Making Life Easy for Kids

I receive a daily quote from the Napoleon Hill Foundation. Todays quote is awesome. Sometimes as parents we don't want our kids to have the same struggles we had, but some struggles are good and it is up to us to decide which ones will be character building and which ones will are to be avoided.

MAKING LIFE "EASY" FOR CHILDREN USUALLY MAKES LIFE "HARD" FOR THEM IN ADULTHOOD.

Del Smith, the millionaire founder and chairman of Evergreen International Aviation, has often said, "Thank God I was born poor; I learned how to work." Like many others who made it to the top on their own, Smith believes that the greatest gift that can be given to a child is to teach him or her the value of work. It is a gift that can never be lost or stolen. It’s a natural desire of parents to give their children material things they didn’t have as children. Such generosity, however, often deprives children of the greatest gift you can give them: confidence in their ability to take care of themselves. When you make life "hard" for your children by requiring them to learn the value of work, they will have a far greater likelihood of success as adults.

A few thoughts

ABC's Monday Night Football and Desperate Housewives

ABC Apologizes for MNF Opening.


This is another example of Network publicity. You can't tell me ABC didn't see, or know, about the opening of the Monday Night Football Game before it aired. They didn't know it would be shown in Prime Time when young people are still up watching television?

ABC knew well what they were going to do and I guess the apology was already for Tuesday morning. This is the new way to advertise programs without spending the AD Money on it. ABC new it would pass FCC guidelines so they went forward with their plan and aired it. They felt they may be fined and they will chalk it up as advertising dollars spent well.

All the news organizations have run stories about the apology. This is creating curiosity for people to tune into this ABC program. I'm guilty as well of falling into the trap to promote the program due to the "Whoops" of ABC on MNF.

Terrell and other Stars using God

On another note about the same incident, Terrell Owens! After the game Terrell is thanking God for being able to accomplish what he did that night. Which was a great game for him. But for those of you who don't know what happened that ABC is apologizing for. Desperate Housewives star Nicollette Sheridan approaches Terrell Owens wearing only a towel in the locker room and tries to persuade Owens to miss the game to do other things. At the end of the intro, she drops her towel and jumps into Owens arms. Owens has the look of pleasure on his face as she does this.

How can he promote adultery and fornication and then promote God after the game? I'm sick of Athletes and Stars saying, "I thank God for this and that," and their lifestyles are so not in support of God. Wearing the Cross on their necks and doing everything not in support of God.

I'm guilty of not always portraying a Christian lifestyle and making errors in my life, but I realize it is wrong. Sure, I don't know the hearts of these stars. After seeing the same actions over and over by the same stars, you can pretty much see their true selves.

I'm back!

Slight break from blogging.

Free S x Offender Search - Protect yourself and children

The Child Safe Network has a free search for registered S x Offenders. Sign up is Free http://childsafenetwork.org/

New Product to Promote your Blog

You can promote your blog or website for free using this tool.

If you want to find out more send an email to me with "Buzz" in the subject and send it to todays.thought(a)gmail.com
You need to replace (a) with @
Little trick to prevent bots from getting your email address of a webpage.

[Politics] John Kerry, NY Times, and the Rest of the "Media"

Why vote for Kerry? I'm voting for Bush.

Dad and his Girls

I took my daughters to the mall tonight.  My oldest daughter was heart broken today because she couldn't go with me on my lunch break to do a few errands.  I told her, I would take her and her sister to the mall to play on the Tree and ride the train.  The Train is this big tree house inside the mall and a kids train ride next to it.  My girls are 5 and 4, so they don't want to "shop" yet.  Although the oldest tries to negotiate purchasing a toy without success. 

I know it doesn't sound like a grand outing, but at these ages they love it.  On the way home the youngest daughter is hanging on to consciousness.  When she gets close to complete exhaustion, she is like a wind up toy that spins really fast before the end of the wind.  Faster, faster, faster, then out. 

I'm always so busy that I hope times like these create good memories. 

Learning the Alphabet

My youngest daughter is learning her abc's in pre-school.  Today the Letter was "A."  The teacher usually goes around and asks each child a word that begins with "A." 

