Poll Results

Check back here every Sunday for answers to the weekly polls.  We might even give an explanation with a few more facts.  And one more thing.....  Expect to see giveaways and other rewards in future polls.

A Young Boy's Super Bowl

We just added a new family member. That's him showing off the Colts blue. See more pics

Win or Lose, both Super Bowl teams had a great run this year. It's also been a great run for my 8yo, who took an interest in football for the first time.

It started this Fall when he decided to play flag football for the Browns. Being named after the NFL franchise prompted his curiosity to find out more about pro team. In the process, he became a fan.

As with all football fans, even young ones, the camaraderie of sharing the emotions of competition is very special. In other words, when dad likes a different team it rubs off. And that's how a young boy also became a Colts fan.

Even though both his teams were on different paths this year, he watched every game he could. He traded cards with friends and amassed quite a collection for both teams. As the Colts flourished, so did his interest.

My son recently showed me a video of the Baltimore Colts playing in the Super Bowl (in 1969). It was ironic because my first exposure to football and the Colts was that year, when I was a young boy. I remember my boyhood hero, Johnny Unitas - the quarterback, leading them to victory. And when they got to the Super Bowl, I was ecstatic. Didn't matter that they lost...I was forever hooked. Football taught me a lot about life's lessons, and I was better for it.

My son and I will be cheering for our Colts in the Super Bowl. He doesn't know the lessons he's about to learn...its just a game for an 8 yo mind. Or maybe not!

Meet Ollie

This is our two month old baby

Christmas Family Traditions

Every Christmas Eve since my oldest child was 4, I visited our home as Santa. I'll be posting a video tribute to that event soon, so keep watching. I won't be doing that this year for the first time because my youngest two are about 99% certain it's me. I never seem to be around when Santa visits. They also discovered my tattered, worn out Santa suit....wouldn't have made it beyond this year anyway. That's OK, I have something else planned so please don't tell my kids. Shhhh!

We also like to go to the church plays. One in particular is done every other year by a small country church near our home. The entire church membership participates in an outdoor play of Jesus' birth, with the guests walking from scene to scene through the woods. It ALWAYS turns cold the week of that play...which makes the hot chocolate and desserts afterwards by the church fireplace a kid favorite.

What family traditions do you have for Christmas?

Christmas Lights Video

This is an actual house, with the lights choreographed to Amazing Grace with a techno twist. Created by Richard Holdman, with 45,000 lights and 176 channels of computer control.

Amazing Grace Techno - Computer Controlled Christmas Lights from Richard Holdman on Vimeo.

Printable Christmas Story Poem – Twas the Night of Jesus’ Birth

Printable Christmas Story Poem – Twas the Night of Jesus’ Birth

Came across this cute rewrite of the poem "Twas the Night before Christmas," written by Felicia Mollohan at the Ministry to Children blog. It's a printable story about Jesus' birth that can be read aloud and shared with children. This is putting the Christ into Christmas.

5 Slideshow Mistakes

If you want your friends and family to look at your show more than once, here's some things you might want to avoid:

1. Using too many transitions: Sure you want it to look cool... Using transitions will help tell the story. But don't drown out the message with too many. Instead, use 2-3 per song.

2. Using poor quality photos: if the photo is blurry or the lighting too dark, guess what? We will have to look extra close to see what's being displayed. That's too much work for someone who just wants to kick back and enjoy the story you are trying to tell.

3. Displaying photos too long: about 3 seconds is what you want to display before moving on to the next photo. If that's not enough time, they may likely want to see it again. There are times to display photos longer and shorter, and we will cover these in a future post.

4. Using the wrong music: this will make or break a slideshow. Think about the story you want to convey and let the music take the audience through the different moods.

5. Making the slideshow go on and on: let's face it, a 1 hour show probably won't cut it. There's only so much you can tell through an abstract presentation. If you are going to post to facebook about your household, keep it just a few minutes. You can do several of these short vignettes using different themes if you want.

One fun thing to try is to collaborate with friends and family in making a slideshow. The easiest way to do this is to create a show where everyone can add stuff just by logging into an account. You can try this with your family and friends at the Memories Alive site.

Hope these tips are helpful.