Motherhood

How to Avoid Migraine Triggers

As I sit here looking at my computer screen, I realize that I am not seeing the letters clearly, I think maybe I need new glasses. It’s been a couple years, yes it is time. Then I remember that this has occurred before and the computer screen is one of my migraine triggers. I should probably get off the computer.

As an at-home web developer, I am on my computer all day so when things are difficult to read, I know I need to take a break to avoid getting a migraine that can take me off-line for days. The lighting on my screen is a trigger for me. My work load is high right now, so that would not be a good thing. It’s better to take the rest of the day off and restart tomorrow well rested without having to deal with a headache that makes you put your head under a blanket because light and sound are almost impossible to bear.

For triggers that can set off a migraine, see below. Some I didn’t know but at this moment a few of these are apparent, lacking sleep, overly tired and so busy with work that I have forgotten to eat and probably haven’t had enough water. This is a terrible pattern I know but when a client has malware on their website and Google blacklists it, you may need to stay up all night to fix it. Not that I did that, no not at all!

I didn’t realize that exercise could trigger a migraine, good reason to not go to the gym, ever, lol. The last one looked like “Certain Smiles” so I think it’s time to turn off the computer and hope to avoid this headache. Bye for now. Things may be clearer tomorrow.

Common Migraine Triggers

Stress
Menstrual periods
Changes in your normal sleep pattern
Extreme fatigue
Certain foods and drinks
Too much caffeine or withdrawal from it
Skipping meals or fasting
Dehydration
Changes in the weather
Exercise
Smoking
Bright, flickering lights
Certain smells

How to Avoid Migraine Triggers

Eat regular meals and don’t skip any.
Reduce caffeine. Doing so too fast can cause a migraine in some people so slowly decrease it.
Get enough sleep and set up a good sleeping pattern.
Decrease your stress levels and spend more time with people you care about. Meditate or pray more and exercise, unless it is one of your triggers.
Drink more water!
Give up smoking. Again do so slowly.

Identifying your triggers is the first step. Writing down the foods you ate and what you were doing when your migraine began can be an important factor in avoiding them. Asking yourself questions like, have I gotten enough sleep, have I been stressed and so on. WebMD has some good suggestions to help treat migraines and is a good read.

Snow Fun, 4 Things Kids Can Do in the Snow

Get ready for some snow fun with your kids. It’s snowing out, what’s a mom to do?

Playing in the snow is a lot of fun, but can get old after the first day or two. What are some fun things you can do when there is snow outside?

Paint the Snow: When it snow fun, my children always ask for what they call snow paint. I usually have a few inexpensive spray bottles on hand that I can fill with water. Then I add a few drops of food coloring to each bottle, creating “paint” the children use in the snow. The children love to color their snowmen, create colored snowballs and spray messages in the snow.
Snow Cream: Before the kids (and dog!) play in the snow I send them out for a bowl of fresh, clean snow. To make snow cream, place eight cups of clean snow in a bowl. Add one cup of sugar, one cup of milk and two teaspoons of vanilla. Mix the ingredients and serve immediately. We have tried to freeze snow cream and decided to throw it away later in the day. You can use sweetened condensed milk instead of whole milk and even add a packet of hot chocolate mix for chocolate snow cream.
Build a Fort: There are several ways you can build a fort in the snow. Get the neighborhood kids to work together to make one large fort to fit them all. The easiest way to build a snow fort is to create a walled circle with an opening for a door. You can use branches for a roof, a sheet or even pieces of wood. A tarp can be used for the floor so people can actually sit in the fort. Use buckets or washpans to create snow bricks.
Snow Sculptures: You’ve seen sand sculptures, so why not snow sculptures! Pick your favorite cartoon character and create a snow scene around that character.

Talking to your Daughter about Her Menstrual Period

When my mother was a young girl, she said parents didn’t talk about things like the Birds and the Bees or a menstrual period. When it came to learning about her period my grandmother said, “When you are a little older something will happen to you and here is what you will need.” Times have certainly changed, giving moms the freedom to speak openly to their daughters about their periods.

My daughter has known about menstruation since she was young. While in the bathroom with me she asked what “those things are for.” On the spur of the moment I answered with a completely honest answer, although a simple one.

There wasn’t a bit of fear in her eyes after hearing my quick explanation. I gave her just enough information to satisfy her curiosity without asking more questions. But the seed was planted, allowing her to ask about it when she got a little older.

And ask she did. I gave her a more in depth explanation, describing the lining of the uterus and how it “cleans itself out” monthly if you don’t get pregnant. I was asked if it hurts and how long it goes on, but that was about it.

