How to Survive (and Thrive) without Cable

Our family room may look a little like it's in the Stone Age, but it's fine with me!  We've had the same TV for 10+ years--a heavy 27-inch flatscreen that is still serving us well.  We also have a nice little bunny-ear antenna that sits on top of the TV, along with a digital receiver, reflecting the major change we've made in the past 3 years--we ditched our cable/satellite provider entirely.  We cut the cord and have never looked back.

More families every year are doing the same thing and enjoying the same quality of programming they did before (but at a much lower cost).  Here's how we went cable-free (and so can you).

Steps to get rid of your cable bill:

Step 1:  Cancel your service with your cable provider.  When your contract is up with your satellite provider (and with most companies, you'll notice that your bill will jump in size, sometimes nearly doubling), call the provider and cancel the service.  If your contract is not up, you may pay an early cancellation fee.  Do the math and count the costs before cancelling early.  You may need to place a note on your phone or calendar to alert you again about when your contract is up, should you decide to wait.

You must be adamant about your cancellation with the customer service rep over the phone.  It's the service rep's job to keep you as a customer, and they will try every trick in the book to get you to stay.  Don't fall for their offers--you'll end up in the same boat again with a monthly bill you don't need.  Resolve to be free of the company's contract and overpriced service!

Cost: $0.  This is if your contract is already up.  Otherwise, it will vary with the amount of time you still have on your service contract.

Step 2:  Buy a digital antenna.  Newer TVs are equipped to handle the antenna only, but if you have an older TV like we do, you may have to get a digital receiver box as well (it's a small box that connects with a cable to the antenna and your TV).  The antenna is for your local stations and major networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX).  Local stations are necessary in my opinion for emergency communications and instructions (though many may argue that the internet, through proper connections and feeds, can provide the same info).

Cost: less than $100 for the entire setup, which is about 3 months' worth of cable bills from most providers... which means it will pay for itself in less than 3 months.

Step 3:  Get high-speed internet.  Most people already have this. (If you still have dial-up and can't get high-speed, the rest of the steps won't apply to you.)  DSL lite isn't going to get it done for the rest of the steps in this process.  This cost is usually not an issue with most people since they already have it.

Cost: varies according to speed and service.  Our current cost is $38/month.  I don't count it because I had internet even when we had satellite TV.

Step 4:  Sign up with Netflix (or similar service).  You have many options with this service: streaming, DVD, and a combination of the two.  We have the streaming-only service, and it has worked great.  Netflix has a great search feature, and has wonderful educational documentaries, family shows, and more. 

You must have a device which will stream Netflix if you choose this: a Wii, computer, xBox, or Apple device (iPad, iPod, iPhone), though I understand more devices besides these are Netflix-ready.

Cost: $7.99 (+tax)/month.  (Way better than $30/month we were paying before---and probably even a greater savings for many people!)

Other options (do your research):
Hulu.com (online and free)
Hulu Plus (the fee-based version of Hulu with more options and titles)
Apple TV
Google TV

(Since Netflix is not the first to get new releases, we use Redbox for movies we really want to see on DVD, or just wait until they come out on the streaming.  You can watch the Redbox blog for special codes to get free rentals as a treat.)

Step 5:  Check (and bookmark) your favorite channels' websites for content and apps to watch latest shows.  This has been a dream for us, as Disney has left off some of its shows from Netflix.  I found the Disney Jr. app the other day, and my son can now watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse again.

Cost: $0.

Benefits of Ditching Cable

As a result of our weaning from cable, our family has discovered many benefits, including these:

**There is no need for TIVO or DVR. Netflix is always ready on cue.  We can watch many episodes of the same series.  We can have a Phineas and Ferb marathon any day at my house.

** Our exposure to commercials and online advertising has been greatly reduced.  We are literally bombarded with advertising already embedded into programming, not to mention internet ads.  But without some of those kids' networks toy commercials advertising overpriced goodies like "Bendaroos" or "Pillow Pets," my kids now think about what they really want for birthdays and Christmas. They don't have a network deciding for them. 

Last year, my kids had a hard time knowing what to ask for, because they recognized that they had no real needs, and wants were seriously considered, not chosen from the latest bombardment of commercials.

