just a little something...

my girl

Isn't Madeline adorable?

I guess I'm a little biased, but she's just the cutest thing ever. 

I'm going to be away at an oncology conference for the next four days, so Sam will be the lone parent for a little while. He's tough, though, so he can handle it. Plus, we have babysitters throwing themselves at us left and right, so he's got reinforcements if he needs them. Have I mentioned how grateful I am for all of our babysitters (family and non-family)? We are SO lucky. 

Oh, and by the way, Madeline finished pre-K today. She's ready to be a kindergartener! 

today

Today it didn't rain much at all, unlike each of the last ten days or so. The sun came out and we spent a good hour at the pool. The kids played with their Dad, Maddie swam up and down the length of the pool, I sunbathed, and then we ate sandwiches poolside. It was wonderful.

Today the kids took naps, and they took their naps without complaining or whining. Probably because the sun was out and they spent the morning playing in the pool.

Today I decided to try running again. 

Today my parents made a wonderful Memorial Day dinner on the grill - hamburgers, grilled sweet corn, and potatoes with rosemary and olive oil. The corn was such a hit that we all had seconds.

Today my children made s'mores with roasted marshmallows cooked to perfection by their grandaddy and their dad. Madeline had three in the time it took Oliver to eat one. They were a mess, and it was adorable to watch.

Today we had a fantastic Memorial Day.

what's for lunch

This year was the first year we were faced with the what-to-pack-for-Maddie's-lunch dilemma. Her school offers catered meals four days of the week, but we consider ourselves to be good parents and send her to school with a homemade lunch the majority of the days of the week. I say "good parents" with a teeny bit of sarcasm, of course.

You see, Sam is in charge of the school lunch. He does this because he's a much better lunch-packer than I am. I prefer to spend my mornings debating over which skirt shows panty-lines less, which blouse doesn't accentuate my fat rolls, or which shoes make my feet look smaller or my calves thinner. Sam is perfectly happy to throw on his scrubs and start making lunches. He's a sweetheart for doing this everyday.

My only criticism is that every lunch centers around half of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich as the main item. It was too easy to fall into this routine - Madeline is quite picky and won't eat other sandwiches. Well, she might, but we gave up after finding uneaten ham or turkey sandwiches in her lunch bag early on in the school year. So, PB&J it is. 

I read this article today, courtesy of Mark Bittman in his blog in the New York Times website. It's a fascinating look at what other countries do for school lunch. What I found amazing is the amount of money that other countries are willing to spend on school lunch, and how little the US feels should be spent on school lunches. 

I was actually looking forward to Madeline starting kindergarten at the public school this August. They provide a "healthy and nutritious" lunch for about $2.50 per day. Bargain-basement pricing. The food actually sounded pretty good, too, even for $2.50. We haven't decided whether to pack her lunch or let her get the school lunch. School lunch is cheaper, but should that really matter? 

don't you just love

the sight of a sleeping baby?

Especially when he's all curled up with his own upside-down babydoll? Mmm. Just want to kiss him all over.

si si oui oui

A few weeks ago, we found a notice in Madeline's backpack that her pre-k class was going to be holding a parent-child luncheon with an international theme. Parents were asked to sign up to bring finger foods from a particular country to tie in to the diversity theme that the class was learning about. This was the second lunch that we've been invited to during the school year. I wasn't able to make it to the first one because I was away at a conference, so I was determined to make it to this one. I rescheduled a clinic so that I could make it out in time for the lunch, and thankfully, I made it.

The class paraded out in front of the small classroom, crowded with mothers and fathers and grandparents, all with their digital cameras and handheld video cameras. There were easily three times as many adults as children there. Led by the music teacher, the kids sang several songs about different countries. It was adorable. Madeline was adorable. She did her best to ignore me while performing, but she couldn't help but sneak a glance periodically, giving me a little half-smile and then quickly looking away. 

After the performance, we tried a variety of finger foods from different countries -- samosas, empanadas, bruschetta, mini hotdogs (from the US of course), guacamole, sushi, and numerous things that I have no name for. It helps that Maddie's class is diverse. The food, mostly prepared by classroom moms, was wonderful. I tried a variety of things, but my picky eaters (Sam and Madeline) stuck with things they recognized. Oliver would have had sushi with me had he been there.

I'm so glad I went, and I only wish I had been able to attend the first of the parent-child lunches at her school. She moves to the public school in August, and I vow to attend as much of her classroom programs as I can. Maybe I'll even join the PTA. Or maybe not.

counting down

In exactly one week, I'll be getting packed for the annual oncology conference in Orlando. For the past two years, the conference has been in Chicago, and I had the opportunity to visit with my sister both times. It was wonderful to catch up with her in her own territory. This year I get Orlando. Hooray. 

In exactly four weeks, I'll be sitting at some winery in some small town in the Napa or Sonoma valley sipping on a glass of cabernet and eating cheese and crackers. This is all I can think about lately.

In almost two months, Oliver gets to start swim lessons. We're excited about this because the rules at our swim lesson facility state that he must be three to start. Luckily, we've recently gotten a little pull with the swim coach and he gets to start a few months early. It will be so nice to be able to take both kids at one time. 

In almost three months, Sam and I will be headed up to the mountains of northern Georgia with the kids for the George family reunion. Madeline should be a breeze to travel with since she's happy to watch hours and hours of movies on the DVD player. Riding with Oliver is another story, however. I'm just hoping he gets sucked into the world of Disney before we leave to head north.

In just over eight months, we're off to Maui - the first time either of us have been to Hawaii. It's for a conference, so I'll be tied up in meetings for a couple of days, but the rest of the time we get to play. I love crossing off travel destinations off my master to-do list. 

And, tomorrow I need to actually be productive at work. Hard to do when there's all this counting down going on.

he's a ham

break time

Hi. 

Yes, I'm still here. Just plowing through a busy week. This week has been a bit of a headache, filled with handing out lots of bad news to patients and getting behind on deadlines for various reasons. This is why it's been awfully quiet around here lately. 

But I'm still here. I've added a twitter feed in the side of the blog, so if you need proof that I still exist, check there. You'll see me update it occasionally.

I'm considering taking a little break from the blog, maybe a week or two. Or maybe not. I'm trying to get in the writing mode at work, and I'm hopeful it will carry over to this. But I'm not holding my breath. Keep checking periodically, like maybe next week sometime.

I'll be back.

oliver's milestone for today

Oliver wore underwear to preschool today and did not have a single accident. His preschool teachers have been asking us to send in some underwear and changes of clothes for him for the last couple of weeks. I've procrastinated, mostly out of laziness. His "panties," as he calls them, have his second favorite character on them - Elmo. I wish we'd been able to find Cookie Monster underwear, but no such luck. CM just doesn't have the following that Elmo has, but Oliver is a loyal fan.

julie/julia

Sam doesn't like to go to the movies anymore, so we never go. I can't even remember the last time - last year maybe? 

He WILL take me to see this one, though, or I might just...I don't know what. But we're seeing it. Definitely are.