Watching the trains

Yesterday I had an on-site training class for most of the day and at the end of the class (around 4 pm)I offered to drive the instructor to the train station. To get to the train station I have to drive right by Zoë's daycare. My orignal plan was to then go back to my office, answer a few emails and then head out for the day. However, on the way back from the train, I just couldn't drive by daycare again and not pick up Zoë so, I stopped and got her. She was so excited to see my "work friends."

When we got there she played with all the little toys I have in my office, she played with the watercooler, she wandered around, but funniest of all, she flirted with my boss. It was so sweet. I think the two of them fell for each other instantly. You know, in a 3-year-old crush on 40-year-old kind of way. Seeing that the two of them were enjoying each other's company, I offered to drive my boss to the train station (even though I had just come from there). He happily accepted and off we went.

Zoë continued to flirt in the car insisting that my boss open her lollipop and that my boss pick up the ball she dropped. He was happy to oblige. We said good-bye at the station and just as I was rounding the corner I noticed that my boss had left a bag on the floor so I headed back to the station to see if I could catch him. I parked and got Zoë out of the car and told her we were going to go up on the platform to look for my boss. She was so excited. We easily found him and returned his bag and then Zoë said she wanted to see a train. So we took at seat on a bench and waited for the train. She was cute sitting on the edge of the bench, back ramrod straight and so excited over seeing a train. We chatted with my boss until the train came and then he got on and we waived good-bye. Zoë was amazed by the size of the train and a little unsure about my boss getting on, but overall she was enthralled and waived enthusiastically as the train departed the station.

I'm not sure I ever would have thought to do that if we weren't actually taking the train, but it was so much fun for her that we'll have to do it again. Plus, I am sure she will not mind seeing my boss off again.

Dare I even ...

...say how many hours I waste while I am at work.

No. I won't say.

However, in my entire office job career I have yet to regularly fill 40 hours a week with actual work nor have I ever been able to figure out what everyone else is doing all day. Especially the people who seem so darn busy. I have only one friend who will admit to the same lack of work to do at her job, but I suspect there are others. It is definitely some kind of badge of honor to be overworked. I do my best to fake it. My husband once tried to convince me that it was because I was so much smarter than everyone else, but I really find that hard to believe. I have employed many tricks to slow myself down, but I am still often left with so much darn time to fill. Right now I could leave for the day and still not be behind tomorrow and it is only 2:45 PM.

3:35 PM -- Less than an hour later and I in a mild panic that someone might read this who has influence over my career. Not that I have legions of readers or anything, but you never know who could be looking, right? We'll see if I can maintain the courage to keep this post as a part of my blog. It might have to become one of the "lost episodes."

Good enough for ice cream

It seems that Zoë has done a complete 180 in the behavior department. Just around lunchtime my husband called to say that he thought maybe Zoë was replaced in the night with a pod version or something because she was being uncannily good all day. (I knew I should have played hooky today!) He said that she was so good that she deserved ice cream and asked if I wanted to meet them at Stew Leonard's for a treat. How could I resist an offer like that?

(BTW, Husband has Monday's off from work in case you're wondering.)

Turns out, he was right. She was a delight to be around. She listened. She sat and ate her ice cream. She wasn't fresh once. She didn't whine or cry for no reason. After we finished our ice cream we walked over to the petting zoo and then when it was time to go she didn't argue or complain at all. Amazing! Hooray! The good Zoë has returned!

I really, really hope it lasts until I get home tonight...

Go to your room

Father's Day started out so nicely yesterday. Husband and I had been out Saturday night to a fancy seafood place in SONO that served delicious blue drinks in martini glasses. Dinner was a Kobe beef burger -- I always wanted to try Kobe beef and was not disappointed. Dessert was had at Cold Stone Creamery. Yum! Zoë slept until after 7:30am. We all went out for a nice walk after breakfast and the weather was sunny and cool. It seemed like the whole day would just be calm and relaxing -- exactly what I wanted for Husband on his day. Until...

