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No Phones After 9:00
Let me start by saying this: I’ve never claimed to be the cool mom. If my kids wrote a list of my greatest hits, I’m guessing “TV Nazi” and “Phone Thief” would land somewhere between “Makes Weird Soups” and “Sings in the Car with the Windows Down.”But hey—every mom has her “thing,” right? The one non-negotiable rule she clutches like a lifeline while trying not to lose her ever-loving mind in the chaos of parenting.
Mine? Tech limits. Specifically, screen-time lockdown after bedtime.
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Learning and Forgetting Just As Fast
Do you ever wonder how much information the old brain can hold? Do you ever wonder if you put too much material in that old brain, eventually some of it just has to come tumbling out.
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Learning from A to Zzzzz
Learning my ABCs was one of the first big “school things” I had to figure out. I can still picture those oversized letters lining the top of the chalkboard and remember how serious it felt to get them right—especially when the teacher pointed at you during the alphabet song. It was the beginning of learning for me, and at the time, it felt like a very big deal. -
Learning with a Screwdriver and a Prayer
Learning is involved in every area of our lives. We may not be involved in formal education, but we are still learning every day. They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Well, this “old dog” is currently googling how to mow a lawn without losing a toe, so I’d say we’re making progress. -
What is All the Fuss About?
When I was a kid I believe I was about eight years old the excitement was in the air. We are going to get a TV. Some of my friends already had this up to date for entertainment and I couldn’t wait. Well, to say I was disappointed was the truth. I remember walking up the stairs in the house I grew up in. The TV was positioned at the far end of the living room. It was turned on and I was appalled. -
Window to Another World
I remember the day our first TV was brought into the house. It was a square box with about a 12-inch screen. The first thing that showed up was a news story from New York. It was in black and white and I can remember being very curious about it. It felt like a window to the world.
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Back to School Bliss
The beginning of the school year couldn’t come soon enough for me. The first day of school meant new supplies!! Crisp, clean, pretty folders with pictures of rainbows, flowers, or butterflies with matching notebooks, sharp, colorful crayons or colored pencils, and a new backpack to carry my supplies. It didn’t get much better than that, except for the new school clothes that I would also receive! -
How to Ruin Summer
That time is here again, meaning the dreaded times, SCHOOL IS STARTING!I always despised the start of school. I loved summer when there were no deadlines to speak of, I could sleep in, and I had the option of having the time to do what I wanted and if I wanted to do.
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Crayons, Music and Learning
From the beginning of Kindergarten, I loved going to school. I remember the enjoyment of doing interesting projects that I would never have thought of doing at home. It was great fun to have a room full of 20 to 25 other kids to interact with. -
The Influence of Miss Davidson
It was fall and I was just starting the fifth grade at Washington School. My teacher’s name was Miss Davidson and I thought she was exceptional. She had been a teacher for a good long time and was older than the other grade school teachers I had in earlier grades. That would have made her at least 40 years old. You know, really ancient. -
More Holes in My Head
All my friends were getting their ears pierced and I felt like the odd man out. I swear I was the only girl in my school that still had my earlobes intact. I begged and pleaded with Mom to let me get them pierced, but it did no good. She was a rock. It wasn’t happening. Finally, it was Christmas and Mom and Jackie had conspired together to gift each other’s daughter with a coupon for “Two more holes in your head”. -
The Dreaded Track Meet
I can’t remember very many fun or happy incidents while I was in grade school. But, I do remember hating track metes. First of all, I didn’t like many physical activities. Running was at the top of that list. -
Pay Attention
When you think of teachers and their importance in your life, you want to think of them in a good way. After all, you spend a significant part of your childhood in classrooms with these people. The teachers in my life have made both positive and negative impacts on me. -
Great People Make Great Teachers
I was taught at an early age that teachers were meant to be respected. All through grade school, I had teachers that I felt positive about. I loved school and identified with each of them. In elementary school, I looked up to our music teacher. She was very positive and taught us to be proud of ourselves and our voices. -
Needed to be Heard
Teachers have a great impact on your life. Unfortunately, I can remember only some negative incidents with teachers in my past. I feel this was unfortunate. I was shy for the most when I was younger especially while in a group. If a problem came up I never seemed to be able to stand up for myself.
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Make It Interesting
As a teacher myself, you would think perhaps that I wanted to be a teacher because I was inspired by all the wonderful teachers I had growing up–not so much.
