IGGPPC Camp: Troop Guardian Scavenger Hunt

1. Currently Reading

2. Favorite Movie
Marvel Cinematic Universe

3. Spot the Wildlife

4. Show off your campsite
We're in the middle of purging/remodeling, so I didn't really have a campsite. This is the closest I got.

5. Favorite geeky accessory you own
I take her everywhere so I can take my gaming pictures.

6. Favorite Guardian

7. Craft project from camp you made

Steven's Universe Steven Star Troop Garland

8 A meal from the mess hall

9 Canteen (or water bottle)

10. Selfie at camp

How I Keto at a Con

KETO EATING AT CONS

I've not been mum on the "I'm Way of Eating" my husband and I have been doing for over a year. You also won't find me a rabid-die-hard-soap-boxing-advocate who will crush you if you think I'm crazy. We do our best. We live our life. Isn't it all a crap-shoot anyways? Look at how often opinions flip and a flop. Remember when eggs and broccoli were bad?

So we adopted what they call Keto. Essentially cutting out carbs and sugars and focusing more on proteins and fats to force your body to change it's fuel source. Let me just say.... this makes traveling and snacking very hard. Essentially you're not supposed to be snacking in the first place. Pretty much everything we eat is fresh or cooked in the moment. I also struggle to find food when we travel. That's not to say there aren't a plethora of options out there, but honestly... how many do you want to carry in your bag at a geeky convention?

There are tons of Con lists out there recommending the food to bring so that it doesn't spoil but keeps you going. Examples:

• Popcorn/healthy "chip" option
• Beef Jerky
• Nuts
• Fruit Pouches (like applesauce)
• Granola Bars
• Dried Fruits
• Hard Candies
• Sandwiches (uncrustables or homemade)
• Lunchables/other premade packs
• Trailmix
• Coffee (bring your own)
• Water, Water, Water

When it comes to keto, there are three, maybe four options on that list that someone who eats this way can take.

Premade Lunch Packs 
There are some out there, but they are not lunchables. One that I've fallen in love with is Ready, Set, Egg! The sad part is that they need to be refrigerated. I mean, who wants to carry a smelly hard boiled egg around in the heat!

Nuts
You still have to be careful with nuts and not eat too many of them, but there are some that really do the trick: Almonds, Pecans, Brazil Nuts, Macadamia Nuts, and Walnuts (just to name a few). These you can easily pack and not worry about keeping them cold. You just have to watch the amount that you eat. Prepackage everything. I really like the Planters NUT-trition Heart Healthy Mix. It has several of the good nuts and the net carbs are only 2 for 30 whole nuts. Definitely a pre-portion snacks.

Water
Water is a must on the Keto diet. My one friend argued that drinking a gallon a day really made all the difference for her. Regardless, water is a must no matter what your way of eating. I found at GenCon that there is nowhere to refill a water bottle unless you use the sink in the bathroom and a filtered water bottle, so you might want to find a way to carry enough water for you for the day or be prepared to drop the big bucks. Drinking as much water as possible is key to Keto. I've heard in some circles a gallon of water a day is recommended.

The Fourth
You can bring your own homemade snacks, as mentioned in the list above, but the ingredient list can be a bit tricky for what will keep with a whole day out and about.

But what else can I take to a convention that will help when I feel the need to eat, because maybe I've been expending more energy than you needed to?  We're not talking meals. That you'll have to figure out on your own, but what can I keep in my bag for those moments when I really need something. Here is what I found:

• Keto fat bombs that won't melt.
• Olives (Kalmata or Green for 0 carbs)
• Quest Bars (not too many, but work for a quick sweet tooth. Only if you need it.)
• Pork Rinds
• Keto friendly Peanut Butter and celery
• Bell peppers
• Raw Broccoli/Cauliflower
• Black Coffee (or with your own Keto additives)

If I had the means to pack  a small ice pack for my day out, it would really opens up the options available for me, such as:

• Hard boiled eggs (still weird to carry around a crowd of people)
• Cheeses
• Guacamole with veggies for dipping
• Cucumbers and Cream Cheese
• Lunch Meat
• Pre-Cooked Bacon
• Keto Broccoli Salad
• Fat Bombs that require cold temperatures

I'm not an expert and will never claim to be, but as I plan for my own trip to GenCon, I wanted to make sure that I put most temptations aside. Will I indulge a little bit? Absolutely. I don't, though, want to go overboard and will still be trying to stay as true to my Way of Eating as possible.

