Sherry

Mom, Wife, Daughter, Friend, Cousin, Granddaughter, Re-Married Widow, PR Counselor, Writer, Volunteer, Scrapbooker, Reader. Lucky.

Book Review: Raising Digital Families for Dummies

May 21, 2013 By 2 Comments

Both of my kids are “digital natives” having no idea what the world was like before the Internet, mobile phones, and tablets and pads of all kinds. And, if you’re the parent or teacher of a digital native, you think about how different their world is from the one in which we grew up. That’s one of the reasons I was so excited to hear that Amy Lupold Bair was writing Raising Digital Families for Dummies . I knew she would cover not only the basics, but also things I wouldn’t have thought of. I was right. Amy covers so much territory in just 324 easy-to-read pages.

Right away Amy covered information we haven’t come to yet (smart phones) and reminded me of information I need to keep uppermost in my mind when the kids are on the computer (a family policy for online activities). Some other information you will get from this book includes:

  • Living in the Digital Age
  • Navigating the Digital World Kids Live In
  • Grasping Social Media’s Effect on Your Family
  • Left to Their Own Devices (handheld games, tablets, and mobile phones oh my!)
  • Utilizing Online Family Resources
  • The Part of Tens (sooo many tips here y’all!)

While this is full of great tips for all parents, I would think it would be especially helpful for homeschooling families. I also love the comparison she has of handheld gaming options.

What I’m saying is, if you are a parent, a teacher, a grandparent, or anyone who interacts with kids and their digital lives, you should check out this book. It’s so worth it!

 

 

*The nice folks at John Wiley & Sons, Inc. provided the book for review, but the opinions are all mine!

 

Filed Under: Mom & Family

Coming Back From The Sad

May 15, 2013 By 11 Comments

I’m coming back. I’m working my way back from a wicked case of sad. It was the worst since just after Mark died. You can always tell when I’m feeling bad because I don’t write here. I have fun stuff to share, fun little projects I’ve done, a baby shower post, a book review, fun stuff. But I haven’t because it felt completely out of place with where my mind was and how my heart felt. And I couldn’t bring myself to write anything that took more than two seconds to get out. Depression is exhausting.

I thought I was handling the loss of the pregnancy…my pregnancy…well. There was so much logic – I knew what happened, why the pregnancy was never viable. I knew that there was nothing we could have done to save the pregnancy, the baby.  It would seem that all the logic in the world amounts to bullshit after all. Since I can’t think of any other trigger that might have caused a fall back into depression this time, I am assuming it was the emotional part of losing the pregnancy baby and the hormones that went with it. And what a trigger it was. I let the depression grow and thrive for a couple of months. I let it live inside me without telling anyone it was there.  I was exhausted but didn’t want to sleep because of the horrific nightmares I was having. I couldn’t concentrate on anything that wasn’t completely necessary to sustain life. I didn’t want to do anything that required any effort unless the boys needed something. There was a lot of crying in the shower and behind closed doors so nobody would see.

I don’t think anyone besides William even noticed. But William noticed and thank heaven for him. He made me talk. He made me call my doctor to talk about how I was feeling and what was happening.

I’m coming back though. And I’m so very glad for it. I’ve missed you.

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Healthy Life, Mom & Family, Widow

Weight: A New Perspective

May 9, 2013 By 1 Comment

I don’t know if everyone is this way, but I have no real understanding of weight and how I feel at any certain weight. What I mean is that I assume that if I felt good at any given time (really pretty or sexy or confident), it must have been a time when I weighed less than now. I would have sworn, in court, that during those confident times I was 30 or 40 pounds lighter than I am now. It turns out that during at least one of those times, I was within three pounds of where I am now.

I went to the doctor today for a post-op check up and asked her to tell me some of my weigh-in numbers over the past few years. I was completely shocked by some of them. Because I truly thought I was lighter before. For example, I was within one size on my wedding day as I am now when I would have sworn I was pounds and pounds lighter. But, right this second, I’m within 15 pounds of where I was two weeks after having Tobin when I would have sworn that I am pounds and pounds heavier right now. It’s all very confusing.

