“Halloween Haul”-What to do with the Candy

Happy Halloween!!!

Halloween

The Switch Witch- what to do with hallowe’en candy

I wish the “Switch Witch” had been around when my kids were little.

 Halloween in the Neighborhood

As Hallowe’en approaches there is always the dilemma of  what to do with all the candy. Well, here is what I am going to do this year with my granddaughter’s haul complete with a “fairy  witch’s tale”.

The ‘Switch Witch’ is a nice way to “get rid” of the “Hallowe’en Haul”.

  • Your child picks some candy to eat on Hallowe’en night.
  • He then lays out the rest for the Switch Witch before he goes to bed.
  • The Switch Witch makes rounds takes the candy and leave a surprise!

What a great way to deal with the Halloween dilemma!

Any suggestions as to what the “Switch Witch” should do with the candy?

halloween 2015

 

 

Related: Meet the Tooth Fairy’s Sister

Sunset…Sunrise

Solitude at Sunrise

Solitude at Sunrise

I am sitting here at sunrise

my home away from home

the Boston Globe “blank”,

in front of me.

thinking about attachments

and losses…

that have filled the recent days…

since Death visited.

thanking God for a friend

who touched so many.

loss so painful…beyond bereaved

shoes unfilled…footsteps not finished

life cut short.

sympathy seeping in to fill the depth

death leaves.

seeking to touch family

it helps me to share your loss

as I share your love.

so very, very sorry

no words…

forever changed

 

 

Teen Punished by North Andover MA High School For Giving Drunken Pal Ride Home

 2006-09-10 - United Kingdom - England - London - Trafalgar Square - Sign - Cutout - Yellow - Caution Teenagers

Teenagers and Alcohol  is a post I wrote a while back but it seems appropriate to share it again after what I read and saw on today’s television news.

via North Andover High Punishes Teen For Giving Drunken Pal Ride Home From Party « CBS Boston.

Today in the news a teenage athlete answered a call from her girlfriend, who asked her to pick her up from a party because she was drunk and needed a ride home. For this gesture the young athlete was punished by her school stating that she had violated the school’s “zero tolerance” policy.

I have many opinions about drinking teens. I am not in favor of alcohol at parties and underage drinking but I am also not in favor of zero tolerance policies that are misguided and enforced in such a way that they penalize a student for helping her friend get home safely.

Let’s try and teach something here…use this as a chance to address the very serious problem of underage alcohol abuse in high school and college.

It is not all about punishment, it is about education and the responsibility of parents, and schools to make kids aware of the consequences of drinking, drinking to excess and of course driving while drunk.

It is about teaching them to engage parents when faced with caring for friends who are drunk rather than bearing all the burden themselves.

I encourage you to voice your thoughts to the principal at North Andover High…an email longleyj@northandover.k12.ma.us was left in the comment section of the article posted

 

 

A Shot of Prevention for Flu Season

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Thursday was flu shot day for me.

This year, I went to CVS Minute Clinic instead of getting my flu shot at work.  Hospital  policy makes it mandatory that all employees get a flu shot so that we do not expose our patients to the flu.

Minute Clinic was a new experience for me. Since my family is in the medical world, it has always been easy for me to drop by my doctor’s office for a quick shot in the arm so to speak.

CVS simplified my Fall routine. They offered me an opportunity to get a “complimentary” flu shot, which turned out to be a great convenience. Because I have a history mitral valve problems, a flu shot is highly recommended and I take my health very seriously.

Upon arriving at  a CVS, not too far from my home…I had to check in on the Minute Clinic computer in the waiting area. It was easy enough, but I could see, where it could be a problem for elderly folks, who may not have computer skills.

Five chairs were available in the waiting area. This was a good sign…it meant that they do not anticipate lengthy wait times so no need for too many seats.

My computer sign-in screen notified me, there were five people ahead of me…good information to share as it established a time frame. The nurse also told us, a few people were there only for flu shots and another nurse was expected back from lunch shortly, so the wait would not be too long.

I breathed a sigh of relief, as I had to be at school pick-up in an hour. IMG_7175

When it was my turn, the Nurse Practitioner reviewed the questions and answers from my computer profile. I signed my consent, got my vaccination, my receipt and was quickly on my way to school pick-up.

I was also given a 20% off coupon for CVS, which I will use on another visit.

This was my first time at a Minute Clinic. It was clean, efficient and friendly. I felt confident with my Nurse Practitioner. She was young, competent and nice. Since I am a nurse, it is my practice to “interview” nurses that take care of me

The real measure of a successful experience is whether or not I would feel comfortable coming to a Minute Clinic for medical care in the future ?… the answer…without reservation, YES.

Would I recommend getting a flu shot this year?..YESfor sure.

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Disclosure:

I was given a “free” flu shot from Minute Clinic…all opinions are my own as always.

 

Toddler’s Tantrums, Creative Children, Smarter than Adults

Parenting in the Loop Facebook

Janet Lansbury offers many insights into how to take care of your babies and children. She    is a follower of Magda Gerber and her RIE philosophy.

Here are some of my favorite posts from Janet, that recently came across my feed. I hope you enjoy them and realize that as a parent and grandparent you have an awesome responsibility and a wonderful one as you involve yourself in caring for your babies.

“Take the mobile off the bed, take care of their needs, and leave them alone.” This odd sentence was my introduction to Magda Gerberand the child care philosophy that would become my passion. I had given birth a few months before reading this quotation, the only one by Gerber, in an article in L.A. Parent magazine about raising a creative child.

via Magda Gerber and the Creative Child | Janet Lansbury.

Babies and children are always fascinating and sometimes frustrating to me. As a former maternal child nurse, I feel privileged to have been one of the first people to have held some newborns. I always felt that the birth of another little being was a blessing and a miracle. I think I always knew that something special had just happened when a baby was delivered.

GENERATIONS of psychologists and philosophers have believed that babies and young children were basically defective adults — irrational, egocentric and unable to think logically. The philosopher John Locke saw a baby’s mind as a blank slate, and the psychologist William James thought they lived in a “blooming, buzzing confusion.” Even today, a cursory look at babies and young children leads many to conclude that there is not much going on.

New studies, however, demonstrate that babies and very young children know, observe, explore, imagine and learn more than we would ever have thought possible. In some ways, they are smarter than adults.

via Op-Ed Contributor – Your Baby Is Smarter Than You Think – NYTimes.com.

 

Temper tantrums can be very perplexing to parents. This anecdote might help explain how RIE understands the mechanisms of toddler tantrums.

Young children are self-healing geniuses, have you noticed? Sometimes their tantrums are an expression of immediate discomforts like fatigue or hunger. Other times, however, they have a backlog of internalized feelings and will seem to deliberately and (seemingly) unreasonably push our limits so that we will hold steady and resist, which then opens up the escape valve they need to release these emotions. But this process can only work for them when we are able to set and hold limits and bravely accept their feelings.

via The Healing Power of a Toddler’s Tantrum | Janet Lansbury.

A WIC Shutdown: Here is Where You Can Get Baby Formula

Bottle Feeding

We all know that the government shutdown has caused problems for those parents receiving formula and baby food from WIC.

Jessica Lawson, the feminist mom has compiled a list by state of where to get WIC aid. It is not a complete list but it is a good resource for those in need.

Lisa Belkin published this information on Huffington Post earlier today.

I hope it is helpful!

Where To Find Formula And Baby Food During A WIC Shutdown.