Grand Parenting Part IV - Where have I been? #TakethatRettSyndrome #Rettsyndrome

Being a grandparent is one of the most important tasks in life.  Is it a job? Maybe. A task? Maybe - maybe not.  Is it a way of life?  Definitely!  Whether you are destined to have one, two, three grandchildren or more each one is special and unique and has one thing in common.  They are all part of you.  If you are involved in your grandchild's life you will be admired, looked up to, and expected to be a superhero 24/7.  Expect the unexpected, the midnight wake up calls, the good, the bad, and certainly some ugly.  Of all the experiences you will encounter as a grandparent nothing can prepare you totally for every issue, scenario, or problem.  Love and consistency will get you through it all.  You may not be the richest, the most generous monetarily, but with love, guidance, and trepidation you can be that superhero.

Where have I been?  Really, I have posted nothing to this blog for some time but I cannot be concerned about it [lack of new content].  Priorities, responsibilities, being a superhero takes up your resources and drains your energy.  This is my story of my only granddaughter who was born September 5th, 2014.  Since then my wife, daughter, and son-in-law have embarked on a journey.

An odyssey  began before it was known, an emergency happened before we saw it, a child was born into so much love that within a constant battle of life and despair a young child flourishes against horrific odds.  What the heck am I talking about you may ask?  I am talking about a child born with Rett Syndrome. A child I love and adore.  Not any more or any less than my other grandchildren.  But, meeting the demands of care necessary to raise a Rett Princess is daunting, exhausting, heart breaking, and wonderfully bittersweet.  Her name is Maddie Rae.  She is a Rett Princess!

Rett Syndrome is a neurological disease whose etiology is a duplication, deletion, or mutation of the MECP2 gene on the X Chromosome.  It is a terrible disorder and is described as a cruel and debilitating disease.  At birth, girls seem normal and progress normally for 1-2 years.  Then, something goes wrong. Growth and development start to regress. Milestones start  being missed. She loses whatever vocabulary she has developed.  Feeding herself finger food becomes an impossible task.  She becomes reclusive, despondent, aloof, and shy's away from groups and siblings.  What is happening?  Why is this happening?  Will this go away?

The journey has begun but you don't know it.  Does the word dumbfounded come to mind. There is a virtual map to follow but it looks like a spaghetti drawing.  You need answers.  You need someone to fix this now!  Your little one is 3 years old now, can't do things she did when she was 1 year old.  Speech is gone.  Blank stares, illness such as vomiting, fevers, seizures are a weekly obstacle robbing you of energy, time and happiness. Facial dystonia looks cute but why is she making those faces and weird gestures?  Welcome to our world.  A world turned upside down.  Hospital visits for any normal child might be 1-2 before they are 18 years old.  A Rett Princess spends 5 - 8 weeks per year in the hospital.

Little Maddie Rae has a horribly debilitating disease that robs her of a normal life, her speech, and normal body function. It's a struggle.  Maddie is our Rett Princess but she can be yours too.  She is the face of Rett Syndrome.   Adorable and effortlessly cute as described by a family doctor friend.  Maddie is one of  15,000 children born with Rett Syndrome.  A disease that will continue to debilitate her and affect her every bodily function with abnormal ramifications.

Here is a synopsis of what Maddie has gone through since birth.  As a baby of 6 months of age Maddie appeared "normal" and appeared to grow and mature normally. At 1 year of age she started to develop speech, was bright, responded appropriately socially, but had difficulty standing and would much rather crawl than try to stand on two feet.  At age 18 months, Maddie could stand in place, but walking was difficult for even a few steps.  Her vocabulary consisted of the words baby, help, dada, momma, "brudda", and Pizza! among 15 other words she used consistently.  At age 2 Maddie still had difficulty walking, was unsteady all the time and still would rather crawl.  Physical Therapy was started to help with this "delay" as her pediatrician called it.  Unaware of any of the signs that were so obvious her pediatrician was clueless.  Hence, Maddie went to a new pediatrician.  Maddie's condition worsened rapidly.  Words she spoke were now gone.  Her facial dystonia was prominent.  Her walking improved but she still could not get up without help.  She started to get ill suddenly.  Vomiting, fevers, shaking, and blackouts were all increasing with frequency and severity.  We all wanted answers and fast.  What was going on with our little angel.

