Kennedy and Barbie In The Lab #BarbieProject

Kennedy recently got a beginners chemistry lab set and decided to try it out with a few of her Barbie friends! My first 'observation' is that Ms. Kennedy is VERY inpatient in the lab!  She was like a bull in a china set when she ripped open the box and started going through all the contents. She wanted to jump in immediately and get to work.  She flipped through the experiment booklet and ran through the house grabbing items like baking soda and vinegar.  Since several of the experiments had to be supervised I grabbed my camera and pulled up a chair.  I was hoping that we would not have to call 911 as Kennedy started to dive in! She found a simple experiment involving ice, string, salt and went to work.

Instead of reading through the instructions carefully she just started sprinkling and mixing. In my mind I'm thinking: "Ummm Kennedy aren't there a few more steps involved ?" I bit my tongue and watched.  Her first experiment was a big fat flop!  Ice went flying everywhere instead of sticking to the string.  I told her that she needed to SLOW down, read the instructions thoroughly and make sure she had everything that she needed before she got started.  She agreed to slow down and let me help!!! Geez!!

I found a simple experiment that involved acids, bases and pH testing on simple household items.  We read over the definition of acids, bases and the different levels on the pH scale.  We read through all of the steps before she began this time..LOL! She was very excited to start testing out items using the kit's pH indicator strips.  It was so cool watching her try out things like lime juice, vinegar, baking soda water, tap water and bottled water. She checked the chart and determined if each item was an acid or base.  She really enjoyed it and started working on setting up her own lab/classroom with her I Can Be A Teacher Barbie doll and students. It was finally safe for me to step away to start dinner at this point. I came back to see Kennedy's official science lab and classroom.

I was amazed at how Kennedy took the time to set up the classroom and started to explain everything that we had just learned through her teacher Barbie. She showed her results during class. She even found a small water bottle in her toy box like the one she used during her experiment.  I don't know how she keeps up with all of her Barbie accessories!

Student Raising Her Hand For Questions..Too Cute!!

 

 

'Chemist Kennedy' Writing Out Her pH Test results!

 

 

 



I really loved sitting down with Kennedy and doing these fun experiments. I think that it is so important for girls to take an interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math).  I have always worked hard through my non-profit that empowers girls and women and with my daughters to expose them to science programs and trailblazer women and girls. When we were shopping for the chemistry set, I had to go past all the dolls and toys to find a small section of science based toys.  They are there, we just have to look!

I know there has been a lot of recent controversy with Barbie and the mixed messages that were sent in a book that was published a few years ago called Barbie I Can Be A Computer Engineer.  In the book Barbie needs the help of two male programmers to complete a computer game that she started. It definitely could send a mixed message, but what I realize especially through this project, is that we should not allow Barbie or books to shape our daughters or sons. We also should not feel that if our daughter reads a book or plays with a doll that her perception on her future will be tainted.   Kennedy has always played with Barbie dolls, and princesses but I also buy her microscopes for her to play and explore.

 At her Birthday party last December her theme was based off of Barbie's I Can Be Line of dolls which focuses on different careers and the attendees came dressed as who they wanted to be when they grew up.  I didn't stop there, I had someone come in and do a robotics demonstration with the girls and boys and at the end of the party they built their own robots.  We as parents have to realize the power we have to shape our sons and daughters!  I found this cool calendar of STEM based activities that you can try with your daughter click here! Kennedy and I have found a few that we are going to try for sure!

We would love to hear your thoughts and stories on the fun things that happen during playtime with Barbie!  Does your daughter want to be a scientist, astronaut, or computer programmer? Be sure to share your experiences and comments below or on the official Barbie Project website!

This is part of a group of posts in partnership with #BarbieProject .

All words and images are 100% organic and authentic.

Raising Empowered & Ambitious Girls - #Barbie Project

So a few weeks ago, my youngest daughter, Kennedy, came home and announced that she was running for a position on her 5th grade Student Council.  She decided to run for Student Council Secretary. Of course me being Mrs. 'Empowerment' Mom, I asked why she didn't run for President or Vice President. Any daughter of mine should be President..right? She explained to me that she was VERY busy with her school schedule, homework and rehearsal four days a week for her lead part in her school play. With so many things going on she didn't want to take on too much, she wanted to be able to manager everything.  My daughters hear me talk all the time about how important it is to not take on too much, especially as a mom and to create some sense of balance in our everyday lives. I was telling this story to a friend of mine and she said, "You know she is talking just like you, right?"  I didn't even realize the correlation when she initially gave me her answer until my friend pointed it out. As moms and parents we truly do have a huge impact on our children, they are listening and watching what we do all the time. Wow!

