Saturday was Natalie's last dance class for the summer. I just love the dance center that she goes to -- it's right down the road from my office and it is a non-profit. (Two big positive check marks.) Plus, it's not like some of those "chain" places where they charge $100+ for COSTUMES for 3 and 4 year-olds. The "uniform" at our dance center is a black leotard and pink footless tights. Period.
Her dance class is taught by a woman who is not only a dancer but also a Kindergarten teacher in Fairfax County. We all went to "observation day" -- DH brought the camera and I had Nicholas sitting on my lap. Natalie was BEAUTIFUL! She had the BEST listening ears! One of the pieces they did was listening to the "drum" (music on the boom box) and she did so VERY well! When it came time for them to do the obstacle course -- which was dance a circle around the circle, dance a circle around the second circle, hop over the arrow, and tilt over the triangle -- she was the ONLY ONE to get it right! What a difference between now and when she did this at age 3!
We are starting to swim classes in two weeks and we have already agreed that Natalie wants to go back to dance class in the spring. So I'll sign her up for that once the spring schedule is released.
On an unrelated note, I signed her up for CCD classes at our church. I just learned that the diocese apparently allows you to sign up for CCD classes as a non-parishioner -- at an additional cost, of course. The church that I would sign up at is unfortunately filled for all classes under 2nd grade. Maybe we'll give it a try next year.
Monday, August 29, 2005
Sunday, August 28, 2005
Hurricane Katrina and the evacuation of New Orleans
I have been following Hurricane Katrina for several days and actually wondered to myself when the proverbial "they" would start evacuating New Orleans. Yesterday I watched the news conference with the "suggestion" for voluntary evacuations, and I thought to myself -- "Are you folks crazy? You need to get these folks out of Dodge NOW!"
Evidently, Max Mayffield of the National Hurricane Center, took things a little into his own hands and called the governor of Louisiana to give some "straight talk" about getting folks OUT. So...TODAY...there was a mandatory evacuation announced.
And someone had the bright idea to use the Superdome as a shelter. Again...are you folks CRAZY??? When that building folds like a crushed tin can, who is going to be responsible for the hundreds of thousands of casualties/fatalities???
This is truly a lesson in how NOT to prepare for a CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE bearing down on you.
Evidently, Max Mayffield of the National Hurricane Center, took things a little into his own hands and called the governor of Louisiana to give some "straight talk" about getting folks OUT. So...TODAY...there was a mandatory evacuation announced.
And someone had the bright idea to use the Superdome as a shelter. Again...are you folks CRAZY??? When that building folds like a crushed tin can, who is going to be responsible for the hundreds of thousands of casualties/fatalities???
This is truly a lesson in how NOT to prepare for a CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE bearing down on you.
Friday, August 26, 2005
Local politics...Massachusetts style
A little bit of history...
DH and I met back when we were both back "home" in Massachusetts. We are from the same home town, and met on a political campaign (in 1982 -- wow, it WAS a long time ago!) for a mayor's race.
Both of us grew up around political campaigns. My first real exposure to political campaigns was in 1970, where my dad and I stood outside at my elementary school handing out books of matches with the slogan "Danny Hayes for Ward 4 Councilor" printed on them, complete with a picture of Danny Hayes on the front. My dad instilled such a love of community and sense of duty to be an informed voter that I registered to vote ON my 18th birthday!
DH, on the other hand, grew up around politics on the "other side" from my dad. No, not in the ward council race, but in the Mayoral races over time. He was a "Rogers guy"; my dad (and me) were with Markey.
Okay -- all this Mayoral race stuff was in the mid-to-late 70's. So fast forward to 1982. There was a special election for Mayor because Mayor Markey was named a judge, and the "Rogers guys" were scattered supporting a myriad of candidates. DH and I met on one of these "myriad of candidates" campaigns.
What made our home town politics very "different" from other places was the use of negative campaign tactics. I shouldn't even say "use" -- it was practiced as a fine art form! Back in the 70's and 80's, there were outright wars between whomever was occupying the Mayor's office, the folks surrounding the mayor, someone on the local "talk radio show" at the radio station, the editorial page of the local newspaper, and whatever local politician was spending some time either with the threat of going to jail or actually behind bars at the moment.
Okay...now to today.
DH and I received a two page letter in the mail. It was from a dear friend who was heavily involved in local politics when we were, and someone who is indeed a patriarch of my undergraduate university. The letter requested our financial support for a candidate opposing the current mayor of our home town.
DH saw the letterhead and immediately started moaning. "How in the world did we get on THIS blooming list?" he asked. Then he read who signed the letter -- our mutual dear friend. He then muttered something about how he loves our dear friend, and he's going to write him a letter saying that he loves him, but there's no blooming way he would support that candidate, etc., etc. Why would he never support him? Because one of the very key players in the current Mayor's circle of trust is a very high up "Roger's guy".
So, I figured I would go and see if my dear friend's candidate had a web site. Yes indeed, he does. Well, the "slash and burn" politics of the 70's and 80's isn't gone, believe you me. I found this on the web site -- dated August 8, 2005 -- Matt Morrissey's letter to Mayor Frederick Kalisz regarding George Leontire's threats at the Portuguese Feast. I do some Google searches -- and find that a former mayor wrote a letter to the editor of the local paper about the "Portuguese feast incident". And, an article from 2000 discusses how a talk radio show host at the local radio station is involved, too.
