Awesome Thoughts from our Blog

It struck me at some point a few years ago that parenting is a lot like running a country. There are many competing problems and interests and sometimes the best solutions aren’t the one you end up choosing to implement - because sometimes the best solutions are just not possible.  Instead you end up choosing second- or third-best solutions.  And guess what?  Usually those solutions are still good, or at least better than their counterparts - no solution, or a bad solution.

So here are some things a few of our presidents learned during their terms of office, with a few anecdotes of how they relate to mine.

If you end up in the position of having your kids’ school closed for an extended period of time, coupled with either quarantine and/or social distancing and possibly ALSO being expected to get some actual work done for your job, I have a few ideas on how you might structure your time. I thought I’d share them in case they’re useful for you.*

A guest post by Katie Lutz

Today I am a farmer, baker, and small business owner, making it hard to believe my career started with a degree in civil engineering, and what might be even harder to believe is that I wouldn’t be any of the things I am today if I hadn’t studied in university. My journey to farm ownership started with a mental health crisis during my PhD studies in Civil Engineering and is a story for another time because in honour of Pi Day I want to share how my journey to becoming a professional pie baker started during my engineering undergraduate studies.

Just for you, here are some awesome Princess Awesome & Boy Wonder geeky, math-y, science-y, unicorn-y, truck-y valentines. Eva and her kids make them every year: 

No, we were not commenting that caution tape should literally reflect who is working, although having spoken to female construction workers, they do care - it’s just one more thing they have to deal with in a line of work that is already fraught with sexism. No, we aren’t so worried about caution tape that we are going to mount a protest over it (yes, we immediately moved on after noting the tape).  Yes, we will continue to be a company founded on feminist principles. No, the caution tape is not really that important because nearly everyone knows that “caution: men at work” just means “look out, work is happening here.”  

NEARLY everyone. And now we need the explanation for why we do care enough about the stupid caution tape to post about it on Facebook and write this follow-up explanation.

Since the day she was born, my daughter Laina has been a catalyst for awesome in my life. Like many parents, she’s brought out the best in me personally; however, she has also energized my professional work, as well.

She is the inspiration behind the children’s science book series I launched this summer known as Science With Scarlett, which invites readers to follow Scarlett—a precocious young scientist—and her charming teddy bear assistant, Mr. Bear, who do experiments with the reader. Science With Scarlett is written in clever rhymes and rollicking verse, teaching actual science, and striving to get young thinkers wondering and young wonderers thinking.