It's a Wide, Wide, Wide... Web?

There are tons of things available on the internet that just 10 years ago were unavailable to the public at large.

There was no Facebook.
There was no Twitter.
There was no Skype or YouTube or Xbox Live.

There was AOL and chat rooms.
There was online news forums.
There was email and online shopping and research sites.

With the innovations that have grown the world wide web into a truly WORLD WIDE WEB of information and accessibility it seems that the world in general has gotten smaller, more restricted and more impersonal.

Where GoodMom and SmartGirl and ManBoy used to spend hours on the phone getting dating advice, giving dating advice, sharing wardrobe secrets and the private thoughts and dreams of the American teen...
spent hours with friends doing their hair and makeup, playing ball in the street and just hanging out and having fun...

Where I once had to shout " Hang up now!" and " It's time to come home!"...

Everything is different.
Everything is changed.


TeenBoy and SIX and, yes, even BratChild communicate with friends online...
.
BratChild Skypes with friends from her soccer team...

SIX plays video games with the kid down the street...

TeenBoy hangs out with Anime enthusiasts...

And none of them leave the house!

All of these social activities...
the ones that used to require actually getting dressed and going outside...
That required one to have an understanding of at least a modicum of personal interacting skills...
like how to meet a person with a handshake or quick hug or air kiss or knuckle thump...
how close to stand to a person before it gets to be too close...
how to make eye contact and appear interested in what another person is saying...
how to actually be in the same room with a person without being rude or offensive or inappropriate...

All of these activities and interactions can be carried on from the comfort of your own home using your home computer or laptop or personal tablet.

Okay.... I will admit that when BratChild said she was talking to D on the Xbox Live while SIX was playing a game with him I thought it was nice that the kids were finding a way to hang out together with their friends...

And then... I found out that D was not the one that lives around the corner but D, a boy SIX found online who lives in Minnesota!

The conversation went something like this...
BratChild- It's pretty warm today. It's that cold?  That's a lot of snow! What grade are you in? Do you go to school? I'm looking you up on FaceBook now...

WHAT?

Okay that is the side I heard so... it being 60 degrees out and having had no snow lately... I had to ask..
Me- Where did D get snow?  You know what grade he's in, he's in your class!

Which led to...
Bratchild- Not D that you know, this is D. He's a boy my age and he lives in Minnesota. It's really cold there. And they get tons of snow.

And then...
Me- Do you even know where MINNESOTA is?

BratChild- I know it's far away... and cold?

And then... she looked up D on facebook and then looked up Minnesota on Google Earth and then checked out the average temps and snow accumulation and... Voila!

She actually learned something... and made a new friend in the process.
But I won't tell her she learned something... that might ruin the whole experience.

I still don't like that the things that used to be done face to face...
that life lessons and life skills needed to be able to succeed are being over looked and forgotten...

But perhaps this World Wide Web isn't all bad...
maybe it's power can be used for good, not evil...
and maybe, just maybe, the skills being learned are the skills that they will need to succeed in this new world where boundaries do not seem to exist and distances no longer seem to matter...

And as long as those personal interactions and skills are learned and developed...
I guess there are good things to come of all this technology...

Sometimes I just have to look real hard to find them

It's Great to Be...

Today was a busy day. 

And tomorrow?

It promises to be even busier than today.

Why? 

Why do I do this summer after summer, football and soccer season after football and soccer season?

Oh, you have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?

Then I envy you.

No, I ENVY you...

You must be one of those lucky families whose kids don't play sports or join clubs or have friends who all seem to live across town...

I SO want to be that family...

I think...

Or not...

Never mind...

You can keep your life...

and I'll keep mine...

Shhhh...

Don't tell the kids but I think I would go mad with the inactivity of those other families lives so...

Back to being BusyMom to TheBusyFamily...

Ahhh... It's GREAT to be back! 

The Grand Tour... yeah, it's about culture

There is a reason that in the old days girl children were sent off to finishing schools when they were about 12 and only returned home long enough to try on the trousseau before the wedding took place and she was whisked away to spend the rest of her life nagging some poor unsuspecting guy to death.

If not for this quaint little custom I firmly believe that the human species would have died off long, long ago.
There are 2 reasons for this...

1)     if the girls had remained at home throughout the teen years... and please remember that beating children was still very much legal... well, I doubt many girls would have made it to the age of marrying off. Which is sad as they only had to make it to 14!