My wife was driving my daughters and [my 20 month old son with along for the ride] she asked her, "What begins with A?" 

My Daughter responds, "Aippo-po-tomus."  In her mind she was right, but technically she is wrong.  She pronounces it with an A.  lol.  My wife told her she should probably come up with another word.  So, they came up with Ant.  She recited Ant all the way to school. 

When I got done with work tonight I asked her, "What word did you say for the letter A?"  She told me, "I didn't get a turn today." 

Then I ask her, "Okay, what begins with A then?"

Her response, "Aippo-po-tomus."  She said it with such conviction, I believe everyone would have believe it was a new type of animal.

Blogger Tool that Really Works.

I finally found the tool I was looking for.  I can now post to my blogs with one tool, without opening the browser!

BlogJet

BlogJet is a desktop blogging application that greatly simplifies posting to your blog. It is user-friendly, easy to use and elegant. Emphasize Your Viewpoint

You can make text bold, italics or even change colors and fonts, create numbered and bulleted lists. BlogJet displays text in editor so it looks the same as it will appear in browser. They call it WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get).

Insert Pictures with Ease

Amaze the readers of your blog with funny pictures and photos of you and your friends! Just copy a picture from browser to BlogJet, or select an image from your computer, and it will be automatically uploaded to your blog when you post the entry.

Talk in Your Blog

The funniest way to express yourself and personalize your blog is to fill it with voice. When you have no words to write, take a microphone and say. Your speech will be attached to post and published with the text.

Change The History

BlogJet allows you to get the list of your previous posts with preview pane. If you want to correct mistakes or just change the text you posted, double-click a post and edit it.

Blog Everything You Find

BlogJet installs a special button on Internet Explorer's toolbar that allows you to create a blog entry about the current page.

Try It Today | Order Now

Be Yourself

"You were born an original. Don't die a copy."
- John Mason

Testing BlogJet

I have installed an interesting application - BlogJet. It's a cool Windows client for my blog tool (as well as for other tools). Get your copy here: http://blogjet.com

"Computers are useless. They can only give you answers." -- Pablo Picasso

Kids are so funny.

My daughter woke up this morning Demanding to go to Diary Queen. She was involved in some dream about it and woke up arguing her point. She is only 4, but she has fire in her blood.

I had something to say...

but then I fell asleep.

It had something to do with The Presidential Prayer Team

Confrontation

Today, I am struggling with how to confront someone about their marriage. This marriage is heading down a road of a partnership for the sake of the children or divorce. How do you approach someone who has made life horrible for their wife and children? He has tried to control their every move, to the point of them not wanting to leave the house for fear he will get mad at them. Most everything is mental abuse and not physical. Thank our Good Lord for that. If you are a praying Christian person, please pray for this family!

History Speaks Loudly

Today's thought is posted here Worst President in History? I think not!

Flu Shot Shortage

I swear every year there is a Flu Shot Shortage. Could this be media hype? Is this a way to get more people to go and get the vaccine?
Flu Shot Shortage Highlights U.S. Crisis -Officials

When I grow up

When I was younger I dreamed of having a great wife {which I do}, wonderful kids {which I do}, own a home {which I do}, and have time to do some things we would all enjoy {which I don't}.

So much of my time is decided by others. Is this where I wanted to be? No. So it's time to think of how I can adjust my life to give me more time.

We'll see what happens.

[Cubs] Cubs and Baseball thoughts have moved

I decided to make my Cubs and Baseball thoughts a seperate blog.

Today's Cubs Thought

[Politics] My Politics thoughts have moved

I decided to move my thoughts on politics to its own blog. You can now find them at Thoughts on Politics

http://todays-politics-thought.blogspot.com/

[Politics] Short Analysis of the Vice-President Debate

Vice President Dick Cheney definitely walked away with this debate. VP Dick Cheney was able to cover the questions better with answers that stayed on point. Sen. John Edwards repeated himself several times, not answering the questions put forth by the moderator.