** We are more discretionary with our program viewing.  We don't just watch something on TV  because it's all that is on.  We are pickier now (and don't miss the larger amount of poor quality programs on cable now).

** We watch less TV. We read more now and find other things to do with our time.

**  Freedom from one less bill.  Yes, we traded satellite for Netflix, but the difference is huge.  Netflix is automatically billed every month, and it is such a small amount that we barely notice it.  It's refreshing.


Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are "affiliate links." This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

"Must-Have" Homeschooling Items

I've been reading a lot of blog posts on moms' "Top Ten Must-Have Homeschool Items."  Well, I'd like to revise that. I didn't read the posts until the week of that "blog hop" had passed, but I'd already started making my list.  Then, when I looked again at my list, I realized how dependent I am on so many things, and if I look closely enough, I could probably do without most of my Top Ten Items.  To be honest, I could do without all but one, which is listed last below (even though it is the most important).  The rest of them make our lives easier.  The truth is, families have homeschooled without any of the items on my list (yes, even my MUST-HAVE list).  Really, you only NEED books, paper, and pencils/pens, and even that is debatable (just ask unschoolers).  Most of my list, while unnecessary, sure makes homeschooling a LOT easier, so I categorized them into two groups

My Eight "Makes Everything Easier" Homeschooling Items

1.  Laser Printer.  I have Brother multifunction printer that prints, scans, copies, and faxes. It has a duplex function (a must-have feature to save paper and time).  It's about six years old and still works great.  I am extremely frugal when it comes to printing, so I opted for a black-and-white printer with no color option (the color toner prices are not worth the extra cost to me).  We do enough printing from free worksheet sites that a regular inkjet printer will not suffice.  A toner is as cheap as an inkjet cartridge now ($20 on Amazon for my brand), with a much larger output.  Your upfront cost for a laser printer may be slightly higher, but if you do a lot of printing, you'll easily make up that expense in less than a year.


2.  Laminator.  As I mentioned, I try to be frugal with paper and printing.  There are some sheets that I'd rather not have to reprint over and over again.  My laminator (a gift from my aunt who was cleaning out her office), has been a huge blessing to us.  We have so many different things we laminate, but my three favorite uses are artwork, our handwriting worksheets, and graphing paper.  Artwork is preserved from rips, spills, and extra (unwanted) marks from my youngest artist on his sisters' work. My youngest will start using the handwirting worksheets to practice his letters on a smaller scale this year.  My oldest slips the reusable graphing paper in her math notebook to work on problems that require coordinates, and the back is blank, providing a great scratch paper that is reusable, making math work much neater.



3.  Dry erase Materials.  For me, this includes whiteboards, dry erase markers, and page protectors.  We have one standard whiteboard that lost its frame a couple of moves ago, and I plan to get more shower board from Home Depot to use as an extra whiteboard soon... since my budding young artist loves to take over the one we have during school hours.  We use the chisel tip large dry erase markers for the board, and fine-tipped dry erase markers for our page protectors and laminated sheets.  I use the page protectors in our Easy Grammar workbooks (they are the teacher guides with full copy release, so I don't worry that I'm abusing a copyright).  My kids slip the page protector over the student side of the lesson and cover up the teacher/answer side with a piece of cardstock.  When they are finished with the sheet, they remove the cardstock and check their answers.  They count the number of problems, the number they got wrong, and place it on a handy sheet I give them to record their progress for the week.  I'll feature that sheet on another post, but it has saved me so much time (and it only took me SEVEN YEARS to figure it out, haha).


4.  Startwrite Software.  I've used this software for several years.  I have Version 5, but Version 6 is packed with great new features.  I can customize handwriting lessons to meet the needs of my children as they practice their penmanship. I don't buy the elementary tablets with dotted lines. Startwrite does it all for me, and I can make the letters as large or small as I want. Take a look... they offer a FREE 30-day demo trial.  It's saved me literally hundreds of dollars in handwriting curriculum, and my kids can learn whichever style fits our needs and preferences.  (These are the sheets I customize and laminate to use with dry-erase markers.)  Click the link below and try it for 30 days. I highly recommend it.  It will save you money year after year, and is even effective for improving adults' handwriting.

