Mi Vida Ocupada: My Busy Life!

Thoughts for Thursday: Regional Sterotypes

Does anyone know who Larry the Cable Guy is?????

Until last night, I knew the name and could place it with the man and his famous saying, "Git R Done" and what not, but I had never actually seen him on anything.  Then I  saw him for the first time on Jay Leno last night.....

Forgive my ignorance because I am a Midwestern girl who has never visited the South and I do not want to offend any of my lovely Southern Gals (or their men), but I am wondering just how many of the white men in the south are like him?????  You know, rednecks.  I understand that it is a stupid, ignorant misconception that being Southern equates with being a redneck, but men like Larry the Cable Guy and Jeff Foxworthy sure leave that impression.  Is it more of a class issue than a regional issue?

I know that every region and group of people have some stereotypes associated with it.

For example, many people probably assume that all Midwesterners are hicks...that our parts are filled with cows and country.  That everyone here is nice and friendly. Or that people who live in the Northeast are rude, arrogant or snobby and always in a hurry. Or that everyone who lives in Texas must be a cowboy and wear cowboy hats and shit-kickers.  Or that people in the South are all confederates who spend their time sitting on their porches drinking lemonade or cheering for Nascar.

For fun, here is an American Regional Stereotypes Quiz.

I am curious....what regional stereotypes bug you the most about where you live??? What stereotypes do you believe to be accurate or buy into?

This topic was not what I had originally planned for this week's TFT, but sometimes inquiring minds Want To Know!
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Other TFT posters this week:

Denise on Valentines and Flowers

Amy on School Wellness policies

Jessica on overscheduling kids with activities

Jenny on L.O.V.E

Nicole about keeping in touch with out-of-town family

Nic on signing things as husband and wife/family

Robyn on Technology and parenting

Jenny on household breadwinners

Thoughts for Thursday: Saving for Retirement

Today I have a boring but important topic....
Saving for retirement.

My dad has always stressed the importance of saving for retirement, but a phone call from my financial advisor yesterday has me thinking more about this.  My school district has pension funds set up for all employees.....each pay period a certain percentage is taken from our salary and they put in a certain percentage as well.  In addition to that, after 3 years of employment, the district will also contribute a whopping $600 per year toward our personal 403 (B) plans.

I have been contributing to my 403B plan since my very first year of teaching and I also have an additional Roth IRA that I contribute to.  This is in addition to my pension and social security contributions.  After all of my deductions, I only bring home  50% of my earnings each paycheck.   It really stinks not having that $$ coming to me on payday, but I think it is well worth the sacrifice.  Its been nice getting my monthly statements and watching my money grow.  I am hoping that when I retire, I will be able to live comfortably!!!

It always amazes me how UN-prepared so many people are for their retirement.  By now all of you Americans must know that Social Security may not have any money left by the time we are ready to retire, and even if there is money left, the amount you will receive each month is not going to be nearly enough to live on. 

I am curious how many of you contribute regularly to your retirement funds and what your work offers as far as pensions, retirement funds, etc.  Do they match or pay a specific percentage?  Is there a maximum amount they will contribute? Do they give you shares in the company, if available?  I am sure things are much different in the corporate world than they are in the public sector. 

Sorry this is a boring topic, but I really feel it is an important one.  Hopefully this post will inspire some of you to get on the ball!

The sooner you start saving, the better off you'll be!

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Other TFT bloggers this week:

Jenny on High school reunions

Jessica on taking vacations

Nicole on talking to yourself

Thoughts for Thursday: Monster Quest & Cryptozoology

I know I claim to not watch TV very often, but I will tell you what absolutely has my attention and is fun for me to watch:  Monster Quest on the History Channel.  Here is the official synopses of the series:

From Bigfoot to Swamp Beast, Monsterquest reveals the truth of legendary monster sightings around the world. Deploying the latest in hi-tech equipment, each episode scientifically examines the best evidence available, from pictures and video, to hair and bones, as well as the eyewitness accounts themselves. From pilots to policemen to ship captains, a number of seemingly credible people have seen things they can't explain. One part history, one part science and one part monsters, MonsterQuest discovers the truth behind these legendary monsters.

Has anyone watched this show??

