Spring Cleaning: Is This a Real Phenomenon?

By Heather W. Allen

 

My task in writing this column, if I understand it correctly, is to pick one of the themes in each month’s issue and provide statistics, or the facts if you will, underlying that theme. How cool is that? Here I get this great list of themes and I have the freedom to pick and choose and then dive in and start researching. My instructions were very clear and fairly easy to follow.

I have to admit up front that I am a little compulsive when it comes to cleaning. I desire a clean home, a decluttered home, a home that sparkles and has lots of “empty”: empty spots on shelves, empty spots in closets, empty spots in rooms. Am I there yet? Not by a long shot. Thus, while I kept looking at the various themes included in this issue, I kept going back to the theme of spring cleaning.

Spring cleaning is very important because a home reflects, in part, the state of the family. If a home is cluttered, disorganized, and dirty, life is often one of chaos rather than order. Everything is more difficult when order is not maintained. Items needed can’t be found, or when located they are often not in condition to be used. It’s hard to put items in their proper place when you’re finished using them because either they don’t have a proper place or there are so many other things competing for the space that it’s hard to easily put those items away. If my home is cluttered, disorganized, or dirty, I feel tired and hopeless. I guess I feel like that because my life is out of control and I’ve become a servant to stuff. Wow, that’s a sobering thought: a stuff-centered home.    (more…)

Freezer Cooking

By Malia Russell

Freezer cooking is one of my very favorite ways to prepare meals for our family. When I have a large variety of yummy meals already prepared and ready to go with just a little reheating, I am much more likely to enjoy having healthy, homemade meals every night rather than resorting to carry-out, eating out, or picking up quick-but-unhealthy foods. Freezer cooking can also be very economical, because you are able to buy things like meat or veggies in large (and often cheaper) quantities and you can learn to make the most of leftovers.      (more…)

10 Great Subtraction and Addition Apps for Kids

Taken from www.education.com
By Tia Benjamin
Updated on Jan 9, 2013

Practice makes perfect, and budding mathematicians can build their subtraction skills and addition ability with a range of apps.

If the idea of mixing math with summer fun horrifies your kid, she may reconsider after playing a math-centered (and entertaining) app. Competitive kids can test themselves against others in multiplayer contests, and outdoor types might find they enjoy mixing math and gardening. Get your reluctant mathematician excited about numbers again with these top ten subtraction and addition apps.    (more…)