After a few emergency clinic visits it was discovered her serum bicarbonate level was getting critically low.  Hospital visits were a necessity and frequent to get her CO2 back in normal range.  Still no answers though.  The local fire department was asking "Why are you calling us"?  Maddie had been inside an ambulance more times than we could count on one hand already.  Maddie was labeled as having Autism-Spectrum Disorder.  My wife and daughter were rapidly gaining knowledge and reading everything they could on the subject.  But my wife knew that was not the total picture. That was not everything?  My wife was correct.  Being a Pediatric-Neonatal Nurse she knew that was not the total complete picture.  Something was just not right.  We did not know it but Maddie was in full blown regression - losing every skill she developed before she was two years old.

Maddie at Scottish Rite Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta

Maddie was diagnosed on January 5, 2017.  She was hospitalized that week with critical blood carbon dioxide, vomiting, fever, and the unknown "something is wrong".  With observation, diagnostic neurological testing, and the brilliance of renowned  Neurologist Dr. Daniel Tarquinio, Maddie was diagnosed with Rett Syndrome. Something else to add to her already previous diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder.  Finally, someone figured it out.  But, how did this happen?  Where do we go from here. What is it?  Will she get better?  Chromosomal testing ensued which cost thousands of dollars only to reveal where on the X chromosome the defect occurred. Unfortunately, Maddie's defect usually renders 60% of girls with no ability to walk among other serious issues.

2017 seems like a blur for my wife, my daughter, son-in-law and me.  Multiple hospital visits with breaks in between at home.  We got to know every inch of Children's Healthcare Of Atlanta Scottish Rite Hospital, including the lobby gift shop, the cafeteria schedule, and developed favorite parking spaces. Having a pre-packed overnight bag saved time during the emergencies.  Multiple pharmaceuticals were prescribed, physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and various doctor visits filled up the weekly calendar.  With no end in sight we pressed on. My wife and daughter sought every piece of information on Rett Syndrome they could get their hands on.  By June 2017 Maddie appeared to be coming out of her "Regression".  She was interactive, wanting to be with other children and be the center of attention.  She was walking but still had difficulty getting up if she fell.  Maddie was losing weight though and was falling off the growth chart.  Surgery was performed to place a feeding tube on her stomach; what is called a "Mic-key Button". Being her second of three surgeries it still was nerve racking. Her first was to place tubes in her ears but that is common for many children.

With fabulous medical care, Maddie started to flourish. Every night Maddie was fed through her Mic-Key button a formula called Nourish by Functional Formularies Functionalformularies.  She gained ten pounds in weight and 5 inches in height by the beginning of 2018.  Maddie seemed to stabilize.  With the holidays behind us now a new problem developed but not related to Rett Syndrome.  Maddie's tonsils were huge and she was having problems swallowing food.  Back for surgery to have her tonsils removed during the spring of 2018.  It seemed like we were on auto-pilot not knowing where we were headed but we had to be ready for anything.

Now in Summer 2018 a new problem started. Maddie was having trouble controlling her blood glucose. Erratic was the word to describe her blood sugar.  Glucose up high, then crashing an hour later, seizures followed, vomiting, it was getting scary again.  After another hospital visit Maddie was diagnosed with Ketotic Hypoglycemia. Basically, she has very minimal glycogen liver storage so when her glucose goes low she has no storage to get glucose from like a normal person does. With no glycogen to pull from fat is broken down producing ketones and acidic blood. Things were spiraling out of control now.  A scary test was performed under supervision of several endocrinologists, pediatricians, and numerous nurses. Force her blood sugar to crash, take blood samples, administer glucagon, and monitor blood sugar for an hour.   The test was a success.  She crashed alright! Then she had seizures.  Glucose was given, then slowly some food, later some dinner, and discharged the next day.  For on-going maintenance Maddie must have water and carbohydrate every two hours either by mouth or via tube directly in to her stomach.

