Happy Birthday Douglas Adams!

Today's Google Doodle was wishing Happy Birthday to Douglas Adams who is best known as the author of  "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy." This book has always been on of my all time favorite books. It is one of the few books that I have read that I will reread. When I first read the book in Jr. High  it taught me that reading is an excellent form of entertainment. I think many readers can tell you about their "first love" of books. Do you know what yours is?

As a parent I am always hoping my kids will  find that one book that turns them into a lifelong reader. For my oldest it came quickly I am going to guess it was Harry Potter in the 3rd grade. I remember worrying that she was too young for some of the later books in series. I asked the librarian at the middle school where I work and she reassured me that she would be fine reading it. She was so right. She read it as a 3rd/4th grader would see things. My youngest is a different story we are still waiting for her to find her "first love".

Ahh but I digress back to the amazing Douglas Adams. How can you not love an author who writes a 5 book trilogy. If you are a fan of  English satire such as Monty Python this is a great read that will have you laughing out loud. I love this book and author so much I named this blog after a line from the book.

What is your "first love" in books? 

Today is our first snow day here in Western Mass since October 30th. It is funny how as a teacher I am just as excited about a snow day as my kids. I really do not want to have too many this year because the October storm created such havoc that we missed several days due to power outages. 

I have spoken and tweeted with several people and it appears we are all making soup today. The perfect snow day food. I rarely get to do much cooking because of my crazy soccer mom schedule and my pathetic time management skills. So I thought I would share the recipe with you . 

Photo by um-um-good

I wanted to do something my husband would enjoy since he does most of the cooking at home. One of his favorites is Pasta Fagioli. I found this one at Food.com . It hopefully will taste like the one at "Olive Garden". Now if I could get the recipe for the  Red Rose Pizzeria in Springfield he would be super happy! 

About This Recipe

"This tastes exactly like the pasta e fagioli soup at the Olive Garden. Wonderful! Husband loves it!"

Ingredients

• 2 lbs ground beef
• 1 onions, chopped
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 4 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 (16 ounce) cans red kidney beans, drained
• 1 (16 ounce) cans white kidney beans, drained
• 3 (10 ounce) cans beef stock
• 3 teaspoons oregano
• 2 teaspoons pepper
• 5 teaspoons parsley
• 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (optional)
• 1 (20 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce
• 8 ounces pasta

Directions

1. Brown beef in a skillet.
2. Drain fat from beef and add to crock pot with everything except pasta.
3. Cook on low 7-8 hours or high 4-5 hours.
4. During last 30 min on high or 1 hour on low, add pasta.

My road to Podcamp Western MA

Well I attended my first Podcamp last week and it was awesome. What is a Podcamp?? It is an un-conference about social media and online networking. It is an open and collaborative event with discussions and interaction from attendees. Anyone with something to contribute or with the desire to learn is welcome and invited to join. Some sessions will be planned ahead of the event, but plenty of spaces will be open for the topics YOU want to discuss and learn. Tickets are $30 ($10 for students), but all are expected to participate and/or present. You can participate by giving a presentation, demo, or joining into another cooperative event, being on a panel/roundtable, or in other ways helping out on event day.






I heard about Podcamp Western Mass.  Several years ago when I started using Twitter. I had followed a few people with ties to Western Ma. Realizing that by doing so I became much more intune with what was going on in my community. I attended a few WesternMa Tweetups . At first I was very nervous. As a middle school teacher I constantly teach my students not to meet people they talk to online. This seemed to be a bit hypocritical of me to then go and meet all my Twitter friends. I tend to share my technology adventures with my students and refuse to be anything but 100% honest with them. (If you loose a middle schoolers trust they will chew you up and spit you out.) I turned out to be a good teachable moment.

The tweetups were great I was able to put faces to names and meet more people and increase my #westernma following. I was also able to collaborate with others and really learn more about technology which in turn made me a better educator. What was best was I was able to make some new friendships with people I would ordinarily never meet.





That of course led to the Podcamp Western MA 4. Every year in the past has been on the day of my kids swim Championships. Finally this year they did not conflict. To off I went to my first Podcamp. I was actually quite anxious. Thankfully when I arrived my twitter friend @mmpartee met greeted me and his son who is my student said hello and from that point my anxiety went away.

