Some Spare Time

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

2011-06-24T08:30:00.001-04:00

Summer is the time to be outdoors. So grab the kids or call up a group of friends and head out to a baseball game. There is a reason why it's called America's favorite past time...and it something that everyone should experience at least once even if you are not a big sports fan. Watching baseball on TV and being at an actual baseball game are two completely different things.

So put on your hometown (or favorite team) shirt and hat, grab your tickets, and head on down to the stadium. Indulge in an overly priced hot dog, put on that foam finger, and root (root root for the home team :)) for your favorite team. Maybe if you are lucky you can catch a foul ball or a home run ball!

GO TIGERS!

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Camp Out!

2011-06-23T09:57:00.001-04:00

With gas prices the way they have been you may not be able to afford to take that drive up north or down south or where ever you go to get away. But that is no reason why you still can't camp out! Grab your tent and some sleeping bags and head to the backyard or check to see if your city is hosting a camp out at one of their parks.

We are packing up and heading to the local park in our city to join many other campers in the National Wildlife Federation's Great American Backyard Campout! It's this Saturday, June 25, and is happening all around the country. All proceeds go to the NWF programs to get American kids outside! With all of the amazing video game systems like the PS3 and Xbox 360 it's nearly impossible to get some kids out of their rooms let alone outside!

So join us for this one night and support the National Wildlife Federation. This is an annual event, so maybe if you have so much fun this year you can make it a tradition to do every year with our family!

Embrace the Culture!

2011-02-22T09:55:00.000-05:00

With so many cultures living together in the US, it's hard to go anywhere without hearing someone speaking another language. Most of us have had a foreign language class in high school that we had to take, but that was so long ago that many of us don't remember what we learned. Or maybe our high school didn't offer the language we really wanted to learn. I know mine offered Spanish, French, and German. But wouldn't it be cool to learn Italian, the language of love? Or what about Chinese? With so many affordable resources at our fingertips nowadays, why shouldn't we learn another language..or perhaps two? You can easily pop a CD into your car stereo and learn a new language on your way to work everyday or if you take long trips. Embrace the culture, learn a new language!

There's an App for That

2011-02-21T14:14:00.000-05:00

So I just got a new smartphone with the Android system on it and I am loving all the bazillions of apps available. The latest one I downloaded was Angry Birds because many of my friends said how fun and addicting it was so I thought I'd give it a try. They were all right...it is very addicting! The great thing about it is that anyone can play, I even downloaded it on my iPod Touch so that my three-year-old could play it and he loves it! It's one of those silly little games that helps the time go by when you are bored or waiting for the doctor or in line at the Secretary of State.

Create a Scrapbook

2011-02-17T15:28:00.000-05:00

You know you have a shoebox, probably more than one, filled with pictures. Or you are like me and have a million pictures on your computer that you have yet to print out. Take some of that free time and make a scrapbook with all those great memories. Otherwise they will just sit on your computer or in that old box and collect dust where no one gets to see and enjoy them. And if you are not the really creative type, then you can always go online to Shutterfly or Snapfish and make a hard covered photo album where the pages look like a scrapbook. It's always a great gift idea too..hint hint!

Head to the Museum

2011-02-11T17:02:00.000-05:00

It has been too long since I've last gone to a museum. I especially love the DIA - Detroit Institute of Arts - it's so peaceful in there and has so many beautiful things to look at. Every city has its own set of museums and science centers. Most of us went when we were kids on field trips for school but I think it's time we all went back. Take the family so they can learn to appreciate art and the history of the world. You never know maybe it will inspire you to do something creative and artistic.

Create a Jammin' Playlist

2011-02-09T16:20:00.000-05:00

In fact, you should create multiple playlists for all of your different moods. There are days where everything just goes bad and sucks for me, I'm sure everyone can relate! Well, I just pop on my "Angry" playlist featuring songs from Metallica, Buckcherry, Drowning Pool, Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, with a little bit of Rage Against The Machine and my angry mood usually calms down a bit. Then there are those beautiful, sunny days where everything just seems great so I listen to my "Happy" playlist with songs from Sublime, Rhianna, 311, Black Eyed Peas and some good 'ol Kid Rock.

