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Jun 18, 2012

A New Milestone – My Favorite Number

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Last weekend I went clothes shopping with one of my best friends. Our husbands think it’s hilarious when we go shopping for clothing, only because we’re two of the most non-girly women they know. (OK, I’m actually really girly at blog conferences, but that’s about it.) I like going with her because we’re both sensible enough to know when something isn’t right for the other person, and crazy enough to force each other to step out of our comfort zones to try new things. It’s always a lot of fun.

While we were browsing the jeans, I grabbed a pair of Lee capris to try on, and then noticed they were only a size 8. “Ah, what the hell, I’ll give them a try and see just how far away I am,” I said. Lately I’ve worn a size 10 in Lee jeans, but in the past few weeks I’ve felt one pair feeling awfully baggy. It was my oldest pair of capris, so I assumed the pants had been worn out and must have become overstretched from too much use. Still…I had that nagging curiosity of wondering how close I was to size 8.

I took the pants, along with several others, to the dressing room. As I took the size 8’s off the hanger, I wasn’t sure they’d fit. They looked so small.

I put both feet in and pulled them up. I had to wiggle the waistband over my hips – this isn’t a surprise because Lee is great at making the waist small enough to not gap while still providing enough room in the hips. I buttoned the waist and pulled up the zipper. And then stood in shock, looking in the dressing room mirror.

“Oh my god, they fit!” I exclaimed.

“And they look good, too,” my friend added.

She was right – not only did they fit, they weren’t too tight or too loose. Perfect.

Yes, I bought them. Of all the pants and shorts I tried on, these size 8 capris fit better than anything else.

And today? I’m wearing a size 8. Woo-hoo! Eight has always been my favorite number, and now I have a new reason to love it even more.

As for my weight? Currently holding at 160. Two pounds away from goal, and holding stubbornly. The two pounds will eventually disappear, I have no doubt. For now I’m just happy with all of the progress.

Filed Under: success ·


Jun 14, 2012

Reason #84 Why I’m Glad We Got A Dog

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The one thing I dislike the most about living in the suburbs in a planned neighborhood is the number of door-to-door salesmen we get on a regular basis. It was far worse when the homes were still being built, as salesmen preyed on young families with the money to buy new homes, knowing they would likely be needing all of the things they were selling to outfit those new homes.

It’s not quite as frequent now but they’re still regular visitors, unaware that the neighborhood’s number of empty homes and neglected yards are a clear signal of families struggling to get by with no money for their door-to-door goods.

But the worst of the worst are the carpet cleaning salesmen. You know them – they go by several company names – all offering to give you a “free carpet cleaning” and then try to sell you their outrageously expensive vacuum cleaners. Of course, once you let them inside your house, it takes an act of God or a threat to call police to get them to leave if you won’t buy a vacuum.

So last night, right after dinner, there was a knock at the door. As with every visitor to our doorstep, Cosmo immediately went into sentry dog mode and gave a few low woofs as he took his position in front of the door. I saw the casually dressed unknown couple at the door, and couldn’t tell if they might be neighbors, religious folks trying to convert us to their church, or salespeople.

Aaron went to the door and opened it. The man immediately launched into his script:

Salesman: “Why hello there! How are — is that a pit bull?”

Cosmo was right at the door, his head between Aaron and the outside and he was trying to push his way further towards the couple. The man was clearly startled by our dog.

Normally, Aaron is quick to point out that Cosmo is a mixed breed, even if he is part pit bull. Detecting the scent of salesmen, however, he decided to go with the guy’s assumption.

Aaron: “Yep, he’s a pit bull. Although he’s generally friendly.”

The man inched back a little as Cosmo tried to get to him – only a little because his female partner was directly behind him – but tried to continue on.

Salesman: “We’re with XYZ Company, have you heard of us?”

Aaron: “No, sorry, I haven’t.”

Salesman: “Really? Wow, I’m surprised you’ve never heard of XYZ Company! Well, your family was selected to receive this from us (carefully handing Aaron a bottle of some kind of cleaning solution) and we’d also like to offer you a free carpet cleaning today!”

