Wordless Wednesday

My Top Ten Favorite TV Shows of the 70's

I was just a kid in the 70's.

This was way before video games, internet and cell phones with "apps" for everything.  There were far less interruptions to family-time in the evenings.

My family sat down at the table together, we ate together, and after dinner, we watched television together.  There was only one TV set in the house, and there was no cable or satellite TV.  Just good old prime-time network programming.

Choices of programs were much more limited back in the 70's than they are today.  Between few choices, together as a family, we decided what to watch.  Nobody had the option of watching something else on another TV somewhere else in the house.  The choice was simple - if you didn't want to watch what the rest of us wanted to watch, you could leave the room and go and find something else to do.

As a kid, I wasn't too picky about the shows we watched.  But that's not to say I didn't have my favorites.

Here is a list of my favorite top ten prime-time television shows of the 70's:

1.CHARLIE'S ANGELS - (Coolest. Hair. Ever.)

2.FANTASY ISLAND - (Mr. Roarke always had a way of showing up at all the right moments.)

3.HAPPY DAYS – (Anyone who could start a jukebox with just a pound of his fist was way cool in my book.)

4.LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE - (Life back then without TV must have been brutal!)

5.MORK & MINDY - (Robin Williams is a comic genius!)

6.PARTRIDGE FAMILY - (Watching “Keith Partridge” sing was a like little slice of heaven to MANY a young girl.)

7.THE BIONIC WOMAN - (I wanted to be bionic so very badly. Just imagine the kind of power a kid could wield over her older brother.)

8.THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN - (The bionic eye sees EVERYTHING.)

9.THREE'S COMPANY - (All of those little innuendos went straight over my head. Even though I didn't get it, I still thought the show was hilarious.)

10.WONDER WOMAN - (I wanted to be “Diana Prince” so I could use her magic lasso, and fly her invisible plane to her beautiful island.)

For more Top Ten Tuesdays, check out ohAmamda here!

13 ENGLISH MISTAKES THAT DRIVE US CRAZY

Recently, I have been noticing a remarkable event taking place with American English in the written word.  I am sure that many others have noticed it, too.


Look closely and you'll see it just about everywhere; on Facebook, blogs, signs, classified ads, professional websites, email, etc.


The following list is just an example of some of these findings:


1. Using "your" instead of "you're" 

• Incorrect: "Don't tell me your still packing your suitcase!"
• Correct: "You're going to have to bring your passport on this trip."

2. Since when does "anyways" have an "s" it in, anyway?

• Incorrect: "Anyways, I just called to say hi."

3. Using "of" rather than "have"

• Incorrect: "I Could of had better grades" "if I would of studied" and "I should of done my homework."
• Correct: "I could have flunked my class," "if I would have ignored my teacher" and "when I should have been paying attention."

4. Confusing "lose" with "loose"

• Incorrect: "His lose morals helped to him to loose the election."
• Correct: "You are going to lose that balloon if it's tied too loose around your wrist."

5. Using "then" when they should have used "than"

• Incorrect: "Easier said then done."
• Correct: "Easier said than done." 

6. Improper use of "their," "there" and "they're"

• Incorrect: "There back their with there kids."
• Correct: "They're back there with their kids."

7. Mistaking "it's" for "its"  (I have been guilty of this, too)

• Incorrect: "Its too late to check it's oil. Its going to need a new engine now."
• Correct: "It's too late to check its oil. It's going to need a new engine now."

8. Using went rather than "gone"

• Incorrect: "By then, he had went to the store."
• Correct: "By then, he had gone to the store."

9. Using "real" instead of "really"

• Incorrect: "The sunset is real pretty tonight."
• Correct: "The sunset is really pretty tonight."

10. Not seeming to know the difference between "site" and "sight"

• Incorrect: "Staring at this sight all day is affecting my site."
• Correct: "Staring at this site all day is affecting my sight."

11. Not seeming to know the difference between "effect" and "affect"

• Incorrect: "The reflective affect of that window tint is effecting my ability to see while driving."
• Correct: "The reflective effect of that window tint is affecting my ability to see while driving."

