Summer Safety Tips: How To Treat Insect Bites

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Along with summer come a few hazards such as insect bites and stings. Here is some basic information to help keep bites and stings from ruining your summer events.

If you’ve ever been stung by a bee, you know it can be painful, right? The summer is the perfect time for these and other insects to find a way to attack your body. Let’s face it; any kind of insect bite can be an awful experience, both for adults and children. Here are some summer safety tips for avoiding, and treating insect bites:

To avoid insect bites, purchase DEET. Most over-the-counter repellents now contain DEET, and are safe to use on children as young as 2 months old, as well as adults. Stay away from open beverages that contain sweetener. Sweetened beverages, like soda and juice, attract stinging insects. Standing water are breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Empty, or cover the pool at the end of the day, and don’t leave any potted plants outside that may contain standing water. Always wear shoes, and dress in long pants, and a lightweight, long-sleeved shirt to cover skin. Also, wear light-colored clothing. When outdoors, particularly at night, you can purchase Citronella candles, and place them on the patio tables.

The first thing to do when stung by a bee or wasp, is to look at the spot where you were bitten, to determine if there’s any stinger remaining. If there is, use a firm object, like a credit card to sweep across the area, and pull out the stinger. Don’t squeeze or pinch the skin to remove the stinger. This will cause additional venom to be released into the bite. Use soap and water to clean the area of the sting. Treat any reaction by applying a cool compress, or ice. To relieve the redness and pain, adding hydrocortisone to the affected area will help. If you develop a severe allergic reaction, such as difficulty breathing or swallowing, call 911 and seek emergency care immediately.

It is important to note that if you live in the Northeast and upper Midwest, you need to be on the look-out for ticks carrying Lyme disease this summer. If you spend a lot of time outdoors, especially in wooded areas, you may be susceptible. You can tell if you have Lyme disease, as a rash will develop, which looks like a bull’s-eye near the bite. The rash is often accompanied by flu-like symptoms, such as fever or headache, nausea and vomiting. Some people, however, may only develop flu-like symptoms, and not a rash. If you are bitten by a tick, and develop a rash, seek medical assistance for possible treatment and testing for Lyme disease.

While most everyone looks forward to outdoor activities this summer, insect bites can not only ruin a wonderful day, but develop into subsequent problems. By following these safety tips, you can look forward to an enjoyable summer.

To learn more, check out the Mom’s Talk Guide to Raising Happy & Healthy Kids - Tips and resources address nutrition, exercise, sleep, routines, and much more.

Fun and Learning Can Co-Exist - Experience Both This summer

Children spend most of their school year learning required skills. By the time summer gets here, they need to focus on fun. Here are a few ways you can incorporate learning into their fun activities.

Learning never ceases during the course of our lifetime. So too, kids need to be motivated to learn as much as they can, even during summer recess. Summer fun and learning can co-exist. Here are some examples of how this can be achieved.

Word games, such as Scrabble, come in small sizes, which are suitable for beach and road trips. Kids love it! It stimulates their vocabulary and engages them in friendly competition. It also enhances their math skills, as they have to add the points every round. Boggle is another portable word game that kids love. They can manipulate the letters, make words, and add up points. This is a great game to take on a camping trip or to the beach.

There are board games that allow the kids to work on words and sentences. There are computer games, which involve critical thinking. These games can be competitive, and reinforce group work, and cooperative learning, as well. Using these types of games keeps the stimulation of the kid’s minds at work. It’s critical to keep the thought processes flowing, so they are prepared for the following school year. In playing these games, they can also be taught to accept defeat gracefully.

Another board game, which involves critical thinking, is checkers. The entire family can challenge each other. This promotes social stimulation. Suduko is a game involving math and numbers. They have a kid’s version, which can be utilized on a rainy day or when there is some down time.

The advantage of utilizing and playing these games is learning, even though the kids do not realize it. In this way, while they are having fun over the summer, they are actually preparing for the fall term. Learning not only stimulates their minds, but also reinforces the skills they are taught throughout the school year. In addition, there are some great sites for computer savvy kids you might want to look at. They are funbrain.com, math.com, and abcteach.com.

Summer fun and learning can co-exist by utilizing these games and word play. Without realizing it, your kids will be ready for the next phase in their school career, because time was taken to teach and have fun at the same time.

To learn more, check out the Mom’s Talk Guide to Raising Happy & Healthy Kids - Tips and resources address nutrition, exercise, sleep, routines, and much more.

Summer Fitness - Tips To Help You Maintain Your Fitness Level

Just because you lost a few pounds or bulked up your muscle mass doesn’t mean you should ignore your fitness routine. Here are a few tips to help you maintain your fitness level throughout the summer.

While most of you have probably been working out all winter long through diet and exercise, the key now is to maintain both routines throughout the summer. Here are a few tips and suggestions on staying fit for the summer.

No matter what type of diet regimen you’ve been on, it may be a good idea to continue the diet until after the summer is over. Maintaining a healthy diet will enhance your ability to participate in all forms of sports and activities throughout the summer months. Also, your diet will afford you the opportunity to continue to eat light, healthy meals as opposed to fried, fatty, and heavy foods during the summer.

Summertime is synonymous with barbeque’s. No doubt you will have your fair share. Sticking to your diet will help you keep the pounds off, especially on those special occasions when outdoor barbeque’s entice you with foods and drinks which may add excess calories.

Continue your exercise routine throughout the summer. During the hot summer months, your body will fair much better in the heat if you are in good shape. No doubt, you may engage in running, walking, or other strenuous exercises. Therefore, continuing your exercise program will only benefit you in the long run. Whether you spend time in your garden, swim, or bike ride - any physical activity will enhance your health.

No matter what form of physical activity you choose, whether it’s cycling, hiking, swimming, gardening or hitting the gym, make it enjoyable. In fact, turn it into quality time with family, or perhaps some quiet time to de-stress after a busy day.

Keep active and continue your diet regimen throughout the summer so that you will look your best at all those patio parties. After all, you’ve worked very hard over the long winter months to achieve your goals. Now is the time to stay that way.

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