We’ve been speaking with educators about the current state of the education system due to the COVID 19 pandemic.

Most recent On Saturday, April 11, after consulting with public health experts and educators about the ongoing trajectory of the virus, and the potential for continued disruption for the remainder of the year. Mayor de Blasio and Chancellor Carranza announced that New York City public school buildings will not reopen during the 2019-20 school year. Teachers and students will finish the school year in remote learning. 

Lisa Alexander Dunnigan began her career as a seventh-grade teacher, at Carrollton Junior High School, in Carrollton, GA. She went on to hold positions of increasing responsibility, at Douglas County Schools in Douglas, GA, including School Counselor, Assistant Principal, and Principal. In 2012, due to the multiple instructional gains made by her staff and students during her tenure, Lisa became the Title I Executive Director for the Douglas County School System. She recently retired and will work on The Wright Stuff Chics, Teach Your Heart Out and her family nonprofit, The Pink Santa Hat Movement, Inc.

A child’s education begins at home, but parental involvement doesn’t end when that child steps through the school door.

Studies show that children not only do better in school when their parents are involved, they also tend to go further in the education system.

To help you stay connected while your child is in class, many school systems are using a high-speed notification and response service called the Immediate Response Information System, or IRIS.

Developed by TechRadium Inc., IRIS sends routine, priority and emergency messages electronically from school to parents, guardians and emergency responders. These messages – which range from informing you of your child’s attendance record and grades to alerting you of early school closures due to inclement weather – are sent to home and cell phones, e-mail accounts, pagers, fax machines, and PDAs.

Though better communication between school and home is one-way parents can become more involved, the following tips offer further ways parents can participate in their children’s education:

* Talk regularly. Whether it’s at dinner or during the drive home from school, ask your child questions about the school day and about homework assignments.

* Help your child practice good study habits. Create a quiet, clutter-free study space. If homework help is needed, assist with the work but don’t do it for your child.

* Get suggestions from teachers. If your child is having trouble in a subject or is displaying behavioral problems, arrange a meeting with your child’s teacher to discuss the matter and possible solutions.

* Attend meetings. You can learn about new and pending school policies at school board meetings. PTA meetings also can provide aid and support for parents.

To learn more:

The three of us: me and the dog and the spouse,

While  coping with being confined to the house,

Caught a glimpse of a flitter,

A wee and grey critter,

What Burns called a ‘”beastie” and we call a MOUSE!

With the state of the world right now due to the COVID19 pandemic. Self-care and mental awareness is very important. As parents, it’s equally important to make sure we are on top of our game in order to effectively help our children get through this.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Elizabeth Gerald, Founder of the Marcie Jonea Gerald Movement. Elizabeth’s daughter; Marcie Jonea Gerald, Marcie was a happy, outgoing, beautiful teenage girl. She was an honor roll student, she took dance and modeling classes. She had dreams of one day attending Harvard Law School. 

The trajectory of Marcie’s life changed on January 4th, 2014 when Marcie was beaten and sexually assaulted by a convicted sex offender. At that moment, a young fragile life was shattered and her innocence was taken. She became severely depressed and began to have panic attacks, she would often scrub herself until she was raw. She attempted suicide two times before with the third time resulting in her demise in 2015.

Pictured: Young Marcie Jonea Gerald

Since her daughter’s untimely passing, Elizabeth has dedicated her life to raising awareness as well as she as a strong advocate for all parents.

We spoke in detail with Elizabeth Gerald about how to minimize stress as a parent during these trying times.

Even if children are a great treasure for the family, they tend to be the source of parental stress. We want them turning into human beings just like we are, but this doesnít happen suddenly, although itís a long life and time-consuming process.

Being parents we have to worry about numerous facts that tend to create a lot of parental stress. We add more stress to our daily life as our children are growing up, learn new things and tend to live their lives their way… We want to see.

Being a parent is not easy, but it is a great challenge. After all, we are responsible for helping, raising and educating our children from the stage of a baby into the stage of adulthood. Although they move on into adulthood, we never stop being parents and always want to make sure that they are doing well. As a paradox, we need to learn how to be less of a parent, to reduce parental stress!

