Pool And Summer Safety Tips From UL

Summer, is the perfect time to head outdoors and enjoy the warmer weather with your family.  This means time spent swimming in the family pool, and running, jumping and climbing on the backyard swing set.  As a parent, you want to do what you can to keep your children and family safe. Just like you would child proof your home, there are safety measures for outdoor play that, sometimes, we tend to overlook.

Pool safety, is one of the things that I am so vigilant about.  Having had first hand experience with the loss of a family member’s young son many years ago, makes it something that is burned into my memory.  To this day I still remember and watch my boys like a hawk when they are playing in just 2 feet of water.  After, they are done, the pool gets emptied, because you just never know when they may think to go back to it when you are sidetracked.   I know that you obviously cannot empty a much larger pool, but you can put safety measures in place, to avoid injury or tragedy.

This summer, Underwriters Laboratories (UL), a leading product safety testing organization, has taken some time and provided some useful tips to help keep you and your children safe around play sets and the pool.  There is also a really great Disney video about pool safety you can watch with the whole family.

When you go out for a swim:

POOL SAFETY AT HOME

• If you have a pool at home, install a fence. The fence should be at least four feet high and have a self-closing, self-latching gate that has a locking mechanism beyond a child’s reach.
• Cut overhanging tree limbs and remove chairs or ladders from the pool area to prevent children from climbing over the fence that surrounds the pool.
• Keep grates and drain covers in good repair and secured in place. Alert your family and guests to stay away from these devices, as the suction from drain outlets can be strong enough to cause entrapment of hair or body parts, which can potentially cause a person to drown.
• Make sure you know infant and child CPR if you own a pool.

BE SAFETY SMART WHILE SWIMMING

• Supervision is a must. Follow the 10/20 rule when you’re at the pool. The 10/20 rule states the supervising adult needs to position themselves to be able to scan the pool every 10 seconds, and reach the water within 20 seconds.

• Always have rescue devices, such as UL-LISTED life preservers, nearby.
• Flotation devices, toys and inflatable swimming aids are not safety devices. They are toys and can easily puncture and deflate.
• Always drain wading pools after children are done playing. Infants can drown in just a few inches of water.
• Have a telephone nearby and appropriate emergency numbers posted.
• Remove all toys when you leave the pool. Toys may attract children to the unattended pool.

When at play on the backyard play set:

BEFORE INSTALLING A BACKYARD PLAY SET…

• Make sure your backyard is large enough for playground equipment. The site must also provide good visibility and security. Before setting up equipment, look out for obstacles, such as the garage, tree branches, utility poles and wires.
• Read and follow the manufacturer’s directions when setting up play set equipment. Be sure your child’s weight and age fall within the manufacturer’s recommended limits for the equipment.
• Install protective surfacing, such as rubber tiles or mulch under the play set, at least six feed in all directions, to prevent serious injuries should a child fall.

 

BEFORE HEADING OUT TO PLAY…

• Carefully inspect backyard playground equipment. Make sure equipment is anchored safely in the ground, all equipment pieces are in good working order, S-hooks are entirely closed and bolts are not protruding.
• Check for spaces that could trap children, such as openings in guardrails or between ladder rungs. These spaces should measure less than 3.5 inches or more than 9 inches.
• Always supervise children on play set equipment to make sure they are playing safely.  
• Never attach ropes, jump ropes, clotheslines, pet leashes or cords of any kind to play set equipment. If used improperly, they can be potential strangulation hazards.
• Watch for potential trip hazards, such as rocks, tree stumps and concrete footings. Make sure you’re children are aware of them as well.
• Do a sandbox check. Before letting your child dig in, rake through the sand to check for debris or sharp objects. Also, inspect for any animal contamination or insect problems.

Doing a safety check list doesn’t have to be a chore.  In fact, you can head out as a family and go over the check list together!  This way you can help teach your children the importance of safety and what is unsafe, and do something together as a family.  It is pretty scary to think of something happening to your children, and an ounce of prevention goes a long way.  Sometimes, I think we put off the little things, and that can sometimes cause big consequences.  So take the time out to be safe, so you can enjoy a fun and relaxing Summer!  Thank you to UL for some really great safety tips.  This will be something we do every year.

