The Pleasures of Sharing Information

This is going to sound strange, not being a mommy but having a “mommy moment”; it sounds strange to me too! So, let me take you back a few years so I can explain.

When my nephew was 2 years old (he’s now 10), I offered to babysit him one day a week so I could develop a relationship with him. I’d missed out on doing this with the previous 5 nieces and nephews to a large extent so I didn’t want to miss out on this one. This little boy had already captured my heart but I wanted more. Well, I’ll tell you, I got more! He has always been very intelligent, not to mention that he was TWO. You mommies all know what that means, right?

You moms are all going to laugh, because although I’m the eldest of six children and very capable of diaper changing and feeding, I had no idea what to actually “do” with him all day. I kept thinking how do women get anything done when they have children around? That first day I was wiped out tired when his parents picked him up because I just assumed that a toddler needed constant entertaining.

We played with his toys which took up about 10 minutes, went outside to look at plants and tell him the names of flowers, and my golden retriever joined in but that took maybe another 15 minutes. I had only 6 hours to go! The diaper changing took up a bit of time (I was rusty), and meal time was interesting trying to understand what he did and didn’t like - I was fooled. Then I decided, well I need a moment to rest, I’ll play some music! That was the key to a very enjoyable summer of learning to interact with my nephew and develop our own special relationship.

One of the first things I did was shorten the hours I had him with me! I wanted to get to know him, NOT become a surrogate mom. We finally got a routine down where we listened to music and danced together. It was such great fun and we both laughed and enjoyed that. I participated with his parents in the potty training phase - something I don’t feel the need to do again but was a good lesson for me to learn. I learned he liked “macky cheese” for lunch and of course, since I am auntie, he got special chocolate snacks too. That made nap time even more difficult since he wasn’t ever and still isn’t the napping sort. How could anyone nap with all that sugar in them anyway??

Our relationship grew and grew as that wonderful summer progressed. He was a great little helper, and even helped me clean my refrigerator one day. My dog was used to being my baby and he was jealous but ever the tolerant golden. I taught my nephew how to dance, which was fun and we played lots of boy tumbling games - I’m a tomboy myself so it worked. Since it was summer I joined him at my mom’s one day a week too. He always wanted to swim with mostly me, much to his parents chagrin. To this day, Thursdays are my swimming days with him and now his sister too. I guess he brought out the kid in me! You may be wondering where is that “mommy moment”, so here it comes.

On one of our “days” together, my husband and I were in the kitchen talking. My husband was working a swing type shift for the US Postal Service back then and hadn’t left for work yet. “Macky cheese” was cooking on the stove, not yet ready for my nephew to do his part of adding the cheese and stirring, the stereo was blaring in the background, my dog was trucking around keeping an eye on my nephew. My nephew was skipping around in a circle nearby making toddler noises.

Then it happened - the “mommy moment”. I stopped talking to my husband to look at my nephew and sort of chuckle at his toddler singing noises, and looked around in a sort of daze, thinking, “This is a mommy moment!” This is what moms do all day and never think twice about it in order to keep their sanity and their selves intact. My nephew had blended into my life almost so seamlessly, that I had become comfortable with the routine and noises while keeping an ever vigilant eye open for him and yet continuing on in my daily chores.

This is what all you moms do daily, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week! All I can say is, with much ado, you are all phenomenal women, all of you! God has gifted you with such a tremendous gift of motherhood and with that gift comes a tremendous responsibility.
You fix the “boo boos”, change the diapers, are chauffeur, chef, arbitration expert, financial wizard, stain masters, and so much, much more! Moms, you have all the skills required to run conglomerates just by what is required to be a mom. Remember that during the struggles that inevitably ensue, and grab one of those “mommy moments” from your treasure box to get you through. I do, and I’m not even a mom.

“Listen my son, accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many. I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble. Hold onto instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.” Proverbs 4: 10 - 13, NIV.
Let’s not forget Proverbs 31 either!