Zoë refused to nap. She is over 3 so ordinarily that wouldn't necessarily ruin an evening, but my father, my brother and his wife and daughter were all due to come over in the afternoon so I knew it was going to be a problem. Zoë has a hard time when her cousin comes to visit. It arouses the green-eyed monster in her. Especially since she is used to being the focal point for the grandparents. I do understand that part, but the way she expresses her frustration with not getting all the attention is to, of course, act out. I felt like all I did was yell at her yesterday afternoon and evening. At one point I stepped outside to see my husband pulling her aside and saying "Don't you ever spit at me again, you understand?" And that was the last straw for me. I took her inside and I told her to go to her room and not to come out. I told her to wait until I came and got her and I warned her not to make a mess. This is the first time I have ever banished her to her room and it was hard on her and on me too. Banishment was my mother's punishment of choice when I was a kid. I never said I wouldn't do it, but doing it just then reminded me of how I felt when my mother did it to me. It was very lonely and scary to wait to get yelled at some more. I left Zoë up in her room for about 15 minutes and then I went up and sat down on the floor with her and I told her that spitting was absolutely not allowed. I didn't yell, but I did make her apologize to her father, which she did quite contritely for a 3-year-old. For the most part things improved from that point on, but I was on top of her every second so that was completely exhausting for me. I have to say, I was happy when she finally went to bed for the night. I hate when I feel that way. I hate when I feel all I did was reprimand her all day.

Happily this morning was much better. Zoë was back to her sweet self and feeling very cuddly as we sat on the couch watching Little Bear together before I had to leave for work. I was incredibly tempted to take a "sickie" just to spend the day with her.

Butterfly Kisses

Every year around father's day they start playing that song Butterfly Kisses. I cannot explain the affect that song has on me because I really don't understand it. I'm not a father. I never gave butterfly kisses to my father. My daughter doesn't give butterfly kisses. I don't even like country music! But every darn time I hear that song it makes me cry. Seriously. The tears well up and I cannot control it. It is so silly.

Last night I was giving Zoë a bath and I had the radio on in the bathroom and Butterfly Kisses came on and I just started to cry right there in the bathroom with Zoë watching me. I tried to stop myself and I tried to hide it, but I didn't do a very good job. Then Zoë said, "But Mom, I love you." And I that only made it worse. I had to just let the tears flow and hug and kiss a wet and soapy kid.

You try explaining to a 3-year-old why you're crying over a song.

You can hear a sample of the song here. Or read the lyrics here.

Family

It all started with Baby Doll...

My daughter thinks of the craziest names for her toys. I wish I knew where she came up with half of them and the other half are more than obvious which gives them their own strangeness.

I think it started with the baby doll I gave her for Christmas 2 years ago. Her name is, of course, Baby Doll.

Next came Pokey and Peekey -- two large stuffed dogs. I believe Pokey is the purple one and Peekey is blue. Pokey came from one of my Montreal trips when we went to La Ronde Amusement Park. I won him at the horse race game where you have to shoot water pistols into a hole to get your horse to move. Not sure how, but I managed to win.
Peekey came from a Toys 'R Us trip that was a reward for some potty training milestone.

Spookette is a stuffed worm/snake (not sure which) that is meant to be an infant's toy.

Spookess is a Dapper Dan type of rabbit that has a zipper, velcro, a button, etc.

Can't leave out:
Katie Doll -- brought home from another Montreal trip and immediatel banished for reasons that were never clear. Luckily Katie Doll found love with my niece.
Patrick (another baby doll -- a girl baby doll)
Mooka (a big piece of plastic tubing -- don't ask)
The complete animal friends bowling set which includes: Squeaky (mouse), Checker Bear, Justin, Justy, Rusty and some others I forgot.

And I believe I have already mentioned our strollers: Strolly and Tray.

I will be sure to add to this list just to keep a record.

6/16/05 update
I can't believe I forgot the two cows: Jacques and Jacques 2.

6/17/05
Thought of another one: Eric the aligator

6/20/05
One more: Farmer the hobby horse

Behind Everyman

ZoesMom blog's first book review...

Last night I finished reading David Israel's debut novel Behind Everyman. The first thing I have to say is that I am sorry it is over. I wanted to keep reading, but once I read through all the acknowledgements and even the blurb about the type I realized the only thing left was the back cover. I gave that one more read and then put the book down at last.

I really enjoyed the 2nd person point of view because it really made me feel like I was in this guy's head. Being a woman, I'm not sure I have ever had that perspective before and it was extremely interesting. Mr. Everyman is an engaging character that immediately won my interest and sympathies. I rooted for him every step of the way and the story felt very honest. I'd love to be able to get into my husband's head in the same way.

