Happy Mother’s Day!!!! I hope that you all are having a relaxing and fun day!
Tips to Enjoying Fireworks with Kids
July 2, 2012 By 2 Comments
1) Be clear about when you will start doing fireworks! Nothing drives everyone crazy more than adults say later & the kids have no idea what that means so they keep asking when! Save everyone the grief and give a time a little later than when you think you will actually start!
2) Give the children something specific to do while you are waiting for it to be dark enough. There is so much anticipation that it will be hard for the kids to find something to do so help them out! Have a movie or a craft for them to do or be specific on what you want them to build with Legos. It will help keep everyone sane and out of your hair!
3)Lay out a blanket for them to sit during the fireworks. This gives them a safe, clear area to be in and it is easy to monitor. You also don’t have to make sure that they are sitting nicely or not ricking back in a flimsy outdoor chair.
4) Have something for them to do during the fireworks. There are those lulls while you are setting up, lighting and resetting fireworks. This is a perfect time for a little dessert. We also always do the glow dark bracelets from the Dollar stores. It keeps their hands busy so they don’t get restless. Make sure you have enough glow in the dark bracelets so if 1 doesn’t work or if someone wants another color there is no fighting.
5) Be clear ahead of time about the children’s involvement. Will they get to light 1 firework during the night? Will they get to play with the Morning Glories? What ever will or won’t be happening should be talked about before the fireworks begin so expectations are set.
6) Have a plan for when the fireworks are over. In our house everyone picks up their dessert stuff and bracelets and goes inside. We say goodbye to any friends that are over. Then they throw the garbage away and then go 1 by 1 from oldest to youngest to brush teeth and put on their pj’s. By the time they are done, Dad is done cleaning up and they are ready for bed. A little structure makes them focused and calmer!
With just a little planning you and your kids can have a fun and safe 4th of July!!!
A Guide to Shopping Portals
May 21, 2012 By 5 Comments
I love shopping portals! I have been a member of Ebates since 2000 (I am an early adopter;) but when I reccomend sites like this to friends they seem unsure how they work! So here is a basic step by step! Then sign up for all the sites!
Why use a shopping portal? Well, in the last 2 weeks I have shopped online at Crocs and booked airfare on Travelocity. I got back $2.80 on my bargain clearanc Crocs. I also got back almost $17 from my airfare on Travelocity! Just for clicking through a site!
How Shopping Portals Work:
1)Sign up with the site
2)Go to the portal
3)Put chosen store into search bar
4)Shop like normal, even using coupons on the sites. But make sure to use the same email that you signed up with
5)After your order ships you will receive a credit in your account
6)Once you hit the threshold they will send you a check or Paypal you!
Remember that the % back varies by shopping portal for each store. So sign you can sign up for more than one and compare. And Ebates has at least one store that has double cash back every day so always look! These are my 2 favorites and the ones I check and use all the time!
Shopping Portals:
Ebates is the original shopping portal! This is the first one I ever belonged to and use it all the time! I love that they pay directly to Paypal!
ShopatHome.com is a little newer on the scene but has still been around a few years. The are very competitice in their rates and pay be check.
Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2012 – Diary week 3
December 16, 2011 By 3 Comments
Thank you to Ubisoft for providing me with a copy of Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2012 and sponsoring this fitness diary series. Please click here to learn more about Ubisoft. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions are my own.
Well, I weighed myself this week. I’m kind of glad that I didn’t do that at the start of my exercising because I would have put the focus on my weight instead of my overall fitness, which is definitely improving. I got out a couple of my old shirts, which seem to fit better than they did when I put them away. But at this point, I don’t have a lot of outward improvement. What I do have is increased flexibility, more energy (which I’ve mostly been wasting by staying up too late) and more stamina for the workouts. I’ll track my weight again in a few weeks, but I plan on building more muscle before I lose much fat.
Last Saturday, the team I’ve been coaching went to our first Lego robotics competition. It was a long day of standing and walking around, but I seemed to do better than I normally do in this type of situation. What I was dreading was how I would feel Sunday and Monday, which is when I usually pay for an unusual day of activity. But when I woke up, I was feeling mostly fine, which is my new normal. (I’m a little achy every day. Not much, but I can feel my muscles all the time now. I think this will wear off in time, but even now it’s not that bad.)
