Infamous Quotes

Here’s a list of entertaining quotes/summary of  random conversations had during a recent trip to Mexico… all quotes & commentary are recorded as I remember them, almost certainly paint me in the better light, and were probably much funnier if you’d been there.

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Jason to me as we inhale fresh oranges bought at a traffic light from a street vendor in Nogales (Mexico)… “Don’t drop the orange peels. I’d rather be caught with drugs than citrus when we go back over the border.”

Jason to me, “Why would anyone own a timeshare in Branson, Missouri?”
Me to Jason, “Branson is like Vegas. For old people.”

Me to Jason after he’d either almost driven off a cliff, into a cliff wall, or taken out his undercarriage on a speed bump (I lost track of how many times each nearly happened), “You know what’s amazing? The number of times you’ve almost killed me, yet I still have total faith in your ability to keep me safe.”

Me to Jason as I’m getting in or out of the driver’s seat, “Is that a femur in the door pocket?”
Jason to me, “Yes. But don’t worry… it’s not human.”

Jason to me, somewhere between San Carlos & Magdalena de Kino… “Watch out for that cow. It wants to get hit. It’s really heavy. That would totally ruin our month.”

Jason to me as I navigate the narrow roads of Magdalena de Kino, “You’re doing a really good job… blah blah blah blah blah…”
Me to Jason, “I grew up driving in a town with streets just like this.”
Jason to me, “Yeah, but most people are really intimidated about driving in Mexico… blah blah blah blah blah…”
Me to myself  (in my head) cuz I have a suspicious nature and can see where this might be headed, “Cyndi… no matter what… DO NOT let him talk you into driving in Nogales.”

Jason’s response to my wounded expression after he’s told me whatever I haven’t eaten of the huge bag of peanuts just purchased from a street bump vendor will have to be thrown away before we get to the border checkpoint, “Was I in any way unclear regarding my feelings about agricultural inspections?” (see previousconvo about orange peels).

Jason to me, “I’m sorry for almost killing you.”
Me to Jason, “It’s OK. I only hit the windshield the one time.”

Waiting in line at border patrol, Jason to himself after he’s reminded me (again) how often he gets flagged for a secondary inspection (almost always) & what needs to be moved into the cargo area (the liquor) and what needs to be tossed (everything edible that once grew from the earth)… “Damn. The femur could be a problem.”

After about 45 minutes, maybe an hour in line at the border… me running around the car to take the wheel while Jason runs off to buy me tacos from a street vendor on the wrong side of the tracks… literally, the guy tried to send him to a titty bar… then Jason running back to give me the tacos… then running back across the tracks because the guy is running around trying to find change in dollars rather than pesos… then running back and getting in the car… then after I almost hit a street vendor in a wheelchair, jumping back out and running around the front of the car to the driver’s side so I can eat while I run around the back, shoveling tacos down as I go…

We’re still about 10th in line at border patrol and I’ve just finished inhaling the tacos. I turn to Jason and hold out a plastic bag, “We need to throw away these limes… there’s a trash can right over there. Give me the femur.”

Border Patrol Agent #2, as he’s looking into the back window, “They have pot.”
Border Patrol Agent #1: barely glances up from our passports.
Border Patrol Agent #2, returning to the driver’s side window: “Is that a cooking pot?”
Jason to Border Patrol Agent #2, “Yes, it’s a cooking pot.”
Border Patrol Agent #2 to Border Patrol Agent #1, “I told you they had pot.”
Border Patrol Agent #1 to Border Patrol Agent #2, “I believed you.” (still no expression whatsoever)

Border Patrol Agent #2, who is CLEARLY a smartass, “So how long was the wait? 10 minutes?”
Me to Border Patrol Agent #2, “15, maybe 20.”

Jason to me after we’re admitted back into the US without having to undergo a secondary inspection, “Damn. I totally could have kept the femur.”

