Do you not know what causes that?

Safety Troll

I'll admit it, when I was a kid I really, really wanted to be on the Safety Patrol. I loved the power, the glory, those really awesome orange belts with the badges!  Maybe that's why I was an MP in the 101st.  Either way I have to admit I was super thrilled when Isaac told me he had been selected for the Safety Patrol.  Well apparently in 4th grade you get a brassard and he was laughing so hard the little ones thought he said safety troll. That made him laugh harder.  So here's my very own safety troll!

What a mom says...

Shake your lulav!

While you can't see the twinkling lights very well, because the sun was still up, this is our Sukkah Version 2007. In the middle of a drought, Sukkot brought lots of rain, so we've only had dessert so far. I thought we weren't supposed to pray for rain until next week?

The kids were disappointed at the downpour because it curtailed breakfast in the sukkah today.  The boys are planning a sleep out in the sukkah this weekend - have fun!

But the dessert was delicious and we had fun sharing our sukkah with Aaron and Jana. (Who we then Simpsonized.)

The GRE is having a deleterious effect on my vocabulary.

Every since I started studying for the GRE, my vocabulary is coming back. I keep using "big" words, and I haven't even started studying the vocab.  So maybe all is not lost or maybe it's "harmful in a subtle way."

What makes me smile?

Wow, WhyMommy gave me an award!  And to think I wasn't even paying attention.  :-)  So, here's my chance to pass it on...

So, here goes, 10 Bloggers that Make me smile...

Teri really keeps me hopping. I mean, you teach someone how to blog and look what happens... (Is that a chicken on her head?)

I really love following Ashley's life. I know it's mostly painful for her, but it really makes me laugh and smile most of the time.

The typical days of Jen are so well written and full of surprises, who could help but laugh?

If it's good old activism, try The Lactivist with her points and laughs.

Pushed Birth makes me smile to see that my work goes on and that I'm not alone or the only one who gets it.

Ali has such cool stuff!  I wanna be Ali when I grow up.  But now I have an original of her Life Art in my very own bedroom to make me smile all day.

The good gals over at Celebrity Baby Blog also give me my fix of celebrity babies so that I can keep teaching with them...

Andi, at Mama Knows Breast, always manages to make me smile with stories of Bear and Bortsky, and how she makes breastfeeding look so stylish!

Meagan has a large family, as do I, so I really related to her posts, because, while they look a lot like my life, they are much funnier when they happen to her. (Maybe she feels similarly about my blog.)

Marci will keep you in stitches, when you're smart enough to figure out her posts or when she's not making fun of you (read me). I really liked this one.

And here's my other blog if you're interested...

Would you marry this?

We make a great couple, don't we?  You can be Simpsonized too!

Mindless Eating

I tend not to think people who like science have great personalities, but Brian Wansink at least writes really well and with an entertaining eye.  He's also got a lot of great information on the science of eating and eating cues.  CNN ran a piece today that will give you a glimpse. I also highly recommend his book: Mindless Eating

Oh duh!

I forgot to mention I started a GRE class.  I'm taking it because I'm considering a return to graduate school...  Because I have nothing else to do with my life, right?

Where do I start?

Well, it's been a wild couple of weeks to say the least.  It started off at the Lamaze International Conference in Phoenix, Arizona.  The good news is that I figured out how to fly and NOT drool on myself for days afterwards - Xanax!  I actually worked on a plane.  It was great to not have panic attacks.  And lest you believe it to be a one time trick - it worked every time. I rode four, count them, four airplanes in two weeks!

In AZ I gave two presentations and lead two special groups. They were fun and exciting. I also enjoyed just relaxing with my good friend, Pat. I also picked up some goodies for friends who are CBEs. My room was way far away and it felt like a real hike, but it had a nice view of the mountains.

I came home for about 40 hours.  In which I went to HS open house, had a dinner date, shopped like a mad woman, fixed dinner for 15 guests for Rosh Hashana, did a radio interview, and went to services. I left services to go to the airport, and changed my clothes in the parking lot.

ICEA was fun, though I was wiped out. I had a good time with my room mate, Teri Shilling, even though I think I drove her a bit nuts.  She did get some good laughs in, mostly at my expsense. We had dinner with Penny Simkin, Kathy McGrath and Rachel Miller one night which was so fun to just sit and talk. We also spent a lot of time talking to Debby Amis and Jeanne Green while at ICEA, though they had led a training seminar at Lamaze, but they were busy then and unavailable for converstaion. I did two more presentations and helped Teri lug her two 74lb (EACH!) suitcases to her sessions.

I made it home in time to spend some girl time with Laurie and Paula.  We stayed out until 2 a.m.  Then back on the road with the kids for school, brunch, our first book club and stamping!

Some memorable highlights from the week:

• Ada insists on telling me how to drive. If I go the "wrong" way she tells me all about it.
• Hilary apologized for a flare up she had - which was very mature of her.
• Grandy (my mom) had a birthday and I took grandma to see her.
• Grandma informed Mom that she wouldn't live much longer. (Grandma didn't know why we were laughing so hard.)
• Clara and Owen are loving soccer and ballet.
• Lilah has fallen and scrapped up her knees again!  Poor baby. Though she is pleased with her new shoes.
• Isaac is not liking homework, but glad to be back in Tae Kwon Do and chess.
• Benjamin, after a lengthy conversation about the role of electricity in the body, including the ability to pass that electricity on, concluded: "So if it's a lightening storm outside, don't walk around holding hands..."
• The fish is alive, even after I cleaned the tank, but the boys declare that the tank still smells.
• Kevin is very, very, very glad I'm home.

What College am I?

You're the Massachusetts Institute of Technology!
People have often said about you that the odds are good, but the goods are odd. You're definitely good at knowing what the odds are in any situation, even if you might have trouble expressing what they are to a crowd of people. You see the whole world in numbers and have even argued that it might be beneficial to replace peoples' names with numbers in all situations. It would seem that you are odd after all. But brilliant. You make a serious effort to never go outside.
Take the University Quiz at the Blue Pyramid.