PERISCOPE for some is simply a social media app for others its where we met our perifamily. Our family suffered a loss of a special member so this post is for you @IAmHolyOwl. We love you always.

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This blog post is in Memory of

Jake William Rogers @IamHolyOwl
July 28, 1984 - August 13, 2015

Jake's Obituary:
Jake Rogers, 31, passed away peacefully on Thursday, August 13, 2015 at University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle, surrounded by the love of family and friends, following rejection of a double lung transplant. Raised in Glendale and Kanab Utah, Jake spent his days creating wonderful paintings and unique art pieces loved by many. With unending positive optimism and a contagious sense of humor, Jake made friends everywhere he went. This includes his time spent at the University of Utah studying graphic design, in Portland Oregon where he created some of his most amazing artwork, and his time spent in hospitals receiving care for cystic fibrosis. Physicians, nurses, and patients alike fell in love with Jake's unending positivity, and his creative antics. Whenever and wherever the trial, Jake has gone through it with a smile on his face and a joke to tell. Jake loved the outdoors, was fascinated with outer space, and found beauty and art everywhere he went. While he never let his physical condition hold him back, now he is limitless.
Jake is survived by ten nieces and nephews that absolutely adore their Uncle Jake, four siblings, and his loving parents Russell and Julie Rogers.

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PERISCOPE - My Introduction to Periscope & Meeting people who will eventually become my Perifamily. 

Back at the very end of March a social media app called Periscope was purchased by Twitter and launched to iphone users. This app would allow us to view live broadcasts all over the world all the while chatting with others who were watching the same live feed. 

It was about day 5 or 6 of Periscope that I stumbled into a room where someone was painting live from her studio apartment in Los Angeles. This someone would be @AmandaOleander.  Amanda would paint, listen to great music (her personal favorite Angus & Julius Stone) and talk to us. It was before the rooms got overloaded giving us real time to get to know Amanda, and for her to get to know us. It also allowed us viewers time to easily interact and become friends.  It is here where I met my first Periscope friends @Murpo, @PerpetualBri, @Jellybean_1969, @NealRushing, @CarsonFire45, @theSmaku, @SherryRae77, @DanFillman80, @IamDaniBeck, @1of3Spartans, @alpha_Omega_X1, @IamDaniBeck, @1Justice4All, @hiAnthony, @org0198 and the very special @IAmHolyOwl.  

It did not take long at all to get past our screenames and learn each others actual names.  My name is @Heatco but Jake would always greet me with "Hi Heather", "You staying up late tonight again?", "How are you?".  While watching the process of Amanda creating a beautiful art piece we all would spend hours joking, talking about music, our day and it is here that I learned Jake was in the hospital. In the following 5 months of knowing Jake I believe he was in the hospital.  Jake informed us he had Cystic Fibrosis and a year ago had a double lung transplant.  He went on to tell us he was having some rejection issues but not to worry he would get through it. Jake dealt with each hurdle with optimism and even a beautiful smile.  I watched Jake develop a friendship with Amanda as they were artists and kindred spirits. I saw him and the guys develop their bond...his daily tweets with Murpo, his beard club with Neal, His conversations with Keith/Carson (aka Ralph) and his joking around with Bri. His strength was awe inspiring. We never doubted he would get through his health issues and join us outside the walls of the hospital. Somewhere along the way one of the guys developed a mantra for Jake "You Got This" and not a day went by that we didn't say this to him.  We were there for him in the hospital, during his cross state lines ambulance trip to a different hospital (and all the delays), and in ICU even during his final days. Not only did it stretch out across the United States but globally as well. 

Jake was very open about his illness and treatments as evident on his twitter and instagram accounts.  But I remember he once told me he would prefer nobody ask about it during Amanda's periscope broadcasts that he would be happy to tell us in twitter direct message but does not want to take the attention away from Amanda and what she is doing. Selfless.  That was Jake. We took our perifamily onto twitter and created private direct message group and interacted daily.  Some had private persicope broadcasts just for the "fam".  And as we spent more and more time in Amanda's 'room" the family grew and grew.  I rememember the slight panic we had when the "droids" were coming how we were so afraid it would take away from the intimacy we had in these different broadcasts. However, the droid users and others kept coming and our beautiful perifamily continue to grow, adding incredible, caring people along the way. Although it became more difficult to get into Amanda's broadcasts (which we often call her room) there was an upside, our family was blossoming.

Early on in Periscope the Earthquake hit Nepal and Amanda Oleander (@AmandaOleander) decided to raise money for relief efforts. She created an illustration called World Hug and many of us stayed the entire 8+ hours from the first line drawn to the very last.  The "regulars" would help Amanda answer questions we knew answers to while Amanda would focus on her drawing.  Jake would be the go to guy to answer the questions, 'what song is this?' and 'who sings this' and 'what music channel is this'.  Jake was an extremely talented artist who painted till he took his last breath. You must visit his
instagram @JakeRogers to see his art and much of his wisdom that he shares on his page.  Jake also loved music and was the master of making mixes  Jake has many of these mixes saved on the app Spotify under @JakeRogers.  He had a mix for every emotion and experience.  I remember when I was having diffivulty sleeping I asked for his help with a music list and he directed me to a mix that helped both me and my daughter fall to sleep and one we listen to often (see Immersion on Spotify by Jake Rogers). Amanda's community of viewers which was significantly smaller than it is today raised $1145 for Nepal. I can't even imagine what it would be today with her nearly 425,000 followers. 

