Forest City put together this survey to help plan our school situation with the Denver Public Schools.
Go take it!
Personally, we moved here so that our kids could walk to the public school, with the same neighborhood kids. So that they could go to a good high school. But if our 3 year old is #20 on the waitlist for ECE, what will happen when he gets to kindergarten? Will there be 30 kids in his classroom?
I think the days of one public school where all the neighborhood kids go, a one-size-fits-all approach, and public high school -- easy classes, football games, prom -- are gone. With all the charter school options -- Chinese, Spanish, adventure, science, the arts -- public school as we know it is done. Charter schools and private schools look pretty appealing when my kid might start kindergarten in a trailer with an oversized class. And we pay a lot of tax dollars to live in Stapleton, so I better be able to take those tax dollars to my school of choice!
I'm having to rethink all my preconceived notions about school. How about you?
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
Any 3 year olds out there?
Where are all the kids this summer? Especially the 3 year olds?
We enrolled in Music Together, again, and the other kids are all babies -- like, crawlers. We started Music Together at 18 months, which I thought was pretty young. My son has loved it, and at 3 seems to be the perfect age: he sings, he knows the words, he claps with some semblance of rhythm, he plays the various instruments. He doesn't seem to notice he's by far the biggest kid in the class. The teacher assures me that he's not too old, but... my 3 month old seems to fit in better than my 3 year old.
Then his parents-day-out program has lost all its 3 year olds, too. Lots of 2 year olds, but he's again the biggest kid there. Today I got a call, he's feeling tired, can you come get him? Are all the parents-day-out programs shifting over, as the 3 year olds get ready to head to preschool?
Even the pool seems empty of 3 year olds. Lots of toddlers, but no kids his age.
I'm beginning to feel like we're in some sort of twilight zone. Like all the 3 year olds are in some fun and fabulous summer camp that we missed out on. I've heard once your kid reaches 4, it's all about summer camps. Where are you all?
We enrolled in Music Together, again, and the other kids are all babies -- like, crawlers. We started Music Together at 18 months, which I thought was pretty young. My son has loved it, and at 3 seems to be the perfect age: he sings, he knows the words, he claps with some semblance of rhythm, he plays the various instruments. He doesn't seem to notice he's by far the biggest kid in the class. The teacher assures me that he's not too old, but... my 3 month old seems to fit in better than my 3 year old.
Then his parents-day-out program has lost all its 3 year olds, too. Lots of 2 year olds, but he's again the biggest kid there. Today I got a call, he's feeling tired, can you come get him? Are all the parents-day-out programs shifting over, as the 3 year olds get ready to head to preschool?
Even the pool seems empty of 3 year olds. Lots of toddlers, but no kids his age.
I'm beginning to feel like we're in some sort of twilight zone. Like all the 3 year olds are in some fun and fabulous summer camp that we missed out on. I've heard once your kid reaches 4, it's all about summer camps. Where are you all?
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Acupuncture to shrink the postpartum pooch
The other day my 3 year old asked me if I was ever going to get my belly button back.
Good question.
Four months postpartum, and I still have the pooch. I'm finding it much harder to lose the baby weight the second time around.
After my first son was born, I was hit with postpartum thyroiditis. That meant my thyroid shot into overdrive. I couldn't sleep and was incredibly anxious (swiffering the floor 3-4 times a day), but I could eat anything I wanted and the pounds were flying off. Then my thyroid shut down; the pounds came back, along with fatigue. I was up and down like this for a year or so. My acupuncturist became my savior.
This time, my thyroid is normal, but I still see Dr. Lin at the True Mind Center for Chinese Medicine to help keep my hormones in balance and to help me lose the baby weight. I saw her all through pregnancy, too -- she helped with the morning sickness, kept the aches & pains to a minimum, helped prepare me for labor and unmedicated childbirth, and even helped get the contractions going when it was time.
She does a technique called cupping on me, where she places glass cups on my back. The glass creates a vaccuum, and a perfectly round purple spot. (Remember the photos of Gwyneth Paltrow with cupping marks?)
The purpose of cupping is to help release toxins from the body -- it brings blood circulation to the area.
She did something called flash-cupping on my tummy, where she put the cups on for just a second, then pulled them off, again and again. To increase circulation to the area. They can do this for cellulite, too.
She also put needles in my tummy to help tone the muscles. Remind them that they once existed. Encourage my belly button to make another appearance.
Good question.
Four months postpartum, and I still have the pooch. I'm finding it much harder to lose the baby weight the second time around.