12. Using "complimentary" when they should have used "complementary"

• Incorrect: "One of the reasons why they are such a complimentary couple is that they are so complementary to each other's friends."
• Correct: "One of the reasons why they are such a complementary couple is that they are so complimentary to each other's friends."

13. "Acrossed" "irregardless" and "allright" (I actually dated a guy who said all three of these in one sentence!)

• Incorrect: "Allright. Just hang that picture acrossed here, irregardless of where the stud is."
• Correct: "Alright. Just hang that picture across here, regardless of where the stud is."

So, what other grammar mistakes drive YOU crazy?

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants Here

Wordless Wednesday - Great-Great-Grandfather

Great-Great-Grandfather, Granville Bishop 1831-1902

Hershey’s Better Basket

Join Hershey’s Better Basket Blog Hop and help to raise $5,000 for the Children’s Miracle Network.

Hershey has partnered with the Children’s Miracle Network for over 20 years. CMN is a non-profit alliance of children’s hospitals dedicated to providing state-of-the-art care, life-saving research and preventative education across North America.

This Easter season, Hershey is celebrating it’s new Easter products sold exclusively at Walmart and their legacy of making a difference and Hershey’s will donate up to a total of $5,000 to the Children’s Miracle Network together with bloggers. 

What is a Hershey’s Better Basket?

THIS is a Hershey’s Better Basket!

I am passing on a virtual Hershey's Better Basket to some other bloggers in hopes that they will want to participate for such a truly worthy cause!


This virtual Hershey's Better Basket is for:

• Stay @ Home Mom Who Knew
• Pickles & Lollipops
• Our Daze in the Desert
• Infectious Chatter
• He & ME +3
• Mom's Sanity is Making a Comeback

(Be sure to stop by each of their blogs and say hi!)


Here are the rules:

HERSHEY’S BETTER BASKET BLOG HOP RULES

Copy and paste these rules to your blog post.

• Create a blog post giving a virtual Easter Basket to another blogger – you can give as many Virtual Baskets as you want.
• Link back to person who gave you an Easter Basket.
• Let each person you are giving a Virtual Easter Basket know you have given them a Basket.
• Leave your link at BetterBasket.info/BlogHop comment section. You can also find the official rules of this #betterbasket blog hop, and more information about Better Basket with Hershey’s there.
• Hershey’s is donating $10 per each blog participating to the Better Basket Blog Hop to Children’s Miracle Network (up to total of $5,000 by blog posts written by April 4th, 2010).
• Please note that only one blog post by each blog url will count towards the donation.

A Single Dad's Life - Part 2

Meet Kevin.

Kevin is a 41 year-old professional with a bachelor's degree in journalism, living in Austin, Texas.

Kevin is a divorced, single dad to one child (age 2 ½), from another relationship.  Kevin shares a little bit about his background with us, and about what life is like for him as a single dad.

Tell us about you.

My parents are married and have been so - on and off - since 1967. I have a younger brother and sister (they are twins). ... I am a former newspaper writer and am now a mortgage fraud investigator. ... I love red wine... I am an avid runner and have completed 6 marathons and 8 half marathons.

How did your life as a single dad begin?

Answering an E-harmony ad. Actually, it began after me and my kid's mother broke up late in 2007. 

Describe a day in the life of a single dad (you).

Well, since I'm not the custodial parent, most days are like single people without kids. However, the days I get my son, usually on Saturdays, are pretty hectic. I start the day with a run of 12 to 20 miles, then I hurry home, stuff my face with breakfast, and pick up my son. I'm usually tired when I pick him up and my son has plenty of energy, so I'm loaded on coffee just to keep up with him. And we just hang out all day.

What are some of the rewards you've found in rearing a child in a single-parent household? 

Rewards: Being a dad and watching him grow up. 

What are some of the challenges?

Challenges? How to communicate with his mother.

How does your relationship with your son's other parent positively/negatively affect your relationship with your son, if at all?

It hasn't had a great affect so far. We don't argue in front of him. But he is beginning to wonder why we don't live together, so I'm sure we'll have some explaining to do soon.

Do you feel that single parents are treated differently in the workplace? If so, how?

I don't think single parents are treated differently, though I guess it would depend on where you work.

How would you say your married family/friends view your life as a single parent?

They don't view my life any differently than theirs, I guess.

What is one thing that you've learned about yourself as a result of becoming a single parent?

That I have a lot of love to give and right now, my son is getting all of it.

What advice/encouragement could you give to a newly single parent?

Be there for your child and communicate effectively with his/her mother.

A Single Dad's Life

According to the US Census, 2008:

About 13.7 million parents had custody of 21.8 million children, while the other parent lived somewhere else. 

That means that more than one-quarter (26.3 %) of all children were living with only one parent.

Single parents are everywhere!  It's only fitting that we set aside one day a year to honor them.  And today is that day - Single Parents' Day!

I'd like to pay homage to all my fellow single moms, as well as all the single dads out there. (Did you know that out of the 13.7 million single parents counted in the census, 17.4% of them were single dads?)

There are many stellar single dads that don't get the credit that they are due because of negative stereotypes and gender roles.

Single dads who co-parent with their child's mother are often perceived by society as simply a dad who “babysits” the children. They are not “babysitting” their kids, but rearing their children and shaping them into responsible, self-sufficient and capable adults.

Society generally lumps all single dads into a category where they are viewed as less nurturing, less competent, and less dependable than moms.  Frankly, this stereotype isn't fair.  For each gender of parent, there are varying levels of parental involvement.  A single parent's ability to love and care for a child should not be judged on gender alone.  

Single dads don't want to be treated differently; any worse, or any better than their female counterparts.  They would just like to be treated with dignity and respect!

I'd like to introduce you to Elliott. 

Elliott is known for many things. His customers at work know him as “the keyboard, live sound, and recording guy.” His friends think he's a certified nut-job. The one thing he's known for and most proud of is “Dad”. 

Elliott opens up with us about his own personal experience as a single dad, and offers insight on how he makes the most of the time he spends with his daughter.

How did your life as a single dad begin?

We ran into money problems and the relationship crumbled under the pressure. I learned more about who I really am, and realized that I could no longer be in a long-term, romantic, and cohabitational relationship with my daughter's mom. I was initially drawn to her due to our mutual interest in personal development. Ironically, the quest for personal development drove us apart too.

Ultimately, we lost the house to foreclosure and the ex fled to Tennessee with our daughter. I stayed behind in Florida to wrap up my affairs and save up some money to move.  

Describe a day in the life of a single dad (you).

There are two days in the life of a single dad. When I don't have my daughter, I use the time to take care of me. This is when I go to work, do chores, run errands, do laundry, cook, exercise (mind and body), socialize, and rest. 

When I have visitation with my daughter, I spend the time dedicated to her. Due to my work schedule and current living situation, I get to see her about 2-3 evenings a week. On my days off (which are always during the week) I use the daytime hours to do those things I mentioned previously. When I pick her up from daycare, she moves to front and center. Email and Facebook can wait until after she goes to bed.

What are some of the rewards you've found in rearing a child in a single-parent household? What are some of the challenges?

Many of the rewards and challenges are universal to all parents, regardless of marital status.

Being a single parent can be liberating. I'm not stuck in a relationship that I don't want to be in. We can focus on the big-picture concerns for my daughter and not have to fight about petty things.

I don't take the time I have with my daughter for granted. It really is so precious and fleeting. I used to see this one lady on the bus on a regular basis with her young daughter in tow. The woman insisted on reading her romance novel while her daughter pleaded for attention. She grew annoyed at her daughter and reprimanded her for not sitting still and shutting up. Put the book down and be with your child!

A challenge I impose upon myself is to take care of my business when I don't have my daughter. I pay a small cost up-front to make the time I have with my daughter even more enriching. I want to spend the time I have with her doing daddy-daughter things, not dragging her around with me to run errands.

It costs a lot less for two people to live together than for them to maintain separate households. You no longer have the luxury of splitting expenses. All single parents feel the squeeze. The one paying child support feels it even more. Just because I don't have custody of my daughter on a particular day doesn't mean I can stop providing for her. She may sometimes be out of sight, but she's never out of mind. She might be out of her mind sometimes, but that's another story.

My daughter spends time in households with dramatically different eating habits. I've always chosen my food based on cost-effectiveness and health. I took it a step further by going vegetarian, and in the past year, I have made great strides toward becoming vegan. My daughter's mom and her son from a previous marriage subsist on a standard American diet.

