October 25, 2009
Did you know that it’s really called “Daylight Saving” and not “Daylight Savings” time? This year, the official Day Light Saving Time is November 1st 2009 at 2:00 AM. So on Halloween night before you go to bed, you should set your clock back 1 hour.
There are some other interesting facts about Daylight Saving time. For example, did you know that not all US States and territories observe daylight saving time? The Virgin Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Hawaii, and even Arizona! Well, in reality, Navajo Nation does still observe. Alaska has passed a bill as well to stop following it.
So how long will this period last? After you set your clocks back on November 1st or last thing October 31st, the clocks won’t need an adjustment until March 14th, 2010, when Daylight Saving time begins again on the second Sunday in March.
It’s also a great idea to use this time to also check your smoke detectors. You should always check your detectors at least twice a year, and how convenient, you need to adjust your clocks twice a year! Did you know that working, properly placed smoke detectors DOUBLE a family’s chance of survival?
Modern daylight savings time was first proposed by a New Zealand entomologist named George Vernon Hudson in 1895. There are many controversial aspects of daylight savings time, which was originally designed to add daylight time to the afternoon and less to the mornings. The practice typically benefits retail outlets, sports or other activities that need daylight after normal working hours. However it doesn’t benefit evening entertainment venues or other evening activities that depend on the sun.
Daylight savings has some complex effects on the health of populations subject to daylight savings time. Since the primary physical affect revolves around sun exposure, the benefit of additional exposure would be increased vitamin D synthesis, while the drawback would be increased likelihood of skin cancer. Some people also argue that levels of depression are decreased during periods of daylight savings time as a result of people rising earlier. On the reverse, some argue that sufferes of night blindness are hurt by the effects of daylight savings time.
Love it or hate it, chances are it’s here to stay. So be ready on November 1st, 2009 to get your extra hour of sleep!
Posted in Daylight Saving Time, Daylight Saving Time 2009, Daylight Savings Time, Daylight Savings Time 2009 
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October 24, 2009
Potty Training in ONE DAY!!!
by: Chris Hackett
This is a real story, from a real person, ME!
I have two boys, ages 5 and 3 now. They were BOTH super easy to potty train, and we did it in ONE day.
I’m not kidding you. With our first son, we planned for it, and then on one Saturday morning, we started, and by Saturday night he was out of his diaper, and we never put a diaper on him again.
Nick was 2 and a half when we potty trained. Matthew was also about 2 and a half when we potty trained him, also. Same story. Woke up one morning, and said ‘This is going to be the last day Matthew wears a diaper.’ And it was.
Here’s what we did!
The first thing to make sure of is that your child is showing all the correct signs that they’re ready to be potty trained. I believe that if you force a child who isn’t ready to be potty trained you’ll just set your progress back even further than if you wait until they’re ready. I think there are reports and studies about potty training that say this bodily function is one of only a very few things in a toddler’s life that they can control, and if they’re not ready to give up that control, they’ll exploit it to make the experience miserable for you and for them. It won’t be pleasant if you try and potty train them before they’re ready. What are the signs?
1. Make sure they’re able to follow and obey simple commands like “Come here” or “Stand here”
2. Be sure they are able to pull their pants down by them selves.
3. They should be waking up from their nighttime sleep with a dry diaper.
I think that’s pretty much it. If they can do these things, I think you’re pretty much ready to go for it!
We purchased a doll that goes potty to show our children how a person goes potty and to show the kids that when the pants of the doll are dry, we’re very pleased and make a big deal about the dry pants. I think it’s more important to positively reinforce dry pants than to negatively reinforce wet pants. We definitely focused more on staying dry as opposed to avoiding being wet. Stay focused on the goal and not the behavior that you’re trying to eliminate.
We let our son pick a name for the doll so it would develop a bit of an attachment to it. We spent about an hour showing our son how the doll had dry pants and we would say things like “Wow, look at Mike, he’s got dry pants! He’s such a big boy keeping his pants dry!” Then occasionally, we would say “Hey! Mike has to go potty! Hurry, lets take Mike to the potty.” Then we would deliberately go through all the necessary steps to go potty. First we actually walk (or run) to the potty. Then we would have our son help “Mike” pull his pants down, and then Mike (who had a small squeeze bottle inside) would actually go potty. Then we help Mike pull his pants up, flush the potty, and wash his hands.
I think that having our son “help” Mike with what to do, was key part of getting everything mentally straight with our son.
