http://handprintsonthewall.tumblr.com/

L2Code Just Released

handprintsblog — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 12:33:04 -0500

I don’t mention my workplace much on Tumblr, because I usually blog only about parenting and my non-work life. BUT right now I’m pretty pumped because those two worlds intersect.

I have been a blogger for many years, and along the way I’ve tried my best at HTML coding - just enough to sort of modify my templates and websites. I’m totally self-taught, not to say I know much, but I know what it’s like to try and learn HTML coding on your own.

That’s why I was so pumped my company started developing this app:

Yes, ladies and gents - an app that teaches you coding step-by-step from square one. Where was this when I started blogging?

I’ve been excited to share it with the blogger community, because it’s great for novices like me who still like to tinker with design and function.

And did I mention this app is BEAUTIFUL? I am so proud that this app is the product of my co-workers’ blood sweat and tears. Here are some other sneak peeks:

Not only do you learn about coding, but you get to practice in the app, and the app checks your coding. You could even edit the code from your blog or tumblr theme.

We JUST released this app to the App Store this week, and I really wanted to get it up on the blog because we’re currently giving the app away for FREE (will be $2.99 later), so if any of you are interested, now is the time to grab it!

App Store link:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/l2code-html/id588440747

If you want to check out the app a little more, we also have a FB page and website for it:

http://www.facebook.com/L2CodeHTML

http://l2codehtml.com/

If you download it, let me know what you think!

Striking A Balance

handprintsblog — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 01:01:19 -0500

Over the past month my realm of tasks and responsibilities at work has increased at least two fold. I’m not going to lie, it’s been a challenge. But I love taking on new challenges and I feel like if you’re not at least occasionally stressed at work, you’re probably not doing anything that fulfilling.

I’m glad to say that I love what I do and the company I work for, but when you welcome a job like that, you also need to manage what comes along with it - namely stress.

My workplace is very much centered around health and wellness, which creates a great and inspiring environment. We have a healthy lifestyle chef who cooks us healthy lunches with local ingredients. We have a fitness center with a hot yoga room, and locker rooms that include heated floors, a sauna, a steam room, and a hot tub. And we have a workplace culture where people love to take advantage of those tools and encourage others to do so as well.

For awhile I’ve struggled to achieve a good balance between work and home - the work/life balance. I thought I had it down pretty good - putting in what I needed at work and then spending as much time as possible at home. But it became apparent when my work stress level increased that the balance wasn’t right. I wasn’t sure what else to do - I couldn’t really spend any more time at home than I already was, yet I struggled with guilt over spending less time with Wren.

I wasn’t really sure what change to make until I watched this Ted Talk by Nigel Marsh.

Previously I had only thought about the work life balance as two parts - work life and home life. But Nigel laid it out in a different way:
the time you devote to work, the time you devote to others (family, husband, kids, friends), and the time you devote to yourself.

The last part struck me - I hadn’t thought about making time for myself. It seems like something stupid to neglect, and yet I was. I was so concerned about what others needed from me and didn’t give any thought to what I needed for myself.

I immediately made a change. Instead of feeling guilty about not spending every spare minute with Wren, I allowed myself to take some time for me. I joined the workout group at work and started getting in some workouts during the day.

I feel like a new person. I have so much more energy and I look forward to the workouts all day. I actually LOVE working out for the first time ever. The best part is that I totally de-stress while I’m working out, so when I get home I’m stress free and in a great mood.

It’s been awesome, and it’s amazing how such a little discovery can make a big impact on your life.

Looking at Pics of Snow on my Dash

handprintsblog — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 11:09:14 -0500

And I’m all … I’m from Wisconsin. So ….

Sunny Sundays

handprintsblog — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 23:07:42 -0500

It’s been SO cold lately - winter in Wisconsin, whadaya gonna do? At this time of year you have two choices when it comes to weather - sunny and FREEZING cold, or cloudy and slightly warmer. This weekend it was beautiful and sunny.

Occasionally it’s warm enough where we can get outside and go for a walk. We generally feel good about taking Wren out for an extended period of time as long as the temp is over 35. Unfortunately the high this weekend was 14, so we were stuck inside. But the sun was gorgeous and gave me a big case of cabin fever.

