Rexanne's Web Review - Issue #41

Shopping

Rexanne's Web Review
Web Sites & Insights

Issue #41 - April 1, 2001

Brought to You By: Rexanne.com

Email Rexanne

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Welcome All Newcomers!

Thank you to so many of my readers who sent congratulations and good wishes for the one-year anniversary of my newsletter on March 14. You are such a wonderful group of subscribers! I feel very close to you, collectively and some who write often, individually. There are no monetary rewards to speak of in writing this newsletter, however, the personal rewards are rich indeed. I have learned much from you and, hopefully, you have learned from your fellow subscribers and me. Thank you for being an integral part of my life this past year!

HA! Gotcha! April Fools! :-) This is NOT the last issue!

We're coming up on the Easter and Passover holidays! Yikes ... bunnies, baskets and feasts! Have a browse through my Easter site and fill your baskets with WWW Easter goodies: Rexanne's Easter

For the most beautiful and inspired gift baskets, be sure to check out our sponsor, Great Arrivals Gift Baskets. You'll find Easter baskets for everyone on your list. Send one to a lovie far away to bring a smile this holiday season.

Happy Easter! Happy Passover! Happy spring!

Remember to turn your clocks ahead one hour today.

And be sure to check out Martha, Queen Can-ivore's, latest ... Little Goodies. Wow, lots and lots of neat info to keep you busy for days! Also includes some of Martha's famous LTF (Less Than Fivers) easy and always delicious recipes:

Reader's Comments:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Katia had this to say about our topic of the week in the last newsletter of March 1:

"Back talk is nothing more than lack of respect for authority and should be punished accordingly. When my son was 13, I washed his mouth out with soap if he so much as raised his voice to me. It wasn't a problem in our family!"

Oh my, Katia. While you seemed to have found a solution to this lousy fact of life with our adolescents and teenagers, I cannot recommend anyone washing a child's mouth out with soap to stop offensive behavior. Yes, it's effective, but it is also abusive. Doesn't anyone have a better alternative?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Christine wrote:

"I have passed your newsletter on to so many parents I know! We now all discuss the topic of the week and try different recipes from the cooking sites of the week. Thank you so much for adding to our lives!"

Thank you Christine for such a glowing email and for passing my newsletter on to your friends! The more subscribers we have, the more support this newsletter will receive from sponsors and advertisers. Please forward Rexanne's Web Review to your friends and online buddies who you feel would benefit from or enjoy it!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And Marsha wrote:

"Just last week, the site, The Hugs and Hope Club, was moved to our own domain. I hope you will visit and encourage your readers to do so also! The more people who become aware of these children, the more mail they will receive. They suffer so much from their illnesses, I like to bring a little happiness into their lives! Thanks for helping me to do that."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OK, here's the scoop:

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Quote of the Week: Lots of folks confuse bad management with destiny. - Kim Hubbard

---------------------------------------------------------------------

This Week's Web Review is Sponsored By: Great Arrivals Gift Baskets

At GreatArrivals, we take great pride in making sure each and every gift arrives in beautiful condition. Our baskets are filled to overflowing with the most delicious gourmet specialties such as: chocolates, cookies, cheeses, nuts and other mouth watering treats. Every gift is hand made, hand packaged and every bow is hand made and hand tied with the utmost care.

All of our gifts are backed by our Commitment to Excellence guarantee and years of experience, quality and integrity. Order all your Easter baskets in a one-stop click. Visit us today!

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Parenting & Family Topic of the Week: Convicting A Child

Convicting a Child
By Rexanne Mancini

The conviction of 14-year-old Lionel Tate for first-degree murder and the subsequent life in prison sentence is now going to appeal. Considering how many juvenile offenders are being tried as adults these days, this editorial reflects on this questionable practice for all children on trial.

For those who are not familiar with the case, here is an article from Foxnews.com, which explains the details:
Lionel Tate

I cannot seem to overcome my strong feelings about this topic. I cannot tolerate the fact that a 6 year-old child was beaten to death yet I cannot accept a 14 year-old boy being sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Where in the world did this sentence come from? This is a child we are talking about and a crime he committed when he was 12 years old!

