Emery Law Office - September 2020

Emery Law Office - September 2020

SEPTEMBER 2020

I’M GOING TO BE A GRANDMOTHER!

T he title of this month’s newsletter pretty much says it all: I’m going to be a grandmother! My daughter Katie got married last August, and now she and her husband are expecting a baby girl in December. Katie called a few months ago to give me the news, and I couldn’t be more excited. Since that first announcement, she’s been sharing photos of her baby bump in our family Snapchat. Every week, she tells us what size the baby is compared to a fruit or vegetable. One week, it was a blueberry, and not long after, they were having a sweet potato! When you get this newsletter, my granddaughter should be about the size of an ear of corn. I always look forward to those photos and the ultrasound snapshots she sends — it seems like there’s a new one every few weeks — and it’s been fun to see the baby’s progress. Of course, as excited as I am, I do feel too young to be a grandma! But as my daughter reminded me, when my own mom was my age, I’d had several kids already, so really, I’m a bit late to the whole thing. So far, the trickiest part of my upcoming grandmotherhood has been figuring out what the baby should call me. There are so many options out there: grandma, nana, nina, mimi, granny, grams, grammie, gammy — the list goes on and on. Since my kids call me “madre,” we always joked that the grandkids would call me “abuela” one day, but this little girl already has a grandma who’s claimed that title, so I’m on the hunt for a different one. Thinking it through has brought up a lot of memories of my own grandparents. Growing up, I was lucky to live in the same town as all of my grandparents. We had dinner with my dad’s parents every Friday and lunch with my mom’s mom every Sunday. As a result, we were really close when I was younger, even though they were very different. My mom’s mom was really over protective. When we went on road trips to Silver Dollar City, she would tie a string around her lifesavers before offering them to us to snack on. Her logic was that if we started choking, she could use the string to yank them out of our mouths and save us! My dad’s mom was a private chef, and she wasn’t as much of a worrywart. I still have a vivid memory of the summer she went with me to church camp to cook for all of the kids. One evening, I was in a church service, and I had to leave to use the restroom. It was a bit of a walk to get there, and on my way I passed (OR A GRANDMA, OR A NANA, OR A GRANNY …)

right by the kitchen area and the swimming pool. There was my grandma, floating in the pool while I was supposed to be singing hymns! It struck me as so funny back then, and I thought of it again when, years later, I watched her step into the ocean for the first time. Since we live states apart, I don’t expect to have quite the same relationship with my granddaughter as my grandparents had with me. Still, I’m excited to be the fun grandma who introduces her to new foods and takes her on fun vacations. As for the name thing, I’m sure I’ll figure it out eventually. Both of my grandmothers went by “grandma,” but my ex-husband’s mom chose to be “nana” to our kids. I considered following in her footsteps, but she’s an amazing woman and those are big shoes to fill. Hopefully, by the time my granddaughter arrives, it will be safe for us to visit New York state to see her. 2020 has been a bit of a whirlwind because of the pandemic, but I feel lucky to have this bright spot to look forward to. I hope there’s something equally wonderful on the horizon for you, and if not, don’t worry — I’m sure it’s just around the corner.

-Melissa Emery

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STUDENT TECH SUCCESS

EDUCATIONAL TOOLS TO IMPROVE DIGITAL LEARNING

Kids these days face so many more distractions from academics than their parents did. It’s not as easy to focus on homework when TikTok, YouTube, and all sorts of video games beckon. Instead of trying to prevent screen time, why not allow students to engage with technology that will help promote their learning rather than distract from it? Here are three tools to help students at different age levels get the most from online learning. Beanstalk While Beanstalk is an online learning tool, the beauty of it is that the classes and videos aim to pull kids “out of the screen to do real-world physical activities.” These include science experiments, building projects, and more. Experienced teachers provide engaging lessons and learning tools, and many of them are free. EduHam What better way to learn about the history of our nation than through one of the nation’s most popular musicals? “Hamilton” creator Lin- Manuel Miranda launched this learning platform in 2016 along with the show’s director and in partnership with The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.

EduHam is a free digital program for students and their families that provides history lessons on the Founding Era of the United States. It also brings art into the mix — Miranda shows students how to create their own performance pieces based on primary source documents, which they can then share in the app. The program is geared toward students in sixth through 12th grade, though everyone is welcome to participate. Fiveable For high school students, the most looming challenges include the SAT and Advanced Placement (AP) exams that are so important for college. Enter Fiveable, the amazing free resource that houses thousands of livestreams, study guides, trivia games, and other resources for 15 AP subjects. Started by a former teacher, Fiveable is passionate about giving students the resources they’ll need to be successful now and into the future.

With so many resources out there, students can use technology in plenty of ways to help them be successful. Here’s to a fall season full of learning!

HAPPY LABOR DAY TO OUR TEAM OF SUPERHEROES MEET THE EMERY LAW AVENGERS!

Lorie Fullerton Paralegal

Labor Day is coming up this month on Sept. 7. It’s a great excuse to celebrate our fantastic team, although Melissa says she hardly needs a holiday to remind her of everything we do. “My staff is absolutely amazing. Really, they’re incredible,” she says. “This past summer, my youngest son worked for us answering phones and filing stuff, and they were gracious enough to train him, which was no small feat. They’re superheroes!” For a bit of Labor Day fun, we took Melissa’s compliment a step further and asked the team to come up with their own superhero names and abilities. Here’s what they said!

