Where Do You Go for Help?

Anyone who knows me well knows that I love to read.  I have books in every room in the house except the bathroom. When we were kids and needed some information, the go-to place was the set of encyclopedias.  Now, it's the library, bookstore, or internet.

The problem I have is that while the Encyclopedia Britannica was deemed pretty reliable, the amount of information available now can be overwhelming.  You can find an "expert" to support any conclusion you might want to dream up. It's a kind of joke that things that were bad for you ten years ago are now considered health foods, and things which used to be considered healthy are now bad for you.  Is it possible that all of man's wisdom could be faulty?  

I have so many questions.  Every day seems to bring more things that I don't know.  It would seem that I would have more knowledge after all of this time, after all of the things I have heard and read and experienced.  But I seem to have only found more questions.

I find myself sitting at the computer, wanting to ask Google...what?  I don't even know what to type.  And so I sit there, staring at the screen.  

I have been unsubscribing from e-mail lists.  There are so many opinions out there, and so many of them seem good, but I am getting overwhelmed.  So much information.  So many thoughts swirling around in my head.

"Be still, and know that I am God."(Psalm 46:10).  

That's it.  When nothing is making sense, go to the source.  Not the experts, not the encyclopedia, not Google or Amazon.com.  All the wisdom of the world is nothing compared to the knowledge of God.  So now, I've started to pray instead.  To read the Bible instead of the internet.  Is it possible that I don't need roomfuls of books, but only the one?  

Sitting in front of a blank search engine brings a sense of panic.  What can I possibly type in that will give me the right answer?  Every search brings up thousands of results, many of them contradictory.  But going to the source of all wisdom and knowledge?  That brings peace.  Because I know there will only be one answer, and it will be right.

I still like to read.  Even contradicting opinions.  But when I really need to know?  I know where to go for help.

Posting at HVHE Today!

Art Appreciation

Today was REALLY hot.  Not having air conditioning in my house (which is okay about 360 days of the year), I was racking my brain to find somewhere COOL to go.  So, I remembered that Shauna had recommended the art museum at Vassar College. Read more...

Woo hoo! I'm an Author!

I am sooooo excited!  My curriculum finally went up for sale at Currclick!  It was a bit of a process, because I missed some aspects of the application somehow the first time around, but when I hadn't heard anything for a while, I contacted the publishing department, and a very nice and patient lady named Leah e-mailed me through everything step by step!  So, you can now buy "The History and Geography of New York State:  A Literature-based Guide" by Robin L. Wheatley at Currclick!  I also now have an "official" publisher's account, with an "official" logo:

What do you think?  I spent most of the morning trying to design this thing.  Pictures are NOT my forte!

So, now all I need is for people to buy it, and to leave a review if possible!  

Actually, it's a huge relief, and also a bit of a let-down to have this finally done.  It's been hours and years of work, but I kind of feel like one of my kids grew up and moved out on their own!  I'm actually thinking of starting another curriculum for "For Love of Books" to publish (heehee), this time about music.  What do you think?

Blog Holiday

Hello, everyone.  I'm writing to tell you this will be my last post for a while.  Because of things that have been going on here, I haven't been able to be on very often lately.  The good thing is I've found more time to do other things, and to connect with real people!  So, I am planning to take a social media "fast."  I'll still be available by e-mail, because I have people I need to communicate with in that way.  However, I won't be writing or reading any blog posts, or looking at Facebook or Twitter.  I'm going to try to do this until January, so I will now wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year! - Robin

Last Chance for the Giveaway!

Hello, everyone - I wanted to remind you that tomorrow, October 10, 2011 is the final day for the My Memories Suite giveaway!  I will be drawing the winner tomorrow night, so that gives you a few more hours to get in on it.  I have to tell you, I have really been enjoying this software.  My latest project is a new homeschool schedule!  I've been tweaking the schedule, well, as long as I've been homeschooling, and usually my schedules look like a list, sometimes with grids and different color ink for the words.  Well, this one is different, and since the schedules are usually posted on a wall somewhere in the house where everyone sees them, I'm happy that this one is a little more, well, decorative!  What do you think? (Yes, Lily is focusing on coloring her hand with a marker, but who's looking?)

