A Whole New World - 2024 edition

It has been almost seven years since my last blog post. To say things have changed would be the world's greatest understatement. 

LP is 17. SEVENTEEN. And is preparing to go to college in the fall.

AK is 15. And in a few weeks will take the train to Baltimore by herself to visit a friend and in a few months will go to Europe with a high school class.

Way back when I started this blog, I was faking it - hoping I was making good decisions and being a good role model for my girls. I can unequivocally state that I was not always right. That being said, LP and AK have far surpassed anything I could ever have imagined.

They are poised, confident, smart and kind. 

They have chosen to take very active roles in a teen youth movement and this has given them incredible leadership opportunities and life experiences. They are often best friends in the best sense (and still occasionally annoy the $h!t out of each other - and us).

Looking back, it was not intentional, but I see that the life lessons the Hoos and I tried to instill were about helping them to be good people, empowered to and capable of making good decisions - or recovering from less good decisions. 

And they make me better.

A few years ago, I was telling LP how proud and impressed I was by how she did not care what other people thought of her and stood up for what she believed in. " I wouldn't have done that when I was your age. I am in my 40s and I only have gained that confidence recently."

She looked right back at me and said, " I didn't know you then. I see you now - that is how I see you."

WHAT THE ACTUAL F?! Mind. Blown.

If you are still reading this blog - or getting notifications - I hope this gives you some sense of closure - we are all okay! Better than okay. Thank you for hanging on. 

And for those of you about to watch your littles waddle out of the nest - I am confident that the world is going to be better thanks to the people you created.
 

More In Awe Than Ever

There is a lot about the last 11 years that I can't recall. Sometimes AK will read aloud printouts of this right here blog and ask me "Mom, do you remember that??" And honestly, thank goodness for me writing it down in this blog, because otherwise I would have absolutely no recollection.

One thing I do remember is a complete sense of awe after giving birth to LP. The Hoos and I looked at each other in amazement- we had created a person! A person! Two cells - one person! The feeling was the same two years later with the arrival of AK.

Thinking back makes me laugh. We hadn't created a person. We had created a blank slate. Perfect in many many ways - all of the physical parts and the unbounded capacity to learn and grow and be full of life and knowledge and personality. 

Today, when I look at LP and AK I am truly overwhelmed. They are smart, strong and independent. They are beautiful - inside and out. They are full of words and thoughts and emotions. Ideas that I can't even fathom. 

Oddly enough, I still sometimes find myself at a loss as to why they are behaving a certain way. Much  like when they were newborns and parenting was new and all the Hoos and I could do was guess as to the rationale behind a cry. They have words alright--more words than I could have ever imagined--but they too are still learning to express themselves and understand their feelings and the world. 

Every day I am more in awe. Even as I type this with my thumbs as the two of them annoy each other upstairs and pick at one another for no apparent reason. We are so proud of them. Their triumphs fulfill me more than my own. They are my biggest triumph. 

Holding Hands

The other day I took LP and AK for a swim at the JCC and from an observation room high above the pool, AK's class clustered at the window to watch us swim. Both AK and LP relished the attention and showed off their swimming and jumping skills. I tried to keep as much of my body under the water as possible.

I know that there will be a time in the not-too-distant future when my babies are embarrassed to be seen in public with me. They will no longer hold my hand or even wave at their friends when I am in the vicinity.

I also know there will be times when they don't want to even look at each other, let alone spend time together. Right now I don't mind that LP occasionally requests AK in the morning, instead of the me (or the Hoos). Sure, AK typically refuses to help and I have to bribe her to kiss her sister, but still, they love each other.

Some mornings I lay in bed with the girls when they are just waking up and I whisper, "Mommy will always love you. Mommy will always give you hugs and kisses when you need them. I am proud of you everyday." I also use this opportunity to remind them that they will never be too big to cuddle with me.  

