I just read about something that I think will put a lot of parents at ease. It's a new application for cell phones that won't allow you to text when you're in a car that is moving 5 mph or more. (Read here.)
The application is called iZup (Get it? Keep your "eyes up!"), and although many adults should probably install this app on their phones, it was really created for teenagers by a mother in Boston who was scared to death about her teenager getting distracted by texting while driving. (You rock, whoever you are!)
Let's face it, teens and driving don't always mix as it is. And when you add text messaging to that formula, well, the combination can be deadly.
My teenager is a few short weeks away from taking the wheel of my car. I plan to download this super-brilliant iZup application to her phone as a sort of "Welcome to the world of driving" gift.
I already gave her the gift of life. So I guess I'll be re-gifting.
Every morning, I roll out of bed like a good little trained mommy and head to the kitchen to make breakfast for my daughters before they rush off to school. Making sure they start the day with a nutritious meal (well, sometimes I make pancakes) is important to me, always has been, ever since they were young enough to nipple-feed.
I usually make their school lunches, too, right after the milk is poured, unless they’re buying that day.
Yep, preparing meals for our children is what good mothers do. But on the way to school today, my teenager shocked me. “Mom,” she announced, “I want to start making my own breakfast. And lunch, too.”
What’s going on here? Lately, she has really been thinking seriously about her future. And I like that. She’s only a junior, but she talks about college all the time and how she can’t wait to be on her own. Out of nowhere, she started getting A+’s. Not just A’s, but grades in the 100+ percentiles. Now, if you knew this text-messaging, iTunes-obsessed, MTV-watching girl like I do, you’d swear that she must be channeling someone else’s spirit. Someone who died at Harvard. Or Princeton.
In the car this morning, she told me that she wants to start doing more things for herself, like making her own breakfast, because she wants to feel more independent. She said she’s going to be leaving soon for college, and she needs to know how to take care of herself.
Isn’t this the moment every parent dreams of, the one that was first hatched somewhere between all the diaper changes and butt-wiping? “Gosh, I can’t wait until this child can take care of herself one day!”
That moment has arrived, folks -- all too soon, I might add. As I turn in for the night, I will happily change the settings on my alarm clock. Since I won't have to get up up bright and early to make breakfast anymore, I'll get to sleep in an extra half hour tomorrow. It will feel like an early Christmas.
But for my teenager, tomorrow will be more like Independence Day.
The dreaded day has come. The driving instructor came knocking on our door this morning at 10:05, and after 15 minutes of instructions at the curb, my first-born daughter accelerated off into the dark unknown. OK, maybe I'm being a little dramatic. It was bright daylight. But for all you parents of teens or soon-to-be teens who think that you have all kinds of time before you have to worry about your children driving, well, you don't.
If you read my blog at all, you know that my teenager driving is my worst nightmare. Something I've been stressing over for the past year or so. Why? Well, it might have something to do with the fact that car accidents are the leading cause of death for kids ages 16-19.
I should relax and trust the process a little more. Driving laws are a lot tougher now. Ever since they enacted the Graduated Driver's License Law in California in 1998, the first state in this country to do so, traffic fatalities in teenagers have been reduced significantly. In the first two years after passage of the law, teen passengers killed and injured in crashes involving 16-year-old drivers decreased by 40 percent in this state.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
I should remember that I was sitting where she was once, A VERY LONG TIME AGO. And look at me . . . I've stayed alive long enough to be able to write neurotic posts about how scary it is for teenagers to be driving. Truth be told, I think my teenager is already a safer, more cautious driver than I was when I was 16. The first day I got my license, I ran a motorcyclist off the road because I didn't know that he had the same rights to the road as cars. I could have SWORN that I read in the driver's manual that motorcyclists were supposed to drive in the bike lane. They ARE bikes, right?
It's been about an hour since my daughter pulled away from the curb. My cell phone hasn't rung and I haven't heard any sirens off in the distance. So far, so good. I feel a little more relaxed, I guess. Writing this post has helped. And I keep hearing what my oldest sister said, "Lynn, you're going to have to let her grow up sometime."
Now I can move on to my next neurotic episode . . . buying more car insurance so she can practice driving with me.
In August, my two daughters and I left Orange County, California, where I lived for 23 years, and moved up to a quiet, small town in Northern California. I wrestled with my consicence countless nights, wondering if I was doing the right thing, whether it was fair to my daughters to uproot them from a place that they called home all their lives, a place where they both had a gaggle of good friends.
