baby pistachio

Online Signing Dictionary

2010-02-23T17:25:00.000-05:00

The signing dictionary I use most often is ASL PRO. When I first started taking baby sign classes this was the site my instructors recommended. I have been able to take advantage of the a DVD’s from the Baby Signs Program. Two more sites you can try are Life Print and Signing Savvy.

Favorite Toddler Cup: Perfect Find!

2010-02-15T20:48:00.003-05:00

It’s no secret I love foogo by Thermos. While on short trip to New York, we stopped at a Buy Buy Baby on Long Island to pick up some diapers. I went to the feeding section to browse cups because Papa had complained about how much milk we were wasting since the straws in the cups we were using did not reach to the very bottom of the cup. It was hard for Ella to empty all of the contents, although she had her ways when she really wanted to. I spotted these Plastic Leak-Proof Straw Bottles! They are great and what I always wanted. The pros, yes the straw reaches to the very bottom, they are BPA free and lightweight. Con, they are leak proof while the lid is closed. If you turn your back on Ella and she decides to turn the cup upside down which she loves to do with everything, milk will leak out of the tiny venting hole. This is not a huge deterrent since these light weight mommy friendly cups are a dream come true for me.
yours truly,
baby pistachio

13 Months Old: The Consistent, Inconsistent Sleeper Part II

2010-02-12T19:55:00.016-05:00

Yesterday started out with a horrible headache another hour of lost sleep. Ella woke up at 1 am whimpering and again it evolved into a tumultuous earth shattering cry. I nearly damned my life until I heard about the 20th Anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s release from prison on NPR. It was time for a reality check. “I cannot deal with my 13 month old and my role as nurturer and mom. Do I really need to be this miserable?” Granted, my feelings are justified, but I needed to revaluate my feelings and find a solution. So, I turned to Tracy Hogg's,Secrets of the Baby Whisperer for Toddlers. She was just sitting on my shelf. While I did not have serious sleep issues with my first daughter the chapter on Time Busters/ Chronic Sleep Problems went unscathed. I sat in the rocker and opened it up.

While Ella is not exactly Leanne: A Chronic Sleep Problem (nursing toddler in need of weening) or Cody: “Mommy... Don’t Leave Me!” Ella’s sleep issue was seriously a time buster, aka problems that steal hours from your day. What I took away from this chapter was I needed to use a little more TLC ( Talk, Listen, Clarify):

Ella was trying to tell me something. Still, I am not exactly sure what. I needed to take a step back and really look at my time with her and how I was dealing with her communication with me. More importantly I had to take a long hard look at myself. Ella’s ability to communicate has been growing exponentially, I have been really preoccupied. I have not been communicating with her as much. I have also started teaching on the weekends. For 3 weeks now I go off for 2- 3 hours and have not really explained or prepared her for my departure. That is about how long this whole disaster has been going on. Maybe just a coincidence? hmmmm... I think not.

After spending some quality time with her yesterday and responding to her needs as best as I could, she slept through the night. Today, I started to reassure her that I would be right back using a gentle voice and facial expressions to communicate with her if she even made a whimper sitting in her stroller while I got Marley ready to go outside, she immediately stopped.

When she has been cranky or on the verge of mini tantrum I took a moment to evaluate the situation to see what could have been done differently or could have made for a better outcome. Today it seems so obvious that she needed me to communicate with her more, she needed more attention. I set these expectations by teaching her to sign and talking to her about everything that happens through out the day.

Tomorrow, I am off to teach and I will try talking to her about it and using my body language to reassure her. My diagnosis for the sleepless nights, anxiety or as Papa says “Ella has a serious case of the MOMITIS!” (mom- mi -ties)

13 Months Old: The Consistent, Inconsistent Sleeper

2010-02-04T10:52:00.006-05:00

Where do I start? For the last week my 13 month old has been waking up in the middle of the night. It starts off with a whimper and escalates to a high pitch, screeching, ear drum quivering, repetitive scream. It used to be we could cover her with a blanket and place her favorite fluffy giraffe over her face and she would put herself back to sleep. Granted, she is getting her first 3 teeth and fighting a cold. She has been a little out of sorts lately.

