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

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