Tuesday, December 30, 2008


From Education Week

By Alyson Klein, David J. Hoff and Catherine Gewertz

In choosing Arne Duncan as his nominee for U.S. secretary of education, President-elect Barack Obama signaled today that his administration intends to take what both men see as a pragmatic, nonideological approach to improving the nation’s schools.

For more of the article go HERE.


Monday, December 29, 2008

Monday's Tattler



Today is Monday - for better or worse. Yes, we're open. We will be open today and tomorrow.

Today and tomorrow we will be looking at the Polar ice regions. We will tour the North Pole by film and then look at Shackelton's exploration of the South Pole. Very exciting business.

Polar exploration is always exciting for the children who can understand what at least some of it means.

We will be able to go outside today - it will be in the fifties! Please do not send children in boots today. It is just too hard for kids to spend the day lugging heavy boots all over the school; it's exhausting!

Mrs. St. Louis is still in Australia, and Miss Kelly is in Kansas, so Miss Amy's sister, Miss Nila will be helping out today. Mr. Terry will come in later. It will be a nice day.

Chicken for lunch.

We hope you all had a marvelous 1/2 break, and a wonderful Christmas. Time is moving so fast... Calendars will go out today, and report cards on the 9th.

Please look at the new list calendar on the right of the blog. This helps parents know right away that something is up for the day, the week, the month. Please keep an eye on this.

See you later...

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Something New Under the Sun



PARENTS BEWARE: Fat Tie is converting little devils into darling angels, one shirt at a time.

Sherman Oaks, CA (December 2008)—They may not solve the current economic crisis in this country, but Fat Tie’s hip, new shirt and tie alternatives are definitely
causing widespread celebration. If you don’t believe it, just put your kid in a Fat Tie and start counting how many compliments he gets.
Designed from 100% organic pre-shrunk cotton, these ingenious tees will take your rough and tumble tot from the schoolyard to a fancy family function.
Throw on a jacket and bam! He’s even ready for a black tie event.

Take it from SAHM mom, Christie, who says Fat Tie saved her sister’s marriage (well, almost)! “My boys would rather eat broccoli than be stuffed into a collared shirt and tie.
Fat Tie with a jacket took the pain out of getting the boys dressed for my sister’s wedding and made it fun.”

Inspired by her four-year-old son, Max, Mari Gallen decided to create shirts that combine the dressed-up look of a button down and tie with the durability of a cotton tee.
Mari loves how sharp her son looks in the shirts. Max loves how the shirts don’t interfere with his fun.

The striped ties, made from organic cotton thermal fabric, are sewn on top gray, white or chocolate long sleeve organic knit tees and are available in sizes 2T, 3T, 4, 5, 6 & 7.

For more information go HERE!

Sunday's Food



Ketchup anyone?

Ketchup (also spelled catsup or catchup), also known as tomato ketchup, tomato sauce, red sauce, Tommy sauce, Tommy K, or dead horse is an American tradition.

What exactly is ketchup? Have you ever asked yourself, "What's in the bottle so readily enjoyed by kids?" According to Wikipedia: The ingredients in a typical modern ketchup are tomato concentrate, spirit vinegar, corn syrup or other sugar, salt, spice and herb extracts (including celery), spice and garlic powder Allspice, cloves, cinnamon, onion, and other vegetables may be included.


Tomato Ketchup History

By 1801 a recipe for tomato ketchup was printed in an American cookbook, the Sugar House Book. James Mease published another recipe in 1812. In 1824 a ketchup recipe appeared in The Virginia Housewife, an influential 19th-century cookbook written by Mary Randolph, Thomas Jefferson's cousin.

As the century progressed, tomato ketchup began its ascent in popularity in the United States, influenced by the American enthusiasm for tomatoes. Tomato ketchup was sold locally by farmers. A man named Jonas Yerks (or Yerkes) is believed to have been the first man to make tomato ketchup a national phenomenon. By 1837 he had produced and distributed the condiment nationally. Shortly thereafter, other companies followed suit. F. & J. Heinz launched their tomato ketchup in 1876. Heinz tomato ketchup was advertised: "Blessed relief for Mother and the other women in the household!"

Americans have always had a love affair with the tomato. There are many people who can't do without a tomato at least once a day. You find them everywhere and made into just about anything. They are pretty, nutritious and a welcome addition to just about anything but ketchup, but according to Wikipedia:

Ketchup has been shown to provide significant health benefits but many argue that these benefits are offset by the food's salt and sugar content. Ketchup has been found to be a beneficial source of lycopene, an antioxidant which may help prevent some forms of cancer. This is particularly true of the organic brands of ketchup. In fact, organic brands were found to contain three times as much lycopene as non-organic brands. Ketchup, much like marinara sauce and other cooked tomato foods, yields higher levels of lycopene per serving because cooking makes lycopene in tomatoes more bio-available.

