Monthly Archives: January 2013

Hydrogen Peroxide to the rescue!

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This morning Mathew woke up in a bloody mess. He had a bloody nose and amazing as it seems, slept while the blood flowed from his nose over his beloved Ryan (his stuffed bear), over the sheets and through the mattress cover (thank goodness the mattress cover is thick and the blood didn’t get into his mattress. Mathew has on occasion experienced a nosebleed, but this time the amount of blood and the fact he slept through it was quite impressive. The bloodstain was larger than the size of his head. Don’t worry, I didn’t take any pictures.

So how does one deal with this situation? It’s 5am and there is quite a mess to clean up.

First, I clean-up Mathew’s face and made sure his nose is not bleeding anymore. It’s isn’t, YAY!

Next, take the soiled sheets, Ryan, and mattress cover over off to the laundry, remake the bed, and put Mathew back to sleep.

Now, what to do about the bloody mess? Hydrogen Peroxide to the rescue! First, I rinse as much blood out as possible with cold water, then pour hydrogen peroxide directly onto the stain, presto like magic, the bloodstain starts to foam and disappear. The reason why it foams is because blood and cells contain an enzyme called catalase. When we bleed, there are both blood and damaged cells, so there is lots of catalase floating around. When the catalase comes in contact with hydrogen peroxide, it turns the hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) into water (H2O) and oxygen gas (O2). Catalase does this extremely efficiently — up to 200,000 reactions per second. The bubbles you see in the foam are pure oxygen bubbles being created by the catalase.

Ok, so once I removed most of the blood, I simply wash the sheets in cold water with detergent. But before I put them in the dryer, I re-check to make sure all blood is gone. If I missed some stains, I just repeat the steps above. It’s important to never dry blood stained sheets/clothes, as the heat will set the stain and it will be close to impossible to get it out.

Hopefully, you will not have to use this trick, but here you are just in case.

 

Happy New Year!

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Today is January 1, 2013, the beginning of a new year. Many people use this day as an opportunity to make resolutions to change or focus on a life goal. Some make these pledges publicly  post them on their frig. or simply make a silent promise to themselves. I honestly cannot remember ever making a “New Year’s Resolution.” Mind you, it is possible that I did once or twice and have forgotten (my memory really is not what it used to be), but for the most part, it hasn’t happened.

How can this be? It’s a rather simple task and basically harmless. Plain and simple, most mornings I wake up with the intention of giving my day 105%. Yes, there are days my goal falls short, some days I miss it entirely, but when I wake up the next morning, I have the opportunity to start all over. It makes no sense for me to wait a year to start over. Some days I don’t even wait for a new dawn, when I stumble, I get up and try again immediately. Why should I wait an entire year to do better or improve my life?

Some mornings, I even breathe in the very fact that I actually woke up alive and healthy, as many people are not as blessed. This thought fuels my desire to make the most of my day and opportunities. Other days, I am oblivious to how fortunate I am.

Although again I have not created a set of resolutions this year, I have done something differently. Last year, it became very apparent that I was not able to juggle all my tasks as fluidly as I have in the past. More balls were dropped; mostly ones that were connected to my personal tasks. As a domestic engineer, running the household; and taking care of tasks for Mike, Mathew and Dylan tend to take president over my personal needs. Sure, many of the tasks affect me, some directly others indirectly but without a doubt, the tasks have other people’s name written on them. I am a caretaker down to the core, that will never change. But it has become evident that if I do not nourish myself, I cannot take care of others, while keeping all the balls in the air. Well, that sounds very obvious. I tell others that all the time. However, putting it into practice takes intention and forethought. Until recently, my basic needs have been very minimal; I have been able to get by without much attention to myself. Well, I guess times are a changing, as my needs are shouting as loudly as every one else’s. Therefore, I must answer their call.

When I woke up today, I rejoiced in my ability to breathe in the new dawn and will treat myself with the kindness and attention I try to extend to others. If I fail, I will start again as quickly as possible, no need to waste another moment.

 May you greet the dawn with joy and kindness to yourself along with others.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!