Outbursts Could be due to lack of PLAY! - Speech Milestones Year 4 (36-48 months)

Hello all! I am going to tell you a little story about  an encounter I had. I have a four year old patient that used to use only 2 word phrases. She was in the shopping cart being pushed around by her mother. Well she saw a toy kitchen and very calmly said, “Mama, Kitchen.” Her mother was like, “No! We aren’t in the kitchen.” So the little one said it again with a bit more intensity. After several times of repeating her self she took a big deep breath and yelled at the top of her lungs, “MOMMMMAAAA, KITCHENNNNN!!!!” So her mom began to shush her and was not happy to be shopping anymore. I could immediately tell. She shushed the little girl, she told her to pay attention to me and her tone of voice also change. OOOO I almost felt like I was there with them. I got embarrassed haha. Mind you by this time in development a 3 to 4 year old should have at least 3-4 words in their sentences. So…I modeled for the little girl how to tell her mother what she wanted. Say, “I want to see the kitchen.” So the little girl said it perfectly to her mother and Mom understood and was happy, and so was the little girl, because as a reward she got to go see the kitchen. This child has been diagnosed with receptive/expressive language delay.  This happened in her specific case because of lack of play and lack of giving the child an opportunity to speak. Unfortunately this is very common. Not only the child needs interventions but the parents receive education and ideas, ways and strategies on how to facilitate language from their little one.

Just a REMINDER Children develop at their own rate. Your child might not have all skills until the end of the age range.

However these are some of the things a 3-4 year old will or should be doing.

• They can respond when you call from another room.

• Understands words for colors, like red, blue, and green.

• Understands words for shapes, like circle and square.

• Understands words for family, like brother, grandpa, and grandma.

In speech for a 3-4 year old they should or will be able to answer simple

• who, what, and where questions.

• Says rhyming words, like rat–cat.

• Use pronouns, like I, you, me, we, and they.

• Uses some plural words, like toys, dogs, and cars.

• Most people understand what your child says.

• Asks when and how questions.

• Puts 4 words together.

• They may make some mistakes, like “I goed to school.”

• Or like in the case that I told you about, make a request like, “I want to see.”

• Talks about what happened during the day.

• Uses about 4 sentences at a time.

TO ENCOURAGE ALL OF THESE TASKS YOU CAN:

• Make silly pictures by cutting up magazines or finding them in books. Like a Hippo driving a car or Cat wearing a hat wink wink. Then help your child explain what is silly about the picture.

• Sorting pictures and objects into categories, like food, animals, or shapes. Ask your child to find the picture or object that does not belong. For example, a baby does not belong with vegetables.

• AGAIN! Read, sing, and talk about what you do and where you go. Use rhyming words. This helps your little one learn new words and sentences.

• Read books with a simple story. Talk about the story with your child. Help them retell the story, or act it out with props and dress-up clothes. Tell them your favorite part of the story. Ask them questions and have them tell you their favorite parts.

• Look at family pictures. Have them tell a story about the picture. See if they remember anything about that time. Ask them who is in the picture and their relation to them.

• Play pretend dealing with daily actions and activities. Such as cooking, driving, going to bed, shopping at the store, going to the doctor etc.. You can use props and dress up. Use role playing, change your voice to make it different for the different people involved, this can help them understand how other people talk and act. This encourages social skills and how to interact with others as well as tell stories.

Ok, so I know it probably seems like I am beating a dead horse BUUUUUUTTTTT…. Speak to your child in the language you are most comfortable using, if you are comfortable with more than one, then do that also.

I can only imagine that after 3 or 4 years of not having appropriate communication things can get rough. A parent throws in the towel and since they already know what the child needs they give it to them with out asking anymore. But this does more harm than help. It is so vital to encourage age appropriate development for your little one. Even though it is not easy small steps to encouraging language will begin to modify behaviors. Remember you are not alone and there is a team for you.

Once again thank you for reading. I would love to know how these tips work out for you. Please reach out to us. We are on several media platforms. Our next video and blog in the speech corner will be about about milestones of a 4-5 year old and this will be the final one that we do in this developmental section.

Intentions vs Outcomes. How do you judge yourself and others?

Welcome to Eclipsed Views

Where we take difficult topics and try to identify what’s blocking your view. Try to unlearn and rewash and possibly rewire our brains since we don’t seem to be having much luck changing other people’s views.

Street Epistemology - Socratic Questioning

• How did you come to that stance?

• Are those reasons legitimate enough to continue to hold that stance?

• Is this process a useful and efficient process to figuring out the truth

Conjecture - Forming an opinion based on incomplete information.

• How do you know when you have enough evidence to form an opinion?

DISCLAIMER: Some hard and difficult topics. If you are easily offended, this may not be for you. There are sometimes some hard topics and hard truths, and if you are not ready for it, i suggest maybe to revisit at a later time when you do feel more prepared.

Topic - Intentions vs Outcomes

COVID

I can’t remember the first time I heard the phrase: “You judge yourself based on your intentions, but judge other based on their actions.” But, it really blew my mind and realized how true that was. So that’s why I thought this was a good topic of discussion and used it for the podcast episode.

Through the COVID-19 pandemic, whether we were mask-wearers or not, our intentions were sometimes pretty similar. Very few of us thought we were ACTUALLY causing harm to someone else. I think it was too invisible or slow moving of an effect to actually think much of it. We would justify our outing and make ourselves believe that this instance was ok. If you acquired COVID in public, it was unlikely it was going to be traced back to a specific person or instance. So our intention was that we’re going to be careful and stay away from people, and it was going to be fast, and everything would be okay. However, in some situations (several million), that was not the outcome. It appears to me that people have a hard time tracing back their actions, and even taking some responsibility, or realizing they had more choices on handling the situation.

For example, grocery shopping (during lockdown, pre-vaccinations). Many of us like to pick our own produce and didn’t want to leave it to the employee, because they wouldn’t pick “the ones you liked.”

• Scenario 1 - You acquire COVID at the grocery store because YOU wanted to pick your produce. Your intention wasn’t to contract COVID, but it was the outcome. There are several other consequences that come with this besides getting sick. Other people have to stay away from you. Other people have to bring you food or care for you. It was a risk we were willing to take and justified it for ourselves.

• Scenario 2 - A family member acquires COVID at the grocery store because THEY wanted to pick their produce. Their intention wasn’t to contract COVID, but it was the outcome. But now, we seem to get upset at people in general, because they are not staying home, and are putting other people at risk, etc. Why is this not justified for the other person that may have done the same action as you?

COVID and lockdown made me be in my head a lot and really see a different side of people. These scenarios are more applicable to day-to-day life. These are what I used in the podcast.

• Your partner makes a joke that upsets you. You know that they didn’t mean any harm, but it still stings. Their intent was lighthearted, but the impact is that your feelings are hurt. On a scale of 1-100, which is more important, 1 being intent, and 100 being outcome?

• A friend comes to you to talk about an issue they’re having at work. You offer them advice, but your friend is defensive and ends the conversation. You later learn that they felt like you were telling them they handled the situation poorly. Your intent was to offer an action plan, but the impact was that they felt judged. On a scale of 1-100, which is more important, 1 being intent, and 100 being outcome?

