The only problem with our first floor laundry room is that our first floor looks like this on laundry day. And unfortunately, laundry day often lasts more than one day around here.

This week

My blog has been a little slow lately because the rest of my life has not. I figure I'd better take a little time out to post anyway, or the few of you out there who read this will tire of me and go away. So here's a little of what's been happening around our household lately, in no particular order:

H's been going through a difficult sleep phase. She had been doing really well for quite a stretch (at least a couple weeks) where she was only getting up once a night. It seems, however, like it only takes a little to knock her off kilter - and it takes forever for her to recover. Last weekend she had 2 days in a row where she only got one nap instead of her usual two. That was followed by her coming down with a little cold. That all led to her sleeping terribly the rest of the week - we've been up multiple times each night. Ugh!

The kids had their first ever non-family-member babysitter at bedtime last Saturday. They survived it. So did I. So did the sitter. Perhaps B and I will start going out in the evening occasionally, now that we've proved it's possible.

We've been meaning to plant a tree in honor of H's birth for some time now. (She's only a year old - we're not that late). Today I finally went to the nursery to pick one out (Using a gift certificate that's 2 years old - you can tell I'm really on top of things). I thought something small and flowery would be appropriate for our little girl. The lady at the nursery talked me into a crabapple tree. It is really pretty. Normally, I'd hate to admit I'm planting a crabapple tree in honor of my daughter, but after the way she's been acting this week, I don't feel guilty about it at all.

Work has been very busy. I'm going into my seventh week straight where I've had patients in the hospital every day. (Not the same patients, fortunately). Usually there are some days where I've managed to get everyone home, but not lately. I got called in to see one of my fresh post-op patients tonight. Apparently she was cursing, throwing things at the nurses, and saying she was going to leave. (She just had major abdominal surgery this morning. Leaving would not be a good idea.) She had my full sympathy, because I've had days where I felt the same way. And lets see: I have 2 children, she has 4. I have a supportive hubby, she's single. She had major surgery today, I did not. She had gone all day without her Xanax and Paxil. Honey, I won't judge you. Just try not to actually hit the nurses, or they're not likely to respond very quickly next time you turn on your call light.

J's been having some issues with "brotherly love." He's just really, really not into having a sister lately. Today, about 40 minutes into her nap - did I mention how poorly she's been sleeping this week - he started crashing his legos loudly and said, "I didn't wake up H, did I?" Not with concern in his voice, but more of, "'cause if I didn't I'll try harder next time." Moments later, he decided to go the direct route. He walked down the hall, opened her door, flipped on the light, and walked back out. Of course she woke up. Quite unhappily. And we all paid for his sin the rest of the day.

So that's some of what's been going on around our house lately. Hopefully you've got it a little more together in yours!

I Wonder Why

I wonder why the lushest, greenest grass around our house grows in the flower beds (where we're constantly trying to get rid of it), not in the lawn (where we plant grass seed and fertilize).

If they can make baby shampoo "no more tears" why don't they just make all shampoo that way? I mean, do grownups really want tears if they get shampoo in their eyes?

I wonder why the poorer the neighborhood is, the higher the concentration of billboards advertising hard liquor. I think folks living in poverty have enough problems, without being targeted for marketing addictive substances. But that's just me.

I wonder why the most attractive toy to my son is always whatever toy is in his sister's hand.

I wonder why going out in public looking like a complete slob increases the liklihood that you'll run into someone you know.

I wonder why my computer sometimes seems to be too busy working on it's own thing to do what I'm asking it to do. "What are you doing in there? Pay attention to me!!"

I wonder if it's normal to talk to your computer.

I wonder why some people view their baby's cries as an attempt to manipulate them. Weren't they designed with that as pretty much their only option for communicating their needs? How would a baby politely wake you up to tell you he's wet, hungry and lonely?

I wonder why my kids sleep late on days I have to be up early, and rise before dawn on days I have no place to be.

Do you know?

School Teachers

I was a student of one kind or another for 26 years. May 7-11 is Teacher Appreciation Week. In honor of the occasion, I'd like to mention a few of the many teachers who've positively influenced my life:

