Almost There

We are almost there with being over the allergies/colds :).

I read this article about how allergies evolve. It had me a bit overwhelmed because sources come from both inside and outside our homes. In fact, it said that inside is usually worse than outside. It spoke of how chemicals can literally reside in a layer of dust that might be on the table or shelf; how we add chemicals into our homes by use of aerisols like disinfectants or furniture polish. Even humidifiers can add to our environments, cooler air being worse than hot air humidifiers. It spoke of how our air ducts can become contaminates as well. I can't imagine what happens when we vacuum!

In a nutshell, the article suggested dusting with a damp cloth, cutting back/discontinue use of aerisols, disinfecting with bleach & water on a damp cloth and having the air ducts cleaned regularly in addition to changing the air filter.

I began to think about my teenager's rooms and what it would take to get them completely allergin free. Oh my goodness!! I was sooooo overwhelmed!! I began to think about the rest of the house and getting it allergin free. I became so discouraged. I mean, my house is "clean" and I am a neat freak and an organized nut, but it just seems it's only so much one can do to be allergin free.

Then I began to think, ok, we can let the house air out more often, but I started thinking about all the pollens that were out there and letting in more dust!! I mean wha? My mind just really went overboard with the thought of keeping allergins out or to a minimum. I even thought about the mold that must be coming of the lake. We live fairly close to the lake which is not the cleanest lake. Every time one of us coughs, I think of what we can possibly be inhaling to contribute to out symptoms.

Wow!

Interesting Guest

We had an interesting guest today! He is HUGE, hairy and has 8 legs! Yes, a taranchula!!! I got really worried because how long has he been out there? Is it a male or female? Are there any babies? What about the kids? Can they get into the house? What????? (The person in this picture is no one we know).

My son was outside playing basketball. As he bends down to pick up the ball, there was our little hairy guest. He had come from behind the air conditioning unit. By the time my son manage to get my attention, and by the time I managed to get the kids settled before going outside, he was on the other side of the yard trying to hide behind a dandelion weed. He was absolutely HUGE!! Obviously an adult one.

I got a plastic bowl and a lid. Then I used the rake to move him away from the wall. As I moved him away, he would raise his rear end up and released some clear fluid. I finally managed to put the bowl over him. Once he climbed up on the side of the bowl, I slid the top of the bowl underneath it. We punched holes in the lid so he can breathe.

I called the exterminator and left a message. I don't want to kill the creature, but I certainly don't want him here!...lol. Hope I don't have nightmares about him tonight!!

Uplift to My Day

My mechanic is such a sweetie! (The car in this picture is not my car, but mine looks like this but it's white).

Friday, I took my 17 year old for his drivers license test. Unfortuately, I forgot about the crack in the windshield and that the horn did not work. Yes, we were extremely disappointed. Before the disappointment settled in, I started brainstorming with my son for our next strategy.

Upon arriving home, I called my mechanic, yes, the wonderful who got my car running again :). There were a few other small things that needed to be fixed as well i.e. get another battery, check the oil leak & do an oil change and put the rubber strip back on the passenger side door....in addition to the horn and the replacing the windshield. He said to bring it in on saturday and the car was ready on sunday! A windshield alone should cost about $220.00. He charged me that for everything.... :). I am so thrilled!

Unfortunately, DMV has not more appointments until next month. So, it will be awhile before my son can take his test. We thought about going to another location, but they are all so far away. We decided to schedule it then keep checking for a cancellation. I had to get a money order so I can pick it up to today :)>

Monday Blah

Though my allergies are getting better, today is soooo monday.

I've been pretty sick all weekend. I pretty much laid in bed and only got up to take care of my grandson. He too has been going through some form of illness. We have had to give him asthma treatments on his nebulizer several times a day. At night, he would be fine. His appetite is still good.

I've continued my supplements with decongestants. It has gotten better. I think part of my illness was that of being so tired. Sometimes we push ourselves with the intention of getting our daily routines completed, not realizing, we really need to stop and get some rest. I tend to do this all the time. As long as I am feeling pretty much "ok", I just keep going. It's not until I stop at the end of maybe 3 weeks that I realize how tired I am.

Well, update on the new child who is no longer in the daycare. On friday morning, when I went to pick him up, I was prepared to let his mom know that she could not bring him back until she took him to the doctor. His nose was running thick.

Instead, she told me how her mother had had an alcoholic breakdown and, as a result, wanted her and the child out of the house by end of the day. That meant, she had to find a place to for her and her son to stay. She had a friend in mind who lives in the next city. When I returned to bring her son back, with all his belongings, at the end of the day, she confirmed and removed him.

She realized she shouldn't have encouraged her mother to drink alcohol knowing she has a history of alcoholism They played a game called "Chugga-lug" a few weeks prior. Later, for her mother's birthday, she took her to a motel with LOTS of alcohol and strippers. The breakdown occurred a few days later. She said to me, "I guess taking her out for her birthday wasn't a good idea." I said to her, "Well, you didn't know she would respond this way." She said, "Yeah, I kinda did." That was when she explained about the alcohol history.