Hubby was a little perturbed that I put "tacks" in the wall - just kidding!  But it does look pretty realistic!  This was done totally from scratch, adding things one at a time, from the background to the picture, shapes, words, "staples", and "tacks."  And it didn't take much longer than my former method of using tables and colored type!  At least school LOOKS more fun now!

So, go to this post and enter today!  I'll let you know Tuesday who won, and give that person the directions to download the software for FREE!  Good luck!

My Memories Giveaway - 5 days left!

Good morning, all!  It is Wednesday, and I am sad to say I have had no responses for the giveaway for My Memories Digital Scrapbook Software.  I know it can be a busy time of year, but I would really urge you to look at it.  The product you will receive is worth $40, and it really is good!  I am including a video here so that you can see how easy it is, and how much you can do with the program.

  You can also buy more themes and backgrounds, but the great thing is, they are reusable over and over!  If you buy scrapbook paper at the craft store, you will always have to get more when you run out.  I think this is much more cost-effective.  I've also received e-mails already offering free and discounted paper collections, just in a couple weeks from signing up.  So, please visit my full review, and leave a comment to enter the contest!  After all, someone has to win - it might just be you!

Review and Giveaway - My Memories Suite Digital Scrapbook Software

I am so excited to be able to offer my first giveaway on Music of the Heart!  My Memories Suite is a digital scrapbook software.  Now, I have to admit that I had never heard of digital scrapbooking before I saw this software.  In fact, my scrapbooking efforts mostly consist of pictures stuck in photo albums, or boxes, or sitting in computer files categorized by upload date.  But I think that's about to change.  Using this software, I was able to use the pictures stored on my computer to create a beautiful Fall album!  For this project, I started with one of the provided templates.  I added the pictures, text, music and embellishments (like the flowers).  It was very easy to remove or add page elements, and to re-size or move around the things that were already there.  Here are the pages:

For this one, I just added the pictures.  Everything else was already there.

I added the picture text, and flower, made the picture larger, and put it behind the squares.

I added the text, picture, and flower.

Text, picture and flower again.

Added text, pictures and flower, plus changed out a square for the apple, and another one for the chicken picture.

This one I really rearranged.  I added the pictures, text, and leaves, and moved things around because I wanted  it to be  less structured-looking.

My next project was a baby shower invitation - I started with a blank page, and added things layer by layer.  Everything for this invitation was found on the original website.  I have previously used Microsoft Word to create things like flyers and invitations, but this came out so pretty, I think I'll be using it much more often!

I've had this software almost two weeks, and have already received several e-mails with more things to try.  Last weekend, I was even able to download more background papers for free!  The website includes a store, where you can buy kits of papers and templates.  They are constantly adding new products, including seasonal items.  

There are several options to share your creations.  You can print your pages at home, or arrange them as a movie or interactive scrapbook on a DVD.  You can also have your album professionally printed, or made into a calendar.  I arranged the pages I posted here as a video, with music by my college piano teacher, Nanette Kaplan Solomon, playing a piece called "Sunburst," written by Stepfania De Kenessey.  It came out very pretty.

So, here's the great news - One of you can actually win this software for free!  My Memories was generous enough to provide me with a copy to review and a second copy to give away.  So, here are the rules.

• Go to the website store, then come back here and leave a comment including the name of a kit or template that you like.  

That will get you one chance.  If you would like more chances, you can:  

• Follow the My Memories Suite Blog,  or Like them on Facebook

• Blog about this giveaway with a link back to this post

• Share this post on Facebook or Twitter

Then come back and leave a comment!  
Please leave your name on your comment, if you are commenting as "anonymous," so that I can put your name in the drawing.

If you have a blog and would like a visit, please leave your link in your comment, also.

The winner will be drawn on Monday, October 10, 2011.

Now, for everyone who doesn't win, I have one more treat for you. If you copy this code - STMMMS61757 you can use it at http://www.mymemories.com/digital_scrapbooking_software to receive $10 off My Memories Suite software.  So, have fun, and good luck!

Divided the Movie

The following is information from the website for Divided the Movie.  It is available to view free for a limited time.  I just finished watching it, and I recommend that anyone involved in children's or youth ministry, or anyone with children or youth in their home, watch it.