Prior to this I had been trying to call Cosmo to come back further into the living room, away from the door. Once I saw him hand Aaron a “free” bottle of cleaning solution and offer the carpet cleaning, I stopped any efforts and muttered under my breath, “oh no, no, no.” Go be annoying, Cosmo.

Aaron: “Sorry, we don’t have time right now. We’re just getting ready to put our kids to bed.”

From my spot in the living room, I sighed. Aaron went with the classic “we’re busy right now” excuse, which works well for some salespeople, but for the vacuum people only presents as an opportunity to offer to come back later. Rookie move on his part, but I can’t blame him – he hasn’t turned away as many as I have. I would have gone with “we’re replacing our carpets soon with wood, so no thanks” or “we have two kids, cats and a dog, so there’s really no point in trying to keep it clean” or even the basic “not interested, thanks” response.

However, Cosmo was reacting to the man’s enthusiasm by trying his best to get out the door to get to him. Enthusiasm to Cosmo = play with the dog! To the man at the door, I’m sure Cosmo being held by the collar as he shook with excitement and fought to get out the door to greet this new person = dog wants to eat me!

At this point Cosmo nearly escaped out the door and was whining in frustration at not being allowed to greet the people on our doorstep. And that’s when the magic happened.

Aaron: (pulling Cosmo back in as he lunged at the salespeople – to lick them) “Cosmo, get back in here! Sorry, he gets really excited around new people. He’s not a mean pit bull.”

Salesman: “Yeah, wow he’s big.”

Aaron: “Yeah, he’s over 80 pounds now, still just a puppy.”

Salesman: “Oh, uh, ok. Well, thanks for your time. And I’ll need to take that back, too.” He took the “free” cleaning solution from Aaron, turned around, and left. I had to laugh that he actually took the free gift back from us after handing it to Aaron.

I’ve NEVER seen a carpet-cleaning salesperson so quick to give up a sale, and can only assume Cosmo scared them off. To a stranger, I guess he is a scary looking dog. He’s big, full of energy, and loves people. He’d rather lick you than bite you, but his enthusiasm can be interpreted as threatening. (To be fair, he’s also a good protector and will probably growl if he thinks you’re up to no good.)

When our house was broken into years ago, the police detective who worked with us said the best alarm system we could get was a dog. Turns out, a dog is also perfect for turning away door-to-door salesmen.

Good dog, Cosmo.

Just doin’ my job.
Filed Under: Cosmo, daily life ·


Jun 12, 2012

Summer Camp Is Here and We’re All Happy About It

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Yesterday marked the beginning of eight weeks of peace and quiet in my house, also known as summer camp. Yes, I’m working from home, but I think we can all agree that I will get more accomplished, and the girls will have a lot more fun if they’re not with me all day.

They’re attending the same camp they went to last year. It’s expensive, but it’s worth every penny for how happy both kids are to be there and for the caring staff who understand that every child is unique and celebrate what makes each kid special.

Two years ago, when we were considering summer camps for Cordy, we looked at a few that catered to special needs children, but I felt they were too much like daycare and not challenging enough to keep Cordy’s mind stimulated. Aaron and I both felt that if we could put Cordy in a situation that (gently) pushed and challenged her, she’d rise to the occasion and grow from it.

This summer camp is based on a Montessori philosophy and places a strong emphasis on learning while having fun. When Cordy attended the first year, I was worried that she would be too much for them to handle and she’d be asked to leave. Instead, they adored her and quickly adapted to her. Everyone had a great time and that summer we saw her ability to socialize with other kids grow, along with a greater tolerance of her sensory aversions.

Last year Cordy was old enough to join the next group of kids, an older group of kids. I was uncertain if they would be as tolerant of her differences as the younger kids, or if the greater sense of responsibility expected from this age group would be more than Cordy could keep up with. Amazingly, she did great. Other kids talked to her and played with her, and her teachers found her to be charming. (Ha, where have I heard that before?)

So yesterday we packed up all of the first day of camp supplies and climbed into the car. Cordy was already anxious that no one would remember her because she cut her hair since last year. I assured her that someone would probably remember her, and that her hair is not the only thing people notice. (Mira, of course, had no anxiety and was secretly plotting how to quickly take command of her entire class.)

