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52 Open Houses and Counting:: A Soothing Seranade to Cap Them Off

Tonight the Glen Ellyn Children's Chorus gave away a most precious gift - a private concert just for the parents.

I've lost track of how many parent orientations and open houses we've been to in September. [I can tell you that going to every soccer game this week easily ate up 10 hours or so.]

Altogether, we've sat through over 20 teacher presentations and at least 5 club orientations. What did we learn?

[I'm just reporting on the more amusing comments - all in all we have a dedicated and talented group of teachers this year and I'm excited to watch the progress in action.]

One teacher likes to eat burning birthday candles - in front of the class. Another takes pride in hurling bowling balls off of bleachers. And, you'll be happy to know that married couples achieve - let's just say bliss - at 27 years of marriage. There were the two captains that admitted they liked to talk about the competition and dress up to do so. And on and on.

Tonight was our last open house/orientation. What a pleasure it was to be serenaded by an exceptional chorus - one of the world's finest - in a church surrounded by friends and people I'll come to know.

Sitting there, I wondered how the Glen Ellyn Children's Chorus could interact with The Sole of Africa project. After all our singers will be touring in Africa next summer. If they could perform with Barenaked Ladies could they also be on stage with Sting?

We'll see, but for now it's rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. Thanks to Glen Ellyn Children's Chorus for making a mundane night one out of the ordinary.

Order Glen Ellyn Children's Chorus Recordings

You Tube Videos: Steve Irwin Tributes

Last night I found Phoebe watching "The Crocodile Hunter."

I made her turn it off.

It was too sad - I'd never seen the show and realized how much I'd missed out.

Anyway, tonight P.d. is up late after the third soccer game in four days left himwith a backload of homework to clean up.

Both boys worked with me tonight - one on a Diego Rivera project.

When he finally finished his homework, P.d. showed me a few You Tube Steve Irwin Tribute Videos

I'm glad all three of my kids will remember him as one of their cherished childhood heroes.

Project Runway::What do Moms Think About Laura?

It's time to out myself - yes, I am forcing my way through my too crammed closet to confess: I am hooked on Project Runway.

What's the big deal? Everyone has favorite TV shows, don't they?

Not me.

I don't watch TV regularly - except at the Y when I'm working out.

But I do now.

Project Runway's connected me with my kids in new ways, introduced me to other closet fashionistas and even given me something to talk about with people who don't watch the show.

Take Laura . . . her story's given my friendly mom network plenty to talk about.

Devoted stay-at-home moms [who also work, even if they're not getting paid] can't believe anyone would leave their five kids at home. Maybe Laura has a nanny just like Mary Poppins, I reassure them.

Or maybe she's like a working mom I know who has 4 kids, travels extensively and is a seemingly inexhaustible volunteer. How does she do it? With army of household help and tightly scheduled quality time with her kids. 

The career set who delicately balance home and work lives by interchanging masks and moods with the waves of the day find a kindred spirit in watching a woman in her early 40s take advantage of a once-in-a-lifetime career opportunity.

One of my friends is a singer who just got back home from an audition on Broadway. Will her second grader and her husband relocate to New York if she gets the part? Probably not. But then again, her child just turned down an international tour herself.

When any project's runway calls, you can heed it or stay home. It's a tough call, but when it's gone it's gone.

Kudos to Laura for going for it and sticking it out. She'll make it work.

Read more about the show at the Project Runway Ultimate Fan Blog.

Sleep Out::Be Homeless::Raise $::Give Homeless Kids a Home

What are you doing the night of November 4?

If you live in DuPage County, one of the wealthiest counties in Illinois, you may be sleeping in a car, a cardboard box or a tent - even if you're not homeless.

Judging from the enthusiastic support Bridge Communities received at the 2006 Sleep Out Saturday event kick off yesterday, hundreds of people will be homeless again - for one night.

Over twenty new Sleep Out Saturday leaders turned out to find out how to host a temporary overnight shelter for their fund-raisers.

Junior high kids pack together in cardboard condos, more mature sleepers stay in their cars and families tent it out in their year.

The real story is one of hope: in 2005 Bridge Communities sheltered homeless families for a total of 65,000 shelter nights.

Want to donate now? $25 provides one shelter night.

But they could be sheltering many, many more. Try 13,000 children living in poverty and in danger of being homeless in a highly affluent area. Many of these families are the kids who grew up here and just want to come back home.

One of the things we love about working with Bridge Communities is their innate ability to give their people -clients, sponsors and partners-what they want.

This year, leaders get a CD toolkit. And, everybody everwhere gets a brand new blog.

Participants get other perks – like at least two shots at being on live TV, a high-energy rally and a new awareness and appreciate for all that they call home.

After looking back at our last PR Web releases, the 2004 was our first online, we know this year’s story will be one reporters and the sleepers will love retelling. And, so will we. Stay tuned. . .

2005 Bridge Communities Sleep Out Saturday to Help Homeless Families

2004 Bridge Communities Sleep Out Saturday to Help Homeless Families

Tripping Down Route One

Heading down the highway . . . We didn't have to look far for adventure yesterday.  It just kept coming our way.

We woke up, rolled out the door and cruised down Route One to Hoopeston, Illinois, the self-designated Sweet Corn Capitol of the World (and probably the planet, unless somebody else's already claimed it).  A quick check of Google shows that Hoopeston's claim stands.

Arriving just in time to catch the steam-driven tractors leading the parade on their way to the park, we set up in the shade and waited to watch a parade celebrating a tradition that kicked off almost 70 years ago according to Hoopeston's visitor site.

Organized by the Jaycees, the National Sweetcorn Festival is more than a parade with a 50 ton sweetcorn giveaway that promotes farming.

In talking to a board member from a state pageant, I found out that the parade is the "farm system" for the Miss America beauty pageant. If you want to see 38 runner-up Miss _______ s  riding in Corvette convertibles and competing just like they do on live TV, this is the place to do it. (You may have to put up with a crowd of 300 or so in the audience.) There is - get this - no other contest like this in America. At all.

No matter where you stand on the beauty queen scene, you have to appreciate what my new contact told me. Winning pageants is about more than the scholarship money. It's about the speaking fees and endorsements that come with the crown. And while I'm more in favor of appreciating any person (or book) for more that their outward appearance, I have to say there's something to be said for doing your best by warming up for the big competition - even if your "sport" is gowns, suits and songs.

Although we didn't meet any of the contestants personally, Elvis took a break for a photo opp with the boys. Check out Peter's candy haul. The Allis Chalmers tractor driver paused his float and the parade so that I get a picture of Bruce in front a tractor just like the one his family used on their farm in southern Illinois.

After chowing down on Kag's barbeque and free hot buttered sweetcorn, we went on a five mile trail hike at Kickapoo State Park to walk across the iron bridge one last time before it goes down for good on September 6. The boys may be the last people to have their photograph taken on the bridge. On the way back through the meadow, we waved at a hot air ballon. Look for the moon in the picture. It was good to be back home again.

Back to School PR for Parents

When the teaching team, parents and students share future goals and a vision, the experience is bound to be more enriching for everyone.

The kids are back. The house is quiet. The homework starts. The parent/teacher communication dance begins. Now is the time to set up your expectations for your child this year.

It’s as simple as sending an email outlining your goals and letting the teachers know you plan to and want to be an extension of their teaching team by supporting their classroom’s goals at home.

For the first time, I wrote a bio for each of our three kids and sent it to the teachers.

One of our three, I won’t say who, was concerned the teachers weren’t impressed by their intelligence yet.

Well, hey, have you turned in any homework?

But, this one did have a point.

The teachers didn’t know about our family or our expectations.

So, I decided to lay it all out – the past grades, accomplishments, awards, activities, even a mini mom/dad bio – in a kind of getting to know you way. Some teachers require this assignment from the parents.

Why not let them know who they’re working with and what you want to get out of the relationship – at least a B, the honor roll, honors classes in high school, better socializing, spelling proficiency, a 6 minute mile?

One teacher emailed back within a few hours to let me know they knew our child wasn’t being challenged enough in their classroom.

That gave me a great excuse to follow up and let them know about this child’s career aspirations.

I felt, bold, confident and part of the team.