madameblogalot

My nephews are looking forward to their first trip to Disney World this summer. The excitement is building as many folks who have taken trips to Disney are sharing all their tips with them. We have been excited telling them what parks to see, which to stay longest in, what not to miss and what can be skipped. We all have our favorites that we want to be sure they see!

Since they will be going in the middle of summer, I won’t be surprised if they visit some of the Orlando Waterparks. It will be hot in Florida in June, and I’ve heard that the Disney Parks are a great way to stay cool while having fun! Since I’ve never been to either of the Disney waterparks, I am not sure which one I would recommend to the boys. After a brief look however, I can see that Bizzard Beach looks like it would be a lot of fun for them. It is a “ski resort turned water park”! Here the boys can not only enjoy the thrilling water slides, they can also slide down a mountain on mats, even go through through the Ski Patrol Training Camp. Here they can train on inner tube slides, hanging on to a T-bar, and test their balance walking from iceberg to iceberg on an ice-flow walk. This sounds like an exciting way to cool off in Orlando. And if all of this is too much for my mom and dad, there is always the Lazy River!

Since this park has something for everyone, I think my parents and nephews would enjoy visiting this water park. And finding discount tickets online is even better!

Yesterday turned out to be a perfect Mother’s Day. After church we went to eat at an Italian food restaurant that we had never tried. It wasn’t that great, probably would not go back. But it was nice enough. And I enjoyed the company! Then we came home for a nice long Sunday afternoon nap. After church Sunday night, youth group activities were canceled! My husband and I drove down to the beach to spend some much needed time alone just relaxing. We went to a nice local seafood restaurant and had a good dinner. After we ate, we drove down the island a way to a place where we could pull onto the beach. By then it was dark and most folks had gone home. There was only one other car and we did not bother each other. No kids, no dogs, not even any seagulls! Just the wind and the waves and each other. Watching the moon rise was amazing! It was a gorgeous full moon which reflected brightly on the water. Sitting, watching, walking, talking and sharing our love was the perfect ending to the day.

The other night we were watching The Biggest Loser on TV. The contestants were to complete a full marathon. Every one who finished was to receive $10,000 to donate to the charity of their choice. That sparked a question from me. I asked each of my kids and my husband what charity they would donate to if they won $10,000 to give away. Of course my husband said “our family”! My son didn’t know but we talked about maybe the paralympics wheelchair basketball that we had recently seen on TV. My daughter would want to donate to the pet shelter at which she used to work (and wished she still could!) They are trying to buy land and build a facility. The money would really help them! I did not know who I would like to donate to either. Probably Heifer International, the church, and some place to build a place for children. Then I came across an Online Charity website. Here you can find folks in need of a donor. From class rooms to PE for the physically disabled to urban softball, this is the place benefactors can find those in need of donation. The donor chooses the project s/he would like to support and then places an online donation. Each project lists how much more is needed to met the goal. If the donor gives $100 or more s/he will receive a thank you package with hand written cards. You will also receive the thank you package if you complete a projects funding, even if the gift is less than $100. The site looks like an interesting concept.

As a blog writer, I know I don’t have much respect in the world of writers. But, it’s what I do. And when I do it, I try to take pride in what I do. I want to have a “quality” blog. I like for my posts to make sense. I like for them to look semi-professional, though with a conversational quality. Even when I take ad opportunities, I take them with a sense of how they will fit into my blog. I take them with a sense of pride. I want to maintain my blogs at a standard I have set for myself. And I love it when my ad posts get as many comments as my non-paid posts! It gives me a sense of accomplishment that the ads fit well into my blog and may be as “meaningful” as anything else I have to say!

When I do accept ad opportunities, I always visit the site I am doing the ad for. I peruse through it, and often times get interested in what they have to offer. I always try to present my posts with proper grammar and spelling and do the best I can to present the information in a way that I care about, whether it’s a paid post or not.

So when I am being presented with an opportunity for paid blogging, I would actually appreciate the same courtesy. I have often read advertiser’s opportunities which themselves are filled with misspellings, typos and grammatical errors! I try to laugh it off at times, but I must confess that it is frustrating. If they are paying a few meager bucks for some cheap advertising and expect the blogger to give his/her best to the assignment, I would think the advertiser could/would give the same courtesy to the blogger to whom s/he pays to do a good job. I hope that the trend in lowering pay but raising expectations (such as word count) will level off. I do hope however that both advertisers and bloggers will come to raise the bar for the world of readers that exist in the cyber world. It’s just good business for both sides.

My cousin has been homeschooling her middle school aged son. He enjoys his freedom, but has also been known to put tasks off. The other day, he found out that he could even pursue post high school education using online degree programs. When he brought this up to his mom, she talked with him about the habits he is establishing now and how that would affect someone pursuing an online college degree.

I came across a very helpful and informative website for folks who are truly interested in continuing their education online. It is full of information, articles and links which would be a great springboard for those just starting to research the possibility of getting an online degree or certification.

The site starts with basics, even giving a glossary of terms used when discussing online educational options. There are articles explaining accreditation, choosing a school, degree differences and for-profit vs. non-profit schools. These articles have some good basic information to get the prospective student ready for what they may find in online education planning. There are also many helpful links. Students can access online college sites as well as learn how to finance their online education. Learning about loans, scholarships and grants will prove helpful to any prospective student.