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Underwriters Laboratories. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

John Morrell Allergen Free Meats

Allergies are big deal here in my house.  I have always suffered the occasional sniffles and sneezes that come along with allergy seasons, and as a child had a milk allergy.  Since having the boys, I have always been concerned that they might acquire some of my husband’s allergy problems.  As babies, I was always a little on edge when trying new foods, because you just never know when a food allergy would pop up.

There are a whole host of food allergies that run in my family.  I actually have an Aunt that is severely allergic to beef.  They aren’t certain if it is an allergy to the hormones that are used to treat the cattle or not, or if it is something else.  Often times when you read a food label, there are a myriad of food preservatives or other ingredients that could potentially trigger a food allergy  in them, so having foods available that offer an allergen free alternative is always nice and choices may not be as limited.  Plus, when you read that some foods my not actually have nuts in them, but have been processed in places that do use nuts, it makes you even more concerned and more limited on the foods you can buy if your child or family has food allergies.

We recently were given the opportunity to try John Morrell Allergen Free Meat.  John Morrell makes their brand hotdogs, smoked sausages, and bologna now 100% “worry-free”.  This means that they are free from allergens of milk, nuts, egg, soy, wheat, gluten, and MSG!   They even went a step further by making their hot dogs, smoked sausages and bologna in a completely allergen-free facility.   We tried their hotdogs on a weekend trip to the lake and grilled out.  They were a big hit and I didn’t notice any taste difference, and I could be happy knowing that I was avoiding some of the potential things that could possibly trigger a  food allergy.  It is also nice when you have people that have allergies to foods, that you can have them over and not feel like you have to exclude them from your meal, or make separate a separate food choice. 

If you or your family has food allergies, John Morrell Allergen Free Meats may be a great choice for you and your family to enjoy without the worry.  If you or your family would like to give John Morrell Allergen Free Meats a try you can visit their facebook page and get a $1 off coupon towards your purchase! 

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Centralon behalf of John Morrell and received a free coupon for John Morrell products to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central also sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

Uncle Ben’s Brown Rice Healthier Choice Without Compromising Taste

As a Mom, it is always a challenge to come up with things to feed your family.  It is even harder to come up with creative ways to slip healthy dinner choices into your family’s diet, especially if you have picky eaters.  One of my boys will eat just about anything, but my other, you have to convince him that the food you put in front of him is good.  Making subtle changes with healthier variations is what I found to be easiest when attempting to put something good for us on our plates.

I will be the first to admit that I tend to skip over the healthier version of a favorite food because it has been burned into my mind that it just won’t taste as good or taste the same, but I am usually willing to try it, if you put it in front of me..  My husband is a very anti-healthy anything, and if the label even mentions whole grain foods or whole wheat anything, he won’t touch the stuff.

I was recently given the opportunity to try Uncle Ben’s Brown Rice and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised.  We use a lot of white rice with various dishes in the house, so I figured that making a switch would be a good idea in the long run.  We were able to try a few different varieties Natural Whole Grain Brown, with the traditional cook time (40 minutes), plus Fast & Natural Instant Brown Rice and Boil-In-Bag Whole Grain Brown Rice (both ready in 10 minutes).  I am a big fan of the boil in bag rice but we tried the Fast & Natural Instant Brown Rice.  I was serving a pork dish with a sauce that I dumped over the rice, but because rice is so versatile you can incorporate it into many dishes.

The rice definitely has a distinct taste, and you can taste the whole grain, but everyone seemed to really like it, and I can see switching to use it in place of just using white rice, although I don’t think I will give it up completely.  Uncle Ben’s also has some really  great recipes to try using their Whole Grain Brown Rice, such as: Chicken & Brown Rice Sloppy Joes (this is next on our list to try); Tex Mex Rice with Shrimp, Corn and Lime; Chicken, Apple and Walnut Brown Rice Salad; and Mediterranean Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms. This makes it really easy to incorporate healthier choices and please even the pickiest palate.

