CPR IS NO JOKE

So a mouse walks into a bar. 

No. That's not the one. Let me start again. 

Q: How does a mouse resuscitate his friend? 

A: By giving him mouse to mouse! 

*****

Josh Bowman, Aquatics Director at Yates Family YMCA, was our guest speaker today. He had some great information on general safety and first aid, and then he did some demonstrations of infant and adult CPR and choking procedures for children and adults. 

His handouts had some great information, so be sure to pick one up at the next meeting or ask Lucy if you weren't there today.

Joking aside, this blog post, or even what we learned at the meeting, cannot replace real CPR and first aid training, but I do want to highlight some of the tips we discussed today. 

Also, if your baby looks like this, you have bigger problems than we can solve here. :)

Sorry- back to the tips. 

First we talked about safety and first aid. 

*In addition to baby proofing, make sure your babysitters are aware of potential hazards in your home. You may know the danger your child is capable of getting into, but unfamiliar caretakers may not. 

*Keep all cleaning supplies locked and out of reach. A new danger you might not be aware of is the small detergent packets, both for dishwashers and laundry. They are small and candy-like, but very toxic. 

*A number to know: 1-800-222-1222/ Poison Control.

*Have a safety plan, and make sure your children know the plan. How will we get out in case of fire? Where will we meet up in case of natural disaster? 

*Make sure caretakers also know the plan. 

*If you come up with a way to share that with a sitter that doesn't make you sound totally crazy, please share with the group. 

Then we talked about CPR. This is what you need to know.

We also talked about choking, which is particularly a problem with small children. 

Rule #1: When giving back blows, do not break your child.

Or just do this:

*Do not attempt to remove an obstruction unless you can clearly see it. 

*If a woman is visibly pregnant, use chest thrusts instead of belly thrusts. 

*If the victim is able to cough or cry, encourage them to cough but do not intervene. 

We also talked about water safety and the need to always have a designated person watching children in the water, even in places where there is a lifeguard. Swim lessons are highly recommended.

And there you have it! If you have further questions, Josh Bowman can be reached via email at jbowman@firstcoastymca.org. 

MomCon 2013

Each year, MOPS International has a conference, also known as MomCon. This weekend, three of us flew out to Kansas City, Missouri to represent our group and soak up some momma love and great information. We joined 3,500 moms, just like us from all over the world! Our flight was delayed on Thursday but we rushed just in time to catch Kathi Lipp teaching us to get organized. We had time to explore a bit and found a great Mexican place for dinner. We raced back (up hill) for the opening session with Elisa Morgan and Ken Davis. There was lots of nodding in agreement, chuckles and tears as we heard Elisa's 'beautiful mess' of motherhood. I got a full night of sleep (HUGE for me) and we hit the ground running enjoying the cool, MO weather! The first session was with Beth Moore and Alexandra Kuykendall (author of this year's theme book, The Artist's Daughter). We met up with our fellow FL pals during lunch and hit up the Marketplace (tried to win a Kindle). That afternoon we split up for our position sessions: mentor, coordinator and finance. It was nice to meet other leaders in our positions and exchange ideas! Later I went to a session on 25 Ways to Significantly Cut Your Grocery Bill. Here are a few links I picked up from that session: Buy in bulk, Use a crockpot, order groceries online, make your own cleaners and don't throw out leftovers. After a great session with Lysa Terkeurst we hopped in a cab to check out the #1 BBQ place in Kansas City, Oklahoma Joe's.

Waiting in line to fill our bellies with yummy BBQ!

We came back and checked out the 'late night activity', Theater Off the Cuff, an improve group. They were okay. We dipped out early for more sleep! Saturday's morning session blew us all away! Jen Hatmaker gave an amazing talk about owning up to your parenting. It's one thing to tell your kids to live the right away, but what really works is showing them. Wow. Amazing woman! Afterwards we were able to meet her and thank her for her message.

 

We split up again to cover the afternoon workshops: More Momma, Less Drama, No Ordinary Marriage, Searching for What And Who Defines Me,  and my favorite, What's Draining Your Energy (Do, Delegate, Dump, Detach and Discern to eliminate energy drainers in your life). One last session from Kathi Lipp

 

and we went back to get ready for the Mom Prom! Think circa 1973 (MOPS 40th Anniversary), dinner and dancing! Awesome!

Some of us slept in on Sunday and flew back to the home front. Let me tell you, it was tough getting away. There was really a TEAM of people who helped take care of my life here so I could dip out. And it was totally worth it! I feel refreshed and rejuvenated...and my husband will get over it by the end of the week :-) 

 

Cleaning Up Our Mess

This morning's meeting topic was Stain Removal and Simple Sewing Repair. When I first became a "stay at home mom" I was eager to spend more time with my precious baby...but not so excited to do all the other household chores full time. I'm guilty of throwing away a cute dress because it was stained beyond repair. Then, Joy told us about Biz. She says to make a paste with water and put it on the stain and let it sit for 24 hours, then wash as normal.

I'm hoping these banana stains from 2 kids ago come out. I'll keep you posted! Joy said to repeat this process until the stain comes out. We also learned about Fels-Naptha, glycerin, WD-40, hydrogen peroxide and a whole hand out of useful tips for dryer sheets, color catchers, etc. Courtney gave us a recipe for

Laundry Detergent
4lb box borax
4lb box baking soda
4lb box super washing soda
2 or 3 bars of Fels naptha soap - grated (I use 3)...
1 or 2 of the 8oz tubs of Oxiclean (I use 2)
Purex crystals (optional)

Grate the soap with a cheese grater. Pour some of the borax or other powders into a blender with the grated soap. Blend until powdery. Mix all ingredients into a 5 gallon bucket or something similar. DO THIS OUTSIDE. You might be choking on powder if not. Use 1 tablespoon for a small load or 2 tablespoons for a large load. Makes 640 loads for $20-$30 depending on if you use the extra soap and oxiclean. Purex crystals are an extra $6. Target has most ingredients down the laundry aisle. The soap can be found at Publix or Winn Dixie.

Then, Jan gave us some simple sewing tips. We learned about stitch witchery to fix a hem. Peel n Stick patches for tears or even to cover a mess up. We learned about double threading a needle and using grey thread for most things...or to match a thread color when doing detailed work by hand. We also received a lesson on cotton quality and proper ironing.

Hopefully the lessons I learned this morning will help to build some cleanliness confidence or at least save a dress or two!