Reluctant to bring her into our bed another night or rock her to sleep in my arms, I let her cry and tried to comfort her with soft rubs on her back. I even had to cover my ears a few times. I prepared myself to sooth her, rub her back, inhale and exhale and reassure her trying every now and then to lay her down. She would start kicking and screaming like a mule. After 45 minutes she sat down on her own and screamed. Then after another 10 minutes she fell over and screamed and after another 10 minutes she sobbed and resumed normal breathing. I covered with her blanket and left the room. I have been robbed an 1hour of sleep. I feel sorry for my neighbors and Marley who shares a room with her baby sister and slept through the entire episode. Remarkable.
Anxiety, night terrors, teething? Not sure yet. I turned to the internet for answers. I found a few interesting articles and posts on babycenter.com. Papa read, What to Expect:The Toddler Years.

Sincerely,
baby pistachio

First Day Back to Work after Maternity Leave

2010-02-01T21:52:00.011-05:00

Mom Corps - This is a great resource for moms or any family member who needs a flexible working arrangement.

My big sister aka Jersey Mom(JM) works for a Fortune 500 company and returned to work after 4 months of maternity leave. On her first day back I received this text. She was gracious enough to share her first day of jitters and joys with me.

This mornings text read:
Here we go. Up @ 4, fed jax, got ready, on train at 5:57. I luv u. wish me luck.call u later.
p.s. THIS SUCKS

BP: What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up?
JM: First thing I thought, was I hope I don't forget anything ( had to have my pump, breast pads, bags, lunch, laptop, id, train pass, etc... etc... etc...) and I reminded myself that I was not going to get involved with work, that my family was my priority not the work.

BP: What is best thing about returning to the office? The worst thing?
JM: The best thing about returning to work was... having to get up and get out, and feeling good about myself all dressed up with somewhere to go.   The worst, was returning to work--- a job that's just a job - grateful to have it, but not my ideal job --no the commute, that was the worst thing about returning to work, the commute.

BP:What is your daily schedule?
JM:Daily Schedule: up at 4 am, feed, talk to / hang out with and change Jax(4months), 5 am out of the bed- kiss Conner(6yrs), get ready for work, on the train at 5:57 arrive at office 7:00 am, get coffee and oatmeal, work on to do's, work day starts at 7:30 with a meeting and it's meeting after meeting all day, at 10:45 I remind myself not to forget that I have the lactation room reserved --get this --because they want a schedule as to when you plan to pump-- ok so at 11:15 I'm in a planning session and remember that I have to pump from 11-11:30. Back to meetings, training sessions, some email time--if I remember lunch, I eat, but not normally. oh... 3 pm, lactation room reserved again, back to meetings, 5:30 remind myself not to forget my milk in the freezer, 6:11 train to NJ, walk in the door at 7:30, DH has dinner on the table, I kiss the kids, inhale dinner, read to Conner whose bedtime is 8 pm, feed jax, take shower,set out Conner’s school clothes, set out my clothes for work, steam clean pumping accessories, pack for work 10:00 in bed trying to get Jax to sleep, he sleeps by 12:00am. I sleep until 4am.

BP:What would you do if you did not have to work?
JM:If I did not have to work -I shouldn't answer with alternative work since the question is if I did not have to work, so I would be the ultimate stay at home mom, volunteer, lady who lunches --except all my friends work so I'd have no one to lunch with.   Alternate work - consulting or party planning 

BP:What was the one thing you could not wait to do once you returned to work?
 JM:Upon returning to work--couldn’t wait to have sushi for lunch. Couldn’t have it while I was pregnant and DH doesn’t like it.

BP:What advice do you have for moms returning to work?
JM: Advice: Take your time, prioritize and be positive.  

