<Laura@notmy.com> wrote in message
news:rp2di21lvb1ktjg7p7dcojg5gg8mgvj069@4ax.com...
> Oh, wow, Julie. I'm so sorry you're still feeling so miserable. I
> hope you get some real relief soon. I know it's really hard to take
> care of yourself and a child at the same time. Angela is old enough
> now to help you some, though - I hope?
Angela is 8 now and a big help. Actually she has been helping me from about
the age of 2. She learned then how to wash fruits and vegetables and tear
things up for salad. She learned how to help me with cooking and now she
can cook mostly on her own. She can use a sharp knife now. She peeled and
cut up most of the apples and pears that we canned last month. She is still
leery of the stove and oven, but she can use the microwave on her own and
can get her own snack or meal if she has to.
Last year, her teacher made the comment on her report card that she was very
adept at food safety and made sure that everyone was following the rules.
Other people have commented on this as well. At dance camp this summer, she
reported a younger girl who laid her peanut butter and jelly sandwich down
on the bench for a few minutes. According to her, the violations were,
possible peanut contamination to those who are allergic (she is) and
possible germs to the diner whose sandwich was touching a place where
people's butts normally are. And then there was the mess factor of anyone
who sat in that spot after lunch. Behind her back, we jokingly referred to
her as the "sandwich police". Hehe.
She is also very good to read all labels on foods and cosmetics to make sure
there is nothing any of us are allergic to. She will not eat or use
anything she can't identify. I am very pleased with this. I also have a
hard time explaining to her why her friend who has almost all of her same
allergies plus a few more often buys lunch, eats ice cream, waffles and
other things she should not have. I get the feeling this girl's mom has
just given up. The girl seems to be bright and yet she is continually
sneaking things she shouldn't have. I know the mom tries, but perhaps she
has given up at least when she is in school. I just explain to her that we
all have different ways of dealing with things and what we do might not work
for other people.
She can do laundry if she has to. She can take a shower on her own.
Yippee! Trying to shampoo her hair had gotten difficult for me. It's so
long that washing it in the kitchen sink didn't work very well. If I tried
to do it in the bathtub, she'd move to where I couldn't reach her. We have
an oversized tub. She hated having me rinse her hair so she'd start
scooting all around the tub and there I'd be, straining my back, flinging
water and hoping I'd reach her.
She is also a big help with the gardening, although she doesn't like doing a
lot of it. Nor do I. Like the weeding. But she did help me plant most of
the crops and flowers and she will go harvest things if I really harp on her
to do so. Most of the time I do this myself, but there are times when I
need her to go pull up an onion or cut some parsley or something. Then she
will do it. Or she will do it if we are taking things to grandma and
grandpa or my brother and his family. She likes taking gifts to people.
She helps me with the grocery shopping and has gotten to the point where she
wants to choose her own clothing and shoes. I won't buy stuff for her any
more without asking her first because chances are if I pick it out, she
won't wear it. Exception being the used pair of Hello Kitty snow boots I
got for on Ebay. She loves Hello Kitty but didn't seem thrilled with the
boots. She gets no choice there though. We generally don't get a lot of
snow here and *knock wood* she hasn't needed boots for the past two years
with the exception of one day. I feel she should have some just in case,
but I'm not going to pay much for them because she might not need them.
And she understands that there are times when I simply can't get out of bed.
--
See my webpage:
http://mysite.verizon.net/juliebove/index.htm 
My Endo. called 
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