Weekend Whatnot

My response to the dire economic times is not only to cut back on spending, but to pay cash for what we need to buy. To help my resolve, I've eliminated temptation by cutting up our last credit card. Sorry, economy, but we're taking a long vacation from the consumer culture.

My soccer team had a perfect season. We lost last night's match 3-1 to go winless in all six games. Despite the loss, the kids had a great time. In that last game, I saw them play their hearts out. They kept to their positions, made unselfish passes, and ran faster than ever. Unfortunately, the goal kicks just didn't go their way. I must say, though, that the pizza party was a huge success. Coach knows his pizza parlors.

After coaching a bunch of 5th grade boys, I don't ever want to hear about how the kids of today are slackers or punks. The kids on my team were smart, hard working, and polite. It sounds like a cliche, but I saw the future in them. I think the future's going to be in good hands.

Young readers and their parents have a new web resource to explore. PBS has just launched a site called PBS Kids Island, which offers reading games and activities for children ages 2 to 5. It's a fun way to help kids develop the basic skills they need to read.

Don't know much about geography? I think I've mentioned this site before, but it's worth repeating. One of the best geography games on the web is Travelpod's Traveler IQ Challenge. My son's been playing it a lot lately as he prepares for another geography bee.

It's that time of the year, when we litter our front yard with severed limbs, skeleton bones, grave stones, giant rats, and screaming ghosts. It really is kind of gross, but the kids take such delight in it. My son would decorate the house with skulls year-round if he could. This year he wants to have some sort of zombie jamboree on the porch, which means I need to find more PVC pipe and old clothes. Go here to find all sorts of good ideas for creating the spookiest house on the block.