National Nerd, er Pi, Day

Math is not my strong suit anymore. Yet, just like a lot of other common folk, we think we're mathematical geniuses on Pi Day. If the nerds among us hadn't started observing it years ago, we wouldn't either. We pride ourselves in knowing the first numbers after the decimal – 14 – even though there's an endless stream after that.

So what? It's an excuse to have pie! Or some other treat if none of your co-workers celebrated it with you by bringing one in. My treat came later...

My friend and former co-worker Colleen and I had vowed after I left Renaissance that we'd try to get together once a month for a yummy Pineapple Express Burger (pineapple, sriracha and peanut butter) at Jennings downtown. Well it hasn't been monthly. In fact our last month burger was right before Thanksgiving. But hey, we're trying. At least we're not giving up!

Was great to catch up over one of our favorite treats. Will always treasure the time we worked together but I wouldn't trade my current situation for anything.

Except, maybe, some coconut cream pie. Or Andes Mint pie. Or warm apple pie with ice cream... The pie list could be as long as Pi!

Three Point One Four Something Something

March 14 is such a fun day. We all walk around like we're mathematically gifted because we know today – 3/14 – is consider Pi Day.

You know, Pi. That number that starts with 3.14 and goes on and on. You know, Pi. The ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. Duh.

It has nothing to do with "pie" but it sounds like a good excuse to have some!

But no one brought any to work. And we don't have any kind of pie at home. Not the good pumpkin or apple or Schwan's Andes Mint kind. And not a pizza pie either. Though a slice of sausage and pepperoni pie sounds pretty delish about now.

My challenge, though, is that I can't eat it. No. Not a diet. I went to the dentist after work and even though the allotted two hours have passed, I still don't have 100% feeling back on the left side of my mouth. I tried some rice cakes but I bit my tongue.

That's would never happen with a mushy piece of coconut cream pie. Ohmigosh. I'm suddenly starving!

Anyway, I opted not to go to choir practice tonight. I still look like the Joker from Batman when I smile. And I couldn't open my pie hole all the way.

That's a national holiday in itself. Enjoy it while it lasts!

Lasts Shall Be First

The emotional day has arrived. It was Carter's LAST first day of school – as far as this scrapbooking momma goes. I mean, I could take a picture his first day of college next year, but then he'd never come home again!

Assumption high schoolers started today and the seniors did not have to report until 10 a.m. so that was nice. Except I had to take my "lunch break" at 9:30 a.m. to run home and get the all-important photo! If you can't read the sign, it says "278 days until graduation!"

Uff da.

Every time I think time is going fast, it starts to go even faster! I was warned by other parents about this, but I guess I have been in denial. Now we have come to the first "last."

This will be the year of a lot of LASTs – from athletic competitions to band concerts to having Carter home for every little holiday and birthday. OK, now I might cry.

Of course, this will also be our last year of serving as his personal alarm clock and dragging his butt out of bed. He did get up on his own this morning, but how hard it that when you get 8 hours of sleep AND you start school mid-morning? We'll see how it goes this year.

His schedule is not super easy. He's got his 5th year of German, 6th year (counting junior high) of band, some good ol' calculus, statistics and physics, some non-favorites – English and religion – and I think creative writing. Not sure but it's a full load so we can expect more late nights and grumpy mornings. But enough about me...

Seriously, I hope he treasures these last two Royal semesters and makes the most of them. I know in his mind, especially after senior pictures yesterday, he is already ready to move on. Guess I'll have to hold him hostage in my arms a little bit longer...

UW-Peek

This has been quite the year for adjustment for this momma. I am used to – and appreciate – Carter driving everywhere on his own. Still worry a bit, but it is sooo convenient. Am adjusting to the fact that Junior Prom is coming up and, well, he's a junior so this is the work / decorate year. I had a tough time when I signed him up for his upcoming ACT test, knowing that is the first step toward college.

Today, though, was the "mother" of them all for me. His first official college visit.

We both struggled to get up and on the road by 6 a.m., but we did it. Between fog and lots of rain, we basically hydro-planed our way down to UW-Platteville.... located in the far southwest corner of the state, close to Texas and Mexico, I think.

It did take us just a hair under 3 hours so that wasn't bad. And we got there just in time for the start of the EMS (Engineering, Math & Science) Expo. Staged in two of the academic buildings, it was an open-house style of event with a ton of student demonstrations and hands-on activities for wanna-be engineers.

