Not so Ten On Tuesday

The past school year I made a diligent effort to make a daily post.  It became a stealth record of the girls' school year and a nifty way to keep family & friends up on our latest musings.  This year I find my efforts yielded by two things: First, the girls' additional night of two-hour gymnastics consumes even more of our already dwindling family time.  Second, Blogger limits the number of pictures I can use without being charged a fee.  Frustrating!  I could solve the problem by setting my blog into a book and deleting pics, but of course I haven't made that commitment yet, so here I sit....

Ten on Tuesday has become my favorite weekly topic.  I LOVE its randomness, its structure, and of all posts it's probably the one that best captures a single moment in time.

In a nod to random, here's my Ten on Tuesday.  On Saturday.

1. I'm all for removing the drinking age.  My proposal: eliminate the right-to-drink at age 21, let kids start drinking whenever they want and instead cap off at oh, lets say 34.  As I see it kids can metabolize their booze much faster & get a much less severe hangover.  Of course I'm kidding about really proposing this legislation change.  But I am serious about one thing.  No one told me that just two adult beverages would make me feel so crappy the next morning.

2. I truly cannot remember the last Friday night I went out on the town.  I also cannot remember the last time I was awake late enough on East Coast time to be awake for The Tonight Show.  I haven't decided if that makes me a rock star or just a sad old lady.

3. When "Tonight, Tonight" comes on the radio we still gasp, then turn it up and dance.  Don't think that one will ever get old.  We can get crazy let it all out.... Love it!

4. I like to click on the "Everything" option on Pinterest.  That's where I've found most of the good stuff these days.

5. Last night Lauren told me she needed several cotton circle pads and a Q-Tip for a project.  She would also need some glue to make it stick.... I can't wait to see what she comes up with!

6. Hey girl.  I will never look at Ryan Gosling the same way again after seeing the mountain of Hey Girl inspirational pics.  My new annoying habit: coming up with Hey girl captions for all the gals in my life.... that will probably never get old either.  At least not to me.  I won't stop 'till I've Hey girled each and every one of you.  Hey girl, look out.

7. Spring forward already.  Really?  Ughh!

8. We've been pounding the smoothies lately.  An overdose of vitamins, maybe.  I'm all about anything that will keep 'em healthy.

9. My other favorite snack these days: apple & peanut butter sandwiches.  The girls love Granny Smith apples, so I use an apple corer to core one Granny Smith and cut it into round slices 1/8" thick pieces.  Spread peanut butter over one slice and top with another to make a sandwich.  Who knows.  Maybe someday we'll get clever and drizzle caramel or chocolate or even fill the hole with a random goody.  Hmmmmm.

10. I have great faith that someday Abby will grow out of her tantrums of anger.  She can be so mean, so nasty.  What happened to that gentle, free-loving baby I once shared with the world?

Abby ♥

Despite the fact that the child has a unmistakable fire in her belly, Lauren is sweet to the core.  How do I know?  I found a letter she wrote to her big sister, penned on her special outer space stationary.  On the front of the sealed envelope you'll simply find "Abby ♥"  The letter reads....

You
are my
Fen an
you are
nes

Love, Lauren

The child melts my heart.

Ten on Tuesday

Now that the girls are old enough, I decided it was time to beef up their writing skills and what better way than keeping a journal.  Today was our first day, and barring a raging tantrum from Abby, I'd say it went pretty well.

When presented with the idea the girls were in love at first thought.  This morning they could hardly contain their excitement for this afternoon's project.

The rules are simple: each day will be a different subject.  The objective is to make them strong writers & independent thinkers.  This afternoon the three of us each opened up a crisp writing book.

Let the journaling begin....

[Brooke]

1. They are building the house behind ours very fast!  I wonder when they'll move in!

2. Lauren makes me smile.

3. Abby is more like me than she'll ever admit.

4. I love storms.  Tomorrow: a thunderstorm is on tap.  I kind of wish it was snow, but I'm ready for a mild Spring.

5. I've found more ideas on Pinterest than I could ever keep up with.

6. There's something about old birdhouses.

7. The cabin is my favorite place on Earth.

8. Sharpened pencils give me peace.

9. When Abby gets mad, she gets MAD!

[Lauren]

1. them one aving Fun
2. my mome mes me surh
3. you mek me hpu
4. I love you mom
5. You can Love me
6. We are tkly
7. I like Tes hou
8. You are my iret mom I like it
9. I Like my name
10. I Like rotkt

[Abby]

1. they are wrok on house
2. I make ten cukes
3. I have ten mittins
4. and a lot of hats
5. I Play in ten millin timeis
6. I like the hubru ten
7. and I like to Play
8. I love my mommy.
9. I like to be safteyu.
10. it is the last one

Clearly we have a little work to do, but all-in-all I'd say they've got the idea.  And what can I say.... Abby already knows 'a lot' are two words.  Right on little Brooke!