Who says that politics is any different some 30-odd years later?
DH and I met back when we were both back "home" in Massachusetts. We are from the same home town, and met on a political campaign (in 1982 -- wow, it WAS a long time ago!) for a mayor's race.
Both of us grew up around political campaigns. My first real exposure to political campaigns was in 1970, where my dad and I stood outside at my elementary school handing out books of matches with the slogan "Danny Hayes for Ward 4 Councilor" printed on them, complete with a picture of Danny Hayes on the front. My dad instilled such a love of community and sense of duty to be an informed voter that I registered to vote ON my 18th birthday!
DH, on the other hand, grew up around politics on the "other side" from my dad. No, not in the ward council race, but in the Mayoral races over time. He was a "Rogers guy"; my dad (and me) were with Markey.
Okay -- all this Mayoral race stuff was in the mid-to-late 70's. So fast forward to 1982. There was a special election for Mayor because Mayor Markey was named a judge, and the "Rogers guys" were scattered supporting a myriad of candidates. DH and I met on one of these "myriad of candidates" campaigns.
What made our home town politics very "different" from other places was the use of negative campaign tactics. I shouldn't even say "use" -- it was practiced as a fine art form! Back in the 70's and 80's, there were outright wars between whomever was occupying the Mayor's office, the folks surrounding the mayor, someone on the local "talk radio show" at the radio station, the editorial page of the local newspaper, and whatever local politician was spending some time either with the threat of going to jail or actually behind bars at the moment.
Okay...now to today.
DH and I received a two page letter in the mail. It was from a dear friend who was heavily involved in local politics when we were, and someone who is indeed a patriarch of my undergraduate university. The letter requested our financial support for a candidate opposing the current mayor of our home town.
DH saw the letterhead and immediately started moaning. "How in the world did we get on THIS blooming list?" he asked. Then he read who signed the letter -- our mutual dear friend. He then muttered something about how he loves our dear friend, and he's going to write him a letter saying that he loves him, but there's no blooming way he would support that candidate, etc., etc. Why would he never support him? Because one of the very key players in the current Mayor's circle of trust is a very high up "Roger's guy".
So, I figured I would go and see if my dear friend's candidate had a web site. Yes indeed, he does. Well, the "slash and burn" politics of the 70's and 80's isn't gone, believe you me. I found this on the web site -- dated August 8, 2005 -- Matt Morrissey's letter to Mayor Frederick Kalisz regarding George Leontire's threats at the Portuguese Feast. I do some Google searches -- and find that a former mayor wrote a letter to the editor of the local paper about the "Portuguese feast incident". And, an article from 2000 discusses how a talk radio show host at the local radio station is involved, too.
Who says that politics is any different some 30-odd years later?
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Retirement and College Planning
This afternoon I was fortunate enough to sit in on a great (and FREE!) retirement planning workshop at work. It was a primer on retirement investing -- these are cash vehicles, these are bond vehicles, these are stock vehicles, these are the things you should consider when identifying your own investment mix, etc. Great stuff. The instructor serves as one of the senior financial planner/analyst folks in our place.
I asked the fateful question -- is it better to pay down all your debt (except for the mortgage) and THEN start investing for retirement, or shoud both be done at once? He said that some people have to change their habits in terms of credit card debt (at 18% interest, if not higher) and can't be moving from re-fi to re-fi to cash out and pay off credit cards. For those types of people, they MUST NOT pay down their debt first and then move to investing in their retirement, as they will have little to no money set aside for retirement that way. And as for college planning, parents have to make sure their retirement investments are all in place and at the right mix before they should even consider college funds.
Guess my children will be getting lots of scholarships for school -- or attending the local community college!
I asked the fateful question -- is it better to pay down all your debt (except for the mortgage) and THEN start investing for retirement, or shoud both be done at once? He said that some people have to change their habits in terms of credit card debt (at 18% interest, if not higher) and can't be moving from re-fi to re-fi to cash out and pay off credit cards. For those types of people, they MUST NOT pay down their debt first and then move to investing in their retirement, as they will have little to no money set aside for retirement that way. And as for college planning, parents have to make sure their retirement investments are all in place and at the right mix before they should even consider college funds.
Guess my children will be getting lots of scholarships for school -- or attending the local community college!
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
No Child Left Behind
The state of Connecticut has filed a lawsuit stating that "No Child Left Behind" is illegal because it is an unfunded mandate, requiring standardized tests that the federal government does not pay for.
I find this lawsuit interesting because it is the first state that has filed a lawsuit, instead of yet another advocacy group (such as the National Education Association) with their own agenda. I also find it interesting because the state of Connecticut has been viewed in the past and "in general" as a state that has quality public education. I wonder if any other states will go this route. I know that several states are considered "hot spots", including right here in Virginia.
Personally, I cannot see what sort of additional gain can possibly be in place here in Virginia since we already have state testing (called the Standards of Learning, or SOL -- what a bad acronym!) in place. Yes, some students are not subject to SOL testing -- but should a student that just arrived in this country be required to take and pass an exam in English in the first place?
I find this lawsuit interesting because it is the first state that has filed a lawsuit, instead of yet another advocacy group (such as the National Education Association) with their own agenda. I also find it interesting because the state of Connecticut has been viewed in the past and "in general" as a state that has quality public education. I wonder if any other states will go this route. I know that several states are considered "hot spots", including right here in Virginia.
