Wow, that is a big Tomato

TPG came home from PREP (Parish Religious Education Program AKA Sunday School) one Sunday in February with a little paper cup with dirt in it. I was about to pitch it in the garbage when he yelled "No, I am growing a tomato" Apparently they had learned about spring and growth in class that day and they had planted some kind of seed. We set the cup in the window sill and forgot about it. A few weeks later we noticed that there was actually something growing in the cup. We nurtured the plants along with some water for a few more weeks and realized that we really did have a tomato plants on our hands. We had to re-pot them several times over the course of the next few months and when May finally rolled around we planted them in our garden. Not knowing what kind of tomatoes we were going to get we just hoped they would be edible. Well, as spring turned into summer, the two plants we managed to get in the ground just kept growing and growing. Soon there were blooms on them and tiny little green tomatoes. They got bigger and bigger and bigger with no sign of turning orange. We all got a little inpatient and TTG started picking the green ones and making fried green tomatoes. Wow, those were awesome!!! But, we left a few on the vine out of curiosity to see what would become of them. Well, they finally turned orange and they are about the biggest tomatoes I have ever seen. Not sure what we are going to do with them butTPG sure is proud!

Learning 2.0 RSS Feeds

I have had a bloglines account for a few months and it has really revolutionized the way I read web content. It is really nice to just go to one place to read stuff instead of having a list of a million favorites to check each day. Before using Bloglines I was not a huge reader of library related blogs. Now that bloglines lets me know when the blogs I like have new content. It has really helped me stay connected to the library community and read about the neat things that are going on outside of EKU Libraries. I have even gotten a few of my family members turned on to RSS feeds.

I am not feeling very Sassy

On Tuesday evening TPG was at VBS and Mommy and Daddy went to meet with their financial advisor. DC was feeling a little left out. She was not happy that Goose was babysitting. Goose caught this pouty face with her phone. Her shirt says she is a "sassy chick" but she doesn't look very "sassy" now does she?

Poor, poor DC!

"We got same shoes"

"We got same shoes"
Originally uploaded by Julie George

DC had been eyeing our neighbor's crocs and even was bold enough to try and wear them home one day. So, I finally went out and got her these. The other day I was looking for some shoes to wear at the beach. You know, if you are going to wear plastic shoes, you may as well make them bright pink. So, when I wore them home and DC saw them she exclaimed "We got same shoes"

There is no such thing as a vacation

Ok, lets face it. When you have kids, there is really no such thing as a vacation. It is just same stuff, different place. The kids will still get up at the crack of dawn (sometimes before that), they will still need to eat three regular meals, still need to take naps (and fight me about them), still need to be watched ALL the time. The hardest part is that we won't be in our familiar surroundings. I can't just tell them to go and play in the backyard or in their rooms and know they will be safe.

But, saying all of that, I really can't wait for our trip. We will be heading to Isle of Palm SC next week and we are renting a house near the beach with my three siblings and their families and TTG's youngest sister. There will be 13 of us in all. Some combination of my family has been going to IOP for the last 12 or 13 years. It is a great little island off the coast of Charleston. It is about 98% residential property which really makes it an ideal place for families. There are really no forms of entertainment (Well except of course, the beach). There are a few playgrounds for the kids, a marina, a very small grocery store and one or two restaurants. When we have gone in the past we spend most of our time on the beach, and generally hanging around the house playing cards or reading. We don't go out to eat much and just cook meals at the house and eat as a family. One or two nights we go out to eat at the same places every year. We usually make a trip into Charleston to eat at Hymans Seafood. Our family really enjoys eating there because the place originated as a dry goods business owned by a Jewish family. If you know my family, you may understand the similarity/significance. They eventually turned the dry goods business into a great place to eat. Hmm, Silver Dry Goods: the restaurant, it could happen!

We also like to eat at place called Sticky Fingers which serves great bar-b-cue.

So, knowing my family, we will probably do the same things that we always do and have a pretty good time doing it. Of course we will probably be sick of each other by the end of the week but, hey, its family, you understand!

If you know me, you know how important my family is to me. So no matter how crazy the kids get, how smelly the bathrooms get, how sick we are of each other by the end of the week, I just can't wait to be with my family.

