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Archives for February 2008

Feb 22, 2008

Next Week She’ll Be Starting Physics

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I was the ultimate geek in high school. While math and science are generally considered subjects where the boys excel, I was always near the top of the class. My senior year, I received the math award for highest math grade of the entire class over all four years. And science? Well, let’s just say that I loved chemistry equations, and I could work a genetics Punnet square faster than anyone.

Sure, I was teased for being a math/science nerd. I was looked at funny for knowing these subjects, because, well, I was just a girl. I also tutored several classmates through Biology and Chemistry, although I had trouble explaining the concepts – I didn’t study much, I just seemed to know the material.

Maybe that’s why I’m now going back to school for nursing: I enjoy science and medicine. (Math, sadly, is no longer a love of mine. I can do basic algebra without problems, but I’d rather never see calculus again.)

I’m hoping that my two girls will also toss gender stereotypes aside and know that science and math are important subjects for everyone – not just boys. These subjects provide a framework for logic and an understanding of how our world works. Actually, I find it upsetting that even science is getting a backseat to other subjects now as standardized tests put more emphasis on english, reading comprehension, and math. All important subjects, but science and the arts are also needed for a well-rounded education.

I think Cordy may have a knack for math and science already. She loves taking nature walks, enjoys learning about different animals, and has a way with numbers, patterns, and shapes that I don’t see in many kids her age. I’m happy to encourage her interests and find opportunities to teach her about science and math whenever I can.

And then there’s the issue of her new favorite book:

(Mommy’s college Chemistry book)

She found the book in the car one day and hasn’t put it down since then. She can now tell you about the periodic table, and how it shows us all of the stuff everything is made of.


I think it’s a good start.

** If you want to read more stories about encouraging science in kids, check out today’s PBN Blog Blast. The theme is “Bringing Science Back, Baby!” and if you contribute a post before midnight tonight you have the chance to win a $100 VISA gift card, courtesy of The Zula Patrol.

Filed Under: Cordy, memories, school ·


Feb 22, 2008

Haiku Friday: Gamer’s Paradise

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It took long enough
but then we received the call:
Wii would like to play


For the low cost of
two hundred forty-nine bucks
you can bowl with friends

Thanks to Aaron’s brother, we are now the proud owners of a Wii. Awesome game system, and perfect for parties. I can’t wait to try out more games.

To play along for Haiku Friday, follow these steps:

1. Write your own haiku on your blog. You can do one or many, all following a theme or just random. What’s a haiku, you ask? Click here.

2. Sign the Mister Linky below or at Jennifer’s blog with your name and the link to your haiku post (the specific post URL, not your generic blog URL). DON’T sign unless you have a haiku this week. If you need help with this, contact Jennifer or myself.

3. Pick up a Haiku Friday button to display on the post or in your sidebar by clicking the button at the top.

Filed Under: Haiku Fridays, pop culture ·


Feb 21, 2008

Exercise, Or How To Prove I No Longer Have The Knees Of A 21 Year Old

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I’ve talked about food so far for Hot by BlogHer, and now it’s time to move on to exercise.

But wait! This just in! I said I’d get a button, and here it is:

(extra special warm & fuzzy thanks to Mother Bumper for her design!)

If you’re participating with me, feel free to snag the button and display it proudly on your blog.

So, back to exercise…

I hate exercise. Actually, that’s not true. I usually feel great after a workout, but it’s that whole getting my butt off the couch and starting part that I don’t like so much. And with kids, school, work, housework, and hey, is Ellen on TV right now? getting in the way, finding time to get up and move isn’t so easy. But part of loving myself is taking better care of myself, and exercise is a must for a healthy body.

Since I’m getting zero use out of our gym membership (note to self: cancel membership), I’m going back to the Workout: Home Edition model, aka workout DVDs. Less embarrassment that way, too – I don’t need skinny fitness models watching me while I try to work on my self-esteem as well as my abs.

I’ve done workout videos in the past, and I remember how boring they are. The moves are lame, the routines dull, and I feel pretty stupid doing arm circles and leg lifts to cheesy 80’s pop. I want something exciting. Something fun. Something that will make me feel like I might be learning something along with getting a great workout.

The search through the sea of fitness videos was long and painful:

Jane Fonda and her thong leotard – no thanks.

If there’s one thing that a platform you step up and down on will never be, it’s cool. Sorry, truth hurts.

I tried Tae Bo in the 90’s, and didn’t look good doing it then. I doubt I’d do any better ten years later. I can live with the knowledge that I will never be a kickboxer.

Walking three miles while never leaving your living room – that’s the definition of fun, isn’t it? It’s like walking outdoors, without the scenery.

I finally decided I wanted a dance video. After all, it worked so well for Lotus, it had to work for me! Learning a dance would be exciting and fun not boring, and I’d convince my body to participate because we’re not working out, we’re dancing and having FUN! See the difference? There were so many choices: salsa dance, dancin’ to the oldies, cardio dance, ballet, tap, bellydance, African dance, urban dance, and even country line dancing workouts. Oh and this one, too:

Uhm, no. Not yet. Let me get to the self-esteem part of my life change before we tackle striptease, OK?

I thought about it some more, and settled on this:


I love Bollywood movies, and I’ve had a few lessons in basic bellydance, too. And it fit my requirements: dance! fun! something I’m interested in! The reviews all said things like “oh, this video is a lot of fun, although it wasn’t as strenuous as I hoped it would be.” Perfect! Just what a woman who is getting back into exercise needs. (And Lotus, it doesn’t require shoes, either.)

