PTO Today

Was such a fun day Wednesday that I thought I’d add another picture. Great crowd, and this photo really captures it. That big blue ball is actually the earth from “Earth Balloon“. You can also see (through all the people) booths for Innisbrook Fundraising and Primary School Supplies.

So we’re 2-for-2 on weather issues this year for our Expos. Hopefully, that means New Jersey, Chicago and Denver are due for bright skies and warm temps, right? Even with some slick roads (those darn weathermen were predicting way worse, which kept some folks away), more than 400 leaders joined us for a great day.

A couple of quick snapshots with a note or two:

That’s Doug Willett from Cherrydale Farms fundraising presenting our Early Bird raffle winners with their award. Funny note: Dimitria Sullivan of Dedham, MA is in the middle accepting the award from Doug. She told me her “biggest dream is to get into PTO Today magazine.” 1. She needs to work on her dreams a bit 2. Hope the PTO Today Blog counts.

A fun photo that captures the energy and excitement that’s so palpable at the Expos. It’s tons of vendors, yes. But it’s entertainers and demos and tons of prizes and PTO Today expert presentations and more. Basically, if you put several hundred PTO and PTA leader types into one big room and … well.. let’s just say Exxon and Mobil are currently researching ways to tap into the energy!

Not too late to join us in Jersey, Chicago or Denver for our next expos.

I don’t get surprised too often, but this one is new to me.  And I love it!

A bunch of dads (and even some moms!) got hairy when this Washingon state PTA held a mustache-a-thon. 

What’s the big deal?  It’s the creativity and fun.  I’d wager this fundraiser will do good/fine (not great). But think what it’s doing for the groups’ PR.  I’m betting that the kind of buzz and laughs thios is creating around school and town is a great antidote for a boring or same-ol’ reputation.  What a great way to re-energize things.  What’s your mustache-a-thon?

Fair warning:  this is not for the faint of heart.  If you’re easily offended, you might want to skip this blog entry… 

For me, I’m trying to decide if I’d a) love to have this volunteer’s smarts and energy in my group; or b) be really afraid of having this volunteer’s writing ability and blog habits in my group.  Yikes.

Either way, here’s a PTA mom’s blog of her struggles getting involved. She’s definitely (how shall we say?) … strongly opinionated.  But wouldn’t you know it?  After all her struggles — she was just named president. Figures. 

Will have to keep reading….

Ever wonder what the gang from “Friends” might be doing now? Courteney Cox imagines that her very Type A character Monica took over the PTA after moving to the suburbs with Chandler and the kids. While it’s easy to imagine Monica heading up a bake sale or chairing a committee, I can’t help but wonder what kind of crazy situations she’d get into. What do you think — what kind of parent group leader would Monica make?

Just for fun, here’s an item from the Hollywood gossip mill about the Baywatch star stopping traffic at her children’s school. It’s not the first time Pam has done crossing guard duty; she talked about the gig while promoting a film at Cannes earlier this year. You gotta hand it to her–she doesn’t let a crazy work schedule, a turbulent love life, or even the California wildfires keep her from pitching in at school.

This video is making the rounds over email and is so darn funny we just had to post it up here in case you haven’t seen it yet. In just under 3 minutes, Anita Renfroe sums up everything a mother says in a 24 hour period. So on the mark and really good fun, check it out: (just hit the play button)

Iowa school takes day off for nice, day-long reading celebration.