7/27/16- Writing Break

Hello!  I'm taking a little writing break this week because I head to Los Angeles for the SCBWI conference tomorrow!  I'm really excited to learn new things about the children's book industry and work on perfecting your craft (craft is writer's speak for writing/art; although I think some wish they were Harry Potter and had magic craft)!  I plan to next week to summarize the conference and share my new insider's knowledge.  Also coming up a list on how to help your baby sleep (note it is magic). Until then, take care friends!

7/20/16- A (work) day in the life of RA

So recently I got some blood results back; not a surprise the inflammation (CRP measurement) is up a little.  It's not a surprise to me (or probably to my husband and son) as I've had achy joints and stiffness in the morning.  This is what doctors like to call "flares" for autoimmune disease patients.

It means your immune system is at it again (at attacking joints, brain, stomach, whatever part of your body your immune systems thinks is a foreign body).   I just like to call it "this is annoying, I'm achy, and I'd like to take a nap now."  Aka, not fun.  Instead telling people I"m having an RA (rheumatoid arthritis) flare, I should just going around saying I'm having an RA NFT (not fun time).

So anyway, this current flare made me realize that I haven't recently talked about being a mom/wife/engineer with RA.  So I thought I'd capture a what a typical work day was like for me: a RA patient/mom/wife/engineer.

7:00  AM: I'm still in bed.  I can hear Jack and Bobby in the family room. Bobby's trying to wrestle Jack into clothes for school/daycare.  I know I should go help Bobby with Jack--  I want to help.  It'd also mean extra time with them before work and daycare. My finger joints ache, and I'm tired.  I want to fall back to sleep; just another hour of sleep would be good.

7:30 AM: Bobby brings Jack into our bedroom to say good bye.  I sit up to kiss them both.  Jack sits down on the bed, playing with the baby monitor, and I lay next to him, as Bobby packs up the car.

7:45 AM: The boys have left, and I can't fall back asleep, so I decide to move to the couch to watch TV.  Take the first pill (prescription) of the day.

8:00 AM: End up on Facebook for an hour while I eat breakfast and sip 2-3 cups of black tea.  Take 4 more pills (vitamins and supplements). Coffee is only used in emergencies (like I didn't sleep the night before).  Sometimes Bobby will bring me back Starbucks after dropping Jack off at daycare.  Yep, I'm spoiled on those days.

9:00 AM: Log in remotely to my work PC. Check email, decide who to email back right away (sometimes there's groans and eye rolls), then decide which tasks to tackle.

10:30 AM:  After completing a task (typing forever in Excel or Access), I decide it is time for a nap.  Then talk self out of nap as that means I'll finish work later. I can nap at the end of my work day and before picking Jack up from daycare. The idea of taking a nap and talking myself out of it won't be the only time I do that today.

12:00 PM: Time to eat lunch!  Eat a sandwich (they're my favorite lunch time food)! Take 1 more pill. Then look at dirty dishes, garbage, etc.  Decide I'll do it later because a short nap at lunch sounds better.

12:30 PM: Decide I should exercise (yoga video or stationary bike that we have at home) as this will renew my energy and help stretch out my joints.  Sometimes I do the exercise; sometimes I think about a nap and look at Facebook.

1:00 PM: Log back onto my work PC.  See if someone IM'd me or sent an email and feel guilty if they did. I feel guilty when this happens. I also feel guilty when I'm at the doctor's office in the middle of the work day. I'm not one of those people who doesn't do anything when they work from home, but I am still worried one missed IM or email is going to make people think I do NOTHING when I work from home.  I do not want to lose the privileged of working from home when it's so import to my health.

2:00 PM: Think about a nap again.  On days where I'm really fatigued I will just fall asleep while sitting at my laptop.  It probably doesn't help that I have the laptop set up on move-able tray and I sit on the couch, but comfort is so nice when achy and tired (or when you're fighting your 7th cold for the year because ,you know, horrible immune system).

