2007 went by fast, didn't it?

Tags: holiday

One more day to get $30 back from Amazon when you create three new Subscribe & Save orders for eligible food items. You can read my previous post here. I'm ordering coffee right now.

Also, last chance for 40% off Twinings tea.

Tags: Amazon, food

A had a comb-over!

Tags: J, M, A

The other day, I posted some photos of the boys wearing the same colors. Here's some variety.

Tags: M, A

I usually buy books at Amazon, since their regular prices often reflect a steep 40% discount. However, textbooks are rarely discounted, and so the following is a great deal. Barnes and Noble is currently offering 40% off one book when you use your MasterCard (expires December 31). Their regular prices are a bit higher than Amazon, so comparison shop to make sure you are getting the best price. In general, textbooks will come out to a lot less (free shipping for orders over $25). You pay tax, but it's still a good deal, depending on what book you get. Enter code X8X9X3K and use your MasterCard. Some exclusions apply, see site for details. I just picked up a medical spanish textbook I've been eyeing and two board books (which were heavily discounted) for about $27 shipped (they would have cost me almost $40 on Amazon). I'll try to post a review once I have a chance to read it (sometime in the spring).

Tags: books, school

We're experiencing a bit of a cold snap here in California, which is somewhat refreshing. It's not always the balmy 80 degrees that everyone thinks it is (though it doesn't compare to the cold winters in other parts of the country!). People aren't used to it being this cold, and thus are not usually well-prepared for days like this, where ice freezes on the windshield in the early mornings. I've had to douse warm water on the car windshield on days that I've had to hurry out the door in the morning and don't have time to wait for the defroster to kick in.

With temperatures in the 30s, we'll have to drink smoothies to stay warm! I actually like the cold weather, but I find the difficulty here is to dress appropriately because it often tends to warm up quite a bit. I guess layers are the way to go, but you try to wrestle two wriggly boys into putting on a couple layers of clothes!

We have a fair supply of hooded sweatshirts for the kids, which seem to be well-tolerated (it is often the only way I can keep a hat on A). And being easy to wash helps too, since they get pretty grimy at the end of the day. They are definitely a staple in our household, and many of you have probably already noticed that in our photos.

Here's A hamming it up for the camera:



The kids don't really seem to mind the cold weather too much, but that's probably because they are moving around so much. J is usually the coldest one in the family, seeing as he has zero body fat, and has never lived outside of the state. He can occasionally be found wearing his winter jacket inside the house, which baffles me, since I am usually too warm (unlike J, I have more body fat than I want or need - that's a big New Year's resolution for me this year). Time to start running again! How in the world do people stay fit when they have children?

I try to keep a supply of warm hats for him, especially for nights he goes back into work after the boys go to sleep, and this year bought him a comfy cashmere one for Christmas. He does have a habit of misplacing them, so hopefully this one will last through the winter.

Tags: M, A, J

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), in cooperation with eeBoo, issued a voluntary recall of the popular Tot Tower toy blocks because the plastic covering can detach from the blocks and can be a choking hazard.

We have these blocks (the ABC ones), but fortunately the boys haven't chewed on them much. In any case, I just sent an email to eeBoo and will update once they write back. I think you have to return them to the store or send them back to eeBoo (which is a pain). Recalls should be made easier for consumers, especially with the recent frequency.

You can contact them by phone or email (safety@eeboo.com)
(800) 791-5619 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. ET Monday through Friday

More details can be found on the CPSC recall page.

Tags: toys, safety

Tags: J, M, me, A

Until December 31, if you create three new Subscribe & Save orders for eligible food items, Amazon.com will send you a promotional certificate for $30 off a future purchase, which is in addition to the 15% discount and free shipping on subscriptions. They have tons of eligible products (many of which we order regularly, like coffee, tea, and milk) so I am planning on taking advantage of this promotion before it expires.

In order to qualify, your orders have to remain active and you can't return your items and still expect the $30 (do people really do that?). They'll send an email between February 11 and February 25, 2008, with a certificate good for $30 off an Amazon.com purchase that will expire on March 26, 2008 (and cannot be combined with other promotions). I'd recommend it to anyone who is planning on ordering the items anyway (you can cancel subscriptions later on quite easily if you change your mind).

