Happy Halloween!

Hello to all of you parents who are reading this. I want to try to put your minds at ease before you go rummaging through your children's candy or even worse bothering to have it x-rayed. There is only 1 reliable, traceable Halloween candy death in the country and it wasn't from a stranger. "Timothy O'Bryan of Houston, Texas actually did die in 1974 after eating a Pixie Stick laced with cyanide on Halloween night. Which is true, but the kicker is that investigators determined that the candy was poisoned by O'Bryan's own father, who, unbelievable as it seems, hoped to collect on a life insurance policy he had taken out on his son." This is according to Newsweek. (and yes I double checked it with snopes just to be sure)
Now when people are confronted with a news article confronting the whole Halloween candy hoax they post things like this. "When I was a child in the late 60's and early 70's there were many instances in my home town of Battle Creek, Michigan, where strangers had embedded needles, razor blades and broken glass in fruit that was given away on Halloween. There were even more cases of people injecting soft candies with LSD, Heroin and Hash Hish. Kids I knew personally were victims of this insanity. That is when hospitals in Michigan began offering to x-ray Halloween candy" (just to let you all know, I do not correct the spelling of the people I quote, I want you to see them in their full and brilliant glory) I like this post, it tries to be credible with a place and approximate time, and it goes the extra step of adding drugs into the candy. However all they mention is the glass and drugs as the reason for doing x-rays on candy, but neither of those show up on and x-ray so we know this person isn't that bright.
I do however like this Dr who was interviewed by a San Francisco newspaper when asked how to avoid tainted candy "You need to look through all the candy before the kids eat any of it. If it has any Chinese lettering on it, toss it." Notice he says nothing about if they got candy from strangers or looking for sharp objects, just Chinese writing.
So all of you let your children eat their candy and get a good sugar buzz going. Know that the candy is safe as long as it isn't Chinese. And Have a Happy Halloween

Picture additions for previous post from kerri

A picture of my husband Jim hogging the only recliner in Paige's room at Children's Memorial.








A couple pictures of Baby Jimmy in some shirts I made for him. Cool boys clothes are hard to come by unless you pay a fortune for them.


I'll call him Jak or baby chub-chub so as not to confuse him with my Hubby Jim.










Last, a sample of Rachel's work. I'm working on the website and once it's up and running and I have some jewelry there too, I'll let ya know.

Camping, Surgery, and Jewelry OH MY

Sorry readers, it has been awhile since our last post. It's been busy. Warning - this is going to be a LONG post to catch up.

Let's start first with the topic of Camping...with children. My husband and I like to camp and used to do it often. Needless to say, we had not camped yet with children until a few weekends ago. We did "camp" once this summer in our backyard. One of my friends invited us to camp with them and several other families up in Wisconsin. Longing for something to do since the weatherman said we were bound for some last days of warmth, I eagerly accepted. Totally forgetting that Saturday night was my wedding anniversary. My husband was a little surprised when I said I would be fine camping instead of a fancy dinner (OH MY GOODNESS, who have I become!). Anyway, geez, 2 days of camping requires 4 additional days - 2 for prep and 2 for cleanup. I swear I think I packed the whole house because Baby Jimmy is only 11 months and requires a lot of crap. He had just started walking (more on that in another post) before we left so the pack-n-play (which I never used for Paige) was a MUST to keep him contained. Jim couldn't get up there until after us because he had to work so it was even more fun packing up all that junk, dropping off the dogs at grandma's, and getting set up all by myself. Despite all the work, it was a great time! Who knew my kids could spend so much time just rolling around and laughing in a tent?

The weather was awesome, mid-80's during the day and surprisingly not very cold at night. I was worried Baby Jimmy would be too cold but he was just fine and toasty. I got to snuggle up with him and Paige on an air mattress while my drunk hubby snoozed on the floor.

The downside to camping with children - when you camp without children it's dirty and grungy but not too "germy". Well kids makes it all different. They pee on their feet behind the tent or droop their underwear on the floor of the public washroom . UG! They're dirty and stinky and they don't care! I felt like I had to sanitize everything when we got home. ick.

The good side - Fresh air, good conversation, campfires and cuddles, watching Paige's eyes when she saw a real live stick bug someone had caught running up their leg. Seeing a snake and hearing her say, "snakes aren't scary, I learned all about them at school". Setting up our tent with just me and Paige (no daddy there yet) and realizing how proud she felt to do something which to her is was such a monumental task. Watching her offer her buddy Trea her prized glow stick so she wouldn't be scared in the dark tent and then laying with her buddy until she fell asleep. Snuggling with Jak (baby Jimmy) and watching him go up and down the air mattress as if he conquered a mountain. Wishing everyday could be so simple. Meeting new people and enjoying their company. Seeing the spectacular fall colors up north. and best of all was having some time with my husband without any home or work distractions.

