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!

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! 

2/6/18- Reading List 5: Women of Color STEM Picture Books

Another author recently tweeted about moving past "'Here's a list of diverse books!' and progress to a day where ALL of our lists- about science books, mysteries, romance, etc. - are diverse."  But I think to get to subconscious diversity and inclusion in books, you have to take deliberate and conscious action.  A list purposely showcasing kick-shark Women of Color (WoC) in STEM is needed-- it is what facilitates the discussion of diversity and inclusion in books and gets authors writing diverse characters into their stories.  And it's the same with engineering.  Our industry has to deliberately take action to increase the number of women and people of color because honestly, I don't think diversity and inclusion would happen in engineering without conscious action.

Alright, enough philosophizing and more showcasing.  Here's my list of picture books featuring kick-shark women in STEM in honor of Black History Month.  And if I missed one of your favorites WoC in STEM picture books, please call me out on it.  I want to know; I want to add that book to my list!  Thanks in advance!

1) Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race 
Written by Margot Lee Shetterly and Illustrated by Laura Freeman
The story of NASA mathematicians Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden and their contributions to America's first journeys into space.

2) The Doctor with an Eye for Eyes: The Story of Dr. Patricia Bath 

Written by Julia Finley Mosca and Illustrated by Daniel Rieley
Dr. Bath is responsible for a game-changing treatment for blindness.


3) Mae Among the Stars
Written by Roda Ahmed and Illustrated by Stasia Burrington
The story of young Dr. Mae Jemison, the first African American woman to travel in space.

4) Fly High!: The Story of Bessie Coleman 
Written by Louise Borden and Mary Kay Kroeger and Illustrated by Teresa Flavin
Bessie became the first African-American to earn a pilot's license.


5) Shirley Ann Jackson (part of the My Itty-Bitty Bio series)
Written by Virginia Loh-Hagan
This book examines the life of physicist Shirley Ann Jackson, a National Medal of Science recipient for Physical Science.

6) Sweet Dreams Sarah: From Slavery to Inventor 
Written by Vivian Kirkfield and Illustrated by Chris Ewald
The story of Sarah B. Goode, one of the first African-American women to get a US patent.


7) The Girl with a Mind for Math: The Story of Raye Montague (coming Fall 2018)
Written by Julia Finely Mosca and Illustrated by Daniel Rieley
Raye Montague worked as a mathematician for the US Navy and forever changed the design of ships.

More books that mention WoC in STEM:

1) Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History
Written by Vashti Harrison
Although this book covers women in professions outside of STEM,  Alice Ball, a chemist who performed research on Leprosy, a well as Bessie Coleman and Katherine Johnson, are highlighted in the book.

2) Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World
Written by Rachel Ignotofsky
And although this book covers white women and women of color in various STEM fields, NASA mathematician and computer scientist Annie Easley and psychologist Mamie Phillips Clark, who performed the Doll Experiment (which lead to proof that segregation damaged children), are featured in the book.


I wonder without Mamie Phillips Clark's research if authors today would even be thinking about representing children of color in their books. And speaking of books that represent children of color, 2 fiction picture books that have girls of color as the main character are How to Code a Sand Castle and Ada Twist, Scientist.  Both are great fiction picture books to check out in addition to the non-fiction books listed above.  Happy reading everybody!

1/24/18- Multicultural Children's Book Day

So, one of the cool things about being a part of the Kid Lit (Children's Literature) community is that occasionally I get free books.  Sometimes I win the books, sometimes I swap books with fellow authors, and then sometimes I get books to review as part of raising awareness for an awesome cause.  One such awesome cause is Multicultural Children's Book Day, which will be January 27 this year. 

Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2018 (1/27/18) is in its 5^th year and was founded by Valarie Budayr from Jump Into A Book and Mia Wenjen from PragmaticMom. Their mission is to raise awareness of the ongoing need to include kids’ books that celebrate diversity in home and school bookshelves while also working diligently to get more of these types of books into the hands of young readers, parents and educators.  

