Does Your Child Have Sun Poisoning?

via webmd.com

School is almost out and summer is right around the corner and for many families, this means a trip to the beach and basking and playing in the sun. My family just returned from a trip to North Carolina for the Memorial day weekend and for us, that means three full days of beach time. For those of us who are fair skinned and fair haired, it is extra hard work to keep from experiencing the negative effects of the sun such as sunburn, sun poisoning and resulting skin damage.

After our third day of playing on the beach, I noticed my daughter's ear lobe was swollen and oozing. We at first thought it was a bug bite since the flies were so bad at my brother's house that evening. It wasn't long before the other ear was swelling and the tops of her ears started oozing too. I realized then my daughter had sun poisoning on her ears.

 I really felt mom guilt over this discovery. We all use the kids SPF 50 sun block sprays and I applied zinc oxide to my daughter's already sun burned face on our third day. She is in the water constantly and though we reapplied 5 times that day, she still experienced sun burn. I also forgot to apply anything to her ears. While her hair normally protects her ears, she was sporting new goggles on that third day which exposed her ears to the sun. Since they were unprotected, she ended up with sun poisoning. 

What is sun poisoning?

Sun poisoning occurs when your skin blisters from exposure to the sun. It can occur anywhere on your body and blistering indicates a second degree burn. Sun poisoning is an umbrella term that includes two other conditions called polymorphous light eruption (PMLE) and solar urticaria (hives). PMLE is characterized by dense clusters of rashes and can include hives and blisters while solar urticaria often manifests as large, red, raised areas of skin and can include more severe allergic reactions such as wheezing. It is, in essence, an allergic reaction of the body to sun exposure. Reactions of this type may require medical assistance but often people can overcome this condition by desensitizing their bodies with small amounts of sun exposure.

How to Treat

Garden variety sun poisoning with blisters on the skin does not usually require medical assistance and can be treated at home.

First remove heat from the affected area with a cool pack or cool water, not cold. Do not break blisters as they are your skin's way of forming a protective moisture barrier and will break on their own. Apply aloe vera or triple antibiotic ointment with aloe to protect against infection and moisturize skin. Give ibuprofen for pain and swelling. Have your child drink extra fluids for a few days while healing and stay out of the sun completely.

Even with our best efforts, it can be so hard to keep an active child from getting sunburn or sun poisoning. Remember to apply sunscreen even to areas that you think may not be a worry. Reapply often and every time they emerge from the water. Have them wear hats and surf shirts and encourage them to stop and drink fluids. Most kids will play in the water until they wrinkle and many will not even think to take a break to eat and drink, but a little planning and due diligence can result in safe, fun times at the beach.

Sources:

sunpoisoning.org

webmd.com

This Table is Sacred

via itsallinthebook

When I first wrote the title of this post, I accidentally wrote This Table is Scared. Freudian slip? Normally I would say that is exactly how my dinner table would feel if it had feelings because typically it is piled with so much clutter we cannot sit down to have a relaxing meal there. Recently it received a good cleaning and straightening and for the past week, we have been having sit down family dinners. Now it is sacred and if we keep it an active hub of eating and sharing, it may never have to feel scared again.

I grew up with sit down family dinners- every night. It was the norm, not the exception and I'm here to tell you that alot happened around that table and it wasn't all good. I witnessed many a tense stand off between my dad and my brother or my dad and my sister. We had rules- no elbows on the table, no singing at the table, finish everything on your plate because children in Africa are starving. Of course, as a kid, I never understood that one. I was always willing to have mine wrapped up and sent to those kids but my mom never took me up on that. My dad was so strict there were times I sat a couple hours past dinner with cold peas staring me down. I used to hide pieces of meat under the rim of my plate and mom wouldn't discover them until clean up and by then I had escaped the table. Still, it was where we talked about what was going on at school and got caught up on the news mom had of neighbors, relatives and friends and where we kids saw mom and dad interact. Dad occasionally told a story about work.

