Search Results for: blog changing my name

My Little Talker

My baby has become a full-fledged talker. I’m not sure when he started figuring out that he could communicate, but we love it. And, are constantly surprised by his ability to talk to us now. It is hard to get his undivided attention these days because he is so busy. But, usually, when I am changing his diaper, I can take his being confined to the changing table as a moment to talk to him and have him talk back. I have noticed that in these moments, he is really watching my mouth move and how I form the words. … Continue reading →

My Fake High School Wedding

This is the story of how I planned my wedding in high school. I’ll give you all a moment to recover from the shock: Families.com’s laid-back marriage blogger, she of the gender stereotyping rants and “what’s the big fuss” attitude toward schmoopy romance and wedding culture planned a wedding in her high school days. Never fear: I did it because I had to for class. My crazy gym/health teacher, the same woman who’d also make us write papers for our self-defense gym classes, made all of her students plan weddings as part of our sexual health education unit. It had … Continue reading →

Changing My Name

By now I’m sure that you can tell that feminist issues are a very big deal for me. It even took a bit of coaxing from my parents for me to walk down the aisle with my dad; I did it for him, because it was important to him, but I don’t like the idea of being passed off from one man’s hands to another. Yet one thing about my decisions related to my married life really stands out: I took my husband’s name. I’ll admit it rankled a little, just the idea that I erase a part of myself … Continue reading →

Celebrate Your Name This Week

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Did you know that this week is Celebrate Your Name week? Although the week can be celebrated by anyone and everyone, it seems to me that genealogists are going to be especially interested in using this week as the perfect excuse to delve deeper into your own family history. It includes “Genealogy Saturday”! Your name is special. It identifies who you are, and connects you to your immediate family, your relatives, and your ancestors. Nothing gets a person’s attention quicker than when they hear someone else calling out their name. Celebrate Your Name Week (CYNW) is all about making sure … Continue reading →

Changing Fashions In Home Furnishing

How things change. When I was growing up my grandmother used to crochet doilies. All the family had them .Back in those days just about every house had them. Most were white or beige crocheted doilies that went under the ornaments or anything placed on a table or shelf. I remember one my mother in law made that had a trim of purple and orange pansies around the edge. Doilies were all the rage back then. Now you hardly every see them and with good reason. To my mind they always made everything look fussy and cluttered. Certainly we do … Continue reading →

A Review of the 81st Academy Awards – Part 2

There were some amusing moments during this year’s Academy Awards ceremony. I thought it was cute when Kunio Kato added “Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto” to the end of his thank you speech for Best Short Film (Animated), La Maison en Petits Cubes. And, I absolutely loved it when high wire walker Phillippe Petit thanked the Academy for believing in magic then did the magic trick. That was also as good as him balancing the Oscar on his chin. That made me want to see Man on Rope. Of course, the big winner of the night was Slumdog Millionaire. It took … Continue reading →

Parents, Kids and Nicknames

If you ever want to see the face of horror try using your child’s family nickname in front of his or her classmates. Trust me; the mortified look your child will flash is one that will be seared in your memory forever. How do I know this, you might ask? I was witness to a similar scene last weekend and I still can’t stop thinking about it… and it didn’t even involve my child. Last Saturday I bumped into one of my former colleagues at Macy’s. I was exchanging a birthday gift and she was doing some back-to-school shopping with … Continue reading →

Gwen’s Name Choice Explained and a Poltergeist Remake?

The odd baby name is finally explained! Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale welcomed their second son this week – Zuma Nesta Rock – and I wondered where the name came from. Baby name expert (I never knew there was such a thing!) Pamela Redmond Satran explained it all yesterday to US magazine. She believes the name Zuma came from Zuma Beach in Malibu. It seems that earlier in his career, Rossdale said he was standing on the beach in the early morning when he made a life changing decision. He had been working all night as a production assistant on … Continue reading →

Pop Culture Updates: New Name, New Show, and a New Life

You waited, you wondered, you might have even ventured a guess or two. Well, now the wait is finally over. Oscar-winner Halle Berry just revealed the name of her newborn daughter… Nahla Ariela Aubry. Nahla… say it with me… GNAW-lah. Yes, it’s pronounced very similar to the name of Simba’s gal pal, Nala, in Disney’s popular 1994 animated feature film The Lion King. Nala means, “gift” in Swahili. But Nahla means honeybee in Arabic. The infant was born Sunday morning and is the first child for the actress and her model boyfriend, Gabriel Aubry. The Academy Award-winner told TV’s “Access … Continue reading →

Teaching Children in the Changing World

I have been teaching for eight years. Although compared to some teachers, I have probably seen very little in my eight years of teaching. Yet I can definitely see a change in the children each year. I can also see a major change in the family lifestyle and home. It appears that children are becoming much more demanding and controlling. They are more rebellious and defiant. The lifestyle is more hectic and busy and the home lives are more confusing and unusual. There are children with several different members living in their home. There are children who live with aunts, … Continue reading →