Bag lady

Should I preface this with a statement about the positive environmental impacts of reusable bags?  Right now, I don't know.  Actually (I had my students look into those ones from the grocery store one time) and they are made from non-woven plastic, so technically you are still using a lot of plastic.  They have a design life of two years at which point they will start to wear at the seams and the handles will break and I will throw them away, send them to the landfill where they will never break down because they are made of plastic.  Also, they are in a landfill, which is now so tightly sealed and controlled that an apple core probably doesn't break down in there.  But - I feel like an environmental crusader when I whip them out at the store and give an evil glare to the person in front of me who doesn't have reusable bags!

Actually, I don't do that.  But mostly it's because I don't even have my bags with me.  But when I do......

Bags seem to have become the branding item of choice.  For a while there I couldn't turn around without someone handing me a bag.  The hospital gave them out at the farmers market, the school gave them out, the kids would come home with them from various events.

And then - they started to appear with drawstrings.  The kids were doing all these fun runs and every fun run came with a drawstring bag.  Drawstring bags are the least. practical. bag. ever.  First, they are small.  I use them to tote the kids things to and from swimming lessons and they barely fit a thin towel and goggles.  And they are no good for books, given that it's necessary that the top compresses (thus eliminating more potential interior space.  And the strings are too short to use it as a backpack (plus I look like a super-dork with a mini drawstring bag on my back.)

I have gotten creative with the reuse of these bags.  Granted, there are two large grocery-style bags filled with other grocery bags that I occasionally use to take groceries home from the store.  I have a bag holding each of the kids swimming lesson stuff - a bag for extra baseballs - a bag for off-season soccer cleats - a bag for toys that the kids have lost as a consequence of doing something they weren't supposed to do with the toy.  I have bags for holding other bags - bags for taking things from the first floor to the second floor - for taking things from second floor to the first floor - for hiding things I don't have time to clean when people are coming over.  There is a piano book bag (three actually - weird given we have one kid taking piano lessons) - a bag for library books - a bag full of winter things that I'm still afraid to put away.  And these are the bags that are CURRENTLY IN USE.  I did a quick count of bags in the laundry room closet and came up with 47.  FORTY SEVEN.

Clearly I have a bag problem.  I must stop accepting free bags (but they are free!).

Baseball Begins! (and other random updates)

Jacob had his first baseball game yesterday.  They lost, but only by a couple points.  They looked a little nervous at the beginning, but came back to play stronger at the end.  Jacob hit at all his at-bats, but was thrown out in one inning.  He got to play a variety of positions, and apparently had a couple nice plays at first base (I didn't see because I had to go teach my night class).

I signed Allison up for this new social skills "class" that they were offering in the area.  It meets on Monday nights too and yesterday they went to the library.  She seems to really be enjoying it.  Since we usually have therapy on Monday nights, I had dropped to only one night a week.  Then with busy Thursdays now too I got the OK to "take a break" from therapy for May.  So, our schedule is therapist free until June!  Then in June I worked it out for the therapist go with her to Boys and Girls Club rather than have therapy at home.  Yay!

School is winding down for the kids.  The 6th graders go on a camping trip next week, which means the 5th graders (all are 5/6 split classes) do a lot of other fun stuff like golf lessons.  I signed a crap-ton of permission slips last week for Allison and Jacob.  Plus, there are all these requests for parent helpers the last 3-4 weeks of school.  I'm always torn between "well, I AM free once the semester is over" and "these are the two weeks I have between my semester and when I get to (have to) be home with them ALL SUMMER."  So, I usually don't sign up.  This is why I never have anyone to talk to when I go to elementary school functions....

And - school is winding down for me!  Classes go until next Wednesday and then finals are after that.  I am behind on my grading and should probably be grading and not typing on the blog.  Unfortunately, I also agreed to redo this online class which must be done by June 30th.  So, I actually have work to fill in at the beginning of summer.  Apparently, something is wrong with me that I would propose and agree to this.

I tested cheese!

Allison has become a much better conduit of information between home and school.  She says "hey, there's a pajama day tomorrow" and there is a pajama day tomorrow!  This is pretty awesome and cool to be able to rely on her for more information rather than needing to communicate as much with her teachers.

However, we did have the following conversation in the car today.  And if you can summarize the cheese experience in a way that makes sense to me - I'll give you the gold star.

A: "Tomorrow, I get to taste-test cheese!"
M: "Really, why?"
A: "I don't get enough dairy"
M: "uh...."
A: "I tested three cheeses yesterday"
M: "Really, why?"
A: "I don't get enough dairy"

M: "Did you like the cheese?"
A: "yes, I tested three, the first was eh, the second was OK, but the third was good"
Jacob intervened: "was it mozzarella?"
A: "No, it was Monster-something"

Me: "Did everyone test the cheese?"
A: "No, Jenna had stickers"
M: "What?"
A: "Yesterday was Jenna, and tomorrow is..... Alyssa!  Jenna asked me, and I said yes"

M: "Why did you have cheese?"
A: "I don't know"
M: "But you get more cheese tomorrow?"
A: "Yes!"

First Free Friday in Forever?

This was the first weekend without an indoor soccer game in.... well.... a really long time.  Soccer wrapped up last week and Jacob's baseball games start next Saturday.  It's a brief interlude.

I took my camera last week to the game, but due to the fast-paced nature of indoor soccer and the very small section of wall without plexiglass/net, I did not really get any good pictures.

I did take advantage of the free Friday by going out with some women from work for wine.  I even finagled a ride, which meant I got to drink two glasses!  I know - I live right out there on the edge!

Starts so young.....

