I realize that many of you get a new phone, read the manual from cover to cover and actually care about what its capabilities are. Some of you program your voices and give everyone you know his or her own ringtone. Maybe you even know where the calculator is hidden and use it when figuring out your tip at the neighborhood Bensi or Olive Garden.
I have a long history of using my telephone to make phone calls. That’s it. Traditionally, I have not even programmed numbers. Until recently I still just memorized them and punched them in.
A year ago, my husband, advocate of all things Apple, gave me an iphone, sat back, and watched a spousal-revolution unfold.
At first, I simply liked being able to check my email while I was sitting in the passenger seat on a long drive. Also, I enjoyed using it to listen to music while I worked out. And then I liked being able to check in on MTW. It wasn’t long before I discovered the timer, the calculator and weather application. My husband kept putting these interesting, fun, and most important- USEFUL applications on my phone.
One of the more popular iphone application is called Lose It! This is the easiest, most user friendly program available. Initially you enter both your weight and your goal wight. The program tells you how many calories you can eat in a day to lose 2 pounds each week.
Every time you put a bite of food in your mouth, you can do a search for it. You enter the food and the portion you ate. Should you not be able to find the food (this has never happened to me) you can look up its value otherwise, type it in manually and store it. You enter your exercise the same way.
At the end of each day the program will tell give you a breakdown of the food you’ve eaten. I love this because I’m able to see how much protein I take in, how many carbs and if I’m eating enough fiber.
My favorite thing about this program is that it’s so portable. I am able to enter information quickly and easily wherever I go.
If you are trying to lose weight and you own an iphone or an ipod touch, download this app. It’s free and it’s completely worthy of a box on your screen.
At $6.99 a pound, the Whole Foods bar is a delicious, nutritious lunchtime treat.
Our Whole Foods is located about a block away from a really nice park that has water activities. My new favorite daytime activity has been walking to market, filling three boxes of salad and taking my daughters for a picnic at the park! In my opinion, nothing says summer like a picnic and a sprinkler.
A few of our favorite choices are the seaweed salad, raw veggies, hard boiled eggs, vegetable dumplings and my children love the honey barbeque wings they have at the hot bar. I feel good about what I’m putting in their bellies and about giving them some free time to just run around and be wild!
I wish that Whole Foods would have an accessible, visible list of ingredients near each item. Too often I’ve reached for one of their delicious pasta salads only to swallow down a hunk of bacon. I’m a vegetarian, so bacon’s not high on my list of favorable foods!!! Ha! I’m also interested in the health benefits of the food I offer my children! Maybe the store will offer this in the future. In the meantime, it won’t prevent us from enjoying our picnic lunches!
It was almost two years ago when I met Lorien Babajian. We were standing in a Montessori parking lot, waiting for our daughters to exit one of their first days of pre-school. She’s the sort of person I’m always drawn to. At just a glance you are able to discern that she’s intelligent, creative, brave, hip and something of a quiet rebel.
Soon after meeting, Lorien and I began to speak about our families and our husbands. I told her that my husband was a musician, as he’d been playing music for about 3/4 of his life and played in a fun, upbeat, east coast garage band. Lorien seemed delighted and told me that her husband was also a musician. But where my husband Jay practiced with his band after work twice a week and got together twice a month to play really lively songs to a fanbase of mostly friends, I learned that Lorien’s husband Ara doesn’t go to another job. He goes on tours (in a tour bus!) and plays shows every night with a band that has a huge following. When he’s at home, he’s there for weeks at a time. And when he’s at work, he’s there for weeks at a time. I find this career choice completely fascinating (and glamorous, though both he and Lorien say it is not.)
Recently I asked Ara to tell me a bit about his life so that I can share it on MTW. Here’s what he had to say:
I first asked Ara to tell me about his family and his parenting style.
