And what better way than through Muppets? They've been bringing joy to kids for years, and still put a smile on my face to this day (although the rest of the Sesame Street gang kind of creeps me out - why don't they get any older?!). Whether it's the celebrity appearances, bad puns, or inspirational music, there's something Muppet-related that will make everyone happy.
Even emo kids. *
Go cry now.
*emo link is not suitable for actual kids. Everything else is totally G-rated.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
These Kids Today....
Just when I thought there was no hope for them, I had my attention drawn to the fact that kids today are more involved than ever in the world and people around them. By special request, here are a few things that your kids can do if they want to know how they can help others. It helps to have a general idea of how they want to help. Are they concerned about the environment? Do they want to work with animals? Kids with special needs? Sick children and their families? The elderly? People with cancer, or AIDS? There are so many different groups who just need some of your time.
I am personally a fan of kids donating time to visit at a nursing home - a lot of the folks who are there don't have many visitors, and I know for a fact that most old people love kids.
If you don't think there's anything that you can do, these sites may inspire you. There are a few repeats, but I think this just drives home how much need there is out there. Remember to check out any charity your child may want to volunteer for, to be sure that your child will get the most out of their volunteer experience.
Link 1
Link 2 more of the crafty ways kids can donate things and time
Link 3
Link 4
Link 5 This is more for teens and adults, but still helpful
Link 6 This one is more area-specific, but contains good ideas that are applicable anywhere in the country.
I am personally a fan of kids donating time to visit at a nursing home - a lot of the folks who are there don't have many visitors, and I know for a fact that most old people love kids.
If you don't think there's anything that you can do, these sites may inspire you. There are a few repeats, but I think this just drives home how much need there is out there. Remember to check out any charity your child may want to volunteer for, to be sure that your child will get the most out of their volunteer experience.
Link 1
Link 2 more of the crafty ways kids can donate things and time
Link 3
Link 4
Link 5 This is more for teens and adults, but still helpful
Link 6 This one is more area-specific, but contains good ideas that are applicable anywhere in the country.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
And now, on a much more serious note-
Most of the links I post have to do with silliness and and strangeness, with smatterings of usefulness in between. But there is another side to the internet that isn't as heavily publicized as the lighter side of things.
The Internet is a place for people to connect. People who would otherwise feel shy and isolated can meet and chat with others who feel the same way. You can learn a lot about the way people think and feel just by browsing around social networking sites and message boards. People come together for one reason or another, and just like in real life, friendships and relationships grow from there. Some people see the internet as a false substitute for real human interaction, but for some people, this is the only way they can have real human interaction. The internet can be a dangerous place, where people with bad intentions can disguise themselves as someone they are not, but it can also be a place where people finally feel free enough to be who they really are, with no disguises and no hiding. It is also a place where people who feel like they have nowhere else to turn can find that other person in the world who has been through what they have, so that they know they aren't as alone as they might feel.
No surprise links this time, here are a few websites to check out to see the more personal side of the internet.
PostSecret
This site does contain some adult material.
People send in their secrets, whatever they feel they need to say but can't, as long as it fits on a postcard. Some of the secrets are silly, some are sad, some are triumphant and uplifting, but all of them make you wonder, could this be someone I know? Check back on Sundays, that's when the new secrets go up, and the old secrets are gone forever.
Can I Sit With You?
This link leads to the site's mission page, but some of the stories told on other pages have adult material.
I didn't realize until 5th grade that people could dislike me intensely, for no reason, but when I had to learn that lesson, I learned it fast. There are few things in life that are as devastating as being picked on, or socially awkward at school, because kids can be extremely cruel... and it seems like the more educators and parents try to stop it, the more creative and seriously damaging the harassment can become. School is a self-contained, extremely pressure-filled social environment that can seem all-important when you're in the midst of it. This site gives an insider's view (from both the bullies and the bullied, surprisingly) of some of the things that have happened to people at school - some of the things are good, some are bad, but all are illuminating. If you have children in any phase of school, you might want to take a look at this.
These are just two examples of how people connect with others online. There are a multitude of support groups and message boards for every conceivable situation, so if you think you're alone - you're not. If you have a favorite, please leave me a link in the comments.
The Internet is a place for people to connect. People who would otherwise feel shy and isolated can meet and chat with others who feel the same way. You can learn a lot about the way people think and feel just by browsing around social networking sites and message boards. People come together for one reason or another, and just like in real life, friendships and relationships grow from there. Some people see the internet as a false substitute for real human interaction, but for some people, this is the only way they can have real human interaction. The internet can be a dangerous place, where people with bad intentions can disguise themselves as someone they are not, but it can also be a place where people finally feel free enough to be who they really are, with no disguises and no hiding. It is also a place where people who feel like they have nowhere else to turn can find that other person in the world who has been through what they have, so that they know they aren't as alone as they might feel.