The incredible attention to detail was my favorite part -- especially in describing his morning coffee routine and the elevator and all the office scenes. That level of detail reminded me of Nicholson Baker (without the bizarre sex).

I look forward to reading more of Mr. Israel's work. I hope he has a long career. And now I will do as I do with all books I have read and really enjoyed and give it to someone else to read.

morning walks

I usually go out for a walk in the mornings now that the nicer weather is here and I don't have my horribly long commute anymore. I try to get out of the house by 6:15am and if Zoë is awake by that time I will take her with me in her stroller. (Incidentally, she has two strollers both of which she has named. There is Strolly and there is Tray. Tray is the stroller that has a little cup holder and snack tray on it.) The streets are usually rather quiet in my neighborhood at that time of the morning so the only noise is the occasional passing car. My usually very talkative and noisy daughter is also very quiet on these morning walks. She is completely lulled by the motion and the quiet and she usually just looks around and barely says a word for the entire walk. Like this morning, I often wonder what she is thinking about. Is she just absorbing the scenery and wondering about all the houses and the people that live in those houses as I sometimes do? Or is she thinking about something else like her friends from daycare or our upcoming trip to Sesame Place (something I know is not ever far from her mind)? Does she think about me and my husband? What does go on in her head? I guess I'll never really know for sure. It is funny to me to think of her having these independent thoughts.

Hugh Jackman has a wife??

At the end of the Tony awards last night, after making a silly joke about Paris Hilton, show host, handsome Hugh Jackman said he just got a look from his wife. Huh?? Because I would have sworn that Mr. Jackman was as gay as any musical theater loving boy I have ever known. Maybe she's just a front so he can keep on being Wolfman as well as dancing and singing to "Gotta Dance"? But in the face of all the wonderful open gayness present in full-force at last night's award show, I would be surprised that would be tolerated in the show's host. The whole thing was just very confusing.

Speaking of the Tony Awards, Liev Schreiber has evolved into one very handsome man. I have always felt that he is an extremely talented actor, but maybe a little nebbishy. Not anymore. I know he's dating a beautiful actress, but her name escapes me now -- in any case I see her point now.

Also at the Tony Awards was Mr. Edward Albee. He's amazing. I will always regret getting rejected from UT Austin and not having the opportunity to be in the same theater department as him. And I loved what he said about being happy to get the lifetime achievement award before he actually died.

Tylenol PM saved my life

There was an article in the Sunday Times titled "Sleep Anxiety Leads Many to the Medicine Cabinet." It was about the increasing number of women using sleep aids -- especially prescriptions. The article proposes that this might not be a good thing and that finding non-drug related therapies was probably more healthy, beneficial and long-lasting. They may be right, but let me share my story with you now...

Sleep has never come easily to me. I can even remember lying in bed at night playing with my dolls in the dark for what seemed like hours. After my daughter was born -- like all new parents -- my sleep was thrown a huge curveball. By around 8 or 12 weeks my daughter was sleeping a good 6 or seven hour stretch at night which qualified as sleeping through the night in my book, but I found I still couldn't sleep.

When my daughter was just a newborn, the Elizabeth Smart story was all over the news and it fed right into my anxieties. I would lie awake in fear that someone would break into our apartment and try to steal my daughter. I would make my husband check the dead bolt on the door 2 or 3 times. I would go around making sure all the windows were locked. Despite being utterly exhausted -- especially after I returned to work from my maternity leave -- I could not sleep through the night. Even after that fear faded I would just lie there not sleeping. Whatever little tricks and patterns I had created for myself over the years to help me get to sleep were rendered impotent in the face of all the new fears and responsibilities of motherhood -- not to mention trying to maintain my career.

