What you learn when you talk to your children

These are the things I've learned from talking to my daughter today. But first I would like to say that I couldn't believe that I am this out of touch with society and the teen population. I've always thought of myself as being a realist and knowing what's going on in the world of teenhood. However, I also realize that I shelter my kids as much as possible and in fact I shelter myself as well since I don't have to navigate my way through things I don't want to by choice. But still some of what she told me I found a little shocking.

Today she found herself having a conversation with five people, four girls including her and one guy. They are all graduating from high school this year. She can't remember how the conversation got started but surfice it to say. She found out that--out of all five of them, she was the only one that has never had sex, two; had never had a miscarriage along with the boy, (of course) All three of the girls had miscarriages in the last year and one of them has had three and still does not use birth control while engaging in sex. Yikes, have these kids not heard of sexually transmitted dieseaes. None of them used any precautions what so ever. I thought we had spread the campaign about using birth control and condoms. Or I know how about abstanace that seems to be a new one.

Off to her next class she sits behinds this boy who proudly turns around and shows her his freshly black inked flesh. He has gotten his first tattoo a japanese characters. Then he proceeds to rub lotion on it. My daughter, My daughter says, "Don't do that it will make it smear." Excuse me how does she know that. So I ask. "Mom, everyone knows that. Besides there are lots of kids with tattoo's at school.

Now I realize that yes, there are lots of kids with tattoo's, but how many is a lot. My daughter in forms me she thinks it's probably seventy percent has some form of tattoo. Again excuse me. I was thinking it was probably in the twenty-five percent range had a tattoo. Evidently I was wrong. Again don't you have to have parental permission to get a tattoo if your under eighteen. Who are these parents. Or is it just me but tattoos are permanent things. They cannot be easily removed should we not talk about this, maybe have a wait and see period, before we all jump off the cliff and do what everyone else is doing. I found this all a bit nauseating. I guess I'm showing my age here, but tattoos were on military personnel when I was young and they meant something to these men that wore them. Yes men. ( I never saw a woman with a tattoo until years later.) My grandfather had one on his forearm and I always thought it was kind of cool. However, it was mostly because of the story that went with it. My grandmother however, said, "It was a foolish and stupid moment in my granddad's life." You guessed it. She didn't like it.

See what you can learn when you talk to your children.

Let's talk... shall we. (Just for your information this is not my fingernail)The other day I was visiting my step-mother-in-law when she noticed my finger nails...they have horitzontal lines in them. She said, "you are allergic to gluten. Lines in your fingernails is a sign of Siliac's diesea's. I came home and looked on my trusty computer for lines in the fingernails. this is what it gave me.

fingernail lines are in the texture of the nail. Because the changes in nail texture are gradual you may hardly notice them to begin with. When you see ridges in your nails check a list of symptoms of low B12; so being dutiful I checked the list on symptoms. There is about a hundred different kind of problems that stem from the lack of B12. Some admittedly are down right frightening. I was going to post the list, however it was so long I didn't even read it all.

Next I tried to do more research. I came up with that ridges on nails can mean you have a serious health problem. I have to admit I know several people with ridges on their nails and they seem to be completely fine.

So HELP! Has anyone ever heard of ridges on fingernails meaning they're allergic to gluten?

I don't know what got me thinking about this today, but... maybe it's the earthquakes happening around the world and the tsunamis they are causing, or the people I know that are too young to be struggling with diabilitating horendous illnesses. In any case it got me thinking about planning my funeral.



I have only one request so far. When I was a senior in high School I was one member of twelve in Seminary Council. We did two sacarament meetings a month. At every sacrament meeting we sang Because We Have Been Given Much. I would like those who are still around from the council to sing at my funeral the song we sang together. And if there is no one left and I out live them all. I would like my family to sing it.

Today is Dr. Suess Birthday and read across America day.

I don't know about you, but as a child I could not get enough of Dr. Suess books and I don't think it has changed much for children all over the world. He made reading fun, silly and something you experienced. No one has ever been able to write quite the way he did and make nonsensicle things make perfect sense. I'm grateful for those moments when I read his books when I was a child, but I'm extremely grateful that I got to share his books with my kids.

So heres to you Dr. Suess, I raise my glass and celebrate your uniquness and down right clever verbage that made kids every where go ahh.

This is one of my favorite quotes by Dr. Suess; "Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."

Who else do you know made words and make believe characters famous with names like these; Sneetches, Floob-Bobber-Bab-Boober-Buds, Fiffer-Feffer-Feff, Dinwoodie, Grickily-Gractus-Grox, Horn-Honkers-Hopp, Soup-Snoop-Group, Long-Legger-Kwong. Just to name a few.

Green Eggs and Ham is the 3rd largest selling book in the English language of all time. He wrote over 54 children's books and continued writing up until his death in 1991.

