WHY I SELL "STUFF " ON MY WEBSITE

I received a letter from a teacher telling me that she enjoyed my website but was disappointed to see that I also sell "stuff" on it since we preschool teachers make so little money anyway.  So I would like to explain why I do so: First of all, my website space on the internet is not free.  In addition to an internet access fee, I pay web hosting fees based on the size of my website, and I pay for the use of a .com internet address (domain name).  Secondly, my website, which started out as just a hobby, is now a part-time career often requiring full-time hours.  If you were to print out my entire website, it is well over 800 pages -- and growing.  (By the way, that's 800+ pages of FREE stuff!)  I constantly work at maintaining my website which often includes days of learning new computering skills.  Posting new material onto my website is required by website registration in order to keep it updated, but this isn't a matter of just typing words onto the screen.  My work involves research, editing, referencing, writing, finding appropriate graphics, creating new pages and linking them, deciding where and how to best place material, uploading to the internet, and much more.  And probably the most time consuming thing I do is try to create new ideas of my own to share.  I thoroughly enjoy this website, but like everyone else, my husband and I have bills to pay.  As my website grows, so does the time required for maintaining it, and with the costs of maintaining it ever increasing (both financially and personally), I simply can't afford to do it for free.  One option is for me to host all kinds of advertising banners on my website, but because I know how I hate going to sites with banners that take forever to download, I don't want to expose my own visitors to the same thing.  Furthermore, many of my visitors tell me that's one of the things they like about my site -- no banners or ads.  So, yes, very often throughout my webpages, I ask that if you enjoy my website and benefit from it, and if you would like to see it continue, please support my work by purchasing "Stormie's Stuff for Teachers" and/or by donating financial contributions whenever possible.

YOU ALSO NEED TO KNOW THAT activities and fingerplays on my webpages are taken directly from memory, my personal index card file (a compilation of ideas I've collected since 1980 and even earlier), or from all the many notes/hand-outs I've kept over the years.  But most of the ideas are my own adaptations or creations.  In compiling my card file over the years, I recall gathering ideas in these ways: jotting down random activities from resource books when I needed something, having ideas handed to me that were written or typed on paper, having ideas orally passed on to me, or jotting down activities that I observed being used in a classroom.  Although I don't know the specific origin of many of the activities, I've tried to give due credit (as best I can recall) on my "Website Credits" page.  As for my website graphics, to the best of my knowledge, I've given due credit for them in various places on my website.  If you know the origin of anything you see on my webpages or find that I have infringed on someone else's exclusively copyrighted written material, or discover that I've used graphics improperly, please let me know immediately.  I will GLADLY make things right.  This isn't a statement that I've "splashed" onto the screen just because "everyone is doing it."  As someone who enjoys writing, I take this issue very seriously. 

IF THE COMPUTER/INTERNET WORLD IS NEW TO YOU, HERE'S A FEW TIPS:   
1. Occasionally, you may check into my website and get a white screen message saying "the page cannot be found" or "access forbidden," etc.  This doesn't mean my site no longer exists.  It simply means the server is having temporary technical difficulties.  So, keep trying each day because unless I tell you otherwise, my website will still be here. 
2. Sometimes pages on the internet appear to be fully downloaded when they aren't.  Downloading of a page is usually finished when you see the words "Document Done" at the bottom of your screen, or when you see that the small icon in the upper right corner of your screen is no longer moving.  But sometimes, even that's false.  Almost all of my pages have my copyright statement at the very bottom so if that and all the "stuff" in between doesn't show, it's not finished downloading.  If you see unfinished pages, please be patient and wait awhile longer or hit your reload button. 
3. If you send me an e-mail and it comes back to you as "message not delivered," try again later. 
4. Lots of crazy frustrating things can happen with computers.  When problems persist, call your network provider.  You're also welcome to e-mail me.  Maybe together we can find out what's going on.  You should also know that websites can appear perfect on one browser or monitor screen, but look messed up (spacing, lettering, coloring, etc) on another.  So, please keep this in mind while reviewing my site.  Also, in case you're just learning, anytime you click on a link, you can return to where you were by hitting your "BACK" button (located at the top of your computer screen).
5. My website address is http://www.preschoolbystormie.com but all you really need to remember is preschoolbystormie.com should you ever lose my address.  And for my e-mail address, simply remember to put a stormie@ in front of the preschoolbystormie.com

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Now, how do you know when "new stuff" has been added to my website?
I'm continually adding "new stuff" to my website, so it would be far too time consuming to update you on everything, but I do keep in touch through a personal note every now and then.  Each time you check into my website homepage, if the date in the sentence at the very top of the page has changed since your last visit, you'll know I've left you a message.