Well, that was a fast summer...Did August even happen, or nah?
I cannot believe I am the mom to a fourth grader and a kindergartener o_O Isabelle is SO PUMPED to be at the same school as her big bro. Nate is also loving being able to get Isabelle up to speed on all things at their now-shared school in true "know-it-all" fashion.
And Mama's work life is conducive to me being a part of all the awesome First Day/Week of School hustle... seriously, my heart = FULL.
The first few days of school this year were a success! Here is the photo dump to prove it:
Nate's first day was last Wednesday...
Isabelle's been photobombing him since 2013 hahaha
Wednesday, Isabelle had a her Kindergarten visit day and then her first official day was the next day, on Thursday...
Genius classroom scavenger hunt to help them find the classroom essentials before the first day!
If you follow me on Instagram, you probably saw my walk down First Day of School memory lane in my stories. Man, that chalkboard was money well spent!
We don't talk much about third grade - Mama's struggle year...LOL
Hope all you parents and students are having a great start to the school year!
There's a fine line.
I think that when I am doing too many things at once, I get to the point where none (or at least the majority) of what I am doing gets done well. AND I have crossed the border into multiple personality territory - not knowing what I did 10 minutes ago like some other person is doing things for me too; i.e. Jasmine doing tasks 1-4, Janine doing task 5-8, Jaqueshia doing tasks 8-10, you get my point...
This is definitely one of those times.
I couldn't even remember if I took my sinus medicine this morning - mind you, I had 5 minutes earlier. The past few weeks have been HARD to say the least. In fact, this week while I've been sick was probably the most difficult week during med school yet. All my body wanted me to do was crash, but I had to push on so I could take my ICM quiz and get ready for this weekend's Neuro exam (which I am still trying to scramble to do).
At first I was 100% school school school, but then I immediately felt mediocre in the wife, mother, and personal well-being department. It's almost impossible for me to slack on mommy duties because you can't expect a 2 year old to understand why you can't tuck him in, watch Dino Dan with him, or anything else he pleadingly asks... The Hubs has taken over most of the Natey duties (school pick up, dinner, bath time) except for the morning routine of getting him to school (he even gets him dressed sometimes which helps me tremendously). It sucks to admit, but by default the Hubby always is the one who receives the most neglect... Oh and my diet and workout routine was non-existent...WOMP.
So then I tried to go all out at home, and well, let me just say there never was a moment when I felt like I was on top of everything at school. Even my classmates with no family life like mine feel the same way. Last year was child's play compared to this in my opinion. This is definitely more like "the year of the fire hydrant" to me... There is just so much information coming at you all at once, and all you have is this paper cup to try and catch it all...Yikes. Having one of those moments were I feel like I am losing...:sigh:
I knew from day one this was going to be difficult. Last year, everything seemed to just come together for me, but now I feel like every day I am walking in unchartered territory. Even though I am not the first woman to take on so much responsibility it does feel that way right now. I'm just going to pray for the strength I need and have faith that God will carry me (and my Nates through this). If I learned anything this summer, it's how to exercise my faith.
Well, if you hadn't noticed from the lack of activity around here - even my "pre-fab" posts like "Wordless Wednesday" and "Grateful Friday" got no love - it's been tight over here folks....
Last week was exhausting to say the least. We had NO type of transitional period whatsoever. Aside from the traditional first day introductions, all of our classes dove right in - we even interviewed patients!
Here's what I did on my first day as an M2:
9AM: Introduction to Clinical Medicine (ICM) Lecture
10AM: Neuroscience Lecture
11AM: Lunch
12PM: Pathology Lecture
1-4PM: ICM Small Group at the Hospital
My boo Lauren and I on the way to the hospital
Lauren, Jakoda, and I on the first day - so official!
This was pretty much our schedule the whole week - aside from afternoons being flipped flopped for pathology lab. This week we start Genetics too.
I have noticed that although this is going to be a crazy hectic year, every class that we are taking now is clinically relevant to the everyday practice of medicine. Yes, Biochemistry and CMB are full of principles we need to be good clinicians, but this year it just seems so much more hands-on. For example, right now we are learning about Psychiatry in ICM, and on Friday, a patient with schizophrenia came in to speak with us and allowed us to do a mental status exam. SUPER interesting!
Natey did great with the new schedule. We have been getting up a lot earlier than needed (like around 6AM) because this upcoming week I have to be in class at 8AM, and wanted to get used to it ahead of time. I think a big part of why the mornings have been going well is because we decided to get Direct TV, and The Fresh Beat Band (one of Nate's absolute favs) comes on at 6:30. This is perfect timing, because he'll dance right out of bed for them :-D
Aside from being deliriously tired when I get home, I, of course, have a big case of "Mommy Guilt" because of how long he is at daycare compared to how long he is at home. I have to drop him off at daycare around 7:30 and I wasn't able to pick him up until 4. This week, I'll be staying at school after class for a bit, so his Dad will have to get him and that won't be until after 5 :-(
:sigh:
Well, I think overall it was a pretty good first week, and I know it's going to be a great year :-)
In the words of the Fresh Beats, "Here we go!" :-D
Every year, it hurts my heart to part with the large chunk of my refund check that goes into my textbooks.