No surprise links this time, here are a few websites to check out to see the more personal side of the internet.
PostSecret
This site does contain some adult material.
People send in their secrets, whatever they feel they need to say but can't, as long as it fits on a postcard. Some of the secrets are silly, some are sad, some are triumphant and uplifting, but all of them make you wonder, could this be someone I know? Check back on Sundays, that's when the new secrets go up, and the old secrets are gone forever.
Can I Sit With You?
This link leads to the site's mission page, but some of the stories told on other pages have adult material.
I didn't realize until 5th grade that people could dislike me intensely, for no reason, but when I had to learn that lesson, I learned it fast. There are few things in life that are as devastating as being picked on, or socially awkward at school, because kids can be extremely cruel... and it seems like the more educators and parents try to stop it, the more creative and seriously damaging the harassment can become. School is a self-contained, extremely pressure-filled social environment that can seem all-important when you're in the midst of it. This site gives an insider's view (from both the bullies and the bullied, surprisingly) of some of the things that have happened to people at school - some of the things are good, some are bad, but all are illuminating. If you have children in any phase of school, you might want to take a look at this.
These are just two examples of how people connect with others online. There are a multitude of support groups and message boards for every conceivable situation, so if you think you're alone - you're not. If you have a favorite, please leave me a link in the comments.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Words escape me
Have to send a card, but don't know how to say what you really want to say?
Need the perfect saying for your personalized gift?
I like to add quotes from people much smarter/wittier/more cynical than me, then bask in the reflected glory of having found the perfect words. It's fun, try it!
Need the perfect saying for your personalized gift?
I like to add quotes from people much smarter/wittier/more cynical than me, then bask in the reflected glory of having found the perfect words. It's fun, try it!
Friday, July 31, 2009
Literary links
Things about me:
1) I love the internet
2) I love to read
3) I love free stuff
free + reading + internet = awesomeness.
I still like regular books, but eBooks are completely portable, the ones from Project Gutenberg are completely free, so I'm saving money and trees at the same time!
Just that one link will keep me busy for months. It still is, actually, and thanks to Project Gutenberg, I'm well on my way to having read all of the best 100 books ever written. ("Best" is purely a matter of opinion, of course.)
If you have a Palm device, you can download books and read on the go with Plucker. I have a Centro, and I love using Plucker - it lets me read wherever I am, without having to carry a book (or another reading device, like a Kindle) around.
Don't have a lot of time to spare, but still want to read a good story? Check out here.
Still don't have enough time to read? Try these.
There you go - you now have no excuse to not read every day.
And if you want to keep track of everything that you've read, try Goodreads.
1) I love the internet
2) I love to read
3) I love free stuff
free + reading + internet = awesomeness.
I still like regular books, but eBooks are completely portable, the ones from Project Gutenberg are completely free, so I'm saving money and trees at the same time!
Just that one link will keep me busy for months. It still is, actually, and thanks to Project Gutenberg, I'm well on my way to having read all of the best 100 books ever written. ("Best" is purely a matter of opinion, of course.)
If you have a Palm device, you can download books and read on the go with Plucker. I have a Centro, and I love using Plucker - it lets me read wherever I am, without having to carry a book (or another reading device, like a Kindle) around.
Don't have a lot of time to spare, but still want to read a good story? Check out here.
Still don't have enough time to read? Try these.
There you go - you now have no excuse to not read every day.
And if you want to keep track of everything that you've read, try Goodreads.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Happy Birthday!
In honor of my favorite little sister's 29th birthday today, here are a bunch of links relating to birthdays!
This one is really great, it tells you what happened on your birthday in history. This one is also interesting, it lets you search the day in history you want to view. There isn't any filter, though, which makes it a bit busy.
The New York Times site lets you buy a reproduction of the front page of any newspaper, all the way back to 1851, and also gives historical events for your day.
On This Day lets you choose from the categories that you are interested in (like sports or music), and also links to a page where you can buy personalized "Memory Pages", for just a day, or even a whole year -which might be a great gift idea for those milestone birthdays! Like next year...
Speaking of next year, here's a site that gives a ton of information, including your American Indian Zodiac sign, your birth date on 5 different calendars, how many seconds you have been alive for, and how many BTU's your birthday candles would give off.
Due to some Internet connection issues, that's all for now, except for this.