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Some Free Range Zen

OK, so if this is your first time here, some quick background info: I live in an inner city neighborhood and am a free range mom of three. My son will be 15 at the end of the month, my elder daughter 12 in August, and my younger daughter is 8.5. All three use the city’s public transit system to varying degrees. My oldest is perfectly capable of planning a route to anywhere he wants to go (volunteer work downtown or a sporting goods store in the neighboring suburb) by using the transit book, my middle child travels mostly direct routes with the occasional transfer on familiar routes in our neighborhood, and my youngest is always accompanied by at least one of the older two. We’ve talked about the difference between making conversation and fishing for information and what they should and should not divulge. We’ve discussed the unlikely possibility of abduction or assault, what they should do if they are threatened and what they can do to prevent being targeted in the first place. They stay home alone regularly while I run errands in our neighborhood on weekends and occasionally while I’m at work, which is only 10-15 minutes away. One of my next door neighbors is retired as is the couple across the street, and there is a police substation less than a quarter of a mile away, should an emergency arise that needs addressed faster then I could get home. They know where the power breaker is, how to shut off the water supply to each toilet as well as the main water supply to the house. They know that unless I have told them I’m expecting someone to drop by, they are not even to approach the door if someone knocks and I am not home. We’ve discussed what to do or not do if there was an attempted burglary.

So this is my little free range success story. Short version: My three kids were home alone, making ramen (on the stove *gasp*) when someone came to the door. I had actually stepped away from my desk to speak to a coworker and missed two calls and a text from my son that someone was at the door and wouldn’t leave. When that someone entered the back yard, my son called my direct number at work but I didn’t quite make it back to my desk before it went to voicemail, but seeing the missed calls on my phone, figured it had been the kids and called right back.

“Mom, why haven’t you been answering your phone? This guy just stole my bike.”

So it takes me a second to gather that this is actually still in progress and the guy is still in view of the house. I figured was a good time to take my lunch break, told my son to hang up, call 9-1-1 and that I was on my way. I got home 15 minutes later, and as I approached the turn onto our street, the burglar was being apprehended around the corner from home and my kids were in driveway giving a police report to another officer. They’d already given a detailed scenario as well as descriptions of the stolen bike, what the guy was wearing, and his general physical features. The officer asked about how old the guy looked, and Tyler said, “eh… 35 to 45 years old. Halle chimed in, “I’d say he was in his late thirties.” Daija was pouting because they made her hide in the closet and she didn’t get to see him at all. Both girls were green with envy as Tyler left with the officer taking the report to ID the suspect and the property. When they returned, the officer explained our options, and I was proud again that Tyler indicated a desire to aid in prosecution.

When one of the officers that apprehended the burglar returned Tyler’s bike (and an empty propane tank… don’t know why he didn’t take the nearly full one from the grill?) a half hour after that, he asked me to tell my son (the spokesperson at the old age of 14) how proud he was of him, and all of them, and what a great job I’d done preparing them to handle an emergency.

I basked in the knowledge that my kids stayed calm and handled the kind of worse case scenario most parents cite as justification for helicopter parenting, then went back inside to share his praise (as well as one or two things to do better if we ever find ourselves in that situation again).

As I headed back to work, they had already resumed their lunches and promised me they were going to make sure to clean up the kitchen & dining room as soon as they were done (oh, they lie so earnestly…). Just before I shoved it into my purse, I looked down at the police report information the officer gave me before he left…

The suspect will be 37 in a couple months.

CURLYKIDZ SUMMER READING LIST 2011

So it’s been quite a while since I’ve put an appearance around here. Volleyball took over my life a little more than usual this year, and while that was truly a moving and transformational and profound experience, I’m really looking forward to the end of the regular season this weekend. The rest of May is focused on fundraising for our trip to the National Starlings Volleyball Tournament in June and helping Tyler wrap up his requirements for his Coming of Age program, the Aerospace Awards Ceremony, and COA “promotion” and his semester finals. I should be around more then, but in the meantime I thought I’d share some of the books I’ve added to our reading list. While I did quit TV more than a year ago, we still tend to veg on movies & Netflix in our downtime. I’ve got what I think is a really awesome lineup of books I wish I’d read as a kid and books I wish had been published when I was a kid (there’s only one that I’ve read), which the kids and I will be reading together for whatever part of the summer whoever is home. I got all but the last two books, I think, used from Amazon for less than $5 each (and got super saver shipping on the entire order to boot). I’m thinking of blogging some book reviews & sharing our impressions and thoughts of the books. If you join us in reading any of these, I hope you’ll chime in as we go on.

