12/28/18- Lucky Thirteen

December marks 13 years of dating for Bobby and I.  And November marked 12 years with our pug Chaps.  When Bobby and I were planning our wedding in 2007 (2008?), we made a wedding website, and on it we talked about our fur babies.  Hope you enjoy the pug's origin story (and haha, if we had only known what having human kids and fur kids at the same time would be like, and of course we love our "mixed" family very much)!  Here's to another 13 years!

*Bobby's Side*
Ok, let's get this straight right off the bat - Suzanna and I don't have any kids. We're not even close to ready for them.

However, we do have three amazing and wonderful dogs, but it wasn't always that way. There hasn't always been three and they haven't always been amazing or wonderful.

When Suzanna and I started dating, she had a dog. His name is Bear. Now Bear is a bear of a pomeranian. Yep, that's right one big little dog. He's nearly 30 lbs and at the top of his head he's knee high (check the photo).

After we bought the house, we started talking seriously about getting another dog. In fact, a few months before we bought the house, we had found a great "little" Bernese Mountain Dog. I grew so attached, I named her Charlie. But we never took Charlie home, and it turns out this may have been a good thing.

For nearly the entire time that we had been dating, Suzanna had been talking of a trip to Atlanta to visit her aunt and then roll up to the Carolina's to visit one of her best friends. She has always spoken very highly of all of her aunts, but she was excited to go and visit her Aunt Kay because Kay always wanted her to visit and she thought Kay would love me.

As life sometimes goes, we never managed to make that trip. Much to our extreme regrets, Kay passed away shortly before Thanksgiving of 2006. But she left behind two very special guys just for us. I'll never forget going to the airport and fetching these two scared little dogs - a pug and a shih-tzu - who had just taken a flight across country at a time that was also very hectic to them.

At first Gomez (the shih-tzu with surprisingly a very fitting name) and Chaps (the pug) struggled to adjust. They lost any house training they had gained and seemed depressed and standoffish, much as you would expect foster children to be. But after awhile, they began to accept their surroundings. They took almost instantly to Suzanna (probably because she looked so much like Kay) and eventually took to me too.

Now, despite every family's moments of frustration, the five of us have formed a wonderful tight-knit family. I would like to think that if Kay were looking in on us from time to time she'd be so happy to see how well her boys have adjusted to life here in Arizona.

*Suzanna's Side*
Haha, I think most people that know us, know that the dogs are our kids. We're not at that place in our life to have human kids.

I was totally nervous to have Bobby meet Bear because Bear doesn't like strangers. He barks and barks and barks at them, which isn't neccessarily a bad thing when you're a single girl living by yourself. Bobby wanted to see/meet Bear the first date, but I waited to do that introduction. The time came, and even though Bear barked and barked and barked, a few hours later, Bear was licking Bobby. I think after I had Bobby feed and walk Bear one day when I had to work late, that Bear was forever Bobby's dog too. I'm sure Bear enjoyed his one on one time that he had with Bobby and I, but I think Bear likes having someone to boss around (he totally tries to wrangle Chaps, kinda funny if you ask me) and be with him while we're at work.

Bobby already shared the heart breaking and heart warming story of how we got our other two dogs, but I will also never forget going to cargo wing of delta to pick up one pug and one shih-tzu, shaking, whinning, and scared in their crates. My heart melted in that one single moment. Chaps and Gomez have two distinct personalities, and we are so happy to have them as part of our family. I think Kay would be happy too. We love all 3 of our dogs very much.

12/19/18- It's a Wonderful Life (Mostly)

I was watching the movie "It's a Wonderful Life" the other day (which made me realize that I can't choose just one favorite Christmas movie, so don't ask), and that movie reminded me of everything I have to be grateful for this year and well all of my life. So without much ado, here's my list of things I'm grateful for in 2018:

1) Jack and Bobby
2) The rest of my family and my friends-- so many of you supported me and my book this year, thank you, thank you, thank you!
3) My second book, Annie Aardvark: Adding Ants, came out this year!
4) A successful Kickstarter for Annie Aardvark: Adding Ants!
5) Attended the Beth McDonald's Woman of the Year Awards (I was a nominee)!
6) Launched a new blog, STEM Spark (born out of consultation with the Crafty Chica)
7) Went to Legoland-- friends let us tag along on their vacation and our kids had a good time together (and even though I needed lots of rest and sleep and Jack was sick to his tummy, our friends were understanding about the naps required)
8) Bobby and I did a stay-cation for our anniversary, the hotel stay was part of my prize for Beth McDonald's Woman of the Year Awards
9) My mom went through some health problems, but is doing a little bit better and my dad is turning 90 in a week (and doing pretty darn good)!
10) Attended 2 great STEM conferences this year
11) Jack's 4th birthday party; so many 4 year olds, but he enjoyed it and so happy we celebrated another year of him driving us nuts!
12) Got another year with our pug
13) Won some books
14) Rode the Polar Express Train
15) Jack's 1st Dance Recital
16) Started a steroid a couple of weeks ago to help with energy, and I think it's helping some. Also started a new med that should hopefully reduce my CRP levels.
17) Having a paying job that makes a positive contribution to the world.
18) Highlights Magazine bought a story from me!
19) A happy Thanksgiving with my in-laws
20) The sunny weather in Phoenix right now
21) Reese's Peanut Butter cups (and if I'm honest, tons of other sweets too) and Tea
22) Science/math jokes and puns
23) Graphic tees and funny coffee mugs
24) Fun purchases from Target
25) USPS Click and Ship, as well as online ordering and shipping right to my door

Happy Holidays to everyone, and may your 2019 bring you many things to be grateful for!  As for me, it's a pretty decent to mildly great to wonderful (depends on my mood for the day, haha) life!  Cheers!

12/6/18- Family's Heart (For the 8th Annual Holiday Contest)

So I've always wanted to write picture book involving US Coast Guard search and rescue, since I work at a company that designed, built, and now maintains the search and rescue system, as well as a holiday/Christmas story.  Well, Susannah Hill's Eighth Annual Holiday Contest has provided me the opportunity to put both ideas into one story. The story was also inspired by true events I heard on the radio a while ago.  While listening to the sad story (it thankfully ended well), I couldn't help but feel pride for the system I work on.  People get saved by this system, ya know?  Sharking tears after hearing stories about boaters being rescued by the Coast Guard...

So, the story for this contest has to be 250 words or less, so I had to cut some boat and search and rescue details out of it. Therefore, apologies to all the sailors in the world for botching some the technicalities of sailing; I hope you at least find the story entertaining despite technical issues. 😊  There's also a theme with the contest-- it has to be about a holiday hero!  So because of my work, real life heros that come to mind are Coast Guard rescuers, and I sincerely thank them for all that they do.  Thank you! But for this contest, I wanted to add another layer of who the holiday hero, and now that I'm done explaining and rambling (I'm probably just taking you away from the story this point, d'oh), I present the actual story.  I hope you enjoy Family's Heart.

Family's Heart

“Merry Christmas! Did Santa come?” Sara asked.  Cracking a smile, Dad said, “Christmas is tomorrow.” “Oh!… Merry Christmas Eve!” Sara grinned.  “Go check on your brother for me.  I have to assist Mom with the engine,” Dad said.  Sara scampered down below.

“Nate, wake up!” Sara declared.  Nate didn’t stir.  Sara scooted closer. Jabbing him, she said, “lazy, get up!”  Nothing.  Sara bit her lip.  She poked his cheek and was met with hotness.  “Mom, Dad!  Something’s wrong with Nate!” Sara shouted.

She heard scurrying above, and in a flash her parents appeared. “Tom, he’s burning up.  And with the loss of power, we should radio for help,” Mom stressed.

Dad sprinted to the radio; Sara trailing behind.  “Mayday! It’s Family’s Heart! We need medical support!”  But Sara cut him off.  “Dad, is that water?” Sara pointed.  Dad’s face fell.  “Mayday, we’re taking on water!”  Dad said, simultaneously pushing the DSC button.

