Remember all those Friday and Saturday nights spent roller skating around and around the rink, singing along with Bon Jovi’s Living on a Prayer, enjoying time with your friends and “dancing” the hokey pokey? If you do, then you know how much fun roller skating, or even roller blading can be… and what a tremendous opportunity it presents for a couples activity!

Some of my favorite memories of of my husband and I skating during couple sessions at roller rinks when we were kids. Getting to hold his hand was such a big thrill at the time. We also used to roller blade at a local skate park until the wee hours of morning. There was a a long, dark tunnel that we used to stop in to sneak a kiss. Good times!

People of all ages, from eight to eighty, love skating. The joy of rolling around a rink, or down a boardwalk, letting the breeze blow through your hair, spinning a circle or two… it’s no wonder skating is still as popular today as it ever was.

While skating does require some skill, it’s easily learned and is a great calorie burning exercise. With the only equipment needed being a pair of skates and some protective gear, skating is a great workout for couples who want to add more fitness into their lives AND spend time together.

If you’ve never skated before, you might want to take a few lessons from an instructor, friend or family member who can skate well. A roller skating instructor will help you learn more quickly and probably save you a few bumps and bruises you’ll pick up doing it on your own, but they do cost money. Check your local roller skating rink to see if they offer classes.

Investing in good skates and protective gear will be worth the cost if you plan to skate often. You’ll appreciate the protective gear even more when you take that first fall and avoid expensive orthopedic bills to put a cast on your wrist or arm.

Beginning skaters, especially, will want to maintain a positive attitude when learning to skate. It does take some patience, and some trial and error, so do your best to encourage newbies that they will become more comfortable if they give it time and keep trying. The fun factor alone will be worth the time spent.

Learning to relax will take you a long way in learning to skate better. The tendency is to tense up and lock your knees, but that will make you more susceptible to falling. Once you begin to move more freely and with more confidence, you’ll develop your skating skills more quickly.

The first thing you’ll want to learn is how to stop and how to turn on skates. If you’re skating in a roller rink, it’s best if you go during off hours when there are fewer people skating. This will give you more space, and remove some of the human obstacles! If you’re skating outdoors, choose a more remote location, or again, go during less busy times.

Remember that everyone had to learn to skate before they could spin around, go backwards, or dance on skates. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you can’t do it properly at first. Just take your time, and enjoy the process. Soon, you’ll develop a roller boogie romance of your own when you are surrounded by the laughter of your partner having fun and getting fit! And when you get home pop in the movie Whip It and just enjoy each other.

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To get started you need to get some envelopes for this project but since I am not a fan of paper envelopes (deforestation for paper and their general ugliness) you may want to make a small investment in some good pouches. I like these adorable money purses from Reuseit.

A piece of masking tape or a P-Touch label on the back can help you different between purses if need be.

Using a Cash Envelope Budgeting System

1. Establish your budget… how much money exactly do you need for groceries, household bills, debt or loan payments, gas, emergency cash, etc? If you know that you will not be able to resist certain luxuries and entertainment then allot an amount for that in the budget and give it an envelope. You may decide to only use the cash system for flexible spending such as groceries, incidentals, and entertainment. Do what will work for you and help you stick to a budget.

2. As you get paid put the cash in its proper envelope. If you budget for $400 a month towards groceries then put the full amount in the envelope at the beginning of the month. For the first week take out $100 and go to the store.. that is all you have to spend. If you have any leftover at month’s end, transfer it to your entertainment and recreation envelope or your emergency funds envelope.

This system works because most will automatically try to spend less than what they have so that more will be available later in the month. It forces you to save or conserve or at the very least to use only what you budgeted or borrow from another “non essentials” envelope which will then leave you with less to spend overall. Generally you will stick to your budget by using a cash system. It works great for people who are very visual and tend to abuse their budget when their cash is out of site and out of mind.

Try it for a couple months and see it a cash envelope system will work for you!

