Kontan.

Archive for December, 2008

Yes, the gadget geek inside me strikes again.  Actually, Jem found this and I am having the best time exploring and customizing to my own web desires.  What is the new web toy?  A new browser.  Flock. 

Here’s what I know.  All of my favorite sites:  Facebook, Twitter, GMail, Photobucket, and all my blog buddies are linked in the same place with feeds and even site access for the social networks!  If you remember a while back I ranted about the the new iGoogle and how the new iGoogle sucks.  Problem solved.  News, blogs, and social sites all in one place with Flock!

I have been a Firefox fan for years.  Since switching to Firefox I have ventured back to IE when they tried to be like Firefox and failed miserably.  I also tried Safari, but liked its smooth look and nothing else.  Opera is a browser I have to use for my school grades, but I’m not a fan.  Firefox always came out on top…and it still may, but…

Flock is created in the shadow of Firefox and uses the same open source format.  It has all the goodness of Firefox, with the added benefit of included social network access within the browser, all your feeds so you can ditch iGoogle, and an attractive look too.  You can also blog from within the browser.  Yes, many of the same activities can be done through Firefox, but it requires the addition of add-ons.  All of my favorite Firefox features are included. 

Still exploring so I may have to come back and say no, stop, don’t!  Right now, I don’t think so.  I’m intrigued by the newness.

OMG, since Flock is powered by Mozilla most of the Firefox add-ons work with Flock! I can keep my Foxytunes! Yes, I’m a geek.

Inspired by Nicole’s Blog Green post I decided to embark on a new adventure. Hold on, I am not a tree hugger nor am I a mental environmentalist. I simply think it is a good thing to do and it is a lesson for the girls. It bothers me when there is trash in my park. I don’t think people mean to leave such a mess. Maybe the wind picks up a napkin, cup or bottle and blows it away from the picnic area. Rather than chase after it they may just let that one go. It’s just one, right? Anyway, it gets me out with the camera and it serves a greater purpose. The girls learn the importance of picking up after yourself and it is something to do together.

For the first adventure I took Lil Bit to our favorite park. Acres of land with tennis courts, putt putt, a lake and paddle boats, soccer fields, picnic pavilions, play areas, and walking trails. Since it was our first outing I grabbed a plastic shopping bag and two pairs of gloves. I wanted to see if Lil Bit would take to the idea so I only planned to do a small loop around one of our favorite areas of the park. Beautiful day to be out but oh SO windy.

From skywatch

Lil Bit was none too excited about this adventure. Going to the park is one thing, but picking up trash? Ew. It wasn’t a tremendous mess, but it also wasn’t hard to find the first photo-ops. A few bottles and napkins later Lil Bit was spotting trash. Gloves on, trash bag in hand, she was all about some trash pick up. It did become an adventure for her. She has an eye for spotting trash too.

From Blog Green

We looped around the lake and took time to play on the swings then headed back to our vehicle. We filled our bag, but it wasn’t overflowing. That’s a good thing. The park was rather clean. I have seen much worse. Next time we will each have a bag and dedicate more time to the project. Blog Green outing #1 will be declared a good start.

From Blog Green

Sage asked about the suitability of Marley and Me. My oldest is 11 and my youngest is 8 and I wish I hadn’t taken the 8 year old. It was a little too much life drama for her to enjoy. The 11 yo liked it fine, but there were a few parts where she was uncomfortable. She understood the insinuations and there was one scene where Jennifer Anniston strips for skinny dipping. Nothing is shown but it is obvious that she wasn’t wearing anything.

Overall thoughts of the movie…great story line, cute movie, good laughs, but not really a movie for younger kids.

I am usually not a fan of Jennifer Anniston’s movies, but in this one Owen Wilson brings it all together to make her acting so much better. He has a sarcastic wit that I enjoy. If you have ever had a difficult dog you will find comic relief in the antics of Marley. The life situations faced by the family are realistic enough that viewers can relate, laugh at, and sympathize with.

It is almost 12:30 AM, December 29th, and Lil Bit is STILL fighting sleep. She is so excited about a friend spending the night tomorrow that she can’t drift off to dreamland! ARGH! Go. To. Sleep. At least she is quietly pretending to try. Actually, she really is trying but is just too keyed up. I know the feeling.