Lack of Focus

We just had our house painted. It looks great and now it is time to unpack all of the decorative items we stowed away during the process. I was determined to get it done, and here is what really happened:

1. Headed upstairs to get bins of breakable items from their storage space on the third floor.
2. Atop on second floor and realize washer has stopped, so I should put stuff into dryer.
3. Realize dryer is full.
4. Realize laundry basket is overflowing with other clean, unfolded items.
5. Start folding sheets in basket.
6. Realize basket is too full for me to make immediate impact.
7. Remove stuff from dryer and put it on our bed.
8. Move wash to dryer.
9. Continue folding sheets.
10. Fold all 3 loads that fill basket and cover bed.
11. Try to put sheets away.
12. Realize linen closet is bursting.
13. Empty linen closet.
14. Refold and reorganize linen closet.
15. Leave out sheets for the unmade trundle bed on third floor.
16. Head up to third floor.
17. Put sheets on bed.
18. Realize blankets for trundle are in LP's closet.
19. Go down to second floor to get blanket.
20. Notice girls' folded clothes.
21. Put away girls' laundry.
22. Bring blankets to third floor.
23. Put blankets on bed.
24. Locate bin I originally came upstairs for...

No wonder I can't accomplish anything! 

LP in the House

Yesterday, LP came to work with me. In honor of Martin Luther King day, she had the day off. I did not.

While I could have made alternate plans for her for the day, she was adamant about coming in to the office with me. She had big plans. She wanted to spend the day with Maggie, the yellow lab that LP fell in love with over the summer.

I am sure that Tim, my co-worker, was sick of me verifying that he would, indeed bring Maggie into the office to entertain LP. I shouldn't have worried. He brought her in, Maggie bounded over to LP and a long day of indoor ball-throwing, outside potty breaks, and bonding began.

Face Time

This is what happens when your children steal your phone.

Oh, the Indignity!

There are lots of things about being a parent that require you to give up a little bit of yourself.

• Modesty and Privacy. More than five (FIVE?!?!)  years ago, I posted about giving these up. That hasn't changed. In fact, I think it is worse. Now my children will knock on the door and then walk right in if I am in the bathroom. And if I am in the shower, they will just pull up a stool and chat with me. 
• Alone Time. Alone time? What is that?! HA!When I get to go to the grocery store sans children, it is freedom I am not used to. I can't decide if I should pick up a mocha before I go to the store and then have to carry it around or if I should get it after and then have to race home to put away the groceries. (Sad, sad alone decisions, I know).
• Humility. When you are wiping butts - however adorable they may be - several times a day, there is just no time to be proud. The most recent reminder of this was earlier this week when LP squeezed her nose shut and shouted, "Mom! can you clean out Humphrey's wheel?" Did he poop in it, I asked. "I don't know what it is, it is just icky!". And so there I was, scrubbing nasty, sticky hamster pee out of his silent wheel.

While this list is not all inclusive - I can't even imagine how much more I could write about humility if we got a dog - I did say you just give up a little bit of yourself.

The girls remind me every so often that I "am the boss of the house."

I am hoping they mean that I am not just the boss of the cleaning up and laundry and cooking and grocery shopping and planning and instead I am the boss of the inhabitants of the house as well.  And then I find myself picking hamster poop out of Humphrey's fur and start to wonder...

I just couldn't go all sad again, I couldn't. I hope this and some of the links back to old posts makes you laugh.

When There Are No Answers

In case you didn't guess from the url of this blog, I am a Connecticut mom. And this week at least, we are all Connecticut moms. Moms and dads and grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins and siblings who love our kids and will give them dozens of extra hugs and kisses over the next few days and weeks.

It doesn't matter how close geographically one lives to Newtown, CT. We all might as well live in Newtown. There is not a single person unaffected by this tragedy. Even those that are blissfully unaware, like AK, who we decided not to tell.

I am not a political person. And, yet, I do think, hope, feel that perhaps some sort of legislation would make something like this less likely to happen. Mental health? Gun control? I don't know the answer, but I sure would like one. Or maybe I would just like to know that there is an answer for how to avoid it, because I do not think we will ever get an answer to 'why?'.

Like everyone else, the Hoos and I struggled to process. We grappled with if and how and how much to tell LP. As a six year old first grader, she felt too young to tell, but too old not to tell.

A few weeks ago she came home from school and told us about the drills her class did in case of a tornado. We giggled along with her as she described how 22 kids and pregnant teacher would cram into the closet-sized bathroom in her class and one kid asked, "What if I have to pee?"

We aren't giggling anymore.

Quicker Picker Upper

Kids are such perfect blanks slates. Well, maybe not completely blank- there is some "nature" in the whole "nature vs. nurture" thing...

Perhaps a better metaphor is that kids are like Bounty? They really do absorb everything.

