Day Four:

Day Four: Your Parents


This one should be fun!

My parents – Jennifer and Andy

Yes, this is them.

First of all, let me just say- I think they did a wonderful job raising me and my sister. I’m not biased or anything. But seriously, they did a great job. I mean, look at us. I think we turned out pretty darn good.

Of course, most people can go on and on waxing poetically about their love for their parents, and frankly, that is one thing I can live with. We should all love and respect our parents. Hello! They gave us LIFE! I’m a little disturbed at people who don’t respect their parents. I would give anything to be able to repay my parents somehow for all that they have done for me, but I don’t know how I would ever be able to do that. And I think they know that in their hearts.

So here are some things that make my parents über special:

MOM

My mom is super creative! She doesn’t always acknowledge her own creativity, but I have seen her creative juices in action and it’s marvelous. She’s actually like me in many ways (even though it’s your own worst nightmare to admit you are, after all, just like your mother). I can be very creative but I have a frenzied mind and think of too many projects at once- end result being that not very many of them get done. Except when I was a teacher! I was good at seeing through all the ideas I had. So, yeah, my mom is a creative one. Here’s an example: my mom created the greatest summer camp ever when me and my sister were little. My friend Jenna and her little sister Courtney needed a place to go for the summer while their parents worked so, lo and behold, my mom offered up “Cool Kids Club Summer Camp” at our house. She didn’t just take care of us each day. No, no. My mom had it set up just like any other summer camp. We had field trips once a week. We had calendars to look at to count down to field trips. We had ample pool time. We had arts and crafts time. We had thematic weeks (one of them coincided with the summer Olympics of 1992 and involved our very own Olympic decathlon competition). We had Monday trips to the library, we had plays that we worked on and then showed at the end of summer, in a grand theatrical finale. We were little, so of course we didn’t appreciate the fact that my mom was WORKING through all this. She had activities planned, field trips scheduled. She made things available to us to paint with, draw with, write with, read, learn about, see, and do and make. But then she also gave us ample free time. She inspired creativity in us, as evidenced by all the many creative things we did that summer.

My mom is sweet, loving, a little quiet at times, and very smart as well. I think she may underestimate herself at times, both with her creativity and her brains. She tries new things all the time. When she was in her late 50s she decided to become certified to teach yoga. Then she held yoga classes at our house, outside on the back deck. I attended a couple – they were inspiring. She runs races. She dances. She and my dad are now into hiking. They go on a Sunday hike every weekend. She writes, she reads, she does all sorts of little projects. It’s fun to watch my mom get excited about new things. It keeps her young.

My mom turned 60 this year and we celebrated her birthday at our rehearsal dinner (yes, our wedding was the day after her 60th! What a busy weekend!) I can’t believe my mom is 60, and that is a good thing because she is staying young and vital and that is an inspiration to me.



DAD

Speaking of young…

My dad is the epitome of young at heart. My dad picked up wake boarding at the ripe old age of 50. Many of the teenagers out on the weekends would comment about seeing my dad out there rippin it up on the wakes. He loves to hang with the young people. My dad lives for ski vacations. He gets up at the crack of dawn and goes for bike rides while my mom runs. He spends hours tending to his garden.

When we were younger, Daddy was always so much fun. Whatever we did with him, we were going to have fun. I remember being very young and associating my dad’s car with fun times, and my mom’s car with going to day care. One day my mom had something that morning, so my dad was going to take me to day care. Of course in my mind I was in Daddy’s truck so we were naturally going to do something fun. I was all happy and joyful until the truck turned onto the street where my day care was and that’s when I knew things were not as they seemed. Shocked that I had been fooled, I reached out my hand, slapping it against his chest in an effort to get him to stop and then I yelled out, “No daddy! Back up!” Ok…so I don’t really remember much of this story, but this tale is one told by my dad all the time. It was such a momentous occasion because those were actually the first words I ever uttered. Not just a word even…a sentence! I guess the sense of urgency really made it all click in my brain. And that’s just how fun my dad is.