As you look on the church landscape, youth are leaving the faith in droves. The modern church, overall, is struggling to reach the next generation with the gospel. What has happened? Whether for good or bad, men, for many years, have been inventing solutions or brainstorming ideas without fully relying upon the foundation of God’s Word. God, however, is greater than man, and as the heavens are above the earth, so are His ways higher than ours and His thoughts than our thoughts (Is. 55:8-9). We have substituted the greater for the lesser – God’s wisdom for man’s ideas. Jesus said that he who hears His Word and does it, is like a man that built his house upon a rock, and when the storm came, it stood firm. On the other hand, he who rejects His Word, is like a man who built on the sand and when the storm came, the house fell (Matt. 7:24-25). Shouldn’t the church, as a whole, abandon the sandy ideas of man and shamelessly return to the firm rock of the Word of God? God’s Word sufficiently identifies how youth are to be reached. For more information on this issue, please see the filmDivided, which is a documentary on age-segregated youth ministry in America. Watch it for free (for a limited time) atwww.dividedthemovie.com. For an in-depth study, the book A Weed in the Church delves into the topic and more thoroughly handles the Scripture passages that address ministry to young people. For other details or to help spread the message, visit www.dividedthemovie.com.

My Button!

If you notice, I have a button for my blog!  I found a great tutorial at Oikology101.  Aha!  It was pretty easy, after I figured out how to manage the photo code.  I used Flickr, rather than photobucket, because I already had an account there.  So, let me know what you think, and if you have a blog, feel free to grab my button to display!

Extreme Makeover, Blog Edition

"Music of the Heart" family, here is your new blog!  I've done some renovation, and I would love to know what you think.  I've tried to clean it up a bit, and make it easier to navigate.

Blogs are kind of like houses, I've found.  If you keep bringing things in, and don't take anything out, you end up with a clutter problem.  I've added a few new things, so I eliminated a few old ones.  

One change is that I am only displaying one post on the page at a time.  Other recent posts can be accessed from the snippets in the upper right hand corner.  I've also added the "Amazon Shelfari," which I saw on another blog and liked quite a bit!  It is a bookshelf of some of my favorite books.  Under Shelfari, you will find a widget from Suite101 which displays links to my last three articles and my profile.  I removed the blog archive, because I've never even used it myself.  If you want to read other posts, you can click on the categories in the list at the right to find posts about those subjects.  

I was pretty happy to find the book picture, because in case you haven't gathered yet, I love books!  This kind of reminded me of the bookshelves in my front hallway.  I enjoyed the birds I had on the former screen, but I am a little tired of white - it is still white outside my window.  In fact, today the air is almost as white as the ground.  It is drizzly and foggy here.  Happily, there is some bare ground showing (especially over the septic tank), so things are looking up.  Spring may get here eventually.  Until then, join me in my little library here, and we will tackle the world's problems together.

Progress

Here is an update on my recent posts:

Desk - almost clean - have to put away one DVD - "Franklin Camps Out" (Lily's), one pair of "WEDNESDAY" panties (also Lily's), and one birthday card (Mike's).  Oh, and one pencil (probably mine).

Suite101 - 3 articles, 190 pageviews, 54 cents (odd thing, here - one of my articles shows up a page behind my blog post about it, and another a page behind a "news" site which printed half of my article).

Adsense - 23 page impressions, 0.00 dollars

Story - This one wasn't in a post, but I entered a story writing contest in December.  The winners were announced today - not me - so if anyone knows what I can do with a 1,210 word story, let me know!  Rory was just as happy, because then we can "keep" the story, and read it whenever we want!

School - Rory got all of his schoolwork done before lunch, so we went to Friendly's, and he got to spend the rest of his birthday money at Walmart (a lego set, of course!)

Lily's Hair - Lily actually wanted to buy hair bands at the store.  She was rather perturbed that she couldn't wear them before we paid for them.  She really wanted the purple one.

Well, that's all the news that's fit to print - hey, it could end up on a news site, if "Teaching Music To Your Children" did!

My New Education

One of my grandmother's favorite sayings was:  "You learn something new every day."  Well, I think she was right, because this old dog has learned some new tricks in the past few days.