I didn't realize that there would be all ages groups there, including students that were probably treating it more as a field trip than a college fact-finding mission. Still, that worked out fine for us. When the kids would leave the room, Carter and I would talk to the presenters about their specific area of engineering, how they liked the school, where they came from, why they chose Platteville for engineering over some of the bigger schools that we plan to visit yet (Madison and Minnesota), and more. I dusted off my reporting skills, ha, but then sort of forced Carter into doing the talking / asking. He did fine and felt really good about the visit.

We were both glad that you can enter the college as an engineering major but don't have to define that to a specific area until you are a junior. Meanwhile, all your engineering-related classes will apply to any specific major in that department. He can gets exposure to all 8 or 10 categories before choosing.

I imagine we'll hear similar stories at the other two schools but this was a good starting point. A good first UW-PEEK! The campus is small in comparison and he can decide if that's a good point or bad point for him. Class sizes (student/teacher ration) are small, too, which he considers a good point. The tuition there would be less than the other two, and he probably isn't concerned about that point!

We'll take it one step, one visit, at a time.

Even though I had my internal maternal struggle about setting this ball in motion, it was exciting, too. And, of course, we both feel blessed our son has a good head on his shoulders – even if it was slumped over in sleep while I white-knuckled us back home in the deluge.

The things we do for love.

Top Ten (or Less)

Some recent highlights that are TOP of mind anyway...

Strangest Overheard Conversation: A woman at the fitness center was explaining to her friend: "Do you know what a Freudian slip is? It's when you say something and it sounds like you mean something else. It was named after a scientist named Freudian." Oh, my college psych professor must be rolling in his grave!

Most Misguided Misconception: Hubby and I stopped at Target to check out their bathroom "accessories" for our someday "new" bathroom. On the way out, I noticed fashion boots on clearance so I had to check those out. Jim (who gave me 2 of my 5 pairs) says, "I would have thought you were over the boot thing by now." Oh honey, I am just getting started! Not really, but I do want some gray ones. Ooooh, and I saw some cool purple ones, too! Now that I know they are on clearance, I may have to browse around this weekend.

Gold Digger: I'm having a "Gold Party" next weekend. If you've never heard of it, the hostess has a gold buyer (jeweler) available in her home so people can drop by and cash in their old or broken or unwanted jewelry. Why would I do this? Well I went to one the other night, managed to have 3 pieces of old stuff qualify as gold and I walked out with $240 in my pocket. That's enough to cover my next scrapbooking weekend! Not a bad night's work for doing nothing. I hadn't worn the stuff in 15 or 20 years so I won't be missing anything. Now I just want other people to have the same opportunity. My party/cash-in date is Sunday, Jan. 27, from 3:30-5:30 p.m. Let me know if you are interested. All are welcome to stop by and share in the riches!

Disturbing Sign of Aging: We had a meeting at school tonight to register Carter for his sophomore classes. Yes, sophomore! That's 10th grade! Whoa. The conversation has jumped from ABC to ACT in a few short years, it seems. Does he know what he wants to be when he grows up? Not really. Still wants to use his math skills but isn't sure how. For now, his classes will keep him moving in the right direction. No rush, I say.

Closest Brush with a Head of State: On our way home from registration, we stopped at The Ridges for their regular Thursday night pizza buffet. The parking lot was packed. It wasn't until we got close to the door and saw the two long black cars and a state patrol car still running that we remembered the governor was in town. No, we did not have pizza with Scott Walker. He was in the banquet hall next door speaking at a chamber dinner. Our pizza tasted just fine without the politics.

And That's Final: It's finals week for Carter's first semester of high school. These days -- at our school anyway -- they treat finals just like college. No classes, just testing. There are three 2-hour sessions each day and time for an "off campus" lunch, too. On Wednesday he had 3 finals, today he had 2 and tomorrow he has 1. Then he's done for the day and can come home. Not surprisingly, Carter said, "This may seem weird, but I like finals week. Not because of the tests, but because of the schedule." In other words, Culver's and McDonald's taste better than school lunch. Who can dispute that?

Subject Matter

Since we just got back from parent-teacher conferences, I will divide up my Monday briefs by school subject matter...