After long crackles, a voice answered, “This is the Coast Guard. We have your coordinates.”

“Sara, go tell Mom we have to abandon ship,” Dad stated, tears welling up.   Sara flew like a reindeer, grabbing all that was important.

From the deck of USS Vandergrift, the Jones watched as their home was swallowed up. “We’ve lost everything,” Dad lamented, squeezing an alert Nate (thanks to antibiotics administrated by the rescuers).  “Not everything,” Sara whispered.  She pulled out a photo. It was the Jones on Family’s Heart. Dad gasped, and Mom pulled everyone tight.  “Merry Christmas,” Sara said. 

11/29/18- Parent Confession 4

Alright this one is a parent confession that I feel a little conflicted about-- we use Santa to encourage good choices and behavior from our son.  On the one hand, our son has always been reward centered, so encouraging him to make good choices for a visit from Santa is more effective than a time out for making a bad choice.  But on the other hand, I don't want him to think he's a bad kid when he makes a bad choice. All kids are good even when they don't make the best choices.  I believe that truly.  So I worry that my son will think he's bad when we tell him Santa won't come. Of course, we'd never not have Santa visit our house, but I still worry about Jack receiving a confusing message about Santa. 

I know some parents see Santa as lying to their kids, and I respect that. However, for me personally, I've always been a sucker for magic and hope, which is what I think Santa embodies.  Thus, I have no qualms about telling Jack about Santa-- I want him to believe in magic and hope and miracles and all the good stuff in the world.  Even when he discovers the truth about Santa, I hope (there's that word again) that he'll still believe.  I still believe in Santa and the magic Santa brings this time of year, and so I think it's important to share in the tradition of Santa that I was taught (as a kid) with my own kid. 

One tradition I didn't have with Santa and Christmas when I was a kid is the Elf on the Shelf.  Here's part 2 of the confession: I really dislike the Elf on the Shelf.  Yep, I said it out loud.  I could do without the Elf.  Although I love what Jack has named his Elf, Pizza!, the Elf is there to basically tattle tale on my kid.  I mean again, Pizza's presence is encouraging good behavior and choices, so I guess that the tattle taling isn't what I'm really annoyed with.  The part I'm most annoyed with is the tradition of having to move that sharking Elf every night.  Like I barely remember to shower some days, how am I supposed to remember to move that sharking Elf every night?!  So my solution is that Pizza just loves candy so much that he (she?) can't take themselves away from the candy bowl.  Yeah, that's it.

So there. That's my parent confession(s).  I harbor ill feelings towards the Elf on the Shelf (my husband wanted to do it, and sometimes you make compromises in relationships, haha), and well I definitely believe in sharing the tradition of Santa and the magic Santa creates this time of year, I do worry a little that our kid may get mixed messages about being a good kid vs. making good choices (there's a difference).  I try very hard to never say you're a bad kid, but you're making a bad choice/bad behavior, so we'll see how this all turns out in 20 something years.  Can't wait to see if Jack talks about Santa and how he tried to be a good kid and self worth and all that with his therapist.  Ha!

Alright, tell me in the comments your thoughts on the Elf on the Shelf and Santa and parenting in the comments below, and I hope everyone has a Merry Happy Christmas Holidays!

11/14/18- Life Has Happened

I kept telling myself I'd do a post on here for the past 3 weeks on how to run a successful Kickstarter campaign because yay me, my illustrators and my friends and family, we had a successful Kickstarter campaign for the second Annie Aardvark book "Adding Ants!"  Congrats to me and to everyone who helped out with the campaign by pledging, sharing, and giving me marketing ideas (for the Kickstarter).  I truly couldn't have do it alone.

But alas this post isn't going to be how to run a successful Kickstarter campaign because I'm wiped.  I literally don't have the energy.  I had my routine blood test back in September, which for RA patients is like every other month sometimes, and I got the results from my doctor a week ago, and it shows my thyroid levels hover right on the borderline, my cortisol levels low, and also good old CRP is high again.  Basically these results indicate that my fatigue isn't just from shouting and dancing with joy that the "Adding Ants" Kickstarter was fully funded (although that added to it a little haha).

So instead of a list of what and what not to do with a Kickstarter campaign, I'm just going to tell you what is happening in my life.  I'm obviously got some health issues going on, but I'm confident my doctor and I will get me back somewhat healthy, but there's good things happening too.  Jack knows how to count to 30 all by himself, and he can write his name all by himself!  He's growing everyday, and that couldn't make me more happy! 

We've also have had a lot fun lately, going to various classmates birthday parties.  Jack loves seeing his preschool chums there, and I feel blessed that Bobby and I have made friends with their parents.  Like we have those parents' phone numbers-- like this is a big milestone in the parent timeline (making friends with the other kids parents).  Haha. :) 

Then as I patiently wait for the "Adding Ants" books to arrive at my house so I can ship them to all the Kickstarter backers, we've been holiday crafting and decorating, and Bobby and I will have a date night this week to go see the second "Fantastic Beasts" movie.  And I've got lots of fun planned over STEM Spark for the holidays-- a lot of STEM toy giveaways and some STEM crafts (I hope!). 

Hmm, as I write this all out, I guess it sounds like I'm not resting, but rest assured (haha), I've also been taking lots of naps on the weekends and going to bed before my kid.  I'm so grateful that Bobby has been doing both school pick up and drop off so that I can get my rest.  I'd really like to not sleep though Thanksgiving and Christmas.  We do have exciting plans to take Jack on the Polar Express train again this year, so hopefully the new meds I'm taking to address my energy issues will kick in soon and my body will be bouncing off the walls like my mind does!

Oh, I will note one thing about a do not for a Kickstarter Campaign, and that is DO NOT accidentally launch it before you've meant to.  ;-)

Let me know what's been happening for you, or holiday plans you look forward to, or whatever, in the comments!  Take care!  Happy napping!  And all that good stuff! 

10/29/18- Mason's Howl (For the 8th Annual Halloweensie Contest)

“I’m so hungry!” Mason shouted.  “I’m prepping the cauldron now,” replied daddy.  Snap, crackle, pop went the fire as water began to boil.  “How about frog’s breath?” daddy asked. “Yuck!” growled Mason.  “Slimy snail shells?” said daddy.  Mason shook his head side to side and declared, “no!”    

“Okay.  How about pickled rat?” asked daddy.  Mason shivered at the thought: “gross!”  “Hmm…” daddy thought, “I think I’ve got it…” Mason’s fang curled into a snare and with the word ‘no’ forming on his lips, daddy exclaimed “Candied spider legs!”  Mason’s snare changed into smile and licking his lips, Mason howled, “yuummmm!”

10/22/18- Halloween in Phoenix

I love Halloween, and all the associated activities that come with it!  And it seems like in the  year 2018 there more activities that we do with our children than I did as a child-- pumpkin patch, fall festivals/carnivals, trunk or treats, Halloween parades, Halloween decorating/large lawn displays, and making Halloween specific food, beverages and crafts, and straight up trick or treating. I only remember doing just trick or treating as a kid! And I remember how hot it'd get some Halloweens here in Phoenix, that you wanted to ask your parents if you could just wear your bathing suit to trick or treat in.

And when it's hot outside, sometimes it's hard to get in the mood for all things Halloween.  I love how great the winters are in Phoenix, but seriously, sweating (and possible dehydration) to death in your costume when it's 100 something out on Halloween night is just no bueno. It kind of kills your Halloween spirit: last year we hardly put out any decorations and just barely made it to the pumpkin patch.  It was 95 degrees last year when we visited the pumpkin patch!  At night!  Good thing the pumpkin patch served snow cones. 😅

However, this October for the PHX has been blessed by some rain storms that have lowered the temperatures, and we've been in the 80s as far as the weather goes!  So even though I just got back from Minneapolis, where the leaves turn color and there is frost nipping in the air (a real proper fall for Halloween festivities for sure!), I've definitely been more into Halloween this year.  Bobby and I have put up 3 blow up Halloween characters, flickering lights, gravestones, chains, and six pumpkins so far!  The last part, six pumpkins, is because every time we see a pumpkin somewhere, Jack insists we get one.  And since Bobby and I are both more in the spirit this year, I'm like, well you are right Jack, we do need more pumpkins! 

