With July 4th this weekend, I thought I would share where you can find all of the fun activities going on to celebrate. 

Coralville will be doing their annual 4th Fest Parade and Fireworks. You can see the parade route and a schedule of the days activities HERE

Cedar Rapids will be hosting their Freedom Festival. They have lots of great activities for all ages. You can check out the schedule HERE.
 
Fireworks will be launched in Coralville at the Rec Center, Downtown Iowa City at Hubbard Park, Amana over Lily Lake, Downtown Cedar Rapids and at the stadium in Cedar Rapids after the Kernals game.

Who is excited about the 4th of July this Saturday? ME!! I'm so excited about the awesome parade and fireworks in Coralville (more info HERE) and lets not forget about the BBQ and celebrating our wonderful Country and the men and women who helped form this country and who still fight to protect it. This week my daughter and I did some crafting and we have a super cute set of wood firecrackers for one of you lucky people! 

This is a flash giveaway so the winner will be announced on our Facebook page tomorrow night. To enter to win leave a comment telling me your favorite 4th of July tradition!

With summer here, Tornado Season is officially upon us. If you haven't heard the sirens go off during testing (that happens the first Wednesday of every month at 10AM) be prepared. The first time you hear them, you will have a minor heart attack. Just breathe, it will be okay! Since we have some of our new members heading this way, I thought I would share some helpful tips about the severe weather we can experience here in Iowa. 

First off, you live in Johnson County. This is important to know so that you know what to look for when the server weather alerts pop up on the TV. Its probably a good idea to install some sort of weather app on your phone so that you know what is heading your way and you can be prepared. Those apps are also great in case you can't hear the sirens go off. Also, you will hear about Tornado Watches and Tornado Warnings. Watch is more severe that Warning but you will hear both a lot this summer. Just remember the bigger the word, the bigger the threat.

Second, know where your safe room is. Typically it is the lowest, innermost room in your house. It could be a bathroom or a closet (like it is at my house). You just want to make sure its a room without windows. It also may be a good idea have some non-perishable snacks, like granola bars, and water bottles down there for emergencies. Our safe room is a closet under our stairs in the basement. We have an emergency pack for each member of our family with a change of clothes (and diapers for our little guys), water bottles, granola bars, flash lights, first aid kits, a crank radio to listen for weather reports in case the power goes out and some toys to keep the kids busy if we have to stay down there for a while. I'll be really honest, in the last two years, we have sat in there maybe once or twice. We ride out most of our storms down stairs with the news on waiting for the all clear. However, its nice to have the reassurance that the supplies are there, if need be. 

There are some great resources online for more information about severe weather safety. You should check them out and educate yourself when you get some free time. The more information you have and the more prepared you are, the less scary the storm will be. 

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/Image/mkx/pdf/handouts/weather-safety-tips.pdf


http://www.nws.noaa.gov/os/severeweather/


http://www.redcross.org/prepare/disaster/tornado

With the current medical year coming to an end, the time has come for some of us to say goodbye to the friends that we have made over the past years here in Iowa and move on to the next stage in our medical journeys. I think that may be easier said than done though. A part of our "Iowa Family" as we call it, is moving away this month and the rest of us are left with a void where they used to be. We all know that eventually we will all be the ones finishing our training and some people may be moving away from Iowa. While that's hard to think about, one bright spot is that it means we are one step closer to the "it gets better" stage of life which means we can afford plane tickets to meet up with our medical friends and families to catch up. And, Yes! I have already planned several trips in my mind. 

While it will be very sad to see our friends move on, we are lucky to have some staying here in Iowa (lucky ducks!) and we have the pleasure of getting to know all of the new medical people moving into the area. We hope that the new families moving into the area know that we here at Iowa Medical Partners are happy to have you here and we can't wait to get to know you all. We are here if you need anything so please don't hesitate to ask!

In the spirit of moving season I found my top 10 favorite moving tips of all time to share with you all. 

10- It is okay to yell and curse at heavy furniture

9- Do not pop the bubble wrap until after you unpack

8- Make lots of friends before you move, I suggest the big guys lifting weights at the gym

7- Wear plenty of deodorant on moving day

5- Don't forget to pack the toilet paper LAST

4- Never be the person walking backwards while moving heavy furniture


3- If you are tired of packing, you can always convince yourself that you don't actually like the rest of your stuff.


2- You can always buy new stuff when you get there, Right?

1-  Find a job that pays for professional movers!!

Good luck to all of our graduating Iowa Medical Partners Members. We hope that the future holds nothing but happiness and success for you and your families. You will be missed! 

Welcome to all of our new Iowa Medical Partners Members! We can not wait to get to know you. 

This weekend was the Color Vibe 5K in Cedar Rapids and a few of our lucky members were able to participate in the event! 

I picked up race bibs on Friday and was very happy about how quick it went. My only complaint was that there weren't any safety pins. It was nice getting to pick up at the start of the run so that I knew where to go on Saturday.  