3:00 PM: Think again about a nap.  But no, must push on and finish assignment.  I can nap in a half hour; that's when I'm officially off the clock. (Or I'm just waking up from my accidental nap, Hammerhead! now I need to work after Jack goes to bed.)

4:00 PM:  Shark, I'm done with work now, but it's too late in the day for a nap at least for me.  If I nap after a certain time of day, then I will have a hard time falling asleep or staying asleep at night. Decide to either drink green tea or watch TV/read a book/rest with eyes open.  End up playing Candy Crush for a half hour.

4:30 PM: I should shower and go get Jack, but then it might be just be the two of us for the next hour, and I'm too tired to chase after the toddler.  Feel immense guilt (more than I ever could about work and missed emails) over this decision.  When I'm not having a RA NFT, I do go early, and we have the best of time just the 2 of us.

5:00 PM: Bobby calls. He's leaving the office.  He'll be home in about a half hour.  I rush through a shower and go get Jack.

5:30 PM: At daycare.  Jack gives the biggest smile. Best time of day for me (and I do not feel the urge to nap)!

5:45 PM: Jack and I are home.  Struggle to get him out from his car seat. Look I get that car seats need to be safe and not come undone in a car accident, but surely we can make a car seat buckle that is safe and arthritis friendly?  Bobby is home, and he has started dinner.  Jack wants to be held by Bobby, so I finish dinner.

6:00 PM: We eat dinner.  Jack goes either really fast or really slow.  We've sat at the dinner table with him for at least a half hour in the past.  I'm okay if he sits there eating forever, as it means I get to sit longer.

6:30 PM: Jack is playing, Bobby is washing dishes, and I'm watching Jack, from the couch.  For the next hour and a half, we move all over the room (sometimes to the back yard), not sitting in the same spot for longer than 15 minutes.  I think about a nap, or just going to bed at 8 PM when Jack does.

7:45 PM: Bath time for Jack and then wrestling him in to PJs.  Bobby usually has to do the wrestling of Jack into clothes.

8:00 PM: Read Jack bedtime stories and kiss him goodnight.  Lately, bedtime has ended in tantrums; Jack is having too much fun with us to go to bed.  I had no idea Bobby and I were that cool.

8:15 PM: For the next two hours, Bobby and I talk about our day or cuddle and watch TV together. Usually it's the later right now, as I'm so tired.  I always think I will go to bed early when feeling sharky, but I don't.  Sometimes I log back into work during this time because I have to make up for a doctor's appointment or an actual nap or I really do a full time job in a 24 hour work week.

10:00 PM: Sleep, finally!  If I have any energy I wash my face and brush my teeth, but that is like 3 times a week where I feel energetic enough to hold a tooth brush. I usually just crawl into bed (good thing I worked from home and able to wear yoga pants all day, so I can just get into bed). Also take final 2 pills (1 prescription, 1 supplement) for the day.

I should note, that I do go to my actual work office about once a week; it's nice to say hi to my colleagues and let them know I haven't died or what not.

So that's my typical work day when I'm having issues with RA.  I'm lucky to have support of family and work from home when NFT is occurring, so thank you to my wonderful support system (special thanks to Bobby).

And thank you, reader, for reading about my day; all you've probably learned about RA is how much I want to nap every day! :) Take care and be well!

7/13/16- How I Became an Engineer

Work is keeping me on my toes this week, so here's an essay that I've tried getting published at various magazine (online and print).  It may not be important to magazine editors/publishers, but it's important to me. I want to share it with students (and even those who are already working) who are trying to find their path. Hope you enjoy it! (If I was a super hero engineer, [that could be a thing, right?] this would be my origin story, ha ha!)

