End of an Era

About 3 weeks ago Madeleine, my youngest daughter who is in 8th grade, brought home a permission slip for a fieldtrip to an Armory. The permission slip also asked for parent volunteers to serve as chaperones. My first reaction was "no way do I want to spend my day off with a bunch of 8th graders at an Armory, of all places". Now, before you take away my Mother of the Year Award, I should note that when my girls were little I signed up to chaperone absolutely anything and everything that I could. And I was always disappointed if some other parent won the chaperone lottery for a particular event. But I will admit that about 4 years ago or so the bloom was definitely off the volunteering rose. I still attended all the events at school that were open to parents and I still did my fair share of chaperoning. But, my initial reaction to this particular trip was thanks but no thanks. Then mother guilt reared her ugly head and I decided to ask Madeleine if she WANTED me to chaperone. She said she didn't really care. But did she really mean it? I couldn't be sure. Then it hit me. THIS would be the absolute last field trip I would EVER have an opportunity to chaperone. As in FOREVER. I decided to do it. I signed up. A week later the trip was canceled because not enough kids sent in the voluntary $26 donation to defray costs. Off the hook! Yay! I did feel a little sad, though.

Now don't feel too bad for me - yet. A week or so after that a woman from the PTO called and asked me if I would be a parent chaperone at Career Day which would be held at the Middle School. "Luckily" it just so happened to be planned for one of my days off. Lucky me! Remembering that my opportunities to interact with my daughter this way are quickly dwindling, I felt as though this was my second chance to have that last experience. I said yes! (I'll take that Mother of the Year Award back now. Thank you.) I was told to show up at 8:30 am. Fine. Being anywhere where I have to be showered and dressed by 8:30 am is a stretch for me. Add to that Madeleine missed her ride to school and I had to drive her at 7:30 am and you have the makings of a hectic morning full of angst and wolfing down breakfast. (Not to mention no time for my regular morning bloggy time. Humph.) Anyway, I make it to school with minutes to spare. The woman who called me is in the lobby, but I don't see any other moms. What the heck! She sees me, her eyes get big with surprise and she says, "OH NO, didn't I call you? That's right I called everyone except you because I didn't have your phone number on my list. I don't need you till 9:00 am. But that's OK, we have coffee in the library." At this point I wanted to choke her. But I didn't. I told her as nicely as I possibly could, that I would leave and come back, because I had some other things I could be doing. Did she really think I had nothing better to do that day than spend 45 minutes sitting around waiting to spend 3 more hours sitting in a classroom listening to adults describe their professions to a bunch of bored 8th graders? And why did I need to be there anyway? All the presenters were adults - presumably parents of students in that very school. The reason was so that if something went wrong (like what? Someone throws a spitball), the presenter wouldn't have to deal with it. Whatever. Now I remember EXACTLY why I stopped volunteering in my kids' schools all those years ago. In any case, my volunteer duties are now officially over. It's the end of an era. And I couldn't be happier! (I will happily relinquish that Mother of the Year Award now. Any takers?)

Tastes Like Chicken

Today I humbly eat my hat. Why? I bought a Kindle. Oh, you can't hear me. Sorry. I bought a Kindle. Still can't hear me? OK, OK. I bought a Kindle. I know, I know I'm a traitor. *hangs head in shame* Yes, I do remember when I implied I would never, ever, ever buy a Kindle. But, here's my excuse reason.

When we go on vacation I usually take somewhere between 4-6 books (depending on how long we will be gone and how long the plane ride is). That's 4-6 hardcover, library books. Heavy books that I can not simply leave at hotel book exchanges. And not only are they heavy, they take up a lot of room in my suitcase - and airlines are now severely limiting the weight of passengers' luggage. (And I like to take lots of shoes - also fairly heavy). I know what you're thinking, "Yeah, yeah more excuses." Now stay with me here. There's more.

Geoff loves gadgets. He doesn't indulge in many, but he is intrigued by them. He also LOVES to buy books. No library books for him. (He also rarely reads said books. But that's fodder for another post). So, our bookshelves are overflowing with Geoff's unread books. You see where I'm going with this, right? The Kindle is perfect for him. He can continue to buy books (at a reduced cost. See I'm saving us money), my bookshelves will no longer be in danger of collapsing, I can take as many books as I want on vacation without needing any extra luggage AND Geoff can have a new toy to play with. Win-win.