In the family court system, the mother has an unfair advantage.  The mother has to prove she can't be a good parent while the father has to prove he can be a parent at all. However, many Gen-X dads, regardless of marital status have stepped up their game. 

How does your relationship with your child's other parent positively/negatively affect your relationship with your child, if at all?

I have more resolve to be a better parent. It's not a contest between myself and her mom. The importance of being the best parent you can be is underscored even more.

Do you feel that single parents are treated differently in the workplace? If so, how?

I haven't noticed any different treatment. Most non-parents just lump us in with parents who have partners. 

How would you say your married family/friends view your life as a single parent?

My parents provided moral and some financial support to me through the separation. My car was repossessed, and I got around on a bus pass and a bicycle for 10 months. My mom gave me her old car when she got a new one. Everyone I know understands that life as a single parent is harder. I don't agree that it's harder. It's just different. 

What is one thing that you've learned about yourself as a result of becoming a single parent?

How can I pick just one thing? I've learned so much from every stage of parenthood I've been in.

What advice/encouragement could you give to a newly single parent?

The worst thing you can do is hold on to ill will or anger toward the other parent. It's inevitable that the other parent will annoy and inconvenience you at times. Foster a spirit of cooperation with the other parent. You're no longer romantically linked, but you will forever be linked together by a mashup of DNA. Understand that your child's well-being is directly linked to your partner's well-being. Wish them abundance and success in their careers. Actively support their career growth if you can. If they make more money than you, guess who pays child support?

Elliott blogs at http://www.21stcenturydad.com/

Tips for Newly-Single Parents

Image by Isobel T via Flickr

Daunting. 

The plight of the single parent has never been an easy one. In fact, a lone parent bringing up a child can be perhaps the biggest challenge a person can face in life, next to loosing a spouse.

Providing a healthy and happy home, coupled along with shouldering all household responsibilities, a single parent must find a way to successfully balance parental and personal priorities, as well as all of life's demands.

Single parents often find themselves in a difficult position at work. Most employers aren't likely to be very understanding about your family commitments and supportive of your work-life-balance priorities.

Many single parents feel cut off from the rest of the world, isolated from friends and social circles, and misjudged by their colleagues and peers.

The newly single parent often feels like they have just been knocked off their feet by their new life-circumstance, and gripped by fear and insecurity, they aren't really sure how they will ever be able to get back on their feet again.

I can recall the feeling I that had when I first realized that I was about to be a single parent. I was terrified! I had zero confidence and zero hope. It was as if I had been swept up in a raging tornado, and I had no clue as to where, or when, I would be thrown to the ground from the great funnel-cloud.

Much has happened in the past seven years. I have faced obstacles, challenges, and struggles. I have also gained victories, opportunities, and much personal growth.

How have I managed? I guess by (the ever so popular cliché) taking it one day at a time. Perseverance. And I've had some help along the way. Much of it from other, more experienced single parents.

So, I'd like to pass on some nuggets to any newly single parents out there. (No, I'm not an expert. I just know what works for me. Take it with a grain of salt.)

Tips for newly-single parents.

• If you are going to be co-parenting with your child's other parent (O.P.), do yourself a favor and try with all your might to get along with this person. Treat them with dignity and respect, and try to be flexible, whenever possible. In spite of your personal feelings, past events, or how they treat you at any given moment, take the high road and try to make peace with your feelings. 

• For the sake of your child, do not let your children ever see or hear you disrespect their other parent, and discourage your family and friends from doing so in your child's presence. Put yourself in your child's shoes. Any grudges or issues you might harbor toward the O.P. should never come to your child's attention.

• Plan meals (together, if possible) ahead of time. 28 per month. You can even prepare them ahead of time on the weekends, and freeze them for dinners on the go. There are cookbooks that are specifically for this purpose. Let the kids help.

• Sit down at the dinner table and eat together. Without distractions (e.g. TV, cell phone, toys, whatever). Talk to each other! Take turns sharing the high points and low points of each person's day.

• Laundry. Wash one load each day, this way it doesn't pile up and become another chore for the weekends. (You'll have plenty to do on the weekends, believe me.)

