Christmas starts early in our family. I know its barely December, but we’ve had our tree and decorations out for a couple of weeks now, and its Christmas songs that play in the family stereo - from the trad carols, to Jackson 5, or perhaps the Rat Pack.

The stockings and Advent calendar were hung, the “Countdown blackboard” which says “__ Days Till Christmas” has been dutily filled in (to complaints of “but thats sooooo long!”), and just yesterday, the first presents were laid beneath the waiting tree. They were presents from my daughter’s Godmother, who is moving house next week and was in a panic to get them out of her place before the move, which worked well for us as N was already complaining as to when the presents were coming (yes, 4 year-olds complain a lot- at least mine does!!). Within 10 seconds, O ripped off the ribbon and tag from his present, was scolded by his big sister, so proceeded to pull his favourite star-shaped ornaments off the tree. Sigh.

As for the man in the big red suit, we emailed him ages ago to tell him what N wanted for Christmas - a shiny new scooter. She has her heart set on it, but the terrible thing is that I havent found the “perfect one” anywhere. Help! So begins the Christmas rush.

[tags]Christmas, kids Christmas, Santa[/tags]

Yes, we enjoyed Dynasty, V (remember the mice-eating aliens?), Taste the Blood of Dracula, and of course ALL the Disney classics, but we were also passionate about books, going through practically all the books in our Grandfather’s home library by the time we hit our teens. The public library and bookstores were also our favourite haunts, where we could spend entire afternoons happily choosing one or two.

And now that I think about it, we were extremely imaginative and creative kids who have grown into adults who now dont even watch much television at all. In fact, these days its either my kids or my husband who monopolize our televisions, and I don’t mind one bit.

Ok, I’ll watch Martha if it happens to be on after I drop my daughter at Kindergarten and am done with the gym or morning errands, and if the latest episode of Desperate Housewives is on, its definitely Mummy’s turn tonight - but, having said that, I actually can’t sit for long periods watching the tube. My bottom aches and I’d rather be making homemade ice cream or scrapbooking in my typical Supermom drive.

My husband, on the other hand, grew up in less of a “granola” environment (the exact opposite actually) in an all-boys boarding school in England. Television was only allowed on weekends for a very limited time, and at home on holidays it was equally regulated. Not that today he’s become a coach potato, but lets just say that if he can, he’ll watch the entire DVD collection of Las Vegas or Stargate in a few days. And don’t tell anyone, but he doesn’t like reading much either.

[tags]Dynasty, television, reading, childhood[/tags]

Now that I’ve let the shameful cat out of the bag that my kids love the tube (not the London Underground, although they’ll probably go for that too), I can now blog more freely about this overly-demonised activity (or inactivity rather).

When I was young, my Mother never stopped my sister and I from watching television. There were no house rules as to which programs we could see (obviously porn and the disturbingly violent were not in the picture, but we didnt want to see them anyway), and there were no “tv” time limits or specifics to regulate it at all.

In fact, when I was around two and Sesame Street first came out, my Mom proudly told me that I’d watch it every day, at eleven o’clock sharp, while I ate my brown rice and fried chicken with a Japanese sesame topping she made from scratch (we were into the micobiotic diet thing and she practiced trancendental meditation if you get my drift).

Years later, my sister and I would get home after grade school and head straight for the television, where we’d watch cartoons from Superfriends to Smurfs while having our after-school snack. Not that we were couch potatoes by a mile. In fact, while the television was a device open to us to our hearts content, we nearly always preferred to play with each other - whether it was our elaborate imaginary games under the big dining room table, in the sunken living room (it was the late seventies!!), or in our room, where we would lay out all our play houses and entertain ourselves for hours with a game we called “village”.

[tags]Seventies television, childhood, television, Sesame Street[/tags]

You may think it is an unlikely event, but as with fires, its is always better to be prepared. An earthquake is not something you can prevent, but if you know what to expect and what do do in the unlikely event that it happens, it can make you feel a little less vulnerable.

1. Know the safe and dangerous places in your home.

Safe: Under heavy tables or desks; inside hallways; corners of rooms or archways.

Dangerous: Near windows or mirrors; under any objects that can fall; the kitchen… where the stove, refrigerator or contents of cupboards may move violently; doorways, because the shaking may slam the door on you. Practice taking cover.

