Here is a clip from pooky bear's Christmas concert. My flaw video taping is I like to not look through the camera to see what is happening, not realizing my hand slips and I end up recording the wrong spot. Thankfully it was only for 10 seconds.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Thursday, December 18, 2008
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas
This year it has been a challenge to get into the Christmas spirit. Financial constraints and health obstacles have made it diffcult to even think about Christmas. My husband and I procrastinated in putting up the Christmas tree as a result of this. We ended up putting it up on Sunday, and it started to look like Christmas. However, it still did not feel like Christmas. It was not until tonight that it felt like Christmas.
I was at Superstore taking advantage of my husband being sick at home and being able to go to Superstore, which is now open 24 hours. I walked into the store, grabbed a basket, and leisurely shopped. Ever so often, I would check the cashier line ups. There were two cashiers working which had line ups leading into the isles. When I saw how long the line up was, I decided to "shop" in another department I had not been to yet.
When it was just after 11:00pm, I decided to check the line ups again. That time it was not looking too bad. There was one line up which was still rather long, however most of the people in the line had only a few items each to purchase. The other line only consisted of one mother and her daughter. Her cart was very full and was just starting to unload her cart. I took a chance on the mother and daughter.
While I was watching her unload her cart, I noticed her shopping trip was not a leisure one, like mine was. Her shopping trip was an entire grocery shop which, I would assume, would last at least 2 weeks. The mom looked tired, and worn out. Her daughter appeared happy to sit and play with the chain on the cart. She didn't even seem to notice it was late and probably way past her bed time.
When the mom finished paying for her groceries, it was my turn. I quickly paid for my items, bagged them and noticed the mom still working on bagging her groceries. Looking down at my groceries and realizing she still has half of her groceries to pack, I quickly set my groceries down out of the way and offered to help the mom bag her groceries. After offering, the mom looked at me, pondered if it would be a good idea, then agreed to receive my help. I quickly went to work.
After we were done, she quickly said thank you to me. I told her I understand what it is like to be by yourself shopping with a toddler. I wished her a Merry Christmas, which had caught her by surprise. She paused for a moment, then wished me a Merry Christmas also. With how she responded to my wishes, I felt as though no one has said Merry Christmas to her this year and I was the first one to. That could be why she acted surprised when I said it to her.
I definitely now feel it is Christmas. I think it was actually a blessing, I ended up in line just behind the mom. I think we helped each other. She reminded me to be a servant of Christ and I reminded her of Christmas.
I was at Superstore taking advantage of my husband being sick at home and being able to go to Superstore, which is now open 24 hours. I walked into the store, grabbed a basket, and leisurely shopped. Ever so often, I would check the cashier line ups. There were two cashiers working which had line ups leading into the isles. When I saw how long the line up was, I decided to "shop" in another department I had not been to yet.
When it was just after 11:00pm, I decided to check the line ups again. That time it was not looking too bad. There was one line up which was still rather long, however most of the people in the line had only a few items each to purchase. The other line only consisted of one mother and her daughter. Her cart was very full and was just starting to unload her cart. I took a chance on the mother and daughter.
While I was watching her unload her cart, I noticed her shopping trip was not a leisure one, like mine was. Her shopping trip was an entire grocery shop which, I would assume, would last at least 2 weeks. The mom looked tired, and worn out. Her daughter appeared happy to sit and play with the chain on the cart. She didn't even seem to notice it was late and probably way past her bed time.
When the mom finished paying for her groceries, it was my turn. I quickly paid for my items, bagged them and noticed the mom still working on bagging her groceries. Looking down at my groceries and realizing she still has half of her groceries to pack, I quickly set my groceries down out of the way and offered to help the mom bag her groceries. After offering, the mom looked at me, pondered if it would be a good idea, then agreed to receive my help. I quickly went to work.
After we were done, she quickly said thank you to me. I told her I understand what it is like to be by yourself shopping with a toddler. I wished her a Merry Christmas, which had caught her by surprise. She paused for a moment, then wished me a Merry Christmas also. With how she responded to my wishes, I felt as though no one has said Merry Christmas to her this year and I was the first one to. That could be why she acted surprised when I said it to her.
