Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Maternity Clothes

Well I'm 18 weeks along and I've got a little boy due on May 15th. A few weeks ago I broke down and pulled out all my maternity clothes. I am now moving quickly past the awkward stage where you need maternity pants but maternity shirts look ridiculous.
I am lucky enough to have a lot of maternity clothes from my pregnancy with Adeline as well as a few bags full from my sister in law. I got a lot of cute tops from her but she is shorter than me making her pants not usable.
So I went to a few places to look for a few additional pieces, namely cute pants. And I noticed a disturbing trend. At Kohls, JC Penny and Target, the maternity sections all are composed of no more than 4 racks of clothes. All four of these racks are crammed into a 10 square foot area in the back of the store. I (5'5" 123 pounds at 18 weeks pregnant) could not fit around the racks. Forget about looking at their less than stellar selection of black pants and floral print shirts. AKK!
What makes them think that they are going to sell anything that way?
Ho-hum. I guess it's Old Navy online for me.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Really kid?

Patient number 21 for the day today was a 14 year old with a cold....and an attitude.
So as I'm examining this snot filled snot, my stethoscope on his chest, he opens up and coughs phlegm all over my face. Not bothering at all to cover his cough or turn his head, just coughs all over me.
Now, I'm kind of used to this behavior from children under the age of, oh, say four but a 14 year old???? Come on.
His mother scolds him. "Patient 21*, don't cough all over her." *Name changed to save my my husband tracking him down and throttling him.
Patient 21 replies, "If she didn't want to be coughed on all the time she wouldn't have been a doctor."
Now back in the day I might have kicked this kid in the nuts (No, I don't regret that at all, creepy guy at Aerosmith concert if you are out there), or maybe I'd have made a comment about his pizza face acne resembling leprosy (OK, so I'm a little sorry about that one, kid from Chilean night club the night Pisco Sours were free for the ladies)
But I didn't I just moved around him and listened to his lungs, checked his ears and prescribed him something for his nasty sinusitis.
Why didn't I say anything? Because he's kind of right. I knew what I was signing up for when I went into pediatrics. It's why I don't mind wresting a kid to the floor to look in his ears, I don't flinch when someone else's two month old vomits on my sweater first thing in the morning. It's why I love to talk about poop and snot and even acne.
And lets face it, that kid ain't got nothin' my immune system hasn't seen ten times before.

Friday, November 5, 2010

Football According to...

Football According to my 2 year old daughter:

Daughter: "Mommy let's play football in the basement."
Me: "Sure sweetie let's play."
Daughter: "I'm the quarterback, I throw you the ball and then you run."
Me: "And then what?"
Daughter: "And then I tackle you. No touch-touch."
Me: "You mean no touchdown?"
Daughter "Yes."

Football According to my husband:

Husband: "Who are the Lions losing too this week."
Me: "Shut it and go knit something."

Thursday, November 4, 2010

10 Things I Wish My Patients (and their parents) Knew.

Warning: the following is not meant to diagnose or treat any ailment, nor has it been approved for sale within the United States.





10. Corn is not a vegetable. Neither are V8 Splashes.



9. Baby Einstein will rot your child's brain just as fast as sponge bob, it just starts at an earlier age. Don't fool yourself.



8. Chicken nuggets can be "all natural" and "100% white meat" but they are still chicken nuggets.



7. Yes your child can get 8 colds in a year. No green snot does not equal sinus infection.



6. When you come 20 minutes late to your 15 minute appointment you are being seen out of the goodness of somebodies heart.



5. The problems you are having getting your medication filled are the fault of your insurance company. It's not as if they tell us what they cover (even when they say they do).



4. Adolescent depression does exist and it is very serious. Don't take it personally if your kid is depressed. It's not your fault (most of the time) and it's not theirs.



3. I'm serious when I say that your 15 month old doesn't need that 4am bottle of formula.



2. If you don't buy it and bring it into your home, your child will not eat it. If they don't have a TV in their room they won't watch it.




1. I'm not here to break the news to your 8 year old that there is no Santa. Don't bring him in for that.

Monday, September 6, 2010

ADDICT

My husband regularly accuses me of being an addict. Sometimes it has to do with not being able to get off the treadmill but more often (especially these days) it has to do with books.

I
Love
Books

I love the smell of them, the feel of them, the way a spine cracks when you open it for the first time. I blame my parents. They always had a ton of books. The walls in the office, the loft and several bedrooms in their house were lined with shelves. Those shelves were lined with books. they've gotten rid of quite a few of the books and shelves but they still have a lot.

I see myself heading in the same direction. Yes I know there are libraries. TC has a very nice one with about any book you would want to read but it's not the same. For the same reason I don't see myself giving into the ebook revolution though I do support the idea of ebooks with great enthusiasm. It's also not the same.