Personally, I cannot see what sort of additional gain can possibly be in place here in Virginia since we already have state testing (called the Standards of Learning, or SOL -- what a bad acronym!) in place. Yes, some students are not subject to SOL testing -- but should a student that just arrived in this country be required to take and pass an exam in English in the first place?
Sunday, August 21, 2005
The ultimate in cool wagering
From the Guardian:
It seems that not everyone can agree about global warming. Two Russian scientists have laid down a $10,000 wager with a British scientist that the earth will cool (on average) by 2018.
It sure was hot here this weekend. We had planned on going to the pool, but it was so hot yesterday that I could not see how two little ones could possibly be comfortable in such heat. And today, their nap schedules are so thrown off that they are both sleeping now (after 6 PM) -- which means bedtime is going to be -- ahem -- "interesting".
Two more weeks of summer -- it surely flies by fast!
It seems that not everyone can agree about global warming. Two Russian scientists have laid down a $10,000 wager with a British scientist that the earth will cool (on average) by 2018.
It sure was hot here this weekend. We had planned on going to the pool, but it was so hot yesterday that I could not see how two little ones could possibly be comfortable in such heat. And today, their nap schedules are so thrown off that they are both sleeping now (after 6 PM) -- which means bedtime is going to be -- ahem -- "interesting".
Two more weeks of summer -- it surely flies by fast!
Friday, August 19, 2005
Breastfeeding
I tell you, some people just get fired up about the wildest stuff.
One of the boards that I have been frequenting more recently are the DISboards. We are planning next year's trip to Walt Disney World, and this place is one of the best spots on the Web to do research, compare notes with others, and just learn a whole lot about Walt Disney World and the resorts.
Well, someone posted a question on the Disney for Families board about breastfeeding a 15 month old at the parks. The question was very basic -- but the replies that were elicited are just shocking!
I am really tired of people (WOMEN!) bashing each other for the decisions that we make about our children. It makes me NUTS. No wonder these "Dr. Phil" type shows have such a huge following -- people just want to watch each other in a proverbial car wreck!
One of the boards that I have been frequenting more recently are the DISboards. We are planning next year's trip to Walt Disney World, and this place is one of the best spots on the Web to do research, compare notes with others, and just learn a whole lot about Walt Disney World and the resorts.
Well, someone posted a question on the Disney for Families board about breastfeeding a 15 month old at the parks. The question was very basic -- but the replies that were elicited are just shocking!
I am really tired of people (WOMEN!) bashing each other for the decisions that we make about our children. It makes me NUTS. No wonder these "Dr. Phil" type shows have such a huge following -- people just want to watch each other in a proverbial car wreck!
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Goodbye, Being Daddy
*sniff sniff* Brian is saying goodbye through his blog Being Daddy.
I, too, have struggled a bit with what to post and what to post for privacy reasons. It's not like my children have signed a privacy agreement about what I am posting here. And I know of others that have taken a more extreme view of not sharing any details about their children online. I guess it all revolves around finding the happy balance.
I, too, have struggled a bit with what to post and what to post for privacy reasons. It's not like my children have signed a privacy agreement about what I am posting here. And I know of others that have taken a more extreme view of not sharing any details about their children online. I guess it all revolves around finding the happy balance.
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Hot streaks
One of the great things about having XM Radio is the ability to listen to the Red Sox games. Yes, we are big Red Sox fans at our house. I grew up listening to baseball on the radio and my dad taught me how to score baseball games. I am looking forward to teaching both of my children how to score baseball games, too.
Of course it is so much more fun to listen to the game when we are actually up in mid-August and on a hot streak vs. plummeting in a spiral for a wild card spot. I've lost count how many Augusts have been spent that way!
DH is home with the little man today. First off, he got bit by mosquitoes again Monday night and had a serious welt on the side of his face yesterday -- I put some cortisone cream on it in the afternoon as his teacher said he was really scratching at it. I gave him some infant Motrin last night after his bath both for the "itchies" but also since he seemed a little warm to me. By the middle of the night (2 am) he was HOT -- and that was with him stripped down to his diaper. (I get really worried about fevers because of his sister's febrile seizure. I know they are normal and all, but they are just the most frightening thing -- you feel absolutely powerless.) So DH gave him some infant Motrin and we had all managed to get back to sleep by 4:15 am. 3 hours later, the little guy still seemed warm but MUCH cooler than he had been, so DH agreed to stay home with him and gave another dose of infant Motrin at 8 am. I called the pediatrician's office at 9 am and said we would start doing the "alternating Tylenol with Motrin" approach and the doctor is supposed to call me back.
When I talked to DH a few minutes ago, he said that our little guy is very happily playing and is his "goofy self". So maybe the fever broke last night.
Of course it is so much more fun to listen to the game when we are actually up in mid-August and on a hot streak vs. plummeting in a spiral for a wild card spot. I've lost count how many Augusts have been spent that way!
DH is home with the little man today. First off, he got bit by mosquitoes again Monday night and had a serious welt on the side of his face yesterday -- I put some cortisone cream on it in the afternoon as his teacher said he was really scratching at it. I gave him some infant Motrin last night after his bath both for the "itchies" but also since he seemed a little warm to me. By the middle of the night (2 am) he was HOT -- and that was with him stripped down to his diaper. (I get really worried about fevers because of his sister's febrile seizure. I know they are normal and all, but they are just the most frightening thing -- you feel absolutely powerless.) So DH gave him some infant Motrin and we had all managed to get back to sleep by 4:15 am. 3 hours later, the little guy still seemed warm but MUCH cooler than he had been, so DH agreed to stay home with him and gave another dose of infant Motrin at 8 am. I called the pediatrician's office at 9 am and said we would start doing the "alternating Tylenol with Motrin" approach and the doctor is supposed to call me back.