Well, maybe I was inspired by one very special teacher–nope.
As a matter of fact, I went to the counseling center in college to figure out what to major in. I scored the highest in my affinity to careers in education or as a YWCA/YMCA director. I was maybe not inspired, but at least open to education because of shows like Electric Company, ZOOM, and Hodgepodge Lodge. Learning could be fun…
When I explored the education options more specifically, I thought of teaching elementary education standing at a big chalkboard and kids sitting at desks in rows. Arghhh.
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Swimming With the Cool Kids
When I was a kid swimming was not of great importance to my family. I did get sent to swimming lessons which were held at the beach on the outskirts of Beaver Dam. We didn’t have a wonderful pool available to us, so this is where we went. I remember there being a lot of rain dates and cold weather. Consequently, I did not learn to swim for whatever reason. This would probably be the first item to accomplish on my bucket list at an early age. -
Another Family Requirement
In our family, it was a requirement to take swimming lessons as a kid. This involved weekly trips to the local YMCA and moving through the different levels of skill. I don’t remember all of the levels, but you progressed from tadpoles to guppies to minnows, etc. I don’t remember what level I finally got to, but I think I finished right before the lifeguarding level. -
A Secret From Dad
I always wanted to learn to swim. For some reason, my dad repeatedly intervened and said no. It was very frustrating. Finally, I went to Mom and asked what was up with Dad. She told me the secret. Dad was afraid of water. -
Let Me Google That
I’m trying to think of something that I’ve always wanted to learn how to do and I’m not coming up with anything. Throughout my life, if there was something that interested me enough, I managed to figure out how to do it. I was never the type to just leave the topic alone if it was important enough.
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Building Confidence
The topic of “What is something you always wanted to learn how to do?” brings up a whole boatload of ideas. T thought I wanted to write about my desire to be someone who could build things or even go so far as becoming a contractor. For example today, I was looking at the four tiers of spices sitting on my cupboard. -
You Can’t March With a Piano
I have always wanted to learn to play the piano. From the time I was little, I thought this would be fun and something I would enjoy all my life. At my grandma’s house in Black Earth, she had a piano player. My dad would sit at it and play “The Wild Irish Rose” and The Old Rugged Cross”. I don’t remember having the opportunity to play this piano as we were kids and it was thought that we might break something or whatever. Probably our plunking would just annoy everyone. -
Home at Last
My son Matt and I pulled away from the house we had called home for the past fifteen years. It was the only home Matt remembered and a home that I loved. We had come back over spring break to finish emptying out the house and to complete our move to Colorado. -
Growing Pains
The day and year that I really grew up was definitely an important experience. One that I would have forgone forever. This was the day that my dad passed away. He was only sixty-two years old, died of a heart attack, and left his family reeling in shock and dismay. -
Flirting with Rotten Eggs
I was never much of a flirt in grade school. I was the youngest of three girls and I had no experience talking with my male classmates. They made me nervous and scared me to death. -
The Stress of Kindergarten
I remember several childhood grade school memories, so, where to start?The first one I recall was I was in kindergarten, it was Armistice Day, and of course, I had no idea what that meant. I went to Wilson School and had just recently moved to the north end of town. This meant I had to take a bus from school to home.
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Traumatic Events
I had a few traumatic events happen to me during my grade school years. Both events were a result of my teachers and had a significant impact on my feelings about those years. -
She’s In Trouble Now
Thank God I’m a grown-ass woman AND no longer a teacher. Do you know what that means? No. more. recess! I don’t get in trouble (or get others in trouble) anymore.
I’ve always hated recess. I’ve written before about spending a snowy recess with Mary and Mr. Fry in the boiler room here. But that isn’t the only time I purposely skipped out on recess…
I was in First Grade. My First-grade classroom was on the lower level of the building, closest to the boiler room, Mrs. Goetz was my teacher. We had been working on something when the announcement was made that it was almost recess time. But only students that were done with their work would be allowed to go out. I was done with my work, but Sean and Rochelle would need to stay in.
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Scared Shitless
I have done a lot of babysitting in my life. I was never scared or terrified while babysitting or of the dark, until I saw the movie “The Babysitter”. -
Erogenous Zones?
