Posts Tagged "Kids"
We’re planting tomorrow!
The kids have a half day tomorrow, and I picked up some seeds and soil last week at Target, so tomorrow we’re going to start them. I also picked up some paper cups because of the recent cold – we’re starting them inside.
Any tips?
Read MoreWhat’s up QuirkyLand?
Just everything! Everyone is feeling better (see below), Channukah is over and the little one keeps asking me when it’s going to be Channukah again. We burned a Yule log (and roasted marshmallows over it ;) ). I have five bored kids home till after New Years, but I have work to do, so we’re kind of at odds. I have tons of stuff to drop off at Good Will or Salvation Army. Maybe tomorrow. Got media whore love coming up after this post!
12/20 – Did you know my sister is awesome? For the low low price of 15$ (I’m going to give her more, the kids were suppose to help) she is cleaning the kids room, which includes getting rid of all the crap I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of (I kept tallying it up in my head *sigh*), putting away the stuff they use, and sweeping. ??She is amazing and I love her. ??Lest you think I have done nothing while she slaves away (and earns some dough!), I’ve sorted all the kids clothes, gotten rid of didn’t fit (in bags to donate tomorrow), threw out what was damaged beyond repair, saved a couple shirts to make into patches (the sleeves were holy or didn’t fit, but the design was fine) and put it all away. Now I’ve got cornbread in the oven :-)
12/13 – Really, Everyone? Eshiva brought some kind of stomach bug home from school last Thursday. She didn’t go to school on Friday. She had a fever and was vomiting and diarrhea, you know, classic stomach bug. No one else had it all day yesterday so I thought it wouldn’t spread. ??I was wrong. Malachai got it, and he didn’t understand at all that even though he was so thirsty, every tiny sip made him vomit again. Poor kid. I have something like ten towels, five top sheets and three fitted sheets to wash. He also didn’t quite reach the trash bin at all – I get that, he didn’t want to move, but I hate sick laundry.??Michael got home around 11 – he was queasy and he has it too. Yep, he has some bedding to wash as well. ??So far, knock on wood, I don’t have it. Let’s keep it that way. Neither does Dorian. ??I am going to try and take him to the Channukah festival at shul today. The other two can’t go, and I feel a bit like Typhoid Mary and I I’d rather not get everyone around me sick, but… they were really looking forward to this. We’ll see what happens I guess. ??I had also wanted to go out today with the fam, but I suspect my biggest baby will be in bed all day. Understandable, and I am “glad” he only gets sick on his day off, but why the fuck does he only get sick on his day off??? It also magically coincides with when I Have big chores to get done. Grrrr
12/12 – Kitchenaid Mixers are the bomb. I totally said that. So, I picked up a slicer/shredder attachment for my Kitchenaid instead of buying a new food processor and ohmigodyay! Not only did it mean one less gadget in my kitchen, but I think it works better than the processor did! We shredded ten potatoes in no time last night, plus four onions. ??So if you’ve been thinking about getting one, do it!??I also have the grinder, which I don’t use even weekly, but when I need it it’s amazing. Fresh ground chicken and beef as a fraction of the cost. Plus it’s awesome for chopped liver, which is also stupidly expensive to purchase pre-made. ??I’ve been eying the pasta maker, but I don’t think I’d use it often enough to warrant buying it
Read MoreIt’s Duck Season! It’s Wabbit Season!
We introduced the children to the wonder that is Warner Brothers last week. I’m sure they’ve seen it before. I mean, I grew up on this stuff. I can recite these cartoons from memory… the ones they showed before they started editing out the gratuitous (and totally non-mimicable) violence.
So Michael pulls this classic up on YouTube and they watch it. Then the giggles start. Then comes the full blown belly laugh. Yes, even Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck can still entertain children who think things like SpongeBob are funny. I don’t really have any room to talk, I thought Ren & Stimpy was the greatest thing ever.
