Health No comments yet

Christmas Flu Season

By on January 5th, 2012

We spent most of winter break 2011 sick with the flu.  Either we had.  Or friends and family had it, seriously limiting playdates.

We celebrated Christmas early, on the 17th, a Saturday.  Someone brought germs. DD1 was extremely fussy Monday evening.  In the wee hours of Tuesday morning she woke screaming with a fever of 104.  I gave her some medicine, which brought her temperature down.  But didn’t help with the fussiness.  And she was seriously congested.  There was no going back to sleep.

She stayed miserable and developed a red eye.  We were up all night again.  Wednesday, we went to the pediatrician, who confirmed a nasty virus and conjunctivitis (pink eye).  Giving a one year old stinging eye drops three times per day in each eye is a miserable task.  DH helped.

I got sick next. This surprised nobody since I’d been up all night with a sick baby for two nights in a row.  DH tried to help me at night so that I could sleep.  But DD1 wasn’t having it.  During the day, while healthy, she thinks him a rock star.  At 2:00 AM, with a fever, she wanted mommy.  I got a 104 fever too, and now understand why flu can actually kill elderly people.  I haven’t been so miserably sick for years.

DD7 did not get sick, which is fantastic for her health.  Unfortunately, she was bored to tears being stuck in the house with all of us sick people.  DH got sick last.  And he, DD1 and I still have lingering sore throat and congestion.

I need to remember this next year, and actually get the flu shot, instead of thinking that I will, but forgetting.  DD7 got the flu mist.  DD1 got something else, because she is younger.  DH and I did nothing.  Not a smart move.

Sewing No comments yet

First 18 Inch Doll Dress

By on January 5th, 2012

This is the first dress that I made for Kanani. In the typical way of children DD7 began to lament, almost immediately, that Kanani had only one dress. So I whipped one up quickly, lest she lose interest and stop reading.

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I just printed a free tee shirt pattern, two actually, to get an idea of the size and arm shape. Then I drew what I wanted on a sheet of paper and used it as the pattern. It came out shorter than I meant for it to be. So we’ve decided that it can be a top or bathing suit cover up.

The fabric was originally a dress of DD1, which fit poorly. So I recycled it into doll clothing. It was a fun project because I was able to finish it before the girls had a meltdown. I didn’t have to put everything away and get it out again later.

DD7 hasn’t done a lot of sewing. She doesn’t want to cut the fabric. I asked her to try, being careful not to cut her hands. And she got worried that she’d make a mistake and ruin the dress.

I explained that it is just fabric. More fabric is available. Just don’t snip yourself. But she didn’t want to cut fabric. Instead she snipped loose threads after I sewed. I showed her how to assemble the pieces and line them up with 1/4 inch seam allowance for doll clothes, 5/8 inch being standard for children’s clothing.

She had good questions. And she was able to tell me what I was doing and why when we got to the same steps on the velvet dress. So the informal lessons are going well.

Family 2 comments

American Girl Dolls

By on January 4th, 2012

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When I first heard that American Girl Dolls cost $100, I couldn’t believe anyone would buy them. I thought it was the most outrageously expensive toy. And I couldn’t come up with any type of scenario in my head that would justify such a purchase. Really, just how educational could they be?

And then, I heard parents and children extol the virtues of the dolls. Again. And again and again.

Hmmm. Finally, my most practical friend, said she had purchased one doll for each of her daughters. This friend proudly refers to herself as cheap. I stared in disbelief. She said the girls read all of the books.

As a parent, I am not above material goods as a form of motivation, within reason. Most particularly motivation to read.

And so I began researching the dolls. The quality, price, social aspects. We live in an ordinary middle class suburb. Every little girl seems to have one of these expensive dolls. And, turns out,  I like the dolls. Oh, the horror.

DD7 gets one for her birthday. Kanani, a little girl from Hawaii. We have tea at American Girl Place. DD7 gets the dog. And all she wants for Christmas is stuff for her doll.

I’m teaching her to sew the doll clothes. She had no interest in constructing  clothing for human beings. She’d leave that to me. But for Kanani, that is different, interesting, fun.