All the while we are doing this, we’re loading our son up on water, and juice. I would recommend that you stay away from juice, or at lease seriously dilute it. It turned out ok for us, but it will give most children diarrhea.
Another important thing to do is to make sure you relate the doll’s dry pants to your child’s pants. We would always check “Mike’s” pants, and then immediately check our son’s pants and make a big deal about them being dry.
When he would start to go potty, we would help him hurry to the potty, help him take his pants down, and help him “aim” properly. If we managed to help him keep his pants dry, we would praise him a lot and tell him what a good job he did with keeping his pants dry.
If he didn’t make it to the potty, we would encourage him to try and keep his pants dry next time. And here’s an IMPORTANT step when our child didn’t keep his pants dry. “Rehearse” the episode three or four times, or as many times as you can without inducing a meltdown. Start at the place where the child was when they first noticed they had to go potty, help them hurry to the potty, help them pull their pants down, and help them up onto their step stool or whatever. Do this several times, and always encourage the dry pants.
For us, I think the key to success was several things:
1. BE sure they’re ready. Don’t force it if they’re not ready
2. Be patient and encouraging. Don’t yell at them or reprimand them. This is new and intimidating for them, and they have 100% control over this aspect of their life. If they decide they don’t want to be potty trained, no amount of training will work. So be sure to keep it positive, fun, and encouraging.
3. Be consistent. Don’t start the project if you’re not mentally ready, or if you don’t have the whole day to dedicate to it.
For us it was totally worth it, and it worked really well. I think when we did our second child, we even took our older one to his grandparents for the day so we would not be distracted.
We used a book called “Potty Training in a Day” and I would highly recommend that you pick up a copy. It really worked for us. And it didn’t just work one time, we were successful with it twice!!!
Check out our next article about how we got both our kids to sleep through the night by 6 WEEKS!!! Wow .. I would have gone insane without this!
Posted in potty train, potty train boys, potty training, toilet training No Comments »
February 1, 2009
Hello Internet Marketers!
I probably get 20 – 30 email messsages a day, admittadly many of them are duplicates, all with the promise of easy money with some new affiliate marketing strategy or a super secret Google AdWords loophole or something. I think my favorite is the “Adsense Arbitrage” strategy. Sounds so legitimate!
Well, I think there are some people making money with Internet Marketing. Of course the folks who are probably making the best money are the ones launching “make money” programs. I suspect it’s the modern day version of the small classified ads in the back of newspapers that says “Make Millions, send $5.00 to ….” and the response is simply to run the same ad with your mailing address in the add. Swell.
Anyway, my offer is pretty darn straightforward. If you’re a legitimate on-line marketer and if you’re selling a program, let me know. I have some money to invest in web development (although this is almost always advertised as not neecssary), advertising and some marketing research. If you think you have a profitable program, contact me and lets work it out. If I make money, I’ll:
- Purchase your product at full-price (assuming the profit earned is at least equal to the cost of the program
- Split any profits (after marketing / advertising costs) with you 50 / 50
- I’ll write about the experience here and recommend others to purchase the program
- Of course I’ll do all the work. You teach, I’ll learn.
Seems pretty fair to me. If you think you’ve got the “secret” and are trying to get the word out, put your money where your mouth is, and lets see what happens.
You can write to me at adwords@chackett.com
Good Luck!
Posted in Actual Strategy, Adsense Arbitrage, Affiliate - Marketing, Earnings, Ideas, internet marketing, job offer No Comments »
November 29, 2008
HomeMade Rag Quilt:
You can do it with stuff you have laying around the house. One great idea I had was to make one out of the old baby clothes our kids had grown out of and give that to our parents. You know how much grandparents love their grandkids! Can you imagine giving your parents a handmade rag quilt made of the sweet old baby clothes their precious grandkids have out grown? I think my mother would have to be hospitalized!
If you’re thinking you don’t know how to make a rag quilt, you’re wrong. As it turns out anyone can do it. Here is a link to an eBook that will show you exactly how to cut and sew the rag quilt.
HomeMade Candles
Candles are one of the most soothing and pleasent things around. There’s not much that is as nice as lighting a candle and enjoying it fill up your home or office with your favorite scent. This step-by-step guide will show you everything you need to know to make beautiful candles just like the really expensive ones you see in the stores, and of course since you’re making them yourself, you’ll get it done at a fraction of the cost. There are even a bunch of people earning a nice part-time income making candles!