All in all, we really liked Uncle Ben’s Whole Grain Brown Rice and will be keeping it as a staple in our pantry.  I can’t wait to try their Sloppy Joe Recipe!

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Uncle Ben’s and received samples to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

Halls Allergy Relief

This has to be one of the worst allergy seasons for me and my family this year. Our entire family seems to suffer from seasonal allergies. But my husband seems to get them the worst. My poor husband has been sleeping upstairs because with allergies, his snoring has become almost unbearable.
All of us are armed with allergy medications this year and take them on a regular basis. But even with medication, it seems like it is hard to get any sort of relief. My husband and I have the biggest problem with our noses being so stuffed up we can hardly breathe, and my worst problem is always having one side of my nose plugged up in the morning.
I get up and take my allergy medicine and wait at least and hour or two for it to take effect. In the meantime me and my husband spend a good half of the time sniffling away with stuffed up noses.
Finding methods for quick relief are always a plus. We were sent some Halls cough drops to help with just this sort of problem and provide some much needed short term relief while you are waiting for allergy medicine to kick in. Halls can complement your medicine and help relieve allergy related sore throat and cough symptoms and even help cool nasal passages. I have always taken Halls when I have a cold, and the feeling of being able to breathe easier with a stuffed up nose, is just something you can appreciate, when you are already feeling miserable.
Halls is a great addition to your allergy regimen for fast-acting allergy relief, so you can get on with the more important things, like playing outside with the kids and breathing a little easier!

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Halls and received products necessary to facilitate my candid review. In addition, I received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

Frigidaire A Word About Energy Savings

Energy savings has been on my mind since it seems like the economy is in trouble.  My husband and I have managed to get all of the light bulbs replaced with the energy bulb, which annoy me, but that is a different story.  But, in the interest of saving money, I thought I would include this little tidbit of information about our new Frigidaire Professional Refrigerator.

When I think of big appliance, it like I can almost envision a cloud of money floating out the door.  We have a lot of power outages here in our new house for some reason and we had considered a generator.  When you look at some of the more expensive generators they only run a few of your appliances.  That gives you an idea of the amount electricity these things take to run and along with that comes the lovely bill to pay for running them!

Our new Frigidaire Refrigerator has a really awesome feature  called Energy Saver Plus Technology.  This is how it works:  if the refrigerator door is not opened for 24 hours and the refrigerator system is set to a 12-hour defrost cycle, then the system automatically goes to a 96-hour compressor run time defrost cycle to conserve electricity.  This comes in handy when you are away on vacation or just away for a couple of days.  It is just like the vacation setting on your hot water heater, and turning your ac down.  Now you can save a little more vacation cash with your refrigerator!  I think this is a wonderful feature and very energy conscious.  It makes perfect sense!

FYI:   Frigidaire just received  the 2010 Energy Star Award for Excellence in ENERGY STAR Promotion. The award recognizes our commitment to smart energy management, a cause that helps our customers save money and help the environment.

“I wrote this review while participating in a Test Drive Campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Frigidaire and received a Frigidaire Refrigerator to facilitate my review.”

Frigidaire Getting Your Refrigerator Organized

Since getting our new Frigidaire, I had basically stuffed all the things we had in our old refrigerator in the new one with the intention of getting the space better organized.  The Frigidaire is a little smaller than our previous fridge but it has more than enough ample space and some really neat features that make up for the difference.

Before our big grocery trips, I usually do a thorough clean out of both the refrigerator and the freezer to get an idea of what I have, what I might need and toss out all the things that are outdated.

Here are some useful tips for organizing your fridge!

When you are cleaning out the fridge and getting ready to go to the store, it is the perfect opportunity to clean it out and sanitize and wash all the shelves and such.  I like to get all the bottles out and clean them off because usually you have stuff that somehow gets caked to the bottom and it sort of winds up in the rest of your refrigerator.

If you have meat that you are going to be storing, I typically like to put that on a bottom shelf.  With my Frigidaire, there is a drawer at the bottom that I like to toss it in.  That way if the meat juices and stuff leak, then the clean up is as simple as wiping the drawer out and it isn’t busy dripping all over everything if you were to put it on a shelf.

