My oldest son is in 1st grade. Thankfully he loves reading so much, getting him to settle down and read with us each night is a breeze, and we, as a family really get into it. Just after school started this year Ben's teacher sent this home in his folder, and I wanted to share it. Author is Ann Scarpellino.
Ten Reasons to Read to your Child
1. Because when you hold then and give them this attention, they will know you love them.
2. Because reading to them will encourage them to become readers.
3. Because children's books today are so good that they are fun even for adults!
4. Children's book illustrations often rank with the best, giving them a lifelong feeling for good art.
5. Books are one way of passing on your moral values to them. Readers know how to put themselves in another's shoes.
6. Because, until they learn to read themselves, they will think you are magic.
7. Because every teacher and librarian they ever encounter will thank you.
8. Because it's nostalgic.
9. Because, for that short space of time, they will stay clean and quiet.
10. Because, if you do, they may then let you read in peace.
Enjoy a little reading tonight!
Aimee
- Aimee
- A lifelong resident of WI, I am continuously amazed at all the great things WI has to offer. Now much of what I see and learn is through the eyes of my young boys as they navigate life. These musings will shed light on WI places, happenings, events, products, etc. seen through our eyes, and maybe an occasional note on life raising boys in general!
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
I am having trouble with my twitter feeds and have been getting feeds that are not mine and are inappropriate. So I have removed the Twitter feeds and will try again soon. In the meantime please follow me at twitter.com/inspiredinwi.
Best Homemade Play Dough recipe!
I couldn't help but pass along this recipe for home made play-dough. I have not tried other recipies, this was honestly the first and only one I tried after Googling "homemade play-dough". But with a stroke of luck, I do not need to invest any more time or energy searching since this is THE recipe to use! I have had the same batch saved in Ziploc bags for over 6 months now, and every time we bring it out it is soft and ready for use! I am not able to give credit since the recipe was one of like 100 (and of course I didn't bookmark it or write down the blogger) and it wasn't part of any book, website or anything other than some generous mommy blogger who wanted to pass this along, just like me. And to whoever you are, I am forever indebted to you for all the hours of fun you have provided us for a fraction of the store-bought price :)
1 cup flour
1 cup water
1/2 cup salt
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Food coloring
Bring all ingredients BUT food coloring to rolling boil on stove, turn down to medium heat and continue to stir until thick. Remove from heat, dump dough onto plate or cutting board. Break into sections for as many colors you desire. Add drops of food color to each section and knead until even, add as much or as little color as desired.
Enjoy!
Aimee :)
1 cup flour
1 cup water
1/2 cup salt
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Food coloring
Bring all ingredients BUT food coloring to rolling boil on stove, turn down to medium heat and continue to stir until thick. Remove from heat, dump dough onto plate or cutting board. Break into sections for as many colors you desire. Add drops of food color to each section and knead until even, add as much or as little color as desired.
Enjoy!
Aimee :)
Friday, September 11, 2009
Summer?
So today's picture is of my younger two at playgroup today, but instead of romping on the maze of slides and equipment with all the other kids, the nearby stream caught their interest. They are gazing at the trickle of a stream that in wetter months would create a much faster mode for carrying their "bugboat" leaves downstream. Today they resorted to betting on whose "bugboat" would even come into sight, floating cleverly enough from the launch site upstream that it avoided the branches and other debris that had overgrown with the low water. They would find a leaf, run up stream and gingerly place it in the water, then scramble back to the bridge, hoping their leaf would be the one to catch a break and go zipping through the water. Giggles and squeals filled the air as they watched to see who's leaf made it and who's settled into a new home stuck somewhere along the way.
So if you are ever in West Bend be sure to stop at Silverbrook Park and take a breath, listen to the breeze, watch the kids play and maybe float a little bugboat of your own. It may just make it all the way, or at least bring a little giggle to your day!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Thursday, September 10, 2009
No happy endings here!
I had previously written this as a note on Facebook, but as I re-read it today it made me chuckle so much I decided to blog it. Enjoy!
