Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Did You Know the Difference Between College Guys and Girls?

Did you know the difference between college guys and girls ?

While I am sure there are many, the first one we have experienced is the amount of information that gets back home! That is no real surprise though to us parents of boys. We heard at church about one of the female college freshman calling back and talking to her mom an hour each day. We are lucky to get a text of a sentence or two each day-and thankful for it too! Another mom of a boy also confirmed her son doing the same thing, so we decided it's gotta be a guy thing. One thing we did decide is that we think it was a very good thing to have let our sons travel overseas unaccompanied last summer. Good for them and for us too. We just wish that we could get some of the details like we were blessed with last summer from our sons' host!

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Did You Know About Oyster Shell Recycling?

Did you know about oyster shell recycling?

I was not aware of this type of recycling much less that it is being successfully carried out in our local area. An area seafood restaurant is recycling oyster shells  allowing them to be carried off to a site where the shells are cured and bleached by the sun. This takes about six months, then the shells are reused in Galveston Bay. These oyster shells provide a substrate for oyster larvae to settle and begin growth. This recycling program is helping to restore oysters which were mined until the 1930s and also devastated by Hurricane Ike. It is said that each oyster filters up to fifty gallons of water per day which helps with water quality and clarity. Oyster reefs also provide fish habitats and act as a natural buffer to slow wave action and erosion. This program is ongoing with the help of the local restaurant, community based oyster gardening and groups of young people from environmental school programs.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Did You Know About Care Credit?

Did you know about Care Credit?

This is  helpful tool for those of us without insurance. Basically, it is a health care loan which is interest free if paid in full within the allotted time frame. We have used care credit to pay off dental bills over the years. You can get the details and apply for Care Credit online.

Did you know that athletes are sometimes banned from listening to music?

Did you know that athletes are sometimes banned from listening to music? At some track and field meets, it is no longer acceptable for a runner to listen to music as he or she warms up.  The reason for this is that music can pump up or motivate people, and that is apparently considered an "unfair advantage" in today's sports world.  I agree that music is a great motivator, but an unfair advantage, I'm not so sure.  Perhaps it would be legal if they played music over the speakers so that all the runners were on the same page.  Whatever the case, I sure hope that my music privileges are never revoked.  I like to jam everywhere I go.  My favorite headphones are the sound canceling type that go over your head, but those aren't a very easy option for people who are working out.  So if you as an athlete are looking for a music source, check out this site that will let you buy in ear headphones so that you can work out and jam too.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Did You Know My Son and I Sound a Lot Alike?

Did you know my son and I sound a lot alike?

At least in our writing. Which accounts for a lot of these redundant sounding sponsored posts. I don't know if it's heredity or teaching or both. But our writing style seems to be pretty close. It was funny to me the last time I read a blog post of his...it could have been one of mine!

Did you know that colleges love to slap you with many underlying, miscellaneous payments?

Did you know that colleges love to slap you with many underlying, miscellaneous payments? It seems like everywhere you turn there is some new bill that has to be paid for something. Textbooks, meal plans, and even freshman orientation will all surely end up costing you more than you had bargained for.  And you can't even attend college without health insurance or immunization shots.  All of these add up to become quite a hefty bill, and without some assistance along the way, there's no way you'll make it.  The good news is, there is a way to save money on each and every expense college throws at you.  Right now, we have been struggling with insuring our college student.  But just recently I saw an ad for term life insurance rates.  Might be something worth looking into.