March 2015 HerFamily

March 2015

spaghetti

TOES Martin Bruckner makes art from the darndest things kids say.

Rise of the

Mommy Bloggers YOUNG HERO

Nicole Carrillo helps new immigrants find their bearings in America.

THE BEST PLACE FOR KIDS.

Ella, age 6 Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome

Visit ChildrensOmaha.org for more information on how we can help your child.

For a pediatrician, family physician or pediatric specialist, call 1.800.833.3100.

inside

on the march 2015

features

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

MANAGING EDITOR

departments 6

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@omahamagazine

@omahamagazine

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omahamagazine

PUBLISHER Todd Lemke

14 The Rise of the Mommy Bloggers Parents are turning to blogs for all manner of healthy ventings.

20 Spaghetti Toes

Kids say the darndest things.

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Volume 2 • Issue 10

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health: For many moms, fitness trackers mean better workouts. meet the family: The Kassals: A Family of Teachers lifestyle: Working Moms of Omaha know when to play. diy: Dig These Chicks! young hero: Nicole Carrillo helps immigrants thrive in America. activity: Big Museum, Pint-Sized Fun mind & body: No Age Limit for Bullies food: Bean & Cheese Tostadas mom on the rocks: Spring Cleaning the St. Patrick’s Way fitness: Boat Pose calendar of events the grandpa chronicles: Canine Calamity

David Williams

Robert Nelson CREATIVE DIRECTOR John Gawley DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY & INTERACTIVE MEDIA Bill Sitzmann SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER & WEB CONTENT MANAGER Kristen Hoffman GRAPHIC DESIGNER Rachel Joy CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Bev Carlson • Allison Janda • Lisa Lukecart Claire Martin • Leslie Murrell Kara Schweiss • Kara Wesely CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Keith Binder ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Gwen Lemke • Greg Bruns • Gil Cohen Kyle Fischer • Angie Hall • George Idelman ASSISTANT TO THE PUBLISHER Sandy Besch Matson ACCOUNT ASSISTANTS Alicia Smith Hollins • Jessica Linhart Dawn Dennis • Jessica Cullinane OPERATIONS Tyler Lemke ACCOUNTING Jim Heitz WAREHOUSE DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Mike Brewer Printed by Omaha Print For a one-year subscription (12 issues), send $9.95 to P.O. Box 461208, Papillion, NE 68046-1208. www.omahamagazine.com Original contributions become the property of Omaha Publications. Contributions cannot be acknowledged or returned.

The information contained within HerFamily is for informational purposes only. It is not intended and should not be used to take the place of seeking professional advice, counsel or assistance. Omaha Publications makes no endorsement of and is not responsible for contributors or advertising herein. If you have concerns or questions related to your health, consult with your physician.

HerFamily is protected by copyright and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission of Omaha Publications, 402.884.2000.

On the Cover: Grace Ostergaard, 13, is ready for March Madness

4 HerFamily • March 2015

Owned and managed by Omaha Magazine, LTD

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health

by Kara Wesely

A Bit of Motivation For many moms, Fitbit and other fitness trackers mean better workouts.

w

hen it comes to exercise, motivation can be somewhat elusive. Good intentions fall by the wayside and soon enough we find ourselves stuck in the same old routine, or, probably more often, the routine of not exercising at all.

Enter fitness trackers and fitness bands. Fitbits, Garmin Vivofits, Fitbugs, iFits and more. You name it, your local sporting goods or electronic stores are sure to have it. But the question is, do they really work and, more importantly, do they keep their users motivated?

6窶ォerFamily 窶｢ March 2015

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dventures Lora Bogatz, among many other Omaha moms, certainly thinks so. Bogatz has used both a BodyBug and a Fitbit and has found that both devices not only kept her motivated, they brought out her competitive side.

“Almost my entire family has Fitbits,” she says. “We all sync ours together and do either daily or weekly challenges. It has definitely brought out my competitive side. I will even walk extra laps while at work to stay in the lead.”

It’s not only the competition that has Bogatz moving more. Her Fitbit counts steps, measures her heart rate, sets goals for her, and awards badges when goals are attained, all of which she feels keeps her motivated and accountable.

“I feel like I am always checking in with either my Fitbit or my Fitness Pal. It definitely keep me honest.”

-Sarah Trout

“It definitely gets me to the gym more. I want to reach my 10,000 steps each day and want to earn the next badge.”

Sarah Trout, another Fitbit enthusiast, has seen a change in how often she exercises and how hard.

“I like to know how many calories I am burning and if I see that number drop from one day to another, I know I have to work harder. I think I tended to be somewhat lazier before and wouldn’t push myself nearly as much,” Trout says.

