The 413 Mom

It's never too late to bloom

These gorgeous Zinnias have become the showpiece of my garden this season. The seeds came out of an old (expired) box of flower seeds given to me by someone who was moving and was cleaning out. I think the box had a price tag of $1 on it, but it also had a clearance tag that said 90% off. The were so old, I just threw them in a plot of dirt and forgot about them -- I figured if anything bloomed at all it would be a miracle.

A few weeks later, here we are. Beautiful, healthy, strong, abundant flowers. I can't help but take a few lessons away from this experience:

• You're never too old to bloom
• Your price tag does not determine your worth
• Sometimes a plot of dirt is all you need
• Even if you're discarded, you still have value
• If someone thinks you're not worth the effort, show them how wrong they are

According to FlowerMeaning.com:

The zinnia is one tough flower so the symbolism has evolved to mean endurance in all of it’s many forms.  This includes spontaneous endurance: from youth to old age the zinnia endures and continues to bloom. It is also believed to mean joyous endurance, happy to bloom in the broiling heat of summer. The zinnia also endures through any trials and tribulations (unforgiving heat, drought, bugs) and continues to put forth beautiful flowers in many shades of red, orange, apricot, yellow, white, lilac and even lime green.

 

Bloom, Mamas. Bloom.

Science Fair Fun!

 

We had the science fair at school tonight! I love the science fair and I love working with the girls on their projects. I appreciate the fact that the science fair at our school is voluntary and that the rules are liberal -- kids are simply encouraged to research a topic or scientist of interest to them. Faith chose owls -- pretty much her spirit animal from birth. She knows so much about these creatures that this project was more about practicing her best handwriting (something she struggles with) and creating a neat posterboard. We had a lot of fun choosing and printing pictures. She adored the sparkly stickers she picked out for the border (this kid sparkles everywhere she goes). She thrived in talking with all of the folks who stopped by to ask about her display. All-in-all participating in the fair was a joy for us.

However, I noticed an all-time low participation at tonight's fair. Which left me wondering -- is the science fair a thing of the past? Where are all of our little scientists? I'm a weird, old-fashioned traditionalist. I get that my enthusiasm on a lot of topics is not trendy. And that's OK. But tonight did leave me wondering how other folks view the science fair. 

So, drop me a comment below and let me know. Are your kiddos a fan of the science fair? Do they hate it? Does it cause too much stress? Or do they enjoy digging into a topic and sharing their knowledge with the school community? 

Love EVERYTHING about this! #supportyourschool #pto #simplify

It's time, mamas. It's time for the annual back-to-school fundraiser. As you know, I'm not exactly a fan. Don't mistake me: I am 100% all in for supporting our schools and our amazing, hard working PTOs. I'm just not a fan of spending my hard earned money on overpriced stuff I don't need (it just doesn't fit with my green/minimalist goals). I've varied through the years between placing an obligatory order (blech) and just writing a check to the PTO (yay!) So I was overjoyed to find this notice in the kindergartner's backpack the other day. 

Pretty sure this is the best school notice I will receive this year. I hope many parents jump on board with this idea. While I never mind baking cupcakes, I do not want to hit up family and friends, and while I'm always up for fitness, I do not need the t-shirt. This takes away all the guilt of not participating in the fundraiser while directly showing how else we can support the school. 

Thoughts? Which is your favorite way to support your school? Let me know in the comments below. I've gotta go write a check...

 

 

Be Fearless Be Kind #Hasbro #raisethemup

Dear Fellow Human Beings,

Are we doing to best we can do?

Or can we do a little bit more to create a better world?

A world where everyone has an open mind

A world of tolerance and acceptance

A world where if one of us rises, we all rise

A world where everyone has a home

A world where every single person get the love and respect they deserve

This is a world that is within our reach

Change won't happen until we make it happen

Let's be brave enough to take action

To be a leader in change

To know that it only takes one person to make a difference

To stand up for each other

It starts with each and every one of us

 

I pledge to be fearless and kind

To be inclusive

To stand up for those who need my help

And to make a difference whenever I can,

wherever I can, because I can! 