We've also been crafting the shark out of Halloween.  I may have a small habit with buying the Target dollar bin Halloween crafts, but there are some really cool crafts, like a mini wood pumpkin puzzle that you paint yourself or a string a shoelace through a black cat, that are perfect for young kids. We've also been doing some fun Halloween STEM experiments, like glow in the dark slime, mad pumpkin, and glow stick in a jar (coming soon to STEM Spark).  We're also reading lots of Halloween books, including Five Little Pumpkins.  And Jack is so into all of it!

It is so wonderful and special to be making all these memories together, but what I'm secretly pleased about is that he is back into costumes.  Last year he didn't want to wear a costume at all, and that was weirdly hard for me-- I think because I loved playing dress up so much as a kid, so I couldn't comprehend how he didn't have that exact same love for dress up?  But as I came to acceptance on this matter, he has decided this year that costumes are great!  He's most likely going as a super hero this year: most likely The Incredibles' Dash, Batman or Superman. He was Superman as baby, so *tear* if he dresses up as Superman this year.  I will be going as Margret Hamilton, STEM person extraordinaire, and if you also are thinking about a STEM costume this year, you can check out my post on STEM inspired costumes here.

In summary, I love Halloween and am so thankful that the weather in Phoenix is adding to the enjoyment of the holiday. Also pretty excited that my little one is really into it and wanting to dress up!  Tell me what is one of your favorite things about Halloween in the comments below, and Happy Halloween everybody!  May you have Spook-tactular one!
 

10/2/18- My Baby is Four (where the shark did time go?!)

Almost a month ago Jack turned four!  I have no idea where the time went, and I don't just mean these past four year, I mean this past month!  I was going to finally write up Jack's birth story (because it was kind of like one you'd see in a Hollywood movie), but time has just slipped away from me and now you just get this post-- the cliche where does time go; life is so busy?!

My current time management issues are my fault though because I've bitten off a lot; however, I think I can chew it all.  How did I get so busy?  Well for one, I finished the second Annie Aardvark book!  Yay!  Then I decided on top of family and my engineering day job that I'd also start a new blog, called STEM Spark.  Then I also decided it would be a good idea to launch the second Annie Aardvark book through a Kickstarter campaign right after launching the new blog!   

I took on all these things not because I'm crazy, but because I am just super excited and optimist about these projects.  I have been forced this month to be more efficient in the work I do, aka not spending so much time watching cute animal videos on the Internet! I also have the support of Bobby, which helps all lot in "balancing" it all.  Plus, now at age four, Jack is able to entertain/play by himself for short durations while I work (like 20 minutes is all you need to write up a Kickstarter thank you).  Watching him grow from a baby to toddler to pre-K child has been amazing!

I'm so blessed to see him grow-- he's spatial reasoning skills are something to be envied; his vocabulary and letter/number reading is expanding more and more; and he's able to dress himself, which as an adult you think isn't that hard, but watching Jack learning to put a shirt on, while you realize just how much practice and learning a simple skill like dressing yourself takes!  Of course in his quest for independence (again, yay for dressing yourself), he's pushing hard on the boundaries we have set for him, and the tantrum seem even worse/longer at age four than at age three.  But I know it's all apart of the growing process, and I hold onto hope that soon-ish we'll find the happy medium of Jack's independence and parents' boundaries/rules (she said naively).

I just have to also add that Bobby and I threw a pretty shark fin b-day party for Jack (if I do say so myself) in the middle of all these new projects... which is probably why we all had colds last week (kicking shark fin takes it out of you!). That and the"weather change" in Phoenix. We're no longer in the 100's!, although there's always a chance we'll have another 100 degree day in October, haha.  Anyway, we're all better now, so upwards and onwards!

No sleep till Brooklynn...well in this case, no sleep till the Kickstarter is done and the book is released!  I hope everyone has had a great start to their fall! Oh, and one day I'll write Jack's birth story cause it's pretty amazing (of course I'm biased, but for those who do know the story, it is not much exaggeration to say it's something out of a movie).  Happy fall!

9/1/18- Parent Confession 3

McDonald's.  Say what you will about the double arches, but for me McDonald's has been a parental lifesaver. I take Jack here about once a week , usually after work. And usually after feeling fatigued from the rheumatoid arthritis.

When you feel so fatigued, cooking and playing with your child can feel next to impossible. What's a RA, working parent to do? For me  the solution comes in the form of McNuggets, Apple slices and yogurt or fries (and now organic juice). The McDonald's of my yester years has worked to improve the healthy options, and sometimes their Apple slices are the only fruit Jack will eat (on his difficult toddler days).

Suplerging!

Jack also loves the playground at our local McD, and I love that he is running around and getting out all of his toddler energy. All while I can sit and watch from a bench. I can get the much needed rest I need, and Jack can get the exercise and play he needs.

Another thing that I thank McDonald's for is you can find one on any road trip. They're usually open early and late, with a restroom and much needed caffinated beverage. It's a good place to take a break and stretch your joints on a long road trip.

So in this day of age of homemade, organic baby food (which we have totally made our own organic baby food, so I'm understand that choose as a parent, I promise), I don't feel ashamed to admit I take the kid to McDonald's once a week. It's a good option for us and for our needs. So that's my 3rd parent confession, I am not ashamed to take my kid to McDonald's.

Plus the toys in Happy Meals are kind of fun (Sorry Jack I took your mini Hungry Hippo game)!  So if you also visit the double arches with your kids, your secret (or maybe not secret) is safe with me because ba da ba ba ba, I'm loving It! Leave a comment on what places or restaurants have helped you out!

8/16/18- Breastfeeding

A week ago I had the privileged to write about what it's like to be a parent with Rheumatoid Arthritis  (RA) on the site Fiery Bones, and while I covered a lot in that article, there was one subject I specifically wanted to talk about while being an RA mom: breastfeeding.  First I want to caveat this post with this-- when it comes to breastfeeding in the US, it feels damned if you do (cover up in public! you can't do that here!) and damned if you don't (I don't care your situation, you should be exclusively breastfeeding baby from the nipple for the next 20 years!).  So now with that caveat, I'll dive into my breastfeeding story.

From the start I was a low producer, meaning that on a good day, I made 5 ounces of breast milk for baby Jack.  Jack consumed at least twice that in the earlier days, and I think 5 times that by the time I hung up my breastfeeding hat.  So I supplemented with formula, and no way do I feel guilty about my baby being feed formula because he was being feed. Period.  That is what is important.  But for the first 3 month (aka maternity leave), I did feed him what breast milk I had mostly by boob.

And I remember how stiff and locked up my hand and elbow joints would get.  Since I didn't produce much milk, feeding sessions would be close to an hour.  And it was painful.  So I'd switch sides every 10-15 minutes or sit him down and pick him back up.  I had suspicions within a month or two that my RA was flaring again.  It was confirmed when I had a check up with my primary care doctor four months after Jack was born.

My primary care doctor recommend a couple of different things, and I did a follow up with my rheumatologist.  The rheumatologist recommended that I go back on Plaquenil for the RA. I had stopped taking the medicine during pregnancy with guidance from my rheumatologist. She didn't want to risk any side effects during pregnancy, as well as all my RA numbers were looking good. I was most likely in remission during pregnancy, which does not always happen to pregnant RA patients.  But now that I was having a flare, it was time to go back on Plaquenil.

Again, with guidance from my rheumatologist and Jack's pediatrician, I started the medication.  It was middle of the road safe for breastfeeding mothers.  At the same time, I was back at work, so I (and Bobby) had switched full time to bottles with Jack (he had them off/on previous).  I remember one week into being back at work (and Jack receiving bottles full time at daycare) that I might try breastfeeding Jack for nostalgia purposes.  Jack was not having it, and I ended up giving him a bottle.

