21/52

This week flew by. Evita is turning into quite the little human. She now points at me and says, "Shhhh" if I tell her off... (Oh Lord.) She's also been saying "two" after we say "one," and pointing at things saying, "dat" (that) when she wants them. She's been better about wearing shoes, which I'm glad about because the adorable ones we bought her a while back won't be going to waste. She's even letting me put bows and headbands on her again (sometimes). This has been a pretty quiet week (activity-wise) and I'm actually okay with that. My favorite portraits from last week can be found on All in a Daze (a sweet little boy enjoying bath time) and The Stork and the Beanstalk (a rad ship back piece and the painting that inspired it). You can find the weekly portrait linkup on Che and Fidel.

i suck at...

Day 24, Friday: Your top 3 worst traits

1. Absent-Mindedness. My mind is always wandering off, far beyond anywhere it has any business being. I have trouble focusing and get distracted easily. I am either forgetting one thing or losing another. Or both. I drop things, stub my toes, and discover random bruises on my body on a regular basis. My grandmother says it's because I'm always thinking a few steps beyond of what I'm presently doing- of things that for the most part have no application to anything practical. Some people make light of the condition, but it can be really frustrating at times. It costs me unnecessary delay (and injury). It even takes a toll on my marriage at times. Because it's something I never feel like I can control, I definitely think it's my worst trait.

2. Impatience. I think this might actually stem from my absent-mindedness. I get bored, then irritated with anything that takes up too much time. I get road rage, and even line rage. I get frustrated when people I'm dealing with (cashiers or university administrators or whoever) can't solve problems easily. Sometimes I run my mouth. Other times I just throw my hands up and walk away. It's not a good way to be. I admire people who don't flinch when things don't go their way. I think that might be more effective against people who are trying to push buttons.

3. I SUCK at Small Talk- Excelling at small talk is a pretty useful trait to have for networking, etc. I happen to suck at it. It's not that I'm shy, but I can't pull random topics from my ass the air to discuss with someone that I just met. I'm usually okay if I can tell right away that I have a ton in common with the person, or if the other person is doing most of the topic-choosing. My husband is good at small talk, so I'm okay when he's around too, thankfully. 

stuff they don't teach you in school

Day 23, Thursday: Things you've learned that school won't teach you

This, my friends, is my senior pic. Yes, I wore a Thrasher t-shirt. And a belt buckle with my nickname on it, "Ruca." I wish my hair was that long again. That was before I started dying/ruining/brushing it.

1. How to File your Taxes- I don't remember ever learning about how or when to start paying taxes, which seems pretty basic. During my last summer of law school, I volunteered at a Low Income Tax Clinic where I helped people in trouble with the IRS who couldn't afford lawyers. Most of my time was spent filing people's back taxes. I don't think a lot of people even know that you still have to file a tax return even if you don't owe any money. Most of these people were actually eligible for a tax return... sometimes even thousands of dollars worth. And it's so easy to do, especially with all the websites these days. It seems like someone should mention it at some point during your education.

2. How to Keep your Mouth Shut- School seems to skip out on important civil rights lessons, like the right to remain silent. This isn't legal advice, it's common sense advice. If you get into any sort of legal trouble, keep your mouth shut. Request that your attorney be present before you answer any questions. ANY questions. It will make both your lives so much easier.

3. That there's a whole, big world out there outside of school- Nobody will care who you were in high school. Many of the people who were there will even forget. Some of the people you hung out with on a regular basis will let you down, or simply just drift away. Some of the people you never dreamed of hanging out with will become your good friends. Just stay true to yourself, and don't stress if you're not one of the cool kids. Don't take the inevitable drama seriously. Most people grow up and move on. Some will try to recreate it again and again in law school or the workplace or wherever, which can be as amusing as it is annoying.

4. How to deal with Heartbreak- Good music. Good friends. Pizza. Exercise.

5. How to keep a Toddler Alive- You get to figure this one out on your own. Good luck.

getting back to ranting (plus a few pics from everyone's new favorite app)

Day 22, Wednesday: Rant about something. Get up on your soapbox and tell us how you really feel. (a pet peeve, a current event, a controversial topic, something your husband or roommate or neighbor or boss does that really ticks you off)

You know what? I'm not in the mood for ranting today. I haven't been in the mood for ranting in a while, actually. Back in law school, I was always ranting. You seriously didn't want to be my facebook friend at the time, because I always had something to say about a case I just read or something I saw in the news. I thought that whoever wasn't ranting wasn't paying attention. I still think that. And I know now that I'm not ranting now because I'm really not paying attention. And this bums me out. I don't want to be complacent or apathetic- especially with all that is happening in my home country these days. But it's hard to keep up with it all from so far away. I'm "just" a stay-at-home-mom now. I don't have legislation to keep up with or colleagues to argue with between classes. And that's my fault, really. Just because it's not as convenient or unavoidable to keep up with current events doesn't mean I shouldn't. I definitely have a lot more time on my hands now. 