Everyone there was awesome, friendly, and down-to-earth. Even though it was a bit of work, it was totally worth it! Can you believe I forgot my camera??!! Doh!

So right after I got my breath back from cleaning up from camping it was time for the S word, SURGERY. Paige had to have some minor surgery to remove a spot (nevus) and a dermoid cyst on her head. Neither was life threatening but they needed to be taken off and she needed to be put under anesthesia to do it. We went to Children's Memorial in Westchester and I couldn't have been happier with my choice. The surgeon was great and the staff made her feel so comfortable. Up to the date we talked with her about it and made sure she understood what was going on, but not enough so she got anxious. I was pretty careful not to let her see me get nervous, because if I'm nervous then so is she. And as long as she understood what was going to happen, she was fine. An amazing thing about kids, they are much more resilient than adults. She couldn't eat since midnight the day of the surgery and she never once complained. As they prepped her she never cried or was scared, she was way too enthralled with the hospital. She was absolutely amazing. Even as they wheeled her away she was ok in the hands of her nurses. We had to wait about an hour and a half before it was over. In that time I got to read a newspaper in quiet for the first time in years.

Finally they came to tell us she was done and everything went just as expected. I said I was fine right? Well I was up until we went to her room and she was in her gurney down the hall. As they starting wheeling those big brown eyes towards me and I just LOST it. I totally cried I was so happy to see her little smiling face. She was so sweet and vulnerable in the moment. all groggy from the anesthesia and bundled up in a warm blanket. I was so happy and proud of her being so brave. There are times in a mom's life when they love their kids and then there are times when you love them so much you feel like your heart is going to burst from it all. This was one of those moments.

We were able to go home shortly after and she was doing well, eating a bit and then a few hours later she spiked a 104.3 degree fever. She totally went downhill. The next few days are a bit blurry. Basically, she had a fever for several days and she starting vomiting the next night. After rounds on the phone with her surgeon and her pediatrician we deduced that she most likely had a cold brewing and the taxing nature of the surgery really made it hit her hard. Baby Jimmy came down with a stuffy nose the day she went in. She was probably vomiting from a virus or perhaps because she had a fever and had barely eaten anything for 2 and a half days. I had to take her to the doctor's office where they found she had an ear infection (her first ever). We started some antibiotics and by that night she was feeling a bit better and eating some soup. It's now almost a week later and today was her first day back at school. She still a bit sluggish but definitely much better. At least she gets that she feels like crap because of the cold and not the surgery. I don't want her to be terrified of doctors and in therapy someday :)

It was so hard watching her just lay there totally out of it, sleepy, hot, but most of all quiet. Much too quiet. Poor baby Jimmy kept trying to make her laugh but she was just too sick and too pooped. Anyway she's on the mend and playing with her brother again, which makes him very happy. she is one of his favorite people of course.

Here are a few pics from before. One of the staff members came and we showed Paige what everyone would look like in the surgery with their hats and masks on. We showed her how you can see someone is smiling in their eyes even when you can't see their mouth behind the mask. Then we let her put them on, she loved it. More accessories!


Last jewelry. So I may have mentioned Rachel and I are venturing in the hand crafted jewelry
biz. Darn her! she's cranking out the stuff like a machine and I've barely made a bracelet! Let's remember she has no children. BIG difference! I've been staying busy doing things I can do while the kids are up. messing around on the computer for ideas, starting up the website, and tonight working with Rachel on a lighting and photo system (more on that later). Part of my problem is I have so many things I want to make and some of them aren't even jewelry. Or to make them I need to invest money for the materials. It's hard for me to just pick a few things and get going. I want to do it all and now! But that attitude gets nothing done. So I sit and see the Rachel-machine go and dream of a life where I can sit and craft in peace for hours. Hey, I can dream can't I?

OK that's all I can blog for now. It's almost midnight and I'm tired. I'll try to blog some more in the next few days. hopefully some more inspiring posts and not just the hum-drum of my life. Camping, surgery, and jewelry is so mundane! Teehee! k

Silence is Golden

Yesterday was Paige's first day of "enrichment". What this means is that after her pre-school class she stayed for "lunch bunch" and then had a cooking class where they made mud pie with worms, learned how to use a whisk, read books and did a craft project. She loved it! Anyway, she was gone most of the day and it was just baby Jimmy and I. The house was so quiet and peaceful. Which made me start thinking about silence.