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

Riding Freedom

Calico Captive

Amos Fortune, Free Man (Newbery Library, Puffin)

How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents

Esperanza Rising

Where the Broken Heart Still Beats: The Story of Cynthia Ann Parker

Becoming Naomi Leon

Indian Captive: The Story of Mary Jemison

The Devil’s Arithmetic

The Witch of Blackbird Pond Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company

The Dreamer (Ala Notable Children’s Books. Older Readers)

Freedom Summer

Halloween 2010: Batman & BatMom v. Poison Ivy, Squared

It’s no secret that Halloween is a pretty big deal around here. Not so much for the trick or treating, but for the dressing up. We get really into it and usually have a theme every year… fantasy creatures, wizard of oz, racecars, things that fly, Grease, Pirates of the Caribbean, ancient Egypt… and we trick or treat for a block or two, then we head to some spooky Halloween festival with friends.

This year, we were supposed to be The BatFam. Unfortunately, my Bat-Mom signal was a little off, and I couldn’t find a Batgirl costume in Daija’s size. I debated having the girls be Robyn and Catwoman, but by the time I gave up the idea of finding/creating a Catwoman costume we’d both be happy with, the Robyn costumes in Halle’s size were sold out. So it was back to the drawing board Batcave to do a little more research on the peeps who live in Gotham City.

So now my mission is to create costumes for Poison Ivy. This is an incredible undertaking, because I am not crafty. I do not sew. Thankfully, I found some inexpensive pixie costumes in the girls’ sizes that I could theoretically leave as is. But you know I can’t do that, because it would just ruin my Halloween if people thought the girls were Tinkerbelle or Princess Tiana, who appear to be rather popular for costume choices this year.

The things I do for these kids.

Anyway, I’ll have a blog up about my adventures in Halloween costume creation in the next day or two.

Wordless Wednesday

View Fall Colors Road Trip

fall-colors road trip

 

 

Halle, Sassy and I are heading out to retrieve Daija from Biker Country (Tyler is having a sleepover with his Big and Rico will be home guarding the house). The weather is finally cooling down around here (for those of us who consider the mid nineties “cooling down”). We’re going to make the most of it so we’ll be taking the scenic route home!

If you’re looking for something to do to enjoy this not-summer weather, try one of these Classic Arizona fall-colors road trips. Pictures to follow!

 

 

Teen LifeLine: 602.248.TEEN or 800.248.TEEN

In March of 2006, my world was turned upside down as I learned my then nine year old had not only considered hurting himself, but also had a suicide plan. I don’t know if I could have gotten through it had it not been the support I received from friends in response to a rather cryptic prayer request…

GLBT Youth are not the only ones who are bullied or at risk for suicide. Teen Lifeline offers peer counseling for teens and those concerned about teens. Please add 602.248.TEEN to your child’s cell phone so that he or she has someone to call if they or a friend are in trouble (see the graph below). If you live outside Arizona and can’t find a local resource for support, you’ll find some national numbers below as well.

Suicide Information

Suicide can be prevented. Most teenagers don’t want to die. The majority of those considering suicide give some sort of clue. Many young people don’t think about suicide as being permanent.

ARIZONA FACTS

• Each year, nearly 26,400 teens in Arizona attempt suicide.
• Arizona ranks 3rd in the nation for teen suicide.
• Each year since 1985, Arizona has ranked in the top 10 states for teens who completed suicide.

