Survivor: ESSDACK Style

Just Desserts Logo courtesy Lori Fast

It was a harrowing experience. (OK, it really wasn’t so bad.)

Three unknown thugs  stormed my home. (OK, they weren’t really unknown – it was Jaime, Jerry, and Jake, and they aren’t really thugs – just a little weird, and they really didn’t storm my home – I knew they were coming.)

The three nefarious henchmen, completely destroyed everything in sight.  They scattered things everywhere until I wanted to scream.  (OK, they weren’t really nefarious – see above, and they didn’t really destroy stuff but they sure did bring a lot of junk with them….lights, camera, etc…and they did climb on things and scatter it about.)

The next thing I knew, these goons had me tied to a chair in my own kitchen, blinded me with lights so I couldn’t identify them later , and made me look into their camera and tape my own ransom plea.  (OK, as we have already established they weren’t goons, and I wasn’t really tied  to the chair, and it wasn’t so much a ransom plea as  it was a podcast!)

Despite all the drama, I  survived the first taping, on location in my home, of a new podcast for parents called “Just Desserts”. The podcast is part of a greater project for ESSDACK called “My Kids Turn.”  Our hope is to reach out to parents and offer them ideas to use with their kids.

I liken it to a session of the television show Survivor because that is how I see myself in this instance.  I Survived!!!!!! I was extremely  nervous after experiencing a practice taping  in the studio at ESSDACK.  I hated being up in front of my colleagues and the camera.  Talk about dry mouth, jangling nerves, and a churning stomach.  The days leading up to the actual shoot weren’t much better.  To say I was dreading being caught on tape is an understatement.

But somehow, when the day finally dawned, things just came together.  Being in my own home helped relax me, Jaime was easy to work with on camera, and Jake and Jerry put me at ease working behind the scenes.  We were able to tape seven episodes involving  math games for parents to play over the dinner table with their kids. The best part is they didn’t vote me off the ESSDACK island! (Yet!)

Check out “Just Desserts” and let me know what you think.  I  am always looking for ideas to share with parents so if you have suggestions, please let me know.

All in all, it was a pretty great experience and I shouldn’t have gotten so worked up over the whole thing.  I hope to keep that in mind the next time I have to tape.   Just “sum”thing  for me to think about!