Good luck!


*If I can swing it, I might get to blog about my GenCon Food Adventures. I always love the diversity of the food, so we'll see what happens.

The Joy of Gaming: My International Tabletop Day & Tween Lock-In Failure

This was my first year back in gaming. As I've mentioned in previous posts, I had taken a huge break and was focusing obsessively on three RPG systems with my husband and our friend. Having stepped back into the fold, I was so excited to share in Tabletop Day again. From looking at my blog over the last month, it should be rather obvious that I have been so excited for this year. I planned and dedicated a whole month to counting down to it! Even moreso, when I was booking days for my Tabletop Game Club to have their Lock-Ins I chose the eve of Tabletop Day so we could ring in the excitement at midnight! That was all planned way back in January!

As the day drew closer, I was starting to have severe pain in my stomach. I was doubled over in pain at work. I even went home on one of the days. Then I didn't have pain and then I had pain again and it was so inconsistent. So on the Friday of our Lock-In, I was feeling great! My day went well and everything was great and I was so excited and putting up my posters for Tabletop Day and I had all my table toppers and stickers for the kids!

The gaming day started off with our 6th Grade incentive. I was hosting a gaming room. I promoted my gaming room with a showing of some of the offerings from our vault and my own personal collection that were being used for my tabletop game creation unit in Literacy.

When school ended, it was time for our Tabletop Day celebration! As with all our Lock-Ins, we start with dinner and roll into gaming. I took a little longer to get my dinner eaten, because a co-worker stopped in and I was showing off a game I was excited about and he just, in general, got a feel for what we were doing.  I was all excited by my toppers and posters, so I HAD to show those off.

After he stole from our snack table, which clearly states "looking for players", he left and I finally sat down to eat. Once I was done, I joined in on a game of Carcassonne Junior and while I played, I felt like a sudden fever had come over me and I was starting to bend over in pain. When the game finished (one of the girls "let me" win), I left the media center and went to the bathroom. It wasn't helping, but the pain was intense. I went to the more luxurious staff bathroom and I literally spent two hours on the floor wondering all sorts of things about my digestive tract. I decided to maybe set up my bed in the back room in the media center where the girls sleep. I'd lay down for a bit and the pain would go away... all I had to do was push through it.

Half an hour later, it was not better. I was in tears and doubled over in pain and I told my husband to cancel the lock-in. Parents were called and kids were sent home at 9PM. I felt so guilty and so horrible. My husband cleaned up a little, but I told the night custodian we'd be back in the morning to clean up everything.

My husband closed up and took me home where I went straight to bed in pain. I had ruined the night. I had ruined my student's weekend. But by the next morning I was feel fine. So we went to pick up my daughter from my friend's house. We decided to go out to eat and took my daughter to IHOP, because she's been begging. I ordered just an omelet, then we stopped back home and went back out to collect our ceramics that we made at a local shop and I wanted to drop off our tabletop summer camp fliers at the local game shop so they could start to promote it. When we left the ceramics shop, I was starting to have pain in my stomach and it got worse after my daughter accidentally tripped me and I slammed straight into the ground. By the time we made it to the game shop, which was literally only 5 minutes away, I was doubled over in pain crying. I was driving and my husband forced me to pull over and he drove me home.

I still didn't know what to do and I went to lay down. My husband brought me some soda to drink and I finally was able to empty my stomach. Bottom line... I'm feeling miserable, but I have no fever so I can't even put my finger on what was wrong.

So I ruined everyone's Tabletop Day, because I could barely do anything and I had canceled the kids' lock-in. I was determined to do something to make my husband feel better, because he was literally devastated. I had him bring up a folding table and he laid it on the bed. While he ran to the store, I quickly ran downstairs for a couple light games and made up the table. So when he came home and came up to check on me, he would see my surprise.

I did the trick and we were able to play a few games.

