Category Archives: family life

>Daisy and Chuck’s ER Adventures

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>It started on a Saturday, of course. Adventures like this never happen on weekdays.

Chuck hurt himself getting the garage ready for winter. You may have heard the news; he dropped the rototiller on his right big toe. Tough guy that he is, he hobbled into the house to elevate it and ice it and decided he was fine and dandy. After supper, I gently set an ice pack on it and he jumped out of his skin (well, off the couch) at the pain, leading me to say, “Okay, dear, I’ll bring you the phone. You’re calling the doctor.” The nurse on call told him to hippity hop into the nearest ER in case of bleeding under the nail.
The nearest hospital is quite close: five minutes by car. The hard part was finding the entrance. The hospital had undergone some major construction projects, and the ER entrance had moved since we were last there in early July. We followed the signs and found the entrance, I dropped off my limping man, and we were in business.
We can dispense with the gory details. He was treated and released — after helping the triage nurse fix her computer’s loose mouse cord and becoming fascinated by the name of the “tool” used to fix his toe. Mr. Techie and Mr. Word Person all rolled into one, that’s my ever-loving husband.
The next night – yes, Sunday after a Packers loss (sob), I started feeling ill. Suddenly ill, in fact, in such a way that I couldn’t deny it; it was obviously my turn to head back to the ER. Chest pains, dizziness, sweating, and more… we climbed back in the minivan for the now familiar ride. This time we knew the quickest way to the entrance, so Chuck dropped me off and parked.
We reintroduced ourselves to the ER weekend team, Chuck saying “It’s her turn tonight!” The nurse remembered Chuck for his help with her computer cart, and the doctor asked him “How’s the toe?” as he checked my first round of tests. This may have been a rarity for the ER doctor – getting to follow-up with a patient.
After being hooked up to all kinds of machines, timing the number of minutes between blood pressure checks, getting medicines by mouth and through an IV, having early evening blood work compared with the late evening blood work, the pain finally eased and I was allowed to go home – with conditions. Follow-up appointments, further testing, I had to agree to all of that before going home to sleep in my own bed. Well, home to call a substitute and then go to school to leave lesson plans.
The whole experience was surreal. Getting hooked up to so many machines, so many wires. The sheer number of tests done (thank goodness for good insurance coverage). The pacing. It was a lengthy stay (four hours!), but there was almost always something going on. Turning the debate from cardiac to gastro-intestinal and back to cardiac again – my head was spinning figuratively with the for and against discussions, almost as much as it spun literally in the beginning.
I never planned to be a familiar face at the local Emergency Room. I’d say “Now what? What’s next?” but I’m a little afraid of the answer. Let’s just keep Chuck away from the rototiller until spring; that’ll help.

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>Holiday Mess!

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I must give credit to Judy Jeute at Royal Ranch for sharing this quote first. It fit our day beautifully.
“One of the most glorious messes in the world in the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. Don’t clean it up too quickly.” –Andy Rooney

Not messy enough? Here, see the big picture.
Amigo convinced me to leave all the wrapping paper and ribbons out for a while so the bunnies could have fun playing with them. I agreed, on one condition: he had to let me borrow his garbage truck.

Oh, okay. Seriously? We left the mess to the bunnies until Chuck’s parents called saying they were coming earlier than planned. Hectic clean-up time!
Merry Christmas to all who celebrate. I hope your family had many glorious messes.

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>Pizza! Pizza Crust at home!

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>I was craving homemade pizza. Tombstone wouldn’t do. Wasting money on a delivery wasn’t right, either. But (there’s always a “but”) – we didn’t have any crust.

Homemade pizza crust is something I haven’t mastered yet. I’ve used mixes with limited success, and I’ve never made my own. I took a deep breath, reached for Organizing Dinner; 70 Meals, 1 trip to the store. I tried her pizza crust recipe; lo and behold, it worked!
Pizza Crust
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 packet (1 1/2 tsp) dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup very warm water (120-130 degrees)
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

Generously grease a baking sheet, and place on middle rack of oven. In a medium bowl, stir together 1/2 cup of the flour, yeast, and salt until well blended. Add water and oil. Mix until almost smooth. Gradually stir in remaining flour to make a firm dough. Cover; let sit for 15 minutes. Generously prick dough with fork. Roll out and prebake at 400 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or just until edges of crust begin to turn a light golden brown. Remove from oven.

