Organizing Computer & Electronics Cords

Does this jumbled mess look familiar? 

And with the little heat and air currents creating an electrostatic field, there will be prolific dust bunny reproductive activity developing beneath the desk.

It's terrible trying to clean it.

I decided to arm myself.

While there's nothing I can do to prevent the static, I can make it easier to clean, and to cipher which cord belongs to which device.

With these simple household items I was able to simplify!

Glory be!

Scissiors, toilet paper tube, tape, paper hole punch, Sharpie, twistie ties.

Not surprisingly, there were a few stray cords.

(From where do they spring?)

I extract them and promptly relegate them to the quintessential "Honey Do" list.

Goodness knows, I don't know what they're for!

The goal here is to

1. Keep like with like

2. Eliminate excess cord length

3. Label clearly

Still ugly, but I can live with this.

More importantly, I can clean it!

A Summer Day With Grandma & Grandpa

 

Aprons

Adam and Eve sewed together fig leaves to make aprons to cover themselves.

We traditionally think of aprons being used for cooking, and while that is true, they have served as a cover-up for other tasks that tend to be messy.

The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath, because she only had a few, it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and they used less material, but along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.

It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.

From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.

And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms.

Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.

Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.

From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.

In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.

It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that 'old-time apron' that served so many purposes.

Fun, Safe, FREE Websites For Kids

I saved this article from my Family Fun Magazine, Sept 2010 issue. 

Now I know why, this deserves to be shared!


The Travels of Wiglington and Wenks Virtual World
wiglingtonandwenks.com
Free Registration
Ages 7 & up
Kids design their own avatar
Play games
Assist historical characters
Explore real & imaginary worlds 

　

The Toymaker

thetoymaker.com

Age 5 & up

Artist Marilyn Scott-Waters

Paper patterns to assemble

Fairy furniture, miniatures, boats, cars, etc.

Activity TV

activitytv.com

Ages 6 & up

How-to videos for kids

Cartooning, oragami, jewelry making

Printable instructions

Free Rice

freerice.com

Age 8 & up
Learn while fighting hunger
Site donates rice for every right answer - that’s motivation!

PBS Kids Island

pbskids.org/island
Age 3-6
Sequential learn-to-read games
　
　
The Great Word Quest

pbskids.org/read

Ages 6-8
Kids join a team, complete a quest, and earn words to use in games from favorite PBS shows
　
　
Togetherville

togetherville.com

Age 8 & upFamily social networking site
Kids use their parent’s Facebook account to share projects, messages, videos in a controlled and monitored environment

World of Cars

worldofcars.go.com

Age 4 & up
Young fans of the Disney/Pixar movie Cars can design their own vehicle
Take it for a drive
Race against others

Funbrain

funbrain.com

Age 6 & up

Problem-solving games

Math

Literacy

　

Kideos

kideos.com

Age 3 & up

Wildlife

Cartoons

Singing &dancing

　

　

NGAkids Art Zone

nga.gov/kids/zone

Age 7 & up

Play with art

　

Shidonni

shidonni.com

Ages 3 & up

Free registration

Children create their own creatures that come alive with sound effects

Something For Every Month ... and Year

Birth Stones

January         Garnet

February       Amethyst

March            Aquamarine or Bloodstone

April               Diamond

May                Emerald

June                Pearl or Alexandrite

July                 Ruby or Onyx

August            Peridot or Sardonyx

September     Sapphire

October          Opal or Tourmaline

November      Topaz or Citrine

December       Turquoise or Zircon

Flowers of the Month

January         Carnation or Snowdrop

February       Violet

March            Daffodil or Jonquil

April               Sweet Pea

May                Lily of the Vally

June                Rose or Honeysuckle

July                 Larkspur

August            Gladiolus or Poppy

September     Aster or Morning Glory

October          Calendula or Cosmos

November     Chrysanthemum

December      Holly or Narcissus

Full Moons of the Month

January          Wolf Moon, Old Moon

February        Snow Moon, Hunger Moon

March             Worm Moon, Sap Moon

April                Pink Moon, Planter's Moon

May                Corn Planting Moon, Flower Moon, Budding Moon

June                Strawberry Moon, Rose Moon

July                 Thunder Moon, Buck Moon

August            Green Corn Moon, Sturgeon Moon

September     Harvest Moon, Corn Moon

October          Hunter's Moon, Moon of Falling Leaves

November      Trapper's Moon, Beaver Moon, Frost Moon

December       Cold Moon, Long Nights Moon


When one calendar month has two Full Moons, the second is often called a Blue Moon
 







Wedding Anniversaries

1     Paper

2     Cotton

3     Leather

4     Books

5     Wooden (Clocks)

6     Iron

7     Copper, Bronze, or Brass

8     Electrical Appliances

9     Pottery

10   Tin, Aluminum

11    Steel

12    Silk or Linen

13    Lace

14    Ivory

15    Crystal

20   China

25    Silver

30    Pearl

35    Coral or Jade

40    Ruby

45    Sapphire

50    Gold

55    Emerald

60    Diamond

Children Learn What They Live

Raising children is, as they say, the hardest job we'll ever love.
And, oh how we love it!
But, yes, how very difficult it can be.

When we become parents we discover that we are quite unable to be what we'd aspired to be.
Hopefully we learn that it's the picking ourselves back up again...
Yes, and again and again.
Because we can find ourselves within the relm of the good parenting that we've always admired!
Tomorrow is a new morning.  Every morning.


There's a reason for so much encouragement for parents.
We need it.
Our dear ones need it.
Our children may well become parents themselves, one day.
I, for one, drink deep from the well of encouragement.
I really need it!

The following two verses have increased in worth for me the longer I parent my five precious kiddoes.  Their truth is undeniable and my place as a parent is irreplaceable.

Be encouraged, friend!


Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds;
tie them as symbols on your hands
and bind them on your foreheads. 
Teach them to your children,
talking about them when you sit at home
and when you walk along the road,
when you lie down
and when you get up. 
Write them on the doorframes of your houses
and on your gates,

This poem was displayed in a frame in my childhood home.

I read it often over many years.
I would study the words and memorize the significance.

Laying awake at night, I would imagine this kind of home,
struck by the perfect sense and fairness.
Often I thought, "When I become a parent, this is how it will be for my children."

~Deuteronomy 11:18-20


Start children off on the way they should go,
   and even when they are old they will not turn from it.
~Proverbs 22:6


Children Learn
What They Live

If a child lives with criticism,

 they learn to condemn.

If a child lives with hostility,

 they learn to fight.

If a child lives with ridicule,

 they learn to be shy.

If a child lives with shame,

 they learn to feel guilty.

If a child lives with tolerance,

 they learn to be patient.

If a child lives with encouragement,

 they learn to be confident.

If a child lives with praise,

 they learn to appreciate.

If a child lives with fairness,

 they learn justice.

If a child lives with security,

 they learn to have faith.

If a child lives with approval,

 they learn to like theirself.

If a child lives with acceptance and friendship,

they learn to find love in the world.

~Dorothy Law Nolte

Who Loves Gnomes? I do!

But, maybe not all of them.

This naughty fella can either stay where he is or be directed to the briar patch.

This guy, however, can make his home here!

I know it's art, but this might be the ugliest gnome I've ever seen.

"I'm too sexy for my hat..."

I promise I won't do this.

But this, I couldn't resist!

Don't need this kind of ruckus in the garden!