As good parents, we want to protect them from the world, but the world will show up and then we need to transfer control, in other words, to let them learn to deal with the world, and even more, to let them learn from their own mistakes. Of course, this will make parental stress worse for a while, but in the long run, it will be better for them to learn this way. However, this does not mean that we should not keep an eye on our children, but also we must allow them to be imperfect and they will learn to find their way.
Helpful Resources for Reducing Parental Stress

We must keep our stress under control, even if our children may become rebellious for a while (especially during the teenage years) and they will probably try to act in a way that may shock us.

Keep in mind the following things and you may be able to keep your parental stress to a minimum:

– Teenagers are not perfect, neither are adults

– Teenagers are always eager to go their way

– Try to figure out what is going on in their heads

– Do not forget that we were their age once…

When the parental stress gets to be too much, we have a lot of helpful resources, such as support groups, books, and websites that want to help us through our child-raising stress.

By managing our parental stress, we allow our children to grow up and keep our emotions under control. So, rather than allowing parental stress to take over our life, we better keep an eye on our children, making sure that they are doing well and enjoying their life together within the family.

Conventional and Unconventional Stress-Relievers

You may hear about all kind of popular stress management techniques, but I will show you here some original and creative stress relievers that keep myself and my family feel more relaxed and enjoy our life.

Playing With Kids: Have fun, play and interact with your kids! If you have small children, do not just supervise them, better really play with them! This can be a great diversion from your stress, and the children will love it, too. Walk and talk with your older children, shop and talk with your teens and the parental stress is gone!

Maintain a Clean and Organized Living Space: Cleaning your house and getting organized at home it is a very important task. A beautifully decorated, comforting environment in your home can be a safe haven where you can escape from daily stress.

Gardening: Digging, planting, fertilizing and tending a garden of vegetables or flowers, can be a wonderfully relaxing time, with the reward of delicious organic food, or a gorgeous yard as well! The physical activity of planting can be a great stress release, while sunshine is a great source of vitamin D.

Singing, Loudly: We have seven musicians in our home, so we can tell you for sure that loud vocalization releases tension from your body. A great way to start the day is by singing in the shower and the car.

Put on Some Music: Listening to good music as you get ready and start your day will create positive energy and a soothing sense of peace. Music can compliment other healthy habits, as your morning walk, or your journaling.

Stretch in the Shower: The hot water will loosen up your muscles, but the act of stretching will help you to release stored tension and enable you to start the day feeling more relaxed and ready to handle your everyday jobs and problems.

Eat a Balanced Breakfast: You may start the day by drinking coffee, but do not skip the breakfast, known as ëthe most important meal of the dayí! A healthy meal in the morning, plenty of protein and fruit, can balance your blood sugar levels and give you the sustenance you need to handle your daily stress.

Drink Green Tea: You may drink coffee, but green tea is loaded with antioxidants, so it is a delicious and healthy alternative. We drink daily a warm cup of tea and this fact helps us to feel nurtured and to prepare for the day ahead.

Organize Your Time: Keep a schedule, learn to say no to urgent and excessive demands on your time, and you will have more time to do the important things in your life. You will have more time to do things that you enjoy in life, and raising children is one of the most important things. Believe me, what I write here is not just theory! I have nine children and I know what I am talking about.

Write in Your Journal: Journaling or blogging (if you use a computer) has many health and stress management benefits, and can help you keep focused on important issues of your life, process negative emotions, and solve your stress problems.

Morning Walk: A morning walk with or without your kids can get you ready for the day, lower your stress level, help you sleep better at night, and reduce your risk of many health conditions. And if you bring a dog with you, as my wife and I do, you will enjoy your walk!

Cultivate a Supportive Social Group: Having school-age children you can find a helpful social group within the school, with people to talk to in times of crisis. Commit to meet more people, develop better relationships for yourself and your kids, and you will find that the reward worth the effort.

Take Care of Your Body: Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospersî (3John1:2). An unhealthy body can cause big stress, so getting enough sleep, exercising regularly, eating a healthy diet and getting massages are all good ways to take care of your body and to decrease stress.

Renew Your Spirit: If you left the church behind other urgent and important activities try to go back to church (online given the current state of the nation). If you never went there, you should try. Nothing to lose, life to gain! Do not be ignorant! I find real-life, entirely free of stress, every Sunday in my church and every Christian church I visit!

Conclusion: As you develop these stress-relieving practices in your daily life, you should experience less parental stress, being able to handle it. This will lead you to a happier and healthier family lifestyle.