Bear with me here, as many of you probably think the topic of crypto-zoology is pretty hokey, but isn't there something deep inside you that is curious and wonders "What if some of these tales about unknown creatures are true?"
I don't buy into all of the tales I hear, but isn't is possible that there really ARE giant bipedal apes walking the earth? We have gorillas, orangutans and chimpanzees, don't we???  Call me crazy, but I truly think its possible that Big Foot exists and I cannot get enough of these shows that go on the search looking for him.  There is even a professional group of scientists called Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization that has a website with a ton of information about what is known about this  creature, along with hundreds of eyewitness accounts.

My thought is that this earth is a pretty big place and we have not even begun to explore all of it.  It is well-known that new species are being found every day, so certainly there are many more animal species all of the world that have not yet been discovered or have not yet been scientifically classified.

Does anyone else believe in the possibility of the existence of creatures such as those featured on Monster Quest? Or do you need scientific proof? I agree that Scientific proof would be nice for validation, but I also think that having faith and believing in the unknown mysteries of earth has a lot of value, just as it does for religious beliefs (and NO, I am not comparing the two).

Your thoughts on the topic??

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Other TFT bloggers this week:

Denise on your significant other's favorite UGLY article of clothing

Heather with a variety of thoughts this week

Jenny on making you and your spouse a priority

Michelle with a variety of thoughts

Robyn about girls and autism
 

Thoughts for Thursday: Alternative & homeopathic healing

In this day and age, even with all the new medications and medical treatments that are out there, I still seem to hear a little bit about alternative medicine/homeopathic healing. These are often used to complement standard medicine.

Some examples of what I am talking about:

• Chiropractic care
• Massage therapy
• Acupuncture
• Herbal Medicine

As a person who has suffered from a variety of ailments, this topic intrigues me.  I received chiropractic treatment for a couple of years after my severe car accident in 1994.  It really seemed to help, however I quit going once my insurance quit covering it.  I have been meaning to go back for years now, as I hear it helps so many people.

I have also tried a few herbal medicines-  pepper extract nose spray to help clear the sinuses, peppermint oils (for the same purpose).

I am also interested in meditation after watching last week's Grey's Anatomy and also after reading Eat, Pray, Love.  Does anyone believe in mind over matter???? Is it really possible??

Just curious who has used alternative medicine (or know people who have) and what it was used for?  Did it work?

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Other TFT participants this week:

Nicole on "ideal ages" for things having to do with kids

Denise on tanning and skin cancer

Heather on making memories with your kids

Amy on American Idol vs the Presidential Election

Jenny with several random questions

Robyn on giving kids a better life than what parents had

Zoe on horror movies

Thoughts for Thursday: 21st birthdays

Turning 21 years old is a milestone in the U.S....it is the age in which one is legally able to purchase and consume alcohol.

Many 21-year-olds spend this significant birthday in the bars, drinking as much as they can.  Shot after shot, drink after drink...everyone seems to want to buy the birthday guy/girl a birthday drink, right?

It is very sad that in in the past few weeks in MN alone we have had 2 young ladies die from alcohol poisoning on their 21st birthdays.  Another 20-year-old man at St Cloud State (my alma mater) died from alcohol poisoning this past weekend.  Many of them had blood-alcohol levels of .3 +

Hearing these stories scare the crap out of me, especially when I think back to my own 21st birthday.  I will NOT post specifics about that night almost 10 years ago, but I do remember the first few hours being very fun.  I was in college at the time and had a group of at least 20 friends take me out for a night on the town.  This is what EVERYONE did on their 21st birthdays where we went to school.  There was a ton of pressure to drink, drink, drink and everyone I knew was buying me all kinds of drinks and shots....several that I never ended up drinking.  My birthday probably would have been very different if it had fallen during a time when I was back home....it would have been much more low-key.  I do not remember much after those first few hours at the bar on my 21st, but I do know that I could easily have ended up as one of these stupid kids who takes the celebration too far.  In fact I did take it too far, I am just lucky that I lived to tell about it.

Do you think hearing stories like this will lessen the risks people take on their 21st bday? Do you think friends will be smarter about purchasing drinks when they know they could be held accountable if their friend dies? Or do you think it is expected these days for the 21st birthday to be the ultimate drinking binge? Are college kids more likely to overdue it because of peer pressure?  Another blogger for the Star Tribune asks similar questions on his blog.

