Because of the excessive amounts of rain we’ve received just this month, E.B.’s class trip to the pumpkin patch was rained out both times they tried to go. Fortunately, the school decided to sell pumpkins for a fundraiser this year, so although there was no corn maze to get lost in, he was just as pleased spending some time at the school pumpkin patch.

Besides having the cutest packaging ever (have you ever seen such cute water bottles?), WAT-AHH! is the first 100% sugar-free, functional beverage brand designed especially for kids. However, this mama thinks it’s pretty amazing stuff, too.

We are not big water drinkers. I know, I know. We definitely need to start drinking more water. The WAT-AAH! water was crisp and refreshing and comes in 4 different formulas (Bones, Body, Brain, and Energy) that contain just the right amount of minerals to fortify and maintain children’s health.

My son was thoroughly impressed with the bottles, because nothing says “cool” to a 4 year old like a screaming kid, and the clever packaging also encouraged him to try the water, which he would always balk at otherwise.

WAT-AHH! is only available in stores in just a handful of states at the moment, BUT you can purchase it online at Amazon.com.

(We were sent a few bottles to try. Thanks, WAT-AHH!)

Even when we were childless, my husband and I still enjoyed taking part in the Halloween festivities. We enjoyed handing out candy and decorating our place for the little ones that came by on Halloween night. We always bought a pumpkin, but we never bothered to carve it…it just added a nice touch to the outdoor Fall decor.

However, since having E.B., I have discovered another side to my husband I never knew, and that would be master pumpkin carver. He told me he used to draw in high school, but I never knew he had such amazing artistic ability. On E.B.’s first Halloween he used a pumpkin carving kit to create a great looking pumpkin.

E.B. was finally old enough this year to really appreciate how awesome pumpkin carving can be, so he and Cracked Daddy spent many tedious hours a couple of Sunday’s ago on this:

And that black line beside the nose? E.B.’s handy work.

When they were finished my husband asked E.B. what he wanted to name his pumpkin. E.B. matter of factly said, “Dirty Job”. Appropriate, indeed, because pumpkin carving IS a dirty job…but somebody has got to do it.

I didn’t used to be this way, but I really drag my feet when it comes to switching to technologically advanced products and things that are new and better. I get set in my ways and can stay there mighty content until I finally decide to give something new a try.

Facebook was no different. I had been a MySpace kind of girl for 3 or 4 years and was convinced it was the end all and be all of total coolness. Then suddenly, I noticed several of my friends jumping ship there and going to Facebook. Facebook looked boring to me. Where was the music? The cute graphics? But wait…is that…OHMYGAHIHAVENTSEENTHEMINYEARS!

Over the Christmas holidays last year I became hooked on Facebook. It seemed like everyone I had ever known in my whole entire life, from Kindergarten onward, was on Facebook. Friends, former classmates, co-workers, blogging buddies, family….I can check in several times a day and know what all of them are up to, what they eat for supper, where they vacation. It’s such a fantastic way to stay connected in real time that I can’t believe I didn’t go crazy over it sooner.

And then there’s the crazy. There has been many a time I’ve read about something happening in our own small town (a fire, a wreck, etc.) before the emergency workers even arrive on the scene. In the span of a couple of weeks, I have watched a couple’s nasty divorce play out online where they each air their dirty laundry for all of us to see, teenaged girl catfights over some trifling little boy who probably loves the attention more than anything, and someone’s very serious and personal medical condition talked about openly for all the world to see. My husband and I discuss daily the things we read on there and are continually amazed at how brazen people can be when behind a computer screen and how nothing is shameful anymore.

As brilliant as Facebook is and as much as I enjoy it, there are some days when I just shake my head and think it’s all too much information. Yet, like an addict, I must check it daily. I can even check it from my phone now. (See, I told you I was slow on technological advances)

Do you already have your Halloween candy bought by now? Now, for the trick question…is there any left? When I was growing up, it seems like my mom always bought Halloween candy at least two or three times before Halloween actually arrived because we’d always dip into the big plastic bowl of candy that sat on the TV by the front door.

