UnionJack
-
Posts
254 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Blogs
Classifieds
Store
Posts posted by UnionJack
-
-
18 hours ago, Calm37 said:
I've just started eating ground turkey again and my youngest is 21.
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 🙂
-
1
-
-
5 hours ago, PeterPan said:
I hope he can get checked soon! Not to be too obvious if you've already thought of this, but if he *does* need correction, then doing the opposite type of vision of what is needing correction might give him some relief. So if he's farsighted and focusing up close is giving him headaches, then doing distance could help. Now I get headaches even with distance, even though I'm farsighted, because there's still astigmatism. But whether it's a convergence issue or acuity, look for that pattern and see which is less fatiguing for him. Then you can alter his tasks to keep him more comfortable till he can get in. So if distance is more comfortable, then do read alouds and skip near vision reading for a while. That kind of thing.
I think our Walmart optometrists are still seeing people. I LOVE Walmart for glasses for my ds. My ds routinely breaks his glasses and their warranty policy and ease of getting them fixed is terrific. The Walmart doc won't be a developmental optometrist and won't screen for convergence issues. I use a developmental optometrist (find through COVD) for our scrips and then take the scrip to Walmart for the warranty. That and my ds has ASD, so by the time they've checked him for an hour he's DONE and doesn't want to stay and be touched for glasses. But yeah could you need a developmental vision screening? Yes. But you could start sooner and then sort through that. I guess see what you can make happen. In our state I think all the optometrists are open because they keep sending out emails saying how well they're cleaning, blah blah. So hopefully you can get him in!
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.
-
1
-
-
18 hours ago, PeterPan said:
It's also possible, like @kbutton says, that he's having a convergence issue. I would suggest taking near vision breaks and focusing in the distance. So ipad 20 minutes, go take a walk. Not just near vision, near vision, near vision. So get up and take movement breaks, do things that cross the midline, walk around, play, etc.
Also you can test for retained reflexes, because those are a precursor to the development of the visual reflexes used for focusing. It's something you can do while you wait an optometrist. Some kids focusing issues will improve simply by improving the retained reflexes.
You should be able to print a visual acuity chart and roughly check him yourself. That won't tell you about astigmatism. Even mild astigmatism would result in what he's describing. So again, if you can't get glasses yet, near vision focusing breaks would help. He can become more aware of it and start to look for patterns. Is it worse when he's *fatigued*?
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!
-
1
-
-
Thanks everyone for all the great insight!
-
43 minutes ago, HeighHo said:
One thing to know is that people reduce the amount of blinking they do when viewing screens, and that dries eyes and blurs vision.
Put a timer on so there are enough body breaks as well as vision breaks. Details here:
Useful information!! Thank you!!
-
2 hours ago, kbutton said:
If you can see a developmental or pediatric optometrist, this should be less likely to be a problem, especially if you tell them that the symptoms are with reading/screens.
OTOH, convergence problems can be harder to detect, and you could get a response like this if the optometrist doesn't actively screen for convergence problems. One of my kids had strabismus that was easily corrected by vision therapy, but the non-pediatric optometrist totally downplayed the strabismus, calling it mild (it was mild for strabismus) and something not to worry about (his close vision got worse, and under fatigue, his close vision would get really erratic).
Some people's vision is fine until fatigued, so keep that in mind. I knew kids that needed reading glasses intermittently but not all the time for fatigue, and I know adults that are borderline for reading glasses that are fine until they are fatigued also.
Thank you, this is all really helpful!!
-
2 hours ago, happi duck said:
In the meantime, while waiting for an eye exam to be possible, I'd reduce time with up close screens and see if it helps. Ime, reading on a screen bothers my eyes.
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)...
-
2 hours ago, Tanaqui said:
Children grow so fast at this age - you turn around and the shoes you bought yesterday are two sizes too small today!
