What’s that you say?  Today isn’t Saturday?  Well, we were busy Saturday watching Perry and the other guys from VF practice for next week’s annual football game with College Plus.  5 days and counting!

Since we’re on the topic of wargames – you do agree that football is a wargame, don’t you? – I’ll mention that today’s Deal Of The Day is a pair of High Impact Roman Short Swords for $42.  These are perfect for sparring by big boys, who don’t mind a few bruises but prefer not to actually lose a limb.  Another bonus: like boys but unlike wooden swords, they are nearly indestructible.  Click through the link to see a video of the swords in action in the VF warehouse.  :)

Speaking of Deal Of The Day, I spent Friday at VF helping to assemble a very fun upcoming Deal Of The Day.  Keep an eye out, and subscribe to the DOTD  daily email in the right sidebar so you never miss a great deal!

THE SALE

And – oh!  It’s just launched!  The 20% off Everything plus $5 flat shipping sale!  Use the code ALLEXTRA20 to get your discount. [exp 11/19] Go, go, go!  It even applies to already discounted items, which means you can get an extra $8.40 off those Roman swords, bringing today’s price down to $33.60.

This would be a good time to take a peek at the clearance outlet.  Just a quick glance shows that with an extra 20% off, you could get Passionate Housewives for $6.40, Raising Maidens of Virtue for $9.60, Expelled DVD for $10, Praying Mantis Kit for $9.60, and Carson zPix 200 Digital Microscope for $76.

Sorry.  This wasn’t supposed to be a Vision Forum post, but I’m excited about that sale and I knew about it ahead of time but was sworn to secrecy until the email went out.  You are on the email list, right?

Silly Searches with Larry:

• What to do when basement floods feces – Sadly, you probably found what you were looking for.  We’ve been there, done that, and lived to tell the story.  This is only funny if it’s 1) Not your own house, or 2) At least 10 years ago.
• What should guys wear to labor and delivery – I don’t know but he’d better look good, because if a guy is having a baby the media is sure to be there.
• How to get baby to walk early - This is obviously your first child, and you haven’t yet realized that when they start to walk, they have 2 free hands.  This is when the true destruction begins and your house will never again look the same.
• butterless biscuits – You’ll never find those words together on my blog!  Well, except just now…
• why children should sit in church - We prefer for children to SIT in church because it’s disruptive to others when they do jumping jacks, play tag, get corrected by the preacher in the middle of a sermon, or run shrieking up the middle aisle and across the front of the church during the benediction because they think the pastor’s son is going to tickle them when the service is over. Not that any of our kids have ever done that, of course, because I already would have told you, right?  Even if it was 16 years ago…
• if its dirty clean it – really?  You needed google for this?  Here’s a bonus tip:  If somebody tells you it’s dirty even though it looks fine, go ahead and clean it.  There’s probably poop, vomit or a dog involved.

What I’ve been reading:

