Our weekend

Now that it's almost the weekend again, I think I can finally write a bit about last weekend.

Amy & her daughter came for a visit. This is their 3rd trip out here together. Amy's visited a few times on her own, which is awesome, but always hard to explain to the kid on why HER BFF isn't here, but mine is.

First I have to say that Amy & I joke about how the girls are twins. And spending a few days with them, they really are so alike. Amy's daughter is a rougher & tougher version of mine, but essentially they are two peas in a pod. It took a bit of time for the kid to learn that it was ok to push back - not just literally, but verbally too - when Izzy was being a bossy. So yes there were tears on both sides.

Both girls have a HUGE sense of fairness. So Izzy complained that the kid had more of this or that. The kid would cry if I scolded her for something that Izzy might have started. Essentially Amy & I were co-mothers of siblings for the weekend. AND THEN SOME, because not only are our girls heart & headstrong, but they are both only children. In reality, Izzy has a step-brother and a half-brother, but they both live with her dad in another state and Izzy lives with Amy. So in Izzy's world she's an only child and the oldest child.

For the vast majority of the time, we had a great time. Cinnamon & Andrew joined us as we took them around the city, did some touristy things, some not so touristy things and just had a great time hanging out. Friday night us grrls stayed up waaaay too late just talking, venting, sharing stories and even some crying (which was so good for me!).

Amy & I met online around the summer of 2001 I think. I can't even remember. But I do remember that she was one of the few people I told that I was trying to get pregnant. And then we were pregnant at the same time! So we were pregnant together. Lemme tell ya, there's few things that can bond ya like being pregnant together and having someone to share your fears with.

We're not twins althou we share a lot in common. She likes to say that she's not quite a feminist, but anyone who teaches women's history in a high school is a feminist in my book. Her journey thru motherhood is so not like mine (divorced single mom vs married mom with a supportive husband) but in some ways it's better that way. We don't know each other's lives, but we're always willing to listen, learn & be supportive. And sometimes we, ok mostly me, will read the other the riot act. I tease that we should write a children's book about the girls ala "City Mouse, Country Mouse."

I love that we're just alike enough to be friends, but different enough that I know I'm not talking to a yes-woman. Now to get my butt in gear to visit her in Maine!

Video: Suturing Workshop by University of Wisconsin Department of Family Medicine

Video: Suturing Workshop by University of Wisconsin Department of Family Medicine

Health News of the Day

Health News of the Day is a daily summary made from the selected links I post on Twitter. It is in a bullet points format with links to the original sources which include 350 RSS feeds that produce about 2,500 items per day.

• Nine out of 10 new type 2 diabetes cases in older adults could be prevented through healthy lifestyle changes. 5 lifestyle factors -- activity, diet, smoking habits, alcohol, and body fat -- accounted for 90% of new diabetes cases http://bit.ly/c2Zu9
  
  
• Reading magazines, knitting and quilting, and social activities in midlife cut the risk of dementia in 70-80s by 30% http://bit.ly/1smvwS
  
  
• Foreign Accent Syndrome after brain injury: Yorkshireman 'spoke with Irish accent after brain surgery' http://is.gd/v707
  
  
• Drinking up to about half a glass of wine daily may boost life expectancy http://bit.ly/XiNL0
  
  
• Long work hours and exposure to anesthetics may raise pregnant veterinarians' risk of premature delivery http://bit.ly/2bySjv
  
  
• U.S. cancer diagnoses will jump 45 percent by 2030 http://bit.ly/VYucS

Links

• Reviews in Cardiovascular Medicine: Cocoa and Cardiovascular Health http://is.gd/v8eq
  
  
• "Rota and Pneumococcus Vaccine Success Stories: Pediatric Emergency Practitioners Wonder “Where Have the Kids Gone?” http://is.gd/qje0

Image source: OpenClipArt.org, public domain.

Catching up

Yeah, I'm still here.

