Things are changing all around me...

Well not exactly. I am changing them.

In the coming weeks I will be migrating this blog, to my own website. I bought the domain -- susansthoughtsfromtheedge.com. I am going to build my own website using WordPress. Changes are also coming to my business, which after a hiatus, is reemerging, slightly new and different focus.

This January I took Allison Lehman's WordPress class and I finally feel empowered and competent enough to build my own space. That is coming in March. I will likely shift my blogging focus a bit and my plan is to try and refocus my writing.

This blog is not going away. I will leave it up. Instead of trying to import nearly 7 years worth of posts into the new space, I will link to this blog, so that people can look back if they want to. Some of the really good posts, I will likely repost and many of my DIY projects may make a reappearance.

Why am I changing? Well, blogger has made some updates and honestly, for new bloggers or those who want to blog and go, I can 100% say Blogger's platform is the way to go. It is easy. This is why I have stayed here for 7 years. This last upgrade, in my opinion was actually a slight step backwards. My skills and blog aesthetic have outgrown Blogger and frankly all the cool kids are talking WordPress.

WordPress is really flexible and it has some neat bells and whistles. I have used the back end of WordPress for years-- carefully posting content for clients and hoping like hell, I didn't accidentally blow anything up. Well now, I am going to try building my own place, from the ground up.

My goal is to have this all finished by the end of the first quarter 2013. So hang tight... change is coming and soon.

Fancy Pillows-- Envelop style

I watched this tutorial and followed her instructions to the letter. It was easy. The results were fantastic.

So I started with the fabric I had purchased for the very special draw string bags I made this fall. Even thought I bought a remnant, it was nearly a yard! I had more than enough for the bag and two pillows.

 It is no secret. I am horrible at cutting fabric. So I made a pattern. I followed the instructions in the video and I used an old atlas to make a pattern. It worked like a charm.

 After cutting the fabric using my pattern, I hemmed the edges of the fold as instructed and then pinned the back to the front, right sides facing. Then you simply sew the square together. This is so easy.

 And they are simply beautiful.

 I used a simple silk on the back. So elegant.

 I made these for the almost staged living room. The chairs are a great peacock blue velvet. I love them, but wanted a throw pillow. The pillows really have a touch of every color we have going in the living room, which ties it all together very nicely.

This project required no materials, as I had the fabric and the pillow inserts. I would estimate it took me maybe an hour or so, from start to finish.

And today is finally the day...

I allow Christmas music in the house. Seriously, there are 12 Days of Christmas if you believe that song, so really, I ask you, do we really need to break out the Holiday Tunes the minute the candles burn out in our jack-o-lanterns.

The kids have been teasing me, singing silly changed up versions of Frosty...

E confided that he and Daddy sneaked some Christmas music while I was out of the house with L. His little face was so cute and mischievous.

And L and I discovered that our favorite Christmas song is the same one... Neat-O!

We made this discovery after her modern dance class, where they were preparing a dance to the song. I can't wait to see that!

I think we will all enjoy the music more-- having not OD'd on it in November. Any song gets old after so and so many repeats.

In November L, had this bit of advice for the Xmas music pimp in town.

She drew this the first week of December. For the record, I did not provide any enticement. She formed this opinion on her own.

I think it is fair to say, now on December 12, we are ready for Holiday tunes!

Holiday Shopping -- Something Different

Sometimes buying local and shipping isn't exactly the easiest or you are shopping for someone and struggling to find, just the thing. I am not one of those people, who think online shopping is evil, far from it. I do try to cultivate my own list of go-to online haunts.

I also like the idea of giving a gift that lasts or continues well past the birthday or the holiday and frankly-- who wants weird fruits every month? So this list might be just what you need to give a gift that continues past the holiday and does not contain any under ripe pears.

Today I will share a few with you!

Birchbox

I LOVE BIRCHBOX. I became aware of this wonderful service via Twitter. I was skeptical. I am *not* a makeup person. I loathe shopping for make up and lotions and potions. The reality was I needed to be shopping for them and wasn't. Boom-- Birchbox was the answer. You sign up, answer questions about your hair, nails, make up and style and then monthly they mail you a cute box, with 4-5 samples of make up, perfume, lotion and skin care items. Very nice. It is a great little pampering party in a box.  Have I loved everything? No. Have I found some amazing products that I never would have discovered on my own, you betcha. Totally worth the $10 or so a month in my opinion. You can give a gift subscription and then not only will the special someone get great stuff in the mail, they will remember who was so thoughtful to send them something so cool every month too!

I will also say this. Birchbox offers amazing customer service. They are responsive, via email and Twitter. They are kind and gracious and they want you to be happy.

You can also earn points for reviewing the products each month and every 100 points is equal to $10 in store credit. Pretty cool.