Up until recently, my internet experience was basically checking e-mail about once a month.  I started this blog and joined Facebook about a year ago, and started my website a few months ago.  At that point, I had sort of learned what HTML is (it's a code way of writing on the internet which uses symbols for punctuation, paragraphs, fonts, etc.)  I can't read it, but, oh well. In fact, in High School, when computers were young, and the WWW wasn't invented yet, I thought that computers were going to take over the world, and avoided them like the plague.  Now, I'm sure they're taking over the world and are almost there, but that's another story.

I joined Suite101 as a writer a couple of weeks ago, and as of this morning have made 54 cents, but I have gained more than money.  I really think I've learned something new everyday!  Here is my new Internet Writing notebook:

• Search Engine:  That thing you type into to find 2 million articles on how to brush your teeth.  Examples include Google, Yahoo, and Bing.
• SEO:  Search Engine Optimization - writing so that search engines will be able to find your article, using things such as - 
• Keywords:  Word phrases that people would be likely to search for.  You can apparently put these into the title, headings, first paragraph, and picture captions.  Some people put them all over, and use the same one over and over.  This is supposed to make you more visible to search engines.
• Scraped:  Somebody stole your article and put it on another website, where you won't get any royalties.
• Adwords:  Ads that a company places around your article which may someday make you some money if somebody actually reads them.
• Revenue Share:  Money you will hopefully get from people clicking on the ads (hence the 54 cents).
• Content Farm:  A company which looks for the most-searched subjects and then gets people to write articles about them in order to get money.   - Company business, here - In the past week, Suite101 has been called a content farm.  I know I'm new, but I don't really see it.  I have not been told what to  write about, and I don't believe anyone else on Suite has, either.  It is a very diverse magazine, and people write about things they are interested in or passionate about.  I think people use different levels of SEO to try to get their articles seen, some maybe trying to find out which articles will show better, but this is an individual decision.  Suite is actually very accommodating, and seem happy to let you write about anything you'd like.  They do edit the articles to make sure they are in the proper format and don't have mistakes and things, but that's all.
• Pageviews:  Something you get obsessed about, because you want people to read your article.
• Algorithm:  The way a search engine sets up their search - what they look for in articles, which sites they look at articles from, and a million other variables that I have absolutely understanding of.  This seems to make a difference in which page of the search your article will appear on, the ones being deemed best or most important supposedly showing first.

That's all I can get out of my wee little head this morning, but I can tell you this has been an amazing couple of weeks, and my brain is quite tangled.  If I have made any mistakes or left things out, please tell me, and I will include them in another post!  I may need help here to get a good grade!  Now, back to obsessing over my pageviews.

Oh - and if you want to share this post, please copy the URL and direct people here, so that I can get revenue.  Don't scrape it!  This has been a public service message.  Thank you.

Ups and Downs in the World Wide Web

If you've been reading my blog, you know that I recently started writing for Suite101.  I have so far submitted three articles.  Well, I started reading some of the forums today, and found that Google has apparently changed the way they set up their search pages, and now Suite101 articles are not getting on the pages as much.  This is a curiosity for me at this time, as I was not really counting on this to pay the mortgage, but there are some writers who are taking a horrible hit.  Writers are paid a percentage of the advertising money which is brought in from the ads around their article.  If their articles are not seen, they don't get paid.  I tried personally searching for my articles on Google, and they were much farther back than they were a few days ago.  The funny thing is that when I tried on Bing, they were on the first page.

So, this has been quite an experiment.  I think I will hold off writing any more until this gets ironed out a bit!  I'm also trying a counter-experiment.  I had never considered "monetizing" this blog before, but I'm going to do it now just to see if I get more than 47 cents in a week and a half.  It's also using Google ads, so we'll see which one Google finds more relevant.

Pages!

Hello, everyone - I (ta-ta-TAA!) have figured out how to add PAGES  to my blog. (big cheer, applause, bowing, bowing, flowers...).  Yes, if you look to the right of this post  (>), you will find a new section, called...PAGES!  In this new section, you will see three whole pages - Home, which is the page you're on now, Music In the Homeschool, which includes a gateway to my music teaching website, and Schoolhouse At Glen Hill, which has a link to my new blog at homeschoolblogger.com, which will focus only on homeschooling.  So, from this ONE blog, you can actually access THREE sites.  Pretty fancy, huh?  I thought you'd be impressed.  Okay, now I have to lay down.  Ahhhh.

