Now, the movies are not “new releases”, but for our family, who rarely watch movies, this doesn’t matter. There are plenty for us to choose from that we haven’t seen. But the major reason I took advantage of this free 1 month trial was for the kids. There are plenty of kids movies, and full seasons of cartoon shows like Dora, Spongebob, Diego, Barney, etc. So, if Jack wants to watch a certain show, but it isn’t on TV at that time, this is an alternative for us. The free one month trial is not specifically for the month of January, it is valid for any one month from the date you start.
Netflix is only $7.99/month for unlimited movies, so I don’t know, maybe we’ll continue with it after the trial is up in February…$7.99 is pretty inexpensive, considering the cost of one movie rental at a store. It may even allow us to cancel the "kids" package on our satellite dish, if they are happy enough with this, but for now, who can beat free?! So we signed up, and the kids are already enjoying it. Although I did find out the hard way that all of your phone jacks need to have filters on them (Thank you Ryan!). Otherwise, if you put a movie on, and then try to use the phone or someone calls, the movie shuts off….which does not make for happy kids trying to watch the movie…or a happy Mommy who was looking forward to an uninterrupted phone conversation!!!
So thanks to the McClinchey Family introducing me to that!
Facebook has had a new status chain going around the last couple days that reads as follows:
PAY IT FORWARD 2011: I promise to send something homemade to the first 5 people who leave a comment here. They must in turn post this and send something they make to the first 5 people who comment on their status. The rules are that it must be handmade by you and it must be sent to your 5 people sometime in 2011. Have fun!
I added my name to the list of a couple friends, accepted the challenge and posted this as my status. 5 People commented fairly quickly and I am looking forward to fufilling this. I think it's a really nice idea and look forward to surprising these 5 people and (hopefully) making their day a little brighter) at some point. It could be a homemade card, a jar of homemade jam, a plate of cookies, a simple sewing project, the possibilities are endless really...and the results will spread happiness. You never know the effect a simple, unexpected act of kindness will have on a person..I'm in...are you?
At the New Year's Eve Party we attended, we ended up discussing how Elton John and his partner recently became parents. As the men in the room started making comments, my husband, my husband, actually spoke up and said that he felt that it didn't matter that they were both men...that if they could love and raise a child, who cares if they are both men? That there are many heterosexual couples who make a mess of parenting, so if this child grew up in a safe, loving home, that's all that mattered.
His brother stared at him in disbelief, and Jeff didn't back down.
My husband.
It's taken 12 years, but I have gotten through.
Cherie, I wish you could have been there.
I read this blog the other day about planning for Next Christmas.
I know right?
I will happily admit, I do go Boxing day shopping for wrapping paper, tags, gift boxes, and other Christmas themed stuff that is 50 % off or more. If I see a really good deal I will pick it up for an upcoming birthday and occasionally, for next year’s Christmas Bureau donations…but that’s usually the extent of my planning for the following year’s Christmas. But I did like this blog, because gifts like this do take a long time to prepare and would be completely manageable if started super early. And so worth it! And hey, remember that Memory Lane game I showed you how to make? Maybe if you get started now, it will be ready to play after next year's Christmas Dinner!
We got the Wii game "Think Fast" for Christmas. We then took it to the New Year's Party we attended, and between the 4 kids playing it that night, somehow it got scratched so badly it wouldn't play anymore. I was pissed, I'm not gonna lie. We had only had it for a week and it was already ruined...and it was a really good, fun game! I vented my frustrations on Facebook and was told to try rubbing toothpaste on it to get the scratches out. That didn't work. Then another friend posted that Blockbuster has a machine that can fix it for you and I am very happy to report that this worked! The game is good as new and it only cost me $2.99. I made it clear to Makenna that if this happens again, to any Wii game, she will be paying to fix it, but really, $2.99 is nothing, to fix a Wii game. I am thrilled that it works again. Thank you to my friend Patti for helping me out there.
My colleague Lisa shared an idea with me that I thought was really neat. I'll call it "Snowball Literacy". For children who come home with a list of sight words they are expected to learn, write them each down on a separate piece of paper. Then crumple the papers up into little snowballs and have a "snowball fight". When the child gets hit by the snowballs, he uncrumples the paper and reads the word, in order to keep playing. You can do this all over the house, hiding behind furniture, chasing eachother through the rooms, etc. This same game could be played with younger children who are learning their letters, numbers, shapes, letter sounds, colours, etc. It's just a different way to approach the same concepts, and sometimes certain kids benefit much more from this type of "outside the box" learning. Lisa and I are planning to do this in one of our programs next week. Thanks Lisa!
Finally, a certain friend has been on my mind quite a bit lately. She is at a major fork in the road of her life and big changes are coming. These changes will affect every area in her life, right down to the relationship she and I have and when and where I will see her from now on. To you, my friend, who "likes her tractors green"...I just want you to know I am thinking about you every day, and have full faith in you. xoxo.
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