theroades.com

keeping up with life, kids, and technology

Archive for March, 2008

Subscribe to our blog to get updates via email!

Mar 29

Posted by Adam in website | 1 Comment

email.jpgI’m not sure why it took me so long to figure out that this would be a good idea, but you can now get email updates from our site! While you have always been able to use RSS to subscribe to theroades.com (it’s the big orange icon on the site), I realize that some of you (ah-hem, most of our family) are still most comfortable with email. Click the “Subscribe” link that now appears in the menu, enter your email address, and click the link in the confirmation email you receive. From then on, you’ll get an email every time we post a new article!

Now for my soapbox…RSS (“really simple syndication”) is far superior to email for managing information (I adhere to the “inbox zero” mentality that’s part of my own personal “getting things done“). For those of you who want to step into the 21st century of web technology, think of it as subscribing to web content the same way you’d subscribe to a newspaper or magazine. If you find a magazine you like, you don’t want to check the newsstands every week for the latest edition – you subscribe to it and it comes to you instead.

When you subscribe to a site (e.g., a blog, a newspaper, the weather, etc.) using RSS, you no longer need to check the site to see if there’s something new. A site publishes something new, and it gets delivered to you through something called an RSS reader. I use Google Reader – it’s easy and web-based, so I can access it from home or work. If you already have a Google account, you’re all set to go! You may need to adjust your RSS options in Firefox (what, you aren’t using it?) so the browser automatically adds feeds to that reader.

For a little more insight, I included the Common Craft video “RSS In Plain English” that shows this idea visually:

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Smart cookies are making great progress!

Mar 24

Posted by Adam in family, parenting | No Comments

As part of our investigative journey into homeschooling the kids, Rebecca began teaching R how to read and write in February. We’re using the DISTAR method, which is one of the more popular phonetic methods. I really enjoy the approach they take both theoretically and practically, as it lays out the activities in a well-written manner.

They’ve only completed 11 lessons during which R has been consistently ready to jump ahead. But the photo below is a testimony to the effectiveness of their work together:

R Writes Her Name

R wrote this while patiently waiting for mom and dad to finish a conversation after church on Sunday. Dad gave her a piece of paper and a pen and a minute later she handed this back! You can see her first attempt at an “R” followed by a successful attempt at writing her name. Wow!

As we prepared for bed Sunday night, R felt compelled to write down “a list” of things she wanted to do the next day. (I believe this was inspired by a Frog & Toad story – remember these classics?).

While this may not have actual words (except “see”?), the fact that she wrote a list of what seem to be practice letters really pleases me. And since Z has been paying attention as R is going through the program, I can only imagine that teaching her will go even faster since much of it will already be familiar to her.

A special kudos to Rebecca who didn’t think she’d have the “chops” to teach the kids…obviously a load of dookie!

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The writer’s strike has made me rethink my past judgments…

Mar 24

Posted by Adam in family | No Comments

TV iconA while back, I whined about how last Fall’s network TV lineup was both inspiring and disappointing. In an update, I revised my opinion of a couple of the shows I had originally chagrined. The long writer’s strike really opened my eyes to the truth: There is very little good on television these days.

When the strike first happened, I found myself wondering how I would get along without my favorite shows to listen to in the mornings as I work out (typically the only time I watch TV). However, I quickly found alternative sources to satisfy my media fix. Namely, Netflix streaming video and Hulu.

Netflix is the online video rental service. We have had an account for several years. I love maintaining a “queue” of movies on-line, having the DVDs delivered to our mailbox, and being able to return them whenever I want via the mail. Turnaround is fast and because the site has recommendations (based on your past viewing), we’ve stumbled across indie and foreign films that have been surprisingly great.

Netflix launched a streaming video service a while back, but it was limited to a certain number of hours a month. Now, with the 3 movies/month a plan and higher, you get unlimited streaming movies and shows. While the catalog isn’t exhaustive, it has a lot of mainstream movies (I even found Batman Beyond and Superman animated feature-length films, which was fun) and TV shows. Most recently, we watched the 80s version of Annie which the kids liked. Perhaps because the site is drawing more viewers, we started to notice performance problems (pauses in the video). Hopefully, they’ll get that fixed.

Hulu is an NBC venture that offers a number of streaming TV shows and movies, too. Until recently, it was in private beta. That’s changed, however, and now anyone can get an account (free). With Hulu, you get access to tons of shows, though often with a strange selection of episodes (e.g., seasons 1 and 3 or random missing episodes in the middle of a season). I have enjoyed getting caught up on missed Simpsons episodes and seeing some shows like “S.W.A.T.” from the 80s for the first time. All shows have “minimal commercials,” which means a single commercial instead of several every 10-15 minutes. Not bad, even though you can’t fast-forward through them.

Check them out and let me know what you think!

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Carnivores, Rejoice!

Mar 23

Posted by Adam in family, funny | No Comments

R has reached that precious age when things about her world are suddenly clicking into place. One of these dawning realities is her getting the concept of death. We have recently had to have “the talk” about how the cute little animals she sees running around the local farm are the ones that show up on our dinner plates. At first, we thought this might give her pause. Perhaps even a temporary (or permanent?) revolt against all things meat.

The verdict?: We certainly don’t have a Lisa Simpson on our hands.

Here is a glimpse into the psyche of our 4-year-old in two acts…

Act 1: Pork

The scene opens on breakfast one sunny Saturday. As we enjoy the unusual treat of bacon, R casually asks what is bacon? Where does it come from? She has previously understood that eggs come out of chickens (but don’t become chickens) and she realizes that this food must also come from an animal. We explain that bacon comes from pigs, as do sausages, hotdogs, and many other (incredibly delicious) foods.

R’s response: “Mmmm, bye-bye little piggies!” (as she stuffs the rest of her bacon into her mouth).

Act 2: Beef 

The scene opens on Rebecca in the midst of a “cook day.” In these once a month cookfests, there can be seen vast quantities of meat in various stages of preparation strewn about the kitchen and dining room. As R is studying a pile of steaks, she (again) inquires as to where it comes from. We tell her (again) that beef comes from cows and that hamburgers, steaks, and other food all comes from cows.

R’s response: “I love beef.” (she merrily runs away to play)

I’m glad we don’t have to start preparing vegetarian meals!

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