a little bit of everything...

I was lying in bed, trying to sleep, with a million thoughts running through my head. So, instead of getting frustrated that sleep was eluding me, I decided to get on the computer.

Basically, this will probably be the last post for a little while (unless I squeeze in a real quick one now and then). I am feeling slightly overwhelmed with the load ahead of me, which is probably the main reason why I can't sleep! My very last trimester of grad class has begun, and my research proposal is due April 10. On April 13, I will present said proposal to Shenandoah University in Winchester, VA! Then, barring any catastrophes, graduation will be on Mother's Day! Now, I still have not figured out what my research question will be, so that is causing some angst.

At the same time, I am getting into the nitty-gritty of preparing for the ESL classes at my church that we will start offering on June 2. Thankfully, I have another person helping me to get these started, but it is still a lot of time spent planning and preparing. I am really excited about them and the opportunity to finally put into practice what I have been studying for the past 6 years! (yes, it has taken that long...)

Then there are the continued pressures with my job. January is always a stressful time - end of the semester, our largest assessment load (that is done individually, very time-consuming tasks), etc. Having random walk-thrus like the one I had today do not help. They were coming to see my intervention time (don't even ask as to what that means, especially in kindergarten - sore subject) which I have cancelled for the week for many different reasons, the least of which was that my schedule today was HECTIC and barely normal. I do not feel guilty for not doing what I was "supposed" to be doing, because I feel that I have legitimate reasons; it's more knowing that I will have to hear about it and dialogue about it in the future that is frustrating.

And, I wanted to post some pictures from today, but that isn't going to happen. Basically, I decided that my students also deserved the opportunity to watch the inauguration today, even if plans had not been made to include them (or anyone from k-2, for that matter) in the large viewing areas. So, we hoped for the best in the streaming video (THANK YOU, I.T. DEPT!), and it went well. The kids were very excited and it was quite interesting to listen to their comments -they even discussed the class election we had in Oct! The ceremony took place over our recess/lunch time. I turned it on, told the kids they could play the indoor recess games or watch, and over half of them chose to watch! They especially liked watching for shots of the Obama girls; "the big one and the little one" as one student put it. Then, we brought up their lunches from the cafeteria, ate on the carpet, and watched Barack Obama become our 44th President. It was impressive that they sat so quietly, like they understood the solemnity of the event, without any reminders from me. Granted, they did start to lose interest towards the end of Obama's speech, but overall, I thought they did very well. Even if you didn't vote for Obama, you have to admit that history was made today!

Some final tidbits:

1. My nose: still a bit painful to touch/move, but definitely much better. I can now safely blow my nose which is very helpful and I can feel a definite improvement in the way I breathe. Still too soon to say if it was successful in limiting the sinus infections, though. I had my final post-op visit on Mon. and all is good. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers! Mike is now scheduled to have the same surgery on Feb. 20, so you can pray for both of us then, too! :)
2. Selling of second-hand items: My previous post dealt with the legislation that will affect second-hand and thrift stores. Courtney has sent me an update, so go here to find out more details.
3. 50 Book Challenge Update: Knowing that I probably won't read a book for enjoyment for quite some time, I decided to read what I could the past couple of weeks. Of course, knowing that I wanted to make the best use of my time, I read my favorite genre, chick lit. This past weekend, my sister and I had another heated discussion about the inclusion of these books and we were unable to come to a clear consensus. Basically, it's my list, I will put on it what I want. Maybe next year (after there is NO MORE GRAD WORK!!) I will read what she deems as "real" books where I "learn something." :)
   

Here they are:

34. Reconstructing Brigid - Lee Nichols
35. Nothing But the Truth (and a Few White Lies) - Justina Chen Headley; not chick lit, but YA. Very good book about a high school girl who is coming to terms with being half-White, half-Taiwanese
36. Do Not Disturb - Tilly Bagshawe
37. Stupid and Contagious - Caprice Crane; HILARIOUS and it made me think of my sisters the entire time I was reading it. Speaking of which, I let the aforementioned chick-lit bashing sister borrow it because she was laughing at the excerpts I read to her (I hope you don't mind, Courtney)
38. Every Boy's Got One - Meg Cabot
39. Bachelor Boys - Kate Saunders; not really chick lit, but definitely a tear-jerker and a good read.

Oh dear, 11 more to go. I wonder if I can make it!!!!

I think that this post is long enough. Now maybe I can go to sleep!!!

Until next time...

all of you moms out there, read below!

Courtney e-mailed me an article from the LA Times, and I thought I should pass it on.

