Category: Health

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Boating Safety Tips for Kids

As adults boaters, we learn a great deal about safety on the way to earning our boat license. What we often don’t learn, however, is how to share these skills with our children. This can be tricky business because kids tend not to learn well when they’re disinterested and when we overload them. The key then is to seize their attention and to expose them to the information in bite-sized chunks.

Image Source: http://www.worldfishingnetwork.com/news/last-call-for-kids-safety-program-72624.aspx

Here are a series of tips that should help:

Tip #1: Teach the kids to swim, and make sure they have ocean experience. Swimming in the ocean is a very different experience, and those with pool-only practice may freeze up in an emergency.

Tip #2: Once the children know how to swim, introduce them to personal flotation devices (PFDs), and explain to them why a PFD is so important. Stress the importance of wearing a PFD at all times, and give them experience wearing the PFD in and out of the water before their first boat trip.

Tip #3: Don’t wait until the first time on the water. Acclimate kids to your boat while you have it on the trailer parked at your house. Make a game out of understanding the terminology, safety locations, danger zones and so forth.

Tip #4: Ensure that they understand the risk of horseplay while on the water, and a great way to avoid this type of behaviour is to give children seated responsibilities while you are driving. If they are having fun and feel as if they are doing something important, they will continue to focus on that activity.

Tip #5: Stress the importance of sitting at all times while the boat is in motion. Standing is only OK when the boat is stopped, and stress that it is never all right to sit or stand on the sides of the boat.

Tip #6: Expose children to all of the equipment on board, and let them learn how to operate it. Begin teaching children how to operate and drive the boat at a very young age. This can prove invaluable in an emergency, and the safest boaters are self-reliant boaters.

Tip #7: However, stress that it is never OK to use that equipment without adult supervision unless there is an emergency. It also important to be strict about your rules, so if the child breaks them, they should lose boating privileges.

Tip #8: While on the boat, always set a good example. Don’t let kids be around adults who don’t take the experience seriously. Keep your eyes on them at all times, and consider using a safety harness for particularly young children who may stray on larger boats.

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Children Using The Puffer

Chloe wasn’t a happy camper when she first had to use the puffer – in fact, she was so scared – she covered her mouth – her nose – and make us count 1 to 10 for like a few times and still she wouldn’t use the puffer. She was crying so bad – that her dad got so mad with her – he threw the puffer away. Yes ! such JOY! I wasn’t too impressed with PB of course – but I didn’t say anything – because Chloe was hyperventilating by that time. Well, she did finally use the puffer that night and got better every day. In fact, she got so good at it – she put the puffer and the aerochamber together now and use it herself – without any help.

She’s an expert now – yes! children can get scared of strange things – but they are but children right? so if your child needs the puffer – please have a little bit of patience – don’t be like PB please – *slap forehead* you should have seen how scared chloe was when PB got mad. Adults gotta know that when we get angry – our children get really scared – some may not act that way – but deep inside they are – every child wants their parents approval. Didn’t you want your parent’s approval too when you were kids?

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Sick From Summer Camp

Chloe came home sick from summer camp – she said she was feeling cold the entire day – I was surprised that the camp councilors didn’t call to inform us – nor told us about it when we had called to check on her in the afternoon. Poor kid! Maybe, we shouldn’t have let Chloe go to camp everyday – but spread it out instead to Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays only. But I guess we just thought that she might enjoy being with other kids more – but I guess this is the price we have to pay – that she might catch something from another kid who is sick in camp. *sigh*. This is just the beginning of a long week for us – for when the kid is sick – she usually takes a week before she is alright.

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Health Issues

As you all know – I have some health issues – lucky for me – in some ways- being here in the West – my medical bills are taken care of by MSI and for many friends that I know – they are also covered by a disability insurance provided by the government here. In fact, the coverage is pretty wide here in the West – did you know that if you had a mental illness – it is considered a disability too? well, before coming here and living in the West – I didn’t know about it at all. But for those who have a back injury and cannot work – they are able to go on disability too – amazing right? Yes, I’ve seen and heard from a lot of customers that they are on disability – when they don’t look sick to me at all. Back home – when we talked about disability – you either have to break a backbone and cannot walk anymore before you can claimed any kind of disability insurance. Of course, I don’t want to be on a disability but one never know right – when you have as much health issues as I do – but it’s good to know that I am insured if something does happen – and I won’t be a burden to PB and Chloe.

