Play Ball!

This weekend much of my family will be gathering around a softball field in New York to bestow a beautiful and most-fitting honor to my late Aunt Barbara. Last April we lost Aunt B after a rather short but aggressive battle with breast cancer. Not long after our loss, a Facebook campaign began to give her the recognition she deserved as a pioneer of women's athletics in Bergen County, New Jersey and Emerson Jr./Sr. High School. The Facebook group now has over 850 members! What a testament to her and her commitment to students! She had dedicated several decades of her life to teaching PE and coaching softball (and basketball, field hockey, volleyball, etc.) at Emerson. In 1974 she co-founded an annual softball tournament, and last year the tournament and trophy were renamed in her honor. But the campaign didn't stop there.

Through the commitment of her colleagues, past students, friends and family, the Bergen County board of education agreed to rename the Softball Field at Emerson High School in her honor. This weekend will be a huge celebration of her life and legacy as the field is dedicated to her.

I have been so moved by the outpouring of love and support from those who knew her and worked with her to be sure that she is publicly honored and her legacy remembered. She would be so humbled by the attention and would just say she was doing what she loved -- teaching and playing ball. Thank you to all those who made the dedication happen. I wish she could have seen this happen during her lifetime, but I know she'll be looking down on the event with that sparkle in her eye. I can already hear her laugh. She is tremendously missed, and I am so proud of all she accomplished. This weekend my heart will be in New Jersey. Play ball!

Here are some recent news articles to read about how remarkable our Aunt B was:

Emerson to honor late softball coach Barbara Barlow

Bergen softball tournament names trophy after the late Barbara Barlow

Barbara Barlow, longtime Emerson softball coach, dies at 61

Redwork Graphics

For the past 6+ months I have been staying very busy with freelance graphic design projects, mostly web design but some print as well. I call my little "biz" Redwork Graphics. Last week I launched another website -- http://www.sroufe.com. Check it out!

I also had a fun project come across my desk -- to design a t-shirt for a kids' Triathlon Team! As you are well aware, triathlons are a big part of our family, so I loved helping to support such youngsters get introduced to the sport. The team is made up of students from Ocean Palms Elementary School who race at local events in their city. Our nephew Austin is an "Otter", and it was fun coming up with different concepts for these little 5 and 6 year olds. Here's our niece modeling the final design:

Good luck, little racers!

If you or anyone else you know needs a website, brochure, logo, business card, etc., give me a shout! And for a full view of my portfolio with my latest projects, visit my website at www.redworkgraphics.com

Water Baby

For the first 14 months of Adam's life, he could care less about the swimming pool. While he loved his baths and kick-kick-kicking in the tub, the first thing he did when placed in the pool was try to crawl out. Maybe it was the cooler temperature. Maybe it was too big and deep. Whatever it was he was never a fan. He'd play outside beside Grampa and Gramma's pool without paying it any attention. He never went near it or tried to touch it or throw anything in it.

Then the Vans came to visit (future post on that). For the first time (in Adam's recent recollection at least) he saw people actually swimming and playing and spending lots of time in the water. Suddenly he was interested, so much so that he actually stepped right into it, clothes and all. Now we are trying to get him in the water as much as possible, and Daddy has been teaching him to get comfortable in the water. He loves it now!

 

Wicked Wednesday

I've been called out on my lax postings of late. My apologies to my anxious and curious readers! I'll be making up for it with a few quick posts.

Earlier this week my girlfriend and I had a "play" date. Just the two of us met for dinner and the theater to see the Broadway smash-hit Wicked. Billed as "the untold story of the Witches of Oz", this musical has won so many awards I can't even list them all here, including the 2004 Tony Award for Best Musical.

I can't say I had that "I am so excited to see this!" feeling when we found our seats. I was, well, interested but somewhat indifferent. While I had heard everyone rave about the show, I honestly didn't know much about it, assuming only that it was about how the Wicked Witch of the West (named Elphaba) became Wicked. Actually, I think sometimes that's the best attitude to have when seeing a new production -- no expectations to compare with the actuality.

When the curtain rose and the show started, to be honest, I was unsure of how much I was going to like it. It was dark and rather creepy and remember those flying monkeys in Wizard of Oz? Yep, they were crawling all over the stage, too. I wasn't impressed right off the bat.

But then the story began to unfold, and suddenly all our favorite characters from the classic movie were interconnected. Elphaba had the superior, beautiful voice, but Glenda ("Guh-linda" originally) stole the show. By the end, what I was most taken by was not the music or set designs but instead the witty writing and the clever character development. I will never be able to see The Wizard of Oz the same way again. I left with a full understanding of all those beloved characters we found in Oz. I would love to sit here and tell you all how so-and-so became the way he is and why you-know-who did what he did, but it would totally ruin all the wonderful surprises in the play. You'll just have to see it for yourself. Very highly recommend!

