Election 2008

YES!!!!!

It feels good to have hope.
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Change is coming.
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God blessED America last night.
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Couldn't sleep-- my heart is so full. I am so thankful, so relieved, so optimistic, so amazed. This is a wonderful note to start chatting on the blog this week.

YES!!!!

Super Freaky

Not freaky as in Rick James but freaky as in really weird and gross!

Remember those crazy big caterpillars that had invaded our tomato plants earlier (see Alien Invasion below)? Well, they really freaked out my whole family because they were huge and had "faces" like in the movie Alien. We got rid of them.

After confirming on the internet that those critters were actually caterpillars, I was considering letting the kids try to raise any future caterpillars that may showed up. That was my intention until I saw the new batch. I didn't think they could get any freakier, but they did.

Here is how the first one looked... Remember it is about 3/4" wide and 5" long. Yuck.


Here is the super freaky one... What are those white things on it?!


We went straight to the internet to find out and what we learned is both cool and kinda gross. Turns out it is a form of pest control.

First I was wrong in thinking this was a butterfly caterpillar. It is a "hornworm" that attacks tomato plants before turning into huge "hawkmoths" with wing spans of 4 to 5 inches.

Nature's way of controlling the population of hornworms are wasps - which is why tomato plants attract wasps.

How does the wasp do it? The adult wasp lays its eggs in the tiny caterpillar. As the caterpillar grows, the wasp larvae eat it from the inside. (Larvae are baby wasps. They look like tiny worms.) Then they come through the skin and form a pupa case on the outside. You can see lots of them on this hornworm.

Told you-- both cool and gross. The hornworm is dieing as the baby wasps feeds on it, which explains why they (yes "they", there are a bunch of them on our plants) are still and not eating the tomato plant leaves.

Two-Year-Old 101 - Distracting "the boss"

As a mother of three children, one of the things I know is that it is difficult to rationalize with a two-year old. If the two-year old has his mind made up about something, he will not do otherwise without a lot of loud resistance.

Now with the older children I can do tell them to do something because "I said so" and that's the end of the discussion. Or even give them "the look" and they will cease acting up. Not so with a two-year old.

Folk call the second year, the "terrible twos" but they are not terrible. It's just that two-year-olds do what they want and well, aren't scared of the consequences.

So it becomes a battle of wills between the child who wants to do one thing and the parent that wants the child to do something else. That battle is usually loud, with crying, yelling and falling out. Plus, the child can start doing it too. (ha ha)

Because of this, my husband and I see that in some ways our two-year old is the boss. His ability to loudly protest is greater than our tolerance for noise. At our age, our desire for peace is quite strong.

To preserve the peace, I see that we have two options-- submit or distract.

Again, when a two-year-old wants something it is nearly impossible to convince him otherwise without loud protests. However, it is possible to distract him with another option or a disappearing act...

1) Another Option ("Hey, here is a Power Ranger Action figure, much cooler than Mommy's cell phone...")

2) Disappearing Act. Suddenly make the forbidden object of the child's desire disappear. This strategy applies the "out of sight, out mind" premise. Two-year-olds can be incredibly focused and single-minded so the out-of-site thing may not last long but it should at least buy you some time, some QUIET time before the child starts loudly requesting the object.

It is key that the child does not see you swipe and hide the object. If you have a child that likes to dump out the salt or parmasean cheese at restaurants, eating out is a great opportunity to apply this technique.

It is often helpful for parents to work as a team-- one gets the child to look away while the other quickly moves the condiments and shakers out of site.

Think of yourselves as a special ops team, like in action movies. Use eye contact and small hand gestures to silently communicate and coordinate your efforts. Like in the movies, you gotta be precise, quick and undetected as you apprehend the target, I mean swipe the condiments.

Well that's it on DISTRACTING. I follow up soon about SUBMISSION

Alien Invasion!

This post is about our tomato garden. A couple of our tomato plants have been invaded by critters that remind me of the alien in the the sci-fi movie with Sigourney Weaver!

Back in July, I posted photos of our potted garden of beautiful tomato plants. They were luscious bushes with vibrant fruit.



So imagine my shock when I saw one of the bushes totally bare. The leaves were gone and all around the pot were a lot of do-do droppings, excuse me... fecal dropping. The droppings reminded me of what my hamster use to do back in the day.