• Deal Alert: Holiday Photo Cards and Gifts from Walgreens, See Here, and More!
  With Christmas just around the corner, I will be posting more holiday photo and gift deals, as well as, highlighting some great DIY gift ideas. My Publisher New customers to My Publisher can snag a free Hardcover Photo Book (a $19.99 value!) Enter...
• Deal Alert: Holiday Photo Cards and Gifts from Walgreens, See Here, and More!
  KimC says: Tis the season for great deals, and here's a list to get you started.
  With Christmas just around the corner, I will be posting more holiday photo and gift deals, as well as, highlighting some great DIY gift ideas. My Publisher New customers to My Publisher can snag a free Hardcover Photo Book (a $19.99 value!) Ente...
• Sew a Button on Your Dish Cloths for Easier Scrubbing
  Sometimes your sponge can only go so far in getting stuck food off dishes. Home-centric weblog Re-Nest recommends sewing a button on the edge of your dish cloth for scrubbing off particularly stubbor...
• Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle
  I’m pretty much over the moon to share my pumpkin gingerbread trifle recipe with you today. I recently found a gingerbread cake recipe which was the springboard for this delicious dessert! I’m already planning to make it again for Thanksgiving…...
• Happy Birthday, 7 Billion!
  We welcome the birth of the seven-billionth person this week. What a fantastic achievement, a superb undertaking. The Jeubs couldn’t be happier for the world. Are we mad? Such a positive view of growing population is madness to some. Claiming a gr...
• Sew a Button on Your Dish Cloths for Easier Scrubbing
  KimC says: Handy idea, and cute too!
  Sometimes your sponge can only go so far in getting stuck food off dishes. Home-centric weblog Re-Nest recommends sewing a button on the edge of your dish cloth for scrubbing off particularly stubbo...
• Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle
  KimC says: I was just thinking we should try some new holiday recipes and then I stumbled across this bit of glory. What new foods and recipes are you planning to try?
  I’m pretty much over the moon to share my pumpkin gingerbread trifle recipe with you today. I recently found a gingerbread cake recipe which was the springboard for this delicious dessert! I’m already planning to make it again for Thanksgiving??...
• Happy Birthday, 7 Billion!
  KimC says: Think the world is small and crowded? Step outside the city. Go hunting.
  We welcome the birth of the seven-billionth person this week. What a fantastic achievement, a superb undertaking. The Jeubs couldn’t be happier for the world. Are we mad? Such a positive view of growing population is madness to some. Claiming a g...
• Shopping At Old Navy And What I Discovered....
  CreditI'll admit it-I just don't get out much! With four little children I don't have the time to hit up thrift stores constantly, much less attempt to shop at the mall where I hardly ever find anything I can 1. afford or 2. think is modest. Sometime...
• Shopping At Old Navy And What I Discovered....
  KimC says: I like the way she thinks. Co-ed fitting rooms aren't a huge issue, but they are more disturbing when you see them as a symptom of a bigger problem.
  CreditI'll admit it-I just don't get out much! With four little children I don't have the time to hit up thrift stores constantly, much less attempt to shop at the mall where I hardly ever find anything I can 1. afford or 2. think is modest. Sometim...
• Tomato Basil Homemade Pizza
  We are homemade pizza lovers around these parts, as I’m sure most of you are already aware. I make pizza about once a week with my super easy pizza crust and I always change it up with various toppings.  Recently, I made a tomato basil homemade p...
• 5 Ways To Decorate With Maps
  A trend that I’ve noticed in recent months is a resurgence of decorating with maps. Not just “normal” decorating with maps like hanging a world map in a classroom or placing a floor-standing globe in an office. This recent trend takes decoratin...
• Tomato Basil Homemade Pizza
  KimC says: Must. Have. Pizza.
  We are homemade pizza lovers around these parts, as I’m sure most of you are already aware. I make pizza about once a week with my super easy pizza crust and I always change it up with various toppings.  Recently, I made a tomato basil homemade...
• Simple Pumpkin Muffin Recipe and Giveaway Winners
  The other morning we made pumpkin muffins for breakfast and they were deliciously moist and  yummy. The exciting part is we only used TWO ingredients!!! Yes, just two--take a look above, just cake mix and canned pumpkin! You whip this all together...
• Pinterest brilliance
  WHY in all the years I’ve been buying Parmesan cheese and canning jars did I never notice that a Parmesan cheese lid fits perfectly on a regular-mouth canning jar???  Thanks, Pinterest!  This would be a great lid for homemade salad dressing in a...
• Pinterest brilliance
  KimC says: Brilliance! What will you do with this knowledge?
  WHY in all the years I’ve been buying Parmesan cheese and canning jars did I never notice that a Parmesan cheese lid fits perfectly on a regular-mouth canning jar???  Thanks, Pinterest!  This would be a great lid for homemade salad dressing in a...
• Art of the Month Club
  Homemade Christmas Gift #47: Art of the Month Club This is such a clever idea, I wish I would have thought of it ten years ago. It’s a great way for grandparents to display their grandkids’ artwork and for parent’s to get rid of some of that...
• Beanbags and a bucket. No beanbags? Put some rice or beans in
  Beanbags and a bucket.  No beanbags?  Put some rice or beans in one of those thousands of unmatched socks, tie a knot in the sock and there you have it. Toss them to each other, into a laundry basket, bucket, or trash can, or spread out a towel w...
• BEST Temperature and Climate Change
  Theres a huge tiff in the Climate Science world- the lead author of some recent papers analyzing BEST temperature data issued some public statements about the results of their research that took the second author by surprise, completely.  She says t...
• Art of the Month Club
  KimC says: LOVE
  Homemade Christmas Gift #47: Art of the Month Club This is such a clever idea, I wish I would have thought of it ten years ago. It’s a great way for grandparents to display their grandkids’ artwork and for parent’s to get rid of some of that...
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What’s on your plate? Answer figuratively or literally.  I had our first-ever homemade bruschetta on my plate last night.  It was a big hit!  It was our first attempt at fancy-schmancy Sunday snacks, and we’re inspired.  What should we try next?