At this point you get to add the toppings. I use a basic marinara or spaghetti sauce, spread thin, with onions and peppers sliced thin and fresh oregano sprinkled generously on top. After that we choose a meat or other special toppings. Basil and spinach make a nice veggie pizza with a little feta cheese. One of my favorite pizzas was the one I topped with fresh pepperoni from the neighborhood meat market. Oh, that was good! The butcher sliced it thin for me, too. Lastly, of course, the cheese. I cover the entire pizza with grated mozzarella (I keep a ball of mozzarella in the freezer; it thaws quickly and grates well while partially frozen) and then supplement it with whatever cheeses we have in the refrigerator. Why, yes, we do always have cheese available. Doesn’t everybody?
The Organizing Dinner blog posted the same recipe recently. I can vouch for its simplicity; try it! The fun part is choosing toppings. Yes, I live in Wisconsin; our pizzas always have plenty of locally made cheese. In my house, it also has home-grown oregano, brought in from the deck to live on a bookshelf for the winter. In the summertime – well, I think I’ll wait until summer to post this again. I’ll share my ideas of fun with farm market produce on a pizza crust.
No, this is not a sponsored post. Nope. Just a hungry day and a solution to my dinner dilemma. Enjoy!

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>Chuck’s Black Bean Soup

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>He heard it first on Wisconsin Public Radio courtesy of Zorba Paster on Your Health. Then he went online and found another variation that wasn’t quite as spicy. Finally, he made the recipe his own. Yes, like me, Chuck likes to play in the kitchen and modify recipes to fit our own family tastes. He served this as part of Thanksgiving dinner, but it’s a great soup for any cold or dreary winter day.

Chuck’s Black Bean Soup
Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 cup white pearl onions, peeled
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced carrots
3/4 cup green bell peppers
2 Tablespoons minced garlic
3 (15 oz.) cans black beans (He used Bush’s regular, plain style)
1 (15 oz.) can garbanzo beans
4 cups chicken stock
2 Tablespoons taragon vinegar (can substitute another vinegar if desired)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon hickory liquid smoke
Garnish: chopped green onions, sour cream
Directions:
1. Hear 2 Tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan over medium/low heat.
2. Add onion, celery, carrot, bell pepper, and garlic to the oil and simmer slowly for 15 minutes. Keep heat low wnough that the veggies don’t brown; be careful not to burn the garlic or it will be bitter.
3. While you cook the veggies, pour the garbanzo beans into a strainer and rinse them under cold water. Set aside.
4. Pour 3 cans of black beans into strainer and rinse under cold water.
5. Measure 3 cups of the drained and strained black beans into a food processor or blender with 1 cup of chicken stock. Puree on high speed until smooth.
6. When the veggies are ready, pour the pureed black beans, the whole beans (black & garbanzo), the rest of the chicken stock, and every other ingredient in the list (down to the liquid smoke) to the pot.
7. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 50-60 minutes or until soup has thickened and all the ingredients are tender.
8. Pour mixture into crockpot and warm for 4 hours.
Chuck notes: Steps 1-7 can be done the day before and refrigerated overnight. He and Amigo did that Wednesday evening and warmed the soup in the crock pot while the turkey was cooking.
My opinion: delicious. This one’s a keeper. So is Chuck, for that matter.
And in other news, the winner of the Lulu photo book was Kim Moldofsky! Kim, I’ll send you more information soon. Congratulations!

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>May all your holiday photos be lovely – Adobe Photoshop Elements can help

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I’m fortunate to live with an aspiring professional photographer. She does more than take pictures; she makes pictures. She uses her artist’s eye, knowledge, and experience to set up the photo and edits it, crops it, makes it work. I learn from watching her, even though I know I’ll never be at her level.