BP:How has your relationship handled the transition?
JM: which relationship --my 6 year old son and myself, my husband and I or the baby and myself. --They all hate me.

BP:What is the last thing you think about when you go to bed?
JM: Last thing I do, --thank God I have a job in this economy--appreciate it for what it is, the opportunity and challenges it provides and then pass out.

Sincerely,
 JM - Director of Sales Training

My Toddler Can Read!?

2010-01-31T12:37:00.006-05:00

While watching an episode of WordWorld a PBS program for preschoolers, I noticed my 3 year old sounding out words with the “ST” sound. St-age, St-airs St-ars she stuttered. I challenged her by writing a list of “ST” words, STOMP, STEP, STOP an so forth, she carefully sounded them all out, she asked for more. Needless to say, I was beside myself, “my child can read!” So, I immediately went to my computer and did a search “teach toddler how to read”. There was a lot of information in cyberspace and products too. Surprisingly, I found a little controversy over how to teach, when children are ready to read and what they can do by a certain age.

I just wanted a list of things to do to help my child with phonics and words. We are past learning the alphabet, we do workbook activities, have read countless books since the day she was born. We read several books a day and she knows the sounds each letter makes. What I needed was something that put it all together for FREE.
I did not want to buy a new toy, software or dvd’s just something to incorporate into our reading routine to help her move forward. So, I called my sister, she has a 6 year old. She suggested I visit Spelling City a website where I could find Dolch Words or sight words, FYI, the 220 most common words and 95 additional nouns in children's reading books.

I took about thirty of the Dolch words and wrote them on colored pieces of paper and put them in groups around my daughters room. They are not just for her, but there to remind me of the words we see in books all of the time.

I also found this cool site called Starfall.com. We have been working through this site for a month now. We read the simple stories at the end of each lesson together. We practice phonics in the ABC’s section too. I have learned, rather than trying to read books with brief sentences, simple word books are perfect. We just brought this one home from the library Billy & Milly, Short & Silly.

baby pistachio’s helpful tips:
1. Have fun
2. Learn the alphabet (maybe even learn to sign the ABC’s)
3. Learn the sounds each letter makes
4. Identify letters in words
5. Refer to your old baby picture books, that just have one or two words on a page before reading long sentences (that’s my two cents)
6. Find Dolch words
7. When child resists stop
8. Workbooks come in handy
9. Continue to read to your child
10. Find a website with simple progression of lessons

Sincerely,
baby pistachio

Baby vs. Cup

2010-01-19T21:06:00.003-05:00

For a quick reference guide regarding the current trend in sippy cups and other child friendly consumer products visit Z Recommends.
Sippy Cup Showdown is a great read!

First let me say, Ella is finally weened off of the bottle and has graduated to THE CUP. I say THE CUP because as you know, if you are reading this article you too may have had a few challenges transitioning from bottle to a straw, sippy, or some other type of cup!
Well here is my story and my advice.

Let’s go back, way back. I weened my daughter Marley who is now three and half years old off of the bottle at 10 months. She was very easy going. We were at a restaurant in NYC, Ruby Foo’s, I think. The waiter brought us a small cup of water with a straw. Marley was about 9 months old. I offered the cup to her and she drank, I thought “wow maybe you are ready for cups.” It was as easy as that. I bought a Nuby straw cup, back then you did not have to compress the straw to draw fluid, it was very easy to drink from. I offered her milk in the cup, substituted a cup for every feeding for about 3 weeks, job done.

Fast forward about three years, I am sitting at the table with my lovely daughter Ella she was about 7 months old and I offer her a tiny bit of water in a baby food jar with a straw. The drama...“Ok maybe you are not quite ready yet” I thought. “I will try again next week.” Next week came and there was more drama. Ella was very vocal about not wanting to drink out of a cup, straw or no straw. “Ok I will wait until she is a little older” I told myself. Ten months arrives and I think “alright its time for us to start transitioning.” Ella did not feel the same way.