2. Train members of your family to use fire extinguishers.

3. Chech if your home has Earthquake insurance coverage. Get some if if you live in a high-risk area.

4. Plan and practice evacuation.

5. Talk to your children about what to do if they’re at home, at school, if the quake separates your family. Become familiar with the school’s earthquake plan.

6. Plan!
Arrange an out-of-the-area contact. Each family member should carry the contact phone number and address. Have an alternative family rendezvous if you can’t get home.

7. Remind your family to rely on emergency authorities for guidance. Broadcast reports on radio and television will have instructions.

8. Also remind your family members that emergency phone numbers are in the inside cover of the telephone book. But use them only in an extreme emergency. Your telephone may not work after an earthquake, or it may take a while to get a dial tone.

9. Make sure each family member knows how to shut off the utilities gas, electricity and water. (Don’t shut off the gas unless there is a leak or a fire. If the gas is turned off, don’t turn it on again… that must be done by a qualified technician).

10. Your plan should include a list of where emergency supplies and equipment are stored.

[tags]Earthquake,Earthquake Tips,Keeping safe,disaster preparation[/tags]

What is it about colds? One person has it, and then it spreads like wildfire. About the same time my kids got their cold, so did my sister. She believes the culprit was in the playplace she took them to last week, somewhere hidden behind the colourful slides and padded floors. Funny though, as the place makes you put on antibacterial gel before and after playing. Hmmmm…. But now that I think of it, Dr.J (our pedia) told me some time ago that those gels DO NOT work. Well, maybe just a bit, but she advised that ordinary rubbing alcohol did the job (in killing germs) about 100 x better!

Unfortunately, the cold virus hit hmy sister much worse than my kids - and she still has the sniffles today. My kids are now germ-free, thanks to Mom’s Home Remedies (I told you they really work).

Which is why I want to keep them that way (healthy, that is) as we are all going to Thailand soon for a family holiday. So here is something that went into my inbox today care of Baby Center, which couldn’t have come at a more useful time. It agrees with my advocacy of Vitamin C, but also gives some other tips on staying-germ free:

Question: How can I keep from catching my child’s cold?

Answer: “Colds” are upper respiratory infections caused by many different viruses. These viruses can be spread in the air by sneezing or coughing and by contact with infected surfaces. Therefore, good hand washing — with soap and warm water — is always encouraged both for children and adult caretakers.

Wash your hands before preparing or eating food, after changing any diapers, and after using the toilet. And help your toddler wash his hands after using the toilet and before eating. Antibiotic wipes can be used for surfaces children commonly touch. (Some grocery stores now offer antibiotic wipes to clean handles of grocery carts before using the cart.) It also helps to not share cups and utensils with your toddler, especially during “cold” seasons. (You might use disposable cups in your bathrooms.)

Some people promote the use of 500-1000 mg of Vitamin C, as well as echinacea and zinc (check the recommended dosages on the bottles) at the onset of upper respiratory symptoms, to help shorten the length and severity of symptoms; it’s worth a try if you do seem to be catching your toddler’s cold.

[tags]Kids,Germs, Cold Virus, Kids Health[/tags]

This Halloween, lets not forget the furry members of our family. Aside from dressing them up (pet-willing, although I think the photo you see above is a little over-the-top - would brave old Lassie really want to be dressed as fast food?), we as responsible pet parents, should also take into account their safety and well-being.

In my household, we have quite a menagerie going - four tabby cats and a persian kitten; a basset hound, a copper retriever and a doberman; two turtles; 2 doves; and two pigeons (homing I think), so I’ve found some useful tips from the ASPCA to keep in mind:

1. No tricks, no treats: That bowlful of candy is for trick-or-treaters, not for Scruffy and Fluffy. Chocolate in all forms can be very dangerous for dogs and cats, and tin foil and cellophane candy wrappers can be hazardous if swallowed. If you suspect your pet has ingested a potentially dangerous substance, please call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 (USA).

2. Popular Halloween plants such as pumpkins and decorative corn are considered to be relatively nontoxic, yet they can produce gastrointestinal upset should pets ingest them. Intestinal blockage could even occur if large pieces are ingested.

3. Keep wires and cords from electric lights and other decorations out of reach of your pets. If chewed, your pet could experience damage to his mouth from shards of glass or plastic, or receive a possibly life-threatening electrical shock.

