Travel Weather/New Year's Resolutions/Determined Football Fans

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
Winter Weather will be isolated to New England, the Great Lakes States, the northern Rockies and Intermountain Region and Sierra Nevada on Friday. The cold spot will be North Dakota with many locations not making it out of the single digits. Look for some showers from Washington down to Atlanta. Highs across the southern states will be in the 70s and low 80s.

Houston will be partly cloudy and mild on Friday with highs in the 70s. Look for thunderstorms on Saturday, possibly Sunday and some on Monday. It will turn cooler late Sunday as a cold front moves through.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do New Year's Resolutions or buenos propósitos de Año Nuevo, pronounced bweh-NOSE pro-POH-see-tohs day Ah-NYO new-a-VOH. Today is the day to make and begin your buenos propósitos de Año Nuevo. Be sure to vote in our resolutions poll at right!

Here's a great resolution...resolve to help your youngsters learn another language while it is so easy for them. Research shows that the brains of children are inherently ready to learn language. In fact brain imaging of multiple language learning youngsters shows that the mass of the brain in the language learning area is more dense/developed than that of non-language learners. One great tool for this is our DVD for children, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco, winner of two prestigious educational awards. So, order it now--from our web site www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, www.dololanguages.com, www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com, www.amazon.com, 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
My dear mother-in-law had mercy on us non-football watching girls while all the other folks were beginning the football watching marathon (with the 10 am Iowa game). She gave us the keys to her car and sent us shopping. Business was steady at Kohl's and Walmart. You almost wouldn't know it was a "holiday". Thanks Mom P (oka Grandma Peek).

Speaking of football, my sister-in-law and her family had quite a saga yesterday heading to the Iowa game in Tampa. From Kansas City (where they had driven from Omaha) US Airways could get them to Charlotte (their hub), but the plane to Tampa was down for maintenance. After much figuring and worrying, they decided to go on to Charlotte. Then, they hitched a flight to Jacksonville, FL, landing at 1 am. They rented a car and drove to Tampa, arriving at 5 am. Early this morning, these die-hard Iowa fans were tailgating and then it was on to the game where Iowa beat South Carolina 31 to 10. Needless to say, their sheer determination made the win all that sweeter.

Happy New Year and safe travels everyone!

Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Travel Weather/Meteor Shower

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
Snow will continue to be a problem across the northern Rockies and the Great Lakes and New England on Thursday (New Year's Day). The coldest spot will be northern Maine with highs in the single digits. The northern plains will be in the teens. Highs will be in the 60s and 70s across the southern tier of states.

Meanwhile, Houston will start in the 40s and end in the 60s. A few showers are possible. Friday will be warmer with highs in the 70s. Look for thunderstorms on Saturday.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
As 2008 ends, we are reminded that time keeps going by. So, let's do time or tiempo, pronounced tee-EHM-poh. It is tiempo for a new year--2009.

It's a new year and the perfect time to resolve to learn languages and to help your children learn languages--then they will enjoy improvements in memory, higher scores on standardized math and science tests, accurate pronunciation, and enhanced cognitive development. A great way is with our DVD for children, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco, winner of two prestigious educational awards. So, order it now--from our web site www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, www.dololanguages.com, www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com, www.amazon.com, 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
With a new moon approaching, the timing could not be better for a special meteor shower on Saturday morning, January 3rd. The view will be especially good for folks in western North America where observers could see as many as 1 to 2 meteors per minute in the predawn sky. This is the expected peak of the Quadrantids.

Nothing like looking forward to another spectacular display in the sky after New Year's Eve fireworks. Happy New Year everyone!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Travel Weather/2009 Hurricane Season Forecast/Brett Favre

HURRICANES AND WEATHER

The Weather Research Center has published its forecast for the 2009 hurricane season. They are calling for a 40% chance of a tropical storm or hurricane hitting Texas. The average chance is 51%. So, the odds are in our favor against getting hit next season. Remember that doesn't guarantee there won't be a strike and any strike can be very serious. The Louisiana/Mississippi/Alabama coast has the highest chance - 70%--average chance is 59%. Here is the link to the article:
http://www.wxresearch.org/press/2009huroutlook.pdf

Trouble spots tonight are around the Great Lakes states, especially Michigan, New York and much of New England and the northern Rockies/Intermountain Region. These will also be the worst areas for winter travel on Wednesday. Be sure to check with your airline especially for flights to Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, New York City and Boston.

