What, me worry about reaching my demographic? Heck, no!

I was mistaken.

Last piece of paper I looked at has an actual homework assignment for me.  When I originally glanced at that sheet of paper, I thought it was referring to my "homework" of signing the 872 papers The Boy brought home.  But no.  I have actual homework.  My assignment?  Write a letter to the 6th grade teaching staff and tell them all about my son. 

Sigh.

I hate homework.

So naturally, the first thing I did was nothing.  Procrastination is always the best in these situations.  Next, I worried about it.  Finally, I hunkered down and slammed something out.  Here's what I came up with.  Of course, I have taken few liberties here, for your pure entertainment, but basically, I figured you might like to know how great The Boy really is. 

Dear 6th Grade Team:

My name is Nothing Fancy.  My son, The Boy is a 6th grade student at Average Middle School.  Thank  you for allowing me the opportunity to share with you information about The Boy and his family.  Naturally, I won't be able to conclude this letter without offering quite a few brags about my son as well.

The Boy lives in Hometown with me, his stepfather and his 22-month old brother, H.  He is an amazing big brother who loves playing with and caring for his little brother.  In fact, I don't think it's a stretch to say that The Boy and H are best friends, in spite of their age difference.  On the weekends, we enjoy spending time together as a family, whether visiting relatives, playing games, watching movies or simply kicking back and reading a favorite book.  In the summers, we love vacationing at the beach.

The Boy spends every other weekend and every other Thursday with The JA (AKA The Jack-you-know-what) his dad and stepmonstermother who live in Redneckville.  They enjoy swimming in the above ground tpt pool, hanging out with low-rent friends and visiting relatives in that OTHER state each summer. 

The Boy is a very bright, well-mannered and sensitive young man.  He is an introvert who is uneasy making new friends, but is well liked among his peers.  He enjoys reading, creative writing and art.  Actually, you'll never find The Boy without a book in hand.  Fantasy fiction and mysteries are his favorite genres.  On any given day, he might be in the process of reading two or more books.

Because of his love of reading, writing and art, The Boy excels in Language Arts, History and Art classes.  Last year, he gained a new appreciation for Math class thanks to his enthusiastic math teacher, and as a result, excelled in that subject as well.  Overall, The Boy has succeeded academically in the past.  He tends to put undue pressure on himself to succeed and seeks constant reinforcement from his teachers and parents.  As a parent, I would like to see The Boy show more enthusiasm, build confidence and overcome some of his inhibitions so that he can feel more at ease making friends.

Although not a lover of sports, The Boy does enjoy swimming and has played soccer with the Hometown Soccer League for 7 seasons.  He is one of the top goalkeepers on his team and prefers the goal keeping position to all others.  Other hobbies include playing chess, reading, playing the occasional game on his DS Lite, reading, and listening to music.  Did I mention that The Boy loves to read?

The Boy is looking forward to a great year at Average Middle School.  I am hopeful that he will continue to succeed academically and will begin to feel more comfortable making friends.  Thank you in advance for your commitment to working with my son to ensure his success!

Sincerely,

Nothing Fancy

Yes, I think it is very useful information for the teacher to have. Many children will exhibit different emotions during their parent's illness that may affect their schoolwork.   Some children have difficulty concentrating, some may become tearful, and some may become easily angered and may take that out on their classmates.  It is important for a teacher to understand what the child is experiencing at home as this may impact their behavior.  The information allows a teacher to take it into consideration if they need disciplining or their grades are suffering. 

I chose to tell both my children's teachers. For my child in elementary school I had a one on one conversation. For my teen/middle schooler at the time I emailed all of her teachers and her school counselor. I feel there are so many issues that middle schooler/high schoolers have to deal with and so many students that the teachers have to deal with that it just gave them a heads up. I also asked them to feel free to email me if they saw any concerns.

I feel that sometimes even after we do not look sick anymore it may still be beneficial to let the teacher know what they have been going through, espcially for our younger ones. My now 8 year old was still showing signs of stress and anxiety last year. The teacher just felt he was immature and not paying attention. I am hoping that he will have a better year and a more understanding teacher!!!

Lynnette Wilhardt and 2 of the youth leaders from our local Kids Konnected group are going to be on the Today Show this Friday, September 5th. They all contributed to the new book:

Love Sick:  Teens Journal about Growing up with a Parent with Cancer

Here is a link from an article in the LA Times on the organization also. As with all non-profits in these tough times - they are in need of support to keep helping children and teens who have parent with or that have passed from cancer. They have groups around the country but need donations to keep them going as well as donations to send kids to camp and to send out Hope the Bear packages.

