I See a Light!

Wow! What a difference a date makes. The date I'm speaking of is my.......surgery date! Tada! Friday, or was it Thursday (?) My Dr's office called to schedule a full, abdominal, hysterectomy for Tuesday March 9th. It's the light at the end of the tunnel, and though I'm not crazy about going under the knife I am sooooo ready to live a life w/o pain all of the time. Wahoo!

By the way....any of you women know someone out there who has celebrated the removal of her uterus? Haha....I do! For years, when my Mom's "time of the month" would roll around she would exclaim "ugh! I've been trying to quit for years!!" Haha! When she got the word that circumstances would require the surgery, she went out to dinner to celebrate! How funny is that? Why not? If you KNOW you are done having babies - just take it all out - right? I understand...but there is still that part of me that is sad to see my baby-maker gone.

Speaking of seeing.....(disclaimer: do not read the following paragraph if you are easily grossed out - k-?)

Last night I was talking to my Mom on the phone and I told her that I want to have the Dr. save my 'parts' so that I can see them.  Wouldn't you be the least bit curious? I mean, this is part of my BODY that I've carried around since gestation, it's the part of my body that has grown my four children, so yeah, I want to see. I joked with my Mom that maybe I should take a picture to post it on my blog, LOL! She got really quiet and said "Do you really want to tell everyone about your private stuff?" to which I replied with an explination of blogging in 2010 and how one of the benifits of being honest about the crap in your life is that 1. others will empathize with  you, 2. you may educate someone who is looking for help, and 3. you make friends in the weirdest places!

I doubt that I will post a picture of my ovaries and uterus on this blog. Then again....

I should say here - for the record - 

When I was in Kindergarten I had my tonsils out.

I asked the Dr. to save them for me so that I could see them.

He did, and presented them to me in a clear jar floating in saline.

I took them home and showed them to my Kindergarten teacher (Linda Coray) when she came to visit.

Then, when I was better, I took them to school for show and tell.

No Joke.

Anybody want to see? Hahaha! Seriously, I am cracking myself up here. But I'm serious.

PS. My blog counter seems to be telling me that I'm having a few visitors. Thanks for stopping by :)

Nie Nie and Me

The other night I was having another bad night. The kind of night where I was feeling bad for myself and had been wishing I were dead rather than live for another moment with the pain and humiliation that comes with a disease that causes chronic pain. I had a long talk with my Dad, who understands chronic pain very well, and he opened my eyes to several things including what an amazing person he is. (which I already knew!) That evening though, I was still feeling awful so I decided to check out Stephanie Nielsen (Nie Nie) and see how she was handling her day. Needless to say she and I felt some things that were quite similar, like the discontent that comes from hanging out in bed while your children go about their normal day without you. But for the most part, she has it worse by 1000x more than I ever could - and I went to bed feeling grateful. Grateful that Stephanie was home from the hospital. Grateful to feel this funny connection for a person that I had never met. Grateful that I am only dealing with endometriosis and not trying to recover from a near fatal plane crash. Grateful for people who are willing to put their lives out on their blogs for the whole world to see and grateful for the perspective of the restored gospel that gives millions of people hope in a dark world.

This was two nights ago. On the morning of that same day I read a scripture that I'd read tons of times before but for some reason the meaning of the words hit me with NEW meaning and it seemed so obvious that I couldn't believe that I hadn't seen it before:

In the Scriptures it says:

 And again, I command thee that thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife; nor seek thy neighbor’s life.

Doctrine and Covenants section 19:25

When I've read this scripture before, the first thought I've had about the second sentence was "don't kill your neighbor" - right? Well, when I read this the other day the second sentence made me think about how often we, as women, wish that our lives were like so and so's. We wish that our husband were like Jane's and that our house was as big as Mary's and that our children were as well behaved as Lizzy's. How many people, I wondered, had wished and even sought to have a life like Stephanie Nielson did before her crash? If you haven't browsed through her blog or read the article in the AZ newspaper that details her accident, Click Here. Her life seemed perfect, even she felt like it was as good as it could get - but if  you had to go through her trials, would you really want her blessings?

It's a lesson for our times ladies. I just popped on over to her post for today and even Nie spent part of today wishing for "Ms. Jones" life. Understandable wouldn't you say? She inspires me, and I hope that somehow she knows that no matter how monotonous her days seem to her, they inspire me, and lots of women like me....like maybe you? Sending our love and prayers your way, Stephanie Nielsen.

