Re hand washing. I teach 300 five year olds. 5 classes a day for a total of about 100 kids per day. (each class comes every 3 days) I squirt every one of them with "magic soap"...(germx or some other brand) as they walk through the door. (kind of cute, they are all in line with their hands out like little beggers) There is no way I will touch a mouse at the computer stations after kids with germy hands! When they need a tissue, I have them stand right next to the garbage can, blow their nose, then the tissue goes right into the can...they can NEVER take tissue to their computer station, because gawd knows where their used tissues would end up. After they use the tissue, they get germ-x'd again by me...they can't touch the container. I also have hospital spray in my room and if anyone sneezes, I immediately spray their desk area, mouse etc. I also keep a watch on the "nose pickers"...finger in the nose, then on the mouse. I send them over to the tissues and germx! I also tell them the first day they are in there at the beginning of the year when we are going over classroom rules to keep their fingers off of their face, noses etc. Little kids can be gross! I try to wash my hands between each class too if I have time to get to the bathroom. Luckily all the work we do is with a mouse and not keyboards. I have all the keyboards up on top of the cpu's so they never touch them or else I'd be spraying constantly.

Sometimes teachers will tell me "We just went to the bathroom and washed hands too so they don't need germ-x" I squirt them again anyway. Out of 20-something kids, I know at least one of them will have had a finger up the nose in line walking from the bathroom to my class!

Another thing that absolutely amazes me is parents sending their kids to school with "green" noses...speading little "gifts" all over the place.

Hi y'all...Boy I needed that. Just got back from the hellaous trip down to St Pete's. Got lost in town and took almost 2 hrs to find the funeral home(Dh had written 62nd Ave N when it was
62nd street, opposite end of town.) Never got to the mueseum. Trip home was bumper to bumper first 20 miles across Tampa Bay causeway. Took 3 bottles of water with me, but forgot to eat. Gobbled supper down and came in here......feeling blaaaaaah and got laughing about kids booggers and pee spots.........Thanks.

Our grocery stores down here have had wipes available for ages. Funny but since we have more old folks going out and sitting down somewhere is a bigger chore. Alot leaking going on!
My biggest gross out is sitting in restaurant and they start sweeping the floor.....ughhhhhhhh! Or wiping the table and then the chairs with same rag. ahhhhyuck! Been so long since I took micriobiology but can still see all those nasties crawling around.

Hopefully with all of us attempting to stay OP and eating better even if the flu attacks we will have the stamina to resist.(As she's typing she falls to the floor in a flu attack.) Am not scheduled to get it this year. Usually get it every other year. I wash my hands and use the sani gel all the time. Sort of a lady Macbeth symdrome......Still do kid thingy too and hold my breath when someone gross is near me....

Must tell you whispered to my BFD when I got there that I only came to deliver a hug from her Mom. She just held on tighter. Had Dh call my BF and tell her what I did. They both understood how much love they shared. It was really awesome and so tragic. BF is going into Hopkins next week for more back surgery and couldn't fly down.

Am literally trembling with exhaustion. Take care of yourself, eat heathy(do as I say not as I did) and hugs....karen3

The key is to make sure that you get books in a format that your player can play. Ipods have their own format. Audible has books in an "AA" format and only certain players can play them. Most of the public domain stuff is in mp3 format which virtually all players can play. If you need help making sure that books are compatible - just pm your player make and model info, and I will check it out for you. :)

Birgit - I actually walked outside today. I locked myself out of my car (first time ever) and walked home (2 miles) to get dh's keys. Which for some inexplicable reason were in his pocket at work. So I walked to the hospital to pick him up after work (he walks to work all winter) and then walked to the school to pick up my car.
While dh walks all winter, I don't. I have had to use WATP videos to keep up with my walking. It was hard at first, but now - I enjoy it. Not as much as walking outside, but - the amazing thing - after doing WATP all winter, the 4 mile walk in the snow and ice didn't even phase me today. I came home and I wasn't even tired. So - I really don't think it is a message from God - I think you CAN keep walking even when the weather won't cooperate. Get movin' girl ;)

Bobbi - thanks for the reminder. There IS a lot of flu going around!

Karen - hang in there girl! Life has to slow down sooner or later!

HI

Quick check in for today. Lost 1 lb last night which is ok it took me a long time to get up to where I was, it's going to take a while to get back down abd atleast it's down. Adding more movement to my days this week and planned my meals to that should help and usually works best for me to plan ahead and shop accordingly.

Quite a few of the stores here now have the wipes, which I love. As for purses in the bathroom I usually will either grab a paper towel on the way in or use an extra seat protector (if they have them) to put my purse on the floor.