Amy came for her annual visit over the weekend so all blogging & writing was put on hold. She brought her adorable daughter with her, who is my daughter's East Coast BFF and kinda a twin. The girls are only 5 days apart and perhaps something bonded them in the womb as their mamas bonded over pregnancy ups and downs. I'll write more about their visit, but I wanted to share my latest Awearness posts with you, cause there's a plenty!

• Did a School Nurse Save the Day?
  
• It's Fair Pay Day
• Latina actor hopes to U-Haul it out of the kitchen
• Is Skype a Non-custodial Parent's Dream or a Custodial Parent's Nightmare?
  
• Breast is Still Best
• Really, It's OK to Let Your Son Wear Nail Polish
• Where Volunteering Can Take You
• The Bandana Project
• What Does the Taxman Do with Your Money?
• From Chicago to NOLA...Through Our Toliets
• Why I Was Thinking of Natasha Richardson Last Week

Selection of My Twitter Favorites, Edition 59

Twitter is a microblogging service where people answer the question "What are you doing?" via 140-character messages from their cellphone, laptop or desktop. You can select the messages (called "tweets") that you find interesting, useful, amusing, or disagreeable. Here is the 59th edition of My Twitter Favorites (the oldest post is at the bottom, the newest at the top): Micro-blogging on Twitter is easy, fun and can be very useful and educational if you follow/subscribe to interesting people. You can read more here: A Doctor's Opinion: Why I Started Microblogging on Twitter and visit my account at Twitter/AllergyNotes.

1. laikas Tworms, twirusses and twam are threatening tweeting twinnocent tweeple. Is there a twoctor around? 10:15 AM Apr 23rd from TweetDeck
2. zappos My favorite interview questions: 1) Biggest misperception people have of u? 2) What's the diff btwn misperception & perception? 10:47 PM Apr 22nd from txt
3. Doctor_V Honestly hard being home in some ways. So hard to see my parents growing old. Breaks my heart to leave tomorrow 9:41 PM Apr 22nd from TweetDeck
4. schroncd Since the first Earth Day in 1970, the world has increased it's use of fossil fuels and other pollutants by about 1,000%. Nice work guys! 7:58 PM Apr 22nd from web
5. schroncd Today is Earth Day. Now that carbon dioxide has been declared a pollutant, everyone is being asked not to exhale for the next 24 hours 7:57 PM Apr 22nd from web
6. kingsthings "Common sense is very uncommon." one of my all time favorite quotes! (its from horace greeley) 12:43 PM Apr 22nd from web
7. scanman Wise men talk because they have something to say. Fools talk because they have to say something. - 99.99% of twitter explained. #twitterzen 11:10 PM Apr 21st from Mobile Tweete
8. andrewsayer _________/\___________\o/__________ shark! 6:37 PM Apr 21st from web
9. pkedrosky list of major rivers that no longer reach the sea: Indus, Rio Grande, Colorado, Murray-Darling and Yellow rivers 2:06 PM Apr 21st from twhirl
10. KidneyNotes When people leave messages on Google Voice it sometimes mistranscribes my name as "Doctor Screamer." 10:43 AM Apr 20th from Birdhouse
11. schroncd Environmentalists who say pollution will destroy our earth in 50 yrs are too pessimistic. If we all pull together we can do it in 20 years 7:48 AM Apr 20th from web
12. bencasnocha I'm not a numbers person," many people like to say. Almost nobody goes around saying, however, "I'm not a letters person." - Steve Sailer 10:58 PM Apr 19th from web

The inclusion of a Twitter update (tweet) in Selection of My Twitter Favorites does not represent endorsement or agreement of any kind.

If you are included in this post but you would like to have your tweet removed for any reason, please email me and will comply with your request the same day.

Health News of the Day

Health News of the Day is a daily summary made from the selected links I post on Twitter. It is in a bullet points format with links to the original sources which include 350 RSS feeds that produce about 2,500 items per day.

