Maria_Stephanos's Blog

I know. Cliche. But seriously, when we were kids, it took a TON of snow before school was cancelled.   I would wake up, put on the radio and patiently wait for Jess Cain to rattle off all the schools until he got to P. For Pentucket.  I'm telling you, he NEVER said it.  They never cancelled school.  Now it's different.  Yesterday without a single flake on the ground we had a number of cancellations already!  Maybe I'm just tired because I got the recorded call from the Superintendent at 5:30 this morning that school was cancelled, but I believe the kids could have gone to school today.  So here's my question to the decision makers.  How do you decide to cancel. DO you talk to other schools, do you watch forecast after forecast?  When do you start to collect information, what's your cutoff time for a final decision and what's your breaking point?  I know weather can change and shift and you're just trying to do the best for our kids. And trust me, I appreciate it, I just think we are pulling that trigger a little too early and a little too often.

You think what?

So it was during commercial during the 5:00 , when out of nowhere Ock blurts out cup or cone. Sugar or plain. ANd then reminded me, it was time to do one of "those blogs" again.  So here it is everbody.

Let's go:  Cup or Cone, Sugar or Plain, Vanilla or Chocolate, Jimmies or Sprinkles, Bruins or Celtics, DVD or movie theater, Brady or Cassel, Tropical Island or Disney World,  pull and peel Twizzlers or regular Twizzlers, Mike and Ike or Good and Plenty.  Republican or Democrat? Giselle or Bridget?  Joe the Plumber or Schneider from One Day at a time?

Here are my answers:  Cone! Sugar! Chocolate! Jimmies, Bruins, Movie Theater, Cassel, Tropical Island, pull and peel Twizzlers, Mike and Ike, Indendent :) Giselle, Schneider!!!!!

I do. I always do.  I think things happen for a reason.  And I bet Charlotte Peters does too. She's 78.  Her husband of 59 years was Donald.  For the past 20 years, Donald bought two lottery tickets, one for Donald and one for Charlotte.  And he did exactly that on November 1st at the 7-11in CT.   A few hours later, the retired hat factory worker had a massive heart attack while working in his yard.  His family grieved. His bride was crushed.  Time moved on though, and on Friday, Charlotte decided to check the lottery tickets Donald bought.  You know how this one ends.  10 MILLION bucks!  Now she has 60 days to decide whether or not she should take a 6 million dollar pre-tax lump sum or stretch them out into 21 yearly payments of $477,300 each.  When asked what she was going to do, she said she always wanted a Corvette and she might go to Mohegan Sun!  So Donald will take care of his love, even from the grave. Nice job Donald.   So here are a couple of questions for you.  Do you believe in fate?  Is this fate?  Would you take the lump sum?  And what would YOU do with the 10 million dollars.  Here are my answers. Yes! I believe in fate and Yes! I think this is fate. Yes! I would take the lump sum.  And honestly I have no idea what I would do with the 10 million.  I'd get myself a good lawyer, stick it in the bank, and try not to be my impulsive self.  HA!  BTW Happy New Year everybody!

Resolutions!  Let's hear them.  I think I've told you guys before I never make them.  Yes, there are a million things I should work on, but I don't need a new year to do that.  One year I gave up chocolate for many many years because I just ate way too much of it.  And now I look back and think, why did I do that???!!!!! I love chocolate.  I learned moderation.  So, do you make them?  Do you ever keep them? 

It's story that will not go away in my head... And you won't be suprised which side I fall.  A supermarket is defending itself after it refused to write out a boys name on his birthday cake.  Why?  This three year old's name is Adolf Hitler.  I applaud that supermarket and am disgusted by the parents who are so incredibly selfish and irresponsible for naming their child a man who symbolizes hate.  btw they also wanted a swastika on the cake

The dad's name is Heath Campbell. He  said he named his son after Adolf Hitler because he liked the name and because "no one else in the world would have that name."  No kidding. And here are the other kids names. JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell, who turns 2 in a few months, and Honszlynn Hinler Jeannie Campbell, who will be 1 in April. He said he was raised not to avoid people of other races but not to mix with them socially or romantically. I say Mr. Campbell, needs to be re-raised. Disgusting. Make your own cake. Don't involve anybody else in your hate, I feel badly for the kids.

I know I know, when asked my favorite Christmas gift I've ever received, it might sound like a strange answer, but it's the truth. 

I flipped through the files in my mind, and that's what jumped to the top.  I might have been 12 years old and my sister and I really really wanted sleeping bags.  Why?  Well they represent adventure.  And I love adventure. 

We would sleep on our floors, in the family room you name it as long as we had those sleeping bags. 

So no, not diamonds, not even chocolate.  It was my brown and yellow sleeping bag that lingers in my Christmas mind.

What was your favorite gift?

One that I'm keeping. After a long haul, three different hospitals in Iraq, then to Germany and then to the states at Walter Reed, Sgt. Brian Scott is finally home. I called him when he was in Germany and told him to get better so he could come on the FOX 25 news at 5:00. You know the story, if you've read the previous blogs. All of you reached out with your well wishes and support and tonight he wants to thank you. So watch our 5:00 hour. Let us know what you think and if you want to send him a message saying thanks just put it below and we'll make sure he gets it!

See you at 5:00!

Watch my entire interview with Sgt. Scott here.

