Notes on Hospitality and Community, pt. 1

I was all set to record my thoughts on imperfect hospitality when I logged on to my computer to see that my real-life friend, Ginger, had already expressed many similar thoughts here.   When I consider hospitality, I can come up with a list of excuses:

I have a baby.  My house is too small.  No one wants to drive to our house 15 minutes outside of town.  Our dining room table is already at capacity.  I'm not a great cook.  I don't know how to start small talk.  

Don't we all have a list of reasons why it is easier to say no to hospitality?  

The Lord has been showing me more and more the need for and the importance of relationship. I want my children to grow up knowing people, loving people, ministering to people, and simply sharing life with people.

Over several posts, I want to share what I'm learning about hospitality, not because I've got it figured out and have no insecurities, but because I am still stretching and learning myself.  

I'm going to begin with a few ideas on timing.  

Weeknight vs. weekend

I always thought entertaining was better on the weekends, but when Brian pointed out that our weekends were booked through October and partly into November,  I had to think outside of the box. In September, we had a dinner guest on a Monday evening.  After dinner, he played chess with my boys over dessert.  This week, we had three people over for soup and bread on Tuesday evening.   One friend brought a salad and another brought dessert.  After dinner, the ladies and kids chatted in the living room and played games with my kids while the men continued to talk at the table.  

I only mention the minutiae because it proved to me that we can have a regular school day, welcome people into our home, go to bed, and get back up to another regular day.  It also proved that we can eat simple food and do simple things and still have a good time because the people are more important than the details. 

Planning vs. spontaneity 

Sometime it requires advanced planning to get people in the same place at the same time.  Other times, a last minute gathering is best.  I am a planner by nature and I love penciling things onto the calendar weeks ahead of time, but at the end of the summer, my kids wanted to have a big group of friends over for a movie night.  I texted a few moms early in the week and was pleased that almost everyone was available on Saturday.  The kids played a bunch of Twister tournaments in the living room while I prepared a super-easy meal. Then they watched the movie and we sent them all outside until the party was over. It was a blast!  

10 of the 12 kids in our living room

Next up: How can I feed these people?

Do you have any thoughts on hospitality?  Share them with me!

How YouTube Is Transforming Our Mornings

Let me start by saying I'm almost too embarrassed to post this.  It doesn't feel right to admit that we start our day in front of a screen.  But let me back up and tell you about our summer mornings.  

I might sit on my bed nursing Macie while the kids get up.  The boys tend to wake first and they eat breakfast and sometimes watch Wild Kratts on TV.  Then the girls get up and join the boys.  If I'm still in my room, the kids start playing Legos until I remind them to get dressed and do their chores before they have free time.  An hour later we realize Alaine never ate breakfast and no one emptied the dishwasher.  A few kids argue about who gets to play magnetic darts first and I spend the hours nagging about what's not getting done instead of investing in quality time with my kids! The morning slips away before I've had a shower, and when I peek into the bedrooms around lunchtime, I notice an unmade bed. 

Maybe the answer is to make a morning schedule and to require more responsibility and accountability, but we're choosing another way.

Now as soon as the kids come out of their rooms in the morning, Owen holds Macie while I make my bed.  Then we all congregate in the living room.  Macie nurses or plays on the floor while the rest of us watch Good Mythical Morning together. Good Mythical Morning is a clean, talkshow-esque YouTube channel that puts out a funny 10-15 minute video every morning.  (Their ninth season is ending on Friday, but there are scads of old shows we can catch up on.  Season 10 begins August 1.) 

Once our non-morning people have laughed themselves awake, we watch Five Minute Family Devotional. Five Minute Family Devotional, another YouTube channel, reviews men and women from the Bible chronologically.  It ends with 1-2 discussion questions and a suggested prayer topic. The channel releases several episodes per week.  So far there are eleven of a total twenty-five.  (The channel is a division of JellyTelly, which is part of  What's in the Bible? {affiliate link}, a brand we love!)

All told, our viewing lasts less than a half hour, but it centers us and puts us all in one place to begin the day. I'm available to make sure everyone has eaten and begun their morning routine and chores, and it  makes it easy to move on studying the body on Mondays or read books with Alaine on the other days.  (I'm sharing some of our favorite picture book on the blog's Facebook page a few times a week.)

Best of all, it gives me an opportunity to laugh and share with all my kids...and make a few memories, too!

