Get-Well Gift Bundle

My sweet, tender-hearted six-year old said good-bye to his Kindergarten teacher today as she left school to have knee-replacement surgery. She will not be back before the end of the year so we wanted to get her a nice get-well/thank you for the year/going away gift. I solicited donations from other parents and suggestions from recently hospitalized friends and was able to put together this bundle of gifts.

Initially I had planned on packing this all in a nice little basket, but as the gift grew and grew I found I didn't have a basket this size! I tied a cute tag to each item and packed them inside a gift bag tied with a big colorful bow.  Here is what I included:

1. Facial cleansing wipes. Even when I am at home there are times it is a chore for me to make it up to go wash off my face at the end of the day. Lay me up with a post-operative, major leg surgery condition and I may never wash my face at all! Now she can just stash this nearby the bed and freshen up as needed.

"Because sometimes you just don't want to get up to wash your face."

 2.  Hard candy. Eating and drinking restrictions, anesthesia, and a slew of medications are going to bring on some wicked dry mouth. I threw in some hard candy to help combat the dry mouth.

"Because surgery sucks."

 3. Interesting magazine. Reading material is a necessity. Sometimes anesthesia and pain medications can severely limit your attention span. Books can be a bit hard to read under that influence. A magazine with short articles can be better. His teacher makes some amazing cakes so this magazine should be interesting to her. I know she won't be up making too many cakes, but maybe she can fantasize up some good ideas while she heals.

"For inspiration during recuperation"

 4.  Tissues. Hospitals make me sneeze. I've been working in hospitals for over 12 years. Something about the dry air and hospital linen make my nose go crazy. And if I had surgery, I just might cry afterwards. Have you ever used those hospital tissues? Not fun. A little like wiping your nose with a piece of notebook paper.

"A tissue because we will miss you"

 5.  Lavender and chamomile lotion. That dry air also makes dry skin. On the bottle it says "helps you. . . feel at ease." Yes! That is what I want for her!

"Take a moment everyday to relax"

 6.  Lip balm. Should I say it again? Dry air, dry skin, dry lips.

"So your lips my shine as you smile through pain"

 7.  "Diamond Strength" Nail polish. I'm not sure I have ever seen her without her nails painted so this one seemed natural. It will serve multiple purposes--something to do while resting with her leg up and keep her looking good.

"May you have strength from tip to toe"

 8. Non-skid slippers. From a nursing point of view--it's got to be non-skid. These were cute, soft, and non-skid.

"To get you back on your feet"

 9. Chenille throw. This was so super-soft I wanted to keep it for myself. I know it isn't cold weather around here right now, but hospitals are cold. I, personally, would want to be cozy in my house also. I love a nice throw.

"A warm hug from your Kindergarten angels"

 10. Chocolate. What get-well gift is complete without chocolate?? I steel stamped the lid "FEEL BETTER" and filled the sucker up with M&M's. Putting bulk candy into a mason jar is such an easy way to pretty-up the presentation instead of the big bag it comes in.

"Because chocolate makes everything better"

Total cost: Not saying since it is a gift. But if I had more money, I would have purchased a big basket to pack it all in. I may have added a small bag of toiletries, wet hand wipes, a nice water bottle or big cup (like a Tervis), single serving drink mixes or water flavorings, teas, hair ties or soft headbands, gift cards for restaurants where her family can pick up food to bring home to her.

Total time: It took a little more than an hour to make the tags and pack up the items.

Final verdict: I think it looks like a gift I would want! Hopefully the items are helpful to her and she has a swift recovery.