Denver hopes to get another win against the Chargers this week
The Denver Broncos will take on the San Diego Chargers this Sunday at 4:25 PM ET. The game will be a rematch of their earlier season match up that saw the Broncos come back after a huge halftime deficit to get the win in San Diego. This game will be at Denver’s Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Broncos and Chargers currently are teams going in two different directions. Denver has shown that they can be the best team in the AFC, while the Chargers have been on a serious losing streak. This game will be a must win for the Chargers while the Broncos have an opportunity to really distance themselves in the division.
Last week, the Broncos were able to get a big 36-14 win against the Panthers in Carolina. The Broncos went to 6-3 with that win and can take a strong hold on the division by beating the Chargers again this week. Their last performance saw Peyton Manning tear off 20 plus points in the second half on the road to give his team the victory. Since that team, Denver has been rolling. They have showed they have got a great Offense and a very formidable defense. They even were able to record a special team’s touchdown last week in Carolina.
San Diego, on the other hand, has been on a huge skid since that time. Their latest loss was a 34-24 loss to Tampa Bay last week. That loss saw their coach get involved with a good post game rant that showed the frustration of the entire team. More evident, I believe, is the fact that Norv Turner’s behavior was due to the fact that he knows his time in San Diego may be numbered. Certainly, a win by Denver Sunday could send Turner to the unemployment line.
Share your freaking chairs
I love that my daughter loves to swim, and I don’t mind taking her to the rec center so she can play with other kids, splash around and swim to her heart’s content. What I do mind is that every other chair—and I am not exaggerating here—is taken by towels and purses as moms sit down and read their Kindles or text on their phones while their kids play.
Look, ladies, I get that you don’t want to get your precious towels wet. Guess what? That’s why we have locker rooms! And said rooms rarely have many, if any, lockers used. You could also, you know, sit on your towel. Then your butt will totally give it that warm, fresh out of the dryer feel and you can pretend that you’re thoughtful for creating a warm towel for your kids to use when they’re done in the pool.
The thing is, I don’t want to sit on the wet concrete, and I’m pretty sure that me not getting splashed and wet is more important than your stupid beach bag or Toys towel getting wet. It’s sort of hilarious how people complain about fat people taking up two seats on a plane when “normal” looking people always take up two seats wherever you go with all of their junk. The average American seems like this thing, only all of the junk gets its own seat, too.
The truth is that I’m too shy to do it, but I have friends who would march right up and demand, “Hey, is someone sitting here?” and probably get a seat. I’m always afraid the person’s going to just ignore me or say, “Yep, seat’s taken,” and leave me even more mortified than I am standing up against the wall or sitting on the wet concrete. So I just do one of those two things instead of asking for a seat, setting confidence and self-esteem movements back 100 years.
Maybe next time I’ll ask for a seat. Maybe we’ll just go during a time of day when there aren’t many swimmers—we do that pretty often anyway. Either way, I think there should be some kind of rule where your stuff has to be in a locker, hanging on a hook, or under/in your own seat and not taking up another one for someone else. In fact, I may just write the rec center myself and ask for such a thing…
Patriots will host Colts on Sunday at 4:25 PM
The New England Patriots will take on the Indianapolis Colts this Sunday in what should be a renewal to one of the newer rivalries in the NFL in recent years. Tom Brady and Peyton Manning made some memorable games for these teams and made this game the exciting event it now is. On Sunday, however, the Colts will have a new signal caller at the helm with their new rookie quarterback Andrew Luck. Luck will attempt to get the Colts off to a good start under his direction, which is something Peyton struggled with at time.
Although Manning put together great games against the Patriots, he was rarely able to beat the team and lost a high percentage of their matchups. Luck will get his first crack at 4:25 PM ET at Gillette Stadium. The win would be huge for both teams who currently both stand at 6-3 this season. New England is in first place in their division while the Colts are in second behind Houston. The win would still be huge for Indy who is at the top of the wildcard standings.
These two teams have provided some similar things besides their records this year as well. The teams are both efficient offensively and get nearly 400 yards a game. The Patriots, for example, get 430 yards plus each game. The Patriots do get more offensively though averaging 33 points a game to just 20 by the Colts. Oddly enough, both teams give up the same average of points defensively at 22.3 points a game. Although statistically the Patriots have the edge, they must watch out for a much underrated Colts team.
Make 2013 your best year yet!
During the night of my birthday, I usually celebrate the tradition of getting a brand new planner for the New Year, filling it out, and generally enjoying the meditative time spent planning. I know, it’s weird, but it’s my thing.
