Thanks WonderDads!

in , by Linda A Kinsman, Saturday, July 30, 2011


We are pleased to be on WonderDads list of The Best Mom Blogs! To read the full list of the best blogs you should tell your wife about, visit WonderDads HERE.

Know a Wonder Dad? Why not share this great resource with him?

A Song for the Day

in , , by Linda A Kinsman, Thursday, July 28, 2011

I've been busy all week working on projects for my husband's business.


While I've been busy type, type, typing away; the girls and I have been enjoying the beautiful blue grass sounds and harmonies of Nickel Creek.  My all time favorite of theirs is The Lighthouse Tale. It is a haunting, beautiful, tragic love story. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as we do.



Coming Up on My WAHM Plan: 2 reviews and my very first giveaway! Stay tuned and as always, thanks for reading.

Inspiring Quotes

in , by Linda A Kinsman, Tuesday, July 19, 2011




Most of these quotes are focused on leadership, but I wanted to share them because they all have the ability to uplift, re-direct and inspire us as people. We sometimes let our roles or "labels" lead, but I humbly submit, that we should all concern ourselves with the content of our character first.

Of all the quotes listed, the one's that resonated with me most powerfully today were from Winston Churchill, Robert Townsend and Zig Ziglar. Which one (s) speak to you?




"Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality."
-Warren G. Bennis

"Management is doing things right. Leadership is doing the right things."
-Peter Drucker

"One of the true tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency."
-Arnold H. Glasgow

"Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced."
-James Baldwin

"If you want to know why your people are not performing well, step up to the mirror and take a peek."
-Ken Blanchard

"The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality, the last is to say "Thank you." In between the two, the leaders must become a servant."
-Max De Pree

"They don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."
-Theodore Roosevelt

"The greatest management principle in the world is: the things that get rewarded and appreciated get done."
-Michael LeBoeuf

"Excellence is...caring more than others think is wise;
Risking more than others think is safe;
Dreaming more than others think is practical.
Expecting more than others think is possible."
-Winston Churchill


"You get the best efforts from others not by lighting a fire beneath them, but by building a fire within."
-Bob Nelson

"Quality is never an accident: It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution. It represents the wise choice of many alternatives."
-William A. Foster

"Values are critical guides for making decisions. When in doubt, they cut through the fog like a beacon in the night."
-Robert Townsend


"A leader's job is to look into the future and see the organization not as it is, but as it should be."
-Jack Welch

"Giving people a little more than they expect is a good way to get back a lot more than you'd expect."
-Robert Half

"The most important persuasion tool you have in your entire arsenal is integrity."
-Zig Ziglar


"To lead the people, walk behind them."
-Lao Tzu

The Golden Pathway Book Review

in , , by Linda A Kinsman, Friday, July 15, 2011



Author: Donna McDine
Summary: Raised in a hostile environment where abuse occurs daily, David attempts to break the mold and befriends the slave, Jenkins, owned by his Pa.
Fighting against extraordinary times and beliefs, David leads Jenkins to freedom with no regard for his own safety and possible consequences dealt out by his Pa.
Suggested age for readers 8-12

My Review:

I was interested in reading a children’s book that dealt with slavery and was happy when Mrs. McDine was able to send me a copy for review.
I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was drawn into the story within the first few paragraphs. Mrs. McDine has so vividly portrayed the characters, (both good and bad); at first I was reluctant to read this story with my 8 year old daughter.   Not because of the subjects of slavery or the underground railroad, topics both my daughters have learned about in school. My reluctance was over the very real ugliness found in the Father or Pa.  I struggled with wanting my youngest to know that some fathers can and do live in such a manner.
After re-reading The Golden Pathway,  I decided that it was a great teaching tool with lessons in history yes, but more than that, this short story contained  powerful life lessons in :  bravery, kindness, making the right choices, which isn’t always easy,  sometimes parents/ adults make bad choices, and that kids have power to change things too.
This finely illustrated book will have you rooting for two boys thrown together by circumstances beyond their control, until one brave boy decides to help the other.  I did wish for one more chapter in which we could take at least part of the journey to freedom with Jenkins.


The Golden Pathway book review

Their Review:
Since this book was written for 8-12 year olds, I found it serendipitous that I am the proud Mom of 8 and 12 year old daughters. I thought I’d ask them to do a mini review.
They both liked the book, because it had a happy ending and because the son was really brave to help the slave. They both felt the book conveyed the special lesson that you should always treat others the way you want to be treated and that owning another person is wrong.
Their favorite part of the book was when David helped Jenkins get away.  And, like me, they both would have liked to see the story continue for at least a little while longer, just to make sure Jenkins got to safety.
I would gladly recommend this story to parents and kids just learning about slavery. I would recommend that parents read the story with younger kids as I did so that you can help them better understand not only slavery, but the very real ugliness that can reside in some people.

To learn more about the author, Mrs. Donna McDine visit: www.donnamcdine.com.

Illustrations used in this blog review were done for The Golden Pathway by K.C. Snider. 




This popped up in my inbox this morning and I wanted to share on Freebie Friday. I'm not affiliated with either, just love sharing!