Are there instances where intent should be more important?

I don’t really like punishing people for trying to help, but sometimes their help can end up causing a lot inconvenience and then it may time to put a stop to it. I always like to think of input to output, or cost/benefit. What effort or actions are being put into this, and is the end result what I desired for? Is their help greater than the inconvenience?

Are there instances where outcome should be more important?

The best i could come up with is life or death situations or situations with high stakes. A surgery, handling a large sum of money. When the stakes are higher, there is less room for acknowledgement of intent. Mostly also because there should be a track record of experience that builds trust. If they or you are not trusted, then it appears less likely that the desired outcome will occur.

Societal Communities

My INTENTION is not to offend in this section, but to try and understand. But there are a lot of communities that may be misunderstood (myself included).

LGBT, BLM, Religion, & Politics.

If you do not belong to one of these communities, it appears that judging others based on their actions holds true. For example, if I am not part of the LGBT community and say something without the intent of offending, i may be on the receiving end of some consequences. That is fair enough, but I do think the punishment should fit the crime. If somebody innocently says something without the intention of offending, they should be notified. “Hey, I don’t know if you meant it this way, but this is the way it can be taken.” That gives them a chance to clarify. However, if you notify someone and there is not much further explanation, this gives the impression that the intention was different, with maybe the intention to offend. Does that make sense?

A variety of similar situations can occur with the rest of these communities. People may not always have the intention to offend. Give them a chance to clarify. We started watching Ted Lasso and mentions a quote from Walt Whitman. “Be curious, not judgemental.” They may be making a judgement based on all the information they know. That’s where it’s conjecture. Forming opinions based on insufficient evidence. Inform them and provide them with new evidence see if that can sway their opinion. Again, through the mode of Socratic questioning, this has to be done in a non-confrontational way. Easier said than done.

Family

We end up with a lot of habits that are purely our own, and a lot that are taught. Perhaps even some toxic ones. Family may not have known or have had enough evidence to realize some of the behaviors were harmful, but I still think there needs to be accountability somewhere. Where is the line? Their intention may have been to stop or encourage a certain behavior. These effects are now carried on by you in other parts of your life. Job performance, social interactions. At what cost? Do the ends justify the means?

Health

Intentions vs outcomes with ourselves. How we treat our health and bodies. A lot of the food we prefer isn’t the most nutritious. We hear a bunch of signs that notify us not to do these things, but we don’t listen. Is it like the COVID example where this is too slow to be recognizable? We almost literally “poison” ourselves, and are expecting a different outcome? To me, it gives the illusion that we know our tolerance and the situation we are putting ourselves in. We will be experiencing the heart-attack/stroke, not somebody else. Body-autonomy? But the effects will have an effect on other people as well. People that will have to take care of you, even if its a few days or nothing long-term. They will have to take some time from their day to run errands for you, or get you medication. Would you mind doing it for somebody them? At first, I think the answer is no. I wouldn’t mind doing it for a friend. What if their behavior doesn’t change and keep treating themselves the same way. They are in that same situation all over again. And again. Slowly it adds up, to the amount of time you’ve missed from work. Opportunities you may have missed out on. Does it matter now? Where is the line? Is there a line?

Give a listen to the discussion we had and love to know your thoughts. Exceptions. Scenarios. Etc.

Villains as Protagonists

Welcome

Welcome to Eclipsed Views where we see what it would take to change our views. This is for self-help through Kaizen, a Japanese term for improvement in small increments. We are citizens, colleagues, professionals, consumers, friends, family-members, teachers, learners, human beings.

DISCLAIMER: Some hard and difficult topics. If you are easily offended, this may not be for you. There are sometimes hard topics and hard truths, and if you are not ready for it, i suggest maybe to revisit at a later time when you do feel more prepared.

Introduce Frank and Vicky

Street Epistemology - Socratic Questioning

• How did you come to that stance?

• Are those reasons legitimate enough to continue to hold that stance?

• Check out their channel here.

Conjecture - Forming an opinion based on incomplete information.

How do you know when you have enough evidence to form an opinion?

Topic - Villains as Protagonists

• Maleficent

• Cruella

• Joker

• Suicide Squad

Shout Outs

• Lilly @thora.flora Jinx in the Netflix show Arcane

• 100% on our IG poll that people are interested in their stories.

Thank you to participants: Marcus, Valerie, Karla, Leasette, & Gabby

Scenarios - Scale from 0-100

State your position. At the end we come back and see if the needle moved at all.

1. You understand the importance of team work in your job. You share ideas and responsibilities with your team members on a daily basis. In your weekly team meeting with your supervisor, one of your co-workers takes credit for a time and money saving change in operating procedures you devised. Your supervisor erroneously thinks your co-worker came up with the change and your co-worker does not correct the misinterpretation, but allows the boss to not only commend him, but offer a bonus. Do you go to your co-worker and demand he correct the situation, go to your supervisor and explain you should receive the commendation and reward, or keep quiet as you do not believe in ownership of ideas? 0 do nothing. 100 report it.

   • Sal - 60/55

   • Vero - 100/80

   • Frank - 70

   • Vicky - 80

2. You go out with your husband for dinner at a new restaurant you have not frequented before. It is in a part of town you rarely visit. You are shocked to see your friend’s spouse having dinner with a very young, attractive person. From the way they are behaving, it is obvious they are more than friends. The couple finish their meal and leave without seeing you. They behave very affectionately on the way out the door. 0 do nothing. 100 report it.

   • Sal - 75/80

   • Vero - 90

   • Frank - 100

   • Vicky - 100

3. A close friend is on the most wanted list. You know where they are and how to get a hold of them. You hear a name and its somebody you know? 0 do nothing. 100 report it.

   • Sal - 80/

   • Vero - 80/90

   • Frank - 0/100

   • Vicky - 70

Questions to think about?

1. Define: Villain.

   • Villain according to Merriam Webster

   • character in a story or play who opposes the hero

   • a deliberate scoundrel or criminal

2. Define: Protagonist.

   • the principal character in a literary work (such as a drama or story)

   • the leading actor or principal character in a television show, movie, book, etc.

   • an active participant in an event

   • a leader, proponent, or supporter of a cause : CHAMPION

3. What makes a good villain? Masterclass https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-write-an-unforgettable-villain-tips-for-writing-a-great-villain-for-your-novel-or-short-story#what-are-the-characteristics-of-a-good-villain

   • Strong connection to the hero.

   • Clear Morality.

   • Worthy opponent. (Not defeated easily)

   • Compelling Backstory (Can happen to anybody)

   • Kind of fun (in a sense that they say and do the things we sometimes wish we could)

4. Why does the switch work? Why/How does it shift our view?

5. Are villains clear and evident?

6. Who do you consider a real life villain right now?

7. Do you think anybody has ever viewed you as the villain?

8. Jurassic Park. Who is the villain?

9. What are your favorite villains? and Why?

3 year-old went from 3-500 words by doing THIS! - Speech Milestones Year 3 (24-36 months)

Hi! Welcome Back to another section of Developmental Milestones in Speech and Understanding. This time it is targeting age 2-3 years old’s Language Development.

