Mere's Musings

Gramma's Green Thumb

2012-01-30T08:00:00.000-06:00

This Monday Morning I walked into my office and found an explosion of new growth on my "African Beauty" my affectionate name for the African Violet I rescued and revived. A few months back - my colleagues and I "cleaned house" in our wing. One thing we found was a near dead African Violet in the conference room. African Violets have always been a sentimental plant for me. My gramma used to always have several amidst her cadre of plants growing in her home. So when I saw the sad office African violet - a twinge of emotion - probably a mix of the happy memories in my grandmothers home and the sadness I still feel in her absence - I volunteered to do my best to resuscitate it.

Mind you - I have two plants in my home and one in my office. All three of which my mom says are "easy" plants to grow. I lack a lot in the green thumb department. I nearly failed College Botany with our plant projects where we had to grow an assortment of plants. EEK. So for me to resuscitate such a delicate plant was nothing short of a miracle.

With some assistance from a Plant Expert colleague, I trimmed two of the remaining green leaves, grew roots on them for a few weeks and then delicately planted them in some fresh soil. For what seemed like FOREVER, it was just two old leaves stuck in a pot of soil. Then one morning, I came in and two little leaves were poking their little green heads through the soil, like sleepy children early in the morning, peeking out of their covers.

As much as I often dread Monday mornings, I like coming in to see the growth on my African Beauty. It seems like the quiet always does her good. But this morning - wow! - she has really taken shape. As I watered her with her special food this morning, I though my gramma would be so proud of me! And then I laughed to myself - because I can just imagine me telling her and her with her typical nonexcitable self would spat "well, sis, that isn't hard to do, anyone could do that". I loved that woman! Oh... and today my African Beauty reminds me of how much I miss her. But so happy for all that she has passed on to me.

Grandma, if you can hear me now, I hope I have made you proud. Love you and miss you so much!

More Christmas Recipes Part Cuatro - Sticky Buns

2012-01-28T17:09:00.000-06:00

Sticky Buns / Monkey Bread / Pull Aparts

--- Whatever you call them ----

But for Christmas Even Morning - They were a flop - see Above

So I thought they have to be better --- so I changed them up from the original pinterest recipe

I just put about 1/3 stick of melted butter, squirted syrup all over the bottom of a pie plate, threw in about 1/2 cup of brown sugar, a handful of pecans and sprinkled with a nice coat of cinammon.

Baked at 350 for 20 mins and got this....

Yeah - and when I don't measure exactly - it's way easier for me to calculate WW points -- this looks about like 3 points per bun. :)

More recipes from Christmas - Pineapple Centerpiece

2012-01-28T16:42:00.000-06:00

Pineapple Centerpiece

My family loves fresh fruit - so for breakfast on Christmas eve morning - with my failed sticky buns (recipe to follow) - I cut up some fresh pineapple. (BTW on sale at ALDI this week 99 cents)

I though what a waste of the pineapple top so I stuck it down in the middle of my cut up fruit.

Parker came down for breakfast - first thing he said "I like what you did with the pineapple mom" -

so I left it and got several compliments.

Recipes from Christmas Take 2 -

2012-01-28T16:34:00.000-06:00

Crock Pot Scalloped Potatoes

This is my mom's classic recipe - however - I replaced ham with bacon and cooked in the crock pot. And it was delish - USSS!!

Wash and peel your desired amount of potatoes - these potatoes were perfect for my small crockpot.

Slice by hand or in your hand food processor ( I LOVE MINE)

Cube velveeta, grab a stick of butter, milk, and bacon (I cheated with pre cooked bacon)

*like my velveeta cuber? It came with a random block of velveeta a few years back, Love it*

Alternate layers of sliced potatoes, cheese, butter, salt & pepper until you fill 3/4 of your crock-pot.

Fill with milk until you can see it about half way up your potatoes.

Cook on medium for five - six hours or until potatoes are tender ....

the result is yummy potatoes!!!

Not super pretty - but super yummy - I promise!!!

Recipes from Christmas pt 1 - Veggie Slaw

2012-01-28T16:13:00.000-06:00

I never followed up from all my Christmas recipes.... So a month later I'll post a few. :)

After a long day in September tromping all over the Tulsa State Fair the kids and I took a load off our feet in the Oklahoma Building in front of the cooking demo. You know the guy that is selling the $5000 cookware - but you get free samples as he demonstrates... Yeah, so he made a veggie slaw - no cook btw - so who knows why it was in the show.

ANYWAY - the recipe stuck and we have it now about once a week.

VEGGIE SLAW

Shred as much or as little of your veggies - any kind carrots, peppers, broccoli, squash, cabbage (i tried celery once, but didn't work so well) - in your food processor.

Then the magic ingredient, *drum roll*

an APPLE.

Core and then shred in food processor with veggies.

Toss all shredded veggies and apple with raspberry vinaigrette

and for some extra texture I add a small handful of pecans.

So YUMMY and Super Easy!!

And my kids eat it! And they don't know it's full of all kinds of good veggies.

Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Citable Sermons

2011-12-27T23:51:00.000-06:00

Having been a recent grad student as well as a a fan of research journals, the sign of a reliable read lies in its bibliography. One of the first actions in writing is to understand your resources. When quoting previous research, writers delve into who wrote, funded and supported the information in addition to the date of resource (research should be less than five years old unless contributing the history or time line of relevant research).

I suppose because of how I have been programmed to present and write, I question a lot of remarks and comments that I hear, often wanting to know where the information came from and who is the source. Needles to say the emails that solicit all kinds of fabricated information go directly to the trash can and have created an obsessed relationship with snopes.com which by the way has excellent lists of references.

I have been a church member my entire life and a devoted Christian since I was 13. I love a good sermon when I hear one. Having been in ministry circles, I understand how difficult it must be week after week to come up with up to three new & fresh insights and sermons a week. Ministers can go to Mardel's or Lifeway and see a barrage of sermon help books. They can search online for tons of biblical commentaries. I would not expect or believe possible that one person would not or should not seek the help of outside resources when constructing messages.

As I pondered the huge task of sermon creativity, I began to reflect on the hundred if not thousands of messages I have heard in my life time. And then began to realize how I only occasionally hear a pastor reflect or reference his source of information outside of course of the bible. Is he presenting under the premise that all the ideas are his own?

I am by no means attacking pastors for plagiarizing or flagrant misuse of others information but rather looking at us listeners & hearers of the word. Are we taking every word we hear as truth and original truth instead of laying down accountability for teaching we receive?

Ironically, I have been musing this topic for quite some time. Sunday as I sat in a pew listening to a pastor's message, in support of a pastoral point, health information and statistics were used. Of course, being in the health field, my interest steeped. As I heard the information, I thought this surely could not be true. The deliverer emphatically stated that the information was from the CDC. I am a public health nurse and the CDC is the gold standard our ultimate fall back resource. I visit their website daily and often multiple times per day. I receive email notification and updates often regarding health stats and new recommendations. This stat I heard in the message I had never heard before.

Of course, my unshakable need to have correct information drove me to the CDC website that afternoon. I searched and searched for the recalled information. To make a short version, I found a somewhat repeatable stat, not from the CDC but from a independent journal which has been under scrutiny and criticism for over 13 years, the age of the "current research stat" given.

Unfortunately, my respect and reverence for the point being made is now under question.

So whether you are the pastor, teacher, writer or the listener, learner or reader - you must be accountable for the information that you deliver but also the information you hear. Be cautious of what you retell, remember your information is only as good as your source.

Christmas Meal Planning Via Pinterest

2011-12-20T16:57:00.000-06:00

Yeah - I'm addicted to Pinterest. I have planned our two days of Christmas meals with recipes from Pinterest. Here we go ....

Christmas Eve:
Morning - Sticky Bun Breakfast Ring
Lunch - Creamy Tomato Soup & Grilled Bacon & Cheese Sandwiches
Dinner - Mom's Brisket, Scalloped Potatoes, Veggie Slaw with Raspberry Vinaigrette (These will get there own Pinterest entries, by yours truly), corn, & for dessert Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Christmas Day:
Morning - we have a traditional big country breakfast :) Yummy!!
Lunch - Leftovers of course!
Dinner - Mexican Chicken in the Crockpot served with rice and tortillas

The Morning After:
Morning - back to muffins, cereal and fruit
Lunch - Sandwiches (the boring kind)

Plan to sprinkle the weekend with my New Coquito Recipe!

Next week... New Year's Weight Watchers Recipes! haha. until then.....

Coquito - Christmas In A Cup

2011-12-18T10:27:00.000-06:00

At a Christmas party last week, my friend Tonia brought the most amazing holiday drink, a Puerto Rican twist to egg nog - Coquito. This yummy drink is egg less and delish-ous - ness!! So of course I recreated some for our family afternoon Christmas get together that is taking place this afternoon. I'm hoping to get rave reviews - if not - more for me!!

Coquito

1 can of Evaporated Milk ( I used the a low fat version)
1 can of Sweetened Condensed Milk (again, a low fat version)
2 cans of coconut milk (I used Silk Coconut Milk in the refrigerator section, since I couldn't find the canned)
1 cup of raisins
Cinnamon and Nutmeg to taste - I like a lot
1 tsp vanilla
1-2 cups of light Rum (from 0-2 cups its still yummy)

Put in Blender for 3-5 mins. Pour in container with a seal, drop in 3-5 cinnamon sticks) Refrigerate until chilled.

ENJOY!!

Dissappointed

2011-12-07T06:30:00.000-06:00

For the past two weeks, a family close to ours has lived out a nightmare at Union Public Schools. I am so sad and disappointed that a wrap around program - well intentioned I believe - was so poorly managed and administrated at the 6th grade center. See her story below....

December 5, 2011

To Whom It May Concern,

In August, our daughter started 6th grade at the 6th/7th Grade Center for Union Public Schools (UPS) after going to Anderson elementary through grade school. We and our children loved Anderson Elementary and we assumed we and our children would love the other UPS.

This letter is to share with you our experience in the first 9 weeks of school at the 6th / 7th Grade Center of UPS.

We were aware early on that the kids were divided into (what we thought were harmless) “color groups”. As you will see, we no longer believe that to be the case and in fact believe UPS is segregating children based on a perceived “need” by UPS.

The school’s website states: “the 6th grade is divided into teams which consist of a core group of teachers & 140 students…Each team is designated by a color name & offers the same curriculum choices. The student’s core classes are located in the same area of the building as their locker. When students change classes they usually only travel across the hall except when attending electives.”

Children are, essentially, segregated (from each other/other kids) by color group, as they are confined to their color group’s area of the building, except for electives. They are, therefore segregated, truly, by color.

The children in one color group, in particular the yellow group, were chosen, specifically, to be in the yellow color group to participate in the Carrera Program.

The Carrera website, itself states this about the Carrera Program:
“The CAS-Carrera Program is an intensive, multi-year after school program for high-risk high school students. It runs year-round, five to six days each week and serves teens until they complete high school.
Through a youth development approach, the CAS-Carrera Program addresses the underlying factors associated with teenage pregnancy and childbearing, such as poverty, school failure, unemployment, and inadequate health care.
The program seeks to improve access to health care (including reproductive health services), reduce sexual activity rates, increase contraceptive use, and reduce pregnancy. It has seven components, including employment and academic assistance, family life and sexuality education, performing arts experience, sports training, and mental and physical health care.

Population Served
The evaluated CAS-Carrera Program served low-income, high-risk boys and girls, aged 13-15. (Note: the program is currently starting with youth aged 11-12; this profile is based only on the programs evaluated with older teens.)
The majority of participants (60%) were African American; 39% were Hispanic. Only one in three participants (35%) lived in a two-parent family, and the majority of teens (61%) lived with an unemployed adult and/or received entitlement benefits.” [i]

Our daughter was miserable the first couple of weeks because none of her friends from elementary school were in her yellow color group. She did, however, make new friends, quickly, in her yellow color group.

On November 10th our daughter came home from school excited because the children in the yellow color group were “specially chosen” when they were in 5th grade to be in the yellow color group “to be a part of a special program. “

She said the yellow color group was going to get paid weekly for participating, which will add up to be around $900 in their very own savings account by the time they graduated from Union Public Schools. She explained they would have “job class” and that this program would help them get into college when they graduate.

She gave me a packet of forms to be signed and turned in ASAP or else she would have to switch to another color group that wasn’t going to get to do all of these great things and then would have new teachers and friends.

The cover letter stated:

“Your child is invited to be among 220 sixth graders who have the opportunity to participate in an exciting, nationally honored program that will follow them through graduation from Union High School. They will have enrichment opportunities; decision making, pregnancy prevention, educational stimulation to improve their lives, extended learning time, extracurricular activities, individualized academic & talent development, & guidance through the changes of adolescence combine to support your student’s total development.

The students will get:

Daily one on one or small group tutoring.
College entrance test preparation.
College trips.
Individual academic plans.
Weekly job club class.
Financial literacy.
Savings account.
Exploring career choices.
A paid stipend.
Weekly medically & scientifically comprehensive sex ed.
Mental health services.
Power groups led by professional counselors.
24 hour counseling & crisis intervention.
Full medical & dental care.
Music, dance, writing, & drama workshops.
Discover talents & build self esteem.
Lifetime individual sports including golf, tennis, squash, etc.
Expanded learning opportunities are available.”

After reading the above, I thought it sounded like a great program! Who wouldn’t want their child to be a part of it? My first thought was: shouldn’t the school be providing a majority of the these things minus the savings account, the weekly stipends, medical services, dental services, mental health services, & the weekly comprehensive sex ed?

The first thing that concerned me was the weekly comprehensive sex ed.
What exactly will they be teaching our child? We feel that is our responsibility to educate our children on sex ed……..not the school and not the government.

I called the program director & asked what kind of “sex education” would be taught to our child.
I was told that Mr. Carrera is an “above the waist” kind of guy & that they are all about teaching abstinence, hygiene, & focusing on school, career choices, & extracurricular activities to get kids excited about their future.

The Carrera Program website, however, says:

“The program seeks to improve access to health care (including reproductive health services), reduce sexual activity rates, increase contraceptive use, and reduce pregnancy.” [ii]

I told them we already have excellent insurance and that she would not need the medical / dental coverage. They said we would just use it as secondary and, for example, “if your child needed braces they would pick up the cost that the insurance didn’t pay.” I was told to just check yes that we wanted medical services on the packet. I thanked them for talking with me.

That evening as I sat down to fill out the program application I turned to the page following the cover letter and saw: “Carrera Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program”.

Below the heading was the programs description and philosophy which read,

“The Carrera Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program uses a long term holistic approach to empower youth, to help them develop personal goals and the desire for a productive future, in addition to developing their sexual literacy, education them about abstinence, and the consequences of sexual activity. Guided by a philosophy that sees youth as “at promise” instead of “at risk”, Carrera works to develop a participant’s capacity and desire to avoid pregnancy. The program model also provides opportunities for young people to discover interests and develop talents, as well as emphasizing education and employment.”

My next question was: Who decided and how was it decided which students are considered high risk and would be in this group?

The Carrera Program states on their website:

“The CAS-Carrera Program is an intensive, multi-year after-school program for high-risk high school students. The evaluated CAS-Carrera Program served low-income, high-risk boys and girls, aged 13-15. (Note: the program is currently starting with youth aged 11-12; this profile is based only on the programs evaluated with older teens.)” [iii]
Let me tell you a little about our family. Our daughter lives with her biological, happily married parents who love & care about her. She has a brother, a sister, a dog, a rabbit, 2 ferrets, 2 hamsters, & 3 African dwarf frogs that live under that same roof. She has extensive extended family that is very involved in her life. Her parents are active in her life. She plays the viola in orchestra. She is in Honors English. She loves to read. She has played soccer since she was 5 years old. She attends church on a regular basis & has a relationship with Jesus. She has been taught to care about & respect others. She has been taught our family values. She has numerous friends & a caring heart. So how in the world was she deemed at risk?

The information required was: participant’s contact information, medical, dental, vision information, child’s primary care physician information, last physical, a request for all insurance information, allergies, asthma, special needs, medications, immunization information, dentist information, last dental exam, insurance, last vision screening, and vision service provider, all fairly typical participant information.

However, as I moved to the next page Medical, Dental, and Vision Screening Services, it was evident that the guardian must check: “Yes, I want my child to receive services through the program” or “No, I do not want my child to receive services through the program”. If, “Yes”, the following consent must be completed:
“If yes, I, __________, the parent or guardian of __________, hereby give my consent to the staff of the Carrera Program to travel with my child to and from his/her appointments. I give my consent to the Carrera Program to accompany my child to his/her medical appointments, to communicate with health professionals regarding the health of my child and to receive prescriptions on behalf of my child.”

I was shocked, to say the least. Does someone really think we are going to give someone else, someone who cannot possibly care as much as we do about our daughter, permission to take her to the doctor, make medical decisions and pick up prescriptions without our input or knowledge?

If I am unable to take our daughter to the doctor then her father will take her, if he can’t then her grandparents will, and if they can’t then we might consider letting someone, we appoint, to take her.

Furthermore, if we chose the medical services, our only option is to give the program permission to obtain medical, dental, vision or mental health services, such as: obtaining prescriptions (birth control), consent (for us) for medical services (physical, mental, dental or vision exams or an abortion!) without our prior or post consent or knowledge!

If, “No, I do not want my child to receive services through the program”, the following consent must be completed:
“If no, I, __________, the parent or guardian of ____________, certify that I do not want my child to receive medical and/or dental services through the program. I understand that I am able to change my decision at any time during my child’s participation in the program.”

Where is the box that states we would like medical services through the program but we will not allow anyone but the child’s parents to take them to appointments, communicate about the health of our child, and get prescriptions? They must have left that out. I can’t even go to the doctor and pick up my husband’s medical records or talk to them on behalf of my husband without him signing a release due to HIPPA so if I can’t do that with my spouse why should the Carrera Program staff have permission to do that with our minor child?

