You should.........

Affirmative

• You should tell Miss Baker the truth.
  Deberías decirle la verdad a la señorita Baker.
• We should go to sleep.
  Deberíamos ir a dormir.
• I should call my mother.
  Debería llamar a mi madre.
• They should leave as soon as possible.
  Ellos deberían salir lo antes posible.
• She should be doing her homework.
  Ella debería estar haciendo su tarea.
• Ben should exercise more.
  Ben debería ejercitarse más.
• It should be here.
  (Esto) Debería estar aquí.

Negative

• You should not say that.
  No deberías decir eso.
• Nick shouldn't be working.
  Nick no debería estar trabajando.
• It shouldn't take long.
  (Esto) No debería tardar mucho.

Interrogative

• Should I write Maggie a letter?
  ¿Debería yo escribirle una carta a Maggie?
• Should we worry?
  ¿Deberíamos preocuparnos?

How to be a good neigthbor

A new family moved in next door to me a few weeks ago, but to my 3-year-old son, you would have thought it was the circus that arrived, elephants and all, with how excited he was. The reality was much more mundane. Moving in were two parents, a dog, and more importantly, two boys right around my son’s age. My son, Mason, was ecstatic.

Now, every chance he gets, Mason bolts out our front door and runs to the neighbors’ house to play with his new friends.

I’ve spent so much time with my son hanging out at my new neighbors’ house, I think they’re going to start charging me rent. I feel like the neighbor in a 60s sitcom who always seems to be hanging out and has nowhere to go.

When I am finally able to break Mason away for dinner or naptime, it is usually only possible by hoisting him in the air and clutching him with all my strength as he kicks and screams. If you witnessed the scene as you happened to be driving by, you could be forgiven for thinking you were watching a kidnapping unfold.

The amazing thing is that the new boys’ presence has transformed the neighborhood. Our new neighbors are constantly out in front of their house, riding bikes or scooters, or just playing, and their activity has drawn out other kids from down the block. We’ve spent numerous afternoons out in the street, with kids riding bikes and moms and dads chatting with one another. It’s the kind of carefree kid-friendly atmosphere which you frequently see depicted in the movies, yet too often proves elusive in real life.

On our block, you don’t need to look far to witness what happens when neighbor relationships take a very different turn; at the other end of our street, it’s a whole other story. Two long-time homeowners have had a simmering feud, the origins of which no one can recall. They’ve fought over everything — their property line, the fence between their properties, who can park where…you name it.

These two homes always have their blinds shut, their windows and doors closed, and the occupants rarely come out. That end of the block is like the suburban equivalent of Korea’s DMZ. There’s no life, no activity, no joy.

Unfortunately, this type of situation is more common than the friendly community that has blossomed on my end of the street. Americans simply don’t know their neighbors like they used to, and are far less likely to socialize with those in their own neighborhood. A recent survey reported that most Americans are more likely to be able to identify their neighbors’ cars than know their neighbors’ first names.

A few months ago, Marcus shared some great thoughts on the importance of being neighborly.If his post inspired you to be a better neighbor, but you’re not sure how to start, below I offer nine old fashioned and practical tips for getting to know more of your neighbors. These are small steps anyone can take to make some friends and become a greater part of his own neighborhood.

10 things to do before high school :)

1 Go to the prom: It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If nothing else, go to say you did it. Who knows, you might actually have a blast!

2 Pull an all-nighter: Hang with friends and throw in some movies, games or social networking. High school is an ideal time to do this, because you don't have too many responsibilities, yet you're old enough to keep your eyes open all night long.

3 Tell someone you have a crush on them: Yes, it could be mortifying, and yes, you might feel like dying of awkwardness afterward, but it won't be the end of the world. If the feeling is mutual, you might be missing out on a great potential relationship if you don't tell the person. You'll never know unless you try.

4 Stop caring about what other people think: You'll be significantly more comfortable in your own skin and enjoy the here and now.

5 Clean up your Facebook: After graduation, you want to start off fresh. Go through all those "friends" and remove the ones that are more like an I-was-in-your-freshman-bio-class acquaintance. You'll be stepping out into the more professional world, so do what you can to remove unseemly posts and revise your privacy settings.

6 Talk to someone you've never talked to before: Once you're in high school, the cliques tend to become set in stone, but break out of your ordinary routine by expanding your network. New friends are found in the most unlikely places.

7 Sleep in a car: It's not exactly luxurious, but it's a novelty and sort of exciting to wake up like you're a nomad in a nonbedroom, nonbed environment.

8 Go to a football game: Just like prom, the classic high school football game -- full of screaming students and bubbly cheerleaders -- is a memory unique to high school. Football games at higher levels consist of more intense competition and unfamiliar players rather than interschool camaraderie and classmates.

9 Go on a road trip: Hit the road with your best buds and enjoy the journey as the big, wide world flies past your car window.

10 Go to a midnight movie premiere: There's nothing like squeezing into a jam-packed theater to immerse yourself in the complete awesomeness of that movie you've been dying to see.

Chores to do D:

• Cleaning the bathrooms 

• Cleaning the kitchen 

• Dusting and polishing the household furniture 

• Vacuuming the house 

• Sweeping and mopping the tile 

• Sweeping outside 

• Doing the dishes 

• Cleaning the bedrooms 

• Doing laundry