Homemade Pet Treats
Now this is a cool deal for the pet lovers in your family. This is a great way to make home made pet treats that you can give as gifts! How cool. Evidently this guy has put together a recipe for dog treats that is totally save and healthy for your friends and family pets. I think a gift basket of healthy treats! This guy has special recipies for young dogs, old dogs, and gourmet biscuit recipes. Bark Bark! Click Here!
Homemade Gift Boxes
Now this is really cool and interesting. This is a little different because it’s more about how to make a homemade gift box rather than the gift it’s self. Basically they give you a bunch of templates that you can print, cut and fold into realy cute and personal home made gift boxes. It’s really neat and you should check it out!
Homemade Bath And Body
This goes right along with the home made candles. Maybe you could put together a “de-stresser” pack for that frassled friend of yours. Make some soothing bath salts or body oils and a candle to burn. The possibilities are endless! This looks like a really professional site and the products look a lot like the high-end mall type “Bath and Body” stores. There is a note that says this particular eBook won’t be available after December 15th. I guess they’re moving to a video format. Anyway, this really looks like it’s worth checking out.
Posted in Uncategorized, gift ideas, home made Christmas gifts, home made gift ideas, homemade christmas gifts, make christmas gift No Comments »
November 16, 2008
*** UPDATE***
Click HERE to go straight to the ideas and skip my heartwarming personal story of home made gifts and the lives they have touched 
As I mentioned in another post, times are tough this year. Every year at about this time, my wife and I have the “We’re not going overboard with Christmas this time” conversation. We think back to previous Christmas seasons where the house is a total wreck with wrapping paper, bows, needles from the tree. The kids are usually totally engrossed with some $2.00 stocking stuffer and aren’t paying any attention to the $300.00 Wii or whatever it happens to be.
Keeping things under control this year is going to be a lot easier. The other day on the radio I heard a retailer start out their commercial by saying something about how “This season, things are going to be different.” You know its going to be rough when even the retailers are advertising by acknowledging that we’re in tough economic times.
It got me to thinking about the things we’ve done in the past when times get tough. Home made gifts are probably going to be on a lot of folks lists this year, whether they know it or not!
I remember a photo collage that I made once for my mom. I spent a couple hours going through old photo boxes and folders on my computer looking for pictures of the family. I finally picked out about a dozen or so and put them in a photo frame I got from Target for about $10.00. There’s no doubt it was one of the most meaningful gifts she had gotten in a long time. It’s too bad that we need these difficult times to push us into doing what we probably ought to be doing anyway.
Soooo .. I’ve put this list of great ideas for ways you can make a real meaningful statement in the gifts you give this year. By putting together some genuine thoughtfulness and a couple dollars, you can make this Christmas one of the most meaningful and timeless holiday seasons on record yet. So without further adoo, here are some great ideas for things you can make this holiday season that will show those you care about that you really put some effort and personal thought into their home made gift this year:
You can do it with stuff you have laying around the house. One great idea I had was to make one out of the old baby clothes our kids had grown out of and give that to our parents. You know how much grandparents love their grandkids! Can you imagine giving your parents a handmade rag quilt made of the sweet old baby clothes their precious grandkids have out grown? I think my mother would have to be hospitalized!
If you’re thinking you don’t know how to make a rag quilt, you’re wrong. As it turns out anyone can do it. Here is a link to an eBook that will show you exactly how to cut and sew the rag quilt.
Candles are one of the most soothing and pleasent things around. There’s not much that is as nice as lighting a candle and enjoying it fill up your home or office with your favorite scent. This step-by-step guide will show you everything you need to know to make beautiful candles just like the really expensive ones you see in the stores, and of course since you’re making them yourself, you’ll get it done at a fraction of the cost. There are even a bunch of people earning a nice part-time income making candles!
Now this is a cool deal for the pet lovers in your family. This is a great way to make home made pet treats that you can give as gifts! How cool. Evidently this guy has put together a recipe for dog treats that is totally save and healthy for your friends and family pets. I think a gift basket of healthy treats! This guy has special recipies for young dogs, old dogs, and gourmet biscuit recipes. Bark Bark! Click Here!
Now this is really cool and interesting. This is a little different because it’s more about how to make a homemade gift box rather than the gift it’s self. Basically they give you a bunch of templates that you can print, cut and fold into realy cute and personal home made gift boxes. It’s really neat and you should check it out!