"How I Became an Engineer"

I didn’t always want to be an engineer.  At age 8 I wanted to be a veterinarian.   Then I found out you have to work with animals other than dogs and cats, like snakes and rats.  I was out.  I needed to find a new career dream, so I choose teacher. Then it was gossip columnist, then actress, and then at one point all 3.  I was going to be a triple threat.  By high school, a teaching career mostly won out; my talents in acting were zilch, and my interest in writing about others’ drama dwindled when I encountered my own gossip ring in middle school. 

What to teach though?  Throughout my childhood, I was told by others how good I was at math and science, so I finally settled on the fact that I’d be a math teacher.  I confessed this decision to my algebra teacher, who flat out told me that there was more I could do with my math talents than teach.  For example, had I thought about engineering?  What?  Huh?  I had no idea really what an engineer did. I thought to myself, they do stuff with computers, so I should think about working with computers?  And here’s a fact that I’m embarrassed about (to this day): my dad was an engineer.  Don’t get me wrong, I had heard of the word engineer, but I didn’t know exactly what they did at their jobs day to day. MY DAD WAS ONE.  I honestly didn’t know what my own dad did for a living.  Ask me what my mom did, and it was easy to describe; she was a teacher (hmm, wonder where the idea for teacher came from?), and teachers help shape young minds.  Ask me what my dad did, I could say engineer, but couldn’t give any more details.  Maybe it was time to ask him for more details. 

Professional Head-shot for a Professional (Or Super Hero?) Engineer

I decided to approach my dad, “dad what do you do as an engineer?”  He was super excited to tell me all about his work.  He had worked on radios and satellites for space programs, as well as equipment for gathering weather data.  He explained that he now taught college students about computers and the chips inside of computers (think the green plastic parts if you open up a computer, he explained).  But then he said something along these lines that has stuck with me forever “but engineers do so much more.  They build roads, design cars, create buildings, make health devices (like pace maker) and prosthetic limbs, improve the clothes, water, food, and household goods we use on a daily basis; they touch every aspect of our lives without us even noticing.  Their work is seamlessly integrated into the world.”  And I remember asking, “kind of like the Wizard of Oz?  They’re like the people behind the curtain that helps make things better?”  He simply answered yes.

 I thought it all sounded kind of cool, and I wish I could say that was the point in my life when I decided to become an engineer.  However, it wasn’t until 3 years later when I was a senior in high school.  I was taking a music recording class at the local community college because I thought it’d be cool to be a music producer.  I was really into everything music at that point.  As the class progressed, I learned that I was horrible at distinguishing when a note was flat or sharp, which is import skill to have as a music producer.  But the profession of the music recording class also taught us the science behind audio and how the audio equipment worked.  It was all relating back to the physics class I was taking at my high school: electrical current, resistors, capacitors, electromagnets, and circuits.  I realized I really enjoyed learning about these things, and also remembered that these things were what my dad worked on.  Light bulb!  Maybe  I should consider studying engineering in college!    This time I told my mom that I was thinking of being an engineer.  “Finally!” she exclaimed, “engineering pays so much more than teaching and offers so many career opportunities!”  I’ll be honest; she had me at pays more.  I was a 17 year old and making lots of money was important to me.  

Now as I enter my eleventh year as an engineer (woo 11 years! Go me!), it’s not so much about the money anymore, but how my work saves lives.  Yes, it literally saves lives.  If you’re lost at sea or in danger of sinking your boat in the middle of the ocean, the engineering system I work on is there to help you.  It’s a search and rescue system that uses radio signals and antennas on cells phone towers to triangulate your position and send it to the rescuers. It’s rewarding to have a job that allows me to build and design something that can help others.  I guess the high salary doesn’t hurt either.  I’m proud to say I’m an engineer. 

7/6/16- Happy 4th of July with a dash of work stuff

So technically July 4th in the US was a couple of days ago, but I wanted to share with my friends and family something I learned over the holiday weekend.  Some toddlers are okay with fireworks that just spark, but as soon as the fireworks start making loud popping noises, and mom jumps while holding said toddler, the fun is over.  Yep, all of my friends and family with older children are nodding their heads yes, and thinking we could have told you that.

