Gimpy Arm Update

Just a quick update - we are scheduled for Friday morning, thankfully. We were able to avoid the ER route, which is nice for the obvious reason that no one likes to hang out at the ER if they can avoid it, but also, because we've already been sick this month and we certainly don't need it again...I can't imagine hanging around a children's hospital ER with small healthy children without them picking up something nastily germ-o-rific.

I suppose Friday the 13th is as good a day for surgery as any. Wish us luck!

Supracondylar Fracture

*Sigh*

That's what my baby has. It means broken elbow - he broke the bottom of his humerus. The 5 year old fell off a tree stump from a tree downed by Hurricane Ike, falling maybe three feet onto the grass. I think he inherited my natural grace, or lack thereof.

His three year old brother told his preschool teacher on Monday that the elder Beastling's arm was broken this weekend "by Hurricane Ike." She emailed me, perplexed, for clarification.

So we've been busy - all day Saturday at the ER. All morning at the orthopedist. All afternoon into evening at the pediatric orthopedist. He has had four sets of x-rays so far...I'm not keen on that. I've been learning a lot about children's fractures. The verdict is that he requires surgery this week and that will involve three pins in his elbow that stick out through the skin, which seems rather Frankensteinian, but is the proven therapy.

Because of the trouble scheduling surgery like this immediately, the pediatric orthopedist said we would need to go through the ER at the children's hospital he is affiliated with and get admitted that way. It is about an hour from home, but a very good hospital. He would be doing the surgery, but we could not be fast-tracked through the ER and so it could involve a long wait. With at least two of the children. Did I mention the three year old has a stomach bug and spent the day vomiting?

The surgery does require an overnight stay, possibly two if the ER wait is lengthy.

I'm sure you can imagine how unattractive this all sounds right now, but I realize it is all routine for them and he is in very good hands, so I am not terribly worried, just having difficulty figuring out the logistics, you know?

I will know more tomorrow.

For Bonnie (Moron-Proof Noodley Stuff in a Pan)

This is screw-up proof, I promise. Hope you guys like it.

Moron-Proof Noodley Stuff in a Pan

None of the amounts are set in stone - a little more or less will be fine.

~12 oz box of whole wheat penne pasta or similar style
~1.5ish jars spaghetti sauce, give or take
~1 can petite diced tomatoes (you can leave this out if you don't have any)
~ Frozen onions and bell peppers - about a cup of each (you can leave these out if you don't have any)
~ 1 package 20oz Italian seasoned ground turkey
~ 2C shredded low moisture part skim Mozzerella

1 large sauce pan
1 Pasta Pot
2 8x8 pans or equivalent (I suggest lidded Pyrex for easy storage)

1) Put your turkey and frozen veggies in the sauce pan - cook until well browned, breaking up turkey regularly. If you want to throw in some extra Italian seasoning, go ahead.
2) Cook pasta per directions, and remove from heat and drain about a minute short on the cooking time. You want it edible but firm.
3) Pour half the pasta in each pan and half the meat mixture in each dish.
4) Split the sauce and tomato and pour half in each dish as well as 1/4 of the cheese and combine (reserving 1/2 cheese).
5) Cook glass dishes at 350 for about 30 min.
6) Sprinkle 1/4 remaining cheese on each dish and cook for about 8 minutes or until well melted.

Optional - I'm sure you could freeze one of them after combining the ingredients but before baking - just put the extra cheese in a ziploc on top and freeze the whole thing.

There you go, Bon - you can do it!!!

They Call it Puppy Love

I just received an email from Sam's Club, of which I am not a member.

Sam's Club challenges, "Animal Lover? Time to Prove it!"

The link leads you to the Pet Center and a graphic that says "Feel the Puppy Love? In the Spirit of Valentine's Day Show them How Much You Care." An image of a heart shaped doggy bowl filled with treats is featured.

If you click on this it takes you to an article about general animal care, but let's dissect the headlines for a moment, shall we?

I have pets and I consider myself an animal lover. We are at an all time low of three cats and two fish right now, but the fauna tally here typically registers higher than that between our own pets, strays we are feeding, fosters we are harboring....you get the picture. I have never once felt the need to prove that I cared about my animals as suggested by Sam's Club. And I particularly have not felt the need to prove that I care for them buy buying them things, which of course is the implication of the email. As a marketing tool, the goal is to convince the customer to purchase their products, of course, but "Animal Lover? Time to Prove it!" does not accomplish that goal. If anything, I find it to be rather repellent.

Blush Pearl Necklace CHIEN COATURE pearl necklaces are made of natural and dyed freshwater pearls and CRYSTALLIZED™ Swarovski Elements. The necklaces are wired with flexible jewelry wire and should not break under normal wear. The clasps are lobster claw in sterling silver. Each necklace is custom-made to fit your dog.

In the Spirit of Valentine's Day Show them How Much You Care. Really? Do dogs and cats feel left out on Valentine's Day? No kidding? This is what I'm thinking. I'm thinking that animals don't give a flying frick about holidays and as long as they are fed, watered, sheltered, and given some cuddles, they will be eternally grateful. I'm thinking that the mere idea that animals care about holidays and not only care, but actually require commercially purchased offerings is a symptom of how disturbingly material we have really become as a culture.

I confess, before children I used to put catnip and kitty treats in a stocking for the cats at Christmas. They didn't much appreciate it, but I did do it for a couple of years. I think we can all agree that it wasn't for the cats. Well, it was for the cats, technically - I don't eat cat treats, but the stocking wasn't for the cats, of course, and as it turns out, they don't really appreciate wrapping paper either as it only hinders their ability to gnaw through the foil treat package. I have since stopped this ridiculous charade, though the cats still get plenty of treats.

