Tanner got a 33 on the MCAT! And we are excited and thrilled beyond belief. The highest he got on any practice test was a 31, and most of the practice tests have sections that he had already seen before in his prep class, so the scores are inflated. He was shooting for a 30 at best for this time around and was pretty much planning on taking the test again (especially since he's not applying til next year). To make it worse, he said the actual test seemed way harder to him that the practice tests had been and that one section in particular was ridiculous and he didn't think he did well on that portion at all. But apparently he did and now he doesn't need to retake it because he got a 33! It feels so good to know that all of his hard work paid off. He was miserable studying for this thing and taking all of the incredibly hard pre-med science classes. Chemistry is not his thing. But now he doesn't have to retake it! And we will get into medical school and have a future and he won't have to wait tables forever! Yay! Having so much of your future ride on one test is streeeesful let me tell you. I'm sure a lot of you can sympathize. So. . .if you feel so inclined, you should shower Tanner with complimentary/congratulatory texts, emails, and facebook messages. He deserves it. I'm so proud!
Monday, July 30, 2012
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Hair
I dare you to grow your hair out really really long. Like almost too long. Like everyone thinks that you must have extensions long. Long enough that it gets in your way and you sometimes accidentally sit on it. Long enough that when you ask for a trim and what they actually do is cut off 4 inches--it's barely a setback and no one can tell. Long enough that it's heavy. And you kind of look like a hippie. And you can put it in a really high ponytail and still have it reach most of the way down your back. Long enough that you look really cool with giant sunglasses and bandannas wrapped around your head. And no one is ever going to know if you accidentally forget to cut the pricetag off of your new shirt. Long enough that it takes years of commitment and heat protectant spray to get you there. And if you want to dye it yourself at home it'll take you 3 or 4 boxes. That's what I'm going for here people. I was well on my way 2 years ago but lost sight of the goal. This is the goal.
Ok, the last one is obviously a joke--one of the first things that comes up if you google image "really long hair." Gross. Not that long.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Learning Parenting Lessons
Part two of two
Naked baby is happier than clothed baby. Always.
Binkies are like bobby pins. It doesn't matter if you have a pack of 3 or 300, you with loose all of them until you have one left and you will keep that one forever because you can't afford to loose it--the consequences of getting caught without one are too terrible.
Just because your baby was an angel and slept amazing for the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th months of their lives, doesn't mean that you have somehow accidentally stumbled upon the secret to parenthood and that everyone who is up all night with their babies is just missing some special touch that you seem to possess. You may have an unpleasant shocker coming for you month 5.
Bananas 4 days in a row will make your baby constipated. Which they may fail to mention on the THIRTY + websites you consulted on how/when/what to start your baby on solid foods as they happily ramble away about other less important facts and tips. The nurse at your pediatricians office (and your mother) may laugh at you for not knowing this (and that rice cereal and apples are the other 2 things that cause this unfortunate condition and that oh--those happen to be the other 2 most common things suggested as offering your baby as their 1st foods, again, with no warning attached) and tell you to feed your baby prunes and/or pear juice to help. But the nurse at your pediatricians office has probably never tried to feed a baby prunes before (after approximately 2 hours of repeated efforts and one full laundry hamper later, exactly zero of that food made it to any place that it might do any good). And you may have not given your baby a bottle in about 2 months (oops) so she doesn't really take those any more apparently, so the pear juice isn't happening. Moral of this story is don't feed your baby bananas (or apples or rice cereal) 4 days in a row. Call it a rookie mistake, but I'm blaming it on the internet.
Crumpled up pieces of paper make a remarkably entertaining toy for a 5 month old. Sometimes they are better toys than actual toys. So don't throw away all those random free parenting magazines they keep sending you. But don't let her get a hold of the program in church, because they happen to be loud distracting toys.
Constantly nagging your husband to pull out the video camera will definitely pay off with some adorable videos. And you may even get 6 straight minutes of footage of her making that high pitched, not quite a scream, not quite a laugh, I like to call it more like shrieks of joy sound.
