Rexanne's Web Review - Issue #24

Shopping

Been spending a lot of time this past week with my sister and her daughters who are visiting from Switzerland. I wish my family all lived close but when we do get together, it's always a blast! Pretty soon, life will be back to routine and schedules ... we're enjoying these last days of summer and family gatherings.

My kids don't go back to school until September 25 this year! Their school is under construction ... we'll see if that dead line is met. We ALL know construction is never on time!

Last week, some subscribers weren't able to open the page for the First Day of School Certificate. This happens when a URL is too long for certain email readers and becomes mangled in the sending process. If this happens again, please go to the Online Version (you are here now) of the newsletter, linked at the top of each Web Review. The links online always work.

Lots of reader's comments this week, guys. Thank you to everyone who sends email. It keeps this newsletter alive!

Kathy sent this in response to one of the "Back to School" tips from last week's newsletter:

"Most of our present day child safety experts advise us not to mark our children's belongings with their names. Apparently, this makes it one step easier for a pedophile or a 'stranger' to make personal contact with a child. I can see it ... we mark our son's name on his books or have his name 'Bobby' airbrushed on his shirt. Next thing you know the child will be walking home or in the park or in a different aisle than you at Walmart. 'Hi Bobby!' and then we all know what happens next. Believe it or not, those who stalk and pursue children have no qualms about sneaking a peek in a school book to find a name. What about an alternative such as a secret code or symbol to identify your child's belongings? Maybe paint a star or a happy face on their tags with a permanent laundry marker. Just thought everyone would want to consider these issues/ideas."

As much as this drives me crazy, in today's world, we unfortunately need to think about these issues and take added measures to protect our kids. Thanks for reminding us of this, Kathy.

Daysi's hubby is a cyclist and she wanted her fellow readers to know about his latest ride for charity:

"Hi, my name is Bart Calandrillo, I am a member of U. W. U. A. local 375 cycling team, employed by United Water, NJ. I'm joining the PEPSI_ONE MS 100 Bike Tour to support the Greater North Jersey Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. I will be riding my bike 100 miles on September 23 & 24 to support the Society's mission to end the devastating effects of Multiple Sclerosis. If you would like to sponsor me, PLEASE send your TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATIONS made payable to the NMSS to me at:

If you have any further questions please feel free to email me at: Daysi22@aol.com"

"Geeeeezzze, Bobby ... sounds like you need some of my 'famous' Spam sandwiches to go with that delectable chili!"

"On Saturday, September 16, the Second National Stepfamily Day picnic will be held in recognition and celebration of Stepfamily Day. The Stepfamily Association of America (SAA) is the only national nonprofit membership organization to provide information, education, support, and advocacy for stepfamilies in 38 states."

For more information, contact Christy Borgeld, Coordinator-Stepfamily Activities/Stepfamily Association of America at 616-534-7901 - Or visit the SAA website at: SAA"

Quote of the Week: When your work speaks for itself, don't interrupt. - Henry J. Kaiser

This Week's Web Review is Sponsored By: 101 Road Trip Word Games

Planning a road trip this summer? You need this e-book! Download instantly and be on the road in minutes with 101 great, entertaining word games everyone will love. Makes an ordinary family road trip extraordinarily fun and even educational! No pens, pencils, or paper required...the car games are verbal! This is great to have on hand for bopping around town with the kids, too. Keeps them occupied and interested. Print the car word games every month and store them in the glove box

No more "Are we there yet?!" ;-)

I bow in the presence of parents who choose to home school their children ... not so much because I think it's a better way to educate our kids (although it might be), but because I couldn't fathom home schooling my own children or attempting to teach them academic lessons. These parents are remarkable in that they feel home schooling is best for their children and do what is necessary to implement a classroom environment, complete with a real school curriculum. I think it takes guts, moral strength and a lot of patience to home school.

I have read many articles on this subject, trying to comprehend the reasons parents have for choosing to educate their kids at home. I believe these parents feel their children will receive a higher level of education, they will have better control over what their children are learning and for a few, there is the factor of their child's well-being and safety.

Since I didn't receive one response to my request for information or favorite home schooling links when I asked you all a few weeks ago, I am assuming there are few, if any of us who actually do home school. My ideas on home schooling are strictly from reading what information is available online and speaking to the few people I've met who home school their children. I have supplied a list of links here that I feel explains this phenomenon and will educate those of us who don't home school. There are also links to great sites for those who have chosen this option.

Here is a page that explains the basics of home schooling and exactly what it involves: What is Homeschooling?

