About House & Home: Free (and Nearly Free) Kids' Activities

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House & Home From Diane Schmidt, your About House & Home Editor Even though the countdown to school has begun (at least in the households I know), there's still at least four weeks left of the holidays, a time when little ones start uttering that repetitive phrase grown-ups dread: I'm bored. Free and Nearly-Free Kids' Activities In addition to your patience, the other thing that starts wearing thin is your summer budget. Fortunately, there are lots of things you can do on the cheap (and sometimes free!) that will keep your kids off the streets, entertained and glad that school is still a distant memory. Riding Lessons for Children Summer is a good time for kids to develop a new skill. Riding lessons are that perfect combination of having fun outdoors while teaching kids responsibility, respect for animals and the joy that comes with learning something new. Summer Crafts and Activities As a kid, I used to spend days elbow-deep in flour mixed with water, slathering endless pieces of dripping newspaper onto balloon. Only I could see the exotic animal that balloon would become (usually a pig). Ah, the good old days. And you can relive them (with your kids) by checking out this great article on summer crafts and activities (including paper mache!). Host an Outdoor Movie Night Each summer, our neighbors erect a home theater system in their backyard, inviting the entire street to attend. It's a great tradition that everyone in the neighborhood looks forward to. I once asked Dave how this tradition got started. He glanced at his five kids who were busy coloring posters for the upcoming event and said: "You really need to ask?" Nope, I guess not. House & Home Ads Fun Kids Activities Garden Decorating Kids Art Cars for Kids Preschool Kids Featured Articles Garden CSI Short Sale Without a Hardship 30-Minute Organizing Painting Tips and Tricks Green Lawn Mowers Veterinary Care for Cats   More from About.com Plan a Unique Vegas Wedding The minister, music and champagne are just the beginning -- why not get married aboard a helicopter or have a pirate swing in to deliver your rings? Arrrr! More> Join About.com's User Panel! Share your opinions and help us make About.com more relevant, informative and enjoyable to use. More>   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About House & Home newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2010 About.com   Advertisement

Gmail auto-forwarding issue that may have affected you

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It's a rare occasion that we email Gmail users, but since you use auto-forwarding, we wanted to make sure you were aware of an issue we had that may have affected you.

In the course of rolling out some minor fixes to Gmail's vacation auto-responder last week, we discovered that for certain users some messages were no longer being properly auto-forwarded. We were able to find the root cause of the issue and quickly fixed it. However, messages you received between 5:00 pm PDT Tuesday, July 20th and 6:30 pm PDT Thursday, July 22nd which were set to automatically forward to another account may have not been forwarded. To ensure you don't miss out on any mail sent to your Gmail account that you had planned to read elsewhere, we recommend that you log into your Gmail account and check for any missed messages.

We're very sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused you and have taken measures to prevent issues like this from occurring in the future.

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About House & Home: Prepare Your Home for Summer Guests

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House & Home From Diane Schmidt, your About House & Home Editor Our household is in complete chaos. We have summer guests arriving in just over a week and our place isn't anywhere near ready. My husband promised to turn his office into another spare bedroom, but as the days slip by, it seems the space is becoming more of a storage closet (full of the things he promised to get rid of) rather than a place for our two nephews to sleep. Modern Sleepers for Summer Guests Part of the problem of having summer house guests is finding enough places for people to sleep. Investing in a good quality sofa bed is one option. I really like that sofa beds no longer look like my grandmother's couch. I swear I still have a bruise on my hip from when I was eight and picked the shortest straw. Need More Room? Fast Remodeling Projects Other areas of the house can also be problematic. We're trying to decide if our sun porch should be turned into a dining room or whether the kitchen can accommodate so many chefs. There isn't time to remodel every room, but some of these quick projects will serve two purposes: provide more space and keep my husband busy so I can clean out his office. 9 Ways to Clean When You're Hosting Guests This is something I always wonder about. How do I keep our place clean while still trying to host? I hate the thought of spending time or energy when all I want to do is relax with my guests. Besides, I can't fathom how I'll keep up with twin boys who insist that every fabric surface is their own personal hand towel. Natural Repellents for Unwanted Summer Guests There are always summer guests you don't want around. Growing up, it was my second cousin. Today, it's the mosquitoes that'll eat my guests alive if we dare set foot outside. So I was glad to find out that some products I have around the house will keep us all bite-free and smelling good. And considering we'll be living in cramped quarters, that's a win-win! House & Home Ads Fashion Magazine House and Garden Fine Garden Magazine Home Decor Magazine Style Magazine Featured Articles Are You Using the Right Bit? Make a Bamboo Wind Chime 10 Tips for Urban Chicken Keepers Keep Cool (Without the AC) What Makes a Home Green? How to Feng Shui Your Bedroom   More from About.com Plan a Unique Vegas Wedding The minister, music and champagne are just the beginning -- why not get married aboard a helicopter or have a pirate swing in to deliver your rings? Arrrr! More> Join About.com's User Panel! Share your opinions and help us make About.com more relevant, informative and enjoyable to use. More>   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About House & Home newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2010 About.com   Advertisement

About House & Home: A High Price for Celebrity Collectibles

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House & Home From Diane Schmidt, your About House & Home Editor This week's newsletter is about things we didn't know, some of which are a little zany, a little hard to believe and a few that are practical, yet fascinating. So even though school's out for the summer, be prepared to learn something new. Celebrity Collectibles Sell High at Auction Who knew that Marilyn Monroe's chest x-rays would go for so much at auction? I sure didn't. And the story behind why a doctor held onto to the x-rays is even better. The World's Longest Yard Sale A yard sale that spans six states and extends 675 miles is like a dream-come-true for those of us who love digging through stuff, looking for that vintage find. Of course, you'll need to rent a large truck, pack up the camping gear, wear comfortable shoes and be ready for an intensive bout of shopping. Predators That Feed on Garden Pests I'm all for the predator/prey relationship. I'm not just saying that because we happen to be top of the food chain. It's more about getting someone else to take care of a problem for me. A bit like a hired-gun in a detective novel, but without the need for a femme fatale and a sack full of cash. July 11 is World Population Day Even though special days seem to be more prevalent now than they used to be, some actually have a great impact on the way we live our lives. Like World Population Day on July 11. Check it out and be counted. House & Home Ads House Price Garden Magazine House and Garden Media Magazine Old Magazine Featured Articles The Uglee Ink Pen What to Expect from a Pet Pig 10 Ways To Get Motivated To Clean Electrical Power for Safe Camping Citronella Candle Torches Find the Right Apartment for You   More from About.com Plan a Unique Vegas Wedding The minister, music and champagne are just the beginning -- why not get married aboard a helicopter or have a pirate swing in to deliver your rings? Arrrr! More> Join About.com's User Panel! Share your opinions and help us make About.com more relevant, informative and enjoyable to use. More>   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About House & Home newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2010 About.com   Advertisement