To The Victor Goes The Foil

We went to the county fair on Saturday, partly because I wanted to see just how ill I would feel after consuming an entire gyro while standing up (answer: very;) partly because despite the agida I still needed to get my cotton candy fix; partly because children should go to the fair even if it is ninety degrees outside; and partly because Patrick had entered the decorative crafts competition (he competed in the Lego/Knex building division - first introduced at the Lancaster Fair by the Amish I believe - for the 7 to 16 age bracket) and he wanted to see his creation exhibited in all its glory with four dozen of its plastic bricked peers.

We wandered through multiple barns trying to find his Lego house and I started to worry that the teen-aged cat sitter we had asked to register for him while we were in Colorado had gotten... I don't know... mugged or something. 

But we eventually found the right place and

he had won. First place. Number one. Blue ribbon. Best of the lot.

He borrowed my cell phone to call my mom and when she answered he said, "It's me Patrick and I won first prize at the county fair. I will now give you five minutes for awe and admiration."

Then he handed the phone back to me and went to assess the work of his competition.

It is possible my mom is still laughing. Oh! I do beg your pardon! Have I given you YOUR five minutes for awe and admiration? I didn't mean to just spring it on you like that. Are you sufficiently recovered?

Seriously, though, the kid builds a wicked good Lego house and he was very very excited to win and I am happy for him. I asked him if he was considering architecture or engineering as a career and he said no, at this point he just wants to be a dad and play with his kids all day.

I sort of took that as a compliment. 

Later that night he was all infused with the ginger of recognized creative endeavor and he started making

paper shoes. He created three pairs before he fashioned a daring paper bolero jacket which I would love to show you but he chose to model it without pants so... . 

Do they sell a VERY cheap sewing machine for children? I bet he'd like fabric.

+

Caroline. Oh Caroline. How I adore her.

And how she drives me crazy.

Caroline was awake last night from 11:30 until 3. 3'ish. I kept climbing into bed with her in hopes she would get the idea that she was supposed to be asleep but when it became obvious that her goal was to talk me to death I would retreat back to my own room. Then she would climb on something (her dresser? the bookcase?) and jump off - over and over, shouting "JUMPING!" until I came up again to prevent her from breaking her arm.

At some point Edward woke up next door. He was quiet - unlike little Lady Dynamite - but I could hear his conversation with himself: "Oh, heh-yo Edwad. I'm tho happy to thee you! Do you want to play carth? Yeth I do!" 

Meanwhile Caroline was literally prying my eyelids up with her fingers and saying, "MOMMY! WE MUST GO TO THE WINDOW AND HELP BABY HELICOPTER!" whatever the hell that was supposed to mean.

As Caroline poked at me and chattered away I felt like a washed up squid and contemplated some things about Caroline's future:

1. we need to do a better job of exhausting her

2. it is not enough to stop the naps - which we have done - she needs to spend at least an hour a day running laps or jumping into the pool or something

3. she is going to need to play a sport

At the end of The Worst School Conference Ever with Patrick last Fall his teacher implied through a series of grimaces and significant looks that she thought... well, actually, I am not sure exactly what she thought. She clearly believed there was Something Not Quite Right with Patrick but whether that was an attention disorder or a touch of the Asperger's I wasn't able to infer. Nor did I particularly care because I was pretty certain that he was (other considerations aside) being bored into a jelly and that seemed like the first thing to fix. When I reviewed the possibilities later I immediately rejected ADD but then I wondered if I was just unwilling to consider that my child might have some issues. Maybe I was in denial.

The reason I bring it up now is because I was reassured in my parental detachment last night when I thought about the fact that some teacher will someday wiggle her eyebrows at me in an attempt to imply that Caroline might have an attention problem and I know that I will immediately say OH GOD YES. Unless she is looking at books she is like a hummingbird, flitting from bougainvilla to Little People to Antarctica. She's competent, though. I was thinking about this too. I was terrified that toddler Patrick was going to hurt himself falling off the slide so I hovered and then I felt guilty that I hovered but - Patrick was clumsy. He was going to hurt himself falling off the slide. Caroline is agile and I have no problem watching her ascend most things.

All of which is to say, profoundly: children are different.

Edward's hair is getting redder.