But I was pumping at work, which is it's own beast. Again, the breast milk I pumped wasn't much, but I was still proud of the fact that I was providing a little breast milk among the formula that Jack was receiving.  I'd also wake up in the middle of the night, even though Jack now mostly slept through the night, to pump. Those 3 ounces counted towards the total, no way would I miss that!  However, the lack of sleep was definitely not helping the RA nor was it making me a happy mom.  I was not the best version of myself on the little sleep I was getting (it was hard to fall back asleep after pumping a half hour at 3 am, and since I couldn't fall back asleep, I'd stay up reading or checking emails/social media).

I don't even remember much between months 3 and 9 of Jack's life, since I was a walking, breast milk pumping zombie whose joints ached so much.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed my time with Jack (and figuring out parenthood with Bobby), but I can't really remember what I did at work or conversations I'd have with Bobby.  I was in desperate need of Ibfropen and rest/sleep, but I wasn't ready to admit to myself that it was time to retire from breastfeeding.  According to society, I'd be a horrible mother and fail Jack if I didn't make it a whole year breastfeeding.

Then Jack got his first stomach virus at nine months, which is really scary when they're ity bity babies, but of course it all turned out fine (virus went away and Jack started eating again).  But since Jack didn't seem to be keeping any milk or pureed foods down, Bobby and I were in full on parent worry, red alert mood.  So much so, that while Jack was sick, I forgot to pump.  Once Jack was doing a little better, I put the pump supplies on and started the device up.  Nothing came out.  I waited a full 10 minutes before quitting.   I was like, no big deal I'll try again later, and I did try again yith the same results; nothing came out. So that was that.  At nine months, I was done providing breast milk to my baby.

Yet, it was a blessing in disguise.  I started sleeping 8 hours straight through the night (no waking up at 3 am) , and I started taking NSAIDs again (bless you Ibfropen).  I also felt relief that Jack wasn't getting diluted Plaqunil anymore (although the doctors gave their blessing for me to use that medication).  Yes, at first I was very conflicted-- I'm supposed to provide nutrients for a whole year to my baby. However, because of the extra rest/sleep and more free time (now that I wasn't pumping), I felt so much better and happier.  I hadn't realized how awful I had felt. But now I had a little more spring in my steps, and I was able to fully enjoy family time.  I was enjoying life more.

In summary, I feel like I got this unique experience of both sides-- the breastfeeding mom and the formula feeding parent.  I can empathize with both sides, and that I personally don't see breastfeeding as only one sided.  Before judging anyone on whether they choose to breastfeed or not, remember that they could be a RA mom who doesn't produce much and struggles to hold baby for a long time due to joint stiffness.  So let's support the parents who don't breastfeed, as well as the moms who nipple feed until 5+ years, and everything in between. Because damn it, parenting is hard enough without judgement, so let's support each in our breastfeeding decisions. Fed is fed! To breastfeeding and to formula feeding!

7/28/18-- Book Review of "Irving Berlin: The Immigrant Boy Who Made America Sing"

I feel so lucky to be a part of the Kid Lit (aka Children's Literature) community because I get to [virtually] meet really cool authors.  One such author is Nancy Churnin.  I met Nancy through a picture book writers group we are both in, and I noticed that her book Irving Berlin: The Immigrant Boy Who Made America Sing was recently released.  I made a mental note to keep an eye out for it  hoping to check it out from the Tempe Library.

A few weeks ago, I took Jack to play at the Tempe Library.  I saw Irving Berlin: The Immigrant Boy Who Made America Sing sitting front and center on the new non-fiction book display-- so cool, and I was very happy for Nancy that her book was so prominently displayed on my library's shelf!  I was going to check it out, but confession time, I had 3 books over due and I hadn't brought them with me!  No big deal I thought because I could totally get the Irving Berlin picture book next time.

So a week or so later, I was ready to return my other overdue books and pay my fine.  Off I trekked to the Tempe Library.  I took care of the overdue book situation, and then went to retrieve Nancy's book off the new non-fiction book display.  But it wasn't there anymore.  Okay, I'll look it up in the library's computer system-- now the book is sitting in the children's biography section.  I'm old enough to know the Dewey decimal system, and so I know how to find 782.4216 BERLIN.  But the book wasn't there.  The computer system says it should be, but it wasn't.  Alright, time to grab the librarian.  She couldn't find it either.  We walked together all over the children's floor, looking for the book.  Finally, we surrendered, and the librarian marked the book missing.

Determined to get a hard copy of this book, I headed over to the nearest library in the neighboring community of Mesa. However, this library didn't even own a copy!  So they submitted a request to order one, which is great for Nancy (that means a sale - yay!), but not so great if you are as excited as I am to get my hands on a genuine physical copy of this book.  Now, I get to wait for either Mesa's copy to come in or for Tempe to find their missing copy (fingers crossed).  While I wound up patiently (sort of) waiting for a physical copy, Nancy was kind enough to send me an electronic copy (thank you Nancy)!

Few children's books pique my interest enough for me to spend this much effort getting my hands on them (let's face it, free time for a working mom can be shorter than a toddler's attention span), and the big question is: was it worth the quest?  (spoiler alert: yes!)

Disclaimer: I've been given the e-book free in exchange for my honest opinion of the book.

A Little About The Book

Irving Berlin was one of America's most famous composers, song writers, and musicians. The book opens with five year old Irving Berlin leaving his home:  the Cossack revolts in Russia resulted in his family's house burning down, so the Berlin family is fleeing to America.  The family, along with many other immigrants, sail into New York City harbor and as they all see the Statue of Liberty, they break out in song.  It was the first of many times that Irving tried to capture the sounds and songs of this new city, of this new country.  His mother and father both say "God Bless America," at the site of their new home; it is something that will stay with Irving for his whole life.

The book continues to follow Irving as a child, growing into a young man.  The book discusses how the sounds on the streets where Irving plays, the prayers in the synagogue where the family worships, the sounds of the apartment where Irving grows up, all these things will later influence Irving's music.  Young Irving sings on the streets, which leads to a a job as a singing waiter at a restaurant, which leads to his first song (sold for 37 cents).  This job also leads to Irving's first hit song (which is an international hit), "Alexander's Ragtime Band."  All the while, his surroundings continue (like working at a restaurant that plays jazz).

Later, Irving serves in the US Army (he also has become a US citizen) during World War I.  His job is to write patriotic songs for the Army, and he also composes a show for the troops called "Yip! Yip!  Yaphank!"  He composed a song for the finale of the show that would become the basis for "God Bless America," but the song was ultimately not used in "Yip! Yip! Yaphank!" When the US enters into World War II twenty years later, Irving wanted to help and inspire his country again, so he pulled out the unused finale song from that show, and with his journey to America and what his parents said when they arrived in the US, he finished "God Bless America."  The song was performed by famous singer Kate Smith on the eve of World War II (in 1938), giving people hope and courage.  Irving never took a penny for "God Bless America," donating all proceed to the Boy and Girl Scouts of America.  "It was his thank you to the country that opened its arms to countless people from all over the world..."

My Review

My first thought is wow!  Such an inspiring and uplifting story about Irving Berlin and "God Bless America!"  I really want to get a hold of the hard copy now!  I want to be able to actually flip through the pages, admiring the actual ink of the illustrations and soak in the words.  It is such a well written, and beautiful story.  And the the illustrations are gorgeous!  The lighting of each illustration, and the theme of Irving's red scarf throughout, and the details of the background are so well done.  The illustrations really set the tone and match well the mood of the words.

I also love the message (well at least what I think is the message): that anyone can live the American dream.  In time when some Americans think that the American dream is only for those born in the country, it's such an important message--  an immigrant gave us one of our most popular songs about our country and what it means to be an American.  And to think about how that could have been lost if we had completely "shut the door" on immigrants.