The highlight of this week was definitely our trip to the zoo!  It was our first time in years, but we hope to repeat it frequently now that we have a family pass again.  This was Rachael’s gift to the family for Christmas last year, but fortunately the clock didn’t start ticking until we used it for the first time.  Don’t ask me why we waited so long – it’s a long and sordid story of gas prices, out of town trips, and procrastination.

I pulled out my phone to snap photos and – wouldn’t you know it?! – the camera was broken.  It’s under warranty but this is the 5th time since July and I WANTED PHOTOS.  Thankfully Deanna’s phone camera was working so she snapped some good ones, but I am going to press for a new phone this time instead of yet another repair.

The zoo was was wonderful, though I was only able to take 7 of the kids this time.  It was a first for one or two of the youngest – I don’t remember just how long it’s been.  It was a perfect fall day – just a little chilly, but warming just to perfection as time passed. Parker studied each animal with his own brand of quiet delight, pointing and jabbering softly to himself and whoever was holding him.

Apparently somebody saw us, too.  An occasional reader emailed me later that day to say she had spotted us but didn’t recognize us until later.  (Note to self: quit procrastinating and answer some email, starting with that one!)

In the new Africa exhibit, we started out at the aquarium, spending several long minutes studying the hordes of fish.  There were big black oscars like the one my parents had when I was little, and cichlids like the older kids remembered from our own tank 10 years ago.  We watched them move about the tank, many of them nibbling at two huge boulders in the center of the tank.  Finally we moved on, looking for more exciting animals.

As we left the exhibit, Rachael tugged at my skirt.  ”Mom, are those hippos?”  I looked again at the massive boulders.  They had little tails right in the center.  And feet at the bottom.  Facepalm.  Hippo butts.

We had a good look at an impressive Nile Crocodile in the tank next to the hippos.  He had double rows of upright scales down the length of his heavily muscled tail, and after a few minutes he slowly opened his jaws wide, showing off rows of gleaming white teeth.  Perry loved him, but I held Parker up to see and his reaction was very different.  He made scared noises and desperately signed, “”All done!  All done!”

Bethany learned that elephants are actually much larger than anteaters.  Maybe she won’t confuse the two from now on.

I intended to spend just a couple of hours there, but before we knew it the clock struck 2.  On our way to the exit, we came across a sandy [man-made] river where kids were invited to splash, play and even swim.  I’m not sure if the zoo actually intends for children to take them up on the offer this late in the year, but I’m a cool mom every now and then.  It was over 60 degrees (or close enough) and most of my kids had a change of clothes in the van.  I let them splash around and get their legs wet, and we called it a day.

We ended with our traditional group photo on the lion sculptures at the entrance/exit.  Deanna was with us too, but insisted on being behind the camera.

