Read For The Record

Bitty has been practicing.  She is in training.  Tomorrow, she will attempt to break a world record.  Well, she and over two million other children.  Thursday, October 6th is Read for the Record day!  Jumpstart is again sponsoring this campaign in which people sit down and read the same book on the same day, breaking a world record, and in the process spotlight the early achievment gap in our country.  (If you want to skip my speil about why I think this is important, scroll down to the last paragraph for info about joining in for the record-breaking).

Do you know what I like best about this campaign?  I like that it brings attention to the fact that children from low-income neighborhoods take their first step into kindergarten already far, far behind children from middle class and upward neighborhoods in terms of school readiness skills.  It's my belief that the only way to truly close the achievement gap is to start with the under five set and get those little ones' brains primed and ready for academic learning once they reach kindergarten. 

If you do much reading about early brain development, you know that the most sensitive period for postnatal brain development is from birth to three years of age, when the brain's primary task is to establish and reinforce neural connections (synapses).  After that, the creation of synapses slows, but they become more complicated.  The synapses that are often used become more complex, and the synapses that aren't used are eliminated (neural pruning).  Which makes both of these periods so important, and why a young child's experiences are a big deal.  The good news is that the young brain is pretty malleable (referred to as plasticity).  The brain has never been more open to learning new things and to enriching experiences.  But it's bad news, too, because the brain has never been more vulnerable to the absence of stimulation and an environment that isn't nurturing.  And that's where the problem comes in for children living in low-income neighborhoods, where they are much less likely to be growing up in a brain-nourishing environment.  Remember what I mentioned about neural pruning?  If you don't use it, you lose it.  Truth. 

So that's my part in spreading the word about why we should support early intervention efforts for our low-income children.

Here are the details on joining in to Read for the Record:  Go to the jumpstart website and click on the tab and pledge to read Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney.  Don't have the book?  No problem!  You can read the book online here.  Make sure you take pictures of your little one breaking his/her first world record...it'll be a good one for the baby book!

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Typical

This morning Bitty and I spent an hour and a half and visited three stores in search of a rain cover for the jogging stroller.  I had to get my run in with the baby today--I slept too late to run by myself in the morning, and I have Jesus class this evening.  The gal at REI finally found one in the back room--the name-brand expensive one,of course, not the cheaper knock-off.Fifty-five bucks for that thing.  Ridic.  

We got home and after I fed Bitty some lunch I got the stroller out of the closet and took it outside, just as the clouds parted and the sky became dry.  I hate irony.

And you know I'm only taking Jesus classes so I can drink wine at church on Sundays.

Surprise

This afternoon Bitty had a mini photo session at a little garden park, and since it's a nice day we strolled the grounds a bit afterwards.  Getting ready to leave, I hoisted the stroller into the trunk and noticed some mud stuck to the tires.  I just had the car cleaned, so I attempted to brush it off with my hand.  Turns out it wasn't mud.

Just In Case This Whole Teaching Thing Doesn't Work Out . . .

Yesterday, I took Bitty to Whole Foods with me.  It has been a while since we have been grocery shopping together.  During my maternity leave, we made weekly trips, but nowadays...well, we get a lot of take out.  Don't judge.  I'm tired and busy and don't have time to cook so why bother grocery shopping.

I had almost forgotten how much I enjoy our grocery trips.  I plop Bitty into the ERGOand away we go.  She likes to look around wide-eyed and I like to tell her about all of the different foods we're buying.  We always get LOTS of attention.  Everybody loves a mother with her baby.  Especially when she's strapped into one of those baby carriers.

Knowing that we would probably attract more attention than the average grocery shopper, I thought maybe I should wear something that can NOT be mistaken for pajamas, and changed from one of the three pairs of yoga pants that I rotate during the weekend into a pair of jeans.  A pair of my old jeans.  Yes, it's true, I can finally fit into a couple pairs of my pre-pregnancy jeans.  The big ones.  If I suck way in and squeeze my butt cheeks together, then do ten squats and ten lunges to stretch them out a bit, there are two pairs that I can zip and button.  I'm aware that my thighs probably resemble stuffed sausage casings, but three weeks ago those pants weren't even close to buttoning so I'm going for it.