I worry a little about some of the recent anti-immigration policies set forth by the current Administration, especially for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.  If we "close the door," what or who will we be missing out on?  Brilliant minds with brilliant STEM innovations?  Innovations that could solve some of our biggest problems and challenges (water and energy needs, global warming, cures for diseases, and so on)?  And we can't forget the arts and language side of it too-- will we miss the next Irving Berlin and "God Bless America?"

And from what I gather from this picture book, Irving Berlin seemed to want to want to share the gift of the American dream with everyone in the US, so much so, that he wasn't willing to profit from it.  It's really cool that he gave all his royalties to such a good cause, the Boy and Girl Scouts of America.  He also gave all his profits for the song "This is the Army" to the Army Emergency Relief Fund.  That's pretty cool.

So yeah, I think this story is such an important one to read with our children.  To talk about immigration and what it means to be American (it's more than just a birth right to me).  I also like the mentions of Irving's beliefs and mentions of Yiddish and Russian words, which add another layer of diversity to discuss with our children.  Not to mention that it's also a great introduction to some fabulous songs (Irving truly was gifted); I really can't wait to share them with Jack on iTunes!  "White Christmas" in particular has a special place in my heart, as it's a favorite song (and movie) between my dad and I, so being able to share the story of the composer of "White Christmas" with my son will be pretty amazing (tear).   And of course "God Bless America" is such a beautiful song, so reading such a beautiful story/book about this beautiful song and the amazing person who wrote it, is just all around amazingness!

Alright just to sum it up: 5 out of 5 stars (using the Goodreads and Amazon rating systems) and totally worth the epic trips to the libraries to get this book in hand!  I can't wait for the hard copies to come in!  Thank you Nancy for sharing an e-copy and for writing such a fabulous book (and James Rey Sanchez for the beautiful accompanying illustrations)!  It's really a great read, so go get Irving Berlin: The Immigrant Boy Who Made America Sing from your local library or bookstore (or Amazon or website or where ever you get books)! Happy reading!

PS:  Nancy has some great teacher guides for the book on her website, http://www.nancychurnin.com/.

There's also a project for kids to do on Nancy's website: http://www.nancychurnin.com/make-america-sing/.

Enjoy!

7/20/18-- Exciting Things!

I'm so excited!  I'm so excited!  I'm so... scared...sorry, couldn't resist a classic Saved By The Bell reference there.  But some really exciting things are happening here in the land of MomeeZee!  The first one is that I'm going to be re-naming my blog, as well as re-designing my blog.  I guess it's what business and marking folk call re-branding.

It was really cool-- I meet with The Crafty Chica last Friday for some blogger to blogger advice and insight.  Kathy is really passionate about helping other bloggers and small business owners, so every July she offers up consulting services (man, I need to lay off the reallys).  Her service was well worth it for me because she has given me some great tips, ideas (including blog direction) and motivation.  One of the big tips, and it's so obvious, is to have a blog name that people immediately know what the blog is about just by the name alone.  My friend Maira over at Enthusiastic About Life has also said the same thing, and I'm sorry that I'm just now listening Maira! 😊

As some you, my dear friends, may know, I brainstormed a whole slew of new names and put it to a vote with my friends and family.  I learned from Kathy (The Crafty Chica) that the first 5-6 things brainstormed are usually from our logical left side of the brain, and the next 5-6 things are from our creative right brain.  It's not really relevant; just a cool fact that I thought some of you might enjoy.  So anyway, I narrowed down the new blog names to two, and my friends and family have voted feverishly for their favorite. A huge thank you and shout to those of you who voted!  Stay tune in the next couple of months for the final name, and hence new blog!  I'll be having some fun things (aka giveaways) for the new blog launch!

Also exciting is that Jack will be in Pre-K starting August 6th.  My baby is a pre-kindergartner!  I'm so happy and thrilled for him to learn so new pre-k things.  Learning new things while unencumbered by fear and doubts, and to borrow from Maira, and with enthusiasm is such an awesome feeling!  He's going to have a blast.  I'm going to cry, but very thankful he's growing.  

And now a drumroll for the reveal... of the final... exciting.... piece of news I that have...brrrrum...I am working on the layout of the next Annie Aardvark book!  The title should be Annie Aardvark: Adding Ants, and it should be released this fall.  I'm most likely go to release the book through a Kickstarter campaign, right after I've finished the new blog, so please stay tuned/keep an eye out!  In the meantime, here's a sneak peak at an illustration in the new book. Squee, Annie's so cute!

 I'm so excited, I'm so excited!  I'm about to lose control and I think I like it! Hope everyone has something exciting going on in their lives!  Happy weekend! xoxo!

7/6/18- Summer STEM Experiment: Pool Noodle Math Game

How to make summer swimming a learning task, you ask? One where your math happy kid will grin and your language happy kid will groan?  Create a math game using a foam pool noodle of course!

YOU WILL NEED:

A Foam Pool Noddle
Scissors or Exacto Knife
Permanent Marker (my fav is Sharpie)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Cut the pool noodle into 10 pieces (even is good, but it's fine if you don't-- I have no perfectionist requirement on cutting the noodle into even pieces).  This step should probably be done by an adult since scissors or an Exacto knife are involved.

2) Using the permanent marker, write one number, 1-10, on each pool noodle piece (also make a 7 ate 9 joke as you number).

3) Throw the numbered pool noodle pieces into a pool (this pool should be a pool you have permission to use).

4) Have the child(ren) retrieve the numbers you call out: "3! 10! 5!" etc.


Variations on the pool noodle math swimming games:

• If you have an older child, tell them to retrieve 10-7; 36/6; 4+5; etc. 

• If you have a child under 2, you can put shapes on pool noodle pieces and create your own shape game.

• If you have a language lover, you can cut the pool noodle into 26 pieces and put one letter of the alphabet on each and create your own language game. 

Have fun swimming this summer, and always remember pool safety with your kids!

6/27/18- My Dream Job

I had a scary dream, but with a happy ending, the other night.  Bobby, Jack and I were flying somewhere overseas (the destination I forget, but it's not relevant to the story).  We're on a 747, so it's commercial flight with 300 something passengers.  All of sudden, we have to make a crash landing on the sea.  Luckily, our pilots manage to land use on the ocean with minimal damage. Passengers have bumps and scraps, but no major injures.  And no deaths (woo miracle and woo subconscious for making that happen).

Which is great, expect we're all now drifting randomly at sea with nothing but seat cushions as flotation devices.  Thankfully the US Coast Guard shows up out of no where with a big enough boat to put 300 something people on it.  They attend to the wounded and give us blankets and water.  We are all safe and headed home.  It's a happy ending!

But the dream wasn't really about a fear of flying and crashing into the sea.  I believe the dream was about my day job.  I try to stay pretty vague on my blog about where I work to avoid getting into trouble with my company.  However, my author profile does indicate that I work on the search and rescue system for the US Coast Guard (and all my friends and family know that's the project I work on, so it'd not that big of secret).  So the fact that my family and I are rescued at sea by the US Coast Guard in my dream, that was not a coincidence.

I am proud that I work as a systems engineer on the search and rescue system for the US Coast Guard.  I have much gratification that a project I work on saves people lives (specifically, people lost or distressed at sea and require rescuing).  To me, it's a project that makes a positive impact on the world.  And I love that I provide for my family through such a positive project.  I'm pretty sure that's why I dreamed about the Coast Guard rescuing my family the other night-- there's great satisfaction that two of my ideals, providing for my family and positively impacting the word, can co-exist.

Sometimes I'm not happy with the limited work I've been relegated to, and a lot of the time, I'm not happy with some of the things my company does.  My project within my company is pretty great, but the rest of my company frustrates me. Executive leadership has done some things in the past that show that they care more about profit and shareholders than the employees that work there. They also take on some projects that I'm not sure meld with my personal values and ideals.  That is what has made the past couple of years really hard for me in terms of working there.

