Monthly Archives: February 2008

>Notes to self as family brings in the germs

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>Amigo was mildly ill last week. Now Husband is down for the count with similar symptoms: cough, cold, achiness, exhaustion. At school, one student was out sick today and two others should have stayed home.
At times like this, all of my germ-phobic tendencies start shouting at me.
No, don’t touch that kid’s computer mouse!
What do you think you’re doing, testing the keyboard connections yourself?
Now you’re headed for touching your nose — uh-uh! No, no, no!
Wash your hands.
Don’t touch that kid’s pencil. Use your own to revise and make notes on his paper.
Wash your hands.
The doorknob? Germ factory!
Wash your hands.

After school I went to the quickie pharmacy-convenience store and stocked up on all the goodies that Husband had requested. Cold/flu meds in both non-drowsy and drowsy, cough drops, Nyquil (by brand name, not generic, must be cherry flavor) and more. I spent $50.
Oh, okay, I also bought enough Valentine pencils for my entire class, anti-snore strips for me, and two paperback books. Note to self: always have a good stock of reading material on hand in case of sick day for yourself or as caretaker.
I made a trip to the grocery store on Sunday to buy lemon tea and honey for Husband’s sore throat, so Husband already had good hot beverages available. Note to self: start keeping this in stock as part of the standard pantry supplies.
And…I bought two different kinds of hand sanitizer. One is a nice lavendar scented bottle that I can keep in my desk; the other is a small purse-sized spray to carry with me in my, well, in my purse. Note to self; good move. “Be prepared” is the Girl Scout motto.
On that note, it’s time to pack tomorrow’s lunch with my daily orange. The vitamin C can only help.

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>Random Thoughts on Super Bowl Monday

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>My excuse for Starbucks this morning went something like this: I’d sure like to get a New York Times to see their sports section, so I might as well buy one where I can get coffee.

Wouldn’t it have been fun to substitute signals in case the Pats were somehow still stealing? I suggest dropping in an occasional sign from American Sign Language saying something like, “Haha, you just wasted your time and your video. I just finger spelled my college fight song.”

How about Bill Belichek leaving the field before the Giants could take their final knee? Poor sportsmanship, cluelessness, or did he just decide “Oh, well, now I can wash that filthy sweatshirt I’ve been wearing superstitiously all season. Might as well get at it right away.”

Does anyone feel sympathy for the eldest Manning brother, Cooper, the one who no longer plays football? I kept wondering if he was in the skybox with Peyton, but the cameras were sticking with Big Brother Quarterback watching Little Brother Quarterback.

What’s it like to be Mom Manning in a household with that much testosterone? Or is she just kind of like Wisconsin women, who know football and cheer as loudly as the men?

Did anyone notice if Jessica Simpson showed up? Did she know Tony Romo wasn’t on the field? And in the same category, did anyone blame Giselle for distracting Tom Brady?

In our household, Bridgestone won the Most Creative Commercials award. Coke came a close second with its runaway (flyaway?) balloons. Gotta love it when Charlie Brown actually wins one!

La Petite had friends over to her humble apartment to watch the game. She and her roommate decorated in Green and Gold, complete with G-Force signs and Title Towels. Up until kick-off, they pretended their favorite NFC team was playing.

And last but not least, I predict the Packers and the Giants will meet again next year. They’re both too good to stay home post-season. No predictions on the outcome or the score, but you know which colors will adorn my fireplace mantle. My Christmas tree. My husband’s feet.

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>Random Thoughts on a Snowy Saturday

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>Amigo is again feeling under the weather. We went to the Saturday morning clinic and found out that his ears are not infected, but quite plugged up and filled with fluid. Prescription: Lots of fluids, OTC pain reliever, and a vaporizer. He’s curled up on the couch right now in the “humidified” den watching TV.
We ended up watching SpongeBob Squarepants by the process of elimination. The Weather Channel was interesting for a while (it’s been a fascinating winter if you’re interested in weather or climate trends), but after we’d watched three “locals on the eights” we lost interest. After all, how many times can we see a prediction for 50% chance of a half inch of snow when we’ve already been out on snow-slicked roads that have at least an inch or more accumulation? Now we’re watching the snow fall (it’s really pretty if you’re indoors) and surfing the channels.
CNN was our next stop. On a weekend that is often fluff and football, they had to cover a story of a police officer’s murder in New Orleans. How sad! New Orleans PD doesn’t need any more tragedy. My sympathies to the family and force.
He wanted to watch Dora or Diego. Look, kid, you’re 16! give me a break! No kiddy cartoons while I’m in the room, at least!So we eventually ended up on SpongeBob. At least this is a cartoon with humor I can appreciate.
I had a random dream last night. It was a convoluted series of events involving people in my life both current and past, eventually ending up with my laptop being stolen while the case was left behind. Husband’s response: “You really want a new laptop, don’t you? Your case is still perfectly good, but the computer inside it is obsolete.”
Well, he’s right, but it’s a want, not a need. I can rationalize all the good reasons for a new laptop except the price. We really don’t need a new laptop. It would be convenient, useful, and all kinds of handy, especially if we outfit it with Amigo’s adaptive software. But no, it’s not a need. Yet.
Maybe Husband is demonstrating his sensitivity in understanding my dream. His fortune cookie yesterday told him to get in touch with his “feminine side.” What could I say? “Honey, PMS stinks. Here, have some chocolate.”
And on the feminine side — I entered a handful of Bloggy Giveaways and actually won a prize! It’s a lovely handmade bag from C at MamaSaidSew! There were many, many prizes, but I only entered those that I felt were of value to me or my friends/family. In this case, it’s definitely something I wouldn’t make myself. I can’t sew worth a darn, no pun intended. Thanks, C! I feel lucky.
Maybe I should go buy a lottery ticket. A win would fund my new laptop…

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>Making the healthier easier

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>It’s a little like Supermom meeting her Kryptonite: time. If time is money and money is time, families rarely have enough of either.
Healthy Living vs. Easy Living is like that; it’s easier said than done.
Last night, even though I’d vowed to cook from scratch more often, even though I’d declared I would make more nutritious and low fat suppers, and even though there was a package of tilapia in the freezer, I gave in to my exhaustion and threw a package of breaded chicken patties in the oven instead. Oh, it was was easy, but it was a guilt trip in the making, so I ate a homemade cookie for dessert to make me feel better.
When Parent Bloggers Network announced their blog blast this week on the topic of healthier living, I thought about posts I’ve already written in the first month of this brand new year. SMART goals. Locavore food choices. “Me” time. Even safety on the ice! Well, sort of.
The most likely way to encourage me to cook and eat healthier is to make it easy. Despite having tilapia in the freezer and knowing it doesn’t take long to cook, I didn’t do it. I wimped out, as my kids would say, based on the time and energy necessary to make healthy side dishes. With that experience in mind, here’s my plan.
*Keep healthy sides around as well as healthy, easy-to-cook lean meats and fish.
*Plan ahead more often.
*Bake (Homemade bread! Good cookies! Yum!) on weekends to prepare sides and healthier snacks in advance.
*Cook vegetables for the adults, even though the teen often refuses to eat them. He might grow up and eat healthy some time. A mom can dream!
*Check out the site Parent Bloggers Network suggested, Kroger online, for recipes, guidelines, safe preparation habits, and more.

This blog blast was suggested by the Parent Bloggers Network and Kroger online.

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