A Bit Of A Germ-A-Phobe

About two years ago Korby and Heidi and I met at one of the local indoor playground/softplay at the skating rink and let the kids have a bit of fun running around. After we were done Korby had all of her kids use the hand sanitizer gel that was there in a dispenser near the entrance, and I was going to have mine do the same but ended up getting distracted (hey, it happens!) and just loaded my kids into the car and went home. The next day 3 of my kids came down with Strep throat, and so did Livy (the Dr. said it can develop in less than 24 hours time), but none of Korby’s kids had so much as the sniffles. We realized it had probably been picked up at the playland (which had been packed with kids) and Korby was the only one to use the sanitizer on her kids hands, so she was spared.
   So from that day on I have gotten a little fanatical about Germ-X and I carry small bottles on my person at all times. I also carry travel packs of antibacterial wipes, and I cannot tell you how often they have saved me. No matter what I always wipe down the front seat section and handle of a shopping cart before using it or putting children in it, any high chair in a restaurant, the table and benches in a fast food place, any handles and stuff in public bathrooms, or even my kids hands and faces if I need to, they just give me a little bit more peace of mind.
   I’m not a germ freak, I just know that in public places, especially if we’re going to be eating, germs are more likely to go from the hands to the mouth and I don’t need any extra illnesses brought home, they bring enough from school. And this year I have 4 going to school, so it will be interesting to see how much sickness I can keep at bay. So my absolute must haves for an outing are as follows:
-small bottle of Germ-X in my purse to sanitize hands before eating (at a playland when they run off to play in between eating I have my kids rub this on their hands everytime they come back to the table to eat, before they pick up their food)
-travel pack of antibacterial wipes in my purse to clean any seating or table area, shopping carts, public highchairs, or wipe hands and faces if needed
-travel pack of kleenex in my purse for runny noses, I can’t handle the booger face especially in public
-a canister of baby wipes in my car for just about any job/emergency you can name and I mean ANY, from throwing up to spilled food or drinks
   The winter of 2004 was a really bad one for us with a TON of illness at our house, and it didn’t let up until Summer. So last winter I made a few changes and we had a huge decrease in the number of visits to the Dr. and E.R. and it was a lot easier for everyone. One of the changes I made was that as soon as each child arrived home from school they removed their shoes at the back door, used Germ-X on their hands, and sometimes I had them change ther shirts and wash their faces. It really helped a lot and made for a much nicer winter season and a lot less missed school and church. So I’m ready for this next winter season, and I hope to keep everyone as healthy as possible!

So Much Sassy-Pants In That Tiny Little Body

Gracen is definitely a mama’s girl, and while she does like lots of other people she really loves her mama. It was one of her first words, “muh-muh”, and she used it all of the time, but lately it has changed and I haven’t a clue how she settled on this one. Gracen calls me mummy, but at first she pronounced it muh-MEE! Every morning I would wake up to her standing in her bed, peering over the rail and yelling muh-MEE! muh-MEE! muh-MEE! at me to come and get her out. But now she says “mummy” the regular way, and she says it ALL of the time, and it gets louder depending on her mood and the urgency of the situatiation. Her other favorite word is “mine!” and she tends to use that one a lot, especially with so many other siblings that are more than willing to take things away from her. She is quite a sassy little girl, and a lot tougher than her tiny size leads you to believe. She can take care of herself in most situations, but she’s had to since some of her brothers and sisters get in the way of what she wants sometimes and she’s not one to sit and let life go by.
She’s not a brute though, really, she is actually a little snuggler and loves to give kisses and loves to her family. It’s so funny to see her pucker up and purse her tiny little baby lips and even make the “mwah” sound with each kiss. And I can’t keep a straight face when the singing and dancing begins, especially at church. She was totally getting her boogy on during the practice hymn the other Sunday. You should have seen her little bum, it was groovin’ all over the place as she sang her little heart out. She was so put out when the hymn ended, she really loves to sing her own words. I thought Mathes was our music loving dancer in the family, but No! Gracen has completely left him in the dust with her dancing feet and singing lips. So much baby boogying to do, so much bum shakin’ dancing left undone, so many unsung songs to sing, and so little time in her little baby day.