Well, I thought Bobby and I were prepared to ensure Jack did enjoy fireworks.  We didn't take him to the big, overhead displays, and we had chosen what I thought were just the fountain/ground fireworks that only spark, but don't make popping/loud noises.  We had gone through 5-6 fountains/ground fireworks, and he keep opening his mouth excitedly and saying again (image the seagulls from Finding Nemo but saying again instead of mine).

We got to the last one, and it was sparking along, no sound, and we thought it was over, but then POP, POP, POP!  More sparks and loud popping noises!  I was holding Jack, and I wasn't expecting the noise or the additional sparks, so I jumped a little.  Then Jack starting crying.  I rushed him away from the noise (to the side of the yard), and Bobby came over to comfort Jack (a hug from daddy goes a long way).

I think if I hadn't jumped, there might have been less crying at the noise, so note to self, don't jump, you know fireworks can make noises.  I think we should also consider the noise cancelling headphones for next year. I've seen other parents use them with their kids at 4th of July displays, and the headphones seemed to help their children with the noise and give the children viewing enjoyment. Or maybe next year, it's just the simple sparklers that don't make noise.  Because Jack really did seem to enjoy the sight of the fountain fireworks. (Note, last year he was 9 months and slept through all fireworks, including large in the sky ones, so we had no previous "how will he react?" history to use for this year; but I guess now we do have an idea for next year.)

Technically this picture is from Memorial Day; I forgot to take a 4th of July Picture

Also to note this week: I got a response to my letter (from last week, 6/30/16, about parental leave) from my company's HR Vice President. Their response was basically, thank you for your feedback.  We like hearing from our employees.  We realized last year we were lacking in this area (and wanting to promote a employee and family friendly culture), and thus why we introduced the one week of "Do Whatever You Want with It" time.  We want our employees to have flexibility to take time off for life events, such as paternity/adoption leave, elder or child care, or please don't come to the office with the flu. We've assessed the market/industry and feel we are pare with it.  Please keep up the great suggestions; we appreciate the feedback from our employees.

I'm just going to end by saying, I'm glad I got a response. It is good the higher ups at least responded. About the actual response: I think my company thinks they have addressed parental leave.  One week with your newborn child (as a father or adoptive parent) is totally enough bonding time, right? Just ask my company...

6/30/16- Brave or Stupid?

I was brazen this week.  I wrote a letter (well email) to my company's president and VP of HR.  In the letter (posted below), I suggested that if our company wants to be seen as a leader of equality in the Tech Industry, then we should have an all inclusive parental leave policy, not just a maternity leave policy.  The parental leave policy should include the same paid time off for new moms, new dads, parents who just adopted, and so on.

I sited a great article on why paternity leave is good for families and businesses from the Daily Worth: Why Fathers Should Take Paternity Leave.  I believe an inclusive parental/paternity leave policy will mean equality for women in the workplace and equality for men in the home. To me, being a feminist doesn't just mean equality for women in the workplace, it means women and men are equal in abilities and capabilities, which include being a working professional and caregiver.  You might be annoyed with me that that is how I view feminism, but I'll ask you this: what gender do you immediately picture when I say nurse? Or flight attendant (I totally said stewardess the other day, so ding on me)? Or teacher?  Or stay at home parent?

So yeah, I think about all the dads who want to spend more than just week (or even just a day or two sometimes) with their new born child.  Or I think about the non-traditional parents (adoption, grandparents or other relatives who've become the primary caregiver, etc), and I think shark it, we need not just a country wide (that country being the US) paid maternity leave policy, but an inclusive paid parental leave policy.