So why does something made with a ton of tomatoes continue to take it on the nose?

Perhaps because American ketchup has come to be associated with something socially unacceptable. Has ketchup become a silent struggle between the classes a little like bad table wine? I can remember a dozen lectures from my mother on table wine. She was bound and determined that I would drink the right wine. Some wines were acceptable, she would say, and some were not. It didn't matter what you liked; it only mattered what the right people were drinking. I never quite bought those right wines. I drink floor wine - a commonly used euphemism by my children for the gallon variety we park on the floor of the kitchen. I use wine for just about everything I do in the kitchen.

My mother drank Pinot Gresio which to me tastes like pino gasolino. It's really a matter of taste just like a lot of other things.

One problem with ketchup might be the sugar content. It's the third ingredient just after vinegar. Yet ketchup has no more sugar per tablespoon than store bought yogurt.

One of my favorite dishes I make is one packed with ketchup and called Piggie Pie. Men love this dish! The kids love it too, and I had no idea until I researched ketchup that the meal is filled with lycopene.

The recipe is: equal amounts of brown sugar, ketchup and fruit juice boiled as a barbecue sauce for pork.

Ketchup is a marvelous kitchen helper. Added to pot roast, stew, crock pots, meatloaf, barbecue sauces and marinades, ketchup helps break down meat and actually helps make a difficult cut of meat a whole lot easier to cook. As an ingredient in homemade salad dressing, ketchup is the one ingredient that will change a tasteless, overbearing mess into a palatable substance nearly every single time.

Ketchup is loved by children and can actually increase a child's desire to eat. So go ahead and dip, pour, glop and dab - ketchup is a part of Americana that isn't going to go away, and we should be grateful because ketchup is a many splendored thing!

Saturday, December 27, 2008

The Bad Guy



Here is a neat little article about food science. It's apparently the enemy of most. I can appreciate that because no one who reads a food article says to themselves, "Wow, I'm right on target with that one!" Food science and articles are not meant to be self deprecating ammunition, nor are articles about food supposed to be a test of faithfulness to God, family and country in that order. They are simply information to be ingested much the way a lovely deep chocolate fudge or a big helping of roast turkey is supposed to be eaten. It's supposed to be fun to learn!


Why is Food Science the "Baddie" for Consumers

Food continues to be singled out by fear-mongering tabloids and the mainstream media: Additives are evil, processed food is the devil’s home-brew, salt is everywhere, children are hyperactive, and Irish pork is poison. Let’s all boo!

For more of this article go HERE.



Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Just for Fun

Here is a wonderful little video for those at work who want a good laugh. It's called GrandpaJapan.




Monday, December 22, 2008

Monday's Tattler

Today is Monday and we are out of school. This is our rest time before the winter push to spring. Every year the calendar allows us a great racing start, then Holiday Session seems to take over with Halloween followed closely by the big Thanksgiving Play, and then it's push, push, push to Christmas. This is my only time off during the year, and that only means I don't teach. I am at school two hours every day to make sure the animals are fed and clean, that the jobs pushed off to "sometime" get done. Saturday I took down the tree and put some decorations away. Yesterday, I cleaned out all the storage from the Girl's bathroom, and today I have to clean animal pens and finish yesterday's work.

That's the business of owning a business. You have to be there to take care of things. But on the home front, I'm practicing yoga as often as I can, and I send all the book revisions off today.

I recall Friday with great joy. It was a wonderful day filled with children's delight. We went to the Nutcracker Suite and the children were so wonderfully behaved, it was a delight to watch them. They all really liked the ballet. I remember the faces of sheer wonder as the dancers performed, which they did wonderfully well. We went back to school to pizza and fruit, and the played outside for at least an hour. Then we sang for Santa until he came and delivered all the gifts. The party was wonderful, and if Isaac is reading, I want to thank him especially for his wonderful gift.

I am always surprised by the generosity of parents when it comes to the treats brought to school for our parties. The spread was wonderful and the kids seemed to enjoy it so much.

This Christmas we were able to supply Christmas for a very ill family, do an incredible fund raiser, a really cute play, a Christmas sing, and still learn lots of things at school. It's been a great season. And now it's time to get in gear for the big learning push from January through Easter.

