Our Easter

I awoke early and went to Easter mass with Blake which was a sunrise service. Although I am not Catholic I must admit it was a rewarding experience. I actually have a problem going to church on Christmas and Easter if I have not been to the regular services. (I feel bad :(  After services we went to IHOP for breakfast. After we ate Blake was ready to go home to go back to sleep before our 2pm Easter brunch. 

  As soon as Blake dropped me off I worked out in my home gym, showered, and then sit down and checked my facebook and blogger pages.I started getting ready to go to to brunch. I then  finished up my dishes I prepared to take to our friends house and then started to get ready for "Easter Brunch" with friends and colleagues . 

The weather has actually been dreadful and raining so the kids had to hunt for eggs inside. They seemed so disappointed that they had to hunt for eggs inside, Then I remembered the few times when it rained when I was a child and I had to hurt eggs inside with my cousins and friends, and I was bound and determined I was going to make a "Easter Hunt Adventure" for these children. Everyone looked at me as if I was crazy and what was the point these kids had everything and one Easter Egg hunt would not kill them. I could only recruit Blake for help to hide the eggs. First I took a donation of all the adults pocket money and the plastic prize eggs were filled with mostly 20 dollar bills, there were 10's and 5's and even change. There were 14 children ranging from 6 months old to 12 years old. Blake and I gathered all the eggs including the boiled eggs and started to hide them down stairs so no one would get hurt on the stairs. When we counted the boiled eggs there was 108 we had 72 plastic eggs, but only filled some with candy and the surprises that was bought to go into the plastic eggs. We had 182.58 in cash and after filling and hiding the eggs. "Let the Hunt Began"

Blake and I took charge as we already had making a fun day for the children. I had a 6 and a 18 month old while Blake had a 2 and 3 year old helping them find eggs before all the big kids found all the eggs. Everything went great and all the eggs were found which is a must (no sticking eggs a week later and the occupants wondering where's that smell coming from? The kids all had so much fun and enjoyed all the eggs and surprises the Easter Bunny left for them. 

With all the work that the 2 Easter Bunnies did they realized on the way home that they had taken no pictures of the event. So please anyone who took pics please tag pics to our pages thanks. 

We were tired by the time we made it to my place, so we cut on the TV to chill and there was a heart breaking documentary on HBO titled "American Winter" and that will be my next blog. With our church service, all the good food we had to eat today I want to give a special prayer for those who had nothing today. I want to thank God for the TV being on a Chanel and American Winter just starting. I hope that everyone who has HBO will take the time to watch it. 

Treasured Feelings

You changed my world with a blink of an eye 

That is something that I can not deny 

You put my soul from worst to best 

That is why I treasure you my dearest Marites

You just don't know what you have done for me 

You even pushed me to the best that I can be 

You really are an angel sent from above 

To take care of me and shower with love

When I'm with you I will not cry even a single a tear 

And your touch have chased away all of my fear 

You have given me a life that I could live worthwhile 

It is even better every time you smile

It so magical those things you've made 

To bring back my faith that almost fade 

Now my life is a dream come true 

It all began when I was loved by you

Now I have found what I am looking for 

It's you and your love and nothing more 

Co'z you have given me this feeling of contentment 

In my life something I've not felt in a very long time

I wish I could talk 'til the end of day 

But now I'm running out of things to say 

So I'll end by the line you already know 

"I LOVE YOU" more than what I could show.

Happy Birthday Mama

Happy Birthday Mama I love and miss you so very much. Not a day goes by that I do not think of you. 

You are now gone, but never forgotten. There is no way I could ever be who I am today without you and your impact on my life. I have made mistakes at times, but they were never enough for you to stop loving me. Everyone says what a good girl I am and what a great daughter I was to you for taking care of you while you were sick, buy it was you that cared for me while I was a baby and I just returned the favor. That is the cycle of life you have children and care for them and in the end when you become sick or old and feeble the kids take care of you. Well that is how I see it, so I never did anything that you didn't do for me or that my children someday would not do for me or I should hope. I regret nothing of the 10 months I took off to care for you I was blessed to be able to be there everyday as you finally left this world better than how you found it, and put your mark on this world. I know it is there I can see it each time I look in the mirror. 

