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All Signs Point To My Smart Hands

Jan 20 2011

Since my first year of teaching, long before I had children of my own, I ran the Sign Language club at the school where I taught. I trotted out my choir of shiny faced six year olds onto the stage where they signed “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “What a Wonderful World” to music. There wasn’t a dry parent eye in the house. I obviously considered signing to be more of a novelty act, than a life altering skill. I had NO idea how important the role ASL would ultimately play in my life. When I taught my son sign language nearly eight years ago, I relied on library books and bland, one dimensional websites. Once Avery came along, and it became apparent sign language would be an essential tool in her development, I searched for innovative new ways to teach her. When Laura Berg posted a video on YouTube of her baby signing, it went viral. People were astounded by her 18 month old’s level of skill. They wanted to know how she did it and how they could teach their children to do the same and…My Smart Hands was born. I love Laura’s fresh approach to teaching ASL.[…]

Jun 06 2017

When it comes to social graces, some people completely missed the boat. Were they born without a filter or did something happen to make them that way? I have no answers here, but I do have a story. A few months ago I was at the grocery store with my daughter and the cashier criticized my parenting. No qualms, no mercy, she flat out tried and convicted me without knowing a thing about me or my daughter. You can read about how enjoyable that was HERE. Turns out, this was the same cashier who a few years earlier (she’s a lifer at our local grocery store… lucky, lucky us) berated my friend in front of a long line of customers. She made a snap judgement about her parenting (she is a wonderful, loving parent by the way), and called her out for being what she deemed “a negligent parent.” Seriously lady?! a) Who do you think you are? b) You had no idea what this mother was dealing with that day. c) Ever heard of customer service? d) If you don’t have any nice to say, zip it. e) Your conveyer belt is always sticky. Yesterday my sister in law and[…]

Nov 18 2014

^What people said when I told them we were getting a cat ^ A) We have reasons. B) Correct, I’m a dog person. Cats are pretty weird. C) You can never have too many pets, can you? Wait. Cat horders. I suppose you can. D) I am a little allergic—hives, scratchy throat, red eyes swollen eyes, sneezy allergic. So WHY get a cat??!! Because. Her. Our girl likes loves animals. Dogs, cats, anything with fur. Or without fur even. RIP Ernie. We miss you tremendously. When she grows up I imagine she’ll choose a vocation involving animals. Perhaps she’ll work as a vet tech? Or at a vet clinic or animal shelter in some capacity—greeting clients, feeding and grooming the animals. How perfect would that be? When she’s a bit older, I plan to help her set up and run a pet sitting or dog walking business. The way I see it, Avery’s passion is clear. So if we can do anything to help her gain the experience to guide her along that path, shouldn’t we? So this leads us to our cat… KEVIN. My friend was telling us about her cousin’s cat, the original Kevin.[…]

Oct 19 2011

In my youth, I would crank a wicked tune by metal band “Poison” and lose control. These days, my Bret Michaels poster* has been replaced by a fridge magnet with the phone number for Poison Control. Until yesterday, my calls have been for relatively minor inquiries like, “What should you do if your child should eat a handful of Hershey’s Kisses…with the foil on?“ Last night my daughter awoke with a fever. I immediately gave her a dose of children’s liquid acetaminophen. I put the bottle back in the latched chest on the top shelf in our locked hall closet. This is where we keep all medications—well out of reach. I left a bottle of ibuprofen on the bathroom counter ready for the morning. We alternate between Tylenol and Advil so we can safely overlap doses. I figured if I left the bottle out, there would be no hazy sleep-deprived confusion about which type to give her next. Smart right? Not really. In the morning as usual, Avery got up and went to the bathroom. I was two minutes behind her. When I caught up with her, she was standing on her step stool, holding the OPEN medicine bottle, smacking her[…]

Search Results For -My Smart Hands

All Signs Point To My Smart Hands

When A Stranger Has No Social Filter…

Why We Got A Cat When I’m Not A Cat Person

Kids and Poison Control Safety