About the Author

Kim Bloomer operates a home business in wellness, www.aspenbloomnutrition.com . She is also publisher of a pet wellness channel, www.Aspenbloom-WellPet.com Kim is co-founder of channel KTEH, an online marketing advertising co-op, www.KickTheEmailHabit.net and website www.KickTheEmailHabit.com or just go to http://KimBloomer.com for an “all inclusive” look.

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You see articles about baby showers written by women all of the
time. But why not written by a man? Don’t we need to know a
thing or two about baby showers too?

My wife recently hosted a baby shower for a friend, and I was
clueless on how to help her. Fortunately, I was kicked out of
the house before the actual baby shower began, but I was
involved with helping her set it up. Baby showers begin with
selecting a location and baby shower invitations. But the actual
event involves a lot more planning.

Did you know that baby showers include a cake made out of
diapers? Yeah, I thought that was strange too. But apparently
diaper cakes are one of the important centerpieces at baby
showers these days. This isn’t an edible cake–but there are
plenty of deserts to be eaten. From non-diaper cakes to
appetizers to baby block-looking petit fours, it seems like
there’s more than enough food to go around at a baby shower.

Of course there are usually baby shower games. These games can
be kind of silly, but they’re a big hit. The women talk about
funny baby experiences they’ve had and bring up embarrassing
things from the mother’s past. There are hundreds of web sites
devoted to various baby shower games. Do a search for “baby
shower games” an you’ll be amazed and some of the games people
have invented.

Gifts are a big part of baby showers. And I mean BIG! It’s
amazing how many gifts are showered upon the mother-to-be.
Although the mom usually registers for important baby gifts like
sheets and strollers, it seems that most women want to buy cute
things for the baby that aren’t on the registry. Apparently
buying cute clothes and stuffed animals is more interesting than
buying sheets for the crib. It makes sense, but I hear that
moms-to-be hate this since what they really need are the basic
supplies. The mom ends up buying all of these herself.

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Tuning is simply adjusting your engine for peak performance. The
factory-fresh settings may be a good starting point. However,
you may need to compensate for higher altitudes, or for
temperature changes with the seasons. Changes in fuel type or
engine wear, may also require a tune-up. Relatively more fuel to
air is known as a “rich” mixture, while the opposite is known as
a “lean” mixture. A lean mixture generates more power, but also
generates more heat. Too much heat could damage the engine. A
rich mixture generates less power and less heat. Too rich and
the engine might quit while you’re flying.

The popular twin-needle carburetor has two needle valves. The
high speed needle controls the total fuel flow into the engine,
and affects the engine’s behavior from half to full throttle.
The low speed needle tends to have more of an effect from half
throttle down to idle. Both the low and high speed needles can
be richened (counterclockwise turning), or leaned (clockwise
turning). Tuning Procedure: 1) Start with the factory
recommended needle valve settings. 2) Start the engine. 3) With
the engine or aircraft secured, open the throttle to full.

4) Lean the high speed needle slowly and watch and listen: Too
rich: lots of smoke, low pitched sound Leaner: reduced smoke,
sound starts changing to higher pitch Leaner still: little
smoke, max rpm reached Too lean: very little smoke, max rpm can
be heard falling off. Open the needle valve up 20 or 30 degrees
from this point. If you have a tachometer, open the needle about
300 rpm less than max.

5) Still at high throttle, perform the pinch test. Briefly pinch
then release the fuel tube going into the carb. If the engine
momentarily speeds up, then slows back down, you’re done. If the
engine does not speed up, or quits, then it is too lean; richen
the needle some more.

6) Now throttle back to idle; let the engine idle for a couple
minutes.

7) Now perform another pinch test. This time pinch and hold the
line. The engine will want to speed up and die. If it speeds up
immediately, it’s too lean, richen the low speed needle. It
should take 4-6 seconds to speed up and begin to die. Any longer
and it’s too rich.
Also check the throttle transition. With the aircraft secured
and engine idling for a couple minutes, advance the throttle
quickly to fully open. If the engine hesitates, the low speed
mixture is too rich.

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