When I talked to DH a few minutes ago, he said that our little guy is very happily playing and is his "goofy self". So maybe the fever broke last night.
Monday, August 15, 2005
Journaling...another Bad Mommy Award
Yes indeed -- Mommy forgot to bring the journal to pre-school this morning. Pass the Bad Mommy Award this way.
The "journal" is a basic composition book that the teacher writes in during the week and then parents (i.e., Mommy) fill in on the weekend with the things we did, the things we thought were fun, ideas we might have or even questions for the teacher. This is hardly the first time I forgot to bring the journal. Just drives me a little batty that I forgot to bring it today.
With Congress out of session, the traffic into DC is almost delightful -- and I got to clean my office today! My desk is actually NEAT! I tossed a ton of stuff, too -- so liberating! Maybe I'll get so inspired I'll do it at home, too.
I have been suggesting to DH that I toss my old dissertation stuff. He won't let me. I could gain a ton of room if I tossed that stuff out.
The "journal" is a basic composition book that the teacher writes in during the week and then parents (i.e., Mommy) fill in on the weekend with the things we did, the things we thought were fun, ideas we might have or even questions for the teacher. This is hardly the first time I forgot to bring the journal. Just drives me a little batty that I forgot to bring it today.
With Congress out of session, the traffic into DC is almost delightful -- and I got to clean my office today! My desk is actually NEAT! I tossed a ton of stuff, too -- so liberating! Maybe I'll get so inspired I'll do it at home, too.
I have been suggesting to DH that I toss my old dissertation stuff. He won't let me. I could gain a ton of room if I tossed that stuff out.
Sunday, August 14, 2005
Civic Associations
Our neighborhood civic association is in the midst of being reborn.
Last year, Fairfax County held a "community dialog" on gang-related activity in the area. There were several recommendations that came out of the community dialog, one of them being the reestablishment of the civic association that used to be around for the neighborhood. Several months ago, there was a "are you interested?" meeting where the organizers were hoping 15 people would show up. Well, 70+ people attended!
There was another "volunteer" meeting on Thursday. We're going to have elections for officers at the end of September, and I am going to help leaflet (and perhaps help design the leaflets) so we can get a good turnout.
On the way to the meeting on Thursday, one of my fellow volunteers saw some gang graffiti painted (? chalked?) on the sidewalk. This was right on the corner by the elementary school. The volunteer took a picture of it and it was sent along to both the District Supervisor and the police.
Read today's Washington Post article about the gang problem and perhaps you'll end up shaking your head just like I am.
Last year, Fairfax County held a "community dialog" on gang-related activity in the area. There were several recommendations that came out of the community dialog, one of them being the reestablishment of the civic association that used to be around for the neighborhood. Several months ago, there was a "are you interested?" meeting where the organizers were hoping 15 people would show up. Well, 70+ people attended!
There was another "volunteer" meeting on Thursday. We're going to have elections for officers at the end of September, and I am going to help leaflet (and perhaps help design the leaflets) so we can get a good turnout.
On the way to the meeting on Thursday, one of my fellow volunteers saw some gang graffiti painted (? chalked?) on the sidewalk. This was right on the corner by the elementary school. The volunteer took a picture of it and it was sent along to both the District Supervisor and the police.
Read today's Washington Post article about the gang problem and perhaps you'll end up shaking your head just like I am.
Saturday, August 13, 2005
The Great Clothing Sorting Exercise
Ah....happy weekend. We are still under a heat advisory here in metro Washington DC -- so what are we going to do today? Spend several hours experiencing The Great Clothing Sorting Exercise.
My daughter is not the easiest to fit because she has no waist and she has long legs. I thought her measurements would be all wacky at her doctor's appointment yesterday but nope -- she's smack dab at the 50% percentile for both height (40 inches) and weight (35.5 pounds). So why on earth is she so hard to fit? *sigh*
So today we are going to go through umpteen numbers of bins and bags of clothes to create the (a) keep them because they still fit or will fit pile, (b) toss them because they are ragged and not good enough to donate/give away pile, and (c) keep them to either give away or sell on eBay pile. I have several people that I want to give things to, and when the child's size/gender/season all match up, it's so much better to give the clothes to someone who can really use them. Plus I know what it is like to have all sorts of cute summer clothes for a little newborn girl only to have a boy born in the winter!
Some other news to share -- my daughter's godmother who lives in Ireland called to let us know that she would be in the States next month. So she is going to spend a weekend with us while she is doing her East Coast whirlwind tour. She hasn't seen Natalie in two years and she has never seen Nicholas, so this should be fun.
Also....shhhh...we are planning a trip to Walt Disney World in the spring. Already booked the resort and everything. We are not going to tell the kids until it's time to go. At least that's the plan!
Time to head off to dance class...