Many thanks to Austin's family for all they did for us this Christmas. Many joys to them at this special time.

Please think of Mrs. St. Louis who is in Australia right now. She flew to Chicago on Saturday a.m. then off to San Francisco, and at Midnight our time, took off across the Pacific for Australia 17 hours later. Wow - that's a lady who can do that. She is visiting her family outside Sidney.

Have a blessed Christmas,

Judy

Thursday, December 18, 2008

The Twelve Days of Christmas


Here is the Children's version of the Twelve Days of Christmas:

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas my parents gave to me:

Twelve luxury hotels; my own beautiful mountain; ten days upon the moon; nine herds of horses; eight pounds of diamonds; seven Serengeti summers; six trips around the world; five golden bikes; four trips to Heaven; three riding butterflies; two skyscraper playgrounds and a computer and a shiny new desk!

It's always funny to hear what they come up with. One child offered a coffee pot. Anyway, I thought it was a hoot.

Speaking of hoots: If you are reading this, and you mention that you regularly read the blog, you will be put into a drawing for a nice gift. We are doing this because we are trying to make the blog the newspaper for the school. Nearly everyone has Internet access, and we are noticing that fewer and fewer parents are reading either the notes sent home or the calendar or the special agenda papers or the parent board or are they listening to the verbal announcements. On the day we expected the Santa Gifts to arrive, 13 out of 37 arrived, and some of those included a sibling.

Judy

Monday, December 15, 2008

Monday's Tattler



Today was a peaceful day! The children were very well behaved for a Monday. We were forced to stay inside all day.

We sent yet another child home sick. There are several bugs out there and they are all nasty. Poor Isaac lost his cookies all over the bathroom floor.

We made several Christmas decorations today which were very funny and very pretty at the same time. The kids seemed to like to create and make knowing they would be a little treasure on their tree. Miss Judy made caramel and we at most of it. It was a great consolation prize during musical chairs, and it was a nice prize for being able to recite the entire Night Before Christmas like Jill.

Miss Beve arrived this morning with our pictures. She stayed around a few minutes to take a picture of Miss Judy for the book I have coming out in January. No it's not about childcare - it's a slapstick comedy about Catholic Parish life. It's being published by Whiskey Creek Press.

We have finished our Twelve Days of Christmas a la the GS. It's a hoot. It includes such memorable gifts as 3 riding butterflies and 7 Serengeti Summers. The kids had fun compiling it and we put it all together in a song we will sing on Friday to hail in Santa.

Please get your child's Christmas gift in soon. Wednesday is the deadline. This gift should look like a Santa Workshop toy. If you have questions, please ask Miss Judy.

Tomorrow might be very nasty out. Please watch for school closings. If Warrick or Vanderburgh are closed, so are we. If school is delayed two hours, we will open at 9:00.

Tomorrow, if we are in school, we will be facing another indoor day. We will fill the day with games and fun and more creativity.

This Made My Day!

Dear Judy,

I am happily married, have 3 grown kids, and 4 grandkids. The kids and grandkids are deployed Stateside.

I lived in Bloomington, IN for about 15 years before I came to Taiwan in 1990. I came across your site by searching for "best little" plus "by a damsite."

I have a couple things to say to you.

One.
I have a nephew who is severely autistic. And my observations of how this developed are these. His mother did not really like the baby, did not talk to the baby. She would prepare a bottle when necessary, or change diapers, but generally preferred to read a book. I had never seen anything like it. I thought it was sad, and thought at the time that if she had breastfed, she might have "taken" better as a mother. But that was out of the question. Now some 16 or so years later, she is much more reconciled, more willing, in her role as caretaker, but it is far from the joy it might have been. The father is loving, and pretty much exemplary, but often gone, earning a living for all of them.

Anyway, I liked what I read of yours about troubled processors. It rang some bells.

Two.
Not sure if you may be open to such sources or not, but Edgar Cayce recommended raw pineapple juice, in quantity of about two or three small glasses per week, as a help to hyperactive children. Can't say I have tried this on children, but from my experiences with other Cayce remedies, and my own feeling of peacefulness the day after consuming raw pineapple, I think it would be worth a try. Note that the pineapple juice must be fresh; canned or cooked is probably worthless. I recall no discussion of causal mechanisms, just that it would work. Which is the important thing, anyway.

It occurs to me that you might be a person to try this, given your interest in high energy kids, and in nutrition.

Thanks for your time, and best regards,
Miles Odonnol
Tech writer

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Cereals For Breakfast



Cereal at breakfast aids healthy lifestyle: Study

By Sarah Hills, 25-Nov-2008

Eating cereal at breakfast time can help people manage their weight and eat more healthily throughout the rest of the day, according to a new study.

