Back from our annual ski trip. This year went great. Those of you who were around last year will remember that last year's trip was no fun. For starters, it was our bi-annual trip with dh's parents, and I wouldn't choose to spend time with them. The kids were sick for more than half the vacation (strep throat). My f-i-l fell and broke 5 ribs and was in hospital the last half of the vacation. And we arrived home to a dead cat (not our only pet). Kind of a topper-offer to the vaccy.
This year, we were at my sister's, the snow was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING and FANTASTIC!! But you know over in my bio where it (used to) says that I don't miss driving in the snow? I'm going to change that to "really, really, REALLY don't miss having to drive in the snow." B/c I was reminded how much I don't like having to fight the traffic and the conditions. I kept explaining to dh (who has only ever had to drive in the snow on vacation -- I swear that it's different when you're fighting traffic to get to work before the end of the day and yes, I was on vacation but I was reminded of how bad it can get). Sitting inside when it's snowing and reading is lots of fun. Skiing in incredible snow is fun, too. If only I could do both at the same time -- I need a transporter accident like they had in the old Star Trek shows where I get split in two in the morning and then put back into one at the end of the day, so one of me can ski and one of me can read during the day.
Our flight coming home was cancelled b/c of the weather. I wasn't
upset -- I had a place to stay and a ride to get there (and considering how bad the visibility was getting to the airport from the strong winds and blowing snow, I wasn't sure I wanted to be in an airplane just then). Just wishing I
could have skied that day and that I hadn't washed the sheets and
re-made the bed for my sister's next guest (arriving this weekend --
she's very popular this time of year LOL).
While I was gone, amazon.com announced it would be buying audible.com. Very interesting. I'll be interested in what products develop from that little purchase. The New York Times had a little 5 paragraph blurb about reading, eReading and audio books (in conjunction with the amazon/audible thing). The reporter actually thinks it will become possible (if copyright / protection things can be worked out -- but technologically possible at any rate) to have books that can be transferred between eBook and audio. Short term, there might be discounts on ebooks that have been purchased in audio (or vice versa). I would love that. My dream is to have a book that can magically morph into whichever format works for me at that moment. For example, in the daytime, my favored print format book. For bedtime when I want the lights out, my ebook format (backlit). For driving around town or cleaning house, my audio format. Oh, my little dream world.
I blogged in my head on the flight home but have no idea anymore what I wanted to tell y'all. I met people from the UK, Oz and France on the lifts and in the lunchroom. Very nice, all of them. Since the US$ is so weak, it's the only way I'll meet people from those places in the near future. I can't afford to go there, so please, come here. I'll just keep saving my money for when I can go . . .
Okay, better do my chores. I know there was more that I wanted to share with you but so much to do . . . amazing how much mail piles up.
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Welcome back
Glad this year's holiday went better
Hugs
Sadhbh
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Glad you had a better vacation
than last year. I remember your blog last year and telling the DH all the things that went wrong. Wasn't there some trouble with the kids missing school also or was that a different trip?
Well, I glad this year was much better. I like the Star Trek reference. I would love to be split in two -- one to do the housework and the other to relax and read.
Kathy
No, you remembered correctly.
We violated truancy laws but we did that again this year so I didn't mention it. I'll get better at planning our trips around long weekends as time goes on. This year, we could have done spring break but we'd like to avoid it as long as we can b/c of the crowds and the higher prices. I'm pretty sure that we just sit on the bottom of the pile of things that the DA isn't too worried about. If not, well, we'll hire an attorney b/c our attitude about being told by the state that we cannot take our very young (and also gifted) children out of school for a week to bond with family would be pretty apparent to the judge and just get us in more trouble. Better to pay the attorney and avoid further trouble. Of course, when I told some other parents that, they got their backs up over the thought of their tax dollars even going to pay the DA to take his time to settle with us . . . in other words, they don't think it's worth the DAs time and their money. So, we'll see.
Penn
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I'm jealous!! I've never
I'm jealous!!
I've never skiied before but would really love to learn. I'd love to be at a snowy lodge at night, by a huge roaring fire, reading a wonderful book. lol
I also remember your blog about last year's trip. I'm so glad this one was great. You all definitely deserved it after last year.
That's very interesting about changing formats. If I had an ebook reader, I may like that more. As it is now, I've read a couple ebooks on my laptop. Not too bad, but I'd rather have the paper format. And I'm almost done listing to the 6th Harry Potter book on CD in my car to and from school and work. I haven't listened to music in my car in so long! lol
Love your dream world!
Love your dream world!
What a trip you guys had last year! Glad to hear this year was better!
Cole
Nicole Reising
www.nicolereising.com
www.nicolereising.com/blog
Imagination... the magical whispers from within.
I'm with you
on wanting different formats when I want them. Love my Kindle but I still do audios when I'm busy. So glad your trip went so much better this year. The snow sounds wonderful for a few days. I got tired of it when we were stationed in Great Lakes. Too much of a good thing. Glad you're all safely back.
The D2K Paranormal Junkies ~ 2008 Book Challenge Blog
Tracey,
It's fun but I've reached the point that the only time I like the skiing is once I've hit the mountain. The kids are still young enough that I have to be responsible to make them responsible for everything (if thtat makes sense) and it's such a hassle til they're dropped off at ski school. Once I'm on the mountain, though, bliss. Especially this week. I was able to forget the thousands of dollars of work that needs to be done on dh's car . . . we haven't called the garage since we've been back: don't want to hear the final verdict (his car broke the night before we left).
Penn
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Cole and Deb,
Yes, I'm also glad that this year's trip went better than last year's. The pets were fine when we got home LOL.
And I do have a nice dream world, don't I?