Dr. Margaret Lewin, Medical Director of Cinergy Health (www.cinergyhealth.com) suggests the following ways to eat healthy this Halloween:

*Buy treats only a day or so before Halloween so they’re not around long to tempt you
*Keep the treats in an inconvenient, difficult-to-reach place till Halloween arrives
*Buy treats which you don’t particularly like, making it easier to resist
*Buy healthy mini-packs of Raisins or other dried fruit, 100% juice, sugar free hot chocolate mix, Trail mix, cheese and crackers, or sugar free gum.
*Buy non-edible treats such as Stick-on temporary tattoos, Mini bottles of bubble bath or blow bubbles, Costume accessories such as wax false teeth or a stick-on mustache, Sidewalk chalk.
*Take your children out after dinner – when you’re not hungry
*Go through the “goodie bag” when you arrive home – discarding any outrageously unhealthy treats or those with questionable packaging
*Put the remaining edible treats in that same difficult-to-reach place – to be dispensed one at a time on a scheduled basis (such as dessert time)
*When you yourself get that urge to indulge, take a look at your watch and wait ten minutes (if you’re lucky, you’ll get distracted and forget about the urge)
*Set a date – maybe two weeks after Halloween – when you’ll dump the leftovers

Since having a child I often times have to write down a list of my concerns to discuss with our doctor during office visits or else I will have a “mommy brain moment” and forget them. Dr. Margaret Lewin, Medical Director of Cinergy Health (http://www.cinergyhealth.com/), has devised a fantastic list of pointers to help you get the most out of each doctor visit. Listed below are some helpful suggestions for making each visit count.

*On your first visit, give the doctor a detailed medical history – preferably typed, and including your allergies, past surgeries and serious illnesses, family medical history and a list of all your medications, including dietary supplements and other over-the-counter products – even if you don’t use them regularly (in fact, you should always carry that list of medications in your wallet, along with your doctor’s business card, in case of emergency); on subsequent visits, always give the doctor an updated list of those medications
*Take with you a careful list of all your issues, placing first the most important ones – try not to get distracted from that list. It can be helpful if you give the doctor a copy of that list at the beginning of the visit. If you need prescription refills, be sure to give the doctor a list of those needs at the beginning of the visit.
*Make sure prevention is on your list.
*Whatever the assistant says when putting you in the exam room, be sure to undress sufficiently to make it easy for the doctor to examine the area(s)of concern
*When the doctor explains the diagnosis and recommendations, make sure you understand by repeating back in your own words
*When given prescriptions, check that the new medications don’t interact unfavorably with your usual regimen, ask for expected side effects and what to do should they occur
*Before leaving the office, check with the staff to find out to handle problems that come up between visits:
*What to do in an emergency, including finding out which hospital emergency department to go to if necessary
*Is the doctor available for emergencies outside of regular office hours – and if not, what arrangements have been set up?
*What to do with easier but important problems:
*Is there a nurse practitioner or physician’s assistant to call?
*Does the doctor have regular times set aside for telephone calls?
*Can you email in your questions – and if so, what’s the expected turn-around time?
*What’s the procedure for getting prescription refills?

Since I frequently take my son with me to run errands and do the weekly grocery shopping, he knows the names of the stores we go to on a regular basis. He has a little twist on the store names, however.

Dollar General- We stop in at least once a week because it’s very convenient location-wise AND they always have the cat food we need in stock. But it’s not Dollar General…it’s Donald General, according to my son. I don’t know who Donald General is, but he would probably be proud to know there is a 4 year old who thinks he rules because they have the best selection of plastic toy guns ever!

Walgreens- Aside from the fact that they have the largest selection of candy AND a neat toy aisle (according to E.B.’s standards, and they are mighty high for a 4 year old. ahem.), it is NOT Walgreens….it is Green Walls. Get it right or you will nevah hear the end of it from the backseat.

And finally, today while we were taking back some games we rented from Moobie Gallery (Movie Gallery), my son looked across the street and asked me why I wasn’t taking our car to get tires at the Shoe Bird Garage.

Do what?

All I saw was the Good Year Tire store:

Ohhhhh. I get it. The shoe on the logo…the shoe with the wing. Birds have wings…wings make things fly….the Shoe Bird Garage.

Do your kids have funny names for things, too? I’d love to hear them!