When the weather was warm, we could sit there and hear, through the open dining room window, the kids playing ball in the field over the fence beyond our yard or the marching band at Overlea High school practicing. I wouldn't trade those times for anything.

Why is it so hard to make that happen now? When I was working full time, the last thing I wanted to do was come home to spend my precious few hours with my daughter cooking and doing after dinner clean up. By the time that was done it would've been her bed time. I made her a quick microwave meal and focused on quality fun time. My husband and I grabbed something to eat on our own at different times. Even when I had more time to focus on it, I didn't make it a priority. What changed things recently was having to budget our expenses more strictly. If I made sure to utilize what we had in the fridge, freezer and pantry, I could be sure we would spend much less money grabbing fast food on the way home from work or ordering take out. And I longed to give my family what I had growing up. So I decided to put some effort during the day to preparing something for an evening meal.

Would you like to sit down to dinner with the family more but not sure how to make it happen? Here are some things to consider.

Making the Family Dinner Happen:

1) Make it a priority- you don't have to schedule extracurricular activities during your dinner hour. If Junior has a passion for something and that is the only time it can be scheduled, you may have to be flexible that day with dinner, but don't over schedule activities every night of the week. The first step to making this happen is deciding that it is important to you.

2) You don't have to do a sit down dinner every night to get something out of it. Start with 1 or 2 nights a week if you are not already in the habit.

3) Utilize the crock pot. It is your best friend. You can cook an entire meal in there and meats come out so tender. Best of all, you can go about your business while your dinner is slow cooking all day.

4) Cook enough one night to ensure a day for leftovers. This gives you a day off from cooking.

5) Have a "free for all" night. One night of the week, let everyone do their own thing at their own time. Taking the pressure off once in awhile ensures that you will not give up on this new commitment to sit down together.

6) Talk to your spouse or older child about pitching in with setting the table and cleaning up, so you are not stuck in the kitchen during family fun time later. You could even assign rotating roles.

Sitting down together has made us finally feel like a real family, but what I didn't count on was the intense nostalgia I felt this past week by reinstating this ritual. I could almost feel the warm breeze on my face and hear the happy sounds of laughter, shouting and the crack of the bat from that little league game played long ago, mom and dad chatting at the table while I hid morsels of food beneath my plate rim.

What memories do you have of family dinners?

Little Girls and the Spa Experience

via pinterest

Spa parties are a popular option for little girl birthdays. My 7 year old daughter attended one yesterday. She and three other little girls, birthday girl included, went to a chic local salon for a manicure and pedicure with foot soak and massage. They were adorable to watch. They were very serious and quiet while getting their manicures but when it was time to get their pedicures, they were more relaxed, thrilled with their shiny colorful fingernails and ready to be silly with each other.

My daughter shared a room with the birthday girl and was requested to entertain her with her very best rendition of what I could only describe as her Swedish chef meets Ernest voice.



via wikipedia

via muppet.wikia.com

And once she got an audience laughing at her (girls, moms, salon ladies), there was no stopping her. She is very talented, but I had to eventually tell her when enough was enough so the lady could put her toenail polish on straight.

These parties are very relaxing to the girls and make them feel special. Think kids that age don't need to de-stress? Well, as one of the moms pointed out, her daughter gets anxious about school and so much more is expected of them at the first grade level than it ever was when we were in first grade. I don't ever recall having to make up work from missed days and I surely never had to take a timed test in first grade. Another mom said she knew a child who was sent back too early after an illness because the child was afraid of missing too much work and ended up getting sick again. I was also a nervous child and likely would have been in the psych ward with those extra pressures at such a young age.

So, spa parties are a great way for little girls with their new school pressures to unwind and have fun with their friends.

Has your child been to a spa party lately?