Why would I give people I don’t even know that much access to our child? Plain and simple: I would not!

I was alarmed with the control and access this program would have to our child and the decisions they could make affecting our child (medical, dental, mental health) without our input and decided to do further research.

I found the Carrera program states they teach abstinence but found, according to their own statistics, the Carrera program girls were significantly more likely than the control group girls to use Depo-Provera, a prescription birth control method that the staff can obtain without parental knowledge because consent was given when signing the program papers!

Most young people in both the Carrera program and control groups reported the use of condoms. Why does the program encourage Depo- Provera and condom use if they “solely teach” abstinence?

From the Carrera Program statistics, while fewer girls in the program got pregnant they were more likely to abort the baby than in the control group, based on their own statistics on the website. [iv]

If we want our child to receive medical services, we must sign this release, which also gives the Carrera Program (who want me to believe they teach abstinence only) permission to obtain birth control and permission to assist our daughter in obtaining an abortion, should she get pregnant, all without our knowledge or input!

            Another form is an Education Release and Consent Form to grant permission for the Carrera staff to:

“Access all of the child’s school records. Advocate for the child by picking up the child’s report cards, transcripts, IEP’s, and attendance information. Meet with the school officials regarding matters involving the child in the absence of a parent or guardian. Permission to request information from relevant schools concerning the child’s test scores, performance levels on standardized tests given during the school year or any other test administered by the school. Permission to advocate on behalf of the child and to gain access to the aforementioned information from this date forward through the duration of time the child will be in attendance at this school.”

Again, we are our daughter’s best advocate for her best interests and therefore will be present for ANYTHING concerning our child until she becomes an adult.

            The final consents are mental health counselor sheets and the Application Documentation Checklist. The checklist of items that must be included are: the participant data form, medical consent form, education permission form, a copy of: the child’s transcript, social security card, birth certificate, immunization record, insurance cards, and their school schedule.

Why do they need these things? If this program is partnered with Union Public Schools they should already have a majority of that information. Have they ever heard of identity theft? Identity theft is a huge problem in this country! Our daughter’s pediatrician doesn’t even have her social security number, let alone a copy of the card and I trust him with her life!

            After spending significant time researching the Carrera Program, we decided our daughter would not be participating in the Carrera Program. Unfortunately, because UPS waited 12 weeks into the semester to share this information with us, they had already started having the weekly classes……..sex ed during science, power counseling group during another class, job club during another class. Our daughter was being told she needed her paperwork to be returned or she would be kicked out.

I called the program director and said that she would not be participating in the program. The program director said that she could pick which color group our daughter would like to be moved to and reassured me that they would make the transition for her easy. However, a week went by and she/we never heard anything. I finally went to the school and met with her counselor. I told her which group we wanted and she said she would get her classes switched. Our daughter was finally moved to another color group on Monday, November 28th (it took them 2 weeks to move her). We thought this would be the beginning of a short transition, however, we quickly learned that would not be the case because she was now academically behind her new color group.

We were once again shocked when we found out on the first day of our daughter’s classes in her new color group that not only did they segregate the students by color and possibly socio-economic status (by choosing who would be in the yellow group based on their presumed at risk status based on their parents’ assumed socio-economic status), but they are also giving them a false sense of success by not requiring or expecting the same caliber of class work, class performance, homework or book work!
While UPS website says the color groups have the same curriculum, they do not and they are treating the color groups differently. Each color group has a team t-shirt except for the gold and yellow color groups. The kids have noticed they are the only groups without one.

The curriculum and expectations for the Carrera group is different from the other color groups.

The yellow (Carrera) group VERY RARELY has homework and the other groups have homework on a daily basis.

The yellow (Carrera) group was told they would never have homework. Why is that? Do they think it won’t get done? Does the school think they can’t do it?

In the yellow (Carrera) group’s Honors English and Reading class, they read for an hour and write in a journal or write a story that is no more than a paragraph long. In the other color groups, they have already completed multiple book reports and are currently working on writing their own story.

In the yellow Carrera group math class, they have only gone over multiplication on worksheets. In the other color groups, they are near completion of chapter 3 in the textbooks (multiplying & dividing decimals and learning factors).

In the yellow Carrera group, they are doing very little academically compared to the other color groups, it seems, instead of following the curriculum as the other color groups in 6th grade are doing.

It would seem, based on what I have seen, children of an assumed lower socio-economic status and or different race were chosen for this “at risk” program and it would seem, the school has dumbed down the curriculum and expectations for this group. Rather than expect excellence in academia, they heap praise and money on children for completing minor tasks. If anything, this kind of behavior will create more at risk students, not fewer.

Who decided it was necessary to teach sexuality on a weekly basis? There is NO evidence this works and in fact, the opposite is true when children are constantly exposed to sexual indoctrination the more sexualized and desensitized to sexual activity they become, not less. The founder of the original program has this to say:

Sexuality, according to Carrera said, should be taught weekly in middle and high schools. "It is as valuable as any academic subject. We are doing young people in public school a disservice by presenting this asshort-term, fragmented exposure," he said. "It needs to be done in a thoughtful way.""The focus of the initiative should not be pregnancy prevention, how to use a condom, HIV -- which are all important public health issues," he said. Instead, he said, classes should offer a more complete look at issues related to sexuality.’ “…comprehensive sexuality programs in middle schools beginning with giving people information about puberty, their bodies, the bodies of others, gender roles, communication with parents, and essential messages about abstinence.” [v]
As far as we know, there are only two other families who also opted out of this experiment with our children. The other 200 parents have given permission for the school, the government, the Carrera program to follow their child until they graduate, even if they are taken out of the program, unless a parent rescinds their consent, the school, government and Carrera program still have access to the child, by the nature of the consent.
In our opinion, this is too much access to a child without the full knowledge and clear consent of the parents and should have never been implemented in the curriculum. It should have been an after school program, as it is in other schools, where the parent must request or choose to be part of the program (perhaps they would not have gotten enough participation if it had been implemented as an after school program?).

            We previously had a great deal of respect and trust in and for the Union Public School system, it’s teachers, overseers and supporting philanthropy groups/entities, but no longer do so after witnessing first-hand what they are trying to implement at the expense of not only our children, but future generations! They have jeopardized our child’s academic career through their selection process, implementation and change process, thus putting her more at risk than she would or might have been!

In case I failed to state our thoughts up to this point, clearly, let me do so now: As parents, it is OUR JOB to teach our daughter/children about sex, help with homework, seek medical, dental, vision or mental healthcare if needed and be involved in and discuss her/their academic standing with the school……… NOT THE SCHOOL’S & NOT THE GOVERNMENT’S JOB!

In closing, let me be clear on OUR CONCERNS/ISSUES:

Our daughter was chosen for this program when she was in 5th grade without our knowledge or consent.
Our daughter and other children are being physically, academically, emotionally, racially and socio-economically segregated from her/their peers without our knowledge for this program.
We did not find out about this until November 9, 2011. A full 12 weeks into the school year.
Our daughter was given the program information before we were.
This program was “pitched” to our daughter in a “fundraising” manner by wrapping it in an opportunity for monetary/college rewards by getting a “free savings account” of $900 when they graduate IF they participate. She was devastated & cried when we told her she would not be participating.
We found out about the program via a “packet” sent home with our daughter from school. This is the exact same way we find out about fundraisers and we think this is somewhat more important and life changing than a fundraiser. They did have one dinner meeting on Nov. 8th that we were invited to attend but given the short notice we couldn’t attend due to our schedule. However, had we known what exactly this meeting was about at the time we would have cancelled our plans to be there. There should have been more than one dinner & it should have been done over the summer before school ever started!
We were given directions (via our daughter, rather than a teacher or administrator) to sign & return the packet ASAP or she would have to switch color groups aka classes…….her whole schedule & teachers would change as the 6th grade is broken up into 8 color groups.
Through extensive research of the Carrera Program which claims they teach abstinence I have found that they push & encourage birth control and condoms.
The Carrera program is not some successful national program as purported, it is only in 11 states (that is less than 1/3 of the states & it is usually in one school in that state except for NYC) and it has not been successful in achieving its own stated goals.

10. Union Public Schools appears to be so desperate for money that they would lower their standards just to get some federal and local funding.
11. UPS thought we would sign our child, her future, her academia and her mental & physical well-being over to virtual strangers who have no stake in her life outcome beyond that of a statistic.

While this program has some good things to offer, we believe that parents have a right to know exactly what the program is all about & entails before signing their child’s welfare over to people they don’t even know for the next seven years. We should have been notified about the program before school started so that if we didn’t want our child in the program they could have started in the appropriate color group in the beginning of the year. We also feel that it has no business taking away from the standard curriculum during the school day. It should be offered as an after school program!

Thank you for your time. Thank you for your assistance. Feel free to contact me at mirandayarrington@gmail.com
if you have any questions.

I look forward to seeing ALL CHILDREN and people treated with the same dignity and respect they are entitled to in spite of their race, creed, color (group) and/or perceived socio-economic standing in Union Public Schools and everywhere!

Chris and Miranda Yarrington

[i] http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/resources/viewprogram.aspx?id=50

[ii] http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/resources/viewprogram.aspx?id=50

[iii] http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/resources/viewprogram.aspx?id=50

[iv] http://www.emcf.org/fileadmin/user/PDF/Results/eval_CAS-CarreraEvaluation2001.pdf

[v] http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/education/20111005/6/3614

Holiday Dinners

2011-11-10T09:27:00.000-06:00

Holiday Dinners

In my young adult years, I always had the fantasy that I would be the Martha Stewart of the holidays - emerging from the kitchen, June Cleaver style, gracefully placing a beautifully roasted bird in the middle of a table welcomed graciously by smiling family members. The turkey beautifully browned on a porous polished plate exuding an aura of practically visible smells of deliciousness.

Two years ago, my family promised to indulge my fantasy. It was my turn to host the holiday gathering. I spared no restraint and graciously invited 25 people over for a holiday feast. I began diligently searching for recipes, both new and great family classics. I Googled videos on how to stuff my 28 pound bird as I held him hostage in my deep freeze. I meticulously spelled out the menu and intentionally told everyone NOT to bring anything because I had it covered.

The night before my turkey was well stuffed; all the prepping that could be done was done. The table was set with Martha style fashion. As I tucked myself into bed, I envisioned the compliments and approving oohs and ahhs from my guests as they relished my sensational entrees and sides. I woke up way before the sun to get my fabulous holiday performance started.

As the sun came up and the delicious smells were pouring from my kitchen the first phone call came. It was from family out of town… apparently it had snowed last night and in the midst of my dinner preparations I had missed the catastrophic downfall outside. They couldn’t come. Although disappointed, I dismissed my regret and assured myself that despite being down to 10 guests, we will just have plenty of leftovers. Then the next phone call came, apparently, the downfall was way worse than I realized. Our local friends and family were imprisoned by the snow and would not be able to make it either.

Fighting back tears of anger at Mother Nature and disappointment that all 25 guests would not be basking in my culinary glory, I heard a whimper in the living room. My daughter is holding her stomach looking at me with droopy sad eyes and complaining she doesn’t feel good. She is shadowed in by my husband and my mom, who had agreed to stay the night to help me with the preparations, all in a similar shade of dysenteric green. They all three took a quick u turn out of the living room to their respective bedrooms.

Unbelievable. It seemed my pinnacle of holiday dinner mastery had just been flushed to nonexistence. I dropped my head in my hands on the counter as I surveyed all the savory dishes around me. In bounced my 6 year old son, the remaining household member who hadn’t succumbed to the stomach bug. I grasped to my last bit of hope and boosted him up on a bar stool to take in the bounty that was waiting display for the holiday table.

He slowly scans over the buffet of holiday exclusives and then looked up to me with his cute brown eyes and gently requests, “Mom, can you make me a peanut butter and jelly?”

However fantastic or disappointing your holidays may be – don’t forget to be safe with your holiday dinners. Even in the most ideal situations, turkey safety requires diligence. Here are a few basics:

• Eating within two hours? Keep the food at least at 140 degrees. Keeping food warm is not enough.

• Eating much later? Remove stuffing and refrigerate. Cut turkey into small pieces and refrigerate. Refrigerate potatoes, gravy and vegetables in shallow containers.

• Reheating? Reheat thoroughly to 165 degrees or until steaming and hot.

For more holiday meal safety tips, go to www.cdc.gov/features/turkeytime.

Custard Filled Baked Apples

2011-10-23T18:38:00.001-05:00

Jess and I have been hooked to the local phenomena of www.pinterest.com - however today we got a little creative and went out on our own. The result Custard Filled Baked Apples. Here's the recipe we followed for the custard.

‎1 1/2 c. applesauce
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3 eggs (beaten)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. milk

We hollowed the apples, filled them with the custard mixture and then baked them for 450 for 10 mins then 350 for 30 mins or until custard is firm.

Enjoy!!

Gory Zombies

2011-10-07T08:25:00.000-05:00

Every year, on Halloween night our costumed pack of pirates and witches, clowns and punk rockers round the blocks with candy toppling out of their over capacity plastic jack-o-lanterns making Hansel and Gretel like trails down the sidewalk. As the night draws to an end - long past routine bedtimes, the kids’ energy has dwindled and we hit that near melt down moment of the night when face paint is smudged, costumes have ripped and someone has lost their shoes.

However, our group pushes on because we know that the pinnacle of the night is just about to arrive.

It’s THE HOUSE.

You know THE HOUSE in the neighborhood where the home owners have spent weeks in preparation and hours of hard work to make over their welcoming home in to the house of horror. Where tulips bloomed in the springs, grave stones dot the front yard. A looming fog sits heavily about the once bright white picket fence. A red eyed crow peers down from an upstairs window. Blocking the sidewalk and driveway are characters layered in tattered clothing, disguised in atrocious masks holding weapons marked with their kill.

You as the parent move slowly while holding your child’s hand and reassuring them that there is nothing to be afraid of. You can feel fear stiffen their muscles and the suspense unexplainably has the same effect on you as you tensely head across the front of the house. Even though you know it’s coming, you’ve seen it before, year after year --- out jumps the Werewolf that sends both of you airborne. You both scream and run down the street. And then when you know you are out of harm’s way – you look back –you see the terror producers laughing and you chuckle too. You let out a knowing sigh, as they got you again.

This fall, a real predator has its eyes on you, waiting for the perfect environment to claim you as prey. It’s not a werewolf, or a vampire or some silly Halloween prank.

It’s the FLU.

And unlike those crazy people who want to get a “scare” out of you. The FLU wants to take your life from you. Maybe it’s only a week of your life as you lay in bed with fever and chills or maybe it is your life entirely. According to the Centers for Disease Control, approximately 30,000 people are hospitalized and 10,000 people die from the flu EVERY year.

The CDC recommends that everyone older than 6 months should receive an annual seasonal flu vaccination. For those younger than six months, take careful precautions to protect them from those that are sick or have a fever. Flu.gov provides in depth information on the dangers of flu and how you can protect yourself from its attack.

Don’t let the FLU be the DEATH of you this Halloween season. Get a Flu Shot today!

Obedience

2011-02-22T08:42:00.000-06:00

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love”. 1 John 4:18

I fear a lot of things. Being healthy, having enough money, the physical and spiritual wellbeing of my family… but most of all I fear not being obedient to God. And not just in ignorance but deliberately turning my back to what he asks me to do.

I sing whole heartedly in worship – I will go where you go, I will follow where you lead --- but in the quiet honesty of my heart, I know it’s not true.

Yes if my children were struck down with a terminal illness, if my husband and I lost our jobs, if my house burned down – I would go running after God – begging for His provisions.

But those things are rare – and hopefully only maybe once a lifetime occurrences.

What I am talking about – are the quiet whispers, the gentle nudges – God initiates daily to us. “share me with your colleague, reach out to the friend who hurt you, give money to that stranger, invite your neighbor to bible study”.

Maybe for you obedience comes easy in these things – but for me… these are the hardest. Living daily my faith. Putting feet to what he tells us to do.

1 John 4:18 says the one who fears is not made perfect in my love. This verse troubled me. Because I fear, am I not made perfect by the ONE who gave it all, the ONE who died for me, the ONE who promises me eternal life and relationship?

I was questioning my faith or lack thereof, my “in”action, my fears… and then the phrase “made perfect” reminded me of another scripture….

2 Corinthians 12:9 (New International Version, ©2010) 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
Hebrews 10 11Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. 14 For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

God knew I couldn’t do it on my own when He offered His Son. He knew before I even put two feet on this earth that I would need his Holy Spirit to strengthen me and work through me.

Because he sacrificed for me – I want to daily sacrifice to Him – knowing that it is not MY actions but HIS that have made me perfect. I sacrifice my fears DAILY, I confess my WEAKNESS in order that HE be glorified, and not myself.

I pray for HIS Strength in this cracked vessel to glorify Himself. I offer my family, my career, my life to be whatever he desires for Him.

It is only because of His sacrifice = I can be made perfect in Love. And my prayer changes from “I can’t because I am weak” to “I CAN because you made me strong.”

Jesus loves me this I know,

For the Bible tells me so

Little ones to Him belong,

I am WEAK… BUT….

He is Strong!!

Easter Services courtesy of THE SKIT GUYS

2010-04-01T14:41:00.002-05:00

Intimacy

2010-02-22T16:16:00.000-06:00

Intimacy.

Seems like such a girl word.

Maybe overused in your circles to describe everything related to marriage and relationships.

But intimacy took on a new meaning for me this weekend. No, Devon & I didn't partake in a second honeymoon or marriage retreat. I love my husband, but intimacy in a different paradigm.

Spiritual intimacy.

Sunday morning, our family took a weekend off from our home church and attended a relatively new church. What we expected and what we encountered were quite different.