When parking at the grocery store, you don't park in the closest spot like you have for your entire driving career. You park in the spot right next to the cart return thing. This way you can put your baby in the car while you unload your groceries and put the cart away. Thank you Emily for this genius tip. Ever tried to pick up and transport a watermelon while you have a baby attached to your front in a sling? Not happening.
For the next many years of my life, leaving the house will not be a simple grab my phones, keys, credit card, and (if I'm embarking on a very complicated series of errands) a purse. Leaving the house now is a whole diaper-bag bonanza. This has been accepted and gotten over.
Naked baby is happier than clothed baby. Always.
Binkies are like bobby pins. It doesn't matter if you have a pack of 3 or 300, you with loose all of them until you have one left and you will keep that one forever because you can't afford to loose it--the consequences of getting caught without one are too terrible.
Just because your baby was an angel and slept amazing for the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th months of their lives, doesn't mean that you have somehow accidentally stumbled upon the secret to parenthood and that everyone who is up all night with their babies is just missing some special touch that you seem to possess. You may have an unpleasant shocker coming for you month 5.
Bananas 4 days in a row will make your baby constipated. Which they may fail to mention on the THIRTY + websites you consulted on how/when/what to start your baby on solid foods as they happily ramble away about other less important facts and tips. The nurse at your pediatricians office (and your mother) may laugh at you for not knowing this (and that rice cereal and apples are the other 2 things that cause this unfortunate condition and that oh--those happen to be the other 2 most common things suggested as offering your baby as their 1st foods, again, with no warning attached) and tell you to feed your baby prunes and/or pear juice to help. But the nurse at your pediatricians office has probably never tried to feed a baby prunes before (after approximately 2 hours of repeated efforts and one full laundry hamper later, exactly zero of that food made it to any place that it might do any good). And you may have not given your baby a bottle in about 2 months (oops) so she doesn't really take those any more apparently, so the pear juice isn't happening. Moral of this story is don't feed your baby bananas (or apples or rice cereal) 4 days in a row. Call it a rookie mistake, but I'm blaming it on the internet.
Crumpled up pieces of paper make a remarkably entertaining toy for a 5 month old. Sometimes they are better toys than actual toys. So don't throw away all those random free parenting magazines they keep sending you. But don't let her get a hold of the program in church, because they happen to be loud distracting toys.
Constantly nagging your husband to pull out the video camera will definitely pay off with some adorable videos. And you may even get 6 straight minutes of footage of her making that high pitched, not quite a scream, not quite a laugh, I like to call it more like shrieks of joy sound.
When parking at the grocery store, you don't park in the closest spot like you have for your entire driving career. You park in the spot right next to the cart return thing. This way you can put your baby in the car while you unload your groceries and put the cart away. Thank you Emily for this genius tip. Ever tried to pick up and transport a watermelon while you have a baby attached to your front in a sling? Not happening.