He also has the most scorching case of eczema we have ever seen in this family. It's all over his arms and legs - the crooks of his elbows and behind his knees are bleeding. I have been using the desonide that their pediatrician prescribed a while ago but it is doing nothing. Thoughts? I know we've covered eczema before but it seems to be a subject that keeps on giving.

+

I got an acceptance letter for preschool for Edward. Then I waited a week for Caroline's acceptance to arrive but it never did. I KNEW this would happen. I KNEW that the fates would somehow conspire to take sweet sleepy eats everything Edward and leave me with the hyper kid who strips. It's my punishment for being mean in junior high. At least that was my working theory all weekend but when I talked to them yesterday they were able to explain that Caroline's paperwork had just been misplaced. I was going to tell them that it probably ran away but... I think I'll save that little detail until after she's officially accepted into their program. 

Speaking of preschool I have some retail questions for you. Caroline has been completely sold on the concept of school via the consumer allure of her promised special new backpack. The problem is that any backpack that will actually fit her back cannot possibly hold even a tenth of the stuff she needs to bring - like a lunchbox and a change of clothes and snowpants and whatnot. Obviously I am not the first person to realize this and equally obviously you must have devised a solution. What is it? How do I pack for Edward and Caroline as if they will be weekending at the Hamptons while still allowing them to experience the thrill of the personalized puppy dog pack? Also, Patrick eats a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, red pepper or carrots, and some kind of salty carbohydrate snack every day for lunch; all of which can be easily secured by a brown paper bag. Caroline and Edward - well Edward mainly - actually eat real food that requires lids and wee forks. I feel like I have seen some kind of charming take on stainless steel bento boxes. You know what I mean? Where do I get something like that or do you have a better suggestion?

Anything else I should know about outfitting two-year-olds for five hours away, two days a week?

Comments

[Vic]

Sorry - no time to read other posts yet...
A simple thing about eczema that I seem to forget is to NEVER use spray-on sunscreen. Also, never bathe. Only showers with no soap, like every 4 days.

Rolling backpack. Super pricey, but maybe good grandparent gift?

[Carla Hinkle]

We do teeny-tiny backpacks in which the preschooler can put items completely of her choosing. With my current preschooler it is usually jewelry, colored pencils, and My Little Ponies.

I then bring a giant tote bag with all the other items (nap stuff, etc). We do hot lunch at preschool but kids who bring lunch have a lunch box in addition to this. It is a Lot of Stuff, to be sure, but I haven't figured out a better system.

Hooray for preschool! A summer without it has made me appreciate it all the more. We have had innumerable canceled playdates and many, many hours tearing the house to pieces.

[Anita]

We used that peanut oil based stuff with Christopher and it cleared it up within days.

Good luck.

Ummm, it's real name is Derma Smoothe/FS (prescription only). miracle worker.

[daysgoby]

'I KNEW this would happen. I KNEW that the fates would somehow conspire to take sweet sleepy eats everything Edward and leave me with the hyper kid who strips.'

HA ha ha ha ha.....oooh, my stomach hurts now...

[Dorothy]

Thank you for always making me smile. It is much appreciated. Although I don't have kids (I am 34) I am the sole caregiver for my 90 year old father and can sometimes relate to your stories.

[Camilla]

Keep a lookout for a vintage Singer sewing machine (yes, up-thread, modern Singers are crap, old metal ones, however are not). Pretty much any of the solid metal sewing machines can be made to live again with oil and love, so long as the hand wheel turns a bit, and the mechanism is simple enough for budding engineers to grok.

It shouldn't cost you more than $40 (much less if it's in rough shape), and parts are available on the internet.

[Alyce]

Please tell Patrick a hearty congratulations! from a stranger on the internet. I'd love to see more pictures of the house you designed, and of you with the ribbon. You should be very proud of yourself.

[craftyashley]

Eczema- it's a moving target with us. Our ped thinks we need to wait until his first birthday to do testing for allergies. It's probably allergies to something. Baby Aquaphor helps- it's more of a preventative thing, though. I don't know if it will help clear it up so much as keep it from getting too bad.

Backpacks, google Skip Hop Owl Backpack. Ours was roomy enough for a makeup bag of toys, a fold up potty, change of clothes and two undies- and I wasn't even using the front pouch for anything!

For the snow stuff, I'd just bring it in an extra beach bag or something.

