testing, testing, testing.......

Well it is that time of year, my kids just finished the TAKS, and the Practice TAKS.....UGH.
For those of you not from Texas it is the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills. This is a yearly process the kids go through, learning the skills to take the test, practicing the test and then actually taking the test. It is divided up by grade and subject and takes entirely toooo much time and focus in the school. Well, I mean, that is how the teachers get paid so what do you think happens?

When I was in school here in Texas we didn't even have our own test, I remember taking the CATS (California Achievement Test) test a couple of times, but it was nothing we actually prepared for. It tested us over what we should have already learned.

I remember in high school taking some kind of army sponsored aptitude test. The high point of the test was when the administrator of the test, a coach/vocational teacher called us all jackasses for misbehaving and well being jackasses during the test.

My evaluation came back that I should be an engineer. Since my name is ambiguous the army was sending personal recruiting letters to Mr. Jamie Loftis for the next two years.

Well I think that the teachers should teach, those who want to learn will learn, those who want to be jackasses will be well, jackasses. Teaching our kids how to pass a test, well, I think that is being, well, you know.......

The Things You Gotta do to Have the Flu

I have just been through a week of sickness with my husband and daughter.

Husband comes home sick last week "ohhhhh, arrrg I don't feel good" rolls around bed making moaning noises, coughs on everyone, in general is a miserable human being, I was so sorry for him, but with time and care he is now back at work (thank goodness).

Sunday night daughter starts with the moaning, face hurts, fever.... ugh.

Our General Practice Doctor retired last year to do pro bono work at the county clinic, I applauded her for it. She is a fabulous doctor and we loved her. That doesn't help me find a new one though. After many calls to area doctors I gave up. No one, especially during flu season would see a new patient. I wasn't even sure it was the flu. Chloe acted like it was a sinus infection, something she has had in the past but her fever worried me. So it was off to the Take Care Clinic at our local Walgreens. We were on the waiting list for TWO Days! Eventually when we got in the doctor told me she did think it was the flu. One of the strains this year presents as a sinus infection. She did the swab and Yes, it was the FLU. She managed to get us the Tamaflu and wow it is fantastic! Dear Daughter is much better and asking when she can take her flu medicine again!

Well the flu is nothing to mess around with so try to be better prepared than I was! Make sure you have a doctor or clinic you can go to and even if you don't think it is the flu, go to the doctor, drink lots of vitamin C fortified drinks and other fluids, keep happy and healthy this Fall ! A few tips I got while there, I'm sure you have heard most of them.

1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications).

2. "Hands-off-the-face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face (unless you want to eat or bathe ).

3.*Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don't trust salt). *H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/ nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.

4. Similar to 3 above, *clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water. *Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti (very good Yoga asanas to clean nasal cavities), but *blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.

5.*Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C (Amla and other citrus fruits). *If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.

6.* Drink as much of warm liquids as you can. *Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.

Tips Compliments of Dr. Vinay Goyal

Out of Character, Rant and a Call to Be Careful!

Usually I stay away from political, sensitive subjects, I'm never really tooooo opinionated about anything in my blog but the movies!

This week though my son had a rude awakening. He is 19 and if you have read some of my other entries got his first apartment off campus this year. Like a lot of students, he is somewhat nocturnal, getting a lot of work done in the evening and at night. He was leaving his studio space at school Monday night when he saw three people hanging out near the building. They were not students. About that time a girl student came out of the building and started to walk home as well. He decided to walk with her and that together they should be okay.

It is only a block to his apartment, near there the girl split off from him to go to her own apartment. He went into his parking lot and the three guys that he had lost track of during the short walk came up to him with a gun and asked for whatever he had. He immediately gave them his backpack and wallet and they left.

We were so thankful he was not harmed. Warn your kids, loved ones etc to be careful, in this economy people are doing desperate things.

I asked that the guys who got him be led down a different path. That same effort put into a positive goal eventually would lead to positive results. Raise your children in a positive environment, give them daily doses of uplifting words and actions. Make them the change and yourself the instrument that makes it happen, no government can do it for you.

When We Played Little League........

......or any other sport when we were kids it was different.

There were no year round sports, you played whatever was in season.

There were no select teams. (you tried out and got on a team according to your ability to play, not pay).

"Intense" parents limited their participation to the stands.

It cost $30 or so to register for a team and maybe you had to buy a shirt or uniform. Not hundreds of dollars for home, away, and practice uniforms, plus travel bags, etc

Pressure was limited to that which your teammates might put on you.

Coaches were unpaid volunteers.