And while I search for what to do next, I'm going to try and focus on the good that the search and rescue system project does while I provide a good life for my family.  I think continuing to focus on the positive of my current work situation will make me a better optimist and in turn, will open up the door to my next GREAT thing. That is my dream. I wish that we may all find work that we believe in.  May we all find our dream.

That's Me (standing in front and) Sharing with Students What I Do for A Living

6/15/18- Summer Activities Revisited

Wow, what a great kick off to summer time; our trip to southern California was pretty sweet!  We only brought home 5 sets of Lego (or systems as I've learned) from Legoland, which is pretty good for 2 engineers and a toddler. Although the trip out there certainly had some low points, Jack was a bit under the weather, once there we had a good time.  We hung out with friends, rode roller coasters, cars and boats, built so many Lego systems, and of course enjoyed the 70 degree weather! Man was it nice out there, and it's kind of a let down to come back to 107 degrees!

So what are we going to do on the weekends now that it's 107 out?  Luckily, Phoenix has many great options for indoor play and a couple of outdoor options.  Below is our list of planned summer activities and places we're going to visit locally to kill sometime in this heat. I think many of the places we plan to visit this summer are in most towns and cities, but let me know if you have some suggestions for fun summer activities. I'm always interested in recommendations and trying new things!  Hope everyone has a fun, safe and playful summer!

1. Lego Discovery Center- Jack is older now and way into Lego, so I'm confident he'll enjoy the Discovery Center now vs. when he was an itty bitty toddler.  Also, we bought annual passes to Legoland, which includes the Lego Discovery Centers, so might as well capitalize on that. 
2. Local Libraries- The libraries in our area have great children's spaces, like the Tempe Library and the Scottsdale Civic Center.  It's "free" (thank you to everyone who pays city taxes!) to go there too, so might as well take advantage of that. 
3. Movie Theater- Incredible 2, I can't wait to see it! And both Harkins, AMC and Pollack Theaters do a summer movie pass for kids  Seems like a cool thing to do; literally, is there any indoor place cooler than a movie theater?
4. AZ Science Center- We have a membership, and again, best to use it before we lose it.  Jack really likes the ping pong ball exhibit and outdoor water play area.  I think in general a museum pass somewhere is a must for the summer in a hot climate area. It's probably the same for a cold climate area in the winter. 
5. Indoor Trampoline Park- For the past couple of years these indoor trampoline parks, indoor bounce house places and indoor play parks have been popping up all over the Valley of the Sun.  Some of them are only $5 for an hour or two for toddler, so pretty reasonable. 
6. Chick-fil-A/McDonald's- Ice cream cones/shakes combined with an indoor play park... sold. 
7. Splash Pads- The City of Mesa and Tempe have some large splash pads that are pretty fun for the adults.  And kids too. 
8. Swimming Pool and Water Parks- We're blessed with a swimming pool in our backyard (so is half of Phoenix; it's a thing here), but I am looking forward to taking Jack to the indoor wave pool at Kiwanis.  They do movie nights, which should be fun.  Also, there's some decent outdoor water parks here (the water park at Legoland was really cool, for the record). I fear though that he'll want to ride a water slide that he's not tall enough for, and I remember how much that sucks.  Just happened to me at Legoland. 😉
9. Butterfly World- This place has been on my list forever.  We're going to make it this summer!  I also have lofty goals of volunteering more and writing more this, so hopefully I'm not all talk about finally going here.
10. Bookstores and The Mall- We go to these places anytime of the year, (FYI B+N has a great summer reading program; kids get a free book at the end), but the air conditioning will be extra appreciated this summer.  We'll also have to see if we can leave the mall and bookstores without books and toys (I'm side eyeing myself right now as I doubt that).  

Abracadabra! It's summer!

5/27/18- Summer is Here!

Hurrah! Summer is here!  Okay, it's actually (temperature-wise) been summer in Phoenix for more than a month.  But this was the first weekend that we went swimming in our pool. And it was still too cold for me.  The pool thermometer read 80-degrees, but it didn't feel that warm.  I had actual goose bumps as Jack splashed me.

I always look forward to summer; it's a time to slow down and relax.  Spring is such a busy time of year for our family: birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, festivals and more.  So when summer approaches, I know it's time to take it easy.  Lazy days by the pool, nothing on the schedule but possibilities, and plenty of time to reflect as I sip mint lemonade (spiked 😉).  I love the promise of R 'n' R that summer brings.  Not too mention summer vacation!

This year we're going to Carlsbad, California for summer vacation.  We're going to visit Legoland, the beach, and (hopefully) friends.  We've been gearing up for Legoland on this three-day holiday weekend by watching (binging?) "The Lego Movie," "Lego Batman," and "The Ninjago Movie," and stockpiling Legos (woo hoo, we found a closing Toys R Us in Tucson, so 30% off Legos!).  We'll be going with friends who have a 5 year old, and I think Jack will like having a companion to ride the rides with.  But this trip is the first time Bobby, Jack or I have been to Legoland, so any pro tips would be appreciated.

Of course, the best part of summer vacation is basically getting to forget that you work a 9-5 job!  I've actually been doing okay mentally with my boring work the past couple months, but my physical health hasn't been the best, so I'm ready to not work for a week.  I'm not sure how my body will react to doing an amusement park; however, we're staying at a Lego hotel, so I can go take a nap when needed.  Plus, Advil.  Advil is the answer to my RA inflammation (I'm sure one day I'll need something stronger, but yay for Advil!).

Anyways, there will be time to rest on the weekends after vacation.  We have nothing scheduled on the weekend for months (she typed, intentionally ignoring the calendar)!  I love it!  Randomly deciding to go see a summer blockbuster, or go get Hawaiian ice, or even go play at the indoor playground (haha, like we'd dare go to an outdoor playground in Phoenix during the summer; that'd just be asking for dehydration and sunburn) is like the best thing in the world.  Despite the hundred degree plus weather, summer rocks!

Let me know in the comments your summer plans or what you look forward to this summer, and any Legoland tips are greatly appreciated!  I'll also being doing an updated post for summer activities in Phoenix here soon, but in the meantime, enjoy this flashback to when Jack was enjoying his 2nd Phoenician summer: Fun In AZ Sun. "Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability!"-- Sam Keen.  May you all enjoy your respectable, lazy summer!

5/16/18- Parent Confession 2

In my last post, Parent Confession 1, I confessed that Jack likes saying the word poop and that I don't really discourage him from saying it.  It's kind of funny.  And now I'm about to make my second parent confession... I let my 3 year old have way too much screen time.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends only 1 hour per day of screen time for children ages 2-5-- Jack watches TV or plays on a tablet for about 2.5 hours a day on weekdays and more on weekends.  I supposed I should feel guilty about him receiving too much screen time, but I don't.  For one, I'm a working parent with a chronic illness, and two, Jack is learning academic and social skills 8 hours a day Monday through Friday at preschool.

Since Jack is at preschool learning reading, writing, math, and other development skills, I'm not worried that screen time is inhibiting his development.  Inhibiting development is one reason the AAP recommends only 1 hour of screen time.  The AAP says screen time should also be quality programming (like Sesame Street), and that other types of programming (like silly cartoons) could delay development. However, from what I can tell, my 2.5 hours/day screen time toddler speaks, reads and writes at the average 3 year old level.

He also seems to be receiving the social skills needs from interacting with the other kids at preschool, as well as his teacher does various social development lessons (like how to recognize your emotions with emotion faces, how to care for people and plants, and so on).  We also only let him watch shows and play games that are designed for preschoolers; most meet the quality programming for preschoolers, with one or two exceptions (train videos on YouTube probably doesn't qualify as quality, but I think Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Daniel Tiger, and Paw Patrol are probably fine/quality). So, for these reasons I don't really worry about the 2.5 hours/day.