I was especially concerned about moving my teenager, who was on the brink of turning 16 and would be a junior in high school. Would she be able to adapt and make new friends?
As we come toward the end of this year, which has been a crazy one, to say the least, I look back and realize that I did the right thing by moving up here with my children. Not only are we surrounded by my extended family, but my teenager told me something the other day that gave me a renewed appreciation for our new home.
She told me that a number of the kids that she hung out with in Orange County, girls who she had known since middle school, are now into drinking and drugs, and a few of them are sleeping around with boys. This was my daughter's pack! Her she-wolves. The girls she spent the night with, met at the mall and sunbathed next to on the beach. Girls who had a tremendous influence on her in her adolescent years.
I have to wonder: Had we stayed down in Southern California, would my teenager be involved in the same "extracurricular" activities? Hard to say. I'd like to think that I infused some morals and ethics into her, that given the choice between doing drugs and not doing them, that she would choose to say, "No, thanks." But peer groups can make a powerful impact on teenagers. I'm really not sure what the outcome would have been.
Yes, teens are pretty much the same everywhere. Drugs, drinking, sex and rude behavior are part of the teen culture no matter where you live. But trust me, the kids up here are A LOT nicer, a little more naiive and way more wholesome. And that's just fine with me. There are plenty of years ahead for her to be tempted by these vices. No need to rush into it. She's only 16, and there's nothing wrong with her holding onto her innocence a little bit longer.
As far as I'm concerned, it wasn't a move we made back in August. It was a rescue.
Has your teenager seen "New Moon" yet? If not, I suggest the two of you go together. My teenager saw it twice this past weekend. She went to the midnight premiere Thursday night (I mean, Friday morning!) I wasn't real happy about that, as she kind of blindsided me.
A month ago, she asked me if she could go to the midnight showing on Friday. I thought, "Sounds stupid to stay up that late for a movie she'll be able to see at an afternoon matinee anytime for the next two months. But sure, why not? Might be a fun outing with her friends on a Friday night."
Welllllllll . . . . . little did I know that when she said "midnight pemiere on Friday," she really meant midnight on THURSDAY night, going into Friday morning. I almost didn't let her go since that was a school night and she had a chemistry test the next morning. I mean, how ill-conceived is that, for movie marketers to plan a midnight premiere of the hottest teen saga EVER on a school night when most kids with rational parents probably wouldn't be able to go, anyway?!
Apparently, there are quite a few irrational parents out there -- including me -- because the theaters were PACKED by 10:30 p.m. with eager teenagers -- mostly girls -- waiting in line outside in 40-degree temps to snag a decent seat.
She got home by 2:30, and of course I laid awake until I heard her come in. She practically fell asleep in her oatmeal four hours later, but she claimed it was worth it. (BTW, I'm still awaiting the results from her chemistry test. I'm scared.)
On Sunday, I took my 12-year-old to see "New Moon" with her friend, and surprisingly, my teenager said she wanted to see it again. We sat next to each other, and the first time Taylor Lautner appeared on screen without his shirt, I understood COMPLETELY why she wanted to see it again. WOWZA!! Why didn't they make teenaged boys like that when I was a teenager? Back then, a six-pack was nothing more than a few cans of your favorite soda.
After taking in as much of Taylor's half-nudity that I could legally handle as an adult woman, I glanced sideways at my teenager at the same time that she looked sidways at me, and both our jaws dropped simultaneously.
For a split second, we forgot our respective roles, and this mother and daughter were simply two women in full appreciation and awe of one of God's most beautiful creatures.
We all want our children to be self-sufficient adults someday. To make their own decisions, forge their own paths, beat down their own doors. But when it comes to my teenager taking the reins and calling up the DMV herself to make an appointment to get her permit because her mother has been purposefully dragging her heels to do so, well, that just UNNERVES me! Who does she think she is, anyway? Someone responsible for her own future? JEEZ!
If you've been reading my blog, you know that I am FREAKED OUT about my daughter driving. I just don't think she's mature enough yet. Just the other day, for instance, we were driving around in my car with the sunroof opened. For no particular reason except that my teenager is plain crazy, she takes off her seatbelt, jumps up from her seat, sticks her head and arms out the sunroof and screams, "WHOO-HOO!"