As usual, Bitty worked the crowd by flashing flirty, toothless grins at the strangers and shouting out her food requests at the top of her lungs.    We were the target of many smiles and "How old is she?"  "She's beautiful" comments.  I was just soaking it up and basking in the glory of my baby's cuteness.

Eventually we made our way to the checkout line.  I always get one of those double-decker shopping carts that look like this:

Because it's easier to maneuver through the aisles

I squatted down to remove the items from the lower basket and no fewer than three people asked if I needed some help!  Wow, it is unbelievable how much attention a baby will get you.  And then, a fourth person offered assistance!  This one a somewhat elderly lady.  I should be asking her if she needs help, I thought.  "Oh no, that's OK, I've got it!"  I cheerfully answered.

"But dear, I think you need to pull up your pants a bit,"  the old woman replied with a look of concern upon her face.

Embarrassing.  Completely, utterly humiliating.  Then I started to wonder if those other do-gooders were actually trying to spare me the shame of having my a** crack peeking out for the world to see.  Indeed, I have been trying to figure out a way to obtain part-time employment after this school year, but plumbing certainly wasn't on my radar.

"Whir, Whir, Whir." What's That? Here Comes the Fashion Police

Well, Bitty is twelve weeks tomorrow, which means my maternity leave is drawing to an end.  And I am still two sizes larger than I was when this whole thing began.  I only know that because I decided to try on my work pants and they are not anywhere close to fitting.  Damn.  Now I need to buy fat pants.

But wait---maybe I should get some Pajama Jeans?  Function like fat pants without actually being fat pants?  Are these brilliant or too good to be true?  I need advice.  My wardrobe decisions for the past three months have involved contemplating which color velour tracksuit or yoga pants to wear for the day.  I don't trust my judgement.

An Old Friend

Well, hello there, Cabernet Sauvignon.  

So we meet again.

Hay Zulily

I've got to give a shout out to zulily for awesome customer service.

Zulily is one of those websites where they sell last-season or overstock items at (usually) a significant discount.  It's all baby/child/mama products.

I've placed two orders with the website.  In one of them, I purchased a couple of those Jaime Rae baby headbands and one hat...you know, the ones that plop a big flower on the baby's head.

 

 

When my package arrived, it contained one headband, one hat...and a girls' sized 11-12 dress--clearly not what I ordered.  When I emailed to explain the problem with the package, zulily's customer service rep responded promptly;  they are shipping my missing lavendar rose headband, I can keep the dress that was incorrectly shipped, and I received an additional $10 credit on my account.  Isn't that awesome?  It's a very nice dress, too...but obviously not something Bitty will be able to use for about 10 years.  So I gave it to our neighbor girls, who are about that size.  

When so many businesses are a hassel to deal with these days, I appreciate when one takes customer satisfaction seriously.

P.S. Zulily is a member-only website.  However, you can just go on and create an account--no invitation needed.  BUT...if I send you a referral email, I can get a $10 account credit when one of my referrals makes a purchase, which is awesome for me.  So, basically, whether you sign up on your own, or through a referral, the result is the same for you.   But, if you read my post from yesterday, you know that our dogs are putting us in the poorhouse, so I would be very happy to send you a referral email, just message me your address. :-)

Happy Halloween!

I forgot to tell you about this cuteness...someone in our neighborhood initiated this festive Halloween fun...

One morning I awoke to find one of those plastic pumpkins filled with candy, this "We've Been Boo-ed" sign, and Boo poem.  It's like a chain letter idea--someone starts it, "Boos" two neighbors, who in turn "Boo" two more, etc. etc.  You post the sign on your door once you have been Boo-ed.  Soon, all your neighbors(or the ones you like, anyway) are joining in on the festive fun.  Cute, isn't it?  Guess I'm sharing a little late to start one in your neighborhood, but maybe next year.

You can find the printable materials here, at Organized Christmas.