November 11th, 2009
T-One Hard At Work
Earlier this school year I received T-One’s NJ ASK scores which test elementary school age children in NJ in language arts and math. The scores are grouped into three categories: “partially proficient” (which is just a pc way to say that the child scored below standard), “proficient” and “advanced proficient”. T-One scored at the upper end of the “proficient”. I must admit when I saw the scores I was both a little surprised and a little disappointed. The girl does so many things so well and things seem to come so naturally to her that it comes as a small shock when she’s deemed “average” at anything.
Of course as parents we think our kids are extraordinary at everything, both good and bad. In my mind, no kid is a better athlete than T-One, no kid is more creative than C-Thunda and no kids are more beautiful than either of them. There’s also the flip side. No kids get into more mischief or are as sassy or are as hair-grayingly maddening as my children. They are extraordinary in every way. But average they ain’t. At least, in my mind.
So when I opened the envelope containing T-One’s NJ ASK scores, I was a little baffled. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: gifted and talented, perception, school stuff, self-image
Posted in Bragadocious, Lemons Into Lemonade | 5 Comments »
October 29th, 2009
My webservice updated to a newer version of Wordpress and in the process many of the links and functions (i.e. print button) are not working. I’ll try and fix it asap.
Oh and I will be back to regular posting. I have been preoccupied with the normal course of life so I haven’t been posting like I should. More to come.
Tags: tech trouble
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
September 17th, 2009
What a great father/daughter moment. The below article is from Yahoo.com:
Push aside Tim Lincecum and his puppy and reset the adorable meter! This clip of Emily Monforto tossing away a baseball like an old Tastykake wrapper during Tuesday’s game against Washington is currently sweeping the Internet and broadcast world. (Not to mention inspiring at least 842,345 “hey, she’s just training for the day she starts throwing Duracells” and “maybe mom is a Cubs fan” jokes.)
The three-year-old’s direct disposal came directly after her dad Steve made a great grab of his first foul ball and was followed by an “Isn’t She Lovely?” hug that will melt even the darkest heart. I’d say so much for having a family keepsake, but watching as your darling daughter steals the hearts of every highlight show and blog definitely makes for a much better memory.
UPDATE: NBC Philadelphia just caught up with the Monfortos. Steve says that he and Emily often play catch at home and that her throw was natural instinct kicking in:
“I think she was startled by the reaction of the fans around us — there was a collective gasp,” said Monforto. “She was also startled by the look on my face. I just wanted to let her know it was OK — that she didn’t do anything wrong.”
Tags: sports
Posted in Grasshoppers And Birds | No Comments »
July 13th, 2009
I’ve recently been reading alot about the intagible force some of us posses to be able to push through adversity when it presents itself. Thing One displayed the force during her 9th birthday party. She was sick as a dog and literally wanted to cancel her own birthday party. But she pulled through not to disappoint all the folks who were “depending” on her to be happy about her birthday.
Thing One: Birthday Trooper
After witnessing her valiant effort, I thought to myself, man I want to be like Thing One when I grow up. She has the wherewithal to ignore her own discomfort for the sake of others’ comfort. I don’t know where she picked that up from but isn’t it a neat trait. Trooper!
Next time around I hope she feels better. Or at least doesn’t feel like she’ll be disappointing others if she happens to allow herself to be sick. What a great kid.
[Interesting side note: I told her I bought her two books today. She was so appreciative she said she would pay me back the $14 in installments. I told her there was no need for payback. What a great kid!]
Posted in Bragadocious | 1 Comment »
June 24th, 2009
Maria... working; photo courtesy: Guerrilla Fitness
Suzanne Somers has a goal. She wants to be sexy and sultry and still looking like she’s in her 40’s at the ripe old age of 110. But her path to get there is somewhat unusual.
Suzanne’s path, featured in Newsweek magazine with a cover that read, “Crazy Talk: Oprah, Wacky Cures and You”, was quite amusing. The article chronicled Oprah’s guests, Suzanne among them, and their questionable health and fitness advice. I think what the article correctly points out is these folks’ mere appearance on Oprah’s show lend them instant credibility. It’s a testament to Oprah’s influence. An influence surpassed by very few.
In particular the article talks about Suzanne and her, to put it mildly, alternative approach to staying youthful including inserting hormones directly into her vagina. The article clearly paints Suzanne and many other celebrity and pseudo-health care professional guests of Oprah as a little wacky to say the least.
What’s clearly evident, and the article only confirms this, is that we are all looking for answers. But there is something peculiar about the human condition where we will shun the simple for the complex. Seems to me, Suzanne and Oprah’s typical guest and Oprah fans are either touting or looking for a magic pill. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not picking on Oprah and her followers. They reflect the thoughts and desires of most of us – we want the easy way out. When it comes to our bodies and our longevity, this is especially true. For women who want to take a few years off their appearance, Oprah will have some dude come on her show willing to sew, with a needle and thread, someones face tighter. But I’ll let you go read the article.
There are plenty of healthy and youthful looking people in the world. And the vast majority of them have followed some similar path to getting there. What is the common denominator?
Work.
It’s pretty much that simple. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: health & fitness, Ms. Jones, Protector, work
Posted in Buttered Bagels, Dying On The Treadmill | No Comments »
June 4th, 2009
Author Michael Lewis tells us how it’s inevitable that we will mess our kids up, no matter what we do.
Tags: Protector, Provider
Posted in Do-It-Yourself Parenting | No Comments »
