Surviving Surgery

by Amanda Frightening words that no parent wants to hear:  “Your child needs surgery.”  The immediate thought afterwards is “What if he/she doesn't wake up?”  To put the life of your child in another person's, a veritable stranger's, hands is an emotional mountain to overcome.

My son had eye surgery this past September at CHEO.  They have an amazing Day Surgery Unit team.  The hospital staff are what make the difference in providing that reassurance to the parents and to help them cope.  They are extremely organized and experienced.  Along the way they offer several opportunities for you to ask questions.

Word of advice:  write your questions down.  When you are under pressure or experiencing anxiety, you may forget something that is important to you.  There is always a preoperative appointment with the surgeon, you meet with the nurse the day of to take vital signs, they are a good source of information and reassurance.  There is a nurse who explains directly to the child using pictures and dolls exactly what will happen leading up to the surgery.  This piece is the most valuable for my son; he was included in every step. The staff at the hospital made the effort to speak directly to him, call him by name, and make every effort to make him comfortable with the whole process.   The doctors are an important piece of the equation.  They talk fast, but when were heading to the operating room, they introduced themselves, their specialty and the role they would play during the surgery.  They spoke to my son, asked him if he had any questions and answered him in a way he could understand.  In my son's case he had two anaesthesiologists in the room as well as his opthalmologist who would be performing the surgery.  He wouldn't walk with me to the operating room.  He wanted to walk with the doctors because they had blue pyjamas on, just like him.  Way to break a mother's heart!  Post surgery, there are two nurses in attendance in the recovery room to monitor his vital signs and make sure things go as they should after surgery.

I was not feeling nervous until the day of the surgery.  And then I didn't sleep, worried about whether or not he would wake up from anaesthesia.  The fear of the unknown is the worst kind.  I know, in theory, how things work and that this is a very common surgery that is done routinely.  This brought no comfort to me on that day.  Coping with the feelings and anxiety is half the battle.  It is very natural to want to avoid putting your child in that situation, but in the end the risks really are very small if your child is healthy and the surgery is relatively minor. My best advice to any parent is to not go it alone.  My husband was with me the majority of the time, he did have to leave to go to work while he was still in the operating room, but I still had his support, and he had mine.  Bring your spouse, partner, co-parent, a friend or family member.  Typically, you are only allowed two adults present the day of the surgery, no siblings.

Forty-five minutes when your child is under the knife, is an eternity.  Your eyes can hardly leave the clock.  Your mind tries to push it to go faster which is irrational but an uncontrollable reflex.  I was in the waiting room for ten minutes by myself when the surgeon appeared, stated the surgery went as planned, my son did extremely well, and he was sleeping it off in recovery.  I have never felt such relief, it flooded every part of me and I would have fallen if I had not been sitting down.

As for my son, he had it easy.  He slept through the whole thing, and as soon as he woke up there were offerings of juice and popsicles (he ate two!), and a movie to watch.  They called me as soon as he was awake, so for him, it was like I never left his side.  He even realized that daddy was missing and asked where he was.  He spent an hour under observation in the Day Surgery Unit and then were were able to go home.  Children are resilient.  I believe they cope better than we adults do.  Ignorance can be bliss, and it's better that way for a child.  I would rather suffer the trauma than him.

*****

Amanda was born and raised in Ottawa where she continues to live with her husband and son "J". Amanda is bilingual and interests include reading, blogging, socializing, and advocacy on children and teen issues.

Homemade Pizza

by Nicki Who doesn't love pizza? I know it is a favourite for all of us in this house.  So, last weekend, we decided to try making homemade pizza.  I have fond memories of making pizza at home when we were kids, so naturally, my first thought was how to get Liam involved in the process and make this a fun family dinner for start to finish!

Having just woken up from his nap, Liam was much more interested in his juice than in mixing and kneading pizza dough, however, watching yeast rise is really cool and a good science lesson for older kids.

Once the dough was mixed, kneaded and risen, Liam was ready to help.  He had a blast punching down the dough and was thrilled to get to use my marble rolling pin to roll out the dough.  It is one of those things on the counter that he always wants to play with!

Then, he used a spoon to "paint" the crust with pizza sauce.  He is very artistic!!

