Ho! Ho! No!: Gunning for the Naughty List

Much to the chagrin of my sister and mother, I have decided not to perpetuate the myth of Santa Claus with Little Sister.  This is a decision that I had come to long before Little Sister was even a twinkle in my eye.  Growing up, my siblings and I bought into the Santa mythology hook, line and sinker.  I can remember the great anticipation of going to bed on Christmas Eve, unsuccessfully fighting sleep, then eagerly racing to the Christmas tree on Christmas morning to see if Santa had delivered my heart’s desires.  These are sweet memories, I’ll admit, but I do not feel compelled to perpetuate this tradition with my daughter. 

No, I will teach Little Sister that Christmas is the time when we thank God for sending His only begotten Son to live among women and men.  I will teach her that peace and goodwill among mankind are not reserved for a short “holiday season”  in December, but are tenets to live by every day.

My reasons for not teaching her about Santa are simple.  I work too hard for my money to supply her every need for the credit to go to some dude who is not even real.  I know parents use Santa to try to coax their kids into good behavior, but I doubt trying to persuade Little Sister to behave in March for a pay-off in December is going to be effective.  Besides, Little Sister needs to behave because it’s the right thing to do – I am not going to go down the path of negotiation to get her to “act right.”

My other beef with Santa is that the myth feeds into the mass commercialization that is now Christmas.  I know that’s not Santa’s fault, but he is now being used as a tool to push every product known to man between October and December.  Whatever Santa is selling, I ain’t buying.

Some friends and family members have argued that believing in Santa develops the whimsy of a child and to that I say balderdash!  My child is plenty whimsical and she has never heard of Santa.  We play and read and sing and dance and she is as whimsical as the next two year old.  To me, whimsy is when a child uses their imagination to dream up dreams that have not been forced upon them on a foundation of a myth. That’s not whimsy to me – that’s a big, fat lie.  And what would Santa think about that?

Not teaching her about Santa is pretty easy now while she is only two.  But, I know the real challenge will be when she begins school and all the other tykes are getting hyped up about Jolly Old St. Nick. I guess this will be a lesson in tolerance for her.  I will have to teach her not to rain on her friends’ parade by telling them that Santa is not real.  At the same time, I will have to make sure that she is not ostracized or bullied for not being a believer.  She will have to learn lessons about being different, not trying to make others accept your truth (even if you are right) and the value of living and let live.  Which is kind of ironic given that the Santa myth is built around the spirit of Christmas…

Those Who Can...

One of Little Sister’s former teachers wrote a post on Facebook lamenting the lack of respect that she and her colleagues receive as educators of the smallest of small pumpkins.  All I can say to whoever disrespected her profession is “a pox on your house!”  Unfortunately, early childhood educators often do not receive the respect that they deserve.  In fact, most educators are not given the respect that they are due.  Well, I am here to say THANK YOU!  After Little Sister was born, I was only able to take six weeks off.  I was not entitled to the job protections guaranteed by FMLA because I had been in my job less than one year (that’s another blog for another day - until then, read this).  So, after six incredibly short weeks of bonding with my baby, I had to hand her over to the care of complete strangers and trust that they would care for her as well as I would.  Those “strangers” are now my extended family.  The confidence they instilled in me regarding their ability to care for my child allowed me to return to work without fear and trepidation.  I was able to focus on a demanding job without constant concern or doubt about her well-being.  Now, two years later, it fills my heart with joy each morning when I drop her off and she gives her former and current teachers big hugs to start their day.  Without these ladies, Little Sister probably would have had better luck being raised by a pack of wolves.  As a new – and older – mom, I was totally at a loss about how to care for an infant.  These ladies have helped me out every step of the way.  From helping me transition Little Sister from milk to solids, to managing teething trials and tribulations, to helping her as an only child learn to share with others, to now helping with potty training, the impact that they’ve had on her life and mine is immeasurable.  Before I became a mom, I didn’t give much thought to preschool and other early childhood professionals, but now it’s something that I think about and am grateful for every single day.

