He loves eating, sleeping, and road trips. He must be a Liloia.

Our Lola beehive died over the winter. On first glance, it looks like they made honey too far away from the center of the hive and they never ventured up to the higher boxes to eat. Not good for them, but we took apart the top deep box and found a few frames full of clean, capped honey for us.

We haven't harvested enough honey (and probably won't until next year) to make the purchase of an extractor worthwhile, but using cheesecloth and a lot of patience, we extracted eight jars of raw honey (no heat applied) for the family. Trevor especially enjoyed chewing on spoonfuls of honey and beeswax like bubblegum.

And if you (like Trevor) are sitting there thinking, "My kid does great in school -- he doesn't need a tutor!" Let me mention that Trevor is an A-student in the 5th grade who is taking 6th grade math, 7th grade spelling, and reads at a high school level. Even he has areas he can work on. I guarantee that your child would benefit from an in-depth look at one area of study.

Trev's trouble spots are in math and writing. I spoke with Trev's teacher to get specifics on what we could work on, and he lent us a copy of their classroom math workbook. Don't overlook this step if you use WeTutor; it's very helpful to work jointly on the same topics at home and at school.

In total, we had four WeTutor sessions over two weeks. Despite his protests, all of the meetings ended with Trevor feeling energized about his work and smiling about his progress. After the first writing session, he asked when they would get to meet again. What a turnaround!

Signup is simple. Create an account for your child (there are slots for multiple children) and choose a tutor from the listings. You can drill down by grade, subject, topics within a subject, and keywords. This is where it helps to know where your child's teacher wants you to focus. It's much easier to find a good tutoring fit if you know to look for help in pre-algebra or geometry, versus simply "math." And every tutor appreciates being aware of specific trouble spots like strategy, memorization, or visualization.

Every tutor's profile page has grade levels, areas of expertise, qualifications, and availability listed. It's very easy to find a teacher to fit your schedule, as well as your subject needs. Hourly fees are also listed on profiles. Choose someone within your budget without the awkward, "How much do you charge?" conversation. Immediately after ending the tutoring session, parents click thorugh and pay via PalPal. I was relieved to be able to take care of payment instantly and electronically -- and I'm sure the tutors appreciate being paid right away without waiting for a check.

After picking two tutors, we wrote each a quick email via the message box on their profile. We requested a meeting time and heard back from both within a day. It's important to communicate with your tutor from the start to determine a few details so you aren't scrambling for supplies at the last minute and using up your teaching time. Some things to work out beforehand:

-- The time, date, and length of your meeting. Sessions default to an hour, but if your child needs more or less time, let you tutor know beforehand. If you know you only need one session for pre-test prep, now would be a good time to let the tutor know. Likewise, if you're hoping for weekly sessions at a set day and time, arrange that early in the process.

-- What items should you have on hand before the session starts? Paper and pencil are basics, but you may also need a calculator, workbook, textbook, etc.

-- How will you be communicating? WeTutor offers the option of calling your tutor and speaking via phone, text chatting in the Virtual Classroom, and audio/video within the Virtual Classroom. It's important to know which combination you'll be using beforehand to ensure you have the phone number, microphone, or webcam ready.

The two tutors we selected were both excellent. All tutors are qualified classroom teachers -- and it shows. They were keyed in to where Trevor should be for his grade and had a great handle on how to relay material in an understandable manner. I recall my high-school geometry tutor who was barely a year older than me. She tried, for sure, but without classroom experience, her lessons jumped around the topic and never really sunk in.

Our reading tutor zeroed in on Trevor's trouble spots within minutes of speaking with him. She noticed that he had great creative writing ideas, but his lack of speed with writing and typing made him dread writing assignments. She recommended a voice recorder for speaking his essays and typing them afterwards. She also suggested he keep a journal at home to practice the flow of writing -- which has since turned into a novel about a medieval knight who is a "mall cop" at the local marketplace. Whose kid didn't like writing?

Our math tutor also clicked instantly with Trevor. He was quick to praise good work and patient when Trev got stuck. His tone was casual and approachable, and once he found out they shared a similar interest in science fiction, he created some Artemis Fowl and video game-based math problems for our second meeting. You should have seen the dawning of comprehension on Trev's face when the tutor explained that magical resistances in Diablo II are actually complex percentage problems. It was one of those, "I've been doing this math in my head all along!" moments.

