Most Popular Posts
At the end of June 2007, here are the 10 most popular posts on Girls Can’t WHAT? Posts are ranked by number of hits and comments. They are listed here in random order.
- Mommy, What is Hooters?
- Girls Can’t Play Football
- Anyway Video by Martina McBride
- 300 Movie Review: Spartan Women Shown Respect
- Before He Cheats
- Biker “Skinny”
- “Trophy Wife” is Not A Compliment
- Stupid Boy/Keith Urban
- How NOT to Pass an American Idol Audition
- The “Right” Time of the Month to Race
Interview Highlights
Thought you might enjoy the cream of the crop interviews from this past year at Girls Can’t WHAT?
Popular Designs
A collection of the most sought after Girls Can’t WHAT? designs and a few of my favorites thrown in for fun. 
Most Popular
- New Sheriff Design
- Girls With Guns
- You Have the Right to Remain Silent
- Veterinarian
- Crime Scene Investigator
My Picks
FirefighterI’ve Joined the Dark Side
Yup - I did it. I bought a Mac. I am supposed to be on a physical vacation, but apparently I am on a mental one, too. I think my geekiness has reached a whole new level. 
Geeky Posts
A collection to highlight the geeky side of Girls Can’t WHAT?
Yeah - I’m a geek- How Geeky Are You?
- Weekly Poll: Your Geekiest Moment
- Wordpress - You’re Hired
- I’m worth just as much as HE is!
- Hurry Up And Slow Down
I’m Outta Here!
By the time you read this post, I will be well on my way to Yellowstone National Park for a family vacation. There will be several fun stops along the way and I promise to take lots of pictures.
I am leaving the fabulous Kel1 in charge while I’m gone. Her duties are to moderate comments and to fend off the trolls. I told her she could even do some guest blogging, so who knows what she might have to say.
Anyone else who wants to join in the blogging fun is also invited to speak your mind while I’m gone - or any other time for that matter.
To pass the time while I’m away, I dug through the archives and I will be highlighting some popular posts from the past year that will pop up at random over the next week. Enjoy!
Seven Year Old Selected for UCI BMX World Championships
Diva Racing Coach Lissa Weeks just sent me this breaking news about 7 year old BMX racer Madison Martinez. Holding trophies as tall as she is, Madison is the picture of dynamite on wheels. She currently holds the #1 spot an several levels:
- District #1
- State #1
- Redline Cup #1
- Race of Champions #1
- National Age Group #1
What’s next? UCI World Domination
All this at age 7?
Madison Martinez has been selected by the USA Cycling Organization to represent Team USA at the 2007 UCI BMX World Championships in Victoria, BC. Canada. As a member of Team USA, Madison will be competing against riders from around the world.
Girls Can Be Scientists
After being hounded for months by my biology-nerd sister, I finally managed to whip up a scientist design.
When I think of women scientists, Madame Curie is the first person to pop into my head. I will have to use Google to see who else I can come up with. Aw heck, I’ll just email my sister, Ericka. She memorized the trivial pursuit cards when we were growing up, so she can probably name a few off the the top of her Einsteinian brain.
In all seriousness, women are not very prominent in the field of science. In fact, there are an increasing number of organizations forming to encourage women to choose this field as a career path. Organizations such as the Association for Women in Science (AWIS), Edinburgh Women’s Science Forum (EWSF), Committee on Women in Science and Engineering (CWSE) and Women in Technology (WIT) serve to encourage women and to help them network and find satisfying careers. There is even a book in the works called “Where the Girls Aren’t” that discusses this very subject.
Oh and in case you are wondering what it says on her notepad, she is writing an essay called “Girls Can Be Scientists”. The text reads:
I think girls can be scientists because girls can do anything they set their mind to do.
The scientist design is available in a variety of t-shirts, hat, mugs, bags, magnets, posters, stickers and more. Check her out today in the Girls Can’t What? Shop! Read more
Hurry Up and Slow Down
It is always amazing to me just how much one can accomplish when time is short. This week has been one of the busiest weeks of my life. Add to that the pressure of handling all of the details one must attend to before leaving on a long trip, a couple of minor emergencies, some last minute shopping and you have a small glimpse of my day.
On top of all of the “normal stuff”, I’ve had to organize music, hold rehearsals and lead the worship team at my church for three extra events. Then there was volleyball camp which is in the next town, requiring a 30-minute trip there and a 30-minute trip back – not once – but twice a day. My schedule was packed and my todo list was overwhelming.
