Jet stream flattens/Poll Results/New Poll/Robbery

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
There is a fairly zonal pattern over the U.S. and that will be the case for several days. The polar jet stream cuts the country in half and the the small dips (troughs) are where the weather will be on Tuesday...mainly northern Great Lakes and northern New England and the Pacific Northwest. Highs will be in the teens and 20s over the northern plains and Great Lakes and northern New England. The southern tier of states will have highs in the 60s, 70s and even 80s (Arizona).

On Tuesday, Houston will be partly to mostly cloudy and more humid with lows near 50 and highs in the low 70s. It will be even warmer on Wednesday.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do robber or atracador, pronounced ah-trah-CAH-door. An atracador broke into my friend's car today.

That is a serious word, no doubt. The words in our award winning DVD, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco, are serious for kids because they are about things that kids care about deeply--things like food and drink, family members and home and playing. You can get your copy 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/.

Some good news today about our bilingual product. I finally located some companies that deal in ESL (English as a Second Language) products. I sent copies to several of these companies at the end of last week. I already got a call today from one such company in California. They are going to feature our DVD, Aprendamos Inglés con Frank y Paco, Volumen 1, in their Fall catalog. This is also a useful DVD if you are more interested in a full immersion type product. To see more, go to http://www.frankypaco.com/.

AND MORE
Big correction to yesterday's post...that puppy dog is a Golden Retriver (not Irish Setter). My sister tells me that Irish Setters are actually hard to come by and they aren't an optimal choice for kids.

A good friend of mine who lives in Missouri City, had an unfortunate incident today. She, her children and some friends were at a park in Quail Valley. She left her purse in the car (but it was covered). Still, someone broke her window, found her purse and took it. She did all the right things...calling the credit card companies etc. Even though she reported right away, the robber had already used one of the credit cards--a fast acting robber that one. She filed a police report. The police officer came down and did a very thorough report. He was with them for a couple hours. He told me that the streets were quiet so he was able to get a lot of information this time.

A friend of mine in South America said the weather has been blazing hot. Remember, it's the Southern Hemisphere and they are in summer. He said they have been doing a lot of swimming and beach going. The sad thing is, our turn is next. Yikes! But hey, sweating is good for the skin.

My favorite dress at the Oscars last night was the one worn by Amy Adams...a striking dark red number. But I thought the necklace was too fat and chunky and too many colors. My least favorite dress was the one Miley Cyrus wore--just didn't that super layered look. I like sleek, elegant gowns at the Oscars.

Our poll about the NASA stimulus of $1 billion has closed. 50% thought they should get more. 12% said $1 billion is just the right amount. 12% think they should get less. And 25% think they should get nothing. Here's a little known fact--(I will admit I heard this at a talk and am not sure how this was calculated)...for every $1 spent on space missions, there have been $7 in medical advances. It has to do what they learn from the experiments which are carried into space. Thanks to all who participated in the poll.

Our new poll is about pets...what is your favorite? Now since I am saying favorite, I will allow only one answer. Have fun!

Have a terrific Tuesday!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Back to Work Weather/Adorable Irish Setter Puppy

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
A few snow showers over New England on Monday and scattered snow out west on Monday as well. Highs will be in the 20s across the northern plains and Great Lakes States. It will be pleasant across the south.

Houston will be sunny on Monday, lows in the 30s, high in the low 60s. Tuesday will be more humid with lows near 50 and highs near 70. Some clouds will return.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do puppy or cachorro, pronounced cah-chore-ROW (roll that double r). We had fun playing with memaw's Irish Setter cachorro on Saturday.

There is a dog in our award winning DVD, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. What you don't know is his name is Max and he is a bichon-frise. He also has a buddy named Molly--but she had other commitments that prevented her from being in the video. Order our DVD today 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
Saturday started muggy. Then we headed west to Austin, running through some heavy downpours. In Austin, it was sunny, breezy and dry. Sarah's memaw had purchased a peach tree in her honor. And I supervised while Sarah, Gordy and my nephew Jacob did an excellent job of planting it. Memaw has a 3 month old Irish setter puppy named Boone (after Daniel Boone). He was super excited when Sarah arrived. Weighing 20 pounds already and quite large, he was a little too rambunctious for Sarah's liking. Fortunately, we had watched dozens of episodes of It's Me or the Dog (from Animal Planet). Megan wasn't able to come along with us, but we were happy to report back to her that we were well equipped thanks to watching all those episodes with her. When Boone jumped up on Sarah, she would turn her back and say no and not turn and pet him until he sat down. Soon, he was understanding that if he sat down (and didn't jump) he would get petted and be rewarded with a positive "good boy". He was just adorable. We spent the entire afternoon with him, walking around the property. Then, my brother and his three boys arrived and completely wore him out. That was one pooped puppy as you can see. What a cutie!