Sen. Edwards continued to circle around the talking points he was given and wasn't able to give deep concrete answers or plans. Sen. Edwards proved tonight, their ticket does not have the track record the American people can trust in. I was more convicted my vote will stay with the Republican ticket because of this debate.

VP Cheney showed why he has served in four administrations. He also handled himself extremely well.

Sen. Edwards again brought up the idea the President went into Iraq because of the tie between Iraq and Al Qaeda and 9/11. He wants us to believe the whole reason we went into Iraq was because President Bush "Mis-Led" THE WORLD about Iraq having WMD and Iraq was a Key player in the 9/11 attack.

How many sanctions did Saddam violate? I don't know. How many years did we have inspectors in Iraq trying to monitor Iraq's weapons developments? I don't know. Sen. Edwards stated several times we didn't give enough time to the inspectors to find WMD's. The truth is Inspectors where there for a few years and then Saddam kicked them out. Having the inspectors was part of the sanctions and kicking them out violated those sanctions.

Today some new Iraq documents shows Saddam had WMD's and extensive Terrorist ties.

Iraqi Documents Show Saddam Possessed WMD, Had Extensive Terror Ties

So Saddam did have mustard gas and anthrax. Both are considered WMDs. Tell the family members of the family members in mass graves. Killed with chemical weapons. Tell them Saddam didn't have these chemicals.

Sen. Edwards and Kerry continue to talk about how this Administration didn't give the men going to Iraq armor. Sen. Kerry voted against the funds to cover new body armor and many other items. The truth is this. Gen. Peter Pace, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs, said 40,000 troops did not have the brand new, improved armor but, "every soldier and Marine on the ground had body armor."

I loved it when Sen. Edwards tried to look "Clinton Like" {Why? Who Knows?} with his story of being a young boy and seeing his dad learning math from watching TV. Then he said, "And I was also hopeful, because I knew that I lived in a country where I could get a college education." I really doubt he was thinking that, but that is being extra critical.

The unfortunate outcome of listening to the discussions after the debate is that most of the people discussing the "Winner" of the debate have already decided who they are going to vote for and that also shades their decision of who won the debate. So far, CBS seems to be the most biased in their polls. CBS polls show Edwards winning overwhelmingly. This is ludicrous, but I have also made my decision who I am going to vote for and you probably realized that already.

[Politics] Are John Kerry’s ‘Nation-Alliances' Already Crumbling?

Uh-Oh. Kerry's self proclaimed ability to get along with the Worlds Nations better than Bush is slipping.

Read the article by Sher Zieve

[Politics] Kerry won't make a decision on Iraq, until the outcome has been completed. Huh!?!

I know it's several days since the Diane Sawyer's interview of Sen John Kerry, but it has been pounding in my head today.

Would any thinking person follow someone into battle when the leader is not convicted enough to give a solid answer?

Here is an excerpt from the interview on ABC’s "Good Morning America."

Diane Sawyer: Was the war in Iraq worth it?

John Kerry: We should not have gone to war knowing the information that we know today.

Diane Sawyer: So it was not worth it.

John Kerry: We should not — it depends on the outcome ultimately — and that depends on the leadership. And we need better leadership to get the job done successfully, but I would not have gone to war knowing that there was no imminent threat — there were no weapons of mass destruction — there was no connection of Al Qaeda — to Saddam Hussein! The president misled the American people — plain and simple. Bottom line.

Diane Sawyer: So if it turns out OK, it was worth it?

John Kerry: No.

Diane Sawyer: But right now it wasn’t … –

John Kerry: It was a mistake to do what he did, but we have to succeed now that we’ve done what he’s — I mean look — we have to succeed. But was it worth — as you asked the question — $200 billion and taking the focus off of Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda? That’s the question. The test of the presidency was whether or not you should have gone to war to get rid of him. I think, had the inspectors continued, had we done other things — there were plenty of ways to keep the pressure on Saddam Hussein.

Diane Sawyer: But no way to get rid of him.

John Kerry: Oh, sure there were. Oh, yes there were. Absolutely.

Diane Sawyer: So you’re saying that today, even if Saddam Hussein were in power today it would be a better thing — you would prefer that . . .

