Random Facts

These facts are brought to you for no good reason. 'Cause that's how I roll!

The Eisenhower interstate system requires that one mile in every five must be straight. These straight sections are usable as airstrips in times of war or other emergencies.

The first known contraceptive was crocodile dung, used by the Egyptians in 2000 B.C.

When you die, your hair still grows for a couple of months.

It would take 11 Empire State Buildings, stacked one on top of the other, to measure the Gulf of Mexico's deepest point.

Each of the suits on a deck of cards represents the four major pillars of the economy in the middle ages; hearts represented the church, spades represented the military, clubs represented agriculture and diamonds represented the merchant class.

Cats can hear ultrasound

Children grow faster in the springtime

Every human spent about a half an hour as a single cell

The word "nerd" was first coined by Dr. Seuss in "If I Ran the Zoo"

The plastic things at the ends of shoelaces are called aglets

There are 10 human body parts that are only 3 letters long (eye, hip, arm, leg, ear, toe, jaw, rib, lip, gum)

Just thought you might want to know! Now, go be a "nerd" by sharing with others!

My second son plays soccer. Quite well. We have been to many games in the past few weeks as the soccer season is in full swing in our state and have enjoyed lots of different competitions with some great teams. There have been a few though where there has been more of an issue with the coaches/parents off the field than the actual soccer being played on the field. I will just cop to being one of those parents who yells from the sidelines, especially in intense games. I try to always make sure that my "instruction" comes with encouragement. And I can guarantee that I have NEVER yelled a word of derision at ANY player.

The last few games however, have been dismal examples of adults gone awry. At one point in our game Monday, the opposing coach spiked a soccer ball and screamed at the ref. Parents were embarrassed for him and his little display of immaturity.

Last night I saw a news clip for another set of little league coaches actually physically attacking one another in front of their players at a game. It was shameful. Do we really need another reminder about sportsmanship? It's sad.

I Love America

As some of you know, I am hosting an exchange student again this year. It's been an up and down thing, just like caring for any child. With this responsibility comes the usual going to sporting events that the child is participating in, checking on homework and friends and also, going to parent teacher conferences.

This is the second year I have had the chance to accompany an exchange student to these meetings and I will admit, my feelings on the subject are mixed. Tonight however, I reached a new limit for what I will simply call "America bashing".

I walked in to a meeting with an English teacher to pleasantly find that she was an Australian national teaching here. I was very excited, as my husband spent a couple of years in that country and has such fond memories of that place. I expected a fun conversation because it was obvious that she liked my exchange student but an angry fire was quickly lit within as she began passive aggressively bashing my country.

Within one minute of being in her class room she informed me, with a large smile, that she found that her foreign students were such a delight because well, they seem to have a greater work ethic than the other students. In fact, in some classes, if there is a section regarding the homeland of a foreign student she will simply refer the instruction of that section to that student because well, foreigners are better at telling the truth about the condition of America and she likes to have her American student's eyes opened.

She mentioned that her retirement was coming up in a few weeks and she would be traveling to her homeland to visit family and she may not be back because in this country, how can you count on anyone to take care of you when you are old? Really, Australians and Europeans have been socialistic for a long time and they do quite well.

(I'm taking a moment here to calm myself)

In the end I said it was a good idea that she was going back to Australia.




For the past few years I have taken a sabbatical from politics. I have avoided any conversations about what I think about my country and it's leaders. I have grown tired of those in office promising to listen and then driving the people of this country over a cliff. I have listened with respect when my exchange student extols the virtues of socialism, refers to the superiority of other countries' education systems and implies that those of faith are weak minded. If I wanted to be European, I'd move to Europe. If I wanted to sell some of my rights so that someone else will take care of me, I'd move to any of a plethora of countries who offer that option. I LOVE AMERICA! I AM AN AMERICAN! I believe in taking care of yourself, helping those you can when they need it and encouraging the good things in society to grow for the betterment of that society. I want THAT America back. Enough is enough, it's time to get active again but this time, if a candidate wants my vote, they have a lot of convincing to do.

A Deer by a Different Name

My daughter asked me yesterday if she could have some deer in her hair. I asked her to clarify because I had no idea what she meant. She said; "I want some deer in my hair."

"Honey, I don't know what you mean. I don't have any 'deer' to put in your hair."

"I want the white stuff in the bottle that gets bigger."

...after a moment of thought

"Oh, you mean Mousse?"

A Great Endowment

To My Children,

I feel compelled to address a little habit you have. It seems that if things aren't nailed down (especially food), then you assume it's yours. I mention this only because this seems to be a problem with many of your generation (and mine). There seems to be a sense of entitlement that permeates our culture and I feel that in our house that belief is creeping in. This concerns me a great deal.

Let me explain. I really believe that in these days Heavenly Father is sending some of His best spirit children to experience life on this earth. I have a friend who likes to say that God is not sending any pushovers. I know that children can be strong willed and I truly believe this is because your spirit is endowed with great strength. And I know that however I train you to use that endowment will determine a great deal of what kind of life you choose in the future. What I want more than anything is for you to realize that your strength and good fortune in this life does not entitle you to anything. In fact, it beholds you to great responsibility. Heavenly Father did not send you here with great talent and spirituality for you to feel you get extra but instead I believe He wishes for you to give more.

So I found my topic today on a random perusal of the MNSBC website. The title "Do Parents Really Know Best" caught my eye. Here's a link to the video accompanying the article. I love several of the comments made by comedian Chuck Nice during the interview. For the most part, he seems to be spot on. As one who is currently residing with a sixteen year old know-it-all, I think there is plenty of evidence that the answer to this question is "yes, parents know all."

Shut up and Sit Down

You know, there's a lot going on with the mosque and Quran issue in America right now. While I understand the intense feelings against the Fundamentalist Muslims it also make me very sad that Americans feel that retaliation in such a way is an effective tool of coersion.
As a member of a religion that is grossly misunderstood, I too have seen sacred emblems of my faith hoisted upon poles and paraded through the streets of my town. I have seen posters and heard demonstrators denounce and defame the names of men and women I find saintly and wonderful. I know first hand the anger that can come from someone verbally and aggressively attacking those things I find most sacred. However, I also believe that shouting back or desecrating sacred things of another religion does nothing but cause more anger, more hurt.

For those men and women who hold titles and authority in their respective churches or even participate in such events, who threaten or actually defile the holy emblems of other faiths- shame on you! If you claim to represent Christianity or God you have done nothing but turn more hearts far from him.

Let it Roll

The other day I watched my daughter roll down the side of a grassy hill. It was that time honored, child cherished activity of laying prone on the ground and sending oneself careening down the slope throwing caution to the wind. What I love about that is the sound that comes from the "roller". A pure, uninhibited delight that when truly heard prompts the listener to smile in wistful delight. I had to ask myself, "what hills have I allowed myself to roll down lately?" It is my sincere opinion that more people in this world need to roll down grassy hills.