Learning 2.0 More Flickr Fun

This was a fun week. I have really enjoyed playing with Flickr. I experimented with the Mappr tool, the trading card maker and some other neat applications. It was really neat to see all the different applications that people have designed outside of Flickr. People are really pretty amazing and creative. One neat thing that I played with this week was adding a Flickr badge to my blog. If you look on the right side of the blog you will see this neat group of pictures. The badge is a rotating group of some of my photos on Flickr. You can click on the photos to go to my Flickr page and browse through my pictures.

Curious George?

Curious George?
Originally uploaded by Julie George

I took TPG to get his haircut yesterday. He has big ears anyway but when they cut off all his hair, it makes them stand out even more. I thought he looked a little like Curious George from behind. What do you think?

Learning 2.0 Flickr: Sunset from Isle of Palms

Sunset from Isle of Palms
Originally uploaded by john@MyPlace

This is a picture of the place where I am heading on a family trip in a few weeks. Isle of Palms is a wonderful little island off the coast of Charleston SC. I can't wait to be on the beach!

Parent's Night Out and a Fire Pit, Hooray!

We had "parent's night out" last night. The kid's daycare offers this service once a month and we take advantage of it as much as we can. We pick the kids up on Friday at the normal time, take them home, feed them, bathe them, and put them in their PJ's. Then we take them back to the daycare at 6:30pm. Two of the teachers are there with some of the school age kids who help. The kids love to go. We could leave them their until 11pm but we usually pick them up around 9:30. We just can't stay out that late. Plus, TTG works on Saturday mornings and is usually out of the house before 5am. So, anyway, we never really know what to do with ourselves when we go out. So, we had dinner and then went to Target. We used to go out to eat with the kids more often, usually about once a week. When they were smaller, it was so much easier and cheaper. But, now that they are older and more independent (read: BAD), we just don't like to go out that often with them. DC is such a talker and TPG has been described as having "no private thoughts" that we never know what they are going to say while at dinner. And, eating dinner together at home is also pretty important to us as well. We always sit down together and talk about what each of us did that day and we all really enjoy doing that.

Anyway, after dinner TTG and I went to Target. We could not think of anything else to do and Target is usually a fall back that is always fun. We both love to shop for a bargain so we spend a lot of time looking for good deals. Last night we saw that the summer outdoor stuff was on sale. I had been wanting one of those outdoor fire pits for a while but could not justify spending $100 or more on something that will hold burning wood. Well, we saw one on sale for $48 and we just could not resist.

So, this evening we got it put together and lit a fire in it. I told the kids that we were going to make S'mores and you would have thought I had told DC she really WAS a princess she squealed so much. And TPG acted like I told him he could run around naked for the rest of his life he was so excited. Now, neither of them actually knew what S'mores were but they just knew it was something good. Since we put our kids to bed around 8pm and it is the middle of July we had to light the fire when it was really bright outside. We roasted the marshmallows and the kids loved watching them turn golden. TPG loved the S'mores and wanted more while DC was not so impressed. She ate about half of one but at that point she was sticky and covered in melted chocolate and marshmallow. So, off to the bath we went. TTG sat outside watching the fire go down. I think we are really going to enjoy this fire pit thing.

Potty Training 2.0

OK, I knew it would happen. I made a long post about potty training DC and then she totally peed in her pants, twice yesterday! I picked her up from daycare and they had just come inside from swimming and were all getting their clothes back on. It is really strange to walk into a classroom and see about 10 naked 2 year olds standing around. Anyway, I hugged DC and she felt "damp" but she was holding her swim bag and it was wet so I just didn't really think about it. We got Thomas and went home. When we got home I took DC to the potty and noticed that she was wet and it did not smell good. So, I knew she had an accident. We talked about it, got on a new pair of panties (I really hate that word, panties, it just grates on my nerves, I think I will call them underwear). After dinner I had to go to Sears to return some things I ordered from Land's End. While we were at the mall I got DC the cutest pair of "crock-like" shoes. They are hot pink mary-janes. Then we had to go over to my brother's house to drop off some stuff for my niece. While there, DC was playing with my niece in the living room. I asked her two times within 3 minutes if she had to use the potty and each time she said "no" Two seconds later, she looked up at me while grabbing herself and said "the pee is coming out" I grabbed her and ran into the bathroom but it was too late. She had peed so much it had gone through her very think underwear and ran down her legs into her new shoes. What a mess!!!

