The Little Things

I've got a lot to be thankful for.  Yes, I know it's almost Christmas - I don't have my holidays mixed up...although after the past few days I just might start confusing things due to lack of sleep.  Kid #3 spent roughly 24 hours at the hospital being treated for pneumonia.  Seven years ago kid #2 (at 12 months old) had the same experience, but this time was vastly different.  As some of you might have already heard the story, I'll explain for those who haven't - after a few days battling a ridiculously high fever (106!) using both Tylenol and Motrin concurrently to try and break it, kid #2's lips suddenly turned blue then pink a few times - it was almost hard to believe I saw what I did -it was an "eyerub" moment - but when I saw it a few more times it was definitely real...so off to the ER we went.  Long story short, after being suspiciously asked where she got the bruise on her forehead (she was a toddler for goodness sake - and even now at almost 8, is still a bit of a clutz), threatened DYFS by the doc because her vaccinations weren't up to date (even though she was started on them), and traumatized by catheterization...they found that she had an "infiltrate" in her lungs via X-ray so we were admitted for treatment of pneumonia.  While our experience with the ER was not one I'll remember fondly, the pediatric wing where we wound up was GREAT.  The nurses, staff and doctors were sensitive, caring and great with her - and thankfully she got much better very quickly.

This past Tuesday, after his cough just wouldn't get better and on the advice of our family doc, we took kid #3 to the ER (oh no - dejavu!) for a chest X-ray to check for pneumonia.  While the wait to be seen was much longer than last time, I never got the feeling that I was being scruitinized or judged by anyone...and it just so happened that the ER doc was the husband of a good family friend (a very welcome, friendly face I might add).  I felt like my kid's best interest was being put first...he was hardly traumatized (the IV line was a bit rough...but nothing a promise of Lego Star Wars toys wouldn't fix).  I suppose it helped that there were some very...ahem...interesting characters around, which definitely kept me entertained for the few hours we waited for a room on the pediatric ward.  After the boy conked out (a thankful break from the incessant "I want to go home") we were finally moved to the 4th floor.  Mike showed up just as we were heading into the room and like a true tag-team effort we switched and I headed home. 

His opinion couldn't be more clear

Fast forward to about 10am the next day...after opening the cafe and getting things in order, I headed out to find some Legos with Darth Vader in them - I managed to find one with lots of clone troopers and Anakin Skywalker, who I figured would suffice since he would become Darth Vader anyway.  Another tag team switch - Mike headed out and I settled in, happy that the boy approved of my purchases...not once in the 2 hours it took me to put everything together did he indicate he needed to "get out of here"...SCORE!  We saw a few friendly faces over the course of the day - his Pre-K teacher stopped by with a present, a doctor who worked in a different area came in at his sister-in-law's request to check on us (Thanks, Jen!), and a friendly face from the kid's school was there for her own daughter's foot surgery.  We felt very special - the kid even opened up and was animated with a total stranger...not a usual occurrence. 

Thankfully, kid #3 was discharged that afternoon, and we headed home...it's really such a luxury to sleep in your own bed and be in a comfortable environment, surrounded by family.  He's made such a speedy recovery, that it's hard to believe he's the same lethargic, sickly looking kid from earlier this week.  At least one worry is resolved for now...and I'm thankful my worries now include when I'm going to wrap and hide all the gifts, make the cookies, finish work stuff, catch up on much needed sleep...? 

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to all - may your worries be small and your days be joyful!

Wimp out, or face the music?

So do I face the music, or wimp out and pretend that ignorance is bliss?

As I may have alluded to before, this time of year is a love/hate kind of time for me...LOVE the magic of Christmas, especially when my kids get caught up in the real meaning of the season.  I LOVE Christmas Eve mass...the music is something I look forward to every year...I LOVE the decorations, sights, smells and overall feeling that Christmas is coming...BUT...I really, really, really LOVE Christmas cookies.  I HATE how I feel once I've pigged out on them with reckless abandon - they're everywhere, so it's impossible to avoid them and impossible not to eat them.  I know - nothing's impossible - I choose to act like a kid in a candy shop and stuff my face.  But it sure feels like it's beyond my power of self-control.