My dad also taught me some important lessons in life. One of them was to enjoy your time spent on this Earth. My dad may not have an investment account that is going to make us rich after he dies, but he’s provided my life with so many fun, wonderful, happy memories that I am richer than I’d ever be with all that money. He takes things as they come, the good and the bad, and he rolls with it. You have to if you’re going to stay young forever! Stress is what kills people and makes them old and cranky. And my dad is far from old or cranky. He’s seen some pretty rough times, but you would never know it when you were around him because he is always positive and upbeat.

He is up for anything and also, when I talk to him about stuff, he makes it seem like nothing is impossible. “Go for it!” is kind of his motto. He lives it every day and is also an inspiration to me.

I’m very proud of him. He started his own business and it has been very successful. He raised two smart daughters who are now married and doing things that hopefully make him proud. He is constantly improving himself, becoming healthier, more active, smarter, more interesting, more traveled, more cultured. And he has so much more he wants to do.

So those are my parents in a nutshell. There’s clearly a lot more to them than just those two paragraphs but that’s all I had time for and probably all you want to read about.

But here’s a thought – spend some time today thinking of all the things you love about your parents. Just writing about them today has made me happy.

Day Three:

Day 3: Your First Love

I've amended this entry due to the simple fact that love, current and past, is oh so complicated. That being said, I will comment on the idea of first love. I think first love, for many, is a confusing term. I would say that I had romantic feelings towards people starting back in high school but I'm not sure that was love. I thought it was, but now looking back at the many reincarnations of love and having seen the capacity for love that my heart is capable of, I wouldn't be so sure as to putting that label of "first love" on that time in my life. I know those whom I have loved, for they still reside in my heart, some taking up more space than others. They will stay there forever and that's why love is complicated and complex. Does that mean that my heart is too full and the amount of love I am capable of now is somehow diminished? Not in the least. It is hard on me though, and maybe that's why the older I get, the more emotional I become over things. It's just that the chords of my heart-strings have been so finely tuned that now I feel the pangs of love and love lost at any nostalgic reference that presents itself. So it makes me that girl who is sniffling through the movie, or the ballet, or the song. Oh well. Isn't that what makes life richer and fuller?

"It's better to feel pain then nothing at all, the opposite of love's indifference"-Lumineers 

 

So as to the topic of first love, I'd just like to state that each of these loves of my life have contributed to who I am today and I will keep them with me always. They've had a special impact on my life, and yes, at times I truly miss having them with me, but a universal truth to life is that everything, at some point, comes to an end. Same is true with every relationship. So you have to go on knowing how they have added to the richness of your soul and thanking the universe for putting them in your life for that moment in time.

That’s the beauty of looking back at your past relationships- you realize that, though they may not have worked out in the end, each one made you into the person you are now, and hopefully you are better off because of their contributions. You come into each relationship like a piece of clay, and these people you’ve trusted with your doughy self, they add to, or rearrange, or bend, or dent, or straighten, or mold you in a different way, each time making you more defined and whole.

Day Two:

Day 2: Meaning behind your blog name

Hello! I know I skipped a day…

Day two’s challenge is going to be a bit more complicated I feel.

Or perhaps it will not?

Where do I start? What’s in a name? A name is but a name…a rose is but a rose…if by any other name…is that how it goes?

This is a time when I feel like going to make a new cup of coffee. And that leads me to my blog name. “Someone Left the Coffee Pot On”.

I guess back when I started this blog I was kind of a caffeine fiend and that was mostly due to the fact that I was in the last year of grad school and the last part of grad school involved a lot of research and writing and presentations. So, I suppose my constant companion, Coffee, became like a close friend, and in light of that I named my blog after her. (She seems like a her, maybe because she makes me want to talk a lot, especially gossipy talk).