Tags: Amazon

We finally got to use these (after a whole year of storage!)

Tags: holiday

I can't help it. They're just so cute when they wear the same stuff.

Go team Red!


Go team Blue!

Tags: M, A

Tags: holiday, M, A, J, me

This is not an actual review, since we don't have this gadget. And I make a point to not review/recommend things we don't own, but this is something that I really would have wanted and most definitely would buy now if I was expecting or had a newborn (it'll have to live in my baby shower gift idea list instead). Assuming that it works well (and based on all the positive Amazon reviews), I really wish I knew about it before (I don't think it was around yet - I believe it was released in early 2007), since it really would have come in handy. I don't know how many times I wondered or asked J how long it had been since their last feed or nap when the boys were babies.

It's called an Itzbeen, and is basically a device that has multiple count-up timers, a clock, and an alarm. The timers count the time since the last diaper chance, feed, and nap/wake time. There is another miscellaneous timer (I would have used this for pumping, but you can use it for medications or whatever), as well as a clock and alarm (which can be silent - a must). There is even a switch to help you remember which breast you last nursed from and a night light and lock to prevent accidental resets. These guys really thought of everything. Basically, it takes all the guesswork out of the first few weeks of a newborn's schedule (when you are most sleep-deprived). It might seem extraneous, but I swear I would have found this to be a lifesaver if we had one of these when the boys were just born. I was always wondering about the timing of things, and it would have helped eliminate some of the worry (there is already plenty to worry about). It's exactly what I needed at the time. The price is fair, at $25. It's a bit more than I'd like, but certainly not as overpriced as it could be, especially relative to how much baby stuff costs. I think it would have been most useful during the newborn period, but by the time I had heard about it, Andy was several months old (he was also our second baby and things were a bit easier). But it's definitely something I'm going to consider putting in baby shower gift bags from now on. Ingenious.

Tags: Amazon, gear

It's a busy time right now, so I'll probably be posting a lot of photos (and writing less) until it slows down. My parents are going to be in town this week, and so we'll try to have lots of family time with the kids. In the meantime, we've snapped lots of new photos (and have two memory cards to be downloaded) so I'll have lots to update you about in the near future. I hope you're all enjoying the holidays right now, and staying warm!

Tags: A

Tags: M

Way back before any of the baby chaos arrived, we did fun grown-up stuff, like watch movies, travel, and hang out. In 2003, we were lucky enough to get tickets to some television show tapings, and my sister-in-law K came along as well. One of those tapings was "The Tonight Show." I like Jay Leno's monologue and his headlines always crack me up. I'm never able to catch him on TV anymore (seeing as how I rarely watch television these days). In any case, before the show starts, he picks a few people to come up and take photos with him (rather, someone usually shouts out "Jay, Jay! Can I take a photo with you?!" and that starts the whole mob scene). We happened to be sitting in the front row off to the side, and so I think it was easy enough for him to pick us (although, ahem, I was the only one of my party who had my hand up - no thanks to my shy and reserved companions, you know who you are). He chatted with us and asked where we were from and what we did and a staff member took out a polaroid and took our picture (no cameras are allowed in the studio). He was a very nice, normal guy. Whenever anyone sees this photo, they assume we were guests on the show, which is kind of funny. Pretty cool, eh?

Tags: travel, J, me, holiday

I'm not a huge fan of battery-operated toys, but The Playskool Busy Ball Popper is one of the few exceptions. It's a pretty well-designed, fun toy. Read more (and check out some new photos of the boys while you're there).

Tags: toys, A, M, Amazon

Tea lovers rejoice! Save 40% after an instant rebate when you buy two cases of eligible Twinings tea offered by Amazon.com. Use the code TEATEA40. Offer valid through December 31, 2007.

Tags: food, Amazon

I'm pretty sure riding chickens never stops being fun.

Tags: A

J is a good sport when it comes to playing with the boys in places that were clearly not made for adults. This particular slide wasn't that small, but because J is so tall, he practically had to go down the slide lying down in order to not bump his head. Aside from the cramped quarters, he also had to endure the crazy amount of static electricity that plastic slides tend to give off, especially when you're wearing fleece. Fun times.

