes, one box at a time - Ayesha Tejpar, CNN
A Republic, if you can keep it - Christopher Merola
Happy Feet - Alexandra Jacobs, The New Yorker
Teachable Moments from YouTube to the Kitchen Table - Marybeth Hicks
Serena and Incivility - Rebecca Hagelin
Fan gets towns special tribute - Bob Greene, CNN
Those of us in Alabama still have a couple of weeks of warm weather ahead of us. However, as the calendar gets close to October, it’s time to change clothes.
With an 8 yr. old and a 6 yr. old, there are plenty of shoes and clothes that won’t fit for a 2nd season! More than likely, though, lots of the things that won’t fit are not worn out. Somebody, somewhere could use them. After we get through the moaning and groaning of trying everything on, we look for somewhere to take the “hand me downs”.
Here are some of the best options we have found…
- Friends with younger children – We have some neighbors that have 4 children under the age of 6. They are happy to have the hand-me downs and we love knowing that someone close by can get some real use out of them.
- Church Clothing Ministries – More and more, churches are reaching out to those in need by helping to supply some of their basic survival needs. Call around to find churches in your area that accept donations of gently used clothing. Be mindful that many of these programs can use adult and teen clothes also, particularly things that would be appropriate for interviews and/or work environments.
- Non-profit schools and/or homes for at-risk kids – Many of the clients of these organizations come from broken homes and low-income areas. With very tight budgets, these organizations can make their money go farther with gifts of clothes for their kids.
- Local Preschools – Most preschools and mother’s day out programs keep a stash of extra clothes for kids that have accidents during potty training. With the large amount of turnover of these clothes, it always helps to get anything that can replenish these items.
- Consignment Sales – If you have the time and want to do a little bit of legwork, you can make some money from your clothes. Find churches and preschools in your area that sponsor consignment sales. Often, several churches/schools will have sales during the season and you can participate in as many as you wish. You get a percentage of the price that is paid for your item and the church/school makes a little money for their programs as well. Often, sellers and volunteers for these sales get the first chance to shop before the sale opens to the public and you can find some great deals!
As the changing seasons arrive, find someone whose life YOU can change with some gently used clothes!
ARTICLES:
An American Greek - Forbes.com, Bernard-Henri Levy
Let The Children Play (Some More) – Stuart Brown, The New York Times
Would You Marry Him Again? – Rita Wilson
The Updating Game - Gail Collins
BLOG POSTS:
Everything I Ever Remember About Kindergarten - Antique Mommy
What To Do With Kids Artwork - Simple Mom
A Million Words or Less Assignment - What a GREAT exercise, whether its an assignment or not!
10 Ways To Live In The Moment, Every Moment of Your Life - Successful Blog
Sometime last spring, I began looking for my new calendar. What I didn’t know then was that finding the right calendar would be harder than it seemed…
- Even though I have a laptop and a Blackberry and plenty of ways to track my appointments and activities electronically, I prefer a written calendar.
- Because I was a teacher (and a student) for my whole life, the 16- month ACADEMIC CALENDAR has always made the most sense to me. For the last couple of years, I have used the large, monthly wall calendar with lines on each day as a deskpad. It probably worked the best of anything I have had since the kids became school age but it still wasn’t quite right. I found that I still had multiple calendars to track multiple things.
- I like my calendar to be portable.
- I need my calendar to serve more than one function. It needs to be a menu planner, chore chart, means of communication and appointment book for all 4 of us (myself, my husband and 2 children).
After looking throughout the spring and summer in every place I could think of that MIGHT have a paper calendar to fit my needs, I gave up and designed one myself using MS EXCEL. It is not the perfect solution but it is the best one and the most functional one I have ever had. We started using it the week school started and it has made the transition from summer to school much easier than in years past!
If you have an active family, a calendar can make a big difference in helping to organize your home. If you don’t have a FAMILY CALENDAR, here are 3 things you can do to create one that works for you.
1. Gather ALL the calendars and activity schedules for everyone in your family.
2. Spend some time thinking about what you need your family calendar to do. Make notes about regular events that you are involved in.
3. Create a MASTER calendar with all the elements you need. If you need something to help you get started, let me know. I’ll be happy to share what I have created so you can customize it for your family!
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TO: Chip Kelly, The University of Oregon Football Coach FROM: Rachel Langston, Parent & Sports Fan RE: Player Suspension I can't thank you enough for taking such quick, decisive action following the unfortunate incident after your football game last Thursday night. I did not see the game but, while traveling on Friday evening, my family and I saw the replay on the TV in the restaurant. At first, my 8 yr. old son, a baseball player, thought what he saw was "kinda cool". Thanks to your timely handling of the situation, I was able to tell my son about the consequences the player will have to pay for his inappropriate actions. What a pleasure it was to be able to talk about what happened as an example of why self-control is important INSTEAD of having to figure out a way to "spin" an athletes actions to explain why they can get away with behavior that is not allowed for others! I know suspending a senior, leading player on your team was not easy. Certainly, in some circles, it is a decision that won't be popular. Thank you for making it anyway, because it was right! I hope that, in the long run, it will prove to be a learning experience for all your players. Until then, please know that it was definitely a learning experience for my young athlete. For that, I will always be grateful!
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