My first thought was that some type of animal, like a squirrel or raccoon climbed on the deck to devour our tomato plant. Then I saw it, the real culprit.

It looked like a caterpillar but it was HUGE. Besides aren't caterpillars bugs? What kind of bug has feces like a bunch of hamsters?! How could that big thing be a caterpillar? Aren't the bodies of butterflies the size of a match stick. This thing was the size of a grown man's finger! Plus, the head looked like the alien in Alien movie. I was freaking out. Take a look-- freaky or what!?






I called my children and husband to check it out and we were ALL freaking out. We found a second smaller one on another plant. We cut the stems that held the "critters" in place them in an empty diaper wipes box. We added some ant poison.

With our tomato plants safe from the "critters" we went online and learned that
- Yes, caterpillars do leave fecal droppings
- Yes, those critters were caterpillars

After learning that, I did have some regret that we did not keep the critters, I mean caterpillars. Lately, I have notice ads on TV where families can order caterpillars for the kids to rear and watch develop into butterflies. We could have done it for free.

Well, if any more caterpillars show up, we can try to raise those.

2 + 2 = Family

One of my best friends just gave birth to her 2nd child. As a mother of three, I shared with her one of my observations on how things seem different with the second child.

To me, with the first child it felt like my husband and I were "a couple with a baby". Where as with the second child, it felt like we were more a "Family". Slight difference but it reflects how we reference ourselves and how others see us.

I guess prior to the first child our key identity was as a couple-- Bill and Michele. The first child was an addition to the unit-- Bill and Michele (and their baby). With the additional children, its less about the couple and more about the family. Instead of being referenced as "Bill and Michele (and their baby)", we are "The Dugars".

Since my crew is five deep, we really seem like a group, rather than a couple with additions.

The reference to "Bill and Michele" --the couple, is also reduce since we reference each other as Daddy or Mommy when talking to our children.

Again, it feels different but it's all good. I am very grateful to be "a family". Grateful to have three children. However, this situation makes me especially grateful of the couple time we do, may or did share. Just think, a vacation without any kids... ooooooh, aaaaah... what a thought.

Pre-School Update

I am happy to report that my TWO-YEAR OLD has adjusted to going to school and actually looks forward to going.

During his first week back there were definitely some tears. As I mentioned earlier, he went for a couple of weeks in the Spring before having an extensive break for Summer vacation (home with with me). When I went by the center to make arrangements for his return, he ended up running to meet his old teacher and followed her class into their room. That joy of seeing his old class mates was short lived.

The days that followed that reunion with his class mates had plenty of tears. However, I am happy to report the each day we made definite progress
Day 1: Happy reunion with old pals
Day 2: Reality of school being his new routine is meet with tears 3 BlOCKS AWAY from school when he sees where we are headed
Day 3: No tears on the way to school or as he gets out of van but he does start crying outside the front door
Day 4: We make it inside the front door without tears but he grabs my legs and starts crying as I leave the classroom
Day 5: He goes into the class and sits in a chair on his own without any tears. As I leave he cries but stays in his seat.

We had a break over the weekend and I am thrilled to report that we have had no tears since. YEAH!! In the mornings, when we ask him if he is ready to go to school, he answers with a positive response. He goes into his classroom without hesitation (such a big boy).

:-)

My Son's Return To Pre-school - A sign of things to come?

You may have read my earlier posts about the good, bad and ugly days when my Two-Year Old started pre-school last spring. He only went for about 3 weeks before he was home for summer break with me and his older siblings. During those initial 3 weeks he gradually adjusted to not being home all day with Mommy or Grandma, however he remained kind of weepy when dropped off.

Fortunately, from the hallway I would hear that his crying stopped quickly after I left the room. Plus, he always looked happy when I secretly observed him during the day. Still, I was a bit nervous about how he would react when starting back this fall. Would he remember the fun times and happily be dropped off or would there be heart breaking cries?

Well, I recently stopped by the pre-school to make arrangements for my Two-Year Old to start back up the next week. He was with me while I was standing in the foyer talking with the director. I saw my son’s previous teacher down the hall with his old class mates. My son saw them too. I guess he was like “My Peeps!” and suddenly took off running for them and followed them into the classroom with the door closing behind him. There was no “bye Mommy”, no looking back.

