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MARCH 2019
How We Balance Fun and the Future Multiple-Choice Parenting
My daughter, Justine, is in eleventh grade. While that’s known nationwide
nature. Social media, where every accomplishment is broadcasted to the world and recorded for posterity, only gives them more people to compare themselves to. In this context, being able to don the sweatshirt of the university or college you’ll be attending is not too different from having a fancy new pair of sneakers or eating at the coolest restaurant — it’s something to brag about. Like it or not, that’s just part of the environment today’s adolescents inhabit. But my husband, Tim, and I have it extremely lucky. Justine is a natural student and very secure in her sense of self. She takes AP classes knowing that all the stress and extra work will pay off once she gets to college and can forgo those boring required classes. She attends her SAT tutoring session every week with a smile. Don’t get me wrong; she needs encouragement in the same way every young student does. Heck, these kids devote well over 40 hours per week to school; who wouldn’t need a little pick-me-up here and there? Mostly, though, what Tim and I find ourselves doing is giving Justine permission to just be a kid. She is so driven and steadfast in her pursuits that we often tell her to slow down, chill out for a minute, and enjoy her teenage years before adulthood arrives in full force. Often, those respites involve the theater, which is one of Justine’s major passions. This spring, for example, she’s taking a trip to New York City to see a quartet of Broadway If you have a child in high school, especially one going through the college admission wringer, I hope you’ll balance your hopes for their future with an appreciation for their present. It’s not always easy to step back and let kids enjoy their youth. But as pressing as the college choice is, it’s their childhood that’ll be gone forever before you know it. You’ll want to look back on these days and reflect that your child didn’t have to choose between academics, extracurriculars, and good old- fashioned fun. Instead, they enjoyed all of the above. shows. The hope is that she’ll be so busy and enthralled that the SATs will be a distant memory for a few days.
as junior year, it may be more accurate to call it “SAT time.”
That’s certainly been true at our house since the holidays. Every year, guidance counselors and high school educators tell their students that the SAT is just one piece of the college admissions puzzle, and they shouldn’t put undue stress on themselves trying to achieve the best score possible. And every year, students put that stress on themselves anyway. As a parent, one thing I’ve noticed is that college admission, and school in general, is much more competitive today than it was when I was a student. These days, kids are expected to start preparing for college applications the moment they step foot in high school — and in some cases, well before that. Some of this pressure is the result of the influx of students attending college over the past few decades. Do you remember the days when graduating high school without going to college was perfectly normal and acceptable? Well, those days are pretty much gone, and “if you go to college” has been replaced with “where are you going to college.”
That “where” is the fundamental source of stress, if you ask me. High schoolers are comparative people by
–Jennifer Ricca
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Donate With Care
The Right Way to Donate After Spring-Cleaning
Spring is in the air, and it’s time to celebrate with another round of spring-cleaning. Banish the clutter and make room in your life for something new! Many charities see a sharp increase in donations as spring- cleaning season starts. Donating your used books, kids’ toys, and gently worn clothing allows your old items to have a second life. However, when filling that donation box, make sure you’re donating each item because it can do good and not just because you feel bad about throwing it away. Charities have a big problem with well- meaning citizens dropping off items that are better left in the trash. There are many items charities simply cannot handle. Most charities will have lists of items they can and cannot accept on their websites. Some items that you should not donate include:
• Expired
• Mattresses
up in the trash anyway. This process can be expensive for organizations with already- strained resources. Some local charities spend over $1,000 a year on dumpster and trash removal fees for unusable donations. While charities will have no choice but to throw unusable donations in the trash, there are services you can use to make your spring-cleaning eco-friendly, even for items you can’t donate. For example, if you have torn or stained blue jeans, reach out to Blue Jeans Go Green. This program keeps denim out of landfills by turning it into insulation. And while Goodwill can’t take your batteries or old flip phone, you can check out Call2Recycle.org to learn how to safely recycle your e-waste.
medications
• Carpets
• Old TVs
• Tangled cords or phone chargers
• Cribs
• Loose remote controls
• Any broken, damaged, or dirty items
• Personal care
items, like soap, shampoo, or makeup
These items may be unsafe to sell, costly to ship, or impossible to refurbish effectively. When a charity regularly receives items they cannot use, they have to spend hours of manpower sorting through things that end
Your donations can be a big help to local charities. Just don’t “donate” your garbage.
Meet Debra Ottenbacher Our Accounts Receivable Wizard
All-Clean! SoftWash recently acquired St. Mary’s Window Cleaning Services in Vancouver, Washington. Now operating under the name St. Mary’s All-Clean!, the new location gives us an opportunity to bring our innovative and exceptional services to an entirely new area. It’s also a chance to expand our All-Clean! family with the introduction of the wonderful
Having the chance to meet and interact with the All-Clean! team helped assuage any of Deb’s concerns. “I felt comfortable with Matt the second he introduced himself as my new boss,” Deb reveals. “I know that may sound a little strange, but you just get a vibe from some people, you know? I also want to thank Jennifer for being so amazing during the transition. She really listens and gets things done for us.” When she’s not working, you can find Deb camping, visiting the ocean, and being an active member of her church. No matter where she is, you can expect to find her dog, Sophie, by her side. “She’s the unofficial-official shop dog,” Deb says with a laugh. “I don’t think she’d know what to do without seeing her All-Clean! buddies Monday through Friday.” Similarly, we don’t know how we’d get along without Deb up in Vancouver. With charm for days and charisma to spare, it’s no wonder she describes her greatest skill as “killin’ ‘em with kindness.”
St. Mary’s team. One of the earliest new members to make a warm impression on us is their head of accounts receivable and customer service, Debra “Deb” Ottenbacher. Deb admits that she felt the same trepidations that anyone would feel after learning St. Mary’s would have a new structure in place. “Change is always a little bit scary,” she says. “From learning new computer systems to having a different name on our trucks, these sweeping changes made me a little worried. Luckily, that fear went away the second I got to meet the All-Clean! team.”
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AKA Time to Call All-Clean! Season It’s Window-Cleaning Season
With winter coming to an end and the whole area turning green, the local landscape is at its most beautiful. But it will be hard to appreciate from inside your house if you haven’t had your windows cleaned recently. As dust, soil, and other debris accumulate, they affect both the appearance of the exterior of your home and the atmosphere within it. Now that winter is heading back into hiding, it’s the perfect time to sign up for professional window cleaning services from All-Clean! SoftWash.
on the job. The most sparkling windows in the world aren’t worth it if you have to risk life and limb to achieve them.
recipe title Don’t suffer in vain trying to clean your windows on your own this spring. Give us a call to schedule a consultation today. We want you to enjoy the spring landscape without having to squint through dirty windows to do so. Truth be told, you also won’t get the same results as the professionals, no matter how hard you try. Even the best store-bought cleaning products are prone to leaving streaks and residue behind. We’ve worked with customers who’ve done their entire suite of windows themselves, only to be disappointed in the results and call us anyway. This year, avoid the hassle and give yourself, your family, and your home the gift of expertly cleaned windows. Our teams have experience working on properties of all shapes and sizes, and we have the tools and skills to get the job done right. We’ll ensure a professionally done cleaning that will let the sun pour in and make the views look pristine. As a result, you’ll enjoy your home more. Who wouldn’t want that?
There are many reasons why you should leave it to the pros when it comes to your windows. First and foremost is your safety. Struggling with a ladder and bucket of cleaning fluid is a recipe for disaster. We have professional apparatuses that ensure our teams stay safe while
INGREDIENTS • 3/4 cup popcorn kernels Everything Popcorn • 2 tablespoons flaky sea salt • 1 teaspoon black sesame seeds • 2 teaspoons white sesame seeds • 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
Sudoku
• 2 teaspoons granulated onion • 1/3 cup canola oil • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
DIRECTIONS 1. In a small skillet over medium heat, toast sesame seeds. Shake skillet often and cook until white seeds are golden and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and add garlic, onion, and salt. 2. In a large saucepan, combine popcorn kernels and oil. Cook over medium-high heat, covered, until popcorn kernels start to pop. Once popping, continue cooking and shaking the pan intermittently until popping ceases, about 3–5 minutes. 3. Transfer popcorn to a large mixing bowl. Pour in butter and toss to coat. Finally, add seasoning, toss again, and serve.
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Inside This Issue
WHEN THE SATS LOOM PAGE 1
WHY CHARITIES HATE SPRING-CLEANING
SPOTLIGHT ON DEB OTTENBACHER PAGE 2
LEAVE YOUR WINDOWS TO THE PROS
EVERYTHING POPCORN PAGE 3
MAKE THE MOST OF THE ACADEMY AWARDS PAGE 4 Are You a Movie Fanatic?
How to Make the Most of the Academy Awards
for different categories. You can also find printable Oscars prediction charts and offer prizes to whoever has the highest number of correct answers. 2. THEMED FOOD If you’re throwing an Oscars party, serving some tasty dishes is a must. But why not kick it up a notch and keep your entrees and hors d’oeuvres in line with the blockbuster theme? There are multiple recipes for Oscars-party popcorn online, and you can also use star-shaped cookie cutters for your desserts. For your libations, you can serve cocktails from famous films and make a martini even James Bond would approve of. 3. TICKETS GALORE! The ticket price for the first motion picture ever shown at the oldest American movie theater cost 15–25 U.S. cents, depending on the location of your seat. Nowadays, the price of watching a film is astronomical. Fortunately, there are ways for you to create the feeling of watching a film premiere or Oscars ceremony from your own home. Find printable tickets online to distribute to your guests before the showing, and encourage them to dress like they are heading to the red carpet.
If you’re a big film buff, then there’s a good chance you set aside one important night each spring to watch the Academy Awards. A great number of memorable moments have happened during the Oscars, such as the 2017 “La La Land” best picture mix-up, the 1974 streaking incident when a naked man ran across the stage, or the 2013 falling accident when Jennifer Lawrence tripped as she walked on stage to receive her award for best actress. The Academy Awards is an event you don’t want to miss out on. Here are three ways you can get the most out of Oscars night. 1. PLAY TRIVIA Everyone loves a good trivia challenge. If you and your family watch the ceremony live, you can use the commercial breaks to test your knowledge. Pose questions about the best picture winners over the last 90 years or the actors selected
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