Tags: J, M, A

Tags: M

Apparently, there was a friends and family sale a while back where they offered 30% off, but that's over and FAO Schwarz is currently offering 25% off sitewide, with free ground shipping through December 17. Free return shipping as well, through January 2008. This is the third time I have ordered from them in the last several years (I don't shop there regularly, but they have incredible sales and hard-to-find toys). Unfortunately, both items I bought won't arrive until after Christmas, but I don't mind at all.

I purchased the Kettler tandem insert for M's tricycle. Many parents of toddlers will agree, Kettler products hardly ever go on sale, and they are a top-quality German company (is it a lifetime warranty?), though pretty pricey. We are lucky to have purchased M's tricycle with a rare coupon at a local toy store a while ago, knowing that we'd eventually buy the tandem insert for our next child. It retails at about $60, and I got it for $45. It's estimated to arrive on December 26. I'll be sure to post photos once it's built. I can't wait for the boys to try it.

I also purchased this watch for M (I went with blue, figuring maybe the white background might be easier to read, but who knows). Lately, he's really been trying to tell the time, and while he can figure out what hour it is, he hasn't gotten the hang of reading minutes (I don't expect him to, it's a tough concept to understand, especially for a three-year-old). This particular watch apparently speaks the time when you push a button. I hope it's not annoying and that it works well. This was kind of an impulse buy and is also quite pricey in my opinion ($29.25 after discount), but if it works like it's advertised, it'd be perfect for M. It's made by Tourneau, a respectable watchmaker. I'll post a review once he's used it for a while. It's backordered with an estimated arrival of January 5. I'm thinking this would make a great fourth birthday present (though I don't think I will wait that long to give it to him). I'll probably give it to him to cheer him up on a tough day. Random surprises are pretty fun.

Tags: toys

14 residency programs applied to.
5 interviews completed.
9 applications withdrawn.
0 interviews left.
1 gigantic decision to make.

Eek.

Tags: school

Here are some stats for this week (and it's only Thursday!)

75% of my household is sick.

50% of the chromosomes of the members of my household who are sick are Y.

A combined total of 3.25 days of daycare have been missed.

A combined total of 3 workdays have been missed (I'm on research right now, so it's flexible, thank goodness).

3 different medications are being taken.

2 residency interviews have been attended (on 1 day).

8000 tissues have been used (give or take a few).

1 miracle is needed for the remaining person not to catch something.

Fortunately, everyone is at work, school, or doing research today (and studying for Step 2), so we'll keep our fingers crossed. Whew!

Tags: health, A, M, J, me

I plan to take Step 2 in February and need to start thinking about a study schedule. I haven't had a chance to study much since coming off my neurology rotation because I have been trying to catch up on extracurriculars, interview, unpack (yes, still unpacking) at home, and spend much-needed time on some research projects. In any case, I had a brief free trial of USMLE Steps 123 a while ago and so did some questions off that bank, and I think it's pretty good. Most students here (including myself) used Kaplan QBank for Step 1, which, for a while, was the only thing around. But now there are a few new ones that have popped up (always nice to have choices). I have a friend who recommended USMLE World for Step 2 studying, but I am not personally familiar with that program. I have heard good things though.

In the interest of full disclosure, I want to add that I am also a student representative for Elsevier, which is the parent company behind USMLE Steps 123. I do some book reviews for them, and they send me informational flyers to distribute every month or two at my own school in return for Elsevier books (averages 4-8 books per year, and I also keep the books I review). I've been a representative for about a year now. I am not paid to write reviews like this, nor am I getting the question bank for free (I am going to purchase it myself). You can read my reasons for choosing it for myself below.

These programs were both given "A" ratings, according to the resource reference at the end of First Aid Step 1, 2007 edition. I have used them both and they are very similar in that they mimic the actual exam. I have seen factual errors in both programs (I try to email them when I see mistakes), and they both have similar search and summary features.

Kaplan QBank (2250+ questions for Step 2 CK)
3 months $249
1 month $149
Boasts a new Explanation-on-call audio lecture feature for difficult concepts, which I have not had a chance to try out.
*Kaplan is sometimes willing to work out discounts with your school if you have enough people registering at the same time, but then you have to wait for a certain time period to roll around.

