Tag Archives: Family

18 January 2012

Weather and Health

By Nicki

Winter weather has finally hit the area I live in. By last year, the school was running out of snow days and the number of two hour delays that had occurred were plentiful. Districts in my area were wondering what they were going to do with February, which is routinely a worse month than January.

This year is just the opposite. We seem to be getting the cold weather – the highs at my home yesterday did not reach double digits, putting a real squash on my running outside – but not the precipitation. And even the temperatures seem to be on a ping pong table, bouncing between below average and above average. We have seldom had two or three days of average temperatures in a row.

Unfortunately, the weather is taking its toll on my household. My youngest is still finishing his senior year of high school. For some obscure reason, his bedroom seems to be the coldest in the house. This is extremely odd as my bedroom is larger and is an addition to the house and built on a concrete slab. He thinks he is getting an ear infection. He got one last winter when we had an extremely cold – below zero overnights – snap. I have done everything I can to help him prevent this infection, if indeed he has one. I have reminded him to put a hat on when he goes outside. I have suggested he sleep upstairs in his brother’s bed as this particular brother is at college. I have suggested various clothing, as alternatives to what he chooses to wear. I have also suggested certain foods – mostly those that the average high school student would prefer to not eat.

What do you do when you feel a child is getting ill? Do you immediately call a medical professional or do you attempt to use some holistic methods to prevent or “cure” illness?

 

6 comments   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in Family, Just my Thoughts

5 January 2012

Taste Memory

By Nicki

We all have memories. The question is what triggers those memories. Yesterday, I had a taste memory. I have talked frequently about growing up with my grandmother. Holidays were busy times, as they are for most families. Yet, my grandmother would always bake.

I made the recipe for sugar rollout cookies this week (see my dilemma regarding the cookie dough). I had not made these cookies in over 20 years. I got to the point where no chill cookie dough was definitely a better option than dough that had to be made, then refrigerated, and then rolled out and cut and baked. Time is a commodity and I was making the most of mine.

I did finally roll out the sugar cookie dough and once they were baked, I was the first to have one. This is not because my children are not cookie monsters but because I was the only one at home while I baked. The taste, the slight almond, the texture – it all took me back to that kitchen on Liberty Street. I was a young girl or a teenager – I was always up for cookies – and my grandmother was the baker. The cookies were delicious. I didn’t put sprinkles on them or icing, something my grandmother did on occasion. I just baked the cookies.

I hope, that 30-40 years in the future, my children bake this recipe and have a memory about coming home to these cookies on the table. Taking a bite of today’s bounty definitely took me back in time and had me looking forward to the future.

2 comments   |  tags: , , | posted in Food and Recipes, Just my Thoughts

20 October 2011

Traveling

By Nicki

I use to think traveling was quick, easy and fun. Then, I had children. Now, I admit, my children are mostly all adults so I do not have to worry as much about the needs of the kids when I travel but I got to thinking about how much I use to do when I traveled with kids. There is nothing quick and easy about traveling.

First, I am a planner. I like to get everything set up in advance. Take, for example, my trip with two of the boys to Myrtle Beach last February. I made reservations in October. I did have to change these in January as one of the boys had an issue with going as early as I wanted to arrive. Still, the basics were done well in advance. Nowadays, when making plans, I usually have the school calendar available so that I know I am not leaving town when I should be here for something of importance. This usually works unless I am making plans in one school year for travel that will be happening in the next school year.

Second, when I leave kids home (the youngest is 17, the oldest 26), I tend to be sure that I leave a note with them so the older, adult children can authorize any emergency health care for the youngest one. This is particularly important when I know that their father is also going to be out of the area and therefore unavailable for this purpose. In retrospect, this also means making sure the youngest’s medications are up to date and filled and remembering to leave an insurance card home.

