fair update 2007

fried twinkies rock!
that's all I got tonight more tomorrow...

no child left behind?

I know this is a knox county school thing but I am guessing it is tied to the no child left behind crap. spelling last year: we would get a list on monday the kids would have a spelling test on friday, great straight forward we would work on these words each night as "homework". This year they have decided this is not the best way to learn or test spelling, students should learn in context? So we have no specific list to work with, they do send home a list of sentences that have key words to learn for the week-maybe one or two will be on the spelling test which consists of inane sentences-
When we hike we will mix a cake.
really?
My pet has a fine fin.
so?
and these 2 were just last week's there are many many more! They may technically be correct grammar but they sound stupid.
Plus the grade is not just for spelling it includes grammar & handwriting. Handwriting???!
Poor C keeps getting an S on handwriting because he is not using the correct denealian method, I have a hard time counseling & correcting him on this one I cannot recall the last time I put so many damn curly loops on my letters...

R.I.P. Anita Roddick

while living in England in the late 80's I discovered & fell in love with the Body Shop. wonderful products, no animal testing with real commitment to the communities where the employees lived & worked. when I was first back in the states the stores were hard to find but there was one in NYC near Astor Place that I would frequent. Now they seem to be almost everywhere-even in airports, which was handy traveling last summer with the ban on all lotions & liquids, during lay overs I would pop in and use testers. In K-town there is one at the mall I use to frequent but I must admit a certain loathing for the mall, I worked at one in CT for years, so I tend to avoid them at all costs but maybe I need to stop by this week for moisturizer & peppermint foot lotion

latest craze for kids

ok so it may not be the latest or even a craze but C came home last week asking to buy a webkinz.
I had seen them at hallmark about a month ago so we stopped in during our travels Saturday and picked up a chihuahua because that was the closest looking to a pug-well only if you squish his nose back and of course C keeps calling it a chinchilla but regardless..stuffed toy, it comes with a code so you go on the interweb & create a little virtual world for your pet. Very cute sort of build-a-bear meets beanie bears and they go online.