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UnionJack

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Everything posted by UnionJack

  1. Our family of six plus a good (adult) friend who was visiting and staying with us had it right after Christmas (none of us is covid-vaxxed). We all had (various) minor symptoms for about half a day. My husband had a sore throat one afternoon that was gone by then next morning... DS15 was sore. Our friend had some chills and aches for part of a day. Younger three boys just had a fever that broke with Advil and didn't come back). I had a fever for about three hours--I think maybe I had it the worst of our group of seven! DH & I needed to cough (like a clear the throat sort of cough) a couple times a day for 10ish days. It was incredibly mild. My in-laws (vaxxed and boosted) got it about a week after we had it... My MIL was pretty sick for 3-4 days and my FIL had it similar to DH (sore throat that went away quickly; nothing else). We know some people who have died, sadly, but for our family of six + friend it was easier than the cold I had a month prior. We tested positive spread across six days so it did feel like it carried on for a while.
  2. This is so funny -- ground turkey was also a huge aversion of mine during my first pregnancy (oldest is 14) and it has lasted! I still cringe at the thought of it 🙂
  3. I'd thought through that in kind of a back-of-my-mind sort of way but having it pointed out directly is helpful, so thank you 🙂 Is astigmatism something that could be developed? or is one born with that and it doesn't change? He was said not to have astigmatism at his appointment last winter, but if that's something that could change/develop, maybe that could be part of the problem... Our oldest has astigmatism. We won't be back in the States until late August or possibly later (we're traveling RTW this year) and things are awfully quiet/locked down around here (Scotland currently)..... but once they open I'll try to get him in somewhere! We've started using audiobooks, which we've not really done before (I read a lot but tend to get distracted if I'm not looking at the page myself! 😄), but he seems to be enjoying them. He'd prefer to follow along but I'll have him draw or relax or do something else instead.
  4. Thank you!! That's a good question -- I'm pretty sure it isn't just when he's fatigued. My mind was going to concerns of it being something more serious, although of course even the discomfort of not having his vision corrected, if that is his need, is something we'd prefer to have fixed/checked sooner than later. Thanks for all of the ideas!
  5. Thanks everyone for all the great insight!
  6. Thank you, this is all really helpful!!
  7. Thank you -- good idea! He had a Kindle Paperwhite (which seems easier on the eyes than reading on an iPad) but unfortunately our car was broken into when we were in Sarajevo in the fall. Pretty much the only thing that was in the car was our youngest's backpack, and sadly the Kindle was in there (but thankfully the iPad was inside with us). Frustrating! I think I'll have him use one of the other Kindles with us. We don't have a lot of screen time....but are trying to make good use of all of our freetime with lots of reading. I bought an Audible membership but he really likes to read....I wish it were possible to get paper books, but we probably won't be able to do that until we're back home in the fall (or later)...
  8. Thank you!! This is helpful. We're traveling around the world for 15 months and had all of our routine checks leading up to our departure, knowing that unfortunately we wouldn't be able to do these sort of checks along the way with the same regularity (eye, dental, physicals, etc.). We will have a busy month when we get back!
  9. Our 7-almost-8-year old has commented on his vision being blurry when he reads his kindle on his iPad... We are traveling this year, so away from our home country and our regular providers, and are under a fairly restrictive lockdown -- i.e. I don't think currently there would be any way to get him in to see an optometrist/ophthalmologist where we are. About a year ago... maybe more like 16-17 months ago... We had a routine eye appointment for all four of our children and there weren't any concerns raised about his vision. Our oldest (14) started wearing glasses when he was about 4.5 years old and needs contacts/glasses to function. I wore glasses when I was little but grew out of the need sometime around early high school. And my husband needs correction (but just for one eye!). (Our middle two children don't need glasses.) Does anyone know if it is possible for our youngest to have developed a need for corrective wear in the past year? I'd have thought his vision was fine since it wasn't that long ago that he was checked. (But then again, maybe that's why eye doctors push yearly routine appointments?) He has mentioned that the words on the screen look blurry unless they are big, but (when not enlarged) he can blink his eyes and then they will refocus and the words are legible (but he needs to do that "refocusing" often). When I hold out a cereal box or a paper book (etc.) and ask him to read at different distances, he says he can read it just fine, but I wonder if during those times that he is focusing on focusing it is easier to do. He wondered if maybe it has to do with the blue light (which we talk about as a reason they don't need to be on their iPads right before bedtime--blue light might've been affecting their sleep.....just troubleshooting)... Could that be possible (blurry vision because of the screen he is reading on?)? I've wondered if he would benefit from vision therapy, but that's also something that isn't possible right now. Should we be concerned about anything more serious and try to find someone to see him sooner than later? Would love any thoughts!