Detour Fridays Link Up: Bucket List Item #...I Don't Know

photo via freeretrographics

I bought a ukelele almost 3 weeks ago. The signs that I was meant to buy this instrument were everywhere. I have been hearing it in popular music like Train's Hey Soul Sister and I'm Yours by Jason Mraz. The contemporary group at my church was asked to play music for a Hawaiian nun's jubilee celebration and I was going to play my banjo up the neck to try to make it sound like a uke but it just wasn't quite right. Lastly, I just happened to take my daughter to a free movie night and the movie showing was Soul Surfer- you know, about the young surfer girl who loses an arm in a shark attack and she wasn't just a surfer, but, you guessed it, an accomplished ukelele player. I couldn't escape the uke.

So I started out 11 years ago lamenting that I never learned to play an instrument as a kid and now I have tried my hand at banjo, marimba, hand bells and ukelele. Mind you, I am not a master of any but I am having fun exploring.

I love my new ukelele. It is a Lanakai U-22 concert. For those who don't know, there are four types- the soprano which is the smallest and the traditional Hawaiian instrument, then in order of increasing size and mellow sound, the concert, the tenor and the baritone. My concert uke has a sound close to a soprano but is a bit louder which is good for playing in a group. The best part is I can strum it. Sometimes my fingers betray me when I am playing banjo and I am just struggling with picking on faster songs. The ukelele lets me off the hook since it is mostly strummed although you certainly can finger pick on it.

Have you ever wanted to take up a musical instrument? What would you play?

via terrysdiary.com

Friday is the day I set aside to write about anything that inspires me, or take a detour from the norm.  After all, it is not the destination, but the journey that makes life interesting. Have you taken any detours lately? I hope you'll share them. I will tweet the first 10 links.

1) Link up a post.
2)Visit and comment on other links in the list.
3) Don't forget to link back to Suburan Life Journal's Detour Friday post.

Thanks!

Jesus has a Facebook Page

And that's what they want you to think. (via absolutelymadness.net )

Did you know that Jesus has a Facebook page? Well, He does. In fact, He has many. There is I Love Jesus, Jesus Daily, Life With Jesus is Better, and numerous ones that are just plain Jesus. Then there are pages like The Bible, God and God Wants You to Know to name a few. And if you were raised in any sort of Christian faith, it's kind of hard not to "like" Jesus or God or The Bible on Facebook. Kind of makes you feel guilty, but not me. Not anymore. I got burned once.

You see, two years ago I joined a Jesus FB page. I won't name the exact one. I decided that my task for Holy week during Lent would be to share with my FB friends the daily bible verse and short interpretation that went along with it, you know, just in case somebody needed to hear something uplifting. I felt good about it. Then Christmas rolled around that year and some member of the site, which has members from all Christian denominations, decided to post something about honoring Mary's role as Jesus' mother and her Christian decision to say yes to God. That's when all Hell (literally) broke loose.

Some of the non Catholic Christians were incensed that Mary would even be mentioned during the Christmas season. Others posted insulting words that could only be described as dishonoring Mary's role. Still others perpetuated misinformation about Catholic beliefs that I get so tired of hearing and defending. No, we do NOT worship Mary. Honor and worship are not the same. We honor Dr. Martin Luther King, for instance, but we do not worship him.

The responses to the original post went on for days and became heated, nasty and ugly. The spirit of the Christmas season was ruined. If I wanted that, I would've just gone to the mall or Walmart on black Friday. When the site owner weighed in in favor of the ignorant people, I decided I had to take action. I "disliked" the site and told my friends about it. I still like Jesus, but will the real Jesus on Facebook please stand?

Four Ways to Reinvent the Window Box

Here are four ways to reinvent the window box.

