Photo source: Stuart Miles

My daughter had a holiday party at school before Christmas break and I couldn’t believe what I saw in her classroom.  Sick kids. Several of them.  Coughing, red-faced, snotty nosed 5 and 6 year olds.  I was beside myself.   Why had these kids parents sent their kids to school sick.  One girl was coughing so much she had to go to the nurse while I was there and several more kids had garbage cans right next to them to throw their snotty tissues in because they were blowing their noses so much.  My daughter had just gotten over a cold and I kept her home for 3 out of 5 days the week prior because I (a) wanted her to recover and (b) didn’t want her to get anyone else sick.  Why don’t all parents have the same consideration?  I guess there can be extenuating circumstances such as not having anyone to care for the child while the parent is at work but still, kids need to stay healthy and not pass these nasty bugs/viruses around so please keep your child home if they are not feeling well.

I understand that when a child is sick, it is sometimes tempting to send them to school anyway.  With many parents working either outside the home or from home,  household chores and other tasks are often accomplished while children are at school.   There are times, however, that a child is considered too sick to attend school, I believe.  There are a number of reasons, both for the child and the other students, why a sick child should stay home.

Here are four reasons why a child not feeling well should stay home from school:

• Cough - Excessive coughing would not necessarily include the symptoms caused by asthma. Although asthma with excessive symptoms should be checked by a doctor.
• Fever - A child with low grade fever should be kept home from school as well. Fevers are transmittable whether they are low or high.
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting

A few more things to consider before sending a sick child to school:

The child may be contagious.
By sending a child to school if he or she has a cough, fever, or has had diarrhea or has vomited in the last 24 hours, the risk of other children catching the same illness whether it’s a cold, flu, or other illness, is substantially higher than keeping the child home.

Something that Bothers the Daylights out of me! When is a Child too Sick to go to School? is a post from: The Mommy Insider. It looks like you are reading this post in your favorite RSS reader. Don't be shy..hop on over to check out our current giveaways, coupon codes, and to share your comments!

It’s been a rough 2012 so far.  It could be worse, but I have felt like a muddy shoelace that’s been trampled on for weeks without being tied and put into the safe keeping of the little lacing eyelet.  Not sure where that came from but it sounds about right.

This is my daughter but is exactly how I feel.

It all started when my 5 year old daughter had a cough and runny nose and I had a major sinus thing going on, a couple of weeks ago. We were due to go to Florida to visit my Dad and step-mom right after Christmas so I took myself and my daughter to urgent care the day before our departure date, to get checked out.  After waiting at urgent care for three hours, I got two shots (steroid and anti-biotic) and antibiotic meds and she got antibiotic meds to take for five days.  I was told I had a sinus infection and that it was a good thing that I came in because my eustachian tubes looked like they were about to burst.  This all happened after a 2.5 hour wait and upon seeing the actual dr for less than 4 minutes tops.

Anyway, the kids and I drove on to Florida the next day and silly me, I thought that my daughter and I would be all cleared up of our illnesses within 24 hours of taking the antibiotics but here I am almost two weeks later, still sick with a cough, wheezing, and now abdominal pain.

I have been resting a lot. I hate resting.  I hate sleeping.  Both seem like a waste of time. I like to be busy.  I like to feel like I’m always accomplishing something.  There’s always something to accomplish, right?

Resting isn’t for me.  It’s a form of torture.  I think my husband likes it when I rest though.  He doesn’t have to watch me clean, work, organize, do laundry, brush tangles out of hair, mark the calendar up, create lists, etc.

Why isn’t this darn sickness going away? I’m resting, taking steroids, using cough syrup, drinking straight honey, using my inhaler, and drinking plenty of clear fluids gosh darn it!

On that note, I know I am behind on chosing winners for my December contests and will get to that as soon as I have the mental energy to commit to what it takes to choose winners.  I use random.org to choose winners randomly and that’s the easy part.  It’s the contacting the winner’s, writing the email with all the contest specs, contacting the PR representative/company about shipping the prizes, etc that is time consuming.  I love what I do though and that’s why I’ve been doing it for ten years now and will keep it up!

I feel bad for not having chosen winners for my most recent contests and for not keeping up with the 21,867 emails in my inbox but I have to take care of my self or I’m never going to get over this.

Thanks for your patience and support!

This Blogger is Down and Out (Temporarily). I’ll be Announcing Contest Winners Soon – I Promise! is a post from: The Mommy Insider. It looks like you are reading this post in your favorite RSS reader. Don't be shy..hop on over to check out our current giveaways, coupon codes, and to share your comments!