Later,
Em

About the flu season, DH and I are retired and not exposed to all the flu germs out there where some of you are. Cat, wow! You wrote a great answer as to what you are doing to stop the spread in your class room. Our daughter also teaches that age group and her hands are so raw and red from constant washing. I wrote our local paper because sometimes people are so ignorant of how germs spread. I'm going to copy/paste your message of what you do in your class room to our local paper. Maybe other teachers/parents/grandparents will take to heart the precaution we have given.
Bobbi

TODAY'S CLEAN LAUGH

*Holding Hands*

While at the mall, I saw an elderly couple holding hands while they were walking. As they approached, I commented on how romantic it was.

He replied, "We have been holding hands when we go out in public for over thirty years. I have to. If I let go, she shops."

Morning Golden Girls,

Cat, I had to send your post to my sister (she teaches pre-school). She will get her laugh for the day.

Em, congratulations on the 1 Lb. loss! Every lb. lost is a lb. gone forever! I always plan my meals. It takes all the guess work out and keeps me from raiding the fridge looking for "something".

While on the spreading germs topic, I see so many people come into the hospital, coughing and with a temp of 105 because "I just had to come and see how my sister was doing". Why, did you want to make sure you made her sicker if she wasn't sick enough? If you're sick and for some reason do have to come into the hospital, ask for a mask. We have no problem at all giving you one.

Laurie, You walked outside yesterday? Here in Michigan? I think I would have been on the phone looking for a ride. You sure got your exercise in that day!

Karen, I still hold my breath when someone around me coughs or sneezes too. And get away from there as quickly as I can.

lots to do today, so gotta get moving. Hope to check back in later. Have a lovely day Freda

Well, our grocery stores have the germ handwipes at all the entrances in the store and over by the meat department, I usually wipe off the handle of my cart.

Dh and I haven't had a cold in 3 yrs. now but I guess that will change when we go north. When we had our office supply business during flu season I always wiped off our counter, phones, keyboards, front door handles with the wipes and sprayed Lysol around, I think it really helped.

I never ever sit my purse on the floor anywhere....I use too but haven't for years. When traveling I look my purse in the trunk so I don't have to take it into restrooms.

We ate out last night and the food did not agree with me, I was up until 4 a.m. going to the bathroom not fun! And of course I didn't lose any weight!!

Today is a packing up day, doing my china cabinet so I'd better get moving.

Phyllis

Luckily a lot of our stores are getting on the bandwagon and keeping sanitary hand-wipes near the cart racks. Also luckily the public washrooms I frequent (very few of them and carefully chosen, I might add) have hooks on the cubicle doors to help keep the purse a little cleaner and they also have the automatic on/off faucets.

My pet-peeve is having to go through a check-out line where the cashier is obviously not well and shouldn't even be at work. Wonder if anyone has ever done a research project on how many people are infected by one sick store clerk. The only thing worse is (as already mentioned) the number of sick people that come to visit sick people in the hospital. :mad:

Once again, our strange weather pattern has appeared. As mentioned yesterday, we did get a yucky layer of ice on top of that inch or so of fresh snow, but overnight the temperature went up and the ice turned to rain and this morning . . . sunshine and not a trace of remaining snow or ice out there. Really weird. Hey, guess I'd best accept the good part -- no shovelling needed. :lol:

My antibiotic-induced tummy situation seems to be calming down and so I'd better go think about getting ready for my afternoon mall-crawl since the weather is not going to keep me in the house today.

Have a great one, gang . . . see you all later . . . :wave:

Good Morning Ladies!! I have been MIA for a little while because I have really been focusing on my eating and exercise. I think maybe I have really got back on track now. I have been doing at least 15 mintues on the ab lounge ( about 300 crunches) and 45 minutes on the Gazelle each day. I am really hoping to see a loss on the scales this Saturday!

Linda(meowee) I have been using the Gazelle without any resistance for the past 2 weeks. I am thinking about maybe putting it in the first level of resistance maybe next week. Are you using the resistance with yours? Just curious. I got some Tony Little DVD's and none of them show him on a Power Plus.... just the ones that don't offer the resistance.

I agree about the washing hands! And our stores here also have the wipes readily available. I am so glad. Plus I carry the little bottles of Purell in our truck and my Blazer. This year has been better since Tim has been without work (the only good point!) but all the contractors that he used to have to deal with everyday even when they were sick.

Phyllis, how are things going for you? I got my china cabinet packed up a while back too. Now I've been going through the kitchen cabinets, closets and whatever trying to get rid of stuf that we just don't need! I talked to my son last night and he told me that he and his family have decided to move to Florida and will be there before New Years! I told them to be sure and check out the local papers there and see what kind of jobs are available. Don't know what the local paper is but I'm sure they will find out. I guess they are looking around the Orlando area for now. That was a surprise.