Have a great week everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Weekend Weather/Restaurants Busy

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
There will be snow from northern New England and back through the Great Lakes states to St. Louis and Kansas City. There will be showers further south from Memphis to Texas. Highs over the northern plains were in the teens. There will be some showers in San Francisco. On Sunday most of the rain/snow will be in New England and in the western states. There will be rain in DC and New York.

Houston will be mostly cloudy on Saturday with some rain during the 2nd half of the day. Sunday will be sunny and cool with highs in the low 60s.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do puppets or actuación, pronounced ahk-too-ahc-see-OWN. Frank and Paco had an actuación today at St. Laurence Elementary.

Yes...Frank and Paco are getting very popular. All of the 1st and 3rd graders enjoyed trying them out and taking pictures with them. I'm just waiting for them to get agents. You can see both of them in our award winning DVD, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. Order it today 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
Driving around this evening, I noticed that every popular restaurant parking lot was full. Either people are enjoying themselves no matter what or tonight is their one night a week to splurge. I was happy for the restaurant owners and employees.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Weekend Weather/Trash Trouble/FOCA

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
Wednesday's severe weather total was 172 (10 of those tornadoes in Georgia--only 1 injury reported). It was high wind that caused 1 death in Georgia -- trees falling on a house. There were NO severe reports today (Thursday).

Friday's weather will be tranquil. There will be scattered snow from the northern Rockies to the Great Lakes to the northeast. There will be rain in St. Louis. Highs will be in the teens across the northern plains while the southern states will be bathed in sunshine and will enjoy highs in the 60s and 70s.

Houston will be pleasant and sunny with a low near 40 and a high in the upper 60s. Clouds return Saturday and there will be showers in the afternoon. Sunday will be cool and sunny with lows near 40 and highs in the low 60s.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do memorial or conmemorativo, pronounced cown-meh-more-ah-tee-VOH. Steve Austin's fathers conmemorativo was very moving.

Here's a little known fact...learning languages improves the ability to hypothesize in science. So, don't just do science fair projects, study language! Order our award winning DVD, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. Order it today 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
Well here is a pet peeve for you...what is up with all the trash? Gordy and I see so much trash on our long walks. We walk along Oyster Creek path and there is trash up and down the banks of the creek. I teased Gordy that I am going to bring along a trash bag as he picks so much stuff up. But seriously folks, how hard is it to put the trash in a trash can? They are everywhere!!! And even if you in a car, you can wait until you get home and throw the items away.

When I went to St. Mary's in Brownsville, Texas, our principal, Sister Antoinette, had a big problem with trash on the school grounds. Frequently, she would have the entire school student body go outside and scour the grounds for trash. Our grounds were immaculate...it was like winning the lottery to find a piece of trash to throw away. We need more Sister Antoinette's in this world.

I am not one to force my religious opinions on others. But even before I knew the official teaching of the Catholic chuch, I was adamantly opposed to abortion. To me, it seemed unbelievable that a life, however dependent, and no matter at what stage of development, could be considered anything but life. At mass this last weekend, our church body signed 3 post cards opposing the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA). These cards are going to our various congress people. This is something being undertaken by every Catholic church in America. Even if you are not opposed to abortion, you should know that FOCA will allow girls who are minors to obtain abortions--without parental knowledge and definitely without consent. And, Catholic hospitals will be required to perform abortions. The church is prepared to close every Catholic hospital if this comes to pass.

