Monday, June 30, 2008
Working With Special Education
I work in the school district as an instructional aide for special education children. I never had a desire ever for this type of work and only landed in the position by accident, but I have to admit, it has been one of my favorite jobs. Special needs children are remarkable. They are loving, kind, funny, caring, needy, and just plain awesome to be around. I actually prefer the high school students over elementary. I enjoy watching them live to the best of their ability. Of course some have greater skill capacity than others, but all have their own special gifts and talents. Today, one boy, very autistic, no language, grabbed a chunk of my hair and held on for dear life. He was troubled about something and I could see the fire in his eyes. Known for biting I called out for help and when the other aide came over and asked what she should do, I just as calm as ever said, "tickle him." I really don't know where that came from but that was the response he elicited in me. I didn't want to hit him, or smack him across the room. I turned it into a game and he let go of my hair.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Personality Change
My niece, Marie, 12 years old, came to stay with my mom for a week. During that time I hung out with them. We went to Santa Barbara on a train. We shopped til we dropped. We saw a few movies and we went swimming with my grand daughter Polly. Marie was on her best behavior. She was out to please. But at the end of the week when her mom drove out to pick her up, Marie's whole personality changed. She became a whiner, a martyr, a victim, and annoying. I could not believe the difference in her personality. It was actually quite interesting. I have always said that children behave differently when they are around their parents, but Marie is 12 years old. Shouldn't she be over it by now? It is sad to watch children nowadays take advantage of their parents; driving their parents crazy, acting like a 2 year old. They might as well lay on the floor, kicking and screaming. But, isn't the reality, they learn it from us? Aren't we as parents, aunts, and grandmothers, the role models? We are the ones who need to grow up. We need to quit manipulating the system. We think we are mature and yet it is us grownups who are always whining, complaining, crying, and throwing miserable self pity parties. The sad fact is, kids learn it from us. I learned a lot from Marie during that day. I will try to set a better example.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Buying a Mobile Home & Happy About It
Well, the house search has ended with the purchase of a mobile home. Who would have thought? And in a senior park even. (My husband turns 55 next month and even though I am only 45, it doesn't matter. Only one resident has to be a senior.) I favored a mobile home for its simplicity. My husband wanted a house for resale value. I can't imagine spending the rest of my already busy life cleaning a house and doing yard work. Doesn't he know I work at home? Who has time for house maintenance when there is so much money to be made online. Men! Anyway, we didn't qualify for a house. So we had no other choice. I got what I wanted by default. And I am very, very happy!
Sunday, June 22, 2008
It's hard not to worry!
Seems like every morning I wake up to fight thoughts of fear. It seems like every person in my life gives me a reason to be afraid. I know if I jump out of bed proclaiming God and how great He is, I can change my thoughts from fear into faith. I know this. So why do I wake up some mornings and give into my fearful thoughts? I had three calls from Joshua's girlfriend telling me she can't find him anywhere. I know he he is at risk. Who couldn't know that. Watch him after a few hours without a beer. He can't talk, he looks dazed, he starts sweating; it is the craziest thing I have ever seen and dealt with in my life; an alcoholic. My son has shed new light on alcoholism and the disease. I was told once that if you lock up 30 alcoholics in one room and 30 drug addicts in another, in the morning you will have 30 very angry drug addicts and 30 dead alcoholics. I believe it now. God please protect my son and heal his body. It has gotten to the point where only you can help him. Nothing any one can do will be enough; only you Lord.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Exterior Wood Shutters
Let your creative mind capture the essence of excellence and beauty by embellishing your exterior windows with shutters. Who would have thought that something as simple as a window treatment could create the appearance of a home found nestled in the backwoods down a windy road? You know the look; the house that takes your breath away? The house that screams, "Buy me!" Shutters, as old a concept as apple pie, if done right, can be that one extra addition to your home that says, "That's it!"; the one final ingredient that ties it all together. Following a few simple guidelines you too can marvel at the magnificence of a new set of wood shutters.
Shutters come in many shapes and sizes as well as colors and textures. Buying the right shutter is not always easy. Do your homework and shop around. There is a certain shutter made just for your home and with the proper due diligence you will find it. Do not settle for less than the absolute best. Your home always deserves quality.
Choosing your shutter material will take some research. Choosing wood shutters has the added benefit of prestige. There is a difference between pre-colored vinyl and paintable vinyl versus paintable wood. Wood shutters have a lot more character. Wood shutters can be stained showing their natural wood grain.
