The Good News Show

We call CBS Sunday Morning the "Good News Show." It is the one and only news magazine type show I have found that focuses on all positive, uplifting news stories. Good news actually does exist out there even if it's hard to find on most news shows.

We DVR the show each Sunday morning and watch it sometime later, usually with the kids. They love it too and were the ones who gave it its nickname. In addition to the positive stories, each episode ends with footage of some beautiful, nature scene accompanied by nature's soundtrack: chirping birds, whispering wind, babbling brooks. It's a 30-second, peaceful reminder of the simple beauty that abounds in our country and a pleasing offset to the chirping and babbling that occurs on most other news-type shows.

The Good News Show had a very interesting and amazing story this past Sunday. Seems a 17-year-old high school student has potentially found a cure for cancer in her spare time. Angela Zhang wrote a research paper which she shared with her chemistry teacher. The paper contained a recipe for curing cancer. Quoting from the CBS news interview,

Angela's idea was to mix cancer medicine in a polymer that would attach to nanoparticles -- nanoparticles that would then attach to cancer cells and show up on an MRI. so doctors could see exactly where the tumors are. Then she thought that if you aimed an infrared light at the tumors to melt the polymer and release the medicine, thus killing the cancer cells while leaving healthy cells completely unharmed.

Since her initial research paper, Angela's idea has been tested in Stanford University labs where the tumors in mice have almost completely disappeared when exposed to Angela's recipe. Maybe by the time Angela finishes her future doctorate, we'll know if her recipe works on human cells.

Now if that's not good news, I don't know what is.

See the whole story at the CBS Sunday Morning site.

Text Messaging with My Kids

Our kids are too young to be into texting the way some tweens and all teens are. But one (or both) of them found a way to text me old school.

I was surprised to find that message on my apparently not so secret chocolate stash.

Bet the culprit or two will be surprised to find this message I left for him...or them.

I could have left one of these messages:

U R Ded!

or

C U in the wood shed!

or

Not 4 U!

I'll save those messages for their next visit to my stash. I've counted the remaining pieces. Is that bad?

Sunday Schooled - Myth Busters

Welcome to the first installment of Sunday Schooled 2012. This is where I share newly found information gained through my parenting adventures. Sunday Schooled is where I expose my pure ignorance and the accompanying bliss that is ruined by my newfound knowledge.

Today is a health lesson courtesy of my youngest son.

Helios,being full of limitless boy energy, unsuccessfully took a leap from atop our backyard picnic table. The jump was unsuccessful in that he landed a bit wonkily on his ankle. It immediately swelled. We immediately iced, elevated it and started Motrin. He was able to walk on the bum leg and by the next day was running. So no worries, right? My husband and I assumed it was just a sprain. From our medical experience, if you can walk on it, it's a sprain. If you can't walk on it, it's broken.

The pesky swelling held fast so we bought ourselves a visit to the pediatrian, a visit to the orthopedist, an x-ray, and two co-pays. And a walking cast and a stylish velcro boot.

Apparently, the human body has changed a lot since back in the days when my husband and I were spraining ankles left and right. Or left and right ankles as it were. Seems these days the "walk equals sprain/no walk equals broken" has been labeled a myth. Seems that kids have things called growth plates at the ends of certain long bones. Seems these cartilaginous growth plates can break and the kid can still walk, run and play kickball...for a day or five.

Yes, for five days we let our child, with his unknown cracked growth plate, walk, run, play kickball and do all the other things eight year-olds do with their intact growth plates. And he seemed fine; which only supports another myth I like to perpetuate which is that kids are made of rubber. Our orthopedist shot that one down too.

Just so we don't appear completely neglectful, the pediatrician visit was on day 2 and they apparently still follow the "walk equals sprain" theory. Hmmmm.

The end of the story is that Helios gets to wear a walking cast for four weeks. His biggest concern is that he can't play kickball at recess during that time. I personally find that a benefit given this new information regarding growth plates and kids not being made of rubber.

Sticks and stones may break my bones but what about my growth plates???