Good Morning and welcome to the Tuesday before the storm!

So, while driving around last night, the tunes coming from the radio had three children (10, 7 and 5) listening intently.
They closed their eyes. They let the sounds invade their head. They smiled. They didn't argue (which, in itself is a miracle).
Most of the time, the radio, if on at all, is tuned to Jazz or something light so as not to get them too fired up.
Last night, it was opera.
For some, it would mean even more yelling. 'Put something else on,' they might say. 'We hate this. Put on real music.'
It does the heart good when that doesn't happen. Instead, they enjoyed the sounds. They even started picking out how some Mozart (who died in 1791) music has been 'stolen' by today's 'artists' and changed.
Hey, when a 10-year old says he wants the prelude to Carmen for a ring tone, well, maybe there's hope for the new generation.

Good Morning and welcome to the rain!

When I was a student (so many moons ago), like everybody else, I hated homework. I would do whatever I could to push off the doing of homework. I would pretend I was asleep. I would pretend I was sick. I would pretend I didn't have any homework.
Eventually, of course, I had to get the homework done. I can remember more than a few times trying to do my homework when my friends were outside playing. I can remember my friends ringing the doorbell, only to be told I was still doing homework.
What I don't remember is having as much homework as is being assigned now. A fifth-grader I know can spend hours a night (late afternoon, actually) doing math, spelling, grammer, social studies.
One Canadian family got so fed up with the homework, they worked out a deal with the school to stop it from coming home.
This is a big dilemma. I know children need to do homework, but I also know there are so inundated with tests and the like during school hours they need down time as well. So, we try to get the homework done right after school so the rest of the night is free.
Teachers say it's better to let the children decompress after school before doing homework. Well, with work, activities, dinner and the fast-approaching bed time, that doesn't fly.
If teachers really want children to be so well-rounded, don't give so much homework. You have them all day, get the work done during school hours. Give them a half hour at the end of the day to get some work done. Of course, thanks to the fabulous 'No Child Left Behind' mandate, there is virtually no time for lunch let alone extra work.
I wish there was a better solution.

Good Morning and hopefully you got a good night's rest!

By about 8 most nights, I'm pretty much out of it. That's what happens when your alarm goes off every morning at 3 a.m.
So, about 7:30 p.m., it's time to get the troops ready for the bedtime ritual, which usually involves a lot of arguing and, sometimes, yelling.
Coming off the summer bedtime of about 9 p.m., the school-time sleep schedule appears to start too early for these three children.
Here's how it goes:
7:30 p.m.: "OK, guys, time to get ready for bed. Let's get a quick bath and put on the pajamas."
Five seconds later (spoken in unison): "WHY? WHY?"
7:40 p.m.: "OK, it's time to get ready for bed. Everybody upstairs."
Five seconds later: "It's TOO EARLY!"
7:50 p.m.: "Really, guys, lets get moving upstairs."
Five seconds later: "Your not going to bed why should we."
8 p.m.: "All right, enough fooling, up."
Five seconds later: "WHY? WHY? WHY?"
Five seconds later: "Move it."
So, after getting everybody bathed and dressed, the dance continues.
"OK, everybody's teeth brushed?"
"NO. No. No."
"All right, brush teeth."
A little while later, everybody's in bed. It's time for the 'Good Night's'
"Wait, I didn't brush my teeth."
"ARGHHHH!"
It would be kind of funny if it didn't happen EVERY NIGHT. Then again, it wouldn't be so, I don't know, interesting?
Eventually, everybody gets to sleep. Eventually.
Soon, it will be time to start it all over again. Maybe, I'll try some soft music tonight (although I don't know if this one would work for me).

Good Morning and here's hoping the health care uproar dies down!

Yeah, I know that's a pipe dream. There are still too many uninformed people out there who would rather just call names and yell than have a legitimate discussion about how to better help everybody else.
If you look at the whole picture, we are here to help each other. We can't really survive without working together, but selfishness always raises it's ugly head. Too many out there are only thinking about themselves.
'Hey, I'm OK. The heck with everybody else.'
Of course, they use different language.
The best way we can counteract that is to teach children the correct way to act.
Now, anybody who has young ones know there are more than enough trying times. The arguing, the fighting, the eating, the yelling, more yelling and more yelling can get under your skin.
Then, when it all calms down (you know that 10 minute period during the day) it's time to act. Teach them how to act, how to help and tell them how it all connects.
Maybe if we can't get this stuff to work now (there are too many people listening to the radio to form their opinions), it will in the future.

Good Morning and welcome to the week after the Fourth of July!

You hope we've evolved as human beings, then something like this happens.
There are many reasons why we haven't joined a swim club. This kind of attitude is one of those reasons. Now, I know people pay a lot of money for these things (the major reason), but tough doody if you don't like the rest of the people there.
Those at the club claiming it's not racism are the same ones who put a confederate flag on the front of their pick-up and say it's not making a racial statement.
One thing I've learned over the years is children are color blind. They don't care if you are white, black, red, green or orange. They just like to make friends.
It's only when 'adults' get involved when there are problems.
OK, it's not all adults, but there are too many loudmouths out there (just look at some of those comments on www.delcotimes.com before they are deleted).
How about we just let people be people and enjoy the world.
Then again, maybe I have a child's outlook on society.

