My two kids just got over the flu this week.   They were both down for 4-5 days with fevers, coughs, headaches and sore throats.  They did not get tested for flu, and didn’t even go into the doctor’s office.  But since the H1N1 or swine flu virus is the predominant flu virus circulating right now… so early in the flu season… it’s presumed that’s what they had.  And I’m here to tell you… it wasn’t all that bad.

They’ve been much, much sicker with other illnesses before.  Sure, they didn’t feel well last week.  They laid pretty low.  Aside from one day with 102-103 degree fevers, they were mildly under the weather the rest of the time… still able to play games on the computer and catch up on their homework.  So why are we all so scared?

It’s probably the fear of the unknown… a brand new virus, one that’s spreading pretty quickly.  More kids are dying from H1N1 flu than any other age group.  But scary as it is, it kind of makes sense.  Most of the confirmed cases are in people ages 19 and under… with a fair number of people in their 20’s also being hit.  A small percentage of them are having trouble.  It seems that people 30-35 and older have some sort of protection against the virus… probably from exposure to something similar years back.  Neither my husband nor I got sick this week.

So what are we to do?  Keep our wits about us and not panic, I guess.  If your child seems to be struggling, by all means, call their doctor.  But if they’ve got the run of the mill fever and cough, it’s probably okay to tough it out at home.  And when the H1N1 vaccine becomes available, consider getting them vaccinated.. 

With so many kids being exposed to H1N1 virus right now, do they, in fact, need to be vaccinated against it?  That’s what I hope to find out this week.  I’ll try to answer that question during Tuesday’s 10pm  ”What’s Going Around” segment.

In the meantime, try to keep yourself and your kids healthy!!!!

Robin

The lead story of the 10pm news Friday night was the cold air funnels that came down from the clouds over the F-M area.  They seemed to appear out of the blue, and disrupted the end of the school day, as teachers and students getting ready to leave suddenly had to go into tornado drill mode.  It was a little scary, to be sure.  But in retrospect, it’s nothing compared to what our country endured 8 years ago.

We ran a short story in the newscast about the anniversary of the terror attacks that killed thousands in New York City, Washington DC and Pennsylvania.  It was a cursory marking, at best.  It wasn’t until I got home and turned on the History Channel that it all came rushing back.

I remember that day with crystal clarity, like we all do.  My kids were 2+ years and 8 months old.  I was getting ready to take them to their home day care, because I happened to be co-hosting the Big Iron ladies luncheon that morning at the Holiday Inn.   As my husband drove off for work, he called me to say “Hey, you might want to turn on the tv…”  I tuned in and watched in disbelief as the World Trade Center burned.  After a while, I numbly gathered the kids up, dropped them off, and headed to the hotel.  I remember sitting in the parking lot thinking, ‘How extensive and coordinated is this thing?’  In a moment of paranoia,  I looked over at West Acres, wondering whether everyone, everywhere, would soon be under attack.

The History Channel program I caught Friday night was “102 minutes that changed America.”  It’s a compilation of amateur video, shot by regular people who happened to be right in the thick of it in New York City that day.  There is no narration whatsoever.  You hear only fire and police communications and people reacting as events unfold and video cameras rolled, all in real time.  Even though I’m in the news business, I have to say this method is far more compelling than having a news person trying to tell the story.  

Watching this, I do feel anger again, like I did then.  But I think the prevailing emotion is one of profound sadness.  At the luncheon that day, I remember wondering out loud, what kind of world this would be for our children.  I have to say, I still kind of feel that way.

I know we say, never forget.  I know I won’t.  If you get a chance to see that documentary, you never, ever will either.

Robin

This is a busy week in lots of homes. It reminds me of the saying, “Never let them see you sweat.”

Tami and I are now the proud parents to two elementary schoolers. Ava started her first day in first grade Wednesday, while Anna is now officially a kindergartener! To say they were excited to start school is an understatement.

That’s a great relief to their parents, because, to quote one of Tami’s least-favorite songs, “It’s been a long road getting from there to here.”

Wednesday finally came as the culmination of an extremely busy time for our family. You can probably relate. For the last few weeks, we’ve been jamming-in back-to-school supply shopping, clothes shopping, school paperwork, lunch planning, getting used to and enforcing the new morning and evening bed routines, vacations (are we really supposed to “jam-in” vacations?), and many other things that have been occupying our time.

During all this, we just want to enjoy our kids’ “Back to School” time, and we certainly want them to enjoy it.

I just hope they don’t realize how much work it took to get them here.