• Household chores. Divide and conquer. Make a chore chart and stick to it. Remember to be specific when asking them to help out. Make sure there are some small non-monetary rewards that go with it.

• Praise. Slather it on, whenever possible. Catch the kids being good! Think about it - Praise and recognition go a long way at work, it only makes sense that it also goes a long way at home, too!

• Plan your daily schedule/routines and stick to them. Kids need structure and consistency in order to feel secure. Routines make your life a little easier, too.

• Use morning time-savers. Knock the kids' baths/showers out in the evening, instead of waiting until morning. Prepare and pack lunches the night before. Lay out clothing for the next day before going to bed.

• Don't beat yourself up for not being perfect. There are no perfect parents. If you need help, don't be afraid to ask for it. Turn to your extended family for support, but if that's not possible, seek out single parent support groups, civic groups in your community, church and get involved at your child's school. If someone offers to help you, let them!

• A word about babysitters. By all means, don't feel like you can't ever have someone babysit your kids. Still, take great care with choosing a person to watch your kids. Don't rely on new friends/boyfriends/girlfriends to watch your children. If your child misbehaves, you don't know how well this person will be able to appropriately handle the situation. Choose a sitter by referral from a trusted source.

• Set aside a little time for your own needs, whether it's alone time or time with friends.

• And speaking of friends, if you don't have them, make them! Connecting with others is crucial to a single parent, because families benefit from the support of community. Isolation just makes the difficult job of single-parenting even tougher. Other parents are easy to meet when your child is active in extra curricular activities, and don't be afraid to take your younger child to their classmate's birthday parties, where you can usually meet at least one parent for every child attending.

• Be there for your kids. Not just when they are having a rough day, but on their good days, too. Be in the moment with them. Listen to them. Spend some quality time together, just taking a walk, shooting hoops, or playing a game of catch or checkers. Realize that to them, your relationship is the most significant relationship in their world, and they love you!

"To the world you may be just one person, but to one person you may be the world."

-Brandi Snyder

Wordless Wednesday - Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Getting to Know You

Here's another weekly meme from Keely at Mann Land 5 called "Getting to Know You" in which she will post some personal questions on her blog, and you just copy and post them on yours, along with your answers, and link up back at her blog.

I couldn't resist, so here we go!

The questions:

1. What's your favorite Easter candy?

2. Who do you think is cleaner..men or women?

3. Which do you prefer..wordy blog posts or ones with pictures?

4. Were you popular in highschool?

5. What's your bra size?

6. How many states have you lived in?

7. What's one blog you read every day?

8. Peanut butter or Nutella?

-------------------------------------------------

1. What's your favorite Easter candy? 

I love Cadbury's Creme Eggs, but their Mini Eggs just might be a close second!

2. Who do you think is cleaner..men or women? 

That really depends.  I've known some very clean men and some very sloppy women in my lifetime.  (Don't look in my car's backseat or trunk, by the way!) But GENERALLY speaking, your typical woman is cleaner that your typical man.

3. Which do you prefer..wordy blog posts or ones with pictures? 

Ones with pictures. I tend to skim most posts (thanks to ADHD) and my eyes gravitate towards the pictures, however, if a post has some interesting content, I will really read through it completely.

4. Were you popular in high-school? 

No. I LOVED high-school, and don't recall having any problems, but we had certain cliques in high school, like most high-schools.  I would have to say that I was with the rowdier bunch, you know, the non-rule-followers. I was sort of a "rebel without a clue."  Which is ironic, because I am a TOTAL rule-follower now.  Like, to a fault.

5. What's your bra size? 

Nunya.

6. How many states have you lived in? 

I have only lived in two states - Arizona and California.  20 years in each.

7. What's one blog you read every day? 

Every day?  I read several blogs every day, but I'm not sure I read any one consecutively on a daily basis. Many blogs I read don't post every day. Darren Rowse has a little blog named Problogger that I feel an urgent need to read as soon as he puts up a new post.  If you're a blogger, he's got some great advice for ya.

8. Peanut butter or Nutella? 

I have never tried Nutella, but I would like to.  I used to love peanut butter, and I would eat it right out of the jar. That is until someone informed me that there was a report done on peanut butter. Stuff that I probably shouldn't mention, if you want to keep eating peanut butter.  (She also said that most chocolate had the same findings, in another report.  I didn't eat chocolate for two years after that. Yuck.)

