I'm back after a couple of weeks off: http://kokotg.blogspot.com/2011/03/february-28-march-4-week-26.html

I voted "we pay for TV," but we pay for the really, really basic package that only gives us networks, and what we pay for it is offset by the discount it gives us on our cable modem....so we do pay for cable, but we sort of don't, and we only pay for it because we can't pick up networks where we are without a roof antennae, and that sounds like a lot of work to me. We watch the occasional network show (right now the only things we're watching as they air are American Idol and Parks and Recreation), but we watch stuff on Netflix pretty regularly. So we watch TV, although not nearly as much as a lot of people I know. I don't understand how those people manage to find enough time to waste on the internet ;) This is all for me and DH, btw. The kids have a set amount of screen time, but they choose the Wii or the computer over TV more often than not.

Mama....I figured at least the oldest would be doing Mom by now, but not yet.

My stepmother gave me this book when my oldest was born (Dr. Denmark used to be her kids' pediatrician). I know you said the baby parts don't apply to you, but they're pretty horrifying. She says to put your newborn down in his crib at 10 the day you bring him home from the hospital, and don't go back in until 6 no matter how much he cries, and put him on a 4 hour feeding schedule immediately. And she recommends introducing solids at 3 months, and then weaning babies at 7 months and going straight to water at that point. I just went to get the book and flip through it: Can you imagine thinking it's normal for your newborn to be crying anytime she's awake? Because you think you shouldn't feed her when she's hungry?

Mine's from the Animal Kingdom at WDW (from the Maharajah Jungle Trek, to be specific). umm...because I love Disney World, and I figured I should have some sort of avatar. But maybe I should change it now because I have a really cute kitten.

those things creep me out. Not for any particular reason; I just get kind of shivery looking at them. so no.

I'm still reading 36 Arguments for the Existence of God, but now I'm also reading Bill Bryson's At Home, the result being that I didn't finish either one of them last week. I'm hoping to finish both this week, though.

We have it, but we haven't been great about getting around to actually doing it...I have the book you read from and the activity guide. We've done maybe 3 or 4 lessons so far. I like the way the stories are told and explained to the kids, and the parent notes are helpful. I'm impressed with the level of analysis he expects such young kids to grapple with (and the way he explains difficult concepts in an accessible way). I haven't seen anything yet to make me question the claim that the curriculum should work well across denominations. I'm not super thrilled with the activity guide, but, then, it may be just that I'm not so good with activities. There's definitely not as much to it as the SOTW activity guide, though; it's all activity suggestions, coloring sheets, etc. no review questions, mapwork, extra reading suggestions. I was hoping that, even though it's targeted at first grade, I'd be able to use it for all my kids (K through 4th). DS9 listens to the stories with us, but it's definitely on the simplistic side for him.

At mine I think it just had to do with GPA or class rank.

DH clarifies: "well, we spend money on textbooks; we just can't use them." It has something to do with the new math curriculum. He's explained the whole thing to me several times, and I still can't quite grasp it. So, yeah, I guess there's an example of inefficiency at work!

Well...DH is a high school math teacher, and his freshmen don't even have textbooks this year, which is a source of constant frustration to him, his students, and their parents. Oh--I heard about this a few weeks ago. I have no idea if it will go anywhere, and I have no opinion on it as of yet (although the fact that DH reports that pretty much every itouch he sees at school has a cracked screen gives me pause), but...well, it's relevant, anyway. Georgia is considering an online textbook deal with Apple: http://blogs.ajc.com/political-insider-jim-galloway/2011/02/01/tommie-williams-state-considering-ipads-for-students/

DH has an excellent retirement plan...and a salary that's tens of thousands of dollars lower than what he'd be making in the private sector (he took a 20,000 a year pay cut to go into teaching; that was 8 years ago and he's now up to only $10,000 under what he was making then, and he hasn't had a salary increase in 2 years). And THAT job had great benefits, too. Without good benefits to compensate for his lower salary, he could not afford to continue teaching.

I lettered in...academics. I don't remember what that involved, but I had (probably still have, somewhere) a big fluffy yellow (sorry--GOLD) letter for academics. Ah...this thread reminds me that it's that time of year...when I get to fret until DH comes home with a contract for next year. He assures me that the math department is safe, but I like to worry anyway.

I have 3, 2 and 2 1/2 years apart. It's harder at first, but it's so nice to have them all in a pack like that now that they're older. My kids are as close as any siblings I know (I mean, they fight like crazy sometimes, too, of course). And it makes it much easier to find things to do that appeal to everyone. Oh, and adding my third was a breeze compared to going from one to two.

Elementary school: 9 high school (the one DH teaches at): 10 (it's mostly because of him, of course ;)) Doesn't surprise me; I grew up mostly in this school district and had a decent experience (and the school district has gotten more wealthy overall since I was a kid).

