Brooklyn Blogs:
Damask Laundry Room
We are almost done with this room and I am pretty excited about this laundry/crafting room.I was home sick from work today. I slept all day and just work up a little while ago. It’s 2:47 am. No better time to post pics of our damask laundry room makeover, right? Except I didn’t really take enough pics….but this is a start. I’ll post more soon.So here’s the before (the former owner had pink on the walls and they took that washer & dryer)
After:Here’s where the whole room picture would be if I took one. But I was so busy staring at the damask curtains.
The walls are white now.
The crafting part of the room wasn’t photographed. I’ll get to it - I promise.
Topics: hope | No Comments »
Celebrate Blogiversary
Happy Blogiversary to Cathy at The Stylish House. Cathy is having an incredible giveaway to celebrate ~ a $200 Pottery Barn Gift Certificate.
Topics: hope | No Comments »
Ellen as a CoverGirl
I love Ellen. But not for a second do I believe she is wearing Cover Girl Makeup. I bought CoverGirl Makeup back in the day. I have the same color skin as Ellen so I know how it covers. I don’t believe that is just CoverGirl.
Topics: hope | No Comments »
Why are Catholic Schools Failing in Brooklyn?
Catholic supporters will tell you that it’s the recession. But that’s not it.
Catholic schools in NYC continue to close. Masses at churches are barely filled. Yet, the Catholic Church doesn’t seem to realize that the root of the problem is not the recession.
The church is not meeting the needs of the people.I was raised a Catholic and went to Catholic school for twelve years. I even started my career as a teacher by working in two Catholic Schools in Brooklyn. In 1995, I worked at St. Cecilia School in Greenpoint Brooklyn. It was an incredible school. Of course, it didn’t have the numbers that high stakes schools had, but it had the right atmosphere for kids to be kids. Sister Miriam Daniel was the finest principal I have ever known. She was a wonderful person and she always had a kind word to say to everyone. The enrollment of the school was over 420 in 1995. It dwindled down to a little over 200 last year and was closed as a result. The school accepted learning disabled children who brought the high states test scores down so it couldn’t compete with other schools. Yet, it had the right amount of learning and fun for a kid.
So is enrollment down because of the recession? Maybe a little, but the reality is that Catholic schools have been closing down in NYC for the last decade because parents don’t find the value of these schools when public school counterparts are equal or better than the Catholic schools. Parents who went to Catholic school are looking for the feel of community in Catholic school, but they also want the school to be able to compete academically.When I was a child, public education wasn’t strong in NYC, but things have changed. Not only do public schools have strong curricula, but many are very safe as well.
So what does Catholic school have to offer families?
- small classrooms - many do offer this, but only because their enrollment is so low
- a Catholic education - many friends who are parents loved the “community feel” of Catholic school, but they aren’t sure if it is “worth the money”
What can Catholic schools do differently to attract more students?
- Build a stronger curriculum
- Work on test-taking skills
- Offer a special school/sports program (yes a built in program) because many public schools lack sports programs
- Offer a special art or computer program. Make it huge….word will spread.
If Catholic schools continue to operate the same way, most will probably close within the next five or six years.
Topics: hope | No Comments »
Curing Winter Blues - Treat it like a cold
I’m a Spring and Fall type person. The winter sometimes gets to me. I think I have seasonal affective disorder, winter depression or winter blues.
All week, I was feeling very down and I couldn’t figure out why because I don’t really have a lot of things to make me sad (except the Olphine in Haiti situation).But even worse, it was a real harsh type of sad, like a doom and gloom, can’t shake it sadness AND IT LASTED FOR DAYS.
I’ve been super happy since we bought this house, so it hit me hard this week.
A friend of mine couldn’t believe I was telling people that I was depressed. I didn’t cause the winter blues. I told people because because I didn’t want people to take anything I said at face value. I was so not myself.
So I shook it this weekend and I feel back to myself. I can tell because my soul is happy and I feel grateful again.
So here’s my winter blues cure:
- Drank a large glass of OJ each day
- Took vitamins B&C
- Yoga
- Fresh air
- Ate mostly vegetable meals
- Ate a small piece of dark chocolate each day (suppose to boost serotonin)
- Snuggled with Lee
- Laughed with friends
- Ate at a restaurant
- Went shopping
- Pumped up the music
So let’s hope the good feelings stay and winter blues stay away.
Topics: hope | 2 Comments »
Walgreens 1/31 - 2/6
I love Walgreens and living so close to it.
There are so many bloggers online who post their great deals and I follow their suggestions for saving money. But today I actually have a deal to share.This is MY FIRST EVER posted deal!
I went to the Walgreens site & looked at other coupons available online
New York Bagel Chips or Pita Chips (they ring up at $3.50 and $3.49 = $7 buy one get one free Walgreens coupon.
Then sign up at their website for the Central Park Club and print two 75 cent coupons
Total: $2.09 for two bags
See more deals Money Saving Mom and Confessions of a Couponiholic.
Topics: hope | No Comments »
Happy Blogiversary to MegaCrafty!
Happy Blogiversary to MegaCrafty! She’s had giveaways all week, so if you are crafty stop by and see her site and enter her amazing giveaway!