The size of your pocketbook will determine which type of wood shutter you can afford. If you have a plastic injection mold pocketbook, pine, or poplar would be the less expensive choice. Cedar and redwood have the advantage of aging well. If you do nothing to them, they get better looking. Old barns in the 1800's were built out of cedar and redwood. Today they do not tear these barns down, they disassemble them, resurface the wood, and resale it. You can stain or use lacquer on redwood and cedar, or put it up as natural wood.
Out in nature, redwood without a seal gets very dark and often obtains black streaks. Western cedar will turn a very pretty fox gray. Whatever route you choose, you are sure to find the shutters with the exquisite appearance you are searching for. With so many choices, you are bound to come out a winner.
To increase the lifespan of your shutters do an annual inspection to ensure the product quality does not lapse over time. Checking for cracks, splits, rot, or any other type of damage will allow you to mend the problem quickly before it gets out of hand. If your shutters are stationary remove them every few years and inspect the backsides.
Staining your shutters, which reveals their natural wood, lasts a lot longer than paint. Although a beautiful coat of white paint looks great against your homes white panel board, you will surely need to repaint those shutters every now and then. It is up to you to determine how much the appearance of your home is worth. For a great looking home, a little hard work every once in a while, is always the best option.
Exterior shutters could be the difference between elegant and adequate. Why not go the extra distance and really spruce it up. Add a few wood shutters to your home dcor and soon you'll own the house that screams, "Buy me." Add a touch of country charm or a rugged woodland appeal, then sit back and relax at a job well done.
Shutters come in many shapes and sizes as well as colors and textures. Buying the right shutter is not always easy. Do your homework and shop around. There is a certain shutter made just for your home and with the proper due diligence you will find it. Do not settle for less than the absolute best. Your home always deserves quality.
Choosing your shutter material will take some research. Choosing wood shutters has the added benefit of prestige. There is a difference between pre-colored vinyl and paintable vinyl versus paintable wood. Wood shutters have a lot more character. Wood shutters can be stained showing their natural wood grain.
The size of your pocketbook will determine which type of wood shutter you can afford. If you have a plastic injection mold pocketbook, pine, or poplar would be the less expensive choice. Cedar and redwood have the advantage of aging well. If you do nothing to them, they get better looking. Old barns in the 1800's were built out of cedar and redwood. Today they do not tear these barns down, they disassemble them, resurface the wood, and resale it. You can stain or use lacquer on redwood and cedar, or put it up as natural wood.
Out in nature, redwood without a seal gets very dark and often obtains black streaks. Western cedar will turn a very pretty fox gray. Whatever route you choose, you are sure to find the shutters with the exquisite appearance you are searching for. With so many choices, you are bound to come out a winner.
To increase the lifespan of your shutters do an annual inspection to ensure the product quality does not lapse over time. Checking for cracks, splits, rot, or any other type of damage will allow you to mend the problem quickly before it gets out of hand. If your shutters are stationary remove them every few years and inspect the backsides.
Staining your shutters, which reveals their natural wood, lasts a lot longer than paint. Although a beautiful coat of white paint looks great against your homes white panel board, you will surely need to repaint those shutters every now and then. It is up to you to determine how much the appearance of your home is worth. For a great looking home, a little hard work every once in a while, is always the best option.
Exterior shutters could be the difference between elegant and adequate. Why not go the extra distance and really spruce it up. Add a few wood shutters to your home dcor and soon you'll own the house that screams, "Buy me." Add a touch of country charm or a rugged woodland appeal, then sit back and relax at a job well done.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Ideas for improving the United States education system
Rapidly declining moral standards are partly to blame for the breakdown in our education system. Not just with the students but with the parents and teachers as well. Because we are the melting pot of the world we have more and more of an influx of different nationalities coming into our country. The language barrier grows wider and wider as the new people come in but, the real issue is not the communication obstacle, it is our lack of family morals, values and ethics.
Let's start with the family and create higher moral standards. Families with strong values create ambitious, creative, career minded students. Peaceful homes give children clear minds to think with. How can a child concentrate in school after dad just cursed out mom because the laundry wasn't done?
Kids are too angry these days and parents are at fault. It isn't about a certain religion, race, creed, color or nationality it is about a lack of careful, concerned, considerate, compassionate and caring parents. It starts in the home.