Saying “cheese”

The good thing about being stuck inside is lots of time with Wren, reading, coloring and playing. I’m amazed daily at how much she is learning and growing. She is OBSESSED with the alphabet. Wherever we go if she sees letters she tries to say what they are. She can’t quite run though the whole alphabet by herself yet, but she knows all of the letters and the order that most go in. If you point to a random letter and ask her what it is, she is able to identify most of them.

What I find so fascinating is that she is SO interested in learning her letters. Up until now she would learn and repeat words, but with the alphabet you can tell that she LOVES letters - loves saying them, learning them, searching for them. It’s awesome to see how fascinated she is. Today we were playing “fort” by putting a blanket over her folding princess table. When she was crawling underneath she noticed a sticker with letters on the underside of the table, so she immediately stopped and started “reading” the letters.

My sweet little girl.

Change of Plans

handprintsblog — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 14:28:00 -0500

We had planned to be out of town this weekend visiting family and celebrating my grandma’s 80th birthday. Unfortunately she took a nasty spill and hurt her hip (not broken, thankfully - just very sore). On top of that, when we travel back we stay in the guestroom at my parents’ house and my mom is still dealing with a nasty cold.

So we decided to stay home. It’s pretty chilly outside so we’re keeping busy inside - Skyping with grandma and other family members (Skype is a lifesaver), practicing our ABC’s, reading books, and snacking.

(How handsome is my hubby?)

I can’t help but have cabin fever. On one hand I do like living in Wisconsin because the winters really make you value how beautiful and warm the summers are - on the other hand it’s so difficult (especially with a little one) to find enough indoor activities in the winter so we don’t all go crazy.

I love sunny winter days because it seems like summer inside anyway. But I long for the warm summer mornings where we can sit out on the patio with a cup of coffee in our pajamas, pull Wren in her wagon at the farmer’s market, or take a trip to a local state park for some hiking or beach time.

Until then we’ll just have to settle for snack time indoors.

Trip to the Children's Museum

handprintsblog — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 23:20:18 -0500

I love the Green Bay Children’s Museum. It’s pretty new, and they have so many great areas for kids to play.

And Wren spends 90% of her time there playing in the water…

I’m happy to let her play wherever she wants, but I KNOW what the main attraction is. First stop is the water - we might take a detour to go down the slide or play in the ‘grocery store’ but we WILL be back to the water. Again and again.

And the person at the front desk let Wren in free even though she’s two months over the age limit. Booya.

We're Still Here!

handprintsblog — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 23:01:45 -0500

Wow, I can’t believe my last post was on the 1st! We didn’t fall off the planet over here, just a lot going on. Here are some highlights of our January so far.

I got sick
My boss is on maternity leave and I am taking over for her while she’s out = super busy and stressed at work.
DJ got sick
Wren got sick
Wren got a really bad diaper rash thanks to some molars coming in
I got really sick again
Still crazy busy at work
Wren is awesome and it’s been hard to pull myself away from her to post a blog (and why would I?)

Lately I’ve been blogging less and taking few pictures. I’m just trying to soak it all in by experiencing it instead of obsessively recording it. I go through these phases where I just don’t want to devote the energy to blogging. And then I try and play catch up!

Some changes since I’ve been away:

Wren is now 17 months old.
Wren can say SO many words, it’s crazy. And NO is her favorite word, go figure.
Wren currently has 10 teeth, but more molars are working their way in.
DJ and I celebrated 12 years together.
The Packers lost and made me sad.
We’re getting MLB.TV to watch Brewers preseason games. Can’t wait!
Wren is amazing, and this age is so fun. She is so affectionate and loves to play. DJ and I are savoring this time while she thinks we’re awesome.

Well, there, I’m caught up. Here’s to a good rest of January, and hoping I don’t get sick again!

babytakesmanhattan: clubmonaco: Roasted Baby Potatoes with...

handprintsblog — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 19:35:03 -0500

babytakesmanhattan:

clubmonaco:

Roasted Baby Potatoes with Truffle Salt

Potatoes have reach new standards when topped off with truffle salt.

