Mommy Blog, Tips & Ideas
Swimming Pool Safety for Toddlers
Jul 15th
Families all over the country look forward to summertime because it means time in the family pool. Pools are great when the weather turns warm, but they can also be a safety hazard. If you have a pool, you’ll want to be aware of swimming pool safety for toddlers.
Toddlers and young children aren’t always able to see hidden dangers like a pool that beckons them with fun. They don’t realize how quickly they can slip and fall in, especially if no one is around. As parents, it is our responsibility to ensure that our children are safe when playing in the pool with us, but also when no one is in the pool.
The best way to ensure that your child is not the victim of an accidental drowning is to know where they are at all times. Supervision is your first and best defense, not only to keep children from drowning but also to help keep them from other accidents and injuries.
If you’re having a pool party, select one person to do nothing more than watching any children that are young. You may even want to pay a responsible teenager to keep your youngest family members safe. Set up a smaller pool for them to play in, especially if there are a number of people attending.
Other than supervision, the next best way to prevent an accidental drowning in your swimming pool is to put a fence with a locked gate around the pool. Not only will this keep your child from making their way to the pool, it will also keep neighborhood kids from gaining access.
Having a fenced-in pool is a great idea; however, if the gate is left open on a regular basis the benefit of having it fenced does no good. Make it a rule that the pool gate be closed at all times. Doing so will make the possibility of injury much smaller.
Teach your toddler to swim, or have your child take swimming lessons. This will give them some basic knowledge, although you still want to keep them under supervision. Even though they are learning how to swim, they should wear swim floaters to keep them buoyant and keep them from drowning.
Be sure to learn infant and child cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR). No one wants to have to give CPR to a child, but it’s one of those cases where it’s better to know something and not need it, than to need it and not know it. Knowing CPR and first aid is important anyhow, so this is a good reason to learn it.
Summertime water fun is almost upon us. Swimming pool safety for toddlers is nothing to be lax about. Take the above steps to keep your children from being a statistic and keep the fun in summer.
Yankee Doodle Dandy Pasta
Jul 15th
Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) box medium pasta shells
1/4 teaspoon celery seeds
1/3 cup hamburger dills, chopped
1/4 cup sweet onions, chopped
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1 teaspoon season salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 (8 ounce) package shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
Pepper to taste
Instructions:
Cook pasta shells according to package directions. Drain well. Place the pasta in a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs, chopped hamburger dills and chopped onion. In a small bowl mix together the mayonnaise, celery seeds, season salt and pepper. Fold in the cheddar cheese. Pour mixture over pasta and stir well. Be sure all the pasta, eggs, pickles and onions are covered well with the mayonnaise mixture. Cover and place in the refrigerator for one hour or in the freezer 15 to 20 minutes before serving.
Some Pros and Cons to Being a Work at Home Mom
Jul 15th
There are many pros and cons to being a work at home mom. Deciding whether it is right for you will require looking at some of the situations, and determining if you can make them work for your benefit.
Pro: When you work at home, you have the ability to be more accessible to the people who need you most. If a situation arises, your children (or spouse or neighbors) know that you are just a room away.
Con: Unfortunately, many of the people closest to you will not understand that when you are working you are actually working. Emergencies may include things like not being able to find a favorite baseball. Almost always, you will be the first person that family and neighbors think of when they need someone to do something during the work day – after all you are at home.
The key is to find creative ways to make yourself available but not TOO available. Put up a sign on the door of when you will be taking a break, make a list of actual emergency situations and turn off the phone (or send your calls straight to the answering machine). No matter what you do, people will still see more of the home than they will of the work.
Pro: One of the best things about the work at home scenario is that you can work anytime that you want (depending on what you are doing at home). You aren’t locked in to the 9 to 5 hours that many people are forced to squeeze into. If you are up at 2 am then you can work at 2 am. Your schedule is usually completely up to you.
Con: It is easy to fall into the procrastination habit when you don’t have someone behind you telling you what to do and when to do it. Being able to work at home at anytime of the day or night often means you put off work until later.
There are plenty of ways to help you stay on track with your work at home. Create detailed schedules or fill a calendar with your activities and jobs and due dates. Make yourself commit a certain number of hours to work each day (preferably at the same time each day) and you will be able to keep procrastination at bay.
Having the ability to work at home often requires a balancing act. Many of the pros that are associated with people who work at home are also the cons. If you can find ways to flip the cons into positive situations, then you will find that being able to work at home is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself.
Sunday Surprise Waffles
Jul 14th
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
Chopped pecans or walnuts
Instructions:
Place both flours into a large mixing bowl. Fold together. Add the flax seed and baking powder and blend. Stir in the cinnamon and nutmeg. Add the sugar and mix well. Be sure all the ingredients are incorporated together. In a separate bowl place the 4 eggs and slightly beat with a whisk. Add the vanilla and milk and stir. Pour in the melted butter. Add the applesauce and mix well. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture. Blend well so everything is moistened. Heat waffle iron. Pour the batter on the waffle iron and top with the nuts. Cook until brown.
Quick and Easy Yard Preparation Tips for a Fourth of July Party
Jul 14th
The old saying goes, “Time flies when you’re having fun.” Speaking of fun, the Fourth of July will be here before you know it. These quick and easy yard preparations tips for a Fourth of July party will help make your party a success.
Instead of spending the entire day running from place to place, consider throwing your own Fourth of July party. It gives you an excuse to really spruce up and decorate your yard.
Start planning early to be sure you’re ready on the day of the party. Since the party will be on the Fourth of July, you have a ready-made theme or starting place. Begin by making a list of things you’ll need and what you’ll need to do.
Of course, you’ll want your lawn to be cleaned up, so now is the time to start picking up the yard toys, furniture, and other things that have made their way to the lawn. Give it a good mowing and remove the dead grass. Maintaining a well-manicured lawn takes some time, but the beauty of it will be a thing to behold.
If you have lawn furniture, make sure to clean it well before the day of the party. You would probably do this at the beginning of summer, but you may want to re-clean it as the party draws nearer. This also gives you an opportunity to check to be sure the furniture is safe or if anything needs to be replaced.
Check your lawn for fire ant colonies. If you find them, now is the time to spread out any poison to get rid of them. You may also want to have a professional exterminator come and spray a couple of days before the party to get rid any other unwanted pests. Find or buy citronella candles to help keep mosquitoes from ruining the party.
Make sure you have enough seating for all your guests, and then arrange your lawn furniture and other seating in conversational groups. This will encourage your guests to chitchat while they’re waiting for the food to be prepared and served. Be sure there’s a small table within the group for guests to set their glasses.
Prepare an area of the lawn that will be just for the kids. Set out some yard games such as croquet, water balloon toss, horse shoes, or tug-of-war. Of course, you’ll want to have games for all age children and someone to monitor the games so the kids don’t get out of hand.
The day before the party, set up the cooking area. You know the kitchen is often the busiest place in the house during the holidays, so set up a cooking area complete with a preparation table, barbecue grill, and a place for guests to relax while you cook. If you have a small refrigerator, that’s great. But you can also set out your coolers with food the day of the party so everything is within reach.
These quick and easy tips for preparing your yard for a Fourth of July party may be all you need to start thinking about your own summer party plans. The benefit of preparing early is that you won’t be rushed as the day approaches. It also allows you time to ensure that your guests will enjoy the time they spend with you and your family.
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