I talked to my sister yesterday and my Dad is going in to have a pace maker put in next Wednesday. It worries me a bit since he is 88 with diabetes to have to go under antisetic(sp) He had the quadruple bypass about a year and half ago. I went back for that and now I'm trying to decide whether I should go back for this now. I really would like to be there but things are so tight here..... just kind of torn what to do.

Well, guess I'd better get going for now. Hello to all the GG's I have missed. Hope you all have a good day!

Morning all :wave:

Karen31 - My FIL had a pacemaker put in a few months ago and he's already back to bowling. He's 82 and had a bypass about a year ago. Seems the pacemaker is a much simpler and less stressful procedure. If your Dad came through the bypass OK the pacemaker should be easier. I think with the diabetes the bigger concern would be the healing more so than the procedure itself.

The hot topic seems to be unthinking people spreading germs during this flu season. I got one that makes the flu seem pretty desirable. Don't know if it's made the news anywhere else but we have a health scare going on here - It seems that a number of endoscopy and gastroenterology centers here were reusing syringes and (what were supposed to be) single use vials of anesthetics, and not following proper procedure when cleaning reusable equipment. They were also having non-medical assistants administer anesthesia. There are 6 known cases of Hepatitis C that were spread by one of the clinics and that clinic also treated patients that are HIV positive so they have shut down all the clinics owned by that medical group and are testing all the patients. DH had a procedure at one of them so he's getting tested tomorrow. :crossed: My biggest concern is that something like Hep C or B, or even HIV might take a while to incubate and could show up years later. Telling DH to ask the testing facility how often he should get checked.

Seems that this has actually been going on for several years but just now came to light. One article I read (which I did NOT share with DH) said the clinic he went to was reusing batches of cleaning solution for endoscopy and colonoscopy equipment. Kind of makes me naseous to think they might have cleaned something that was in (or even near) someones colon then dipped something that was going to be sent down someone elses throat in the same solution :barf: Theoretically, the solution should have killed germs but still............

I know a couple of you are in, or associated with, the medical profession. Can you tell me how this kind of practice could have gone on so long before someone blew the whistle? They are saying the nurses were ordered by non-medical administrators to do these things to save money (Also claiming the Dr.s were not aware :rolleyes: ). FIL was the chair of the anesthesiology department at a pretty upscale hospital but finally resigned because he was tired of fighting with administrators over the difference between medically and monitarily necessary but he never said that anything completely medically improper was going on.

So, aside from that, I'm staying OP and got back into my Fluidity. Kind of expected to have backslid since I had missed for almost a week but didn't have a problem (except that blasted hangy stretch at the end. Can't do that one to save my life) - I guess all they physical labor during inventory kept me up to speed. And, had a great NSV last night - DH was out so I had some soup and fruit for dinner which was good but then I broke the cardinal rule of not taking more than a pre-planned, portioned snack to watch TV - took my whole bag of peanuts (raw of course :D ) and plopped on the couch. But, instead of mindlessly stuffing them in and being horrified to discover I had scarfed the whole bag, I nibbled one at a time and actually returned the bag to the cupboard after just a few nuts :broc: What are some of your NSVs that still give you a smile when you remember them?


TTFN :grouphug:

YoYo, I had an NSV this morning. I was going to put on an olive green khaki short skirt. It came with a belt. One of my goals was to once again wear a belt, cause I have been covering my tummy with shirts for years. I tried it on with a tucked in shirt!!! My tummy is not flat by any means, but enough to wear a belt. yahoo.

Re: Fluidity. I can do that stretch at the end, but have trouble with 2 others...the one where you have your back against the backboard and do that "spread leg" thing. I can only do about 3/4 of them. And the stretch after the arm stuff where you put you have your elbow up and reach around with your other hand behind your back and lace fingers...I can do it when my right elbow is up, but not with my left elbow up. weird, huh?

Hi Everyone,

Looks like March is NOT going to be my 3FC month. I leave next Tuesday for GA/FL for the week for our Cousins' Reunion. Be back late on St. Patrick's Day.

My DD got some bad news on Monday. She's been having LOTS of BAD colds/flu over this winter. Went to an allergist who took LOTS of blood. Turns out she has IgG Deficiency - like the Bubble Boy. A count that should have been in the hundreds was less than 1.

From what I've been able to find so far, there's no cure & no treatment. This thing affects very few people - like 1 in 200,000 - so probably not a lot known.

Has me feeling VERY down - I'm really worried about her.

Lynn

Oh dear Lynn!! Your poor DD! At least, with the wonders of the internet, whatever is known about her condition should be accessable and can give her ideas of things to try. :hug: But don't neglect yourself and your health needs - especially now when you are worrying.

Just popping in to say hello. I am new to the boards here. 51 yo mother/stepmother to 7, grandmother to 6. On a road to good health since last September. Have lost 27 pounds, have 79-99 to go. Nice to meet all of you. bethz