Why Doesn't Winnie The Pooh Ever Get Stung By Hunny Bees?

I was stung by a bee the other night.  I have been stung before and knew the second it happened what it was.  it was the underside of my arm, which swelled so much that it wasn't until a couple days later I realized I also had 4 mosquito bites on the outside of that arm...  I have always relied on After Bite, which is basically ammonia to deal with mosquito bites. It stops the itch. This past couple years I have been having a more severe reaction to mosquito bites.  So I had recently picked up some Benadryl gel, which didn't seem to help much...  But Caladryl that really did the trick!  Soothes, stops any oozing, cool and calming, doesn't smell bad at all. I have bathed my arm in this stuff for a few days and it's doing much better!

This  wasn't the first time I was stung. The first time I was shopping in Fred Meyer with Kenneth. The bee was stuck in my finger and Kenneth wouldn't help me!  He just backed away insisting he was allergic ... thanks a lot Kenneth! 

Then a few years later when Awsumb was only about 6 months old I had been out shopping all day and come home to a warm house. I laid Awsumb on a blanket and opened some windows. We have these windows that open out, so you lift a flap on the screen, push the window out, then you have to shut the flap. We used to have these rhododendron brushes that wrapped around the side of the house and they were a a major attraction to all types of bees.  So I go upstairs to put away my goodies from shopping and then I noticed Awsumb making this funny sound.  I knew instantly what it was.. he was mimicking a the sound a bee would make if it was swarming around your head!  Remembering that Kenneth is supposed to be "deathly allergic"  I run downstairs to rescue him and find 3 bees swarming around his head and that stupid flap left open on the window screen. I shut the flap, run him upstairs and shut him in by bedroom.  Then I called Kenneth, who refused to come and help... "I'm allergic..."  OK so maybe he was in a meeting of something.. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, but his friend Robert came to rescue us! 

I was able to chase one out the front door, kill a second and totally lost the third.  Needless to say all slept locked in our master bedroom.  In the morning I took Awsumb into his room to change him at the changing table and found a dead bee on the floor. 

 Awsumb 2002 - 6 months
with his Classic Pooh
from our dear friend Robert!

We saw the new Winnie the Pooh movie the other night.  (see Awsumb above with his little Pooh bear!)  I am so glad that at almost 10 he still loves simple things, such as Winnie the Pooh!  As as only child, Awsumb often plays alone.  Awsumb is a regular Christopher Robin, always exploring, making things up and usually accompanied by a "stuffy."

 So why doesn't Pooh every get stung anyway?  Maybe he just doesn't notice with all that fluffy stuffing?

3-D

I just hate 3-D.  So I was pretty mad when we showed up at the last Harry Potter movie to find out it was in 3-D.  I am pretty sure Kenneth knew this and choose not to tell me.  At least we got these cool Harry Potter style glasses (more about them later).

Why does every new movie have to be in 3-D anyway?  It's like they are just putting it into random things now, not even just movies that go with the whole 3-D effect.  I HATE 3-D!  It gives me a headache!  And when we end up at a movie we didn't realize was in 3-D I always pout about it. I get 3-D for a campy movie like JAWS.  But in general the 3-D effect should only enhance the movie - just enough to make it seem more real... The viewer should be able to forget about the effect rather than having something pop up in their face every two minutes reminding them they are sitting in a theater and removing them from the story.

Here are some of my complaints: 3-D glasses are always too big for me.  My 3-D glasses are always crooked.  My 3-D glasses are always scratched or foggy because they have cheap lenses.  3-D glasses at an IMAX leave that dumb mark on your head.  And finally that nasty headache I end up with...

Some people might say it's all in your head, but they are wrong, there is a name for it:  vergence-accommodation.  And apparently the act of trying to focus can cause headache for some people.

The night after we saw the final Harry Potter movie we went to see Captain America in 3-D.  As a joke, partway through the movie when my son left to use the restroom, I swapped my big glasses with his kid sized glasses. OH MY HECK They were soooo much better!  And he was so kind he told me I could wear them the rest of the movie.  I was able to forget the movie was even in 3-D!  Then I realized that besides the fact that my Harry Potter glasses were warped they actually fit better than any 3-D glasses I had worn... The lesson- wear smaller glasses?  Maybe that will help me in the future...

Click to read What's the problem with 3-D? 

Sunkissed?

I have strawberry blond hair and blue eyes. I never really tan, I mostly just burn... and I've had some nasty burns over the years.  Shoulders and back were pretty regular summer burns.  One summer my nose peeled all summer and through the winter - yuck.  Another year my hands were severely burned after spending a cloudy day on the lake.  And don't forget all those times the tops of my ears were burned and at night they would bubble up and my hair would stick to them, them I'd have to rip it off the skin as I pulled my hair back in the morning - ewww!!!  I spend many years as a teenager trying to "tan" and even went to a tanning salons for a while when I was 19.  Then we moved to the northwest and everything changed for me. I began using heavy sunscreen and decided to just accept my glowing white skin. 

This spring was unusually cold and cloudy. We didn't have many of those famous warm Seattle afternoons. Then out of nowhere if finally hits over 70 two days in a row and I end up spending over 8 hours in direct sun both days for a baseball tournament.  I started out the day with sunscreen and even sat under an umbrella. I was mostly worried about my face... but I seem to have that pretty much covered these days and rarely get nasty sunburns on my face because I use Bare Minerals make up, which is SPF 15.  I usually only need to apply full sunscreen if I am going to be a full day in the sun, at the pool, etc.

Just a few hours in I was so red that people I didn't even know would come up to me and spray me with sunscreen. (incidentally, the sunscreen industry now says those spray on sunscreens may not be as effective as they once thought - duh!) By day two I was an official lobster.  For the next day, I had a bit of heat stroke and I realized the sunburn was getting worse. I was bathing in aloe and lotion and trying to drink extra water...  And 4 days later the above picture is what I looked like. I was actually quite a bit more red overall that really shows up in this photo, but certain areas on my chest and scalp really started looking different than the rest of my skin and that worried me.

As my arms and legs peeled, these extra red patches blistered up to look even worse!  This second picture was taken 1 week after the initial sunburn. I didn't even take photos on it's worst day because it was just so gross. My family doctor wanted to treat it as a 2nd degree burn with antibiotic ointment... but by dermatologist prescribed Biofine, which is often used for cancer patients undergoing radiation treatment.

Things you may not know about sunscreen - It takes 1-2 ounces to completely cover your face.  That's at least 1 shot glass!

A typical bottle of sunscreen is good for about 2 full applications (face, shoulders, chest, arms, etc..)

Sunscreen needs to be reapplied about every hour. Some ingredients break down when exposed to UV (that's how they work) and sunscreen is also easily sweated, rubbed, wiped and washed off.

Look for UVA and UVB protection.  UVB Rays penetrate the outer layer of skin and are the primary cause of sunburn. UVA penetrate into into the layers of the skin.  Neutrogena has been my sunscreen of choice for years.

SPF (Sun Protection Factor) helps measure how long you can stay in the sun with sunscreen before getting burned. SPF measurement is quite arbitrary and does NOT measure either wrinkle protection or skin cancer protection. Consequently, ALL manufacturers of sunscreen have recently been sued for false advertising.

Notice, too, that the amount of sunscreen needed to achieve the results quoted is impressive: generally, a hand full of sunscreen is used to cover a body. In other words, a standard tube is good for TWO (2) applications! Which takes us back to were I began...

And here I am on my soapbox reminding you all to use handfuls of sunscreen and cover up this summer!

Blister Block

BAND-AID^® Friction Block™ Stick has a lubricating formula that glides on smoothly to instantly reduce rubbing on skin. It forms an invisible barrier, making it ideal for open shoes, and provides an easy, non-messy application.

I found this stuff a few years ago and simply LOVE IT!  I have very tender feet and have such terrible time with blisters.  I have been known to get blisters just from certain patterns or type of socks.  I mostly prefer shoes that I can slip my feet into.  Before I found this I carried Moleskin with me at all times.  And now I can't even remember the last time I used Moleskin!

Blister block works best when applied as soon as you feel and area which may develop into a blister.  You must apply before blister forms.  Check it out!

Summer Cravings! Lime Cream Vanilla?

OK, it really has been a long rainy winter here in the NW and it doesn't look to end soon. Because as we all know the sun doesn't come out up here until July 5th.   After 13 years the rain and clouds are really getting to me this season and I worried I might be depressed.  Turns out I am not the only one.  It's been much colder here and apparently the weatherman has charts to prove I am not crazy! 

And so I continue on... chasing bits of blue sky in hope of feeling that sun on myself.  In the meantime, I am officially diagnosing myself with scurvy because the only thing I seem to crave lately is lime....

 All this time I thought there was nothing better than nice cold Coke and Lime!  Until one day antique shopping with my Dad we stopped at a 7-11 to let Awsumb pick out a little treat and what do I find....

SUMMERTIME LIME!  The new Lime Cream Vanilla Slurpee!  I don't even like Slurpee's but the boys do and in the summer I will occasionally get a small one.  Well, my obsession led us to a late night hunt this weekend for a 7-11 in our neighborhood that is carrying this new flavor.  And boy was it worth it!  YUM!

And you know what this means... It's will be my number one flavor on the 2011- Free Slurpee Day - Brain Freeze Rally!  That's right, mark your calendar's, it's coming up.  July 11th Free Slurpee Day at 7-11. Contest rules coming soon... (click to read about 2010's Epic Free Slurpee Run!) We hope your family will join us as we see how many free Slurpee's it's takes to freeze your brain!

SUCK FOR YOUR LIVES!

So today we stopped for lunch at Taco Time, which just happens to be the chosen restaurant in our area to debut Coke Freestyle.  Have you tried these new soda dispensers?  What's not to love about a high tech - touch screen soda machine with over 100 choices.. mix and match for unlimited combinations!

So as I am trying to convince my son to try a Lime Rickey (Sprite, Grape Syrup and Lime) it comes to me... A Lime Vanilla Diet Coke...  2/3rds Diet Coke and Lime, 1/3 Diet Coke and Vanilla!  PERFECTION!

What's your favorite soda combination?

Theno's Dairy

Theno's Dairy on the 202 from Redmond to Woodinville is the place to be in the summer! OK so it hasn't had any improvements for over 50 years! And you get to eat your ice cream in the parking lot.... but it's seriously the best I have ever had. YOU MUST try the canteloupe!


And don't forget the napkins!

Twilight - What have you done to my wife?

I just really don't understand grown women being so obsessed with this drivel... Especially women that should have a little more eternal perspective than to be swept up in such nonsense... poor writing, characters and story not even fully developed... Nonetheless, it sure has captured tons of Desperate Housewives! Check out this hilarious video clip...

The Word is VORNADO!

That's right, it's hot here in the northwest this week and the word of the day is VORNADO!

Most people don't have A/C around here and honestly there is really only a few days or a week that's totally unbearable up here in the Seattle area. So you just have to spend the week at the pool, the mall or at the movie theater. I am pretty sure this is what led our first double header movie day! And of course because it's too hot to cook, eating out! And when we just can't take it anymore we can always just check into the Marriott.

But when we have a couple hot days. And by hot I mean high 80's and 90's, which can feel miserable here, you start to think, "Maybe we should get A/C?!" Unlike other places I have lived and visited one really "feels the weather" here in the northwest. Which is funny considering the climate is much more mild year round.

Yeah, it's wet, but usually between 50-70 year round. And like the grunge bands of the 90's we all simply dress in layers and sometimes are known to wear socks and sandals!

And because of all the moisture when the temps dip into the 40's or heaven forbid the 30's it's just freezing... and vice versa in the summer. 80's are hot and 90's can be simply miserable. But every season I try to conserve energy. In the fall I see how long i can last until I turn on the furnace. I think last year I made it until November. And in the summer we just leave the windows open at night to let in the night air and hope for the best the next day.

So when we have a day like yesterday and the temp reading on my car said 97 and you spend the day working up a storm without air conditioning and the evening at a baseball game in the hot sun, somone is bound to end up with heat exhaustion!

And the word of the day becomes VORNADO. A vornado is not just an ordinary fan you have used in the past. It's really and air circulator! We have beeen using these for years and have them strategically placed around the house. Last summer during a record breaking heatwave we made the mistake of picking up an extra small traditional fan.

We were lucky to find anything because during a heatwave around here the stores are wiped out of fans. We have been so spoiled by our VORNADO's all these years that we forgot how little a regular fan really does except make a loud racket and blow hot air on you. A Vornado placed correctly in a room will move the air in the entire room. There's nothing worse than hot stagnet air. Being able to blow the cool air around the whole room can make quite a difference in your overall comfort.

Vornado's are often priced $20 more than a regular fan, but well worth the cost! If you are in the market for a fan check out your local Vornado display!

Special thanks to Pemco Insurance Northwest Profiles! To learn more about the strange folk that inhabit the Northwest, be sure to check out all the Pemco Insurance Northwest Profiles on You Tube! These just crack me up! Don't miss Blue Tarp Camper!