What the ...

A news story title from the last few days that made me say "What the..."

"Girl, 12, Charged with Distributing Pic of Classmate" FoxNews

So tween and teen girls are taking nude pics of themselves and each other and sending them to friends.
If my son was to receive something like this, I would insist on criminal charges and would probably file a civil suit.

So what would you do if your son or daughter sent or received porn pics?

School's Out

Wow, I can't believe it's June and school is out for the summer!
All the kids that I've barely seen since last August have reappeared in my pool. I don't really mind because it means that I know where they all are and what they are doing.
What do you do with your kids in the summer? Or if you are a kid what do you do with your parents in the summer?

Be safe!

7 Reasons to Love Indy

No, not Indiana Jones. IndyCar and the Indianapolis 500!
Why would this NEO WAH mom become an IndyCar racing fan?
Well...

1. No male enhancement commercials. If you want me to change the channel, play that 'Viva Viagra' commercial every 10 minutes. Who in this country hasn't heard of these drugs and what they do? Is there REALLY a need for these?
2. No trash talking drivers. In the interviews that I saw, each driver told the viewer how good they are not how bad so-n-so is. When they were asked about another driver, they showed some class and found something positive to say...or at least they didn't trash each other.
3. Limited beer commercials. As a mom, I really don't want children (or adults) to think that you have to have beer to have fun. (I hope you didn't just learn something new)
4. Helio Castroneves. Have you seen this man smile? 'nuf said.
5. 3 Girly Girls. Milka Duno, Sarah Fisher and Danica Patrick are three woman drivers that prove that you don't have to sacrifice feminine beauty to be tough.
6. Ethanol. Yep, these cars run on ethanol. I keep hearing that if we run our cars on ethanol, the price of food will go up. Well, maybe our farmers could make a decent living. C'mon folks, some one's getting wealthy when you fill your gas tank. Wouldn't you rather it was an American Farmer?
7. 220+ MPH in an open car. That's what I call Crazybrave.

Well, I watched this out of curiosity and now I'm looking forward to this Sunday's race. I hope I don't have to retract any of my 7 reasons to enjoy this sport. That would be a bummer.

Oh, for those of you who were hoping that "Indy" stood for Indiana Jones...maybe next week.

Sarcasm? Me? Nooooooo

I recently read an article by Paul Coughlin who is also the author of "No More Jellyfish, Chickens or Wimps: Raising Secure, Assertive Kids in a Tough World".


In the article that I read he covers Parental Sarcasm.


I find it very interesting that I happen to find this article 2 days after I blogged about my 7th grade teacher's damaging giggle. Ya see, my husband and I are the King and Queen of sarcasm. When I read the title "Parental Sarcasm is no Joke", I was immediately convicted.


I thought, "What have I done?!? Have I scarred for life? What can I do to fix it?"


Coughlin calls sarcasm a "double edged sword, able to spark laughter as well as inflict pain..."


He does point out sarcasm's good side. The prophet Elijah mocked the priests of Baal in I Kings 18:27. "At noon Elijah began to taunt them. "Shout Louder!" he said, "surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened." This is my favorite use of sarcasm of all time! ;)
Jesus also used sarcasm with the Pharisees. "You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but you swallow a camel." (Matt. 23:24)


If you notice in these examples sarcasm is directed at the stubborn, self righteous and arrogant, but never against the weak or wounded.


Too many of us use sarcasm to wound without it appearing like a wounding. Then we say, "can't you take a joke?"


Since reading this article, I have tried to curb my sarcasm habit, not just at home but with everyone.


"The tongue has the power of life and death," (Proverbs 18:21)


I want to speak words of life. Words that are of encouragement and empowerment, not wounding mockery. Anyone can be rude and laugh but those of us who are children of The Most High need to choose our words for carefully.


I guess, grandma was right, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." (unless it's to the priests of Baal or the Pharisees) ;p








You can find out more about Paul Coughlin by visiting http://www.family.org/ .