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We can't blame it on the outsiders anymore. Our country is the one known for freedom of speech, free will, and fight for what you think is right regardless of how it affects your neighbor. We rid of prayer in the schools because Bill doesn't believe in Jesus. We get rid of the pledge of allegiance because Alice doesn't believe in God. We take out the Ten Commandments and the crosses because Harold is offended. Yet if you go to Japan or other countries they don't tolerate this kind of division.
It seems other countries put their foot down to intruders. They keep the children focused on education, ethics and values and they force those who oppose to stay out of the way. They have a government people might not agree with but they show respect towards. Here we have politicians openly slandering our president on television. Children are not shown respect for elders or how to get along.
They watch adults fight, argue, and strive to disagree. We are their role models yet we fail to model anything desirable. We want our children to go to school and get good jobs yet we are lazy. Americans want top dollar for working less hours. We want to find the get rich quick scheme that will afford us a life of luxury and early retirement. Kids need to see us acting like dynamic members of society if they are ever going to become productive citizens themselves.
Children are like sponges. They soak up knowledge in the first six years of life faster than any year after that. It is important to teach them when they are young how to properly behave when they are older. We've all heard the proverb, train up a child in the way he should go and when he us old he will not depart from it, but we are training them in all the wrong information.
They see us drink, smoke, divorce, steal, covet, argue and boast about how great we are. Children need to see humility and love. They need us to teach values and morals, good work ethics and how to treat our neighbors as ourselves. It is amusing to see all the wasted time children spend trying to get better from their childhood almost as if they are healing from an epidemic. Why can't we spare them countless years of therapy by being the responsible people we should be now while they depend on us.
Let's start with the family and create higher moral standards. Families with strong values create ambitious, creative, career minded students. Peaceful homes give children clear minds to think with. How can a child concentrate in school after dad just cursed out mom because the laundry wasn't done?
Kids are too angry these days and parents are at fault. It isn't about a certain religion, race, creed, color or nationality it is about a lack of careful, concerned, considerate, compassionate and caring parents. It starts in the home.
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We can't blame it on the outsiders anymore. Our country is the one known for freedom of speech, free will, and fight for what you think is right regardless of how it affects your neighbor. We rid of prayer in the schools because Bill doesn't believe in Jesus. We get rid of the pledge of allegiance because Alice doesn't believe in God. We take out the Ten Commandments and the crosses because Harold is offended. Yet if you go to Japan or other countries they don't tolerate this kind of division.
It seems other countries put their foot down to intruders. They keep the children focused on education, ethics and values and they force those who oppose to stay out of the way. They have a government people might not agree with but they show respect towards. Here we have politicians openly slandering our president on television. Children are not shown respect for elders or how to get along.
They watch adults fight, argue, and strive to disagree. We are their role models yet we fail to model anything desirable. We want our children to go to school and get good jobs yet we are lazy. Americans want top dollar for working less hours. We want to find the get rich quick scheme that will afford us a life of luxury and early retirement. Kids need to see us acting like dynamic members of society if they are ever going to become productive citizens themselves.
Children are like sponges. They soak up knowledge in the first six years of life faster than any year after that. It is important to teach them when they are young how to properly behave when they are older. We've all heard the proverb, train up a child in the way he should go and when he us old he will not depart from it, but we are training them in all the wrong information.
They see us drink, smoke, divorce, steal, covet, argue and boast about how great we are. Children need to see humility and love. They need us to teach values and morals, good work ethics and how to treat our neighbors as ourselves. It is amusing to see all the wasted time children spend trying to get better from their childhood almost as if they are healing from an epidemic. Why can't we spare them countless years of therapy by being the responsible people we should be now while they depend on us.
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Flirting is an art. Flirting the proper way can be a challenge. As long as you flirt with all the right intentions, the receiver of your flirtation is not likely to be led on. Leading a person on by improper flirting is prone to disaster. Paying attention to your manner of flirting will help you avoid giving off the wrong impression and save you countless hours of explaining at home.
Never stare into the eyes of the opposite sex unless your plans are to take that person home. Staring into someones eyes says far more to them than any words could express. If you have a flirtatious personality, and some people do, when you are conversing with someone you are not interested in, occasionally look away. Staring into their eyes is leading them on so avoid the mutual gaze at all cost.