My favourite part, the toppings were added next.  We kept it pretty simple, lots of meat (pepperoni, salami and ham), tomatoes, mushrooms and cheese.

In order to make this a true family cooking experience, the pizza was then presented to Henry to be BBQed.

After about fifteen minutes on the BBQ, the pizza was cooked and ready to eat.  It was delicious and we all had fun making it.  Homemade pizza will become a frequent dinner menu item at our house from now on.

Pizza Crust Recipe

• 1 cup warm water
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp yeast

Dissolve sugar in water.  Sprinkle yeast on top. Let sit for 10 minutes.

• 4 tbsp oil
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 cups flour

Add yeast mixture to dry mixture and stir together.  Knead for 10 minutes.  Let rise until doubled, approximately 45 minutes.

Punch down, roll flat and press into pan.

Add your choice of sauce and toppings.

Bake or BBQ at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.

This recipe makes the perfect amount of dough for a large cookie sheet.

*****

Nicki is a working mom of one two-year-old boy, Liam. She is an Early Childhood Educator and in her spare time, volunteers for New Moon Rabbit Rescue and as a Brownie Leader with Girl Guides of Canada. She loves to garden, scrapbook and write! You can read more about Nicki on The Perils of a Working Mom.

Flashback: Remembrance Day Parade

This post was originally published November 6, 2010. With this week being National Veteran's Week and Remembrance Day Friday, we wanted to do our part this week to honour those who have served Canada. Thursday we'll be sharing a list of local Remembrance Day parades and memorials throughout Ottawa. *****

by Sara

We took the 4 year old firefighter and the 2 year old monkey to their first Remembrance Day parade in 2008.  At the time, the firefighter was only 2 and a 1/2 and the monkey four months old.  We were going to try to explain Remembrance day to the firefighter but realized there were no words simple enough for him to understand its magnitude and significance.  Instead, my husband and I explained that we were going outside for the morning to do something together and left it at that.

We chose a spot at the entrance to the memorial so that our eldest was occupied watching all the diplomats cars arrive, many with motorcycle escorts.  Its important to both of us that our kids grow up with an understanding and respect of what November 11th signifies; however, at the age of 2 and a 1/2, we wanted the event to be enjoyable.

We dressed in snow suits and brought blankets and snacks.  We chose to arrive early so we could be close to the gate but we also left early to avoid the crowds.  The War Memorial is busy on Remembrance Day and it can be difficult to see, especially for small kids.  The only warning I have, aside from the cold weather, is the fighter jets that fly overhead.  Both boys were overwhelmed by the noise.

I think the most challenging thing for parents when participating in Remembrance Day activities is explaining the significance and history of the event in age-appropriate terms.  When the firefighter was three we asked what he knew about Remembrance Day and war.  He knew that war meant people fought.  We let him lead the discussion and ask the questions he wanted answered: its surprising sometimes what kids are interested in knowing and what they overlook.  Last year he understood that people have fought to protect Canada and that some of them died.  Because they did / do such important jobs, we wear poppies to remember them.

Before you talk about Remembrance Day with your kids I think its helpful to think about your values and what you want your children to understand about war. How do you talk about death in your family?  What are your values about guns and violence?  I ask these questions because I've been got off-guard by what my firefighter has asked.

How have you explained Remembrance Day to your children?

Sara is mom to 4-year-old ” firefighter” and 2-year-old “monkey”.  You can find her at her blog, My Points of View.

Shop Handmade for the Holidays!

Full disclosure: I'm a maker, a craft show organizer, and a craft show frequenter. I love the handmade! Ottawa has an amazing and vibrant maker-scene. We are so blessed to have such a fantastic and varied community of folks who make everything from handmade chocolates, funky jewellery, great stuffed animals, and pretty much anything else you could imagine. I am one of the founders of Craftalicious (December 10 this year!), and while you won’t find me there this year sitting behind a table hawking my wares, I hope to run into some of you at Ottawa’s awesome shows. While I certainly can't promise you no crowds (these craft shows can be busy!), there are many reasons to do your holiday shopping at craft shows this year.

