Indeed change is hard not only for your kindergarten daughter as she ends a successful school year and becomes a first grader but for us, as moms, who have written collaboratively and formed great friendships all because of our writing on DC Metro Moms. Cheers to new adventures for your first grader and all of the DC Metro Moms and SV Moms Group bloggers!

Wow. I just Maureen Dowd's article. That is just plain sickening. Such malicious and premeditated sexually predatory behavior especially at a school that reports that "civility towards women is definitely part of that education program" is outrageous. Such behavior should never be tolerated by any school and while "student records including disciplinary infractions are confidential," the school could have done more to raise the confidence level of parents that the issue was deemed quite serious and dealt with appropriately.

As a tech savvy mama, my kids lead a very low tech life too and have to agree that there is plenty of time for them to be wired in the future. I prefer reading stories together, any art project at the kitchen table, and lots of outside time!

We totally loiter in front of the food at Trader Joe's and stop at the domes in WF too! And Mr. Nosy Pants would have probably had a coronary the time our college friend bust open his cookie from the bakery counter and take a big bite of it in front of the cashier before he had paid, not knowing that it was a pay-by-weight item!

I did see your post and completely understand wanting a canine companion! Any neighbors with lonely dogs during the day needing a little fresh air, walks, and time with your kids? It really is a win-win for both parties! Good luck and let me know if you find a dog to borrow or get your own!

Hi Patricia! For years my in-laws have adopted Labradors from Lab Rescue whose owners had to give them up. Thanks for your vote of confidence in me and my children as pet owners!

That's so exciting! Despite how wonderful SF is, I am sure that it will be even better to have your husband home full time!

Reading this made me remember all the conversations we had about our preschool angst. Thank goodness when college rolls around, our kids will be doing the deciding while we bite our nails hoping we can afford it or that they will earn some fab scholarship to help out with tuition!

Thinking of you and wondering how your mom is....Keeping you and your family in my thoughts!

Unfortunately you have taken this post as an opportunity to criticize me and MCPS while this post was written to illustrate how newsmaking budget cuts are affecting teachers, instruction, and ultimately the education of our children throughout the DC Metro area. As a teacher who works with children on a daily basis in a public school system, I invite you to join our ranks as we attempt to educate the future of America. Consider joining us before you criticize.

Hello Budget Check. Having been in a position in central office, I know of the cuts that have gone on in administration. Having returned to the classroom, I know that the school budgets are more lean than they were 10 years ago when I started teaching. There are many young administrators who are beginning their careers as principals and assistant principals and taking on the tough job of educating our children during a time when budgets are tight, enrollment is high, and the demands on administrators are great. To view the MCPS pay scale for administrators, you can click here: http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/ersc/docs/Salary_Schedules_FY10_MCAASP.pdf While the salary scale consists of mostly 3 figure salaries, none reach $200,00 as you claim. Certainly there are probably some in central office who do make that amount of money but they are in the highest levels of administration- such as our superintendent. Most of the administrator salaries in MCPS goes to principals and assistant principals and after see the work that our administrators do both in my own school and my daughter's, I believe they aren't paid enough for the hardships of the daily job.

Wow Suzie! I knew the situation in Fairfax had gotten lots of attention because of the amount of money that had been cut but had no idea it was $100 million rather than $16 million! Thanks so much for providing the correct dollar amount! I have to agree about the impact on lower income families and students who are non-native speakers of English. This is also a concern in PGCPS where 120 parent liasons who serve as translators for families. In the long run, these positions are vital to parent involvement and student success since they aid parents who may not know how to navigate the confusing school system to be advocates for their children. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts. I can only hope that this will be the last year of such drastic cuts but am also fearful for next year. Here's the link to the Washington Post article about the parent liaison position cuts: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/05/AR2010030503028.html

I'm totally honored that my babysitters are friends with me on Facebook and when the super cute young and newly married teachers compliment me on my work attire and truly mean it. Call me when you are going for your Botox and I'll tag along. Can you say group discount? :)

Great question Megan! Tony's arm was actually fractured but it was still enough to have me break down in tears upon calling my mom to tell her about my first day. You are right about the emotional control...It is hard. There are days I've come close to breaking down in front of the kids but I know that doing so would cause me to lose their respect and a certain amount of credibility. A former colleague told me you can't smile until January and that is so true! Luckily I can smile these days since it is now March and I'm now considered a veteran teacher!

Thanks Diana! I had many teachers I loved too. Thanks to the fact that my mom was a teacher and was friends with some of my elementary teachers, they have been able to follow me through the years. As teachers, we absolutely think of our wonderful students but choose to forget certain ones that were the most difficult of the bunch each year!

Oh my goodness! I'm excited and anxious for you too! I remember going to China when I was 10 to visit my father's village and meet his relatives and while your anxiety is different and the questions that PunditGirl has differ from the one I had as a child, I know it will be an emotional and incredible experience for all of you. I look forward to seeing the photo that you will be using as your Christmas card and can't wait to hear all about your trip when you return! Safe travels, my friend!

I'm so glad your power came back on and you survived! If I lived closer, I totally would have trudged over in the snow to help you with that puzzle and joined you in eating like a starving pig from hell!

These storms were a huge deal! Having spent 6 years in Massachusetts, I have to agree that DC just isn't equipped to deal with snowfall like other parts of the country are. When I lived in MA, school was only cancelled once in the 6 years I lived there. While there was no run on milk, bread, or toilet paper, school was cancelled out of sheer necessity since it took us all day to dig out from the 3 feet we got overnight! I suppose this just goes to show that even the more prepared New England states have their moments of being crippled too!

Oh hardly! You better believe I was enjoying my wine and indulging in the cookies and chocolate over here! Now I just need my 2 lb box of See's Valentine's chocolate to show up to replenish my well depleted supply! Oink oink!

And to think I almost bought the Wii to go with the Wii Fit Plus last Friday before the blizzards! How come I don't think I would have used it between the shoveling?

I heard suspicious noises and instructed the entire family to stop and listen for fear of a roof collapse tonight right after the kids took their bath. We huddled in the bathroom for a good 10 minutes listening only to determine it was the water dripping out of the colander of tub toys. Losing my sanity...Yes! Beyond feeding my kids artificially colored My Little Pony fruit snacks plus potato chips (crunchy food group) and anything with ketchup (fruit/veggie group, right?) while I drink from the 750 ml bottle...No! I'm sending a virtual cheers your way, sister! :)

I swear that Twitter conversations with @PunditMom and @Stimey helped me cope through last Friday's storm. We felt it was our duty to report things live via Twitter for our Tweeps rather than getting out there to shovel. Clearly we are a hilarious bunch when you combine all one liners, whether 140 characters or more! Nicely done!

Thank goodness for power, walkable grocery stores, and extra hands to help out! Our favorite high school sitters have had cabin fever and have come over to play with the kids to provide relief. Here's hoping that our power stays on throughout the current snow storm that are supposedly bringing high winds along with it! And the last line is really the best!

Oh Amy! Don't beat yourself up over it too much! While you were without power and chilly, you were together and safe inside your house which says a lot about one's ability to weather the storm. And if you ever find yourselves completely unprepared and can make it over to our house, know you are always welcome since I'm on the other side of the spectrum. Having been born in California where earthquake preparedness is drilled into ones psyche, I'm always completely and ridiculously overprepared. Please do join us in helping to clear out our warming fridge and freezer in our next disaster that kills our power! We'll make it into the best play date ever! :)