Another special day on periscope was the day Amanda and @xoxoLizza (#lovebugnation #pocketpals) took us to see the Dalai Lama for his 80th Birthday Celebration.  I happened to be home sick for those few days and watched along with Jake and other perifam members as we were moved,motivated and simply in awe of the experience. I am so glad we all got to see that and experience it with Jake.

Jake spent his days and nights in the hospital but thanks to this new app Periscope he was able to escape the walls of the hospital and see places all over the world.  He was able to make deep connections to people who adored him.  Looking back over his tweets it is apparent how much love he had for his buddy @murpo and his painter in arms @amandaoleander among others.  No matter what his day was like or how his treatment made him feel he would smile and ask how you were.  He scoped from the hospital a few times with some labored breathing but we held on to each of his words and rooted him on to have better days. 

We as a perifamily had created a gift box for Jake that included some gifts to make his hospital room warmer and to remind him of the love we have for him.  It was a photo album, a himalayian salt lamp, a Dalia Lama book, his favorite tea, a mug that said You Got This, an Amazon gift card for art supplies, an original sketching of an Owl by Amanda that said Team Jake, a limited edition Panda print and a collage that was framed that had each of us holding a sign that said #TeamJake, or others 

who were creative enough to carve Team Jake in wood, write Team Jake in Sand etc. We kept very quiet about what we called "the Jake Thingy" box and privately tweeted about it.  I won't forget one night while Amanda was playing chinese checkers with her Grandma Bita (who adored Jake), Jake asked me what that Team Jake sign was he saw in Amanda's apartment.  I played it off "What sign?" and he told me where it was on the floor, near the couch.  I played dumb, "I don't see it" jumped out of the room and DM'd Amanda to "HIDE THE TEAM JAKE SIGN".  That was her and Bita's sign for their picture in the collage we made.  He asked a few others and everyone played dumb as well. LOL. 

The box was together and Jake told us he was probably going home in a few days so we collectively decided to hold on to the box to see if we could send it as a homecoming gift.  But than suddenly Jake took a turn for the worse.  He had to go in ICU along with some organ rejection he now was battling an infection. 

Jake spent about 3 weeks in the ICU.  We heard from him less and less as he told us the worse he felt the less he felt like communicating.  One of our members Jellybean_1969 (Christine) was in contact with his mom and would give us updates.  We never gave up hope and we took Jake's cue that he would get through this too. It was a Friday when a direct message came to our twitter group and stunned us all. It was from Jake where he personally thanked us for past few months and told us he had been told he had only a few days to possibly a few weeks to live. We were shocked & saddened.  Moments later I opened a periscope broadcast room so we had a place to go chat with each other, support each other and cry together. I couldn't say much just focused my camera on a burning candle and tried to cope along side my friends. 

Our world was shaken.  None of us expected we had to face a day without Jake.  We were all convinced he would beat this.  Even after hearing these words many continued to hold on to hope for a miracle. We scoped to each other, joined in on Amanda's scope watching her cry over the news, we cried and we just comforted each other. We also decided its time to send the box and overnighted it.  We wanted him to feel our love, encouragement and friendship like a blanket around him and thought the lamp, pictures and other items would do just that.  

Well boy were we in for a treat. Jake, with the help of his lovely parents, broadcasted on Periscope opening his gifts to us. It came in two seperate shipments nearly a week apart.  The first scope he looked strong. He could not speak as he had tubes breathing for him but you could see his eyes and his smile through those beautiful eyes. He opened the lamp and the collage photo frame from the #teamjakers and we knew the purpose of these gifts were served.  His father later told us that the lamp was on nightly and added warmth like a campfire to the room. 

He held the phone and read everyones words to him.  I, unfortunately, was making dinner for my family and missed it live but watched the replay many times over. We made him happy. He felt the love. In a situation where you feel helpless to do anything this meant the world to us.  It was all we could do. He gave us his sign of love by making his fingers into a heart and everyone kept repeating words of love, adoration, encouragement to him. Hearts were flowing and soon after the scope was done so were the tears. Once again we got together to comfort each other. My phone rang (yes we crossed over from Periscope to twitter direct messages to now calling each other) and my sweet @IamDaniBeck was crying having just watched the replay finishing it within seconds of when I finished and we just cried together. I watched @Jellybean_1969 scope a very emotional broadcast. Later that night I saw @perpetualbri trying to get words together through her tears.  And @AmandaOleander gave a very heartfelt broadcast. We were starting to face the possibility of losing our perifam member but hoping upon hope that he would pull through and our miracle would somehow still happen. 