I definitely now feel it is Christmas. I think it was actually a blessing, I ended up in line just behind the mom. I think we helped each other. She reminded me to be a servant of Christ and I reminded her of Christmas.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
10 comandments for parents
This was written when I was in grade nine in a family studies class. I stumbled across it while looking for old Christmas cards. I was surprised to see I actually follow most of the comandments. I am pretty sure I have broken the "thou shalt not say do this or do that" comandment. However, I am comforted to know that if I do ask my girls to, "do this or do that"; I am polite when asking them for help. So, I think I am on the right track for the ideals I set as a teenager for what a parent should be. I just hope my children are happy with it.
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
I'm it!
Jill tagged me, so here I go:
I need to list 5 unusual things about me
1. I have a gag reflex at the sight or even mention of saliva. How I survived my 2 daughters, only God knows!
2. I display O.C.D. tendencies when it comes to things needing to be closed. This can be cupboards, books, or even decorative zippers on a sweater. I can not rest until what ever needs to be closed is shut.
3. I sometimes pronounce "don't" as "doe-ant" when I am quickly attempting to stop my husband's joking nature.
4. I think I am one of the few people who does NOT like cherries. My dislike for them started when I was a child. I was prescribed cherry medicine for all my ear infections, which were many.
5. I detest pickles on my hamburgers. I am not a fan of pickles to begin with, but having a pickle on my hamburger, ruins the flavour of the hamburger for me.
OK, so there is my top five list, which I realize I could have probably counted ten of them. Oh well!
Now time to tag:
Maryanne
David
I need to list 5 unusual things about me
1. I have a gag reflex at the sight or even mention of saliva. How I survived my 2 daughters, only God knows!
2. I display O.C.D. tendencies when it comes to things needing to be closed. This can be cupboards, books, or even decorative zippers on a sweater. I can not rest until what ever needs to be closed is shut.
3. I sometimes pronounce "don't" as "doe-ant" when I am quickly attempting to stop my husband's joking nature.
4. I think I am one of the few people who does NOT like cherries. My dislike for them started when I was a child. I was prescribed cherry medicine for all my ear infections, which were many.
5. I detest pickles on my hamburgers. I am not a fan of pickles to begin with, but having a pickle on my hamburger, ruins the flavour of the hamburger for me.
OK, so there is my top five list, which I realize I could have probably counted ten of them. Oh well!
Now time to tag:
Maryanne
David
Monday, December 08, 2008
reverse psychology
Tonight at story time, Little Monkey kept standing on our couch. After repeatedly asking her to sit down, I resorted to telling her she had until the count of three to make a better choice to sit down. She glared at me and demanded I stop counting. After counting to three, I took her off the couch. It was then, I fully realize I am parenting a near three year old!
Little Monkey screamed at the top of her lungs, in a pitch only opera singers can sing, to which had Pooky bear covering her ears. It was hard not to laugh, because even though she was very upset, she still had a song in her voice which is not demanding at all, it is her facial expressions which clearly indicate she is unhappy with the consequences.
After her scream, she quickly ran out of the room. Not wanting her to go to her room, I told her to "GO TO YOUR ROOM!" She quickly replied, "NO!" I also didn't want her in the hall way, so I told her to "STAY IN THE HALL WAY!" She, yet again, replied, "NO!" Then, she went quiet for a moment, realized she was in the hall way and did not want to go to her room, so she came back to the living room.
Parenting is great!
Little Monkey screamed at the top of her lungs, in a pitch only opera singers can sing, to which had Pooky bear covering her ears. It was hard not to laugh, because even though she was very upset, she still had a song in her voice which is not demanding at all, it is her facial expressions which clearly indicate she is unhappy with the consequences.
After her scream, she quickly ran out of the room. Not wanting her to go to her room, I told her to "GO TO YOUR ROOM!" She quickly replied, "NO!" I also didn't want her in the hall way, so I told her to "STAY IN THE HALL WAY!" She, yet again, replied, "NO!" Then, she went quiet for a moment, realized she was in the hall way and did not want to go to her room, so she came back to the living room.
Parenting is great!
Sunday, December 07, 2008
chicken pox diary - Day 3
Since the last entry I have:
- Taken pooky bear to the hospital Sat night to discover that it was a good thing we did. The erythromycin was not working effectively due to the nauseating side effects. This resulted in the sores expanding in size. A pediatrician prescribed new antibiotics including a stronger antibiotic ointment. The Dr left us his number and advised us to call if there were any changes we were concerned about. We were very fortunate to avoid IV antibiotics.
Note - Biaxin is a part of the erythromycin family. However, it has been developed to be easier on the stomach, specifically for children. It is a pricy drug, however worth every penny. Some plans cover it (like my husband's), however, the Saskatchewan provincial government will only cover it after submitting a claim for it. You must pay the $80.00 then reimbursed for it later.
