Books! (Not about Babies)

Totally stole this from a friend but it seemed pretty fun since I love to read but NEVER have time to anymore. So I thought I'd test how I've done so far. 

 

Have you read more than 6 of these books? The BBC really actually never said that it believes that most people will have read only 6 of the 100 books listed here, but it's still fun to fill this out and show everyone how smart YOU are compared to them.

Instructions: Copy this.

• Bold those books you've read in their entirety.

• BLUE the ones you started but didn't finish or read only an excerpt.

ME HERE: And the ones in GREEN are what I want and intend to read!

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien

3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte

4. Harry Potter Series- JK Rowling

5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

6 The Bible

7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte

8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell

9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman

10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens

11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott

12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy

13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller

14 Complete Works of Shakespeare

15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier

16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien

17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk

18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger

19 The Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger

20 Middlemarch - George Eliot

21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell

22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald

24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy

25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams

27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky

28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck

29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll

30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame

31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy

32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens

33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis

34 Emma -Jane Austen

35 Persuasion - Jane Austen

36 The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe - CS Lewis

37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini

38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres

39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden

40 Winnie the Pooh - A.A. Milne

41 Animal Farm - George Orwell

42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown

43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving

45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins

46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery

47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy

48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood

49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding

50 Atonement - Ian McEwan

51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel

52 Dune - Frank Herbert

53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons

54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen

55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth

56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon

57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens

58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley

59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon

60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck

62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov

63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt

64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold

65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas

66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac

67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy

68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding

69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie

70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville

71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens

72 Dracula - Bram Stoker

73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett

74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson

75 Ulysses - James Joyce

76 The Inferno - Dante

77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome

78 Germinal - Emile Zola

79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray

80 Possession - AS Byatt

81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens

82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell

83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker

84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro

85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert

86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry

87 Charlotte’s Web - E.B. White

88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom

89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton

91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad

92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery

93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks

94 Watership Down - Richard Adams

95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole

96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute

97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas

98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare

99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl

100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

Some of these I'd like to read I'm sure and would be green if I did a little research to find out more about them, but didn't have time for that today. Glad to see though that I've read 18. Whoo-hoo!

Pigtails

Really this is just a blog post to show off the adorable new hairstyle that Libby-loo is rocking. It's too cute for me not to share. ;)

Watching Big Bird and Elmo

Just reading...

Playing some instruments

After being told to put bum down.

Loves her boots so much, she just wants to eat them up!

It's been a long time, but we're still here

So I know that I've really been terrible about blogging and such but I have some awesome excuses:

-I have the oldest most ANGRY laptop in all the world and it hates to even turn on

-I am now an almost full-time student for the second time, working on yet another degree and pile of debt

-It's always the last thing on my list of things to do and even though it's something I want to do, those things always fall into the last or never category

-Zombie apocalypse is coming and I had to prepare?

-I have this super cute fella who I rarely spend enough quality time with (lately it's mostly time spent with me freaking out over the latest assignment or addition to my to-do list that I have zero time for) 

See isn't he adorable?

But anyways.... at the very least I figured I should really try and be better about this because Elizabeth is just so adorable and growing so quick and I feel as though I am really not doing her cute face justice by not sharing it with you. So here goes.

Lots has happened with Elizabeth in the past few months. She's walking and talking and just as fun as can be lately. I love playing with her and literally watching as her mind grows and figures out new things. It's also fun to have conversations with her now because she'll try talking to me and I only catch like one word out of 10 that she's trying to say. It'll go something like, "ga, blah, nana, ba, ta, BALL, la, buh ba, ta, na" and although I know in her mind that sentence makes perfect sense; I wish in my ears it did too. But it's still fun to talk to her and see her try and communicate what's in her thoughts. 

She also loves to play in her bed when she wakes up!

  Let's see..... we've gone on lots of adventures lately. We've been to the zoo which was quite fun despite the spurts of rain that happened while we were there. I've never seen Elizabeth so happy and active as at the zoo. She wanted to run all over and explore and see all the animals. She also made the noises for elephants, sheep, pig, cow (her favorite), and birds. It really was a lot of fun and I wish that I had more opportunities to do things like this with her. 

Watching the polar bears

Having so much fun running around the zoo!

