Bridgewater Soccer Mom's view of the world

And I've been having fun. If this doesn't inspire you, what will? But traveling to three states in two weeks means putting off the things I need to do, so I came home to a pile of bills and a to do list the length of my arm (literally). Then there are items like "laundry" that never get checked off of anyone's list. I wrote about Massachusetts last week. It was a wonderful, relaxing weekend hearing about my close friends' lives. I got to see that grass is just as green (or weedy) on the other side of the fence, when for years I would go to reunions and return feeling that my life wasn't measuring up. It was very freeing. Why are women so intuitively competitive with one another? Does seeing snippets of each others lives on Facebook make it worse? Sometimes I think so. There's nothing like getting down to the gnitty gritty over a lunch to make you feel more connected and in tune with your friends. This weekend T and I headed West, sans kids. F...

Almost a week since my last posting, but it feels like a month. I have just returned from a weekend at my college reunion. And I'm in love. I'm in love with a boy named Atsu. He's about 3 1/2 feet tall and 100% darling. I can't understand much of what he said (except I learned how to say "Mee-tay" which means look - I taught him how to say "yummy" and "yucky") and I got to relive that special time when boys are four and you can show them small things that make a huge impact and then are just as quickly forgotten. Smiles are quick and when things go wrong, there are tears. Kind of like me. My college friends are bright and wonderful and successful women. Five years ago I returned from reunion disheartened. I felt I didn't match up to their seemingly-starlit careers and they were taking the world by storm, while I, in stark contrast, was planning Girl Scout meetings. Had I heard of the Board of Ed and the world of Bridgewater educat...

A mother's day rose? As seen in NYC. It's May - and time is flying. In fact I just opened my blog for the first time in a week to find that strangely no one had written it for me. I have a draft of a blog, but I don't feel like editing it. Right now my mind is spinning I can't write one blog when my mind is 50 different places. (and if I start editing that unposted blog it will be 10 places more) Some of them include: The turkey dinner that I need to finish cleaning up (or else my Dad will and at 87 he really shouldn't!) How my little boy is touring the Middle School tomorrow... when did little N become so big? The state of our healthcare (I worked at this today) ...  The rain - and my open windows Did C really walk Diego enough or do I need to take him out in the rain (and now, thunder) And all the "next step" questions My college reunion is this weekend and I'm happy like a little girl to see my friends I need to go and close th...

Tonight's a BOE meeting. I'm staying home. Without guilt. I've spent enough hours at BOE meetings to know that lots of people means lots of stress - and all I really want to do is crawl into bed with knitting, a glass of wine and a good TV show. Be well all you folks who are braving the rain to attend! The Patch is expecting a rumble.  But at 6:15pm I'm already very comfortable in my PJs and even such an event isn't tempting me to leave the house! Tonight, since I'm going to be home - I hope I'll read my kids "Where the Wild Things Are" - and curl up under the covers with my kids instead. Is 11 and 14 too old to be read to? And now, to paraphrase Mr. Sendak: BOE and BREA, Let the wild rumpus start! I'll be in my bed, eating a snack while it's still warm.

Lately I've been so caught up in my own little life, I haven't thought much about the world around me. After reading  Dick Bergeron's blog I'm back to pondering Bridgewater's schools. Dick wondered about morale in the schools. If teacher morale is down it is the students who sense it. Parents, the Superintendent and the BOE don't spend all day in the classrooms. (The Superintendent likely spends a large portion of his week at meetings in schools, but that's not what I mean here). Today  my morale,  as a parent, is down. I am ambivalent.  Author visits: usually sponsored by fundraising (ie parents) On the one hand I'm happy with most of my kids' teachers. I want to support them - and, I do. When the kids were in elementary school it came in the form of small gifts (like a book) or dropping food in the teachers lounge. Now that they have so many teachers, I don't show my appreciation in such a tangible way. A few exceptionally great tea...