activities - Sereneluna

A few weeks ago, my husband and I took our children to the local fire department in our community where they had engaging activities for the kids, aimed at teaching them about fire safety and prevention. We got some informative brochures and colorful booklets that contained various tips and guidelines on how to stay safe in case of a fire emergency. I wanted to share the important information and key takeaways from what we learned, as I believe this knowledge is vital for everyone. Everything here can be found at www.fwp.org, where you’ll find resources and additional information to help keep your family safe.

Photos are my own. Baby Aaron with big sister Rebecca.

Some Facts About House Fires

⟢ Fire moves FAST. You could have as little as 2 minutes to get out safely once the smoke alarm sounds. Working smoke alarms give you early warning so you can get outside quickly.

⟢ Working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in a home fire in half.

⟢ Roughly 60% of home fire deaths happen in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.

Smoke Alarms: Make them work for you!

1️⃣Test smoke alarms at least once a month by pushing the test button.
2️⃣Install smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each separate sleeping area, and on each level of the home.
3️⃣Be sure to change the batteries at least once a year.
4️⃣Replace smoke alarms when they are 10 years old and don’t respond when tested.

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A Quick Review for Kids: STOP, DROP & ROLL!

Stay away from fire. Fire from a match, lighter, fireplace, or BBQ could catch clothes on fire. If your clothes catch fire….

STOP where you are. DROP to the ground. Lay flat with your legs out straight and cover your eyes and mouth with your hands.

And…ROLL over and over, back and forth until the flames are out!

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Life Saving Tips for Families

⟢ Crawl Low Under Smoke. If you must escape a fire, crawl low to the ground and go under the smoke to your nearest exit. Get out and stay out! Call 9-1-1 ASAP.

⟢ Plan Your Escape Route. Always have 2 ways out of your home and remember to practice your plan at least twice a year.

⟢ Plan ahead and make a meeting place. A meeting place is a safe place outside for everyone to meet at.

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You’re the hero if you stayed and read the whole blog post. I know you’re probably wondering why I haven’t posted in months. The routines that once excited me felt mundane, and I started questioning the purpose of sharing my thoughts online. Despite spending time on other social media, mainly Twitter/𝕏, it felt impersonal, and I missed the connection of writing longer blog posts. It dawned on me that I still had so much to share—stories and insights that could bring value to others, reigniting my passion for blogging and meaningful interaction, was was clearly lacking on other social media platforms.

♡ Quick Link: https://mobile.twitter.com/serene_hilz

Thanks for checking in! ♥

Are you surprised that I pulled an all-nighter last night? Apparently, I give good advice but I seldom follow it despite my best intentions. I write about this topic a lot because insomnia is currently something that I am majorly struggling with these days. I absolutely hate the feeling of being wide awake when I should be sleeping, which really throws off my sleep schedule and negatively impacts my #mood. Whether or not we are conscious of it, everything from the air we breathe to the things we do are interconnected.

Whenever I have insomnia, I know how tempting it is to just lie in bed and do nothing. However, doing nothing often makes my insomnia worse. Last night, I was up until 0600 after I promised myself that I would be in bed by midnight. Not gonna lie, I can barely function today. However, on rare occasions, insomnia has been a creative outlet for me. For instance, I often end up writing #poetry when I can’t sleep, which you can find under the page titled “Poetry.”

REDEFINING SLEEP [CONT…] 🌙✨

In case you missed my previous blog posts about Improving Sleep Hygiene and 8 Ways to Sleep Better, I highly recommend reading them first. Now that we got that out of the way, what do you do when you have tried everything and still cannot sleep? 🙄 What do you do when you find yourself tossing and turning in bed at 0200? If you happen to be scrolling through your phone at an ungodly hour because you cannot sleep, then you picked the right blog post to read! 💁‍♀️ In this blog post, we will discuss five quiet activities that you can try when insomnia strikes. Hopefully, these tips will help you get the sleep that you desperately seek.

Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor and I am not here to give you medical advice. Please talk to your doctor if insomnia is a persistent problem to rule out any underlying medical conditions. There may be an underlying cause for your insomnia that can be treated. Additionally, your doctor can recommend other treatments or strategies that may help you sleep better.

Redefining Sleep: Best Quiet Activities for Insomniacs

1. Write in a journal. Keeping a journal is one of the best ways to work through anxiety or stress and fall asleep. If you’re having trouble sleeping, try writing out your thoughts in a personal journal. The act of writing your thoughts down will help you organize your ideas and let go of some stress that may be contributing to your insomnia.

2. Listen to instrumental music. Listening to calming music when you’re trying to fall asleep is a great idea, in theory. Studies suggest that vocal-free music can actually help keep you awake since it activates our brain’s auditory cortex, which is known for being overactive in insomnia sufferers. Instrumental and/or ambient sounds like rainfall, wind chimes, or nature sounds (ocean waves, anyone?) tend to be more soothing. Personally, I love listening to BTS piano music on YouTube and the best YouTube channel in my opinion is Smyang Piano 🎧 Here are some songs that I listen to on repeat:

3. Read a book. Books are one of many quiet activities you can do when you have insomnia. Books don’t require all your attention, which means you can easily read one while also doing another task that requires less focus. This makes it a great activity for winding down at night before bed. Plus, reading about topics that interest you may help get your mind off any problems keeping you up. That being said, try not to read anything that is too exciting or makes you think critically.

4. Take deep breaths. Breathing deeply can help you relax and fall asleep faster, which is important if you have trouble falling and staying asleep. I cannot stress this enough, but it is best not to look at your phone, TV, or computer while practicing deep breathing—all of these activities stimulate your brain and body. In a previous blog post, I talked about using the 3-7-8 breathing exercise which you can read more about here.

5. Clean the house. Keeping your house clean isn’t just good for your mood; it can also help you de-stress, clear your mind and possibly even improve your sleep hygiene. The habit of cleaning before bed is a useful one because it can prevent unwanted distractions at night and make you feel more peaceful when it comes time to fall asleep. I recommend checking out this related blog post which includes a daily checklist to help you stay organized and in control of your environment.

(っ◔◡◔)っ ♥ FINAL THOUGHTS ♥

Insomnia can be a frustrating condition that makes it difficult to get a good night’s sleep. When you find yourself tossing and turning in bed, you can refer to my list of five quiet activities to help you wind down and drift off to sleep. Do you agree with this list of suggestions? Is there anything that I missed? Feel free to join the conversation by leaving a comment below ↓ #Sweet-dreams