I'm all about spending time outdoors, but I'll admit that creepy crawlies and a certain vine terrify me. I'm talking ticks and poison ivy.

My husband's an Eagle Scout, so when we're with him, I feel confident that he'll protect us. When it's up to me, I'm not so sure.

And, recently, in the space of two days, my daughter was exposed to both when we were out and about without dad. The tick can happen to anybody. The poison ivy ... well ... I should have been watching where she was squating.

So, since it's spring and we're all headed outside more often, here's a little refresher course.

Tick removal

Prevention is key: Check your child for ticks after you've been in wooded areas, according to The Children's Hospital in Denver. Be sure to dress your child in long sleeves and pants (easier said than done when it's 90 degrees out) and use insect repellant. 

If you find a tick: Remove it with fine-tipped tweezers, the hospital recommends, and hold on to the head of the tick close to the skin and then pull it out firmly and steadily. Put the tick in alcohol to kill it once its out. Wash your hands and swap the bite with alcohol.

Call the doctor if: the tick was in there for more than a day, part of the tick remains, there's a rash or it looks infected or the child has other symptoms like fever or chills.

The latest on Lyme disease in North Carolina: Here's a recent story that finds conflicting reports on whether the tick-borne illness is really a threat here. 

Poison ivy

Poison ivy looks like this:

According to "Caring for Your Baby and Young Child: Birth to Age 5," if exposed, you should wash the area for ten minutes, wash all clothes and shoes that touched the plant and hope for the best. The rash can take up to three days to appear. Use calamine lotion and a cortisone cream for treatment.