Third, I tend to meal plan for those left home. Easier than leaving cash, I do the shopping in advance and leave a menu for what is to be made while I am away. Since my trips tend to be three to four days, this is not a big deal. Some cash would have to be left with a responsible older child if I were to be traveling for a longer period of time. Bread and milk tend to be gone through quickly. These need to be replenished.  I will say the food planning would be easier now that the youngest has a job where he eats at work when he works.

So to get out of the house for a vacation – without even thinking about packing – I can spend several days in preparation.

Do you plan and spend a long time getting ready to take a vacation away from your family?

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , | posted in Family, Just my Thoughts

13 June 2011

Summer’s Almost Here

By Nicki

I can’t believe it is almost the middle of June already.  Where as 2011 gone?  I think part of my problem is that my year has frequently been marked, at least for many years, by other milestones.  This year is unique.  The only thing to deal with, as far as summer is concerned, is does everyone have the clothing they need in their drawers.

In the past, when my children were younger – that should read the oldest being anywhere from 5 on up, I would start the summer planning in February.  There were camps to check out, budgets to make.  Then, once decisions were made the dreaded logistics would start to form.  Could I drop kids off and do pick up?  Did I know anyone else going to the same combination of camps/classes?  Could we carpool?

Let’s just look back about 17 years which would be the last summer I was pregnant.  I was very pregnant as the youngest, that would be #6, will turn 17 in July.  This means that there were five children to plan for between the ages of almost four and almost ten.  #1 was going to soccer camp.  Numbers 2 and 3 were going to a summer enrichment program that the local school district ran.  #4, now that I think about it, she was going to summer enrichment also.  #5 was the issue.  What would I do with him for the summer?  He did have some speech issues and speech therapy to attend over the summer but there needed to be fun also.

Now, let me tell you about the lovely weather.  I was extremely pregnant with #6 being due in August.  Yes, I said earlier in this post that he will be 17 in July.  This is the only, even through a pregnancy of twins, pregnancy that I was not 100% healthy throughout the term.  I had developed pregnancy-induced hypertension.  My OB had tried everything to keep my blood pressure down – (those of you pregnant now realize this was “back in the dark ages”) a baby aspirin a day, actual BP medication, instructions to get in a cool pool every day.  I had no edema but did have BP so high that I was making weekly trips to the OB.

The last week in July rolled around and #1 headed to one end of the county, opposite where we lived, for soccer camp with a good friend.  #2 and #3 and #4 headed off to summer enrichment for a half day.  #5 was going to stay at a friend’s house while I went to the OB’s office for my weekly visit.  I had no doubt I was going to be pregnant for at least another couple weeks as my due date was at least 10 days off and I had never been on time since #1.  Big difference was this pregnancy was not a healthy one – that old BP issue.

 

I went in for that check-up to be asked what time had I eaten breakfast.  Okay, I can roll with this.  Breakfast had been at 7 a.m.  It was now 10-ish.  I was told to find a sitter for my kids, call my hubby and tell him to meet me at the hospital.  Go home, get your bag and meet me at the hospital was what the OB said.  Do not eat another thing and you will have a baby by 3 this afternoon.  Probably what every pregnant woman wants to hear except I was on soccer camp pick-up.  #s 2, 3 & 4 were bused to the elementary school which was just shy of a mile from our house.  And, then, there was #5.  What would I do with him if I managed to get everyone else picked up and brought home to a sitter?  Thank heavens my next door neighbor had two daughters that babysat for me.

 

I know probably not the summer story you would want to hear.  I use to plan it all out – down to who was doing pick up when.  Now, after having my plans come crashing down that summer 17 years ago, I have played fast and loose with summers. I have had kids on all-star baseball while I worked.  It always manages to work out.

 

Do you plan your children’s summers?  Do you even “just let kids be kids?”  What is one of your favorite summer memories?  I am a member of SocialMoms.com and summer memories is a blogging prompt for today.