Fortunately for me, survival mode kicked in and before this week ever started I sat down with my calendar, my task list and an enormous bottle of green tea to plan the chaos called “my life”. It turns out with a little planning and a lot of pressure, things can get done right the first time - on time – and even ahead of schedule. I thought I’d share with you my “discoveries” for getting things done this week. I think I even amazed myself with the ingenuity of it all. Some of you may file this one under “too geeky for me” but I know there are others of you that know exactly what I am talking about.
Have You Heard BarlowGirl?
I few weeks ago I mentioned the “Monday only” BarlowGirl listening event that is happening every Monday until their new album How Can We Be Silent hits the stores on July 24th. Currently there are five full tracks available for your listening pleasure at HaveYouHeardthe Word.com. I highly encourage you to check out this fabulous group of sisters. I will be first in line to pick up their album as soon as it hits our local store.
Seven Year Old is Time Management Guru
This summer I have been taking efficiency lessons from my seven year old daughter, Kirstie. School is officially out, our “schedule” has been shredded and we are on “summer hours.” This means we have no strict schedule - just a lot of sporadic appointments and play dates. In order to maintain my sanity (and a clean house), I instituted the handy-dandy-chore-chart for my kids so they could be reminded of their daily duties. It also saves me from nagging them because I can say “check your chart”. Being a time management geek myself, I have been delegating household responsibilities to my children since they were able to walk so that by this stage in their lives (ages 10 and 7) they can handle the majority of the weekly household tasks, freeing me up to get more work done on my business since my hours get shortened during the summer with them being home. I say shortened because I lose about two hours of work time from June-August chaperoning them in the pool or taking them to volleyball camp, etc.
My initial intention was to set them up on a loose schedule of getting up, making their breakfast and doing their chores before they were allowed to do any of their “fun” activities. That sounded reasonable to me by keeping them busy as I worked and it would motivate them to get their tasks done quickly. I spread the tasks out over the course of 5 days and estimated how long it would take them to do each task. I added bonus tasks at the end of the list as well which would be rewarded with extra privileges. I had no idea how well this plan could be executed until I introduced it to Kirstie. Read more
Accolades and Announcements
I just received word that Girls Can’t WHAT? was mentioned as “One of our Favorite Fun Places to Visit” on Ladystar.net. The write-up alone is worth a look - it is written from the character’s point of view and is really cute. 
This is also the perfect time to mention that Ladystar.net has released a new book in the Ajan Warriors Series called The Dreamspeaker. You can read all 22 chapters online at Ladystar.net. If you are not familiar with Ladystar, I introduced them back in January as:
…the epic story of seven girls who discover the mighty artifacts of a betrayed kingdom and its fearsome legends of an avenging champion. I should mention here that these very smart, capable girls who use their brain power and talents to battle evil. The site is updated many times each week with free chapters from the Ajan Warriors Series, plus games, contests and all sorts of fun special events.”
My bookworm children enjoy this site immensely.
Meet Coach Joan Joyce
A friend of mine, Joe, sent me a link to an article about an amazing athlete I had never heard of before. Joan Joyce’s enormous list of accomplishments is impressive and names several famous pro athletes that she has competed against - and defeated. Events such as striking out pro baseball great Ted Williams or landing in the Guinness Book of World Records for only needing 17 putts. She also set a record by scoring a 66 on the LPGA tour. Joyce isn’t limited to just softball and golf. She also has a rich history in volleyball, basketball and coaching. The article featuring Joan Joyce is chock full of information about her career and quotes about her determination. Check it out - it’s a great inspiration to female athletes everywhere! Especially when you read great comments like this one:
The confidence has been a constant. It was evident when she was a 17-year-old facing down May, Rich and Contel, and three years later when she stood on the mound staring down Ted Williams in front of a crowd of about 17,000 at Waterbury’s municipal stadium.
Williams, the legendary Red Sox slugger who had retired a year earlier with a .344 lifetime average, earlier had asked Joyce how she threw her curveball.
Joyce said she showed him her grip and explained how she did it. “Girls aren’t supposed to know that,” Joyce recalled him saying. “Well, this girl does,” Joyce replied.
King of the Groms turns out to be a Queen
Just after posting yesterday’s “The Truth Does NOT Hurt” article about men and women in sports, Paula from Queen of the Surf Pirates sent me this great link to an extreme sports site for girls called “Nollie” where the front page news tells the story of Carissa Moore. Last week, Carissa made history by becoming the first girl to win a surfing contest known as Quicksilver’s “King of the Groms”. I guess that makes her the Queen. Way to go Carissa!
You can see video footage of Carissa on her surf board doing a few 360’s in this DVD review of the surf movie “Shimmer”. This girl is making waves in more than one way.