(Click here for other posts in this series.)

Running and Fitness with a Newborn

(Click here for other posts in this series.)

One question I've been asked several times since Macie's birth is, "When can you start running again?"

My answer is a little conflicted.  

A little backstory:  I ran throughout my pregnancy.  I ran during the early weeks of morning sickness and right up until the day my water broke.  It boosted my energy level and stabilized my weight gain.  As I neared the end of the pregnancy, I tried to imagine how running would fit into my life with a newborn, suspecting the logistics would be tough.

For the first four or five weeks of Macie's life, I savored the break.  Even though I enjoy running, I knew my body needed rest and recuperation.  By six weeks, the desire to run returned, but I also started to face reality.  I may feel mentally ready to run, but I'm not sure my body is ready for it.  Despite staying fit during pregnancy, my back and lower abdomen are weak and achy postpartum.  My core needs strengthening before running will be comfortable or even advisable.

On top of that, my ideal time to run is early in the morning...but that's when Macie wakes to nurse.  She almost always goes back to sleep until eight or nine, but once I miss that early morning window, I need to use my time to manage breakfast, start school with the kids, or wash my face and hair!  I get a little sad when I realize a regular running routine is probably months away.  Aside from an occasional weekend run this spring, running can't be a priority for me in this season. 

I'm choosing to adopt the idea that a little exercise is better than no exercise at all.  Starting this coming week, I'm purposing to exercise in the house for 20 minutes at a time on 3 different days. I'm hoping that popping in a postpartum DVD (versus gearing up for the outdoors) will be easier to slip into my schedule.  I can exercise while Macie is right beside me and I can break it into smaller sessions, too, if she is fussy. 

Movement and health are my motivators.  Weight loss is not my goal and since breastfeeding burns 300-500 per day, I'm also focusing on high quality nutrition.  I can always find time to eat!  

Any tips for me?  

How can I strengthen my core muscles?  

Any experience with exercising or running postpartum?  

What are some nutrient dense snacks I can keep on hand?

Another Year of School

{This post contains my Amazon affiliate links.}

We have a little more than a week of the new school year under our belts. This is our first year with FIVE students and it's the first time I've added a new student without feeling overly nervous.  Perhaps it's because Alaine, our little kindergartener, has being joining us at the table for the past several years so other than becoming an "official" student, nothing has changed.

Maddie (6th grade), Owen (4th grade), Ben (2nd grade), Alaine (kindergarten)

I've  had more anxiety comparing photos of Gavin from the beginning of last year when he was entering 7th grade... to this year, entering 8th grade.  The change in his face and maturity is startling and it's a sobering reminder to me that our years are limited.

Mentally I divide our school year into two semesters because of the schedule we've chosen to adopt.  We always begin in August and work until the week before Christmas.  Then we take a long break until the first of February so we can enjoy Brian's winter break from work.  After we resume, we work through until mid- or late-May. This year we are expecting a baby at the end of January so I am undecided how we will structure our winter break.  (Work in January and take off February instead?  Take off January as usual, plus a week or two in February? Have the kids work in February on their independent work but take a break from the rest?)

Regardless, I have a primary goal for our first semester. I want to foster a sense of independence in my older learners.  I have no plans to require them do all their work alone, but  

• I want them to have the ability and confidence to work independently while I'm busy with the new baby.  
• I want them to have the initiative to move onto the next thing without needing to ask.   
• I want them to follow a schedule and stick to their tasks. 

With these goals in mind, this is a look at our curriculum choices for this year:

We are continuing with Saxon math which has proved to be a good fit for us.  Owen loves math, Gavin tolerates it, and even Maddie who borders on despising math has admitted that Saxon is preferable to other programs she's used. 

Saxon is designed to be self-taught, and this year with Gavin beginning Algebra 1, I'm also allowing him to self-check his work.  Owen questioned how that can be fair.  "Can't Gavin just see the answer and change what he wrote on his paper?" he asked.  I explained to him that in upper-level math, simply seeing that the answer is 40 doesn't mean you know how to get to that result.  Gavin still has to do the calculations to arrive at the correct answer.

We do not begin Saxon in the early elementary years.  I'm using a mixture of cheap workbooks and busy bag activities to teach Alaine basic kindergarten and first grade math skills.  Ben is using the math sections of  Second Grade Big Workbook after his success  with the first grade workbook last year.