5.  Gradebook+ Spreadsheet.  Joy over at FiveJs.com has developed an outstanding Gradebook for Excel and OpenOffice that covers just about every grading dilemma I could think of.  Take a look--you will be wowed by the features, the versatility, and the price (did I mention it's FREE?)!  Click here to go directly to the download page for the software, and while you are there, take a look at the rest of Joy's website.  She has more great (free) tools that I'm using as well.

6.  iPod Touch.  I could devote this entire blog to how we use the iPod Touch for our classroom. I have written about how we've used them. I'm sure I'll be adding more to this topic. The educational apps are so vast that all three of my kids, from preteen to toddler, all use the iPod and LEARN something from them. I love it for the Kindle app and the free books that are offered daily on Kindle. I can also have my Bible in my pocket at all times, not to mention my favorite Pandora station with all my favorite music on it.  My four-year-old uses mine as much as I do. It's been great for memorization, fine motor skills, vocabulary, and more.

7. Kindle Fire. After several years of resisting, we've become more accustomed to the screen size of the Kindle Fire. It's more like a book in page size, and the amount of free books on the Kindle store is ASTOUNDING. I've become a huge fan of our Amazon Prime membership over the years as well, which allows us to listen to music, read books, watch educational shows, and order supplies right from our Kindles seamlessly. All for a great price... it's cable TV, shopping, and the bookstore, all wrapped in one.

7.  Composition Books.  Each year around late summer, these handy notebooks go on sale at large retailers for around forty cents each.  We use them as much as possible (and prefer them over loose leaf notebook paper).  It keeps my kids' work in one place easily, and we enjoy decorating and personalizing the covers.  After years of spiral notebooks, composition books have become my choice. I even use one for my daily journal. Take a look at these from Aesthetic Nest to see one easy way to decorate them.

8.  Electric Pencil Sharpener. Since we moved a few months ago, I've had trouble finding my electric pencil sharpener. I realize now how much I really, REALLY need it around. I'm adding it to my must-have list.

My Three "Essential" Homeschooling Items

9.  Internet.  You aren't reading this without it.  Without the Internet, I would spend a LOT more money on curriculum than I do.  It allows me to find great deals on used homeschool books (homeschoolclassifieds.com and Amazon are my top two sites), not to mention the ideas and support I get from homeschooling sites (including blogs by other homeschooling moms).


10.  Library Card.  What homeschooling mom is worth her weight in salt without a library card?  That's a given. My kids love the library, and it's one of the first places we search when we move to a new place. It's also our  go-to place for new books we want to read (and possibly buy in the future).  I was able to preview Writing with Ease by Susan Wise Bauer at our library before making the decision to purchase it.  Many libraries have homeschooling materials in their reference section or available for checkout.  Even if your library is too far from your home, check into the ebook and audiobook services your library offers online for its patrons.


ABSOLUTE MUST-HAVE. Bible.  Without the Bible, everything on this list is worthless. As I've stated previously on this blog, homeschooling is a lifestyle choice.  Christianity is no different.  I need to be open to receive the gift of God's grace through His Word every day.  No matter what homeschooling guides I have (The Well-Trained Mind, A Charlotte Mason Companion, Home Learning Year by Year)... I have no greater need for any written word than I do for His Word.


Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are "affiliate links." This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission, but at no additional cost to you. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Simply Saturday: Simplifying Our Homeschool, Part 2 - Agendas

I meant  for this post to happen yesterday, but my sinuses had another idea.  I'm still calling this a Saturday post, so take THAT, my runny nose and sore throat. 

Thank goodness I have my homeschool week planned out before Monday morning rolls around. 

There are many things I could do without to survive a homeschooling day, but one is essential (besides our curriculum) in getting the following week to work without a hitch: the agenda.

First, let me explain what our agendas are NOT:

• Our agendas are NOT locked-in schedules. Schedules imply that there are time increments and set amounts of time for each subject. My kids' agendas don't force them into any time-locking capabilities.
• Our agendas are NOT chore lists. We have a separate space for our chore lists, but my girls know which chores belong to them and on which days they must do them. My oldest daughter's iPod is set to remind her on days that certain chores are due.
• Our agendas are NOT lesson plans. Not in the formal sense of the word. From my public teaching days, lesson plans included objectives, steps of instruction, practice, and assignments. The lesson plan in a public school is a tool to keep the teacher on track with achieving objectives.