I’ve been trying out more of the activities this week. My wife got me to try a Bollywood workout when we first got the program. I’ve been doing it most mornings. It’s low impact and not too fast, and I find it easier than even the Zen activities. (At my size, slowly posing and stretching requires a lot of energy.) Under an activity category, like Bollywood, there are multiple selections, each listing a level of difficulty (Easy, Medium, or Hard) and the number of minutes you’ll be working out. After going through the two short and easy “training” sessions over a few days, I started doing a Medium, 15-minute routine that I’ve been doing most mornings this week. Each routine is broken up into several different moves or exercises, and you do several sets of each exercise throughout the routine. Each exercise has multiple parts and the program tells you for each part if you’ve done it correctly by marking it with a green dot (and a small chime). At the end of each set, it tells you what percent you did correctly and then there is an overall percentage at the end of the routine. This morning I got 90% correct, which I guess means I’m a grade A exerciser.
Several of the others seem to follow the same pattern. I’ve done Hip Hop a couple times, but don’t have the hang of it yet, and Cardio Boxing, which is fun but definitely leaves me winded.
Bootcamp: Running, push-ups, and attacking
The Bootcamp activity is a little crazy. It includes these attack moves like the Sumo Squat Attack and the Double Knee Kick Attack. It also has running and push-ups. Now I haven’t done a push-up in my adult life (and not many as a kid) so I’m looking forward to be able to complete this one, but I’m not there yet.
I’m still working out every day and don’t have any plans to stop. I’ve really been suprised how entrenched this has become as part of my daily routine.
I’ll be posting diary updates every week for two more weeks. Here’s week 1 and week 2. After that, we’ll be giving away a free copy of YFSE to a random commenter chosen from the comments on one of the five diary posts, including this one.
Party!!!
March 31, 2011 By 5 Comments
It is time for the Ultimate Blog Party!!! So for all of you who are new here: Welcome!! I am so glad to see you all here!
A little about NerdFamily Things: NerdFamily Things is a blog that just talks about all the things that makes the NerdFamily go ’round! I have 2 features: Frugal Homeschooler and Tech Tuesday. I also get to host the occasional giveaway! So if you are interested in having me review your product or having me host a giveaway, please email me at mom@nerdfamily.com!
And a little about me! I am just a nerdy mom who has many weird a diverse interests! I stay busy homeschooling my 4 kids and writing my 3 blogs! My life philosophy is that I feel that anyone can do anything they want to learn to do. I enjoy sharing my opinions and equipping other do things like save money, school their children and cook!
Thanks for dropping by my party! Please subscribe to my rss and make sure you come back!
Party Time!!!!
April 9, 2010 By 19 Comments
Welcome all! I feel so honored that you have stopped by! So what is this crazy site, you wonder? Well, here we we focus on things. Basically that is it;). Since I do homeschool my 4 nerdlings so I often post on books and tools that we use. I also have a Frugal Homschooler feature that focuses on the free educational resources that are available online. I also look at things that are just helpful around the house, gifts and just great stuff!
I am also blessed to get to hold giveaways sporadically so make sure that you keep on the look out for those!
So what are your favorite things?
Make sure that you check out some of the other great parties!
So prizes I would like to win (who wouldn’t;): Of course the grand prize of a laptop! But other than that… I would love US101, US 112, US39, US 105, US87 but I would be happy with just about anything (but my youngest child is about 3;).
Stapleless Stapler: Cool Metal Free Fun!
September 23, 2009 By Leave a Comment
NerdDad got me a Eco Staple Free Stapler
New Favorite Time Saver!
August 17, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Ok, not all things are super bargains but they can be time savers. I just found out that you can order Amazon Gift Cards up to a year in advance and schedule their delivery. I love it because then you don’t have to remember or shop. Then your loved ones can shop their own shopping lists or someone else’s like Mine
Wordless Wednesday: Cute and Cheap Shoes
July 8, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Aren’t these cute? I had a pair of wedges that I have worn to pieces and had to replace them. The problem? I am both cheap and picky. So I was delighted to find these cuties at Payless Shoes for less than $20!
Wordless Wednesday: Promise of Things to Come
June 3, 2009 By Leave a Comment
In a couple of weeks I will have more details on this. And a creative way you can get some flowers for youself!
