"Pandemic" of COVID-19

A quick overview: 

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The disease was first identified in 2019 in Wuhan, China, and has since spread globally, resulting in the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic. Common symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath. Muscle pain, sputum production and sore throat are less common.^[ While the majority of cases result in mild symptoms, some progress to severe pneumonia and multi-organ failure. The rate of deaths per number of diagnosed cases is on average 3.4%, ranging from 0.2% in those less than 20 to approximately 15% in those over 80 years old. 

The infection is typically spread from one person to another via respiratory droplets produced during coughing and sneezing. Time from exposure to onset of symptoms is generally between two and 14 days, with an average of five days.  

Recommended measures to prevent infection include frequent hand washing, maintaining distance from others, and not touching one's face. The use of masks is recommended for those who suspect they have the virus and their caregivers but not the general public. There is no vaccine or specific antiviral treatment for COVID-19. Management involves treatment of symptoms, supportive care, isolation, and experimental measures.^[26]

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the 2019–20 coronavirus outbreak a pandemic and a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). Evidence of local transmission of the disease has been found in many countries across all six WHO regions.

Thankfully Sara Lassila (Mickelson) - graduate from Cherry HS - working with a team @ the Mayo has developed a test that can detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus in clinical samples. The SARS-CoV-2 virus causes COVID-19.

^{So THAT being said - people all over the US are FREAKING out.  There is a shortage of toilet paper - NONE of the grocery stores in Bemidji have a square to spare.  If you look on Amazon.com for TP - it'll bring you to paper towels.  They are out.  I am the type of person who has a few extra of everything anyway - just because I hate to run out; extra shampoo, bars of soap, ibuprofen, etc.  We'll be fine.  However the hoarders are being selfish and taking everything off the shelf, sadly including medications, which prevents others from having some and it will likely expire before they can use it all.  The food shelves are hurting.    My elderly neighbor called US to see if we were ok, bless her heart.}  

Schools all over MN are closed staring today until at least the end of March.  My heart goes out to those kids.  Mostly you'll have two different type of environments.  One environment will be like what my teacher friends have to deal with on the reservation - the child will be at home, have about 10 hrs of screen time a day, fill themselves with junk food (or have no food at all), not complete their assigned homework because they don't have anyone who care for them besides their teacher, and witness drug abuse and domestic violence.  The second environment is two working parents or divorced parents.  The kids are either unsupervised and at home alone with the garbage that is on TV or they're in daycare for 9 hrs a day - and probably too old for it.  Who will be their teacher?  I have to work Thursday, so David is staying home, but after that I cancelled all my shifts.

All the Bemidji restaurants have gone to take-out or delivery only.  Gov. Walz has closed all MN movie theaters, fitness clubs, gyms, cafes, bowling alleys, bingo halls, hookah bars, arcades, and country clubs. FL beaches are staying open and all these spring-breakers are on the beach, spreading this junk then flying it back to their home states, while the rest of us are staying home and slathering ourselves in hand sanitizer and rationing our children to 3 squares of Charmin.  

God bless America.  

It’s OK to be Content

“Why are you crabby?” I’m not crabby. “You’re not happy.” Yes I am.  I’m content. 

This is what my family says to me...that I don’t LOOK happy. Yes, I suppose I should smile more. I do have a resting crabby face. But overall I’m content.  Maybe I’d be considered something negative, but truly I AM CONTENT.  Isn’t that a good place to be?  My family is healthy & happy.  My marriage is good.  My home is good. God is good.  I don’t need to be over the moon.  I am content. 

F and Jellyfish

💖

Felicity chose to make a jellyfish for her 1st grade under-the-sea project. 

She LOVES animals of any kind...anything she can get her hands on. 

Mini Family Vaca (Duluth)

We had a long wkend from school with teachers inservices Friday and President’s day today, so we went to Duluth for a mini vaca. We went to the Country Inn that had an awesome water slide. The girls LOVED the Aquarium. Of course we over spent on junk food and silly items at the mall, but will have plenty of pics and memories to last a lifetime.  Saturday night we went to St. Lawrence Church and celebrated mass with our "old" priest friend from Hibbing, Fr. Ryan.  He didn't baptize the girls, but he came to the after baptism parties.  It was SO good to see him again and catch up.  Felicity is all about touching gross stuff, so she was in her glory to touch a jellyfish, sea star, anemone, & a sturgeon.

Jellyfish!!

Snapping Turtle

Mmmmm...Sammy’s

I 💖 Saturdays

Lately we have been visiting different libraries in our network. The kids love the kid-corners, dad walks around the aisles, & mom finds a rocking chair and pulls a book from my purse.  Cheap, entertaining, and gets us out of the house this winter.  They get out of the house and usually leave with their own stack of new books.  I hate to say that my house distracts me from reading at times, but thankfully there is no laundry or dishes at the library. (Could use a bit of dusting, but ... not my job!😆). Afterwards David & the girls stop for ice cream then it’s home for naps and game night. I love Saturdays.