You can wash and put all your produce away and ready to go when you first buy it.  I admittedly don’t do this, because I am usually in a rush, but this will help your lettuce and fruits stay fresher longer.

I throw out anything that is expired.  yes, ok, I am a little paranoid about expiration dates.  The minute the clock hits midnight the day after the date on the bottle, it gets tossed.  My husband makes fun of me because he will eat it if its half green  lol.

Have a place for everything.  How you want to organize where to put things is strictly up to you, but if you designate a place for your condiments, and your eggs etc, then you always have a place to put them and it keeps your fridge looking nice and neat.  Ladies, this is great for your husbands who can never find a darn thing.  If they learn the place, then they will leave you alone when they are looking  ha!

Put your taller items in the back.  This way, you can see those bigger items easily without blocking the view of your smaller things.  This is better than standing there looking like you are scouting a boat out at sea, with your fridge door hanging open, a look of confusion on your face (knowing that you just bought the item you are looking for) and then you just give up.  This is usually when the alarm on the door to our new Frigidaire starts to beep at me.  I love the feature though, especially with kids…if they leave it open without me knowing then there is a reminder…I love it!

For the freezer, I pretty much do the same.  I try and keep items grouped together, and go through it once a month.  I try and keep bagged items together, flat boxed items in one area with the label facing out.  This makes it easy to see and reach and nothing is falling out at your feet.  There isn’t anything worse than frozen meat hitting your toes  ouch!

Lastly, I try to keep things decluttered.  If you have something in a box and the something can be removed and put away it will usually free up some space in the refrigerator.  For example, I always have sick butter in the house for baking, and usually it comes four to a box, instead of hanging on to the box with only two sticks, it will free up a little more room to take them out.  If the expiration date is on the box, get a permanent marker and write it on there.  I do this with everything, especially with meats in my freezer that I divide into smaller portions for the family.

Here is a little video of my organized fridge!

I wrote this review while participating in a Test Drive Campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Frigidaire and received a Frigidaire Refrigerator to facilitate my review.

Frigidaire Test Drive How Many Popsicles Can I Fit?

Just when I thought I couldn’t fit anything else in the freezer we came home with two boxes of popsicles today.  We already have a box sitting in our new Frigidaire but when you have twins they almost always want something different. So today we came home with chocolate popsicles and fruity popsicles.

We have a freezer downstairs for overflow but I almost always hate trudging down the stairs if I can manage to fit what I have in the freezer in the kitchen.  I had serious doubts as to whether or not I could finagle two big boxes of popsicles in the already overflowing (and yes still unorganized) freezer (that’s up next).  To my amazement I didn’t have to make an overflow trip downstairs.

We went from a 26 cubic ft refrigerator/freezer to the Frigidaire which is 22.5 cubic feet, so I was anxious to compare.  I managed to get 2 more boxes of popsicles and some Ben and Jerry’s with a little more room to spare, and the door actually shut.   You know when you stuff your freezer and shut it, praying the door will close?  No worries with this Frigidaire! Anything not to head to the basement where I forget about the stuff that I have down there.  This is just another way in which Frigidaire helps this mom save a little time by not having to run up and down the stairs to see what I have available for meals and snacks in our freezer.  I don’t know how many times I forget things down there and feel a bit like a ping pong ball running up and down the stairs!

Popsicles Everywhere!  No Worries With Frigidaire!

“I wrote this review while participating in a Test Drive Campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Frigidaire and received a Frigidaire Refrigerator to facilitate my review.”

Frigidaire Test Drive Week Four

We are finally settling in with our new Frigidaire Professional Refrigerator, and testing it to it’s limits indeed. Now that the newness has worn off, I am getting to know the new fridge a little more.  I am sure that, I am not the only one that keeps a refrigerator like we do in this house.  I guess you could say I am the stuff and run type and well organization in my fridge doesn’t happen very often.  You know the drill, you get home with a truck load of groceries, the kids need your attention and you stuff and run.  As long as it’s all in there, right?

