Recently experienced the flu; youngest GreedSeed had it.

The big thing about this year's flu is really just that it is longer than usual - thus a much longer period when no food is eaten, few liquids stay down, fever stays high, etc. Over a week of high fever. This wears you down.

A lot of vigilence on the fever side, care to keep the liquids in when you can and regular visits to the doctor/ emergency room to make sure dehydradation or fever don't need treatment and you'll be OK. But do be vigilent on the fever -- it can spike pretty fast. Be ready to lose some sleep, and pace yourself from the beginning. If both Mom and Dad get no sleep for two nights, you'll be total wrecks by night three, and if one of the two of you get sick, the other one may need some help.

Temperatures - What is Too High?
 

and later...
I just wanted to thank you Bilmore for posting this a few months back. This just happened to a baltspawn today.

The only thing that kept me from totally losing my shit was knowing this from your post. I still lost my shit, but not until I got the temperature dropped (just took her outside, actually) and the baltspawn to the hospital.

Thank you.

(she's okay, and fast asleep)

Temperatures - What is Too High?
 

Oh... My.... God.... What a miserable experience that must have been. So glad to hear she's ok -- my heart was pounding faster and I was getting goosebumps just reading your post. {{Shudder.}} Really glad she's OK.

Temperatures - What is Too High?
 

As someone with a number of recent E/R trips for fever, none as bad as yours (105 degrees, while on tylenol), I really sympathize.

I think this is going to be a REALLY bad fever season.

Temperatures - What is Too High?
 

Cool. Glad it helped.

Non-parents have to do things like join health clubs, or jog, or swim, if they want to really get their hearts pounding.

We're lucky. We can get that effect without even moving.

Temperatures - What is Too High?
 

Eegads! Sorry you had to go through this. Was it the flu? Yes, that post from Bilmore was good - that was back in Sept. when I asked about temps after getting back from ER b/c Vietbabe's had gone to 105.5. Is it not terrifying how hot they can get? (dye from jammies cooked onto sheets; pee pee in diaper steaming!). And then they're ok and sleeping while you suffer post-traumatic stress symptoms!!

It's good you remembered to bring the temp down before you rush to the ER. For kids like mine who refuse oral medicine when they are freaking: I got acetiminophine (sp?) suppositories. It seems cruel but they go in real easy and dissolve right away. This way you know they got the right dosage. For some reason, when I put the suppository even near *the* spot, it gets sucked in and I don't even have to really put it in. Jet engine butt!

Well hope you can recover quickly from that experience.

Temperatures - What is Too High?
 

First, thanks everyone for your thoughts. baltspawn is sick and miserable with the flu, but otherwise okay. Her sister has followed her into the flu, but that was to be expected.

Thanks for the suggestion on the suppositories. Generally, our kids don't have a problem with taking oral meds, especially grape. Of course, in a middle of a seizure, no one is taking any meds. I lowered her temperature by taking her outside with just a onesie on, which included the three minute trip to the hospital; her seizure stopped on the way. I had just given her some Tylenol anyway (like seconds before - that's what really freaked us out, wondering if there was a Tylenol connection. The doctor said it was just a coincidence).

Four hours later we were back home again, and she was sound asleep. All in all, a pretty harrowing experience., but at least everything turned out okay.

Temperatures - What is Too High?
 

Glad we're not the only ones suffering. Magnus' fever finally broke on Sunday after seven full days. We went through a bottle and a half of children's Motrin. On the worst day all he ate was juice and six Skittles. He never had a fever seizure, but he did lose about 20% of his body weight, and he didn't have much extra to start out with. Now he still has cough (loose, phlegmy now, instead of dry and tight like it was late last week when we finally took him to the doc--she gave him antibiotics for his double ear infection) and runny nose, but his mood is miles better (he's actually playing! and talking to himself!), and his appetite is gradually returning to normal.

I got it too (though my fever only lasted four days), and am now considering a second run of antibiotics (first was for bronchitis that came on simultaneously with the fever) for another bug the SFC brought home that's got my head feeling like a brick. Ugh.

Happy holidays, everyone!

tm

math
 

math
 

I just want to call this to dtb's attention:
How rich is Mr. Darcy?

math
 

Only an economist would consider giving those problems to a nine-year-old. Sheesh.

math
 

Interesting approach, but for me it was building things. Needing to measure, figure out topographical problems to make things square, estimate materials, that sort of stuff, all involves math. I got into designing costumes a little in highschool, which involved trig to make patterns. That's a little more concrete than his examples.

Maybe I'm just a visual learner. But I still love math.

math
 

My ten year old can handle a number of them, but I think the underlying point that kids learn math better when it relates to the real world is accurate. It's also called the Chicago School and is the basis for a lot of math being taught in school these days.

For example, my daughter is very interested in history, and I worked through some of the math involved in the calculation that everyone today has a common ancestor (or rather, MANY common ancestors) in about the 14th century. That one came from discussions on this board. She also figured out Delong's clock problem, though in a different way and without ever even thinking that there was an infinite series.

is it just a stage?
 

Our 3.75 year old seems to have a really hard time entertaining himself. He's very social with friends, playdates, etc. and obviously loves playing with either of us but never seems to get that into toys or any kind of solo hanging out. I suspect everyone with toddlers gets what seems like 24 hours a day of of "will you play with me" but I'm just wondering what others' experiences have been with kids around this age.

Little brother is still a crawler so he's not much help yet on the entertainment front. Thanks for humoring me with any insights.

is it just a stage?
 

Ask him to calculate the total blood volume of the world's population. Kept my kid occupied for hours at that age.