Here are the goals and benefits our agendas DO accomplish:

• The agendas tell my kids what has to be accomplished in each subject for the week.  This includes telling them when they must take tests and how much reading needs to be done for the week.
• The agendas prepare the kids for our weekly co-op. The girls are reminded that even though they have a week to prepare for their co-op classes that we take with other homeschoolers at a local church, they will be very busy if they wait until the day before to work on co-op assignments.
• The agendas tell me what sheets I need to prepare for the following week, including what blackline master copies I need to make for tests, books to have located and ready, and an idea of how much time we will need to work on subjects we do together.

I created these agendas as a tool for my kids, so that they know, and can see, what needs to be accomplished every day.  We have tried other systems, such as Sue Patrick's Workbox System (our modified version), and Managers Of The Home (MOTH) schedules, but we couldn't lock our day down to interruptions by toddlers, animals, and the other pauses that happen inside our classroom.  Simply put, I wanted to make sure the girls got their work done by the end of the day on Friday, and that is the best way for them to plan their own week out.  The agendas are a loose adaptation of my friend Joanne Calderwood's HS Student Planner.  It's a great resource, and wildly popular in the homeschool market.  If you are looking for an all-in-one system, Joanne's planner is the best I could recommend for parents looking to make their kids more accountable and responsible. Click the link above to find out more about her system and self-teaching philosophy. (I say I am loosely adapting Joanne's system because I haven't given my kids as much control over how much they have to do for the week.)

Rather than printing the agenda out every week for my girls, I printed a blank grid on colorful paper with labels for subjects and days of the week.  Then I laminated it for easy reuse. 

Blank agenda:

Agenda filled out for the week:

As a side note, if you don't own a laminator as a homeschooler, I recommend getting one. They are a great way to save on printing costs, and the kids love to use them for various projects.  I can laminate anything on an 8.5x11" sheet, and suddenly, a single sheet of paper lasts for months.  I have laminated blank handwriting sheets with dotted lines to work with my youngest daughter with penmanship, and I use the opposite side (completely blank) when I need to quickly help one of them with math.  Here's a picture of the blank handwriting sheet (it needs to be cleaned a little better, but you get the idea, and you can see it's been used a LOT).

Now, for those people who need a written record of what was done, the nice thing about the agendas is that I can choose to make copies of them if I choose on our 3-in-1 printer. I am not quite that meticulous.  I like to see that the work is done, but I don't need an extra paper record of it checked off for each week.


The girls enjoy crossing out what they have done for the week, and we have found it saves a lot of headaches and arguments when they can see what is due.  If the kids get behind for the week, they have to work on it on the weekends.  They also know that if they choose not to do a certain subject that day, they are only making it harder on themselves as the weekend approaches.  The only drawback to this is when my oldest sees that she'll get extra time to play with friends at the end of the week, and she ends up speeding through her assignments, only to have me look over them and make her redo her work of it because of penmanship that is too sloppy or too many mistakes.



Each week (preferably Friday, after all the current week's work is finished), I take the agenda, and begin filling it out for the following week.  I just write the assignments, one subject at a time, and if something needs to be done with me (rather than be worked on independently), I try to label it on the sheet.   Sometimes I'll make that special mark in a separate dry-erase marker (I've discovered that the darker whiteboard markers erase the easiest).  If we have nothing to do for that subject that day, I cross the day out with a horizontal line. (I see in my filled-out photo that I forgot to add in 2 days of history work in the example.) It only takes 30 minutes to an hour each week, and then I can forget about lesson planning for the weekend, knowing our classroom is ready again for Monday morning.

What are your favorite scheduling and planning tools?  I'd love to hear from you!

Simplifying Our Homeschool

As homeschoolers, we spend a lot of time at home, and things can get pretty hectic in spite of that convenience. My goal here will be to show you how I have simplified my school day, and how it has made all the difference for me. Every homeschooling family has its own method and way that it gets through the day.

I don’t intend to bash certain publishers of curriculum that didn’t work for me, or to bash other methods of homeschooling. I just want to show my readers from time to time what works in our family, and what has helped me in attempting to reclaim a part of who I was before homeschooling (and even before children).  I invite your comments and your suggestions!