DISCLAIMER: Please remember every child develops at their own rate! These are what a typically developing child will acquire during this time period. If they aren’t doing all of it or you are reading along and notice that they don’t do ANY of them, then it is time to speak to a professional. If they are doing some and you notice a few are missing keep reading and I give you a bit of support on how to get them to do these things.

I encounter this on a daily basis in the setting that I am currently working. One of the cases sticks out prevalently. I was working with a child who would only say “YES, NO and MAMA”. They literally used only these 3 words, the rest of their communication was yelling, “AHHHHH,” or using gestures. Mom was mostly asking “Yes or No” questions. “Do you want this? Do you want that?” We worked on training mom to use open ended questions, labeling different objects, requesting and validating what they were saying. This kids progress was AMAZING and soooooooo fast. Once they were given this opportunity they jumped in a matter of 3-6 months from using 3 words to at least 500!!!!!!! This poor child had all of that vocabulary tied up in that beautiful brain. They were finally able to express themselves once given the opportunity. So for your little ones sake, use open ended questions! Give them choices. Wait for them to respond and let them know what they have to say is important.

Here are some tips to help you achieve this. During the age range from 2-3 your little one should be able to understand the following.

• Opposties - Like (UP/DOWN), (STOP/GO), (LIGHT/ Dark) etc.

• 2 Step Directions - They should be able to follow two step directions, an example is, “Go get your socks, bring them to me please.” In play you might use more of these directions than you notice also like….get the ball, throw it to me.

• Understanding New Words - They should be able to understand new words quickly. So what the heck does that mean huh? It means that when you introduce something new to them they are able to grasp it. Maybe you have to show it to them 2 or 3 times, but they are typically able to get it very quickly.

• Speaking - In speech they should now be able to talk about things not in the room, maybe it is something that they left in the other room and they want to play with it or see it. You might get a comment about someone that is in another room like, “Grandpa in his room,” or, “Doggie outside.”

• Sounds - They should by now also have several different sounds that they are using, such as the K(cat), G(good), F(food), T(toy), D(Doggie), N(No) in words.

• Prepositions - Prepositions are direction words such as ABOVE, UNDER, IN, NEXT TO, ON, BELOW, etc.

• 3-word-phrase - Not only will they begin to use all of the above to communicate more effectively and clearly but they will be able to use 2-3 words to talk about needs, wants and thoughts but they will be able to ask for stuff. You should hear questions such as,

  • “I have cereal?”

  • “I want cereal.”

  • “Is it hot?”

• Being Understood by Others - One of the big topics is that people that surround your child such as others who live in the same household should be able to understand what they are saying. This does not mean that a stranger or a distant friend should understand everything that your little one is saying. But Mom, Dad, Grandparents(if close), close friends who are interacting with them often should understand your child. A typical child around the age of 2 should be 50-70% intelligible and a 3 year old should be approximately 80% intelligible.

• Asking “Why?” - One of the most fun questions that they will begin to ask is…WHY? OOOOO yes the dreaded “why”… Well for some people it’s dreaded. So coming from the background that I come from..the hispanic culture. The answer to this question for many was always “BECAUSE I SAID SO.” I was extremely fortunate to not hear this often. I might get in trouble for this one but, I am speaking as a professional, with no impact from the past. EXPLAIN THE WHY!!!! It is 100% ok to take 10 minutes out of our busy day to explain something to a child. They ask why because they need help understanding. It is up to us to enlighten and show them how the world works. Honestly, there are sometimes where the “why” is not very easily explained or you don’t know the answer. Well the awesome thing about the society we live in is that there are thousands of answers at our finger tips. So instead of saying, “Because I said so,” PROVIDE RATIONALE OR AN EXPLANATION. If you don’t know, LOOK IT UP. Say, “Let’s find out,” help them discover and treat it as an adventure. If it is not age appropriate….explain to them that they will learn this when they are a little older and that it is for adults. This is a very fun age, a lot of people call it the terrible 2’s right? It makes sense they are trying to learn more and more and…they can begin to make their own opinions. OOOOO it can be crazy! They are supposed to take different steps to solving a problem at this age, which of course, can get messy. If you are the personality type that hates messes (shhhh like me), we are in for a wild ride. There are so many ways we can guide play and understanding for the little ones though. A few ways that we can assist little ones in their understanding and speaking are to use short words and sentences.

• NO BABY TALK!!! SPEAK CLEARLY!!! Repeat what they say and add more to it. Here is an example:

  • Little One (LO): Yum cookie!

  • Parent: Yes, that is a yummy cookie, it smells so good, do you want to smell it? (Wait for a response)

  • LO: Smell it?

  • Parent: (let them smell it)…mmmm it looks good…want to taste it? (then you bite it EAT IT ALL and say it was yummy…. JUST KIDDING! You can let them taste it.)

  It is so important that you give them a chance to respond to you and let them use their words. It can be a challenge for sure in that since up to this point the conversational exchanges have been minimal for some and now we have to take time to listen to their opinions. It is also important to let them know what they are saying is important to you. If you don’t understand, ask for clarification… “Mama! Ball!” You can say, “Ooo a ball. I know you want a ball. Which one do you want?” It is time for them to begin to make decisions and explain what they want or need.

• Teaching words - Now is the time to keep teaching them NEW words… But how?!?!?! READING!!!! WHEN YOU READ, ITS PERFECT MODELING OF:

  • Correct grammar

  • Word shapes

  • Intonation

  • Inflection

  So much good can come out of something so simple. To begin talk about things they know about or are familiar with….colors, shapes, letters and numbers are a few. Then name objects in the books. Show them how to use synonyms, like lady, mommy, woman grown-up, adult, etc. I have heard many times, “My kid just doesn’t like books.” That’s fine, but they are sooooooo much easier to use to facilitate excellent communication. The type of book that I highly recommend are Poke-a-Dot books by Melissa and Doug. They keep your little one engaged and give them some tactile stuff to do while you can get them involved in reading. There are other books that have several different things to touch. This is an excellent way to get them interacting with textures and get them engaged in book reading.

• Categories - Start to introduce categories, you can use books for this also or you can use fun games like Whats in Ned’s head. This is a game that you have a plush head that is filled with “gross” stuff like a bug, a lizard, a melted lollipop etc. but you can put in other objects that can be categorized like clothes, animals, foods etc. These do not have to be real objects toys are perfect. Then as you pull them out categorize them like all of these are food or categorize in color.

• Photos - Scrapbooking, or in todays society, your phone, to look at family photos and talk about what is happening, say the names of the people, the relation to you etc. What actions are happening? Where are they? etc. If you are scrapbooking or have the actual printed photo, you can write simple phrases under the pictures to establish meaning, like day at the pool, happy birthday Grandpa, etc.

