Are the kids catching more than the holiday spirit…From flu to falls, here are Three Tips to Choosing the Right Urgent Care for Kids and why we love Children’s Health PM Pediatrics!

From having a cold, breaking a bone or for the times you don’t know exactly what’s happening to your little one, you want nothing more than to get your kids healthy and quick.

Unfortunately, it’s never convenient – it’s late at night, halfway through that LONG meeting or when you can’t even think about getting into your pediatrician’s office.

So in an act of desperation – you end up thinking up all the ways you can make it better – from calling friends, googling ideas or even thinking of how you might “bump” into the doctor at the supermarket in hopes they just have their doctor’s bag in hand.

Don’t worry – we’ve all been there and have all done it.

But when looking for Urgent Care for kids you really need to be considering:

• Where will my kid be treated with the best care possible?
• How quick can I get my kid in?
• Where will my kid feel comfortable so we can make this bad day a little bit better?

Where will my kid be treated with the best care possible?
While there are plenty of Urgent Care options in DFW, when it comes to kids, you really should only consider an Urgent Care that is designed just for kids. They are specially trained to provide care for kids – and there is always a pediatrician on site.

Dr. Harita Katragadda, Stefany Alvarado-Paramedic, Rachelle Smouse-RN(Office Manager), Jessica Porter-receptionist at Children’s Health Urgent Care (left to right).

From sports injuries, infections, fractures, flu and all the other stuff in between, with a staff of board-certified pediatricians and pediatric emergency physicians, Children’s Health PM Urgent Care is ready to serve your family. Plus with onsite digital x-ray, EKG and labs, there’s a lot that can happen here. And in the case that it can’t, this team can get your child where they need to be – and quickly.

(Photo credit: Children’s Health Urgent Care Flower Mound)

How quick can I get my kid in?
It’s never planned to be sick or hurt, so it’s going to be inconvenient. It’s about providing a service when your pediatrician isn’t available but your kid needs medical attention. Children’s Health PM Urgent Care is open 365 days a year AND from noon – midnight (so the times that really do count!) And since families are always busy, you don’t want to just sit there for hours in a lobby, hoping to get in sometime. With both an online reservation system, guests can check in to hold a spot in line and avoid as much wait time as possible.

Where will my kid feel comfortable to make this bad day the best it can be?
So it’s never a great day when a child is sick or hurt…but when there are pediatric experts who make it a better day with experience working with kids, you know you’re in the right spot. Especially when that right spot goes even further to make it a better day – like familiar faces on the TV screen, happy murals on the wall, and quite possibly a popsicle in the fridge – you know you’ve found the right urgent care that really does care for your kid (and you).

Now that Children’s Health and PM Pediatrics, the nation’s largest provider of specialized pediatric urgent care, have joined forces to open Children’s Health PM Urgent Care – they’re making it even easier to get the care you need, when you need it, where you need it and how you need it. They now have locations in McKinney, The Colony and Flower Mound.

While I would never wish anything bad upon your kiddos to get to experience Children’s Health PM Urgent Care, I know that when something happens – and with kids it often does – Children’s Health PM Urgent Care is there to help make it better.

My first experience with Children’s
My first real experience with the Children’s Health commitment to care was actually before I had a kid at all.

For most first-time mamas, the delivery experience at the hospital includes an OB, a few nurses, a few family / friends with a lot of anxiety followed by pain followed by happiness and then 2-3 days later you go home with your bundle of joy…

For me, that wasn’t the case at all.

After an 18 hour delivery, my tired state (I wasn’t human at this point) looked at a 15+ person team of doctors that once my OB delivered my son, immediately rushed my brand new bundle of joy through the doors of my hospital to the adjoining hospital at Children’s Medical Center (now Children’s Health.)

There, for the next almost month, my husband and I lived at the hospital waiting, hoping and praying our son with a Congenital Heart Defect would finally get to go home with us. During this time, we grew close to the Children’s staff throughout the round-the-clock care. Needless to say, when we finally were released from Children’s on that hot summer day in July, I cried. Hard. Not just because I was finally getting to bring my baby home…but because I was leaving my Children’s family.