After my first son was born, I was hit with postpartum thyroiditis. That meant my thyroid shot into overdrive. I couldn't sleep and was incredibly anxious (swiffering the floor 3-4 times a day), but I could eat anything I wanted and the pounds were flying off. Then my thyroid shut down; the pounds came back, along with fatigue. I was up and down like this for a year or so. My acupuncturist became my savior.
This time, my thyroid is normal, but I still see Dr. Lin at the True Mind Center for Chinese Medicine to help keep my hormones in balance and to help me lose the baby weight. I saw her all through pregnancy, too -- she helped with the morning sickness, kept the aches & pains to a minimum, helped prepare me for labor and unmedicated childbirth, and even helped get the contractions going when it was time.
She does a technique called cupping on me, where she places glass cups on my back. The glass creates a vaccuum, and a perfectly round purple spot. (Remember the photos of Gwyneth Paltrow with cupping marks?)
The purpose of cupping is to help release toxins from the body -- it brings blood circulation to the area.
She did something called flash-cupping on my tummy, where she put the cups on for just a second, then pulled them off, again and again. To increase circulation to the area. They can do this for cellulite, too.
She also put needles in my tummy to help tone the muscles. Remind them that they once existed. Encourage my belly button to make another appearance.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Mr. Colfax... er, Tasty Colfax
I think you buy a ticket for $20, and on July 28, sample food from a bunch of restaurants along the Blue Bird Beat -- like Mezcal, Stella, Tommy's Thai... I think that's what it is. Love the promo.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
DPS meeting with Stapleton about additional school space: August 5
From my inbox:
DPS to Engage with Stapleton on School Space Issues – August 5th Meeting Planned
On August 5th (6:45 p.m.) at William Roberts School, Denver Public Schools will engage with the Stapleton community regarding the need for additional school space in the next several years. The district is aware that the school age population in Stapleton is growing quickly. DPS is working diligently to understand the demographic pressures on the existing schools within Stapleton due to this growth. Initially a third DPS School was planned to be built in Stapleton south of I-70 around the 2010 school year. Due to the economic climate, there are insufficient funds available through the Tax Increment Financing (the funding method that pays for public improvements at Stapleton) to currently cover the costs of that project as originally planned. Therefore, other potential solutions need to be developed and implemented.
DPS is taking this issue seriously and working on a number of possible scenarios to address growing enrollment with Forest City, the Stapleton Foundation and the administrations of Westerly Creek and Bill Roberts schools.
DPS to Engage with Stapleton on School Space Issues – August 5th Meeting Planned
On August 5th (6:45 p.m.) at William Roberts School, Denver Public Schools will engage with the Stapleton community regarding the need for additional school space in the next several years. The district is aware that the school age population in Stapleton is growing quickly. DPS is working diligently to understand the demographic pressures on the existing schools within Stapleton due to this growth. Initially a third DPS School was planned to be built in Stapleton south of I-70 around the 2010 school year. Due to the economic climate, there are insufficient funds available through the Tax Increment Financing (the funding method that pays for public improvements at Stapleton) to currently cover the costs of that project as originally planned. Therefore, other potential solutions need to be developed and implemented.
DPS is taking this issue seriously and working on a number of possible scenarios to address growing enrollment with Forest City, the Stapleton Foundation and the administrations of Westerly Creek and Bill Roberts schools.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
The garden project
You may recall that I had grand intentions to start a vegetable garden this year in my backyard. Luckily, I remembered that I had a newborn to consume most of my summer time, and so I stuck with just one oversize pot to try some tomatoes and a few plants in the ground.
Well, with all the rain, my tomato plants in the pot are going gangbusters, along with a cilantro plant.
I've tried to grow cilantro in pots for the last four summers. They never survive. I love love love cilantro.
My strawberry plants in the ground didn't fare so well. They each had bunches of cute little red strawberries, until last night a rabbit thief ate every last one of them.
The sole survivor is my jalepeno plant. Check out that baby!
Well, with all the rain, my tomato plants in the pot are going gangbusters, along with a cilantro plant.
I've tried to grow cilantro in pots for the last four summers. They never survive. I love love love cilantro.
My strawberry plants in the ground didn't fare so well. They each had bunches of cute little red strawberries, until last night a rabbit thief ate every last one of them.
The sole survivor is my jalepeno plant. Check out that baby!
If you need a chuckle...
Check out Genius in a Bottle:
"As in all great affairs, Mark Sanford fell in love simultaneously with a woman and himself — with the dashing new version of himself he saw in her molten eyes...
"No, he was someone altogether more fascinating: Marco, international man of mystery and suave god of sex and tango."
"As in all great affairs, Mark Sanford fell in love simultaneously with a woman and himself — with the dashing new version of himself he saw in her molten eyes...
"No, he was someone altogether more fascinating: Marco, international man of mystery and suave god of sex and tango."
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