Category: Life

Under Where? Ski Racer Heats Up Controversy

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Jennifer Wolfe

It takes a lot of guts to be a female ski racer. Imagine hurtling your body down 1000 vertical feet on three inch wide, five foot long planks over rock hard icy snow navigating a maze of fiberglass poles spring loaded to smack your body when you hit them. All this is done in a glorified body suit in freezing cold temperatures and within 30-60 seconds.

Sounds like fun, huh?

When my daughter suits up for her slalom ski races this weekend, one thing I wasn’t going to be worried about was her underwear. Seriously – she wears the normal racer gear – layers of long undies, thin wool socks, and a super padded top called a ‘stealth’ to avoid bruising her well muscled torso and arms. When she leaves the start gate no one has ever asked what she was wearing under there.

But after yesterday’s news about Tina Maze of Slovenia being sanctioned from World Cup races due to suspicious ‘plastic underwear’, I’m beginning to worry about her racing future.

Ski races are won and lost in a hundredth of a second, making aerodynamics and wind resistance a huge factor in the competition – hence the skin tight speed suit. But these suits aren’t completely wind proof, and that’s where Tina’s underwear issue comes in. After placing second in her last race in Austria, officials accused her of having an ‘unfair advantage’ due to the type of garment she wore under her speed suit – plastic neoprene underwear supposedly providing additional protection from the wind, thus giving her that extra ‘hundredth’ that might help her win.

The thing about ski racing, though, is that it’s really hard to measure that unfair advantage. Unlike swimming or running, which always has a consistent race measurement, ski racing times and results vary for many different factors. Every hill is different, and every course is different. There is no set time or length for a ski run. Course conditions vary from the first racer to the last racer and from men to women. Weather can impede visibility, melt snow, or blow it into the face of the competitor.

So to me, to accuse Tina Maze of an equivalent infraction to doping seems a tad excessive. Ski racers do what they can to make it down the hill as fast as possible – better wax, sharper edges, a specific type of ski. But I hardly think a ladies’ underwear is cause for sanctions.

Tina Maze via Official Facebook Fan Page

As for my daughter? Well, when she waits in line to cross the wand and start her run, I’ll remind her that ladies NEVER show their undies to anyone. It’s not their business.

Jennifer Wolfe

Jennifer Wolfe, a writer-teacher-mom, is dedicated to finding the extraordinary in the ordinary moments of life by thinking deeply, loving fiercely, and teaching audaciously. Jennifer is a Google Certified Educator, Hyperdoc fanatic, and a voracious reader. Read her stories on her blog, mamawolfe, and grab free copies of her teaching and parenting resources.

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Christmas Crafty – guest post by Debbie Ward

Posted on December 7, 2011 by Jennifer Wolfe

I didn’t get the crafty gene. All the other females in my family received it, but me – I don’t do crafts well. I have other talents for sure, and luckily I’m good at reading directions! When the ‘crafty’ bug gets me I always look for someone else’s ideas to follow, and that’s what appeals to me about my guest post today! Simple, easy to follow directions will let even the clumsiest crafter create a gift worthy of giving – just check it out and see for yourself! And please check back when you’re done and let me know how it turned out!

Low-Cost, Easy Holiday Christmas Craft
By Debbie Ward of Lucky Paper Girl Arts

Here’s how make a beautiful holiday frame with deep personal meaning out of an ordinary, inexpensive craft store frame. Not only is this a fine way to display one of your most treasured photos, it also makes a heartfelt and appreciated gift. Like to scrapbook? You probably have almost all of these supplies on hand already!

Supplies: Unfinished frame, Mod Podge, Holiday Designer Paper, Die Cuts or other Embellishments, Red Line Tape, Ribbon, Sanding Block, Craft Knife, Circle Punch, Distressing Ink, Photo

1. Purchase an inexpensive frame from your craft store and take the glass and frame back off.

2. Find a piece of your favorite holiday paper and cut it to the frame size, or about a quarter inch larger than your frame.

3. Take your bottle of Mod Podge and spread it on your frame. Try to make the coat as even as possible.

4. Let the Mod Podge dry a few hours or overnight. Turn the frame over, and take a craft knife and trim out the frame opening.