11 years later, I realized I never left my Children’s family. They’re always there. For us, we still visit the hospital once a year for my son’s annual heart check-up, and now I know that through Children’s Health PM Urgent Care locations they’ll be there when we need them to help with unexpected illness or injury.

That’s the way it is at Children’s and that’s why Children’s is our trusted health care provider – planned and not so planned.

This post is sponsored by CareNow and SheKnows Media.

When you have kids, you have illness. While it’s never convenient to be sick, here’s How to Handle the Germ Season (with Kids.) Just remember help is just one click away with CareNow.

Before I had kids, I considered myself a reasonably healthy person. From time to time, I might have to handle the flu or a bothersome cough, but I rarely had to see a doctor unless it was for my annual exam.

Then I had kids.

Now it seems like I’m sick, they’re sick, dad gets sick and then we pass it around for fun. It’s like a bad game of Cupcake Walk except there’s nothing sweet about it.

There’s those times when a little TLC, chicken soup, and a weekend in bed only result in your kid waking up on a Monday morning with the voice of a raspy old lady saying “mama, I don’t feel good.”

Unfortunately, just because someone in your family is sick doesn’t mean that life doesn’t keep happening…like work meetings, school projects, and all the other stuff in between.

Bottom line: you gotta stop the sick cycle in its tracks.

While washing hands, covering your mouth when sneezing or coughing, and the rest can do a lot, it’s not always going to the trick.

That’s why CareNow has become a bookmark on my favorites.

When I feel (or see) something coming on, or need to arm my family for the upcoming flu season, I just check us in online and wait where we want to, in our home, instead of in a waiting room. Once we get the notice that the doctor is ready to see us, we head into our nearby CareNow.

Upon arrival, we can check in, get almost instant access to be seen by a medical professional, and then get the care (and the prescriptions) we need. Then we can head home and begin healing. Best of all, if you need to grab an immunization or even get your kid’s physical for school, you can get it done at CareNow too.

Yes, it’s that easy.
1. Check-in Online (you can do it from your phone.)
2. Head to the clinic when you receive a call/message.
3. Check in at the nearby CareNow and wait shortly to hear your name.
4. Get the care you need.
5. Check out and get on your way with life.

The fact that there’s not much paperwork to complete (you can do it once online and then it’s stored in your account) and the waiting room has coffee and wireless, makes CareNow our go to for when we need care NOW and on our schedule.

About CareNow

When you are sick or injured, the last thing you need is a long wait at the doctor’s office or emergency room. You deserve quality medical care that’s also convenient. That’s why CareNow is dedicated to reducing your wait while improving your health. Next time you or a loved one is under the weather, visit a CareNow urgent care clinic to feel better fast. With over 112 urgent care clinics around the United States and 30 locations in DFW, CareNow is ready to serve you near your home, workplace or school. Their clinics are open 7 days a week and stay open late to provide care when you need it the most.

Motherhood is full of many firsts, unfortunately the first accident your child has is going to be one of them. However, you’ll both get through the first big accident with a little help from CareNow.

This post is sponsored by CareNow and SheKnows Media.

As a new mom there are many wonderful “first” moments you get to experience.

The first smile. The first laugh. The first time you plainly hear “mama” cross their lips.

Unfortunately, there are going to be many other firsts that don’t make you feel all warm and fuzzy.

The first real cold. The first tooth (when it’s coming in.) And the first accident.

Hopefully for you, a bandage and a magic kiss from mama will make that “first” moment all better. However, there is probably going to be that first real moment (as evidenced by Facebook feed) when a kiss isn’t going to make it all better. You need real medical help because there’s blood, pain, or a broken bone that you can’t make go away all by yourself.

(Yes, this is the part of parenting that really sucks.)

For me, I remember that “first” moment like it was yesterday. I had been home with my son for an extended maternity leave (about a year) working from home, and the time had finally come when I needed to go to a meeting. Until then, my meets were playdates – Jackson, me, and a diaper bag. I felt so anxious – first to put on adult clothes (those that once upon a time fit me in the work world, but now didn’t look or feel the same) and second because I had to talk to people about something else besides my new kid.