I wasn’t really sure where I wanted this blog to go, and to be perfectly honest, I’ m still not sure where this blog is headed. The only thing driving its direction right now is the need to keep up with this 30 day challenge. If there is one thing I’m good at accepting it is challenges. And flatulence. I have to accept that because I live with a man.

Now that I’ve got you here, intrigued by my talk of caffeine and flatulence, I want to speak for a moment on coffee. I feel a tiny discourse about the nectar of the gods is relevant due to its presence in the name of my blog. I’ll make it short though because I am, in fact, overdue for my second cup and one thing you must know about writing and coffee is that the two go hand-in-hand. Literally. I have one hand holding on to my coffee mug for dear life as I speedily type these words with the other one.

Coffee:

I’ve read somewhere that some of the oldest people in the world have drank a cup of coffee, or two, for all their lives. I like this idea, I think they are on to something. I know there is a whole faction of people out there who claim that caffeine wreaks havoc on your system, and that being dependent on a substance every morning is clinical addiction. But…there are some people who claim they can’t get through a day without starting it off with a smile and whistling a tune and no one ever bothers to call them out. And as far as actual harm to your body, there is no hardcore evidence to support that. I’m not saying it’s prolonging your life either. I’m just defending my friend, Coffee, for being exactly what it is. A friend. Someone who is there, with warmth and comfort and offering you a bit of pep in your step.

Thus concludes Day Two: Someone Left the Coffee Pot On. Answers to your deepest questions…why? Why?

Day One:

Day 1: Introduction, recent picture of yourself, 15 interesting facts

Hello there! My name is Andrea. Here is a recent photo of yours truly: 

This photo was taken in Costa Rica, at the Pacuare River Lodge. If you like adventure and nature and good friendly people, I highly recommend this place. It’s one of the most remote places I have been to. No roads lead to the lodge, it is only accessible via the river, and much of it is white water rafting. But anyway, I digress. This isn’t about Pacuare River Lodge now is it?

I am 30 years old and will turn the big 3-1 on December 6 of this year. Hey that’s in a few days! Yikes! 31 feels different. Last year I made a huge deal about what I was going to do on my 30th birthday and how it was going to be different from any other year and you know what? It was not any different. In fact it was a little uneventful. I went to work, a place where I had just started, and no one knew it was my birthday. And I brought donuts to share in the office but no one was there when I left them so no one really knew who had brought them in or why. And then I just felt weird going around telling everyone it was my birthday. Like, “Good morning! It’s my birthday by the way. Today. My birthday. And I’m the big 3-0. So… yeah. Just go ahead and be extra nice to me today, all day. Mmmkay?”

Oh geez I digress again!

Talking about oneself is never easy…

Maybe it will be easier just to list facts. Here are 15 of them. I feel like this is a magazine post. I feel famous. I’m excited.

1. I am a Sagittarius. That makes me a fire sign. This is a brief snippet about the Sag. I think it rings true somewhat:

“The Sag's philosophical, broad-minded approach to life motivates them to wander far and wide in the search for the meaning of life. Extroverted, optimistic, and enthusiastic, it can be almost impossible to keep the Sagittarian down. They love change. In fact, change is essential for this sign to feel their best.”

2. I just got married this past summer to a lovely man named Chris. That makes me feel a little grown up, and I still haven’t gotten used to that idea.

3. I was a competitive gymnast until age 14. I dropped out because of the intense training and also because I didn’t think I was progressing fast enough to make it to the Olympics. Sadly, in gymnastics, 14 is seen as pretty close to over-the-hill status.

4. I was Lieutenant of our Dance/Drill Team, the Lake Travis Cavalettes for my Junior and Senior year. I thought about trying out for Captain but didn’t because one of my best friends, Laura, whom I had shared this entire dance team experience with, had wanted that position so badly and it would’ve meant running against her. I wasn’t necessarily afraid of defeat, but I didn’t want the competition between us. It would’ve been cool to be co-captains but that wasn’t an option.