These are the words of the Be Fearless Be Kind campaign initiative created by Hasbro. I recently discovered this campaign while attending Hascon 2017 in Providence. Of all the the exciting things I was able to do and see at HasCon (we actually got to meet the team behind My Little Pony -- pretty much a dream come true in this family), this simple pledge has stood with me the most. 

Maybe it was the "Dear Fellow Human Beings" that caught my attention. Or maybe it's my love for the idea that little changes add up to big changes. And if we just take a baby step, we can walk a mile.  It's probably because I'm just so tired of all the judgement and negativity in the news lately. 

But on the brink of a new school year, I'm hopeful this campaign will gain traction in schools and communities across the country. The pledge encourages all of us to be fearless, kind, inclusive and to make a difference. The foundation of the Be Fearless Be Kind campaign focuses on empathy -- the feeling that you understand and share another person's experiences and emotions and or the ability to share someone else's feelings. The website has great resources (tool kits, printables, videos and curriculum) on how to put empathy into action. Some of my favorites:

• Tip on teaching Mindfulness
• Ashoka's Start Empathy Toolkit
• Project guide for the Joy Maker Challenge

I encourage you to check out the website, print out the pledge and hang it on the refrigerator. To consider implementing some of the resources in your classroom, scout troop meetings, or office. We have a pocket size version of the pledge that we read every morning before school. Encouraging empathy has no age limit. 

There's a grant program available through Youth Service America for organizations and K-12 schools who are looking to encourage young people to stand up for others, include everyone, and take action when they see a problem. Application deadline is October 31, 2017 and projects must be completed by December 15, 2017. You can find out more here. 

"Are we doing the best we can? Or can we do a little bit more to create a better world?" Yes, a definitive yes, we can all do a little bit more. #befearless #bekind #kindnessmatters #raisethemup

 

 

 

Fostering curiosity linked to academic success #readyforschool #lifelonglearning

It's almost August so I can't help it. I'm not rushing the summer but I can't help thinking about the next school year. Especially since I have a new kindergartner. I know I'm not alone when I wonder....have we done enough to prepare the kids for academic success? 

I was intrigued by this article from The Atlantic magazine which suggests that the number one thing we can do to prepare our children for a successful educational career is to instill in them a sense of curiosity:

The power of curiosity to contribute not only to high achievement, but also to a fulfilling existence, cannot be emphasized enough. Curiosity can be defined as "the recognition, pursuit, and intense desire to explore, novel, challenging, and uncertain events." In recent years, curiosity has been linked to happiness, creativity, satisfying intimate relationships, increased personal growth after traumatic experiences, and increased meaning in life. In the school context, conceptualized as a "character strength,” curiosity has also received heightened research attention. Having a "hungry mind” has been shown to be a core determinant of academic achievement, rivaling the prediction power of IQ.

According to the Atlantic piece, "curiosity is underemphasized in the classroom, but research shows that it is one of the strongest markers of academic success." 

So how do we foster creativity and thereby academic success in our kiddos? According to Kathleen Burke, Director of Admission at Academy Hill School in Springfield, the number one thing you can do at home to prepare your child for a lifetime of learning is so simple.

"Read! Read, read, read to them," Burke said. "Read and answer their questions." 

Burke oversees admission at Academy Hill -- a school for grades PreK through 8 where students are encouraged to find and focus on their passions. Her bullet list for encouraging curiosity at home:

• Instill a love of reading
• Point out interesting things while on errands
• Answer their questions (even for the 100th time) thoroughly. If you don't know the answer, figure it out together.
• Ask them questions 'why do you think that happened?' or 'what do you think will happen next?'
• Encourage their passions: dinosaurs, weather, outer space, comics. If your child has a targeted interest in a topic help them run with it. 
• Take them new places. It doesn't have to be fancy -- on a hike, to a new museum, explore a new neighborhood. 