When I was in my late twenties, I discovered self-help books. The first book of this type that I read was called “Your Erroneous Zones” and was written by Dr. Wayne Dyer. To be honest, my friends had told me the title was “Your Erogenous Zones” and the title piqued my interest. -
Color Me Beautiful
Back in the early 1980s, a book was published called “Color Me Beautiful”. The inside flap of the book states “Using simple guidelines, professional color consultant Carole Jackson helps you choose the thirty shades that make you look smashing. COLOR ME BEAUTIFUL will also help you: develop your color personality; learn to perfect your make-up color; discover your clothing personality; use color to solve specific figure problems, and more, including full-color palettes containing the thirty shades for each season–pages you can cut out to carry when you shop!” -
So Much More Than the Story
What makes someone a reader?
Doesn’t everyone love stories?
I think I was born loving books. In Beaver Dam, I loved the old stuffy, overheated public library when I was a child. The wide entrance stairway led to a foyer where you could go left to the adult area. Or, you could turn right and go up a creaky flight of stairs to the children’s room. It held a vague feeling of…expectation. -
Technology Troubles
I’ve always prided myself on being able to keep up with the necessary knowledge and skills needed to complete tasks. Well, scratch that “always” off the books. It seems that everything I need to do today requires technical knowledge that I struggle with. Writing our Sidetracked Sisters Blog has always been fun for me. Recently, it seems like the programs we need to understand and use have become more complicated. Every time I make notes about what I need to do and how I need to submit my writing, something has changed. So I try to use my version of “common sense” and I really mess things up. I refuse to give in to failure and yet I dislike feeling like I’m not keeping up.
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I Try to Stick to One Book, Honest!
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17 Tech Tricks Everyone Should Know
I’ve been working with computers for 30+ years. I’ve found lots of keyboard shortcuts over the years to help me. Here are 17 keyboard shortcuts/tech tricks that are not commonly known to help you at both home and work!
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Love or Hate Cell Phones
Who has a love/hate relationship with their cell phones?Well, first of all, I hate the cost of these stupid things. My gosh my rent used to be $65.00 per month. I know, that was in the dark ages! Now to get an updated phone that does lots of things, costs ten times that per month. You’ve got to be kidding!!!!
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Be Unplugged!
I have a love/hate relationship with technology…specifically with cell phones and how people use them. It’s time for us all to sit back and see how our gadgets are also complicating our lives and putting up barriers between us and the people we love. -
To Use or Not to Use (cell phones)
I have a lot of pet peeves when it comes to cell phones. People simply don’t know the proper times to use and NOT to use them. For example – public restrooms… Does the person you called really want to listen to the sounds emanating from a public restroom?? I know I’d rather not hear those sounds when I’m actually IN the bathroom let alone when someone has called me. Can’t they just wait till they are done and then make their call? -
Cell Phone Etiquette
I resisted having a cell phone for years. The thought of having a phone “on me” all the time gave me the creeps. Then I took a job out of town that took me away from home at all different hours and in all different seasons, rain and snow and I gave in. Before I knew it, I had just the “right” cell phone. My blackberry even had to match my glasses. In no time at all I was hooked. I couldn’t leave home without it.
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Technology Ups and Downs
Everyday, people tell me how wonderful technology is and how much time it saves us. Really!?! How often do I spend hours trying to figure out how to insert pictures into something I’ve written only to accidentally delete half my writing or to send a picture into never, never land?How I long for the days of simply doing things by hand or typewriter. Like at work trying to understand how to fool the computer into doing what I need it to do. How wonderful it would feel to put a piece of paper into a typewriter and have it show exactly what I want it to show.
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Tech… The Gluttonous Monster
“Turn it off!” I feel I am constantly asking, bribing, yelling at my children to disconnect from their technology. From the moment my son gets up in the morning until my edict to shut tech down at 7:30, SnapChat bings echo through our house. My son doesn’t even look at the images when he responds to the bing! He just clicks to open and closes it…someone’s “streak” has been maintained. -
Come Hell or High Water – I Will Win!
I LOVE Technology!!! I LOVE TECHNOLOGY!! I am the type of person that can’t wait to get the newest gadgets and gizmos. I am the one in the family that the kids come to in order to setup all the new equipment. I am the one that deals with technology on a daily basis. I absolutely LOVE it.
BUT…
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Not for the Faint of Heart
Well, to start with, in order to even start writing this on my rather new tablet (actually 1+ years old), I had to have help in even starting to type this subject. You see, technology to me, is a royal pain, a god send, and one of the most confusing things I have ever had the privilege of being associated with.