When most of you hear the term "happy ending", you think warm and fuzzy, the end of a good book or movie, maybe the outcome of a challenging situation. Well, mention those words to a masasge therapist and you could just as well grate your nails down the chalkboard and get a better response! In my 11 years as a therapist I have heard those ugly words only a handful of times, but a more recent incident left me really wondering if men are pigs (ok, I know most men really are not, but the naughty ones are still out there!). You see, happy endings are an ending that most people will never experience after a massage, yet many men still seek them out. I have had subtle attempts thrown at me, trying to lure me closer and closer to "there" with complaints of groin pulls, or a shifting of the body so I might accidently get "too close". But my favorite has got to be my most recent experience, and subtle it was not. "Mr. X", who had no prior incidents to roust my caution, did not heed my instructions to climb IN BETWEEN the sheets. As I emerged from behind the curtain to begin our treatment I was blinded by the whiteness of places the light doesn't shine, in full glory on top of the table. Now my background in Occupational Therapy (working on self-cares in nursing homes, you get the point) has given me total comfort with bodies of all shapes and sizes, but he was not there to be bathed! I quickly stepped back out and reminded him professionally that he need to cover up, State Law says so. It really is a law, so thankfully I had that to hide behind. Once the blunder was corrected, the poor guy really felt the need to push his desperation and came right out and asked for a "happy ending". At least he cut right to the chase! He explained his last therapist in Milwaukee used to end his sessions with happy endings (SHAME on her) and he loved the release. Well duh, who wouldn't love that release after a nice massage? Fact of the matter is as professionals we could lose our license and thankfully I had that to hide behind again. Massage Therapy as a profession has spent decades trying to lose the image that happy endings are standard, and many people still hesitate to try massage for that very fear. Needless to say there were no happy endings to that visit and I'm sure he will seek out a new therapist for his next visit! So remember-massage therapy is synonymous with "no happy endings here"!
When most of you hear the term "happy ending", you think warm and fuzzy, the end of a good book or movie, maybe the outcome of a challenging situation. Well, mention those words to a masasge therapist and you could just as well grate your nails down the chalkboard and get a better response! In my 11 years as a therapist I have heard those ugly words only a handful of times, but a more recent incident left me really wondering if men are pigs (ok, I know most men really are not, but the naughty ones are still out there!). You see, happy endings are an ending that most people will never experience after a massage, yet many men still seek them out. I have had subtle attempts thrown at me, trying to lure me closer and closer to "there" with complaints of groin pulls, or a shifting of the body so I might accidently get "too close". But my favorite has got to be my most recent experience, and subtle it was not. "Mr. X", who had no prior incidents to roust my caution, did not heed my instructions to climb IN BETWEEN the sheets. As I emerged from behind the curtain to begin our treatment I was blinded by the whiteness of places the light doesn't shine, in full glory on top of the table. Now my background in Occupational Therapy (working on self-cares in nursing homes, you get the point) has given me total comfort with bodies of all shapes and sizes, but he was not there to be bathed! I quickly stepped back out and reminded him professionally that he need to cover up, State Law says so. It really is a law, so thankfully I had that to hide behind. Once the blunder was corrected, the poor guy really felt the need to push his desperation and came right out and asked for a "happy ending". At least he cut right to the chase! He explained his last therapist in Milwaukee used to end his sessions with happy endings (SHAME on her) and he loved the release. Well duh, who wouldn't love that release after a nice massage? Fact of the matter is as professionals we could lose our license and thankfully I had that to hide behind again. Massage Therapy as a profession has spent decades trying to lose the image that happy endings are standard, and many people still hesitate to try massage for that very fear. Needless to say there were no happy endings to that visit and I'm sure he will seek out a new therapist for his next visit! So remember-massage therapy is synonymous with "no happy endings here"!
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Milwaukee Street Traders
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Fort Cushing Park, Delafield, WI
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Friday, September 4, 2009
IMG00483.jpg
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Welcome!
Thank you for reading my first "inspiration" blog post! This is going to be a great adventure for me, blogging that is. You see, for over a decade now I have been one of those people who aspires to be a writer, thinking I have some inner writing voice that hasn't found any direction. Yet have I taken time to really sit down and write? Heck no, with 3 boys, a business, a job, a house, husband, etc etc I have not written in years. I have had some great thoughts, but we all know thinking doesn't count unless you jot it down. Well it's finally time to do something with those thoughts. Hence this blog.
My life has changed dramatically over the past 6 months. I went from moving at an insanely blinding speed of an "I desperately need to earn money" self-employment attitude, to a "wow I can actually sit and read a book now" calmness of a paycheck. For years I pursued every possible avenue to earn income while holding on to self-employment through home businesses (sometimes 3 at at time!), massage appointments, booths at events, meetings, conference calls, team trainings, home parties, and on and on. I get all anxious just thinking about all that! I worked my own hours but really never had any time for anything in my life, it was truly all a blur.
So many people aspire to leave their jobs to work a home business and/or become self employed, but the current economy has changed the dynamics dramatically for me. I have personally come to realize that having a balance of a regular paycheck and a little self-employment on the side make for a happy me. I have downsized my massage practice to one night a week and no more new clients, and am maintaining a healthy client base with the great skincare line of L'Bri Pure n Natural, whom I have worked with for 6 years. As for my "job", I have been fortunate enough to have a great career to fall back on, as an Occupational Therapist. After having been out of formal clinical practice for over 8 years, I was thankful that a local hospital took their chances and brought me on. It's a wonderful opportunity, I work about 6-8 days a month, earning enough solid pay to balance our budget, and I can then pursue my other interests without the desperation of making ends meet. I love working with people, especially the older population, as their stories hold lessons and inspiration of their own. And mostly, I am able to challenge myself professionally within structured work hours, and leave that hat behind when I punch out without having phone calls to make, appointments to confirm, fliers to produce, and a zillion people to please all night long. Just me, my family, and my time.
