This article was originally published October 2007.
No, this post isn’t about the wicked sinus infection/allergy/coldthatneverends I’ve been fighting for a month. It’s about the whiteboard on our refrigerator.
I bought a medium-sized whiteboard last year and it was so handy for reminders, grocery lists, and random comments, we decided to move the whiteboard to our new house.
Darla and I have been having a dry-erase argument on this whiteboard for a few weeks, and she reminded me the other day, that it was my turn. It took me a while to remember how, exactly, the “argument” started, and what side I was on. But she helped me to remember. This is how it went, over the course of about three weeks.
Me: I love you!
Darla: I love you more!
Me: That’s not possible!
Darla: It is too!
Me: It is not!
Darla: Is too!
Me: Is not!
Darla: IS TOO!
Me: IS NOT!
(Darla erases entire whiteboard and forgets which side she’s on. Covers entire surface with two-foot high letters…)
Darla: ISNOT!
Me: ISTOO!
Darla: ‘SNOT!
(How can I resist?)
Me: STEW!
Welcome to the allergy season.
Thanks for your comment: Pamela and Michelle.
(Guest post by 11-year-old Craig.)
When I first saw the book Spaceheadz, by Jon Scieszka, I thought it was a dumb kid going to outer space. It is definitely the opposite. It is a normal kid trying to help save Earth by making 3.14 million kids say they are Spaceheadz.
It is a silly book that is funny and everyone who reads this book will like it. I love it because it is a comic/chapter book, which is hard to find. There are very few books I like and this is one of them.
Thanks for your comment: Diane_Amy.
(Guest post by 13-year-old Darla.)
When Simon and Schuster sent us the review copy of the book, Not Your Parents’ Moneybook, by Jean Chatzky, my first thought was that it wasn’t going to be very interesting. I already knew everything I needed to know about money, right? A penny is worth a tootsie roll, a quarter buys a gumball and a dollar is a box of Mike and Ikes – a kid’s mental pricelist.
When I started reading it though, I could hardly put it down. Is there a better type of history than the history of money? I learned about the Federal Reserve and how money came to exist, and it was all explained in a way that helped me understand it. It had funny pictures, and was written in a voice as if Jean Chatzky was talking to you in person, because it was written with the same emotion kids would have when they were reading it—curiosity. There are even quotes from kids all over America asking their questions about money.
I got tips on how to earn money that were more unique then telling you how you could mow lawns and babysit—I already know I can do that! It also taught me about the future: The difference between credit and debit, mortgages, taxes and the economy, and how I should start thinking bout how I wanted my budget to work.
Not Your Parents’ Moneybook related to me and really did give me a better understanding of how money can be earned, spent, or saved. I definitely suggest this book to teenagers who are looking for some extra cash to plan for their futures, or go to the movies or a game.
Check out my Positively Speaking column this month, about setting boundaries.
Have a great Labor Day weekend!
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