Now that my daughter is almost ten, the “finer points” have been discussed. Again, the questions were prompted by her. “How do you feel?” “When will it happen?” “Do those hurt?” Not only does she feel no fear, but she is a little excited about starting.

I have to admit to telling her about cravings for chocolate and the occasional bad mood. I will never forget fussing at her about something and her asking, “Oh, do you have your period?” As innocent as that question was, I had to laugh out loud.

Have you had “the talk” with your daughter?

How To Get Your Child To Do Chores

When you were a child, did you have household chores? I’ll admit, it’s not always easy to get our child to do chores. When I was a child, I was in charge of setting the table and clearing it while my brother emptied the trash. We won’t dwell on the fact that I had my nights of whining and stomping my feet with each trip to the table. I was in second grade and was perfectly capable of the tasks I was assigned.

What do my boys do? One of my teen boys knows how to fold laundry while the other is a whiz at the dishes. They don’t do these chores every day, but when things are hectic they are asked to chip in. The boys also pick up the living room sporadically, but this is usually when the majority of the mess is theirs.

Set a Time for Your Child to do Chores

When is it a good time to give chores to your children? Children as young as three will love helping mommy and daddy and can be given tiny tasks to do. Maybe your little one can be on “crayon patrol,” picking up crayons and placing them in a special basket. Little children can be assigned the occasional small age- appropriate chore to help him or her feel like a part of the working family.

To assign chores to your school aged children, you might want consider your child’s interests. Does your son or daughter enjoy watching you cook? Perhaps they can become a part of meal preparation. Some children find window cleaning fun while others don’t mind taking the trash to the street.

Consider allowing your child to select their own chore. They may be less like to fight among siblings of chore selections. Why don’t you create a chore list as a family and assign someone to each chore. Be sure to include Mom or Dad, because dinner preparation or lawn mowing are certainly necessary chores in the house.

When school is in session, I have my teens focus on their school work during the week rather than on chores. They do not get home until after 6 p.m., so time is short for homework and studying.

On the weekends children can help with the dishes and laundry. When children complete their chores, it provides more time for family time or time to go out with friends. Children should be more accountable over the summer for various jobs around the house. When parents work full time, it is especially true.

Children may feel more like a part of the family rather than hired help when they are involved in chore assignments. Every child is unique and holds his or own special interests and talents. Use those to the advantage of the family unit, making chores seem less like a chore and more like an important family job.

Useful Bathroom Finder App

Who would have thought that one day there would be an app on your smart phone that would help you find a bathroom? What a great idea!

This app would have been especially important if I was indeed in the need of a restroom break and pregnant while on the road. I still remember those days! Even now, I’m sure I’ll make use of it, just not as often as I would if I were expecting. If you are, this is a must have for your phone.

This app is also good to have if you are potty training your child! I remember one time when we were traveling from Virginia to Pennsylvania and my son said “Mommy, I have to go potty.” We were in the middle of nowhere on a Pennsylvania highway. My husband soon forgot about my son’s urgent need. About a half hour later, my husband said, “Son, do you still have to go potty.” His reply was, “no” and we both knew what that meant. Oh how this would have been handy. Clean up was no fun!

Dealing with Asthma

When my daughter was diagnosed with asthma at eight years of age, my home life changed drastically.

We went from carpet to hardwood floors and shut down our fireplace insert. I missed the fireplace the most but it seemed like every time we cranked that thing up, my daughter went into bronchial spasms. Dealing with her asthma took some getting used to as we tried to figure out the best regimen to help get control of her condition .

Our family physician started my daughter on albuterol which was great as an emergency inhaler but she needed more than just that one medication to control her asthma. He put her on a preventative inhaler that she used once in the morning and suggested that we get an air purifier. That did it! The purifier was what was missing from the equation. From then on my daughter had a portable unit right by the head of her bed and one night it saved her life, quite literally.

We had purchased a metal bunk bed set a couple of months before my daughter started using the purifier and one night one corner of the bed came apart. A metal joint had broken through and that thing came down on my daughter’s head. The miracle was that she had pulled the purifier close to her face that night and it took the blow instead of her forehead. I’m convinced that the goose egg size bump that rose up on her head would have been much worse had the purifier not been there to break the fall.

Another thing you can do is buy protective coverings for your child’s mattress and box spring as dust and dirt can collect on them and make asthma symptoms worse. Since children spend several hours per night in bed, it makes sense to use special coverings.

In Summary: Asthma Do’s:

Consider changing from carpet to hardwood.
Dust and Vacuum Frequently (not with your child in the same room to avoid kicking up allergens).
Consider purchasing an air purifier.
Revisit medications prescribed by your family physician and don’t be afraid to ask questions.
Buy special allergen dust covers for mattress and pillows.