1) Experimenting with different plant varieties. The coleus plants below provide variety in foliage color.

via pinterest

Different color foliage mixed with flowers and trailing varieties.

via studiogblog

All edible plants in this box. 

via justabouthome

Trailing greenery dress up this garage.

via mydesignchic

This looks like the purple foliage of Wandering Jew mixed with deep pink petunias and white flowers.

via therightproducts.com

Purple trailing flowers against a blue house look stunning.

via countryliving.com

Oversized boxes with large blue hydrangeas and greenery are elegant.

via lushlifehomegarden.com

Beautiful boxes on a blue facade in Germany are the epitome old world charm.

via allsorts

All peaches, yellows and corals.

via thehandmadehome

Beautiful color against a boldly painted wall.

via etsy.com

Do you live in a desert region? Mix succulents in various colors. These are beautiful!

via apartmenttherapy

2) Use an unexpected set up, unusual materials or repurpose other containers for your window boxes such as in the pictures below.

A champagne crate is repurposed as a window box.

via apartmenttherapy

This box is made of wood shims that look to be painted with a colorwashing technique.

via apartmenttherapy

A wood shelf with cutouts to hold flower pots works as a window box.

via marthastewart.com

Lattice panels make up this window box.



via pinterest

Galvanized tubs pull double duty growing herbs in the kitchen window.

via ppebble

Not sure what these boxes are made of, but they have a metal or weathered wood appearance which makes them stand out.

marthastewart.com

Wicker baskets act as window boxes here.

via bhg.com

Boxes painted in a bold color to compliment the trim.

via evolutionofstyleblog

3) Window boxes don't always have to go on windows. Display them in unusual places for an unexpected pop of color.

Decorate a porch railing.



via pinterest

Adorn a stone retaining wall.

via thisoldhouse.com

Flank a front door.

via blueprintbliss

Add color to small dormers in a steep roof.

via google.com

Hang a box on a railing. This is also a great idea for a fall display.

via marthastewart.com

Crates with the bottoms knocked out or shadow boxes could be used to shelve potted plants in these unusual boxes that are also not in a window.

via sunset.com

via bhg.com

4) Decorate them seasonally for interest all year long.

This is just plain pretty. Enough said.

via myhomeideas

White boo pumpkins amidst fall foliage colors.

via myhomeideas

A Christmas or winter box. Apples, pine cones and greenery.

via willowdecor

Greenery, ornaments and bare branches.

via google.com

And here are my masterpieces this year: coleus in a color called Sedona in the center, flanked by light and dark purple petunias with light purple lobelia at the ends of the box. The lobelia will fill in and spill over the sides in time and the coleus will eventually rise above the other flowers.

I hope you have seen enough to be inspired.

Justice, Deflated



and neither do I!

Someone stuck a pin in me and let all the air out. I feel so deflated. I sat for 8 days as a juror on a civil trail- 8 long days of arguments, expert witness testimony, evidence, anatomical diagrams, objections, sidebars (remember them from the OJ Simpson trial?), enduring the same question asked 150 different ways of a witness to drive home a point to the jury. Lawyers like to do that. They think we are stupid. I heard the phrase "let me be brief" a million times which usually ended in wrapping up a statement an hour and a half later. Do lawyers understand the definition of brief? I endured getting stuck in a elevator twice with my fellow jurors, having to go home without a cell phone because the law clerk locked them up in a safe place, then left for an exam without telling anyone where he put them. I enjoyed camaraderie with my fellow jurors, exploring various delis and cafe's in Towson during lunch as well as the Garden Festival on a sunny day in the courthouse courtyard. I took almost an entire notebook of notes. I agonized over conflicting evidence and testimony. I was invested. Then I found out, after closing arguments and before deliberations, that I, Madame #175, was an alternate juror! I would not be allowed to deliberate! I would be sent home.

They kept us in the dark. We heard them announce that they would need 6 jurors for this trial. Nine of us were chosen. We knew it was in case of drop off- a sick child or parent or personal illness- that might cause one of us to have to abandon the case, but we didn't know who the alternates were, and we NEVER suspected we would not be able to deliberate. I was sooo disappointed. I feel like I got laid off from a job.

We were assured that it was necessary to have us sit on the case and that our duty and dedication were appreciated. We were told that we could stick around for the outcome or give our numbers to the law clerk who would inform us of the verdict when it was reached. It is amazing how you go from not wanting to be there at all on your first day, silenting saying "please don't pick me" in your head to realizing the importance of what you are doing when you do get chosen and dedicating yourself to it. After all, you might need your fellow citizens to do it for you one day.