Anyone care to share how they celebrated their 21st birthday?

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Check out these other TFT posts this week:
Michelle on the good and bad of human nature
Robyn (following up to Michelle's post) on rehabilitation in prison
Heather on age appropriateness of popular media
Zoe on Britney Spear's breakdown
Jenny on Facebook and punishments for kids posting pics of themselves drinking underage

Thoughts for Thursday: Grieving for Pets

Last night in my final science and health class, our topic of discussion was teaching kids about death and grief.  The professor brought in several children's books that deal with this topic and had us read them.
This book brought a slight tear to my eye...

Its the lovely story of a boy and his dog throughout the years, until the dog is so old he passes away.  It made me think about a few former pets that I have had and grieved over after they were gone, and thought it would be a good topic for TFT (although sad, I know).
I'd like to pay tribute to Romeo, my little sweetheart who died very suddenly a few years back.  It was very sad for me and for the other cats, took awhile for me to accept the loss.  I still don't know if I can tell the story of his final hours without crying about it all over again :(

I invite you to share about your loss of a pet today.
Tell me about the significance of that pet in your life.
How long did you grieve?

What are some ways that you paid tribute to that special animal in your life?

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Other TFT contributors this week:

Jessica on kids being introduced to violence

Thoughts for Thursday: Old Saint Nick.....

Happy Saint Nicholas Day!!

Does anyone know what I am talking about?? Click above link.

Celebration in the United States (from Wikipedia)

While feasts of Saint Nicholas are not observed nationally, cities with strong German influences like Milwaukee, Cincinnati, and St. Louis celebrate St. Nick's Day on a scale similar to the German custom.^[5] On the previous night, children put one empty shoe (or sock) outside, and, on the following morning of December 6, the children awake to find that St. Nick has filled their previously empty footwear with candy and small presents (if the children have been "good") or ostensibly, coal (if not). For these children, the relationship between St. Nick and Santa Claus is not clearly defined, although St. Nick is usually explained to be a helper of Santa. The tradition of St. Nick's Day is firmly established in the Milwaukee and St. Louis communities, with parents often continuing to observe the day with even their adult children.

When my brothers and I were kids, Old St. Nick came to our house every December 6th.  We would put our boots out on the front porch and later in the evening we would hear the doorbell ring and when we opened the door, nobody would be there, but our boots would be filled with candy!!  It was a very fun tradition, one I miss.

I think this may be one of my only connections to my German heritage, sad as that is.  I didn't even realize this was a German thing to do in the U.S until I just looked it up.

Just curious if anyone else celebrates this or not?

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Other TFT posts this week:

Michelle on stay-at-home-mom vs working mom

Denise on bratty kids and babysitting nightmares

Zoe on how old is too old
 

Thoughts for Thursday: Hunting

Today my thoughts are about hunting.  I hope this isn't too controversial of a topic to post about, but isn't that sometimes the point of TFT?

I am not a big fan of hunting, but I do have some mixed feelings about it.  I DO think it is okay to hunt for animals that are over-populated in an area, such as the white-tailed deer in MN (as long as you secure the appropriate hunting license, of course!).  They are everywhere!  Truth is that many of these animals will die in the winter from lack of food lack or disease.  I would rather that the population be controlled by hunters than to have the animals die of starvation or disease (or God Forbid commit suicide by jumping in front of some unsuspecting driver....that happens a lot around here too.)

I also think hunting is okay as long as the hunter plans to eat the meat or make use of other parts of the animal.  For thousands of years humans had to hunt in order to survive.  Many of these Native tribes also paid tribute and prayed for the animal's spirit, even having ceremonies to honor them. Did they hunt because they enjoyed it? Not really sure the answer to that.....

I have tried a variety of wild game in the last several years. (You may recall that I posted about the delicious venison steak a friend made for E and I the other night. )  Some wild game meat tastes okay, but I usually prefer meat you can typically buy from a butcher. Growing up, I was not never much of a meat-eater.  Basically I didn't eat anything other than turkey, chicken or ground beef.  If I ate steak I had to eat it well-done....any pink and forget it!!  All of that changed after E and I started dating.  He is a true carnivore and prefers his meat more on the rare side.  I have learned through experience that the less cooked the meat is, the more tender and tasty it is.  If someone had told me 10 years ago that I would enjoy my steak cooked medium, I would've thought they were crazy!    I still will not anything rare, though.  That is too much for me!  As much of an animal lover as I am, I do understand the food chain.  I personally just try not to think about the animal in its living being while I am eating meat. 

