text:
Today, the boys and I are going to see Disney on Ice for the first time. We are heading out in just about 15 mins! It's the Follow Your Heart show. All three boys were up, have eaten breakfast and are either showering or getting dressed before 8am! This is significant because lately we've been very lazy in the mornings. Partly because we are still.on break and partly because we can 😂
When we get home, I have to make dinner, which will be marinated pork chops in the Instant Pot and either rice or mac and cheese and a veggie (Jackson will likely have a couple of no thank you bites and then some microwaved chicken nuggets. Sigh.)
While dinner is cooking and we eat, I have to cook 2 pans of sliders (18 burgers and 18 bbq chicken) to take to the potluck for the Troop meeting. We did a trial run of the burger ones last night and they were fantastic. I just hope they stay hot enough during the meeting until it's time to eat. I'm baking them in foil pans that have lids but have no way to keep them warm at the Troop Hut - it's basically a pavilion outside in a wooded area and a field for parking and playing in.
Tonight's the Court of Honor and Alex was recently voted in as new Patrol Leader for his patrol plus should be getting his first merit badge tonight. I feel really bad that he didn't go to summer camp this year as he is so "behind" on merit badges already.
Tomorrow we are going to the science center and aquarium for a field trip with friends and will get to explore the Grossology exhibit!! I might be as excited as the boys are to go here! In anticipation Jackson and I read "My Visit to the Aquarium" by Aliki.
(affiliate link)
It's such a good book that I am now on the lookout for more by this author! I know for sure there is a zoo one that I'm thinking of getting.
On Saturday, Alex and Jason are helping to cleanup the Troop Hut for the annual spaghetti dinner fundraiser in 2 weeks.
It's going to be a fun few days!
Have a great weekend, everyone!
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Life. Love. Family. Our Perfect Imperfection. Living life as a Catholic, homeschooling family with three amazing, unique boys, a too-oft serious, frustrated and anxious but also loving momma, and a fun-loving, hardworking dad.
Thursday, September 22, 2016
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
Our Curriculum Plans for 2016-17
This year, we are keeping some of our favorites from our first year, adding in some new subjects, and changing out some things that weren't a good fit for us.
For starters, we enrolled Ethan and Alex in Kolbe Homeschool Academy using their homeschool courses. With the flexibility they offer, we will be using some of their courses and some of our own choices, while also taking advantage of their transcript services and future use of their diplomas.
Ethan's officially a high schooler now (we basically repeated 8th grade last year to give him a chance to mature, hit some areas where he struggles and find our groove since we were coming from a public school setting.) I felt it would be good to have some guidance on certain courses, a way to track his grades and write a transcript that would be from an accredited school since he will - hopefully! - be my first homeschool graduate in approximately 4 years, and I am a bit nervous about the transcript portion. We will be starting to do career and college research this year, and look into PSAT/SAT/ACT testing as well.
Alex did almost all 6th grade work last year, save religion and wordly wise which he did at the 5th grade level. Since he is officially a middle schooler, and starting 7th grade, I thought it would be good to also use Kolbe to have some guidance in courses, and tracking grades. Plus if he takes Algebra 1 in 8th grade, I believe he can get high school credit on his transcript! He will be doing 6th grade religion and possibly level 6 of wordly wise.
I didn't enroll Jackson in Kolbe this year as he won't be 5 until January and even then I will likely wait to enroll him until he is in 7th grade if we go that route. However, he has really surprised me the last few months with the amount of learning he has done and continues to want to do, without formal schoolwork! We will be doing K4 together this year - basically preschool/kindergarten combo - and then K5 next year, unless he seems ready to just dive into 1st. Jackson is able to write letters and number fairly well, attempts to spell simple words by sounding them out and asking for help, and can write his name. He is trying to read words by sounding them out. In addition, he can draw and identify shapes, add 1+1 and can count to 20 consistently. We won't be doing a really formal curriculum this year with him.
English Language Arts
Since Ethan and Alex are both naturally good spellers, there's really no need for them to use a formal spelling program anymore.
We will continue to use Wordly Wise 3000 online for vocabulary. We purchased a yearly subscription through Homeschool Buyers' Co-op a few months ago, and the boys really like it. Ethan will be doing level 9 and Alex will do level 6.
For our grammar lessons, we will continue using IEW's Fix it Grammar books. Last year, we used book 1 and about half of book 2. This year, we will finish up book 2 and move on to book 3.
We decided to try something new for composition and writing this year with all three of the boys. WriteShop 1 will be used by Ethan and Alex for their main English curriculum. If you are able to print, and have more than one child using it, or have other children who will use in the future, I highly recommend buying the workbook in e-book format. You can print as many as you need for single-family use!
Although I like IEW's Student Writing Intensive B, it didn't feel like a great fit. We may revisit it later in the year to continue to glean more from it. It did help the boys learn how to pull out key words and take notes, as well as expand their word usage by giving them the banned word lists.
For additional essay topics, I plan to use the 100 philosophy questions from Westvon Publishing, as well as history essays.
Alex will be using Kolbe's Junior High Literature Course over the next two years, and has already planned out which books he would like to read for both years! There's always the chance he'll change his mind for next year, but there are plenty of wonderful options.
Ethan will be using a number of selections on the book list from the JH Literature even though he will not be taking that particular course. The choices are just that good!
Ethan and Alex will both be reading the following (as well as several other books that are history related):
- 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
- The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson
- Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
- Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha by Evelyn M. Brown
- The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
- Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
- St. Benedict by Mary Fabyan Windeatt
- Short stories
- The Ransom of Red Chief by O. Henry
- The Last Leaf by O. Henry
- The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry
- The Story of the Other Wise Man by Henry Van Dyke
- The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
- The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
- The Red Headed League by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
- The Devil and Daniel Webster by Stephen Vincent Benet
- A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
- Animal Farm by George Orwell
- Little Women by Louis May Alcott
- The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
- The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
- Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis
- Perelandra by C.S. Lewis
We really enjoyed RC History Connecting with History Volume 1: Ancient History and the Old Testament and have decided to stick with it. We have one unit left from last school year that we will start with. It's a chronological program so we can just continue right on into Volume 2, which is Early Medieval history through 1066 AD, the New Testament and the Early Church.
The book list for RC History is extensive and includes many non-fiction and historical fiction selections.
Ethan will mostly use the Logic level books, but will also use a couple from the Grammar level. Alex will use a mix of Grammar and Logic level books. Jackson and I will read a few of the Beginner level books together as well.
We also have some hands-on books about castles and the Middle Ages and animated versions of Ben-Hur and The Odyssey that we will use to enhance our studies.
Geography is a new addition to our home school this year, even though I've had the curriculum for about a year. Using GeoMatters Trail Guide to World Geography, Ethan will do the Secondary level, and Alex will do the Intermediate level, and both will use the student notebooks.
To enhance our geography study, and to include Jackson, I purchased Give Your Child the World. There are so many great books listed in it, and I'm currently matching up different choices from the age groups to the places from each week of our formal curriculum.
Ethan finally seemed to find his groove last year once we switched to Teaching Textbooks. He'll be doing the Algebra 2 course this year.
Alex finished the year with Saxon 7/6 but found it boring. He practically begged to use Teaching Textbooks like his brother, so he'll be using their Pre-Algebra.
Ethan will be doing Kolbe's Introduction to Physics and Chemistry (Physical Science) course, which uses the Prentice Hall Physical Science textbook.
Alex will use the Life Science course from Kolbe, that uses Holt Life Science short courses A,B,C and E.
We will likely do some nature study as a family as well.
Foreign Language
Ethan and Alex will be learning German, using Kolbe's German 1 course. Jackson will learn some simple German words, like colors, numbers, animals, and food. Things that I remember from my high school German classes ;)
Ethan is going to be confirmed in the Spring of 2017, and has chosen his Confirmation Sponsor, and Patron Saint. Our Parish requires that he use the same religious education curriculum that they do, and they would like him to attend the classes as well as the youth group meetings. I don't believe they can require the class/youth group portion though, and I explained that as homeschoolers, we have the chance to do religious education daily, just as a private Catholic school does. The new DRE said that we can do the classwork at home, but she didn't seem extremely pleased about it. The class is on Wednesday from 6-7:15pm, then a quick snack that they provide (that he won't be able to eat due to the Feingold elimination diet we follow), followed by the mandatory youth group meeting from 7:30-9:30pm. I know my kiddo, and there's no way he could handle basically a 3 and a half hour class in the evening, starting right at our dinner time, and ending after his normal bedtime. All of our kids are in bed by 9 or just after, with Ethan usually being the first one choosing to go to bed! He is an early riser, and is usually quite tired by 9pm. In addition to the Parish's required Confirmation Religious Ed text, Ethan will be working through the Didache Series' Introduction to Catholicism, which we may break into a 2 year course. It's a fairly thick textbook, with an in-depth study of Catholicism, and since he's going to be doing double-duty for formal RE this year, I feel it's only fair.
Alex will be using Faith and Life 6: Following Christ this year, following Kolbe's 6th grade religion course.
We are planning to start attending daily Mass on Wednesdays for a couple of months, and transitioning to going on Tuesdays and Thursdays. They will also be reading several books about Saints throughout the year, incorporated into History as well as just extra reading assignments.
Also new for this year, we will be using the free Virtues in Practice from the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia - Nashville starting with the Faith year. Ethan and Alex will both be doing the 6-8 grades level, and Jackson will do the Pre-K/Kindergarten level.