• I received my first interactive shirt.
• My cool swag bag.
• I followed @BusinewsChannel answered a question correct and won a filtered water bottle.
• Went to a presentation by @ThomasJFox on Social Media Putting it all Together
• Learned about Pinterest from @LesleyLambert
• Pod casting was discussed by David Pakman .
• Monitoring your Online Reputation was very helpful by @massmarketing
• Improved my Google+ skills from @AlSantaniello

Now because it was an Unconference some of the rules of etiquette are reversed.

• It is ok to be on your phone, ipad, laptop or other devices.
• Tweeting, Texting, Facebooking and other social networking tools are strongly encouraged to be used during the presentations.
• It is OK to switch to another presentation when you want.
• Discussions, questions, and sharing are welcomed in each presentation.

Because of the openness of the presentations I learned about

• Yelp
• HistoryPin

So I have been trying to digest all of the amazing things that I learned and trying to figure out where it will best help me in my personal and professional life. Its important to make sure that what you learn is not just a "time suck" as stated at Podcamp. I need to now spend my time figuring how to make the best out of what I learned. That should take me about 365 days until next years Podcamp. 

Post Weight Loss Surgery Update

When I last left off I was preparing for weight loss surgery on June 15th. I had a lot to do before hand and all went well.

Two weeks prior to the surgery I had to go on a mostly liquid diet. This was probably the most difficult 2 weeks of my life. I was only allowed 5 shakes a day and 1 serving each of a fruit, veggie, and a starch. I was so hungry for two weeks. It did have some great effects however both physically and mentally. I lost about 5 lbs giving a total of 25 lbs since January. So I knew if I cut the calories I could really lose the weight.

The mental part was that I was miserably hungry for the entire 2 weeks. I had a lot of people tell me that if I could lose it before the surgery why have the surgery. This was very common and quite annoying. No one knows how difficult it was. The level of hunger that I felt for the two weeks showed me more than ever that I want the surgery. I would never be able to maintain that level of food intake and be happy unless I had the surgery.

The day before the surgery I had to drink that citrate of magnesium. Anyone who has had a colonoscopy should know this product. It was not fun but had to be done. No food that day so I am sure a few more lbs fell off.

Finally the surgery day came we arrived at the hospital at 6:00 am. It was too early for me to be nervous. Leading up to the surgery a lot of people asked if I was nervous and I really was not. I felt that I had done all that I was asked to do by the various doctors involved in the whole process. I was able to do it all with little or no problems. If you buy into the entire pre op process (psych eval, nutrition meetings, diet changes, support groups, sleep studies etc.) you should feel ready on the day of your surgery. Everyone was great leading up to the surgery. The anesthesiologists were a bit aggressive. Three different ones introduced themselves to me saying they were going to work with me. It felt a bit like “Gray’s Anatomy” with the doctors fighting for the next case. In the long run I have no idea who actually was my anesthesiologist because they gave me some awesome meds to relax me. Rolling into the ER was like a fun ride at Six Flags.

My surgeon is a Yankee fan which was difficult for me being a diehard Red Sox fan. My kids still do not believe that I would trust a Yankee fan to do my surgery. I did put some Red Sox temp Tattoo’s on my arm and belly to show my allegiance. He did a great job even for a Yankee fan. I was very happy.

Surgery went great I went home the next day and started my new eating regimen. The first week was back to shakes but only a few the first few days then up to four. It was amazing it took about an hour to drink one 11 oz shake and it was hard to have 4 in one day. The second week I was allowed to start pureed food however I had a huge dumb butt moment the day before I was going to start. I fell asleep on the couch and woke up and started eating a bag of “Smart Food”. DUMB FOOD> popcorn is the worst thing to have at that stage in my recovery. I soon realized what I was eating and eventually felt some discomfort. The nurses told me to go back to clear liquids and I had to delay my food for a few more days. Now I am eating some soups and pureed foods and everything is good.

