Happy Halloween
Regular Post will be below this one later, but I wanted to take this opportunity to say, From our Family to yours, best wishes for a safe and
Happy Halloween!
Now, I feel quite certain that most readers of this blog (I guess that would mean both of you), are already fairly well versed in being careful and attentive parents, but just in case somebody happens to stumble by here by accident, or would like to point somebody clueless towards it, here are some safety precautions to ensure Halloween remains fun and that the only scares are the “trick” kind.
1. Don’t allow children to trick-or-treat alone. Older kids should TAKE A FRIEND and young children should be accompanied by an ADULT.
2. Accompany children to the door of every house they approach.
3. Familiarize yourself with every house you visit and all people from whom your children receive treats.
4. Tell kids NOT to enter any home without permission from their parents or guardians.
5. Tell kids NOT to approach vehicles, occupied or vacant, unless they are accompanied by a parent or guardian.
6. Give children lights to carry – like a glow stick or flashlight — along with reflective clothing.
7. Make sure that children can see and breathe properly and easily through facial masks.
8. Use only flame-resistant costumes and masks.
9. Warn children NEVER to approach any house that is not well lit.
10. Remind children to make note of suspicious incidents and report them to parents, guardians and/or the proper official.
11. Instruct children to run away, scream, and make a scene if anyone tries to grab them or force them, in any way, to go with them.
12. Inspect all of your children’s treats and dispose of anything that has been tampered with or is not wrapped.
The Fridge
Last week the refrigerator deciding that it was going to just up and die. No warning signs, no little problems cropping up first, after 11 years it just decided it was going to work no longer.
So, after the mad dash around to find somebody that could get one to us immediately, and $1,000 later, we have a new stainless steel GE Profile Refrigerator. TheWife is happy in that we finally have a refrigerator that matches the stove. My bank account is of course none to happy about the whole thing. Then there was that one stupid little gotcha that you never expect (not a big thing just annoying).
As any parent with a little one knows, “Refrigerator Space” is at a premium for the displaying of school artwork, good test scores, schedules for things like soccer, dance class, etc.
Well, that shiny new “stainless steel” refrigerator threw us a curveball. The doors aren’t actually “stainless steel” but are in fact, “brushed” aluminum. Now for those of you that didn’t utter “uh oh” at that last sentence, allow me to point out the obvious pitfall. Aluminum is not magnetic! That means no magnets. That means artwork, schedules, calendars, etc are relegated to the side of the refrigerator.
Not as big a deal as actually having to replace the refrigerator… unless you are the six year old that wants all of your stuff on display.
This needs to stop
Some ideas sound great on paper. This is one such idea. The premise is simple. Take the cars from “drug dealers” and use the proceeds to help fund the “war on drugs.” But when you read stories like how a New Jersey County Seizes Family Cars, it becomes clear how these “good ideas” can go terribly wrong.
Unfortunately this is just the “latest” example that I have seen where overzealous prosecutors elect to “follow the letter” (but not the spirit) of the law, and seize three cars from a family because of the (alleged - remember he hasn’t actually been convicted yet of anything) misdeeds of their son. Not one car. Not just the car he was driving (he wasn’t even driving at the time, this was after a “raid”).
Much like eminent domain (a rant for another day), it is power that needs to be dramatically curbed or stopped, because local government officials do not seem to understand how to wield this power judiciously and more often than not seem to only care about it in the sense of a profit center.
Picture Perfect Thursday VII - “Sharing”
I pointed out an article on how many parents today spend more time with their kids than they did in the past. I have to tell you, for me, it is quite easy because, I can think of nothing I enjoy more now than sharing something with my daughter.
Just look at that picture (and please forgive the blurriness). How can you not enjoy that sheer enthusiasm? You know, most people feel sorry for the children when parents don’t spend enough time with them (and they should). But, I also feel sorry for those parents. They are missing out just as much.
Chris over at Rude Cactus, has a very nice post about Legacies. And it got me thinking about how a child can change so much in you. How you see the world around you, and how while you are trying to help that little person grow into the person you wish him/her to be, they that they are in fact actually help you grow as a person as well.
If however, you never take the time to share, then both lose out.
Sure there are times, when I miss having a little more me time, and the chance to do more of the things I used to enjoy doing. But. There of course will come that day that my daughter will be less than enthusiastic about sharing her time with dear old dad. I dread that day of course, but rather than dwelling on what will happen then, I appreciate and savor the time we can share now.
Why is this called “Picture Perfect Thursday”? Well you have to go visit Liz over at This Full House for more details. If you do join in, please let me know)
Sorry I was so late. More on that tomorrow.
Court leans in Right…er… Correct Direction
(Note: Picture Perfect Thursay has not be pre-empted and will be up later)
Yesterday’s decision by the New Jersey Supreme Court left both sides happy and at the same time left both sides upset. It all depends on the point of view. But regardless of how you “interpret” the ruling based on your position, the New Jersey Supreme Court ultimately did (I believe) the correct thing.
While the ruling certainly opens the door for gay marriage in New Jersey, it also left the storm door in place for the politicians. New Jersey must according to the ruling (you can view the full ruling here [PDF]), decide how to accomodate the ruling, by either extending the current wording for marriage to include same-sex couples, or to create a Civil Union. (In 1999, the Vermont Supreme Court ruling was similar and led to Civil Unions in that State.)
That last part about having the the lawmakers decide is what has opponents invogorated, and advocates feeling a bit dispondant over the ruling. From my personal point of view, I really couldn’t care less about the “nit-picking” aspect. When TheWife and I got married, we did so outside the Church, in what at least used to be called a “Civil Ceremony” and to some sticklers, “in the eyes of” god we are not married, but by and large the vast majority of people will acknowledge that we are. So, along that same vein, who cares if it is called a “Civil Union” or “Marriage”? Honestly.
In the ruling, the Justices (for the majority of course) pointed out, similar to what I did yesterday, the financial inequalities afforded similar couples, simply because one is same-sex, and that the government has no legitimate reason to deny these rights to gay couples.
So once again, I have something to be proud of in the State of New Jersey, proving that we are far more enlightened than those that still think that exclusionary practices are OK.
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