The Truth Does NOT Hurt
I’m not 100% sure that I want to rock this boat at the moment, but I’m getting a little perturbed by the comments on the “Girls Can’t Play Football” thread. The discussion was quite peaceful until a Mr. “Truth Hurts” showed up and decided to say that women will always be inferior to men and that there will be some things that women just can’t do. I rolled my eyes and blew it off as male chauvinism at first, but he persisted in arguing with me. It got ugly and personal and downright ridiculous if you ask me. I kindly called for a truce, figuring that we were just going to have to disagree on this one but now someone else has joined in and picked up the flag waving for the men. You can read the discussion for yourself and decide, but I still think it’s a bogus statement to say that men will always be better in athletics than women.
I am not here to argue that women are as strong physically as men - that is a no-brainer. We are built differently and for different purposes. For the most part, men will be stronger and faster than women most of the time. Notice my word choices here - I said “most of the time” not “always”. I am not deluded nor do I live in a “fantasy world” when I say that is entirely possible that somewhere out there is a woman who CAN beat the top male athlete in whatever sport you choose. Just because it hasn’t been done yet does not mean women are incapable of doing it. I am so tired of being limited by the words of men. Read more
My soundtrack
I’ve got a pretty lame fight song and some others that don’t quite fit, but some pretty good ones, too!
1. Opening Credits: “Bittersweet” - Galactic
2. Birth: “Hell” – Squirrel Nut Zippers
3. First Day At School: “Try to Explain” – Mudhens
4. Falling In Love: “The River” – Garth Brooks
5. Fight Song: “My Lonely Sad Eyes” – Maria McKee
6. Breaking Up: “Bedbugs and Ballyhoo” – Echo and the Bunnymen
7. Prom: “The Riddle”- Five for Fighting
8. Life: “Scattered”- Green Day
9. Mental Breakdown: “Chuco’s Cumbia” – Los Lobos
10. Driving: “Come Original”- 311
11. Flashback: “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”- Israel Kamakawiwo’ole
12. Wedding: “Open Ended” - Sebadoh
13. Birth of a Child: “Clamp Down” – The Clash
14. Final Battle: “Take Down the Union Jack” – Billy Bragg
15. Death Scene: “Personal Jesus”- Johnny Cash
16. Funeral: “Turn the Light Out” – Big Head Todd & the Monsters
17. Ending Credits: “Steve McQueen” – Sheryl Crow
The Soundtrack of Your Life
Ok - how can I pass this up? I have iTunes already opened and I love music so here goes…
The Rules: Open your computer music files, iPod, etc. and set to ’shuffle’. Whatever song plays first goes in the first slot (no cheating!). When you go to a new question, hit the ‘next’ button and continue doing so until all blanks are filled.)
1. Opening Credits: “A Little More” - Skillet
2. Birth: “Curious Thing” - Amy Grant
3. First Day At School: “Let ‘Er Rip” - Dixie Chicks
4. Falling In Love: “The Power” - Amy Grant
5. Fight Song: “You Didn’t have To Be So Nice” - Amy Grant/Kevin Costner
6. Breaking Up: “God Help Me” - Rebecca St. James
7. Prom: “The Wonderful Cross”- Michael W. Smith
8. Life: “Everything I Do (I Do It For You)”- Bryan Adams
9. Mental Breakdown: “Thrive” - Newsboys
10. Driving: “Better Is One Day”- Cutless
11. Flashback: “O Praise Him”- David Crowder Band
12. Wedding: “Wide Open Spaces” - Dixie Chicks
13. Birth of a Child: “Believe” - Amy Grant
14. Final Battle: “Pure” - Superchick
15. Death Scene: “A Change Would Do You Good”- Sheryl Crow
16. Funeral: “All I Ever Wanted” - Margaret Becker
17. Ending Credits: “Big Star Machine” - Superchick
Ok - not as cool as I though it would be. All that probably tells you is I am a big fan of Amy Grant and the Dixie Chicks. Oh well - I’ll post it anyway. Maybe someone else on here will have a soundtrack that is more interesting. Feel free to log in and post yours. 
Whose Blog Would You Read?
Here’s a little spin on the old “if you could go back in time, who would you like to have lunch with” question. This time around let’s pretend that computers have existed since the dawn of time and that blogging was a part of everyone’s daily lives. Momentarily, I am picturing Eve in the Garden of Eden with a laptop (an Apple, of course 
) happily blogging away about why Adam can’t manage to put his fig leaf in the hamper. Hmmm… what else would Eve have to say? (My thoughts have wandered off and I’m trying to figure out why some Mac marketer hasn’t come up with an Adam and Eve version of the Mac vs. PC commercials. Surely there is some creative genius to be found there.)
