The boys treated me to a Mother’s Day picnic at a park not far from our house. It was a beautiful day and the perfect activity. Both boys wanted to do the monkey bars. Jack was successful on his own. Will needed help, Jim is just off camera. Have you tried the monkey bars lately? They are harder on my hands than I remember was a kid.

My first thought was, “What year is it? Aren’t we past all this?” The 40^th anniversary of Title IX is coming up in about a month and Our Lady of Sorrows’ decision is an unfortunate reminder that discrimination still exists. I feel bad for Paige and all of her teammates, because they lost out on the opportunity to prove that gender doesn’t matter — if you are capable and prove it, then isn’t that enough? They deserved the chance to finish their undefeated season with a legitimate win for the championship.

I wonder what this is teaching all of the boys and girls involved and those that are reading about it in the news? As these children grow up and prepare for the rest of their life, they will face environments where men and women work side by side each day. Isn’t it better to teach them as early as possible to exist and work as a team while respecting each other? Women struggle for equality in the workplace and in life already and we don’t need a school, let alone a Catholic one, reinforcing these archaic views. This decision by a school that claims to follow the teachings of Catholicism seems incongruous and inconsistent with the letter and message sent by Pope John Paul II to women of the world on June 29, 1995. In the letter posted on the Vatican’s web site, Pope John Paul II states:

“…There is an urgent need to achieve real equality in every area: equal pay for equal work, protection for working mothers, fairness in career advancements, equality of spouses with regard to family rights and the recognition of everything that is part of the rights and duties of citizens in a democratic State. This is a matter of justice but also of necessity.”

My mom instilled in me that my sister and I could do anything we wanted regardless of our gender. We are strong women who are now raising four boys. Our boys are respectful and loving and consider women as their equal, not the lesser sex. If only everyone saw it that way.

As summer approaches and our lifestyles increase in activity we all want to maintain a simple beauty routine while still staying on trend. Who wants to spend lots of time only to sweat it off? Here are some great products I have found to help keep my summer beauty routine quick and easy and trend-worthy.

Sun-kissed Hair – Since I moved to the Pacific Northwest I have noticed that my blond hair is not as blond as I want it. I just can’t commit to the time and expense of coloring my hair and had started to give up my will for bright blond hair. Then I found my answer, John Frieda Sheer Blond Go Blonder shampoo, conditioner and lightening spray. The spray probably does the most, but I have used them all. They have brightened my natural color and made me feel like I have that sun kissed look without being in the sun.

Natural Skin – I wear moisturizer with sunscreen every day, but rarely use foundation. I find it heavy and cakey on my face. One thing I am thinking of trying this summer is a tinted moisturizer to even out my skin tone a bit, but still have light coverage. Then I apply sunscreen over it if we are going to be in the sun. I have very sensitive skin on my face, so I am picky about my sunscreen. I have found that Aveeno Baby Continuous Protection works well for the kids and me.

Simple Makeup - When it comes to makeup I will put on mascara most days, because I have light eyelashes and would look quite pale without. Add a little lipstick for afresh and natural look. I love Cover Girl Outlast All-day Lipcolor. It stays on all day and doesn’t come off on food, drink or significant others. You put the color on, let it dry (usually only 30 seconds) then put a moisturizing top gloss over it. It is so great and comes in almost any color you could want.

Hopefully these tips will help you simplify your summer beauty routine while staying on trend, so you can get out and enjoy the long warm days and nights.

Tuesday evening was the 1st grade musical. We are so lucky to have a great music program that plans annual concerts for each grade. Each of the classes were a different animal, Jack’s was the pigs, but they didn’t make the correct sound. It was a very cute story. The kids sang seven songs and many had small speaking parts, including Jack. He was so excited to say his line. I am still humming one of the catchy tunes.

Although Jack could drink a bottle when he was an infant it caused him so much pain that he refused to do so after several months of associating pain with eating. After fighting with him to eat (feedings would take over an hour at times) we decided it was in his best interest and ours to insert an NG feeding tube to provide a painless feeding process and an opportunity to reboot his pain memory. It was the best decision we ever made. He immediately changed into a happy baby and we got to relax and be somewhat “normal” parents.

NG-tube or Nasogastric Tube
An NG-tube is a small tube that is inserted in the nose and runs down the esophagus into the upper part of the stomach. It can be used for continuous feedings or bolus feedings where large amounts are given over a short period of time similar to giving a bottle. Once taught how to place the tubes, parents are able to replace them as needed. Typically NG-tubes are used for children that will be tube fed for short periods of time, like a few weeks or months. They can be removed easily and although not painful to replace, can be uncomfortable and very unpleasant for the parents placing it.

Seven months later we had a G-tube surgically implanted into his stomach, because we concluded with his doctor that he was not eating enough orally and the NG tube had outlived its life. Jack started with a PEG tube for three months and then had an endoscopy to change it to a MIC-KEY button. After that we changed his MIC-KEY button every three months at home.

G-Tube

A G-tube is inserted directly into the stomach through a hole made in the abdominal wall. The hole is made surgically. Like the NG-tube, feedings can either be bolus or continuous. There are two main types of G-tubes, PEG tubes and buttons.

PEG tube – The tube has a small mushroom shaped end that holds it in place and has about 5-6 inches of tubing on the outside that connects to the feeding machine. This tube can only be changed or removed surgically during an endoscopy. Usually this is the tube that children start with when a G-tube is placed. After the stomach and abdomen fistula have healed after surgery (approximately three months), the PEG can be replaced with a lower profile button.

Button – The two types of buttons are MIC-KEY and BARD. The MIC-KEY has a small balloon that is inflated with water after it is inserted into the fistula to hold it in place. The external part of the button is flat against the stomach. After being properly trained parents are able to change MIC-KEY buttons at home.
The BARD button has a small dome shaped plastic piece that holds it in place. It can be inserted without surgery, but can be more uncomfortable and should only be changed by a nurse or doctor.