So yesterday, while Mira napped, and Cordy was at preschool, I pulled the DVD out of the Amazon box, unwrapped it and popped it in the player, ready to sweat and have FUN! Hemalayaa stressed that this wasn’t a workout – this was play! (Like every other workout instructor, she was just a little too excited about exercising, er, playing.)

The workout started out with some quick moves, but I managed to keep up. Shimmy, shimmy, shimmy, hip rock, etc. She didn’t give me much time to figure out each new move, but I can do this, I thought. And look, they all have their hair down – they must not expect to sweat much. Haha – I can be so naive sometimes.

That was just the warm up. Then the dance moves started coming fast and furious: turn in a circle, shoulders bouncing (how do they do that?), now step-step-point, hop three times on one leg to the left and then the right, knees in and out, arms alternating left then right – would you give me the chance to catch up you crazy Bollywood freak!?!? And her favorite saying: don’t forget to SMILE!

I tried to smile. I tried to look beautiful with my exotic moves, exuding confidence and sensuality while shimmying and bouncing. But in reality I looked more like I was having a seizure.

I wanted to look like this:

(ooooh, they’re so cool they can dance on a moving train!)

But looked more like a dancer who was rejected from this:

(Have you been high today?)

I made it through 2/3 of the torture before I couldn’t handle it anymore. My knees were killing me and I couldn’t catch my breath. I skipped ahead to the cool down, then collapsed on the floor with my water bottle.

The cat had no sympathy. He thought I looked like a dork, too.

I’m not defeated, though. Hemalayaa will not get the best of me, and I’ll be back for more humiliation play. But maybe I need to take things slower? Start with something more my speed?

Wait. Advanced may be too much. Better start with the beginner.

Those of you who are with me on this journey, how are you getting your body moving? Remember, carrying laundry up and down the stairs doesn’t count.

Filed Under: clearly insane, me me me · Tagged:


Feb 20, 2008

And Now A Shameless Post Of Nothing But Photos Of My Kid

By ·
Use the force, Mira

(holding daddy’s homemade lightsaber)
Couch nap

Top tooth


First tooth: 4 months old
Second tooth: 4 months, 1 week old
…and now third tooth: 8 months, 2 weeks – why so long between teeth?

Attack of the killer baby

So serious


It has recently occurred to me that Mira has yet to acquire a title, other than Mira (short for Miranda, for those who are new readers). Cordy was declared “Amazon Warrior Princess” long ago, and it still holds true. I’m wondering what title will be bestowed on Mira? “Eater of Worlds”? “World’s Most Serious Baby”? “Carpet Fuzz Connoisseur”?

Filed Under: Mira ·


Feb 19, 2008

Happy Endings Aren’t A Guarantee

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Working on the postpartum floor of a local hospital for nursing school isn’t quite the rainbows and sunshine you’d expect it to be. For every new mom who is thrilled to hold her baby, overcome with emotions at those first little sighs or those tiny fingernails, there seem to be an equal number of those who, for one reason or another, aren’t glad to be in their situation.

I’ve already seen a few moms who had no connection to their new babies. One mom, having just given birth to her ninth child, was completely uninterested in holding the baby, and asked us to keep her in the nursery as much as possible. She was already overwhelmed with the children she had at home, and said she wasn’t looking forward to the additional burden on her time. At the same time, she also would never think of adoption, and declined the doctor’s suggestion of having her tubes tied.

She told me she hoped for no more children, but added that it wasn’t up to her. I’m not sure what that mother-baby relationship has developed into now that they’re home, but I can only hope that the mom is getting some help to manage her workload.

The use of drugs while pregnant is alarming, too. One day we had a standoff between hospital security and a hostile mom. She and her baby had tested positive for cocaine, and the law here requires the baby to be taken into foster care until the mom can prove she’s drug-free. Unfortunately, social services didn’t try to have the baby taken out of her room first. Making up some excuse to have the baby in the nursery before giving her the news would have been a better plan.

So when they informed her that she wouldn’t be able to take her newborn daughter home, she placed herself between them and the bassinet and threatened to hurt anyone who tried to take her baby from her. I’m not sure how it ended, because it was still going on after my shift, but there was a lot of screaming and a lot of threats.

And then there are the women on the postpartum floor who have no babies to take home with them. Those who have lost their babies, left to recover with no bassinet in their room, slowly walking past the nursery with tears in their eyes. I can’t imagine how hard it is to be on a postpartum floor with no child of your own. I can only hold their hands when they cry and help them explore the deep well of grief they are trying to climb out of.

I’ll admit that I love my clinical this quarter, and I’m glad that I was placed at one of the “inner-city” hospitals. These daily occurrences of unwanted or unplanned babies, drug-addicted babies, and babies who didn’t get the chance to live give me a broader view of motherhood. I’m in no place to judge – I haven’t lived many of the struggles each of these women bring with them – but I do appreciate the stories they share with me. It makes the great debates like breast vs. bottle, cosleeping, organic foods, etc. seem somewhat inane in comparison.

(FYI, details of any patients were changed or merged together from more than one patient to protect their privacy and be compliant with HIPAA.)

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Filed Under: big issues, school ·