Good Morning and welcome to what's supposed to be a pretty good weekend!

Well, we can only hope. This morning was pushing 30 degrees and there was some frost on the windows. Hey, maybe that will be the end of the cold at least until October.
By the way, as the days turn warmer and the sun shines brighter, how do you convince children it really is time for bed.
When the winter months are in full swing (or full dreariness), it's easy to get them to go up by 7:30 p.m. Hey, it's dark out. It's time for bed. Brush the teeth and get under the covers.
Now, though, the clock doesn't matter. It might hit that 7:30 mark, but it looks like noon. The arguments can be brutal. All you're trying to do is create a morning that can go a little smoother. Instead, you have a fight at night then a fight in the morning.
Any logical person would see if you have to get up early and put in a full day of school, it's probably better to go to bed a little earlier. Instead, children have no logic. They live by the moment. They don't care about tomorrow, because today is still alive.
Hey, maybe those brains have it right?


By the way: Il sole, la luna, i fiori non ha bellezza confrontata a voi.
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Good Morning and welcome to the week we officially can start singing holiday songs!

So, last week a study came out that showed the link between television ads for fast food and childhood obesity. Later in the week, the fast food industry said the study was based on old information.
Old information or new information, it doesn't matter. Sure, places like McDonald's and Burger King can can come out with statements about how healthy their choices are or how they have diversified their menu.
Sure, they have added something called 'Apple Fries' to their children's menu. They offer salads. Some offer baked potatoes. Some offer veggie burgers. OK, one offers a veggie burger, but it's also microwaved.
Blah. Blah. Blah.
The bottom line is the fast-food industry gets you hooked, then keeps you coming back with cute jingles and junky toys. No child would be happy to find 'Apple fries' in their meal. They want french fries. They want soda instead of water. They want as much junk as possible.
Then, as they finally calm down and are resigned to the fact they are stuck with 'Apple fries,' they can look over at mom or dad's tray and see french fries drowning in ketchup next to the salad with salt-laden dressing.
Yeah, that will work.
The bottom line is the ad makers are wrong. The giant King or quick songs do get children wanting to take a walk into a McDonald's. Once there, it's time for fat, salt, sugar and whatever else fine stuff they can jam in there.
They figure if they get the children to complain enough, the parents will give in and get a super sized meal.
How can anybody think this is good?



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GOOD MORNING, DELAWARE COUNTY!

Well, as we get down to the end of another school year, it's time to think about what to do during the summer.
Way back when, parents maybe went on a vacation for a week during the summer, did a couple of day trips, then let the children fend for themselves the rest of the summer.
It was fun to go away, but it was maybe more fun to spend the entire day with friends. Even if it was just sitting around in the shade, there was a simplicity to it that just seemed right.
Maybe there'd be a quick baseball game or football game. There was a lot of bike riding and running around.
You would eat breakfast, come back for lunch, then be back again at dinnertime. After dinner, there was more outside time until it got too dark to see.
Now, you can't let the children play outside, even on your front lawn, without keeping an Eagle eye on them.
There are too many dangers out there. The question is, are the dangers more now or are we just more conscious of them?
Well, I think the dangers have exploded as the years have gone along. Sure, there were plenty of predators out there in the 1970s, but maybe they weren't so out in the open.
We didn't have to worry about cars pulling up with somebody looking to hurt children. We didn't have to worry about so many people running around with weapons. We, and I mean both parents and children, didn't have to worry about such serious things.
Now, we have to have camps and planned activities for children. They miss out a lot now. We need to get back to simpler times.


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GOOD MORNING, DELAWARE COUNTY!

Well, today is the big day. The buildup has been impressive. The pressure on some is out of hand. The work has been done. Except for a few things today, everything is ready to roll. The shirts are ready, the pamphlets are printed. There's no doubt the lines getting into the doors will be long and, of course, there will be more than a few annoying people.
That's right, it's time for the 'Third Grade Night of Music' at Garrettford Elementary School.
In this day and age when our President has made it virtually impossible to actually teach children and broaden their horizons, there is a little beacon of hope in the middle of it all.
Being not too musically inclined (although I know I can sing better than Axl Rose), it is nice to see children trying out music. After all, working to get better at an instrument will only lead to something better later in life.
Learning music can be just as daunting a task for some as learning a new language or trying baked tofu for lunch.
In the end, it's better for you. So, until 'No Child Left Behind' takes away all activities from students, it will be fun to listen to some voilins tonight.
By the way, heard this catchy tune over the weekend. It's an odd song, but, warning, once you listen it won't leave your head:


If you have any cool links or photos, send them along to onlinedelco@gmail.com