Please keep them in mind if you are looking for a way to help .....

Yesterday, a very unhappy husband called me and bemoaned, "I tried
my hardest to help my wife.  She is so afraid to try anything new.  I
only want to help her become less scared."

We describe the healthcare profession as a "helping" profession.  I
like to think in my life coaching profession, I "help" others to
create the outcomes in their lives they truly want.

For the past 13 years, I have been a member of a "service club"
(Rotary) whose motto is "service above self."  I began to think of the
differences between helping others and being of service to them or
serving them.

Serving others is quite different than helping them.  When you help
someone, you are functioning from a position of greater power.  You
have information, a skill or abilities that the person you are helping
does not.  Your helping position is one of greater ability than
theirs.  It is a position of inequality. You are stronger than the
person you are helping who has lesser strength. Others sense this
unequal relationship. Being aware of this inequality helps you to
understand why the fearful wife resents, or rebels against, the
husband who "is only trying to help" her.

When I "help" someone else, I may be inadvertently diminishing their
self-confidence, their belief in themselves or their self-esteem. 
Every nurse who has ever helped a patient, has experienced the
patient's resentment at being helped.  Having someone help you roll
over in bed does very little to build your confidence in your own
ability to roll over.  Some patient "helpers" become victims
themselves of an angry patient's resistance to treatment, resistance
to being fed, anger at being poked, jabbed or held down...even for
their own good or safety.

Helping often incurs obligation.  When you help somebody, they "owe
you one."  Guilt is resentment over perceived and unwanted
obligations.  When I allow someone to help me, I might feel obligated
to return the favor and guilty if I don't.  Helping others invites
them to feel guilty as the recipient of your help.

Helping can also be controlling of others.  If I attempt to fix
somebody else through my helping, it implies judging them to be broken
in some way and unable to fix themselves.  Rachel Naomi Remen, Medical
Director of Commonweal Cancer Help Program, writes: "In fixing there
is an inequality of expertise that can easily become a moral
distance."

By contrast, "service" is a relationship between equals.  It is
mutual.  I am benefited by the person I am serving.  Serving is
responding to and collaborating with one another.

Mother Teresa is the shining example of service.  She connects with
and involves herself with those she serves.  She does not attempt to
"fix them."  Rather, she serves them.  I believe healing others only
occurs through the service we render to them.  And in that service, we
also are healed.  It is in the relationship, the connection we have
with those whom we serve, that any kind of healing occurs.

Many in the helping professions help without serving.  Many others
fix without serving.  Spouses and parents try and help without
realizing their helpfulness may not serve the best interests of the
other.

Remen writes, "Service rests on the basic premise that the nature of
life is sacred, that life is a holy mystery which has an unknown
purpose.  When we serve, we know that we belong to life and to that
purpose.  When you help you see life as weak, when you fix, you see
life as broken.  When you serve, you see life whole."  May we each
seek "service above self."  In doing so we are healed, made whole, and
experience life as complete.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Dr. Thomas is a licensed psychologist, author, speaker, and life
coach.  He serves on the faculty of the International University of
Professional Studies. He recently co-authored (with Patrick Williams)
the book: "Total Life Coaching: 50+ Life Lessons, Skills and
Techniques for Enhancing Your Practice...and Your Life!"

Lloyd J. Thomas, Ph.D. has 30+ years experience as a Life Coach and
Licensed Psychologist.  He is available for coaching in any area
presented in "Practical Psychology."  Initial coaching sessions are
free. 

E-mail: DrLloyd@CreatingLeaders.com.

We have a large number of kids who come on Sunday nights so the youth is divided into two groups.  At 6:00 the junior high kids (6th through 8th) have a worship service and the senior high kids just hang out.  At 7:00 they switch.  We are in between youth ministers right now and we have these incredible college students who are filling in while we're looking for the perfect fit.  Last night was April's turn to speak and her topic was worrying.

She had called Katie earlier in the week to ask her if she would be willing to come up on stage and talk about her worries from a few years ago.  Katie agreed so last night I stepped in to hear what she had to say.  I hate to be redundant, but she blew me away.

Katie will be 14 in less than two months.  She has a beautiful singing voice and I'm always amazed when she gets up and sings in front of a bunch of people.  But I'd never heard her speak in front of a crowd before.  My baby girl was replaced by an eloquent and poised young lady.  She said she was a little nervous speaking to the high school kids because they're older, but you sure couldn't tell.  She seemed so calm and confident and I was one very proud mama.

