Udating Medical Files

In light of some recent medical issues, I recently decided to update my medical files. For me, that meant going to my dr offices and getting physical copies of my files (and my daughter's files) so that I could give the most accurate information possible to drs when I spoke with them. I had my GP, whom I only saw when I was sick, my OBGYN, whom I saw at least annually, but often more frequently due to some hormone imbalances, and, most recently, a rheumatologist. As I sat in the rheumatologist office filling out the same initial paperwork I've had to for every other office, I realized that I left my medical file at home. I had forgotten what an important resource that is!! As I tried to recall from memory all of the various diseases my parents, brother, and grandparents had I missed having my Family Medical History sheet with me. That is important information to have, especially when trying to determine what underlying issues may be lurking in your family history.

Do you have personal medical files on each member of your family? Do you request copies of the Dr's progress notes from appointments? Do you KNOW what is in your medical history, or your family's medical history?

Aside from family history, one of the things that doctors NEED to know is what medication you are on. This is true for dentists, too. It is always a good idea to carry a list of your current medications and their doses with you, because sometimes it is hard to remember exactly what you're on and drug interactions can be very serious! To help with that, I have created a Current Medications card that I will be filling out for myself and recommend you do, too, if you are on any medications. Just print it out, fill it in, cut it out and fold it in half. You can laminate it if you want for durability. Or you can just double stick tape it together so it doesn't come unfolded when you need to pull it out. You've got a choice of 5 colors, which is especially helpful if you have multiple family members on medication. Here's a peek!

To download your copy, go HERE!

As always, I'd love to know what you think!!

It's that time of year again...

Back to school is just around the corner. For some it has already started! Fortunately for me, school here doesn't start until after Labor Day so I had time to do this...

I sorted through Eliana's 1st grade papers and pulled this pile out to be thrown away!!

I also pulled out some things that I didn't care to keep, but thought she might. She gets to sort through this little stack to see what she's still attached to. 

I reset our yearly file tote, going strong on its 3rd year!

And finally, I filed Eliana's 1st grade keepers in the K-12 file tote. 

For a refresher on how I keep Eliana's paperwork organized, read the post HERE!

MIA... but the fridge is tidy!

Perhaps you've noticed that I've gone MIA. No, I haven't decided that organizing and systematizing my home is a waste of time and energy, and no, I didn't forget I had a blog. But for the past few months I have been struggling with some health issues that have interfered with most aspects of my life, and, as a result, this blog has been neglected. I have pondered writing on here, but each time I do I am overwhelmed at the prospect of taking and editing pictures of the laundry room I finished (which would mean doing all the laundry that is currently in there), and working at lightning speed to do the same for all the rooms May through July. That overwhelm stopped me in my tracks and I didn't update the blog.

So tonight I am just going to post some pictures I took tonight. Of my fridge. Because I'm a dork like that. :) I had a few bins that needed labels, so I pulled out my handy label maker and, when I finished labeling everything, decided to take pictures for the blog. So here I am. I may return to the previously scheduled programming and catch us all up by December. Or I might not. I hope you will extend the same grace and forgiveness to me that I am attempting to extend to myself!!

Here's the overview of my fridge. 

On one side of the door we have milk (and various milk-free milks) and some spreads. You know, like jellies and jams.

On the other side of the door we have salad dressings and lemon and lime juices. 

The body of the fridge is where most of our goods are kept, though it seems like we have a whole lot of sauces and things in this section, too. Is everyone else's fridge this saucy??

On the bottom we have a shallow, wide drawer that pulls out. The smaller section houses yogurt, the larger section houses deli meats, cheese, and cheese alternatives. 

Above that we have two climate controlled drawers. One is for vegetables and salad, the other is for fruits. Occasionally, not all our fruit will fit in this drawer and it goes on the shelf above. 

Above the vegetable drawer we have two small bins. One holds butter and sour cream while the other contains "dips." By dips I mean hummus, guacamole, and tzaziki sauce. These are staples in our world. 

Here we have the "catch all" section of our fridge. This is the area that catches the fruit that doesn't fit in the drawer, the pitcher of iced tea that is only occasionally present, the margarine, and in the back, the pickles and olives. It gets filled up with "whatever."

Above the catch all we have a shallow shelf labeled "leftovers." Really this is where any leftovers that are to be eaten for lunches go. Leif likes to take leftovers to work for lunch, and I like to make Eliana's lunches ahead of time, so this is where they go. 

Next to the leftovers we veer into sauce land. Here are two large bins containing the ever important "condiments" and "whipped cream and toppings." Because, really, you need a home for the whipped cream, maraschino cherries, and chocolate sauce, right??

Our eggs live in a small bin on the tiny shelf next to the ice maker. I've heard that you shouldn't keep all your eggs in one basket, but we do. 

And last, but not least, more sauciness. Here we have our Asian sauces, like soy, terriyaki, fish, sweet chili, ginger, etc., and our regular sauces, like Worchestershire, A1, BBQ, and taco sauce. 

The last touch (and contrast of color to my green and white interior fridge design) is this handy "Shelf Life of Refrigerated Items" printable that I found somewhere on the interwebs, printed, laminated, and posted on the side wall for reference. It's handier there than trying to remember which binder it's in when I want to know whether to keep or toss something.

So there you have it. A little tour of my fridge. It might not be the best in the world, but it certainly works for me, and it's much easier when people try to help you clear the table after a meal when you can tell them just to put the ketchup in the bin labeled "condiments."