I am a woman of many moods so I have different playlists to suit each one. Or if I'm not in any one particular mood I just hit the shuffle button and listen to them all. I love my iPod and all the songs on it, it's like my own little personal therapist that fits nicely in my pocket!

Search Amazon.com MP3 Downloads for All Your Favorite Songs

Start A Blog

2011-02-07T12:39:00.000-05:00

Blogging seems to be the newest thing to do, heck I'm fairly new at it myself. The first thing you need to do is pick a topic. Are you going to write a personal blog about your everyday thoughts and experiences? What about your favorite sport or hobby? Love dogs, cats, hamsters, fish? Have at it! You would be surprised on who would like to read what you have to say. There are many blog sites available that are free of charge, Blogger of course, which is really simple to use, and also Wordpress.

If you want to try and make some money off of your blog, then you have to be more choosy on who you decide to host your blog through. Blogger allows Google Adsense (you know those ads on the sides of every page) and allows you to be an affiliate of a company, such as Amazon. To learn more about being an affiliate, Google it or find the link on the website of the company you are interested in. Don't think you are going to make tons of money right off the bat though, because your not going to, it does take time.

Blogs are a fun way to express yourself, whatever your ideas and thoughts are. It actually gets quite addicting after awhile too! I enjoy writing, always have, but I could never write a book or anything, even though I would love to. This is my little way of writing my book, post by post instead of page by page.

So think of a clever name for your blog, choose your topic, and start posting. Send the link to your family and friends, add it to your Facebook and Twitter profiles and have fun!

Take a Glass Blowing Class

2011-02-01T19:53:00.002-05:00

I'm big into trying new things and when I ran across an ad for a glass blowing class I thought, "WOW now that's different!". You get to work with molten glass in a 2100 degree furnace. I mean how many times can you say you did that? Some schools or companies offer a one night class and others offer weekly classes where you can learn more intricate designs. Either way I think it would be really cool to have a vase, ornament, ash tray, or piece of glass blob sitting on the mantle that you can say you did all on your own!

So head on over to Google and find your nearest glass blowing class and learn a new craft, who knows maybe you will love it or be really good at it and you can make some extra cash on the side!!

Hit the Slopes...Or At Least the Hill

2011-01-31T14:08:00.000-05:00

If you are anything like me then you are probably getting the winter blues already. The dreary skies, cold weather, and streets and yards filled with snow. It's hard to think warm, happy thoughts in this kind of weather, but stay positive! You may not be able to have warm weather, but you can always do something fun in the cold weather. So bust out that sled and head the family up to the highest hill you can find and have some fun!

That's what we did this weekend: went sledding. We took our three-year-old son to a really good sledding hill and let him have some fun. And boy did he ever! The two steeper slopes he had to go down with mom or dad because he's so light he would just fly down those sides. But one of the not as steep sides, he decided he wanted to go down by himself. My son has no fear and will do just about anything. When he seen other bigger kids going down there by themselves, lying down on their bellies, face first, he decided he had to do this also. He absolutely loved it! Dad was, of course, down at the bottom of the hill ready to catch him or save him if anything happened, he even got ran over by the sled once! Every time our son got to the bottom he had the biggest grin on his face and started trekking back up the hill to do it again!

So if you are looking for something fun and really inexpensive to do, grab the family and go sledding! You don't need the really expensive sleds, just the cheap $10 plastic sleds did the job just perfect! In fact, they usually went down the snow hill better than the more expensive ones other kids had!

Cell Phone Bill Sucking You Dry?

2011-01-28T13:16:00.000-05:00

One thing I have been doing a lot lately is going through all of our expenses and seeing where we can start saving some money. My first stop was on our cell phone bill. We currently use Verizon Wireless, I have the enV Touch and my fiance has the the Droid Incredible. We both really like our phones but we are paying almost $200 a month for them. TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS! That's just ridiculous. So I have researched every known wireless carrier there is available to me and we have settled on Metro PCS. They don't have the biggest selection of phones, but they do have a Blackberry and an all touch phone that uses the Android system (just like the Droid Incredible uses) and the monthly bill will only be $100....FOR BOTH PHONES! That's a 50% savings! And to top it all off, we get unlimited talk, text, and web! That's just crazy! From what I've heard the service isn't bad, Metro PCS uses the Sprint Network so we will get service every where we go. We don't really travel much so I'm not worried about it. We will save $1200 in one year! Wooo Hooo! Let's see what's next on the list!

