10 million miles

Every day, I receive a brief email from The Generous Wife with an idea, a bit of encouragement, and an inspiring quotation about how to love Ryan better. Lori’s emails address the full gambit of our relationships from buying vitamins and noticing our husbands’ oh-so-straight lawn-mower lines, to praying for them and pursuing them romantically.

I’ve been receiving the emails for over a year now and haven’t always acted upon the advice, but I think I’m going to do a week’s-full just for kicks. You can get in on the fun and receive the emails, too! For those of the male persuasion, check out The Generous Husband.

Let’s all give a little bit more! The way I figure it, if a potato can be so romantically inclined, I can muster up a little lovin’, too!

I guess I had my fill of Vivienne’s allergies the upteenth night that she woke up sneezing and moaning (loudly) until either Ryan or I came in to help her wipe her nose.

“What was so special about the upteenth night?” you may ask. Well, it just so happens that it was the night that Vivienne was up all night long and Lia slept all night long. To top it all off, it was also the night before V woke up with one of those very red, very sore little noses that has been blown and rubbed one-too-many times.

That night, something beautiful happened to me. A zeal for annihilating allergies consumed my whole mother-being.

I ransacked Google for all kinds of information, searching: “sneezing children”, “red noses”, and “children deliberately alternating task of keeping parents awake”. Until that fateful upteenth night, I just assumed that the two months of Vivienne’s runny nose, sneezing, and itchy eyes indicated seasonal allergies. I was now enlightened and impassioned to eliminate all possibilities of all allergens. Dust mites and dander suddenly became suspicious culprits.

Ensuing “To Do” list:

* Boil curtains

* Boil bedding - all of it

* Buy/ use dye- and fragrant- free laundry detergent

* Toss pillow in the garbage (which will feel strange, but toss it anyway)

* Purchase new pillow that is feather-, down-, peanut-, and egg- free.

* Remove carpet (shoot! why didn’t I think of this earlier? this little area carpet came from the basement where the former owners kept their evil dander-filled pets whose ghosts still show up via stinky odors on damp days)

* Remove every speck of dust: ceiling fan down to the baseboards

* Remove every stuffed animal from room (Sentimentality holds no weight. Sorry, Papa Smurf.)

* Scour the small child every night before bed to remove any pollen, dust, dander, peanut, or egg residue that might cause an allergic reaction in the middle of the night

A lot of hard work for a Memorial Day holiday, but the results have been stunning: TWO WAKE-FREE, SNOT-FREE NIGHTS and a happier little girl to-boot. (Of course, Lia is suspiciously back on her faithful 3-hour nursing schedule through the night…)

Although I personally could have used these tips two months ago, here are 16 Tips to Help Kids Cope With Allergy Symptoms from WebMD