The weekend went along the same lines... lots of pain... can't eat. I finally could have some yogurt. I hope I can find out what this is soon and get back to my normal life and enjoy all of the gaming excitement that's been going on around me.

*EDIT*On that Monday I finally went to urgent care and it turned out I had an ulcer. How exciting! So now that I know, let's hope things can get better and the next lock-in will be better.

On a sadder note, I did not get to finish my countdown to Tabletop Day due to this health dilemma, but all this happening really showed me that I was putting myself under way to much pressure with everything I was doing and I'm looking forward to hopefully finding a bit more zen.

Easter 2018

When I was a child, my dad would write Rabbit Riddles for us to find our baskets. We'd each have four riddles, aside from an initial basket in our room. I'd love to say that my mom didn't fill the baskets to the brim, but she did. I loved the tradition, though, of following the clues. My parent's house was pretty big, so there were tons of nooks and crannies to hide baskets in.

Last year, we tried the riddles with our daughter, but they weren't very successful. This year, though, I wrote the riddles and orchestrated everything and I woke up to a very busy little midgiekins! She was reading the clues and loudly talking through them to figure out where the baskets were.

I can proudly say, our baskets were not filled to the brim. There was an item of clothing in each, 2 Nintendo 3DS used games we got for a few bucks, two tabletop games, and a few small treats.

Riddle one we tapped across her doorway, so she could not leave without running into it. We weren't sure where to put the first clue where she would see it and head down the right path. Then, after finding the first basket, she got her next clue. This is the sign we hung in her doorway.

Yeah, yeah. They are kinda silly and reading them today, I would have totally wordsmithed better clues, but who cares. Like, I totally could have said "Only four basket you'll find, If you choose to use your mind." Meh... now I know what my dad said when he said these were frustrating sometimes. But on her basket from the Bunny was the next clue!

The next basket was on the front porch. I figured it we weren't awake yet with the first basket, that opening the doors would cause the dogs to bark and we'd get up. I luckily sensed her basket searching and woke up after she had brought the initial basket downstairs and was going on and on and on about it to my husband who was sleeping on the couch. She was so excited about the clues and puzzling them out. I felt so proud. As with the first basket, she found a clue to the next one.

She had to look in her daddy's office where he has shelves of blue games.

She was so funny about saying that the actual shelves weren't blue. I explained the Bunny was giving you a clue, not a direct location. She did that a few times with the clues, wanting to know why the Bunny just didn't tell her where. I had to explain the riddles and clues to her and she considered it. Ha! Then she dove into the final clue.

The final clue was for something we didn't have enough baskets for and we weren't dropping money on baskets, since the majority of them are at my mom's house. So I used a clear Winnie-the-Pooh cookie jar. I was really nerdy into Winnie-the-Pooh through my college years, but my daughter does not share the same interest, so all my Pooh stuff is trivialized by her. Either way, I put the cookie jar in our bookcase where I have my statues of Winnie-the-Pooh with our MST3K movies and many books and other trinkets. She found it by looking through windows and got to the bookcase realizing those were windows, too.

She then thought the Easter Bunny worked on some sort of list like Santa Clause and I was like, uh, no. He probably gave you the Sonic the Hedgehog game, because he's super into hedgehogs and thought you'd like it. Thank goodness that logic stuck. The Bunny also got her a Minecraft shirt, which I knew she'd love and was already on her when I came downstairs this morning.

 

 
The two games that we got her were Dragonwood: A Game of Dice and Daring and Kingdomino. I got her Dragonwood, because she likes dice rolling games and it has the cards to add to the adventure. I thought it'd be pretty cool for her. It is also a 2015 Mensa Select Winner, so I thought, "Right! My daughter is so Mensa!" hahaha!

I shouldn't have to explain Kingdomino... Bruno Cathala! Done. Moving on. 

Ok, not really moving on. I wouldn't have doubted Kingdomino having awards and it has two: 2017 Spiel des Jahres Winner and 2017 Gouden Ludo Best Family Game Winner. It was also nominee for a few others. Kingdomino was brought to my school during Friday Night Frenzy and to a Math night we did at another elementary. The kids seemed to really like it. So I took the chance and got it for my home. Really excited about it.

