This Blog Has Been Moved

Please visit me at my new online home, The Volunteer Mom.

Calling Out My Technical Peeps

I have been thinking for quite sometime that I would like to set up a website of my own but I have no clue where to begin or what I need to do. There is some part of me that realizes how pathetic this is in this day and age but hey, I know I can count on my more technical friends to help me out. So in list form, this is exactly what I would like to do:

-either import or point this blog to the new website.
-have the capability to link directly to other places where I have an online presence (namely Facebook, Twitter and my online store, Zazzle).
-have a few pages dedicated directly to certain things (for example one for an about me kind of thing, one for my work in PTA/Education, one for more professional type things like my resume etc).
-something with a very basic, easy way to update and maintain the site (and by easy I mean even someone as relatively clueless about this type of thing can figure it out).
-I would like to do this all in the most inexpensive yet effective way possible.

Can any one help me figure this out? I did go online but was overwhelmed with the amount of choices and possibilities out there. Even if that wasn't the case, I would still prefer the advice and assistance of someone I know.

Eye Opening

One of the most informative workshops I participated while in Washington, DC with the Massachusetts State PTA was called, "21st Century Voices: Using Social Media to Persuade and Inform."  I thought I already had a good grasp of how influential online/social communications could be.   I had no idea.

I  have copied my notes here as well as the video we saw as part of the presentation.  As the video indicates, it is no longer a question of if we use social media, instead, it comes down to how well we use it.

Workshop 1:  21^st Century Voices:  Using Social Media to Persuade and Inform: Notes

-71% of America is on Facebook

-If Facebook were a country, it would be the third largest.

-Facebook is the 2^nd most visited site on the internet-Google is first.

-In terms of time spent on each site, Facebook dwarfs Google.

-The number of Facebook users is larger than the population of China (actual users not just people who sign up).

-It took three years, two months and one day to get to the billionth tweet. Now there are a billion tweets a week.

- A year ago, people sent 50 million tweets a day. On March 11, 2011, the tally was 177 million.

-There were 456 tweets per second after Michael Jackson died in 2009. That record was broken on New Year’s Day this year with 6,939 tweets after midnight in Japan on New Year’s morning there.

- There were 572,000 new Twitter accounts created on March 12, 2011; there were 460,000 new accounts created daily, on average, in the past month.

-Mobile users increased 182% in the past year.

 

Vote For Allin Frawley On April 2nd

What follows is a letter to the editor of the Middleboro Gazette that unfortunately did not make this weeks edition.  I fully support Allin and ask that you join with me in bringing a positive change to Middleboro by voting for him on April 2nd.

I am writing to voice my support for Board of Selectman candidate Allin Frawley.  Allin will bring to the board the dedication, common sense approach and drive needed to make a difference in Middleboro. 

In many ways, Allin has already shown a commitment to the town of Middleboro.  Through his past and present service on various town committees including the Charter Review/Change Committee, the Conservation Committee, the Open Space Planning Committee, the EMS Committee, the Community Preservation Act Bylaw Committee and the Zoning Recodification Task Force, Allin has demonstrated his desire to take an active role in the town.  Allin also attends Board of Selectmen meetings on a regular basis.  

More than that, Allin has proven to be accessible to the citizens of this town.  Recognizing that there has never been an easier or more effective way to stay in immediate and direct contact with his supporters, Allin has developed a website as well as Facebook and Twitter accounts.  In addition, he has opened a campaign headquarters downtown where voters can stop in, meet Allin, ask questions and share their concerns.  His willingness to listen and respond to voters will make him, if elected, a true representative of the people.

I ask you to join me in voting for Allin on April 2^nd.  As a selectman, Allin will represent Middleboro honorably and will make sure that our voices are heard.