Umba Box

I discovered Umba Box by accident while checking Facebook on H's computer (why he does not have Ad Blocker Plus is beyond me.) Umba Box is a selection of curated Etsy type items. I started subscribing thinking I would only try it for a few months. Well, I have stuck by them. I have gotten an eclectic mix of items over the last few months. All very good quality, creative and different. While I am not a HUGE fan of the screen printed tea towels, I have loved the hand made cosmetics and lovely stationary. I have given a few of my Umba Box items as gifts and the recipients have loved them.

Umba Box's website is not without its own issues, but it has improved steadily and their customer service is AMAZING! I have called them and recently chatted (via on site IM) with them and they are a classy operation also.

I think this box is great for people who enjoy supporting artists and crafts people. I plan to keep subscribing.

FAB

Again, a wonderful Twitter referral. I love the FAB app. I am less in love with their website. I love their product mix. I love that they do no spam my Inbox. I love that they appreciate their customers (hello, little $25 gift card just because and cute little poster that came in the mail.) Shipping time has improved steadily and they have a new free shipping option, which is fantastic!

Everything I have ordered from FAB, has been, well FAB!

FAB is a great place to shop for that something different or interesting.


Brooklyn Industries

"Wow, that blouse is too cute."

"I love that purse."

"That jacket is really cool."

Yep, this is what happens when I am wearing something I have acquired from Brooklyn Industries. I have to credit SS and JC for turning me onto Brooklyn Industries a few years ago. There has been no going back. A decent number of items in my closet come from Brooklyn Industries and I don't live in NYC.

I will say, one has to be objective and honest about their body shape. Know what styles flatter and follow the size chart. The return policy is fair, but read and understand it before you shop. Shipping seems reasonable.

Purses and tote bags ALWAYS fit!

I hesitate to give away one of my favorite boutiques, BUT it really is an awesome little shop. Also, their sales cannot be beat! If you really love something, order it, but watching something sometimes pays off.

Fair warning-- some of the merchants mentioned will give me credit if you click the link and sign up. No, I am not going to tell you which ones. I will thank you for the credit, but that is NOT the point of this post. I am just sharing some of the places I love to shop online. I have been fair and objective in my description and their shortcomings. If I get credit, and it because you wanted to give something a try, on m recommendation, thank you in advance.

Happy Shopping!

Up high like a kite...

H randomly had a Friday off and the weather was amazing. Since the weather was nice, we decided to pick the kids up from school and go to dinner. In a small plane.

Also amazingly, H flies a 75-99 seat aircraft, a jet,  regularly, but he has to be checked out and have so many hours in a small plane, to fly his family around. So he has been doing that. He rejoined the club he used to teach at and has been practicing with a Diamond. After getting signed off, we needed a nice day and an open evening.

 It seems so little and guess what-- it totally is...

 Trust me, you have to like the people you are flying with.

 We flew to Urbana, Grimes Field. It is a short hop and they have a great little greasy spoon at the airport. Back in the day, when H was training, this was a regular outing for us. Fly somewhere, eat, fly home, log hours. It used to be that many air fields in the area, had decent little lunch and breakfast places. Sadly, as gas prices have increased, pilots have hung up their headsets and the little restaurants have all but disappeared.

Our approach into the unmanned airfield always makes me hold my breath. There is no one organizing the traffic and it is the pilot honor system. (No kidding.)

We ate and had to be quick about it, because even though H can land that big jet at night, in the rain and blah, blah, blah, he was not current to land the little Diamond at night, so we have to get back to Columbus before dusk. (Wanna hear something really funny. Ask H how the FAA defines dusk. I dare you.)

 This is a large quarry near Plain City apparently.

 Chasing the setting sun...

Tuttle Mall area on Friday night.

 Lining up with lights and runway seem so easy when H does it. I know it isn't and he used to sweat it more than he does now. He made it seem as simple as driving a car. Behind the controls H is cool as a cucumber.

This was a great shot. We glided down like a feather. And we clapped after we got on the ground and might I just add that he cranked that little plane right around and onto the taxi way, when ground control said he could exit the runway at his discretion.

The kids had a blast.  (And seriously, they have great greasy spoon food and pie. The pie is the highlight, I am told.)

It was an awesome evening. One of my favorite things in the world is being in a small plane with H. It is awesome to see him doing something that he loves so much!

Let's fly through trees-- together!

 One of the perks of H's job, is he is off and home during the week. With the kids in school, this means we can have high quality dates during the week, presuming we can find something going on and the weather permits. (There just aren't many concerts at 10 am on Wednesdays, who knew?)

When I saw the Groupon for ZipZone at Camp Mary Orton, I jumped on it. The funny thing was finding a time in October that we could go was harder than I thought. We thought we would miss the peak color, but it turns out that Friday, October 19 was almost the perfect day! It was cool, but not cold. Overcast, but beautiful color.

I did not shoot any video, but ZipZone has this lovely video on their website! (just imagine that lush canopy in a riot of red, orange and yellow. Yeah... breathtaking!)

 Our guides, Jane and Eric, were in a word-- awesome. Fun. I also felt super safe. The braking mechanism made it worry free, you fly and they make sure you don't hit a tree. Isn't H the cutest in that helmet! (The harness is fashion worthy also.)