Searches that lured unsuspecting visitors into our web on the web:

• reasons to have children, immediately after a search for reasons for headaches.  The first often shows up with searches for how to remove a toilet tank, too.  Is there a connection?  Is the pope Catholic?
• fun with dry ice – this wasn’t funny, but was fun and gets lots of google searches.  Maybe you’d like to see it?
• nursing giveaway – I’m not giving away any nursing.  You’re gonna have to get up in the middle of the night with your own kid.

What did your week look like?

Friends, neighbors, countrymen, lend me your ears! The Founding Fathers Project needs your help.  How is that for mixed metaphors?  I couldn’t resist, though, especially after I accidentally got sucked into 20 minutes of reading Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. I wanted to check the context of the quote (Shakespeare wrote some bawdy stuff, you know!) and forgot just how riveting his writing can be. For Brutus is an honorable man…

But there are only 47 hours left and counting, so I’ll quit reading for now.  Two young men we know – much more honorable than Brutus – are working hard on a project to bring history to life for young people.  We have known Preston and Daniel and their families for years through Vision Forum.  These bright young men are working to raise $15,000 to create an interactive history experience for the iPad.  They must receive the full amount in pledges by Friday, October 28 at 11:39 AM EDT or they won’t receive any of the pledges at all.  It’s all or nothing.

The men of The Founding Father’s Project are reviving tried and true historical content to teach in a fresh and appealing way in the struggle to preserve our history.

Using interactive, state of the art iPad book technology they are creating an app which draws the user into the pages of history and reanimates the framers of our Republic.…

While books continue to be published about our founders and their values, fewer people read… We have been given new access to current and future generations and these creative avenues of communication must be exploited and brought under the dominion of Christ. We must use all the weapons that providence has placed at our disposal and here is a ground-floor use for one of the newest. While George Washington was the sword of the founding of the Republic, Patrick Henry the trumpet, Thomas Jefferson the pen—without men like John Hancock and Henry Morris, who provided the purse, the day would not have been won.

Consider helping these creative young warriors seize the moment… to preserve the truths of the past for which our fathers pledged their lives and sacred honor to secure.

Looking for more specific info?  Here’s what Preston and Daniel are working on:

We are designing an interactive iPad App that will “speak” the language of today’s youth. The Founding Fathers Project App will have theme appropriate, intentionally selected, historically factual, edifying visual, and primary source historical content…all produced in the “language” of today’s youth. We at AppTankDesigns know the language and we believe we can use that language to make America’s providential history relevant to young people.

If you don’t think that’s particularly cool, maybe you aren’t aware of the possibilities.  I wasn’t aware of the possibilities.  Now I see why people are all in a tizzy about these new-fangled iPads.

Using the “learning by doing” method, this app will combine all three learning modalities (for all three types of learners: visual, auditory and tactile). This format can bring history to life using the language of the young and the God designed function of the brain.

I love that they are thinking in terms of 3 major learning styles!  This appeals to the educator in me, and shows me how likely it is to appeal to nearly anyone. I have a couple of interactive children’s books on my Android phone, and would love to see a truly riveting interactive history series like this for my phone, computer, or my children’s iPods.

Would you consider helping these guys today?  Even a few dollars helps if enough of us pitch in, and you might be entered in a drawing to win a free iPad.  Remember, if they don’t get pledges for the entire $15,000 your pledge won’t even be taken.  I’m doing it now!  I’m so serious, I’m not even procrastinating.

We spent the last 7 days in Tennessee on a whirlwind wedding trip that turned into a full-length vacation, thanks to car trouble.  No, not our own car trouble.  We were going to hurry home so as not to miss a Texas visit by my Tennessee sis and her family, but their own car trouble kept them home, so we stayed longer than planned.

This gave the girls time to hit a few thrift stores and expand their collection.

The Circle of Coghlan life

While were there, I discovered that the old lady’s still got it: I jogged 3 miles nonstop.  I guess I should confess that Perry and 2 of the girls were walking beside me while I jogged, so you can adjust your admiration and/or envy levels accordingly.  Nonetheless, I was thrilled.  This was the very sort of jogging that made me kiss the pavement in woozy despair last year, and I was sure I had lost the ability altogether after a full year of being a quitter.  Now I’m jazzed – almost – about taking up jogging again.