This page has many insightful articles about every aspect of home schooling you can imagine, from getting started to Phys. Ed: Home School Articles

And another terrific article on home schooling, shedding light on an issue I'm sure many home school parents go through. This will give you permission to lighten up on the rigorous schedules you might be implementing: Loosening Up

Have an opinion about this topic or a story to share? Please send it: My Opinion

Our food & cooking site of the week is a gem, guys! Chef (er, unchef) RG has created a web site for those who wish to learn the basics of cooking excellent fare without a whole lot of hoopla in the kitchen. Whether you're a novice at the cutting board, a seasoned cook or just looking for new and delicious recipes, this site is for you.

RG offers recipes such as a basic tomato sauce, pasta with garlic and olive oil, perfect mashed potatoes, etc. These basic guides will show you how to create the simplest form of each after which you can add ingredients as your creativity flourishes under RG's tutelage.

You'll find technique tips, pantry stocking ideas, kitchen drawer essentials and lots more on this wonderfully friendly, informative site. The section for recipes is well designed and easy to use. There are plenty of amazing dishes to create with instructions that won't leave you digging for the Latin dictionary, either!

Here's a super site, with extensive information about each state. Kids can get a leg up on homework assignments, reports or browse the pages for interesting information about a particular state of interest.

States and Capitols has information ranging from state area codes to the weather. Awesome amount of information! This is a definite bookmark site!

Tip: my older daughter has a special folder in her bookmarked (favorites) file with sites specifically geared toward school or education. In this folder, she has created "sub folders," per topic. This way, she can look up information with relative ease when scrambling to complete a report or homework.

A friend sent these natural remedies via email. Makes a whole lot of sense and hey, my father (Grandpa Frank) is a nutritionist ... I asked him about these remedies and he concurred with each one! You might find the perfect natural cure for what's ailing you!

Headaches - Eat plenty of fish. Fish oil helps prevent headaches. So does ginger, which reduces inflammation and pain.

To Prevent Strokes - Prevent buildup of fatty deposits on artery walls with regular doses of tea.

Upset Stomach - Bananas will settle an upset stomach. Ginger will cure morning sickness and nausea.

Bone Problems - Bone fractures and osteoporosis can be prevented by the manganese in pineapple.

PMS - Women can ward off the effects of PMS with cornflakes, which help reduce depression, anxiety and fatigue. (Hey, what about chocolate? LOL!)

Memory Problems - Oysters help improve your mental functioning by supplying much-needed zinc.

Coughing - A substance similar to that found in cough syrups is found in hot red pepper.

Breast Cancer - Wheat, bran, cabbage. Bran and cabbage help maintain estrogen at healthy levels.

Lung Cancer - A good antidote is beta carotene, a form of Vitamin A found in dark green and orange vegetables.

Ulcers - Cabbage contains chemicals that help heal both gastric and duodena ulcers.

Diarrhea - Grate an apple with its skin, let it turn brown and eat it to cure this condition.

High Blood Pressure - Olive oil has been shown to lower blood pressure. Celery contains a chemical that lowers pressure, too.

Blood Sugar Imbalance - The chromium in broccoli and peanuts help regulate insulin and blood sugar.

Got a tip or trick your fellow readers would enjoy or could use? Please send it here for possible publication in one of the next issues: Tips

Courtesy of Home Crusaders ... all the forms you will need for home schooling, including attendance charts, course of study forms, daily and weekly schedule charts and even a world map chart.

These charts and forms are not just for home schoolers. They are terrific for many activities and can be used for traditional classroom settings as well.

Weekly Time Waster: Jacob's Ladder
(Because life is supposed to be fun!)

Oh boy ... I want anyone who manages to nail this game to let me know! You must also tell me how you managed to move the blue pieces to one side and the orange pieces to the other without getting stuck in a mess of your own making! LOL! I really felt stupid and ran out of patience on this one. I'm adding it as the Time Waster of the Week because I want to know how to solve this crazy puzzle! I'm counting on you, my dear subscribers, to help me out. ;-)

Oh LOL! This page identifies drivers by the state they live in and it's too funny! I recognized myself ... see if you can find your particular driving style in these stereotypical but accurate descriptions of how we manage the roads we travel. Maybe you need to move to a state where you'll feel more comfortable with your driving style? Good for a giggle ... enjoy!

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The fine print: This newsletter is copyright - 2000 - in its entirety. Please pass it on, but also please leave it intact. :-) You are receiving this email because you sent a specific message asking to be placed on the mailing list for this newsletter. If you wish to be removed from this list, see the unsubscribe notice above. This is NOT SPAM, nor will you ever see a recipe featuring SPAM in this newsletter! ;-)

I have personally checked out the links provided here but they could possibly lead you to any number of bizarre and/or offensive sites. Surf at your own risk. The DIRECT links on this page are all family friendly unless stated otherwise. While this newsletter is family friendly, it is not necessarily intended to be read by children. Parents should always monitor their children while they are on the Internet.