I'm just so glad it was still fun for her this year. Since I don't really have much family left for celebrating holidays, many holidays lose their flavor in my home. I keep reminding my husband that we have a daughter to consider who is missing out on these wonderful experiences we had as kids. So this year, because I start work the next day (usually Spring Break has Easter at the beginning, not the end) and I need the day before to mentally prepare myself, we didn't travel the two hours to see family. We didn't dye eggs or look for eggs in the yard. Last year was pretty awesome for that (I had two mini-Lego sets split into two sets of colored Eggs and she had to find all the pieces and then put the Lego together! That was cool.), but this year we just didn't want to. Plus it's cold and it snowed.

Starbuck's Unicorn Frappucino

I bought into the hype! I was there at like 10AM to get mine (and one for my husband).

After some hesitation, I tried it and I really enjoyed it! It started out sort of like a dreamsicle - a mangoy dreamsicle. Then came the tart tart tart. It was really quite delicious! The sprinkles type topping was exceptionally tart. When I asked my husband he said "the pink syrup is mango, the pink powder is apple, cherry, radish, and sweet potato. The blue syrup is white chocolate mocha and the blue powder is sour."

Sadly, I feel Starbucks under-estimated the draw of the Unicorn Frapp, because my local Starbucks was sold out by the next day. I hope they bring it back. It was totally worth the splurge of sweetness. I was also disappointed that I went back the next day and they were out, because my daughter was really excited to have one and not ever did I think the drinks wouldn't make it to day 2. Ceste la vie.

Am I Back? We'll See

Now that things have found a more level ground again, I think I might be able to return to my blog. Life was too much, too overwhelming, and too unpredictable. A summer off has allowed me to reset some of my systems and help my batteries charge a bit more. Heading into the school year is always going to be hectic, but it's nothing I haven't handled before under more duress. Even though, with this new perception and frame of mind, it would always completely backfire on me.

Over the last year I have played next to zero games. I have, though, played an excessive amount of RPG. I've written about that before, where my husband, our friend, and I are taking turns running our preferred RPGs. It's been going really great! I, though, am apparently really caught up in writing stories for my Marvel character and it's very involved!

But now that the craziness of life has taken a little vacation, I thought it might be time to get back into my groove of sharing some games with my The Joy of Gaming entries. Might even invest myself in some other things if I can get my mind heading in that direction.

So as the school year gets underway for myself and my daughter, I am hoping to turn Thursday nights into game night with my husband. It might even help us get out to our local game group's game nights. Trying to building that routine, because routine is what keeps things consistent and going. Well, with some sporadic moments of unstructured insanity.

Essentially, lets see if I'm back for good! Stick around for more!

#ALLMYMOVIES - A Social Experiment

I teach sixth grade Literacy. I try to teach my kids to apply what they learn in Literacy class to real world situations and events. This year we have been learning Kylene Beers Notice & Note Signposts to apply to their fiction reading in an attempt to encourage deeper thinking about what they are reading. When notice one of the signposts, they need to stop and take note of it. Then they need to ask themselves a deeper question to get at the heart of what the author wants you to understand.

As I started to teach these signposts, I started to notice myself asking signpost questions in my everyday life. I would then use these real life examples in class to encourage my kids to take their thinking outside of the classroom and into their own lives. But last night, I had an Aha! Moment for a real life application to the signpost Again and Again.

When you're reading a book and something is happening again and again or a word is being used or a situation keeps being mentioned. . . whatever it is. . . if its coming up again and again, you need to notice it, stop, and take note. Then you are to think how could this help you understand the story deeper. Will it help you to understand the theme and conflict of the story? Can is help define a character in a deeper way? Does it provide a sense of foreshadowing to the story? My students were having trouble going deeper with this signpost.

While I was surfing the net after a long day shaping young minds, I stumbled upon Shia LaBeouf's #ALLMYMOVIES art instillation in NYC. He had rented out a theater and was watching all of his movies in reverse chronological order. While he did this, he was live streaming his viewing. 3 days he would sit in the theater and watch his entire body of work. It was free for people to come in and watch the movies with him, but he had taken an artistic vow of "silence" from people, but did still interact in some capacity. The essence of this is that we are watching him, watching himself.

