My kids were introduced to the Beatles last week through the book The Yellow Submarine (its free by the way).

I called Big Brother in to hear Paul sing on the Grammys. He asked where John was. I had to break the bad news. He is sad.

Then he says "Martin King was shot too. Did they both say things people didn't like? I mean people get mad when you talk about love and people don't agree with you."

I adore my incredibly smart 6 year old.

Today I find that a dear Facebook friend of mine has posted this on her wall:

Lindsey's six-year-old son just summed up what's wrong with people. When he found out that John Lennon was already dead, he replied, "Martin King was shot too. Did they both say things people didn't like? I mean people get mad when you talk about love and people don't agree with you."

Here I am thinking love is a bountifully unique trait that everyone feels at their own pace, but he's right. People forgive all manner of sins, but if you truly accept love in all forms, you unsettle those who can't. They get scared, and angry, and ultimately put out the brightest lights that were simply illuminating the concept of tolerance.

So, especially with tomorrow being Valentine's, if you have love in your life, celebrate it. Quietly or elaborately, it doesn't matter. Accept what you've been lucky enough to experience. Now wish, just for a moment, that everyone- no matter their race or religion or orientation- can feel that without fear.

After all, "The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love, and be loved in return."

Between Big Brother and Jo I am left in awe. We don't have to have child-like innocence to see love, true love.

And yes, I typed that in the voice of the guy from The Princess Bride.

I hope you will all take up Jo's challenge and expand your hearts and minds this Valentine's Day, and every day after that.

So M.I.A. flipped everyone off during the super bowl halftime show.

First, I'm shocked it wasn't Nicki Minaj at the center of scandal. Second, I'm surprised that Madge has gotten too old to be scandalous. Third, does it really matter because LMFAO performed and I'm pretty sure their very appearance is obscene after the Sexy and I Know It video.

Of course M.I.A. doesn't care. No one in the lower half of North America knows who she is. She is a British rapper. How gangsta can a Brit rapper be? She needed to do SOMETHING to try to get some street cred.

Plus no press is bad press.

Plus NBC should know better that to invite people to perform who have the potential to act inappropriately like Madonna, Nicki Minaj, Cee Lo Green, LMFAO – you get the picture? None of these artists are known for behaving well. In fact, they are all kind of known for behaving badly or crazily.

My real question is how is the crotch shot not offensive but a finger is? I think a finger, no matter which one and what connotation is has behind its use is much less offensive than a camera man focusing on showing off her bloomers. What do you think? Should we consider flipping off the camera offensive?

No, I'm not talking about me.

I'm talking about the book by Ellis Avery. Today you can find my review of this book at Great Thoughts.

a song you listen to when you are sad

If you have spent any time on Facebook, you know that it isn't that much different from The Breakfast Club. Stereotypes abound. I'm sure you have some of these types of people as your Facebook friends. You may even BE one of these people. You may need to unfriend some of these people.

1. The Lurker – This person never posts anything. Never likes anything. Never comments on anything. However, in casual conversation they will mention, "Oh yeah, I saw you had posted that on Facebook." You know they are there, but they leave no trace evidence.

2. The Stalker – The stalker is not that much different from the lurker. You know they are there. You know they read EVERYTHING you post. They may even mention it to others in face-to-face conversations. They look at all your photos. They look up people tagged in your photos. They may even send you chat messages or post on your wall – a lot. As with stalkers in real life, the Facebook stalker must be gotten rid of. Stalking is a crime out here in the real world. My suggestion – block them.

3. The Hijacker – Have you ever posted something on Facebook only to find that the thread has been taken over by someone else? They may just take over the conversation or they may change the subject entirely. They may even steal your status and post it as their own. Your status was hijacked. If it keeps happening, unfriend them or block them.

4. The Attention Seeker – The attention seeker posts cryptic comments like, "I told you so, you know who you are," in the hopes that people will fall into their trap and ask what happened.They never do tell the rest of the story. Other posts that fall into this category are those that post if you are my friend you will repost this posts. I even saw one yesterday that blatantly said, "I'm having a bad day. Like this post to make me feel better!"

5. The Promoter – This Facebooker only posts links to his/her blog, or invites you to every concert, or only posts about Mary Kay or Scentsy or For Ladies Only. I don't mind shameless self-promotion, but use a fan page for that, not your personal profile. By the way, you should like the Dishwater Dreams Facebook page!

6. The gamer – Tends virtual crops, belongs to the virtual mafia, and answers surveys like how are you going to die or which Twilight character are you. Facebook games are fun, but everything in moderation. When my news feed is full of nothing but posts from one person about one game, it gets annoying.

7. The preacher – This optimist only posts inspirational quotes or anything related to God. I love God. He is totally awesome. I love inspirational quotes too. Just don't make it the only think your Facebook account is about. Or, get a fan page.

8. The Drunk – While great for entertainment late at night, or in some extreme cases by 10am, the drunk only posts when they have had one too many. Posts often need a cypher to understand and can be very angry. It is suggested that you advise your friend against drunk Facebooking. If you ARE the drunk I highly recommend quitting. Drinking. Not Facebooking. Or don't drink and Facebook. Then you don't have to wake up and try to delete drunken posts all your friends already saw anyway.

9. The Whiner – Every post is about how horrible their life is. How much it hurts or sucks to be them. They post cryptic comments like, "I told you, you know who you are," in the hopes that people will fall into their trap and ask what happened. They also tend to over share personal details. I don't need to know about your bathroom habits. However, if you live in a duplex and your neighbor farted so loud it scared your cat, then post away. (Yes, that was an actual status update.)

10. The Poor Grammarian – This is the person who spells so badly that you want to ask how on Earth they can not write simple sentences in their native language. Punctuation is ignored or abused. Even if you are using a smart phone to post to Facebook, they have spell check! They have auto correct. They have qwerty keyboards. At least TRY to spell correctly! Please. For me?

Which type of facebooker are you?

a song you listen to when you are happy

Prep Time:  10 minutes
Cook Time:  One hour

Yield:  10 cups, approximately

Ingredients

Five cups Shredded Wheat Cereal

Three cups Cheerios Cereal

Two cups chopped Oklahoma pecans

Two and one-third cups Griffin Cinnamon Roll Syrup

One and one-half cups brown sugar

One and one-fourth cups Hiland Salted Butter

One teaspoon Griffin Vanilla Extract

One and one-half teaspoons baking soda

Instructions

Preheat oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine syrup, brown sugar and butter in a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave on high for 90 seconds. Stir syrup mixture, then microwave 30 seconds longer or until mixture boils. Carefully remove mixture from microwave, and stir in vanilla and baking soda. Mixture will bubble and foam.
In a separate large mixing bowl, combine cereal and pecans. Pour syrup mixture over the cereal and pecans, tossing and stirring until well coated. Spread mix evenly onto a well-greased baking sheet.
Bake for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from oven and spread mixture onto a large cookie sheet. When party mix has cooled, break into bite size pieces and enjoy!
Tip: In order to maintain freshness, store party mix in an airtight container.