Keep up to date with Elizabeth’s movement and support HERE

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Tags:
baby’s first year, elizabeth gerald, Marcia Gerald, Nakita Nicci, parental control, parental control guide, parental stress, parenting styparenting tips, parenting training, personalized baby gifts, stress management, top baby names

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Covid-19 is a global experience that has resulted in millions turning to the television for entertainment, discovering new programs many of us would have never found had this “Stay Home” experience not happened.

Netflix is one of the most popular choices. Whereas the number two rated series Ozark is appealing to the masses to watch evil, the four Gospels produced by Brent Ryan Green is offering the Good News from Jesus in an accessible and very understandable form.  I have read the four Gospels many times, but have never identified the many similarities of the narratives until watching this production.

Whether you are a Christian or not, I highly recommend everyone watch these well-produced recreations of the four Gospel stories. Unlike every other production of the Bible stories that I have seen in my lifetime, Green presents the Gospel stories narrated word-for-word with visual support by recreating the scenes. The characters don’t speak. They just act out the scene.

However that visual support is extremely helpful! We are visual learners. When you watch each of the Gospel stories, you will see, and hear, the consistent story of Jesus life being told by four different writers. That consistency has great impact!  The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke are so similar, the producer was able to use the same footage for most of the stories in each Gospel.

These four Gospel accounts are important and can truly change each viewer’s life for the better. Yet, the series on Netflix that is far more popular, currently the second most-watched production on the streaming service, is Ozark.

In 30 episodes, Ozark presents the story of a greatly challenged family from Naperville. One bad decision by forensic accountant Marty Bryd (Jason Bateman) results in him working with a Mexican drug cartel and the Kansas City mob, while fending off criminal and psychopathic hillbillies in the Ozark region of Missouri, and trying to avoid being arrested by the FBI.  You know, it’s the typical life of an accountant.

If you look on IMDB, the number one rated star in in the world is Julia Garner who plays an Ozark local, living in trailers with her two cousins and two uncles, while her father is off in jail. Julia Garner is an excellent young actress to be sure, portraying a foul-mouthed, violent 20-something with a record.

Her appeal is that her poor upbringing, father and circumstances created her nasty side. When Marty Byrde comes into her life, he gives her the opportunity to show her brains and talent and make a better life for herself. Better may not be accurate, because her managerial duties include running a strip joint and riverboat gambling casino, each of which is laundering drug cartel money. You know, it’s the typical life of a 20-something Ozark local.

The number two rated star on IMDB is Tom Pelphrey who plays Ben Davis, the brother of Marty’s wife, Wendy Byrde (Laura Linney).  Ben Davis is a bipolar substitute teacher and after losing his cool in the classroom, he throws all his students phones into a tree grinder, then beats the hell out of one of the workers who tries to stop him. So he ends up in the Ozarks with his sister and her “normal” American family. That’s where he meets Ruth and becomes her boyfriend, taking him right up to number two on IMDB.

Conversely, Selva Rasalingam plays Jesus in the four Gospel accounts and his IMDB rating is 40,127. The next highest is Mourad Zaoui who plays John the Baptist and comes in at 55,867. Perhaps the fact the Gospel stories were produced in 2014 and 2015 is responsible. But, don’t forget, the first shall come last and the last shall come first.

There is obviously a fascination watching evil. But there is also an opportunity to watch the truly good and actually help improve your life.  I hope you will accept my invitation to watch one, or all four of the Gospels, on Netflix.  Happy Easter!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beKdSB1mPqU

From improv to stand-up, Chicago is where great comedy is born! During these hard times, we have an opportunity to give back to the folks who have uplifted our spirits, inspired and kept us laughing every day of the year through blizzards and heat waves, celebrations and turmoil, and everything in between – this includes performers and all the hardworking people who keep the clubs and theaters going. But now, the majority have lost their income and face catastrophic times. Some venues may be in danger of  closing permanently. Here’s our chance to make a difference and tell them “We won’t let you go away and THANK YOU!” Click on the links below for details about each emergency relief fund. Let me know what I should add and I’ll update!

Thank you to Prateek Srivastava, one of comedy’s best, for helping me compile this list.

The John Fox Memorial Fund This Fund helps Chicago comedians pay for medical costs, rent, groceries and other critical needs. Dr. Bill Miller told me about it here: who John Fox was and why this fund deserves the support of all comedy fans.