According to The Atlantic:

"[O]utside of the classroom... the role parents play in fostering in their children an affinity for science by exposing them to new experiences that make them curious, for example, like taking them to museums. They found that such activities helped children develop an intrinsic motivation for science (e.g., “I enjoy learning new things in science; I like to find answers to questions in science”) and teacher ratings of student academic performance. 

"Most importantly," said Burke, "you want to encourage your child's love of learning and make sure they know learning does not only happen in the classroom. Every day you have opportunities to teach your child."

Developing the following social skills is also an important part of early school success:

• cooperation
• sharing
• ability to lead and follow
• imagination
• willingness to try new things
• willing to accept correction

Many of these skills can be nurtured at home through board games played fairly -- where the child does not win every time. By holding children accountable for doing chores around the home. By letting them plan an activity for Saturday afternoon. Let preschoolers help in the kitchen and share responsibility for family pets. On the next trip to the grocery store, let them pick out a new-to-them fruit or vegetable and research together how its grown or its country of origin. 

We're all born with an innate sense of curiosity and as long as we nurture the question asker inside, that reasoning should stay with us and grow as we do. If we can encourage our kids to love learning throughout life, school can become less of a chore and more of a joy.

According to the Atlantic article:

Yet in actual schools, curiosity is drastically underappreciated. As Susan Engel has documented in her book, "The Hungry Mind", amidst the country’s standardized testing mania, schools are missing what really matters about learning: The desire to learn in the first place...Stimulating classroom activities are those that offer novelty, surprise, and complexity, allowing greater autonomy and student choice; they also encourage students to ask questions, question assumptions, and achieve mastery through revision rather than judgment-day-style testing.

And this is what Academy Hill aspires to offer its students every day. As a current parent recently shared, "I value the opportunities that Academy Hill provides for our children to follow their curiosity through the Good Morning Show (daily K through Grade 5 presentations), our three-day Clusters and class projects that support greater depth of knowledge. As it has becomes increasingly more difficult in today's classrooms to provide the space and resources to pursue students' interest and curiosity, Academy Hill does a great job honoring this important trait."  

Academy Hill School currently has openings for the 2017-18 school year.  If you'd like to learn more about its unique program, please contact Kathleen M. Burke at 413-788-0300 x131 or [email protected].

*Photos courtesy Academy Hill School.

My America is pretty great just the way she is #sistermarch #hamp #413istheplacetobe

Leave it to Northampton to provide my girls with the perfect first time march experience. I'm so glad I decided to take my girls to the Join the Voices event today. It was a beautiful, peaceful demonstration of folks made up of all walks of life.

There were women, men, children and dogs of all shapes, sizes, and ages. We were all there for our own reasons -- we were holding signs about the president, women's rights, climate change, healthcare, LGBTQ support, and government spending. There was lots encouragement, laughing, hugs, and spontaneous singing. 

I'm so proud of my Western Mass community for coming together in this loving display of voice and unity. There was no anger, no overwhelming chanting, certainly no violence. The street was lined with folks waving and clapping and holding their own signs. It was a group of maybe 1,000 Americans exerting their right to peaceably assemble. We walked from Sheldon Park down Route 9 to Pulaski Park where the march ended with hundreds of voices lifted up in "This Land is Your Land." 

We made a family day of it with my sister and three of my nephews joining the march. The sun was shining strong and the thermometer hit 52 degrees....in January. It was a perfect day. Who knows what the next four years will bring? But the one thing I'm sure of is that my America is pretty great just the way she is. #unitedwestand #dividedwefall

 

Who's had the stomach bug? #attitudeofgratitude #supplyallthewipes

One of my goals for 2017 is to be more intentional -- defined as to be more conscious or purposeful. To set up little checkpoints in life to celebrate small gratitudes. How do disinfecting wipes count as intention?

Eden lost two days of school last week to a stomach bug. It sucked and was exhausting. However, in the big picture, dealing with a stomach bug is absolutely nothing compared to what some families deal with on a daily basis with health crises and chronic conditions. So I try to be grateful for just a stomach bug. 

When my girls miss a day of school due to illness, I'm going to make it a habit to send in some wipes to the classroom upon return. It's a very small way of being intentional and recognizing the blessing that is complete recovery from an illness.

