4th of July Safety

We love to celebrate the 4th of July. Warm summer evenings spent outside with friends. Food from fabulous barbecues and staying up late to watch the fireworks. What could be better?

Every year however, there are terrible tradegies that could be avoided. 8,600 to be exact on July 4th 2010. Kids favorite sparklers burn at 2000 degrees Fahrenheit. That is a serious burn. Not to damper our celebratory spirit, but we are playing with fire and hot fire at that. Caution should be heeded for the safety of our children and our neighbors.

Here are a few safety tips to remember that will make your 4th July safe and fun.

1. An adult should always light fireworks. This adult should be responsible, sober and use proper safety gear like glasses.
2. If you light a firework but it does not seem to work, do not try to relight it. This is very dangerous. Fireworks are not 100% reliable and sometimes they can do the unexpected.
3. Have a source of water, ie a hose, near by. Fireworks are unpredicitable and water and lots of it should be available to douse them if needed.
4 .Have a bucket of water to soak all used fireworks in. Some fireworks can still be hot after 15-20 minutes. Never put fireworks that have just been used in a garbage can.
5.  If your child does do sparklers, make sure they are wearing shoes and not flip flops. Most burns happen on the feet, so this gives you one extra layer of protection.
6. After your fireworks are done, clean up. Store used fireworks in your bucket of water, wash off the street or sidewalk with a hose and put away all your lighters. It never hurts to go a little overboard on safety.

One last thing I would like to add. Every year before we leave for the huge community fire work display, we turn our sprinklers on. Not only will this water out anything we missed, but it protects us from the neighbors fireworks too. Every year people shoot off illegal fireworks in our neighborhood and every year we are concerned our house will be hit by one of these stray roman candles. Having wet grass, and yes sometimes the roof, gives us that extra layer of precaution on a night that we all love to celebrate.

Have a Happy and Safe 4th of July

Fishing With Dad

 Summer time in our household means going down to the river and fishing with dad. Of course, when doing anything by a fast moving river, extra caution is needed. Hoping rocks to get to the best fishing spot is not uncommon and dad likes to get out there and look up and down the river for the good spots.

 Once dad has checked out the best spots for each child, depending on their age, he gets them set up with their own poles and tackle.

 Our youngest get the safest spot, near the river. Finding a calm spot in the water right before and right after fast moving water is a favorite hang out for fish.

This year Jeff taught our youngest how to fly fish. No more tricking her into sitting in one spot with a fake worm on her pole. She has watched the bigger kids and knows how to do it right.

 The water does move very swiftly in the river, and while this part of the river is not catch and release, most of the fish caught go right back into the river.

 Dad on the other hand spends most of his time fixing the flies, unsnagging the lures from rocks, trees and whatever is in the river that seems to snag them. Luckily for him I didn't come on this fishing trip. I'm worse then the kids. Usually I snag them all behind me on trees and bushes and never make them into the water. When I do, I'm very good at snagging logs. Surprisingly I have never found a fish in the trees.
Thankfully my husband loves seeing the kids happily fishing.

 Fishing is not expensive, unless you're into the big boys. A little pole can be bought at Wal-mart or a garage sale for under 20.00. Flies tend to run more, but if your local river allows live bait, worms are the way to go.

 The wild life down at the river is always on the move and is waiting to snag your catch away from you. Usually we see otters. They are such a curious little animal and will follow you up and down the river all day.

This otter turned out to be a beaver. My husband is sure he has never seen one on this stretch of the river before. He was not a bit scared of the kids or my husband. We are a bit unsure if he was just friendly or defending his territory. I thought maybe he was tired of waiting for them to lure in a fish and decided to come out and wait for one himself.

Taking your kids on a simple little fishing trip down to your local river is one way to spend the hot summer evenings. It builds wonderful memories that they will have forever, even if there is no catches. Our oldest daughter did catch 4 but she released them all.

Top Ten Foods You Should buy Organic

Picture courtesy of FoxNews

This latest headline caught my eye, "Apples Receive Top Honor on Dirty Dozen". Interestingly enough the apple tops the list of foods that should buy Organic. Why? Can't you just wash them and peel them?
Here is an excerpt from the article:

The Environmental Working Group (EWG), a non-profit consumer advocacy group, recently released their annual “Dirty Dozen” list of pesticide-laden fruits and vegetables. 

This year, for the first time, apples ascend to the top of the list as the most chemically-contaminated produce.

Everyone understands that a healthy diet is one that includes plenty of fruits and vegetables. But some produce contains more pesticide residue than others and limiting that exposure is vitally important.

Using government data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the EWG tested more than 700 apples and found pesticides on 98 percent of those sampled. Even after washing, 92 percent of the apples tested had two or more pesticide residues detected. You can’t wash away pesticides in the fruit. The fruit’s structure has been compromised, so even if you peel an apple or wash it, the pesticides are in the cellular structure because they have been grown in a poison environment.

“We think what’s happening to apples is more pesticides and fungicides are being applied after the harvest so the fruit can have a longer shelf life,” Sonya Lunder, EWG senior analyst told USA Today.

It got me thinking that is for sure. There are just some foods you should purchase organic and at least from a farmers market. Here is their top 10 list of foods you should consider purchasing organic. 

1. Apples
2. Celery
3. Strawberries
4. Peaches
5. Spinach
6. Nectarines (imported)
7. Grapes (imported)
8. Sweet bell peppers
9. Potatoes
10. Blueberries (domestic)

If you have a limited budget, and who doesn't in these economic times, try and set aside enough money to at least get these foods from your Organic section at the supermarket, or better yet from your local organic farmer's market. Focus your budget on the top 5 products, and fill in where you can on the remaining items. 