Less than a week later he received the second box of gifts and broadcast from ICU again opening the gifts. His hands were too shaky to hold the phone, he had weakened from the previous scope, so his amazing parents were helping him and he opened the rest of the presents. The items were well received by both Jake and his parents. His dad said they will read the Dalai Lama inspirations by the the salt lamp they have had on every night.  His mother couldn't wait to see the album of photos and see our faces.  And Jake...sweet Jake brightened up eyes wide looking at the owl sketch from Amanda and hugging his panda print. As an artist and as a individual with a kind heart and soul he adored Amanda Oleander who was for sure his kindred spririt.  They dreamed of painting a collaborative painting one day.  Perhaps that day will happen

many many years from now when Amanda is reunited with Jake at a very very very old age. Jake still had his humor.  He even used the tube the art print came in as a telescope (close enough to a periscope ---to joke with us).  While he had a bout of nauseau his mom tended to him with his nurse and his Dad showed us the wall of Jake. The pictures from his childhood, the pictures of his nieces and nephews and his siblings, his Mother's art work, his Native American flag and statue given to him by a chief who actually gave him the name holy owl.  

The phone battery died and that was the last time we saw Jake. We were given word he had a good day the very next day and if he has another good day he would like to scope with us. That day never happened. We were given word through our Jellybean that Jake passed somewhere in the middle of the night between August 14-15th. 

When Amanda announced she was making a special owl painting

for Jake we all flocked to her broadcasts to watch her creation titled, Holy Owl.  100% of this painting proceeds were going to Jake's family for medical expenses. Jake was never one to ask for help but his final request prior to his passing was help with his funeral expenses.  The perifam donated and promoted this quest and the fund got much more than Jake could have imagined. He got to see that before he died, bringing him great peace I am sure. 

We have watched 'our' Amanda continue to rise to success, painting masterpieces along the way and even finding love. Her viewership has skyrocketed and she has been in many different forms of media including magazines &television. Different broadcasters have different communities and even different names for their followers.  Several adopted the perifam name so now we also tag ourselves as #PFO standing for Peri-family Oleander. Amanda has grown into the person on Periscope with the largest following...she is also the one with the pne of the largest hearts.  I believe we attract people like ourselves.  Amanda does not put up with negative people or "trolls". She will simply block them. She tries to inspire her viewers.  She encourages her followers to interact and share what they do for a living. She wants to build a network along with a family of followers. She supports and even promotes fellow artists.  She is humble, charitable and loves go laugh. We have met her family on her visit to North Carolina.  She has embraced her perifam and in return the perifam not only embraces her but also each other.

Although much of this post is about how we met Jake and how special our connection to him was, it is only a sample of what this group of people have become to each other.  We all have different reasons why this app called Periscope has changed our life.  Those who are not familiar with the app do not understand this. How can a social media app mean so much to people and how can it possibly make people become such good friends. Well to those who don't understand I will try to explain.  You see through Periscope we welcome people into our lives...literally into our home.  Its not an anonymous person sitting behind a computer any more. It is a face to a name.  One person may broadcast (or "scope") one minute from their car during their lunch break, another may scope from their family room, and yet another from their kitchen cooking a delicious meal.  We get to know each other on bad days supporting each other, laughing on good days and everything in between.  

Even though this app has only been around 6 months I know I have made lifelong friends.  We have tragically lost one of our members and it has brought us even closer. We communicate daily through calls, texts, direct messages and group twitter messages.  We truly have become a family.  This may sound cheesy to some, hokey to others....but for us who consider ourselves part of this perifamily and part of the periscope community its our reality and we are truly thankful our lives have been forever touched by the special soul that was Jake but also for each other.

Dedicated in Memory of

@IAmHolyOwl
who will forever be the heart & the very best part of our perifamily and whose smile and spirit will be missed by so many.  Breathe and Paint a masterpiece sweet Jake.
#perifam
#pfo
#teamnosleep
#teamjake 

Jake Rogers we will never forget you. 

TOP 10 REASONS WHY PARENTS LOVE SUMMER

In honor of David Letterman's last week of Late Night I have created a Top Ten list that is most likely felt for any parent of school-age kids. 

This Top Ten List truly applies to the parent with kids home over the summer who are not in sleep away camp.  It also is based on my experience as I work and my daughter goes to day camp all summer. I would imagine that parents with kids at home or parents with kids at sleep away have a Top Ten List of their very own!  There are some commonalities so read on and let me know if I forgot anything!

10)   You don't have to make lunches - You start the year off with bento boxes, love notes to your kids, animal shaped sandwiches (well some of you do) and by the end of the year you open the fridge and hunt down non bruised fruit or non-expired yogurt. The creativity wanes and autopilot is in full gear. If you have a child who goes to daycamp, many camps provide lunch.  I find food shopping easier over the summer and morning routine quicker thanks to not having to make school lunch.

9)  No more uniforms - No my kid does not go to private school, however, her public school has uniforms which don't get me wrong fall into the category of good and bad.  Having school uniforms makes life easier in so many ways but its nice not to have to worry about school uniforms being cleaned and wrinkle-free.  Its summer. Bathing suit, t-shirt and shorts. Grab & Go... Just makes you happy every day.

8)  No complaining about getting up for school- Camp hours begin an hour later than school.  That hour is key in our house.  It just seems we all do better during our summer hours.  We get to sleep till 8am!  The kid is happy she goes to camp.  Not always the case with school.  There is a whining free zone during summer mornings. Another Plus: Camp also runs later than school.  So this working Mommy gets a little more work time in her schedule...or play time if we deem fitting. I'm talking 10 hours a week more over summer! But whose counting?!

