Why we aren't on Facebook.

We are not on Facebook.  It's true.  Believe it or not, the world around us doesn't collapse.  There are several reasons.  My husband is a public employee.  The most simple conversations on Facebook can be taken out of context and people lose jobs.  (I know of someone who that happened to.)  My daughter is young and adopted.  She has friends on Facebook.  Keep in mind that K is 9.  I'm just not interested.

A lot of friends are on Facebook.  In fact, I think all of my friends are.  There are some friends who communicate by Facebook only and I'm often told, "Oh yeah, you aren't on Facebook.  That's why you don't know."  There have been friendships that have fallen away because of our decision to shun the great Facebook phenomenon.

I've written about this before.

I know that there are folks who use it to get together with people that they haven't seen in years.  While that is wonderful to them, I'm really rather okay with speaking with the people that I speak with by phone/text or e-mail.  I wasn't fond of my high school experience and Hubs wasn't either.  We're both fine on not speaking to people or catching up to see what they are doing with their lives because, well, they treated us like crap in high school and while neither one of us wish them any ill will-- we still aren't interested in knowing if they just went to France or bought a new house.  I don't have a romantic notion that though they treated both of us beyond terrible that we'll let bygones be bygones and I'll be BFFs with them.  Just ain't gonna happen.

I am not interested in posting where I'm at for people to meet up with me when they are out.  We don't get out much and when we do, a party of three is perfectly fine with us.

We have a school Facebook account.  The PTA is on giving updates and whatnot.  This past week has been a bunch of drama and frankly, I would like to shut it down.  People can go back to the old fashioned way of doing things and either picking up a phone :shutter at the thought: or going up to the school and inquiring.  I wonder if we're just feeding the beast of nastiness and if it's usefulness for the school has been trumped by prize controversy or whether it is a spirit day or not.

"You need to read Facebook."  I was told that by one of my board members this morning.

"No I don't.  I'm blissfully Facebook unaware."

I did tell them that they had to stop and give me a two-sentence bit about what was going on.  Being the PTA president, I need to know.  It's trivial garbage that some parent blew out of proportion over the color of a shirt.

To quote my husband, "I wished that I had that kind of time."

Because of Facebook, we've not known about illnesses.  We've been unaware of birthday parties until less than 16 hours before the event and the party was 2 hours away.  We've been unaware of surgeries. We've been unaware of changes of dates.  We've been unable to participate in certain contests and general inquiries because they are Facebook only.  These among many other things.

I did have an informal meeting with one of the Facebook parents.  It was a sidewalk meeting while walking home.  She was on her way down the walk and turned around to come back to speak with me.  I'm glad she did.  In the end I asked her, "If you have a question like that, could you just text me?  I may not have the answer or may not be able to get to your text right away because of work, but I promise I'll find something out for you."  She seemed okay with that option.

You know what?  We're good without Facebook.  Our family of three will continue to be blissfully Facebook-free.  From what I hear, I don't need the drama that comes with it.

Project Flu Shot

"Mom, can you please get me a flu shot?"  Music to my ears, really.  Remember that this is the same child who had to be held down by 5 very sturdy women at the county flu shot clinic when she was 5 1/2.  We came quite a ways.

For a variety of reasons, we decided that after plans were canceled because of a fevering friend, it would be Project Flu Shot.  I had some shopping to do at Target and was really rather happy that they offered them.  You see, K's pediatrician's office just got the shots in, but haven't scheduled the flu shot clinics yet.  So off to Target we went.  We got to the pharmacy and they asked what they could help us with.  I told K that I was going to have her tell them what she needed.  (I'm encouraging her to speak for herself.)  The pharmacist said, "I believe she looks too young."  :insert puzzled look:  "The State of Ohio requires nurse practitioners administer shots to those 13 and under.  Because she is under 14, I can't give her one.  I told her I wasn't mad, completely understood and had an idea of a place to go.

Walgreen's Take Care Clinic.

I went to the Walgreen's 20 minutes away, because they have a clinic there.  I got K a flu shot there once before.  We went, plunked her name into the system, filled out the paperwork, and in 15 minutes total, we were on our way out the door.  The best parts?  K didn't even flinch, they took our insurance and required me to pay nothing!  Hooray!

Our whole family is now flu-shotted.  Since Hubs and I had ours Sept 11/12, we're already covered.  I've heard that it is supposed to be a bad flu season and kids at K's school are already dropping like flies from a bunch of stuff.  Will this be a complete fix?  No, but it certainly will help.

And yes, I have her get the shot.  Why do I pass on the flu mist?  We pass because I want to be absolutely certain that she gets the full protection from the flu vaccine.  A nurse lives across the street and said that he's not convinced that flu mist is the best option.  We've been working on building up K's suppressed immune system (a product of her prenatal housing) and she needs every molecule of protection she can get.