tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37887082Sun, 18 Dec 2011 13:41:10 +0000HomeschoolThe BachelorFamily LifeFrugalThursday ThirteenInside My HeadContestNo HeatMenopause JourneyOrganizingWFMWLittles Live HereHolidayWhat The??ChristmasLittlesFashionWordless WednesdayWednesday WorkoutHomemenuNo Spend MonthThis is me... unplugged. No apologies.http://tracymicheleunplugged.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (TracyMichele)Blogger417125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37887082.post-3529717689547122209Mon, 28 Nov 2011 17:30:00 +00002011-11-28T11:37:05.489-06:00This month I'm talking about lesser-known Christmas lyrics. The ones which point us to what the season is truly about. You can read my thoughts on the topic in my first post in the series.Today I'm highlighting a song which isn't necessarily a Christmas song in the traditional sense, but it is a song we hear very often this time of year from artists like Celine Dion and Josh Grobin. For that http://tracymicheleunplugged.blogspot.com/2011/11/true-meaning-of-christmas-day-3.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (TracyMichele)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37887082.post-5699406286540568204Sat, 26 Nov 2011 16:14:00 +00002011-11-26T10:23:51.286-06:00ChristmasOn Day 2 of my Christmas series (you can read the original post here) I want to share Andrew Peterson's vision of the birth of Christ. Jill Phillips sings this song with raw emotion and I would encourage you to download a copy or even purchase Andrew's Christmas album, Behold the Lamb of God. His interpretation of the historic events are nothing short of amazing.-Andrew Peterson, Labor of Love http://tracymicheleunplugged.blogspot.com/2011/11/true-meaning-of-christmas-day-2.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (TracyMichele)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37887082.post-8846586111227755008Fri, 25 Nov 2011 15:35:00 +00002011-11-26T11:43:12.097-06:00ChristmasIt is no secret I love Christmas music. I cherish it. In fact I listen to it all year long. The way I look at it: Why should I limit my celebration of my Savior's birth to just one month a year? That's crazy. If he never came to earth -born and raised as man, I would never experience his love and grace. In my sinfulness, I like to remind myself of these gifts he so willingly offers me daily. So http://tracymicheleunplugged.blogspot.com/2011/11/true-meaning-of-christmas-day-1.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (TracyMichele)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37887082.post-6385017208523018461Tue, 05 Apr 2011 23:51:00 +00002011-04-05T20:31:26.683-05:00Inside My HeadFor the past 7 years we have lived in Tornado Alley. I won't pretend we have never hunkered down in our coat closet. We have. But only a handful of times. Seldom do the tornadoes actually touch down near our community. Over the past 2 years, they have been getting closer. And that freaks me out. We've had 2 tornadoes touch down between 5-7 miles from our home. Close enough to hear the wind and http://tracymicheleunplugged.blogspot.com/2011/04/storm-chaser-i-am-not.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (TracyMichele)14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37887082.post-5854005224621061995Thu, 17 Mar 2011 19:44:00 +00002011-03-17T14:58:43.922-05:00Inside My HeadToday Bloggityville welcomes a new resident - CJ Collections. The owner, Carole, is a remarkable woman who is about as close to me as a woman can get without being my biological mother. She has been a source of creative inspiration for me for as long as I can remember. She is our own little Martha Stewart (although I'm confident she hates when I say that). And today, she embarks on a new journey.http://tracymicheleunplugged.blogspot.com/2011/03/welcome-to-bloggityville.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (TracyMichele)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37887082.post-8869439732095420945Mon, 07 Mar 2011 03:36:00 +00002011-03-06T22:29:29.614-06:00LittlesHomeschoolSecond grade math has recently become a struggle here. Meme has always enjoyed math but for some reason he had been digging in and was just not getting it lately. So I shifted gears. This is one of the many benefits I've found in homeschooling. We get to tailor our day and our curriculum to fit the needs of the Littles at any given moment.I stopped drilling math facts. I stopped trying to quiz http://tracymicheleunplugged.blogspot.com/2011/03/78.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (TracyMichele)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37887082.post-948456431886278804Tue, 01 Mar 2011 20:47:00 +00002011-03-01T19:36:22.414-06:00Inside My HeadHomeschoolLast week, I found myself sitting with a group of moms I didn't know. When moms get together, the discussion inevitably turns to our children. And when it does, I always cringe. I know without a doubt I'm going to be set up for judgment. Usually pretty harsh judgment. This night was no exception."You HOMEschool!??" came the question.I felt myself tense up."Yup!" I tried to muster in an upbeat http://tracymicheleunplugged.blogspot.com/2011/03/my-irregular-kids.