No 100 member choir.
No pipe organ.
No band.
No mega children's program.
No pews.

Just a guy with a guitar & a message.
A group of welcoming people.
And .... intimacy.

Sunday night I was invited to speak with a group of ladies from a much larger church. There was about the same number of ladies in this one group than we shared worship with in the morning. As I waited for my turn to speak, they shared their prayer, laughter, hugs,
And .... intimacy.

This morning, I have been preparing for our book study on Crazy Love. Francis Chan's thoughts today....you guessed it .... intimacy.

How often do we worship, pray, study out of obligation and not out of a desire to know him intimately? Do our worship services reflect intimacy with God? Can we obtain spiritual intimacy with one another and with God in a large worship experience?

Intimacy is defined by Miriam Webster as "marked by very close association, contact, or familiarity". Making associations with God and each other strengthens our bonds together. Each association and contact create another layer of connection.

Thank you God for making me aware of the spiritual intimacy I am missing with you and with others. I pray that I find it again.

Do not let our <3 HEARTS <3 be hardened.

2010-01-16T10:05:00.000-06:00

Watch this. And watch it again. And again. Do NOT harden your heart.

Pray that God remove the scales from our eyes so that we can see the reality of what is going on around us and work with HIM to promote justice.

Ecclesiastes 4
1-3 Next I turned my attention to all the outrageous violence that takes place on this planet—the tears of the victims, no one to comfort them; the iron grip of oppressors, no one to rescue the victims from them. So I congratulated the dead who are already dead instead of the living who are still alive. But luckier than the dead or the living is the person who has never even been, who has never seen the bad business that takes place on this earth.

Are you a church leader ----->>>> participate in Freedom Sunday February 21, 2010!

Join together and help stop innocent children from being abused, trafficked and experiencing things worse than we in our protected circles could ever imagine!! www.notforsalecampaign.org

Messy Place

2009-12-21T07:00:00.000-06:00

It's NOT too late!

2009-12-18T10:10:00.003-06:00

Flu may seem to be waning, but I promise you this is just the calm before the storm. H1N1 flu is definately on the decrease - largely in part due to the huge vaccination efforts by yes, your government. Oops sorry that's another post! :)

Seasonal flu typically peaks in February and must I remind you H1N1 flu began it's sweep in the spring. This is a perfect time to still get your H1N1 & seasonal flu vaccines. The lines are short and there is plenty of vaccine. Come January or February - you will be in the same position as the desperate parents furiously looking for a zhu zhu pet this week.

Make it easy on yourself - take advantage of the kids being out of school - visit your local health department and get everyone vaccinated. It will be the best gift you can give this holiday season... Good Health.

Tulsa Residents:

Tulsa Health Department

5051 S 129th East Avenue

Tulsa, OK

Monday - Thursday 8-4

Friday 8-11

Tulsa Health Department

1416 E 15th Street

Tulsa, OK

Monday - Thursday 8-4

Friday 8-11

Tulsa Health Department

315 S Utica

Tulsa, OK

Monday -Thursday 8-4

Firday 8-11

Collinsville Health Department

Call for Hours

596-8650

Bixby Health Department

Call for Hours

369-3155

Sand Springs Health Department

306 E Broadway

Sand Springs, OK

591-6100

Mondays & Wednesdays 8-11 & 1-4

Creek County Health Department

Call for Hours

224-5531

Neighbors Along the Line

5000 W Charles Page

Tulsa, OK

Monday Evening December 28th

430-630

His Servant Mary

2009-12-16T07:17:00.005-06:00

⁴⁵Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!" Luke 1:45

Each year during the holidays, we find ourselves in the scripture reading the details of the birth of the one who makes our Faith possible, Jesus Christ. Sunday morning was like no other as we reflected on his birth in our small group and in worship. As many do, we were studying the book of Luke. After we went home, I was reading Luke 1 again, and the Holy Spirit really spoke to me through the first few verses.

²⁶In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, ²⁷to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. ²⁸The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." ²⁹Mary was greatly troubled at his words ....

Mary's response stuck with me as I reflected on these words, "greatly troubled". I wondered what greatly troubled looked like in Mary. Was she distraught? Was she overwhelmed with fear? Did she wonder how on Earth this plan could ever be fulfilled? Was she grieved at the anticipated criticism of her family and friends? Was she trying to work out in her mind how the rest of her life would look like? Was she grieving for the potential losses that may lay ahead, her betrothed, her family, her innocence ...

This passage left me wondering. If Mary had not submitted, would God still have used her as the mother of the Savior of the World? I've always assumed that Mary was the appointed mother of God. But what if she had said no. After reading her response, I think God did allow her a choice in her "crisis of faith moment".

Mary was given the description of her upcoming assignment. ³⁰But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. ³¹You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. ³²He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, ³³and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

Mary then questioned the details of Gabriel's description. Once again trying to get her mind around what was being asked of her. I can only imagine the many questions that raced through Mary's mind. But then as almost in the very next breath, she confidently looked to her Lord and submitted, "

³⁸"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her."

I think of the moments God has put out "assignments" for me to fulfill. Although hardly comparable to bearing the "Son of God", however my response is often the same as Mary's, full of questions and fears. Trying to figure out how His request can be possible.

That's it, though. Mary could never explain in mortal words an understanding of how God was to act. Even upon Christ's death, she stood agonizing over the turn of events. Grieving as a mother would the loss of her son, I think only upon His resurrection would Gabriel's prediction be completely fulfilled for Mary. It would have been impossible for God to have revealed to her all that was to take place throughout the life of her Son.

God, I pray for faith like Mary - the ability to offer myself as your servant. Accepting blindly what you may have in store in order to fulfill your purposes is sign of true spiritual maturity and a oneness with God. I hope one day I can have an ounce of Mary's obedience.

Thank You!

2009-12-11T15:44:00.003-06:00

Thanks to the Southwood Choir who brought two overflowing bags of groceries and a TURKEY! I must say whoever did the shopping must know us very well because all of our very favorites were in there! Apple Juice! Goldfish Crackers! Chocolate Pudding! And all the vegetables. Thank you so much. WE have an amazing church family.

GOOD NEWS! Devon is starting work on Monday. The job is a contract position. We are grateful for this opportunity and look forward to what lies ahead!

Making my list, checking it twice....

2009-12-09T06:17:00.004-06:00

The Maynard Family is going on month five. Five months of being a one income household. I have to say up til now things have gone pretty smoothly. This week, though, was a real humdinger. :) I think the reality of the saturated job market, Devon's end of football, the ever slimming budget, and the pressures of life collided into one big train wreck at our home. Don't freak out -- we're cool, I just want to be real. Life's been hard this week.

For the past year, Devon & I have bragged to one another about how fabulous our marriage has been. I guess after 12 years of being together, our lives together finally seemed to meld. Don't get me wrong, if you've been around us you can hear us banter, but especially in this last year we have really hit a pinnacle of satisfaction and comfort in one another. We also feared that where the Devil sees spiritual success he will attack fiercely to tear apart. Reassuring one another and keeping our spiritual shield up, I think these past five months we have handled the pressure of joblessness well. Since 80% of divorcees cite financial problems as the culprit of the failure of their marriages, I know Devon and I have to protect our marriage with a vengeance. I am so grateful that our troubles have kept us clinging and not fleeing from one another.

The day after Devon was laid off, I started a list on my phone notes. I titled it "Blessings from God". I knew at that moment God would provide for us, but I did not want to forget all the little things that he sent my way. This week as we've dealt with our struggles, I have returned to my blessings list to remind my self of the great Jehovah Jirah who foresaw the unforeseen and began providing before we could even know our needs. I thought I would share a few of these blessings with you today....

No more Oklahoma Tax Commision payments - We paid off our taxes with Devon's last paycheck (OTC is a long story, I can share with you another time, just pray you never owe them money) :)
Severance pay & unemployment
Affordable insurance through my job
Qualified for reduced lunches @ kids school
Opportunity to pursue ministry
Alter Prayer with Friends (some great friends of ours inspired us and wept with us as we looked with fear into the future)
PAID OFF OUR TAURUS
Giving to church and to others in need
Kids Relationship With Their Dad (he is now their before and after school care, if I happen to pick them up from school, first question is Where's Dad?)
Regaining our spiritual foot hold
Gift cards given to us by friends
Demonstrating faith in action to our children
Enjoying the simple things
Love and Prayers of our friends

This is an abbreviated list, but you can see how God has blessed us in the midst of our troubles. I know this week has been tough, but we haven't lost our footholds, we put ourselves in the rock of Christ Jesus, who even if we have nothing, will be our Everything!

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.

My Humble Thank You

2009-11-15T18:10:00.002-06:00

To whoever you are.... Anonymous Santa Claus -

Thank You! I'm humbled when given to so graciously. Thanks for taking the time to read my musings & bless you for the Gift Cards! And as you know from my previous post .... I will make them go a very long way!

I appreciate your thoughtfulness and generosity.

Sincerely,

Mere & Family

My Obsession

2009-11-10T14:14:00.003-06:00

I've posted before my passion for good deals. Since Devon has been without a job - I decided to take on the couponing frenzy. I must say, it can be a lot of work, BUT it has more than paid off. A month or so back, I had my friend who is a guru of coupons come over and chat with some of my friends about the ins and outs that have worked for her. She really got me seatbelted in the band wagon. I thought I would share some great links with you that might be interested in some great deals.

www.wickedcooldeals.com (this is my favorite! you can follow her on twitter & fb as well) Although she is not local, she gives almost daily updates on things that are free or super cheap prices. She also has some great links to those who also post great deals.

http://freebies4mom.blogspot.com/ This is a new one for me - but tuned me into the latest deal of 50 free photo cards + free shipping.

www.918moms.com This is a no brainer for Tulsa area coupon shoppers. I find though because of her popularity - her tips often lead to quick depletion of discount items.

www.iheartwags.com LOVE THIS for all the great Walgreens discounts.

My favorite place to use my coupons right now is the new Super Target @101st & Memorial. They have some rock bottom new store deals right now. Today I got $77 worth of stuff for $28.

Here's a hint of some of the things I've gotten at Target: Remember you can use a Target coupon + a manufacturer coupon on one item.

Cheez It's $1.75 sale price with $1.00 Target Coupon
Quaker Chewy Granola Bars sale price $1.99 + $1 off 2 man coupon
Campbell's Condensed Soup sale price $0.59 + 0.30 off 3 man coupon
Hunts Diced Tomatoes Sale Price 0.79 + 1.00 of 3 hunts products
Kellogs Frosted FlakesSale Price 2.69 + $1 off each Target coupon + $1.00 off 2 man coupon
3 lb Granny Smith Apples Sale Price $1.89 + $1 off Target coupon
Coffee Mate Creamer Sale Price $1.50 + 0.50 off man coupon
Fusion Four Count Razers Clearance $7.68 - $3 off man coupon
Cover Girl Eye Pencils - 2 pack Regular Price $2.89 - $2.50 off any two covergirl products
Herbal Essence Hair Products $2.79 + BOGO free coupon
Aussie Hair Prodcuts $2.79 + $1.00 off man coupon
Tostitos sale price 1.75 - Target $1.00 off two coupon
Kleenex 3 pack pocket size 0.97 - 0.50 off man coupon
Target coupon $5 off purchase of $20 beauty products
$10 gift card with new prescription in pharmacy

It was a bad day to be sick but a great day of deals at Target! Loved it!

Are you a pharisee?

2009-11-09T07:22:00.004-06:00

I visited my mom this past weekend and attended church services at First Baptist in Enid. I always enjoy Pastor Keith Miller's messages but this past Sunday he preached straight from the conviction of his soul and stirred many sitting in his congregation Sunday morning. The church was celebrating his 10 year anniversary and he did make the comment he hoped it wasn't his last after the message he delivered. It was so refreshing to hear a man speak of his convictions without political or an ulterior agenda. He spoke from 1 Corinthians 13, a chapter you often hear referred to as the "love chapter". His exposition of the verses was fresh and new. I have quoted some of the most riveting points for you. Reading them over a few times, reflect on each one and consider how they might affect you and your spiritual demeanor. I certainly have some work to do in my own life.

Anger:
In your anger - do not sin
If you are not rooted in love - keep your mouth shut
What is the intent of your anger?
What is the motive of your heart?
Jesus anger was caused by the hardness of hearts of those who knew God.
Jesus controlled His anger and was not controlled BY his anger.
The fruit of the spirit is self control.
Jesus released his anger once he expressed himself.

The church does a better job of promoting what we are against than sharing what we are all about - "the Gospel"

We have more means than ever to share the gospel and yet we do the very least.

Are you afraid of loosing your position in exchange for promoting the position of Christ?

We don't have to vindicate ourselves but rather share the gospel with love.

Are we more like the pharisees or more like Jesus?

Your Flu Questions Answered

2009-11-06T04:32:00.003-06:00

Flu. It's been a heck of a flu season so far. This one will definitely be going down in the books. Thought I would share with you some of the most common concerns and information I have heard through this flu season.

Is the H1N1 vaccine safe?
Absolutely. I understand your hesitance. I too was reluctant initially. However, I never recommend a vaccine or procedure or medicine until I have done my own research. The H1N1 vaccine is made identically like seasonal flu vaccine. The CDC says that if H1N1 flu had appeared earlier - the strain most likely would have been contained in the season flu vaccine. Because of the declaration of pandemic flu, National Institutes of Health and the manufacturers were allowed to have fewer testing and clinical trials - BUT they chose not to and even conducted higher scrutiny tests than required for typical production. Millions have taken the vaccine without any complication or severe side effects... well except for that curly tail they grew.... KIDDING! Rest assured, the H1N1 vaccine is safe. My entire family has taken it.

If I have already had the H1N1 flu, do I need the vaccine?
Yes. Although you may have some immunity to reinfection, the vaccine will help boost your immunity to the H1n1 flu.

How quickly will the vaccine work?
8-12 days.

When can I get a seasonal flu vaccine?
As H1N1 vaccine production slows, season vaccine production should increase. At the health department we expect shipments of seasonal flu after Thanksgiving. Seasonal flu typically peaks in February. So December is plenty of time to get your seasonal flu vaccine.

I am over 64 years old, why can't I get a H1N1 vaccine?
Right now, the research is showing that young adults and children are having worse complications of H1N1 flu. Since vaccine is in limited quantity, it is imperative to vaccinate the groups at highest risk initially. I anticipate the age restrictions to be lifted soon.

Where can I get a H1N1 vaccine?
Tulsa Area
Statewide Locations

For reliable information about the flu, visit www.flu.gov

Hope this helps - feel free to send me any questions or concerns you might have.

Glee owns me!

2009-10-24T23:06:00.002-05:00

Have you seen the new show on fox, Glee? I heard the buzz from friends and decided to catch it on hulu.com. Consider it a cocktail of the office, fnl, and hs musical. Despite that... it's fabulous. I have pasted in a preview from episode eight. I'm a fan!

Flu Shots?

2009-10-17T15:10:00.001-05:00

How can I help you?

2009-10-15T05:57:00.004-05:00

Warning to all.... This is a mini rant. :)

This past week, I have been a victim of horrible customer service. I am beginning to feel a tad bit old when I find myself thinking things are just not what they should be.

I'm at Arby's drive through. Of course, I had a coupon $3.99 combo meal (they're like 6.50 now - so this is a very good deal!). As often requested I notified the attendant of my coupon prior to ordering - she informs me to go ahead. I pull around and apparently she has entered the order in to the register incorrectly and now the system will not accept the coupon. Instead of simply handing me my food and taking my money. She calls a manager... who then proceeds for five minutes (I am NOT exaggerating) swiping the register at least twenty times with her "manager" card trying to correct the problem - the mean time my food is cooling off for me just outside my reach and I am loosing more and more time from my lunch. And to top it off NO APOLOGIES for my wait

Next day - Sonic. (I really just need to take my lunch). Once again I have a coupon for a free $1 menu item. I'm in a rush - because I'm leaving straight from work to deliver an inservice at another agency. I order a Jr. Wrap - They bring me two! And of course charge me for the extra. I informed her of my correct order. Correct Action - Give me my order subtract a dollar from the total. Nope. She wants to take my entire order back inside and figure out what to do! Are you kidding me??

Rib Crib - 99 cent kids meals - Devon and the kids came over to take me to lunch. First of all I asked for Ranch FOUR TIMES!! That's an embarrassment. And she calculated our ticket wrong - of course with regular price for kids meals.... and to top it off we had to wait nearly 1/2 hour for our food. Geez....

Walgreens - I had a small purchase (two grocery items and a sinus wash for Parker). I went to the pharmacy counter to pay and pick up a prescription for Jessalyn. Two people in front of me. Both new customers with prescriptions. I don't know if the girl was new or just incompetent but you would have thought she was creating the next cure for cancer. Each time she stared blankly at her computer screen with the two new customers. I kid you not I stood in line for 15 Minutes!!! Ridiculous. Then when I went to check out she couldn't get the sinus wash to ring up - I said forget it. Then she rang up the rest of my purchases.... and then could not figure out how my FSA card worked! Are you kidding me? My kids were in the car, the prescription was only $10 - so I told her to forget it and I just paid cash. Seriously???

So I know the clerk at my clinic gets tired of me harping about customer service.... but seriously you are not ruled by the register or the computer that you put data into. Your patrons should come first no matter how rude they are to you. I promise if you smile, put them first, empathize with their situation ... you are guaranteed a happy customer.

Being on par in terms of price and quality only gets you into the game.
Service wins the game.
TONY ALESSANDRA

Flu Fever

2009-10-06T06:19:00.003-05:00

Flu fever has hit our house.... I had a strange feeling that since I was a public health nurse we would be immune to the capture of this nasty disease. I confidently sent Parker to the doctor for a diagnosis of a sinus infection and was arrogantly argumentive that he COULD NOT have the flu.