As a female engineer, supporting diversity in my profession is close to my heart and supporting diversity in children's book is an extension of that.  It's why I'm excited to be participating in MCBD and to have received books from Real MVP Kids that feature children from all kinds of cultural backgrounds.  The books in the Real MVP Kids catalog are the perfect books for reading on MCBD with your children.

About the books:

I received 5 books from Real MVP Kids to review for MCBD: Celebrate! Our Difference, Celebrate! The Way I'm Made, Celebrate! Bedtime, Celebrate! Mommies and Daddies, and Celebrate! Grandmas and Grandpas.  

Celebrate! Our Differences guides children in becoming friends with others who are different than themselves, realizing that “we’re more alike than different” while celebrating those things which make an individual unique.  Celebrate! The Way I’m Made helps children appreciate their own unique qualities, from physical traits to skills and strengths, affirming that they are good.  

Celebrate! Bedtime walks through a comforting bedtime routine while teaching gratefulness, obedience and calming strategies and features each of the MVP Kids families saying “goodnight” in their heritage language.  Celebrate! Mommies and Daddies strengthens parent-child bonds as children describe the ways their parent(s) love and care for them.  The MVP Kids families express “I love you” in their heritage languages.   In Celebrate! Grandmas and Grandpas, grandparents help children apply proverbs and cultural wise sayings to everyday situations, teaching young people to value elders and encouraging grandparents to strengthen their bonds with the younger generation.

Here's a link to MVP Kids and the books: https://realmvpkids.com/series/celebrate/

Review of books: 
All five books are great to read with toddlers (and babies and older kids too!).  Jack, my toddler, enjoyed reading them with me, but his favorite book (of the series) seemed to be Celebrate! The Way I’m Made.  He liked the rhyme of that book the best and enjoyed pointing out the different body parts when I'd read them (eyes! hair! hands!).  He also really liked the illustration of the kids and balloons on the cover, always asking for the balloons book.

Of course what I liked about the series was a little different from what my toddler preferred.  The themes in each book are familiar, like body positive in Celebrate! The Way I’m Made, and comforting, like the love of parents in  Celebrate! Mommies and Daddies, making the stories good to share with young children.  But what make these books stand out from other books that  have similar themes is the cast of children-- every illustration in the books has children of different colors, genders, ethnicity, and shapes and sizes.  A child should be able to self-identify with at least one character in the series, which is important to me as a female engineer and mother.   The illustrations are colorful and pleasant, invoking the celebration in each book.  There is also "Helpful Teaching Tips" at the end of each book that will help parents/guardians and educators in navigating difficult subjects, like low self-esteem (related to the body positive theme in Celebrate! The Way I’m Made).  

Using the Goodreads, Amazon, B+N, etc. 5 star review format, I give these books 4 out of 5 stars.  These books will not only be the perfect read for MCBD, but for any time you want to talk about diversity, love, positive body image, multicultural awareness, and so on.  Happy reading everyone! 

Now for some FREE stuff!

TWITTER PARTY Sponsored by Scholastic Book Clubs: MCBD’s super-popular (and crazy-fun) annual Twitter Party will be held 1/27/18 at 9:00pm.

Join the conversation and win one of 12-5 book bundles and one Grand Prize Book Bundle (12 books) that will be given away at the party!
http://multiculturalchildrensbookday.com/twitter-party-great-conversations-fun-prizes-chance-readyourworld-1-27-18/

Free Multicultural Books for Teachers: http://bit.ly/1kGZrta

Free Empathy Classroom Kit for Homeschoolers, Organizations, Librarians and Educators: http://multiculturalchildrensbookday.com/teacher-classroom-empathy-kit/

Hashtag: Don’t forget to connect with us on social media and be sure and look for/use our official hashtag #ReadYourWorld.

And now a thank you to sponsors!

Current Sponsors:  MCBD 2018 is honored to have some amazing Sponsors on board.