As a consequence the UPS guy regularly drops an amazon box at our doorstep. Joel shakes his head and I add another book to my "too read" pile. The nice shelves Joel built in the basement for me are full and I'm starting to eye other potential shelf locations.

If that wasn't bad enough I've pulled my innocent daughter into the fray. I can't take her downtown without a trip into Horizons Books or a swing past the book department at Meijers.
At a garage sale recently I bought 12 books for her for a mere buck! It's not as if she insists on getting a book, but it really gets her excited and she LOVES, LOVES, LOVES, to read. Yesterday we read for about 3 hours total, not including her usual 4 bedtime books.


So here's what I'm reading now:





And here is Dela's current favorite:

Monday, August 16, 2010

Place In Life

Or Why Is The Med-Student Pimping Me???


OK, so I get that you're a third year student. I get that you are doing your reading and that you've acquired a lot of very useful (and a fair amount of not so useful) medical knowledge. But you don't have to prove it to me by asking me questions and then telling me "Good job" or "That's right" when I get them right. Its MY JOB to get them right....Incredibly annoying.

I don't usually pimp students. I do ask questions, reinforcing what we've seen or have them come up with differential diagnoses. I like to have them work through mini-cases which I think is way more helpful than asking pointless questions like "What kind of media does campylobacter grow on and at what temperature?" But this afternoon I think I'm gonna have to change the game....Watch out kid, here comes the pimp.

Monday, July 26, 2010

Balance

Not to long ago I had a mom asked me how I balance my home life and my work life. At first I was taken aback. After all, how did this woman know I had any kind of balance? And then I thought, how does anybody know if they have reached the right balance? Isn't life as a working mom more a a pendulum that swings constantly and erratically from one side of life to another?
It seems that one week I think that my family life is wonderful. I'm able to spend time with my daughter and husband, sit and relax at the beach with a little G&T watching every little change in my daughter happen right before my eyes. Those are the weeks where I forget about work. I don't read my journals, I get lax about my usual "Get there 15 minutes early" rule. I'm just not focused.
And then there are weeks where I'm on at work. I have my paperwork in perfect order. I've called every patient that has been haunting me back to check on them. My "to read" stack is gone but I come home and feel that I've missed something...
The funny part is that these feelings aren't related to the amount of time I spend doing each one. The time (with the exception of time on call) is the same. I feel my balance swings where my focus takes me. My pendulum is tied to my mind and not the time clock. I guess that it's good that I can shift back and forth, I just wish I didn't have to miss anything in between.

Monday, July 19, 2010

What Happened?

I just want to know...

What happened about 9 months ago that made people want to make so many babies that my census sheet is overflowing and my fingers are sore from using the gomco clamp? Don't get me wrong... I like the babies. Rounding on happy, healthy families is a great way to start the day but my goodness...

Here are my theories:

-H1N1 ("We're all gonna die. Let's make a baby.")

-The Recession ("No work to go to. Let's make a baby")

-The first snows of winter ("I don't have my snow tires on yet... Let's make a baby.")


What do you think?
-

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

First Harvest

Yes it's time for the first harvest of our spring efforts!
Earlier this week I picked some cilantro and basil from my herb garden and added them to a few favorite summer recipes for a delicious start to the "fresh food" season. I've posted the recipes below. The salsa is a pretty common recipe but one of my favorites none the less. My take on the Capri salad came out of necessity. (I didn't have any regular balsamic to use so I had to use the cinnamon pear balsamic from Folgarelli's. It sounds weird but Joel and I have been eating this stuff nearly daily and we can't get enough.)


Mango Salsa
-one semi firm mango
-one semi firm peach
-half a sweet red pepper
-quarter of a red onion
-a handful of the green part of green onions finely chopped
-a handful of fresh cilantro finely chopped
-juice of one lime
-a dash of salt

-cut the fruit into quarter inch chunks and the veggies even smaller, add the onions, salt and cilantro then stir in the lime juice
-chill for a few hours then serve (I like mine with a pepper lime chicken or just with tortilla chips)


Capri Salad
-fresh mozzarella chopped into half inch chunks ( 1-2 cups)
-equal amount of cherry tomatoes halved
-a few sprigs of basil finely chopped
-a splash of cinnamon pear balsamic

-stir and serve

I'd love to hear about your favorite to-dos with fresh herbs!

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Weed Be Gone

Nobody likes weeding. Right? Well I have to admit that even though I dread weeding I do find it incredibly satisfying. There's something about rescuing your pretty plants from your ugly ones that makes the dirt under your fingernails worth while.

This tool makes it even better and a lot easier.


My neighbor in Cleveland had one similar and I always coveted it. Then Joel got me one for Spring Gardening Day this year. It's so easy to use and so cheap that every gardener should have one.
All you have to is hold onto the weed and run the lip of the tool down the stalk of the weed along the root then lift up on the weed and they just pop right out. Even Dandelions that have evolved over millenia to drop their leaves at the slightest pressure leaving the root intact come gliding out from between your phlox with ease.
Happy gardening everyone!

