Leading the Way in Technology...Preschoolers and Senior Citizens?!?!?!

Found this article in the NYTimes quite interesting, thought I would share! My 2 and 3 year old kids "visit" with both Grandma's over a webcam and my daugther has even refused a phone call and demanded a computer visit instead.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/27/us/27minicam.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

"Video calling, long anticipated by science fiction, is filtering into everyday use, and two demographic groups not usually thought of as high-tech are among the earliest adopters — the nursery school set and their grandparents. According to the AARP, nearly half of American grandparents live more than 200 miles from at least one of their grandchildren, and about two-thirds of grandchildren see one set of grandparents only a few times a year, if that. Some veterans of the technology fear that the video cam has started to substitute, rather than supplement, actual time together. And no one quite knows what it means to a generation of 2-year-olds to have slightly pixelated versions of their grandparents as regular fixtures in their lives."

Climb the Mountain!

Yesterday Ashton, Paul, Kate & I actually climbed a mountain! Kate and Ashton, all by themselves, summited Crowder's Mountain.



That would be 0.9miles of strenuous climbing and stairs to the top and 2.0 miles
of strenuous climbing down the back trail.


I am soooooooooo proud of them! Both children were insistent they make it to the top all by themselves and, at times, running up and down. It was a beautiful fall day, not only in weather but in the marvel I held at their changes and growth. Once upon a time they were a small cluster of cells and now they can climb a mountian. WOW!


You see, Crowder's is where I first began to suspect I was going to be a mother and I hiked it while pregnant with both children, so it holds a very special place in our family folk lore.

Ranting and Raving

Usually I don't rant in my blogs, but today is a new day. I just have to get this out and move on...

I HATE HATE HATE HATE it when mothers refer to a sibling as "Sissy". As in -

• We have to go pick up Sissy now.
• Don't hit Sissy.
• Give Sissy a kiss.
• Where is Sissy?

Not sure why, but it drives me up the wall, worse than nails on a chalkboard. It's more irritating than a tag on a shirt or an itch you can't scratch. To me it's as bad as a dent in a car door or a neighbor's dog pooping on my freshly mowed lawn.

I hate it, just hate it. Ok, I can move on now. ;)

Ruby Red and Crimson

Falling From Me

By Dawn Reid

O leaves that fall from our tree.

Stay one more week, frozen in time and frost.

Your peak is pretty as can be,

But in the wind and fluttering you are lost.

To my little ones I request the same,

Stay for me, young and innocent a little longer.

Alas they do not listen either,

Growing always older and taller.

YES WE CAN! AND WE DID!

The air smells fresher, the sun shines brighter and my shoulders don't sag as much from the weight of the world I carry....OBAMA IS THE PRESIDENT ELECT!
Having myself been the recipent of racisim that altered the course of my life, I am proud of the direction this great nation is heading!
Also, what an amazing concession speech by John McCain. Ashton and Kate, you have much to look forward and look to in your lifetimes!

Early Politics

Ashton has declared his party of preference. He is a "Demo-crap" but wants to vote for "McCandy". We are on our way to be a part of history as a civic-minded family!

Once we got to the polls, Ashton & Kate stuck near us as we did all the necessary paperwork. Ashton accompanied me to the voting booth and Kate stood with Paul. He pressed my button for president and then wandered off while I avoided the straight party and hand-picked my people. (GO MUNGER FOR GOV!). We then marched over to the Kids Vote area where Ashton, without any prompting or direction from us, did indeed select John McCain. He also informed us, as serious as a heart attack, that he is, infact, not a "Demo-crap", but a "Re-pumpkin". Kate, all on her own, filled in the bubble directly under Munger for governer (my choice as well). All in all, I look forward to sparking their civic-mindedness and will tell and retell the story of the first presidential election in their lifetimes and how they were apart of it.

Vote...For Starbucks?

If you vote tommorrow (and who in their right mind isn't?!?!?), Starbucks is offering a free coffee. Supposed to be a cold and rainy day, so they've got my vote!

362 More Days Until Halloween!

I L-O-V-E day after (insert random holiday) sales. Love them, love them, LOVE THEM.

I was able to get out today and grabbed tons of post-Halloween decor and clothes for next year, most of the stuff at 75% off. One of the girls working at Party City was looking at me like I was crazy with my cart full of tulle ghosts and giant bobble-head trick-or-treaters. "Throwin' a late Halloween party or sumthin'?" she asked with a slight cock to her head. "No..." I explained, telling her how, since I was packing up my Halloween decor today, it's so easy to throw the newly-acquired discounted stuff in with the stuff I already had. And, I must say, I am excited about my finds.

Also, the majority of the stuff out there is G.G.G. (That's gross, ghastly and goolish.) To GGG for my little ones and their potential dreams. Today I racked up on cute ghosts and pumpkin things to add to what we already had. Also, when it comes to decorating for Halloween, is it just me or are most things either small in scale when placed in your yard or wayyyyyyyyyyy to expensive? I mean, really, it's pretty hard to see a carved jack-o-lantern from the road. But the ghosts I got are about 3-4 feet long and I picked up quite a few of them to make a nice grouping for next year. I can't wait!