Weather for the Week/Good News for Ski Resorts/Which Vegetable is Losing

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
The weather is wet in California this Sunday. This is very good news for the ski resorts!!! And there will be another round of snow next weekend. Finally, the west coast is getting some weather! The rest of the country is fairly quiet this Sunday.

On Monday, rain returns to Texas and there will be some showers along the outer banks of the Carolinas, snow showers over the western Great Lakes states and some scattered snow showers and rain out west from California eastward through Nevada. The northern plains and Great Lakes will be the cool spots with highs in the teens and 20s.

Houston will be partly sunny today and then cloudy with showers on Monday. Monday will be chilly with lows in the 40s and highs in the 50s. There will be more showers on Tuesday with lows in the 50s and highs in the 60s. Sunshine returns end of the week and this coming Saturday looks pleasant with sunshine.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do diet (after yesterday's candy and yummy food). Now a regular diet is just dieta, pronounced dee-eh-TAH. But if you are going on a diet, you would say hacer dieta, pronounced AH-ser dee-eh-TAH. I hope to have a better dieta this week!

Of course one of the number one things kids think about is food. That is why the first volume of our award winning DVD has a chapter devoted to food and drink. Kids pay attention because we show them things they care about. Give them the gift of language and entertainment. Order Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco from www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, http://www.dololanguages.com/, http://www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com/, http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.bestbuy.com/, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. If you are more interested in a full immersion type product, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE
And speaking of food and healthy things, our poll about favorite vegetables will close soon. So far no one has voted for broccoli...poor broccoli, it has so little respect--remember President George Bush senior didn't like it? Get your vote in before the poll closes. I'll have poll results and a new poll tomorrow.

Hope everyone had a fun Valentine's Day. Have a great week everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Weekend Weather/Who Was St. Valentine?

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
A wet Friday for many locations including parts of the south and out west. Saturday, there will be thunderstorms from Texas through the Gulf Coast States to Florida and up the eastern seaboard. There will be snow showers around the Great Lakes and northern New England. Look for more rain and snow (in the higher elevations) out west. Coldest spot will be in the northern plains with highs in the single digits. Sunday, it will still be wet out west. Only wet spot in the southeast will be Florida.

Houston will have a wet Saturday with some storms (2 rounds possible--1 midday through the afternoon and another after midnight Saturday). Then it will be partly cloudy and dry on Sunday. Lows and highs Saturday will be in the 60s. Lows Sunday will be in the 50s with highs in the upper 60s. There could be more showers as early as Monday.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
It is love of course--amor, pronounced ah-MORE. Amor will be in the air on Saturday! Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

There is no kissing in our award winning DVD, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. But there is plenty of hugging and dancing and singing. That's one of the reasons youngsters enjoy it so much. Give the gift of language and entertainment. Order it from www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, http://www.dololanguages.com/, http://www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com/, http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.bestbuy.com/, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. If you are more interested in a full immersion type product, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE
I teach a religion class to 1st graders at my church and I got to thinking that I had never heard the story of the Saint Valentine. Come to find out, there is a very good reason why. There are a bunch of stories about possible people who could have been Saint Valentine. For more information, go to this link at Americancatholic.org
http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/ValentinesDay/origins.asp.

On a sad note, Bob Wenzel, passed away. Bob was on the board of The Weather Museum with me. I also saw he and his wife Kathy at church. Bob was a long time supporter of the museum and The Weather Research Center. A memorial service will be held for him on Monday, Feb. 16, 2009 at 6:30p.m. at St. Laurence Catholic Church, located at 3100 Sweetwater Blvd in Sugar Land. Please keep his family in your prayers.

Everyone hug your loved ones very tight this weekend!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Where To Go Ski/Lucky and Unlucky Number 13

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
Well, make your ski plans now...because the snow is coming to the Sierra Nevada. A series of storms will bring snow to the higher elevations over the next 5 to 6 days. When you go, don't forget to visit my sister's store (on the north side). It's called Mountain Casuals. There will be a few thunderstorms around southern Louisiana. Look for a few snow showers from northern Minnesota (where highs will be in the teens) to Denver and into the Rockies and Intermountain Region.