Basically, there is a new federal law that goes into effect Feb. 10 that requires all merchandise (including second-hand clothes) to go through lead testing before it can be sold. This will cause a lot of financial difficulty for many, especially thrift stores and consignment shops.

Of course, the law was written too broadly and passed through Congress too quickly, and now everybody is scrambling to figure out how to interpret it. But in the meantime, it looks like a lot of second-hand clothing will be headed to the landfills (so much for "being green!").

Read the article, pass it on to others that you know might be affected!
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New safety rules for children's clothes have stores in a fit
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-thrift2-2009jan02,0,2083247.story

Some owners say the cost of testing for toxic lead and phthalates will shut their businesses. The law goes into effect Feb. 10.
By Alana Semuels

January 2, 2009

Barring a reprieve, regulations set to take effect next month could force thousands of clothing retailers and thrift stores to throw away trunkloads of children's clothing.

The law, aimed at keeping lead-filled merchandise away from children, mandates that all products sold for those age 12 and younger -- including clothing -- be tested for lead and phthalates, which are chemicals used to make plastics more pliable. Those that haven't been tested will be considered hazardous, regardless of whether they actually contain lead.

"They'll all have to go to the landfill," said Adele Meyer, executive director of the National Assn. of Resale and Thrift Shops.

The new regulations take effect Feb. 10 under the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, which was passed by Congress last year in response to widespread recalls of products that posed a threat to children, including toys made with lead or lead-based paint.

Supporters say the measure is sorely needed. One health advocacy group said it found high levels of lead in dozens of products purchased around the country, including children's jewelry, backpacks and ponchos.

Lead can also be found in buttons or charms on clothing and on appliques that have been added to fabric, said Charles Margulis, communications director for the Center for Environmental Health in Oakland. A child in Minnesota died a few years ago after swallowing a lead charm on his sneaker, he said.

But others say the measure was written too broadly. Among the most vocal critics to emerge in recent weeks are U.S.-based makers of handcrafted toys and handmade clothes, as well as thrift and consignment shops that sell children's clothing.

"We will have to lock our doors and file for bankruptcy," said Shauna Sloan, founder of Salt Lake City-based franchise Kid to Kid, which sells used children's clothing in 75 stores across the country and had planned to open a store in Santa Clara, Calif., this year.

There is the possibility of a partial reprieve. The Consumer Product Safety Commission, which is responsible for enforcing the law, on Monday will consider exempting clothing and toys made of natural materials such as wool or wood. The commission does not have the authority to change the law but can decide how to interpret it.

But exempting natural materials does not go far enough, said Stephen Lamar, executive vice president of the American Apparel and Footwear Assn. Clothes made of cotton but with dyes or non-cotton yarn, for example, might still have to be tested, as would clothes that are cotton-polyester blends, he said.

"The law introduces an extraordinarily large number of testing requirements for products for which everyone knows there's no lead," he said.

Clothing and thrift trade groups say the law is flawed because it went through Congress too quickly. By deeming that any product not tested for lead content by Feb. 10 be considered hazardous waste, they contend, stores will have to tell customers that clothing they were allowed to sell Feb. 9 became banned overnight.

These groups say the law should be changed so that it applies to products made after Feb. 10, not sold after that date.

That would take action by Congress, however, because the Consumer Product Safety Commission's general counsel has already determined that the law applies retroactively, said commission spokesman Scott Wolfson.

The regulations also apply to new clothing. That won't be a problem for large manufacturers and retailers, industry experts say, but it will be a headache for small operators such as Molly Orr, owner of Molly O Designs in Las Vegas.

Orr has already produced her spring line of children's clothes. She says she can't afford the $50,000 it would cost to have a private lab test her clothing line, so she's trying to sell her inventory at a steep discount before Feb. 10. After that, she is preparing to close her business.

"We have a son with autism, so we are all about cleaning up the toxins that our children are exposed to," she said. "But I think the law needs to be looked at more closely to see how it is affecting the economy in general."

Thrift store owners say the law stings because children's garments often come in new or nearly new, because children typically outgrow clothing quickly.

Carol Vaporis, owner of Duck Duck Goose Consignment in New Port Richey, Fla., said her store stocks barely used brand-name clothing from places such as Limited Too and Gymboree.

"We really provide a service to the community to help people get clothes for their children they otherwise couldn't afford," she said.

Families have been bringing more clothes to consignment stores, where they get a chunk of the proceeds, to earn a little cash this winter, she said. She plans to contact her congressional representatives and senators to ask them to amend the law but says there's not enough awareness about the repercussions of the law to force anything to change.

