Astro's Kids Free Tickets

My parents got some adult tickets for the Astro's game today. Here are a few of my favorite things about them:

1. with each adult ticket, two kids got in free

2. each kid got a free hot dog

3. and a free coke

4. they also got to run the bases after the game

5. my son even got a free food ticket!

6. the free fun zone for the kids

7. the kids tickets included kids 14 and under

8. the roof was closed

9. we found a close parking lot for $5

10. very affordable family fun

summer reading

I have chosen a few books that I want my kids to read this summer. I chose six or seven for each child and told them to choose three. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. Hinds Feet on High Places

2. She Said Yes

3. The Singer

4. Do Hard Things

5. Lord of the Flies

6. Our Town

7. Nory Ryan's Song

8. Ella Minnow Pea

9. Corrie Ten Boom

10. Carry On Mr. Bowditch

Menil Art Museum

I went to visit an art museum that I'd not heard about before. Here are a few of my favorite things about the Menil collection:

1. It's always FREE!!

2. I actually like the surreal exhibits

3. The Hunted Sky

4. recognizing work by an artist

5. seeing another work that spoke to me by the same artist

6. being able to appreciate some of the work

7. sort of bewildered by other works

8. enjoyed the "Drawings on Site" exhibit by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen

9. taking my time through the exhibits

10. finding one I'd love to get a print of for my son

time alone

With my family gone, here are a few of my favorite things I hope to get done this week:

1. read

2. exercise whenever I want

3. blogging

4. naps

5. put stuff on ebay

6. get school stuff organized

7. run/walk a half marathon

8. eat whatever

9. more reading

10. more blogging

Turn About Ranch

I learned about Turn About Ranch yesterday. This working ranch sounds like a great place for teens to spend some time relearning some tools that will help them deal with problems and family issues in positive ways. I read through the website and really like lots of what I read. Here are a few of my favorites:


1. kids must earn all privileges, including pillows and showers all the way to leisure time and activities!

2. they also attend classes which will later transfer back to their home school

3. the ranch uses Christian ideals as a foundation

4. the ranch employs older adults as mentors as opposed to college aged kids

5. their program runs an average of 100 days

6. there are loans available for families who need them

7. employ professional and lay staff

8. provide studies and reports to show progress

9. program effective for many teens

10. they want to help troubled teens

end of school year

Now that the end of the school year is upon us, here are a few of my favorite things:

1. no succumbing to the school's schedule and system...at least for 12 weeks

2. don't have to hear about crummy teachers

3. no schedule

4. play days

5. I would say see my son more often...but that isn't likely to happen!

6. time off

7. hope for a better year in the fall

8. my son is half way done with high school

9. only get up early when I want to

10. do things when I want to rather than work them around school time schedule

Greyhawk Real Estate

I have never looked at buying real estate in the Scottsdale area. However, I just came across some info about Grayhawk Real Estate which is available in that area. Here are a few of my favorite things:

1. master planned community

2. unique architecture of homes

3. wide variety of housing styles and prices

4. convenient location

5. a diverse population

6. two distinct subdivisions

7. greenbelt separating the two

8. half of the 1600 acres left in its natural state

9. housing choices include condominiums, single-family homes, custom and luxury homes and townhouses

10. community amenities including restaurants, shopping, hospitals, sports facilities, and two well-known golf courses; also 30 miles of landscaped walking/biking trails