Internet Safety for Kids and Adults

In the past few days I have unintentionally come across several articles on internet safety. Upon reading some of them I went through our blog and found many things I've included in it that I really shouldn't. Like my post 'Josie at Bat'. I just gave some complete stranger my daughter's name and what team she's on so said stranger could look up her team's schedule on the Parks and Rec website and find out where she is on a particular day.

You're also not supposed to show where you live, when you're going to be on vacation (because they'll know you won't be home), and any other information that some predator might find useful against your family.

So my question is this: What information do I leave out and what can I keep in? Do I blur out my kids' faces and resort to name changes to protect the innocent?

This blog is for my friends and family to see what we're up to, not some Joe Blow off the street. It's a little disconcerting to think about but I can't live in fear that something may happen. The best thing I can do is educate my kids and ourselves.

Here are some further websites I've found that also address this issue.
Wired Safety
Safe Kids
Safety Tips for Tweens and Teens

I hope you find them all as educational as I did.

Summer-lutions

10 things I want to accomplish this summer.

• spend less time on the computer - this is going to be the hardest one to accomplish I think
• lose 5 pounds - at this point in my life one pound would be fantastic
• log in at least 25 geocaches - this will get us outside and off the computer more
• attend 3 Fresh Aire concerts at East City Park
• keep my grass from burning to a crisp
• get current on my scrapbook
• go to Ferdinand's Creamery for ice cream once a month - this may hinder my weight loss but they have the absolute best ice cream
• clean our bedroom - this may seem simple but it's not really
• have a yard sale/ go to yard sales - this one is already in motion (see post below)
• spend more time with the kids outdoors - this kind of goes with the first three but we do tend to get in a rut of spending way to much time in front of screens, away from each other. It's so easy to let them do that because then they are out of my hair for a time so I can get important things done like dishes and laundry which really aren't that important when you realize that the kids are suddenly grown up and don't want to spend time with you and the next thing you know you have all the time in the world to do laundry and dishes when all you're wishing for is to spend time with the kids.

Redd Kneck Yardd Sail

We went to some yard sales today, a favorite past time of ours in the summer, and we came across a dandy. We arrived at one that from far away had the appearance of being the grand daddy of all yard sales. The treasures were abundant! As we drew closer to the fine items we realized that most things were drug up from the depths of the 1970s. There was old excercise apparatus and some pre-sequined shorts and shirts Richard Simmons videos - we were shocked they weren't on Beta. Among the rubble was also a lot of very old rusty tools, appliances, ceramics with mushrooms on them, old potholders etc. you could just smell the nostalgia. And then we came across the box....two of them actually.

Right there in the middle of the all this were two huge apple boxes filled with Playboys. We were wondering why all of the little boys seemed to have convened in this one spot. Who in their right mind would have this out for all the world to see? It was Larry the Cable Guy's long lost cousin. He was a burly man, wearing camo pants, work boots, a grey muscle shirt with a Monster truck on the front and a ball cap complete with embroidered deer head topped off his ensemble. The first words out of his mouth to his buddy were, " Man, I had so much fun the other day. I got out my potato gun and started shooting..." At this point Nate and I burst into laughter and started to leave when Nate spotted an old water heater. He was reading the description and then chuckled once more. On it read a sign that said, "Water Heater, Four Years old, Wooks good." That was the topper for this very "unique" sale to say the least.

Nate is seriously thinking of going back there sporting my wrist brace and picking up a whole box of Playboys and exclaiming to the man, "I'll take it!"

Updates to the Blog

Upon reading Entertainment Weekly magazine I was inspired by their 'Must List' - a weekly article that showcases 10 things that people are raving about that week. I decided to add my own version of the things that we're watching, listening to and reading this week and/ or month.

The songs are linked to their video counterpart on YouTube . Now when I say a song is stuck in my head doesn't necessarily mean I absolutely love it.... it's just stuck there. Such as Maroon 5's - Makes Me Wonder. Especially the line- "Now it really makes me wonder if I ever gave a **** about you" - runs over and over and over in my brain. I think it's because they swear and that makes me wonder - how in the **** did cussing get so **** ing popular in pop songs these days? It's annoying and irreverant (or maybe I'm just getting too ****ing old and prude).

I also added what I'm reading this month. This is most likely my book club book. I've added the link to our book club - The GAB - also, in case any of you are looking for a good read of sorts for this summer or any time of year.

Enjoy!

Josie at Bat

Josie has traded in her hip hop sneakers for baseball cleats and she's lovin' it! She had her first game last night and scored several runs for her team - actually every one of her team mates scored several runs for the team, this is , after all, Parks and Rec we're talking about. They only play 4 innings, don't keep score, get five swings each from the pitching machine and every girl gets one chance at bat per inning barring they not get the 3 outs first.

The Les Schwab Alley Cats - Josie's team- lost by one point. Oh wait....they don't keep score. haha! She plays again tonight.

Keeping Up with the Remberts

Today my good friend Jeannine just started her own blog and she is going to town with it. She has motivated me to write an entry today. So I sit here and twiddle my thumbs as there's nothing really new to report (isn't this always the case with us).

So let me twiddle my thumbs a bit more, maybe the friction will turn into some inspiration......wait for it......wait for it......

Josie and Annabelle are in Pullman at Vacation Bible School this week. So far I have done 6 loads of laundry, watched about 3 episodes of Grey's Anatomy on DVD (why I continue to watch this show I don't know, I'm totally sucked in), and cleaned our camper 'Trudy' from last weekend's camping trip to Laird Park ( I may post a picture of us all huddled underneath our shade tents in a torrential downpour).

Josie has her first softball game tonight and games continue through the end of July. She likes it thus far and we'll see how she enjoys the competitve world of team sports as this is her first foray into that arena.

All in all that is about it so far. I do have all these grand plans and what I should do is write them all down in a seperate blog entry and see how many of them I actually get done. Hey, that's not a bad idea.

I'm off now to see what new things Jeannine has added to her blog. I need to keep up with her, you know.

Summer's Here

Josie and Annabelle are taking in their last three days of school this week and I'm at home getting the schedule set for this summer.

Activities we already have in the works are: Josie has signed up for softball, both girls will have a week of vacation Bible school, Annabelle and Josie will spend some time at church camp at Twinlow in Rathdrum, ID in July (not at the same time), in August we will be traveling across Montana into Canada for Bryan and Lisa's wedding reception in Regina, Sasketchewan. We hope to camp, do a few day trips and more than likely will spend our off days at the city pool or in the air conditioned movie theater checking out the latest summer blockbuster.

Our summer is already filling up and it will be no time before I'm again writing about Josie and Annabelle gearing up for school again. Time flies.