The consumption of cereals in the morning is associated with eating more fiber and carbohydrates and less fats, as well as greater physical activity among girls, said the research by researchers at The General Mills Bell Institute of Health and Nutrition in Minneapolis.

A really good article and well worth reading. For more of the story go HERE.



Thursday, December 11, 2008

Teacher Day

This is a wonderful article. With all the complaining about high school, this sounds like the ticket to me.

No iPods. No cellphones. No MySpace or Facebook. And always a sergeant around to keep things in check. No wonder the Army Preparatory School is working.

by Scott J Cech
Columbia, SC

This is not your average classroom.

All of the 15 students in the English class Christin M. Bradshaw is teaching on a late-October afternoon are dressed identically in desert fatigues and combat boots. All the young men have uniform buzz cuts. Outside, there is the faint popping of distant rifle practice and the shouted commands of drill sergeants marching platoons of soldiers in lock step.

For more of the story go HERE.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

An Email from Katy

If you think kids are difficult, try this on. I received this as an email. Katy lives in a darling house with a big Siamese cat named Jasper.

Henry is the opossum that lives in the backyard and Jasper has learned that Henry is moody and does not like to be bothered. Jasper has also decided that after an evening outing in the freezing cold drizzle that regardless of what time it is, when he comes in it's time to go "nigh nights" and if I don't get up and start turning lights off and making my way to the bedroom so he can get a full 8 hours of sleep, he jumps up at me and sinks his teeth into whatever he can grab ahold of and pulls. It's 8:15 and he is ready to go to bed....and doesn't care that I'm not. Have you ever heard of a cat that actually sleeps through the entire night with the covers pulled up to his chin and his head on a pillow? He is in the bedroom right now....waiting and every so often he calls for me....and I have to respond or he runs into the living room and punishes me. It's like I'm reassuring him that I'll be in soon. How funny is that? My schedule is being kept by an apparently very tired cat.

Have you ever heard of a cat that has an agreement with a opossum and uses the backyard as a time share? I think he's being really generous however, we did have to have a conversation about taunting Bobby's dog....who apparently hates both opossums and cats. I tried to tell Jasper that "Princess", Bobby's dog, is just low class and that some dogs just have bad taste and that it's nothing he's done....but he just gets mad.

You know, every time I roll over and realize he's still sleeping next to me....I think about how just a few years ago he was living in a cage in a pound with cats he could barely stand and "going out" meant getting time in the bathroom with 10 other cats....and now he's living in a house with his own back yard, a opossum as a tenant, a dog to taunt, and his own side of the bed.

Who could ask for more?

Tuesday, December 09, 2008

Expectations by Judy Lyden

One of the problems with "bringing up baby" is expectation. The question "What are your expectations for this child?" seem calculating, demanding and cold. Almost seems like a judge with a small hammer waiting to hit someone. The answer kindly wants to be put off indefinitely, and many times we just shove the nasty expectation question into the back of the closet as if we never really have to answer it.

The problem with putting off expectations or refusing to establish those expectations is that children are mostly formed by seven. If you wait until seven or after, shoving expectations at them is like asking them to eat the poisoned apple. Children without expectations in their very young childhood have a much better chance of developing emotional problems.

If you think of expectations as little archetypal behaviors, it's easier to handle. I want my child to be healthy; kind; honest; and have a good work ethic. Seems pretty easy, but arriving at these archetypal behaviors means more expectations and most of these begin with the parent.

To get to healthy, we have to expect that a child will learn to eat appropriately, and that often means a parents' careful watch. Is a child expected to sit for family meals or can he float around the house dropping in like a bird to peck at this or that until the family meal is over? Is a child expected to carry on a lively conversation at meal time, or is the meal time a battle ground of "I don't want to eat that!" Is a child expected to eat healthy foods and enough of them so that he isn't the first in the class to catch every cold, flu, and infection? Just one of these questions answered yes means parents are not serious about healthy children.

Expectations in the healthy department begin with the daily routines including bed time. These daily routines are the parents' control issues. If a child is expected to be healthy, then most of the expectations begin with the parent. Buying, making, offering, food is an art.

I want my child to be kind! I expect my child to treat others like he would like to be treated. That's a good start. Now what is your child's example? Children often regard the world with the same viewpoint of the parent. If the parent is unruly, unkind, and unfair, the child will copy that behavior and also be unruly, unkind, and unfair. If the parent jumps to conclusions about people, places and things, you can bet it will be mimicked by the child. Critical children have critical parents. Overbearing unkind children will come from overbearing unkind parents. Most of a child's behavior is learned at home and copies the parents' behavior trait for trait.

