Category: Recreation

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Wedding Planning and Research is Relaxing

Jill has been totally amazed by how much stuff I’ve been doing for her wedding. They haven’t even set a date and I’ve been looking up all sorts of things from wedding favors, to unity ceremonies. She called me this morning to say thanks you when she was reading my blog while having her morning coffee.

I told her it was the least I could do. But really I might even be more excited to do this than I have been about anything in a very long time. That’s probably why I’ve jumped in head first and have been going a little research crazy about planning her wedding. Her only fear is that I will get burned out because I’m doing so much. She doesn’t want me to overwhelm myself.

I told her not to worry because doing all of this fun research is actually really relaxing. It makes me feel excited and I get a rush browsing wedding websites and Pinterest in search of new ideas and themes I had never even dreamed of when it came to a wedding and reception.

The way I see it by the time I’m done planning her wedding I’ll be an expert and can help other friends and family do it all over again. I’ll have all of the research done and we’ll just have to browse my stuff. Then again, I could be dreaming and completely delusional. I guess we wait and find out.

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The Best Birthday Presents To Get and Give

What is the best birthday present you have ever received? Was it some elaborate and expensive gift or was it a service that some one provided for you?

I think the best gifts are those that tell me that the person giving me the gift really took the time to think about what I would like. I enjoy gifts that people give from the heart and of themselves. I love it when someone decided that they want spend time with me instead of just tossing a gift card in a car and calling it a day. Don’t get me wrong I love gift cards because I can pick out what ever I want to get for myself, but some times I would rather just spend an afternoon with some one and or maybe share a meal together.

I love date nights for gifts too! These usually involve a gift from more than one person too. My hubby of course and then who ever volunteers to watch our kids while we go out and enjoy ourselves. Babysitting is a fantastic gift, it gives me a chance to have some alone time to get out of the house to be an adult or run errands. I’ve also used baby sitting to just catch up on sleep.

You know when you have those really long weeks and you don’t get more than 5 hours a night for a few days in a row. Those are the times when I cash in those coupons that my friends make for me for a night of free baby sitting. My friends come pick up the kids and then I can go back to bed and I love it! If I’m smart I’ll try to plan ahead and see if the kids can do a sleep over so I can sleep in.

So I guess date nights and baby sitting are my top gifts. What is the best gift you could receive or have received?

 

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Day Trip To Go Hiking As A Family

My husband told me he would like to plan a day trip where we can all go hiking as a family, I think that sounds like a great idea. He has some really nice lowa renegade hiking boots that he got for Christmas that he has been dying to break in. I can’t blame him, if I got something like that as a gift I would want to use it right away.

We like to get outdoors when the weather is not too cool and not too hot which is exactly what the weather has been lately. Well, it has been kind of crazy some days but that’s besides the point. Maybe we can go next weekend or weather permitting maybe even tomorrow. We don’t’ have anything else planned really and it could be a lot of fun.

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How Much Data Do You Use On Your Smart Phone?

I have a smart phone and currently have a plan on my phone to have unlimited data. It costs me $30 a month. I’m wondering if I really need that. It’s almost the same price I pay to have the internet in my home. My home internet is only $40 a month.  It seems kind of crazy to be be paying for two services like that. When I’m at home I get free internet on my phone because it uses my home wifi. I guess the only time I am really using what I pay for with the unlimited data is when I am out and about.

My question to everyone is how much data do you think you use when you are out and about? What do you use your data on? I do check my Facebook when I’m out. But that couldn’t possibly add up to needing unlimited data could it? Yes maybe I’ll use it to watch video if I’m waiting at the doctor’s office to be seen. But again, I don’t so it all of the time.

I’m considering changing my data plan. I could be paying half the price and still have plenty of data that I don’t  think I would ever come close to using. I don’t know why I haven’t done it sooner. It’s really an expense that doesn’t make much sense to have.

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Thinking About Trying A New Musical Instrument

I’ve told many of you that my friends and family are really into playing musical instruments. I was thinking of trying out something new myself. I’m looking for an affordable harmonica at Musicians friend. I choose the harmonica for a few reasons, but mainly because it is small and I can easily take it with me any where I would like to go.