Having apples on the top surprised me. I had always heard that if you can peel the fruit you will be fine, looks like in this case "they" were wrong. Does this surprise you?

Tarp Soccer-A summer Sport

Summer’s here. Whatever that means to you—sunshine, a break, or just a lot of fun—you know at one point or another, there’s that part of the summer where you feel dead tired and completely bored. You must admit that those are the times you wish you had something to do, especially if you’ve got whiny kids—you have my sympathy. I have a remedy that will at least engulf a few hours of you day. You are going to make a tarp soccer field!

All You Need:

·         A tarp

·         A few bottles of baby soap (so your kid’s eyes don’t get hurt.

·         Some water, from a constant source (preferably), like a hose

·         A ball, like a soccer ball or volleyball

·         Somebody to play with it

Now I understand if you’ve already figured out what you’re supposed to do, but I will go in depth anyways…

1.      Take tarp, lay it out on a flat and soft area—a patch of grass will do great, just make sure to clear away any big rocks that could hurt somebody when they slide.

2.      Get the tarp slightly wet.

3.      Dump baby soap from top to bottom, but save some for later, you’ll need to add some soap every once and a while,

4.      Add more water, and let your kids go for it!

5.      Repeat the process of adding more soap and water when needed.

6.      You can add a sprinkler by the edge of the tarp for extra fun, or just spray the kids with the hose.

7.      Mainly, just have fun with it!

You will be able to find baby soap and tarps nearly anywhere. This year we made a tarp soccer field for my brother’s party, they played soccer, raced, wrested, and played tag. You can have fun on these tarps by yourself or with friends. This is a great summer activity for parties, family reunions, or just for family fun. Please enjoy tarp soccer! 

 

Fun at the Grower's Market

The food you eat has a lot to do with where you live. No, not the type of food—but the freshness! Most people like fresh food; food that tastes like life, and looks like joy. Everyone has had that perfect strawberry or that perfect tomato at least once, but where can one indulge in the best of foods all times of the year? A grower’s market!

Whether yours is called a grower’s, farmer’s, or crafter’s market, it’s a place where the whole family can enjoy themselves. These markets are home to the local family owned farms and businesses, the food is great, the prices are fantastic, and it’s a great place to get away for an hour or two.

At a grower’s markets you’ll find the freshest fruits and vegetables for very good prices, pre-planted trees and bushes, and handcrafted –crafts (such as jewelry or candles), but that’s not all, you will also find the occasional juggler, musician, and thespian playing in the streets. There are plenty of different foods for lunch, or just a snack. Often, you’ll find great deals on a healthy delicious meal that has been made just a few hours before.

Silly Zak's is a local company that services those of us that are gluten free with tasty pastries.

One of the most important things to do (if you are shopping around for fruits and vegetables) is get there early! The best picks of the day will be gone if you dawdle. No fear though! If you miss the better picks that week, there is always the next.

At a grower’s market, one with meet plenty of interesting people, the whole experience is very personal. These people are locals, but they want you to buy from them, so they are business people. Don’t let sweet words ruin your chance for the best possible pick! My suggestion is if you have product that you know you will be returning for, the first time you go, get the product from several venders, this will give you variety, and an opportunity to know you preferred vender. When in doubt, follow the crowd, there is probably a reason that guy on the corner hasn’t sold a tomato yet. Just remember, not all farms are created equal!    

HGTV - 10 Themed Bedrooms for Kids

What could be more fun then a room full of legos? How about a room decorated with lego boards so that you can build all your own decor? This fun themed room as seen on HGTV's website is just one of the fun themes they have come up with. Your imagination is the limit as you decorate, play and create.

Picture Courtesy of HGTV

While this room may be the most unique, they also have a very cute Cowboys and Indians themed room as well as the cutest princess themed room I've seen in a long time.

Interactive Reward Chart for Kids

Picture Courtesy of My Reward Board. Com

My Reward Board is fun and interactive and a huge motivator for children. I have had this program for years installed on every computer in our house. I've had three kids using it continuously for several years. My teens have learned consistency in chores from the time there were 6 and my now 9 year old still loves using it.

This simple interactive chore chart not only applauds when they do their chores, but they earn token dollars that they can spend on already approved activities or rewards that mom and dad program in. They can spend them all each week, or save up for that big reward that keeps spinning around.

You can try it free for 15 days, what is not to like about that, but it is only 19.95 once and forever. Use it for all your kiddos!

There is no compensation for my recommendation, It is honestly just one of our favorite things we have used ourselves for years.

Making Cloth Diapers

My children are all out of diapers and the only think I remember about cloth diapers was they looked difficult to fold, pin and they leaked.
Recently I spend some time with a few friends who have newborns on up still in diapers. I offered to change one of the little ones and was instantly frozen with fear of how to change it. Laughter roared from the other room as I stuttered for help.
I see why they were laughing, the diaper was simple. Instead of throwing it away I placed it in a bucket. Done!

These same friends informed me as I oohed and awed over this amazing diaper that they made them by hand. Wow! What a great idea.

Dianna's Journal

So, here I am looking up how it was done and came across a fantastic blog that showed step by step how these little creations take form. Dianna's Journal shows each step in creating the pattern and your own diapers.
Of course if you don't want to go to the effort of creating them yourself, you can head over to Etsy and find some wonderful handmade ones for purchase.