5. Sand the edges with a sanding block.

6. Add another layer of Mod Podge to the frame. Make sure to pay attention to the edges and look for air bubbles. If air bubbles are present, take a pin or craft knife and make a small hole or slit and cover with Mod Podge. Let dry again for a couple of hours. Depending on the type of Mod Podge used, your project may have a matte or shiny finish.

7. I die cut two Christmas trees from coordinating paper and distressed the edges of them. I also distressed the edges of the frame at this point. The frame must be totally dry to do this. I attached the first tree with red line tape and the second tree with “pop dots” to raise it up and give the frame some dimension.

8. Attach a strip of red line tape around the entire frame. Peel off the tape carefully and attach a coordinating ribbon around the entire frame. Side note: If you wish, before you begin this project, you could paint the entire frame with a couple coats of acrylic paint. The ribbon step could be optional.

9. To finish the project, I die cut a scalloped circle and printed a title on my ink jet printer. I punched it out with my circle punch and attached it to the frame with pop dots.

This project can also be completed by older children for grandparents or extended family — with the exception of the craft knife step, and a parent can assist with that. My daughters also do this for their friends on their birthday; they change the paper and put in a picture of them with the birthday girl/boy. This project can be adapted to any season of the year. I was able to complete this project for under $5…a deal by any standards!

Elin Coats writes and edits for FavorIdeas, and wants to put flamingo feathers on her Christmas tree this year. She hopes you’ll stop by for adorable favors designed for fun holiday parties.

Jennifer Wolfe

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Lesson Plan for the Occupiers

Posted on December 5, 2011 by Jennifer Wolfe

Still making news, the Occupy movement hasn’t fallen victim to a lack of media coverage. According to the Sacramento Bee last week, “nearly three fifths of voters” agree with the cause. I count myself as part of this cohort-I believe strongly in changing the inequities our country is creating. I also find myself in the 99%.

Our local Occupy campsite

But even though I am cheering on their message, I feel like the movement isn’t pushing forward in the best way possible to enact change. Being the type-A-semi-control-freak teacher that I am, I’ve created a lesson plan for the Occupiers to follow. Welcome to my classroom!

Rationale: To win over people to the side of the 99%

Essential Question: How can the Occupy Movement share their message and persuade those people ‘on the fence’ to join the cause?

Activate Prior Knowledge: Remember Martin Luther King Jr.? He had a cause. He created a national movement to promote his message using nonviolence. If MLK had destroyed property or used violence to get his word out he would have only succeeded in pissing people off, not making them think.

Step 1: Decide that it’s more productive to be peaceful. If Occupy’s objective is to change people’s thinking, they need to win people over. According to the Sacramento Bee’s article on Nov. 29, “49% said they don’t identify much with Occupy protesters.” The old saying, “You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar” comes to mind here-the people who need to be persuaded aren’t the types that think violent activism is ok. The people who need to be persuaded are most likely 60 years of age or older, reasonably educated and have access to the media. They also have money-they’re the 1%, right? In the same article, “nearly one third of Republicans said they agree with the reason behind” the Occupy Movement. These people otherwise might agree with the Occupy message, but don’t like seeing the destructiveness of the protesters. This might not be the time for anarchists. Power to the peaceful.

Step 2: Focus the message. One of the basic elements of persuasion is to have a strong thesis. Maybe there needs to be a few key, clear outcomes identified that become slogans. I know the basic idea behind the movement, but do you know how the success will be measured? I don’t. The homeless population, the pepper spraying, and the college protests have all diluted and divided what they want to say. While all good symbols, the message is muddled. Instead of fighting and protesting in the dark at the campsites, perhaps they could try to occupy when more people can see them in action.

Step 3: Choose your enemies carefully. Be cautious not to attack the 1% in total. Some of those 1%ers may actually be interested in making change happen, too. According to a field poll taken Nov. 14-27, 56% of those earning $100,000 or more agreed with the reason behind the Occupy movement. Make sure there is room for everyone to join and feel like they fit in. Name calling and stereotyping everyone in the 1% may just alienate people who would otherwise mobilize towards the cause.

Closure: Think about what the movement is all about. Do protesters want to be right or make change? Remember, no one wants to go out and be pushed, shoved, or pepper sprayed. The media is looking for sensation, but is that going to strengthen the message and make things happen? Power to the peaceful. Focus. Make friends not enemies.

