Today Ava's Fashions presents Mommy's ultra cool Fauxhawk, courtesy of my baby brother from another mother, the amazing Sasha Budaska.Sunday, October 31, 2010
Ava's Fashions
Today Ava's Fashions presents Mommy's ultra cool Fauxhawk, courtesy of my baby brother from another mother, the amazing Sasha Budaska.
Friday, October 29, 2010
A Perfect Birthday
I found this in Ava's room last night. She wrote a story about her upcoming birthday. Apparently this is how she'd like it to go. The expressions on her face as she opens her gifts make me laugh out loud. (The captions are mine)
Eating cake....
Opening a gift from Sarah...
*Scream* Apparently I give her a real live poodle...
A DSi!!!!!!!!!!!!
Relaxing with her gifts....
Everyone's roller skating....
Eating cake....
Opening a gift from Sarah...
*Scream* Apparently I give her a real live poodle...
A DSi!!!!!!!!!!!!
Relaxing with her gifts....
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Week 8 Preview From The Commish
2010 LFC Week EIGHT PREVIEW
==============================================
As per usual ... view the league's top scorers of the week - and of the season at:
http://lewisfamily.league.fantasy.nfl.com/league/56914/players/leaders
Here we go ... a little earlier than usual, ehem, cough, cough ... here's your Week Eight Preview!
================
LEWIS FAMILY CHALLENGE GAME OF THE WEEK:
5-2 FiveAlive @ 5-2 SpecialEd
* This is going to be a SemiFinal preview or a Championship preview - either way, this game is going to figure prominently in the LFC's 2010 post-season. This week's game will look a bit different from the one we'll all be watching in December - as both teams have some crucial byes to deal with this week. The FiveKeeps have no backups for TE or DEF - a few teams have gotten away with not starting one position during a bye, but leaving two spots vacant is just throwing the game away. I'm sure we'll be seeing a waiver move or two from the Keepers come Thursday morning. SpecialEd is locked and loaded for the remainder of the season - sure they've had a couple rough weeks looking mediocre ... they're not. Believe me.
----------
Next Best Game of the Week:
3-4 NoPunts @ 5-2 DoggPound
* Who's the hottest team in the LFC? The D-Doggs are on a five game winning streak after opening the season 0-2. These next four weeks are going to tell us alot about the Pounders as they go up against the 3-4 NoPunts, 3-4 pintsizedRupps, 5-2 Haulers, and the 5-2 Special Ed. All they need to do is go 2-2 in that stretch, putting them at 7-4, then they end the regular season versus two 2-5 teams, Mules/Dolphins. We're talking a possible top playoff seed for the Pounders. Incredible. The NoPunts have a tougher road ahead, with four games againts top teams, Pounders/SpEd/Smytherines/AllStars - and two gimmees with the Mules/Dolphins. A possible 5-8 overall finish, yikes ... they badly need a couple wins versus the big guys if they want to move up from the 8th seed they're clinging to as of this week.
----------
4-3 Smytherines @ 4-3 GoldenKnights
* A few weeks ago the Smytherines knew they didn't have to worry about this week - it was practically going to be a bye week with points as a bonus. Alas, these are not your week2 Golden Knights - these fellas have won four of their last five and are now talking playoffs. Oops, lets hold our horses here - the Knights have an impressive unit - uhm, but their GM decided not to pay attention to his team's byes. As seven of the GoldenKnights are taking this week off. So, unless the Knights have some miraculous waiver plan to replenish their anemic starting lineup, this looks like a win for the WaylonSmithers.
----------
2-5 SauteedMules @ 2-5 roopdogs
* Yawn. Are they still selling tickets for this one? Sure either team could theoretically go on a six game win-streak to finish out the season with an 8-5 record - but come on, the Mules only wins were against the 2-5 Dolphins and the 2-5 Jacobs. Now the roopies look a lil' more respectful as their two losses were againts the 3-4 Trees and the 3-4 Punters. But get this ... while they not sit at the bottom of the standings with three other teams, the Mules allow only an average of 89.77pts per game - that leads the league, folks. Sadly, they're only scoring an average of 84.45pts per game - thus, the 2-5 record.
----------
5-2 Haulers @ 3-4 littlerupp
* The Haulers won another? How is this happening folks? The LFC's third place team starts Brett Favre at QB and I bet no one can name any of their starting RBs - yet they keep finding ways to win. The Haulers have yet to play the Pounders/GoldenKnights/SpecialEd - surely they'll take care of this anomaly. Who knows, with AllWorld Adrian Peterson starting for the littlerupps, there's always a possibility of a triple-digit performance from the wunderkind - that could get the lilliruptians back to .500 ball.
----------
2-5 Dolphins @ 3-4 BrooklynTrees
* This has got to hurt the front office management team over at the Mosley Dolphins. 2-5. Two wins out of seven games. But - there is hope. Their two wins were against two of the toughest teams in the league, the Wayloneens and the AllStars. If the Dolphins could get their act together and win four or five of their last six, they could sneak in the back door of the playoffs. Meanwhile, the expansion Shrubs have made a decent showing in their infancy - and could get a post-season ticket, but they have a very, and I do mean very, tough schedule ahead - four games out of six will be against top ranked teams.
----------
4-3 AllStars @ 2-5 teamjacob
* These two expansion teams have made a big impression this season - the AllStars are fighting for a top-seed in the playoffs and the Jacobs have shown that they're no pushover, as we all saw in their upset win over top ranked SpecialEd a few weeks back. The Jacobites just might have a couple more surprises left in their bag of tricks these last few weeks. If you have them on your schedule, be warned!
==============================================
As per usual ... view the league's top scorers of the week - and of the season at:
http://lewisfamily.league.fantasy.nfl.com/league/56914/players/leaders
Here we go ... a little earlier than usual, ehem, cough, cough ... here's your Week Eight Preview!
================
LEWIS FAMILY CHALLENGE GAME OF THE WEEK:
5-2 FiveAlive @ 5-2 SpecialEd
* This is going to be a SemiFinal preview or a Championship preview - either way, this game is going to figure prominently in the LFC's 2010 post-season. This week's game will look a bit different from the one we'll all be watching in December - as both teams have some crucial byes to deal with this week. The FiveKeeps have no backups for TE or DEF - a few teams have gotten away with not starting one position during a bye, but leaving two spots vacant is just throwing the game away. I'm sure we'll be seeing a waiver move or two from the Keepers come Thursday morning. SpecialEd is locked and loaded for the remainder of the season - sure they've had a couple rough weeks looking mediocre ... they're not. Believe me.
----------
Next Best Game of the Week:
3-4 NoPunts @ 5-2 DoggPound
* Who's the hottest team in the LFC? The D-Doggs are on a five game winning streak after opening the season 0-2. These next four weeks are going to tell us alot about the Pounders as they go up against the 3-4 NoPunts, 3-4 pintsizedRupps, 5-2 Haulers, and the 5-2 Special Ed. All they need to do is go 2-2 in that stretch, putting them at 7-4, then they end the regular season versus two 2-5 teams, Mules/Dolphins. We're talking a possible top playoff seed for the Pounders. Incredible. The NoPunts have a tougher road ahead, with four games againts top teams, Pounders/SpEd/Smytherines/AllStars - and two gimmees with the Mules/Dolphins. A possible 5-8 overall finish, yikes ... they badly need a couple wins versus the big guys if they want to move up from the 8th seed they're clinging to as of this week.
----------
4-3 Smytherines @ 4-3 GoldenKnights
* A few weeks ago the Smytherines knew they didn't have to worry about this week - it was practically going to be a bye week with points as a bonus. Alas, these are not your week2 Golden Knights - these fellas have won four of their last five and are now talking playoffs. Oops, lets hold our horses here - the Knights have an impressive unit - uhm, but their GM decided not to pay attention to his team's byes. As seven of the GoldenKnights are taking this week off. So, unless the Knights have some miraculous waiver plan to replenish their anemic starting lineup, this looks like a win for the WaylonSmithers.
----------
2-5 SauteedMules @ 2-5 roopdogs
* Yawn. Are they still selling tickets for this one? Sure either team could theoretically go on a six game win-streak to finish out the season with an 8-5 record - but come on, the Mules only wins were against the 2-5 Dolphins and the 2-5 Jacobs. Now the roopies look a lil' more respectful as their two losses were againts the 3-4 Trees and the 3-4 Punters. But get this ... while they not sit at the bottom of the standings with three other teams, the Mules allow only an average of 89.77pts per game - that leads the league, folks. Sadly, they're only scoring an average of 84.45pts per game - thus, the 2-5 record.
----------
5-2 Haulers @ 3-4 littlerupp
* The Haulers won another? How is this happening folks? The LFC's third place team starts Brett Favre at QB and I bet no one can name any of their starting RBs - yet they keep finding ways to win. The Haulers have yet to play the Pounders/GoldenKnights/SpecialEd - surely they'll take care of this anomaly. Who knows, with AllWorld Adrian Peterson starting for the littlerupps, there's always a possibility of a triple-digit performance from the wunderkind - that could get the lilliruptians back to .500 ball.