The cold spot will be the northern plains with highs in the single digits.

Houston will be very comfortable with lows in the 40s and highs near 60 on Wednesday. It will be a bit cooler on Thursday with more cloud cover. Also, look for some showers on Thursday.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Let's do new year or año nuevo, pronounced AHN-yo new-A-voh. It's almost time for the año nuevo.

We are doing a new poll about resolutions for the New Year. If you are resolving to make more money, you might want to know that research shows that people who know more than one language (on average) make more money. So, make your New Year's resolution one of helping your children or grandchildren or other loved ones, learn Spanish. A great way is with our DVD for children, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco, winner of two prestigious educational awards. So, order it now--from our web site www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, www.dololanguages.com, www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com, www.amazon.com, 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
Does anyone know why Brett Favre's name is pronounced Farv? I know they joked about it in the movie, Something About Mary. But they didn't answer it. I'm sorry but no matter how I look at that name, I just can't reconcile the way it is pronounced. Did someone in the media mispronounce it early on and then Brett just gave up and let it go? I wouldn't even be asking this question except there is a lot of football watching up here in Iowa. And we watched the game with Brett Favre yesterday.

Happy bowl game watching!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Travel Weather/Important Tire Safety Information/Poll Results/New Poll

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
A new mass of cold air is pushing southward. Highs on Tuesday will be in the low single digits over the northern plains. There will be snow over the northern Rockies and northern Intermountain region and some snow/rain/ice in Chicago on Tuesday.

Houston will enjoy another cool morning and mild afternoon. Next front arrives Thursday with storms.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
Since most of us eat a lot over the holidays, let's do to eat or comer, pronounced coh-MARE.

Make your New Year's resolution one of helping your children or grandchildren or other loved ones, learn Spanish. A great way is with our DVD for children, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco, winner of two prestigious educational awards. So, order it now--from our web site www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, www.dololanguages.com, www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com, www.amazon.com, 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 latest poll (How do you think 2009 will compare to 2008?) is closed. 66% said they think it will be better and 33% said they think it will be worse...no one thought it would be the same.

Our new poll is about resolutions for the new year...note you can select more than one answer.

My friend Tom Ryan, formerly of the Texas Dept. of Public Safety, sent me a link to a very important safety story about tires (from ABC's 20/20). If you don't want to watch the whole 9 minutes, go to the last 3 and you will learn about a code on the tire which tells you when the tire was made. A British safety council says you should not sell a tire that is 6 or more years old because the tread can fail. Look for numbers at the end of all the other information printed on the tire (it might be on the inside). 3202 means the tire was made in the 32nd week of 2002. 239 means the tire was made int he 23rd week of of 1999 and so on. Thanks Tom! Here is the link:
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=4826897

One more news item from Dairy Queen--and I am not being paid for this. They have baby sundaes...you just have to ask for them...just like you can get a kid's cone. That's good to know if your resolution includes eating fewer calories and fat grams.

Have a terrific Tuesday!
Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Weather Change Many Will Like/Most Popular Dairy Queen Item

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
The weather will be calm for most of the country on Monday. The coldest spot will be the northern plains with highs in the teens. The weather will be mild and even warm across the southern plains and the southeast. Look for snow over the northern Rockies and Intermountain Region.

Houston will enjoy a gorgeous Monday with a cool morning and mild afternoon. Next front arrives Tuesday. There will be a few showers as early as Wednesday. Rain is most likely on Thursday.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
One nice things about vacations is that you usually get to sleep more. So today's word is to sleep or dormir, pronounced door-MERE.

One of the most entertaining ways is through our DVD for children, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. winner of two prestigious educational awards. So, order it now--from our web site www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, www.dololanguages.com, www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com, www.amazon.com, 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 forgot to mention something else my niece Lindsay said about what she learned from working at Dairy Queen--the most popular item is Blizzards. I would have thought it would be chocolate dip cones. Now I'm wondering what the favorite Blizzard flavor is...I love the butterfinger type. I remember getting dilly bars as a child. There was no such thing as blizzards then.

