May: The month to Celebrate Moms and Nurses!
By Megan Lardie
May is, of course, the month we celebrate Mother’s Day, but May also honors nurses with International Nurses Day on May 12th, which is the birthday of Florence Nightingale.
Mothers are usually our primary nurse as we grow up. The first one to check out whatever hurts and always make it better with maybe just a kiss or maybe an ice pack and a band aid.
Nurses are amazing human beings. They are there to help mothers welcome babies into the world. They are there to help people who are not well feel better. And they are there to help people who are dying, to pass as peacefully as possible.
Florence Nightingale is credited with making hospitals cleaner and safer. She is often referred to as “The Mother of Modern Nursing.” When she was a teenager, she believed she received a calling from God to help the poor and the sick. Her parents wanted her to get married and raise a family, but she felt she needed to go to Germany and study to become a nurse.
When a war started in the 1850s, Florence Nightingale was one of the most important people in nursing. The British were not prepared to deal with the number of sick and injured soldiers. The Secretary of War in Britain asked Florence Nightingale to get a team of nurses together and go to the frontlines to take care of the wounded soldiers.
The nurses brought supplies, healthy food, and sanitary (cleaning) practices to the military hospital. The nurses also provided individual care and support to the soldiers. At night, Nightingale would take a lantern and check on the soldiers, so they gave her the nickname, “The Lady with the Lamp.” Due to her sanitary ideas and practices, the death rate dropped for 40% all the way down to 2%.
International Nurses Day is celebrated all over the world, including the United States and Ireland. The theme for 2022 is Nursing the World to Health. Over the past two years, nurses have been taking care of all the sick Covid-19 patients and have done incredible work.
Celebrating International Nurses Day is so important. It is a celebration that brings nurses together from all countries, all races, and all genders for the goal of making people healthy. When you see a nurse or if you know a nurse, always let them know how grateful you are for all that they provide for you!
Kids in the Kitchen
Peanut Butter and Jelly French Toast
Try this twist for Mother’s Day Brunch!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup peanut butter
- 12 slices bread
- 6 tablespoons jelly or jam
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cup 2% milk
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons butter
Directions
- Spread peanut butter on 6 slices of bread; spread jelly on the remaining 6 slices of bread. Put 1
slice of each together to form sandwiches. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk and salt. Dip both sides of sandwiches in egg mixture. - In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Cook sandwiches for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
Literature Corner
Florence Nightingale by Shannon Zemlicka 
Read this biography to learn more about Florence Nightingale. When she was growing up, nursing was not a job that her parents wanted her to have, but after sixty years in the field, she made it a very honorable profession. Ages 7-10, 46 pages.
Kindness is my Superpower: A Children’s Book About Empathy, Kindness, and Compassion
by Alicia Ortego
This charming story will help you teach your child that being kind is a superpower. Lucas will explain that it is okay to make mistakes and say I’m sorry and teach your child good manners and behavior at home and at school. Readers will learn what kindness means and understand what it takes to be kind, sensitive, caring, and generous. Ages 3-7, 38 pages.
Lardie’s Laughs
- Why can’t you play basketball with pigs?
- Because they hog the ball!
- What goes up and down but never moves?
- Stairs
Gab in Gaelic
You will be better soon = Beidh biseach ort go luath (pron: beg bishock urt guh loo-ah)
