1st day of Spring!

Spring 2010 has arrived! Today is the first day of Spring...

Vernal Equinox:}

Vernal equinox is when the earth tilt is perpendicular to its orbit around the sun. This means that if you were on the equator at that moment, the sun would be directly overhead. Since the sun is above the equator, the length of the day and the night is the same. Equinox is latin and means "equal night". For us in the northern hemisphere, that means each day will have more day-light and less dark {we always say theres not enough time in the day,at least during spring we feel like there is}!

The exact time of the vernal equinox 2010 is 12:32 PM EST on March 20th.

Spring Cleaning

Spring Cleaning is a complete top to bottom cleaning of every square inch of a home. To complete the process families often spend an entire week removing, cleaning, and replacing everything in the home to create that spring-fresh feeling. Today's spring cleaning may not be as involved, but there are a few tasks that need to be performed seasonally in your home. Here are the top chores that need to be done this spring.

1. Decide if you would rather devote a full day or weekend to the task, or to spend an hour or so each day until it is done, then pick a time that suits your schedule.

2. Play your favorite music - and crank up the volume!

3. Don't hold onto items you no longer want or need just because you don't want to see them end up as landfill. Plan a garage sale, sell them on eBay, offer them to friends or family members, or donate them to charity. Give to someone in need.

4. Have the necessary tools on hand. In addition to your cleaning supplies, you will need several garbage bags as well as boxes for sorting the items you plan to sell or give away.

5. Find out how to dispose of hazardous materials such as paints and used batteries in your area, and be sure to schedule a trip to the waste station or arrange for a pickup of such materials. {I have two buckets of oil to take in with no lids}?

6. If you notice that certain areas are especially clutter-prone, look for containers to hold smaller items and keep them in their place.

7. Label your containers and shelves so you can easily put things away in the proper place, see what items need to be restocked, and quickly find what you need.

8. Rearrange your furniture for a fresh new look.!

9. Don't forget your computer! Take some time to uninstall programs,copy image files to disk or external hard drive and delete files you no longer need.

10. Homeschoolers...Get with your homeschool groups,friends,fellow online bloggers and give-away or trade materials your children have out grown. Homeschool groups can pack up items and during a meeting have a rumage sale or make it an Old Trading Post{your children} will enjoy this!

The Barter System

The barter system was one of the earliest forms of trading. It facilitated exchange of goods and services, as money was not invented in those times.