----------
2-5 Dolphins @ 3-4 BrooklynTrees
* This has got to hurt the front office management team over at the Mosley Dolphins. 2-5. Two wins out of seven games. But - there is hope. Their two wins were against two of the toughest teams in the league, the Wayloneens and the AllStars. If the Dolphins could get their act together and win four or five of their last six, they could sneak in the back door of the playoffs. Meanwhile, the expansion Shrubs have made a decent showing in their infancy - and could get a post-season ticket, but they have a very, and I do mean very, tough schedule ahead - four games out of six will be against top ranked teams.
----------
4-3 AllStars @ 2-5 teamjacob
* These two expansion teams have made a big impression this season - the AllStars are fighting for a top-seed in the playoffs and the Jacobs have shown that they're no pushover, as we all saw in their upset win over top ranked SpecialEd a few weeks back. The Jacobites just might have a couple more surprises left in their bag of tricks these last few weeks. If you have them on your schedule, be warned!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Schwenkfelder Art Classes
The Schwenkfelder Library and Heritage Center in East Greenville, PA, has some great homeschool programs at very reasonable prices. Their museum educator, "Miss Rebecca" teaches the art studio classes. Cole and Ava have been taking them this year, and love them. They typically do a tour of a section of the museum, and then do a project based on what they saw and learned. One week they had to write a few favorite lines from a book or poem, illustrate them, and write them in German letters. Ava chose on of my favorite Shel Silverstein poems:
"Lazy lazy lazy Jane. She wants a drink of water so she waits and waits and waits and waits and waits for it to rain"
Cole's self-portrait
The kids with Miss Rebecca
Ship scenes made from torn scraps of paper
The library also offers German and Latin language classes for homeschoolers, I'm hoping to partake of those at some point. What a great resource in this little town of ours!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Week 7 Preview From The Commish
2010 LFC Week SEVEN PREVIEW
==============================================
What the heck happened? Just because I take a week off and the league turns upside down - all the teams headed for the post-season lose to the bottom dwellers ... and now those basement rats are runnin' the show!
Congrats to teamjacob, DoggPound, & littlerupp for giving this league a much needed boost of realism and takin the top teams down a few pegs ....
As per usual ... view the league's top scorers of the week - and of the season at:
http://lewisfamily.league.fantasy.nfl.com/league/56914/players/leaders
Now - since I've been slow on the updates ... and week seven is just days away, instead of a review, I give you ... the Week Seven PREVIEW!
================
LEWIS FAMILY CHALLENGE GAME OF THE WEEK:
5-1 FiveAlive @ 4-2 DoggPound
* Back when the season was only a couple weeks old, this matchup appeared to be a yawner - flash forward four weeks, DoggPound found a way to put up 150pts a week and the StayAlive crew has knocked off several playoff contenders - and both of these teams are riding a four game winning streak ... lo and behold, do we have our first championship preview? For week7, it appears the Pounders have the edge, as their starters have some juicy matchups this weekend that should bring in points by the dozen - meanwhile the Johnson Five will need some luck to reach 100pts. But don't count them out, as the Pound have three starters that haven't practiced yet this week, nursing injuries that could hinder their production this weekend and make this game come down to a Monday nite affair - which by the way, the Johnsonistas will be enjoying their Cowboy Duumvirate of Romo & Jones.
----------
Next Best Game of the Week:
3-3 Smytherines @ 2-4 teamjacob
* There's a caveat to this being a high-rated game - that being, as long as the management team over at teamjacob burns the midnight oil and gets their starting lineup into shape for this weekend's game, we just might see a decent game ... as they have a total of five players sitting out on a bye this weekend. Sound drafting decisions there. Else, the Smytherines could be looking at a possible +75 point differential in the outcome. Brutal. It would be a shame, as teamjacob has been scary recently, putting up numbers big enough to scare the teams waiting to play them in future weeks. You can bet the folks running the Smytherines are exhaling a big sigh of relief when they saw how many jacobians are taking the week off - not often you can notch a win before the game is even played.
----------
4-2 Haulers @ 4-2 AllStars
*A Tale of Two Teams - One going up, the other going down. Midway through the 2010 LFC Player draft the Haulers were the talk of the draft war rooms - not for anything positive - but for their implausible decision to go several rounds before drafting any RBs. You know, runningbacks - the guys that get to touch the ball more times than the ballboys? The guys that get to carry the ball anytime the team wants to score points? Yea, those guys. Instead, the Haulers decided to go the pauper route. Choosing instead to sit outside the stadium gate in their worst sackclothes and lament the sufferings of a modern day fantasy football lineup, crying out to their higher power, "Why O HigherPower, hast Thouest foresakenth uste?" Oh - and they stink, too. Meanwhile, the Allstars are quietly moving up the standings and they have a shot to win three straight in the coming weeks.
----------
2-4 SauteedMules @ 2-4 BrooklynTrees
* If either of these two teams wanna shot to make a playoff run, this is the week to turn things around. The Toothpicks have an easier schedule than the ButteredMules from here on out - and could make a decent showing for an expansion club. Both teams are at full strength and this matchup could wind up being the most closely fought game of the weekend. Either the game will end with the Asses relieving themselves on the windward side of the Shrubs ... or we'll all be asking ourselves, "If a tree falls on a Mule in an empty stadium, will the home team surrender %45 of the local ad revenue?"
----------
2-4 roopdogs @ 4-2 SpecialEd
* As I was bouncing my boy on my lap last night, telling him stories of the early days of the 2010 LFC season, back when SpecialEd was the talk of the league: "You could barely get through a sentence without a mention of how great SpecialEd's lineup was," I waxed eloquently, "GMs were jealous of his highlighter prowess and his ability to draft all the right RBs." And this too shall pass ... a great goateed jogger once said, as he tumbled into the grass while the Harley flipped across the pavement with verse cards flying like chocolate rain. This league is all about the Pound and the high-steppin' moves of the Johnson Five. SpecialEd is so September. This Week Seven Edition of Edward's Most Exceptional is hemorrhaging talent, victims of the Bye Plague that is rampant nowadays. The floundering roopdogs couldn't ask for a better opportunity to gain control of the highly coveted Trailer Bowl trophy.
----------
2-4 Dolphins @ 3-3 GoldenKnights
* Any other season, this matchup would be the focus of the week. Journalists from all corners of the globe would be covering the pregame personnel moves - as the two GMs vie for just the right starting unit to gain the most points. But this is the 2010 version of the LFC - the version that allows teenyboppers to humiliate self-professed experts of football in front of seemingly two or three people. Sure either one of these two teams could right the ship and go on a winning streak and be a playoff threat - but that's a few weeks from now. But right now, week seven - this is Dolphins/GoldenKnights. And TNT will be showing the 2004 version of Walking Tall, starring The Rock on Sunday afternoon - and I just gotta find out what he's cooking up for security guards at the new casino in his hometown. We're talking the People's Elbow, people!
----------
2-4 NoPunts @ 3-3 littlerupp
* Complainers & whiners get no love from the editors of this preview - so a brotha needs a week or two to get his head straight - to find himself - to see if there's any chance to keep a sense of himself in the middle of all these dirty diapers - can I still host my weekly dice game on the balcony on the nights when I'm on baby duty - are there any onomatopoeias that are palindromes? You know, the real questions of life .... but yea, I'll stop all that and toss ya'll a preview ... I got your preview ... right here ... a 2-4 team is playing a 3-3 team. One will win, one will lose. One won't be watching.
==============================================
What the heck happened? Just because I take a week off and the league turns upside down - all the teams headed for the post-season lose to the bottom dwellers ... and now those basement rats are runnin' the show!
Congrats to teamjacob, DoggPound, & littlerupp for giving this league a much needed boost of realism and takin the top teams down a few pegs ....
As per usual ... view the league's top scorers of the week - and of the season at:
http://lewisfamily.league.fantasy.nfl.com/league/56914/players/leaders
Now - since I've been slow on the updates ... and week seven is just days away, instead of a review, I give you ... the Week Seven PREVIEW!
================
LEWIS FAMILY CHALLENGE GAME OF THE WEEK:
5-1 FiveAlive @ 4-2 DoggPound
* Back when the season was only a couple weeks old, this matchup appeared to be a yawner - flash forward four weeks, DoggPound found a way to put up 150pts a week and the StayAlive crew has knocked off several playoff contenders - and both of these teams are riding a four game winning streak ... lo and behold, do we have our first championship preview? For week7, it appears the Pounders have the edge, as their starters have some juicy matchups this weekend that should bring in points by the dozen - meanwhile the Johnson Five will need some luck to reach 100pts. But don't count them out, as the Pound have three starters that haven't practiced yet this week, nursing injuries that could hinder their production this weekend and make this game come down to a Monday nite affair - which by the way, the Johnsonistas will be enjoying their Cowboy Duumvirate of Romo & Jones.
