Why?
Posted: January 12, 2012 Filed under: family, parenting, the boys 2 Comments »
photo credit: http://www.sxc.hu/profile/doctor-a
I was checking email. Voicemail. After all, it was during work hours and, though I hadn’t stopped for lunch, I was feeling guilty for taking the half hour to attend to the boys’ dental needs.
I heard the dad say, “I have too much work to do.”
And then, the girl’s whisper stopped me in my tracks.
Why don’t you just tell them, “no?”
And then, without even looking up, he answered. His response was like a punch in the stomach. “I’m responsible for everything. You just don’t understand.”
And I think he was right. She didn’t. She sat, staring ahead. Holding back tears.
I am not going to sit here (while my kids want my attention) and say that I won’t ignore them, work too hard, take on too much.
I probably will.
But this will stick with me. And I’ll keep working on being more present and more available.
Small town doc.
Posted: January 9, 2012 Filed under: random 2 Comments »
Photo credit: http://www.sxc.hu/profile/iwanbeijes
My friend Lisa has been talking about how she wanted to be like a small town doctor since I’ve known her. I am so excited for her and for our community as she launches her new business:
I wanted to let everyone know that at the end of this month I will be happily going back to my career as a pediatrician. I have been searching and waiting for the opportunity that felt right for me. I am excited to have found that now. I am joining a friend of mine from high school named Zee Beams who is also a Pediatrician in Columbia and together we are hoping to create a unique practice with a small “hometown” feel. We plan on restoring the personal touch, which is too often lost, back into medicine. I will be doing my own scheduling and taking phone calls from patients directly, with no nurse triage system or answering service. I will be available by phone, text or email 24 hours a day for all of my patients, including evenings and weekends. I plan on doing home visits for newborns and others as needed. My office will be nearby on Cedar Lane, and I plan on doing all of my urgent care visits myself when at all possible. My hope is that with easy access to my office on weekends and in the evenings, I will be able to avoid visits by my families to urgent care clinics, emergency rooms, etc. I am excited to have a chance to practice medicine the way I have always wanted; please feel free to pass along my name and contact information to anyone you know who might be looking for a pediatrician.
Lisa Laborwit, M.D. can be reached at 410-905-1941 or via email.
If you’re in Howard County and looking for a pediatrician, you’ll love Lisa. She’s amazing.
Spread the word. I hope this is the beginning of a wonderful trend.
Independence is the goal, right?
Posted: January 6, 2012 Filed under: family, kids, parenting 3 Comments »
Photo credit: http://www.sxc.hu/profile/shilders
As parents, Andrew and my primary goals have been to raise our boys to be independent, free-thinking, productive, and happy. That has always been our dream.
Always.
But maybe I was hasty.
I’d like to revise my wish to independent, free-thinking, productive, and happy as long as they agree with me.
Having teenagers is harder than I thought it’d be.
Potato sack art.
Posted: January 6, 2012 Filed under: home Leave a comment »Many years ago, something was delivered here wrapped in an old potato sack. And for some reason, I saved the sack. I thought it had character. It’s been used as a table leaf protector, a drop cloth, and who knows what else.
But every time I saw it, I thought, “One day I’m going to do something with that.”
Fast forward to a really crappy yard sale. (I love yard sales!)
I bought a 28″ x 42″ piece of art for $.50. It was orange and brown owls on faded fabric. Seriously awful. But I thought the canvas stretchers were worth the price. I’d do something with it. Paint over the fabric and do something funky.
And I did paint over the owls. And though I stared at the newly prepared canvas and tried to envision something, nothing came to me. The fabric was too flimsy for painting – even with the new coating.
So it sat in the workshop gathering dust, spiderwebs, and stinkbugs.
Until this:
Notice the upholstery nails in the sides. $1.79 at the hardware store.
I really love it and I knew one day I’d be glad I held onto that potato sack.
No one has softer hair than I do.
Posted: January 4, 2012 Filed under: random Leave a comment »I know that headline might make me sound conceited. Okay, fine. It does make me sound conceited.
But I’m not. Conceited, that is.
Read on.
My hair is the longest it has been since about 1967.
I have to add that I’ve had shorter hair than I bet 99% of you have ever had.
But for most of my life, it’s been up and down – short, shoulder length, short. And somehow, I never really learned how to ‘do’ my hair. Well, not really, anyway. In fact, it was only last year that I learned how to blow out my hair and make it smooth.