We are a Nukular family. My wife and I are mid-late thirties. Her name is Lorien, after the lake in Lord of the Rings. My name is Ara, after the king of Armenia. Our daughter, Julia, is 5. Our son, James is 9 months. We keep feeding them and they keep growing. It’s amazing. It actually works.
Lorien is a graphic designer. She works from home, while I tour the world as a drummer half the year. I spend the other half dadding around the house and wherever else my kids want me to take them.
Julia has an extremely artistic, Cancerian, silent-storm personality; some might describe her as having an “old soul.” James appears to be a little more jocular, happy-go-lucky, Eli-Manning-ish thus far.
My personal parenting style is to speak with my kids at their level, hug and kiss them constantly, try to show them right from wrong and always let them know I’m not mad at them (even if I am!). So, it’s a soft and hard dynamic….not much tough love, just a lot of love and different levels of exhaustion.
I was interested in learning exactly what Ara does for work and who he does it with. Further, I wondered if there is a conflict between the role he plays as a father and the role he plays as a musician.
I am a professional drummer in a band called the Slackers. We can be found at TheSlackers.com.
I constantly feel the strain of being a dad and a professional musician. Most men my age who play music for a living can’t understand why I would want to put myself in the position of having to care for a wife and two kids when I could be out pretending I’m 15 for the rest of my life. I try not to let it get to me, but it’s hard being around people who have no idea what it’s like to be away from your family half the year. On the other hand, I’m strengthened by the thought that my family is there for me and that I am working for them. Without that in mind, I would have no purpose in life.
The most challenging part of my job as a Dad is selflessly caring for my children; sometimes when I get home from a tour I’m too used to being cared for, i.e. having food/drinks prepared for me wherever I go, getting shuttled around from place to place, being applauded even on a bad night. All of these things are wonderful; however, they spoil you for real life. When I get home I have to remind myself to lose the ego, which can sometimes take weeks.
What action do you take to remain close to your family while away? How do you maintain your bond and your parenting role?
While I’m away I make sure to call my family every day, sometimes several times a day and/or email and/or webchat. Being able to see their faces on the computer screen while we speak has made being away a lot easier. The changes seem more gradual now; whereas, before we started webchatting I’d come back from a 5 week tour and my daughter would have jumped about 10 developmental stages, her looks would have changed completely and it would take a while for her to recognize my face and get comfortable being around me again. With my son, recognition is fairly instantaneous and it allows us to maintain a more consistent relationship.
I parent on the road by moralizing, castigating and encouraging my kids via the aformentioned technologies.
Admittedly, the neuvo-hippie in me sits on cloud nine at the thought of traveling around in a big bus with my kids for months at a time. I wondered how conducive parenting is to touring.
If I took my kids on a tour I’d have to travel with them separate from the band as I wouldn’t want them inhaling all manner of substances and getting knocked over by leering, middle-aged drunks every 2 minutes. I wouldn’t able to smoke cigarettes in front of them, so I guess I’d have to start enjoying that awful nicotine gum all the non-smokers are so fond of. My wife would have to come and look after them; barring that, we’d have to hire a nanny or an entourage of beefy security guards. It would be like inviting my family to vacation in a locker room. So, we’d have to keep everything as separate and un-tour-like as possible. Kids and nightclubs are a bad mix. It worked for me, my Dad was a nightclub owner, but things could have quite easily gone the other way. And I suppose there’s still time for that!
Of course being away from his family is a challenge, but there are huge benefits to it as well. The time away means that Ara is able to spend half of each year at home with his family and without the interruption of work. I asked how this distribution of time affects his family.
Absence does indeed make the heart/s grow fonder; it places a great value on the ones you love and miss. Some of the best moments in my life have involved walking off a plane or walking through my front door and seeing the expression on my daughter’s face as she runs to hug me. Having large chunks of time to spend with my kids enables us to understand each other’s essence. We learn how to communicate without speaking. The hippies might call it “vibing” or esp….anyway, large chunks of time allow us to sort of meld into one another as all good blood relations must. Can’t say a 9 to 5 job would be much different. I don’t know. Just depends on who you are and how you receive love and time.