• Proposal to increase payments to PCPs at the expense of high-paid specialists has touched off a lobbying fight. New doctors typically owe more than $140,000 in loans when they graduate. AAMC is advocating a 30% increase in medical school enrollment, which would produce 5,000 additional doctors each year http://is.gd/uRJP
  
  
• Baths With Diluted Bleach May Help Kids With Atopic Dermatitis. 90% of people with atopic dermatitis have Staph on their skin, compared to about 25% of general population http://bit.ly/QMq4b
  
  
• The American Urological Association recommends a "baseline" PSA test for all men 40 or older http://bit.ly/ONxKQ
  
  
• Camphor-containing products, used to treat cold, deter pests, can be highly toxic to young children, causing seizures http://bit.ly/5DKww
  
  
• Smoking remains the top cause of preventable death in the U.S., followed closely by high blood pressure http://bit.ly/YgfGU
  
  
• "Second Miami VA patient has tested positive for HIV after exposure to contaminated endoscopy equipment" http://is.gd/uSfc
  
  
• AP: "Medicaid cannot be forced to pay for a treatment if they disagree with a doctor over whether it is necessary" http://bit.ly/TBQD3
  
  
• Children given stimulants to treat ADHD score higher on tests than children with the condition who do not get drugs http://bit.ly/18iMRG
  
  
• NEJM is on Facebook too with three new Facebook Applications http://bit.ly/W8rZm - Add NEJM Image Challenge gadget to your webpage: http://bit.ly/e1KGL

Image source: OpenClipArt.org, public domain.

How to promote your service: "We have created gazillions of helpful videos"

Loic LeMeur making a promotional video for his startups Seesmic.com and Twhirl.com: "We have created gazillions of helpful videos."

Update: Twhirl is now Seesmic Desktop client for Twitter.

The New York Times Algorithm Features Our Blog (Again)

The New York Times featured our recent blog post about a user-created Google map of the swine flu on its Times Topics page (see below, in the center of the screenshot).



This is part of the NYT news aggregator Headlines Around the Web (Blogrunner) which monitors about 12,000 blogs and media sources.

It is not a big deal but still nice to share real estate on the page of one of the most popular newspapers in the world with a breaking news post. This is an automatic inclusion by an algorithm and we used it as an example how blogs have gradually gained some relevance in the eyes of the mainstream media. It has happened on a few occasions in the past and the visitor traffic implications were not significant. Google still leads by a large margin among the traffic sources.

References:
Map of H1N1 Swine Flu of 2009

Antibiotic eye drops for bacterial conjunctivitis: which one to choose?

According to the current clinical evidence, 64% of cases of acute bacterial conjunctivitis improve spontaneously and do not require local antibiotic therapy with eye drops.

When antibiotic therapy is indicated for bacterial conjunctivitis, the most cost-effective options are the eye drops listed below that are included in the Walmart $4 prescription medication program:

• Sulfacet Sodium 10% op. solution
• Tobramycin 0.3% op. solution

Tobramycin is better tolerated because it causes less local irritation, often described as stinging and burning. This improves the compliance especially in younger children.

Sulfacetamide 10% has a better gram-positive than gram-negative coverage.

Antibiotic-containing eye medications available in the $4 Prescription Program by Walmart:

• Bacitracin op. ointment
• Erythromycin op. ointment
• Gentamicin 0.3% op. solution
• Neomycin/Polymyxin/Dexamethasone 0.1% op. ointment
• Neomycin/Polymyxin/Dexamethasone 0.1% op. suspension
• Polymyxin Sulfate/TMP op. solution
• Sulfacet Sodium 10% op. solution
• Tobramycin 0.3% op. solution

Gentamicin is used for gram-negative bacterial coverage but tends to be toxic to epithelia and retards healing. Aminoglycoside antibiotics include Gentamicin, Neomycin and Tobramycin.

Ciprofloxacin 3% is a broad-spectrum antibiotic with good gram-positive and gram-negative coverage (not included in the $4 program).