With Thomas, we never had accidents so this is all new to me. Thomas was 2 weeks shy of turning 3 when we went down the potty training road and I guess he was just more ready than DC is.

Will DC be mad at me because I am sharing her potty training stories with the world? Will she hate me for this? Will she need counseling? Yes, yes, and yes. Do I care? nahhhhh.

Julie

Potty Training?

I am not really sure how it actually happened but DCis potty trained. She just turned 2 in March but she has been watching T for a while and had always been very interested in what was happening in the bathroom. So, monkey see, monkey do, she wanted to try this "peeing on the potty" thing. The first hurdle was convincing her that she had to sit instead of stand like T. Once we got over that, I just decided we needed to spend a weekend in "potty training boot camp" I cleared our schedule, went out and bought her some of those very thick training pants and got out the rubber pants we used with T. I spent the whole first weekend asking her about every five minutes "do you have to go potty" It went OK the first weekend but I was not comfortable sending her to daycare in her new underwear because I did not think she really got it yet. I am not a huge proponent of the pull-ups since kids know they are diapers so they just go in them like they are diapers. So, on Monday morning I put regular diapers back on her and sent her to school. I let her teacher know what we were working on and encouraged her to let DC sit on the potty when the other kids went. By Thursday she had a dry diaper all day and used the potty successfully all day. So, by the next weekend she was doing really well. She had the occasional accident when she was really busy playing outside but other than that, she did great. Then, the true test came; leaving the house. Since we started this adventure, we only left the house to go to daycare and back. But, we could not be quarantined forever so, out of the house we went. We packed up and went 2 miles down the road to a Max&Erma's-a cute, family friendly, restaurant. I had purchased a little fold up potty seat that you can put on any potty so you don't have to worry about toilet seat covers and other stuff like that. I never really needed something like this for T cause when we were in public I just made him stand with his hands on his head and aim directly into the potty. There was no touching. We never had to worry about him needing to go #2 in public since, well, if you know T, you know why.

So, halfway through dinner, I asked DC if she had to go potty. She nodded her head and off we went. I got out the little potty seat, sat her on it and well, she went. It was amazing. But, standing in the restroom kind of made me have to go too. So, I packed up her potty seat, instructed DC to put her hands on her head, lest she touch something (all kids in public restrooms are intrigued by the little trashcans in women's stalls, you women know what I am talking about) So, I used the potty and DC proceeded to yell "Good job peeing, Mommy" I shushed her and out of the stall we went. There were a few women waiting to use the restroom and when we came out of the stall they all clapped for me. Oh My.

DC spent a few days at her grandparent's house where she had a few accidents. But, other than that, she is doing great. I just can't believe it.

I know it sounds weird and a little sad but I am REALLY proud of myself and of DC. I feel like I have accomplished a great feat. How silly is that?

I never really subscribed to one single method for potty training. I read lots of things when I was working with T, adapted them for him and then adapted all of my knowledge in working with DC. As I always knew, each kid is different and there is no one way to get it done.

While I won't win Mother of the Year this year (forgotten lunches, dressing them in shorts when it was cold, forgetting to send them with their coats...) I think that I at least deserve a gold star for this.

There is always next year for the "Mother of the Year" thing, and the next, and the next...

Julie

Learning 2.0 Facebook

I have been using Facebook for about a year now. I have used it mostly for personal reasons. Some of my family members were using Facebook so I found it was a good way to share photos and keep them up to date on the activities of my kids. Then, it turned into a fun way to connect with people that I had lost touch with over the years. I now have "friends" in Facebook from college and even high school.

Many people in the library have Facebook pages and I enjoy seeing what everyone is up to each morning when I log in and read the latest feeds.

I have told students that I am in Facebook and they can contact through there but no one has taken me up on it. But, they do email me so once again I think it is because they want to be in their social world and when they need me, they will go where I am.