SUICIDE RISKS

• Breakup of the family including divorce and separation.
• Moving after establishing meaningful relationships.
• Experiencing a loss like a break-up, end of a relationship, or intense friendship.
• Pressure to attain unrealistic goals by self or others.
• Pressure to use drugs, alcohol, or engage in other destructive behaviors

WARNING SIGNS

• Statements like “I just want to go to sleep and never wake up”
• Statements indicating worthlessness or desire of death like “Everyone would be better off if I were dead”
• Depression or sadness lasting for more than two weeks
• Sudden and drastic changes in personality
• Behavior such as sleeping, eating or grooming in excess
• Giving away personal belongings that have special meanings
• Saying a final goodbye to family and friends or leaving a goodbye note
• Previous suicide attempts
• Using drugs and alcohol increases impulsivity and the risk of suicide

WHEN A FRIEND TALKS OF SUICIDE

Listen:
Let your friend tell you about their situation and feelings. Don’t give advice or try to find a simple solution. Really listen to what they are trying to tell you.

Be Honest:
If your friend’s words or actions scare you, say so. Your discussion will not encourage your friend to go through with their plan. Let your friend know you care.

Share Feelings:
At times everyone has felt sad, hurt, or depressed. You know what it feels like. Let your friend know that they are not alone and that you care.

Get Help:
If you keep this secret you could lose your friend forever. Try to get them to talk to an adult they trust. If they won’t, talk to someone yourself or call Teen Lifeline.

If you or someone you know needs help or needs to talk;

PLEASE CALL:
IN MARICOPA COUNTY
602-248-TEEN

OUTSIDE MARICOPA COUNTY
1-800-248-TEEN

OUTSIDE ARIZONA/NATIONALLY
1-877-YOUTHLINE
1-800-273-TALK (8255)
1-800-SUICIDE

This graph shows the topics teens generally discuss when they call the hotline.

Support:

• Make a List for Help (requires Acrobat Reader)
• Suicide Information Questionnaire (requires Acrobat Reader)

For more information on specific teen issues, please visit the following web sites as well:

• American Association of Sucidology (AAS)
• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP)
• Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC)

A New Pay for Performance Plan

So lately getting my children to do their chores has been… a challenge. We got off our routines years ago when the kids started busing to a school in another district, and I’ve never been able to get new routines going that really worked for us. Adding volleyball to the mix two years ago didn’t help. But between our move last year and new school schedules for two of the three kids this year, we all get home a lot earlier.

While the chore issue should have magically straightened itself out, there’s been nothing but drama. Nobody likes their chores… they’re rather have so and so’s chore. I shuffled things around a bit, and no matter what people had, at least two of them (usually female, and most frequently seven years of age) were unhappy within two days. So I did a final switch, based on what I felt was going to work best for ME (because I’m the mama), and said it was final.

CNN Student News

August 25 - Today, CNN Student News examines some stories of cause and effect. Home sales took a big dip in July; what might it mean for the future of the U.S. economy? The yen is doing well against the dollar; how does that impact Americans in Japan? Plus, take a tour of the most expensive school in America, and then visit our blog to share students' thoughts on what makes a school good.

 

I don’t think I’ve mentioned it in my blog, though it’s come up on Facebook from time to time, but  I quit TV in January.  

For REALS this time.  

When we moved at the first of the year, I didn’t transfer the cable or go buy one of those special thingamabob’s you need to get a TV signal nowadays.  I’d just had enough. I was sick of seeing Tiger Woods, Jon, Kate, and their eight kids, and I was sick of seeing Joe Arpaio‘s pasty face on my television. Especially given the impact that Sheriff Joe’s criminalization of the Latino community was having on my children, I wouldn’t even watch the news if they were in the room. I figured I could read the news, and just about everything else we watch is either a movie, or can be found on the internet, especially since we can watch instantly on Netflix.      