The park is also our new fun place to be and as long as there isn't any rain we are there! If it's cold its not a problem cause we just bundle up and have fun! Libby is such a daredevil and from day one at the park would climb up the structure herself, get situated at the top of the closest slide and SWOOSH downs she goes, all by herself, no fear. She'd do this for hours if I'd let her too. But the swings have really been the area of hesitation. She'll want to get in them and swing for about 3 seconds and then she wants back out again. Although there is a big swing at our normal park that she's sort of ok with and I think she likes it better because it's like a big chair. (see below) 

This is her preparing to go down

Checking out the beautiful leaves

SO pretty girl

And DOWN she goes!

The BIG swing!

 The other big thing that has happened recently is Halloween and of course Elizabeth was a cow because that's the animal noise she can consistently do and because it was too freaking adorable. So I'll end today with the little cow girl and also a pic of her in my favorite outfit (that she owns of course!). 

Ha Ha...Moo!

Just LOVE that skirt! She also has a black top with a pink skull on it that I got her but couldn't find that picture~

Playing Catch Up

There's been a lot going on in the past week and I haven't had a chance to sit down and write about any of it! Last Saturday my favorite family down in Corvallis (I watched all 3 of their children and continue to visit them frequently) invited my man and I down for a visit. We were excited because at our last get together we did an 'adults only' night out and it's been awhile since I've seen the kids. They have three kids: oldest is a 5-year old boy (M), then 2-year old girl (A) and finally the newest boy(L) is one. They are the most amazing kids and I've always had a most special relationship with the entire family. 

So we drove down Saturday evening and unfortunately A. wasn't feeling well and went straight to bed and L. being young still heads to bed early as well. So it was just M with Cole and I all to himself (and Max the dog). M. is at this age where he's really becoming a boy and is less interested in playing with any girls and will choose the dude if the choice is given. So needless to say he and Cole were like peas in a pod or something. :)

They spent the remainder of the evening building lego castles while Max and I hung out and watched. It was pretty adorable seeing them interact and for once getting to sit back and enjoy someone else playing. And at the end of the night, M. wanted Cole to put him to bed. It was heartbreaking for me but adorable that he loved Cole so much. 

Elizabeth and I had a pretty fun day today as Fridays are "Tiny Tots" group at the library. It's like a giant playgroup where we sing, read, play with toys and have a great time together. Elizabeth loves to go and although she is usually shy and just hangs out with me; today she was all over the place. She loves the teacher "Jane" and was making friends left and right leaving no time to hang out and sing songs with me! I think I was the one having a harder time with the separation than she.

Here are a few pictures of her fun......

Want to play ball with me?

Making new friends

Peek-a-boo! Can you see me?

Girl's Gotta have her Shoes

Another day, another adventure. Today we traveled to the mall. This isn't typically somewhere that we would go except that Elizabeth's mom had bought her these great new jelly sandals from GAPkids and I decided we should get another pair as I can see they are going to be used a lot! PLUS, they were on sale! So we packed up around 9:45am and headed to the mall with snacks and the stroller and had a great time. We found the shoes.....

....and I found some things at Bath and Body to buy with this giftcard I've had in my wallet for far too long. It was a good trip for us. Plus it's always fun to do something outside of the house and we got back just in time for nap so I'm hoping she'll sleep well today. Didn't sleep great yesterday as she woke up after only about an hour (unusual for the girl who sleeps about 2 hours) and although visibly tired; wouldn't go back to sleep. I guess it just happens sometimes. Although if it were me, I'd have slept the whole day. But unfortunately in life we only get naps at the beginning and end of things. The part in the middle where we work till we want to die is when we never have time to rest. Oh well. 

I thought I'd share a few more pictures today of Elizabeth that her grandma sent me and I just love. 

Didn't I tell you that she loves DORA? In fact while we were at GAP today she was reading a Dora book in her stroller and loving life. "Do-da" is her way of saying Dora and it's adorable. She used to say "Ra-ra" which for the longest time I always thought was me (Ta-ra..... unfortunately just like Do-ra) Oh well. ;)

And here's one last one of the little angel girl. I just love her. 

 AND who couldn't love those curls with those big eyes!

Clouds, Toes and Kisses

Today has been so fun despite the fact that I have been so tired and not sleeping nearly enough lately. Elizabeth has been in such a good mood and she is really figuring out so much around her that mostly its fun to just watch her play. It was another horrendously cloudy morning here in Portland and so I really wasn't feeling the desire to walk around in the cold air and so we hung out at the house and played together. 