Sunday, May 16, 2010

A Different Kind of Work

We all know I work outside the home. I love my job. It's a very rewarding job but I also very much enjoy my weekends off.

This weekend was not really a weekend off. This was the Mulder "Spring Planting Weekend." Recently expanded from the "Spring Planting Day" due to the amount of planting to be done. It was a very successful weekend and I feel very accomplished.

I feel as if I provided for my family in a different way this weekend. I have provided food for my family. Well, in a few months it will be food.

Take for example the tomatoes. With about ten dollars (seeds, peet pots and a handful of compost for each plant) I planted 44 tomato plants. Those tomato plants, on average, should yield 10-15 pounds each, which we will make into tomato sauce by the gallon, salsa by the jug and still have plenty fresh to eat on our burgers and roast for freezing.

And that's just the tomatoes. It doesn't include the peas, carrots, spinach, lettuce, beans, squash, pumpkins, zucchini, peppers, potatoes, asparagus, and corn. Not to mention the "experimental" broccoli, celery, fennel, tomatillos and black Japanese watermelon. They're experimental because we've never grown them before and we don't really know how to.

Then there's the herbs. With one packet of basil seeds I have more than 30 plants just growing along happily until they get turned into sauce.


On a more long term note the fruit plants I put in (blueberries, grapes, raspberries and cranberries) probably won't produce until Adeline starts grade school...


My point is that working with the earth, really getting on my hands and knees to nurse these little plants into organic, natural food for my family is incredibly rewarding. So despite the sunburn, the sand in my mouth and the blisters on my hands I feel like I had my most productive week(end) at work in a long time...

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Tic, Tic, Woosh

Or Major Cheese Failure

It started out as a failure. It really did. Doomed from the start. A simple cheese recipe I had used a dozen times. Probably the oldest cheese recipe known to man. (Boil milk, add lemon juice, drain) All I did was double it and use a different pot.

I could blame the failure on the pot or the nebulous law of doubling a recipe but I prefer to blame it on the stove. It's one of those flat top jiggers that is "easy to clean" and provides "even heat".

Whatever. They suck. Don't ever buy one. Oh how I miss the Tic-Tic-Woosh of a gas stove lighting. I miss not burning the bottoms of my pans and whatever settles to the bottom of my pots. Including my ill fated cheese.

The worst part is that getting a gas stove would involve not just pulling a gas line to the kitchen but also pulling one to the house. We have no gas. Don't get me wrong. I love that we don't have a gas bill, I just miss cooking with gas.

Maybe I'll start making cheese on the grill.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Something Had To Give

And this time it was my running.

About 5 months ago, in the dead of winter, when this spring was a distant dream, I signed up for a 10k on May 29th. At the time I was running 3-6 miles at a time, 3-4 times a week on the treadmill. I could have run the race then. But the race wasn't then. The race is 3 weeks from now. And I haven't run in a week and a half.

It's not that I've been lazy. Far from it. I've had a very productive spring. As has Joel. It's just that I've had to make a series of choices that seemed to leave running out of the picture. I can't say that I regret any of those choices. I just wish I didn't have to make them.

These choices have included:
1) Clearing out an area for and building a herb garden behind the house out of pavers and 4 square yards of dirt I hauled up the hill from the garden one wheelbarrow full at a time. I'll try to post some pics. It turned out very well. I can't wait to plant my herbs in it next week.

2) planting and caring for a garden's work of plants from seed.

3) planting, watering, mulching, training 6 seedless grape vines and 12 raspberry bushes. The blueberries, cranberries and fruit trees are yet to arrive. Thankfully.

4) doing all of the above for 100 asparagus plants not to mention the potatoes, garlic, onions, shallots and other tubers I haven't had a chance to get to yet. (Anyone want any asparagus?)

5) chickens. Nuf said

6) Hops yard. Joel admittedly did most of the work here but every hour he spent working, I spent watching Dela and not running. I've thought about a jogging stroller for us, but our area is way too hilly to both push it up the hills and control it on the way down.

7) Painting the living room, bathrooms and guest room.

8) just relaxing for a moment and enjoying my daughter and Joel when all of the above is done.


Now that I've listed all of that out, I do feel pretty accomplished. I just wish I would have saved myself the entry fee on that stupid race...

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Mommy Outsider

One of my fellow bloggers recently talked about the Mommy Mafia and how all of us moms are guilty of the practice in one way or another. I have often felt that besides the mommy mafia there is the mommy hierarchy. I don't rank very high up on said hierarchy.