• Open ended questions and choices - GIVE THEM CHOICES…YOU, probably already know what they want or need but now is the time to give them options. Like, “Ooo you are thirsty,” ask them what they want. Milk or water (facilitation of choice!!!! Like I previously stated, now is the time to get them to start making decisions and letting them tell you.) WAIT FOR THE ANSWER!!! Then praise them for answering! You can say thank you for telling me what you want! I will get you a glass of milk. Give them a chance to talk, present OPEN-ENDED questions for them and give them time to answer.

• In our previous blog and YouTube video we stated that singing songs is so important to proper development. Guess what?! It still is at 2-3. Keep singing songs, playing finger games, telling nursery rhymes. All of these may seem redundant but they teach your little one about rhythm and the sounds of language.

• Languages - All of these models and communication exchanges are to be held in… TADA!!!! ANY LANGUAGE!!! WHATEVER YOU ARE MOST COMFORTABLE WITH!

Once again, thank you for checking out the blog and maybe you watched the video above on this. I have a couple of other tips in there. Don’t forget to keep an eye out for our next video on 3-4 year old development and the blog. PLEASE, Please remember that all children develop at their own rate, this blog does describe when most children will reach these milestones. If they aren’t performing a few of these skills it does not mean that they have a problem, if they are missing ALL of them, then you may need to seek assistance, you can do so by speaking to your pediatrician or a speech pathologist to see what the next steps would be. Hope that this remains useful to you! Thank you again for reading.

Best decision-making tip for graduates and young adults.

Congratulations You Graduated!

You get to do cool stuff like adults right!

Some of it is cool.

Make your own decisions, like have dessert first, or go to sleep late.

(you’re gonna pay for them when you’re 30!)

I’m Sal Melendez. I have been a fine arts teacher for 13 years. I started GENtigrater to help you with things that they don’t teach you in school.

Problem-solving, and decision making and finances, and things adults say to you as kid and you’ll either finally understand why we say that or why it was BS. You realizing we’re all just winging it. This is the beginning of your adult life, and it’s okay to be unsure and uneasy.

Best decision making tip

Cost/benefit analysis.

What is this decision costing you, whether it’s time or money or both, and what am I getting out of this.

1. College - You’re going to be recruited for different things, jobs, internships, clubs.

   • Do they cost money or make money?

   • Time investment - work/school/life balance.

   • Delayed gratification - is this something that’s going to pay-off in the long run. Is the pay off going to be worth it.

2. Work-force - Make it worth your while and don’t get stuck in a job.

   • Don’t jump into a job right away. Making no money to some money seems great, but you gotta start thinking ahead. Short-term and long term goals, such as moving our of your house, or buying a car, etc.

   • Being able to move up. You don’t want to be stuck in the same position where you get stuck making the same amount of money. There needs to be opportunities for advancement in your position or at the very least a contractual raise every so often.

This is just the start.

Follow us for more tips or let us know what you need help with.

What does it mean to be "wrong"

Podcast Season 01 | Episode 01

What does it mean to be wrong?

Guests: Leasette Hernandez and Rogelio Hernandez.

Welcome

Welcome to Eclipsed Views where we see what it would take to change our views.

Introduce

We are all citizens, colleagues, professionals, consumers, friends, family-members, teachers, learners, human beings.

Street Epistemology

A mode of Socratic questioning that tries to discover how you came to a conclusion or an opinion. Check out their YouTube Channel.

Conjecture

Forming an opinion based on incomplete evidence.

Parable of the Elephant - The importance of context

Elephant experience from different people:

• A group of blind men heard that a strange animal, called an elephant, had been brought to the town, but none of them were aware of its shape and form. Out of curiosity, they said: "We must inspect and know it by touch, of which we are capable". So, they sought it out, and when they found it they groped about it. The first person, whose hand landed on the trunk, said, "This being is like a thick snake". For another one whose hand reached its ear, it seemed like a kind of fan. As for another person, whose hand was upon its leg, said, the elephant is a pillar like a tree-trunk. The blind man who placed his hand upon its side said the elephant, "is a wall". Another who felt its tail, described it as a rope. The last felt its tusk, stating the elephant is that which is hard, smooth and like a spear. WIKI LINK

How do you know when you have enough evidence to form an opinion?

Discussion Questions

1. (5:55) Define: What is “wrong”? Is it objective? Subjective? Perspectives.

2. (8:55) What does it take to realize you were wrong?

3. (13:50) Are we using the word “wrong” wrong/incorrectly?

4. (23:55) Alternatives to the word “wrong”.

5. (27:44) What have you been wrong about before?

6. (33:45) The Handling of the Uvalde shooting by the Police Department.

Scenarios

1. (43:05) Remember the dress? what color was the dress.

2. (50:54) Raising Kids - Manners/Etiquette - Is there a right way?

3. (64:21) - Correcting other people’s kids

4. (67:32) - Religious Beliefs

Closing

(80:32)

(81:17) Occupations/Skills revealed

There were a lot of things that were learned about the word “wrong.” From being overused, using it subjectively, and objectively. Where is that line drawn on when it should be used? Are there words that would fit your statement better rather than defaulting to the word “wrong.” It is an easy route, but may not be the most effective word to get your message across.

This is all for self-help, if you are looking to make improvements and see things from different perspectives. Kaizen is a Japanese form of self-help in which you do so through small increments. Hope you find our discussion useful, and come back for more. If you have suggestions, please let send us an

Email at info@omni-versal.com

DM on Instagram @versalarts

Twitter @EclipsedViews

"I'm new here. Talk to me!" - Speech Milestones Year 2 (12-24 months)

• Talk to them about simple observations.

• What sounds to expect.

• Explain what you are doing.

• Using correct grammar.

• READ to them!

You have made it through the first year with your little one, now here comes the easy part right?! HAAA not really. I have come to realize through my years as a parent and mostly as a Speech Pathologist that communication is the key to, well everything it feels like. Communication can be tricky though. Many times we have these expectations that our children are given to us with a dictionary in their head and miraculously they will be able to use all of their words on their own. Can you imagine if that were true?! Whoa that would be interesting!

As awesome as it would be for your 1-2 year old to have a plethora of vocabulary, the truth is…it’s up to you to foster and nourish their speech and understanding development. Between the age of 1 year and 2 years there are a few things that you should begin to see and expect from your little one.

Simple Observation

In the area of Hearing and understanding you will see them begin to identify body parts on themselves on others or toys. They will follow single directions like throw the ball or give me high five etc. They will begin to respond to simple questions for example Where is daddy?, Where are your shoes? Who is that? They may begin to point to objects in a book when you name them. For example if you say wow look at the baseball they may point to it. It is such an exciting time to see them begin to blossom and really show us that they are understanding what you are talking about. This is such a good time to teach them how to communicate and understand the world around them. Not only are they beginning to understand all of this, but then you get them speaking. To hear their first words start to become clear is just magical. As a speech pathologist, I am so incredibly fortunate to be able to hear this soooooo many times, not just with my own kiddo. Let me tell you, it is incredibly beautiful to hear. To be able to praise them, giving them the reassurance that you understand them and are excited for them to be using their words. As I have said before, most little ones want to feel included and when they start to understand that they are using words and are understood by others, they light up.