I was just reading a script about Tweeter going belly up and I thought oh no not now, not again. And I said here we go again, but then Lechmere popped into my head. And Caldor and Zayre's! and Bradlees ... All places that were part of our fabric here.  No, they're not Tiffany's but come on, you must have purchased something at one of those places.  It just made me realize this is all cyclical and we will survive.  We go on, but there is a part of me that feels so badly when a store goes under even though it's just part of the cycle.  So help me add to the list.  Which stores are out that you remember for whatever reason and why!

I pick Merry Christmas.  Two words that swell my heart and apparently really bother some people.  Not me.  I say it loud and often.  And to my Jewish friends, I say Happy Holidays.  I'm not going to tiptoe around a phrase I've used for as long as the words could come out of my mouth. Christmas tree, Christmas cookies, Christmas candy.  I love Christmas. I love the meaning. I love the giving and I love the saying.  

I don't have any problem with somebody saying Happy Holidays to me, but you'll hear a Merry Christmas back (unless I know you celebrate something else!)

You pick what?  MC or HH?

Are your kids picky eaters?  WIll they only eat peanut butter and bread. When I was a kid the only thing I wouldn't eat was liver, thank God my sister would choke it down for me... Under the table :)  But so many kids... are so crazy picky and some for good reason.  Do you have tricks to get the good stuff in your kids foods... share!  And are YOU a picky eater do you think your kids got it from you?

 

 

for EVERYTHING... family, health, a great job, chocolate anything... and also blogging and getting to know all of you!  Really.

And you are thankful for what?  Give me a list.  And Happy Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours...

to the flag... And I ALWAYS will.  I guess I wouldn't fit in at a school in Woodbury, Vermont...    Back in September a parent started circulating petitions,  to get the pledge back in the classroom.  School officials said sure, but not in the classroom.  So instead, a 6th grader was assigned to go around to any of the classes and get the people who wanted to say it and head to the second floor gym where he led them in the pledge.  Almost 1/2 of the students chose to participate.

Now that parent is angry, saying that's disruptive and inappropriate because the kids have to chose between pre-class time or leaving the classroom to say the pledge.  He wants it said in the classroom.    Of course the other side is saying this a happy medium for the people who do not want to participate and those who do.

I say, recite the pledge in the classroom, if your child chooses to opt out... great. That's their choice.  But to send these kids upstairs to a different part of the school because they want to honor our country is ridiculous.. and sad.  This is what we've come to?  Just let the kids say it in the classroom.  And how about you?

 

 

 

It was just one of those days that gave me pause and made my heart squeeze. It started with lunch with Cindy McGinty, an incredible woman, who I met September 12, 2001.  And have stayed in touch with her ever since she lost her husband.  You know how.  She's incredible and strong and an inspiration.  Then I ran into Frugal Fannies to grab a suit and this woman full of life ran over to me and said, "Maria?"  I said yes. She said I'm Sgt. Scotts mother.  We embraced.  I never met her but I told her son's story here on the blogs.  Remember?  Sgt Brian Scott from South Boston... with the 340 MP unit reserves out of Worcester. He was in Iraq for 6 weeks.  His Humvee was hit by an IED.  A piece of shrapnel hit his left temple.  He was sent to Walter Reed and is still there to this day. But he's coming home soon.  His mom proudly dug into her pocketbook and pulled out this picture.  Incredible.  I rushed to the station and there was an email from Sgt. Scott.  I know he won't mind if I share part of it with you:

"When I was on the website yesterday trying to catch up on local news from back home, I saw the blog entry you put it in there on Veterans Day saying thanks to veterans.  It is pretty much what motivated me to try to get in touch with you through email or through the website somehow. Veterans Day for me was pretty much an emotional roller coaster being here in DC and it being my first one back in the states from Iraq.  I visited the WW2 memorial, Korean War Memorial, Vietnam Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery to spend some time with and honor my gunner at his place in history in Section 60.  Tuesday I was the stereotypical veteran with my Operation Iraqi Freedom Combat Veteran hat on and a Purple Heart pin on my jacket haha. I had so many good conversations with other veterans from previous wars and told as many of them that I could that they are the people I look up to. They are the ones that I have always modeled myself after, especially the WW2 veterans from The Greatest Generation. "

Yes, Scott that thank you blog was to you and all the other veterans.  When you come back, you have to promise to come on.

So it was a day of gifts and reminders that life is short and life is good.  I know Scott would love to here your thoughts.  And thanks for listening to mine.

THANK YOU...

Maria

No, seriously, fruit loops.  Picked some up this weekend with the kids because there was a PRIZE inside! Oh the joy and exhilaration. It brought me right back to the age of 10.  Of course, I have two kids and only bought one box, but they promised to share the Guitar Hero prize in the box.  So we rushed home, ripped open the box and there it was.  On top.  Are you kidding me?  In separate packaging. On top. We didn't need to dig our hands all through the box, we didn't pour a bowl hoping the toy would plop out, it was right there on top, perfectly packaged.  Listen, I've been doing this news thing long enough to know why the prize was on the top.  Lawsuits, liability, choking hazard.  I know, I know.  But I was seriously deflated.  I loved the anticipation of the prize/toy.  It's really the only reason why I love Cracker Jacks.  And the prize is usually awful, but who cares?  It's all about getting it.  Tell me you miss the days of the prize in the bottom of the box.  Tell me I'm not crazy for wanting some things the way they used to be!