No Dog Left Behind

The educational plan of "W", was that all kids should meet standards. Well, I have a challenge in front of me. I am instituting this for Barney. Barney is our family's 3 to 4 year old beagle that we rescued. We already had a beagle, Lucky, that we got as a puppy from a shelter. Having trained one beagle (sort of), how hard would it be to do it with another one? WOW! Barney, due to his age is already set in some habits that we need to break. He is a sweet dog, but his intelligence level is that of the plastic dog at the Old Navy!

The plan: Have Barney to Lucky's level before I start googling bar-b-que recipes for beagles. I will keep you posted as to how I do.

I will take my SAT by proxy!

There was a story on the news this morning about a high school in NY where several kids were paying up to $3,500 for other recent grads to take the SAT for them. As crazy as this sounds, I am sure that this happens all over the country. The goal of the SAT is to measure how a prospective student will perform in college. Each college as a minimum score and a average score for the students. My SAT score was good, but not great.

To be honest, admissions at the "Dub" have gotten so hard that I am not sure that I would get in on my score if I applied today. Now, does that mean that I would not be as good of a student? No. What has happened is that college has become a must. This has caused the number of applications to rise faster than the capacity of the schools. The schools then have to tighten the standards to control the student population. This is very logical.

The bigger question in this situation is, why should we make kids believe if they cannot hit the numbers on their own, that they will be coined a "loser"? I am sure that there are many college programs and on-line programs that would not have the admissions requirements that a big name school has. Besides, have you ever heard of a job applicant getting turned down because their business degree was from an on-line university vs UNC? I know a UNC business grad that graduated the same year I graduated from Wilmington. I got a job as a Loan Officer and he was pushing washers at Sears.

The point is your integrity is far more important than scoring high on a standardized test. If the temptation of ignoring your moral compass to too great, remember Shelf is watching and he will tell Santa!

Is that an elf on your shelf, or is it time to lay off the eggnog?

Holiday traditions are ones that tend to last across the years. Unlike resolutions holiday traditions let us indulge, relax, and act like kids. Some of the best holiday traditions I enjoyed and still do where having a "real" Christmas tree, eggnog, a ridiculous amount of outdoor lighting, and my grandma's chocolate peanut butter balls!

This year, we started a new holiday tradition with R that she is very excited about, Elf on the Shelf. Shelf is the aptly named elf that lives at our house to watch R and report to Santa if she is being good. R got to name the elf. Time out, taking away toys, no tv, guilt, rewards for being good; none of these seem to work on a regular basis. But Shelf dangles Santa like a carrot in front of a bunny! The ironic thing is that she would not go near Santa last year. But hey, I am not complaining.

Linds, my sister, and I will be running a 5k on Thanksgiving morning this year. This will be our first holiday race. I am very excited to burn some calories prior to consuming them all back. Hopefully this will become a annual holiday tradition for us as well. Within the next few years, R will most likely be able to run with us, which would be a lot of fun.

So if you are one of those people who lacks the "la" in your "fa la la la la", start a new holiday tradition. Wear an elf on each shoulder of your best holiday sweater. When in a large pushy crowd start having an argument with them like they are the "good elf" and "bad elf" of your holiday conscience. OK, so after one time you may get locked up, but at least it will be funny!

Mr. Stubby, it's time for a woodworking project!

Since this is the Thanksgiving season, I will start this post as such. I am thankful that I learned woodworking from my father and grandfather, both of whom still have all of their fingers! This is the sure sign of a good teacher.

This Saturday I will be building a train table for a 2 year old boy for Christmas. His mom asked me to build it, and she will paint it to suit her needs. As most of my projects take on a life of their own, my goal for this one will be challenging. Keep it simple, but make it look good!

Sadly, mass produced kid's furniture generally lacks the quality that I would like to see. The fundamental reason for this issue is cost. Manufactures cannot build these items at a cost consumers are willing to pay and still make a profit without the quality being effected. Most of these items you have to assemble yourself with an instruction manual that is written in such a way that a MIT grad would have a hard time with it. The parts lists is made up of veneered press board, screws with plastic head covers, and a cardboard "wood grain" backing.

Kids will be kids, and nobody wants their 2 year old to color on their handmade Amish coffee table. However, wouldn't it be nice to have somethings made well enough to last beyond the life of a set of truck tires?

So, in the words of a true Carpenter; "Come on people now smile on your brother everybody get together love one another right now." OK, so that did not relate at all, but it is the only Carpenter's song I know!

This Christmas give from your heart, but make sure it is on the list.

The act of giving at Christmas is as old as the holiday itself. Giving is a tangible display of our appreciation and love. This can be dangerous if the receiver does not take it as so. Too often, gifts are “weighted”, simply meaning that the impact of the gift is thought to be in direct reflection to the giver’s feelings of that person. In fact, the receiver should treat the gift as a surprise, a bonus, or a kind thought as it was not required to begin with.

Have you ever wondered about the origins of the “Christmas list”? As far back as I can remember my sister and I would make Christmas lists. While this was a fun process and it made for little, if any, disappointment, looking back it seems like an accountant’s dream. Order request, inventory, acknowledgement, next. I always find it exciding to think of a gift I feel someone would really like, and then watch their expression as they open it. In full disclosure, you need to be prepared for a good as well as a bad reaction if you take this approach. I have hit a few homeruns, had a few singles, and struck out badly, but overall good results.

If the spirit of Christmas is to give rather than receive, why do we ask people what they want? Do you think the wisemen asked Mary and Joseph where they were registered, or what baby Jesus had on his list? No, they came with gifts they thought would be good for a king. Did baby Jesus have any need for gold? No. It was the thought that counted.

So this year be adventurous, put some thought into your giving, but always remember to wrap the gift receipt!