February 1st, 2010
By Whitney
photo credit: the ten cent designer
I have little understanding and even less interest in the game of football. I have infuriated my husband and his dad numerous times by insisting that the word “downs” should be replaced with “tries”. Because after all, each team gets four tries to get the ball to advance ten yards. Or is it three tries?
I always look forward to Super Bowl Sunday, however. I love the gathering of friends, the permission to eat junk food, and of course, the ads. Now that my friends and I have children, this daytime party is a family affair. That said, a few words of caution related to kids and the exciting tradition of the American Super Bowl party.:
Beware of fragile AV set ups. It is tempting to create a makeshift home theater that will allow the maximum number of folks to view the television. If you have moved things around, make sure they are secured properly. Small children are known to knock into furniture, as are adults who have been overserved. Create a safe viewing environment and keep the TV as far back as possible from foot traffic.
Grill with care. (Last year I got burned.) If you can, do as much grilling before your crowd gathers. Grills should be outside, not in garages, and even outside, they should be at least 10 feet from the side of the house. Do not leave the grill unattended. Even if your team is winning.
Make a kid-friendly zone. Giving the kids something to do (and eat) will reduce their tendency to be underfoot (blocking your view of the TV or spilling your drink.) Set up a safe activity or play area with clear pathways and take turns hanging out with them.
Do you have any special traditions for SuperBowl Sunday?
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January 11th, 2010
By Heather
Yes, spring cleaning is the famous one. But what about the cleaning you do once all the holiday guests are out of your house? And you can go back to sleeping in your own bed without tripping over Uncle Bobby’s suitcase? And you can cook in your own kitchen without having to search for the whisk?
We love our families and we love the holidays, but it is so great when they all go home.
I have a few safety cleaning tips to share in honor of this very happy time of reclaiming your home!
1. Recycle your Christmas tree. Nothing says “my house is back to normal” like putting the Christmas tree on the curb for recycling pick up. Lovingly pack and wrap your special ornaments for another year and reconfigure your living areas. Did you know they do amazing things with recycled trees? Watch the video.
2. Clean your cutting boards and counters thoroughly. Cutting boards are a favorite place for bacteria to hang out. The U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service recommends washing in hot, soapy water between uses and even sanitizing with 1 tablespoon of unscented, liquid chlorine bleach per gallon of water. Simply pour the bleach solution onto the board and let it sit for several minutes. Rinse with clear water and air or pat dry with clean paper towels. It is also recommended that you use one board for raw meats and a different board for vegetables if possible. {Source: USDA}
3. Clear the path to your doors. Keep the floors clear between your bedrooms and all exits so that you don’t trip or get stuck if you need to leave in a hurry. Don’t let the remnants of your guests just pile up by the door. Go on and take that air mattress back to the garage. I’ll wait here.
What other clean-up tasks do you tackle to freshen up after your holiday guests?
Posted in Events, Holidays | 1 Comment »
February 6th, 2009
by Heather
You could accuse me of being a little obsessed with washing my hands. Some of my friends have definitely whispered it behind my back when I'm, no doubt, off washing my hands. But I would argue that I'm not really a crazy germophobe but that I simply practice the good hygiene that most of us already know (but tend to ignore).
Case in point: I wash my hands before eating at a restaurant. Is that too much? When you go to a restaurant, do you head immediately to the restroom to wash hands? Do you open the door with a paper towel before rejoining your friends? What if you just got off the bus to get there? What if you're eating sushi or burgers (or something else with your hands)? It doesn't sound “crazy” when I'm writing it out, but I know that this behavior is not ingrained in any of my dining companions.
When my second son was born, our big boy, Holden, was less than two years old but our pediatrician suggested putting him in charge of making everyone wash their hands before touching the new baby. I loved it! I could make him the bad cop whenever we had friends and relatives visit. Who can resist a little munchkin showing them the sink? Nobody.
We've continued on with the house rule of washing our hands whenever we come home. The boys will recite, “take off shoes, wash hands” as our neat-freak family mantra each time we come through the door. But it works.
Of course, I realize that they're still just as likely to lick a public bike rack (yes, it happened!) as they are to say “excuse me, where's the hand soap?” but at least we have a foundation for clean hands and it's becoming a habit. And safety doesn't take root unless it becomes a habit.
Posted in Events, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
January 26th, 2009
We are Heather Flett and Whitney Moss and we’ll be your hostesses on this blog. We both live in Berkeley, CA and we both have two children. Since becoming moms, we struggle to balance keeping everyone safe with having fun. This blog will explore some of the many aspects of safety as we face it in our everyday lives. We hope you’ll join us and help make this blog a dialogue that we can all learn from.
We write another blog together at RookieMoms.com and just published our first book, The Rookie Mom’s Handbook.
We love hot chocolate, comfortable shoes, and the television show Lost, but that’s where the similarities end. Now we need to stop using “we” and introduce ourselves separately.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: baby, Berkeley, blog, California, children, daughter, environment, Heather, Heather Flett, mom, mother, Rookie, Rookiemoms.com, Safety, son, UL, Whitney, Whitney Moss
Posted in Events, Holidays, Kids, Safety | 7 Comments »