Trout’s Fitbit syncs with her iPhone and Fitness Pal app, a feature she utilizes daily.

“I feel like I am always checking in with either my Fitbit or my Fitness Pal. It definitely keep me honest,” Trout says.

Both Bogatz and Trout wear their Fitbits nearly every day and have come to appreciate their little sidekick.

“I am a very visual person,” Trout says, “ Being able to look at my Fitbit at any point during the day and see how many steps I have taken is a huge bonus, as well as a huge motivator.”

Like Bogatz and Trout, Jeanne Vlcek has found that wearing a fitness band while working out keeps her accountable and keeps her moving as much as she can. The one difference being that Vlcek is seven months pregnant and thinks her fitness band, a Timex fitness watch, is possibly picking up the heart rate of her baby in addition to her own.

“I think my watch is a little confused because it’s telling me I am burning way more calories than is possible,” Vlcek says.

In spite of that issue, Vlcek has appreciated having the watch while exercising. She thinks she’ll appreciate it even more after her baby is born.

“I think I’ll be counting on it much, much more after our baby is born to help me get back in shape,” she says.

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HerFamily • March 2015 7

meet the family

by Kara Schweiss photography by Keith Binder

The Kassals In this family of educators, even the kindergartner is a teacher.

Jeff Kassal, LIlly Kassal, and Kristin Boe

8窶ォerFamily 窶｢ March 2015

omahamagazine.com

l

illy Kassal is still in kindergarten, but the aspiring dress designer already has her first grown-up sewing machine and is ready to start learning how to turn her fashion drawings into haute couture. Creativity is definitely part of the little girl’s DNA. Lilly’s mom, Kristin Boe, is the owner of Kids DIY Studio, a drop-in craft studio that opened last spring.

“You can come in and do arts and crafts projects and paint, and we have classes and parties,” Boe says. “Crafting stuff is messy and it’s nice to have a large supply in one area besides your house. You can leave the glitter on the floor here and splatter paint. You can be creative.”

Like its name suggests, her business is geared toward children mid-teens and younger, although some adult classes are also on the schedule. Boe, whose first entrepreneurial endeavor was a homebased daycare during Lilly’s infant and toddler years, says she enjoys expressing her creativity as much as her customers do.

“Every aspect of this business is creative. The job itself is creative, the marketing takes a lot of creativity,” she says. “It’s fun because there’s a constant rotation of projects and classes to dream up and see if they will work, so there’s a lot of trial and error.”

Lilly, 5, says she enjoys pitching in at the studio, although her mom gently chuckles at her claim of helping with the cleaning. What she does do, Boe says, is try out new projects, or in Lilly’s words, “I make examples.” The success of Lilly’s prototypes are a good indicator of how other children will respond to new projects, Boe says, and Lilly is also good at initiating activity with groups of children and helping shy visitors feel comfortable at the studio.

“I talk to them if they need help, if my mom is helping someone else,” Lilly says.

Lilly’s dad, Jeff Kassal, is also creative, but in a more academic sort of way. He is in his first year of teaching special education math classes at Kirn Middle School in the Council Bluffs Community School District after teaching in the elementary grades at a private school in Omaha. Not only does he find ways to reach individual students with respect to their special learning needs, but he also teaches an age group that can be a tough audience: seventh-graders.

“I’m always trying to make everything interesting and (apply to) real-life situations,” Kassal says. “Luckily, the majority of my class likes football and sports in general, so I try to make connections there.”

bestofomaha.com

Kassal says he wasn’t planning on teaching special education when he started his career as an educator.

“I did my undergraduate in general education/ elementary. When I graduated, it was right after Christmas break so I did some subbing and long-term subbing in general education,” Kassal says. “Then I got a summer job at a special education school and thought it would be just that: a summer school job. But I ended up really liking it.

It was a different kind of challenge.”

Although Boe and Kassal work in two different career fields, the couple say their worlds do intersect from time to time.

“It’s fun because there’s a constant rotation of projects and classes to dream up and see if they will work, so there’s a lot of trial and error.”

Kristin Boe

“It’s nice to have Kristin’s help with decorating schoolrooms or her ideas to make things look better, like presentations,” Kassal says.

“And vice versa,” Boe adds. “Especially when he was working with elementary kids, I’d ask him about projects we were trying out.”

Boe also applies some of her own experience as an educator—having taught English as a Second Language (ESL) classes in Korea in her single days—when she’s dreaming up new ideas for Kids DIY Studio. She also says that overseas job helped give her the courage to take the risk of starting her own business years later. “That was probably the scariest thing I ever did, taking that big leap and going somewhere so far away. So everything else is, ‘Give it a try.’”