I am back to the surgeon and nutritionist tomorrow and hope to be able to enjoy some new foods over the 4th and perhaps an adult beverage. I am down a total of 35 lbs since January and 10 since my surgery.

To everyone who has helped and supported me I want to say thank you. My friends, family and social networking buddies have been awesome. I could not have gotten this far without you.

Finally Got my Surgery Date...

On January 5, 2010 I had my first Weight Loss Surgery (WLS) appointment and was given a list of requirements that I had to follow before my surgery could be scheduled. Some of the requirements were.

• A psych evaluation which much to my surprise after 2 visits I was cleared. For those that know me this perhaps was a mistake. LOL 
• Several Nutrition meetings where we set goals for my life after WLS. I will discuss some of these changes later in this post. 
• Sleep Study- where I had mild sleep apnea which should go away with weight loss. This was an interesting evening. My was in the ER at the same hospital with a heart attack and I was expected to sleep well. Needless to say he is doing much better and I do not have to sleep with a Darth Vadar mask like my spouse.
• Support group meetings- my insurance requires 3 meetings. I struggled at first to get to them however they are so helpful I plan on continuing throughout the process. Of course I do find a lot of humor in the meetings perhaps that is my nervousness. I crack up every time I go because of the way people sit. A lot of people like to sit at the ends especially fat people so they can have more room. This however causes a problem because if on fat person sits at the end it makes it difficult for other fat people to slide by to get to the inside seats. So every time I enter the room I crack up because the end seats are all taken and no one in the middle.

So it has been six months and my surgery date has been scheduled for June. I have learned a lot throughout this process and really think that I should be able to carry these habits into my post WLS life.

• New reciepes- recently I purchased the book “Eating Well after Weight Loss Surgery” by Patt Levine• New reciepes- recently I purchased the book “Eating Well after Weight

• Hot sauce- I love hot sauce thanks to my niece in Colorado for being such a sriracha freak and getting my hooked. When I put this on the foods that are not particularly yummy or exciting to my palate it makes things bearable.

• Chicken- for those that know me I hated chicken I now realize it is a good source of protein and if cooked correctly is quite yummy.

• Crystal light on the go packets- I hate water so this is a lifesaver. I keep about 6 different flavors in my desk , pocketbook, car, and kitchen. Just toss it in a bottle and voila a tasty refreshing drink.

• Protien shakes- I have tested out many different things and now have a good idea of what will work when I really need them after the WLS.

Well I am down 20 lbs and hope to continue. Leave me a comment below and tell me what you think, suggest, ask a question. LET ME KNOW SOMEONE IS READING THIS!!!

Below are links to some of the items that have worked for me.

Letter from an Old Friend

The recent events in South Hadley have really shaken the educators in this town, the parents, and community as a whole. The teachers and administrators that I work with are all dedicated professionals that truly care about the well being of all their students. Is there room for change in South Hadley and school districts throughout this country? YES!! I hope to be part of that change by dedicating myself to MORE extensive cyberbullying curriculum, participating in the Anti - Bullying Task force, and hopefully working a cyberbullying professional development presentation for educators.

I was really affected by the negative attacks from the media, blogs, forums, and social network sites that were attacking the education system where I have worked for the last 10 years. I as well as my colleagues have dedicated our lives to our profession and do it to the best of our ability and to hear what I did really shook me up. I do not believe that the teachers at the high school are any different than any other school in this country. I have done extensive professional development presentations throughout the country and have never found the teachers in South Hadley to have any less professionalism that those from other districts.

I recently received a letter from a student that I had 10 years ago when I was teaching my first class. It came at the most opportune moment in my life. I needed a real kick in the butt to put what I am doing back in perspective. I need to move forward with my teaching keep making changes where they need to be made and never forget that I am here for the students not the Boston Herald, the Springfield Republican, the local news stations, nasty blogs, or the MassLive forums.

Here is the letter I received that has put my career back into perspective after all the events here in South Hadley. I have changed some names so that they do not get targeted by some of the negative people who do not want to see any good in people.

Hey Ms. Manzi!



Okay so the end of the semester is approaching and it’s now time to get on the extra credit band wagon. The basic idea of the assignment is to contact someone that you would like to thank for their support as a mentor in your life and you are most certainly someone that came into mind! I’ll attached the assignment and if you’re cool with it that’s great! So here it goes.

