Bagels, Books, and Black Holes

Today started far too early. The Pixie got up before the sun did (who knew the sun would sleep all day), but once I accepted being awake, I got to read the paper while playing airplane. Then, the Princess, the Pixie and myself headed off to get a morning bagel at Bodo's. I've always been disappointed that they don't have very fun bagels like blueberry or pumpkin, but they are by far the best bagel in town. Chewy in the middle and a nice crusty outer. Then a little browsing at the bookstore where I nabbed the hardback version of The Labyrinth for $8 less than the paperback version. Then we were off to the NRAO open house to see the telescopes and learn about constellations. The girls loved it. We even got to crawl into an inflatable planetarium and see the night sky.

Growing up we always spent a lot of time looking up at the night sky. I remember sitting in a field far from the DC lights watching the meteors. I also remember being freaked out by the bull frogs that wouldn't give us peace. I've always enjoyed astronomy. I took a class in high school (we actually had a planetarium in our school) and a class in college. I really look forward to the days that the girls can manage to keep their peepers open long enough to see the summer sky (it's just far too cold for me to haul them out in the winter when it get's dark early). I hope they had as much fun today as I did. I think they liked stamping their log the best, but I think they learned a little something, too.

Hello Sunshine

Since my last post, the weather has been rainy and cold and downright moody. Didn't help that since my last post school has been more painful than labor. Don't even get me started. So, I'm going to avoid the rant in my head and focus on some fun Princess stories.

Yesterday as I was dressing the Princess, I managed to get her shirt stuck on her head making it look like she was wearing a habit. She looked cute and I told her she looked like a nun. I immediately got a pouty girl pleading, "Don't call me names, mommy". I had to laugh because she thought 'nun' was a mean word. To her credit, there's no reason she should know what a nun is; we aren't religious and I have not gone over the religious basics with her yet. Reminder to self: do this before Kindergarten starts.

The Princess is also an incredible picky eater. Last night at 8:30 she crept down the stairs asking to be tucked in and saw that I was making myself dinner. Asking for a "midnight snack", I told her she was welcome to try some roasted red peppers or lettuce if she was hungry. To my great surprise she ate them both. I doubt she'll do it again in the near future, but it was nice to see her try something new. (Granted the amount of pepper consumed was smaller than the head of an eraser, but it still counts).

The Pixie is in a huge puzzle phase. We have a stack of about 12 and she will spend an hour doing them over and over and over again. This is really helping her speech. I can now add "choo choo train" to the list of "recognizable" words. Every little bit helps.

Just What I Needed

After a much stressful Friday, I got to unwind with some tasty Purple Haze (raspberry wheat beer purchased by the glorious Prince), the company of great friends, and a luxurious dip in the hot tub. The rest of the weekend seems to have followed suit. With clinicals over for the semester, there was time to make scrumptious grilled veggie sandwiches and to take a stroll to the oh-so-convenient town center yesterday. This morning I had time to read the whole paper, the little ladies and I played puzzles and playdough and the best part....the Princess voluntarily decided her room and the play room needed a cleaning while the Pixie helped me unload dishes. It's a little drizzly out, but that's not going to stop us from going on our 6 mile walk for the March of Dimes this afternoon. Fresh air and exercise. That's my idea of a perfect weekend.

I Am Not A Groupie

For some reason, nursing school insists on having a 10+ page paper and a group presentation for every class. Is that really necessary? I don't really feel like I'm getting as much out of it as I'm putting into it. And while I realize that my future career requires team effort, I can't say that a group project is really teaching me how to work as a team. It's really just showing me that certain professional approaches will always be oil and water and that if you want something done you have to do it yourself. Just needing to blow off some steam.

A little shout out to my big sister....Happy Birthday! Take a bubble bath, you deserve it!

Oh, the Difference A Day (Or Two) Makes

The sun is shining, I went to the gym this morning, the Princess got a clean bill of health from the NP, and I even have a little time left to run errands before I pick up the little ladies. Life is good.

Potpourri

I am short on time and have heaps of homework to catch up on. Here is a hodge podge of thoughts.

An old coworker of mine was murdered on Saturday. Our interaction was only work-related, but she impressed me as a very sweet and thoughtful girl. Senseless, sensless violence.

Lessons learned from a life lost too soon: Our time here is brief. Don't keep putting everything off until you get older, richer, or have more time. You will end up too old with a lot of money, but no memories.

I got to visit the cardiac cath lab today for school. What a great environment. It was clean and smelled good and the teamwork was incredible. It was refreshing to see a different side of nursing and I liked it...a lot. That was the last bit of my clinical for this semester. WOO HOO!

The Princess is recovered from pneumonia. The Pixie still has a really chunky cough, but as a small sign of improvement, she is sleeping better. The Prince has come down with the nasty virus himself and is just miserable. Hopefully he will feel better by week's end.

I, myself, am exhausted. I am already fantasizing about a bubble bath and cozy comforters. Just 7 hours until I get to take a little break for myself.