She told the audiences when she was ten her dad got a job in Pennsylvania so he quit his job in Little Rock.  She said how she worried about moving so far away and not knowing anybody.  She talked about how her mom got breast cancer before her dad had even started his new job and how she was worried her mother wasn't going to be around.  She said her father came home every other weekend and how afraid she was her relationship with "Daddy" was going to change and not be close anymore.  *sigh*  So much for a ten-year-old to worry about.  But she also talked about how her mom is okay now, how she has great friends and likes it up here, how she hasn't lost touch with her friends from Arkansas, and how she and her dad are as close as ever.

Apparently nobody told Dad what she was going to be talking about so it caught him totally unawares.  Poor guy.  I was standing on the opposite side of the tech booth and could hear him sniffing while one of the teenage boys who work in there with him was patting him on the back.  Thankfully I was prepared, though it still choked me up.  I'm not sure if it was because of what she said or because of the overwhelming pride I felt.  Probably a bit of both.

Or maybe it was simply the fact that she's okay.  All the trauma this family has been through and she's okay.  She didn't come away scarred.  She's a little less naive and a little more aware.  But she's okay.  And isn't that what every mother wants for her child?

Crossposted at Jenster's Musings

Fly Pentop Computer Screenshots

Originally uploaded by lewilson23

Shortly after launching the FLY Pentop Computer at Leapfrog, I joined EVB (Leapfrog's digital agency of record) and was tasked with producing the next evolution of the flypentop.com site (now flyworld.com). The site featured interactive product demos, a community for FLY users, a video showing teens talking about the product, and a mixmaster and poetry contest based on FLY software. The FLY pentop site won awards for its seemless interactive flash based video experience. Many have sense followed and this style is now a standard for immersive brand experiences.

Click here to see more screenshots from FLY pentop.com and my other online marketing intitiateves for LeapFrog.

The First Day of School
by RivkA

Your first day of school.

You did not need me to see you off.

I got up anyway.

You chose your own clothes.

You did a good job.

You made your own lunches.

And cleaned up after yourself.

You packed your bags.

OK, I helped with that.

You left the house, calmly.

You have done this many times before.

For the first time, I did not take your picture.

I am sorry.

You did not need to mark this day.

I did.

Theres Back to School Cards For you guys to Print and give out them to your school friends :)

 Basically  You can find it on The Log-in Menu:

By clicking the Yellow Ribbon Button Thing :lol: It will get you to the Page where you Type in your Cazmo!

It's also fun to See how Cazmo's look like you Can search Cazmo or Sonicron to see how they look like,Theres some glitches like there is no nose and Some shoes have diffrent Colors... Hopefully this will get Fixed! :)

If you have  Printer(LOL I Don't) Just PRINT! And show it to your friends or anyone you would like to give ;)

In other News!

Finnaly you can say "Ask,as,SAS,whole" And many words that is not bad :D Before if you said any of those words or more you would get a Warning and could get banned

-Zoom

~Spread the World~

“I’m actually the Principal at Heck..... L. Thomas Heck Middle School to be exact!

Kevin Sotomayor
Principal, Heck Middle School”

How weird is that?

L. Thomas Heck Middle School will occupy 20 acres and house 750 students in sixth through eighth grades. Tom Heck, who was superintendent for almost two decades until he retired in 2007, said it is an "incredible honor" to have the school named after him. He said he has high hopes for the middle school.

"It's the Litchfield way to include the community so that parents and kids feel like it's theirs," Heck said. Heck handpicked Kevin Sotomayor, principal at Palm Valley Elementary, to be the new school's principal.

"It's an exciting opportunity," Sotomayor said. "We get to work from Day 1 to make this something special. We get to shape its identity and make it a community school."

This is a far cry from the position of Bea “Elsa” Bubb, Heck’s Principal of Darkness, who views her dominion as a colossal burden, and would sooner suck rancid platypus eggs than make Heck anything remotely "community" based, unless that community was one comprised of venomous spiders and booby-trapped Parcheesi games. Here are some other differences:

Sotomayor said he wants parent and student involvement.

“My philosophy as an administrator is to have an open-door policy and take in everyone's opinions,” he said.

Principal Bubb wants parent and student disembowelment.

“My philosophy as a badministrator is to have an open-door policy…there’s the door…now why don’t you run along before I sic Cerberus on you? I’d love to take in your opinion, but I don’t take in the deluded ramblings of lobotomized monkeys,” she said.

Sotomayor is energetic, has a great sense of humor and is dedicated to bringing high academic standards to Heck.

Bubb, on the other claw, is bitter, sarcastic, and dedicated to bringing high-caloric hamsters into her gaping, fang-rimmed maw.

Here is a picture of various Arizonans breaking ground for the new school.

Fortunately, I couldn’t upload a picture of Bea “Elsa” Bubb breaking wind in her terrible, terrible school.

