Making Blood Draws Easier for Kids: Healthy Habit Thursday

Posted on May 5, 2011 by viviankirkfield

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Do you like going for blood draws?

I don’t know about you, but it’s not my favorite activity.

In fact, I don’t think there are very many people who would look forward to that…unless you are a character in the Twilight series. 🙂

And if having blood drawn is unpleasant for most adults, imagine how little children feel about it!

In two weeks, I have an appointment to see my family doctor for my annual physical and he always wants me to have various lab tests done beforehand. So, the other day, I went to Healthlink, one of Memorial Hospital’s outpatient lab facilities in Colorado Springs, to get my blood drawn.

While sitting in the waiting room, I saw a notice hanging on the wall entitled, “Making Blood Draws Easier for Kids”.

After reading it, I spoke to the staff and asked if I could copy it and post it on my parenting blog because I knew that there must be many parents who would appreciate the information.

They were happy to have me pass along these simple tips that may help parents whose children need to have blood drawn.

1. Your attitude is contagious! If you are tense, your child will get tense as well.

Be positive!

Be honest with your child that it might hurt!

Talk about where or what you are going to be doing when you leave!

2. Your child could sit on your lap during the blood draw.

3. You could stand behind him or her and give a shoulder rub during the draw.

4. You could hold his or her other hand.

5. You could tell his or her favorite story.

6. You could leave the room…sometimes older kids would prefer this…it makes them feel grown up.

7. When it is all over, tell your child that you are proud of him or her…no matter how he or she acted during the draw.

8. Things NOT to say:

Don’t say it won’t hurt!
Don’t say just think of something else!
Don’t say just act like a big boy or girl!

As a parent, I appreciate how hard it is to see your child being stuck with a needle. I applaud the Healthlink staff for their foresight in posting this notice to encourage parents to be positive and honest with their children. If you have a child who needs to have blood drawn just once in a while for a particular test or on a regular basis because of some ongoing health problems, I hope these suggestions will be helpful.

Here’s another suggestion: Mother’s Day is only a few days away…and the long days of summer are just around the corner. We are offering a special Mother’s Day bonus for anyone who purchases a copy of Show Me How! Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem Through Reading, Crafting and Cooking. Get a copy of this wonderful resource, brimming with fun-filled educational activities for young children, and receive a $10 Marshalls/TJMaxx Gift Card for mom as a bonus. Visit my website for the details. Offer ends on May 8.

Please stop by tomorrow for Follow-Me-Fridays: Where’s Miss Vivian and find out about my visit at Queen Palmer School and my exciting plans for the Mother’s Day Weekend!

After the Royal Wedding: What Do William and Kate Really Need?

Posted on April 29, 2011 by viviankirkfield

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The Royal Wedding has been dominating the news in the last few weeks.

The media has featured photos and stories about William and Kate and the wedding preparations on TV, magazines, newspapers and all across the Web.

Did you know that Papa John’s in Great Britain has a special pizza with toppings that look like the royal couple?

Or that Baskin Robbins has a Royal Wedding Ice Cream Cake?

And, not to be outdone, that Dunkin Donuts produced the Royal Wedding donut…available only from April 24^th to April 29^th?

William and Kate will be receiving hundreds, if not thousands, of gifts from all over the world. I understand they have asked that if anyone wants to give them a gift, the money should be donated to charity instead. If you are interested in finding out more about this and which are the 26 charities earmarked by William and Kate to receive these donations, you can go to: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110425/wl_uk_afp/britainroyalsmarriagegifts

But honestly, I know exactly what William and Kate will need when their wedding is over.

It’s definitely been a stressful time for them. So many decisions had to be made and they are so much in the spotlight.

What William and Kate will need is a massage. Massage is very therapeutic. It relaxes you. It releases toxins in your system. It eases tense muscles. Perhaps they can have a couples’ massage together, in a room awash with candlelight and with soft soothing music in the background.

Massage was on my mind because yesterday I had one with the most fantastic massage therapist in Colorado. Kristie has been giving me and my husband massages for several years now. She can do hot stone massages, sports’ massages and just plain old feel good relaxing stress-relieving massages…all with expert knowledge about what is connected to what and why it hurts and how to help you make it feel better. She is also a teacher of massage therapy, so she really knows what she is doing!

I had a week off from my kindergarten story and craft presentations. But next week, stop in on Friday for Follow-Me-Fridays: Where’s Miss Vivian? I’ll be telling you how my final program of this school year went at Queen Palmer School.

Please come back and visit tomorrow.

Healthy Habit Thursdays: Focusing on Vitamin C

Posted on April 7, 2011 by viviankirkfield

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Last Thursday we found out why it is so important to eat foods rich in Vitamin B.

Today I want to give you some facts about another vitamin that is vital to your health: Vitamin C.

Needed for growth and repair of tissues
Used to form collagen, a protein that makes skin, scar tissue, and blood vessels
Essential for the healing of wounds
Necessary for the repair and maintenance of bones and teeth
Blocks some of the damage caused by free radicals

Now what, you may ask, are free radicals? The term is mentioned a lot…perhaps it would be good if we had a definition. 🙂

Free radicals are the by-products that result when our bodies turn food into energy. Perhaps it would help to think of it like setting a match to a newspaper…after the paper burns, you are left with ashes…the ashes are like the free radicals…kind of dirty garbage. A build-up of these by-products in our bodies is largely responsible for the aging process and contributes to the development of cancer, heart disease and arthritis. BRING ON THE VITAMIN C!!!!!!!

Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin which means it dissolves in water. Leftover amounts of this vitamin are not retained, but are passed out through the urine. And what this means is that you need a CONTINUOUS supply of the vitamin in your diet.

So how can you make sure that you and your family are getting enough Vitamin C?

You need to eat foods rich in Vitamin C…many fruits and vegetables fall into this category, among them: papaya, watermelon, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, red peppers, blueberries, cranberries and pineapples.

SHOW ME HOW! BUILD YOUR CHILD’S SELF-ESTEEM THROUGH READING, CRAFTING AND COOKING contains 100 child-friendly recipes that your children would love to help you prepare. Many of the healthful ingredients called for are rich in Vitamin C. If you click on the book title, you can go to my website and find out more about the book.

Two important reminders:

Sunday, April 10^th…I will be at the Covered Treasures Bookstore in Monument, CO from 2-3:30pm…talking about reading, crafting and cooking with young children and signing copies of my book. For more details go to www.coveredtreasures.com. The Book Fair benefits the Tri-Lakes Community Preschool Tuition Assistance Program.
Tuesday, April 12^th…I will be hosting Max the Dog as he continues his 36 day book blog tour. For more details about the on-going contest and to see where he has been and where he is going, please visit: http://readwithmax.com/blogbooktour.htmlhttp://readwithmax.com/blogbooktour.html.

And please don’t forget to stop by tomorrow for Follow-Me-Fridays: Where’s Miss Vivian? I will tell you all about today’s visit with Bates Elementary School.