----------
Next Best Game of the Week:
3-3 Smytherines @ 2-4 teamjacob
* There's a caveat to this being a high-rated game - that being, as long as the management team over at teamjacob burns the midnight oil and gets their starting lineup into shape for this weekend's game, we just might see a decent game ... as they have a total of five players sitting out on a bye this weekend. Sound drafting decisions there. Else, the Smytherines could be looking at a possible +75 point differential in the outcome. Brutal. It would be a shame, as teamjacob has been scary recently, putting up numbers big enough to scare the teams waiting to play them in future weeks. You can bet the folks running the Smytherines are exhaling a big sigh of relief when they saw how many jacobians are taking the week off - not often you can notch a win before the game is even played.
----------
4-2 Haulers @ 4-2 AllStars
*A Tale of Two Teams - One going up, the other going down. Midway through the 2010 LFC Player draft the Haulers were the talk of the draft war rooms - not for anything positive - but for their implausible decision to go several rounds before drafting any RBs. You know, runningbacks - the guys that get to touch the ball more times than the ballboys? The guys that get to carry the ball anytime the team wants to score points? Yea, those guys. Instead, the Haulers decided to go the pauper route. Choosing instead to sit outside the stadium gate in their worst sackclothes and lament the sufferings of a modern day fantasy football lineup, crying out to their higher power, "Why O HigherPower, hast Thouest foresakenth uste?" Oh - and they stink, too. Meanwhile, the Allstars are quietly moving up the standings and they have a shot to win three straight in the coming weeks.
----------
2-4 SauteedMules @ 2-4 BrooklynTrees
* If either of these two teams wanna shot to make a playoff run, this is the week to turn things around. The Toothpicks have an easier schedule than the ButteredMules from here on out - and could make a decent showing for an expansion club. Both teams are at full strength and this matchup could wind up being the most closely fought game of the weekend. Either the game will end with the Asses relieving themselves on the windward side of the Shrubs ... or we'll all be asking ourselves, "If a tree falls on a Mule in an empty stadium, will the home team surrender %45 of the local ad revenue?"
----------
2-4 roopdogs @ 4-2 SpecialEd
* As I was bouncing my boy on my lap last night, telling him stories of the early days of the 2010 LFC season, back when SpecialEd was the talk of the league: "You could barely get through a sentence without a mention of how great SpecialEd's lineup was," I waxed eloquently, "GMs were jealous of his highlighter prowess and his ability to draft all the right RBs." And this too shall pass ... a great goateed jogger once said, as he tumbled into the grass while the Harley flipped across the pavement with verse cards flying like chocolate rain. This league is all about the Pound and the high-steppin' moves of the Johnson Five. SpecialEd is so September. This Week Seven Edition of Edward's Most Exceptional is hemorrhaging talent, victims of the Bye Plague that is rampant nowadays. The floundering roopdogs couldn't ask for a better opportunity to gain control of the highly coveted Trailer Bowl trophy.
----------
2-4 Dolphins @ 3-3 GoldenKnights
* Any other season, this matchup would be the focus of the week. Journalists from all corners of the globe would be covering the pregame personnel moves - as the two GMs vie for just the right starting unit to gain the most points. But this is the 2010 version of the LFC - the version that allows teenyboppers to humiliate self-professed experts of football in front of seemingly two or three people. Sure either one of these two teams could right the ship and go on a winning streak and be a playoff threat - but that's a few weeks from now. But right now, week seven - this is Dolphins/GoldenKnights. And TNT will be showing the 2004 version of Walking Tall, starring The Rock on Sunday afternoon - and I just gotta find out what he's cooking up for security guards at the new casino in his hometown. We're talking the People's Elbow, people!
----------
2-4 NoPunts @ 3-3 littlerupp
* Complainers & whiners get no love from the editors of this preview - so a brotha needs a week or two to get his head straight - to find himself - to see if there's any chance to keep a sense of himself in the middle of all these dirty diapers - can I still host my weekly dice game on the balcony on the nights when I'm on baby duty - are there any onomatopoeias that are palindromes? You know, the real questions of life .... but yea, I'll stop all that and toss ya'll a preview ... I got your preview ... right here ... a 2-4 team is playing a 3-3 team. One will win, one will lose. One won't be watching.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Compliments From A Clown
I know, you're thinking, "Um, you were excited about getting respect from THIS guy??!?!?
Friday, October 22, 2010
Awahahahahana Ghosts!!!
Well, Trunk or Treat at Awana has come and gone. It was barrels of fun. I ran around for an hour yesterday morning trying to come up with an idea for our trunk. I had a great idea, the kids loved it (I wanted to dress up skeletons in the kids' old Awana vests and tie Awana books into their hands, etc.), but I couldn't find any plain skeletons anywhere. So I settled for ghosts and wasn't very happy about it. But I figured I'd have mood lighting and Halloween music playing, and it would at least be passable.
Well, a miracle happened. Eric Mosley, (yes, Eric Mosley!!) was impressed with me!!! I know, right??!!!? He couldn't believe I went so far as to add audio/visual elements (strobe lights and Ghostbusters/Creaky Door/Scary Organ Music), and that I had come up with a catch phrase (Awahahahahahana Ghosts.....Awahahahahahna Ghosts...) that I'd say to each child who came by. He walked around to all the other trunks, and came back to tell me that no one else's trunk was even close to ours.
So even though I was disappointed with my final product, because it wasn't as good as the one in my head was going to be, I'm going to feel proud of my trunk, because it earned me Eric Mosley's voiced respect and pride. That ain't easy to get, people....trust.
Cole kept running over to me saying, "Mom, NO ONE else has music or strobe lights but us!!!"
Zachary was on CLOUD NINE. I swear he made 5 laps around the parking lot, getting another "just one" piece of candy from each trunk. "Have you been here already?"..."Who me? Nope!"
Ava and Sarah were big fans of the apple cider and donuts afterwards too. Sarah and Ryan's trunk was super cute too, they had their little dog Rosa in it, with dog biscuits hanging down from the ceiling.Trunk Or Treat. Very fun. If you get the opportunity to participate in one, take it!
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Disenthrall Yourself
My brother Eric sent this to me the other day. If you love me, you will watch this. (I know what you're thinking, "Wow, she only wants 3 people to watch this?) If you want to know anything about me, watch this. If you hate me, watch this so that you can tell others exactly why you hate me. This is exactly what I am all about, and this is why I fight.
I was so struck, realizing that our educational system was born during the Industrial Revolution, and was created for promoting industrialism. Factory lines, everyone coming out the same. That's always been my problem with it, because industrial thinking is not creative. It doesn't encourage revolution or change or beauty or innovation.
I love the part about how our current system thinks the only thing kids have in common is their age. That the educational system sees a "sell by" date on our children. I also loved his explanation for how the Arts are the victims of the ADHD "epidemic", because the arts require you to have a sensate experience, while ADHD drugs numb your senses.
And the divergent thinking section was brilliant. Divergent thinking is what I live for imparting. Divergent thinking is what will cure cancer. Divergent thinking births innovative, wildly successful companies. Divergent thinking is what is killed, or suppressed to the point that you can barely find it anymore, in the current educational system. That isn't an opinion, it's just the truth.
Sir Ken Robinson is this amazing thinker who is revered the world over for his ideas on education and creativity in the business world.
"If you're not afraid to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original." Listen to him describe the hierarchy of subjects in all educational systems, with dance/drama at the bottom of the pile.
I was so struck, realizing that our educational system was born during the Industrial Revolution, and was created for promoting industrialism. Factory lines, everyone coming out the same. That's always been my problem with it, because industrial thinking is not creative. It doesn't encourage revolution or change or beauty or innovation.
I love the part about how our current system thinks the only thing kids have in common is their age. That the educational system sees a "sell by" date on our children. I also loved his explanation for how the Arts are the victims of the ADHD "epidemic", because the arts require you to have a sensate experience, while ADHD drugs numb your senses.
And the divergent thinking section was brilliant. Divergent thinking is what I live for imparting. Divergent thinking is what will cure cancer. Divergent thinking births innovative, wildly successful companies. Divergent thinking is what is killed, or suppressed to the point that you can barely find it anymore, in the current educational system. That isn't an opinion, it's just the truth.
Sir Ken Robinson is this amazing thinker who is revered the world over for his ideas on education and creativity in the business world.
"If you're not afraid to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original." Listen to him describe the hierarchy of subjects in all educational systems, with dance/drama at the bottom of the pile.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Scary
The kids are doing Trunk Or Treat at Awana on Thursday night. The premise: You decorate the trunk of your car, park it in the parking lot and the kids walk around from car to car collecting candy and enjoying the decorations.
Eric and I were trying to come up with an idea for our car the other night. I REALLY wanted for him to tie me up and duct tape my mouth and paint blood all around me and put a fake knife sticking out of my stomach, and then have me laying on the floor of the trunk...
He laughed, but didn't think it was appropriate at a church event for 5-12 year olds. What does he know....
