Back to School – Is an Education Really Worth it?

Okay, okay…before you get mad, I realize the importance of a good education. But if you’re like me, you had some definite hits and misses in the ol’ academic department, especially high school.

Let’s start with Home Economics. This was not where I was taught complex equations or a new language. This was where I learned how to make Snickerdoodles and stock my pantry efficiently (labels out and in alphabetical order…what?) I was also taught how to wash my hands the “right” way (yes, there is a wrong way, apparently).

Typing class was a whole other story. We have an excellent, patient teacher and one day, it all clicked, and my fingers were flying! I was typing 40 words per minute in no time. (I’m up to 65 wpm now. Test here.) I still consider typing class to be the most basic, usable skills I learned in high school. (It beat pantry stocking, hands down.)

History and English may have had some merit, but not to this eternally blasé 14 year-old. I needed dramatic re-enactments like Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History (a podcast where I’ve learned more about history than in four years with mean Mr. Combs, who actually yelled his lesson like we were his ex-wife.)

I learned to say “It’s alright” before entering the girl’s bathroom (or the girls in said bathroom would toss their cigarettes in the toilet, thinking you were a teacher) and how to take “sitting naps” during Latin without the semi-blind Mrs. Santarini knowing a thing.

I learned that Algebra actually does have some applications in life, contrary to popular belief. (Have you ever put together a piece of furniture from Ikea? Come on…that’s some serious algebra.)

And of course there was returning to school in September– that always felt so rewarding and fresh. That crisp Fall weather, brand new clothes, notebooks that you’d proudly make your own with tons of doodles…hmmm, maybe it wasn’t so bad after all.

Perhaps we should all “go back to school” in September in one form or the other, whether it’s a classic book you’ve been meaning to read or a class you’ve been meaning to take. Life is an ongoing education afterall, teeming with lessons…and now you get to choose what you want to learn.

If you know a child who could stand a few words of encouragement, take a look at our collection of Back to School eCards.

The tyke seems sad but Mom’s happy again now he’s out of the house!

You can take the typing test at this link: http://www.typingtest.com/test.jsp

Here’s Dan Carlin’s podcast: http://www.dancarlin.com/disp.php/hh

The Worst Father’s Day Gifts… Ever

When it comes to Father’s Day, it’s easy to resort to buying those same old gifts year after year. “But I don’t know what to give him!” you say. (This is said in a whiny voice, by the way.)

So you wait and hem and haw and soon, it’s the big day…and you have the following Father’s Day Gifts in hand:

  1. Cufflinks. Ah yes, the dreaded cufflinks. Unless your dad frequents ballrooms or conducts orchestras, they will undoubtedly sit on a dusty shelf somewhere, waiting for the next family wedding.
  2. Ties. A Father’s Day “favorite” for years. A tie may evoke a weak “Oh…wow,” but then it will hang on a rack with the last 15 ties he’s received for Father’s Day.
  3. A Swiss Army knife. A great present, for sure…if your father has to survive in the woods for an extended period of time.
  4. Socks. Wow. That’s the equivalent of getting Mom a vacuum cleaner for Mother’s Day and asking her to get busy. Socks give dull a whole new meaning.
  5. A Card. Oh boy, a boring greeting card that doesn’t do anything but sit on dad’s desk.  Really?  Why not send him some funny Father’s Day eCards?

Consider this, Dad’s like to laugh, right?  Well, why send a regular paper card with a still image of some old car, when you can send a hilarious Father’s Day eCard with a singing and dancing steak backed by a band of ZZ Top hot dogs?

 We’ll be soon be premiering our newest eCards for Father’s Day which are bound to top off your perfect gift and bring a smile to Dad’s face (something that socks simply won’t do…unless your Dad is really into socks. Which would be a little weird. Right?)

 What are you getting your Dad for Father’s Day?  We’d love to hear about a few great ideas! 

The Father of Father’s Day – A True Story

Here’s why we are so excited about Father’s Day eCards.

It’s that time of year again, where we pause and give thanks to that special man of the house. However you decide to thank him for his tireless fatherly duties, start with an entertaining, sure-to-bring-a-smile-to-his-face Father’s Day e-cards. Our free Father’s Day e-cards start the day off right.

Did you know how Father’s Day came to be? It’s a sweet story:

In 1909, Sonora Dodd first came up with the idea of Father’s Day while listening to a Mother’s Day sermon.

Sonora’s father, William Smart, was a Civil War veteran. His wife died while giving birth to their sixth child. He tirelessly raised his clan singlehandedly on a farm in Washington.

When Sonora grew up, she reflected on the courage, love and selflessness it took her father to raise her family. She decided a day should be made to honor wonderful fathers such as hers.

She held the first Father’s Day celebration in Spokane on June 19, 1910 (her father’s birthday).

In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge supported the idea of a national Father’s Day. In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson signed a proclamation declaring the third Sunday of June as Father’s Day. In 1972, President Richard Nixon signed the law.

What are you doing for your father this Father’s Day?

April, May, and Mother’s Day

April is always a weird month weather wise, isn’t it? Spring arrives and the flowers start to pop up, but then there’s a snow storm somewhere as though Winter is making a last ditch attempt to take over again. Even here at the Doozy offices in Los Angeles (please accept our profound apologies, those of you living in the snow belt), we are getting clouds and rain unheard of for this time of year… not that we aren’t grateful. In fact, you hear dozens of Angelinos exclaiming, “It’s just like back home in Nebraska/Pittsburgh/Memphis/Florida/Maine!”

Wasn’t it genius that Mother’s Day was set up for the second week in May? By then Spring and warm weather have established themselves firmly and the flowers are filling the air with color and scent, and the trees! Oh thank you to the trees whose green turns the world into bright happiness and optimism. It’s as though Mother Earth were caressing us with nature with the same smiling gentle love that our moms gave us when we were their adored toddlers. A perfect seasonal reflection of mother’s love.

We are working on a new Mothers Day card for you to send with one of our favorite animators  busy creating it. Here’s a hint: butterflies!

Meanwhile, here is one of our most popular cards for Mothers Day to whet your appetite for May’s beauty:

 

 


Y
ou can peruse all of our Mothers Day ecards by clicking here.  Happy Spring!