Colour Blindness: Figuring It Out

It's not uncommon - especially among males (8% of the male population in fact).  Yet it's not something many of us think about or know much about.  And that's not a big deal. . . for most of us.  Unless you are a teacher (in which case you should know and you should care).  Or are colour deficient (I think that sounds much nicer than colour "blind" - more accurate too).  Or have a colour deficient child.

And I am a teacher.  And I am a parent of (at least) one colour deficient child - we will have to wait until our new arrival is a little older to find out what his vision is like.  And I am frustrated at the lack of information and resources out there for parents of colour blind children.  I know it's not life-threatening and I know that most people with less-than-optimal colour vision develop excellent coping techniques and many achieve great things.  But how do I facilitate that for my son? How do I support the students who may not even realize that they see the world differently from others?

I am frustrated that when I google "colour blind children" and other combinations of those words, I get articles and blogs about teaching children to ignore race.  Ummm. . . that's nice and all. . . but colour blindness is a thing that real people live with every day, not a hashtag.  While there are some excellent resources out there, they are few and far between.  So I decided to use my resources and share a bit of my research and experiences on this blog.  I will be writing a series of posts on the topic over the next little while and will update with further posts when I have more to share.  If you are also parenting a colour deficient child, are colour blind yourself, are a teacher (because, whether you know it or not, you've taught and will teach colour blind students), or know people who fit any of these criteria, please feel free to read, share and comment.  I don't think enough of us are talking.

So my first post is entitled "Figuring It Out" because, obviously, the first step to addressing issues with colour is determining that there are, in fact, issues with colour.

Family History:
In my next post (here!), I'll get into the genetics connected with red-green colour blindness (I need to refresh myself on high school Biology first) but, in short, if there are any colour blind men in the mom's family, that may result in colour blind children.  It isn't a guarantee (unless mom, herself, is colour blind - in which case her sons will certainly be colour blind and her daughters have a decent chance as well), but it should be an indicator that this is something to be conscious of.

In my case, my father is colour blind as are two three (oops!) of his brothers.  Colour blindness, and strategies for coping with it, have been a way of life in my home since I can remember.  While my father is excellent at determining which colours go together (based on depth and hue), he often struggles with determining exactly what colour he is looking at - is that sweater a gray-green or a lovely heathered purple? He actually bought a pair of pants that he thought was a great deal. . . until my mom let him know they were pink instead of the gray he saw when he looked at them.  Until I moved out, I remember helping my dad select the tie he should wear with the shirt and jacket he had already chosen.  He could usually make good choices. . . but just needed the extra set of eyes to make sure he wasn't committing a fashion faux pas.

Needless to say, when I learned how colour blindness is passed along in families, I knew that if I had a son, this would be something to look out for.

The Clues:
My son is a voracious learner.  At 3 years old, he is fascinated by dinosaurs, fossils and how things work.  We'll read a story about how the earth's revolution around its axis causes day and night. . . the next evening, he's telling us that we're moving away from the sun and it will be nighttime soon.  He knows many shapes.  He sings various songs - some "kid" ones and a selection from the radio.  He can count to 20 (excluding a few numbers in the teens that he just doesn't like, and with the addition of "frelve").  He is mostly accurate while singing the ABC song and understands that letters make up the words in his story books (although he can't identify the letters themselves).

I don't share this to brag.  I share this so that you understand why the alarm bells were clanging when, despite our gentle teaching and colour-related games and patterning, he just didn't seem to get colour.  It was not uncommon to ask "what colour is this?" and have him pause and then seemingly pick one at random.  Asking him to match blocks of the same colour was just as likely to result in piles of green/yellow and red/purple as in discrete piles of just one colour.  He just didn't get it and was quickly losing interest in these types of games.

But blue.  He nails blue.  Every.  Time.  It's his favourite colour!