Gatifloxacin ophthalmic solution 0.3% (Zymar) is fourth-generation fluoroquinolone ophthalmic indicated for bacterial conjunctivitis.

References:
Conjunctivitis. AFP, 1998.
$4 Prescription Program. Walmart, PDF.
Should We Prescribe Antibiotics for Acute Conjunctivitis? AFP, 2002.
Image source: Conjunctivitis, Wikipedia, public domain.

Doctors: Do you shake hands during a flu epidemic?

From GruntDoc:

"I have learned the Western Way of politeness: when meeting a stranger look them in the eye and give a firm handshake. I do this quite a lot in this ‘patient satisfaction’ world, shaking the hands of not just the patients but also their families. I’m wondering if we need some sort of socially acceptable way to say ‘I’d shake your hand but given that this is a hospital where illness concentrates, let’s not."

See a few comments on Twitter:

1. AllergyNotes "Doctors: Do you shake hands during a flu epidemic?" http://bit.ly/SMgBk21 minutes ago from TweetDeck
   
   
2. sospokesaroj @AllergyNotes I feel like doctors can get away with no handshake so long as they inform their patients that there's an ongoing epidemic 13 minutes ago from TwitterFox in reply to AllergyNotes
   
   
3. AllergyNotes @sospokesaroj A handshake in healthcare settings can probably increase the risk of C. diff. and MRSA... Alcohol gel does not kill C. diff. 8 minutes ago from TweetDeck in reply to sospokesaroj
   
   
4. sospokesaroj @AllergyNotes C. diff is proving to be increasingly resistant, scary prospect. Better to limit social formalities if it keeps ppl healthy. 2 minutes ago from TwitterFox in reply to AllergyNotes
   
   
5. mpwhaley RT @AllergyNotes "Doctors: Do you shake hands during a flu epidemic?" http://bit.ly/SMgBk (my thoughts exactly- hands folded - namaste) 15 minutes ago from web

What do you think?

Image source: Wikipedia, GNU Free Documentation License.

Health News of the Day

Health News of the Day is a daily summary made from the selected links I post on Twitter. It is in a bullet points format with links to the original sources which include 350 RSS feeds that produce about 2,500 items per day.

• The average Andorran lives 85 years, longer than anywhere else on the planet. Why? http://bit.ly/IpsEy
  
  
• ICS during the first 3 months after hospital admission for RSV infection has no major effect on recurrent wheeze http://bit.ly/U8v2G
  
  
• A man with peanut allergy died from anaphylactic shock after treatment from an alternative medicine practitioner http://bit.ly/OXCni
  
  
• "People attribute their allergies to pine pollen because it's visible, but it's actually too large to cause allergies" http://bit.ly/Aovxu
  
  
• Follow-up of the pine pollen tweet: Molds on Christmas trees can trigger allergy symptoms, Cleveland Clinic video: http://bit.ly/gh3TO
  
  
• BMJ Careers: "The joy of stress in medicine: “Pressure is good. It keeps me motivated” http://bit.ly/uk6Cq - Agree or disagree?
  
  
• Tragedy that breaks your heart, CNN: "My bullied son's last day on Earth" http://bit.ly/QaOvY
  
  
• "Physicians are up in arms at the number of Websites enabling patients to rate their standard of care" - Medscape: http://bit.ly/KAeBF
  
  
• "Wild X-Rays" Gallery, not for the faint-hearted http://bit.ly/YY9Hg

Image source: OpenClipArt.org, public domain.

Map of H1N1 Swine Flu of 2009

View H1N1 Swine Flu in a larger map

• Google Flu Trends has not caught any data forecasting the current swine flu outbreak as of Apr 25, 2009 http://ginx.com/-Q32ai
  
  
• Swine flu updates: @CDCEmergency on Twitter
  
  
• Swine flu updates from the CDC: http://bit.ly/2fwbR

Twitter comments:

1. scanman RT @AllergyNotes:Map of H1N1 Swine Flu of 2009 http://bit.ly/P2mcc - How far we've come from John Snow & his dot map!! Amazing!! about 2 hours ago from Nambu

John Snow (15 March 1813 – 16 June 1858) was a British physician and a leader in the adoption of anaesthesia and medical hygiene. He is considered to be one of the fathers of epidemiology, because of his work in tracing the source of a cholera outbreak in Soho, England, in 1854.