Maddie has a disease that has rendered her with inability to speak, limited use of her hands, dystonia, mid-line repetitive hand movements, dysautonomia, seizures, and digestive problems. Maddie is a special little girl.  Her daily struggles inspire all who meet and learn about her. She is an amazing little girl, babyish in some ways, cute, adorable, witty, funny, and smart.  She cannot verbalize but she does communicate. At age 4 she has developed an expert sense of body language and can read people and communicate in non-verbal capacities far beyond the expectations of a 4 year old.  Her Grandmother Leslie is her right hand man.  "Gramma" knows when Maddie is sad, hungry, thirsty, bored, in need of attention, needs medication, and knows when she is ill as well. Maddie's Grandmother and Mother are her life-line.  Leslie is a member of the RettSyndrome.org Family Advisory Panel.

Grandma Leslie and Maddie

Are things better now? Yes very much so. Maddie attends school daily and has a life of independence for herself.  She rides her bus early in the morning and again late in the afternoon.  She loves school, family, going to church, meeting new people, and accomplishing new activities.  She rides a horse for therapy (Hippotherapy) .  She does swim therapy.  Maddie even attends martial art classes with 2-3 blackbelts as instructors at Tonchu Martial Arts Dacula GA . She is a social ambassador and my hero. She is a Rett Princess whose reign will never end.  At only 4 she has impacted our lives greatly and enriched us with love, understanding, and a soft heart.  The pictures below show Maddie in her various activities as a Rett Princess.  I always tell people "No one wrangles the Princess".  "She is cute - but don't hold it against her".

Maddie Riding her Fav Jude

Maddie riding Joker at hippotherapy

Maddie with Master Miron at Karate - Tonchu

Maddie is a Princess.  She is a Rett Princess! She is poised, beautiful, smart, and effortlessly cute.  She can be your Princess too.  Follow Miss Maddie on facebook for inspirational stories and her cute antics posted everyday by her Mother Jessica. Maddie Rae of Sunshine
If you can donate to Rett Syndrome research to help fund a cure for this horrible disease please do so to any of the following links:
Rettsyndrome.org
Rett Sysndrome Research Trust
Maddies's neurologist said that 10 years ago he thought there would never be a cure for Rett Syndrome.  Now he thinks there will be a cure and hopes it will come soon to help Maddie before damage to her young body is irreversible.

Maddie is an amazing child.  Her struggles from hour to hour and her daily survival astonish me to no end.  She maintains a daily schedule that is tough by adult standards; school, therapies, after school therapy, doctor visits, meals, entertainment, and lots of love.  The day Maddie was born my heart was touched.  My first granddaughter.  Later my heart was broken.  I so wanted to build her a doll house for Christmas.  She can't play with it.  I wanted to bake cookies with her and have afternoon tea?  She cannot hold a cup or exert purposeful hand movements.  Maddie cannot say I love you with words but she does with her speech generating device and with her eyes.  She can put her arm on my shoulder when I hold her in my arms.  That is so comforting and loving.  She is bubbly and happy most of the time. She loves Godiva chocolate, cookies, and Omaha Steaks.  Fortunately, she loves her Grandparents, Mother, Father and big Brother.

Scott R. Mayorga A.A.S., BS MT(ASCP)H CLS

Grand Parenting - Grand Parent Boot Camp Part-III

So your little one wants a Skateboard which makes you want to take up that Xanax hobby you have been promising yourself!  What are you going to do now?  Here at Grand-Pa Boot Camp, I aim to fill in some blanks.  Here is your Skateboard 101, 102 and Advanced Placement for Skateboarding courses.

