Group Games for Thanksgiving

Keep your relatives occupied this Thanksgiving to prevent behavior problems and keep the peace. Structured activity is just as important for children as for those unruly adults. Try these activities that kids and grown-ups can enjoy together.

WHO’S THE TURKEY?  One person leaves the room while a designated secret “turkey” is chosen from the group. Set a timer for three to four minutes, and bring the person back. Don’t tell who was chosen. The “turkey” starts make subtle turkey movements: scratching the floor with the foot, wobbling the head, flapping arms, etc. All players, who are watching for the subtle movements, start doing the same movement at the same time. The person who left the room and came back must figure out who is starting it in order to figure out who is the turkey. If he figures it out before the timer goes off, he gets to chose the next player to leave the room. If he doesn’t figure it out, the turkey gets the next turn.

THIS YEAR FOR THANKSGIVING  The whole family will have fun with this game, but small children will be delighted! Stand together, where everybody can see everybody else. The first player says, “This year for Thanksgiving, I…” and fills in the blank. For example, “This year for Thanksgiving, I visited relatives,” then walks in place, as if traveling. The whole group does the movement. The second player says, for example, “This year for Thanksgiving, I set the table,” and makes the movements for setting a table, while still walking in place. The third person says something like, “…I put on my shoes ” and motions as if putting on shoes, while still walking in place and motioning like making the table.  See how many actions you can add.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE?  Before your guests arrive, prepare a beach ball (or sturdy balloon) with questions written on it in permanent marker. Questions can include holiday things like What’s your favorite pie? What’s your favorite holiday movie? White meat or dark? Add general questions, too, like What’s your favorite color? Guests toss ball from person to person. Whatever question the person’s right thumb lands on, that is the question they must answer.

For more Thanksgiving ideas, including craft ideas, menu planning, and Biblically kosher recipes, visit http://www.preciousholidays.net/Thanksgiving.html

 

Central Florida Future - More H1N1 vaccines available

Central Florida Future – More H1N1 vaccines available.

 

24,000 vaccines requested last week

By Cassie Turner

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Published: Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Updated: Wednesday, November 11, 2009

John Choi

Danny Demoraes’ brother died of pneumonia, a complication of the H1N1 virus. Demorae, a senior at UCF, received his H1N1 vaccine last Thursday.

John Choi

A month after he watched his 27-year-old brother die of complications caused by the H1N1 virus, UCF senior Danny Demoraes entered the second-floor conference room at Health Services to receive the flu vaccine.

David Demoraes was two weeks away from becoming a firefighter in August when he began complaining of a cough, vomiting and body aches. By the end of the month he had been admitted to a hospital suffering from pneumonia, a complication of H1N1.

On Oct. 3, after a month-long battle, a blood clot blocked one of his arteries, causing his blood pressure to drop to zero, Demoraes said.

“I felt his heart take its last couple beats,” Demoraes said. “My brother and I used to do everything together. Now everything has changed.”

Danny Demoraes received his vaccine Thursday — one of the 1,500 doses available to students, faculty and staff delivered to UCF Health Services, 24,000 had been requested.

“It’s worth getting the vaccine because you just don’t know who it’s going to hospitalize…who it’s going to kill,” Demoraes said. “If the school is offering free vaccines why not prevent it beforehand?”

Chad Binette of UCF News & Information said that there have been 35 cases of H1N1 confirmed at UCF. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

in Atlanta, college-aged people are within a more at-risk category.

“For instance, between ages 5 and 24, the CDC estimates 2,196 cases per 100,000, but only 107 per 100,000 in the 65 and older age group,” Binette said. “UCF is one of the first Florida universities to receive vaccines and getting the vaccine is the best way to stay healthy and protect yourself from the H1N1 virus. The vaccine is safe and effective, and students can get it for free.”

