Why you should keep Benadryl on hand

I babysit a really great kid. He's easy going, friendly, and sweet. He also is terribly allergic to milk, to the point that he will have an anaphalatic reaction if he eats or drinks something with dairy in it.

We went to the pool a few days ago - it was pretty cool out, but it was also the only sunny day in the forecast after days and days of rain, so the kids were eager to swim. After about an hour, everyone was chilled and ready for a snack, so I broke out the lunch bag. The boy I watch had some money, so he decided to head to the snack bar to get some extras for himself and the other kids (I told you he was sweet).

He's 7, and he's usually really good about knowing what's OK for him to have, and I was wrestling with Tristan at the time, so I didn't realize that he had bought CHEESE popcorn! He ate about six pieces before saying "uh oh". I called his mom, who said to get him some Benadryl and have him drink lots of water, then watch to make sure he doesn't swell or choke.

Now, if I had been thinking clearly, I would have asked the lifeguard station if they had Benadryl. But I was too busy hating myself for the slip up on someone elses' kid and trying to pack up to even think about asking. Catie was having a teen moment and didn't want to leave the pool, because she didn't understand how serious the reaction could be - finally I had to explain that it was leave now or he would have to go to the emergency room. THAT got her going - full Florence Nightingale fluttering, super anxious about getting him safe!

I did a mental inventory of my medicine cabinet as I threw everything in the bag, and wasn't sure if we even had any Benadryl at home. I called a friend who lived a few blocks from the pool, but she didn't have any either - thankfully there was a CVS right at the corner. I left the kids in the car (sue me - Catie had it under control) and ran in, buying the single liquid child dose packages so I wouldn't have to open and measure a bottle. I got the medicine into him before he got past the itchy, numb lips stage, and the day was saved.

I wonder what would have happened if I hadn't been able to get the medicine so quickly. For example, if we had been out camping and someone had been stung by a bee, or my highly allergic husband stumbled into poison ivy (he doesn't usually swell up, just gets an awful rash, but still). So I'll be keeping those liquid ampules on hand in the future, just to be safe. And even if you don't usually use Benadryl, you should keep a few doses in your emergency kit - just in case.

Delayed vacation post

I was too "in the moment" to get any shots of the grownups on this trip to Kennywood. It's a family tradition a few years running that we take my parents to my dad's favorite park on Father's Day weekend, which usually coincides with Daniel's birthday. It didn't this year, but we still had fun, and it was cheaper than usual. Why?

Last year we had a wonderful trip, but I noticed some things that made this on-the-national-historic-register-park look... shabby. Like CRT TV monitors hanging heavily over the lines for rides, without being turned on and the weatherproof cases looking rusted and worn. Things like that. So I wrote an email to the park management, saying how much we love Kennywood, but those details make the park look like it can't afford basic upkeep - either turn the monitors on or take them down.

I hit send and went on with my life, thinking that nothing would come of it.

Then a few days later, the freaking CEO CALLED ME. DIRECTLY. And told me I was absolutely right, he'd get right on fixing it, and he would love to have my family back as his guests the next time we came to town! So we got free tickets - pretty sweet, and unexpected. I wouldn't expect this to work with many parks, but Kennywood is special in many ways.

(BTW, they still need to fix a few of those issues, but they've been launching some new stuff in recent years - they'll probably have it all fixed up by the end of this summer.)

Hard Core Poor, half off.

Psst!

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Driving Miss Drunk-y

I got my first two Uber fares the other evening! There was a wine tasting festival two miles up the road from my house, and apparently the prime Uber using demographic is well-to-do, tech savvy people who want to get good and blitzed without worrying about DUIs. A wine festival was prime for that demographic!

It's remarkably easy, kinda fun, and fairly lucrative for driving people home after a few glasses of wine. After all, I've done that for free before!

Of course, there's a hitch. We had some repairs done on the van last week at a total of $450, and the mechanic said that we MIGHT need to have another $400 repair done - he wasn't sure if it was an old code on the car computer or a current one. He said there would be a few warning signs if the code was accurate, and those signs started popping up after I dropped off my second fare. And since the van gets the best gas mileage, we want to have it repaired before we head to Pittsburgh next weekend. Hopefully I can pick up some extra driving gigs after the repairs are done to replenish our dwindling emergency/living fund.

And hey - if you want to take an Uber ride and you don't have an account yet, use the code b9wb7ue to get $20 off your first ride. (I get $5 out of you using the code, so we all win!)

Girl stuff

I have PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome). It causes hormonal imbalances that lead to irregular menstrual cycles, infertility, odd hair growth, weight gain, and depression. Thankfully I'm on a very effective treatment regimen that keeps me relatively normal... when I'm not pregnant or nursing.

And that's the thing. I've been doing extended breastfeeding with Tristan, who's 2 1/2 now. I nursed all my kids that long, but with the older two my cycle returned at 15 months - I have awesome hormone suppression powers when I nurse. However, with Tristan the 15 month mark came and went without even a comma, let alone a period. I was starting to get concerned that my medication would have to get changed to make my body come back to normal.

Um... I'm back to normal!

Gross, but a reason for rejoicing! It's such a relief when my body is functioning as it should.

And it's nice that my Diva Cup has a purpose again.

Constant vigilance.

Does this cherubic blond, blue eyed angel strike fear into your heart?

There's a reason that the clearest photo is the one where he's strapped into the bike. The kid is a living blur.

My husband's SUV has a running board and a piece of decorative trim about halfway up the door. He had it parked with the windows down a few days ago with Tristan playing outside next to it, and we turned around just in time to see his little rear end and legs dangling out of the window. He climbs everything - I'm always pulling him off windowsills, end tables, his brothers' loft bed.

Today he managed to dump half a jar of steel cut oats on the kitchen floor. While I was getting the broom to clean that up, he dumped a bowl of cereal (with milk) all over his lap, chair, and the floor underneath. This is where older kids come in handy - I had Catie change his clothes while I cleaned up the mess.

It's a good thing he's a super sweet lovey boy! He's saying 5 and 6 word sentences, loves to snuggle, and cracks us up continually. It's the trade off for constant vigilance.

Constant. Vigilance.

Wahhhhh!

OK, I just FINALLY qualified to be an Uber driver on Wednesday (it's a 2 week+ project with all the background checks). I was planning on "clocking in" for the first time on Saturday, and hopefully doing a few rides over the weekend, making some ca$h.

Nope.

Coming home from a non-uber drive for a friend, my dashboard went wacky with "Service ABS", "Service Traction System" and "Service Stabilizing System". The garage said they could check it out for me on Monday, and who knows what that will cost. So now the goal will be to earn enough in a few weeks to replace the money spent on the repair bill.

Two steps forward, three back. The financial cha-cha strikes again!