Life Skills
Having finally decided that they really need to learn HOW to clean and cook among other independent living skills, I've purchased and printed out both the Complete Girl's Guide to Home Skills and The Boy's Guide to Home Skills: The Young Man's Handybook as well as the lesson plans for each. Some of the skills overlap, and some we may not use at all (building a cabin or hosting a dinner party, for example), plus they are a bit "old-fashioned" in a sense, but we'll use what we feel will be useful. The whole part about one being written for girls, and one for boys doesn't really fit us, hence the reason we will use a combination of both. They need to know how to keep a clean home, cook, and manage a budget, among other skills to run a household after they move out and I hope that any possible future daughters-in-law will appreciate that I tried to teach them these things.
In regards to managing a budget, Dave Ramsey has a financial literacy program called Foundations in Personal Finance. He's written a curriculum for both high schoolers and middle schoolers, both of which we will use. Ethan will start the high school one this year, and I may have Alex start the middle school one next year, after I get a chance to really read through it. For Jackson, and possibly Alex, I also bought Financial Peace, Jr, which is for ages 3-12.
In an effort to really help them, and make it fun, we also chose to buy the Act Your Wage board game at the same time as the above. Homeschool Buyers Co-op had a fantastic deal on all of them, so it was definitely worth it.
The best laid plans. We'll see how it all plays out. Two 18 week semesters, broken into either 9 week quarters, or 6 week sessions. I really need to write down our weekly lesson plans in my book for at least 6 or 9 weeks and see where that leaves us. I'm starting to, but keep getting distracted!
I hope everyone has a great school year, whether your kids go to public, private, or charter schools, or are homeschooled! They all deserve the very best, and it isn't going to be the exact same for any child.
Monday, August 8, 2016
Why I am Calling It Quits.
I quit. I can't do it any more. I'm tired of thinking about "must finish every page, every lesson, every unit." I'm tired of hearing "Is it September yet?" We need a break. And I tell you truthfully, it is a well-deserved break! These boys have worked hard and learned so much this year. They have tried different curriculums to find a good fit and read countless books. They did math almost daily and learned grammar rules I never knew existed. They are ready to be done for the school year and eager to start the new one after a break. There's no reason we can't take a holiday starting now and still start back up in October, no reason we can't take a 7 week "summer" instead of only 4. Next year we have 36 weeks of school planned with 4 weeks off between each trimester of 13 weeks. In the middle of the trimester is a one week break also, making it 12 weeks of school. 180 days with extra time in August next year if we really need it. We shouldn't. But it's there if we do. That's the beauty of homeschooling. We can make it fit us, not fit us into it.
I woke up this morning questioning this next 3 weeks and shoveling so much into it, just for the sake of finishing and saying we had completed every page of every book and feeling like they got everything they could out of it. Then I read an article about how people aren't using their vacation days. The end of the Washington Post article entitled "Why you should use your vacation time" really spoke to me, specifically the last paragraph with a quote about being burnt out. It's a really good post that I feel could benefit anyone who reads it.
After everyone was awake and had breakfast, I made a decision. I had Alex take Teaching Textbooks pre-algebra placement test. He got 4 of 30 wrong which means he's ready for it. Also, Ethan took TT Algebra 2 placement test and he got 6 out of 30 wrong making him ready for it. We were supposed to start our last unit for history today. Since we are doing world history chronologically, we will start with it at the beginning of our new school year, essentially adding it to the Volume 2 of RC History Connecting with History.
Therefore, I'm calling it. We are done with school after Friday for the year. If we need to go back and do some Algebra review in October, it will be there waiting for us.
One map, a creative writing assignment, some clay projects, science reading, a few Algebra lessons, the final religion lessons and tests, and this week will end on a fantastic note. Just as public school starts up (and most of our fellow homeschool friends! 😂) We'll finish reading Swiss Family Robinson and Swallows and Amazons in our free time together. And finish our science unit as we wish.
Here's to a fabulous 7 weeks of break and renewal and hopefully a true family vacation somewhere.
I woke up this morning questioning this next 3 weeks and shoveling so much into it, just for the sake of finishing and saying we had completed every page of every book and feeling like they got everything they could out of it. Then I read an article about how people aren't using their vacation days. The end of the Washington Post article entitled "Why you should use your vacation time" really spoke to me, specifically the last paragraph with a quote about being burnt out. It's a really good post that I feel could benefit anyone who reads it.
After everyone was awake and had breakfast, I made a decision. I had Alex take Teaching Textbooks pre-algebra placement test. He got 4 of 30 wrong which means he's ready for it. Also, Ethan took TT Algebra 2 placement test and he got 6 out of 30 wrong making him ready for it. We were supposed to start our last unit for history today. Since we are doing world history chronologically, we will start with it at the beginning of our new school year, essentially adding it to the Volume 2 of RC History Connecting with History.
Therefore, I'm calling it. We are done with school after Friday for the year. If we need to go back and do some Algebra review in October, it will be there waiting for us.
One map, a creative writing assignment, some clay projects, science reading, a few Algebra lessons, the final religion lessons and tests, and this week will end on a fantastic note. Just as public school starts up (and most of our fellow homeschool friends! 😂) We'll finish reading Swiss Family Robinson and Swallows and Amazons in our free time together. And finish our science unit as we wish.
Here's to a fabulous 7 weeks of break and renewal and hopefully a true family vacation somewhere.
Saturday, August 6, 2016
Success - Delicious Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs
Instant Pot (affiliate link), so I decided to snag one. To be honest, I was a little nervous to try it for the first time. I've never used a pressure cooker of any kind before and didn't want to ruin a meal, especially baby-back ribs!
After going on a Facebook group for fellow IP users, I took some suggestions shared on others' posts and ran with it, changing it to fit our preferences and needs.
Since we avoiding apples, and the boys all like pears, I scoured the cupboard for any canned pears in 100% juice. Our stand-by seasonings for most things are sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder so that was what I intended on using. After gathering what I needed, I set to work.
Baby-back Ribs with Teriyaki Sauce
2 racks of baby-back ribs
3 cups 100% pear juice (I used the juice from canned pears, and just served the pears on the side)
1 cup white vinegar
fine ground sea salt, to taste
ground black pepper, to taste
onion powder, to taste
garlic powder, to taste
teriyaki sauce (we used Veri Veri Island Teriyaki Sauce ( affiliate link) this time. We've actually liked all of their sauces.)
- Set the IP to saute, and pour in the pear juice and white vinegar, letting them warm while you prep the ribs. (This helped to bring the pressure up quicker later as it was already warmer.)
- Remove the membrane on the ribs, and slice into smaller sections, approximately 3-5 ribs each. Then, season liberally with sea salt, pepper, onion and garlic powders on both sides.
- Place ribs in IP, and press Meat. Adjust time to 25 minutes. Place and lock the lid.
- Preheat the grill to low/low medium heat.
- When finished pressure cooking, vent, watching closely in case of splatter, or you could probably let it naturally release.
- Once the pressure is released and you are able to open the lid, remove the ribs carefully.
- Brush teriyaki sauce on ribs, and grill over low heat until browned to your liking.
Easy peasy! And delicious, juicy, fall-off-the-bones ribs, in about an hour! There were leftovers but only because it was so filling with our side of mac and cheese and green beans. Alex actually wanted them for lunch the next day, but told him we should save them for leftover night ;)
Last night, I made a chicken in the IP as well, and it was the absolute juiciest bird that I've ever made! I used this recipe from Paleo Gone Sassy. Everyone LOVED it!
Monday, July 4, 2016
Happy Independence Day! (and a menu plan, too!)
Happy 4th of July, everybody! I hope today is a great one for you! We are ending our first full year living in South Florida today and it's been interesting to say the least.
The boys and I have all made some great friends in our homeschool community, including the family that lives in our neighborhood currently. We've almost finished up our first year of school - just 8 more weeks, as we finish our history and math curriculum up. Since it took us so long to find an Algebra one that was a good fit for Ethan, it extended our year some, but worked out in the long run, since we still have 2 units of our 10 unit history program left and are going to do a 7 week science unit study on weather with some friends during that time as well! As you can imagine, it's very hot in Florida, especially down near Miami, and that means a lot of indoor time anyway, so that's conducive to us doing school in the summer too.
We are taking September off for our "summer" break and starting the 2016-17 school year fresh on October 3rd. I already have an idea of what our lessons will be but no set schedule yet, and we don't have ALL of our curriculum or books yet. That will definitely be a late Aug/early Sept post. :)
The older boys are off playing with friends until they are hungry for lunch, and the little one (I won't be able to call him that much longer, he'll be 5 in SIX months!!) is washing the truck with Jason while I am in here actually writing! There's a good chance we will go to our town's fireworks show this evening after dinner, as all 3 kiddos want to watch them. I'm just dreading the heat and bugs...
It's the first Monday in July and the first week of us following the Feingold program. We attempted this for awhile, a very long time ago, maybe 9 years ago? The only thing was I didn't make us do Stage 1. We sort of skipped over it and when it got "too hard" and too expensive, without change (and lack of will power), we just stopped. Over the years, we've made many improvements in our diet, choosing different things, and slowly finding better alternatives. This seems like the next logical step, to try again, but fully jumping in, doing stage 1. Especially since some of the eliminated items were already off the menu - or mostly off the menu - around here.
To better help us stay on track, I planned out the next 2 weeks breakfasts, lunches and dinners. Our breakfasts will be on repeat until eternity (or something like that) and actually have more variety than usual! Our lunches will mostly be repeated, with changes for the leftover "this or that" depending on the previous day's dinner. Dinners will have some repeats, such as Taco Tuesday, pizza on either Friday or Saturday, and leftover buffet on Sundays and possibly one thrown in on a Wednesday here and there, since garbage pick-up is Mondays/Thursdays and we can clean the fridge out Sun and/or Wed night then.