 You can zip hands free or use the handle. The handle can steer you. (well if you are pilot like H and get the rudder like effect. I just fly and drifted around...)

 One of the best parts of this canopy tour is the length of the runs. Two of them are rather long and I loved that. I even took the one backwards, which was exciting. (I only went backwards because the 6th grade girls did it and I mean really... their bravery was contagious.)

 I love that they kept many of the details, which speak to the history of Camp Mary Orton. It has a nice feel.

 As H says about flying, take off is optional, but landing is mandatory. The last run takes you out of the trees and back to the ground. It honestly is the toughest run of all. (Honestly, the only time I felt queasy, was on the bridges. Not a fan of those shaky bridges.)

 I think it helps to visualize the runway, don't you?

Honestly, I had a great time. I plan to go back. L wants to go. It was a great way to spend a morning and then go warm up with Indian Food!

They will be having limited zipping this winter, so check their website. I think a winter, slightly snowy zip might be fun. Plus think of all the cool winter-scape things you could see. They also plan a full moon zip from time to time! Talk about cool.

I give an A+ to the operation and a double thumbs up to Eric and Jane!

Music Monday: The Piano

So this is hands down one of my favorite songs-- every... I LOVE piano music. I just do... I always have... This movie is amazing and the short story it is adapted from is amazing. The soundtrack is amazing. In my top 20 for sure.

I hinted on Twitter that I was up to something and that I was proving to myself I actually can do something I was convinced I couldn't. I have been so proud of myself. So tickled every other Monday.

Today I let two poeple I care deeply for, know what I was doing and have decided to let the cat out of the bag.

I am taking piano lessons.

Yes, I am 39 years old and I am taking piano lessons. (From an amazing teacher to boot.)

I have always wanted to play the piano. As a kid there was no money for piano lessons and we didn't have a piano.

I was asked to leave the choir by the middle choir director... actually he told me I could stay if I just didn't sing. But seriously, what is the point.

I tried my hand at the viola, but it did not excite me... nor did the cello. I was also told maybe I just didn't have it...

When H and I took dance lessons, timing and rhythm did not come naturally. I assumed this meant I was just not able to do music. I am not sure I am not tone deaf and I defiantly do not have perfect pitch. But then again, Beethoven did some of his greatest work, after becoming completely deaf.

I have always felt music was just not to be mine. I could enjoy others accomplishments, but I would never make music.

A month or so ago, I decided this was crazy. I should try. Really I should just try. I had nothing to lose other than a little bit of pride. In no other area have I let fear rule my decisions. I am fairly fearless and generally totally willing to land on my ass. I mean I tried snow boarding awhile back and didn't die.

Well after a few lessons, I am playing, slowly and just baby steps, but today after my lesson, I felt so excited. I am doing it. It is work, I practice, I need to practice more, but I am doing it. I am learning to read music and I am learning to make my fingers do what they need to do.

Honestly, if I had to stop today, that would be enough. I have proven, I can do it. I am not music stupid. I am not unable.

That is huge.

And I don't have to stop today and maybe, if I work hard enough and long enough, one day I will play this song. I will be able to play one of my favorite songs.

How totally cool is that???

Baked Potato Broccoli Soup

Baked Potato Broccoli Soup

As part of my New Me month, I made this soup the other day. We had bits of this and that and since going grain free/grain reduced, poor H is kinda hungry. The kids have adapted to grain-less dinners, H however has not.

I made chicken tenders (me friendly, using besan aka chick pea flour to bread them) and cooked up a bunch of broccoli.

We had a tad bit of plain Chobani Greek Yogurt left over from the Mango Lassis the kids and I made, and a bit of cheese and some chicken stock. This summer we have been getting the nicest Ohio grown organic potatoes from Wayward seed.

I decided to make a healthy soup for H and I.

So I cut up two good sized potatoes. (like the size of my fist) You can use more smaller ones if that is what you have. (As you have all been warned-- when I bake I measure, when I am cooking I eyeball it, fly by the seat of pants and make do with whatever I have.) I boiled them-- hint the smaller you dice them, the quicker they cook. Then need to cook the potatoes to the point that they mash easily with a fork.

When potatoes are done, drain and mash in the pot you cooked them in.

While they are cooking-- cook the broccoli. I prefer my broccoli firm, but you do whatever you want. You could also use left over broccoli or asparagus for that matter. Save the cooking water if you blanched it.

I cooked a huge head of broccoli, so I grabbed two generous handfuls. So maybe 2 cups. Again use how much you like or have on hand. Chop it finely.

After you have mashed the potatoes, add the chicken stock (don't have chicken stock, then use the broccoli cooking water, or water or milk and water or veggie stock.) I used what was left over, so about 2-21/2 cups. Make it to taste, some people like a thinner soup. I was going for a chunky thicker soup. Again, up to you.