- Made approximately 10 snowflakes for the E.R. while waiting to see the pediatrician. My husband and I kept "one-up'ing" each other with our snowflake making abilities. Pooky bear thought it was great. I was so happy I brought scissors, and books to occupy us.
- Discovered that Micheal Martchenko, the illustrator for Robert Munsch books, likes to put taradactol dactyls in every book. The taradactol is hiding and is not found on every page. We are thinking that the older Robert Munsch he has mice hiding in the pages, and in the newer Robert Munsch books, they are taradactols. My suggestion is to read "More Pies" and you will see what I mean.
-Realized the only way to get Pooky bear to have the antibiotic ointment on her is to have her hold my hand and squeeze. Let me tell you, she has a strong grip! She thinks it is actually funny to have me react as though she is hurting me. She completely forgets about the cream.
- Witnessed her daughter not crying for missing a Christmas party today. I was sure she was going to be upset, so my husband and I did our best to make her understand why she could not go and her little sister could. Our efforts paid off, and she was thrilled to have her little sister come home and give her a gift.
After all of this. I am happy my youngest has had the chicken pox vaccination. I am a little frustrated with the Sask health for not covering the cost of the vaccination when it first came out when Pooky was a baby. I do remember when the vaccination first became available for a cost, there were many Dr's, including ours, who did not agree with the vaccination. This, also could have been prevented with the proper material eduating the Dr's on the risk of chicken pox. From my understanding, it was the pediatrician's of Saskatchewan that helped the chicken pox vaccination become covered by Sask health. If only they would have been helping to educate G.P's about the risks as well.
Oh well, what's done is done. I feel very blessed that Pooky is on the road to recovery, finally. God was definately watching over our pooky bear, and that makes me VERY thankful! Our prayers are answered.
- Taken pooky bear to the hospital Sat night to discover that it was a good thing we did. The erythromycin was not working effectively due to the nauseating side effects. This resulted in the sores expanding in size. A pediatrician prescribed new antibiotics including a stronger antibiotic ointment. The Dr left us his number and advised us to call if there were any changes we were concerned about. We were very fortunate to avoid IV antibiotics.
Note - Biaxin is a part of the erythromycin family. However, it has been developed to be easier on the stomach, specifically for children. It is a pricy drug, however worth every penny. Some plans cover it (like my husband's), however, the Saskatchewan provincial government will only cover it after submitting a claim for it. You must pay the $80.00 then reimbursed for it later.
- Made approximately 10 snowflakes for the E.R. while waiting to see the pediatrician. My husband and I kept "one-up'ing" each other with our snowflake making abilities. Pooky bear thought it was great. I was so happy I brought scissors, and books to occupy us.
- Discovered that Micheal Martchenko, the illustrator for Robert Munsch books, likes to put taradactol dactyls in every book. The taradactol is hiding and is not found on every page. We are thinking that the older Robert Munsch he has mice hiding in the pages, and in the newer Robert Munsch books, they are taradactols. My suggestion is to read "More Pies" and you will see what I mean.
-Realized the only way to get Pooky bear to have the antibiotic ointment on her is to have her hold my hand and squeeze. Let me tell you, she has a strong grip! She thinks it is actually funny to have me react as though she is hurting me. She completely forgets about the cream.
- Witnessed her daughter not crying for missing a Christmas party today. I was sure she was going to be upset, so my husband and I did our best to make her understand why she could not go and her little sister could. Our efforts paid off, and she was thrilled to have her little sister come home and give her a gift.
After all of this. I am happy my youngest has had the chicken pox vaccination. I am a little frustrated with the Sask health for not covering the cost of the vaccination when it first came out when Pooky was a baby. I do remember when the vaccination first became available for a cost, there were many Dr's, including ours, who did not agree with the vaccination. This, also could have been prevented with the proper material eduating the Dr's on the risk of chicken pox. From my understanding, it was the pediatrician's of Saskatchewan that helped the chicken pox vaccination become covered by Sask health. If only they would have been helping to educate G.P's about the risks as well.
Oh well, what's done is done. I feel very blessed that Pooky is on the road to recovery, finally. God was definately watching over our pooky bear, and that makes me VERY thankful! Our prayers are answered.
