It is Never Too Early to Think About College

Kettering University has an interesting concept for recruiting people into their #1 ranked university in the nation for Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering. As one of U.S. News Best Colleges, it has a unique way of introducing students to all the information they would need to help them decide to arrange a campus visit.

Of all the webisodes, I selected this one because of the advice given- visit the campus to get an idea of what the college is really like. You cannot choose a college based on a website. You have to make a campus visit, no matter where a college ranks on any given lists. Kettering is a great choice if you are looking for a mechanical engineering program, but the only way to choose if this college is right for you is to visit.

As parents of preschoolers, you may not be thinking about college yet. But as college admissions get tougher, you will have to think about them sooner than you would think! Visit Kettering's site and browse around to get an idea of all the things they have to offer. View more of the webisodes of Stickman and view an ingenious idea for publicizing a website and a college.

Homemade Chalk

I just received this email from Wondertime for Homemade Chalk. I love this idea. Not only do you get to do a great science project with kitchen fun, you are recycling the toilet paper rolls and get to go outside and do some great art work!

This is an all in one type of project your children will love!

Recycling With Kids

We set as our New Year's goal is start recycling plastic, paper, and aluminum in our household. We knew we were throwing away a lot of paper, since we get the newspaper everyday, but we cannot believe how much plastic we use. No wonder oil prices are so high.

Not only do we take bottled water to work every day, the kids each yogurt, drink milk, drink juice, and eat strawberries, all housed in plastic. Just yesterday morning, I recycled the yogurt cup and lid, the vitamins container, a empty bottle of juice, and the strawberries container. I can also recycle my plastic egg container, the cans from the soda my husband and I take to work, and almost every plastic container that food comes in, not to mention the shampoo bottles and liquid soap containers.

It is simply amazing what we were throwing away.

And now my son is in on it too. He gets to take the stuff out to the bins. We are also collecting the aluminum for him to turn in for cash. It takes a lot of cans to get $1, but $1 is a lot for a four year old. And it is so much fun squishing the cans.

And when you are recycling, don't forget to recycle the grocery bags- paper or plastic, or just buy reusable. I keep forgetting to take mine to the store, but every time I remember, it is one less piece of plastic that is used.

Vote for Fav Fabric

Designer Diva Fabrics takes great pride in offering the most unusual and hard to find decorator fabrics and trims. The collections include discount Kravet fabric, Ralph Lauren, Donghia, and many more excellent brands. And they get them for a fraction of the price.

Designer Diva Fabrics is now offering a fun new addition to their site called "Vote Up, Count Down." With a free accuont, you can vote up any fabric on the site. The more votes the fabric gets, the fabric then goes into "count down" mode until it is purchased. You will even get an email alert when a fabric you have voted for goes into count down mode!

If you love fabric, choose your favorite and start voting. It may become the deal of a lifetime!

Back to Basics- Become a Superhero!

My daughter just brought a blanket to me and told me she wanted to be a superhero! I tied it around her neck and off she went, "flying" around the room.

So often we forget the kids just like to play, to pretend, and that it does not take fancy toys to make them happy. Make sure to give your child the opportunity to just play with unsuspecting items. Even if it is not a toy, it can become a superhero cape, a wand, or another spectacular new creation. Give them the opportunity to have some fun, without batteries!

Custom Wedding Invitations

First Class Wedding Invitations has a large variety of wedding invitations for you to choose from, including beach wedding invitations, fairy tale and castle, religious, and contemporary. My favorite are the light green scallop invitations with vellum. They are so pretty and delicate looking with the extra special touch of the vellum. There are even custom invitations for destination weddings. Their site is easy to navigate with great category lists and color choices. If I was getting married again, this would be a site to visit for custom invitations.

The internet is a great resource for finding a great selection of invitations. If you are like me and live in a smaller town, there are only so many choices for quality invitations. With a selection like the invitations found at 1st Class Wedding Invitations, you can be happy with your selection and know you got something unique for your special day. They will even send you samples to help make your decision.

1st Class Wedding Invitations also offers great tips about all aspects of your wedding day and wedding planning including wedding expenses and a "what you need list." The site is a one stop shop for wedding information and custom invitations.

It Is Amazing What Can Be Fun!

My son's new favorite activity is role playing that he is driving our car. In Florida, right now, the weather is good and he can get up in the SUV and pretend he is driving, without moving the gear shifter. He has also convinced my husband to let him move the gear shifter when we get into the drive way, parked. He gets out, climbs up front, and puts the car in park. He knows what all the letters mean and can tell you how Mommy holds the gear shifter and Daddy holds it- he is very observant!

Role playing is great for kids to pretend they are something else- even if it is Mommy and Daddy- since those are the most favorite people in the world. Make sure your child has opportunities to role play- just maybe not out in the car (like we will be avoiding when the weather gets too hot!).