Skateboarding 101-

Skateboard or skateboarding was invented "according to Wikipedia" in 1944 by the Parents/Grandparents of French children who had skates attached to a wooden board.  More contemporary pieces of equipment were sold at a "1950's Surf Shop in LA, California" for "Sidewalk- Surfing" when the waves at the beach were too small to surf.  A skateboard in rudimentary form has several prefabricated components built together to accomplish the task at hand. A flat board mounted on 4 skate wheels, allowing such a rider to gracefully float or ride along stretches of concrete, sidewalk, or blacktop.  My first board was made of a child metal skates dismantled into two parts which were then nailed into a 2' chunk of 2x4.  Raw, noisy, bumpy, dangerous...just the way I like my entertainment.  Anyway, the Industry of skateboarding is a multi-billion dollar entity spanning the globe with 11+ million kids eager to dare and parents wary to spend hundreds of dollars for equipment.  The prime demographic of child avidly skateboarding is the 9 and under crowd.  After several years of boarding these young kids mature into the 10-14 demographic who are the ones wanting all the equipment, gear, and apparel.

Today's modern example of the Skateboard is a technical piece of equipment, precision tooled and constructed for maximum efficiency and safety.  Urethane wheels, sealed roller ball bearings, composite decks, trucks of various metals, and a gripping coated surface all come together to meet the specific functional needs of the rider and venue.  So what are these components that make a skateboard?

Deck = Flat plane of various materials 18" to up to 8 feet long.  Fiberglass, wood, plastic resin, composite mixtures, even metal can be used as a "board" or skateboard deck.  However, the deck should always have flexibility.  Stiff decks carry more vibration to the feet and are more difficult to control.  Some decks are flared up at one or both ends for a kick-tail.   Various shapes of the decks have been adapted over the years for specific riding style and function.  Long boards have always been for distance and speed.

Wheels = Polyurethane wheels of various colors for appearance, diameter and width for stability, and hardness for either smooth or course ride.  Wheels have ratings to pay attention to such as Durometer rating.

Trucks = Alloy metal structures that have spindles holding 2 wheels perfectly parallel mounted to underside of the deck.  Trucks have different height and width specifications depending on size of deck and wheels to be used with them.

Sealed Bearings = circular encased steel ball bearings resembling donuts that mount inside the collar of the urethane wheels, sliding onto the spindle of the trucks, held in place by locking nuts.  Bearings also have a scaled measurement to pay attention to known as ABEC rating.  ABEC is a measurement of ball bearing efficiency.  The numerical scale of 1 - 9 indicates machined tolerances and precision construction.   The larger the ABEC rating the smaller the tolerances and the greater the efficiency.

Grip = coating of composite material resembling sand glued to tape attached to top of desk to facilitate the grip of shoes/sneakers/feet on the deck surface.

There you go.  A modern skateboard in basic form.

1 deck
2 trucks
4 wheels
8 sealed bearings (2 per wheel or spindle)
Various hardware pieces to construct a skateboard

So how much is little Johnny's "Street-Rippa" going to cost you?  That depends on who is going to ride and what venue is going to be ridden.  A basic example for a new young rider can be gotten "up at the Walmart" for about $30.00.  A more customized piece of machinery will cost anywhere from $80 to several hundred dollars.  My Santa Cruz Tiger Shark complete board was purchased from a local skate shop at a cost of $125.00.
Congratulations you have graduated to Skateboarding102.

Skateboarding 102 -
a. Safety
OK so your getting your little one a board.  The kid is excited and you are terrified.  The last thing a Grandpa needs is an Emergency Room Trauma Visit  while on Grandpa's watch.  So, here is what you can do to mitigate risk, manage potential injury, and coach to success.  Where success = get on the board - ride the board - get off the board - no one gets hurt.

Safety Gear Checklist - These items can be had "up at the Walmart", sporting goods store, or Skateboard shop if you dare to go there.  Frankly, that is your best bet for all this equipment.  You can get dedicated safety equipment, sold by experienced sales staff, in a setting dedicated to skateboarding with an added benefit.  Parents of other children will be there buying such equipment and getting excited over it especially if you go there on a Saturday.  Call the local store near you and ask when is the busiest time.  Then go at that typical time and plan on spending a good long while in the store.  Let your little one browse, learn, and get influenced by some experienced peers willing to mentor your intrepid new rider.  Here is your checklist of what your daredevil needs...
Helmet
Knee pads
Elbow Pads
Gloves
Deck Shoes or sneakers
Visors, safety glasses, sunglasses
Large First aid kit
Ibuprofin, acetaminophen, first-aid spray
Did I mention gloves?