On the other hand, openly kind people rear openly kind children who are well behaved, confident and polite as they enter the world with a sense of fairness likened only to a good judge.

I want my child to be honest! Most children are naturally honest, but some have learned from what they hear and see at home that honesty doesn't pay the same as dishonesty. When it's OK to take that, to lie about that, to weasel and connive at home, that is what a child takes with them to school and into the world. When a child cheats at sports, he has learned to cheat at home. When a child is demanding an selfish in the classroom, he or she has learned that at home.

On the other hand, people who are honest rear children who have the same social sense. The sense that the world has treated them fairly and that their role is to respond in kind.

I want my child to have a good work ethic! This is the hardest thing to teach because much of our work is the thing that takes us from the home into the world and away from the child. The example of work dissolves in front of TV. TV is probably the antithesis of work. Children in child care see parents predominantly at home, and if the example is a constant relaxation in front of TV with the whole focus of action aiming toward it, then the child see the parent's drive toward relaxation as the goal.

On the other hand, if TVs are left for sometimes, toys will take up the slack and make a work ethic possible. Toys that create like crayons and blocks and play centers - toys that become like buildings and cities made with legos or even kitchen cans will teach a child more about work than all the video games in the world, because the individual pieces depend on him to make something from nothing.

Along with work ethic comes good student work ethic. I once told a family who wanted their child to be a strong reader, that unless they read in front of their child, the child will probably not be a strong reader. The example of intellectual pursuits begin with the parents. Readers beget readers; books beget books. When children have books but parents do not, then they are obviously toys and not tools. When children shake off their toys, the books will be part of the shake off. Spending an evening or two reading as a family is not a far way to go. It's a good example for children, and will increase their student work ethic.

Wanting and getting are two different things. It takes more expectation on the part of the parent than the part of the child. Setting a good example, doing the right things as a model, and never giving up are the tools good parents need to help children become the healthy, kind, honest contributor to the world.

Monday, December 08, 2008

Monday's Tattler

Good Morning! As I sit here at 5:30 I want to report that we are still in an Advent theme. We are "waiting" for Christmas. We are slowly decorating the school as the Advent theme continues. This week we will hold regular classes all day. Today the weather will be warmer, so we will get outside as much as we can between classes.

We are focusing on making our own Christmas decorations in the preschool class. We have have finished our introduction to letters and children are practicing all of them now. In French class we are learning two Christmas songs. The children are going great guns with this. We are also designing our own Twelve Days of Christmas, and for homework the children are supposed to come up with an extraordinary gift that will fit into a four syllable slot. So far we have five days.

We are also learning Clement Moore's Night Before Christmas. This takes some practice, but some of the kids are progressing very nicely.

The tree goes up on Friday with kid help to decorate it at Fine Arts class in the afternoon.

We are getting tougher about the Santa Race. Medals are dropping like flies these days. We have a few children who are doing extra things to earn points. Not sure they really understand this year, but we are working on it.

We have had a lot of kids continue to fall from this mighty illness that seems to want to plague us into Christmas. Even Mr. Terry has had a version. It begins with feeling puny, and continues into an attack of the head, chest, stomach and lower regions. Some children have run an incredible temp of 105. It lingers for days. It's a virus, and my best guess is RSV or a spin off of that virus.

Please keep abreast of the weather this week. It will be in the upper fifties today and Tuesday, and drop into the upper thirties Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. We go outside if the weather is in the mid to upper thirties and higher.

Beve's pictures will be back 3-4 weeks after the shoot.

Please be kind and think about the poor ill family we have adopted. The little girl is a year old. This is her first real Christmas.

Santa Gifts for your child are due next week on Wednesday. I picked up a battery operated robot at the Dollar Store the other day that has no name brands and would be a splendid gift. Normally we don't do battery operated toys, but this toy looks like it came from a home workshop. We hope there is no confusion.

Blessings always!

Friday, December 05, 2008

California

I grew up in California. At that time, it was a very conservative state and also one of the richest. It had the best schools in the country developing a lot of the standards for good education. Food was so cheap, it was almost given away.

That's all changed. It's gone from the conservative values of years ago to a tinsel town flash in the pan super crazy place. The decline of the schools is a disgrace, and now California, even though it produces 80% of the nation's food, can't feed its own children. For the story go HERE.