Yeah, I've run into girl Aris more than once (mostly Ariannas, though, I think); I just don't like it! Same with girls named August. Once a name starts to be used for girls, it usually becomes an almost exclusively girl name in pretty short order.

I'm registering a protest vote against naming girls Ari. There are enough good girl names already; please leave the boy names alone! ;)

Well, if you read through the article, the 32% "proficient" actually puts Wisconsin slightly above average for the country. As someone who lives in one of the few states where teachers don't have collective bargaining rights and also a state with one of the most poorly regarded and lowest scoring school systems in the country, I'm always a little...confused when I hear that teachers unions are destroying education in this country. You'd really expect better school systems in the states without strong teacher unions if that were the case..instead of, you know, the opposite.

Susanna is my most mourned unused girl name (nicknamed Sukie). Susanna Grace. Sukie G. I need a girl.

My understanding is that the Roman Catholic church claims as a "member" anyone who's been baptized Catholic (and hasn't been excommunicated). If this is true then I'm Catholic, even though I haven't been to a mass since I was in high school and I'm a member of another denomination. Along the same lines, I remember a debate at another (protestant) church we used to attend about how they should figure membership; should they keep on the rolls anyone who had become a member once and hadn't officially transferred elsewhere, even if they hadn't attended in years? What I'm getting at is that these figures appear to be self-reported by the churches, and each denomination (and even individual churches within denominations) has its own way of determining what constitutes a "member."

DH used to have a ball python (he got it when he was in college, before I had any say in the matter, and we had it for a couple of years after we were together before he eventually gave it away). My observations re: snakes as pets: 1. snakes are incredibly boring. YMMV, of course, but this was my take on it. I need a pet that does stuff. 2. snakes are very easy to take care of. DH did feed his live mice. His 20 year old self felt that she needed the mental stimulation that catching her prey could provide. I hated this part of it, since the mice were always both cuter and smarter than the snake. I was always on their side, and one time we rescued one who outwitted the snake for long enough that we felt particularly attached to it. 3. If you go out of town, make sure your housesitter is not so incompetent that she leaves the heat lamp on the floor of your apartment so that when you come home the fire department is just leaving your building and there's a hole burned in your bedroom floor, which you have to pay your landlord's $500 insurance deductible to fix, only he doesn't actually report it to his insurance company and you have to remind him for months that you have a big hole in your floor before he finally sends his brother out to patch it up with $20 worth of plywood. True story.

I just came across this review on Salon.com. It's a new translation of a 1999 Russian novel, The Last Ringbearer, retelling the story of Lord of the Rings from the perspective of the guys from Mordor. It hasn't been published in English before now because of copyright issues with Tolkien's estate, but this is being offered as a free download. I'm reading LOTR to my older two right now; first time I've read it since high school, and I'm enjoying it, but not nearly as uncritically as I did back then. So I'm intrigued by this; I just downloaded it (hey, it's free!)...it will be interesting to read it to myself alongside reading LOTR to the kids. From the review: Anyway, I thought some people here might be similarly intrigued.

I became an e-reader convert at Christmas this year, when I received two (count 'em) new books as gifts, and realized they were actually causing me anxiety because I had no place to put them when I finished reading them. I love books. And I already have plenty of them. 21 bookcases full, including one bookcase whose sole purpose is store books I don't have room for on my "regular" shelves. Almost all the books on my Nook are public domain or library books (my library doesn't have them, but I got a card from the Free Library of Philadelphia for $15). I'm reading more newly released books than I ever have; my local library isn't very big, and I don't have the time or energy to deal with putting holds on their very limited selection of popular new books and then remembering to go pick them up on time. No going anywhere and no fines with online library books, and the selection of new releases is great at FTP--more often than not if I hear about a book on NPR or it turns up on Amazon's best books of the month they'll have it. So I have anything in the public domain and most new releases covered for free with the Nook. I feel like I have so much more access to affordable reading material now that my choices aren't limited to what I already have, whatever I come across at the thrift store, plus the occasional splurge on a new book.

I'm still finishing up Frank Schaeffer's Crazy For God (when I say "finishing up" I mean I still have 150 pages to go or so, but DH is going out with a friend tonight, so I'm planning to sit down and finish it then). I also started listening to Keith Richards' memoir, Life, as an audiobook (read by Johnny Depp!). Next up is Rebecca Goldstein's novel, 36 Arguments for the Existence of God, because it's the next library book that's going to disappear from my Nook.

DH is a high school math teacher and coaches the chess and math teams, so I definitely know what you mean. From his side of things, if he coached a sports team or helped out with band, he'd get a nice stipend, but as it is he comes in early twice a week and gives up Saturdays several times a year with no compensation. And then doesn't get any respect for it from the principal (a former wrestling coach), who occasionally makes comments to him about how he knows he has plenty of time for this or that because he doesn't coach a sport.