Learning to Put off Pettiness

I have learned over the past few years that there are some things in life which take so much energy that to continue them is not helpful for my health or my spirit.  One of those things is pettiness.  So many things in life are really petty.  When you allow pettiness to control you, it drains you and those around you.  As one blogger LoveBabz states, acting in a petty way is manipulation in disguise.

The Free Dictionary says petty is  "Marked by meanness or lack of generosity, especially in trifling matters."  I have experienced pettiness in people whom I considered to be close to me, and unfortunately, the worst of these situations resulted in an end of communicating with the people.  I still love these people, but when it hurts to communicate with someone after repeated attempts, you begin to realize that it is best that you each go your separate ways so that you can each experience a fuller life.

Though I may not be able to comprehend someone's utter irrationality, trying to convince a person that their ways are petty is usually a futile attempt.  The only person you can change is yourself, so you can only do your best and keep moving forward.

As Walt Disney states, "Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we're curious... and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." Even though Disney may have been referring to inventions, the quote can be applied to life in general.

Sometimes I must remind myself to make a conscience effort to escape manipulation of petty actions and talk.  Pettiness keeps you from moving forward, because being petty usually causes you to look back... back at someone's mistakes, someone's failures, someone's incompetence.  And since we can't change the pettiness in others, the best change we can make is to get rid of our own petty actions, and avoid the pettiness of those who inflict it upon us.

Frugal Friday - Hair Color

When we moved to Louisiana, not only did I lose my favorite hair styler (who had been styling my hair for over 20 years), I lost a few brain cells also. Apparently, I forgot the "If it ain't broke" saying, and decided that I needed to do something different with my hair.
First, let me say that I have covered my gray colored my hair for many years. I'm not too proud to admit it.  Nope, I don't have any plastic anything in my body, have never tried botox, but when it comes to color, I count that as makeup for my hair.

When we lived in Tennessee, I used to purchase some semi-permanent color from my hair dresser, and take it home and do it myself (much easier than asking the kids to be still in the salon).  I soon discovered Natural Instincts at the drugstore.  I asked my stylist about it, and she assured me that it should not turn my hair bright orange, green, or some other undesired color (not bashing those of you who do it). Rainbow colors are cute on some people, but I'm not one of those people.  So, I bought the drugstore box, took it home, and tried it out, knowing that if some disaster occurred, I could always make a trip to the salon to try and fix my flub as much as possible.

It worked great, and I started a routine.  I would even find deals where I could get the boxes for 50% off. I'd buy 4 boxes at a time, and I still would visit my hairdresser for a nice cut when I could (we moved to another town, but I would travel to see my trusted stylist).

Soon after we moved to Louisiana, I grew tired of the color ritual every 8-12 weeks.  I decided I needed to do something different.  I started (by the advice of someone close to me, who shall remain nameless), to buy permanent hair color.  Now for those of you who don't know what the difference is between permanent and semi-permanent, let me explain.  Permanent means will fry your hair.  Just like a permanent which can curl or straighten your hair, permanent hair color has some smelly stuff in it when you start dousing the stuff on your hair. It has ammonia in it, which not only makes your hair stink to high heaven and think you've gone on a field trip to a chemical plant, but also does a tremendous job of drying out your hair.  Goodbye soft smooth hair; hello, breaking hair and flyaways.

So, I met a sweet girl here in Louisiana who works in a high-end salon several months ago. I was frustrated with the condition of my hair, and I needed a haircut badly. I thought about trying something different, like adding some highlights.  Well, she had some lovely suggestions, and I scheduled an appointment for a cut.  I was pleased enough with the cut (took some getting used to, and I am still not a fan of using the razor cut scissors on my hair) for me to schedule an appointment for a color.

When I went in for the appointment, it ended up being a 4-hour appointment with lots of layers of color and highlights.  It was a bit of a pampering session, and luckily, my 2-year-old, who was along for the ride, slept through part of it.  However, my kids, as a whole, were not happy at all staying at the salon for 4 hours.  I was pleased with the immediate results of the color, though, and my hair looked as natural as it had in high school.  I was a little taken aback (ok, shocked), when I got ready to pay, and the price was $170.  That blew my entire personal hair budget for over a year.  I could have bought a year's worth of color and gotten several cuts from my former hairdresser for that same price. 