I used to think that life would be less stressful if I stopped paying attention to what the government was up to- if I lived my life convincing myself I wouldn't be able to change anything anyway. But it's really not. At least in my "ranting" days, I felt like I was doing something. On several occasions I actually had people tell me I changed their mind about something. This was phenomenal to me. On other occasions I worked with groups that were actually successful at changing legislation (and some that are still in the process of doing so). These groups were filled with people ranting. People who rant do make a difference. People who rant are the ones that change the world.

Wow, I started this post thinking I had absolutely nothing to say. It ended up inspiring me to get back to ranting. Don't worry, I'll refrain from doing so on my blog (like, for the most part, I've always done). But I need to get back to spending more time learning about things like why Big Bro was spying on news orgs and what they really knew about Benghazi. Because if the people don't hold them accountable, nobody will... and I certainly don't know enough about it to rant... yet.

One thing I definately won't rant about? The new A Beautiful Mess app. I never could get into the blog, but I'm all over the app bandwagon. Yes, I'm mostly just using this as an excuse to include pictures in an otherwise-pictuerless post. ;) Here are a few I've made so far:

Netflix for Kids: My Lifesaver

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of NETFLIX; However, all stories and opinions are my own because, in the words of my friend Bettina, "There ain't nobody who can afford them!"

People often ask me what I do with my daughter while I'm on my morning run. Luckily, she's finally into watching a little television; but not just any television- it has to have singing and dancing. Since we don't have regular cable, Netflix has been a lifesaver in this regard. I've been a loyal customer of Netflix for 6+ years now, but I only recently discovered the Netflix "Just for Kids" section. It has family favorites for kids from toddlers to pre-teens, by networks like Hasbro, Disney Jr., Cartoon Network, and PBS. All content is selected with help from Common Sense Media to provide ratings, reviews, and informations so parents can easily make choices for their kids.

Evita's favorite show is Sesame Street. While I'm running on my treadmill (conveniently located in the living room), I put it on Netflix. I have one of those fancy smart TV's so it streams directly to my television, without having to hook my laptop to it or anything like that. It is so convenient, and it keeps Evita entertained long enough for me to run in peace. Actually, I think it also gives me an ab workout because I can't help but laugh when I see Eva shaking her booty and spinning around in circles to the music.

Another great thing about Netflix is that it's so easy to stream on-the-go. Netflix offers free apps for hundreds of devices, including iPads, smart phones, and gaming devices. If you're on a computer, you can visit Netflix.com and stream from there. This comes in handy during car rides, airport layovers, and other places where you have to keep kids entertained for a good amount of time. 

...but my favorite thing about Netflix? NO COMMERCIALS. Commercials are a guaranteed way for my toddler (and me, really) to lose interest and find something else to do (climb the coffee table, clear out drawers, etc.). I've been a huge fan of Netflix for years, and now it's something I can use to distract entertain and educate my toddler, whether I'm running on the treadmill or running errands. 

What are you watching on TV with your family? Netflix has family favorites from Disney, Disney Jr., Hasbro, Cartoon Network and Dreamworks that are available to stream anytime, anywhere.

And streaming is easier than you think! Download the free app on your iPad, click on the Netflix app on any gaming device, go to the website on your computer – and you’re in business. Check it out here!

Again, this is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of NETFLIX.

Safari, Part 4: The Road Home

It seems like this road trip was ages ago now. I wish I would have written things down while everything was still fresh in my head, but you know how it goes. I guess I'll have to let the pictures do most of the storytelling. I think I was able to get some pretty awesome ones, if I do say so myself. Some of the animal pictures are even better than the ones I took while on actual safari, and these are just ones we saw on the side of the main highway. 

Traditional housing in the villages we passed.

Overlooking Mikumi, Tanzania

We stopped for pictures when we saw these elephants crossing.

And then we came across this family.

They were bathing in the mud.

The babies were adorable.

An evil-looking baboon.

I left the truck in this picture so you could get an idea of how close he was to us.

Sorry about the quality... it was taken out a dirty windshield.

There were lots of maasai hearding various animals. We saw a whole heard of cows (about 14 of them) dying in the middle of the road (along with the bus that plowed through them). It was too depressing to take pictures of.

There were a bunch of waterfalls flowing down this mountain. Reminded me of Hawaii.

Tons of mosques here.