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Be a Blood Donor

October 9, 2015/in Family Life, Valley Family Fun /by ValleyFamilyFun

Be a blood donor. It’s in you to give. *This is not a sponsored post. This is something that I truly believe in* My uncle suffered for a year with lymphoma. In order to survive, and then prolong his life, he had to receive frequent blood transfusions. A few months before he died, he said, […]

Jamberry

October 9, 2015/in Uncategorized /by ValleyFamilyFun

Fun with Jamberry Nails! *This is not a sponsored post. However, Jamberry is providing a wonderful prize for one lucky reader!* My sister said it best. My hands are tools. Exactly. This is why I never get a manicure. I sometimes remember to paint my nails with a clear polish, but find they chip and […]

Be a Blood Donor

October 9, 2015/in Family Life, Valley Family Fun /by ValleyFamilyFun

Jamberry

October 9, 2015/in Uncategorized /by ValleyFamilyFun

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Be a Blood Donor

October 9, 2015/in Family Life, Valley Family Fun /by ValleyFamilyFun

Be a blood donor. It’s in you to give.

*This is not a sponsored post. This is something that I truly believe in*

My uncle suffered for a year with lymphoma. In order to survive, and then prolong his life, he had to receive frequent blood transfusions.

A few months before he died, he said,

“If anyone wants to give me a present, they should go give blood.”

My aunt, ever the witty one, replied, “What makes you think anyone wants to give you a present!”

But, of course, we all did.

I had never given blood before. I’m not squeamish of needles because I have to get blood tests all the time for my thyroid condition. I had heard that women lose a lot of blood already and shouldn’t give. I had thought I didn’t have enough time. I didn’t know how to sign up. The list of excuses were long.

My cousin was home for a visit, and he convinced me to come along with him to give blood.

Let me tell you. The Canadian Blood Services is an efficient, well-oiled machine! It is organized, the people are so friendly which makes the process easy and not overwhelming.

Canadian Blood Services recommends that you make an appointment before you go.

Phone 1 888 2 Donate

or find a clinic near you online.

Even if you don’t make an appointment, show up at the door (with ID) and they will fit you in somewhere!

There are a few stations that you go through before you actually give blood.

Registration with ID. They will also ask you if you would like to rebook.
Iron test – I think this part hurts the most. They prick your finger and make sure your iron levels aren’t too low to donate.
Questionnaire – you go to a private desk where you answer several questions about your medical history. This is another screening process.

Before you go, you should have a look at their website to see if you qualify.

My friend was excluded for having lived in France at a particular time.

Meeting with a nurse – you will have your blood pressure and temperature checked. Also there is a series of questions about your medical and sexual history.
Giving blood – if you pass all the above tests and screens, you can give blood.

The donation process takes about 7 to 12 minutes. The room is full of qualified people to help you in case you feel light headed, or just want to chat to make the time go faster. I usually bring a book to read.

6. Rest and Replenish – Following your donation, you sit and rest for 5 minutes before heading to the refreshment area where you should eat something sweet and drink juice to bring up your blood sugar.

It’s that easy!

Here are some things you should know.

Check the list of FAQs
You have to be between 17-70 to donate.
Before you go, don’t brush your teeth with minty paste or use mouthwash! I did once and it elevated the temperature in my mouth and I wasn’t allowed to donate that day!
Wear a shirt/sweater that you can easily roll up your sleeves.

Plan on about 1hour and 15 minutes for your whole appointment

Please consider donating! There is always a shortage of blood supply and sometimes surgeries may have to be canceled.

Think of people like my uncle or my brother whose lives depended on blood transfusions.

It’s in you to give.

Jamberry

October 9, 2015/in Uncategorized /by ValleyFamilyFun

Fun with Jamberry Nails!

*This is not a sponsored post. However, Jamberry is providing a wonderful prize for one lucky reader!*

My sister said it best. My hands are tools.

Exactly.

This is why I never get a manicure. I sometimes remember to paint my nails with a clear polish, but find they chip and break so easily because they are my tools!

However, when Jan mentioned that I could sample some of her Jamberry Nails, I jumped at the chance. I had seen a friend and her 5 year old daughter wearing them. They are fun, colourful and durable.

Jan introduced me to the world of Jamberry Nails.

Apparently, Jamberry nail wraps offer the hottest trend in fashion. You can wrap your nails in over 300 different designs.

In essence, they are specialized stickers that stick on top of your nails.

They help keep your nails from breaking. They’re non-toxic, no latex or harsh chemicals, made in the US and vegan friendly. There’s over 300 designs – something for everyone! And they can be put on top of gel or acrylic nails!

The Jamberry Nails are said to last 2 weeks on your hands and 6 weeks on your toes!

Jan challenged me to the 7-day Challenge. For a week I will wear two Jamberry Nails and the rest of my fingers as nail polish and see how they stand up!

To get the Jamberry Nails on, it wasn’t too hard. Your consultant (like Jan) will teach you the process. Here are the steps:

Clean your nail to get off any oils. Use anything like rubbing alcohol, vinegar or black tea!

2. Cut the stickers to the appropriate size.

3. Carefully peel it off using a wooden cuticle stick.

4. Put the sticker under a hairdryer for about 20 seconds. The sticky side should be towards the hairdryer. This softens the sticker and makes it malleable.

5. Carefully place the sticker over your nail and rub all over to make it smooth.

6. Trim the sticker to the length of your nail

7. Put your finger in a plastic bag, wrapped tightly around the nail.

8. Put this under the hairdryer for about 10 seconds. It’s all about the heat and pressure at this point. You really need to rub them a lot after this. I also use a nail buffer to file the end of my nails to get rid of any rough edges to make sure they don’t curl.

9. Wait at least 4 hours before you do anything heavy-duty with water like having a shower or washing dishes.

10. Over time, if the nails started to curl or loosen, I would trim my nails, or use the nail buffer to keep them on.

I am not used to having colour on my nails, let along a pattern. I can’t stop looking at them!

With my Jamberrys on, I stacked wood, washed the dishes, dug in the garden, and generally used my hands as tools. My nails were still in perfect condition!

They stood up to the 7 Day Challenge!

Day 1

Day 4

Day 7

Once, when my nail broke underneath, I simply cut and filed the nail, and the wrap stayed perfectly on and in place!

I loved the nails so much that I hosted a party at my house with Jan and got a few more girls addicted to them as well. At the party, we each got to practice putting on a few wraps.

I got this note after the party from one of the girls:

Don’t judge me but I think I want to add on to my order.

Another friend went home and found she had a few samples given to her, and so decided to do her entire hand!

I actually had left my original Jamberrys on for the party – so I could see how long they lasted and how to take them off.

6 weeks later, other than nail growth, they were still in great condition.

To get them off, we dipped a cotton ball in olive oil and rubbed it over the nail. We used dental flossers to peel the nails off, and it worked like a charm!