This year, I bought a 2013 Planner Pad for Mother’s Day, so you can bet I’ve been filling that baby out all year long! I suppose that sounds even more weird, but you have to understand that I homeschool, I take classes, teach classes in co-op, work, have book releases to track—so it’s functional as well as fun. I plan book lists for themes, when to get cards and gifts for people, group play dates, class schedules, and more—as well as general fun things, like holiday advents.
So on my birthday this year, I planned two things to make it the best year yet:
- Daily physical activity
- Monthly themes
This might sound simple, but there are some specifics to consider. I always plan daily physical activity, but no matter what I call it—exercise, workout, etc.—it always sounds like such a chore and I dread it. So for 2013, I named each month’s movement something new, such as moxie, gumption, and fettle. I know they don’t make actual sense; I don’t care! The point is that these words get me excited, and I’m cultivating them by moving my body.
For the monthly themes, I am doing something every day. For example, in January, I’m striving to be positive every day, while in February I’m doing one selfless act every day. I’ll also be facing a fear daily, taking a photo daily, making something new every day, and more throughout the year. Don’t worry; I scheduled two months off because I anticipate burnout, too!
What I love about these things are that they are scheduled for me alone, not my family—so it feeds my need for daily stuff to check off without making us have to be somewhere every day. This year, I think I overscheduled us just a bit—there are just so many cool free things going on!—so next year I’m planning on actively loosening up the calendar a bit for them while keeping my hobby going for myself.
What kinds of things have you always wanted to do? What things do you want to try, fears do you want to face? Try mapping out your 2013 ideas sometime this weekend and see how it makes you feel.
Steelers will play without their QB this week against Ravens
The Pittsburgh Steelers will be without quarterback Ben Roethlisberger this Sunday night against the Baltimore Ravens after a freak injury he got from last Monday night’s game in Pittsburgh. The Steelers barely squeaked by the Kansas City Chiefs in that game in overtime, but were able to limp away with a three-point win. The Steelers Roethlisberger suffered an injured shoulder and rib injury that could be potentially lethal if he played this Sunday night. The game should still be exciting, but will not be the same without Ben.
Roethlisberger went down against the Chiefs after a hard sack in which Big Ben fell awkwardly on the ball and his shoulder. The injury actually made it so that a rib of Roethlisberger was pressing on his Aorta. This injury is very rare, and could cause him to miss up to 6 games. This could not come at a worse time, as the Steelers have been playing good ball and have a 6-3 record. It also could not be any worse timing as they are set to play the AFC North leading Baltimore Ravens who are 7-2.
Pittsburgh has shown an ability to win without Ben in the past, however, and Coach Mike Tomlin has a real can do/next man up attitude. It is not just an attitude though and you can tell it is something he truly believes in. The confidence he gives his players is amazing, but they will need a great team effort come Sunday. One thing that certainly will be on their side will be the hometown crowd at Heinz Field.
Monday Night game should be a great NFC matchup
The 7-2 Chicago Bears will take on the 6-2-1 San Francisco 49ers this Monday night at Candlestick Park. The game will be a great NFC matchup that pits two very similar teams that play very similar football. The Bears and 9ers both have 2 of the best defenses in football. They run the ball well and show an ability to move the ball by air as well. This game, they share another similarity that they probably wish they did not however.
That similarity involves the fact that their two franchise quarterbacks, Jay Cutler and Alex Smith, both suffered concussions in their team’s last game. Last week Cutler went down on an illegal hit by the Houston Texans. The Texans would go on to win the game 13-6, which probably had a lot to do with the loss of Cutler. The player who hit Cutler was fined $30000 this week. It is yet to be determined if Cutler will start the game Monday.
Alex Smith also took a hard, but legal, hit last week against the Rams. While running the ball he got turned around and was hit hard up top by Ram’s defenders. The 49ers would end up ending that game in San Francisco with a tie. Alex Smith would have probably given the team enough to get the victory however. Smith was cleared for practice this week, and should definitely see action Sunday. I feel both QBs will play and Monday Night Football will see one of it’s better games of this year in San Fran, which could be a preview of things to come in the playoffs for these two teams.
Action alerts: Business, money and government
The election may be over, but we still have so much work to do. Check out the progressive actions below and take action on the ones that you feel strongly about.
Support American workers
Did you know that by the end of the first quarter of 2013, nearly a million workers will run out of unemployment benefits—and that more than five million will not be able to receive benefits next year if we don’t take action now? My husband was laid off last year and I can vouch for how important those benefits are while you’re looking for jobs and recovering from a layoff—and I fully support anything we can do to support these workers. Click here to join me in asking that we do what we need to do to get these benefits to American workers.
Protect services for Americans
While we focus on protecting workers who have lost their jobs, we need to continue supporting all of the services our country offers to help protect our brothers and sisters. From Medicare to Medicaid, Social Security to various state programs, many integral services face cuts by our new leaders. Click here to ask that these programs not be cut and that job creation be focused on by our new leaders. You can send a similar letter again for greater impact here.