She's such a funny little roo now that she's learning things about the world and also learning what's right and what's wrong. Like on the couch today she thought it was hilarious to stand up and would giggle whenever I sat her back down and said, "Bum-Bum's down on the couch". But maybe she really just thought the word "bum-bum" was the funny part. ;)

She also can climb the stairs to her room all by herself now so we did that and then decided to play in there for awhile because since the weather's been good we haven't really done anything up there for awhile. It was fun listening to one of her old "Music Together" class CD's and singing all the familiar songs together. She got really tired while playing in there today and eventually just asked to be on my lap and we sat together and read stories (Goodnight Moon being one of the favorites) and she gave me lots of hugs and kisses. I love when she's sweet like that and just wants to snuggle. And I taught her how to do eskimo kisses with her nose and she loved it! 

Today was also the first time she got terribly upset when mommy had to leave for work. Usually she says bye-bye and continues playing but all morning she wanted mommy and was so upset when she had to go. I was expecting we would get to this stage eventually and luckily I am used to dealing with it. Distraction always works best and we had the tears gone in about 2 mins with that method. :)

Another really funny part of today..........Toes! Elizabeth loves her toes, my toes.... songs about toes. We have one that we sing at the "Tiny Tots" group at the library that goes:

"Everybody knows, I love my toes

Everybody knows, I love my toes

I love my eyes, my ears, my elbows and my nose

But everybody knows, I love my TOES!" 

She loves when I sing this and today we sang it a lot. And she loves to play with my toes because I always have them painted and she's fascinated by it. In her room she would take the pillow and cover my toes and then reveal them in a "Ta-Da!" fashion and just thought it was hilarious! But the funniest part was when she leaned down and gave my toes a kiss! She just cracks me up. 

It's been a good day but I am definitely thankful to be going home later and taking a very long nap (just like Elizabeth is doing now). It's a hard life having fun. ;)

Fun times in the fountain

Elizabeth and I decided to embrace the 80 degree heat at 9am and go down to the AMAZING fountain in NW Portland. If you live in the area and haven't been there.....GO! It's on NW 11th (you'll see it) and parking is even easy. It's a nice area, totally safe to leave your stuff in the grass and it's the best fountain for kids of all ages that I've ever been to. I wish I had taken pictures of Elizabeth but watching her was my main priority (obviously) and cameras and water don't mix well anyway. But she was so cute in her swimsuit and slathered on sunscreen and little pink shoes. Here's a picture of the fountain from the parks website though so at least you can get an idea....

She's quite the daredevil too. The water gets deeper as you go toward the middle but nothing deeper than bellybutton height. It's so great because it's treated water so you get that pool feeling afterward but know that it's clean. And it's a lot of fun whether you are an adult or child. AND, Elizabeth took ten or MORE steps while in the water....without any help! It was the most I'd ever seen her do and she looked like any other walking kid. It was awesome! Wish I had a picture of that! 

Anyways.... if you are looking for something to do as it climbs closer to 100 degrees today.... take a wander down to any of Portland's great fountains.

If you're happy and you know it.....

Kids are really sensitive to other people's moods. This is also why they can easily tell whether or not they can trust/like someone just by being near them in a room. They can read your emotions better than you can yourself sometimes and know whether you are feeling happy, sad, sick, angry, tired, etc. They then in turn will respond to your emotion with emotion of their own that usually corresponds. Sometimes it is great when you are sick because they shower you with love and concern. But on days when you are feeling tired or grumpy, it can mean that a once happier kid is now acting tired and grumpy as well. 

Fortunately today I was in a great mood and Elizabeth responded accordingly; even though for the past couple weeks she's been whiny and frustrated at being on the brink of both full mobility and communication. Today we were giggly and goofy and even though it's the hottest day so far this year; I feel like we've had the most fun. 

It's funny this sixth sense kids have about people because we don't always carry it on through adulthood. It's also the most important reason why you can't force a relationship with a child because if they don't feel comfortable with you, they certainly aren't going to with you trying terribly to "make them like you". 

I learned from worked in the childcare atmosphere that with kids, new ones especially, you must interact with them in a delicate way and try as much as possibly to let them come to you. Play with toys in the area or other children and be aware of your emotions. You may not think you are putting forth your tired, exhausted attitude with the smile you've pasted on your face but children can tell how you're feeling inside; looking straight through your facade. 

Oh, and try to never argue in front of kids. Or even somewhere they can still hear you. Knowing that adults aren't perfect and never is life is important, but save that lesson for a smaller argument like who makes better dinner. Kids don't need to know at age 3 that mommy and daddy are struggling financially or having trouble in the bedroom. 