Apparently - our pediatrician, the medical director at the health department and medimmune (the flu mist manufacturer) all disagreed with me. PBFFF!!

So on to some pricey Tamiflu for the family and lots of TLC for little man.

It's kind of scary with the recent H1N1 flu death this past week in Tulsa, however, it seems like almost everyone else is recovering without much complication.

Latest news from the Health Department front... we are currently offering free flu shots at all of our local clinics. Check out www.tulsa-health.org for locations and times. We received our first shipment of H1N1 flu mist - it's in a secure bunker and being distributed to high risk areas first. The H1N1 vaccinations will be released in the next coming weeks to the general public.

In the meantime... follow normal flu precautions and if you are sick or child is sick STAY HOME!!!

“Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal.”- Isaiah 26:4

F E A R .

2009-09-23T06:58:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday God really spoke to me through our Sunday Morning Bible Study - Here's what we read....

John 6:16-21In the evening his disciples went down to the sea, got in the boat, and headed back across the water to Capernaum. It had grown quite dark and Jesus had not yet returned. A huge wind blew up, churning the sea. They were maybe three or four miles out when they saw Jesus walking on the sea, quite near the boat. They were scared senseless, but he reassured them, "It's me. It's all right. Don't be afraid." So they took him on board. In no time they reached land—the exact spot they were headed to.

The disciples were in their home - the sea. Most of them being fisherman were very comfortable managing rough seas - this was their comfort zone. But for nearly 6 hours they had been banged up by a horrible, unmanageable storm. They were AFRAID!

And then when they saw Jesus coming at them on the water - they were jump out of your sandals terrified!

They took heed though of Jesus reassurance, let him get in the boat and allowed him to control the storm.

What are you fearing today? Are you willing to let God "get in the boat with you, reassure you and manage your troubling seas"? Jesus had compassion on his terrified disciples and he has compassion on you as well.

If your fear is renewing your relationship with Christ all together, trust Him. His desire is to be your shelter from the storm.

One More Day

2009-09-11T22:12:00.003-05:00

I wrote this when my dad's fight with cancer was nearing an end ..... I found it in some stuff I was sorting through today. Thought I would share since many are going through similar struggles.

One More Day

One season fades to the next, another holiday concludes. Family gathers then disperses. Chattering about the next get together. I, too, anticipate the future but my true fervor lies in tomorrow.

One more day I pray, although I'm worn and my body resists, Lord just grant me one more day.

One more day of gazing over the land. Fond memories of family, friends, and just life, replay in my mind as if it were just yesterday.

One more day, Lord, of siting with friends bartering tales and predictions. Joking and enjoying the company of my companions.

Lord, one more day of holding her hand my bride and best friend, my comfort and strength.

One more day of embracing my daughter. Watching with pride as she and her husband stand together. Growing their family just as I did with mine.

One more day of playing with my grandkids watching them run and dance and laugh. Enjoying their innocence and energy. Lord their mere presence puts a joyful smile in my heart.

Lord, I know you promise me deliverance, freedom from pain and suffering, a new home, a new body, your angels wait for you command but for now God I just ask for one more day.

Love em!

2009-09-08T22:04:00.002-05:00

Funny things my kids said today....

Parker has been telling us flag football is for girls. Since he plays tackle football, we were afraid he was teasing his classmates that are participating in a flag league. Tonight as we are leaving football practice - he points over to the color guard practicing on the field - See mom I told you flag football is for girls!

Jessalyn's prayer tonight: God - please teach us to obey and not be like Jonah - because we know you will just spit us out where you want us anyway.

Re-post: Itâs Not the Size of Your Programs or Number of Staff Thatâs Holding Your Church Back!

2009-09-03T13:28:00.001-05:00

Re-post: Itâs Not the Size of Your Programs or Number of Staff Thatâs Holding Your Church Back!

Shared via AddThis

Bike RIde

2009-08-27T06:32:00.003-05:00

Just finished an exhilirating bike ride. I thought I would give myself a break from walking and take a bike ride this morning. Wow! Riding by myself really pushes me more than riding with the kids. :) Since I don't have to stop every block to wait for Parker to cut across the sidewalk, I loose the little bits of rest.

As I was riding - just as when I walk - I conversate with God. Typically, it's like oh dear God help me finish this walk. But as I was going on this "easy" ride this morning, we had some more heart to hearts.

I decided to push myself everytime I came to a hill or incline to go as hard as I could. Ouch! There were a few times that even though I was pushing as hard as I could I felt like I was
b a r e l y moving! But as you crest that hill and see the other side - and as the rush of a cool breeze greets you soaring down the hill - its an INCREDIBLE feeling.

God reminded me of how in my own life I have to PUSH through the tough times - the hills in my life. But how glorious the breeze that meets me on the other side. His glory and grace refreshes me.

The past few weeks have been difficult in the Maynard house with different trials we've been faced with. However, they are nothing compared to the trials of cancer facing my many friends around me - Jeanne, Connie, Ronda, Sarah, Cash. The good news is that even though your own strength may not be able to take you past the hill, God's strength can - he will take you even if he has to carry you over the hill so that you too can be refreshed in his Glory.

The cost of obedience may seem like too much - but believe me you will NEVER regret trusting in Him.

The last leg of my walk and ride is always the easiest - it shouldn't be - but you see the prospects of making it home .... you have the strength of what you have accomplished behind you and you find a little bit more to take you home.

I hope you find some comfort in Christ today and strength to face what lies ahead!

Love this ... Crowder's Remedy

Here we are Here we are The broken and used Mistreated, abused Here we are Here You are Here You are The beautiful one Who came like a Son Here You are So we lift up our voices We open our hands To cling to the love That we can’t comprehend Oh, lift up your voices And lift up your heads To sing of the love That has freed us from sin He is the one Who has saved us He is the one Who embraced us He is the one who has come And is coming again He’s the remedy Here we are Here we are Bandaged and bruised Awaiting a cure Here we are Here You are Here You are Our beautiful King Bringing relief Here You are with us So we lift up our voices And open our hands Let go of the things That have kept us from Him He is the one Who has saved us He is the one Who forgave us He is the one who has come And is coming again He’s the remedy Oh, I can’t comprehend I can’t take it all in Never understand Such perfect love come For the broken and beat For the wounded and weak Oh, come fall at His feet He’s the remedy He’s the remedy So sing, sing You are the one Who has saved us You are the one Who forgave us You are the one who has come And is coming again To make it alright Oh, to make it alright You’re the remedy Oh, in us You’re the remedy Let us be the remedy Let us bring the remedy

Sesame Street Gets Healthy

2009-06-22T04:20:00.000-05:00

Elmo, Big Bird, even the Grouch are educating kids and parents about healthy lifestyles on their website. Check out some great articles and videos at http://www.sesamestreet.org/parents/topics.

CANCER SUCKS!

2009-06-21T16:46:00.003-05:00

I've seen the slogan for the nonprofit lots of places - Cancer Sucks! I agree!!

I have to say loosing two parents to cancer was tough. Devon and I both sat with his mom and my dad as we watched them give their last breath to the devastating and vicious disease.

As hard as that was, I could NEVER imagine my children or even my spouse endure the trial of cancer. I'm not going to lie, it's one of my biggest fears.

Two of our good friends at church, both close to my age, are in the trenches right now, fighting the cancer with all their might! Last week, our neighbors who had moved her from Iowa to take their daughter Cancer Treatment Centers, said good bye to their daughter as she was rescued from cancer to join Jesus. Last week, I also learned that James, a high school classmate, is in his last days as a victim to a brain tumor. James has small children that are going to grow up without him because of cancer.

Now today, I'm cruising around on facebook, and learn that an elementary classmate's wife is headed to MD Anderson for a second opinion on what seems an aggressive malignancy.

Seriously?? Seriously?? Am I worried about pitiful and pathetic stuff in my life when friends are fighting for indeed their very own lives???

What is God teaching me in hearing and experiencing all of this? Gratitude for my health? Contentment? A new urgency toward prayer?

I'm not really sure.... but He has my attention. And my friends have my commitment to pray for them.

If you want to follow them....

www.caringbridge.org/sarahfalcon
www.metishawelsh.blogspot.com

Please also keep Ronda and James in your prayers.

National Men's Health Week

2009-06-19T04:15:00.000-05:00

Check out this website to see how to prevent the top 10 threats to men’s health. Guys, how many are you doing or not doing? Gals, share this with your favorite men.

https://mail.tulsa-health.org/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/mens-health/MC00013/METHOD=print

Converstions With Parker

2009-06-18T05:44:00.000-05:00

While riding in car,

Parker: Mom, when I'm 18, I'm going to drive a mustang.

Me: Really? What's a mustang look like?

Parker: I don't know, but they are FAST!

Me: That's true. *not on my insurance

Parker: Mom, will I still live with you when I am 21?

Me: Maybe, maybe not. *sounds good, makes me sad to think he will move out

Parker: I'm going to live with you until I am thirty.

Me: Oh, ok....*but, eww, not that long

Parker: When I am 18, I'm going to college. Then I'm going to work at Wal Mart.

Me: Great. *hope it's in management

Parker: But I'm not getting married until I am thirty, because on my day off, I'm going to buy

toys!

Me: *that's usually what 30 year old boys do anyway, married or not...

l love my Parker conversations. :)

Gaining Momentum

2009-06-17T14:13:00.006-05:00

Hello My Blogging Friends!

I know, I know, long time no write. Think of me as a bipolar blogger, I'm either on or off, no half way in between. Don't worry, I've had lots of great thoughts out there, but no time to sit down and write. I miss it, it's definitely my cheap therapy!

Little update on the whole diet & exercise craziness which is one reason I've been sluggish getting on to write. I'm still hitting the gym almost every day, typically five out of seven days. I keep thinking that getting up at 5 AM is going to get easier.... hahahaha..... hasn't happened yet. But totally worth it as I have now lost 24 pounds in 8 weeks!!! I might hit that goal sooner than I thought. :)

I know many of my readers are family and friends.... so you know, once I get ready to do something I turn somewhat obsessive. Reading everything, planning and preparing step by step plans. It's my persistence that usually poops out. But this time, things seem different. I sure hope so! Keep praying for God to give me the inspiration and motivation to keep my rear in gear!

The best motivation to diet & exercise: RESULTS!

My one issue is extreme fatigue. I'm open to any thoughts on this one. I thought maybe I wasn't getting enough sleep, so I'm pretty much a Nazi now about getting in bed at least by 1030. If I get less than five hours of sleep, I don't go to the gym. Weird, but I actually feel let down when I can't go. Seriously, what is wrong with me??? This is crazy talk!

I checked my hemoglobin (iron) at work and it was fine. But I am still trying to insert more protein into my diet. So I'm pretty much out of options.

I finally gave in and went to the doctor. All my blood work was fine.... Going to try to cut my antidepressant dose in half to see if that has any effect. Weight loss and exercise should improve depression symptoms so maybe I'm getting too much. Wouldn't that be cool, if I didn't have to take my happy pills any more! I mean of course, if I could still be happy without them. :)

So.... my diet and exercise is still my obsession, and if you are with me for more than five minutes, you can pretty much count on me blabbing on about it. And oh yes, I will proudly boast about my weight loss and diet changes. So just bear with me and be delighted in my enthusiasm.

Later Friends!!

In Honor of My Upcoming Anniversary...

2009-05-31T07:09:00.000-05:00

Guest

2009-05-28T06:42:00.003-05:00

My friend Mike Conn wrote an amazing note the other day - wanted to share it with you guys!

The Eyes of a Father

JD was getting ready to lay down for his nap and asked me to lay down with him. .... If I'm being honest...I stalled for a bit, thinking once he laid down I would have a window to check some e-mails and make a few phone calls, so I told him "I"ll come check on you in a few minutes."

Again he asked me to lay down with him...I couldn't say no. So I come back 5 minutes later and he was out-so I was in the clear to do my stuff I had already planned...but I couldn't leave the room...I was locked in on his beautiful little face while he was sleeping.

...I watched him sleep, I listened to him breathe...he wasn't singing to me, he wasn't playing his guitar like we do together, not playing the drums, not telling me how much he loves me or trying to make me laugh...he was resting...he was doing what a young boy his age is supposed to do at nap time :)

Then it hit me...If a selfish, anxious, judgemental, short on patience Daddy like me can sit in the symphony of my son's breathing while he is asleep and feel the pride, love, and joy I felt in that moment--how then must my God, my Abba Father feel about me and you. Even if I am not performing for Him, specifically praying to Him, or wondering how I can do more for Him or attempting to "grow His Kingdom"...how much more does He delight in my.

Delight is not a word I typically use, but that is precisely the word I thought of this afternoon, and the only word I can think of from My Father toward me...He delights in me...in spite of me and my actions. He just loves me. Let that marinate for a bit. In spite of my failures...daily failures, my best intentions and most selfish actions...He loves me just the way I am.

Father forgive me now as I am still trying to impress You. I try to word my prayers so that I get pats on the back. I want you to be impressed and wowed by all that I am doing "for You" and the excellence that I do it with...I forget...or don't purpose to guard my time with You. Please grant me and my amigo(a)s that are reading this some time with You...help us to see our time with You through the eyes of our Father.

Even though I am still a work in progress...I am His.

Loosing weight is hard to do...

2009-05-21T11:40:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to update all of you. The workout & diet routine is going very well. I have to keep telling myself it's definitely a "push and pull" experience. Trying to find the best balance in diet as well as keeping physically active is difficult. Discovering a good fit is still a work in progress but I feel like I have overcome some hurdles.

I've created a short question / answer flow sheet, I try to utilize, every time I get hungry. Being an emotional eater, I felt this was very important to analyze my hunger, rather than just try to subdue it. I think this tends to be another aspect of my obsessive personality, but we will not address that now, besides do you really want to hear all about MY problems. :) So here is my Hunger Algorithm.

#1. Is my hunger physical or emotional?

a. When did I eat last?

b. Identify emotion - bored, tired, anxious, upset?

c. If it has been more than 3hours without eating, plus I am not experiencing eating related emotions, I can have a light, healthy snack.

#2. If hunger is based on my current emotion, then consider alternative coping mechanism.

#3. Drink a bottle of water.

#4. Find an activity or project that is "hands - on". Keeping my hands busy, keeps them from putting food into my mouth.

#5. Chew some gum.

#6. Talk a walk, play with kids, GET ACTIVE.

#7. Call a friend.

#8. Review my top ten reasons why I want to loose weight.

#9. Reassure myself, that being hungry will not kill me. I will not die from hunger. And if I can make it through 10 minutes of a hunger pang, it will typically pass.

#10. Go back to #1.

I'm not going to lie, there have been times already I absolutely do not want to go through these ten steps, BUT if I do them, 9 times out of 10, they work. And sheesh that's 9 too many food items I didn't consume. So yea! Hope this maybe helps some of you who are also trying to battle the bulge!

Later friends!

Go Green!

2009-05-20T11:27:00.000-05:00

My grandmother Elsie passed away of breast cancer, shortly before I was born. I never met my grandmother in person. The stories from my dad, aunts & uncle as well as cousins and friends creates a vivid picture in my mind though. I often feel like I knew her myself.

She was a very conservative woman, both in her values, beliefs, and resources. The family tells me stories of how she would gently unwrap gifts, carefully saving every last bit of gift wrap, then later would delicately cut them into squares to use as decorative stationary. She also often saved leftovers from meal times to put in stews and soups. Her generation along with her innate personality created a very resourceful lady.

In the 70's, Grandma Elsie was referred to as "tight", "frugal", and even loosely "cheap". Isn't it ironic, though, now all of those activities are referred to now as "green" activities. The family laughed at Grandma Elsie, then, but had she been a few decades later, she could have wrote books about her resourcefulness.

How Green Is Your Family? Check out this article for great ideas to help contribute back to the environment. Remember it is just a "gift" to us.

Worried about how to insure your college student....

2009-05-19T11:02:00.001-05:00

College Students

Full time college students attending an accredited college may now be eligible for Insure Oklahoma health coverage.

Full-time Oklahoma college students, ages 19 through 22, not employed or working at any size business (income guidelines remain the same as other adults at 200 percent FPL) may apply beginning March 1, 2009.
Along with their application, college students will be required to submit a copy of their FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) in addition to all other necessary documents.

College students may become qualified for Insure Oklahoma in one of two ways:

The college student is deemed a dependent of their parent according to the FAFSA. In this situation the family’s household income must meet the income guidelines for Insure Oklahoma.

The college student is deemed independent of their parent according to the FAFSA. In this situation only the college student’s household must meet the income guidelines for Insure Oklahoma.

Program Capacity
A total of 3,000 college students may be enrolled with Insure Oklahoma and are funded through state appropriations.
Accredited Colleges
Apply Online Apply Paper Form
Please contact us if you have further questions.

Welcomed Weekend!

2009-05-15T07:42:00.003-05:00

About six months back, my very good friend Jeana called me up and said, "Hey, we're going away for a weekend together, you and me, when and where do you want to go?". This is very characteristic of Jeana. She's a very take charge kind of girl, which as you know is a girl after my own heart. After coinciding our calendars a million times and a few sunk attempts, we finally nailed down a weekend nestled right between Mother's Day and Memorial Day.

Jeana and I go back. We actually met through Devon. Jeana and her husband Mike went to college with Devon. While Devon was youth pastor, he invited Mike to help out with a revival at our church in Muldrow. That was the first time Jeana and I met and we clicked instantaneously!

Both of our husbands were in the ministry so we had a lot of commonalities to talk about. If you aren't aware, when you are on staff at a church, it's nearly impossible to have open and honest relationships. You live and breathe and eat church... but yet you can't really talk to anyone about things that are going on. And when you do open up to a "trusted" friend, many times it comes back to haunt you. Don't get me wrong, I love church, and if you aren't involved you need to be. But being on staff is truly a calling and a very, very difficult life for young married couples trying to lead a ministry, start a family and live on a meager wage.