It made me start thinking about perception and weight. I always knew that I wasn’t really great at telling how much I weighed at any given time, but seeing the numbers and knowing what was happening at that point in my life really shocked me.

I don’t know that they are connected, but I’m also completely flummoxed when I try to decide how much someone else weighs or what size a person should wear. And then you throw in the mix of different women carrying weight differently, therefore making someone who looks much larger than someone else wear the same size clothing. I’m completely screwed.

But why does it matter? It doesn’t. Obviously my weight doesn’t make an actual difference in how I feel. I just think it does. But faced with the reality of that weight versus how I felt at the time, I see that there is no real correlation. Logic doesn’t often enter into my thought process as it applies to my weight. It’s a new feeling.

I'm only about 10 pounds heavier now than then. But I felt 100 pounds lighter

I’m only about 10 pounds heavier now than then. But I felt 100 pounds lighter

Filed Under: Healthy Life, Mom & Family

2013 Mother of The Year Winner: Missed School Events Edition

May 6, 2013 By 14 Comments

I don’t get to do that much at N’s school. Even though I have an amazing boss who works really hard to let us participate in events during the day, there are a lot of things I just can’t get to. Luckily, Nicholas understands that and has never been upset when neither William nor I can do something. Today was not one of those days. I could have made it to the end-of-year awards ceremony. It wouldn’t have been any problem. The teacher sent home a note, and she emailed us on Friday that it was going to be today. But, I got the dates mixed up. In my mind, it was supposed to be on Wednesday. So, my sweet boy, who is having a hard time at school right now, got two certificates and a medal with not a single person from his family there cheering.

I saw the certificates when we went through his backpack this evening, but I thought they were just given to him in class. And I saw him with the medal tonight, but thought it was last year’s medal. And then it struck me that it was today. I checked my email and sure enough, we had missed his assembly. And because his Grandpa, W’s parents, and N’s Aunt and Uncle depend on us to tell them this stuff, they all missed it too. Mother fucker.

He was still awake when I realized what had happened, and I asked him if he was upset. He said no, that he was okay. He even told me that we could go to the next one. Because he’s a sweet, sweet boy. But I still feel like a complete asshole. And I’m so sad.

Tomorrow I’ll brag about my boy after we take some pictures of him with his medal and certificates.

Filed Under: Mom & Family

House Hunting Gone Bad

April 26, 2013 By 8 Comments

I’ve been in house-hunting mode for a couple of years. We actively looked for a month or so before we put it on hold. But, I’m still in the habit of spotting for-sale signs on properties in our neighborhood. Especially if it’s a house that’s been for sale in the last couple of years that we’ve looked at before. That’s how this happened…

Me: Honey, that house down our street is for sale again! I saw a sign on the lawn!
W: Which house?
Me: The one that was kind of ugly and then they repainted it and it looks really good now?
W: Wow, that was fast.
Me: I know! Let’s go look at it on the way home tonight!
W: Sure.

Pulling in to the driveway of the house…

W: I’m going to go look in the windows
Me: Me too!

William walks up to the windows to start looking in…I look at the sign to see who the agent is…

Me: Honey! It’s not for sale! The sign is for the company that replaced the windows! Aaaaaaayyyyy!!!!!!!
W: Crap! Get back in the car!

And so we drove away as fast as we could. And were really glad the people who own the home seemed not to be home.

Filed Under: Mom & Family

Conversations With Tobin: The Lost Tree Edition

April 22, 2013 By 4 Comments

We drive past a utility pole every day on the way to school and daycare. This pole is perfectly positioned for notices and is constantly covered with announcements for garage sales and team sign ups. It’s also a perfect spot for notices for lost animals. The following conversation happened the other day on our way to daycare.

Tobin: Mommy, what is that dog doing?

Me: That dog is lost, so his family posted a picture so people can help find him.