On Wednesdays I like to take Adeline out and about. We go to the library for Wigglers. We go to the park or the indoor play area at the mall. It is kind of my chance to get to see how the other half lives. What I've found is that Adeline and I don't travel in the right circle. It seems that no matter when or where we go there is a group of women and their toddlers who are all about meeting you.... until you tell them that you work. All I have to say is "Wednesday is my day off so we like to get out" and the curtain comes down. It's a conversation ender and I don't know why. It's not what I do because we rarely make it to that point.

There are a few exceptions.
Every once in a while I'll meet a mom new to the area and we'll chat for a long time. Or I'll see a patient out and about with either their mom and dad and we'll talk. But there is a clique...

I rarely meet another working mom out on a Wednesday morning. They're usually the ones sitting alone watching their children play, like me. So this is who I try to strike up conversations with now.

I think I'm not going to worry about the other ladies for right now. That's what I thought right up until one of their sons yanked my daughter around by the collar of her shirt and pushed her down the slide. Action which was followed by less than effective discipline. (Yes a mommy mafia comment but the boy did turn right around and push his own brother down.) Now I think I might just find a new park.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Luckiest Girl Ever

I am sitting at the kitchen counter, writing on my laptop (a Christmas present from my husband) and watching said husband make two made to order pizzas from scratch. One Hawaiian, one red pepper and pepperoni. I am drinking Sangria and facebooking while he lovingly makes dinner. Our daughter is sleeping soundly and mini Friday is here.

I am the luckiest girl ever.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Thursday Hangover

OK So it's not that I booze it up on Wednesday nights. (Fire and Wine nights the exception.) It's that I have Wednesdays off. No rounds, no office hours, no long list of patients. It's my free day to spend with Joel and Adeline. It's the day that makes being a working mom bearable.
Yesterday for example I spent the whole day with Adeline. We ran errands and went to the book store, which she loves even more than the library because the kids section is bright and fun and accessible for kids. We came home and played outside for a long time. We blew bubbles. Adeline watered the patio. After nap we were back outside and then had a nice relaxing dinner as a family.
Wednesdays are wonderful. They are peaceful and calming and a perfect intermission to my work week.
Thursdays always come after Wednesdays like a slap in the face. Some days, like today, it feels like my first day back from maternity leave. I miss Adeline so. Even knowing that Joel is home with her only makes it a little better. I still feel a little guilty...
Yes I get two Saturdays a week (and a Sunday) but I also get two Mondays. If I were still working for "The Clinic" I would not have a day off in the work week and many moms don't at all. (Many mom's don't have to leave in the middle of the night on a moments notice and maybe not be back until the next evening either.)
Today I had to round to top it all off. Ugh. AND I'm the only doc in the office which means I'm tied here over lunch and maybe into the evening. I'm also on call again tonight as I cover for a partner who's on vacation.
But hey, tomorrow is Friday again.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Short Hair

I have never had short hair. Ever. I think the last time my hair was this short was the bubble gum incident of '84 but my parents are welcome to correct me if I'm wrong.
I'm not even sure why I cut it off. I think it was because at work I have to keep my hair out of my face or it drives me nuts. Plus I keep it up when I'm working outside or in the kitchen at home as when I'm running. So that about describes 95% of my life.


So I went to a nice salon downtown and I pointed to a picture in a book. I think it was this chic only I don't remember the cleavage:













The hair lady, Darlene, pulled out a razor blade. Yes she cut hair with a razor, and an hour later I had short hair.

So now....














I love it! I will admit that it's a little harder to get ready in the morning and I have resigned to using a little product but it's still pretty quick. Plus I thought running with short hair might be a bit annoying but it's not. I actually really like it. Oh and it turns out my hair is curly.
This picture isn't the best shot of it but you get the idea. My hair is now short and I have a hair lady. We'll see how long it lasts.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Is This Bad?

Time management is a constant struggle for any working parent and if you're like me you find yourself making choices that you wish you didn't have to make. They aren't always life or death decisions but more often challenges to your parenting ideals.

For instance:

Last night I really wanted to run and spend some time on another project I have going. The problem is there are only so many hours in the evening. Adeline goes to bed around 7:30 or 8 now so I would have to choose one or the other.
OR
Do one while Adeline was still awake thereby sacrificing precious together coloring and play dough time. (Joel was busy with other things)

So I chose to run while Adeline was awake. I sat her on the couch in the basement and turned on Dora while I ran 3 miles on the treadmill. The timing was perfect, just as the episode finished I was cooling down. But I feel bad doing this. Mainly because I abhor the idea of TV as a babysitter and it promotes my daughter sitting on her butt rather than playing. If I had just let her play while I ran she would have tried to climb onto the treadmill with me. Trust me, we've tried.

The question is: Does my physical activity set a good example for her? (She did sit on the exercise mat with me afterward joining me in my stretching and crunches.) Does that off set a half an hour or mind numbing cartoons? Or am I being selfish and promoting a bad habit for Adeline?