Stand with Walmart workers
Walmart workers will be walking out during Black Friday until their basic working conditions are improved. These workers are striking for the first time in 50 years and we can support them in obtaining above-poverty wages by refusing to shop at Walmart until they are provided a living wage they can live on. Click here to ask the Walmart Board to meet with workers and come to a fair agreement!
While you’re doing that, you might want to ask that Walmart close its doors on Thanksgiving Day so workers can spend that time with their families. More and more families are separating on holidays due to the demands of the workplace—and they are denied the right to ask off for these important family occasions, with their jobs on the line if they do not show up. Some just don’t receive holiday pay, while others face suspension or worse for simply wanting to spend a holiday with family and friends. Click here if you think that everyone should get to spend their holidays with family.
Get Elizabeth Warren on Wall Street’s butt!
When I first saw Elizabeth Warren on Real Time with Bill Maher, I fell in love with her instantly. Finally, someone in power who truly believed in limiting the powers of corporations! Someone who wanted to treat people like people and corporations like things, not like entities with rights guaranteed in the constitution! I wanted her to be president immediately.
Now Elizabeth Warren is in the senate and poised to create some sweeping changes to the system—if we let her. She’s already being attacked by Wall Street backers and lobbyists, as well as politicians who work for both. Their big plan is to keep her off the Senate Banking Committee where she is sure to enact the most change. If we need anything right now, it’s someone to put these white collar criminals in their place and to stand up for the citizens over the corporations—and that person is one Elizabeth Warren!
Click here to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to ensure that Warren is placed on the committee where her skills and passion will allow her to serve us best. Let our new champion wield her sword where it is needed most and lead us into creating a better nation where people are put before profits!
Start making those toys!
This year I am searching for some simple yet fun things to make for my daughter for Christmas. She’s seven, so she may not believe in Santa for much longer; her requests are also getting bigger and pricier. Last year we were able to do Christmas for just forty bucks; this year, one toy on her wish list costs that much!
Though we’ve already had the talk—again—about how Santa doesn’t bring everything on your list, and to make sure to ask for a couple of special things so he can choose something you’ll really love, I want to get back into the habit of making her wonderful, memorable presents for holidays. Her father and I made her a homemade tent, complete with gnome and forest creature embellishments out of felt, and she absolutely loved it.
Right now, the one thing I know I want to make her is this adorable set of owl puppets I found on Pinterest (I don’t have an account, but I still browse every now and then!). She has loved owls since she was little, even before the big “owl boom” of late, and I know this set of puppets will not only be easy to make, but something that she will love. Thanks, Pinterest!
Take action: Women’s freedoms, safe food and family issues
Even though many champions of family issues were elected during this election, we still have plenty of people in Congress who don’t care if women die from pregnancy, who didn’t get the memo that America is largely pro-choice and, at the very least, pro-birth control. We have to keep the pressure on! Click below to help out.
Help service women protect their freedom of choice
Whether you are a woman in the service, a wife of a serviceman, or a daughter or other dependent of a person in the military, your insurance does not cover abortion care—not even if a pregnancy was caused by rape, which has an incredibly high rate in the military to begin with. This is outrageous; we owe our women who serve better than that. Click here to defend their freedom of choice. Double your impact by clicking here and taking action again with the Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health.
Take dyes out of fruit snacks
My kid loves fruit snacks. She briefly went to preschool and was introduced to them there, and I’m always looking for some healthy varieties for her to eat. Unfortunately, U.S. fruit snacks are typically leaden with artificial dyes and flavors, which may be linked to childhood disorders and even cancer! Click here to ask Kellogg’s to remove these unnecessary ingredients from children’s snacks.
Let’s drop our preemie rate!
Did you know that the United States ranks 131st in the world in premature births? Why on earth is this, especially when our leaders insist we have the best medical care in the world? Click here to find out more and share the 2012 premature birth report with everyone you know.
Stop the attacks on Planned Parenthood
Even though our recent election should have proved that Americans actually give a damn about women, their rights, their bodies, and their health, politicians continue to attempt to do whatever they can to prove they couldn’t care less—including their attempts to defund Planned Parenthood. Ohio lawmakers are trying to do just that right now, as well as pass other radical legislation including outlawing abortion in early weeks of pregnancy before women could even know they are pregnant—without any exceptions for rape victims. Click here to demand that this attack be stopped.
Paul Ryan is also already poised to cut federal funding for cancer screenings and birth control from families, as well as prenatal care—proving that he’s a hypocrite as well as heartless. Click here to tell Congress to fight Ryan and not allow these cuts to go through.