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

Weekend Forecast/You Have Got to Try This Salad!

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
A really nice day shaping up for most of the eastern seaboard...New York will get into the 40s. Trough (almost a cutoff low) is digging deep over southern California/northwest Mexico. Unfortunately for Lake Tahoe ski resorts, it looks like most of the action will slide by to the south. And in fact, many of the winter storm watches/advisories are very far south...see diagram from the Storm Prediction Center (at right). Northern Plains, Great Lakes and northern New England will be the cool spots with highs in the 20s. There will be a spotty snow shower around the Great Lakes, but most of the snow will be over the southern Rockies and southern mountains of California.

Sunday, cool air will shift further southward so that it will be chillier in places like New York and DC. There will also be more widespread snow showers around the Great Lakes.

Houston will enjoy more spring-like days on Saturday and Sunday. Lows will be in the 50s and then 60s respectively. Highs will be in the upper 70s. Next best chance for rain is Wednesday although it probably won't be much. Looking way ahead, might have a very busy, wet day on the 15th. More to come on that.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do salad or ensalada, pronounced ehn-sah-lah-DAH. I love all kinds of ensalada. And check the And More section for a yummy salad I tried for the first time over the holidays.

Tomorrow from 9 am to 2 pm, Frank, Paco, and I will be at Pancakes and Pajamas being held at the Honor Roll school (in the gym), visiting with all the youngsters and teaching them some Spanish. The event benefits the Fort Bend Community Partners Rainbow Room--helping give children from traumatic situations the things that can help make them more comfortable. Children are encouraged to wear their pajamas while enjoying all the fun.

If you can't make Pancakes and Pajamas, you can always catch them on our web site and of course you can order our award winning DVD from there as well. Check out 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
Okay...so have I been totally under a rock? When I went home at Christmas, my in-laws made this awesomely delicious salad called Ramen noodle salad. It is a twist on regular old cole slaw. Let me just say that I don't even like cole slaw. But this salad is amazing!!! I am making it for a party on Sunday. I'll let you know how my version turns out.

There are several variations but I am going with this one from GAgirl's Recipes:
Slaw:
Two 1 pound bags of cole slaw (I didn't even know until tonight that you could buy the bags of pre-shredded slaw--my mom always painstakingly shredded up the cabbage)
1 bunch of chopped green onions (this is optional)

Dressing:
2 packages of Ramen noodle seasoning--I don't have this so I can going to add seasonings to taste
1/3 cup cider vinegar or rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup sugar (more or less to taste)--I like less personally--never liked the sweetness of cole slaw
1/2 cup oil

Crunchies:
2 packages Ramen noodles, broken up (Oriental flavor or 1 oriental, 1 chicken)--I am doing the 1 and 1 version
4 oz package of almond slivers
4 oz package of sunflower seeds (shelled)

Add the dressing and crunchies right before serving--otherwise the crunchies will become soggies. In my opinion, it's the crunchiness of the ramen noodles that makes it taste so incredible.

Enjoy!

Have a great weekend everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Big Weather Pattern Shift/Meet someone special on Facebook

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
From one side of the country to the other...the trough that has been so dominant over the eastern U.S. is flattening and a new trough is digging out west. My sister, who has a retail business on Lake Tahoe, said there has just not been enough snow and that combined with a weakened economy is just killing business. Well the good news is that on Friday there will be snow in the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada, Intermountain Region and Rockies. Don't cancel those spring break skiing plans just yet.

It will be in the 20s and 30s across the northeast on Friday. Out west in the lower elevations, there will be rain and temperatures in the 40s. Southern plains, southwest and southeast will be in the 50s, 60s and 70s with sunshine.

Houston on Friday will be noticeably milder but still very comfortable with lows in the 50s and highs in the 70s. Humidity will be higher. Next front won't arrive until Wednesday. A sprinkle or two is possible each day with the most likely time for rain being on Wednesday.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do delightful or muy agradable, pronounced muee ah-grah-dah-BLAY. I think today's weather was muy agradable.

When I was a little girl and my mom had her 5th and 6th children toddling around, we had a Spanish speaking maid--especially since there were some health problems for a while. My little sister and brother often used Spanish instead of English. It was just so cute. Their little minds had no problem handling both languages and research shows that their minds are stimulated and even develop better when exposed to more than one language. Let your kids enjoy a similar experience--order our award-winning DVD, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco from our web site 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
Getting ready for the Pancakes and Pajamas event this Saturday from 9 am to 2 pm. Will have some goodies for the kids (and parents please don't be mad at me). I also got some fun balloons to decorate. Frank and Paco are both so excited. By the way, you can talk to Frank the Horse on Facebook. Yep! He has his own Facebook account. Just go to facebook.com and look for Frank the Horse.

Finally, tonight, I frequently talk about Sarah. But I just want you all to know that I am just as proud of Megan. Megan is working very hard right to become a veterinary assistant. We watch a lot of animal planet and enjoy sharing animal information. I just want to give her a big pat on the back. If all goes well, she will get her certification in August. You go girl!

Happy Friday everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

A Taste of Spring/Where Frank and Paco are Having Breakfast Saturday

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
There may be 6 more weeks of winter, but the next few days will be more like a taste of spring with much of the country enjoying milder temperatures. There will be some spotty snow Thursday from the Great Lakes to Norfolk, Virginia. Look for rain along the west coast. Coldest temperatures will be in the northeast and around the Great Lakes with highs in the teens and 20s.

Houston will be sunny and delightful...starting at about 40 and ending up close to 70. Temperatures will warm slightly each day into the weekend with some clouds and higher humidity starting on Friday.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do pancake or panqueque, pronounced pahn-K-K. If you want some fun and yummy panqueques, don't miss the Junior Service League's pajamas and pancakes event this Saturday 2/7.

And Frank and Paco will be there Saturday, talking to all the girls and boys. DVDs will be on sale with half the proceeds benefitting the event.

If you can't make it Saturday, you can always order our award-winning DVD, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco from our web site 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
Yes indeed, Frank and Paco are very excited about Saturday's Pajamas and Pancakes. Here is some of the information.

Jump out of bed and join us February 7, 2009 from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm for the second annual Pancakes & Pajamas Children's Festival, presented by Fort Bend Junior Service League and Richmond Bone and Joint Clinic. We are excited to announce that The Honor Roll School at 4111 Sweetwater Blvd in Sugar Land, has once again graciously offered their campus for the event.
This year's theme is Pancakes & Pajamas - Clowning Around. The fun-filled day will include a tasty pancake breakfast, make-and-take craft activities, fun and physical activities, concession stands, raffle, book fair, author appearances, contests, door prizes, vendors, and more. Children are encouraged to attend in their best bed-time attire!

This year's event will benefit Fort Bend Community Partners Rainbow Room. The Rainbow Room helps Fort Bend County children and families in crisis by assisting the efforts of Child Protective Services (CPS) caseworkers. The Rainbow Room is available to CPS caseworkers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and is stocked with emergency and transitional supplies such as diapers, snacks, school supplies, clothing, toys and other necessary items. For more information on the Rainbow Room, please visit their website at www.fbrr.org.

Event tickets will go on sale December 1, 2008 through FBJSL members and at area merchants, including Grow With Me Toys in Sugar Land. Ticket prices are $15 for an all-inclusive pass, including pancake breakfast and participation in all games and activities. Children 2 and under are free.

For more information, go to: http://www.fbjsl.com/content/fundraisers/pancakes.php

Have a terrific Thursday everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman