Phrases That Should Be Banned in 2011

Every year around this time, a list of the most overused words is published. Here is my list of the words and phrases that should be banned in 2011 and why I feel that way.


Just saying -- People use this phrase when they are trying to make a point but don't want to come across as they are.

Baby Daddy/Baby Mama -- Why can't we just say the baby's dad or the baby's mom? Why use this cutesy phrases? It makes it sounds like a child had a baby.

Vajayjay -- If you're too immature to use the word "vagina" then maybe you shouldn't be having a discussion about it.

Just so you know -- Often used by people imparting some bits of information to you just so that you know whatever the information is. Well, I certainly hope they were telling you because you were supposed to know and not because you weren't.

It is what it is -- Used when a situation is unchangeable. Kind of like speaking the obvious.

Top Stories of 2010

As 2010 draws to a close, it's time to recall the biggest, most memorable news stories of the year. Here are my choices in no particular order:


Chilean miners rescued after months underground. This story is about the triumph of the human spirit. This is especially true considering one of the miners went on to run a marathon.

The BP oil spill. Big corporate bureaucracy and destruction to the environment. Need I say more.

The Haitian earthquake. The poorest nation in North American is left in rumble. Months later, the population is hit with a cholera epidemic.

The fallout from the November elections. Our nation is still very much divided as it has been since the 2000 presidential election. Remember the words of Abraham Lincoln: "A house divided will not stand."

What are your nominations for the best news story of 2010?

If You Love Someone, You Won't Try to Change Them

Tolerance of others who are different than us is not something we humans are skilled at. Perhaps we are genetically imposed to be that way. We see others who are different than ourselves and we belittle them, laugh at them, pass judgment on them and try to change them to fit what we think is the way people should be. We might even go so far as to suggest they are crazy and need to seek professional help to change who they naturally are.


If you think I'm talking about teenagers harassing one another, I'm not. I'm talking about adults in committed relationships. Why is it so many people get married and then try to change their partner? The one doing the changing thinks they are being helpful, that they are making the other a better person. The one who is being changed feels angry, hateful and resentful. Their feelings are hurt. They are made to feel insignificant and begin to question why if someone says they love them, they would be treating them this way.

This type of situation is not healthy. It eats away at the strength of the relationship. It will eventually reach the point where the relationship has taken so many blows, it never recovers. And for what? Because your partner didn't conform and fit into the neat little mold you wanted them to. And if they did, would you then turn around and find something else wrong with them? Put yourself in the other person's shoes. How would you like it if someone was constantly putting you down and telling your must be different? Imagine this coming out of the mouth of someone you love. How would you feel? Would you feel loved and respected, or would you feel unloved and disrespected?

Anyone reading this, I urge you to listen to your partners and love them just the way they are, perceived flaws and all. Listen to what they have to say, even if you don't understand their point of view. Listen, not judge. Listen, not claim they are making an excuse. Listen and show them that you love them. Support your partner and they will be there to support you.

2010 Most Notable Quotes

Yale Librarian Fred Shapiro released his yearly list of the year's most notable quotations.


Some of them, unfortunately, when taken out of context make no sense.

For example, number 10: "They should never have put me with that woman. ... She was just a sort of bigoted woman who said she used to be Labour." Gordon Brown, comments about a voter he met while campaigning for British general election, Apr. 28.

Despite the background provided to us about this story, I don't remember it. I have no idea who this woman is, how she met Brown and why there was a controversy about it afterward.

Others probably made the list, not because the quotation was noteworthy but because of the media storm that followed.

For example, number 8: "I'm going to take my talents to South Beach." LeBron James, television broadcast, July 8.

One person made the list twice, Tea Party candidate Christine O'Donnell who is numbers 1 and 9 on the list with these statements:

"I'm not a witch." Christine O'Donnell, television ad, Oct. 4

"You're telling me that the separation of church and state is found in the First Amendment?" Christine O'Donnell, Delaware senatorial debate, Oct. 19. (The Associated Press reported the quote: "So you're telling me that the separation of church and state, the phrase `separation of church and state,' is in the First Amendment?")