Yum!

Super Yum!

_MG_8683 on Flickr.eating daddy’s breakfast.

handprintsblog — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 16:26:48 -0500

_MG_8683 on Flickr.

eating daddy’s breakfast.

Taming the Christmas Bomb

handprintsblog — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 22:38:36 -0500

In the last few days it’s started to look like a bomb went off in our house - a Christmas bomb.

Wren’s toys were hard to manage before, but since we added her Christmas loot I’ve been going crazy.

We have a four-seasons room off our living room, and this has been Wren’s toy area. It allows us to keep her toys out of the living room, but still keep an eye on her when she’s playing.

Today we decided it was time for a more permanent solution. I was kinda picky about what I wanted to get to organize her toys. I don’t want it to look like I’m running a daycare - I want it to look like adults live her too!

We settled on an affordable set of cubbie shelves with little storage baskets. After a couple hours of assembly and sorting, the transformation was complete.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

We were VERY happy with how it turned out. The shelves were exactly the right size (which is good because we didn’t measure), and I although you can still see some of her toys and books it’s not overwhelmingly kid-ish.

Success!

Wren has started to kiss inanimate objects she likes. First her ornament, now her Mickey Mouse...

handprintsblog — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 18:46:14 -0500

Wren has started to kiss inanimate objects she likes. First her ornament, now her Mickey Mouse Clubhouse DVD.

That DVD has gotten more kisses than I have today. Not fair. :)

Daddy to the Rescue

handprintsblog — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 14:21:40 -0500

We had an interesting night last night. DJ is just getting over a cold, and Wren’s nose started running yesterday.

Not long after we put her to bed last night she started crying (very unusual for her), so DJ ran in to check on her. As soon as he picked her up, she threw up. He brought her out to the kitchen where she threw up a couple more times.

By then I was thinking GREAT. I had been reading on Facebook how everyone was sick and throwing up. I was dreading that happening to Wren.

But after she calmed down a bit and we gave her some water, she seemed fine. We read some books to her and she started to laugh and get squirrely like her regular self. It seemed like she maybe just started gagging due to a buildup of phlegm, which caused her to throw up.

Wren climbed into an empty clothes basket and daddy obliged by pushing her around. It really seemed to calm her down and make her happy, so he came up with a new way to do it that didn’t hurt his back…

Yeah, that’s the dog leash. What can I say, Wren loved it!

Also, (side story) she has this ornament she loves - it’s a little reindeer snowglobe that lights up and changes colors. She had that in the basket with her and was kissing it. “Muah, muah, muah!”

Silly girl.

Then grandma put a pillow in, and it was all over - thumb in the mouth, snuggling seahorse, and daddy pulling her - her eyelids started to get droopy immediately.

We just watched and laughed, and Wren kept saying “Weeee!” It’s so funny how random events can lead to laughs and great memories.

I’m not usually a fan of smocking but COME ON.

handprintsblog — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 20:30:37 -0500

I’m not usually a fan of smocking but COME ON.

Wren’s new ball pit a.k.a. The Static Maker

handprintsblog — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 17:56:32 -0500

Wren’s new ball pit a.k.a. The Static Maker

Merry Christmas!

handprintsblog — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 18:55:53 -0500

Merry Christmas!

I see you driving ‘round town with the girl I love and I’m like haiku. - This will...

handprintsblog — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 19:50:51 -0500

I see you driving

‘round town with the girl I love

and I’m like haiku.

- This will never NOT be funny to me.

Raising Freethinkers

handprintsblog — Sun, 16 Dec 2012 23:50:00 -0500

I don’t talk about this often, and it’s not because I’m ashamed or afraid, as might be the common assumption. Rather, religion and politics are hot-button topics that I’m cautious to discuss with people I don’t know (and many people I DO know). I’m not going to change your mind, you’re not going to change my mind, yadda yadda.

DJ and I are atheists.

I’ll spare you the story of how and why we became atheists, because it’s not particularly interesting or earth-shattering. But I will sum it up this way:

We’re atheists and freethinkers. We don’t believe in a God, and we believe in logic and reason rather than deities and dogma. We believe in living morally and ethically out of choice rather than for a purpose - e.g. getting into heaven.