We were so impressed by our tutors, that I would love to share our findings in a recommendations/comments area on teacher profiles. We gave our tutors positive ratings, but it would be great to be able to convey their strengths to other parents. As a parent searching for a tutor, those subjective comments would go a long way toward informing our decision.

With our math tutor, we used a speakerphone and the Virtual Classroom. With our writing tutor, we tried chat-only and audio within the Virtual Classroom. The audio and phone worked seamlessly, but we were unable to see webcam images. It was easy enough to proceed without video, and I'm sure with a little practice we could have gotten it up and running.

The only session in which commnuication was a little difficult was the typing-only meeting. Trevor is a quick reader, but an excruciatingly slow typist. After a few frustrating minutes of him hunting and pecking, I took over and typed his verbal responses. Teachers have access to a practice classroom -- the same kind of practice area might be helpful to students and parents who are trying to set up audio and get used to the teaching environment.

During our second writing session, we made extensive use of the Virtual Classroom whiteboard. Our tutor walked us through a PowerPoint presentation, then did a brainstorming exercise using free-form shapes and text. Using the drawing and shape tools within the classroom, we created a brainstorming web very easily, then flipped between our web and a text document to write a short essay. We figured out the tools quickly, and appreciated the ease with which we could copy text from the brainstorming page to the paragraph page instead of retyping it.

We did find that the tutor's pointer didn't always match up with where we saw it. Our writing tutor pointed to a spot on the page and asked, "Can you put a better word here?" Trevor would move his cursor over hers and she'd say, "Not there... here," though to us it looked like the same spot. It wasn't a huge inconvenience, we just changed to more specific directions instead of relying on the cursors.

Overall, WeTutor was a very positive experience. Trevor enjoyed having one-on-one time with a new teacher, and in just a few hours he had some new strategies and tools for approaching his work. Dave was home for a couple of the sessions and was very impressed at the enthusiasm of the teachers and Trevor's exciement for the material. We'll be keeping our tutors bookmarked for future sessions and test-prep!

The coolest thing to do when you're ten years old is play with fire... specifically, a blowtorch. I think making a bead out of a stick of glass was just gravy.

I highly recommend the glassmaking classes at the Corning Museum of Glass in New York. It was a long drive for us, but well worth the trip. Interestingly, my flower-pulling class cost $25, but a finished flower in the gift shop cost $35. I got the experience plus the flower for $10 less.

Note that we went in winter when we had the place to ourselves. From the number of seats surrounding the glassblowing area, as well as the computerized scheduling system, I'd imagine it gets pretty packed in there during the summer months.

Our family, while on a budget, does have means to upgrade our equipment, as well as a fair bit of technology experience. We have chosen not to purchase cable or satellite service, and we currently receive five analog channels via antenna. Here are the issues that were an annoyance for us, but for someone in poverty could prove insurmountable.

1. The coupons do not cover the total cost of converter boxes.

Even with two coupons, our family paid $50 for two converter boxes. Not a challenge for us, but certainly for someone on a low or fixed income. We, as a country, have culturally deemed that television is where all important annoucements and emergencies will be dealt with quickly. Because of this, it's critical that free network broadcasts remain accessible to citizens. If radio were used to the same extent, we wouldn't be in this predicament.

2. There were not enough coupons for everyone.

Let's just think for a moment who might have been more likely to apply for a coupon before they ran out. Do you think it was the at-home mom with ample money and leisure time to apply for the coupons well in advance of the deadline; or an overtaxed family of six living in a trailer without Internet access?

3. The antenna issue was ignored for months, and is still being downplayed.

We dutifully hooked up our converter boxes and waited for the cornucopia of digital programming to stream into our living room. What we got was... ABC. Sometimes. Turns out, our huge roof-mounted antenna is insufficient for capturing digital programming and has to be replaced. Not only do we get far fewer channels than analog, we're also forced to see the lipstick on our favorite male actors' faces. Disappointing.

Our family has the ability to throw money at a problem to make it go away, but that doesn't make the additional cost of an antenna any more pleasant to bear. We were lied to. "Get a DTV converter box and a world of television will be yours!" Riddle me this: Who is most likely to have antique antennas that need replacing in order to get a DTV signal? Do you think it might be grandma, who is still watching tv on a console as big as a Cadillac?

