Things I do

So, I had planned this post to be a quick follow up to Things I don't do, but it's taken a bit longer to get back around to this subject. So, without further ado (and since I know you've all been waiting impatiently for it) here is my Things I Do list:

1. Let Tommy watch TV - It's usually Disney or PBS and is somewhat educational. But I don't limit it to just 30 minutes a day. Maybe I should, but I really don't think it's frying his brain. Seriously, he's 3 and he's already spelling and reading - and some of that came from watching WordWorld on PBS everynight before bed. I think his brain is fine. He gets plenty of physical exercise too, so we're all good.

2. Wash dishes 2-3 times a day - Seriously, how do 3 people make so many dishes? I do hate to clean, but I can't stand letting a sink-full of dirty dishes sit there.

3. Let the animals sleep on the bed - I'm cold, they're warm, enough said. Plus, you try kicking 3 cats and a dog off in the middle of the night.

4. Let the dog on the couch - We actually bought the couch in a color to match his hair. We all have our own chairs, and rarely ever sit on the couch. The couch is his. We do clean the hair off and febreeze it when we're having company over, but otherwise it's his.

5. Sing along to the radio - Loudly. Mostly in key. It makes me happy. Unfortunately it doesn't usually make Tommy happy. Sometimes he tells me "Stop singing, Mommy!" Sigh :(

6. Dance in surgery - We always have the radio playing when we're doing surgery. Sometimes a good song comes on and I have to move around a little. I never compromise my patient or surgical field, but sometimes you just have to boogie!

7. Let Tommy use me like a jungle gym - Who needs exercise classes when you've got a toddler? We chase each other, he crashes into me, he climbs my back, I hold his hands while he walks up my legs and flips over, he leaps off his bed into my arms. My muscles are in great shape, but my joints didn't used to make these noises...

8. Skip meals - Somestimes I just get busy and forget. If Sam's home I'll make a meal for the 2 of us, but if it's just me and Tommy I'll usually feed him and then get busy and just snack. I'm better than I used to be, but sometimes I'll still look up at 2pm and wonder if I ate breakfast or lunch that day.

9. Avoid confrontations - Like the plague. I hate to make people upset. Especially upset at me. So I try to fix problems without actually talking to people about them. No, it doesn't work that well. And I'm trying to get better about getting things out in the open. But old habits (fears?) die hard.

10. Speak sarcasm as a second (sometimes first) language - What, you mean everyone doesn't? So, you expect me to NOT be sarcastic? Right, that's going to happen. Good luck with that.

11. Read fast. Like 1-2 books a day. May God bless whoever invented Kindle and the Kindle app.

12. Procastinate - Um, did you see how long it took me to write this follow up post?

13. Love my iPhone - Seriously, what did I do without this thing? It's a phone, a calculator, a flashlight, a computer, a child entertainer, an alarm clock, a book, a child entertainer, a map, a game device, a child entertainer (oh, did I say that one already?).

14. Have an iPhone for my 3 year old - Technically, it's more of an iPod touch. It's Sam's old phone, and it's not connected to phone service or the internet. And it's only got kid apps on it. And it's in this fancy Fisher Price iPhone holder. And he loves it. He doesn't use it every day, sometimes he'll go days without us giving it to him. But if he's really cranky, or if we need him to sit still at a restaurant or in the car, it's a lifesaver. And it's pretty amazing to watch a 3 year old navigate that thing.

So those are some of the things I do that most of you may not have known about. I hope you know me just a little bit better now :)

Organizing your pet's information

Do you know when your cat is due for her next vaccines? Do you know the name and dose of your dog's allergy medication? Do both you and your spouse know the name of your pet's flea and heartworm prevention?

Most of the time my clients don't remember everything about their animal's health. I often have owners call in to refill "the pink pill" or "the flea stuff with the dalmatian on the box" or "the food with the orange label."

So, I recommend making a pet information file. It helps you, the owner, stay on top of your pet's information, and it's also great if there's an emergency and you need someone else to take care of your pets for a while. The file should be organized and easy to find in your house. A folder with all your receipts from the past 10 years of vet visits will not be too helpful if your pet sitter needs to find out when your cat had it's last rabies vaccine if a bat gets in while you're out of town.

