Today I am over at Moms LA talking about teaching to the test.  I would love to have you join me over there and give your two cents.

“We have all heard about visual vs. tactical learners.  Some take direction better than others and some need to be more hands on to learn.  Think of how difficult it is having 35 totally different personalities and learning styles and trying to teach them all the same thing.  It is virtually impossible.”

To read more go to Testing, Testing, 1. 2. 3.

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Santa Clara County’s 80% Home Energy Assessment Rebate for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

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You can find out more information and a listing of participating contractors by visiting the Santa Clara County Energy Upgrades Facebook page.

A silent movie in 2011?  Who’d have thunk?  Not me that’s for sure, but I am certainly glad that someone did.

A silent film star faces the reality that “talkies” are coming but can’t bring himself to lower to that level.  Amazing acting, although kinda cheesy in this day and age because of the “overacting’ and “mugging” nature of silent films.

It was a little hard to watch at home on DVD because you have to pay attention.  I don’t pay attention well at home with the computer and magazines, and toys needing to be picked up distracting me.

I definitely recommend you run out and see this in a theater while you still have a chance.

Would I vote for it to be Best Picture?  No.  But it is still a really good film.

Three Diet Cokes

I have made no secret of my dislike for 3D.  But something about the way the Disney cartoons have been done make me lean the other way.  I really enjoyed the Cars 2 in 3D and when we saw Beauty and the Beast last week, Caitlyn exclaimed that she felt like she was a part of the movie.  That is how to do 3D RIGHT!

A couple of weeks ago I was watching Finding Nemo with the twins and as soon as the dad went searching for Nemo with DOri I thought, now this one should be in 3D.  Lo and behold what shows up in my email inbox this week?  A press kit for Finding Nemo 3D!  I can’t wait.

Part of what makes Disney a step above others in 3D is that they provide child size glasses, that really makes a difference for Caity.  Now if I can find prescription 3D glasses I will be happy as well!

Enjoy this little blast from the past.

The Aquarium of the Pacific here in Long Beach invited MomsLA (and other press) to go on a whale watching cruise last week.  No way was I passing up this awesome opportunity.  I bundled up in my sweater and leather coat, borrowed a scarf and gloves from my friend and off I went.

Unfortunately I have a crap camera (my blackberry) for video and the good video I took (with my iPod Touch) in no way holds a candle to what my colleague Sarah Auerswald was able to capture.

We saw two pods of dolphins, one of which was bottle-nosed.  And at least 11 Fin Whale. And 1 lonely sea lion.  All in all a really good sighting day.  A few days earlier and on the cruise after ours they had ORCA sightings!  I can’t believe we missed that!

Take a look at Sarah’s video, see if you can spot the baby dolphin swimming with it’s momma.  Then scroll down to win 2 tickets to the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Need a good heartfelt family movie to see? This is the one.  It will never win any awards or accolations, but it is a good solid movie that the whole family can see together.

Matt Damon is a father whose wife has died and he and his kids are living day to day.  Between the bad economy and the struggles of losing a parent and a partner the family opts for a change.  Buying a dilapidated zoo is that change.

The kids in this movie are great, Elle Fanning will go as far if not farther than her sister and I see a bright future ahead for future heart throb Colin Ford.  But it is always the youngest that draws the eye.  Her big eyes and innocent look make you want to hug her throughout the film Maggie Elizabeth Jones will win you over.

If you are looking for action or adventure, or comedy and romance this is not your film, but if you just want to spend a quiet afternoon not worrying about your problems, this one will do the trick.

3 Diet Cokes

An Italian cruise ship from the Costa Cruise Line ran into a shelf of coral last week and started taking on water.  It listed to one side and “sank” (it didn’t actually “sink” since when it hit the coral the captain steered the ship toward shallower ground so it would be easier to evacuate).

The last news report I read from USA Today, said that out of the 4200 passengers and crew members on board, there were 3 confirmed dead and approximately 40 still unaccounted for.  3 people were found in their cabins after all evacuations (one was a honeymooning couple from Korea – guess their world really did rock on their wedding night!).  Further news shows that the captain purposely steered the ship 4 miles off course so his head waiter could see his hometown.

Hearing about a cruise ship sinking or having an airborne illness infect the passengers is never good for the travel industry.  People are quick to cancel any impending plans they may have especially if it is with that same cruise line.

I don’t understand that.  I am a very pragmatic person; I completely live by the phrase “shit happens”.  When I mentioned to a friend that I was writing this post she exclaimed that it was just another reason for her to never go on a cruise, because what if it happened to a ship while she was on it?

What if?

How can anyone live there life by a what if?  You can’t.  If you live by that motto, then you may as well stay under covers and never crawl out of bed.  Then again what if the ceiling over your bed caves in?  Better to crawl under bed and stay there.  Wait!  What if the legs of your bed collapse and it crushes you?  Now what are you going to do?

I understand having a “fear” of flying.  It is as comprehensible as having a “fear” of heights.  If that is your reason then state it as so.  Don’t make excuses saying something bad may happen, just simply state “I am afraid of…”

Statistically, different means of travel are all about even when it comes to things happening.  There are car crashes every minute, train crashes everyday, plane crashes every week, and cruise ship incidents every month.  Depending on how busy the news desk is, you may or may not hear about them all.

There were reports from passengers saying the evacuation was very chaotic and no one knew what they were supposed to do.  I read this and think those passengers didn’t pay attention when they were supposed to.