In other news, I have proof that I am One Hot Mama.  I may have slightly set fire to my bra.  While wearing it.  I blame the jogging, indirectly, because that caused me to be wearing a highly flammable cotton jogging bra and no nursing pads.  I was using a hair blower to dry a milk spot, and got it a little too close.  When I smelled smoke and saw the scorched spots, I decided it was dry enough.  You never knew I was a bra burner, did you?  Take that, patriarchy hating feminists!

Incidentally, Zulily has cotton nursing bras and camisoles on sale today 2/$11.99.  Just in case you happen to have burned any lately and need replacements.

Recent searches that lured flies into our web on the web:

Ok, you know what?  I see nothing funny.  Maybe that’s because I just drove straight through the night and am now going on 2 hours of snoozing between 6-8 AM.  Maybe our blog had a really boring week.  This week it’s your turn.  Did your blog receive any hits from interesting searches?

Good blog articles I’ve read over the past week:

• DIY Dollhouse
  KimC says: Oh. My. Goodness. Am I too old to wish for a dollhouse?!
  Homemade Christmas Gift #36: DIY Dollhouse I’m giving you two months to find an old bookcase and make this awesome dollhouse for a little girl on your Christmas list. This is such a great idea! Ann has step by step instructions on her website so...
• Rearranging for Functionality
  KimC says: I like her. Not sure what that says about me and my housekeeping, but I would love to know her in real life.
  Once upon a time, I posted about clearing the floor of my walk-in closet.  It was a big deal to me, and after weeks/months/who-knows-how-long of doing major bodily contortions to get to my clothes, I was happy about it. I shared my progress, got th...
• Homemade Hobby Horse
  KimC says: Another winner in the Handmade Gifts category!
  Homemade Christmas Gift #35: Homemade Hobby Horse How cute is this homemade Christmas gift? (The horse not the boy- although he is a cutie) My kids always wanted one of these horses, but they are so expensive. You can make one for a fraction of th...
• 31 Days of Femininity: How to make your own accessories
  KimC says: So cute, so easy, and stained t-shirts? We've got them!
  *Note-for those of you who remember that I outlined this series at the start, you have probably already realized that I have taken a little bit different path that I originally had planned out. I still intend on getting to the other two topics befor...
• 10 Wood Pallet Decor Ideas
  KimC says: I'll bet I could get my hands on some free pallets. What should I do with them?
  Scrap wood pallets are some of the most awesome recycled {usually free or very inexpensive} wood for home decor!  I’ve been dying to build something out of pallets, so I decided to devote an entire post to wood pallet inspiration. My first pallet...
• The Top 1% and Crony Capitalism
  KimC says: Dear America: read this.
  The UK online says if we just took the top incomes of the top ten highest paid CEOs, those incomes would cover the salaries of just over 18,000 Americans. Query: So if we simply fired those top ten CEO's, stole the salaries their company's sharehol...
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This week I took up jogging again.  It sounds so easy when I say it like that, but the reality is that I haven’t jogged since I puffed, wheezed and stumbled through the last week of Couch to 5K a year ago.  I’m almost starting from scratch again, and I feel like this when I finish each “jog”:

I’m using a different program this time, and I plan to take it easier.  I put the word jog in quotes because what I’m doing hardly qualifies as jogging: I walk 3.2 mph for 2 minutes, then jog 5.1 mph for 1 minute.  Repeat for a total of 10 cycles, trying to cover 2 1/4 miles in 30 minutes, then collapse in the middle of the road because it’s still 1/4 mile to home, and wave away passing vehicles when they stop to ask if I’m ok.

That’s my current routine.  Fun, huh?  Actually the beautiful fall weather makes it almost fun.

Almost.

Who am I fooling?  I still hate exercise, but I love that I’m feeling better and stronger, and my kids and hubby keep telling me I’m hot.