During a random visit at a Babies R Us I picked up a package of Playtex straw cups and one Nuby straw cup. This is when I discovered the Nuby straw cups did not work the same way they did when I used them with Marley. It did not matter because Ella was not interested in anything I put in front of her. She would take a sip and then cry, cry, cry and scream!
I panicked, I thought “uh-oh she is stubborn and this is going to be hard. She is not going to give up with out a fight.” I got online, I read posts on www.babycenter.com and random sites typing in searches like “baby won’t drink from cup!” Papa said not to worry, but I could help myself. All I could envision was my 2 year old with a nipple hanging out of her mouth, in a milk and drool stained wife beater. I also promised my glass bottles to my sister whose newborn was about two months already and I wanted to get the bottles to her. The future looked grim. Looking back I realize I was being a bit melodramatic, however, this is my reality.

This is what I finally decided to do. After Ella rejected each and every cup, I continued to give Ella about 2 oz of water in a baby food jar with a straw I salvaged from one of her cups. I offered her water at every meal to get her comfortable with the process.

I took her morning bottle away first. I bought a Thermos Fogoo straw cup because she seemed intrigued by the one her sister had and she drank from it easily.

We always used the signs for milk and water and she slowly became accustomed to seeing the Fogoo cup and would sign milk whenever she saw it. Still, she was not drinking 7oz in one shot, she would drink about 3 or 4oz at a time.

Then, I took the afternoon bottle away and replaced it with the cup. It was like pulling teeth, she became constipated and was not getting enough fluid, but she started drinking a lot more water and signing more and more for water.

After two weeks it was time for her first year check up she was still taking a 7-8oz bottle at night depending on how much she had during the day. Her diapers were not as wet as I would have liked. She was taking and average of 18oz of fluid a day.

I began to panic, I thought maybe I should just go back to bottles. I even started to pour what remained in her cups into her bottles, but by that time she was not really interested in her bottles either. Then the amazing happened one morning Ella drank 6oz and ate breakfast. Then she drank another 6oz at lunch. Finally, after a week of this I took the night time bottle away. She did not flinch and she is well, weened. She is still alive, she is not dehydrated, she takes 18 -24 oz of milk and 4 oz of water a day. Her diapers are normal, she is still a little constipated, but I suspect cheese is the culprit, that is another story. It took about two months to get her fully weened.

My advise is basic:
Find a good cup
Be patient
Do not stress
Be consistent
Add love

Good luck,
baby pistachio

R&R

2010-01-14T15:44:00.000-05:00

Revisiting, reinventing and repurposing my blog is quite a task. Quite a bit has happened in the past few years. I had a new baby, I have straddled life between two cities, NYC and Boston. Finally realizing my dream of becoming a MOMtrepreneur, mom entrepreneur, Savvy Mom, Smart Momma what ever you want to call it and have lots to share. I am teaching Baby Sign Language classes now and well, I want to share some insights and topics that come up from time to time.

Sincerely,

baby pistachio

2008-02-17T15:09:00.003-05:00

www.babypistachio.com is LIVE!
Ok! There are a few things we need to straighten out here and there, but the content is up and I am very excited.

SAMPLE's Completed

2008-01-20T15:16:00.000-05:00

Starting a business is hard work. It has taken a lot longer than I would have liked, but it's worth it! I finally received my last samples yesterday. My site should be up by February 1, 2008. If there is anyone out there who wants to offer up some feedback, please do!

I am not a seamstress

2007-10-08T11:56:00.000-05:00

I imagined being a SAHM making slip covers while my baby napped. Late at night I would be fulfilling orders while everyone slept. The truth is my prototype was not what I envisioned. I am not a seamstress! I found myself in a rut. For a few months I wondered if this was a viable idea. When I had to go back to work I realised how important it was to resuscitate my idea and see it through to the end.

The universe kindly intervened. There was an upholsterer right around the corner from my house. I went there one day and asked for some advice. I went back to Purl Soho, selected more fabrics. Less than two weeks later I had the product I could manufacture.