2018 MCBD Medallion Sponsors

HONORARY: Children’s Book Council, Junior Library Guild

PLATINUM:Scholastic Book Clubs

GOLD:Audrey Press, Candlewick Press, Loving Lion Books, Second Story Press, Star Bright Books, Worldwide Buddies

SILVER:Capstone Publishing, Author Charlotte Riggle, Child’s Play USA, KidLit TV, Pack-n-Go Girls, Plum Street Press

BRONZE: Barefoot Books, Carole P. Roman, Charlesbridge Publishing, Dr. Crystal Bowe, Gokul! World, Green Kids Club, Gwen Jackson, Jacqueline Woodson, Juan J. Guerra, Language Lizard, Lee & Low Books, RhymeTime Storybooks, Sanya Whittaker Gragg, TimTimTom Books, WaterBrook & Multnomah, Wisdom Tales Press

2018 Author Sponsors

Honorary Author Sponsors: Author/Illustrator Aram Kim and Author/Illustrator Juana Medina

Author Janet Balletta, Author Susan Bernardo,  Author Carmen Bernier-Grand, Author Tasheba Berry-McLaren and Space2Launch, Bollywood Groove Books, Author Anne Broyles,  Author Kathleen Burkinshaw, Author Eugenia Chu, Author Lesa Cline-Ransome, Author Medeia Cohan and Shade 7 Publishing, Desi Babies, Author Dani Dixon and Tumble Creek Press, Author Judy Dodge Cummings, Author D.G. Driver, Author Nicole Fenner and Sister Girl Publishing, Debbi Michiko Florence, Author Josh Funk, Author Maria Gianferrari, Author Daphnie Glenn, Globe Smart Kids, Author Kimberly Gordon Biddle, Author Quentin Holmes, Author Esther Iverem, Jennifer Joseph: Alphabet Oddities, Author Kizzie Jones, Author Faith L Justice , Author P.J. LaRue and MysticPrincesses.com, Author Karen Leggett Abouraya, Author Sylvia Liu, Author Sherri Maret, Author Melissa Martin Ph.D., Author Lesli Mitchell, Pinky Mukhi and We Are One, Author Miranda Paul, Author Carlotta Penn, Real Dads Read, Greg Ransom, Author Sandra L. Richards, RealMVPKids Author Andrea Scott, Alva Sachs and Three Wishes Publishing, Shelly Bean the Sports Queen,  Author Sarah Stevenson, Author Gayle H. Swift Author Elsa Takaoka, Author Christine Taylor-Butler, Nicholette Thomas and  MFL Publishing  Author Andrea Y. Wang, Author Jane Whittingham  Author Natasha Yim

We’d like to also give a shout-out to MCBD’s impressive CoHost Team who not only hosts the book review link-up on celebration day, but who also works tirelessly to spread the word of this event. View our CoHosts HERE.

12/10/17- Every Once in a While, I Like My Job (Part 2)

Not that long ago, I talked about how much I enjoyed attending and presenting at a conference. That I actually liked my job.  Not more than a week later I found myself again enjoying my job.  But this time it was my writing job (which I like 98% of the time anyway, so no surprise there).

I was selling copies of my book at the Tempe Book Festival.  I needed some help; someone to accept payment while I signed books.  This setup is optimal for any author working a festival, fair or any other place where you're selling directly to patrons. I enlisted the help of my friend and fellow engineer Sara (hi Sara, thanks again for your help!).  We've done multiple science fairs together, and she's great at getting kids and adults interested in our (science and engineering) booth.

Since the Tempe Book Festival was outside, and you have to bring your own gear, I decided that a tent canopy, in addition to the standard table and chairs, was a good idea for a festival in the Valley of the Sun.  It's a rather large canopy, so Bobby volunteered to help Sara and I set it up. Set up was faster with 3 people, but only 2 people need to work a table/booth at a book festival.  Having Bobby there for set up also meant that Jack would be there.

Jack is at the age where I have no idea if he'll be sitting still while watching Mickey Mouse, running all over the festival grounds, or begging us to go home.  To my pleasant surprise, he was really into the book festival, yay!  While we set up, he played an ABC game on a tablet.  And when we finished set up, he took Mommy around to all the booths, then Sara around to all the booths, and finally Daddy around to all the booths.