I dedicate this post and the letter I sent to Jack's dad, who wishes he had been able to take more time off with our newborn. Maybe it's foolish of me to think one letter can change the world, change our culture, change our view of genders (and associated stereotypes).  I like to think it was brazen. (And that I won't get fired for suggesting an improvement in our workplace/work culture! ;o))

Here's the letter (obviously I had to change names for propriety reasons, but you will be able to eliminate 3 companies that I don't work for, haha):

Hello Mr. X and Ms. Y,

As ACME furthers their goals of people/employee oriented first culture and inclusion and diversity, I encourage the senior leadership of ACME to strongly consider one cohesive and global paid parental leave policy that includes all parents (new fathers and mothers, adoptive parents, etc.).

I searched the internal ACME website and asked my local HR representative, and I found that ACME has no specific Paternity Leave policy.  My HR representative told me that there was an informal policy for fathers: they can take unpaid FMLA or PTO to be with their new child.  I believe for mothers/maternity leave there is a formal policy; the old ACME maternity policy was 6 weeks of paid (disability) and 6 weeks of unpaid FMLA.

I've included a link to an article that sites many studies and cases about how "Paternity Leave Is Good for Families and Business," and I think that by creating a paid parental leave policy, ACME would have the opportunity to be a leader in diversity and inclusion within the Tech Industry.  Companies like Facebook, Intel, and Netflix have already done so; I'd love to see my company, whose products and customers I passionately believe in, be someplace that I can also boast as being inclusive and diverse.

https://www.dailyworth.com/posts/4341-why-fathers-should-take-parental-leave?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DW_mon20-capitalone&utm_term=DailyWorth<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.dailyworth.com_posts_4341-2Dwhy-2Dfathers-2Dshould-2Dtake-2Dparental-2Dleave-3Futm-5Fsource-3DSailthru-26utm-5Fmedium-3Demail-26utm-5Fcampaign-3DDW-5Fmon20-2Dcapitalone-26utm-5Fterm-3DDailyWorth&d=CwMFAg&c=akfg7FU5kpSpmm2ZSGIDmg&r=Kmxrlc8eVbDFTlQAbLWTbg4rjvwVP4zXbNN_f1i7V0M&m=qck7o7GF3dED_5BioVjH_ZxqC8Bem7AIRPYlZp0NvPI&s=vGNpQLLdcUQJBuxNr2WK1Ih6X4Ivotn3Vt0vAsgPbh8&e=>

Thank you for your time and consideration,

Suzie Olsen

Staff Systems Engineer

6/22/16- Watermelon

Summer time and the living is easy...nothing like the 110 plus degree weather here in Phoenix to recall memories of my pregnancy.  As excited as I (and Bobby too) was to be pregnant and looking forward to many things (day dreaming and brainstorming names with hubby, nesting, foot rubs, buying baby items and new maternity clothes, etc), experiencing pregnancy during the Phoenician summer was not one of the things I looked forward to.

Luckily humans invited air conditioning and even more fortunate, my house, place of work, my car, my doctor's office, and many other places I visited the summer of 2014 had air conditioning.  I was also lucky that our house had a pool.  Sitting on the steps of the pool while growing baby was definitely refreshing and cooling.  Admittedly, it was a little weird to swim/kick and then baby kick. But overall, a great way too cool off when pregnant.

I also discovered during summer 2014 (my 2nd and 3rd trimester) that I couldn't get enough watermelon. Watermelon was my pregnancy CRAVING.  I ate at least one a week all summer long, leading up to Jack's birth in early September.  There were weeks where I'd eat the one we bought on Sunday by Monday/Tuesday, and Bobby would have to go buy another one after work on Wednesday.  I was obsessed.

It was the perfect juicy treat for the hot summer days.  It also satisfied my huge sweet tooth in a healthy way. The first trimester I was all about salt, but by the second, the sweet tooth I had before pregnancy definitely intensified by 10x. I also found out watermelon contains magnesium, and just like iron and folic acid, magnesium is beneficial for pregnancy too (it helps with nausea is what I remember reading).  Funny how our bodies tell us through cravings what we might be needing nutritionally. :)

Pregnant me!