Stir and bring to a gently boil. Then I reduced the heat, tossed in the broccoli and about 1/3 c of the yogurt (again what was left. I was cleaning out the fridge.) Stir until smooth. Then I sprinkled in maybe 1/4 c cheese. Again to taste.

Switch off the heat and serve.

I generally do not do dairy, but I am finding that a little bit here and there is tolerable. Hence I used more chicken stock and less dairy... you could just as easily use more dairy and less stock.

Soup was tasty and filling. H is really watching his salt intake, so I did not season the soup and it was just fine. Enough salt in the stock and cheese. If you prefer more salt, taste it and add some. Had I used my own homemade chicken stock, I would have added a pinch of salt.

Music Monday: Spice Girls

I loved the Spice Girls. A celebration of Girls and their various passions.  (The overall closing ceremonies were crazy-- in a fun but bizarre way. It was very youthful.)

It was fun to see them back together for the Olympics. I have enjoyed the games. I think London did a great job.

I think sport reminds us that each of us can accomplish something amazing, if we practice and live our passions. I think it is amazing too, that sport can unite us in our humanity, in our desire for sportsmanship and spirited competition. I think the Olympics show us that more unites us than divides us.

Thank you for the Jolly Good show!

Music Monday: REM-- Everybody Hurts

So-- it has been a day. L and I did back to school shopping and birthday shopping. I did laundry, we were up early to get E to camp and then pick him up and then back to shopping to get his back to school shoes.

As I type this I am icing my jaw. Ouch.

All I can say is this has been significantly more painful than I had bargained for.

I stopped the big guns pain killer, as I am home alone with the kiddos. Tonight I am having another one. H is coming home.

It hurts.

Tonight it throbs.

Music Monday: Beatles's Birthday

Today is my birthday.

Here are some stats:

• Today is my first birthday since Mom died. 
• Today is the last birthday of my 30s
• This is my last birthday while L will be in single digits. She celebrates a decade in less than 2 weeks.

Here's to having a Happy Day!

The Library-- my first love

I love the library. I have had a love affair with the library since the first time I ever went to the library with my mother. I used to dream of being locked in the library overnight. All those books. I wanted desperately to get a job working at the library in high school, but it never happened. I did do some work study in college, shelving books in the science library. Not the same, really not the same.

For the last three years, I have volunteered in the school library. I like it. It is basically easy and I am helping the library run smoothly. It maximizes the library budget to have parent volunteers in place of a full time library aide. (I often do the anti-social thing and listen to a book on audible while shelving the books!)

In general I go once a month and can fill in from time to time. Next school year, I will volunteer twice a month. I am not going to do the lunch room. The lunch room grosses me out.

This year as a thank you card, the librarian sent us a note which included the library stats. I thought they were pretty impressive.

35, 121 books circulated and shelved! 

900 holds placed and filled

303 new books added to the collection

550 kids read to every week

49 books highlighted weekly.

50 volunteers.... that means on average each volunteer shelves.... 702 books in a school year!

This summer the kids and I are going to the library weekly and focused on reading this summer. I don't love our local library. It is very small and the collection is tiny compared to the number of patrons checking out. There is another library, a bit further away, that we sometimes go to and it is better!

I think our library system is pretty neat. They do a great job with what they have and I love the focus on community and providing the resources the community needs.

My goal this summer is to read 7 books. I have read one and have another one almost finished. How about you? Are you reading this summer?

I actually don't love trash -- but Oscar the Grouch claims he does.

Sunday morning the kiddos and I took our good friend to visit a new park very close to us. It was hot. I had totally under estimated the weather change overnight. A family was setting up for a graduation party in the shelter house. The breeze would keep them cool, but it was going to be a hot day.

As we walked towards the playground, I noticed some soda cans. I picked them up, then I happened upon a plastic Walmart bag. Then I found some random water bottles. Then I was on a mission. I cleared the playground area of litter with the help of my friend. We filled the bag and then some. The playground area is not that big.

Seriously. There are trash cans in the park, are they every two feet, no but my thought is if you can carry it into the park, you can carry it back out with you, or to the nearest trash can. How lazy are people?

I think litter and littering is the sign of a less than intelligent person. I can excuse many flaws, littering is not one of them. It is just plain lazy. Honestly, if you are picnicking and the wind carries away a napkin, then that is one thing, to drink a soda and just throw the can on the ground, well that is just lazy.

I think littering speaks to a person's character and it says nothing complimentary. Littering shows a lack of respect for yourself, others, others' property and public property. The City has spent big money (our tax money) to create a green space for us to enjoy, the least any of us can do is be committed to keeping it litter free.

In fact if you litter, I am inclined to think you are a stupid girl (or boy.)

Garbage-- Stupid Girl

Alas grain-- it isn't you, it really is me...

It is no secret. I struggle with my GI system... I have struggled with it for years. Many days it really is true, my body does hate me. My body has the communication skills of a toddler. My body can be peaceful and cooperative or it can basically throw a fit of a violent nature (vomiting at the drop of a hat, something akin to a raging river of diarrhea, hives that cover me from head to toe and look like the worst sunburn ever-- you get the idea) and sometimes, my body sulks for days on end... you know, fatigue, bloating, nausea.