There are times at meals when Paige will just talk and talk and talk and talk. I have actually said to her "will you please just be quiet for 5 seconds, please". I wonder where she gets it from? hmmmm. Any of my friends will tell you that I like to talk, a lot. I enjoy socializing and chit chatting. But boy can this be a bad thing. Sometimes I don't know when to just be quiet, stop talking, keep my opinions to myself. I think it stems a lot from the fact that I cannot handle silent pauses during conversation. I have to fill every gap with words.

So from now on I vow to listen to my own demands to my daughter and just be quiet. Maybe I'll fill the void by blogging more. Maybe in that silence I'll hear the answers to the universe, or maybe I'll just fall asleep, we'll see.

Reply to "water"

Let's not forget that juice is filled with all sorts of goodies like antioxidants, polyphenols, etc. So juice is good, just not too much because of the sugar. I love V8 Fusion, a blend of 8 fruits and veggies. Note that the veggies are listed first in the ingredients list so this drink is not just all fruit juice with a splash of carrots. If only it were organic, ahhhh, that would be perfection :)

Maybe Kerri Is Right And Silence Is Golden

So today I was over at Kerri's house working on the jewelry project. I think things are coming along quite nicely so far. We went to a bead store with Paige which included the phrase "don't touch" a lot. But it was still a successful trip. The problem was after we got back to Kerri's house.
So picture this, it's getting close to dinner time and Kerri is cooking. I am trying to look some things up on the internet and then I hear a baby Einstein DVD on a loop, because the viewing part is over it is stuck on the start screen. It's playing the same song over and over. Layer that noise with one of the children riding on a push car thing that has a popcorn popper thing on it. Also add in the other child pushing a toy car that sounds like a machine gun while it moves. On top of all this background noise Paige is attempting to carry on a conversation with anyone who will listen to her and the little boy is carrying on a conversation with himself. I feel the need to point out here that they weren't being bad kids, they are actually great kids, but they are still kids. So I decide I need to get away from the noise so I go outside for fresh air. Bad idea. A church not far from them has some bells going off but they aren't typical bell they play a whole song, those things were going for 5 minutes.
This is total chaos as far as I'm concerned. I'm sure all of you parents reading this are going "ahh, typical day". Well not typical for me. By this point I am twitching, if people wouldn't think I had totally lost it I would sit down suck my thumb and rock. If there is too much noise in my house I either turn off the T.V. or ask Rob to turn down what he is working on. As you can tell I'm used to quite being very easy to achieve.
I would like to end this with a compliment to all of the parents that you have much stronger ears then I do and you need to be applauded for that. I also wish all of you parents at least 15 minutes of silence a day because I'm sure you need it. I will continue to live in my quite and easy to control environment which doesn't make me twitch only venturing out as needed into the world of children. And to Paige and little Jimmy if you ever read this when you grow up if by some chance this internet stuff really is around forever, I'm sorry I'm picking on you but your the kids I see the most.

Water

In a recent post by my partner she mentioned no longer using bottle water because that positively affects the environment. You all know about less plastic in land fills. But this and another articles in Newsweek has me thinking about how much water we really need each day. It seems every where you go now people are carrying around water, How did this trend get started. I found the answer!

"You should drink at least eight glasses of water a day. The source for this myth may be a 1945 article from the National Research Council that claims that a "suitable allowance" of water for adults is 2.5 liters a day, although the last sentence of the article notes that much of that water is already contained in the food we eat. Existing studies suggest that that often-omitted fact is key to understanding water intake. We get enough fluids from our typical daily consumption of juice, milk and even caffeinated drinks. And drinking too much water can cause water intoxication, a severe electrolyte imbalance in which cells swell with excess fluid, and even death"
So the suggested water intake left out the fluid in the food we eat and also that and fluids counted, not just water. What i find most fascinating about this is how strongly people feel about this. As we can see from this comment
Comment: I love how the writer of this article attempts to debunk the need to drink "8 glasses of water per day" by saying "we get enough water from juice, milk, and caffeinated drinks" (aka sodas and energy drinks. I can just picture the fat-out of shape person that the writer is just by that. Instead, you should REPLACE all the juice (sugar+ empty calories), milk (hormone-laden), and soda (filled with caffeine and CARBONATED water) that Americans are used to drinking with water. "
I think this person needs a hug and a beer. I didn't know that talk of beverages could upset someone so much. She, I'm guessing the writer is a she, has a problem with every type of beverage. True juice may be "sugar and empty calories" but it obviously supplies much needed fluid. Also no where in this one little paragraph did it say to give up drinking all water which is what the person commenting seemed to have gotten from it. I going to stop writing for the night and go back to my diet pepsi without guilt, after all it is fluid.

