DadTalk

Swim School Success

While it’s not been quite a month since DadTalk opened his Swim School for 2, I’m happy to report that we had a major, major breakthrough over the last two evenings.

Sunday
For the past few weeks now, I take turns holding each child’s hand as we submerge into the warm water to retrieve torpedoes from the pool bottom. Both kids keep their eyes clamped shut.

Lael quickly retrieves her orange torpedo from the lowest step on the stairs. Seth holds his nose with one hand as I guide his other to the blue torpedo that’s about 3 feet below.

Both then exit the pool and run 50 feet to dry their faces off on towels that I purposely keep far away. Every day I encourage them to try goggles, but they refuse.

For some reason, I decide that today I want to push Seth and Lael to the next level. My idea: I want them to swim a couple feet from the steps to me.

It Takes a Sneak

I’m eating lunch when I hear the garage door slam. It’s one of those spring-loaded fire doors that will take the toe off the slow-witted.

“That’s odd,” I think. “Lael doesn’t like going into the garage alone.”

Then I hear the bathroom door close. “Okay, so Lael was coming out of the garage. Maybe she was looking for a toy in the car?”

Figuring Lael would be in the bathroom for a while, I call my mom. A few seconds later, I hear the garage door slam again.

With my mom chattering in my ear, I open the door. There, with her back to me, Lael’s shoulders rise as her arms bend inward toward the torso; it’s a classic guilty-body reaction.

From my high vantage point, I can see there is an open roll of Smarties in my little girl’s hands, which she is now trying to shove into her mouth. Several fall to the ground. I snatch the remaining ones from her little fingers, which I later eat when she’s out of sight.

Open on the floor is a green, party-favor box, which is one of several left over from Seth’s birthday. About a week ago, I moved the extra boxes into the garage because Lael had been merrily pulling the candy and cookies out of them. At the time, I warned both kids to save the boxes for Lael’s upcoming birthday party.

“Lael! You little thief!” I say in a menacing voice. She smiles at me.

“Um, mom? Let me call you right back.”

Bringing Lael into the house, I reward my girl with a long time out. I realize the punishment is never going to deter my daughter – when she wants something, she gets it – but what else can I do?

The Magnifying Glass

My wife is on one of her jewelry-making jags. While Anne always has made necklaces, bracelets and earrings using beads, her new love is pearls.

After signing up for a class at Scottsdale Community College, Anne realized she needed a magnifying glass. As you can see, Lael loves mommy’s new toy.

Mexican Bird of Paradise

Nothing quite matches the orange intensity of the Mexican Bird of Paradise, which grows well in the Arizona desert. This one is at our community garden plot near Scottsdale Community Garden.

FDA Panel Wants Lower Acetaminophen Doses

Almost two years ago to the date, I wrote about how acetaminophen (the primary ingredient in Tylenol) nearly killed me. I was suffering from something known as rhabdomyolysis, which is the breakdown of muscle tissue. In my case, the condition was probably triggered by flu, dehydration and extreme physical activity.

While in the hospital, the doctors offered me a painkiller laced with acetaminophen to help me sleep. My symptoms worsened throughout the night.

I complained to the medical crew about the reaction, and they told me it was simply not possible. Although my hospitalization occurred on 2003, I didn’t write about the incident until 2006 because that’s when reports of high doses of acetaminophen causing liver damage finally came out.

Fast forward two years: a panel of health advisers are asking the Food and Drug Administration to “lower the maximum dose of over-the-counter acetaminophen,” reports HealthDay. The panel recommends dropping the 1,000-milligram pill in favor of a 650 milligram maximum.

The health panel also recommends a ban on far more potent prescription drugs Percocet and Vicodin, reports The New York Times. The drugs combine a narcotic with the acetaminophen.

The reason for the recommendation? High doses of acetaminophen can cause severe liver damage and even death. Besides repeatedly popping more of the pills in their mouths than they should, Americans often don’t realize cold remedies and other products contain acetaminophen. This can result in accidental overdoses.

Whether the FDA will follow the panel’s recommendation is anyone’s guess.

Okra: Gooey yet Beautiful

My daughter, Lael, loves okra. In one sitting, she’ll polish off two bowls of the gooey stuff as long as I microwave, steam or fry it and put on a dash of margarine.

What many people don’t know, is that okra is a handsome plant with attractive flowers. After all, okra is related to hibiscus.

Grapes of Math

A gardener next door to me grows grapes primarily for looks and shade over a garden arch. Who gets to eat the thousands of luscious fruits? The birds, of course!

Tall. Really Tall

I wanted to give readers an idea just how tall the sunflowers have grown at my community garden. I thought the best way would be to lie down on the ground and shoot up, but there was no way to accomplish this feat without killing the okra or watermelon plants.

So while this picture reveals some height, consider that I had to chop out the bottom three feet of the plant from the picture!

A Day Out on Goldwater Lake

On Father’s Day, I took the family up to Goldwater Lake for some hiking, kayaking and grilled burgers. The lake, which is near Prescott, Arizona, is perfect for young children and only costs a couple bucks to park.

Like last year, Lael didn’t want to stay out on the lake for more than a few minutes. Unlike last year, my wife, Anne there to take our daughter off my hands. At least Anne was able to shoot a few cute photos.

Seth and I enjoyed time together in the kayak, exploring coves and watching dragonflies skirt the water’s surface. We even saw ponies on the trail.

After eating, we walked to the far side of the small lake where Seth and Lael played in the water. After a while, we started collecting rocks for grandma, who has a penchant for such things.

The trip made for a great Father’s Day that was more about family than just dad.

Growing Up Without Dad

My dad died when I was 9. For most of my life, I would have denied that his death had any real impact on my development.

After all, I was a fiercely self-sufficient young boy with a strong sense of awareness at a very young age. On the day my dad died, I mentally took on the role of “oldest male” in the house and never really saw his death as a negative. I suppose that’s strange, but I’ve always been the type who rises to meet adversity.

Of course, there was a touch of silliness to it. I didn’t get a job as my grandfather did when his dad died. I didn’t take over the role of raising my brother. And in actuality, I didn’t know squat.

But, I did grow up a lot on the day my dad died from an embolism caused by a metal plate used to mend a broken leg. My sense of responsibility was immediate and immutable. In many ways, I acted as adult-like as my immature mind could muster.

It wasn’t until my kids were born that I started to realize something had been lost. Consider: