ICT Use in Public Places

Today and last Tuesday morning I stopped by Panera Bread after dropping Callen off at school. I decided it would be nice to have a bagel and tea, and work a little while enjoying the atmosphere.

I've been amazed both times at (1) how busy Panera is at that time in the morning and (2) how many people are using information and communication technologies (ICTs) at Panera. It is nice that they have free wireless access so you can eat, work, and surf the web, check email, etc.

There has been such an interesting variety of people using ICTs in Panera each morning I've been there. There are some students, a range of young adults on a variety of cell phones and computers, and a good number of middle aged professionals (dressed in business attire) meeting in small groups, with their laptops, PDAs, etc.

I just wonder what jobs these people have and how mobile on the go they are. They all seem busy working when I've observed them.

Just some thoughts on a beautiful fall morning. . .

The Rush Is On....

Am I the only one who feels like the rush is on already? Fall often times seems so frenetic, especially as it gets closer and closer to the holidays. This one seems especially so. I think part of it is just being really busy at work with my classes, research, and service responsibilities; then you add upcoming conferences, a birthday party for our 2 year old to plan, the house that never stays tidy, holiday travels, etc. and the list goes on and on....with the result being time flies by way too fast!

Fall is my favorite time of the year; I think I just have to slow down and realize that everything that is important will eventually get done and the rest of the things -- well, maybe they didn't really need doing anyway : ). So, if you're at our house anytime soon and you see a mess, you'll know why : ).

Do you have specific ways that you try to slow time down, enjoy the moments, etc.?

Here's to remembering to breathe and enjoying the moments as they go by way too fast. . .

All Things Callen

I thought I'd do a posting about Callen since it has been a while. She's almost 2 now! We're trying to decide what to do for her birthday. Any suggestions? We had way too big of a party last year, especially for a 1 year old who wasn't walking yet.

Here's a pix of Callen from September when we were visiting friends in Maryland. Our dear friends Tom and Di bought a little pool for Callen to play in while we were visiting. Callen loves the water!

For some reason Callen won't let us put bows, pony tail holders, etc. in her hair. However, the teachers at her school say she likes playing beauty salon. Take a look at Callen with pig tails (it sure would be nice if mommy and daddy could figure out how to get the red eye out!).

Last weekend we went to homecoming at UAB. Here's Callen cheering on the Blazers!

And, a picture of our family at homecoming.

It Figures . . .

. . .the night I'm late getting home from work there would be a story on ABC News that my husband says 'oh you just missed a story on moms who blog'. Did anyone see this news story last night? I found a link to it on abcnews.com: http://abcnews.go.com/WN/Story?id=3731658&page=2. Take a look at it.

I've never thought about having 1000s and 1000s of people read my blog, but evidently a lot of mommy blogs have large numbers reading their blogs. Hmmm, might be an interesting topic to study. . .

I wonder how the mom in the story has time to blog with 5 kids, being a stay at home mom, and everything else she needs to do on a daily basis. I wish I had her energy : )

"I Do It, Mommy"

My daughter is changing so fast! Yesterday was her 23 month birthday. We were in my study doing something and Callen looked at me and said "I do it, mommy". She didn't want me to do it. This was the first time she has clearly articulated in sentence form that she can do something, rather than just using gestures or simple words to illustrate she wants to do something. She has also in the past week started identifying objects as 'my baby doll', 'my fork', etc. Oh, how fast they change and how independent they become!

I know we all ideally want our children to grow up and be strong and independent, but it is also somewhat sad to see them becoming more and more independent. I know she'll always love me, but I miss some of the dependence that comes with her being a baby, then an infant, and now a toddler. On the other hand, I look forward to lots more of the 'I do it, mommy' in the coming months and seeing my toddler progress in her development!

Here's to our wonderful and amazing children...may they always continue to inspire us!

New School

Callen started her new school this week. Although she's been a little clingy in the mornings (as she was last week at her daycare), she seems to be thriving. I really like that she's among kids more her own age (as opposed to several who were quite a bit younger at her old daycare).

Monday they had live music with someone playing the guitar. Yesterday, they sang with Elvis! They learn Spanish and computer skills. What would we have been like with all these experiences as a kid?

A really cool thing about her new school is that they have live video feeds from the classrooms, so I can log in and watch her periodically during the day. How cool is that? I love logging on and seeing what she's doing during the day! A very neat application of technology.

Here's to many more good days at Callen's new school!