It’s been just about 10 years since I had you for a teacher in the sixth grade and in many ways I remember it just like it was yesterday. I can appreciate looking back at those years now (especially now that I have just seen M go through the same process). It’s a time in your life where you are really defining who you are. When I look back at my friends at the time and the different places life has brought us all I cannot be thankful enough to be where I am today. Although I am still only in college I would like to think I have learned a little about life up until this point. What I have learned is that life is a team effort (we can’t do it on our own!) and it is through the choices we make, our experiences (good and bad), and most importantly the people in our lives that shape the people we are and the people we want to become. When you get ready to go to high school there are many paths you can take but generally there is a good path and a bad path.

I would like to think that I took the good path whether it has been graduating sixth in my class, being a junior in the Isenberg School at Umass, being involved on campus, or just being a good influence on my little sister. Where did this road start for me?...the sixth grade in your class.Up until the sixth grade I did not see myself as a smart person. I had stayed back in kindergarten and just wasn't the fastest student. I also believe at the time the sixth grade was the first year you actually received letter grades. What I learned about myself is that maybe I had to study a little bit longer than the naturally smart kids, but hey I could get the same As they were getting. I also realized that you could be the smartest person in the world but if you were lazy and didn't do the assignments you weren't going to get an A.

It was then that I told myself I would study a little harder and do all my assignments and do them well. I did well in your class and having you as a teacher really helped build my confidence because for the first time I remember having a teacher that believe in me even if I didn't believe in myself. I’m blessed to say that my experience with you as my teacher would not end there. I won the lottery and you became the technology teacher! This also meant I could sneak to the lab during the last 25 minutes of school to just hangout and talk about life. Like so many kids these days my family life was dysfunctional to say the least and to be able to have someone at school that I trusted and could confide is what made the difference for me. I am sure that it is extremely difficult to be a teacher in the South Hadley public school system with everything that is going on right now, but I hope South Hadley (and at this point the rest of the world) knows that it is teachers like you that are true assets to the town and to the students. I could go on and on for days, but in short I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for being my teacher, thank you for being my sister’s teacher, thank you for being my mentor, and thank you for being my friend.



Forever grateful,

Jesse

Is online activity worth the loss of your privacy?

When I decided to write about my WLS experience a lot of people were surprised that I would do it on a public place like a blog. However, when I was researching the whole process I found a lot of very useful information from blogs. I enjoy reading about the trials and tribulations that people have gone through and overcome. I also have found some amazing ideas from many blogs. If you have a blog you want to share please leave your link in the comments section.

One concern that I had was the nasty people in the world that would attack me because they enjoy going on the internet and hurting people. This actually just happened to me with a blog concerning a topic in our schools.


I have really enjoyed being able to communicate with people via the internet and try to keep my online identity as respectful as my offline self. I started out using social networking sites to learn what my students were so interested in now I use them for my own personal enjoyment and education.

I do not friend any students on Facebook. That to me is personal and I do not want to encourage kids to use a site that has an age restriction. Facebook has allowed me to keep in touch with so many of my friends from the past and family members. I also have been able to make many professional contacts using this site.


Twitter is another cool site that I have been using. This site has allowed me to follow a lot if different types of people that have similar interests as me. I have found some amazing new educational ideas from my tweets, WLS ideas and questions answered, social contacts made (WMTweetup), and much more. At some point I will open my twitter account to the public but at this point I can not because obnoxious people keep posting it on thier blog.


I started blogging a few years ago because I thought it would be a way to improve my terrible writing skills and share some of my thoughts and ideas. I guess it is not too bad because some of my stuff appears in the Masslive entertainment section and I am getting a few more followers each day to this blog.


I will continue to share my thoughts with people who are interested. I only hope that the people that are using my online identity as a tool for hurting me and where I work understand that what they are doing to me is just another form of bullying. I will not stop any of my activities because of the actions of a few sad individuals.

