children | Living Imperfection

September 14, 2019September 14, 2019

I’m Publishing My First Children’s Book with Crowdfunding

It’s not asking for charity — it’s a powerful marketing and pre-order sales tool

I am learning so much right now.

Just so much.

It all started with the modest goal of writing a children’s book about opossums and then publishing and selling it. No big deal. Lots of people do that.

Not everyone goes the traditional publishing route — there are many reasons for that, but this post is not about that.

Not everyone produces a high quality, beautifully illustrated, educational book that can be enjoyed by parents and children, which they then manage to sell and maybe even have a tiny little bit of profit left over in the end.

That’s my goal.

August 20, 2019August 20, 2019

Opossum Opposites Has an Illustrator!

Screenshot from illustration process. Image belongs to me.

Welcome to the third installment of my journey to self-publishing my first children’s book, Opossum Opposites. I started this project a few months ago and I’ve learned so much already. But, as with many industries, the more I learn, the more I find out I need to learn.

On the menu today: illustrations!

March 8, 2019March 8, 2019

Talking to Kids about Grief: Miscarriage & Infertility

Two weeks before the miscarriage, the doctor showed us the lovely beating heart of our week seven fetus. Then she turned to me and said, “Gina, I’m concerned.” She said a lot of things after that about the size of the yolk sac relative to the other measurements and what this almost inevitably meant for the baby.

Miscarriage. Soon. But not yet.

January 21, 2019January 21, 2019

White People, We Must Cut the Shit Right Now

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day – or as my son called him last year when he was learning about him in Pre-K, “King Martin Luth Jr.” I was home with my six year old and six month old all day. This afternoon we went for a walk and my son rode his bike. On our way back home, in our very own street, one house was flying a brand new confederate flag.

January 17, 2019January 17, 2019

Knock, Knock! It’s me, Anxiety!

My daughter had an ultrasound a couple days ago. Just as a precaution against possible gallstones that could be painful if they decided to make a break for it. The procedure was scheduled for 12:30 pm and stipulated no food after 8:30 am.

Four hours without food for a six month old is not such a big deal, and yet, anxiety. That persistent, full-body, frantic buzzing feeling that will last until the perceived potential “crisis” is over.

January 11, 2019January 10, 2019

Girls can’t use power tools!

Have you ever done *literally* everything in your power for years to raise your kids to reject gender role stereotypes and sexism only to hear that very same garbage coming out of their sweet little baby mouths in spite of the evidence in front of their little pudgy cherub faces? I have…

FYI: according to my son at age four, girls can’t use power tools because they are too dangerous (the power tools, not the girls. Someday he’ll learn…) He told me this while he watched me cutting deck boards with a circular saw and continued to lecture me about his safety concerns while I drilled holes and screwed said boards into place on the playhouse platform. And I didn’t even screw my finger to the joist!

October 20, 2018January 7, 2019

Amber Necklaces: Teething Pain Relief for Babies?

Teething is an adorable time, but can be so difficult to survive…

I’m a scientifically minded individual. I believe in science – even have a degree in environmental science. But I also love my fair share hocus-pocus, hippie dippy, crunchy granola, natural remedies – especially when they work!

When my son Sweetie Bird was about eight months old , we got him an amber necklace because I had heard it was a natural way to deal with teething pain. He still didn’t have any teeth, but we knew they were coming and everyone knows that teething is one (or several) of the most dreaded periods in a parent’s life.

Apparently, wearing amber against your skin causes your natural oils to absorb something magical and analgesic from the amber. Amber is not truly a gemstone like amethyst or quartz, it’s actually fossilized tree resin. Baltic amber, which is the recommended type for pain relief, contains 3-8% succinic acid – the magical stuff.