Playdough and Percocet ;)

Praying for Spring, Playing with Color....!

Think spring....think spring....it will work, one of these days. Munchkin likes to point out that we need snow so that we have water to fill up the swimming pools in the summer. Last night, with her second-grade reasoning she told me that it would be okay if we didn't get more snow because with all of our water jugs in the basement, we could just use some of those to fill up the pool! Haha. Excatly what Kurt and I were thinking when we filled those up, put a little bleach inside and marked a date---swimming:)

Last week I was looking for something new for the kids to do and decided to make some playdough. I pulled out what I had recorded as "The Best Playdough Recipe" and my cake decorating supplies and set to work cooking up our first batch. Now, there are a million play-doh recipes out there and I tried many of them before settling on this one, it was so fast and easy that I ended up measuring out as many batches as I could for how much salt I had on hand.

I used some GEL icing colors that I  bought a couple of summers ago at a yard sale for an awesome price. Most of them were fairly dried out and gummy but since I could scrape some out and drop it in the pan at the beginning of the cooking process it melted and then distributed evenly.

SO FUN!!! SO COLORFUL!!!

I think that I had more fun making it just to look at the colors than anything. and....

the kids have played with it for HOURS.

Notice that the pink has a little purple swirled in? That was Bug who got ahold of two colors at a time. Call me uptight but I'm one of those Mom's that wants the playdough to remain colorful for more than five minutes. I spent some time showing the kids how to use different colors together without smashing them together so that they can still be pulled apart. The got the hang of it and 10 days later, we still have bright, vibrant colors :)

Here is JD's creation. I don't remember what he said it was, but it was fun! Here are some reasons that I love this recipe:

1. The oil in it makes it super smooth and it's NOT STICKY, it also keeps it from drying out.

2. Most kids are tempted to TRY and eat playdough, not that I blame them, it's so yummy looking. But this recipe has LOTS and lots of SALT in it - hence, detering most kids. I say MOST because in our house, who ended up trying to eat the most playdough? My almost EIGHT year old daughter! The same child who tries to put tons of salt on her veggies, lick the salt shaker, and snitch from spills on the counter. Sigh!

3. Adding a little bit of mexican vanilla makes it smell GOOD! I've thought about adding a little coconut extract, or orange, or lemon....mmmmm!

Click HERE to view or print our favorite Playdough Recipe!

AMAZING SIMPLE HOME REMEDIES!

My Mom sent this to me one day last week, then called me and had me read it outloud to her over the phone. I haven't laughed so hard in a while. It took me a bit to get over using the word 'laxatives' on my blog, so consider this your warning if you are reading this.

AMAZING SIMPLE HOME REMEDIES:

1. AVOID CUTTING YOURSELF WHEN SLICING VEGETABLES BY GETTING SOMEONE ELSE TO HOLD THE VEGETABLES WHILE YOU CHOP.

2. AVOID ARGUMENTS WITH THE FEMALES ABOUT LIFTING THE TOILET SEAT BY USING THE SINK.

3. FOR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE SUFFERERS ~ SIMPLY CUT YOURSELF AND BLEED FOR A FEW MINUTES, THUS REDUCING THE PRESSURE ON YOUR VEINS. REMEMBER TO USE A TIMER.

4. A MOUSE TRAP PLACED ON TOP OF YOUR ALARM CLOCK WILL PREVENT YOU FROM ROLLING OVER AND GOING BACK TO SLEEP AFTER YOU HIT THE SNOOZE BUTTON.

5. IF YOU HAVE A BAD COUGH, TAKE A LARGE DOSE OF LAXATIVES. THEN YOU'LL BE AFRAID TO COUGH.

6. YOU ONLY NEED TWO TOOLS IN LIFE - WD-40 AND DUCT TAPE. IF IT DOESN'T MOVE AND SHOULD, USE THE WD-40. IF IT SHOULDN'T MOVE AND DOES, USE THE DUCT TAPE.

7. IF YOU CAN'T FIX IT WITH A HAMMER, YOU'VE GOT AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM.

Remember....Laughter is the best medicine....and sometimes it's all you've got!

Pregnant? Oh please no.....