My daughter is not the easiest to fit because she has no waist and she has long legs. I thought her measurements would be all wacky at her doctor's appointment yesterday but nope -- she's smack dab at the 50% percentile for both height (40 inches) and weight (35.5 pounds). So why on earth is she so hard to fit? *sigh*
So today we are going to go through umpteen numbers of bins and bags of clothes to create the (a) keep them because they still fit or will fit pile, (b) toss them because they are ragged and not good enough to donate/give away pile, and (c) keep them to either give away or sell on eBay pile. I have several people that I want to give things to, and when the child's size/gender/season all match up, it's so much better to give the clothes to someone who can really use them. Plus I know what it is like to have all sorts of cute summer clothes for a little newborn girl only to have a boy born in the winter!
Some other news to share -- my daughter's godmother who lives in Ireland called to let us know that she would be in the States next month. So she is going to spend a weekend with us while she is doing her East Coast whirlwind tour. She hasn't seen Natalie in two years and she has never seen Nicholas, so this should be fun.
Also....shhhh...we are planning a trip to Walt Disney World in the spring. Already booked the resort and everything. We are not going to tell the kids until it's time to go. At least that's the plan!
Time to head off to dance class...
Friday, August 12, 2005
More on transitions...
I did not get a chance to post yesterday as I was recovering from the Bad Mommy Error.
The Bad Mommy Error -- I posted on Wednesday about my daughter's transition to the pre-K classroom. Well, about 6 weeks ago, I spoke with the Director trying to get a rough sense when my daughter would move into pre-K. Her best guess was mid-August, so I have been doing this big build up with my daughter about how she would come back from vacation, spend a week with her "old friends", and then move into the pre-K class. This plan got a bit messed up because the children in pre-K that are moving on to Kindergarten are not leaving "early" (mid-August) as they have in years past. So there is no spot for my daughter to move to.
On Wednesday afternoon, I told my daughter that she would not be moving into pre-K until next month. This resulted in absolute hysterics! We're talking 30 minutes of crying and screaming. It then dragged itself into the night, as she was awakening every 30 minutes/hour with screams of "But I don't belong in the 3s!" and other assorted cries. So yesterday morning was a bit draggy for both my daughter and me, as we had been up so long throughout the night.
Yesterday, I emailed the Director and my daughter's 3s teacher to give them a sense of what Wednesday night was like. The Director called me in the afternoon and said that they will be putting a high priority to my daughter visiting the pre-K classroom a great deal over the next few weeks. They will be able to do this because lots of people are on vacation and such, so they will still be in ratio and all -- they just do not have a permanent slot until a child actually "really" leaves. So we'll only have to muddle through this for the next 3 weeks.
We're off to the pediatrician this morning -- a 4 year old well visit and an ear check for my little guy.
The Bad Mommy Error -- I posted on Wednesday about my daughter's transition to the pre-K classroom. Well, about 6 weeks ago, I spoke with the Director trying to get a rough sense when my daughter would move into pre-K. Her best guess was mid-August, so I have been doing this big build up with my daughter about how she would come back from vacation, spend a week with her "old friends", and then move into the pre-K class. This plan got a bit messed up because the children in pre-K that are moving on to Kindergarten are not leaving "early" (mid-August) as they have in years past. So there is no spot for my daughter to move to.
On Wednesday afternoon, I told my daughter that she would not be moving into pre-K until next month. This resulted in absolute hysterics! We're talking 30 minutes of crying and screaming. It then dragged itself into the night, as she was awakening every 30 minutes/hour with screams of "But I don't belong in the 3s!" and other assorted cries. So yesterday morning was a bit draggy for both my daughter and me, as we had been up so long throughout the night.
Yesterday, I emailed the Director and my daughter's 3s teacher to give them a sense of what Wednesday night was like. The Director called me in the afternoon and said that they will be putting a high priority to my daughter visiting the pre-K classroom a great deal over the next few weeks. They will be able to do this because lots of people are on vacation and such, so they will still be in ratio and all -- they just do not have a permanent slot until a child actually "really" leaves. So we'll only have to muddle through this for the next 3 weeks.
We're off to the pediatrician this morning -- a 4 year old well visit and an ear check for my little guy.
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Transitions
My daughter is anxiously awaiting her transition to the pre-K program at pre-school. Now that she is 4, she just doesn't want to be in the "3s" classroom anymore. About a month ago, we were told she would likely transition to pre-K around the middle of August. Well, evidently, the children that are going to move to Kindergarten are still in the pre-K program and no one is leaving before Labor Day (public school Kindergarten starts the day following Labor Day here in Virginia).
So my daughter won't go to pre-K until next month. She is none too happy about this.
On a better note, she went to her dentist today -- no cavities and great teeth! She'll go back in 6 months for another cleaning.
So my daughter won't go to pre-K until next month. She is none too happy about this.
On a better note, she went to her dentist today -- no cavities and great teeth! She'll go back in 6 months for another cleaning.
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Swim classes and gutsy women
Set the alarm clock for an early wake-up today thanks to Fairfax County's recreation program registration day starting at 5 am. *yawn* By 5:20 am, my children were registered for swim classes -- with my daughter getting the next-to-last spot in the class at the "right" location and the "right" time slot.
And calling all gutsy women...I came across The New Charm School blog today -- some great stuff here. I especially liked Jennifer's post about Harvard University seeing an increase in tenure offers to women in spite of Larry Summers.
And calling all gutsy women...I came across The New Charm School blog today -- some great stuff here. I especially liked Jennifer's post about Harvard University seeing an increase in tenure offers to women in spite of Larry Summers.
Monday, August 08, 2005
Post-trip recovery = PTO
The title for this post is actually a misnomer. It really should say SHOULD REQUIRE PTO (Paid Time Off) but some of us will never learn (waving hand) and suffer the angst of returning from a trip on Sunday and having to go to work the following morning.