This goes right along with the home made candles. Maybe you could put together a “de-stresser” pack for that frassled friend of yours. Make some soothing bath salts or body oils and a candle to burn. The possibilities are endless! This looks like a really professional site and the products look a lot like the high-end mall type “Bath and Body” stores. There is a note that says this particular eBook won’t be available after December 15th. I guess they’re moving to a video format. Anyway, this really looks like it’s worth checking out.
Posted in Uncategorized, cheap christmas present, cheap ideas for christmas, home made christmas present, home made gifts, homemade christmas present, homemade gifts, ideas for home made presents, ideas for homemade presents No Comments »
November 16, 2008
Times are tough this season, there’s not doubt about it. You know every year around this time, my wife and I have a conversation where we say “We’re just not doing Christmas this year like we did last year.” We always have way too much stuff. To be honest, sometimes when it’s over, I look around at the house with toys strewn around, giant black trash bags full of wrapping paper. My wife trying to collect re-usable bows and ribbons. The kids playing with the least expensive stocking stuffer and the most expensive gift overlooked.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas. Starting at about Thanksgiving and going through to the end of the year we have more fun,family and food than I’ve had for the entire year so far. The house is full of life and love and family. It’s really great. But dagummit there’s just so much stuff. Too much stuff. Having all that junk cluttering up our houses and our lives, makes it darn near impossible to enjoy the truly meaningful and thoughtful gifts.
Things have been pretty tough for my family and I this past couple years. We were in the real estate market and doing well for a while. Then of course the bubble burst and we were left holding the bag on a number of empty houses. Last year we didn’t have much money to spend on Christmas so we really had to dig deep and think of ways we could have a meaningful Christmas without breaking the bank. I spent a couple days digging through my computer and found about 12 pictures of my family. I edited them, printed them on my computer, cut them out and put them in a $10 collage picture frame we bought at Target. When I gave it to my mom, she knew how much that gift was going to mean to her before she even opened it. Once she did open it she couldn’t help but cry, even though I knew she didn’t really want to.
My point is that you don’t have to spend money to have a Christmas you and your family will remember forever. The meaning of your gifts and the thought you put into them is far more important than how much you spent. Gifts that you can’t return are almost guaranteed to be the ones that no one would ever want to.
Another really great idea is to make a rag quilt. You can do it with stuff you have laying around the house. One great idea I had was to make one out of the old baby clothes our kids had grown out of and give that to our parents. You know how much grandparents love their grandkids! Can you imagine giving your parents a handmade rag quilt made of the sweet old baby clothes their precious grandkids have out grown? I think my mother would have to be hospitalized!
If you’re thinking you don’t know how to make a rag quilt, you’re wrong. As it turns out anyone can do it. Here is a link to an eBook that will show you exactly how to cut and sew the rag quilt.
- You can make your rag quilt in ONE weekend
- You already have what you need laying around the house. The key to making your rag quilt a huge success is to keep it personal. The more personal the more meaningful.
- This eBook is jam packed and GUARANTEED to be just what you need to make your project a success, or your money back. No questions asked. And besides, for only $17.00 just think of how many lives you can touch making personal gifts
- Who knows, maybe after you make one or two of these, it could turn into a real business for you. I bet that after one or two people see what you’ve created, they’ll want one for themselves too.
Posted in Uncategorized, home made christmas presents, home made gifts, homemade christmas present, homemade gifts No Comments »
November 8, 2008
Hello,
I’ve built and launched several internet businesses. Some of them have worked well, some of them, not so much.
I’ve decided to put together a video series that will show you, exactly, step by step, how to build and launch a real internet business. It’s totally free, and it’s totally legitimate. There’s no bait and switch, no trick or gimmick, no nothing. It’s just me, and my screen recording utility showing you exactly how to start a rea, legitimate on-line business.
I got pretty sick and tired of seeing all these schemes that are basically just ways to take advantage of people who are desperate for money. What I’m giving you is the blueprint for a legitimate on-line business. It’s free and it couldn’t possibly be any easier.
The main reason I’m putting this together is because I want to show you that there are legitimate on-line business models out there. This isn’t a “lazy millionaire” program. It’s a real business with real customers and real products.
Please check it out and leave some comments for me. I know I’m not the most dynamic speaker you’ve come across in a while, but give it a whirl and put the information to work for you. I think you’ll be glad you did.