I like Facebook much better than Myspace because it is a cleaner (in appearance) interface than Myspace. I have gone to some Myspace pages and the background is so cluttered that I can't read the text on the page. Then, the music starts playing and I just have to exit out of the page.

I am a librarian after all so I do like the organization of Facebook over Myspace.

Learning 2.0 Myspace

It was interesting to see what other libraries are doing with Myspace. About a year ago a few of us here at EKU toyed with an EKU Libraries Myspace page. We created it and actually started to add friends but there was a lot of debate about whether students really wanted us in their social networking world. Plus, at the time, Myspace was losing ground to Facebook in popularity. So, we abandoned our Myspace page and took up creating a profile in Facebook.

I do like what other libraries are doing with Myspace. I really wonder whether students wander upon their libraries in Myspace and actually use the page. I doubt that much traffic happens that way. I do think it would be nice to point people to the page and let them know they can get assistance from the page. But, I doubt much traffic happens that way either.

I think students want to use social networking sites to do just that, be social. When they need to do research or homework, they will visit the library web page, wikipedia, Google...

I think the statistics from the EKU Library IM service would prove that. We had good business with IM when students contacted us through their IM service. But, when we added the Meebo Widget, traffic picked up dramatically. Why? Because we were in the path of their research.

Just my thoughts.

Back at Work

It is Monday and I am back at work. We went and picked up the kids from my in-laws. They were playing outside when we got there. DC spotted me first and screamed and came running. T on the other hand said "no, I don't want to go home" Oh well. I know my kids love me they just don't always know how to show it, right?? T did tell me later that he missed me.

It is back to the old routine again. I dropped the kids off at school. T went right into his room and started playing with his friends. DC had a little bit of a harder time. She was not to happy to see me leave. She grabbed my leg and said "don't leave me" Ok, that really hurt. But, one of her teachers distracted her with something shiny and she was off. It does not take much for her.


Now I just have to get back in the work routine. There are tons of projects to work on and stuff to do. Thankfully I did check my email regularly while I was gone so my inbox is not too full. I still have not gotten a chance to download photos. I will get to that soon.



Julie

New Orleans Day 3-continued

Dad and I went on a steamboat cruise today. It was really very relaxing and interesting. The boat went about 8 miles up the Mississippi River, turned around and then came back. We saw more Katrina devastation as a large portion of the Port of New Orleans burned completely during the storm.

We walked around the French Quarter just taking in the sites and the people. When you get off the commercial streets in the quarter and into the more residential areas it is really nice. There are many properties for sale but they are a little out of my price range. I wonder if the number of properties for sale is normal for the French Quarter or because of Katrina.

For dinner we went to a neat little place called Hillery's on Toulouse. The food was excellent. We were the only ones in the place so that was a little weird. We got there a little after 6pm. I have two small kids, eating at 6pm is late for us but I guess most other adults and especially people in New Orleans eat much later. Either way, it was really nice.

Dad and I have really had a great time in New Orleans. I think that we were able to do everything we wanted to do. We were able to visit some places that reminded us of mom and that was nice. Ever since Katrina I just wondered what had become of the places that were so special to her. So, now I know.

We have to get up at 4:30 in the morning to be at the airport by 5:45. ICK! I hate flying so tomorrow should be a fun day for me. I should be back in Lexington with T by noon and then with the kids by 3pm. It has been a fun trip but I really miss home. I am ready to be in my own bed. I am very ready to put my kids to bed and then sneak in later and watch them sleep.



Julie

New Orleans Day 3

Last night we went to dinner with my Aunt Claire (my mother's sister) and Uncle Ralph and their son Ralph Jr. and his wife and two children. I had not seen my cousin Ralph Jr. and his wife since I was 8 years old so that was an interesting event. While I have not been in close contact with my Aunt and her family it really was nice to sit and talk with them. It really was a very fun evening. When you lose someone close to you it is always nice to be able to surround yourself with other people who knew that person.

For people that know me well, what I am about to tell you could come as a shock so hold on to you seats...

I ate oysters at dinner. Now, before you fall out of your chair completely let me tell you that first and foremost, they were NOT raw. I am not crazy! They were cooked on a grill with tons of cheese and garlic and other yummy spices. So, I hate to say this, but they tasted kind of like chicken. I only ate one and will probably never eat oysters again but at least I tried them right?? But, then I went back to my regular pattern and had grilled chicken for dinner while everyone else ate something seafoody. What can I say? I am not an adventurous eater.