This is embarrassing but this is what it looks like at the moment (oh shush, you know yours doesn’t look neatsy poo!  LOL)

I have to share one of the many little features that I love. When you open the doors on the Frigidaire, I imagine the heavens opening up and the choir beginning to sing with this great performance lighting it has.  You open the door and the lights ease on, and well, then I am reminded that I really need to organize this stuff better, but the effect still makes me happy.

Odor Control

With our new Frigidaire, gone are the days of having a box of baking soda taking up a little more of your extra space.  And let’s face it, we don’t always get to the leftovers sheepishly hiding in the back for the past four weeks, and last thing I want is to have that blast of stinky air in my face when I go for my favorite foods.  It has a wonderful little feature called the PureAir Ultra filtration system, and it seems to be working just dandy because I left half a pan of lasagna in there till it looked like something out of science fiction and you would have never known (you know you’ve been there, don’t pretend).  I guess it works!

Temperature Control
We have been busy stuffing as much as we possibly can into our new Frigidaire.  We have had some issues with the meats and cheeses freezing in the drawer and we are still determining how to make it to where that doesn’t happen by adjusting the temperature sliding tab for the meat drawer and by not having to raise the overall temperature of the fridge to 38 degrees, because we like our milk fairly cold in this house.  The freezer is working great and no issues there.

Energy Savings

We are big on energy savings in this house, and every little bit helps right down to the lightbulbs.  Typically your major appliances can suck the money right out of your pocket.  The good news is that,  Frigidaire just received the EPA’s prestigious 2010 Energy Star award for their “Swap and Save” Energy Star Promotion. This award recognizes Frigidaire’s commitment to smart energy management and its efforts to share the importance of energy efficiency.  If you want to see just how much money you will save with Frigidaire’s newest appliances, they have nifty way to calculate you energy savings at their site www.Frigidaire.com/ecosavings

Storage and Space

I am loving all sorts of cool new features in our new Frigidaire. I love having a place to put the soda cans in the door, and I love the fact that the fruit and vegetable drawer is divided in half. It seems like something simple, but it makes it nice for organizational purposes and keeping things separate. And the cherry on top has to be the adjustable shelf on top. All you do is turn the crank and you can raise and lower it. So you know the bottle of oversized grape juice that you bought that you normally have to strategically angle into your fridge and you cant put it upright? Well that is no more, with my new Frigidaire fridge, because if I need an extra inch or two all I have to do is turn the handle. And it can just as easily be moved back.

In the upcoming weeks, I will be working on better ways to effectively organize the fridge and take a look at how easy it is to clean.

I wrote this review while participating in a Test Drive Campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Frigidaire and received a Frigidaire Refrigerator to facilitate my review.

Frigidaire Getting Acquainted With My Beautiful New Fridge

For the past couple of weeks, we have been adjusting to a new addition in the family.  We have been getting acquainted with our new Frigidaire professional line refrigerator.  It is a tad smaller than the one that we sent to garage but the storage areas seem to make up for the space that we lost.  There will be more in the future on organizing the fridge to make more space.  You might be a little scared at the moment because I haven’t had the chance to make it all pretty and organized on the inside.

I am loving the stainless steel look in the kitchen.  When the guys from the appliance store were installing the fridge, I told my husband that I may need to change all of the appliances over to stainless steel.  All the men in the room laughed together.  I guess that was a no.  What do men know anyway!  I guess I will leave that discussion for another day  ha!

The fridge is beautiful.  I was a little worried about how easy the stainless steel would get finger prints.  But, I have found that it is extremely easy to clean.  I just take a damp paper towel half wet and half dry and they come right off and it looks great.   I really like having the temperature display on the outside of the fridge.  On our GE Profile, they were inside the door, and I felt like I was forever adjusting the temperature to get it to stay.  You will see the display on some of my pictures.  At the time the fridge was working its way to the proper temperature after we got everything in it.  But it took very little time and everything was nice and cold.

We are getting used to all the new features, and I particularly like the little shelf that is above the ice maker.  You can fit your Ben and Jerrys up there (which is critical) and a pizza.  I love that!   I will cover more of the features in a later post.  In the meantime, let me introduce you to my (our) new baby!  I know you will fall in love too!

Turn Up Your Sound  🙂

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