Um, I'm not as green as I thought

I'm just chomping at the bit to talk about the debates tonight, however, I refuse to turn this lovely little blog into a crazy political forum. So I'll restrain myself as hard as that may be.

Ok, I re-read my green post and came to a realization...I'm not as green as I think! I'm green when it comes to anything that impacts my family and our health but not all that good at things that impact everyone. Well, I guess if I use biodegradable and organic I am helping the environment but geez, I really do not practice what I preach when it comes to energy, water, etc. So I'll try but seriously, the whole thing about "if it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down" I just cannot do. Not when I'm worried baby Jimmy will follow in the footsteps of his great sister and wash the Doctor's Kit in the toilet!

I'm taking a break from the enviornment to talk about the Duggars

I admit I have a sick fascination with this family. It's a running joke when I talk I talk to my cousin from Arkansas if she has met them yet. (she hasn't but she wants to, it's like a sideshow curiosity we all have in my family) So tonight I watched there shows about how duggar's court, they don't date. They believe in saving everything even their first kiss for their wedding day. This is taking the purity thing to a whole new strange level.
As you read this I want you to think back to one of your first kisses. Was it any good, or was it and "oh my god this guy is trying to swallow my face". With those first kisses did you think "I wast to spend the rest of my life with this person". Or did you think "that was fun but Joe over there is cuter and I'd like to check him out." I feel if is setting yourself up for such disappointment to make such a big deal out of a first kiss, chances are it's not going to be the best kiss of you life.
If i was looking at this from what I wanted to teach my children, god forbid that happened, I don't think I could tell them to wait like that. You would miss out on so much, sure less emotional baggage is the Duggar thought, but also less coping skills if you haven't had to cope.

OK i am now done with this family i felt I couldn't ignore and will be back to making fun of peoples responses to relevant issues in my next post. Promise no more Duggars

It Ain't Easy Being Green

OK ok, let's not get all crazy because people may actually want to clean their house with "clean" substances.

I love love love green things. I avidly read the ingredients of anything that will somehow come in contact with the inside or outside of my body and those of my family, including my little doggies. This includes food, cosmetics, soaps, vitamins, and also cleaning supplies. I would love a house built of bamboo and solar panels but unfortunately it's hard to go totally green unless you win the lottery. So I pick ways I can contribute to the benefit of our planet. I do not buy water in little plastic bottles for use in my home, I use stainless steel thermoses or glass jugs filled with water from my fridge door, which is lovely filtered chicago water. I steer clear of any plastic or baby products with BPA in it, I buy organic as much as possible. I reuse and recycle. That being said I do not drive an electric car, I don't compost (but my neighbor does), I go through paper plates and paper towels like crazy, I buy McDonalds for my daughter, and I 'm sure I do a ton of non-green things everyday. You'll hear this a lot from me about almost anything in my life..."Everything in moderation"

Last year just before I had my second baby I got all hot on clearing out all the chemicals from my house cleaning so anything my baby touched would be chemical free. First I tried the baking soda and vinegar bit, along with castile soap, borax, etc. I even created a little file folder of how to use all this to clean any and every surface in my house. I felt great the first time I cleaned this way but what I did not feel good about was how this natural alternative just didn't CLEAN as well as the good old "chemical" cleaners. So I moved on to Shaklee products, recommended from a friend, and they actually do work very well. However, the downfall was I could not just run out and get it when I needed it. This had to be ordered. Yuck. Over the years I have tried various things from Whole Foods and other natural stores. I'm now settled into a moderately natural cleaning state of mind. I still use store bought natural, biodegradable, no phosphate products but from time to time you have to bring out the big guns no matter what.

Yes, bleach is in my arsenal. I like bleach, it kills germs! I put a few small drops in a sprayer with water and make my own disinfectant. I once bought the Clorox Anywhere spray but read the label and realized I was paying for a few small drops of bleach in water. What a ripoff! Another GREAT product is Grapefruit Seed Extract. This is so versatile and can be used in 100's of ways. I use it as a germ killer on surfaces and also add it to my laundry.

I also tried the natural deodorant before. First, the name is what you have to pay attention to, "deodorant" not anti-perspirant AND deodorant. Ok, this just does not do it for me. I sweat. I need something that will keep me from sweating and make me smell good. I also like aluminum, it keeps me from stinking best it can and it has a tough job let me tell you!

And people, don't start sending me crazy granola comments about my mattresses and carpets emitting harmful VOC's and other things like that. I know about most of it and I tolerate it until or if ever I can do better. Also, the more crazy green stuff I do, the more teasing I get from Rachel.