After dinner Dad bought a cigar and we walked down Bourbon Street again. The crowds were bigger and more lively. The Essence Music Festival is in New Orleans this week and activities began on Thursday so people attending the festival were enjoying the French Quarter last night. Again, the weird images of families with kids standing outside of strip clubs.

I got up early this morning and went to mass at St. Louis Cathedral and then grabbed some beignets and coffee. I left Dad snoring in the room so he could sleep a little later.

If you ever decide to visit New Orleans, this hotel, Place d'Armes is the place to stay. The rates are cheap and the location is perfect. The rooms have a funky smell to them but not enough to kill you. They have complimentary breakfast and this great courtyard with tables, chairs and a small pool. They are not paying me to say this. I promise.

We are going to take a Mississippi River cruise on the Steamboat Natchez for lunch today which should be fun. We hope to get back together with my cousin Ralph and his family this evening and go crabbing. I will NOT be eating the crab, I can promise you that. I know my mother is rolling over in her grave right now but I just don't like seafood. Oh wait, she can't roll over in her grave because her remains are still sitting in a small box in Dad's house. Anyway...

I am flying back to Lexington early Saturday morning and I hope to post some pictures this weekend.



Julie

Learning 2.0 and Web 2.0

Eastern Kentucky University Libraries, where I work, is participating in a Learning 2.0 professional development exercise this summer. We are being asked to try some new Web 2.0 technologies and then Blog about them.

So this is my first post about the discovery exercise to watch a video on YouTube called "Web 2.0: the machine is us/ing us" You can view it here.

I love the video on YouTube. It really explains it so well.

I really love that I can create web content with little to know knowledge of programming, html... But, I have to admit, I do sometimes admit that I miss the days of letting the programming geniuses do it all. I would just tell them what I wanted and they would do it. It did not always look the way I wanted it to but at least I did not have to be the one to do it. Now that we are living in the Web 2.0 world, us non-programming people are being asked to do things ourselves. I will and really have already gotten over that but I just needed to get that off my chest.

OK, one more confession: new technology scares me to death. So, this web 2.0 stuff really does freak me out. Just when I think I have mastered something, there are 5o million new technologies, web 2.0 toys that I have to learn. My head is above water, barely. I just keep plugging away, trying to keep up.

New Orleans Day 2

I have eaten myself sick. I love it! Dad and I could not even finish our dinner (he got a shrimp po boy and i had a catfish po boy) last night.

After dinner we walked up and down Bourbon Street just taking in the sights. If you enjoy people watching, well Bourbon Street is the place for you! Wow. It is so strange to walk down the street and see t-shirt shops with families buying things and then right next door is a strip club. And, these are not just your ordinary strip clubs either (not that I would know an ordinary strip club from an extraordinary one). No, they offer entertainment for both men and women. We are talking equal opportunity here. Anyway, it was interesting.

Later in the evening we walked up to the Mississippi River (just 2 blocks from our hotel) and sat on the banks of the River and watched fireworks celebrating Independence Day. The fireworks were launched from barges floating right in front of where we were sitting. So, we got to see the amazing fireworks display and hear and feel the blast of the fireworks too. It was nice.

This morning we got up and drove out to the Lake District to visit Mt. Carmel Academy where my mom went to high school. We were given a personal tour by the Principal, Sister Camille Anne. She has been the principal for 27 years. This school has become her life. She let us view a DVD that documented the school before, during and after Katrina. You could tell immediately that the hurricane and its damage is still very fresh for her. She showed us buildings that had been severely damaged and were now mostly rebuilt. They still have a ton of work to do. Dad made a donation in memory of mom from the family. You know, considering the amount of money they need, it was not much but you could tell Sister appreciated it so much. If you have time, please visit Campaign for Your Cause and vote for Mt. Carmel Academy. If they win, they will receive $50,000 for their school. You can only vote once a day and voting ends July 13th! Sister hugged us as we left and asked us to pray for the school.