Congratulations Kathleen, Wendy, and Angie!

I have had several migraines in the last few years and I know how uncomfortable they can make someone.  My sister gets migraines often and I hate to see her feeling so badly during them.  The first things that I do when it feels like a migraine might be coming on is go to a dimly lit room, turn off all electronics, and place a warm compress on my forehead.  These are things that help for me. I’m not suggesting they help for everyone. Believe me, I know migraine symptoms can be terrible which is why I’m including some more ‘official’ migraine tips and prevention techniques from Execdrin, below.

Did you know that if you don’t take medication at the first sign of a migraine, it could last 24 hours or longer?  I’m a believer in taking medication for a migraine at the first sign.  If you can prevent it from lasting very long, why not?

According to a survey conducted by Excedrin® Migraine and the National Headache Foundation:

eight in ten (83%) migraine sufferers confess that when they have a migraine, their family suffers as much as they do because of the impact it has on their ability to go about their regular routine.  I believe it! 

Migraine Tips and Prevention Techniques

There are many different ways to manage migraines. There is no simple solution and every treatment plan should be individualized.

• Perhaps the most important tool in tracking migraines is a migraine diary. It is used by doctors to track potential triggers and patterns related to your migraine. It helps you track food you eat when migraines occur, duration of migraines, type of pain, amount of sleep, etc.

• Aerobic exercise has been shown to make an appreciable difference in reducing migraines and promoting a general sense of well-being. Even if you walk only 15 to 20 minutes.

• Drinking plenty of water will help you keep hydrated and can help prevent the frequency of migraine incidents.

• And, when migraine pain does set in, consider finding a quiet place to rest, applying a cool compress to the back of your neck.

• Talk with your doctor about an over-the-counter pain reliever like Excedrin® Migraine, which starts to relieve migraine pain in 30 minutes.

• For more tips and insights, please visit www.execedrin.com/migraine.

Migraine Resources:

Excedrin® Migraine relaxation basket GIVEAWAY!  {Contest has ended}

Approximate $140 value.

We are giving three lucky readers an Excedrin® Migraine relaxation basket that includes:

• A therapeutic neck wrap that can be heated or frozen
• Swarovski Crystal Ear Buds to listen to relaxing music
• A soothing gel eye mask
• $15 iTunes gift card to purchase relaxing tunes
• $50 American Express gift card for additional stress-free needs
• Foot massager
• Back massager

Excedrin® Migraine – Win a $140 Excedrin® Migraine Relaxation Gift Basket! {Contest has ended} is a post from: The Mommy Insider. It looks like you are reading this post in your favorite RSS reader. Don't be shy..hop on over to check out our current giveaways, coupon codes, and to share your comments!

It’s that time of year again.. cold and flu season.  I am so grateful that my kids haven’t gotten a cold in the last month but both my husband and I have.  We are huge fans of the meds when we get sick.  We’re a couple of babies.  No really.. my thought is (if you are an adult), take what you need to take (Advil Congestion Relief, for example) as soon as you feel the cold coming on.  There’s absolutely no sense in not doing what you can to make yourself feel better, if you can.  That’s why we keep our medicine cabinet stocked with cold, sinus, and allergy relief medications year round.  One tip I need to give you is to always keep medications away from small children.  We keep our medicine cabinet up high and the door locks.  I recommend that you do the same!

Recognizing that congestion comes in many forms, from a stuffy nose to a crowded street, the makers of Advil® Congestion Relief are helping consumers breathe easier by alleviating congestion in two ways this cold and flu season – by providing the right relief for sinus congestion and relief to congestion problems facing communities around the country through the Advil® Congestion Relief Project.

Advil® Congestion Relief Project
The cold and flu brand is putting a twist on its tagline – “The Right Relief for the Real Problem,” and providing literal relief in congested places across the U.S. from undersupplied schools, congested traffic lanes and more. In its first relief stop, the Advil® Congestion Relief Project unveiled a new library at P.S. 130 in the Bronx on Tuesday, November 15.

Here is my story about how congestion has affected and been partially relieved in Atlanta.

Atlanta constructed the 285 loop two make it easier for individuals who lived in the outer suburbs of city to commute to Atlanta more efficiently.  The loop though had a side-effect which was that more people were living outside the city instead of inside the city which caused a lot of congestion on all highways leading in and out of Atlanta.

Recently though, Atlanta has implemented a couple of things that are proving to help with congestion. These include a traffic light system on on-ramps leading onto major highways.  The red and green lights cycle through every few seconds signaling drivers when they can proceed onto the highway. This has resulted in a staggered flow of traffic onto the highway as opposed to the onslaught of cars that used to congest the ramp areas because everyone was trying to funnel onto the highway at the same time.

