KATHRYN R. BIEL: AUTHOR

So, I had a great day yesterday.  I worked my tail off, and got most of my list  accomplished.  For those of you keeping track, I only managed 5 loads of laundry instead of 6, and only got 2 of the 5 folded.  I figured folding laundry is something that doesn't require electricity, so as long as it's washed, I can fold it later (Plus, playing Bubble Safari and Angry Birds does  require electricity, so I needed to get my fix in).  Before you besmirch me, let me tell you that, in addition to the listed items, I ended up cleaning some expired food out of the pantry, returning cans and bottles to the market, unloading and reloading the dishwasher a second time, made dinner (a yummy tortellini soup), writing a blog post (thanks Cathy for pointing that out), and carving pumpkins with the family. And I was so good that God rewarded me with a day off from work.  Because of the impending storm, my district closed.  I work in an inner-city school district that doesn't bus, and the p

As we all know, the storm of all storms, Hurricane Sandy, is barreling down on us.  It's predicted to be completely and totally awful.  The meteorologists (who are in HEAVEN) are likening this to  The Perfect Storm  of 1991 (which also occurred on October 28).  This one is expected to be worse because it is expected to make landfall and impact Washington, Philadelphia, NYC and Boston. People are starting to panic, and the kids are scared sh*tless.  Mostly, because they're afraid we won't get to trick-or-treat on Wednesday. Here's why I'm kind-of diggin' it...it's making me be productive.  I procrastinate...a lot.  I waste a lot of time, as well.   As a result, my house is in constant state of dirt, clutter and controlled chaos. I simply cannot keep the house clean and take care of all my projects just because.  I need a specific motivating factor to get going.  I know, in the back of my mind, that Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and I really

School is kicking my rear-end this year.  I hate it.   And I don't mean the schools I work in...I mean my children's school.  My kids are in Kindergarten and 3rd grade, and education in New York has gone to hell in a hand basket.  With the adaptation of the Common Core Learning Standards , and the addition of testing for teacher evaluations , it is a whole new game.  And one that is definitely less fun for the whole family.  It's not only making me hate school, but my kids as well.  Five o'clock, the usual witching hour, is now the dreaded homework hour.  There is frustration and yelling and tears.  This is not how school should be. Firstly, it needs to be stated that New York State has adopted both of the aforementioned programs in order to receive federal funding.  Without adopting these measures, New York State could lose out on the monies from the Obama Race to the Top initiative.  It is a huge sum of money (something like $700 million). However, the Common Core

Even though it was a four day work week, this week seemed to take forever.  Just a lot of randomness tonight, and so I thought I'd share. My dad bought me a gift today (pepper spray).  On the packaging, it says, "Making men cry since 1975."  I can relate. My daughter's definition of cute:  Danny (a boy she likes), babies and kittens. My son's take on Star Wars:  The Death Maul is actually a mall located in the Death Star.  Oh, and dressing up as Darth Vader is so  two-years ago. The mixed bag of emotions regarding making Halloween costumes has been replaced by a feeling of total awesomeness at making a costume without a pattern, and making creative use of fabric remnants given to me by a friend.  Excited about the outcome. How many shows about Alaska are now on TV?  Even though they all pretty much seem the same, I'd take them over Housewives or Honey Boo Boo any day. Why is one of the cats set to go off at 4 am and why can't I find his sn

About a year ago, I wrote a post about my annual making of Halloween costumes.  If you're really, really bored and need a refresher, you can read it  here . A lot happened last year while making the costumes.  My sewing machine broke, about 3/4 of the way through finishing the second costume.  I borrowed a friend's, but couldn't get that to work either.  And then my grandmother got sick, and passed away.  It was all very quick, but those four days in the hospital seem like they were the longest on record.  With family still in town, and snow on the ground (remember that--it snowed in October, and then not again until March!?!), I sent my husband to pick up my machine, which was blissfully fixed, so I could finish Mr. Lincoln's costume. Here's how they turned out: So, pretty much a year has passed. Sophia decided that she wanted to be Alice in Wonderland about 10 seconds after meeting her in Epcot this summer.  I held her to it, mostly because she changes her