Fighting With Text Messaging
This morning I got a text message from a friend asking me how I was. I thought about replying and then I decided against it. I think the text messaging era is out of control.People are calling each other less and less. I can't tell you how many text messages I receive asking "how I am" because the person is too busy or lazy to pick up the phone.I was talking to my 17 year old babysitter about this whole text messaging explosion. I asked her if she thought it was a generational thing? Are teenagers texting more than adults? She said that she spends all night texting with her friends. Her dad asked her why she doesn't bother to call her buddies, she says it's faster to text.I suppose this texting all night is the equivalent of when I used to stay up all night talking on the phone with my high school boyfriend.But the crazy thing is that people don't spend all night on the phone with one another anymore. This practice is antiquated.And forget real life interactions. Seeing someone face to face? Are you kidding me? Who has time for that?I have to admit, I have done [...]
Stumptown Crunch Baked Goods
I love getting mail. And I love eating. Those are two things I love in life. Today I got mail and then I ate! The buzzer rang this morning and I was skeptical. Who could it be? It was FedEx!So I ran downstairs with Ari and was handed this:Can you guess what was inside? I'll give you a hint, it rhymes with "Wookies." It was: Cookies!But not just any cookies. These were vegan ginger cookies baked by my friend and mama blogger Amanda, who runs Stumptown Crunch Bakery.I must say these were the best ginger cookies I have ever tasted! I worked at the Union Square Farmer's market and used to eat their ginger cookies. Stumptown Crunch Bakery's ginger cookies are so much yummier!I've already eaten four and Ari has eaten two!For more information on these fabulous cookies, email Amanda at stumptowncrunchbakery@gmail.com.Check out her blog Stumptowncrunch as well!
Look Who Has Mistakenly Contacted Me
In the past week I've received several emails (and even text messages) that were sent to me by "accident." I've begun to find them amusing. One email was an invitation to 90th birthday party with a woman sharing my last name: Fader. I've never met her.Another was a text message addressed to "Komar" received on my cell phone about a potentially valuable stock trade in process!Yet another was a cancellation to a meeting. "I'm sorry I have to cancel our meeting tomorrow." This was from a kindergarten teacher. Sent to the wrong Sarah. She works at my school.Then there's the daily call with an "important message" for "Luis Oliverio." I keep telling this particular creditor that Mr. Oliverio does not reside here, unless he's hiding under my couch and I haven't noticed him.Another was a message from a high school telling me that my son, Luis Riveria, has been absent for too many days in a row. I wasn't aware that I gave birth to a one "Luis Riveria."The last was from an email from my business partner telling me that she can't wait to "catch up!" It's been a busy week over here! I can't wait to see who [...]
A 20 Minute Conversation I Didn’t Understand
I just had a 20 minute conversation with Ari. I have no idea what we just talked about. He was going on and on about something, but I could only understand about 15% of what he was saying.I grabbed bits and pieces of things here and there. He said:"Blah ba dee blah --- baby---- blah de boop bopp--- boy ---blah wee boop--- Dada woo woo (dog).I replied:"Uh huh...so if I'm understanding you correctly, today you saw a boy, three babies, and you asked daddy to draw a dog and he did?"He replied"Dee!" (Yes).But then he went on and on in "Ari-ese" (his own language) babbling in an indecipherable manner.It's really difficult to understand what he's saying. Am I slow? Is there something wrong with my hearing? Is he actually talking and I'm not catching it? Is he developmentally delayed? Should he be talking already with real words? Thoughts?
100 Word Challenge: Fun
It's time, once again, for Velvet Verbosity's 100 word challenge. This week's "prompt" or theme is "Fun." Here is my 100 word submission for "Fun." Fun By Sarah Fader Fun is something that happens when you aren’t thinking about it. When I’m having fun it usually occurs to me after the fact. “Wow,” I think to myself “That was fun!” Often I think about things that are not fun. Here is what I consider to be fun: going to the movies is fun, playing with my cats is fun, eating chocolate cake is fun, having a conversation with a friend and being silly is fun, tickling my son is fun. I think if we all had more fun doing things that are considered “boring” life would be more interesting. <p style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><img class="centered" alt="post signature" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4023/4373484137_ae682fe85c_m.jpg" /></span></p><div>
The Familiars- A Magical Children’s Book
I have so many internet friends and I love them all. I recently joined Twitter, and found that "The Familiars" were following me. If you don't know about Twitter, this just means that "The Familiars" are aware of when I've written a new blog post or when I have something fantastic to report about my burgeoning writing career.I was really intrigued by "The Familiars" profile picture.I am a cat lover and there was this adorable tuxedo cat looking straight at me. I wrote to "The Familiars" to learn more. Then I found out the "The Familiars" is children's book! It's a fantasy based book about magical animals who help to save the day! I don't know about you, but I wanted to know more. Thankfully, Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson allowed this persistent Jewish mother and blogger to interview them about their book!1. What is "The Familiars" about?After three young wizard apprentices are kidnapped by the evil queen of a distant land, it is up to their familiars, their magical animal companions -- a street smart alley cat, a precocious blue jay, and a bumbling tree frog -- to save them.The story of "The Familiars" began with a question:“Are [...]