What sounds to expect

Around this age you begin to hear a lot of words begin to be used, I am talking 50 plus words. These little ones are truly amazing and they surprise you at times with how many words they have. It is important to remember that at this point they will still understand more words than they say. In addition to having more words, they are clearing up some of their sounds.

The sounds that you will hear become more clear are:

• p sound

• b sound

• m sound

• h sound

• and w.

Books are our friend and your little one will start to name different pictures they may see and ask you questions like “What’s that?, Who is that?, Where is doggy?” It honestly might not sound like that, it may sound more like, “What dat? Who dat? Where doggy?” But getting to hear those little strings of words is magical. The should be starting to put together 2-3 words together…like more milk, no ball, mommy book, etc. More more and more words will start to emerge. They are like tiny computers that continue to receive updates by the minute.

How to keep your baby updated

In my head I imagine a picture of a baby with a little update bar on their head that is continuously updating. So in order to foster and develop a child’s understanding and speaking communication there are several things that you can do. One of the awesome things is, is that you do not need many “tools”.

To begin expanding your little ones communication skills:

1. Talk to them as you are doing things. You can say what you see, what you smell, what you hear, why you are doing something. You can explain to them how something might feel and describe textures, let them get in on the fun also. It is important to get all of their senses involved.

2. Use correct grammar. When you are describing something, we have to remember they will imitate what you say and how you say it. As you are speaking to them, and you do want them to imitate it, you can shorten the phrase that way they are more likely to be able to repeat it. An example is, “I see a cow! Cow says moooooo. That’s a big cow!”

3. Keep on reading! Just as stated in the last blog and video it is so important to read to your little one everyday, show them pictures, point at them describe what you see. If they give you one word add another one to it. An example is your little one points to the cow and says moo, you say “That’s Right!!!! A cow!!! The cow says mooo!” Well I don’t have books….time to get creative…use the sounds around you. “I hear the clock, it says tick tick tick. I see a dog it is panting it sounds like h h h h h. I hear a car it went rrrrr-rrrrr-rrrrrr or beeeeeeep beeeeep.” Ask your little one where the sound is coming from, “Where is the clock?” Have them point at it. “The phone is ringing it sounded like riiiiinnnnnngggg riiiiinnnnggggg, where is the phone?!”

Once again modeling good grammar and use whatever language you are most comfortable with. If you are comfortable and confident your child will be also. It is never too early to use more than one language either. Remember that all children develop at their own rate. They truly are like a garden, some sprout early some take a while but they all get growing… in the right environment.

I once again am very grateful to you if you made it to the end of this. I realize that there are tons of resources and I am excited that you are using mine. I stand with you in fostering your child’s understanding and language development. Thanks for reading!

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About Eclipsed Views

ECLIPSED VIEWS - PODCAST

Welcome to Eclipsed Views. Where we take difficult topics and try to identify what’s blocking your view. Try to unlearn and rewash and possibly rewire our brains since we don’t seem to be having much luck changing other people’s views.

This is for self-help through kaizen, a Japanese concept of continuous improvement through small increments.

We hear topics in politics,

social media, academia,

friends and family,

you wonder about yours and their mentality.

Our thoughts and actions aren’t in conjuction

And realize there may be an obstruction

The sky appears a different shade of blue

when we realize we may be in the shadow of an eclipsed view

— Eclipsed Views

What should baby really be able to say bay age 1? Speech Milestones Year 1 (0-12 months)

Recently I have been hearing the question “Where is my kid supposed to be?” How do I know if they need speech? Many times we depend on watching others and how their children are developing and begin to compare our parenting skills. You hear or say, Wow that kid talks a lot!!!!! My kid is so nice and quiet!!! My second child doesn’t say as much as my first kid used to at this age. I’m not worried about it my husband said that he didn’t speak until he was 8, so he isn’t worried about our kid. I have heard several of these….multiple times. Although the comparison of your child to others around you or to your previous children can be a good jumping off point, it is important to ask your pediatrician or get information from a trained person like a speech language pathologist as to where your little one should be in their development. It is so so so important to remember that everyone develops at different times. However, the information provided is an average. We have a video of typical development for Hearing, Understanding and Speech from 0-1 year of age. And here’s a chart from ASHA.

As a speech pathologist we are to utilize our resources to their full potential and share the knowledge so that others may be educated and use resources to assist their children in appropriate language development. Even if your child is not “behind” where they are supposed to be it is not a bad idea to provide an hefty amount of communication with them. The best way to do this with little ones is by playing. Yes!!! What?!?! Play?! Yes that is it! I have spoken to several individuals that say, “No way that by me playing with my kid will make them speak.” Well…..not for all diagnoses, but in general, yes this is going to help communication. Regardless of what language it is provided in. PLAY WITH YOUR KIDS! YES ON THE FLOOR!!! Animal sounds?! YES! Vroom vroom, Beep beep?! YES all of those. We learn by imitation and modeling. Our brain is happy when we feel like we are apart of something. Little ones crave the attention and truly feel connected when they are a part of a play situation. Just a reminder this is not for all kids but for a lot. In the near future I will make another video on how to play/model with your little ones and how to read books with them.

Unfortunately, There is no magic pill. I’ve been noticing so many of my patients families expect their child to magically speak and understand what is going on in the world around them with out providing any kind of modeling or education. Sometimes with the best of their intentions it is just not common knowledge. We have to work at communication and understanding sometimes.

Hearing and Understanding

The first step to communication and your little one is knowing if they can hear you or not. Either way there is help for you. If you have any question about your little one’s hearing your pediatrician can test them. Things to look out for is their response to loud sounds or abrupt sounds. Do they turn and look at where the sound is coming from? Do they jump if startled by a loud sound etc.? Once you have established this then you can look out for their understanding of what is going on around them. Do they look when you point? Do they attend to your changes of pitch (happy sounding, upset, directions)?

Communication

What can I do to help my child…To help your little one there are several different things you can do.

1. Get reading, read to your little one everyday, even if it is just for 5 minuets. Even if an individual does not know how to read, use the pictures, talk about what you see, where objects are, what they are, what their function is, what color they are etc.

2. Explain what is happening around you.Tell them what you are doing and how it is being done. For example as I type this out on my laptop my little one just asked me to do something, I told him, do you see my fingers moving? He said yes. I proceeded to say all of these little black squares are letters, I am using my fingers to push on them to make words. So this is what I am talking about, explaining to your little ones what you are doing. Even though it feels like such common sense…I am typing is an answer we would give to someone that text or called you or yelled at you from a different room. However our little ones don’t know what that is until it is shown to them or explained to them.

3. Play with them, model sounds that they can imitate, like beep beep, moo, oink, woof woof, aaaaawwooooooo, as ridiculous as it may feel these common sounds help to acknowledge sounds we may hear around us and put actions to the sound or a face to the sound, like oh that small pink round thing doesn’t say moo it says oink. It’s all about making several different connections in the brain and we are in charge of giving them multiple opportunities to facilitate and use language.

