Back in the Saddle

Holy wow! It's been a crazy couple of weeks! Did you miss me?

I started back to work on Monday. Funny story here; 

My first day back was Monday. Everything was going great in the morning, Babysitter showed up on time, we left on time, drive in was easy (well heck it should be at 6AM, non?) and I got Hubs dropped off at the subway no problem. Got to work super early (like before 7AM, early) and had time to find what is thankfully still my desk and get set up. 

Just as things were gearing up, I get a text from babysitter. She says Cash barfed.

Oh. Awesome.

"Okay, well he just woke up. Does he have a fever?"

"No he seems OK now."

"Ok let's play it by ear, then!"

"Sure."

10 mins later... 

"He threw up again in my car."

25 mins later... 

"He's throwing up a lot. I'm really sorry but I think you should come home... he's not eating anything and any time he drinks anything he throws up. I can watch Carter for you while you take him to the doctor, but he's really sick!"

Fudge!

I spoke with Hubs and he was prepared to leave work since it was my first day back, but then I talked to my boss and she encouraged me to head home. "That's the luxury of having a boss in Ohio! I don't know if you're in the office or not!" (Best. Boss. Ever.)

So, I headed to the babysitter's house. It's a 1.5 hour drive, so by the time I got back Cash had been sick quite a few times. When I got there he was really pale and lethargic, he threw up in my Jeep. 

I brought him home, changed his clothes and grabbed some crackers and juice for him and trying not to panic I headed to the walk-in clinic. It's a short drive so that took maybe 5 mins, and we checked in and sat down. I'm not even joking when I say within FIVE MINUTES of being at the doctors office, the kid was eating, walking around, I was actually having a hard time keeping him sitting down.

Half an hour later I was trying to keep him occupied in the exam room and the doctor finally came in and checked him. No fever. No more barfing. No issue eating. No runny poop. In fact, no sign that he was ever sick. At all. 

Doctor said to keep him on the BRAT diet for the day (Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast -- for those of you who don't watch Yo Gabba Gabba) and he seemed normal. It was probably just a little bug or something he ate. 

Thanks for the half day off on my first day, you little bugger!

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Now it's time for everybody's favourite Friday Feature; Five Question Friday! If you'd like to take part in this week's Blog Hop, head on over to My Little Life and check it out!

1. What do you enjoy doing the most with your spouse?

I love going on date nights! To the movies, out to eat, just taking time to be with each other. Between the show, trying to spend less money and two kids 2 & under, we haven't had the opportunity to do that much lately so I'm hoping in October once we're done filming we can make an effort to make that happen again.

2. How do you eat your taco? From the top or from the side?

From the top/side? I kind of come in on it at an angle. 

In other news, this is an incredibly dirty sounding question. You're welcome.

3. Have you ever shut off the basement light and ran like a fool because you knew someone was down there and would get you?

No?! Lucky for me the basement light is at the top of the stairs so there's really no period of time where I have to be in a basement, alone, with no lights on. Also, I spent the previous 2 years of my life LIVING in a basement, so also doesn't apply there either. Cheerio.

4. If you could change one thing about you what would it be and why?

If I could change ONE thing about me? It'd be my temper. I try to be as controlled and relaxed as I can, but I really dislike certain behaviour and sometimes, with some people, ahem, who may or may not, ahem, do things that are incredibly frustrating or annoying, ahem, I may... occasionally... get a little angry.... *cough*

I find that the higher my stress level is and the less I feel I am being helped around the home or just in general, the more likely I am to get a bit... dramatic. :)

5. What age do you think is appropriate to have the "bird and the bees" talk with your children?

I think it should start early, with what is appropriate for their age group, meaning what information they can take in and handle at that age. This has been a big point of contention for our household right now because Hubs thinks that it's better to not use proper terms for anatomy at Cash's age, where I disagree and feel that honesty is the best policy, as I wouldn't want to confuse him or associate the terms with anything shameful or inappropriate. It's important to teach them that it's an "at home" topic until they learn about social tact etc. 

Hubs did bring up a good point in argument that he's afraid by Cash using the proper word for Penis, that he could be using it with other kids or parents or caregivers and may associate it in a way that could seem inappropriate accidentally. I feel as though most people understand that toddlers and pre-schoolers may use the word occasionally as they're learning it's acceptability in public.

What my fear is, and this is coming from the background of someone that was abused growing up, is that if I teach my kids to use "code" words for these things and they start to associate their anatomy with something negative or shameful then if something I should know about does occur, they may be ashamed to tell me or be unclear about what is or is not appropriate.

In my opinion at Toddler age you teach them the right names for their sex organs but only what they do in the sense of peeing/pooping. 

By pre-school age when their language skills are better you can discuss how babies are made in terms that they'll understand. I'd personally tell them about different types of partnerships and gender roles and identities. I want them to understand that families and partnerships come in all shapes, sizes and colours and they're all to be accepted and treated equally regardless of what other people might say. That can be taught to them at first in small concise information and elaborated on further as they get older.

By early childhood they should know that their body parts are for their own use only and that although there's nothing wrong with exploring your own body it's important to keep it in private. If they ask about sex or it seems that they're more aware than what you've told them (I personally knew almost everything about sex by 5 or 6 years old from kids on the playground and unfortunately my experiences growing up) then you can elaborate more.

By the time your kid is entering middle school, in my opinion, they should know how it all works, that families come in a variety of forms, what birth control is and how to prevent unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases and infections. I want my kids to know what's up and that they can come talk to me about any issues they're having regarding sex or their bodies. I don't want to find out my kid has been having pain in his penis for years but felt ashamed to ask me to take him to the doctor because he thought it was inappropriate. I'm all about straight, definitive answers and giving kids the benefit of the doubt in what they can/cannot handle. 

I get that not everyone feels this way (even Hubs disagrees with some of that) but given my history and my experiences, I think we hide too much from children. Giving them the right information doesn't hinder them or cause them to grow up too fast, it's what they don't know and aren't aware of early enough that causes problems. 

I mean, look at the rates of teen pregnancy among folks who preach abstinence as opposed to those who take the time to fully explain how being sexually aware and prepared can save you from that outcome in the future. 

No one has to agree with me, those are all my personal beliefs, but within that I of course feel that it's the best course of action in my family not for everyone.