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We are also working towards independence in science.  Maddie and Owen are using Christian Liberty Nature Readers three days a week.  They read for a set amount of time each day.  When they reach a review section, we discuss the questions together before they do a nature sketch or more thoroughly answer one or more of the questions on paper.

I thought I had Gavin's science figured out until mid-July when he was telling me everything (yes, everything) he had learned about a particular variety of sharks and I remembered that Apologia had devoted an entire science book to aquatic animals. I borrowed Exploring Creation with Zoology 2: Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day from a friend and he is more enthused about this book than I've seen him about any school subject ever!  

The two youngest kids are doing a unit on weather from Second Grade Big Workbook.  Ben is keeping a weather chart for the month of August and we are supplementing with a few experiments from More Mudpies to Magnets: Science for Young Children that I picked up at the library.  We'll probably do a similar informal unit of seeds in the spring.

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English is an independent subject for almost everyone.  I'm most hands-on with Alaine.  I am teaching her to read with  Bob Books and we're working on writing and reading uppercase letters with  Kumon Uppercase Letters workbook which I found at Five Below during the summer.  

Ben is continuing on to Explode the Code 6 this year, but his ultimate goal is to become fluent enough in reading that he can stop Explode the Code before Book 7 and read the  Young Cam Jansen series like his older brother, Owen, did when he was in second grade. 

Gavin, Maddie, and Owen do daily grammar practice (with either Daily Language Review or Daily Grams), plus they are continuing with writing prompts or extemporaneous writing two or three days a week.  They also started Mavis Beacon Typing this year after they each hit a rut with the program they used last year (and the year before). 

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History is more complicated for me to explain than it is for us to implement.  We have cycled through history over the past three years and have arrived back at early American history.  All of the kids are learning about the Colonial era but with different books and in varying degrees of depth.  I am reading through George Washington's World with the two oldest kids. It branches beyond American life and covers the time period on a global scale.  The book is divided into four sections and after each section, we have planned a break for each student to read a related biography or historical fiction book.

Since Owen learns better visually, I've assigned him his own book list with vocabulary discussion, copywork, coloring, and narrating activities added in for variety. We particularly enjoy biographies by the d'Aulaires.

 

The youngest two are learning about American history for the first time so we are focused on learning about Benjamin Franklin and George Washington.  

What are you learning this year?  Any exciting new book or curriculum you have found? 

Almost There: a look at my goals

We're three-quarters of the way through the year.  Or nine-twelfths. Whatever way you choose to look at it, the months are ticking by and we are facing the last three months of the year.  It's crunch time for getting those goals completed! 

Truly, I'm not feeling the pressure, though.  I've worked steadily on my goals through the year, tweaking and adding as I go. What I don't finish by December, I'll roll over into the new year {without disappointment and without guilt}.

It's always fun to take a peek back over the months at what I've accomplished...and, of course, include a few links and photos.  My goals are bulleted while my notes are written in teal.

• Experiment in the kitchen.  Try making my own granola bars, yogurt, vanilla, sourdough bread, and marshmallow cream.   

I accomplished much in the kitchen over the first quarter of the year and I included details and photos in my March goal post.

I finally started my vanilla in August (using the very basic directions given here). I shake it about once a week and I indulge myself with an occasional sniff, but it won't be ready to use until at least November.

• Eat at Chipotle.  (Am I the only one who hasn't been?!)

I'm a convert! I crossed this goal off in February and I talked about it on the blog here, but then I went again to carb-load on the evening before my half-marathon...and again to grab lunch before heading to the beach...and again on a night out with a friend...

• Run a 2-mile race with Brian.

I accomplished this goal  in mid-February.  I shared a photo and details from the race here. 

• Train and run a 1/2 marathon. 

I did it!  I trained hard for over 3 months and then on a cool, clear morning, I ran my heart out.  I shared a few things about the race that surprised me and then I gave a full race report here. 

• Run a 5K and a 10K in the fall.

Brian and I signed up to run a 5K last Saturday. It was a warm fall afternoon and we participated with close to 400 other runners and walkers. Brian beat his personal time goal by over a minute and I came in 3rd in my age group (females, aged 30-39).

I'm running a 10K next Saturday and Brian is doing another 5K.