Reading: We got a scare the other day when Carter got an overdue book notice in the mail from the city library. He had 2 Mayflower books checked out and renewed for his research paper. Unfortunately, he wasn't quite done with them when the second renewal came up. And he didn't renew them. So the letter stated the books are due. And the only monetary figure listed: $29.95. What?? I told Carter he would have to dig into his fish bowl and pay for at least half.

He was prepared to do so, too, but when we got to the library, the worker said we only owed $2.60. "Are you sure?" I asked. "Because we got a letter..." She quickly jumps in and says, "Oh I wish they would be more clear in those. They consider the book 'missing' so the total is what it costs to replace the book." So we didn't owe $29.95 and no, Carter did not learn a lesson. As soon as he knew he didn't have to fork over 20 bucks, he says, "Can we stop at Wal-Mart then so I can get an iTunes card?"

Writing: Carter was quite upset to learn yesterday that I blog about him. Seriously? What does he think I've been writing about for 5 years? A girl can only pontificate so many times on my love for ice cream, the Vikings, the Twins and scrapbooking. He mainly doesn't want me to say anything bad about him. I understand that. But I also can't paint the picture that he is a perfect child when he's not. Sure I like to brag about him, but I can't overlook the fact that he is becoming a snarky teenager. In the coming years, I suspect that will fuel more words from my fingertips than anything else!

Arithmetic: If you do the math -- and Carter's good at it -- he should have known that if he divided his homework over his 4 days off, he could have gotten it done with minimal stress. Instead, despite prompting from his nagging parents over the long weekend, he waited until today. He told me last night, "Call me when you get to work, no matter how early it is, so I can get up and get going on homework." Well, I called at 7:30, 7:35, 7:40, skipped to 8, then 8:02, etc. The caller ID registered that I called 29 times over the course of 3 hours until he finally got up. Guess who's fault it was? Not the teenager's. I'm sure he's still stewing about as he struggles through his 70 pages of reading in the basement. Do the math next time, kiddo, and save yourself the headache!

Social Studies: As long as I'm writing this whole blog about my favorite subject matter, I might as well wrap up with his parent-teacher conferences. It's usually a pretty positive experience. The teachers like him and appreciate his polite manner and respect and effort to get good grades. We learned tonight, though, that we have a blossoming social butterfly in the house. I don't know where he gets that from, but neither hubby nor I are taking the blame on that one.

Or is it the credit? Thanks to my big mouth, you know him as well as we do. You decide.

Focus

When I was 13 years old, this is what I wrote in my diary for March 13, 1981:

Dear Diary,

Today one of my friends told me that Darrin wrote Robyn + Darrin in his tablet. So now, if they're right, a boy likes me and I like a boy, but the boy I like isn't the boy that likes me. I wish Ross did like me. Maybe he does. I just wish I knew 'cause I like him very much.

G'night.

If my 13-year-old son kept a diary, his entry for March 13, 2012, might go something like this:

Dear Diary,

Today my parents and I met with the guidance counselor at school to map out a career plan for me. They call it an Individual Learning Plan and it will help me take all the right classes to prepare me for college, plus participate in plenty of community and service projects to build a resume for scholarships and college applications. We discussed lots of assessment tests I've already taken in Middle School -- academics to personality -- and everything points to me using my wonderful math or logic skills. Should be an interesting journey.

Oh, and I think a girl likes me.

G'night.

OK, not sure Carter would word it that way, but you see my point. Anything related to my future -- other than marrying Ross or Darrin -- was far from my mind in 8th grade. It's a different world today.

But that's a good thing.

We felt encouraged after our meeting today knowing our school does emphasize college and career prep -- and doesn't wait until the last minute to get it started. Sure, Carter might want to be a math teacher, architect or engineer, but he doesn't have to decide that for sure right now. Just sort of point his Learning Plan in that direction, focus, focus, focus and refine it as time goes on.

Phew. Can't believe we're having this conversation. I sort of sat there dumbfounded, thinking we could not possibly be talking about my baby deciding on a college in 3+ years. No, that is someone else's kid. Isn't it?

In my defense as a boy-crazed teenage girl, Carter is not necessarily more mature than me at 13. I am sure my son would be writing something similar about the girls -- if he had a diary.

Of course, if he did, I will admit he is smart enough not to let me find it.