Do not touch or put your hands on the body of a person you are talking to unless you plan to give off the wrong signal. Physical contact of any kind can lead a person on. If you are having a discussion with a member of the opposite sex and your motive is completely platonic, hands off. It is amazing how much energy flows from one person to another just by a simple touch of the hand. If you do not want to lead someone on keep your hands to yourself.
Don't go searching for acceptance from the opposite sex unless you're looking for a relationship. If your self esteem is so low that you desperately seek attention from anyone who will notice you, you are definitely setting yourself up for trouble. If your wife doesn't seem to be interested in your latest accomplishment, don't run out and tell the bank teller. She will definitely get the wrong impression and think you are leading her on. Why else would you be sharing your life with her? Women love men who communicate. If your wife won't listen to you, call your mother.
Never hover over a home repairman who is fixing your toilet when your husband is gone. Never invite the gardener in for a glass of water. Stay as far away from the pool man as you can. A man might know you are married, he might even know your husband, but if you give him the wrong impression by hanging around while he is working, it will be your fault when he makes an inappropriate move. Innocent flirting is never without consequence. You might not be interested in him, but that won't stop him from becoming interested in you. If the plumber is under your sink, go pull weeds from the garden.
Pay attention. Know the company you keep. People come from many different backgrounds. Talking to one person in one way might prove a total disaster with someone else. A man right out of a relationship might be looking for a rebound. He might hear a flirtation in your voice that leads him on, that you never meant to give. A woman whose husband is having an affair might latch onto the smallest hope of interest. Just be careful who you talk to and the manner in which you converse.
If you know you tend to flirt, why not tell the person up front. Giving a heads up to the one you are talking to will protect you if your flirting gets out of hand. Laying down the ground rules will prevent an innocent person from becoming a victim of your overly friendly personality.
Flirting only leads to trouble. Be careful. Leading someone on can lead to a potential fatal attraction. Giving someone the wrong impression could turn around and bite you in the backside. If you have a flirtatious personality and you can't help it, it might be best just to keep your mouth shut.
Never stare into the eyes of the opposite sex unless your plans are to take that person home. Staring into someones eyes says far more to them than any words could express. If you have a flirtatious personality, and some people do, when you are conversing with someone you are not interested in, occasionally look away. Staring into their eyes is leading them on so avoid the mutual gaze at all cost.
Do not touch or put your hands on the body of a person you are talking to unless you plan to give off the wrong signal. Physical contact of any kind can lead a person on. If you are having a discussion with a member of the opposite sex and your motive is completely platonic, hands off. It is amazing how much energy flows from one person to another just by a simple touch of the hand. If you do not want to lead someone on keep your hands to yourself.
Don't go searching for acceptance from the opposite sex unless you're looking for a relationship. If your self esteem is so low that you desperately seek attention from anyone who will notice you, you are definitely setting yourself up for trouble. If your wife doesn't seem to be interested in your latest accomplishment, don't run out and tell the bank teller. She will definitely get the wrong impression and think you are leading her on. Why else would you be sharing your life with her? Women love men who communicate. If your wife won't listen to you, call your mother.
Never hover over a home repairman who is fixing your toilet when your husband is gone. Never invite the gardener in for a glass of water. Stay as far away from the pool man as you can. A man might know you are married, he might even know your husband, but if you give him the wrong impression by hanging around while he is working, it will be your fault when he makes an inappropriate move. Innocent flirting is never without consequence. You might not be interested in him, but that won't stop him from becoming interested in you. If the plumber is under your sink, go pull weeds from the garden.
Pay attention. Know the company you keep. People come from many different backgrounds. Talking to one person in one way might prove a total disaster with someone else. A man right out of a relationship might be looking for a rebound. He might hear a flirtation in your voice that leads him on, that you never meant to give. A woman whose husband is having an affair might latch onto the smallest hope of interest. Just be careful who you talk to and the manner in which you converse.
If you know you tend to flirt, why not tell the person up front. Giving a heads up to the one you are talking to will protect you if your flirting gets out of hand. Laying down the ground rules will prevent an innocent person from becoming a victim of your overly friendly personality.
Flirting only leads to trouble. Be careful. Leading someone on can lead to a potential fatal attraction. Giving someone the wrong impression could turn around and bite you in the backside. If you have a flirtatious personality and you can't help it, it might be best just to keep your mouth shut.
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