We survived the drive from Massachusetts to Pennsylvania with a stop in Langhorne to visit Sesame Place the following morning. On the way down the Merritt Parkway, I phoned our first hotel to see if they had a room available for Saturday night, too. No sirree -- sold out for Saturday night. So I phoned another hotel thanks to our trusty AAA guidebook -- yes indeed, a room available for Friday and Saturday nights. Woohoo! So I booked the new hotel room -- right across the street from Sesame Place.
Traffic wasn't bad until we hit 287 to go to the Tappan Zee Bridge. I never can tell if I'm better off going through the city via the GW Bridge or taking the Tappan Zee. It seems like whichever I take, the other way is better. Oh well. We made it to the hotel at a decent hour.
Saturday morning included an IHOP stop before going to the Park. Both children had fun at the Park -- they seemed to really like the parade, and the water rides were fun and it wasn't too hot. Did run into a sole "sorry excuse for a parent" on one of the rides. Evidently she could not read the signs that said ages 4 and under go in one line and ages 5 to 7 go in another line. When she got to the front of the wrong line, the ride attendant asked how old the child was.
SEFAP: "She's 3"
Attendant: "You are in the wrong line. She has to go in the other line."
SEFAP: "She will go on when the next group of 3 year-olds goes on."
Attendant: "No, you need to wait in the other line."
SEFAP (screaming): "I just waited 5 minutes. I am not going to wait any more."
Attendant: "They have all waited too. You have to get in line like everyone else."
SEFAP (swearing): "Let's go. No (expletive expletive) way we are waiting."
And of course -- what happens? SEFAP finds SEFAP2 who takes the little girl and "plops" her at the front of the ages 4 and under line.
My daughter asks, "What happened to that little girl? Why is she in the front of my line?" So I told her that her parents put her in the front of the line. My daughter says, "But that's not fair -- she is cutting in line."
So, SEFAP's child and my daughter were on the ride at the same time. I couldn't help it -- I said something about not cutting in line, SEFAP used gutter language to call me all sorts of things, I didn't "go there" and instead asked to speak to a supervisor -- and golly gee, SEFAP's child didn't even want to be on the ride in the first place. The supervisor came by, called security, and escorted SEFAP out of the park due to the obscenities that she screamed at me. Security talked to me, too -- just to get my statement and to alert me that she had been escorted from the park but SEFAP2 was not. They asked that if I had any further trouble during the day to let a park staff person know. Never ran into SEFAP2 for the remainder of the day, but it's good to know that security will do something at Sesame Place.
We did the obligatory take out food for dinner -- Macaroni Grill. Then we went to sleep early after such a long day. We checked out on Sunday morning to head home. We did make one stop in Philadelphia first -- at the Please Touch Museum. What a great place! The children really seemed to really have fun in the Supermarket. The Supermarket is laid out just like a "real" grocery store with shopping carts, aisles of food, a stock room (with a time clock and time cards!), and cashier stations with scanners and cash registers. Children were counting their food, weighing items in bin scales, and just having a great time. If you are ever in the Philadelphia area, I highly recommend a stop to this Museum.
We got back home at 5 pm and had all the bags to haul in. Thankfully there was not a lot of laundry as I had done much of it at my parents' house. But there's just a lot of "stuff" to deal with, and it doesn't help when the birthday girl opens all of her toys right in the doorway of her bedroom, then her little brother takes all the bath toys and dumps them into the toilet, just when you are running to the door to get the pizza from the delivery guy.
Oy.
I should have taken PTO today.
We survived the drive from Massachusetts to Pennsylvania with a stop in Langhorne to visit Sesame Place the following morning. On the way down the Merritt Parkway, I phoned our first hotel to see if they had a room available for Saturday night, too. No sirree -- sold out for Saturday night. So I phoned another hotel thanks to our trusty AAA guidebook -- yes indeed, a room available for Friday and Saturday nights. Woohoo! So I booked the new hotel room -- right across the street from Sesame Place.
Traffic wasn't bad until we hit 287 to go to the Tappan Zee Bridge. I never can tell if I'm better off going through the city via the GW Bridge or taking the Tappan Zee. It seems like whichever I take, the other way is better. Oh well. We made it to the hotel at a decent hour.
Saturday morning included an IHOP stop before going to the Park. Both children had fun at the Park -- they seemed to really like the parade, and the water rides were fun and it wasn't too hot. Did run into a sole "sorry excuse for a parent" on one of the rides. Evidently she could not read the signs that said ages 4 and under go in one line and ages 5 to 7 go in another line. When she got to the front of the wrong line, the ride attendant asked how old the child was.
SEFAP: "She's 3"
Attendant: "You are in the wrong line. She has to go in the other line."
SEFAP: "She will go on when the next group of 3 year-olds goes on."
Attendant: "No, you need to wait in the other line."
SEFAP (screaming): "I just waited 5 minutes. I am not going to wait any more."
Attendant: "They have all waited too. You have to get in line like everyone else."
SEFAP (swearing): "Let's go. No (expletive expletive) way we are waiting."
And of course -- what happens? SEFAP finds SEFAP2 who takes the little girl and "plops" her at the front of the ages 4 and under line.
My daughter asks, "What happened to that little girl? Why is she in the front of my line?" So I told her that her parents put her in the front of the line. My daughter says, "But that's not fair -- she is cutting in line."