How many of you when you are on an airplane actually pay attention to the flight attendant as they give instructions before the flight?  How many read the emergency card in the seat pocket?  Does every parent know they are supposed to put on their own oxygen mask before putting one on their child?

Mom made friends with all the Maitre' D's

I have been on 3 cruises, the first 2 were with my mom.  For the first cruise she had not yet started using a wheelchair but was having a very hard time walking or standing for any length of time, and refused to go “muster”(learn the evacuation process) but encouraged me to go and learn what needed to be done.  My mom hid in the closet for when the crew comes around to do a cabin check to make sure everyone was out.  That being my first time I didn’t realize what a big deal it was.

The second cruise, which actually ported out of Civitivecchia – the same port as the aforementioned ill fated cruise ship -  she was in a wheelchair and my sister and I pushed her to the muster station during the drill.  Being the sarcastic people we are we took her right to the edge of the rail and said this was the point we would be tossing her off in order to make room for others because her wheelchair took up too much space in a life boat.  She laughed and said she was fine with that.  Yes, we joked, but we also listened.  We knew exactly what we would have to do for ourselves and our disabled mother, just in case.    While all around us others were chatting and laughing and rolling their eyes at the boringness of it all.  No doubt in my mind that if an emergency happened, they would be the ones causing the chaos.

Don’t let news stories keep you from having fun.  Pay attention to your surroundings, listen to directions and in the infamous words of Doris Day “Ca Sera Sera” whatever will be will be.

I was excited for this one.  I love Historical Biopics and I love Meryl Streep.  Win win!

More like lose win.

According to IMDB it is “A look at the life of Margaret Thatcher, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, with a focus on the price she paid for power.”  According to me it is “A snooze fest”.  Perhaps I shouldn’t even offer a review seeing as I slept through most of the film.

The IMDB page also boasts about the 12 nominations the movie has received so far.  Wrong!  Meryl Streep has received 12 nominations, the “movie” has received none.

Sorry but I can’t even recommend a dvd watch on this one unless you are an avid Meryl Streep fan.

1 Diet Coke (for Streep, not the movie)

Who gives words power? We do. Words have no power on their own, unlike cats they are not created with an all knowing all powerful attitude. They are inanimate and as easily manipulated as play doh.

Have you ever heard a southern belle say “Bless her heart”? She doesn’t mean that, but she has manipulated the words to sound like a blessing instead of what she really means, which is, that fucking bitch. But no southern belle would be caught dead using such “vulgar” language or speaking “ill” of someone else.

Everyone knows what you mean when you say “frik” or “Frack” or especially “fudge”, why not just say “fuck”? Why give so much power to a word? It isn’t the word that is bad in itself it is the intent in which you use it that holds the meaning.

My favorite story about Caitlyn (and bear with me if you have heard it before) is when she was just over 2 and we were walking to the car past the garbage dumpsters. She looked at me and said “Grandma something smells like shit”. and she was right it did. I first of all acknowledged her and said “You’re right, it is really stinky out here”, and then smiled with pride that she used the word shit in context. Her mother however was not as proud, but didn’t flip out either.

My niece Melody has posted a couple of times on Face Book about her 4 year old daughter asking to use the word bitch while playing video games.
Melody:
I love that when Lynn and I play Mario she asks me every 5 seconds if she can say “son of a bitch” or “those bastards”.

The fact that she knew to ask for permission means that she knows at this age that those word have power.
There is a hoopla on the interwebs right now because Lily on Modern Family will be portrayed as saying the word “fuck”. The story doesn’t focus on the word itself but on how do the parents deal with it because they are afraid she may do it in public at an upcoming wedding. Fox News and the Daily Mail both wrote about this with sort of different results.

The comments on the Daily Mail pretty much condemn the author for even thinking this is “news” (or is it only me reading sarcasm into it?):

“Yes, super extremely shocking. Glad you made an article informing us about this!

- Bobbis, shirechester,uk, 12/1/2012 01:18″

Whereas the Fox News article has commenters calling for boycotts and included quotes from the Parents television Council saying the episode is in poor taste.

What the Fox news article doesn’t mention that the Daily Mail did is that the little girl who plays Lily (Aubrey Anderson-Emmons) does not actually say “fuck” while shooting.  She says fudge and through the magic of television (bleeping and pixelating) the audience is led to believe that she is swearing.  Funny that that little piece of information has been left out, but hey, a writers job is to ilicit thought and on the internet to illicit comments and it worked.

What makes me more mad is that neither article asked the opinion of the most important person involved – Aubrey’s mom.  Amy Anderson is a fellow blogger and an amazing stand-up comedian.  She is also a great mom.  Aubrey is a delight to be around and I can’t imagine Amy putting Aubrey in harms way in any shape or form.  Why does the opinion of the Parents Television Councils matter more than that of the mother?

I spoke to Amy via Face Book Chat regarding this and she assured me that not only didn’t she have a single qualm about the episode, it is one of her favorite episodes of the season!  She said that one of the producers called her ahead of time to make sure she had read the script and was on board with what it entailed, which she found to be a professional move on their part.  When I asked if there was any explanation on her part to Aubrey about what the scene was, she replied “I didn’t have to explain too much since she actually says ‘fudge’ on the episode. Her mouth will be pixilated & bleeped after the ‘fu’, each time. I explained that “fudge” is an expletive like “Oh darn” or “oh shoot” to which she replied, ‘BUT… it’s also a piece of chocolate!!’ “.

I for one can’t wait to see this episode of Modern Family, but I can’t wait to see every episode.  I hope you’ll tune in and I hope you will let me know what you think.