I had a dream last night that I was pregnant. I think. I think it was a dream, well, at this point in my life it would seem more like a nightmare, but it was around 3am when I got up to go potty and take some pain medicine. I laid in bed for the next hour and a half contemplating what another pregnancy would mean for our family. Firstly, I'm pretty sure Kurt would break something, or at least put his hand through one of our walls. He might swear once or twice, and then he would be really, really quiet for a few days - all the while, I would be talking and talking and trying to make things seem okay, even though inside I was dying. Then I would get mad at him for not having a better attitude and I would remind him who was going to spend the next several months sick. I thought about this for a little while.

Then I thought about how many people I know who would give anything to have a baby. I thought about how ironic it is that people seldom get what they want, when they want it. I thought about some close friends who have tried for three years to get pregnant and finally are (!) but still cautious because the thought of miscarriage is always there. I thought about one of my favorite blog designers, April Durham, and her public battle to have a baby - and the countless others that I know who would do anything for a little person to join their family. A little blessing and all of the diapers and sleepless nights and joyful moments that accompany that blessing.

Then I thought about my favorite moments in my life and how they were the four moments when each of my children were born. There is NOTHING that compares to holding a new little spirit so fresh from heaven, the smell, the feel of tinyness, everything. And a part of me hoped, just for a moment, that perhaps my dream was really one more of those moments in my life when the spirit has spoken to me in a way that only I can understand.

Those happy thoughts were quickly replaced with memories of years of post-partum depression that are over and in the past. It's a chapter of my life that I've closed with a sigh of relief, happy to never walk through that valley again. I've said before, and I'll say it again, if Post-Partum Depression weren't a part of the baby package for me I would have more children. But it's gotten worse with every pregnancy and there comes a point when you know that it's enough. I don't want to do that one again. I don't want my family to have to deal with everything that accompanies it either. Life is crazy right now, especially because they already have a Mom who is in pain most of the time. To add to that craziness would be....crazy! Loud, happy kids run around our home right now and wish for spring. They are loud, Mom and Dad say shhh, even when there isn't a reason to (habit you know!) and it's okay. Add one more to the mix and we may lose our minds...literally !

Of course I'll be watching for the tale-tell signs of NOT pregnant, but since I had a D/C during my surgery last Dec. 16th my cycle is all messed up. oooh the suspense :P

The Ugliest Little Thing - Transformed!

This is what I found during the same month that I found the sewing cabinet.

I don't have to tell you how thrilled Prince Charming was

to add another peice of ugly furniture to our garage ☺

I found it at a garage sale that I'd initially taken Kurt to because of the HUGE amount

of tools that were offered. He didn't buy any...but I spied this, the the VERY BACK

of the dark, dusty, overcrowded storage unit.

In the middle of downtown Ogden.

I would have been afraid for my life if I didn't have my Man with me.

When I asked the scary looking guy how much he wanted for it he said $10.00

I offered $8.00 (I know, but it's how the game is played) and he said OK.

$8.00 + Elbow Grease + One peice of glass for the front ($6.00) +

One roll of wrapping paper from

Tai Pan Trading Co.($4.00) =

A pretty darn cute place to show off my cookbook collection and my homemade Jam :)

   BEFORE

AFTER

It's not an amazingly high quality piece of furniture, but it has charm and it was a good deal.

Prince Charming cut two new shelves and I wrapped them with wrapping paper that I found at Tai Pan Trading Co. for a deal. I primed with aquaphor Gripper which is a primer that sticks to anything and makes sanding unnecessary, then topped it with two coats of Behr's Ultra Pure White High Gloss latex paint.

THE END!

A Solar System Bedroom

Phase Two of JD's Solar System Bedroom was to put the color on the walls. I mentioned earlier that I always paint the trim first, and I use a high gloss paint from Behr called 'Ultra Pure White'. The next thing we did was tape around the, now dry, trim. I like to use blue painters tape and then I use a trick that I read somewhere, a long time ago. Using any small paint brush (in this case just a craft, sponge brush) I seal the edges of the painters tape using Behr's Faux Glaze Medium. I bought a gallon of this stuff about 5 1/2 years ago and still have TONS left, most likely because I've never actually done a 'faux finish' on one of my walls! Faux Glaze looks milky white but dries clear, quickly. A thin layer on the edges of the tape gives me perfect lines and no annoying leaks to go back and touch up. It's the best.