And still, I have a pretty simple routine. I don’t buy extravagant product (though I did buy Moroccan Oil on the advice of Rebecca and loved it – though it’s pricey.)
Fast forward to 2011 – I became a BirchBox subscriber. I love getting the samples.
A few months back, they sent some hair care samples and I loved them. My favorite was an oil, kind of like the Moroccan Oil, that gets applied after washing. It made my hair so shiny! But, alas, I ran out.
So when I saw Moroccan Argan Oil Treatment in the store (reasonably priced, I might add), I bought it. Great substitute, I imagined.
Last night, I washed my hair as usual. But before blowdrying, I applied a quarter-sized (or more?) dollop of this great new product on my hair. It smelled divine!
As I dried my hair, I was horrified at the texture. It wasn’t exactly frizzy. More like straw. Yikes. Horrible.
So I used my trusty olive oil sheen spray to calm it down. (Did I mention that before? It is great for a quick smooth-down or shine-up. And before you tell me that I’m not the intended customer for the product, I do know that. But it’s 5 bucks a can that lasts a year or more and, anyway, who cares?)
But back to the point. (There was a point.)
I can’t read jack without my glasses. Seriously, nothing.
But after this unfortunate incident, I got my extra pair of readers out of the bathroom vanity drawer and read the container of Moroccan Argan Oil Treatment. Because, you know what? This product sucks and I might just call the toll-free number.
The directions read:
Scoop a small amount of Organix Moroccan Argan Oil Renewing Treatment into palm and evenly distribute with a wide tooth comb from your hair’s roots down to the ends. Leave Organix Moroccan Argan Oil Renewing Treatment in hair for 3-5 minutes. Product performance is enhanced by placing a shower cap over hair and wrapping cap with a hot, wet towel. Rinse with mild to cool water. For best results, use with other Organix Moroccan Argan Oil products.
So, I didn’t call customer service.
Instead, I vowed to try the product again. And to rinse it out this time.
And now, for a poetry break.
Posted: January 3, 2012 Filed under: boots Leave a comment »I got the most fun email the other day. From Martin at Anita Poems.
He said a lot of nice things and then “… wanted to ask you whether I could write a funny poem for you and your readers?”
Well, who could resist, right?
Wendy & Boots
She’s a data junkie,
and pretty cool nerd.
Conquers diverse boots,
made of anything but bird.Her entire life,
she’s been a huge fan.
Lace & buckle biker boots,
make her tougher than man.Let’s not forget,
she’s still into fashion.
Her new platform boots,
that’s just pure passion.She’ll study city folk,
wearing sweet cowboy boots.
Via social media,
She’ll find many recruits.Her custom Dehner,
were beautifully handmade.
She wasn’t concerned,
how much hubby actually paid.She’s creative through boots,
each pair tells a story.
With three wonderful sons,
she walked into glory.At the end of the day,
she loves her boots.
Returned her blog header,
to her passion and roots.
Thanks, Martin!
Everything okay?
Posted: January 2, 2012 Filed under: cooking, home, mood 3 Comments »
Someone recently asked me:
You sure are baking a lot and I know you. Is everything okay?
Yes. Everything is okay.
Thanks for asking.
I do bake to relax. And because I love the smell in the house.
It’s also a way for me to unplug and to just be. I need more just being.
It’s all good.
PS: The Lavash Crackers were delicious!
Slow down.
Posted: December 31, 2011 Filed under: mood, random 6 Comments »
I was driving behind this truck the other day. And while it may actually say “do not push,” it read to me as “do not rush” which actually seemed like a very odd message from the universe – made even more odd being delivered on a dump truck.
But not being one to look a cosmic message in the mouth or, frankly, to ignore truck wisdom, I took this as a sign.
To slow down.
Not to rush.
For me, this is quite a challenge and not my nature. But this weekend, I’ve taken a walk, read a book, and decorated cookies. Savoring every minute.
I am not making a resolution or anything crazy like that. But I will try to remember how good it feels and maybe it’ll remind me to do it more often.
Even great ideas can be improved.
Posted: December 30, 2011 Filed under: work Leave a comment »
These are the original Muppets. Well, actually they are the predecessors to the Muppets by Jim Henson and his wife for a local DC show years ago.
They’re awesome, right?
In looking at how the franchise has developed, deepened, and grown with time, it makes me think about business choices. About not being stagnant. Not resting on laurels.
Because every idea – no matter how good – needs to be reevaluated, tweaked, and improved to keep up with a changing business climate.
And that’s one of the things I’m working on as we move into 2012.
#justsaying