Next, he sat at my booth, telling people about Annie Aardvark, handing out candy to other kids (it was more of a mandate: "you don't want that, you want Starburst"), and also enjoying some of this candy himself.  He stayed the entire 6 hours of the festival and seemed to enjoy all 6 hours.  He was a little tired after we packed it in and feel asleep on the ride home.

Jack visiting an author's book at the Tempe Book Festival

On a parenting note, remember when I said I had no idea how Jack would act?  When I'm not sure how he'll act someplace new, I hesitate (big time) on bringing him with me.  I don't think I'm alone on that hesitation--running a book festival booth goes a little smoother if there's not a cranky toddler sitting at it.  Shark, doing anything without a toddler present usually goes smoother.

However looking back, I think about how Jack and I might have both missed out on this experience had I let that hesitation rule my decision. It was awesome for me to have him be a part of my work--for him to see me work.  It's that thought, of him seeing me work and being a part of my work, that has changed my mindset. I definitely plan to bring him to more events like this (like when Sara and I volunteer for another science fair). It's just making sure to have a contingency plan, like having daddy or a friend on hand to help out, since I am an engineer after all (got to worse case it, ya know?).

As I hinted in the paragraph above, it meant the world to me that I got to share my work (my writing work) with my son.  And that he liked it!  I'm convinced that he thinks I don't work, as all of my work, both engineering and writing, is performed on my laptop. I'm pretty sure Jack thinks the laptop is a toy, and toys equal play, not work (although play in a sense is work for kids, just don't tell them that).  Therefore, mommy plays, not works, on the laptop (okay, sometimes work feels like play to me, which circles back to every once in a while, I like my job).

As a female engineer (and writer) who wants to raise a feminist son, it's very important to me that Jack not only understands that I work, but that he sees me do it.  Sharing the book festival with him, not only is a precious memory, but a demonstration of my ideals to my child.  So yeah, every once in a while, I like my job. Might I say, I even love it?  Na, let's not get too carried away!  😃

Hey friends and family-- what do you like about your job?  Let me know in the comments.  I guess you can also tell me what you don't like about your job, although hoping to have some positive comments too. 😃

10/8/17- Kindness Rocks

Like many Americans, I was devastated by the mass shooting in Las Vegas a week ago.  Sad just doesn't quite capture my feeling, and I can only image what the victims and their families feel right now.  And this was on top of two really destructive hurricanes, Irma and Harvey.

With the hurricanes, how to help is obvious to me, you donate to an organization that can provide supplies.  When a mass shooting occurs, I just never know how to help.  A wise friend pointed me to blood donation, but then I found out because of the medication I take, that I can't really give blood.  However, I came across this great website, and it made me feel a little bit less helpless: https://nationalcompassionfund.org/.

I still felt like my small donation wasn't enough.  Reading about one more mass shooting in the US, it's the 1,500+ something mass shooting since Sandy Hook (check this yourself), well it was my breaking point.  I'm tired of seeing Americans die in this way.  And I don't care if this post is about to get too political for you, I just can't see the freedom of guns out weigh the freedom to live.  Enough is enough.  I don't know how any of us can watch one more mass shooting happen without taking some kind of political action. I firmly believe it's time as Americans that we implement some regulations on guns.

I'm not saying ban all guns, or that no Americans should get any; I'm saying we should implement specific regulations that the majority of us agree on, like no one with a mental illness can purchase a gun.  Or no one on the no-fly list can purchase a gun.  Or require background checks on private and gun show sales. Those are specific regulations that most Americans agree on, and it's time for our State and Federal lawmakers and politicians to take action to implement such regulations.

So for the first time of my voting life, I actually contacted my Senator, asking them to implement these regulations.  This is the first time that I've ever felt so strongly about something that I've contacted my Senators.  And I urge you, if you're so tired to the point of exhausted tears, not sure that crack in your heart will heal at the thought of hearing of one more mass shooting, then please reach out to your elected officials (find them and their contact info here) and let them know it's time for a change.  The Land of the Free should mean first and foremost, the right to live and not get sharking shot up while watching a concert.