Well, as of this writing it has been 7 hours since I left the courthouse and still no verdict has been reached. This may stretch into next week. I guess my fellow jurors didn't all see things the same way. I don't envy them. Either someone is going to go away disapointed and having to struggle with serious health problems for the rest of his life or someone else is going to have his professional career ruined. It will not be an easy decision due to many complicating factors. Maybe I am glad it is not on my shoulders after all.

photo credit: browse.deviantart.com

Mother's Day: The Three Greatest Gifts



Mom, mom, mom, mom!

When it comes to Mother's day gifts, focus on the three things every mom needs but can't seem to get enough of. The first of these is TIME.

It could be time to herself, time with her husband away from the kids, time with her family in a fun and relaxing environment or time to relax while chores are being taken care of. Stay at home moms need a break from the kids and the daily routine around the house whereas working moms often feel deprived of quality time with their kids or husbands. Quality time is usually compressed into a few hours in the evening and gets railroaded by chores like dinner, supervising homework, housework, baths and bedtime routines. Gift certificates to a spa or tea with a girlfriend, a date night where everything is planned and taken care of by her husband, a fun day trip with the family to sites of interest to her or a book of coupons good for various chores to be taken off her shoulders by the kids or her husband are all thoughtful gifts.

The next need is SELF DISCOVERY. This ties into time. What would she do or want to learn if she only had the time? Is it sailing, learning to play a musical instrument, surfing, knitting, pottery, cake decorating? If her husband and kids are thoughtful enough to buy her lessons or a musical instrument or surfboard, she will set aside the time to finally do it. Help her cross something off her bucket list or discover a new talent.

The third need is BEAUTY. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. She may love to be surrounded by beauty and that might mean plants or flowers or a water garden. Get her a container and a water lily to start her off. She might like beautiful pieces for the home like antique lanterns, embellished photo frames for a special picture or a piece of artwork for the wall. Beauty might mean literally a day of skin pampering and makeup, or a manicure or pedicure to help her look and feel her best. Combine a spa in a basket (favorite pampering products such as Avon's Footwork's line with a favorite polish color or whipped body butter by the Avon Mark line) with the gift of a little me time to try it all out.

Of course the greatest gift is LOVE but thoughtfulness always makes moms feel loved.

photo credit: squidoo.com

Operation Happy Meal

photo: google.com


The gender assignment to happy meals can lead to some strange behavior in kids. Recently my daughter saw that Mickey D's was giving away spy gadgets with happy meals but every time she went, she ended up with a Victorious toy of some sort.

"How do I get these?" she questioned me one evening as she ate her chicken McNuggets, eyeing the spy gadgets on the happy meal box. "Read it to me." She loves all the spy kids movies and recently watched Jackie Chan in The Spy Next door, so she is really into spy stories and gadgets and probably wants to be a spy.

I told her as far as I could see, they give them away with the meal. "Didn't you get one?" I asked. She showed me the Victorious toy she got. "Hmmm..." I said.

I guess she figured this called for a little undercover work, so after investigating (talking to her friends), she discovered that the spy gadgets come with the happy meals for boys. How unfair is that? Do they really think that girls don't think spy gadgets are cool?

Undercover plan A: "Okay Dad, you go through the drive through and say you want a happy meal for a boy and I will pull my jacket hood up and hide my face when we get up to the window."

Undercover plan B: You've got to have a plan B. " Okay Dad, in case they see that I'm a girl, you tell them that we are buying a happy meal for my brother who is home sick and can't come out and that I don't want anything to eat."

Mission success: Happy meal for a boy with very cool spy gadget scored. " Mom," she beamed, excitedly relaying her plan to me, "I guess they didn't even notice that I was a girl."