Friday's Tattler

It's been a quiet week. Lots of kids are out sick, and I mean really sick. This terrible bug has gripped some of our kids by the neck and given them a good twist. Our beloved Phoebe has been out nearly two weeks on and off, and poor Ethan has had such a high fever. We figure about 15 children have had this in one form or another. It begins with a puniness, and then either gets the stomach or the head and there is a high fever day after day. Molly thinks it's a little like RSV because of the fever, and treatment doesn't seem to help.

At school we have been working on making ornaments for the tree. Our fist attempt was better than the last one. In the preschool, we will continue with ornament making for a while. In preschool, we have finished with the alphabet letters. The children are responsible for knowing them now. We will continue to work on them in little groups because some of the children have forgotten during play weeks and during the break, but we will get there. Jill, Jake, Sam, and Zoey know all their letters.

We have started to learn to write our names. Zoey is practicing Zs; Jill can manage her whole name and so can Trevor. It's a work in progress!

We've had some fun meals this week. The kids are not going outside, so they are not very interested in food. We had a turkey again this week that they liked. Today it's breakfast for lunch: bacon, eggs and cheese on a bed of hash browns, fruit and milk.

We studied digestion in Health and the kids found it fun. We studied the Middle East in Geography class, and the kids made a map. We studied the story of the Christmas Tree in Social Studies and the kids made a tree. Mrs. St. Louis's angel art was a huge success.

Today is Fine Arts and Theatre. We will be working on Hansel and Gretel. Should be fun.

Please consider giving to our ill family. It would mean so much.

Have a great day!

Thursday, December 04, 2008

Photo Stamps for Christmas



I just got this from PhotoStamp and it looks like something some of you might want to do with your children.

HE’S MAKING HIS LIST AND CHECKING IT TWICE:
PHOTOSTAMPS HELPS CHILDREN SEND STANDOUT LETTERS TO SANTA

Receive a Free Santa PhotoStamp to Mail a Letter to the North Pole

LOS ANGELES – December 4, 2008 – Stamps.com® (Nasdaq:STMP), the intelligent alternative to a postage meter, today announced that it is offering one free custom PhotoStamp to the boys and girls in the U.S. to help them make their letter to Santa stand out this year. Parents and their children can simply visit www.photostamps.com/santa, upload their photos or design, and place the order. The Santa PhotoStamp will arrive in one week or less – just in time for the letter to be mailed to the North Pole.

“We are excited to add a fun new element to the time-honored tradition of sending a letter to Santa,” said Ken McBride, Stamps.com president and CEO. “PhotoStamps are a unique way for people to add a personal touch to a special letter, and this is a great way for parents and children to spend some creative time together.”

People can use PhotoStamps to create customized postage with pictures of their children, pets, vacations, celebrations and more. PhotoStamps are also available with licensed images from all 32 NFL® teams, 74 colleges, and award-winning photography from Anne Geddes®. PhotoStamps can be used as regular postage to send letters, postcards or packages, and are currently available for the most common mail rates in denominations ranging from $0.27 to $0.42 to $4.80. Each sheet includes 20 individual PhotoStamps. The holiday Santa PhotoStamps promotion is being offered by Stamps.com only for a limited time, and is subject to any listed terms and conditions. When a customer includes a customized PhotoStamps or licensed image PhotoStamps in the same order as the promotional holiday PhotoStamp, the customer will also receive free standard shipping on the order.


About Stamps.com and PhotoStamps

Stamps.com (Nasdaq: STMP) is a leading provider of Internet-based postage services. Stamps.com’s online postage enables small businesses, enterprises, and consumers to print U.S. Postal Service-approved postage with just a PC, printer and Internet connection, right from their home or office. The Company targets its services to small businesses and home offices, and currently has PC Postage partnerships with Microsoft, EarthLink, HP, NCR, Office Depot, the U.S. Postal Service and others.

Recycling

Here's a blurb of interest from Recycle Bank: Did you know?

Recycling is a $236 billion dollar a year industry.

· The average American discards 7.5 lbs. of garbage every day, 75% of which is actually recyclable. Of that 75%, only 25% is actually being recycled.

· Recycling creates jobs: For every 10,000 tons of waste, 36 jobs are created to recycle it! (versus 1 job created for incineration and 6 for landfill dumping)

· The US hovers at a 33% recycling rate, saving more than 5 billion gallons of gasoline and reducing our dependence on foreign oil by 114 million barrels.

§ According to a 2007 Harris Poll, about 25% of Americans do not recycle at all at home. 62-and-over adults are leading the pack.