What We've Got Here Is A Failure To Communicate

Most of my readers are aware of the many committees and task forces I serve on as well as the volunteer positions I hold.  If not (or if you just don't remember!), please see this post for the most recent list.  My reasons for taking such an active role in the lives of my children through these committees are many and varied but first and foremost is my commitment to the education of my daughter's and the critical role I know parent involvement plays in their success. That being said, I don't join a committee, organization or take on a volunteer position just because it looks good.  I do it because I want  to and because I care and want to make a difference.   In many of the committees I serve on or the organizations I belong to I dive right in, usually taking on some sort of role beyond just being a member.  I give my full attention and dedication to my work on these committees and make sure that I am timely in all of my communications, carry out whatever tasks are expected of me and take an active, participatory role in all I do.  There are a few areas in my life in which my commitment and dedication are lacking (mostly when it comes to taking care of me) but in the instances above in which my work will directly affect others, you can be sure that I will see whatever I start  right through to the end.

Perhaps it  is because of my overwhelmingly strong sense of responsibility that it bothers me when others don't share this intense dedication and commitment. It is frustrating beyond belief when someone else steps up to the plate to do something and they don't.  It is even more aggravating when I step up the plate to do something and  the lack of follow through of someone else impedes my ability to do my job well, or in the case I am referring to, at all.  Exactly how hard is it to respond to my repeated inquiries so I can proceed with my tasks with the appropriate information?  I can rest easy knowing I have done my part by trying, on multiple occasions to get the information needed.  What I can't deal with is someone else's lack of follow through making me look bad.

DC Update

What follows is the letter I sent to the PTA membership shortly after I got back from DC.

The PTA's mission is to be a powerful voice for all children, a relevant resource for families and communities, and a strong advocate for the education and well-being of every child.  This mission has never been more clear to me than it was at the National PTA Federal Legislative Conference held in Washington, DC last week.  As a representative of the Massachusetts PTA Delegation (which also included President Mary Ann Stewart and President-Elect, Erik Champy) I had the opportunity to meet and collaborate with PTA leaders from all over the country and Europe.  This experience gave me an inspired and new perspective on how far reaching and influential the PTA can truly be.  The PTA is not just about fundraising.  It's about parents taking action, creating community partnerships, and empowering parents to become engaged and involved.

While in DC, I was able to participate in various trainings which were informative and interesting. I learned an incredible amount of information that I look forward to applying to my "job" as President of the Middleborough Elementary PTA.

Perhaps the most exciting and empowering part of my experience took place when the PTA "stormed" Capitol Hill.  On Thursday, March 10th conference attendees from all over the country met with their states Congressmen and Senators, sharing the PTA message, "Every Child, One Voice."  The Massachusetts PTA met directly with Congressman Barney Frank and with the offices of Congressman Ed Markey, Congresswoman Niki Tsongas, and Senators Kerry and Brown.  Though he did not meet directly with us, Senator Brown stopped by to say hello.  During our meetings we discussed the Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act-No Child Left Behind, the importance of family engagement in education and the current budget crisis.  We were well received and could tell that our representatives and senators truly appreciate hearing from their constituents.  Below is a picture of the Massachusetts PTA with Congressman Barney Frank.  

I have always been passionate about the PTA and advocating on behalf of children.  This experience allowed me the opportunity to develop that passion even further.  It truly was an inspiring and exciting event.

How Much Is Too Much/Too Little?

How much help do you provide your child when it comes to completing a homework assignment?  How do you handle it when, even after explaining the scenario, your child is so frustrated by the process that she is in hysterics saying she can't do it? These questions are not rhetorical so by all means, feel free to answer.

There really is no way to put this gently.  Katherine has more trouble putting a sentence together, forming a paragraph and summarizing a book/passage than I have ever seen.  It doesn't seem right to me that it is still so difficult more than halfway through her fifth grade year. This only comes out in her writing; her speaking and language is fine (though generally it is very simplistic). 

These problems are not new to Katherine.  In both first and second grade she received Title I services for reading/ ELA.  She made some decent gains and was dropped for third and fourth grade.  I still thought at that point that she needed extra reinforcement particularly with writing.  Toward the end of fourth grade, after many discussions with her teacher (who saw some of the same problems but attributed Katherine's struggles to more of an attention/motivation concern), I decided to request an evaluation.  The results indicated that she had pretty much average capabilities across the board.  I would have to look back, but I don't specifically remember her being given any kind of writing assignment as part of the testing.  There is no question in my mind that this would have indicated a marked weakness for her had such a test been administered.

