Home
>
Time Management
>
New Adventures - in Four Hours a Day

New Adventures - in Four Hours a Day

"Can you find four extra hours in your day?" a voice came over the speaker on my office phone, first telemarketer call of the day. I chuckled and answered, "Not this week."

"But Mom, you aren't VERY busy." My daughter adlibs as I turn back to the project at hand. A business plan due the next day, and I'm just at that moment formating the design and working on the font choices for the final print out. I click on the last button and look at the final layout, her comment is favorable, and I accept the selections. "I'm making dinner." She turns away from the computer and walks to the kitchen, pulling pasta and sauce from the shelf, and chicken planks from the fridge. The salad I made earlier will serve well as a vegetable, and desert is the yogurt pops we bought at the grocery. Life is working well, for the moment. I finish up my project, and go help finish dinner.

"Mom, what would you do with four extra hours a day?" She asks as we sit down to dinner.

"I think I'd spend some of it just sitting on the porch with you and the boys. It would be a nice change to just sit and watch the world go by." I answered considering the options. "What would you do with four extra hours in your day?" I asked her, as she sprinkled cheese on the pasta.

"I think I'd learn something new." She answered, thoughtfully. "Just spend the time doing something new, like putting some new project together."

"What kind of project?" I asked watching her sort through the meal she was eating on her plate.

"I think I'd learn to crochet or something like that." She answered.

I thought about it for a bit, and decided it was time to teach her that new something. We finished dinner and I asked if she wanted to go to the store. We picked out rich blues and purples and some pale aqua greens and a pattern with variations of stars on a mellow striped background. It was going to be an afghan to remember. I picked pastels in the same color tones, and selected needles to work with. There were some nice large baskets in the aisle, and I chose two of them, one for her project and one for mine.

We grabbed some bottles of soda for drinking later, a few boxes of flavored teas, some cream, and a selection of delicate cookies for eating when we took a break later and left the store to start our craft projects. An adventure that was bound to make memories was about to start, and we were both excited about starting it.

Once at home, we turned on a movie and settled on opposite ends of the couch start our projects. She already knew the basics, so I wouldn't need to teach her much for the first several rows. We chattered about the movie, listened to the songs playing in the bacground, discussed each stitch as we came to it, and hummed along our own pleasant tunes during any lulls in the noise level. I watched the world go by, while I enjoyed the company of my daughter. Several hours later, long after we should have been in bed, we stopped stitching and prepared our tea with cream and delicate cookies. The night was more than pleasant, and we had an adventure I hope to have again.

Jan Verhoeff's perpetual desire to learn originally focused her writing in the Business Industries, where she writes motivational and marketing articles for a variety of publications. Her first book publication, self-published in 1991, sold more than a thousand copies in a local business market. Later publications include: "Stories for the Trail" (with other Authors), "Words To Ponder ? One Woman's Thoughts", "Prickly Points of Life", "Recipes from Jan's Kitchen", "Focus on Function", and "Put Your Thoughts In Print".

You may contact Jan at janverhoeff@yahoo.com

Or you may visit her website at janverhoeff@yahoo.com

recurring maid service Buffalo Grove ..

In The News:

The iconic Mary Kay pink Cadillac goes electric with the Cadillac Optiq, available only to the company's top 1% of sales force performers.

Cybercriminals abuse trusted Intel driver to gain kernel access and shut down Windows Defender, enabling undetected malware deployment since July 2025.

Using email aliases for online shopping and subscriptions can protect your privacy by preventing companies from linking your activity across websites.

New research shows AI overlap does not equal job replacement, with knowledge-based roles seeing most integration while physical jobs remain least affected.

Scammers target seniors who avoid social media by exploiting public records like obituaries and real estate filings to steal personal information and money

Recovery team in Italy use AI-enabled drones to detect missing hiker's red helmet, leading to successful recovery after months of ground searches

Google Salesforce system breach exposes business data while scammers use incident to target users with fake security calls and phishing attempts.

Google announces Pixel 10 lineup with Tensor G5 chip and Gemini Nano AI, introducing Magic Cue, Pro Res Zoom up to 100x and satellite emergency support features.

C San Diego study reveals 86% of school safety companies monitor students 24/7 on personal devices, raising privacy concerns.

Users can now add their favorite outlets' coverage to the Top Stories section of Google search results by utilizing the 'preferred sources' feature. With just a few clicks, you can add Fox News.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Interstellar object 3I/ATLAS shows an unexpected frontal glow that Harvard's Avi Loeb says cannot be explained by sunlight reflection or standard cometary outgassing.

Receiving order confirmations for purchases you never made could mean your email address is being exploited in fraud operations targeting multiple retailers.

First wireless brain implant works with Apple's official protocol, enabling hands-free control of iPhones, iPads and Vision Pro through thought alone.

Data brokers sell personal details that scammers use to target retirement funds through fake financial advisor calls and convincing phishing attempts

Ten innovative tech solutions from gait sensors to smart pill dispensers help adults 65+ track fall risks and prevent injuries before they happen.

Meta AI internal documents revealed chatbots were allowed to flirt with children and engage in romantic conversations until the company was exposed by Reuters.

ChatGPT will avoid giving direct mental health advice under new OpenAI rules following instances where the AI model provided harmful or misleading responses.

Your phone tracks you in more ways than that little GPS icon suggests. Here’s how to find and clear hidden location logs on iPhone and Android.

Authorities in France and the Netherlands have been notified. Meanwhile, impacted customers are being told to stay alert.

Apple just rolled out a redesigned Blood Oxygen feature to specific models, following a recent victory in a legal dispute.

Kidney dialysis provider DaVita experienced a ransomware breach by the Interlock gang affecting 916,000 people in the second-largest U.S. healthcare attack of 2025.

A Chinese-made Unitree R1 robot walked Manhattan streets and shopped for shoes as part of KraneShares' $28 million AI robotics fund promotion campaign.

The ShinyHunters cybercriminal group breached Google's Salesforce system through vishing attacks, stealing business contact details and customer data.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

New Adventures - in Four Hours a Day

Time Management