In Case of An Emergency...

My mom taught my siblings and I certain “rules to live by” to ensure that we are always prepared for the “what ifs” in life.  And believe me when I say, not a single hypothetical situation has been ignored. In case you for some unknown reason don’t believe me after my previous post (carbon monoxide detector, anyone?), allow me to explain: 

One of my favorite books as a child wasn’t “The Cat in The Hat” or “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” like all of the other kids– it was “Child Lures: What Every Parent and Child Should Know About Preventing Sexual Abuse and Abduction”.  Seriously.  For a while, we read a new scenario every night.   My mom would always ask, “What would you say if someone asked you that?” and I got to yell “No!” at the top of my lungs.  It was exciting stuff. 

On road trips, my mom wouldn’t let us wear sandals in case we were in an accident and had to walk across broken glass to escape the burning vehicle.  I currently have a “Life Hammer” - a tool designed to break car windows and cut through jammed seatbelts - in my glove compartment.

If there might be a tornado, we get out the best weather radio on the market, a crank-powered flashlight so we never run out of power and bike helmets to protect ourselves.  I texted my mom when I went to the basement during a tornado warning at college this year - she told me to find a bowl to put on my head (...and she was serious). 

I still can’t leave my parent’s house without my driver’s license and health insurance card, just in case I have to go to the hospital.  Even if I am just going for a run and will be back in fifteen minutes (I always think I will be able to run somewhere but usually end up bailing), they’re with me. 

For her birthday this year, my mom wanted something that would “make any water source clean and drinkable”.  So my dad bought her a portable water purification system from a camping store.  Does my mom camp?  No.  Do we have a water problem?  No.  Will it ever be used?  Probably not - the only time I think it could be useful is during a zombie apocalypse, and that’s not even a real thing.  But it fixes yet another “what if” scenario, so she loves it. 

Clearly, my mom has always made sure that our family is well-prepared for anything that could possibly cause us harm, real and imagined scenarios included.  A great resource to make sure your family is prepared for emergencies is 72hours.org - a website put together by the City of San Francisco.  From pets to senior citizens, they've got you covered.    

What does your family do to prepare for emergencies?  Or is my family the only one that can avoid scary strangers, escape from a car, survive a tornado, and clean dirty water?  Comment below or reply to us on Twitter (@TrellieConnect) or Facebook (TrellieInc).

--- Katie  

Mother + Daughter Relationships

Someone important once said, “The mother-daughter relationship is the most complex...” 

“Complex” is a pretty accurate description. 

Here are some “complex” times my mother and I have experienced:

• When I was sent to my room for nine hours in kindergarten, because I said "no" to going to school nine times.  I went to school the next day.
• When I packed a bag to run away in grade school and my mom handed me a map.  My plans to hitchhike across states to live with my older sister ended at the end of the block.  
• When I had basically the worst ingrown toenail of all time in middle school and even though I begged and pleaded with her to stop, my mom tried to fix it multiple times with some very sharp scissors.  I eventually had to go to a foot doctor to have minor surgery.
• When I asked to go to a sleepover at my friend's house in high school and since we were planning to sleep in the basement, my mom said I could only go if I brought a carbon monoxide detector.    I ended up bringing the carbon monoxide detector (and laughing about it for hours with my friends).  
• When I was away at college and received this text (T-9 keyboard spelling mistakes included):  "oh yeah, i also forgot to warn you against the latest craze in drinking.  that would be liquid nitrogen drinks, there s a story on the int-ernet of a twenty year old girl who froze her stomach with a liquid nitrogen drink and she had to have it removed, cause it was dead.  its my job!  Sorry, Mom".  

So yeah, I’d say from experience that “complex” is an accurate description of mother-daughter relationships.  Other good words would be “dysfunctional” and “loud”.    

Until recently, my mom and I haven’t really gotten along.  In true teenage fashion, I mistook my mom’s ways of showing that she cared about me (aka: the carbon monoxide detector) as her trying to intentionally ruin my life.  In retrospect, I realize my mistake and admit that I didn’t make it easy.   But the good news is, now that I am older and away at college, we get along a TON better.  (There’s hope out there, fighting moms and daughters!) 

However, there is one thing in our relationship that has always remained the same:  There are some situations in life when the only person who can make me feel better is my mom.  For example:

• When I was sick and my mom would pick me up from school and take care of me until I was better.  
• When someone called me a name for the first time at school. 
• When my dog died.
• When I thought a scary man was following me around a store while my mom was in the bathroom and I ran to find her.  
• When someone rear-ended my car.
• When I went for a run at night last year, ran into a clear wire fence and fell on my face in front of a ton of people.  Not only did I have a nasty black eye, a torn eyelid, and a bruise that covered my entire thigh, but also an endless amount of embarrassment.  (I ended up driving home that weekend just so my mom could look at it and tell me it was all going to be okay.) 

These are just a few times in my life that I needed my mom to make me feel better.  I’m very grateful that she was there to help me during those times and times like them.  Regardless of the complex nature of our relationship, I know that she always does her best to be there when I need her, like every great mom does.  Even so, there are still times when she doesn’t pick up the phone when I need her… 

 …but I’m always thankful when she does.

 --- Katie

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Liquid nitrogen drinks, "int-ernet" and a dead stomach......can't make this stuff up, people.  

