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What is that New-Skin Stuff, Anyway?

I happen to have a number of cuts on my hand at the moment (I’ve been taking classes at a glass studio in Portland and was especially clumsy yesterday) and had the opportunity to try that “New-Skin” stuff — it’s part of the first aid supplies they keep on hand. New-Skin (and other liquid bandages) brush on and dry quickly, forming a flexible, waterproof covering for cuts, scrapes, skin cracks, and blisters. The original New-Skin brand product was invented more than a hundred years ago and got its first trademark in 1901. Several different companies make and market liquid bandages, … Continue reading →

How Do My Adopted Kids Think About Skin Color?

My daughters are still too young (seven and four) for me to know exactly how they think of skin color. But I’ve jotted down things they’ve said through the years. For those new to my blogs, my husband and I are white, we have a nine-year-old biological son and two half-sisters from Korea, ages 7 and 4. I assume the girls are fully Korean. We have no birthfather information on the younger one, and she was so much lighter-skinned than her sister that we wondered if she was half-European/American. But overall she now looks much like other Korean children I … Continue reading →

The Things You Thought You Knew – Online Relationships

Have you ever seen the movie How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days? If you haven’t, I recommend checking it out. First of all, it’s funny and secondly, there’s a message hidden away in there for those that pay attention. Online dating is a lot like this movie. Boy and girl meet in a bar and pick each other up. They both possess their own agendas and what they see in each other is the perfect opportunity to explore the possibilities. After a fun evening together, they retire back to his place for a little while. They tease each … Continue reading →

Hypafix

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Even though my daughter Lily no longer has her feeding tube, I would be remiss if I did not tell you all about one of the greatest products ever. It’s called Hypafix, and it’s an adhesive tape used to hold dressings in place. However we used it to hold Lily’s tube in. When we first learned that Lily would need a feeding tube, adhesive tape was the least of our worries. However, once we got her home, it slowly crept to the top of our list, because that tape is pretty much the only thing keeping you from another trip … Continue reading →

What To Do With Your Kid’s Gross Halloween Candy?

I suppose “gross” is a relative term, but when it comes to Circus Peanuts, Laffy Taffy and Wax Bottle candy, I exercise my parental veto power, and liberally toss out my daughter’s Halloween treats without an ounce of guilt. Actually, this year we will be donating unwanted Halloween candy to a group, which will distribute the sweet treats to children who are unable to go trick-or-treating. Other individuals are embracing the share-your-Halloween-candy concept as well. For example, dentists in New Hampshire, New Jersey and Iowa are redefining the phrase “put your money where your mouth is.” The dental experts are … Continue reading →

Recycling Styrofoam

Back when I was in college, I had a brilliant chemistry professor who worked on many different projects for Dow and other companies. He had quite a few “modern miracles” under his belt. He eventually left the world of invention to teach, and enlighten us students to some of the environmental repercussions of many of the products that he helped invent. One of these products, and probably the biggest regret he had, is styrofoam, or polystyrene as it is actually called (styrofoam is a brand name). My professor told us that they were originally trying to create paper cups that … Continue reading →

I’m Still Sort Of Really Qualified to Homeschool a Gifted Child

A big thanks to Andrea for letting me share our adventures with Alex over the past year or so. In case you’re just joining us. . .Alex is our son and he is a little bit smart. This is part 2 of a series about choosing curriculum for him. I hope you find it helpful if you’re just starting to navigate the road of homeschooling a gifted child. Mom Panics I left our story last by describing the first leg of our journey–where I panicked. Last year, Alex flew through three whole grade levels of curriculum. But it was the … Continue reading →

Talking Cats, Ferrets, and Writing with Ed Lynskey

I’ve never met my next interviewee in person, but we’ve had an acquaintance via writing that’s spanned a few years now. Back when I was editor for the now defunct EWG Presents, he submitted a couple of stories that I published. Unbeknownst to him, I’ve followed his burgeoning career. (Which I always knew was going to take off one day. He’s quite talented!) But after I interviewed Jeff Cohen, Ed wrote me and informed me we had another love besides writing in common: pets. Thus, an interview was born… Courtney Mroch: What kind of things do you write about? (Genre, … Continue reading →

What Can You Do Instead of Birthday Presents?

Earlier this month, I wrote about how birthday parties can get out of control. In “Whose Birthday Party is it, Anyway?” I wrote about all the ways that we can lose perspective and how birthday parties can get hijacked by different parties until we forget who the celebration is supposed to be for. One of the ways that birthdays can get out of hand is by putting too much pressure on gift giving and getting. Have you ever considered starting a new family ritual and coming up with activities or other things to do INSTEAD of focusing on birthday presents? … Continue reading →

Healing Cuts and Scrapes

Earlier this week, I took some time to learn about New-Skin (thanks to some misadventures with glass). Now in addition to the two cuts I got at the glass studio, I have a long scratch on my wrist from my work at the cats only boarding facility! It’s not been a great week for me when it comes to gracefulness. But I’ve got three good-sized wounds all on my right hand: a slice on my index finger, an odd L-shaped cut on the back of my hand (from jabbing myself with a cut piece of glass), and an inch-long claw … Continue reading →