Here's this week's menu plan. Sorry, no recipe links, but most meals are pretty easy. If you are knowledgeable about or are a member of Feingold, then all the meals are adapted for S1 and you know what that means :) *on that note, I totally screwed up this morning and made pancakes with S2 mix, because when we were at the store, I used the PDF and typed in the brand, saw it was approved and bought it, without noticing where in the book it was. I didn't double check and after making half the pancakes, happened to glance at the ingredients to see a S2 ingredient! Oops! Not a great start, but better than bisquick ;) and they were GF, and the kids AND hubby liked them!*
Breakfast - Pancakes with maple syrup
Lunch - Beef and cream cheese roll-ups, chips/crackers, banana
Dinner - Cheeseburgers, baked mac and cheese, corn on the cob, watermelon
Breakfast - Smoothie: banana, mango and pineapple with yogurt, oatmeal muffins
Lunch - Leftover mac and cheese, salad, watermelon
Dinner - Garlic grilled chicken, homemade fries, roasted broccoli
Breakfast - Oatmeal, homemade pork sausage patties, pears
Lunch - Peanut butter & honey "sliders", canned pineapple, chips/crackers
Dinner - Tacos (tortillas, beef, crockpot refried beans,lettuce, onion, cheese, sour cream, olives), watermelon
Breakfast - Eggs, toast with butter, banana
Lunch - Leftover tacos or cheese quesadillas, watermelon, carrots
Dinner -Teriyaki chicken, twice baked potatoes, green beans
Breakfast - Cereal, milk, pears
Lunch - Grilled cheese, chips/crackers, banana
Dinner - Pizza (pesto chicken, white cheese, mac & cheese), canned pineapple, salad
Breakfast - Waffles, syrup, canned pears
Lunch - Peanut butter and honey sandwiches, chips/crackers, carrots
Dinner - Hamburger patties w/gravy, rice w/butter, broccoli
Breakfast - Oatmeal muffins, sausage, yogurt
Lunch - Beef and cheese sandwich, banana, chips/crackers
Dinner - Leftover buffet
Find more menu plans here at I'm an Organizing Junkie.
Here's to a great week full of yummy food, lots of school getting done including our first Science co-op meeting, some outside time towards our 1000 hours outside total and a fun Thursday movie get-together!
Saturday, June 25, 2016
Feingold Diet ahoy!
Today is the day. After having a terrible back ache yesterday and barely moving from the couch or bed all day, I'm finally sorting our pantry!
We are changing over to the Feingold diet fully and starting from scratch. Stage 1. That means:
- Getting rid of or using up any unapproved items (mostly still "ok" in terms of dye-free but have/might have other ingredients that we will be avoiding) and marking them with "X" if it's something Jason will still eat.
- Marking things s1 for stage 1 and placing on the middle 3 shelves
- Marking s2 on stage 2 items to put away for later. Same goes for the fridge, freezer, and spice cabinet!
The last straw for finally digging in my heels amd saying that we absolutely must do this? Not my kids so much (though the meltdowns, whining, rash behavior, anger, hyperactivity, etc are all in the list!!) but myself.
I find myself so irrationally angry what feels like nearly all the time. It's been that way for a long time. I can honestly pinpoint it to food, it ebbs and flows depending on what I choose to eat. (Sorry if this is TMI!) Usually there's a week or so every month, right around the time I'm ovulating that I'm pretty level-headed and in a great mood. This week should have been that way. I know I was more stressed because Jason was gone for work, and all the way in Puerto Rico of all places (a friend and co-worker of his was there a few years ago for work and died while there, actually in the same town/area. It was terribly sad.) I also know that I just did not feel like myself at all. Even though a lot of the time myself is the always angry, always yelling, always overwhelmed, always anxious mom. The thing is I know, deep down, that that is NOT the real me.
So while we are doing this for the boys, we are also doing this for me. Which I guess is also for the boys. I am my own "target".
Sunday, April 17, 2016
I love being able to send my 13 and 10 year old sons to the park with friends without me breathing down their necks the entire time. It is hard for this very anxious mom to give them freedom to roam they deserve, desire and NEED! Especially if you know my oldest, who is awesome but has had trouble being aware of his surroundings and safety issues.
Sadly, this may have to stop due to silly rules. The park sign states 12 and under need an adult but I figure if my THIRTEEN and 1/2 year old is there with the slightly younger kids with my permission, that's ok. The security guard stopped and approached him and a friend and told them 16 and under need adult supervision... (while also not saying anything to 2 young girls that I'm nearly 100% positive are not 16). My husband was nearby and spoke with him, stating the sigb says 12 and under to which the guy responded something about having in a request for a new sign.
If these kids were defacing property or doing illegal or harmful things, I could see there being a problem. But I guarantee these two boys were walking around, just talking amd telling stories, spending time together, outside, away from all the screens we all desperately want our kids to spendless time in front of. Human interaction. Not being deliquents. Just being kids. And I guarantee they were doing nothing wrong, because my husband was maybe a stone's throw away fishing with the younger boys and could see the older ones - even if he wasn't babysitting their every move, he knew they were not doing anything wrong.
Why should my husband or I or their friends' parents need to constantly be right there supervising? Especially when they are responsible kids who are expected to grow up and be responsible, contributing members to society. We can't just expect that the say they turn 16, they can all of a sudden be without parental supervision. It comes over time, with opportunities to explore and be kids.
Just so frustrating.
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Murphy's Law
It never fails. We take a trip and something "exciting" happens 😂😱😫
We are having fun visiting with Jason's mom, aunt, sister and her friend in Orlando and decided Sunday afternoon to stay until Wednesday instead of leaving today.
Since Legoland has homeschool days when they offer low ticket prices to homeschoolers, we took the boys yesterday as planned. They had a blast, and while I wouldn't pay full price for tickets, or plan a trip just to go there, it was fun.
The excitement started when we were heading back to our hotel in Orlando and our mini-van took a crap at a stoplight on a super busy road! Super thankful to the police officer and truck driver who helped move our van and the pizza delivery guy who brought us food in the bank parking lot, jumped our van and even offered us a ride after his shift! Also for our family for coming to the rescue and following us back to our hotel, and the mobile mechanics who took a look and gave us a recommendation for an auto repair shop.
This morning started with checking out of our (first) hotel, renting a van and dropping ours at the shop. Since it was a somewhat last-minute decision to stay an extra night we were unable to get a room at our original hotel and had to book a different one. At least it's the same one as my MIL! 😀
Now to spend the afternoon swimming and just being.
We are having fun visiting with Jason's mom, aunt, sister and her friend in Orlando and decided Sunday afternoon to stay until Wednesday instead of leaving today.
Since Legoland has homeschool days when they offer low ticket prices to homeschoolers, we took the boys yesterday as planned. They had a blast, and while I wouldn't pay full price for tickets, or plan a trip just to go there, it was fun.
The excitement started when we were heading back to our hotel in Orlando and our mini-van took a crap at a stoplight on a super busy road! Super thankful to the police officer and truck driver who helped move our van and the pizza delivery guy who brought us food in the bank parking lot, jumped our van and even offered us a ride after his shift! Also for our family for coming to the rescue and following us back to our hotel, and the mobile mechanics who took a look and gave us a recommendation for an auto repair shop.
This morning started with checking out of our (first) hotel, renting a van and dropping ours at the shop. Since it was a somewhat last-minute decision to stay an extra night we were unable to get a room at our original hotel and had to book a different one. At least it's the same one as my MIL! 😀
Now to spend the afternoon swimming and just being.
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text:
Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR) monthly global surface temperature anomaly estimates for 2014 through April 2017 from the University of Maine Climate Change Institute (UM CCI) and from WeatherBELL (WxBELL) are graphed below along with monthly global temperature anomaly estimates for the lower troposphere derived from satellite measurements provided by the University of Alabama at Huntsville (UAH). The UM CCI CFSR estimates have been adjusted (UM adj), while the WxBELL CFSR estimates have been left unadjusted to show the difference. Both of these estimates showed large decreases from March to April in 2017 while the UAH estimate showed a small increase. The UM CCI CFSR adjusted monthly estimates for August 2016 through January 2017 are based on final daily averages and for February through April 2017 are based on preliminary daily averages, and thus these preliminary monthly estimates may change slightly when the final monthly estimates are released. Click on the graph below to see a larger copy.
Also shown for comparison are monthly global temperature anomaly estimates from eight other major sources, including lower tropospheric estimates from the Remote Sensing Systems (RSS), and surface estimates from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecast (ECMWF) Reanalysis Interim adjusted (ERAI adj), US National Center for Environmental Information (NCEI), US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Institute of Space Studies (GISS), the UK Hadley Climate Research Unit Temperature (CRUT), and the Berkeley Earth Surface Temperature (BEST), all final through March 2017, except for CRUT which is final through February 2017. All estimates have been shifted to the latest climatological reference period 1981-2010.
The graph above shows that the various global temperature estimates converged in early 2016 and then diverged considerably later in 2016 and have remained divergent in early 2017. The convergence seems to be associated with the strong El Niño event that peaked in early 2016. It will be interesting to see what happens in the remainder of 2017.
Update 2017 May 6
Final April 2017 global temperature anomaly estimates for RSS and ERAI adj have been added to the graph, as well as the final March 2017 estimate for CRUT.

subset: commoncrawl


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Since I started speaking out on sexual abuse at the age of 16, the response I have received from most people is positive. There are those who have felt a connection to my story; shared the similar pain and shame; those who didn't realize how much the abuse affected them until years later; and those who have never told a single soul about the abuse they survived.
Whatever their story was, there was some of sort of connection that we had experienced a violation, not just of the body, but of the mind and spirit.
However, with positive feedback, there oftentimes will be someone who doesn't resonate with my story or doesn't appreciate why I chose to share my story. In particular, after an article had been published about me and the work I've done concerning sexual abuse, someone accused me of just using the abuse to "get my name out there and that my abuse wasn't nearly as bad as others so my story wasn't as legitimate."