2)     by sending girls to live in all-girl boarding schools where they had no contact with guys of any age, but most especially anyone they would actually be interested in hanging out with, made them so starved for attention from any guy that they were much more amenable to an arranged marriage.

Of course, now that teen aged girls are totally horrendous beings, and beating them into submission is not an option, Swiss finishing schools are no longer in fashion. And let's face it, even if they were who on earth could afford to send their whiny, bratty, spoiled little angel to one anyway? Other than the obscenely rich and famous that is?

And then there is the Grand Tour. This is something that those of good breeding and culture did every year or so beginning around the turn of the century and on into the late 1920's...The Great Depression and all that.

Bribery is what the Grand Tour was. Honest to goodness basic bribery. I mean what girl doesn't want to go to Paris and Milan to buy their clothes? Who wouldn't be thrilled with the thought of meeting a rich and handsome guy with an accent who would sweep them off their feet?
Yep, sure wish that kind of thing was still done, or at least affordable enough to come back in style.

But no, instead we get to ground our children. We deprive them of their possessions until they earn them back with good behavior. Like a PlayStation or Xbox 360 or iPod can even come close to the bargaining power of a trip across Europe.

And the sad part is that this generation of bratty, spoiled teens has no idea what they are missing...
guess it's cuz they aint got no breeding or culture.

Happy Birthday... Again!

The month of May is a busy one in TheBusyFamily house.

Birthdays abound.
Graduations commence.
Final exams are suffered.

Today BratChild was born.
14 years ago.
It was a bright, sunny Sunday morning when she exploded in this world.
And I do mean exploded.
If not for the quick reflexes of HeMan Hubby she may have ended up on the hospital room floor.

Lucky for us he was paying attention.
Lucky for her he knows how to catch... without a mitt!

Julalapoo- Manboy's girlfriend of 5 years- had a birthday 14 days ago.
ManBoy had a birthday 13 days ago.
My niece had birthday 10 days ago.
My mother had a birthday 9 days ago.
My son from another mother has his birthday tomorrow.
My niece graduates from high school in 3 days.
TeenBoy has been taking high school requirement exams all week...
with more than passing grades...
such a rare occurence for him... to do the work I mean... not the being smart enough to pass part

Mother's Day was thrown in there amid the birthdays.
Memorial Day is thrown in amid the exams and the graduations.

Yes, May is a very busy month for TheBusyFamily...

Thank God it's nearly done...
Except...
June is even worse!

A cat is a cat is a ...Teen?

I have put alot of thought into this.

No.

Really.

I have.

Cats are self-centered.

They lie about all day in a sunny spot napping and passing judegment upon all that pass by.

They spend inordinate amounts of time grooming.

They are loving and affectionate, rubbing up against your legs or climbing on your lap, arching their backs until you find your hand running along their spine of its own accord.

They will snuggle up next to your head on the pillow, or wrap their furry boddy around your head, depends on their mood, not yours...
When they have need of you...
like when they need you to open the can of snacks ( no opposable thumbs!)
like when they need you to clean out the litter box
like when they need you to let the annoyingly filthy dog you let live in their kingdom outside.

See?
Teens are just like cats.
They make up to you and gain your affection when it best suits their needs.
They can just as easily turn their back on you to sit and daydream about grooming and friends and grooming.

Fortunately for us parents of the world,
Teens will become young adults.
They will move on.
They will grow up and become responsible for their own lives and deeds.

Unlike cats...
who will forever dig up your plants, torture the dog, laze around on a sunny windowsill until...

They need you to feed them, to care for them, to buy them cute little kitty toys.

Yes, a cat is a cat is a Teen aged child.

Inside Looking Out

I read a book today.




There were presents to wrap, dishes to wash, dinner to cook, floors to clean, pies and cookies to bake...
did I mention there were presents, for the kids, that had to be wrapped before they got home from school?

Yeah, I was just gonna read for a bit with my morning coffee.
In the book, the boy has Aspergers Syndrome.
Like TeenBoy... only different.

I kept reading until lunch time when I suddenly found myself sitting, staring at the page.

Eyes burning, throat raw, sore from the tears I was swallowing.

No -I think to myself- TeenBoy is much milder, he doesn't do all those things like in the kid in the book
Yes- he does I whisper back... wiggling fingers, endless pacing, needing to stand in class or get out into the hall for a while, reading a book to be able to focus on the teacher's lecture, the holes in the wall, the closet door, the bedroom window, growing his bangs out to use them as his screen from eye contact, difficulty making friends.

