Fun Time at the Jenks Food Truck Festival
Categories: Lilly en Oklahoma Vlog
This Past Week Wasn’t Weak At All
Exploring downtown Tulsa and supporting the YMCA
This past week has been such a fun week. Please reach out to me and let me know how you are doing and what you are up to. I honestly want to know. And if I can help in any way. I was in radio for the past 16 years here in Tulsa, and one of the most gratifying aspects…
You Have a Story to Tell: Jason Reynolds on Writing, Race and Respectful Parenting
A group of Tulsa students in in-school suspension convinced Jason Reynolds to write “Miles Morales Spider-Man.” At the time, Reynolds was on the fence about whether to take on the project. However, once he explained that the protagonist would be a Black Spider-Man, the students’ enthusiasm helped him realize the kind of impact this book could have. “These young men,…
May the Fourth Be With You: Star Wars Day Treats and Ideas
I can’t believe I haven’t written a blog post about this! I made some Star Wars Day treats a couple years ago, but can’t find a record of sharing them here. It’s always nice to have something extra to look forward to, so even if you’re not an extreme Star Wars fan, why not celebrate May the 4th? I’ll start…
What Opportunities Does Oklahoma Have for Severe Profound Kids After High School?
Que oportunidades Oklahoma ofrece a kids con daño severo profundo después de la prepa?
Categories: Lilly en Oklahoma Vlog
What Month Is It?
Snow in April, the Derek Chauvin verdict and Tulsa Creek Cleanup 2021
Is there some new “Fall Back” thing that I’m not aware of? As in, fall all the way back to February?? I woke up this morning to snow falling! And a freeze warning. And Saturday it’s supposed to be 70 degrees. I love all four seasons but not in the same week. It honestly put a smile on my face…
Virtual Trivia Night and a Shark Encounter with Oklahoma Aquarium
I recently got an email about a Virtual Trivia Night hosted by Oklahoma Aquarium. The cost was just $5, so I thought, why not? I haven’t done virtual trivia before, and it surpassed my expectations. There were a few technical difficulties at the beginning. Soon, however, everything was figured out, and we were ready for trivia! Long story short, I…
Kick Off Con Season with Tulkon
We all have things we missed the most during The Plague Year, from grandparent hangouts to white elephant Christmas parties. But for those of us who love little more than donning a lovingly put-together cosplay and heading out to a con, the absence of genre conventions was one of the most painful sacrifices of 2020. Now that we’re all old…
Our Morning Routine
Categories: Lilly en Oklahoma Vlog
Waffles and Mochi
Have you watched “Waffles and Mochi” on Netflix? This new show for kids, hosted by Michelle Obama, introduces young viewers to staple foods like eggs, mushrooms and salt. At the same time, it incorporates important life lessons through the adventures of puppet protagonists Waffles and Mochi. For example, in the episode about pickles, not only do Waffles and Mochi learn…
“A Round Of Shots On Me!”
Looking forward to my second COVID vaccine and interviewing the Tulsa Health Department
Tulsa-Rocks.com Before I get into my topic for today, the COVID vaccine, I wanted to share that website with you. It’s my new adventure. I just launched it last week. Yes, on April Fools Day. But it’s no joke. It’s something I’d always wanted to do. On my website, I’ll be posting all things that make Tulsa Rock! And there are many. More than I can…
Limpiando las jardineras para esta primavera
Cleaning up the flower bed for Spring.
Categories: Lilly en Oklahoma Vlog
High Prescription Eye Care is a Privilege Many Can’t Afford
” care access is an issue of equality, and people with high myopia and other significant eye care conditions need expanded coverage to experience the same quality of life as other individuals with access to basic eye care treatment.” I can’t tell you how grateful I am that none of my three kids require glasses at this point, not because…
Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’!
Looking on the bright side of things
“Oh, what a beautiful mornin, Oh, what a beautiful day….” A timeless lyric from Rogers and Hammerstein’s 1955 classic film: “Oklahoma!” Not to mention a must-watch movie/play if you’re going to call yourself an Oklahoman. That’s how I’ve been feeling lately, and I hope you are too. With all the stresses of this on-going pandemic and sluggish economy, even the fact…
Jason Reynolds, Cool Uncle!