Nora Roberts Key Trilogy Book Series

2011-01-24T11:04:00.000-05:00

As I have stated in the past, one of my favorite things to do is read. This weekend was great because I got a lot of reading in. It was very cold outside and I really didn't have any where to go anyways, so I stayed in and read. I have read books by Nora Roberts before so I knew I liked her writing and a friend recommended the Key Trilogy. I completed the first in the series yesterday and really enjoyed the book so I can't wait to start on the second book. Here is the synopsis:

A seemingly innocent dinner invitation summons three different women to Warrior's Peak, a castle-like estate. Their hosts tell them a legend of three sisters, demigoddesses, whose souls are trapped by an immortal sorcerer, and they offer them a large cash prize to search for the keys that will unlock the sisters' prison. Each book follows the quest of one woman in her quest for a magical key.

I think that the book has a really good mixture of romance and magic. It's a nice to get away from reality of work, bills, and responsibilities!

Make It a Family Dinner Night

2011-01-22T10:54:00.000-05:00

With everyone's hectic schedules sometimes you don't get to see your family as often as you'd like. Most of the time you only get together on special occasions such as birthdays or holidays. I notice this happens more than I like with our families so I try to have a little get together every now and then. I invite the family over for dinner to just spend some good quality time together and catch up. During the summer months we usually barbecue and during the winter months we might make a big pot of spaghetti or another favorite. Sometimes I get crazy and bust out the 'ol cookbook and make something new that looks and sounds delicious. Or you can have a potluck dinner and have everyone bring their favorite dish. I think it's very important to be around family and stay connected.

Here's one of my favorite grilling cookbooks it has a lot of really good recipes for all types of foods. Just because it's cold outside doesn't mean you can't use the grill!

When All Else Fails...Google It!

2011-01-20T08:47:00.000-05:00

I can't count the number of times in a day when I resort to Google to help me with my unanswered questions and thoughts. Just today I used to find out how to get my iPod Touch to actually shuffle the songs when I tapped on shuffle. It just kept playing the same song over and over and over again. I was going crazy, I actually had to manually hit the next button..I know right MANUALLY! So I googled it and I found out that there was some little button that was selected to repeat the song, but when I looked on my iPod I couldn't find that feature...so I googled that! "Scrubber bar missing on iPod touch" (that's what the first website called it) and lo and behold I found a site that told how to get it to appear! Wallah! My iPod is now shuffling through the hundreds of songs and I am in a state of contentedness once again!

So I want to thank you Google for all of your help that you provide me on a daily basis. Without you I would never know the actual lyrics to that song I love, remember the name of the actor that played in that movie, know when to use a comma with the word "however", who keeps calling me from that 800 number, or how to correctly spell the word "contentedness" that I used in the first paragraph of this post!

So as I said in the title....When all else fails, Google it! You can always find an answer there.

Make a Mad Run

2011-01-19T09:46:00.000-05:00

Everyone knows that exercising and working out is an important part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Running on a treadmill looking at a TV or cycling your little heart out on a spin bike going absolutely no where just doesn't really sound appealing. Why not make it fun? Add a little adventure into your workout by participating in Warrior Dash. What is Warrior Dash you ask? Well, according to the website its "a mud-crawling, fire-leaping, extreme run from hell." I mean, who wouldn't want to do that? It's a 3.3 mile run along rugged terrain with extreme obstacles along the way, ending in a pit of mud that you have to crawl through to get to the finish line!

Warrior Dash currently has 27 race locations across the United States, Canada, and Australia for 2011. So get a group of friends together and get ready to have some muddy fun! Don't see a location close to you scheduled...you can always try Muddy Buddy.