Zanies Zanies is one of the world’s great stand-up venues, so it may be surprising to think of  it as a small business – but remarkably, it is. Zanies’ staff is an important part of bringing the best headliners and feature acts to the stage night after night. Now they need our help. Every dollar helps.

Lincoln Lodge  Lincoln Lodge is home to many singular comedy assets, including phenomenal stand-up classes. You do NOT have to wait to sign up! Feminine Comique and Stand Up Seminary are now being offered online via Zoom. What’s the tuition to attend these world-class workshops? A $5 suggested donation which can be waived if it’s hard to pay now.

You can also support the Lincoln Lodge through its GoFundMe page here. The Lincoln Lodge has launched some of today’s greatest comedians, including Cameron Esposito and Kumail Nanjiani.

The Playground Theater  “The Playground Theater is a 501(c)3 non-profit, artist-led theater with its roots in improvisational comedy. Our mission is to provide a home for artists to grow as writers, directors, performers, producers, and people. We are committed to entertaining audiences with successful shows that reflect our core values: diversity, freedom, opportunity, and outreach.”

Riddles Comedy Club  Support this historic South Side comedy club co-owned by nationally touring headliner, television personality and Chicago treasure Damon Williams. A short list of the comedians who performed at Riddles over the past twenty-nine years: “Richard Jeni, Larry Miller, Ellen DeGeneres, Drew Carey, George Lopez, Martin Lawrence, Gabe Kaplan, Louie Anderson, Dom Irrera, Jeff Dunham, Jimmy “JJ” Walker, Tom Dreesen and Paul Rodriguez. Riddles is also home to fresh up and coming local comics in the area!”

iO “…  the most important group work since they built the pyramids.” Bill Murray

“Considered to be the Mecca of improvisation, the iO Theater boasts an Improv Training Center that has helped train and develop the talents of an entire generation of America’s best and brightest comedic entertainers for over 30 years.”

This GoFundMe supports iO’s theater staff.

The Annoyance Theatre  “Anyone who knows the Annoyance Theatre in Chicago knows we’re not afraid of anything. From our alternative shows and original musicals to naked improv and live drag, we imprint our “fuck it” attitude on everything we touch. But right now, we are afraid. We’re not only concerned for the health and safety of our staff, directors, performers & students during the COVID-19 pandemic, but also for the well-being of our audiences & patrons. In response, we have closed our doors indefinitely.  You can help us guarantee that the doors to our theatre will not close forever.”  Follow the link to discover the very unique thing that Annoyance is doing now. (Hint: no one’s getting in, but no one’s getting out, either.)

Second City   “The Second City Night Staff–the servers, hosts, bartenders, food runners, dishwashers, and box office staff–are without the shifts we depend on to cover our bills and rent, feed ourselves, and pay for any medications/resources we need more than ever. At the end of every show, the cast calls our team the “hardest working people in the room. ” We would greatly appreciate your support to get us through this period while we are out of work.” This GoFundMe began with a $25,000 contribution from Second City itself, but still needs more donations. An opportunity to give back to the theater where improv was born and which continues to inspire across the globe.

Follow Second City on social media for announcements about special online shows.

The Laugh Factory  The world famous Laugh Factory is known in Chicago for bringing internationally touring headliners as well as the city’s top talent to its stage along with innovative interactive programming. Please help support the Laugh Factory employees who make it all possible.

Chicago Underground Comedy  “We’re glad you’re staying home and being a cool chill community member. You rule! But you know who it’s bad for? Service industry workers. Like our beloved staff at Beat Kitchen. With Gov. Pritzker closing all bars and restaurants, this is a VERY precarious time economically for industry folk  … if you’d like to support our amazing staff at BK, we’re selling “tickets” for however much you can afford ($5 would be amazing), with ALL PROCEEDS going to our bartender Sam and waitress Betty. We adore them and anything you can give helps a lot! To donate, please PayPal [email protected], or if you don’t have PayPal you can Venmo meredith-kachel (because CHUC doesn’t have a Venmo), and we will pass it along.”

ChUC is one of the cornerstones of Chicago stand-up. People who’ve been on ChUC’s stage: Adam Burke, Cameron Esposito, Paul Thomas, Dan Telfer, Kumail Nanjiani, Beth Stelling, Puterbaugh Sisters, Kyle Kinane, Nick Vatterott and many more.