[Leslie]

Check out the PlanetBox stainless lunchbox/bento boxes. I can't wait to get one for my daughter. They're also one piece and look much easier to clean than the half dozen plastic boxes of many other bento boxes.

[cate]

We have LL Bean backpacks, and leave a change of clothes etc. at school so there's not too much that has to be carried back and forth.

Overstock.com has some good deals on sewing machines. Here's that green Hello Kitty someone mentioned: http://www.overstock.com/Crafts-Sewing/Hello-Kitty-Janome-Sewing-Machine/4584360/product.html

and here's one that's sixty bucks: http://www.overstock.com/Crafts-Sewing/Janome-11542-Sewing-Machine-Refurbished/5088220/product.html

[a.]

Preschool might be a little more relaxed, but I know in Kindergarten (I'm a teacher) it can be kind of a problem if the child's backpack doesn't: 1. fit into the cubbie that they share with another child (ie, rollie backpacks are humongous and the bane of my existence) and 2. hold a folder with fliers and school papers inside (ie, those adorable but miniscule puppy-themed backpacks that won't hold diddly squat)

It is kind of unwieldy, but the solution usually seems to be to just get a regular-size backpack and try not to weigh it down too much. Anyway, the average lunchbox is about the size of a preschooler's femur! It's always funny to me how much they adore lugging that stuff around.

Unless the preschool has some kind of strict guidelines or something, odds seem good that you will be the lucky person carrying most of the luggage inside every morning when you drop off the twinkles, anyway.

[Lisa]

Lunches- I was going to say Laptop Lunches or Lunchbots and I see those were already covered. ;)

Eczema- My son's cleared up (and mine too!) when I switched to Charlie's Soap for all our laundry. www.charliesoap.com. Won't help if it's a food issue, though. Good luck.

I'll be reading to find out what other solutions you come up with for preschool. Mine starts this month, too. Excited!

[Shawna]

Hm, my daughter is starting JK in the fall and I'm under the impression that she will not have to ferry a full load of stuff each day and that she'll have a place to keep extra clothes and snowsuit, etc. Am I wrong?

Also, Patrick eats peanut butter at school every day? The kids here aren't even allowed to have peanut butter for breakfast before school, lest a molecule or two remain on their hands when they get to school.

[Lisa]

Have to agree with some of the previous posters---persistent eczema is often a sign of food allergies. Getting tested at an allergist can quickly and easily help you figure out if its something he's eating. (They will prick his back with the most common allergens (dairy, wheat, corn, etc) and see if he has a reaction. Voila, question answered right there in the office. They can also do a blood test.)

[trish]

congrats to Patrick! seconding the Rokenbok comment-he'd love that stuff.

[alison]

I saw these Goodbyn boxes on a friend's fb post the other day... they look super cool! I don't know if they'd work for your kiddos, but wanted to share: http://goodbyn.com/goodbyn/default.aspx

[Rayne of Terror]

Edward is so gorgeous.

[tralala]

Eczema just sucks because cause and effect is so hard to establish, and because advice varies so wildly. Someone above mentioned short showers only for eczema; our ped takes the opposite approach: lukewarm bath every night (we add baking soda, which seems to help heat rash). This has worked well for us.

We've eliminated everything that his allergist says he's allergic to but still have persistent knee/elbow patches, especially in summer. So when we need to, we use small dabs of cortisone, with liberal application of Triple Cream on top. But we did once clear up a very bad patch with neosporin (applied in despair because of bleeding) and that particular patch never came back--I do think there can be a bacterial factor in some cases.

[cathy b.]

Only a real sewing machine will do. The toy ones are actually more difficult to use--like any toy tools usually are. I'd buy a good brand at a rummage or estate sale--maybe a 1960's era Singer for $20, then have it tuned up and oiled for $75 at a sewing machine shop.

(I learned to sew at 7, and now I manage seamstresses. I could send Patrick bags of cool fabric scraps, if you want them.)