He's using his brain for something!

Prep School

It's Finals Week this week at Assumption and I am having flashbacks to my days as a student. I don't recall high school finals much but definitely remember pulling "all-nighters" for those college tests. Uff da. I could not handle that now!

Carter did not show any signs of stress or late nighters even. I probably wouldn't have known it was Finals Week by his study habits, just happened to see it on the Middle School newsletter. I guess we should have impressed upon him that Finals are a big deal and account for a good chunk of his grade so he better hope to ace them!

Too late now. He'll know for next time.

As an 8th-grader, he only has two high school level classes now anyway -- German I and Algebra I. So he's sort of easing into the Finals thing and getting prepped for next year. If all goes well this week and at the end of the school year, he'll have some high school credits on the books. That's very cool.

At this point, we're going to assume he does OK because next week is already 9th-grade orientation (help!) and the week after that is high school class registration (oh my!). Is this really happening?

I know you think the reason I can't believe my baby is almost a high-schooler is that he's still so cute and cuddly. That could be part of it. But mainly it's because he's almost in high school and yet we still have to tell him 5 times to take a shower each night (tonight was only 4) and remind him practically daily to brush his teeth and make his bed (that's fallen way off his priority list).

He actually did much better with those things when he was younger. We might have to revert to his old daily check-off list of things to do before school: Eat breakfast; brush teeth; feed kitty; make bed; turn down heat.

Of course, he'll probably add his own: Watch ESPN Sportscenter; charge iPod; check emails from girlfriends...

Yep, I'm having flashbacks to my days as a boy-crazy student and this doesn't bode well.

Rain + Sleet + Snow = Wisconsin Spring

If the mailman can brave rain, sleet and snow to get his job done, we parents can do the same to get to parent-teacher conferences. It's just what we do.

Today was a miserable messy March day that is so typical of Wisconsin. A little rain here, some snow there, top it off with some sleet and make it really hazardous. That's Spring for you.

We had teacher conferences at school from 4-8 p.m. We did not take Carter with us but slid, er drove, straight there from work. I white-knuckled it on the way there, but in the end, it was worth it.

Heard some good things about Carter -- he's polite, smart, respectful, a "steady Eddie," proper, funny and friendly. No surprise since he takes after me, right? (OK, I'll give Daddy some credit, too.) Yes, we are very proud. We told him it's just as important to hear positive reports on his behavior, attitude and demeanor as it is to hear about good grades. Though it doesn't hurt to hear our math whiz is being placed in a high school algebra class next year. (Honestly, math was one of my best subjects!)

After conferences, we slipped, slided and slushed our way home. I was so focused on just getting home and hoping we don't have to leave again that I completely forgot I was going to stop at a friend's to borrow some Cricut cartridges. You know the weather is bad if it can block out scrapbooking thoughts!

I'll have to get those another day. It's lightning and thundering out now. And the way the "mixed" forecast looks, tomorrow might not be the day either.

Be careful out there!

Good Effort

Our day of competitions turned out alright today.

The guys were up and out the door a little after 9 a.m. for Carter's Knights of Columbus math competition. He won at district, where only one person could advance to the diocesan level. So today he was competing against all the district winners in the La Crosse Diocese. The top 2 finishers advance to state.

Carter was pretty confident going into this thing. This morning, he said, "Who knew I'd be a math whiz? It's kind of fun." He told me later he felt good about the test when it was done so yes, he was surprised and disappointed not to finish in the top 2. The good news, though, is that he finished 3rd so not only does he get a medal, he is an alternate to state -- just in case.

We are very proud of him! He's already talking about "acing it" next year!

Meanwhile, the Desperate Housewives of Blue Jay Drive were at it again! We bundled up good (thankfully!) for a chilly, windy Point Bock Run.

Every time I have a race, I go into it with 3 goals based on my training and relative preparedness and confidence. A finishing time that will make me Happy (something I can live with but won't brag about), one that will make me Thrilled (doing much better than expected based on lack of training and prep work) and one that will make me Ecstatic (a personal best time for that distance).

Today I told myself I'd be thrilled with an 11-minute mile pace (55-minute finish) because I just haven't been running regularly or far enough. I would have been ecstatic to beat my previous 5-mile time of about 51 minutes (just a hair over 10-minute miles).