Well, I know Allison isn't involved because she has neither a phone nor accounts at any social media sites.  However - I always worry that she'll still end up the victim of cyberbullying or whatever else kids might do today.  I do not know what the problem below is; and Allison also did not know.  We did have a discussion in the car this morning about how the kids should not post anything online that they wouldn't feel comfortable saying to that person face-to-face.  I don't know if that's a good rule, but it seems a good enough place to start.  I think the problem sometimes with kids and social media stems from the ability to do things anonymously or "removed" from the effects of their actions.  Humans (and especially kids) are not good at judging the "rightness" of actions when the consequences are at some indeterminate time in the future.  If we were - I would totally have not had that second handful of Easter candy. 

The other issue is how does a parent "monitor" their kids' social media.  Jacob, for example, has started playing Clash of Clans, which is an open social gaming app.  Brian also downloaded the app and joined Jacob's clan.  Right now, Jacob thinks that's pretty cool and Brian gets to monitor the other people who join Jacob's clan (which I think is awesome and totally appropriate at his age).  But there will be a day when the kids don't want to "friend" mom and dad and/or get savvy enough to block mom and dad from seeing the content.  And I don't think that's necessarily bad.  I mean - I wouldn't have wanted my parents listening in on every phone call I made when I was in middle school. 

But the list of cyber rules is long and the kids don't always understand why the rules are important (and thus, I think, less likely to take them seriously or follow them).  Rules we've already shared with Jacob:

1) never use your real name

2) never tell anyone your age, address, or other personal information

3) tell an adult if someone starts asking you questions you think are creepy

4) don't put anything online you wouldn't say to someone's face

Their questions continue, though, and I don't have good answers.

A) can I leave comments on a you tube video (apparently Allison does this, if you ever see that Brian "liked" a Monster High video, it's because Allison is logged in through Brian's You Tube account.... or he likes Monster High).

B) but so-and-so will send me a free ______ if I like their page and write a comment

C) I want to follow ______ on Twitter to get good seeds for Minecraft

We're stuck teaching our kids to socialize in real life and also in this ever-changing online world.  And as much as I'd like to stick my head in the sand, I know there will be a time soon when the majority of their friends have accounts on website xyz and they will want an account on website xyz.  

Anyway my long-winded writing today is all in response to this letter we (and all 5/6 parents at the school) got yesterday (some names removed):

Dear Parents,

It has been brought to our attention through many different sources that our 5^th and 6^th grade students at our school are using social media sites in unkind and inappropriate ways. Due to the nature of what has been brought to our attention, we feel strongly that as parents and teachers we need to be fully aware of the activities and sites that many of our children are using on a regular basis. We have asked our police liaison officer to come speak to our students on Friday about the seriousness of their activities on these social network sites. Officer _____ is more than willing to have a parent meeting as well to help you become more informed and knowledgeable about how you can help as a parent.

The sunk cost fallacy

So, I've been teaching economics.  This is a bit funny because I hated economics in college and skipped it more than any other class (except maybe that one physics class).  It didn't help that the class was something like 1000 people taught in that auditorium building on the quad.  The memories are hazy, the subject never made sense to me, and I still can't properly draw a supply and demand curve.  None-the-less, a group of engineering students are being subjected to my explanations of how economics applies to engineering on a weekly basis.  Because I have a PhD - that's why.

This has not been a good semester to be teaching a new class.  Conferences, search committees, death.... let's just say I bored MYSELF in class last night because I haven't had the time to prepare as much as I'd like to.  But in light of the challenging year, I've been thinking more about something I talk about in the economics class - Sunk Costs.

Sunk Costs (for anyone who remembers as much of their college economics classes as I do) are those expenses in the past.  No matter what the present circumstance, you cannot change the past costs.  They are paid.  End of Story.  Your best move is to consider the current circumstances and make the best decisions regarding the future.

Simple.

Except it's not.

Have you ever eaten the food on your plate because otherwise it would go to waste, only to end up feeling slightly ill after the meal and your feelings about the experience significantly lower than they would have been if you would have just quit eating when you were full?  (sunk costs)  Have you ever held onto a pair of pants that you've never worn because there is something wrong with them that you didn't realize until you brought them home and now you can't take them back but every time you look at them hanging in the closet you are reminded that you spent money on something you've never used?  (sunk costs)

So - why am I hanging on to "stuff" that I don't use, probably won't use, and if I ever do decide to use will be obsolete?  Wouldn't I be happier with less stuff to see, clean, and move around the house in laundry baskets masquerading as boxes?  Why do we continue to do therapy with Allison, even though we don't think it's going well?  Because we've invested so much time in it.  Does that invested time make the the next session go better?  No.  "You can't quit piano, you've done it for 5 years."  So what? - if you aren't going to enjoy the next year, could your time be better spent elsewhere?  And Candy Crush - need I say more?

We value a certain amount of stick-to-it-ivness.  And I don't think that's bad if the end payoff will be positive.  Yes, keep the backpacking equipment that you haven't used for 4 years if you anticipate using it for an awesome trip in a few years when the kids are older.  But if you don't like rollerblading - don't hang on to them just because they were expensive in the first place.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter Sunday!  The kids were excited to get up this morning and discover baskets filled with sidewalk chalk and eggs hidden around the downstairs.

We were late with the egg dying, so we also did that this morning.  Note that the egg dyes are in coffee cups.  I'm just saying that there might have been a moment where the coffee mug filled with egg dye was confused with the coffee mug filled with coffee.....

(also, check out Allison's new glasses that she LOVES).

After the egg dying and showers, we headed out to brunch at the Kangaroost - one of our favorite local restaurants and home of awesome brunches.

It's been low-key, but nice.