If you want to play, just copy the questions..post them..and go here to Keely's blog and link up..

I Was Scared. No, T-E-R-R-I-F-I-E-D.

After the doctor gave me the diagnosis, I knew I was in serious trouble.

What started as a routine annual eye exam begot many questions.  Why was I made to repeat a visual field test six times?  Why did they keep asking me, "You don't see this? Are you SURE you can't see this?"  Why did the optometrist want to send me to a specialist?  What does my eye pressure have to do with it?  The optometrist said he didn't want to worry me.  He said that it could be a number of things, but he wanted me to get checked out, "Just to be sure".

On a Friday afternoon, at the specialist's office, I was given the same visual field tests once more.  They were seemed to be very concerned with my peripheral vision, or rather, lack of it.  Apparently, I had some limitations.  And my eye pressure was still high.  Too high, according to the doctor.  

After dilating my eyes and examining my optic nerves, he gave me some samples of eye drops and said that he wanted to see me back in a couple of weeks.  

"OK, well, I guess so.  What does all this mean?" I asked him.

"We're dealing with glaucoma here." He said.

I was stunned.  This couldn't really be happening.

I left in a daze.  And then I got very frightened.  

Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness in the United States. 

I knew that there was no cure for glaucoma, and vision already lost cannot be regained. AND I also knew that about 10% of people with glaucoma who receive proper treatment STILL experience loss of vision. But I really didn't think I was in the high-risk group.  Wouldn't I be able to tell if I was going blind?  Wouldn't I notice dark spots or something?

I spent the rest of the weekend imagining and fearing the worst-case scenario. I wondered how much time I had left before I would go permanently blind. I wondered if I should try to learn braille while I still had my sight. I wondered how in the world I was going to get around in my own home without being able to see. I pictured myself fumbling around in darkness while trying to cook, trying to get dressed, trying to simply make it around in my house. How would I get around town? I wouldn't be able to drive. What? NO MORE DRIVING?? My daughter... Oh, no my poor daughter. How could I do this to her? I will become a burden on her! A huge millstone around her neck. She couldn't have a normal life if she had to drive me everywhere for the rest of my life.

The next Monday morning, I made an appointment with another glaucoma specialist for a second opinion. This doctor reaffirmed that yes, it was glaucoma. He told me that it's rare for someone as young as 37 years of age to be diagnosed with glaucoma.  He said that most of his patients are senior citizens. He said that considering just how many years I have yet to live, he couldn't guarantee that I would get to keep my eyesight indefinitely.  Even if we kept the pressure down, I still might lose more vision.

But then he told me that early detection and treatment can often prevent further loss of sight. The medical advances that they've made lately have been very progressive and significant.  There are new medications. There are new and improved laser surgeries, as an alternative to conventional eye surgery. New studies are uncovering new information about the way glaucoma begins, offering hope for new treatments.  There have been many new discoveries that puts us even closer to the cure.

Today, March 12th, is World Glaucoma Day.  

It has been three years since my diagnosis.  I am very hopeful for a cure for glaucoma in my lifetime.

Did you know that:

• It is estimated that over 4 million Americans have glaucoma, but only half of those know they have it?
• Approximately 120,000 are blind from glaucoma, accounting for 9% to 12% of all cases of blindness in the U.S.?
• About 2% of the population ages 40-50, and 8% over 70, have elevated eye pressure (IOP)?
• Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the world? (according to the World Health Organization)
• Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness among African-Americans?
• Glaucoma is 6 to 8 times more common in African-Americans than Caucasians?
• African-Americans ages 45-65 are 14 to 17 times more likely to go blind from glaucoma than Caucasians with glaucoma in the same age group?
• The most common form, Open Angle Glaucoma, accounts for 19% of all blindness among African-Americans, compared to 6% in Caucasians?
• Other high-risk groups include: people over 60, family members of those already diagnosed, diabetics, and people who are severely nearsighted?
• Estimates put the total number of suspected cases of glaucoma at around 65 million worldwide?

(Read more about these facts, and more at www.glaucoma.org)