What I do not understand is the SPORT of hunting.  I can not imagine for the life of me getting a thrill out of killing an animal, just for the sake of killing it.  To put the animals head up on the wall? That totally grosses me out. Some people pay big $$$ to be brought to an area where they can shoot big-game at close-range.   What is it that drives those devout hunters to killing so many animals? What does it say about their personalities? Would they be serial-killers if they weren't allowed the release through hunting? Scary, scary thought.

Obviously I also think it is wrong to kill animals that are endangered.  Thank goodness for Global Wildlife Conservation efforts.  Prior to the 60's and 70's, just about anyone could kill polar bears, lions, zebra, etc.

Does anyone have thoughts either in opposition or advocation of hunting they would like to share?  Any hunters or hunter's wives reading this? How do my vegetarians feel about hunting?

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Other people participating in TFT this week:

My previous post about gender-based education

Nicole M on life accomplishments

Nicole B on holiday traditions

Michelle on kids and TV

Greta on accepting how things are

Amy on getting inspiration

Mary on Typepad

Jenny on what you see when you look in the mirror

Robyn on being scared in a scary society

Thoughts for Thursday: Thrill-seeking

Several Thursdays ago now I blogged about Personality types.  Today I want to delve into that a little deeper and specifically discuss thrill-seeking.
I will be the first to admit that I am a big chicken and do not take many risks when physical activities come into play.  I have many fears that have only gotten worse as I have grown older....I definitely have some anxiety issues (which will be a further TFT topic!).  I think there is a difference between being a thrill-seeker and being adventurous, so lets not get confused.  For example, I would go on a spur-of-the-moment trip to just about anywhere, but I would never in a million years go bungee-jumping.

To me thrill-seeking is doing something very risky that gets the adrenaline pumping.  You know, things like:

• Amusement park rides
• extreme sports
• sky-diving or parachuting
• rock climbing
• drug use
• racing
• committing crimes
• high-stakes gambling
• wrestling with crocodiles (ha ha)
• and basically anything that was on the show Fear Factor.

Many of you already know whether or not you are a thrill seeker, but I found a few quizzes that you might want to take just for fun.

Blogthings thrill seeking quiz

BBC Sensation seeking quiz

My questions to you are:

What is the craziest thrill you have had or would be willing to try? Have you ever regretted it or did it encourage you to do something even more thrilling?

Do you consider yourself a thrill-seeker?

Do you think thrill-seekers are born or made?

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TFT Bloggers this week:

Denise on CPR for babies

Nicole on kids birthday parties

Michelle on Thanksgiving and being thankful

Jess on 2nd child syndrome

Nicole M on firearms, cheating and MySpace

Amy on a personal family vacation day

Mary on Walmart

Zoe on the truth about turkey

Ryan on hanging on to old clothes

Christy on activities and downtime

Thoughts for Thursday: College

College......  a higher education.

I am very fortunate and blessed that I was brought up in a family that highly values education.  Both of my parents have advanced degrees and actually met while in college.  When I was growing up, there was a lot of emphasis placed on succeeding in school and there was never a doubt in my mind that I would go to college.  I learned very early that going to college is just "what you do" after high school.  Other options were never explored.  I have always known that attending college was a smart option, but I also know that many people didn't have the same role models that I had.

Out of my group of BFF from HS, I was the only one who went to college immediately after HS graduation (several of them have since gone back).  I was on the "fast track" and completed a 5 year program in 4 years by taking max loads and attending classes in the summer as well.  I took one year off then went back and earned my masters degree in less than two years.  And ya'll know that five years later, I am back at it again....graduate school to get another couple of teaching endorsements added to my license.

I know that not everyone had the opportunity or chose not to attend college directly out of HS, for one reason or another.  I also find that many of those people realize usually by their mid-20's that going to college provides so many more opportunities for career advancement and financial income.  Quite a few of these people do something they should be very proud of and enroll in college as non-traditional students and working adults.  In my opinion, it is never too late to go to college or take classes to gain skills, knowledge and to better your employment and income opportunities

It has me thinking several questions that I hope many of you will be kind enough to share with me.

