Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Academic Incentive Field Trip : Going to the Movies (Jumanji or Maze Runner)

Kendall qualified by maintaining grades for the 2nd marking period that are As Bs or Cs. JJ went with him as well. And what did he choose - Maze Runner.

Buenas noches!


Sunday, January 28, 2018

Saturday and Sunday

Saturday: We had someone special come stay overnight.  We went to a local play in Kennett Square at my request since we love the theater: 2018 British Panto – Sleeping Beauty and the Tangley Wood” 
Princess Rosa’s family offends Specula, the wicked fairy, who derives her power from the ever expanding Tangley Wood. Specula puts a spell on Princess Rosa that can only be broken by the kiss of a “noble man”. After sleeping for 100 years the spell is broken, by Jack, a penniless yoeman, and Rosa discovers she has lost everything that matters: family, friends and (thanks to Specula) her fortune. Rosa responds by lashing out at the very people who rescued her from the spell. Will Rosa’s inner beauty ever emerge, will the Tangley wood eventually choke the entire kingdom, will Specula rule the world? 
We love British Pantos -  they give out candy and the audience interacts with the actors.  We did leave at intermission but it was fun :-)
We spent some time outside, FaceTimed with the Abuelos and had Taco night.
Sunday: Church, Sunday School, a visit with Mrs. Timm, we have Girl Scout cookies and a Stewardship luncheon.

A full and wonderful weekend!

Buenas noches!

Friday, January 26, 2018

TGIF

We are glad it is Friday!  Kendall was introduced to the original 21 Jump Street. Lisa and I used to watch it.  And he loves it :-)

Buenas noches!

The 2018 Do-Everything Ski Kit


Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Monday, January 22, 2018

The Weekend

A good day of biking, Cars 3 and enjoying time at home on Saturday.

Sunday was church and a lunchweon to wish a wonderful friend, Carol, Gods Speed as she moves to Colorado.  We will will miss her but are looking forward to keeping in touch and visiting. 

In between church and the luncheon, I visited yeat another friend who is 100 and ready to go to God.  I held her hand and told her I loved her. 

And the Eagles did it - they are in the Super Bowl!

Buenas noches!

Feeling Stressed? Try an Anger Room. Maybe smashing objects is therapeutic. But there's only one way to find out.

Get Ready for Mushrooms to Take Over the World

Your Perfect Ski Season Playlist for 2018

From Nazi Germany to Australia: The Incredible True Story of History’s Longest Kayak Journey

World Health Organization (WHO) exists to build a better, healthier future for people all over the world working through offices in more than 150 countries. Together they strive to combat diseases - infectious diseases like influenza and HIV and noncommunicable ones like cancer and heart disease. They help mothers and children survive and thrive so they can look forward to a healthy old age. They ensure the safety of the air people breathe, the food they eat, the water they drink - and the medicines and vaccines they need.

United Nations works to maintain international peace and security by working to prevent conflict; helping parties in conflict make peace; peacekeeping; and creating the conditions to allow peace to hold and flourish.

PLACES YOU SHOULD VISIT IN 2018 BEFORE THEY GET TOO POPULAR




Friday, January 19, 2018

It's Fridayyyyy

We have our car back and we are looking forward to the weekend!

But first a horrible day for Kendall with focus, staying on task and asking for help before trying to do it himself. So at Kendall's reqesr we enjoyed dinner at McDonalds.  A good idea before going grocery shopping :-)

Buenas noches!

Thursday, January 18, 2018

Back To School Thursday (for me!)

A bit of a crazy day (maybe because it is 01/18/18).  We dropped off our car for a 60K service and have a 2017 Honda CRV as a loaner. And we still have it since they didn't get to our car. We are hoping to pick it up tomorrow.

And an online graduate course for me through Rutgers courtesy of work. What course you ask? 

"Dermaceutics" is an in-depth full semester course designed for graduate level students as well as scientists in the pharmaceutical/personal care and cosmetic industries who need to learn more about the fundamentals of skin, skin absorption, topical/transdermal compound delivery and methodologies for testing the penetration of compounds into skin. We will cover in vivo clinical testing as well as issues with regulatory and intellectual property/patent aspects of formulations and actives applied to the skin.

