Easter: Blogging From A to Z

I love Easter. I know many people say that, but I love Easter Sunday, Easter Service, Easter Dinner, and especially prepping for Easter. Picking clothes for the kids and putting their Easter baskets together gets me acting like a kid in a candy store. This year, we went bigger than usual, but they deserved it. Usually, we just pick out some things from the dollar store and some candy- then, we're good to go.

This year was a little different- we got them a basket that could be used for storage and filled it with books and goodies for travel! We only included a few pieces of candy. I think they turned out great and the kids were happy. They were adorable too! Take a look at the pictures from Easter 2015.

Easter Egg Fun

 My New Puppy!

Easter Baskets

Easter Outfits

Dictionary: Blogging From A to Z

Have any of you ever read the Dictionary? It may sound like a strange question because the dictionary is not something we normally read, right? Well, when I was between 8 and 9 years old, my mother set a plan in action that caused me to read an entire Collegiate dictionary. (This is how young I was- I actually thought it said Colgate, like the toothpaste). Some of you probably had one- it was red, with gold letters. She actually ended up buying it because a word I needed to the definition for wasn't in the normal school age one we already had.

So, how did she ensure that I read the entire dictionary? This process took 3 different steps.

1. If I asked how to spell a word or the definition of a word, she had me look it up and copy it what seemed like 100 times.

2. If I was bored, she handed me the dictionary, and told me to read.

3. If I was in trouble, I had to copy a certain number of words from the dictionary.

Numbers 2 and 3 were marked with a different bookmark. This meant that within  about a year and a half, I had read and copied the entire dictionary. This may seem like overkill for most, but let me promise you something- it was not. Once I was finished with the dictionary, I moved on to encyclopedias. Eventually, even my grandparents took up this practice, so I did it at their house too.

In fact, if I asked about a certain that that wasn't a definition, I was to look it up in the encyclopedia. Once, I asked her who shot Abraham Lincoln. I can promise you that I never forgot the answer to that question.

What did that experience do to me? Yes, I'm that quirky person that had a high SAT score without trying, and I'm full of useless information.

It also taught me several valuable lessons. First, I found that I learn better if I write what I need to remember, instead of just read or listen. So, in high school and college, I would rewrite my notes and remember it a lot better.

I also learned to be diligent when looking for information. I do not ask people until I have exhausted all my resources first. I also retain information very well, especially dates and names.

My brothers just gave up when mom told them to find the dictionary or encyclopedia, and they did not learn these lessons. I guess it's not "just in the genes" like some people seem to think. I will do these same things with my kids, but not let them give up. I am so glad that my mom did this- I think it is one of the greatest things she did for me. In fact, I love reading informative books even now.

A few years ago, I wrote about learning to spell Dinosaur- see how it ties in on Cari On Designing.

Children: Blogging From A to Z

Something most people don't know about me is that I never did like kids. I didn't want to be a mom. For a brief moment in time, I wanted to be a teacher, but then I remembered that- I don't like kids. Usually when a kid would walk up to me at work or in a store, I would be flooded with anxiety. The normal reaction out of my mouth was "Where ARE your parents?" My parents, of course, thought it was hilarious. For some reason, people thought I should babysit, which I would kindly decline (unless it was my nephew or niece).

It took a total of 2 minutes for my opinion on children to change. When those lines appeared on that pregnancy test, my whole world changed, in more ways than I ever would have imagined. All of a sudden, my life was complete- my expectations of myself changed, and my outlook on life changed. I know everyone changes, but I was actually excited to be a mom- which I never thought I would do. I love my children more than anything in the world. Their daddy comes in next. I'm still not a fan of other people's kids, but at least I've learned to deal with them a little more easily.

The Most Amazing Flashlight EVER! + #Giveaway

Disclosure: I received a product to review. All opinions are my own.

As I have written about my adventures (You know, my life after dark). As a paranormal investigator and bigfoot researcher, having a good flashlight is of great importance! We have gone through so many flashlights that it is ridiculous. This "AYL 3-in-1 LED Emergency Vehicle Flashlight" has been the answer to our problem. This flashlight is the best one I have ever used!

This is one of those flashlights that everyone needs. Give it as a graduation gift, new home gift, new car gift, or just a gift or your favorite paranormal investigator. We have actually bought 3 more so that we can each have one during investigations. 

This flashlight works a normal flashlight (that is very bright). The side has red LEDs that flash for emergency use. 

Features: 

• Weather Resistant Anodized Aluminum Body - Industrial Grade, Most Versatile Light Available! Features a rugged and high quality military-grade design for durability and versatility. It comes with an anodized aluminum body which is resistant to various elements of weather. 
• It is quite versatile and comes with a total of 29 LEDS (18 white LEDs and 11 red LED). Bulbs can last for more than 100,000 hours. Powered by 3AAA batteries (not included
• AYL LED Car Flashlight comes in a user-friendly design. It features a magnetic base that can be stuck on any metallic surface.
• It comes with 3 light options; Cree, White, and flashing Red LED for improved visibility.
• Easy operation: 1st click turns the CREE LED, 2nd click lights-up the 18 white LED, while 3rd click turns on RED LED. Click the Orange button to order NOW!

This is really the best flashlight EVER

Want to win one? Just comment below and let me know how you would use this light. 

Books (More Specifically Project Gutenberg): Blogging From A to Z

Books have always been a major part of my life. I'm one of those people that get obsessed and I'll read a book until I'm done, which often results in me getting behind in work. When I co-managed the bookstore, it was heaven. I mean, seriously- what better combination is there than great conversations, coffee, books, and discounts on books? Working there just increased my love of books. It wasn't until I moved in with the Mr that I realized how many I had accumulated over the years.  I moved AT LEAST 15 boxes of books- and that's after I donated a good many. After the bookcases were filled, they were stacked on tables, and even on the floors, to make a table.

Even now, my obsession continues, but more with kid books. With homeschool starting for us, my obsession went tunnel vision. It seems all I see is kids books, and we can't get enough of them.


The problem with this is that we are running out of room. Enter kindle. I love mine, and we even have the app on Tbomb's tablet. This is a great homeschool resource, but there is still a flaw in that it gets expensive buying all the books I want him to read.

Finally, when I was looking into the McGuffey readers for him, I stumbled across an awesome resource. Project Gutenberg is a resource with a catalog of over 48,000 books in its collection. These titles are available with little or no fee. Amazing, right?

Now, when I need a specific title for Tbomb (or my own research) and it isn't a book I necessarily am dying to own, I check Project Gutenberg first. In fact, I ended up buying the McGuffy's primer, but will use the readers in the Project Gutenberg collection. There are books in every genre and for every age level.

Ah-Maze-Ing: Blogging From A To Z

I have decided to participate in April's Blogging Challenge "Blogging From A-Z". I'll admit, I've been a bit behind the past week, but I really do have a great excuse. The weather has been AH-MAZE-ING! We have been spending so much time outside as a family.

We went out for a bigfoot expedition, which was nice. It was great to catch up with team members and socialize while getting back into the groove of things. One of our team members even smoked a wild boar. (Which is great because they are really becoming a problem in the area- to the point of being very dangerous.)

This week, my husband's family from Canada is visiting, so today, we took the kids and met them for a picnic.

So, there's lots on the blog and family to do list, but it's all the things that make life worth living. This is going to be a great spring and summer. I have a few series lined up for the summer that I think you are really going to enjoy. The blog is about to get AH-MAZE-ING!