Houston will be mild...starting in the 50s and ending in the low 70s. There will be a few showers with rain more likely on Saturday. Next front arrives early Sunday.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do thirteen or trece, pronounced threh-SAY. I consider trece to be a very lucky number when that is the number ordered by a distributor.

Yes, we do have a couple distributors of our award winning DVD, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. The more orders we get into barnesandnoble.com and bestbuy.com, the more likely it is that the DVD will be allowed to go on their shelves in stores. You can always get it at www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, http://www.dololanguages.com/, http://www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com/, http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.bestbuy.com/, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. If you are more interested in a full immersion type product, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE
In honor of Friday the 13th, I did some checking around...the most common reason given that Friday the 13th is considered unlucky is that with Doubting Thomas at the Last Supper, there were 13 people at the table. And, Jesus was crucified on a Friday.

Now consider this...the name Saddam Hussein has 13 letters. Yet, luckily he was caught on December 13, 2003. Here's another favorable use of 13--the United States began with 13 colonies. And for me personally, I can think of at least one very dear person, whose birthday is on the 13th.

If you don't like Friday the 13ths, got a double whammy for you...not only is this Friday a Friday the 13th but because February (non-leap years) only has 28 days, we get another Friday the next month (in March).

Have a safe and happy Friday everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Severe Aftermath/Putting a Smile on Their Face

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
More than 300 hundred severe weather reports over the last 2 days...most of them high wind (especially today). But last night produced 6 tornadoes--1 of them deadly in Montague, Texas. Closer to Houston, there were 2 high wind reports...one storm knocked down a tree, trapping the residents inside. Fortunately, there were no reports of injuries there.

Tonight, much quieter except for the northeast where the storm is winding northeastward.

Thursday will be chilly across the northern plains with highs in the teens and 20s. There will be snow showers around the Great Lakes, the Rockies and the Intermountain Region. There will be rain around Boston and New York. Gorgeous weather for the southern plains and the southeast.

Houston will be partly cloudy with lows in the 40s and highs in the 70s. Another front moves through early in the weekend. There will be a few showers on Friday.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do greeting card or tarjeta de felicitación, pronounced tar-hey-TAH DAY fay-lee-see-tah-see-OWN. It is fun to make your own tarjeta de felicitación.

And it is fun to learn Spanish. When I was at the Pancakes and Pajamas event this past Saturday, it was so cute to see the children become fascinated with our video (which I had playing). The wonderful thing about children is that they are so curious about the world around them and to them, language learning is fun. Throw in all the benefits like enhanced cognitive development and improved memory and you've got a win-win situation.

So, take advantage of all of these things--order our award winning DVD Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco at www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, http://www.dololanguages.com/, http://www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com/, http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.bestbuy.com/, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. If you are more interested in a full immersion type product, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE
Don't forget to vote in our all important poll about your favorite vegetable. Garden update--our radishes are already germinating...after only 2 days, some little green sprouts were poking up their heads today.

Yesterday, I had my 1st grade religion class students make Valentine's for some nursing home residents. You should have seen their sweet faces as they worked on the cards and the adorable sentiments they wrote. Today, Sarah and I took the cards over to the nursing home which had taken care of my father until he died. I know that these small tokens from innocents have brought tremendous joy to some of them. Let us never forget those who need cheering and love.

Have a terrific Thursday everyone.

Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

After the Severe Storms/New Brilliant Exercise Program

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
As I write this blog this evening (about 9:40 pm), there have been 68 reports of severe weather including 3 tornadoes--2 in Oklahoma and 1 in Texas. Now the Tornado Watch has been extended southward to include the northern counties of southeast Texas...see figure at right. The greatest threat for severe weather remains north of Houston, but there is an impressive line of storms that reaches to the south of San Antonio. I think that will arrive in the Houston metro between 1 and 2 am. There will be some high winds. Some hail and tornadoes are possible.