Anyway, think back at all the women throughout history and then pretend that Google has neatly archived all of their blogs for you to surf through at your leisure. Whose blog would you read? Whose blog would you comment on? Can you just see Susan B. Anthony blogging her speeches? How many comments would Sojourner Truth have received for her famous “Ain’t I a Woman” speech? Pick someone who doesn’t have any writings or speeches - what would she have to say on her blog? What would her site look like? Lots of ads and blog bling or a simple format with earthy colors? You tell me. Take a moment to blog about it on your own site or create your own blog entry here on Girls Can’t WHAT? Read more
Maternal Is Political
Shari MacDonald Strong is in the process of writing a book on a much-debated feminine topic and she’s titling it “Maternal is Political”. The book is slated to be published in 2008 and the cool part is that YOU can STILL be a part of this great work. Shari is looking for essays on various women’s topics to include in her new book and she has extended her June 1st cut off for submissions. You must contact her and work out a deadline. Payment is $100 and two free copies. There is a whole list of ideas and more information about the scope of this book on her web site.
Here are a sample of suggested topics from Shari’s blog:
- First-hand stories of motherhood and politics from the Civil Rights movement or the 1960s/70s women’s movement
- Getting out of poverty with kids in tow (what does this woman have to say to the government?)
- Two mothers raising their children together; how are they teaching their children about nationalized homophobia and how their lives will be affected because of it?
- A woman of color’s perspective on raising a child while fighting racism (e.g., a story from New Orleans and the connection between racism and how her children’s lives were changed by Katrina)
- How motherhood changed one woman’s political affiliation or level of involvement
- Involving children in a political campaign
- A mother’s response to her child being sent to Iraq or Afghanistan/becoming active in the anti-war movement
- How one mother helped to trigger or bring about social change in her community
- A mother’s run for political office
- Growing up as the child of a politically involved mother, and how that shapes one’s mothering
This is a great opportunity to be heard and I can’t wait to read this book when it becomes available! I think I may try to come up with an essay or two to submit… 
Tricks Guys Can’t Do
There’s this trick that *supposedly* only women can do.
- Stand three feet away from a wall
- Bend over and put your head against the wall
- Now try to stand up while lifting a chair.
If you’re a woman, you should be able to do it successfully, but if you’re a man, you won’t be able get back up into a standing position while holding the chair. I believe it really has something to do with height, not gender. Anyone want to try this and report back?
Girls Can’t WHAT? Goes Global
Just wanted to note that Girls Can’t WHAT? has been receiving an influx of traffic from around the globe as a result of adding translation options to the site. On the right hand side towards the bottom of each page, there is a list of available languages available for translation. Clicking these links allows users from other countries to participate in our discussions directly from the Girls Can’t WHAT? site through Google’s translator.
Comments
-
Weekly Updates
Get weekly updates from Girls Can't WHAT? delivered to your inbox!
-
Categories
- Girls Who Can (127)
- Guest Bloggers (10)
- Humor (14)
- In The News (54)
- Inspiration (239)
- Interviews (25)
- New Designs (59)
- Personal Notes (49)
- Random Musings (84)
- Uncategorized (1)
- Weekly Challenge (21)
-
Say It
- Osterman, Cat (Softball Player) (11)
Emily on May 10, 2008: cat is the best player ever she is my idol
- Fernandez, Lisa (Softball Player) (2)
Panther on May 8, 2008: I was at one of the softball games, and Lisa asked me to play catch with her :) And i got the...
- Will Miley Cyrus hang on to the Best of Both Worlds? (90)
gretchen on May 8, 2008: First off - when I posted this article, her current “controversy” wasn’t...
nikkiblonskyfan97 on May 8, 2008: ARE YOU CRAZY?!?!?!?!!wat kind of role model poses nude? i 100%disagree[-(
jery on May 4, 2008: hey miley i love you soooooo much
- This Is Me / Skye Sweetnam (Lyrics) (43)
carmi on May 8, 2008: more power to skye and olwiez kip up the good work..!
carmi on May 8, 2008: skye is very cool..! i rily love the song..!
- Unique Mother’s Day Gifts (1)
shirley temple on May 7, 2008: this stuff is COOL!!!:d:d:d:d:d:d:d:d:d:):): ):):):):) IT MAKES ME WANNA...
- Weekly Poll: Is the word “Gal” offensive? (36)
tiffanie on May 5, 2008: It’s not about whether or not you mean to offend someone. Nor is it about the fact...
- New Firefighter Design (26)
laura on May 4, 2008: Courtney I totally agree that us girls can do it better then guys can! SORRY DALTON!! It rox...
- Osterman, Cat (Softball Player) (11)
-
Get The Gear
-
Latest Designs
-
Coupons