So the rest of us sit down to dinner, and every 6 or 8 minutes we hear the Warner Bros. intro music and a few minutes later the laughter erupts.
Some days being a parent is the most amazing thing ever.
Read MoreAre you getting the H1N1 vaccine through your local elementary school?
We can. My oldest has been telling me for a week now that they might be getting the H1N1 vaccine at school and I’ve been telling him for a week that he is not getting the H1N1 vaccine and if he feels sick to tell me so I can monitor him and take him to the doctor if necessary. I’ve had this chat with the rest of the children too.
Today the boys came home with some papers. I have dutifully scanned them so we can discuss them. Actually, before I start ripping them apart I want to say this. I know a lot of people who have contracted H1N1 in the past few months. NONE OF THEM ARE DEAD. NONE OF THEIR WORKMATES OR CLASSMATES OR CHILDREN ARE DEAD. NONE OF THEM HAD MUCH MORE THAN A PLAIN OLD COLD/FLU VIRUS. Makes you wonder.
The first one (front, back) is your basic HIPPA info. I don’t care about these really. It’s pretty standard, and I just had to sign that I received them and date them.
Then comes the colourful pamphlet. The one they hope parents will skim over and not ask too many questions.
Let’s break this down into three panels on each side. front
Panel one – TAKE 3 Steps to FIGHT the FLU: These actions will protect against the H1N1 Swine Flu too!
Ok, I’m down with preventing the flu. Three (3!) easy steps? Rock!
Panel two – For more informations, phone numbers and URL’s to the local county health department, the start health department, the CDC, the CDC in Spanish, and Dept. of Health & Human Services. So far so good.
Panel three – Flu-like symptoms include (fever, usually high; cough; sore throat; headache; runny or stuffy nose; muscle aches; extreme\ tiredness; vomiting; sometimes diarrhea) and a note saying if you have any or all of those symptoms or think you have the flu, call your healthcare provider and discuss whether you need to be seen. OK, I’m down with that. Most of those can describe a common cold, or a man-cold, but as you get down the list it gets worse (around the muscle ache area) and I’d totally be concerned. Maybe not enough to call a doc, but these are new times, with magical flu virii that are a zillion times worse than plain old flu virus’. Or so they are trying to say, even though the H1N1 hasn’t presented with any more death and destruction than a typical flu.
back
Panel one – Take Everyday Actions. If you’re sick, stay home. Cover your moth when you sneeze or cough with a tissue and throw it out after. Wash often. Alcohol based cleaners are effective. Don’t touch your eyes, nose or mouth. Avoid sick people. I agree with all of this except the alcohol based cleaner bit. Maybe if we weren’t so goddamned obsessed with cleanliness and killing germs our immune systems wouldn’t be so out of whack and a cold wouldn’t so easily turn into a flu. If you don’t let your immune system practice it’s job, it’ll freak out when it has to work and it will shut down.
Panel two – Take time to get vaccinated. A yearly flu vaccine is an important step in protecting against seasonal flu. Can I interject? They just lost me. I have never had a flu vaccine, I never will, and I can count on one hand how many times I’ve had a “flu” and I bet what I thought was a flu was a real bad cold. Back to the paper. Vaccination is expecially improtant for people at high risk of flu complications including young children, pregnant women, people with chronic health conditions, and people over 65. It is also important for health care workers, and others who live with or care for people at high risk. A seasonal flu shot will not protect against H1N1. A special vaccine for H1N1 is being developed. People at greatest risk for H1N1 are pregnant women, young people (6 mo – 24 yrs) and people with chronic health conditions. Hi there, me again. First of all, this years flu vaccine is based on last years strain. The strain mutates so quickly that this years vaccine has a small chance of being effective. (Only about 20 percent of all “flu-like” illness is actually influenza and only three strains of the many strains of type A and type B influenza that may be circulating during the year are actually included in the influenza vaccine).