Holy shit, I thought. "You are SO not driving!"
Personally, I think teenagers shouldn't be allowed to get their licenses until they're at LEAST 17. Make that 18. There are plenty of stories to back me up on this. (Read here.) Not to mention the ALARMING statistic that car crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers. So why are we in such a hurry to turn the keys over to our kids?
What's interesting is that we came from SoCal where many of my daughter's friends are getting their licenses right now, at age 16.5. Up here in NorCal, the kids aren't in as much of a hurry. My daughter knows a number of 18-year-olds who still don't have their licenses. And these kids are welcome in my home ANYTIME.
So yeah, I've been ignoring my teenager's pleas to call the DMV while she's at school to make an appointment for her to get a permit, the first step she must take before she can start Driver's Training -- which I DID pay for already as a birthday gift, mind you, knowing full well that we wouldn't be cashing in on that anytime soon -- and half-hoping that she'd get sidetracked by other teenage distractions, like Homecoming, boys and SAT worries.
But that little booger has been RELENTLESS! Last week, she stopped asking me to make an appointment for her and she made one herself -- down in SoCal over Thanksgiving break, where she will be visiting her dad, who isn't as concerned as me about his teenager driving.
I gotta admire her initiative, but still . . . she is SO not driving! I need to buy some time. Time for her to grow up a little more. Time for that free-spirited brain to develop important, life-saving synapses. Time for me to model better driving habits.
I could stall and delay the inevitable a little while longer. But in the end, a neurotic mother may be no match for a determined young woman so eager to start her own journey, pedal to the metal, down her own winding road.
I’ve been writing this blog for six months and not once have I really talked about teens and drugs. Since I mostly write from my own experiences with my teenager, that means we don’t have any drug issues over at our house. And that’s a GREAT thing. I feel blessed.
In other households, however, it’s a different story. According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, there is a growing number of teenagers who are abusing prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs to get high or to cope with school and social pressures.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reports that every day, 2,000 kids, ages 12 to 17, abuse a painkiller for the very first time. And that among 12- and 13-year-olds, prescription drugs are the drug of choice.
Who would have guessed??
I’m sure you have all sorts of questions about this disturbing trend among teens. To provide some answers, TheAntiDrug.com has teamed up with pharmacist Karen Reed, spokesperson for the American Pharmacists Association, in this Q & A:
Q: Kids are taking uppers, downers, painkillers, etc., that have been prescribed for their parents. What can those drugs do to teens who have not been prescribed those medications?
A: It’s always difficult to predict what type of reaction teens will have to medication not prescribed for them, especially when we don't know the dose they will abuse -- and if it will be taken with other drugs or alcohol. Uppers can cause hostility, paranoia or seizures. These drugs can affect motor skills, impair judgment, and affect the heart. Downers and painkillers can decrease concentration, impair judgment, and slow motor skills. Taking downers and painkillers in excess can also cause sedation and seizures. Imagine a teen driver under the influence of these drugs driving a motor vehicle -- this combination could prove deadly, as well.
Q: Kids take pills that aren’t theirs and sometimes when they’re drinking alcohol. What is the resulting effect?
A: No one, adults or teens, should take medication with alcohol. Teens who are taking medication that is not prescribed for them are probably also taking excessive doses. And mixing that medication with alcohol could prove deadly for teenagers. The effect of the medication could be intensified, causing the teen to stop breathing or have a seizure that could be fatal. If this practice is combined with driving, others could be injured, as well. The combination of medication and alcohol could lead to poor judgment that could cause serious injuries or worse. Teenagers often feel invincible. The combination of drugs and alcohol may intensify this belief.
A: Keep them in limited quantities and monitor their use as you would a prescription drug. Never use them to help your teen or yourself sleep. Children (regardless of their age) mimic adult behavior. Be a good role model and never abuse OTC products yourself.
Q: What if a teenager has prescribed medications she takes regularly. How do you ensure those pills are not abused?
A: Keep track of the number of pills that should be on hand. Keep track of refills, lost pills, and request for refills. Paying close attention to use will help prevent abuse.
Q: What are some of the signs to look for if you suspect your teen has been abusing prescription drugs?
A: It’s easy for parents to miss prescription drug abuse because mood changes, temper outbursts, changes in sleeping habits and interests are typical teenage behaviors. You can smell alcohol and tobacco and marijuana -- you can’t smell pills.