Our husbands both stepped back from ministry and we found ourselves all gravitating to the OKC area. So Devon & I moved first and then Mike & Jeana joined us. And when I say "joined us" I mean they moved in. It was a cracked up few months, but we survived. Jessalyn was about 9 mos old and Jeana just found out she was pregnant. We clung to each other as our husbands, neither with a college degree or any kind of experience outside of pizza delivery and youth ministry, struggled to find jobs.

I like to think of us as survivors of the ministry. Recently Mike has went back to children's ministry and is thriving at his church in Idabel. Experience, age and understanding of God's will, I believe has given them more tolerance for the strife of ministry.

Devon & I as many of you know are very active in our own church. Devon ministers as a deacon. And the both of us lead a young adult small group. I consider it being in the ministry with out all the strife. :) But God is leading us and we are diligently praying for God's future for us and how we are to be involved in ministry.

So back to our weekend....

No kids. No husbands. No schedules. No work. Don't get me wrong we love all of those things, but sometimes you need a little getaway. Jeana arrived about two hours ahead of me and called me from the hotel. She sounded like a giddy little girl. I asked her if she was going to take a nap - we both are big fans of a nap - she said no, I'm going to Wal Mart, ALL BY MYSELF. If you are a mom of youngsters, you know what a privilege that is!

Today we intend to embark on some carefree shopping, pedicures and some good eats. I am totally stoked.

I thank God for my friends and the wonderful times we have together. I am so blessed.

Swine Flu at Andersen

2009-05-11T20:46:00.002-05:00

How about this? My kids' school shows up with 2 of the first cases of swine flu. I had to self talk everything I've told you guys about not panicking. Parker and Jessalyn didn't seem phased, however, Parker did tell me he got in trouble for taking too many squirts of hand sanitizer today. My talk about keeping his hands clean must have really affected him.

Health Dept.: Swine Flu Shouldn't Close Schools

Posted: May 10, 2009 4:23 PM Updated: May 11, 2009 10:55 AM

FEATURED VIDEO

Why Are Tulsa Schools Open Despite Swine Flu?

Enlarge this picture

Two students at Union's Andersen Elementary were also infected with swine flu.

Enlarge this picture

A custodial crew scrubbed down every inch of Jackson Elementary over the weekend.

Enlarge this picture

Melanie Christian with the Tulsa Health Department says it's not necessary to close any schools.

By Jeffrey Smith, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- There are three confirmed cases of swine flu in Tulsa, and all are linked to elementary schools.

The Tulsa Health Department is not recommending that those schools close their doors Monday morning.

A female worker at Jackson Elementary had been infected with the H1N1 virus, but returned to work Friday.

A custodial crew scrubbed down every inch of Jackson over the weekend, disinfecting everything from door handles to water fountains.

"I feel confident in the work that's being done here," Principal Tasha Johnson said.

Word came later that day that two students at Union's Andersen Elementary were also infected with swine flu. A health department spokeswoman says both have recovered and are back in class.

"The guidance that we are now getting from the centers for disease control says it is just not necessary to shut down an entire school simply because of one or two cases," said Melanie Christian with the Tulsa Health Department. "I think it's important for parents to remember that what we are seeing is a very mild virus, and that these two children, and that the adult with school contacts, all recovered without hospitalization. They had very mild symptoms, and therefore, it is safe to send your kids who are well to school."

Tulsa Superintendent Keith Ballard says he's taking precaution to the extreme.

"I do believe it is a serious situation, and I think we need to react accordingly," he said.

Neither the female employee at Jackson nor the two young students at Anderson have been to Mexico this year.

The health department says the way the schools have handled the outbreak is commendable.

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T05:17:00.000-05:00

Happy Mother's Day!

Check out this funny video from skit guys!

http://skitguys.com/store/detail/359/

A New Resolution

2009-05-09T14:15:00.004-05:00

On my recent trip to Las Vegas, I was traumatized by an incident on the airplane. My seat belt would not latch. There were no problems with my seat belt, the problem was with my waist - too big.

Not to bore you with all the emotional details and to save what's left of my dignity from this confession, I wanted to tell you how my life has changed from April 15th.

I have had a lifelong battle with my weight. I was given a wonderful set up chromosomal make up and genetic DNA which are my first road block to being thin. Second, I grew up on a farm. Real butter, fried everything, potatoes and bread were staples of every meal. Nature, nurture, and now a bad habit of emotional eating have all kept my ideal wedding weight a definite thing of the past.

Even as a young child, I've learned to compensate for my weight with humor and an extra helping of compassion for others. If you make them laugh or go out of your way to be there for someone, they are way less likely to tease you or to ostracize you from the crowd. My last three years of high school, I skinnied down to be quite "average" for my high school graduation. College was up and down but at my wedding I was at my absolute skinniest.

Now ten years later, I'm at my absolute fattest. And as Andy Stanley coins, my Defining Moment seemed to be on an airplane to Vegas. I got off the plane, told Devon, this is not going to ruin our trip but April 15th, 2010 I will weigh what I did on our wedding day. He gave me a hug and a well intentioned "you can do it".

I"ve been committed for three weeks now, 2 miles at the gym every morning on the treadmill and 1,000 calories a day. I was pretty proud of myself. Initially weight seemed to drop off, but this week, with no changes in my eating and actually working out more, I gained five pounds!!!

I'm not going to lie, as of this morning, I was all ready to throw in the towel. I know, three weeks, not that long, but 21 DAYS of eating nothing, sweating and panting at the gym and NOTHING. Seriously? So as I'm silently contemplating risk vs. benefits of this lifestyle change.... then I open up the Purpose Driven Life Devotion for today. I'll let you read it for yourself....

"I can do everything through Him who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:13 NIV).

So often we think of commandments as a list of don'ts. Instead of focusing on what we can't do, let's start looking at what we can with this list of ten "can"-mandments!

1. Instead of thinking, "It will never fly," think, "Through God's strength, it's worth the try!"

2. Replace the thought, "It won't work," with faith that, with God's strength, it will work!

3. When someone says, "It's never been done before," respond by saying, "That means God's giving us the opportunity to be the first."

4. "What if we fail?" What if we fail to try, knowing God says we can do everything through Him who gives us strength?

5. "We don't have the money." Where God guides, he provides so that we can do everything he has called us to do.

6. "We don't have the time!" Perhaps God is telling us to re-evaluate our priorities as we rely upon his direction and strength.

7. "We don't have the expertise." Maybe not, but we can learn as God directs our path.

8. "It's been tried before." But we're wiser now because we know we can do everything when we rely on God's strength instead of our own.

9. If someone says, "There are so many problems with it," respond by saying, "Yet, there are so many possibilities when we're trusting God instead of ourselves."

10. Instead of saying, "It's not working out," say instead, "Let's try it one more time, but this time focused on God and the truth that we can do this through Him who gives us strength."

"Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse" (Philippians 4:8 MSG).

I think God has bigger plans for me.... And when I say bigger, I really mean littler. :) Pray for me, if you don't mind, I want to accomplish my goal. I know if I trust God and not just myself, he'll take care of me! Hope I can post success in my next's months blog. :)

What??? Mother's Day is Sunday??

2009-05-06T16:36:00.003-05:00

Did you forget mother's day is around the corner?

Here's your rescue plan.... Bring your mom or any lady that's special to you to Southwood's Annual Ladies Tea. I promise you it will be a beautiful and tasty event.

Last year, my mom, my grandmother and my daughter all attended together. It was a very special day for us and the last time we got to spend the holiday together, since my Grandmother passed away this past year.

Make the day special, put on your party dress and plan to attend the Ladies' Tea. I hear there are great door prizes, beautiful music, and inspirational speakers.

The best part... it's only $5 and there's free childcare, for your littler ones who might not enjoy a tea so much. Jessalyn was 7, which seemed just the right age to attend the event.

Southwood Annual Ladies' Tea
Saturday, May 9th @ 1000 AM
RSVP is requested to angie@boatsplace.net.

Twitter Dee - Twitter Dumb

2009-05-06T04:18:00.000-05:00

I am so troubled. Everyone is telling me that I should do twitter. It appears so simple, but I'm confused.

Here are my problems....

I can't upload my profile picture.
How do I find people to follow? I can't even follow people that are following me.
Can I coordinate my twitter and facebook? I've seen some of you do that. But I can't figure it out! Is there an app for my Iphone to update my twitter status?
How do you do that cool twitpic thing?

I refuse to succumb to my age and fall behind current trends. I've been struggling with twitter for several weeks now. Can someone please help an old lady out??

H1N1 in Oklahoma

2009-05-05T16:15:00.002-05:00

Not like you needed me to tell you, but it's official. We now have H1N1 in Oklahoma. Here's the Tulsa Health Department Media Release.

H1N1 Influenza (Swine Flu) Confirmed in Oklahoma

(Tulsa, OK) Tulsa Health Department officials announced today that a case of 2009 H1N1 influenza (swine flu) virus has been confirmed in Oklahoma.

“The patient, a resident of Pontotoc County, is an adult female who did not require hospitalization and is expected to make a full recovery. The patient did recently travel to Mexico,” commented Tulsa Health Department Director Gary Cox.

"Tulsa County residents should not be alarmed,” Gary Cox emphasized. “State and local public health officials have been monitoring this case to limit exposure to others while confirmatory test results were pending from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Individuals who have been in contact with the patient are being interviewed and will be tested if necessary."

The symptoms of H1N1 influenza are similar to seasonal influenza and include fever greater than 100 degrees, body aches, coughing, sore throat, respiratory congestion, and in some cases, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. Physicians in Tulsa County who have patients with these symptoms and have traveled to Mexico or an affected area should send nasal and throat specimens to the state’s Public Health Laboratory for analysis.

"The virus is spread person -to-person, not by eating pork or pork products,” Gary Cox said. “There is no vaccine to prevent this new flu and the current flu vaccine used to prevent seasonal influenza will not provide protection against H1N1 flu.”

Tulsa County residents who experience flu-like symptoms should contact their physician. Some antiviral drugs may be used to treat persons at high risk of complications from the disease. Health officials caution that aspirin should not be given to children or teenagers who have flu-like symptoms, particularly fever. Instead, use medications such as acetaminophen to relieve fever and muscle aches associated with the flu. The use of aspirin in children has been associated with Reye’s syndrome, a potentially fatal disease in children, causing harmful effects to many organs, including the brain and liver.

The Tulsa Health Department reminds the public to continue to practice these recommendations to prevent the spread of influenza:

Wash hands often to protect yourself from germs.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth; germs are often spread when a person touches a contaminated object and then touches his or her eyes, nose or mouth.
Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing, or “sneeze into your sleeve.”
If you are sick, stay home from work, school, and running errands. You will help prevent others from catching your illness.

The Tulsa Health Department continues to monitor the evolving H1N1 situation through enhanced disease surveillance activities and hosting informational sessions for various groups in the community. For more information residents may visit the Tulsa Health Department web site at www.tulsa-health.org or call the public health information line at 918-595-4500.

Family from Abroad

2009-05-04T10:30:00.006-05:00

From Compton Abbas, England to.....

Pond Creek, America!
Saturday, we had the great opportunity to reacquaint with our cousins from Dorset County, England. The last time Dave & Valerie Hardiman were in the US was in 1992 when I was 16 years old. In 1996, I traveled to England with the Oklahoma Baptist All State Choir and got to visit with them for a few hours at one of our stops.

Ever since I was very young, I have been told the stories of our family's history. In fact, in the fifth grade I even interviewed my grandfather and wrote an essay about my great grandfather's trip from England and his experience with the Oklahoma land run.

The story goes that there were four brothers living in Compton Abbas, England, one of those being my great grandfather. Each of the brothers desired to move to the states. The oldest came first and worked until he had enough money for his next brother to come over. Both of them worked and saved and then sent funds to the remaining two for their journey to the United States. I believe it was due to illness, that only one of the two came to the US. The cousins that came to visit are grandchildren of the remaining brother.

I hadn't heard or told the story in several years. It was refreshing to listen to the stories again. I forgot how much I enjoyed hearing them. Not only was it a reminder of the history of our family, but also brought back memories of the pride my grandfather and father had in our family's legacy. They had a great respect for their history and the generations that continued to live and grow right in the very place they staked their original claim in the 1900's.

I look forward to passing on the stories and the history my great grandfather started over a hundred years ago. Not many have such a tangible and vested history. I'm glad I have such a story to share with my children and grandchildren. I hope that the way I live my life with integrity, initiative, and sincerity continues the legacy for my own descendants.

Life's Spankings

2009-05-03T14:27:00.003-05:00

Why does it sometimes take a painful event to “teach us a lesson”? The majority of us learned lessons as a child with a painful reminder to the seat of our pants. Many of us have had painful financial lessons that may have included loosing something important to us or a kick to our pride. And for many, experiencing a threat to our well being or the loss of a someone close to us, has brought new perspective to our lives.

James Dobson often asserts in his parenting books that a spanking, shouldn't be the aspect of physical punishment but an act to “get their attention”, a reminder of some sort to imprint a memory of wrongdoing. And for many of us kids, it took several “reminders” that we had done wrong.

People in all walks of life have asked why bad things happen to good people. Books, articles, sermons, and pod casts from an assortment of authors and speakers have attempted to answer these questions. I’ve blogged about this before.... bad things happening, struggles and so on. I’m not saying I’m an expert, but I have had a few painful reminders in my lifetime.

Let me say first, what I am NOT saying. Bad things do NOT happen because you sinned. You are not struck with cancer because you have done something wrong. You don’t loose a family member because you didn’t tithe. Of course there are consequences of sin, for example, irresponsible spending habits could lead to demise of bankruptcy. Drink excessively; you’re liver’s going to quit. These are consequences of sin. As the Bible often says, you reap what you sow.

So are we clear in my disclaimers?
God does not necessarily strike you down because of your sin.
There are natural consequences of your poor choices.

So now back to my discussion of painful reminders. So what can we make of these unexplainable events that might occur in our lives? If you’ve grown up in church like I have, you’ve heard many a testimony of “life changing moments”, a “get your attention” kind of moment. Maybe you could testify in your own life of when God “got your attention”.

Every time, there is something to learn....for me I’ve learned a few things.

Dad’s “looks” hurt a lot more than mom’s “spankings”
People who make fun of you are often compensating for their own lack of self worth
Fear of failure pushed me into God’s arms and taught me how to follow His hand (this one frequents me often) :)
Hurt inflicted by those I expected to be Christians Leaders - taught me that our faith has to be in God and not in man
Cherishing moments with my friends and family, because they won’t always be here

I’ve learned a lot through painful reminders. And I’m not going to lie or pretend like I’m some kind of super Christian. Typically, when God allows a “painful reminder” I typically immediately, cry out, “why me, why does this always happen to me”. I put out the invites for the “pity party”. Then I quiet myself and look to God for his love & comfort and the lesson that I need to learn.

So to be a Pollyanna of the Christian faith.... look toward God next time you get a life “spanking”. Ask yourself these questions. What am I supposed to be learning right now? How is God going to use this imprint to change my life? Why is God needing to get my attention? Think about it.

Rain, rain....

2009-05-03T14:25:00.001-05:00

Why the rain may not be so bad...

You don’t have to fix your hair.

You don’t have to mow your yard.

Better than wildfires.

Better than 110 degrees outside.

Green grass, green trees, bright flowers.

A break from three hectic baseball / softball schedules.

Sleepy Saturdays.

Cute rain boots.

RAINBOWS.

Swine Flu Update

2009-04-29T16:52:00.003-05:00

There are still no confirmed cases of Swine Flu in Oklahoma (as of 11am this morning). However, there in an almost inevitable possibility that we will have confirmed cases in the days to come.

Once again, let's not totally freak out. For perpective every 9 1/2 minutes, someone is diagnosed with HIV. There are only 91 confirmed cases of swine flu in the United States. There are currently no increases above our threshold level of influenza like symptoms. If you want more information on Tulsa Surveillance, check out TASS.

I will give you some heads up, the scuttle around the health department is that if there are cases confirmed in a school, that school will most likely be closed. For those of us who work, it's important that we have a childcare back up plan. The Tulsa Health department has an intensive pandemic flu plans as well as checklists for families, employers, and schools.

Now remember, Panic and Preparation are two totally different things. Preparation means making plans for a major interruption in your daily routines. Appropriate plans include keeping 4-6 weeks of water and non perishables in your pantry, making appropriate plans for child care, have 4-6 weeks of infant formula or medications that you require daily. As you go through your day, make a mental note of your activities and how that would be altered and how you could best prepare for that activity.

As you go out in the public, utilize the same infection control procedures you would during a typical flu season. Wash your hands often. Keep antibacterial wipes in your purse to wipe down grocery cart handles, public handrails, and shared exercise equipment. Remember flu is transmitted by respiratory droplets, for example a cough or a sneeze.

If there are a large number of confirmed Tulsa cases, you want to avoid being in crowded public places especially for the older persons (65 yrs & older) , very young (under 5 years) and those with chronic health problems.

Questions about Swine Flu or Preparedness, feel free to comment.

Swine Flu

2009-04-27T18:28:00.004-05:00

It's certainly captured every one's attention. The swine flu, that is. I've had questions at church, concerns from friends, and dispensed precautions to clients. Just like our annual flu season, swine flu is nothing to panic about, however, does require an extra level of awareness and self protection.

Although 100 people have died in Mexico from the Swine Flu, 10,000 people die every year in the US from the traditional flu. Hope that gives you some perspective on the numbers.

There are no vaccines for the swine flu. Some believe that your season flu vaccine may provide a bit of resistance but there is no for certain information regarding this. Primarily follow the precautions we promote during flu season. Wash your hands frequently. Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze. Stay home if you are sick.