What this person said did not hurt me. I certainly understood the frustration that perhaps I had not experienced traumatic enough abuse compared to others. There were several times when I heard stories recounted to me after giving a presentation that would absolutely break my heart. It made me question how someone could ever go back to trusting anyone or cultivating a normal and healthy relationship and also how resilient the human spirit must be in order to survive such trauma.
It did make question: how bad does the abuse need to be in order to make it legitimate? What are the requirements for someone to think you've been abused enough in order to speak about the abuse in a way that details the effects it had on you?
I've experienced three assaults on different levels that each affected me in a different way, but also had similar side effects: a molestation that took place over six months when I was 9; a rape at 16; a rape at 18. All three took place with different people. All took place in difference settings. One took place because I didn't know the abuse was abuse; the other took place because I went to an older man's house and he took advantage of my vulnerability; and the other took place because I put myself in an extremely dangerous situation that I could not physically break free from.
I've heard stories of men or women getting mutilated, gang raped, physically beaten and sexually assaulted by a family member. I've heard stories of their rapes getting taped and shared with others. I've heard of people getting sexually assaulted and felt even more helpless and assaulted as others stood by and cheered the rapist on and did nothing to stop the assault.
Every story is different. There is no point in trying to trivialize the abuse someone went through or make it seem like someone "wasn't abused enough" to make their story legitimate.
The symptoms people experience after a sexual assault are similar, no matter what type of assault took place:
- Depression
- Flashbacks
- Self-harm
- Inability to trust others
- Anger
- Shame
- Helplessness
- Self-blame/guilt for the abuse that took place
- Inability to build health sexual relationships
These are just a few of the side effects of sexual assault, regardless of the abuse that took place.
Abuse is traumatic. It hurts. It's scary. It's more than just a transgression: it is a literal rape of the soul. How one deals with it and how one is affected by it is completely different from one person to the next. To compare the trauma of one person to another does nothing to diminish the shame that comes along with sexual assault.
After contemplating the question about if my abuse justified speaking out about, I came to a resolution that my story is worth sharing. Too many people have resonated with my story that stepping down and staying silent would do nothing in helping end the shame that many people feel after sexual assault.
I encourage you that if you or someone you know has been abused, to not compare your trauma to someone else's. Instead, if you're able to find a safe place to discuss the abuse, try to find similarities where you can draw from each other strength and resilience and know that you are not alone in your pain, guilt, shame, or hurt. Find common ground to help end the stigma that comes with sexual assault in society.
We are all survivors together in our abuse despite the differences in our stories. Let us unite in the pain and find a way to strengthen each other through it.


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1-17-17 Happy Tuesday Everyone!
We have been busy around here this last weekend. We finished all the videography on my new Complete Cannabis Cooking for Home Cooks course! We will be launching this comprehensive online course in February, but you can get a sneak peak in the meantime by taking my Free 10 minute online Dosing Class. This infinitely valuable class teaches you how to discover how many milligrams of THC are in your homemade edibles and gives you access to my Free Dosage Calculator tool that does all the work for you. Check it out and be sure to let me know what you think!
Marijuana Butter or Oil? What's Best
Dear Cheri,
What do you like to use better for cooking, cannabis infused butter or oil?
Thanks for your insight.
Greasy Guy
Dear Greasy Guy,
I am surprised at how frequently I get asked this question. The answer is simple: It depends!
What are you cooking? Some things work better with cannabis infused butter, others work better with infused oil. Read more.
Today's Recipe: Mango Upsidedown Cake
A box cake mix makes this one of the easiest marijuana recipes for anyone to achieve great results. Yes, it makes 16 medicated servings, but you can freeze the leftover cakes to save for later. Use Marijuana Butter and Marijuana Oil to medicate this recipe. Get the Marijuana Mango Upsidedown Cake recipe!
See You Tomorrow!
"Cannabis" Cheri Sicard
|If you haven't already, check out my new FREE online class "Precise Dosing for Homemade Marijuana Edibles." No more guesswork! In this free class, learn how to figure out how many mgs THC are in your homemade edibles, without lab testing. You'll also get access to my FREE dosage calculator tool that does all the work for you. It takes less than 10 minutes to watch the free video class, so sign up now!


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Ultra high resolution display lovers can breathe in peace. According to Qualcomm whose chipsets have made shooting and streaming 4K video possible on your smartphones possible, said that there will be many more 2K resolution handsets coming around soon.
Qualcomm VP of Marketing Tim McDonaugh said that we will "see more 2K displays on handsets really soon". He didn't mention which manufacturers will be riding the high-res ship, but he did acknowledge that "China as a market tends to be very specs-driven, so there are tonnes of 2K phones available there already, and of course the LG G3 is 2K."
Click Here For The Latest Smartphone Gallery
As we can see that Mr. McDonaugh statements are purposefully vague, a possible hint of 2K screens which will be the norm for upcoming smartphones this year. As this is a good sign for others, HTC, Sony and Huawei has sopoken again 1440X2560 resolution display. Qualcomm used to preach against octa-core processors while MediaTek use to flaunt them, but then Snapdragon 810 and 615 came into existance.
Recommended Link: Google Plans On Bringing Ballon Powered Intenet In India
As display vendors such as Samsung have perfected 2K displays and are cooking up 4K displays for production as early as next year, Mr. McDonaugh couldn't escape the question of whether the next resolution tier is coming. He admitted that "we still have to figure out the form factor where there is a true user benefit for 4K [resolution]", adding that "4K screens are moving more quickly on tablets" while "phones are probably more in the future".


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Anatolia (or Asia Minor) roughly corresponds to the Asian part of Modern day Turkey.
The region was originally known as the Land of the Hatti and was dominated by various civilizations during the Bronze Age. The Hatti and the Hurrians were the original powers in the region but there was substantial influence by the Akkadians and their later descendants the Assyrians. In and around 2000BC the powerful Hittite Empire emerged and grew to become a rival of the Egyptian, Assyrian and Mittani Empires.
The Hittities played a major role in driving the Iron Age, had a sophisticated language and a well organized military that were noted for their use of chariots. By 1180 BC the Hittites were in decline and various tribes – most notably the Lydians, Lycians, Phyrigians, Galatians and Cilicians would exert their authority in this territory. In the latter part of the Millennium before the Common Era both the Persians and the Greeks would play an important role in both the demographics and politics of the region which would continue to feature in the evolving dynamic of the West.


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Play! By Sephora August 2016 Box
Another month, another box! Play! by Sephora is a beauty subscription box featuring a curation of five deluxe samples (plus a fragrance bonus) for $10 a month. It's basically Sephora's version of Birchbox or Ipsy, but with a couple of bonuses. Last month was my first time receiving the box and I loved everything inside. Read more for the reveal and my thoughts on the Play by Sephora August 2016 subscription box! View Post


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Dead Kansas is a series of shorts that is (at least temporarily) available for free on Youtube. (It will soon be making its way to Amazon Prime Instant Video Streaming service.) There are five short videos, and each one runs over 10 minutes.
In a post-apocalyptic land consumed by "Rottens", a simple farmer and his teenage daughter struggle to survive. Meanwhile, an unruly gang make a plan to kidnap and sell the daughter for their own selfish profit. With the farmer/gang confrontation, a wicked tornado approaching, and "Rottens" everywhere – who will get out alive?
I've embedded the first video for you to view and decide if you'd like to continue with the rest of the series. If you're looking for a violence driven, bloody zombie series then Dead Kansas is not for you. If you like low budget indie film that focuses around a plot rather than poorly done gore, I'd encourage you to take a look. This series wasn't really for me, despite being about a zombie apocalypse. I was disappointed by the 'we need to get the young virgin because all the women are dead except her… for reasons" plot, and the villains in this series were more irritating than menacing.
To find out more, check out the previously linked Youtube Channel for Dead Kansas or the Official Facebook Page


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Saturday, July 29, 2006
Imagine the fine he'll get for a pigeon and a decapitated rooster-my friend once got charged $250 for having a mouse (as a pest, not a pet) in her Manhattan apartment...
Friday, July 28, 2006
CTE: Final Destination
That when the grossest boy in your group of friends says that he gets turned on by watching a girl lick an ice cream cone, you are both severly grossed out but oddly enough, you start to crave ice cream. (You of course, resist the urge)
That some people will do anything to cover up.
That you should never let anyone live with you unless they have a written lease with terms stating you can evict them.
That sometimes a crooked cop will give you best advice "off the record" and also let you know what the "on the record" way to deal with things is.
Flamingos are pink because they eat shrimp.
That buying a car as a single woman (without bringing a man along) requires you to be a no nonsense bitch. It does work, however.
People who try to take advantage of you because you are a younger, single woman, are extremely surprised (and then impressed) when you can hold your own.
There are certain things you no longer worry about as you age. These are: laughing too loud, talking to strangers and hiding your secrets. Other things you worry more about are: Your aging family members, being alone forever and money.
Most of the people you work with are not really your friends. Even if they've done a lot for you over the years, they will not stand by you when you leave for another job.
And last, I've learned that I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and gosh darn it, people like me!
Still Wild At 30!
Today is my birthday. It's 1am on July 28th-the day I was born. I am 30 years old.
Holy shit. How did THAT happen?
Yesterday, it seems, I was feathering my hair and walking around the Galleria with my Aunt Sue, pretending I was 11 when I was really 9.
And just the other day I was only a freshman in high school, pining over the dreamiest boy with the dreamiest singing voice while playing tennis.
Time really does go by quickly. It truly does seem like just a few months have gone by since my last birthday post-the one in which I was worried about pooping in the hotel room with Mr. CM there...
I generally like birthday's more than the average girl. I like that I get to see how much people really know me and that for the most part, people are nicer to you...and today I am happy.
I am happy to be alive...
I am happy to have my family...