And she’s reading the books. All of them. We own two. The library has 74. She’s read about one per week since November.

Yeah, anything that gives me a positive activity with my daughters, and promotes reading is a good investment to me.

And they’re cute. Even I couldn’t resist.

Technology No comments yet

Kindle vs Nook for Android

By on October 1st, 2011

I’m pretty sure ebooks have saved my brain cells from additional deterioration. That temporary atrophy that comes from parenthood, lack of sleep, and frustration. Or perhaps that statement is redundant.

I’ve been reading on the Kindle for Android for months. I chose it because I wasn’t able to make the adjustments that I wanted with the Google reader. And DH had good things to say about the Kindle software. So it was an easy decision.

This week I became frustrated with the (meager) selection of magazines available for reading on the Kindle. So I decided to try the Nook for Android. I had previously browsed  a magazine in the Barnes and Noble, hoping to purchase an ereader at a later date. And it was really slick. Unfortunately, the price was and still is pretty high as well.

The Nook for Android is nice. Terrific even. I understand completely why my SIL raves about her Nook. The interface is clean, and intuitive. It took minutes for me to find the software, install it, and download a book. And it looks like a book.

Ironically, one of the books I tried to read on Google reader has been scanned for Nook. Pamphlets on Agriculture in Guam, by William Edwin Safford, which sounds like dry reading, but isn’t. The OCR, or whatever technology is used, created a lot of misspellings. But, being able to adjust the font makes it legible.
The super irritating thing about the Nook for Android  is that it refers to the Merriam – Webster Dictionary, that tries to force you into a paid subscription, and thereafter spams you with lots of JavaScript and popup boxes. It is a huge interruption to train of thought. It discourages me from using the dictionary. And it is just plain greedy when you’ve already charged the reader a high premium for a propriety device, and the book.

My book buying experience with Nook for Android wasn’t great either. At the end of the sample, there isn’t a link to buy the book. And there isn’t one on the sample menu. You have to return to the main menu, then you can buy the book. Choosing the buy book option got me an error. To buy the book, I had to find it again in the virtual store. Then buy it.

I did not feel encouraged. And am now disinterested in buying the Nook Color that I’ve coveted for several months.  Nook looks awesome. Kindle actually works.

And now I can read library books on the Kindle. One might think having access to free books (not really free, since we pay taxes) would prevent me from buying books. But instead it gets me into a mood of wanting a greater selection. And then I buy books in addition to checking them out from the library, more of them now that I don’t have to find storage space or lug them around.

So my personal assessment, at this moment, is that Nook beats Kindle in attractiveness; Kindle beats Nook in useability. And both Kindle and Nook have better features than Overdrive.

Family Tree No comments yet

Family Search Indexing

By on September 29th, 2011

The site Family Search, has a project where volunteers can transcribe genealogical documents for general use. I found out about the site and it’s services shortly after I stumbled into family history research. And signed up to do some indexing shortly after that.

I would guess that I’ve been indexing since last December. I find it very interesting to look at old records. I can see how the forms are organized. And by reading an entire group of records, see possible trends in the information. For example, a lot of marriages that include the surname Bailey, who may be related.

I also like that someone else is going to proof my work. But strangely enough, the past two index images that I downloaded asked me to do the proofreading! I make constant use of the handwriting helps screen, and blow images up to enormous proportions sometimes to read them. I did not feel qualified.

I got stuck on a humorous error : mole destroyer. That is what was transcribed. I can see why the person was confused. The words were in French, IMHO. I think louer (to rent) , or noyer (walnut). It was a very old UK form. And the professions of other people on the page related to fishing. And the master list of professions had nothing that looked like it could be handwritten as the words in the field. Ah well, I did my best.

I even waved DH over to help. He was a good sport. But he couldn’t read it well either.

This error plagued me. I imagined this person to be the very old, beloved Uncle Dave of someone else. My Uncle Dave, I eventually found, his name incorrectly transcribed as Atiegna rather than Atienza. So I felt duty bound to transcribe correctly.

Usually, there’s no pressure.

I received a congratulatory and thank you email for transcribing 100 batches. Congratulations, you’re qualified to do more difficult things! Ha.