I had quite a long commute at my previous job. Lots of sleep or little sleep, I am a morning person so the affects of a bad night's sleep don't usually catch up with me until the afternoon. That catch-up often coincided with my afternoon commute home -- first stopping to collect Zoë from daycare. Many afternoons I would be so sleepy at the wheel that I would have to blast the radio and pinch myself to make sure my eyes didn't close. I tried chewing gum and drinking diet cokes, but nothing helped much. One afternoon I was so tired that I actually did fall asleep at the wheel. It was probably only 5 seconds before I jerked awake, but it scared me to death. I had to pull over and catch my breath for a good 15 minutes. Not only was I afraid I might wreck the car and kill myself -- what if I hit someone else and hurt or killed them?! What if Zoë had been in the car!? I knew I had to start getting some sleep so I stopped at CVS and bought my first bottle of Tylenol PM. I felt a little self-conscious about it -- like my first time buying tampons or something -- as if what I was doing was somehow wrong. Nevertheless that night I took just one pill even though the recommended dose is two. And I slept. All night. All the way through until morning. It was gorgeous. I felt so much better the next afternoon. My afternoon commute stopped being a struggle to keep my eyes open.

I have continued to take them for almost three years now -- not every night, but any night I suspect I will need it which, I admit, is often. Say what you want, maybe I need therapy, but Tylenol PM kept me from killing myself and others at the wheel of my car.

diet wild cherry pepsi

Today I am thankful for Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi. Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi? I didn't know there was such a thing, you say. And I say, yes, yes, yes and I am so happy about it that I even had to write about it in my blog. Especially because I haven't seen any kind of advertising for it. It just appeared on the super market shelf one day. Like a miracle. It's sweet, it's caffeinated, and it's calorie free. (Perhaps that should be their new ad campaign? ha)



According to the Pepsi site this product may not be available in all areas, but it should be. I am a great consumer of diet soda and I must admit that for many years I shunned Pepsi products. I was a very loyal Diet Coke drinker and would sooner drink water rather than drink Diet Pepsi I so loathed the taste of Diet Pepsi. Seems like someone over a Pepsi is finally doing something right, however. I can't believe I am saying this, but Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi is better than Diet Cherry Coke. Additionally, Pepsi distributes Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi in cans and not just the 2 liter bottle like Diet Cherry Coke therefore making it much easier to bring for work-time consumption.

A date with Sammy

Yesterday Zoë, my husband and I all went for a "playdate" with Zoë's first friend and playmate at daycare, Sammy. The two of them were born about 2 weeks apart and were the same daycare class as babies. They shared everything from the age of 6 months to about 2 years and they just loved eachother. They were so cute together.

Here is a picture of them eating cupcakes at Zoë's first birthday party at the daycare:


It is getting hard to remember her being that little. They have both grown up so much and it was fun to see them together again. At first they were shy with each other, but they did warm up and play together.

Sammy has a swimming pool at his house and when we arrived yesterday everyone was already swimming. Of course, Zoë wanted to go swimming too and I could hardly deny her but unfortunately, I hadn't thought to bring swimming things along. Luckily Sammy's mom was able to help out by lending me a suit and Zoë a swimmy-diaper. The water temperature was actually about 10 degrees warmer than air temperature so it felt quite good to be in the water.

Zoë cannot yet swim so I had put her on a raft where the middle section sinks down into the water so it was like she was in a floating kiddie pool and I could pull her around the pool. At one point I turned my back on her for a moment as I was pulling the raft toward the stairs and when I turned around I saw she had fallen off the raft and was floating in the water -- head completely covered. At that moment time completely slowed down. It seemed to take so much time for my brain to process what I was seeing and then react. I saw her just seeming to hang in the water with her hands above her head and I had to wait for my brain to catch up and tell me what I was seeing. I felt like I was moving so slowly toward her in the water and she was just hanging there. As soon as I reached her I pulled her up and held her tight. She was fine, a little scared, but not at all panicked. She didn't even want to get out of the pool. My husband saw the whole thing from the pool deck and said it all happened very quickly and that she was barely on her own in the water for 5 seconds, but to me it felt like minutes had passed. There were 4 other adults in the pool at the time and I think only one of them even noticed the whole thing. That must be how quickly it went by. It was such a strange feeling to be almost in slow motion. I didn't have time to panic or anything I just reacted and yet it all seemed to take me so much longer than I thought it should. My husband says there is some scientific research on this kind of thing, but I don't know -- to me it was so surreal and so scary.

Summer reading list

Looks like this is going to be a really good summer for reading. There are several books coming out that I am really looking forward to (in no particular order):

Until I Find You : A Novel by John Irving
I'm not sure, but I think I have read every word John Irving has ever published. My love affair with him started way back when I picked my father's copy of The Hotel New Hampshire off the shelf. That was quite an eye-opener for an 11 year-old.