b.Coaching
Alrighty then.  How can you coach a child on how to ride a skateboard when you tried to ride one once and once was all it took to land you flat on your back in pain for weeks unable to sit without pain for months!  I will tell you.  Skateboarding is all about linear balance, weight distribution,center of balance, foot placement, friction, and velocity.  You can become an expert on everything except the velocity part and demonstrate it yourself.  Before allowing the little one to roll on concrete get onto these instructions.
Get your or his/her safety gear on.  
Gain balance on the deck by standing on the board while the board is stationary on grass outside or carpet inside the residence.
Practice walking on the board back and forth without turning around then progress to turning around on the board.  After several minutes of gained composure you can try dancing on the board.
Get wild! Jump up with both feet in air several inches above the deck and land firmly.  Crouch down and touch the floor below the deck and stand back up.  Use bent knees to balance, move arms in tai-chi fashion to move about the board like it was a 3'x5' platform.  Spin slowly on the deck surface.
Repeat above until you and/or child can firmly balance on the deck for several minutes without violent arm swaying or loss of balance
Finally, on a stationary board master the balancing act of one foot on the deck and one raised up above the deck and then off to the side of the deck.  This is the most unstable maneuver to perform but necessary to gain the velocity part of skateboarding nirvana.   When you or your little one have mastered these activities then and only then may you attempt a roll.  If at this point with a stationary board under you or your child, there is err lack of confidence or balance.  I can recommend another exercise. You will need some smooth carpet at least 6'x8' and some rope.  Place the carpet on a flat surface indoors or out and hang the rope from above. Support structure and rope must be able to support your weight or the child's weight.  Hold onto rope while stepping up onto the board.  Pull yourself up crunch style dangling feet above the deck and plant feet back down on the board.  Now hold the rope, stand on the board with knees in slightly bent stance, and force the wheels to roll over the carpet surface back and forth in linear motion.  This will accomplish several important things.  Control balance, gain confidence, strengthen leg muscles, and experience controlled linear movement on the rolling board.  Practice makes perfect.

So you are an expert or you have coached your little one to a point where it is time.  Time to roll.  You have two options here for a first roll.  You can either repeat the rope trick on flat concrete without the carpet or dance with your partner.  Either you will be danced by another individual who can support your weight or you will dance the child on the board.  Hold onto the rope - step onto the board with one then other foot.  With both feet on the board, knees slightly bent and springy, feet at least 12-16 inches apart slowly pull the rope to maneuver linear roll of the board.  Do Not Let go of the rope!  If the board rolls out form underneath your center of balance support your weight and pull up off the board and let it roll away.  Keep trying to master this technique.  Otherwise, have a partner dance with you.  Partner must wear shoes or sneakers.  Hold hands with partner keeping hands at shoulder height while facing each other with board between you and partners feet.  Partner should place his/her foot in front of rear truck of the board to act as a wheel chock.  Place one foot on deck. Place second foot on deck.  Stay in standing position on deck until balance and confidence is gained.  Then partner can move foot from chocking rear truck and pull you slowly and gently forward in a slow roll.  Stop rolling and have partner roll you backwards without changing position on the deck.
Do this exercise until balance, strength, and confidence are gained.  Now - by golly I think you are ready.  Ready for the next step.  Yes, you can stand on the board while holding and supporting your weight with a rope or partner and even roll a few feet.  Yes you or the little one are really dangerous now. But, there is still lack of velocity.  Back to the carpet before you break your neck.
 Place board at edge of carpet.
Place the foot of your strong leg at front of deck just over the center of the truck or slightly aft.
Push off with foot on carpet and stand knees bent on deck.  Roll until friction of the carpet stops you.
Remove foot of your weak leg, then your dominant foot.  There you go.  You rolled under your own power, several feet, and no one got hurt.  Master this and its go time.