In contrast, Wednesday will be much quieter for much of the country although there will be some thunderstorms in the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys and southward to New Orleans. Look for snow in the higher elevations of the Rockies and Intermountain Region. Coldest spot will be the northern plains with highs in the 20s. Almost everywhere else will be above freezing.

A delightful day on the way for Houston...rain will be over by daybreak. Temperatures will be in the 50s and highs will be in the 70s. On Thursday, partly cloudy with lows in the 40s and highs in the 60s. Another weak cold front arrives on Friday, bringing some showers.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do the verb to count or contar, pronounced COWN-tar. Sarah and I worked on a homework sheet which required the children contar for one minute.

Our 3rd volume of Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco will have numbers along with alphabet and colors. Until that is done, you can check out our award winning Volume 1 at www.frankandpaco.com/. There are terms for eating, drinking, home, family and play. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, http://www.dololanguages.com/, http://www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com/, http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.bestbuy.com/, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. If you are more interested in a full immersion type product, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE
Okay...this proves that I do not see things and I'm not crazy. Remember my post about seeing a bobcat along Oyster Creek Trail a few years ago? Well, according to an article in the Chronicle, there have been bobcat sightings along Buffalo Bayou in Katy...ahh haaa! One eyewitness described it almost as I did...small head...walking slowly...turned to look and then continued on into the brush. Ahhhh haaaa!!!

Back to counting--Sarah's class had a fun and very interesting math sheet. You had to guess how many times you could do certain things in one minute. One minute doesn't sound so long...well trust me it is! One of the things we had to do was stand up and sit down as many times as possible in one minute. Well, let me tell you--I run for exercise, but I was downright pooped by all that standing up and sitting down--I did that 25 times and I just know I'll be sore tomorrow. Of course, we had to do the beats of the heart in 1 minute. Well, after all that standing up and sitting down, I just couldn't count that fast! Gee whiz! Oh and you can just forget this one--hopping on one foot. Ow! Ow! Ow! I had to alternate feet...hope that is allowed. I was doing great for the first 5 seconds, but then it was all uphill from there. Hey...maybe we have come up with a multi-million dollar exercise program--it's Cecilia's stand up/sit down workout. You'll hit your target heart rate in 30 seconds--guaranteed.

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Severe Threat Expands/Poll Closes/New Poll

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
Severe weather will focus a bulls eye on northeast Texas late Tuesday/early Wednesday. But as the figure at right shows, there are many locations with at least of slight risk of severe storms. Severe storms produce large hail, damaging winds, and/or tornadoes.

Even more moderation of temperatures on Tuesday for much of the country. What has been frigid Maine will make highs in the 20s. There will be highs in the 20s, 30s, and 40s across the north and northeast. And the south and southeast will be in the 60s to the 80s. Look for thunderstorms in Arkansas, Tennessee, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. There will be rain for much of the west and snow in the higher elevations there. There will snow and rain in New Mexico and snow in the northern plains and the western Great Lakes states. There will rain in parts of the northeast including Boston.

Houston will be mostly cloudy and mild with lows in the 60s and highs in the 70s. Storms, some possibly severe will pass through between midnight and 5 am Wednesday morning. Wednesday will be sunny with lows in the upper 50s and highs in the 70s.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do garden or jardín, pronounced har-DEEN. I love working in the jardín. When I lived in the Rio Grande Valley there was a restaurant which made wonderful tacos called Taco Jardín (kind of weird now that I think about it--taco garden--not too appetizing).

Speaking of things to eat, we teach terms for lots of things kids love in our award winning DVD, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco, Check it out at www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, http://www.dololanguages.com/, http://www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com/, http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.bestbuy.com/, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. If you are more interested in a full immersion type product, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE
Our poll, about President Obama's performance thus far, has closed. 22% think he has taken all the right steps. 33% think he has done some positive things but needs to do more. 11% thought he is not doing enough. And 33% thought he has made some bad choices. Thanks for responding.

