And whether its the CDC, your family doctor or naturopath, or the anti/pro-vaccination crowds, the information and advice are as varied as the treats in my kids' halloween bags.  "Vaccinate"... "Don't vaccinate"..."Only do it if they have an underlying medical condition"... "I'm going to start wearing a mask"..."Maybe I'll home school"..."Gargle with salt water"...and my personal favorite "don't eat bacon". 

In one day last week, I got 14 emails from friends with advice attributed (falsely, it appears) to Dr. Oz about preventing H1N1. 

I admit it, I'm confused.  Everyone's got an anecdote about their own experience with flu shots (me included); rumours abound about the absence of 10 kids from my teacher husband's Grade 5 classroom, and I swooped into Mama Bear mode to make sure my 2 year old's claims of being "weally hot" the other night were solely attributed to the 20lb Winnie the Pooh costume she was wearing, not some aggressive virus who didn't want her to partake in the annual night of gluttony.

I'm just going to have to keep googling, reading and getting input from the experts in my life who I've trusted with other health issues, and do the one thing that I often forget to do - trust my "mommy" instinct to make good decisions.