[ Side note: One day about two weeks ago I stopped by my parents new house and during a casual conversation with their painter, he mentioned what a pain all of the mouldings were in their house. (The have TONS. I asked him if he had heard of this trick and he hadn't but got super excited and called his partner who was at Home Depot picking up supplies. I ended up on the phone with the "Head painter" trying to explain to him what he needed to do, yada, yada, yada. Anyhow, he found the Faux Glaze but called me back because the "You Can Do It, We Can Help" employee at Home Depot told him that you couldn't use the Glaze for this purpose. Of course I told him to ignore the guy at Home Dept and trust my 6 years of using this trick! In my mind, anything to make this guys job a little easier, and give my parents a better result...I'm thinking that home improvement stores make much more money by us trying to fix our mistakes rather than do it right the first time. Ha! ]

Bring on the BLACK! Months ago I had bought a cheap, $10.00 gallon of exterior, semi-gloss, black paint from Wal-Mart that was discounted. It had been in the garage through a couple of months of very cold weather and when we opened the paint, it was really tHiCk! It sure covered well, only two coats directly over white, but it also used the whole gallon, which (I think) was totally riduculous, but oh, well! Prince Charming♥ did an awesome job with only one or two drips on the carpet (which needs to be replaced anyway).
The color for the bottom half of the room was something I had deliberated about for weeks. Initially I wanted to use the turquoise that I used in our main floo 1/2 bath. Then JD told me it was a girl color, then I vascilated and thought olive green might look cool. I also thought about orange - for a second - but since I was going for a solar system and not HaLLoWeeN I threw that idea out the window. In the end, I changed the name of the paint from "turquoise" to "Surfer Blue", told JD that it was a boys color, and was totally thrilled with the out-come! Did I already mention that my fabulous hottie hubby did the painting all by himself because I was recovering from surgery? (Mwah!!Baby!)

When we went to pull the tape off the next morning, we had a bit of trouble with the black wanting to stick to the tape and pull off of the wall. This has happened before and I think it has something to do with the sheen that is used. As soon as we realized that the black paint and painters tape were having separation anxiety, Kurt used a razor blade to cut the paint where it met the tape. Wha-La!! Perfecto!!

Since the SUN was already finished, it was up right away, and decidedly more cool than the girly-girl fan that used to be in there. Kurt had installed a $15.00 super simple, one light fixture, before we had started. We have a compact flourescent light bulb in the socket and instead of the glass globe that came with it, the SUN is hanging from the screws!

This is a picture of my adorable "baby" brother lifting the Bug up to help put the stars on the ceiling. It's a perfect pic to see what I've described so far. Paint colors and the SUN - no more :)

Whew! That's it for Phase Two. Tomorrow I will post pictures of Phase Three which includes glow-in the dark stars that ROCK and PLANETS that look like they are floating in space (pun intended :).

From The Holy Bible, King James Version

Gen. 1: 1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth

From The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ

3 Nephi  9:15 Behold, I am Jesus Christ the Son of God. I created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are. I was with the Father from the beginning. I am in the Father, and the Father in me; and in me hath the Father glorified his name.

From The Pearl of Great Price

Additional scripture revealed in the Latter days containing communication

between our Father in Heaven and the Prophet of the Old Testament, Moses

Moses 1: 33 And worlds without number have I created; and I also created them for mine own purpose; and by the Son I created them, which is mine Only Begotten.

34 And the first man of all men have I called Adam, which is many.

35 But only an account of this earth, and the inhabitants thereof, give I unto you. For behold, there are many worlds that have passed away by the word of my power. And there are many that now stand, and innumerable are they unto man; but all things are numbered unto me, for they are mine and I know them.

36 And it came to pass that Moses spake unto the Lord, saying: Be merciful unto thy servant, O God, and tell me concerning this earth, and the inhabitants thereof, and also the heavens, and then thy servant will be content.

37 And the Lord God spake unto Moses, saying: The heavens, they are many, and they cannot be numbered unto man; but they are numbered unto me, for they are mine.

38 And as one earth shall pass away, and the heavens thereof even so shall another come; and there is no end to my works, neither to my words.

39 For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.

 

Go to http://www.gregolsenart.com/ for information about his newest masterpiece 'Hope On the Horizon'.

 CLICK on the picture to see the whole thing

I painted his ceiling BLACK!

Today is one of those days. I feel depressed, tired of my mal-functioning body and tired of dealing with too many doctors appointments and trips to the pharmacy. My fake it til you make it attitude is hiding under the covers and beckoning for me to join it for a while. So to cheer myself up I thought I'd post some of our progress on J.D.'s room.