Anyway, regarding whether to "face the music"...the super cool folks at our "Pro-Activity Lab" have devised a sort of holiday experiment - we're all faced with high calorie, high fat treats this time of year...and most, if not all of us will freely indulge in the gluttony...but does this roughly 2 week binge really have an overall effect on our blood glucose, triglycerides and cholesterol levels?  In order to find out, they're asking for test subjects to come in early on Wednesday (Dec 21) morning, having fasted from the night prior to take a "before" sample...then come back on Tuesday, January 3rd to take another fasting "after" sample.  Sounds pretty simple, right? (This is just the thing I really miss about being a "lab-rat" - I love being a part of experiments; writing up the hypothesis, putting together the testing procedure, administering the test and then analyzing the results...yep, I'm a geek.  But I'm ok with that...) 

Only problem is, I'd have to be a test subject this time...and do I really want to know what all those goodies are doing to me?  On the one hand, of course!  The more you know, the better- particularly when it comes to our health...if there's something borderline or needs to be addressed, the sooner the better.  On the other hand...I really like cookies.  Will knowing how much (particularly if a lot) damage is being done, ruin a happy part of the holidays for me?  Sigh.  I suppose if that were the case, I'd have to start looking for other, non-Christmas cookie associations to make with this time of year...and I can't think of any right now.  Maybe over time?

So, I'm in.  From lab-rat to...well, a lab rat.  And I'll publish my numbers...stay tuned...Gulp!

(If you're interested in partaking in the study too, click here to register or call 730-6640 for more information)

'Tis the season to be stressed-out

Feeling a bit stressed out by the fact Christmas is only 17 days away?  I am.  Oh boy.

I miss the days where all I had to do was show up on Christmas Eve, eat some pasta for dinner, pick my pre-portioned rice pudding to see if I had a red hot candy* buried in there somewhere...and then help clean up the kitchen (in record time) and then....PRESENTS! 

*Finding the red hot candy in the rice pudding meant you got to open the first present - an old Swedish tradition my mom found in a book somewhere...but you also had to leave a bowl in the garage to appease the mischief "elf" or you'd have a year's worth of trouble (a nice way to have seconds without anyone the wiser - my mom LOVES rice pudding!)

Anyway, now that I'm the mom...there's a whole heckofalot of planning that goes into Christmas; decorating, present purchasing, "Santa-communicating", a couple different types of wrapping paper that must be hidden along with the presents so the worldly kids won't realize Santa and mom use the same type of paper...what a coincidence!  Living with the in-laws doesn't leave very many hiding spots, thus the reason I haven't done much shopping yet. 

So...to keep my sanity, I've decided I'm going to try not to sweat the small stuff.  I'm also looking for something my family and I can do for those less fortunate...I figure that while we live in a great area, they need to see that the world does not begin and end in our neighborhood and philanthropy is a very important and rewarding aspect of life.  Anyone with any ideas for families with kids under 12?  I'm all ears!

As I've also mentioned before, how we're eating is very important this time of year as well - it's almost too easy to indulge in the bad stuff because it's everywhere...just don't buy it.  If it's not in the house, it won't get eaten...

The best things to eat during the winter months are chock-full of antioxidants and vitamins...keep eating lots of fruit and veggies - "eat the rainbow" - and bypass all those highly processed carbohydrates...not only will they make you crash shortly, but any excess will go directly into storage...and 3500 calories of storage = 1 pound...dun dun dunnnnnn...

Hope you enjoy and make the most of these last few weeks of 2011...in the words of Dave Matthews, "Eat (good stuff), drink (lots of fluids) and be merry!"