Since E's arrival, I have actively been trying to learn the language of my body. Forget the Baby Whisperer, I have become the Body Whisperer. I have struggled and strained to hear my body and then act.

As with temperamental toddlers, this is very much more about Art than Science. It also is very connected to what I shared recently. Fear. I am afraid and rightly so, that you will think all of this is in my head. Why do I think this, all of you wonder? Because more than one person during this 7 year odyssey has said so. Even H has thought it is was in my head a time or two.

I have heard it all, from scientific to just plain rude.

"There is no scientific basis to think that corn..."

"Your lab results simply do not show us..."

"She is doing it for attention..."

"Why must you be so picky..."

"Surly a little bit won't kill you..."

"Well we would have invited you but your diet is just too complicated..."

In the last two years, I have made great strides and from a very low point. My B12 level was so low it was scary, I was hungry, I was sick, really sick with raging river diarrhea almost daily and I looked it.

In the last 18 months, even with the stress of my mother's illness and death, I have made wonderful strides in terms of my gut. I finally found a medical doctor, who was not interested in selling me supplements (which paid a huge cut to the doctor) and found a doctor who would listen to me, do a well rounded amount of blood work and validate my condition, even if that condition does not exactly have a name or a national support group.

I was so excited when she said it wasn't in my head and NO I wasn't fine.

All of that said, I have had a few set backs. Late winter and early spring, my clothes stopped fitting and I was a bloated mess. Nothing in my diet had changed. I greet these moments with such dread. At a certain point I cannot eat much less and I felt I had been doing such a great job.

As it stood this winter my menu choices excluded: gluten (wheat, rye, oats, spelt), corn, tree nuts (including coconut), and dairy.

I was able to add back in eggs, which has been awesome.

So you can imagine my dismay this winter when I began to consider just what more could I omit. I simply don't eat processed foods, certainly not the run of the mill ones.

Then while I was having lunch with my doctor, who is also a friend, we were discussing teff, an ancient grain used in much of Ethiopian and Somali cuisine. It breaks down differently in the gut, thus not causing a reaction in people with a gluten intolerance.

Light Bulb moment.

What if I simply cannot break down ANY grain efficiently. Could this be why things with sorghum flour or too much rice flour bother me from time to time...

I also know that unless I am eating brown rice, the nutritional value of rice is small.

About 6 weeks ago, I took a long hard look at my diet and decided to think about grains the way the food pyramid says to look at fats. I can have some rice or some gluten free baked goods, but in extreme moderation. I have totally revamped my breakfast.

Now I am focused on fruits and veggies. I am making my own juice blends using my juicer and that is the base for most of my Vita Mix creations. So if it isn't eggs for breakfast, it is a homemade smoothie.

I can totally tell a difference. I am not crashing in the morning after breakfast. My overall puffy factor has decreased remarkably. I suspect that all those jeans I got rid of in a fit a few weeks ago, they would most likely fit now.

My hope is this summer I can really pack my diet with fresh veggies and fruit from the farmers market and make this transition complete.

I think even the gluten free processed items, the bagels or crackers or what have you were weighing me down, literally. I don't know if it is science or art, all I care about is feeling my best and looking my best and being able to keep up with my busy, busy kiddos and to stop the bone crushing fatigue in its tracks. If that means no gluten free pasta or a sandwich, then so be it. I now reserve my grain consumption to one meal a day and then just a little bit. I can eat sushi or Indian with basmati, but that is the grain allotment for the day.

So the B12, the new probiotic, the fiber supplement, and now the drastic reduction of gluten free grains, I feel like I am really on the road to feeling my best. So really, it has been me all along.

The new Nationwide Children's Hospital

Lobby leading to Hospital Pharmacy and the Emergency Department

 A few weeks ago, I was invited to attend a blogger open house at the new Nationwide Children's Hospital. I was tickled to be invited. I am a mom and a blogger and I do live in the area. I have to say the new hospital is one of the most beautiful places I hope to never visit again!

We met in the underground parking lot on Saturday, June 2, 2012. I think there were about 18 bloggers in all. It was exciting to meet some of my twitter pals.

The MBA in me was totally impressed. This beautiful building, campus and total process overhaul took only 6 years to accomplish. From strategic plan to reality in 6 years. Amazing. Simply amazing. As on friend, who was Twitter timeline bombed by our hashtag #everythingmatters, said this hospital and their process, very well could change the face of health care delivery. I am inclined to agree.

On the tour our guide emphasized over and over that the process included all stakeholders. Doctors, nurses, staff, parents, kids, families, patient educators, architects, and construction professionals. #Everythingmatters and that included opinions and ideas from the stakeholders. They looked at what worked and more importantly what wasn't working in the existing hospital and processes and changed them for the better.