Keep your kids emotional perceptions in mind when you are having a hard day and try to see the world through their eyes...... eyes where you are their best friend/playmate and bubbles are the most spectacular thing they've ever imagined!

Rainy First of July

Of course on the first day in July (in Oregon) it would be raining. But no worries because Elizabeth and I were still able to get out this morning before the wetness hit. We took our normal loop around the main stretch of road.....stopping for coffee (tall soy cinnamon dolche latte) for me because I SO needed it today, and then a stop at Freddie's for puffs (for Libby). 

Next we circled the neighborhood stopping by the school to see if the chickens were out. The amazing school right down the street from where Elizabeth's family lives has the best set-up I've ever seen in a school. They have each of the classes plant their own gardens with a theme so the school has giant raspberry bushes, tall corn stalks, veggies, numerous flowers, etc as well as CHICKENS! The chickens have a beautiful caged area but are also able to roam around the perimeter of the school throughout the day and amazingly they stay in their "yard". Elizabeth really loves to check them out although part of me is sure she enjoys this stop just because I take her out of the stroller to really check them out and she likes the escape. :)

I do have a lesson about coffee and strollers.....they don't mix. Every slight bump I hit the coffee would spew out all over me; even though the cup was safely in the holder! Lesson learned and can't believe this was the first time I've experienced that. 

Nap time was long today, which is always good and I was able to get a lot done. I cooked tortellini for our lunch, did the dishes, and cleaned up the house. I also updated her nanny notes and even texted my mom. ;)

It's really important to go the extra mile when I nanny because I feel like it's the difference between mom and dad being really happy and being stressed. And they really appreciate the extra touches and usually help you out when you need it in return. 

Oh and "nanny notes" are something I do but not everyone will. I literally keep a small journal notebook and hour-by-hour, day-by-day, I write down things we do, experiences we have, what she eats, when I change her diaper (whether it was wet or poopy), and anything I want to communicate with her parents. It's the best way for them to know how the day was and to look back later and see all the things she's been through and accomplished. It's that extra step. 

I'm home now and exhausted. I cleaned my own place and have a 14-hour day ahead of me tomorrow. That's for real, 14 hours of work, not including wake up/travel/or even breaks. Bummer, but it's worth it because the 4th is ALL MINE! 

I'll leave tonight with this:

This is the precious girl when I first started with her at 4 months old. 

And this:

Is the goofball now.......She's so funny. ;) At 15 months.

A Day without Littles

If you ever hear me refer to kids as 'little people', please don't take any offense as I've always just called children little people since they are cute little ones! And speaking of them......the days do come where I am without them in any way, shape or form and I completely miss them! I appreciate my time off but then I feel as though I'm missing out on things. I guess that's just part of the biz when you work with kids but don't have any. ;)

Here is something you should know if you are wanting to become a nanny.....have passion for kids. And honestly that applies to people thinking of or who already have kids. Sure not everyone knows they are good with kids or even like kids until they have them but once you've got them.....be excited, be present, and let them always know you love them. 

While I'm at it, why don't I run down my thoughts on becoming a nanny:

-Know your skills and basically know that just babysitting experience won't be something that most parents will jump at.

-Take an Infant/Adult CPR and First Aid class (commonly available through Red Cross, www.redcross.org) and keep the certification up-to-date. This will be your best tool and families will not only be impressed but may even expect to see this on your resume now-a-days. 

-Have a resume complete with references. Be sure that your references are people that you know will speak highly of you and who you've preferably worked for for at least one year.

-Don't search websites such as craigslist.org for jobs. These places are not established and do not cater to your safety. Instead use a website such as www.care.com. 'Care' is great because you can create a profile, list your availability, and search your location for families in need of your help! Families can also search for you and send you a message if they are interested in talking to you more or meeting you. It's like the facebook of nannying! :)

-Know how far you are willing to travel to work for a family, or whether or not you are interested in a live-in type of job. 

-If you do get the chance to interview, dress appropriately but don't overdress. Be on-time and be sure to bring copies of your certifications and references. 

That's all for now. I'll get into the interview process more later. But just for those thrill-seekers who want to start nannying now.....those are my tips to get you going. Hope that helps!

14 days

So since Elizabeth is taking her regular 2 hour nap right now I thought I'd take advantage of this free time to update.....

I feel bad that I haven't been writing anything regularly yet but here's the reason for that....today is my 14th day of work in a row. And as Elizabeth and I would say Oy! I know I did this to myself, what with having the 3 jobs and all, but was somewhat hoping that it wouldn't be this crazy! But since I do have tomorrow off, and I'm a mere 5-6 hours away from time off now....I guess you could say that there's a light at the end of some kind of tunnel or something.