References:
CNN Video: How Cholera Transmission Was Deciphered in 1854
John Snow (physician), from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Medical Geek Humor on Twitter

Twitter is a microblogging service where people answer the question "What are you doing?" via 140-character messages from their cellphone, laptop or desktop. You can select the messages (called "tweets") that you find interesting, useful, amusing, or disagreeable. The tweets below are part of the series Medical Geek Humor on Twitter:


chrisseper Consuming my 27th CokeZero while at #WeMedia 37 minutes ago from txt

AllergyNotes @chrisseper "Consuming my 27th CokeZero" - Go easy on those. So many carbonated drinks could cause osteoporosis... :) I would switch to H20 32 minutes ago from web

scanman @AllergyNotes @chrisseper "Consuming my 27th CokeZero" - I'd switch to beer ;) 31 minutes ago from iTweet in reply to AllergyNotes

AllergyNotes @scanman "Consuming my 27th CokeZero" - "I'd switch to beer ;)" -- 27 in a row may be a bit too much even for a well-trained guy like you :) 21 minutes ago from web in reply to scanman

The inclusion of a Twitter update (tweet) does not represent endorsement or agreement of any kind. If you are included in this post but you would like to have your tweet removed for any reason, please email me and will comply with your request the same day.

Hope for paralyzed patients: post on Twitter using brain waves

"No keyboards, just a red cap fitted with electrodes that monitor brain activity, hooked up to a computer flashing letters on a screen. The development could be a lifeline for people with "locked-in syndrome" -- whose brains function normally but who cannot speak or move because of injury or disease."

References:
Brain-Twitter project offers hope to paralyzed patients. CNN.

Medical Geek Humor on Twitter

Twitter is a microblogging service where people answer the question "What are you doing?" via 140-character messages from their cellphone, laptop or desktop. You can select the messages (called "tweets") that you find interesting, useful, amusing, or disagreeable. The tweets below are part of the series Medical Geek Humor on Twitter:

1. scanman really boring meeting. can't stand slides laden with bullet points of stuff straight from textbooks. about 1 hour ago from Mobile Tweete
   
   
2. pharmamotion @scanman let me guess, with no images at all and the presenter reading them in a monotone way about 1 hour ago from TweetDeck in reply to scanman
   
   
3. scanman @pharmamotion the speaker was okay, quite knowledgeable, but his talk lacked focus & his slides were atrocious 34 minutes ago from Mobile Tweete
   
   
4. AllergyNotes @scanman "the speaker was okay, quite knowledgeable, but his talk lacked focus & his slides were atrocious" - That makes a bad talk, no? 7 minutes ago from web in reply to scanman
   
   
5. scanman @AllergyNotes Bad talk in toto. Quite lucid in some bits which he emphasized. Sadly he didn't summarize any take home points less than a minute ago from Mobile Tweete

The inclusion of a Twitter update (tweet) does not represent endorsement or agreement of any kind. If you are included in this post but you would like to have your tweet removed for any reason, please email me and will comply with your request the same day.

Health News of the Day

Health News of the Day is a daily summary made from the selected links I post on Twitter. It is in a bullet points format with links to the original sources which include 350 RSS feeds that produce about 2,500 items per day.

• A genetic locus on chromosome 12p13 is associated with an increased risk of stroke. http://content.nejm.org/cgi...
  