Corridor. Lots of forest botanical motifs in the new design

After a brief stop in the main lobby, we began our tour in the ER. Let's face it, if we are likely to be at the hospital with our kiddos, the ER is a very likely stopping point. The new ER doubles the capacity of the existing ER and they have revised treatment plans and staff allocations to better serve the kiddos and parents. While I loved hearing about the process changes, I couldn't help being so surprised by just how beautiful the new hospital is. 

Custom Fish Tank in the ER waiting area

New ER trauma room. The pass through supply closet and efficient stock management is just on of the many processes being redesigned to ensure speed and accuracy.

The little ER bed is sobering. While it is good we have hospital ready to care for the littlest patients it is heartbreaking to see the little beds.

 From the ER we went up to the 9th Floor, to take in the spectacular city views and see a standard room and explore the in patient rehab gym and therapy spaces.

View from the 9th floor. The garden is built of special materials because they are built over the underground parking garage.

More of the gardens.

Across Campus view. The views are spectacular.

The standard hospital room is anything but standard. One of the changes in this process, was to redesign the hospital rooms and standardize them. Every room is the same and the layouts are the same. This will help the staff when they have to float. Again, the planning team went to the staff and asked them about everything from lifting and turning practices to bathroom design. They redesigned the family chairs and couch/beds. They rethought infection control and how to make everything more homey. The LCD headboard and state of the art TVs, make sure the kids feel in control as well. Feeling blue? Change your head board. Orange your favorite color, no problem you can have that too... The magnetic paint on one wall, that means you can decorate your room with cards or pictures from home.

Our guide telling us about the many features of the room. The LCD variable color head board is awesome.

All rooms have a standard dry erase board. I like that the pain scale is kid centered.

View of the room from the hallway.

The rehab gym and related areas make it possible for kiddos and their parents to practice a variety of life skills and make the transition from hospital to home easier. Honda even donated a car, which was airlifted in during construction, so kiddos and their parents can practice those ever important transfers in and out and stowing a wheel chair correctly and safely.

Honda Civic practice car. Airlifted in during the construction process.

All common areas have a dishwasher, for washing toys. On each floor there are playrooms.

 Not only are the rooms impressive, but the hallways and common areas too. Everything is a child level, the artwork, the creative decor, the wonderful niches, that tell a story.

"Butterflies eat with their feet"

All of this interactive art is at kid eye level

 All throughout the hospital are these amazingly charming animals. Made here in Ohio by The Carousel Works in Mansfield. I love that the hospital is featuring some Ohio craftsmanship front and center.

If I could have figured out a way to bring him home with me... so cute!

The lobby is spectacular with its nature themed landscape. Something out of a fairy tale really.

The gardens are impressive and since they are built over the underground parking lot, they are a marvel of gardening talent and unique weight reducing materials.

The indoor imagination forest is lovely as well. Instead of sticking with dead space or generic lobby, the new hospital has a magical forest, which is just perfect for children and adults alike.

There is no question that the new hospital is beautiful and designed with both adults and children and mind. The attention to detail is amazing, but what I think is most exciting is this truly the intersection of public and private. This is OUR hospital, put together through the collaboration of corporations, hospital staff, and the community.

While we all hope that we will never be the ones sitting in the ER or spending the night on specially designed trundle futon, it is comforting to know, that in Columbus, Ohio-- a town well known for a Big 10 school and related medical center, that we ALSO have a world class and state of the art Children's hospital. A hospital that not only can provide top tier emergency care and treatments for a variety of diseases, and research and scholarship but also a hospital that is committed to community outreach and partnership. 

June 10th is the Community Open House! Your chance to see and experience the new hospital in the way I did. There will be activities and tours all throughout the day.

Community Celebration Day

Sunday, June 10, 2012
11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Nationwide Children’s Hospital Main Campus

 

It truly is our Nationwide Children's Hospital.

 

Product Review: Goody Simple Styles Spin Pins

I will admit, I have stood in the store and looked at these spin pins and wondered, "will they really hold my hair?" The other day I decided, there truly would only be one way to find out.

First of all, you must understand that I have very thick, naturally curly hair. It is thick and heavy and I often in the winter, just let it hang down. With warmer weather flirting with us, I begin to obsess about getting my hair up and off my neck.

photo courtesy of Goody

I was doubtful that these little spin pins would do the job.

Boy was I wrong. I put my hair up last night and it stayed through dinner. Not a piece of it moved.

As E and I traveled to NYC, I had my hair half up and half down and after a flight, a bus trip, a subway trip, a hotel check in and then a maze of subways, dinner and a maze of subways back to the hotel. All I can say is the pins held firm. I was very impressed.

I also can't believe that they don't give me a headache. That is the worst part of an up do for me. Either the pins scrap the scalp or pull or in some way cause a pounding headache before the day is over.

Thus far -- no headache!

Doing a pricing round up - it seems these pins, which come in a two pack, range in price from $3.72 to $6.29. I don't think they fall into the cheap category, but for less than $10, I have a reliable up do tool. Seems a value proposition to me.