Ten on Tuesday

1. I thought Lauren was dead.  Okay, not really.  But the thought did cross my mind when Geoff & I woke up after 9 on Sunday morning and hadn't heard a peep from our early riser.  Before long she came strolling into our bedroom asking, "Did you read the book I put on your nightstand for you?"  It didn't take much coaxing to get her to snuggle in bed with us and read it.... The 3 LPZ or as she read it, The Three Little Pigs.  Of course the big, bad wolf was a werewolf in her version and she even added the finishing touch: a Scooby Doo sticker to the front cover.  Only Lauren.

2. I found my crack.  Glee!  When my cold turned into the flu, which them morphed into a sinus infection I spent A LOT of time on the couch catching up quickly on Season II of Glee.  Genius writing.  I'm admittedly an addict.

3. My gal pal, Susie, will be happy to know that I've now gone active on Goodreads.  My other new internet addiction.

4. I finally freed myself of my last old-fashioned paper book and began my first book on my Kindle.  The fact that Wi-Fi takes up a lot of battery makes it really easy to tune out the distraction of its internet capabilities and focus on my book, which by the way, I'm really enjoying!

5. Abby's first grade bestie is Emma.  The way Abby's face lights up when she talks about her friend fills my heart with joy.  It's such a treat to watch her enjoying being a young girl.

6. I drove home with the windows down today.  It's January.

7. The smaller, thin-skinned lemons are much juicer and more flavorful.

8. I would never pay $13.99 for a half gallon of Graeter's ice cream.  This makes me very unOhio.  That does not make me sad.

9. Wuden't isn't in my vocabulary.  This makes me excessively unOhio.  I'm still not weeping.

10. I currently work for the best boss I've ever had.  She's a 100% Ohioan (is that what they call themselves?!) but she is by far one of the people I respect the most, personally & professionally.  I've learned more from her than she can probably imagine.

Ten on Tuesday

1. "Today is the day," Abby proclaimed right away this morning.  Four weeks ago today was the day she joined the club, and now she can finally change her earrings.  She picked the "Love" earrings she got from her aunt & uncle for her birthday to be her first alternative to the originals.  I proudly report she learned to change them all by herself!

2. While it seems people in Minnesota are falling like dominoes as victims of the flu, a rash of strep that turns into Scarlet Fever is sweeping through our part of Ohio.  Yikes!

3. I stumbled upon Adam Young's blog the other day.  Ironically it was a post about how he pulled the name "Owl City" & it was featured with a pic of the Lift Bridge in Duluth.  I'm not sure what the exact link to that bridge is, but it fascinates me how a kid who grew up in the same town I grew up in has achieved such greatness while I clearly live the simple life.  Whooooo knows?!

4. What is Adel really talking about when she says she set fire to the rain?

5. Killing Lincoln is so well written that I cannot help but watch the President's speech tonight and compare & contrast the traditions today with those in the 1860s.  I can't help but wonder what Lincoln would think about every element of our country today.  Funny, I bet he couldn't even begin to imagine.  And yet we can't imagine our country without him.

6. How my sweet & caring child can lie stone-cold to her mother & father blows me away.  My heart truly sinks with grief at the thought of what happens to people who so blatantly lie.  I know some of those people.  It's a cold existence.  Now, how to keep her from falling to that fate....

7. An unexpected conversation with a fellow gymnastics mom last night revealed a disturbing discovery about the correlation between Kelly Air Force Base and Leukemia & Lou Gehrig's Disease.  What is going on in San Antonio that would contaminate the water and the people living & working at Kelly?  Heartbreaking.

8. Random Pintrest grab: Muffin Tin Eggs.

9. Clever Repurpose Pintrest grab: It's a Rake.  Seriously, this website is like crack.... once you start, you can't stop looking!

10. Another cold is taking hold of my entire body.  Tomorrow should be swell.  Looks like I'll be double-fisting my grapefruit juice.

Ten on Tuesday

1. Tonight for supper: Eggplant Parmesan.  I didn't even get to sit down and eat it with the fam.  But it smells awesome.

2. After months of suffering from stomach aches triggered by certain foods & other digestive dilemmas that shall remain nameless, I've decided that maybe what my system needs is to reboot.  I'm starting a four week probiotic regimen.  So far I think it's working; I started last night.

3. We have great neighbors.  Yes, in Fairborn.  I love them.  Just sayin'.

4. The girls weren't even awake for two minutes this morning before they found something insignificant to fight about.  Please tell me it's just a phase.

5. I'm so used to nasty dog farts that even when I'm not home I still think I smell them at times Lizzie would ordinarily be stinking up the house.  This has gotten worse with age.  Hers, not mine.  And I don't care what they tell you, once a poop-eater, always a poop-eater.  The Nasty Habit pills flavored with cayenne pepper that are supposed to make them unappetizing only get her more fired up for her meal.

6. If I had to pick a favorite dessert it would definitely be my mom's ice box cake.  Mom, you're not planning a visit anytime soon, are you?!

7. Who doesn't like Tom Selleck?  I've never heard anyone say they weren't a fan.  He's a true class act, stand up, all-American guy.

8. I'm completely engrossed in Killing Lincoln.  Who knew the Civil War could be so engaging.

9. I love the people I work with.  I love the girls at the age they're at.  Of all the details I would tweak about my life if I could, the truth is I couldn't be happier.  What a gift!

10. I was given a rude awakening tonight the things recent college grads have been facing.... mounting debt, the inability to get enough loans to pay for school, no access to credit cards even when you have a degree and are using it to earn a living.  It's going to be a tough road for these babes of mine.  *sigh*

Germ Squirm

Thursday evening I spent three hours sitting on the floor of one of our rooms at school for a class our staff was taking on communicable disease.  Our instructor was a seasoned nurse who delivered the material in such an informative & enjoyable way that not only did we walk out of that class ready to conquer the world's germs, we were entertained beyond belief with side-splitting laugh after laugh.

I took a lot away from that class.  So much so that I thought it was worth compiling a list of fun facts & helpful tips....

• Whatever you breathe in goes into your blood stream.  Consequently, whatever the person next to you breathes in will also be in your lungs.
• For immunizations, visit the immunization clinic instead of your family practitioner.  Immunization clinics are required to follow federal guidelines.  They give out more immunizations and the cost is usually always lower.
• When traveling out of the country, visit a Travel Immunization Clinic.  They know exactly what to immunize you for depending on your travel destination.
• People with poor oral hygiene are 63% more likely to get pancreatic cancer. Floss, floss, floss!
• Doctors don't test for viral infections, only bacterial.  Bacterial infections are larger, easier to test and are treated with antibiotics.  Bacterial infections are localized to a specific area, whereas viral infections can be felt throughout the body.  A cold or the flu would be examples of viral infections.
• People can exchange infections easily with birds, pigs & cats.
• Many of a child's birth defects can be traced to illnesses the mother was exposed to early in her pregnancy.  This is why they tell pregnant women not to change a cat's litter box: we can exchange illnesses with cats and they can easily be passed onto the fetus.
• Check a preschooler's armpits for swollen lymph nodes.  Leukemia can be detected by doing so and is easier to treat if detected early.
• Normal axillary temperature {the temp you get when you take the temperature in the armpit} is 97.6°.
• Baby Tylenol is five times stronger than liquid Tylenol for older children.  This is because the baby's tongue naturally thrusts and they push the liquid out.  A helpful hint: the smaller the bottle, the smaller the dose.
• The reason allergies like those to peanuts are on the rise is because we're over medicating our children with over the counter drugs.  Their T-cells have histidines on high alert, making them over sensitive.
• Cincinnati is the bed bug capital of world.  Bed bugs are increasing in population because of our move to "Go Green"; we're using less harsh chemicals that would normally kill them.  It isn't a matter of if everyone will get bed bugs, but when.
• To check a hotel for bed bugs, look for a sweet, musty odor upon entering.  Once inside your room, rest your bags on hard surfaces and check the cord of the mattress for their little black bodies; they tend to hide out there since that's an area that doesn't get washed.
• Baking soda is a disinfectant.  It's an easy, cost-effective way to wash fruit: place fruit in cloudy mixture of baking soda & water then rinse with water.
• Vomiting + Headache + Fever = 911!  The three are a deadly combination that can lead to Meningitis.

A resource with a variety of website links can be found at RN Instruction Co.  If you are in southern Ohio and looking for an instructor for your school or company on any of the topics she provides, I HIGHLY recommend Shelia Claycraft, RN!  You can contact her through the above link provided.