Some other signs that you may encounter (we didn't, possibly because of how young our son is) include:

• smelling food before eating it (and reluctance to try new foods) - it's hard to find a meal appetizing if you're missing the colourful aspects of it
• lack of interest or attention span in colouring in worksheets or games with a focus on colour
• using the "wrong" colour (purple leaves, green faces, etc.)
• excellent sense of smell and night vision (compensation?)
• sensitivity to bright lights
• complaining about head or eye aches when looking at something green on a red background or vice versa
• denial of an issue with colour

Adapted from colourblindawareness.org

We knew that we needed to get him checked out.

Next Steps:
Since I wear glasses and/or contact lenses, I have an eye doctor that I see.  She also examined my son's eyes when he was about 8 months old to ensure that they were healthy (I didn't even know that was a thing but I'm glad I found out about it).  So we had someone to turn to.  If I didn't have an optometrist, I would have asked my family doctor for her advice. . . it probably would have been to see an optometrist.

For adults, there are a range of tests that can be used to determine colour deficiencies.  For young children, it is a little more difficult.  I'm sure you've heard of the Ishihara Plate test? Well, maybe not by name, but it's this one:

There are many plates with various colours and numbers but generally, if you have normal colour vision, you should be able to read the numbers (can you?).  If you can't, you may have an issue with colour (although there are many people with normal colour vision who still have issues with this test apparently).

Now, obviously, a 3 year old is not going to be able to read these numbers off the page whether he can see them or not, so the children's version of the test uses shapes.  Our optometrist showed him a page with a circle, square and triangle on it and asked what the shapes were.  Satisfied that he could identify them by name (because if he couldn't, what's the point?), she moved on to the plates.  On each page, she asked what he could see.  She sometimes asked him to point to the shapes to ensure that he was, in fact, seeing them and not just caught up in "playing the game".  He loved every second of it!

The results were pretty clear:  he does have a red-green colour deficiency just like his grandpa.  And now we know.  And now we're learning and adjusting the way we deal with colour in our house.  And we know to let his teacher know so when he starts preschool next week, his difficulties with colour don't suggest other issues (with his development or with his attitude).

My dad doesn't remember consciousness of his vision being a thing.  It probably wasn't, in the 1960s.  But I like to think that we've become a bit more thoughtful and considerate about the various challenges that our children and students may face by 2015.  At least I hope so!

So welcome to our adventure and exploration of what it means to be colour blind and how we can best support our son while helping him to develop strategies to cope with his colour deficiencies.  I hope this isn't a one-way soap box but a conversation starter.  Please feel free to continue that discussion in the comments, in your own homes and communities, wherever you choose!

Here are some excellent resources to get started on exploring colour blindness:

• www.colourblindawareness.org - so much info! and it's broken down into sections for families, for teachers and for kids
• http://wearecolorblind.com/article/guest-article-a-mothers-journey-into-colorblindness/ - an article by Karen Levine, mother of a colour-blind son, and author of "All About Color Blindness"
• http://colorvisiontesting.com/color4.htm - concrete suggestions for teachers (or for parents to share with teachers who need a little help)
• ttp://asada.tukusi.ne.jp/cvsconv/ - an emulator that allows you to see what your child sees - just upload an image!

Next:  Colour Blindness:  The Science, Simplified

Ipsy August 2015 Review

Ah. . . the end.  The end of my Ipsy sub (this is the last month for me) and the end of the summer. . . at least judging by the "prep school" theme Ipsy's gone with for the month.  I actually really like the bag and Ipsy packed it with some of my favourite products I've ever received from them! Well played! So what did I get?

Marc Anthony Nourishing Argan Oil of Morocco Oil Treatment ($3.30 value for 0.7oz sample, full size is $7.99 for 1.69oz)

I love this kind of product for my hair as it can be a little coarse and frizzy at times.  This makes it smooth and soft and it smells awesome! Since you really don't need to use a lot, this sample should last for a long time.