[Tania]

Lanolin, Lanolin, Lanolin!!!! I just put it on Lexie like an inch thick put on her jam's, if it is her feet too, socks as well, just encase them in it......it works, messy yes, but it works.......

as far as backpacks go, Lexie is 8 and still wearing basically a 6X going into 3rd grade, believe it or not she carries a full backpack each and every day......during the winter I do try to have ski pants at home and a pair at school but other then that everything she needs to have goes back N forth and she is very very stubborn and insists that just because she is tiny does not mean she can't do it like her friends...afraid Caroline might be ummm a little like that too.....LOL....leave some of it up to the kids, they tend to figure it out before we do.....this is not coming from someone who is trying to be wise, worldly or otherwise, I am like duh.....when it comes to this stuff, I have just recently (like w/i the last two weeks after Lexie went to an overnight camp for a week w/o me and was fine....realized that ummmm....ya maybe I should listen to her .....LOL----I am still her mother, I shall still NOT listen but I have been proven wrong about a few things in the last few weeks...) so anyway...that is my assvice.....not much help I am sure but it is free for the giving...LOL...good luck!!!!!

[Tania]

Lexie's back pack is from LL Bean......not the small one the medium one, she has had it since kindegarten...we had it replaced once because the plastic buckle broke on it..love LL Beans lifetime guarantee.....but it is the same back pack she has had since she started pre school at 3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Kathleen999]

www.littlelunchbox.com. They are really cute and have built in forks and spoons. They can't go in the dishwasher but they have nothing bad in them and they have kid-sized portion containers and the whole thing fits into a single kit.

[Carrie]

Pottery Barn kids has a line of pre-school backpacks that should do the trick.

[Minneapolismama]

Edward looks adorable and a little like he needs a yacht or something else sophisticated.

I am sure they make bento boxes for kids, and I think a few others have already recommended where you can get one. Great idea!

Most preschools have cubbies, where you can keep a change of clothes, snowpants, and other things they may need during the day. It's really only a challenge getting stuff there the first day. Mabels Labels is a good place to get labels to put on all their stuff.

[L.]

Those PlanetBoxes that Leslie suggested are awesome!

My son started going to daycare at around 18 months and has gone to two (rather different) branches of the same center. At both they've provided decent storage for outdoor gear and/or spare clothing. The spare clothing just stays there, though. And for children of his age, there aren't huge reams of art or paperwork. So the lunch box is the thing that has to come and go every day. We did have other things going back and forth: nap mats and/or blankets used in winter fire drills go home to be washed on Friday; swimming items on Thursday. In the summer a canvas tote bag suffices. In winter, I ended up with two or even three tote bags, and for a while used one of those giant blue Ikea plastic bags.

All this to say I would consider the backpack basically ornamental except for perhaps art. Many children didn't have them until 3 or so. I will get my son one this year just for fun, but won't expect it to actually be useful.

For lunch, I started off with a soft cloth lunchbox (Wildkin) but it quickly got disgusting. Replaced it with a hard plastic little cooler with handle. Easy to clean. Inside I put lots of little tiny plastic containers, an icepack, kids' forks and spoons, and drink/lunch if they fit and it's appropriate. If the lunch is hot (usually is) it goes in a kids' stainless steel thermos. They have microwaves, but I'm not a big fan of microwaving things in plastic.

You may want to pick up some labels for all this stuff, by the way! We used Mabel's Labels and they've worked very well, through countless dishwasher cycles.

Also, our daycare doesn't allow nut products. I think this is more and more the case, but be aware that PB&J may be out.

[L.]

Oh, and I get my little tiny plastic containers at Ikea, they come in sets and, unsurprisingly, are very inexpensive. Although not nearly as cute as bento.

[minoti]

Hi! congratulations to Patrick! my kids like a warm lunch and i use the 16 oz thermos food containers. i got them at target. they have a steel interior and a plastic (bpa free) outer layer. they are leakproof and keep the, ahem, mac and cheese, warm. my kids love those. i found those in the aisle containing sports water bottles etc. they have hello kitty and spiderman etc themed ones in case your children would fancy those. good luck. there is not a good link to the target products, so sorry i can't post one.
good luck. my twins will be going to preschool this fall for the first time, and they are excited. they went to a couple of weeks of camp (hahahaha) at that same school this summer and we used these containers then, and they were quite happy.

[sheila]

Seriously, have never seen a preschool or talked to a parent whose kid goes to preschool or daycare? Each child has a cubby hole or a drawer of sorts. You leave a set of clean clothes/diapers/sun screen/snow pants there. You replace them as needed throughout the year. All you carry every day is lunch. I used to enjoy this blog, now it has become the mundane questionnaire blog. How do you find a backpack? How do you ensure a child does not wonder? (Bolt the door at all times, keep an eye on her at all times.) You are sounding more and more like a clueless, hapless teenager who lives in a remote corner of the world rather than an educated adult who has already raised a kid.