Thomas Sutton, a UCF freshman micro & molecular biology major, agrees. Sutton said he gets his vaccine as a “force of habit” every year, but his grandmother nearly dying of the virus raised his awareness about H1N1.

Claudia Witcher, nursing director for UCF Health Services, began each session with a short presentation explaining to attendees the differences between the two vaccines. The shot is made of dead viral particles, whereas the attenuated nasal vaccine is a live virus that replicates only in the nostril, Witcher said.

“For homework, go out and tell your friends how easy it is, because we need all students to be immunized,” said Pharmacy Manager Sheryl Gamble.  

Anne Schuchat, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, reported Friday that 129 children have died from H1N1.

According to the CDC, Novel influenza A, H1N1, is a new flu virus of swine origin that first caused illness in Mexico and the United States in March and April 2009. It was determined that the virus was spreading from person to person with the infection causing a wide range of flu-like symptoms, including fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. In addition, many people also have reported nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea. On June 11, 2009, the World Health Organization raised the worldwide pandemic alert level to Phase 6 in response to H1N1.

As of Nov. 1, the WHO reported the pandemic has infected 199 countries and overseas territories and caused more than 6,000 deaths.

According to a health alert put out by the CDC on Nov. 6, most people who get H1N1 will have a mild illness and recover in fewer than two weeks. Others, however, are more likely to get flu complications that result in hospitalization and, occasionally, death. Complications can include pneumonia, bronchitis, sinus infections and ear infections, or worsen chronic health problems such as asthma or congestive heart failure. The CDC urges clinicians to begin antiviral treatment of suspected persons based on direct observation as opposed to relying on rapid influenza tests or laboratory confirmation.

It takes about two weeks for the vaccine to become effective in the system, Witcher said.

She recommends maintaining good hand washing practices, not sharing food or drink with others and employing good coughing and sneezing etiquette in the interim.

“My brother was all about helping people,” Demoraes said. “If anything, he would be happy that at least this message can get out there and help other people. That’s what he would have wanted.”

Santa Monica Pier Now Terminus of Route 66

Santa Monica is getting the moniker of the West Terminus of Historic Route 66. From the LA Times article: “The highway’s original end point in 1926 was at 7th Street and Broadway in downtown Los Angeles, according to Glen Duncan, president of the California Route 66 Preservation Foundation. A decade later, the road was extended to Olympic and Lincoln boulevards in Santa Monica.”

Here’s some fun stuff on Route 66.

More info on http://mygrandmasue.wordpress.com

Bye Bye Bears!

My bears are packed and ready to leave home.

They’ve got their little For Sale tags around their necks,

and are just waiting to be bought.

They are going a few yards up the road to the village coffee shop.

They will be on display with lots of other local handmade gifts.

But I’m worried.

Little children frequent that coffee shop.

That coffee shop sells very sticky chocolate cake.

Little children who go there end up looking like this…

and this…

but more worryingly, like this…

(ok, so this is mud, but you get the idea!)

My poor bears.

I do hope they get put up high out of reach!

When life gives you lemons, utilize the citric acid to rub in the wounds

When things trip you up, pick yourself up because God hasn’t quite finished, sometimes you have to stand up becuase he wants to kneecap you. I knew kitty was also in the throws of ttc, except for some insane reason I though I might be first. Except I’m not and now she’s got the bfp that I’ve been praying for since before her third arrived. She deserves it, it’s what she wants, but right now my reaction is reactive and unfair to certain people. I feel terrible for even writing it here, but this is my blog and is meant to be total honesty. My reaction? That was MY bfp. It’s not fair. And overall it’s just made this underlying anger at Mr T bubble up – why the hell did he not pay attention when I asked him not to go for the op post mini midget. I know that right now he feels terrible about it, and that me resenting him does nothing to help the situation, but I need to let it out and here is the place. Maybe I didn’t make myself clear back then, but I thought I told him quite clearly at the time that it felt wrong, in fact I clearly remember the night before being in tears and telling him it felt like we were doing something awful and akin to a termination. I resent having to go through this. I really resent the fact that the doctors are happy to send a man in his early 20s to have the op but when they see a distressed couple begging for them to reverse what they did their response is tough. There’s no money for that. Find a friend with a turkey baster. I resent that having found a donor, we can’t make it work because my body is stupid and refuses to do the job it’s made for.