And, as a side note (hopefully not a spoiler for you), I just have to comment on my new Oz-ian vocabulary. Love such words as Outuendo, Scandalacious, Hideoteous, Moodified, Discoverate, Disrespectation, Swankified, Thrillifying, Decipherate, Braverism, Horrendible, Confusified, and my favorites -- Congratulotions, Festivate, and Rejoicify. Fun!

Gonna Wash That Dirt Right Out of My Hem

Confession: I never had my wedding dress cleaned or preserved after our wedding.

I fully intended to have this done immediately, of course, but I couldn't decide on the best method for preservation. To have my gown stuck behind a window in a box for eternity didn't appeal to me. I mean, what if I want to try it on once a year (which I only did once on my first anniversary -- got it zipped!) or take it out and admire it occasionally (which I never do)? And who or what am I really preserving it for anyway? I don't know a single bride that wore her mother's dress, though I have seen dresses disassembled and beautifully repurposed for Christening gowns. And then there's the expense. I just didn't see spending upwards of $200+ to have this done.

So, in true Mindy fashion, I did nothing about it. I remember years before I was married I visited my sister and saw her wedding dress hanging on the back of the laundry door and asked, "You STILL haven't had your dress clean and preserved?" with a tsk-tsk attitude. Now who's the pot calling the kettle black white?

Here we are 5 years later and I don't know what got me inspired to decided that yesterday would be the day to clean my dress! Maybe it's me wanting to tackle the "To Do List" (this item was way down at the bottom). Maybe it's that our newlywed friends were coming over for dinner and she washed her dress in her bathtub recently. Whatever it is, on a whim I pulled the dress out from under my bed, filled the tub, turned the gown inside-out and lowered the skirt down in the Woolite and water. The decision to clean it was so spur-of-the-moment that I didn't have the foresight to take it to my parent's much larger soaker-tub (or take a "before" photo). So amid the bath toys and baby shampoo was satin and beads.

I started by using a soft toothbrush to tackle the dirt, and I was pleased that the now-brown champagne stains came right out. The toughest part was the the black (yes, black) dirt along the hem. After a few minutes I realized there's a lot of hem! Yards and yards of skirt and train. Resigned, I just left it to soak in the hot water for a few hours. When I pulled it out I was amazed at how much dirt had come out and was sitting in the bottom of the tub. I then hauled the dress (very heavy when wet!) into our other bathroom and draped it over the shower doors to dry.

Now that it's dry, I am so pleased with the outcome! I think I will still take it to my parents' house and do one more soak in their tub and scrub the hemline again and then a thorough rinse (which I didn't really do) before returning it to its spot under our bed. And maybe I'll even go one step further and replace the beads that hold the bustled train that popped off when party guests accidentally stepped on my dress.

And, yes, since it was out, I tried it on.  :)

Signing Time!

Sign language for babies has become pretty popular among modern Moms. Michael's sisters have used it for their kids, and I was impressed when Baby Emma, at 6 months old, woke from a nap and immediately signed "milk." Whoa! We knew we wanted to sign with our child, too, and started using signs right from the beginning with Adam. We worked on words like Milk, Fan, and All Done. Over the months he's used a few signs but he really started "talking" once we started showing him the Signing Time! video.

Signing Time! is a wonderful series of DVDs created by a Mom named Rachel Coleman who saw the need for videos when she discovered her own child was deaf. Her story is quite remarkable. She instructs on how to do the sign (using American Sign Language) and then shows children doing the signs. Adam is mesmerized by the DVD! You remember that reaction to Mickey Mouse? He does the same when this show starts, too.

Now, at 14 months, he can sign nearly all the words from the video plus a few more -- over 20 words! He is picking up the signs so much quicker now, so we are continually working on new words. This is so fascinating to us because the only verbal words he has so far are Dada, Mama, ball (ba), Gramma (GaGa), and Airplane (I am absolutely not kidding! Lots of witnesses!). He is now mimicking sounds and words all the time, and I know in know time he'll be jabbering along with his hands.

At 14 Months, Adam's Signs:
fan
light
more
eat
water
bed
bath
mommy
dog
car
ball
duck/bird
shoes
airplane
bye-bye/kiss
fish
sign
milk
grandma
swing
tree
sleep

He will even sign "Signing Time" when he wants to watch his video. We continue to work on new signs all the time, too.

Here's a video of him demonstrating his skills. We think it's remarkable, but then, we are his biggest fans!  :)

 (14 months)

On This Day

Five years ago on this day I married the love of my life. We met in college and during my senior year he asked me out. Within the first week I knew that something special, something different from anything I had experienced before, was brewing. By six weeks I was head over heels in love with him. Through the distances, I knew that I could never lose contact with this man. He was too good to let go. I knew then, as I know now. He is The One. I have been in love with him for 11 years.