Searches that brought unsuspecting web surfers to our crazy little piece of reality:

• What’s a small house? - If a kid falls out every time someone opens the front door, you might have a small house.
• why do scorpions get on beds – The better to sting you, my dear!
• scorpions hide under pillows – Yes.  Yes, they do.
• paralyze indecision fear ship empty boxes – I have no idea what that means, but Bob Newhart might be able to help you.
• girl with spiders living under skin- Hubby had that dream once, and it was way scarier than the zombie apocalypse dream I had last night.  Scarier for me, I mean.  I woke up to him screaming and thrashing around under the sheets.  We still tell that story around the figurative family campfire.
• how to get my own room in a 3 bedroom house with 4 people in it – Well, you’ve already got a 50-50 chance.  If you’re really serious, I recommend poor personal hygiene and a lot of garlic.

What I’ve been reading, which isn’t much because I was busy getting my ducks in a row for this weekend – oh, but look!  A surprise from Google Reader: all the posts I thought I was sharing last week!

• Homemade Tutu
  KimC says: OH MY GOODNESS. How many of these do I need to do? How many daughters and nieces under 10yo do I have?
  Homemade Christmas Gift #26: Homemade Tutu This is a no sew gift that any little girl is going to love! Save money by making an inexpensive tutu for your favorite little girl this Christmas. You can find the tutorial here. Don’t miss any of the...
• Use Pinterest to Find a New ‘Do
  KimC says: Boy do I wish I had seen this before Thursday. Bad haircut day!
  Over the years I’ve used a number of bookmarking methods. Saving the url in my browser, stumbling it, and other such means worked, but sometimes I would forget where I bookmarked it. Pinterest is different. Since it’s visually driven, I tend to...
• Ten Ways: Leftover Baked Potatoes
  KimC says: With colder weather (i. e. not in the triple digits) we are enjoying potatoes again. Somehow they just sound better in cool weather, don't they?
  (why, yes, I'm on a Cheap Food Posting Kick lately... reducing our grocery costs or making the food we have last lander is on my mind quite a bit these days, and I imagine I'm not the only one!)Ways to use up leftover baked potatoes:1) Topping for S...
• Said the Spider to the Fly
  KimC says: My favorite part: "In the founding era, the basic orientation was this: 'How can we protect our rights from Congress?' Today, the assumption for many has become: 'How can we have our rights protected by Congress?' Come into my parlor said the spider to the fly.
  When the Constitution first came out of the convention, the opposition to it (as it then was) was identified with the anti-Federalists, led by men like Patrick Henry. The support for it was called Federalist, led by men like James Madison. In the re...
• Weekend Links: Dominion Theology, Remodeled Room and More
  KimC says: Set aside a few minutes for this article, then come back and tell me what you think. really
  I loved Connie’s “Do You Have 5 Loaves and 2 Fish?“. This idea for Game Storage = Wall Art is much better than my stack of broken game boxes in the closet. (You store all the game pieces behind the board.) If you have your thinking cap on...
• 4 Moms Memorize {and 2 Giveaways}
  KimC says: I am so glad to find a detailed description of this memorization system! Someone please remind me to actually do it, ok?
  Memorization is something that I’m passionate about and  something that I think is sorely neglected in today’s society. Memorization is an important part of our home school and one of our children’s first subjects. We work on memorization 5...
• Sam’s Club Seasonal Membership
  KimC says: If I wasn't a loyal and deeply devoted Costco customer, I would jump on this deal.
  If you want a Sam’s Membership for the holidays but don’t want to pay for a full year, you can purchase a 15-week seasonal membership for $15. It is available for purchase between October 4 and 10 and allows new members to shop in-club and onl...
• Vintage Lace Earring Holder
  KimC says: I made up the same idea over the summer, and it's hanging next to my dresser!
  Homemade Christmas Gift #19: Vintage Lace Earring Holder This is such a great idea and you can reuse old frames/ mirrors in your attic or garage to make it. If you don’t have any old frames check out garage sales or thrift stores. Often times gr...
• Human Assets v. Human Liabilities
  KimC says: I read this on my phone and the video wouldn't load, but I have a feeling I would have liked it.
  Funny, it wasn’t a popular word when we were growing up, but it’s a most popular term thrown around today. A “worldview” is the way you view the world. We don’t typically “think about” our worldview; it’s really just the way we thin...
• Granola Recipe: Easy and Healthy Granola Bars or No Bake Cookies | Squawkfox
  KimC says: Oh, yum! I don't have a food processor, but I bet my new Ninja blender could handle the job!
  I have a thing for granola. No, I'm not a trippy hippie. But I do love the healthy simplicity of a delicious granola bar while outside on a hike or as an
• Mommy Hates Cooking ebook Giveaway
  KimC says: I'm sharing this just because I'm so impressed with the cover of the ebook. If I ever publish an ebook, I want the same designer. Now I have to find out who it is.
  I have talked about menu planning since I first started this site. It is something I have done for years and something I think is important for saving money and saving time. I would go crazy without a menu plan. When Kristy from Mommy Hates Cooking...
• Couch to 5K
  KimC says: Wondering...should I do this program again? The first time was SO HARD I never want to run again, but I know it would be much easier this time.
  If you follow me on Facebook you have probably read my udaptes about the Couch to 5k program. You might have also read my update earlier this week about how excited I was to actually finish the Couch to 5k program. And not only did I complete it, I...
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What were some of the highlights of your week?