Sure, they tell you that you don't have to purchase every book your teachers recommend, but for some classes you just can't get around it - I mean, unless you have no problem renewing a 2hr loan multiple times a day in the med library. Don't even get me started on trying to sell books back at the end of the year - sometimes getting less than half the price you paid. And if there is a new edition replacing it? Maybe $0.01 -_-
So I was soooo excited I to find out about the company CampusBookRentals.com! Here's why:
On their site you can search by title, author, keyword, or ISBN number to find your books for class, and you can RENT them for a summer, trimester, semester, or however long you want for a MUCH MUCH smaller fee (40-90% less) than cashing out on all your books.
You can write and/or highlight in them (a must for those active readers like myself).
You can buy the book if you change your mind at the end of your rental.
There is free shipping both ways.
Oh, and if the book is outdated, they'll still take it back!
#WINNING.
And if that wasn't enough to shout about, the company has hooked up with the international children's charity Operation Smile:
"Since 1982, Operation Smile — through the help of dedicated medical volunteers — has provided more than 2 million patient evaluations and over 200,000 free surgeries for children and young adults born with cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities.
As one of the most prominent children’s charities in the world and with a presence in over 60 countries, we are able to heal children’s smiles and bring hope for a better future."
As a part of their Difference Project, for every book you rent, Campus Book Rentals will give a portion of the proceeds to help fund these surgeries - committing to provide a minimum of 1000 surgeries for needy children!
That expression is totally a downer and doesn't apply many times, but in the case of spring break, it is true...
I am starting to get really sad about going back to school, but I am thankful for this break and the time that I got to spend with family...This weekend definitely rounded out a great week...
Friday, the little one and I went to the bounce gym for some running around in the AM. He had a blast...and I soon noticed that although it is for children, there were many parents in the play areas "chaperoning" their toddlers...so I too went down some slides, crawled through some tunnels, and ran around...all in the name of good chaperoning/parenting skills, of course :-)
Saturday my parents and grandaddy came down to hang out with us. While the Hubby put together an awesome swingset for the little one, my dad barbecued and my mom and I did some decorating around the house.
Today has been very chill. The parentals left around noon, and our little family unit spent the rest of the day together. This has been one of the best breaks I have had in a long time. Now, well technically after I watch the movie I rented, I am just trying to hype myself up for class tomorrow - physiology at 9AM to be exact.... More than ever, I am ready to hit the books for this last month and a half of class before my three months of summer vacation!
School started on Monday and so far it has been completely different from the first semester. Although I did have a quiz already, for the most part this is going to be so much better than the fall... I think I am going to start taking Yoga during my extra free time. All the lifting of my 40 pound, almost-two-year-old is taking a toll on my back. I tried a yoga video I picked up at target for the first time and I like it a lot! Afterward I felt so aligned and like I had better posture - which made my back feel much better too. I'm going to sign up for a Saturday class through school, they have a great student discount. Right now my mind is still on vacation and focused on other things, but I decided that on Monday I will start to take things a little more seriously ;-)
On Monday, I finally upgraded my computer game - thanks to student loans of course, but I am now on team MacBook, and so far I love it. I hoping that the ichat and working webcam I have now will help me with my "stay in touch with friends" resolution...
Speaking of resolutions, Pumpkin's New Year's resolutions are:
1. No bas (bottles) - so far he is only taking a couple at night with water only...
2. No more night time feedings (we have cut down on the milk A LOT, now he doesn't fuss as much and his belly is a lot less bloated too..."
3. Sleeping in the big boy bed
4. Potty training - even his teacher thinks that he is ready, time to whip out the pull ups!
Over break we were able to spend a lot of time together. He decided that he would start calling me "mommy" and I love it - even when he follows me around saying it over, and over, and over...Santa was very good to Pumpkin who essentially has three Christmas drop offs in Indianapolis, Long Beach, and Detroit :-) We just knew hokey pokey Elmo would be a hit, but he seems to like the tool sets and doctor gear the most - that's when he isn't reading or giving us his Justin Bieber "Baby Baby Oh!" performance (where he sings that phrase into his mic multiple times LOL)...need to get that on tape next
On the 29th, he turns 2!!!! I cannot believe it. He has made the past two years of my life so meaningful. I am so thankful that God has entrusted me with him. We aren't having a birthday party but I am trying to think of something fun we can do with him. I definitely want to take cake up to his school so we can have pictures with his friends...I need to get his birthday photo shoot taken care of too...I really don't have time for this back pain right now...ugh
Also, I found another awesome website for young moms - a young mommy blog is what inspired me to start my own. Meatball Kisses went public on January 1st and has hit the ground running! Pass the following link on to a young mommy that you think needs some encouragement! It's so exciting to meet/hear about other women following their dreams, DESPITE statistics and public opinion... Meatball Kisses