I found a load of distraction this evening playing with the cameras with a friend. But we’re heading towards night time and I’m going back to the joys of laying in the dark with these thoughts in my head. Sometimes I wish the drugs did work and I could just be stoned out of my tree and not be aware of anything for a while.

Pekan Seni Anak Yogyakarta

Yup.

These four days, Cultural Bureau of Yogyakarta Special Province is holding Pekan Seni Anak “Children Art Week”  from November 8-12, 2009 in Taman Budaya Yogyakarta. There are various activities under this program, such as children dancing performance, workshop on making children traditional toys, exhibition of children artwork and many other.

I was just so curious with the exhibition that I just visited it before practicing dancing. It was totally great for me to see their painting hanging on the wall. I was tought that they are definitely creative and brave making those pictures. Adult often thinking too much before doing something that everything they do seems not “totally free” and couldn’t express their self and their true feeling. It was so much different from Children. I can see clearly their expression through their painting. They never hesitate too much and only do what they want to do. They dont care whether fish has blue, pink or purple skin. They would coose any colour they want to. I was sure that I would be so confused deciding what picture I want to paint, and Im sure it only would be house, beach or mountain, and even confused recalling what color this thing should have.haha.

Beside various amazing painting, there are still many other artwork such as robots from rubbish, human pupet, paper clothes, paper car, lamp, gigantic doll and many other as you can see below.

New citizenship resource for schools

A new educational resource kit on citizenship will provide school children across the country with a greater understanding of our civic responsibilities and what it means to be an Australian citizen.

The school resource book – I am Australian: Exploring Australian Citizenship – is designed to assist teachers to deliver more in-depth lessons on Australian citizenship and civics to upper primary and lower secondary school students.

The Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans, said the school resource book will help students better understand the meaning and significance of Australian citizenship.

‘Knowledge of Australian citizenship and civic responsibilities is important for all Australians, no matter how they became citizens,’ Senator Evans said.

‘This will be a valuable learning tool for all students, not only for those who have come here from other countries, but also for those who have lived all their lives in Australia.

‘It will also help students appreciate the contribution made to Australia by people from diverse backgrounds, whose journey to Australia was completed when they became citizens.’

The school resource book contains classroom activities which are linked to the curricula of each state and territory and are specifically designed for upper primary and lower secondary school students. The activities relate to Australia’s democratic beliefs, Australian citizen case studies and what it means to be an Australian citizen.

The Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) has been producing citizenship resources for schools since 2001. The updated school resource book coincides with the 60th anniversary of Australian citizenship.

Since the first citizenship ceremony in 1949, more than four million people from more than 200 countries have become Australian citizens.

Senator Evans launched the new school resource book with Hindmarsh MP Steve Georganas at the Plympton Primary School in Adelaide, where the Minister conducted a citizenship ceremony for a student and his father.

Zhenguo (Ken) Yang, 43, and his son Pengyu (Kevin), 11, from the People’s Republic of China, became Australian citizens after migrating to Australia in 2005. Mr Yang, a network engineer, came to Australia with his wife Qihong (Linda) Ling, who is studying nursing, to pursue better educational and career opportunities for the family.

‘I congratulate Mr Yang and his son Kevin on their decision to become Australian citizens,’ Mr Georganas said.

‘Citizenship represents a commitment to Australia and its people, the values we share and our common future. It also symbolises our sense of belonging to the country where we have been born or have decided to make our home.’

Source  :  http://www.minister.immi.gov.au/media/media-releases/2009/ce09100.htm