Truth?

I had the following exchange with a nurse practitioner at Jack's pediatrician's office when he was 4 months old.

"So you're going to give him these vitamin D supplements..."

"Wait, who makes these?"

"Enfamil"

"I gotta tell you, I will probably not give them to him."

"Studies show breast fed babies..."

"How about I just take him outside once in a while."

"Studies show..."

"I'm so sorry, I'm absolutely not going to. We can just move on to the next thing."

She seemed very annoyed with me and slightly shaken, but I knew what I was talking about. You see when Jack was born I was worried he was a tad jaundiced as he was so tan. When I took him in for his two week check up with the doctor at the very same clinic he said

"Nah, he's perfectly fine, you just take him for walks in the stroller and this Texas baby will get lot's of vitamin D the natural way."

After that, anything that nurse practitioner said to me was suspect, I doubted the measurement of his head that day.

I like to be an informed patient, often reading everything I can get my hands on about a diagnosis before accepting it. Sometimes I read contradictory articles and have to have long discussions with doctors addressing giant list of questions I've prepared. Today when I found Sharon Begley's article in Newsweek "Why Almost Everything You Hear About Medicine is Wrong" I was relieved to know I wasn't just overly skeptical, I'd just been paying attention and using some basic critical thinking skills. It's a good article explaining how we read about one study in the news and a few years later read the exact opposite.

This is just one part of a larger issue in reporting that we face. Anxious news outlets have been trading integrity for sensational ratings for some time now trying to compete with instant internet news, firing actual reporters and just regurgitating whatever press release is sent, slapping outrageous titles on already outstanding articles (see above mentioned link.) Network news panders instead of educating to keep us tuned in and today I see even medical journals cave to the pressure of exciting pharmaceutical rhetoric.

Critical thinking skills and healthy skepticism is a necessity in this era. From questioning a doctor's diagnosis to realizing a magazine cover is airbrushed, we must foster a classical education for ourselves and our children instead of memorizing facts and teaching to the test. It doesn't mater if one can recite the atomic weight of every element on the periodic table if later it changes and Pluto isn't a planet and life forms aren't strictly carbon based. I'm not saying throw it all out the window and go on faith, I am just saying - think.

Oldies

When riding in the car, I like the oldies station aka the Nirvana channel but sometimes I put the local pop station on in an attempt to stay fresh and hip with the kids. Unfortunately I keep hearing Hold It Against Me by Brittany Spears. The lyrics remind me of a thirty year old man with a half exposed hairy chest adorned with gold chains above tight polyester pants. Yes, I believe her lyrics were written by Larry Dallas of Three's Company;

"...If I said I want your body now

Would you hold it against me..."

I can only guess the rest of the album includes other early 80s classics such as "Hey baby, what's your sign?" "Do you come here often?" and "My place or yours?"

What Jack Likes

Scootching around the living room floor on his belly

Chewing on books and crinkling paper

Sweet potatoes

Pulling the dog's hair

Standing up while holding onto his toy box

Music

Shaking things that rattle

Football

Dropping things from the side of his highchair

Chewing on fabric

Checking out the menu so he can order for everyone

Midnight

Today was "dictionary day" at the grade school. People are supposed to dress as a dictionary word. Kids were encouraged to learn a new word, not wear a "costume" and be creative. Ella went as "Midnight" wearing all black with a few silver sparkles, a definition and picture of a clock on a black ribbon necklace. Upon dropping Ella off I saw a pink feather boa, a pink wig, some saddle shoes and a few other odd outfits, but next to Ella's the absolute best was the dude directing traffic in a tuxedo with a conductor's wand. He was so enjoying his job this morning.

isms

I like a young lady doctor, someone fresh out of medical school with all the newest information and procedures on the top of their brain, a fresh optimism and a slight looming fear of messing up, creating a need to double check everything they do. Except when picking an obstetrician, then I want a small experienced woman who has birthed children of her own and has very tiny hands.

I like an old insurance guy, someone who's been around and knows everyone in every department and is familiar with the tricks and shortcuts of getting things done. I want the guy that realizes what an easy and valuable thing good customer service is, he will come to my house when the siding gets blown off and look at it, and he goes to the country club and golfs with all the other guys that need to process my claim.

These are my sexist, ageist preferences. What are yours?

Limited Time Offer

Ella found one pink glove. She's wearing it. She mentioned to me "If you need me to touch anything cold, I will touch it."

Sleep Button

I hate the little sleep button on my keyboard. You know, the one with the moon on it, that when accidentally looked at too hard sends a computer into a narcoleptic fit of frozen, leaving me wondering what the heck just happened. Yeah, that button. I never use it, or more accurately, I never mean to use it. That button can suck it.

Chilly Scene

Kiki over at

is still doing 365 skies and this morning, I remembered while standing in my front yard looking up and thinking that this grey cold sky is making me home sick, I want to be included in the Friday Sky Roundup. So here is the cold grey Texas sky. While friends and family back home are trying to stay warm on the day they cancelled school because it was -25°, we were forced to get gloves and hats out for 32° .

One Tall Please

I received a French press for Christmas. I use it every day. It makes the best coffee in the history of coffee. Even better than the expensive coffee shop coffees and in fact the few times I went through Starbuck's drive-through and ordered a regular coffee because I've given up dairy, I received burnt coffee like sludge for $4.00, even worse than the stuff in that brown topped pot at the local gas station. When you remove all the chocolate sauce and cream what's left tastes acidic and gross. I guess the Barista Index is on the swing, all the good drink makers have left their crap ass coffee shop jobs for real ones and left the teenagers and the inexperienced olfactory challenged freaks to burn the drinks.

Knots and Mashups

We're all moved in and mostly unpacked. The bigger space has me feeling less knotted up. The handyman is coming today to do small repairs. Tomorrow is the first day back to school.

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Why is it impossible to make the back of my computer look nice? I sat down with zip ties last night and coiled up cords, yet is still look like Medusa is lurking in between my desk and my shelves.

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Go here and listen to "Imagine a Jump", "Smells Like Rockin' Robin" and shake your groove thang to "Gimmie Gimmie". Or just download the whole thing for free!

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This year I resolve to let the kids eat more dirt, let the dirty dishes sit longer, skate smarter and soak in the tub longer.