I was shocked and pleasantly surprised. The director and I were cracking up. Needless to say, I started him back that day instead of the following week. Was this a sign of things to come? Would he enthusiastically run to class from now on? Are the tearful mornings a thing of the past?

I’ll fill you in soon on how the following days have gone.

Cool Dolphin Kick Gives Olympian Edge

I have been following the amazing results of olympic swimmer Michael Phelps. He has won 6 gold medals and broke 6 swimming records. My interest is not because I am such a big sports fan but it appeals to the nerd in me. The science behind what Phelps can do is cool and interesting.


While driving the other day, I heard on NPR a discussion how swimmer Michael Phelps is dominating the sport in part because of how he pushes off the wall at starts and turns with a kick that works the way dolphins kick.


Other swimmers could try to do it but Phelps can do it longer because of greater lung capacity and faster because of longer size 14 feet and more flexibility. He moves underwater just like a dolphin. Check out a video of his dolphin kick with the link below.

Michael Phelps demonstrating the dolphin kick


Thanks to my hubby, ESPN is on our TV this morning, and an "expert" on ESPN just stated that Phelps is a physical abnormality with a build that is ideal for swimming (long torso, short legs, long feet and double jointed elbows and ankles).

On NPR they explained that the dolphin kick has actually been the subject of scientific study by an expert in fluid dynamics. Here is a bit from the transcript...


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Rajat Mittal, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at the George Washington University, was studying dolphins for the U.S. Navy five years ago.

"We were asked to understand how fish swim so efficiently," Mittal says, "and it seemed like a natural extension to apply this to human swimming."


So Mittal and his colleagues contacted USA Swimming and learned that the group had the same interest, especially when it came to the dolphin kick.


They decided to "essentially compare these swimmers to the dolphin, assuming that the dolphin is the ultimate swimmer," Mittal says. "And the thing that we found is that Michael [Phelps] is able to use his body in a way that is very, very different from the other athletes, and also seems to be much closer to dolphins than we have seen for any other swimmer." READ MORE

Oooh- structure

My kids are still out for the summer but I am back to school for faculty meetings, workshops and regisrtation of incoming freshmen. Classes haven't started yet but it is more time consuming than when I am teaching.

Definitely busy but it feels like I can get more done with less time than during the carefree days of Summer. You know that saying... If you want something done, give it to someone who is already busy. The key seems to be structure.

So now that I am back to work I have more of a structured schedule (for work and home) which helps my productivity. Plus I am enjoying the solitude of working in office on campus vs my home office complete with 3 busy bodies (my kids).

Yeah, I am transitioning nicely out my summer chill mode. I'm ready for "back to school"-- bring it on!

Holding Hands

One of the sweet things about having a toddler is holding hands with the little one. With all of my children, it gave me a warm, fuzzy, happy feeling to hold their little hand while out and about running errands.

The other day while out with my Two-Year Old, holding his soft, smooth little hand, I was thinking that I was going to miss having that experience when he gets older. It's just not as sweet when little boys get older. I'm not sure when the turning point may be. It might coincide with the point when they come in from playing outside smelling musky and sweaty.

Perhaps the Two-Year Old and I have a telepathic connection because it was as if he was reading my mind and thinking the same thing. The next day the whole family took a road trip upstate to drop off my oldest son at soccer camp. For most of the 1 1/2 hour long drive, the Two-Year Old insisted that I reach back from my seat in the front and hold his hand.

Could his sister sitting next to him hold his hand? What about Daddy? NOOOoo, he loudly insisted that it could only be Mommy.

For the sake of peace and quiet, I did find a way to turn around in my seat, reach around my seat and hold his hand for most of the drive. It was too much of a good thing, but holding hands is still a good thing. :-)

Victoria's Secret Will Acknowledge HBCU's

Collegiate apparel to showcase black colleges
By Marcia A. Wade

When Victoria's Secret Pink rolled out its nationwide collegiate collection in June, featuring the names and logos of some 33 universities on sweats, hoodies, football tees, and totes, the promotion didn't include any historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). This fall, the brand plans to include five HBCUs in the second phase of its collegiate collection.

But, for Amelia Reid, a sophomore at Howard University and a Pink fan, the initial omission was hard to take.

