So on to a new phase in life...

I think as the "school year" activities are wrapping up I feel relief!

I feel excitement and I feel that a new phase in life is looming a head!

I know that what is coming is going to be different... I just don't know if everyone if gonna like it! The kids are sad about not going to AHG but they don't seem to care much about the program, they don't want to miss their friends. I totally understand that! I will miss the socialness of it because I like all my AHG ladies! BUT... I know that the change is necessary so it will be good!

Other new phases in life include my changes in health and wealth. We have already started changing some food habits and food choices, but I have a few more in mind. We have already started changing some spending habits and of course we are all on board for DAVE RAMSEY! But I have a few more changes I plan to implement but they are habit changes so they take a while! So these are all going to be new to us in the next few weeks and months.

We have cut out ALL TV, we turned off our cable and thought we would at least get the regular channels but we just never hooked up the TV so NO TV. We watch movies, we love us some Netflix- in fact now we can watch Netflix streaming thru our Wii!!!!! YEAH. If you have a Wii order your DVD so you can too! It is awesome! But I think cutting out TV hasn't been enough I think we are going to back peddle our self right out of watching a few movies and lessening our DS play and such! It is hard because with home schooling my kids simply have more free time than public school kids so they have more time to play, but grabbing your DS every time we walk out the door for a two minute car ride is NOT OKAY... so we are going to manage our day a little differently. For instance I am going to haul out my CAR SCHOOLING BOOK, my mom gave me years ago! I plan on getting out my books on CD now that I have a CD player in the truck that works. I also plan to use the DVD player in the car for some school movies! But I also purchased travel games for the car and I have some other blogs I was reading with ideas for being UNPLUGGED.  I want to play the old fashioned I Spy, or the license plate game or things like that. 

At home for some unplugged time include: more cooking lessons for all three kiddoes, I want to bake ( I just don't want to keep it all at home so I plan to bake and than haul ourself down the street in the car to give the tasties to the MANY homeless people who are all around us! )  I keep Capri suns and peanut butter crackers in my truck a lot of the time to hand out at the street corner because I am really, really big on NOT giving money.  Judgemental or not, right or not, I simply assume that they will not buy something substantial with the money.  I don't always mean they will buy drugs or alcohol but I just mean the money wont buy some that is healthy for them to eat or full of protein.  So I assume if I give them things that are a little better that is a better choice?  ANYWAY... I  was a convenient store the other day with Dave and I had nothing in the car with me, but a lady was outside the store.  So I went in and bought pack of peanut butter crackers, a banana and thing of apple juice and on my way to the check out stand I grabbed a twix bar.  I thought everyone deserves a twix bar every once in a while right!  SOOOOOOOOOOOOO all that to say this... I decided I would take baked treats every now and then to the homeless around us because everyone deserves a baked treat every now and then right!

another unplugged time Idea I have is daily game time- I don't always have to sit down with them an play a game, they can play by themselves! 

Or daily hand project- like hand sewing for the girls or a model for Matt etc.  Something that they take a little time each day to work on. 

I also like the idea of computer games (learning) ones.  I know this isn't  being unplugged but I figure at least something good comes out of a learning game.  Even in this age of computers I have NOT used them to my benefit very well!  I NEED to use them for good!  So some of my school budget is going to go to some good computer games.  ANY ideas are welcome!

In fact any unplugged ideas are welcome too!

So these are some of the ways I am stepping into a new phase in life... exciting isn't it!

****UPDATED

I just went to one of my favorite blogs to catch up BLOG, SHE WROTE and this post is exactly some of the things I WANT to be doing.  The challange from the other website is really cool, some other blog did that last summer I think and it was neat.  Also the make your own board game!  THAT Is awesome!  I plan on ordering some supplies so if you want to get in on the order let me know, since we have to have a $25 min.