Chris
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November 8, 2008
Posted in Actual Strategy, Adsense Arbitrage, Affiliate - Marketing, Earnings, Jobs, Media, People, People, Tech, Tools, google, hosting, job offer, random Enter your password to view comments
October 6, 2008
I come from a family of entrepreneurs and so does my wife. It’s only natural that my kids would have the gene for that too. Recently it’s really started to show with my 7 year old. He’s always doing the usual stuff like wanting to have a lemonade stand. A couple weeks ago, he used the video camera to “make a movie” with some of the other kids in the neighborhood. Then they went and sold tickets to the movie.
Now he wants to start a “pressure washing business.” Which I happen to think is a really great idea, and would be an excellent introduction into building and running a business. It’s pretty simple in terms of the business concept. People have dirty houses and driveways and decks. We have a pressure washer. They pay us to clean their stuff. Simple.
But there are a lot of great concepts at work here. We’ll have capital expenses (more on this later please), marketing costs. Plus we have partners (me, my 7 year old son, and I can’t leave out my 5 year old), so we have to talk about ownership and how we split the money we earn. Plus we have simple operating costs like the gas it costs to run the pressure washer, soap, and any repairs we’ll need. Overall, I think it’s a really great little business for teaching entrepreneur concepts to kids.
So it got me to thinking. How cool would it be to have a non-profit organization or school or something that would teach kids how to start and operate businesses? It could teach kids at a young age how to do things like market research, find a need, fill a need. Learn about expenses and profits operatinng modesl, etc. WE could have courses on lawn cutting business, pressure washing business. Maybe even things like tutoring businesses. Kids are smart, motivated, and eager to learn. This would be a great opportunity to teach them stuff they can’t (or don’t) learn in school.
Now. Here’s where I ask for something. I really want to get this business off the ground, so I’m asking for donations. We need to buy our first pressure washer to get started. My son and I did a lot of research at epinions.com, homedepot.com, walmart.com, lowes.com and other places on the internet, trying to find the most economical pressure washer that got high marks in reviews from others, and this is the pressure washer we came up with:
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200347873_200347873
So. If you’re an entrepreneur or a kind hearted person would would like to help us get this business started, let me know and I’ll tell you how you can donate!
Chris
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May 10, 2008
If you have a child who is about to have a Tonsillectomy, Adenoidectomy, Myringotomy or any combination of the above procedures, and you’re looking for some information on what to exepct, this article might be for you.
This is NOT medical advice, and we’re not making any claims about what may or may not happen with you, and you should NOT base any medical decision on what you read here. I’m not a doctor. I just wanted to share our experience with you.
Oh, also, if you read this whole thing, and youfound it interesting, please take a moment to post a comment and let me know. Or even better, if you’re about to go through the same thing, post, and let us know, and then be sure to follow up and post the results. Ok, lets get to the article.
Before the procedure we did a lot of research on the topic and found lots of information about the actual procedure, what are tonsils, what do tonsils do, why do we have tonsils, where are the adenoids, etc. But there wasn’t a lot of information that described personal experiences with the actual procedure and recovery. That’s what this is about.Our son had three procedures done; a Tonsillectomy, an Adenoidectomy, and a bi-lateral myringotomy (incision in the ear drums but without tubes).I’m not going to talk at all about any of the events that led up to the decision to have these procedures, and I’m not going to have any discussion about whether it’s right for you or your children or whatever. The purpose of this blog entry is simply to share our experience with others, so that you can have a personal experience to relate to. Maybe it’ll make you feel better (or worse) to read what the experience was like for us.So here we go:
1. Before the procedure – Our son’s surgery was scheduled for about 12:00 noon on a Wednesday. The procedure took place at a childrens outpatient surgery center. I think the name of it was “Childrens’ Outpatient Surgery Center” and it is located in Gwinnett county off Satellite Blvd. The instructions we got from the facility told us that he was not allowed to eat or drink anything starting from like midnight until after the surgery. I think they told us he could drink something in the morning like some water or gatoraid. He was ok with that. We would have preferred to have the procedure earlier in the day so that he didn’t have to be hungry (and ornery) for so long, but he did fine.
We also struggled as to whether or not to tell him what was happening. Some people said that it would be better to not really tell him what was going to happen. I don’t know if it was right or not, but I thought it was better to tell him was was going to happen. I jumped the gun a little and told him they were going to give him a shot that would make him take a rest and that when he woke up, his throat would be sore. Then we read the information, and learned that they don’t give shots for kids younger than like 12 or something, They use some sort of gas that makes him go to sleep. So I altered my story for him and told him they would put a mask on his face and ask him to take a few deep breaths and then he would go to sleep. He seemed fine with is mostly. He’s a tough little fellow. Every once in a while he would seem to be nervous or scared, which of course is understandable. But 99% of the time if asked about it or asked if he was scared or nervous, he would say “Nope!” It’s obviously a personal decision, but I thought it was better to prepare him and give him time to mentally digest the deal.