A number of weeks after Katherine's most recent report card, I checked in with her teacher, explaining some of my serious concerns with her writing and asked her if she had made any progress since the report card came out.  She said she had some of the same concerns and suggested we meet.  At the meeting we both agreed that the problem was real and her teacher suggested that since her testing came back okay,  perhaps we should go the medical route and see if there was another possibility (read: ADHD).  After filling out parent and teacher surveys, we met with the doctor, who said, yes, based on our discussion and surveys it seems like she may have the ADHD: inattentive type.   She thought medication would be the best route and though I didn't jump right on that bandwagon with Emily,  by this time with Katherine, it just seemed like the right thing to do.  So here we are three or four weeks in to the medicine (which is supposed to be fast acting as in immediate) and nothing has changed.  She isn't on a high dose (10 mgs which could go as high as 30-40 mgs but the doctor said that is usually what they would prescribe a teen) and of course, the first medicine tried might not work.  Katherine was so frustrated and worked up about this specific writing assignment that she was hysterically crying and having serious stomach pains.  Seriously, I was half jokingly wondering in my own thoughts if the child needed an anti-anxiety medication as well.

I can't be their frontal lobe....my own has a problem functioning correctly for me never mind trying to do the work for someone else. So, in the instance of this assignment, I made her do half of it.  I could not see forcing her to finish it in the condition she was in.  The quality of her work would have suffered above and beyond the struggles she already has with it and besides that, I felt really bad for her.  Should fifth grade really be this stressful?  It's freaking fifth grade.  Admittedly, we should have started this assignment earlier on in the weekend.  Instead, we enjoyed a stress free, fun family weekend and I refuse to feel guilty about that.  I am going to send in a note to her teacher with the part of the assignment that is complete and let her know that the rest will be in on Tuesday.  Maybe this is a cop out.  I don't know and really, I don't care.

What I do know is that for Katherine's sanity and mine, we need to figure something out, and quickly.

All advice, constructive criticism, and thoughts are welcome and appreciated.

Capitol Hill: Here I Come!

 I leave tomorrow with the Massachusetts State PTA Delegation for Washington, DC.  While in DC, I will have the opportunity to take part in many trainings including,  21st Century Voices: Using Social Media to Persuade and Inform, Education and the Federal Budget, and Taking It To The Hill: PTA's 2011 Public Policy Agenda.  Representing the State of Massachusetts  will be President of the Massachusetts PTA, Mary Ann Stewart, President-Elect, Erik Champy and myself (State Advocacy Chair/Federal Legislative Chair).  On Thursday, March 10th, we have confirmed meetings with Massachusetts State Senators Kerry and Brown,  Congressmen Barney Frank and Ed Markey and Congresswoman, Niki Tsongas.  We will be discussing the Re-Authorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act-No Child Left Behind (ESEA-NCLB), the soon to be introduced Family Engagement In Education Bill, as well as the Federal Education Budget.  I am very excited to have this opportunity and look forward to sharing my experiences when I return.  In the meantime, I plan to provide regular updates from the Hill via a new Twitter handle I just set up.  I will use this new account after I return as well, to promote my interest in education, advocacy, and political and social activism.  You can follow me at @sharonmellis1.

*Cross posted at http://mepta.blogspot.com*

Hands On Learning

Katherine is having quite the day at school today.  First up is Read Across America Day (Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!).  The guest readers in Katherine's classroom will be a teacher from the middle school and Senator Pacheco.  She was pretty excited that a "real" Senator was coming to her classroom to read!