Happy Birthday!
This one is really great, it tells you what happened on your birthday in history. This one is also interesting, it lets you search the day in history you want to view. There isn't any filter, though, which makes it a bit busy.
The New York Times site lets you buy a reproduction of the front page of any newspaper, all the way back to 1851, and also gives historical events for your day.
On This Day lets you choose from the categories that you are interested in (like sports or music), and also links to a page where you can buy personalized "Memory Pages", for just a day, or even a whole year -which might be a great gift idea for those milestone birthdays! Like next year...
Speaking of next year, here's a site that gives a ton of information, including your American Indian Zodiac sign, your birth date on 5 different calendars, how many seconds you have been alive for, and how many BTU's your birthday candles would give off.
Due to some Internet connection issues, that's all for now, except for this.
Happy Birthday!
Monday, July 27, 2009
Some things you can never take back.
*WARNING*
Some links in this post are NSFWCSA (not safe for work, children or small animals)
You've been warned, click at your own risk.
Like a tattoo! Once it's on, it's on for good. Sometimes it's a good thing to have a distinguishing mark like a tattoo, and sometimes it's not. Now that your eyes have been burned, here's some candy to make them happy again.Some links in this post are NSFWCSA (not safe for work, children or small animals)
You've been warned, click at your own risk.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Cheap or awesome? You decide.
One thing that has been happily surprising me; with the convergence two phenomenons- the 'green' movement and the recession really getting into full swing- I'm no longer considered a crazy hippie, or cheap! Now I'm fashionably frugal and eco-conscious.
I grew up not having a lot of money - heck, we still don't have a lot of money- and it's kind of strange to see things that we did/do every day, as a matter of course, being touted as the 'new' thing to do in order to be frugal/green. Like having a compost pile (although I only recall seriously gardening once or twice, we almost always had a compost pile... I wonder about that, in retrospect), re-using plastic containers as free Tupperware (it was always an adventure trying to figure out which one really had the cottage cheese inside), fixing things or making them yourself before buying new, hand me downs, and home canning fruits and vegetables (I still have flashbacks of a whole winter of nothing but wax beans).
The good side of it, though, is that with the increased interest in saving money and the planet (which seem to go hand-in-hand, by the way), the things I wanted but could never find before are readily available (I'm talking to you, insulated lunch box!) and so is tons of information!
I am also finding out how to do a lot of things that I never imagined doing before. A great example - I started making my own laundry soap - for a fraction of the cost, and without all the unnecessary chemicals and other nasty stuff . How much money have I wasted over the years on this stuff?! *grumble*
Or about recycling your bacon grease? Sure you could just cook with it, but what fun is that?
I wouldn't label myself a recessionista, or even a full-fledged granola cruncher by any means, but it's nice that the rest of the country is at least not going to look on me as strange anymore, just because I get worked up about how much water I could save with a dual-flush toilet.
I grew up not having a lot of money - heck, we still don't have a lot of money- and it's kind of strange to see things that we did/do every day, as a matter of course, being touted as the 'new' thing to do in order to be frugal/green. Like having a compost pile (although I only recall seriously gardening once or twice, we almost always had a compost pile... I wonder about that, in retrospect), re-using plastic containers as free Tupperware (it was always an adventure trying to figure out which one really had the cottage cheese inside), fixing things or making them yourself before buying new, hand me downs, and home canning fruits and vegetables (I still have flashbacks of a whole winter of nothing but wax beans).
The good side of it, though, is that with the increased interest in saving money and the planet (which seem to go hand-in-hand, by the way), the things I wanted but could never find before are readily available (I'm talking to you, insulated lunch box!) and so is tons of information!
I am also finding out how to do a lot of things that I never imagined doing before. A great example - I started making my own laundry soap - for a fraction of the cost, and without all the unnecessary chemicals and other nasty stuff . How much money have I wasted over the years on this stuff?! *grumble*
Or about recycling your bacon grease? Sure you could just cook with it, but what fun is that?
I wouldn't label myself a recessionista, or even a full-fledged granola cruncher by any means, but it's nice that the rest of the country is at least not going to look on me as strange anymore, just because I get worked up about how much water I could save with a dual-flush toilet.
She's crafty...
According to the Beastie Boys, it's at least a somewhat desirable trait; even if they mean that she's a thief, she's still 'just my type', right?
But I digress.
I am talking about crafty as in "wow, what an amazing (insert item name); did you make that?", not crafty as in sneaky and conniving.
There is an amazing amount of material on the internet geared towards all sorts of crafts, including but not limited to: cooking, soaping, knitting, crocheting, scrapbooking, digital photography, kids' and recycling crafts.