As I sat there, watching the live stream, I thought to myself, "What message is he trying to send with this?" I was watching someone watching their own movies. Again and again, he would sit there as a new movie rolled out and the live stream would continue to stream. It felt very voyeuristic I thought about it for a while, but then went to bed.

The next morning, I woke up and found myself checking the stream to see if he was still watching. I don't know what compelled me to do it, but I did. Then it was off to work and while I was prepping my lesson for the morning, I had a stroke of genius: My students could try to figure out the meaning behind him doing this activity again and again.

I would introduce to my student Shia LaBeouf and his previous artistic endeavors, as well as the movies he's known for. Then I would explain the experiment. I would pose to them the question, "What is the theme (the message or lesson to be learned) in this artistic endeavor?"

Because, the point of art is to evoke a response, an emotion, or just a deeper level of reflection in our own lives, I wanted them to write a reflection on being part of this. So when I introduced this to my students, they all laughed and acted baffled and scoffed, but once it was on the screen, they were completely taken in by it. I explained that they were also taking part in the artistic act and have become part of the art that is being created. I took back-of-the-classroom-photographs to further validate the art.

Once they had watched for a little bit, I encouraged them to start recording how they felt and their feelings and what they think the point of all of this might be. Some of the students went deep and thought about the deeper implications of something like this, while others made it through the first step of why would this actor be watching himself, but couldn't make it to the next step of "what does us watching him have to do with it?"

They came up with some great observations and potential guesses for why he was doing this.

1. Shia LaBeouf is doing this because he wants to see if people still like him. He is looking at tweets on the internet and streaming stats later, as well as seeing, in person, the amount of people who come out to watch his work. He just wants to feel famous. 

2. Shia LaBeouf is doing this because he is reflecting on his own body of work so that he can be a better actor. 

3. Shia LaBeouf is doing this because he wants to encourage people to reach for their dreams, just like he did as a child actor. We're watching him experience the joy of reaching for his own dreams. 

4. Shia LaBeouf is doing this because he wants us to reflect on how we treat celebrities and celebrities are just normal people like everyone else. He's also putting himself in the shoes of a normal person, by watching his own movies. 

5. Shia LaBeouf wants attention because he wants all the people there to give him attention and he just wants attention from people on the internet and twitter and Facebook. 

6. Shia LaBeouf is doing this because he wants to be a better actor and reflect on the things he likes about his acting and the things that are bad so he doesn't do them again. He let other people in so that he can see what they think is funny or good or bad, too. 

7. I think this guy is crazy and too into himself. 

8. Shia LaBeouf is doing this because he wants us to think about our own obsession with looking at ourselves through pictures and images and he wants to record the good and the bad of the experience. 

9. This guy just wants us to think about our obsession with watching people on TV, especially in reality shows. He did this to try to stop reality shows from being mad, because it is wrong to spy on people. 

10. He wants people to confront their own craziness by watching his craziness. 

11. To give other people to chance to try to be crazy on camera, like that girl with the green hair who put the picture on his seat or the guy who you said was sitting behind him last night and is now sitting next to him all day.

These kids are 11 and 12-years old. Some of the thinking that came out of this was powerful and others were a bit more blase. It was such a moving activity and the kids just couldn't stop talking about it. They even realized how hard it was to not keep watching, like they were going to miss something important. I joked with one class that he is looking back at you. That really creeped them out.

The strange part was, they were unable to put into words why they kept wanting to watch. I asked a few of them and they were incapable of figuring out their own reason for watching this. Some of them said they felt a little inspired or they were thinking of how they viewed celebrities. Others said they weren't going to post pictures online anymore or they were going to stop watching reality shows, because this realized to them how creepy and stalker-like the activity was.

In the end, the lesson was a hit. The kids were engaged. The idea of going deeper was applied to real world situations. They will not forget thinking about the world around them as having meaning and having value beyond the surface. Will they apply that always? Probably not, but this art instillation or social experiment or reflective moment was powerful and its taking moments like this and sharing them with students that helps to make a more informed and powerful world.

On the flipside, my co-workers through it was crazy insane and just, overall, weird, that I would have used this. It was immediate. It was involving them in real time in something that was going on. Powerful beyond words.