Each child has individual strengths and often when they see others excel at something they themselves wish was a strength of their own, this can lead to unconscious envy, ridicule and sometimes even bullying.  Kids don't mean to act out their frustration using these means, but if they aren't confident in their own abilities or encouraged to do their best, their self- esteem suffers which leads to acting out their lack of confidence in many other ways; this can also impact the choices they will make later in life when faced with peer pressure.

So what can a parent do to be aware of their child's insecurities and guide them toward strengthening their inner confidence?

• Encourage and acknowledge the accomplishments your child achieves.  Your son may not be the best player on the team, but by focusing on all of the things he did right, verses accentuating the mistakes he may have made, this will increase your child's confidence in his abilities.
• Make sure to correct your child's criticism of another as soon as you hear it.  We are all guilty of pointing out another person's flaws, especially when its something we do well ourselves, but by bringing your child's awareness to how hurtful her comments can be or pointing out the things the other child does right, she will learn to be kinder and gentler on herself when she makes a mistake.
• Don't shame your child or criticize their mistakes.  When a child falls short of an accomplishment they had hopes of achieving, they feel badly enough on their own without the added pressure or disapproval from a parent.  Again this is a time to point out all of the things they did right.  If your child needs to indulge in an emotional state for a time, allow them to move the feelings out of their body completely.  This will balance their inner self and prepare them for the next experience.

These are just a few ways parents can assist their child with building a stronger, more confident sense of self.  Children face a lot of challenges as they learn to grow into their bodies and if parents can tune into how their children relate to the world around them, they can empower their child to focus on building their own character from the inside out.  This will give them higher self- esteem and confidence which will ultimately decrease their need to bring other's down. 
©2008 by Tara Paterson, ACPIT Certified Coach for Parents of Intuitives, All Rights Reserved             
(co-author Parenting Intuitive Children, New Page Books, spring '09)

I haven't written about one of the topics close to my heart in a while--cutting and self-injury. Truth be told, it's not a particularly easy topic for me to cover. There's always that lion of temptation that haunts me even now, so I do have to be careful how much time I devote to writing about cutting (writing, as opposed to talking, is especially tricky because writing is a solitary activity).

Recently, one of my former professors, Dr. Phil Monroe, asked me to write a post about cutting for his blog, Wise Counsel. Since Dr. Monroe encouraged me in my writing while at seminary, I was honored to provide an informative post, which you can check out here-- On the Problem of Cutting :: Secret Under the Sleeve.

When I wrote about cutting a few months ago here on Atypical Musings, I had no idea that the post would have such an extraordinary response. "Cutting//Emo//Hope//God" wasn't a particularly eloquent post, nor do I feel it was one of my best. However, it's been read more than even my musings on Hannah Montana, imagine that!

It saddens me to know that there are still so many girls (and guys) out there wrestling with razor blades on their wrists. There are a ton of books and websites dedicated to this topic, but a lot of them seem to address the symptom (the cutting) and not the deeper issue (the reason behind the cutting). However, just dealing with cutting on its own and ending self-injurious behavior is a battle. I'd considering ways I can help share my own story with others, be an encouragement, and perhaps put my writing to good use. Please keep this in prayer if you are so inclined, but also pray for the thousands of teens who will cut themselves today--pray that they make the choice to stop and to get help.

Make Your Own Paper!

Make Your Own Home-Made Paper by recycling your unwanted bills and junkmail into custom-made personal stationery! The average American household receives over 100 pounds of unwanted junkmail every year---give it a noble use! This easy craft is courtesy of the fine people at Craft magazine.

• Little artists in your house will love having home-made paper for coloring and drawing, wrapping birthday presents or making greeting cards. 
• Try using cookie cutters to incorporate designs into your paper 
• Once you've created the tools to make paper, reusing junkmail for custom paper can become a regular family activity---and potentially a science fair project!

 Classic Cream Pie

This classic recipe deserves a "Best Use of Graham Crackers" award! (Actually, the last time I made it, I substituted Annie's organic baby crackers.)
Did you know graham crackers were named for Presbyterian minister Reverend Sylvester Graham, who touted the merits of a high-fiber, vegetarian diet and promoted the use of homemade, unsifted wheat flour instead of refined white flour? 
Enjoy this heirloom recipe (passed down from my Grandmother to you!) while you gather with the kids and grandparents to watch old Charlie Chaplin and Three Stooges classic "pie-in-the-face" movies. 
(For more family-friendly recipes, visit my other blog, UnassumingFoodie.com.)