Virus Anyone?

The Princess is finally on the upswing from her pneumonia. To balance the health, the Pixie has a sinus infection, and the Prince feels like he's swallowing razor blades. Little kids may have a tough time sharing toys, but they have no trouble sharing colds. So generous.

This weekend is my last clinical until summer session....woo hoo!!! I've actually had a really good experience. Many of my cardiac patients have had a history of congenital heart anomalies. It's definitely made things more interesting for me.

I've noticed the time stamp on my posts is way off. You better believe I am not posting at 5AM.

What's In a Name?

So, in reading other blogs, I find everyone has unique ways of referring to their significant others on such a public forum. Nicknames or initials or full names...decisions, decisions. My girls both have the same first initial "A". No, we didn't plan it that way, but it would get confusing if I didn't clarify (Big A or Little A). So I won't go that route. I could use full names. Their names are not so unique that using them would help creepy men track them down. I could use their middle names, but they rhyme and are names I've already given to their baby dolls (and, YES, we were aware that they rhymed, and NO, we didn't do it on purpose). But, in keeping with the culture of internet anonymity, I will use nicknames. I will refer to the little ladies as "The Princess" and "The Pixie". My husband shall get the honor of "The Prince".

The Princess is almost 5. Her designation is not without thought. She is selective in her food choices, despises getting messy, has hair that is straight and neat, and is generous with her affection. The Pixie is 2 and, while she's equally cuddly as the Princess, her approach to life is much zestier. The messier food, the tastier. Her hair is uncontrollably curly. And, while she is short on words, she is big at getting her point across. The Prince is the best. He is science fiction, I am scientist. He likes his office dark and dungeony, I like things bright and sunny. He is a storyteller, I am painfully brief. But we have the same approach to marriage and parenting. We love watching movies and pick apart television. We love each other for our quirks and keep each other sane.

All of this jibber jabber to say the Princess has bacterial pneumonia. The Pixie has had an equally lingering cough and congestion. She will get the once over from the NP this afternoon. Wish us luck.

Am I Missing Something?

Please, not all at once. I readily admit, my mind has been gone for some time. I actually found myself with spare time today. Took in a viewing of an all-time favorite Ever After while convalescing on the couch. This was suppose to be the week from hell and I found two hours to mindlessly veg in front of the television?! I suppose my plans to work ahead over spring break a few weeks ago finally paid off. I have only to print off my paper and do a last minute review of my presentations and I'm set. I don't want to jinx myself, I'm not as sick as I could be and the little munchkins are stealthy about sneaking in illness when you least suspect it. At any rate, I'll be thankful that I got to squeeze in a refreshingly unexpected mental health day. And an episode of Biggest Loser to top it all off. Beat that!

Feel Like Hell

Between the viral cess pool of daycare and the bountiful bacteria at the hospital, I'm not sure who to thank for my latest head cold. Ironically, the last time I had to present for school, I had a virus that lead to a barely audible, lounge-singerish Kerri. I'm sure my classmates will get a kick out of a repeat performance.

Prepare for Hell

On a positive note, my clinical today wasn't half bad. I don't see myself in adult health, but the cardiac patients are really quite pleasant. Bonus: the husband always has dinner waiting when I get home. He's the best!

Finals will be a breeze compared to my upcoming class week. Thursday I have 2 papers, 2 presentations, and 1 exam. On the upside, the two papers are done, one presentation is good to go, that just leaves a little studying, usual homework and one presentation to go.

But first, I'm going to take tomorrow off and hang out with my little girls and not feel a bit of guilt. You only live once and when I die, no one will care if I got an 'A' or a 'B' in a nursing class.

No She Di'nt

Well, despite all my ambivalence, and ultimately, avoidance of studying...I did manage to get an A on my pharm exam. Whew. I can't say that I recommend this approach, but it works for me. The semster is winding to an end; I can actually see the end in site!

To add a little icing to the cake, birthday season is upon my little family. My four year old is almost 5, she already has 2 other birthday parties on the calendar, not including my own. Party it up yo.

Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda

I should be studying.
I could turn off the movie I'm watching.
I wouldn't go that far.

A Brief Introduction

Well, I've had others tell me they are surprised I don't already have a blog. I'm not really a writer and don't think I have any epic insights to impart. So, I'm just going to type and see what come from my fingers. I am also slack about capitalizing, so I have no doubt the novelty of using caps for the sake of a public forum will wear off before too long.

I am a mother of two little ladies. I am a nursing student. It's only the 2nd semester, but I lean heavily towards NICU. No offense to the adult majority, but I much prefer my patients fresh and tiny. I have a rockin' husband that helps me juggle it all and pulls me out of the trees when life gets crazy.

I am going to sign off already because I have a tv show paused and would like to unwind a bit before bed. Hopefully this wasn't so painful that I won't try again tomorrow...and hopefully it's not so painful that you won't tune in again when you've got the time.