Eric and I were trying to come up with an idea for our car the other night. I REALLY wanted for him to tie me up and duct tape my mouth and paint blood all around me and put a fake knife sticking out of my stomach, and then have me laying on the floor of the trunk...
He laughed, but didn't think it was appropriate at a church event for 5-12 year olds. What does he know....
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Naartjie Kids' New Slogan
So, Melissa calls me the other night, gushing over this shop she went into that sold the "cutest children's clothes ever". She went on and on (can you imagine??!) about the details in the clothing, describing one pair of leggings as having "an almost non-existent but VERY poignant ruffle" at the bottom of the leg.
Almost non-existent but very poignant. You know you described a clothing detail just that same way last week.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Ava's Fashions
Ava's "day-after-church" curls. We should all have hair that looks this good the day after.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
This Place Is Fishy
Friday, October 15, 2010
Science, Brought To You By Waste Management
Drove the kids and the Cleary kids to Awana last night. When you get a group of 5-8 year olds together, the conversations they have are either way below them, lots of bodily function talk, or it's way above them, with lots of boyfriend/girlfriend/kissing talk. So last night Zach was singing a poop song and Ryan was singing a fart song, and the three big kids were discussing the boyfriends and girlfriends of mutual friends. I decided it was time to turn the conversations around, so I said, "Ok, let's think of something more interesting to talk about. Sarah, what did you learn about in school today?". Sarah says, "Oh! I learned about liquid, gas and solid!". Colson says, "Science isn't interesting...."
To which I said, "Excuse me?? I beg to differ. It's time for a test, everyone be quiet."
To which I said, "Excuse me?? I beg to differ. It's time for a test, everyone be quiet."
Me: Sarah, is a fart a solid, liquid or gas?Now we just hope that Sarah's teacher doesn't ask her to give an example of a gas tomorrow...
Sarah: *giggle giggle, GAS!!
Me: Very good! Why is it a gas?
Sarah: Because it's stinky air!
Me: Yes! Ava, is poop a solid, liquid or gas?
Ava: *giggle giggle, SOLID!
Me: Correct! Colson, is pee a solid, liquid or gas?
Colson: Man, why do I get the easy one? Liquid...
(sounds of kids laughing their little heads off)
Me: Excellent! See kids? Science can be interesting and funny!
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Make-A-Pipe-Dream Foundation
Yesterday, while riding in the car, Colson says, "Mom, do you know what I wish?". I said no. He says:
I wish that we could get everyone in our family, even the people in our family who don't live in our house, like Gramma and Grampa, and Bethany, and Alex and all the people like that, to be in the same place, and have someone who ISN'T in our family take a picture, and then we could each get a copy of that picture. That's my wish.Welcome to Gramma's life, Cole. I hope you all feel terribly guilty now.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
JotNot Pro
My favorite iPhone app so far: JotNot Pro scanner.
I have a scanner at home that I use fairly often. Working with a cyber school, there are assignments that need to be scanned and emailed to teachers. I have to sign and send back dance contracts. This app eliminates the need for my bulky scanner. Now I only need to take a picture of the document, save it as a .pdf, and email it right from my phone.
This is the first app that truly adds value and time to my life.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Learn Something Every Hour
My Dad sent this to me yesterday. It's a letter James Alexander wrote to his younger brother, and it's amazing. If you have children, read this letter and pass it's tenets on to them.
By JAMES W. ALEXANDER | Published: OCTOBER 7, 2010The following is a letter from James W. Alexander (1804-1859) to his younger brother. James was a Presbyterian minister and the eldest son of Archibald Alexander (1772-1851). In his letter, James gives his brother excellent advice that is just as needed today, more than 150 years later.
My dear brother,
You must not suppose, from what I said in my last letter, that the school is the only place where you can acquire knowledge. I would by no means have you to play all the time, which you are not employed at your tasks. There are a great many hours, especially in these long winter evenings, in which you may be filling your mind with something useful. For this purpose you should always have some instructive book at hand. Your parents have many such books, and are always glad to give you the use of them.
It makes me sorry to see that you read so much in mere story-books. Some of these, indeed, are useful, and they are liked by all young people. But most of them are foolish, if not injurious. Boys often become so fond of this sort of reading that they never look into anything but tales, stories and novels. And in this way they weaken their minds, and lose all the advantage they might gain from books of instruction.
Now, if you did but think about it—you would find out that there are works which are highly entertaining, at the same time that they are profitable. I mean books of history, voyages and travels, biography, natural history, and philosophy. If you were once to taste the pleasantness of these, you would soon throw away your story-books, which are mostly fit for the nursery.
But you cannot be always reading—and it is by no means necessary. There are many other ways of getting useful knowledge. The greater part of what you already know, you have learned from hearing your father and mother talking. If all they have told you should be written down, it would fill a multitude of volumes. And you remember this much better than if you had read it in a book. You ought, therefore, to learn something every day from your parents. They are always willing to teach you; and whenever you have any difficulty you should get them to explain it. There are a thousand things which they would be delighted to tell you, and which you would be profited to learn. Whenever you are sitting with them, try to get them to instruct you.
You may do the same thing with all your friends. If you are only modest and respectful, they will not consider you too inquisitive. All sensible people are gratified when they see that boys are desirous to learn. Make it a rule to learn something from everybody; for there is no one, high or low—who has not some knowledge which might do you good. For instance, you have friends in the school who come from different parts of the country. You may gain much information from them, by inquiring concerning the places where they live, and getting them to describe to you everything that is remarkable in their own neighborhoods. Even the tradesmen and mechanics can instruct you in many little matters relating to their own employments. It is a great advantage for a man to know something about every different trade and mechanical art—and you cannot learn this from books so well as from going into the workshops, and asking questions of the people who are at work. When they see that you really wish to be informed, they will he glad to answer all your inquiries. I would like you to know all the particulars about every kind of trade and industry.
And then, when you go into the country, it will make your excursions much more pleasant if you will take pains to learn from farmers everything about the cultivation of the earth. You must be sure to find out as much as you can about the different operations of agriculture; sowing, reaping, and the like; and about the productions of the land, the raising of cattle and sheep, and the ways of improving the soil. You will find that many farmers, who have not read as much as yourself, have a great treasure of knowledge and wisdom. Sometimes you will fall into the company of those who have traveled in foreign countries. This will give you a fine opportunity to learn from them all you wish to know about the parts of the world which they have visited.
And if you travel about in your vacations, you must keep your eyes open to everything that is remarkable, and learn all about the places through which you pass. In old times this was the principal way of acquiring knowledge. Instead of going to colleges and universities, the ancient Greeks used to travel for years together in Asia and Egypt, and other lands. This is the method which was pursued by Lycurgus, and Pythagoras, and Plato, and others of whom your histories tell you. When you go to a strange place, you must endeavor to find out about whatever is remarkable, and to make inquiries of all your friends.
Also, there are a great many common things which we see every day, that are very interesting. Many boys carry watches for months and years without knowing at all what it is that makes them go. Charles Harvey had a watch given to him the day he was fifteen years old. He was much pleased with the present—but could not feel satisfied until he went to the watchmaker, and got him to explain the inside of it. The watchmaker took the watch to pieces, and showed him all the works. He showed him the steel spring wound up in a coil, and let him see how it was constantly trying to unwind itself and get loose. Then he showed him the barrel to which the end of the spring is fastened, and how the working of the spring makes the barrel move round and round. He pointed out the chain which goes from the barrel to the great coil, and told him how one wheel moved another, until the hands were made to go around. But you cannot understand this by writing. If you ask a watchmaker, he will explain all these works to you in a few minutes.
Some boys are so careless that they make no inquiries, and never learn anything of value. I knew a boy who used to go to a mill every few days—but who never had the curiosity to ask how it was that the water falling on the great wheel could make the mill-stone turn round and round. Some lads will often own guns without ever finding out how the lock is formed, or how the trigger moves the other works, or how the gunpowder is made. I hope it will not be so with you—but that whenever you see any machine, you will not rest until you know all about it.
When you are next on board a steamboat, get someone to explain to you how the steam works. Inquire about the boiler, and the condenser, and the piston, and the valves.
Find out the way in which the pump in the yard raises the water, and what it is that makes the mercury rise and fall in the thermometer.
The great thing is to be always inquiring. Ask and you will learn. Learn something every hour. Remember the little story of “Eyes and no Eyes,” and read “Travels about Home.” Whenever you take a walk, you may be learning something. You ought to be able to tell the name of every kind of tree in the woods, either by the bark and leaves, or by the shape, and the way they look at a distance. You may easily find out the names of the principal plants and flowers which grow in the fields. It will be a shame if you grow up without knowing how to tell one bird from another, by their shape, their plumage, their song, or their manner of flying. When you come to look more sharply, you will discover a great many curious differences in the mosses and the ragged lichens which grow on the fences and stones, and look like mold.
