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Oct 6
2009

Ask Coach Mom: Organizing Meds

by Brenna

From the October issue of my Coach Mom eNewletter:

Dear Brenna,

I’m a new mom with a toddler and a newborn baby. I see all my friends’ children coming down with a variety of illnesses this year and I’m wondering what I need to do to combat the sicknesses that come our way.

Courtney

Dear Courtney,

You are wise to think about this now. I recommend putting together some basic healthcare items to save you time and lower your stress when you are dealing with sickness. I like to keep the items in a shower caddy up on a shelf in the bathroom, both first floor and second floor bathrooms for convenience. Stock it with some basic supplies. These are a few of the things you will find in my kid care caddy:

Bandaids (a variety of sizes)

Triple antibiotic ointment

Thermometer

Acetaminophen (for fever, pain, or swelling)

Ibuprofen (for ages 1+)

Decongestant

Dramamine – to stop nausea during flu (can also be used for morning sickness)

Sunblock

SinuCleanse Kids mist (for allergies and other sinus problems)

Chest Rub (i.e.Vicks VapoRub)

Insect repellent

Be sure to always read the labels and talk to your doctor before administering any medication to children. Two of my favorites in the caddy are the SinCleanse to clear out allergens from the sinuses and Vicks Vapo-Rub to stop a cough. Rub the Vicks on the pads of the child’s feet and cover with socks. It stops a cough almost every time! Also, mark your September calendar with a reminder to get flu shots.

Oct 6
2009

Tip of the Month: Germ Busting

by Brenna

Hydrogen Peroxide (3%) is an inexpensive, non-toxic cleaner. Buy a small hydrogen peroxide spray bottle at WalMart, then refill it with larger bottles from Sam’s Club or Costco. If you using your own spray bottle, make sure it is opaque like the brown bottles it comes in, as it reacts to light.

Use hp to clean almost anything in the house, from walls to carpet, cutting boards to showers and toilets. It is said that following the hp cleaner with a spray bottle of vinegar and water cleans as good as bleach. Remember to disinfect whatever gets touched: doorknobs, keyboards, faucets and toilet flushing levers.

HOMEMADE OXYCLEAN
* 1 cup hot water
* 1/2 cup baking soda
* 1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide
Mix ingredients. To use on clothes, soak the clothing in it for 20
minutes to overnight; then wash as usual.

Warning: sugar inhibits the immune system!

Eating or drinking 100 grams (8 tbsp.) of sugar, the equivalent of one 12-ounce can of soda, can reduce the ability of white blood cells to kill germs by forty percent. The immune-suppressing effect of sugar starts less than thirty minutes after ingestion and may last for five hours.

Source: http://www.elc.org.uk/pages/healthimmunesystem.htm

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Helpful Tips for Preventing the Flu

1. Frequent hand-washing.

2. “Hands-off-the-face” approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face.

3. Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you Don’t trust salt). H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/ nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents the virus from spreading.

4. Clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water. Blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with Cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.

5. Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C. If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.

6. Drink as much of warm liquids as you can. Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, multiply, or do any harm.

Oct 2
2009

Don’t forget to say “thank you”

by Brenna

As moms, how many times in a day do we say, “Don’t forget to say ‘thank you'”? I was recently blessed to see a note my 9-year-old son Micah put under his pillow along with his tooth for the tooth fairy.

It really doesn’t take that much extra time or effort to say thanks. When was the last time you thanked your husband for doing something as important as providing for the family or as seemingly insignificant as taking out the trash? When was the last time you thanked a teacher for their investment in your child? When was the last time you thanked your parents for their involvement as grandparents?

Tooth fairies give quarters and maybe even dollars sometimes, but God’s bountiful blessings cannot be measured. Let’s remember to daily thank the Giver of all good gifts.

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” Ps. 118:1

Sep 24
2009

Updating Blog and Website

by Brenna

It’s time for a change, an update – I hope an improvement. And more change may be in store. How does the saying go? The only thing consistent is change.

Visit my website in the coming days at http://www.brennastull.com and comment here to let me know what you think.

Also, I’m moving my blog from Blogger to WordPress, and blogging under BrennaStull instead of CoachMomBook.

I hope the changes reflect the growth in my ministry and my personal walk with God. He has blessed in so many ways. Recently, we launched the production of the Coach Mom Study Group DVD Set. And now updating the blog and website.

I will continue to blog organization tips and family fun ideas, along with bits from my day-to-day life as wife and mom. I want to encourage you and all ladies to make every minute count!

Sep 24
2009

Giving Back to MOPS: Speaking at 2009 MOPS Intl. Convention

by Brenna

When I was a young mother of two active boys born 16 months apart, my MOPS Group was my lifeline. Those days were filled with trying to quiet the cries of a colicky baby, keep my curious toddler from injuring himself or the baby, keep everyone fed and in clean clothes. Days were lonely at times as my husband often traveled and our parents lived a thousand miles away. I lost 15 pounds during that season because I was so busy that I went whole days forgetting to eat. A shower was a luxury, and too much to expect on some days.

Although MOPS was one of my only morning outings for the week, I was lucky to get there within 15 minutes of the start time because I ran late everywhere I went. I remember one morning after I got the boys strapped into car seats I smelled one in need of a diaper change. As I was changing him, my toddler got into the kitchen cabinet. When I walked into the kitchen after changing the baby, I saw Dillon sitting in the middle of a pile of glass from a broken Pyrex bowl. Little shards of glass penetrated his skin and blood seeped out of little cuts on his arms and legs. I almost gave up on the MOPS meeting at that point, but forged ahead. I picked the glass out of his skin, stuck his white clothes in a sink of cold water, applied bandaids, put new clothes on him, then changed myself, as I had blood on my clothes also. By that time, the baby was crying, because it was time for his nap. I just loaded them in the car, left the mess for later, and fell into my MOPS leaders’ arms once I arrived.

Once those days passed, and I had a couple more children, the Lord gave me the chance to start encouraging younger moms through speaking at Phoenix area MOPS groups. One morning in late January 2003 only three moms showed up to hear my talk at a local church, but I didn’t mind. I was thrilled to just have my children in childcare and a chance to share and discuss ideas with other mothers.

That day I left the meeting with joy overflowing from my heart, sensing the joy that one has when they feel they’ve been an instrument in God’s hand to touch and make a difference in others lives.

After putting my children down for naps, I thanked God and rejoiced in the morning as I mopped the floors. I still remember where in my family room I was standing when I sensed God said, “Do more.” Those words sent me on a three-month journey to discern what that meant. After a number of confirmations, I realized the Lord was leading me to get that speech down on paper – to write a book about it, what eventually became Coach Mom.

I sat in on sessions at the MOPS International Convention last year with over 5,000 MOPS leaders, and longed for a chance to share the message of Coach Mom. I am thankful to the leaders of MOPS International, who in January invited me to speak on Coach Mom at the 2009 MOPS International Convention in Nashville, TN. The MOPS ministry encouraged me as a young mother, and now I have a chance to give back to others coming behind me.

Originally published at coachmombook.blogspot.com May 7, 2009