WW: Duct Tape Room {Linky}

We ventured out of our home to go to two gallery closings. With gallery openings and closing most of them you have to call to make appointments to go to them. We ended up having the spaces to our selves. Certainly distancing! We still wore masks. 

This one was pretty cool. The artist's name is Nick Miller from Omaha, Nebraska. He built the entire room out of Duct Tape. 

Cool, trippy, and fun!

#TecEssence 3D Moon Light Review

Christmas is coming up!

It's sooner than I anticipated. It’s going to be an odd one. 

We can’t get together as a big family because of COVID. It’s hard because my sister has two kids with trisomy 18. Their immune systems are fragile. Instead we'll take turns having my parents over to each house.

I’m still looking for jobs. I have two in the fire, but still looking out there. So many things are seasonal, or part time. It’s harder work to look for jobs, then it is to work I think. I've been looking for a few years now. It's exhausting. I just want to work, come home, and blog, paint, design, or hold Sunny. Money is tighter. 

The boys are getting older, so buying for them is more challenging. They just got their rooms done. What do I get the that they need or want? I thought about rugs and new overhead lights. They could always use another remote, or headset, for their PS4, that we have them play on only once a week. I got the boys and some of my nephews KEEN insulated thermoses 30% off at work, then 15% off from my discount. I did the same with honey sticks, pistachios, and chapstick. How exciting! *Insert sarcasm here. Holidays are different when they are older. 

I'd love to give them a trip, but again...COVID strikes. Let's be honest...they could care less about clothes these days.

One Holiday Idea: 

I found Mica a little light to go in his room. It will fit well with his space theme. This 3D #TecEssence Moon Light changes colors. It’s smaller than I thought. Just big enough to fit in ones hands. 

You can get it here: https://tecessence.com/collections/all-lights/products/nebula-galaxy-lamp%E2%84%A2, for $39.99. I think that's way too high of a price, for this lamp. I'd be willing to pay $15, for it. It took awhile to ship, wasn't big, the base didn't come put together, it's 3D printed plastic, and I still haven't been able to get the remote battery section to come off without breaking it. It's stubborn. 

It lights up with a USB cord. It has different modes. I like the top picture mode best.

There's a purple mode.

There's a blue mode.

Then there's a red mode.

I did have trouble with getting the remote to work, and open it. 

I actually changed the colors by touching the lamp its self when it was on the USB cord. 

I just can't get it apart! I feel like I'm going to break it. I've pressed on the release, and pulled, I pulled, after doing the a few times I gave up. Travis hasn't tried. It would be best to get it to work, for all the options. 

What are you getting for your kids, or grandkids for Christmas?

Disclaimer: I got this product for a discounted price, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Bubble Space

I had a dentist appointment yesterday. The lady that cleaned my teeth started talking to me about her five year old that's in preschool. Her son happens to have a friend that is a girl. In the past they have always kissed each other goodbye. She's trying to let him know that, it's no longer appropriate to kiss girls his age.

Then a girl that I teach with got a call from her daughter's principle saying, "We're having problems with ____ kissing boy's in class." She did her best not to giggle. Then had a talk with her daughter (who is in kindergarten). 

I told both ladies above about Mica's class in kindergarten having trouble with infringing on people's space. Mica's teacher says that this is very common with kindergarten, first and even second graders to want to give each other hugs and kisses. It's not just Mica that they are having problems with.

We as parents teach our kids to be affectionate. In their first years it's acceptable to kiss and hug the people they see. Most of them are relatives or close friends. We send them off into independent land; once they get comfortable with their fellow classmates some of them want to kiss, hug and boys often want to wrestle.

When I was in kindergarten I in no way thought about kissing a boy. I thought they had cooties.

What used to be acceptable in their minds is no longer acceptable. What once was cute, is no longer appropriate.

What are we doing about this:

• We've talked to Mica's teacher a few times. She's really glad we're on her side. I guess a lot of parents don't care now a days, which is really sad! She thinks they get a lot of this from TV. Mica has barely watched TV. I can blame it on Disney's Princess' and Prince's. They really glorify a kiss!
• We've talked to Mica many times about giving people space! At school they call this, "Bubble Space."
• We've talked about germs.
• We've talked about how it's ok to kiss and hug people like Mommy, Daddy, Grandma's and Grandpa's. It's however not ok to kiss or hug classmates.
• He's had to write apology letters. 
• We've sent him to bed early. With Mica, naughty behavior clears up with sleep much of the time.
• Daddy emailed and asked Boys Town what to do? That may seem obsessive, but hey if they have the right answers then we need to hear them.
• I've talked about role playing with Mica. He seems to like to act. Why not try to act like I'm a fellow student of his?
• Daddy thought about making a contract with Mica. If he breaks it and infringes on someone's personal space at school, he looses something really important to him. We of course would explain all this to him.

I do have to say that I'm glad that Mica isn't the only one infringing on people's bubble space. He's not the only one that sticks out like a sore thumb. Then again, other classmates might be where he's getting this from.

What we don't want is Mica afraid to tell us when something goes wrong!