The crime that brought this case to trial is appalling, yet sentencing a 14-year-old boy to life in prison without the possibility of parole is ludicrous. This is not justice, this is cruel and unusual punishment handed down to a child. This is cowardice in its highest form and the jurors who convicted him should be ashamed. How could the state of Florida try this boy as an adult in the first place? He is not an adult nor should he be expected to assume the consciousness of an adult.

I see pictures of Lionel Tate and feel nothing but horror at the fear and uncertainty in his eyes as he looks at his mother, obviously trying to comprehend his situation. Yes, the fear and pain he inflicted on Tiffany Eunick is inexcusable. He should definitely be held accountable for his actions, however, he should be held accountable as the child he was at the time of the incident and still is. His mother should be held even more accountable. She was the adult in charge. Where was she when this little girl received 30 horrendous injuries? In hindsight, it's easy to say it was a huge mistake to leave her son alone with little Tiffany Eunick. But where was her head when she rejected the plea bargain of three years in a juvenile facility and ten years probation that would have been a more realistic sentence for this boy? Granted, Lionel Tate was a troubled child. His life had been littered with problematic behavior for quite a few years before this incident. All the more reason to hold his mother accountable for what clearly has been negligent parenting.

It might be unfair to blame Lionel's mother for his actions, however, as his parent, she needed to find a way to help her son adapt to society when he was clearly lacking adequate social skills. Tiffany Eunick would most likely be alive today and Lionel Tate a carefree teenager had she taken her parenting role more seriously. Again, hindsight makes it all seem so easy. Parenting is not easy. To raise a responsible citizen, we must be responsible parents. If our children are creating problems, we must take measures to find solutions for them to better cope with the world before they destroy their lives and the lives of innocent victims.

I would love to hear your opinions on this case. Please, let's try to make sense of this senseless situation.

---

Rexanne Mancini is the mother of two daughters, Justice and Liberty. She is a novelist, freelance writer and maintains an extensive yet informal parenting and family web site, Rexanne.com – http://www.rexanne.com -Visit her site for good advice, award-winning Internet holiday pages and some humor to help you cope. Subscribe to her free newsletter, Rexanne’s Web Review, for a monthly dose of Rexanne: http://www.rexanne.com/rwr-archives.html

---

This article is available for reprint at no charge providing the resource box with the writer's information is included and remains intact.

Have an opinion about this topic or a story to share? Please send it: My Opinion

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Food & Cooking Site of the Week: Greek Cusine.com

I love Greek food. If you're not familiar with this wonderful Mediterranean cuisine, this will be an adventure into a culture with savory and wholesome recipes.

GreekCusine.com offers appetizers to desserts, with everything in between. The Greek Summer Salad (Salata Therini) is a classic as is the wonderful Mousaka, a ground beef dish with aubergines (eggplant), potatoes and bechamel sauce. Oh yum! There are plenty of lamb dishes to peruse as well, perfect for an Easter Sunday main course.

You will find recipes for stuffed grape leaves, savory lamb dishes and Spanakopitta (spinach pie). And not to be missed is the recipe for pastry sheets (phyllo) that can be filled with a variety of minced meats or honey and chopped nuts for a special treat.

This site will make you hungry!

Bon Appetit!

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Kid's Site of the Week: Family & Kid's Easter Links

The kids will find plenty to keep them happy over spring break on this page! Loads of links to various online Easter activities, coloring pages, crafts, stories and fun.

You did want to put the finishing touches on that Easter basket, didn't you? Keep the little ones busy while you create! ;-)

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Tip or Trick of the Week:
Reader's Tips

Charlene sent in a great one:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Ever wash and dry a piece of clothing with a sticker on it? To remove, place duct tape over the entire sticker, rub tape several times then pull tape off swiftly. Works every time!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lorraine sent this good reminder:

"To make candles burn longer, put them in the refrigerator for a few hours before lighting."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Martha sent in this goodie:

"If your child washes his/her hands for 2 seconds without soap and insists that they are clean, try this trick: sing the ABC song with him/her. It lasts about 25 seconds, which is plenty of time to remove dirt and bacteria from little hands."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And Lynn sent in two excellent tips:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"To bring out the flavor in tomatoes this time of year, salt them and let them sit awhile. You can also pepper them and it brings out so much more flavor."