I always intend to follow up with the teachers throughout the school year and ask if they need any supplies, but it usually ends up as one of those thoughts that floats around my head until June with no action. By making it automatic to supply some disinfecting wipes after a sick day I'm supplying an item that is usually on the classroom which list but which may not usually make it into my shopping cart. Linking the two will hopefully create a sustaining habit. A small way to adopt an attitude of gratitude. And to be a bit more purposeful. #begrateful #supplyallthewipes

Finding balance during the year end rush

How do you keep balance during the holiday season? Not just with the potential financial stress and the overcrowded calendar that can result this time of year, but in terms of all the food temptations that appear between Halloween and Valentine's Day. I never met a Christmas cookie or slice of pumpkin pie that I didn't like, so this year I was looking for some inspiration to battle the holiday bulge. I initially signed up for the Runner's World 39 Days of Awesome Streak -- to run at least one mile every day between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. It all started out well, but then we got a few days of rain, the temperature dropped, and I took on a part-time holiday job. None of these worked in favor of my motivation to pull a mile every day. 

So I modified -- I'm still on a good streak -- I've just brought it inside. I've gotten in 20 minutes of exercise every day since Thanksgiving even if it meant brushing the dust off some of my old favorite 20-minute aerobics videos. So far, so good. Committing to doing some form of exercise every day has also helped me combat some of the usual cravings. (I'm not kidding. There is a box of Lindt truffle balls in the cabinet and I have not touched a single one.) I love the idea of starting the new year feeling in control rather than scrambling to make up for lost time during the busy holiday season. With only 20 minutes a day, I'm feeling so ready to take 2017 head on and continue with my daily commitment.

The health professionals at ChildObesity180, a group working out of Tufts University to reverse the trend of childhood obesity, have some more simple reminders for keeping balance as we head into 2017:

• Plan ahead to make sure healthy choices are always on-hand. Meal planning for the week ahead will not only ensure that you set up healthier options for day-to-day choices, but can also become a creative outlet for families to plan together. Try a “Meatless Monday” or similar theme night to simplify planning even more.
• Build a better lunch (together). Involving kids in the cooking process can get them more excited about what’s in their lunchbox and help you avoid calorie-dense fare in favor of more wholesome options. Try packing lunch-sized portions of fruits and veggies over the weekend to streamline lunchbox prep on cold winter school mornings.
• Join the “balanced plate” club. Instead of focusing on the “clean plate club”, which can send the message that portions don’t matter, talk to kids about how to set up a balanced plate. 
• Eat the rainbow. Foods that are (naturally) brightly colored are full of different antioxidants, vitamins and minerals—and they tend to be fruits and veggies. If you and your family “eat the rainbow” by including seasonal foods of every color between breakfast, lunch and dinner, you’ll be sure to get a mix of these essential nutrients. 
• Move more by making family activities physical activities. It’s easy to incorporate meaningful movement into typically sedentary activities. Try doing jumping jacks, pushups, or wall sits during TV time, especially in the commercial breaks. Make household chores a game, race, or obstacle course that encourages extra steps. 
• Get out of the house to limit screen time. Especially in wintertime, the snow and cold can persuade us to keep warm indoors with our favorite shows. We all know it’s important to limit screen time, but it can be hard to cut back on a habit without building a new one. Making a rule to spend more time outside as a family – even just 20 minutes each day – can give you the extra push to stick with it. 

There's that 20 minutes again! Most anyone can find 20 minutes to exercise -- even if it's while you're waiting to switch the laundry, waiting for Netflix to load, or catching up on the phone. Give it a try. Get the kids involved. Little changes add up to big changes. And that's a great way to start a new year.

How do you geek out with your kids? #hogwartsforever

Photo by Live, Laugh, Photograph Studios

What do you have in common with your kids? Not genetically -- you just have to take one look at Eden to know she's my twin -- but in a shared interest kind of way. As my girls get older and develop their own unique interests and passions, I'm so grateful that I'm still just a big kid myself and we can bond over a shared interest in Harry Potter or My Little Pony. 