I'm continuing to work on increasing speed and maintain a solid mileage base. Between January 1 and September 30, I ran 767 miles.  

 

• Build my upper body and core strength.  Hold a plank for 4 minutes.

 I finished the 30 Day Plank Challenge on June 15 and held a plank for almost 5 minutes!   Since then I've not held a plank longer than 30 seconds and I don't intend to either! 

• Learn to change the oil in the van and learn to change the wiper blades, too.

This is a leftover goal from 2013 and I may not get to it this year either.  Someday...

• Take each child out individually for a meal at a restaurant they would enjoy.

Accomplished...and I included a few details in my March check-in.

• Read 50 books-- not including books I read aloud to my kids or books we read for school.

I set this goal with the idea that I would read approximately 4 books a month, maybe 1 a week.  I underestimated myself and set this goal too conservatively.   I've read over 60 books so far this year, not counting the books I've read aloud with the kids (which number close to 20).

I added 2 secondary challenges to my goal.  I want to read all of the books from the 2014 Sisters Book Challenge  I'm doing with my sister.  I've read 8 of her 10 suggestions so only 2 more to go!

Plus I've chosen 4 classics I challenged myself to read by the end of the year.  I picked one to read each season and I've read 3 so far-- 1 more to go!

• Develop a new chores system for the kids, including responsibilities for the two youngest.
• Focus on teaching kids to take initiative for their hygiene, school work, and responsibilities.
• Plan our 2014/2015 school year and write a loose daily schedule.

These three goals go hand in hand(s?). I gave a brief explanation of our new chore system in my March check-in and went into greater detail in a separate post here. 

The best thing I did to help with initiative this year was to give the three older kids their own schedule for the school day.  I did it as an afterthought (really to help me more than to help them) but it's been wonderful to see them think about how to best manage their time and to work ahead in an effort to make each day easier.  A few weeks ago I added a schedule for Ben (1st grade), too, so he can anticipate what he will be working on each day of the week.

As far a chores go, some of the kids have found their groove and others have to be reminded to stick with their tasks.  I need to be more intentional on going behind Alaine and checking on her work. I'm considering tweaking the schedule at the beginning of next year-- maybe switching jobs around a bit and also adding more responsibility for some kids.

• Take (or have someone else take) new non-candid photos of my kids. 

My sister photographed my kids for me at the end of the spring.  (I chose a favorite photo of each of my kids and have them displayed on my blog's right sidebar.) This summer I printed some of my favorites and framed them for our living room. 

                                       

I'll do one last goal check-in at the end of the year.  Did you make any goals this year? Do you plan to accomplish them before January?

Today

I love the Anne of Green Gables quote that says, "Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?"

That's how I feel about Monday.  Monday is a fresh start.  Last week was busy and stressful, but today we had no where to go.  It was the first time since last Tuesday that we didn't have to get in the van and drive somewhere.

I got up when it was still dark to go for a morning run before Brian had to leave for work.  We are running 2 races together in October so today I was testing to see how fast I could run 3.1 miles.  When I got home, Brian said good-bye and the kids and I started breakfast.  Nothing fancy today, just whatever we could pull together-- toast, boiled eggs, cereal, etc.

The kids watched Wild Kratts on TV while they ate.  I got caught up on some e-mails and started folding the 5-6 loads of laundry that had piled up over the weekend. Soon everyone joined in with morning chores.  Owen cleaned the main bathroom.  Maddie unloaded the dishwasher and swept the laundry room.  Gavin took care of the pets. Ben straightened all the shoes by the back door, and Alaine made her bed and straightened the girls' room. 

Ben and Alaine both got out workbooks and did a few pages before deciding Duplos would be more fun! 

We started school almost precisely at 9 am. We had Bible time and prayer and then I worked with the older kids on music theory before they started their independent work-- math and English, plus 2 projects for art that they need to complete by Wednesday. I explained Ben's math assignment to him and then I used a few free minutes to get cleaned up from my run.

Owen finished school early so I helped him mix up and knead his first loaf of yeast bread. Then we all worked together to prepare a simple lunch.  We ate, did a whole house clean-up, and then the kids went back to the Duplos to make vehicles for Maddie's stuffed cat. 

The afternoon was filled with a variety of things. I made a new cookie recipe. Some of the kids played a Wii game they picked up at the library last week. Gavin worked on a science assignment. We read a few picture books.  I even sneaked in a 20 minute nap.