7)  Camp is fun- For my little one summer means she is going to camp.  She loves her day camp.  I see her grow more and more every summer as the opportunities provided at camp both socially, creatively and physically are like no other. In school you may see huge academic growth and some maturing over the year but in my experience I see my daughter blossom each summer and gain self confidence and kinda sadly get a little older.

6)  No homework - This is one of the best parts of summer for kids AND parents as well for so many

reasons I could go on and on. "It is so fun doing homework with my kid" says no parent EVER.  Its either trying to get them to focus or trying as an adult to understand elementary school homework which now seems impossible to you . I won't list the many benefits of not having homework over the summer. Its self explanatory. 

5)  Not many after school activities- During the school year there are sports, art classes, instrument lessons, religious schools etc.  We are endlessly wearing the chauffer's hat running from one place to another.  Its an overscheduled world and one I try to keep simple but its still a relief to have all her activities pretty much take place in one place...camp!

4)  Color War.  Initially can be a lot of work making sure your kid is not the only one in camp not getting in the spirit.  Color war  is fun! There is a lot of spirit involved.  If you have more than one child at camp and on different teams...watch out.  The competition is fierce. but one I try to have fun with...for my kids sake...of course. Just don't ask me about the year I put "Go White" on my car because she was on the white team and we got points for decorating the car. What was I thinking of driving around with "Go White"....thankfully no one took it the wrong way!

3)  Traveling.  For many summer means getting to travel more. Whether it be quick road trips, long

weekends or trips to visit family, summer time provides many with an opportunity to explore with their children.  Built in learning experiences.  I have such fun memories of long road trips from NY to Florida to visit the Grandparents, we all had a bag of stuff to keep us busy.  No electronics.  Just paper and pen and our imagination.  There are so many fun things to do with your kids when your traveling and make memories that will last for a lifetime.

2)  I like Camp- You may find me strange after reading this...or maybe you already have caught on.  I like Camp. I like the cheers, the dress themes, camp songs, the art & crafts that are brought home.  I love hearing her learn to camp songs or even music that is more modern than her mom's typical listening pleasure. Ok, so Barry Manilow is not a hit with kids. I love the lanyards, the rainbow looms, the perler beads, and all those crafty goodies she learns at camp and than she gets to show her Mommy how to do it (or mommy looks up on YouTube which is probably a better idea). 

1)   My most favorite thing about Summer is the slow pace of summer.  Spending days at the pool, bbq's, reading books.  Some of our happiest memories are made during the dog days of summer.  There is not the hustle and bustle you find during the school year.  It's coming home from a day in the sun or swimming and cleaning the sand and lotions off of us than cuddling on the couch for a good movie.  No pressure of what needs to be done for school the next day.  Take that breath. That sigh of relief. Soak in how you feel getting that well deserved break. 



Think back to your summers. It brings instant smiles doesn't it? It's so fun to see summer through your kids eyes and let's not forget how great it is to get to experience summer as a parent for all the reasons mentioned above. 

I hope you & your family have a safe and enjoyable summer!
MamaRoRose XOXO





 

What is this thing called Periscope?

General Hospital actors @EmmeRyan
and @DominicZampogna

Back at the end of April, Twitter purchased an app called Periscope.  It has been initially only available to iPhone users, however, rumor has it the Android version of the app is due to go live any day. 

 

WHAT IS PERISCOPE? Periscope is an interactive social media application.  It is live video stream of people from all walks of life and it is Worldwide.  You interact with the Periscope broadcaster by typing your comments and they answer live through their phone's video camera.  These broadcasters cover a wide range of topics for you to explore.  I am happily sharing with you my early favorites who have now become little rays of sunshine throughout my day (sounds melodramatic? Just wait). 

 

I tune in during my early morning coffee and at the end of my day before I go to bed. I get notifications that tell me someone I follow is now live and may pop-on throughout the day.  If I missed seeing someone and they saved their broadcast than I have 24 hours to watch in replay.  (Warning, there is no forward function on replay which makes viewing more difficult for the longer broadcasts-hoping to see that change in future updates).

I am more of a spectator in the Periscope world but I am beginning to broadcast and although I think I am boring as heck I have received positive feedback.  I will tell you this Broadcasting is not as easy as some make it look.  You try walking, eating, reading, all while talking. My eyes can't even read the screen without holding it 1 inch to my face.

So now I would like to share the reasons why I enjoy Periscope and some of the individuals responsible for my newest addiction.  If you want to follow me you can @heatco let me know that you read my blog!