Driving along to get to the school was completely amazing. The school is located in a area of the city that was a fairly wealthy neighborhood. It seemed like as you drove down the street, every other house was still abandoned. You could see waterlines on the houses where the water had sat above the first floor for about 3 weeks after the storm. It looked like a run down abandoned old city that had been left for dead. Every now and then you would come across a house that had been completely redone; new paint, carefully manicured grass, beautiful landscaping. But, it was sitting next door to an overgrown lawn, abandoned house.

After we left the school we went out to Lake Pontchartrain to see the lake and the flood walls. The area had once been a high class, high rent, upscale place. The houses were just devastated. There were restaurants that had been there 4 years earlier when my parents last visited that had been completely destroyed. All that was left were the pilings standing in the lake. I was able to take some pictures of the levees that had broken during the storm and caused much of the water damage.

We then drove to St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church. The couple we met the evening before led us to believe that the neighborhood was really awful. We were pleasantly surprised to see the Church still standing and looking absolutely beautiful. I lit a candle for my mom and my grandmother. I was also able to get some great photos. We went over to the Parish office and met the Priest who was busy standing on a ladder trying to fix something in the ceiling. I guess the work has to be done by someone, right? He was very nice and appreciated the donation dad made in Mom and Grandma Preston's name.

After the church, we drove around the block to S. Bernadotte Street where my mother grew up. The neighborhood was in much better shape than we had imagined and had been led to believe by others. The houses were run down but the neighborhood was not really in the greatest shape before the hurricane. 217 S. Bernadotte St. was still there. The house was definitely being lived in but the residents were very different from when my mother and her family lived there. There were many Voodoo statues on the porch. I will just leave it at that.

We then drove back to the Quarter, parked the car and walked down Dauphine Street to the place where my mother lived after she finished nursing school. It was a neat little apartment just a block from the French Market. How cool would that have been: 23 years old, no worries, living in the French Quarter.

I was close enough to smell beignets so we had to stop in at Cafe duMonde and eat more. SO, SO, yummy. I did buy a box of the mix but you know, it just won't be the same.

We stopped into St. Louis Cathedral where I lit more candles and we sat and waited out a rain storm. I am now sitting inside the hotel room with the french doors of our room wide open. The courtyard is in view and I am enjoying just sitting here watching the rain. Dad is snoring behind me so it is not 100% peaceful. :)

More eating will be on the agenda for the day. I will write more later.



Julie

New Orleans Day 1

I am currently on a trip to New Orleans with my father to see the city where my mother grew up. We are planning on visiting some of the places of my mother's youth: the house where she grew up, her elementary school, her high school, the church where my parents married. All were severly damaged in the 2005 Hurricane. We arrived in New Orleans today after 2 days of driving.

At the beginning of our trip I was optimistic about what we would see. But, as we were driving I started reading the AAA travel book for the city. There were so many places that are not open anymore that were surprising to me: The zoo, the streetcars, churches, museums, Six Flags amusement park. That made me sad. When we were about 50 miles out we saw a huge area filled with FEMA trailers. There must have been 3000 trailers. It was very strange.

As we got closer, the damage was becoming more visible. It was interesting because nature had repaired itself in the two years since the hurricane. Trees were green with leaves and other plants were just growing away. But, civilization was not so much. There were houses in middle class neighborhoods with no roof, apartment complexes that were abandoned and being prepared for demolition. It was really very eye opening.

We checked into our hotel: Place d'Armes Hotel in the French Quarter. Very quaint and neat little hotel. The French Quarter had little damage from the hurricane but since so many people either died or left the city after Katrina, there are many shops and restaraunts that are closed.

After we checked in we made a beeline to Cafe du Monde and had beignets and cafe au lait. YUMMMMY. It was wonderful. We met a couple who had lived in New Orleans but had evacuated before the hurricane to Ft. Lauderdale and decided to stay. They were back for a visit for the first time since August 2005. They were able to confirm some details we feared (my mother's house is gone) and give us some good news (Deanies Seafood is open)

Tomorrow we are planning to go to Mt. Carmel Academy (my mother's high school) and to Saint Anthony of Padua Catholic Church where my parents got married 40 years ago.

I am taking pictures but I forgot my mini USB cable so I can't upload any pictures. I promise to do that soon.



Julie