Thursday, October 29, 2009

Making the Most of it

A few months back my friend introduced me to a program called "Fishful Thinking". I will get the link on here as soon as I figure out how but until then...use your imagination! :) Part of the mission behind "Fishful Thinking" is to approach motherhood with creativity and positivity. I am strong believer in the power of positive thinking, a trait that was demonstrated to me by the women in my family. My mother, grandmother and my aunt are all amazing examples to me of positive thinking, even in very difficult times. In the face of tragedy and struggle these women took their lives by the horns and refused to be brought down. They all are great examples of positive mothering!
For my first (hopefully of many) "Fishful Thinking" posts I wanted to do a "Making the Most of Motherhood" segment. As mothers we often find ourselves in a time crunch. With so much time dedicated to our children it can sometimes be easy to neglect ourselves. For this week's installment I wanted to focus on sleep deprivation (perhaps because it's forefront in my mind lately). We may not always get the sleep we need but I want to know how my friends make the MOST of their sleep! I know for me, it's all about the bedroom. One thing I do to make the MOST of my sleep time is to make my bedroom my safe haven! I try to make that the room that is off limits to toys so at the end of the day I make sure that my kids take any toys out and put them in their rooms. I also like my bed to be nice and ready for me so I take an extra minute (it seriously only takes about one) in the morning to make the bed when I get up. I make sure that I wash the sheets often and I like to spray some linen spray on my pillows before bedtime. When the room is clean and inviting and smelling nice, I find it so much easier to relax and get some much needed, all be it interrupted, rest!
So I want to know what my friends do to make the most of their sleep time! Leave a comment or write your own "Fishful Thinking" post.
For more information on "Fishful Thinking" check out my mama-pal Kelli's blog at www.writingthewavesmama.blogspot.com
Kelli I hope I did this right!!! :)

Friday, October 16, 2009

Ramseys v. Swine Flu

In an epic battle between good and evil, the Ramseys went up against arch nemesis,
H1N1, in the most heated play off of the season.
Team Ramsey made early attempts to thwart the advancement of Team Swine by isolating lead player, Gavin Ramsey. Resistance was futile, however, and Team Swine kept the virus in play, overcoming valiant team members, Caeden, Suzy and Nathan Ramsey.
Things looked rough at half time for the home team. Players were down and Team Swine appeared to have the upper-hand. Reinforcements were called in and the team was seen by their lead MD. Excellent efforts and vigilant care ensued on behalf of team Ramsey by their awesome Pediatrician and the efforts of head coaches, Mom and Dad.
Thanks to the help of home team supporters who cheered, chanted and brought in refreshments, the Ramseys began upping their game and by the fourth quarter, had regained strength.
Team Pig made a last attempt with an illegal underhanded attack at players Gavin, Nathan and Suzy, resulting in worsening coughs and, in the most shocking fowl play seen thus far, an episode of barfing. Thanks again to the efforts of their expert doctor, Gavin and Suzy were both able to turn it around and gain possession of the lead.
After this grueling show down the score landed at Team Ramsey 4, Team Swine 0. The head virus of H1N1 was overheard saying that there is no plan for a rematch.
Well done Team Ramsey!


On a more serious note, I realize that the decision to vaccinate is very personal and sometimes a difficult choice to make. I just want to encourage everyone to really do the research. The Swine Flu is no joke. We actually had a fairly mild to moderate case with only one child ending up on a nebulizer(and it isn't the one I would have expected), and one child ending up with a secondary infection. This strain of the flu is receiving a lot of hype. Some is unnecessary. Some, however, is well founded. A few facts to chew on:
* This strain of the flu is becoming very serious for young children and pregnant women.
* 1 in 4 of the children who have died from H1N1 were healthy prior to contracting the virus.
* The CDC estimates that as many as 1 in 2 people will contract H1N1.
* More people have died in October from H1N1 than typically die in an entire flu season.
I realize that vaccinating carries risks but when it comes down to it, the risk of complications from the vaccine are minuscule in comparison to the risks of contracting , and having complications from, the flu. I have attached two links with some information on the swine flu vaccine. I would encourage all of my friends and family to read it and become educated. This last week was intensely difficult and my children were lucky.

http://windsorpeak.com/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi?flavor=archive;list=baby411;id=20090922153943

http://www.cdc.gov/H1N1FLU/

Thursday, October 8, 2009

My Little Crocodile!


Well folks, it's official, my little boy is growing up!! On Tuesday Gavin lost his very first tooth! It's kind of a big deal....I'm pretty excited and so is Gavin!