Saturday, December 06, 2008
chicken pox diary - hour 48
Since the last diary entry, Pooky bear has been through a lot. Her first night (hours 8-18) was rough on her. She woke up repeatedly because she was in so much pain and itched at the same time. Her pox were scratched so much the night we didn't know she had them, that she had huge scabs where the pox were. By hour 18, the sores were red, very large and irritated. She still had normal chicken pox, but also had these sores (about 10 of them).
Being concerned about the chicken pox, I had plans to take Pooky with me to my Dr's app't. By our 19, I slept in and nearly missed my appointment. Pooky quickly reminded me that she was to come with me to my appointment. We both quickly got dressed and headed out the door. At the appointment, the Dr. explained that the sores were actually chicken pox which became infected. What actually happened was the first night Pooky bear became itchy on her neck, she scratched so hard it became a big infected scab. Then when the chicken pox spreaded, she would scratch her neck, then other chicken pox, therefore infecting them as well.
I felt so bad for Pooky bear and wished there was something I could have done. I did tell the Dr. I had been putting polysporin on all of the scabs. The Dr commented that is why her infection did not spread to flesh eating disease. This made me feel a lot better, knowing that my instinct to put polysporin on the sores helped Pooky.
Putting on the polysporin has not been the easiest task. She finds it very painful because of the sores. My husband and I had to both put on the polysporin on her at the same time to speed up the process. (Note - It definately helps to give acetometaphen 1 hour before hand to help with the pain) Once the polysporin was on the pain was gone and the itchiness.
She is now on antibiotics for the infection, benadryl for the inflamation and irritation, acetometaphen for the pain and polysporin. So far, this winning combination is helping combat the chicken pox and infection. She is feeling much better. Her and little monkey have been playing and getting ready to put up the Christmas tree. She is not out of the woods yet, but is 80% better than even last night.
Lessons learnt in the last 48 hours:
- teach pooky bear to call us even if she does not feel it is neccessary
- excess scratching leads to infection, which if not treated quickly can lead to flesh eating disease
- difference between reactine and benadryl: reactine - great for prevention
benadryl - great for treatment
- combination of reactine once a day and benadryl every 6 hours helps with further break out and treatment of the chicken pox. (note- I understand that chicken pox is not an allergy, but the medications used to treat allergies also help in the treatment of chicken pox. This does not mean the reactine and benadryl can prevent chicken pox, but help once chicken pox has appeared)
- erythromycin is hard on the stomach, so giving her the acetometaphen and benadryl and food 1 hour before ensures all medication will remain in her stomach and not be lost in a possible upset stomach loosing all contents. It is still important to take the medication with food as well.
My routine 1 hour before antibiotics: administer benadryl, 1/2 hour before antibiotics: administer acetometaphen. This has helped huge with pooky bear. It is important to note we did not discover this technique until hour 36.
Being concerned about the chicken pox, I had plans to take Pooky with me to my Dr's app't. By our 19, I slept in and nearly missed my appointment. Pooky quickly reminded me that she was to come with me to my appointment. We both quickly got dressed and headed out the door. At the appointment, the Dr. explained that the sores were actually chicken pox which became infected. What actually happened was the first night Pooky bear became itchy on her neck, she scratched so hard it became a big infected scab. Then when the chicken pox spreaded, she would scratch her neck, then other chicken pox, therefore infecting them as well.
I felt so bad for Pooky bear and wished there was something I could have done. I did tell the Dr. I had been putting polysporin on all of the scabs. The Dr commented that is why her infection did not spread to flesh eating disease. This made me feel a lot better, knowing that my instinct to put polysporin on the sores helped Pooky.
Putting on the polysporin has not been the easiest task. She finds it very painful because of the sores. My husband and I had to both put on the polysporin on her at the same time to speed up the process. (Note - It definately helps to give acetometaphen 1 hour before hand to help with the pain) Once the polysporin was on the pain was gone and the itchiness.
She is now on antibiotics for the infection, benadryl for the inflamation and irritation, acetometaphen for the pain and polysporin. So far, this winning combination is helping combat the chicken pox and infection. She is feeling much better. Her and little monkey have been playing and getting ready to put up the Christmas tree. She is not out of the woods yet, but is 80% better than even last night.