Fortunately, by the looks on their faces, I think we did alright.

This is a busy week in lots of homes. It reminds me of the saying, “Never let them see you sweat.”

Tami and I are now the proud parents to two elementary schoolers. Ava started her first day in first grade Wednesday, while Anna is now officially a kindergartener! To say they were excited to start school is an understatement.

That’s a great relief to their parents, because, to coin one of Tami’s least-favorite songs, “It’s been a long road getting from there to here.”

Wednesday finally came as the culmination of an extremely busy time for our family. You can probably relate. For the last few weeks, we’ve been jamming-in back-to-school supply shopping, clothes shopping, school paperwork, lunch planning, getting used to and enforcing the new morning and bed routines, vacations (are we really supposed to “jam-in” vacations?), and many other things that have been occupying our time.

During all this, we just want to enjoy our kids’ “Back to School” time, and we certainly want them to enjoy it.

I just hope they don’t realize how much work it took to get them here.

Fortunately, by the looks on their faces, I think we did alright.

You’ve seen or at least heard of the movie “Scent of a Woman.”  How about the real life theater of “Scent of a Child?”  I’m talking about something we parents seek out, but might not readily admit to.  I’m talking about when you kiss your child… on the head, the cheek, the neck, behind the ear… and subtly… inhale.

I only realized how often I do this a few nights ago.  My daughter was fighting a virus, and I was checking on her,  multiple times, as she slept.  A gauge of temperature requires parent’s lips or cheeks to child’s forehead.  She was hot, and a thermometer check showed 104.  After giving her a dose of ibuprofen and a cold washcloth,  I thought about how this nighttime ritual… of putting my face next to my kids’… keeps me connected to them.  Since I work nights, I’m not there to put them to bed five nights a week.  So when I come home, checking in on them while they slumber feels like a vital cap to the day.

Sometimes they’re cool and quiet, their breathing barely audible.  Other times they’re sweaty and restless… either the room’s too hot, they roughhoused too much before bed, or they’re in the middle of a major growth spurt.  Growing takes a lot of energy, you know.  Sometimes they smell fresh… like bar soap and cherry shampoo.  Other times funky… as in, knowing exactly what they ate for dinner by smelling a cheek.

There are many smells of childhood, starting with diapers and spit-up.  Later, come the sweaty armpits and stinky socks.  While these are inevitable, I’m not talking about these smells.  I’m talking about the scent of burying your face in a new crop of baby hair… or smelling a day’s worth of sunshine when you give your child a hug.  There’s nothing else like it.

Happy inhaling.

Robin

This has been a challenging couple of days!  My body is in recovery mode from the long bike ride over the weekend.  I’m a little fatigued from the ride itself, I think… but mostly from exerting myself that way, while at the same time getting very poor sleep.  With my husband suffering from a kidney stone since last Thursday, neither one of us got much sleep over the course of those four nights.  But…

He’s on the road to recovery, too, thankfully!  It took a bit of wrangling and the help of some very compassionate people, but he finally got some relief.  He had what I would describe as emergency surgery Monday.  They got that dang stone out, and Terry is feeling so much better. I can’t believe how many people I’ve talked to since who’ve either had a kidney stone or know someone who has.  I don’t ever want to see someone go through that kind of pain again!

Because Terry wasn’t able to ride in the Bike MS, he’s trying to come up with a plan to do his own 150+ mile ride as soon as he’s able. Depending on what location  or course he comes up with, it could be a solo ride… or he could enlist the help of some friends.  Either way, he’s going to do it.  Heading into the weekend ride, he’d raised about $3500 to benefit people with MS.  When he was in the throes of pain, I said “I suppose you’re going to have to do your own ride now…” and he came right back with… “Well, I can’t take anybody’s money unless I do.”

I can’t say enough about the experience of going through the Bike MS ride.  Amy Hinkemeyer and staff at the MS Society, along with a bunch of volunteers, make it a fun and rewarding experience.  They take care of  you at rest stops along the way… keeping you fueled, hydrated and energized.   If your bike breaks down, or you can’t go any further, they’ll make sure a bike mechanic or SAG wagon takes care of you.  And again, with the help of volunteers and donations from generous businesses, they feed you well… even offer up foot and body massages at the end of the ride.

So, if you like spending any amount of time on your bike at all, and want to help out a very good cause, please consider riding next year.  You’ll meet some pretty cool people from all walks of life along the way.   Invest in a good pair of biking shorts… with some decent padding… and spend some time pedaling, and you’ll find 150 miles is very doable… even enjoyable!

