Dear friends,
Falling off the shelves and scattered around the house - that's the best way to describe the status of my health supplies this morning. Something had to be done, especially since I had just replenished some of our medicines. (Why yes, I did find Claritin non-drowsy children's allergy chewables for $4.50 a box on the clearance shelf at Walmart -- a day after spending $11 on the exact same thing at Walgreens. We go through the stuff pretty fast, so I bought two more boxes.)
My first step: gather up everything and bring it to the dining room table. |
I sorted it all out into the bins I already had labeled
for different types of supplies.
In my main medicine bin, I keep respiratory meds (for allergies and colds) on the left, digestion and stomach meds in the middle, and pain meds on the right. This makes it easier to find what I need. |
I labeled the edges of the boxes and the tops of lids. I also clearly wrote the expiration dates. I got rid of a lot of items that were past due. |
Later, I bought a nice roomy pill box and put it on my desk with a water bottle so I can remember to take them when I sit down to work on my computer. |
So anyway, I'm so glad I organized the first aid box this morning, because we sure needed it after dinner! I'm relieved I could find what I needed so quickly because...
My little girl rode her scooter in bare feet, and got her big toe stuck between the wheel and the frame.
The first thing I saw, after hearing her piercing screams, was the trail of blood down the hallway.
Steri-strip |
What did the nurse and doctor do? Pretty much what Rachel did: cleaned it off as best they could, closed it with steri-strips, and wrapped it in gauze. They did add betadine with liquid adhesive to the routine, to simultaneously disinfect the wound and glue the steri-strips on more securely. I gotta get me some of that stuff for my first aid box! They also gave me the scissors and tweezers they had used, since they discard them after each use. I needed some good pointy scissors to cut gauze and steri-strips, so I was pretty happy about that. I'm also happy that Mel'y calmed down and cooperated. I guess it helped that she didn't need needle-and-thread stitches! And maybe she'll remember to wear her socks and sneakers the next time she rides her scooter!
Mel'y with her nurse and doctor, blankie and bear |
To your family's health!
Virginia Knowles
www.ComeWearyMoms.blogspot.com
P.S. I just bought more stuff at Walmart: Bactine and New Skin for the first aid kit, since Betadine was really expensive. New Skin is a sort of liquid bandage that you brush on to protect a wound. It smells like nail polish! I also stocked up on Loratidine for my own allergies, as well as other OTC meds from Walmart's 88 cents bin. They also had simple elastic ankle, wrist, and knee braces (2 per package) for the same price.
P.P.S. In this post, I forgot to mention that in our storage room, I keep a large labeled bin of assorted splints, sturdy reinforced braces (knee, ankle, wrist), slings, a cervical collar, etc. We've collected these from various sports injuries and car accidents that my kids have been in, and they come in quite handy when someone else needs a little extra support.
P.P.P.S. I found out that a friend is ministering in a migrant worker community with 20+ families, and I thought it would be pretty neat to assemble simple first aid kits: bandages, anti-bacterial wipes, antibiotic ointment and pain reliever packaged in gallon size slider bags. I'll have to talk to her about that and see if I can enlist some friends to help with the cost!
Other organization posts on my blogs:
A Place for Everything
Organizing with Plastic Zip-Style Bags at Home and On the Go
- "Bin There, Done That" (Or How to Keep School Clutter from Turning You Into a Basketcase)
- Let Our Ordered Lives Confess the Beauty of Thy Peace...?
- Menu Planning Tips & Links
- Organizing and Laundering Your Linens
- First Steps to a Tidy Home / Children & Chores
Busy and Creative at Home
I take a lot of prescriptions and supplements every day. I have a basket with a lid that fits all of them, plus my weekly med divider. Once a week fill the divider (morning and evening). I also keep the PRN meds I use frequently in that basket.
ReplyDeleteWe have a lazy susan on the microwave with the PRN meds the rest of the family uses, and a basket for the girls' daily meds. They each have their own weekly divider.
I keep them in the guest bathroom (big closet) in plastic shoe boxes (lids off) so I can see everything. They are sorted by type. First aid bandages, wraps, etc are in the same closet in a straw basket.
ReplyDeletehttp://mrststhoughtsfromatitus2mom.blogspot.com/2011/01/decluttering-one-15-minute-project-at_31.html
I just pour them all in a glass jar with a lid and go treasure hunting every morning...lol...with coffee in hand of course...saw you at a sheltering tree link up...your new follower by GFC..blessings Nicole
ReplyDeleteThis is a very thorough and helpful post!! My medicine cabinet needs replenishing...that is for sure!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking up over at WholeHearted Home this week. It is a blessing to see you here almost each week.
I love it! Thank you for sharing some simple, but important organization that we all need help in I'm sure! Thank you for linking up at Simply Helping Him! :) Blessings!
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