Tobin: He’s lost?

Me: That’s right, the dog is lost.

On the way to daycare the next day…

Tobin: That dog is on the Lost Tree.

Me: The Lost Tree?

Tobin: Yes. Things that are on that tree are lost. Like a lost car or a lost parking lot or a lost house or a lost road or a lost cloud…

Me: Got it. It’s The Lost Tree.

A few days later, when I didn’t have to stay at the stop sign very long, and T was in a really bad mood…

Tobin: AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRR

Me: What’s wrong?

Tobin: I didn’t get to talk to the dog!

Me: What?

Tobin: The dog on the Lost Tree, I didn’t get to talk to him.

Me: Oh, honey. You can talk to him after school.

Tobin: <sobbing> Okay…

The dog currently on The Lost Tree. His name is Falcore.

The dog currently on The Lost Tree. His name is Falcore.

Filed Under: Mom & Family

Fitness Friday: Celebrating Success

April 19, 2013 By 12 Comments

I don’t know about you guys, but I need to celebrate every little success around my trying to get healthy. Every little success. I wasn’t really aware I did that until I posted a picture on Instagram earlier this week and my friend, Chris, commented on my celebrating. Because I am finding this healthy journey to be really hard, I need to celebrate every single time I do something well. I need to pat myself on the back, and there are a few other people who pat as well.

This week was different though. When I posted a picture of myself wearing a jacket that I wore at the same time last year (that I was able to button this year when I couldn’t last year) more than 100 people liked it and commented on it in either Instagram or on Facebook. For a couple of inches and not quite 30 pounds. I sometimes forget, because I have so much more to lose, that a few inches and not quite 30 pounds is a big deal. A success. I was just excited that I buttoned the jacket (with a little room to spare). But, when my friends and family celebrated that success with me, it was amplified. So much. I appreciate you guys cheering me on in this. Because it’s hard, you guys, and I want to give up, almost all the time.

I’m glad you’re there to help me celebrate the successes. Thank you.

 

 

That's a buttoned jacket right there

That’s a buttoned jacket right there

Filed Under: Healthy Life, Mom & Family

One Preemie Gives To Many

April 8, 2013 By 7 Comments

I have a friend named Christie. She is one of the nicest, kindest, most considerate people I know. I was lucky enough to have her as a boss as we became friends. I worked under Christie for nearly eight years, and in that time, she had two beautiful daughters, K and L. Christie developed preeclampsia with both pregnancies and both girls were born prematurely at 31 weeks each. Christie had some touch-and-go moments herself, and it made a very strong impression on me watching from the outside. Christie and her daughters fought so hard to get healthy and strong, and her husband was right there every minute. Ever since the girls were born, Christie and her family have been very involved with The March of Dimes. This year, nine-year-old L (the younger of their two girls) has started a project of her own. I was so struck by L’s initiative, that I wanted to share her project with you all. If you’re moved, maybe you’ll send a few dollars L’s way. Here is part of a letter that L sent out to her school and to their church as part of her fund-raising project:

I wanted to let you know that I’m doing a March of Dimes project to raise money for the families in the NICU. I was a preemie in the NICU for 48 days. I was 2 lbs., 13 oz. when I was born. My older sister was a preemie too. The March of Dimes helped me and my sister with medicine (surfactant) for our little lungs and special training and supplies for the doctors. Mom says that there was once a time in this country when newborns weren’t even considered to be patients. The attention was focused on the mother alone. But, thanks to the March of Dimes, today there are medical specialists, tiny instruments, research-based treatments and NICUs across the country for helping children. My family lives in gratitude for our lives and health. It’s a very scary time for families when they have a baby in the hospital. That’s why I want to help them like people helped us. I want to make 250 care kits for families who have preemies in the NICU. The kits will have: a bilingual English-Spanish coloring book that explains the NICU for older brothers and sisters of the babies, crayons, journal, pen, teddy bear, and brochure about March of Dimes. Each kit will cost $10.