Six and a half years ago he left a love note in a bottle in the sand for me and proposed at sunrise. Five years ago today we stood together at the altar and became man and wife.

April 8, 2006

I remember when we returned from our utterly fabulous two-week European honeymoon, friends and family would ask how it felt to be married. The word that always came to mind was peaceful. Suddenly everything in life seemed in balance, everything seemed sure, everything was right. And thinking back on our perfect wedding day, all the pomp and circumstance seemed a bit silly. Sure, I needed the big white dress for the little girl inside me who used to put a slip on her head and pretend to be a bride. But on this side of the ceremony, it's so clear to see that it's not about the wedding. It never was. It's always been about the marriage.

Let me tell you a few things about my husband. I married someone who teaches me every day how to be a better person. And every day he tries to better himself. He is the most courteous and respectful person I know. He is kind, oh so patient, determined, incredibly smart, considerate, strong, and devoted. He thinks before he acts or speaks. He is gentle. He cherishes those he loves. He is an incredible father. In short, he is the Better half. I married someone better than myself, and I hope someday to be as good of a person as he is.

Michael, 'Love' is too small a word. You are my rock, my biggest supporter, the partner I chose 5 years ago and I would again in a heartbeat if I had to do it all over. I don't honor you enough or tell you how appreciative I am of everything you do for our family. I am so proud of our marriage, and I can't thank you enough for loving me.

Five years. Love, happiness, joy, blessings, travel, family, Adam. What are you doing for the rest of your life? Because I know where I want to be.

I love you more than you can possibly know.

New Recommendations

Last month the American Academy of Pediatrics put out new guidelines for car seat safety. The organization is now recommending that children stay rear-facing until the age of 2, or until they outgrow the height/weight limitations of the seat. We recently researched Consumer Reports and purchased Adam's next seat, even though he still fits in his infant rear-facing seat. The new seat can be placed forward or rear-facing. Initially I installed it forward-facing since he was 1 year old and 20 lbs, even though I knew in the back of my mind that rear-facing was safer. I LOVED looking in the back seat and seeing him facing forward, looking out the side and front windows. So much more to see!


Then these new recommendations came out, and I felt like I wasn't doing what was best for him by having him forward. I have switched his seat back to rear-facing, and I must say, I MISS him! We have the mirror so we can see him, but it's just not the same. Plus, the seat is so bulky backwards.

Looking at him in his seat yesterday I realized something -- his feet nearly touch the back of the seat in front of him. Long before he's 2 years those legs won't be able to be straightened as there's not enough room. This leads me to wonder -- is there even a rear-facing seat on the market that would accommodate a 2-year old? Or will he just have to sit Indian-style back there?

Selfishly, I want him forward, but I will wait until his little legs look too uncomfortable to stay rear-facing.

P.S. I can't wait for this day!

Nursery Project

It seems a little odd to call Adam's room a 'nursery' now that he's well beyond the baby stage and is now a full-fledged toddler. His room has a blended purpose of being his room, plus Michael's office and our guest room, so I was never able to completely design the room for him. In the beginning we had the crib and the bedding set, and I finally added some wall art and other trinkets, but now that he's older and more aware of his surroundings, I wanted to add some more interest/decor to the room.

The theme of his room is ABCs and a few months ago I got an idea in my head of how to fill the blank space above his "dresser" (in reality, just wonderful canvas storage boxes in shelving). I looked at different options of purchasing some pre-made ABC art to fill it, but never found anything that was quite right.

It took some time to collect all the letters at various craft stores, but once I had them all it was just a matter of painting them and mounting them. Voila! Instant art.

All the letters were really lightweight so I just mounted them with Scotch Removable Mounting Squares.

And since I'm here showing off his nursery, here are a few other elements to the room:

• Yes! A UK Basketball hoop! That was from Aunt Amy, and will be the subject of a near-future post.
• The custom piggy bank on the shelf was from his godparents, Uncle Bud and Aunt Abby, and will have to be moved to a higher shelf very soon.
• Hand-built cherry crib, made by Daddy, Grampa, and Mommy. Customization by Adam.
• The ABC wall art became a big thorn in my side. These were a set of canvas art as part of his bedding, but this bedding had been discontinued. I searched and searched and found them online and ordered them 3 times, and each time I never got them. Finally I recreated them with my design software, went to Office Max and had them printed and, then mounted them on canvas squares. Saved money by doing them myself, too!

• This custom-built hanging shelf was constructed by Michael's Dad from wood from his own land. He gave it to us as a wedding gift, and it serves a wonderful purpose in Adam's room.

Some day he will have a room of his very own, but until then, this is a space that he can call 'home', unless it's office hours and Daddy has a phone call. :)