§ In a 2008 Harris Poll, 53% of Americans said that they have done something in the past year to positively effect the environment. The top thing: Recycling (91%).

Tips for readers

Close the Loop: Buying goods made from recycled products is actually just as important as recycling. By literally ‘buying recycled’, you take an active role in insuring the success of recycling programs across the country. The more we demand environmentally sound products, the more big business will have to deliver
.
There are well over 4,500 recycled content products available to consumers—a number that grows daily as we all embrace green.

· Top 10 things you should recycle:

1. Aluminum
2. PET Plastic Bottles
3. Newspaper
4. Corrugated Cardboard
5. Steel Cans
6. HDPE Plastic Bottles
7. Glass Containers
8. Magazines
9. Mixed Paper-including junk mail, phone books, and envelopes with windows
10. Computers, Cell Phones, TV’s

About RecycleBank:
RecycleBank is a rewards program that motivates people to recycle. We do this by quickly and easily measuring the amount of material each home recycles and then converting that activity into RecycleBank Points that can be used at hundreds of local and national rewards partners. RecycleBank is simple to implement, market-driven, and proven to work; saving municipalities’ money and rewarding citizens for their environmental stewardship. For more information go to www.recyclebank.com

Fun with Crawford the Cat

Here is a cute little video about hand washing. Thought you and your children might like it. It comes from Perennial Pictures Film Corporation. For more videos, please go HERE.
http://www.crawfordthecat.com/video/index_001.html


Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Something New!



Here's a new thing to think about for the children. I tried it and it's great fun and full of learning possibilities.

kidthing is the next generation Internet kids’ place. kidthing’s free, downloadable digital media player gives children, families and classrooms a safe environment to play, learn and have fun on the computer, away from ads and web browsers. Browse, preview, purchase and download rich digital content from the kidthing store. There are no subscription fees. Pay only for what you choose. kidthing features a diverse and growing library of games, activities, books and videos from leading publishers and media companies. kidthing is based in Los Angeles. You can visit kidthing at www.kidthing.com.

And now, for Christmas...Move over Leap Frog, kidthing has jumped ahead of the holidays with the exclusive Count Down to Christmas – an assortment of 25 interactive games for each day in December leading up to Christmas Day. Countdown to Christmas is kidthing’s free gift to kids everywhere, so everyone can join in the fun.

Similar to iTunes, kidthing features a free, downloadable media player and a store filled with interactive games, books, videos and activities to download. In Countdown to Christmas, kids will find a new fun holiday surprise each day inviting them lead the Canine Carolers in song, make angel decorations for the house, play a game, learn magic tricks and much more! As an added bonus, holiday travelers who download Countdown to Christmas on a laptop will ensure their kids have hours of engaging holiday entertainment delaying the inevitable “Are we there yet?”

Filled with rich animation, photography, beautiful holiday music and more holiday fun than a sleigh full of toys, Countdown to Christmas is destined to become a treasured holiday classic.

Countdown to Christmas games include (but are not limited to):

kidthing's Countdown to Christmas Canine Singalong

Glockenspiel – Play and record a favorite Christmas tune or one of your own on kidthing’s digital Glockenspiel.

Tale Spin – You finish this hilarious story with words of your own for lots of Holiday giggles.

Personalized Word Search – Add your own words to personalize holiday word search puzzles

Make Your Own... Wish-a-majig – Print, cut and fold to bring Christmas wishes to life.

Santa’s Delivery Dash – Help Santa deliver all the gifts in a fast-paced maze game.

Make Your Own...Kooky Cookie Magic – Impress your friends with a cool magic trick.

Christmas Challenge - Test your knowledge about Christmas customs around the world.

Make Your Own...Angelic Art!– Print, color, cut out, and assemble Christmas Angels – put them on your tree.

Canine Carolers - Aye Chihuahua! Join our canine chorus in a Christmas bark-along.

Plus, Spot the Difference, Jigsaw Puzzles, Animated Animal Antics, original cartoons and more.

Tuesday, December 02, 2008

Questions by Judy Lyden



One of my GIANT pet peeves is a conversation gush that begins on the fly - mid sentence about something far removed from what I am thinking about. It's disruptive and annoying and it kind of jumps at you and then rattles on and on and never breaks to either draw me into the vocal stream of consciousness much less ask a question that might ultimately involve me - the recipient of the gush! What is usually well meaning is none the less I centered. I this; I that; then I; I guess; I know; I, I, I. I bring this up because this is how children enter the world. They are discovering "self" and they want to share that "self" with a safe receiver - Mom or Dad, and it's a steady stream of I, I, I.