Summer Is Here!

Summer vacation is here.  Bring on the planned activities, practices, pool parties, play dates - and somehow still bored children. 

As an aunt, frequent babysitter and former summer nanny to my nephews (Henry –7 years old, George - 5 years old and Tripp – 2 years old), I am privy to a fact that mothers know very well: no matter how hard you try to make the day run smoothly, something unexpected will happen.  Like when Henry showed me a rash all over his body from rolling around in the grass at the park.  Or when George told me he thought he had seen the dog eat a battery.  Or when Tripp colored his coloring book with a side of hardwood floor.

Besides dealing with these daily crises, the summer adds another challenge to many moms’ plates: the kids must be entertained AT ALL TIMES.  Entertainment is not only demanded from the kids, but is also crucial to avoiding more crises.  (A kid looking for something to do = trouble). 

While watching the boys, I thought up of many fun activities.  We played outside, colored pictures, went bowling, made cookies, watched movies, went for walks with the dog, read books, made puppets, created puppet shows, played board games and made pet rocks.  By the end of the summer, I couldn’t think of a single new activity that the boys didn’t hear and say “…..but we’ve already done that, Katie!”.  I once resorted to pouring milk on a plate, adding some drops of food coloring and dish soap and calling it science.  (I found it in one of their activity books, but it was still ridiculous.)  Am I the only one who has ever felt that desperate keeping the kids entertained?

Once old-fashioned outdoor playtime, reading books or doing anything remotely educational is no longer appealing to your kids, technology can really save the day.  I’m sure it’s been said before, but I’ll say it again – Apple deserves a big shoutout for creating the almighty iPad.  Not only is it awesome on its own, but kid time with the iPad means time to get things done.  Dishes, laundry, cleaning, feeding the dog, making lunch – all of the important things that keep the house running smoothly. With plenty of educational TV shows, kid-friendly apps and personal gaming devices available, the moms and babysitters of today’s world can always turn to technology to keep kids entertained. 

Technology undeniably plays a huge role in a child’s life today.  If technology can help entertain and even educate their children, what else can technology do for mothers? 

As it turns out, a lot. 

Here at Trellie, Inc., we want you to learn about technologies and ideas that can improve your life.  Technology can play an important role in the family environment, like lessening the chances of unnecessary stress when families communicate (we all know that there’s plenty of stress to go around already). With multiple ways to stay connected through our blog, Pinterest (trellieinc), Facebook (“Trellie”) and Twitter (@TrellieConnect), there’s no excuse for you not to learn how to make your life easier!  Be connected!

--- Katie 

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Henry and George with the milk plate…who knew they would love it so much!

Meet Katie

 Katie is our summer marketing intern for Trellie, Inc..  She is a rising junior at the University of Missouri, double majoring in Strategic Communications and Spanish.  Katie is an aunt to three nephews – Henry (7), George (5) and Tripp (2).  She enjoys playing tennis for the Mizzou Club Tennis team, watching shows on Bravo and going out with her friends.  Katie will be posting on our blog this summer - stay tuned!  

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Trellie accepted to Digital Sandbox KC!

Digital Sandbox KC Takes First Steps In Helping Companies Prove Concepts

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI (May 3, 2013) —  This spring, Digital Sandbox KC reached across the greater Kansas City metro seeking the region’s most innovative technology-based ideas. To date, the Sandbox has received 94 submissions, ranging from health care IT to data security to creative mobile applications.

“We were expecting a strong response for this first round of submissions, and we got it,” said Jeff Shackelford, director of Digital Sandbox KC. “The creativity in Kansas City is astounding, and we’re ready to help transform these ideas into viable startups and sustainable businesses.”

Digital Sandbox KC provides proof-of-concept resources to support early-stage commercialization processes.  Support is customized based on the unique needs of the project as well as the resources required to move the product or service forward.  Projects will be “in the sandbox” only as long as needed to meet a defined commercialization plan.

“The goal is to help everyone who submits their ideas to the Sandbox get primed for commercial success,” adds Shackelford.  “The 94 companies currently in the Sandbox are all in varying stages of development with unique needs and we’ve provided all of them with a suggested next step forward.  With that in mind, we feel there are currently six in the best position right now to use Sandbox funding for consulting and equipment to help them spring forward.”

The first six innovative companies include Limelight Technologies, Heart To Heart Network and Pearl Leaves from the life sciences space; Planet Reuse and Angling Technologies/Mapper, which are software platforms; and Trellie, a mobile application.  Support for these six includes helping cover software development costs or, in the case of Trellie, focused connections to key corporate partners.

“The Sandbox is not a business plan competition; we welcome all ideas and innovators and help them get from idea to commercialization as quickly as possible,” said Shackelford.

For all ideas not yet ready for prototyping, Digital Sandbox KC is providing counseling and connections to industry leaders and corporate partners.  Resources included the UMKC Small Business and Technology Development Center, Enterprise Center of Johnson County, the Small Business Development Center at Johnson County Community College and SCORE. Fourteen of the innovators received scholarships to attend FastTrac Tech Venture.

This summer, Digital Sandbox KC will hold drop-ins and meet-ups for all Sandbox participants, giving these entrepreneurs and startups a chance to interface with and glean insights from corporate partners.

Digital Sandbox KC will also host an open house at its Union Station space during One Week KC. 

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