1. Miss Gerard - The best 6th grade teacher ever! I can't honestly remember a lot of what I learned that year, but I do remember that she was always cheerful, enthusiastic, and really enjoyed being around us.
2. Mrs. Mungons - My Jr. High English teacher. I can still sing all of the subordinating conjunctions to the tune of "Deck the Halls". (Really useful, I know!)She was such a creative teacher, and a great role model as a woman. I understand she now has 9 children of her own - What a woman!
3. Miss Guthrie - I had her for Advanced Biology and Chemistry in high school. She was a major factor in my decision to go into medicine. She made science fun! We did such interesting experiments - like making "Ghostbuster ectoplasm" and making bronze-coated pennies.
4. Mrs. Compton - High School English. She was tough, but I learned a lot from her. (Don't judge her by my grammar and punctuation here!) She was also good for some memorable quotes in her Texas drawl: like, "There's a foul odor coming from our radiator," and "Be-uh-wulf." "I'm soh..." (Guess you had to be there.)
5. Mrs. Albright - My piano teacher/therapist. I spent at least 30 minutes a week with her for over 10 years. Those were some good times.
6. Dr. Coss - I had him for several college science classes. He's one of the most amazing science teachers ever. I mean, how many people could make invertebrate zoology stimulating to someone who despises most invertebrates? He was interesting and challenging and fair. Plus, his granting 1/4 points for partially correct answers on his multiple answer multiple choice questions fit nicely with my compulsive personality.
7. Dr. Barrett - I took every one of his Bible classes that I could once I discovered him. Even if it wasn't a subject I would normally been drawn to, I knew I'd get a lot out of it with him teaching.
8. Dr. Apelgren - He had a tremendous impact on my decision to become a surgeon. He really believed in me as a medical student. He has a ridiculous sense of fashion, however. I've never seen uglier ties. And I've never seen another professional wear fishing hats to work. Oh, well.
9. Dr. Hoshal - Nobody knows anatomy better!
10. Dr. Wolk - What he lacked in personality and patience, he made up for in teaching great surgical technique. (Well, almost made up for)
11. Dr. Pomerantz - There's no surgical disaster too great for him to get a patient through smoothly. When I'm faced with a mess, I always ask, "What would Richard Pomerantz do?"
12. Dr. Dreisbach - He led a medical mission trip to Armenia I was part of during college. I've never met a more compassionate, hard-working, faithful man. He was around 80 years old when he led that trip, and he could still outwork most of us. He would see 70-80 patients a day. I never saw him lose his patience or rush someone through.
13. Dr. Minnick - My pastor for several years during college. He's an unbelievably good Bible teacher. Few people can make a 60 minute sermon seem so short!

God bless you all, wherever you are!

Happy Spring

Here's one of my favorite diversions. Go, try it out. Maybe you'll be addicted too. Or at the least, you'll get to see a really sweet picture of my children with their Papa.
IMG 3023 Jigsaw Puzzle

13 Things I miss About my old Home Town

We're going back to DeKalb soon for a little visit. B's attending a conference near there, and the kids and I have decided to tag along. (Ok, the kids didn't decide, but I did.) We only lived there for 2 years, but they were a good 2 years, and we have lots of happy memories. Here are some of the things we miss:

13. My lighter work schedule.
12. No traffic - at least not in our town. (Getting out of state, that was a different story!) It took me 4 or 5 minutes to get to work, depending on whether I made the light. It was about half that to our church.
11. Our neighborhood. We had very friendly neighbors. We all knew each other and liked to chat when we were outside. It was also a great area for taking walks with a stroller.
10. That "small town" feel. It was fun to live in a place where everybody knew everybody, or at least knew someone you knew. We rarely went anywhere without running into someone we knew. It just felt cozy.
9. Our small group at Wellspring. This was by far the highlight of my entire church experience. (And I've had a lot of church experience in my life.) It was such an awesome thing to be a part of a group of people who cared for each other, encouraged one another, held each other accountable, served together, and just enjoyed being together.
8. The open year-round, drive through Dairy Queen. Every town needs one of those!
7. The drive through Starbucks.
6. Having a park right around the corner from our house. Jeffrey and I had lots of fun there.
5. The bike path right outside our back gate.
4. Our "dream house." We loved that house. I could probably list 13 things we miss just about the house!
3. The Hamiltons. They were the people we bought our house from, and they lived right across the street. They were great go-to people for information about most anything around town or about our house. And they were rearing their teenaged granddaughter - can you say babysitter, right across the street. So convenient! Sadly, Mr. Hamilton passed away last year.
2. Egg Haven - our favorite breakfast joint. We'll definitely be eating there during our trip back.
1. Rosati's Pizza. Large thin crust with mushrooms, onions, and extra sauce almost every Sunday night. Yum!

See you all soon!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Private Pain

The tragedy that occurred at Virginia Tech this week is overwhelming. It's hard to imagine the grief that one young man caused so many people. My heart breaks for all those who lost a child or a friend or a loved one. I know they're hurting terribly.

I can't help but also wonder about one who must be hurting as much as them all, but who hasn't received the outpouring of sympathy and support that the other victims and their families have received; One who also lost someone she loved, but no one else is grieving for: the mother of the shooter. He was a man whose actions were pure evil, unthinkable, inexcusable. But I doubt even they were enough to stop his mother's love. How sad to know that your child was so disturbed as to be capable of this crime. How sad to see his life ended like this. How sad to have the whole world talking about how awful a person your child was. Where does someone like that turn for support and comfort?

Mrs. Seung-Hui, may God give you the comfort and peace that only He can give. My heart goes out to you.