A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby
I have been waiting for another novel from Nick Hornby. However, I don't think he will ever top High Fidelity.

The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella.
Yes, it's "chicklit", but I like Sophie Kinsella's work. It's good like candy is good -- and anyone who knows me knows how I feel about candy.

The Other Woman by Jane Green.
See above comment about "chicklit." I have read all of Jane Green's books -- no reason to stop now when she has never let me down.

Goodnight Nobody : A Novel by Jennifer Weiner.
Actually this book is not coming out until September 20, but I that is still technically summer. I have read all of Jennifer Weiner's books too so again, there is no reason to stop now. She is a consistently good author with a real feel for presenting a sympathetic point of view towards almost all women. I find that a lot of women authors of her type of books tend to only have one (or two at most) women characters that are palatable -- the rest are just not likeable and often comic book evil.

Currently I am reading Object Lessons by Anna Quindlen.
This book is kind of a disappointment compared to her other novels. It is so depressing that I am not even sure I will finish it.

Books

How much stuff will fit on this bed?

Last night Zoë had a new game. It is called "How much stuff will fit on my bed." After I put her to bed and kissed her goodnight at least 10 times and stayed in the room for several "half a minute more, please," she apparently got out of bed and cleared out all the blankets and sheets that were in her dresser and piled them on top of her bed. She also gathered an entire shelf's worth of books, the throw blanket from the chair, and several stuffed animals. I didn't hear any of this activity and she did it all in the dark. Needless to say, I was quite surprised when I went in to do my usual last check of the night. There she was sleeping like an angel surrounded by all that stuff! It was so funny -- Rob and I were hysterical and he even got the video camera to document the occurrence. It's a good thing she has a double bed -- it would have been awfully crowded with all of that stuff in a twin bed.

My question is what does this behavior mean? Is it just normal, quirky 3 year-old behavior? Could it be some kind of insecurity? I really don't know. Maybe it is a forecasting of her genius? :-)

My other question: is there anything more angelic and peaceful looking than a sleeping child? We have so many pictures of Zoë taken while she is sleeping that I could probably put together an album of just those photos.

Sorting it out

Almost every night for awhile now after we put Zoë to bed and we've left the room, she gets up and pulls books from her bookshelf to take into bed with her. She wraps the books up in one of her “blankies”, puts them under her pillow or just stacks them on the bed. What the heck is that about? When I ask her about it, she doesn't explain and I’m not even sure that if that is can't or won't. I really don’t mind her doing this it is just really puzzling behavior.

The other quirky thing she is doing a lot now is taking all of her Legos – piece-by-piece out of the Lego box and into a bag or another box or several cups – whatever containers are available. Same thing with the wooden blocks from her Pattern Blocks and Boards toy. Generally with those pieces she will separate them by shape first and then assign them different containers. I know sorting is not unusual for kids, but still... The best thing about the sorting is her intensity with it. If left undisturbed, she will literally not look up from this kind of sorting for 45 minutes. Anyone who knows a 3 year-old will tell you that is a lifetime.

Neither of these habits bother me, but the clean-up can be kind of a pain. Especially when all the little Lego pieces get thrown into the same grocery bag with the play food and the blocks. Its my own 45 minute sorting session. I know, I know, I should have her help clean up, but the problem is mine here. She doesn't leave these things all over in a mess -- generally they are put away in whatever containers they ended up in. Its just my own compulsive behavior that prefers the Legos return to the Lego box, etc.

Wearing white pants

I think I have hit a milestone in my quest toward becoming a grown-up. Today I managed to wear white pants to work and I did not sit in anything or spill anything. Additionally, I even wore both the correct color and style of underwear so that it is not visible through my pants in any fashion. Silly as it sounds, I am quite proud of myself. I fell in love with these particular white pants one very cold and snowy March day when actual spring felt very far off. In the past few weeks they have been of some concern to me because they were quite expensive and I was feeling afraid to wear them. Now I know I can do it. Yay me!

Now, if only my white pants wearing ability was matched by my parenting skills. It has been a long stretch of bad behavior from Zoë lately. She is starting to get it in bits and pieces, but for some reason I just can't seem to get her to listen and to stop whining. And man, what is with the hunger strikes?! It's as if the "terrible two's" have returned. I really don't want her to be a brat, but I really hate feeling like I am reprimanding her all of the time. Her new thing is that when she starts to sense that I am less than thrilled with her behavior she tells me that she loves me.

