"Buy this, and your kids will be smarter!" "Use this, you'll be more organized!" "Get this series and you will unleash their inner genius!" Or something like that. Ahh... the lure of curriculum. Marketing has targeted our community for some time now. Advertisers realize that while we are an independent lot, we still harbor a lot … Continue reading The Curriculum Crutch
Over the years, moms have shared ways to cleverly remove themselves from awkward situations. One of these methods is frequently referred to as, “Pass the Bean Dip.” The saying was circulated a lot on message boards from the late 1990's and early 2000's. Some attribute the saying to someone named Joanne at The Well-Trained Mind … Continue reading Pass the Bean Dip?
Normally, I don't write anti-school blogposts. Many wonderful families who love their children use the school system and many more see school as their ticket to the American Dream. That's fine. I'm usually perfectly okay with people making decisions that differ from mine.But this time of year, I have twinge that doesn't want to go away. It … Continue reading Don’t Do It!
I read online about how Republican senators refused to let citizens speak in the hearings on Thursday night. I was shocked to hear how some rules were being followed and others were not. On Monday night, I stayed up until the wee hours listening to the live feed as one Texas senator after another tried … Continue reading That night at the Capitol building…
On Valentine's weekend in 2005, Alyssa took on a project for Girl Scouts. I think she would have been happy to do this project regardless of the Bronze Award, but that was her catalyst. Alyssa had two dogs at the time: Hank, our People Pleaser, and Tasha, our Polar Bear. Because of her involvement with … Continue reading My Little Dog Lover
As I deal with my aging mother, I find myself sometimes exasperated and impatient. She's 82 and still trying to maintain as much independence as possible. She makes it to her Koffee Klatch and Silver Fox Exercise classes and Saturday night "karaoke." She visits with friends as she walks her dog, Pepper. But we notice … Continue reading Letter from a Mother to a Daughter
We're midway through the early voting phase, and getting closer to election time. But, that's probably hard to miss - no matter where you live. Not that the US politics are in the front of everyone's minds worldwide, that would be a tad egotistical to believe. The commercials, the commentary, and the social media keep … Continue reading 3 Tips on Politics, Friendships, and Facebook
This morning, I got up to walk Lake Pflugerville. My trainer wants me to do a 5K next month with her, so I have to keep pushing! As I pulled up, I noticed that the parking lots were full of cars. Last week, when I went, it was full of dove season hunters. So I … Continue reading Me and the Mormons
I am saddened that many people feel that homosexuality is a sin. But people have the right to believe whatever they want. What they don't have the right to do, however, is create a law that imposes their religious beliefs legally on another American citizen. As Ron's dad's used to say, "Believe whatever you want, just … Continue reading Gays, Rights, and the Bible
Like most American households, we watched a lot of Olympics for the past couple of weeks. Sure we wished we had better control of what sports we were able to watch. Unfortunately, NBC got to make that decision for us. I would have liked to watch a little Hammer Throwing or maybe some Wushu! Steeplechase was recorded … Continue reading London 2012 – Summer Olympics
The Chick-Fil-A Controversy has brought an issue to the forefront for me...again. For those who are not aware: I am Christian. I am heterosexual. I have hetero and gay friends - in my friendships, what matters to me is what we have in common. I am unhappy when Christians create controversial issues from a position … Continue reading I Don’t Understand “Christian” Hate
History has shown that oppression can only go on for so long. At some point, those who feel squashed will simple rise up and say "No more." Suddenly, I'm flashing to the scene in the 1976 movie, Network! While some of you may be too young to remember the context, I'm sure you've heard … Continue reading Vagina
Infographic at http://www.creditdonkey.com/thanksgiving.htmlThis is a really cool graphic that I would have loved having as a poster when the kids were little. Here's the info, if you can't see it clearly. (It's clearer at their site; the embedding seems a little small for 50-year old eyes to see!!) A Little History... 102 People Sailed on … Continue reading Thanksgiving Facts
I come from a family of Veterans. Yet only one is still alive. My dad was a veteran of World War II, my uncle was also, but he was in the Pacific theater. My father-in-law went to the Korean War. My husband went to Viet Nam, and the Gulf War. My cousin's son also went … Continue reading Veteran’s Day
I see the signs. My Occupy Wall Street posts on Facebook have less and less “Likes.” I stopped clicking “Share.” But my position didn’t change. I’ve been reading a lot from people who oppose the Occupy Wall Street position. Instead of giving thumbnail sound-byte type information, I’ve come up with a few thoughts of my … Continue reading Why Attack the Messenger?
It’s a little shocking to read it that way, right? Yet that’s the position of so many people. This type of thinking permeates the airwaves of radio and TV. For some reason, we have come to tolerate a violent rhetoric in our society today. Congressmen can shout “you’re a liar” at the President during a … Continue reading I’m Right, and You’re EVIL!
Sexting is making the news a lot these days. You know what that means, right? When someone sends naked or semi-naked pictures through their cell phones? Anyway, because I look at my daughter’s text messages from time to time, I’ve seen this first-hand. Boys often are asking girls to “Send me a pic.” When I … Continue reading Shhh! Is that “Sexting?”
This is the most famous picture of Earth, taken in 1968. And this article talks about what it was like for the astronauts on Apollo 8 who were supposed to be studying the moon, but just couldn't take their eyes off the Earth, as it rose on the moon's horizon. They've included a lot of … Continue reading Happy Earth Day!
Today was a big day! Jay, Julie's husband, became an American citizen. We all went down to San Antonio to witness the big event. We drove around looking for a parking spot for quite a while. The auditorium was packed. 1300 people were becoming citizens today - and everyone seemed to bring family and … Continue reading Citizenship – Jaymerican
Lifelong Learning 