I believe children are much more capable of handling stuff that adults give them credit for. Just like when they were much younger and we would leave them with grandparents or something. At about 2 years old or so, we learned that there would be much less crying if we would tell them ahead of time that we were going to drop them off and leave them. If we would try and distract them and sneak out, the would be a lot more tears than if we told them was was going to happen. I thought it was best to take the same approach here. And for us, I think it was the right decision.
2. In the waiting room (Wednesday) – We got there, and it was obvious that our son was nervous and a little scared. He even said that he was nervous or scared and was generally kinda quiet and shy. Which of course was totally understandable and not unexpected. The nurses brought in two sets of “scrubs” or gowns or whatever it is you wear in the operating room. We had been told that the patient and one parent can be present in the OR when the anesthesia is administered. My wife and I talked about it, and we decided it would be better for me to go with him rather than her beause I was more likely to be able to keep it all together than my wife. She would probably be an emotional wreck and that wouldn’t be a good thing for our son to see as he’s drifting off.There was a video playing in this waiting room that shows what was going to happen, and it was fine, nothing interesting or scary about it. So the nurse told us to put the gown on our son (striped down to just underwear) and I put the gown on over my clothes. Oh, they also administered an oral dose of pain medicine to our son while we were in the waiting room.
Also, a couple nurses came in and aked us a couple “quiz” type questions, I imagine for safty sake. She asked us if we knew what procedures our son was having. I think it was some kind of saftey precaution.Then the anestheisologist came in and asked a bunch of questions about what he had for dinner, what time that was, whether he had anything for breakfast, or what he’s eaten. Then he explained how it would work in the OR with the gas mask and all that, which we had already read about in the papers they set home with us.
3. In the Operating Room – The nurse came in and said it was time to go. My wife gave the little man a big hug and kiss, and I picked him up and carried him to down the hall walking behind the nurse. He was hanging on pretty tightly with his arms around my neck, his legs wrapped around my waist, and his head on my shoulder. I was pretty nervous for him, and I was nervous that he would cling on and not let go.
When we walked through the doors into the “theater” as they called it .. it was overwhelming for me. I’ve never been in an operating room, but the amount and size of the equipment in there was intimidating. I think it affected me more than our son, cause he didn’t say or do anything.We got to the table / gurney where the procedure was to take place and I told him it was time to lay down, and I leaned him over the bed and he let go without any incident laying down. I would say there were about three people in total at the bed in the OR. The anestheologist was standing behind a machine, a nurse was sitting at the head of the table, and maybe one or two other nurses standing to the side.
So he laid down with no trouble, and I told him this was the part with the mask that would make him go to sleep, and he just nervously said “Ok.” The nurse put the mask on him and asked him to take a couple deep breaths, which he did.
He looked around in a really nervous and uncomfortable way, and then his little eyes rolled back into his head and he was out. I saw the nurse brush his eyelashes, I supose as some kind of test that the anestesia was working.
Of all the things that I’ve experienced, that was by far the most uncomfortable and difficult part of the whole procedure and post experience. It was just so un-natural or something. I don’t normally get wierded out by that kind of thing, but that totally freaked me out, and when I got back to the waiting room, I could just barely keep it together. I had to wait a good while before I could tell my wife about it. I’m not a cryer, and I imagine that in 10 years of marriage, my wife has never seen me cry (probably because I haven’t cried). I knew that if I cried, she would turn into a blubbering blob of crying mess. Anyway, I would just say that you should try to be prepared for that to freak you out. Although, there’s nothing you can do really to prepare.4. Waiting in “Stage 2 Recovery Room.” – It was explained to us that there are two recovery rooms; Stage 1 and Stage 2. I guess Stage 1 is in the back somewhere, and that’s where he is when they first wake him up, and then after they do that, they wheel him in his bed to “Stage 2″ where we had been waiting.