I think we look a lot alike, I love this picture and the story behind it

This was you wedding day and in this picture you were looking at the pearls daddy bought for you to wear I have heard this story a thousand times as you waited in one of the "Sunday School Rooms" of paw-paw's church. You had to wait 45 minutes for daddy to arrive and you were nervous that he had got cold feet and left you at the alter, but daddy woke up late from his bachelor party the night before and was rushing everyone. He made it mama and although he had false he loved you until the day you died and so did I

Mama you are everything I want to be in a woman. You rode your own bike when there were not many bikers. You never took any BS off of a man, but was kind and considerate to those you loved, you loved your bike, animals, mudding, 4-wheeling, hunting, fishing and you always stood up for your friends and family. But, though it all you were a eloquent lady, you were beautiful, sexy at parties and yes men turned there heads, but you could dress in leather or camo and look just as pretty. You mama were a true "Southern Belle"

I pray that you are looking down on us today and can feel the love coming your way.

To the best mom ever I love you. 

. 

K2, Spice linked to kidney failure in children

Synthetic marijuana known as K2 or Spice is appealing to teens. You can often go to the corner gas station and find it in pot pourri-like products and by smoking it you can get an intense high. It’s of course unregulated and who knows what’s in it.

Many teens have had serious adverse reactions to it including racing heart beat, high blood pressure, hallucinations, and paranoia. ERs have been inundated with kids who have been unwittingly exposed thinking it wasn't any different than pot or perhaps less risky because it was over the counter. In actuality, K2 may be riskier than pot.

Recently over a dozen teens who have had no history of kidney problems in the past and who had no other drug exposure besides Spice or K2 went into kidney failure after smoking it. A couple of the teens died and several others needed to undergo dialysis while their kidneys recovered from the assault.

I understand that teens are inherently stupid in this way: they don’t ever think that anything bad will happen to them even if they understand it can happen. They don’t think that if they text and drive they’ll get in an accident; they don’t think they’ll fail the test that they’ll fail since they sort of listened mostly in class. Teens are also known for experimentation. They try new hairstyles and music genres and attitudes, and sometimes they even want to try something dangerous just to see how it feels.

K2 or Spice is particularly dangerous. I encourage parents to talk to their teens about it realistically, but also with an understanding that some experimentation with something is likely to happen. Try to deflect it away from this and toward something else. Like a new hairstyle.

Changing TV content improves preschoolers' behavior, study finds

Preschoolers love to pretend. They play dress up or imagine they’re pirates or “cook” for you. They “fly” and “drive” and even are able to become “invisible. “Their powers are endless. Often they find it difficult to differentiate what is real from what is not, but by early grade school, most children have a pretty good understanding of reality and fiction.


It makes sense that what preschoolers hear and see in books and media can influence greatly how they play. It is fodder for their imaginations and feeds it. If they see certain types of behaviors over and over they begin to think that those behaviors are normal or at least desirable. It can be tricky as parents to choose content that is both interesting and imaginative but not scary or full of conflict, either physical or verbal, for preschoolers to watch. Many cartoons and other programs ostensibly geared for young children show “‘good guys” and “bad guys” or kids bad mouthing or putting another child down as part of the dynamic. Even if the “good guys” or “good kids” end up winning, the images viewed and words heard are those of conflict and/or aggression and that can affect behavior.


In a recent study published in Pediatrics, researchers in Ma  tried something new. Instead of just asking parents in one group to turn off their TVs or significantly limit the preschoolers’ screen time in the study (the AAP’s recommendation for children in this age group) they asked instead for half of the parents to change the content the children watched, leaving the amount of time the children were in front of a TV the same as it always had been. The other half of the study participants did not change the amount of time or the content they watched. The two halves were very similar in both the content and amount of TV watched prior to the intervention as well as other family characteristics, amount of time in daycare, etc. The intervention group was instructed to replace their content with the following shows: “Dora the Explorer,” “Sesame Street,” and “Super Why” and to a lesser extent “The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse,” “Sid the Science Kid,” and “Curious George.” These shows were chosen because of their prosocial behavioral messages. The first three shows strongly so and the latter three somewhat less strongly so. The study groups were then assessed 6 and 12 months later and the differences were significant between the two groups. The group exposed to prosocial TV had better social interactions and behaviors at home and in group settings. The preschoolers were less apt to be described as anxious, depressed, withdrawn, oppositional, aggressive, or angry compared to the control group. Low income boys were particularly likely to show a benefit.