John Kerry: No, I would not prefer that. And Diane — don’t twist here.

It's crazy! What kind of decisions can be made with this thinking process. If you are in the a small group and you are trying to determine who is going to be the leader, are you going to choose the person that can't answer a question clearly or the person that can answer it clearly and is convicted about his decision?

Kerry followers, please explain why you continue to follow this man. Anyone but Bush isn't an answer either.

[Cubs] Sammy comes out slinging

At the end of this Article in the Chicago Sun-Times is a list of the Major Offensive categories. In almost every categories Sammy's production went down from 2003 to 2004. If I have time I will investigate this further. I'm pretty sure they have gone down the past 3 years.

Sammy Comes Out Slinging

Sosa's atitude toward Baker isn't healthly either. I feel it's time to Thank Sosa for the Great Years and find another player for Right Field.

Anyone disagree?

[Cubs] I thought this year was Next Year!

I think the title says it all.

I don't want to blame this whole season on one person, but the position/s I see the need for change are: Sammy Sosa and relief pitching. Sosa has had a great career here in Chicago, but I believe it is time to find a replacement for him. A batting average of .253 with 133 strikeouts. 35 HR's this year, but wasn't able to do it in almost any clutch position. With runners in scoring position, it was like having the pitcher at bat.

Again, I'm not saying Sosa was the problem why the Cubs didn't live up to expectations this year. But, for the amount of money he is being paid, you expect him to perform better.

How many games did the Cubs lose this year by one or two runs? I don't know right now, but those games are when the Big Money Guys are suppose to pull you through!

[Life] Made it

Well, I made it through a very busy weekend. Saturday night I attended a 20 year - 8th grade - class reunion my wife organized for the school she attended. What a success! Everyone was very appreciative of the work the committee and she did to pull the reunion together. Everyone got to see what is so special about my wife. She is able to make anyone feel important. I love her so very much!

I couldn't believe that she was having a 8th grade class reunion in the first place. I can't imagine my 8th grade class having a reunion. Their were just to many people. Her class had just over 50 people and about 70 percent of the class showed up for the evening. It was a riot listening to stories from her classmates. This class was pretty much with each other all the way from Kindergarden thru 8th grade. I moved around so much and the schools I went to were so much bigger. I had to meet new people every year. The was a period of my childhood I was at the same place for a while, but we always had a different class the following year. Sometimes you would have the some of the friends from the previous grad in the class, but not like her's. The same group of people would be go through each class together. Except when someone moved away or moved into the area and joined the class. It was the same people. What a opportunity to build life long friends.

I travel a lot and receive reward points at hotels that I stay at, so we stayed at a very nice hotel after the reunion. My wife sister helped us by staying at our house while we stay over night. We checked into the hotel before the reunion and we didn't get back to the hotel till 12:30am. I then had to write a short speech for a presentation for our Pastor and Staff for the following morning. I am the President of the Leadership Board of Elders and Deacons, so I have the privilege of making these types of presentations. So, I was up to 3:30am pulling the speech together. 6:30am was the time I received my wake up call from the hotel. Wow, three hours of sleep and now I have to go give this speech in two services. Well, the presentations went extremely well in both services.

After the second service I came home to three very sugar charged and tired children. We tried to have them take a nap and I fell asleep along with my two daughters. My son was already sleeping, but because my girls originally we not to happy about the whole nap deal, they woke their brother up screaming their disapproval and therefore my wife, who was hoping to get a nap in as well, wasn't able to. I didn't even know my wife and son were up. She woke me up about three hours later, but it didn't feel like I slept at all.

So, I'm about to go to bed early tonight and catch up on my sleep. {Rumor has it, you never catch up on sleep. I hope that isn't true!} Tomorrow is another full day. This week I work from home, but I have a full work day tomorrow then my wife and I are going to an appreciation dinner in the evening. After the dinner, I will need to come home and help with a weekly publication I am the assistant editor of. I am also the webmaster for this publication. So, if you think about me during your day, please say a prayer for me to have a very efficient day and that I get to bed before 3am.