Funny Little Pictures

2007-10-07T11:46:00.001-05:00

I dusted off my sewing machine. I searched the net for appealing fabrics. I discovered Amy Butler and Purl Soho. I bought some fabric and materials, i.e, scissors, thread and zippers. Then I went to Babies "R" Us in Union Square and BuyBuy Baby in Chelsea to see which chairs were popular. I took measurements and drew funny little pictures. My mom helped me sew my first prototype.

The Perfect Rocking Chair

2007-10-02T05:47:00.000-05:00

When I was pregnant there were about six other people at my job who were expecting as well. We were often talking about strollers and cribs, emailing links for shops, i.e., sparkability, urbanbaby and giggle. I was not big on shopping for baby at the time. I just wanted the basics. My Papas was the one shopping for cribs, bassinets and rocking chairs. I was totally fine with this. I just had to say yea or nay.

One day my partner asked me to check out this rocking chair on my way back from Cake Man Raven (the best red velvet cake in Brooklyn)…So, I stepped into Yu, a brilliant furniture shop in Fort Greene Brooklyn to check out this chair when I bumped into a wonderful woman from work who was expecting as well. She was there with her husband to see the same rocker. It was a low cowhide rocker mid century design, very narrow and sleek. Although I loved the design it was not functional for breastfeeding or rocking a baby. We started discussing how hard it was to find a nice modern rocker with form and function.

After our conversation my search for the ultimate rocking chair became expansive. Some chairs are ridiculously expensive and some of them are not very functional at all. The Collins Rocker is one of my favorites but at $1,300 is a bit too much. The Sleepytime Rocker looks great in the nursery online, but in actuality it is stiff and wabbles forward and back.

I went to giggle to try the Monarch Nursery Chair with lumbar support, it has no arms, you feel like your sitting on a thrown, not nestling to breastfeed. So the next stop was buybuy baby where my reluctant Papas agreed to sit in a Dutalier Glider B.U.G. he calls them for short(Big Ugly Glider). After a few minutes,“…we are going to have to get one of these” he sighed.

Well in the end a good friend gave us their rocking chair and saved us the expense.

I decided to make a cover for my glider and give it an upgrade. I said to Papas, "I think I could sell my covers so other people can bridge the gap between form function and modernity until the perfect affordable rocker comes on the market!"

Working 9 to 5

2007-09-23T10:25:00.000-05:00

Finally! I have caught up to the right month. It was difficult getting to this point. I was not expecting to go back to work before the end of the year. With the stock market on the decline Papas worried that our future plans could be deferred.

I had to find a job, interview, find a Nanny and transition from SAHM to 9 to5 mom. The good news was after being at home for fifteen months I knew what I was looking for in the workforce. I felt confident of what I was worth, the type of schedule I wanted to keep and how much I wanted to earn.

Trying to find a job that would allow me to have some flex time was not very easy, but definitely worth the try. As an Interactive Producer it was hard to imagine a new employer would allow me to work from home 1 or 2 days a week, even though I think it is possible. I interviewed with 3 companies including my former agency. In every interview I laid down my cards, but only one employer was willing to negotiate and finally accept my flex time proposal. We settled on hard stop time at 5:00pm. Not so bad considering one can stay in the office until 7:00pm or even 9:00pm easily these days.

We decided Nanny care would be best for Marley. I had to search, call and interview again, this time for the right caregiver. At first I considered a Nanny finding agency like Absolute Best Care. One of the owners was kind enough to walk me through the entire process and his experience finding a Nanny. The bottom line was this option was too expensive a one tine payment of 15% of the Nanny’s annual income + application fee. Following the recommendation of another mom, I posted an ad on craigslist.com. In the end I found taking the time to read through the postings of various Nanny’s was the best way for me to find possible candidates. I met 6 to 8 people who were all wonderful. When I found the right person, I cried. I just knew in my heart I had found the person I could leave Marley with.