Kennedy made it past the primary election and was on the official ballot. She focused her attention on her signs that she could place around the school.  She gathered her supplies and once again pulled out Barbie and friends to help with her campaign.

Barbie & Nikki - Official "Team Kennedy" Campaign Members 

 

Kennedy was super excited to kick off her "Vote Kennedy for Student Council Secretary" campaign.  She was ready to chant "Take Note....Vote For Kennedy!!!" in the school hallways and shake lots of hands..too cute! After her campaign week, she finalized her speech that she would deliver to an auditorium full of fourth and fifth grade students. She practiced in front of the family and with Barbie, I'm sure she was probably less nervous in front of her dear Barbie friends!  She gave a great speech but said she was super nervous and messed up on some parts. 

 



 



As a girl and teen I never had the drive to go for things like this,  I was very shy and insecure. I was afraid of failure.  Both of my daughters are self motivated to try different things and are so fearless. I am amazed at the things that they go after and their confidence.  I try to instill in them that they can do anything, and it is okay to try things and fail.  I also expose them to fearless women and girl role models, through the work that I do in my community and with my non-profit.  Earlier this week I had my daughters watch this new mini documentary about Mo'Ne Davis a 13 year old girl baseball pitcher that is defying all the odds and creating a new meaning to "Throw Like A Girl" with her 70 mile per hour fastball..whohoo!

Mo'Ne Davis (Image Credit: Al Tielemans/Sports Illustrated)

I also love that brands like Barbie are using their platform to show girls that anything is possible, like with President Barbie and their new Entrepreneur Barbie. It is important that our girls see women and girls in leadership roles! Kennedy aka Future President of The United States of America has a nice ring to it!

Kennedy's President Barbie, Love Her Platform!

 

After all of Kennedy's hard work she ended up not winning her school election.  I was so nervous for her as a mom and hoped that she would win.  When she got the news she was initially disappointed and a little sad, but she told us that she knew that she was super busy and that maybe this was a good thing as she could stay focused more on school and the other activities going on in her life. This great attitude from a 10 year old! We told her how proud we were of her along the way and that whatever the outcome was at least she tried and it was a great experience that would prepare her for many great things to come.   I am truly a proud mommy to have such amazing daughters!

How do you instill confidence and ambition in your sons or daughters? Do you have children that grew up like I did, with a lack of self confidence and are afraid to try new things? We would love to hear your thoughts and stories as it is not easy raising empowered girls and boys!  Be sure to share your experiences and comments below or on the official Barbie Project website!

Continue to follow our journey on this project and support our mission to empower women and girls by following us on our website, Facebook, Twitter!

 

 

This is part of a group of posts in partnership with #BarbieProject .

All words and images are 100% organic and authentic.



Mission Impossible In The Jungle #BarbieProject

Wow I can not believe we are about halfway through the summer! Where has it gone?? We have been super busy my way but my daughter Kennedy has been squeezing in her playtime around our crazy schedule for sure!  Last week I found Ms. Kennedy taking Barbie and her pals on a jungle adventure.  They started off with a little camping and conversation around a fire. These dolls are really decked out to be roughing it in the jungle..lol!

Barbie and Nikki stumble upon some sick animals. Lucky for these animals

Nikki is a veterinarian and a expert in making them feel better!

After checking on the animals she enters their information into her tablet,

I guess there is Wifi in the jungle?? Who knew?

Nikki explores all of her findings and she and Barbie get to work making the animals all better!

I left her to her playtime and got busy with cooking dinner.  A few hours later, I hear Kennedy and her big sister running upstairs, I hear something banging on the wall in the foyer.  I find her and her sister (16 years old mind you) with some ribbon and rope taped together looking over the banister.  Evidently her playtime had continued into the evening from earlier.  All of I sudden I see Barbie and Nikki flying threw the air, one going one way and the other going another.  Kennedy quickly runs down the stairs and tries again.

Evidently they were in the middle of an adventure, a mission impossible assignment, in the jungle.  With her older sisters help they perfected a bungee cord for Barbie and Nikki's assignment!  It was so hilarious watching them throw the dolls off the balcony.  I grabbed my phone and started recording. Her big sister found the mission impossible theme song on her phone. They reenacted the scene and my technology savvy teen was able add some special slow motion effects to my cell phone video.  They got a big kick out of seeing Barbie in action!

Here's the video!

I love seeing how my oldest daughter gets involved with her sister's playtime. I'm learning that we are never too old or grown up to play with Barbie!  Here's what happens when teens these days play with Barbie!  A few weeks ago my oldest daughter took my phone and positioned her sister's doll to take her own selfie!

