Halloween Tips For Little Ones Safety

!!!!!HAPPY SAFE HALLOWEEN!!!!! 

Planning For Trick-or-Treating

1 Choose costumes for your child that fit properly. Kids can easily trip and injure themselves if the costume drags on the ground.

2 Make sure all costumes are made of fire-retardant material.

3 Apply makeup instead of having the child wear a mask. If she insists on wearing a mask, make sure there are sufficient air holes around the nose/mouth and large openings for the eyes.

4 Look for  a costume with reflective pieces on them, especially on the back. You can also apply reflective tape to the costume yourself.

5 Arm your child with a flashlight and cell phone, so she can easily be spotted and reached.

6 Plan ahead and discuss with your child which routes you will take and where to meet if you get separated.

While You Are Trick-or-Treating

1 Make sure children, generally under 12 years old, are accompanied by an adult at all times.

2 Remind kids of importance of walking instead of running. Don’t allow kids to cut through yards or alleyways.

3 Teach children to only go to houses with a porch light shining and to never enter a stranger’s house under any circumstance.

4 Make certain kids know to walk on the left side of the road, facing oncoming traffic when sidewalks are not available.

5 Check all candy for possible tampering when you return home. Check for open wrappers and seals broken and discard these!

!!!!!HAPPY SAFE HALLOWEEN!!!!!

Twas the Month Before Christmas – A Christmas Dinner Time Line

A month in advance
Make and freeze soup and cookies.
Take stock of your cutlery, china, stemware and linens.  If your party or dinner is too large for your personal collection be sure and contact a party rental supply shop to best fit your needs.

Two to three weeks before
Decorate the house.

The week before
Make a list of everything you want to serve.
Clean out the refrigerator to make room for holiday groceries.
Shop for all non perishables.
Make place cards.
Bake and freeze desserts and breads.
Buy or make extra ice.
Polish silverware

Up to two days before
Shop for the remaining ingredients.
Make casseroles and salads that will
keep in the refrigerator.
Make centerpieces and floral arrangements.

Up to one day before
Remove frozen dishes from the freezer.
Cut vegetables.
Make stuffing.
Decorate and set tables and buffets.
Set up extra tables.
Clean and polish the dining room tables.
Iron linens.
Lay out tablecloths, napkins, glasses and silver.

Day of
Chill the wine and soft drinks.
Make punch and eggnog.
Prepare the main dish and any “sides” you haven’t made in advance.

USA Outline For Tracking Family Movements

Use this to track a family’s movements from one place to another or place markers where family lives.

Free Yourself From TV

Break the Boob Tube Habit

According to the A.C. Nielsen Company, the average American adult watches four hours of television each day. Some tips on cutting back:

Carve out TV-free times, recommends Frank Vespe, executive director of the TV Turnoff Network, an organization dedicated to improving quality of life through turning off the tube. Vespe advocates eliminating television during mealtimes, when first waking up, and right before bedtime.

Allot a TV-watching budget, says Louis V. Imhof of the Institute for Fitness and Health. Each Sunday, check the newspaper for the weekly listings, and highlight only six hours of program­ming to watch for that week.

Use a VCR to record shows, suggests White Dot, a Britain-based an ti-television organization. This lets you watch television on your own time and keeps you from getting sucked into watching that mediocre show wedged in between two better shows.

Remove the batteries from your remote control and watch television the old-fashioned way, advises Trevor Mowad, a sports-psychology consultant who motivates professional athletes. This eliminates the tendency to jump from channel to channel looking for something to watch.

Find an alternate outlet for television time. “Make a reading list, take a class, or learn a language,” Vespe offers. “We had one woman plant a vegetable garden, and each time she harvested a vegetable, she knew it was created from her not watching television.”