"Going to Howard, where the students are very into academics and also into fashion, I thought 'Wow, this is crazy,'" says Reid, who is studying political science and fashion merchandising. "Here is another company that doesn't acknowledge black colleges. A lot of girls from Howard wear Victoria's Secret and work there also. It shouldn't have been just those typical schools that come to mind when you think of college."

Reid e-mailed Victoria's Secret to express her dismay and was upset when she received a response that she describes as "sugar-coated" and dismissive. Her disappointment materialized into a crusade to bring Pink onto the campuses of HBCUs. Early in July, she started a Facebook group "HBCU Ladies Wear Victoria's Secret Pink Too" in an effort to encourage people to write to the company and complain about the HBCU oversight. By late July, the group had more than 400 Facebook members.

A few days after Reid's initial e-mail, Richard A. Dent III, chief operating officer for Pink, contacted Reid through her Facebook group after someone forwarded him her complaint. "I reached out to her because she was a fan of the brand. I wanted her to know that we were not being insensitive, and we did have a plan," says Dent, a graduate of Florida A&M University's business school and a member of the school's board of trustees.

According to Dent, the first HBCU schools that will roll off the Pink line will be Howard University, Florida A&M University, Hampton University, North Carolina A&T University, and Southern University. "We have agreements with the licensees who handle collegiate apparel for those schools, and this has been in the works for some time," he says. Dent adds that the company plans to include students from the schools in internships at Victoria's Secret, and feature promotions at their homecoming events.

Read more.

What do think of these shoes?

These wedges caught my eye. What do you think of them?

These Via Spiga Cinder wedges can be found here.

What I Overheard - Big Kid Assessment of Dora the Explorer

This is the conversation I just overheard between my 9 year-old son and 7 year-old daughter while watching Dora the Explorer with their two year-old brother.

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TV: shows the map with a twisty turny path to final destination with obstacles along the way...

Big Brother: I don't understand why they just don't go around all of that. The smart thing would be to walk around that stuff.

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TV: shows Dora & her friends trying to figure out the "magic word" to tell the door in the little wall so that the door will open and let them through...

Big Brother: See! This makes no sense. Look at all that open space around the wall. Instead of trying to figure out how to get through the door, they can just walk around and stop wasting time!

Sister: I know, that's not very smart.

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TV: shows Dora & her friends at the bank of a river. They need to get to other side. Dora asks the television audience if we see something they can use to get across. A canoe is off to the side.

Big Brother (with irritated voice while throwing hands in air): It's right in front of you! Geez! They don't even bother to look. They just stare at you.

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TV: shows Dora & her friends getting into the canoe.

Sister: Hey, they didn't ask permission to use that. They're teaching kids to just take what ever they see. That's stealing!

Big Brother: Yeah, Dora teaches kids to steal.

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During all of this my toddler is happy and content watching this episode of Dora. I'm off to the side cracking up as I listen to my older children assess Dora and her friends to be a bunch of thieves who don't use common sense. Hmm... smart kids.

Check out our garden

My husband got some tomatoe plants a month or so ago.

This is our first attempt at a "garden". I figured a potted garden was the way to go because 1) it seemed easier and 2) our backyard backs up to a forest with plenty of deer, rabbits, raccoons and foxes that use the neighborhood backyards (and front yards-- these animals are bold) as buffets.

With the pots, we can keep the plants up on the deck, and hopefully out of the mouths of the critters.

Here are some shots of Jackson watering the plants when we first got them. Jackson got a special water "elephant" out the deal and which he uses to help me water regularly.

We were thrilled when the first little green tomatoe popped up.

The tomatoe plants were a good choice because they are hearty plants and have done well despite the fact that we have barely given them decent care. We now have REAL red tomatoes! I am so inspired, I think will be adventureous and add some potted herb plants to the "garden".

Check out our tomatoes now...

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Is this cool or what?!

Cooking 101 - What I can't do with chicken

I have had a taste for one of my mother's tasty recipes which is a baked casserole with chicken, broccoli and curry seasoning. My mother is a retired school principal but back in the day she was a home economics teacher with plenty of casserole recipes and this is my favorite.

Anyway, my craving for curry chicken has highlighted two lessons...

1) I did not now what curry really is. Or at least I forgot. When I was at the store to buy more curry powder (I love the stuff) I was comparing the labels of the different brands of spices.