For the sake of brevity (and my sanity), there is no way I can possibly include even just my favorites into one post, so you can expect to see a few different posts, one for each category.
Kind of. Hopefully.
I never was very good at organizing, so no promises.
Oh, by the way- he's crafty, too.
But I digress.
I am talking about crafty as in "wow, what an amazing (insert item name); did you make that?", not crafty as in sneaky and conniving.
There is an amazing amount of material on the internet geared towards all sorts of crafts, including but not limited to: cooking, soaping, knitting, crocheting, scrapbooking, digital photography, kids' and recycling crafts.
For the sake of brevity (and my sanity), there is no way I can possibly include even just my favorites into one post, so you can expect to see a few different posts, one for each category.
Kind of. Hopefully.
I never was very good at organizing, so no promises.
Oh, by the way- he's crafty, too.
I scream, you scream, we all scream for -
Cake.
That's right, I said cake.
Screamingly hilarious cake.
Cupcakes and cake pops, too.
Ice cream is sooo ten minutes ago, seriously.
That's right, I said cake.
Screamingly hilarious cake.
Cupcakes and cake pops, too.
Ice cream is sooo ten minutes ago, seriously.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Post #3, in which I become preachy...
Unlike my sister and bro-in-law, I am not a huge fan of Craigslist- although, for pure strangeness, it can't be beat! - but I do love Freecycle!
There are sometimes minor annoyances and hassles, but swapping your stuff is so much better than the habit we seemed to have formed of automatically buying things we don't need - or only need for a short time -and then throwing them away. Even things that you think have no use left can sometimes find a use on Freecycle. An artist in my local group just requested broken costume jewelry and beads, and someone else requested empty wine bottles for their homemade wine. I have seen people asking for old newspapers, empty glass jars, once even a car was requested; people offer plants, tents, dog food, dirt, bags of groceries, sports and amusement park tickets, landscaping and building materials... and it's all free!
Yep, I said free.
The only cost you have is the time and gas to go pick it up. It's a perfect win/win situation - someone else gets something that they need, you get to clear out your clutter (or vice versa), and at no major cost to either of you.
I have personally been the grateful recipient of books, an easel, an iron daybed, a food processor, and a whole lot of yarn through Freecycle.
In turn, I donated just about a whole house full of furnishings before moving (nearly) across the country, almost all of my kids' baby toys and clothes, and a lot of the odd stuff I have piling up, like promotional baseball caps ( you wouldn't believe how many of those I had - yikes!), food samples, and those shower kits you get when someone has no idea what to get you for Christmas...
So, anyway, Freecycle is a wonderful thing; it's doing something nice for yourself and others, and keeps things that may still be useful out of the landfills, and everyone should join. Thank you.
*jumps down off soapbox*
There are sometimes minor annoyances and hassles, but swapping your stuff is so much better than the habit we seemed to have formed of automatically buying things we don't need - or only need for a short time -and then throwing them away. Even things that you think have no use left can sometimes find a use on Freecycle. An artist in my local group just requested broken costume jewelry and beads, and someone else requested empty wine bottles for their homemade wine. I have seen people asking for old newspapers, empty glass jars, once even a car was requested; people offer plants, tents, dog food, dirt, bags of groceries, sports and amusement park tickets, landscaping and building materials... and it's all free!
Yep, I said free.
The only cost you have is the time and gas to go pick it up. It's a perfect win/win situation - someone else gets something that they need, you get to clear out your clutter (or vice versa), and at no major cost to either of you.
I have personally been the grateful recipient of books, an easel, an iron daybed, a food processor, and a whole lot of yarn through Freecycle.
In turn, I donated just about a whole house full of furnishings before moving (nearly) across the country, almost all of my kids' baby toys and clothes, and a lot of the odd stuff I have piling up, like promotional baseball caps ( you wouldn't believe how many of those I had - yikes!), food samples, and those shower kits you get when someone has no idea what to get you for Christmas...
So, anyway, Freecycle is a wonderful thing; it's doing something nice for yourself and others, and keeps things that may still be useful out of the landfills, and everyone should join. Thank you.
*jumps down off soapbox*
You Have to Be Licensed to Drive a Car...
...but not to have kids. Seems a bit backwards, doesn't it?
*WARNING*
Pretty much everything on the linked site is NSFWCSA (not safe for work, children, or small animals).
You were warned.
*WARNING*
Pretty much everything on the linked site is NSFWCSA (not safe for work, children, or small animals).
You were warned.
Where To Begin?
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