thanks for the comment. I imagine these signs and pictures will be around our house for many years to come. Maxine

You know, I like the idea once in a while too. I just got to figure out how to make it happen without taking a trip to Africa. I really enjoyed the post and the ideas you posed. Have a fun run in Napa.

Hi Noel, Thanks for your thoughtful comment. I am glad you see your parents in your boys! Got to love that. Take care Maxine Sent from my iPod

My daughter and I read this post together. A sweet reminder of who we are and purpose of who we will become.

Totally enjoyed the article in the SJ Merc News. Wow you all have come far! A publishing empire! I love it. Thanks for letting me tag along! enjoy the anniversary

I love this post. You caught me up in the world of politcs in these few paragraphs. I have no clue if she is a good mother or not but she fails the grade on leadership! I hope her try at running is abandoned quickly!

Thank you for inspiring me back to the gym. I have been on a two month break. Today I en the break. I usually work out regularly and take the teal age test to encourage me in the bennefits of healthy lifestyle. Thus far I am now seven years younger. My goal is to get back to 39. Currently in realage life I am 45. My true age is older. So now are you as confused as I sound. Bottom line have fun exercising or just healthy living.

We read to our daughter for six of six years. Meaning something every day and we both had and have fun. She is in kindergarten and loves to read. Suddenly it just all came together for her. So now we love going to the library and we sit at the same table and read our own books. And yes I still read books to her. She loves to snuggle inmy lap with a good book. Currently we are reading from the magic treehouse series by Mary Osborn Pope... Or is it Pope - Osborn. I can't ask my daughter she is still sleeping. She told us the name of the author when we were looking for the books. Amazing what they remember.

Angela, Thank you for the post! I get lost with being a radical, but on this occasion I will try. I was at a conference the other day, not about education, but the following fact was produced. The state of Florida, calculates the number of prison beds it will need in the future dependent upon the success rate of fourth graders, passing their fourth grade skills. Reading is the main skill set. It turns out in communities in Atlanta, that if a child does not pass the fourth grade, their future is one of poverty, economic and social chaos, ending with a prison term. No wonder Florida uses that metric for its future prison building. With that said, our family is trying to foster a love of learning. Today we packed our lunch, went to the library to find books to read, and ate and read while inside the library. This was the idea provided by our 6 year old. We all had fun! But now about the future education… that is a challenge. I will check out some of your links. And I will try and come up with ways to write about education. I did recently post a bit about my observations in Togo on my blog. Education keeps us out of a broken state of disarray! It is not just another poor country’s problem, it is our problem. Maxine

I like the dark chocolate surprise and red wine on valentines day. So honey did you read this? Hint hint

I love that on this day 15 years ago my husband asked me to marry him on bended knee. Well actually I was in his arms. It was very very funny, because i asked him three times if he was sure he really wanted to marry me. Good thing he said yes...oh so did I!

This is a very thought provoking conversation. My district is oak grove here in south bay. I am not sure what kinds of programs they have going. I know one family's child goes to an upper grade math class. My daughter is learning with the rest of her kinder class touch math. In fact it is her "trick" for addition. I purchased a math book of sheets for her level and she has worked through it. So now I will look for another level. I am going to ask some friends who home school what they use for math. I always hear them discuss the classical method. I am guessing it is what I used in the 60's. But in reality she will need to work through the studies with her questions. My friends are also having their kids learn Latin as part of their curriculum. I may try and figure a way to do the same. Now I know why I will not be working much if I need to supplement my little girls learning. All of this to say we have all participated I the destruction of the public school system. It seems however we are perceived as concerned parents we are. We can't afford private so it will be me and extra curricular exposure. Right now she loves science and the planets so we shall start there.

Thank you for sharing your post. My husband and i will keep you and your mom in our prayers. It really is tough with chronic pain and or disease especially in our parents. In our family it is Alzheimers, so we engage my dad, but it is still not the same. Feeling helpless seems to be the common thread, but embracing what is there seems to be our comfort.

Way too funny! I laughed out loud at this one. thanks for the fun of it all. Maxine

Linsey, ok, you made me cry with a bit of joy. Now I need more wine! You want to come over?

I just laughed out loud at the very end. Thank you!

Thank you for your encouraging words Shana. She really is amazing.

Thank you for your comments. I am so glad you were able to check out her work. I am always amazed by her perspective. And yes, Claire is the daughter of Dr. Mark Sloan, the author of Birth Day.

This was just too funny. Oh I remember as a little girl visiting the Eggo Factory here in San Jose. Not sure if it is still here. I think that is how I started to enjoy Eggo's. Otherwise my mom made them. And no, I do not make waffles either. But I can make a mean batch of pancakes!

Angela, thanks for the great story. I am so glad I am not the only one trying to teach my child to "gather" her emotions. We too work with the breathing or long breath. Sometimes I am not as kind, and just say, ok, don't cry now. I know I know it goes against a parenting teaching somewhere. But once she cry's in specific situations, she brings up every incident in her life that ever happened and then she is sad, oh so sad and not even a breath can console her poor little soul. Darn I just digressed. But it actually does work if I catch her before she gets lost in the emotion of many moments. The second point I really loved was your bringing up of telling stories from the family history. I will start doing that, I just hope I remember something. :) I am so glad your calm lead to saving your brother's life. That is probably very understated from your perspective. A hero at 12. Not bad girl, not bad at all. Of course you do not see yourself as a hero, you just did what made sense, and what was driven by love. Thank you.