WLS Update

I am still moving along with my WLS plans. Lots of different appointments with lots of different doctors. I will be having a sleep study soon which should be interesting. However I am looking forward to it. I get to sleep one night without a kids tapping me on the shoulder asking for a drink of water. LOL.
My insurance has some rules that I need to follow.  I am down 16 lbs. so far and hope to lose more once the insurance approves the program. My BMI is right at the cut for the surgery. Hopefully my surgeon will be able to get the approval soon and then I can really start attacking the weight loss. I am still working with the nutritionist and now I am working on eating slowly. This is tough for me to do right now because my life tends to move at a pretty fast pace with the girls schedule and mine. I am changing a lot of what I eat. Tonight was a ground turkey stroganoff and a small protien smootie for a snack.  I also have cut out most soda. For those who know me this is a huge thing for me to do without. It is not the taste I really like the bubbles in softdrinks. I feel like the fish on finding NEMO who screams for bubbles.

Caffine is a middle school teachers lifeline. However I am finding that I can live on decafe.
I still have a few more appointments to go but I am slowly checking them off the list. Psych eval, neuro, surgeon, nutrition, support groups. Its a lot but will give me some piece of mind when I go for the surgery.
Last week I went to a support group meeting and it was interesting and I learned a lot. 2 more of those to go. However I think I will attend more. I just need to remember to not sit next to the lady who had the surgery had her band slip and gain all her weight back . Not to good for the confidence.

Weight Loss Surgery Here I Come..

Today’s entry will be the beginning of my weight loss journey. I have decided to undergo the Lap Band surgery hopefully in June. I have put a lot of thought and research into this and feel that this is the best way to go for me. I know that once I lose a significant amount of weight I will be able to be more active for my self and my family. For many people this is a controversial way to go and I respect everyone’s opinion and hope they will respect mine.

I have always thought about the surgery but always felt that I was looking for the easy way out. I have tried various weight loss programs like weight watchers, and My Calorie Counter online. I have been able to lose no more than 25 lbs before I plateau and gain it back. Each time I try to exercise I seem to get injured. In the past 7 years I have undergone 6 surgeries for various problems and on c section. As you can imagine my frustration level regarding my weight has risen each year.

I went to my doctor this year and after looking at my past history he recommended the Weight Loss Surgery. I never mentioned it to him that I was thinking of this option and when he suggested it to me I felt as though I had hope once again. I left his office and immediately began looking into the different options and researching the positives and negatives of this life changing surgery.

After a lot of investigation I decided to go to the Baystate Weight Loss Surgery Program. I went to my first introductory meeting in December and that started my process. There are a lot of requirements before the surgery can be scheduled and I am presently in the process of getting through those requirements.

Early in January I had my first meeting with the nutritionist and we set some goals for me. You need to show that you can follow the strict rules after the surgery and also that you can lose weight. As of today I am down 13 lbs just from following the advice of my Nutritionist.

This month my goal is to exercise 4 times a week. Thanks to my great friends at work I am able to swim at school each day. I also can not have any caffeinated coffee. This has not been a big problem however I dread giving up soda next month. BYE BYE COKE ZERO : ( Jeff has been a big help at home cooking some great meals that have protein in them with good veggies.(I HATE VEGGIES) I also can not drink liquids ½ hr before, during and after my meals.

Well that’s all for now I will keep you updated as I move along.

Happy Thanksgiving

Holiday Recipes

It is that time of the year where we are either cooking at home or bringing something to friends and family. I am not the worlds greatest cook but do have a few favorites that I will share with you over the next month or so. In the comments below leave your favorite recipe or what you have to be thankful for over this Thanksgiving week.

Hot Spinach and Tomato Dip

2 pkg of frozen chopped spinach
2 8oz cream cheese (soften)
2 pkg of shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
2 medium tomato chopped
½ medium onion chopped
¼ cup half and half
Salt and pepper for taste

Thaw and drain spinach.
Mix all the ingredients together
Place in a casserole dish
Bake uncovered in a 350 deg oven for 30 min.

Serve with tortilla chips

From the Savoring the Seasons Cookbook.