So far, L has raised more than $1,000, but needs to raise $1,500 more to reach her goal. She will be assembling the kits at the end of April. If you would like to donate to the making of these NICU care kits, make checks payable to The March of Dimes. Mail checks to:

Christie Goodman

IDRA

5815 Callaghan Rd., Suite 101

San Antonio, Texas 78228

I am so very grateful that the March of Dimes did work that allowed Christie’s beautiful daughters to live, when not very long ago, they might not have. I am also grateful, but not surprised, that L and her sister K are such wonderful young ladies who are already making the world a better place.

L is now a thriving 9-year-old!

L is now a thriving 9-year-old!

Filed Under: Mom & Family

BlissDom 2013: The Good, The Very Good, and The Awesome

April 1, 2013 By 29 Comments

There is something special about spending almost an entire week with people who speak my language. People who speak Online Storytelling and Sparkle. It’s a fairly specific language. Even better is how very different everyone is from each other. How – on paper – we shouldn’t click, shouldn’t like each other; but, somehow through this creative thing we all do, we fit. There are so many things I want to say about BlissDom 2013, but I will try to keep it somewhat simple.

There was so much really great knowledge shared in the sessions I attended and in conversations in the hallway. So much that I think they each deserve a post of their own. I’ll give you an overview of the brain part and then I’ll tell you the heart and spirit part.

Soaking Up Knowledge

There were so many opportunities for learning this year at BlissDom. The keynotes were fantastic and the sessions I attended were well worth my time. The keynote from Scott Stratten was entertaining and affirming (in the, I’m-glad-I’m-doing-it-right kind of way). I look forward to reading his book The Book of Business Awesome (which he gave everyone attending the conference). The next keynote, an interview lead by the wonderful Danielle Smith, was with Susan Cain. You might have heard of Susan’s new book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking (which I will be buying soon!) Her discussion about introverts and extroverts was fascinating. I’ve always thought I was more of an extrovert, but I’m finding that I lean toward the introvert side, and listening to Susan and Danielle speak was so interesting. The last keynote was with Jon Accuff, who I saw at last’ year’s BlissDom. He was great as usual, and gifted the BlissDom attendees with a special pre-press copy of his new book, Start.

I was really happy with the breakout sessions I was able to attend. Shelly Kramer gave fantastic tips for writing for the web, Wendy Scherer talked about using data for marketing, CC Chapman shared his view on living an amazing life, Lisa Leonard shared so many ways to tell your story without apology (and let Bridget and me take what may be the best speaker photo every), and Lucrecer Braxton gave us simple and effective tips for better portraits. I learned so many different things from these great people, and I love that I can use Shelly’s and Wendy’s tips at work in some ways. When you listen to CC you can’t help but be inspired, and Lu is the same way. I was really looking forward to Lisa’s session because I do a lot of self-censorship when I write, and it’s something I want to change.

Road Trips & Roomies

You guys. I can’t really put into words how awesome the roadtrip to BlissDom and my roommates were. I drove the 8 or so hours to Dallas. I was supposed to pick up Ellen (@BloomMaternity) in San Antonio, but she had to change her plans at the last minute, it was the only really bad part of the whole week. I did get to pick up Kim (@prairiemama) in Austin, so I got to spend some great time with her the rest of the way. Luckily, Bridget (@iveyleaguemama) was landing as we were getting in to Dallas, so Kim and I decided to swing by and pick her up and then head to the hotel. Y’all, this was the first adventure of the weekend. Pro tip: When you go to DFW, make sure you know the flight and/or airline your friend is coming in on. Because you can’t tell tollbooth guy, “Do you know where flights from Atlanta are coming in? Do you know Bridget? She’s a blogger?” So doesn’t work. The roadtrip back home wasn’t as eventful, but I learned so much from Kim about her faith, and I got to stop in San Antonio and visit with Ellen (and give her the fun bag of goodies from BlissDom).