Every family has its dysfunction. My family definitely has its share.

Time for New Dosage

Well, my morning regime of lemon tea, supplements and decongestant has worn off. I am feeling quite fatigue and sleepy. I can feel the congestion building up again. The day did not go quite as I anticipated. My grandson has been fussy today. I don't think he feels too good. He's been coughing a bit. It's also possible he is teething. The daycare kids behaved very well, so that was a help. They have been coughing too.

I kind of think we are all coughing because I recently signed up a new 2 1/2 year old boy whose mom doesn't want to provide him with his second set of immunizations. His nose runs constantly. She claims he was a lot worse and that he is at the tail end of his illness. I didn't think too much of it because I do have an allergy child whose nose will do that and none of the other kids have gotten sick.

This mom says she is afraid to provide him with the immunizations because there is research that supports that some children turn autistic as a result of immunizations. I called licensing and they said this is true and there are tons of parents that do this. There is actually a affidavit for the parents to sign and to allow the kids to be enrolled.

So, I spoke with the mom and let her know that I spoke with licensing. I informed her that, for the sake of the other kids in the daycare, she needs to take her son to the doctor just to have him checked and to make sure he is not contagious.

Unfortuately, I think, if he is contagious, the damage is done. Fortunately, he only come three days per week.

Video Games

As you can see in my last entry, I posted a pic of a video game system (however old it looks). As I searched for a decent picture o f a video games, I was totally shocked at the violence these games portray for our children! :0.

As I mentioned, I am an extremely anti-violent parent. "I" choose the games for my children. They get a lot of sports and racing games. Yes, they get bored but that's a good thing because it will discourage them from playing for long periods of time. I limit the number of days per week and the number of hours per session.

When you think about it, kids are playing these games for hours and hours! What is the effect on their subconscious in terms of violence? Some of these games literally mimic blood, shooting with ALL kinds of guns and cutting with blades, swords and knives. Some use aliens or space equipment, yet some use human beings. Doesn't matter, it is still violence!! Some of the figures are down right satanic!!

One might say, "It's just a game." I believe anything used in excess can have a significant effect on one's behavior. It's like desensitizing the brain. If you see it or do it enough, it means nothing to the person. Some of these kids are very, very young. The actions in these games comes out in their play i.e. shooting, stabbing, explosions, etc.

It seems we have gone from the violence of cowboys and indians and army soldiers to high tech slauder!!! Younger children can be totally effected by this madness i.e. nightmares, behavior, monsters, etc. Older kids have enough to deal with trying to figure themselves out during teenhood. Teenagers tend to go through a whole lot of emotional transitions. Video games seem to influence anger in teenagers.

It's like when you go to a movie that takes place in New York. If the movie makes you feel good, warm and fuzzy, you almost want to go to New York and be in the place, at a minimum you would want to watch the movie again.

How do kids feel when they walk away from these video games? Does their state of mind, prior to playing the game, effect how they feel as well? Maybe I'm just being a mom, but I don't think so....Hmmmm....interesting

The Weather

By the end of the day yesterday, I felt just awful. I organized the kids and got them squared away. They did very well.

My 10 year old was extremely well behaved today...quite usual. He did ALL of his homework in a very focused manner, had his snack and went in the backyard to play basketball. His 2 year old sister behaved well as well. She is learning to follow instructions much better and learning to be much less violent...lol! I had both of them late night.

When my boys got home, my 17 year old played video games with the 10 year old. I am super anti-violent and I limit their time on the video games. It went well. The 2 year old, I gave her some toys and put her in the playpen so that I can bathe by grandson. After bathing my grandson, I also gave him to my 17 year old. My goal was to get them all in a safe place so that I could take a hot bath.

It's been a long time since I was able to take a "relaxing" hot bath. If I am not organzied enough, I have to rush my bath which totally defeats the purpose. I come out clean, but stressed out.

Once I got out of the tub, I set up the vaporizor, took some supplements, a decongestant, made some lemon hot tea and pulled out the heating pad. My grandson fell asleep just before the 10 and 2 year old went home. Once they were gone, I scooped my grandson up and put him in his bed, then crawled into mine with the heating pad. It felt sooooo goood!!

This morning, I did feel my symptoms, but I did feel better. It's hard to explain. The congestion was there, but mildly. I'm thinking the supplements, vaporizor, etc. kept things to a minimum. I'm one of the millions of folks with no medical insurance. I'm really hoping to turn this around. I can go to the clinic, but they seem so limited and costly.

Today should be an easy day. Only have two, well-behaved little boys and my grandson. I think today, while they nap, I will lay down. I won't sleep, but I will rest.