Our new poll is more light hearted--what is your favorite vegetable? Don't like vegetables--well there is a choice for you too. Have fun!

Speaking of vegetables, Sarah and I along with Sarah's friend Gabriella, worked in the garden today. The weather is warming up and I would like to get a round or two of radishes out of my sun exposed garden before it gets too hot. We pulled out the weeds, tilled the soil, and mixed in some new soil. We also picked some more pea pods. Sarah is doing her best to eat them all up, but it has been challenging. I cut back the tomato plants...I think they might come back. It would be so nice not to have to start new ones. Will let you know how it goes.

Have a terrific Tuesday everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Where Severe Weather Will Be/She Met Henry Kissinger/Healthy Banana Bread

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
Some severe weather moving through west Texas this evening. Look for severe weather in north Texas on Monday as a cold front marches across the state. Also look for storms in Oklahoma and Kansas. Country is much warmer than it was in early January. Highs will be in the 30s in the northeast and around the Great Lakes. The only exception will be extreme northern New England (Maine) which will be much colder. There will be rain and snow over much of the western U.S. and western Great Lakes states. The snow will be confined to the higher elevations. Nice and warm across the southern Plains and southeast with higher humidity.

Houston will be mostly cloudy and mild on Monday...lows in the 60s and highs in the 70s. There will be a few showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Still, most of the action should be over north Texas. Weak front moves by early Wednesday. Looks like we will only get a glancing blow with a few showers early Wednesday.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do retirement or jubilación, pronounced joo-bee-lah-SEE-own. Lyn Ead is jubilant about her jubilación.

It's always fun to learn new things...I know Lyn is a lady who likes to learn. And children love to learn when it is fun. Well, here's a fun way for them to learn Spanish, through our award winning DVD, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco, Check it out at www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, http://www.dololanguages.com/, http://www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com/, http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.bestbuy.com/, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. If you are more interested in a full immersion type product, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE
The Pancakes and Pajamas event, benefitting the Fort Bend Rainbow Room, was a big hit with the kids. It was fun to see them running around in their PJs (even at noon!). Frank and Paco (the puppets) had fun visiting with them and even got to be in a parade. We are looking forward to attending next year! Thanks so much to Eleanor Traylor and Kelly Stevenson for inviting us.

Remember my salad recipe of last post? Well I made it for a retirement party for a dear friend, Lyn Ead. Lyn is an amazing lady, who practices martial arts and knows so much about world history. She is even a part of history. She has a photo of herself with Henry Kissinger! Wow! I think the ramen noodle salad was well received. It was so nice to be with Lyn on this special day. It was also fantastic to see so many "old" friends from FOX 26. It was a blast working with all of them. I know they will miss you Lyn.

Speaking of recipes, I made a special banana bread for my Megan today. She has been trying to eat healthier and asked me if I could make a whole wheat, no sugar banana bread. Well I followed the directions on the package but had to make some substitutions. Instead of 1/2 cup brown sugar, I put 15 packets of Splenda. Instead of a stick of butter, I put my best guesstimate of a 1/2 cup of Smart Balance butter. Instead of a 1/2 cup of honey, I put the same amount of sugar free syrup. Then I did something a little naughty. Just to give it a boost, I put in a few semi-sweet chocolate chunk chips. Well, it was pretty good, I must say. I think it is the very best when heated. I sure didn't feel guilty eating that banana bread.

Quick update on ICarly and Sam, our goldfish. They have survived more than a month now and they are doing very well...still little piglets. ICarly the gold one, is definitely the dominant fish. Whenever I feed them, she kind of nips at Sam until she feels she is getting as much food as she wants. Don't worry, Sam gets enough. ICarly had a very nasty fungus on her back left tail. But I have been diligently adding the fungus fighting liquid and everything is almost completely back to normal. Hope you didn't read this before you ate. Ewwwwww!

Have a great week!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman