Today is cold and snowy. I thought about going to Mass at 8:00 and then shuddered, smoothed my flannel jammies, and decided to go at noon instead.
Pray that I’m not still in my jammies at noon!
It’s true that these days I feel like cocooning. On the one hand, I would like to make my way to the mall and—hey, what a concept!—maybe purchase some clothes that are in style right now. I am so very not a shopper.
On the other hand, I’m thinking that oatmeal raisin cookies—fresh from the oven and enjoyed with a glass of milk and next week’s lesson plans—sounds ever so much more tempting.
Except that I already made these cookies yesterday. They’re yummy. I had two for breakfast.
And so begins the Saturday dilemma. What to do while Daddy’s here? Do I venture out into the cold, gray downtown…or do I stay put and enjoy my family?
What are you going to do?
I have a couple questions to get the conversation going. The first one is weird and the second is normal. Take your pick (depending on whether you’re weird or normal) or even better, answer both!
Here is the first question, and my deepest apologies if you are snacking at the computer right now. How do you clean your children’s ears? I do not like to dig deep with a Q-tip yet my children often complain that their ears feel plugged. Therefore, my method is to put a small amount of hydrogen peroxide in each ear and let the ucky stuff bubble out.
I told you it’s a little gross! Still, we are most of us moms here and this is the stuff of our days.
The other question is much more palatable: What is your favorite family movie? I am thinking that popcorn and a DVD sound very good for this afternoon–a reward, as it were, for getting out and getting my errands run.
Though staying in my flannel jammies all day sounds pretty darn tempting also.
Have a blessed weekend, everyone!
HI Margaret,
It is raining and cold here so I feel your pain. 🙂
I just finished watch Kit Kittridge: An American Girl and I just loved it. Even boys would like it–I promise.
Oooh, that’s out on DVD already?!! Very good recommendation.
I’m gonna try to answer both – what does that say about me? 🙂
First, I don’t really clean my children’s ears. The older ones dabble in q-tips a little on their own. However, I’ve heard the hydrogen peroxide can be a dangerous solution in the ears. Perhaps rubbing alcohol would be safer? (Might want to check with a doc on that.)
Second, aw, just one, no fair! Hmmm. Maybe this will help. Steve Greydanus, one of my favorite movie reviewers, is currently recommending Kung Fu Panda which comes out on DVD today, I think.
Oooh – we LOVED Kit Kittredge. I didn’t realize it was out already.
Alicia, I would never limit your recommendations to just one. 🙂
It was actually out last WEEK, but the little girls in my neighborhood scooped them all up before I could get one!
Good Morning!
I’ll answer both…I only clean the area that I can see with the q-tips. If there is excessive wax, a little warm water flush does the trick.
As far as a movie…we love to watch Otis and Milo. Our kids watch this over and over again and laugh at all the same parts.
Enjoy your snowy day.
Ears:
As someone who has to clean out her ears regularly, thanks to those Anglo Saxon roots according to my pediatrician, my doc uses the peroxide treatment followed by water flushing. The peroxide softens the wax and makes it easier to flush out. Alcohol is what nuns put in their ears after they shower to help dry them out. Putting on a habit with wet ears can create infection problems according to my SIL who is a sister.
If the peroxide makes you nervous (I haven’t looked into why yet) my mom always used to use warmed olive oil. They say anything you can eat can’t hurt you. She would warm it up on a spoon over a candle and pour it into our ears. Works great for earaches but it also just helps soften the wax and get it to move out. Test it on your wrist first to make sure it’s not too hot.
Movie wise:
Kit is available on DVD and my boys liked it. We also just watched Hans Christian Anderson on Hulu and Summer Magic came from Amazon and my kids LOVED it!
Hiya Margaret! I just now polished off two pecan chocolate chip cookies for breakfast. Yum. I clean my children’s ears with a q-tip while they are in the bathtub. The warm water in their ears seems to help.
Favorite family movie… they would say Star Wars. Eh.
warm water in the ear, let it soak a bit and loosen up the wax. my kids are pretty waxy and stop being able to hear well we i don't do this fairly often.
kids' fav movies: randsom of red chief, annie get your gun, & sandlot 1 (some mild language.)
I’m going to try these wax solutions. maybe my little guy just can’t hear me! (or maybe it’s just that he’s 3…)
Have you seen the Lassie movie that was just out a year or so ago? We all love it. Also, we loved Water Horse:Legend of the Deep.
Oops – as I was writing this my one-year-old discovered the dog food.
Margaret,
Q tips makes safety swabs that have a bulb so you can’t go too far in a childs ear. I have only been able to find them at Walgreens here in MN
Family movies? Depends. If the Pumpkin is joining us (our 5 year old) it can be one of the older animated Disneys. Or Princess Bride. With the older two we lean more towards LOTR, Narnia (the wolves scare Pumpkin) or Star Wars.
For ear cleaning, I love the q-tips with the bulb so it doesn’t go in too deep (esp when you have a wiggling child, it can accidentally go in too far). In NJ, I’ve found them all over incl Walmart and Babies R Us.
For movies, well my son is only 3 mos old this week so our family movies tend to be more girly (my daughters are 5 and 7). We loved Enchanted. We also like to rent old movies like the 1959 version of The Shaggy Dog.
Another reader for Kit! My kids, 12,10,7 and 4 all loved it. 🙂 It’s a great family movie with a great lesson.
My husband and oldest son have terrible ear canals (pitched at an odd angle) and we’re always used HP followed by warm water when we’re all done. Just remember to drape your child in an old towel first.
Enjoy your snowy day!
Signed Jealous Mom in CA-
Kathy
the problem w/ q-tips is that they soak up a little loose wax in the exterior, but they pack the hard wax deeper in the canal. And you risk causing a perforation. My dad used to say “nothing smaller than a telephone pole” should go in your ear, and that’s what I tell my patients. however, sometimes I’m guilty of q-tips b/c they feel good. But the best I’ve found is hydrogen peroxide…and it’s safe. If you want you can always dilute 1:1 w/ water. followed by warm water flush w/ a bulb aspirator works great.
anna
Wow…learn something new everyday. We have always been q-tip folks here. Will have to see if Hydro. Perox. works. Very interesting.
I would pull out Mary Poppins or Sounds of Music. Classics!
Oh my gosh I can’t believe I didn’t mention one of my favorites ever–The Wizard of Oz!
Oh dear, am I supposed to clean their ears?
Yes, Kit Kittridge! We also love the Sound of Music (gets us all singing) and Little Women (inspires kindness and giving)!
Sound of music is the current running hit around here. As the season gets closer (and I cave to the year round beggging) it’s Polar Express and Nims Island was good too!
Hey Margaret – have you ever tried ear candling?
I am having one of those “in or out” days too. Yesterday I refused to look out the window. I told the kids that mommy’s allergic to snow in November. They are really expecting me to break out in hives.
Grey skies, howling wind – stay cozy my friend!
We are Q-tip people, but it’s wierd, only my son (the oldest) gets dirty ears, the girls don’t! I have no words of advice though on a build up, except that I had a build up last year, to the point I couldn’t hear out of one ear and the doctor did (actually the nurse did it) a warm water wash, it felt SO good, and was so simple. So, I guess warm water is the best!
I am too late to this party, I agree with all the movies, except I know you have boys. Kit is good for boys too. You can always watch Star Wars or Narnia, maybe Evan Almighty?
We were supposed to rake today, but that light snow on top of the leaves is just not calling me out there!!
I forgot to tell you that tonight on the Hallmark channel, 8pm our time there is a good movie on, called “Mail Order Bride” or something like that. It looks like a total “Jamie” movie or a chick flick.
My Saturday dilemma is a little different: What to do while daddy is working (his -new- second job) This is week 3 and we’re having a hard time adjusting. I was thinking of putting in a movie this afternoon, myself. It’s not fun to play outside when it’s freezing but there’s no snow to play in. Family favorite? The most agreed-on movie is usually “A Bug’s Life” in our house.
One of the most favourite of all movies in this house hold is The Princess bride – enough brawling to keep the boys happy and enough Romance to keep the girls watching and just enough funny stuff that the little ones are giggling too!
Ears – totally Q-tips and always with the reminder to my littlest ones – Only Mummy daddy or the doctor are allowed to clean ears!!!
Would you send a few of those oatmeal raisin cookies over here please! Snow, snow, snow – mail a little of that too please on dry ice. We are still in the falling of leaves season with highs in the 20’s (Celcius) so no snow for us. And it is so easy for the other side of the fence to look greener, eh, even when its snow!
Blessings
mum2twelve aka Madre aka Christi
I think I’ll take normal today…feeling bit nauseous…
How about three? A bit obscure, but worthwhile!
We love Fairytale – A true story…lovely and appropriate for all ages. Another obscure, yet lovely movie: Little Lord Fauntleroy with Freddie Bartholomew…very old, but so worth seeing. The newer version of The Borrowers is pretty cute, as well.
Am I supposed to clean my children’s ears? More bad parenting. Maybe that’s why they don’t answer me. It’s not that they are ignoring me. They can’t hear.
Finding Nemo, all the way.
Hi Margaret,
Haven’t really cleaned those ears (oooooh).
But, ALL my kids (14 down to baby – ok – baby didn’t watch)and us parents – absolutely loved Facing The Giants – and they are anxiously awaiting more from the same production folks.
Speaking of Facing the Giants, we just watched Flywheel, the movie made before FtG. It’s less polished, but was a great family movie (Netflix!) about a cheating car salesman. I like how their movies (Fireproof, too) are long enough to show the hard part of being good.
For ears, I find that there are 2 kinds of wax (one type per person): soft and waxy or hard and flaky. We clean after a shower or bath, lay the child on a bed, shine a bright light, and pull the ear back a little bit to get a clear view.
We use qtips on the soft kind, but stay to the side, and don’t have trouble with packing more down.
The hard, dry wax must be what everyone else is using water or peroxide for. My husband used to use an ear loop (he’s a veterinarian with LOTS of experience!), but I use a pair of very skinny tweezers to grab a lump or flake. This works when there is enough to be reachable, so we don’t do this too often. I always get the child’s permission for any ear cleaning, and don’t fuss when I’m turned down.
We all loved “Enchanted.” I often watch my favorite scenes on YouTube, have gotten it out of the library twice so far, and have my name on the HOLD list for it again! This movie, and the songs, always cheer me up.
“Evan Almighty” was also good for all ages in our family (9, 11, 14, 16), though I am not sure how younger kids would like it.
I am writing down the movie suggestions to keep in mind for the winter months ahead!
I have been chewed out by my pedi. for using q-tips on my daughter’s ears (they just packed the wax in so much, she couldn’t get it out with an ear loop, and finally said, “How about we just assume she doesn’t have an ear infection?” She recommended the olive oil technique, which I don’t do as often as I should.