Music Monday -- You are a Tourist

You are a Tourist -- Death Cab for Cuite

I don't know why this song has been my obsession of late. I keep thinking about the lyrics and what they mean. I wrote them all down the other day when I should have been writing. They kept ringing in my ear as I was writing the other day.

In truth, I don't think it is their best work.

And yet, I am in its thrall at the moment. I am pondering being "a villain in the story I have written."

Or how does one become a "tourist in the city you were born?"

In any event, that is where I am... Pondersville... a city I tour frequently.

Utopia

I am not your average MBA.

But then you all knew that. In fact I have an undergraduate degree in American Studies and German. An odd combo, I know, I know. While I would do it differently, if I had known then, what I know now, I do think a liberal arts education has value. I do. I think it is important to actually read history, to dive into it. To firmly understand that which you are embracing or rejecting.

The other night I was having a discussion with someone very close to me and he, I think was shocked when I said Marx was actually part of a group of or at least very much influenced by Utopians. Also, while Marx gets all the credit and as such all the vitriol disdain, he did not come up with much of those political and philosophical theories on his own. His buddy Friedrich Engels was very much a part of this process and many regard Friedrich as the superior philosopher.

Furthermore, these men were philosophers, not politicians. They were educated men, who wrote and discussed their ideas. They were often employed as tutors or journalists. As with most intellectuals,  writers and philosophers, it is about theoretical world building. Neither Marx, nor Engels or any of the many Utopian theorists from the French Revolution until the early 20th century actually thought about the practicality of their ideas. They were not offering a tested blueprint. It was theory. It was reactionary to the society around them. It was intellectual discourse.

In fact, much of what Marx and Engels were writing, up to and including the Communist Manifesto was reactionary, not only to the society they saw around themselves but in direct response to and as a critic of what other socialists were writing. Think of it as the Wimbledon of intellectual tennis.

What is exceedingly interesting to me, is that they were not alone in this thinking. Socialism as means of social organization can trace its roots back to early Greek philosophers. What is interesting is why does it suddenly become the hot bed of intellectualism in the early 1800s in France and Germany? (Prussia, more specifically.) Also why do these French, German other Continental philosophers keep getting themselves exiled?

They got themselves exiled because they were challenging the established power structure. This is post the successful American revolution and the less successful French one. Remember this anti aristocracy movement, this socialist movement started with thinkers and philosophers who were writing in the 1700s. The same writers and thinkers who influenced the framers of our Constitution. The ideas of democracy and republic and socialism all spring from the same well. These ideas are in direct challenge to the idea that certain people, based upon their divine right/accident of birth, get to rule and control all the resources. All the resources.

In Europe, you had a system of men, who through the ages held power (Ruled) based solely on their birth order and a series of fairly violent power grabs. (some people might call that war.) They hold power through marriage alliances, intimidation and through alliances of equals. (I argued in college, the first cartels were the European aristocracy and their many alliances.) Entry to this game is fixed in such a way that only those with the correct pedigree, ability to curry favor, and so forth can play. The price of entry is exceedingly high.

The percentage of the Europeans who can play in the game is exceedingly small.

This wonderful world is made possible at the total expense of the have nots. The farmers, the artisans, the working class. The taxation was amazing, up to and including payment with your life. These people had no voice. None. In fact they did not count.

I would say that by the 1800s, things were changing. We were seeing the rise of manufacturing, which in some ways was opening the political (power structure) somewhat. The have nots were finding ways to make more money. Money was the ticket into, albeit begrudgingly, the game.

The Socialists however saw the emerging capitalist model by the late 1800s as an exchange of one beast for another. From one system of exploitation for another. They did not see the average working person's life improved by the Industrial Capitalist system taking hold in large European cities in the 1850s.

My point. My point you say?

My point is we still haven't resolved any of these questions. My point is we still have a political system which is controlled largely by a group of people, who limit the ability of those they rule over to have any real participation. Corporations, run by the best educated and very wealthy, now own every single member of Congress. They likely on a smaller scale own those in the State legislatures. The rules of the game still favor those with the consolidation of power. (Politicians and Corporate leaders.) Many enter this game based (in the US) on their family name (dynasty-- Kennedy, Bush, to name a few) or through patronage (Obama???)

I am not saying Marx was right. He was no more right or wrong than Saint-Simon or Charles Fourier or even Thomas Jefferson. 

What I am saying is before people spout anti-Marxist rhetoric or point the finger at the evils of Karl Marx, they have to understand what he was actually writing about and why. Taking his work out of context and not understanding the intellectual climate of when that work was created does no one any good. That his work was read by others and they created a movement is another matter entirely. Marx dealt in theory, not practice. Lenin, Stalin, Mao, they were the practitioners, inspired by what they had read.

Marx's Manifesto was never designed to be a how to manual. I think every Marxist Utopian colony and likely government has/is going to fail because Marx fails to take into account a basic human motivator-- envy and its evil cousin, greed.