And if that feels too drastic of an action for you to take, well, I think I understand. But there's other actions we can take to bring light into the a dark world. So I asked myself, "What more can I do when events like this happen?" And my was conclusion was simple yet profound: kindness.  Spreading kindness can be pretty easy to do.  Try paying-it-forward to the person behind you at Starbucks - everyone loves a free coffee.  Or you can share with the exhausted mother/father at the grocery store how great their kids are (even if they are acting up just a bit).  Or even try sending a friend a card on a non-holiday/non-birthday just to say how grateful you are for their friendship.  I remembered reading on a craft blog/Pinterest/Facebook post that a parent was going to do "Kindness Rocks" with their child.

The idea is simple.  You paint a rock, write something kind/nice on it (like a thank you, a peace sign, the actual word kind, hehe) and then leave it in a friend/neighbor/stranger's yard, hopefully brightening the person's day by the thoughtful message.  My kiddo really enjoyed painting the rocks, so it is a great activity to do with kids and a good way to talk about kindness.  It's also a great activity to just do as an adult.  Either way.

So in summary, let's do something and kindness rocks! Yes that was a terrible pun, but it is a good message after days like last Sunday.  I hope to live more by that message. Kindness rocks!  💓

9/18/17- Potty Training

Jack turned three, and it resulted in one major milestone for him. And for Bobby and me as parents. He learned to use the toilet (for per and poop)! Probably to some people, including some parents, that doesn't seem like a big deal. But it really is a big milestone in childhood development! Bobby and I couldn't be happier.  It means no more changing diapers!

It also means he is one more step towards childhood, stepping further away from the baby phase of life (so bittersweet). As proud of him as Bobby and I are, it took us over a year to potty train Jack. We started when he was two.  He seemed to show an interest in the toilet, pointing to it and trying to sit on it. What I didn't realize about potty training a year ago, it is like anything else a child learns-- it takes repetitive practice before the skill is mastered, just like walking and talking did.

We took a loose approach at the time, occasionally sitting Jack on the toilet. Sometimes we'd do it first thing in the morning. Sometimes at bath. And we'd always put him back in a diaper.  We were never consistent. I secretly hoped the few times he'd sit on the toilet, that it would just click. That he knew this place was where pee and poop goes. That he'd just start using the toilet on his own. That was a little foolish of me.

But one Saturday this August (about a month before Jack’s 3^rd birthday), Bobby put Jack in underwear instead of a diaper. Then we consistently put Jack on the toilet every 1.5 hours, watching like a hawk him for any pee/poop signals (like a pee-pee dance that most kids have). He did well that day and had only one accident. The next morning, a Sunday, he asked for underwear. We were excited that he wanted to wear underwear—we were grooving now! But he peed in the grocery store later that day.  I thought that potty training was going to be put on pause again (boy, have we had a lot of starts and stops in potty training).

However, he surprised me the next day and refused to wear a diaper to daycare. So off he went to school, in underwear. Daycare/school was determined to help us train him that Monday, and the teachers sat him on the toilet every hour. He had just move up to the early preschool class, and maybe that class is set up better for sitting on the potty more frequently...aka repetitive practice.  Whatever it was, he did well that day at school-- no accidents!!!!

The preschool teachers even reported that the nap diaper (they were worried about leaving him in underwear at nap, so they put him in a diaper at nap time) was dry! They said, if he does that for 3 more day in a row, Jack could keep his underwear on for nap. If you haven't potty trained, dry after sleeping is a big deal. We knew Jack was headed towards mastery of the skill when he reached the day he didn't need the nap diaper (which did happen later that week).

Something Bobby and I learned during potty training is that our son is very reward driven. He will do any task for a fun size Snickers or roll of Smarties. He will also poop in the toilet for a small toy, like a Matchbox car. And like some kids, poop was a challenge for him (bet half the parents reading this post are nodding their head in understanding).  I don’t know what it is about poop, but the light bulb moment of poop (that poop goes in the toilet) just takes a little longer than the light bulb moment for pee with some kids.