The weather was a little humid and rainy on race day but it wasn't bad. We got there about an hour before the start of the run to make sure we could get a good parking spot and to enjoy the pre-race party. The DJ had great energy and got everyone pumped up. The party beads, color packets, shirts, and arm warmers that were being thrown to the crowd were great and got every one even more excited.  There were some fun aerobics instructors who came to help lead a fun stretch and warm up before the run. They did a great job and had some really fun moves. 

Before the run even started we were covered in color and ready to go. We were able to start right at the front (literally on the line) and loved watching the colors get blown into the air using modified leaf blowers. Those were cool. The course was nice. Pretty much 100% flat and took us around part of downtown Cedar Rapids. We ran right by the NewBo Market and Cedar Rapids Museum of Art and crossed over the Cedar River twice. The Cedar Rapids police department did a great job keeping the runner safe. There were a couple of random times that a car ended up on the course but it never interfered with the run. 

The color stations were a lot of fun and we ended the race very colorful. The rain made the plastic that was under each color station a little slick but once the rain started coming more steadily the volunteers moved the plastic and it was much safer. 

There was one water station on the course and the volunteers were very friendly and had more than enough water for the runners. They kept everyone moving along smoothly so it didn't hold anyone up. 

We all had such a fun morning get all colorful. Thank you so much to Color Vibe for the fun run! Thank you to the Cedar Rapids Police Department for keeping us safe out of the road. We can't wait to do this again next year! 

This past week we had some family come in this last week and they got a little taste of what it is like to be married to someone in the medical field. The first three days they were here, the Doc was studying for and taking one of his board exams. You all know how fun they are when they are stressed out and locked in their office glued to their notes and books and mock exam questions. 

Once we got past the fun of board exams, our family was able to experience the fun of a 24 hour shift. They also learned first hand that a 24 hour shift means that the Doc will be working at least 24 hours not that because he went in at 7 he gets to leave at 7. They saw how our schedule at home doesn't revolve around or typically include the Doc and we don't wait for him to do much around here. 

I got a rude awakening that people who are not a part of the medical field actually get to see their husbands and when someone is scheduled to work during certain times they aren't rough estimates. Most career fields don't require continuing education or exams. Most families can make plans or have dinner together on a regular basis without having a pager go off to interrupt. 

Sometimes the reality of this life can be hard. Sometimes I don't want to think about the fact that we have to do a lot without the Doc. But we are very lucky and very proud. We love that our Doc helps people feel better. We love that he is dedicated to his family and to his job. We love that he works hard for his family and for his patients. We love that he loves medicine enough to work hard to succeed in his field. The medical life may not be the easiest but I'd say most days its worth it. 

With garage sale season upon us and city wide garage sales happening (North Liberty is this weekend) I thought I would give you some tips for having success at the garage sales. I love garage sales because they really can help your dollar stretch further and the old saying is true, one mans trash is another mans treasure. 

I know that kids clothes are a big thing to look for at garage sales, because lets face it, its so much better to pay less for clothes that our kids are going to beat up and grow out of way too quickly. One drawback to buying someone else's clothes is that there could be stains. I have a great stain removing recipe that will get just about anything out! All you need is Dawn dishsoap, hydrogen peroxide, and baking soda. Mix the dish soap and the hydrogen peroxide in equal amounts and then add baking soda to thicken your mixture (it doesn't need to be super thick or pasty). Now use some elbow grease and rub your mixture onto your stain, you can use a toothbrush or a rag, just make sure you work it in really well. Now let it sit for 30 minutes to an hour and throw it in the washing machine. You may need to do this twice but it will get your stain out. I promise! I really wish I had known about this magic stain remover years ago because it would have saved so many cute outfits! 

If you are looking at anything safety related make sure to check for expiration dates. (Especially with car seats!!)

Garage sales are a great place to look for decorations for the house. I have found so many cute things. And remember that it is so easy to paint and refinish pretty much anything. They make spray paint for pretty much any surface and a coat of paint is so easy! 

The most important thing to remember at a garage sale is that you are there for a good deal and the seller knows that! Make sure that you bargain but are fair. If you see something that you think should be a lower price, ask the seller if they will accept lower. Always remember to be respectful though. Don't offer less for something than the lowest price that you would accept if you were selling it. And don't forget small bills! 

Hello Summer! Who has made their first trips to the park and beach for the summer? We have! And I have the perfect new summer accessory from a great store called Love, Kuza!

I recently came across Love, Kuza and I love them! They have some of the cutest things in their shop from clothes to accessories. The bag that they sent me to give one of you lucky readers is perfect for summer! Its nautical theme is perfect for a day at the pool or the beach. 

This bag is a great size to carry everything you need. It has a zipper top, so if it falls over on the drive, you won't spill everything all over the car. There is a nice little zipper pocket inside the bag to hold your little essentials that can get lost easily, like chapstick and your keys. 

Now for the fun part, if you would like a cute bag to haul all of your summer things around in leave me a comment telling me what your one summer necessity is (at my house is bug spray and sunscreen). For an extra entry you can Like Love, Kuza on Facebook. Good Luck!