In fact many Utopian theorist and socialists, Marx and Engels included, looked down on those Utopian thinkers, who actually tried to test out these ideas in practice. Socialist scientists (a term Marx and Engels coined) were not welcome in the intellectual exchange or discourse. Marx and Engels did not see themselves as architects of evil or as practitioners of social change, they were philosophers and theorists. They were intellectuals, philosophers, writers.

I wonder, how many members of Congress have actually read Marx. I have. In German and English, thank you very much. I spent a summer reading a good chunk of what Marx and Engels wrote. I think before people can reject something, they have to first seek to understand it and its social context.

Before you call someone a Marxist, it would be helpful if you actually understand what Marx was saying and more importantly-- why.

Music Monday -- M.A.R.S. - Pump Up The Volume

What I really wanted to find was a song about needles or pins. What I settled for was one of my favorites from a long, long time ago. This is most likely where my obsession with house music began.

Lately my life has been full of pins and needles. I am sewing more now than in a long time and I am sorting all my backlog of projects and trying to attack them one by one. They are many and varied. I will keep you posted and blog about them as I complete them.

Also I have been visiting an acupuncturist. Lots of pins. So many of them, all over my body.

For people who know me well, this is NO, let me repeat, NO small feat. I hate needles. Loathe them. I detest getting blood drawn, to the point that I can't watch. I struggle with seeing people getting an IV or giving blood. I struggle with it worse than a vampire on his worst day. It nearly killed me as I had to hold the kiddos down as the nurse gives them their vaccines.

In fact, I refused an IV until the doctor insisted I get one when I was giving birth to L. (I still don't think I needed one, thank you very much.)

That said, after I was very sick at Christmas time, my tummy tied in knots and the bloat beyond control, I decided to make some changes. Which I have been doing and I can detail them later, but I also decided to explore other alternative medicine approaches.

H has been to an acupuncturist before. He struggles with sleep and it helped some, so I thought, nothing ventured, nothing gained. So far after 3 treatments, I have noticed some positive changes. I tend to carry alot of tension in my neck and shoulders and that seems to been decreasing. I also have noticed that the puffiness in my midsection is noticeably decreased.

I also have a sense of wellness and lightness afterwards.

So while I am still not a fan of needles or pins -- other than for sewing, I am keeping an open mind. Acupuncture has been practiced for centuries and I highly doubt people would keep doing it for centuries if it did not have at least some effect on a person's overall wellness.

So for now I will just keep pinning away and that might well be a record.

unTangled up in Blue

H and I have become those parents and our kids each have an iPod touch. They inherited H and I's old ones. Part me loves the way the kids have embraced technology and the other part of me is contrary and thinks that technology is ebbing into their lives too quickly.

I will say, the iPod does make traveling with kids so much easier. They can bring their movies, tv programs, music and games with them. It does make the long car trip and the plane trips very pleasant for everyone.

The only hurdle for me are the ear buds. Where are they in the backpack, the panic attacks when the kids can't find them. This has been an issue. First I addressed it by being the party to carry the ear buds, then I taught then to wrap them around the iPod. Inevitably they get loose and sink to the bottom of the backpack or the far corner buried under books.

Before our trip to the sunshine state, I decided to address this issue.

Behold the fleece lined denim iPod pouch. The vintage buttons are a nice touch.

The process was very easy.

1. I used a pair of E's jeans. He has the uncanny ability to split the knees of his jeans in such a way, that I cannot patch or repair them. So I decided to put the latest casualty to good use. He wears a size 6-7 slim. These were 6's. I laid the iPod on the leg of the pants, even with the yellow hem stitching at the base of the leg. Once I cut it to the desired length, I then split the leg open at the inner seam. Measure or eyeball the desired width and trim accordingly. In my case I wanted a snug but not tight fit. Remember this is all about little fingers being able to execute the storage and removal process solo.

2. Find some fleece you like. In my case I used some scrap I had. L got pink and E got black monster truck. I used the denim piece as my pattern and cut the fleece to match. Stitch with coordinating thread all the way around. Wrong sides to wrong sides. Then fold in half and stitch following the existing yellow stitching. Making the pouch. I back stitched at the upper corner for extra security.

3. Cut a small strip of fleece. I find using the selvage edge is good way to go. Less stretch and you are going to get rid of that bit anyway, why not put it to use. Carefully stitch into the pouch, about 3/4 inches in. I doubled stitched and back stitched each time. This is going to get lots and lots of tugging and pulling. It needs to be tough.

4. Find a large and preferably slightly raised button and hand stitch it to the front of the pouch. Take your time and do this right. Using embroidery floss won't hurt. Remember this is going to get lots and lots of tugging too.

Then enjoy. This will easily hold your iPod and head phones. No more missing ear buds and your screen is protected.

E today at tea, had arranged the pouch in such a way that it acted as a stand, holding his iPod at the perfect viewing angle. Only my budding engineer could come up with that creative use for my quick denim iPod carrying case.

I would say this process took about 1/2 hour or so. It truly is a quick fix project.