I was so *beyond* nervous. And the meeting was just one hour – you would have thought it was a whole week the way I was acting.

My husband took off a few hours to watch our little baby while I was out, and then I would return home to reclaim my throne of mama.

Should be a piece of cake, right?

When I rolled out of my meeting and turned on my phone to let the boys know I was on my way home, I found a voicemail from my husband already waiting for me:

“Hi Honey, (all nervous and shaky sounding), Jackson pulled my razor on him and he’s bleeding. It’s pretty bad. Call me when you’re on your way.”

Are you kidding me???

I rushed into our house and my husband gave me the play by play:

He was getting ready for work and Jackson was in the bathroom with him. For two seconds he turned around to wipe his face, and in that time, Jackson (who was beginning to crawl at the time), pulled the cord to his electric razor and it fell on him – the side of the razor just graced the side of my son’s face to create a cut along his eyebrow.

All I could see was the towel dotted red as I reached to hold my son, I was just devastated. Then, my husband had to return to work, leaving me to figure out what to do for our baby, who while bleeding, seemed to be reasonably content and unbothered by the events.

All kinds of things were running through my head, but I knew we needed to see someone now.  I had often passed by a place nearby called CareNow. Although I wasn’t sure exactly how it worked, the name signaled that it was exactly what I was looking for.

As I entered the clinic, I was greeted warmly by the woman at the desk and she asked how she could help. Even in my crazy anxious state, she understood my gibberish and assured me that the doctor would see us as soon as possible. We took a seat in the lobby and in just a few minutes, our name was called and we were lead to a bed for them to take a look.

Once I was standing back from my son and the doctors, for the first time that morning, I took a deep breath.

It was gonna be ok.

The doctor let me know there had been no real injuries, just a small cut that required one.whole.stitch.

He was going to be ok.

In just a few minutes and a small bandage later, we were done and on our way home – all before lunch.

Thankfully, I was able to get the care now that we needed with a little help from CareNow.

About CareNow

When you are sick or injured, the last thing you need is a long wait at the doctor’s office or emergency room. You deserve quality medical care that’s also convenient. That’s why CareNow is dedicated to reducing your wait while improving your health. Next time you or a loved one is under the weather, visit a CareNow urgent care clinic to feel better fast. With over 110 urgent care clinics around the United States and 30 locations in DFW, CareNow is ready to serve you near your home, workplace or school. Their clinics are open 7 days a week and stay open late to provide care when you need it the most.

What does it mean to be #CurvesStrong?  It’s much more than a hashtag. 

Thank you Curves® International for sponsoring this post and making me #CurvesStrong.

A month ago I was invited for one month to Curves Fitness® Program. I had seen Curves locations before and had some preconceived notions about what a Curves program was. But since I’m always up to try anything especially when you can do it with a friend, I was game. So wine time turned to workout time and together my friend and I scheduled a month of Curves workouts together. 

The program seemed easy: join in the circle of workout machines for 30 minute workout (a two-time circuit) and go. Actually it seemed so easy that it couldn’t possible work. And without complicated rules, routines, and movements, it couldn’t possible make a real impact. 

However, the impact was much more than inches lost or a hashtag.

What I learned is that #CurvesStrong, had a lot of meanings to a lot of women. But just searching the hashtag I was transported to stories of encouragement, journeys of women getting years added back to their life because they had the energy, confidence and strength to do more, and amazing stories of weight loss that had given women a new life…all because of Curves.

#CurvesStrong is a movement for women of all ages. 

#CurvesStrong: Is health.

#CurvesStrong: Is strength. 

#CurvesStrong: Is community. 

One of the things I didn’t expect to gain from Curves was friendship. I came in with a friend so I already had that. But each time we both jumped in the ring for our circuit, we also were joined by other women that no matter what their goals – health, flexibility, weight loss – we were in it together. And we laughed together, we shared stories together and of course, when you needed a little something to keep you moving at the end of your set, we encouraged each other. In the middle, you’d always have your trainer there to assist and perfect your movements for the ultimate impact, but together as a group, that 30 minutes seemed to go by in no time. And when I was done, I had exercised, I had stretched, I burned, and I had done something for me. 