Learning Objectives: Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:
  • Explain general in vitro testing procedures for topicals and transdermals
  • Discuss regulatory requirements for in vitro absorption testing
  • Understand the complexities in setting up in vivo testing panels
  • List the different stages of percutaneous absorption
  • Be familiar with skin penetration parameters
  • Understand the approaches of enhancing and retarding percutaneous absorption of actives
  • Discuss the barrier properties of skin, skin biology, skin metabolism of actives




Buenas noches!

THE BIGGEST SONG FROM THE YEAR YOU WERE BORN

As the nation's health protection agency, CDC saves lives and protects people from health, safety, and security threats. Make 2018 your healthiest year yet! Find tips to boost your health and well-being.

The position for coolest job has been filled. More than 9,000 people applied to be a travel writer for the The New York Times, a gig that requires visiting 52 places across the globe in 2018. Be very jealous of Jada Yuan. [Twitter]

8 Rules to Do Everything Better

Women Writing About the Wild: 25 Essential Authors

Health Benefits of Mindfulness Practice

Take your photo organization to a whole new level. With a unique innovative solution, the Photobucket app keeps your photos organized and safe, all within an amazing media browse experience. We believe a picture is worth a thousand words, and with the Photobucket app integrated print experience, you can turn those into some beautiful products that you can hold and touch.

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Tae Kwon Do and HOW TO BECOME MORE OPTIMISTIC Tuesday

We have recommited to Tae Kwon Do - you need to do that every once in awhile.  Kendall will test next March 10 and he ready to put in the work. Mr. Fox is on board to help Kendall succeed.

HOW TO BECOME MORE OPTIMISTIC

"Try to think of three new things you're happy about while brushing your teeth at night. The word new is important. If you let yourself repeat  items, you might default to some variation of 'family, friends, and health'  every day.

"But if you have to come up with three novel, specific reasons to be  happy or grateful, your brain will naturally start making mental notes of things you can include in your list throughout the day."

Buenas noches!

36 Moves to Change Your Life For the Better

  1. Do something that scares the crap out of you.
  2. Spend time with people who make your life better.
  3. Let yourself sleep in sometimes.
  4. Take a day off just because you want to.
  5. Clean everything in your house.
  6. Pick up a new hobby that makes you happy.
  7. Perform random acts of kindness for people.
  8. Don't bring work home with you.
  9. Read a book that will change your life.
  10. Give people the benefit of the doubt.
  11. Eat healthy (mostly).
  12. Don't dwell on things you can't change.
  13. Travel somewhere you've never been.
  14. Do something that makes you feel accomplished.
  15. Get rid of things (and people!) you don't need.
  16. Quit a job you hate.
  17. Do something — big or small — that you're really proud of.
  18. Find a productive way to channel your stress.
  19. Don't take everything too seriously.
  20. Find a type of exercise you love, and do it as often as you can.
  21. Make time just for yourself.
  22. Eat something you've never tried.
  23. Let yourself get SUPER excited about an event, a new book or movie, a trip, or anything else you love.
  24. Finish something you started.
  25. Work toward reaching a career goal you've set your mind to.
  26. Forgive someone.
  27. Check a few more things off your bucket list.
  28. Take a class about something you're really interested in.
  29. Get obsessed with a new TV series.
  30. Explore new places in your own city.
  31. Make an effort to stay in touch with friends and family.
  32. Start or add to a savings account.
  33. Adopt an animal.
  34. Treat yourself to something you've been wanting forever.
  35. Volunteer for a cause you're passionate about.
  36. Decide what you want, and go get it.


21 Ways to Think Positively Every Day

41 Insanely Awesome Organization Hacks

Unplug the TV - This website is meant to replace mind-numbing television. Instead of wasting your life watching TV, watch something mind-opening and educational. This site has hundreds of educational videos to help you learn or gain a new perspective.

Monday, January 15, 2018

MLK Day

A day for Kendall and he spent it with the boys from the Garage at an afternoon 76ers game. I wsoent the day at work.

On Monday, January 15, millions will come together to volunteer and honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, who never stopped asking, "What are you doing for others?"

The MLK Day of Service is a moment to work together to fulfill Dr. King's vision for a better America— it's a day "on" instead of a "day off". Fortunately, there are countless ways to get involved this MLK Day and beyond.

P.S. Can't volunteer on MLK Day? Commit to a future volunteer project in his honor.

Buenas noches!

A Civil Conversation: The lessons of Nicodemus, Kansas One of the few black settlements of the West remains — barely.

Support more of the Civil Conversations series from High Country News. We did!

Martin Luther King, Jr.


Sunday, January 14, 2018

The Weekend

Therapy Saturday - where Kendall was challenged to solve the Star Puzzle but he did it before we left - he’s a genius!

And a special Sunday with a special boy who turned an epic 10 years old.  We welcomed him to double digits at Chuck E Cheese’s.

Buenas noches!

THE COOLEST THINGS OPENING IN AMERICA IN 2018










Friday, January 12, 2018

It's Friday!

and we are ready for the weekend.  Kendall is an author at White Clay Today - check out the second page.

And a physician visited The Garage today - Kendall was paying attention! 

Buenas noches!









Thursday, January 11, 2018

Typical Thursday

Nothing exciting today except I love

the cursive n Kendall made from a paper clip (he did ask if I needed it first...

And

how Kendall wrote and drew his name. I am sure he was supposed to be paying attention...

Buenas noches!

Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library offering free universal access to books, movies & music, as well as 310 billion archived web pages.








Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Peoples Light Theatre Wednesday

It’s play night at Peoples Light! That means dinner at John’s Pizza with Kendall’s favorite waitress (he gets VIP treatment for dinner and she makes his lunch for him tomorrow) and our favorite dinner compadres, Miss Pam and Deb.  

We saw Morning's at Seven is a play by Paul Osborn.  
Its plot focuses on four aging sisters living in a small Midwestern town in 1938, and it deals with ramifications within the family when two of them begin to question their lives and decide to make some changes before it’s too late.
Four sisters made me think of my Mom and her sisters - a well done play - check out this review ‘Morning’s at Seven’ Review: Fears Behind the Laughter and...

Buenas noches!














Tuesday, January 9, 2018

GratiTuesday

This is sad and beautiful at the same time. I needed this reminder that life is a gift.

