Exactly six weeks ago I was driving my car and talking to my kids about their falling grades and sagging attitudes. I had to admit that I, too, was not quite myself in the home-stretch of waiting for our home to be built. My kiddos, who are usually good students, were seeing their second-quarter grades more »
Category Archive: School Matters
Aug 06
We Didn’t Start the Fire
We were driving down the interstate the other day, singing along to Billy Joel on my car stereo. I don’t sing well – AT ALL – but it doesn’t stop me from belting out my faves whenever I have the chance. “Find some noise-cancelling headphones if ya don’t like it!” is what I tell my more »
Jan 10
Beware the Bullies
I’m a reasonable individual, I think. I have some very sure-footed people in my life, and they keep me grounded. I make every effort to be honest with myself. I am acutely aware of when I am deceiving myself. I know when I have spoken out of turn. I know instantly when I have hurt more »
Oct 13
Broken System
Sit down, folks, ‘cause you’re not gonna believe this one. We had a meeting yesterday for Aaron at his middle school – a regular meeting that we have twice a year with the instructional specialist and the Language Arts teacher for the purpose of evaluating Aaron as a student in the gifted program. Most of more »
Sep 19
From Yogurt to Magazines…It’s a Win
I’m in a funk today. Can’t seem to shake it. Not with comfort food. Not with drawstring pajama pants. Not even with Starbucks. The earth has tilted off its axis, folks, when caramel-flavored coffee can’t cheer me up. Enter Stonyfield. There in my inbox tonight sat a tiny little email from them asking me to more »
Aug 19
So Close and Yet So Far
The transition to middle school has proven to be easy so far for Aaron. My self-directing, shy, quiet son is jumping head-first into the experience, fearlessly facing the challenges of Sixth Grade. Dom and I are amazed and proud. Victoria is not handling it quite so well. You see, she is “left behind” at the more »
Aug 17
Don’t Mind Me…I’m Just Nesting
Without a single clue as to what this morning would bring, I over-snoozed for 32 minutes before tossing contacts into my eyes and climbing into the shower. While my hair over-conditioned I decided what to wear today. By the time the Hubster stumbled in for his shower, I was mid-way through makeup with my hair more »
Apr 21
Day 312: Breaking News? Not Really…
I literally JUST FINISHED watching an ABC World News report on the dangers of pesticides – known as organophosphates – and their relative impact on children’s IQ. The main reference was a study done on pregnant women, and then the measured IQs of their children seven years later. The results: common pesticides impart a significant more »
Feb 26
Day 258: Another Mom Sounds Off
Last night I read an article by Sandra Steingraber – an ecologist, mother of two, and author of Raising Elijah (a book I plan to purchase, and the one from which the article was born). The article, titled “Mind Games: How Toxic Chemicals Are Impairing Our Children’s Ability to Learn” appeared in the March/April 2011 more »
Jan 31
Day 232: Fundraising Ain’t What It Used to Be
This past fall when my children brought home fundraising brochures filled with eye-popping pictures of planet-sized cookies, my first reaction was to look for the ingredient list in the brochure. Not finding it there, I searched for Otis Spunkmeyer’s website and, although I had to dig extensively for it, found the ingredient lists and nutritional more »
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