So, SEFAP's child and my daughter were on the ride at the same time. I couldn't help it -- I said something about not cutting in line, SEFAP used gutter language to call me all sorts of things, I didn't "go there" and instead asked to speak to a supervisor -- and golly gee, SEFAP's child didn't even want to be on the ride in the first place. The supervisor came by, called security, and escorted SEFAP out of the park due to the obscenities that she screamed at me. Security talked to me, too -- just to get my statement and to alert me that she had been escorted from the park but SEFAP2 was not. They asked that if I had any further trouble during the day to let a park staff person know. Never ran into SEFAP2 for the remainder of the day, but it's good to know that security will do something at Sesame Place.
We did the obligatory take out food for dinner -- Macaroni Grill. Then we went to sleep early after such a long day. We checked out on Sunday morning to head home. We did make one stop in Philadelphia first -- at the Please Touch Museum. What a great place! The children really seemed to really have fun in the Supermarket. The Supermarket is laid out just like a "real" grocery store with shopping carts, aisles of food, a stock room (with a time clock and time cards!), and cashier stations with scanners and cash registers. Children were counting their food, weighing items in bin scales, and just having a great time. If you are ever in the Philadelphia area, I highly recommend a stop to this Museum.
We got back home at 5 pm and had all the bags to haul in. Thankfully there was not a lot of laundry as I had done much of it at my parents' house. But there's just a lot of "stuff" to deal with, and it doesn't help when the birthday girl opens all of her toys right in the doorway of her bedroom, then her little brother takes all the bath toys and dumps them into the toilet, just when you are running to the door to get the pizza from the delivery guy.
Oy.
I should have taken PTO today.
Friday, August 05, 2005
The DVD player society
Last week when we were beginning to pack for our trip, my daughter said, "Don't forget -- I want to watch movies on the ride."
Hrumph.
When I was her age, I would often go for long car rides (as in leave at dark in the morning and arrive at dark at night) and I never had "movies". Come to think of it, I never had a car seat, either. I would bring coloring books and lots of crayons and fall asleep sprawled across the back seat of the car (that did not have air conditioning) as my father would drive on the state roads (no real interstates like we have them today). The trip from Massachusetts to New York City would take no less than 9 hours, and that is without traffic.
What are we doing when we have our entertainment system-ready vehicles or portable DVD players with Toy Story 2 and Monsters Inc. in tow?
Hrumph.
Well, it keeps the Whine-o-matic silenced for a while, I suppose.
Hrumph.
When I was her age, I would often go for long car rides (as in leave at dark in the morning and arrive at dark at night) and I never had "movies". Come to think of it, I never had a car seat, either. I would bring coloring books and lots of crayons and fall asleep sprawled across the back seat of the car (that did not have air conditioning) as my father would drive on the state roads (no real interstates like we have them today). The trip from Massachusetts to New York City would take no less than 9 hours, and that is without traffic.
What are we doing when we have our entertainment system-ready vehicles or portable DVD players with Toy Story 2 and Monsters Inc. in tow?
Hrumph.
Well, it keeps the Whine-o-matic silenced for a while, I suppose.
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
One more plug for the blogmaster position
One more plug for the blogmaster position at the trade association that employs me -- the position was even written about in PR Thoughts.
ETA: Corrected the link to the job posting.
ETA: Corrected the link to the job posting.
Cinderella
Well, we went to see Cinderella today. It was HOT -- as in VERY hot -- and being inside a huge tent didn't help matters. But the performance by Kaleidescope Theatre was WONDERFUL! It started at 11 am and had one 15 minute intermission at Noon, but my daughter was VERY attentive. She even told me she was so impressed with the Fairy Godmother that she wants to dress up like her instead of Cinderella! If you are ever in the Rhode Island/southeastern Massachusetts area, I HIGHLY recommend seeking out one of their performances. Plus the group is just a great cause altogether.
Another neat thing that happened today -- while sitting in our seats at the Melody Tent, Natalie saw that a man in front of us dropped some money on the ground (while sitting in his seat). She picked it up and saw several bills (not sure if she knew they were $20 bills, but she definitely knew they were "bigger than fives"), and she gave them back to him with an "excuse me, sir -- I think you dropped this". She did this without ANY prompting by me. The man thanked her for giving the $60 to him. Several minutes later, the man's wife came back with some food for their daughter. He asked her for a $5 bill as he wanted to "reward honesty". So he gave the $5 to Natalie and let her know that "honesty is always rewarded". I'm so proud of Natalie and very thankful for such a "teachable moment" encounter with such a great family.
After the show, we attempted lunch at Lindsey's in Wareham. Bad, bad, bad idea. The kids were tired (no nap) and hungry but the food there was -- let's just say we should have just kept on going and had a cookout instead. We will not be going back there any time soon.
We picked up pizza (take out) at Fay's later on -- the parking lot is always mobbed there, and the food is "reliable neighborhood restaurant" quality -- which means we go there a lot.
I'm hoping tomorrow is more of a "down day" -- we leave on Friday and I can really use a day to recharge. We'll see what the morning brings!