But this also ties me to the computer… it takes a REALLY REALLY LONG TIME to read all the news! And when I sat down to talk to my children about my recent protest activity, I found a gap in current events. I wasn’t very good at keeping them informed about what was going on in our local, national, and global community. I downloaded the Blackberry Podcast App, and over the last couple of weeks I’ve subscribed to various audio and video podcasts so that we can listen to the news as we go about our business. One of my favorites, for the children and myself, is CNN Student News. At ten minutes, it’s the perfect length for a car ride. It’s commercial free, upbeat and manages to hold the attention not only of my 14yo ADHDer and my 10yo who’s only interest of late is lip gloss and jelly bracelets, but also my 7yo. It doesn’t address local news, but so far this week these podcasts have given us an opportunity to discuss the housing market, flooding in Pakistan, the egg recall, the Islamic Center, Iranian predator drones & the potential for nuclear weapons, and more. Monday night when I drove Tyler to his Civil Air Patrol Cadet meeting (only five minutes away), he said, “awww, man… can I listen to the rest of this on the way home?” So whether you’re a home schooler or just want your kids to be informed about current events without as much sensationalism as they’ll see on the local evening news, this is a fantastic resource.    

What is CNN Student News?

CNN Student News is a ten-minute, commercial-free, daily news program for middle and high school students produced by the journalists and educators at CNN. This award-winning show and its companion Web site are available free of charge throughout the school year.     

CNN Student News – Special Coverage on CNN.com.  

Related Articles

• CNN Student News Transcript: August 25, 2010 (cnn.com)
• CNN Student News – August 24, 2010 (cnn.com)

What? Already? Nuh uh!

I don’t know that we are ready to go back to school, but as I type here comes the sun to announce that the day is here whether I like it or not.

No more “sleepovers” in the living room or mommies bedroom… the girls barely spent a night in their bedroom all summer.  But last night it was back to business as usual, because school starts today.

It’s Halle’s first day of middle school… and she’ll be reunited with all her besties that have already started middle school… God help the teachers and administration, as they will surely need it with those four jockeying for the “Real Housewives” Tween Drama Queen title.

Daija starts third grade at elementary school by herself this year, but luckily her bestie from volleyball practice has enrolled there and will be riding the same bus. The after school program the kids have always gone to was cut so things will be a little different this year…

Tyler has been back in school for a week… an event that almost created an anxiety attack for me, but that he seems to be taking in stride. He’s been reunited with friends from way back in his days at MLK’s gifted magnate; one of the members from that terror squad is also in the Aerospace magnate. He seems to love his classes, we’re just going through the usual “trying to get back on track” adjustments the new school year always brings. This week I’ll be sending my usual “Hi, I’m Tyler’s mom” email to see how things are going and whether each teacher has his 504, and then providing them with a copy when (as usual) they do not.

LET THE WILD RUMPUS BEGIN!

Scopes trial anniversary occasion to analyze recent Arizona law

Because Mexican Americans and others wouldn’t know they were being discriminated against unless they learned about it in school. Oh, shit… I can’t see… my eyes just rolled out m head…

As in Tennessee, the real issue in Arizona is power. The new law prohibits classes that “promote the overthrow of the United States government,” “promote resentment towards a race or class,” “are designed for pupils of a particular ethnic group” or “advocate ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of pupils as individuals.”

The law, which is intended to eliminate a particular Mexican-American studies program in the Tucson Unified School District, misrepresents ethnic studies through a now-familiar ruse that claims that any attention to race or racism, even as a topic of study, is in itself racist.

via Scopes trial anniversary occasion to analyze recent Arizona law | The Progressive.

There’s ground deer in the fridge (& other things you don’t hear every day)

Wednesday, July 7

7:18pm~ Cyndi is taking a scenic tour of the US so as not to interfere with her parents being at the parade on time tomorrow… *smh*… ANYWAYS… she’s pretty sure she’ll be in PHL from 6-8AM if anybody wants to join her for breakfast at da airports 🙂 

10:27pm ~ Cyndi is on flight 258 to PHL. She hopes they will be kind to her luggage (SHOES) there since she took the AWA ID tag off of it before they took it…  

Thursday, July 8 

Christie drove 40 minutes to spend 10 minutes with the girls & I at the airport... she RAWKS!