Each day millions of kids, from infants to teens, are left in care of incredibly talented, passionate, creative, and dedicated teachers.  While most days the teachers and kids go about the same daily routine, when the need arises, these teachers without hesitation spring into action to protect OUR kids. I am reminded of the recent incident in Decatur, GA where Antoinette Tuff singlehandedly thwarted a mass school shooting by talking down a crazed gunman.  Or the daycare workers who protected their young charges during a deadly tornado.  These women demonstrated nerves of steel and Mama Grizzly instincts to protect the young. I think we all need to reflect on the importance of these educators in our lives, whether we have kids or not.  Each day they take on the incredible task of keeping our kids safe and sound, while also teaching them how to become model citizens.   Nelba Marquez-Greene, mother of Sandy Hook victim Ana Grace, expressed it perfectly in her poignant open letter to all teachers when she said, "It takes guts to be a teacher."  Their work is difficult, low paying and may sometimes seem thankless.  But, I am here today, and every day, to say THANK YOU!  You are loved and appreciated!

So, those who can… and do… TEACH!

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

This past week my daily commute went from extremely annoying to positively hellacious.  No, it wasn’t because of a new construction project in the ATL (on-going construction is a given in this city), no it was because my favorite radio station, WCLK, changed formats from an eclectic mix of funk, soul and jazz to tepid, saxophone soaked "smooth jazz."  You may be wondering, “How on Earth could a radio station format change be such a big deal?” and to that I’d say, “You must have never listened to WCLK.”  When I moved to Atlanta a few years ago, I quickly found and fell in love with the station.  The morning and afternoon DJs pumped me up to get me ready for work – I can’t live without my Morris Motivation - and kept me sane during afternoon commutes when everybody was fleeing the city.  Nowhere else was I able to hear the music of my namesake, and be introduced to acts that would never stand a chance of making it to the playlists of most commercial radio stations.  In a time when the world is subjected to Miley Cyrus’s singing and twerking, WCLK was a breath of fresh air for those who wanted a break from popular music that’s being force fed to the masses.  Jamal and Morris introduced listeners to independent acts such as Snarky Puppy, Avery Sunshine, Soul Cycle, Omar, Dei Va, N'dambi Blue all while keeping fan favorites, such as Incognito, Maysa and Ronny Jordan in heavy rotation.  And most importantly, they played music that was not bleeped every two seconds to censor curse words.  Now that I’m a mother, these are things I have to consider. Imagine my delight a few Fridays ago when I glimpsed into my rearview mirror and saw Little Sister clapping and having a FunkyGood Time as Morris made quick work of the morning commute.

The station management has explained that recent marketing research showed that the station needed to evolve to garner more listener support.  It has been widely reported that while the station has a listenership of approximately 100,000 people, only a paltry 1,900 turn their listenership into membership.  So, in other words, the listeners don’t put their money where their mouth is.  I will admit, when I moved to ATL, during the first membership campaign I heard, I eagerly signed on as a member; however, as time went on, I did not renew.  I got too busy, I forgot, I figured others would contribute, and the list of excuses goes on and on.  Bottom line, I got complacent and I took the radio station and those who work so hard to produce such wonderful programming for granted.  Shame on me. 

Who knows what the future holds for the station and their dedicated staff.  I’m a part of a “small, vocal group ofsupporters,” who are asking the station to reconsider this decision and unshackle their on-air talent and let them do what they do best.  Petitions and Facebook pages have been created to help supporters of the old format advocate for a return to the previous format.  If they do, I will be the first in line every year to pledge my support.  Until then, there’s Pandora.