I googled to find acceptable DTV antennas and the DTV Answers site directed me to antennaweb.org, which told me that "Indoor antennas are not included in this mapping system, because many variables impact the quality of indoor signal strength." So I'm already looking at going out onto the roof. Standing outside in two feet of snow, staring up at the behemoth 10-foot antenna mounted on our roof, no one in my family is willing to undertake the task.

I forged ahead for an outdoor antenna, and this is the page I reached. They want all of my information, plus permission to spam me. Only the web-trained will notice that all you really need is a zip code. Which I entered, and was promptly admonished, "If you did not enter your full street address along with your city, state or ZIP Code, please return to the Address Entry page and enter your full address." That sentence, at the top of the results page, makes it seem like the search didn't work. But when you scroll down, there are results. I'm disgusted that DTV answers is sending people to such a blatant data-grab of a website.

And then the results... I apparently need an antenna type "yellow uhf," "green uhf," and "red uhf." I clickde through the antenna types to see a list including: small multi-directional, medium directional, large directional with pre-amp... no explanations. Just jargon. Let me say, I'm no luddite. I can wire a phone board and whip up a little PHP here and there. But I am not an expert in DTV-ready antennas, nor do I want to be. How many people do you think got as far as I did in their research? Did your mom? Your grandfather? The single mom who gets Internet access for 15 minutes at the local library?

4. No middle ground for fuzzy channels.

It's no secret that we live in a rough climate. We're battered by frequent snowstorms, subzero temperatures, and constant high-speed lake winds. Every time our antenna moves, the visibility of our tv channels changes. With analong, it's barely noticeable. Maybe some fuzziness or static, but they're still watchable. With digital, the picture skews into a bargello quilt (lovely, but indeciperable), then it stutters, then it freezes. Then they're gone, sometimes for hours, sometimes forever. At this point, I can tell you the speed of the wind outside by the amount of DTV programming I've lost that day.

5. The federal switchover date has been extended, but states apparently can choose their own adventure.

Vermont television stations have been running smarmy ads that say: 'Even though the federal government is allowing us to hold off the switchover until June, we here in Vermont know that you've been diligent and you're ready for the switch (I'd like to see stats on that), so we're going ahead in February.' What I read from that is, 'We invested money in a February switch, so to hell with you all, we're doing it.'

And I don't believe pushing back the date alone is the solution. You'll just have another few million people in financial or resource-based poverty without converter boxes in June. There needs to be more coupons, they need to cover the cost of the boxes fully, and local communities need to be mobilized to provide volunteers to go to neighbors' houses and help them convert.

This is not about entertainment. If our family wanted television to be recreational, we would have bought cable. It's informational and helpful for emergencies. The websites of our local tv stations aren't quite up to posting video of their broadcasts, so it's important to have a few networks on tap for those big Vermont storms. Or for the day an armed gunman was on the loose in our county and schools were locked down. Our local channels don't update the web fast enough to be useful.

So what are we going to do? Dave just started a new job with a fair bit of travel and I'm having a baby; so no one's replacing an antenna right now. Frankly, I'm disgusted with the entire process. Our family is going to shrug off the networks, keep digital ABC around for emergencies, and find something else to do with the 2-3 hours a week we watched television together. (We also happen to be tech-savvy enough to know where to find a few favorite shows online.)

Networks will lose viewers due to their own hubris in charging forward with the switch, some people will be tricked into buying expensive cable or satellite packages, and some people will be sitting at home when their town is evacuated because they have no access to quick tv-based updates.

Sure there's something called Italian Green Olive Salad, but it's a much grander affair, with anchovies and capers. This is a simple thing, with just olives and celery. I'm suspecting ours is the "home" version that evolved in Italian homes on a budget.

It's very simple, diced celery with olives in their brine. You can also dice the olives if you like, but I think gathering a spoonful of celery with a big burst of olive flavor is part of the fun.

But at the most recent appointment, someone decided not to cooperate with the hearbeat-checking doppler device and insisted that his or her photo was taken again instead. Here's the sneaky babe at 13 weeks:

Head on the left, two legs curled up on the right and arms above and below the tummy. See you in a few weeks for another picture, baby!

Here's a photo of the house the weekend we bought it. It looked a little scraggly back then:

Here's the old painting. We took out the front door because there were no steps attached, but clearly they were there at some point. And look at those windows!

