We had an early start today.  Shane had plans, but he hadn’t double checked the dates.  Apparently the computer he’s using had Monday listed as the start of the week rather than Sunday and that threw off his calendar.  So we had some change of plans needless to say.

Since we had an early start to the day and no plans, we ended up deciding to check out Union Station.  Being the train buffs we are we had decided to see the KC Rail Experience.  We are not sure if we missed something of the show or not, but there didn’t seem to be much to the display.  It was informative, but Allyssa doesn’t like standing in one area long enough to listen to the narration, and certainly doesn’t want to stand there while you read a display.  Which is probably why it seemed a bit small to me.

There had been a slight mix up with our tickets and we were able to get into Science City as well.  There was certainly a lot there for children to do, learn and see. It was more for children older than Allyssa but we still found lots to do, and she had a great time.

With the ticket mix up, we were also able to see a show in the planetarium.  I liked what I saw of the show, but by then I was so tired from the early rising and walking all over Science City that I ended up dozing off and missing part of the show.

We enjoyed the day so much, we are talking about purchasing a membership to KC Union Station.  If we go more than 2 times as a family the membership will pay for itself.  Another reason to consider it, is that they have a Half Pint Program which is aimed towards children 3-6.  While Allyssa would be a bit young for that at the moment, she is a very smart girl and won’t always be too young.  Besides the Half Pint program is 1/2 price for members.

Well today we went and did a bit of shopping here.  Our tax return finally made it’s appearance and naturally we went to spend some of it.  We ended up at Micro Center.  There we purchased a 26″ Sharp flat panel T.V..  Shane wanted to use it for both a T.V. in the bedroom and something he could use as a second monitor.  While it works as a monitor, it’s not perfect.  Basically the resolution is smaller than he hoped and it’s a bit too big to fit comfortably on the desk.  He’s using it for now, but is likely to pick up a different monitor once the funds from his Pell grant arrive.

While we were out, we also purchased a Play Station 3.  We had talked about purchasing a Blue Ray player, but of the difference in price it made more sense to pick up the PS3.  While we purchased a second controller for it, we haven’t purchased any games for it yet.  We decided it made more sense to get a GameFly subscription and rent the games first.  We also have several PS2 games which we haven’t played since our PS2 died with a drive problem.

Besides all this, Shane recently introduced me to Mafia Wars on FaceBook.  And from there I’ve also seen Vampire Wars and Pirates: Rule the Caribbean!  I’ve found them to be rather addictive.  As you can see we now have plenty to play around here.

Yesterday, as a family we went to the Kansas City Northern Railroad.  It was Sunday afternoon, we hadn’t done much over the weekend and were looking for something different to do.  Someplace on the web, Shane found the Kansas City Northern Railroad and since this is a train family, it was definitely of interest.

It is not an large railroad, but they take you around the area twice for $.50 a ride.  They have a tunnel, S-curve, a wooden trestle bridge, and a road crossing you go over, so as you can see a little bit of everything.  Allyssa went on the ride three times, and would have gone at least three more if we had let her.  It’s a short drive from home, about 20 minutes so we will definitely be going back again.

I am now in my fourth week of classes and so far I am doing very well with grades around 95% still. So now you have some proof that I am not perfect!

I really enjoy the work and doing the assignments online. Saves a lot of writing and paper that way. Basically I log in to the school’s web site and submit questions and answers via the threaded discussion board. I earn participation points for commenting on other classmates posts, and have a private area to turn in my assignments. It’s pretty easy to do and I have learned a lot so far.

Yesterday I finally received the information I was waiting for regarding financial aid. I qualified for enough on a loan to pay for all the classes, with some to spare. I also received a $2,366 Pell grant to use towards educational expenses. The grant is money I never have to pay back, though I will likely use the bulk of it to pay down the loan. This was great news since know I don’t have to worry about how I will be paying for school this year. It’s only guaranteed for one year, if I complete and pass all my classes. So I will need to reapply for next year but I don’t think it will be much of an issue.