Since our Nanny was not available to start until the 1st of the month, Marley’s grandmother came to visit the week prior to our Nanny’s official start date. Leaving Marley with her Abuela my first week back to work also made the transition smoother for both us.

I was able to transition myself and Marley into a new routine, but there was one thing I could not get off of my mind. What about my blog, my photos, my dream to being a Momtrepreneur. Everyday I walked to the train I would daydream of what I thought I wanted for myself, my family and how I could get it. Going back to work gave me an urgent desire to follow through.

A Step Back

2007-09-20T05:35:00.000-05:00

Semana Santa
Marley, Papas and I visited Guatemala during Easter Week (Semana Santa). We visited Guatemala City, Lake Atitlan and Antigua. Antigua Guatemala hosts a religious celebration with huge processions through the town’s cobblestone streets. Hundreds of purple-robed men move slowly through Antigua streets, their feet cushioned by carpets made of sawdust, flowers and other decorative materials used to create mosaics and murals along the routes.
Learn More: http://gorptravel.away.com/xnet/one-product.tcl?product_id=108348

A Potty for ME
May was the quiet before the storm. Marley turned one. We celebrated her birthday in Boston with family. We started potty training.

Z is for Zoo
Plenty of visitors during the month of June and I went to the Bronx Zoo and Children’s Museum more than I care to recollect.

Sub Prime Blues
July was not so hot.

“The market is not looking so great. Suz, you may have to go back to work sooner than later”

-Papas

August was even worse...
“Have you sent out your resume yet?”

-Papas

Back Online

2007-09-19T20:58:00.000-05:00

It has been a long while, but I am back online. The last few months I have been thinking about my blog. Where did we go wrong? How come our relationship did not last? I have had interesting thoughts to share, progress to report, but I just let the days go by in silence. Well, no more!

I’ll learn from my past mistakes and take a stab at creating a new and lasting relationship. Allow me to bring you up to speed on what has happened the past months over the next few days.

birth

2007-03-18T09:39:00.000-05:00

Thank you CPR STUDIOS for designing this beautiful graphic for me. I really love this design. This collaborative effort between "Papas" and his close friend, cpr is one that I hold near and dear because it represents so much. This was originally designed as a baby shower invitation to celebrate the coming of our daughter.

Even though we had these beautiful shower invites delivered and arrangements in place we never had an official baby shower. Marley was six weeks early and she arrived the week our engagement.

I wanted to have this design made into a wall decal for my daughter’s room, but it was too expensive and having it printed on fabric was also beaucoup bucks!

So, I hope to get some good use out of this design because it gives me warm and fuzzy feelings.

The very hungry caterpillar

2007-03-15T15:54:00.000-05:00

I knew making baby food came with perks, but insects are not one of them! There was a caterpillar in my squash. I was screaming and jumping around in my kitchen, but had to take this photo before attempting to exterminate the creature!

Ways to earn SAHM

2007-03-14T21:44:00.000-05:00

After winning my prize it got me to thinking, how could win more contests and make more money!!! My imagination was running wild. I could pay off my student loans, send my daughter to the preschool I have been dreaming about, pay off my mortgage, and invest in another property. All of these imaginative dreams happen during my daughters morning nap. It’s the first moment of the day I have an hour or two to myself. I just go wild! I try not to spend all of this valuable time on the internet, but I usually do!

I came across this article 10 Legitimate Ways Stay-at-Home Moms Can Make Their Own Money. It took me about two days to fill out all of the questionnaires needed to even be considered for focus groups. That was tiring. I have not tried to be a secret shopper yet, but it could be fun! Any how take a look at the article the suggestions are worth noting.

