Archive for 'For Fun'
Watch a Favorite Movie
Posted on 03. Jun, 2009 by Mom Mag.
Does your family have a movie night set aside at least once a month? There are many families that do. Why not enjoy an evening together and enjoy watching movies. Oh, and don’t forget the popcorn!
It’s quite possible that each member in your family likes a different genre of movie. Dad may prefer science fiction or war movies. Moms and teenage girls may like ‘chick flicks’ or romances. Teenage boys might want to watch anything with barely clad women and cars exploding. And, of course, younger children will want to watch child-related films.
Since everyone likes something different, how do you decide what to watch when you have your next family movie night?
Actually, you may want to treat a family movie night at home as if you’re going out to the theater. Spend time discussing what to watch, which treats to plan for, and make it special. You may even want to change plans on the spur of the moment and have a family movie night during the week, depending on how early you can get started.
Choose a specific night to implement family movie night. Friday night is a good time because everyone is keyed up over the happenings during the week. Movies are a great way to de-stress and reconnect after a week of running to and fro.
Do everything you can to make it a fun night. Order pizza, eat off of disposable plates so there’s not much to clean up, and plan on snacks. If you can all work together to get chores done so Mom can enjoy the movie, too, she’ll definitely appreciate the effort.
Depending upon what you’re watching, you may want to have a themed movie night. If you’re watching children’s movies set in a circus, you might want to pop popcorn, serve candy peanuts, and give everyone a clown nose. Movies about cars might include giving everyone small toy cars. Use your imagination and you can probably come up with some fun themes.
Be sure to stop the movie in the middle to give them a ‘concession’ break or a chance to use the restroom. Getting up to stretch your legs is also important, especially if you’re watching an extra long movie.
Don’t forget to create an all movie weekend to watch movies in a series. Remember to give your family a chance to invite friends, limiting the number if needed. This is a great time to get to spend time with your family and get to know your children’s friends.
There may be times when you can’t please everyone in the family; it’s to be expected if your family has a range of ages.
However, there’s a way around that, too. Plan a couple of movie nights during the month. One time you could watch children’s movies, the next time something your teen will like, then a movie Mom would like, and finally one that Dad would enjoy. Let your family know that it would be good for everyone to sit through every movie regardless of how much they think they’ll like it. They might be surprised.
Family movie nights are a great tradition to start in your family. They will allow you to spend quality time together, have fun, and reconnect with one another. You may find that each family member looks forward to these movie nights, each for their own reason. Of course, when your children tell their friends about movie nights, you may have company more often than before.
Continue Reading
Purposeful Podcasts: Listen While Learning
Posted on 20. May, 2009 by talkingpoint.
Podcasts are a great way of listening to any variety of material. Listeners reap the rewards of having fun while multitasking or simply taking the time to listen to an audio program while doing absolutely nothing. Obviously, it is not necessary to use a podcast for a specific task, but many podcasts are great for completing activities. Listeners have a purpose when using this type of downloaded audio. This does not indicate a podcast must be used for a business or work-related purpose. Podcasts are great for a variety of leisure activities, including:
(more…)
Continue Reading
Family Time Together And Eating Chocolates Sweets
Posted on 17. May, 2009 by Mom Mag.
People have many favorite and treasured memories when it comes to Christmas time. Some people recall the wonderful meals that feature flavorful foods that they only get to enjoy during special holidays.
Others remember decorating the house, baking Christmas cookies, shopping for presents, or wrapping the gifts to place beneath the tree. However, there are many people who would consider the holiday to be incomplete unless there was also some delicious Christmas hard candy involved in the occasion as well.
chocolates candy
Many people also have fond memories as children of visiting the homes of family members or friends and being greeted by bowls of hard candy, such as red and white peppermint discs wrapped in clear cellophane or those bright and multicolored ribbon candies and a candy gift.
Most children had the opportunity to begin to learn the meaning of patience, and to practice it as well, as they waited with wide eyes and watering mouths to be offered a chance to snatch up a handful of the sweets.
One of the most popular and common types of hard candy, which is also a perpetual favorite of children of all ages, is the ubiquitous candy cane, which comes is a huge range of sizes.