I am happy to have my friends...
I am happy I get to spend tonight with Mr. CM and that tomorrow is with my 2 bitches, C-Unit and Flipper. (Maybe-perhaps we can pose like Charlie's Angles?)
But one thing is making me sad, and it's unfortunate that it's today. And because this is my blog, and I created it to write my feelings, I'm not going to omit this, even though I know that the person I'm talking about is reading.
Certain patterns in your life always tend to follow you. One of mine is this simple but heartbreaking fact: I have never had a best friend that stays my BFF. (Best friend forever)
1. Kindergarten in NY-Amy, the Spanish girl down the street. She was amazing. Her mother made the BEST rice in the world and her older brother was cute. I moved away, losing Amy as a friend. Afterall, if she asked me my phone number, my answer would have been something like, "4".
2. Amy C. She showed up from nowhere, moved into our little town with her unruly curly hair and a gap between here teeth. She lived within walking distance of the school and had a younger sister the same age as mine. Our parents even became best friends...we were inseparable-until they up and moved (suddenly) to St. Thomas.
3. Erin L. She was a Navy brat, who moved into her grandmothers mansion on the hill. We spent HOURS jumping on her oversized trampoline (won on Wheel of Fortune) singing "I Believe the Children Are Our Future" and other Whitney hits. Her father was discharged, and they moved to Louisiana for good. By this time, my heart was breaking, as I was the chubby girl who deeply cherished the friends she had.
I remember laying on the floor sobbing the night they left, my mother smoothing my hair saying, "Poor Maggie, her friends keeps moving away..."
4. Jenny T: of Ode To You Jenny T...4th grade, me and my boots and sweater dress, her and her newness-she thought I was a substitute teacher...the bestest friend yet-she moved back to NJ at the end of 6th grade, leaving me with a pit in my stomach. Not only would I miss her, but I had to face junior high alone. (We remain friends today and stayed very close through middle school and high school)
5. Karen D: Met in Junior high-she came from the town over and thought it was hysterical when I said, "God bless you" to someone when they sneezed during a test. I didn't know why. But I LOVED that she thought I was funny. We swapped clothes and rings a lot. She didn't move away, but she met another girl who she liked better and stopped being my friend. By this time, I have started protecting myself...I become more of a loner.
6. Liz N: People said we looked alike. She played piano and I sang-her family was smart and they let me tag along with them everywhere-perfect for me who was going thru major "I hate my dad and therefore my life" stages. She got "too" smart in high school and decided that anyone who didn't make high honors wasn't good enough to be friends with. (really)
6. Jenn H: Met in 8th grade. She moved here from Ca. and one day I wanted to go to the YMCA and randomly called her. She was one of the craziest people I knew, and my mom hated her. She moved back to Ca. in 10th grade. She was my only friend in that lunch period and so I had to eat alone. Sometimes I would just sit in the hall and read b/c I didn't want to look like a loser. I wanted to look like I was choosing to be alone.
7. Kelli M: My ex-boyfriends sister who is the same age as me. I always wanted to be like her-always. She hated that I was dating her brother and was jealous of our relationship, and therefore stopped talking to me. There was a fight and we "broke up", even though Sean and I dated for 6 years.
8. Christine T: College friend who hated someone I did from Sean's school. She was crazy and fun and we got into a lot of trouble at school together. We also took spur of the moment road trips (some of my favorite memories), mud wrestled, made cotton candy, went in a dunk tank, stole a video game and made a treasure hunt for our friends to find it, stayed up late to make smiley faces for the bathroom and called millions about pink lemons. She went on an internship when I went to Florida-she found new friends and a husband and so did I.
9. Matt R: My ex-husband. Though I see now that he was not ever really, truly my best friend, I believed and felt that he was. You all know how that ended. Broken hearted and without a best friend.
10. Wingnut: Someone who let me dare to be me and who always made me feel special and interesting and beautiful and smart. But someone I no longer feel I can trust to be honest with me and therefore I can't trust her. Sad, and fresh, my heart is broken.
So, yet again, I am best friendless. I'd decided somewhere around the Jenn H. days that I would no longer allow myself to get sucked into a BFF but not really BFF relationship. And yet, there have been 4 after her.
On my 30th birthday, I sit wondering what will happen now, and if I can ever bring myself to classify someone as my best friend again.
I want to, but I'm scared to. Afterall, it's not a good pattern.
(Sorry for the sad post) I'll post some happy things later at work... Last Countdown to Extintion later!
Happy Birthday to me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Still Wild at 30
Thursday, July 27, 2006
CTE: Day 6
Hospitals seem to strategically place air conditioning vents; especially in rooms where they are performing "Girly" surgeries. This is both funny and mortifying when you find out that in your super duper anesthesia high, you made jokes and had the entire staff of surgeons and nurses in hysterics.
Red flags, caution signs and warning flares should go off when you pass out at work and your fiancée is angry with you for doing so. Especially when his anger is stemmed from the fact that he was supposed to go to the movies with his friends and now he has to go to a later one. Also, when he picks you up with a car full of said friends, makes you squeeze in the back with everyone else and drops you off in front of your apartment, not even making sure you are ok. Yeah. Red flags.
Nothing (and I feel weird writing this now because of all of the fighting going on everywhere) is the end of the world. Your life will flourish again as long as you look at it in this way.
Quiznos is evil. It will can cause stomach pains so severe that your friends will rename the girls bathroom after you for the day.
Some places have magical powers over you no matter how old you get, what state of mind you are in, or what your life is lacking. They can transport you to happiness in minutes and make you forget about your real life. Mine? You guessed it: Disney. Specifically: Main Street USA when the steam train is passing or while watching Spectro Magic, Splash Mountain and the Carousel or Progress and Spaceship Earth at Epcot. Also simply sitting in one of the worlds watching people go by is my equivalent to a Central Park.
The heartfelt words, "I'm sorry" are powerful when said, and also when not said. No matter how much a person has done to make something up to you, the absence of the words sometimes stop you from moving forward. But when said, you get closure.
It's irrational to expect an apology from some people, and somewhat unhealthy to dwell on the fact that you'll never get it. But the closure you need is also not there, and it doesn't allow you to forget. This is sometimes what the other person wants, and even though you know this too, you can't…the only thing you can do is to keep on living and dealing with the memories when they come.
Smoking pot is not fun. It is gross and boring and makes everyone around you boring and stupid. It is funny, however to know that peeing downhill, if done enough, will eventually reach the fire and the people sitting around it.
People say "These are the best years of your life" at every milestone you reach-high school, college, 20's, and now, 30's.
I Don't Know What To Call This Post
Is it rude to walk past someone who parked a minute before you did but is obviously slower than you and is obviously going to the same donut shop for coffee? Or should you just walk slowly behind them until you get there?
Restaurants and coffee shops should not have items on the menu that they cannot or do not like to make. If it is on the menu and I want to order it, I'm going to, whether or not you roll your eyes at me, take your time making it, or throw my change at me. It is not my fault someone called in sick and you can't handle the workflow.
It's happened to me every time I've had one. EVERY time since I was little. It's why I stopped classifying them and why I'm so "independent".
Nostrils and noses come in a million gazillion shapes and sizes. Do the people with side nostrils know they are not in the "norm"?
What should I call my catering business? The only thing I've come up with so far is: Fleur de Lis. It's not pronounced like Lease.
CTE Later today-stop back if you can!My birthday is tomorrow. 8-)
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
CTE: Day 5
2. No matter how much emotional distance has grown between you and other people, there will always be things about them that melt your heart, and that's ok. In fact, it's wonderful.
3, There is an "E" at the end of the word "Handsome".
4. People who give you ultimatums as part of a relationship, especially early on, should raise red flags. Why are they so desperate in the first place?
5. People do not like being caught doing something wrong. Especially when they know you are on your colleges judicial board and they know they are screwed.
6. You are who you are. Though you can work on changing and improving certain things about yourself, your core personality is with you til the end. Embrace it, or brace yourself for misery.
7. Making braces out of cucumbers or paperclips is not cool.
8. Lightening storms can stop blog posts from being posted.
9. People will sometimes use you for your car.
10. When doing various art projects using Sharpies, it is a good idea to open a door or a window. Or not, depending on your preference
Office Space
Being that I am still fairly new to my office, I am still learning the in's and out's of my co-workers behavior and the backgrounds that support their here and now. Some things surprise me and I've been amazed at someone's ability to still smile. Others amuse me or touch me, making me understand exactly who is standing before me, asking for a findulgingndulging their sweet tooth with candy.
Take for instance, the man who hangs a 8 ½ x 11 close ups of his son, all over his desk. The boy is in his mid teens and looks rough and pimply, and is not of the photogenic type. The man is quiet for the most part, and often elusive, which is something of a rarity here. Upon closer inspection of his life, you'd find that his boy was killed last year, and the pictures are most likely a way to remember his son's smile, and his elusive nature is a way to avoid the curious questions that will inevitably spring up.
There is an older woman, perhaps in her late 50's, who seems nice enough but stays distant. She's been here for 19 years and seems content with keeping her own circle of friends in tact, not allowing anyone new to penetrate it when she is near. Her husband died suddenly last year from a heart attack, while sitting in their back yard relaxing...perhaps she is simply too tired to let anyone else in...
The manager, who stares too long and often has a blank look on his face, though he's not completely lost because I can make him laugh...He's an alcoholic who's drug addict son recently smashed all of the windows of their house in with an ax. He and his wife have to sleep with their bedroom door locked for fear their son might kill them. No wonder he stares too long-he's looking for compassion, or perhaps he's just tired.
The people who line our office walls in cubicles stuffed with their memories all come from different successes and tragedies, and they all deal with them differently. Reminding myself of these things helps me to understand how they tick and why they are who they are. It makes the blow softer when they are mean for no reason, and makes me more patient when they ask me for help.