When children are beyond two, their conversation should naturally change to include you, me, us, our, they, he, she, it. In other words, the focus begins to come of self and onto others. Children begin to ask questions about what they see around them; they begin to wonder and draw conclusions and voice an opinion by making comments that are funny, thoughtful and involve more than me, me, me. When that doesn't happen; when the focus remains on me, me, me, the child remains a toddler. Can't tell you how many toddlers are driving these days!

Children model their behavior on the adults they love and they live with. When parents are ego-centric because their own models were poor, the child has no one to model, and the circle of ego-egocentricity begins all over again with "me first, me second, me always and forever."

Breaking the me first mode is not easy because it means that parents' behavior must change in order to model a better more social behavior. And strangely enough, it all begins with a strange little thing we call a question. Questions are terribly hard for some people. It's a communication skill that is not encouraged in school or in a Walmart type of society that says, "Don't ask and you won't be responsible to know or to do." It's a formula that makes life a lot easier.

But kind questions actually bridge a communication gap between one cave and another. Questions build society and increase information. Questions allow people to express themselves and are a catharsis for many negative thoughts and problems. Knowing about other people increases friendship and charity. It increases love and affection between friends, and this begins in childhood when children need to inquire about lots of things to really understand the world and how to live in it. Children who live with people who ask questions are much more in tune with the world, better mannered, and more confident than those who live with people who can't muster a simple, "How are you? What are you thinking about these days? How are you getting along without your mother, without your husband, without a beloved cat?"

It's the same thing with praise. Some people find praise a poison pill to consume. Some find it as difficult to offer as a character dishing gruel from a Charles Dickens novel. It simply doesn't occur to some people that praise is necessary, and that again is a toddler personality - I don't have to because I'm too busy thinking about me. There is even an idiot named Alfie Kohn who says children should never be praised because it interferes with the natural rhythm of self praise or some ridiculous thing.

Praise is the verbal awareness that someone has done something well. Without praise in our lives, we are decreasing communication and limiting our surroundings. We are diving into an emotional "Fall of Rome" and separating ourselves from others. We are saying, "I can do this all by myself and I don't need you."

Praise and the giving of gifts is a corollary. People who have a difficult time giving or receiving gifts are usually those people who can't issue a compliment or ask questions about others. This stinginess is apparent in daily life. The formula is simple and much like the toddler's.

Now the question is; can the toddler personality so entrenched in self really be expected to congratulate, compliment or question another? The answer is no. Toddlers are not ready to do that because they are too busy discovering themselves. But at three, the child is ready to start applauding when they are happy and excited about something going on around them.

They are ready to ask questions about things that are pleasant to look at, pleasant to taste, pleasant to hear and about change. They are ready to say, "I like that" and then "I like that about you." Then they drift into the perpetually child thing, "That's cool."

Christmas time is a time of gift giving, Christian praise in song and practice. It's the beginning of a new year with Advent, so ask yourself, have I praised my child or someone close to me or even someone I work with? Have I asked that personal question, "How are you doing?"

Monday, December 01, 2008

Monday's Tattler



Well, it's Monday after Thanksgiving. Seems like a long time since we were at school. A great big thank you to my daughter in law, Agnes, for helping out last week. She's really quite good with the kids, and the kids seemed to like her. Having that kind of help from family members means a lot. Her willingness to just jump on board and work as many hours as she did was just splendid. I applaud her! I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving and break, and I hope the kids are ready for a fast paced Christmas month.

Beginning today, we are on the lookout for Santa's little angels! Every year, the best behaved boy and best behaved girl win the Santa prizes. What does a child have to do? Well it's Advent, and it's a new year on the Church calendar, and the child needs to realize how he can be a better child in this new year, and begin to shake off old poor habits and take on new good ones. Teachers recognize these little trials and reward the children with a special holiday sticker which is kept on a long string in the back of the school. When a child is expecially kind, does something wonderful, or is just exceptionally good, he receives a sticker on his string. On the 18th, teachers count up the stickers and choose two winners. Are there any surprises? You bet! We will talk about this today in school.

The rest of the week is a normal in school week. All teachers present and accounted for, and school work looms! Little children will be making ornaments with me today. It's important for little kids to contribute to Christmas any way they can. We will do a lot of this kind of thing between now and the 19th.

We will be having a taco lunch; turkey on Tuesday; turkey soup on Wednesday; Piggy pie on Thursday; and on Friday we'll have breakfast for lunch - a bacon egg and cheese on hash browns the kids really like.

It might snow today, so don't be surprised.