Life With Frenchie

MM had a homework assignment last week that included the following question:

Which is closer to the Atlantic Ocean - Africa or South America?

Can you tell me the answer dear readers? Here’s a hint - it’s not a trick question. I will not fault any of you if you don’t get it right. I do, however, fault MM’s teacher because she should get it right. This is just one in a long list of inexcusable errors she has already made this year.

If you give up, take a peek here.

Stumble it!

I have always loved the circus! And not just any circus - it has to be Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey (yeah, you have to say the whole thing!) Circus! My parents used to take me when I was younger. I couldn’t wait each year to get my rotating flashlight and cotton candy! It was just the most amazing thing EVER! When my brother had kids, I was overjoyed at the idea of introducing them to the circus and sharing with them the same excitement I felt as a child. Oh! And I was nearly beside myself when I found out I was pregnant and was going to get the chance to take my own little one to the circus one day!! I didn’t even know about the awesome program that they have called Baby’s First Circus. Newborns are eligible to receive a voucher for a free circus ticket…and it never expires! I received mine in the hospital and I still have that voucher. Oh, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t taken MM to the circus.MM and I have had the chance to share the experience on three different occasions. Most recently, we went this past January with my coworkers and their families. Leading up to the show, I actually thought that the “magic” was no longer there for me, but as soon as the lights dimmed and the Ringmaster started talking, it all came rushing back. I can’t wait for the next chance to see the show and, hopefully, share it with someone else who has yet to experience the fun of a circus!If you love the circus as much as I do, or want to see what all the fuss is about, check out their schedule on their website. And I know the economy pretty much sucks right now and we’re all trying to save and cut out unnecessary expenditures, but to help make the decision a bit easier, I have some coupon codes for you. The following cities are offering a 20% discount on certain ticket price ranges:

Indianapolis, IN - Sept. 4-7, 2008
Kansas City, MO - Sept. 10-14, 2008
Grand Rapids, MI - Sept. 18-21, 2008
Denver, CO - Oct. 2-13, 2008
Boston, MA – Oct. 8-13, 2008
Cleveland, OH - Oct. 24 - Nov. 2
Chicago, IL - Nov. 6 - 30, 2008
St. Louis, MO - Nov. 6-9, 2008
Auburn Hills, MI - Nov. 12 - 16, 2008
Highland Heights, KY - Feb 27 - Mar. 1, 2009
Cincinnati, OH - Mar. 4 - 8, 2008

Be sure to enter the coupon code MCC when purchasing your tickets online. Be sure to share this with your family and friends! The more the merrier! And if you happen to have an extra ticket, I think I know someone who might like to join you…

Stumble it!

Last week, a couple of coworkers and I were at our favorite little study spot - Panera. While sitting there, we heard the sound of someone’s drink hitting the ground. Turning around, we saw the person who had spilled her drink was confined to a wheelchair and apparently had trouble getting around. My friend and I were a few tables away while there were tables of people surrounding the lady. Without hesitation, the people in her area got up and helped move her away from the spill (she later communicated that her motorized wheelchair was having problems operating properly), gather her belongings, clean up the area, and make sure that she had everything that she needed. The young employee that had been making sure that the dining area was clean worked with the lady and helped her get settled at a new seat and assured her that everything was fine (she was apologizing profusely for the mess). Your first inclination may be to say “Well, that’s his job!” but if you’ve come in contact with any body working with the public in any capacity lately, you should know that just because it’s their job doesn’t mean that they always do it, least of all with patience and a smile!

Later that evening, I was at home watching TV with EP and MM when I saw one of those commercials from Liberty Mutual where the first person does something nice and it continues on and on as people observe the good deeds and do a good deed themselves. I have since found out from Mom Central that those commercials have turned into an entire project - The Responsibility Project. MM and I visited the website and poked around. At her age, I am trying to make sure that she is learning, and practicing, the right values in her life. We watched a video about a young “scout” who lost some of her cookies that she was selling. In turn, a young boy found the boxes, but was jumped by some bullies who took away his glasses. later, the young girl found his glasses. In the end, the boy found the girl and gave her back her cookies and she gave him back his glasses. It’s just another example of how random acts of responsibility can come full circle.

There are also blogs on there from various people with interesting discussions ranging from Children and Parenting to Politics (of course!).  They discuss current issues and events and really make you think about what it means to be responsible. You want to help start your kids talking? Visit this site with them and take your pick of topics!

Stumble it!

This just makes me chuckle:

Another mainstream actuarial reference spotting!

Stumble it!

I know it doesn’t seem like it, but I am still plugging away at my exams. I sat for Exam C back in May. I failed miserably. It had been more than year since I sat for one of the preliminary exams and I just never got back into my study groove like I should have. I’m doing better this time around, although I’m no smarter than last time.

My current headache is Bayesian Analysis and its prior and posterior distributions. This is something I just can’t wrap my head around, no matter how hard I try. But, I better keep trying because I only have 2 months until the exam! YIKES!

Stumble it!

Am I truly losing my mind? I seem to have become the absent-minded woman these days. Not only did I not realize that I was talking about the completely wrong holiday, but it seems that I can’t dress myself properly either. The other day, I ran up the street for something so I just threw on some comfy pants I had laying around. They’re just some cotton slip-on pants. When I got home, I went to change back into my shorts and realized I had put the pants on inside out! I wrote it off to the fact that they’re solid black, so no real way to determine inside from out.