There are giant striped peppermint canes that almost seem too heavy to lift and tiny candy canes that easily pop right into the mouth whole, and just about every other size and flavor combination in between.
Christmas gift baskets
Many people use candy canes to decorate their Christmas trees, while others tuck them into the Christmas stocking. Often a candy cane will find its way into a rich cup of hot chocolate, which adds an extra dimension of peppermint flavor and blends so well with the chocolate beverage.
In many families, there is a tradition of leaving some fresh Christmas cookies or chocolate chip cookies out, along with a nice glass of milk, so that Santa can recharge and rejuvenate himself for the long night of delivering gifts that he faces.
There are other families that also leave out some hard candy as part of their family tradition, and often a candy cane or two are the treats of choice for the jolly and generous gentleman.
There are many varieties of hard candy that are not especially associated with Christmas, which are also long-time favorites of people for a variety of reasons. For the most part, it seems that people has a tendency to want to enjoy those favorite candies that they remember from their childhood.
chocolate gift
As a result, you can now find a candy store in just about every mall across the country, which not only has a nice selection of chocolates, but also bins and barrels full of “old fashioned” candies, such as humbugs, that have been popular for generations. Of course, humbug candies are in no way associated with the term, “Bah, humbug”, as quoted in Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
A popular choice for gift giving these days are wine gift baskets that include hard candy, gourmet chocolates, truffles, cookies or just about any other kind of edible indulgence that a person might enjoy. These gift baskets offer variety and make it quite easy to find just the right thing to give, even to the person who already seems to have everything.
photo credit: Neeta Lind
Continue Reading
Creature Spotting in the Back Garden
Posted on 08. May, 2009 by Mom Mag.
One of the many benefits of having a garden in your back yard is that you may encourage native animals to visit. Of course, the best way to safely practise creating spotting in the back garden is to watch through a window. If you go out and watch, your children may be tempted to try to pet the animals and could be bitten.
What kind of animals could you draw to your back yard? That all depends upon what type of habitat you have created out there. If you’re interested in drawing butterflies to your yard, you’ll want to plant a variety of flowers that butterflies like. Here are some butterfly favorites:
* Annuals – Impatiens, marigold, phlox, zinnia, and sunflowers are good choices.
* Perennials – Chrysanthemums, daisies, nasturtium, and yarrow would do a good job of attracting them.
* Wildflowers – Depending upon where you live, you might want to plant black-eyed Susan, butterfly flower, asters, or purple ageratum.
If you’d like to draw animals to your yard, it helps to know what type of wildlife is likely to live in your area. You might want to check with your local park ranger, county extension agency, or animal control. They should be able to tell you which animals to expect. You can also look at the library to find wildlife books for your general vicinity.
You’ll then have a better idea of what type of habitat you need to emulate in your yard to make it appealing to the animals. Be sure to incorporate the following elements: food, water, cover, and nesting areas. If you want to draw animals to your garden or back yard, these are an absolute must for any wildlife that visits.
It’s a good idea to plant native trees, shrubs, and plants that wildlife will recognize and most likely already use for food or shelter in their native habitat. Be sure to plant on multiple layers instead of planting just ground level plants or trees. You want to incorporate each level of plant to have something for different animals.
A water element such as a pond or water garden would provide all the water they need. Plant vegetation around the water so smaller animals will feel protected as they come to drink. Don’t stress out about cleaning up dead or dying trees as they will attract varying types of insects, which will in turn attract birds such as owls, wrens, and woodpeckers.
If you’re trying to attract wildlife, you’ll want to avoid using chemicals which could harm the animals. You may want to look for non-toxic or natural herbicides.
Keep a pair of binoculars near a window so you and your children can safely watch the animals. You can see what they are doing, which animals are visiting, and not have to worry about getting too close for their comfort. Consider keeping a notebook and pen by the window, too – that way you can keep track of the animals that visit during the different seasons of the year.
Continue Reading
Get Helpful Tips – Cake Decorating DVD Can Build Your Cake Decorating Business
Posted on 07. May, 2009 by Mom Mag.
Lots of people are interested in learning the fascinating art of cake decoration. One way of learning is to follow along with a cake decorating. When you are just starting, DVDs can be very helpful in both showing and telling you what to do. There are many places you can look for cake decorating DVDs.