Are there any questions?

Jennifer Wolfe

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Sassy Lady Bloggers

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Jennifer Wolfe

I have made some very sassy blogger friends in the last few months. Fortunately, when you’re a grown woman being sassy doesn’t have the same negative connotation as when you were a kid and your mother sent you to your room for being fresh, impertinent or impudent (not that MY mother ever did that).

Grown woman sassy, in my opinion, is a very good thing. To me, grown woman sassy is a lady who knows what she thinks and isn’t afraid to say it. And mean it. Articulately. Persuasively. Maybe that’s why so many sassy women are bloggers. Sassy bloggers speak their minds in a bold and smart way, and readers can’t help but cheer them on.

One of my favorite sassy bloggers is Caffeinated OC Mommy. This woman uses language like a lethal weapon, and certainly has won my respect. Apparently I’ve won hers, too – she bestowed upon me the “Tell Me About Yourself” blog award. As sassy as she is, she’s making me follow her rules of acceptance:

I must tell 7 things about myself
I must pass it on to other deserving bloggers

Here goes:

* I like to drive. Before I had kids, I once considered being a big rig driver-it sounds so cool to drive across the country, pull over and sleep right in your cab, and hit the road again. Maybe someday when I’m done driving my kids all over California I’ll consider this as a new career.

* I’m only 5’2″. That might come as a surprise to some of my students, since hardly a day goes by when I’m not wearing heels. Not stilettos, mind you. I teach junior high. But a nice 2-3 inch wedge or platform puts me at least at eye level with most of my pupils, and that’s a very nice place to be. On those days when I just can’t wear them I stand on an upturned milk crate for most of my lesson.

* I’m addicted to “Diners, Drive Ins and Dives”. I love eating at low key, local joints whenever I go somewhere. In fact, I have an app on my phone that will show me wherever Guy Fieri has visited in any city. I make a point to check them out, and so far I haven’t been disappointed.

* I’m raising two billingual kids. Sometimes making amends through our children for a life-not-lived is a positive thing. Going to an immersion school and speaking fluent Spanish isn’t a choice they got to make, but I know they’ll
thank me for it someday.

* I’m a bibliophage. That’s new word I learned that means ‘an ardent reader or bookworm’. One of the smarter moves I ever made was to be an English major-what could be better for a bibliophage than to get to read great books, write and talk about them for two years straight? I always have a book to escape into-lately it’s been historical fiction that I read late at night.

* I’m a good northern California girl. I recycle, ride my bike, drive a hybrid, dislike mall shopping, eat organic produce and vote in every election.

* I once met Joan Collins on the set of “Dynasty”. She was sassy, skinny, and seriously made up. I still have the 8×10 black and white glossy she signed with a Sharpie. I might just have to sell it on eBay one of these days.

And yes, I’m sassy too. I can’t help it. Maybe that’s why you read my blog.

So please take a moment and show some respect to these fellow bloggers-what goes around, comes around.

Funny The World
The Contemplative Cat
Insignificant At Best
My Dishwasher’s Possessed
Too Timid and Squeamish
Heal Now And Forever
Sooo Big
Mental Chew
The Crazy Life of a Writing Mom

Jennifer Wolfe

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Sharing Sunday-guest post at Mental Chew

Posted on November 29, 2011 by Jennifer Wolfe

One of my favorite aspects of blogging is meeting new people from all over the world, and sharing stories, ideas and perspectives with each other. Recently I found the blog Mental Chew and was instantly charmed by her beautiful photos, recipes, gardening tips and thoughts about life in the Pacific Northwest. According to her bio, “Mental Chew is really about taking a little time to think before we eat.” And even better-she’s a middle school teacher, just like me! Please take a moment and read my guest post on Mental Chew’s Sharing Sunday series-you’ll get a glimpse of my life in northern California.

Here’s a sampling:

“Spend a weekend in Davis and you won’t be disappointed. A small university town located in between the Pacific Ocean and the Sierras, Davis is a magical place to live. Come take a Saturday morning walk with me and I’ll show you what I mean!”

To continue on my photo journey, head over to Mental Chew. While you’re there, check out all that her blog has to offer-there’s plenty!

So go on, take a look. Why not?

Jennifer Wolfe

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