The Mom's Book of Worries

My son was going out to play in the backyard to the sandbox while I finished up supper. I know how much trouble little ones can get into and how fast so I was on my way to make sure he was indeed still there when screaming came to my attention outside in the driveway.

 He was holding his hand up to me saying he had hurt his "pingers". Knowing what a drama king my little prince can be I was betting there would be nothing but a scrape on his fingers. But I soon encountered the dreaded smell of burnt flesh.

Have you ever had the displeasure of being accosted with that aroma? Oh my! I've smelled it before when his father had a brush fire accident and now our son was sporting a new scorch mark. His first trauma.

It didn't take long to get him inside, treated and soaking in cool water. For first degree (minor) burns such as these it is always best to run cool water over it, make sure it's clean and soak in cool to tepid water for at least 5 minutes. Then lightly dry and apply antibiotic ointment and gauze wrappings. My trooper wouldn't have anything covering it, so I've just been treating it with antibiotic ointment. (There are new ones out that sport lidocaine mixtures)

His blister is the perfect reflection of a car's cigarette lighter. He told me later that Granny's car is dangerous and he would leave it alone from now on! There is danger everywhere outside and parked cars that are unlocked are no exception. I was so scared and so lucky it wasn't worse. In just a few minutes he had taught us both a lesson in the dangers of your own back yard.

Just FYI, he had pain for about 15 minutes, then relaxed and was back to playing as usual. A day later he has that lovely blister and the need to scratch. It is still being treated to prevent infection, and will be until the blister is gone and new skin all in it's place.

Some First Degree Burn Rules:
NEVER pop a blister, it is the body's way of healing and is better than anything man could produce.

NEVER apply butter to a burn!! This used to be a Mom's first line of defense. It feels good at first but can trap heat inside the burn.

NEVER apply ice directly to the burn!! Just cool water. The water should be comfortably cool, not too cold.

If the burn is chemical, electrical, or larger than an inch get them to a doctor to be checked out.

I hope this helps someone else out there. I strive to always stay calm and assess every situation with a Mother's heart and a nurse's eye. In your situations, keeping a level head will help get fast results and a much calmer child.

• Ceiling fans will break most any balloon.
• This causes Mommy to jump and hold her heart
• A Pointy Orange veggie is called a carrot
• Plastic carrots don't taste very good

And My Favorite:

• That "Watch this Mommy" gets results every time! 

He loves playing house and 'helping' Mommy and Daddy do chores already. I hope he never out grows that wonderful spirit of giving! As always, he is out Right Hand, as his name suggests!

My kids Love Ices. This is what they call popsicles! So, I'm always looking for a new take on frozen treats that they can enjoy...so I loved the commercial about Dannonino Yogurt cups!

There is so much fun info on their website, go to http://danonino.us.com for coupons, offers, and activities including this and other fun recipes!

You can get the plastic spoons at WalMart or even the Dollar Store for kids, or just use plastic picknic style spoons. I like using the kind for kids since they are easier to hold in little hands and are much easier to clean and reuse.

You can use this trick for your favorite yogurt as well! I like placing a whips style in the freezer for about 2 hours. Yummy creamy frozen yogurt for Mom time!

Off to get more yogurt!

Brighten up any window with these easy to make Window clings. The kids get to design and make something important to them that goes on their window or any window in the house.

Materials

• simulated liquid leading (Gallery Glass)
• Leading blank paper (Plaid- Gallery Glass)
• Colors (Gallery Glass) We chose red, yellow and white.
• Scissors

Activity

1. Find your picture via clip art or drawn by hand. Print in the desired size.
2. Cover the picture with the Leading blank paper. Paying attention to the instructions. ( Lead on the smooth side)
3. Trace around the shapes using the liquid leading. Squeeze with a steady hand to ensure a smooth line. The paint needs this border to stay inside so keep the line a consistent height.
4. Leave to dry.
5. Choose your colors for your picture. Fill each section in with color. Taking care not to overfill.
6. Leave to dry completely. Overnight.

Peel slowly without breaking the lines and affix to window.

Last night my husband was planting some hostas for me and we found a baby garden snake. It was tiny, about 6 inches and very active. He showed our son who was completely captivated by it.

We brought it in and put in our former crabitat. (Our hermit crabs had been upgraded to a bigger home and this one still had the heat rock and watering shell) We intended to keep it over night so he could show his cousin the following day.

About halfway to bedtime we decided it was probably not snake proofed enough for our peace of mind, so we released it outside.

This morning my son imediately went to the tank looking for the snake. I told him what happened and he says,

Oh the snake got out Mommy? That's not good.

I could have died laughing at his serious tone and expression! His phrases are always surprising me, but the inflection he chooses is what strikes me the funniest. My little serious man!

we took the opportunity to teach him about snakes being dangerous and should be left on their own. Now we wonder where Momma Snake is hiding.

My son swallowed a penny the other day. Being a nurse I didn't think too much of it really. Being a Mom I felt he got past my defensive screening and found an object that he could have chocked on! Terrible! But I knew that this is a normal part of childhood and made sure it did indeed go down. (He could swallow and keep down water)

We kept a close eye on him and he did great the rest of the night. However, the next morning he couldn't keep anything (even water) down. After cleaning the puddles, we headed for the hospital for an Xray. His doctor ordered just in case.

Turns out he had a flu bug, and the penny was waiting for his exit orders in the large bowel. Sometimes strange coincidences occur simultaneously!

Here is the basics in coin swallowing:

• Make sure offending object is in the stomach by giving them water then food.
• Watch for signs of airway obstruction like drooling or turning blue
• Contact your pediatrician with any concerns or for questions
• If all is clear, wait a few days (2-4) for penny to pass (they don't even feel it)
• Don't beat yourself up, but make sure all loose change is put away until this stage passes

I was changing my son yesterday and as usual hugged him into my lap when all done and told him "I love you!" He eloquently replied, "Oh. You Love me? Hmmm."

Being as ornery as he is, I asked him, "Don't you love Mommy?" and immediately thought I could see a glimpse into the future. Oh my I thought! I hope he doesn't have this conversation with any of his future girl friends.

What a disaster that would be. Can you picture it? Imagine the look on that poor gal's face. Aren't you going to say you love me too? and getting a... Hmm

My little heart breaker is growing up too fast. All babies do, but why does Mommy's little boy have to be such a man already? And why do us gals have to hear it back? I hope I can at least teach my daughter to break that cycle.

If you love someone, tell them! If they say hmm, let it go. It's better than "That's too bad" at least! These little ones start out knowing so much and we teach them all the wrong responses. I sincerely hope that when my son does fall in love he says so, and only when he's sure!