Did you go to college?  If so, did you go immediately out of HS? If not out of HS, at what age did you start? Did you live on/off campus? Was college valued and encouraged by your parents or was it something that you made a choice about on your own?  Did you take out loans, finance it yourself, get scholarships or have help from your parents?  Did you complete your program and graduate?  If not, what stopped you from finishing? Did college make a big difference in what you are currently doing career-wise?

If you did not go to college, what (if any) obstacles did you face that made you decide not to attend?  Was education valued in your family? Did you have positive school experiences during k-12? Do you ever think about going back?

For those of you who are parents or plan to have kids someday, what messages do you want to give them about attending college?

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Othe TFT participants this week:

Michelle on pampering yourself

Denise on treating your pets like members of the family

Nicole on chiropractic care

Amy on what is really important

Heather on cures for hiccups

Zoe on the clothing for young girls these days

Thoughts for Thursday: Cyber popularity

For those of you who blog, is being cyber-popular the main motivation for you to blog?

Last week in one of my grad classes we were talking about self-esteem and self-concept.  Someone in the class mentioned something or another about how she thought that people who blog, use MySpace or Facebook and post pictures all the time and try to make "friends" are just totally full of themselves.  I chose not to get into what I thought about that comment.

Does anyone agree with that comment?  Does blogging and posting pictures of your life make you seem self-centered or full of yourself?? 

I think not, but then again from the looks of my blog, I must be really full of myself.  Pictures everywhere!  I must think I am totally cool and popular and I only blog to get attention.  I am a big bragger, I guess.  However it is my blog and if I want to celebrate and share pieces of my life and post a ton of pics, so be it!  I think it is awesome that I am able to journal about my life this way and I personally find it very fulfilling.

Yes, I enjoy that people care or are interested enough to want to see what is going on in my life.  I love many of the dotcomrades I have met through blogging and scrapjazz.  Do I share every aspect of every single day or detail of my life? NO.  Do I blog to be popular? NO.  Am I trying to make money from this? NO.  But I also do not think that there is anything wrong with having an audience. It is actually quite motivating.  Why spend the time writing something that no one is going to ever see or read?  I enjoy getting comments and checking my stats and having old and new people read my blog, but I definitely do not strive to be one of those "Internet People" who are cyber-popular such as those we all know and love in this video.....

Blogging can be a wonderful way to reach new people.  Many people are now using blogs to generate business clientele or promote new products.  Or maybe just discussion on specific topics (politics, sports, book reviews, crafts, support groups, creative writing, etc) and I think that is wonderful. These people may be the ones who are more interested in generating large numbers of readers.

I respect those non-bloggers who wish to keep their private lives private, but I don't think it is fair to judge those of us who do blog and share bits & pieces of our lives and say that we are full of ourselves.  And so what if some people are? Your choice to read those blogs or not!

Your thoughts on blogging, bragging and cyber popularity??

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Other TFT bloggers this week:

Michelle needing help with lack of baby sleep

Nicole on family nudity and names for body parts

Denise on blind dating

Jenny on blog security

Jenny on the demands of motherhood

Zoe on what to do with all the Halloween candy

Amy K on sibling relationships

Thoughts for Thursday: Dying Young

I literally have a LONG list of specific topics to write about for the next several Thursdays, but today I am going to go kind of deep because I am going to talk about death and dying young.  *(I know age is relative, but I am talking people aged between 18-40)

I am willing to bet that most people's natural reaction when they hear about someone young suddenly dying is "OMG, HOW did they die?"

It’s like you have to know.  Was it suicide? Was it an accident? Was this person sick with something? 

What is it that compels us to think these thoughts?  Morbid curiosity? Sympathy? Fear? Is it the thought of facing our own mortality? 

The sudden death of a former acquaintance (good friend from HS's older brother) last week at the age of 33 or so has me thinking about this.  I hadn’t seen him in probably 10 years or so, but I do know that he had a girlfriend and a young baby.  The story as I know it is that he had strep throat, was on antibiotics, went to bed one night and never woke up.

Death of young people is especially sad and tragic, but it always seems saddest when small children are left behind.