I’m really excited about the idea of not having to buy replacement parts of things like reeds or picks in order to play this. It’s one piece that can be broken down for cleaning but I don’t have to add anything to it. It sounds like the perfect instrument for me because I won’t have to worry about forgetting something and not being able to play.

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Street Musician Plays The Tuba

I saw one of the most inserting things today on my lunch break. I went out to lunch and enjoyed it outside on the patio. While I ate my lunch a man walked up near the patio, sat down and opened up a case. He pulled out a beautiful tuba and started playing some of the most peaceful music I have ever heard.

It was so interesting to see a street musician playing a tuba. It’s really not the instrument I would ever guess to see some one carry around to just start playing in a random location.  However, that made the experience all the more special because it was so unexpected.

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Do You Know How To Facebook?

Do you know how to Facebook? Are you a new user or maybe you have been using it for a few years? What do you use Facebook for?

I have to be honest, I only recently became more active and using Facebook not too long ago. Most of my friends have Facebook accounts and use them to do all sorts of things from playing games to hooking up with people the went to elementary school with.

I mainly use Facebook to connect with my family and friends that don’t live in the same area that I do. It’s a handy way to share photos and little stories about what is going on in our life. I like it because it makes me feel like I’m better connected with my family. And now, I’m not just a Christmas letter that people get from me once a year telling them every thing that has happened in our family over the year.

I do keep my privacy settings to only allow my friends to see my Facebook page or timeline because I wouldn’t be posting things online for everyone to see. I mean I don’t post public photos of my family on my own blog and that’s public domain so I won’t be posting them for the entire world to see on Facebook either.

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Family Game Night – What Game Are You the Champion Of?

The Game of Life, Risk, Sorry, Monopoly. It’s family game night and time to break out the board games. I am our family champion for Monopoly. I can’t get enough of that game. I always have to be the banker, I think it has something to do with controlling all of the money.

My husband loves to play Risk. He seems to be great at all of the calculated risks and determining when to sacrifice something in order to come out on top. I am not the biggest fan of this game to be honest. It seems long, drawn out, and boring. However, we take turns choosing what games we are going to play and I am always a good sport when someone selects a game I don’t really like.

What games do you play for your family game nights for entertainment? Do you play board games, have tournaments with game systems, or maybe just play with a deck of cards? All of the above can be lots of fun. The important part is spending quality time with your family and having fun.

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Next Book On My To Read List Is…

The Hunger Games is the next book on my to-read list. I’ve been hearing all kinds of great reviews about this series. I haven’t seen the movie yet, and I don’t want to until after I read the book. I like to form a picture in my mind from what I read in the story instead of just taking and accepting what is given to me by Hollywood.

I’ve heard that there are a few blood and gore moments in the story. I know the short synopsis of the story, and I can’t imagine sending my children off every year to be slaughtered in some dumb competition for entertainment purposes. It seems pretty insane and barbaric if you ask me. Maybe there is more to it than what I’ve gleaned from the gossip I’ve heard. I guess I will find out after I read the story for myself.

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Big Family Gathering for Christmas

We had a terrific Christmas this year!  My mother in law came to visit and we had about 15 other people come over for Christmas dinner too!  I served a traditional turkey meal with all of the fixings.  One of the guests even brought a tofurkey because their family is vegetarian.  I tried it and it surprisingly wasn’t that bad at all.

Most of the day the kids were in the back yard.  Santa brought them a giant trampoline.  It was great to see their faces as they bounced up and down trying to get higher and higher each time.  My husband and I even tried it out with them.  We jumped pretty high.  I was afraid I might fall off myself.  I know I really shouldn’t have gotten on it with my leg but I did anyway.  I’m glad the kids got something that will keep them physically active.  I know a lot of kids got electronics and will end up sitting on the couch for the next month or so.  I really want top make sure the kids get enough activity so we convinced Santa to get them the trampoline.