5. I hate people’s obsession with cell phones. I hate that people expect you to be reachable at all times and that we are ok with that. I hate that now cell phones have so much on them to entertain us that it totally disengages us from life. I think it might be one of the worst things to happen to mankind. Yes, I feel that strongly about it.

6. I studied abroad 3 separate times in college. Twice to Italy and once to London. Then I went back and traveled around Europe solo, spending much of that time working and living in Italia. I’m kind of obsessed with that place. I think their view of life is very refreshing. I wish I could’ve been born there.

7. I speak Italian. Parlo Italiano abbastanza bene. Pero, quando sono stata in Italia, molti anni fa, parlavo meglio di adesso. Adesso non parlo bene solo perche non ci sono molti italiani in Pittsburgh. Peccato. Ma, communque... Boh.

8. I’m also pretty good at picking up most other languages. Some may call me a linguaphile. I’m pretty sure I’ve been called that. I’m almost 95% sure that is an actual word.

9. I love animals. I have worked for animals shelters and also volunteered at the Humane Society. I am constantly conflicted, however, because I tried to be a vegetarian and I became anemic. So I continue to feel shameful whilst continuing to eat meat. It’s a vicious cycle and one that I really want to break.

10. I was a Kindergarten teacher. I actually have taught several other grades (mostly primary, preschool aged) but Kindergarten was my absolute favorite. I would still be a teacher now if it were not for the fact that Pittsburgh schools don’t hire new, non-union teachers. Or that’s my explanation to why I haven’t gotten a job in 2 years being here. Can’t wait to return to Texas or any other state that I will be able to work in. I miss it SOOOOO much!

11. I’m from Austin, Texas born and raised. How many people in Austin are actually natives? Not too many. I’ve seen it go through a lot of changes, that city, and I can’t say I’m digging the new Austin, but that’s what any old native would complain about.

12. I learned to sail when I was 11 years old. I sailed my first regatta when I was 12. I never won any because my boat would always flip over, being that I only weighed 80 pounds. The closest I got to winning was on a day that the wind was completely dead.

13. I love surprises and love being surprised. My dad spoiled me with surprises growing up. But that’s why he’s the best! My husband laments that the bar has been set way too high for him. He just has to learn how to jump higher. He was a high jumper in high school, after all.

14. I love physical activity…running, Crossfit, yoga, dance, biking, hiking…these are a few of my favorite things.

15. I can pretty much recite the entire move, Dumb and Dumber.



Ta da! Done with Day One! I’m on a roll!!!


Stay tuned for Day Two…hopefully I can crank it out. It might be hard these next few days what with meetings at work (my usual blogging location) or birthdays (two days…) but I’ll try my best!

Ladies and Gentlemen...

Ladies and Gentleman…


I promised two posts earlier that I would challenge myself to my very own Thirty Day Blog Challenge…what better way to kick start the practice of just getting there and writing a post. So, as promised, and only slightly delayed, here begins my 30 Day Blog Challenge! This is going to be fun! Before I begin, here is the challenge in all its glory.

Day 0: The 30 Day Challenge Explanation and Description

Day 1: Introduce, recent picture of yourself, 15 interesting facts

Day 2: Meaning behind your blog name

Day 3: Your first love

Day 4: Your parents

Day 5: A song to match your mood

Day 6: A picture of something that makes you happy

Day 7: 5 Favorite movies

Day 8: A place you've traveled to

Day 9: A favorite picture of your best friend

Day 10: Something you're afraid of

Day 11: Favorite TV shows

Day 12: Something you don't leave the house without

Day 13: Goals

Day 14: A picture of you last year - how have you changed?

Day 15: Favorite quote

Day 16: Dream house

Day 17: Something you're looking forward to

Day 18: Favorite Place to Eat

Day 19: Something you miss

Day 20: Nicknames

Day 21: Favorite Picture of yourself ALL TIME Why?

Day 22: What's in your purse?