HOW I DISCOVERED PERISCOPE-

@jennyhutt Target trip

I was driving one day listening to one of my favorite Sirius FM radio personalities, Jenny Hutt (@JennyHutt) who was discussing a new app called Periscope.  She described how it works and how addicting it is.  She also said she was broadcasting throughout her day and interacting with fans and I thought it sounded pretty interesting. Now I am being brought into her home.  We get to see that  those we deemed famous are really just like your average Joe...with perhaps more money?  I so enjoy keeping @jennyhutt company while she waits for her kids in school carpool line, or while she is on her treadmill, or in her backyard with her dog.  She helps me to be a better parent with her advice as she is years away with teenagers while I am with an early school age child.  She makes me laugh while walking through Target waiting for someone to notice her tiara. She makes me think when talking candidly about the Baltimore riots and the events that lead up to the riots.  If you get SIRIUS make sure to look for her and when you join Periscope follow her. I think you will enjoy her broadcasts. And to @jennyhutt I say thank you for introducing me to the what some say is the new future of social media.

HOW DO I LOVE THEE SO? Let me tell you why....
There is more to Periscope that just seeing your favorite celebrity "behind the scenes" so let me tell you the MANY reasons why I no longer sleep at night.

THE SIGHTS and SOUNDS-

This was my first attraction to Periscope...to experience things I would not normally experience and to visit places I dream to see in person one day was a very exciting concept.  The Sights & Sounds of my first morning on Perisope, while I sipped my coffee were of The Great Wall of China, the Berlin Wall, Eifel Tower, Tel-Aviv-Israel, United Kingdom and a place near to my heart...New York City.   I was fascinated the many sights from all around the World and found myself enjoying my morning coffee in a very different way than before.



THE TALENTED PEOPLE- 

The second reason I find myself drawn to Periscope is the wonderfully talented people I have come across who truly enjoy sharing their talents and/or crafts. I have been amused, entertained, and inspired by them and I hope you will be too.  There are many other broadcasters who deserve mentioning so perhaps I can create another blog in the near future of other great broadcasters.
 

Artist @AmandaOleander

My first Periscope find was @AmandaOleander who is an artist in Los Angeles, CA. Amanda paints, illustrates, cooks, and takes her viewers to various spots in Los Angeles (and neighboring areas) all while making her viewers feel appreciated and inspired. On any given night you may find Amanda painting and listening to great music all the while interacting with her supportive community of viewers.  Amanda currently has her Grandma Bita visiting till July so lucky viewers are getting a rare treat with this spunky and endearing Grandma. She is creative, talented and charitable.  She uses Periscope in the best way possible which is why she is one of the most beloved broadcasters. 

 Musician @Kitten_Grenade

I recently discovered a quirky & adorable musician named Kate (@Kitten_Grenade), who plays Ukulele and has the voice of an angel that lulls me to sleep nearly nightly. She will make songs based on your comments and does improv jamming like no other. She has the kindest soul and is refreshing to watch. She just got married this past weekend and we miss her while she is on her honeymoon--Congrats to Kate!





Actor @ErikPalladino

Than there is the Hollywood actor we first fell in love with on a little television show called ER, Erik Palladino (@ErikPalladino).  Watching Erik we find ourselves often giggling--along with the jokester himself-- while he torments his wife with surprise scope broadcasts or simply amuses us with his crazy antics.  He has two beautiful boys and watching him and his family is hysterical and also quite beautiful.  He welcomes us into his home as friends, and makes you feel just like one of the family. 



 

@MoeInteractive in NYC

My next "scoper" is Moe Saleh (@MoeInteractive) who broadcasts out of my native home of New York and shows us the most beautiful sites of the city (and nearby boroughs as well). I grew up in New York and now live down south so I especially love seeing my city through Moe's eyes when I am so far away.  I have had so much fun with Moe in Times Square while he asks viewer questions to random people on the street.  We have seen some crazy antics in Times Square and memorable walks in Central Park.  We have gone on late night subway trips to Brooklyn and have seen Art and Architecture along the streets of Manhattan. You can find Moe walking around the city at all hours day and night. 




Photographer @Smaku

Another recent discovery was a Periscope 'friend' who I had met in another broadcast is Taku (@Smaku) who is based out of Toronto, Canada. Taku is a talented photographer who explores beautiful sites in Canada through his photographers eye. He teaches viewers great camera angles and different ways of taking beautiful photographs. He also shows us how he edits pictures digitally on his computer.  Be ready to take tons of screen captures of Taku's walks. I find my screen captures of Taku's views often come out the best thanks to his talented vision.

@euromaestro in Paris

If you love Paris than you will equally love the tours given by someone known by many as @EuroMaestro. Euro narrates history and interesting facts along the journey into the beautiful country of France.  Here is another case where you will want to be prepared to take lots of screen captures thru the Maestro's eyes of his beautiful country.  






@LisaAppleton67 in the UK

If England captures your fancy than you should make a point to stop in on Lisa Appleton (@lisaappleton76) who broadcasts daily in her home and around her beautiful country.  I have found myself sitting in a room by myself laughing out loud into my cup of coffee.  She is both so real and really funny.  Whether its cooking or creating blown eggs that resemble her community of followers you are sure to have a fun time while visiting with Lisa.  When she is not scoping you will find her interacting in other broadcasts as well.

TV Host @AlexButlertv

 Another fun 'Scoper' is Alex Butler (@AlexButlerTV) who hosts a television show "My Carolina Today" in North Carolina.  She is bubbily, funny and very talkative. She is a natural talent in front of a camera. Her kindness oozes out of every broadcast and she is the real deal. She periscopes daily and enjoys interacting with others.  She happily takes you along on her journey through art fairs or her studio. Her home footage with her boyfriend, Nate, is very funny as they make a sweet couple who like to enjoy life.