As I approach the big 4-0 next year, I feel I have had my major mid-life turning point ahead of schedule! I am suddenly grounded, calm and incredibly thankful for my life and everything in it. I look at the business I have created over these years, Village Wellness, and feel it may be time to finally downsize it and let go of the overwhelming goals I had unrealistically created, as most business owners occasionally do. And let go of the daily inner pressure to do this and do that, and the "wow that could be big" attitude, investing time, money and energy in trying to sell everything and provide services to everyone. Not that any of that is bad, really! But for me at this point in life, it is time to evaluate how I want to spend the energy I may or may not have for the second half of my life.
So back to this blog. If I ever truly want to be a writer, I need to be a writer. And since I no longer have the daily pressure to make ends meet and now have income coming in to keep our household balanced (yes my husband works too but , like many of you, we need a double income), I have a clearer head to pursue the things that will likely help me feel I am cultivating my true inner self.
"Inspired in Wisconsin" has several meanings to me. I have lived in WI all my life, and the beauty of this state inspires me in many ways-to relax, write, read, photograph, travel, sit in awe, admire, listen, create, share with my husband and boys, and learn. There are also so many wonderful people, places, things, businesses and events here in WI that have been inspiring to me and my family. This blog will be my avenue to share with all of you what inspires me, share photos and thoughts and promote events, people, businesses and places that proudly call WI their home. This blog will inspire me to get out more, find more and explore more as my creativity grows, and be a voice for the obscure and little known things.
Thank you so much for taking time to read my very first blog! Please follow me, check back often, watch me grow, close your eyes and feel inspired too.
Be inspired today! ~ Aimee
My life has changed dramatically over the past 6 months. I went from moving at an insanely blinding speed of an "I desperately need to earn money" self-employment attitude, to a "wow I can actually sit and read a book now" calmness of a paycheck. For years I pursued every possible avenue to earn income while holding on to self-employment through home businesses (sometimes 3 at at time!), massage appointments, booths at events, meetings, conference calls, team trainings, home parties, and on and on. I get all anxious just thinking about all that! I worked my own hours but really never had any time for anything in my life, it was truly all a blur.
So many people aspire to leave their jobs to work a home business and/or become self employed, but the current economy has changed the dynamics dramatically for me. I have personally come to realize that having a balance of a regular paycheck and a little self-employment on the side make for a happy me. I have downsized my massage practice to one night a week and no more new clients, and am maintaining a healthy client base with the great skincare line of L'Bri Pure n Natural, whom I have worked with for 6 years. As for my "job", I have been fortunate enough to have a great career to fall back on, as an Occupational Therapist. After having been out of formal clinical practice for over 8 years, I was thankful that a local hospital took their chances and brought me on. It's a wonderful opportunity, I work about 6-8 days a month, earning enough solid pay to balance our budget, and I can then pursue my other interests without the desperation of making ends meet. I love working with people, especially the older population, as their stories hold lessons and inspiration of their own. And mostly, I am able to challenge myself professionally within structured work hours, and leave that hat behind when I punch out without having phone calls to make, appointments to confirm, fliers to produce, and a zillion people to please all night long. Just me, my family, and my time.
As I approach the big 4-0 next year, I feel I have had my major mid-life turning point ahead of schedule! I am suddenly grounded, calm and incredibly thankful for my life and everything in it. I look at the business I have created over these years, Village Wellness, and feel it may be time to finally downsize it and let go of the overwhelming goals I had unrealistically created, as most business owners occasionally do. And let go of the daily inner pressure to do this and do that, and the "wow that could be big" attitude, investing time, money and energy in trying to sell everything and provide services to everyone. Not that any of that is bad, really! But for me at this point in life, it is time to evaluate how I want to spend the energy I may or may not have for the second half of my life.
So back to this blog. If I ever truly want to be a writer, I need to be a writer. And since I no longer have the daily pressure to make ends meet and now have income coming in to keep our household balanced (yes my husband works too but , like many of you, we need a double income), I have a clearer head to pursue the things that will likely help me feel I am cultivating my true inner self.
"Inspired in Wisconsin" has several meanings to me. I have lived in WI all my life, and the beauty of this state inspires me in many ways-to relax, write, read, photograph, travel, sit in awe, admire, listen, create, share with my husband and boys, and learn. There are also so many wonderful people, places, things, businesses and events here in WI that have been inspiring to me and my family. This blog will be my avenue to share with all of you what inspires me, share photos and thoughts and promote events, people, businesses and places that proudly call WI their home. This blog will inspire me to get out more, find more and explore more as my creativity grows, and be a voice for the obscure and little known things.
Thank you so much for taking time to read my very first blog! Please follow me, check back often, watch me grow, close your eyes and feel inspired too.
Be inspired today! ~ Aimee
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