The couple (Kassal is from Omaha, Boe grew up in the Bennington area) were introduced by Boe’s sister and a friend of Kassal’s who is now Boe’s brother-in-law.

“We went to a comedy show together,” Boe says, but Kassal questions that fact. Kassal’s conclusion? “Yeah, «we did. It was pre-dating.”

They may not quite agree on their meet-cute, but the couple enjoy gardening together—Kassal is the avid gardener, but quite a few garden-themed projects have found their way into the studio—and both Boe and Kassal are runners. And with a five-year-old in the house, a lot of their spare time is devoted to kids’ movies and activities.

“We’re fairly average. We work hard, we raise our kid,” Boe says. “We eat a lot of pizza.”

HerFamily • March 2015 9

lifestyle

by Allison Janda photography by Keith Binder

Stephanie Feltus

Work Hard Play Hard Working Moms of Omaha Know When to Play

10 HerFamily • March 2015

w

ake up. Get the kids ready. Hurry out the door. Drop kids off. Work eight to five.

Pick kids up. Go home. Make dinner. Help with homework. Put kids to bed. Wake up. Repeat.

Phew! Making time for oneself can feel like a pipe dream.

Feeling that crunch and hoping to help, Stephanie Feltus created the meet-up group “Working Moms of Omaha” after moving here to take a job in corporate sales. “I did a fair amount of traveling,” says the mother of two children, Lucy, 4, and Gavin, 1. “I began to look for resources supporting working moms and locally, I wasn’t finding many resources.” omahamagazine.com

The group’s purpose is simple: Moms come together to meet other working moms. The group is currently 300 members strong. Within that membership, small groups with similar interests typically meet just once a month, which makes it easy for even the busiest mothers to partake in the fun.

The group meets at a public venue, typically on a Saturday morning with children or on a Sunday evening with women only. Feltus says that, over the years, she has discovered that events involving the children work better during the summer months while events that call for just mothers tend to come together more easily in the winter.

“Our most recent outing was a Holiday Lights Limo Tour for moms only,” she explains. “We met at Upstream [Brewing Company] where the limo picked us up for a twohour holiday lights tour of Omaha. We sipped on apple cider, chatted, and enjoyed the beauty of the season.”

Feltus, interested in expanding options available to working mothers, hopes to begin planning lunch-andlearn events that focus on achieving work/life balance and reducing the amount of guilt working mothers feel in their day-to-day lives. Currently the only lead organizer, Feltus says that any member of the group is welcome to plan events such as a trip to the zoo or a play date at the museum.

While the group allows working moms to connect and form friendships, it is the raising of children and how much they change that offers a common bond for these women.

Their kids range in age from newborns to teenagers, but as all mothers know, motherhood isn’t biased. “This group has taught me to not take parenthood too seriously,” she says. “Your most devastating parenting moment is probably not that bad. This group gives you support and, more importantly, sanity.”

Working Moms of Omaha is funded by a business Feltus owns called Mommy Assistant, which is focused on supporting working families thereby enabling parents to spend more quality time with their kids.

You can join their Facebook page at Working Moms of Omaha as well as the Working Moms of Omaha Meetup Group at meetup.com. “Personally, I have made some fabulous friends and my kids have as well,” Feltus says. bestofomaha.com

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diy

by Kristen Hoffman photography by Bill Sitzmann

Dig These Chicks!

12窶ォerFamily 窶｢ March 2015

omahamagazine.com

Molly Maid clean is n

Molly Maid clean is now green!

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Trust Molly Maid to clean your home so thoroughly, people are guaranteed to notice!

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f you are an American female living in the year 2015, you probably have noticed that succulent plants have exploded in popularity over the past year or two. You can’t resist them—their tiny stature, their resilience, their pinks and purples that scream, “I’m a girl plant!” Good grief, let’s just admit it: They’re adorable.

You know what else is adorable?

Baby chicks emerging from their eggs at springtime.

So let’s take advantage of a plant that is actually referred to as “hens” and “chicks” (depending on their maturity), and combine them into an explosion of adorable Pinterest magic.

55

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HerFamily • March 2015 13

feature Kara Wesely by

“It was cathartic for me.

Writing is how I emote.

Tons of women contacted me, which then made me feel healed.”

-Ashli Brehm

14 HerFamily • March 2015

omahamagazine.com

i

t’s easy for young moms to long for the stimulation of speaking with someone over the age of 10. There’s catharsis in talking through one’s feelings and problems with a person who no longer wears a diaper or a backpack.

Increasingly, mothers in Omaha, like mothers nationally, are turning to social media to connect, vent, or keep their writing chops sharp. They’re the “Mommy Bloggers,” a group that, by some estimates, now number in the millions.

Most blog as a pastime. But some mommy blogs have higher purposes. A blog can foster healing. A blog can be a purposefully permanent document for the family.