Day 23: Favorite Book

Day 24: Something you've learned

Day 25: Put your iPod on shuffle, first 10 songs

Day 26: Your Dream Wedding

Day 27: Original Photo of the city you live in

Day 28: Something that stresses you out

Day 29: 3 Wishes

Day 30: a picture of yourself this day and 5 good things that happened since you started the challenge

Playing It Safe

Playing it Safe

“I believe that those boys who take part in rough, hard play outside of school will not find any need for horse-play in school.”

-Theodore Roosevelt

 American president

 1858–1919

I saw a recent report in the Wall Street Journal which found that the ever growing concern over the safety of children’s playgrounds has caused them to become dumbed down, boring, and lacking a sense of challenge or adventure. As a side effect, kids have become less interested in playing outside. I just want to rant on this topic for a second because it is something very near and dear to my heart.

In graduate school, whilst pursuing my Masters in Education, I focused a lot on the benefit of play in education, especially during early childhood. I wrote several research papers on the topic, and read from many authors, a number of them notable child psychologists or pioneers in child development. The topic fascinated me for a couple of reasons: 1) my own love of play as a child was thoroughly nurtured. Because of this, it has given me extraordinary gifts as far as my own sense of creativity, my comfort level in trying any physical activity, new or practiced, and my acute sense of self and healthy level of confidence. 2) having now worked in the field of education and child care, I have seen first-hand the effects of the “dumbing down” of activities and recreation spaces available to our kids. These effects are not pretty.

Here is something to consider: I child at age 3, when falling, will usually have pain associated with the fall, not to mention the usually scream/cry fit. But because of his size and the development of his bones at the time, which are more flexible and less likely to break, the damage to his body will be minor, and the benefit will have been a re-wiring of the brain that begins to train the body to improve coordination. The brain will make a mental note somewhat like this: Fall = pain = try to avoid pain = attempt to move body more carefully so as not to fall and experience pain. This is how we all learn things as we develop. Trial and error. Practice makes perfect.

Now, I’m not advocating letting kids run around in totally unsafe environments and see who comes out alive, i.e. survival of the fittest. What I am in favor of is doing things the way we’ve raised our kids in the past. Introducing them to the world with enough instruction and supervision so as to not put them in harm’s way, but also giving them the freedom to discover, explore, attempt, fail, try again, lose, win, succeed, feel pain, and feel joy. We are present to be a safety net if something does happen, but we also can’t hold their hands and carry them through life protecting them from any slip or stumble that may occur. I believe the term is “Helicopter Parenting”… constantly buzzing about, hovering over their children to provide protection and supervision at all times.

So, what happens then, if you constantly shield these little ones from ever having the experience of falling or hurting themselves? When they are older and have never trained their bodies to be more coordinated? I’d assume the amount of pain they are going to feel as an older child falling and getting hurt is going to be much more than as a toddler. How are their leg muscles to develop without ever having to try and jump up to reach that bar? How are their arms going to get stronger if they don’t have to try and hang onto that ring up high? How are they going to become faster if they aren’t allowed to run freely? How are they to become more coordinated if every time they fall they bounce off some rubber safety net?

Is recess going to be something to look forward to if every time they try to let loose and play a teacher or monitor blows a whistle? The only way to have fun is to conform to the list of 20 rules you must obey for fear of you or someone else’s parents suing the school because their child broke his arm. Is that something they are going to look forward to?

I saw this happen at the last school at which I worked. I was a Kindergarten teacher and typically 5 year olds LOVE recess. In fact they LIVE FOR recess. Well, turns out after so many times having to sit out because they were running across the bridge, or going up the slide, or going down the slide too fast, or running on the sidewalk or swinging too high, they ended up not looking forward to recess. Many of them (not all) even looked forward to rainy day recess when we would be stuck inside watching a movie or playing board games at tables. That’s just nuts! I remember growing up thinking that rainy day recess was practically the worst thing that could happen to my day. And I don’t think I was alone. The excitement we would experience when we were told we weren’t going to have to stay inside was palpable.