Some of you know my kids play competitive tennis. When they were about 8 years old we had them choose a sport to concentrate on and play since their friends were all starting to play on year round select teams in soccer and baseball. Both the time commitment and money made it impossible to play more than one sport. While tennis has been a blessing for them (I would never change that) and helped tremendously with their self confidence and taught them important lessons on perserverence, staying positive and self control; it is a comment on how sports has evolved that kids can't just go Play casually anymore. Or maybe it is just a comment on a mom reminiscing, after all my kids don't know any other environment than what they have grown up in !

Have a Wonderful Day!

Do you have a comment on kids sports? Leave it here, Thanks!

Appreciating Home - Tale of Two Kids Weekends

As many of you know my two younger kids, Will who is 13, and Chloe who is 11, play competitive tennis. Will is spending time in the John Newcombe Tennis Ranch Academy Program this summer. They live in the dorms there with other boys and get to practice their skills all day in an environment that is geared toward moving up competitively. Will went for the minimum amount of time 3 weeks. They get to travel with the group to tournaments and this weekend they traveled back home to Houston to compete. Will was responsible for getting his things and himself ready to leave the ranch by 1:30 Friday for the 3 hour drive to Houston.

Thursday Night 9:00 - Call from Will he is getting ready for the trip, doing wash.

Friday Afternoon 12:30, 1 hour till departure - Call from Will. "Mom can I wash towels with whites"

Mom - "Why are you washing now, it takes an hour to do a load of wash and dry it"

Will - "I have exactly an hour mom and I need socks and underwear"

Mom - "Okay Hurry and get the rest of your bag ready but don't wash the towel you won't need one at a hotel"

Will - "oh, Okay"

Friday Afternoon 1:05 Call from Will "Why are washers so slow"

Friday Afternoon 1:20 Hysterical call from Will ""Mommmmmmm I lostttt my tennis racquets!"

Mom tells him to get a hold of himself calm down and look for them, she will call the counselor and get him to help.

Friday Afternoon 1:40 call from Will "We're on our way"

Mom - "Did you get your racquets?"

Will - sheepishly "yeah, but mom I forgot my toothpaste, contact solution, and toothbrush, can we get some there?"

After all this I get a final call early Saturday morning, we are about to leave with my daughter, who is playing in the tournament too. We were going to meet Will and his group there and watch his match.

Will - "Mom, I got up late and didn't have time to put on compression shorts (for those of you unenlightened in 13 year old tennis lingo compression shorts = underwear!) Do you have any extra at home?"

My husband's take on the situation was that this was to show Will how much we do for him and how he has to learn responsibility and appreciation, I don't know if he did or not but I hope he remembers his underwear next time.

The champ tournament was a success and Chloe won the consolation draw, a great boost for her.

Back to School (College)

Tomorrow my college age son goes back for semester 2 of his college career. He goes to a school far away from home so visits are not frequent. It isn't like the kid who goes an hour or two away from home and can be-bop in for a laundry weekend or something. You really miss them but get used to them being gone. You so want to see them when they get home you want to just hang out with them, but reality is they don't want home to be any different than it was when they lived there. So, you have to force yourself to not be clingy.......

He is happy to be going back and in reality I'm happy he is leaving though I'm sure I'll be teary eyed again on Monday when I realize he is gone and so grown up now. But, we still exercise some control. Michael Jordan has a method we use, he told his son that he had to call home at least once a week. If that 7th day comes and no phone call is received, don't worry about it. Expect Dad and Mom to be at your door on the 8th.

Very effective.

Keys, Phones and Tickets, Growing Up!

My 18 year old came home for Thanksgiving last week. He is a first semester student at Kansas City Art Institute and is adjusting to living away and far (we are in Houston Tx) from home. He had a wonderful time visiting friends, family and in general being a kid again. Saturday came to soon for his dad and I and we put him on the plane wondering at how we made such an amazing guy. About an hour later we were reminded that no matter how amazing he is he is still adjusting to living independantly!

5:30 - Plane leaves Houston for Kansas City

5:35 - Grandma finds his dorm key at her house

5:40 - Send him a text telling him so he will know when he lands, dorms don't officially open until tomorrow there may not be anyone there to let him in.

7:40 - Frantic text from son asking what to do, call him and advise him to call all friends in dorm and see if anyone is there, if not try to find security.

7:45 - Call him back to tell him to stay in hotel, Continental Airlines answers his phone, evidently he left it in the bathroom. Braindead airline employee doesn't think to page him until I ask him to.

7:50 - Son calls has phone now, sounds rattled.....

8:00 - Son calls again, "When did I park here at the airport?" has lost parking ticket to pay with.

9:00 - Son calls for final time, got lost on the way back to school but did find RA to let him in his room

9:05 - Mom pours massive glass of wine........

Parenthood is a wonderful thing that never ends......