We spent the weekend with teenagers at Snow Camp in Big Lake and a night at our own cabin in Willow. It was cold, it was snowing, and our 400′ Willow driveway is unclearable laden with six inches of ice sandwiched by snow. So, we trudged our bags and food from the truck to the […]

This from Scott Berkun on why teachers should lie. With full disclosure, lying can cause students to pay attention and spur critical thinking and discussion. Interesting approach.

William F. Buckley passed away sometime last night and it was sad news, indeed. His  philosophy, personality and good humor were foundational for today’s conservatives and the Reagan Revolution.
Personally, I often watched him on Firing Line and, usually, needed a dictionary to look up new words. His vocabulary was incredible even though English was his […]

What will the workplace be like in ten years? Twenty years? How do we best prepare our own kids for those uncertainties? Since I graduated college 27 years ago the economy has changed from primarily manufacturing to an information/service economy.
What changes will our own kids see?  I really don’t know. But I do know […]

I don’t know why this interests me so much. Probably because I’m artistically challenged. Even though we have Photoshop and Illustrator my skill level does not extend much beyond cropping photos. So, to be able to create these little doodles is very cool. Google Blogoscoped had their own Google Doodle contest and posted their winner […]

As a mom of an 8th grade boy this got my attention. My favorite part:
"They would do it in science class and other places," said Jordan Tyler. "It’s a natural occurrence, and we all do it 16 times a day."
When questioned where he learned that information, Tyler and the other students all said it was […]

Haven’t posted yet this week as I recover from some minor surgery. Publishing my thoughts and opinions while on tylox might be interesting but not very wise. So, we’re opting instead for movie marathons such as the long BBC version of Pride and Prejudice.

We tried this Jam Jar Jet weekend project from MAKE awhile ago and it was a huge hit with our son and his buddies. Anticipation, fire, noise, an all-around great project. Now it’s been selected as one of the "Best Weekend Projects."
You need simple supplies and don’t forget safety glasses because science is much more […]

Super Tuesday was quite an event here with record turnouts forcing the Democrats to move their caucuses to new sites. Most Anchorage Republicans voted downtown at the Egan Center in the Presidential Preference Poll, including yours truly and the three other voters in the family. It was packed wall-to-wall but very fun. Turnout at the […]

I’ve enjoyed A Prairie Home Companion, Garrison Keillor’s radio show, for many years. You see my husband is from northern Minnesota and Lake Wobegon is a quaint, entertaining, even hilarious picture of rural Minnesota life. Fact of the matter is Garrison Keillor is one superb story teller. So good that we overlook his reflexive […]