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TWO DECADES OF KIDS AND COUNTING

PAUSD calendar- a shorter summer?

For teachers, students, and their families, the school calendar defines our schedule. It determines when we work, when we play, when we study, and when we spend...

Original post made by Sally Torbey on Oct. 27, 2013
Last comment by observations, on Nov 3, 2013 at 5:26 pm | 44 comments | 7758 Views

TWO DECADES OF KIDS AND COUNTING

Pursuing passports at the post office

Last Monday found my husband, me, and our two teenage daughters at the post office renewing the girls’ passports. Because they are under 18 years of age,...

Original post made by Sally Torbey on Aug. 16, 2016
Last comment by GL, on Sep 12, 2017 at 10:58 am | 38 comments | 37033 Views

TWO DECADES OF KIDS AND COUNTING

Delay in de-laning Paly 9th grade English is unfortunate

The Paly English department's recent proposal to de-lane 9th grade English has generated a lot of controversy. Today,

Original post made by Sally Torbey on Feb. 11, 2014
Last comment by Paly mom, on Feb 21, 2014 at 7:44 pm |
32 comments | 12387 Views

TWO DECADES OF KIDS AND COUNTING

Driving instruction is our parenting challenge

Our daughter turned 13 a few weeks ago. Of course we are thrilled to have another teenager in the house, especially one so sensible that she has not asked for a...

Original post made by Sally Torbey on Nov. 17, 2013
Last comment by Sally Torbey, on May 28, 2017 at 12:34 pm | 29 comments | 17985 Views

TWO DECADES OF KIDS AND COUNTING

Why we just say no (to technology)

When we meet folks from other places and they hear we live in Silicon Valley, they assume we are early adopters and our lives revolve around technology. In fact,...

Original post made by Sally Torbey on Oct. 13, 2013
Last comment by Debbie, on Oct 18, 2013 at 9:51 pm | 29 comments | 11584 Views

TWO DECADES OF KIDS AND COUNTING

Why we go to church

When people learn that we are actively engaged in a faith community, we get a wide range of reactions. Some folks wonder why we bother to go to church, and how we...

Original post made by Sally Torbey on Nov. 10, 2013
Last comment by Atheist, on Nov 15, 2013 at 7:36 pm | 28 comments | 9132 Views

TWO DECADES OF KIDS AND COUNTING

College applications: round three

Our family has survived our third child applying to college. He plans to study at a University of California campus in close proximity to a beach, and he is thrilled...

Original post made by Sally Torbey on Apr. 11, 2014
Last comment by JM, on Apr 24, 2014 at 2:40 am | 27 comments | 69387 Views

TWO DECADES OF KIDS AND COUNTING

Making marmalade

We have a huge and prolific orange tree which bears fruit year round. This abundance is at once marvelous, as we have an unlimited supply of orange juice for breakfast...

Original post made by Sally Torbey on Aug. 3, 2016
Last comment by Sally Torbey, on Aug 9, 2016 at 3:22 pm | 26 comments | 11255 Views

TWO DECADES OF KIDS AND COUNTING

Being number one

A couple of decades ago my husband and I hosted a cocktail party before the Black and White Ball. It was a festive evening off in black tie attire with nine other...

Original post made by Sally Torbey on Oct. 20, 2013
Last comment by Sally Torbey, on Oct 28, 2013 at 5:45 pm | 26 comments | 8946 Views

TWO DECADES OF KIDS AND COUNTING

Parenting with Passion

My husband and I have been parenting in Palo Alto for over two decades. We have children in the public elementary, middle and high school, as well as a daughter...

Original post made by Sally Torbey on Oct. 8, 2013
Last comment by Sally Torbey, on Oct 27, 2013 at 4:55 pm | 24 comments | 15120 Views

TWO DECADES OF KIDS AND COUNTING

Trophies for all!

There are 61 trophies on display in our home. I have tried to convince my children to reduce the size of their collections, mostly because I am allergic to dust...

Original post made by Sally Torbey on Aug. 3, 2014
Last comment by Sally Torbey, on Aug 23, 2014 at 4:55 pm | 24 comments | 13932 Views

TWO DECADES OF KIDS AND COUNTING

The campus tour

Our family is in the throes of our third child applying to college. My husband and I are trying to talk our youngest children into alternative educational opportunities,...

Original post made by Sally Torbey on Nov. 3, 2013
Last comment by Sally Torbey, on Nov 9, 2013 at 12:48 pm | 24 comments | 19360 Views

TWO DECADES OF KIDS AND COUNTING

Seeing "Palo Alto" while living in Palo Alto

Yesterday I saw the movie "Palo Alto," and later in the evening attended Paly's swimming and diving team end-of-season banquet. Juxtaposing these two events was...

Original post made by Sally Torbey on May. 20, 2014
Last comment by Sally Torbey, on May 27, 2014 at 6:52 pm | 23 comments | 8546 Views

TWO DECADES OF KIDS AND COUNTING

Remembering my dad at Christmas

My dad was born on Christmas Day. We speculate that his confidence and big personality came at least in part from a childhood spent thinking that everyone was celebrating...

Original post made by Sally Torbey on Dec. 18, 2013
Last comment by malvika, on Jul 20, 2017 at 4:41 am | 23 comments | 17433 Views

TWO DECADES OF KIDS AND COUNTING

Surfing to sixty

Now that I have crossed over to my late fifites and am on the inevitable slide to sixty, I have a new goal. I want to learn to surf. This is a long held ambition...

Original post made by Sally Torbey on Apr. 11, 2016
Last comment by Sally Torbey, on Aug 11, 2016 at 9:00 am | 22 comments | 6331 Views

TWO DECADES OF KIDS AND COUNTING

Sharing a joke

My mother has Alzheimer's. She doesn't recognize me, but pretends she does. She has no idea when she last saw me, it could be yesterday or last year. She knows...

Original post made by Sally Torbey on Jan. 29, 2014
Last comment by Sally Torbey, on Feb 28, 2014 at 1:33 pm | 21 comments | 7366 Views

TWO DECADES OF KIDS AND COUNTING

Issues across the ages: this too shall pass

A few years back I found myself with toddlers, teens and aging parents in my life. In dealing with these life stages simultaneously, I was amazed by how much they...

Original post made by Sally Torbey on Mar. 27, 2014
Last comment by Sally Torbey, on Apr 9, 2014 at 9:15 pm | 19 comments | 8580 Views

TWO DECADES OF KIDS AND COUNTING

The sites of The Sound of Music

We packed in a lot of magic on our family winter vacation to Germany and Austria. Highlights included the festive Christmas markets, castles, palaces, medieval...

Original post made by Sally Torbey on Jan. 8, 2014
Last comment by Sally Torbey, on Jun 6, 2017 at 6:52 am | 19 comments | 6822 Views

TWO DECADES OF KIDS AND COUNTING

Foothills Park: a world away

Last weekend we celebrated the end of summer vacation with a church camping trip to nearby Foothills Park. This camping trip has become a popular tradition, probably...

Original post made by Sally Torbey on Aug. 23, 2014
Last comment by Sally Torbey, on Aug 29, 2014 at 1:16 pm | 17 comments | 7418 Views

TWO DECADES OF KIDS AND COUNTING

Homework help: when less is more

We hear a lot of interesting comments about our large family, but my favorite is the question the custom official at the Beirut airport asked a few years back. ...

Original post made by Sally Torbey on Jul. 6, 2014
Last comment by parent of students with learning differences, on Jul 8, 2014 at 11:54 am | 17 comments | 7268 Views
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