2 Things to Accomplish

I have only two things I really want to get accomplished this morning.  1.  I need to sit on the phone with the horse / barn insurance people and have them explain to me how to fill out their forms.

2.  I need to follow up with Teva because I returned some shoes to them and should have a credit.

So, with that it mind, I suppose I should get off of pnn and facebook and get on the phone!

H1N1 Vaccine

I wasn't freaked out about the H1N1 virus, or swine flu, until our school superintendent left a message outlining all the steps the school was taking to prevent and / or limit it. 

The other day we got a recorded message that the first cases of H1N1 have been reported in our school.  They did not tell us which grades those cases were in, and I'm fine with that decision.

My 4 year old goes to preschool on the same elementary school campus.  My son is in 1st grade.  The 4 year old came down with a cold earlier this week.  She has asthma (as does my son) so the cold immediately went to her chest.  She was better yesterday and probably could have gone to school but I kept her home just as a precaution. 

From what I've heard, H1N1 isn't that bad unless you have a pre-existing medical condition.  And asthma is one of those conditions that seems to make the virus much, much more serious.  Which leads to my panic.

I asked some of the other 1st grade moms if they were going to get their kids the H1N1 vaccine.  I was surprised when most of them said no, citing concerns about how quickly they've rushed to get a vaccine made and to doctors.  Before they said something, I was definitely going to get my kids, and probably myself and my husband, vaccinated.

So, my question:  Do you have concerns about the safety of the vaccine?  Are you planning on getting your kids or yourself vaccinated?  Are you concerned about H1N1 more than the regular flu?

Parking Woes

The parking at my son's elementary school is so bad I have to leave my house 25 minutes early.  Is that ridiculous?  I think so!  Particularly since I live less than 5 minutes away!!  Grrrr . . .

Discovering the Big World

My son just started 1st grade.  He's a super sweet little boy and has led a pretty protected life in some ways.  We limit what he watches on TV, we don't have video games, he doesn't play with toy guns or pretend to shoot people. 

He and his little sister spend a lot of time outside with their giant black Lab and pony.  They're happy to help in the garden and vineyard.  He loves tractors and to play in the dirt.  We go on vacation and he likes to fish. 

Is all of that so abnormal in today's world?  Its seeming so.

Yesterday he came home from school kind of upset.  I'm guessing the class was talking about what they are going to do over the upcoming Labor Day weekend.  Two of his classmates said they're going hunting.  "What kind of hunting?" I asked.  "Hunting for animals." he said, almost crying.  "That's mean to the earth and mean to the animals.  I don't understand why they would want to do that." he said. 

Admittedly, I didn't have a good explanation.  I didn't point out that its really not much different from fishing, which he enjoys.  We have talked about that not wasting is the important issue - and that we put back fish that are too small and don't take more than we can use.

Its hard when your little world starts to open up and not everything outside is pretty.