Toast in Triangles - Starting Traditions

When I was little and lay on the couch recovering from a stomach bug, my mom would bring me a piece of toast cut into four perfect triangles. In my family, we always made our own breakfast, so having toast brought to you (in triangles no less) made me feel quite royal. I came to associate "triangle toast" with illness and with the extra-special-loving care one pours on loved ones during those times. 

Once I had a daughter of my own, I made sure that every time she was sick she got toast in triangles - another princess. One day when Emily was in second grade, I decided to send a little extra love in her lunchbox and made those thoughtful diagonal cuts to her ham and cheese. Emily came home from school declaring, 

     "Why did you cut my sandwich cut into triangles? I'm not sick. Let's save that for sick times."

Emily is 21 now and before going off to her senior year in college, she caught a cold. I buttered a piece of toast for her and listened as she snuffled from the couch, "Don't forget to do triangles!"

Traditions don't have to be elaborate, expensive or clever. An extra slice of the knife my mother made almost 50 years ago - and a crazy and beloved tradition was born. 

A great way to put in eye drops

Eye drops are a problem regardless of the age of your patient. The struggle to keep an eye open when a wet orb of water is about to collide with the eye's surface can be a challenge. I've found it's much easier to "do" eyedrops if the patient closes her eyes. While she lies down in comfort, simply squeeze one droplet onto that corner pocket of the eye on the nose side. Ask her to blink a few times, and it magically goes right in without all the trauma.

I even give myself eyedrops this way. It's harder of course, because you have to keep the tip clean and yet navigate blindly to where you think the corner pocket of your eye might be. Usually I miss the mark and then like one of those maze games with a rolling BB, I move my head around to steer the misguided droplet into my corner pocket where I can blink it into action.