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (TracyMichele)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37887082.post-5497414943524251514Tue, 16 Nov 2010 15:27:00 +00002010-11-16T09:44:38.678-06:00Inside My HeadHolidayFamily LifeI'm just going to come right out and say it. I think Christmas Wish Lists are ridiculous. I think they are selfish. I'm so tired of seeing people write about what they want other people to buy them for Christmas. SERIOUSLY? What ever happened to contentment? How about just letting a person buy from their heart instead of checking crap off a list so that you are happy... until next year, that is. http://tracymicheleunplugged.blogspot.com/2010/11/christmas-time-for-lists.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (TracyMichele)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37887082.post-8829738510461335301Thu, 23 Sep 2010 13:33:00 +00002010-09-23T08:59:41.315-05:00HomeschoolFamily LifeI mean, there HAS to be some lesson to be learned here. No?http://tracymicheleunplugged.blogspot.com/2010/09/does-this-count-as-school.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (TracyMichele)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37887082.post-768702700644631239Sun, 12 Sep 2010 13:37:00 +00002010-09-12T12:19:45.115-05:00Inside My HeadFashionFrugalHow many stay-at-home moms out there struggle with their wardrobe?*Raises Hand*How many tire of the same old rotations finding themselves feeling either frumpy in jammie/yoga pants or over-dressed in their left-over work attire?*Raises Hand*How many of you have friends who always show up to playdates, dinners or mom's night out always looking pulled together - silently pondering their secrets as http://tracymicheleunplugged.blogspot.com/2010/09/15-dress-that-rocked-my-world.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (TracyMichele)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37887082.post-5091510893044910537Sat, 11 Sep 2010 03:22:00 +00002010-09-10T22:27:39.528-05:00Littles Live HereOk, ok. I get it. Sheesh!(Littles live here)http://tracymicheleunplugged.blogspot.com/2010/09/mamas-not-allowed.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (TracyMichele)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37887082.post-1402322434813746907Fri, 20 Aug 2010 18:24:00 +00002010-08-20T13:58:48.172-05:00Inside My HeadFamily LifeI don't know about you, but I'm about 7 years frustrated with the 30 minutes-a-day gimmicks to encourage us to workout at home."All you need is 30 minutes day" "Work your way to flat abs in 20 minutes a day" "If you have a living room and 25 minutes, you can look 20 years young again" "Say good-bye to your thighs in 15 minutes"Oh.come.on. Sure, if I were able to workout at the gym for 30 http://tracymicheleunplugged.blogspot.com/2010/08/all-you-need-is-30-minutes-day-yeah.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (TracyMichele)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37887082.post-7039836728178187757Wed, 31 Mar 2010 13:22:00 +00002010-03-31T08:38:17.286-05:00Family LifeLittles Live HereAs I walk around my home, I see evidence that Littles reside here. Don't misunderstand that. My children are very neat. Rarely do they make a mess of the house. They keep their toys where they belong. They pick up after themselves. But once in a while, I see things that remind me, "Littles Live Here". And. I laugh. If you haven't noticed, I've been touch and go with my postings and I am hoping myhttp://tracymicheleunplugged.blogspot.com/2010/03/littles-live-here.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (TracyMichele)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37887082.post-4148188384706396232Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:11:00 +00002010-02-23T10:22:12.724-06:00Inside My HeadFrugalDue to the new credit card regulations imposed by our legislatures, some credit cards will now be allowed to charge non-use fees. Personally, I find it insane to pay a company for the mere possibility of loaning me money in the future. So we decided to contact our few zero-balance credit cards to find out if we would be subject to such a charge. One company would not release information to me http://tracymicheleunplugged.blogspot.com/2010/02/stick-to-script.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (TracyMichele)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37887082.post-5831828210022023957Sun, 21 Feb 2010 01:29:00 +00002010-02-21T17:58:55.112-06:00OrganizingKeeping my son's room organized was becoming a problem. He had good days and he had not so good horrific days. He is certainly old enough to know where things should go, he just had difficulty "getting around to it". I realized the problem probably wasn't so much him as it was me. Now don't get me wrong. The chil' does NOT get off easy. And he is required to keep an orderly room. What I am sayinghttp://tracymicheleunplugged.blogspot.com/2010/02/boys-room-revisited.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (TracyMichele)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37887082.post-2631271772620564333Thu, 11 Feb 2010 20:59:00 +00002010-02-11T15:26:39.098-06:00Organizing..and everything in its place!I'm so excited at the transformation of this space! This is our "home office" and is used for every imaginable task. We store homeschool curriculum and resources, student workbooks, stationary and mailing and general office supplies. Pens and pencils, discs and books also hide out in here. This is where we write letters and correspondence, pay bills, do research,http://tracymicheleunplugged.blogspot.com/2010/02/place-for-everything.