When was YOUR last Tetanus Shot?

My doctor asked me that very same question and I quickly answered the spring of 1999. Wrong! After talking with Lisa I was reminded that we both had our last tetanus shot on the first of our Disney vacations with her high school marching band. So that means it was in the spring of 1995 thus making us both overdue for our shots. Ryan may be overdue for his too! At this point Pamela, Ted, and Jenn are probably the only ones who are up-to-date on their immunizations.

If you've not had your shots lately, please, stop by your doctor's office or local health department and get them soon. I'm getting mine before the end of the month, as there's no need to wait until we go to Disney next year with the marching band and color guard!

"See you real soon!" ;)

Mom, I don't feel good :(

It's funny, that no matter where your children are when they are sick, they seem to think you have some magical power to make them well again. Ryan called yesterday morning to tell me that his throat and tongue were swollen and that it was hard to eat and talk. Any other time this would be an easy fix. Call the doctor for an appointment, pick up a prescription, and put him to bed. Why not yesterday?

Unfortunately he is in Indiana for the week until Sunday. I called the teacher who tried to take him to a local urgent care facility, or an emergency room, but the best they could do was have him sit for six hours until they could work him in. So, we called his pediatric doctor who suggested he gargle with warm salt water, take some ibuprofen for pain, and get some rest.

I called earlier this evening to see how he was feeling and surprisingly enough he was much better. The teacher said he is talking up a storm and eating healthy again. I don't think they will return before the doctor's office closes on Sunday. Yes, I said Sunday. Can you imagine your pediatrician being open on the weekend much less Sunday? If he still needs to go, we'll go Monday.

Please, Merci!

In today's economy more and more of our clients are coming into our office to get copies of their federal returns in an effort to qualify for medical care at the Merci Clinic. They aren't the only ones effected by the economy, even some of us at our office are earning less than what it takes to support a family and to have medical coverage. That someone is me. All of the other women in our office either have husbands with medical benefits or they have ex's carrying them on their insurance for the time being. So, today I spent the better part of my day at the clinic. I have to say that the staff was wonderful, the doctor took his time answering my concerns, and they made you feel important. It's a shame that for the most part, medical services that are paid for lack the qualities of subsidized care. All I can say, is that I hope to be able to give back the way this staff and doctors have to our community.

How do you choose your multi-vitamin?

Since we are all trying to get rid of the dreaded tax season additional padding, we've been concerned about making sure we maintain our proper levels of daily supplements. Our local radio station claims to have a product that will be the ultra solution to all of your vitamin needs as well as strengthening your physical structure with a pill and little to no exercise. All right. Then there are others with equally enthusiastic promises of health and rejuvenation, what's a dieter to do? How do you choose your multi-vitamin or supplement? Do you order sight unseen, without reviewing its information, or do you take a friend's word for it, and blindly try the product?

Yesterday we were introduced to a new product, well, new to us. We decided to check out the Orovo reviews just in case it was something we could do as a team. Dieting is never easy when you do it alone, and getting healthier is paramount for us all. So, after we've all read the reviews, discussed the pros and cons, perhaps we'll give this supplement a try on our road to a slimmer, healthier us. My plan is to shed my unwanted pounds by disciplining myself to eat healthier, to eat my last meal at an earlier time, and to increase my daily physical activities. All I'll need to do then is find a supplement that works best for me, but not until I've completed a careful review.

Is There Affordable Health Insurance?

After being employed by companies that offer health benefits and by ones that don't, I have to say I miss my BCBS Blue Options. My income is minimal considering I am trying to raise two teens; sometimes it feels like you need to own a bank full of unlimited funds to accomplish such a feat. Regardless, one of the things I have not been able to afford for myself with my new job is some sort of NC health insurance. I knew when I took the job I have that I was not going to have any benefits. That said, one might ask, "What the heck were you thinking!?" I needed a job at the time and figured having one was better than not having one, and it's ofter easier to get a job when yo have a job. Anyway, I need to do something about my options for paying for my health care needs, and not having health insurance sucks!

My Apologies

The last ten days have found us doing lots of things to keep us busy; work, color guard, movies, friends sleeping over, and a trip to the grandparents house to celebrate a birthday and anniversary. On top of all that I was having a hard time with the carpal tunnel in my wrists; it was aggravating to say the least. When it came time to sit down again and dive into typing after a seven hour day at the computer; I found it just a bit difficult to move my fingers. I'll have more to write about later on, but for now I just wanted to say thank you for stopping in to read my ramblings. It really is appreciated!

A C N E Treatment

When I was a child, no one ever had to tell me to go outside; I went. My four brothers and I played from the time we finished breakfast until the time we had to come in, bathe, and get ready for bed. We would come inside only to eat a meal, go to the restroom, or in case of threatening weather. We spent countless hours running, jumping, riding bikes, sliding, swinging, and swimming. We even spent hours exploring the natural habitat that surrounded us, and conducted our own science projects watching the growth of polliwogs.

We were fortunate to have been raised in neighborhoods where children were primarily safe from danger, and going outside as a group was both safe and common place. Today children are far less fortunate in most areas of the country. What most of those children could use is a good dose of acne treatments, A C N E treatment as in All Children Need Exercise, and I mean more than the constant repetition of their fingers on a game controller. We are raising a generation of children who don't know how to keep themselves physically fit.

Mine are more active in school these days, and those activities include physical as well as mental demands, from FFA SAE projects (developing, planting, and tending a garden) to participation on a lacrosse team (player and manager).

If your child were restricted from outdoor play within the neighborhood with a group of friends, what would you do to insure that their need for physical activity was satisfied? How do we change directions?

Ouch, that hurts!

It's hard to imagine having to work your health and dental needs around a tax refund, or around a single parents budget, but one does what one needs to do. Recently, my son had to have a root canal and crown on one of his molars. He was too sweet to offer to have it pulled, in opposition to paying nearly two thousand dollars to keep his tooth. He had offered as he knew, that I too needed to have a tooth worked on, and though I appreciate his valor, he is too young to start losing his teeth.

So we set a plan in place, got his tooth fixed and mine will be fixed on Tuesday, provided I can stand to wait that long. For the time being, the doctor put me on an antibiotic and pain killer, so my blogging has been a bit sparse with the medications trying to take effect. I should be back in the swing of things as soon as the pain subsides. For now I'll try and relax, or at least concentrate on how to get some sleep in between the ouches!

At least for now, the only thing that is ouching is my tooth; the budget is yet to be bitten. ;)

The Hardest Part: Waiting for Results

Mom & Dad will head to Chapel Hill this week to see the head of oncology about the discovery of a mass on her ovary. I'm not sure if they will know that day, or if she will have to wait for any test results to come in. Either way, having to wait to know what this mass is and what will come next is the hardest part of the process. It doesn't make it any easier that she was diagnosed with cancer 7 years ago and underwent radical surgery and radiation treatment. Since that time she has remained cancer free and all of us are believing for the best outcome. She has been the most remarkable woman through all of this and we are all thankful to still have her with us! Thank you for your positive vibes, thoughts and prayers for her continued good health; updates to follow after the appointment on Thursday.

Read how the discovery was made on: Request for Positive Thoughts & Prayers

After the first visit to Chapel Hill: Update: Request for Positive Thoughts & Prayers