Gift Gate BIG Sale at NBC Tent

Those of us who grew up with Gift Gate knows that it is the one store that carries the famed Sanrio   items as Hello Kitty, Little Twin Star, and Kerokerokeropi.  Now the store carries other item brands like Disney, Angry Birds, Nickolodeon, Cartoon Network, Mono Kuroboo (the cute pigs) and others.

Anyway, the craziest thing is happening this August as GIFT GATE will be holding a BIG Sale at the NBC Tent, Fort Bonifacio, Global City.

Entrance fee is Php20.  For BDO cardholders and Sanrio fans club members, entrance is free (including 1 friend) if you happen to bring someone to share the shopping fun with.

UTI in Children

I wrote this last week but failed to post it.

Everything started last Monday when my son developed a fever in the evening.  My husband was scheduled to leave on a business trip and our son has this habit of getting sick when my husband is gone for a couple of days.  I brought him to the doctor on Tuesday and the doctor's prognosis was a viral infection which may likely disappear in a day or two.  All I had to give my son was paracetamol for the fever and antihistamine for the allergies (his eyes gets itchy a lot these days).  Wednesday and Thursday he went back to school and was feeling fine.  Thursday evening, he complains of a headache and later develops fever.  I gave him the regular medication for fever and we both went to sleep.  At 3:00am his fever shoots up again, he starts chilling and becomes very irritable. I give him another dose of paracetamol and got him to sleep after bringing his fever down. At 8am he seems to have worked up a good appetite.  I prepared him his breakfast and he finished it even though he was still complaining of chills and irritability.  He had also been crying because he wanted to feel well, but he is not feeling better.  Minutes after finishing his breakfast, he vomits everything out.

I brought him back to the pediatrician this morning.  I was so worried it could be dengue or an enterovirus that has been freaking me out each time I hear it from the news.  He was checked and given a urinalysis.  Diagnosis:  UTI (Urinary Tract Infection).

UTI in children is usually manifested with the following symptoms:

Fever

Chills

Vomiting

Nausea

Irritability

Bad smelling urine or cloudy urine

So, how actually can one ease the symptoms of UTI in children and make recovery easier?

Water therapy.  The pediatrician may likely prescribe antibiotics to get rid of the infection but they would also encourage the child to drink more water to flush out the bacteria.  I read that 1/2 tsp of baking sold to a full glass of water also helps in killing the bacteria but is not necessary when the child is already prescribed antibiotics.

Cranberry Juice.  Unsweetened Cranberry juice is actually the popular solution in ridding of UTI naturally but the problem is that unsweetened cranberry juice is normally not favored by little kids. I was thinking of giving cranberry juice a try actually but I am settling for the basic water therapy for the meantime.

Probiotic Yogurt.  One thing I did add to my son's treatment was yogurt.  They say that the culture in probiotic yogurt helps the bacteria in the urinary tract and restore normal urinary function. My son loves Nestle Yogurt and his body took this in quite well, no vomiting episode.

Rest.  Rest is also important when an child has UTI.  Luckily my son is not suffering from abdominal pain and difficulty in urinating.  But if your child happens to experience this, warm compress to the lower abdomen will help with the pain.  It is also better to wear loose-fitting clothes while suffering from this condition.

Recurring UTI can also be a sign that the child has food allergies, so be forwarned if UTI keeps on coming back, keep the doctor informed about this.

Dragon Fruit from CDO

We got several of this beautiful dragonfruit among out pasalubong from Cagayan De Oro this week.  The first time I ever tasted dragonfruit was when my husband was still working in a school farm in Cavite.  The variety we had back then was the Hylocereus undatus which has pink skin and white flesh.  It was mildly sweet and the seeds give this crackling sound when eaten.  

The dragonfruit we got from CDO had this dark pink skin and magenta flesh.  It belongs to the variety Hylocereus polyrhizus. The flesh of this variety has this mild fragrant scent but it is not as sweet as the dragonfruit I was used to having.  One also has to be very careful in eating this variety as it can cause quite a stain to your fingers and shirt.  Though the fruit is indeed very colorful and pretty, not everybody in the house liked it.

The dragonfruit may indeed not be as sweet and tasty as an apple or a pear, but it is high in fiber, rich in Vitamin C, and antioxidants.  It is best served chilled.