Featured on Little Mama Jama

A few days ago, I was featured on Little Mama Jama as a guest blogger. If you're planning a move, go check out my suggestions for a successful move. Kristin from Little Mama Jama is moving back home to Wisconsin with her adorable family this month (yay!), so she is having tons of talented bloggers guest post about topics like saving money, parenting, and PPD. Please go check her out!

Wedding registry suggestions?

I don't usually post wedding-related stuff here (I have a separate blog for that), but I have a few more followers on this blog than I have on my wedding blog, and I know a lot of you are married ladies, so I thought I would ask for your advice.

Do you have any must-have items that I should register for?

Anything I should definitely NOT register for?

How many stores did you register at and which ones?
The majority of my registry is at Kohl's because I know that is where most of my wedding guests like to shop. I registered for some bedding, bath, and miscellaneous stuff at Bed Bath and Beyond. I registered for fine china, flatware, and table linens at Macy's along with some casual serving pieces not available at Kohl's.

Finally, do you and your husband have the same taste? Did he care what you registered for? How did you handle your differences (for example, you want simple, white everyday dinnerware and he wanted bright, crazy stuff)?

Thanks for your help!

Titletown, USA

In case you missed it, my guy Donald Driver brought yet another trophy home to Titletown, USA (aka Green Bay, Wisconsin)! Congratulations, Uncle Don! Way to make Wisconsin and  Packer Nation proud!

Homeless!

We're officially homeless. Not living on the streets or anything, but we have no home to call our own for now. We moved out of our rental house in Detroit. Andy's living with his parents in northern Wisconsin, and I will be going back and forth between Andy's parents' house, my parents' house, and a friend's house in Detroit starting tomorrow until the end of June. We found an apartment in Marshfield and sent in the security deposit, and we will be able to move in around mid-June.

We also signed up for a CSA in Marshfield. CSA stands for "'community supported agriculture," and participants pay to receive a bushel or half-bushel of fresh produce every week from June through October. We also get to attend farm events, such as pumpkin and raspberry picking, for free, and we have the option of purchasing eggs, poultry, beef and pork from the farm. We're excited to start eating more organic, unprocessed foods.

The Brave Little Toaster

A few years ago, Andy used to make fun of my compassion for inanimate objects. In high school, I would walk to the farthest garbage can in the cafeteria to throw my trash away because I didn't want it to feel unloved or like it didn't have a purpose. A few years ago, I purchased a plush turkey from Build-a-Bear because Andy picked it up and made gobbling noises. I put a gobbler in it and gave it to my mom as a birthday gift.

A few days ago, I told Andy to put our old, junky toaster on the curb. I've had it since college, and it barely works. Plus, we will probably get a nicer toaster from my wedding shower or our wedding anyway.

This was our conversation today.

Andy: Do you want me to put this toaster on the curb?

Me: Yes. It's junk.

(Andy picks up the toaster and goes outside. Then comes back in.)

Andy: I couldn't put the toaster on the curb.

Me: Why?

Andy: I couldn't put it on the curb.

(Silence.)

Andy: I keep thinking of the Brave Little Toaster.

(Silence.)

Me: It's a toaster. It doesn't have feelings. Put it on the curb.

Andy: It has feelings. I can't.

Me: So what did you do with it?

Andy: I put it in the back of the car.


And this is a good example of why I love him.

Our Brave Little Toaster.

Birthday Haul!

My birthday was on May 3. I studied at school with my friend Nicole during the day and took a final exam for my masters program in the evening. Andy was in Wisconsin for the week prior to my birthday, and I had told him I would be fine if he stayed at home a little longer if he returned to Michigan in the evening so I could see him on my actual birthday. He walked in the door with 16 minutes to spare, and we went right to sleep. Today he picked up a pie for me, and I got my birthday presents. Because I need to stay in Michigan until the end of June to finish my masters degree, I asked for a drugstore shopping spree to get some basics to hold me over as well as a few fun things. He decided to let my pick out my own gifts (which is kind of fun and kind of not fun at the same time), so we went to CVS today, and here's what I got.

Aussie 3-Minute Miracle leave-in conditioner.
Secret Outlast & Olay antiperspirant deodorant
CVS brand strengthening nail polish remover
CVS brand contact lens solution
Colgate MaxFresh Clean Mint toothpaste
Oral-B Pulsar toothbrushes
CVS brand disposable razors
Scünci claw hair clips
Conair wide-tooth shower comb
Conair 60-pack hair ties
Nail files
Revlon ColorStay nail polish in 100 Buttercup
Sally Hansen Insta-Dri nail polish topcoat
Rimmel Sexy Curves mascara
Revlon eyelash curler
Revlon Moon Drops Lipstick in 590 Lilac Champagne
Milani Illuminating Face Powder in 02 Hermosa Rose
Cover Girl Classic Color Blush in 570 Natural Glow
Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser in Medium

What would you get if you could go on a drugstore shopping spree?

First Aid for Dating a Doctor #25

Hippocrates' Handmaidens: Women Married to Physicians, Chapter 8 - Social Expectations: Use the Correct Fork Please.

In Chapter 8, the author discussed the expectation that a doctor's wife be perfect. She is under constant social pressure and must abide by the social rules imposed by her husband's profession. Her husband's colleagues and their wives judge her. Picking the wrong flowers or the wrong menu for a dinner party of physicians could render her an outcast. She is afraid that people in her husband's social circle will see how she acts at home and reject her.

I'm sure you can imagine that many aspects of this chapter frustrated me. Yes. You should be on your best behavior every time you're around your significant other's bosses, superiors, and most of his colleagues. It's pretty easy. Dress conservatively, say please and thank you, compliment the host, and don't complain, gossip, cuss, drink too much, eat like a horse, lick your fingers, belch, or talk about politics or religion. Not too hard. Conversing is easy, and you'll be a big hit if you remember that people like to talk about themselves. So ask questions. And compliment them. If you're thinking this sounds pretty basic, I think you're right. I can't imagine anything you could bring to a dinner party that would make you an instant outcast, except maybe a half-eaten tray of penis-shaped brownies.

So now that you've shown the world your Dr. Jekyll, what happens when they see your Mr. Hyde? You know, when you're not at your best. When your kid is screaming like you're killing him for no apparent reason, and you grab his arm and threaten, "Stop yelling right now, or I'm leaving you here." When you blow your stack at your husband because he locked the keys in the car while it's running, your kid is screaming, and you're in yoga pants and no makeup, then Mrs. Dr. Jones gets out of the Benz next to you wearing Louboutins and Prada sunglasses and scoffs. Are you an outcast forever? Probably not. Because Mrs. Dr. Jones probably drives a Toyota Camry and shops at Target. She's left the house without makeup before often, her kids have thrown tantrums in public, and she's been at the end of her rope with her husband more than once. So unless you're constantly screaming at your husband and encouraging your kids to run at full speed into the cereal display at the grocery store, she probably won't judge you.

Are you surprised? I'm not sure who the author was hanging out with, but I'm not in a hurry to meet them. If you're worried about meeting your husband's medical colleagues and their wives, don't be! The majority of us are nice. And we're regular people, and we try hard to support each other.

Doctors' wives - share your experiences. Do you feel comfortable around your husband's colleagues? Have you ever felt judged? Have you ever taken an intimidated fellow wife under your wing?