There's no longer any trace of that huge barn behind the house, or the silo. Kind of wish we still had them around. Not that I have anything to fill a silo with...

To this...

And finally, this...

Here is Trevor working diligently on his drawing:

And here is the finished Trevbot 2000. (Someone should let trevor know that the year 2000 has come and gone.)

While there may be some portion of people or information that can be perceived as voyeuristic, and may satisfy some dark urge to revel in the negative or feed off the positive things that people do or talk about, I disagree is the reason why people participate in these kinds of activities.

Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Blogging, RSS Feeds, and others are nothing new in our world. People have been finding ways to communicate since the dawn of civilization. Cave drawings, sign language, facial expressions, obscene gestures, newspapers, the telephone, space travel, interpreters, television, love, friendships are all part and parcel of the same activity.

Connections.

While we are thinking, growing, developing creatures there is one challenge we cannot overcome. The need to connect with other people, animals, our environment is a desire seeded deep within who and what we are.

Being a blogger, tweeting, reading the paper, calling a friend, casting a vote, scowling at the neighborhood kid riding across your lawn are not voyeuristic activities. They are part of who we are, and not something to be dismissed without respectful consideration.

The last few trips to NJ, we've been breaking the ride into two days with Albany at the center. It takes longer, but there's less chance of someone falling asleep at the wheel at 1:00am.

So what's happening in my life worth talking about? Well, this summer I made a drastic change to the way I manage my diabetes. (I am a type 1 diabetic) I switched from giving myself 7 different shots a day to using a Minimed Paradigm Insulin Pump. So far the results are mixed for me. I can see that when my blood sugar levels are doing well, I am managing my diabetes much more efficiently. When I slip up and eat/do something that I shouldn't be doing...it's worse than it was before without it.

Why is that? Well, the medicines that I was taking before had a buffering effect and would "hide" some of the extreme conditions that I was facing. Things like beer...well ok mostly beer, wouldn't have an impact because of the nature of the injections I took. Now this device stays in for 3-4 days at a time, and delivers a steady flow of synthetic insulin all day long. There's no hiding behind that, and when I slip, I slip big.

Basically this means that in order for me to use the pump effectively I have to actually do a better job of taking care of my health. It's a bit of a catch-22 if you ask me. The pump is supposed to make managing my health easier, but in fact in order to do that I have to take better care of myself.

One of the challenges I am facing these days, is finding ways to be motivated and stay focused even when I am not inclined to do so. Think about this. You can diet or exercise and be a really healthy (or not) person but when you want to sneak some ice cream or splurge on a bowl of Pad Thai, you can. One indiscretion is not going to cause a big problem for you, right? Not me. When I fall off the wagon (daily, weekly, etc) the ripple effect can last for days. I feel awful, I am in a bad mood (yes, really - it affects my emotional state) and I am exposed to more risk.

I am trying right now to find a group or forum where I can connect with other diabetics who are facing some of the same challenges. I tend to avoid the idea of online discussion forums, because I don't want to hear about Aunt Barbie who is 65 with Type 2 Diabetes and sneaks a cookie. She doesn't have the same illness that I do, and I find the association of my illness with hers a bit murky and inappropriate. More searching needs to be done, but it's not something that I have focused enough on.

Anyhow, I felt like sharing today and there it is.

I am a big fan of dry humor, but I would never speak to a friend this way. I might ask her reasoning or give my own opionion, but to cut her down like the example given is simply mean. The corn syrup lobby must be on some kind of sugar high.

Hello,

Your advertisement on page 41 of the October 2008 issue of Everyday Food gave me pause. Suggesting that typical Americans sharing information over daily activities is wrong because we're not experts is condescending and distasteful. I shouldn't have to wait to speak to a doctor before gathering information about a product or ingredient and sharing it with my peers.

Many busy mothers are glad that our friends to pass along important information that we may have missed in the constant flow of news, e.g. product recalls, e coli scares, etc. The example response in your ad -- of a woman using sarcasm to refute her friend, is mean-spirited. This is no way to increase support for your product.

Clearly, there's a reason the phrase is "you catch more flies with honey" and not "you catch more flies with high fructose corn syrup."

Tara Liloia

There's a moment while you're making apple butter when you hit the applesauce stage and you have a choice to make. Will you take the easy road, stop here, and make a batch of applesauce, or will you continue along that hard road of six more hours in front of the stove and make the apple butter?