Raising Geeks and Gamers Part 2

I wrote yesterday about the rules we have about the electronics in our house.

And I thought I should bring up another topic in regard to gaming. Harassment of women. There have been a lot of articles written lately about guy gamers harassing women gamers. Even NPR has done a piece on it. You can find that here.

You can even find a video response by a bunch of girl gamers known as "Geek Girls & the Doubleclicks" which I happen to love. (Look for Adam Savage & Wil Wheaton to make an appearance.)

My contribution to geek and gamer culture is this:

I am raising a houseful of male geeks and gamers who would never think about treating female geeks and gamers the way that I have been treated in some circles.

I am raising a houseful of male geeks and gamers who have stepped up to defend female geeks and gamers and will continue to do so in the future.

Because they see these females as someone to whom they can relate. They see them as their friends. And I've raised them to defend their friends.

They see these women as someone's sister. And they would defend their sisters in a heartbeat. Not to mention, they would be furious to see someone treat their sisters that way.

And perhaps, best of all, they see these women as (potentially) someone's mother. And they would never talk to me that way or treat me that way, so they will never talk to someone else's mother that way.

How do I know?

I've read them the articles. I've told them my stories. And I've seen the looks on their faces. From the 25 year old to the 8 year old, the looks of horror and disgust really don't change.

Of course, having a geek/gamer for a mother, as well as having me work in a predominantly male industry, they've heard me tell off guys for treating me in any way less than I expect. At this point, they're like, "Where's the popcorn?"

It also helps that people like Adam Savage & Wil Wheaton stand up and help make those videos like the one above. Please, go thank them! They both have Twitter accounts: @donttrythis and @wilw (+Wil Wheaton)

Have the discussion with your children. Don't hide the world from them. Present it honestly and truthfully. Let them know that the internet does not make them anonymous any more than it make the person on the other side less of a person. And, if necessary, explain why certain behaviors are not acceptable.

Your children will surprise you. I guarantee it.

Raising Geeks and Gamers Part 1

Dad and I are self-proclaimed geeks as well as gamers. So I guess it should surprise no one that we are raising a household full of them.

We have the Minecraft players, the Cookie Clicker players, the Team Fortress 2 players, the Elder Scroll Online players, the Dungeon & Dragon players and we've already talked about all the games that Dad plays.

For those that think that video games are bad for you, I present this: 9 Ways Video Games Can Actually Be Good For You. 

I also present these videos from TED Talks:
1) Daphne Bavelier: Your brain on video games2) Jane McGonigal: Gaming can make a better world

And for those of you who think that all games whether video games or not are bad for you:Jane McGonigal: The game that can give you 10 extra years of life

Now, don't get me wrong, we don't let the kids spend unlimited hours on electronics. There are rules. 

We have a sign up sheet. The kids may sign up for an hour at a time on a specific electronic. 
The slots go from hour to hour, i.e. 1 pm - 2pm and turns are up on the hour. 
They may not sign up for 3 hours in a row on one specific electronic. So if they are on Dad's computer for an hour they can move on to the XBox, but not stay on the computer.
And if there is school the next day, they get off electronics at 6 pm.

They have to start their homework at 6 pm, but if they need the computer to do their homework we will allow them to use the computer after 6 pm for homework only.

And the electronics are the first things that we take away if disciplinary measures become necessary.

Tommee Tippee Bottles

I won't make this a habit, but I'm going to endorse these bottles.

You can find them on Amazon here.

I bought these bottles with the hope that they would:
A) not cause nipple confusion
B) that Cookie would like them and
C) that Banana would actually be able to get Cookie to eat using them. (She won't take any pacifiers.)

While I can't say for certain that Cookie likes them, the other two options are definitely true.

Cookie goes back and forth from the bottle to the breast with no issues. (Although, she won't take formula from them which I'm ok with since I'm pumping anyway.)

The last two types of bottles that I remember using were Avent and Playtex nursers (the kind with the drop in bags that you put the milk or formula in). The Playtex I used when I had never tried to nurse the child so I wasn't worried about going back and forth. The Avent I used after the baby was a year old and nursing was well established by then.

So, all in all, my point is that these bottles have definitely been worth the money so far. And, no, I haven't been paid to endorse them.

Meet the Family - Mom

So, last member of the family is me! I'm Mom. 

This is a picture taken a couple years ago by Dad for the program of a couple shows I was working on at the time. He's really the only person that takes decent pictures of me, I think.