Omaha native Missy Cobb started her blog, The Cobb Mobb, as a way to connect with her three children.

“Every time I write for the blog, I think about my kids and how I am documenting memories for them. I tried scrapbooking for my older kids, but it was too time consuming,” Cobb says. >

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HerFamily • March 2015 15

feature continued

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<

Cobb, who started her blog as a New Year’s resolution in 2012, found writing allowed her to capture milestones and memories in a more efficient and permanent way. “I’ve always enjoyed writing and I like knowing that this will always be there for my kids to read.”

Ashli Brehm’s blog, Baby on the Brehm, has played a key role in getting her through some trying times. After going through a miscarriage, Brehm (pronounced like brain, but with an ‘m’) dedicated a blog post to her experience and managed to connect with other women who had lost a baby.

“It was cathartic for me. Writing is how I emote. Tons of women contacted me, which then made me feel healed,” Brehm says.

When her subsequent pregnancy did not go as planned and her third son was born several weeks premature, she shared the highs and lows with her readers and received an overwhelming amount of support via Baby on the Brehm. That support carried her through the next six weeks while her son, Harrison, was in the NICU growing strong enough to head home with his parents and two brothers.

Fast-forward one year and Harrison is a happy, healthy 1-year-old and Ashli is still blogging about her boys, motherhood, and everything in between. And she still manages to maintain that connection with her audience.

“The people who read my blog are like a community to me. They are my life raft at times,” Brehm says.

Brehm, like Cobb, hopes that some day her children will read her entries and considers the blog a sort of legacy she is leaving behind.

“I want my boys to learn to be themselves and to have confidence.

I hope that by blogging and doing it in an authentic and honest way I am showing them that.”

16 HerFamily • March 2015

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young hero

by Lisa Lukecart photography by Keith Binder

Nicole Carillo and the Thrive Group.

n

icole Carrillo says she can make friends anywhere. Even at the airport.

Case in point: On a chilly night in November, Nicole stood with her fellow Thrive Club members at Eppley Airfield holding colorful signs. Nicole’s read “WELCOME TO OMAHA!” with the O’s shaped like hearts. Moments later, wild applause, laughter, and some tears erupted from the relatives, students, and coaches gathered for this moment.

Nicole’s soon-to-be-new friends were a refugee family just arriving from Burma.

Marisol, Nicole’s mother and one of the sponsors of Thrive, was overwhelmed as tears flooded her eyes. “It was lifechanging,” Marisol recalls.

Members of the Thrive Club, along with Lutheran Family Services, provided a cozy home environment for the immigrant family in an apartment volunteer’s chocked full of groceries, clothes, and furniture.

Nicole, a junior at Northwest High School, had filled out a grant to present to her principal, Thomas Lee, to do something for a family that would be lost in a foreign world.

bestofomaha.com

Nicole Carrillo Helping Immigrants Thrive in America Emigrating is hard, scary, often emotionally draining. Nicole’s empathy stems from hearing the story of her parents. Marisol, a native of Mexico, left for the United States in her teens to pursue a cosmetics license. It was difficult, she says, but she argues she had it easier than her husband Joel, who she would later meet in English classes.

Joel started his first job in the “worst town you can think of”—Aguascalientes, Mexico. He loaded heavy bricks into trucks and, along with 15 or so other boys, sold them house-to-house. He was five at the time. Joel came to the United States when he was 15. Later, he worked 60 to 70 hours a week while attending college classes at night, sometimes even taking a course during his lunch hour.

Nicole sees what her parents had to go through—all their hard work. So she strives to be the best. As a 4.0 student, Nicole is currently right behind her best friend for the top spot on the GPA ladder. “It has been a long steady fight,” she says, “but it’s all in good fun.” However, like most high achievers, Nicole gets upset if she receives a B on a test or paper, but her parents do not.

“My parents are like ‘you are doing the best you can,’” Nicole says resting her hand on her cheek during a recent interview..

“Love them.”

Nicole says attending Northwest was one the best decisions she has ever made.

“She is one of the best ambassadors for the school,” Lee says. Nicole is active in all aspects of the school, including student council, National Honor Society, and choir.

She has won numerous community service awards and was one of five in the nation to be selected for the National Youth Advisory Council.

Nicole is now eager to show the Burmese family all the “simple things we take for granted” around Omaha—“like the mall and zoo,” she says.

“Nicole has the heart to help… to make a better world,” her mother says proudly.