She’s inspiring me to learn to felt because she made these bunnies:
I also love her black and white floor because I am creating a black and white laundry/craft room. And finally….because we both have a black cat!
Topics: hope | 1 Comment »
Bristol Palin Doing Penance
Sarah Palin’s oldest daughter, Bristol got pregnant by her teenage boyfriend while Palin was running for VP.Sarah loses the election and Bristol gives birth to a beautiful baby boy.
At that point, we should have seen Sarah Palin exit left off the television screen.But then the book and the Levi Johnson controversy kept her on the screen.From time to time, Sarah appears in a television interview and there’s poor Bristol doing penance for getting knocked up.
Somehow, Sarah (and possibly Bristol) think that it’s a good idea for Bristol to speak to teens about the difficulties of being a teen mom. Do we all remember how glamorized teen pregnancy was when Bristol appeared on the cover of People Magazine cover?
Okay Bristol, you’ve done your public penance. Stand up to your Mama and tell her it’s time to move on.
Topics: hope | No Comments »
Mother’s drinking….more common than people realize
Oprah had a show on interventions today. There was a mother on a the show who was a well put together mother who was a recovering alcoholic. I watched the videos of them and listened intently to their story. I sat and admired the husband who took the children out of the house and away from their mother so that she could hit rock bottom and get help. Of course, the Oprah story ends with the mother getting help and the family coming together.
I am the child of an alcoholic. My mother denied being an alcoholic, but it was always apparent. Hidden bottles and drinking in the afternoon were what I saw when I was a preteen and teen. I rarely said anything to my Mother about it because she was happy and when she was happy, she wasn’t on my case. But I’ve had words with my Mother over her drinking because it’s gone too far. She denied that her drinking was a problem. My mother doesn’t realize that I vividly remember the car accident we had driving home from Frank’s in NJ. I was four. My parents switched seats and an ambulance took the riders in the other car away. The following day, I remember my mother blaming the host “who made the drinks too strong.”
My father knew my Mother’s drinking was a problem for years. He was a gentleman about it. I remember him talking to her about her drinking in a low voice and I remember her stopping for awhile. I remember him yelling at her for it and her stopping for awhile. He never spoke to us about it because he respected her - as his wife and as our mother. And we didn’t speak to him about it either until we were older. Before my father came home at night, she hid bottles and tidied the house up. My brothers and I spent time upstairs and we talked about her drinking problem.
For years, I was so embarrassed by her. I never invited anyone over because I was so afraid she would be drunk or worse, get drunk while my friends were there. One day, a friend asked me if my mother was an alcoholic. At first I denied it, but then he said that he knew because his Dad was the same way. At that point, I realized I wasn’t the only one who was experiencing this and although my situation at home didn’t change, I felt better because I had a friend to speak to about it.
For years, I dated someone with a serious drinking problem and no one in my family said anything to me. He was the life of the party and drank almost everyday. He crashed brand new cars and we all sided with him saying, “there are such terrible drivers in Brooklyn.” He and my Mom drank together at my house and at a social club. Besides the drinking, he was a sweet person who loved to go out all day and night, travel and do what I wanted to do. I tried to “cure him” and helped him get help several times. Yet, he always went back to the beer. When I finally broke up with him, my Mother was upset. I took her drinking buddy away. When I told my father that I had broken up with him because the drinking finally got to me, my father was sympathetic. He understood what it was like to be in a relationship with an alcoholic.
I don’t have a good relationship with my Mother today so I couldn’t tell you if she drinks or not. But I do know that her actions influenced me quite a bit. If you happen to be a mother who is drinking at home, know that even at age 4, I knew what was going on.
Topics: hope | 1 Comment »
NY Energy Star Tax Appliance Rebates
All 50 states
Both the federal government and state governments are offering tax rebates for energy saving upgrades to home items.The federal government tax credit program is for new water heaters, insullation, air conditioning, windows and doors.
New York’s energy appliance program called NY Appliance Swapout (http://www.nyapplianceswapout.com/) will be from February 12th - February 21st. (Applications must be postmarked by March 15th). Rebates range from $50 to $555. For more information about New York State’s program click here. The actual application is not up yet, but the sample is.
Topics: hope | No Comments »
Haiti - eyes wide open
Sure things happen all around the world that make me wince. But I quickly forget it. This time an earthquake hit Haiti, near my sponsored child, Olphine’s home. And now it’s different. So if you pray, please pray for this sweet girl, her siblings and Mom.
Because although I have never met this kid, she’s captured my heart. I sponsor her trough an organization called Compassion. No matter what kind of day I’ve had, I look at her picture on my desk and smile because she’s okay and being cared for. And for the last few days I don’t know if she is okay.
Just hoping that Olphine and and her family are safe.
I’ve got tears streaming down my face because I’m ashamed that there’s been many times that people in parts of the world have been hit by a tragedy and I did barely more than read the news or donate a few dollars.
Topics: hope | No Comments »
Crossing Over
I had a strange dream and I can’t get it out of my mind.
There was clouds and light….a male figure said, “in order to cross over, you have to let yourself go and then you will be able to go.” In the dream I took a deep breath and then I woke up.
Freaked me out. I better get to living. :)
Topics: hope | No Comments »