I would say that it took about 45 minutes, and then the Dr. came in and explained that everything went well, and there were no complications or anything, and that he would be out in a few minutes.5. When he first came out – When they first rolled him into the room where we were, he did not look good at all. He really looked like he had been run over by a bus. I was not prepared for how badly he looked. It was obvious that he had been crying, and he was clearly a little confused and disoriented. I’m pretty sure that at that time he didn’t really understand what was going on and he was pretty confused.He also still had his IV (which I guess they put on after the gas), and I wasn’t sure what to do with him .. like whether we should leave him there and try to comfort him while he was in bed, or if we could pick him up or what. Finally the nurses suggested that mom pick him up and cuddle with him a little. They helped us get him situated in mom’s lap with the IV and all that. They said that a lot of times, they like staring into space and watching a little TV.6. Staying with him in the recovery room - We stayed with him in the recovery room for about 1 hour. Maybe just a little more maybe a little less. The nurses were pretty quick to start offering him fluids and stuff, and pretty much right away, he was wanting to have a “slushy” which they prepared for him. I think it was a cherry popsicle they crushed up into a cup. We spoon fed that to him over the course of about 40 minutes, and he ate it up nicely.
7. Going home (Wednesday). – Gave him his gift. I had read somewhere where another family that had gone through this, purchased and wrapped a small gift and showed their child the gift and told them that after they wake up they can open it. I thought that was a fabulous idea and we did it too. It wasn’t until about an hour after he came into the waiting room that he was aware / alert / strong enough to even think about opening his present. But after about an hour in the waiting room, he was ready, and we gave him his gift. He opened it and was very excited. We got him a cartridge for his Leapster video game thing which he absolutely LOVES. He was very excited about it, and really wanted to play it in the car on the way home.
So we got him all set up with his pillow and blanket (which we brought from home) in his car seat, and reclined him a little bit and he played his video game. I would say that about an hour and a half after he got out of surgery, and he was sitting back there in his seat playing his game, he was starting to resemble the little guy that I know. He was starting to look like himself, which was sure nice. Even though he was looking more like himself, he was very politely and calmly suggesting that he thought he needed his medicine, because his throat hurt. Unfortunately it was going to be about another 1.5 hours until he was able to take the second dose.
8. The first day (Wednesday). – When we got home, we distracted him with TV and popsicles. Every once in a while he would ask if he could have his medicine, but he wasn’t like in terrible pain or anything, he just knew he wanted / needed it. So at the right time, we gave him his first dose of the medicine.
About an hour after that first dose, he was dancing and doing cartwheels. That medicine definitely sent him into outerspace for a while. Over all his experience the first day, was not bad at all. We were pretty nervous about the first night, thinking that he would be uncomfortable and wouldn’t sleep well. Other than the fact that we set the alarm and gave him his medicine every 4 hours (even through the night) everything was just fine that first day and night.
The doctors said that he might not want to eat for at least a couple days. That was not the case with our son. He was having popsicles and ice cream and pudding pretty much right away.
He would say that his throat felt “funny” but that it didn’t really hurt. So that was good.
9. The second day (Thursday) – All things considered this day was pretty easy too. Although, it was apparent that the surgery had really worn him out. It was on this day that we really realized that this little 4 year old had undergone a real surgery and it had taken it’s toll on him.
It was probably about 10:30 or 11:00 in the morning, and my wife was looking around for the little guy, but didn’t see him anywhere. Finally she found him in his bed. He took it upon himself to walk upstairs and crawl into his bed and rest. This is when we knew that he was just worn out.
I also think the medicine was really making him feel strange and maybe even a little uncomfortable. I think at first the medicine made it difficult for him to sleep. Sometimes I would go into his room and he would just be lying there quietly staring at the ceiling. But he wasn’t in any pain, so that’s good.
He was still just eating soft things like soggy cereal, pudding, popcicles, and other stuff like that. He had a nice bowl of homemade macaroni and cheese for dinner!
Oh yeah .. Thursday night was kind of tough on the house in general. The Sunday before the surgery my little guy had some kind of stomach bug and had thrown up that Sunday night. On this night (Thursday night) that bug hit my wife and older son and they were both in the bathroom throwing up that night. Somehow I managed to avoid getting it, and so I was taking care of all the sickies in the house. Fortunately it wasn’t a severe bug, and basically 12 hours later everyone was fine.
10. The third day (Friday) – On Friday, it was mostly just more of the same. I think taking the medicine every 4 hours was really starting to take a toll on him. Both because he’s tired of floating around in outerspace and because he’s never able to get more than 4 hours of restful sleep at a time. His disposition was good in general. I think that when it was getting close to the 4 hour mark from having taken his medicine, he would get a little groggy and uncomfortable. It’s really important to make sure you give them that medicine EVERY 4 HOURS withou fail, or they will get uncomfortable.