Watch for changes in grooming, habits and interests. Watch for negative changes in school work, school attendance, and declining grades. Watch for increased secrecy, changes in friends and increased needs for money. Monitor your own prescription drugs and encourage friends and family to do the same.
Karen L. Reed is the national spokesperson for the American Pharmacists Association.
If you have a teenager, surely you've been down the same road that I was on today. The "I'm a teen, therefore I am" attitude that is usually accompanied by a lot of backtalk and a complete and utter lack of respect. Well, I did something today that I encourage all of you parents of teens to try at home . . .
So, we pick up the story with me driving down the 405 freeway, on the way to a nice day in Dana Point. It's the first day of Spring Break for my teen, and she's in the back seat with one of her girlfriends, who I just picked up less than 10 minutes earlier. My tween is riding shotgun. All is well, so far. Then I hear my teen stop talking and start texting someone who is not in the car with us, and I thought it was very rude to do so while she ignores her friend who is sitting right next to her. I suggested that she stop texting her virtual friend and focus on the real one next to her.
She snapped back with a very biting and disrespectful remark to me. EXCUUUSE ME??? So I did what every parent should do in a situation like this -- I got off on the next exit and turned the damn car around, toward home. I told her friend that I was sorry, we would not be spending the day in Dana Point and that I was going to have to take her home because I simply could not tolerate that kind of disrespect from my daughter.
My teen was stunned -- and royally pissed at me, too! And while it felt like an act of insanity as I was driving everyone back home, in retrospect, it was THE SANEST THING I have ever done!
Once all the drama was over, and my teen finally simmered down, she realized what she had done and apologized to me. That moment of truth led to a 30-minute heart-to-heart talk with her about a number of other subjects, including drinking, drugs, promiscuous friends and all the reasons why I am so proud of her. It was the kind of talk we don't have often enough. God, I love that girl!
Parents, we can't forget that our teenagers still need us to show them the way. Be strong, be sure-footed and don't be afraid to use a little tough love whenever necessary.
Today marks the start of Spring Break for a good many teenagers across the country. Good news for them, not-so-good-news for parents. In the real, working world, there’s no such thing as a Spring Break, and with so many parents working outside the home, many teenagers will be home alone this week. According to the Office of National Drug Control, “teens with unsupervised time are three times more likely to use marijuana or other drugs. And unsupervised teens are more likely to engage in risky behaviors such as underage drinking, sexual activity, and cigarette smoking than other teens.”
In a recent poll, almost 60 percent of parents believed their kids were not honest with them about what went on during Spring Break. In fact, over half of all kids said they lied to their parents about what went on during Spring Break.
So, what can you do to ensure that your teen will stay out of trouble while you’re punching the clock, miles away from home? Here are five helpful tips from TheAntiDrug.com:
1. Always ask your teens where they are going, who they'll be with and what they'll be doing.
2. Set rules for checking in (via text, phone call, etc.) at pre-determined times.
3. Work with other parents to get a list of everyone's addresses, e-mails, and phone numbers so you can get in touch with your teens and their friends.
5. Talk to your teen regularly about the dangers of drugs and alcohol, and learn the facts. Go to TheAntiDrug.com for talking tips, conversation starters and all the facts about teens and risky behaviors.
Well, I'm all done moving, unless you count the two boxes crammed with toiletries that I have absolutely no room for anywhere. (Perhaps I'm a tad high-maintenance...) A special thank you goes out to Sherra for stepping in as a guest blogger last week while I got all my affairs in order. (Check out her blog at http://ilashgirls.com/)
And to answer your question, Sherra, I think I do my fair share of lying to others about the real state of affairs in Teen Land. Not because I'm trying to paint a rosier picture of life with a teen, but because many of the situations that I deal with suck up so much of my energy that I am too battle-weary to rehash them. I'd rather just move forward.
Even so, it's no secret that raising teens is a battleground at times. We parents can get so frustrated and overwrought over the smallest act of defiance. Take this father in Maryland, for instance. He and his teenage son were sitting in church together and the father asked the 19-year-old to remove his hat out of respect for church rules. The teen refused.
OK, we've all engaged in a battle of wills with our own teens more than a few times. What would you have done? Taken away the car keys, refused to pay his cell-phone bill, maybe told him that you were leaving?