Yesterday LP told me that a boy kissed her 10 times. On the hand. And that she "sucked them into her heart" and she is in love with him. Now, I am not saying that I ever said these things. As those who know me can attest, I am not exactly a romantic. But did she hear them somewhere? Read them somewhere? Or is this "nature"?

And there there is AK. Sweet little AK who removes her clothes and walks around the house in my high-heeled boots and preens in front of the mirror. Again, I DO NOT DO THIS. And, actually, no one other than AK does (in our house at least). I am going to chalk this one up to the "nature."

AK also asked me the other day to tell her she is pretty. I said, "AK, I tell you that you are smart and beautiful all the time. You are beautiful." And her response? "I know." When I told her the appropriate answer was "thank you." She told me that she had just seen the same exchange on TV and wanted to "try it out." Obviously not nurture. Maybe anti-nurture, since she was watching Disney Channel instead of reading a book with me? Dang you Cece and Rocky!

While these are not necessarily things that will scar them for life (I am not going to put those in writing so my kids can't hold it against me in 15 years), they clearly demonstrate that:

1. I am in over my head.
2. There is no way to filter a child's entire life experience.
3. Even if they don't LISTEN, my kids HEAR everything that is said around them.

Please, tell me I am not alone. What crazy things have your kids said or done recently that scares the bejeezers out of you?

All the Time in the World

It is amazing to me how time flies. While I grin with glee when I talk about how this is my last year of day care, on the inside I am also remembering that it means my baby will soon be five. I remember when AK was Bun - the nameless, sexless baby that I carried in my oddly pointed belly.

If that isn't bad enough - My big girl is losing teeth! I remember when she didn't even have teeth.

As time goes by, I am also coming to terms with what a big job it is to be a mommy. To be a parent.

At times I forget. I see my role in the mundane - slurbing on bellies, washing dirty clothes, collecting toys from scattered places, packing lunches and reminding and nagging.

And at other times, it seems as if being "the mom" is an enormous task.

Teaching them about inner beauty, self-confidence, body image.

Reminding them that they are smart and beautiful and good.

Gloating when they do something nice unprompted.

Hurting when they are hurt by others. 

Cringing when I see them do the same thing.

Realizing that even if I am there to try to "fix" it and educate and remind, it doesn't make it go away. It might help them temper the response next time, but I can't make it go away. And I can't be there all the time.







 

It's Been a Month Since My Last Confession

The post title seemed fitting considering the previous post and the stark reality truth that I am just not so good at this blogging thing anymore.

Consider the facts.

This is a list of how many times I posted to this blog since its inception:

• ►  2012 (48)
• ►  2011 (63)
• ►  2010 (167)
• ►  2009 (254)
• ►  2008 (246) 
• ►  2007 (268)

As I haven't gotten any angry emails protesting my lack of posts, I can't imagine too many of you are too upset. 

But anyway...

Somehow it is already Thanksgiving 2012. I am not exactly sure that happened, but between a hurricane followed by a week without school followed by a week-long trip to Denver time apparently passed me by.  In that time:
  

LP lost TWO TEETH. And had lots of communications with the tooth fairy. In fact, she continues to leave notes under her pillow for the tooth fairy, but since the tooth fairy only comes when you lose a tooth, the questions about how big she is and what her name is remain unanswered.

We had Halloween. We actually had several Halloweens since it was postponed twice in our town. A big highlight was that we were "ghosted."  It means that people know we live in the neighborhood and are making an effort to include us in neighborhood activities. Woo-hoo! Of course, we immediately ghosted two other people (as per the note included in the ghosting package. We also took it upon ourselves to "snowball" our across the street neighbors. Since the instructions were written by LP, we are not sure the neighbors understood and perpetuated the snowballing, but we will just have to try again.

We had a hurricane. We were very fortunate and barely lost power, but we did lose several very large trees in our yard. They didn't hit any people, powerlines or structures (except decimating our dock), but they did create the potential for damming up the creek that runs in the back of our yard. So a lot of money and a totally destroyed yard later, we have doubled the length of our water access! The Hoos has big plans.

We had school conferences. Both girls are doing just great academically and socially. LP has a tendency to talk and AK's form said, "She has great communication skills and is a leader." We figure that is a nice was of saying she talks a lot and is a bit bossy. 