Good Neighbors are Easy to Find

This entry is going to be about the value of neighbors. It is going to be a bit warm and fuzzy. If you know me personally you know that I am anything but warm and fuzzy. However sometimes things just need to be said. The present state of the economy keeps talking about the value of things going down; one in particular is that of homes. I am not sure about the exact value of my house but I can say there is one immeasurable asset to my house and that is my neighbors and my neighborhood as a whole. We recently had a new family move in next door. They are already close friends of ours and got me thinking about how wonderful all my neighbors are.

People talk about losing the value of their homes and if you are in the business of buying and selling homes this can be a major problem in this economy. When a house is appraised the quality of the neighbors is never measured. Several of my friends live in great locations but have a negative relationship or no relationship with their neighbors. In my opinion this devalues the property. Good neighbors can protect, support the maintenance, and add to the overall comfort of your home.

Being a good neighbor is a two way street you must be willing to give if you are willing to receive. When my husband and I first moved into our neighborhood we never owned our own home. We had no previous experience with neighbors as homeowners. I have learned a lot since that first day.

Introduce yourself to your neighbors: If you want to be a good neighbor take the first step. When we moved in within 1 week we had met every neighbor that bordered our house as well as many more.

Share what you have and return what you borrow: I initially felt guilty about borrowing tools from my neighbor one in particular said “THAT’S WHAT GOOD NEIGHBORS DO.” Now that I have been in my house for 10 years I borrow less and lend more because “that’s what good neighbors do."

Communicate well: Most people do not enjoy a conflict. If something bothers you let them know in a nice non confrontational way. My dad always says “the majority of conflicts are cause by lack of communication.” We have a great dog that tends to bark and when she was young she would run after people and bark at them. I received a note one day from someone who said that my dog made them nervous when they went for a walk. They did not sign the note however it was a kind non confrontational communication. Within one day we put up a temporary fence to keep the dog in the back yard. This allowed the people walking by to not have my dog disturb them. No confrontation and problem solved. I should never have allowed my dog out front to bark at people the note reminded me of my obligations as a dog owner.

Be there: Keep an eye on your neighbors while not being too nosey. Be sure to ask how they are doing when you see them. This is a lot easier in the warmer weather but should be a year round job. We have a mix of ages around our house. Recently one of my neighbors lost her husband so we try and make sure that she knows we are available if she needs us. Something simple like bringing over baked goods like cookies can give you an opportunity to chat and make sure things are ok. She may require more support from her neighbors now but I remember when we moved in her husband was the guy who helped remove bushes and cut down trees when we needed him 8 years ago. Everything evens out over time.

Respect peoples differences: within a neighborhood are a lot of different cultures and beliefs. One issue is parenting issues. The rules in my house are different than in other houses. Parenting is not a competition it is an obligation. Everyone has their own ways to raise their kids. Make sure your child is in a safe place where you are comfortable. Respect what other parents want. For example I let my kid’s ride bikes on their own around the neighborhood and other parents do not. This is not an issue of who is right or wrong. It is right for my children. If they have a friend over who is not allowed to ride on their own then I respect their parents and keep my kids home or walk with them.

My neighbors are great to my family. My kids are great friends with our next door neighbors and they treat them like extended grandchildren. What a great feeling to know that if my kids need to talk, share a success, or need help they have someone next door to listen. This is a great value in my opinion. Where I live is a great place it is filled with great people young, old and every age in between. When we moved in we did not know how to be a good or bad neighbor. My neighbors taught me what I needed to know. The attitude starts with the people who live there. Not everyone will be a great neighbor but make sure that you are. The value of your home will perhaps not increase on paper but it will to you.

Obama should have offered Donuts...

Ok here its, my first political blog post. Before we begin I will explain my political views. I am a Republican in the great Liberal state of Massachusetts. I work in the Liberal world of education and I am a huge minority among my peers. I do not always agree with the Conservative views but find that overall when it comes time to vote I like the Conservative candidates better. I hate political arguments so during election time I steer clear of any political topics around my husband who is always willing to share his points of view.