[Mrs. G]

My daughter, who is almost four, is like Caroline in the energy department. We live in a tiny houseboat so keeping her exercised has been a challenge for us. She stopped napping at two and for a while we used an alarm clock to wake her up at a certain time every morning so she would be tired enough to sleep at night. She has to get some kind of physical workout everyday (she is enrolled in soccer, swimming and circus classes) even if it's just running the length of the house over and over again. We installed hanging rings from Ikea in her bedroom and a swinging ladder so she has a place to be physical even if we can't leave the house. I wish we had room for a trampoline, she loves the one at her grandparent's house. I can't wait until she's old enough to sign up for cross country . . .

[MelanieH]

Damn, Sheila. Go find another blog.

I learn tons from Julia's questions, and I don't even have kids. Plus she always prefaces them with awesome stories and pictures.

[Sarah]

Probiotics for the eczema!

[Melissa]

My son is allergic to corn and had raging eczema the first couple of years until we figured it out. Maybe get Edward tested for food allergies, or try an elimination diet?

[suz]

Gotta say, love your blog (as always). and I love the questions. They make me feel less hapless and alone, seeing as I am a mom who has about a million questions of her own.

Congrats to Patrick and adorable pictures. Thanks for sharing.

[Fatemeh]

Yay for Patrick! Can you align one of your future vacations with a Maker Faire event? He'd adore the gadgets, the stuff, the super smart kids with clever, creativity-supportive parents.

Re: food packaging for the twinks -- didn't I send you a set of Kinderville BPA & phthalate-free jars? http://www.kinder-ville.com/

If not, let me know and I'll send you a set. They are awesome. You can email me at fkmcclure at gmail dot com.

[SarahB]

You've gotten a ton of eczema comments already, but my son has horrible eczema due to food and environmental allergies. So, I'll chime in with others. :) Take Edward in to your ped or if possible an allergist. First off, check for infection because the open wounds can easily lead to staph infections. The current recommendation from my son's best of the best dr is frequent soaking baths in not-to-hot water, Dove only on raw spots and just before taking him out of the bath. Then Neosporin on the bleeding spots, steroid (triamcimilone) on the adjacent but not raw flaring spots, followed by Vanicream everywhere else. Then put in damp pajamas and dry pajamas (both cotton) on top. Sounds miserable but it does help. Also, I have to give Benedryl throughout the day to help with the itching, but definitely check with the dr before doing that.

http://www.nationaljewish.org/healthinfo/conditions/allergy/types/eczema/treatment.aspx And also check the "soak and seal" method at the bottom.

[sara]

How about a picture of the lego house?

[Bethany]

I hate to say this because Melaleuca contributed to a lot of childhood moments I would rather not remember, but... tea tree oil is supposed to work wonders on eczema. Supposedly the relief lasts a lot longer than cortisone and doesn't cause any of the depigmentation or skin-thinning that long-term cortisone use can cause. If you have a health food store in the area, I'm sure they could give you exact instructions.
P.S. - Edward is dreamy! My goodness, that kid is gonna be a heartbreaker one day.

[jen]

Eczema - a stocking (hose?) filled with a couple handfuls of rolled oats, tied up and put in the bath when you first run it, and left in for the duration. Works a treat with my son who looks like he's been attacked by a plague of lions with super-sharp claws (he is 5, I struggle to stop him scratching). That and Aveeno, which is oat-based too. All those petroleum-based creams I view with suspicion.

Bag: http://www.trunki.co.uk/ If you find them in the US. My kids LOVE theirs. The backpack might be fun for Patrick too, as it turns in to a car seat booster. Having bought a cute kidsy rucksack for my son for preschool, I got real with Kid 2 and bought her a proper waterproof 15litre bag from a camping store. Built to last and great storage. Lunchbags - those multi-part clipit containers rock. We have a NZ brand over here that does these: http://www.sistemaplastics.com/#/details/20/69
- am sure you will find something equivalent or better in your local Target etc. Or get a square insulated lunch bag and use a selection of tupperware (though I find if I don't label my tupperware, lids go missing).