You can find good cake decorating DVDs by doing an online search. You are sure to find these DVDs well worth your while. Of course, it is possible to create a few of the simpler cakes without lessons or experience, but to really accomplish good results, you will need the knowledge and experience you can only gain from lessons. Cake decorating DVDs are an excellent choice for gaining this knowledge and experience. Compared with taking a class, they are far superior because you can watch and practice on your own time. There is no need to arrange your schedule to accommodate a class.
You can also find websites online that offer videos of cake decorating. This can get you started on creating beautiful cakes for your friends and relations. Many sites have complete instructions to help you prepare wonderful cakes for all occasions. However, for the benefit of clarity and the ability to view the instructions repeatedly, you will probably want to invest in a cake decorating DVD.
Craft stores are a good place to look for cake decorating DVDs as well as all the other supplies you will need to make fabulous cake creations. Look in the book section to find terrific cake decorating guides. You are sure to also find excellent cake decorating course on the subject. These can really help you to perfect your techniques and get professional results in your cake decorating.
Even if you already know quite a bit about cake decorating, you will get a lot out of watching cake decorating DVDs. They showcase some of the finest cake decorators and bakers anywhere. When you see how they decorate cakes, you are sure to learn new and interesting techniques. These professionals have been in the business a long time, and they know all the time and work saving techniques that can make cake decorating a breeze.
You may decide you want to attend a class on cake decorating, and that is a great idea. Make it even better by getting yourself a good cake decorating DVD to reinforce your learning. Along with the text you are sure to have with your class, your cake decorating DVD can help you to truly understand and own the information you gain.
If you love cake decorating, you will want to be sure to have every possible advantage to create beautiful results. A cake decorating DVD can give you the ability to take lessons from a pro and learn the best and most sophisticated techniques in cake decoration. A cake decorating DVD can help you optimize any other training or knowledge you may have in cake decorating.
For the quick and easy dinner recipes info, please visit this blog.
Continue Reading
You Know Gardening is NOT your gift, when…
Posted on 18. Apr, 2009 by cherylmoeller.
- Your roadside stand customers offer to pay you, if you’ll keep your vegetables.
- Your pesticide company sprays you instead.
- You hire a lawyer, to defend yourself, from the class-action lawsuit the locust file against you.
- You’re able to grow more mold in the desert, than veggies in your garden.
- You hire the United States Secretary of Agriculture, as a consultant, to get a row of radishes to sprout.
- Your heart tells you “yes!”; your knees tell you “no!”
- Your weeds are your best friends, not your enemies. (You figure, at least with the weeds, something is growing.)
- You don’t have fourteen trillion zucchinis to pass out in late August
- Your sweat is how you water your garden, causing flooding to kill your plants.
- You buy veggies at the store and then lay them around in your garden, to impress others
- Your woodchucks know your first name and you attend Junior Woodchuck’s high school graduation.
- You attempt to rototill your driveway.
- Your neighbor’s compost heap wins first place in the county fair, instead of your garden.
- You drive your spade deep into the ground for the first time and lights flicker in the neighborhood.
- You planted on New Year’s Day, because the seeds were on sale.
- Your rabbits actually prefer the plastic vegetable display on your kitchen table.
- Your slice of cheese, in the bottom of the frig, is the only thing green growing on your property.
- Your zucchinis are bought by the United Starts Defense Department, for artillery training.
- The only Burpee in your garden is from indigestion.
Continue Reading
Daddy’s Little Helper
Posted on 17. Apr, 2009 by Beckie Stewart.
Our four-year daughter enjoys the times she can come along side my husband while he works on a project around the house. Most of the time, she joins him in the garage. He gives her a small wrench, and she is convinced that she has tightened the bolts on the Volkswagon Beetle he is remodeling.
However, the other day my husband decided that he was a furniture expert. He turned the sofa on its side and began to pull the staples from the bottom covering. After he exposed the springs, he decided that he needed to remove the entire border in order to repair the springs.
“What are you doing, Lana?” I asked.
With her plastic tool in hand, my daughter looked at me without skipping a beat and said, “I’m helping daddy wreck your couch.”