My roommates were fantastic. I know a lot of people say that, but mine were truly amazing. I met Bridget and Katie (@motherbumper) last year at BlissDom and we connected right away. My abs still hurt from the laughing we did over the four nights we were there. Let me give you this list of words that describes our hotel room for those days: Canadian candy, maple syrup, cupcakes, laugh crying, ADD, cake, men-with-hooks, Little Mosque on the Prairie, Poo-pourri, Single White Female, needless apologies (Katie being Canadian and all), laugh crying, ending blogging, kids, bothering our neighbors with laughter, and awkward introductions to speakers in the hallways. And laughing.

Heads on a stick

There were so many wonderful friends who couldn’t make it to BlissDom, so we made some Heads on A Stick so they would feel like they’d been there. These girls got rowdy y’all. They were drinking and eating and feeling up the other attendees. Out of hand.

Handmade Marketplace, Entertainment and Sponsors

As it was last year, the Handmade Marketplace was fantastic! The lovely Sara Sophia did an amazing job getting all of those vendors together and offering such great stuff for attendees to buy and fall in love with. I have so many of the vendors marked as new favorites. The entertainment at BlissDom was a little different this year. I think I would have enjoyed the interviews with the All My Children cast if there hadn’t been so much talking around us. Chris Mann and Amber Riley did a fantastic job and have incredible voices. As a bonus, the Spazmatics were playing at the Glass Cactus on Girls Night Out after Chris and Amber and I danced my butt off while screamsinging songs from the 80s. At Girls Night In, we got to hear from Jeremy Sisto, Ana Gasteyer, and of the writers (I feel like a jerk for forgetting her name) from Suburgatory. Ana Gasteyer was accosted by Nichole and me while she was innocently trying to watch the episode of the show that was being screened for us. I love Ana. A lot.

As always, the BlissDom folks bring fantastic partners/sponsors who take the time to connect with the attendees. Please take a minute to check out the partners, as they really help make the conference one that I can afford to attend!

Reconnecting & New Friends

I love the time I got to spend reconnecting with people I’d met before and making new friends. I restrained myself from being a total fangirl in that I didn’t actually scream when I met Meagan Francis, Kyran Pittman, Christine Koh, Lisa Leonard and Laura Mayes. I did however, take a minute to get pictures with most of them as they are all women/bloggers/authors/entrepenuers who I admire.

That’s the thing about BlissDom for me, the connections. I met so many people I admire, whether they are a “big deal” or not. I met women who had fought hard to be there, women who were about to launch a new blog or a new business, women who “just” have a little blog whose biggest reader is their mom. I met Nichole who Robin match me with before BlissDom, and who made me snort laugh with her Sling Blade voice; and I met Piper in real life, finally, and she was just as wonderful as I thought she’d be! There are so many more people I wanted to meet, but just didn’t get a chance. I’m hoping to meet them at a future BlissDom, or at least get to know them online this year.

And now, here are way too many photos from BlissDom! And if these aren’t enough for you, I’ll be adding more to my Facebook page!

BlissDomSponsors

Some of the wonderful sponsors: Johnson and Johnson let us make promises; The Minion hung out for photos; and the Office Candy Girls let me drool over pretty office supplies

SherryRobinBridgetBlissDom

Robin O’Bryant makes me laugh. In real life, not just with her words.

SherryChristineLauraBlissDom

Christine Koh and Laura Mayes. A lot of awesome in one picture.

NicholeAnaSherryBlissDom

Nichole and I forcing Ana to take a photo with us.

NewFriends

New friends: Piper, Ellen, Meagan, Megan, Katie, Sara Sophia (last photo courtesy of Jana)

BridgetandSherrySquishLisaBlissDom

Lisa Leonard lets us take what might be the best conference photo of all time.

HeadsOnAStickBlissDom

Greis, Robin, Ellen, and Rachel couldn’t make it, but their heads came on a stick!