To my surprise, none of them listed curry as the main ingredient. Instead it is a blend of different spices and the combination is called curry. Now that I think about it, that does seem vaguely familiar. My mother would get on me for not knowing that right off the bat.

2) The second thing my mother would get on me about is that I am not skilled at cutting up a raw whole chicken. "Not skilled" is a nice way of saying I don't know how to do it and my pieces look jacked up).

To me it seems like a basic primitive skill as well as a sophisticated ability as demonstrated on the FoodNetwork. Hmm.. I think I will get on my mother for this ("Ma, how come I don't know how to...). As I said she was a home economics teacher.

I only had a whole chicken and was dreading having to cut it. I almost decided to avoid the cutting altogether and just roast it (my roasted chicken is awesome) but my craving for curry chicken won out. As I type this, I have some yummy (but ugly) chicken pieces simmering in a delicious creamy curry sauce.

I am determine to learn how to skillfully cut and debone a chicken.

Do you think this is a skill all modern women should have?
Is it just me or can you not do it well either?
Are you impressed if someone can do it well?

Blog Relaunch

As of today this blog has a new look and new vibe. Yeah!

This blog will focus on my experiences, observations and insight as a mom, wife and entrepreneur (plus friend, sister, daughter, and college professor).

Initally I had planned to include tips on how ladies can be fabulous despite busy schedules and limited... umm "resources". I am still on the mission for creative and easy ways to be fab. I will share my finds with you in a new online magazine called "The Sweet Life" which will launch this Fall.

So I look forward to sharing [more frequent] updates on my personal adventures here and sharing practical tips and inspiring ideas over at The Sweet Life.

-Michele

Day 3 of Pre-school

Day 1: Good
Day 2: Bad (a little)
Day 3: Ugly!

Today is day 3 of pre-school for Jackson and he had a fit at drop off. As soon as I pulled up and turn the ignition off, he started pointing at the ignition and telling me to put key back ("key, keeey, key!"). Then he tried to buckle back the car seat as I was trying to take him out. All the time he is crying. So I took him out, held him a little bit in the van and prayed over him before we went inside.

Once inside, I was talking to the director and Jackson is standing in front of me, pushing on my legs in the direction of the door. Sigh... :-(

I walked him to the 2-year old room to put up his coat and that's when he really started crying and ... what's the word? hmm ... SCREAMING. Oh, it was a cry like his little heart was broken.

Sigh, sniffle sniffle... :-(

I know this happens and that kids adjust but it is so sad. I am tempted to drive back to see if he is ok but then I asked myself what would I do if he is still crying? So, I won't go... I think.

Jackson Has Started Pre-School

Jackson turned 2-years old in December and the time has come for him to start pre-school. He was home with me, then as I began teaching more classes at Benedict College, as well as working on Ginger Snaps Baby, my mother would care for him. With her health issues and my busy schedule we decided now would be a good time for him to start school. He started on Monday.

Well, the first day he did fine--- walked in and started playing. He is used to going to the child care room at gym and church. I was a little concern about nap time since in the past he often had someone hold him. I was told he did cry a little at nap time but soon was ok and went to sleep. The next day he was weepy all morning before we left home and did cry when I left the school. I think he was like "Hey, an hour or two is cool but I didn't know you were going to leave me THAT long!" I picked him up at 3:00 and will continue to do so for a while. They said he was fine and I believe he was. I'm curious how day three (today) will go.

They are helping to potty train him. He goes on command when I take him to potty but has yet to tell us when he has to go. I noticed that they have the boys go standing up so I started doing it that way at home. The advantage of having Jackson sit when I take him to potty is that sometimes he also does a bowel movement (that's what Grandma calls it, "do-do" or "stink-stink" is to crude for her but A-OK for my family-- ha ha!). So I asked the teacher how do they encourage or train the two year olds to do a number 2 and she said that most of them do not make a bowel movement at school-- they hold it all day and wait till they get home or go before they come to school. I think that is very interesting.

I'll keep you posted about day 3.

If Life Was A Musical

A friend sent me an email about this the other day and it made me smile (very funny). Take a look at what Improv Everywhere was able to pull off in the food court of a LA mall.

The group says...

"For our latest mission, 16 agents staged a spontaneous musical in the food court of a Los Angeles shopping mall. We used wireless microphones to amplify the vocal performances and mix them together with the music through the mall’s PA system. We filmed the mission with hidden cameras, mostly behind two-way mirrors. Apart from our performers, no one in the food court was aware of what was happening."