Skone Luxe Doubler Eye/Lip Pencil in Wine ($7.15 value for 0.1oz sample, full size is $12 for 4.7g)

Some other bloggers seem to think this is full size. . . my math says otherwise.  It's 0.1oz which is about 2.8g and the full size is 4.7g on Skone's website.  It drives me crazy how often I have to convert metric to imperial and vice versa to figure these things out.  Why can't the same product be measured using the same system? Ridiculous! Anyway, that aside, I love this.  It's a creamy, smooth pencil which can be used either to line the eyes or on the lips.  While I know that this wine colour would look fantastic on my lips, I've been seeing a lot of burgundy / berry liners and shadows lately (especially coming out of k-beauty styles) so I had to try it on my eyes.  While I was convinced that I would look either ill or super-stoned, it was actually pretty flattering.  It didn't look unlike some of my purple liners on, just a little more berry, and really made my green-blue eyes pop.  While it's not an everyday look, I'm going to keep working on it :)

Noyah Natural Lipstick in Desert Rose ($4.50 value, full size is $18 and 4x the size at 0.16oz)

I received a plummy shade of Noyah lipstick in an early Ipsy bag and loved it so much, I actually considered buying a full-size version.  The formula is smooth and not overly drying and I found the colour pay-off of that shade great too.  This colour isn't as great for my skin tone - it's a little too pale (actually paler than my lips) which I have a hard time with unless there's some shimmer or gloss involved - but I do like it.  I also like Noyah's efforts to use natural ingredients and bamboo (instead of plastic) packaging.

Aila Cosmetics Luxury Nail Lacquer in Mister Pookies (FULL SIZE $17 value, I think?)

This nail polish is 5-free, paraben and gluten free, vegan and cruelty-free.  Love that! The colour is. . . interesting.  It's described as being a steel grey with purple undertones but it looks more of a purpley brown on my nails (most of the time, although in some lights I see the grey).  The formula is great - the swatch below is one thick coat which dried quickly.

Juice Beauty Cleansing Milk ($1.63 value for 0.5oz sample, full size is $22 for 6.75oz)

I always love a good cleanser sample - especially when the full size is so pricey.  I've also heard good things about Juice Beauty and have never tried them out so I'm looking forward to this although I haven't opened it yet.  Juice Beauty says this will cleanse and remove makeup (but I like my two-step routine and have yet to find a face wash that actually removes make-up that effectively).  They also claim to offer great products because they are "pure" and organic, and have Gwyneth Paltrow on board.  I'm always a little skeptical of everything goop but I will reserve judgement for now.

Super-blurry swatches of the Skone liner on the left and the Noyah lippie on the right, nail polish swatch at far right

Overall Verdict:

This month was probably one of my faves.  I love both lip (err. . . eye too) products and the nail polish.  I will get a lot of use out of the hair oil and I always enjoy trying out new face washes in small sizes just in case they don't go well.  I don't think I've had a month that hit my likes so well in the entire year I've subbed. . . so, of course, it's the last one! While this doesn't have the highest value, at $33.58, it is still more than I paid (it worked out to about $15 with shipping, exchange, and the discount for purchasing the whole year up front) and all of the products are great (I have a hard time finding value in an expensive item I won't use).

As for Ipsy, I have enjoyed the year but I'm ready to move on - there are only so many black eyeliners, neutral eyeshadows, and make-up bags one can use! Would I recommend Ipsy? For someone who's looking to try new products / brands or just starting out, absolutely - it's consistently a great value for the price.  Ipsy is, as I've said before, a great gateway sub :)

Exciting News for Online Shoppers!

Just a short post today because OMG you guys! This arrived in my mail box this morning:



My two favourite things:  well.ca and ebates!

For those who haven't used well.ca yet, it's my favourite online store (and that's saying something).  They sell everything from makeup to gifts to diapers (sposies and cloth) to specialty foods and everything in between.  We order from them every few months and enjoy their superfast (like within 2-3 days usually) FREE shipping to our door.  I don't get paid to issue this love to them. . . I just love them that much.  And if you've read my other posts, you know I don't tend to throw that word around lightly.  Check them out!

