Study About Autism and ER Visits Reveals Much

A recent study found that children who have an autism spectrum disorder are nine times more likely to visit an emergency room for a psychiatric reason than are children who do not have autism. This result is being interpreted to mean that there isn’t sufficient outpatient mental health care for families that need it. A study was recently published in the journal Pediatric Emergency Care. Researchers analyzed data from over 3.9 million emergency room visits in the United States. Specifically, they focused on ER visits by children who were between 3 and 17 years old. The researchers used the 2008 … Continue reading

October Visiting Teaching

Tonight I’m going to visit some of the women in my ward for visiting teaching, and decided to sit down and read the message for this month, titled, If we do not doubt. Sister Beck speaks of the importance for the women of the church to keep our covenants, and not doubt, and then in turn, the promise is made to us that those around us will not doubt either. I love this paragraph in particular, “When we honor our covenants, Heavenly Father can prepare the way for us. We are to live our covenants with precision. We can, for … Continue reading

Our First Social Worker Visit

When a child is placed with you in Foster Care you have to do visits with both your social worker and the state’s social worker. Most of our visits came from our own social worker. She would drive up about every two weeks, to see how they boys were adjusting and if we had any problems or concerns. When our first visit came we were very concerned we really did not know how it was going to go. Steve was still rather shy and we hoped that all would go well. We thought we made good progress so far, we … Continue reading

Winter Visits to Water Parks

I never understood why some people visit indoor water parks during the summer. I suppose if you are afraid of getting sunburned, then indoor water parks come in handy. Also, you never have to worry about your vacation being rained out if you book a room at an indoor water park. Still, in my opinion, winter is the best time of the year to visit an oasis of watery fun. And with more than 215 water park resorts open in 35 states, you won’t have trouble finding one to splash around in. Some of my top picks include: Wilderness Resort … Continue reading

Tips for Preventing Summer ER Visits

Want to stay out of the emergency room this summer? I know I do. Across the United States, emergency care facilities see nearly a twenty percent jump in traffic during the summer months… and now that I think about it, the majority of my ER visits have been during the summer. Knowing is half the battle… preparation and prevention is the other half. (Sorry, G.I. Joe!) Here are some things you can do to make the summer months safer and healthier. Always drink plenty of water. Dehydration is a huge health issue during the summer months! Always wear sunscreen. Yes, … Continue reading

Couple Visits Disneyland Every Day in 2012

At the end of 2012 I came across an interesting post on the official Disney Parks blog: a couple visited Disneyland every single day in 2012.  On December 31, Jeff Reitz and Tonya Mickesh received special gifts personally from Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman Tom Staggs.  It was a typical fancy Disney ceremony: as the two made their way down Main Street, Staggs was waiting for them to present their honors in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle. Their honors included being made honorary citizens of Disneyland, and a stay in the Disneyland Dream Suite, a luxury apartment off the … Continue reading

Visit Monsters University Online

Are you interested in applying to Monsters University? Would you like to learn more about receiving a higher education in professional scaring techniques? Then head over to the newly-launched Monsters University website, for details on the country’s top scaring university. Some of the clever folks at Pixar have created a website to promote next summer’s sequel to “Monster’s Inc.,” “Monsters University.” But the website isn’t about the movie, at least not directly. It’s a viral site designed to replicate university websites, and I’ve got to tell you, it looks like it could be real. There’s so much more to it … Continue reading

Tips for Visiting the Cemetery

It isn’t unheard of for genealogists to go and visit cemeteries at any time of the year, not just when it is close to Halloween. Here are a few tips to follow that will make your visit to the graveyard result in good genealogy research, and keep you safe, at the same time. Before you visit the cemetery, you should take the time to gather up some very useful items. Bring your smartphone. Use it to call for help if you fall and get injured or become lost. Use it to take a photo of the graves of your ancestors, … Continue reading

Do You Open Up To Your Visiting Teachers?

I went visiting teaching last night. As usual, I always feel so much better about life when I get to go visiting teaching. This month, the topic of the visiting teaching message was visiting teaching. I thought that was interesting. Yet, I have gained a testimony over the years that visiting teaching is truly important to helping us become more like Christ. The message was very similar to the article I spoke of from the March Ensign. It spoke of being the hands of the Savior and what we can do to really minister to the sisters we visit. However, … Continue reading

Fatherhood and Doctor’s Visits

We’ve spent a lot of time in doctors’ offices lately. A chiropractor who does many things other than spine adjustments to treat his patients has discovered and helped many of our family health problems. My wife Tristi was in a wreck that totaled both the semi truck and the Hyundai her friend drove. So we’re experienced with both getting well, and getting vehicles off crowded, icy roads. Visits to doctors’ offices are usually done by the children’s mother. As our family roles change, or as semis are taken out by Hyundais, fathers also get to bring their children to visit … Continue reading