YES and even more CELEBRITIES....
The third reason I love Periscope is the true fan in

me....the Celebrities!  I love to be behind the scenes of my favorite soap opera @GeneralHospital or at the Red Carpet with actress @EmmeRylan or on a run at backlot of Universal Studios with childhood favorite Punky Brewster's, Soleil Moon Frye (@moonfrye).  Remember the TLC sensation, Trading Spaces, fun host Paige Davis (@realpaigedavis)? Well now we get to watch her enjoying her dream of being on Broadway.  Watch NYC through her eyes...its a treat.  Periscope is in its infancy and celebrities are joining literally everyday. You can see Ellen, Oprah, Bravo's Andy Cohen, MC Hammer, Kathy Griffin, Tom Green & Andy Dick in ways you have not seen them before.

 
My FINAL REASON...Community
My final reason I love Periscope is the people I have met. The best indicator of a genuine, positive broadcaster is their following.  Many scopers are very good at developing their own community in their broadcast world.  You interact daily with the broadcaster and you also interact with other viewers.  Each broadcaster has a different type of community. You get to know the 'regular' personalities that frequent their favorite broadcasts.  One night I found myself watching @AmandaOleander illustrate what became #worldhug to raise money for Nepal.  I watched an entire 6-hours talking with others viewers while she busily illustrated for us from beginning to end.  I have found another group with @MoeInterative who take that walk nearly daily with me on the streets of NYC.  There is a nutty group of eggheads over at @LisaAppleton67 that I cry laughing with while visiting in Lisa's kitchen. You know to expect a very humorous crew hanging with @ErikPalladino.

I hope I have enticed you to come on board and join in on the fun that Periscope.  Download the app now if you have IPhone and hang in there to Androids.  

Looking forward to see you on Periscope!
Heather
Twitter & Periscope: @heatco

Honey....I'm Home!

I cannot believe the last time I wrote a blog entry was something like 4-years ago. I had a 4 year old...and just post toddler little girl. Now I have an 8-year old who is in 2nd Grade brings joy to my life daily when she is not making me question my ability as a Mother.  Do you all do that too? Judge
yourself? I do daily....I wake up saying today I am going to be a perfect mom and go to bed wondering how many things I could have done better. We are our worst enemies.  Aren't our children going to grow up with "issue" no matter what we do? Don't we all have issues!?

Obviously there is a difference between a bad/horrible parent and the rest of us who try with all our might and just hope for the best.

So far, so good.  My daughter is a decent human being.  She has flourished from the shy girl to a often opinionated child. She has learned to read, do math, tell time, count money.  She has had her first childhood "crush" in Kindergarten and who has returned to our lives in 2nd Grade. She is innocent and I have tried my best to both keep her in a bubble yet expose her to as much of the world as possible. 

Well, that's a complex challenge. On one had I revert to the bubble and carefully monitor her tv and movie viewing . I was such a stickler about this as I wanted to keep her innocence as long as possible and some really great television shows are meant for tweens not for the young ones.  I kept her away from learning about sad things as long as I could, perhaps to her determent.  My shy child who was always described as a thinker has grown into a an even bigger thinker and sometimes gets herself stressed out.  This past year or two she discovered that people die who are younger. I know perhaps a smarter child would have figured this out sooner when they realized that none of the Disney Princesses have Mothers. But her initial experience with death was my Grandmother...her "Bubbie".  She was in her 90's and we were able to flourish  the reality of it with our first talk about Heaven and what we thought it might be like. So now she worries a bit about something happening to us or her. Normal childhood milestone I think. Lesson learned that no matter how much you shelter your child, her classmate, 'Jimmy' will tell her about his baby cousin who died.  Its most definitely best to teach things first yourself. Its always tricky figuring out when to start the lessons.

There is more to our story.  My husband (before we married) was hit by a drunk driver in 1995.  He was in a coma for 10 days and suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI).  It effected him differently over the years.  He suffers memory issues and seizures.  Not easy for a little one to experience her daddy having a seizure in front of her.  I am sure that lack of control of her environment weighs on her during her most anxious moments. But the good things is she is a happy child who enjoys so many things...basketball, art, reading, drawing and playing Mommy to her many dolls. She is very creative and has a lot of moxie.  She is kind and inquisitive and I could go on because I am very enamored by my child as we all should be.

Ok so one more thing you need to know about me.  I run my own business and care for my child and assist my husband who can't drive and on top of it I am dealing with thyroid issues. Having been overweight most of my life I finally grew comfortable in my own skin (or so I say) but than I gained more weight and started just feeling horrible.  It was a slow spiral down until my diagnosis and I am just recently starting treatment.  So on top of being exhausted by life, I am also exhausted from the inside out, my body hurts, my moods are a bit all over the place, I am most probably perimenapausal and I am anemic. Oh did I mention borderline diabetic.