Panel three – take flu antiviral medicine if recommended. If you get a seasonal or H1N1 swine flu, you may get meds. Take them. Isn’t America pill happy? Don’t we take every pill we can get, and then some? Does panel three have to be a reminder to take your meds? Couldn’t it be instructions on how to properly wash your hands or where to find free or low cost healthcare if you suspect you are sick but can’t afford your regular doc (or don’t have a regular doc)?
Giant pamphlet page one – Please review and reply. It’s boring. It basically says review and reply.
Page two is telling us enclosed we will find info on the H1N1 vaccine that is being provided by the CDC and the form needs to be filled out by Oct 22. It’s telling us that the vaccine is recommended for all children aged 6 months to 24 years (this is uber important later on, so remember it). It is advising us that all children will receive the intra-nasal live attenuated vaccine unless your child has an underlying health condition (such as asthma, diabetes or is immune compromised). They will be getting the intra-muscular killed virus injection. It says how it is important to fill in the paperwork correctly so they get the correct vaccine and if they are younger than 10 they get a second dose in 4 weeks, which is also free and will be provided at school. There are some phone numbers and stuff too.
Page three tells us about the live vaccine. Let’s skip to point four, which is what really got me. Point four states that LAIV (the live vaccine) is approved for people from 2 – 49 years of age. People who are 2 – 24, or 25 – 49 and live with or care for infants younger than 6 months of age or are health care or emergency personnel. Remember back up there it said 6 months to 24 years? Double talk much? There is a box that states while certain groups should not get the LAIV vaccine, it is important they be vaccinated. They should get the flu shot.
Page four starts with people who should not get the vaccine. You should not get the LAIV if you have a severe, life threatening allergy to eggs or any other substance in the vaccine. Except it doesn’t tell us ANYWHERE in this paperwork the other ingredients. Other groups who should not get the vaccine include children younger than 2 and adults over 50, pregnant women, anyone with a weakened immune system, anyone with long term health problems (such as, but not limited to heart disease, ling disease, asthma, kidney or liver disease and some other stuff) oh and it goes on. But wait, didn’t a page or two back it say EVERYONE 6 months – 24 years old should get the vaccine, and it’s important for people with compromised systems to be vaccinated? I am so sick of the CDC/Health Dept. double talk.
Page five and page six are more of the same, except for the injectable dead virus, not the inhaled live one. The page with people who should not get the vaccine is limited to those with severe allergies and Guillain Barre Syndrome.
My biggest issue is, we don’t vaccinate. If there is an outbreak of anything vaccine preventable I am required by law (and I’d do it anyway) to remove my children from school and keep them home for the duration of the outbreak plus two weeks. Okie dokie, no problem. But what about this? It’s a freaking live version of the H1N1 (weakened or not, it’s still there) and they will be in a school with hundreds of little walking incubators. Do I keep them home? For how long? I am going to chat with them tomorrow morning int he office to figure this out. I am so not happy about this, you can’t even imagine. This isn’t like a handful of kids likely having their regular live vaccines. This is likely 99% of the school. I don’t want my kids getting sick because everyone else is in a snit.
Read MoreAutumn in Florida!
We went to a party on Sunday, there was face painting
Malachai wanted to be a skull
Eshiva wanted to be a tiger, but apparently the clown could only do butterflys on girls. Every girl walked away with almost the same thing. Fucker. She told E she was a tiger-butterfly. She also gave her a stupid heart balloon on a “stem” as her shape balloon instead of a sword like she freaking asked for. Dorian got her a sword.
Dorian did not get his face painted.
Then we went pumpkin shopping!
Can you see those nasty mold coloured ones? Yah, they are fine, that is their colour. Ew. I didn’t even want to touch them. They just looked sickly, like they would burst at the slightest touch.
We wound up with two large orange ones for carving, a slightly smaller one for carving, a tiny one for me, a mediumish white one for Michael to tattoo, and a handful of weird star squash for me to put on our table as a centerpiece. Oh, and a pumpkin for Dorian for school.
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