Back-to-school 2009! Texas Legislature made sure that just about all of us started today with the exception of private schools. Most start today, but I heard about a couple starting later this week.

Ahh... it feels great to sit in my home office working away without hearing screeches from a video game or hollerin' from Cartoon Network. Sure, I could turn off my cochlear implant and experience complete silence, but it's deafening. When I turn it off, I couldn't listen for crying kids to let me know I need to referee or ringing doorbells.

Although my boys went to separate elementary schools beginning last May, it has greater impact today as my little guy ventures off to first grade alone and the 5th grader to a new school where he knows hardly a soul. By May, he was a pro in navigating the kindergarten halls. Besides, things slow down in May.

We've done our best to prepare them for their separate adventures. It'll be good for the little guy to step outside of big brother's shadow. Big brother will have great support from his new school. How's this for coincidence? Their schools share the principal intern -- whom we know from her earlier internship at the original school. That coinky-dinksecured my thinking that we did the right thing in moving the older guy to the new school.

Oh, yeah. We have a 10th grader, too. She's fine 'n dandy. An independent gal, to be sure. 

It's good to be back on a real schedule.

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Proud of our Dallas Mavericks for making it through the first round after several first round flops. I'm waiting for Matt Scherer to find a Mavs cap to cap our bet to wear the other team's hat if our own loses.

Onward to Denver. One game at a time, guys!

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Who can blame the Dallas Mavericks fans for having guarded hope in the team's playoff against the San Antonio Spurs? Well, not me. I'm in the middle of a bet with San Antonio fan Matt Scherer.

We've made our official pronouncement of the bets in Twitter.

merylkevans @Matt_scherer and I made a bet. He likes the Spurs. I love @dallasmavs. If Spurs lose, he has to post a pix with a Mavs hat on Twitter. :)

Matt_scherer @merylkevans and I made a bet. She's likes the Mavs. I love those Spurs. If the Spurs lose, I have to post a pix with a Mavs hat on Twitter.

Then last night he announces...

Matt_scherer@merylkevans... thanks to our little Mavs-Spurs wager, I am waking up all those sleepy Spurs fans -- http://budurl.com/7bfb

This morning I reply...

@Matt_scherer One down... three to go!!!!!!

He reminds me...

Matt_scherer@merylkevans..... It's early. We're setting you up for more disappointment. P.S. Check out my blog: http://budurl.com/7bfb

Yesterday, I read a great story about Jason "Jet" Terry. The guy is the father of four girls! He is a family man and attends his girls' functions as his schedule allows. He came home from a game at 4am and still played kickball with his daughter later that morning. If that isn't inspiring, I don't know what is.

Mavs are hot on and off the floor. C'mon, Dallas-Fort Worth!! Get out your blue and silver gear and spur 'em on!

Besides, y'all wouldn't want me to cover up my curls Spurs, would ya? Let's get the Mavs to cover Matt's head. He'll look handsome with our sleek horse logo.

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We thank the Dallas Morning News, especially Angela Chambers and Jacob Sloan for making it possible for my son to enjoy the Dallas Auto Show. He loves cars. It's the one thing that captivates him and always lights up his face.
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I'm wide awake as a prepare for a morning of shivering fun. I'm working with Plano PTA on its float in the parade. I've never built a float in my life, not even in high school.

Of course, our float won't look anything like you see on TV. Since it's my first involvement in a parade, I've been nervous in making this happen as part of my publicity chair responsibilities.

It started with a theme vote. PTA's 100th birthday or "Be a Hero," the theme for PTA this school year. Hero won by a bigger landslide than Obama.

Plano PTA president, Cara Mendelsohn, and I met in November to visualize our float on paper. PVC, wood slats, and boxes came up only to confuse inexperienced me. Cara participated in last year's parade, so she was a pro in my eyes.

We met last night to finalize plans, but not put the float together because it'd be hard to drive at regular speed and not risk losing stuff. But we put some stuff on that won't fall off.

I'm heading out to finish up our float with one hand. My other hand had surgery.  

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Looking through photo albums of Halloween past, people can see what was popular in pop culture for each year. But from parents' eyes, they see when their kids stop wearing the parents' suggested costumes and pick heir own.

My own album shows my kids wearing pumpkins, dragons, and lion costumes in their early years. Then morphing into super heroes, princesses, witches, and monsters when the kids care about their costume choices. This year, I veto my fourth grader's first choice -- a monster with its insides on the outside. We compromise and with the less scary phantom. My youngest, aged five, chooses to be a Power Ranger. It's the first time I realize he's coming into his own.

Mom's album shows my costumes reflecting the popular characters of the '70s. So, I went astray from the girl's traditional costume one year when I wore a Darth Vader costume. He remains paper today, almost 30 years later. One wonderful thing about my wearing costumes, I hid my boxy hearing aid for a little while.

I'm not a creative person in terms of making things with my hands. But I take pride in the two costumes I made. One from election year 1992 when I turned into a ballot box. I lived in Washington, DC at the time, so it

was appropriate. In 2004, I was more ambitious and turned into a cell phone as someone working in telecom. At the time, my company was switching from one name to another, so I created two labels so I could switch them.

We also look forward to our West Plano neighborhood's annual Halloween party. It starts early and ends just in time for trick or treating. The event includes the usual costume contests by age group, sometimes an entertainer, food and too many desserts. (more)

Shepton Volleyball Freshman teams played at S. Grand Prairie and Vines this week. Both A and B teams walked away with two more wins. A team has only one loss thus far and the B team remains undefeated.
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While most kids looked forward to sleeping late on their first weekend after school starting, the Freshman Shepton Lady Stallions Volleyball B Team headed to Irving very early in the morning for their all day tournament. They faced teams from Duncanville, Lake Highlands, and Irving.

The morning covered pool play with two divisions and three matches for every team. The Lady Stallions had a perfect record in pool play. The afternoon consisted of bracket play where the girls hit a bump in the road, but pulled off two more matches to head into the finals where they met with Lake Highlands again.

The Lady Stallions played Lake Highlands in their first match, so we knew it they could win it all. The day must've caught up with them as they couldn't quite keep up with Lake Highlands. Nonetheless, the girls came in second place in their first tourney and they had only played one match as a team.

Of course, the best word to describe how the parents felt about the girls' play: Proud.

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Never mind the freshman volleyball team starts their first year of high school, the school already feels familiar to them as they have practiced together for several weeks. They faced Arlington Martin in their first game of the school year.

Not only do the Lady Stallions play their first match, but also they do it in high style by playing at Plano West instead of at Shepton. Both freshman teams defeated the Lady Warriors with the A Team finishing them off quickly in two sets and the B Team had parents sweating profusely as it took three sets to gain a notch in the win column.

The B team plays in a tournament on Saturday. Tune in later for the results. 

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Zachary, my kindergartener and youngest of three, came home in one piece. Big brother Lane helped him off the bus' big steps. He reported his favorite part was playing and going to the cafeteria. He would've added recess, but it was too hot to go outside today. He thinks they'll go outside tomorrow.

Then we panicked. We walked to our front door and the lock wouldn't cooperate. After five minutes of sweating it, we sent Lane to a neighbors while I kept trying the lock. Of course, it gives as soon as Lane disappears out of sight.

Two items we sent to school in the boys' backpack made it back home. That's what happens when you have lots of paperwork... the little items slip through the cracks.

Now, we wait for my baby girl (a high school freshman) to come home close to 5pm... pending she got my text message containing her new bus number.

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