11. The fourth day (Saturday) – Things are really looking pretty good, and we’re beginning to think that he’s a little superman, and that this whole surgery thing was no big deal for him. He still complains from time to time that his throat feels funny and he’s not too interested in eating things that are too spicy or crunchy or whatever. But all in all, he seems to be doing great. We went for a nice long walk through the woods looking for bugs and snakes and whatever. He really seems to be doing well.
At about this stage of the game he started deciding that he didn’t want to take his medicine. Although until now, we had been pretty adamant that he take it, even if he didn’t want it. But I was starting to think that we should consider starting to ween him off the strong stuff, and maybe start alternating the prescription medicine with some OTC tylenol or something.
So far he’s been doing so well, that we were thinking we might send him back to school tomorrow.
So at bed time, we didn’t force him to take his strong stuff, and we gave him a dose of regular childrens Tylenol.12. The fifth day (Sunday) – At about 2:00 in the morning he woke up, pretty much screaming in pain. It was quite clear that not giving him the strong stuff was a big mistake. It was easily the most uncomfortable that I’ve ever seen him. He was crying and sobbing so much that we couldn’t get him calmed down enough to take his strong medicine. He was also still resistant to taking the medicine. Finally, after about 45 minutes of crying and sobbing, we eventually got him to take the strong stuff, and I would say that within 10 minutes, he was calmed down and starting to get ready to go back to sleep. In a sweet little voice he said “I guess that medicine will help me go to sleep.”
13. The 6th day (Monday) – He woke up from that terrible night feeling pretty good. He remembered that he woke up and was in so much pain, but I guess in the morning light, it didn’t seem like a real big deal to him. He was pretty perky and generally feeling pretty well. Obviously today we were pretty adamant about making sure that he took his medicine every 4 hours, and he wasn’t very resistant to it anymore. All we had to do was remind him how much it hurt when he didn’t take it, and he would decide that maybe it’s not so bad to take it.
14. The 7th day (Tuesday) - Again, he’s doing very well. All in all, with the exception of the episode on Sunday night, everything has been pretty good. He has been alert, generally happy, and normal. His breath is pretty terrible. The Dr told us that would happen. I guess it has something to do with the scarring / scabs that develop at the site of the procedure. But all in all, he’s doing great. I think we’ll send him to school tomorrow.
We start stretching out how long we wait until we give him the prescription medicine. Basically at this point we’ve decided the right approach will be to give him a dose first thing in the morning, and then wait and see how long it takes before he decides that he needs some medicine. Up until this point it wasn’t uncommon for him to wake up in the morning or wake up from his nap or something and say “I think I need my medicine.” So we figured we would wait to see how long it takes for him to say he needs it.
The 8th day (Wednesday) – So it’s been 1 week since the procedure and everything is looking good for him to go to school today. The poor fellow loves school and it’s been torture for him to see his older brother get up and go to school every day while he has to stay home and be bored. So today we sent him to school and he was just fine. We gave him is strong medicine at about 7:30 in the morning, and my wife picked him up from school at 1:15 or so (his normal time to get out), and he was pretty ready for his medicine when he got out of school.
The 9th day – Thursday – Well, he’s pretty much turned the corner, and I think he’s good to go. At this point, it’s just a matter of waiting until the healing is done.Over all, the whole deal was not difficult and we didn’t have any complications other than the episode on Sunday night, which was clearly my fault, and if we had given him his medicine like we were supposed to, there would have been nothing to talk about.
At this point, it was really just a matter of stretching out the time between doses of medicine. By day 8 or 9 we were getting pretty close to the point where we could dose him in the morning, and then not does him again until bed time.
The last dose of big medicine we gave him was the morning of Friday (about the morning of day 10, if the day of the surgery is day 1). We sporradically give him a dose of childrens tylenol if he says he needs, it, but pretty much he’s done.
So overall, it was very easy and the results are excellent. He doesn’t snore anymore and his hearing is GREATLY improved. His favorite phrase used to be “What you said?” and now his favorite phrase is “What’s that sound?” The improvement in his hearing was almost instantenous, and I think he’s hearing things now that he’s not used to hearing. Little things like the fan on the refridgerator, or certain birds chirping, or the house creaking. We have absolutely no regrets, and I wouldn’t hesitate for a second to do it again. I was clearly the right thing for us.
Well, hopefully that’s helpful for you!
Chris Hackett
Posted in Adenoidectomy, Myringotomy, T & A Procedure, Tonsillectomy 75 Comments »