Another main reason I refuse to feel guilty about Jack watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse or Paw Patrol for long periods of time is that I'm a working mom with an autoimmune disease.  After work, I barely have the energy to make dinner and watch Mickey with Jack, let alone put on an elaborate puppet show or full blown chemistry lab or whatever it is we're supposed with our children instead of screen time.  Like, I'm doing my best as a RA mommy, and sometimes my best is letting my child watch TV and play trains by himself while I sit on the couch, okay judgy AAP?!

💜Laying on the couch, watching TV 💜

While Jack plays and watches TV, I do engage him and ask questions about the show or his toys, but I already have so much guilt for not being down on the floor playing with him because I'm sick/tired that I don't need the added guilt layer that the TV is on too. I'm working to give myself a little grace and kindness on this whole screen thing because holding onto guilt is only going to make my body feel worse, making me a worse mom.  Being a guilty parent over a happy and healthy parent doesn't really do Jack any favors.

I think all of parents could use a little self kindness when they start to feel guilty over whether or not they're doing a good job.  It's tough to always follow all the parent guidelines out there, like give your child organic air and make sure they get 9.8 m/s² of gravity a day, and trying to follow every single rule will just drive you nuts.  And again, a crazy parent over a happy and healthy parent won't be good for the child.  So I think just do you: do the parenting rules that won't drive you crazy and  won't make you feel guilty (of course always follow the no shark rules, like never abuse a children). For me that means letting my kiddo have more than the recommended screen time per day.

So, cheers to screen time!  And cheers to all the parents doing you!  There is no secret shame in being you: a parent who uses non-organic vegetables, a parent who lets their kid play with plastic toys, a parent who lets their kids watch too much TV.  Cheers to doing your best!  Cheers to being you!

*This was a great op-ed on parents with chronic illness. I'm a work in progress, but this op-ed was a good reminder to not beat myself up when I can't play with my kid and only lay on the couch (thanks Felicia for sharing this op-ed with me).  Why Parents With Chronic Illnesses Are Damn Superheroes

4/30/18- Parent Confession 1

I was going to name this post "Parent Secret Shame," but since I'm about to share it on the Internet, it will no longer be a secret.  And I'm not a shamed.  So instead, here is my parent confession: my child loves the word poop.  It's poop this, poopy that, and I find it entertaining.  Honestly the word poop doesn't bother me.  It's kind of a useful word when interacting with a toddler (have you pooped today? do you need to poop? did you just poop your pants?), so I'm not at all surprised he goes around saying the word poop a lot. And I mean a lot. 

Because for all of his life (all 3 years so far), we've been asking him if he pooped.  It started with his first poopy diaper.  Then during potty training, as a parent, you try to look for the poop face or the poop stance, and once your child is (mostly) potty trained, you're asking every hour if she/he has to pooped or if he/she just farted?  Was that a poop or a fart is a common phrase in our house.  So it's like no wonder the toddler is obsessed with this word-- we say it ALL the time.

However, the other day, I did a completely innocent and reasonable parent ask, of, Jack, do you have to poop?  I mean, it's an important question to ask your recently potty trained 3 year old, as it's really not fun to wash yet another pair of stained underwear. He turns to me and says (serious voice), "mommy, you can't say that word."  And I'm like, "poop? I can't ask you if you have to poop?"  "Yes mommy, we can't say poop."  And I'm like shark poop, we can say poop.  Of course, I phrase it a little different to him, explaining how everybody poops, bowel movements are part of the human antimony, biology, medical science, blah, blah.

He must have gotten in trouble at school for saying the word poop or poopy.  Sure, you shouldn't call someone a poopy pants (thanks Captain Underpants and fellow preschool friends for making that phrase popular). I've definitely drawn the line on naming calling. No calling someone poopy pants (omg, it's so hard not to laugh when writing/reading/saying poopy pants). We've talked how that hurts people/feelings, and he will get a time out for name calling.

But... I don't think it's improper to say poop when real poop is involved. Again, it's a very legitimate parenting question and discussion to be having with your kid.  I much rather he tells me he has to poop, then him pooping his pants in the middle of Target.  Nobody wins there.  Including the customers sensitive to the word poop (clutching their pearls, with their curse word meter set way too high) because their nose is going to have more sensitivity issues than their curse word meter if my kid does poops himself.

Also, I refer back to the science part of poop.   It's a part of being human that none of us should be a shamed of, especially if you are 3 years old and have just completed potty training.   If you've ever had serious medical issues, sometimes bodily functions (like poop) are involved, and you need to be capable of openly and maturely talk about poop.  In the medical sciences, prim and proper etiquette about bowel movements goes out the door; it really forces you to be a grown up about it and accept poop as human biology. So please just keep all that in mind if you get flummoxed about the word poop.

Of course, it doesn't help that I laugh when my child says let's ride the poop train or there's the poop dinosaur or poop flowers smell or other nouns getting a poop adjective attached to them. You kind of get desensitized to the word poop as a parent and an autoimmune patient, so I can't help it when a laugh escapes from my mouth when he says poop. And now that I've written poo a bunch of times, I bet you didn't even realize I switched it up from poop to poo just now. 💩

I know I'm not alone in this kid loves the word poop.  I just saw a friend share a picture of a story/letter her child wrote, and it went: Poop poop poop poop poop.  Please feel free to leave your own best parent  poop story (life's bleach-able movements as Clorox so cleverly coined it) or favorite poop joke or any other favorite poop story (doesn't have to be about a kid in your life) in the comments.  Happy pooping everyone (seriously fiber and/or probiotics will help)!

4/25/18- Science Experiment: Edible Starburst Slime

With Arizona teachers walking out tomorrow, which I totally support!, you might find your kid at home and looking for something to do.  Or maybe you're in a state where there is no walk out, but you'll need something to do this weekend.  Enter Edible Starburst Slime-- the science experiment is sure to give your kids a sugar high and then a sugar crash, so let's call it a win? 

YOU'LL NEED:

Starbursts

Powdered Sugar

Double Boiler Pot
Non-Stick Cooking Mat if you have one
Parental Supervisor for stove usage

INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Boil a pot of water and place a glass bowl over the pot (hence a double boiler) to melt the Starbursts. I actually have a fancy double boiler pot from Sur Le Table, so that's what you see in my pictures, but a glass bowl works great too. 

2) Constantly stir the Starburst so that they don't burn.  Once melted, remove from heat (place on pot holder or a burner that's turned off).

3) Spread powdered sugar onto the non-stick cooking mat.  If you have those fancy silicon cooking/baking gloves, you can go ahead and grab your melted Starbursts. If not, then wait until you can touch it without burning yourself, but it's still melty (yep, that's a made up adjective).

4) Knead the Starburst into the powdered sugar until it's stretchy and mildly sticky... like slime. Actually, it will be more like play dough. So, we got cookie cutters out and cut shapes out of our edible Starburst slime.  

Note, it will eventually go back to a harden Starburst state; it won't be slime forever, but you can always heat it back up to make it sticky again.

Of course, on the favorite parts for us was eating this slime!  Happy science experimenting! 

4/16/18- The Great Parent Escape

So yep, it's been a couple of weeks since I lasted posted here.  Whatcha doing?  Me, I've been quite busy.  But don't worry, I was good busy.  It was my birthday!  Then, it was Easter!  Then, it was Bobby's birthday!  Then, it was Bobby and mine's wedding anniversary!  Then, this weekend happened... where I chose naps over writing!  So it's been a a really good couple of weeks.

Somewhere among all the festivities and celebrations (and naps), Bobby and I managed to parent escape and celebrate our birth-a-versaries. This great parent escape, as I have dubbed it, is our 3rd one since Jack was born.

What is a great parent escape you ask?  Well, it's were you sucker skillfully talk your family member or dear friend into watching your child for the weekend, and then you and your partner get crazy and wild at a hotel with HGTV and room service. And maybe a pedicure if the hotel has onsite spa. Shark yeah, we're not watching Paw Patrol for the millionth time!  And an uninterrupted meal in bed-- living large my friends, living large!

 Eating Room Service Food In Bed While Watching HGTV- Shark Yeah!