FriendsBlissDom

 

 

Filed Under: Mom & Family

Birthday Party Fun: Superhero Edition

March 20, 2013 By 1 Comment

Tobin is obsessed with all things Superhero. He loves Hulk, Spider Man, Super Man, Ninja Turtles, all of them. So, for his third birthday in early March, a Superhero theme was sure to be a hit.

Luckily, there are a lot of really creative people who have done Superhero parties, so I had a lot of inspiration to draw on. If you Google “superhero party” you will end up with many, many helpful hints.

Food & Drink

We had our party in the morning, so we served fruit, water, “Power Punch” (lemon-lime Kool-Aid), Spider Man-themed Cheez Its, and the cake and ice cream. I found that Duck Brand makes Spider Man Duct Tape, so William wrapped some around the label of each water bottle, instantly making them cool. I also added a label with “Power Punch” over the Kool-Aid label. Each child got a Superhero cup.

Because the Incredible Hulk is Tobin’s favorite, and there aren’t that many ways to decorate with him, I made the cupcakes in Hulk colors. It’s just a yellow cake mix with gel food coloring in purple and green. I used my favorite Reynolds brand foil cupcake wrappers because I can just plop them down on the cookie sheet and don’t need to use a cupcake pan.

Originally, I was going to draw the emblem of several Superheros on top of the cupcakes.  The only one I could successfully draw was Spider Man’s web. Plan “B” turned into writing the comic-book fight words like BAM and POW! I like how they turned out though!

We also made a chocolate cake with chocolate icing. Which promptly split into three big pieces after it was assembled. No problem! I told Tobin that Hulk had SMASHED the cake and it was all part of the theme! I used a piece of white posterboard to create a thought balloon and wrote the birthday message on it (sticking it into the cake with two straws taped to the back).

SpiderManWaterPSKSuperheroCakePSK

 

Decorations

We kept decorating to a minimum:

  • Avengers-themed plastic table covers (the only thing I could find with Hulk), and a solid red plastic table covers to throw over all the surfaces.
  • Balloons in the Superhero colors (blue, red, yellow, green, white, and black)
  • Red and blue containers from previous birthday celebrations, to hold different things.
  • Napkins with red and white stars and stripes designs (these were at the Dollar Store and were sort of Captain America-ish).

Activities

With the help of my family, we made the children Superhero capes with the initial of their first name on the back, cuffs, and belts to wear at the party. We used felt, grosgrain ribbon, and fabric glue and that was it. All of it was no-sew, and we free-handed the patterns. The only cape we measured at all was Tobin’s so it wouldn’t drag the ground (all the other children are older/taller than T). The cuffs had stars and the belts had lightening bolts. The kids all really liked them. Next time I will probably sew them as I didn’t love how the fabric glue held them on. This is the tutorial I used to make the capes.

We had a little photo station where we stuck a blue plastic table cover to a wall, taped white clouds to it (cut from posterboard), covered a piano bench with the blue plastic, and had the kids “fly” in the sky so we could take a picture.

We printed out some of the Superhero Villains and taped them to two of the balloons. The kids then “shot” the bad guys on the balloons with silly string until they were “dead”. The silly string will weigh the balloons down pretty quickly. If there were more kids, I might have had them each kill a bad guy, but there were only a few kids, so they shared bad guys. The kids also blew big ol’ bubbles.

SuperheroesPSKSuperheroCapesPSKSuperheroTobinFlyingPSKNSuperheroPSKSillyStringTobinPSKSuperheroBubblesPSK

 

Treats

I wasn’t going to do a treat bag, but the Avenger pack of treat goodies was cute, so I caved. I also found some Spider Man washcloths (the kind that expand in water) at the Dollar Store so I threw those in there too.

TreatsPSK

 

We kept the party simple and banked on the kids having fun with the Superhero costumes and running around in the yard. It worked, and Nicholas and Tobin have played with their costumes several times since the party.

TobinCandlesPSKSuperheroFamily

Have you done a Superhero party? What was your favorite part?

Filed Under: Mom & Family
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