This afternoon I will be volunteering to help with the  "Voyage."  The events will take place in the pool area at the Burkland School.  The kids were asked to dress as much like a pilgrim as possible. They will be imagining themselves in their shoes and recreating some of the hazards they encountered on their journey, including rough seas.  Katherine told me this will be depicted by throwing buckets of water at the kids!  They will also be sitting in chairs that are extremely close together to depict the close quarters the Pilgrims had to share. They will also be enjoying foods that were typical of the voyagers such as Beef Stew, bread, apple and grape juice (wine), Beef Jerky or Slim Jims, Lemons, Cream Soda or Root Beer (ale) cheese cubes, and crackers. 

Maybe it is because I personally am much more of a visual, hands on type learner (as are my children) but I find this interactive type learning to be so much more engaging.  Over the years my children have been fortunate to have some teachers that really work in a hands on type environment.  I have always been impressed with the creativity and enthusiasm shown by these teachers and I know that my children have benefited in great ways because of them.

A Not So New Revelation

Being a good parent is really, really hard.  It not like this is news to me or anything but it just hits me once in a while.  I wish I could somehow know that the decisions I make now are the right ones for later.  Wishful thinking though that may be, it would certainly help ease my mind sometimes.

Back To Life

It was back to "real life" today for the Ellis Family and I think the kids were actually excited to get back in to a schedule.  Other than having company for the latter half of the week, we didn't really do anything all that exciting.  I think the kids wish we had, but for me, a nice relaxing week of nothing was needed and well deserved.  Only Julia was slightly hesitant about heading back to school but this is normal for her.  It has always been a bit of an adjustment for her to get back in to the swing of things after a break.

Reality for me means that I am very busy.  As luck would have it, this week is fairly low key with meetings (only two which must be some sort of record).  I was planning on going to the BOS meeting tonight but I think I am going to watch this one from home.  I have a lot to do before my trip to DC next week and since I will be gone for three days, I want to be home with the family as much as possible before then.  Tomorrow night I have the third of four planned Strategic Planning meetings for the School Department and Wednesday I will be at PTSA at the middle school.  The kids have a few things going on (a basketball practice, playoff basketball game and a doctor's appointment for Katherine and Scouts, PTSA and a cookie sale for Emily).  My lack of meetings will make this week easier, but certainly no less busy when you throw in the kids schedules.

My plans for the remainder of the afternoon are trip related.  I need to figure out and arrange for transportation to and from the airport and the hotel as well as figure out exactly what I will need to bring for money (most expenses are paid for by the National PTA but there are a few things I will need to take care of). I need to make phone calls to confirm meetings with Senators Kerry and Brown as well as Congressman Frank.   I am also going to finish putting together my binder with all of the information I need to have with me so that will be all set.  After that, the OCD part of me will be making a complete listing of everything Ryun  needs to know while I am gone.  I wouldn't consider my self to be controlling or a control freak but when it comes to the kids, their schedules and routines, yes, I am slightly obsessed.  That aside, there are certain things that I just always do...things like go through their school materials when they get home, make sure homework gets done etc.  It has always just been my job and while I have every confidence that Ryun knows what to do and is more than capable of doing it, it will make me feel better to have it in writing.  Even re-reading this I realize how crazy this sounds but, um, it won't stop me from doing it.  I am just going to embrace the crazy...it is what it is, right?

Anyway, off to it.  There are only a couple of hours left before the kids get home!

A Recent Status Update

Em and Julia were having a little spat. They were pretty much over it when shortly after, I had a discussion with Ryun about a Dr.'s appointment Emily has Tuesday. Out of nowhere, Julia, who may I remind you, is only 6 years old said, "Yeah Emily, well I hope they take your voice box out!" What?!?! It was seriously one of the funniest/most sarcastic/perfectly timed things she has ever said....and oh so "Ryun" of her.   After I stopped crying from laughing so hard, When I asked where she had learned about voice boxes, she replied in a very matter of fact tone, "The Little Mermaid."

Seriously, this girl never misses a beat!

Suggestions

It is my intent to spend the entire afternoon outside tomorrow to take full advantage of the beautiful day that is coming our way.  Ideally I would like to spend some of the time walking and some, perhaps, just sitting down and taking it all in.  Normally, a walk along the canal suits these purposes just fine but I was thinking it would be nice to try something different.  So,local readers, I am looking for your suggestions.  Not to be extremely picky but here is my ideal description of someplace I would like to go:

-must be local to Middleboro (by local I mean in Middleboro itself or within 45 minutes of the town lines because I need to be home late afternoon for the girls and don't intend to head out until mid morning or so).