USMLE Steps 123 (2500+ questions for Step 2 CK)
3 months $199
1 month $99
2 weeks $79
1 week $49
Has a High-Yield-Hit feature, where it links you to actual publications to explain answers in more detail. Personally, I like it, but I can see how some may think it is an extraneous feature.


With that in mind, I will probably sign up for two weeks or one month (you can buy it now and use it within 6 months of purchase), since with the discount, it'll cost much less (almost half the cost of QBank) and it has more questions. I like that they offer more choices, for those who don't want to spend a lot of money but can do a ton of questions in a week or two. I truly don't think it matters which one you decide to go with, as long as there are a lot of good questions and explanations, so (at least between the highly rated programs) I think it's reasonable to choose by price. I tend to prefer reading books but have found myself running out of time to do lots of questions, which is not good, since there is no way to know if I can apply the information until I test myself. So I am going to really try to start doing more questions from now on, which I think is essential to doing well on these types of exams.

Tags: school

Remind me again, how old do you have to be to get your driver's license in this state?

Tags: A

As promised, here they are. I think it's funny that I am wearing the same sweater/jacket and have the same messy hair (sloppy ponytail). You can see how A is motioning towards the globe lights and saying bawwww, bawwwww (see previous post). And M is less apprehensive (but still a bit shy).

Tags: M, me, A, holiday

My original post is here, but this was last year's Santa photo. I think M looks apprehensive and A is thinking about lunch. I'll post this year's later today.

Tags: M, A, me, holiday

Way back in October, we planned on visiting the fire station during Fire Prevention week (for those of you with toddlers, mark your calendars for early October, when most fire stations host an open house), but we missed the open house by one day (oops - my poor, sleep-deprived memory!). We showed up the next day, wondering why there weren't more people there, and the firefighters explained that we had missed the big event, but that they'd be happy to show us around and let the boys ride the truck.

It actually turned out to be better than going to the open house, since we essentially had a private tour, and the boys (especially M) were on cloud nine. The firefighters gave them hats, pins, stickers, let them ride on the truck, and turned on the lights for them and everything. Heroes, and then some.




Here we are after the visit. For some reason, they both looked quite serious. I put an end to that.

Tags: M, A, me

This was the first rotation I did after I delivered A, which was really nice, since I needed a good review of general medicine. I wrote a few thoughts about this rotation last year, but here are more details. Read more

Tags: school

This picture was taken almost exactly three years ago.

Tags: J, M

A while ago, I joked about A being a meat-eater. Here he is eating his very first breakfast sausage. We don't even usually have these at home (this was at the Breakfast with Santa event we went to recently) but I will probably add these to my grocery list, seeing as how A seems to really enjoy them. This might be one of my favorite photos taken of A so far. He just looks so darn cute stuffing the sausage in his mouth, and going for the orange slices at the same time.

He's also wearing a Pampers Bibster, which was a spontaneous add-on when I placed an order for diapers at Diapers.com. We were pleasantly surprised to find that they are very useful when eating out (we keep them in the car and use them when we forget to bring a washable bib from home). I bought the large size, and even M has used them when he is having a particular messy meal while we're out. They have a waterproof backing as well as a specially-designed collection area that actually stays open to catch food (it's not folded down properly in the photo). More details about Diapers.com and a special coupon code can be found on the Shopping Resources page.

Tags: food, holiday, A, J

We got this Big Bobby car for A on his first birthday, and can't say enough great things about it. Read more

Tags: M, A, Costco, toys

A long time ago, I reviewed the Fisher Price Triple Hit Baseball set, which we pulled out again after a short stint in backyard storage. As expected, the boys loved it. M attempted to use the bat to hit the balls and A enjoyed retrieving the balls and putting them back in the machine. I can't wait until they are old enough to play catch (reliably) and go to baseball games. But it is pretty hilarious watching them play now, so I take that back. I'd like to stop time now.

