The Internet

Can I just say...that I LOVE the internet. How did people LIVE (especially stay-at-home moms) before the internet! I was thinking about it this morning, and here are just a few reasons that I love the internet!

1. Connect! Through sites like Facebook, I can easily keep in touch with old friends, and still feel connected to people in the outside world. This is helpful on those days when I don't leave the house and I only talk to Reese! Plus email and instant messaging, communicating w/ others has become so much easier.

2. Eat! I can quickly find new, interesting recipes with sites like Allrecipes.com and Cooks.com. I can easily browse through tons of pork chop recipes to find one with ingredients that I already have in my cupboards! (which I did last night- I made apple cinnimon pork chops!)

3. Share! I can read other people's blogs and it is comforting to know that we are often all going through the same stuff. I love the food blogs, decorating blogs, personal blogs, organizing blogs BUT I specifically like other "mom blogs" who are bringing their kids up in a Christian home and often share tips on how to save money or book recommendations. These are a few of my faves:
http://amysfinerthings.wordpress.com/
http://asimplewalk.blogspot.com/
http://rocksinmydryer.typepad.com/
http://lifeasmom.com/
http://allthingsgd.blogspot.com/
http://hyperhomemaker.blogspot.com/
And then they each have a list of blogs on THEIR blog....it could go on forever.

4. Inquire! I often have questions or concerns about my children's development, and I am relieved that I can hop online and look it up really fast. It's also helpful to look up symptoms when you are sick. You can also look up the definition of a word or someone's address in Chicago. If you need to know how old Barack Obama is or ANYTHING at all, just Google away!

5. Play! When you are super bored, you can play games on sites like Isketch.net. There are also great sites like Noggin.com for kids, which Reese will be able to play on in no time.

6. Earn! There are a TON of websites that allow you to earn money on the internet and work from home. You have all heard me talk about ChaCha.com, but there is also Tutor.com where you can tutor students, or Opinionoutpost.com which will pay you to take surveys. They are all free to sign up, so go ahead and try them!

7. Research! I love to shop online, and many sites like Target.com have user reviews on them, so I can do a little research and find out what people are saying about the item I am looking to purchase. It's extremely helpful.

8. Which leads me to...Buy! Who doesn't love being able to shop in their pajamas and have someone bring it directly to their door?! Perfect for Iowa winters when it's too nasty to go outside.

But unfortunatley, with the good also comes the bad. We all know of the not-so-great stuff that goes on on the internet. Then, there's the fact that it can suck you in and you can spend waaay too much time on it. I'm am personally guilty of this right now! Therefore, I am ending this post right now to go read my book! ;)