I could go on and on, but the point and the reason for the blog post is this. We were atheists before getting pregnant with Wren, and it wasn’t really something we had to dwell on much. We knew what we believed, what we didn’t, and went on with life.

When we became pregnant with Wren, we suddenly had a lot to consider. Were people going to expect us to get her baptized? Would they be upset if we didn’t? How were we going to explain life and death without religion?

DJ and I were both raised religious with the typical explanations of how life works, why we have to be good, and what happens when we die. So we didn’t have any experience with answering these questions without religion as the base.

Above all, we want Wren to have choice. She doesn’t have to be atheist just because we are, but we also want her to be an independent thinker who understands scientifically and logically how and why things work.

So that was the big question. How do we raise her to use logic and reason and know the ins and outs of the world, but still have a knowledge of religion that she will need to interact with others socially (i.e. interact with those who are religious), but perhaps even allow her to choose religion if she chooses to do so?

I think I found a start in the books I found above. Here are snippets of the book descriptions:

Parenting Beyond Belief

A large and growing number of parents are choosing to raise their kids without religion. In Parenting Beyond Belief, Dale McGowan celebrates the freedom that comes with raising kids without formal indoctrination and advises parents on the most effective way to raise freethinking children. With advice from educators, doctors, psychologists, and philosophers as well as wisdom from everyday parents, the book offers tips and insights on a variety of topics, from “mixed marriages” to coping with death and loss, and from morality and ethics to dealing with holidays. Sensitive and timely, Parenting Beyond Belief features reflections from such freethinkers as Mark Twain, Richard Dawkins, Bertrand Russell, and Dr. Don Ardell that will empower every parent to raise both caring and independent children without constraints.

Raising Freethinkers

Raising Freethinkers offers solutions to the unique challenges secular parents face and provides specific answers to common questions, as well as over 100 activities for both parents and their children. This book covers every important topic nonreligious parents need to know to help their children with their own moral and intellectual development, including advice on religious-extended-family issues, death and life, secular celebrations, wondering and questioning, and more.

I was particularly impressed with the comments. They seem to be a reassurance that these books provide direction, not answers, on raising your children to be freethinkers, while being respectful of religion.

So now that Wren is getting to the age where direction is becoming increasingly needed, I’m going to give these resources a try. DJ and I have a lot of learning to do so that we can be good teachers.

Yeah baby!

handprintsblog — Sun, 16 Dec 2012 16:43:39 -0500

Yeah baby!

friendly reminder that "stop" "don't" and "no" are generally ineffective parenting techniques

handprintsblog — Sun, 16 Dec 2012 12:19:46 -0500

friendly reminder that "stop" "don't" and "no" are generally ineffective parenting techniques:

The word “don’t” is a modifier that is very weak compared to the strong image created by the rest of the phrase. This is why, if you say “Don’t jump in the puddle,” the average two-year-old will go directly to the puddle and jump in it, and be slightly puzzled as to why you’re annoyed.

Love this

Moving Forward

handprintsblog — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 14:08:41 -0500

It was difficult for DJ and I to go to sleep last night. It’s hard to sleep with a heavy heart.

DJ has been really affected. Of course anyone would be affected, but he is NOT typically an emotional person. I’ve been with him through some tough times, and rarely does he ever let emotions show through. But several times yesterday as we were talking about the tragedy or just thinking to ourselves I could see his eyes get moist and hear a sniffle.

Today we’re not yet able to move on, but we’re trying to move forward.

We got a little walk in today before the sprinkles chased us back inside. I never thought that on December 15th in Wisconsin we would be taking a walk outside, with the weather in the upper 30s and barely any snow on the ground. It’s nice to be able to get outside.

Last winter Wren was 3-5 months old, so we were shut-ins for most of the winter. This year we’ll be able to get out more, which will be a much better way to spend the (eventually) snowy winter.

Right now Wren is napping, the house is clean, and there’s laundry in the washer. DJ is out getting my oil changed and running some other errands. We’re both looking forward to this afternoon when Wren wakes up and we can spend the rest of the day playing and snuggling.