Random Weekend Musings

For the first time in forever I have the house all to myself on a weekend.

Sure, I work from home which means I'm here all by myself Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. But to be home, all alone on a weekend? It's kind of nice.

Of course I am sitting at my computer getting ready to write some stories for work but at least I have a few hours of silence where I can actually get work done.

But as I'm sitting here attempting to work through the writer's block that has me stuck on a headline (I can't start writing the story until I have a headline and I'm stuck), I figured it was as good a time as any to get a few thoughts out here on the ol' blog.

The Fishbowl celebrated its 9th birthday this week. Yep, that's right I've been doing this thing called blogging for nine years. Woot.

The weather has turned much, much colder around here in the past couple of days. Last week it was HOT and even at the beginning of this past week I had the A/C running. And now? It's 67 degrees INSIDE my house (and a mere 59 degrees outside) and I'm TOTALLY FREEZING.

But I refuse to turn on the heat. It's only September 13. The heat is NOT being turned on until at least October. I hope.

Speaking of fall...all things pumpkin spice are back. I had my first PSL from Starbucks this week and it was heavenly. I can't say the same about the Pumpkin Spice M&Ms. Those are just weird. I want to like them but I can bring myself to eat more than a few at a time. I think I'll stick to the peanut M&Ms.

I'm also discovering that I'm a lot less tolerant of people lately. I'm so completely done with people being rude online that it's making me crazy. I have seen so many nasty, negative, mean-spirited Facebook comments and/or tweets lately that it makes me want to do a massive social media cleanse.

Now this isn't to say that these are people I'm friends with...most of the time it's friends of friends and I just shake my head and wonder what gives those people the right to act that way.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all about sarcasm and snark and I have no problem throwing out a sarcastic post but I don't do it to be mean. And I've seen more than my fair share of mean online lately. Think before you post people - would you say it to that person in real life? If not, then perhaps you shouldn't post it online. Use your brains.

Also, someone said there are only 18 Fridays until Christmas. Just stop the madness. Let's get through Halloween before we start any kind of countdown to Christmas. One holiday at a time people. One at a time.

Back to School with Children's Claritin

So the kids have been back in school for about seven weeks and I'm still attempting to find my groove between working at home and keeping up with all my "mom jobs."

At this rate, I'll have it all figured out by about May 2014. If I'm lucky.

School is great right now - the oldest is rocking out straight A's at the midterm and the youngest is reading (devouring!) at least three chapter books a week. Full rides to an Ivy League university are not too far behind (ha!).

The only "down" side to this whole back-to-school time of year is allergies. And this fall it seems like the sneezing and wheezing and runny noses have been non-stop. I'm hoping for a hard frost soon so we can get rid of the ragweed. 

And, as a member of the Children's Claritin Mom Crew, I recently had a chance to get some "back to school allergy tips" and since I'm also a mom of allergy kids I think they are great tips to share with all the other moms and dads out there who are trudging through the early school year just like me.

We all know that seasonal allergies are no fun, but Claritin has some tips for making allergy season bearable for everyone.

So without further ado, some tips from Children's Claritin:

1. Make a multi-vitamin part of your child's daily routine - since multi-vitamins are building blocks for a strong immune system.
My girls take two gummy vitamins each day and I think it really makes a difference with their overall health. (Heck, I even started taking "grown up gummies" and I think I'm feeling better too).

2. Keep curtains open during the day because mold doesn't like sunlight. 

3. Pillow trap allergens, dust mites, and bacteria! Monitor the cleanliness of your child's pillows.
I think I need to consider new pillows for the kids after typing that sentence. New pillows for everyone!

4. Be sure to remove laundry from the washing machine promptly - allowing wet clothes to sit in the washer means mold can grow quickly. 
Yeah. Guilty as charged. But I'm getting better. And when it does sit for too long, I just rewash it. Not sure if that helps or not.

5. Monitor pollen counts and adjust outdoor activities accordingly. Dry, windy days can be particularly high in pollen.
It's been very warm this fall, so we've kept the A/C on a lot longer this fall...which keeps the pollen outside too. But if it's a bad pollen day, even if it's beautiful outside, the kids stay inside!

6. Shower or bathe at the end of the day - instead of the morning - to remove allergens and pollen from hair and body.
This is what the kids do - I want that pollen out of their hair!

7. Stay hydrated! Send kids to school with a bottle of water. Drinking lots of clear fluids throughout the day helps rid the body of toxins.
Thankfully the kids are allowed to take water bottles to school to drink in the classroom.

8. Peak pollen production typically occurs in the morning - plan outside activities accordingly. 

9. Be sure to have Children's Claritin - the #1 pediatrician-recommended non-drowsy allergy brand - on hand! 

And there you have it...some tips to get you through the fall allergy season and beyond. Here's hoping there's a frost on the way soon to rid the air of the pollen so we can keep the sneezing and wheezing to a minimum.

Happy fall!

Disclaimer: As a member of the Children's Claritin Mom Crew, I receive product samples and promotional items to share and use as I see fit. No monetary compensation has taken place and any opinions expressed by me are honest and reflect my actual experiences.