We're a cosplay-wearing, comic-con-attending, collect-the-whole-book-series total fandom kind of family. A friend was over recently and he commented that "we were all nerds in high school." Let me tell you -- we are nerds for life. And I'm so grateful. Because by having these common interests our family is strong. We can discuss the plot lines of Harry Potter, Star Wars, or My Little Pony over the dinner table like some folks may discuss the election. And these plot line discussions always lead to "real life" discussions. Oh, the life lessons we've gained from Harry Potter!

Harry Potter has helped us rationalize the behavior the the not-so-nice kids at school. Star Wars helps us understand how important it is to always be kind and not let the Dark Side take over. We are often exchanging the characters from My Little Pony for characters in the news and trying to find some comedy in the seriousness of life. 

And it's so intriguing to me to reread the Harry Potter books through my now maternal eyes. Entire chapters that I glazed over when I first read the books as a young adult have such meaning to me now. I couldn't even read this passage from page 667 of "The Goblet of Fire" out loud, Eden had to take over. I couldn't see the words through the tears as this exchange had new meaning to me as a mom. This passage when Harry's parents come back from the dead to help him defeat Voldemort:

 And now another head was emerging from the tip of Voldemort's wand...and Harry knew when he saw it who it would be...he knew, as though he had expected it from the moment when Cedric had appeared from the wand...knew, because the woman was the one he'd thought of more than any other tonight...

The smoky shadow of a young woman with long hair fell to the ground as Bertha had done, straightened up, and looked at him...and Harry, his arms shaking madly now, looked back into the ghostly face of his mother.

"Your father's coming..." she said quietly. "Hold on for your father...it will be all right...hold on..."

And he came...first his head, then his body...tall and untidy-haired like Harry, the smoky, shadowy form of James Potter blossomed from the end of Voldemort's wand, fell to the ground, and straightened like his wife. He walked close to Harry, looking down at him, and he spoke in the same distant, echoing voice as the others, but quietly, so that Voldemort, his face now livid with fear as his victims prowled around him, could not hear...

"When the connection is broken, we will linger for only moments...but we will give you time...you must get to the Portkey, it will return you to Hogwarts...do you understand, Harry?"

"Yes," Harry gasped, fighting now to keep a hold on his wand, which was slipping and sliding beneath his fingers.

"Harry..." whispered the figure of Cedric, "take my body back, will you? Take my body back to my parents..."

"I will," said Harry, his face screwed up with the effort of holding the wand.

"Do it now," whispered his father's voice, "be ready to run...do it now..."

The idea that Harry's mom shows up when he desperately needs her. How she tells him to hold on for his father. That even though Harry's parents were killed by Voldemort when he was a baby, they never really left him. They have always been there waiting to help when needed. The idea that Cedric, who had also been murdered by Voldemort, wanted Harry to bring him back to his parents. 

Family. Family is everything. Even in a wizard-filled world where ghostly apparitions can emerge from a villain's wand and help save you. Or in a sci-fi world where Hans Solo caresses his son's cheek even though he is the baddest bad guy in the galaxy. That love triumphs evil. That family is always there for you even in the bad times. That we're always connected no matter what. And that is a message I will share with my girls every chance I get. 

 

I voted! Early Voting in Massachusetts through November 4

 

So this happened today! I was at town hall paying some taxes and noticed the signs for early voting. I wanted to check it out. I wasn't alone! There was a steady stream of folks coming in to vote early. I decided to join in the fun. 

I just told the registrar my name, accepted my ballot and filled it out. You also have to fill out a manila envelope with your name and address and testify to the fact that you are who you say you are. Then you put your ballot in the envelope, seal it up and hand it back to the registrar. They will add it to a tote box which will be secured until election day.

I feel good about checking the vote off my list. Quite frankly, I was done with this election months ago. I just can't take the hate and negativity any longer. 

If you're interested in doing the same, you can use this link to find the schedule for early voting in your town. Many towns are even offering weekend hours. Last day for early voting in Massachusetts is November 4.