Hand Foot and Mouth Remedies That Actually Helped!

Literally the worst feeling ever was realizing that Ryker had Hand Foot and Mouth (HFMD), until day three when the worst feeling ever was realizing he was in so much pain that he couldn’t even drink water. When I say I googled everything… I mean I literally GOOGLED EVERYTHING, I tried every home remedy and what I found… Most of them are a load of CRAP… and I’m even more sorry if you’re an oil loving fool, but….. c’mon!!!!

 

So, with that said… here is what I found that actually did work….

Let’s start from the beginning. Ryker was drooling, like he was teething again but he has all his teeth. He was literally soaking through his shirts on the Friday before his

fever. Saturday, was a great day, and then we were at dinner at a family friends house and like clockwork, 6 o’clock he spiked a fever. By the time I got home his fever was 102.7! I gave him Motrin and put him to bed… and he slept great. Woke up Sunday feeling like I was in the clear, even though he had a low grade fever he was acting normal. Until he woke up 30 min into nap time (this kid usually sleeps a solid 2 hours if not 3 on the weekends). He was crying and uncomfortable so I brought him in to the living room and on a fluke I thought, I’m going to look in his mouth (in my mind it was to check to see if he had sore throat).

I saw little red dots on the top of his mouth and decided to call the on call nurse for our pediatrician. She assured me it was unlikely HFMD and that it was probably viral…. within an hour of that he developed this spot on his ankle.

 

We went down hill from there! Went to the doc on Monday and confirmed that it was in fact HFMD and there was in fact nothing she could help us with, and we got his flu shot. (also not an anti-vax Mom ,sorry) Actually I was surprised that they did his flu shot while we were there and so was everyone we talked to but he needed it and it didn’t seem to effect him. His symptoms (fever was gone by Sunday night) were already as bad as all the other google images you can find of HFMD. (Go ahead and google it…. I’ll wait) 

 

A couple of sure fire facts:

1. It really did start with a fever.
2. The fever only lasts 24 hours.
3. It’s called Hand Foot and Mouth but it can show up everywhere. By the end of the week we had bumps on his hands, feet, mouth (in and outside), back, legs, balls (yes his balls) , butt, ears.
4. It really does last 7-10 days. On day 10 he was good to go!
5. It freaking sucks!

What worked for us***:

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A few more notes that I thought of as I added the pics

Ryker for two days would not even drink anything, especially cold. It seemed to make it worse. Room temp Honest fruit punch were the only calories he took in for those 2 days. Also during that time he would not take Motrin nor Tylenol. The spots blistered terribly. He kept saying “boo-boo hurts”. That broke my heart. The first night he didn’t sleep at all, he was in so much pain, but after that he just needed cuddles and he would pass out back to his normal 2-3hr nap times. There are a few scars that I think will go away over time.

****The medical comments and recommendations are just opinion. I’m not a medical doctor nor do I have any formal medical training. I’m simply a mom

How to Clean Area Rugs

First post in a while, and it’s long overdue for both the post and the cleaning of our area rugs. We have a few area rugs around the house because we have tile and laminate flooring and a 10 year old dog who refuses to walk on the floors. I just want to preface the picture by saying…. I DO CLEAN MY FLOORS, and I have cleaned my rugs multiple times over the past year. My dogs just track in so much dirt as do I’m sure my husband and I do. Also, what the hell was I thinking buying a white rug? Anyways, heres what I did step by step (ooooo baby) to get these cleaned.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Classroom Seating Tags

I don’t normally do assigned seating but with my incoming 9th graders I knew I had to. So I got online and like with anything i search, you have to pay for the best. I was like screw it… I’m making my own. So here you go. It’s a word doc. The font is a downloaded (free) front.

Hope you enjoy

Desk Name Tags <– Download here 🙂

Barbacoa Breakfast Tacos

Breakfast of Champions

Barbacoa Breakfast Tacos

There is nothing better then a tasty breakfast in the mornings and a hot cup of coffee! A few days back I had a pork loin that I cooked for 8 hours on low in the crockpot, and I had a ton left over. So I’ve been using it up as much as possible. This is a great meal to share with friends. We do will be making this for our next Brunch date with friends. I can’t wait to make this for my Sister and B.I.L!

How to cook the best pork loin ever:

Ingredients:

• Pork Loin- I have a Sam’s club membership and purchase mine from them. My hubby cuts it into 3-4 pieces and we freeze it. Costs around $13-14 and we get a ton of meals out of it.
• Vinegar- Ether white or Apple Cider (ACV) (about 1-2 cups)
• Sea Salt
• Pepper
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder
• Paprika
• Mustard Powder

What to do:

• Place your pork loin in the crockpot, you can do this with a frozen pork loin too. Do this in the morning. If thawed you can place it in around noon or even after work on high, but cooking it on high will dry it out some.
• Add about 1-2 cups of vinegar- You may want to add more later on depending on how its cooking.
• Add all of your seasonings
• Place on Low and Go
• I turn mine one-two times just to see how its cooking.
• It should fall apart and thats when you know it’s done. If it falls apart before you’re ready to eat you can allow it to sit in the vinegar in the crockpot for however long you would like on warm or low. It only keeps it moist and adds flavor.
• When you’re ready to eat- strain and pull apart the rest with a fork.

This usually last us a few meals- I did pulled pork on sweet potatoes for the first meal, pork tacos for the second, and then these delicious barbacoa breakfast tacos for the third.

Barbacoa Breakfast Tacos:

Ingredients:

• Leftover pork
• Diced Fresh Tomatoes
• Eggs
• Tortillas
• Lime
• Salsa
• Tony Chachere’s Seasoning
• Cooking Oil- I use EVOO or Coconut oil
• Salt & Peper to taste

What to do: 

• Brown your Meat in a cast iron skillet. You can add whatever seasoning you’d like and add the tomatoes

• On a frying pan heat your cooking oil and the pan until the cooking oil moves around freely.
• Place your tortilla on the pan and allow it to bubble up. Once browned flip over and brown the other side. Add a small dash of Tony Chachere’s to the cooked side while the other side is browning.

• One all of your tortillas have cooked cover to keep warm and fry your eegs on the same pan.

• Once your eggs are done build your tacos and enjoy!

DIY Cornhole Boards #MERICA

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#Merica The pursuit of the perfect boards

I love playing games, it really doesn’t matter the game, I have some great ones. Quelf, Cards Against Humanity, Skipo, and Smart Ass just to name a few of my favorite indoor games. I grew up playing rummy with my grandma, monopoly with my dad when I stayed home sick from school, and skipo with my sister and mom when we were at our summer cabin in New York. There’s something about strategy, competition, and… well winning that I yearn for. 

Sweet Succulents

My Indoor Succulent Garden

Tips & Tricks to planting and keeping them alive.

Indoor Succulent Garden- Reclaimed Barn Wood

I love having plants in the house, but we travel a lot and I hate asking people to water plants, ergo

Organizing Important Documents

Welcome to the first day that actually feels like summer vacation. How do I start it? I have decided to tackle some of my “Summer Projects 2015” list from pinterest, since its June 1, 2016. (Head Slap) One of the things that I’ve had pinned for some time is a file box with all the important files in it.

Except heres the problem with this post…. it’s a dead link. Everyone I’ve found is gone so I’ve decided to make my own!