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Raising A Kid Well

When Chloe was born – the minute I held her in my arms – I was very happy but at the same time overwhelmed with fear and responsibility as to how I am going to be able to raise her up well. Not only in terms of feeding her and clothing her but also with her education and making sure she grows up to be a responsible adult, well-behaved – you know the works – like any good citizen of society. My fear derived from seeing so many teenage pregnancy in this town – and also so many problematic teenagers. I fear I may not bring her up well – I fear she may grow out of hand – I also fear for my own health – what if I am not around to help raise her with PB. You see – after arriving in Canada – I realized that my health is not what it used to be and since PB was the only bread winner in this household, therefore I was very worried – what ifs???? So I did what any responsible woman and mother would do and took out my life insurance calculator and got some good advice from my insurance agent and did the right thing with my term life insurance. You never know what life may bring you eh – and in the event when something does happened I want to be prepared because I want my kid to be raised up well. I want an option for PB to leave work and to look after Chloe properly – i hope that day may never come – I hope to watch my princess grow up – and go into college and get married and have kids – but you never know right? What about you? how do you raise your kid up well?

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Health Exams

Last year – I had gone to see my new family doctor because my old family doctor decided to abandon us – and move to a more vibrant town. But thank God – he is gone – because my new family doctor is way better – very encouraging and never once did she talk down to me – like the old one. But since I am new to her practice and not a spring chicken no more with so many health issues – she insisted that I have a full body check up – which included a ecg because I had high blood pressure – according to my old doctor. But truth be told – my blood pressure only go up when I’m talking about the town I am living in – other than that – I’m pretty calm. But she insisted an ECGs are not uncommon to me – because my mom used to do those – since she worked in the hospital. But I do like my new doctor and her office – because her clinic is pretty high tech – with all the savvy equipment and everything recorded using a notebook and not paper – so that they can pull out a file – without having to pull out paper folders. So my health exam will be up soon – and again I know i will have to do another ECG test – but this time – I’m more prepared since I’ve already done it once – and I’m not so panicky now. So wish me luck – while I await my ECG.

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For The Soon To Be Mummies

I thought I would share this with the soon to be mummies because I sure wished someone did when I had Chloe some 7 yrs ago. Being a new mother – although I was then 39 – I was still paranoid and panicky when it comes to looking after Chloe. When Chloe’s grammie said that she should go into her own bedroom – I cried buckets – because I felt that I was abandoning my baby. And let me tell you if you fell that way – it’s normal – it’s the hormones going crazy. So if you are a new and soon to be mummy – I strongly suggest you get those video monitor that allows you to watch your baby sleeping in her/his room while you do other things or even when you are sleeping. So that you don’t have to feel that you need to be able to see the baby every second. That kind of monitor is the the best baby video monitor because it allows you to talk to your baby, watch your baby and listen to your baby. Had I known that there was such technology then – I would have bought it for sure. Now that would have saved me my sanity and probably made me less stressed. So there – my advice to soon – to be mummies and first time mummies – buy that video monitor – it would do you and your spouse a ton of goodness.

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School BBQ For IWK

So I went for the school BBQ alone – i took a walk up to the school on my own and I stayed for the BBQ because Chloe had asked if I would go. She said – I didn’t need to go – but she hope I would go. She was too cute when she asked – she wasn’t demanding that I go – but she would loved that I go – actually PB and I – but since PB needs to look after the store – I went instead. It was a good BBQ – nothing spectacular – only another parent was there chatting with me and some of Chloe’s teachers. But it was a milestone for me – since I never go anywhere without PB – so yes – I’m starting to feel better it seems – I hope soon I will be able to drive on my own – so looking forward to driving!

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Yoga Or Kick Boxing

A new Yoga studio just opened upstairs from our store – and the kick boxing opposite our store – at the same time – well almost. I’m interested in both – and even though I don’t have the strength or muscles to do both – I think I don`t need anything special to build my body mass as read on www.creatinepowders.com. I think those are more for body builders and wrestling fighters that are having a show at the Mariner Center later this month. It`s amazing how they do it – I wonder if they really take stuff like creatine powder for leaner muscles but they sure looked good from the posters that I saw around downtown. Anyhow – going back to Yoga or kick – boxing – both are about the same prices for the group classes and both as just as convenient – and I`m sure both are good for keeping healthy and fit – so which one? Keeping fit and calm is good – but I also want to be able to build some muscles and strength. I think they do offer trial classes – so I’m going to do that – and then decide – wish me luck!

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Flossing Her Teeth

Finally, she is ready to floss her teeth! for years – we’ve been trying to get Chloe to floss her teeth – and today she is ready to floss her own teeth without much fuss. Happy we are – because like all parents we want what is best for her – and we really don’t want to see her go thru’ another hospital trip to get her caps in and putting her to sleep. So yes! hopefully, she will continue flossing without much fuss – and now to push PB to get Chloe’s dental insurance in place – because MSI only covers her dental till she is 10 years old – and that certainly isn’t enough time to cover her braces and all.