My mother forwarded the following Associated Press article about Nancy Pelosi's recent visit with the pope.
VATICAN CITY (AP) - Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday told U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, a Catholic who supports abortion rights, that Catholic politicians have a duty to protect life "at all stages of its development," the Vatican said.
Pelosi is the first top Democrat to meet with Benedict since the election of Barack Obama, who won a majority of the=2 0Catholic vote despite differences with the Vatican on abortion.
The Vatican released remarks by the pope to Pelosi, saying Benedict spoke of the church's teaching "on the dignity of human life from conception to natural death." That is an expression often used by the pope when expressing opposition to abortion.
Benedict said all Catholics—especially legislators, jurists and political leaders—should work to create "a just system of laws capable of protecting human life at all stages of its development."
Pelosi could not immediately be reached after the 15-minute meeting, which was closed to reporters and photographers. The two met in a small room of a Vatican auditorium after the pope's weekly public audience.
A number of the bishops in the United States have questioned Pelosi's stance on abortion, particularly her theological defense of her support for abortion rights.
Benedict has cautiously welcomed the new Democratic administration, although several American cardinals have sharply criticized its support of abortion rights in a break from former President George W. Bush.

Have a fantastic Friday everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Weather Change/The Real Steve Austin/Neat Sites to See in Holy Land

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
As I write this, there have been 98 reports of severe weather (mostly hail)--no tornadoes--in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky and South Carolina. These are storms ahead of the next cold front.

Thursday will be more tranquil with a few thunderstorms over Florida. There will be some snow around the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley and a cold rain in New York. Highs for the northern plains will be in the teens while much of Florida will reach the 80s.

Houston will be delightful--sunshine, low humidity, low near 50 and high in the upper 60s. Expect upper 30s early Friday with a high in the upper 60s and clouds returning late. On Saturday, there will be rain especially during the later half of the day. Sunshine will return on Sunday.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do research or investigación, pronounced een-vehs-tee-gah-see-OWN. I have been doing a lot of investigación to find buyers for our English teaching DVD for children. And what I really need to find out is who are the distributors of children's products for Spanish speakers, especially educational DVDs. We have 2 big name distributors for our Spanish teaching DVD. But they don't know what to do with the other version.

We are well established with our award winning DVD, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. Order it today 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
Do you remember that show The Six Million Dollar Man? Well when that show was at its height of popularity, my brother became friends with a young man named Steve Austin. I'll never forget the day Steve first called asking for my brother. When I asked if I could take a message, he replied, "Tell him Steve Austin called". And I said, "Yeah right, and I'm Santa Claus. Who is this really?". After several rounds of him trying to convince me, I finally gave up and wrote it down. Boy was I surprised to find out that really was his name. He was a super nice guy and to this day, my brother is still his close friend.

Well, on a sad note, Steve Austin's father passed away. Steve and his family now live in the Houston area. And my brother is flying up from the valley for the funeral tomorrow. I will go with him. Please keep Steve Austin's family in your prayers.

My mother and stepdad are getting ready to make a trip to the Holy Land. Would you believe you can get your marriage blessed at the location of the Wedding at Cana and priests can renew their Holy Orders at the room where The Last Supper occurred? This is just amazing to me that these places are known to exist. So I will make sure that they take lots of pictures and I will post some of these on the blog. I read a book a few months back called Saving the Holy Sepulchre. I was astounded to find out that there is a church on the grounds where Jesus was crucified. There are many historically significant temples in the church. They will see that as well and I can't wait to hear all about it.

Have a nice Thursday everyone.
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Next cold front/Getting organized/Book Recommendations

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
Some severe weather is possible Wednesday and Wednesday night over a portion of the southeast. There will also be many areas with rain and thunderstorms--from Cincinnati to Atlanta and down to new Orleans. Cold spots will be North Dakota and Minnesota with highs in the single digits and teens. There will be snow/rain around the Great Lakes and the Rockies and Intermountain Region.

Houston will start cloudy and mild. Cold front arrives around midday. But it will be a warm afternoon--some low 80s possible. Humidity will drop during the afternoon. So it will be very pleasant. Any rain will be over by noon. Thursday will be delightful--sunshine, low humidity, cool morning and mild/cool afternoon.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do organize or organizar, pronounced or-gah-KNEE-czar. Today it was time to organizar.