Stop and take a look around...knowing where people are coming from makes all the difference in the world.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
CTE: Day 4, and other stuff
2. Doing shots of vodka after shooting many beers while toasting to Myrtle Beach…to Myrtle…to…to…BEACH! Isn't always the best idea.
3. Just because someone doesn't answer their door, does not mean they aren't home, listening to ever word you are saying…."I shaved in places I didn't even know I HAD"….
4. Saying, "Do it for me" isn't always the best motivator for people. Especially they are laying on the floor of the "shitter" drunk.
5. Certain things can overpower popularity (or lack there of): Drama club, Chorus and Sports, but only if you are good at them.
6. Some people are just totally incapable of following through with what they say. Perhaps they don't always mean to let you down, they just don't know how to finish what they started.
7. 3 way calling (total phone) is the bitchy girls accomplice and you should always beware when someone who normally doesn't call you, calls you and asks you pressing questions about a cute boy. This usually ends up in complete mortification and wishes of death.
8. You're not as alone as you think you are when you have Peach Cobbler….
9. The coolest people are typically not on the Top 10 Coolest People list. The coolest people are the ones who are quirky, are not the most popular, were made fun of when they were little and have strange phobias. They are the people who will color your life and make it interesting and they are the ones who understand how you feel when you feel like an outsider.
10. Sometimes green table clothes not only make your eyes look greener (or not) but it means that someone is trying to tell you they love you. In their own crazy way.
Swinging-Not Just for Playgrounds Anymore
In my mind, the word swinging, besides conjuring up my beautiful nieces bare feet almost touching the top of the trees, is reserved for hippy-like free birds and the group ABBA. Apparently, I couldn't be more wrong.
Middle-aged couples from all over the world actively participate in sex sharing-swapping partners and participating in voyeurism. And it's conventionized…naturally, Vegas is the destination of choice, but now I can't help wondering about the quiet neighborhoods of Idaho or a suburb in Sheboygan. These people come from somewhere.
Is monogamy dying? Is it so hard to commit yourself to one person? Why do people need more than one partner, and why is it ok to simply just switch whenever you want? I enjoy a fulfilling physical relationship just as much as everyone else-but cannot grasp the idea of my partner telling me he's going to Ms. X's house for a little while, and perhaps I should call Mr. Y. It all seems pretty cold to me-because one of the things that makes your partner different from a good friend is that you share an intimate relationship. Taking that and spreading it to another person just seems wrong.
Is it unrealistic for people these days to dream of a happy and monogamous relationship? Should we simply stop expecting to find our lobster? Marriages are ending more frequently, swinging is growing, and people are starting to have children on their own-on purpose.
Does no one value the traditional husband and wife bound by love, mutual respect and trust anymore? Am I in the severe minority who still believes that love is still a family value? Am I wrong to believe that only one partner is right and that if your partner is caring and open, you can have a fulfilling and exciting sex life, therefore eliminating the need to multiply it by 3?
Should I give up hope that one day the Gods will come together for me and all the rest of the un-married population?
Enough questions…the shift is occurring, and I'm not sure I am comfortable with it.
Toosdae ?'s
1. Would you rather be known for one spectacular moment in your life and then doing nothing more after that, or for being sure and steady and average but always striving for something better?
2. If you could do something illegal without ever being caught, would you? And if so, what would you do?
3. Finish this sentence, "I never leave home without ____________"
1. Overall, I would rather be known for being someone who always strived for something better. Having a spectacular moment would be great if it was curing AIDS or Cancer, but if that was the case, what more could I do? Why would I stop? Therefore, being average would do-because it doesn't say that my spectacular moment can't happen...
2. If I was guaranteed not to get caught yes, I think I would do something illegal. I would choose to do something destructive, I think, like smashing into buildings, or going into a store with lots of breakable things and throwing them at the wall to smash them...though right about now, robbing a bank would also suit my needs.
3. Chapstick or lipgloss of some kind, and underwear.
Sophomore Update
It's 12:05am and I just got home 15 minutes ago. We've never had to stay that late, and we were cleaning up until the minute we left.
My new chef is nice, but not very quirky, and I tend to like a little bit of quirk in the people I surround myself with. He works in institutional food service and has for 15 years. He is the chef manager at The institute of Living in Hartford, and we may get a chance to tour the facility. (The food service part, not the ward)
His first night for us was ambitious. We spent 2 hours in class and then went to the kitchen to prepare a double batch of granola, 2 portions of shirred eggs and ham, hash browned potato pancakes and omelets. We didn't actually sit to eat until 10:30pm. Class ends at 11.
Part of the reason is that we were in a different kitchen than we've ever used-and it's completely different than the others. It's smaller, but also set up strange, so we had to get acclimated to it. The other reason is that chef didn't have us working on omelets and eggs while the other stuff was cooking, so I feel it's partially his fault.
My eggs over easy were the only ones that came out perfectly. I just kept popping them onto plates. The over achiever boy was pissed. It made me smile.
Also-we have a new kid in class. He's very nice, and, is a lefty, like me! The only thing is that I noticed he puts garbage into his bowls and then puts them in the sink. Nasty! I'll have to talk to him about that. ;)
Last bit of interesting news for those of you who are interested, Scabs showed up. Apparently he's not getting kicked out. First of all, he didn't show up for his sanitation test on Friday. Yet another exception was made for him to take it today, even though everyone else made it to the school to take it Friday.
He didn't take 1 of his practicals-the one I re-took and paid $50 for-he just chose not to take it.
Then tonight, in the middle of cooking, he decided he had to go home. Already, his attendance is starting...mainly because he was allowed to miss 12 classes (when the limit is 5) with no consequences.
This was a rambly post, but I wanted to share with you my night. I'm drop dead tired and am going to sleep now.
Love ya!
Monday, July 24, 2006
Untitled: 4
"My daddy can beat your daddy up."
An innocent exchange between two little girls; cousins reunited, fast friends and sharers of all things nursery school.
"No! MY daddy's the strongest man in the world. Your dad can't beat him up."
I was in kindergarten, sitting at the big square table eating cinagrahams and milk with my cousin and several other little friends who were gathered around me, the new girl.
An innocent exchange, indeed, but the words I spoke were more of a plee, a hope that it was true.
I loved my daddy, afterall, but I'd seen his face, black and blue and heard his labored breathing. I knew he was capable of falling.
Sitting in Mrs. Albreichts kindergarten class, I learned the meaning of "appearances" and mastered the art of "pretending". In my little burnt orange corduroy bell bottoms and (probably) red turtleneck sweater, I began creating the world I would fight so hard to protect; even if it did not really exist.
"My daddy is SO strong, he can....he can break down a brick WAALLLLL!"*
Surely, no man who's life was a shattered mess could do that...
*I truly remember this day. My cousin was sitting on my left and a boy named Evan on my right. We were eating cinnamon graham crackers and drinking milk out of those little cartons. I vividly remember that I told them my dad could break down a brick wall...
2. That when something seems too good to be true, it most always unfortunately is.
3. This now applies to 2 parts of my life: Past and Present...Ode de Butt lingers on couches, no matter how much "Red Nurse" (past) or "Fabreeze" (present) you spray.
4. If there are too many inconsistencies in what someone tells you, it may be because they are 2 different people.
5. Spraying Orange/Citrus room deodorize WILL eliminate a wet dog smell from a freshly built house. But it will also make you gag when it is circulated through the entire house by the central ac. Camping out in the living room will not be as pleasant as you wanted it because of the smell.
6. There are undesirable things about most people. You just have to decide what your "That's too skanky for me to be in your life" bar is and overlook them if they make it.
7. Being lonely has nothing to do with being alone.
8. Dumping bottles out doesn't stop someone from drinking.
9. As you get older, saying "sorry" gets easier.
10. Popcorn will pop on an open fire.
Sunday, July 23, 2006
So today, as I made my way through the morning, baking fresh blueberry muffins, tidying up my kitchen and throwing on some rag-like clothes, never did I imagine I'd be the center of attention for the day.
I was only supposed to be going to Rye Breads play, and only because my sister's camera was broken. I planned, literally, to visit with my family for a 1/2 hr, throw my hair into a pony tail and watch the play. I would the retreat to my messy house and do one heck of a clean up job.
As I drove up the driveway to my parent's house, imagine my bewilderment when I spied Mr. CM's red Jeep in the driveway.
"What the?" I said to myself...did he get lost and somehow contacted my parents for help? (I really thought that for a minute)
"Are they planning something for my birthday?" But why is he there, and without me?
Then it hit me. Today was my surprise party.
Sorry I ruined the surprise guys-but I WAS totally surprised!
I had a wonderful day. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
CTE: Day 2
2. People respect you more for being yourself than for pretending to be someone you are not being unhappy.
3. There are WAY too many shades of gray. But they will the only way you will survive is to accept them into your colorful world and go with the flow.
4. Goats really eat anything. Don't lean against the fence.
5. That the people who promise forever can't possible mean it but the people who caution against it are probably the people who are most loyal, and will most likely be the ones you know when you are old.
6. Mud sliding is fun. Especially at night in the middle of your college campus.
7. The male testicle is thconsistencycy of a ripe plum.


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Celebrity Copycat: Solange Knowles' Look for Less!