Relatively few kids are heavy Net users. Furthermore, most are still into TV, books and "old fashioned" toys, as
well as tech-oriented entertainment, according to a new Packaged Facts report, "The Kids and Tweens Market in the U.S."

School is like test- mania. Every single day there's a test and a bagful of textbooks for homework and not a single second left for personal time!! Ugh... homework... school... teachers... friends... parents... people... animals... it's just so much!! I don't even have enough time to make this post long enough... so I gotta go. Byebye. Pray for my computer!!

When a user now attempts to visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mkP0fWg_qc, they are addressed with a legal message which states "This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Warner/Chappell Music Australia Pty Ltd". YouTube has responded by removing the videos.

Neither Channel Ten nor YouTube would comment on the circumstances, in light of a possibility that Australian Idol 2008 may be the last series on national television, following the footsteps of Big Brother. Media critics have also noted Australian Idol's "family-friendly" product placement is somehow out of line with it's actions in removing members of the Hillsong Church in consecutive weeks, once Channel Seven had revealed the Australian Idol Top 12 who admitted to being Christian.

Whyville is a virtual world for teens and pre-teens, and they have a contest going where virtual people attempt to solve anagrams based on Heck. The prize? “Clams, face parts, and projectiles.” Seriously. Apparently they are a hot commodity in Whyville. Who? You! What? A contest! When? Now! Where? Whyville!

I can't sleep, so after answering a few e-mails, I did what anyone suffering from insomnia would do--I looked up pictures of John Cusack on Google. I've been perusing through various pics of John Cusack from his gawky teen years in Better off Dead, to his coming into manhood in Say Anything, and his edgy films like Grosse Point Blank and High Fidelity, to the warmer, fuzzier Cusack starring in romantic comedies like Must Love Dogs, Serendipity and the heart-warming Martian Child. Yes, dear friends, John Cusack has come a long way. And, wow, I've seen a lot of John Cusack movies.

In fact, he's also on MySpace (profile link) and I was one of the first MySpacers to welcome him to town, for which I got a friendly private message from John Cusack himself (I think). I asked him if I could interview him for Backseat Writer, bu he didn't write back. Story of my life.

Take a trip with me down John Cusack lane and, you, too, can discover all the great information the Internet has to offer about this actor.

*This is a funny commentary about the "Cult of Cusack" and why women think he's hotter than Brad Pitt. It's circa-Must Love Dogs. She also cites John's work as Lloyd in Say Anything as the pivotal start of the cult.

*This is a humorous gall who wants to marry John Cusack (but doesn't think she ever will)...read her blog here.

*In the meantime, she can join The Society for the Future Ex-Wives of John Cusack...or she could have if it

didn't disappear from cyberspace altogether. Too bad; it was a really funny site.

*There's another site where I found out how compatible I am with Mr. Cusack. After entering my birthday, I discovered that I am a great match for John Cusack! We are totally compatible! Here are the astounding results--92% physical match, 85% emotional match, and 100% intellectual match, which means we are 92% overall match. Amazing!

*A link to a sad video about a guy who played Adam Sandler's "I Wanna Grow Old With You" (The Wedding Singer) to his beloved using the ol' boombox over the head maneuver that worked so well for Lloyd in Say Anything. He probably should've stuck with "In Your Eyes".

That's all for tonight, folks. I feel my eyelids starting to droop. Join me next time I can't sleep for more fascinating information about random celebrities.

Hosts Helen Raptis and Dave Anderson made me feel very much at home, or as at home as you can feel on a set made to look like a living room, surrounded by bright lights and cameras. And no need to adjust your monitor: I was wearing my Official Heck Outfit, scientifically designed to look as if I were engulfed in flame.

WATCH IT HERE!

Heck on TV

The Oregonian, in their August 10th edition, reviewed Heck, saying that it is "chock-full of clever references and plays on words that may be lost on younger readers." I, however, have faith in you, dear readers! The Oregonian also cautions that the book contains "a fair dose of potty humor" (versus an unfair dose, use only as directed, if symptoms persist please contact the nearest potty-atrician immediately). To read the whole review, go here:

http://blog.oregonlive.com/books/2008/08/young_adult_fiction_review_hec.html

Actually, you don't have to "go" to it so much as simply “click” on the link. But you've probably already stopped reading…right?

The premise of the book is that today's teens and tweens are rebelling against their more laid-back parents' generation by reclaiming modesty, chastity, and high standards. There is a lot to be said about that, but I want to highlight this morning what I (as a mother of boys) took away from the book.

It's about girls reclaiming their power and independence. It's about girls refusing to bow to the current trends and making their own choices. It's about girls standing up for themselves and what they believe in.

And that is a very encouraging trend.