Who is ever prepared for that? 

How many young people have a plan in place in case of sudden death of either yourself or your spouse?  A will? Life insurance policies?  Do you talk about these things or it something you'd rather avoid?

Something to think about because you just never know when it'll be your time.

Would you be content with how you lived your life if today were your last day?

Deep and kind of depressing, I know.  Thanks to anyone who wishes to share their thoughts.

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Other girls particpating in this weeks TFT:

Amy on the first year of marriage

Heather on Time management

Nicole on being a "perfect mom"

Michelle on gender preference in utero

Jess on dads "babysitting"

Heather on naptimes

Jenny on organizing kids bedrooms

Kasey on holiday traditions

Denise on getting pregnant

Ashley on just do it already!

Zoe on secret santas

Thoughts for Thursday: Personality Types

I often find myself wondering what makes other people "tick".   How many of you have heard of the Myers-Briggs personality typing???  This could be the big explanation on why people are so different!!!

*****To figure out your personality type, read this description from Personality Pathways or take this quick online personality test!******

Or take the "official" complete version on the  Myers-Briggs site

Your Personality Type: When you decide on your preference in each category, you have your own personality type, which can be expressed as a code with four letters.

The 16 personality types of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® instrument are listed here as they are often shown in what is called a “type table.” Here is the link to the 16 type descriptions.

(Taken from Myers-Briggs website) 

ISTJ Quiet, serious, earn success by thoroughness and dependability. Practical, matter-of-fact, realistic, and responsible. Decide logically what should be done and work toward it steadily, regardless of distractions. Take pleasure in making everything orderly and organized – their work, their home, their life. Value traditions and loyalty.	ISFJ Quiet, friendly, responsible, and conscientious. Committed and steady n meeting their obligations. Thorough, painstaking, and accurate. Loyal, considerate, notice and remember specifics about people who are important to them, concerned with how others feel. Strive to create an orderly and harmonious environment at work and at home.	INFJ Seek meaning and connection in ideas, relationships, and material possessions. Want to understand what motivates people and are insightful about others. Conscientious and committed to their firm values. Develop a clear vision about how best to serve the common good. Organized and decisive in implementing their vision.	INTJ Have original minds and great drive for implementing their ideas and achieving their goals. Quickly see patterns in external events and develop long-range explanatory perspectives. When committed, organize a job and carry it through. Skeptical and independent, have high standards of competence and performance – for themselves and others.
ISTP Tolerant and flexible, quiet observers until a problem appears, then act quickly to find workable solutions. Analyze what makes things work and readily get through large amounts of data to isolate the core of practical problems. Interested in cause and effect, organize facts using logical principles, value efficiency.	ISFP Quiet, friendly, sensitive, and kind. Enjoy the present moment, what’s going on around them. Like to have their own space and to work within their own time frame. Loyal and committed to their values and to people who are important to them. Dislike disagreements and conflicts, do not force their opinions or values on others.	INFP Idealistic, loyal to their values and to people who are important to them. Want an external life that is congruent with their values. Curious, quick to see possibilities, can be catalysts for implementing ideas. Seek to understand people and to help them fulfill their potential. Adaptable, flexible, and accepting unless a value is threatened.	INTP Seek to develop logical explanations for everything that interests them. Theoretical and abstract, interested more in ideas than in social interaction. Quiet, contained, flexible, and adaptable. Have unusual ability to focus in depth to solve problems in their area of interest. Skeptical, sometimes critical, always analytical.
ESTP Flexible and tolerant, they take a pragmatic approach focused immediate results. Theories and conceptual explanations bore them – they want to act energetically to solve the problem. Focus o n the here-and-now, spontaneous, enjoy each moment that they can be active with others. Enjoy material comforts and style. Learn best through doing.	ESFP Outgoing, friendly, and accepting. Exuberant lovers of life, people, and material comforts. Enjoy working with others to make things happen. Bring common sense and a realistic approach to their work, and make work fun. Flexible and spontaneous, adapt readily to new people and environments. Learn best by trying a new skill with other people.	ENFP Warmly enthusiastic and imaginative. See life as full of possibilities. Make connections between events and information very quickly, and confidently proceed based on the patterns they see. Want a lot of affirmation from others, and readily give appreciation and spanport. Spontaneous and flexible, often rely on their ability to improvise and their verbal fluency.	ENTP Quick, ingenious, stimulating, alert, and outspoken. Resourceful in solving new and challenging problems. Adept at generating conceptual possibilities and then analyzing them strategically. Good at reading other people. Bored by routine, will seldom do the same thing the same way, apt to turn to one new interest after another.
ESTJ Practical, realistic, matter-of-fact. Decisive, quickly move to implement decisions. Organize projects and people to get things done, focus on getting results in the most efficient way possible. Take care of routine details. Have a clear set of logical standards, systematically follow them and want others to also. Forceful in implementing their plans.	ESFJ Warmhearted, conscientious, and cooperative. Want harmony in their environment, work with determination to establish it. Like to work with others to complete tasks accurately and on time. Loyal, follow through even in small matters. Notice what others need in their day-by-day lives and try to provide it. Want to be appreciated for who they are and for what they contribute.	ENFJ Warm, empathetic, responsive, and responsible. Highly attuned to the emotions, needs, and motivations of others. Find potential in everyone, want to help others fulfill their potential. May act as catalysts for individual and group growth. Loyal, responsive to praise and criticism. Sociable, facilitate others in a group, and provide inspiring leadership.	ENTJ Frank, decisive, assume leadership readily. Quickly see illogical and inefficient procedures and policies, develop and implement comprehensive systems to solve organizational problems. Enjoy long-term planning and goal setting. Usually well informed, well read, enjoy expanding their knowledge and passing it on to others. Forceful in presenting their ideas.