Enjoy the show!

Easy Way to Make A Small Home More Fabulous

We need a bigger house. I was impatient to move but I am more content now where we are. I still look forward to moving but I am no longer rushed to do so. Even though we can now afford more (now that I am working full time as professor and entrepreneur), I actually want to stay where we are a bit longer so as to save up and be sure that the we can comfortably handle the bigger bills that come with the much bigger house.

This mind set is a big change for me. I used to be very impatient for "the house" complete with the walk out basement, home gym, theater room and triple garage. When ever I thought of my current house I would think about how it is NOT the dream house. I would see the lack and feel depressed and frustrated (since could not afford what wanted). Sigh..

Something that really changed me from feeling dissatisfied to feeling happy and content was to call my home a cottage. Changing from using the word house to the word cottage, changed my expectations and thus my satisfaction. With the word house, I would think formal dining room and gourmet kitchen-- my current house does not meet those expectations. With the word cottage, I think small, charming, and comfy-- and my home fits that description!

What help me to see the fabulous potential of a cottage is Cottage Living magazine. I love that magazine. I enjoy home decorating magazines but most of them focus on grand homes with lots of space, again reinforcing the idea of a chic house as being big and the lack of space of my current home. Cottage Living celebrates small homes and shows how they can be chic and fabulous.

So if you feel a bit discouraged with the size of your home, I encourage you to think of it as a cottage. Changing your mindset will do a lot to make your current space to seem more fabulous. Check out Cottage Living. They offer a free trial issue. The style of decor they feature is not country but more contemporary than you may expect.

Talking Politics on NPR

If you listened to the Tell Me More show hosted by Michel Martin on NPR Tuesday, you would have heard me giving my two cents about the Presidential race. The primaries are being held here in South Carolina and this Saturday we will be voting for the democratic nominee. This is an exciting time for the Nation, the State and our community.

The Tell Me More crew came down from Washington DC to catch the action and opinions. Continuing its political coverage from South Carolina, the program checked in with the Columba SC chapter of Mocha Moms (which I am a part of). Myself, Aisha McNary Brown and Andrena Myers Davis talk local politics, the voting strength of black women and how the candidates can win our vote.

By the way, Mocha Moms is a national network for stay-at-home moms of color, but is open to all moms including grands and working moms. Each week on Tell Me More, the Mocha Moms discuss diverse parenting styles and the latest news pertaining to children.

Shout outs to the ladies of Tell Me More. Michel and her crew are mad cool, professional and friendly. The taping of the show was fun. You can listen to this Jan. 22 episode of NPR's Tell Me More here SC Moms Discuss '08 Elections

Happy New Year - 2007 Memories

Make a scrapbook - it's easy!

Welcome To My Blog!

I have been planning and thinking about starting a blog for the longest. Now in the words of Nike, it is time to “just do it”. Oooh, I have so much to share -- my observations, opinions, challenges, experiences as a busy mom, wife, entrepreneur, friend, volunteer, daughter, sister, child of God... Of course, while filling you in on my personal life, I’ll keep you up to date with what’s going on with my Ginger Snaps Baby business.

Lately, I have been motivated to spruce/keep up my home, work space and myself. I’ll start this blog with posts about my efforts to spruce and keep up myself. Basically, I want to associate more with being a “hot mom” than “tired mom”.

It is easy for us ladies to get worn out taking care of our families, work and all the responsibilities we face. Ladies, we can’t go around feeling and LOOKING worn out if we are to keep giving our best. I think we have all heard that we should take better care of ourselves and take some “me time”. I have found this to be easier said than done when you have a busy schedule and things that HAVE to be done.

Well, I am on a search to come up with easy to maintain, low cost ways to not only feel better but to look better. If you ever were out running errands and hoped you didn’t run into any one you knew (definitely not an ex-boyfriend) because you were looking rough, then stay tuned.

If you think it is not likely that you would look camera ready if Publishing Clearing House or a talk show host showed up at your door, then I’m sure you will be able to relate to my search. Stay-At-Home Moms and Work-At-Home ladies probably feel me on that, but anyone with a busy schedule should benefit from my search for easy ways for us to feel and look good. I’ll keep you posted.