This is the way to become a philosopher. A philosopher is a lover of wisdom. The reason why some men become philosophers is that they are always inquiring and learning something every hour. It was thus that Dr. Franklin became so celebrated, and discovered the nature of thunder and lightning, which no one knew before.
I have read also of poor shepherd’s boys who have become great philosophers in the same way.
If you are only determined to be learning something all the time, there is no doubt that you will be constantly improving. When your friends see this they will help you, and be glad to instruct you. They will put you in the way of making experiments for yourself, and will furnish you with books and instruments. Thus your very amusements will be full of profit. I am sure that you would find far more entertainment in trying experiments with a little electrical machine than in playing at ball or marbles. And at the same time you would be learning an important science. You might spend an hour or two in a printing office, learning the way in which books are made, and be much more amused than by running about the playground.
So you see that even when you are not in school, you may be constantly improving your mind. You cannot open your eyes anywhere without beholding something to inquire about; and the more inquiries you make, the more you will know. This makes one great difference between people—some are anxious to learn, while others do not care whether they learn or not. Be awake, my dear brother, and remember that time is short, and that you must give an account of the way in which you spend every moment. The greater your knowledge is, the more useful you may be to your fellow creatures.
Your affectionate brother,
James
Author: James W. Alexander
American Presbyterian minister and theologian who followed in the footsteps of his father, Rev. Archibald Alexander. Alexander became a patron of Henry Baldwin Hyde, who founded the Equitable Life Assurance Society in 1859. Many of the company's original directors were members of the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church recruited by Alexander.
By JAMES W. ALEXANDER | Published: OCTOBER 7, 2010The following is a letter from James W. Alexander (1804-1859) to his younger brother. James was a Presbyterian minister and the eldest son of Archibald Alexander (1772-1851). In his letter, James gives his brother excellent advice that is just as needed today, more than 150 years later.
My dear brother,
You must not suppose, from what I said in my last letter, that the school is the only place where you can acquire knowledge. I would by no means have you to play all the time, which you are not employed at your tasks. There are a great many hours, especially in these long winter evenings, in which you may be filling your mind with something useful. For this purpose you should always have some instructive book at hand. Your parents have many such books, and are always glad to give you the use of them.
It makes me sorry to see that you read so much in mere story-books. Some of these, indeed, are useful, and they are liked by all young people. But most of them are foolish, if not injurious. Boys often become so fond of this sort of reading that they never look into anything but tales, stories and novels. And in this way they weaken their minds, and lose all the advantage they might gain from books of instruction.
Now, if you did but think about it—you would find out that there are works which are highly entertaining, at the same time that they are profitable. I mean books of history, voyages and travels, biography, natural history, and philosophy. If you were once to taste the pleasantness of these, you would soon throw away your story-books, which are mostly fit for the nursery.
But you cannot be always reading—and it is by no means necessary. There are many other ways of getting useful knowledge. The greater part of what you already know, you have learned from hearing your father and mother talking. If all they have told you should be written down, it would fill a multitude of volumes. And you remember this much better than if you had read it in a book. You ought, therefore, to learn something every day from your parents. They are always willing to teach you; and whenever you have any difficulty you should get them to explain it. There are a thousand things which they would be delighted to tell you, and which you would be profited to learn. Whenever you are sitting with them, try to get them to instruct you.
You may do the same thing with all your friends. If you are only modest and respectful, they will not consider you too inquisitive. All sensible people are gratified when they see that boys are desirous to learn. Make it a rule to learn something from everybody; for there is no one, high or low—who has not some knowledge which might do you good. For instance, you have friends in the school who come from different parts of the country. You may gain much information from them, by inquiring concerning the places where they live, and getting them to describe to you everything that is remarkable in their own neighborhoods. Even the tradesmen and mechanics can instruct you in many little matters relating to their own employments. It is a great advantage for a man to know something about every different trade and mechanical art—and you cannot learn this from books so well as from going into the workshops, and asking questions of the people who are at work. When they see that you really wish to be informed, they will he glad to answer all your inquiries. I would like you to know all the particulars about every kind of trade and industry.
And then, when you go into the country, it will make your excursions much more pleasant if you will take pains to learn from farmers everything about the cultivation of the earth. You must be sure to find out as much as you can about the different operations of agriculture; sowing, reaping, and the like; and about the productions of the land, the raising of cattle and sheep, and the ways of improving the soil. You will find that many farmers, who have not read as much as yourself, have a great treasure of knowledge and wisdom. Sometimes you will fall into the company of those who have traveled in foreign countries. This will give you a fine opportunity to learn from them all you wish to know about the parts of the world which they have visited.
And if you travel about in your vacations, you must keep your eyes open to everything that is remarkable, and learn all about the places through which you pass. In old times this was the principal way of acquiring knowledge. Instead of going to colleges and universities, the ancient Greeks used to travel for years together in Asia and Egypt, and other lands. This is the method which was pursued by Lycurgus, and Pythagoras, and Plato, and others of whom your histories tell you. When you go to a strange place, you must endeavor to find out about whatever is remarkable, and to make inquiries of all your friends.
Also, there are a great many common things which we see every day, that are very interesting. Many boys carry watches for months and years without knowing at all what it is that makes them go. Charles Harvey had a watch given to him the day he was fifteen years old. He was much pleased with the present—but could not feel satisfied until he went to the watchmaker, and got him to explain the inside of it. The watchmaker took the watch to pieces, and showed him all the works. He showed him the steel spring wound up in a coil, and let him see how it was constantly trying to unwind itself and get loose. Then he showed him the barrel to which the end of the spring is fastened, and how the working of the spring makes the barrel move round and round. He pointed out the chain which goes from the barrel to the great coil, and told him how one wheel moved another, until the hands were made to go around. But you cannot understand this by writing. If you ask a watchmaker, he will explain all these works to you in a few minutes.
Some boys are so careless that they make no inquiries, and never learn anything of value. I knew a boy who used to go to a mill every few days—but who never had the curiosity to ask how it was that the water falling on the great wheel could make the mill-stone turn round and round. Some lads will often own guns without ever finding out how the lock is formed, or how the trigger moves the other works, or how the gunpowder is made. I hope it will not be so with you—but that whenever you see any machine, you will not rest until you know all about it.
When you are next on board a steamboat, get someone to explain to you how the steam works. Inquire about the boiler, and the condenser, and the piston, and the valves.
Find out the way in which the pump in the yard raises the water, and what it is that makes the mercury rise and fall in the thermometer.
The great thing is to be always inquiring. Ask and you will learn. Learn something every hour. Remember the little story of “Eyes and no Eyes,” and read “Travels about Home.” Whenever you take a walk, you may be learning something. You ought to be able to tell the name of every kind of tree in the woods, either by the bark and leaves, or by the shape, and the way they look at a distance. You may easily find out the names of the principal plants and flowers which grow in the fields. It will be a shame if you grow up without knowing how to tell one bird from another, by their shape, their plumage, their song, or their manner of flying. When you come to look more sharply, you will discover a great many curious differences in the mosses and the ragged lichens which grow on the fences and stones, and look like mold.
This is the way to become a philosopher. A philosopher is a lover of wisdom. The reason why some men become philosophers is that they are always inquiring and learning something every hour. It was thus that Dr. Franklin became so celebrated, and discovered the nature of thunder and lightning, which no one knew before.
I have read also of poor shepherd’s boys who have become great philosophers in the same way.
If you are only determined to be learning something all the time, there is no doubt that you will be constantly improving. When your friends see this they will help you, and be glad to instruct you. They will put you in the way of making experiments for yourself, and will furnish you with books and instruments. Thus your very amusements will be full of profit. I am sure that you would find far more entertainment in trying experiments with a little electrical machine than in playing at ball or marbles. And at the same time you would be learning an important science. You might spend an hour or two in a printing office, learning the way in which books are made, and be much more amused than by running about the playground.
So you see that even when you are not in school, you may be constantly improving your mind. You cannot open your eyes anywhere without beholding something to inquire about; and the more inquiries you make, the more you will know. This makes one great difference between people—some are anxious to learn, while others do not care whether they learn or not. Be awake, my dear brother, and remember that time is short, and that you must give an account of the way in which you spend every moment. The greater your knowledge is, the more useful you may be to your fellow creatures.
Your affectionate brother,
James
Author: James W. Alexander
American Presbyterian minister and theologian who followed in the footsteps of his father, Rev. Archibald Alexander. Alexander became a patron of Henry Baldwin Hyde, who founded the Equitable Life Assurance Society in 1859. Many of the company's original directors were members of the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church recruited by Alexander.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Coming Soon To A Milk Carton Near You
Oh my good lord in heaven and all the saints covered in gravy, these kids are cute. As my mother would say, "Keep an even closer eye on those two, they're so cute kidnappers will surely grab them!" ('Cause you know, kidnappers are very choosy. Why hide out in a dirty shack with an ugly kid?)
Friday, October 8, 2010
Slightly More Gleeful
Finally, I laughed out loud at Glee this week. Last week's episode provided a glimmer of hope when they showcased Heather Morris, who is in my opinion probably the most talented of the bunch. Her dancing is amazing, and her portrayal of her character's particularities is genius. She proved that the real Britney is replaceable, as are all of those semi-talented pretty pop stars.