  
• First criminal convictions for a doctor practicing medicine over the phone or internet: http://bit.ly/19AKyL
  
  
• Even low blood levels of lead during early childhood can lead to high blood pressure later in life http://is.gd/u6Cx
  
  
• Low vitamin D were associated with increased odds of being hospitalized for asthma and more severe allergies. http://bit.ly/17t3Gv
  
  
• Gum chewing was associated with a 3% increase in standardized math scores http://bit.ly/hm8Md
  
  
• Florida vet pharmacy wrongly prepared horse meds before polo match, 21 horses died http://bit.ly/XY4pl
  
  
• CNN: "Five clues that you are addicted to Facebook" http://bit.ly/sWLA5
  
  
• CNN: "Brain-Twitter project offers hope to paralyzed patients - post messages on Twitter using mind" http://bit.ly/FHeZW
  
  
• Home teeth whiteners may weaken enamel http://bit.ly/14ZnC6
  
  
• Diet Low in Vitamins A and C Linked to Asthma and Wheeze, Medscape/Thorax (needs free reg.) http://bit.ly/Sk6qy

Image source: OpenClipArt.org, public domain.

Feminist Parenting: CFW 5K Walk

A few weeks ago my daughter had report card pick up day. That means that school is closed for classes and as such, she ended up going to work with me. For lunch we walked over to a local cafe that just happens to have gelato as well. As I was at the register paying for our food when she spotted it. A brochure for the Breast Cancer 3-Day walk.

"Mom, why does that say walk?"

I explain to her that this organization asks people to walk for three days to raise money to help people who are sick. The walkers ask friends and family to donate money to help the sick people.

"Oh!!!" and her eyes light up.

Would you like to do that one day?

"Yeah!" with a lot of head shaking.

I started to think, well I know I would need to train for a 3 day walk. She's five and a half. Hmm...Oh! What about a small walk to help people?

And so this morning I signed my daughter & myself up for the Chicago Foundation for Women's 5K walk, run and roll. Yes, I hemmed and hawed over it for a good week or two. I was worried that she might not be able to finish. I still do. But I've worked with CFW for years, love the work they do and know that the money I raise will be put to good use.

I registered us around 10 am. By 10 pm we had raised $125 through me posting it on Facebook, Twitter and a mass email to friends & family. I also have verbal commitments from a few others so I'm confident that our goal of $200 will be met if not totally surpassed.

I also decided to register and have us at least try to walk the whole course because she wants to do it. If I truly am raising a feminist child or as I like to say, a feminist in training, I need to allow her to enter the community on her own terms. She does come to meetings with me, but that's usually a 'Do your homework while mommy works' thing. At the walk, she'll be part of a team. She'll get to see some of the women mommy works with. She'll get to see that mommy works with a lot of people to make Chicago a more woman-friendly city.

I want my daughter to know this is what we do. We work hard, writing, organizing, raising money and even walking to help those who need it. We work hard to support each other.

That's just one way that I practice feminist parenting.

Optical Illusion: Julian Beever Chalk Drawings

Video: Optical Illusion, Julian Beever Chalk Drawings.

"Julian Beever "Pavement Picasso" is an English, Belgium-based artist who has been creating amazing 3D pavement chalk drawings since the mid-1990s. His works are created using a projection called anamorphosis, and create the illusion of three dimensions when viewed from the correct angle.

Besides this pavement art, Beever also paints murals and oil paintings."

References:
Julian Beever, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Julian Beever (official web site).
Pavement Picasso. BBC.

Selection of My Twitter Favorites, Edition 58

Twitter is a microblogging service where people answer the question "What are you doing?" via 140-character messages from their cellphone, laptop or desktop. You can select the messages (called "tweets") that you find interesting, useful, amusing, or disagreeable. Here is the 58th edition of My Twitter Favorites (the oldest post is at the bottom, the newest at the top): Micro-blogging on Twitter is easy, fun and can be very useful and educational if you follow/subscribe to interesting people. You can read more here: A Doctor's Opinion: Why I Started Microblogging on Twitter and visit my account at Twitter/AllergyNotes.

