A day in the life of the Bookworm family on the last day of summer break.
All in Doctorly Musings
Happy World Breastfeeding Week 2018!
I read everything I could about breastfeeding when I became a mom. You know why? Because breastfeeding wasn't easy. It didn't come naturally. And it hurt! Why didn't anyone tell me it would hurt at first? Mini Me kept falling asleep and she lost more than the maximum ten percent. And later she went on nursing strike at three months of age.
Paris and the Happily Ever After
As I wrote the other day, my girls are loving Paris and so am I. We love the individual little boutiques and we're certainly loving all the independent book shops. We love the cobblestone roads, the delicious summer cherries, the little surprises in architecture that we find in every corner.
If I could read French, I would have bought books from every little cute bookstore we found in the Latin Quarter.
Thinking on Your Feet as a Parent
Being a parent is very much a think on your feet type of job. Plus ever changing. I often say that as a mom, I definitely have to think outside the box for solutions. Every. Single. Day.
We've struggled (as all parents do) with teaching our kids to do their chores and to have some value for money.
My Social Media Diet
Mini Me had an extra credit school assignment to abstain from all social media for one week. She signed a contract of intent, and parents' participation was optional.
It was tougher than I thought it would be….
I Love You, I Know
This is a work in progress. I was inspired to write a picture book based on these famous Star Wars lines. But it ended up being an ode to my bookworm girls. So, in honor of Mother's Day, here it is. I love you, Mini Me and Little Lion. Seven and a half plump-tillion pieces.
i need to listen more
i need to listen more
Period.
As a doctor, and definitely as a mom, I need to listen more.
L.A. Times Festival of Books 2018
Dr. Bookworm recounts the Bookworm family adventures at the 2018 L.A. Times Festival of Books. Plus, there’s Leslie Odom, Jr. involved. :D
The Theater
There was some point in my life when I couldn't stand musicals, didn't understand why the actors would burst out into song, seemingly out of nowhere.
Much like my eventual love of Shakespeare though I had been skeptical (and I saw ALL the RSC Shakespeare production shows the summer of 1994), I grew back to love musical theater.
Doctors as Teachers
Earlier this month, the world lost an amazing doctor. The thing is that it's not only a loss for the children's hospital that he tirelessly advocated for and for the patients and families he took care of, it's a huge loss for the doctors he was training.
Some Days I Feel Like this AT-AT
Some days I feel like this AT-AT. Like I'm losing the mom war. Yes, it's a war some days....and sometimes I'm not winning. It's not even close.
Soulmates and a Teacher's Legacy
Do you remember the names of all your teachers? I don't remember all their names but I remember their important lessons.
My type of PTSD
By definition, PTSD doesn't really go away....it's just that not everyone understands that I have PTSD. I didn't know it myself until I heard my therapist say it off-hand. Like it was a given. And that it was okay.
Just like I didn't realize that I had 'depression' until she said it. I thought I was grieving. But I also wasn't functioning as well. So "acute depression" it is. It's interesting that we tend to stay away from 'labels' and 'diagnoses' even as medical professionals. But, years later, I can say that I had depression. And that it was okay. I'm okay.
National Women Physicians Day 2018
Last year, I wrote about the many women physicians who have inspired me along my own journey, most importantly my mom. This year, I'd like to write about the many patients who inspire me.
There have been so many families who have let me into their lives. Too many to count, so many that share the little things that matter so much. I feel honored to be a part of that, a tiny part of helping out their kids. And too many details for me to write without invading privacy.
But let me just say this: thank you.
Thank your for the privilege and the trust you put into us as your child's doctor.
Mix It Up AKA The Friendship Orange
Little Lion’s second grade teachers have started a new thing this year and I love it. I don’t know what they call it, but I’m officially calling it “Mix It Up”. Each month, they are placed at certain lunch tables on Wednesdays and that is their Wednesday lunch group. The teachers mix up the kids so they sit with that group on Wednesdays only. The rest of the week, they get to choose where to sit.
It’s a brilliant idea. Little Lion is making new friends and reconnecting with old ones.