At first I thought the ramp lights were unnecessary because I thought it would just cause more traffic on the on-ramp and the roads leading to the ramps but in fact the light did neither and actually has improved how quickly I get onto the highway and got me on my way.

These are just a couple of ways that Atlanta has dealt with congestion.

The Advil® Congestion Relief Project is looking for additional communities in need of relief. You can even enter your own community story by answering the questions:

1. What’s congested in your community?
2. How does that affect your community?
3. How could Advil® Congestion Relief relieve your community’s congestion?

Visit CongestionReliefProject.com and share the congestion relief your community needs for your chance to win a prize worth up to $30,000 for your local community.

Win a one 10 count package of Advil® Congestion Relief (retail value $7.99)!  

Disclosure: I am a member of One2One Network and this post is part of a sponsored campaign I received both product and compensation for my time. I make no claims about Advil Congestion Relief as a product or it’s effectiveness.

Advil® Congestion Relief Project #CongestionRelief {Contest has ended} is a post from: The Mommy Insider. It looks like you are reading this post in your favorite RSS reader. Don't be shy..hop on over to check out our current giveaways, coupon codes, and to share your comments!

Here’s a scenario that used to happen every weekday until recently when I changed a few things:

My 12-year-old son gets off the bus, drags himself, his backpack and his trumpet inside, then he practically runs to the kitchen, opens the cabinet door and refrigerator doors almost simultaneously and pulls out the filtered water (I’m lucky he loves water, I know!) and a Kashi cereal bar and grabs a handful of grapes. Then he collapses into a chair and starts eating like he hasn’t eaten in days.  Sounds familiar doesn’t it?  He’s starving by the time he gets home from school!

Since many kids are eating their lunch at school quite early, it’s no wonder they come home hungry.  My 5-year-old eats lunch at 10:56 in the morning so I don’t blame her for coming home from school hungry.   But you don’t want them eating too much which may ruin their appetite for dinner, especially if your normal dinner time is within just an hour or so of them coming home from school. Consider your child’s own schedule and adjust accordingly. Remember, just because another parent sets snack time at 3:30 doesn’t mean you have to as well. Talk to your child and watch their behavior to find a time that is right for them.

Have your snacks ready and cut up for your kids to grab when they come in from school.  When my 5-year-old gets home from school and wants a snack, she’s often too tired child to want to cut up or fix her snack- she just wants to grab what she can quickly, have a seat at her little table and chow down.

Tip: Have the snacks visible in the fridge or on the table for easy access. Make sure your child knows what he or she is permitted to eat as a snack, so they don’t try to sneak in something that is bad for them. Offer a few alternatives so they feel they have a say in the matter, as well.

Choose healthy snacks that aren’t too filling, but will stave off the after-school munchies until a proper dinner can be served.  My 5-year-old is pretty good about choosing a healthy snack but my 12-year-old; not so much.  That’s why the first tip is an important for me.

Tip: Cut up carrots, celery, broccoli and cauliflower can be arranged with some low-fat dip. Apples, oranges, bananas and other fresh fruit can be set out, or cut up a fresh bowl of fruit salad for your kids to grab. Trail mix, assorted nuts, whole-grain pretzels and cereals, peanut butter and sugar-free jelly sandwiches, and a variety of crackers and cheeses are also excellent choices. And remember, stick to healthy drink options, such as low-fat milk or water. Kids do not need sugary sodas and juices to drink, especially on a daily basis. For a fun change, offer sparkling flavored water in a variety of flavors that your kids will enjoy.

Finally, talk to your kids about what they enjoy as a snack, and offer them different ideas for snack foods. When kids feel involved in their choices, they are more likely to pick what is best for them. A healthy snack makes for healthy kids, so take the time to find out what they like!

Oh, and one more tip.  Always have your kids wash their hands before eating their afterschool snack!

Here’s to yummy, stress-free, afterschool snacks!

Here are a few great snack ideas that you can prepare while your kids are in school and have ready for them when they get home:

• Orange Cranberry Muffins  (recipe source: parenting.com)
• 25 after school snacks from Snack Girl (source: snack-girl.com)
• Peanut Butter Banana Muffins (recipe source: mealmakeovermoms.com)

Choosing and Preparing Healthy After-School Snacks is a post from: The Mommy Insider. It looks like you are reading this post in your favorite RSS reader. Don't be shy..hop on over to check out our current giveaways, coupon codes, and to share your comments!