Any episode that eliminates Lea Michele is a good episode, as her affects make me want to slice my skull open with a chainsaw and scrub my memory clean with a Brillo pad. So this week's episode had that going for it. Even though Lea Michele destroyed the most heart-wrenching Barbara song that ever existed, she wasn't on camera as much. If they killed her character off, the show might have more to offer....
As we all know, Jane Lynch saves the show. And in this week's episode, when Sue and Will were arguing over whether students should be allowed to express their faith in public school and Sue said, "If your students want to express their faith they can enroll at Sweet Holy Mother Of God Academy on I Love Jesus Street", I did laugh out loud.
Any episode that eliminates Lea Michele is a good episode, as her affects make me want to slice my skull open with a chainsaw and scrub my memory clean with a Brillo pad. So this week's episode had that going for it. Even though Lea Michele destroyed the most heart-wrenching Barbara song that ever existed, she wasn't on camera as much. If they killed her character off, the show might have more to offer....
As we all know, Jane Lynch saves the show. And in this week's episode, when Sue and Will were arguing over whether students should be allowed to express their faith in public school and Sue said, "If your students want to express their faith they can enroll at Sweet Holy Mother Of God Academy on I Love Jesus Street", I did laugh out loud.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
One Ride & The New Normal
So, I'm a friend snob. And by that I mean, I tend to only have friends who are either ridiculously talented, unbelievably intelligent, incredibly funny, gut-wrenchingly beautiful, or wickedly edgy, and most are a combination of all the above. Two of my friends who were born with waaaayy too much of all of the above are performing in shows in NYC this month.
My best atheist Solomon Singer will be performing in Robert Royston's "One Ride" in Queens October 29th through November 7th. Being a Robert Royston production, you know it's going to be filled with amazing choreography. Click here for tickets.
My best atheist Solomon Singer will be performing in Robert Royston's "One Ride" in Queens October 29th through November 7th. Being a Robert Royston production, you know it's going to be filled with amazing choreography. Click here for tickets.
And if that's not enough talent for you, my best Nell Mooney Makenzie is playing the leading role in "The New Normal" at the Wings Theater in the West Village, from October 13th to the 23rd. She plays a young Southern woman who survives breast cancer. Click here for tickets.
So if you're in NYC this month, I'd strongly suggest you see both of these shows. Not just because my friends are in them, but because, as I stated above, my friends are insanely talented. They will never disappoint.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Week 4 Review From The Commish
2010 LFC Week FOUR REVIEW
==============================================
Here's your top scorers of the week! Only starting players get credit for being an LFC Top Scorer ... you can view all the league's top scorers of the week - and of the season at:
http://lewisfamily.league.fantasy.nfl.com/league/56914/players/leaders
littlerupp QB DET Shaun Hill: 26.54pts
SpecialEd RB HOU Arian Foster: 39.70pts
Dolphins WR CIN Terrell Owens: 39.20pts
DaDoggPound TE SD Antonio Gates 30.40pts
NoPuntIntended K SD Nate Kaeding: 12.00pts
roopdogs SD Chargers Defense 31.00pts
Look out folks - here is comes ... the LFC 2010 Week 4 REVIEW!
================
LEWIS FAMILY CHALLENGE GAME OF THE WEEK:
2-2 Smytherines 108.64
1-3 Dolphins 109.22
* Well look who finally righted the ship and found the way to beuluh-land. Both teams were dealing with byes from contributing starters as well as low output from the starters who played. The Dolphins won by a little more than a half a point, thanks to the monster outing by CIN WR Terrell Owens (38.2pts in Cleveland). Both teams left points on the bench, but just about every scenario would give the beached Mosleys their first win of the 2010 season. Congrats to the Dolphins for not just their first win, but versus one of the league's toughest teams!
----------
3-1 SpecialEd 91.22
1-3 team jacob 109.44
* You just knew there was something in the air when team jacob took a huge early lead over Special Ed in the 1pm games on Sunday - this was UpsetWeekend in LFC - all the major teams succumbed to teams itching to get above .500. While all the other upsets are admirable, team jacob pulled off the win of the season - taking down the league's #1 team despite not even starting three RBs. Special Ed got a great game from HOU HB A. Foster (39.70pts) but his ace-in-the-hole, CHI RB Matt Forte could only offer 3.30pts for the day. It simply wasn't enough to keep their undefeated record alive - as jacob enjoyed outings from IND RB Joseph Addai (20.20pts), DET WR C. JOhnson (20.80pts), and NYJ HB L. Tomlinson (31.50pts). Hopefully this win will turn things around for team jacob as they join the chase for a playoff spot - but if that doesn't happen - they'll always have Sunday October 3rd, 2010 - the day they showed Special Ed who the real team is.
----------
2-2 Intended 100.78
2-2 roopdogs 109.58
* Special teams, special teams - the LFC is known far and wide for allowing special teams to play a significant role in scoring. The roopdogs took full advantage of those rules, as they came from behind midway through Monday night's football game in Miami, as New England's WR Brandon Tate returned a kickoff 103yds for a touchdown - giving the roopies the lead and the win - bringing their W/L record to a even .500 for the season.
----------
2-2 in brooklyn 97.90
2-2 littlerupp 120.24
* If team jacob could do it and the Mosley Dolphins found a way - surely littlerupp could produce the same result? Ah, right - the Vegas oddsmakers were piled heavy on the growth spurts, as littlerupp couldn't even find the time to assemble a starting unit with players that were, uhm, actually playing football this weekend. The littleupp started two guys who were on vacation - and started one guy who watched the game from the bench. You could say the bars in Brooklyn were knockin' em back eager to watch the scoreboard light up in their favor - but alas, that would have happened any other Sunday - but not on Upset Sunday. That's right - the guys who did contributed points to the littlerupp cause put up Davidian-vs-Phillistine like numbers. It didn't matter that the rupp deck was half stacked and they had the New England Patriots Defense on MOnday Night Football, who contributed two TDs, four INTs, one TD return, and 2 sacks.
----------
3-1 allstars 68.30
1-3 Sauteed Mules 55.92
* A rough outing for both of these playoff contenders as neither team came close to reaching the century mark. This was a brutal game to follow as the points were trickling in at a snail's pace. The AllStars won on the arm of NO QB Drew Brees and the back of SD HB Mike Tolbert. Bye weeks can kill even the best teams - and Upset Sunday was all about who managed their byes. The Mules could have won this game - if they hadn't of left 40pts on the bench. Live and learn.
----------
3-1 Haulers 64.16
3-1 Five Alive 108.14
* This game was over by twenty minutes after 1pm on Sunday - as the Haulers lost the services of their starting QB, PHI Michael Vick. And things didn't get any better when their #1 WR, HOU Andre JOhnson, called out sick at 4:15pm. The Five Alive didn't ease up on the walking wounded - they shifted into overdrive and tapped the nOS button, boom goes the dynamite, folks.
----------
2-2 Pound 111.16
1-3 Knights 74.54
* Civil War IV: Pounders vs Knights ... this is a battle that has been waging since long before LFC was founded. The entire season rests upon the outcome of this game. And it was a hallmark game - that is, until SD TE Antonio Gates hauled in his 500th career catch on his way to a 30.40pt effort - enough to distance the Pound from the Golden Knights. Two weeks ago the Pounders were sifting sand at the bottom of the standings - now they're a game behind the front runners. Only in the LFC.
==============================================
Here's your top scorers of the week! Only starting players get credit for being an LFC Top Scorer ... you can view all the league's top scorers of the week - and of the season at:
http://lewisfamily.league.fantasy.nfl.com/league/56914/players/leaders
littlerupp QB DET Shaun Hill: 26.54pts
SpecialEd RB HOU Arian Foster: 39.70pts
Dolphins WR CIN Terrell Owens: 39.20pts
DaDoggPound TE SD Antonio Gates 30.40pts
NoPuntIntended K SD Nate Kaeding: 12.00pts
roopdogs SD Chargers Defense 31.00pts
Look out folks - here is comes ... the LFC 2010 Week 4 REVIEW!
================
LEWIS FAMILY CHALLENGE GAME OF THE WEEK:
2-2 Smytherines 108.64
1-3 Dolphins 109.22
* Well look who finally righted the ship and found the way to beuluh-land. Both teams were dealing with byes from contributing starters as well as low output from the starters who played. The Dolphins won by a little more than a half a point, thanks to the monster outing by CIN WR Terrell Owens (38.2pts in Cleveland). Both teams left points on the bench, but just about every scenario would give the beached Mosleys their first win of the 2010 season. Congrats to the Dolphins for not just their first win, but versus one of the league's toughest teams!