Our award winning DVD, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco, is organized into 3 chapters--home/family, food/drink and play. That is because those are the topics so important to children. Talk about what concerns them and they will listen (and learn). Order it today 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
You know how you are planning to do one thing and then you just have to take care of something else (and let the other thing wait)? Well, I couldn't stand looking at Sarah's avalanche of books in her room anymore. You see, we read a lot and books are very important in our household. But the books had taken over Sarah's room. I am seeing my brother soon and he has 3 little boys (4 and under). So, they are getting Sarah's books for younger children. Well, I spent quite a long time weeding out the easier books, but I can now say that it is all organized. And I can move around in Sarah's room and all of her books are on bookshelves. We'll see how long that lasts. Ha! Books are such treasures. It really is important to read to your children every day.

When I was growing up, we had a small library of books in our house. We didn't have much, but somehow my mom managed to get us some wonderful books. We read them over and over until they were falling apart. My sister Julie was a big time bookworm. She frequently disappeared into her room for hours, reading away. She has a fantastic vocabulary. And my mom, on her own time, coached a spelling bee student all the way to nationals (2 years in a row). The student didn't win 1st place but did do very well.

My favorite book is The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck. Just reading about how much they relished even the simplest things really appealed to me. For example, I remember that the man was about to get married and he decided to splurge and use tea leaves to make himself some tea in the morning--such a luxury. Or how about the Laura Ingalls Wilder series? There was one Christmas where they were so excited because the little cakes had "real white" sugar on them. Oh, and they each got a penny!

By the way, I just finished The Faith Club about 3 ladies, 1 Muslim, 1 Christian and 1 Jewish who really analyze their individual faiths. I recommend this book--I learned a few things--1 of special importance. Special thanks to my friend Marilyn Griffin who loaned it to me. Just so you know Marilyn, my mom is reading it now. Don't worry, she'll get it back to you.

When you get down to it, it's those simple little things in life that we treasure so much--a cup of coffee, a newspaper, a fun blog to read. Ha! You get the big things and the excitement doesn't last long--does it? At the end of your life, you look back and cherish those special times with loved ones--like a simple walk, a smile, a twinkle in the eye.

Happy Wednesday everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

More Snow Where?/Poll Results/New Poll/Nifty Translation Tool

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
More snow out west and the winter weather advisories/warnings/watches are plentiful. On Tuesday, this area will be dealing with more snow. There will be some snow showers around the Great Lakes. Look for some showers/even a few thunderstorms in Louisiana and Texas.

Tuesday will be cloudy and mild in Houston. Highs will be in the low 70s. There will be some showers. Cold front arrives midday Wednesday. There will be some showers/possibly a few thunderstorms very early. Weather will be dry from then into the weekend.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do translation or traducción, pronounced trah-doo-see-OWN. It helps when you have someone or some way to do a traducción.

The first step to language learning is learning vocabulary. And, it helps when the words are words that are important to you. That's exactly what we came up with (for children) in our award winning DVD, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. Order it today 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
Our poll about favorite vegetables is now closed. Although I couldn't put every possible type of vegetable, I think we listed some of the most popular. Here are the percentages for favorites: 25% green beans, 12% green peas, 12% corn, 12% yellow squash, 12% broccoli, 12% zucchini, 12% carrots. Thanks to all of you who participated.

It looks like NASA will get $1 billion from the stimulus package. How do you feel about that? Is it enough? Too much? Voice your opinion in our new poll.

Our youngest daughter Sarah has a rare syndrome called Smith-Magenis Syndrome and we are very involved with the international organization for it, PRISMS. Through PRISMS we are linked with other affected families. Recently, the president asked me to talk to a mother in Chile, a Spanish speaking mom of an affected child. Well, my Spanish is just not good enough but one of our PRISMS members told me about a nifty program which does free translating. Here is the link:
http://www.freetranslation.com/
There are all kinds of languages available. I just love it!!! Check it out!

In closing, I was reminded today of how truly blessed we are. Every time I visit Texas Children's facilities, I am humbled by the heroic parents and children who face substantial medical difficulties. Today I noticed that a line supplying oxygen to a baby in a stroller was in danger of being cut off by the wheel. So I stopped the mom and she and I untangled it. Then, I looked at the baby and was taken aback. This poor little angel was horribly disfigured with a hugh swollen head--perhaps a tumor growing in her face. I said "Hi Baby" and she happily kicked her feet, oblivious to her disfigurement. I pray that they will find a way to give her as normal a life as possible. God bless all families with children, especially those whose children have medical problems.

Have a wonderful Tuesday everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman