Last spring, I was surprised to learn that I am famous for something that happened 16 years ago. That's what happens when you get mixed up with the KGB, I guess: Your exploits come back to haunt you. I'd had no idea that anyone was still talking about Operation Confuse-a-Bagger, much less that Shawn Knight's retelling of the legend … Continue reading Operation Confuse-a-Bagger
links
Check the facts behind those negative campaign ads! This site is like Snopes for politics.Hey, I never knew this before: Some spiders are indoor spiders who long ago evolved to live inside buildings!Curvy-hipped women are smarter and have smarter children.A man whose parents lived with and loved another couple for part of his childhood writes about the … Continue reading links
The Way I Usually Do It
A couple of weeks ago, we were making one of our family's favorite dinners: beans, guacamole, diced tomato, and chips. As usual, Daniel was Mexicanating the beans while I made the guacamole. Nicholas decided, for the first time, that he wanted to help with the guacamole instead of the beans. I showed him how I … Continue reading The Way I Usually Do It
Community Organizer vs. CEO
Sarah Palin's speech at the Republican National Convention mocked Barack Obama's career as a "community organizer" and said that what America needs is a president with "executive experience" who can act as our CEO. She got a lot of cheers from the party delegates. Probably a lot of them are (or want to be) CEOs themselves and like the idea … Continue reading Community Organizer vs. CEO
John McCain is committing adultery.
"Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman is committing adultery."--Jesus Christ, as quoted in Mark 10:11 and Luke 16:18I'm just saying. By having divorced Carol and married Cindy, John McCain committed adultery and has lived in an adulterous relationship for 28 years now. This may not be adultery as your typical American defines it, … Continue reading John McCain is committing adultery.
Show. No. Fear.
A few years ago, my mom and I saw a toddler having a tantrum about leaving an outdoor tourist attraction at closing time. She wanted to walk--NO she wanted to be carried--NO she wanted to ride in the wagon--NO she wanted to shriek and thrash in the gravel!!! This went on and on and on … Continue reading Show. No. Fear.
Menu Selection System
Here is one way for Girl Scouts (or any other group) to agree on what meals to have at camp or some other occasion. I've used it twice, with great success. First, have the girls brainstorm menu ideas. Then, between meetings, leaders sort out the ideas that are affordable and feasible for the cooking equipment, budget, and time … Continue reading Menu Selection System
Thirty Reasons Why Women Should Have the Vote
In the late 1970s, my mother was advocating ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, and one of her organizations decided to make the editorial below part of the program they presented to other women's groups. It is adapted from an editorial in a suffragist newspaper published in Garnett, Kansas, in the era when women were fighting for … Continue reading Thirty Reasons Why Women Should Have the Vote
More about shyness
My mother just read my article on shyness and suggested a couple of additions. One is an anecdote I'd never heard before: At the last parent/teacher meeting of each elementary school year, your teachers confided how pleased they were that "Rebecca has finally started to come out of her shell." Every year. They were so … Continue reading More about shyness
Organizing Girl Scout Troop Information
This is by no means the only way to organize the paperwork for a Girl Scout troop! It's just the way I do it. Apparently some people think I'm good at it, because I've been asked to give a presentation on the subject at an upcoming leaders' workshop. I hope this system is helpful to … Continue reading Organizing Girl Scout Troop Information
What Do You Reuse?
This question was posted on a discussion board recently. Not only do I reuse many physical objects, but I can reuse the list I made for that discussion as an article on my own Website! I love reusing glass jars so much that my ravings on the subject got too long for this article and … Continue reading What Do You Reuse?
Some Word Games
On the way back from Fairfield to the Chicago train station, we stopped at an Iowa truckstop restaurant called Gramma's Kitchen. One of the puzzles on the children's menu was this: "How many words can you make out of the letters in GRAMMA'S KITCHEN?" I glanced idly at it and thought, gram . . . ram … Continue reading Some Word Games
Calming Chaos in Girl Scout Troop Meetings
I can't, by a long shot, claim to have solved the problem of a group of Girl Scouts (or anybody!) dissolving into chaos when everybody is excited, we're trying to do one or more activities, there are various supplies and logistics to be coordinated, and/or there's some type of distraction! However, over my five years … Continue reading Calming Chaos in Girl Scout Troop Meetings
Supermarket Field Trip
My Girl Scout troop did this activity with Brownies earning the Penny Power Try-It and Daisies earning the Make the World a Better Place petal. It also would apply to several Junior badges that have an activity about caring for the needy, about nutrition, or about comparison shopping. Divide into teams of 3-5 girls and … Continue reading Supermarket Field Trip
Consumer Taste Test
This educational activity is suitable for school or any type of youth (or even adult) group; I did it with Girl Scouts. It is a great way to teach the principle that brand-name products aren't necessarily any different from less expensive store brands. Sometimes I add an activity to a Girl Scout badge, something that … Continue reading Consumer Taste Test
Girl Scout Troop Budgeting Process
This is one method for deciding how the troop will spend its money. I used it very successfully a few years ago with a Daisy/Brownie troop of 18 girls ages 5-9. Deciding how to spend the cookie sale profits is an activity for the Penny Power Try-It or Cookies Count badge. First, in a troop meeting, brainstorm … Continue reading Girl Scout Troop Budgeting Process
Kaper Chart
Kaper is the word Girl Scouts use for any of the little tasks that make a meeting or activity possible. As a Junior leader, I use the patrol system and give each patrol a responsibility, but when I was an assistant Brownie leader one of my roles in the troop was to make the kaper … Continue reading Kaper Chart
The Frog Game
Here's a game I learned at camp many years ago. It's a fun way to fill those moments when you need something to do that doesn't require any special equipment. We used to play it when we got to the dining hall early and were waiting for the dinner bell to ring! Shhh, don't tell the kids, but … Continue reading The Frog Game
The Seven-Minute Stretch
It's amazing how just a few minutes of stretching can change everything. Just moving around a little bit for a little while gets the blood flowing through your muscles and brain, makes you more flexible, reminds you to breathe, lifts your mood, and makes the various motions of daily life easier and less likely to … Continue reading The Seven-Minute Stretch
Stroller Madness
Long before we became parents, Daniel and I decided we would not be transporting our child in a stroller on any regular basis. We live in Pittsburgh, a city of steep hills, stairs, and sidewalks cracked by frost heave and tree roots. Our neighborhood has heavy pedestrian traffic on sidewalks that are narrow in places. We often … Continue reading Stroller Madness
The Earthling's Handbook 