Recent Posts

Guest Post: Author Interview from The La Jolla Writers Conference –  William Gladstone

Guest Post: Author Interview from The La Jolla Writers Conference – William Gladstone

Recently, Hunter Hackett, the publicist who sent me the wonderful book The Broken Circle, asked me if I would be interested in featuring interviews from the La Jolla Writers Conference on my blog. When professional writers offer you free quality content for your blog, the 

Ruly Bookshelf: Spelling Works by Jim Halverson

Ruly Bookshelf: Spelling Works by Jim Halverson

It was perfect timing when I decided to write about our homeschooling efforts that I received an offer to review the book Spelling Works by Jim Halverson. Most homeschooling parents would love help with spelling strategies for kids. Mr. Halverson is an experienced teacher and 

Organizational Priority: Flu Shots

Organizational Priority: Flu Shots

Not entirely thrilled about consenting.
Not entirely thrilled about consenting.

Last week, our family experienced one of the first signs of fall . . . the start of cold and flu season. Fortunately, this cold virus was mild and only had us sniffling and exhausted for a few days. However, the experience fired us up to get our flu shots ASAP.

Yesterday, the children and I crossed that off our list and my husband will be vaccinated soon.

While it may seem a bit early to think about flu shots, I encourage you to move this to the top of your to-do list. It takes a few weeks after getting the shot for your flu immunity to develop. Here in the Washington area, flu season officially starts in October so it is time to get vaccinated.

This year’s flu shot protects against 3 different flu strains (H1N1, H3N2 and an influenza B virus). Apparently there is also an optional vaccine that protects against 4 different strains.

The 2013-2014 flu shot.
The 2013-2014 flu shot.

When we got our shots, the nurse indicated that getting your shot early in the season allows you to pick from various forms of the vaccine. There are about 20 or so different formulations, from shots to nasal drops to egg-free, thimerosol-free and different pediatric vaccines. Later in the flu season, the nurse told us that you just have to take what is available.

2013-09-26-flusign

This year, we went to a CVS Minute Clinic for our shots. One of the biggest problems for me arranging the flu shots each year is that while I, as an adult, can get my flu shot from various locations, like shopping malls, grocery stores, etc., there are few places that will give flu shots to kids. That leaves me having to find one place to vaccinate myself and make separate arrangements for the children. That’s a lot of work for one quick shot. I was intrigued when I saw that the CVS Minute Clinic would vaccinate children as young as 18 months and was advertising that you could “get the entire family vaccinated in one stop.” Sure enough, you could!

They also give you a 20% off shopping pass to sweeten the deal.

One of the cool things to spend your 20% off pass on....battery powered LED lights for your Halloween pumpkin.
One of the cool things to spend your 20% off pass on….battery powered LED lights for your Halloween pumpkin.
....or Ghost Peeps!
….or Ghost Peeps!

If you are on the fence about getting a flu shot, here are two things to remember:

Remember last winter when the deadly flu strain broke out and vaccine shortages were occurring?

Life is stressful enough without adding the ultimate stress worrying that your children might die from a potentially preventable disease. Do yourself a favor and take this worry off the table now.

Second, appeal to your inner humanitarian. When you get a flu shot, you are doing a favor to the rest of society. Some people, like babies under 6 months or people with certain medical conditions, cannot be vaccinated. The more of us that get vaccinated, the lower the risk for those vulnerable people. By getting a flu shot, we also help to make sure that the emergency room is available for those who need it during flu season (even ourselves and our loved ones!).

In addition to flu shots, I thought these tips from nutritional expert Dr. Sandra Cabot about natural ways to strengthen your immune system and avoid colds and flu were helpful.

The flu crew sporting fall's best accessory, the flu shot band-aid.
The flu crew sporting fall’s best accessory, the flu shot band-aid.

*I have no affiliation with CVS or CVS Minute Clinic.

A Peek Inside Our Homeschool Classroom: Singapore Math

A Peek Inside Our Homeschool Classroom: Singapore Math

If there is one homeschool subject that seems to strike fear in parents’ hearts, it is math. Fortunately, if you start with the younger grades, kindergarten math is a great way to build confidence. Can you count? Can you do simple addition and subtraction? Wow! 

A Peek Inside Our Homeschool Classroom: Language Arts

A Peek Inside Our Homeschool Classroom: Language Arts

Growing up, it was common knowledge that English and language arts were the “easy” subjects in school. There were no hard and fast answers like in math or science classes so grading was more subjective and lenient. As a homeschool teacher, however, I have had