And if you don't do ebates yet, why not? If you do any online shopping, it's like getting a slight discount on things you already buy.  True, 1% cash back isn't likely to be a ton of money. . . but it's better than 0%.  And many stores offer larger cash back amounts than that as well as excellent deals and coupons for ebates members.  And we're talking a lot of stores including amazon, etsy, shop.ca, joe fresh, carters - lots of kids clothes (you know, you have to buy them anyway. . . it'd be frowned upon if you didn't dress your kids, lol).  Check it out! (And yes, that one's my referral link - thanks for supporting me if you choose to use it!)

Smiles all around on this one :)

Wantable Accessories August 2015 Review

Many months ago, I tried out Wantable's Intimates subscription (November and December - reviews at these links) and quite liked it.  This month, I decided to spring for their Accessories box after seeing some really exciting-looking unboxings out there :)  I need to freshen up some of my accessories and was hoping for something new that I wouldn't have picked for myself.

If you are unfamiliar with Wantable, here's how it works:  for each of their Intimates, Accessories and Make-up boxes, you fill out a pretty in-depth questionnaire regarding your likes, dislikes, etc. to help your stylist choose great items for you.  They have made some changes to the way their sub works, so here are the details:  the first box costs $40US (plus shipping, exchange, etc.) and if your stylist totally misses the mark, the entire box can be returned.  I think Canadians have to pay to ship it back. . . but don't quote me on that since I've never done it.  If you like all of the items, you get a "bonus" of $6 off your next box for keeping them all.  If you like some but hate some, you can return partial boxes for some money refunded - but again, I think that's much easier if you're in the States.  I can't imagine it'd be worth the shipping cost to return an item or two unless they were really expensive.  They also offer a "Fitness Edit" and a "Style Edit" which are not available to Canadians at this time (since those aren't really boxes but more like personal shopping services in which they send you items and you purchase the ones you like, return the ones you don't).

So, what's in the box?

First look :)

My preferences (Wantable will aim to send you things you love and will never send things you dislike):

As you can see, I was really angling for a chunky Rock 'n Roll watch (didn't get it though). . . and really dislike everything gold and boho.  You're likes and dislikes will make your box more "you".

Wantable also provides a packing slip which includes retail values (I think that's how they figure out how much money to return in the event of a partial exchange).  Sorry it's blurry:

My order included two smaller boxes.  The first:

Sue Anne Necklace Silver ($17 retail)

This is a longer necklace with a sturdy chain and a chunky silver "bead" detail:

I love it and am very happy with this selection.  Wantable suggests layering this with shorter necklaces and I think that sounds like a great idea :)  This definitely hits the Rock n' Roll vibe and is silver-toned.

Second box:

Wow, that's a lot of silver jewellery!

Gina Earrings ($16 retail):

These are definitely a little edgy.  They are chunky silver drop earrings and almost look like hammered metal. While I wouldn't have picked them, I do like them and will wear them - not everyday but they will get some love.

Pamela Necklace Silver ($17 retail):

This one is also silver (surprise) and also a double-chain necklace but I don't like it nearly as much as the first.  I think it's the extended drop at the bottom with a "coin" hanging off of it - it seems kind of strange to me and hangs right in my belly button.  I'm going to try my hand at modifying this by removing that part and maybe just putting the coin back without the extension.  I like the interesting hoop and bar closure on the top chain though.  If I lived in the States, I'd probably return this but it doesn't seem worth the hassle to me to be honest.

Shayna Necklace ($14 retail):

Also a silver necklace.  *sigh*  I like silver.  I like necklaces.  But I also like other things.  And I now have not one, not two, but three new silver necklaces.  Anyhow, this one's more mid-length and has a standard chain with this almost tribal-looking centrepiece.  At first I didn't like it very much but I think it was the burnout from unpacking so many silver necklaces.  It's grown on me and I will wear it.