It’s the end of the week, and I hope you won’t think less of me if I say that cookies were my favorite part.

After all, these weren’t just any cookies.  They had chocolate and peanut butter and oats, and you don’t bake them.  We love our no-bake cookies!  What more could I ask?  Well, more cookies maybe.  They were gone entirely too fast.

Parker is moving in for the kill cookie.  That kid climbs everything, everywhere, every chance he gets.

Do you think the speed with which the cookies disappeared was related to the size of the bites we took?  Nahhh…

Searches that brought people to Life in a Shoe this week:

• couch to 3k – I believe the program is Couch to 5k, but I don’t blame you for trying.  I would have stuck with 3k if there was an option.
• mature reasons to have kids – Not to be confused with immature reasons to have kids, like having an excuse to buy junk food or that toy you always wanted when you were little.
• how can children be diligent? – I know!  It hardly seems possible, right?  Like an oxymoron.
• fitting 3 girls in one room - The problem isn’t fitting the girls in one room.  The question is how to fit all their stuff in one room!
• how to make a small house work – I’m still learning to make children work.  My house mostly just sits there doing nothing.

And a few of my favorite posts from other blogs this week:

• I Was Previously Unaware That Such A Bridge Even Existed
  Well, today is my birthday, and I am 27 years old. IN MY MIND, AT LEAST. Birthday delusions aside, I’m happy to tell you that Mamaw’s sciatica subsided over the weekend, though I seem to have added a sinus infection to the mix. Later in the week...
• I Was Previously Unaware That Such A Bridge Even Existed
  KimC says: I'm sharing this even before I read all the "I can't believe I just said that" parenting comments because I'm that confident that they are hilarious, and you and I should both read them.
  Well, today is my birthday, and I am 27 years old. IN MY MIND, AT LEAST. Birthday delusions aside, I’m happy to tell you that Mamaw’s sciatica subsided over the weekend, though I seem to have added a sinus infection to the mix. Later in the week...
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WHUUUU? I blame you. Most of the links I saved to share with you are gone or duplicated, because nobody had a better suggestion than the buggy google-reader-sharer-and-reader-on-my-phone-thingies I was using.  Well, just pretend there was a list of about 9 really great articles here, because THERE SHOULD BE.

BTW, I just have to ask: is anyone reading my procrastination series so far?  Were you going to read and/or comment, but decided to do it later?