FAM. GAME NIGHT:
Uno = LOST!🤪♾
Chutes & Ladders=LOST! 😳🌈
Yahtzee = LOST!🤔🎲
Scrabble = WON! 😆🔤

Pulp Stones

Obviously these aren’t my scans. However my dentist dx me with “pulp stones”. I didn’t even know they existed. They aren’t a huge concern, apparently, but just something else of which to be aware. 

Homemade Liquid Soap Containers

I love canning jars in decorating, so I threw together some liquid soap dispensers from jelly jars. 

I just used the old pump, cut down 2”. Popped holes in the lids. Spray painted. Super glued. 

Vióla!

HP Craze

Booboo just finished Harry Potter #4 & took an AR test on it after

 coming back from Christmas vacation. She’s pretty proud of herself.

News: Law to Commit Suicide

https://www.bemidjipioneer.com/opinion/columns/4748568-Shaw-Choosing-death-with-dignity?fbclid=IwAR2-7KXae0vfbsLenp4ossl9hjSWfuoNTMxsoUa0Ik6BfALBJ-i35QMtfP0

Ugh. MN is just disappointing by me over and over again. Now trying to play God by taking a pill to end their life, comparing a human to the life of a dying cat. They call it dying with dignity, not even physician assisted suicide anymore. Who are they kidding?! God help us.

Words from Bishop Robert Barron

Friends, in today’s Gospel we meet a prudent steward who serves his master wisely. I would like to say something about prudence and wisdom. In the Middle Ages, prudence was called "the queen of the virtues," because it was the virtue that enabled one to do the right thing in a particular situation.  Prudence is a feel for the moral situation, something like the feel that a quarterback has for the playing field. Justice is a wonderful virtue, but without prudence, it is blind and finally useless. One can be as just as possible, but without a feel for the present situation, his justice will do him no good. Wisdom, unlike prudence, is a sense of the big picture. It is the view from the hilltop. Most of us look at our lives from the standpoint of our own self-interest. But wisdom is the capacity to survey reality from the vantage point of God. Without wisdom, even the most prudent judgment will be erroneous, short-sighted, inadequate. The combination, therefore, of prudence and wisdom is especially powerful. Someone who is both wise and prudent will have both a sense of the bigger picture and a feel for the particular situation

Children of God

Children are exhausting to me, but I get them. For some reason I can connect to them. In Felicity’s class there is a boy named Logan. He’s always happy and smiley. He doesn’t take life seriously, and I like that about him.  He’ll have plenty of time to be serious. He was my field trip partner one year. We held hands for 5 blocks as we walked to the firehouse with the whole class. Since he’s become my buddy-always giving me high 5’s or a squeeze in the hallway. And always flashes me a smile!

Yesterday was school picture day. Eva is 4 and someone mentioned they knew her mom. She was just about to have her picture taken and immediately started crying due to missing her mommy. She was red-faced and inconsolable...not a good pic to hang on the wall. The helper apologized since she didn’t know how sensitive Eva was about missing her mom. I’ve seen Eva cry everyday her mom drops her off. I get it. I gave Eva a hug and reminded her that she’ll have her picture taken (smile nice so Mommy has a beautiful picture on her wall!), she’ll go have snack, play, have recess, eat lunch, have quiet time and then go home and she’ll have 6 days off until she has to go back to school (MEA wk). I told her I’m nearly 40 and I still miss my mommy, and that’s ok.  She quit fiddling with her necklace, dried her tears, and took a beautiful picture.

Sadey wanted to play on the monkey bars, but couldn’t reach. Her parents were present and I asked if I could help her. With a “go ahead” I lifted her and she monkeyed all the way across. Ever since she gives me a wave and a smile each time we pass.

VBS kids are always sad to leave their moms. But with a kind word, reassurance, a hug (always visible to the crowds so you aren’t violating any rules), and usually a snack, kids feel the reassurance they needed at that moment. They don’t quickly forget it. I find it weird my kids’ friends like me to have lunch with them. They have the funniest conversations and I always get dragged into them. I don’t just visit my child, I visit the whole lunch table, and they love it. Weirdos! 😆

Who was that person when you were a child?  Who listened to you when you needed to be taken seriously, who reassured you when you were down, who gave you a squeeze when you felt empty? Be that person you needed as a child.  It takes a village to raise a child, not just to teach or discipline, but to make them feel loved and special.  I appreciate it when my children express admiration for other adults.

These kids don’t know my name. I’m either Felicity’s mom or Elizabeth’s mom. That’s ok. As long as they see the love of Jesus through me I need no title.

F Lost Her 1st Tooth!

