The Curse

I was woken up at 2:00 am to my sons' bathroom light on.  Thinking it was one of them going to the bathroom, I turned over again.  But the light didn't turn off and I didn't hear sounds.  When I called out for someone to turn off the light, Little Ricky yelled back, "I'm cleaning up the blood!"


After jumping out of bed in a half second and running to the bathroom, what I witnessed was heart stopping.  It looked like a crime scene!  There was blood all over the white tile of the bathroom and toilet.  In the middle of it all was "Little Ricky" on his hands and knees rubbing the floor with a bathroom wipe.  


He had a nose bleed.  


I had passed this common affliction on to my son.  I have had this all my life.  Although it doesn't hurt, it is REALLY ANNOYING!  People who don't know tend to panic.  You could be hit softly on the nose or be standing still and your nose starts.  It is rather scary, but luckily Little Ricky remains calm.


Here are some tips if you are faced with a nose bleed:


1)  DON'T PANIC!  If you panic or cry, chances are the blood will flow more.


2)  Contrary to popular belief, do not tilt your head back.  This can cause blood to go to the back of the throat causing nausea, vomitting or diarreah.  


3)  Stay upright.  Keeping the head above the heart will minimize bleeding.


4)  Pinch the soft part of your nose just below the bridge (the bony part). Use the thumb and index finger to squeeze it (not too hard) for at least 5 minutes. If your nose continues to bleed, squeeze again for at least 10 minutes.  As you're doing this, breathe through your mouth.


5)  Put a cold ice pack on the back of the neck or the forehead.


6)  As soon as the bleeding starts to slow, put a rolled piece of tissue in your nose to block the passage.

After the bleeding has stopped:

• Do not clean the inside of the nose.  This may dislodge a clot and the bleeding will start again.
• Do not do anything to make the bleeding occur again.  (eg.  picking your nose, rubbing your nose, blowing your nose, bending over)
• Use a cool vaporizer.  Nose bleeds tend to occur due to dry conditions.

Please note that the loss of blood is both a scary and serious matter.  If you lose a large amount of blood (not usually common with nose bleeds), please seek medical attention.


Alexis

Thirsty Thursday ~ Pink Salty Dog

A friend of mine is throwing a Quince for her daughter.  She asked me for a pink cocktail that could also be served without alcohol (mocktail) for the teenagers at the party.  I came across this refreshing cocktail/mocktail at KojoDesigns.

This beverage is mostly tart with a dash of sweet, and equally fabulous as a mocktail.

Pink Salty Dog

Ingredients:
1/2 cup freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
1 T grenadine
1 T Rose's sweetened lime juice
1 T cranberry juice
1 cup ice
2 T vodka (for the over 21 crowd)
coarse salt for rimming

Preparation:
Pour grapefruit juice, grenadine, lime juice, cranberry juice and vodka (for the grown-ups only version) into the pitcher of a blender.  Add ice.  Blend well.

Dip the rim of your glass in grapefruit juice, then into coarse salt.  Pour in the beverage and ENJOY!
 
Alexis

Wordless Wednesday ~ I Need This...

Alexis

If I Didn't Have to Work...

First, let's pretend that working is something that I choose to do, instead of something that helps to pay the bills.  Next, what would I do with all that free time??  

Here are the TOP 10 things 

I would do if I didn't have to work 

(even though I could think of about a million!!):

10)  Clean my house.  Keep my house clean.
9)  Make the beds EVERY morning.
8)  Plan meals ahead of time instead of while in the store.
7)  Be a room mom in both of my son's classrooms.
6)  Go to the gym in the morning.
5)  Catch up on my sleep.
4)  Read a book.
3)  Go to the grocery store...ALONE!
2)  Run errands during the day instead of over the weekends like everyone else.

And the #1 thing I would do if I didn't have to work...


NOTHING...JUST BECAUSE!


 
What would you do?


Alexis

Marble Jar ~ A Sane Way to Reinforce Positive Behaviors

As a teacher, I am used to positive reinforcement in the classroom.  How can I get the kids to show respect?  How can I help them to follow directions?  In the past, I have used a marble jar as a reinforcer for the entire class.  After filling up the jar, the class would get a reward of their choosing.

Now as a mom, I'm always searching for ways to use positive ways when dealing with my boys' behaviors.  Thanks to WinWinApps, there is now a virtual Marble Jar app for iPhone and iPad!  What a life saver!  Not only do my boys love playing with my iPhone and iPad, but now I won't have glass marbles rolling all over the house!

As I have mentioned before, "Little Ricky" has a tendency to talk back and he thinks that he "knows it all!"  As much as I want to scream and send him to his room, I know that this is not the way I should react when he does this, so I've been looking for alternatives.  We started with a behavior chart and it was effective.  Now that I have found Marble Jar, we are on the road to positive reinforcement!

"Little Ricky" and I sat down to create his goals for his jar.  We wanted to work on the words he chooses when expressing his feelings, both happy and upset.  Oh yeah, and we even personalized his jar with his picture.

Our next step is to decide what appropriate reward should come out of "filling" his marble jar.  Maybe a special "Mommy/Son date" to test out our manners!







Over the next few weeks, I will monitor "Little Ricky's" choices with his words and manners and he can put marbles in his "jar."  I will share our journey.

Hmm....maybe I will create a "Mommy Jar" to help with household chores!  My reward?  DESSERT!!

Now it's your turn...go to iTunes and download Marble Jar for FREE!  I look forward to hearing your ideas on how you plan to use Marble Jar.



Disclosure: This is part of a compensated post series sponsored by Marble Jar.  All opinions are unbiased and my own. 

Alexis

Staying Sane as a Room Parent

As a teacher, I have learned along the way that the more organized I am in the classroom, the more organized my room mom will be.  This will in turn make our classroom activities more successful.


Now that I am a parent volunteer in my boys' classrooms, I am trying to have the same approach to organization.  My job is to help make the teacher's job easier.  Luckily there are MANY other moms who have volunteered, so I am not flying solo on this one.  


Making a chart is the best way to stay organized and keep each activity and the volunteers in order.  

Here is an example of a chart that can help to quickly see the materials and volunteers needed for each activity.  The names of the volunteers can easily be written in so the teacher will know right away who to expect for each day.


What ideas to you have for being an organized room parent?


Alexis