----------
3-1 SpecialEd 91.22
1-3 team jacob 109.44
* You just knew there was something in the air when team jacob took a huge early lead over Special Ed in the 1pm games on Sunday - this was UpsetWeekend in LFC - all the major teams succumbed to teams itching to get above .500. While all the other upsets are admirable, team jacob pulled off the win of the season - taking down the league's #1 team despite not even starting three RBs. Special Ed got a great game from HOU HB A. Foster (39.70pts) but his ace-in-the-hole, CHI RB Matt Forte could only offer 3.30pts for the day. It simply wasn't enough to keep their undefeated record alive - as jacob enjoyed outings from IND RB Joseph Addai (20.20pts), DET WR C. JOhnson (20.80pts), and NYJ HB L. Tomlinson (31.50pts). Hopefully this win will turn things around for team jacob as they join the chase for a playoff spot - but if that doesn't happen - they'll always have Sunday October 3rd, 2010 - the day they showed Special Ed who the real team is.
----------
2-2 Intended 100.78
2-2 roopdogs 109.58
* Special teams, special teams - the LFC is known far and wide for allowing special teams to play a significant role in scoring. The roopdogs took full advantage of those rules, as they came from behind midway through Monday night's football game in Miami, as New England's WR Brandon Tate returned a kickoff 103yds for a touchdown - giving the roopies the lead and the win - bringing their W/L record to a even .500 for the season.
----------
2-2 in brooklyn 97.90
2-2 littlerupp 120.24
* If team jacob could do it and the Mosley Dolphins found a way - surely littlerupp could produce the same result? Ah, right - the Vegas oddsmakers were piled heavy on the growth spurts, as littlerupp couldn't even find the time to assemble a starting unit with players that were, uhm, actually playing football this weekend. The littleupp started two guys who were on vacation - and started one guy who watched the game from the bench. You could say the bars in Brooklyn were knockin' em back eager to watch the scoreboard light up in their favor - but alas, that would have happened any other Sunday - but not on Upset Sunday. That's right - the guys who did contributed points to the littlerupp cause put up Davidian-vs-Phillistine like numbers. It didn't matter that the rupp deck was half stacked and they had the New England Patriots Defense on MOnday Night Football, who contributed two TDs, four INTs, one TD return, and 2 sacks.
----------
3-1 allstars 68.30
1-3 Sauteed Mules 55.92
* A rough outing for both of these playoff contenders as neither team came close to reaching the century mark. This was a brutal game to follow as the points were trickling in at a snail's pace. The AllStars won on the arm of NO QB Drew Brees and the back of SD HB Mike Tolbert. Bye weeks can kill even the best teams - and Upset Sunday was all about who managed their byes. The Mules could have won this game - if they hadn't of left 40pts on the bench. Live and learn.
----------
3-1 Haulers 64.16
3-1 Five Alive 108.14
* This game was over by twenty minutes after 1pm on Sunday - as the Haulers lost the services of their starting QB, PHI Michael Vick. And things didn't get any better when their #1 WR, HOU Andre JOhnson, called out sick at 4:15pm. The Five Alive didn't ease up on the walking wounded - they shifted into overdrive and tapped the nOS button, boom goes the dynamite, folks.
----------
2-2 Pound 111.16
1-3 Knights 74.54
* Civil War IV: Pounders vs Knights ... this is a battle that has been waging since long before LFC was founded. The entire season rests upon the outcome of this game. And it was a hallmark game - that is, until SD TE Antonio Gates hauled in his 500th career catch on his way to a 30.40pt effort - enough to distance the Pound from the Golden Knights. Two weeks ago the Pounders were sifting sand at the bottom of the standings - now they're a game behind the front runners. Only in the LFC.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Dotless Dairy
Zachary and Ava have never liked dots in their yogurt. You know, dots. Pips, seeds, fruit pieces....dots. They made it clear that yogurt would never be a part of their repertoire. (Funny though, Eric and I bought them candy dots on our last road trip, and they loved them...) But Yoplait Whips changed their yogurt ban forever. Whips is yogurt mousse, with no dots to taint your experience. For the past year they've been eating Whips like there's no tomorrow. They love the Orange Cream and the Lemon Burst especially.
So if you have a child with a dot aversion, give Whips a try. Unless they have an air aversion too, they're sure to love it.
So if you have a child with a dot aversion, give Whips a try. Unless they have an air aversion too, they're sure to love it.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Monday Mornings With Zachary
Zach tells us how he'd escape from our burning house, and we find out who he loves most in his family.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Friday, October 1, 2010
Week 3 Review From The Commish
2010 LFC Week Three REVIEW
==============================================
First up - a new feature ... top scorers of the week! Only starting players get credit for being an LFC Top Scorer ... you can view all the league's top scorers of the week - and of the season at:
http://lewisfamily.league.fantasy.nfl.com/league/56914/players/leaders
Haulers QB PHI Michael Vick: 39.64pts
littlerupp RB MIN Adrian Peterson 40.00pts
roopdogs WR BAL Anquan Boldin 35.96pts
FiveAlive TE ATL Tony Gonzalez 21.00pts
SpecialEd K TEN Rob Bironas 9.00pts
DaDoggPound PHI Eagles Defense 18.00pts
Look out folks - here is comes ... the LFC 2010 Week 3 REVIEW!
================
LEWIS FAMILY CHALLENGE GAME OF THE WEEK:
2-0 No Punt Intended @ 1-1 a team grows in brooklyn
DevaCurl Bowl I gave the fans their money's worth - as the Intenders mounted a marvelous comeback during the Monday Night Football game between the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers, a game which by the way, featured prominently in a number of LFC's outcomes this weekend. The Intenders had the Pack D and CHI TE Olsen to pull out a victory for them, while the team huggers had to rely on CHI K Gould to leg out the win. While the outcome was glorious for the brookworms, the game should have never been that close, as Ochocinco and Berrian gave sub-par efforts for the No Punts Left Behind, while their backups Evans/Jones could have squeaked out a win for them. Although the local press will have their digicams pressed up against DET's Best - his 3.9pt orchestration seemed somewhat lacking after last week's Herculean posting against the TinKnights. All in all, it was still a great game to watch down to the final gun late Monday evening. This should be a promising matchup to follow in the coming seasons - and who knows, perhaps these two will face each other again later this fall?
2-1 Intended 104.00
(up next -> 1-2 roopdogs)
2-1 in brooklyn 105.54
(up next -> 1-2 littlerupp)
----------
1-1 middletown allstars @ 2-0 Special Ed
After two weeks of non-stop coverage of the personnel on Special Ed's all-star roster and how many seats will they require for the head table at the LFC Championship banquet - they had to get back to the real work of churning out victories - and this week, they had to go up against the real allstars, of the middletown variety. The Middlers have taken LFC by storm, dominating littlerupp and DaDogg in the season's first two weeks - and now they got to face the league's best team. And until halftime of MNF, it appeared the upstarts were going to shock the world - the allstars took an early lead in the 1pm games and began to distance themselves from Special Ed, but once again, PHI WR DeSean Jackson brought the Specials back into contention with a 61yd TD haul just 10min into his game in Jacksonville. When CHI WR Knox caught a 31yd pass with a little over a minute to go in the first half, Special Ed took the lead and it was lights out for the allstars' moment in the limelight. Don't fret little towners of middle, you've got the goods for a post-season seed.
1-1 allstars 109.80
(up next -> 1-2 Sauteed Mules)
1-1 alEd 119.74
(up next -> 0-3 team jacob)
----------
1-1 Sauteed Mules @ 2-0 Emmaus Smytherines
If Special Ed wasn't hoggin' all the press coverage, these two teams would be the talk of the league - as they are both clearly built for a deep fall run into the schedule. This game could have easily been a matchup between two undefeateds, had the Mules' Naanee pulled in just one more TD in week one - but those are days past. And the LFC is all about how many points can you score today. This matchup was closely contested during the early games, but by Sunday night, Emmaus had this one locked. SD QB Rivers threw for nearly half-thousand yards in upstate Washington - if he continues to produce like that, move over Special Ed.
2-1 Mules 84.84
(up next -> 1-2 allstars)
2-1 Smytherines 114.10 pts
(up next -> 0-3 Dolphins)
----------
1-1 roopdogs @ 1-1 Keeping Five Alive
Ugh, you gotta feel for the roopdogs - if you told them at 12:59PM ET on Sunday that they'd have the league's third highest score for the weekend, it'd be drinks for everyone. Alas, the FiveAlive scored the second highest for the weekend. These two teams were over the century mark before the 1PM games had ended - you just knew this one was gonna be close. When the 4pm games ended, the Fiver's score was set - and the roopdogs just needed a huge game from CHI QB Cutler on MNF to bring home the win. But his 14.54pt effort couldn't get the job done and Mother Johnson got her second win of the season.