2:39am ~ Cyndi watched the sunrise at 2AM… how obscene. Hello, humidity… err Philly…  

2:49am ~ Cyndi has a PSA for the flying public: your smart phone has an option to silence the keypad. please learn to use this function before you start rabidly texting everyone you know. this way, the other 166 people in coach won’t want to choke your ass out while we wait for a gate.  

4:44am ~ Cyndi is on the plane to MCI… halfway done!  

8:11am ~ Cyndi is wheels down & hoping for a nap in the car!  

11:30am ~ there’s ground deer in my parents’ fridge.  

“Nothing like ground venison to welcome home the crunchy urban mama,” observes MamaEi…   

My Daddy in the Color Guard

3:37pm ~ Cyndi is about to watch her daddy in the parade  

8:03pm ~ Cyndi is headed to The Office with Joni  

8:44pm ~ Cyndi just had Sweet Home Alabama moment…

There’s a baby… in the bar.

9:16pm ~ Cyndi is at some other bar… and remembering why she doesn’t usually come in town till Friday. ·  

9:21pm ~ Cyndi just heard someone drop the n word.

 OK, a side note for white folks: 

1. The n-word is ALWAYS offensive, not just when there are black people in hearing distance.
2. If you have balls enough to use a racial slur in public, be man enough to stand behind it. Don’t come with some weak ass apology like, “I didn’t mean that in a derogatory way.” Because then you don’t just look like a racist, you look like a dumbass too.
3. Picking up my tab was a nice gesture, but I’ll be headed back out of town before you recover from your hangover. I noticed there are a lot more brown children in town than there were back in my day… your community would benefit from you investing in a bottle of palmolive. Next time you feel that word about to come out your mouth… tilt your head back and gargle.

11:44pm ~ Cyndi doesn’t usually go for that tag teaming shit…  and bless your heart*, she’d really rather your hands stayed on the OUTSIDE of her clothing.

*Bless your heart is one of the most wonderful phrases of the English language. You can utter the most heinous insult, so long as you preface it with or tack this phrase to the end of it.

“She’s just young. And stupid, bless her heart.”

Friday, July 9

12:03am ~ Cyndi is a little bit chicken fried…  

 10:02am ~ Cyndi has misplaced her glasses somewhere…  

2:27pm ~ Cyndi wonders where her children are…  

2:57pm ~ Cyndi founded her glasses!   

Eileen: How bout the kids?   
Melanie: Were they in your head? That’s usually where I lose mine.
Cyndi Ugh they’d been to a church yard sale. We now have a number of Irish t shirts. And a couple wigs. One looks like the 4th of July threw up on it.    

3:54pm ~ Cyndi is waiting for her step mama to get back with the taco pizza  

4:57pm ~ Cyndi ‎ ~ “Well, you’re my mother, so I *should* do what you tell me to do…” reasons Daija, age 7 

How many almost 40 year old cheerleaders can you get in one picture?

9:32pm ~ Cyndi is at the pub. its karaoke night.    

9:36pm · Shawn: Tiny Dancer! It’s a must sing! LOL! Please report back on how it went! 😉
9:36pm · LaTonya: What’cha singin’?    
9:40pm · Cyndi: Uh, no.    
9:42pm · Shawn: No!?!?! C’mon, Cindy. And you have a Blackberry too! You could totally video tape that and share it! 🙂    How about … Welcome to the Jungle then? LOL! 🙂 have a great time regardless.    
9:44pm · Cyndi: Slightly more appropriate for the venue… Y’all just missed my version of Delta Dawn…    

I just love this guy…

11:58pm ~ Cyndi about to go drank like a muthafucka

Saturday July 10

9:28am ~ Cyndi had too much fun hanging out at 5th Street Pub & front porch pimpin’ at Brenda’s with Jami, Chip and Jen!    

2:14pm ~ Cyndi thinks it’s a good time for a nap.    

