Thomas Tries Cereal - 6 months

BubbleFest at Grandma's House

Molly's Hamster

Molly started carrying around a STICKER of a hamster holding a heart, using an old pill bottle as his "cage." She took this very seriously, often singing to her hamster, telling it jokes, etc. Well, apparently today at Panera, she decided he needed some fresh air, so she took him out of the pill bottle, and accidentally dropped him behind the booth, out of parental grabbing range. She wept hysterically, and I can only imagine what the Panera patrons thought when they heard a 3-year-old crying that her hamster fell behind the booth...

Thomas At Ten Weeks

Hopscotch and Patient Golden Retriever

5:30am Muffin Call with Molly

SNOW DAYS!

Fall at the Zoo

Hey friends! Quick pictures from the Cincinnati Zoo - Lindsay was at a friend's house, so I took the Johannah and Molly to the zoo for the first time in a LONG time...did you know you are no longer allowed in the petting zoo pen? They said the goats were too aggressive. Back in MY day, they threw you in the pen and let the goats eat anything they could get - I lost camera straps, shoe laces, barrettes...and it made me a better person. Oh well. At least they let you feed the giraffes - very intense!

I'm Not Dead - - just back to teaching

It's been MONTHS since I've blogged, and I may have forgotten how. I had to post this video though, before I forgot completely, and the elections arrived without this plug for Depublican candidate Bob Johnson:

I've been closely following his campaign, but haven't had the chance to hear him speak. He didn't disappoint! Bob Johnson in '08!!

Doctor, Do I Have PD?

Could Depublican.com be right for me?

Facebook Bonanza

I'm about to sound ultra-nerdy, but as you know by now, I'm ok with that. For at least the last month or so, I've noticed a shift in the Facebook community. Last year, it was a running joke with my students that, as soon as they graduated, they could be my "facebook friends." It has been a great way to keep in touch with former students as they've gone on to college. But in the last month, there's been an influx of Facebookers WHO ARE MY AGE! Very exciting. And probably disturbing to the young people I teach. Last year, the Broadcast Journalism class featured a story on MBC News that questioned "whether teachers and adults should even be allowed to have Facebook pages." I've got news, kids - - Generation X seems to have caught on to Facebook networking, and we're finding each other -FAST. And we have friends. Lots of friends.

As nerdy as it is, I'm finding grade school and high school friends and acquaintances every day, and there's a great, if distant, kind of joy in finding out that old friends have gone on to major in Japanese, or they are out acting in LA, or they have twins, or they're about to get married.

I think I prefer this "senior" facebooking to scrolling through pictures of the latest party or sending cupcakes or other trinkets to my facebook friends. What the younger set is missing out on is the glorious nostalgia that comes with finding old friends again - and with their age of 24/7 connections, I'm not sure they will ever experience that feeling.

Making Coffee with Molly at 6 am Sunday Morning

She pointed to my coffee filter and said "My hat." Wish granted.

I Only Told One of Them to Sit

Don't Diss the Disney Magic!

For all the non-believers in the Disney magic out there, you just hush up your mouths while I tell a little tale of a family vacation with no mishaps or major meltdowns - - just plenty of Mickey Mouse and ridiculously friendly and competent Disney employees. No one does customer service better than the folks at Disney, and I have to say that this year was the friendliest, most pleasant trip in a long time. Ears off to you, Disney cast members!



We were lucky to be with Meagen and Dave for the first few days, which the kids just couldn't get over. Molly wept for "MeeMee" well after they had gone home! They really helped us get into the swing of things quickly. The older girls took it upon themselves to make sure Molly had the time of her life, and as long as the characters weren't moving towards her, she really seemed to love it. Of course, she loved feeding a bunny a potato chip at the resort just as much as she loved It's a Small World...

The older two seemed to love every minute of it. Lindsay couldn't believe "the system" worked - - at the park when it opens, home to swim and nap between 1-5, back to the park until late. Why people do it any other way is beyond me. For her part, Johannah conquered major anxiety and rode the "triple whammy" in Magic Kingdom of Thunder Mtn. Railroad, Splash Mtn, and Space Mtn. Poor kid is a little bundle of nerves until she gets on the ride, then ends up literally jumping for joy afterwards.




Even Brendan, bless his paternal patience, was duly impressed by the Disney empire, and now understands why we Thomas Gals love it so much - - though it's more fun now to watch the kids enjoy themselves.

Now all we have to do is eat Ramen noodles and carpool to work for the next three years so we can go back!

Cicada Alert!

Though it's just a small invasion compared to a few years ago when the cicadas were so loud that we couldn't sleep with the windows open, there are enough of the little boogers out there to make things interesting. This is just one of the plants in our backyard to take on a new look this week...

Lindsay's Big Day

I know, we are rarely sighted in the same room these days, but we actually stopped long enough for a long overdue family photo. Lindsay's confirmation went beautifully, and although we hate to admit it, she is in fact growing up.

Family Roundup

News on the homefront: Lindsay is home from Germany, a little more grown-up for the experience. Johannah is rounding out her 3rd grade year with enthusiasm, and Molly...well, she is ending every conversation with "Why?" and to get mildly hysterical when she is told she can't do/have something. Duke recently ate an entire Frisbee. Believe me. The entire Frisbee. I will spare you the details, except to tell you it was blue, and I have proof.

Losing Face on Facebook

As a teacher, I have to weigh in on the brouhaha as noted in this Washington Post article about teachers who mix personal and professional information and pictures on their Facebook pages. Go ahead - read it.

God bless the young teachers. God bless their silly little moronic hearts. You'd have to be a special kind of moron to post pictures of yourself on the web these days doing ANYTHING you'd be embarrassed about. Ask Miley Cyrus. As a teacher, though, you're in a difficult position - you are a professional both on AND off the clock. You are automatically a role model, whether you like it or not -regardless of what subject or grade level you teach.

This is not to say teachers need to live like Puritans, but for Pete's sake, don't post anything on your Facebook page you don't want everyone to see.

At home - - let your freak flag fly. But don't take pictures. And if you do, don't post them.

OMG. Duh.

A Great Frakkin' Summary of BSG

If you want to learn everything you really need to know about Battlestar Galactica in 8 minutes, watch this video - ignore the spoilers unless you can take a joke.