So, I'm not a complete traitor. I'm sure I will hate reading on the Kindle. I'm certain that as soon as I get home, I will pass it on to Geoff and avoid it until our next vacation. I'm not even certain I'll be able to use it on vacation, because I might really hate the thing. (I'm getting it a little early so I can "practice" on it). So please, don't be mad at me for not having any strength in my convictions. I promise I will never, ever, ever give up on books completely.

Oh and by the way, this hat is delicious. It tastes just like chicken!

In all seriousness now, I owe a HUGE apology to Terra from Tales From The Nightstand. Several weeks ago she and I discussed the virtues of a Kindle through a series of email exchanges. (She loves hers, by the way). I mentioned that a friend of mine was seriously thinking about getting one (she eventually decided against it). Anyway, Terra asked me to encourage my friend to buy it through her blog. And I did mention it. And today I remembered that exchange with Terra 10 minutes AFTER I ordered my Kindle directly from Amazon. Terra, I am so sorry! I feel like such a bad bloggy friend. So if anyone else is planning on buying a Kindle (for vacation purposes only, of course), PLEASE go visit Terra and buy it through her blog (there is a button to click on). Thank you!


Image from Google Images

Musing Mondays

MUSING MONDAYS are hosted by Rebecca at Just One More Page. Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about reading time…

Do you have a set reading time (before bed, perhaps)? Do you read more at night or during the day? Is there a day of the week, perhaps, that you set aside to catch up on reading?

I don't have a large chunk of time that I set aside for reading. But I do read the newspaper every morning while I eat my breakfast and then at lunch time I read a few pages of whatever book I happen to be reading at the moment. Most days I also fit in a more extended period of time to read. Sometimes it's in the afternoon (though I tend to fall asleep if I get too comfy) or sometimes it will be in the evening. I also never leave my house without a book, so I usually read a few pages while waiting in my car to pick up my kids, waiting for appointments or killing time between appointments. And I always read a few pages before bed. Since I never remember what I've read at bedtime I usually have a separate non-fiction book that I read only at bed time. Something that doesn't have a story that you have to follow. Just a topic that interests me and isn't essential that I remember all the details. Right now my "bedtime book" is Sixpence House: Lost in a Town of Books by Paul Collins. It's the story of an author who moves his family from San Francisco to Hay-on-Wye in Wales - a small village with 41 book shops that hosts a huge book festival (with an international following) every year. The topic fascinates me, but it's not essential that I remember all the details from day to day. By the way, I must credit Tammy of Keepin' in Touch with Mommakin for inspiring me to go back and pick up this book by sending me an email about this intriguing town and festival. Thanks, Tammy. I've added a trip to Hay-on-Wye's book festival to my bucket list. Who wants to join me?


How about you? Do you have a set reading time? PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with your opinion or link to your own Monday Musing post. Thanks.

Sentimental Sunday

This week's Sentimental Sunday will cover the last leg of our Anniversary trip to Europe - London. First stop Buckingham Palace. Actually, I think was really taking a picture of the adorable Mini Cooper in the foreground of the picture and just happened to get Buckingham Palace and the Victoria Monument in the background. I really like Minis and at the time of this trip I was coveting one REALLY badly. I'm happy to report that two months later I got a Mini of my own (after dreaming about it for 4 YEARS).

Here's a shot of Madeleine, Me and Katie in front of the gardens that line the road on the side of Buckingham Palace.

No trip to London is complete without a ride on the London Eye - a giant, slow-moving Ferris Wheel with pod-style cars. Very cool.

This shot of Parliament and Big Ben was taken from the London Eye. Complete with a backdrop of a dreary English sky. Is it ever sunny in London?

Well, that's it. The final portion of our family trip to Europe in 2007. It was a great trip! We really debated about whether or not to make it a family affair or just Geoff and I. We decided that the girls were old enough (15 and 13 at that time) to really get something out of the trip and also old enough that we would enjoy having them with us. And we were right. Aside from a couple of times when they complained about all the walking, they were so much fun to be with. We have since travelled with them every year. We know our time to travel as a family is quickly coming to an end and we want to make all those memories while we can. Here is my favorite family picture from that trip. A copy of this photo still hangs in the place of honor on my refrigerator.