I am really happy that I have finally made the decision to do this. I know that teaching will be a lot more enjoyable to me than writing computer and web software. I’ve done that for so long it is time for me to finally give it a rest. I still do some stuff and I talk about that on my other blog, GrandSlambert, but it’s mostly stuff for WordPress, the software we use on this web site.

I have a few people that want me to develop web sites for them, and I might just to make a little extra money, but eventually that will no longer be my business, so I am not working to build that business. Once I earn my degree and start teaching I don’t want to have to work on a computer. It can become my hobby again.

Recently I realized that this blog isn’t just about Allyssa or even about Shane.  It’s about all of us.   To that extend I’m going to post some of my recent thoughts, etc.

Lately I’ve been thinking about green cleaning.  While I’ve thought about it before, and looked into going more green, I ended up just checking out the books, and reading through them.  I never actually made any of the formulas or tried them.

Recently though, I picked up some DR BRONNER’s Liquid Castile Soap – Lavender Organic, 8 oz, I had been doing some reading on castile soap and finally decided to try some. It is a gentle soap in which a little goes a long way.  It is actually a soap and not a detergent like most of what we find is stores now.  The reason to stay away from detergents when possible is that not only are they harsh, but they are also make out of petroleum products.   Things that are not only bad for us, but also bad for our environment.

I am starting with the household cleaners and such I use.  They are expensive to buy, and filled with chemicals which are hard on the skin, typically stink, and aren’t safe for my family or our environment.  While I knew that the castile soap could be used, I wasn’t sure of portions and what would compliment so I went to the library again and picked up some books.

From The Naturally Clean Home: 100 Safe and Easy Herbal Formulas for Non-Toxic Cleansers by Karyn Siegel-Maier I made a wonderful Lavender Soft Scrubber.  It worked great all over the bathroom, including Allyssa’s plastic tub which I found had a soap scum ring.  I love the scent, it’s super soft on my hands and I had everything already, most of it in the kitchen.  Since lavender has antibiotic, antifungal, antiviral and antibacterial properties, I also know that it’s a healthy clean and not  just appears clean.  It’s also something I can use to clean those tough spots in the kitchen and  not have to worry about nasty chemical residue when I do.

I also picked up Organic Housekeeping: In Which the Non-Toxic Avenger Shows You How to Improve Your Health and That of Your Family, While You Save Time, Money, and, Perhaps, Your Sanity by Ellen Sandbeck.  She has some wonderful tips and is more from the how to get it done right and quick so you can move on to something other than cleaning school of thought.  She has a great tips about how to disinfect food and counters.  It uses hydrogen peroxide and vinegar.   Basically hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) releases it’s extra oxygen when it comes into contact with organic material, heat or light.  Why that makes it a great cleaner is that microorganisms find pure oxygen extremely toxic. Which means when it meet organic matter, it kills the organisms and leaves water behind.

So why do you need the vinegar?  Through testing it turns out that while hydrogen peroxide is 100 times more effective than vinegar together they are 10 times more effective than just hydrogen peroxide.  As for what to do, it’s a simple dual spray system.  One bottle needs to be dark and completely opaque and that is for the hydrogen peroxide (just the regular 3% solution you get from the drug store is perfect).  The other bottle of another color is for the vinegar (just your normal white vinegar).  First spray with vinegar then follow up with the hydrogen peroxide (until it no longer bubbles).  Then you’re done.  No need to even rinse, and it’s completely safe for humans consumption after.  If you are doing produce remember to wash off the dirt and grit first.  For meat just follow the two steps.  For counters and other surfaces just follow the two steps and you’re all set, no need to even wipe it dry.

One last note though, do not use vinegar to clean calcium-based stone, such as marble, limestone, dolomite, and calcite since vinegar will dissolve them over time.  Organic Housekeeping has some other wonderful tips as well, so I definitely recommend giving it a read.  I’m going to try some other tips she gives, but I haven’t yet.  I like her tips on how to keep your mop water clean, but it will make more laundry.  So I’ll have to pick up some more dish cloths and give that and some of her other tips a try.