So the next time, which may be when your pants get snug, you reach a birthday milestone, or hit a new year on the calendar and begin the cycle of “what do I do to be a better me,” don’t do what you always do.

href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/sp?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#sp

#curvesstronghttps://t.co/obUvgpgp1D

— Teia (@DFWSingleMom) October 12, 2017

Don’t start opening your calendar trying to figure out how you’re going to find an hour to kick your butt doing some exercise concept you’ll get bored of and hate in a month.

Don’t go back to something that worked 20 years ago and think how if you did it again for just a few months, everything would be different. 

Worst of all, don’t look at things and decide not to do anything at all. 

#ad Working on improving my tomorrows w/ @curves! #curvesstrong! You can too — pic.twitter.com/J2jGnapiAK

— Shannon Schmid (@EverydayBest1) October 5, 2017

I bet if you just looked at your day you could find 30 minutes for you. 30 minutes to breathe, 30 minutes to let go, 30 minutes to move, and 30 minutes to make a difference. And guess what you don’t even have to do one burpee. 

So what is #CurvesStrong to you? 

Visit Curves online for a location near you and experience what it can do for you. 

About Curves

Curves® is a one-stop-shop for every woman’s fitness needs. By enrolling in the Curves Fitness® Program, women are able to participate in a 30 minute, total-body workout on strength training machines. These circuit classes are designed to burn fat, increase strength, and kick start weight loss. Curves® members not only work every core muscle group in just 30 minutes, but they also become a part of a supportive group of empowered women.

Are you ready to get #CurvesStrong?

This post was sponsored by Curves International but the content and opinions expressed here are all my own. 

Want a workout that’s easy, effective and empowers you? This one-stop-shop is all that (and more) and has a 25 year success record.

Thank you Curves® International for sponsoring this post and getting me to get moving for me!

I love to work out. 

Well let me rephrase…I love how I feel and how I look AFTER I have worked out. 

It’s getting the energy to do it that’s hard. 

And considering time is something I don’t have a lot of, working out is often what gets put on the bottom of the to-do list right there with kid-free time with my friends. 

I’m sad to say that both of these often get the shaft even though we all know they are necessary for a healthy well-being! 

So in efforts to keep 2017 a year for healthy change, Girl Time (which included a lot of wineing) would turn intoCurves® Time by working out with my girls. 

The idea was supposed to be something all of us would be comfortable doing and easy for us to catch up while we got in our workout time! 

On our first trip, we received a warm welcome from our coaches and in no time went to work! 

And thankfully there wasn’t a lot of confusing exercises or instructions – you just listed to the music and gave it your best shot for two rounds of interval cardio and machine work. We finished up with a series of stretches – and man, you needed those. 

Ironically, it didn’t feel like work but I could tell from the heavy breathing (and a pulse check – part of the workout), I was making a difference all while hanging with my friends. #multitasking

That day we committed to a month-long promise to keep each other accountable to working out together as a team. And keep us moving when we wanted to skip out when it seemed like there were too many other things to do. 

There was sign on the wall that I always look at that makes so much sense. 

And all it takes is 30 MINUTES! 

So many of us put ourselves on the bottom of the list. Ironically, not doing something for yourself, especially when it comes to your health is how you become better for everyone else. 

Make FALL into a good habit this season and make time for you and if you want, your friends too. Now’s a perfect time to sign up for Curves® since they’re celebrating 25 years of making a difference! 

And make sure to keep following me on social media (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) to see me check-in my progress. And because I did a health assessment when I began my Curves Journey (it’s part of their process too!), I’ll reveal what happened to me after 30 days! 

About Curves

Curves® is a one-stop-shop for every woman’s fitness needs. By enrolling in the Curves Fitness® Program, women are able to participate in a 30 minute, total-body workout on strength training machines. These circuit classes are designed to burn fat, increase strength, and kick start weight loss. Curves® members not only work every core muscle group in just 30 minutes, but they also become a part of a supportive group of empowered women.

Are you ready to get #CurvesStrong?

This post was sponsored by Curves International but the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.