Dining out

When does it happen that your kid goes from seeing eating in a restaurant as a special kind of torture to seeing it as a special treat?

We made the mistake of taking Zoë out for dinner last night and it was another horrible experience. When will I learn??? Why can't I believe that she actually does not like to eat at a restaurant? She behaved abominably. Every 30 seconds I had to reprimand her for something. And you can forget her actually eating anything. She is back to her liquid diet. Juice and milk only.

I had lunch with my neighbor today and we were discussing awful restaurant experiences with the kids (I brought it up, of course) and from that conversation I think I know why it baffles me that Zoë doesn't like eating out -- and possibly where I have gone wrong. My parent's never took us anywhere. Getting to eat at the local diner once in a blue moon was a really, really big treat. It wasn't that they were cheap, I don't think. I think they just didn't want to deal with the kids out in public. So, any chance we did get was so amazing. It was an experience to revel and you did not dare misbehave for fear of never going out again.

Of course, here is the double-edged sword -- in order for me to instill the same feeling in Zoë I will have to stop taking her out which means I will have to stop going out. I really like to get out for dinner once or twice a week, but I guess I am going to have to give that up for awhile now. Darn. Sometimes it stinks to be the grown-up.

This is your brain on motherhood

All week I have been meaning to write about the op-ed piece that appeared in the Times on Sunday "This Is Your Brain on Motherhood." Aptly it appeared on Mother's day written by Katherine Ellison. She discusses the common myth that modern-day parenting somehow makes you stupid and points out the dangers of expressions like "pregnancy brain" especially in the workplace. The meat of the piece starts with this:

What if parenting really isn't a zero-sum, children-take-all game? What if raising children is actually mentally enriching for mothers - and fathers?

This is, in fact, what some leading brain scientists, like Michael Merzenich at the University of California, San Francisco, now believe. Becoming a parent, they say, can power up the mind with uniquely motivated learning. Having a baby is "a revolution for the brain," Dr. Merzenich says.

Yes! Parenting does make you smarter, more creative and more in tune to your emotional state of being. It makes me so happy to see that this piece has been in the top 25 most emailed articles on the Times website all week. Lots and lots of people are reading it and sending it on and hopefully agreeing with it. I may just have to go out and get Ms. Ellison's book: "The Mommy Brain: How Motherhood Makes Us Smarter." I love a good motivational and affirming read.

10 minutes before 4

It's roughly ten minutes before 4 and it seems my brain has signed off for the day. I cannot seem to focus on work at all. The best I can do is write about how unfocused I feel.

It is a sunny spring day here and I had a lovely lunch with one of my stay-at-home mom friends and I just haven't recovered from that diversion in the day. I guess I do still sometimes wish to be a stay-at-home mom. Mostly for the freedom of it. I don't think the work is any easier, but at least you are definitely the boss. I don't know if I would be happy or not having never tried it, but I think working part time would probably be the ideal situation. My hope is that by the time Zoë is in first or second grade I will be able to work a shorter day and be there when she gets home from school. I want to do all that after school stuff with her even if it is just driving her to practices or whatever. Theoretically, it could happen. And now that I am working so much closer to home, the possibility of it really working out is even greater.

I can't get a real feel for how things are going at this new job. I think they are going well, but I can't be sure as I haven't received any real feedback. Not sure when that will ever come. But if I am hoping for anything positive I think I better try and find a way to get my head back into the game today.

It's a boys world after all

The new job is going well, but for one detail. The "boys club" is alive and well here. It is so intensely frustrating. Not to mention somewhat depressing and slightly disheartening. I am trying to just accept it right now, but without giving up hope. It's not that I feel I will outright be not granted a promotion, etc., because of my chromosomal status, but I just wish it weren't so obvious.

That is why I am so darn pleased that the final two contestants on The Apprentice are women. Hooray! I don't even care who wins, because I think they are both really very talented. Actually, I can't even decide who I want to win and I don't think I'll make up my mind until after Thursday night's show. Tana is totally representin' for the moms -- not to mention being an amazing sales person, but Kendra is amazing with those marketing ideas. You go girls!