Moses Law to help save abandoned babies

The fact that something like the Moses Law exists in Texas and 45 other states is a sad thought:

The statute – the first of its kind in the nation – lets mothers leave healthy babies up to 60 days old at a hospital, fire station or other medical emergency facility, with no questions asked and no fear of prosecution.

Though I often support laws that seem to condone undesirable behavior, like abandoning babies, if they are created to deal with the reality of the situation and try to alleviate the consequences of the behavior.

Ideal would be to find ways to prevent the behavior in the first place, but the truth is that sometimes pregnancies are unwanted and sometimes the parents don't feel as if they have any options because of social or financial constraints. Or, they are just unprepared to deal with the responsibilities of their actions.

Over the weekend, the Dallas Morning News reported on two cases of newborns being abandoned: one in a public bathroom and the another on the hood of a car. Both just horrifying thoughts! Unfortunately, the Moses Law in Texas has had only minimal success. It seems those most likely to abandon a baby are unaware of it.

Benadryl debunked as sleep aid for kids

From Babycenter:

The report was published Monday in the July issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

"Benadryl is widely used, parents use it, physicians recommend it to help kids sleep," said study lead author Dr. Dan Merenstein, a pediatrics specialist at Georgetown University Medical Center.

"But the bottom line is, it doesn't work," he added.

Honey, let me take care of dinner tonight!

Because I'm a sucker for coupons, I dropped by Super Suppers today with my 4th of July parade coupon for a free side dish. Honestly, I was just curious as to what they could do and if anyone can help me with getting dinner on the table, they're worth a second look.

The idea is that Super Suppers plans a number of menus each month, has the ingredients already chopped up and all you have to do is 1) bag & mix the ingredients or 2) have them bag & mix for you or 3) take a frozen meal to go. They also offer sides and desserts. While I only tried one, there would be a big benefit to coming in and prepping many more meals so you could be set for the week or two or even month!

Walking in, you see a number of mini-salad bar like stations where you can prepare the entrees. I decided to put together a quick & simple one since Peanut was with me. It involved frozen chicken breasts, pineapple juice, shredded ginger, teriyaki sauce, honey, uncooked pasta and chicken stock. In a couple of minutes I was ready to check out.

At home, it took about 40 mins to get the tasty meal (really, it was good) on the table mainly because of the time needed to defrost the chicken before cooking. I'm not sure that it was so much easier though I did save on chopping time. What I really saved on was the sometimes agonizing thinking of what on earth can I do with chicken tonight? And, when will I have a chance to go to the store?

The tab:

• Super Suppers says: With an average entrée price of around $3.00 per serving, you can save hundreds of dollars and 20-30 hours of your precious time every month!
• I paid $20 for a 4 - 6 serving entree (that is 6 chicken breasts & pasta to match). We probably pay around $7 for 3 chicken breasts and $2 for pasta. Then add in the pineapple juice and teriyaki sauce we don't have on hand. Then you're probably pretty close to even if we had bought the ingredients ourselves.
• Fill your Freezer Days -- at the end of each month as they prepare to change menus, Super Suppers discounts current menu entrees. Come by and stock up!
  

Bonus for new moms - they will assemble food for free for the first month after your baby is born!

Fourth of July

I know, i'm a bit slow this week....the fourth of July was already several days ago.

Peanut's papa was out of commission with an unfortunately timed migrane, so I took Peanut to the City of Coppell 4th of July parade alone. We met up with one of Peanut's playmates so it was still a lively affair.

The parade is scheduled for a 10 am start, but still around 10.40 that morning under an increasingly hot sun, we were wondering where they were! Luckily, we had snagged a spot under a tree for some shade. Some who planned ahead came with lawn chairs, portable sun umbrellas and coolers. Dogs were dressed in bandanas; children had empty plastic bags along to catch all the candy. Next year, we'll come later and come prepared.

Peanut loved the all the dogs, excitedly 'oof, oof'ing when she saw one she liked. The marching band, police sirens and fire trucks were all a bit too loud for her. She'd quickly snatch up her stuffed animal, squeezing tightly around his neck, and ask for 'up' into mama's arms. Thanks to the local Exchange Club, Peanut got a mini-US flag to wave around.

What I liked best about the parade was the way there was always a spectator calling out to a buddy on a float or driving a car with a Ms. Jr. West Texas pagent winner or handing out flyers who would return the greeting. It wasn't so much a parade staged for us to watch, but really for everyone to have fun and participate in.

The kids weren't the only ones picking up goodies: the Mom's Club of Coppell (there is a North and South chapter!) gave us a bag of animal crackers, the YMCA was giving away free 2 week passes, Super Suppers had a coupon for a free side dish, and one group handed out those juicy ice sticks...ahhhh!

Mixed in with the usual karate clubs, neighborhood floats, beauty pagent winners, politicians and real estate agents were cheerleaders and a surprisingly many religious themed participants.