Overall Verdict:

With shipping, fees and exchange, this box cost me more like $56 Canadian (and that was with a $10 credit).  The retail value listed for these items is $64 so I got my money's worth (ish) although I certainly didn't get any of the crazy values I've seen in other reviews.  That said, I also didn't receive any large statement pieces either (those tend to have a lot of value). . . and I wish I did.  I love the first necklace, like the earrings and the third necklace, and am not hugely excited about the second necklace.  Overall, this box was just okay for me.  

That said, I'd like to try another one.  I gave some really specific feedback on these items (Wantable sends you a link to review what you received), adjusted my quiz (no necklaces for now!), and also included some requests in the "notes" section of the quiz.  Hopefully my next box will be a bit more what I'm looking for.  This isn't a cheap sub and I can't really justify doing more than a few boxes at a time but I do like the model and would recommend giving it a shot.  The more specific you are, I think the better the items will "fit" what you're looking for.

If this piques your interest in Wantable, please consider using my link - I'd appreciate it :)

Feeding a Picky Toddler

Ok, so maybe "picky" isn't really the word for him. . . "stubborn" might be more accurate.  Regardless of how you would describe your toddler, sometimes mealtimes and snacktimes can be a challenge (and I won't mince words on that one!).  So what's a mom (or dad) to do? Kids need to eat! And they can't just eat cookies and freezies no matter how much they want to.

I'm going to let you in on our secret. . . and, be warned, it's kind of cheesy.  It's all about selling the experience.  Take something nutritious, plate it to look neat and give it a silly name.  Voila! Instant interest for a creative little mind.

For example, the dish below isn't apples with peanut butter - it's "Peanut Butter Blossoms":

Because it looks like a flower :)

And this one? Sunshine Cheese & Crackers: 

Totally sunshine-y, amirite?

It might sound ridiculous but D eats this up - he loves the fun of it and also, actually eating.  He doesn't ask for cheese and crackers, he asks for "Sunshine Cheese and Crackers" - seriously - and he berated my husband for not plating his apple correctly.  Virtually any snack can be a silly face or a flower or another shape that will rock your child's world.  It doesn't even need to add a lot of time or hard work.  It just takes a little out-of-the-box thinking.  

Here are some other ideas:
- Peanut Butter Spirals - tortilla, spread with pb, roll up and slice into spirals (not into pb? you could use your fave nut-free spread, spreadable cheese, hummus, etc. - same with the apples up top). . . bonus points for wrapping around a banana :)
- Ants on a Log - celery with pb/spreadable cheese inside and raisins along the top
- Ladybug Pita Pizzas - mini pitas with tomato sauce, cheese, pepperoni (if you like) and black olives (if your kids like)
- Spaghetti Cake - this Jamie Oliver recipe was tasty but the name of it had my toddler giggling maniacally and snapped him out of a full on tantrum - magic!
- Fruit Face - berries, banana, melon, whatever you have, plated to make a smiley face
- Egg Carton Surprise - this one's from my mom when I was a kid! fill each cup of an egg carton with a little treat (snack mix, olives, raisins, smarties, grapes, chocolate chips, raspberries, cherry tomatoes - whatever you have that's little like that; aim for at least 2-3 different options to keep it interesting), close the lid and it's a surprise!
- homemade freezies / popsicles made with pureed fruit or juice (you can even use a yogurt-based smoothie!)

Whatever you choose to make, involving your child in the kitchen is another piece of magic to get them eating.  It does add time, and mess, so be prepared for that but even if all s/he does is pour in pre-measured ingredients and stir, it's now something they "made".  Ownership makes a meal special. . . and cooking skills last a lifetime :)

Other great tips and ideas? Please share in the comments - I'm always looking to change things up!