Marjorie The Cat Inspires Me
I'd like to introduce you all to someone. His name is Marjorie.Yes, I did say his name is Marjorie. Marjorie is a male cat and he is fabulous. But he is not my cat. He resides in a pet food and supply shop called Beastly Bite in Brooklyn, NY. The funny thing about Marjorie is that he hangs out at Beastly Bite, but his original home is actually next door at the Community Bookstore.Marjorie sneaks out from the bookstore each day to visit Beastly Bite. According to the Bookstore folks, Marjorie is very mean to people when he is at the bookstore. According to Emma (who works at Beastly Bite) Marjorie is very nice and affectionate when he is at the the pet supply shop.Clearly, this cat suffers from mood swings and is heavily influenced by his environment. Then it occurred to me: Marjorie the cat is just-like-me!I admire his tenacity. I love the fact that he can just up and leave his original residence to go store hopping. Seeing Marjorie and what a character he was reminded me of my own two cats, Simon and Egreck.I realized that all the time I've been spending with my son has resulted [...]
On Open Adoption: Harriet From “See Theo Run” Speaks
The other day, I came across Harriet's blog, See Theo Run. Harriet, her husband and their baby Theo live in Vancouver B.C. Canada. They are parents in an open adoption. They adopted Theo at birth. They maintain a strong relationship with Theo's birth family. Harriet writes about the adoption process and her journey to motherhood and beyond on her blog, See Theo Run.I know virtually nothing about adoption, so I asked if Harriet might shed some light on the adoption process for me, and her personal journey to motherhood. Here's what she had to say:1. What made you decide to adopt a baby?We could not have a baby by birth confirmed by visits to a fertility clinic, and once we were sure of this, we immediately agreed that adoption was for us. We did not pursue IVF. It's a wonderful option for many but it did not feel right for us. We went with our gut and knew that adoption was our way. We are a mixed race couple living in a multicultural neighborhood and felt we could parent and support a child of almost any [cultural background]. It's worth noting that I had worked for a non-profit adoption organization [...]
Thank You Veteran Moms
I've always been the sort of person that looks up to functional people, people that have their act together. I guess this is because I constantly feel discombobulated and like I'm just sliding by in life.Despite the fact that I am, in fact, 30 years old, most of the time I feel like I'm an adolescent. I need guidance constantly. I need someone to tell me what to do.Enter, the veteran moms.The veteran moms, who I've encountered, have been through those tough times. It doesn't matter how many children they have. They always seem to have a solution to a child-based problem. And when I am having a tough time, when I am ready to throw myself out a window from sheer frustration, they always seem to know what to do.I just want to take a moment and thank all the veteran moms out there who have guided me on my motherhood journey thus far. You know who you are. Feel free to post a "you're welcome" comment if you are a member of this group.Are you a young (and possibly discombobulated) mom? Do you take advice from veteran moms too?
Internet Emotions or Lack Thereof
What I'm about to write may sound hypocritical. It makes me sad that we, as people, express our ourselves and our emotions primarily through the internet and text messaging. Now I know what you're thinking, "You're a blogger!" Yes, I am. And I love blogging! But I also relish in expressing myself in "real life."I love to express myself, verbally. I could talk about how I feel constantly. I could talk about how you feel all the time. I love talking about feelings. What can I say? I'm a feeler.But, honestly, I would rather talk about feelings in person, not on the internet or via text message. Unfortunately, this is where the world is at emotionally. As individuals, many people are timid to express themselves in person and hide behind technology to express "real" emotions. My boyfriend is the complete opposite of me. He does not express himself "in person." He feels more comfortable expressing himself through writing, whether it's in a letter, an email or a text message. I, on the other hand, would rather sit down for a cup of coffee and talk.But it's not just Wilhelm, I see many people engaged in technological emotional expression. And I [...]
Last Woman Picked For Kickball
Today I felt completely out of control. Do you ever feel out of control? Things were happening all around me, and I could not stop them. No matter what I did, what I said, it did not solve the problem. I was not a super hero, but rather a damsel in distress. I was not my fantastic articulate self. Sometimes I think I'm amazing. I can talk to anyone, ask for anything, get things done. Today none of those things worked. Nobody thought I was cool. If I were being picked for a team kickball today I would've been picked last. Yes, friends, it was that kind of a day. I'm trying to shake it off, but I'm still feeling the residual effects of today running through my mind and my body.
I Am a Rock
Almost a year ago, I wrote a post about trusting your inner mom. That is to say, believing in yourself enough to know that you can handle a given situation with your child.I was faced with a challenging situation this evening. My son skipped his afternoon nap, and by the time bedtime rolled around he was miserably cranky. I knew he had to sleep, but he lay in the bed shouting "Go!" He wanted to go into the living room and play.In my mind I was conflicted, I knew that he needed to sleep desperately, but my child is very strong willed. He is a Taurus with a moon in Taurus in case you didn't know.I'm laying next to him in bed (because he refuses to sleep alone) and he is screaming and sitting up.Suddenly the ghosts of moms past started flooding through my brain:My friend Josina's voice (mother of Nelson- almost 2) was in my head! It said:Remember, Sarah, it's just like teaching...as a mom you have to win. Then my friend Nora's voice (mother of two) was in my headYou have to be the boss. You tell him, "Get in your bed, now!"Finally the secretary at my school, [...]
Moving
I want to talk about moving, not moving from my apartment, but rather moving my bedroom. I would like to exist in the back room of my apartment. It's fabulous in every way. First of all, I wouldn't have to disturb Wil while he is sleeping. Every time I want to get dressed or get something from my own bedroom I see this:And each time I see him slumbering away, while I am chasing after a toddler, I want to kill him a little more.But I know he has to sleep, he works the night shift and therefore he must sleep during the daytime hours.Which leads me to my solution: We should move our bedroom to the back room of the apartment. It's such a lovely room and it's removed from the rest of the apartment so Wil could get some undistubed sleep! Our current bedroom could become an office and a dressing room (with dressers and a closet).But let's talk about the back room for a moment, shall we? The windows in the back room look out to this:My parent's garden, my safe haven.There are a few problems:Problem #1The back room currently looks like this:That's a huge problem. I'm [...]