Many retailers and thrift stores appear to be unaware that the law is changing. Of half a dozen Southern California children's thrift stores contacted by The Times, only one had heard of the law. Organizations such as Goodwill say they're still investigating how the law will affect them because there is so much confusion about what will be banned.

Cynthia Broockman, who owns two consignment stores and a thrift shop in Virginia, recently stopped accepting children's products for resale. That raised the ire of a man who was trying to sell his son's castoffs there and had not heard of the new rules.

"I think it's not understood by people how sweeping and far-reaching this is," she said. "The ripples that are going to go forth from this are just astonishing."

and then things get put into perspective...

This morning I took a nice long nap, woke up feeling a bit better and decided to spend some extended time on the computer reading blogs. You know how it goes - you go on one friend's blog, click on one of the blogs that they read, click on another one from there, and SUDDENLY, everything gets put into perspective.

By doing the above, I came across "Confessions of a CF Husband." This young couple has already faced so many monumental obstacles and are still able to praise God and now I am embarrassed by the complaining I did last night. I am not removing that post, because I want to keep this reminder to be thankful for the good health that I have. I might not be able to breathe well right now, but I know that I will be able to in the future. I do not have to battle a terminal illness that literally takes your breath away.

Please check out this site. You will be uplifted, I promise!

Until next time...

I can't wait to breathe again!

A couple of months ago I had posted about my on-going sinus problems. Well, in an attempt to alleviate some (hopefully all) of those problems, I had septoplasty surgery on Monday. Can I just say, the paperwork that they gave me beforehand about the recovery period was SO not true?!?!?!? It made it sound like recovery would be a piece of cake. HA!

First of all, I didn't know until I already had the "relaxer" medication (the precursor to gen. anesthesia) that I was going to be intubated. Now, I guess that makes sense, but I hadn't thought about it beforehand. From watching "ER" and "House" and the like, I knew that intubation is not the most pleasant thing, but WOW! does it make your throat hurt! Something I do not want to repeat again!

Second, this was my third time with anesthesia, but I don't remember it taking so long for me to recover from it before. My surgery was shortly before 10, but I didn't make it home until after 2 because I couldn't keep my eyes open. And the nausea! Aack! When I first woke up, the first thing I wanted to do was scream and rip everything off of me - good thing I was still pretty sedated!

But the worst part of this recovery? The congestion! Oh, all I want to do is BLOW MY NOSE!!!!! The congestion set in during the night on Monday, and I woke up at 3am feeling like I was choking. My mouth is so unbelievably dry and my tongue has cracked and my throat is still sore and NOTHING (humidifier, saline nose irrigation, etc.) has helped. It makes me not want to sleep because that is when it is the worst. I can't breathe through my nose, so I fall asleep with my mouth WIDE open and the saliva glands cannot keep up. I finally stopped taping gauze under my nose this afternoon (to catch the constant dripping) because the tape has dried out patches of my skin and even ripped some of my face. Now, I constantly feel like I am going to sneeze (which I have to make sure I do with my mouth open!).

Did I mention how I pushed a bit too hard on my nose yesterday morning while trying to clean my face? It took EVERYTHING I had in my power to not pass out as my parasympathetic nervous system took over my body! WOW!

My upper jaw, especially my front teeth still hurt. In fact, I might have to have my future RDH sister take a look at some of my teeth because there are some weird white spots on the corners of them. Hopefully I haven't damaged my teeth in this process.

Monday morning I go in to have the nose splints removed. I can only imagine how painful that is going to be and I have a seriously low tolerance for pain. And then Tuesday I am planning on returning to work because EVERYTHING I have read has said that you can return to work in 5 to 7 days! If that is the case, I better be feeling a LOT better here VERY soon!!! Yet, I still won't be able to do anything "strenous" for another week, and not 100% for like a month. What does that mean??? (because nothing has been the way they said yet!)

One amusing moment: as I am in the surgery center waiting my turn, I notice all of these little kids prepped and ready to go who were there with their mothers. I wanted Mike there, of course, but I practically begged my mom to come, too! So, even at 30, I still wanted my mom with me for my surgery!! Thanks, Mom, for sticking around another day!!!!

Thank you for letting me vent. If you can't do it on your own blog, where can you?? :)

Oh, and happy new year!!!!

1/7/09 EDIT: I removed the link to the YouTube septoplasty video. My sister was braver than I and actually watched the whole thing - and found out it was mislabeled! Oh well, this is the first time YouTube let me down! :) Thanks, Brittany!