The trend toward pursuing degrees online seems to be growing. It no longer attracts only the older, strongly motivated adult student. The movement is showing more and more younger undergrads gravitating to the opportunity of online degree programs.

I must begin my hit or miss list for April by going back to March. I actually read a book in March that I forgot to add to my list!

The Hobbit-This book was a big HIT for me. I had never read it before (though I have seen the cartoon.) I assigned it for my daughter to read and so I read it too. I like the easy way the story is told. It is not hard to read and I think an older elementary child would be able to read it easily. I love the quest adventure and how it fits nicely with the Hero’s Journey. It really reminded me of much that I learned when studying Star Wars with my son. The book was also a HIT with my daughter. Though she complained about many of her assignments with the book, she did a nice job and put together a nice lapbook project folder on it.

Losing Control and Liking It-This book on raising (and letting go of) teens was actually a HIT with me. Sometimes I get frustrated with parenting books. This one though was easy to read and easy to digest. I was especially pleased to find that I have not done everything wrong!

Wizard of Oz-My daughter and I saw the Broadway Across America presentation of the famous show. It was a great production. I even liked the use of video in the play. The actors were great! We both enjoyed the show. I think it was better than Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. This show was a HIT.

Henry V-This was my first live Shakespearean performance. My daughter’s too. We went to see a local college’s presentation. A man we go to church with was in the show, as well as a college grad and choreographer my daughter has acted with previously. We enjoyed parts of the show. It was not easy to follow and my daughter was lost by most of it, though when I asked her at intermission, she could tell me generally what was going on. This was neither a HIT or MISS with me. It was not great. But there were a couple of scenes I really enjoyed. I liked the scene where Princess Katherine only speaks French. I also enjoyed the choreography of the battle scene. It was really nicely done.

Living in South Texas means we deal with mosquitoes nearly year round. (There is even a local Mosquito Festival!) After all the heavy rain we have experienced the last couple of weeks the problem is already looming large. Because of the large amounts of rain in such a short time, there are many areas of standing water. This is a breeding ground for mosquitoes. I have never had very good luck with controlling a mosquito population in our yard. I just learned about a new mosquito trap that might be worth looking in to.

The Mosquito Magnet is a way to lure mosquitoes eventually eliminating the population in your yard. I found out some interesting facts about mosquitoes. Only the females bite. They can lay up to four hundred eggs in as little as one drop of water! They use the protein from our blood to produce their eggs. They breed in the water but live in the bushes, shrubs and tall grass. The Mosquito Magnet trap can be used in areas where the mosquitoes breed and live and about thirty feet from where people will be. The trap mimics humans by releasing a continuous stream of carbon dioxide. The mosquitoes will become trapped and then dehydrate and die.

There is also a secondary attractant to help eliminate more mosquitoes faster. Using lurex and Octenol the trap furthers the impersonation of humans. The Lurex mimics skin odors while the Ocetenol mimics breathing. The proper chemical to be used is determined by what region you reside in. For me, I think either would be effective since I live on the Gulf Coast of a Southern state. The Lurex is even effective in killing the Asian Tiger mosquito.

As mosquitoes are a big problem in our area, I think there are likely many folks who would be interested in keeping a mosquito trap in their yard.

A few weeks ago, Merry tagged me to write a post on what being a mother means to me. I could not address it at the time. Going through the teenage years with my son has been a struggle for both of us. We had so much fun when he was young and I miss those fun times. Things just aren’t the same. And I have to be ok with that.

Today on my daughter’s thirteenth birthday I could spend the day lamenting the fact that I have no more children in my house, only teenagers. But I chose this morning not to face the day that way. I am celebrating the young woman she is becoming. And my son remembered how important thirteen is and how he felt about it, so he decided to take little sister out to lunch/brunch, all on his own and all on his own dime too!

That made me think more about what it means to be a mother…

Of course, those first stirrings of life living and growing inside of me made me wondrously aware of what it feels like to be a mom. I cannot explain it. It is a bond, a connection so strong that at times it still overwhelms me.

Upon the birth of my children, my actual job of having them outgrow me began, the first step being the cutting of the umbilical cord (I guess technically they began outgrowing me starting at conception!) And every step since then has been a quest to move them toward their own adulthood. It is a feeling so strong at times it still overwhelms me.

Learning about the world around me through a child’s eyes has been an amazing adventure. What wonder and beauty and magic lies right before me if I only take the moment to behold it, to recognize it, to ponder it, to treasure it. Learning from my kids has been as important as the things I’ve had to teach them. It is a feeling so strong that at times it still overwhelms me.

Learning about love from my children has been an eye-opening, heart-wrenching experience. Love is an amazingly strong emotion. The unconditional love I give to them just because they are mine. And the engulfing unconditional love they give back just because I am theirs. Learning about love and bonds between mother and child, between my own mother and myself, between God the perfect parent and myself is yet another feeling so strong that I am nearly overwhelmed.

As the children are now no longer children but have moved into teenage years, the feelings are so strong that I am nearly overwhelmed on a daily basis. My time with them is so short. There is still so much to do, to see, to say, to teach, to learn…

Being a mother is an adventure in itself. It is a stretching, a growing, a learning, an all consuming passion that I would otherwise not have known if I had never become a mother.