According to this online personality test I am ENFP

What personality type would you say you are? What about your partner/spouse?

***************************************************************************** Other Thoughts for Thursday participants this week:

Michelle on our dependence on technology

Amy on kids and toy guns

Jessica on kids and Junk Food

Jenny on family dinner time

Nicole on child safety restraints

Leslie on being organized

Heather on swearing

Hey bloggers: An invitation to participate in Thoughts for Thursday

As far as I know, the whole blogging concept of "Thoughts for Thursdays" was something that Nicole started a few months ago, with the intentions of writing about thought-provoking topics that may require reflection, advice, opinions and discussion from her readers.  She has invited many of her blog readers to participate in their own TFT, and now there is quite a group of cool ladies with thought-provoking posts to share on Thursdays.

I encourage all of you bloggers to do the same! You can write about anything you want.  It isn't something you have to do every Thursday, but why not keep a list of topics that you could write and share with others when you feel like participating?  Last week was the first time I "jumped on the TFT bandwagon", but I am glad I did.  I am already making a list of specific topics I can blog about on Thursdays :)

Some generic examples:

Social issues

Current events

Parenting practices

Product reviews

Things that drive you crazy

Wonderings

Traditions

Nicole or I will do our best to add the links to people participating in TFT, so make sure that if you have a post ready tomorrow, leave me a comment directing to your blog/post.

Happy blogging, I hope you participate! Its a great way to generate comments and meet new people :)

Thoughts for Thursday: The environment

Thought I'd spare you a video post today.  LOL

Actually, I've been wanting to participate in the Thoughts for Thursday blogging group that Nicole started a few months ago, but I have just been too dang busy!

Okay...so my thoughts today are about the Environment.  Tomorrow Al Gore may just win the Nobel Peace Prize for his work over the past 30 years on the environment.  Have any you read or seen An Inconvenient Truth? Pretty scary when you look at all the information that has been gathered about global warming.  ***ETA on 10/12/07 Al Gore was just announced as one of the winners of the Nobel Peace Prize! Congratulations, Al and collegues!

So my questions to those of you today are:

Are you aware of the devastating state of our planet's environment? (Think deforestation, global warming, extinction, loss of natural resources, etc)

Do you think improving social awareness is truly going to help or are people too self-centered?

What scares you the most about the future of our planet?

What sorts of things do you do that are environmentally responsible?

Thanks for your thoughts :)

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Here are some other gals who participated in TFT this week:

Michelle on accountability and children's medicine recall

Jenny on career paths

Heather on allowance for kids

Nicole on Reality TV

Zoe on the size of our bank accounts

Mary on the ladies room

Amy on cutting in line

Emilie on Exercise

If anyone else wants me to link to their TFT blog, just let me know :)