In the book the author explains having Aspergers in a way that really made sense...
Imagine you are on one side of a plastic membrane and the world is on the other. Sometimes you can hear and see what is going on but just not enough to understand and you can't ever break through the barrier- always trapped inside with no way out and no way to make anyone hear you.

I finished the book today.
I only meant to read a bit when the kids left for school, something to enjoy my morning coffee by.
I ate my lunch and skipped dinner with it.

Then I closed the cover and went to bed wondering if I am as good a mother as the one in the book
Then I realize I want to be like a fictional character ...

But it could be worse I think to myself...
I could want to be like Martha Stewart... again.


The book?--- House Rules by Jodi Picoult

Been There Done That ...So Don't Want To Go There Again!

The kids always open up in the car. 

When there is no where to run, to hide,  THAT is when they choose to drop little nuggets of their lives on me without warning.

SmartGirl needed candy canes. 

Somehow she, BratChild and I ended at the grocery store.

Yes, on the 3rd shopping day left before Christmas I was at a store. 

That I had to drive to.

On the roads.

With all the last minute shoppers gone crazy.

And then, she did it. BratChild just came out with a doozie.

"My friend at school is pregnant."

SmartGirl says- maybe you shouldn't be her friend.

I think the same thing, for just a split second, then my head kicks in and I say something like...

it's going to be hard for her...

I know how lame was I?

But in my defense I was appalled that I even thought for a nanosecond that BratChild should stop being her friend.

Her friend at school?

She is me 30 years ago.

I was the 8th grade girl scared and worried and not sure what was going to happen.

I was the one whose friends stopped calling.

Stopped sitting with her at lunch.

Stopped hanging out at the locker between classes.

The one who was alone.

Pointed at.

Laughed at.

Then ignored.

I told BratChild to tell her friend I was her age when I had GoodMom.

I told her that if she ever wanted to talk I would.

Her mom laughed when she told her. She thought it was a joke. 

Then she screamed and ran out of the house to get some air.

Then she came in, sat down and hugged her. 

Told her they would figure it all out together.

It was different for me. Very different.

I think she'll be okay.

She has BratChild for her friend and that makes her really lucky.

And BratChild? 

She has me... been there -done that- wish K wasn't going to go through it too...

She knows she can tell me anything, anything at all and I'll be there 
for whoever needs me

Wii Party Gets the Party started Right!

A month or so ago I received an email from someone who said someone had given my name as a person with a family who might enjoy having a party with pizza and the New Wii Party game.

Well, I checked into it and someone really did say that stuff about my family and they were right about it so...

I answered the questions about our Wii system.
Yes- we do indeed have one.
Yes- we do have controllers... 2. I have been holding out for Christmas hoping to get 2 new motion plus ones
Yes- my family enjoys both pizza and parties
Yes- we would be thrilled to try this game and have some pizza
Yes- I would definitely let them know how it went... and I might even blog about it...

Guess you can tell I decided to blog about it, right?

So yes, we did get the Wii Party Pizza Party kit in the mail. It actually arrived a day early and SURPRISE! In the box was a 25.00 Gift Card to Dominoes Pizza and the Wii Party game AND a Motion Plus Controller.... and it's PINK!

Wii Motion Plus in Pink available HERE!

Yeah, I hate pink, but the kids can tell which one is MINE now which is nice.

Did I mention there was a box with a big pink bow on it and some Mii Masks in there too?
No, the kids weren't crazy about the masks, but everything else, You Betcha!

We decided to wait until Thanksgiving break to have the party.
There were 7 kids in attendance and 2 adults,
Or 5 kids and 4 adults, it depends on who you ask.

There was a variety of games to play. Some were long- an hour or more.
Others were 30 minutes.
Then there were the quickie games.

Our group played a couple of the 30 minute games then opted for the shorter games.

First came the challenge where a series of games would be played and the first player to win 5 of the challenge games won. This took some time with 4 players. The challenges were random.
Some were more fun than others.
Some were easier to understand than others.

But this led to the kids exploring the mini-game options and going on to play about 10 of these.

L liked the water games. There were only a few but he liked those the best. He's 3 and his mother helped him when needed. Okay she helped him a lot!

E liked the racing ones. The spaceships. The racing through sheep. Ski jump racing. Anything that looked like a race he wanted to play. He's 9. He could work the controller all by himself. Except when it was a steering wheel. That was a bit awkward. It was a steering wheel a lot. But that's okay because he finally got the hang of it, mostly.

