Boredom Buster: Local Arts

When I was a child I grew up in an town where there was a local center for the arts.  They had plays, local artists artwork, classes for kids that involved crafts, dance, and musicals.  The art center was a place I treasured as a child.  I remember going there for:

• dance classes
  
• making paper
  
• egg decorating with wax
  
• plays
  
• an amazing haunted house at Halloween
  
• musicals

I loved the atmosphere there, and I strive in my adulthood to share these qualities with my own children.  Allowing creativity is truly calming and uplifting in a world of chaos.  Having those impressions so early really has allowed me to find the art in every craft.  Whether it be cooking, writing, interior decorating, home making, parenting, boat building or even gardening.  Art can be anything where people can find the beauty within. 
That art center has now expanded to share there shows with the entire region.  Amazing!  I love the value that it has brought to the area and local communities.  Spreading beauty in a time of darkness raises peoples spirits to allow us all to continue to grow.
Just the other day I took my daughters and one of their friends to a Shakespearian play on the beach.  I mean how cool is that!  I had to explain to them what was happening at times, but sharing this event with them expands their views on what is really possible in this world.  Dreaming big shouldn’t be condemned it should be embraced.
Check out your local newspapers, public radio websites, and flyers that come to you in the mail.  Maybe you too have something in your area.  Even if you think that it might be some lame artsy fartsy idea. Keep looking until one sparks your interest even slightly, give it a try and then let me know!   I would love to hear your thoughts on this. 

Boredom Buster: Outdoor Theater

I have seen a few ways to make an outside theater.  The first time I saw it, I fell in love with the idea.  I even want to build a deck in the future,  keeping this idea in mind.  It is less expensive then a drive in and it gets the family outside on these peaceful  summer evenings. 
Outdoor Theater Ideas:

1. Get a video projector, a DVD player, speakers and a white sheet then set them up outside, either in a garden or on a deck.
   
2. Get a flat screen TV, a DVD Player, and Speakers then set the up either in a garden or on a deck.
   
3. My portable, yet smaller version:  We took my 15” laptop onto the back deck and set it up.  Granted its not huge, but until we can afford a different way, that doesn’t tear apart our whole living room, this really does work beautifully.  You could connect the computer up to a set of desktop speakers for a more abundant sound.

My kids wanted so much to watch movies last night, that we set their tent up on the deck.  Then we set my laptop up inside the tent with them (making sure to give the fan clearance not to overheat, we set it on a bed tray) and they had a double feature.  Dampness can ruin electronics, so we brought in my computer and tray after the movies were over.  The kids slept in the tent all night and had a wonderful time.
Without the mosquitos, getting home so late and worrying about driver not seeing kids in the dark, the tent version is a safer and better option to the drive in theater for kids.  They loved it so much that they want to do it again tonight.

• If you have a subscription to Netflix, or Amazon Prime, you could have streaming movies, using the laptop version as well.

I would love to hear your comments, or if you have another way that I didn’t mention, please share.  Have a great summer everyone.

Living By Example

This past fall when my world was falling to pieces, and my parents were both dying, I learned to be constructive instead of destructive.  Every family has its faults and troubles without going into the nitty gritty, so do we.  My siblings and I hadn’t really been tight since childhood.  My parents divorced when I was a baby and we weren’t ever really all that close.
I realized the possibility of both of our parents dying was inevitable.  We would lose the glue that forced us to deal with each other, forever.  Being the youngest, and knowing that I want better for my own kids made me see that I needed to do something, fast.  If only to give my parents the peace of knowing that we would be ok, and that we would truly be there for each other.
I explained this to my sister and two brothers, and we all worked really hard on accepting one another.  We helped each other through the passing of my mother.  And now we can share in the victory of my fathers remission. 
My oldest brother is in the military, and I am so proud of his service to our country.  He will be leaving on another deployment very soon.  Again the foundation of our sibling unity will be tested.  He came to visit us recently and I am so grateful, for the opportunity to visit with him.  My prayers and thoughts will be with him, on his next challenge.
Writing this blog has made me really focus on my newly revived philosophy.  Don’t take any moment for granted, you can look at the bumps in life as a personal insult towards yourself or you can look at them for the life lessons that they are and do something about it.  Thank you Mom for the lesson you taught us with your life.  I will be eternally grateful and appreciative, and I miss you.
God chose my family, I chose my friends.  I chose to befriend my family, and am eternally blessed.

Boredom Buster: Camping

We bought tents about 3 years ago.  They have been packed away in the garage, and today I pulled them out.  I set them up on the front lawn to air them out and to make sure that we still had all of the pieces to them.  Well, we do need a few extra pieces and a repair kit before we do any real deep woods camping.  But now I have them in an air tight container ready to roll and we know what needs to be done to them to get them up to par. 
We chose dome tents, for ease of set up.  My husband had always done the setting up before.  Hmmm, well until today, when I had the task of setting all three of them  up by myself.  I figured it out, and was able to do it with a little help from the kids.  Actually, I was glad they helped me out… this taught all of us, how to do it.  Kind of like a trial run.
My youngest two, kept running in and out of them excited about the mere idea of camping.  My 4 year old wanted to sleep in them tonight, he didn’t care that they were on the front lawn.  But before the sun set and the dew settled, I packed them back up.  Knowing a camping trip would be in the near future, my son even helped us pack them up.  Ah!  I was so proud of him.
Even though we didn’t  go camping today, it did renew my hope to do so also.  I always loved camping, and it brought back peaceful memories of childhood.  A sense of adventure and nature.  Now we can’t go camping soon enough.  I cannot wait, even if it will probably only be in the backyard on a weekend for this summer.  
I would love to hear from you, about your memories of camping and adventures.  Until next time I hope everyone is enjoying a wonderful fulfilling summer!

Boredom Buster: Marbles

I came across a bag of marbles a few years ago.  I know marbles is a really old game, and I swear that I am 33 years old.  But I grew up inside a museum, and marbles was a game that my best friend and I loved to play.  We were constantly exposed to games and ideas from long ago.  I can now pass on to my children some of the ideas that date back from our own ancestors time.  That is rewarding in itself.
We played inside or outside, and we didn’t play for keepsies.  You see she had her own bag of marbles, like mine.  Finding marbles sets today is still quite simple.  I found a few listed at Amazon.com for under $10, a package.  
We start by making a circle, either on the sidewalk with chalk, or in the dirt with a stick, or if you want to play inside with a string. 
                                       
We each had 13 smaller marbles (called mibs) and 1 larger marble (called a shooter) for shooting, that we played with. 
                                      
The object is to get as many mibs out of the circle as possible without your shooter leaving the circle.  If your shooter leaves the circle the mibs that you knocked out don’t count and go back into the circle.  Each of us collected our “captured” mibs in piles next to us. We played  by taking turns every turn, regardless if the last person “captured” any mibs or not.  The person with the most marbles “captured” at the end when all the mibs are gone wins. 
There are so many different variations to playing.  The most important thing is to make sure all of the rules have been clearly discussed with everyone at the beginning, and everyone agrees to them.
I mainly loved the beauty that the marbles have.  As a child I was very careful with my collection.  To this day, they are one of my most cherished belongings and they sit right on my desk (since I found them).  I would love to hear from other marble lovers as well.