• You are guaranteed to find a one of a kind item for everyone on your list. I have bought handmade lip balm, handmade soap, hot chocolate mix, gift cards and tags, fashion accessories, art, kitchen accessories, kids' toys, kids' clothes and many other great items at local craft shows. I have considered buying many, many more items, from kids' chairs made from recycled hockey sticks and hand sewn lingerie, and pretty much everything in between.
• By shopping at local craft shows you're supporting local industry and independent owners.
• Chances are good that you're supporting a mompreneur.
• You will be amazed at the selection and impressed by the creativity.
• You will get a chance to chat with the person whose hands made the items in front of you. How amazing is that?
• Lastly, and certainly not least, this year marks the launch of Ottawa’s very first CRAFT CRAWL.

Oh yes – it's kind of like a pub crawl but it involves crafts (ok, and no beer).

Six fantastic shows are part of the Craft Crawl, and they kick off on Saturday, November 4^th. They are:

• Urban Craft, November 5, 10am-2pm, 1233 Wellington St. W
• Handmade Harvest, November 4 & 5, 4-9pm (Fri) 10am-4pm (Sat), Almonte Old Town Hall, 14 Bridge Street
• Glisten!, November 19, 10am-4:30pm, 1233 Wellington St. W
• Sandy Hill One & Only, November 20, 10am-4pm, Sandy Hill Community Center, 250 Somerset St. E
• Idle Hands, November 26, 10am-5pm, St. Luke's Anglican Church, 760 Somerset St. W
• Hintonburg Artisan Craft Fair, November 26, 10am-5pm, 1064 Wellington St. W
• Urban Craft,  December 3, 10am-2pm, 1233 Wellington St. W
• Craftalicious, December 10, 10am-5pm, St. Matthew's Anglican Church, 217 First Ave.

Here’s how it works:

1. Pick up your passport at Urban Craft on November 5, or any show along the way.
2. Get your passport stamped at each of the shows listed on the passport
3. Collect 4 stamps or more to be eligible to win the giant prize package
4. Turn in your passport at Craftalicious on December 10 to be entered in the prize package draw!

Hope to see you among the crowds supporting handmade in Ottawa! Happy shopping!

*****

Donna is a wife and mom of two girls who is an avid and talented crafter! You can follow her on twitter here.

KIC Gives Back: Buns in the Oven for Ottawa Young Parents

by Karen One of the really wonderful things about the Kids in the Capital community is the support we give (and get) as we navigate this adventure called parenthood. As Lara and I have discussed various ideas for the future, one topic that came up is paying that support forward to the greater Ottawa community. Today is our first post that we're dedicating to raising awareness about groups and initiatives in the Ottawa area that are working hard to help families and children in the area and how we can help them with their work.

A couple of months ago, I took a trip to North Gower Farmers' Market with Brandon and Matt. While I was there, I came across a table where Pam Collacott was selling her 5th cookbook, Buns in the Oven. I asked a few questions and learned that the proceeds from the sale of the book are going to help Ottawa Young Parents, an organization that provides various "programs and support for pregnant youth, young parents and their children".

I'm excited to support this group with such an appropriate fundraiser - here is the description of the cookbook from the Web site:

"It is a book of delicious recipes that are easy to follow and use affordable ingredients. Perfect for young families, students, seniors or anyone else who wants to make healthy, quick and great tasting food.

Pam has donated all of her time for the creation of this cookbook. All of the proceeds from the sale of the books will be returned to the Buns in the Oven, a prenatal nutrition program for pregnant youth."

The cookbook sounds ideal for parents with young families and purchasing it will help other young families. I know a couple of people that this will make a great Christmas present for and knowing that it will help young parents at such a vulnerable time is well worth the money.

If you'd like to purchase a copy of Buns in the Oven, visit the Ottawa Young Parents Web site to see where they are being sold. In addition to the locations listed, Pam will be at the North Gower Farmers' Market again on December 3rd for its Christmas Market.

If you know of an organization that is helping children and families in the Ottawa area, please email us at kidsinthecapital@gmail.com.

*****

Karen Wilson is a wife to Matt and mom to Brandon (3), who blogs about her life at Karen’s Chronicles. She also explores one of her favourite topics – social media – at her blog, The Media Mesh. You can follow Karen on twitter and find her in other places here.