5:16pm ~ … the fair, episode three    

7:21pm ~ Cyndi thinks Halle looks like she about to toss her cookies…    

8:34pm ~ Cyndi just realized, & is pretty bummed, that she totally missed the demolition derby.    

Sunday, July 11

3:25am ~ Cyndi has insomnia, and while perusing her parents’ fridge, she noticed there are no longer several packages of ground deer. She should have just gone to the bar… either way she wouldn’t have gotten any sleep, but she wouldn’t be sitting here wondering when she ate Bambi.    

6:31am ~ Cyndi is sittin’ on her daddy’s porch listenin’ to wind chimes tinkling, birds singing, and… uh… a hella lot of bugs. This may be short lived… she forgot that the state bird is the mosquito, bless her heart.    

2:57pm ~ Cyndi is in Kansas City… seems like I just left here a minute ago…    

7:33pm ~ Cyndi wonders what possesses grown men to go out in public sporting a Mr. T look ·    

9:55pm~ Cyndi can’t narrow it down to one catch phrase to describe the annual pilgrimage. There’s usually something that someone says or does that really stands out, but this year the laughs just kept comin’…

So much to say…

I have some blogs that desperately need to be written… things I desperately want to express… but even when I can find the time, I struggle to find the words.

I’m not sure if I’m busy living my life, or if my life is living me.  But volleyball comes to a close this month, and school next month, and then I’m going to exhale!

In those five weeks, I’m going to try my darndest to publish at least these four blogs (not necessarily in this order & titles subject to change):

• Walking Both Worlds
• talking about racism & stereotypes with kids
• Cyndi’s review of The Blind Side (the movie, not the previews!)
• ADHD in 8th Grade… the end is middle school hell is in sight!

And, I think I’m going to do something a little different with at least the first two blogs, but I gotta flesh that out some. Details to come, I guess.

I’ve said a whole lot of nothing, but I wrote AND I’m about to hit the publish button! And that’s a lot more than I’ve managed for a while now… so I guess it’s something.

Cesar E. Chavez National Holiday

Well, this blog will be incredibly short and sweet… but I was really disappointed that in his ninth year of public education in a state that observes Cesar Chavez Day, my 8th grader could not tell me WHY Cesar Chavez was significant in our region or to the civil rights movement. So if your child is equally clueless (or let’s face it, if you don’t know either), here’s a great link.

As brothers in the fight for equality, I extend the hand of fellowship and good will and wish continuing success to you and your members… You and your valiant fellow workers have demonstrated your commitment to righting grievous wrongs forced upon exploited people. We are together with you in spirit and in determination that our dreams for a better tomorrow will be realized. ~ MLK to Cesar Chavez

via Cesar E. Chavez National Holiday.

Parent Sportsmanship – an oxymoron?

 via Parents Behaving Badly? The Relationship between the Sportsmanship Behaviors of Adults and Athletes in Youth Basketball Games

Results suggest that positive spectator and coach behaviors were significant predictors of positive player behaviors. Similarly, negative spectator behaviors were predictive of negative player behaviors, while negative coach behaviors were not.

So if you didn’t already know, I am a volleyball mom. My 10yo daughter plays for Team AZ, a Starlings affiliated club at our local Salvation Army community center. It’s a wonderful program run by some dedicated & passionate individuals… many of them volunteers. Because so many wonderful people dedicate their time to this center and it’s programs, our club fees are only $250 a year, while most clubs charge anywhere from $500 to $2500.

I am incredibly thankful to have a program like this available for our girls… I am proud of the community of volunteers who coach the teams, administrate the program, the girls who put their hearts into the game and the families that support them. Almost all the time, that is.

Today our girls placed sixth in the tournament, winning one of their three games in two sets and losing the other two games in two sets. We had some spectacular highs… a number of aces, better teamwork than we’ve seen during the vast majority of practices, and the highlight of the tournament… my Halle got her first “spike” during a game.

OK, maybe that wasn’t the highlight of the tournament for EVERYBODY, but it sure was for me!

We had a moment that I was BEYOND proud of…