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Entry bubble Flu Vaccines

By: Joanne | October 06, 2009 | Category: Health

The H1N1 (swine) flu is spreading, and this week H1N1 flu vaccinations will be arriving in just about every state.

Did you know that there are two flu vaccines this year? That’s right, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) encourages you to get a vaccination for the regular old seasonal flu, and to be fully protected they also recommend the special vaccine for the H1N1 (swine) flu. The seasonal flu shot will not protect you against H1N1.

Are you in a high risk group? Pregnant women, the elderly, and people with chronic health conditions are at higher risk for serious illness or death from the flu, and should get their flu vaccinations as soon as it becomes available.

Even if you get the flu vaccines this year, it’s important to remember that the vaccines aren’t 100% effective in preventing illness, so be sure to practice good habits to prevent the spread of disease, and to take good care of yourself if you do get the flu.

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Entry bubble First Day of Autumn

By: Joanne | September 22, 2009 | Category: General

colorful maple leaves

I thought I was the only one who felt a need for mashed potatoes, but apparently not. It seemed that everyone brought warm, heavy, satisfying dishes to the potluck this weekend. Then I was reminded that autumn is upon us.

Today is the Autumnal Equinox, the first day of fall for those of us in the northern hemisphere. If you want to get really precise, autumn begins when the sun is directly over the earth’s equator, which will be at 12:47 p.m. eastern time.

One of my favorite things about fall is the beautiful changing color of the trees. This is a great time of year to visit public lands if you really want to see a lot of color. The Forest Service even has a hotline you can call to hear predictions about leaf color, foliage peaks, scenic drives, and other fall activities in the different regions across the United States.

So get yourself ready for a new season. I’m looking forward to fuzzy, warm sweaters, local apples, hearty soups, pumpkin carving and taking in the fall colors.  What do you love about fall?

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Entry bubble Is It a Cold or the Flu?

By: Joanne | September 15, 2009 | Category: Health

a mid adult man sneezing into tissue

Last night I hardly slept because my little one is sick. She was snuffling and snorting, tossing and turning, moaning and groaning and it certainly didn’t help that her darn unicorn was poking its horn into my side.

Ah, the joys of parenthood. My kids are just starting their third week of school and you know what that means – it’s time to catch a cold. It never fails. Send them to the germ factory, I mean elementary school, for a week or so and they’re bound to come home sniffling and coughing.

This year everyone’s on edge about the swine flu, so it’s more important than ever to know what we’re dealing with, and what to do when we get sick. So how do you know if it’s a cold or the flu?

The truth is, it can be hard to tell because the symptoms are so similar. Both commonly cause a runny nose, sore throat, sneezing and coughing, but the flu is generally worse and usually causes exhaustion, high fever and body aches. It can also lead to complications and can be so serious that it leads to thousands and thousands of hospitalizations and deaths each year.

The best we can do is try to prevent colds and flu, take care of ourselves when we do get sick, and seek medical advice when we need it.

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Entry bubble Trampoline (un)Safety

By: Joanne | September 08, 2009 | Category: Health

Joanne's swolen, bruised left foot and ankleEach year tens of thousands of people (mostly children) are seen in emergency rooms for injuries they suffer as a result of trampoline accidents. This year, I’m one of them.

You see, the accident happened weeks ago while I was having a little fun with my daughter on a trampoline. It’s important that children are supervised on trampolines, and besides, I think they can be fun to bounce around on too.

We were having a grand time bouncing around, until I turned my ankle on a landing. I knew it was hurt pretty badly, and it showed all the signs of a serious sprain. I didn’t go to the doctor right away (mistake) because I was certain that I didn’t break a bone (wrong). The ankle seemed to be healing well, until suddenly it became very painful and swollen again. A sensible friend who is a nursing student shuffled me off to the emergency room for an x-ray.

So here I sit with my ankle elevated and in a splint. I have an avulsion fracture.

There are a few lessons I take away from this:

  • Practice trampoline safety especially not having too many people on a trampoline.
  • If you have a trampoline at home, you may want to consider changing your insurance in case someone hurts themselves on your trampoline and decides to sue you.
  • I’ll never avoid a doctor visit when I have a serious ankle injury again.
  • My mom is right – trampolines are dangerous!

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Entry bubble Government May Owe You Money

By: Joanne | September 01, 2009 | Category: Money

I just read that my State Treasurer is holding onto 1.5 billion dollars in unclaimed money. That’s right – all the states are holding unclaimed money, and if they’ve got some for you, all you have to do is step up and claim it.

States end up with valuable things like abandoned bank accounts, forgotten stocks, uncashed checks, certificates of deposit, life insurance policies, safe deposit box contents, and recovered stolen property.

When I did a search I didn’t find any records that the state has money for me, but I did find a record that looks like there’s money waiting for my brother-in-law. Lucky him!

The federal government is also holding money for people. Pension funds, FHA mortgage refunds and federal tax refunds from the IRS are all piling up because the government doesn’t have your correct address. Searching for unclaimed property from the federal government is a little bit more difficult because you have to check with each agency individually, but USA.gov can help you determine if the government owes you money.

Times are tough, so don’t overlook this opportunity to collect money owed to you.

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