1. LeoLaporte Forget @oprah - my favorite bakery is now on twitter, and twittering when the bread comes out of the oven. @dellafattoria4:55 PM Apr 18th from web
2. AllergyNotes Twitter is on front pages (as rudimentary as it is) while a much superior platform as FriendFeed languishes barely being noticed... 11:46 AM Apr 18th from web
3. Ethamfarm going outside to be grouchy....its no fun being grouchy inside on such a lovely day! 8:31 AM Apr 18th from web
4. lancearmstrong Getting a taste of the future this am. Weather prevents paper delivery. Reading news online. When will the last paper b thrown in the usa? 8:04 AM Apr 18th from TwitterBerry
5. LeoLaporte Now that Oprah has topped 230,000 legitimate followers in just 24 hours I can go back to being a normal joe with my measly 100,000. 11:20 PM Apr 17th from web
6. Doctor_V Fair warning to medical students and peds residents: If u choose peds gastro as a career, the phones will eat you alive 5:00 PM Apr 17th from TweetDeck
7. laikas RT QuadsZilla - If you trust Google more than your doctor then maybe it's time to switch doctors. 1:13 PM Apr 17th from TweetDeck
8. steenbab 8:20 AM CT - One trader's fave pickup line: "Your eyes are the same color as my Porsche." Now you see the kind of guys I work with. 8:21 AM Apr 17th from web
9. KidneyNotes If you have a collection of your kidney stones in a display case, it's reasonable to see a specialist. 7:31 AM Apr 17th from Birdhouse
10. richardquest Morning tweetarama....I know we usually get April Showers....but this morning in London - more like mini monsoon 1:41 AM Apr 17th from web
11. StevenBarley Drinking my fav (behind water) - decaf green tea (part of my antioxidant trifecta and daily regiment - others: dark chocolate, blueberries) 9:04 PM Apr 16th from TweetDeck
12. doctorwes Forgot pager at hospital. Why can't they send a tweet instead? 7:11 PM Apr 16th from txt
13. AllergyNotes Publication of multiple abstracts with minimal value by an author - it is not science "evolution" or "revolution" but a "science pollution"4:39 PM Apr 16th from web
    
14. KidneyNotes Google Scholar/Books is great for jumping into an obscure topic and exploring for an hour or so. Strangely underutilized. 10:43 AM Apr 19th from Birdhouse
    
    

The inclusion of a Twitter update (tweet) in Selection of My Twitter Favorites does not represent endorsement or agreement of any kind.

If you are included in this post but you would like to have your tweet removed for any reason, please email me and will comply with your request the same day.

Review: Sticker Sisters

It's common knowledge that I have a thing against the princess-ification of our daughters' childhood. But sometimes you need to use the princess to kill the fairy tale. Case in point the wonderful t-shirt the kid is sporting.

The t-shirt reads:

"My kind of princess escapes the tower, outsmarts the dragon and finds the treasure."

Hell yeah.

You can see in a close-up that the shirt also has a comic strip feel to it. Lil Miss Smartypants had me explain to her how a big dragon could be kept in such a small cage. Why didn't he just fly away? *sigh* So much logic in such a small body!

She loves the shirt because it's pink and I love the shirt because it has a fabulous message. I do have to say that the kid likes the message too since it reminds her of "The Paper Bag Princess."

It's so hard at this age. I'm teaching her to stand on her own two feet, yet stories, media & I dare to think, friends reinforce the prince saves the princess theme. I can tell she's confused when we read empowering stories. Thankfully we have Princess Leia & Wonder Woman (she's a princess!) to help guide the way. Can you believe she tried to tell me that Leia only gets rescued? Hello? SHE killed Jaba! Hmmm...maybe she's more of a radical feminist than me? Only time will tell!

Thanks to Sticker Sisters for providing the kid with the shirt. While this was a freebie, we do have Sticker Sisters band-aids that I bought at a NOW conference. Not to mention the lil shirt I bought for another pink-princess-loving girl in my life. BTW if a certain husband is reading this...they do have this shirt in my size!! Mother's Day is a coming!