All of the above will help you or your little daredevil to gain balance and strength on the board moving or not.  There is basic sturdiness that one must master while on the deck of a moving skateboard.  If you feel confident enough to go-go-go at this point then have at it.  Make sure you have others with you that can assist with your first aid or call 911 in the event of catastrophic failure and most certainly be with and around - near your little one the first time they solo roll.

Some things to keep in mind.  Friction is your friend and your worst enemy in the split second of time while rolling on a skateboard.  Too little friction creates a wildly smooth surface which makes it harder to control velocity and acceleration.  Ultra smooth surfaces like tennis courts/basketball courts, hard wood flooring, and school hallways are challenging.  Surfaces with random cracks, pebbles, and uneven planes are hazardous and can be deadly.  When a rolling skateboard wheel of about 2-3 inches in diameter meets a 0.5-1.0 cm pebble...wheel will stop abruptly and human will continue travel in centripetal velocity off the deck resulting in bodily injury and possibly death.
Wear all the safety gear
Pick a flat smooth wide open surface devoid of cars, animals, and other humans
Start with your dominant foot on the front of the deck aft of the front truck
Push with your minor leg and place minor foot on back of deck at least 12-116 inches aft of dominant foot
Keep knees bent and springy, arms raised and out perpendicular to motion of travel.
Roll until a stop or push off again with minor foot repeating over and over.

Now there is velocity.  Controlled movement.  Exhilaration, Excitement.  Whoo-hoo!  Keep going.  Practice, practice, practice.

c. Falling
What about the fall? What do I do if I start to fall.  Well hopefully, the fall will be forward and not a backward uncontrolled chaos.  If the board rolls out from underneath you and you lose balance and fall backwards - Well you are doomed.  Place your hands behind you and try to sit on your hands.  Avoid hitting the head.  Even with a helmet a severe blow to the head/helmet on hard surface can cause concussion, lacerations,  and trauma to upper vertebrae.  If the board stops and body continues with forward velocity, place hands in front of you to soften a crash to surface.  Take brunt of trauma to knee pads, gloved hands, and elbow pads if needed.  Crashing on a skateboard is an art form in itself.  I know from personal experience.  I have crashed hard enough and severe enough to cause enough gushing blood to paint a 3x5 Rembrandt recreation.  Now that movement is mastered you have graduated to Skateboarding Advanced Placement/Honors class.

 Skateboard Culture

Skateboarding is mainstream entertainment now.  It is everywhere.  Just driving the 8 miles to work back and forth 5 days a week I see at least one skateboarder riding somewhere.  After the "Hover-Board" craze burns out [pun intended], kids will be back to the old standby adrenaline rush tool - The Skateboard!  Why do kids love it so much?  How come adults can morph skateboarding into a sport, avid pass-time, ultimate adrenaline rush, money-making side job, or lucrative brick and mortar business.  Skate culture has been stigmatized over the years with iconic visions of young adult riders wearing baggy trousers, pony tails, un-kept dirty looking, needing a shower type of kids riding , performing tricks, and ruining local infrastructure such as curbs, railings, benches like such as...Skateboards can be terribly destructive.  Railings, walls, tennis courts, and bench seats can all be used to catapult some kind of trick on the board while suffering scrappage, paint removal, and worse.

Skateboarding is big business.  High tech equipment matched with apparel of the riders taste with a healthy mix of safety gear all make up the culture of the skateboarder of today.  Sure there are those "daredevils" out there - I mean really out there who attempt horrific stunts only to epically fail with road rash like bloody chop-meat skin, broken bones protruding from appendages, and spitting their teeth out like Chiclets. These are the counter-culture nuts that give boarding a bad image.  Sure, if you cruse 20 MPH down a hill and purposely crash into a tree you will probably will rack up some YouTube hits.  Not nearly enough to pay the the Emergency Room visit post ambulance ride.