4. Imitation of games and songs, singing to your little one helps make several different brain connections, playing peek a boo or clapping your hands, helping them clap theirs, counting their toes or fingers etc. Saying bye bye and Hello to different people or objects like Hi Grandpa, bye bye Grandpa, Hi toys, Bye toys etc.

5. Talk to them using whichever language you are comfortable with, our little ones are sponges, any language is fine. The more comfortable you are, the more comfortable they will be. Remember they will imitate what they hear, from the intonation to the actual words you use.

I want to talk to you about the use of technology in communicating with children, an observation I have made is that children have a lot of tech use now. Be it a phone, a tablet, a computer, the TV etc. Ok so it can be helpful right? I have to cook dinner and my 3 year old is pulling on my leg, or whatever situation you find yourself in. Here is the thing, tech is not always bad. It’s not always good either. So…if you are going to use it be active and proactive with it, talk to them about what is happening, ask them what they see etc. To be completely honest, it is really truly not a good idea to have your baby using the phone. For age one and younger I do not recommend giving them this kind of technology use at this point in their life. Mostly because the understanding is not there yet. It is just not at that level of development. Songs that come from youtube etc are good but only if they are being backed up by a caregiver. Like sining a long with them doing hand movements or body movements, clapping, letting your little one look at your mouth and how it is moving along with the words of the song, etc. Engage your little one by making eye contact, tapping their legs, hands in rhythm, etc. There are several ways to utilize this to your benefit, but by having it as a babysitter for a prolonged period of time can put a strain on some individuals language development. There are many benefits to using technology, it opens so many doors, it is just important to be a leader and not let your child get lost in the screen. I will make another video of this also on how to effectively utilize technology for learning and language.

Do they need speech? This is a HUGE question right?! If you suspect that your little one is falling behind or doesn’t communicate as they should be, it is never a problem to get an evaluation. Simply speak to your pediatrician and talk to them about what you have seen or are hearing/ or not hearing from your little on. After you get a referral a speech pathologist will be able to speak to you and evaluate your little one, sometimes your little one doesn’t actually need skilled services and they just need a little redirection or help from you to get them going.

Speaking as a speech pathologist, and I think I can speak for all speech pathologists in stating…: We are here for you, we want to support you and your family, we are willing to give so much of ourselves to help you all in your communication. We are with you in this journey! We are here to lead you and stand by you in your/our communication journey. We are apart of the support team that is needed to foster the growth of communication. We are here! Waiting to help. Every journey is different and we are here for all of them. Let’s get talking!

I am more than aware that there are 1,000 different websites that you could be reading or listening to. Thank you for choosing Speech Corner

https://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/01/

El Paso Comic Con 2022. Pros and Cons and how we can continue to have other great events!

Experience El Paso Comic Con 2022

It has been a while since we attended El Paso Comic Con. Maybe since 2016. We figured it was about to time we check it out again. It was no disappointment.

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Summary

• Comic Conventions are for all things geeky and nerdy and fun.

• Great guests, including William Shatner.

• Extremely talented local & regional artists.

• Non-regional artist companies.

• El Paso’s communication struggles.

• Artists contact info

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What is a comic convention?

If you don’t know what a comic convention is… it is pretty much a convention for a bunch of geeky and nerdy fun things. It’s not just about comic books and super heroes. It can range from pretty much anything that gets a really hyped up fanbase. Movies such as Jurassic Park, Ghostbusters, Disney (including Marvel and Star Wars), and TV shows such as anime, The Office, Breaking Bad, etc. Across all genres. If there was a show that has very recognizable characters that may inspire you to dress up, you may find it at a comic con.

Pros: Great guests and local/regional artists.

Fun stuff of this magnitude is hard to come by for El Paso. They had great guests. William Shatner (Star Trek) and Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad & The Mandalorian) to name a few. Of course to meet them comes at additional costs. I imagine putting an event like this is hard work.

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More event photos...

But what was a pleasant surprise was the talent of local artists. I’m not surprised at the talent, but it was cool to see them all in one place back-to-back from one booth to the next. The art is not just pretty pictures. They are very skilled drawings and paintings, but they have a lot of meaning.

Chuco Chamuco

One in particular that stands out is Chuco Chamuco. He can take a lot of familiar characters and places and turn them into representations of many things to tell a new, yet familiar story.

Bloonmac

Bloonmac is another one that does something similar, taking popular characters and placing them with local landmarks. They also have some original characters, and also offer social painting classes. Check out their contact info for more information.

Louie Diaz - Black Blood Artistry

One of our other favorites is Louie Diaz, Black Blood Artistry. He is an incredibly talented artist that specializes in photo-realism. It is unreal how real it looks… if that makes any sense. He can be frequently found at Kaleidoscope Art Market. Louie was also one of our featured Versal Artists. You can check it out here.

There were also some very talented semi-local/regional artists, from Austin and New Mexico, and even California. We heard a lot of compliments on the turn out, and the people from El Paso which is always good to hear.

There were also some non-local, artist companies. Much better resources, set-up, and mass production. It is good to have a diverse selection, but it does tend to take away a little bit from the “El Paso” Comic Con. I have mixed feelings about this. There was some really great stuff there too, but I dislike that it can take away from the local artists. Most artists, especially getting into it as a business, understand what they’re getting themselves into. Competition and resources, etc. I assume the sign-up is open to everybody and it is the local artists job to sign-up and sell along with the other art companies. In the end, we definitely had a stronger connection to the local artists because they are catering to us. they know what we like and how to put their artistic touch to still make it theirs. (I have attached contact info to most of the artists we encountered below)

Cons: El Paso’s communication struggles…

Like we have mentioned, this was a really fun event and I recommend going to it if you have the faintest interest. However, our city struggles with communication. From freeway lanes being closed and not being notified until it is too late. Finding out an event sounds fun to attend, then finding out it already happened. O dimply displaying signs to get a simple message across.

• Allowances into the venue - I have a DSLR camera, aka a “fancy” camera with removable lens. It was not allowed into the venue, but the last time we came it was not an issue. Allowing the camera in or not is not the issue. Policies change, I understand that. But there were no signs.

• Meet & greet section - We were vlogging the event. (Video link above). I understand if we are not allowed to film in a certain area, but we were confronted by security to delete a video I caught of Giancarlo Esposito. I am not upset about this. I understand if it is a stipulation the guest had or the event…BUT this is the first I hear about it. It was little surprising to be approached somewhat aggressively about filming. Luckily, the security guard was understanding. I explained that I did not know, I had not seen any signs or warnings. We complied and got rid of it. No harm no foul. On another occasion, a similar thing happened to somebody else. A different security guard was loudly informing that there is no video allowed in this section. The person, to us appeared to be complying, but the security guard continued to reiterate that the was no video in this section. To me… this is what can escalate situations. It feels like when your mom would nag at you about something you are already doing. “Ok mom ig et it!” 😜. So I think a simple sign could solve some problems I understand also here in El Paso we also have another tendency to think, “That sign doesn’t apply to me.” 😑. But I think a sign could do more good than harm.