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (TracyMichele)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37887082.post-9166028105863461951Mon, 01 Feb 2010 03:41:00 +00002010-01-31T21:56:36.389-06:00FrugalNo Spend MonthWE DID IT! We made it one month without spending on things unnecessary. After the start of the month I stopped counting the things I sat at home "wishing" for. Unless I was at a store and resisted the urge to spend, it wasn't counted as a savings. But don't get me wrong - ohhhhh there were many times I thought about something but never actually went to the store. Like hair color because mine was http://tracymicheleunplugged.blogspot.com/2010/01/no-spend-month-day-31.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (TracyMichele)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37887082.post-7409100513829812302Sat, 30 Jan 2010 16:39:00 +00002010-01-30T11:19:59.790-06:00Family Lifehttp://tracymicheleunplugged.blogspot.com/2010/01/its-beginning-to-look-lot-like-maine.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (TracyMichele)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37887082.post-3147994357028669835Mon, 25 Jan 2010 03:40:00 +00002010-01-24T21:48:49.528-06:00LittlesFamily LifeBreakfast Table Discussion with Bean todayBean: Mama, did you know Jonah is alive?Me: He is?Bean: Yup. He just lives in heaven now.Me: Did you talk about Jonah in Sunday School last night?Bean: Yup.Me: Did you learn about how he was disobeying God? Bean: Yup.Me: And that he got on a boat with other men to run away but a storm came? Bean: Yup.Me: And did you know that Jonah told the men http://tracymicheleunplugged.blogspot.com/2010/01/out-of-mouths-of-babes-or-whales.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (TracyMichele)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37887082.post-4230637316268336003Wed, 20 Jan 2010 15:42:00 +00002010-01-20T09:59:19.254-06:00FrugalNo Spend MonthSo I clearly have not been as good about my "daily" postings as I had hoped but the spending (or non-spending as the case may be) is going very well. Less trips running to the store to pick things up means less unnecessary purchases and significantly less fuel usage.Last night as we were going to bed, I realized we hadn't been to the bank in well over a week. I won't lie, I panicked a bit. On http://tracymicheleunplugged.blogspot.com/2010/01/no-spending-day-um-18-19-or-20.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (TracyMichele)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37887082.post-4837054420948051702Sat, 16 Jan 2010 03:09:00 +00002010-01-15T22:17:34.766-06:00Family LifeIt is no secret that we recently embarked on a no-spend month. So when a friend offered 2 free tickets to the Colgate Country Music Showdown, we jumped at the chance for a free date night. I cleared the date with Babe. I arranged a sitter. I was thrilled.Until I realized I had the wrong day.I tried again to clear the date with Babe but he had plans that he assured me should not be broken. I http://tracymicheleunplugged.blogspot.com/2010/01/date-that-almost-wasnt.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (TracyMichele)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37887082.post-3625560936491086741Sun, 10 Jan 2010 15:23:00 +00002010-01-10T09:44:04.784-06:00FrugalNo Spend MonthZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzz...I figured some of you, like me, would be getting tired of seeing us NOT spend money. So I decided to combine our weekend conquests.Spending Temptations:This weekend has been slow in the field of finances. Until Saturday night, I had no temptations to spend money. Why, hello awesomeness I call Fellowship Bible Church. An announcement after church Saturday night made my hearthttp://tracymicheleunplugged.blogspot.com/2010/01/no-spending-days-89-10.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (TracyMichele)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37887082.post-7375776392876275330Fri, 08 Jan 2010 02:19:00 +00002010-01-07T20:22:11.720-06:00FrugalNo Spend MonthSpending Temptations:We had a snow day today and before you northerners laugh.. keep in mind we have no way to combat snow storms here. Schools were closed so I declared a jammies day. We hung around and didn't leave the house... which always makes spending money very difficult. So no temptations to speak of today. Just a day of playing board games with the Littles.Money Saved Today by http://tracymicheleunplugged.blogspot.com/2010/01/no-spending-day-seven.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (TracyMichele)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37887082.post-7486431228086382577Thu, 07 Jan 2010 02:14:00 +00002010-01-07T20:19:23.702-06:00FrugalNo Spend MonthSpending Temptations:Well, today I had to run to the store for some TP and Dish Detergent. I'm not counting these in my "money spent" category because they are necessary. Babe would have picked them up during his grocery shopping trip but the local Dollar store is cheaper... WAY cheaper. But while I was there - all Christmas items were almost free. AHHHHHH. I did pick up a candle. And then put http://tracymicheleunplugged.blogspot.com/2010/01/no-spending-day-6.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (TracyMichele)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37887082.post-3501517027660540671Wed, 06 Jan 2010 04:05:00 +00002010-01-06T15:08:38.389-06:00FrugalNo Spend MonthSpending Temptations:NONE! WOOOOOT.Although, I did stay in the house all day and never once went to a retail website. Half the battle is not window shopping.Money Saved Today by Resisting Temptation:$0.00Money Spent by Giving Into Temptation:$6.89Total Saved This Month:$124.09 http://tracymicheleunplugged.blogspot.com/2010/01/no-spending-day-five.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (TracyMichele)0