Always Sick and Tired

Our children had fevers again this week, and while DS1 did well with acetaminophen, fluids, and rest, DS2 had a much harder time. For the first half of the day, I was able to regulate his fever quite well with children's acetaminophen (active ingredient in tylenol, but we use generic ever since Tylenol has had recalls on their medications).  Halfway through the day, however, when it was time to give him another dose, his fever had risen to 103 degrees.  He was also shivering violently and moaning.  I gave him some more Tylenol and began sponging him down, but this made the shivering worse and made him scream. All through this, he was perfectly coherent and spoke to me; he was simply miserable and wanted the shivering and aches to stop. I broke out my "What to Expect the Toddler Years" book to see if there was something I was missing about fevers.  Usually, I am able to treat fevers quite easily, but DS2's last two fevers have been more difficult than what I am...

It seems that everyone is talking about the new movie, "Eat, Pray, Love", starring Julia Roberts.  Personally, I haven't seen it, and I don't intend to. The reason? I read the book in the midst of a horrible depression.  Everything in my life was crumbling around me, and as a result, I was in therapy, on medication, and watching way too much "Oprah". Cover of Eat, Pray, Love - Image via Wikipedia While watching Oprah, I saw the episode where she interviewed Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of the autobiographical book "Eat, Pray, Love", the story of her journey from complete and utter despair at her life to complete bliss and happiness. Of course, someone like me who felt herself on the verge of crying many times a day, feeling trapped by my life decisions (just like Elizabeth Gilbert), immediately fell victim to the claim of how this woman, this once tragically unhappy woman was able to overcome and live the life of her dreams. ****SPOILER ALERT**** If you haven't ...

Seems Johnson & Johnson is at it again. Start here:  The recall list for J&J products at the FDA site. Image by aldinegirl87 via Flickr Now Johnson & Johnson, along with Walmart, are in a class action lawsuit for putting an ingredient in their shampoo that causes cancer; a product, you should know, that has been banned by the FDA. Target brand Nightime bath and body wash is also being investigated, but isn't yet part of the ban or lawsuit. Many months ago, Johnson & Johnson / McNeil products such as Children's Motrin, Tylenol, Benadryl, and others were recalled for various reasons...some were supposed to have been contaminated while others weren't the correct strength.  As a result, many parents sent in medications to receive refunds while others just threw them away.  You should also note, the adult versions of these medications have been involved in the recall as well.  Many people are opting for the generic versions of these brand medications...