Young Hero proudly sponsored by: Young Hero proudly sponsored by:

HerFamily • March 2015 17

activity

by Claire Martin photography by Bill Sitzmann

Big Museum, Pint-Sized Fun

t

he expected audience for morning attendance at the Joslyn Art Museum is not, perhaps, thought to be a handful of pint-sized art scholars. But that's precisely the group of observers that hovered around a Renaissance fresco on a recent Friday morning, chattering about concepts like color, shapes, and how it was that a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle (Michelangelo) could be an artist.

"A museum shouldn't be a stuffy place, I don't think," artist and teacher Therese Straseski says. "It should be a fun place."

Straseski has led and instructed the Art Adventures program at the Joslyn for 15 years now, in which kids from the ages of 3-5 participate in interactive art activities with their parents every Friday morning. Creative tasks can range anywhere from pouring plaster to mixing color palettes.

"I think art is amazingly important in children," Straseski says. "Teaching art is about learning to enjoy yourself and love what you do. Maybe I can't be Rembrandt, but I can teach these kids to enjoy themselves in creating art."

Another of Straseski's passions in her job is the substantial development in her young students' skill and interest over time. More exposure to art, she believes, helps integrate both sides of the brain immediately in children.

"We absolutely see improvement in our kids," she says. "When they come as 3-year-olds, concepts are lost on them and they're just having fun. But as they get older, they start to understand concepts like color and line."

18窶ォerFamily 窶｢ March 2015

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Therese Straseski at work with budding artists at the Art Adventures program.

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Parents, according to Straseski, are some of the program's strongest advocates, especially as art programs are dropped from elementary curriculums due to budget cuts.

Mom and Art Adventures regular Alison Novak, for example, prioritizes the preservation of art's significance in her kids.

"I think children are naturally drawn to art because it's messy and creative," Novak says. "But I do think they're very aware of the importance of art and artists, especially as they get older."

She adds that the interactive aspect of Joslyn's art program is especially engaging for her 3-year-old daughter, Dagny.

"The experience of art in this program is important because it's so tactile and allows [my daughter] to use different materials," Novak says. "It's not just coming and looking at the art. It's something to get her involved."

It's quite possible, then, that with the efforts of art advocates like Straseski and Novak, a mini-Renaissance is in the making in these small art students—perhaps not in technique, but in the messy and loving creative process.

"Art is about being able to pass on that passion to someone else," Straseski says with a smile. "That's the passion in art." ww

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HerFamily • March 2015 19

feature Allison Janda by

photography by Keith Binder

a

kids say the darndest things

s a parent, you’ve probably appreciated (and not appreciated) the absolute honesty that often escapes your child’s mouth. Frankness aside, kids also tend to say some hilarious things. Martin Bruckner’s daughter, Harper, 3, is no exception.

In early 2014, Bruckner, his wife Michelle, and their daughter were having dinner when he overheard his wife exclaim to Harper, “Please don’t put spaghetti between your toes.” That same night, as Bruckner was giving his daughter her evening bath, he found himself asking her, “Did you drop your cheese in the tub again?” From that point on, he decided it would be worthwhile to take note of all of the absurd utterances around his house.

He knew that one day, he his wife and their child could all look back and have a good laugh.

Bruckner began to create graphics based on things he wrote down, eventually starting Tumblr and Facebook accounts to share them with friends, family, and parents around the world. “Pretty much the first day I started the Facebook and Tumblr pages I had parents replying to me with the things their children say to them,” he chuckles. Bruckner admits that it isn’t just the locals that find things he, his wife, and his daughter say funny. In fact, he has gotten messages from as far away as Australia.

While Spaghetti Toes started out innocently enough, it seems to be gaining steam as Harper ages. Bruckner states that while his daughter is a newer

20 HerFamily • March 2015

conversationalist, the things she says only get funnier with age. “Her vocabulary is getting bigger and stronger but she’s still having a hard time getting certain things to be in the correct context, which in turn makes them hilarious,” he says. This is confirmed with nothing more than a cursory glance through his website.

The graphics he has created have started to garner some national attention, getting picked up by websites such as BuzzFeed and The Chive. Additionally, Bruckner has started to fulfill custom orders and recently completed two such requests for a woman in Canada. Nonetheless, Bruckner remains encouraged by the local scene, claiming Omaha’s creatives are extremely supportive while locals are incredibly kind.

The attention his sites have garnered feels good, Bruckner says. Nonetheless, he finds that he is more drawn to the longterm payoff that they will have. “I started this as a way to document my daughter’s life while she’s little and I’m having an incredible time doing it,” he shares. In fact, his own mother, inspired by what her son was doing, went digging for books that she kept on Bruckner and his siblings when they were young. Bruckner hopes to use it to create additional graphics for his mom and five sisters. “I’ve gotten message after message after message from parents and I think everyone is in agreement as far as their children saying incredible, silly, ridiculous, and disgusting things,” he adds.