There you are.. you just got your sick baby to sleep and you realize that’s it’s time to take her temperature.  You walk into her nice quiet nursery thermometer in hand, you stand above your sleeping baby and wonder.. how am I going to do this without waking her?   Will the probing or the beeping noise wake her?  Which one will it be?  Whichever comes first, in my experience.
Over the last twelve years when taking my kid’s temperature whether while there were awake or asleep, I have often wondered why there wasn’t a non-intrusive, quiet, thermometer available.  All I wanted was a thermometer that I wouldn’t have to stick in my child’s ear, mouth, or butt while he/she was sleeping, in order to check his/her temperature. That day has finally come!

No probing. No beeping. No wondering if you’re going to wake your child up.  I love it!

I received the Kidz-Med VeraTemp Non-Contact Thermometer at just the right time.   My five year old daughter has not been feeling well for about a week.  You know the drill.. coughing, stuffy nose, lethargic.. but she doesn’t have a fever.  I checked with two thermometers; our old ear thermometer and this new thermometer.  Both thermometers read the same 98.4 degrees.   Which does my daughter prefer?  The “no pokebeeping” thermometer.  The entire family affectionately refers to the Kidz-Med VeraTemp Non-Contact Thermometer as the “no pokebeeping thermometer” and we’ve used it a lot this past week.

The Kidz-Med VeraTemp Non-Contact Thermometer  has three modes; Body, Room, and Surface.  Use Body mode to take your child’s body temperature.  Hold the thermometer about 2 inches away from your child’s forehead and push the scan button.  The LCD screen lights up with the temperature display right away, no waiting, and you will NOT hear a beeping sound.  Hallelujah!

The Kidz-Med VeraTemp Non-Contact Thermometer is great for germaphobes (that’s me!) because we don’t have to worry about coming in contact with germs that may be on the thermometer. I HATE putting things in my mouth or ears.  Except food and drinks of course but I don’t put those in my ears.

Measuring room temperature

I am impressed with the accuracy of this thermometer.  I tested it next to our thermostat and sure enough, the temps matched.

About the Kidz-Med VeraTemp Non-Contact Thermometer

• No need to touch, startle, upset or wake your child
• Completely touch free!
• Pediatrician recommended
• Proven accuracy
• Safe, hygienic and easy to use
• Instant reading: measures temperature in the time it takes you to press the button!
• Back-lit LED display, take temperature in the dark while child is sleeping
• No probe covers needed
• Multi-Use: measures any temperature including core body temperature, nursery, bath, formula, food
• Celsius or Fahrenheit

Richard G. Lagueruela, MD, Director of Surgical Services, Miami Children’s Hospital says:

“Kidz-Med’s new thermometer takes the trauma out of temperature taking. It has absolutely no contact with the skin, is quick and is highly accurate; the ultimate combination for caretakers and parents. We’ve tested the new thermometers in our fast-paced environment, and each time they exceed our expectations, making our jobs more efficient and overall much easier. Children have no problem getting their temperature taken this way, especially since it takes less than a second to get a reading. Every hospital and household should have one of these!”

The Kidz-Med VeraTemp Non-Contact Thermometer is sold at major retailers including Walmart, Amazon.com (affiliate link), Target and CVS.

Connect with Kidz-Med

• Kidz-Med VeraTemp Non-Contact Thermometer website
• Follow Kidz-Med on Twitter
• Follow Kidz-Med on Facebook

Kidz-Med VeraTemp Non-Contact Thermometer Giveaway!

We are giving three lucky readers a Kidz-Med VeraTemp Non-Contact Thermometer!
To enter, leave a comment below telling us why you’d like to win.

Earn extra entries by doing any or all of the following:

• Follow The Mommy Insider on Twitter and on Facebook
• Tweet this: “I entered to win a VeraTemp Non-Contact Thermometer here http://bit.ly/kidzmedgiveaway  You can enter to win too! @mommyinsider #giveaway”
• Follow Kidz-Med on Twitter
• Follow Kidz-Med on Facebook
• Be sure to tell us what you’ve done in separate comments below.

Entries accepted through 11:59pm October 10th.  Contest open to U.S. residents age 18+ only.  No P.O. boxes.

Disclosure: I was provided with a unit for review purposes.  All opinions are 100% mine and were not influenced in any way.  You may not experience the same results.

Review and Giveaway: Kidz-Med VeraTemp Non-Contact Thermometer {Ends 10/10} is a post from: The Mommy Insider. It looks like you are reading this post in your favorite RSS reader. Don't be shy..hop on over to check out our current giveaways, coupon codes, and to share your comments!