For the next many years of my life, leaving the house will not be a simple grab my phones, keys, credit card, and (if I'm embarking on a very complicated series of errands) a purse. Leaving the house now is a whole diaper-bag bonanza. This has been accepted and gotten over.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
The Stella Sisters
I am not much of a youtube junkie, but I love these videos. I'm pretty sure these two sisters are 7 and 11, and they already each have far more talent than I've managed to acquire with my 23 years. The first video just plain cracks me up and makes me really happy, and the second one is straight up cool. And too boot they have really cool names that destine them to be famous someday--I bring you Lennon and Maisy Stella.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Indoor Guilt
I've realized lately that sometimes I feel guilty for completely ridiculous things. One of these is being inside. Especially, but not limited to, the summertime. It's one of those "shoulds." Like what I should be doing on a summer day is enjoying the great outdoors. Basking in the sunshine, climbing a mountain, being with the trees, eating something straight off a tree (or, you know, a vine, a bush, etc.), laying in the grass, swimming in natural waters, playing at a park, getting a little dirty. Eating every meal on a patio or a picnic table, and reading only in hammocks, not on couches. You know, summer things. I actually secretly wish I lived in a glorified treehouse like the Swiss family Robinson and never was inside and never had to where shoes . . . but I'll not get into that. So if, instead, I work for 6 hours sitting at a computer and then spend the rest of the day inside with my baby cleaning, feeding, cooking, reading, watching a little t.v., whatever it is I do with my day, and never go outside--I. feel. guilty. Unnatural. Like some kind of hermit person who was given the gift of a beautiful day and wasted it away. Now, I'm not actually a hermit person. I do go outside. I logged 50 miles on my bike last week (well on my way to my goal)! I take Camryn on walks, I take care of my plants, I run errands, I go places, but I feel like it's not enough. Rarely, rarely do I get one of those true summertime days where nature and I spend the whole day together (Curse my family and Tanner's for planning our only summer vacations directly back to back at the end of August). And those are the only days when I feel like my soul is whole, I'm doing this human being thing right, and that guilt isn't sitting at the back of my brain asking "why are you indoors?" I think that's why I loved being in Maui, and in Huntington Beach, because I felt like I was outside all the time. Even when I wasn't, the temperature is always perfect enough to have all the doors and windows wide open. And there is nothing like toes in the sand and a good long stare at the ocean to alleviate indoor guilt.
One problem is, it's HOT! Really hot. The I-kind-of-don't-want-to-go-outside-today-at-all hot. But I kind of feel like a bad person for staying inside all day. (Is anyone else experiencing 7 peaks pass of all passes envy?) Is this normal?? Is this some kind of weird anxiety I made up and need to let go, or do I in reality need to be outside more?
One problem is, it's HOT! Really hot. The I-kind-of-don't-want-to-go-outside-today-at-all hot. But I kind of feel like a bad person for staying inside all day. (Is anyone else experiencing 7 peaks pass of all passes envy?) Is this normal?? Is this some kind of weird anxiety I made up and need to let go, or do I in reality need to be outside more?
Monday, July 2, 2012
180 miles
Happy Monday! I have a new goal/dare challenge: make a mileage goal. Mine is 180 miles on my bike for the month of July 2012. I've made fitness goals in the past, but never a mileage goal, and I think this will be perfect for me right now, since I'm not really concerned about how fast I'm going or anything, just that I get out frequently and for a decent amount of time. This # might be a little ambitious, since I've been tracking my miles and for May I came to 28.75 miles, and for June--a whopping 42.85 (and 35 of those were last week, if that tells you anything about how June went). But I should have a lot more time to go now that Tanner is out of school and done with the MCAT (yay!). (or it could be a really lame sissy goal, don't judge. it's where I'm starting) I just got a bike odometer which I'm really stoked about! As both a runner and a biker, I tend to like to wander, explore, and do a different route every workout, which makes mapping my ride and logging my miles trickier. I also got a pair of legit cycling shorts. You know, the kind with a ridiculous amount of padding to keep you from getting saddle sore. Before I started biking, I had no idea these existed, so for those of you who don't bike--they exist.
So wish me luck and I dare you to set your own mileage goal to keep you going strong for a whole month! Whether it's running, hiking, walking, swimming, biking, rollerblading. . . whatever strikes your fancy :)
I'm throwing this in as well. I'm sure you've all seen challenges like this bouncing around pinterest. I'm going to do this one 5 days a week for July (with absolutely no delusional belief that I will look like this by the time I'm through)
Now I'm off to go set up my odometer and take my first ride of July!
So wish me luck and I dare you to set your own mileage goal to keep you going strong for a whole month! Whether it's running, hiking, walking, swimming, biking, rollerblading. . . whatever strikes your fancy :)
I'm throwing this in as well. I'm sure you've all seen challenges like this bouncing around pinterest. I'm going to do this one 5 days a week for July (with absolutely no delusional belief that I will look like this by the time I'm through)
Now I'm off to go set up my odometer and take my first ride of July!
Happy excersising! (excersise is one of those words I will never know how to spell correctly. I'm leaving it like this)
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