New York Renovator

For homeschoolers, “back to school” never really arrives. We school all year ’round! We Mecombers do try to follow a schedule of summers off, but the kids do still work on projects, take field trips, and learn how to use new software products (like Adobe and media editing programs). So I am always on the prowl for good deals, especially good software deals from reliable companies. I am very pleased with the grea prices and quality service from CostCaptain.com. CostCaptain is a Microsoft Authorized Education Reseller- no pirated or cheapo versions from them! They sell brand-new Office 2007 Suite, Corel software products, Vista upgrades, Quickbooks, Microsoft Money (an excellent tool for teaching kids how to manage finances), McAfee, and more. Best of all, their prices are at academic discounts and include homeschools! CostCaptain.com is the perfect way to get back to school with Microsoft Office 2007! Since my kids are always writing reports and making projects, Office is indispensable to us.

Plus, they have gift certificates, which are a great way to get the grandparents involved! My son has had his eye on Adobe Photoshop for a while… wink wink!

If you need academic software, CostCaptain.com is the place to go!

I hate vacuuming. I always have. When I was a kid and my mother wanted me to vacuum, I pulled out my secret weapon: my cockerpoo. Do you know what a cockerpoo is?

A cockerpoo is a dog, half cocker spaniel and half poodle. We loved that little mutt. His name was Skippy. And he ate EVERYTHING. Crayons, balloons, potato chips, the yukky peas that we kids tossed on the floor during dinner. (The stuff that came out the other end of Skippy was always very colorful and a bit of a scavenger hunt). We were bad, I know. And I still hate peas, to this day. But I no longer toss them under the table! Instead…. I…. vacuum. *sigh* but I still hate vacuuming.

At least, I DID hate it. I have seen that vacuums are finally starting to improve. For one, they are smaller and easier to handle. (Those avacado green canisters of the 70s were monstrous– remember those?). Another important feature is energy-efficiency, which I haven’t seen on too many vacuums. The Dirt Devil vacuum crushes all competition! There’s the new AccuCharge Stick Vac and Hand Vac! The AccuCharge is the first cordless machine to get Energy Star approval. The Dirt Devil uses 70% less energy– amazing!

Now, the Dirt Devil is not as cute as Skippy was. And Skippy was pretty energy-efficient, too, although I doubt he would have received an Energy Star rating. But let’s face it, what housewife really wants a dog’s saliva slobbering all over her floors? Not me. I’ll have the dog in the doghouse and the Dirt Devil AccuCharge in the broom closet! And seriously, any new appliance that saves energy– and energy is very expensive here in New York State– is worth it’s weight in gold.

Father’s Day is almost upon us, and so are a multitude of other special days this summer (birthdays, graduation, etc). One of my favorite stores to shop is VistaPrint.com. I’ve ordered business cards from them a few times, and have been very impressed! I just discovered that they print personal banking checks (we’re almost out and need to reorder), and they are carrying some convenient self inking stamps. I homeschool so I love those things. Besides, my handwriting has gotten nearly illegible and I NEED to use rubber stamps now! lol

I do love VistaPrint and can’t sing their praises enough. I get all my stationery and other printing supplies from them now. They have more than just stuff for all my printing needs– they also have magnets, t-shirts, cards, invitations, calendars, pens, address labels, sticky notes, hats, and tons more. And everything is entirely customizable! That’s why I love VistaPrint so much. I do love that personal touch. I think it’s amazing that VistaPrint products can be so customizable! I’ve never had any problem with them with any of my orders, and my items were always shipped well and in good packaging. I highly recommend VistaPrint for anyone who likes their stuff customized.

(If you want to check them out before you go on a full-fledged order, do what I did– order one of their complimentary free products. You just pay for shipping. They have a few things they offer for free. This is what won me over to VistaPrint, because they gave me the same classy service when I ordered a free product as much as when I bought their other stuff).

I am a terrible wife and mother! I don’t know how to fold a t-shirt! I watched this video again and again, and I still can’t figure it out. How on earth do they do that?!?!?!

HT My Interesting Files. Now I’ll be haunted for the rest of my life.