Information Overload

I'm kind of a book addict.  I love to read!  I also love researching things on the web.  Sometimes I get an idea in my head, and just have to find out everything I can about it.  Then, it seems like I get saturated with information, and I can drop it for a while.

Last night, I got into bed and opened up a catalog from Christian Book Distributors.  I especially love reading things about God.  So, here I was, with a whole catalog of books.  I looked at a few pages, and realized that I had absolutely no desire to read any of the books.  "Huh," I thought.  "That's strange.  Why am I not interested in any of this?"  And then I started to realize the problem.  I have read so many things ABOUT God, that I have been able to keep Him in my head, with all of the other information.  He's jumbled up with nutrition, green living, American history, and stomach ailments.  Mixed in with parenting techniques, marriage advice, Father Tim, and Ireland.  You get the picture.

Well, I've realized that I have to do less thinking and more living.  I need to KNOW God, not just know about Him.  It's kind of like reading books about husbands, but not spending any time with your own.  You get a general idea, but no relationship.  So, my new plan is to spend time with God.  I know this seems obvious to most of you, and I admit I had a bit of a "duh!" moment there in my bed, but to me, it's a whole new direction.  Please, if you remember, pray for me!

It's Beginning to Look...

I just had an interesting conversation with a friend.  Where we live, in the northeastern United States, Christmas looks like snow, Santa Clause in a red coat and hat and boots, decorations with snowman themes, and "icicle" lights hanging from houses (I guess insulation has eliminated most "legitimate" icicles these days).  We were wondering what Christmas looks like in other parts of the world - especially places where it is warm right now, or even summertime!  I imagine snowmen are not in such a demand in those areas.

A couple of days ago, our family took a ride after dark to see the Christmas lights.  People have some really elaborate displays, even in our little town.  As we were looking at the Grinch popping out of a chimney with a Santa hat on, and a carousel that actually went around, I began to wonder what Jesus thought about his birthday celebration.  Here we all are, focusing on decorating our houses, picking out presents, and baking cookies.  We go to concerts, go to parties, and go to the mall.  We watch movies about Santa Clause, snowmen, and Grinches (!)  It becomes a frenzied whirlwind of activity, all in the name of...What?

I had a wonderful birthday, this year.  My family took me out to eat, and we went shopping.  My husband even stayed with the kids in the children's section of Barnes and Noble while I browsed the whole store by myself.  This has been unheard of in the past almost eight years!  Miraculously, the children were angels all day.  Basically, it was a day all for me!  My family did everything they could to give me a nice day on my birthday.

Now, back to Jesus.  What is He doing on His birthday?  Okay, I know that we are not sure exactly what day his birthday is, and it may not have been this time of year at all, but this is the day we have chosen to celebrate it.  So, are we spending this season doing the things that Jesus most enjoys?  Let's see.

• Decorating the house - Jesus didn't have a house.  He was born in a stable, and as an adult he went from town to town.  "And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head." Matthew 8:20  So, I bet he is not too concerned about painted nutcrackers and icicle lights.
• Buying presents - okay, why do we give each other presents?  It's not our birthdays.  Maybe because we can't give Jesus presents, since he's not here?  Or is he?  "Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee a hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in, or naked, and clothed thee?  Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?  And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." Matthew 25:37 - 40.  How much of our shopping is focusing on the hungry and sick, and how much focuses on people who already have everything they need?  Face it.  Some of us are extremely hard to buy presents for, because we already have everything!
• Baking cookies - it's hard to say what Jesus thinks about cookies, but I think he would like to see some of them go to the aforementioned hungry!
• Entertainment - Jesus celebrated holidays, and he attended weddings and dinner parties.  He enjoyed spending time with his friends.  But, let's remember - we are supposed to be celebrating JESUS' birthday - we have to remember to invite him to the party!
• Activity - "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.  Amen." Matthew 28: 18 - 20  This is the activity Jesus expects of us.  So, while we are getting ready for our Christmas celebration in one week, let's try to remember who's birthday this is, and give him a birthday celebration that will please him.

