Browsing Category: Geek

Videos for toddlers: Creative Galaxy

February 6, 2018 Zoe

(Disclaimer: Yes, there are some affiliate links below. But the editorial content of this post is still the same as it would be otherwise)

Even before we gave Harley her own tablet, we were looking for video content for her. The reality is that screen time isn’t 100% evil, and honestly, sometimes we all need time to zone out – her in front of a video and me without a two-year-old demanding my complete attention. That said, I still like to encourage her to watch things that expand her mind, teach her something, or are generally worthwhile. I’ve found a bunch of awesome shows for kids, and I thought I’d share them with you, starting with one of my favorites – Creative Galaxy. Continue Reading

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Comment Affiliate, Child Development, Geek, Parenting, TV

Favorite Books January 2018

January 30, 2018 Zoe

There were some dark days when Harley was a newborn. I was rarely able to read books. Lately, I’ve been prioritizing reading time for myself, getting into bed every night at 10 so that I can give myself half an hour to an hour of reading. Sometimes I’m exhausted and fall asleep within 5 minutes, and sometimes I have to force myself to go to sleep before it gets too late. But I’m loving my extra reading time for myself, and I’m also making an added effort to read to Harley every single day. So here are both of our favorite books, January 2018 edition.

Just a bit of fair warning, Harley gets to pick which books we read, which means we often read the same ones, over and over again. And I only have a short time to read each month, so I might not have the most expansive list of titles to recommend to you each month. I’m also on an Afro-SF kick, so my Science Fiction genre is influenced by a very specific leaning. But still, here’s what we both enjoyed, and I’m just SO pleased my little one is turning into a bookworm already. Continue Reading

1 Comment Affiliate, Books, Geek, Products

Book Worm Books Favorite Books

Things that are caught, not taught

July 20, 2017 Zoe

One of my goals for this year was taking my time for myself, time in my own head. On some level, I knew that I just wasn’t feeling and acting like myself, and a big part of that was never really having time to be alone with my own thoughts. It’s something I’ve been struggling with a lot in the past few weeks – Harley has been on school holidays, I feel like there is a constant moving to do list, plus I want to connect with everyone I can before we leave. It’s leaving me very little time to daydream or waste time, which is crucially important for anyone, but particularly for those in the creative field.

You see, there was something I heard a while back on a podcast about how to write good copy. The guy explaining it was saying that while there are certain rules or guidelines to help people write better social media posts or emails, the reality was that it was something that was caught, not taught. I liked the sound of that expression, but it got me thinking about those things I’ve learned and done well with, and how I acquired those skills. While education, research, and learning are certainly important and also something I continue to pursue, I do think that concept of caught, not taught, is vitally important, and ties back into the space in my head thing. Continue Reading

7 Comments Geek, Rambling

#AcerForGaming made me a role model

June 13, 2017 Zoe

Role models are strange things. I’ve written about them in other contexts, like looking at Aloy or Lara Croft as gaming-based role models for Harley as she grows up. But it’s not just impressionable young people who need role models, although of course, they do. Adults continue to need others that they can admire in some ways, and it’s a strange thing to put myself in that category. It makes me a bit self-conscious, and a bit awkward, but I also feel proud enough about it that I have to share.

Way back when, I promised that I wouldn’t apologize for being a working mom. My thought was that it is who I am, and I was going to bring Harley along with me to meetings or whatever needed doing, and carry on living my life as a working woman. While I have done that with great success, it hasn’t always been easy. I was particularly worried about the #AcerForGaming event – I was going to be working all evening, helping to get other ladies playing on consoles and PCs. How could I do that if Harley was difficult or tired or whatever else. I was really torn about it, but decided I had to take her – I couldn’t present myself as a working mom gamer without my kid – and I’m SO glad that I brought her. Continue Reading

2 Comments Gaming, Geek, Parenting, Rambling

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5 reasons I love my Fitbit AltaHR

May 29, 2017 Zoe

A couple weeks back, I went to a lovely breakfast with the iStore. It was a wonderful morning of getting spoiled, complete with delicious food, and a gorgeous locale. It was for Mother’s Day, and the PR team went out of their way to make us feel special. Everything about the event was fantastic – from the rose gold cutlery to the incredible goody bag. That’s right, we got amazing presents, too. It was such a treat. One of the presents was a Fitbit AltaHR, which I had wanted for a long time and instantly fell in love with. Now that it’s not just love at first sight, I thought I’d share a little bit more about why I like it so much.

First, though, can we all just pause and marvel at how beautiful this cutlery is? I mean, I don’t even care about rose gold in general, but this is really so damn pretty.

(Disclaimer: Yes, there are now some affiliate links in this post, but the content was written prior to that and is in no way influenced by the links. If you click on these links, I could earn a small commission.)

Comment Fitness, Geek, Products

Fitbit Fitness Wearable tech