I am struggling to believe that they are both growing so quickly. Can you all even believe that she is almost 4.5? I will have to register her for kindergarten in a few months!

The One Where We Talk About Religion

Yesterday as I buckled the girls into the car after our weekly trip to Target, LP asked, "Mom? Can we talk about Jesus?"

Alrighty then. Not exactly the topic I had planned to discuss."Sure, I don't know too much, but what would you like to talk about?"

"No, I don't mean I want to talk about him now. I just mean in general. Is it okay to talk about Jesus?"

Good grief. Does everyone have this conversation with their children? "Well, if you have questions about him, you can ask someone, but, no, it isn't nice to..."

...Picture the wheels turning in my head: I don't want to say "take the Lord's name in vain", because, being Jewish, we don't believe he is our Lord, and I don't think LP would understand what that means anyway...

"...it isn't nice to just yell out 'Jesus!'"

There! I think to myself. Conversation shut down.

HAHAHAHA. Gullible Mommy.

LP goes on, "Jesus is G-d's son."

Honestly?!Where is the Hoos when I am dealing with these questions?!?!

"Well, LP, since we are Jewish we don't believe in Jesus. We don't believe G-d has a son like that."

Please, please, please let this conversation be over. I know there are lots of people that cherish these opportunities to talk religion with their children. I am not one of them.

"But, mom? Who is G-d's wife?"

I now mentally smack myself on the forehead.

To the Fullest

On the day LP was born, we had several visitors rush to the hospital to meet her. One of the first was the Hoos' great aunt, Auntie Anne. At the time she was 91 and her cooing about the "delicious" LP could be heard throughout the maternity ward. I truly believe that a bond was created the instant they laid eyes on each other.

Auntie Anne was a presence. With a cloud of white hair, a thick arch of blue eye shadow, and a hair bow that matched her outfit, purse, and shoes, she was as vibrant in personality as she was in appearance.

While some children might find older people intimidating, LP was enchanted with Auntie Anne. And the feeling was mutual. A sensitive soul, LP has a magic way about of her; she knows how to give love and attention and somehow give everyone just what they need.

LP and Auntie Anne would spend dinners blowing kisses at each other across the table and trying to catch them out of the air, giggling when they would disappear or run out of "ammunition".

When Auntie Anne made a permanent move to Florida last year, LP would send her cards and drawings, like this note she sent Auntie Anne around her 97th birthday:

Too ont ean
I LOVE you
So mutsh
“Im” “srEE “thatukan
Cumtoo rathlos Br
Mitsvu FRum [LP]

Yesterday we said goodbye to Auntie Anne on a beautiful day with bright blue skies and warm sun. We celebrated a woman that had lived life to the fullest and was loved (and loved) by many. When the Hoos told LP that Auntie Anne had died, she asked him if she could "visit her stone." She wants to bring flowers and pull off the petals to decorate it. I can not imagine a more fitting tribute to this special friendship.

Home Movies

While visiting Mystic Seaport, LP and AK spontaneously composed and performed a fabulous ditty.

AK shares some of her "technique".

Jumping rope


Hula Hooping

I Was So Much Older Then, I'm Younger Than That Now.

Earlier this month I entered my late 30s! I love my birthday and I don't mind my age. But I feel like people that were in their "late 30s" twenty years ago were older than I am now. Or more sophisticated. Or something.

When my mom was 35 (a year YOUNGER than I am now), my older brother was bar mitzvahed. And she wore a long suede dress with shoulder pads (it was the 80s). While the style has changed, I don't even think I would know where to BUY this type of formal dress. And I certainly don't think I could pull off wearing one!

I wear jeans. A lot. And t-shirts. From Old Navy. Clearly, I am no fashion plate. And  once my niece asked me to save a hoodie for her "when I was done with it." I remember once, a long time ago, I would outgrow clothes and change out my wardrobe. But now I add to it and get rid of stuff that no longer fits (outgrowing in different directions, sigh...). But "done"? Not so much.

Maybe it is just me and I am an unsophisticated clod? But I don't think so. The picture in this post is from my senior year of high school. It is our class trip to Rocking Horse Ranch, so we aren't dressed up...but have you seen casual high school seniors these days?  Besides the advent of low rise jeans and the extinction of scrunchies, they all look like they are in their early 20s. Easily.