For more detailed information, check out the CDC.

Sorry Friends

2009-04-25T09:01:00.003-05:00

Man, time can get by fast! I've heard from several of you asking for more posts. :) I feel so.... um, honored. Working full time, go to grad school full time, having two very busy children, and a husband that works 60 hours a week, I think, are all finally catching up with me. I apologize for not getting anything out sooner. I really wanted to get caught up on some blogging while on our vacation last week but both Devon and my mom threatened me NOT to take my laptop. Something about being a vacation and relaxing....

I love to write though. I've always done it out of my own personal pleasure but it truly is flattering to have so many readers. Thank you so much for your kind comments. So on to blogging..... I hope I can keep up a little better. But if you see a little lag, don't fear, I will be back. Have a good one and more blogs to come!

On the Way To The Cross

2009-04-12T05:00:00.000-05:00

I thought the Skit Guys said it best in this bit "On the Way to The Cross".

The Easter Bunny

2009-04-05T05:00:00.000-05:00

Spy Games

2009-03-26T05:17:00.003-05:00

Its seemed like another normal evening last night. But as I left the kitchen from cleaning up the evening dishes, the call of distress went out.

Spy #2, Spy #2, hurry, hurry come find you partner!!

I quickly transformed into my Spy #2 persona.

I darted to the hallway. #1 #1, I called out what's the emergency?

#1 thrust a micro bomb into my hand. IT's Going To EXPLODE! You have to stop it with the bomb stopper light saber. I grabbed the 2 inch round micro bomb and raced for the light saber for it's detonating properties. I've got it, I've got it, I told my partner, #1.

We have another problem, says #1. The spongy bombs just took over the floor. Hurry I told #1, put them in the deactivator box!

I can't, says #1, they are spewing burning acid! OH NO! I cry. Decontaminate, decontaminate! Strip off your spy gear and get in to the decontaminator. I turned on the decontaminator spray and picked up my stripped down spy partner. It might be too hot, he cries out. No I promise, it's just right. #1 lands into the decontaminator safely without objection. I carefully pick up the acid spewed spy gear and put in the appropriate container for later decontam.

And this, my friends, is how you get a 6-year-old boy into the shower.

One Last Word.... From your doctor

2009-03-25T06:57:00.000-05:00

Just so you know, I'm not the only one who thinks your teen should be vaccinated, so does your child's pediatrician.....

American Academy of Pediatrics.

Check it out. Hopefully by now, I've convince you! Now is a great time to update your adolescent's Tetanus, before summertime and it's many fun outdoor activities arrive! Make sure you child also gets their Meningitis Vaccine.

Questions, let me know!

Meningitis Victims

2009-03-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I encouraged you to immunize your teens against meningitis, but I wanted to urge you again. Here's a a link to meningitis angels, a website that tells the stories of teens and children who have become victims to meningitis.

An adolescent who is exposed to meningococcal disease can die within 24 hours of infection. Once the symptoms appear and an accurate diagnosis is confirmed, your teenaged child will have already likely succumbed to the illness. 10-15% of those infected die. 15-19% suffer debilitating side effects, such as loss of limbs, mental retardation, and renal failure. The stakes are too high to "take your chances".

I know many of you think I'm an immunization nazi, but that's ok with me. If it means your child will be spared, you can call me whatever you want! I know the last thing many teens want is a shot, but I beg you to do this for them. One shot, 30 seconds of discomfort, may mean a life saved! Totally worth it!

Meningitis Vaccine

2009-03-23T07:32:00.003-05:00

* I strongly recommend the meningitis vaccine for all kids 11 and older. Especially with upcoming summer camps, protect your child with this one time vaccination. Oklahoma has lost several children, adolescents and adults to the quickly infective strain of bacterial meningitis. Check with your doctor or visit your local county health department for vaccination information.

For more info check out the website for Menactra, the vaccine to prevent meningitis.

Spring Break Art Camp

2009-03-22T22:17:00.004-05:00

My kids went to Art Camp at Gilcrease Museum over Spring Break.
Jessalyn studied landscapes. She did really good especially since she was in the 5th-8th grade class.
Parker studied Mexican Culture. He was showing us the languages and fact sheet of Mexico.
Parker and Jessalyn's Favorite Teacher is Ms. Allison. Jessalyn has had her for two years. Parker had her this year. She is We love her!
This is the house on the Gilcrease museum campus where the kids had camp.
There are some cool walking trails from the museum down to this pond. The kids and I spent some time wandering around.

Jessalyn and Parker had a great time! I'm happy we have discovered the quite treasure of art camps at Gilcrease Museum. We look forward to it each summer and spring break!

Eat Right On A Budget

2009-03-20T09:11:00.004-05:00

Eat Right on a Budget

When money is tight and time is short, it may seem difficult to maintain a healthy diet. But mealtime doesn’t have to be costly when you’re trying to eat right. With planning, meals can be convenient, healthy and inexpensive.

Consider these ways to save money and still maintain a healthy diet:

Search online for easy one-pot recipes: Many recipe Web sites offer nutrition information and grocery lists for their meals. You can find dinner options that can last for more than one night.
Use coupons: Clipping coupons or printing them from Web sites can save you 10 percent to 15 percent on your grocery bill. Also consider joining your supermarket’s shopper’s club for price specials.
Follow portions for protein: You can still keep your costs low when shopping in the meat section. Remember a three-ounce portion of cooked meat, fish or poultry is the size of a deck of cards.
Make a meatless meal: Beans are an excellent source of protein and an inexpensive way to create a healthy meal.
Think outside the crisper: Frozen or canned fruits and vegetables will last longer than fresh versions from the produce department and are equally nutritious.
Don’t throw money away: Keep leftovers safe by refrigerating them quickly. Use before they go bad and you can stretch one meal into several.

Produced by ADA’s Public Relations Team

Looking For Inspiration

2009-03-19T05:46:00.000-05:00

I'm a fan of listening to talk. It can be any kind of talk, news, commentary, self help, motivational, inspirational...... I myself am a talker but when alone, I am also a listener. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good burst of musical inspiration, but when I am needing some spiritual instruction or guidance I like a good dose of talk. I frequently will check out books on CD from the library. My recent favorite interest is downloading POD casts to my I Phone and listening to them on the way to work. Here are two of my recent favorites:

Louie Giglio Passion Series

Andy Stanley @ Northpoint Community Church

If these two guys can't motivate you, you are fit for only God himself to intervene. They speak with such power and conviction, it is amazing. Check them out. You can download their podcasts for free from ITunes or listen directly on their respective websites.

New Party Idea!

2009-03-18T14:59:00.006-05:00

Are you tired of the same old party game ideas? Trying to find the unique idea for your kid's birthday party? I know for us as the kids get older, they get harder to please for birthday ideas.

My friend, Suzi Byrd, created Ultimate Road Challenges for my friends for several years. They are a unique and personal touch scavenger hunt. One like you would never believe. It's not just another scavenger hunt.... it truly is an Ultimate Road Challenge.

She now has started her own business at creating her unique game. Check out all the options at her new website.

From kids to adults, Suzi has a game for you. We participated in our first Ultimate Road Challenge several years ago for an Adult Christmas Party. We still talk about how much fun we had! Check out her website - you can use her road challenges no matter where you live! You'll be pleased, I promise!!

True Friends

2009-03-17T07:33:00.002-05:00

Last night, Devon & I plus kids, joined our old friends the Jones' for dinner. Brenda & Joey Jones were members of our church in Muldrow while Devon was the youth pastor. They had the daunting task of having to deal with a punk kid youth pastor and his "mindless rambling" wife trying to sort out what ministry was and how to do it. They overlooked our immaturity and inexperience and were two of our biggest supporters. We had the pleasure of having both of their daughters in our youth group at that time. Now Jennifer, their youngest, and her husband Kyle are mature and professional young adults who are members of our small group morning Bible study class at Southwood.

We hadn't seen Brenda and Joey for several years but sitting down to dinner you would have never known. They greeted us with warm hugs and big smiles. We introduced them to our children and our children sensing a comfortable relationship warmed right up to them. We caught up, recounted fun memories and laughed a lot.

Isn't it wonderful having great friends like the Jones? Friends that you can sit down and laugh with and love on and not have any reservations about your relationship. You may not have talked in years but you know that the love for one another and the mutual love for Christ still prevails.

I pray that this week allows for you to have some time with good friends. Pick a night to relax, invite some friends over or head to dinner. Enjoy some good times together. This is really what life is all about - relationship.

Have a great week!

Medication Safety

2009-03-16T05:22:00.000-05:00

When thinking about medication safety, we typically think of two primary age groups, children & the elderly. But did you know that the highest unintentional overdose death rate occurs in adults between the ages of 40-49. Children under the age of 5 and over the age of 65 are twice as likely to be seen for emergency treatment of adverse drug events.

Important things to consider about medication safety:

Ask your doctor AND pharmacist about drug interactions, especially if you see more than one physician or specialist, NEVER assume that your physician or pharmacist knows about the medications that you are taking.
Monitor medications, including creams and lozenges, for expiration dates. Many people are misled that following an expiration date, medications will be less effective. But in liquids and creams especially, evaporation can create a more concentrated dose, giving more medication than needed.
Keep medication stored properly and out of reach for children especially those under the age of 5.
Utilize pill sorters to remind you of when your last dose was and when your next dose is due to prevent unintentional double dosing.
If a person's condition is not emergent (seizures, passing out, respiratory distress, call 911) then call Poison Control (1-800-POISON-1) following any adverse medication event. You can even call poison control if your pet ingests a medication or toxic substance. The poison control call center has experts with accurate and extensive advice at their fingertips.

It's handy to keep Poison Control's number posted in case of an adverse medication event. I've unfortunately had to call twice, first when my son drank liquid Albuterol and then when Jessalyn, at age five, decided to try all five of the samples of Nasocort nasal spray in my bathroom. Neither situation was life threatening, but Poison Control was amazing. Don't be afraid to call, they can give you the reassurance that the situation will be okay or if you need to seek further treatment.

Beanie Weanies

2009-03-15T07:09:00.000-05:00

One of my all time faves, the video is bad, but this is hilarious....

The Big Game

2009-03-13T12:59:00.005-05:00

The Big Game!

Last night was quite intense at our house. Devon and I were both on the edge of our seats, well Devon was actually standing. Bedlam Basketball had our complete attention. If you know Devon, you can imagine his intensity. This is what our friend, Shannon, refers to as his “stroke level”. Drops of sweat beading at his forehead, fists clenched, his brow wrinkled tightly, he uttered curse less swearing at each of the players and officials when things weren’t in OU favor. The score bounced back and forth with each team alternating in the lead.

I was stretched back in the chair with a pseudo relaxed demeanor although inside my stroke level could have probably matched that of my husband’s. My Oklahoma State heritage pumps fiercely through my veins, but the protection of my marital security keeps me mute in competitions such as these. I secretly cheered on my Cowboys hoping to see them impede OU’s Big 12 tournament progress.

71-70 lit the scoreboard with OSU up by one point. With 2.3 seconds left, the Sooners inbounded the ball from under the OSU goal. Intensity permeated the players as it had since the first minute of the game. Sidelined players stood with coaches and fans, critical anticipation imbedded in their faces. Two rapid missed shots and after his last missed shot, OU’s Tony Croker fell to the floor desperately looking at the score board. The game clock still had 2.3 seconds left….

Sooner fans saw a glimmer of hope. Cowboy fans shushed their celebrating and looked to the officials for affirmation of the win.

Imagine yourself a fan in the stands for a moment. You’ve invested in your team. You’ve bought appropriate logo apparel, you’ve spent oodles on the tickets, you’ve put 2 ½ hours of your heart into an intense game. Being this level of competition, this is not your first ballgame. For years you have put yourself into this team to see their success. And now is the moment of truth. Who will champion in the big ballgame….

What if with 2.3 seconds were left, the upset of the year was on the line and your team, your Sooners, or your Cowboys…. looked at the score board, shrugged their shoulders and walked off the court. What if they just gave up….

We all know that’s not what happened, we know the Cowboys pulled off the win and many left elated and many left disappointed. And one privately elated and one obviously disappointed fan remained in our living room.

But what if with 2.3 seconds left, Blake Griffin threw up his hands and said I’m done. What if Bryon Eaton said the Sooners will probably pull it off, I’m headed to the locker room…. What would have I as a fan done?

Fury would be my first reaction, What?? What??? How can you do this?? We’ve all invested in you, we’re all here for victory. You can’t, you can’t quit…..

If you’ve been around enough, you could probably relate this to a situation in your own life. Situations arise where you’ve just put all you had into a person or a situation and then at what seemed like the life changing moment, it fell apart. And it was out of your hands.

I as a fan definitely could not jump down onto the court and defend top notch Sooner basketball players. It would be hilarity and disgrace to the game. And the Cowboys would loose. Whether it be a ballgame, a relationship or a life situation, there is nothing that you as a fan can do.

People and situations are going to let us down. Right or wrong, it’s going to happen. I believe that’s why God gave us a little piece of advice ….

1"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God[a]; trust also in me.”
John 14:1

Jesus gave his last pep talk to his disciples. Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Don’t let the situation we are in get you down. Trust in God. Trust in Jesus. He is the real solver of our problems.

The moment we put our faith, our hope, our trust, our spirited “fanship” into anything other than God, we will be disappointed. Trust his perfect plan and trust the comfort of his hand. I promise you it’s where you will find true victory in the life ball game.

Family Ministry

2009-03-08T18:09:00.004-05:00

Sunday afternoon, the 20 Something's Sunday School Class that Devon & I have the opportunity to teach volunteered at Tulsa's Day Center for the Homeless. Saturday afternoon, I prayed that God would use the opportunity to teach those in our class a little about humility, thankfulness and serving others. As we all know how God works, He decided to let me be that person that actually was touched by the mission opportunity.

We had four families go to the Day Center to volunteer. We brought our children as we thought this would be a great opportunity for them as well. As we toured the facility, the children stared wide eyed at the desperate situations around us. I had tried to prepare Parker for what he was about to experience, but even my most descriptive explanations couldn't accurately elicit the feelings of how one feels when walking amidst the homeless.

All of our children worked earnestly and dutifully in the task that was assigned to our group. We assembled house warming care packages for those who are able to secure individual housing. We packaged toiletries, kitchen supplies, flashlights, linens, and other various commodities. The volunteer coordinator was great as she could not give us enough positive encouragement and reminded us that they can always utilize willing volunteers.

We only spent about an hour packaging supplies while the rest of our time was devoted to a tour of the facility. If you are in the Tulsa area, this is a great opportunity for a family volunteer outing. Sunday afternoon afforded great timing. We grabbed a quick lunch after church, headed to the Day Center, and were home by 4:00.

When considering spending time together with your children, skip the movies and head to somewhere like the Day Center. The North American Mission Board even provides resources for week long family mission trips. Being active in ministry is just another way that we as parents can exemplify Christ like qualities to our children. I challenge you this week and this month to not only talk about the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering, but solidify that with a family oriented act of service.

Spring Forward & Check Smoke Alarms

2009-03-06T12:53:00.002-06:00

Don't forget, spring forward time this weekend. This is also the time to check the batteries in your smoke alarms! The US Fire Administration has some great tips for checking smoke alarms.

Father, 2 Daughters Killed In SE OKC House Fire
http://www.koco.com/weather/18868700/detail.html

Spring and Fall are good times to check/change the batteries in smoke detectors. Just today there were three fatalities reported in OKC where a smoke detector was present but it did not have a working battery. Also, remember, many smoke detectors have a life span of no more than 10 years (depends on the brand). They need to be completely replaced now and then. If you have a monitored alarm system with smoke detectors that are getting up in years, it would be a good idea to call your monitoring company.

Monday Laugh

2009-03-06T07:09:00.000-06:00

Homegoing....

2009-02-23T14:05:00.003-06:00

Last night, my 90 year old grandmother passed away. Fortunately, she had good health just up to the last few months. Even when her mind was still slipping you could still see her fiery spirit.

I know 90 years is a long life. But when it's someone you love, even nearly a century doesn't seem like enough. As I've reflected on my memories the last few days, vivid images, sensations and feelings rush over me when thinking about my Grandmother.

...the salty feeling of dough, when rolling out home made noodles .... the summer evening breeze while we sat on the bank of the pond fishing ..... the way the tips of her nails would stroke my hair when I would lay my head in her lap ..... the way she would snap "sissy" when I misbehaved ....... the smell of cut grass when outside working in the garden .... her chuckling at my antics ..... the bitter taste of crushed up adult aspirin in a spoon.... listening to the pride in her voice when talking about her grandkids....

I could write pages and pages of our fond memories together. I feel blessed to have had my grandmother for so long in my life. I'm blessed that my children had to opportunity to know her and experience their feisty great grandmother. They loved reading and playing together. Parker and Jessalyn were real treasures to Grandma!

We will miss her greatly but now she is stirring things up in Heaven. And as Parker reflected last night on his own memories, he said "mom, Grandma is probably telling Papa about me!". I agreed, I'm sure she is!

Still not a believer...

2009-02-17T18:19:00.002-06:00

My friend Shannon's baby - Kadyn - FINALLY got to go home yesterday from the hospital. YEA!!

I hope that this horrible experience on their behalf has motivated you to get your pertussis immunization. If you still have reservations, I urge you to check out the following websites.

www.doitforyourbaby.com

www.pertussis.com

Please contact me if you have concerns.

Update: Kadyn is home, but still remains on tube feedings until she has energy to take full feeding by mouth.

Shannon is still suffering from coughing spells especially when triggered by temperature changes.