Well, today, early onset kicked in yet again! Puppy had a squeaky tennis ball that she loves and she finally killed it. She was so upset and wouldn’t stop whining that we had to run out and buy her a new one (yes, she’s spoiled). Once again, I threw on some shorts to run up to the store. I hadn’t worn them in a while and I had the thought “Hmmm..I don’t remember these shorts buttoning this way.” But, EP was rushing me out the door (Puppy was really whining!), so I just shrugged it off. We came back home, started fixing dinner, watching some football, etc. MM has a friend spending the night and she came out to ask me a question and says “Mom! Why are you wearing your shorts inside out?!?!”

Now, about that neurologist….

Stumble it!

I just turned to the tail end of tonight’s show and the Superintended of GA schools is on. I’ve never watched this show before, but I was pretty interested in this one considering:

1) She’s a Superintendent of a state school system; and

2) She is from my home state.

 The final question (to be the 1st person to win $1,000,000 on the show) was “who was the longest reigning British monarch?” Sice EP has the “Jeopardy” degree (History), I asked him his thoughts. He was debating between Queen Elizabeth I and King Henry VIII. At the same time, Ms. Kathy Cox was talking herself through her answer and mentioned the same two. Then she added a third - Queen Victoria. She reasoned her way through it and finally said she believed it was Queen Victoria since she has an age named after her and she’s never heard either of the others mentioned for their longevity. Finally, she locked her answer in as Queen Victoria…and she won!!!

Considering Georgia schools have been rather infamous as of late, I must say I’m pretty proud of Ms. Cox! Congratulations Ms. Cox and Georgia!

Now, can any of my Florida readers recommend a private school? The more I stew, the more I think that MM should not stay in her current school!

Stumble it!

Here’s some early morning laughs to help remind you it’s Friday!

Here are the top nine comments made by NBC sports commentators so far during the Summer Olympics that they would like to take back:

1. Weightlifting commentator: ‘This is Gregoriava from Bulgaria. I saw her snatch this morning during her warm up and it was amazing.

2. Dressage commentator: ‘This is really a lovely horse and I speak from personal experience since I once mounted her mother.

3. Paul Hamm, Gymnast: ‘I owe a lot to my parents, especially my mother and father.

4. Boxing Analyst: ‘Sure there have been injuries, and even some deaths in boxing, but none of them really that serious.

5. Softball announcer: ‘If history repeats itself, I should think we can expect the same thing again.

6. Basketball analyst: ‘He dribbles a lot and the opposition doesn’t like it. In fact you can see it all over their faces.

7. At the rowing medal ceremony: ‘Ah, isn’t that nice, the wife of the IOC president is hugging the cox of the British crew.

8. Soccer commentator: ‘Julian Dicks is everywhere. It’s like they’ve got eleven Dicks on the field.

9. Tennis commentator: ‘One of the reasons Andy is playing so well is that, before the final round, his wife takes out his balls and kisses them… Oh my God, what have I just said?

Stumble it!

How very apropos, considering my earlier post about No Child Left Behind. This young man has definitely not been left behind!

Stumble it!

Okay, so technically I don’t get a summer vacation. Actually, as a parent, I think we get double duty during the summer! This summer was no different. Well, maybe it was because we had a crazy busy schedule! So much stuff went on, I think I will need to break this up into multiple posts - for my own sanity as much as for yours’!

Last year, we were supposed to go to Virginia for a week to visit EP’s family, my mother, and our friends. Unfortunately, I ended up having surgery and we never had another week where we could make the trip last year. This year, it was a priority on our list!

So, the week after school was out, MM, EP, and I packed up and headed north. It was a great trip because I got to meet most of EP’s friends from childhood through college at our engagement party. My maid of honor was also there. I was so excited to get to see her because I haven’t seen her in almost 2 years and she is also engaged and I had yet to meet her fiance, even though they’ve been together for about 4 years now! We had so much fun those first few days. We went into D.C. to have dinner with my MOH and her fiance. We went to EP’s high school (his mother still teaches there) and ran into some of his former colleagues from his teaching days. We attended a lunch in honor of his mother for her hard work as head of her department at the school. We had dinner with his father. We spent a wonderful evening with his friends and our families celebrating our engagement and just having fun. It was a great start to our summer!

After the first few days, EP flew out to Las Vegas to help his cousin ring in his 50th birthday. While he whooping it up on the strip, MM and I ventured an hour or so north to visit with my mother. Originally, we were supposed to go to National Zoo with my MOH and her fiance, but my mother wanted to take us to Williamsburg, VA so no zoo for us (can you believe I have never been to a zoo before?!?!). The last time I was in Williamsburg, I was just a year or two older than MM. MM has read the American Girl books and she really enjoyed Felicity’s story, so I thought she would enjoy seeing the city where it all took place. Although she did enjoy seeing the Governor’s Palace, touring the historic buildings, and seeing people dressed in period costumes, she did not like the walking! And we walked….A LOT! At one point, she was complaining so much, I had to resort to drastic measures and lock her up! We planned to go to Jamestown as well, but we got there very early and after waiting around a while for it to open, we decided we were tired and just headed back to my mother’s place.

Bright and early the next morning (about 3 AM actually) I headed out to make my way back home. At the same time, EP was on his way back home from Las Vegas. We both had a very long week and by the time I made it home (about 4 hours after EP, who waited at the airport for me) we were pooped! MM stayed in MD with grandma for the rest of the month while EP and I enjoyed some more summer “vacation”!

Well, I think that’s enough for now. Next time, I’ll share with you MM’s summer at camp and our first of three weddings that we have to attend this year!

Stumble it!