Attn: Homeschooling Moms

Are you in need of a little encouragement? Need to hear some good news? I've been following Thicket Dweller's blog for a few years now, and they just got some super good news. Go check it out!

Holistic Moms

Does that term scare you? I was leary of it at first too. With a little searching I found that I'm a holistic mom, and I didn't even know it!

You can look the word up and find:

Main Entry:

ho·lis·tic

Pronunciation:

\hō-ˈlis-tik\

Function:

adjective

1 : of or relating to holism 2 : relating to or concerned with wholes or with complete systems rather than with the analysis of, treatment of, or dissection into parts <holistic medicine attempts to treat both the mind and the body>

— ho·lis·ti·cal·ly

Do you go to a chiropractor instead of a medical doc? Have you opted for a full body massage to help a medical condition? Have you considered acupuncture or acupressure? Do you take supplements? Do you practice aromatherapy? Do you prefer whole foods over processed? Do you want to do something about all of the chemicals, whose names you can't even pronounce, found in everyday products like shampoo or lotion? If you do, then you could be described as holistic.

If any of this is remotely interesting to you, then I encourage you to mark you calendars for Thursday, March 20th. From 6:30-8:30, at the Barron County Court House, room #110.

A woman named Laurie Bastian will be speaking for the Barron County Chapter of Holistic Moms. She will be outlining the harmful chemicals in our daily-use products, and offering safe alternatives. She will also be highlighting some of her homemade herbal tinctures and showing us how to make our own.

This meeting is absolutely free, and is offered every third Thursday of the month. New & exciting topics are presented every time.

Also, you can visit the Holistic Moms site to get more information.

Please Stay Home!

A 12 year old child has died, in Minnesota, due to the flu.

If you are sick, please, please stay home. Do not venture out to church, school, or work, if at all possible.

I can think of so many from church that are, or have been, terribly sick. I'm so glad that they are on the mend. One in particular weighs heavy on my mind, as he ended up at the hospital. Scary stuff!

If you are subjected to the virus you won't notice symptoms for 3-5 days. From the time you contract it, you are contagious from 5-7 days. I think it would be safe to say that you should avoid going out for a week after you start feeling lousy. This would go a long way in preventing an outbreak at your job, church, or school. And WASH, WASH, WASH those hands!

The following was taken from webmd.com

Question: How is the flu usually transmitted? What about handshaking? And if you do shake hands, should you immediately wash your hands?

Dr. Clements: Usually flu is spread by oral secretions -- most often by breathing in droplets expelled into the air by an infected person's cough. These droplets can land in your eye or nose; or they get on your face and you touch your face and then touch your mouth or rub your eyes or scratch your nose. If you shake hands with a person who is coughing or sneezing, it would be a good idea to wash your hands.

You can also get the flu from sharing cups, glasses, or other household objects used by a person who has the flu.

Question: What is the incubation period for the flu?

Dr. Clements: When you get infected with the flu virus, it multiplies quietly in body until you get symptoms of the disease and start excreting enough virus to give to someone else. That's the incubation period. For the flu, it is about two to five days. So if you are exposed today, you probably won't have any symptoms for three to five days. Then you have a little headache, maybe a few aches and pains and maybe a low fever. Then, the next day, you have a high fever and a runny nose.

Question: How long are you contagious?

Dr. Clements: Most adults are contagious for about five to seven days. With young children, it's longer. The youngest kids (1 to 2 year olds) can be contagious for 10-14 days. And they can also have diarrheal illness when they get the flu. They get more symptoms that we adults typically have.

Walk of a Lifetime

I'm challenging myself this year....

I've committed myself to walking 60 miles, in 3 days, to help raise the funds needed to win the war against breast cancer. I will commit to the walking. Would you consider pledging your support for my efforts? Together we can make a difference.

Please click on the "3 Day" logo below to visit my personal webpage dedicated to raising funds for this cause. There you can read about the difference this cause had made, why I've decided to participate, and how you can help.

Thank you so much! I can't do this without you.

Open Enrollment

Just a reminder to all of you out there that open enroll your children to other districts in Wisconsin....

The deadline for filing your open enrollment application is Friday.
If you, like me, have let it go until the last minute, you can file right now, on the Wisconsin Dept. of Public Instruction website. It is very quick, easy, and you can print out a one-page confirmation of your application that is time-stamped (by law), for each child.

I luv the internet! I wonder how long it will be before I never hand-write anything?

Here's a link to the application portal.