 

This project has been very eye opening for me as a mom and also very rewarding. I'm amazed at the things that they come up with!  I'm looking forward to the next adventures that are discovered in her playtime.  Kennedy recently received her first passport and we have a trip planned in which she will get her first passport stamp.  She plans to take Barbie on her trip and when she got her passport this past week she cut out her dolls picture from the back of one of her Barbie boxes and taped it into a 'mock' passport book we received last year during a Passport Party project that my non-profit participated in. It came out so cute. She has it with our passports ready for a trip abroad! Can't wait to share those adventures soon!

What fun things are you and your daughters getting into this summer? We would love to hear about your adventures and any special playtime experiences that you have had this summer with Barbie! Be sure to leave a comment on our blog or share them on the Barbie Project website www.barbieproject.com or on our website, social networks Facebook or Twitter!

 

Entrepreneur Barbie - #Barbie Project

Last week the Barbie Project Moms were invited to visit the Barbie Design Center in Los Angeles and meet the Barbie Team! OMG it was amazing!! We got a special behind the scenes tour of their facility and received the latest updates on our project and the new initiatives that they were launching.  I was especially thrilled to learn more about the newest campaign centered around Barbie's 150th Career: Entrepreneur Barbie!! As an mom that is building her dreams this career has a special place in my heart!

"This year Barbie is once again breaking through plastic ceilings and inspiring girls to follow their dreams. The 2014 career of the year doll is Entrepreneur Barbie. To celebrate her newest career, Barbie is honoring special women entrepreneurs to help start a conversation for girls everywhere, reminding them that — “If they can dream it, they can be it – anything is possible!"

I really love how Barbie is involving real women and girl entrepreneurs from amazing organizations like Girls Who Code, Plum Alley,  Rent The Runway, The Tom Kat Studio, Sugarfina, Genuine Insights, and One Kings Lane.  They even feature a young entrepreneur, Seraphina Botero, a Cadette Girl Scout from Santa Monica, California.  She recently won an Entrepreneur essay-writing contest for her local Council. She’s been with the organization for eight years and has been part of its Cookie Season every year.  Never too young to blaze a trail!  The amazing leaders are Chief Inspiration Officers aka CIO's who share their stories about building their careers and running their businesses! They even take Barbie with them to work!  Barbie's website also features online resources to help girls learn what it means to be an entrepreneur (click here for downloadable resources for your daughter), how to start a business and inspiration for moms like me who own their own businesses. Visit http://www.barbie.com/en-us/news-and-deals/barbie-celebrates-women-entrepreneurs to learn more about these amazing entrepreneurs!

At the end of the day we received a gift bag with our very own Entrepreneur Barbie inside.  I was so excited!! I heard about this doll earlier in the year and could not wait until they would be released to the public. You can order them online here!



 



 

So Love The Cute Accessories, Briefcase, Tablet, Smartphone!!

 

My plan was to keep her all to myself but my daughter had other plans! It was like a tug of war for her when I returned home, I definitely have to buy my own now that they are available.  I opened her up and only had about 2.5 seconds to check her out before she was snatched from my hands and whisked upstairs to my daughter's room.  I checked in with my daughter later that day and asked what business she had started.

Love The Message On The Back Of The Box!

My daughter was super excited to announce to me the launch of  "Kennedy's Space Boot Camp".  Entrepreneur Barbie owned her own business where she taught astronauts how to go to space.  Super cute! 

Entrepreneur Barbie's First Student!

Her first training class was in session. Her students were involved in rigorous training where they had to take test to see how much they knew about space.  If they passed the first test they would move on to the next level of training.  They had to go into a space simulator to see what it was like to be in space, this involved a lot of spinning and twirling. She used the Barbie jet plane from my previous post for this exercise.  A special light was shined on the students to simulate the extreme heat they would face from the sun.

Entrepreneur Barbie demonstrating how to  properly wear her space helmet for her students.

 

 

Math is important to astronauts according to Kennedy! Entrepreneur Barbie

explaining word problems. So love her imagination!

 

 



My daughter then flipped off the lights and used the cord from her headphones to put her student into space. So cool to see her doll suspended in the air. She wanted to turn on the fan, but Mommy had to step in and shut that down very quickly! Did not want Barbie and her cord getting tangled in the fan or flying through a window!

 

 



 

 

 So after passing many difficult levels, her student had finally passed all the requirements and she was cleared to go to space! 

 



Official handshake to seal the deal!!