BratChild looked on with distain. She's 13 so... but she did not leave the room and she even slipped up a few times and cheered for L. I think if her friends had been able to come she would have been more into it. Or if I wasn't anywhere in the universe. I did say she's 13.

TeenBoy was into it. After a slow start that is. He expected it to be 'Baby Games' and was pleasantly surprised at the skill level and the fun that was had with every game. Even the 'baby game' that L actually won.  TeenBoy said yeah, he would definitely play again and he was sincere.

SIX, with a broken hand, was the most reluctant to play, and/or like the Wii Party. The best part for him was the pizza, or so he said. Until the games began. Even with one hand in a brace and fingers he couldn't really manipulate well, he was able to steer a car, jump hurdles, dodge sheep and race a spaceship through the sky. He even won several times. And he was cheering and having a great time in almost no time at all.

SmartGirl and ManBoy watched and commented and gave advice. They both thought the games looked fun, some more so than others. They also said they would rather play with people at their own skill level or age than with the little kids like L and E since it would give them the option to play one of the longer games like the board game or trivia.  But they agreed it was fun to play all ages together for a family fun nite.

Honestly, all of the kids, and the adult-like people too, had a good time. Pizza and soda to start off was perfect. Got everyone into a fun and games mood while we got the games set up. They all had fun and they each won several games along the way.

The general consensus was that they all had fun and will play again.
Except me, I won't play again, I will finally get to play, and use my very own PINK controller with the  motion plus.
I can hardly wait.

We've got a challenge for New Year's Eve with some out of town friends...
And Team BusyFamily plays to win!
And eat pizza .

Thanksgiving 2010 Part 1

My beautiful family... a couple or 6 Thanksgivings ago!
TeenBoy HeManHubby BratChild Me SIX
SmartGirl ManBoy GoodMom

Ahhh, another Thanksgiving under the belt... or in some cases hanging over it.
A day filled with family and friends. Good food and better drink ... 
Eggnog people! 


Pageants with children dressed up as Pilgrims and Indians
 who dance and sing and yell out 'Hi Mom!'


This is the day that we all love and live...
thru the movies on television, that is.


Mom in a dress and heels, Dad in a suit and tie
The kids are clean and fresh come to the table in shirts and ties
 and skirts with ribbons in their hair.


At my house I'm lucky if TeenBoy puts a t-shirt on before he sits down.


And me?
After cooking a 19 lb turkey and 11 lb ham... making 15 lbs of mashed potatoes and 5 lbs of my wonderful stuffing... 2 pumpkin and 1 deep-dish sugar-free pies... 


Hey!
I'm lucky if I can squeeze in a shower AND put on some make-up BEFORE the guests arrive.


And by guests, I mean family. Who are technically guests, but not really so...
Do I have to observe hostess etiquette and offer drinks and hors d'oeurves?
I sincerely hope not, cuz I don't. 


Not that I would love to, but because I'm too busy trying to get someone to set the table... including the silver ware... oh yeah, and the napkins PLEASE! 


Finally, Finally! 


We sit, after managing to find 12 chairs... oops! We needed 13 this year...
We sit, except TeenBoy who stands because he has no chair...
we say Grace, er, my father says Grace...


as my lovely granddaughter, FancyPants, sits between GoodMom and I with her little hands clasped in front of her as her great-grandfather says a prayer...


Yeah, that's what Thanksgiving is all about...


yeah, that and a week off from school so kids can drive their parents insane...
But that's another story ... Thanksgiving 2010 Part 2.. COMING SOON!

Home Coming Weekend... A Night To Remember?

TeenBoy had his first High School Experience this past week. 


SPIRIT Week came to a crescendo last Friday afternoon with a Pep Rally, followed by the JV then Varsity Homecoming football games.


Which they lost.


Again.


Like every other game this season.


But...
They did not give up.
They did not surrender.
They did not stop giving their all...


Even when their own fans stopped cheering madly.
Stopped waving banners.

'WIN IT'.... yes, they tried

Stopped paying attention to the game.

The JV players kept the Varsity guys pumped up...         

They soldiered on 
Fought the good fight...




Then went their separate ways as the crowds dispersed;
their classmates and friends all went home.


Only to reconvene for the Homecoming Dance Saturday Night.


TeenBoy experienced this Rite of Passage into Teen-dom
And he went with a girl... friend.
A friend who's a girl?


$200.00 suit jacket, $40.00 tickets, $35.00 orchid, and a tie...


And in the words of HeMan Hubby...


"All that money and all he got was a girlfriend?"


