Stay away FLU!

Some Tips from the FLY LADY (www.flylady.net) on keeping healthy during the ever- dreaded flu season coming up. We all know these things, but reminders never hurt!! 1. Wash Your Hands often with hot soapy water while you sing happy birthday. 2. Use hand sanitizer in addition to hand washing and when you can't wash your hands. 3. Don't touch your face, nose and eyes with your hands. 4. Cover your mouth with your inside elbow when you cough or sneeze instead of your hand. 5. Wash your hands before you eat. 6. Wash your hands immediately when you get home. 7. Put out clean hand towels every day. 8. Use a fork or a spoon so you are not handling your food. 9. Limit exposure by staying home more for meals. 10. Make a grocery list and shop once a week. 11. If you are sick; stay home! Martyrs spread more germs!

Tips for a Healthier Life

7 Tips for Healthier Living That We Use: 1) Eat a good breakfast to start the day. We usually have an assortment of things, but it usually includes a starch (muffins, waffles, pancakes, French toast, oatmeal, cream of wheat, biscuits, cereal), some type of protein (eggs, sausage, bacon, yogurt, peanut butter) and fruit. Starting off on a full stomach keeps us less likely to grab a “not so good” snack early in the day. Also, when Tate does need a snack in the morning, I restrict it to a low sugar cereal and fruit. I’m a firm believer in eating a big breakfast in order to keep the munchies away! I would love to be able to fix a huge breakfast every morning, but unfortunately that doesn’t happen. 2) Eat fruit with every meal. We started this about a year ago and try to keep it up at all times. Fruit is so good for you and we love it. We like fresh fruit best, but I always keep frozen and some canned fruit on hand to use in a pinch. 3) Snack on good protein filled snacks. We always get a snack about mid afternoon in order to make it to suppertime. This also keeps the munchies away before supper. 4) Increase the fiber in our diet. We also started eating more fiber about a year ago and found that the foods don’t taste as bad as we would have thought. I buy whole-wheat bread and pasta, which we eat a lot. I also would like to start baking with whole-wheat bread, but just haven’t yet (mostly because I don’t think about it while at the store). 5) Eat sweets in moderation. We still eat some sweets and I could not live without them. Keeping that in mind, we just eat a little, not a lot! 6) Keep sugary drinks to a minimum. I don’t drink “cokes” much at all. (“cokes”= any soda drink). So that’s not hard for me, but Matt likes them. We buy the little small ones for Matt to take for lunch so he still gets what the likes, just less. We put a little sugar in our tea, and drink our morning juice with half water to dilute it. Saves a little sugar and money that way! To this day, Tate will not drink a soda – yay! He says they are “hot”. So maybe he’ll grow up like me and not ever really get addicted to them. I’m thanking my Mom for that! 7) Get moving! We are a family that loves to be busy and be outside. When it’s nice enough, we are always out. We walk each day, sometimes twice a day depending on the weather and our plans. And, I go to the gym. Matt likes to work out as much as I do, but it’s difficult with his schedule. So, he makes it a priority to take 30 minutes 3 days a week to work out. He feels so much better with that short time commitment. It’s amazing how much stress working out relieves!

Homemade Baby Food

Butternut Squash - yum!

I've been making homemade baby food! It's fun, economical, and a great nutritional start for my baby! A friend recommended this website http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/ and a book by Annabel Karmel. I used "First Meals" that I checked out from my library branch. So far I've made pears, applesauce, butternut squash, potatoes, and green beans. I used a hand blender attachment that came with my mixer and it works wonderfully. They all seem to freeze well and taste remarkably good! I'm looking forward to my next cooking concoction!

Stop a Pot From Boiling Over

A friend of mine told me this a while back ~ I've tried it out and IT WORKS! To stop a pot from boiling over on the stove, put a wooden spoon over the top. Cool, huh?

Free Movies This Summer

Check out your local movie theaters – you might get to see free kid’s movies this summer!

Grocery Shopping Hints

Save time and money at the grocery store by checking out the Sunday newspaper coupons and circulars and making a grocery list. List: I keep an ongoing grocery list on my refrigerator at all times so I don’t forget an important item. (If it’s not on the list, I usually don’t buy it!) For my list, I divide it into sections of the store. So, I write items at the top that I will purchase first, and then down from there. The bottom of the list is the fresh fruits and vegetables, which I purchase last. It really helps with shopping and marking off the list when you don’t have to hunt the entire list each time you go down a new aisle. Coupons: Clipping coupons from the newspaper inserts has saved me some money over the years. I only clip the ones that are for items I usually purchase anyway, so I’m not buying something just to use the coupon. Some stores will double or triple the coupons, too. Also, before leaving for the store, I sort my coupons and pull out the ones for items I know I will be getting. Then I put them in the order I will come to them in the store – like my grocery list. It keeps everything going faster that way! Store Circulars: I make it a habit to know the general amount of the items I buy most often. Since Wal-Mart will match competitor’s prices, I scan the other store circulars each week to see if there are any “good deals”. Occasionally, other stores will run items that are a better price and I have a coupon – then it’s a great day for shopping! Wal-Mart will not honor “Buy one get one free” coupons, but most others that I find. Happy Shopping by Saving Time and Money!