While the rest of her cousins & classmates her age are looking like jack-o-lanterns, my baby kept wiggling her loose tooth. I finally gave it a tug while distracting her with the story how I met her daddy and out it popped. She cried because of all the stress & emotion. I cried because my baby is growing up. She no longer that little squishy thing that likes to cuddle with me. She’s a skinny, leggy thing that runs away from my hand to the school doors or to gymnastics with a “see ya mommy!” Ugh, times like these are tough; sad for me, but so happy for her.

F - 1-handed Cartwheel

Sunday, Oct 13th Updates

I love my blog. Sadly I’ve mostly ignored it since it became more difficult to get pictures from my phone onto the website without having to download them onto the computer first. Plus there’s no blog app any longer, so that’s an inconvenience. BUT I think google did an upgrade because I can now post pics from my phone directly to the blogger website ... so here’s hoping. I like being able to look up some of my favorite recipes or when we changed something or watch the kids grow through my blog. FB just isn’t the same.

Anyhow this pic represents our first snow of the year (thanks to “global warming”), our new motion night lights on the attached garage I’ve been wanting for a while, and the gone garage. David took this summer to take down the garage and break apart the concrete in order to lay down 12” of sand to prep for the new building. We were hoping to have the slab in place by this time, but EVERYTHING in life seems to take longer than expected.

Women’s Beaver Hockey

Giving High 5’s to the players as they came out 

Fizz loved the hockey game! 💚 Asked a LOT of questions though! 😁

Verne Treyton Parks baptized

Jen & Jr asked us to be God parents to baby Trey. We are also his big sister, Ady’s, God parents as well and is a huge honor. We’ve been praying for the little one for months preceding his birth and for good health for his mommy. Pregnancy and labor is never easy, but is well worth it. This little fella is such a good baby. Welcome to the church, little one!

Suffering

I threw my back out this wk. Ever since my second pregnancy my SI joint can slip out of place and I’m in agony for weeks-even with chiropractic care and self stretching. Last time this year was when I caught a falling patient. 

One thing I’ve learned as a Catholic is to “offer it up”. You can pray for healing, but while you’re in the midst of suffering you more deeply understand the suffering of the Passion of Christ. 

“Pain and suffering have come into your life, but remember pain, sorrow, suffering are but the kiss of Jesus – a sign that you have come so close to Him that He can kiss you.” -Mother Teresa

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church (Colossians 1:24).

St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta

"The fruit of silence is prayer, the fruit of prayer is faith, the fruit of faith is love, the fruit of love is service, the fruit of service is peace."

— St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Bye Bye Baby

My babies are growing up.  I celebrate the little milestones with them, but mourn the loss of their youth at the same time, especially with the youngest.  We have been giving away a lot of “stuff” to our church’s ‘store’ who give all proceeds back to the community.

*When we moved here we had two stools in front of the bathroom sinks. Now there is none to trip over as both girls can reach their tooth brushes and sink. 

* No more training wheels or baby bike seat. Those went to a friend of mine last month as Felicity is now 40# and that’s the limit. She took one more ride with me and looked HUGE compared to last year.
* No more barrettes.  The girls don't want the colorful, cute barrettes they once loved.

I’ll finish later. Someone needs morning snuggles and breakfast. 💖

MOLD!!!

Window frame after spraying with bleach mix, before scrubbing . 

Bleach, scrubbed, air dried over night. 

Elizabeth has been coming upstairs every morning with the sniffles. She insists on an allergy pill. Last summer she was tested for allergies and found one of her allergies was mold/fungus, mild, but still present.

The last ppl who owned our home didn’t take good care of it or know how to use the air exchanger in the wintertime apparently. The basement bedrooms get a build up of condensation in the corners in the winter. Every morning we turn on the exchanger, open the drapes, and it goes away. I truly believe the previous owners didn’t do this.

Anyhow, I checked her sleep number bed for mold (common per the internet) and didn’t find any. Shampooed her mattress and carpets. Vacuumed like crazy. Still - sneezes and scratchy throat in the morning.

I opened the windowsill and this is what I found. It became darker once I sprayed it with a water/bleach mix. I scrubbed all 4 windows, ledges, hinges, etc like crazy with a toothbrush and rinsed with clear water. I’ll let dry fully today and repoly everything. I’m hoping this helps her sniffles. I didn’t tell her what I did so as to assess her allergies w/o her knowing. But already this morning she sounded better, less blowing of the nose and watery eyes.  I’ll also wash her drapes as well to rinse away any lose spores, but I pray that we found the source. I know I needed to get this done before winter so I could work inside and outside the window and allow it to open and air dry before doing the polyurethane. Now to check Felicity’s today. I may just end up putting plastic on their windows this winter to avoid the humidity all together!

Glad we caught it now, but totally feel like a MomFail that I didn't think of this before now!