I think we owe alot to Dr. Suess. No one has ever said things the way he did; "Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than you."

He made my childhood one of wonderment as I turned the pages of each and everyone of his books. Thank you for those moments and for the memories.

This was sent to me by a friend of mine and I thought I would share. It's a good laugh. And right now when things are tough. I thought we could use a some cheering up, so I thought I would share.

This year, we taxpayers will again receive another 'Economic Stimulus'payment.

This is indeed a very exciting program, and I 'll explain it by using a Q & A format.

Q. What is an 'EconomicStimulus' payment?

A. It is money that the federal government will send to taxpayers.

Q.Where will the government get this money?

A. From taxpayers.

Q. So the government is giving> me back my own money?

A. Only a smidgen of it.

Q. What is the purpose of this payment?

A. The plan is for you to use> the money to purchase a high-definition TV set, thus stimulating the economy.

Q. But isn't that stimulating the economy of China ?

A. Shut up.

Below is some helpful advice on how to best help the U.S. economy by spending your stimulus check wisely:

I f you spend the stimulus money at Wal-Mart, the money will go to China or Sri Lanka .

If you spend it on gasoline, your money will go to the Arabs.

If you purchase a computer, it will go to India , Taiwan or China

If you purchase fruit and vegetables, it will go to Mexico , Honduras and Guatamala.

If you buy an efficient car, it will go to Japan or Korea .

If you purchase useless stuff, it will go to Taiwan.

If you pay your credit cards off, or buy stock, it will go to management bonuses and they will hide it offshore.

I instead, keep the money in America by: 1) Spending it at yard sales, or 2) Going to ball games, or 3) Spending it on prostitutes, or 4) Beer or 5) Tattoos.

(These are the only American businesses still operating in U.S.)

Conclusion: Go to a ball game with a tattooed prostitute that you met at a yard sale and drink beer all day ! No need to thank me, I'm just glad I could be of help.

Dreams or the likes there of.....

The other night I went to bed like most of us do. And for me going to bed is like leaving this world to become part of another. Dreams free me from the confines of the world I live in and make everything and anything possible. I love going to bed and dreaming it like yoga for some, or a great massage for others. Dreams are where I can experience things I've always well....dreamed of. But the other night, as I quickly fell asleep I began to dream or going grocery shopping. WHAT!!Grocery shopping at not only did I go grocery shopping once I did it over and over again. By the time I woke up I had grocery shopped in my dreams four times. Four times are you kidding me. What happened to going sailing in the ocean in a bikini and looking fabulous or going sky diving with your own abilities because you can fly in your dreams. Oh no none of that on this night. I grocery shopped. So my question is this. What does that mean going grocery shopping in your dream.

I've been told that if you dream your teeth are falling out its because you are over worked or under alot of stress.

Now if you tell me that I dreamt of going grocery shopping because I was hungry I might yell and throw a small four year old kind of temper tantrum. Not that you will hear me but I will. Seriously, I would love to know what you all think it might mean to go grocery shopping in your dreams.

As a side note, I went grocery shopping the next day to ensure I would not dream about going grocery shopping again.

Words...

Words, words, words, it’s all about the words we use, what they mean and how we say them. I watched a movie recently Love Happens with Jennifer Aniston and Aaron Eckhart where Jennifer Aniston’s character writes obscure words poppysmic and quidnunc behind two different paintings.

Poppysmic -- produced by smacking ones lips together.
Quidnunc -- means a nosy or gossipy person, a gossipmonger.
You’re supposed to find her writing on the walls endearing and not what it actually is vandalism. Still it got me to thinking about how much I love words. My mother has always used big words and would make me look them up, if I didn't know what they meant. I wish now I could remember them all.

I thought it would be fun to find some words of my own. Feel free to let me know some fun words that you have found and have heard of or use. I like learning new words and if you can find a way to put them into a conversation—then think just how much smarter will you sound and be. So let’s improve our knowledge and our vocabulary.

obacerate v
1656 -1658
to stop one's mouth
When he swore onstage, several audience members obacerated themselves.
noscible adj
1654 -1654
knowable; well-known
It is noscible that no amount of training can make up for experience in the field.
fallaciloquence n
1656 -1761
deceitful speech
Your fallaciloquence, though charming, will not convince the jury to acquit.
impigrity n
1623 -1721
quickness; speed
The impigrity of the contract's signing led to vexing legal wranglings.
eternitarian n
1746 -1746
one who believes in the eternity of the soul
Though she held to no particular faith, she remained a hopeful eternitarian.

I think I will obacerate at the moment and never fallaciloquence for fear of being judged by impigrity because I am an eternitarian after all. And with that said I hope you will share words that you have seen, looked up, heard or discovered.

I found all these unusual words on the Phrontistery website.