This was the biggest race I've ran in terms of participation -- 2,000 runners! When the starting gun went off, it literally took a minute before I reached the starting line! Thank goodness this was on electronic chip timing so we didn't lose anything by starting further back in the pack.

The course itself was pretty straightforward -- out 2.5 miles then back. There was a lengthy slow incline hill toward the turn-around but I was not forced to walk it. There was plenty of wind, though, so I am glad I added one more thin layer before I left the house!

I wasn't totally dying or anything with my legs or breathing, but I had planned ahead I'd walk a half minute every 15 minutes. This is probably what helped me keep going. I shouldn't have had to walk at all -- but in the end, I think that gave me just enough recovery time to finish strong. I was totally surprised -- and Thrilled -- that I finished only a minute slower than my last race! Whoo-hoo! Plus, only due to the number of participants, I can say I finished faster than nearly 400 women (ha). My neighbors Cindy and Niki did well, too, so we were a happy bunch.

The big draw of this race was that runners get free Point Bock Beer after the race -- if you can imagine actually drinking beer after a 5-mile run! People certainly did. After my water and banana, I enjoyed Point Bock Root Beer and that was fine with me.

Several hours later, I got a better treat. I told Carter no matter how we did in our respective competitions today, we'd celebrate with Shamrock Shakes.

Hey, I don't have a shirt that says "I run on ice cream" for nothin'!

Ready or Not

Saturday will be a challenging day for us. Physically challenging for me and mentally challenging for Carter.

To prep for my 5-mile Point Bock Run, I concentrated on hydrating today, carbing up on spaghetti at supper and will get to bed early.

To prep for his math competition, Carter is "boxing" on the Wii.

That seems to be the better approach. He's concentrating on his moves so he has no time for worries. Sounds good until someone like me tries it and I throw my back out the night before a race.

Yup, I best stay put.

I am looking forward to a little reading tonight. Unfortunately too late for tomorrow's run, I got in the mail this week my new running training journal and The Complete Book of Women's Running. I just started the book and am already loving how it caters to us females. The two pieces of running equipment we must not pinch pennies over are shoes and a good sports bra. Oh yes, this is my kind of book!

I look forward to using the training journal for my future races this year. Tomorrow, I will just have to wing it and, well, just do it! Physically, I'm not quite ready for it but we have to start the new "season" somewhere.

Hopefully, my lucky Twins hat will carry me through again!

Carter, on the other hand, doesn't need any luck. He's got the skill. ...If he's not too sore to lift his pencil!

Gray Matter and White Matter

A winter day wouldn't be the same without the use of some gray matter (brains) or white matter (snow).

Today was the annual Knights of Columbus Math, Spelling and Free Throw Competition. A student could pick and choose what they want to compete in or do all 3. Just like last year, Carter the over-achiever did all 3.

Carter ended up finishing first in Math, which means he moved on to the district competition in March, and finished second in Spelling behind his friend Mason from school.

In the free-throw competition, Carter took first for 12-year-old boys and his friend and classmate Brady took first for 13-year-old boys. So they both get to move on to a regional competition in March (different weekend than the academic one).

After such a successful morning, we had to celebrate with a blizzard at Dairy Queen, which opened yesterday after a way too long winter hiatus! Thank you, Carter!

Before coming home, we decided to swing by the South Wood County Humane Society Souper Snow Sculpture Spectacular. We're so glad we did! Lots of neat stuff going on as a fund-raiser for the shelter. Check these out...

The humane society dog sculpture -- which doubled as a slide.

Carter's always a fan of the Rubik's Cube!

I had to take a picture of a snow dolphin -- especially since I knew my sister Rayna in Texas was taking my parents on a dolphin tour cruise around South Padre Island today. I bet the dolphins they saw were warmer!

Loved the detail in this eagle!

The Princess & the Frog takes shape.

I loved the added touch the yellow snow gave to this hydrant!

Of course there's cheese! This is Wisconsin!

We thought this was the most creative concept. A man reading his newspaper in an outhouse. Funny!

Any fans of the Madagascar kids' movie will recognize these penguins!

Meet Roscoe the river rat -- mascot for the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters professional baseball team!

We might just have to swing by tomorrow to view these in their completed stage. Looking at the forecast, there's no chance these will melt overnight.