-must have paved or well packed down walkways (I am not at all opposed to walking through the woods but I imagine the woods would be a muddy, wet mess at this point with the snow melt and I am all set with that).

-must have some sort of option for sitting (benches would be ideal but if the walkway is paved, I don't mind just sitting along the edge) so I can just sit, relax, admire the scenery, take in the fresh air, and possibly even spend some time reading).

-Must not need four wheel drive as the only means of access (no four wheel drive on the van).

So there you have it.  Suggestions welcome and appreciated!

It;s A Literal Life

Ryun (to me):  I killed my hand fixing the alternator in the truck today.

Julia:  Really Dad? If your hand is dead then how come it is still moving?
 

Attics, Birds, Doors and Flowers

Last night I had a dream that Ryun and I were looking at the front door of our house, trying to figure out why there were pink flowers growing from the top of the door and why, when it was opened we could see directly through the ceiling to the attic where there were birds nesting and chirping away.


Um...yeah.  People probably think my dreams are weird.  Personally I think they are always symbolic of something and what would be weird is if I ever had a normal, run of the mill dream that had no clearly defined meaning.


I have become so good at analyzing my dreams without the aid of a dream dictionary that it is almost scary.  I knew this dream would have something to do with letting go, love, happiness and self discovery.  When I referred to the dream dictionary here is what I found:


To dream of chirping and/or flying birds, represents joy, harmony, ecstasy, balance, and love. It denotes a sunny outlook in life. You are experiencing spiritual freedom and psychological liberation.

A door that opens into the inside, denotes your desire for inner exploration and self-discovery.

An attic symbolizes your mind, spirituality, and your connection to the higher Self.

To see colorful flowers in your dream, signify kindness, compassion, gentleness, pleasure, beauty, and gain. It is also symbolic of perfection and spirituality. Your dream may be an expression of love, joy and happiness. Alternatively, flowers in dream, especially if they are blooming, represent your hidden potential and latent talents.

 Pink represents love, joy, sweetness, happiness, affection and kindness.

Looks like my interpretation was right on.

Do you ever...

...just want to apologize to your kids for their poor fortune in inheriting your worst qualities and traits?  Or for their genetic makeup that was not of their choosing(obviously)?  I don't know...maybe I am the only one. 

I was thinking about this after a recent discussion with Katherine's teacher.  You all know (well anybody that has been following this blog for a while knows) that my oldest daughter Emily has ADD.  I don't think I or my parents necessarily realized it at the time but reflecting back, and looking at myself now as an adult, there isn't a doubt in my mind that I am the picture perfect painting of someone with attentional issues.  It manifests in different ways as an adult.  I am the world's worst procrastinator(though I do find that under pressure is the only way I work to my capacity).  I jump from one thing to another before I have finished the first thing.  My follow through skills leave a lot to be desired.  I would literally forget my entire life if I didn't have it staring me down in multiple locations...calendars, post it notes, electronic devices etc.  I can't even tell you what I am doing tomorrow without consulting my calendar.  I don't plan anything that I am not forced to (for example scheduled appointments).

For Emily, her concerns are a direct result of her confirmed medical issues.  After she was diagnosed with Epilepsy, as part of a normal barrage of testing to find out if her seizures had a definable cause, her MRI came back showing a "never before seen" abnormality in the frontal lobes of her brain.  Since the frontal lobes control all things like attention and other executive functions, Emily's concerns in this area make sense.  Though I have never had an MRI of my brain, I have no reason to believe that I have this same condition, nor do I for Katherine who is progressively displaying some of the same symptoms her sister and I have displayed, and some different ones as well.