If you’re interested in learning more about the Slackers and maybe going out to see them play the next time they’re in your neck of the woods, you can find tour information at TheSlackers.com.
If you haven’t had the pleasure of becoming familiar with Erika Martin than you’re in luck. For the next four weeks Mums the Wurd will be featuring her as a mama to keep your eye on. Generally, at Mums, we have an interview followed by a feature story. In this case, Erika’s diversity and talent require more than we could possibly include in one story. That said, you’ll be able to read about Erika, her career, crafts and family each Friday for four weeks.
First, because I know how interested our readers will be in Erika’s craft, I asked that she explain what she does and where she can be found:
My name is Erika Martin and I live in northern Vermont (with my hubby of 12 years and my 10 year old son and 9 year old daughter). People can find me locally in the Ferrisburg, VT area. I teach home workshops in my area, as well as classes at my home and one in Essex Jct., VT each month. Because I know that not everyone lives in the
great state of Vermont, I also teach online classes in the Classroom over atwww.PaperCraftPlanet.com and through my site, www.stampinmama.com Starting soon, I’ll be offering one online class a week over at PaperCraftPlanet, as well as the 3-day courses that I currently offer once a month there. I’ll have some 10 and 12 week scrapbooking courses coming up in the next few months, as well. I teach people the creative art of rubber stamping and scrapbooking so that they can confidently make their own cards and record their photos and memories in creative albums. I give people a practical, as well as FUN, creative outlet and show them that they CAN be artistic without having to have a degree. It’s about letting out the inner artist that we all have and throwing all the rules away to make it up as we go along. I
also teach weekend retreats and enjoy giving women a creative voice to share their lives and souls.
I asked Erika how she became involved with rubber stamping. As an adult, so many of these crafts are new to me and my curiosity is peaked when I learn about the crafters of my generation and where their interests began. Erika’s creative journey into rubber stamping is both familial and inspiring! My mother-in-law had been given a card after a surgery and she fell in love with the handmade aspect of it. She asked her friend where she bought it and found out that her friend had made the card. She asked more about the process and my MIL was introduced to rubber stamping – Stampin’ UP, to be exact (Stampin’ Up is a direct sales company with independent demonstrators who teach the art of rubber stamping and scrapbooking). My MIL told me about this new hobby she had gotten into and I just wasn’t interested because I had seen the little that I thought could be done with rubber stamping. I took one of my MIL’s catalogs because I felt bad that I wasn’t enthusiastic about her new hobby. On the drive home to VT from PA (where my inlaws live), I couldn’t believe what
I was seeing in the catalog. It was so different from what I remembered rubber stamping to be. I decided, on that drive home, that I wanted to start stamping and become a demonstrator. That was in 2001 and I’m still here, still stamping and loving it. My hubby thought it would last a few months, but 8 years, 3 earned cruises from the
company and a solid business under my feet, I still look forward to getting up every morning and going to play (er, I mean, work). Really, I don’t look at this as work. I feel blessed and privileged to get up every morning and be able to play in my studio. I don’t just do “work” with Stampin’ Up, but have found a way to expand my business
beyond just Stampin’ Up.
Baby Einstein has been a big hit around these parts for a long time. Early on, Noel got loaded up with all kinds of Baby Einstein products from his grandparents, and the rest is history. Now, we are a bonafide Baby Einstein family (and honestly, before we had children, I thought the Baby Einstein line was a bunch of hooey. Dish me up some crow.) Noel & Lennon will both sit down and watch an entire episode of almost any Baby Einstein DVD. I have no doubt that my children have learned from this programming. We also have great numbers of Baby Einstein books, including my favorite set of Alphabooks. Currently, both Noel & Lennon get a big “kick” out of their Nature Nesting Blocks. As they build and destroy tower after tower, Noel proceeds to tell his brother and I all about everything on each block. A fun, easy teaching tool. That’s what I think I like most about Baby Einstein products overall. They are simple, yet effective.
