To entertain Sorenne today, we stopped by the Hallmark store at the Manhattan Mall. In addition to her favorite Webkinz, we found miniature (living) frogs in little glass cubes. Sorenne was fascinated with what she called, “fish.”
Accompanying the display was a clearly posted warning about handling reptiles. Although frogs are amphibians, I was delighted to see the information. I asked the store staff if I could take a picture. They were taken aback by the request but didn’t mind. The poster from the CDC highlights what Doug has often said in the past: “Do not nuzzle or kiss your pet reptile.” Other tips include:
– Always wash your hands thoroughly after you handle your pet reptile, its food and anything it has touched.
– Keep your pet reptile in a habitat designed for it; don’t let it roam around the home.
– Keep your pet reptile and its equipment out of the kitchen or any area where food is prepared.
– Keep reptiles out of homes where there are children under 1 year of age or people with weakened immune systems. Children under 5 should handle reptiles only with adult/parental guidance. And, they should always remember to wash their hands afterwards.
We didn’t buy a frog today, but I’m sure that request will come in time.
Sorenne’s first birthday was fun but her 1-year doctor’s visit was not. She got 5 shots and a blood draw which left her in tears and a bit leery of nurses for future visits. All I could think about was how thankful I am that she is not a sick child and that this kind of torture is preventative and not curative treatment. I do not know how parents of sick children cope with watching their children suffer. Doug said, “Now imagine watching your child in the hospital with HUS.”
’m a small adult and I was a small child. One day at my babysitter’s house when I was somewhere shy of five-years-old, I slipped off the seat, sank into the toilet bowl, and cried and screamed until the sitter, Mrs. Anderson, came and saved me and my soaking wet shirttail. That’s what this picture that Katie sent us made me remember. Thank you, Katie.
I want a llama. Or so I’ve been telling Doug ever since I saw Tina the lasagna-eating llama in one of my favorite films, Napoleon Dynamite. Now we have a baby and our lifestyle is not compatible with llama tending.
When I was pregnant with Sorenne in the summer of 2008, we spent a month in Canada while the Maple Leaf Listeria outbreak was, in retrospect, percolating in cold-cuts that were being consumed across the country. 
After Collier explained how he likes to talk to his meat as he formed a raw patty, he threw it on the grill and wiped his hands on a towel. The condiment station was well stocked, but there were no meat thermometers and no safety instructions. The DiSalvatore dad said he’d never cooked anything in his life. Silvio quickly asked for tips from his wife Amy who said, “Just don’t overcook it.”
Host Collier yelled out, “Feel free to check these things out before you go sticking them in your mouth.” [Katie, that was for you.] One of the kids commented, “I was more nervous about barfing than about winning the challenge.”
Yesterday on Days of Our Lives, Kate tried to poison Daniel and Chloe with an undetectable substance that she put on a tray of deviled eggs. When she caught her son, Lucas, trying to snatch an egg, she freaked out. 