So here I am, June 2014 through September 2014, growing my own watermelon (haha) while eating tons and tons and tons of the fruit.  You'd think that after eating so much of it, I'd be sick of it.  And that does happen for some pregnant people. They have this craving while pregnant and eat so much of that one thing, that post postpartum, they never want to eat, touch or see that food ever again.

But not me.  I still love watermelon.  I don't eat it with as much fervor as I did when pregnant, but I can still polish off a half of one in a week.  Jack on the other hand, well, he can take it or leave it.  Blueberries, bananas, or grapes, not watermelon, are his favorite.

So what did you, or someone you know, crave when pregnant?  Was it a weird combo (my watermelon craving, other than the large amount, doesn't fit the pickles and ice cream weird combo mold)? Do you (or your pregnant acquaintance) still love the food or grossly distaste it now?

6/15/16- Non-Newtonian Fluid

So, I had been "shopping" around an article about how to do a Non-Newtonian Fluid experiment to different kid lit magazines.  Unfortunately, I had no bites.  I believe so much in the value of STEM outreach and doing STEM experiments/activities with students, that I've decided to go ahead and share the article here on my blog.  It's also a good activity for a hot summer day, so I hope you enjoy it at home!

Water is a liquid.  Corn starch is a solid.  What happens when you mix the two?  You get a mixture that is between a solid and liquid. It becomes a Non-Newtonian Fluid.   Let’s get ready for a fun, messy experiment!

Supplies you will need:

1. Box of Corn Starch
2. Water
3. Measuring cups
4. A container to mix in—we used a disposable pie tin, but a mixing bowl, measuring cup, or cake pan work too
5. Spoon
6. Food coloring (optional)
7. Paper towels, paper ads, paper table cloth, or newspaper to cover your working surface to make clean up easier!

Okay, here you go!  First place the mixing container on your work surface or countertop.  Then pour a ¼ cup of corn starch into the container.  Next prepare a ¼ cup of water.  You’re going to slowly add the water to the corn starch in mixing container, alternating between adding the water and stirring the mixture in the mixing container with a spoon.  You’re trying to find a mixture that is similar to honey or syrup as we stir.

The ideal mixture will be liquid when you’re stirring it, and then feel hard when you give it a quick tap with the spoon or your finger.  Go ahead, give it a quick tap!  Is it hard?  If not, then add a little pinch of corn starch. 

You’ve got the right feel?  Great!  Now pick some of it up and roll it around in your hands as if forming a ball.  Does it harden into a ball or fall apart? What happens when you put the ball back into the mixing container and stir?  Does it go back to a liquid?

A Non-Newtonian Fluid is a liquid as pressure is applied to it. But apply a different pressure, and it may become solid.  Which one is it? Solid or liquid? It can be treated as both a liquid and a solid!  The reason is because of Non-Newtonian Fluid’s changing behavior under stress (or pressure).  Other examples of Non-Newtonian Fluids are ketchup, Silly Putty, and quicksand.

Having fun with Non-Newtonian Fluid!

Here are some other ideas to try:

1. Dragging the spoon through it—solid or liquid feeling?
2. Get a straw and blow on top of it—what do you observe?
3. Try breaking it up in the container with the spoon—are you able to?
4.  Push your whole hand into the mixture (within the container) and then remove your hand from the mixture—did your hand stick or easily come out?
5. Add food coloring—do you what colors to add together to make green? Purple? Orange? Brown?
6. With permission from your parents or guardians, look up videos online of “Non-Newtonian Fluid dancing.”
7. Come up with your own ideas to test.  Playing around and getting messy with the Non-Newtonian Fluid is part of the fun!

When done experimenting, don’t forget to clean up!  Hope you enjoyed not quite a liquid, but not quite a solid, Non-Newtonian Fluid!