So Rachel is right, chemicals can be our friends. Sometimes "Natural" can be bad for you and "chemical" can be good (hey, water is made up of Hydrogen and Oxygen, 2 chemicals). However, I think we should start going more natural as much as we can to help our planet and our bodies.

P.S. Check out Clean Well all-natural hand sanitizer for your kids. Be sure to check out the links section of our blog. And remember, good old soap and water can go a LONG way!

Chemicals are our Friends

I sent an email to Kerri earlier today about an article on Newsweek that was about reducing chemicals in the home. A lot of people think this is a great idea, I don't. Chemicals are our friends, so I was actually lurking making fun of the people who posted comments after the article. This one really caught my attention
"Comment : I have done away with all fluoridated toothpaste and anti-perspiranats which contain aluminum, also any product which contains High Fructose Corn Syrup. I also have been using white vinegar to clean and baking soda to scrub the sinks and tub"
This is the last person I want to be near in a crowd. Aluminum makes deodorant work. It keeps people from offending others. It holds precious Diet Pepsi. It truly is a magic substance that we shouldn't reject. Second problem with this comment is she is cleaning with vinegar and baking soda. What about bleach. I think bleach has saved more lives then it's harmed. When i think of toxic substance i don't think bleach, bleach is used to clean up toxic messes. I just ask that if people are going to jump on the chemicals are bad band wagon, don't throw out the good helpful ones. Especially not the ones that make people smell better, kill germs and hold Diet Pepsi.

Kid's on the phone

Ok, I do run into the kid on the phone thing a lot. But here is the worst scenario.
parent- say hello to Susie
(we'll call her Susie to protect the innocent child who used to be forced into this scenario all the time).
me - hi Susie
Susie - silence (pant, pant, pant)
me - hi
Susie - (pant, pant, pant)
I am now the recipient of an obscene phone call from a toddler
me - put daddy back on the phone
Susie - (pant, pant, pant)
I know Susie can talk, I've heard her talk before, but she never talks on the phone and her father puts her on every time I call
me - please put daddy on the phone
Susie - (pant, pant, pant)
Finally after about five minutes of heavy breathing her father would come back. It wasn't even a case of not being able to understand her, she just didn't understand what the phone was for.
If your going to have your child talk to someone on the phone stay with them, prompt them on what to say and how to use the phone. It's not a strange talking block. But please never leave your children alone with the phone, or else the above scenario happens.
Rob had an interesting idea of how to deal with this. When his brother would put his niece on the phone Rob would respond by putting the phone near our evil dog Wolfgang who will bark at anything. This was mildly amusing at first, but it too had gone bad in it's own way. Now our niece at the age of about 7 insist on speaking to Wolfgang using speaker phone. worse then listening to just me dog bark now I hear a child barking back at him long distance.
At times kids on the phone can be funny. I love being on the phone with Kerri and listening to Paige try to have a conversation with her whether Kerri wants to listen to her or not. Sorry moms I know it probably drives you crazy, but on my end of the phone it's funny. It's actually really funny.

Put 'em up, Put em' up! Challenge Topic - Children on the phone

Ok, So Not The Mom. I challenge you!
Topic - Talking to Children on the phone.
You all know the drill, you're talking to a friend on the phone, their child is bugging your friend to let them have the phone. They of course do and the conversation goes something this...
You - "Hi (insert child's name here), how are you?"
Child - "Hi! I blah blah blah blah" a senseless string of inaudible words
You - "Ok honey, nice talking to you put mommy back on the phone"
Child - "Blah blah blah poopy hahahaha"
You - "Ok, that's great, let me talk to mommy"
Child - "blah blah blah"
This goes on for a bit usually ending in some kind of screaming or not, depends on the age of the child.

As a mom I have to deal with my daughter doing one of two things, either interrupting me when I'm on a phone call or wanting to talk to whomever is on the phone. We as moms think our kids are the most adorable things on earth, especially when they speak. Every once in awhile I will indulge her and let her talk on the phone, usually not for very long but enough to say hi to the person on the other end. I think in short spurts and in moderation this is ok. This is always ok when talking to a grandparent. I think that a mom rule generally should be to allow it if the person on the other end loves children, especially yours, allow it if your child can speak intelligibly, allow it if it is relaying their first words to someone who wants to know, and finally, do not allow it if the child starts demanding to talk on the phone. At that point tell you friend you will call them back after you deal with the situation and get control of your little devil.

So Not The Mom, what are your thoughts when people put their children on the phone in the midst of a conversation?