Jessalyn continues to hae disabling coughing spells, limiting her activity in sports and in playing outdoors. She is able to sleep a little bit more at night since we started

Proof

2009-02-14T14:00:00.002-06:00

Fifteen years of research was validated in court last week, when the supreme court ruled, MMR vaccination had no conclusive causation in children with autism. You know what does hurt & kill children now more than ever, Measles. Encourage friends and family to get ALL the facts before making a decision to not vaccinate their children. The research shows vaccinations protect far more children than not. Feel free to ask for more information I'll be glad to help you out.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Valentine Boxes

2009-02-11T09:32:00.001-06:00

On life's highway, you will always find my family whizzing by in the fast lane. This week is no different. Monday night, I raced home from work, picked up the kids from their after school program, and sped home. Ok kids.... we have exactly forty two minutes to practice piano, do homework, complete your bible studies, eat dinner and grab some toys before we are off to the church for a meeting.

My blessed friend Juelye had a meeting from 615 to 700 and I had a meeting from 700 to 800 at the church. Great plan, I'll watch your kids, then you watch mine. She's awesome like that!

So now my children have two hours that need to be filled! Around our house, every minute is scheduled, sadly. Jessalyn had some extra homework so she brought that. But wait! We have to have valentine boxes to school by Wednesday. I found a super cute cut out template online, wrapped some boxes in some left over gift paper and put them to work. They turned out pretty darn cute! Now, they won't be the cutest boxes as school, but most of the work was done by the kids. The kids loved them and I was glad to have one more thing checked off the to do list. I included a link on the title of today's post, so you can use the templates too. You can print them in color or black/white and let your kids color them.

The meetings went well. The kids went home with their dad and surprisingly were in bed at a decent hour. I went on to the hospital to spend some time with Shannon and Kadyn.

Today's hectic schedule - Piano Lessons, Basketball Practice times two, and six hours of class for me. Sounds like another minute by minute day!

Hope you find some peace today in your hectic schedule - and if you need a valentine box- check out the link!

insure oklahoma!

2009-02-10T07:59:00.005-06:00

If you live in Oklahoma, the chances are great that you either are uninsured, underinsured, or are strapped by medical expenses. If you or someone you know need insurance, check out Insure Oklahoma.

Thanks to your local smokers, Oklahoma's tobacco tax helps fund this subsidized insurance program. There are a variety of ways to qualify. The premiums are affordable and the copays are a bargain: $10 office visit, $5/$10 Pharmacy, $30 ER Visit & $50 hospital inpatient stay.

I have had several of my regular health department clients enroll, most who had retired, not yet eligible for medicare & couldn't afford an individual policy. They sing their praises about the program. Most of their premiums are between $30-$75 a month.

I say this is the best thing smokers have spent their money on!

For more information:

call 1-888-365-3742

or visit http://www.insureoklahoma.org/

Answered Prayer

2009-02-09T10:12:00.005-06:00

From the deepest desperation, Jesus hears and answers our prayers!

My friend who had surgery Friday for a suspicious tumor : NO CANCER! Praise God!

Baby Girl Kadyn: OFF VENTILATOR, BREATHING ROOM AIR! Praise God!

Friend who overdosed on painkillers: IN TREATMENT, FAMILY SAYS SHE'S BACK TO HER SELF THAT THEY HADN'T SEEN IN YEARS! Praise God!

Friend who was suicidal: WAS IN CHURCH AND HASN'T HAD A DRINK FOR A WEEK! Praise God!

Friend Grieving for lost relationship: FINDING PEACE IN HER OPTIONS! Praise God!

Couple in desperate conflict: RESOLUTION! Praise God!

Dealing with the anniversary of my dad's death: PEACE HE'S IN GLORY! Praise God!

Money issues: UNEXPECTED WINDFALL! Praise God!

"The practice of persistent prayer is not an option for Christ's followers; It is a necessity!" -Eli Landrum

Understanding Hard Times

2009-02-06T08:41:00.002-06:00

Sickness.

Death.

Cancer.

Bankruptcy.

Foreclosure.

Drug Abuse.

Divorce.

Affairs.

Job Loss.

This week, many friends & family have experienced all of the above hard times. It's been a doozie of a week. Last night as I was driving home from work and trying to "settle myself" I thought about my own hard times I have experienced. I know my own don't hardly hold a candle to what many of you have gone through, but difficult enough. I began thinking that infamous question, "why, God?" Why do we have to suffer through trials? I even heard one person say this week, if there were a God, why would he allow babies to be killed, people to suffer and such problematic lives to continue.

I know there all kinds of books, commentaries and essays of the like on this subject. And as much as I have read, I still question, why? The pain is so deep and hurtful and crippling. If God is perfect, why couldn't he just have made us perfect?

My questions and criticism started floating upward to and at God. Why God? I said. Why did my dad have to die a painful death? Why do I have to forgive, even though it still hurts? Why do we have to watch my best friend's baby struggle to breathe? Why do I have to worry about how to pay my bills? Why does my friend have to worry about cancer? I became so intense in prayers, that alone in my car I began speaking out loud at God. And as nearly as soon as my tension had met it's peak a warm spirit flowed over me, God's peace. He said to me very plainly,

Meredreth, what would your relationship be like with Me, had you not had hard times?

If you had not been desperate, when would you have called out to me and would have trusted me for your every need?

If all your physical, emotional and spiritual needs were met by your provisions, what would have motivated you to meet me where you were?

It all began to make sense to me. God reminded me that no matter how big the hurt on my heart, no matter how deep the cuts in my soul, he fills them. I imagined His Love & His Forgiveness physically flowing through my soul, filling in and sealing up the hurt.

My resentful tone turned to a heart of praise. I began expressing my true gratitude for his love and his mercy and his patience with me. Thankfulness of his provision in word and songs poured from my soul.

I don't like hard times, I won't say that I do. But what God does for me in the midst of trials is worthy of praise. Thank you Jesus.

Two Sad Stories!

2009-02-03T02:57:00.001-06:00

By RHETT MORGAN World Staff WriterPublished: 2/2/2009 1:13 PMLast Modified: 2/2/2009 1:59 PM
.
OWASSO – An Owasso couple who allegedly bound with tape the hands and feet of two grandchildren and threatened to cut out one child’s tongue has been charged with multiple child abuse counts.

Prosecutors claim that the McKinneys, who were responsible for children’s “health, safety and welfare,” on multiple occasions tied them to a bed at night and bound their hands and feet with duct tape. The McKinneys also are accused of holding down the boy and the threatening to cut his tongue out with a knife. The defendants are charged, too, with locking the girl in a dark garage, according to a police report.

That one child was tied to the bed by Mary McKinney for “climbing on things during the night and waking the rest of the house.”--That the defendants placed cotton balls and duct tape over the children’s eyes.---That the children were locked out of the residence and in the garage for long periods in the dark.---That both children, while in the garage, received threatened that their heads would be cut off with swords.The boy said his legs hurt from “Papa” sitting on him, which the grandfather allegedly did so he could “cut out his tongue with a pocket knife,” the report indicates.While in the McKinneys' care, the boy reportedly went from 42 to 30 pounds because he was denied dinner as punishment, reports show.

Denise Anderson By Staff and Wire Reports, NewsOK.comPublished: 2/2/2009 6:59 AMLast Modified: 2/2/2009 11:48 AM

GUTHRIE — Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation agents are searching this morning in a house where a slain 6-year-old girl lived.

Denise’s father, Matthew Peoples, 23, has been arrested on a murder complaint in connection with her death.

A motive for the killing has not been released.

Denise was reported missing Sunday afternoon by her mother. Peoples initially said he had dropped the child off at the mother’s house but later confessed to killing her and told officers where to find the body, Oklahoma City Police Lt. Don Holland said.

If this bothers you that children are beaten, starved and killed at the hands of their own families, let your Representatives and Senators know! If not, pray for God to stir your heart.

Excuses

2009-02-02T13:40:00.002-06:00

I'm not one big on excuses - so I won't go on & on about why I haven't posted anything recently. Life. That's my excuse for this week.

Update on everything....

Kaydn Jean, my best friend's beautiful 1 month old baby, still remains on the ventilator at Saint Francis in the PICU. She has a confirmed case of Pertussis and is being quite a trooper in kicking the nasty disease! Please continue to pray for her as she progresses slowly to being the vibrant beautiful baby that she is.

My Grandma Frances - finally getting to go back to her home at the assisted living center. She's not really any better but is due for some rest in the comfort of her own room. Pray for my aunt and mom as they make the adjustments needed for her to be well taken care of.

Jessalyn - We got the confirmation finally from her pediatrician that yes, she does have pertussis. She's no longer infectious but is still suffering the effects from this nasty disease. She had another sleepless night last night. Her coughing spasms seemed to have worsened with the cold weather.

This weekend we did get to experience a beautiful wedding. Ericka and Raul del Cid confirmed their love for one another and allowed us to witness their public committment to one another. What a refreshing day to experience something positive in the midst of illness and difficulty. Jessalyn was in the wedding and of course was beautiful! She looked so grown up.

Our wonderful Pastor, talked Sunday morning about discipline and growth in Christ. He reminded us that if we wait until life "settles" to get in touch with God, we never will. I'm a testimony of that this week. Life rarely slows down to get things "settled" with God. He's here to help us get "settled". Remember this as you go through your week. Let God settle you down so that you can find Him in all the craziness of Life.

:* (

2009-01-25T15:32:00.003-06:00

Well, sad to say, but my thoughts on Pertussis were correct.

Now, our beautiful little 1 month old niece (closest I'll have to a niece anyway) has been diagnosed with Pertussis. She has been in the hospital since Thursday. It is just pitiful watching her fight the horrible cough.

BUT this makes a momentous time to remind you that ALL adults need one lifetime Pertussis Booster Vaccination, especially those around infants and children.

As I have discussed before, Pertussis for an adult manifests itself as a persistent cough. Often misdiagnosed as a "viral illness". However, when you pass it on to an infant, the consequences and symptoms are much more severe.

Now, I will ease up on the complaints about being "needle" wary on the flu shot, but please, please, please muster up some courage to take a Pertussis booster. It's just once per lifetime for all persons age 11-64.

Ten bucks for a shot at Tulsa Health Department Locations.

Heart Motivated

2009-01-23T15:50:00.005-06:00

Some Great Quotes I Have Gleaned This Week...

Actions not words are a reflection of the heart. - Jim Burkett

Give quick love not quick tongue. -Larry Jones

For His kingdom to come, yours must go. - Larry Jones

A Helping Hand

2009-01-21T07:52:00.003-06:00

Recently, Devon & I had the opportunity to do business with Sam Barker. Mid May, Sam came to our door in a neighborhood canvas offering his services. He was with a reputable company, but honestly I didn't have much interest. For goodness sake, he was going "door to door". How many people do you take seriously going "door to door"? I did offer up our name and number to the friendly young salesman and went on my day without another thought.

As a good salesman will do, Sam began to call on us. Persistently. Not inappropriately but with much integrity, Sam followed up. And followed up. And followed up. Finally we sat down with Sam because we did have some interest in his services. I thought this guy must be really making a killing off of me, because he is so persistent.

In the last six months, we have developed a relationship with Sam. Who know we now is a strong Christian and is in the business that he is, because God has called him to it. Believe me, we are of very little means, and Sam is not making a "killing" off of us. He does what he does because he wants to help people.

Sam is with Edward Jones financial services. He has helped us develop a do-able savings plan and has looked over my investments (that aren't even with Edward Jones) to reassure me that our investments will recover from this hard financial times. He is a believer in the Financial Peace series by Dave Ramsey and utilizes it in his own family.

If you are "freaking out" over the economic predictions or just want to double check that you have everything in order, Sam is your man. He will gladly sit down with you (for free) and review your current situation. He'll make reasonable recommendations and help you meet your financial goals.

Check out Sam's website today. It will be worth your time, I promise!

Rejoice...

2009-01-14T04:04:00.000-06:00

I wrote this a few years ago in preparation for speaking about stress at a Ladies' Retreat. Just thought I would share with you guys...

Phillipians 4:4-7

Rejoice in the Lord always always, even when bills are due, even when kids are sick, even when my boss is pressing a deadline always , I will say it again: Rejoice! rejoice, because unlike many, you have food to eat, a warm bed at night, and above all love and salvation through Christ Rejoice! Let your gentleness gentleness, not stress induced irritability, not a scowl revealing your frustration, gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near near to me now and near in coming back to take me to His perfect place, near. Do not be anxious stressed out, frazzled, frustrated, angry, panicked about anything, but in everything every minute, every second of my life, in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace the ultimate, supernatural, all encompassing peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus and give you complete rest and relaxation in Him.

Whooping Cough

2009-01-13T12:19:00.002-06:00

Poor Jessalyn has had a horrible cough going on about five weeks now. We've done nebulizers, steroids, lots of antibiotics, and yes, even the Vapor Rub on the bottom of her feet (and sorry despite the email propaganda, it does not work). You can see my desperation. Poor baby, when she coughs, her entire body tenses up until she can get enough air. Her doctor diagnosed her with bronchitis and pneumonia. But I'm certain she had pertussis. That's the nurse in me, I suppose.

Pertussis is on the rise and if you have infants in your household or care for infants, for instance in a church nursery, it is imperative that you get a pertussis booster. These are available at your local health department at a nominal charge. A the Tulsa Health Department, they are $10 for ages 19 & up, free to those 12-18 years old.

The following is information about Pertussis from the CDC:

Pertussis (whooping cough) is a very contagious disease caused by a type of bacteria called Bordetella pertussis. This is one of the most common vaccine-preventable childhood diseases in the U.S. It's important to remember that both children and adults can get pertussis.
Since the 1980s, there's been a dramatic increase in the number of cases of pertussis, especially among teens (10–19 years of age) and babies less than 5 months of age. In 2005, there were more than 25,000 total reported cases.

Symptoms
Pertussis can cause serious illness in children and adults. The disease starts like the common cold, with runny nose or congestion, sneezing, and maybe mild cough or fever. But after 1–2 weeks, severe coughing begins. Children with the disease cough violently and rapidly, over and over, until the air is gone from their lungs and they're forced to inhale with a loud "whooping" sound. Pertussis is worse for very young children; more than half of infants less than 1 year of age who get the disease must be hospitalized. About 1 in 10 children with pertussis get pneumonia (lung infection), and about 1 in 50 will have convulsions.

How Pertussis Spreads
People with pertussis usually spread the disease by coughing or sneezing while in close contact with others, who then breathe in the pertussis bacteria. Many infants who get pertussis are infected by older siblings or parents who might not even know they have the disease.

Preventing Pertussis
The best way to prevent pertussis is to get vaccinated. In the U.S., the recommended pertussis vaccine for children is called DTaP. This is a safe and effective combination vaccine that protects children against three diseases: pertussis, diphtheria, and tetanus. For maximum protection against pertussis, children need five DTaP shots. The first three shots are given at 2, 4, and 6 months of age. The fourth shot is given between 15 and 18 months, and a fifth shot is given when a child enters school, at 4–6 years of age. Parents can also help protect infants by keeping them away as much as possible from anyone who has cold symptoms or is coughing.

A wonderful day...

2009-01-12T08:13:00.004-06:00

Sorry it's been such a long time since I posted. I'm back in the swing and what a wonderful story I have to tell today!

Saturday, January 10th, 5:20 PM

Parker And I in the car going to see my Grandma in Enid

Parker: Mom will Grandma be in Heaven when she is 100? (side note-Grandma is 90)

Me: It depends. You have to die to go to heaven.

Parker: Mom, not everyone goes to heaven.

Me: That's true. Where else do they go?

Parker: Where sin is.

Me: Do you know what sin is?

Parker: Breaking the rules.

Me: True. So how do you get to go to heaven?

Parker: You have to ask Jesus into your heart.

Me: That's right

Parker: Mom, I want do that. I want to ask Jesus into my heart.

Me: OK. Are you sure?

Parker: Yes.

Me: You have to pray and tell God what you told me. You have to ask God to forgive you and come into your heart.

Parker: OK. (in the car, Parker bows his head, clasps his hands and speaks with intention)

Dear God, I'm sorry I break the rules. Please forgive me. Please come into my heart. Amen.

Me: *tear, tear*

Parker: I want to tell daddy.

Me: OK

Parker: and Ms. Juelye (our children's minister)

Me: OK

Parker: Mom...

Me: Yes...

Parker: There will be toys in heaven, right?

Me: Yes, baby, the best toys in the world!

Parker proudly told our congregation Sunday morning that he asked Jesus into his heart. I was hesitant for a six year old to make such a big decision, but Jesus tells us to come with the heart of a child, and that is exactly what Parker did.

The great evangelist, TL Osborn, was among our congregation Sunday. He came up to Parker, grabbed his hand, and said, "Son, I was exactly your age when I accepted Christ. God has great plans for you!"

What an amazing day! Parker is anxiously awaiting his baptism. We are ecstatic that both of our children have accepted Christ. We pray that God will equip and enable us to lead them to grow and deepen their faith!

3 John 1:4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the Truth.

Just For Fun

2008-12-22T08:35:00.003-06:00

A friend recently sent this to me. Since it is the holidays, I thought we might ditch the healthful eating habits and have a good laugh. Enjoy!

* Holiday Eating Tips*

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly! Like fine single-malt scotch, it's rare. In fact, it's even rarer than single-malt scotch. You can't find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-alcoholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.

8. Same for pies. Apple. Pumpkin. Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?

9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.

10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Re-read tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner.

Final Finals

2008-12-18T19:33:00.004-06:00

I took my last final exam tonight. Going back to school is so different when you are a grown up. Signing up for grad school seemed like the right thing to do at this point in my life. Looking around at my colleagues, I was young and bright, it should be no problem for me. Or so I thought....

Dude, I'm surrounded by these young college grads who use all these words like Blackboard and jpegs and g's of this and that. I thought I was tech savvy and up to times, until the first day of class, I look around and I'm the only one with my black binder, printed copy of the syllabus and what - what's that - a writing pen! All the other hip students are plugging in their laptops, hunting for wireless, and tapping away on their keyboards.

