Chatbug Karen

I played basketball in junior high. We had to take a test to show that we understood the rules. I am very uncoordinated but still, I liked to try and it was great exercise. When I was a kid, my dad would play horse with us. Have you ever played horse? Horse consists of shooting baskets while standing at different points around the goal. Every time you miss getting a basket, you have to take a letter. Miss a basket, take an H and so on. The first person to spell Horse is the loser. Or maybe it is, you take a letter every time you make a basket. I can’t remember! Oh well, it was fun. Those rounds of shooting the ball started my love of basketball. I never played football in school. I wish I had so I could understand the game better. When my husband watches the Colts play I find myself looking up cheap auto insurance quotes or playing Farmville. I just don’t understand how the game works.

photo credit crazy-tattoo-designs dot com
Our two local high schools played each other on the basketball court last night. I was sad to learn that the high school I graduated from lost this game but glad to hear that they fought hard. The score was very close. That makes me smile.

I will be listening as the Seahawks play the Bears tomorrow. Football equals great computer time.

The athletes participating in the Olympics are in terrific shape. They are lucky they can devote so much time to their sport. One summer, I decided to learn to water ski. I would not give up until I could glide across the water on those two boards. I fell so many times that I was in agony. Talk about a natural colon cleansing! I had so much water in my system that I sounded like my head was in an aquarium. I did learn to ski!

I have been interested in how Bode Miller does in the 2010 Olympics. Bode Miller competes in the downhill, an event he ruled as world champion back in 2005. I am unsure about the controversy surrounded this athlete. Does anyone know what the story is? I saw him Friday morning on the Today show and he sounds as if he is fired up and ready to compete. I hope the snow is good for all the athletes.

I am so thankful for sporting events that have kept me going this winter. Each weekend I have had something to look forward to and that keeps my mind off of my inability to get in the car and do what I want. What I want to do is visit some fabric stores and replenish my stash!

I have been so sick ever since Tuesday. It isn’t as if I am having diet pill side effects. No need to even diet when I am so dizzy. I give up on taking anything to alleviate the pain from neuralgia in my jaw. I think I’ll put up with the pain rather than feel dizzy and unable to function.

I have an issue with our school system that bugs me. They are pulling programs that are beneficial to our kids and at the same time are spending more money to enhance sports programs. Why is so much attention placed on sports programs in our schools? Do they think our schools will produce a star athlete?

I am not against school sports. I know that so many of our kids are obese and need activity. Sports teach our kids how to follow rules and to work as a team. They learn a lot from sports. It is when other programs are cut, too easily in my opinion, to afford bigger and better stadiums and weight rooms, that I take issue.

The programs that are being cut are what our school calls consumer classes. These are the classes that teach our kids how to balance a check book and why credit cards should be handled with care. Our kids learn the basic homemaking skills like how to cook and how to plan a grocery budget. After reading our local paper, I was surprised to learn all the things that are taught in the consumer classes. It is sad to see them cut from our schools.

Thank goodness we have the Internet. We can get information from websites to inform our youth, if we take the initiative. There is an excellent website that deals with women’s health. It is called Women’s Health Base. It is full of information that covers things like smoking and lung cancer. Other articles include new discoveries concerning breast cancer and heart disease.

The website also has interesting articles concerning beauty, diet & fitness and relationships. Although the website is geared towards women’s health, this website is very informative for those of you looking for information to share with your children not matter their gender. Young adults may find answers to questions dealing with skin problems and healthy dating practices.

We need to pick up the pace on educating our kids, especially if they aren’t being taught these things in school. It all boils down to our responsibility as parents.

<When my sisters and I were small, my parents gave us every opportunity to try things. We played sports, took swimming lessons and attended the parks and recreation craft days. We were also afforded music lessons. I don’t know how my parents could afford music lessons for three girls but they did. I paid $18 dollars a half hour for my two kids to take piano lessons so I know how the cost can drain a budget.

My sister, Lynne, was too small to take lessons but my sister, Grace, learned to play the accordion and I played the guitar. We carted our instruments back and forth to class each week as we took lessons from very qualified professional musicians. We were very lucky to have the instruction from such fine artists.

Grace and I played our instruments at church a few times. I can remember the apprehension of getting up in front of the congregation but once we began to play I had fun. We carted our instruments all over the place and with that came the effort of keeping track of large folders of sheet music. Mom often rewarded us by letting us choose a new book or sheet music from the display at the music store. My favorite book contained the song, Little Boxes and I Left My Heart in San Francisco. I must have burned mom and dad’s ears playing and singing my heart out each night back in my bedroom. I think I remember them telling me to, “close that door!”

Grace and I become proficient at using color labels to identify our music folders and our instrument cases. We never wanted to lose any of our precious music sheets nor mix our instrument cases with someone else’s case. My case held my favorite guitar picks and I might have cried if someone picked up my case by mistake. Thank goodness for Dymo Label Makers! We were marking fools! We used the Dymo Label Maker to mark our music, sports equipment and anything else we might argue over. Yep, we were the kids who argued over who’s ball glove belonged to whom. It got real ugly when we fought over clothes. Too bad Dymo didn’t make cloth labels to sew into our clothes! LOL