“I say things daily that I never thought I’d say.” We’re sure that every parent out there can relate.

omahamagazine.com

I think everyone is in agreement as far as their children saying incredible, silly,ridiculous, and disgusting things.”

-Martin Bruckner

Martin, Harper, and Michelle Bruckner bestofomaha.com

HerFamily • March 2015 21

mind & body

by Bev Carlson, Lutheran Family Services

No Age Limit for Bullies

i

could have worked with Jim Rome, the radio sportscaster.

We’re about the same age. We were in college about the same time, studying the same thing. We both started working at small stations before moving up. I produced a number of anchors and reporters “back in the day” who are still on the air at national networks. So, I have some experience working with Rome’s personality type—or at least the type he uses on air. Arrogant, bloated ego. Inflammatory language. 70’s mustache.

Before January 1 of this year, I only had peripheral knowledge of, and no opinion on, Mr. Rome. I’m not a hardcore sports fan, so I couldn’t have picked him out of a lineup any day of the week.

But on this particular New Year’s Day, Mr. Rome chose to insult not only my children, but the children of my friends, and, in fact, the children and grandchildren of hundreds of thousands of Americans.

In the middle of one of college football’s biggest days, he threw this tweet out there: “Is there anybody not in a marching band who thinks those dorks running around with their instruments are cool?”

Wow. You can just imagine the firestorm that followed. It didn’t take long for the hashtag #MarchonRome to be trending. To be brief, the answer to Mr. Rome’s question was a resounding, “Yes there are people who think they’re cool.” After a 24-hour blast of more than 8,000 responses (and that was only on Twitter), including everyone from the U.S. Marines to band alums everywhere, he tweeted this:

22 HerFamily • March 2015

“Band nation—I hear you. I was out of line. I apologize. I do not condone bullying of any kind and that was not my intent.”

The reason I chose this topic is not so much because I was personally offended by Mr. Rome’s comment, but because I was so saddened that someone my age could intentionally set such a horrible example. If not to be a bully, I can’t comprehend what Mr. Rome’s intent was. I think if it was “to be funny,” then that’s a fail too—because making fun of entire groups of people in this manner is pretty much the textbook definition of bullying.

Mr. Rome (and many others, I think) got a fast education about the athleticism, discipline, and commitment that marching band requires. And I won’t even start on the statistics about the value of arts education. Just last week, a new study from the University of Vermont indicated the measurable impact of music education in developing attention skills, anxiety management, and emotional control.

No, my beef with Mr. Rome is quite simple—he should be old enough to know better. I get that my generation was a little different. We were very cliquish—jocks, potheads, geeks, dorks,

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I was so saddened that someone my age could intentionally set such a horrible example. blah, blah—but I really thought (hoped) that with all of the current awareness of bullying, a public figure like Mr. Rose would be tuned in enough to choose his words more carefully when referring to hundreds of thousands of hard-working high school and college students.

My hope rests with this next generation, where amid the online furor, those students with highly developed “emotional control” graciously accepted Mr. Rose’s apology, reminding him that this time, he “messed with the wrong dorks.” I’m still holding out hope that he will accept the challenge from many of the band members (many of whom also play sports) to come do what they do— handle one week of band camp. In the summer. In the South.

Or how about here in Nebraska on all those cold early mornings?

Go Band!

bestofomaha.com

HerFamily • March 2015 23

food

sponsored content by Children’s Hospital & Medical Center

Bean & Cheese Tostadas

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his yummy tostada recipe makes a satisfying, healthy lunch or dinner. Black beans, zucchini, corn, and cherry tomatoes make this colorful vegetarian dish delicious and nutritious.

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24 HerFamily • March 2015

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• 1/2 cup cooked corn • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves • 1 1/2 oz grated reduced-fat white cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese (1/4 cup) • 4 scallions, chopped • 1 small avocado, pitted, peeled and chopped • Lime wedges, optional

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(Add more water to reach desired consistency, if necessary.) Spread mixture onto tortillas.

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Serve with lime wedges, if desired.

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HerFamily • March 2015 25

mom on the rocks

by Leslie Murrell

SpringSt. Patrick’s Cleaning Way

w

hile most are eager for the weather to warm up in time for St. Patrick’s Day (and the green beer, sure), I’m more into the holiday’s theme of ridding the country of evils. It’s time to purge, y’all.

I’ve been hibernating for six months under a blanket in front of the fireplace. All I see here is an intense accumulation of clutter tucked in the corners out of my usual visual paths as I traverse my house.

I finally get up and start the purge.

“Who’s beach towel is this?”

“I think Bobby left it here when we had that slip-n-slide party,” one of the kids says to me while walking out of their scarf, gloves, hat, sweatshirt, and shoes, which leaves a trail marking my imminent demise from slips and falls. (If I fall and am lying there unconscious, interrogate my kids first).