BEFORE

This is actually the way that this room was painted when we bought the house in 2007. It's the smallest of our 5 bedrooms and we've moved the kids around quite a lot but have finally settled with JD here. He's asked for a solar system bedroom for several months so I've had plenty of time to plot it out in my mind. In the end I decided to paint the top portion of the walls AND the ceiling black instead of dark navy simply because I felt like the black was more realistic of outer-space. The trim was painted a high-gloss white about three months ago. Then my endometriosis kicked up enough that more painting was just not going to happen.  Poor JD, he really was a good sport to live in such a feminine environment for so long!

During Christmas break I was recovering from surgery and so, so grateful that I have a husband who is so family oriented. He was Mr. Mom, Prince Charming, and EQ Pres. all at the same time and he was so good through it all. One of the things I asked him to help me with was to finish a couple of homemaking projects during the break. I knew that if we didn't finish at least one or two, I would go crazy and be left super frustrated. You've heard the saying having to do with brains vs. braun? I can't quote it here so if you know it, feel free to check that comment box below and tell me - what I do know is that DOZENS of times I've used the word "we" and the only way someone could justify my using that word was that it was me using my brains and imagination and Kurt donating his braun and super hot muscles to the cause!

 ********************************

Phase one of JD's room makeover was painting the trim white. I use Behr's Ultra Pure White for all of the trim and doors in the house and I always paint the trim first. (The white is to tie all of our rooms together and also serves as one of the neutral elements to keep the color from being overwhelming.) This works for me because then when I am painting the walls, if the paint drips I can just pull out a baby wipe and clean it off. I ONLY tape the flooring when doing the trim, since it's the first color and the lightest I don't worry about keeping the paint off of the walls or having a hard time covering the color.

Also during phase one, I got crafty and transformed a paper lantern that we've had from IKEA for a couple of years and had recently been damaged by turning it into the SUN part of JD's solar system. I started with Modge Podge and though it worked well for mending the tears, it was also time-consuming. My research online in regards to Paper Mache'  found that liquid starch was sometimes used. I knew that since I was using tissue paper (in order to let the light through) using liquid starch would be really tricky, but in an awesome BrAiN bUrSt I remembered the little can of spray starch that I've had for, seriously, 5 years, sitting above the washer, lonely and neglected due to the advent of wrinkle-free dress shirts! It worked amazingly well and was so fast that I finished during the time it took for the pot of water to boil for our noodles. When the SUN  had dried, I did end up painting a coat of modge podge on the top of it as a sealer. The tissue that was applied with spray starch didn't dry hard and I wanted a more kiddo-proof finish. I used high gloss Modge Podge and love how the light reflects both through and off of the SUN!!

The paper lantern is the perfect size for the room and since the light shines through the tissue paper it adds a totally cool effect!

By using three different colors of tissue paper the varied look is totally amazing. The only thing I had to purchase for this little transformation was the tissue paper for about $2.00. Everything else I had on hand!

Also, I have since seen paper lanterns that are orange or yellow - of course after I had already done my own! I would still do this project on my own though. For one, the SiZe of the SUN is more unique to IKEA's lanterns vs. party supplies; and two, the swirled colors and gloss finish are two of the best aspects of the finished project!

Ahhh! Well, I feel much better now that I've had a little writing therapy, dropped JD off to kindergarten, started a load of laundry that includes a new nightgown for me (!), and put the two little ones down for their naps. I feel SO much better that I think I will go switch the wash and take a nap! Which means that part two of JD's solar system bedroom makeover will have to wait until tomorrow!! Smile.

Who says Oatmeal is boring?

I'm sure that this trick to get my kids more interested in their breakfast started a couple of years ago - with Cream of Wheat. I like to mix in about 1/4 cup of wheat germ into Cream of Wheat to add the fiber back in and one day I drew a heart in the kids bowl with some gel icing. This particular day ends up on my blog since the camera was nearby. The kids love to choose what color for Mom to write with, and I love to surprise them with something fun. They love to see what color it turns their warm cereal and since I usually have some of this writing get on hand, it's just a matter of pulling it out of the cupboard!

It looks so boring now.               

Adding a little silent color to our life never hurts so other than the slight calorie count and the awesome amount of artificial color....no biggie!                            

                     

       

 "Look into the center of the swirl....you will feel relaxed...you will obey instructions the first time....you will take a good nap..."

Wasn't she just a baby  a few weeks ago?

Darn those kids growing up all of the time!

Say it girl!! Yes, you have an awesome Mom.;)

Don't Hate Me....