Its time for some drastic change and I thought this blog could hold me accountable, let me write, which I love to do and let me interact with others and hopefully bring you along on a positive journey back to a healthier me. Please, don't mistake my rant as complaining. There is so much I love about my life, I just need to feel healthier so I can get more out of it. Make sense?

Boy, if you are still reading thanks for reading through this major rant!  I think I need a place to let it all out. 

I leave you with you a quote from one of our favorite movies, Cheaper by the Dozen 2,
"There is no one way to be a perfect parent, but there are many ways to be a great one.".  Lets strive for greatness but continue to love ourselves during the moments we fail.

Thanks for hanging in on this way-to-long blog!
MamaRorose
XOXO

Cha-Cha-Cha-CHANGES

Ok moms (and sentimental sappy dads)...how do you handle transition with your child?! Here is the situation.  Next week my daughter is just completing her 2nd year of preschool and now two years in a row I have anticipatory anxiety.  My stomach hurts and I am having difficulty sleeping.  The same exact thing happened last year at this time as I would secretly tear up at the thought of her amazing first year of preschool ending. I loved her teachers. The class had become an extended family.  It was magic. It was about a week before school ended that I saw changes in my little one. She became more clingy. She started having separation issues for the very first time. It's important to mention it was also the same very week of school ending that my father had triple bypass surgery and as much as I tried to hide my emotions, my little one had to have picked up my fear and sadness.

I learned an important lesson with my father's surgery.  The lesson learned is maybe I should not be working so hard at hiding my feelings from my daughter. I am not saying I should have dumped on a than 3 year old, but perhaps I should have explained more instead of brushing it under the rug in an effort not to upset her.  I didn't talk about 'pop-pops' surgery and his being in the hospital.  I didn't give her anything to process. So it is very possible the unknown spooked her more than had I been more honest but still keep it age appropriate.

So at the end of her school last year her beloved Grandpa had surgery, the walls in her classroom were now bare, and she knew that she would be in a different class next year. The next two and a half weeks (but whose counting) between school and camp were uneventful and fun when we were together but on the days I had to go work, she cried for my mom, cried for her babysitter. Something she never did before.  I never had to leave a crying kid. I was not well equipped to deal with this. I remember crying in the car outside my home after having had her clawing at me not to leave. It still breaks my heart a year later. 

Than came camp.  I thought it would be a no-brainer as she was attending camp at her very school.  So the room would be different but the surroundings and some of her friends would be the same. Well...it was a long 8 weeks. She would cry about going to camp the night before, she would cry and cling when I left her. Not the entire time but definitely in the beginning and some throughout the summer.

This is a kid who never once cried on her first day of preschool.  She never cried once throughout that first year. And she did not cry when school started for her second year. So even though I thought her first year was magical. Her second year in preschool was pretty darn good as well. We had great teachers. A great class. She was a little clingy the first day but no tears and came home smiling. The year was perfect.

It's important that I digress to my childhood for a minute as Freudian as that seems...I remember when I was teenager the feelings I felt as I transitioned from one semester to another. I never liked it. It would take a little time to adjust and I remember feeling a bit 'blue' about the newness of the classes and schedule I now had.  It was not debilitating by any means but I remember feeling uneasy. I have this reoccurring dream that I am in college with my new schedule in hand trying to remember what building my classes were in and that dream concludes with me missing an entire semester of a class that  I forgot was on my new schedule. Hmmm interesting. Could I be passing this 'transitional anxiety' on to my daughter? She is so much like me. Both a beautiful but terrifying feeling as of course I want even better for her.  I want her to leave any traces of my depression, anxiety, worrying, low self-esteem I may have had growing up.  I had a fairly happy childhood that I really wouldn't change other than to have the self-esteem I now have as a 41 year old.

So SUMMER is here. This year we go do a NEW camp.  I wanted to give her an opportunity to break the pattern and get used to different experiences. She has one of her current classmates in her new camp group and several not in her group but she will see them I am sure. She seems a little excited but at the same time I sense her apprehension as she has slowly started to get more clingy these past few weeks.  Kids know more than we give them credit for. She talks all about her class when she is "5".
The bottom line I want to give her strength even if I am shaking inside. This is only a preview of what's to come...KINDERGARTEN.

I realize change can be good. I transitioned beautifully at the various stages of her 4.5 year old life. Each stage I loved more and more. I would miss her as a baby but loved her so much as a toddler and than a preschooler.  So any advice for this nervous mommy? Am I normal or a basket case? You can be honest. Just remind me that if she cries at camp...she will survive. It will make her stronger.  Right?!

I guess all we can do is reassure our children, praise them for being the beautiful children they are and love them so that feel confident in knowing what she was taught her very first day of preschool "mommy comes back.....mommy always comes back".

NEW YEARS 2011 QUIZ

I want to thank a great blog called ALL & SUNDRY for the following thought provoking quiz.  
With the NEW Year comes something else very new for me...starting today my 4-year old is going to preschool EVERYDAY.  I fought this trying to hold on to my baby a little longer and had her going 3 days till 1:30pm. However, SHE asked for it and after not much thought I realized it was best for her. She was a big girl now and did not need to follow mommy around on errands or even another playdate. She needed a schedule, her classmates and her teachers. She was ready and it's time Mommy gets her act together too. So I dropped her off today (did I mention she is also going till 3pm instead of 1:30pm) and after some tears (by me) I realized it was not only best for her but for me too.

