There are times that blog posts are written with longevity in mind, not the effect of an instant reaction. This is one of those posts. A family friend, Rick Sain, died last week after a brief one month fight with pancreatic cancer. I didn’t know him very well; I remember him vaguely from years ago. [...]
Here is a strengthening workout of approximately 30 minutes that doesn’t require a warm up beforehand. Some of the exercises will be hard at the beginning. Don’t get discouraged; they will become easier as you gain strength and flexibility. Watch the video at the end to see a demonstration of each exercise. Do your best and [...]
According to some interesting new research, not all fat is the same, and there is a well documented connection between fat and stress (Except in Buddha’s case). Elissa Epel, of the Health Psychology Department at the University of California at San Francisco has been studying the effect of stress and hormone imbalances as they relate to [...]
Dum-Dums are those lollipops that businesses like to hand out to kids when they’ve been well behaved waiting for a parent or spent 15 minutes not squirming in the barber’s chair. They’re cheap and kids love them. But, did you know that there have been 36 Dum-Dums flavors in the history of the Spangler [...]
XO Computers were designed by One Laptop Per Child, a 501c organization, that intended to find foreign, developing countries to purchase or otherwise be the recipients of the laptops. They’re built to be rugged, to withstand common conditions in rural areas and third world countries (no paved roads or reliable electricity). They also have screens [...]
It’s about time. I had been watching Netflix on my computer, from DVD’s mailed to me and streaming it to my Xbox. Recently though, I canceled my Xbox Live membership because I didn’t see the point. Sony doesn’t charge for subscription and neither does Nintendo. Thus, Netflix is better on Nintendo and Sony than it is on Xbox – Netflix [...]
Below is a video of Alan, my 5 year old, doing his Master Reader lesson from Hooked on Phonics. He read the first chapter earlier in the day, and I was so proud of him that I asked him if he wouldn’t mind doing it again for the camera. The green level represents the [...]
Updated Wrist Info at Bottom! See that big lump on the thumb side of my wrist? That’s not a bone; it’s some sort of — hmmm, I don’t know what it is except that it’s not supposed to be there, and it feels squishy. Somehow I injured myself the other day while playing with the [...]
Kids don’t behave like we think they should. Parents know kids are crazy and behave irrationally. There’s nothing abnormal about that; children testing limits and trying our patience isn’t a problem, it’s growth. Some of what we perceive as bad behavior is just experimentation on their part; it’s not wrong and it’s not bad. [...]
I‘m not overly thrilled about arena and stadium sports in general, but once in a while they’re fun. We haven’t been to any since we lived in Texas right next to the Ballpark in Arlington (Texas Rangers). Neil got to experience several games which I think he remembers, but Alan has yet to experience [...]
I was sitting around this past weekend and noticed my friend, who had come to visit, at my kitchen table scooping strawberries out of a mug. I was drinking some tasty Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime tea. I asked him “What gives with the berries in the mug?” He said “Why not use real fruit for tea if [...]
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