Don't hate me. Before I tell you what I sold and how much profit I made I'll first lessen the sweetness of this amazing deal by letting you know that most of this money is going towards buying a new water heater. Wahoo. (not that I am ungrateful for the obvious blessing, I am.)

Now,this is what I bought off of KSL about a year ago for $50. Go ahead and click on the picture for a better look. Isn't it pretty? Not. Sike! Haha.

After spending it's allotted time in the garage to 'ripen' I pulled it into the house to paint it. Well, actually Prince Charming lugged it into the house so that I could paint it. After it was painted, it spent several months buried in my craft room. Eventually I realized that what I really want and need to do is organize the closet with shelving and a built in desk. I also realized that I really don't sew enough to justify a mechanical lift. I am NOT a seamstress. I can sew straight seams to make pillows, kind of, and I can't read a sewing pattern to save my life! Hence, the decision to sell it.

The only thing slowing me down was the 70's era hardware for the handles. I couldn't decide what to do with it, and the cold weather was preventing me from trying spray paint as an improvement tool.

In the end, I used black satin Ribbon! Wa-la!! Below is the finished product that fetched a whopping $700.00!!

As a final note: In case anyone reading this thinks that I may have ripped off the cute grandma who bought it from me, here is a picture of what you could buy today from an online internet store for $699.00, not including what would have to be paid for shipping + freight charges. Aren't I nice? :)

Tough Love vs. SPANKING!!

Oh! How I WISH sometimes I wouldn't be hauled away to jail for trying this method of getting through to one of our kids! Kurt just sent me this email and gave me a much appreciated laugh-out-loud. And if there is one thing I love, it's a reason to laugh in the middle of a 'same as usual' day - feel free to share the link to this page and give someone else a light-hearted reason to smile at a subject matter that usually just causes gray hair :)


Tough Love vs. Spanking - Good Argument


Most of the American populace thinks it improper to spank children, so I have tried other methods to control my kids when they have one of 'those moments.'

One that I found effective is for me to just take the child for a car ride and talk.

Some say it's the vibration from the car, others say it's the time away from any distractions such as TV, Video Games, Computer, IPod, etc.

Either way, my kids usually calm down and stop misbehaving after our car ride together. The eye to eye contact helps a lot too.

I've included a photo below of one of my sessions with my son, in case you would like to use the technique.

Sincerely,

Your Friend and fellow Parent
 

 
(Disclaimer: This is a joke and anyone who takes it seriously must have kids just like mine. Therapy, drugs, chocolate or running away have helped to keep me from resorting to these kind of humorous tactics. Remember: this is a JOKE, wink, wink!   ----Nicole)
(Oh, yes - I have no idea whom to give credit to for this email, since it was forwarded to my super hot Prince Charming who then sent it to me. So whoever you are...I don't take credit, but I do thank you for the idea! ----Nicole)

Teach Them to Walk, Talk, Pray and TYPE.

In this day and age knowing how to type is a skill of necessity that ranks up there with reading, writing, good manners, and kindness. In the school system our kids are introduced to the computer in kindergarten and for the most part those kids have been on the computer in their homes and/or preschools before even then. Our kids are taught to navigate websites and word-processing programs and before you know it they are expected to turn in a typed report. Unfortunately, during my research on the internet I've discovered that many schools have removed touch typing (typing w/o looking) from their computer curriculum. Chalk it up to one more stressed educational budget - this is one skill that I don't want my kids to miss out on. (though our school does teach touch- typing)
I don't know about you but watching my kids just play on the computer is irritating. I'm a much happier Mom if I know that they are learning something in the process. For this reason we only allow computer time if it's educational in some way. 
 Not to long ago I started looking around for a touch-typing program that our kids could learn at home and I discovered that the choices are endless. I downloaded a free-trial for one called Ten Thumbs Typing Tutor that we never ended up using. I knew this was a skill that our kids could learn and watching my oldest spend 30 minutes to type 2 sentences onto her blog was enough to keep me looking.

In the end I found a free program from a trusted web-site that my oldest finds both entertaining and easy to navigate. It has reinforced the typing skills she learned in kindergarten and first grade and has helped make her second grade computer time almost like a review. Since typing is one of those skills that you can improve on almost indefinitely I'm not too worried about her being bored during computer lab in the near future :) !

The home page for the BBC's Dance Mat Typing Teacher is found HERE !

Are images of children typing their own papers dancing through your head too? Sigh. Smile.