Search Results for: blog party on dude

Hearty Dips for Your New Year’s Eve Party

Thirty-two games, 64 teams… the road to the College Bowl Championship has begun at my parent’s house. With the University of Hawaii Warriors about to make history at the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day, my parent’s seaside home has turned into party central and their kitchen is at the center of all the action. Here in Wisconsin we’re gearing up to watch our beloved Badgers (my alma mater) take on Tennessee in the Outback Bowl on January 1st. And around the world home cooks are getting ready to ring in 2008 with their own celebrations. Whether you are hosting … Continue reading →

Snapshot Of A New Photography Blogger

Your house is on fire! Besides your family members (pets included), what’s the one item you would try to save on the way out? My answer: My photo album. Okay, albums—as many as possible. My firefighter brother would frown upon my answer as he constantly warns people not to grab anything when fleeing a burning building, but then again photography is not his passion like it is mine. My name is Michele Cheplic and I will be joining Nicole Humphrey (who, by the way is doing an incredible job) here in the photography blog. Some of you may know me … Continue reading →

“Party On Dude!”

I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Where? Yeah, I know. (Believe me, if I had a nickel for every time one of my high school classmates from Hawaii asked me that question I would be rich and you wouldn’t be reading this blog.) Yes, the university is known for it’s medical school; at the time I attended (and the reason I attended) it was known for its journalism program; and while I was there the school’s football program rose from the ashes and went on to win the Rose Bowl. However, none of those accolades seemed to mean much … Continue reading →

Shirts That Swear

How do you punish a foul-mouthed kid? Bathe his mouth with hot sauce and soap or ground him until he’s 30? Savvy kids are bypassing parental punishments these days by letting their shirts do the swearing for them. Clothing retailers around the world have long marketed profanity-printed tees, though one uber-popular teen-centric apparel store, Urban Outfitters, is currently generating international media attention for its line of stickers featuring the phrase “Punk as F…” And by … I mean u-c-k. The f-word is spelled out in its entirety on the sticker, which an increasing amount of teens have now taken to … Continue reading →

Score on Sports Vacations

Are you ready for some football? Whether you are a fan of college pigskin or you only have eyes for pro ball, you’d likely jump at the chance to see your favorite players in person. So what are you waiting for? September is one of the slowest times in the airline industry, which means fare sales are abundant. The downside is that you won’t find many of those deals if you are trying to fly into smaller college towns to watch your home team take on its bitter rival. Layoffs at major airlines have made booking some flights a bit … Continue reading →

How Safe is Your City?

I am a sucker for lists. For some reason I can’t resist scanning “Best of” or “Worst of” lists, be it a column itemizing the “World’s Best Ice Cream” or the “Worst Movies of 2009.” So when Men’s Health magazine recently published its list on the “100 Safest American Cities for Kids,” I was drawn to it like mold to moisture. Love the list… and not just because my family lives near the safest city in the United States (according the magazine). Love it because my family spends a ton of time in the top TWO safest cities in the … Continue reading →

The Power of M-O-M

When you are down and out, nervous or tense, anxious or stressed, whom do you turn to first? If you answered good ol’ mom, then you’re in good company. Mom may be the obvious answer to the aforementioned question, but researchers wanted to prove how powerful a little TLC from M-O-M really is, so they set out to test the time-honored theory. According to researchers from the University of Wisconsin — Madison (my alma mater), a mother’s voice has the power to calm frazzled nerves. They proved it during a study that involved 61 girls, ages 7 to 12, and … Continue reading →

Homeschool Parents in Germany Still Fighting Nazi Laws

“The ‘Schulpflicht’ – the laws that require school attendance – are on the books in the German states, and have been traced back to the ‘Reichsschulpflicht Gesetz’ [federal compulsory attendance laws] which was passed in 1938. Except for the removal of references to the Nazi party, these laws are identical or substantially the same as the laws passed by Hitler’s government, criminalizing parents who keep their children home for school.” This is what the parents Juergen and Rosemarie Dudeck of Archfeld Germany have alleged in court in their fight to homeschool their children. To date they have been wholly unsuccessful … Continue reading →

Cool Thanksgiving Pies

Growing up in a small town on the Big Island of Hawaii, Thanksgiving dessert consisted of traditional fruit pies and little more. Which is not to say that I don’t love fresh fruit pies, but when I moved to the “mainland” in the late 1980s to attend college I was introduced to a whole new Thanksgiving dessert option: Ice cream pie. To this day I make sure that at least one frozen (or refrigerated) pie is featured on our Thanksgiving buffet. Decadent chilled pies are much cheaper to make than to buy. What’s more, they offer guests a chocolaty option … Continue reading →

Would You Allow Your Child to Live in a Co-ed Dorm Room?

Given that I spent my entire freshman year at the University of Wisconsin-Madison holed up in a girls-only dorm affectionately (though, not accurately) known as the “Virgin Vault,” my answer to the question posed in the title of this blog would be a resounding: “HELL NO!” But that’s just me. After all, there’s still a good chance that my precious daughter could end up in a convent, which would make it a moot issue. Regardless of my opinion, the subject of teens living together in the same room at college is as real as it gets for parents of students … Continue reading →