When I got into the car on my way to my baby fingers class I heard a great interview on Oprah & Friends XM Radio. The Jean Chatzky Show featured a mom who started a business called Mom Corps. They find work for people who have been out of the workforce for a while, primarily homemakers who want to enter the work force again. They also find flexible employers for stay at home parents who want to work part time or need flexible schedules that work with their parenting or personal responsibilities. The universe is definitely trying to tell me something…

i won

2007-03-13T20:29:00.000-05:00

I was surfing online after putting my daughter to sleep when the bell rang. It was fed ex. I assumed the package was for my partner, but it had my name on it. I wasn’t sure what it could be. I opened it and there was another fed ex return envelope inside. “Is this a chain letter?” not sure what made me think that. When I finally pulled out the few sheets inside fastened by a paper clip the letter read, Congratulations you are a second prize winner…$1000 gift card and 2 complimentary round trip tickets …on October 2006 you were automatically entered to win…I have never won anything before. It’s pretty exciting!

Before and After

2007-03-04T11:08:00.000-05:00

I finished crocheting my scarf. When I began my creation started to take on a triangular shape. I decided to start over, pull the entire thing apart and stayed up all night to complete my masterpiece. I was completely obsessed, but in the end this small scarf gave me a great sense of accomplishment!

Harlem Mom in Tennessee

2007-03-03T20:26:00.000-05:00

Clarksville is a military town. I have never been on an army base or seen so many people in fatigues. It’s very different from being in Harlem. Fort Campbell lies on the Kentucky- Tennessee border between Hopkinsville, KY and Clarksville, TN where I was visiting.

I asked various people what it was like having a family member serve in the Iraq war. I wanted to know what the media doesn’t convey about being a soldier and being separated from family. Our country is so involved in the politics of war; I wanted to understand the people fighting in the war. I was connecting with people just like me, but they weren’t stay at home moms. Here is some of what I learned.

One person I spoke with expressed to me that the world cannot understand the sacrifice of serving in the military. Another said “…it’s unexplainable, imagine carrying an eight year old blown to pieces in your arms. How can you even start to make sense of that….”

“…and what about the mom with three kids whose husband is away. She cannot afford daycare for all three kids so she has to stay at home. They should make a reality show about that! People in the military do not make that much money. People still have to struggle.”

The resonating theme among most of the people I spoke with was that entering the army provided an opportunity for a job, to pay off debt, learn a skill and serve their country of course. The reality of being sent into combat was not as apparent as some may think. When most entered the army they did not think they would be called to war or asked to provide services outside of their expertise.

A mechanic for army vehicles said “…all of the sudden you are killing people and trying to keep yourself from being killed…you cannot prepare yourself for that reality…it’s frightening and I hated it…when I came back home I thought I was ok, but I am not. I am not the same person I was when I left.”

Tennessee Mom

2007-03-01T19:26:00.000-05:00

I learned to crochet from friend Lara. During my stay in Tennessee I watched Lara crochet a blanket for her daughter. She seemed at peace. She showed me a beautiful scarf she made for her 2 year old daughter and the blanket she brought her home from the hospital in. I was inspired. We sat on Sunday having coffee, talking and crocheting. Lara said she never would have imaged getting so much peace from crocheting. “If I was twenty I could never spend an afternoon this…” I am so glad we are not twenty anymore. Only the Lord knows what trouble I would be getting myself into not knowing I would spend the rest of my life trying to reconcile that very moment. Crocheting is much safer and emotionally stabilizing than anything I would have been up to on a given afternoon at age twenty.

Playgroup

2007-02-27T09:59:00.000-05:00

Here are my playgroup invitations! The plan is to distribute them to a few families with young children that live in my building. Hopefully I will be able to recruit a playmate or two for Marley.

Crack Is Wack

2007-02-26T23:09:00.000-05:00

Crack Is Wack Playground is located on Second Avenue and 127th Street. Painted by artist Keith Haring in 1986, it is home to a mural about the crack epidemic in NYC. The playground was deserted the day I took this photo. It felt like a historical burial ground. It was nice to be able to walk right up the handball court and touch it after seeing it several times from a moving vehicle. I had only seen the front of the court until I visited the site and realized there was more to the mural on the back. Keith Haring died of AIDS on February 16, 1990.