I work in the theatre industry in many ways. I'm a stage manager, assistant production coordinator, a lighting tech, sound board operator, light board operator, and backstage tech. I've worked at the largest community playhouse in the US, one of the last free Shakespeare festivals in the US, and one of the largest (Top 5) children's theaters in the US. If you want info on theatre tech, shoot me an email, a tweet, or a private message. I'll be more than happy to answer your questions.

I like to write. I am an expert crocheter and a beginner knitter. I enjoy sketching, drawing, doodling, and painting but I have no delusions about my talent there (It is mediocre at best.) 

I am a dedicated book lover and reader. At any one time there is a huge stack of books that I am reading on my dresser. I tend to read multiple books at one time (and yes, I can keep the story lines straight).

You'll find little bit of all of these coming up I am sure.

Well, anyway, that's me. Welcome to my blog & I look forward to getting to know you all!

Meet the Family - Dad

Ok everyone, only two people left to meet; Dad & I! So, here is my honey, the love of my life. He's in Denver right now visiting his parents and even though he's only been gone 16 hours, I miss him a lot.

He's a USMC veteran and was active duty when we met and were married, 20 1/2 years ago (nearly).

Dad is a gamer through and through. He runs Transcendere Gaming and plays more games that I can keep track of really. But the ones he's been playing a lot recently are The Elder Scrolls Online (along with me & several of the kids; we all got beta invites), Day Z, Battlefield 4, Arma 3, and Altis Life.

He loves Mexican food, Chinese food, remote control cars and helicopters, and spoiling me rotten.

I'm forgetting something... what am I forgetting?... Oh, yeah! He, too, loves the Broncos! (The picture is kind of a clue, huh?)

He and I make a great team. We do that thing that people who haven't been together forever find really annoying; the whole reading each others minds bit. Ok, maybe not reading each others minds literally, but we know each other well enough to know exactly what the other one thinks on most (99%) of subjects, so it seems that way.

He's my sweetie. And I can't wait until he's home again! I love you baby!

Valentines

I've been asked a couple times what we did for Valentine's Day and my answer, "Nothing." has surprised & shocked some people.

My husband and I did not go out for Valentine's Day.

Instead, my honey, Dibuja, Mario, Smokey, & GF left for Denver after work last night. They'll get to spend some time with the grands before coming back on Monday. Dad hasn't been home to see his folks in at least a year, so this is a nice little get away for him, even if he is taking some of the kids.

I spent Valentine's Day here, with the rest of the kids and my folks, watching Mythbusters on Netflix while snuggling Cookie.

Yes, we spent Valentine's Day apart, with the exception of an hour or so before work & an hour or so after work. No, this is not a problem for us. We will go out for dinner sometime next week to spend time together but not on Valentine's Day.

After all there will be fewer crowds and the wait staff will less stressed. We won't have to wait for a table or make a reservation 6 months in advance.

In the end, it's only a big deal to miss Valentine's Day if you make it a big deal. We love each other. We know we love each other. We spend time together every week making sure that each of us knows that the other one loves us. So, it's not a big deal.

DIY - Valentines

I have decided to do a Do-It-Yourself of some sort every month. This month, it will be about Valentine's Day.  I looked at many, many items on Pinterest until I was just about ready to pull my hair out.

Should I crochet something?

Do something with the kids?

Draw?

Paint?

Stand on my head?

Ok, not really on that last one. I'm tired.

I decided to do something for my co-workers. They've had to pick up a bunch of my job while I've been out on maternity leave. So Karen, Candy, Terri, Amanda, & Courtney, if you're on here, don't look! You'll get your presents on Monday! (Yes, I know it's after Valentines, but I don't go back to the office until then.)

Everyone drinks something whether it's coffee, iced drinks, or water. So I'm making them cup cozies. Amanda likes hot coffee.

Karen likes Starbucks Energy Drinks.

Terri drinks iced coffee.

Candy drinks pop but hasn't been since New Years', so I'm hoping she'll still use this!

And Courtney drinks coffee, too.

None of these are my patterns. They are combinations, additions, and alterations from these websites:
http://littlemonkeyscrochet.com/valentines-day-mug-cozy/
http://www.bhookedcrochet.com/2014/01/30/magic-heart-free-pattern-and-tutorial/?n-and-tutorial/
http://www.redheart.com/free-patterns/crochet-can-cozies
And this one by Jonna Ventura but if you want it you'll have to join Ravelry.
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/frayed-knots-15-min-coffee-sleeve