Archives: August, 2010
Can we talk — in French, Spanish or German?
There is a story in The Modesto Bee that talks about the demand for employees who are bilingual. That doesn’t mean someone who had four years of Spanish or French in school. It means someone who is fluent. I took several years of Spanish, a year of Russian and two years of French, which I passed with good grades. [...]
What An Awesome Weekend!
I just returned from a “family weekend” in San Diego…my niece invited us a few weeks back and so my husband and I made the commitment to attend as we missed last year’s festivities. My niece has lived in San Diego for 15 years after being a “Valley Girl” from birth…she has consistently struggled with [...]
Giving thanks, but heading home
Three years after the storm, Chantel Johnson wrote a letter on scrap paper. “Dear City of Dallas,” she began, “My name is Chantel, I’m a victim of Hurricane Katrina. I’m writing on behalf of me, my family and the city of New Orleans.” She kept her thoughts to a single page, 10 sentences in precise [...]
No place like home for school; more parents seek customized education
Shirley Brown of Garden City, Mich., is an accidental homeschooler. She has gone from homeschooling one child part time to teaching Jay, 16, Shawna, 12, and Justin, 14, all of their courses at home. It was not a foreseen journey. Her oldest son “was advanced in math in fifth grade but having trouble,” Brown said. [...]
Many black athletes plagued by out-of-wedlock relationships
The self-inflicted wound crippling the black community spread on the Internet last week like a popular joke. There was New York Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie on the HBO show “Hard Knocks,” using his fingers to count his children and appearing to struggle with their names and birth dates. Eight kids by six women in five [...]
Parental safety Net: From brainy blogs to coupons, these websites give new parents backup
You endure nine months of pregnancy and survive the labor. Then, your doctor lets you out of the hospital and you drive home with your new bundle of joy – and not much more. New parenthood is daunting, to say the least, which is why new moms and dads rarely turn down advice. We’ve combed [...]
Accentuating the positive: As we grow older, changing priorities can have a surprising effect on emotional health
Peace. Contentment. Happiness. This wasn’t what Allan Schwartz expected he would find in his late 60s, as he left middle age behind. Like many people, he expected the transition into older age to be difficult; instead it has been liberating, emotionally. “I’ve noticed a distinct change from when I was younger,” said Schwartz, 68, who [...]
a word I hate
Bill and I got together with his sister for a couple of drinks. It’s been awhile since it was just us grown-ups so in spite of the horrid headache I had, I was looking forward to our evening together. We ended up at a local club…I’m being generous when I refer to it as a [...]
Fresno State Soccer Time!
The Lady Bulldog’s have kicked off their season and have opened up all home games with free admission for everyone! Taking in an exciting soccer game with the kids is a great family activity and it’s free! (Can’t ask for much more than that). The starting line-up throws out autographed mini soccer balls before the [...]
Study of N.C. parents finds spanking remains widespread
Though spanking children who misbehave has been a source of debate among child development researchers, the traditional corporal method remains popular with parents in North Carolina, according to a recent study from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. The report, published online earlier this month by Child Abuse Review, tracked corporal punishment and physical abuse [...]
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