I do take pictures for my blog(s) and for the school slide show. If I ever give in and open a Facebook page, I’m sure I’ll post pictures there, too. But anyway, back to the topic at hand: here’s my list of five tips for making a good digital photograph.
1. Set up the photo before taking it. Look at the background and the lighting. A clean photo setting in the first place is easier than editing out clutter later.
2. Know your camera and its settings. I’m still learning mine. When I think it through and set it up thoughtfully, the pictures turn out much better.
3. Know your editing software. I’m looking into Adobe Photoshop Elements 9 for myself. I do not need the professional level Photoshop software, but I do want my end result to look good. La Petite uses a professional version of Photoshop, and she does wonderful work.
4. Keep the camera charged. I know, that’s a “Doh!” piece of advice. I turned up at the Homecoming parade ready to take pictures only to find I had enough charge for one. One picture of my students in their school colors. I haven’t made that mistake again.
5. Organize. My photos are in file folders by date and by topic. I delete those I no longer need, such as photos intended for the blog but never used. I also save them in compre
ssed size for blog use; if a photo might be needed in its full resolution, I save it twice: once compressed, once not.
One summer evening, Amigo and I were sitting outside reading in the backyard swing. La Petite hovered with her camera, making pictures of Amigo’s graceful hands reading Braille. She eventually left us alone with our Harry Potter and went inside to download and edit her work. The final result was a contest winner titled “Touching Words.” The photo is lovely, but my favorite part is the back story. Amigo had a spot of marinara sauce on his hand from the lasagna we’d had for supper. She had to edit out the sauce with Photoshop before printing and displaying the picture.
Was it worth it? I think so, but I’ll let you be the judge. Here it is: La Petite’s photo of her brother, titled “Touching Words.”
For more information on Adobe Photoshop Elements 9, click on the Photoshop Home Page, follow AdobeElements on Twitter, or follow Photoshop Elements on Facebook.
I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Adobe blogging program, making me eligible to receive a $50 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

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>Thanksgiving Preparations at Chez O.K.: Reprise

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>Thanksgiving Dinner? No problem! I’ll call in the fairies. They’ll do everything.

The laundry fairy washes, dries, and presses the table linens, including the cloth napkins. If she’s feeling generous, the sheets and towels might get folded, too.
The turkey fairy will practice her specialty and make sure the bird is cooked and carved just in time for dinner. White meat and dark, it’ll all be moist and savory and leave just enough leftovers for sandwiches and a turkey noodle soup.
The baker fairy will take care of pies, pumpkin and otherwise. He’s an expert on flaky crust, selected spices, and the perfect portion of whipped cream. Don’t let that Simple Simon guy get in the way; the kitchen’s too small for anyone who begs to taste the wares.
The brownie — the cunning little house elf — will clean the home thoroughly, put the leaf in the big table, and get the extra chairs out of the basement.
I wouldn’t dream of neglecting the wine fairy: the sommelier so tiny she only recommends, never lifts, a bottle. Her taste is impeccable. Now if we could stop her before she over-imbibes and falls asleep on top of the piano…
Did I mention the decorator fairy? She’ll fix the fireplace mantel with something tasteful and seasonal before she makes sure the couch and rocker are properly arranged for the annual holiday gladiator contests known as NFL football.
The ambiance fairy keeps the wood fire crackling in the fireplace, the aromas wafting deliciously through the home, and the family discussions neutral.
The kitchen fairies: really, there must be a whole crew of these talented sprites. One to do the shopping early and avoid the crowds, another to make sure the cranberries are perfect (and local, of course), and a magical maestro with the potato masher. Then we’ll need a feisty fairy, one with attitude — yes, you, Tinkerbell, you can make the coffees.

Mom, you can send the fairies over to my house now that we’re hosting the annual family Thanksgiving dinner. Let them know that I’ll have their room ready and their favorite cookies baked. If they arrive on Sunday there should be enough time to get everything done.

Wait. What do you mean…they’re…not….real?