Is it just a function of aging that our parents and our kids both seem "older" than we were at their age? 

Ahh, Innocence

When people ask me how old my kids are and I tell them six and four, a common response is, "What a great age!" I kind of figured people said this about any age with the exception of say the years between 11 and 20. But recently I have found myself agreeing with them AND I think I have even been able to put my finger on a few of the things that make it so:

1. They can communicate. No more guessing about why they are crying or what they want. Of course, now we just have to figure out if they are fake crying or real crying. 
2. Less stuff to lug around. No diaper bad, no strollers taking up trunk space on vacation. And, while I still have to pack lots of entertaining things - at least coloring books and the like are small.
3. The snuggling. Sigh...the snuggling. I love snuggling with my babies. I know this won't last forever;  when LP tells me that I am "the snuggliest" and AK wraps her arms around my neck and showers me with kisses, I try to soak it all in (and not think about the 500 other things I need to be doing).
4. Independent entertainment. LP and AK are finally at the point where I don't constantly worry about them being too quiet when they are alone in a room together. They can both be in the family room, making up their own projects or watching TV and there is only screaming about 10% of the time. Even better, they will wake up on a Sunday morning and just go downstairs together and leave us sleeping. Yesterday I went downstairs and found AK with a bowl of dry frosted mini-wheats and a cup of water, "Look mommy, I got my own cereal! Can you add milk to it?"
5. The ability to listen. Not that they always do listen - selective hearing is, after all, a common trait of children, but LP and AK still ask permission for most things. They don't sneak candy (we still have a mostly full Halloween basket from last October!) and, while they don't always agree with our limits, they at least accept them. This may mean that they sometiems try to push the limits on what is a healthy snack (usually "something from the fridge" is healthy, "something from the pantry" is not; this mean cheez doodles - not healthy, even if they are cheesy. AK and LP don't really agree). 
6. Life without guile. Building on number five, it amazes the Hoos and me that it doesn't occur to the girls to not ask permission. I will likely regret typing this. On a Friday night they may yell down, "Can we have a sleepover!?" when they should already be sleeping. If they just crawled into bed together? The Hoos and I would be none-the-wiser until we went to get ready for bed. 
7. Bathroom stuff. Yay! Love not having to change diapers. They still yell out, "MOOOOOMMM! Will you wipe me!!" but it is better than the alternative. (And yes, we still deal with nightly pull-ups for AK.)
8. They walk! While there is still the occasional request for "Uppy!" from AK, for the most part the girls walk everywhere. No strollers, no clinging. Sometimes I even get them to carry stuff! This is short-lived and I usually end up carrying the sweatshirt, the stuffed animal, the purse - but still, an improvement.

This is not to say that life with a six and four year old is perfect. They still have their moments of moodiness or crankiness. They can be difficult to communicate with and read and understand. But compared to where we were two years ago and certainly four years ago - I think we are just where we are supposed to be.

What do you think it the "perfect age"? 29? 

Two of Us

Friday marks 10 years of wedded bliss with the Hoos. While it doesn't come even close to my parents' 40 years or my grandparents' 65th, it is kind of a big deal.

I won't talk about how we met or where we met or why his blog name is "Hoos". I am betting that most of that is pretty boring to readers of this blog.

Actually, I am not really sure why you keep coming back and reading me, but it isn't likely because you like to hear me blather about my relationship with my husband. It probably also isn't because you like to see cute pictures of my kids. Most of the time it is because you want to know what Les Zombies Et Les Loup-Garous means. 

How about a brief overview of what "married with children" means to most couples (using me and the Hoos as my reference)?

• Openly discussing my gray hair; but not my weight.
• Sharing parenting duties in the way that best suits us.
• Working together and more importantly sticking together as a team when facing off with our children.
• Recognizing that neither of us is perfect, but one of us might have more patience than the other at any given point in time. 
• Accepting that our children are made up of the good and bad of each of us and a stubborn streak or tendency to throw tantrums isn't solely due to the actions of one or the other of us in early childhood. 
• Excusing a poor choice of words or action, because we know it was unintentional. 
• Celebrating each others' successes. Being happy when our kids do something is one thing, but being proud of my spouse and having him be proud of me feels just as good if not better. If I can't do small things - like getting the kids out of bed, dressed and fed without him, than I certainly can't accomplish big things - like switching jobs or taking on more responsibility at work.
• Trying to look forward to each day as an opportunity for a new adventure. 