Three years later and still in grad school, I've not caved to the lap top purchase. Most of the time my classmates are surfing the web and sending off emails during class anyway. I see a few taking notes or hunting up a website cross referenced by the professor. But I have to say I've not done too bad with my ancient studying tools.

Unfortunately, one professor gives essay exams and allows you to type your test out in document form and email to him. I was the only one scribbling out my test in old fashioned manuscript. But ha ha, highest grade on the exam went to the grandma with the pencil. In yo' face, hipsters! And I didn't even have spell check.

This past semester I had a semester long group project - yeah, it stunk. But the first night we met, a student suggested we go to a restaurant with Wi-Fi to work on our project. Glancing at me and with a sigh.... oh yeah, we have to go to the computer lab, for grandma.... He didn't really say grandma, but I know he meant it.

When I was in college, going to the computer lab was no biggie. Because that was where everyone else was. It was like all night hangout in the newest and most tech savvy building on campus. Going to the computer lab now is like going in the back alley to make a illegal purchase. It's dark and gloomy. Cup rings and candy wrappers and sticky substances line the tables of 8, yes 8 lonely little computers. There's a damp mustiness smell that infiltrates your nose and makes your eyes water. The smell brings back memories of an old funeral home my grandmother worked at. s c a r y . . . .

Times change. And so does life, right? School? I'm almost done. Two more semesters and I'll punch my last time card at that place. My reward? Three letters on the end of my name and a whopping three percent raise. Please, no gasping or fainting.

Tonight my final final of the semester. Essay exam. Professor says, "tonight, turn off your lap tops, every one's writing this one out by hand." The students all looked terrified and frantically looked at one another. Half of them had to borrow a pen. I leaned back in my chair, tapped my pencil with confidence, and mumbled under my breath to that amazing man I call Professor,

"Bring it on, Bring it on..."

Sitting With Santa

2008-12-16T09:49:00.004-06:00

Ask my family and they will tell you I am a Santa Picture Nazi. However, last year, with my children ages 5&7, I decided to make it our last year to visit Santa. We stood in the forever line and my kids complained the entire time about having to go sit on Santa's lap. As I bribed them up the line and onto Santa's lap they showed their pearly whites like precious little children. After they finished the photo, jolly Santa asked my lovely children what they wanted, Parker took off like a newly released prisoner, Jessalyn told him courtly we were just there for the picture. Santa looked a little baffled and a little relieved two more children were off his lap and $20 more bucks in his pocket for a 5x7 digital print.

There were years that sitting upon Santa's lap was not going to happen. Like in this picture, when Jessalyn was 18 mos old. I had made special arrangements to see THE Santa of Oklahoma City at Quail Springs Mall. They give you a pager to shop while you wait. After a few hours of shopping and waiting, Jessalyn refused to sit on Santa's lap. We had to catch a quick pic as she ran by in front of Santa.

I recently read an article in Parents Magazine, Nightmares before Christmas: Scared of Santa. The author gives some great points for avoiding the Santa Hysteria. Each of my friends take different takes on how to present Santa to their children. One told me a story of when her kids were younger. They were scared to death about Santa coming into their house in the middle of the night. A stranger? Breaking into our house? Needless to say, they gave early reveal to the true origins of St. Nick.

Santa Stories may invoke all kinds of emotions in your children. Be attentive to their emotions and feelings. I know when Jessalyn freaked out in her 18 month Santa picture, I honestly was a little bit frustrated. But now it is one of my favorite pictures and provides a great story to tell guests, friends, and family. Even the most riotous Christmas will make good memories. Enjoy your holidays and all that precedes them!

Seasonal Affective Disorder

2008-12-15T10:15:00.004-06:00

Bitter cold, short days and holiday bustle may be aggravating to you, but for some the season can even invoke depression. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) haunts 3% of the population every year. Persons who have suffered depression in the past may be more likely to fall victim to the disorder.

Symptoms of depression include:

Excessive Sleeping or Restlessness

Changes in appetite

Changes in moods

Decreased interest in social activities

A Depression Screening is avaible on my side bar under the heading: "Feeling Sad?"

If your are experiencing signs and symptoms of depression, talk with your doctor or local therapist for a more intensive screening and treatment plan. Don't have insurance or can't afford care? Check with your employer or spouse's employer and inquire if they have an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Many larger companies offer counseling through EAP at no cost as a service for their employees. Free clinic links are also in my side bar.

Don't let your symptoms go untreated. There are simple solutions to ease your distress so that you may have a truly Happy Holiday!

Winter Wonderland

2008-12-11T08:28:00.000-06:00

The weather outside is frightful,

but the fire inside's delightful....

Last year we all got a taste of the frightful winter weather as ice storms struck our communities paralyzing life as we know it. We all got creative in ways cooking, staying warm and entertaining ourselves. We pray that another 2007 ice storm never strikes again but it's a good thing to be prepared.

Here's some tips from the Centers for Disease Control:

Winter Survival Kit for Your Home

Keep several days’ supply of these items:

• Food that needs no cooking or refrigeration,
such as bread, crackers, cereal, canned foods,
and dried fruits. Remember baby food and
formula if you have young children.

• Water stored in clean containers, or purchased
bottled water (5 gallons per person) in case
your water pipes freeze and rupture.

• Medicines that any family member may need.
If your area is prone to long periods of cold
temperatures, or if your home is isolated, stock
additional amounts of food, water, and medicine.

Emergency Supplies List:
• an alternate way to heat your home during a power failure:
- dry firewood for a fireplace or wood stove, or
- kerosene for a kerosene heater
• furnace fuel (coal, propane, or oil)
• electric space heater with automatic
shut-off switch and non-glowing elements
• blankets
• matches
• multipurpose, dry-chemical fire extinguisher
• first aid kit and instruction manual
• flashlight or battery-powered lantern
• battery-powered radio
• battery-powered clock or watch
• extra batteries
• non-electric can opener
• snow shovel
• rock salt
• special needs items (diapers,
hearing aid batteries,
medications, etc.)

For a complete weather preparedness guide, download the pdf from the CDC website. You will find some great complete information in this guide.

A client recently gave me a helpful hint. Their family used their solar powered garden lights for light source at night. They left them outside during the day and then brought them in at night. Using the lights saved the batteries in their flashlights and prevented fire danger from candles while they were sleeping.

Melamine In Infant Formula

2008-12-10T09:36:00.002-06:00

I have had several readers and friends ask about the Melamine in infant formula. Here is some basic information from the Centers for Disease Control.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

Melamine in Food Products Manufactured in China

News reports and the World Health Organization (WHO) state that tens of thousands of infants in China who consumed infant formula contaminated with melamine are suffering from urinary tract stones, kidney damage, and kidney failure. For more information visit the Food and Drug Administration website.

What is melamine?
Melamine is a synthetic chemical with a variety of industrial uses including the production of resins and foams, cleaning products, fertilizers and pesticides. It does not occur naturally in food.

Why is melamine dangerous in food?
Animal studies have demonstrated that exposure to low levels of melamine produced no observable toxic effects. Exposures to high levels of melamine, or exposures to lower doses of melamine together with certain other chemicals, have caused urinary tract problems in animals. These have included urinary tract and kidney crystal and stone formation, and kidney failure. Exposures of animals to high doses of melamine over long time periods (years) have been associated with cancer of the bladder.

Should I be worried about food products purchased or consumed in the United States?
The United States does not allow melamine to be used as a food ingredient. Most reports of melamine in food products and of health problems related to melamine in food products have centered in China. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is working together with local, state, federal, and international agencies to ensure the safety of the American food supply including broadening its domestic and import sampling and testing of milk-derived ingredients and finished food products containing milk, such as candies, desserts, and beverages that could contain these ingredients from Chinese sources. As of October 6, 2008, FDA testing of milk- based products imported into the United States from China had found melamine contamination in only a few products (e.g., White Rabbit Creamy Candies and Mr. Brown’s coffee mixes). For current information on whether food products purchased in the U.S. might pose a concern about melamine, visit the Food and Drug Administration website.

Why are infants particularly affected?
Infants may be more affected than other people because formula is their primary food source and they therefore consume more melamine per unit of body weight than older children and adults who consume a variety of foods.

What should I do if I believe I or my child may already have been exposed to melamine, for example, during travel to China?
See a doctor right away if you or your infant has any of the following symptoms: stomach pain; vomiting; fever; irritability or excessive crying; blood, crystals, or particles in urine; painful urination; little or no urine; swelling of hands, feet, or face.

If I’m pregnant or breastfeeding and think I may have been exposed to melamine, would it be toxic to my baby?
If you are pregnant and have already ingested some of these listed products or you are breastfeeding while ingesting the listed products, discontinue their use. Effects on the unborn child are unknown. Melamine only stays in the body for a few days. The effects on the kidneys of the formula-fed infants in China are thought to result from continuous use of the products containing relatively high concentrations of melamine over many days.

Should my child or I be tested for melamine exposure?
Laboratory tests for melamine in blood serum and urine exist but are still investigational and not yet commercially available. Because many people are exposed to very small, nontoxic amounts of melamine from different sources in the environment and industry, detection of melamine in the body would not necessarily predict future illness.

How long does melamine stay in the body?
Scientists do not know exactly how long it takes the human body to eliminate melamine. Animal studies suggest that excretion is fairly rapid—for example, half of the total quantity of melamine consumed was eliminated in 4 hours in pigs and 3 hours in rats.

How should health care providers treat potential melamine exposures?
The most important action is to stop any ongoing exposure. Specific laboratory and imaging studies can be used based on the patient’s symptoms, for example to evaluate kidney function or urinary stones.

What is CDC’s advice for travelers to China?
Because of uncertainties related to dairy products in China at this time, CDC recommends that you do not consume any dairy products produced in China, including all brands of infant formula, milk or other drinks that contain milk products, food, such as yogurt or ice cream that could be milk-based or contain a large amount of milk or milk products. Many foods and drinks including candies, crackers, and desserts may contain milk or milk products. Ingredients on the food or drink label that suggest milk or milk products include milk, milk powder, whey, lactose, and casein. Additional advice for travelers is available in Travel Notice: Melamine in Chinese-Manufactured Infant Formula.

Where can I get more information about melamine?For more information visit the Food and Drug Administration website.

Quotable

2008-12-05T14:09:00.002-06:00

"A meaningful life will not be found in the next job or the next car. The way you get meaning in your life is to devote yourself to helping others and creating something that gives you purpose."--

Morrie Schwartz in Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

Party, Party, Party

2008-12-02T15:15:00.003-06:00

I love the "feeling of Christmas". Christmas music, shopping for gifts, home made goodies, lights on houses and businesses, each contributing to the atmosphere that makes the holidays so delightful. December 1st, however, my day planner takes off like a horse out of the shoot at Remington. Every weekend is already a tight fit of holiday engagements and there are even a few more knocking on my door!

Three Christmas Music programs, two work parties, two Christmas Parties for the kids, two small group Christmas Get-Togethers, a special Christmas dinner for Church Deacons, and a choir Christmas Party, not to mention a handful of family & friend parties sprinkled in. As I was resuscitating my panting planner this morning, my phone rings to tell me Jessalyn's class is having a Monthly Birthday Party on Friday. I threw out the screeching brakes, wait a minute... I didn't miss this, my daughter's birthday is in July. Well, the home room mom interrupts, Jessalyn is a summer birthday so we celebrate her birthday on her half birthday! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? So now add a birthday party to the mix... Another couple of dozen cookies here and there, no big deal. Did I mention I have to take finals in the middle of December as well....

It's easy to get overwhelmed with our time, emotions and finances and before long all the excitement of Christmas funnels down the drain. I know you're planners are packed just like mine. Find some time, a minute or two to spend time alone with your family and your spouse to enjoy the season of Christmas. Find time too to spend with the reason for Christmas, as well.

Happy Holidays!

Today is World Aids Day

2008-12-01T06:30:00.000-06:00

The loss from HIV/AIDS is almost beyond understanding. This is a fight for people’s lives. We have a moral imperative to do much more, and do it much better.” – John Edwards

At the end of 2003,* an estimated 1,039,000 to 1,185,000 persons in the United States were living with HIV/AIDS [1]. In 2006, 35,314 new cases of HIV/AIDS in adults, adolescents, and children were diagnosed in the 33 states with long-term, confidential name-based HIV reporting [2]. CDC has developed a new and innovative system designed to estimate the number of new HIV infections (or incidence) for the United States in a given year. Using this new technology, CDC estimates that 56,300 new HIV infections occurred in the United States in 2006 [3]. www.cdc.gov

People are dying in the United States with AIDS. TODAY, wear a red ribbon to show your support for prevention and protection.

Sniffle, Cough, Cough

2008-11-29T18:03:00.003-06:00

For three weeks I have been battling some nasty bugs. First a virus that attacked on the weekend with high fever and body aches. This past week a vicious sinus infection has sent me to urgent care for some antibiotics and steroids. BUT for all you doubtful of effective vaccination, I DO NOT have the flu!! The first hint of illness, I am bombarded by finger pointers, "Aha!" they tout, "you have the flu." Drives me crazy...

For your information, there have been no confirmed cases of flu infection in Oklahoma for the 2008-2009 flu season:

Most people who claim to have the flu, typically will have a cold or gastro intestinal infection.

Here's some facts about the flu and colds:

FLU is a Respiratory illness, that is it affects your breathing. FLU is NOT vomiting and / or diarrhea.

FLU often does NOT include a runny nose or congestion. Primary symptoms of FLU are fever, cough and body aches.

Colds rarely result in pneumonia, bacterial infections or hospitalizations like the FLU does.

For true flu diagnosis, a swab must be inserted into your nose and sent to a lab. Results can take anywhere from 30 minutes to a few days. If you did not have a nose swab and were told by your doctor you have "flu-like" symptoms, you do NOT have confirmed flu.

It's not too late to get a flu shot or flu mist to protect you from the flu. The peak of flu season typically occurs in February, so get to your doctor or local health department for your flu vaccine today!

National Family History Day

2008-11-25T07:51:00.002-06:00

Think you know everything about your family health history?? Make sure by utilizing these tools provided by the Centers for Disease Control.

Notice to Readers: National Family History Day --- Thanksgiving Day

Beginning in 2004, Thanksgiving Day was declared National Family History Day by the U.S. Surgeon General to encourage families to discuss their health histories. Although 96% of persons in the United States believe that knowing their family history is important, only one third of them have ever tried to gather and write down their family health history (1).

The Office of the Surgeon General, in collaboration with several agencies in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, developed a tool for recording family health information (available at https://familyhistory.hhs.gov). In addition, in 2002, CDC's National Office of Public Health Genomics (NOPHG) launched the Family History Public Health Initiative, which collaborates with government agencies, public health organizations, universities, and the private sector to assess and promote the use of family history for improving the health of the U.S. population. Family history resources and tools are available from NOPHG at http://www.cdc.gov/genomics/public/famhist.htm.

To extend this initiative to children, CDC's National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities sponsored a meeting in 2006 to assess the use of family history information in pediatric primary care and to evaluate medical conditions that could serve as models for using this information in pediatric and public health settings (2). A supplement to the September 2007 issue of Pediatrics contains articles based on the findings from the meeting. Access to the Pediatrics supplement and additional information regarding the 2006 meeting are available at http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/bd/family_history.htm.

References
US Department of Health and Human Services. U.S. Surgeon General's Family History Initiative. Washington, DC: US Department of Health and Human Services; 2006. Available at http://www.hhs.gov/familyhistory.
Green RF. Summary of workgroup meeting on use of family history information in pediatric primary care and public health. Pediatrics 2007;120(Suppl 2):S87--100.

Mere's Musings

Gramma's Green Thumb

More Christmas Recipes Part Cuatro - Sticky Buns

More recipes from Christmas - Pineapple Centerpiece

Recipes from Christmas Take 2 -

Recipes from Christmas pt 1 - Veggie Slaw

Citable Sermons

Christmas Meal Planning Via Pinterest

Coquito - Christmas In A Cup

Dissappointed

Holiday Dinners

Custard Filled Baked Apples

Gory Zombies

Obedience

Easter Services courtesy of THE SKIT GUYS

Intimacy

Do not let our <3 HEARTS <3 be hardened.

Messy Place

It's NOT too late!

His Servant Mary

Thank You!

Making my list, checking it twice....

My Humble Thank You

My Obsession

Are you a pharisee?

Your Flu Questions Answered

Glee owns me!

Flu Shots?

How can I help you?

Flu Fever

F E A R .

One More Day

Love em!

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Bike RIde

Sesame Street Gets Healthy

CANCER SUCKS!

National Men's Health Week

Converstions With Parker

Gaining Momentum

In Honor of My Upcoming Anniversary...

Guest

Loosing weight is hard to do...

Go Green!

Worried about how to insure your college student....

Welcomed Weekend!

Swine Flu at Andersen

Health Dept.: Swine Flu Shouldn't Close Schools

FEATURED VIDEO

Why Are Tulsa Schools Open Despite Swine Flu?

Happy Mother's Day

A New Resolution

What??? Mother's Day is Sunday??

Twitter Dee - Twitter Dumb

H1N1 in Oklahoma

Family from Abroad

Life's Spankings

Rain, rain....

Swine Flu Update

Swine Flu

Sorry Friends

On the Way To The Cross

The Easter Bunny

Spy Games

One Last Word.... From your doctor

Meningitis Victims

Meningitis Vaccine

Spring Break Art Camp

Eat Right On A Budget

Looking For Inspiration

New Party Idea!

True Friends

Medication Safety

Beanie Weanies

The Big Game

Family Ministry

Spring Forward & Check Smoke Alarms

Monday Laugh

Homegoing....

Still not a believer...

Re-post: Itâs Not the Size of Your Programs or Number of Staff Thatâs Holding Your Church Back!