For those who crave just a little “me time” now and again, finding the time to experience it can be a challenge. Take another glance at your schedule though and see if there is some time you can carve out for yourself. It is so important for our mental health and for our relationships. How can you be a good mom, wife, friend, etc if you never have time to recharge your batteries? You may have to sacrifice another activity, or arrange for childcare or plan things better but do it!  And make it a habit while your at it…

If you make the time weekly or even monthly, your mind can get some rest knowing you have that time to yourself coming up. It will help you handle the hectic days in between with much more grace.

But how do you do it? Once you carve out the time, you may need some ideas for how to enjoy your solitude. After all, many of us have forgotten how! Here are some ideas.

* Garden – Gardening can be very therapeutic and beneficial. You are away from phones, computers, and other technological distractions while you are in the garden, and you are taking in sunlight and fresh air. Gardening provides exercise and a connection with nature, which are both important to our health and wellness.

* Walk – Again, combining exercise with solitude has a double healing effect. Try to take a walk by yourself – maybe after dinner once a week, your spouse, other family member, or friend can do the dishes for you and take care of the kids for an hour. Take your cell phone for emergencies, but turn it off during your walk. Walk in your neighborhood, or drive to a local park and walk in the woods.

* Parks – Parks are, as noted above, wonderful for solitary walks. They are also good for sitting and reflecting, either on the ground, on a rock, or on a bench. Just enjoy and observe people, the weather, and so forth. Observation removes you mentally from the rat race.

* Museum – Visit a museum with an exhibit that interests you. Take some time to contemplate art, science, history, and so forth. If you are alone, no one can make you feel rushed.

* Read – Get into a good book or magazine and you have instantly created your own personal space within your mind. Take your reading material to the aforementioned park, or just shut the door to a room in your house for awhile, making it clear that this is not time to disturb you.

* Write in a Journal – Writing also gives you access to the solitary inner world. Keep a journal that is for your eyes only, so that your solitude is protected and you do not feel pressured to come up with brilliant ideas. Take your journal to the woods or the park and write what you see and experience.

* Draw or Sketch – Your journal and sketchbook can be one in the same or separate notebooks. Either way, if sketching and or drawing is something you enjoy, it is a perfect solitary activity. Again, keep the sketchbook for your eyes only unless you want to share it.

In the winter, your garden pond is probably fairly quiet – hoses and pumps have been disconnected, and the pond itself may be frozen or drained. But there are ways to bring your garden pond to life in the winter by attracting wildlife. Here are some ways to attract wildlife to your garden pond in the winter.

1. Construct shelters

One of the things that a pond can offer is a sort of sheltered oasis for cold, hungry wildlife. Shelter is one of the things wild animals need in winter. Put up birdhouses to give birds a place out of the wind where they can roost at night. And you may find a delightful surprise in spring if the birds choose to nest there!

Rock piles are another form of shelter that do well around ponds, and may already be a part of your water-scape. Loosely pile rocks if they are not there already, and allow leaves to accumulate in and around the rock pile. This can provide shelter for ground-dwelling birds, frogs and toads, and small rodents such as chipmunks.

2. Provide drinking water

Water is a resource that is surprisingly hard to come by in winter. Most water sources are frozen or dry, so consider keeping at least some water in your pond. Since your pump and hoses are probably disassembled, you can just pour in a bit of water. Use warm water to thaw any ice, or use an electric warmer. A reliable water source will attract all kinds of wildlife, from birds and squirrels to deer.

3. Food

Food is also scarce in winters, especially in harsh climates with a great deal of snow. You can hang a traditional bird feeder around your pond, or set out a shallow dish of food. Depending on the method of feeding, you can attract chipmunks, squirrels, deer, and birds to your pond.

Remember that high-fat foods are especially beneficial in winter, and include fatty seeds and grains like sunflower seeds, peanuts, and corn. You can also mix dried fruits, grains and nuts with suet or leftover kitchen fats (such as bacon, sausage, or chicken fat chilled until solid) and smear it on your rock pile or food plate.

4. Shrubs

Evergreen shrubs are an excellent shelter for wildlife in the winter, and they look lovely around a pond. Plant American holly for a protective, bristly shelter for birds – its red berries also provide food. Hardy rose bushes provide juicy, red rosehips (berries) in cold weather. Deer are attracted to shrubs that bear berries as well. White spruce and balsam fir are also favorites among wildlife for shelter.