The recent incident between Harvard Prof. Henry Louis Gates Jr., and Cambridge Sgt. James Crowley have been a topic of conversation in my house. I don't get it. I have a 5 and a 7 yr old daughters and they have been taught and know that if you are approached by a policeman or any other person of authority (teacher, principal, fireman etc.) you show them respect at all times. Why this was difficult to such an educated many like Prof Gates is beyond my comprehension. Prof. Gates is considered a leader in the community and should have shown the police more respect.


Where this story really goes haywire is when POTUS decides to give his opinion on the matter and says the Cambridge police acted "stupidly". POTUS is in charge of the executive branch of our government he has no business interfereing in the actions of a local police department. When that comment backfired and he started feeling the heat he decided to try and arrange a meeting between Sgt. Crowley and Prof. Gates. Not a bad way to resolve a conflict. However his choice for the type of meeting was silly. POTUS invited them all to the White House to discuss the problem over a beer with peanuts and pretzels. Could his choice had been more stereotypical!!! I am surprised they didn't offer coffe and donuts.


Now even their beer choices show that the cop has the most sophisiticated tastes.

• POTUS: Bud Light


• VPOTUS: Bucklers


• Gates: Sam Adams Light


• Crowley: Blue Moon

I have found the location for POTUS's next meeting with the Police Union. (see below)

A Great Week On an Awesome Island

We did all of our “must do’ s” and had a great week. We are very lucky to be able to share my parents house with them for a week every July. The kids behaved great. For all you parents of young kids who think vacationing with kids is like a root canal. IT WILL GET BETTER.

Beaches: were limited this year to Children’s Beach. The kids made some great friends and love the playground and the Gelato so we stayed close to home. I missed Surfside very much but the last time I checked it is not going anywhere. So maybe we will catch it next year.

Restaurants:
Sea Grille: Mom and Dad went there for their night and had enjoyed it very much. Dad had the swordfish and Mom had the Filet with a mushroom cap. This is one of those restaurants that is a can’t miss.

Dune: Jeff and I tried out this new restaurant. I actually sent out a Tweet on Twitter and @zophiaphoto replied and suggested it. We arrived to see that it is owned by Michael Getter the former executive chef at 21 Federal. and American Season (another personal fav) I immediately felt at ease he was amazing in his years at those 2 great restaurants.

I of course started with a refreshing cocktail “Best of Summer” all I know is that it had Absolute Citron, and Lemoncello and sparkling water, very refreshing. Jeff had a corn chowder that was great and I had the Beef Carpaccio. I only trust eating raw meat to nicer restaurants and this was no exception.

Main Course:

• Jeff: Berkshire Pork Chop & Crispy Cheek, mascarpone grits, white peach, sweet onions & basil.
  
• Lisa: Painted Hills Farms Beef Sirloin, crispy fingerlings, great hill blue cheese, pickled shallots & baby green beans.

I am sharing the exact explanation of what we had because it was so yummy. Nantucket is one of those places that I do not mind paying a little (ok a lot) more money for a great meal. You get some really great combinations created by world class chefs.

Dessert: we both had the Marcapone Cheesecake: delicious but I would say the least exciting part of the meal. However having a glass of Belle de Brillet a peach cognac liquor. Yum.

We also tried a new old restaurant. Cys which was formerly the Atlantic Café just opened this spring. They have brought back the original name of the restaurant from the late 1930’s. Their menu was week although the waitress did say that they are working on the menu having just recently opened. The kids loved the fish shaped pasta that was brightly colored. They also love the very nice Barnaby Bear coloring book. I had clams casino (average) and steamers good but not as good as Woodmans in Essex. I would give these guys another try next year. The waitress was great and it was a no hassle dinner out with the kids. That has to be worth something.

The highlight of the trip for me was getting together with Pax and his wife Pam who were great friends of mine back in the early 90’s. They own a winery in California “Windgap Wines” which I am sure to write about later. Mark the manager at Company of the Cauldron joined us and we had an awesome time.

We did a little shopping but on Nantucket you can find so many one of a kind items that you must have only to choke when you see the price tag. I am not quite in the tax bracket of those that can afford a pair of casual sandals for $260. With the kids it is also hard to go into some of the stores. You can quite often hear me saying “you can go in kids but if you touch anything you die!!!”