It becomes clearer to me as we move through this life that these types of things obviously "run" in families.  Whether there is an identifiable medical concern that could cause such attention deficits as in Emily's case, or if it is some intricate part of our genetic make up, I do not know.  It is possible that simply the way we live our everyday lives has some influence on this as well.  Are we making the right decisions about certain things?  Could situations be handled in different ways achieving different outcomes in regard to the level of attention that is given?

I don't know the answers and I suspect I never will, at least not in a concrete sort of way.  What I do know is this: I need to get rid of the guilt. I also need to remind myself that they may have gotten the worst but they also got the best of me.  And if the best of me is some of what I see in them everyday?  The best of me is pretty damn good.

Perspective...

"In the depths of winter...

...I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer."

~Albert Camus~

Confirmed

I am happy to report that I will be attending the National PTA Federal Legislative Conference in March.  I will have the opportunity to meet with Senators John Kerry and Scott Brown as well as Middleborough's Representative, Barney Frank and spread the PTA message (which can be found here).

In other related news, I am now officially serving a dual role on the MA PTA Board.  I am both the State Advocacy Chair and the Federal Legislative Chair.

Who knew that when I joined the PTA six years ago it would lead to all of this?

And This Is Just Today's Agenda.

-condensing PTA Committee Reports and the newsletter
-updating the funds available reports for the Principals
-paying a few PTA bills
-printing the PTA Public Policy Agenda for 2011
-gathering responses to see if we will have a rescheduled School Council meeting Wednesday and emailing Mrs. L to let her know
-updating the new PTA treasurer with the details of what is what
-responding to PTA emails, writing a summary of the Federal Legislative call from last month
-continuing the development of the PTA website
-deciding if I can be available tomorrow nights PTA federal Legislative call
-printing and updating calendars for the bulletin board
-looking in to scheduling the PTA SHARP program at Nichols this summer (instead of HBB due to reconfiguration)
-emailing the PTA about up and coming volunteer opportunities
-typing up the notes for last weeks MKG/HBB School Council meeting
-planning for a meeting with Kate's teacher tomorrow
-rescheduling an appointment for Emily

I have a feeling all of this will go well in to the evening hours.  Had I not made the decision to limit my intake I might have been asking for caffeine on an IV drip. It's a good thing I love every minute of all of this otherwise this list might look a bit more...daunting. 

Break time is officially over.  Back to it I go!

PTA Update

During a MA PTA Board Meeting via conference call yesterday, I found out I may have the opportunity to attend the Federal Legislative Conference in DC this March.  To help put this in to perspective a bit regarding how excited I am about this possibility, last years guest speaker was Michelle Obama. I am not sure who it will be this year.

The first day of the conference is workshops.  I have already picked the workshops that I would like to participate in (Taking It To The Hill: PTA's 2011 Public Policy Agenda, 21st Century Voices: Using the Power Of Social Media to Persuade and Inform, Education and the Federal Budget, and Using Family Engagement to Drive Student Achievement).  The next day is visits to Capitol Hill to meet with our MA senators and representatives to bring forth our PTA message and the Public Policy Agenda. 

If this all works out, I couldn't even begin to tell you how excited I would be to do this. 

We also started planning our visit to Beacon Hill to discuss the budget with our local and state representatives.  We have a room reserved that hold 50 people (100 if we are standing).  It will be sent out to PTA members statewide to attend and we (or me being he advocacy chair) will present our thoughts and concerns regarding the state budget and how it relates to children.  I am pretty excited about this too (except for the part that involves driving or otherwise commuting to Boston).

Over the next few weeks I plan to do a lot of homework.  I am going to review all of my information about advocacy, how a bill becomes a law, when bills are brought forth, deadlines, the re-authorization of ESEA, and the just released 2011 Public Policy Agenda.  I want to make sure I am 100% confident and ready (even though at this point I have committed a lot of this to memory already).

