Surviving At Home

OK…so you know how I just wrote yesterday about our jellyfish stings? Well, don’t you know it, our local paper ran a story TODAY about how to treat jellyfish stings!

Apparently the number of jellyfish is on the rise due to breeding conditions and climate changes. Not really an interesting tidbit by itself but it might have grabbed our attention TWO WEEKS AGO prior to vacation.

And good golly…the number 1 tip they list is going straight to the doctor because death can occur with some types of stings!

Luckily, we’re all here, safe and sound. But again, I ask you, WHY couldn’t this have been published 2 weeks ago?? (and how exactly do you know, at the beach and in the discomfort of getting stung, what kind stung you??)

Courtesy of Medline Plus Medical Encyclopedia, here is how to treat a jellyfish sting:

Seek immediate medical attention. Death can occur within minutes with sea wasp and lion’s mane stings.

If you know for certain that the person has been stung by a Portuguese man-of-war or sea nettle, wash with salt water (ocean water is OK, but make sure you do NOT get sand in the wound). Protect affected area if possible. Soak the area with a solution made of 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 water for about 30 minutes. This helps remove the tentacles. Rinse the area and then resoak with more 1/2 strength vinegar.

You may also remove tentacles by applying a paste made of flour or shaving cream and scraping the area with a dull instrument such as a credit card.

Apply a cream containing a painkiller, an antihistamine, or a corticosteroid.

And, ironically, do you know the number 1 tip for avoiding getting stung by jellyfish??

Check with lifeguards to find out if jellyfish are abundant at your beach this summer. If so, stay out of the water.

Yes, this is Murphy’s Law at its finest…

photo credit: dunk_

Is there a full moon out tonight? Something is in the air because this is my 3rd (count ‘em T-H-I-R-D) blog post today!

Yowza…I’m on a roll!

I would normally have saved this post for tomorrow (and probably would have written on a different topic) except I happened upon Karpo’s tweet about the blog redesign contest at BlissfullyDomestic.com.

So, for another chance to win a redesign, here is why I need a professional designer:

1. Just open your eyes and take a look around…can you say B-O-R-I-N-G?

2. I’m 5 short months away from turning the big 4-0… certainly that’s worth something!

3. I really don’t feel as boring as this blog looks…this spot needs some serious help in the personality department!

4. I am NOT a designer nor do I play one on tv (Ok, so it’s getting late and my weird sense of humor is emerging…)

5. My oldest is starting middle school in 5 weeks (again, is the whole preteen-hormonal-girl-thing not worth an extra vote??)

And so you have it! Thanks for holding the contest and thanks for tweeting and convincing me to enter

A blog designer I am not.

I can find my way around WordPress and some CSS code for my clients but when it comes to doing artsy stuff like funky backgrounds and cool headers, that’s when I have to throw my hands in the air and accept defeat. (Remember, I’m crafty, not artsy!)

Which is why my blog looks so pitifully boring. I like this standard layout but geez aloo…It can’t look any more boring.

So I was very pleasantly surprised when I found out my friend Nell at Casual Friday Everyday is sponsoring a blog design giveaway! Yes, I’m throwing my name into the hat of hopeful winners and will let a professional do her magic with this layout.