Here's what we've been up to today so far (just to give you a little insight into what nannying is all about--at least for me):

We said goodbye to daddy (mommy is out of town and coming home tonight, much to daddy's happiness) and then played with bubbles for a long time. "Bu-bu" with adamant pointing means of course that Elizabeth would like me to take the bubbles down and get blowing. I wish I could remember being that age to know what it is about bubbles that make them just the coolest thing ever but alas we grow up and become jaded to the glory of the bubble. But after bubbles Elizabeth did her normal, show me every toy she owns display, just in case I'd forgotten over the past two days how many great things she has. This is yet another thing that I think we lose as we get older or perhaps we're just different about how we show things off to people.

I then made breakfast for myself (as daddy already fed Libby) and as I sat down to eat while she played I knew I wouldn't get more than two bites in before she noticed and wanted me to share. Anytime you eat anything around Elizabeth she wants it also. She's a fantastic eater and thinks its unfair for you to eat without her; regardless of whether she's hungry or not.

Next we watched a short episode of "Dora the Explorer" as this is Elizabeth's favorite thing aside from food and books. For her first birthday a few months ago she had a Dora cake that grandma made for her and she LOVED it. So many people these days think that TV is the worst thing a child could partake in, but it makes me crazy because I grew up in a TV-watching home and am a rather intelligent human (if I can say so). Sure, don't put your kid in front of the TV all day as a childcare tool but an episode of Dora, or Sesame Street now and then is really not harmful. And if her first full word ends up being "vamanos" then I think she's smarter than us all. :)

After our Dora time I decided we would take advantage of the fact that it wasn't actually raining today and go for a walk. Being in Oregon it rains often and really puts a damper on being able to get outside and have a change of scenery. We walked to Fred Meyer to get some grapes and pesto, we walked past the school that has the chickens and got out to say hi and we walked up and down the neighborhoods just enjoying the pleasant weather and eating our grapes. I think that it's probably a toss up as to who loves walks the most; although Elizabeth does get to just kick it and check out the sights so she may win.

Finally we came back to the house around 11am because I knew she would need to go down for her nap. She's great in the fact that she's a super easy kid and has a very regular schedule (for the majority of the time).

I should mention that I work for probably the best family in Portland. And truly my biggest piece of advice for people wanting to nanny or families looking for a nanny is to just find your right fit. Don't feel bad if after the first week things aren't meshing right or somebody's just not happy. It's important for both parties to feel right about this kind of situation and sometimes what's right for one isn't right for another. Take your time to find your right fit and the job/situation will be easier in the long run (and more enjoyable FOR SURE).

My family is amazing for me because we just agree about the way Elizabeth should be cared for. And crazy that she's the one this whole thing is about so her care should be most important. :) Sounds funny to say like that but many times I've been in situations where the child wasn't the focus and it just wasn't right.

So yes....I love my family but I'll go into more detail about that later. For now....here's a picture of our newest developmental step forward... (well, not quite steps yet but you get the idea). :)

She's figured out how to stand all on her own! It's really exciting to go through all these fun things with her; especially since I've been with her since she was 3 months old! I feel like she's just getting too big too fast! Well more to come later.... I need to take advantage of this time and get some lunch made! Then for our exciting afternoon adventure to the Playground Gym!

Enjoy your day!

And so it starts........

Just to introduce myself further than my "About Me".......


I am currently living in Portland, Oregon and am a nanny for a beautiful 14month old little angel girl; Elizabeth. I also work weekends as a birthday event coordinator at an amazing company out of Lake Oswego called Play Boutique. And when I'm really feeling bored with all of that I also work part-time as a cashier at Borders. :)


I have a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education, spent two years working as a teacher at an accredited child development center with infants and toddlers and have been generally working with and enjoying kids for the past 12 years.


I decided to start this blog (with some great persuasion from my amazing fella) because I want to inform people (parents, soon-to-be-parents, friends, etc) about the in's and out's of what childcare should be. First thing you should know is that no, I do not have any kids of my own....... but I know many useful things and the info is just here for you to take as you will.


My intent is to offer my knowledge (as a nanny) of what to look for in a nanny, how to treat your nanny and if you are looking to be one; what to expect. I also want to offer my knowledge of great places in the Portland area, child development techniques and just general discussion of the crazy experiences when hanging out with a little roo.


So hang out, read, and get to know more about me and feel free to let me know what you think and share my blog anytime.