Be a Jack-Of-All-Trades

2011-01-18T14:19:00.000-05:00

With the hundreds of thousands of videos uploaded each day on YouTube, that's 24 hours of video every minute, there is no reason why you can't learn a new skill, trade, craft, or hobby! Why pay to be taught new things when there are lots of resources right on the web that show you exactly how to do it? I have used YouTube on numerous occasions: how to decorate a cake with fondant, how to replace the motor on my washing machine, how to get a virus off my computer, and the list goes on. There is nothing you can't do with YouTube on your side. You can become a professional photographer, appliance repairman, five star chef, auto mechanic, and a yoga master all in one day! So when you are sitting there bored out of your mind, jump on the computer and learn how to do something new on YouTube, you never know when you'll need it!

Rock It Out!

2011-01-16T15:36:00.000-05:00

If you were lucky enough to get tickets to Kid Rock's 40th Birthday Bash then you know what a good concert he puts on. I didn't get to go to this concert but I have seen him in the past and he does put on a rockin' concert!! Every year he comes to the "D" and every year he sells out, including Ford Field for his birthday. On his normal tour he usually adds one or two more concert dates because he sells out so fast in his home town of Detroit. Kid Rock is an original rocker and really knows how to put on a good show, so if he's coming to your town it's well worth it to get tickets and have an awesome time! Check out his newest CD "Born Free" for all his new songs. And if you are a true Detroiter check out his personal apparel label Made in Detroit.

Listen to a Book

2011-01-12T13:29:00.000-05:00

Yes you read that correctly! If you don't have a lot of time to sit down and read your favorite book then try listening to one! At Audible.com you can download a digital audiobook to your iPod, iPhone, Android phone, Blackberry and many other devices. If you don't have a compatible mp3 player or phone you can download it directly to your computer or burn them on a CD. Audible.com has a vast selection of books including new best sellers like Dead or Alive by Tom Clancy or Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King. They even have magazines, radio shows, stand-up comedy and speeches from famous icons. Get your reading in without the reading!

Apple iPod Touch

Family and Friends Game Night

2011-01-11T13:54:00.000-05:00

It certainly gets expensive dining out, going to the movies, bowling, or other activities all the time. Something to try is a game night. Invite your family and friends over for a fun night of laughing, playing and a little competition. Here are a few games to try with a bunch of people:

Personally, my favorite is The Game of Things. Each person takes a turn and draws a topic card reading it out loud. The other players write down their own responses and then you have to figure out who said what. The more outrageous the answer the funnier it will be. For example, the topic card is "Things a chimp thinks about when he sees you at the zoo." Some responses can be "What are you looking at?" or "Oh no not you again".

You will learn a lot about your friends and family and can see who knows you the best!

$$$ Make Some Extra Cash $$$

2011-01-10T15:27:00.000-05:00

The holidays are over and the bank accounts are empty! One easy way to earn some extra cash is by selling some of your stuff that has been sitting around collecting dust. I have bought and sold many, many things on ebay and have made a lot of cash doing it! And don't think that you don't have anything that is worth any value or that people wouldn't buy because you would be surprised! People sell coupons...yes coupons! Have a bunch of textbooks or fiction books you don't need anymore...list them on ebay! What about some old toys, video games, DVDs, CDs, jewelry...you can even list your house! (not that I'd recommend that unless you have another place to live!) So dust off those boxes you have in your basement or shoved away in the closet and see what you can sell to make some money from. Use the cash to pay some bills or take that special someone out on a date!

Lil Ice Fishing Aficionado

2011-01-09T10:38:00.000-05:00

So if you are an avid outdoors man like my fiancée then you are probably sitting in an ice shanty on a frozen lake too. That's where my fiancée took our almost three-year-old son today...on his first trip ice fishing! He was so excited to go, he put on all his warm clothes this morning, including his snow pants, boots, coat, gloves and hat and was on his way. And not long after putting his pole in the water he caught his first perch!