1. Stay Inside. The best way to treat allergy symptoms is to avoid allergens to begin with, say the experts at the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI). So when pollen counts soar, keep kids indoors as much as possible. Pollen is usually at its peak mid-morning, early evening, and when the wind is blowing.
2. Use Saltwater. Nasal congestion can be one of the most exhausting symptoms for children with allergies. For relief, older children might want to try nasal irrigation with a saline solution, one of the “best home remedy of all,” says Alan Goldsobel, MD, a California physician and spokesman for the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. You can buy saline at the drugstore or make your own by mixing in a squirt bottle eight ounces of water to one teaspoon non-iodized salt.
3. Stay Hydrated. All that sneezing and blowing can leave a child parched. Keep a water bottle full and close to hand and encourage your children to stay well-hydrated.
4. Warm It Up. A hot shower or bath seems to offer allergy symptom relief for some, says Asriani Chiu, MD, associate professor of pediatrics and medicine at the College of Wisconsin, so encourage kids to enjoy a little tub time.
5. Keep It Cool. To keep pollen out when the weather’s hot, air condition your car and home and keep windows closed.
6. Deal With Dry Air. A little moisture in the air makes breathing easier for most, so if you suspect the air in your house is dry, you may want to turn on a humidifier. But be careful: Humidity over 40% can encourage the growth of indoor allergens like mold and dust mites.
7. Go Cold. When itchy eyes are driving your kid crazy, try a cold compress, says Chiu, which may help reduce the itch and inflammation.
8. Keep Your Hands to Yourself. And encourage kids to avoid rubbing their itchy eyes. Rubbing will only irritate them — and could make the itchiness even worse.
9. Spice It Up. If your kids enjoy spicy foods, a piquant dish made with cayenne pepper, hot ginger, fenugreek, onions, or garlic may help thin mucus and clear nasal passages.
10. Use Top Tissues. When kids’ allergies are at their peak, tender noses can get sore pretty fast. Look for tissues with lotion or other soothing additives.
11. Rub Jelly On It. And if your child’s nose is raw and red from blowing, you can soothe their sniffer with a dab of petroleum jelly.
12. Gargle to Relieve Sore Throats . If postnasal drip leaves your child with a sore throat, gargling with warm salt water made of 1-2 tablespoons of table salt in 8 ounces of water may ease the pain.
13. Drink Warm Tea . Drinking more fluids can also help sooth tender throats. Try a weak tea with honey and lemon. Bonus: The steam from a piping hot cup may relieve sinus congestion, too.
14. Get Face Time. Warm compresses applied to the face may also help soothe a child’s sinus pressure and pain.
15. Avoid Milk. Some folks may find milk can make mucus worse, though “that’s not a proven concept,” says Goldsobel. If in doubt, it may be a good idea to steer clear of milky goodies when kids are coping with allergy symptoms.
16. Avoid Certain Foods . If your child is allergic to ragweed, they may also have an allergic sensitivity to certain foods. Symptom-provoking foods to avoid may include bananas, melons, chamomile tea, sunflower seeds, and cucumbers.

When I emptied the memory card from our old camera, I found these two artsy photos:

MUNCH, MUNCH!

Save a tree or two (and your sanity!) by visiting…

* catalogchoice.org to discontinue unwanted catalogs (I saved this site as a Bookmark so that when I receive unwanted catalogs in the mail, I can enter them into the website. We’re still receiving some catalogs from the previous owners - including a quarterly catalog packed full of every type of baseball bat you can imagine.)

* dmachoice.org/mps to remove your name from unwanted mailing lists

*optoutprescreen.com to remove your address from credit card and insurance offers

This has officially been a week-long birthday celebration. Today, however, was the big day and we enjoyed every moment of Vivienne “turning 3″. Warning: I *may* have posted far too many pictures, but I wanted to embrace you into our May 24th as much as I could.

As per tradition, Ryan and I greeted a fuzzy-haired little girl with a birthday song. She had her own performance of her own prepared: two little birthday birds singing from one hand to the other looking for a worm from… me!

 

Check out this morning’s adorable birthday outfit. And the conversation that accompanied it:

 

Vivienne: “Does this slip help me not to slip?”

 

Mommy: “No, this is another kind of slip that goes underneath a dress.”

 

Vivienne: “Woops! I slipped!”

 

 

This amazingly dazzled bike is a gift from Ryan’s co-worker. Her daughter is one of Vivienne’s “big sisters”.

These flapping hands indicate just how excited Vivienne was to be the birthday girl!

 

 

And this is just a CRAAZZY photo that I had to include.

 

 

 In front of our neighbors’ highly coveted flower garden.

 

 

 

We took a family walk to the park… where Vivienne performed dances both in the sand and on the wood.

 

 

“Where was Ryan?” you may ask. Well, he was with us and he was having a great time, I promise, but you’d never know it from the one picture I took of him. He’s next on my photo-shoot list. Look for his spunky side in a near-future post. In the meantime, watch out for the guy wearing a Baby Bjorn at the park!