Winner of Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers’ Literature wants kids to have big lives, fortify imaginations
Jason Reynolds is Zarrow Young Readers’ honoree. Photo credit: James J. ReddingtonEvery year, the Tulsa City-County Library honors an outstanding writer for young readers and crowns him or her the winner of the Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers’ Literature. The bonus is a big public celebration the first week in May, when the author talks directly to young…
All-in-Good-Fun April Fool’s Day Foods
A parent crowdsourced ideas for April Fool’s Day foods in a Facebook group, and I thought – I have to remember this! Growing up, we always greeted April Fool’s Day with rag pancakes (small pieces of rags camouflaged in the middle of pancake batter). Salted apple juice was another classic. And of course, on the non-food side, short-sheeted bedsheets. Apparently,…
Visitando Tulum durante Spring Break
Visiting Tulum during Spring Break
Categories: Lilly en Oklahoma Vlog
Dismantling Racism: A Toolkit for Parents
In August 2020, Quraysh Ali Lansana, a poet and professor at OSU-Tulsa, joined TulsaKids Magazine for a weekly Facebook Live series designed to help parents understand systemic racism and how to address it with their children. OSU-Tulsa, Tri City Collective and TulsaKids Magazine rebooted the Dismantling Racism series in October 2020 as a monthly series, which ran through March 2021….
“From the Limitations of Now”:
New Philbrook exhibition opens March 14, 2021
Philbrook’s newest exhibition, “From the Limitations of Now,” “reflects on the important ways art and literature allow us to examine America’s past and picture a future in which, in the words of renowned Oklahoma author Ralph Ellison, ‘we are able to free ourselves from the limitations of today.’” This powerful exhibition will be open March 14-September 5, 2021. Overlapping, of…
National Women’s History Month:
With a focus on the Lobeck Taylor Family Foundation
First, thank you to TulsaKids editor Betty Casey for the shout-out on page 10 of this month’s magazine. I have been a devout reader of TKM since my first child was born 11 years ago. It’s a must-read publication for anyone in our area who has children or takes care of children or even is in sales. Yes, sales. I…
Annual Birthday Post: Joss Turns Six!
An overview of the past year
Joss is turning six – six! – on March 15. Last year, I was all ready to do a big class party with all of his friends. It was, after all, our last chance before he moved on from preschool. And then came COVID. I waffled for a few days on whether or not to cancel the party, and then…
Gathering Place: USA Today’s 2021 Best City Park in America
Now we transition from February, Black History Month, to March, National Women’s History Month. In 1980 President Jimmy Carter designated March 2 – 8 as National Women’s History Week. Then, in 1987, Congress declared the entire month in perpetuity to honor the extraordinary achievements of women in America. Please reach out to me and let me know how you and…
Make Memories at the Library
When I was 10 years old, I entered a Daughter’s of the American Revolution (DAR) essay contest. I must have heard about it at school because no one in my family would qualify to be a member of the DAR. The only reason I remember entering the contest is that my dad, who was a professor at Oklahoma State University,…
London Calling:
Nine things to do when you can't travel to Britain
Lately, I’ve been finding solace in dreaming of future British vacations. Obviously, I won’t be traveling to Britain any time soon because COVID. But even so – time, money, all the usual suspects are keeping me stateside. That doesn’t mean I can’t dream, though! And maybe do a little vicarious living. So if you, too, are hearing London calling but…
Spaghetti on the Wall
About This Blog
Tara Rittler is the web & social media editor at TulsaKids Magazine. The name "Spaghetti on the Wall" is meant to reflect Tara's approach to life, parenting, and this blog: a kind of "see what sticks and try not to stress out" mentality. "Spaghetti on the Wall" will chronicle the adventures of raising her son, with an emphasis on baking, crafting and exploring Tulsa.
Follow Tara on Instagram: @peppermint_squeak