I started to explain that McDonald's really doesn't care if you are a boy or girl when you request a happy meal for a boy or girl. They will sell you whatever you want. Then I thought, why bother? This is just too cute that she thought she had to go through all this trouble to get a happy meal for a boy.

8 Years and Then Some

Brewster from travelandleisure.com

Last week became so busy, I just didn't have it in me to write everything I had intended, but I had a wedding anniversary on Monday, April 30th. My husband and I have been married for 8 years. I had wanted to share how he popped the question since I thought it was kind of humorous.

We were headed north to a little town called Brewster in Cape Cod, MA for a few days together, just the two of us, before joining my sister and her husband in North Hero, Vermont for a visit. Can I say that I spotted the ring box in his duffel in the car on the way up? I had a headache or something and asked him if he had ibuprofen. He said yes and I immediately grabbed his duffel to find the pills. He suddenly pulled the bag from my hands, but not before I eyed the ring box. His frantic behavior to take the duffel away from me just cemented my beliefs that he had plans of popping the question on this trip. Well, of course I had to pretend I didn't see anything, but when you know what is going to happen, you can't help but drive yourself nuts over how it is going to happen. What were his plans???

I think we only had a couple days in Brewster and we were staying at a charming bed and breakfast not far from what is called the Brewster flats. The Brewster flats is where the tide goes out for about a mile, leaving the ocean floor to reveal it's mysterious contents and any creature unlucky enough to get stranded. My husband and I walked the flats at sunset into the dark looking for interesting creatures and treasures and as the sun sunk, I thought this would be the perfect place for him to do it. It was so beautiful and a piece heaven for a biologist. It didn't happen.

The next night we found ourselves at a nice little place having a romantic dinner. I thought this was likely the moment he was waiting for, but dinner came, desserts came and so did the time to leave and still no ring. I thought he was changing his mind. Maybe he knew I knew and it was just too much pressure. There wasn't much time left on our vacation. I was disappointed about all the special moments that had passed.

We went back to the B & B and got ready for bed. I put on a faded "comfy" nightgown, took out my contact lenses and put my glasses on and climbed into bed with a good book. I was just getting into my book when I saw him approaching my side of the bed. Oh no! Was he getting down on one knee? All I could think was, "For God's sake, not now!" Glasses, no makeup and a granny nightgown was not my original picture of a romantic proposal. Sure enough, he opened a ring box and in it was a beautiful pear shaped diamond. He proposed to me- the clean faced, nearsighted, unfashionable, end of the day me, so I figured it must be true love and I said yes. That's when I told him I had known from the beginning of the trip. So why had he let all those great romantic moments pass? He had been working up his nerve.

The Week in Review

Last week was special and crazy. I was the featured blogger on SITS and was showered with lots of love in the form of pageviews and comments and some new followers. What more could a girl ask for? I really appreciate SITS and want to thank them for being so supportive of the women's blogging community.

The crazy part was I got a new temporary job. It only pays $15 per day, brings me a great sense of duty and importance, leaves me drained at the end of the day and- I can't talk about any part of it until it's all over. Going through a new experience and not being able to write about it is difficult for a blogger. So I guess just stay tuned for some insights into this journey at the very end.

Today is my SITS Day!

google.com

Today is my SITS day! And somewhere I am spending it in civic duty land where no laptops are allowed. What were the chances of that? I actually will not be able to tune in to thesitsgirls.com and watch it unfold. Excruciating! Oh well, duty calls and I will have to catch up on comments in the evenings. That's all I can say about that.

For those who are still wondering what a SITS day is, it is the day you get to be the featured blogger on thesitsgirls.com, which is a social networking, support and education site for women bloggers. The SITS girls has over 40,000 members! I couldn't be more excited to be the featured blogger today. For those of you just visiting for the first time today, welcome! Please have a look around and if you like what you see, consider subscribing via Google friend connect, RSS feed, Twitter, Facebook or email. Subscription buttons can be found in the top right sidebar. And. as always, welcome SITStahs!