Are you familiar with Fidget, author of Finding Yourself, Despite Yourself?This mama to 4 kids and 1 bun-in-the-oven is an Orlando based super comic. Never afraid to laugh at herself and chaos, Fidget’s blog is an exploration of misadventure, wacky chicken eggs and gluten-free recipes that will have you wondering how this woman managed to become super-human. But as often as Fidget gets silly, she’ll often take a moment to place both feet on the ground and remind us of how important it is to be grateful for our lives and families. She’s truthful without being preachy.
When I read Fidget’s blog, I laugh and I appreciate her wisdom. But, admittedly, I favor the chicken’s to everything else!
This year, in honor of Father’s Day, the mums of Mums want to tell you a bit about the Dad’s who play roles in their lives!
Laura!
I have the two best dads I could ever ask for, and I’m so lucky to have them in my life. My dad and my husband are just two of the most wonderful men. Both are funny, sensitive, kind, loving, and they would each wrestle a bear for their children.
What I respect the most about both my dad, and my husband, is that they are both so present in their children’s lives. Although we are separated by distance, I talk to my dad almost every day, even just to say, “Hi!” He would do anything for me, my sister, and any of our children…and when I say anything, I mean it. Whenever you need something, you can depend on dad to help you out, no matter what.
Like my own dad, my husband would lay down his life for me or our children. I know it, without an ounce of doubt. He’s here to stay. He is present. He is the greatest man I know, and the most wonderful, loving father. I could watch him interact with our boys all day, because it is a beautiful dynamic. They are all so crazy about each other. I thank him, as a husband, and most of all, as a dad, because I could not do this without him. He is amazing.
Naomi!
Bob is a great father. He has a way with kids and animals, possibly because he’s a giant 12 year old at heart. The sweetest thing he ever told me was when I was pregnant with Jasper. He said he was glad that he’d had three years with Roo as an only child because he wasn’t sure he would have done all the things he did with her if he’d had a boy first. He always makes sure to include her, even in things that aren’t typically girly, and I really appreciate that.
Anna!
I grew up with a great dad. He set an example of hard work for us. He passed on work ethic, a fantastic sense of Irish pride and a humorous spirit! Now, I am married to a great dad. Jay is a caring and a patient parent. My children ask for him throughout the day and miss him terribly when we’re away. They love visiting him at work, calling him, watching him on his computer and playing games with him.
My children were using their first cell phone before they knew the numbers 0-10. Silly as it seems, we did this for safety(not to mention that it’s a great lesson in using numbers!)
Some people make their children necklaces or identification cards. Both of these are great ideas. But, if my child is lost neither idea will help us make direct contact without a third party’s help. This means that in the event that my child were lost, she would have to approach a stranger and depend on that person to be stable, sane, helpful and willing to use his or her own telephone to contact us. Depending on where you are, this can be tricky. We happen to live smack dab in the center of the 4th largest city in the U.S. It can be dicey here, to say the least.
The Firefly phone for children is a perfect device for emergencies. It has a Mommy button, a Daddy button and room to store two other numbers. Outside of these numbers, no other calls can come in or go out of the telephone. This means that if my child were lost, she could call four people she knows to ask for help. Or, you can store a 911 number as one of your extras.
Both of my children find the telephone easy to navigate, it was free with our plan and adds just five dollars a month to our bill (a small price to pay for our peace of mind.)
No reading is necessary to use it, so even the smallest toddler understands how to press the mommy button followed by the green telephone in order to put a call through.
Etsy artist Andrea Crouse is the face of talent at Gaia Conceptions, which stays true to the tag-line, “eco-friendly clothing for the urban nomad.” Andrea’s fabrics are all certified organic and she hand dyes each item with fiber reactive low impact dyes- which means “natural” in layman’s terms.