Any of those responses makes a lot more sense than what this dad did. He got out of the pew, walked out to his car, grabbed a knife (how handy to have a knife in the car!), came back into the church and stabbed his teenager in the buttocks. Then he did the only thing left to do . . . he fled! There is an outstanding warrant for this father's arrest.
Yes, teenagers drive us crazy at times. But stabbing them? That's just insane.
I have three teens living in my house right now so I think this makes me imminently qualified to share the results of an unscientific study I've been conducting for several years.
The burning question for me through these tumultuous teenage times is why this is the season of parenting when parents start lying.
Mostly to each other.
During the infant and toddler years, we helped each other. We swapped babysitting and recipes. We gave each other tips on the best pediatrician and how much pudding you can legally feed a 3-year-old. We exchanged funny stories about what our darling children said. We celebrated not just birthdays, but milestones, too -- when Johnny slept through the night in his big boy bed, when Susie was potty-trained and what special toy we bribed them with.
Then something changed.
Johnny and Susie weren't so cute anymore. The milestones became scary.
Middle school peer pressure. Study habits changed. Johnny got a D in math. Susie wore too much makeup and was "in love" with a boy you didn't like.
High school brought more milestones. The dreaded driver's license that meant freedom for them and more responsibility -- rather, liability -- for you. And more peer pressure. The dreaded 4 D's…dating, driving, drinking, and drugs.
The playgroups stopped. Healthy snack choices became the least of our worries. And we started retreating and lying to each other.
"Johnny is doing great."
"Susie is so busy at school!"
Lying by omission is still lying -- or that's what I've been trying to teach my kids for all these years.
Sure, there is a privacy issue. Keeping things private in your family and respecting your kids' privacy are important considerations … especially if it puts you, your teen or your family at risk.
But when we lie to each other, we're lying to ourselves.
When we internalize our fears about parenting this next generation and don't share what's going wrong and how to deal with it, we're doing each other a grave disservice.
You know the family who all appear perfect in public. I'm always a little relieved when I find out Ward and June's kids were caught __________ (you fill in the blank).
Well, at least it makes me feel a little better.
It's not a reflection of parenting. It really does take a village.
I absolutely believe we help each other so much by telling each other the truth rather than when we pretend everything is perfect. I'm not perfect. My kids aren't perfect. This parenting gig is the hardest job on the planet and I need all the help I can get.
Let's stop judging each other and start helping each other during this season of parenting teenagers.
Am I the only one who needs to hear the truth?
A BIG thank you goes out to Sherra Humphreys, our guest blogger. Sherra is the mom of four, a speaker and a writer in her "spare" time when she's not keeping track of where the three teenagers are, who is in what car, driver and passenger names, location, departure and arrival time and other annoying details she asks her children daily. You can read more about her trials and joys of being a stupid mother, tried-and-tested teen dating tips and how proud she is of her twin daughters' recent decision at SherraLifeLesson.com.You can also find her at iLashGirls.com
Knowing when to let go is one of the most difficult decisions a mom has to make in raising her teenagers. Is it okay to let them stay out until midnight? When should "no" be the answer to sleepovers at the homes of friends who you don't know well? Or, as I had to ask myself this week, "Is it smart to allow my teenage son to go duck-hunting in the Everglades with another family?"
There are quite a few things to consider in this one question. First, the obvious one: guns. Second: wading through alligator-infested water at 4:00 a.m. Third: doing all this without my supervision.
The decision should be easy. My brothers shot their first rifle at 12 years old when they went hunting with my father. I shot my first rifle about the same age as my son is today. However, we are talking about my son, the little baby that took me over two years to conceive and the little guy that somehow grew up overnight. My first response was a resounding "Yes, you can go," but as the morning approaches, I am starting to second-guess my decision.
I keep having thoughts of what the headline might be if there's a freak accident. I can't help it, but the "what if's" overtake my confidence. I have to remind myself that in just three short years he will be doing these kind of things without me even knowing.
Perhaps it’s the knowing that makes us worry. We raise our children emphasizing in them the importance in good decision-making. We attempt to lay the foundation for them to keep themselves safe when we are not around, yet when the time comes to allow them to exhibit their skills, we hesitate to let them go. It's ironic isn't it? I'm going to allow him to go hunting and I'm going to worry until he returns, but the reality is that I've been preparing for this moment his entire life -- alligators and all.