Lessons learnt in the last 48 hours:
- teach pooky bear to call us even if she does not feel it is neccessary
- excess scratching leads to infection, which if not treated quickly can lead to flesh eating disease
- difference between reactine and benadryl: reactine - great for prevention
benadryl - great for treatment
- combination of reactine once a day and benadryl every 6 hours helps with further break out and treatment of the chicken pox. (note- I understand that chicken pox is not an allergy, but the medications used to treat allergies also help in the treatment of chicken pox. This does not mean the reactine and benadryl can prevent chicken pox, but help once chicken pox has appeared)
- erythromycin is hard on the stomach, so giving her the acetometaphen and benadryl and food 1 hour before ensures all medication will remain in her stomach and not be lost in a possible upset stomach loosing all contents. It is still important to take the medication with food as well.
My routine 1 hour before antibiotics: administer benadryl, 1/2 hour before antibiotics: administer acetometaphen. This has helped huge with pooky bear. It is important to note we did not discover this technique until hour 36.
Thursday, December 04, 2008
chicken pox diary - hour 5
Pooky bear is doing surprisingly well right now. I failed to mention in the previous post that I gave her 24 hour relief children's Reactine, to help bring down the swelling and itchiness, which has proven to help. I also have been using polysporin on the spots with scabs to help speed the healing process and scaring. Acetaminophen has also come in handy to reduce fever, because the chicken pox has the tendency to appear in warmer places on the body, so reducing fever is a good thing.
So, so far we are surviving. She is happy playing on the computer, watching TV and visiting with friends. I am tempted to think that she is actually going to enjoy having the chicken pox, minus the fact she is upset she will miss ballet lessons.
So, so far we are surviving. She is happy playing on the computer, watching TV and visiting with friends. I am tempted to think that she is actually going to enjoy having the chicken pox, minus the fact she is upset she will miss ballet lessons.
chicken pox diary - hour 1
Pooky bear finaly has the chicken pox. I first discovered it when she was changing for school. She was complaining her tummy was itchy, my first instinct was her eczema, but the little red dots all over her belly proved me wrong. She was not a happy camper to find out she would miss school today, but was quickly calmed with the idea of lots of oatmeal baths and computer time.
I have been hoping she would get them soon, I was beginning to wonder if she had immunity given she had been exposed at least two times to chicken pox. But now that she has them, I know her days will be filled with what ever makes her: A. happy and B. not itch.
My mom quickly helped me out with the traditional home remedies, which so far has proven to not work. She first recomended calmine lotion (unsure of spelling), this in the first 30 minutes of discovering she has chicken pox, did not help. She then advised me to make a paste of baking soda and water, I tried this after the calamine lotion. The baking soda and water made her cry. So, I did what I know works on itchy, irritated, eczema: oatmeal bath.
She right now is lying in the water, which in the first 45 minutes of discovering the chicken pox, is helping. Now I just need to figure out a way to stop the itch while out of the tub. Hmm, oatmeal paste??? Messy, but maybe worth a try.
I have been hoping she would get them soon, I was beginning to wonder if she had immunity given she had been exposed at least two times to chicken pox. But now that she has them, I know her days will be filled with what ever makes her: A. happy and B. not itch.
My mom quickly helped me out with the traditional home remedies, which so far has proven to not work. She first recomended calmine lotion (unsure of spelling), this in the first 30 minutes of discovering she has chicken pox, did not help. She then advised me to make a paste of baking soda and water, I tried this after the calamine lotion. The baking soda and water made her cry. So, I did what I know works on itchy, irritated, eczema: oatmeal bath.
She right now is lying in the water, which in the first 45 minutes of discovering the chicken pox, is helping. Now I just need to figure out a way to stop the itch while out of the tub. Hmm, oatmeal paste??? Messy, but maybe worth a try.
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
back to the gind
Well I am back at work and am doing OK. I am still sore, but was excited to work with my new boss today. My boss and I have children the same age, so we had lots to talk about. It is funny how having children the same age can be an instant conversation starter. We filled our driving time by comparing the differences in our 5 year old's schooling. Since she lives in Ontario, her 5 year old is in sr kindergarden 2 full days of the week, where my pooky bear is in school 1/2 days all week. Whether one is better than the other, who knows. I do know I think I scared her when she came with me to pick up my 5 year old from school. The idea of 8 busses is a little intimidating to even me, let alone some one who is not used to it. Oh well.
All in all, it was a good day and look forward to working tomorrow. Not before 1:00 p.m. though. (Little monkey has gymnastics in the morning) No rest for mommy!
All in all, it was a good day and look forward to working tomorrow. Not before 1:00 p.m. though. (Little monkey has gymnastics in the morning) No rest for mommy!
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