• Getting the word out - We bumped into an old colleague at the event, and said he had just found out it was going to be that weekend. Luckily we knew from a little longer ago that the event was occurring. But it happens countless times, that I see something about an event, and it either already happened, or it is happening as I’m discovering it. I honestly don’t know where the communication breakdown happens, but it happens quite frequently in our city. Our people sometimes complain that there isn’t anything to do. I disagree. I just think that nobody knows what is happening. They don’t know there options. Maybe using a common hashtag. Especially for local events. #supportelpaso #supportelpasobusinesses #elpasoevents or create a new one that we ALL use. Consensus.

The pros clearly outweigh the cons. But the cons still need to be addressed because it is a common issue at other El Paso events. We would like for El Paso to continue having great events like this with as few hiccups as possible, so here are a few things that can help:

Signs

• Directing to parking for the event

• Parking signs for cash/card/which floors or areas of parking facility.

• Allowances into the venue

• Areas of the event guests can access

Promotion & Marketing & Timing

• 2 weeks to a month and more frequently as it nears.

• More exposure in more places as it nears.

• Social media networking and getting different bubbles to post your stuff. Your bubble already knows. Find a way to break into other bubbles.

We are working on putting together a calendar where these events can be placed for everyone to see with easy access and visibility. They can be sent in to us to be put on the calendar. Our calendar is not ready, but if the event is far enough in advance, you can send it to us and hopefully by that time, our calendar will be live. We look forward to having great events and #supportelpaso 😉

Artist contact info

• Chuco Chamuco - https://chucochamuco.com/home.html

• Desert Jewelry Expressions - https://deniserrt.etsy.com

• J. Carrillo - https://www.jcarillostudios.com

• Bloonmac - https://www.instagram.com/bloonmac/

• Cut Out For Me - https://www.instagram.com/cutoutforme/

• Diosa Vida - https://www.instagram.com/diosa.vida111/

• Gallery Panda - www.gallerypanda.com

• Voodoodz - https://www.instagram.com/voodoodz/

• Sam de la Rosa - https://www.instagram.com/p/BzjewtiBc84/

• Louie Diaz/Black Blood Artistry - https://www.instagram.com/black.blood.artistry/

• BetaJayRilla - https://www.instagram.com/jessiegandarilla/

• Jessica Horne - https://www.instagram.com/the.jessicahorne/

• Steve Garcia - https://www.instagram.com/stevegarciaonline/

• Paper Murder - https://www.instagram.com/papermurder.art/

• Gabriela Rivera/Gabatron3000 - https://www.gabatron3000.com

• Kody Koala - https://kodykoala.com

• Imperial Border Squad - https://www.instagram.com/imperialbordersquad/

• TeeTurtle - www.teeturtle.com

• Blackened Art - https://www.etsy.com/shop/BlackenedArtDesign

• Ralphinox - https://www.instagram.com/ralphinox/

• Alex Grey Illustrations - https://bluehippopress.com/?v=e748b7c8fd06

• Kim Trails Designs - https://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/kim_trails?sub_action=designs

• Sam Sawyer - https://linktr.ee/Samsamsawyer
  

Gluten-us v. Gluten them

Recently I have noticed a huge divide in individuals who only want gluten free foods and some who think they are absolutely gross and refuse to even taste them, and some who swear by them.

One of my aunts has a terrible gluten allergy. This allergy is called Celiac Disease. This can be rather serious for some people. I felt bad for her during the holidays everyone is always snacking on cakes, cookies, pies and other glutenous treats. One year I decided to make a gluten free pumpkin pie. Not that pumpkin pies have a ton of gluten but it is nearly impossible to find someone who makes and sells gluten free pies during the holidays and when you do they are outrageously priced. So…what does one do? Make it yourself. I was already making other pies for our family gathering so what was one more. Well…..they are a tiny bit more labor intensive and a bit more expensive but well worth it.

Once the pie was made it looked and smelled even more delicious than the regular pies. It had a pecan crust and pumpkin pie filling. Mmmm So we arrived, pies in hand, and to my surprise some people were like “Eeewwww gluten free that must taste so gross!” This is when I began to see the divide of gluten-us vs. gluten-them. Some people unfortunately don’t have the choice and have got to eat gluten free. Others who do have the choice can be interesting. There are several benefits to eating gluten free and you do not feel the loss of gluten. However it is so difficult to find affordable desserts that are made. Now it is so much more simple to make these desserts. They now sell mixes for cookies, brownies and cake. (Versal Arts sells mixes also 😉) But back in the day that was some kind of joke.

Gluten-free

Chocolate Turtle Cake

The pie had been a success, then came a birthday party. I called a local bakery to order a cake, thinking this will save me some time and I’m sure it’ll be beautiful. So I call and ask for a gluten-free cake, they laughed. I then proceeded to ask “How much would a 6 in cake be?” ….silence then….”$60” Huh?!?! I was flabbergasted, I get that the ingredients are more expensive but that amount for a 6 inch cake seemed ridiculous. After a little bit of self talk I hyped myself up to making it on my own. I decided to make a chocolate turtle cake. Turtle being like those chocolate candies that have pecans, caramel and chocolate. Humm how do you make this cake in 2 hours. Ha I had to cheat and use actual caramels and melt them down, there was no way I was going to be able to make it and have it to the birthday party on time. Anyway two delicious layers of gluten free chocolate cake made with coconut flour, with a creamy center of warm caramel and toasted pecans, holding the two together covered in more caramel, pecans and a homemade chocolate ganache. My stab at a glutenous gluten free cake was complete. The best thing about it was that nobody knew that it was gluten free. The crumb looked normal and tasted just like a chocolate cake with a hint of coconut flavor.

So after having some successful gluten-free desserts, we had already started doing the farmers markets… we occasionally have gluten free items available such as gluten free cookies, our pumpkin butter, mini pies, whole pies, energy bites, brownies in a jar etc. We had to offer samples and have it presented at the market. The reactions were surprising. Some people flocked to the gluten-free foods and others were beyond opposed. Some reactions were quite comical as soon as a sample was offered they would scrunch their face and say something like, “Oh no why would anyone want to eat something like that.” They would taste it anyway and end up loving it. We would occasionally have to explain why we make some of these items. Then they would feel bad and were sorry they were rude and some just didn’t care and would walk away or say, “Humm that doesn’t taste like cardboard, I like it.” I was thinking, “Dang where have they tried such horrible foods?!” We were on a mission to provide delicious gluten-free foods.

Gluten free foods were just the tip of the iceberg, there are so many other kinds of foods and special products that are needed by people like, sugar-free desserts, keto friendly, & gluten-free. Let us know when you need an order of anything. Versal is here to serve you.

For El Pasoans, we do offer that same Gluten-free Turtle Cake. Place an order and try it out for yourself!

Something you don’t see on the menu? Ask us and see what we can do.

Ask us a question

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Is photo printing dead?

Do you still print photos? Seems like such an outdated practice. But some of us that grew up with it still do it. Are younger generations aware of this practice? Is the service just as accessible as before? Do you print at home? What about scheduled family portraits? Has the digital age killed photo printing?