Later in the afternoon, Gavin went back outside to take care of the pets and then everyone went outside to play while I got dinner started.  Brian texted that he was on his way home.  Everyone was excited because we did not get to eat dinner together on week nights last week because of his long work days.  Brian and I ate dinner-sized steak fajita salads.  The kids had smaller salads with macaroni and cheese.  We all enjoyed slices of Owen's bread with homemade pumpkin butter.

It was Gavin's night to clear the table so he helped with kitchen clean-up and then the kids went back outside to run off some energy.  When the mosquitoes came out, it was back inside for cookies, baths for the littlest ones, and a stack of books on the couch.  While Brian put Alaine to bed, I let Ben practice reading out loud to me and then it was time for Jeopardy! 

What did you do today?

How Do You...Manage Free Time in the Summer?

Allyson  shared her thoughts on preparing for a more relaxed schedule and asked...

How do you help your kids manage all their extra free time during the summer? Do you establish a general routine or schedule? Also, how has this changed as they've become older?

Michelle added...

Do you keep the same schedule during summer and/or school breaks? 

My kids have never, ever had a desire to sleep in.  We ask them to stay in their rooms until 7, but they are usually talking to each other and giggling by 6:30-6:45, sometimes earlier. It's a rare day when one of them sleeps past 7:30.  My mom says that will last until they are old enough to be a big help around the house and then they will start wanting to sleep instead.  ~wink~

Since they are up at the same time every day regardless of school schedule, Brian and I decided to have them follow the same morning routine in the summer.  They must eat breakfast, get dressed, brush their teeth, take care of the animals, and do their chores (anything from spot clean the bathroom to sweep the entryway to unload the dishwasher) by 9 am.  On weekends, when Brian is home and we linger over breakfast and generally enjoy a more relaxed atmosphere, we make the deadline closer to 10 am.

After 9 o'clock, we are left with hours upon hours of "free" time.  I like to maintain a general flow to the day without insisting on too much structure which hinders spontaneity.  Mornings are for play.  If the weather is pleasant, we include outside play-- riding bikes, blowing bubbles, playing tag, etc. If it is rainy or stifling hot, the kids play a game together inside or spread out on the living room floor. /






Lunchtime is around 12.  I usually bring a book to the table and read to them when I'm done eating.  We move to the living room to continue reading if we have time.  Then we do a big after-lunch clean up.  Dishes go in the dishwasher.  Someone starts a load of laundry.  The sofa cushions are straightened and loose toys are put away.  

By afternoon the kids are running out of ideas on their own so I try to have an activity in mind most days if we need it.  I like to vary it so we don't get in a rut.  Last year we made Wednesdays movie day, since we were fresh from a mid-week trip to the library. Another day was kiddie pool/water day. Sometimes I plan a craft or easy project.  Sometimes I  ask everyone to read or look at books for 30 minutes. Another thrill is to get a toy down from the closet shelf that they haven't seen for awhile-- Lincoln Logs, Light Brite, wooden dolls, etc.

In the late afternoon, we do another house pick-up and I start dinner prep.  The three youngest kids like to help-- assembling the salad, getting ingredients from the pantry or refrigerator, stirring, setting the timer-- while the older kids take care of the animals. 

After dinner, the kids run off their energy outside again. We do baths as needed and end the day with a few story books, chosen by the kids. Then it is time for bed! 

Does your family have a schedule for summer or do you throw routine out the window during these months?  How do you fill your days?  How do your kids stay occupied and active?

For some fun {and free!} family summer schedule printables, visit this post @ Biblical Homemaking.

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My How Do You...? series is back for a few more weeks.  Is there anything you want to know? Go ahead! Be nosy.  Leave a comment here or on my Facebook page or send me an e-mail.  I'd love to hear from you.

In the meantime, you can browse the archived index of past topics.

How Do You...Get Everything Done and Start School on Time?

How do you get everyone up, chores done, breakfast made, eaten, and cleaned up and still start school on time?


I love to live by a schedule.  It keeps me disciplined and it lets my kids know what's coming next on a day-to-day basis.  Our mornings follow a flow.  Brian and I get up at 6 and the kids get up at 7.  Brian eats breakfast on his drive to work, but the kids and I eat an easy breakfast before we dress or do chores.  After clean-up, we scatter to tackle our individual responsibilities.  Because each child has a set list of things to accomplish and because they have a time limit, I am free to wash the dishes, do a load of laundry, make my bed, or finalize school plans without worrying if work is being completed in the rest of the house.