 

 

In the afternoon, we celebrated a “Blue Birthday” with Ryan’s side of the family. In honor of Vivienne’s favorite color, we  - rather, Dad-Award-Ryan - blew up plenty of blue balloons…

 

 

…and enjoyed a blueberry shortcake on a blue-checkered table cloth

 

 

The invitation read “Wear Blue”. Grandmom and Lia just happened to don the same shade!

 

 

A happy little birthday girl!

 

See that cardboard purse? It was THE HIT of the day. I’m surprised she’s not sleeping with it tonight.

 

 

After the party, we headed down to the Memorial Day Parade in which there were approximately 1,000,ooo,000 baton twirlers of all ages, shapes, and sizes. In fact, the Memorial Day Board of Trustees might be considering renaming the parade “The many-aged-shaped-and-sized-BATON TWIRLING Day Parade”.  Apparently, baton twirling is the thing to do around here. Find out how you can twirl a baton, too.

Here are three kids intent on the next candy-throwing fire truck…

 

…or some sweet moves by a faux Nittany Lion

 

 

After the parade, we stopped by the carnival for a funnel cake. Vivienne played her first carnival game…

Focusing:

 

 

Skillfully choosing three ducks:

 

 

Winning A TOTALLY AMAZING BLUE AND GREEN CATERPILLAR.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, VIVIENNE!

Thanks to our DLN (Dear Lovely Neighbors), Ryan and I were able to go out on a date (!) to see Prince Caspian last night. Because the film didn’t resemble the book very much, I gripped Ryan’s arm through half of the movie out of fear that they would kill Peter off or something. (Don’t worry, they didn’t.) Once I freed the film from any loyalties to Lewis’ original book, I enjoyed it immensely. Who could complain about being immersed in beauty for 140-some minutes? Best of all, I got to see the Pevencies again: the children are growing up so beautifully. Susan and Lucy have a way of inspiring my femininity. And Edmond’s stunning maturity makes me feel “a-o-kay” about having a son someday.

The film reminded me about Kendall Payne’s song “Aslan”, which contains a wonderfully poignant chorus:

He won’t say the words you wish that he would
Oh, he don’t do the deeds you know that He could
He won’t think the thoughts you think He should
But He is good, He is good

Though the song references the lesson that Lucy learns about Aslan (that He isn’t safe, but He is good), it is primarily about God. (And, now that I think about it, could be about any number of husbands in the world, too. But he is good, he is good.)

(You can listen to the first minute of the song from Kendall’s official web site. Then you can buy it and listen to it over and over again.)

Dance, dance, wherever you may be…

“I am the Lord of the Dance,”said He…

…and I’ll lead you all wherever you may be…

…I will lead you all in the dance,” said He.

 

(Thank you, Grandmom and Grandpop, for outfitting the tiny dancer!)

While we were home, we celebrated Vivienne’s 3-year birthday. (We’ll be celebrating it again on the 24th with Ryan’s family; stay tuned for the second round of photos!) I found all of the decorations for less than $5 at two garage sales that I somehow “knew” I needed to visit. ‘Lot’s of fun with a “Fancy Cupcake Contest” and “Fancy Dress-up Relay”.

Everyone “came fancy”!

And took the cupcake contest very seriously…

If I had time, I would analyze these cupcakes and write a report about what the decoration says about each person’s deep inner 3-year-old. But, I’m hoping to squeeze in a nap while the little girls are sleeping. So, I’ll leave the analysis up to you.

Anyway, to spunk up your day, play this “Which Cupcake Would You Choose?” contest. The rules: choose a cupcake! (Official results appear at the end.)

Ryan’s Concentric Cupcake

Grandmom Ruthie’s Lovely Landscape

Aunt Erin’s Purple Pizazz

Grandpop Stanley’s Edible Abstract Art

Mark’s Heart

Emily’s Floral Fusion on Fucia

Vivienne’s “I Couldn’t Help Myself”

Laura’s “Mine Really Should Have Won” Butterfly Balance

The official results?

Drum roll…

Judge Vivienne confidently chose Grandmom Ruthie as the grand prize winner!

 

Happy Birthday, Vivienne Grace!