This week has been a doozy, and I’m not ready to say why.  It’s bad enough to air your own dirty laundry, but when the laundry belongs to those you love it’s even worse.   It took me a year to blog about our case of head lice because I didn’t want to scare our friends or embarrass our children.  I had to wait until the little creeps were long, long gone.  Oh, wait.  I never did mention it, did I?  Go figure.

Now I’m wishing our biggest concern was lice.  It might be a long while before you hear about this week too, but you could pray for us nonetheless.  Friends, don’t worry.  It’s nothing parasitic.

Still struggling to avoid duplicates on these lists.  Does anyone out there use a google reader app on their android phone to read/save items (I want the ability to add notes as I go), then a wordpress plugin to pull them into a blog post?  All I need is one geeky reader.  Anyone?  Anyone?

• Top 10 Ways to Turn Your Retired Gadgetry into the Technology of the Future
  KimC says: Cool stuff here and I think we're geeky enough to pull off some of these ideas. I wonder if Perry is reading this?
  With the rapid progression of technology each year, it's easy to accumulate a pile of obsolete gadgets that you just can't bear to get rid of. So don't! Here are our top 10 ways you can take the r...
• What to do With the Fat from Homemade Broth
  KimC says: Yet another "why didn't I think of that" moment.
  The most popular post on The Happy Housewife is my whole chicken in a crock pot recipe. Not only has it been viewed over 200,000 times the post has over 200 comments! If you want to save money in the kitchen but are afraid to tackle a whole chicken...
• Fun Hair Tutorials
  KimC says: I love the first 2 styles. I wonder if they're easy enough to do on yourself, or if the girls and I would need to have a hair party?
  CreditDirections here. CreditWhich one is your favorite? I love the Twisted Sister hairstyle! Share
• Thank You! Favorite Things Mega Giveaway
  KimC says: 5 fun giveaways to celebrate an anniversary. Go win something!
      I have some exciting news to share! In August TidyMom turned 3  AND reached 10,000 followers on Facebook!   Back on that day  August 9, 2008 I don’t think I ever could have imagined where I’d be today! (funny little side note: my Whirl...
• Seven Best Practices for Reading to Your Children
  KimC says: I already do some of the items on this list, and really should do the rest. How about you?
  There is something magical about pulling out a book and reading it aloud to the children. Whenever we pull out an old storybook or a library book, the kids huddle around to hear Mom or Dad (or big sister or brother) reveal the sense behind the colo...
• What About Starving Africans?
  KimC says: I love the exercise in logic, but they had me at the title.
  We posted Bible verses about the blessing of children, encouraging parents to consider having another. Judging from some responses, we were asking too much. Consider this one: This blog is so judgmental and condescending. You can say that it isn’...
• Eat Well and Spend Less with an Emergency Fund in your Pantry
  source: marthastewart.com via Amy on Pinterest The following is from contributing writer Amy Many people prepare for an emergency by protecting the things they own, so that if something does happen, their items can, for the most part, be replaced....
• Homemade Christmas Gifts
  Did you know there are only 100 days left until Christmas? If your budget is tight this year and/ or you need gifts for everyone from your great aunt to the soccer coach you might want to consider a few homemade Christmas gifts. Homemade Christmas g...
• Using Whole Grains
  Did you know September is National Whole Grains Month? I didn’t either, but I thought since we’re celebrating (and what’s not to celebrate about whole grains) I would share with you some of my favorite whole grain recipes, cookbooks, and tips....
• Meal Planning: Making Our Produce Box Work For Us
  I love it that I’m getting a load of fresh produce each week. While it can be a little awe-inspiring to unpack the box, it’s been fun to enjoy such wonderful tasting fruits and vegetables each week. Last year I tried out a CSA share and it was o...
• 10+ Dishes and Drinks Everyone Should Know How to Make At Home (Including You)
  Whether you have trouble boiling water or you know your way around an immersion circulator, there are some foods that everyone should know how to make, either because they're delicious, they're easy...
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How was your week?  Care to talk about the high or low point, or the best article you found?