Summer Reading

I know this is probably not a popular opinion among parents, but I have never been in favor of summer reading (or any other) assignments for kids. Especially for kids younger than High School. I am a firm believer that summer is for relaxing, exploring, family time and simply being a kid. There is so much pressure on kids today to always be performing - even in their leisure activities. And it starts at an extremely young age. I can't state strongly enough how opposed I am to this mentality. I have always been thankful that the school district I live in does not have summer assignments until Middle School (and even then not all teachers assign it). The High School does require the reading of one book (chosen from a list of 4) for every student in 9th through 12th grade. That seems reasonable to me.

Imagine my surprise when I read an article in our local paper yesterday morning reporting that more and more school districts in Rhode Island are rethinking the assignment of summer reading. Some are choosing to eliminate it all together and others are choosing books that are more appealing to kids. I think that's a good start. Even as an avid reader myself, I can't imagine the torture of a HS student struggling through Moby Dick, A Tale of Two Cities, Shakespeare or even Tom Sawyer without the the benefit of classroom discussion. The old classics that we all read in HS are certainly valuable literary works, but read on their own, they are just not accessible to most teen readers (or many adult readers, for that matter). Those types of books need to be read with the guidance and analysis that can only come from reading in a structured setting under the tutelage of a skilled teacher. I am glad that more school districts and teachers are finally coming to this conclusion. Now maybe we can reclaim summer vacation for our children and our families.

Image from Googe images

Thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursdays are all about taking the time to appreciate all the little things that actually went right during the week. I am someone who can get flustered very easily - even when the smallest thing goes wrong. So why not focus on all the little things that went right and be grateful?

1. Geoff made reservations and took me out for dinner after I had to work all day on Saturday. What made it even more special is that he chose a restaurant that neither one of us had been to. And it was a little bit fancy. Geoff gets to eat at lots of new and interesting restaurants as part of his job and sometimes when we go to a "new" place together, it turns out he's already been there. Hmmph! I always feel a little bad about that. So, the fact that he picked a nice place that was new to both of us was very sweet and thoughtful. And since both girls had plans, we got to have a nice dinner just two of us. It was practically a date!

2. I'm so thankful that I have been on an amazing book roll lately. It's such a joy to me to read books that speak to me in some way. Usually I read lots of OK books and an occasional great book. The last 3 books I've read have been amazing. What a gift!

3. I'm grateful that I've finally back to getting some exercise. Lately I've been very unmotivated and haven't been to Curves in weeks! But, I have been taking walks for the last couple of days and I think maybe I've broken out of my exercise slump. I sure hope so. The scale has been slowly inching up! YIKES! Pearl, my dog, is grateful too!

This week I had a little trouble thinking of things to be grateful for. Not sure why. It was a relatively calm and peaceful week. I wonder if that has something to do with it. Hey, that's something to be thankful for right there. How about you? What are you grateful for this week?

Image from Google Images

Opening Day

Around here summer is know as Ice Cream Season. Geoff rarely eats ice cream the rest of the year, but once the weather warms up he becomes an ice cream aficionado. There are several mom and pop ice cream stores in our general area - all serving home made ice cream. Several years ago we visited ALL of them and Geoff figured out which ones deserved repeat visits. And repeat visiting we have done. So much so that one year, when friends were visiting from AZ for a week, they sent us an ice cream cone Christmas tree ornament because we had taken them out for ice cream so many times in that week. We hadn't even noticed.

The last weekend in May is officially Opening Day of Ice Cream Season. Geoff could barely contain himself. He has been following a low-carb diet for about 3 weeks now and was all ready to declare last Sunday a free day, so that he could officially open the season. He even tried to turn the even into a multi-family extravaganza by inviting both of our brothers and their families to come along. Geoff was crushed that only his brother and one of our nieces was free. And then right when we were planning on leaving it started to rain. Really hard. (Did I mention that his favorite ice cream spot, Somerset Creamery, is an outdoor venue)? There was no way we could postpone this trip. He would have been beyond disappointed. So, we piled in the car and headed out. Amazingly the skies cleared and the rain stopped. And then we saw it. A rainbow. And not just any rainbow - a full rainbow! We could see from one end to the other. None of us had ever seen that before. It was beautiful. And guess where the rainbow seemed to end. That's right. At the pot of gold known as Somerset Creamery! It was like a mini-miracle. We all ordered whatever we wanted (no holding back on Opening Day). And we ate our ice cream outside standing at the end of the rainbow. Geoff never looked so happy!

Image from Google images.