Yes.
TeenBoy is now 'in a relationship' with his date for the dance.


I know this to be true because...


It's says so on FaceBook!

Name, Name every body has one...

My sister-in-law had a baby in September. 
Their second.
Now they have a girl, and a boy.
He is a junior.
But they call him by his middle name, so it's not confusing.


Why?


With all the names in the world... I mean,  I had a baby name book with OVER 10,000 names in it... why give your kid your name?


Or name your kids Michael and Michelle? 
Eric and Erica? 
Steven and Stephanie? 


These are all basically the same name... 
Think how confusing it must be for the poor kid, never really sure which one you are calling and afraid NOT to come, just in case it was him and will be in trouble for not coming when called...?


My other nephew, from HeMan Hubby's other brother, is also a junior. They too, have two.
A boy, then a girl.


Thankfully, MY sister did not name her son after his father, nor did MY brother name either of his sons after himself.


But he did name them after the grandfathers.
Which is cool only because neither was named Horace or Floyd or Eugene... mercifully, those names are all a few more branches back on the family tree.


About the same level on the family tree as the name my sister chose for her son... 
Luckily, it was a name that's not awful... and has actually seen an increase in popularity over the last few years. 


Having the most kids in either of our families, it was a chore at times to pick a name that we liked for our last child, but wasn't too close to any of our nieces or nephews names.


AND still be unusual and interesting, without being geeky.


So HeMan Hubby devised a plan.


He 'tried out' the names we had picked. 


When he called the kids to dinner he added the try-on names. 


When he called the kids in from playing he added the try-on names. 


When he scolded the kids he added the try-on names. 


And it worked.


We figured out which name went with our other 5 kid's names --- when you're calling 6 kids you want them all to know their name was called-- without sounding too much like another name or getting lost in the roll call.


We like it and it's a little different. 


He's 12 now and LOVES his name.


But he says SIX would have been the best name ever.


Maybe I shouldn't have talked HeMan Hubby out of that one?

10% Luck 20% Skill 15% Concentrated Power of Will...

The BusyFamily Theme song!


TeenBoy's football team hasn't won a game all season.

BratChild's soccer team wins more than they lose.

SIX's football team is about even in the wins and losses.

And yet, no matter how many wins or losses, my kids go out on that field day after day to practice; week after week to meet the competition head on, giving 100% of themselves, and more.

This is what makes them winners... no matter the score.

I want to be as focused and dedicated to the things that are important to me as they are.

Sometimes, your kids can teach you a lot...

All you have to do is pay attention.

Friday Foto Feature- I know it's Saturday... Pretend Will Ya?

More through the Eyes of BratChild...



















TWLOHA
National Suicide Prevention Week - SHOW YOU CARE- SUPPORT I'M ALIVE!

Monday, Monday ... can't stand that day!

Ugh!

It's Monday... again... Already?

School's only been in session for...

What? Two weeks?

God! I dread getting the kids up.

Just waking them is a chore... that can take an eternity.

Then I'll be wide awake... like I NEED to be up and alert at 5:30am?

Lunches? Lunches!

Did they make them last night like I asked?
Or do I need to run down and throw some PB&J together... 4 sandwiches for TeenBoy? 3 for SIX?

BratChild... is she even eating lunch at school any more???
Note to self... check with friends and see WHAT and IF she is eating at school...
Man! I hate teen-age girls...

Time to wake the kids, time to wake the kids, time to wake the kids... I feel like the Dunkin Donuts commercial guy... Time to Make the Donuts... Time to Wake the Kids...

But wait!
It's Monday....
It's A HOLIDAY!
No School! No getting the kids up! No Lunches! No having to be up at... ugh, 5:30am...
But wait!
Too late... I'm already up...

Time to make the coffee...

Friday Foto Feature

Thru the eyes of BratChild...

LOVE


POWER




GOOD LUCK!


Please DO NOT FORGET about BratChild's favored cause:

To Write Love On Her Arms

Friday Foto Feature

Looking thru the lens of BratChild future photog to the Stars!




A little Yellow goes a Long Way...










Don't Forget!
Support BratChild'S Favorite Cause!

To Write Love On Her Arms... six words that mean so much...


And could be the difference in some one's life

He Said She Said ... What?

The BusyFamily recently took a road trip South to visit other BusyFamily branches.

In preparation for the trip BusyMom took the vehicle in for a check-up.
Oil Changed
Washer fluid refilled
Brakes checked
A/C .... whoa! A/C???