What a creative use of gray matter and white matter!

And You Thought I'd Never Use Algebra

One of the first equations without numbers we all learned in algebra was something simple like this: if a > b and b > c, then a > c. Seems so logical, I thought I'd apply it to real life.

So going into Carter's baseball game tonight, I figured: if Reds > Orioles and Orioles > Brewers, then surely the Reds > Brewers. Right?

There's a reason we said in high school that we'd never use algebra in real life. It'll only get you in trouble. Sometimes those rock-solid thoroughly proven algebraic equations don't add up.

I will say that we could have and should have won. We had a few chances with loaded bases where we could have run up the score. We just couldn't stretch the momentum. In the end, we lost 7-4. But we're pretty OK with that in the Austin household.

Our little lefty finally started swinging.

And that was a good thing. I told him before the game if he didn't get a hit, he'd have to walk home. Hey, it's only 3 miles, if that. I don't know if that was a motivator or the fact that two 6th-grade girls (including his ex, the redhead) were in the stands. Either way, he got moving.

In Carter's first at-bat, he swung at the first pitch and got a foul ball. He had a few balls and ended up striking out. I was so relieved that he struck out swinging, I didn't even mind the out. (Probably some other parents did, but oh well.)

In his second at-bat, I thought he was going to let the pitcher walk him, but all of sudden he's swinging at a pitch he should be swinging at and, lo and behold, he knocks it over the head of the second baseman. Whoo-hoo! We finally have a hit!

(And Carter has a ride home.)

He was pretty jacked about that hit and some good base running (he didn't even slide so no laundry for Mom tonight). I guess it's better late than never. Like Coach Austin said, "One hit does not a season make." So hopefully he'll keep the momentum going into Wednesday's league game and this weekend's tournament games. For that, it's a pretty good time to start hitting.

Let's hope it starts to add up like it's suppose to. (Not that I know anything about math.)

Pride and Joy

My husband is sooooo lucky. Not only does he have a trophy wife, he's got a trophy son now, too! (Stop laughing. Part of that sentence is true, honest!)

Today Carter participated in a Knights of Columbus math, spelling and free-throw competition for Wisconsin Rapids students. It was something he thought a few weeks ago that maybe he'd do and then decided last night before he went to bed that, yes, he'd do it.

I think he was a little nervous. He actually woke up at 5:15 this morning and then, so he wouldn't wake us up, he finished reading a book he has to test on on Monday. I know. Some days I wonder, too. Whose kid is this?!

Both the math and spelling competitions ended up being written tests. So there was no spelling bee, per se, just 50 groups of words where Carter had to identify which word (if any) was misspelled, then spell it correctly.

When they announced the winners, they started with math. "In second place for 6th-graders is Austin Carter!" OK, we knew who he meant! Carter got a medallion for that (pictured above).

When they announced spelling and someone else got second, I figured Carter was out of it. Math, after all, is his best subject. He says anyway. But then they said, "And first place in spelling goes to Austin Carter!" Whoo-hoo. Then one of the Knights (who knows Jim, 'cause everyone does) said to the announcer, "That should be Carter Austin. Austin is his last name." No biggie. Not like they were engraving the trophy or anything! We did find out that by placing first, he'll have to compete at the district level in March. Thankfully, that's being held in Plover, a town only 15 minutes or so away.


The free-throw competition was happening after lunch so we took a lunch break at Taco John's and headed back to the school. Unlike the first two parts, we actually got to watch the hoops action. Each contestant had to shoot 15 free throws -- 3 rounds of 5 attempts. When Carter started out 4 out of 5, we thought, are you kidding me? Is he going to win this, too???

Silly parents. You gotta wait until it all plays out. He got cocky in the second round and then choked in the third. But managed somehow to finish second among 11-year-old boys. So he got another medallion for that, too.

It was quite a day for our pride and joy! We hadn't even gotten out of the parking lot yet and Daddy says, "Now Momma's got something to blog about Carter!" Seriously, it's not all about the blog. Well, sort of. This is how I can send a message to my whole family without having Carter make 10 separate phone calls.

He did call all the grandparents, though. He says to my mom, who always excelled in language arts, "Well, my mom thought you'd be especially proud of me, Grandma, since you like spelling so much!" Of course, she was proud. They all were.

We are, too. Nice work, son!