Bits and Pieces...

We have been pretty busy at the VandeDrink-Andress Household.  Rick has some great new clients and projects, Soren is a ball of energy and my CSO/May Festival season is on it's way out.  Since I haven't had a chance to blog in excess - I am going to use my Instagram feed to do a round up of our crazy past few weeks.​

↑ My name is joined by several talented and amazing people on Philip Glass and Matt Haimovitz's recent release of Cello Concerto No. 2.  I had the opportunity to work with the ​Michael Riesman - ​not to mention the amazing ​Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra!  We were in the iTunes scroll for 2 weeks! ​​

↑ ​I've got mommas term, the Doula bag is packed and ready to go!  Spring means yummy fresh salads with my favorite pink lady apples.  I love how everywhere I go, I see a part of my kiddo.  He loves his cars and trucks! ↓

​↑ No words - He is getting so big and more handsome everyday.  How did I get so lucky?  Here we are on our way to Soren's first Red's game.  Soren downed a green smoothie and proudly sports his green 'stache. ↓

↑​ We are Sensory Play abound in these parts.  From stacking our Juice Plus+ containers and plowing them down to digging out treasure (straws, spoons and forks - all of which Soren has worked into his vocabulary!) from yummy raspberry jello!  Soren is also an excellent Barista and makes the best coffee. ↓

And the most recent of events - my newest Tattoo and by new, I mean - got it yesterday.  It's a Lotus with my Oma's shorthand, from the flower up saying: Patience, Consistency, Respect and Love.  Four words that impact me and my family more with each passing day.  One of the many lessons I have learned from motherhood - with many more to come.  India Behrens from Skincraft created this work of art.  I love it.​ ↓

Air Quality i.e. Pollution

Last week, the little dude and I had a chance to be a part of a documentary about Air Quality.  At first - I didn't know exactly how Soren and I could help, but after our interview it became obvious.  ​

Sara asked some pretty broad questions but I kept finding myself coming back to the same theme - health, nutrition and our environment.  It didn't hit me until the interview was over (not just how granola I might actually be), but how important the quality of the environment is to me and how it effects my son's ability to prosper.  ​

It's not just what types of food he ingests.  But where it comes from, the soil it is grown in - is it sustainable?  I want it to be available to him for ages to come.  For his children and his children's children.​

I thought I was concerned before, but now... I am beyond concerned - I am appalled!  Sara shared some information about pollution and statistics that were pretty mind blowing.  Things I would have never considered before - like, have you ever thought about how much soot and pollutants are being released by just one school bus alone, idling outside waiting for the bell to ring?  ​

Although it was heavy information and the weather was chilly - Soren still had a great time.  Here are some shots from Soren's first Video shoot!  Thanks Sara, we had a blast!​

Have you ever worried about air quality?  What sort of pollutants worry you?  Sara asked me what my greatest fears for Soren were, entering the world independently - what are yours for your children?​

Here is a video on how they are working on filtering out some of the soot and pollutants for school busses.  When you see the the soot from the second bus, remember how close the children at the back of the bus are to that exhaust pipe.​

Toddler Playroom

Soren's room is probably one of my favorite projects.  Which in all reality becomes a project for the entire apartment.  Of the many things I love about Rick - one I absolute adore is how we both ​see our home as a place for Soren to explore and play.  Sensory play can happen at a drop of hat while baking biscuits with flour, doing the dishes and filling bowls, watering and re-planting indoor fauna, wrapping up yarn balls or even setting up his truck and car ramp on the stairs.  It's all game.

However, we do encourage Soren to 'clean-up' and help put things away.  I follow this wonderful blog, MPMK (Modern Parents, Messy Kids) and she has great ways to organize playrooms (in our case - the whole apartment...).  I implemented some of her ideas and snagged some toy ideas here and here.  The place is really starting to come together.​

I love the picture labels.  Soren knows where everything is and so do we!  He even helps us put things back in the bins and when he spills something exclaims 'I see water, dropped it!', grabs a 'TOW-ellll!' and helps clean it up.  The methods are working great.​

​Better yet - the tools have helped us communicate with him avoiding those wonderful tantrums.  Not to say we don't have them on a daily basis - but they are much ​more manageable.  A mom said to me recently about her toddler 'I don't view it as parenting any special way, I just treat her as a person.  She's just smaller than me.'.  She respects her daughter as a person.  A person with feelings  and experiences - that fears and that loves.  

The importance in her voice when she told me that struck a chord.  So when it comes to designing Soren's play area, fortress or room...however you see fit to call it - I try to think of that.  If he were to re-design my office, bedroom or day, how would I expect him to respect it?  So this is what we came up with.  We ditched his old infant toys, pilfered through the stuffed animals and voila!  Easy to find, easy to enjoy and fun to clean up!​