mcmama's comments

Paris Hilton Asks Governor For Pardon - Blog Entry

08 May 2007 09:13 AM

I guess if she hits anyone and they sue, and don't settle, her mom will also think its just about all the money they spent too. I have known people who were killed by drunk drivers, and also a friend from my teens who lives with a permanent disability due to being mowed down on a sidewalk.

Aw, gee, pouty pout, this is so unfairrrrrr!

Frugal Cleaning: Using Lemons - Blog Entry

07 May 2007 07:12 AM

What a great idea! I love using baking soda for cleaning and gentle scrubbing, and combining that with lemon makes good use of both the acid and the alkaline properties of each.

Disney News: This is Disturbing - Blog Entry

07 May 2007 06:06 AM

I have cablevision, and am not aware of this happening in this part of NJ. This is probably not so much a problem with Disney channel as it is with the cable provider fouling things up. But since disney protects its property so well, they likely have grounds for legal action - and the threat of that will clean up the cable provider's mess real quick.

Concerns of Public Education: G = Gifted Students - Blog Entry

06 May 2007 10:36 PM

This is a good article, and a concern that is shared by many. So many times the gifted students are ignored, because there is an idea that the cream will rise to the top anyway so why bother being "elitist"

My kids went through private school, as more bright students left the public school in our town. One parent of a gifted youngster has been trying to put her daughter in public school and each time comes away feeling she has to go to private school instead because of the low expectations here. It is as if the unofficial motto of the high school is "so what's wrong with junior college". She had her daughter in a great montessori school through sixth grade, and then took a look at the public middle school. Upon learning the girl had been at the montessori, the principal said "oh, those are terrible schools, but don;t worry, we'll straighten her out!" So they went to an independent school instead - and are likely to remain in private schools. My friend didn't like the assumption that her daughter had to be "straightened out" when she had done very well and excelled way above grade level with the montessori.

Another Reason NOT To Drive In New York City - Blog Entry

23 Apr 2007 02:38 PM

BTW, I would rather drive in Manhattan than in northern NJ, and often take the car in when we are there for a visit. After 9/11 and the power blackout (we were there for the blackout) I want several options available to me for getting out of the city as quickly as possible. During the blackout, the car was the best option.

Another Reason NOT To Drive In New York City - Blog Entry

23 Apr 2007 02:35 PM

It's a dumb idea and will not go further than talk. It really slams the outer boros, whose residents already pay ridiculous tolls and parking. Same for northern NJ where there is no rail connection and you depend on busses or long train rides to hubs that are far away from where you need to connect to, and long island as well for the same reason. Would be different if mass transit were a better option, but it just doesn't work.

Also, a tax on trucks who make deliveries and taxi drivers will just drive the cost of living in Manhattan up for everyone. He should find a better long term solution.

Handwriting Without Tears - Blog Entry

18 Mar 2007 06:49 AM

Being dysgraphic, I really think the use of manipulatives is so very important. Some children just do not have the hand to eye to brain wiring complete by the primary grades, and I was one of those.

What would have helped me would have been a lot of tracing and building - dysgraphic students are often confused by the direction and linking of strokes in cursive. This is why we have little ears on our loops, and our penmanship does not connect letters very well.

Back in the day, students copied the teacher - on the board. To me, the large vertical motions I watched being formed on the blackboard had little relevance to the smaller horizontal motions on my paper. The visual just did not connect to the motion.

My Own Theories on Baby Memories - Blog Entry

10 Mar 2007 08:12 PM

Yes, Joe knew my voice too. In those days I had to fight very hard to have him stay in the room. I walked down to the nursery, reminded the nurses that they had agreed to bring him "on demand" and then showed them that he was "demanding" at the top of his lungs. They picked him up and when he heard my voice he stopped screaming, took a big breath, and smiled that big openmouth gerberbaby newborn smile as best he could while turning his head toward me.

You'd think they live just in the moment, but they remember your voice from being in the womb.

My Own Theories on Baby Memories - Blog Entry

09 Mar 2007 07:30 PM

My youngest son had surgery at 6 weeks and 6 months. He also had a series of ultrasounds, and renal scans. For the first 3 years of his life, the sight of anyone in a white lab coat put him off. So did photographers.

My pediatrician never wore a lab coat for just that reason, and neither did anyone in her office. Always teddy bears or mickey mouse, or something like that.

5 Practical Tips for Your Short Term Missions Trips - Blog Entry

05 Mar 2007 08:24 AM

Thank you valorie, this is very valuable. There is so much to be gained by respect - I have found that in some cultures in the USA if you go in wearing a t shirt with any humorous comment that would be fine elsewhere they think you are laughing at them - so it is best to be plain and simple.

You are a stranger, you are a guest. It is really vital to never lose site of that in a short term project