Woman Who Dies From Rare Cancer Pens Heartfelt Letter About Life


Holly Butcher

You might have got caught in bad traffic today, or had a bad sleep because your beautiful babies kept you awake, or your hairdresser cut your hair too short. Your new fake nails might have got a chip, your boobs are too small, or you have cellulite on your arse and your belly is wobbling.
Let all that shit go.. I swear you will not be thinking of those things when it is your turn to go. It is all SO insignificant when you look at life as a whole. I’m watching my body waste away right before my eyes with nothing I can do about it and all I wish for now is that I could have just one more Birthday or Christmas with my family, or just one more day with my partner and dog. Just one more.
I hear people complaining about how terrible work is or about how hard it is to exercise - Be grateful you are physically able to. Work and exercise may seem like such trivial things ... until your body doesn’t allow you to do either of them.
I tried to live a healthy life, in fact, that was probably my major passion. Appreciate your good health and functioning body- even if it isn’t your ideal size. Look after it and embrace how amazing it is. Move it and nourish it with fresh food. Don’t obsess over it.
Remember there are more aspects to good health than the physical body.. work just as hard on finding your mental, emotional and spiritual happiness too. That way you might realise just how insignificant and unimportant having this stupidly portrayed perfect social media body really is.. While on this topic, delete any account that pops up on your news feeds that gives you any sense of feeling shit about yourself. Friend or not.. Be ruthless for your own well-being.
Be grateful for each day you don’t have pain and even the days where you are unwell with man flu, a sore back or a sprained ankle, accept it is shit but be thankful it isn’t life threatening and will go away.
Whinge less, people! .. And help each other more.
Give, give, give. It is true that you gain more happiness doing things for others than doing them for yourself. I wish I did this more. Since I have been sick, I have met the most incredibly giving and kind people and been the receiver of the most thoughtful and loving words and support from my family, friends and strangers; More than I could I ever give in return. I will never forget this and will be forever grateful to all of these people.
It is a weird thing having money to spend at the end.. when you’re dying. It’s not a time you go out and buy material things that you usually would, like a new dress. It makes you think how silly it is that we think it is worth spending so much money on new clothes and ‘things’ in our lives.
Buy your friend something kind instead of another dress, beauty product or jewellery for that next wedding. 1. No-one cares if you wear the same thing twice 2. It feels good. Take them out for a meal, or better yet, cook them a meal. Shout their coffee. Give/ buy them a plant, a massage or a candle and tell them you love them when you give it to them.
Value other people’s time. Don’t keep them waiting because you are shit at being on time. Get ready earlier if you are one of those people and appreciate that your friends want to share their time with you, not sit by themselves, waiting on a mate. You will gain respect too! Amen sister.
This year, our family agreed to do no presents and despite the tree looking rather sad and empty (I nearly cracked Christmas Eve!), it was so nice because people didn’t have the pressure of shopping and the effort went into writing a nice card for each other. Plus imagine my family trying to buy me a present knowing they would probably end up with it themselves.. strange! It might seem lame but those cards mean more to me than any impulse purchase could. Mind you, it was also easier to do in our house because we had no little kiddies there. Anyway, moral of the story- presents are not needed for a meaningful Christmas. Moving on.
Use your money on experiences.. Or at least don’t miss out on experiences because you spent all your money on material shit.
Put in the effort to do that day trip to the beach you keep putting off. Dip your feet in the water and dig your toes in the sand. Wet your face with salt water.
Get amongst nature.
Try just enjoying and being in moments rather than capturing them through the screen of your phone. Life isn’t meant to be lived through a screen nor is it about getting the perfect photo.. enjoy the bloody moment, people! Stop trying to capture it for everyone else.
Random rhetorical question. Are those several hours you spend doing your hair and make up each day or to go out for one night really worth it? I’ve never understood this about females 🤔.
Get up early sometimes and listen to the birds while you watch the beautiful colours the sun makes as it rises.
Listen to music.. really listen. Music is therapy. Old is best.
Cuddle your dog. Far out, I will miss that.
Talk to your friends. Put down your phone. Are they doing okay?
Travel if it’s your desire, don’t if it’s not.
Work to live, don’t live to work.
Seriously, do what makes your heart feel happy.
Eat the cake. Zero guilt.
Say no to things you really don’t want to do.
Don’t feel pressured to do what other people might think is a fulfilling life.. you might want a mediocre life and that is so okay.
Tell your loved ones you love them every time you get the chance and love them with everything you have.
Also, remember if something is making you miserable, you do have the power to change it - in work or love or whatever it may be. Have the guts to change. You don’t know how much time you’ve got on this earth so don’t waste it being miserable. I know that is said all the time but it couldn’t be more true.
Anyway, that’s just this one young gals life advice. Take it or leave it, I don’t mind!
Oh and one last thing, if you can, do a good deed for humanity (and myself) and start regularly donating blood. It will make you feel good with the added bonus of saving lives. I feel like it is something that is so overlooked considering every donation can save 3 lives! That is a massive impact each person can have and the process really is so simple.
Blood donation (more bags than I could keep up with counting) helped keep me alive for an extra year - a year I will be forever grateful that I got to spend it here on Earth with my family, friends and dog. A year I had some of the greatest times of my life.
..’Til we meet again.
Hol
Xoxo

"To work with the unknown, some combination of respect, ruthlessness, courage, and cuddling is necessary"- Arnold Mindell

Buenas noches!


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Freezing Rain and Ice Storm Monday

1/2 day of school and work to get home in time before the freezing rain. And Confirmation is cancelled.

Kendall told me he loves 1/2 days and he made a great FREE Amazon film pick by Kendall - Geo-Disaster - A volcano, an earthquake and a tornado converge on Los Angeles to form an unprecedented cataclysm.

And then the free film Eruption - A brilliant scientist tries to warn the city of Auckland, New Zealand, about an imminent volcanic eruption.

It was a disaster kind of night...

Buenas noches!

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Turn Your Pasta Into Performance Food Share Tweet Email K. Aleisha Fetters K. Aleisha Fetters Dec 27, 2017





Monday, January 8, 2018

Is is Sunday already?!

Early church, Sunday School and the a visit with the incredible Mrs. Genevieve Timm. She is feisty, knows what she wants and we love her to infinity and beyond.  She is also very tired and a little grumpy but at 10 years old you have that perogative.

Kendall stayed at church while I visited with Gene and then I headed back to church for a Christian Education meeting.  Kendall went home with Carlos and Kalel since Adrienne was in the meeting with me so I picked him up afterwards. A quick stop at Aldi and we were so hungry at that point we picked up Burger King.

For dinner - catfish in the oven but Kendall told me he prefers that I cook it on the stove and more spices please.

We watched a movie that turned out to be pretty funny. Kendall laughed very hard when they talked about farts/chimichange bombs :-)

 
It is very cold here and an ice storm is expected tomorrow...

Buenas noches!
 