Now, there are some ladies that need the salon lifestyle, thrive on it, and see it as a refuge for pampering, socializing, and great products. I know the gal who colored my hair did so with love, good intentions, and a true belief and love for what she does, and the products she uses.  That just can't be me with my family and my budget.  We have too many mouths to feed, and I began to think of how many groceries I could have bought with that same amount of money.

After investing that much money in one trip to the salon, I was very careful to use shampoos only for colored hair, and faithfully use conditioning and strengthening treatments to help keep my hair moisturized and prevent breaking.  However, I'm now convinced you can't put that many chemicals on your hair for that amount of time without suffering some damage.  (I've always begged my mother to let her hair grow out and not go every 2 months for a color, cut, and perm.  Her hair style has changed very little in 25 years, and I think it's thinning because of the abuse it has suffered.)  I thought my at-home pampering would help my hair, but it continued to break, and I was losing more strands in the shower than normal.

Finally, after 3 months, my hair had begun to grow out, and I needed to color again.  I was not willing to spend another $150+ on color, and so I went back to what works for me.  I bought my trusted Natural Instincts for $8 (no coupon or specials), took it home, and followed the directions.  My hair is softer than it has been in a long time and isn't coming out of my scalp as much.  My hair feels like it's returning to it's normal state again. 

Lesson learned, hair.  No need to fall off in gobs in the tub anymore. 

Change is not always bad, but not when you realize you have made things worse, it's time to go back to what works.  I need to put a big flashing sign up on my desk....

Inbox Decluttering Update: Day 3

I have now reached my goal in less than 3 days of having less than 1000 total messages in my Gmail account. 

Those 874 emails take up a tiny fraction of my total space.


It is really nice to finally have that excessive data (I guess that is the appropriate word) out of the way.  Now, I take a couple of extra minutes to unsubscribe from any email I may have before signed up for, and I am hoping that eventually I won’t have to delete so many emails automatically.  I have also signed up with NutshellMail as recommended by Lifehacker.  It combines all your Twitter and Facebook feeds, replies, etc. into one neat email.  It makes it easier than getting everyone else's replies to someone's picture, comment, etc. on Facebook in separate emails for days on end. You can even choose how many times a day you want to get updates, and what types of updates you want to receive.

My next goal is to work on my local/hard drive program’s inbox.  It has a meager (*ahem) amount.


Now, the problem is that when I try to use my standalone email application, my computer’s memory is eaten up. I think it will improve as I eliminate some emails.  2000 emails are a lot for the hard drive to handle at once.  I don’t dread it, though. I think I can get it done pretty quickly.

Too bad I didn't know about this nifty little tool/game called 0Boxer before I went on my inbox declutter trek. I would have smoked some people's stats out there with the number of emails eliminated in a short time frame.  I don't need a game, but the program is a great motivator for those who dread the task.

Eventually I'll move to my external hard drive, which is now cluttered with things that aren't on my laptop. THAT will be a task, but as I am learning to let go of more and more physical items, I guess I am moving to becoming a digital hoarder.

Cleaning My Inbox

I confess. I am an email hoarder.

I opened my Gmail account in 2007, and I have kept emails in it from as early as 2007, many even being newsletters to which I am no longer subscribed.  Some emails are so obsolete that I don't remember even getting them, or why I'd want to keep them.

I was looking at the bottom of my Gmail screen yesterday, and not that I don't have enough space in my Gmail account, but I noticed that I was using about 10% (around 800MB) of my allotted space.
This was my inbox this morning, after I'd deleted about I had already deleted about 1000 (yes, that is correct) emails from it.  I had been patting myself on the back about that one, but the space issue still was there. 

Now why would 153 messages take up 800MB of space??

Well, they don't. Most of these 153 messages had no attachments at all.  So I started reasoning.  One reason for my expanding account is that I do a lot of freelance editing that involves receiving large PDF files.  Another space-eater are pictures. Many of them I have kept in my Gmail account and not moved to my hard drive yet.  But even all those files didn't seem to add up to 800MB.