Tags: M, A, toys

We live within walking distance of our local downtown, which is really nice on the weekends. We often walk down to the park, and then head over to grab a bite to eat, as well as enjoy some of the occasional street performances and practices. This time, the boys were glued to watching some students practicing capoeira. It's a really beautiful martial art. It was perfect timing, since we had to wait for our food and they were practicing right outside the pizza parlor. I even had time to run a few quick errands while J sat with them, but had to hurry back when he called to tell me A insisted on trying to interrupt the rehearsal and chase toddle after some nearby dogs.

Tags: A, M

Mastocytosis, as the name implies, is a group of disorders caused by excessive mast cell production, and urticaria pigmentosa is a systemic condition. On skin exam, lesions composed of mast cells urticate/flush when rubbed (Darier's sign). Loss of weight and splenomegaly suggest systemic involvement. The bone marrow is the most commonly involved organ (besides the skin).

The infantile type is usually confined to the skin, whereas the adult type affects visceral organs as well. Bone marrow biopsy should be considered in adults with urticaria pigmentosa, elevated serum tryptase (>20ng/ml), or signs and symptoms of systemic involvement. If skin biopsy is performed, metachomatic staining with toluidine blue is used for visualization of mast cells in tissue sections. Other findings include elevated urinary histamine or a history of itching triggered by aspirin or alcohol ingestion.

I have been eyeing this toy for A (though there is no doubt M will enjoy it as well) for the last few weeks, and it is up for only $10 today at Amazon (Just perfect for our first gift certificate winner!). The next lowest price I have seen anywhere is $18.

I'll try to review it after Christmas, but I wanted to post this in case anyone else might want to get in on this great deal. It would make a great gift as well (recommended age: 9 months - 3 years), so I am picking up an extra one for a cousin.



And I also noticed that this toy, the LeapFrog Phonics Bus, is on sale as well, for $12. We have this toy and it is great! It's on my list of things to review as well but I wanted to post it since Amazon's sale prices change so quickly.

Tags: Amazon, toys

Tags: J, M, A, me

Last year, we decided to try to start sending out holiday cards, which has always been difficult for me to do consistently. I usually end up having a stack of unwritten cards around New Year's, and then I give up. I understand why everyone with kids sends photo cards. They grow so much over the year. The only problem for me is that I think nice holiday cards are too expensive, often costing $2-3 per card. Which means spending a small fortune each year (not including postage), depending on how many you need to send.

I had a free sample of 20 cards from Shutterfly last year, so I decided to give them a try. They made beautiful cards - we were very pleased. But they were a bit out of our budget. If I wanted to have nice, professional looking, cardstock-quality cards, I'd totally order from them. I've ordered enlargement prints from them, as well as photo books, and they make good stuff. Shipping adds up though. My pick for prints and enlargements is Costco. They just have amazing prices and a rock-solid guarantee. They have holiday cards too, but they have very limited layout designs, and they are basically photo prints with a designed template on them. And frankly, I wasn't as impressed with their layout choices as I was with those from Shutterfly.

Determined to have a stylish, yet affordable holiday card, I decided to turn to Adobe Photoshop Elements. We've always been fortunate enough to have access to it, and it is a great tool to have for anyone who needs a bit more flexibility with photos and layouts. I created a basic 5x7 layout and pasted our photos on there, and voila - a custom card for a fraction of the cost. Granted, they were still only 5x7 prints and not cards, but it was a good compromise for us. We included a brief update letter (cheesy, but what can you do?). And the price was right - only 39 cents per print and free shipping (or option to pick-up directly at the Costco warehouse).

This is what we sent out last year:


It actually doubled as a nice photo for me to carry around in my white coat pocket to glance at from time to time during the day while I was on the wards.

I am putting the finishing touches on the card for this year, which will be a similar style, but blue. Hopefully I will have them mailed out by the end of the week. I'll post it later this month.

For those of you who'd like to try it out, Shutterfly has two promotions going on right now:

20% off calendars and photo books. Coupon code 33AF-CLBK (expires 1-3-2008)

20% off $40. Coupon code 32AF-11DR (expires 12-04-07)

Tags: holiday, Costco

A has a habit of trying to climb into water fountains. Over the weekend, he started trying to climb into this one at the park, and M stepped in to stop him, which was really cute.