So get your warm clothes on, pack up your fishing gear, and drag that ice shanty on a nice thick iced over lake and catch yourself some fish! Or if you are anything like my fiancée you have a heater in the shanty and it's so warm in there that you can fish in your t-shirt and jeans! Either way be safe, have fun, and spend some good quality family time with your little buddy!

Fly Like a Bird

2011-01-07T14:14:00.000-05:00

What could compare to free falling over 14,000 feet in the air? Absolutely nothing! And trust me I know. I recommend to everyone to try skydiving at least once in their life. It's scary, nerve-racking, and the most awesome, serene experience you will ever encounter. First time jumpers are recommended to do a tandem skydive, which means you are attached by a harness to an experienced skydiver. Together you free fall out of an airplane that lasts about a minute long going at speeds over 100 mph. Once the parachute is opened you calmly float over the earth below you giving you the most beautiful scenery once can imagine. It is so peaceful and serene floating to the ground, it's amazing and truly indescribable. So if you have the guts I insist on trying it, only those that have skydived can understand the feeling you get and will never forget!

www.skydivetecumseh.com

Fooooouuuurrrrrr

2011-01-06T12:11:00.002-05:00

So this past summer was the first time I tried to play golf and to my surprise I actually enjoyed it and I wasn't that bad at it either! I have my own set of pink golf clubs with a cute grey and pink golf bag to match! I love them. And for Christmas I got my own pair of golf shoes and a GPS. Now I can look like a professional golfer, just have to learn to golf like one! First, I went to the golfing range to work on my swing and to see if I could actually do it. Then once I mastered the golf range (LOL), we went headed to a par 3 golf course, which I would highly recommend. These courses are basically made for beginners, most of the holes are straight shots and not very far from the tee. So when the weather gets warm and the snow melts away I can't wait to head out to the green!

It's Never Too Late To Learn

2011-01-05T19:39:00.000-05:00

I am a recent college graduate, finally received my bachelors degree by the age of 31. I can remember in many of my classes there was a very diverse group of students, ranging from fresh out of high school to headed to the retirement home! It just proves that you can teach an old dog new tricks. I encourage everyone to go (or go back) to school to earn their degree. It helps in their career and it helps with your own self esteem. I know there were plenty of times where I quit or didn't want to go to class, but when it finally came down to graduating, I was never more proud of myself.

My suggestion is to start out slow, take one or two classes and see what you can handle. Don't overwhelm yourself because then you are destined to fail or drop out. And if at all possible do not buy your books at the university bookstore! The prices are outrageous...do your homework, shop online! Check out Ebay, Half.com, or Amazon. Most of the time you will find a much better deal, unless it's a brand new book than you are screwed!

Search Amazon.com for textbooks

Work it Out!

2011-01-04T10:57:00.000-05:00

It's the new year and one thing that is on a lot of people's list of resolutions is to exercise more or lose weight. For the past two years I have been working out with a trainer at work (yea I know it's awesome) and I plan to continue it through this year because honestly it makes me feel better. You don't have to go run to the gym and pay some crazy amount of money and sign up for a five year contract because you know that most of you will not follow through and then you are stuck paying dues for the next five years. My suggestion is to start small and work your way up. Try something fun and that you can do at home or can do inexpensively, this way there is no real big $$ loss. For instance, you can start jogging around the neighborhood, or if it's too cold outside go to your city's recreation center (it's usually only a minimal charge) they usually have an indoor track or even on your treadmill you purchased years ago that you haven't used! But make sure you have good running shoes because honestly they will make all the difference. Another fun idea is to try using a video game on the Wii, Playstation 3, or the XBox 360. They all have exercise games that are fun and make you sweat at the same time. Try these:

Wii Fit
Your Shape Fitness Evolved for Xbox 360
Zumba Fitness (availavle for all systems)
EA Sports Active 2 (available for all systems)
The Biggest Loser (available for all systems)

If you already have the video game system you are only really investing $50-60 which isn't that great of a loss considering the alternatives. Or just rent one from your local video store to try it and see which one you like best.

Just make some resolutions or goals that you know you can follow through with, otherwise you will just get discouraged and end up quiting. If you make it fun then it won't feel like work!