I was already disappointed at the lack of playground equipment available to these kids when half-way through the year we went outside only to find that the “big kid play scape” (the one we got to go to for special occasion recess) was torn down due to equipment deemed “unsafe”. Apparently they were going to rebuild and the model would have no fireman’s pole, no large slide, no high bars, padded surface underneath, etc. etc. Basically, the most boring play scape you could imagine as a child. No wonder they want to stay inside.

Today’s children not only don’t want to go outside, they want to sit. And watch a movie. Or play a video game.

And we wonder why we are having an obesity epidemic??

Then there is the psychological bit that bothers me. The constant worry adults present before our children.

The biggest concern I have is that we are training our future generations to be held back by fear. We are developing a nation of people living in fear. Our entire society is experiencing that right now. We are bombarded by news of this and that which poses a potential threat to us and our way of life. Every day there is a new fear. A new terror. Children can’t even play on a playground in schools without being instilled with the fear of something happening to them. You might fall! You might get put in time out for running too fast! You might scrape your knee!

Play is important to kids. It’s not just an escape from learning. It’s actually where real learning takes place. Kittens learn to do adult cat things by playing. They learn to stalk and pounce from their time spent pretending to stalk and pounce. Every animal on the planet learns this way, and humans are no different. Play is meant as dress rehearsal for life. We want our kids to grow up to be strong, smart, caring and healthy individuals. But we scare them into being lethargic, overweight, sickly, and bored. What does this say about our future?

The article I brought up makes me fired up. And it gives me hope. It talks about new innovations being created for playground equipment that can meet safety standards and also provide the type of risk-taking atmosphere needed to make a playground fun, and in my mind, effective. Play, again, is learning and how better to learn to take risks than in a supervised situation such as a playground.

So, what are your own thoughts? Are you currently aware of the changes made to playgrounds in recent years and if so, what do you think? Should we move to be more creative with our playgrounds? Is it important that we nurture the sense of adventure and risk-taking in children during their formative years? How do we get this band wagon rolling?

:-)

Here is some other reading on this topic:

The Telegraph
The Strong
Playground Design

Challenge

Hi.


Hello there world.

All of you 10 people who have viewed my blog in the past 3 years. :-)



So, I’m going to give this one last shot. To kick start the process I’m enlisting the assistance of a “Blog Challenge.” It sounds desperate of me, but according to sources it’s the best way to be totally unoriginal and still have enough posts to make your blog seem worthy of reading every day. I acquired this blog challenge from another blogger who spoke of it being “less cheesy than most”…apparently there are cheesier blog challenges out there? Years ago this would have worried me, but today I’m never surprised or too taken aback.

Before I begin, though, I want to provide an update:

• I am still living in Pittsburgh, PA and am liking it much more.

• I still have not found a teaching job, but in the meantime I have become a Senior Office Manager for an energy company. Nothin too fancy, and definitely not my passion, but no shame in having a senior level management position.

• Pittsburgh drivers are still, really, the worst.

• Pittsburgh sports fans are the best fans in the world. They also kind of scare me, perhaps in a good way. Their fandom impresses me every day.

• I do other activities with my free time now, which include:

o Reading good books and reviewing them with friends

o Working out at Crossfit and becoming super strong and fit

o Eating a Paleo diet (most of the time)

o Art and Creative Impressions (more of that to come)

o Taking care of our new cat, “Jazz”

• Still attempting to create a weblog…blog…that is interesting enough to at least get me to come back semi-regularly to write in and proofread. Some of this other crap on my blog is a total waste of internet space. If I succeed in filling up this blog once and for all I might go on a big deleting mission to erase the fact that I had 2 posts in 2 years and they were so boring. Ugh I hate being bored and also being boring!

So now that it’s all caught up, get ready for the 30 day blog challenge extravaganza! Let the games begin!