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , | posted in Family, Just my Thoughts

14 February 2011

The Family Vacation

By Nicki

We do not take many family vacations.  Back when there was still a dad in the family unit and there were only four little ones under the age of five (doesn’t look nearly as daunting when I spell out those numbers), we drove cross country to visit my mom.  That was the type of family vacation we took then.

After the end of the marriage and with six kids under the age of 12 or 13 or 14, the trips were much smaller.  I would load them all in the car and head to HersheyPark for the day.  Yes, I consider a three hour drive to an amusement park a day trip with six kids.  But, more recently, family trips have circled around soccer tournaments and college visits.  Well, two of the children (really hard to say as all  are out of their teens but one nowadays) and I are heading to Myrtle Beach for a small vacation.

Myrtle Beach in February?  Yes! That is a vacation but not the normal family vacation.  You see I am running a marathon on Saturday of our trip.  My youngest, 16 years of age, is doing a 100K bike tour on the Sunday of our trip.  Planning is different for this type of a trip.  I need certain clothing.  Number 6 needs certain types of clothing.  Number 6 needs his bike.  I need energy gels and electrolyte drinks.  We both need water.  We both  need sleep.

So what type of planning goes into a family trip like this?  Not much.  I did my research and booked a hotel.  Unsure at that point in time who, or maybe more importantly how many, would be accompanying me, I have a suite with two double beds and a pull out sofa.  It’s a plus that the hotel is on the ocean, although I am pretty sure my room is not on the ocean side of the hotel.  It is an additional plus that the hotel is approximately at mile 10 of the marathon.  Woot!

Next on the planning was food.  I try to eat certain things before, during and after a run that is long – even though I have never run 26.2  miles before in my life (you read that right, never).  I want my pre-race breakfast that I would have if I were at home.  I want coffee.  I want oatmeal and a bagel.  I want my pre-race Gatorade01 which is on my shopping list as I type.  I want my energy gels, in the flavors I like, that do not upset my stomach.  These are also on my shopping list.  I want my post race drink, Gatorade03.  Again, on the shopping list.  Can you see what I am doing this weekend, other than a couple of short runs?

I have places where we can all eat in Myrtle Beach.  I have checked out a brew pub online.  I have a friend whose family has an Italian restaurant.  These are all in my phone or will be soon.  I also have the GPS navigator charged and it will go in the car.  I have printed directions to different places (I hate depending on one source when I am somewhere I am not familiar with).  I am ready to go.  Now it is the last of the taper and some visits with friends and then out the door Thursday night.

8 comments   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in Family, Fitness, Just my Thoughts

20 September 2010

Spirit Week

By Nicki

The week leading up to Homecoming at our local high school – and throughout the district – is called Spirit Week.  Yesterday kicked off the start of Spirit Week 2010 with the annual reversal game.  The girls – juniors versus seniors – play flag football while the boys are cheerleaders.  This year there were two junior band members who played also.  Enjoy the slideshow!

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Do you remember Spirit Week as a high schooler?  Do you remember doing it with/for your children?

1 comment   |  tags: , , | posted in Family, Just my Thoughts, School Sports, Sports

29 August 2010

Family

By Nicki

One of the reasons my blog has seen less activity in August than is normal was a family reunion.  My mother generally flies east for a high school graduation.  Since the May that she came and had to wear someone’s winter jacket to a Little League game, she never comes before the end of June which coincides perfectly with NYS high school graduations.  Only one left in my family so in two years, I can guarantee she will be here at the end of June.  This year, though, she came the beginning of August, just in time for the August cooldown.

The family reunion was two weeks ago today.  Normally, I would  have tons of photos but I only took about 50.  The reunion was held at Dorchester Park, a Broome County park on the Whitney Point reservoir.  I live approximately 20 miles from the park.  Anyway, here are the photos from the reunion.  Please realize the duct-taped child was not hurt and asked to be taped up.  An aunt or an aunt’s boyfriend obliged.

