daddy thoughts from Jesse Jackson

Your children need your presence more than your presents.
-Jesse Jackson, American civil rights activist and Baptist minister

periodical exam week

Exam week is here once again. I'm a hands-on mom when it comes to V's schooling. No I do not make her assignments for her. I believe that she should make that on her own. But I painstakingly go through her notes with her. I give her oral exams which she has trouble in. And spend time making written practice exams for her which she excels in. Last time my efforts paid off for V topped her class. This grading period my expectations are high but I also know that I should not expect too much from her. Besides during hubs vacation I was too busy and hardly had time for V's daily assignment review. Well, I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that she'll at least make it to the top 3.

Conserve water when you brush your teeth

Do you keep the faucet running when you brush your teeth? I don't. This is one of my conscious effort to conserve water and save the environment. Hubs on the other hand likes to keep the faucet on while he brushes. When I see him do this I immediately go beside him and turn it off. (Plus he usually get an earful from me)
Did you know that keeping the faucet on while brushing teeth for about 2 minutes wastes 2 gallons of water? So if you brush 3 times a day you waste 6 gallons daily. Add it up to the rest of your family members who does. What do you get? Too much wasted water.
Also, did you know that 17% of the world's population has no clean water to drink? Yup. 17%. That's more than one billion people.
Knowing these facts can you turn the faucet off the next time you brush?

daddy thoughts from Douglas MacArthur

By profession I am a soldier and take pride in that fact. But I am prouder to be a father.
-Douglas MacArthur
American General, United Nations General, Field Marshal of the Philippine Army

bruising in children

Eversince V came to be a part of our family I've noticed occassional bruises on her legs. I shrugged it off. But the past weeks the bruises have increased. When previously there were 1-2 on each leg now there are 2-3. I didn't think it would merit a doctor's appointment so I just bought a multivitamins with high iron content. I left it at that because aren't children more prone to bruising because of playing/roughousing/bumping into things? But just this afternoon I noticed that V had a single bruise on her arm too. Just this one bruise but it made me go online to learn more about bruises.
And I found out from Dr. Geoffrey Allen of Children's Memorial Hospital that anemia is the most common blood disorder in children. Children become anemic when their bodies are unable to make red blood cells fast enough to replace those that are broken normally, or if their red blood cells are either being broken down faster than normal or are being lost through bleeding. The two most frequent cause of anemia in children are low iron levels and frequent infections.
Did you know that most children are iron deficient? Yes they are. Apparently iron in their diet is not enough for their growing bodies needs. (--> cause #1 check) But taking iron supplements or a change in food intake is enough to treat it.
Now since V started going to school she became more sickly. It is not unusual for her to go home with colds which lasts for a few days and then goes away. (I have previously complained to her teacher about the rate of contamination in class. When a kid gets sick the virus spreads like wildfire.) --> cause #2 check
But is V's bruising a cause for alarm?
These are the things to consider:
- severity
- location - bruising in the trunk and upper arms are not normal
- onset - if the bruising occurs that is not associated with physical activity
- other symptoms - if the bruising occurs with nose bleeding, gum bleeding, etc.
With these information I conclude that V's bruising is "normal" because she has low iron level and is frequently sick. Her multivitamins with iron supplement is still more than half full so I can't really say if it has taken effect. If in a few weeks the situation hasn't improved then I will take her to the doctor to have her checked.

cold and lonely

Happy days are over. Cold, lonely days&nights are back again. Hubs airplane just left which will bring him to Amsterdam with a quick stop at Kuala Lumpur. Waaah! I miss him already. Now we have to battle months before seeing each other again.



(this is very obviously not a painting of me, although i wish i were this sexy)