Once Bobby and I committed to consistent training, Jack caught on to peeing in the potty within three days. But he refused to poop on the toilet. He would cry when we'd urge him to poop on the potty, and then he’d run away from us and the toilet, usually ending with him pooping in his underwear (sorry if that's too graphic for some readers, but it is the reality of potty training). We'd patiently explained to him that accidents happen, but the poop should go in the potty, not underwear.

The first time he pooped on the potty was about a week after our commitment to repetitive practice. We were so thrilled that we ran out to Target and bought him a Mack (from Cars) toy truck. He was of course pleased, as he is reward centered. He kept repeating to us that poop on the potty, I get Mack. Oops, we might have gone overboard with the reward thing because he kept asking for a brand-new toy after each poop and pee—Bobby and I envisioned a 21-year-old with a toy buying habit after using the restroom.  Lesson learned for me.

About a month after the initial learning phase of peeing and pooping on a potty, Jack went poop on the toilet all by himself. I was getting ready in my room (Bobby was already at work), and after a couple of minutes, I came to check on Jack in our family room. There he was, sitting on the training potty, pooping! No help from me. I don't care if you roll your eyes at this, but I couldn't be prouder! Jack has graduated from training to mastering! Bravo Jack! Now we must train Jack to read and write. No big deal.

Note: One resource that I found helpful, and certainly isn't the end all to potty training, is the book "Oh Crap! Potty Training" by Jamie Glowacki. Got your own favorite resource on potty training? Please mention it in the comments. Best of luck to all the parents who are potty training kids, congrats to the parents who have potty trained a child, and congrats to the rest of the adults who know how to use a toilet (did you ever think that potty training was a big milestone in your life?  I certainly didn’t!). We did something! High five!

via GIPHY

8/22/17- Reading List 4: Picture Books about Love

As I watched the eclipse yesterday, I couldn't help but think of all the people watching the same eclipse (yes, yes, there are some differences with weather and location, but it's the same event).  I thought about how we all have the same sun. The same moon.  The same stars.  The same Earth.  And maybe I'm just riding high on the good feelings from a weekend full of love, but the solar eclipse filled me with love.  I think we could all use a little bit of love right now, so I'm going to put some out there via this post. Without further ado, here are some (but certainly not all) picture books about LOVE. "There's a lot of love out there, man." 💓

1) My Love for You is the Sun by Julie Hedlund (obviously, I had to start with one that incorporated both the sun and love in some way!)

2) One Love adapted by Cedella Marley

3) Someday by Alison McGhee

4) Love Is by Diane Adams

5) All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon

6) Wherever You Are by Nancy Tillman

7) Because of You by B.G Hennessy (out print but you may be able to find it at a library or used bookstore)

8) Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena

9) The Wonderful Things You Will Be by Emily Winfield Martin

10) Always and Together (two books) both by Emma Dodd

11) I Wish You More by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

12) I Love You Forever by Robert Munsch

What's your favorite picture book about love?  Or have a recommendation?  Leave a comment here or on social media and spread the love, man!

6/19/17- STEM Activity: Marshmallow Catapult

Happy Summer!  Have fun building this Marshmallow Catapult and googling tension, torsion, and gravity, which are the forces involved when catapulting an object.

Supplies:
7 Wooden Skewers
1 Rubber Band
1 Plastic Spoon
Masking Tape
4 Large Marshmallows, plus marshmallows for shooting

1) Use 3 marshmallows and 3 skewers and form a triangle for the base.
2) Use 3 more skewers and 1 more marshmallow and form a pyramid.
3) Tape the plastic spoon to the end of the remaining skewer.
4) Loop the rubber band around the topmost marshmallow.
5) Insert the spoon and skewer combo through the rubber band.
6) Connect the skewer and spoon combo to one of the base marshmallows.
7) Put a marshmallow into the spoon and shoot.
8) Try shooting the marshmallow again, but this time pull the spoon further back.  Did the marshmallow go further? Did the marshmallow go higher?
9) Try other adjustments to the catapult. How far can you get the marshmallow to go?  How high can you get the marshmallow to go?