The Ways I Internet

Here's a little look at the ways I use the Internet and what it allows me to do.

Or at least all the ways and things I could think of right now.

Shopping. Or "window" shopping, as most of the time I don't actually buy anything. Recently I've been looking for a dress to wear to my mom's wedding. Though there are great dresses online that are fun to look at, I'll probably end up buying one at Ross. I'm just cheap like that. I think the last thing I bought online was...a baby carrier off of Etsy. Which reminds me: I love Etsy.com and Amazon.com!

School-ing. Since all my classes are online, I do all my school on the Internet--from researching for assignments, to submitting them, to taking the tests.

Socializing-ish. As much as one can "socialize" sitting in front of an inanimate object, I do so. I use Facebook mainly--Instagram if that count too. Most recently I was sharing with my friends and followers the pertinent information that my kiddos and I were, yet again, hanging out at Starbucks....

 

Emailing--though that's pretty much only ads these days. Most recently I was greeted by "Erin, warm up with $1 off a soup" from Panera Breads.

Searching for information. I Google just about EVERYTHING; from researching information for writing papers, to seeing if my 8 month old can eat eggs, to looking up definitions/proper ways to use words. Apparently, recently I've needed to make sure I was using the words, diatribe, disseminate and satirical accurately.

Finding recipes, DIY and craft ideas: Pinterest is one of my best friends. I just found the most amazing skillet Parmesan chicken recipe, fun Christmas crafts idea for kids, and the ombre hairstyle I'm gonna do on Friday!

Watching TV and Movies: Yay for Netflix and Hulu. Thankfully "Yo Gabba Gabba" isn't on Netflix anymore, so we've had to select other things for my 3 year old to watch. Sigh of relief! I much prefer "Word Girl" and "Super Why."  Even more than cartoons though, I like to catch up on my guilty pleasures like America's Next Top Model and Project Runway on Hulu and I'm totally gonna watch "The Italian Job" and "Strictly Ballroom" again on Netflix in the near future.

Reading blogs/articles. This is actually something I only do occasionally if I see and interesting link posted from a friend on Facebook.

Playing games. And by that, I mean Scrabble. I'm a little obsessed with Scrabble.

Reading books and library stuff: Now that I'm in a book club, I like to see if the book of the month is in my library's online/digital/e-database. I'd much prefer to rent it via my phone and read it electronically for convenience sake.

 

I am not a foodie; BUT...

So, I don't really cook.

I mean, my family and I do eat. I can brown ground beef and throw it into sauce for spaghetti or toss it over lettuce for taco salad. If we're getting fancy I'll mix the meat with boiled potatoes and broccoli for my version of shepherd's pie. If we're talking poultry, I'll do fried chicken strips. Or perhaps I'll cut veggies and make chicken fajitas. On standby I have a couple noodle concoctions of my own--dishes that once resembled actual meals.

But that's about it. That's my rotation of dinners. Seriously, I just mentioned ALL my options... unless Michael makes breakfast for dinner or burgers.

Don't get me wrong, I wish I could/would make cool, tasty, good-looking, non monotonous meals. Maybe I lack creativity, or patience, or maybe I just get overwhelmed when a recipe has 50 millions ingredients. I also have this thing about following directions. I'm not a fan.

I subscribed to Rachel Ray's magazine for a couple of years and have kept all of the monthly issues. They are tucked safely away in a shelf, collecting dust. I'll break them out now and again to get inspiration--especially when the thought of eating spaghetti makes me feel ill. But I usually get distracted reading the "Celeb Fridge" articles. I end up sitting in a pile of magazines and scribble "spaghetti sauce" on my grocery list.

When it comes to recipes and cooking I'm not even moderately adept.

So I'm not going to pretend that this blog will be remotely "foodie."

HOWEVER, with that rather lengthy note of disclaimer, I must say that I made an excellent waffle this morning. An excellent healthy waffle. And I felt the urge to share it here, in this little space I call my blog.

Whole Grain Banana Waffles
Makes 1 waffle

1. Turn on and warm up your waffle iron

2. Stir together wet ingredients:
1/2 cup of milk
1 egg
1/2 a banana--mashed up

3.) Then add dry ingredients:
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour or whole grain spelt
dash of baking powder
dash of salt (if desired)

4.) Mix all ingredients; but don't over stir. It will be lumpy because of the bananas.

5) Pour into the waffle iron and let it cook for a few minutes—depending on the waffle iron. Mine are usually ready in about 5ish minutes. But just check to make sure the dough is cooked through and not too mushy--unless you like it like that.

Then viola! Pour maple syrup or honey on top if you desire; but the bananas make it slightly sweet on their own. 

Enjoy with a cup of coffee.

A Little "Me Time"

Recently, "Me Time" is sitting down with a cup of coffee (albeit sometimes instant) or iced tea by my side and a blank canvas (computer screen) in front of me. It's time when the Itty Bitty is asleep in her crib and the Hubster is away at work. The apartment is still and quite--all except the hum of a floor fan and the low buzz of the baby monitor. Sounds I can easily block out to get into "The Zone."

My newest hobby is free-writing with a twist. It's actually free-typing, but carries with it the same idea as a the old school, free-write with pen and ink. I'm using www.750words.com as my catalyst right now. It challenges me to write at least 750 words each day. Hence the name 750 Words.

Every time I've written so far, it gets my mind thinking and my thoughts stirring. It helps me pull together the miscellaneous (yes, I just spelled that word correctly WITHOUT using spell check) thoughts in my mind that often seem fragmented and incomplete. And sometimes I realize thoughts I didn't even know I was thinking.

It's hard to describe the sense of satisfaction it gives me to type my heart out and, at the end, see what's there. It's refreshing, invigorating, and inspiring.

What do you do for your own "Me Time"?