April 16, 2013 by admin
Filed under Celebrity Copycat
Solange Knowles' outfit pulls at this brooklyn girls heart! I love everything about her outfit! The unfinished ends on the sweater instantly makes it chic; the shorts are sexy; the sneakers (which BTW I totally prefer these types of sneaks as opposed to the wedge sneaker) glam it all up and the Chanel bag gives it class 🙂
Hot Celeb Links
July 23, 2009 by fashiongrail
Filed under Celebrity Side Dish
On The Scene: Julia Roberts (
Madonna's Greatest Hits 'Celebration' Album Cover (
The Stars Arrive @ Comic-Con (
Solange New Hair Cut (
Megan Fox Turns Down Bond Role? (
Celebrity Watch Spotting (
Steal Jessica Alba's Mommy Style (
Georgia May Jagger (
Celebrity Redo: Beyonce Knowles
May 5, 2009 by fashiongrail
Filed under Celebrity Redo
Beyonce is the perfect example of what happens when you wear too many trendy items all at once – it's way too hectic and even great pieces look bad. To tone down the outfit, I swapped the caged heels for a simpler pair of caged-styled platform's. To give the outfit a softer look, I traded in the fitted tank for the slub twist knot tank. Maybe even add some


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- Investment Banking
Financials lead market recovery
Financial shares led a sharp rally Tuesday that erased all the broader market's heavy losses from the previous session, underscoring investors' struggle to discern whether Wall Street's credit crisis is indeed nearing an end.
A drop in oil prices to a two-month low also helped spur the market higher, although it was driven by expectations of economic softness that hardly seem like an upbeat scenario for the longer term.
The Dow...
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So long, Sleep Train Amphitheatre! Welcome, Mattress Firm Amphitheatre! - The San Die
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So long, Sleep Train Amphitheatre! Welcome, Mattress Firm Amphitheatre!
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In 2008, Cricket Communications a division of San Diego-based Leap Wireless secured naming rights to Coors Amphitheatre and renamed it Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre. In 2013, Cricket was succeeded by Sleep Train, after the mattress company ...
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1275 College Mall Road
This is a huge craft store that also carries decorative home furnishings. Prices are great with weekly sales that do not require special coupons. Selection is great too.
Haewon P.
April 26, 2005
Hobby Lobby
Bringing out the DIY in all of us with more than 70,000 arts, crafts, custom framing, floral, home décor, jewelry making, scrapbooking and seasonal products. We are here to help make your imagination and creativity a reality. Come visit us at our store conveniently located at 1275 College Mall Road, Bloomington, IN 47401 or shop with us anytime at Hobbylobby.com, and always be inspired to Live a Creative Life!
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I'm a little envious: I see lots of attention given to processors, system architectures, IoT wireless connectivity, development software and tools, GUIs, embedded processors, ultra-low power anything and everything – you catch my drift. Yet for many of their intended applications, success starts with a sensor and its signal conditioning front end (often called the AFE—analog front end). In some cases, such as a basic temperature measurement to ±0.5⁰C, you can get away cheap and easy by using a diode or thermistor and a slow but high-resolution A/D converter that is in the microcontroller itself.
But that's just for some cases. Today's higher-end instrumentation needs a good sensor, and equally important, a correspondingly good AFE. You can dress up the GUI with as many bells and whistles as you want, but if the sensor is inadequate or the AFE doesn't do it justice, you've got a pretty picture and not much else. Even more numeric processing won't help because, in most cases, the algorithms can't improve the basic accuracy and precision of the transducer and its AFE (although they may be able to do something about noise by averaging or curve fitting).
The AFE problem has become more challenging in recent years, for several reasons. First, users are demanding increased accuracy in measurements, with parts per billion (ppb) resolution replacing parts per million (ppm). Second, many of these instruments are in unattended, remote, or outdoor locations, so temperature drift of the electronics is a major factor. Third, some of the most exciting and innovative sensing design involves subtle optical phenomena and transducers such as for Raman spectroscopy, and the AFE must be matched to the unique and often complex characteristics of these devices.
Ironically, cost is not the major factor in many of these designs (how often do you hear that?) despite the standard disclaimer "we're in a very cost-competitive market." For many of these instruments, the total BOM value is quite high, and another few dollars on the AFE to ensure leading-edge performance is a good use of the budget. Further, many of them have just one or two sensor channels, so the actual impact a higher-price AFE is moderated (yes, there are exceptions to that statement, such as esoteric physics research at CERN's Large Hadron Collider or the IceCube Telescope at the South Pole).
Next: Don't ignore temp.


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Spanking Alison Miller – Reform School – DE – Jun 13, 2011Friday, September 23, 2011
Spanking Alison Miller – Reform School – DE – Jun 13, 2011
Spanking Movie Name:
Reform School – DE
Jun 13, 2011
Run Time:
6min 22sec
Spanking Models:
Alison Miller
Disobedience and dishonesty carry tough penalties at Reform School. Alison Miller is sentenced to 20 hard strokes with a leather prison strap normally reserved for boys. "That thing stings like hell," she admits. Panties off, she bends over and grits her teeth to call off the strokes. Awesome action!
Tags: Alison Miller


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The protection of our planet and its people cannot slide off the political agenda
Scientific research conducted by a partnership of three universities has revealed that vertebrates are disappearing at significantly quicker than 100 times the regular rate, with our own species at substantial risk.
Among the causes identified by the study are pollution and climate change, with blame attributed to human activities. If current and future generations are worth considering, with regard to the potential extinction of both humanity and a great number of our fellow animals, it is time to act.
The problem could hardly be of a greater magnitude, and it is at hand. We can, however, avert the danger, at least to a large extent. Our species is innovative, resourceful and caring – but the will to take action must be present.
To outline the predicament, in the 4.5 billion years of our planet's existence, there have been five widely agreed-upon (hitherto discovered and delimitated) major 'extinction phases'. The last of these great phases (or 'events') – relatively very short periods of time in which varying percentages of taxonomic families, genera and species were wiped out – put paid to, amongst others, the dinosaurs. It occurred something in the ballpark of 65 million years ago, most likely triggered by the impact of a comet or asteroid.
We are in the midst of the sixth great extinction event – right here, right now – say researchers and scientists from the universities of Stanford, Princeton and Berkeley.
The dinosaurs and many of their contemporaries could neither conceive nor do much about their impending doom but, thankfully, we can. The means are available to prevent the demise of ourselves and the diverse, stunning animals that we share the planet with; but we must be willing to use the tools at our disposal. The Green Party possesses that will.
Protecting our planet and the life that inhabits it begins locally. In the United Kingdom, the traditional Westminster parties have failed, and continue to fail, in their duty to act as guardians of our planet, as rises in temperature drive native species to extinction. The whim of large corporations that aim to frack the countryside and pollute the air and waterways, is bowed to and their self-interested agendas are met.
In London – a global capital and the chief city of one of the most advanced states on Earth – a staggering 4,000 premature human deaths per year are caused by air pollution. In June of 2014, King's College researchers identified Oxford Street as the single most polluted place on the globe. Also last year, the European Union launched legal action against the British government for failing to meet its targets for reducing air pollution, a little under 12 months after the EU's Supreme Court ruled that the latter is failing to protect its citizens.
The warning signs are up in lights but somehow going unrecognised or being conveniently ignored.
The ignorance, the parochial interests, the inaction, the callousness – it is these that desperately frustrate the Green Party, but also serve as a source of inspiration and determination.
A tough stance against fracking companies and investment in renewable energy technologies will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and give us a weapon with which to battle climate change. Responsible and accurate monitoring and reporting of air pollution can facilitate reductions to safer levels. Cleaner forms of transport can transform London and its fellow UK cities into cleaner, healthier environments.
We have the ability to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels through a committed programme of investment in solar, wind and tidal energy, to lessen our dependence on private vehicles by means of providing world-class public transport, to protect our natural spaces by securing necessary funding, and to report, reveal and react to levels of air pollution.
In London and across the world, we are now unmistakably witnessing the impacts of pollution and long-term climate change, the disastrous effects of which have never been more dramatically underlined than through the Stanford-Princeton-Berkeley study (which followed a set of similarly worrying conclusions reached by a 2014 Duke University report). Whether inaction is due to a denialism that appears increasingly bizarre, a head-in-the-sand lethargy or a selfish focus on profit and gain, that idleness must now and finally end.
The protection of our planet and its people cannot slide off the political agenda, and the Green Party will not allow it to do so.
Although, finds the tri-university study, the "evidence is incontrovertible that recent extinction rates are unprecedented in human history and highly unusual in Earth's history," we still have the ability and means to avoid "a true sixth mass extinction".
However, the "window of opportunity" to dodge being consigned to history as players in one of the planet's great periods of biological demise – if, that is, there's anyone around to document it – is "rapidly closing".
It is time to take note, to care, and to act. Join with the Green Party in identifying, sourcing and utilising the means to, before it is too late, save ourselves and our fellow creatures from annihilation.
David Maher is a journalist and member of the Green partyLike this article? Sign up to Left Foot Forward's weekday email for the latest progressive news and comment - and support campaigning journalism by making a donation today.
19 Responses to "Escaping the sixth great extinction event"
The ultimate aim of British white middle class charity and NGO workers is to give everyone on the planet a western living standard, and cause every last one of us to live as long as possible.
Mass immigration into the UK is precipitating the rise of ever more intensive UK agriculture and food imports, increasing road and cat kill (Viviparous lizard colony in my area recently wiped out by influx of cats as more folk moved in) and is pushing British wildlife into an ever tighter corner.
The tree hugger has all but given up. The green party, not on your side.
Look at how we treat our fellow man. The ILF ended yesterday but all these socially aware lefties are going on about is party politics "Liz Kendall shows her red side", yeah whatever. It is by far the most disgusting act carried out by the tories since they took power yet it passes with little fuss. The last time the ILF was mentioned on this site was six days ago and it only got a couple of comments…. you don't have to be disabled to care about what's happening, I'm not, it just takes a little empathy.
I agree with the below commenter – large scale immigration has virtually wiped out the green areas in my city.
Yes, you`re right.
Intensive agriculture, created from wartime necessity, is causing most of it. wildlife is being pushed onto road verges and urban areas to survive.
