First day of school for the kiddos today! Yes, I shattered their dreams, woke their little butts up and put them on a school bus.  WOO HOO!!!

Not that I am that excited about it or anything.

Actually, this year is the first year that I was right there with them savoring those last moments of Summer. Relishing the last day of freedom…

Back to school has always been one of the happiest times of my life. Not because I was a good student, but because in my mind Fall represented “reinvention.” A fresh start. A clean slate. A chance to do and be whatever I wanted.

So, in honor of my tremendous geeky love for “Skool Dayz,”  I now present to you and opportunity to mock me forever.  You’re welcome.

Prom circa 1989.  Aqua Net is fabulous, isn’t it?

Hanging in the hallway with my girl posse!

I was on the Pom squad for two weeks and, of course, someone
just HAD to document it. Grumble, grumble, grumble…

Here I go again.  RE-FOCUSING.

I blame BlogHer.

It clarified my vision. It changed my bloggy opinion. And most of all it gave me a new direction.

While I am working behind the scenes to get my new vision in focus, I’ll still be blogging it up like normal.  But hopefully the near  future will bring topics more streamlined and less “all over the place.”

This site will still keep the same sense of humor and the same values… it’ll just be a little bit more of a resource for busy working (and by working not just the kind that drive to the office) moms.

And of course I’ll still ramble on about whatever I want.  Because that is what I do best.  And that is also what drives my hubby crazy. Heh.

Luv,

J

My lovely and fabulous buddy Lori Rypka is one of the guest posters granting me a week of non-bloggy-ness while I vacation.  Yeah, I owe her!

What’s that sound?

Wait for it …. Wait for it … (nothingness). There it is, the elusive
silence I’ve been hearing so much about. I’m about to have the mythical
experience of silence in my house soon.

I began staying home with my daughter when she was 18 months old, and
have since had a son. I have been home taking care of kids for six
years, and have logged a collective 2,753 trips to Target, changed 8,412
diapers, given 3,529 baths, used 27,087 wipes to clean up butts and
messes, and logged 73.2 hours of sleep in that time. This fall, my
little man starts a pre-school program.

I am the first to wish that my kids don’t grow up. I had a contract with
my daughter to not grow up, but she has since changed the rules, but has
conceded to build her inventor’s lab in our backyard so that we can see
each other every day. She said we can have coffee together, and that I
can come over for sleepovers every night. My son has agreed that he
won’t grow up after he turns 4. (Ironic statement about the gender, eh?)

However, the thought of three hours a day, three days a week when both
children are in a safe, caring environment makes me think the
possibilities are endless. I can get my work done uninterrupted! I can
clean the floor and have it stay clean for TWO WHOLE HOURS. I can go to
the grocery store without a little friend asking for some sugary cereal,
then melting down when I don’t buy it! Bliss!

More importantly, of course, I’m just tickled pink that they will learn
new and exciting lessons, meet new people, see old friends that have
missed over the summer, and have new experiences. It’s worth the morning
chaos to get out the door. And of course the few moments of quiet are
just an added bennie.

I find this picture of me hilarious.  My pal Amy took it some time during BlogHer.  Notice my expression.  Am I happy to see her or annoyed?  And what about my other friend Beth sitting beside me?  I think I am boring her. A lot. She looks like she wants to bolt for the door.

I am a great conversationalist. Obviously.

This subject vexes me.

VEXES ME.

Every year I go school supply shopping and every year my frustration level rises.  So I am putting this question out to the Universe: WHY DON’T THEY MAKE MORE SCHOOL SUPPLIES TAILORED TO BOYS?

You can find even the most standard of all standard things (like, a hand cranking pencil sharpener) in a girl pattern or color.  But not boys. Oh. No.

Girls have a plethora of folders, binders, pencil cases, composition books, lunch boxes and the like available in every possible color, pattern, combination and style.  You can be a rocker, a pink princess, a horse enthusiast, even a coordinating little prepster.  Boys have none of that.

Every once in awhile you come across something.  BUT IT IS RARE.  My boys are 9 & 11.  Trust me, they don’t want “Cars” folders.  They are a little past Mater and Lightning McQueen.  They need something that is a little rock star, a little skater boy or hell, even something plaid would suffice.

JUST GIVE ME SOMETHING.  ANYTHING.

Hello! Jennifer asked me to guest-post and when the social-media-maven asks, I jumped at the chance!

Jennifer is my idol because she’s so into fitness. My wife and I recently did the Jillian Michaels routine and I lost 15 pounds! I’m really psyched about it, too!

[psst] is she gone?
Excellent! She never really reads any blog beyond the first sentence, anyway
When Jennifer asked me to guest post I said, “sure, I’d be happy to post my fitness story.” She, who is training for the NY Marathon, was totally on-board!

She obviously only reads my blog occasionally Apart from the couple of posts where I talk about my “climb to weight-loss”‚™ (I like that so much I had to trademark it), I rarely mention “fitness.” You see, I’m a geek. What’s more, I’m a geek-dad. I can spot fellow geeks a mile away- especially geek-moms! I’m here to say that Jennifer is a geek. Oh sure, she passes herself off as “hip” and a “glossy, shiny girl,” but I’ll clue ALL of you in that she is really one of the geekiest girls I’ve known.

I can say this because I’ve hanged with the geekiest. I’ve been to sci-fi conventions, did FOUR years playing a vampire in several LARPs, voted Democrat (still do), as well as a few other things I won’t go into here. I’m here to tell you, she’s got her geek on!

Remember her “story” on going to see Twilight: Eclipse? What she didn’t tell you is that she dressed up as Bella for the occasion. Oh sure, she “went on” about how the audience went crazy whenever the shirtless Jacob came into view- but how does she explain this photo I acquired from that evening?! Cougar, indeed!

Then there was the time her iPad arrived “for research purposes in social media hardware.” Oh sure, she let on about how she was excited she was when she ordered it online. What she didn’t mention was that she had to because, though she waited in line 5 days, she couldn’t get one at the Apple Store the FIRST day it was out! Did she mention that she owned a 27″ iMac? Not enough? How about the gaming server farm in her basement?!

Oh, yeah- then there was the Star Wars convention… – that’s all I have to say about that.

Yeah, I’ve got her number. I’m on to her and I’m out to tell the world that Jennifer Gerlock is a geek! Don’t let her fool any of you again!

My job here is done.

…btw- can someone mention to her that we had to move D&D night to Thursdays because the Frederick Web Technology Group has moved to Tuesdays. Thanks

P.S.- ok- those aren’t “actual” photos, but journalistic illustrations. I don’t have any actual proof, but… then again!

Kevin Bruce is a totally geeky dad who blogs at Neutral Good. He is a real life pal (@kevinbruce) who has a saint of a wife and a beautiful little boy who probably already knows all of the Star Wars characters by heart. SIGH.

PS: I have no idea how he got those alleged pictures of me.  ALLEGED.

Hello lovelies!

I’m so not here today.  I am on va-ca-shun!  As in “shun.”  Which according to the dictionary means: To avoid deliberately; keep away from.

So clearly I am keeping away from you.  I’m a jerk like that.

My family will be happy, though.  What they don’t realize is that I am only on the vay-cay so that I can get more blogging fodder.  It is like a recon mission.  So technically I am not “shunning” you.  Instead think of it as an intense retreat for my blogging muscles.

Yeah.  Exactly.  I’m doing this FOR MY READERS.

I am a sacrificer like that.  You’re welcome.

See you after my vacation, err… I mean retreat!  (Enjoy my guest posts in the meantime!)