Fast-forward 12 hours. My son has returned in one piece and happier than I've ever seen him. He had a great time. Enjoyed every minute of the experience. He didn't kill a duck, which doesn't hurt my feelings, but he did gain a great deal of confidence. Something I could have shot down, and how grateful I am now that I didn't pull the trigger on letting him go.
Image via Wikipedia I should be posting this blog on "A Mad Mom" (amadmom.blogspot.com), the place where I rage about the crazy world of parenting, because I'm really, REALLY mad at the phone companies for inventing text-messaging! I believe that technological advance, alone, has turned our teenagers into uncommunicative, thumb-struck message junkies! I can barely have a conversation anymore with my teen without being interrupted by the "beep-beep-beep" of an incoming text message. Of course, she has to respond right away.
Last night, we were playing tennis in our living room (don't you just love Wii?). She had the Wii remote in one hand and was texting with the other. I was livid that she wasn't "in the moment" with me. And what really ticked me off is that she still beat me!
Between online social networking and these damn text messages, our teens are carrying on entire relationships with their friends without ever using their voices. I asked my teen why she doesn't just pick up the phone and call her friends? You know, the old-fashioned way of communicating. She said that she gets uncomfortable with "awkward silences." What about when she's texting from the bathroom, isn't that a little awkward, too?
The real tragedy of texting is that teens aren't really getting to know each other very well; there isn't a mutual exchange of personalities. I mean, anyone can send a smiley-faced emoticon. But a hearty, soulful laugh heard during a real-time, late-night phone call or while sharing a pizza is your unique vocal signature and something that can never be replaced by a peppering of "LOLs."
I bumped the alien's text messaging limit to 500 a month. We had an agreement: If she went over that amount, which she promised she wouldn't, her phone would get turned off until the next billing cycle. Her texting activity really stepped up this week, I noticed, so I checked in with Verizon today and was shocked to discover that just halfway into the billing cycle, she had already exceeded her text messages by 300! In terms parents can relate to, that's about an extra $70 on the next phone bill.
True to my word, I turned off her phone, and when I pick her up from school today, I'm driving her straight to the ATM where she is going to withdraw $70 and hand it over to dear old mom. Of course she'll be upset. And she'll probably want to bitch about it to her friends. But she's going to have to pick up a phone and use her voice to do it.
We're baaacckk! After taking a nice holiday break, Maria and I are back in the blogging business. We hope everyone had a happy and restful holiday with family and friends. Time to get this year started. Strap yourselves in, folks! We're in for a bumpy ride.
Not that I want to start this year out on a sad note, but I have to say how deeply sorry I am for John Travolta and Kelly Preston on the death of their teenaged son, Jett. Only 16 years old! That's just one year older than my teenager. I can't even imagine . . .
As moms, we worry about our children dying from the moment they are born. It seems every age brings with it a new neurosis about the dangers our children face: Newborns dying from SIDS, infantschoking, toddlers drowning, schoolchildren getting hit by cars. But as our kids get older, we start to feel a little more secure, I think. Especially when they're tweens and teens, you don't worry so much about them dying. You figure that they made it this far, they're pretty much home-free, right? That's why teenager deaths are so difficult to accept. These kids are almost adults, so young and full of life. They seem immortal at 16 and 17, and perhaps that explains some reckless behavior on their part.
I'm not sure this blog has much of a point at all, except to say that all children are too young to die, whether they're one hour old or 16 years old. My heart goes out to the Travolta family, and anyone else who has lost a child. I hope I never, ever, have to feel your pain.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_c.png?x-id=0b35f1d3-1a9f-48fc-a0bd-2d2e661c7e63)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_b.png?x-id=87203672-ce5f-4157-a7dc-b47e17db26cc)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=ac5c0455-c123-4a53-a0f1-023d8be06d8c)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=ef2b5ead-d574-4cb9-953a-54268b09ab3d)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=be332586-8240-434b-b807-c4b4dc41bd90)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=7d01738c-63f8-4122-8125-4856d595c492)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=1f040a3e-ca20-4e13-9506-10bcd40d723d)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=1d2d5bd4-13a0-45a8-9eb3-627826b7268a)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=c146a72f-6a7f-4a34-980c-a6fe1b2803db)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=141cbfee-41c8-4558-90bb-93adf9638028)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=741c4236-b583-4564-ac64-9a358c39216e)
Posts