I started hunting.  I found this little link in the left sidebar under my personally-created labels.

I discovered another reason for my huge amount of accrued space is an automatic feature called "Archive" that I think Gmail did when I converted several of my messages into Mozilla Thunderbird.  Well, I won't go into how or why it happened.  I'll admit it, I'm geeky, but I don't even want to think about how or why it happened right now.

When I clicked on the "All Mail" link, I was shocked to see the number of emails on the top panel change from this

to THIS.

Yikes.  That will take a while.  I deleted 1000+ emails yesterday, and it took me about 30-45 minutes, but I figure if I can do that many every day, I'll be down to under 1000 TOTAL emails in no time.

After that I will tackle my Mozilla Thunderbird inbox, and my hard drive will thank me for it.

Christians Illuminating the Social Media

(Preface: I have been on an extended hiatus from my blog. I am going to try to do better, and hopefully have some direction in my ramblings in this and future posts.)

One of my favorite passages in the Bible is Ephesians 4:17-5:20 (NIV).  This is a long passage, so it takes a while to read, but there is such good advice there for Christians today, that I refrain from skipping any part of it (my additional thoughts follow).

Living as Children of Light

^17-19So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.

^20-24You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

^25-28Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.

^29-32Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Ephesians 5

^1-2Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

^3-7But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them.

^8-14For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said:

   "Wake up, O sleeper,

      rise from the dead,

   and Christ will shine on you."

^15-20Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Your Online Reputation Can Spread Quickly

As Christians, we should not only watch our walk in our day to day physical activities, but we should also be mindful of our online activities (and that includes staying away from the obvious sites which promote pornography or gambling).  It's not just about what media or messages we allow to be transmitted to our screens, but also what we messages we send out online in our language and activities.  As Christians, are we "living as children of light" online at our favorite social network hangouts? We need to remember that our status updates are read by potentially more people online than in our personal, physical lives.

Foul Language on Facebook

I am disappointed by what some people have the nerve to post on certain social networking sites, especially Facebook. The amount of profanity that pervades the vocabulary of some people is disheartening. I am certain that these offenders are more verbose than they are demonstrating. If a friend on Facebook consistently uses foul language, I have no apprehension in using the "Hide" function. 

The Ever-present "Like" button

Crass language even seeps into the many “like” applications that Facebook allows on its site. Here's my rule of thumb for "like" links: If I wouldn't want my children to read it, then I don't click it (not even if I agree with the general idea). If I click on a “like” with profanity in it, I may as well be condoning the statement, and I don't want the foul language showing up next to my name in someone's feed.

Taking it a step further, I try to refrain from clicking "like" on anything besides a person or business of some kind, though, so please don't judge me if I don't click "like" on a link saying that I love Jesus or any member of my family. Those statements go without telling the world, and I don't want to allow those dozens of generic applications to email me through Facebook.  The notification emails from these applications do nothing but take my time away from those whom I love, negating the purpose of clicking links that say, "I like the statement that I love my husband/daughter/son/mom/Jesus." (Just how many weeks in a row can it be "Daughter Week?")

As part of my effort to simplify all things around me, I have also blocked most games on Facebook, because I discovered how much time I could have been putting to better use.  My news feed is streamlined, revealing the more important items that people share (news, websites and tools). Even with all my efforts to hide and clean my Facebook feed, it is still not as clean as Twitter, due to the new game applications that come out each week on Facebook.

A New Appreciation for Twitter
I'm not knocking Facebook, but I find that with Twitter, I actually learn something. The resources I have discovered on Twitter would have taken me twice as long to find on Facebook.  External links on Twitter can be opened more easily with my mobile device, and I find people to follow in areas that interest me.  This blog post by Terry Whalin (whom I follow on Twitter) explains other benefits of using Twitter.  You can also read an interesting debate on using Twitter vs. Facebook which reflects some of my own thoughts.


After saying all this, I am not leaving Facebook. I sometimes have to click through a few pages in my news feed to see if there is anything important I may have missed in the last day. I limit my time more on Facebook now.  I try to check my page for a few short minutes a day, checking on pages of close friends and family and those who are on my prayer list. 


I welcome your comments. Have you found Twitter more satisfying, or have you yet to explore it? You can even follow my tweets!