Okay, I'm getting a little tangent to your curve, but I think many of my parent friends, and super busy couples in general, know how hard it is to find time together. To just be a couple.  I remember going a work-life-balance/integration presentation thing a year (or maybe years) before having Jack, and I remember the woman talking about how important it was for her and her partner to take a trip somewhere just the two of them.

She also talked about how important just a friends trip is (something I need to do better of) and just a family trip to not see family is, and anyway, it was something that stuck with me for a long time. That how taking these trips really re-ups and strengthens your bond with family, friends and partner.

So the first year of Jack's life, I had planned to do all 3 special trips (family, friends and partner), so finally at Jack's 18 month birthday, Bobby and I took our kid free, couple's trip to Southern Arizona wine country (first family trip at 2, and still planning that friends trip, whistle, whistle).  While we missed Jack, we had a great time on our first parent escape.

I mean, I was bit drunk from all the wine tasting, so yeah, it was pretty fun. I don't think that Bobby and I realized how much we needed that escape until we got back home.  It reinforced our bond as a couple and recharged our batteries as parents, making us a happier family.  I refuse to feel guilty about taking a trip together just the two of us when it makes our family happier, healthier and stronger.

So, I recommend that parents (and busy couple and busy people in general) try to squeeze in one parent escape a year.  I know it will be hard to find the time, and I know there will be worry about cost. However, it doesn't have to be to wine country, beautiful Sedona, or a fancy Scottsdale resort; it can just be hotel casa, as long as your child(ren) is staying the night somewhere else.  You can make your house a pretty cool retreat for adults.

Put away the kid's toys, grab some 2 buck chuck (or 99 cent ginger ale) from the Trader Joe's, blast that "old time-y" music (since when did Prince become oldies local radio station, since when?), and stream HBO Go while eating BBQ chick pizza (cause yuck, your kids would never eat that). This little escape doesn't even have to be in celebration of anything, like how Bobby and I do it; it can be for the pure fact that your ready to escape.

The great parent escape doesn't have to be fancy or far away--it can be done at home and for cheap, as long as you remember the one rule: no kids.  So get ready for your great parent escape and bribe ask someone today to take your kid(s) for the weekend.*  Bon voyage to all the people that participate in a great parent escape--hope you enjoy your kid free zone getaway!

Thank you to our friends and family that have helped watched Jack during our great parent escapes; we sincerely appreciate what you've done for us. I'm not sure we can properly thank you for the precious gift of time that you have given us.** And happy birth-a-versary Bobby!  I am so thrilled for every year I get to escape with you!

We Made It!

*Warning, you may have to return the favor and take someone else's kid(s) for 48 hours.

**We are prepared to return the favor.

3/26/18- The Facebook Marketplace

I am in like with Facebook Marketplace.  It's the new Craig's List for getting rid of your stuff.  Or maybe Let Go is more hip, and the cool factor of FB Marketplace falls in between Craig's List and Let Go.  Anyway, FB Marketplace has been a great place for Bobby and I to find some nice toys and other items, as well as get rid of some our stuff.

We recently acquired some really cool wooden train toys, including Thomas the Train locomotives, through the Marketplace.  Sure, we had to drive a few suburbs away, but the price was fair and the condition was good for the items we acquired.  Jack was super happy to get new trains and train tracks.

We were also able to get rid of our old couch and sell some of Jack's baby items (Jack isn't a baby anymore, tear) through FB Marketplace.  These experiences were good-- we didn't have to go drop stuff off, and we made enough money to buy Easter baskets for Jack and our Godson.  Hurrah!

However, today I made a rookie mistake when making pick up arrangements for an item I was selling on the Marketplace.  So, seller and buyer can use FB Messenger to talk to each other and sort out sale details, like price and pick up details.  The mistake I made for the pick up is only rookie mistake if your a woman.

I agreed to meet the buyer, a man, at my house alone.  Sure that can be a little questionable if your a man home alone, but for a woman home along, it's just down right unsafe.  The situation becomes more unsafe if you decide to look at the man's FB profile, and boom, front and center on his profile is him holding a gun at a shooting range. Totally fine to be a man taking a selfie at a shooting range; totally not fine as a woman who is home alone to invite this male stranger who takes gun range selfies into your home.

Yeah, it sucks (sucks isn't even the right word) that there's the mentality "better safe than sorry" and "stranger danger." Unfortunately that mentality does exist, and unfortunately, it exists for a reason (hashtag MeToo).  Because I am full aware of the "better safe than sorry" and to be wary of strangers, I might have called Bobby in a panic and asked if he could make it home before the buyer arrives.

So while Bobby's on his way home, I pace the house.  The man arrives and messages me that he is here, at my house.  I call Bobby to see where he is; he is turning onto our street.  I message the man that I'm going to open the garage door. I ask my big, rotty/shepard dog to come into the garage with me.  She lays on the floor wagging her tail. Thanks dog.  As I open the garage door, Bobby turns into the driveway.  Bobby jumps out of the car to greet the man... and his wife.

They're both cordial, and we all make small talk about our kids while I had over the used baby items.  The man brought his wife so they could decide together if they wanted the stuff. Honestly, it was like all other FB Marketplace experiences I've had so, which are good experiences.  Everybody is polite, money and items are exchanges, and everyone leaves within a couple of minutes of the exchange. Really no big deal.

Some people are probably going to say I overreacted, but I bet most of my female friends, female strangers reading and some men reading this post, are probably saying to themselves thank goodness nothing happened and don't ever put yourself in that situation again Suzie (I know, I know, I know)! That is the reality of being a female in the US; you have to overreact and doubt every FB Marketplace interaction you have.

Shoot, you have to doubt any interaction you have with a stranger.  Make every meet up with a stranger in a public place.  Let a friend or spouse or parent know where you are when meeting up with said stranger. Pack mace. Pack pepper spray. Pack a Taser. Pack a gun. Learn self defense. Walk in groups when you can. Get Roofie coasters for your drinks. Check over your shoulder. Check around your car. Never been on your phone in a parking lot/garage.Push the light and sound on key chain, but not the unlock button until you are within a foot of door. Because Stay Aware. Don't Be Stupid (which translates to your nativity to trust people is stupid; trusting people/strangers is stupid if you're a woman who is alone).

It sharking sucks.  And again suck can't even describe it.  A couple of years ago, I learned about cognitive disconnect. The definition I learned was that most people believe that people are good and that world is good, but then something bad happens, and now you can't understand how the world can be good while something bad happened.  The two ideas are at odds with each other, so you have a cognitive disconnect.

But I think most women experience cognitive disconnect on daily basis. It's the don't be stupid enough to trust strangers/people if you're a woman, especially if you're a woman alone.  Even though most of us think people are good, it's stupid as a woman to trust that people are good.   It's like when you setup a Facebook Marketplace baby item pick up, knowing most likely it will all be okay, but then decide last minute you should have your husband with you just to be safe.  Better safe than sorry. That is cognitive disconnect at its finest. And we, women and  I'm sure some men too (hashtag solidarity, hashtag MeToo and hashtag feminism), experience THAT pretty much EVERY DAY.

I bet when started reading this post, you had no idea it would delude into cognitive disconnect and the reality of the cognitive disconnect women face.  Shark, I didn't really know that was where I was going either with this post.

So then, I will sum some things up. Facebook Marketplace is great for selling your stuff.  It's great for also getting gently used toys and furniture.  I've had some really good luck with it, and I'm in total like with Facebook Marketplace.  Just don't be stupid when setting up meetings for the actual in person exchange.  Do the exchange at a a public place.  Perhaps a Starbucks.  If you're the seller, you can get a coffee/sugar drink thing/scone/egg sandwich with your newfound money.  If you're the buyer, you can watch the seller use your money to buy a coffee/sugar drink thing/scone/egg sandwich, as you excitedly text your wife that you just got a great deal on more wood train stuff (hashtag because we totally needed more trains)!  Happy selling and buying!