The first page should have your name, and the name of any other people your pet's account may be under at the vet. Many times a pet lives at one house, but is under someone else's name (parent, fiancée, sibling, etc) at the vet. Also, list any alternate names for the pet. Many times I'll have a chart on a pet with one name, and the owner calls to see if "Smoochie" is ready to go. I don't know who Smoochie is, since the name on my chart was "Sir Charles of Windsor and London-town."

Next, have a sheet for each of your pets with medical conditions and treatments. At the top have a list of current medications including doses and how often they're given. If you get them filled at a pharmacy instead of at your vet, have that pharmacy's info and the prescription number if you have one. Also list any special food that they're on, how much they eat, and where to buy it. Then, list any current medical conditions that would need to be monitored if the pet was in the care of someone else. This includes allergies, diabetes, kidney or liver problems, pancreatitis or sensitivities to food, heartworm disease, behavior problems, etc. Be sure to list any past surgeries or other anesthetic procedures.

Lastly, have all vaccinations listed with last date administered and the date when their due next. Some vaccines need to be given once a year, and some are every 3 years. I don't know when my own pets are due, so I don't expect my owners to remember that off the top of their heads. Most vets will be able to print off a certificate that lists the due dates of your pet's vaccinations. Keep that up to date every year.

Also, it wouldn't be a bad idea to store all of this information in some type of online file, even if it's just a private note in your facebook account, or a google doc, or an email you mail to yourself and save in a special file. That way if you lose your file, or you need to access the information when you're not at home, you can find what you need.

Staying on top of your pet's medical care wil be much easier if you stay organized. It's even nicer knowing that your pet's information is easily available in an emergency.

For Real

So, the theme this month at Mom Colored Glasses is organization. My organizational style is a bit hidden. As in no one can tell I'm organized. I organize in piles. And closets stuffed with stuff. And random items placed in random places that I may or may not remember later.

My fellow MCGer Maggie has started "For Real Fridays" on her blog. Basically she's showing us a glimpse into how things really are behind the scene at her house, since most of the time when we show pictures our blogs they are carefully cropped to show only the pretty side of our homes.

So, in the spirit of For Real Fridays and organization, I give you my pantry.

A jumble of boxes, bags, and "ready for avalanche" piles of food. I've been perusing some organization pins on Pinterest, and I had a few ideas. So, I bought a few baskets and started working. Mostly, I opened up boxes and am now storing granola bars, cereal bars, and cracker packs together instead of in their own boxes. Same thing goes for instant oatmeal and hot chocolate packets. It wasn't a huge change, but it's working. I need more baskets, but at least it's better.

And this is all the boxes and empty candy containers that I was then able to recycle!

 And, since I was on a roll, I reorganized 2 shelves in my hall linen closet. I didn't get a before shot, but believe me, this looks better :)

Too yummy not to share

I finally succumbed to Pinterest. I blame a friend of mine from vet school. She posted pictures on facebook of a dessert she made. She found the recipe on Pinterest. So I gave in and joined. And one of the first things I did was look up that recipe.

It. Was. Scrumptious!

I tracked the recipe back to a blog called Picky Palate. They are Oreo, peanut butter, brownie cupcakes. They were really easy. Here is how you make them.

Line a muffin tin with liners. You'll make between 12-18 depending on how thick your brownie mix is. The mix in the picture made 12, the next time I used a different mix (both said for an 8x8 pan) and I got 18.

Then layer 2 Oreos with peanut butter and drop them into the liner. I haven't tried to use double-stuff Oreos, but since the regular ones get pretty tall with the peanut butter and brownie mix, I'd be afraid that using the thicker cookies would cause the mix to spill over.

 After your cookies are in the tin, then mix up your brownie mix. If you mix it up before hand, it gets a little stiff and it's harder to spoon over the cookies. Try to get it to drip down over the sides of the cookies. It will drip some on its own while they're baking.

After they're done, take them out and let them cool. If you're planning on eating one right away, don't let it cool down much - just enough to keep from burning your fingers. They taste great covered in vanilla ice cream and hot fudge - trust me :)