You Give Me Fever

Last week Little Sister spiked a fever and was kicked out of daycare.  Like many moms, I turned to my fellow mom experts in my circle of friends and the Internet to figure out what to do.  Luckily, my sister was here as well, which gave me a huge measure of comfort and confidence to try to manage it at home first before racing to the ER, which is my usual m.o. (not really, but kinda)  We were able to successfully manage the episode and Little Sister was back to her usual rambunctious self within 24 hours.  This episode motivated me to read up on fevers on Baby Center and the knowledge I gained was invaluable.  Little did I know, less than a week later I would be using that information to help a friend who had turned to me when her little one spiked a fever.  I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV, but based on what she shared with me, I strongly encouraged her to go to the ER because while my experience with Little Sister's fever seemed to be mild and episodic, my friend's little angel's situation seemed more serious.  After things were under control, my friend and I were texting and she thanked me for encouraging her to take her little one in to be evaluated even though they had just been in the doctor's office the previous day.  She said she didn't want to be "that mom" that "bothered" the doctor for every runny nose or sore throat.  I've learned that moms (and dads) have to balance a delicate line between calling the doctor unnecessarily and potentially entering a danger zone from not seeking medical attention soon enough.  But, as the old adage goes "better safe than sorry."  I'm just glad I had a little bit of knowledge to be helpful and I'm so proud of the fact that I'm in my friend's circle of mom gurus that she trusts to turn to for love, support and parenting pearls of wisdom.

Beet It!

So, one of the things I love about being Little Sister's mom (besides the hugs and kisses) is she is making me get in the kitchen and step up my culinary game.  As a health educator by training (GO BULLS!), I know all about eating my 5 A Day, the importance of regular exercise and how important it is to brush and floss.  I also know that health habits that stick with us are established early in childhood and are influenced largely by our parents' behavior.  So, now faced with the heady responsibility of helping Little Miss start off on the right foot, I am trying to model health behaviors that I have struggled with in the past.

As a single woman, nights like tonight would have found me swinging in to Chick-Fil-A, ordering pizza from Varasano's or talking a girlfriend or two into meeting me over at Tamarind Seed for dinner and drinks.   Now that I'm a mom, I have to be diligent about carving out time to prepare healthy and yummy food for Little Sister.  I must admit, I do long for the days when all I had to do was pop a bottle in her mouth or pop open a jar of baby food, but with 12 teeth (including 4 molars), home girl is ready to E-A-T!  So, I've been whipping up meals like never before.  One of my "go to" foods is still quinoa.  I wrote about my love of quinoa before and I'm happy to report the love affair is still going strong.  I've come to appreciate it even more because I found it was the PERFECT food to give Little Sister as she transitioned from baby food to solids.  It has texture, but the grains are so small, they're not likely to pose a choking hazard.  Luckily, she's an adventurous eater and loves her veggies.  It warms my heart every time I pull out a head of broccoli and she squeals in excitement and claps.  I mean, who claps for broccoli?!?  So, we're making good headway on the culinary front, now if someone could help me get a little more energy to take daily walks, we'd be good.  Alas, one step at a time...literally and figuratively.

Curry Essence Quinoa & Mixed Veggies

Curry Essence Quinoa & Mixed Veggies

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water or chicken broth
1 tbsp curry powder
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large vidalia onion
3 cloves garlic
1 cup sliced fresh beets
2 cup thinly sliced kale
2 cup thinly sliced napa cabbage
salt & pepper to taste

1. Bring quinoa, curry powder and water/broth to a boil in a medium saucepan.  Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender and the water has been absorbed, about 15 to 20 minutes.
2.  While quinoa is cooking, chop onion into thin slivers.  Mince garlic.  Sautée both in olive oil until the onions are translucent and the garlic is starting to brown. 
3. Add the beets and sautee until they begin to soften.
4. Add kale and napa cabbage to the beets.  Sautee until all the veggies have cooked to your desired softness.
5. Once quinoa has absorbed all of the water, stir in sautéed veggie mixture.  You may have to transfer to a larger pot or possibly add the quinoa to the sauteed veggies.

I was inspired to make this dish after enjoying Quinoa Paella at Cafe Sunflower.  It is delicious!  I have not been able to replicate their yummy goodness perfectly, but I do think I've captured it's spirit.  I have made this recipe in various iterations:

• with curry or without curry
• with different veggies (regular cabbage, broccoli, bok choy, bell pepper, kale, potabellos)

...and it has never disappointed.  Experiment with your favorite vegetables and see what happens.  Regardless, it's a filling and healthy side dish.