Saturday, January 6, 2018

Addendum - Hygge-ing our home

Hygge, pronounced "HOO-gah," is a Scandinavian way of life that celebrates coziness, shared meals, and companionable interactions with loved ones.  It emphasize warmth, kinship, an appreciation for the little things, good food, deep conversation, and comfortable companionship with your closest friends or family.

We are missing family time, meals at the table holding and praying our gratitude to God and just being with our Costa Rican family. We love them very much and wish them buen viaje back to Costa Rica.

11 Ways to Embrace the "Hygge" Lifestyle and Find More Joy

Buenas noches!

Saturday - Happy Epiphany!

Another day in Allentown (all will be revealed in good time)!  Happy Epiphany!

Epiphany Celebrations Around the World

And we enjoyed Step Up Revolution - we love dancing films.

Buenas noches!

Zooniverse is the world's largest and most popular platform for people-powered research. This research is made possible by volunteers - hundreds of thousands of people around the world who come together to assist professional researchers. Their goal is to enable research that would not be possible, or practical, otherwise.

The Best Performance Food for Every Activity




Snow Day Otra Vez

Another snow day - it is too cold to do anything!

8 Questions to Ask Yourself to Help You Declutter

Buenas noches!

The 100 Best Places to Work in 2017

The New Winter Bucket List

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HiveStory is an online collaborative dynamic story or set of stories. Every member of HiveStory.com has the opportunity to contribute words (or nodes) and vote on them to create and shape infinite possible story threads. The top ranking story threat at any given time is displayed on the front page of site. Visitors can explore all possible story threads. Contributors receive points for contributing nodes and when their contributed nodes receive votes from other users.

Thursday, January 4, 2018

Snow Day Thursday

No school and no work for about 5 inches of snow, high winds and snow drifts.  We are enjoying a Librarians marathon.

'Bombogenesis' takes aim at U.S. Northeast as snow sweeps South

Buenas noches!


Tuesday, January 2, 2018

First Tuesday in the New Year

No school for Kendall, work for me and no piano - we are trying to get back into a routine.

Buenas noches!

Make 2018 the Year of Maximum Enthusiasm

Monday, January 1, 2018

Happy New Year / Prospero Ano Nuevo!

We chilled today and I decided to work on ANTI-resolutions this year.

1. What outlandish urges and controversial tendencies do you promise to  cultivate in the coming months?

2. What nagging irritations will you ignore and avoid with even greater  ingenuity?

3. What problems do you promise to exploit in order to have even more  fun as you make the status quo accountable for its corruption?

4. What boring rules and traditions will you thumb your nose at, paving  the way for exciting encounters with strange attractors?


And the first Supermoon of 2018 -the ball drops and the Supermoon rises. This moon is also called the Wolf Moon. The next one is January 31 and is a blue moon (two full moons in one month). There will also be a lunar eclipse on January 31. The East Coast will catch a glimpse of the beginning of the eclipse, as the moon starts to pass through the Earth's shadow. The eclipse will start at 5:51 a.m. and will not be a full eclipse when the moon sets just after 7 a.m.



        
NEW YEAR. SAME PARTY!

LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT WHERE IT ALL STARTED.
        
In 46 B.C., Julius Caesar created a calendar starting on 
January 1 to honor Janus, the god of beginnings. 
Over 2,000 years later, we continue to celebrate 
the new year (plus the party that comes with it). 
And no matter how many years go by, the traditions 
hold strong. Just like our commitment to you. 
We can't thank you enough for another wonderful year... 
now let's party!
        
 THE CELEBRATION 
It started in Mesopotamia in 2000 B.C., when the 
first moon after the spring equinox marked a new year.

THE RESOLUTIONS
Around the same time, Babylonians started promising 
their gods to return borrowed goods and pay off debts.

THE NOISEMAKERS
To lock in a year of good luck, noisemakers 
became tradition to scare away evil spirits.

THE SONG
In 1788, Robert Burns wrote 'Auld Lang Syne.' 
It was sung at midnight to bid farewell to the 'days gone by.'

THE KISS
According to old English and German folklore, 
the first person you smooch could set the tone for the year.

THE BUBBLY
Champagne didn't reach icon status until 1881, when
 makers started marketing it as the celebration beverage.
 
THE BALL
After a ban on fireworks, the first Times Square Ball 
was dropped in 1907 - weighing 700 lb with only 100 bulbs.

Buenas noches!

Thursday Almost Friday

A Change Is Gonna Come Songwriter: Sam Cooke I was born by the river in a little tent Oh and just like the river  I've been ru...