 

I really loved seeing my daughter's ideas for her very own business. Her concept actually really blew me away.  I know there are a lot of negative opinions out there about Barbie, her proportions and her choices of clothing make parents feel that she is a bad influence.  I was one of those parents who was quick to jump on the Barbie bashing train. Throughout this project my opionions have changed as I watched what really happens during her playtime.  Seeing my daughter's initial idea to create a business around science/space I realize that it is not just about the doll or how the doll looks it is about what we are modeling, teaching and exposing them to that really matters. I go out of my way to show my daughters that girls can do anything that they put their minds to. They can be wear pink business suits and work for NASA! I saw an ad this evening that really resonated with me about our idea of what it means to be a girl in our society and that it is not just about wearing pink or being a girl.

 



 

 

My daughter proved that tonight to me. I am so excited that there are toys like this that are being offered that allow our children to explore and imagine in new ways!

 

I am curious to know what dream or businesses your daughters or sons have imagined or created! Be sure to leave a comment on our blog, social networks (facebook, twitter) or on the www.barbieproject.com website!

 

 





Amazing Things Happen When We Look Up!

Wanted to post a quick update to my latest blog "Look Up"!  After watching the powerful new spoken word film by Gary Turk called "Look Up" which encourages people to unplug from from social media and engage more with those around them, my oldest daughter and I decided to try taking popular social media apps off of our smartphone and only accessing them from the computer.  That worked well for the first week and I hate to admit it but we both ended up putting them back on our phones after a few weeks. However, we have both decided that when we are at home, we put down our phones and engage more with each other. I think that we are both more aware that when we are around one another that we are not fully engaged if we are on our phones!  My daughter will quickly point out if I am distracted and put me in check now!  I am also proud that she powers her phone down when she is doing homework as well.  We are definitely a work in progress!

Since my last post I decided to unplug and sit down with Kennedy this past Sunday.  She was busy playing and there was a Barbie doll that was near me on the floor. I picked her up, her hair was tangled up and her clothes were all disheveled.  I asked Kennedy for a brush and started to comb out the tangles.  As I began to comb her hair the tangles slowly disappeared.  I instantly was taken back to when I was a girl, brushing my doll's hair, almost combing their hair so much so that Barbie would have bald spots all over her head!  The joy that I felt inside surprised me.  I asked Kennedy where she kept her doll clothes and she pointed me in the right direction.  I started shifting through the tiny outfits and accessories and found a shiny purple dress, a pearl necklace and the perfect shoes to match.  I dressed her and twisted her hair a beautiful hairstyle. I thought to myself, "NOW..she is ready!".

 My Barbie doll decked out and styled by me!

I quickly grabbed another doll and went to work. I caught my daughter looking at me.  This was the first time I had sat down with her and actually picked up a doll to play with.  She was grinning from ear to ear! Kennedy and I both worked on our dolls and I started chatting with her about the outfits that I was sorting through.  I asked why a lot of the dresses/skirts were so short!  (Note to self.. pay more attention to the items that she shoves into my face at the store!) She laughed and shrugged her shoulders   I told her that my dolls were getting dressed to go to a special elegant banquet and they were going to make key decisions on world issues with other important leaders.  I found myself fussing over their hair, outfits and accessories making sure that EVERYTHING was in place. 

My dolls that I styled! They are ready!

My oldest daughter (age 16) walks in and asks what we are doing. She sits down and finds a doll to start working on. Kennedy suggests that we have a competition, dressing our dolls up and then showcasing them and letting our dog Teddy decide the winner.  So we all get to work. My oldest daughter decided to take over her sister's closet as a private dressing area, being careful to hide her final looks. You would think that we were all on a covert mission or styling dolls for a real fashion runway or something!  So when the final looks were complete they decided that I would go first. So I decided that I needed music for my presentation! I grabbed my phone and selected "Girl on Fire" by Alicia Keys. Both of my girls rolled their eyes as they know that I am always about girl empowerment and this is my favorite song!  My dolls strutted and danced showcasing their outfits.  Of course they were met by many boos from my daughters! What a tough crowd!!

So Kennedy went next! She found a song and her dolls twirled and spun around showing off her outfits! 

Finally it was my oldest daughter's turn!  She pumped up her music and brought out her dolls.  We all laughed as her dolls got their groove on and showcased their looks to some new trendy songs that hurt my ears and made me cringe inside..lol!

My oldest daughter's Barbie doll models! Check out the doll on the far left and her pose!

 

So the girls decided that the final three dolls from that round would showcase spring looks and then our judge Teddy (our dog) would pick the final winner!  We quickly got our dolls ready for the final look!