When we arrived, Cordy nervously stepped out of the car, glancing towards the sign-in table. One of the camp staff immediately saw her, waved and shouted, “Cordy! Hi! It’s great to see you again!” Cordy’s face suddenly glowed with the big smile on her face as she ran over to say hello and tell her all about how she was scared no one would know her because of her haircut.

Before we could finish signing them in, both kids had waved goodbye without even looking and ran for the playground.

And when I picked them up yesterday afternoon, both groaned that it was already time to leave. Cordy even had other kids helping her hide from me so she wouldn’t have to leave. (Seeing other kids playing with her was enough for me to play along for a few minutes.) Their teachers – same ones from last year – expressed how happy they were to see the girls again, and of course how much they’ve grown in a year.

Today they were just as excited to go back to summer camp. And I’m thrilled to see them both so happy and active for the summer. I’m hopeful that it’ll be a great summer for all of us.

Filed Under: Cordy, daily life, memories, Mira · Tagged:


Jun 7, 2012

Locals: Meet the New Nationwide Children’s Hospital

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I’ve been lucky that my two children have been fairly healthy kids. They’ve had a few non-routine visits to the doctor, and even a couple of urgent care visits, but our visits to Nationwide Children’s Hospital have been rare. We’ve been to the emergency room twice – both times at the request of their doctor – and we’ve been to the dentistry clinic twice and the speech clinic several times.

Our children’s hospital is an older building (my mother worked there in the mid 70’s and it hasn’t changed that much), and for years it was painfully obvious that the building was too small for everything they needed. So a few years ago construction began on a new building, a hospital that would be state-of-the-art and provide them with everything needed to serve the children in our area, both in medical care and in making the hospital as non-scary as possible.

I was invited to be one of the first to tour the new hospital last weekend, and of course I jumped at the chance. As a nurse, I wanted to get behind the scenes and see what was new at this hospital, and as a parent I wanted to know what my family could expect should we ever need to visit in the future.

We’ve watched this building slowly going up for years. It’s just to the southeast of the downtown skyline, and my original thought was wow, it looks like it’s all windows! Turns out, it is mostly windows, but – as I’ll show you in a bit – it provides some gorgeous views of the city and allows all of the natural light to make the building feel as warm and bright as a hospital can.

Walking into the welcome area from the underground parking garage, I was struck by how pretty it was. Lots of little touches (designed by a group that plans designs for children’s museums) are all over the place to go with the nature theme, including several wooden animal sculptures throughout the hospital.

There are color-coded stripes on the floor to guide you to where you might need to go, along with animal footprints for little ones to look for. Touch screen directories on the walls (like giant iPads) provide additional information on the hospital and can help you find what you’re looking for.

The emergency room waiting area now has a giant fish tank in it. While the light wasn’t on when we were there, it was still fun to watch the fish swimming around. The triage area is larger, and triage rooms all have doors on them for privacy. (And in our case, security – I remember Cordy trying to escape under the curtain the one time we brought her to the hospital.) The rooms in the ER are divided into three areas, handling less serious issues (ear infections, small injuries etc.), more urgent problems (like asthma attacks, concussions, larger injuries), and then the trauma area.

All patient elevators require a keycard to access them. If a child is admitted, parents are given a keycard to activate the elevators, and their keycard is coded to only open for their child’s floor. This provides greater security for the patients, ensuring only the people who are supposed to be there have access to them.

Each floor has a playroom for the patients to use, equipped with games and toys as well as a sink and a dishwasher to sanitize toys.

The playrooms also have large windows with a spectacular view.

The patient rooms were designed to be as child-friendly and welcoming as possible. The curtains are rainbow-striped. The bathroom has child-sized equipment. Behind each patient bed is an LED artwork – the child can control which color to set it on, or have it cycle through all of the colors. We were told that at night if all of the art installations are on and the blinds are open, the building glows in color. 

Each room is also painted with magnetic paint, allowing kids to pin up photos, drawings, or cards from friends and family to make their stay a little more relaxing. For the staff, built-in monitors, a computer and med scanner in each room, and drawers stocked exactly the same way in every room ensure patient safety and reduce the risks for errors and cross-contamination.