"If you are always buying super glue and having it dry up before it is used up, just store it in the refrigerator and it will stay soft. Remember to store it where little hands can't get to it."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

These are terrific tips, ladies! Thank you for sharing!

Got a tip or trick your fellow readers would enjoy or could use? Please send it here for possible publication in one of the next issues: Tips

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Freebie of the Week: Personalized Letter from the Easter Bunny

Here's a page from Sears Portrait Studio where you can create a very sweet personalized letter from the Easter Bunny to any child. Fill in the blanks or, better yet, have the special child help you fill in the blanks, submit the information and you'll have a letter ready to print or send via email to that little believer!

Tip: If you want to print the letter, copy just the personalized part of the letter with the cute graphics and paste onto a Word document or other word processing program. Print from there to avoid printing the advertisement at the bottom of the page.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Weekly Time Waster: Easter Word Search

Time to scramble your brain a little. ;-)

Try Steven's Easter Word Search puzzle ... all the Easter goodies you can hunt up in a nifty Java-based online word search. Kinda like an egg hunt with pretty music and a lovely poem at the end of the page that will bring back memories of Easters past. Enjoy!

Feed the kids first ...

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Featured Site of the Week: Muffin Films

This is an incredibly silly and fun site. Who ever thought muffins could be so entertaining? ;-)

Click on each muffin cup for a different Muffin Film. Giggle, pick your favorite and let the kids join in the fun. Some are a little weird, but most are adorable and funny. My favorite is #2! :-)

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Advertisement: Looking for a way to connect with your teens? Let Parents & Teens help you. Parents & Teens is an online magazine and twice monthly newsletter geared to help parents connect with their teens. Subscribe by sending a blank email to: Subscribe or by visiting Parents & Teens.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Advertisement: PrePaid Legal Plan - If you had a legal problem today, what would you do? Could you afford a qualified lawyer? Would you know whom to call? With a Prepaid Legal plan, you have access to top-quality law firms for less than the cost of a cup of coffee a day. Visit us today to learn how you can insure the security your family deserves.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Advertisement: Organize Everything - Organize Everything has been a well established e-commerce business for 8 years that specializes in providing innovating products to help organize people of all types, ages, and incomes. These commodities extend to a wide realm of areas including Household storage and gadgets, to travel and pet care materials. Our prominence has allowed us to be featured in such acclaimed publications such as The Oprah Magazine, Real Simple, Parenting, and USA Today.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

To email Rexanne click here: Email Me!

To subscribe to Rexanne's Web Review click here and request to subscribe: Subscribe Click send and the next issue will be sent to you.

To unsubscribe: Send a million dollars cash in unmarked bills ... nah! Click here and request to unsubscribe:
Unsubscribe Click send and you won't ever receive another issue. No guilt trips, either! :-)

To sponsor an issue of Rexanne's Web Review or to advertise with us, click here and request sponsor or ad info: Sponsor/Ad Info Click send and we'll get back to you!

The fine print: This newsletter is copyright - 2000-2001 in its entirety. Please pass it on, but also please leave it intact. :-)

You are receiving this email because you sent a specific message asking to be placed on the mailing list for this newsletter. If you wish to be removed from this list, see the unsubscribe notice above. This is NOT SPAM, nor will you ever see a recipe featuring SPAM in this newsletter! ;-)

I have personally checked out the links provided here but they could possibly lead you to any number of bizarre and/or offensive sites. Surf at your own risk. The DIRECT links on this page are all family friendly unless stated otherwise. While this newsletter is family friendly, it is not necessarily intended to be read by children. Parents should always monitor their children while they are on the Internet.

All material on these pages: Copyright: - 2000-2001