Top 7 Geeky Gift Ideas in 2018

Top 7 Geeky Gift Ideas in 2018

2018 is nearly over. I honestly can’t believe it. Each year goes faster than the one before. This means that it’s time to get the holiday shopping done. If you love someone with geeky tastes, it can be tricky to know what to get them. Here are my top 7 geeky gift ideas in 2018 that might help. Also, if you want to buy me any of these things, I’d be pretty pleased.

Okay, so I know I’m calling this a top 7 list, but actually, there’s a bit more in here. I’ve just divided it into 7 categories, with a few top picks in each one. So you’ll get even more ideas than you imagined!

(Full disclosure: Yes, there are affiliate links below. Click on them to when you buy stuff, and I could earn a small commission. But the products are still things that I want, regardless.)

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Comment Gaming, Geek, Products

Develop a kid’s inner scientist – A week in LA with a toddler

A week in LA with a toddler

LA has never been my favorite city. Maybe it’s because I grew up in NYC and there’s some east coast vs west coast rivalry ingrained in me. Maybe it’s because it’s a driving city instead of a walking city. Or maybe it’s that ridiculous pollution that meant I always got sick on every visit I made there. I’d been to LA numerous times for work, and while I had found parts that I liked about it, it simply wasn’t my favorite place.

But the hubster’s best friend is from Iceland (the same one who went with us to Knysna), and he gave us a list of cities where we could rendezvous, and LA was the one we could drive to that seems intriguing. So we agreed to a week in LA to hang out, catch up, and maybe take in some of the sights. Of course our almost 3-year-old was along for the ride. I searched every guide I could find on the internet, claiming to have the best places in LA for a toddler. We went to most of them. So now, here’s MY guide on the best things to do for a week in LA with a toddler. Continue Reading

Comment Parenting, USA

My experiences with sexual abuse and harassment

#MeToo

I’m writing this without the intention of clicking publish. I think because whenever I imagine publishing something like this, I get shy, and worried, and afraid. I become anxious and wonder if anyone would believe me. If people would blame me. How it might impact other people’s lives. But I think I need to write it. For me, and maybe for other people, if I ever click publish.

The main reason I’m inspired to write this is because of the continuing coverage of Dr. Ford, and all she has gone through to share her story of what happened to her at age 15. A potential supreme court justice assaulted her as a teenager. I believe her. And if I can believe her, hopefully, other people will believe me. Continue Reading

Comment Rambling

Life Right Now – Going at Different Speeds

Going at different speeds

(Photo Credit: Lara Salvo with Vienna Hayden // @ViennaHayden)

It’s been a wild few months. Thanks to listening to some really inspiring audiobooks (I promise I’ll share them all here soon) and generally finding myself again, I’ve been doing some really cool stuff in personal life and the blogging world. If you hadn’t noticed, I’ve revamped my YouTube channel with some gorgeous channel art, and I’m really enjoying the content I’m making over there. I’ve also been really enjoying the content that I’ve been making here.

But I realized that my blog is starting to feel very… curated. I am writing interesting, useful articles that are great for Pinterest sharing. I’m making fun, educational videos. But I’m not feeling like the real me is showing up on here. I mean, my tone is still me. The writing is still me. But I haven’t felt like I’m really sharing what’s going on, our normal life struggles or day to day life stuff. So, here it is – a personal update. Continue Reading

Comment Rambling

3 Tips for Reading to Your Kid

3 Tips for Reading to Your Kid

(Photo credit: Lauren Iwen with Lauren Iwen Photography // @LaurenIwen)

The benefits of reading to your kid for 10+ minutes every day abound. There’s been a ton of research into this topic, but one of the clearest indicators for me was this study into kids read to between ages 4-5. When parents read to these kids for 3-5 days per week it was equivalent to the child being 6 months older in development, and reading to them 6-7 days a week pushed that to being a year ahead in development. Children are more likely to succeed in school, be able to spell their names sooner and even count to 20 earlier. But, only a little over half of the population reads to their kids every day.

I know that we all set out with the best intentions. We want to give our kids the best chances in life, but sometimes it’s hard to know the best way to do that. Reading to your kid is guaranteed to help them, but how do you even start? Here are my top 3 tips for reading to your kid, but you can get even more advice with more detail for any age by signing up for my newsletter – you’ll get a free printable with more information and advice for reading to your kid at any age. Continue Reading

Comment Child Development, Geek, Parenting