Cool Mom

I just signed on to Emily's i tunes account and download some of her music to my i pod touch, because yes, I am just cool like that. Here's the latest playlist generated from her music:

Firework by Katy Perry (LOVE this song) 
Just A Dream By Nelly
Just the Way You Are by Bruno Mars (LOVE this one too!)
Ke$ha Tik Tok
Raise Your Glass Pink
Check It Out Nicki Minaj
Time Of My Life Black Eyed Peas
B.O.B. Magic In Me
Enrique Iglesias Baby I Like It

Freak the Freak Out Victoria Justice
Comin' Home Dirty Money
Grenade Bruno Mars
Sara Barielles King Of Anything


The "coolness factor" goes both ways.  Emily has some music from the 80's and before on her i pod including NKOTB, Air Supply, old school Bon Jovi,  Men At Work,  Hall and Oates, AC DC, Aerosmith, Jimmy Buffett,  Kool and the Gang, MJ, U2, Journey and more.  She also has a fair amount of country music, my other favorite genre. 

And of course she also has some Barry Manilow on there.   Let's face it, no music collection could possibly be considered complete without a little Barry. 

Julia and What Today Means To Her

Today being Martin Luther Day, I am reminded of a couple of examples from last year when Julia took the stories of Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks to heart.

When discussing Dr. Martin Luther King at school, one of the parent volunteers asked Julia what she thought Dr. King's dream was. Julia pondered the question for a minute and answered, "I bet his dream was that he was white...then he never would have gotten shot."

Later that same day, she got on the bus and told the driver (who had the bus set up so kindergarten students sat up front)  that because of Dr. King, Rosa Parks and Mrs. S (Julia's teacher last year), she could sit wherever she wanted on the bus.

Just a couple more examples of "Julia Logic."

Snow Day=Snow Play!

I took quite a few pictures of the kids in the snow today. They had such a good time. Here are a few of my favorites.

LOVE!

Practicing for her skiing/snowboarding trip with Student Council in a couple of weeks.

Julia wouldn't go down the hill at all in the beginning of last winter.  Look at her now! : )

The tipping point...

LOVE the "front teeth" missing grin! : )

Here is the whole set.

We had a snow day today...

...and I have been up since 4:30 this morning.  There really is something wrong with that.  I woke when Ryun walked out the door to go check out the snow situation and see if he was going to try to get to Mass Eye and Ear for work.  He came back in shortly afterward and announced that he was going to shovel out and make the attempt.  At that point it was snowing heavily, with visibility next to nothing, and roads that were plowed but still not great.  I though he was crazy  but he is one of those people that goes to work unless something catastrophic happens (for example, the end of the world).   After he shoveled and left, I couldn't fall back asleep (probably because I was nervous about him getting to work safely).  At 5:40 I got a phone message from him saying he made it as far as exit 6 on 495 (coming from exit 3) and that he was turning around.  After thanking him for coming to his senses, I hung up and  tried to go back to sleep.  I ended up getting up at 6 (thank you internal alarm clock).  Had I known this was going to happen, I might have thought twice about staying up until 1AM.  The kids didn't wake until 8 (ish) so we had a nice couple of hours to ourselves.  I spent it chillaxin' on the couch, paying only slight attention to an episode of HIMYM, followed by Modern Marvels: Corpse Tech.  Uh...yeah.  

Aha Moment

This morning, while paging through my food journal, I decided to research some of my favorite restaurants, looking specifically at the nutritional values of certain meals, and more specifically at calories and grams of fat.

Whoa.

Appalled, disgusted and shocked just begin to describe the feelings elicited by this experience.  Having never cared enough to look before (which really is a blog entry in and of itself) I had no idea how unbelievably high some of the values were...many in fact, would account for my entire days calorie/fat intake in one sitting (some even more than that).  I haven't been living under a rock.  I had a general idea of what would most likely be the best choice when looking at a menu, but even some of the "best choices" were alarmingly high in calories/fat.  One thing I discovered...salad which is traditionally touted as being a "healthy" option, might not be.  In fact one restaurant offered a side salad (a smaller portion than the meal salad) which was so high in calories/fat that I would have had to eliminate all of the "good parts"  (which are apparently the "bad parts") to even be able to eat it!