“The slip-n-slide party? That was five years ago!”

I respond.

26 HerFamily • March 2015

“Yeah, I think Bobby moved to Alaska,” comes the retort, which was both informative and confirmation that we had a right to be embarrassed.

“Well he doesn’t need this beach towel anymore.”

Once the snow melts, the purge involves three or four trips to Goodwill.

It’s funny that, when you’re trapped in your house long enough due to subzero temperatures, you start looking at the walls a little differently.

“Is it me, or is our kitchen less sage green and more My Little Pony Minty Green?” I ask my husband.

Before he can assure me the pastel shade of green is fine, I’m off getting paint. You can’t go wrong with a color called “Chocolate” for the kitchen, right?

My family isn’t very supportive of my winter stircrazy hobby of purging. This year for Christmas, the kids asked Santa for locks on their doors in an effort to protect their belongings from Mom’s annual campaign.

It’s inevitable that, about five years after I give something away, one of my kids wants to know where it went. I’m sorry your 2005 Lego set is gone. My bare feet just couldn’t take it anymore.

Just as St. Patrick rid Ireland of all the snakes, I’ve secretly celebrated my own sainthood as I’ve shooed all of my clutter away.

Oh, but then you realize that even saints can’t always win the clutter battle. The cat barfs up a hairball. My son walks by and touts “If only we still had Bobby’s beach towel to clean this up!”

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fitness

by Rachel Joy photography by Bill Sitzmann

Boat Pose Sanskrit name: Paripurna Navasana (par-ee-POOR-nah nah-VAHS-anna)

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he Boat Pose strengthens the hip flexors, spine, and the abdomen. This pose helps to relieve stress, improves digestion, and stimulates the kidneys, intestines, and thyroid.

1. Sit on the floor

with your legs straight in front of you. Place your hands behind your hip and press into the ground, fingers faceforward.

2. Lift up through

the sternum and slightly lean back until the weight is distributed to the top of your sitting bones and tailbone.

3. Bend the knees and

lift the feet off the floor.

4. Lengthen the

tailbone by pressing it into the floor, and lift the pubis towards the naval.

5. Slowly straighten

your legs until your feet reach above eye level and spread the toes.

6. Stretch the arms

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7. Breathe deeply for 15-30 seconds.

BEGINNERS TIP: Place a strap around the ball of both feet. Hold on to the strap with straight arms.

8. Exhale and lower the legs to the floor.

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HerFamily • March 2015 27

Calendar of Events

Bam! It’s a Picture Book

Tech City

American Moderns

FOR THE KIDS

FOR THE FAMILY

FOR MOM & DAD

BAM! IT’S A PICTURE BOOK: THE ART BEHIND GRAPHIC NOVELS

NATURE CONNECTS 2 THROUGH APRIL 26. LAURITZEN GARDENS—100

AMERICAN MODERNS: FROM O’KEEFFE TO ROCKWELL

THROUGH MARCH 29, 2015, JOSLYN ART MUSEUM –

BANCROFT ST. View 27 new sculptures, each

THROUGH MAY 17, JOSLYN ART MUSEUM—2200

2200 DODGE ST. Popular among young readers,

inspired by the natural world, made entirely of

DODGE ST. The United States emerged as an

graphic novels are known for their comic

300,000 Lego® bricks. Make your own Lego

international power, while also experiencing

format. They are generally described as

brick creations in the Legobrickyard, and enjoy

two world wars and the Great Depression.

“sequential art,” where a series of illustrations

a variety of Lego-inspired events throughout

New technologies changed all aspects of

tell the story, but, unlike newspaper comics,

the duration of the exhibit. 9am – 5pm.

life, while the art world witnessed dramatic

they are the length of a novel and include

Admission: $10 adults/$5 children six to 12. Free

transformations of its own. This exhibition

narrative development. This exhibition features

for children under six and for garden members.

explores the ways American artists including

the work of Jarrett J. Krosoczka, Mark Crilley,

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Georgia O’Keeffe, Marsden Hartley, Stuart

Matt Holm, Raina Telgemeier, and Lincoln

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Davis, Rockwell Kent, and Norman Rockwell

Peirce. Tuesday - Wednesday & Friday - Sunday

engaged the modern world. This exhibition

10am- 4pm; Thursday 10am- 8pm. Free

TECH CITY

will have a ticket fee. Free for members, youth

admission. 402-342-3300.

THROUGH MAY 10. STRATEGIC AIR & SPACE MUSEUM—

ages 17 and younger, & college students with ID.