I am considered a millennial. I am 33 years old, so I still remember printing photos. We would print photos because we couldn’t see the picture you just took. You had to wait until you printed it to see if it was a good photo. A standard roll of film had about 24 pictures. This amount made you more conscious about how you would choose to take a picture because your supply is limited. So you take your vacation or go the wedding and send your film to get developed and finally get to relive the memories. Then you see somebody closed their eyes in a picture, or somebody photo bombed, or the lighting was off. That was the age we lived in, so I am grateful that the technology has now allowed for us to better capture moments. We can review it instantly and hope we still have a chance to retake. So we take all these pictures and printing them is the only way to see them. But why do we print them now?

Since the photos we took were limited because of the film, we had to really plan out or think twice about the shot. Now a photo doesn't take much memory on a phone, so it is nearly unlimited. A phone? Another phrase you will hardly hear anymore, “I wish somebody had a camera!” Unless you’re actually looking for higher quality photos and control over the shot you want, most cameras on our phones are pretty good quality. This is now almost an integral part and deciding factor for some as to which phone you will purchase next. Since we can take so many photos, has the quality of the photo decreased. I don’t mean the dimensions and resolution, I mean the criteria for what constitutes picture worthy. Most of our phones could be filled with useless things, such as a pictures of text, screenshots, etc. These are things are obviously not taken for the same reasons as you would a photograph, with the intent of capturing a memory. But all those selfies you take, do you have the intent of printing? Why? Why not? Cameras on phones have been around long enough now that you probably have gone through several camera phones. Do you still have the pictures from your first phone? Digital or printed? If you don't, is it a real big loss or had you already forgotten? Had you given it any thought before now? This is what I mean by the quality of the photos we take. What percentage of those photos in your phone right now would you be unhappy about losing?

I still print photos, but not in the same way. I don't just get prints to keep in a box and show them to people like that. I mentioned accessibility earlier. It is probably a tiny bit harder to find places that print now. Walgreens is the first one that pops in my head. Before they used to be at Walmart, K-mart etc. Although the service might still be available online, is rare to see it in store.  also with printing, there have been technological advancements. Printers offer software online, where you can make your pictures more presentable. I still print, but now I print into books. After every vacation, and at the end of every year, I look over my pictures, edit them, and place them into a book. It is almost like a scrapbook, but a little more organized And professional looking in my opinion. So even though the services aren't as accessible as before, they definitely have more options. 

Along with those options are big prints, onto different materials, such as canvas, wood, and metal. And again, I like to print photos, but these are the options I like to take advantage of. Technological advancements have allowed for better product options from printing businesses, or simply printing at home. Printing at home is also a very convenient option. But what does it take for you to want to print a picture?

How many of you schedule family portraits? You go to a studio, dressed up and purchase prints for your home? How often? What kind of pictures are up on your wall? The photos of us that are on our wall are from our wedding. Now that we have ur first child, it may be time to update them.

So has the digital age killed photo printing? Maybe it has just evolved. We have more options, and better tools to help us keep track of our memories. And if you haven’t purchased a print in a while, I recommend you do so. Take advantage of the newer options. Find a photo from your last vacation, print it on canvas. Or from your last birthday, or group photo with friends, and print it on wood. I guarantee you will not regret it. Although I am also guilty of having junk images on my phone, whenever I look over the photo books of our vacations or the previous years, it is a very different experience than just looking at it on your phone or computer. Holding and seeing a large photo print right in front of you, makes you relive the memory in a very different way. But my favorite thing about this whole process, is it makes you evaluate the way you take photos. Out of all the photos you’ve taken, you either already have that one in mind out of a hundred that you would like to print, or you don’t have any in mind out of the hundreds of pictures you’ve taken. Either way, what does that say about the way you are taking photos?

Versal and the creation

So from our previous blog titled “Do you feel creative?” you learned a little bit about Sal and well…creativity. I would love to think that I am a creative person as well however, I don’t always make time to express my creativity. BUUUUTTT…I love to EAT! And feed people. So because of this, while Sal was doing a painting or editing photos, guess where I was? In the kitchen? Nope, more like on the couch. Binge watching…Netflix. Oh yes and it was so great, except I swear the couch was getting a dent in it. Anyway I started watching The Great British Baking Show and fell in love instantly. I loved seeing these typical people make amazing desserts and pastries. I started to think to myself humm…..I can do that! Did I do anything? Nope. HA! I did continue watching it though until one day there was this beautiful pastry called Kouign Amman (Queen ah-mon). It is a layered pastry that was apparently super hard and time consuming to make. It’s name comes from the Breton language, the words mean butter cake. I was instantly transported to San Francisco.

San Francisco, if you don’t know, has amazing bakeries and patisseries. While on vacation my amazing cousin was showing us around town. Well ya know what you do on vacation? Thats right, A LOT of eating! Plus we are so good at it, especially the sweets. Anyway we stopped at this bakery that is very well known: b patisserie . Needless to say, my mouth had fallen in love and never wanted to leave SF.

So we stocked up on this delicious treat, but by the end of our vacation, the snacks we had purchased to bring back home were all gone. Somebody had eaten them all. I guess we couldn’t help it. There is a lot of walking to do in SF and there are a lot of trails for hiking. So you know we had to replenish our famished bodies with our delicious treats. Never the less they were all gone, we would need to wait to return to SF for delicious treats years later. I digress, going back to the baking show! As I sat watching these people make Kouign Amman the beloved pastry that we had eaten for days in SF. There was no question in my mind that I had to get my butt off the couch and into the kitchen. It was on! I had to replicate these and eat them all! I made a batch and thought, “Humm not good enough.” Delicious yes, how can you go wrong with so much butter and sugar HA! But I had to try again. Each time that family or friends were going to come over, I hopped in the kitchen and began the 6 hour long process of making this delicious treat. These things were warm and crispy on the outside with tiny pockets of melted sugar and flaky buttery layers.

Kouign Amann

Butter cake

Our family and friends were very happy being taste testers for these. But, as time went on, they started to say, “ You should start selling these.” Maybe those calories began to attack the clothes in their closet. Our journey to sales had begun. A local coffee shop with a super sweet owner asked if she could buy and sell them. This only worked for a few weeks and then poof, that magic slipped through our fingers. We were on a mission to find out how we could sell Sals’ photography and my baking. Long story short we began doing the El Paso Downtown Artist & Farmer’s Market.

We are now inspired to expand the little world of Versal Arts. We love doing the markets and being around the awesome people every weekend. However, with our new baby boy who is now the center of my universe, we are having to take a break from going to the markets. We are now taking orders and I am working on new and fun baking ideas to share with you all. If you have an idea or need something weird to be baked for you, we are here to explore and adventure the universe together. Thank you for visiting Versal Arts!!!

For those that would like to explore the universe with us, join our universe and sign-up for e-mail updates and newsletter. Those signed up are entered in a drawing every month to win an 8x10 print from our gallery. With that being said, we would like to congratulate Liana Diaz for being the February 2019 monthly-drawing winner. Congratulations! That could be your name next month!