[jen]

oooh, oooh... Coupon Alert! Head over to LaptopLunches and use code 'veganlunch' to get 10% off :)

[Christiana]

My sister used to teach preschool and I volunteered to help - we kept the change of clothes in the classroom in plastic bins for each kid. Living FL, snowpants have never been an issue, so I got nothing there, but I doubt you'll have to send the clothes at least every day. Just a thought. Check w/ the teacher.

I am in love with the preschool backpacks from Pottery Barn Kids - pricey, but so great! They have matching lunch boxes and you can have them all monogrammed so as not to risk them getting mixed up or lost, etc.

[caroline]

My sister took her whole family off of wheat (gluten, specifically) and all of their eczema cleared up after a month or two. I finally got brave enough to try it and my horrible eczema is gone. 29 years of cracking and bleeding skin is gone. No more steroid creams, no more allergy shots. Huzzah!

[Carmen]

I just received a stainless steel lunch box for review and I love, love, LOVE it. Come with magnets to personalize the front and a carry case - I've used many lunch boxes over the past 18 years - can't believe my own personal Patrick is now 18 - and this is the BEST I've ever tried.

www.planetbox.com

[eliza]

Here is the solution:

You carry that stuff, not them.

They each put a favorite (hopefully light) toy in their respective backpacks.

The end.

[Kelly]

My son had TERRIBLE eczema - lie you describe. His cheeks were hard and bleeding, it was on his stomach, shoulders and behind his knees. We took him to an allergist who immediately had us eliminate dairy & soy - I was skeptical, but his eczema was mostly gone, but definitely MUCH improved in a week. He was off all dairy for 9 months and we gradually reintroduced it. He seems to have outgrown it. I would definitely go to a pediatric allergist - just to rule out the possibility of a food allergy.

[Kelly]

Also - my son who had the allergy is a twin, so I KNOW how much of a pain it is to eliminate a food from one child's diet, but not the other - HUMONGOUS pain. However, well worth it.

[Lissa]

We are (unfortunately) experts on Eczema. Although medication is sometimes needed to really take care of it, we have found help in some over the counter ways. T-Gel - he has it on his scalp - it clears it up and when it gets in the bathwater it helps his skin. Grandpa's pine tar soap is a similar concotion. Cerave cream (not lotion) is amazing for prevention. If the skin is broken and bleeding, a little antibiotic ointment will keep infections at bay. We have been through every med and they all become less effective in time but we are now finding help with mometisone or a mometisone/antibiotic compound if there is a really bad breakout (short term use only). Don't bathe him every day, but if he is in chlorine pool rinse him off afterwards.

Be well!

[Heather]

I fourth or fifth the suggestion to take Shmooshy to an allergist. Eczema is often a result of a food or environmental allergy. Hope it gets better soon, Mama.

[Erika]

Oh my god, I'm laughing at Caroline. She reminds me so much of Clara (who at age 7 has a BMI of 14)--the climbing, the awake at wee hours, the constant activity... I'm going to try to remember that for a while today, b/c it's a nice alternative to the moody kid I currently have on my hands.

Ahem, anyway, re: kiddie bento boxes, I love these: http://www.goodbyn.com/goodbyn/features.aspx
Lots more at http://www.lunchboxes.com/
But also, if you go to Amazon and search for bento box kids you'll find lots of cute options.

Hopefully the preschool will have some cubbies for the kids so you can leave extra clothes, etc., there.

[Pam]

I don't think you need to put the lunch box in the back pack. Just have them carry it. The only thing I ever put in my son's preK backback was underwear and pants. I know I've seen the lunch box you're talking about, but I can't find a link.

[Reba]

My husband had terrible eczema in the places you mentioned - elbows, behind the knees and sometimes around his wrist and ankles in the winter. We assumed this was due to fabric rubbing at these points so the first thing we tried was the easiest/cheapest option and switched to scent-free body soap, laundry detergent and fabric softener. Within two weeks the scabbing stopped and within a month the areas had cleared up completely and stayed away.

The only problem is that once you go scent-free you can't ever really go back. Ten years later and we find ourselves super sensitive to perfumes and how strong they are. If I borrow clothes from my sister I feel overwhelmed by the scent from the laundry detergent and things like scented candles or glade plug-ins can give me a headache. It's not a problem at home or at work but I feel like a total idiot when I get a pounding headache at a friend's potpourri laced home :(