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ASHLAND, NE. This travelling engineering exhibit

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is a great way to inspire learning and interest

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ONCE UPON A FARM EXHIBIT

in careers that focus on science, technology,

THROUGH APRIL 12. OMAHA CHILDREN’S MUSEUM—500

engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The

S. 20TH ST. Explore the world of agriculture and

Tech City exhibit is designed with interactive

KATHARINE HEPBURN: DRESSED FOR STAGE AND SCREEN

learn where your food comes from with the help

learning that will appeal to visitors of all ages.

FEBRUARY 7-APRIL 26, DURHAM MUSEUM—801 S.

of interactive exhibit components like a center

9am - 5pm. Free with regular admission. $12

10TH ST. This exhibition from the Kent State

pivot & planting station, dairy cows, pedal track

adult, $6 youth, children under 3 are free.

University Museum features more than 35

maze, and more. Tuesday through Friday 10am –

402-944-3100.

costumes worn in 21 films and six stage

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productions as well as other personal items

Admission: $2 plus regular admission; Free for

spanning Hepburn’s illustrious career. Come see

members. 402-342-6164.

ZEN TIES

how this true icon of American culture came

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THROUGH MARCH 8. THE ROSE THEATER—2001

to epitomize the modern woman of the 20th

FARNAM ST. A gentle tale about patience and

century. Children $6, Adults $9. 402-444-5071.

MERMAID, MINIONS, & DRAGONS

compassion, Zen Ties will make you remember

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MARCH 22. Holland Performing Arts

how much wisdom can come of simple

Center—1200 Douglas St. Your favorite music

mindfulness. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

COMPAGNIE KÄFIG

from How to Train Your Dragon, Despicable Me,

Members: Four free admissions. Non-member

MARCH 18, HOLLAND CENTER—1200 DOUGLAS ST.

The Little Mermaid, and other family movie hits.

admission: $18. 402-345-4949

Brazilian dance company, Compagnie Käfig,

Brought to life through thrilling performances of

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brings a high-energy performance style

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combining their hip-hop foundation with martial

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$26.25. 402-345-0202 - OMAHAPERFORMINGARTS.ORG

28 HerFamily • March 2015

omahamagazine.com

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HerFamily • March 2015 29

the grandpa chronicles

by David Williams

Canine Calamity A Plan to Fake it Until I Make it.

i

never had a pet as a child.

Okay, so I did at the age of 9 or so have an ill-fated and short-lived guardianship of a turtle whose name I’ve long forgotten, but I’ve never been a pet person.

My mother abhorred the idea of anything furry dwelling in her home, and I was pretty much fine with that. The feeling carried over into adulthood, and my three now-grown children probably felt super-lucky just to have had the brief company of a single pet, a (clean and non-slobbering) feline named Scribbles.

Viral videos portraying cats and dogs doing whatever it is that cats and dogs do have never appeared on any of my playlists. And to be frank, people who describe their little quadruped cuties as their “children”…well, kinda creep me out. I have no innate aversion to cats, even though I take them to be whiskered sociopaths of evil intent, but I have never been at all comfortable around dogs of any make or model.

Before the hate mail begins, please allow me at least a shot at redemption.

My grandsons Barrett and Easton are growing up in a home where the company of canines is prized. Their collie, Summer, recently ascended to that great dog pound in the sky and, after an appropriate period of mourning, has been replaced by a border collie pup carrying an equally seasonal name of Winter.

It’s an understatement to say that I never hit it off with Summer. Perhaps it didn’t help that she stained our Oriental rug as a pup not 10 seconds into her very first visit to our home. My son, Eric, entered with Summer while explaining that all would be well in that the creature was doing a smash-up job when it came to taking care of business, but it was too late. The little thing bounded (Is that what dogs do? They “bound?”) directly to the rug, lifted one leg, and…you know the rest.

I have promised to be different with Winter. My kids already know that I am neurotic, but I don’t want Easton and Barrett to grow up thinking that their granddad is some kind of loathsome monster. I am going to do my best to get to know Winter and not be such a basket case.

Not surprisingly, my first encounter with Winter was, shall we say, trying. “He’s just young and excitable,” I was told as the dog tried to climb up my leg.

Yeah, tell that to my now urine-stained shoes (suede, no less) and newish sweater scarred by Winter’s talons or toes or paws or whatever it is they’re called.

But it is with a certain sense of selfsatisfaction that I can report that I kept my cool. Now, the notion of “cool” is subjective.

My immediate, knee-jerk reaction was, admittedly, to jerk my knee in revulsion, but I collected myself as quickly as possible and tried my best to not make an international incident of the affair.

I really need to up my game in being the grandpa that I hope to be, but boy, do I have my work cut out for me.

30 HerFamily • March 2015

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HerFamily • March 2015 31

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