Protect your kids this summer

With small children and the increasing talk of skin cancer, I decided that “sun protection” swimming suits were best this year. I found some at Target that are listed as UPF* 50+. They are relatively inexpensive. I’m sure other places carry them, as I’ve found them online, but at a much higher price. They have shirts and trunks or bikini bottoms for older boys and girls and as well as bathing suits, shirts, trunks and hats for baby girls and boys. I think we’ll use sunscreen in addition to these items to make sure there are no burns. *From Wikipedia: “A relatively new rating designation for sun protective textiles and clothing is UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor). Unlike SPF (Sun Protection Factor) that measures only UVB, UPF measures both UVA and UVB.”

More on Car Seats

I just saw in yesterday's newspaper that a new bill in the Texas Legislature regarding car seats will become law. I don't know details, but when I do, I'll post them. I read about it awhile back, but don't remember everything. "Booster seats: Requires that children under age 8 be secured in a booster seat when riding in a passenger vehicle. Current age limit is 4." -Star Telegram, June 2, 2008

Child Car Seats

I recently attended a car seat check at my dr’s office that is done by the Department of Public Safety. Now I thought I was Mrs. Safety when it came to car seats, but there were a few things I did not know or was doing incorrectly. It’s worth your time to get yours checked out. Be sure to come in the car you use regularly and have your kids with you in order to get it thoroughly checked. Some items I learned: When using an infant seat: – Always have the handle all the way back (down) for the safest practices. – Never use toys on the handle with it up for the baby to play while driving. It would hit them in the face if in an accident. – Only have soft toys for the baby. – Keep all other items out of the nearby areas (seat, floor) that could hit the baby in a crash. – Use a pool noodle to raise the incline of the seat under the base. – Always make sure the angle is correct – mine has a “level” to watch. – Safest position is middle. When using any car seat in general: - Only use approved items for “seat protectors”. They told me to only use a towel or the waffle type cabinet liners. - Make sure at least 80% of the car seat is on the vehicle seat. - Don’t use both the latch and vehicle seat belt. - Make sure the car seat is not “expired”. Look under the seat – Most are 5 years or so. - Have the chest latch at nipple level and tight enough that 2 fingers cannot pass through. From Fort Worth Pediatrics Website: http://www.fortworthpediatrics.com/ “CAR SAFETY CHECKS (in Fort Worth) Fort Worth Pediatrics is pleased to once again offer FREE car seat safety checks through our friends at the Texas Department of Public Safety. Certified members of their department will be at Fort Worth Pediatrics offices to help parents with the proper installation of all types of car seats. Simply come to our offices at one of the scheduled times and ensure that your children are safe inside your vehicle. Henderson Office - September 14, 2009 9:00am - 3:00pm Merrimac Office - September 21, 20099:00am - 3:00pm Southwest Office - September 7, 20099:00am - 3:00pm” The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends infants stay rear-facing until 2. It is very important to protect your children as much as possible. Also from Fort Worth Pediatrics Website: “KEEP YOUR TODDLER IN A REAR-FACING CAR SEAT UNTIL AGE 2 (NOT 1) New research indicates that toddlers are more than five times safer riding in a rear facing car safety seat up to their second birthday. A child's lower extremities are unlikely to be injured rear-facing and the fragile skull and neck are much safer. The following are safety tips for car seat use: All infants (less than 12 months) should rid rear-facing in either an infant car seat or convertible seat. If an infant car seat is used, the infant should be switched to a rear-facing convertible car seat once the maximum height (when the infant's head is within 1 inch of the top of the seat) and weight (usually 22 to 32 pounds) have been reached for that infant seat as suggested by the car seat manufacturer. Toddlers should remain rear-facing in a convertible car seat until they have reached the maximum height and weight recommended for the model, or at least the age of 2. To see if your car seat is installed properly and to find a certified passenger safety technician in your area, visit http://seatcheck.org/ or http://seatcheck.org/. You can also call 866-SEATCHECK (866-732-8243) or 888-327-4236. “

Starting a new Blog!

I've been kicking around the idea of starting an "informative" blog for a while now. I love to read anything and everything that educates me in certain subjects, so I thought it would be fun to put all my new knowledge down for others to read. Some posts may be boring for some, but others may enjoy them. I get EXCITED to read something that it didn't know ... I know, I'm weird! If I can educate 1 person with each post, then my purpose has been achieved. I love to tell people about things I've read or heard! So, some of you may get to hear these things more than once. Just tell me to shut thy mouth, you've already read it! Some subjects I plan to cover: 1) Parenting tips (safety, nutrition, etc) 2) Financial information 3) Healthy living and Others as I think of them! If you know something that would make a good post, let me know!!