4. A carved pumpkin certainly is festive, but do exercise extreme caution if you choose to add a candle. Pets can easily knock a lit pumpkin over and cause a fire. Curious kittens especially run the risk of getting burned or singed by candle flames.

5. Dress-up can be a big mess-up for some pets. Please don’t put your dog or cat in a costume UNLESS you know he or she loves it (yup, a few pets are real hams!). For pets who prefer their “birthday suits,” however, wearing a costume can cause undue stress.

6. If you do dress up your pet, make sure the costume isn’t annoying or unsafe. It should not constrict the animal’s movement or hearing, or impede his ability to breathe or bark. Keep a look out for small, dangling, or easily chewed-off pieces on the costume that your pet could choke on.

7. Take a closer look at your pet’s costume and make sure it does not obstruct her vision in any way. Even the sweetest animals can get snappy when they can’t see.

8. All but the most social dogs and cats should be kept in a separate room during peak trick-or-treat visiting hours. Too many strangers can be scary and stressful for pets.

9. When opening the door for trick-or-treaters, take care that your cat or dog doesn’t dart outside.

10. IDs, please! Always make sure your dog or cat has proper identification. If for any reason your pet escapes and become lost, a collar and tags and/or a microchip increase the chances that he or she will be returned to you.

[tags]Halloween,Pets,Pet safety,Halloween tips,costumes,safety tips[/tags]

A couple of days ago my kids woke up sneezing, coughing and with very runny noses. As you probably know by now, Halloween is a BIG deal at our house, so it couldn’t have happened at a worse time. And with another big Halloween party happening tomorrow, and trick or treating on Tuesday, the mission was clear - I had to get them better FAST.

So apart from our Pediatrician, Dr.J’s usual measures of regular over-the-counter meds, I have a tried-and-tested arsenal of “alternative” methods which I use on my kids and husband, as well as myself. So at the risk of sounding like a granola-organic Mom (which I am fast becoming), here it is:

Vitamin C - I have found a high-dose pediatric syrup, so when the cold symptoms set in, I give around 500 mg to my 20 month old, and about 1,000 mg to my 4-year-old. The regular ones with lame amounts like 100 mg and are really just sugar, are a waste of time in my book. Don’t be afraid of large amounts of C - it REALLY does work.

Zinc - I give them a multivitamin daily with this anyway, but increase the dosage when they have a cold.

Echinacea - The drops I have have both echinacea and goldenseal, which I give 3x a day.

Honey Turmeric - This is my Mom’s remedy for a cough. My kids have gotten used to the taste and now ask for it when they feel a cough on them. Its basically 1/2 tsp each of ground cinnamon and ground turmeric, mixed in a tablespoon of virgin honey (use the runny kind for easy swallowing). For adults, a raw garlic clove, chopped and heated for 10 seconds in a pan, should be added in. This is a really potent antibiotic and should be taken 2-3x a day. If I do the garlic bit I give some to my husband too and vice versa. You get the idea.

Bioplasma - These homeopathic tissue salts are just amazing. My Aunt’s homeopath highly recommended this, saying we could even take it everyday (ill or not) for optimum good health. And when its for a cold or other malaise, you can take it every 15 minutes for acute conditions and it will NEVER cause an overdose. He even said it would be good for our 10 year old Basset Hound….so, now my kids are taking it every hour.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, Bioplasma “….is a combination of all 12 of Schuessler’s Cell Salts“…whatever that is. I’m a big fan of Homeopathic remedies, which gives me an idea that I should post more about that…. But anyway, I’m crossing my fingers now….

[tags]kids colds,kids health,homeopathic remedies kids,alternative health,echinacea,halloween[/tags]

Playgroup is the lifeline of a lot of moms. New moms, old moms, expat moms, native moms…whatever. If you have kids who don’t go to “big school”(read:full time elementary), a playgroup is the answer to not just keeping the little ones busy, but the best way to spend time with kindered spirits of the “hood”.

The problem is, some members of the “hood” can’t help but take advantage of the situation. I just got an email from the coordinator mom of one of my kids playgroups with list of guidelines and rules. Very necessary, she said because of the certain way things were going lately. There were rules like:

“No leaving your kids without supervision. This is NOT a daycare. If you cannot be around, you must okay it with the host first”.