As much as I love my schedule, being too rigid is a detriment to us all.  Our goal is to finish our work and begin the school day at 9, but does it happen every day? Absolutely not!

A schedule is for our benefit.  We are not slaves to the schedule.  Some days Alaine needs more of my attention in the morning or Brian goes into work late or we get a phone call or any number of things may happen.  Maybe a child didn't sleep well the night before or someone has a cold.  Whatever the reason for the delay, we simply begin school when we're able and continue to follow the flow of the day.

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My How Do You...? series is back for a few more weeks.  I'm in need of some fun ideas for topics.  What do you want to know?  Leave a comment here or on my Facebook page. 

In the meantime, you can browse the archived index of past topics.

How Do You...Set Bedtimes When Children Are Different Ages?

How do you juggle multiple bedtimes? 

I answered this question during the original run of this series and much of what I said remains the same, but as my kids have gotten older we've made slight changes.  (Click here to read what I said then.)

Since my 3-year-old and 5-year-old no longer nap, they are ready for bed by 7:00-7:30 pm.  They brush their teeth, get a drink of water, and sit on their beds while I make the rounds.  I usually take a few minutes to read Alaine a story, talk to her about her day, or discuss what is coming up tomorrow  She also likes me to lay out her clothes for the next day.  (She has a touch of OCD like her Mama.)  Then I move on to Ben's room. He reads aloud to me for about 5 minutes before I turn out the lights. Both kids listen to music as they fall asleep. 

My older kids (ages 7, 9, and 11) aren't ready to sleep at 7 pm, but we need quiet in the house so as not to disturb the younger two.  Since Alaine occupies the girls' room and Ben occupies the boys' room, the older kids are allowed to hang out in the master bedroom after 7.  They each read for 20 minutes and then they rotate nights choosing an audio book.  While listening, they are allowed to look at books, draw, or color, but no playing or loud talking is allowed. When they finish a disc of their audio book, they have to straighten the room and head to their own bedrooms-- usually around 9 pm.

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My How Do You...? series is back for a limited time.  I'm in need of some fun ideas for topics.  What do you want to know? Leave a comment here or on my Facebook page. 

In the meantime, you can browse the archived index of past topics.

How Do You...Restructure When A Child Gives Up a Nap?

also titled Life After Naptime

Neither of my kids takes a nap anymore.  I still need a nap, but my five kids seem to have outgrown them.  Ben (5) required a nap longer than any of the others.  His daily naps lasted until he was over 4 years old. Alaine who is two years younger, gave up her nap before he did. I didn't like the transition but it came down to a choice: would I rather insist on a nap and have the child struggling to sleep at 11 pm because he isn't tired or would I rather he learn to get through the day without a nap and put him to bed early?  I always chose the early bedtime. 

For years, I assumed that when the time came, we would adopt a sort-of Quiet Time in the afternoons to imitate  the restoration that nap time brought to all of our minds and bodies. I imagined the kids would sit on their beds silently reading or doing puzzles in the floor while I got caught up on housework or enjoyed my own book.

Somehow that kind of Quiet Time never happened for us. Instead our afternoons are about physical quiet more than actual quiet.  We still try to complete the majority of our chores and school work during  the morning hours so the afternoon gives us the luxury of downtime.  The house is still noisy, but it is the noise of Legos, Barbie dolls, the back door opening as kids run outside to ride bikes or scooters, the door opening again as kids run back inside for drink of water, the sewing machine, or a movie.

At least one afternoon a week, we leave the house to run errands, visit the library, or attend gym class, things that were much more difficult when we had to work around napping children. The break from our everyday routine is a nice change of pace, but can also leave the kids (and their mama!) a little cranky.  When we return home, we try to carve out at least a few minutes of our special brand of Quiet before diving into the chaos of late afternoon dog walking, dinner and dishes. Those few minutes of refreshing before the rush set the tone for the rest of the day.

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My How Do You...? series is back for a limited time.  I'm in need of some fun ideas for topics.  What do you want to know? Leave a comment here or on my Facebook page. 

In the meantime, you can browse the archived index of past topics.