I got my first check from Cashbaq this week. It was for $11. Woo Hoo!

I know it's been quite a while since my last post. Things have been hectic around here. We just got back from a trip to visite my sister and her family in Irvine, CA. My niece graduated from high school. I'm so glad we went. We had a great time and Lisa and Steve were great hosts. They took us everywhere we wanted to go. My mom went with us, too. It was some much needed family time. We visited the San Diego Zoo for my daughter, Danielle, who turned sixteen on the day of Chelsea's graduation. We were exhausted by the end of the day, but it was a good tired!

We also went to Knott's Berry Farm. They have all kinds of the Peanut's Gang there. We were looking for unique Snoopy items, but didn't really find what we were looking for. But we still had fun. We went on the Rapids when we first got there, and guess who got the wettest! Right, I did. Man was it cold when we sat down in the restaurant to eat!

We stayed at a very unique La Quinta Inn in Irvine. It was made out of an old storage facility used to store Lima Beans back in the 1800's. Surprisingly, the rooms had cement walls in the original silos, but they were very nice. As much as we enjoyed the trip, it was nice to get home and sleep in my own bed again!

Just want to let you know about a great site for PE and health teachers. http://www.pecentral.com This site is full of great ideas for games and activities for PE classes as well as projects for health class. It has been around for quite a few years as I have been using it for almost 10 years myself. They have a newsletter and ideas on grant writing and so forth. It is just a great website to check out!

Father's Day is coming up and while you've still got time, I ran across a website with a couple of great ideas! Go to http://www.sliceofpinktypepad.com and check out the Snappy Pappy post there. Snapfish and Blogher sponsored this post. If you're looking for a gift for Dad, these look like winners!

I went to a retirement celebration yesterday evening for one of my college professors. I am so glad I made a point to go. I saw several friends that I played college ball with and all my PE professors were there. It was really good to catch up with where everyone is now and what's going on in each others lives.

Showing appreciation for those who have helped to shape our lives is important. Sometimes we don't realize what an impact we've had on others. We might never know that if they don't tell us.

Mother's Day is coming soon. How often do you talk to your mother? Does she live near you or far away? My mother lives about 3 hours away. I usually get to see her once or twice a year. Our hectic schedules keep us from seeing each other more often. I try to talk to her at least once a week. Usually I call her on the weekends. She keeps me updated on my nephews and how their ballgames are going. Sometimes she has a scoop from my sister who lives in California. We don't get to see her very often. But we are making plans for a visit this summer. My niece graduates from high school. It's always a momentous occasion when one begins a new chapter in the book of life.

Any way, back to mothers and keeping in touch. Make sure that you make the time and effort to talk on a regular basis. My dad has been gone for 8 years now, and I am glad that I talked to him every week in his last few years. I guess I realized at some point that they won't be around forever. Of course, we don't want to think about it. Daddy used to tease us by saying that someday he'd be dead and gone and we'd regret whatever it was that we didn't want to do, such as give him a kiss or something that required we give him our attention. We have to appreciate the time that we do have with our loved ones, because once they're gone, there's no going back to fix things.

You know, I really think I'll try to get that Mother's Day card in the mail early this year so she'll actually have it on Mother's Day. That would be novel, as I'm the world's worst at remembering to send cards. Who knows, maybe I'll get motivated and send her a gift even. No matter what though, I know that she knows that I love her. Don't forget about your mother this Mother's Day!

Just because I have 2 teenage daughters, doesn't mean I'm an expert on the subject. In fact, far from it. But, I deal with teenagers every day of the school year. I teach middle school health. We touch on some very difficult subjects for some of these kids to deal with. I don't always know what their background is, so I try to be sensitive to their needs as we discuss these delicate issues.
What bothers me sometimes is how callus they seem to each others feelings. It's easy for them to laugh and make fun of things they feel uncomfortable to talk about. But they may not realize someone else really is dealing with that issue in real life and doesn't think it's so funny. Many don't have the ability to empathize someone else's feelings.

But sometimes, they surprise me. A student that may have always come across as self assured and in control of everything can put themselves in someone else's shoes and become compassionate when you would least expect it. I guess my advice is just to be open to teenagers so that they know when they are ready to talk, they can come to you. Don't be quick to judge. Listen to their concerns without saying anything. Sometimes you can help them come to the right decision about the issue just by asking them questions and allowing them to sort it out themselves.

Kids nowadays aren't afraid to ask you anything...of course I teach health, so the questions I get might be a little tougher than you might have to deal with. I don't always have the answers and I let them know that. Some problems aren't cut and dry. They may have to do a little soul searching and find out what is really important to them.