Comedy Sportz  CSz is one of the few venues in the country that is still open, albeit virtually. CSz has shows streaming online and is even offering Spring Break Camps for Kids. All that information is here. CSz is paying its people for going above and beyond, so please consider contributing at its GoFundMe page.

The Comedy Clubhouse During its twenty-five year history, the Comedy Clubhouse became known for innovative comedy in a warm and personal setting.  But now, without our support, this institution may not be able to continue. The theater is also known for its support of local and national causes, including “the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, Girl Scouts of America, the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, the Hillel Foundation, Esperanza Health Centers, Young Associates Board …

Please consider donating and help us to continue doing the good work we do for our members, audience, and community. Once we get through this complicated time, we have no doubt that fans will crave live events more than ever before – looking to connect with one another and come together through the power of comedy. We can’t wait to host and laugh with you! Thank you!” 

The Hungry Brain The Hungry Brain offers just the kind of sustenance its name implies. During better times, they offer gatherings with comedians, musicians and writers. They care so much about all of  us that right now, even with no revenue, they’re “doing some behind the scenes projects to help make the space even better by the time we re-open.” Let’s show our appreciation with any dollar amount we can!

Stay up to date with Comedians Defying Gravity by typing your email address in the box and clicking the “create subscription” button. My list is completely spam, spam, spam, spam free, and you can opt out at any time.

I’ve been spacing out the beers in the cellar. Trying to get to the hoppy ones while they’re still fresh, and bringing some high-alcohol oldies out of the lower shelves.

Most of the carry-out and virtual beer events have tended to get announced as late as the day of, so please do check back on occasion. I will update as much as I can.

Monday, April 13

Tuesday, April 14

Wednesday, April 15

Thursday, April 16

Happy Easter!

It’s one of the big holidays. Even a guy who doesn’t celebrate it, knows this. We start out headed to the church of your choice to celebrate the return of Jesus…and man could we use him now.

Then it’s time for a big family meal. Brunch sounds good, doesn’t it? Remember how the Barone’s from Everybody Loves Raymond did the big family Easter brunch?

“We should wallowing in a beautiful brunch of waffles and berries. And sausages of both link and patty.”

Sounds delish doesn’t it. Too bad it didn’t happen for the Barone’s that day because Debra and Marie were not talking to each other. It’s also not going to happen for most of this Easter because of social distancing due to the Coronavirus. No waffles. No berries. No sausages of either link or patty. No huge family meal.

The coronavirus has ruined Easter!

But then I heard an ad. It’s from a restaurant chain that you don’t normally associate with Easter. The Olive Garden wants to bring you your family Easter meal.

You can order platters of Lasagna, Chicken Parmigiana or some of their other Italian specialties. The O.G. will even deliver it right to your front door! Plus, if you spend more than forty dollars, the delivery is FREE!!!!

Okay…I know all the bad things that you are saying about Olive Garden. Yeah, I know how it’s average at best Italian food. Yeah, I know your mother makes much better whatever. Yada, yada, yada and so on.

But I’ll admit this…I LIKE THE OLIVE GARDEN! Really! Seriously!

I like the breadsticks and salad. I love their pasta e faguli, especially on a cold winter day. I love their peach bellini ice tea that has a real peach inside the glass. Okay, maybe that peach comes from a can…maybe not…it’s still a peach. But, what I like the most is that my family used to go there on my oldest daughter’s birthday. It’s the memories that I like more than the food and there’s nothing wrong with that. Nothing wrong at all!

And don’t tell anyone, but I’ve done a lot worse for Easter meals than Olive Garden. Yeah, you’re thinking that’s impossible, but one year we went to a buffet restaurant that you wouldn’t usually associate with good dining, much less Easter. Surprisingly, it was awesome. Excellent ham and roast beef and don’t get me started about the bread pudding….all you can eat bread pudding!

So if you can handle the buffet on Easter, why not the Garden?

Now I’m not advocating that you do this and I’m certainly not getting paid as a spokesperson for Olive Garden, although I am willing to offer my services for a fee. I’m just providing you with this important information!

So have a happy Easter. Enjoy your church service and family get together on Zoom. And if you do get Olive Garden for dinner, GET THE PASTA E FAGIOLI. You can dip your breadsticks in it….MMMMMM. It’ll make everything else taste better.

Related Post: Getting your moneys worth at the Olive Garden

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