Our lovely finalist pictured above! My oldest daughter Kayla's doll on the far left (cute outfit by the way), My doll in her pretty summer shorts romper in the middle, and my youngest daughter's doll on the far right rocking the hat (umm what does she have on???? That skirt is way too short! That skirt might have to disappear!)  

So it was time to judge!

Our dog Teddy aka the "Judge" for our Barbie Fashion showcase!

 

Not sure exactly how Teddy ended up with a mask on before his time to judge!!  This is what happens when dogs wander into Kennedy's playtime! After several sniffs, he chose Kennedy's doll! I think he chose mine but I went with it! She was too excited!  

As we cleaned up everything I was just so amazed at how engaged I was and how much fun we had.  The nostalgia and childhood memories of my playtime with my Barbies all came flooding back.  I have to admit as a mom I am often too busy doing a million things that even thinking about sitting down to play for a few minutes sounds crazy! I came across this chart the other day.  No wonder why playtime is far from my mind! 

 

After that fun afternoon I that those special moments with my daughters, as a mom are priceless.  This week I took my oldest daughter on her first job interview for summer work.  I almost cried when she got the call to come in for an interview, refusing to believe that my little girl is officially growing up! We prepped her for interview questions this week and practiced how to give a firm handshake realizing that just a few days earlier we were on the floor playing with Barbies! I am just so grateful for this project that is helping me document this special time with my girls.  I think there will be more playtime between the three of us going forward for sure, might have to bring in my hubby as well!  I'm curious to know if any of our Empower Her Moms make time to play with their daughters or what special memories they have had playing with Barbie dolls as a child?  I'm excited to see how things continue to progress over the next few months!

I want to thank each of you for taking the time to follow our journey with this project!  Be sure to share your comments and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and the official Barbie Project website! We would love to hear your favorite memories and playtime experiences!  #barbieproject!

Barbie Project ~ Kennedy Builds An Elevator!

It's been a few weeks since my daughter and I started the Barbie Project with seven other amazing moms and daughters.  As I mentioned in my last post this has been a great opportunity for me to step outside of my typical mommy mode and get down on the floor and 'play' with my daughter.  I found myself getting busy with my normal routine again within a few days after the project started. My daughter in her room and me running around doing a million things.  The other week I was busy putting up laundry and walked by my daughter's room. Kennedy who is 10 was busy at work, taping, measuring and cutting away.  I asked her what she was doing and she told me that she was making an elevator for her Barbie's house.  She had yarn, glue, duct tape, scissors and one small cardboard box.  She was determined and on a mission!  I dropped my laundry basket and sat down and watched her work. 

She was busy measuring and talking about how they had learned about pulley systems and simple machines in school.  It was the cutest thing seeing her mind work trying to construct this elevator. 

She started out taping the string along one corner.  The yarn kept slipping and Barbie was swinging all over the place. Kennedy didn't skip a beat, she would pick Barbie up and try different strategies  I made a few tiny suggestions but let her continue to explore what worked and didn't work.  She tried over a dozen times and just kept at it.  I was so amazed to see her determination and drive, she did NOT want to give up!

We chatted some more and I told her she was a pretty cool elevator engineer/architect.  I was truly in awe at how she was using what she learned at school during her playtime. I am a BIG advocate for girls embracing STEM, science, engineering, technology and math, so this was a project after my own heart!   After several tries and Barbie getting many bumps and bruises she finally got it to work. A little wobbly but it finally worked! The joy and pride on her face lit up the whole room!  I told her that we also needed to explore how real elevators work and to imagine all that goes into designing elevators that carry real people.

I was able to capture her special moment on my phone. Please excuse my amateur video, had to capture the moment quickly!

To view Kennedy's 1st Elevator Test Run click here! 

On a side note my oldest daughter is turning 16 in a few days and I am experiencing a lot of different emotions as I learn to balance realizing that she is growing up and wants more independence.  She is learning to drive, wants to hangout with friends, and doesn't need mommy as much these days.  I realized today in writing this blog that Kennedy's years playing with toys like Barbie will soon fade away.  I am truly grateful that this project came to really help me cherish these times with my daughters as they will be on their own one day soon. Whether it's building elevators for Barbie or panicking in the passenger seat as my daughter takes the wheel I will definitely slow down from my normal fast pace mommy mode and be in the moment more.

What things have you discovered during your playtime with your daughter? To learn more about the Barbie Project and to share your experiences visit www.barbieproject.com. To follow our journey follow our blog or visit us on Facebook or Twitter. Thanks for taking the time to read about our journey! #barbieproject