Originally posted in November of 2008. I’m still hoping these little helpers will make a stop at my house – they haven’t yet. Sniff. Sigh.

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>Money Management and Teens

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My “kids” are growing up and handling their own money, when they have it. The recession and its credit bust, especially the sub-prime mortgage crisis, made me think again about the importance of growing up money-smart.

La Petite had to manage her budget as soon as she moved into a college apartment. We paid the rent, she split the utilities with her roommate, and she and her roommate handled the daily expenses such as food, toilet paper, and cleaning supplies. Oh, yes, I almost forgot – and bunny food and litter box refills.

La Petite had a summer job when she was in high school, babysitting a young girl during the parents’ workday. She worked at a big box store’s garden center when she was home from college. These jobs provided a chance to develop a work ethic and a chance to handle a bank account. Her checking account is held jointly with me – mainly so I could handle deposits and withdrawals while she was gone to college in a different city.

Amigo’s situation is a little different. Teens on the autism spectrum sometimes have a hard time understanding the value of money. He has a bank account (again, jointly held with me, the mom-type person), and uses his own money for a few things. He doesn’t have rent or food expenses because he lives in a dorm weekdays, so we parents have to give serious thought to finding ways to help him learn to handle money.

Money management practice needs to be authentic. Playing games, holding discussions, and teaching him scripted money lessons are not very useful. He needs to plan the shopping trip, load his wallet, and go. Last weekend he took his girlfriend to McDonald’s. Simple, yes, but a perfect way to find out how much a fast food meal costs and decide if it’s a worthwhile use of his dollars.

Debit cards and especially credit cards can strike fear into the hearts of parents of teens. American Express PASS program can help. A PASS card is a reloadable prepaid card that parents can obtain for their teens. It looks like a credit or debit card, so teens won’t stick out socially by having a “different” card in their wallet. Since it’s prepaid, there is no danger of overspending. The Amex PASS card is accepted anywhere that takes American Express. Parents have control over loading funds, monitoring spending, and even disabling/ enabling the use of ATMs if necessary. Gradually weaning teens from the parental control, letting them make small but correctable mistakes, can be part of the learning process.

My teen is 18 going on 19, older than the target age, but this kind of card would be a useful tool for him. He could learn to keep track of his money online, a more accessible option than a print statement (he’s blind). He couldn’t overspend, so we’d need to talk over budgets and priorities before hitting the stores. Timing is good right now, too; Amigo loves Christmas and everything involved, including gift shopping.

American Express PASS card has made me think. And when it comes to teaching money management, thinking is an important first step.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of American Express and received a gift code to thank me for taking the time to participate. I did not receive an American Express PASS card as part of the review process; they provided the information and the link to their web site. Check out the site; it’s easy to navigate and full of useful information.

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>Pants, Pants, Pants.

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>Shopping for Amigo’s clothing is not fun.

Maybe that’s not a strong enough statement. It is A PAIN IN THE PATOOTIE to shop for Amigo’s clothes, whether he is on the shopping trip or not.
I bought pants for him last summer and brought them home; did him a favor by bringing them home so he didn’t have to go to the store. He swore the entire time he tried them on.
We went to the shoe store. I let the store staff handle him, knowing he’d be more polite to them than he would be for me. While they helped, I found a pair for myself. Amigo made it to the car, then threw a tantrum that I had blown the routine by daring to buy a pair of shoes not on the list.
I quit. I said “No more!” Chuck is now in charge of try-ons and shoe trips. I will order or pick up clothes as needed, but I will not deal with the verbal abuse any more. Asperger’s or no Asperger’s, this is not acceptable. If Amigo can’t handle it with Chuck, we’ll start taking him to the store and shoving him into the dressing room on his own. It’s called a Natural Consequence.
I ordered pants for the young man and got phenomenal bargains (thanks to Kohl’s and Mir @ WantNot). Chuck handed them to Amigo this morning during the Saturday morning Public Radio listening routine, and lo and behold – all four pair fit.
Deep sigh of relief. I cut the tags off and dropped them in the wash. One set of tags was actually fun.
“So you’re interested in (insert brand here)? Nice move. You’re obviously smart, confident, and know what you want in life.” Since I made the purchase, not Amigo, I’ll take the compliment and conveniently set aside the fact that I bought them largely because of the sale price.
“Relaxed fit: the technical explanation — We made this to look relaxed, not fitted.” Yes, that’s Amigo’s preferred fit. Relaxed.