In the first case, O'Donnell could have used this opportunity to talk about religious tolerance, but instead she just came across as a fool. In the second instance, again taken out of context, we have no idea what this was in response to.

All in all, I would have to say this year's list of notable quotations was not that notable.

To view the whole list.

Amy Roloff, You Will Be Missed

Amy Roloff might not be as well known as Kate Gosselin or Michelle Duggar, but she will be missed as TLC's Little People, Big World ended Dec. 6 after six seasons.


The series, for those who aren't familiar with it, is about the Roloff family -- husband Matt and wife Amy and their four children. Both parents and one of the sons are dwarfs and series was meant to showcase their lives and how it is both similar and dissimilar to that of average-sized people. Amy is only 4'1" yet despite her physical limitations, she is one of those rare reality show moms you can actually relate to.

When the series began, Amy was a stay-at-home mom. As time went on, she took on two part-time jobs to help with the family finances. She taught preschool and worked in the office of a local soccer club. By the end of the series, she had a full-time career with a foundation she started. She also routinely does motivational and informational speaking.

Like any other mom she disciplined her kids, made time to spend with them and ran her household, despite having a husband who seemed to have more ways to spend money than save it and who she often butted heads with. Amy also struggled with having an identity of her own that was separate from being a mom. As her children grew so did Amy as a person. She tried things she had never tried before and grew adventurous.

Unlike a lot of the reality show moms, she was never in the tabloids or on trash TV. There were no scandals. There was just a mom raising her kids and trying to make a living who also happened to be on TV.

A New Year's Resolution Not to Make Resolutions

Are you the type of person who sets New Year's resolutions only to break them a few days, weeks or months later? Some of the most common resolutions involve lifestyle changes, things like weight loss or quitting smoking.


So why do so many people fail to keep their resolutions? Probably because many people set their goals unrealistically high and then feel like a failure when their goals aren't met. Still others set resolutions because they are under the impression that a new year means a new start and not that it means what it really means, another trip around the sun.

A much better alternative to New Year's resolutions is to set small goals for yourself throughout the year. These would be achievable goals that, once they are finished, could be followed up with a new goal. Smaller manageable goals give you a sense of accomplishment when completed. Larger goals set you up for failure.

Have you ever set a New Year's resolution that you kept? If so, what was it?

The Two Extremes of Christmas

It's the Christmas shopping season. For many people this means decadence -- too many decorations in front of the house, expensive gifts, too much food and parties. But for others this means not doing anything at all. Yes, there are some Christians who chose not to celebrate Christmas in any way other than going to church. They do not decorate, exchange gifts or make special foods.


Do both extremes go too far? Isn't the whole point of Christmas to spread cheer and goodwill toward other people? How can someone be doing that if all they are doing is spending money? Conversely, how can they be doing that if they aren't celebrating at all?

A happy medium is best. Celebrate the holiday while keeping rein on your pocketbook. There is no reason why every inch of your front yard needs to be covered in decorations or why does your child needs a $200 gift. But you should be sharing traditions with those you love. It doesn't have to be a rowdy party; it's the time spent that counts.

I hope you all have a happy holiday this year, one without much craziness and with lots of happy memories.

Obesity Letters

Some parents in Arizona are in an uproar. Their children were sent home from school with a letter from the nurse saying they're obese. The letters weren't put in an envelope; they were just handed to the children.


What the school says: The school feels it's doing its duty by informing parents their children are obese, so the children can get the appropriate help.

What the parents say: The parents say their children were forced to be publicly humiliated and that their self-esteem has been harmed.

What I say: You can't hide obesity. Unfortunately, these children, letter or no letter, are probably teased merciless already and probably have a poor self image already. Schools need to teach children proper nutrition in addition to monitoring their weight. Did the school do the right thing by sending home the letters? Absolutely. They just went about it the wrong way. As for the parents, how many of them are helping their children loose weight and make healthy eating choices? That would be a better use of their time than making national news out of something the kids will forget about before Christmas.