Back down in the welcome area, there’s a siblings club where siblings of sick kids can come to play, with staff who are trained to help kids deal with the stress of having a brother or sister in the hospital while still helping them have fun. There’s also the magic forest, a gorgeous area filled with trees that kids can touch and play around. Nature sounds fill the area, making you feel like you’re outside and not in a hospital. It’s very soothing.

The lower level is where the cafeteria is located, along with an outdoor dining area if the weather is nice. I love that each item on the menu lists the nutritional breakdown as well as any allergens in the food. You also won’t find any regular soda here – the entire hospital is a sugar-free beverage zone, meaning you can’t find a drink with added sugar in the cafeteria or the vending machines. It’s a nice reminder to not drink your calories.
 
Finally, for the tech-minded, there’s even a free app you can download to help prepare for a trip to the hospital.  The myChildren’s app provides a map of the hospital, hours for each part of the hospital, a list of doctors and close-to-home clinics, tips on what to bring, and more.

Overall, the new Nationwide Children’s Hospital is beautiful, with lots of attention to detail to reduce the anxiety level of children who need to be there. While I always hope that my daughters never need to come to the hospital, the design of the new hospital makes me feel safe that, if a visit was needed, they would have as positive an experience as possible.

Nationwide Children’s Hospital will be having a Community Day on Sunday, June 10, from 11am to 4pm where the public can come out for a behind-the-scenes tour of the hospital (much like the tour I received) as well as educational stations for the kids, family activities and more. It’s a great chance to introduce your children to the hospital in a fun, friendly setting.

Full disclosure: I was part of a group of bloggers who were invited to tour the hospital. Lunch was provided for us as we spoke with doctors from the hospital after the tour. No monetary compensation was received and all opinions expressed here are my own.

Filed Under: local fun ·


Jun 5, 2012

Did I Mention How Much I Dislike Uncertainty?

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So remember how I said Aaron was being laid off at the end of May? Yeah, that. Well, he’s not quite laid off yet. He didn’t work on Friday, but yesterday was back in the office. Confused? Me too.

Seems that one of the vice presidents of the company reaching his boiling point at having his ideas ignored while the owner continued to mismanage everything, so he quit. With his leaving, the owner decided he wouldn’t re-hire for that position, leaving more money in the budget from the lack of one salary. Another VP then saw an opening and begged to have his team back together in some way. So their only human relations employee – also the receptionist – was brought back from part-time to full-time again, and Aaron found himself putting his unemployment application on hold.

He’ll only be working 25 hours a week at the moment, hourly now instead of salaried. But the bonus is they are allowing us to keep our health insurance. The premiums will eat up a large chunk of his part-time pay, but we’re not looking at this stay-of-execution as a long-term plan, so we’ll keep cutting back and make due with what we have. There’s a chance they’ll bring him back to full-time if they are awarded a new contract for a job, but either way Aaron has lost any trust in the company owner and plans to continue job hunting as if he was unemployed.

There was one snag, however. Aaron was supposed to be paid on the last day of May, like everyone else in the company. An email sent out late the night before informed everyone that a few payments from vendors were late, and as a result they had to make the choice to delay the pay for a few people. Aaron was one of them, of course. Never mind that we had bills to pay, or that at the time we were expecting this to be his last paycheck and needed that money. As of today, he still hasn’t be paid for the last half of May. Good thing I didn’t schedule any bills to be paid yet. Grrr.

Thankfully I still have my job, and we’re busier than ever. Last week truly was a blur to me. I was going full-steam for so long that by Saturday night I felt lost without something to do. This week is the same, and I’m working on perfecting my ability to keep as many balls in the air as possible. I’m still dropping a few, but I’m doing my best to pick them right back up and keep going. It’s fun and works well with my ADD nature – I never have to stay focused on one thing for long.

I’ve also had some great local opportunities in the past week. On Wednesday I shared a delicious lunch and even better conversation with Chef Dan, the head chef for McDonald’s, and on Saturday I had the opportunity to be one of the first of the public to tour our new Nationwide Children’s Hospital. More on those soon.

My goal for this week is just to get through it. Summer camp doesn’t begin until next week, so Cordy is home with me each day. Yesterday she gave me a math quiz on fractions using Draw with Stars on the iPad while I worked. Today she says she has a spelling test planned for me. I hope I pass.

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Filed Under: Aaron, Cordy, money, the J-O-B ·