I needed to build my business (a total different life than my blogging) and tend to my blogging which nourishes me. I need to start taking care of me. With some more hours to myself I can accomplish this. So this is the first day of something new and with a cup of coffee nearby I am going to tackle this New Year's Quiz. Hoping by finding out more about you'll want to come back for more. All I can do is be honest...it's up to you whether you like what you see. So I hope you enjoy! Happy New Year!

1. What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before? I am stumped on the very first question. Not good. Did I do anything new?! Ok let's add that to my resolutions.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? No I did not keep my resolutions from last year. and Yes I will re-make the same resolution, to take better care of me. I failed at this. I am trying again this year. My daughter needs me. My husband needs me. I want to be here. I need to start doing something to get healthier. I am hoping with more time, I can take care of me better. Go back to Weight Watchers, increase exercise, all the standard stuff we set goals for. But also to nourish my soul. I need to do that desperately.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? This was a slow year on the baby front. I did not have one single baby enter my life family or friend. Does that mean I am getting older?!

4. Did anyone close to you die? Yes, my Great-Aunt Sarah passed away. And just a few weeks ago my 12 1/2 year old golden retriever, Cobey. He was such a good boy and we are feeling this loss in our home.

5. What countries did you visit? I did not travel at all. Finances. Fear of flying. Yadda Yadda.

6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010? More fun time with hubby. Time to read more books that is not just from my daughter's bookshelf. . 

7. What dates from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? In May my dad had triple bypass. That is a day I will never forget. The fear of losing him was palpable. It was a nail biting day.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Building my business. Becoming my own boss. Slowly. I am in a better place than last year. Not by much but I am on the right path.

9. What was your biggest failure? Not tending to this blog and not losing weight.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Thankfully no but I am on the border of becoming diabetic so reality is if I don't get my act together I could have a different answer next year. (Let's hope not)

11. What was the best thing you bought? My Kindle.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? My daughter. She is a good egg. Kind, funny, loving. She's an old soul and I love being with her.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? My daughter. She is 4 and thinks she knows better than me. She has had moments that have made me see into the future to the teenage years and its scared me terribly. LOL (nervous laugh).

14. Where did most of your money go? Yep..you guessed it...my daughter and bills in general.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? A New Glee episode (how pathetic!?)

16. What song will always remind you of 2010? Poker Face..anything Lady Gaga.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? happier most days.
b) thinner or fatter? thinner (slightly).
c) richer or poorer? same (and it's not pretty).

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Zoo's, Museums, Aquariums, Exploring...

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Worrying.

20. How did you spend New Years?  With hubby and little one. Made dinner. Played games. Laughed. 

21. Did you fall in love in 2010? Just about everyday with my daughter. (Wish I could say the same for hubby...LOL).

22. What was your favorite TV program? GLEE

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? Ugh. I hate the word hate. I would say I have less intolerance for some craziness that was in my life.

24. What was the best book you read? I am

25. What was your greatest musical discovery? I did not discover anyone in particular. I did discover that I love the music that the dancers on "So You Think You Can Dance" dance to. I often downloaded songs to my ipod from that show. Interesting, different music.

26. What did you want and get? Another year of good health for my family. Knock wood. Pooh pooh (it's a Jewish thing the pooh pooh). 

27. What did you want and not get? For my dog to live longer.

28. What was your favorite film of this year? Oh this is sad. Did I even see a movie this year???...oh yeah...TANGLED.  I actually loved that movie.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? 41. It sounds pathetic. I put my dog to sleep the day before my birthday. ON my birthday I worked all day and than had dinner at home with my little one and husband. I love my work and it was good to keep busy as the day before had been an horror. I was extremely content with my quiet family time when I came home.

30. What one thing made your year immeasurably more satisfying? My clients. I work with seniors and I have met some really great people with really interesting stories to tell.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010? I have no fashion sense anymore. If it fits and is comfy, I wear it. Maybe that should be a resolution!?

32. What kept you sane? Not sure I am sane. But let's say I am sane...I think those who make me crazy also keep me sane. My family. My husband and my daughter. They keep me grounded.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? I can't believe I cannot answer this. I am pretty into celebrity gossip but this year just found it all boring (Lindsay Lohan...who cares!!!).

34. What political issue stirred you the most? Healthcare. I had a hard time getting healthcare after my Cobra ran out because I have a pre-exsisting condition...I am overweight.  It was a horrible experience to not have healthcare for 8 months. Also, Don't Ask Don't Tell was a big one. I love my gays. All Men and Women should be created equal. Enough said.

35. Who did you miss? My sweet boy. My furry one. My Cobey.

36. Who was the best new person you met? My daughters teachers both last year and this year. I love them.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010. Worrying doesn't change anything.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. Oh I am so bad at this...the only thing that comes to mind which is pretty lame..."Another One Bites". However, I have great regard for the year to come. I think 2011 is going to be a smashing year...tell me what song would reflect that?!

So I tried my best. My coffee is empty. My head is swirling. Need I say more?! Have a great day!