I would be Wonder Woman, because I wonder where I put my keys, I wonder where my glasses are ... but seriously, even on days that seem to be the worst, I always manage to make it through. Libby Thorngate Administrative Assistant I would be The Mollifier! She’s called that because she appeases people who are stressed and/or upset. Kristen Hawthorne Paralegal I would be Rugalmas Madre — the “resilient mother,” who got that name because she never gives up.

All together, these folks would be quite the superhero team! It’s great to know that we have our very own Avengers taking care of things at the office.

Audra Seng Senior Paralegal

Do you have a secret superhero identity in mind? We’d love to know about your name and powers, so when you have a moment between fighting crimes, share them on our Facebook page at Facebook.com/ EmeryLawOffice.

I would be the Dark Chameleon! I’d have the ability to blend in anywhere I go, become invisible, be a master of disguise, and regrow any body part.

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BARKS FROM BELLA

Sharing Is Caring — Even for Pups!

AUDRA’S PEANUT BUTTER AND BANANA PUPPY BITES

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups old fashioned oats (NOT quick cooking)

Hey friends, did you forget about me? I haven’t talked to you in a few months, but oh boy, have I been busy. Melissa has been setting up these amazing things for me that she calls “play dates,” and I love them! I’ve been meeting so many new friends and learning cool things, too. Last month, a lady like Melissa came over, and she brought two new puppy friends for me to meet: Storm and Wolverine, who was just a little baby. We had so much fun running around the house together, and Wolfy told me that he has TWELVE brothers and sisters at home! Can you believe it? I’d love to go and visit them all some day. While my friends were over, Melissa taught me a new trick. It wasn’t like lay down, shake, or stay — it was a mind trick! It’s called “sharing.” See, my friends’ human, Audra, made these really delicious treats, and she brought them over for our play date. I could smell them right away, and my mouth was watering! I don’t think I could have wagged my tail harder if I tried. I really wanted one, but I knew they belonged to my friends. Then, an amazing thing happened: They gave me some anyway! Melissa called that sharing, and I’ve decided that I like sharing a lot. Once my friends shared their treats with me, I knew I had to share something back! Melissa had a great idea to give them some of my toys from my Bullymake Box, that magic toy box that sometimes appears full of fun things to play with. The rope toys are my favorite, so I didn’t want to share those, but I gave them some of those rubber toys Melissa hides treats in and a floppy Frisbee to play with. My friends loved them! It was awesome to see how excited they got. They were running all over, barking, and wagging their tails. I felt so good knowing that I’d made them happy. And because of the treats, I was happy too! Maybe it’s true that “sharing is caring,” like Melissa said. I can’t wait to show all of my other friends how it’s done!

• 1 banana

• 1/3 cup xylitol-free peanut butter

• 1 egg

• 2 tbsp flour (if needed for consistency)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. Add oats to food processor until they are almost a flour consistency. Mix remaining ingredients into the oats in the food processor until a dough forms.

3. Roll dough out and cut with cookie cutters.

4. Bake for 16–18 minutes. Allow to cool before giving treats to your puppy.

WE WANT YOU TO THINK OF US AS YOUR LAW FIRM. If you have a legal matter that needs attention, let us know. If we can’t handle the matter, we will refer you to a firm that can. Please feel free to refer us to your friends and family for their legal needs. We welcome the opportunity to help.

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INSIDE

MELISSA IS GOING TO BE A GRANDMA! 1

THE BEST EDUCATIONAL TOOLS TO HELP STUDENTS SUCCEED MEET THE EMERY LAW AVENGERS! 2 BELLA LEARNS A VALUABLE LIFE LESSON AUDRA’S PEANUT BUTTER AND BANANA PUPPY BITES 3

HOW 11 DAYS WERE DELETED FROM HISTORY 4

11 DAYS DELETED FROM HISTORY

HOW THE BRITISH CHANGED THEIR CALENDAR SYSTEM AND CAUSED CHAOS

For centuries, Europeans used the Julian calendar, created by Julius Caesar in 46 B.C. It was based on the solar calendar, so most of Europe thought it was the most accurate calendar. However, over the centuries, dates had “drifted,” and many important days, like Easter and the spring equinox, were no longer falling on the dates they were supposed to. To compensate, the new Gregorian calendar was developed and put to use by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582. It helped put things back in order and eliminated the extra day every 128 years. However, not everyone adopted the Gregorian calendar right away, such as the British. That meant that Europeans were using two diverging calendars for over 200 years. Talk about confusing! People realized that as the world started to expand and as countries became more connected, having a single calendar system was critical. Finally, the British chose the year 1752 to make the change. But, in order to make it work, they had to “jump” forward. For instance, 1751 could only be 10 months long — starting with March and ending with Dec. 31, 1751. But even that

adjustment didn’t quite bring the English up to speed in time to make the shift. They also had to cut 11 days from 1752. The unlucky dates that were cut were Sept. 2–14, 1752. The people were not happy. English historians found research that British citizens chanted “Give us our 11 days!” in the streets. The phrase became so popular that some politicians even campaigned with that as their slogan. Several other historical accounts state that many people were worried that by cutting the calendar, their own lives would be cut 11 days shorter. There was a lot of confusion and chaos, but over time, dates fell where they were supposed to, and everyone lived their full lives, those 11 days included.

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