If you provide these things around your pond, you may be able to view species you have never seen before, such as grouse. Your pond area can be a wonderful oasis for a variety of wildlife, providing needed food and shelter for the animals and viewing pleasure for you.

May 2010 be a year with less time spent in front of the electronic babysitter and more time spent with family and in the pursuit of your passions. Here are my 10 resolutions for TV Free, active outdoor activity and time.

1. Do at least 7 of the 13 organized winter hikes in my community.

2. Go sledding with every big snow this winter.

3. Take some classes at the Metro Parks and through my city parks and recreation.

4. Take more nature photography walks.

5. Do a charity walk or run.

6. Start a walking, jogging, or bicycling program in the spring for me and the kids.

7. Go camping more often and buy an RV or pop up tent trailer to facilitate this.

8. Take a picnic basket to one state or local park every month starting in the spring.

9. Mall walk on the weekends with my mom and the kids all year long.

10. De-clutter, hold a garage sale, and use the money to buy sports equipment like skis.

What are your unplugged goals for 2010?

I stumbled across a great winter, holiday TV free activity on The Green Hour today. Apparently this is a century long tradition: The Christmas Bird Count, sponsored by the National Audubon Society.

In 1900, the founder of the Christmas Bird Count, Frank Chapman, decided to turn an outdoor Christmas tradition on its head. Instead of hunting birds, he decided he would count them!

You can visit this Green Hour activity page to get specifics on what to do and when. Also how to join a Christmas Bird Count circle in your area. If you have kids this would be a great educational project to involve them and its a fabulous homeschool project. Enjoy!

See also: How Christmas Bird Count Helps Protect Species and Their Habitat

There’s nothing more precious than a collection of family photos in an array of different poses and situations. However, before you get started snapping away, there are a few things you need to know about framing your shot, using your digital camera’s settings and how they can affect everything from posed family photos to those you happen to catch in a more natural setting.

Digital cameras use memory, allowing you to delete shots you’re not happy with on the spot. With a good sized card, you’ll be able to take hundreds of pictures. Remember before starting any photo session, whether impromptu photos at a reunion, or posed photos during the holidays, to have spare batteries and an extra memory card to ensure you capture all of the memories possible.

Before taking the picture, you need to consider the composition of your subject, as well as your choice of frame.  Taking a picture of a person can vary from an up close headshot to a full body photo. Once you’ve decided which type of photo you want, place your light source in front of the person being photographed. The use of a flash should always be reserved for situations when you have no other options. The ideal lighting source for any picture is sunlight.

You can have the person centered or slightly to the side, depending on the style of image you prefer. An important aspect of framing your shot is to ensure you don’t cut the top of people’s heads off, as well as leaving between one to three inches below their shoulders. Another good rule of thumb is to remember not to take pictures with your camera sideways. While this practice was necessary with film cameras, digital pictures can be manipulated with various software programs to achieve the look you want.

If the camera does not have a manual focus, you need to use its autofocus on the person’s face first by holding the trigger half way down. Once the camera’s focus is set, keep holding the trigger. Readjust the placement of your subject within the frame and then push the trigger all the way down to take the picture. Try to have the person to hold the expression that you want to capture, making sure that it’s a natural look for them so that they don’t end up looking frozen in an unnatural expression.

For full body shots, focus on the face first, followed by framing your subject, which can include other items or scenery, and again, remember to leave some space between the subject and the edge of your frame.

When your focus is nature shoots, it’s important to know that a smaller aperture will give you sharper details at average speed.  Take a moment to think about what you would like to capture, and consider the angles and the lighting needed to get that perfect photo.

Photos taking at sporting events require settings at faster speeds to prevent blurring. Try to have your focus set beforehand, enabling you to catch the subject of your desired photo as soon as they come into view. Otherwise, the time it takes your camera to refocus could mean you lose out on the perfect shot. People move so fast in various sporting events your timeframe is very limited.

It’s important to know your camera before any big event. Your comfort, knowledge and familiarity with your camera will heighten your chances of getting those special shots needed for making perfect memories. Spending your time fumbling with your camera could mean a lot of precious moments missed.