Before Andrea made my Love me Two Times Fleece Dress/skirt, I sent my measurements with a request that it be made about five inches longer than it was advertised in the product description. We exchanged several emails about the product, talking about my options. Andrea seemed genuinely committed to creating a garment that I’d love. She was successful, as I DO LOVE MY DRESS! The Love Me Two Times Dress is GORGEOUS!!!! Aside from the beauty of the dress, I love the fit and how versatile it is. It can be worn as both a dress or a skirt. Because the bottom of the dress is a textured, thick fleece material, it can be worn all year. In the hot summer weather, I’m wearing the Love me Two Times dress strapless and long. In the winter I’ll wear it as a skirt with sweaters.
Gaia Conceptions sells another, shorter version of this dress in a lighter material. I plan on buying two of them and creating a layered dress.
Beyond just beautiful, Gaia Conceptions creates clothing that is personal comfortable and functional! Also, there is a lot to be said for handing someone your measurements and being delivered a product that has been made to suit your body. The fit is amazing! For $115 you can have an adaptable dress made to suit you, tweak it to make it longer or add straps for support. Better yet, you can choose a color from the huge pallet Andrea offers and have it hand dyed. But better still, you can feel great about the product your buying and its impact on the environment. That’s pretty unbelievable!!!
After publishing this post, I was contacted by a Phil and Ted’s representative who asked that I remind you of a current contest they are holding now. The competition can be entered here and ends on May 30th. And friends, you do not want to miss this. The prize is an apple green sport inline buggy!
Happy strolling!
annaholler on August 4th, 2009
I am not a gadget girl!
One of the more popular iphone application is called Lose It! This is the easiest, most user friendly program available. Initially you enter both your weight and your goal wight. The program tells you how many calories you can eat in a day to lose 2 pounds each week.
At $6.99 a pound, the Whole Foods bar is a delicious, nutritious lunchtime treat.
It was almost two years ago when I met Lorien Babajian. We were standing in a Montessori parking lot, waiting for our daughters to exit one of their first days of pre-school. She’s the sort of person I’m always drawn to. At just a glance you are able to discern that she’s intelligent, creative, brave, hip and something of a quiet rebel.
If you haven’t had the pleasure of becoming familiar with Erika Martin than you’re in luck. For the next four weeks Mums the Wurd will be featuring her as a mama to keep your eye on. Generally, at Mums, we have an interview followed by a feature story. In this case, Erika’s diversity and talent require more than we could possibly include in one story. That said, you’ll be able to read about Erika, her career, crafts and family each Friday for four weeks.
My mother-in-law had been given a card after a surgery and she fell in love with the handmade aspect of it. She asked her friend where she bought it and found out that her friend had made the card. She asked more about the process and my MIL was introduced to rubber stamping – Stampin’ UP, to be exact (Stampin’ Up is a direct sales company with independent demonstrators who teach the art of rubber stamping and scrapbooking). My MIL told me about this new hobby she had gotten into and I just wasn’t interested because I had seen the little that I thought could be done with rubber stamping. I took one of my MIL’s catalogs because I felt bad that I wasn’t enthusiastic about her new hobby. On the drive home to VT from PA (where my inlaws live), I couldn’t believe what
Baby Einstein has been a big hit around these parts for a long time. Early on, Noel got loaded up with all kinds of Baby Einstein products from his grandparents, and the rest is history. Now, we are a bonafide Baby Einstein family (and honestly, before we had children, I thought the Baby Einstein line was a bunch of hooey. Dish me up some crow.) Noel & Lennon will both sit down and watch an entire episode of almost any Baby Einstein DVD. I have no doubt that my children have learned from this programming. We also have great numbers of Baby Einstein books, including my favorite set of
Are you familiar with Fidget, author of 
My children were using their first cell phone before they knew the numbers 0-10. Silly as it seems, we did this for safety (not to mention that it’s a great lesson in using numbers!)
Before Andrea made my
After publishing 