These new rules were especially pertinent when at a playgroup at my house the other day, one mom texted me at 5.00 pm (the set time for pick-up) and asked if it was ok if she left her 2 kids (4 years and 2 years) with us until “around” 8.30 pm because she and her husband had gone to some far-off place to buy fish for their aquarium and would “probably” be stuck in traffic. Grrrrr….

First of all, I didn’t know her that well (our kids are Kindergarten classmates), and second of all, anyone with young kids should know that from 6-9 pm is the “crunch” time of the day to get your kids fed,bathed and put to bed - and not still be in playgroup. I was seething. Probably because I knew in my heart that she probably could get them earlier if she wanted to, but decided to go shopping instead with the hubby. Double grrrr.

[tags]parenting,kids,playgroup,protocol,toddlers,kindergarten,moms[/tags]

Now that Nat is healthy as a horse and back to her rambunctious old self, the outbreak has spread to her baby brother, the nanny and worst of all, Mommy.

Poor little Ollie has been miserable for the past 2 days. He has no fever (thank goodness!), but has a very runny nose, a bad cough and I imagine a headache as well.

That’s one of the worst thinks when a baby is sick – they cant tell you how they feel, so one can only guess. He’s on my lap now as I type this – making little whiny sounds in between coughs and just looking plain miserable.

Speaking of miserable, did I mention how I hate being ill? Mommies are really not made to be ill (at least when the kids are young) for obvious reasons – who would look after everyone else?

Even if I’m lucky enough to have staff, when my kids are ill, they want nobody else but Mommy. The nannies get yelled at, Daddy get shunned….its only Mommy who must do everything for them.

Not that I mind really, I remember what it was like being a kid and sick – nobody but Mommy could make feel better. But what is awful now is that all this closeness has made the virus now camp out chez Mom’s.

When I was little my Mom always cooked her special chicken soup (mashed up the way I liked it) and brought me presents when I was sick - it was always the same. Paper dolls and a new nightgown. Something I’ve always remembered fondly.

And you can guess that the same tradition is now passed to my kids.

Nat now seems to be recovering, and the phlegmy cough is at least far less scary that the high fever she had yesterday.

While doing research though I stumbled upon an article which may be interesting for any Moms out there experiencing the same thing (new moms - dont worry you will!). I’ve condensed it.

Fever in Children by Len Leshin, MD, FAAP.

Fever is the body’s reaction to infection. Through mechanisms that aren’t known well, some aspect of infection and/or inflammation causes the brain to reset its “thermostat.” There are many theories for why this happens, including the idea that most germs can’t replicate well at higher body temperatures and that some parts of the immune system works better at higher temperatures. When the body has reset its thermostat, any temperature below that is considered by the body to be cold; so if the thermostat has been reset to 104 F, a temperature of 102 F will actually seem cold, and the body starts shivering to increase body heat: that’s why we get “chills.”

While fever is considered a rise in body temperature, not everyone’s body temperature is the same. The common average cited is 98.6 F (37.0 C), but your actual “normal” temperature may vary. Regardless, in infants and small children, fever is regarded as anything 100 F (37.8 C) or higher; in school-aged children and above, 99.3 F (37.4 C) or higher.

Here’s the important point: Fever is NOT dangerous! The amount of temperature required to hurt the human brain is over 107.6 F (42 C). Fever due to infection very rarely goes over 106.2 (41.3 C), and while scary to parents, is not harmful. (Temperatures over 107.6 F are usually due to heatstroke, head trauma, toxic ingestions or anesthesia side effects.) Seizures due to fever can occur in the age range of 4 months to 6 years, but is most often associated with an abrupt rise in temperature, rather than an extremely high fever. And while seizures due to fever are frightening, they are short (less than 5 minutes) and are very rarely harmful to the child’s brain.

Important note: while fever is not dangerous, it is a sign of infection, and there are some infections that are dangerous to children. How high the fever gets may not tell you how dangerous the infection may be. Infants 3 months of age and younger may not show serious signs of infection until it is too late, so these infants should always be seen by a doctor when febrile. For older infants and children, they should be seen by a doctor or other health care provider if you feel the symptoms may indicate that your child may have a serious infection, or if you are unsure if your child’s symptoms are serious or not.