What does "married with children" mean to you? What have you learned in your marriage that would be a good lesson to me, even 10 years in?

Motoring

Yesterday morning I vaguely remember hearing the ladies chatting amongst themselves while I stayed snuggled in bed. Around 8:45, there was a distant, loud, persistent call, "MOOOOOMMMM CAN YOU OPEN MY YOGURT!" at which point the Hoos turned to me and said, "Are they downstairs?"

After opening the yogurt for AK, giving LP a waffle and taking a shower, I was back downstairs and being dragged outside. "We want to ride our bikes." Instead of watching TV on a Sunday morning? Whose children are these?

It has pain painfully obvious for approximately a year, that LP had outgrown her bike. Her knees were in her face. It was also apparent that the athletic AK was sort of over the tricycle.See above for proof.

After locating the coupon I had received from Discover for $20 off any $100+ purchase at Sports Authority, the answer was clear.

LP is now the proud owner of a new bike (for $95, we got LP a new helmet and an 18" bike, I think this is a pretty good deal). AK is also telling everyone that she got a new bike and now has two helmets (thank you G-d for a little girl who looks at hand-me-downs in this way!).

AK also spent the better part of an hour riding a little bicycle throughout the aisles of Sports Authority while the Hoos and LP selected her bike and helmet. I got to chase AK. The Hoos told me that this does not count as exercise. Jerk.

Now we just have to teach them how to ride. Well, they know how to ride, but they are both really dependent on the training wheels. While both bikes have training wheels, the new goal is to get them to learn how to balance and see the training wheels as a crutch and not a support mechanism for going around turns. Since I was about 11 when I learned how to ride a bike, this will be testing all of my parenting skills and bicycling knowledge.

In addition to spending Sunday on two wheels, we enjoyed part of Saturday on four legs - at the Easton Farm Tour. Easton is one town over from us and about 11 farms opened their gates to the public. Some of them - like Sherwood Farm - are always open to the public and have great farm stands; others - like Gilberties commercial operation and Buttonwood Farm - are usually private. Either way, we had a great time and delivered on the girls' wish for a pony ride. It was AK's first time and only LP's second. LP told me, "Anytime there is a chance for a pony ride - like a birthday party or something - always bring me. Even if we have other plans. Bring me."

An Interesting Turn of Events

Many of you out there may remember this image of LP. It was captured by my friend, DM, several years ago on a school trip to an animal farm. I am sure there are other similar photos of LP floating around out there due to her well-documented love/hate relationship with animals.

You can now add to that collection, these photos.

Friday morning I got an email from a colleague asking if we could dog sit their incredibly sweet yellow lab. After checking with the Hoos, we decided to give it a go.

Not only did we all survive the weekend, we had a great time and the girls did an AWESOME job. Especially LP, as evidenced by the photos above.

Raining in My Heart

This weekend was a much-anticipated family camping trip. It was AK's first camping trip and only LP's second. The last time LP went camping, she couldn't walk.

We went with both of the Hoos' brothers, one of whom has also never been camping. Fortunately, my other brother- and sister-in law are experienced campers and pack enough food, camping supplies and various, but needed, miscellany for all of us.

The three hour ride to Emerald Lake State Park was full of energy, excitement and talk of smores.  To say the girls were excited would be an understatement. While the Hoos and I were both happy to have the day off of work, we were a bit concerned about the doom and gloom talk of thunderstorms and rain clouds. After weeks on end with little if any rain, this weekend was supposed to make up for it.

We need not have worried about Friday night's weather. Or the sleeping. The girls were in heaven. They loved sleeping in the tent, snuggled all together. They both slept until almost 8 on Saturday morning - getting more shuteye than the rest of us combined! And the girls LOVED being able to run in between camp sites, burrowing into their sleeping bags and playing house with their cousins.

Alas, Saturday afternoon, the clouds rolled in.

Let me just say, packing up in a downpour is not fun. Unless you are under the age of seven and you are dry in the car playing on your parents' iPhones.

What is nice is everyone sleeping until 9, in their own bed the day after returning from an abbreviated camping trip.

Also, it is clear is that we need to plan another camping trip soon.Unplugging, snuggling, and eating smores needs to be done more often.