A debate, free from party politics is long overdue on agriculture. Do we still need to subside it?
Should we succumb to the global economy and let agriculture take place where is most efficient and economical to do so? After all, that is what happened to coal, steel and shipbuilding.
The urban economy benefits much more from leisure and tourism than from agriculture, that much was established after the foot and mouth cattle epidemic of 14 years ago, it employs more people too.
It has been noted that widespread upland sheep farming could be a major contributor to lowland flooding by virtue of the sheep stripping uplands of vegetation which would otherwise trap and slow down the release of water.
It will take brave politicians to raise the issue as the agriculture lobby is a powerful one, they have a high-profile show on TV (Countryfile) and many supporters.
were these 'scientists' neutral from the start or did they include serial doomsters out for a headline like Erlich?
If those who support the scaling back of state welfare had come out in support of passing care for multiple sclerosis suffers over to cash-strapped local authorities, then who knows, maybe the last article would have generated a few more comments… blame the misanthropes for not having the courage of their convictions I guess.
I can see you now brushhug, standing outside your local migrant advice centre with your "save the lizard" placard.
More global warming bollocks
"In June of 2014, King's College researchers identified Oxford Street as the single most polluted place on the globe." Ahead of this lot…..? http://www.scientificamerican.com/slideshow/10-most-polluted-places-in-the-world/
"The ultimate aim of British white middle class charity and NGO workers is to give everyone on the planet a western living standard…." By smashing UK industry into the dust and transferring our wealth overseas…….
Maybe if we weren't p***ing billions away in Int. Aid and spending UK taxpayers cash in the UK, there'd be more money for such services in the UK. Why does the Left hate the UK so much that it would rather see UK taxpayers cash spent abroad instead of in the UK?
Well – people voted for mass immigration when they voted Labour. Labour s**tting on the native working class for decades….
Next few days start your new life…leftfootforward… < Find Here
If you seriously believe that, you're deluded.
What about the billions being p***ed away in Int. Aid or that the Left hate the UK citizens that much they want the doors of the UK thrown open to all and sundry and UK taxpayers cash spent abroad even as UK taxpayers need homes and cancer drugs?
Your faith in this government is rather sweet. Any reduction in the £11bn spent on aid would not raise money for healthcare, more likely the defence budget would benefit. The NHS needs to be run into the ground, ready for TTIP.
Fine the MoD gets the cash, but that is UK cash being spent on sustaining work in the UK.
My initial comment was about the scrapping of the ILF. In your reply you said that the money spent on foreign aid could be diverted to provide well-being and social support for UK citizens… my point is that scrapping aid wouldn't raise funds for these areas.
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Discussion in 'Current Events' started by tieguy, Apr 24, 2010.
Not sure how we missed this gem:
here's another one by the southern avenger. wkmac you've been holding out on us. posting commentary on whether republicans have violated some nuance of conservatism is boring stuff.
but this stuff takes the issue of racism and puts it in your face:
Those are very interesting comming from the avenger.
LOL, they are. for some reason some appear to be leery of addressing them.
Maybe it does not fit their agenda.
Henry Louis Gates on Ending the Slavery Blame Game
I'm not sure this country is ready to move on to the avengers or henry gates thoughts on slavery. Its a shame. Now that we have a black president we should be willing to discuss this issue to this level and retire jackson and sharpton. Many blacks have not let go and many whites run in fear of being accused of bigotry to openly discuss this issue to this level.
accusations of bigotry are as Harry Reids example shows selectively applied to suit the cause.
Nation of Islam Attacks Henry Louis Gates
Posted by David Stein in News and Analysis on April 30, 2010
"Bean Pie Summit?" The Nation of Islam calls Professor Henry Louis Gates an "Apologist for the evil of white America."
Professor Henry Louis Gates can't seem to win. Nearly a year ago, following his well-publicized clash with a Cambridge police officer, he was, to many conservatives, the poster child for the "angry black man." Yet these days, Gates, a Harvard professor and the director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African-American Research, is taking flack from the African-American far-left for an op-ed he wrote for the New York Times in which he highlighted the "considerable role" that Africans played in the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
Although the facts regarding African complicity in the slave trade are well-known and well-documented, that didn't stop the Nation of Islam from pouncing on Professor Gates in an April 28 screed titled "The Mis-Education of Henry Louis Gates, Jr." Written by Abdul Arif Muhammad, an attorney and former editor-in-chief of the Nation of Islam's Final Call newspaper, the essay slams Professor Gates as an "apologist for the evil of white America." "(Gates') article is a perfect example of the 'educated Negro' who has been taught to find his 'proper place' at the back door," Muhammad writes. "Professor Gates demonstrates through this article that he has accepted his proper place at the back door, showing he is in the category of an 'educated Negro' that (sic) has, in fact, been mis-educated."
Muhammad reminds his readers that this is not Gates' first affront to the Nation of Islam, pointing out that in 1992 Gates wrote another New York Times op-ed in which he countered the Nation of Islam's claims that conspiratorial Jews were behind the slave trade. Considering Gates' past and current Times op-eds, Muhammad wonders, "Is Prof. Gates proving that he is a hired 'educated Negro' by the rich and powerful to be an apologist against the legitimate cries for justice by a suffering people?"
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Advanced Tactical Operations Course
Operators with United States Coast Guard (USCG) Deployable Operations Group (DOG) Deployable Specialized Forces (DSF) engage targets with MK18 carbines during low light / no-light tactical training.
The night shoot is part of the Advanced Tactical Operations Course (ATOC) being taught at the Special Mission Training Center at Courthouse Bay, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
ATOC is one of several courses available to DSF operators who have previously completed the Basic Tactical Operators Course (BTOC).
The course includes a 'flat' portion consisting of range work that instructs in advanced combat marksmanship, as shown here.
This is followed by advanced close quarters combat (CQC) training which includes engaging hostile forces aboard ships, advanced breaching/methods of entry and enhanced boarding capabilities - skills of particular use for the DSF's counter-terrorism role.
DSF units that undergo ATOC include Maritime Security Response Teams (MSRT).


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Back to Reviews
Reviews Comments: Definitely changed my original view of the show My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic whole series review by Kandikorn 22
When I first heard of the show, I instantly put it off as stupid and childish. And then everyone starts to talk about how good it is, which definitely caught my attention. So I looked up the first episode on You Tube, and you know what? I actually liked it. After watching a few more episodes, I found myself addicted to it. I told a couple of my friends about it, and one of them is now a brony. The main thing I really like about the show is the characters. They originally seemed like little stereotypes to me, and as I watched more and more of the show, they began to show more character traits, enough to make me grow immensely attached to them. One example of an episode I was more neutral with was Magical Mystery Cure, mostly because I thought it moved a bit too quickly for me to catch up. But I do have some hopes for Season 4. I will certainly continue watching the show, no matter what anyone says. Edit Changed my wording a little bit. I've noticed that I should have said "more neutral with" instead of "didn't like" in the first place. I should also point out that there are several episodes that I would never watch again even if you paid me, but I figure it would be best to just not mention them.
So......you didn't like Magical Mystery Cure but liked Mare do well and Spike at your sevice?
Those two were so terrible I didn't feel as though they were worth mentioning...
Wait, you actually enjoyed Just for Sidekick and Game Ponies Play. That again, that's your own opinion, so I'm not going whine.
Congratulations, you like watching Barney and Friends. Feel free to wallow in your own insanity as you realize what sort of rut you will now drive yourself into.
Let's just ignore the comment above me and pretend he never even commented.
Wait, the guy who wanks to Barney is still here? Hah.
Not a bad review. Seems pretty honest and what's liked, what you didn't like, and what got you to enjoy this? Pretty good then, Miss.
^^So hating it automatically means I....fap to it? Seriously, I'm a pretty presumptious person, but even I don't think that having a unhealthy obsession with something (love or hate) means that that person likes to masturbate to it, if I can't base a connection off of it.
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Experience joy and happiness at its purest in this life-affirming, universal celebration of the magic and innocence of Babies. Proving that if you surround your baby with love it doesn't matter what culture you're from or what child-rearing practices you follow. Babies travels the globe following four children from vastly different corners of the world—Ponijao from Namibia, Bayarjargal from Mongolia, Mari from Tokyo and Hattie from San Francisco. Sure to put a smile on your face and a warm feeling in your heart, it's the film that critics and audiences agree "could be the feel-good movie of the decade!" (Moviefone)
I loved this documentary, I found it so sweet and adorable. It shows different babies across the world, it's a great look into different cultures and how different cultures raise their babies.
This movie is so adorable. I first saw it on a plane ride, and I couldn't get enough. It follows the first year of 4 babies lives from around the world. From Mongolia, Namibia, Tokyo, and San Francisco. It has almost NO dialogue, yet it keeps the audience entertained. It's Brilliant! It is also pretty amazing taking a look at the raising methods of parents from across the globe. I would absolutely recommend this film!
These reviews are the subjective opinions of ChickAdvisor members and not of ChickAdvisor Inc.


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There is a sad news in store for Stargate Universe fans, as the movie has been officially shelved. Stargate writer and executive producer Brad Wright has confirmed that the movie has been dropped.
Speaking at Creation Entertainment's Official Stargate Convention, Brad Wright said, "We just recently found out that the SGU movie is not going to happen," He further added, "It took too long. We just couldn't get it together in time, and the window has closed..... It's actually sad for me, because after 17 years, I'm cleaning out my desk tomorrow morning."
Syfy announced last year that due to poor ratings Stargate Universe would be cancelled at the end of second season. Though, the first season garnered good premier ratings, the second season failed to draw audience attention resulting in a poor ratings.
Meanwhile, Brad Wright is positive about Stargate's future. He feels "It's a franchise. Stargate is not over. Somebody smart from MGM is going to figure it out, and something will happen."