Twinkle Collar Red-Multi Colored Cross
This fashionable collar can be worn as an exquisite necklace or high fashion collar.

What I really don't understand is buying things "for your dog" that dogs don't really appreciate. Like jewelry, for instance. I don't care how adorable your doggy is - the dirty truth is that he would opt for a tasty cat turd over a crystal-laden collar or beaded necklace any day. Now I don't begrudge the purchases either, but recognize that if you want to buy baubles for your dog, you are not doing it even one iota for the dog - it's all for you, baby.

Tropical Garden Collar

The Tropical Garden Collar is truly art to wear for your dog! The collar is made of white Italian lambskin and faced with rich white velvet. The collar is faced with hand woven, 3-D floral jewelry made of Czech pressed glass pieces and CRYSTALLIZED™ Swarovski Elements. This collar is meant for dress-up and party wear – treat this as jewelry for your dog.

That animal neither wants nor needs such frivolities - he needs attention and nourishment, but he does not need doggy spangles. There's a lot that animals don't need. They certainly don't need us to prove that we love them on any commercial level.

Bluebell Harness

This beautiful harness is made of two layers of buttery-soft Italian lambskin. The motifs are cut away from the pastel blue top layer, the top layer is carefully stitched to of the cream irridescent bottom layer. Three sizes of three-dimensional flowers are appliqued and finished with beautiful CRYSTALLIZED™ Swarovski Elements.

So buying sparkly pet junk is fun and harmless, unless of course it helps drive you into the mire of debt that plagues most households. But here's an idea and one that will make you feel warm and fuzzy inside: as fun as frivolous pet products are, there are animals out there that do need and they need more than just love, commercially purchased or homemade. They need help. This Valentine's Day consider giving to your local pet shelter, either financially, of your time, or by helping fill their wish list.

Shelters typically accept the following items, but call to determine the need of your local shelter:

~ Pet food, preferably premium brands (Nutro, Science Diet, Wysong, Eukanuba, ProPlan, Purina One, Special Diets)
~ Ceramic or Metal Food Bowls
~ Small Litter Boxes for cages
~ Large Litter Pans
~ Cat Litter
~ Used Towels for Cages
~ Scratching Posts
~ Cat Trees
~ Cat Nip
~ Cat Toys
~ Postage Stamps
~ Envelopes
~ Computer Paper
~ Printer Cartridges (call for needs)
~ Bleach
~ Paper Towels
~ Rubber gloves
~ Spray Bottles
~ Fuzzy commode seat covers for cage beds
~ Trash Bags
~ Digital Camera and volunteers to nicely capture and edit photos for the website
~ Gift Cards for Petsmart or PetCo, Office Depot, Office Max, Target, Home Depot or Lowes
~ Dog chew toys
~ Dog leashes
~ Dog treats
~ Volunteer dog walkers
~ Round fleece cat beds
~ Newspapers
~ Blankets
~ Cat Collars (quick release)
~ Dog collars-all sizes
~ Gift certificates for grooming
~ Chew Bones
~ Powdered kitten/puppy replacement milk
~ Large jars of peanut butter for dog treat toys
~ Animal shampoo
~ Animal carriers

Even if you are on a budget, this is a great way to dispose of your old towels and pillowcases and that hideous toilet cover set from your first apartment or that perfectly functional digicam that has been gathering dust since you upgraded.


And if you have kids, big or little, this is a fabulous opportunity to demonstrate what loving animals is really all about.

Valentine's Day Mazes

Here's a really cool Valentine's Maze courtesy of Family Fun. They have a whole passel of printable stuff to keep your little Valentine busy.

Here is a heart-shaped Backyardigan's maze from Nick Jr. and the rest of their Valentine's printables.

Blackdog has some increasingly difficult heart-shaped mazes for the child who likes a challenge. Or, make your own maze.

Here is another and another and another. Can you tell my kid really likes mazes? And more.

This one is interesting - you have to count your way through the puzzle. This one is simplest, buy they have others counting by 2s through 5s.

The thing is, my 5 year old broke and dislocated his arm today at the elbow, so instead of him running about like normal, I'll need to keep him calm and busy and he will stay put for these. I got them each a book of mazes before Christmas and he had done the entire book within 24 hours, but my goodness it kept him quiet!

Surplus Bananas

And what to do with them.

I hit the grocery store a few times a week. I always pick up bananas, so sometimes we end up with surplus. Or everyone wants the pretty yellow ones and not the homely mottled ones.

So here is my "What to do with Surplus Bananas" post. I invite you to add your own ideas too - links are always appreciated if it involves a recipe.


Banana Pops

You Need:
~ Bananas
~ Orange Juice or other fruit juice. Pineapple juice from the pineapple tin works great.

How-To: Blend it and freeze it into pops.

Serve: While the kids are IN the bath. Use them as a treat for sitting still while you shampoo and there's no mess involved.

Banana Flowers

You need:
~ Bananas
~ Sprinkles

How-To: Cut bananas in 1/2" - 3/4" chunks and arrange as shown. Put the ends of the banana in the center of the flower.

Serve: As Dessert. I always play it up and the kids beg for them. Great way to get rid of slightly bruised fruit - the sprinkles disguise any banana blemishes.



Frozen Bananas

You need:
~ Bananas
~ Sharp knife, baking sheet or small tray, and wax paper

How To: Cut in 1/4" rounds - any thicker and it's too cold to eat. Optional - add sprinkles before freezing. Freeze your tray for a few hours and then pop them all into a sealed container.

Serve: In small Quantities - melted bananas are not so yummy. Try serving them with frozen grapes - another favorite here.