This opportunity was magical and I am so glad I was able to participate and allow these discussions to take place. So proud of my students.

The C-Word

I'm sure you came up with what you thought the C-Word was before you started reading, but it really could only be one or two things. . .  that one thing or Cancer.

For the purpose of this entry, C-Word is the latter. On August 24 I received a phone call from my mom that she has ovarian cancer. That is where I've been and what I've been dealing with, coupled with school starting, my daughter starting Kindergarten, and just life in general.

Right now I'm not going to go into all the details of the emotional, psychological, or even physical challenges all this is handing out to those involved, but I will share some brief snippets.

I've been driving two hours there and two hours back to help my mom. Spending chunks of weekends and then some at her house. Spending hours on the phone talking to family and friends.

My mom had her diagnosis, then found a better doctor. Then had surgery and had all the junk removed. Now is facing 6 months of chemo, which she has finally accepted as an option. Then the process of preparing for the horror that is chemo and the hair loss and the physical illness.

Coupled with all that is this just insane attempt to blend medical and non-medical healing stuff. It's a smidge too insane for my liking, because it's just too many people with too much information overwhelming you with information that isn't always from the most relevant of sources. Being on the internet does not mean it is credible. I feel like giving these people the guidelines for checking source credibility (I teach it to my sixth graders).

I think, sometimes, people forget about the family. So. . . a lot of the people who I interact with when I go down to be with my mom seem to forget that I am also in a place of processing all of the things and all of the information. And while my mom only has to deal with her life decisions and work through her own inner turmoil and a little bit of work and a few bills and things, I've got an intense job that I can't JUST take off from, a family with a 5yo who JUST started Kindergarten and is having a hard time (well... sort of... it's a teacher thing), and a bunch of commitments that I have to take care of. I have to check again, but I had 19 sick days (2 of which were personal days) and that's all I get for my own health and for taking care of my family's health and my mom THROUGH JUNE! I can't blow all my days right up front here. Even taking all those days really has an influence on my students and the teaching and learning that is occurring in the classroom.

Add to that having to still prepare lesson plans even more than I would have if I were teaching, because I have to EXPLAIN everything for the sub. I still have to deal with all the stuff that didn't go as planned and score all the busywork and assignments I have the sub do, since most subs can't do the level of intense writing lessons that need to be taught. It is just so frickin' crazy how stressful this all is.

Yet. . . there's my mom. Things are quieting down now a little bit. There are finally routines being formed, but it's hard. Her hair is falling out and if you know my mom, you know the hair thing is probably the biggest deal in the whole world. She's had a rough road so far with her first chemo being the worst experience ever (no, seriously... there were problems.......) and now getting to a point where she feels she can actually carry on with a normal day.

We're making it through. I can't explain all the subconscious energy it is taking to handle life in general. I mean, I've got my own demons plaguing me and making things even harder than they really should be.  Demons that are causing me to pull away and isolate myself more than I should, but I don't really know what else to do right now. I've given up everything I've been a part of, except for my Tabletop Game Club at school, because I feel like the world is this million ton weight on my shoulders. I even passed bill-pays onto my husband, which is something I always did for my own sanity.

The biggest problem for me is that I can't seem to get a handle on my life. I found comfort in having a calendar and being able to plan and look ahead and mark things down and now I feel like nothing is planable. Which makes it even more difficult, because I now don't want to plan anything with anyone. It's really hard. With the holidays coming, I REALLY want to make plans and make commitments, but I can't. I miss my world right now, but then.  . it's really that I gave it all up to make sure that my mother, my daughter's grandmother, stays around.

I push forward every day now. I wish I had a cheerleader like my mom has me to cheerlead her. I know that's now really possible, because there's no reason for anyone to help lift up the burden of my own emotional baggage, but at least my mom does and that's what's important right now. I'm giving up myself to give back to her.

So in the end, I just want to say "screw you cancer." And if, in my lifetime, I find out that there is some sort of conspiracy with pharmaceutical companies and the government and all that crap. . . know that there will be hell to pay for the pain that was brought down on my family with my grandfather, my grandmother, my uncle, cousins, and countless friends.