1-2 roopdogs 127.70
(up next -> 2-1 Intended)
2-1 Five Alive 143.06
(up next -> 3-0 Haulers)
----------
2-0 Hamilton Haulers @ 0-2 Mosley Dolphins
Absolutely no one, and we do mean no one, ever expected the Mosley Dolphins to start out the season 0-2, let alone 0-3. Especially when they got to play a RB-less team like the Haulers in week three - surely this would be the week the 'Phins would get up off the beach and head for the deep waters where the pros swim. Up until midway through the 4PM games, the Dolphins were looking at a possible champagne post-game celebration - then PHI QB Michael Vick began to settle down and play like a prototypical NFL QB, throwing for nearly 300yds and 3TDs - the scoring in this matchup swung dramatically toward the Haulers. And the Haulers even mistakenly benched a 23.90pt player in ARI RB Stephens-Howling. Destiny was cast - the Dolphins were meant to be winless heading into week four.
3-0 Haulers 99.04
(up next -> 2-1 Five Alive)
0-3 Dolphins 82.88
(up next -> 2-1 Smytherines)
----------
0-2 team jacob @ 0-2 DaDogg Pound
According to the LFC rules, someone had to win this game - no matter how poorly these teams could possibly play - there was going to be a victor. Sure enough, despite not even starting the required two RBs - the Pounders torched the scoreboard for 161.30pts and crushed team jacob - whose 96.24 would have been enough to win three other games this weekend - hope there's solace in that. The Pounders had four guys put up twenty-plus days - we're talking league dominating type effort here - are they for real? Where have they been? Considering who they're playing next week, the Pounders could be mid-pack going into week five and begin to make a serious run at a playoff seed in the coming weeks. Put down the soda, my friend - one week at a time, sweet cheeses.
0-3 jacob 96.24
(up next -> 3-0 SpecialEd)
1-2 Pound 161.30
(up next -> 1-2 Knights)
----------
1-1 little rupp @ 0-2 Golden Knights
Credit the NYJ WR Braylon Edwards and GB TE Jermichael Finley for the Golden Knights' first victory of the season. While the little rupps' featured a zen-like 40pt performance by the first overall pick of the LFC draft, MIN RB Adrian Peterson, there wasn't much else to get excited about for the rupps - whilst the Knights featured five players in double-digits. Not sure what to make of this golden turn-around ... next week's DaDogg/Knights game will establish which team's makeover is the real deal.
1-2 rupp 95.98
(up next -> 2-1 brooklyn)
1-2 Knights 120.18
(up next -> 1-2 Pound)
==============================================
First up - a new feature ... top scorers of the week! Only starting players get credit for being an LFC Top Scorer ... you can view all the league's top scorers of the week - and of the season at:
http://lewisfamily.league.fantasy.nfl.com/league/56914/players/leaders
Haulers QB PHI Michael Vick: 39.64pts
littlerupp RB MIN Adrian Peterson 40.00pts
roopdogs WR BAL Anquan Boldin 35.96pts
FiveAlive TE ATL Tony Gonzalez 21.00pts
SpecialEd K TEN Rob Bironas 9.00pts
DaDoggPound PHI Eagles Defense 18.00pts
Look out folks - here is comes ... the LFC 2010 Week 3 REVIEW!
================
LEWIS FAMILY CHALLENGE GAME OF THE WEEK:
2-0 No Punt Intended @ 1-1 a team grows in brooklyn
DevaCurl Bowl I gave the fans their money's worth - as the Intenders mounted a marvelous comeback during the Monday Night Football game between the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers, a game which by the way, featured prominently in a number of LFC's outcomes this weekend. The Intenders had the Pack D and CHI TE Olsen to pull out a victory for them, while the team huggers had to rely on CHI K Gould to leg out the win. While the outcome was glorious for the brookworms, the game should have never been that close, as Ochocinco and Berrian gave sub-par efforts for the No Punts Left Behind, while their backups Evans/Jones could have squeaked out a win for them. Although the local press will have their digicams pressed up against DET's Best - his 3.9pt orchestration seemed somewhat lacking after last week's Herculean posting against the TinKnights. All in all, it was still a great game to watch down to the final gun late Monday evening. This should be a promising matchup to follow in the coming seasons - and who knows, perhaps these two will face each other again later this fall?
2-1 Intended 104.00
(up next -> 1-2 roopdogs)
2-1 in brooklyn 105.54
(up next -> 1-2 littlerupp)
----------
1-1 middletown allstars @ 2-0 Special Ed
After two weeks of non-stop coverage of the personnel on Special Ed's all-star roster and how many seats will they require for the head table at the LFC Championship banquet - they had to get back to the real work of churning out victories - and this week, they had to go up against the real allstars, of the middletown variety. The Middlers have taken LFC by storm, dominating littlerupp and DaDogg in the season's first two weeks - and now they got to face the league's best team. And until halftime of MNF, it appeared the upstarts were going to shock the world - the allstars took an early lead in the 1pm games and began to distance themselves from Special Ed, but once again, PHI WR DeSean Jackson brought the Specials back into contention with a 61yd TD haul just 10min into his game in Jacksonville. When CHI WR Knox caught a 31yd pass with a little over a minute to go in the first half, Special Ed took the lead and it was lights out for the allstars' moment in the limelight. Don't fret little towners of middle, you've got the goods for a post-season seed.
1-1 allstars 109.80
(up next -> 1-2 Sauteed Mules)
1-1 alEd 119.74
(up next -> 0-3 team jacob)
----------
1-1 Sauteed Mules @ 2-0 Emmaus Smytherines
If Special Ed wasn't hoggin' all the press coverage, these two teams would be the talk of the league - as they are both clearly built for a deep fall run into the schedule. This game could have easily been a matchup between two undefeateds, had the Mules' Naanee pulled in just one more TD in week one - but those are days past. And the LFC is all about how many points can you score today. This matchup was closely contested during the early games, but by Sunday night, Emmaus had this one locked. SD QB Rivers threw for nearly half-thousand yards in upstate Washington - if he continues to produce like that, move over Special Ed.
2-1 Mules 84.84
(up next -> 1-2 allstars)
2-1 Smytherines 114.10 pts
(up next -> 0-3 Dolphins)
----------
1-1 roopdogs @ 1-1 Keeping Five Alive
Ugh, you gotta feel for the roopdogs - if you told them at 12:59PM ET on Sunday that they'd have the league's third highest score for the weekend, it'd be drinks for everyone. Alas, the FiveAlive scored the second highest for the weekend. These two teams were over the century mark before the 1PM games had ended - you just knew this one was gonna be close. When the 4pm games ended, the Fiver's score was set - and the roopdogs just needed a huge game from CHI QB Cutler on MNF to bring home the win. But his 14.54pt effort couldn't get the job done and Mother Johnson got her second win of the season.
1-2 roopdogs 127.70
(up next -> 2-1 Intended)
2-1 Five Alive 143.06
(up next -> 3-0 Haulers)
----------
2-0 Hamilton Haulers @ 0-2 Mosley Dolphins
Absolutely no one, and we do mean no one, ever expected the Mosley Dolphins to start out the season 0-2, let alone 0-3. Especially when they got to play a RB-less team like the Haulers in week three - surely this would be the week the 'Phins would get up off the beach and head for the deep waters where the pros swim. Up until midway through the 4PM games, the Dolphins were looking at a possible champagne post-game celebration - then PHI QB Michael Vick began to settle down and play like a prototypical NFL QB, throwing for nearly 300yds and 3TDs - the scoring in this matchup swung dramatically toward the Haulers. And the Haulers even mistakenly benched a 23.90pt player in ARI RB Stephens-Howling. Destiny was cast - the Dolphins were meant to be winless heading into week four.
3-0 Haulers 99.04
(up next -> 2-1 Five Alive)
0-3 Dolphins 82.88
(up next -> 2-1 Smytherines)
----------
0-2 team jacob @ 0-2 DaDogg Pound
According to the LFC rules, someone had to win this game - no matter how poorly these teams could possibly play - there was going to be a victor. Sure enough, despite not even starting the required two RBs - the Pounders torched the scoreboard for 161.30pts and crushed team jacob - whose 96.24 would have been enough to win three other games this weekend - hope there's solace in that. The Pounders had four guys put up twenty-plus days - we're talking league dominating type effort here - are they for real? Where have they been? Considering who they're playing next week, the Pounders could be mid-pack going into week five and begin to make a serious run at a playoff seed in the coming weeks. Put down the soda, my friend - one week at a time, sweet cheeses.
0-3 jacob 96.24
(up next -> 3-0 SpecialEd)
1-2 Pound 161.30
(up next -> 1-2 Knights)
----------
1-1 little rupp @ 0-2 Golden Knights
Credit the NYJ WR Braylon Edwards and GB TE Jermichael Finley for the Golden Knights' first victory of the season. While the little rupps' featured a zen-like 40pt performance by the first overall pick of the LFC draft, MIN RB Adrian Peterson, there wasn't much else to get excited about for the rupps - whilst the Knights featured five players in double-digits. Not sure what to make of this golden turn-around ... next week's DaDogg/Knights game will establish which team's makeover is the real deal.
1-2 rupp 95.98
(up next -> 2-1 brooklyn)
1-2 Knights 120.18
(up next -> 1-2 Pound)
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