To be honest, I've never been a big fan of TV for kids. I feel that there’s a whole bunch of other things that are more productive and creative that children can be doing with their time but I realize that most kids will be spending a couple of hours a day (at least apparently) watching television. These pediatricians did a great service then to investigate what content is best. If you’re going to have your preschooler watch TV, at least have him watch something prosocial at this age rather than something more pro-aggressive like Cartoon Network’s “Star Wars” or even more neutral like Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob Squarepants.”

Tanning booths are risky

I know it’s obvious and yet I feel I needed to do a blog about it with Spring Break and prom approaching. Every year I seen teenagers in the office who are unnaturally tan before for this time of year and the only way that can happen around here is if they are visiting a tanning salon.


Let me let you know one thing: there is no ‘safe’ tanning. I like the sun as much as anyone, maybe more, but going to a tanning salon before prom or spring break is not a good idea. The good news is that at least Michigan requires parental consent for a minor to use a commercial tanning booth, 17 other states do not. Children as young as 10 can use tanning booths in states like Missouri without any parent consent at all.


When your teenager asks for consent to go to the local tanning salon before spring break or prom ‘look healthy’ or ‘get her base tan’ so she doesn't burn, remind her that this sort of exposure has risks. Even with sunscreen, melanoma, basal cell, and squamous cell cancers can all grow and the risk is cumulative. I understand that we don’t want to avoid the sun altogether, of course, but going indoors to a booth to sit in a coffin-like tube with lights to tan isn't at all the same as enjoying the water or a bike ride or a hike while you also happen to be in the sun (with sunscreen on!)


Be strong parents! Your teenager needs your consent to go in Michigan so you have the opportunity to minimize their risk!

  This parent went to jail for tanning her 6 year old daughter 

BE CAREFUL I TOO TAN, BUT WE MUST USE COMMON SENSE AND GUILD LINES TO 

PROTECT OURSELVES

Anyone can anonymously report suspected abuse

Recently we've had a couple of cases in the office that made me realize that parents don’t know that they can anonymously report concerns they have about child abuse or neglect just like I have to do as a pediatrician.

Here are some examples of situations that might warrant a parent calling the state to report a concern:

. Neighbor children ages 4 and 7 are often left alone for more than an hour at a time. They come over to your house to play with your children but don’t seem like they've had a bath in several days. Their clothes don’t seem clean and don’t fit too well. When they are over they often seem very hungry and want to stay as long as possible. The parents are hard to get a hold of. They seem nice enough when you walk the children back home but almost daily the children seem to end up at your house because their parents aren't around for some stretch of time.

. Your 4 year old tells you that an older child had repeatedly asked to see her private parts. She wasn't sure what to do and so she did what he said. The older child has touched her vagina on several occasions and has shown her his penis as well. You confront the 8 year old’s parents who don’t seem to think this is a big deal at all.

. You hear your neighbors repeatedly yelling at each other and swearing. You hear them calling each other names and yelling derogatory things at the children too. At one point you hear one of the children yelling in fear “Don’t hit me again! Please don’t hit me! I’ll stop! I’ll never do it again!”

All of these situations are pretty straightforward and in reality you don’t even need this much to go on. As an adult, if your radar is up and you are concerned about the well being of a child, you can call the state and anonymously report your concern. I know that we often don’t want to meddle or get involved in other people’s lives but when children’s lives and well being are at risk, you have a responsibility to do something. It truly is anonymous.

Unless the case goes to trial and you need to testify as to what you saw or heard, no one will know it was you who called. There is a hassle and headache for the family that has a case opened of course but if there is something amiss, it is an opportunity for them to get help if needed and if real dysfunction is present get the kids to a place of safety and care.

If you suspect a child is at risk of abuse or neglect, I encourage all adults — whether or not you’re a mandatory reporter like a doctor or a teacher