Another neat thing that happened today -- while sitting in our seats at the Melody Tent, Natalie saw that a man in front of us dropped some money on the ground (while sitting in his seat). She picked it up and saw several bills (not sure if she knew they were $20 bills, but she definitely knew they were "bigger than fives"), and she gave them back to him with an "excuse me, sir -- I think you dropped this". She did this without ANY prompting by me. The man thanked her for giving the $60 to him. Several minutes later, the man's wife came back with some food for their daughter. He asked her for a $5 bill as he wanted to "reward honesty". So he gave the $5 to Natalie and let her know that "honesty is always rewarded". I'm so proud of Natalie and very thankful for such a "teachable moment" encounter with such a great family.
After the show, we attempted lunch at Lindsey's in Wareham. Bad, bad, bad idea. The kids were tired (no nap) and hungry but the food there was -- let's just say we should have just kept on going and had a cookout instead. We will not be going back there any time soon.
We picked up pizza (take out) at Fay's later on -- the parking lot is always mobbed there, and the food is "reliable neighborhood restaurant" quality -- which means we go there a lot.
I'm hoping tomorrow is more of a "down day" -- we leave on Friday and I can really use a day to recharge. We'll see what the morning brings!
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
The birthday girl turns 4
Sorry I have been away for a while...the madness of birthday party planning and readying for a trip really took a toll, especially in terms of posting here.
I ended up taking Friday off from work as the load was too much for me in terms of readying for the birthday parties and managing to pack for our trip. I got our bags packed in 2 hours and picked up the (42) cupcakes at the bakery for the party at pre-school. I also managed to make it over for the re-fi signing, although the re-fi meant that DH could not make it in time for Natalie's party at pre-school. She did not seem to mind too much.
Friday night was busy readying for the Saturday birthday party and for doing more pre-travel angst stuff.
Saturday involved picking up the cake at this incredible bakery and then making a grocery store run for drinks, ice, etc. Also managed to make it to dance class -- and in time! -- and DH managed to pick up the balloons. We got over to the rec center at 1 pm but did not factor two things into thr equation: (1) that it would take close to 30 minutes to lug everything inside, because we were also having to keep an eye on two small children, and (2) that Power Tots would be 30 minutes late to the party due to bad directions thanks to MapQuest. But it all worked out somehow and the party was wonderful! After the lengthy (2 minute!) ride home in the car, both kids were fast asleep when we got hom at 4:40 pm. So I did a mad dash to pull party related stuff out of the minivan and travel bags into the minivan, and both kids slept through the whole thing. We were on the road on the Beltway by 5:50 pm.
We drove on Saturday night and encountered very little traffic. We stopped over for a the night in Norwalk (checked in to the hotel at 12:15 am) and resumed our drive the next morning. We made it to my parents' house at 12:15 pm. All in all, not a bad trip.
Monday was spent with some pool time and a family dinner at the Mattapoisett Chowder House -- good food and good fun. Today was spent at the Whaling Museum and dinner at Davey's Locker. We also managed to get Natalie's birthday photo done at Picture People at the Taunton Galleria.
Tomorrow we are off to the Cape Cod Melody Tent to see a performance of Cinderella. Not so sure how Nicholas will take to a theatre performance, but we'll see how it goes.
Once thing I have noticed coming back here -- it seems like everyone I used to like to hang out with in high school has left the area, and the ones that I purposely avoided in high school have all stayed here. Maybe that's just my perception vs. "reality", but it is something that I have noticed. Of course I have been out of high school for 25 years, too -- maybe I am just old!
I ended up taking Friday off from work as the load was too much for me in terms of readying for the birthday parties and managing to pack for our trip. I got our bags packed in 2 hours and picked up the (42) cupcakes at the bakery for the party at pre-school. I also managed to make it over for the re-fi signing, although the re-fi meant that DH could not make it in time for Natalie's party at pre-school. She did not seem to mind too much.
Friday night was busy readying for the Saturday birthday party and for doing more pre-travel angst stuff.
Saturday involved picking up the cake at this incredible bakery and then making a grocery store run for drinks, ice, etc. Also managed to make it to dance class -- and in time! -- and DH managed to pick up the balloons. We got over to the rec center at 1 pm but did not factor two things into thr equation: (1) that it would take close to 30 minutes to lug everything inside, because we were also having to keep an eye on two small children, and (2) that Power Tots would be 30 minutes late to the party due to bad directions thanks to MapQuest. But it all worked out somehow and the party was wonderful! After the lengthy (2 minute!) ride home in the car, both kids were fast asleep when we got hom at 4:40 pm. So I did a mad dash to pull party related stuff out of the minivan and travel bags into the minivan, and both kids slept through the whole thing. We were on the road on the Beltway by 5:50 pm.
We drove on Saturday night and encountered very little traffic. We stopped over for a the night in Norwalk (checked in to the hotel at 12:15 am) and resumed our drive the next morning. We made it to my parents' house at 12:15 pm. All in all, not a bad trip.
Monday was spent with some pool time and a family dinner at the Mattapoisett Chowder House -- good food and good fun. Today was spent at the Whaling Museum and dinner at Davey's Locker. We also managed to get Natalie's birthday photo done at Picture People at the Taunton Galleria.
Tomorrow we are off to the Cape Cod Melody Tent to see a performance of Cinderella. Not so sure how Nicholas will take to a theatre performance, but we'll see how it goes.
Once thing I have noticed coming back here -- it seems like everyone I used to like to hang out with in high school has left the area, and the ones that I purposely avoided in high school have all stayed here. Maybe that's just my perception vs. "reality", but it is something that I have noticed. Of course I have been out of high school for 25 years, too -- maybe I am just old!
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