2005-02-17 Eric home (soon)

2005-02-17 List

Other items on the list:

--Make 2 More Disney Scrapbooks (sometime before July would be good since that will make a year since the trip was taken)

--Continue working on Julia's baby book

--Figure out exactly how I want my business site to look, and by the grace of God finish the damn thing

--laundry (I HATE LAUNDRY so this task really never ends)

--decide where we will be camping this summer, decide if baby is coming, and reserve spot.

--continue creating "Celebration Book"

--install closet organizer thingy in playroom(well this is really on Ryun's list but since he read this...HINT HINT HINT)

--reorganize entire desk, file cabinet area...KEEP IT NEAT!!!!!!!

That is all I can think of now but trust there is more...

2005-02-17 EP Update take 2

2005-02-17 DC

We will be arriving on a Thursday night just after 6pm and leaving on Monday at 5 or so, Memorial Day weekend. Our anniversary(7 years) is on May 24th so it will no doubt be the best anniversary present we have ever given each other...ha ha ha.

Anyway, our time there will be limited but there are some must sees on our list already:

WW 2 Memorial

Vietnam Memorial

Air and Space Museum

Natural History Museum

Arlington National Cemetary

The White House

My Uncle (yeah he's not really an attraction but I do plan on visiting while I am there!)

Anyone else who has been have any suggestions on must see attractions?

2005-02-17 Form Myslef

2005-02-17 EP Update

2005-02-16 TV in The Bedroom...

After reading an article in Parents magazine, I have decided that I am not doing too bad.

In a study conducted by The Kaiser Family Foundation, it was found that 59% of children under the age of two watch tv on a regular basis and that(this was the real shocker for me) approximately 1/4 of children under two have televisions in their bedrooms.

Pardon me but HOLY SHIT!

TV's in their bedrooms? What? Emily and Katherine and the ripe old ages of 7 and 5 just got a computer in their room and I was even hesitant about that. Emily asks constantly for a tv to which I always respond no. I just don't think too much tv, no matter what it is that is on, can be a good thing(especially for a child with her attention issues...too much tv has been linked to ADHD). Having a tv in their room would just be too hard to regulate (in regard to what and how much they watch).

I still can't believe that there are in fact children in this world under the age of two that have a tv in their room.

Are you with me here? TV in a child's room or not?

2005-02-16 Going Public

Emily came home yesterday with her "Tuesday folder"(a folder that is sent home every Tuesday with any important notices or announcements rather then sending them sporadically throughout the week and YAY for Emily remembering to bring it home!)with an announcement in it regarding a new program called, "Coffee With The Principal". Once a month, the principal will be meeting with interested parents to discuss the education of their children at the Mary K. Goode School. It will be an informal type of thing (I won't be going in to discuss Emily specifically) to address any concerns or make any suggestions that may help improve the overall setting. How awesome is that?

Other things that have impressed me, more so than any other school system, inclding my own as a child:

1. The principal looks over and writes a personal note on each child's report card at the end of the year.

2. The principal has a program in which a child sends a letter to her, requesting that they be able to read a story to the principal. The note must include the name of the book, the author, and the reason that the student chose this book to read. The principal contacts the student's teacher, arranges a good time, and the student goes and reads the story.

3. Last year, they had a PTA sponsored reading night in which students went to stations that had different reading activities to participate in. At the end of the night, they gave away at least thirty different books by pulling a child's name out of a hat.

4. A couple of weeks ago, the school had a Math Spirit Week which ended with "Math Mania". Math Mania was a night in which parents and students took part in various math related activities and had the chance to see the Math Mania project that each classroom had worked on during the week and had on display. Again, at the end of the night they gave away a ton of books to the children that were lucky enough to have their name pulled from the hat.

5. The PTA(which I am seriously thinking of joining) sponsors so many activities throughout the year I can't even begin to tell you. While this isn't an element of the school itself, it is a nice show of how many parents there are out that that do care, and want to take an active part in their child's education. Some activites are educational (Reading Night), some are fun(an upcoming Mardi Gras event) but all are well worth attending.

Iam sure I could think of more if I thought more about it, but I can say that I do feel lucky that if my children are in public school, that in my eyes, they may be in one of the best that I have ever encountered.

2005-02-16 Mrs. Sullivan

Funny thing though...when he called me back he said, "Mrs. Sullivan?" I just said yes because I knew he meant me (Sullivan is my maiden name and he is the same pediatrician I had as a child). It was funny to hear him call me that, but even funnier that he called me "Mrs." anything. He has called me Sharon my whole life(even now)...it's not like when I got married he started addressing me as "Mrs. Ellis". Apparently he was slightly distracted but it made me laugh.

And does anyone else out there look around for their mother or father in law when addressed as Mrs. or Mr.? Man that makes me feel sooooooooooo old!