In comes the age of the skate park.  Studies have shown that when municipalities build skateboard parks the resident kids commit less crime, and ultimately get into less trouble with the law.  Kids can spend all day at the skate park riding down walls of bowls, traversing galleys, and performing spectacular tricks defying gravity and logic.  Skateboarding takes great agility, balance, and strength to be able to ride day in day out day after day.  Riding flat surfaces is no picnic either.  It is hard work.  Riding up and down walls of concrete bowls is great fun, difficult to master, and strenuous.  Kids love skateboarding.  They can ride the board as transportation to the park, perform stunts all day long, and ride back home.  As a kid I rode my board all over town.  I had an Airedale Terrier dog who was greased lightning fast and had so much energy he would run run run.  I attached a harness to him and let him pull me while riding the board across town.  I did not need nor want a motorized board - I had Canine power.  I was a kid lucky enough to have an uncle who worked for Grumman Corporation - The people who made the Lunar Module for the NASA Apollo Space Program.  Uncle made me two skateboard decks out of diamond plate steel.  These two skateboards were perfect for destroying bicycle spokes.  I had jousting events with local bike riders and I never got hurt but the bikes all had to be carried home.

Skateboarding is/can be a big business but has to be the right venue to make money.  There are estimated to be 25+million skateboarders in USA alone. Brick and mortar stores nearby the local skate park in town can do well.  The big warehouse type facilities with massive square footage require pricing to be so high because of liability issues that kids and parents just can't afford to make it  an avid past-time for the kids.  Many cities and towns are constructing quality skate parks and the kids are having a real great time.  There are estimated to be about 500 skateboard parks across the country.  Mostly is the western states.  I myself have visited a couple by my home and I was impressed at the construction and execution of the parks.  The best part is the $200,000-400,000 construction cost is picked up by local tax collection to construct the park then the kids ride for free.  It is a win-win.  The kids stay out of trouble, get exercise, and build muscle, stamina, agility, and confidence.

Skate culture clothing, apparel, and gear  are a big money maker.  Brands such as Nike, Vans, and Nixon have become iconic in the culture.  Skateboard design and construction has undergone transformation over the years where now incredible technology is constructed into the boards and cost of the technology is affordable.  A $20-30 board acquired at Walmart is significantly better and safer than anything that could be had in 1960.   A complete board like pictured above  is incredibly agile, stable, and fun to ride.  I still have a board that I acquired when I was a young teen.  I purchased the components to make the complete board.  The APEX mag wheels [see below]cost me $15.00 each back in late 1970"s.  I still ride them today.  I found recently a set of 4 sold for $189.00 at auction.  Hey I invested well when I was 16.

Scott R. Mayorga  A.A.S., BS MT (ASCP)H CLS
hematech@yahoo.com
labhematech@gmail.com
@hematech - See more at: http://hematechstraighttalk.blogspot.com/#sthash.rHOIj46b.dpuf

So my intrepid street surfers do not be afraid.  You have the knowledge.  You have the technology.  Now go out there and scrape your guts together to gather up some glory.  Keep rolling and stay balanced.

Scott R. Mayorga  A.A.S., BS MT (ASCP)H CLS
hematech@yahoo.com
labhematech@gmail.com
@hematech

Grand Parenting - The Grandparent Boot-Camp part-II

Here comes Santa (err Grandpa)...
   As the holidays are upon us this can be a most difficult time for Grandparents.  Living on fixed income, budgetary constraints, rising expenses, and expectation that the Christmas or Holiday gift giving is going to be immense can really stress this Grandpa out!  End of year taxes (Thanks Obama), Obamacare Skyrocketing costs, property taxes, and income taxes can really pack a one-two punch in your gut.  So what to do?  You have Grand Children you want to spoil.  The children make Holidays a magical time of year.  Their glowing faces, sparkle in their eyes, excitement building...then the gift giving culminates in a fury of shredded wrapping paper and happy faces.  This is not all what Christmas is about though. Love for fellow man and woman, neighbors, your peeps, good health and good cheer.  Peace on Earth.  All this is such an abstract concept with all the trouble going on in the world.  As a Grandparent it is my job to bring sparkle to the holiday season, stitch love together like a patch-work quilt, and make the Grand Kids feel warm and loved.  A tall order for the untrained Grandpa or "Crampa" as my 6 year old grandson calls me. What's a Santa wanna-be to do?  Here are some ideas that you can use to bring that sparkle into the Holiday season and not empty your wallet.