[Politics] Thank you President George W Bush

A leader, once convinced that a particular course of action is the right one, must be undaunted when the going gets tough.
- Ronald Reagan

[Life] Busy

This is going to be one of those days where you wish you could be someplace else. Not that I don't want to do everything that is going on today, but they are all back to back and no time in between.

I dream of having a much simpler life.

[Politics] Would Kerry be better for America?

I watched last nights debate.

I had a few distractions when my daughters came home from a "Play time" at a friends. My girls are 5 and 4 years old. I also have a son that is 1, but he was already in bed.

Either though I feel Kerry did a great job in the debate. {He better be good at debates for the 20 years of being a part of the political process} I don't feel he said anything to prove he would be a better President for the current time. Kerry has changed his position so many times in just the past 12 months. I'm not going to go into all of them. Of course everyone knows the main statement that has been out there. He stated he voted for the bill for additional funds to pay for weapons and such before he voted against it.

If I was debating Kerry in this format, I would have had difficulty knowing where to start my rebuttal with the 90 second allotment. Kerry continues to make statements that are not truthful or they are extremely exaggerated.

What did I see in Kerry last night? A man who is a very good debater, but I didn't see a man that could lead! I have never been able to follow someone who I didn't feel was whole heartily behind his statements. America and the world have no idea where Kerry stands on issues of importance.

What did I see in Bush last night? A man who has strong convictions that prevent him from disguising them with his facial expressions and body language. I like that. A man who has lead America through a very difficult time. The world knows where President Bush stands on issues of importance.

Kerry made claims that we have no Allies helping in the Iraq war. I loved it when Bush made the reply something to the effect of, tell that to Britain and Poland. I will have to check, but I think there are over 20 countries backing us in Iraq and the war on Terror. We saw what it was like to have a President that holds the some of the same ideas as Kerry. I watch in horror as I saw service men being dragged through the streets in a foreign land and have Clinton do nothing about it. Is that what we want in a President? That is probably what we would get in Kerry. Oh, he would go to the UN and voice his displeasure with what happened and draw a line in the sand. But when that line was crossed he would only draw a new line.

So, to answer my question: Would Kerry be a better for America? The answer is an absolute, no doubt about it, NO!

I wouldn't feel that the future of my three children would be safer with Kerry as President.

[Cubs] 3 Games left and 1 game back.

Mark Prior strikeouts 16 hitters to tie his career high for a game and the only run the Cubs can generate is a HR from Sammy Sosa with no one on bases. They end up losing the game in the 12th!

The Cubs have 3 Games left and are now 1 games back in the Wild Card race. Houston is 7-3 in the last 10 games, San Fran is 6-4, and the Cubs are 5-5.

[Web] Check email from anywhere

I found a great product to protect yourself from spam. You can use it with Outlook, Outlook express, Eudora. Basically any email software that can retrieve POP3 email. You will also have the ability to check your email while away from your computer. I travel alot and this gives me the ability to check my email and still be protected from spam.

[Cubs] Are the Cubs trying to lose the Wildcard?

Very frustrated today seeing that the Cubs have lost several games within the past few days. With the San Franciso Giants, Los Angeles Dodges, and the Houston Astros all beating on their backs, the Cubs are losing against teams they should beat.

What a disappointment Sosa has been this year. Forget about scoring any of the runners in scoring position with Sosa at bat. He has been horrible this year and previous years.

More thoughts later...

What is Today's Thought?

There are blogs just about anything. So why not have a blog about what ever I think about today? This is going to be exercise in thoughts.

What will the thoughts be on? Anything that makes me think to myself, that's crazy, stupid, interesting, do people know this? It could be about politics, baseball, sports, religion, today's news or something someone who told me today. It could be something that happened to me. You will have to check back daily to find out if anything has been posted. I'm not a writer, so don't expect proper grammar or punctuation. Spell checker is one of my best friends.

Who am I? It doesn't matter right now.

What do I do for a living? I'm a Christian, Husband, Dad, a consultant (system's analyst programmer), and a webmaster.

What are my interests? Being a Dad, being a husband, Christianity, Baseball, Politics (I'm a Republican), Computers, and people.