more goodies

from cookie day at tray's - fudge and buck-eye balls

gorgeous flowers from my love for our 18 months

teen suicide

are teen suicide rates going up? are we doing our kids a disservice by not allowing them to learn to lose gracefully? we can't always keep score in kids soccer (trying to protect their fragile self-esteem as they learn the game). we standardize them in school (must teach to the MCAS). when do we give kids the opportunity to learn about themselves? their strengths and weaknesses. how they handle pressure. in college? we seem to isolate them still in college so they can 'find themselves' (paying all the bills, calling professors to adjust grades). can you learn who you are without pressures?

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2007/12/11/breaking_the_silence_about_teen_suicide/

this story is very sad. there's no doubt that suicide is tragic. but are we contributing to it by not helping kids learn about disappointment and sadness and how to cope?

roles ...

i'm not about to submit a letter of resignation and go home to follow these rules ... but if you eliminate the male/female roles in this article, aren't these good rules for both spouses to try to live up to? i love it when my man has dinner and a glass of wine waiting for me when i get home and gives me some time to unwind ... or gives me time to go out with the girls for a night. and i know he appreciates it when i do the same for him. so (apart from the sexist tone) are these 'rules' really that bad?

I didn't realize this was a law ...

getting rid of debt

very motivating article ... can i brag that i just have my mortgage and home equity? guess not as i'm still mostly paycheck to paycheck :( but i'm working on it!

http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2007/12/03/free-at-last-saying-good-bye-to-20-years-of-debt/

what would happen if we repealed the state income tax law?

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/opinion/columnists/view.bg?articleid=1048284