Brrrr....at least the weather on Tuesday will be warmer for ice cream eating (at least for many locations in the south).

Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Severe Storm Outbreak/Malts versus Milkshakes

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
A major outbreak of severe weather along and ahead of the cold front pushing into the Ohio Valley and Mississippi Valley. As I write this, a Severe Thunderstorm Watch is in effect for western Tennessee and western Kentucky. There were 3 tornadoes reported (3 in Missouri and 1 in Illinois) and several hail reports and dozens of severe wind reports. 2 people were injured in a Texas fireworks stand that was blown over with them inside.

Sunday that line of storms will continue marching eastward although I don't think it will be as severe. Look for rain and thunder from the northeast to the southeastern states.

Meanwhile on Sunday, there will be cool temperatures but a moderation in the midwest. I know where I am in Iowa, the high should reach the low 40s. Today we were in the 20s all day, after some snow showers very early.

There will also be snow showers in the Intermountain Region including Boise, Idaho and Montana, and Utah. The coldest spots will be the northern plains with highs in the 20s. The warm spot will be Florida with highs in the 80s.

Houston will be much more cool and comfortable on Sunday with highs in the 50s. There could be a sprinkle or two. Then look for sunshine and pleasant weather Monday and Tuesday with lows in the 40s and highs in the 60s. Enjoy!!!

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
The word is fire of fuego, pronounced FWAY-go. There is nothing nicer on a cold day than to sit by a nice warm fuego.

We had a sale of our English teaching video on Amazon!!! But, if you are reading this, you probably have English as your native language or primary language of use. And, I just know you want your young ones to learn Spanish while it is super easy for them to do so. One of the most entertaining ways is through our DVD for children, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. winner of two prestigious educational awards. So, order it now--from our web site www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, www.dololanguages.com, www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com, www.amazon.com, 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
Are one of those people who believe that malts are thickers than milkshakes? Well, I have it on good authority that they are about the same. My niece, Lindsay, is an experienced malt and shake maker, a retired Dairy Queen employee. She said that many customers order malts believing that the difference is that the malts are thicker. She wants everyone to know that the difference is simply that the malts have malt powder added. Now, I don't know how much they add, but I would suppose if you add enough, it could (theoretically) make the malt thicker. What do you think? I'm telling you, this is one of those things that could keep me awake at night.

OOhhh, thinking about shakes is making me cold. My in-laws have a wonderful fireplace and we had a rip-roaring warm, toasty fire today. It is sooooooooooooooo nice to set on the hearth and warm your back. Love it!

Stay warm (or cool depending on your preference).

Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman

Bad Weather--Good for Me

HURRICANES AND WEATHER
Threat of tornadoes early this Saturday morning across Kansas and Missouri. Looks for storms from the Ohio Valley into Texas on Saturday. It will be chilly with some snow in the midwest.
In Houston, another muggy day and then a cold front arrives by late afternoon Saturday. There will be some storms in the afternoon, possibly severe. Then, cooler weather Sunday through Wednesday.

SPANISH WORD OF THE DAY
The word is birthday or cumpleaño, pronounced coom-pleh-ahn-YO. We went to my brother-in-law Dave's 50th cumpleaño celebration.

Here's a good new year's resolution--give your youngsters an edge through language learning. Order our Spanish language DVD for children, Let's Learn Spanish with Frank & Paco. winner of two prestigious educational awards. So, order it now--from our web site www.frankandpaco.com/. You can also order from http://www.venturaes.com/, www.dololanguages.com, www.carlexonline.com,www.thecuriousmindstore.com, www.amazon.com, 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
We're in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Our plane was supposed to go through Chicago but because of ice, Southwest called off the stop there. So, we got to shave off that leg of the trip...nice for us but surely a disappointment for folks wanting to get to Chicago or wanting to leave Chicago to go to Omaha. It was a weird flight...only 10 passengers...we hung out with one of the flight attendants, just visiting and passing the time. I've never been on a flight with so few people. Kind of nice--we had all the crackers we could ever want. Ha! Ha!

Happy and safe travels everyone!

Cecilia Sinclair
Wonder Weather Woman