Care advice: “Love your neighbor. Eat more greens. Cheer up; it might never happen. Wash this when dirty.” And on the inside of this tag: “(Insert brand name here) has been in the Helps-You-Look-Good business since 1948. We know what we’re doing. People in magazines wear this stuff. Fashion people, sporty people. People who don’t have to wear a suit everyday. So, we know it works.” I can’t see Amigo – or Chuck, for that matter – ever working a suit & tie job. This philosophy works for both of them.

And the final tag in the series discusses the various uses for these pants. “Suitable for: Training, Napping, Eating, Driving, Sports, Whatever.” Works for me.

Why am I wasting these on my ungrateful offspring? I think I’ll buy a pair for myself.

This is not a paid post. If you’re savvy enough to do a phrase search for some of they key parts of these tags, you might find out which brand I bought for the ungrateful teenager. Go ahead; click on the Swagbucks button in the right sidebar, register, and then search. You’ll make my day.

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>Making Choices about Health

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I’m lucky. I have good health insurance coverage through my job. I’m also lucky that my insurer is focused not just on illness, but on wellness. The organization’s leaders remind us that while we cannot control medical costs, but we can control our own healthy choices.
I’ve had some major health issues lately, most recently gout. In addition to treating the gout (thanks, Doctor! The medicines are working well!), I make sure I rest and put my feet up each night, and I’m looking into diet changes that can help prevent further problems. Staying hydrated, minimizing certain foods and alcohol, gradually building strength in the weakened joint, are all choices under my control. With two disabled family members (my hearing loss and Amigo’s blindness & autism), I have to choose our open enrollment options carefully. When I’m due for new hearing aids, I set aside money in a pre-tax medical sub account so that this major purchase doesn’t hurt the family finances.
Aetna asked bloggers to take time to review this article and share five tips based on what we read. Here’s my tip list:
Daisy’s Tip #1: Determine your priorities. Prescriptions? Glasses/ contacts? Hearing aids? Face these priorities honestly, and then figure out the best plan for coverage.
Daisy’s Tip #2: Ask questions. My favorite way to do this is to bring a list to medical appointments. Should I get a flu shot? If so, can I get it today? If the doctor says “surgery,” ask for details. If the doctor says, “medication,” ask how that medicine will react with others that you take regularly.
Daisy’s Tip #3: Keep track of spending. Some of the costs not covered by insurance can be tax deductible. Keep receipts; the dollar amounts are important, as are the receipts that prove it. Tracking dollar amounts can also determine the amount you’ll deposit in a medical sub-account. Remember my hearing aid example? Exactly like that.
Daisy’s Tip #4: Plan ahead. This is my personal goal. I plan a physical every August, but I need to schedule dental cleanings, mammogram, and hearing aid maintenance — all around my teaching schedule. Getting these on the calendar keeps me on top of my own basic health care.
Daisy’s Tip #5: Take care. Really. Remember my opening – wellness opportunities? This is one area that’s under my control. I can read the monthly wellness newsletter and take its advice. I can cook from scratch, controlling the ingredients and preservatives in my family’s diet. I can exercise – when my ankle finally heals. I can get off the computer (as soon as I’m done with this post!) and spend time outside putting the garden to bed for the winter. Informal exercise with a shovel and a pile of dirt: it feels good.
These common sense tips and more are in this article from Aetna, but the tips are not limited to one insurance carrier. Taking control of health care is a personal challenge, and not an easy one. Making changes in coverage, sub-accounts, and wellness are long term investments in your health, your life, and your family’s future.
I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Aetna blogging program, making me eligible to get a $30 Target gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

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