Yep, the A/C is broken.

I told HeMan Hubby it was, back in March, when we apparently did not speak the same dialect.

He SAID he understood.
He SAID the part was a recall issue and was being ordered...
back in MARCH!

So The BusyFamily packs up and heads out...
South on 95 on a SUNNY, HOT Friday in July...
(read:the surface of the sun would have been more comfortable!)

Through that wonderous land called NORTHERN VIRGINIA and into the land of Smoked Hams and Giant Sombreros and beaches begging for sand castles and children to appear.

Yes, we sat on 95S, with no air conditioning, with all windows open, wet hand towels across our laps, necks and foreheads as we crawled along at negative miles an hour, through Virginia, North amd South Carolina!

Somewhere along the way... I think it was about 10 minutes after we started LOADING THE VAN!

HeMan Hubby turned on the A/C.

What are you doing? I asked

Getting the A/C going so it will be cooled down when the kids get in. HeMan Hubby replied.

Why? The A/C doesn't work. It's broken. You said the part is on back order for the recall so IT'S NOT FIXED YET! I answered oh so very calmly.

Oh, you mean it doesn't get cold at all? He asked incredulously.

Ummm, No. That's what I meant when I said the Air Conditioning doesn't work!

And thus began The BusyFamily Vacation of 2010...

Friday Foto Feature

Okay today IS Friday.
But I lied. There is no photo feature.
Instead there texts...The ACTUAL texts I got from BratChild this week while she's been out of town.

And please... she really is a smart and intelligent girl... you just can't tell from the texts, I know.

"we watched a raccoon eat cat food. didnt know they liked that"
"U R wrong. My makeup dosnt look like a raccoon"
"went to conowingo dam. its big. it had a lot of water"
"i'll cut ur hair for u"

And that my friends it what I heard about from my daughter while she has been gone all week long.
Hey, at least I heard from her, right?

Out of the Loop... and other things people say

Have you ever noticed how the things people say change with each generation?

Each one wants to be unique, and in an attempt to be unique they repeat what the generations before have done.

They make up new slang words, they listen to outrageous music, they dress a little oddly... okay, a lot oddly in many cases.

These they do to be original.

And in so doing, they are anything but.

They are predictable.
They become a whole generation of funny looking, funny talking weirdos with weirdo music.

Just like every single generation that has gone before.

The kids in the 1920's?
They wore fox skin coats, straw hats and listened to racey ragtime music.

The 1930's?
Well heck yeah! Prohibition, Flappers, Speak Easy's... the kid's were partying and placing bets and smoking and drinking... everything THEIR parents warned against.

The 1950's?
Have you seen Rebel Without a Cause? Okay then, Grease?
Hot Rods, smoking, drinking, scandalous pants on girls, boys wearing t-shirts instead of dress shirts and Heaven Forbid! No Hats!

Do I even have to mention the Flower Children of the 1960's?
Free Love, Drugs, The Rolling Stones, Woodstock, Communes...

Hip, Cool, Neat, Rad, Gnarly, Hot, Bad, Awesome... these all mean something is GOOD.

And all have been used, and re-used, since the 1920's...

Wowsers!
Mayhaps each 'NEW' generation isn't as original as it thinks it is?

The only real problem I have with this show of originality in the NOW generation is...

The language.

Do we really need to say the F-word every other second?
Is it really necessary to say S--t to every thing?

I admit, I need to clean up my language... but I do say things like Wowsers! and Holy Cow! and JiminyChirstmas! and Shoot-shucks-darn!

So frequently in fact, that many people at the ball fields say they can always find me on the sidelines, they just follow my expletives!

I like all music- pop, rock, rap, jazz, country, classical, big band... well- no Screamo please... but the language of cuss words, slandering womanhood, raping, pillaging... is not a show of how original this generation is, but rather, how ignorant and illiterate they are...

Definitely NOT the way I would want the world to see me and my fellow Generation Nows.

Perhaps the rap groups and the gang bangers will mature and stop cussing, killing and bragging about it...

Or perhaps, they will all die out and the well-read, literate individuals will be able to step in...

If there's anyone left, that is.

FRIDAY FOTO FEATURE...

Featuring the Awesome Talent of BratChild



Scenes from everyday life...



Seen everyday...



but never REALLY Seen





Show Your Passion For Life By Helping A TEEN Keep Theirs!

SUPPORT To Write Love On Her Arms...



Teen Suicide prevention and education... Every One Deserves Another Chance To LIVE