Converting to the G-tube moved the NG-tube off of Jack’s face and to a more inconspicuous location, eliminating the risk of accidental removal by a stray hand. This also eliminated the stares while out and about in public. We learned to cope with the latter but it was always very hard dealing with educated adults who were staring at our beautiful son. Putting your child through surgery is never easy, but we felt it was the right choice for us and Jack is living proof that it was.

Once Jack learned to eat orally through a wonderful food re-introduction program at Children’s Hospital, and after six months passed without using it, we removed the G-tube. He had a small indentation on his stomach until last summer when he requested that we have it sewn up.

Below are descriptions of other types of feeding tubes that are also available. Jack had an NG-tube, a PEG for three months as his first G-tube, then a MIC-KEY button for the remainder of his time.

NJ-tube or Nasojejunal tube
Similar to the NG tube this one is inserted in the nose, going down the esophagus, but it continues through the stomach into the upper part of the small intestine called the jejunum. This tube is used for children who can’t handle having feedings in their stomachs. Since the jejunum can’t handle large amounts of food at one time these feedings need to be continuous.

GJ-tube or Gastrostomy-Jejunostomy tube
This tube is similar to the G-tube in that it enters the stomach through the abdomen wall, but it has a longer tube that is guided into the jejunum. This is used for children who need to have the port in their stomach, but can’t handle food in their stomach.

J-tube or Jejunostomy
This tube is placed directly into the jejunum through the abdominal wall. These are used for children who need to have food placed directly into their intestines and can handle having the tube directly in the intestine.

I sourced my information from the following sites
http://www.parent-2-parent.com/tubefeeding/type.htm
http://huntingtondisease.tripod.com/feedingtubes/id1.html
http://www.rileypediatricsurgery.com/Gastrostomy.htm

Jack is playing baseball again. This year it is machine pitch or sometimes coach pitch, so they need a catcher. He’s had the opportunity to play catcher a few times this season. He looks so cute in all the gear and is getting good at keeping the ball in front of him when it is pitched.

Critique

Today, Melissa Culbertson from Momcomm is critiquing our blog. It is an exciting day. I have been working hard on it for the last year, including a huge redesign last fall. I can’t wait to see what she thinks, make sure you read it.

Welcome to new readers who have clicked over from Momcomm. At “The Will to See” I write about the blurring line of motherhood, covering topics like parenting, mom technology, family time, and GI and vision issues. Please look around and hopefully you will become a fan and follow us. I have just completed Momcomm’s Content Brew course (Click here to view more details), so there will be lots of new content coming. But to introduce you to The Will to See. here are a few of my all-time favorite posts.

Favorite Posts

Classroom Snack Police

Splat Goes the Lasagna

If You Give A Mom…

Ode to Gravy

Coming Full Circle

You know you’re a mom when

The Eyes Have It

A Mother’s Intuition

A New Normal

Feedback

I would love to get your feedback, whether you are a new reader or have followed us from the beginning. What do you like about The Will to See? What don’t you like? (Please, constructive criticism only.) Are there topics you are interested that are not addressed or require more attention?

It is my hope that The Will to See can become a great resource for our readers.

Is it because kids don’t like the taste? I am sure that is true in a few cases, but not the majority.

Is it a texture thing? My sister has a texture issue with fruit, so I can understand this may be an issue for some.

Or are veggies too foreign to kids? I have a feeling that this is most likely the issue for most kids and parents.

Here are some tips that we use to get our boys to eat more vegetables, a strategy that has worked well over the years. Need proof? They eat Brussels sprouts.

Serve it to them.
Kids are going to eat what they know and see all the time. If they only get served carrots, most likely they aren’t going to come home from school and say “Mom can you make Brussels sprouts for dinner.” When they are given a variety of veggies they will be comfortable and probably find some that they really like. Sure, we all have our usual routine, but try adding a new one every once in a while.

Be the example.
If your children see you eating your veggies and enjoying them, they are more likely to try them too. At our house I only make one dinner and everyone gets a serving of each item. Of course some nights the boys aren’t happy about a selection, but when they see us eating them happily they tend to be more open.

Make it a routine.
Each day with lunch and dinner my boys know that there will be some veggies on their plate. In Jack’s lunch he gets them too and not just carrot sticks. Then they are used to having them with meals and aren’t surprised when it is served.

The two bite rule.
At our house we have the two bite rule. You must always try two bites of something or you don’t get your after meal treat. Sometimes this works better than others, but even the three year old will take his two bites of Brussels sprouts.

Don’t ask, don’t tell.
Last year I decided to swap kale for lettuce in salad. At first I started with Caeser salad, but then moved to all salads. I didn’t say a word, just served it like there was nothing different and you know what, the boys didn’t complain. Now Jack takes salads in his school lunch that use either kale or spinach as the base.

Get them involved.
Studies have shown that if kids are involved in preparing the food, picking it out and even growing it, they are more open to trying different kinds. I know it isn’t easy to find jobs for a three year old in the kitchen, but even just having them play there while you make dinner helps. My boys like to go to the produce section or the farmer’s market and see what looks great. Last summer they both ate our whole bag of fresh snap peas as we walked through the farmer’s market. They wouldn’t have looked at me sideways at home if I had said that was snack.

Summer is coming with lots of fresh veggies, so get out and enjoy.

This post is also available at my Girl Power Hour parenting blog, Mommy See.

Last weekend we had beautiful spring weather, so the boys and I worked on our flower beds. Will got tired of it quickly, but Jack dug all my big holes and wanted to weed the yard for money. If you live nearby and need your flower beds weeded Jack will do it.