Just so you know, I am as guilty of all the hoopla as everyone else.  I am stressing over getting the presents wrapped and the house cleaned and the cards sent out.  This is a thought in progress sort of thing, and I'm not very good about following my own advice, but I know I at least have a start.  I hope this helps you think about it, too.  Merry Christmas!

Addicted to Blogging Blog Hop!

Hi, everyone - Heart of the Matter is having a blog hop, today.  The subject is "Addicted to Blogging and Facebook."  It's a pretty humorous look at how you know if you're addicted to social media!  So, I have decided that I'm not addicted, yet.  Actually, I'm barely even on Facebook - I kind of cheat and have my blog uploaded as my update, so I only have to write once!  However, I think I'm definitely following too many blogs! I am also a little addicted to comments, because then I know I'm not just shouting into cyberspace...if a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it, does it make a sound?

The Homekeeper's Journal

In my yard… Trying to keep up with the vegetables, looking at the empty space left by the huge bush that was pulled up by the wind last week.

On my grill… Nothing today, but yesterday we had hot dogs and potatoes!

With my children… Rory had his award ceremony for baseball tonight.  He was so excited to get his trophy!  Lily, as usual, Will Not Go To Sleep....

On my mind… H0w to get a 2 year old to stay in bed.

The book of the Bible I keep finding myself turning to lately… Paul's letters.

I am reading… Just finished a mystery by Elizabeth Peters, which I couldn't put down and stayed up much too late last night because I needed to find out what happened.  Have a large biography of Martin Luther from the library which I plan to start If Lily Ever Goes To Bed!

I am looking forward to… Some relaxation...no school, no baseball.  Also, going to visit my family in a few weeks!

Getting There!

Well, we have ONE day of school left!  What a year!  We started our school year last July, with a pretty loose summer schedule.  It was actually helpful later in the year to be a few days ahead.  I didn't have to worry if there were days we couldn't "do school" because we were already ahead of the game.  Now, though, I am ready for a break - and I know Rory is!

We're working on the house (mostly Rory and I).  So far, I feel like I have a handle on the kitchen, the living room, and finally the playroom.  We found the middle of the room today - just a few corners that need straightened, but the table is clear, and the toys are off the floor, which is a GREAT improvement!

I added red beans to my canning pantry.  All of the jars even sealed the first try!  It was fun, because I had a friend over who is interested in learning to can.  Funny that I should be a mentor, since I'm pretty clumsy at it, but we had a good time, anyway!

I made a new bread recipe yesterday, and a new cookie recipe today, both with oatmeal.  The recipes are out of the "Simply In Season" cookbook.  So far, everything I have tried in there has been very good!  (I even got the canned bean recipe from it).

I decided to try a book on tape from the library.  I LOVE to read, but don't always get the time I'd like, so I decided to try listening.  It's hard to do with the kids, but I found that I can listen while working in the kitchen, and it makes the time go by more pleasantly.

Lily spent all day yesterday in big-girl panties!  She managed to use the potty all day!  Today, not so much, but she's trying!

Rory is sleeping with two fireflies in a jar - yay, summer!

Both kids are asleep, so I'm going to straighten the kitchen, and get ready for bed!  Good Night!

Homekeeper’s Journal ~ 2/16/10

Homekeeper’s Journal ~ 2/16/10
Here’s What’s happening …..

In My Kitchen …. leftovers - hubby is working late.

With The Children ….. homeschool, supposedly. Having a hard day.

What I’m Reading … Charlotte Mason's "Home Education" -am trying to follow her methods, and received the entire series for Christmas!

What I Have Been Learning … I need to be more structured in my life, especially with the kids. Now, I need to learn how to do it!

What I’ve Been Noticing …. when it snows, it is very hard to get motivated - I feel like sitting on the couch with an afghan and hot chocolate!

On The Back Burner of My Mind …. I need to clean the house...maybe tomorrow.

In The Deepest Darkest Recesses …. how can I inspire my children to finish what they started if I keep running from one thing to another?