  10. Our family (of 6) has been traveling around the world this year (since mid-June), planning to be away from home for 14-15 months. We've travelled through 30 countries and had planned to visit another 15 or so (the last few months of our plans didn't have a lot of shape even as it was before the pandemic was declared; our first 9-10 months were very planned out) but are now waiting to see how things continue to unfold. We're due to return home in late August, but if schools continue to be remote, we figure we might as well stay put and attend from abroad. Our day-to-day existence has changed drastically (we've had such a slower pace this past month!), but I don't think our lives have changed as much as they would've had we been at home. If we were home, I think there would be a lot of disappointment.... Not seeing friends, cancelled sports, cancelled music recitals/festivals, no regular end of year activities, etc. A few friends from home have said things to us like "What a massive disappointment," or "I'm sorry your trip was ruined" -- those couldn't be further from the truth!!! We're working through how to respond to those types of statements. I commented to one of our children earlier that I think friends who say that are projecting -- like maybe they're feeling like their plans have been ruined or they are massively disappointed by their cancelled plans. I can picture feeling that way if we were at home and erasing our full calendar of events. As it is, though, we continue to get to be abroad together, have no distractions of in-person school, sports, music, or my husband's work (he quit before we left). Even with the change of plans (holding still vs continuing to travel) this year has been nothing but incredible..... and I don't want to go home!!! 🙂
  11. something like this? https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ You can click on a country and then scroll to the bottom that page to see case count and death count. I not positive it has that information on there by date for the whole world.... so maybe that doesn't help after all!
  12. This is beautiful: https://www.euronews.com/2020/04/12/easter-andrea-bocelli-performs-in-empty-milan-cathedral-amidst-coronavirus-lockdown
  13. I’m not fond of fruit pie but love chocolate pie — this is my favorite! (I can’t remember where I found it...maybe all recipes? or food network?) Chocolate Pudding Pie To make decorative chocolate curls, wrap a medium-size chunk of semisweet chocolate in plastic wrap. Rub the wrapped chocolate between your hands for 1 or 2 minutes to warm it; the chocolate should not melt. For larger chunks, microwave on low for about 5 seconds. Unwrap the chocolate and, using a vegetable peeler, slowly and evenly scrape the edge of the chunk until curls form. If the chocolate is cold, the peeler will make ragged shavings rather than curls, so repeat warming the chocolate as necessary. Ingredients: For the filling: 2 1/2 cups milk 5 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped into slivers 4 egg yolks 3⁄4 cup sugar 3 Tbs. cornstarch 1⁄4 tsp. salt 1 1⁄2 tsp. vanilla extract 1 cookie crumb crust, made with chocolate cookies For the topping: 1 cup heavy cream 1 Tbs. sugar 1 tsp. vanilla extract Chocolate curls for decorating Directions: To make the filling, in a heavy nonaluminum saucepan over low heat, warm together the milk and chocolate, whisking until the chocolate is melted; the mixture will be speckled. In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until pale yellow. Add the cornstarch and salt, then the vanilla, and whisk until well blended. Slowly pour the warm chocolate mixture into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly until well blended. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat until it thickens and begins to bubble slowly, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir until smooth, about 1 minute. Pour the filling into the crumb crust and smooth with a spatula. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface, and refrigerate until completely cold and firm, 2 to 3 hours. To make the topping, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed or a whisk, beat together the cream, sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Spread the whipped cream on top of the pie. Decorate with chocolate curls. Refrigerate until ready to serve, but let the pie stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving to take the chill off. Makes one 9-inch pie; serves 8.
  14. Blurb (blurb.com) is my favorite! It’s easy to use and the quality is great. I create a family book for each calendar year (and any big trips we take) and am currently working on 2015. It’s a bit tedious but the books are so fun to have. Good luck!
  15. Our boys have really enjoyed these.
  16. Away luggage? https://www.awaytravel.com/ any opinions? Positive? Negative? I’ve been researching carry-on suitcases and this brand keeps coming up. I need six suitcases, one for each of us in our family, so am trying to make a good choice! Would love any feedback if anyone has any.
  17. I haven't heard of this one! I'm hearing some (unfamiliar to me) games mentioned again and again... I am not sure where I've been not to have heard of these! I'd thought I was pretty in the know when it came to games ? So grateful for all these suggestions!!
  18. Exactly! We have Ticket to Ride on my iPad... I am familiar with Pandemic but not the others you mentioned--I will add those! Screens (for schooling...and for games...) will be a huge asset to us while we're away...
  19. Great additional suggestions...thank you! Being put on the list to explore!
  20. Qwirkle is a hit here, too! The major concern is space... but weight would also be a concern. We're hoping to take everything we need in just a carry-on for each of us. I haven't heard of Munchkin! I will add that to my list to look up. I agree that we'll want some plain old fun games...and even games that don't appear to be educational still can provide a lot of lessons... Like learning to lose happily! ? (Our older 3 are great losers but our six year old is still coming to terms with not winning every game... ? ) We have and enjoy Dominion and 7 Wonders (Splendor is another one we enjoy!) but I think those would take up more space than we could allow. I'm thinking we'll also each take a game but when we have friends or family come visit along the way we could swap them out...especially if one winds up feeling more like excess weight (games not being used or enjoyed as much).
  21. We have gifted this before! Not my favorite either ? (although I probably shouldn't say that since I haven't actually played it!). I can imagine more creative thinkers really enjoying this one!
  22. I'm not familiar with The Builders--I will look that up. Thanks!! Cards are a big hit and we could do so much with just a couple decks!
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