I'd only be reading one book at a time if my dream world existed. Well, maybe two b/c I'd be reading my own plus whatever kids' book we're listening to in the car . . .
Penn
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About those snowy lodges, Tracey
My folks used to share a condo in a ski town with friends and it had sliding glass doors on two sides (it was the end unit). When it snowed, I felt like I was in a snow globe. It was GREAT to just sit in a warm living room reading.
I highly recommend it.
Penn
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Penn - Glad to hear that
Penn - Glad to hear that your vacation was so nice. I totally understand skipping break times, we are going on vacation next month and specifically chose the first week to stay away from all the Easter vacationers, I understand when the kids are older but in elementary school, I think they can catch up after a couple of days.
Cady
TBR--The Born Readers
Can't you...
get the school to approve the vacation ahead of time by adding an educational element to the vacation? That's what they do here. Speaking as one of those who deals with the truancy in our schools, I can say that makes a lot more sense if your kids are able to keep up when missing days. Thanks to FCAT here in FL, it's easier to miss days in high school and catch up rather than in elementary school!
But I would check and see if trips are allowed with an educational component~ at least here it is easy to add that. Otherwise, thanks to all the No Child Left Behind stuff, unfortunately all states are starting to really enforce the truancy issues. I know where you're coming from but I can see the lawsuit if they allowed privileges for one family and not another. It's a nightmare! 
The D2K Paranormal Junkies 2008 Challenge
Nope,
there was one family who took their kindergartner -- KINDERGARTNER -- to DC for a week b/c a family wedding was there and the school had a cow. I'm all about the education -- even without the school, the kids are now doing math related to all the snow.
The truancy laws here are pretty thick and strict. Family vacations and so on are not excused absences. If a kids misses more than 3 days in a 4 week period, you've violated truancy laws. My kids missed 5 days in one week (they were only supposed to miss 4 but the delay in getting back). Seriously, I don't think they want to catch people who go on family trips for one week -- they want to catch people like my old neighbor, who let her kids miss all the time just b/c she was too lazy to get them to school. A planned miss is so much easier than the other kind. And all at once, too.
Anyway, we'll see if the DA does anything this year. As I said, I think that we're on the bottom of his pile of things to worry about . . . if not, we'll hire an attorney.
Penn
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Oh man..
that is just RIDICULOUS! They'd have a cow here for sure~ heck, forget three days, I'm dealing with families where the student has been out for 30 or so! I don't even run the lists of students of less than 10 days~ and that is in the elementary schools! Middle and high are much, much worse! I feel for you as that is just STUPID!
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I'm imagining that by law,
the school has to turn us in. It would make more sense to me to change the law . . . say 6 days in a two week period or something. There are lots of other parts of the truancy law but this is the one that we violated (a letter from the DA goes home at the start of every school year, that's how I know which part I violated). Anyway, seems to me that 6 days in two weeks will keep people who take family vacations or take advantage of a great business trip (one mom I'm acquainted with travels irregularly to NYC so you know that if they handled it right the kids would learn more on a trip there than in a classroom).
Our 5 days absent -- just 2 days over the law -- is why I think the DA just puts us in the bottom of the pile.
I think that the reason the school has such a cow is that attendance is part of the evaluation process for each school. One woman I know teaches at a school that missed being rated "exemplary" b/c of attendance -- the test scores were there but the attendance moved the school's rating down a level. My kids' teachers aren't the problem. As a matter of fact, one of them said, "It's an experience. Take the spelling words since the test is the day you get back but other than that, enjoy the experience." Go teach!
Penn
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Our school
Our school really doesn't worry about a week. It's the excessive absences they check on. The ones that continue throughout the whole school year.
The D2K Paranormal Junkies ~ 2008 Book Challenge Blog
Glad you are back and had fun
The real reason the schools are worried about the attendance is they get money from the state if the correct number of kids are there on the correct number of days. I agree that the DA will probably put you at the bottom of the list.
Looking forward to seeing you on Sunday.
Elaine
I was wondering how the
I was wondering how the snow would affect you. The traffic here is the worst. Don't even get me started on traffic here.
Oh, no. I am really bummed out that Amazon is controlling Audible now. I have some serious issues about Amazon and how it runs as a corporation. I think in the short run it might be advantageous in the ways you mentioned but this is a company that eats up everything. I would not be surprised to see publishers cut out of the picture someday when Amazon starts on that bent. Hopefully not in my lifetime. I am not so sure it is good for consumers or variety and I don't want Amazon to start deciding what gets published. A lot of authors won't be getting royalties if Amazon chooses what gets "published". It sounds like some nightmare scifi story butthis is how Amazon, Microsoft, etc work in my opinion. Uuugh, now my dh and I are going to have to find another place to shop for audiobooks.
I just have a lot of problems with one company controlling so much of an industry. I just think publishers and authors should be careful what they wish for. Centralized power is not always a good thing.
AKA Merri
Family Challenge Team: The Spine Breakers with my dh Glenn AKA Phaedrus
Paisley,
Yeah, I do NOT miss the traffic and dh just doesn't get my problem with driving in the snow. He's from a snowy place, too, but moved away after he graduated college, so has never had long winters as a grown-up who needs to go to work. Maybe a day or two each winter but that's so different from Denver with the many days and the gazillion cars.
As for audible/amazon -- well, I guess we'll see, huh? Doesn't make sense to me that they'd no longer have profitable relationships but sometimes people in power do things that don't make business sense. I rarely buy from amazon so don't know much about their customer service.
P
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At least my dh hasn't done
At least my dh hasn't done I-25 in years. The traffic here really shocks me. Me too, I only rarely buy my books from Amazon.
AKA Merri
Family Challenge Team: The Spine Breakers with my dh Glenn AKA Phaedrus