The eyeball grows fast too, just like the feet. And when the eyeball grows very fast, sometimes it grows out of its ideal shape. This causes nearsightedness and, less commonly, farsightedness. It is entirely possible for a child to have had normal vision 16 months ago and now need glasses. That's one reason you really should, especially at that age, go every twelve months. None of us is perfect, but after this is all over, try not to go that long between routine appointments again.
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!
-
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!
-
The Telegraph, just online...
-
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!!! 🙂
-
8
-
-
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!
-
1
-
1
-
-
-
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 milk5 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped into slivers4 egg yolks3⁄4 cup sugar3 Tbs. cornstarch1⁄4 tsp. salt1 1⁄2 tsp. vanilla extract1 cookie crumb crust, made with chocolate cookiesFor the topping:1 cup heavy cream1 Tbs. sugar1 tsp. vanilla extractChocolate curls for decoratingDirections:
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.-
3
-
1
-
-
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!
-
-
Anyone, anyone?
-
Away luggage?
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.
-
On 10/10/2018 at 9:15 AM, mellifera33 said:
We like Hive for a two-person travel game.
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!!
-
1
-
-
On 10/11/2018 at 8:10 AM, theelfqueen said:
There are a lot of board games available in pass and play versions on a tablet (Ex I have Ticket to Ride on my Kindle, Pandemic, Mysterium and Paperback on my iPad but there are LOTS more) This can make games that aren't terribly portable into VERY portable games. ?
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...
-
1
-
-
On 10/10/2018 at 8:40 AM, Kareni said:
Thanks to all who have played along thus far!
I see some old favorites such as
Mille Bornes
but also some games I've never played such as
The Builders: Middle Ages
LCR
In the meantime, I thought of a couple more games that I'd recommend
Love Letter (there are different versions of what is basically the same game such as AEG Love Letter The Hobbit, Love Letter Archer, and Munchkin Loot Letter)
Regards,
KareniGreat additional suggestions...thank you! Being put on the list to explore!
-
1
-
-
On 10/11/2018 at 12:08 PM, prairiewindmomma said:
Qwirkle is a bit big (we own it).
Is the major concern space or weight or both?
If I were traveling by suitcase (we spent three months doing this past winter), I would pack a set of Uno cards, a deck of playing cards, a set of dice and our iPad. Frankly, a lot of games are just as much fun electronically. My kids like to D&D roleplay, and a lot of resources are all available via pdf.
If I were traveling via RV or the like, I would probably also add Munchkin (and maybe just the cards, as it's easy to draw a board) and another tabletop board game---maybe Dominion or 7 Wonders.
We own Qwirkle, Bananagrams, Set, Milles Borne, and a lot of the other games mentioned here but they don't get much playtime. I really kind of disagree with taking primarily educational games when you're looking at something like a year long trip. You really need some opportunities for serious indoor fun when you are in that close of quarters with each other all the time. You want a somewhat unpredictable game (like Munchkin) where most of the players have a fairly even shot of winning despite the differences in age and skill level and where play is fairly fast. It is awesome when our five year old stomps our 16 year old at Munchkin. My second tabletop choice is more strategy driven, and takes a bit longer--good for the older kids who need a longer distraction.
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).
-
1
-
-
On 10/11/2018 at 7:17 PM, alisoncooks said:
My youngest DD especially likes Story Cubes. https://www.amazon.com/Gamewright-318-Rorys-Story-Cubes/dp/B003EIK136/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1539310505&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=Story+cubes&psc=1
It's pretty compact and more fun when you have expansion sets. (Still not my fave, by far...)
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!
-
1
-
-
On 10/9/2018 at 11:57 PM, Farrar said:
At those ages, Rat-a-Tat-Cat would have come with us for sure.
Exploding Kittens is the game that always goes everywhere with us.
The Builders is our favorite tiny strategy game to take places. You're trying to recruit workers to build medieval buildings.
Generally any card game is easy to take along.
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!
-
1
-
Omicron anecdata?
in The Chat Board
Posted
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.