See you on the road,

Robin

That pretty much sums it up.  I made it through the Bike MS ride… a total of 150 miles pedaled… relatively unscathed.  I’m a little sore, but mostly tired.  Feel like I could sleep for a week.  My husband, with his excruciating kidney stone pain, survived as well.  He had to forgo the ride and instead spent the last three days lying in bed.

Day two of the ride was more difficult than the first.  Again, the weather was very nice as we took off from Wahpeton at 7 a.m.  Cool, mostly cloudy at first… a little sprinkle midway, then sunshine after that.  We didn’t have the benefit of wind at our backs like we did Saturday, so it took longer… about 4 1/2 hours of pedal time.  I rode with some of the riders from Beyond Speedy again.. thanks to Kelly, Todd, Shannon, Sally, Jason, Josie and Kevin for letting me tag along, and for providing some laughs along the way!

We’re trying to get some resolution on this kidney stone for my husband today… so I’ll post more later.

Thanks for checking in,

Robin

Hey friends… Really wasn’t sure how this day was going to go… my husband was struggling with pain from a kidney stone, and I was wondering how I would get through the Bike MS ride without him.  Turns out, we’re both hanging in there.   He’s back from the doctor with painkillers, hoping that something will “pass”… and I made it through the ride, feeling sore but pretty good overall.

I covered the 75 miles from Horace to Wahpeton in about 4 hours pedaling time… 5 hours including lunch and rest stops.  I settled in with some new friends from the team Beyond Speedy.  They seemed to be going about the same pace as me, and were gracious to help pull me along.   The weather was perfect… relatively cool and the wind coming from the right direction.

So we’re at the halfway point… 75 miles more to go tomorrow!  I’m feeling the effects of the ride, so need to get more fluids and a good night’s sleep tonight. 

Hope tomorrow’s conditions are good… I’m looking forward to another good ride, and hopefully a better day for my husband.

Thanks for checking in,

Robin

Okay, friends, this is not looking so good.  For the second straight night, my husband is lying in bed, in excruciating pain from what looks very much like an attack of kidney stones.  ?????  This came entirely out of the blue.  The pain settled down during the day Friday… he was able to go out and mark the course for the weekend Bike MS ride.  But his participation in the ride is looking very iffy.  That would be a real shame, as he’s ridden in the event for the past five or six years.  I know it’s going to be a big disappointment for him.

And it has me wondering about what I’m going to do without him out there.  Last year… my first year… he helped me pace myself, stay hydrated, and rode with me pretty much the whole way.  His parents are here to watch the kids… so I’m not panicking yet.  But I will feel lost without him if he can’t ride.  And who knows, maybe we’ll be in the ER by then anyway.

Well, I’ll keep you posted… and hoping for the best!

Robin

We had a short story on the  news Wednesday night about the Bike MS ride coming up this weekend.  One of our photographers went to get some video of a final training ride before the 150 mile event Saturday and Sunday.  I couldn’t go because I was doing the news when the group took off… but after the tape was brought back and I started looking at the interviews, I was dismayed to hear what’s going on with Sheri Paulson.

I met Sheri before the ride last year.  She’s an avid runner/cyclist/tri-athlete who happens to have MS.  She rode very well last year and to her surprise, did not just 75 miles, but the 100 mile option… the century loop… on the first day.  Since then, she set a goal to ride in or take part in an MS fundraiser in every state.  I had not spoken to Sheri recently… but by watching the interview, found out her goal was put on hold not long ago, when she began having trouble with her eyesight… often a complication of MS.  She’s been having blurred vision and facial pain… even had to take a leave of absence from work and quit riding.  She thought she wouldn’t be able to ride this weekend.  But then a friend, Chris Potter, offered to be her eyes on the road… so the two will ride on a tandem bike.  Sheri won’t necessarily have to see the road, but she’ll still push the pedals.

My husband and I love to ride… and this event gives us the opportunity to help make something good happen.   I really want to help people like Sheri… and it would be great if you would too.  Please consider making a donation to the cause.  And hey… if you ride and want to get involved at the last minute, they’ll even register you right up until the departure from Horace at 7 am Saturday.  Just show up with your bike, helmet and a couple of water bottles.  They’ll keep you fueled at rest stops along the way.

I had my last training ride Wednesday… 32 miles on a beautiful day, with a wind shift midpoint that gave me a bit of a tailwind the whole way.  Here’s hoping for a  tailwind this weekend… for Sheri and all of the riders!!

Robin