Be creative - Be resourceful
When stuff breaks like old toys, old appliances, broken stuff in general take the stuff apart. Save the parts.  Get some small empty boxes and save the plastics, the metals, the flat pieces, the rubber pieces.  Save the screws, clips, metal rods, rollers, wires, bulbs, etc.  If it looks like it can be used again to create or repair save some of it.  I have several boxes of "Stuff".  I use this stuff to create toys for my Grand kids out of nothing.  I also use this stuff to fix toys that break in the normal action of wear and tear with my Grand kids.

Come up with ideas to capture imagination
Some of my best creations have come from recollection of toys I played with as a child.  Toys of today are marvels of artificial intelligence that interact with computer chipped sounds, flashing lights, and very little else.  Being bright and flashy they attract attention for a short time but then their appeal subsides and then become the next items to dissect for parts. What I have found is that my now 6 year old Grandson gets immense enjoyment from concepts I create that invoke his imagination, his motor skills, and challenge his senses.

The Airport Creation - "Glide Slope"

I created a concept he calls the "Airport".  I call it "Glide Slope".  It consists of 4 large pieces.  He plays with the air field part in the house on bad weather days.  I spent about $10.00 USD on it.  Hobby store black foam panel 3' x 4' makes the basis for the air-field.  I purchased a small set of  battery powered blue lights to line the airfield with taxi way lighting.  The second part is the 6 foot runway made of sheets of black dense card-board with strips of cloth holding at the seems.  This is where his airplanes land then taxi onto the airfield.  I painted runway lights with glow in the dark paint.  I created a decal for the runway personalized for him with his name.  Third are the planes.  Basic model planes are best especially the snap together kind.  Quick assembly is key.  The kid is going to crash them up anyway.  Finally, the action.  The magic.  Fishing line and fishing tackle pieces create the magic.  Along with the Cockpit, the fishing line allows the planes to fly through the air under his control and land on the runway.  The cockpit lights up, has a working electronic automobile compass, a game console joystick, and a spinning radar dish.  Aside from the auto-compass all parts were acquired from stuff.  Wires, motors, lights, a plastic clear dome, screws, clips, metal brackets, and paint.  My Grandson asks to play with this toy at least 3 times a month.  He loves it.

For my next concept - "Spin-Art"

I remember a toy I had as a kid called Spin-Art.  It spun paper while you poured paint on it creating artwork.  I am making spin-art as a family gift this holiday season.  It will bring us all together to play and create so even the little guy can play.  I did purchase some parts as clearance items together with the batteries cost me under $12.00 USD.

"Letters from Santa"
Last Holiday Season I sent my Grandson a letter from Santa.  I single page letter on nice paper with Santa' likeness on it.  Whimsical, a little sarcastic, a smidgen of risque innuendo to keep Mom interested while she orates to junior and presto - Instant magic for the holidays.  It was a big hit last year.  St. Nick will be sending out the 2nd edition soon.

"The Set-Train"

This one toy I had a great amount of enjoyment creating and still enjoy watching Grandson and now his little sister playing with it.  It is a train set made of wooden trains, wooden track, set up permanently on a solid wood platform.  Grandson loves it.  It is indestructible.  He can stand on it, walk across it, slam on it and it is still going strong.  I found a 4' x 5' wood platform at my job sort of like a pallet.  I placed the wood track on the platform rearranging until I could get the most elaborate track array on the 4x5 space.  I permanently mounted the track then custom painted the platform for play.  I mounted some fine wood trim around the edges, sanded down sharp corners, and attached plastic utility handles to make carrying the "Set-Train" easy.  All kinds of trains are sold for the wooden track sets including motorized and remote controlled units.

As you can see with a little imagination you can play Santa Clause, build in your own Santa's Workshop, and create magic for the little ones without breaking open the piggy bank for your last dime, eating hot-dogs until July to pay help pay off  holiday shopping charges.

Take care my friends - Merry Christmas - Happy Holidays - May you have a blessed, happy, and healthy new year.

Scott R. Mayorga  A.A.S., BS MT (ASCP)H CLS
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