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2 comments   |  tags: , , , | posted in Family, Just my Thoughts

29 July 2010

A Summer Evening Walk

By Nicki

Mondays are generally the day of my training schedule for cross training.  Last week was week one of marathon training for me but in reality, it was week six.  Yes, I started at week six.  So last week, I did a DVD that included some cardio and some weight training.  It was a good 30 minutes.  This week I opted for a walk… with my 16 year old son, the baby.  No “!!!” tags here but a slide show to share what we saw.  This is a route that I frequently run on.

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14 comments   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in Art, Family, Fitness, Just my Thoughts

27 May 2010

Do Our Children Really Learn from Us?

By Nicki

I remember well those days when my children were little, younger than they are now.  Currently, my six children are mostly all grown.  Four of them are over 21 and the other two are 19 and 15.  The challenges now facing me as a parent are very different than they were 20 years ago.

I always wondered how much of what we/I taught my children in their “formative” years stuck with them.  Then, came last Thursday night.  It was a big day!  Last Thursday was my younger daughter’s, child number four, 22nd birthday and her graduation from the community college she had spent the last few years attending.  We all had dinner together – she requested pizza and wings from a local shop – at my house and then split up as we headed into Binghamton for the Arena for her graduation ceremony.  Broome Community College graduated 1240 students, each walking across the stage where a hockey goal would sit during the AHL season and each hearing his or her name called.

I digress.  The true point of this story is what my children learned, or at least one of them learned, when they were indeed children.  Binghamton is the “big” city for this area.  I had been in Binghamton for the past several weeks on jury duty so I knew where I wanted to park and what it would cost.  I pulled the car into the parking garage, having approached from the right so the turn was not across traffic.  Police were just beginning to appear to direct traffic as there were a lot of vehicles trying to turn left to get into the garage.  These same police officers were trying to direct people to cross the streets – sometimes against the traffic signal, sometimes with it.

My 23 year old daughter started in with cross with the light.  She just kept saying something about it over and over.  Then, she said she remembered it from when she was in first grade.  When she and her twin brother were in first grade, the graduate that night would have been in kindergarten and my oldest would have been in third grade.  We lived a little under a mile from the elementary school the four attended.  To be bused, children had to live over a mile from the school.  I tried to pick them up after school.  This was not always possible.  So, I walked them home one day before school started, carefully explaining that you cross the street with the light.

So, as you are worrying about whether your children will remember the important things, realize they will.

3 comments   |  tags: , , | posted in Family, Just my Thoughts

3 March 2010

A Year Gone By

By Nicki

I purposely hoped today would be a day full of things to do.  I want to stay busy.  While I may not think often that the last year has been different, it has.  A year ago today, my father died.  While it was unexpected, it was also not unexpected.  He was not all that old, having turned 71 two days previous.  He was, though, in bad health.

The hardest times have been those times when local news has happened – not the day to day news, the big local news stories.  You see, my father was a newspaperman.  The first hit came – literally – at the beginning of April when Binghamton made national news with a mass shooting at the American Civic Association.  I cried.  I cried for the dead.  I cried for their families.  I cried because I thought of Dad missing the story.

There were other stories that made me miss my father.  Binghamton has been rife with shootings and stabbings this past year.  The other thing that has really hit hard is the local sports seasons.

My father was huge hockey fan.  He had a season ticket to the local AHL team’s games.  From all I can tell, he was on a first name basis with the ticket and parking assignment people.  He went to NCAA hockey every chance he got.  My oldest daughter is heading to the College Hockey America conference tournament next weekend.

I also can imagine my dad’s disappointment in the scandal surrounding Binghamton University’s basketball program.  He had season tickets to both the women’s and the men’s games.  He would have been furious about the recent decision to not allow the men’s team to play in the conference tournament.

Then, there are the personal, family things he missed.  I had a son graduate from high school and start college.  I had a daughter graduate from college.

17 comments   |  tags: , | posted in Family, Just my Thoughts

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