Our Day of Free Fun

Because we are on a limited budget, it sometimes takes a bit of creativity to have low-cost fun, and free is even better. Today was a good summer day in the free department for the kids. After an early morning dentist appointment (free, but not necessarily fun), we headed over to our local library for their Tuesday morning program. Today, the kids got to make their own bubble solution and wands and also experience making giant bubbles. We went home with the wands and a recipe to make our own giant bubble solution. We took advantage of the trip to … Continue reading

Ways to Save on Spooktacular Halloween Fun

Forget about bloody fangs, hanging skeletons and cackling witches, if you want a real scare leading up to Halloween, try filling up your gas tank in California. An unprecedented spike in fuel prices has added more than 50 cents a gallon to the Golden State’s pump prices. The AAA reported that gas prices hit a record of $4.67 per gallon on Monday morning, though market analysts say that number should fall in the coming weeks. Still, for many families the damage is already done. Now, it’s a matter of cutting back in other areas in order to stop the bleeding. … Continue reading

Back to School Frugal Fun and a Free Owl

Two of the kids are back in school starting today, and my Kindergartener starts on Thursday. It is hard to believe that the summer vacation is already at an end. If I still had any doubts, though, the early morning alarm shocked me back into reality. Back to school is a celebration, not only for the parents, who may be experiencing a mix of excitement that may be able to visit the bathroom without five separate interruptions, and a little sadness to see their babies one year older and off to adventures without them. Many parents plan a celebration for … Continue reading

Those Funny Groundhogs: A Literary History

Groundhog Day falls on February 2nd. It’s the mid point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. If the groundhog sees his shadow, according to folk tales there will be six more weeks of winter. If it is cloudy and there is no shadow, spring is coming! The day originates from the German tradition of looking to a badger or a hedgehog’s shadow for a weather report in early February. A groundhog is a rodent who live in a burrow under the ground. Groundhogs hibernate during the winter and emerge from the burrow in the spring. Whether these books … Continue reading

The Big Morning Breakfast

As fate (or luck, or fortune, or something else) would have it, an aunt moved in next door to us. My sister-in-law, to be more precise. (I’ll leave it to the reader to decide whether this is good or bad fate/luck/fortune/etc. — I think it’s clearly in the “good” camp). At any rate, this situation has provided our son the ability to constantly interact with a family member as if they were just next door (because, you know, she is). After being away from family for so long we can really tell that our son enjoys knowing that at the … Continue reading

Easing Morning Sickness With Fresh Air

Not all expectant mother’s experience morning sickness. Of those that do, some woman are nearly incapacitated by severe and persistent symptoms. While others experience bothersome but manageable symptoms. Luckily, I fall into the latter group of expectant mothers. While I can function quite well through the day, motivation certainly sways with the waves of nausea that come and go throughout the day. Some days the nausea is kept at bay with small and frequent snacks but other days the nausea never goes away. I was having one of those days last week — nothing could quell the queasiness. It was … Continue reading

Morning Sickness the Second Time Around

I’m interested to see if my experience of morning sickness will differ with the second pregnancy. According to Marylin Shannon’s book, “Fertility, Cycles, and Nutrition” it seems that morning sickness should be more manageable and less severe with a healthy diet, plenty of protein, and continued regular exercise (exercise helps balance the hormones). Considering that our regular diet is much healthier than it was at the beginning of my first pregnancy, I think and hope that my morning sickness symptoms won’t be nearly as bad as the first time. We discovered we were pregnant at just four weeks. At that … Continue reading

Home School Blogger Spotlight: Itsy Bitsy Learners

Itsy Bitsy Learners was conceived by Alison out of love for preschool education. Alison has earned a BA, with honor, in Early Childhood Studies. She is originally from the UK and previously worked at the Henry Tyndale School with Autistic Children. In addition, she worked in Nagoya, Japan at an International Early Years Program. Excelling in her job there she was granted two promotions in six months! She then married and immigrated to Texas. Whew! She certainly has a wealth of experience, exposure and energy. Alison is currently a stay at home mom with two children who undoubtedly benefit from … Continue reading

The Night Owl and the Early Bird

My husband likes to go to bed at nine. I’m up until two. He likes to get up while it’s still dark out and go for a walk. I like to stay in bed until nine, snuggly warm in my covers. He feels most energetic around six in the morning. I feel most energetic around four in the afternoon. If you could make a chart of all the ways in which we are exactly opposite, it would be quite the sizeable chart. Good thing opposites attract, huh? In talking with other couples, I’m learning that this isn’t so unusual. Human … Continue reading

The Night Owl and the Early Bird

My husband likes to go to bed at nine. I’m up until two. He likes to get up while it’s still dark out and go for a walk. I like to stay in bed until nine, snuggly warm in my covers. He feels most energetic around six in the morning. I feel most energetic around four in the afternoon. If you could make a chart of all the ways in which we are exactly opposite, it would be quite the sizeable chart. Good thing opposites attract, huh? In talking with other couples, I’m learning that this isn’t so unusual. Human … Continue reading