The Sewing Mom

A couple of months ago, my husband and I attended a meeting at the Junior High school for parents of students who will be in 7th grade in the Fall. What was most interesting about this meeting was that not only are we learning how to help our children plan for junior high by choosing appropriate electives, but we’re also looking ahead at planning for high school! Pretty amazing since our daughter is only 12.

During the meeting we were attending, the high school guidance counselor spoke about class choices for 7th grade and how those choices can affect what a student will be taking once they get into high school. For example, taking pre-advanced placement (pre-AP) classes in 7th and 8th grade will ensure that a student is prepared for Advanced Placement (AP) classes in high school. AP classes in high school can eventually earn college credit, while still in high school! It’s difficult for me to think that far ahead, even though I now realize college is only just 6 short years away. This is amazing to me, especially since our daughter is only 12.

So, I went from thinking of next year in Junior High, to 2 years from now beginning high school, and then 4 years after that it’s college. Where will she go? Will she stay local? Will she go to a public university or decide to go to a possibly smaller, private school? How will we pay for college? Will she receive any scholarships? (We’re hoping she does in either band or softball). What will she study? I can’t believe I’m having to think of this now, she is after all, only 12!

To distract myself from all of the stress that comes with thinking about all of these questions I decided to watch some YouTube videos where I found a rather creative (sort of) video from Kettering University. Kettering offers bachelor programs in everything from applied mathematics to mechanical engineering and applied physics. US News and World Report has ranked Kettering University as “the #1 University in the nation for Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering” in its annual “America’s Best Colleges Guide for 2008″.

So, I saw this webisode and thought I would share it. This particular video is titled “School Daze Episode 2: Stickman Reads his Fan Mail”.

Tags: Kettering University

I know I’m really late with this one, but it’s been a very hectic week and that includes today. It’s after 11 P.M. and I’m just now getting around to posting my favorite meme of the week, Four Foods on Friday from Valmg.

This weeks questions and my answers:

#1. What’s your favorite fruit and how do you like to eat it? This is tough, I don’t really have one favorite. I love pink grapefruit and have recently discovered the “fresh” jarred grapefruit slices in the refrigerated section of the grocery. I love it! I also love apples, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries. Pretty much any berry is at the top of my list.

#2. What is the one spice in your kitchen you use more than any other? Besides salt & pepper, I would probably have to say that I use a lot of Italian seasoning.

#3. Pudding. Instant, stovetop or premade? I’m not a big pudding fan but when I do make it, I make instant pudding. The only time I care to eat pudding is when it’s in a banana or coconut cream pie.

#4. Share a recipe using potatoes. I like to slice potatoes and onions and layer them in a large dish. Mix sour cream and a can of mushroom soup together and put half over the potatoes and onions. Place browned pork chops on top and pour remainder of soup mixture over the top. Bake at 375 for about an hour, until potatoes are tender.

Tags: Four Foods on Friday, meme

Spring Break has officially begun! My daughter has no school for the next 10 days! Do we have any plans? Nope, not a single thing planned on our calendar! As busy as we’ve been lately, maybe that’s a good thing, but it might be nice to go somewhere, even if it’s just for a couple of days.

I called my best friend today, I’ve know her for about 30 years. We got to talking about a spring break we spent together after we were out of college and working in California. We decided to take a few days and look for things to do in Las Vegas that were relatively inexpensive. We were both working, but we were pretty new in the work force and didn’t have a lot of money.

I managed to find us a good deal through a travel agent (this was long before the internet) and we were set. We drove (it’s about 3-4 hours from L.A.) and had a nice room at a great hotel just off the strip. To save money and have plenty to use for playing blackjack, we decided to walk everywhere we went. I recall that the first place we headed to that first night, was to McDonald’s for a good, quick, cheap dinner.

When we came out of McD’s, we headed towards the strip, only to find we were blocked by a 4 foot high chain link fence. Now, we had a choice. We could walk all the way to the end of the fence and go around it, or, we could climb over it. We opted to climb over. It was warm, we were in shorts and sneakers, young and somewhat athletic. This appeared to be the best choice. That is, until the back of my shorts got stuck on the top of the chain link fence as I was going over it… I was stuck there, hanging like a duck in a carnival shoot out!

My friend began laughing so hard that she couldn’t help me (yes, she had all ready made the jump and was now on the other side of the fence). People were walking past me as I tried to be non-chalant, after all, it’s not unusual to see someone hanging by their shorts on a fence, is it?

Eventually, she did manage to help me get down and we had to go BACK to McD’s with some safety pins to pin together the big rip in my shorts. I didn’t want to waste any more time by going all the way back to our hotel to change clothes!

It was definitely a fun, memorable trip, but I think maybe now that we’re both married, with families, we’ll look at family vacation ideas that we can all enjoy. Perhaps we could even plan our next big trip to see the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

I’ve all ready done this, but if you sign up for the Trusted Tours & Attractions Trusted Travels eNewsletter by March 31, you can also enter to win an IPod Nano.

Tags: Trusted Tours & Attractions