Overall it was an awesome vacation I learned that I could live a week without the Wii and that my parents and kids love to play games together. Thanks to Claire and Roland (Mom and Dad for a great week.)

Eating your way around Nantucket

I am sitting here watching the traffic build up outside my Union St. house, on a rainy day in Nantucket thinking how lucky I am. This is one of my favorite places to go in the summer. I have spent more than nine summers living here in college and after and have many “must do’s” on my list when I return each summer for a vacation. Now my children are also starting their own “must do” list.

The island has many amazing restaurants so there are a lot of places I love. Jeff and I usually go out one night (sans kids). Here are a few that we love.

• American Seasons
  
• Le Languedoc
  
• Ships Inn

We also have a few family traditions that have been developed through the years.

• Lobster take-out from Sayles Seafood . They cook and do everything for you and you eat at home. (Always the night before the trash gets picked up so we do not have lobster smell all week.)
  
• Sushi by Yoshi – Try a Dynamite Roll. I usually sneak this in for a quick lunch. My oldest daughter is now starting to crave them.
  
• Sea Grill when we have time we like to take the whole family out. The girls think that they are going to a fancy restaurant, the food is great, and they deal with the kids better than me.

Finally here is my kids must do list: (growing each year)

• Juice Bar: every night possible for ice cream. Yumm!! Force Five Water Sports – your typical cool surf shop however in the back of the store is the mother lode. It has candy store to die for. It is also located next door to our house so it is a quick stop.
  
• Nucci’s Italian Ice and Gelato - http://www.nuccisnantucket.com/ this is located at Children’s Beach so if the kids eat lunch they can get some gelato. The only problem is by the end of the day the kids have a posse of friends and this can cost you if you are not careful.

The final “must do” when on Nantucket is to visit John and Kathy at Sweet Inspirations on Centre St. They have the most amazing chocolate treats. I recommend the truffles or chocolate covered cranberries. Their chocolate almond butter crunch was the favor for our guests at my wedding. Well I hope you enjoy my list please share any of your island favorites with me.

Stories from a Swim Team Mom…

I am a mother of 2 girls ages 5 and 7. My oldest started on the Holyoke Y Vikings Swim Team last summer and my youngest started this summer. So I have had the chance to experience a full year of HYV swimming. We have had a great year and love the sport.

When I was growing up I was a really into ski racing and always hoped my kids would follow that route. However with the closing of Mt. Tom my dreams of the next Picabo Street were dashed. The kids started taking lessons at the Y very early. This was done for safety but more importantly when they know how to swim I can sit on the beach and watch instead of living in the water. The swim lessons were awesome and soon my oldest started watching the team as they started practice. Soon she was told she could swim well enough to join the team.

I was nervous when she started. I really did not think she was ready but Carrie the Aquatics director assured me that she could do it. Her improvement was amazing and soon she was entering her first race. My youngest went through the same routine this summer and is also coming along well. Her favorite part is swimming with Randy on Wednesday’s. It is a smaller group and they really have a fun time while learning a lot.

There are a lot of things great with this program. At the 8 and under level they stress the basics. It is not very different from my ski racing training. Learn the basics and the speed will come. They are led by Coach Carrie (different from the Carrie mentioned above) She also also teaches commitment and responsibility to the team for both the parents and the swimmers. My 7 yr old lectured me on this topic recently when I suggested that we miss the Championships to head to Nantucket. Not that I think a 7 yr old cannot miss a meet but if it is that important to her I will make it important for me. The coaching staff is top notch led by Randy Smith who has been coaching the team so long he is now coaching the children of kids he taught to swim.

The most important thing that I like about the HYV program is the quality of kids on the team. Every kid on that team has a strong character and great personalities. At a recent race at Springfield College my oldest was swimming the breast stroke. This is a 50 m pool (Olympic size) and for my little kid it is a long way to the end. She is not the best swimmer in the pool as a matter of fact for the 50 m events she is usually DFL (dead F*#*# last) . We are still waiting for the speed to come. Everyone in her heat had finished and it was taking her a while yet every kid on her team was cheering her on from the side or at the end of the pool. When she saw all the older kids at the end of the pool she pushed herself to finish.