I like to make people smile and for some reason people are smiling at me today. Perhaps, it’s because everyone is in such a good mood today. Today is Halloween. The day that spirits are supposed to walk the mortal world and witches fly through the air on magical broomsticks. It’s a day that encourages imagination and the belief in the impossible. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. It always has been.

Okay, I’ll admit that most people are smiling at me because I’m wearing a cat-ear headband and I’ve drawn a black cat nose and whiskers on my face with eye liner. I look silly, but it’s allowed today.

Someone once said that, on Halloween, you can be anyone that you... more

It is Halloween and we’ve got a big day planned. The routine will be about the same for a Tuesday, but K will be in her Lions costume all day.

She’s been practicing her growl and tells me everyone will be scared.

Last year she didn't quite 'get' Halloween, - this year she's all over it. At almost three, she loves to be 'scared' at the other costumes and props in... more

Hello, world, I am finally rejoining life! I survived yesterday and I gotta say, it really wasn’t that big a deal. The worst part was NOTHING to eat all day Sunday except clear fruit juices and popsicles. I could have coffee but no dairy products at all. I could have plain beef or chicken broth but that didn’t sound too good. So I ate popsicles until 6 PM when I started the second part of the protocol…drinking 64 ounces of fluid in less than two hours. It was, thankfully, Propel with some “stuff” in it, but other than making it slightly... more

It is Halloween and we’ve got a big day planned. The routine will be about the same for a Tuesday, but K will be in her Lions costume all day.

She’s been practicing her growl and tells me everyone will be scared.

Last year she didn't quite 'get' Halloween, - this year she's all over it. At almost three, she loves to be 'scared' at the other costumes and props in the stores - as long as I'm close by to protect her!

I belong to a small church that promotes critical thinking and spiritual journey over dogma. It... more

From Zimbabwe via RadioAfrica come the thoughts of Professor Stanford Mukasa, and a take on the scavenging press ... bottom feeder that it far too often is ... I like a lot:

For a number of weeks now the main news coming from Malawi has been the so-called controversy surrounding the adoption of David, barely one month into his second year of existence in this world.

Hundreds of journalists and photographers have descended like news... more

I started out my research with acute intoxication and trying to find an answer to why someone would drink so much to put them at risk for permanent damage or death. As I was doing this, I came across a study that was conducted by the University of Texas at Austin. The link for the study is at http://www.utexas.edu/research/asrec/alcoholfacts.html

This study was answering the question of why is there a genetic basis for alcohol dependency. The article published at the above website states that “Because... more

Halloween is kind of a fun holiday isn’t it? Pumpkins, candy, fall festivals and carnivals, more candy, costumes, and even more candy! It’s more of a kids holiday, but I have fun watching all the kids.It's also a reminder that it really is fall, my favorite season!

I love seeing little kids dressed up and doing the whole costume thing. Charlie’s first Halloween he was Mickey Mouse and his sister was Minnie Mouse. How cute is that? His second Halloween he was a little lion cub. I don’t remember his third Halloween! That was the year my grief was at its... more

I have great irony in my life. Yesterday was a terrific day for LuLu. She did awesome at her school work. We’ve been tackling reading fables and answering questions about the morals and lessons learned. One of her areas of weakness is dissecting a story and being able to retell it, as well as making any inferences about it. This unit on fables is hitting these areas hard. We did a Venn diagram of the fable, and answered several questions causing her to digest information and give her opinion. It was tough!

In math, she sped through... more

I promised my dear friend Nancy (over on the Reactive Attachment Disorder blog) that I’d share pictures of Super Dad in his Halloween costume…so I thought, why not share the photo with about 3,000+ of my closest friends????

Here he is, in all his Incredible glory! There are no words needed to tell how much fun we had this weekend with my dear hubby in that get-up! Our church always holds a Fall Festival the weekend before Halloween, as a safe, non-scary alternative for families.... more

Well tonight our world will be full of spooky little critters. Everything from pirates, ghosts, pumpkins, witches, care bear's, clowns, tigers or goblins.

Dress them warm mom and dad. Take them to the safe neighbor homes. Show them off and take a lot of pictures for their memory scrap books.

Moments like these will not last forever. They are filled with excitement and dressed for the fun. Seeking out treats that will last them for weeks.

... more