While doing this research, I decided to make a "cheat sheet" listing some of my favorite restaurants and some of the "safe" meals I could eat should I dine out.  I found some restaurants that I will never (or very infrequently) eat at again due to their lack of health(ier) options,  their lack of available nutritional information, or lack of enough nutritional information (for example saying that an entree was considered lower fat but not providing the details like exactly how much fat or calories).  I found a couple of restaurants that had a surprisingly good selection of possible choices with very detailed information about each option.  Some restaurants also had a customizable option (taking away or adding ingredients to the entree) which I was very impressed with.

Needless to say, this was quite the wake up call.  The next time I visit one of my favorite restaurants, I will be armed and ready with my cheat sheet of available menu choices, complete with a calorie and fat count.

Dear Emily and Katherine,

Please remember to be very specific with your younger, very literal, sees everything as black or white sister.  For example, if you are telling her that you don't want her following you, please be sure to also say that it doesn't mean that she can't even be in the same room as you, or that you may not tolerate her following you every once in a while.  Otherwise she will think that because you said it once, you mean it to be a permanent thing.  If you then say that she can come in the room you are in, she will accuse you of lying when you told her not to follow you in the first place.  If you are letting her use one of your toys, please make her aware of the "terms of use."  If she can use your doll but you don't want her taking said doll's shoes off or if she can use your DSi game but for only a limited time, you must make her aware of this.  If you aren't very specific, your doll's shoes could be removed and, she may think that you have in fact given her the DSi game for an unlimited time and possibly even forever. For Julia, it's all in the details.  Please be generous and abundant when providing them.  In the case of Julia, there is no such thing as too much information.

Sincerely, Mom

Silly Ladybug

Last night, shortly after Julia had gone to bed, I heard a blood curdling scream, followed by crying come from her room.  I ran out of the office to see what had happened, expecting to find, I don't know, maybe a missing limb or something.  Instead, I found her sitting up in bed, crying with a look of sheer terror on her face.  When I asked what was wrong, she said, "There was a hard bug...and it was in my hair!"  Whatever it was had vacated her head (we discovered that it was a lady bug that we found on her bed a few minutes later)so I hugged her, told her it was ok and tried, in vain, to settle her down.  Nothing was working to calm her...she was seriously scared, and no explanation of anything was working.  Julia being Julia had many, many questions about the whole thing .  How did it get in the house?  Why are bugs attracted to light?  Should I shut off my aquarium?  Should we shut off the hall light?  Are slugs attracted to light because slugs rhymes with bugs (No, I am not kidding, she really said that)?  How did I finally get her to settle down enough to go back to sleep?  Observe the picture below taken a few nights ago with my phone camera:

I told her that the one that landed in her hair must have thought that her ladybug Pillow Pet was a real lady bug and they were going to hang out.  After basically a good twenty minutes of crying, questioning, and me playing a live version of an encyclopedia on bugs, this explanation elicited this response from Julia, followed shortly by her peacefully falling asleep: "That ladybug is so silly!  Didn't he know that my Pillow Pet was too big to be a real lady bug?"

Seriously, I love that kid!

I don't want to...

...start the year off on a bad note, but seriously?  I am all set with this family getting the stomach bug twice in two weeks time (that is assuming that Emily passes it on to the rest of us).  I was only half joking when I said on Twitter that I was considering wearing a mask to fend off the germs.  Besides Emily's illness, Katherine has a massive cold and Julia just got over croup.  I guess I should be thankful that this was all either right before or right after Christmas and not during.  That doesn't make it any less annoying that some of us are sick now, and some of use are just waiting for it to hit us (and hoping and praying that it does not).

So if you could all send some healthy vibes this way, it would be much appreciated!

*UPDATE* Katherine's cold...turned in pneumonia.  Lovely.  At least the doctor was thorough and listened to her chest when we went in with a complaint of an earache.  She's was prescribed a Z-pack so she will hopefully be on the mend soon.

And really universe, a stomach bug for the family, a relapse for Emily, croup for Julia, and now pneumonia for Katherine...I think we've paid our dues, thankyouverymuch.