 If you have a Harry Potter fan in your house like I do, you'll love this freebie from All You Magazine and Kindle.

Harry Potter book


Free Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook Kindle Edition


Coming up later today: My Book Review on: The Golden Pathway by Donna M. McDine.

A Day in the Life of a WAHM

in , , , , , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Monday, July 11, 2011
In reviewing my stats, I noticed that several searches were done for WAHM schedules, so I thought it would be fun ( and hopefully) helpful to share one of my days with you.
 Please note,  this is our summer schedule where kiddies reign supreme, but I think I've found a healthy family/work balance. It's worked for us so far.


6:00 AM
6:30 AM
Good Morning!
6:30 AM
7:00 AM
Coffee, please!
7:00 AM
7:30 AM
Get hubby out the door with all necessary items for his day : coffee, lunch, water, paperwork/invoices/designs etc. reminders of appointments. Love & smiles!
7:30 AM
8:00 AM
Work out, assist girls with breakfast, clothes, reminders of appointments for the day.
8:00 AM
8:30 AM
Check emails respond as needed : His business, Family, My business. Call hubby with updates as needed. Do billing, proposals, updates as needed or weekly on Friday morning.
8:30 AM
9:00 AM
Start a load of laundry. Shower, get ready for day.
9:00 AM
9:30 AM
Work on current project(s),His business 1st, then my business/blog if time allows. Clean up kitchen, plan dinner, plan day with girls.
9:30 AM
10:00 AM
Visit shared links, respond to blog comments, research offers, update all Web 2.0 sites, blogs, forums, groups as time allows.
10:00 AM
10:30 AM
Family/errand Time.
10:30 AM
11:00 AM
Family/errand time.
11:00 AM
11:30 AM
Return & make phone calls: Family, Businesses.
11:30 AM
12:00 PM
Free time with girls. Play outside, read, color, puzzles, dancing, singing, T.V. etc. girls choice.
12:00 PM
12:30 PM
Lunch.
12:30 PM
1:00 PM
Lunch and clean up.
1:00 PM
1:30 PM
Chat with hubby. Reconfirm appointments as needed.
1:30 PM
2:00 PM
Tackle at least 2 household chores/projects.
2:00 PM
2:30 PM
Tackle at least 2 household chores/projects and have girls check their chore charts and follow through as needed.
2:30 PM
3:00 PM
Find and/or implement boredom buster for the girls!
3:00 PM
3:30 PM
Find and/or implement boredom buster for the girls!
3:30 PM
4:00 PM
Plan a new boredom buster with girls input for the next day. :-)
4:00 PM
4:30 PM
Snack time!
4:30 PM
5:00 PM
Work. Girls get T.V./WII time. No seriously girls, I'm working here! :-)
5:00 PM
5:30 PM
Prep/start dinner.
5:30 PM
6:00 PM
Cooking, answering phone calls, herding kiddies, texting friends, etc.
6:00 PM
6:30 PM
Dinner time. We like long family style dinners most every night of the week. Family time rocks!
6:30 PM
7:00 PM
Dinner time. We like long family style dinners most every night of the week. Family time rocks!
7:00 PM
7:30 PM
Dinner clean up. Movie/Swim/Play/Walk/Garden time, or attending family/social functions.
7:30 PM
8:00 PM
Dinner clean up. Movie/Swim/Play/Walk/Garden time, or attending family/social functions.
8:00 PM
8:30 PM
Shower, storytime, one-on-one chat time with the girls.
8:30 PM
9:00 PM
Shower, storytime, one-on-one chat time with the girls.
9:00 PM
9:30 PM
Ah, another fine day in the books. Reconnect with hubby.
9:30 PM
10:00 PM
Watch T.V. Read a book/magazine, return calls/texts.
10:00 PM
10:30 PM
Plan next day. Sync schedule with hubby.
10:30 PM
11:00 PM
Try to be in bed by now. No late night T.V. or finishing up just one more thing.
11:00 PM
11:30 PM
Yep, I'm still awake, working through it all in my mind, formulating, reliving the day, praying, dreaming, counting my blessings, smiling,... zzzz

Honey Nut Cheerios Freebie

in , , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Tuesday, July 05, 2011
Hello and Happy Tuesday.  I hope you and yours had a wonderful 4th!  We had a glorious time here, starting with a happy call from my husband exclaiming he'd got off work early on Friday, hence my no posting all weekend. But, I'm a lady who keeps her word, so here's a great Freebie for you courtesy of My blog Spark and Cheerios.


Have you heard the BUZZ? Honey Nut Cheerios cereal is America´s Favorite Cereal!*
Of course this wouldn´t be possible without their loyal colony of enthusiasts! As a special thank you for being such sweet fans, Honey Nut Cheerios is hosting a "Billion `O´ Giveaway," providing free samples to fans beginning July 4, 2011, available while supplies last.
So, if your family is nuts about Honey Nut Cheerios, zip on over to FavCereal.com for your sweet sample!
In addition to checking out the "Billion `O´ Giveaway", make sure to BEE-come a fan of Cheerios on Facebook and get involved in the conversation about Honey Nut Cheerios!
While you're liking on Facebook, I'd love it if you'd buzz on over and Like my blogs page too!

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