I took the Big Kid to see Twilight this afternoon. The books are an OK read. I do not think they are as good as the Harry Potter series, but they are a nice read if you are looking for something easy and entertaining in a warm fuzzy kind of way. They will certainly help you reconnect with your inner teen. The movie? Typical book into a movie, but the acting was absolutely terrible! Think emo evil stares and that is the first 3/4s of the movie. The last part was the good part. With more action in the second book, maybe the second movie will be better. My cousin was spot on when she said you have to LOVE Edward in order to LOVE the movie. Don’t get me wrong, I am an Edward fan. However, I also really like Jacob in the second book. By the third he is becoming irritating. I haven’t made it all the way through the third yet so don’t spoil it for me.

My movie rating…it’s just one of those that you should see if you are reading the books. If you aren’t reading the books it will probably be very corny and stupid. However, my 11 year old LOVED it because it is the cool thing to like these days. (She hasn’t read the books yet, but will when her time allows.)

Last week we say Marley & Me. It was so cute. Now, I took the girls to see it and regret that decision. There are several insinuations that I would prefer to not discuss with the kids. However, cute movie with a nice story line and a good bit of humor.

More later…maybe. I’m going to attempt dream sleep for myself now.

clean a little, Wii a little, clean a little, Wii a little…

Think it will work?

We have thoroughly enjoyed our family time. The girls received a Wii for Christmas and it is tons-o-fun. It is also my new exercise routine.

As I wait for children to remain all snug in their beds, I am reflecting on the memories of Christmas past. We didn’t have much, but Gran tried to make it special. I still have the stocking she made for me. Every year I would awake to find fruit and candies overflowing the top. During middle school and high school it was my responsibility to decorate the tree. She would direct me from her hospital bed, a bare spot here or there. Despite how sick she was she would still have surprises for me on Christmas morning. Except my senior year. She wasn’t well enough to get everything out so she directed me from her bed. Putting the stockings together with fruits, nuts, and candies. We didn’t know who would be at the house come Christmas morning, but they would have a stocking. I wrapped the Santa gifts and placed them under the tree. It ended up being just as Christmas morning. I think my uncle and his significant other were there for Christmas lunch. Gran did most of the cooking, but tired quickly and simply directed the final touches from her bed.

I don’t know why that Christmas is the first that comes to my memory. I guess because it is the holidays that I miss her most. With little she did so much. Each stocking held the favorites of the recipient. Her gifts were not of wealth, but of love. That is most important.

I certainly hope that my children will look back on their Christmas memories and see the attempts to make their Christmas special.

Thank you for stopping by. Merry Christmas to you and yours.

Finally we drop out of the upper 60s (and even lower 70s) and into the chill of 22°.  Cold, it’s the way Christmas should be.  Shopping is done, and the menu is set for Christmas dinner.  It will be just us, and that is fine.  We stopped traveling on Christmas years ago.  It is so much easier to stay at home and let the kids enjoy their new toys.  Despite the smaller Christmas that we vowed to pursue I think the girls will be happy with the spoils presented to them. 

Jem has chili on and it is smelling pretty good.  Mmmm, the perfect meal when there is a chill in the air.  We’d better enjoy it now because the temp will be steadily going up for the rest of the week.  I always hope to not be able to wear shorts on Christmas day. 

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So thankful to have two weeks off. Nothing school related this week, but I do plan to do a few things next. I finished Christmas shopping today. Well, mostly. I would like to pick up a few pairs of earrings for the girls. Not essential, but it would be a nice addition to the stockings.

See this:

The empty mug

Did you notice that it was an empty mug? I did too.
Wednesday it contained mini chocolate bars, including my favorite dark chocolate. May I again point out that it is an empty mug. I would also like you to know that I enjoyed only two of the chocolate bars from the now empty mug.

I think I will include only the mini candybar wrappers in the stockings this year…think they’ll get the hint?

Just a few more hours and we will be off for break! I am SO looking forward to a few weeks of relaxing at home. I plan on doing nothing school related next week and then slowly getting back to work the next…but I will do it from the comfort of my home while wearing comfy lounge around the house clothes and happy socks.