Love Life, Live Door County - November 2009
“Insider Tips For Healthy, Wealthy & Fun Living…”
Love Life…
Live Door County
Inside This Issue…
Seven Important Tips For Keeping Your Kids Safe Online….Page 1
How To Save A Bundle On Your Monthly Grocery Bill….Page 2
Have You Stopped Seeing Results From Your Workouts?...Page 2
What’s Your Favorite Thanksgiving Tradition?….Page 3
Simple Fire Safety Tips That Could Save Your Family’s Life….Page 3
Beat This Trivia Question And You Could Win.…Page 4
How My Proprietary “Maximum Home Value Audit” Gets You Top Dollar For Your Home….Page 4
Keep Your Kids Safe Online
Millions of kids use the internet every day. They do their homework, email their friends, play games, download music, watch videos and chat with each other online. While it’s a great educational and social tool, we know that it’s also a vehicle for scammers and predators who can put kids (and adults) at risk.
Parents and guardians need to take an active role in monitoring internet usage, particularly if you have teenagers. Where do you start? Here are seven tips to help keep you and your family safe:
1. Do your homework. Visit sites such as getnetwise.org, netsmartz.org and bbb.org to learn the basics of internet safety, including information on filtering tools available from most internet service providers.
2. Talk to your kids. If they’re younger, visit educational websites together. If they’re older, chances are they know more about the internet than you do. Ask them what sites they like and don’t like, and check out those sites yourself. No matter how internet-smart they are, they still need your guidance.
3. Make sure they know the risks. Teach them not to reveal personal information such as name, address, phone number, parent’s information or school information without your permission.
4. Ask them what friends they communicate with online. Make sure they don’t agree to meet face-to-face with someone they’ve only met online.
5. Be wary of sites that offer chat for “kids.” They often don’t screen for age and allow adults (pretending to be children) to participate.
6. Caution them about file sharing. Sharing files can lead to legal issues and the loss of personal information that may be stored on your computer. Plus it’s another way to spread harmful viruses.
7. Discuss and post online rules near the computer. The websites listed above have excellent examples.
Above all else, get involved in your kids’ online activities.
Working together with your kids, you can greatly minimize the potential risks of being online.
Has Your Workout Routine Fizzled?
Have you been working out regularly, but haven’t seen the results you want? You may have hit what they call “the plateau.” There can be two reasons. Your body may have become accustomed to your routine. What can you do? It’s time to change it. If you’re used to running or swimming, try walking. If you do aerobics, try light weight lifting. And if you’re feeling tired, take a break. Let your body rest and renew itself.
Second, look at your diet. To see results, you must change something. You may need to cut back on your calories to see the results you want. Or you may simply need to change what you’re eating—eat more fruits, veggies and salads...and reduce fats, refined sugars and carbs.
Amazing Facts!
ü Most lipstick contains fish scales.
ü The first product to have a bar code was Wrigley’s Gum!
ü The average person laughs 13 times a day.
ü Baby Robins eat 13 feet of worms each day!
ü You blink 10,000,000 times per year.
ü Fingernails grow nearly four times faster than toenails.
ü Chewing gum while peeling onions will prevent you from crying!
ü 166,875,000,000 pieces of mail are delivered each year in the U.S. (so that’s how so many get lost!!)
ü Every human has a distinct tongue print.
Lighting Birthday Cake Candles? Try This…
Have you ever tried to light the candles on a beautiful birthday cake, only to be disappointed by dripping wax and burning fingers? Here’s a quick and easy solution: Simply find a piece of raw spaghetti, light the end, then light the candles on the cake. You can easily light all your candles with no burned fingers or wasted matches.
Easy Energy Saving Tips!
If you have Venetian or other horizontal blinds in your home, did you know that the direction of the blinds can directly affect the heat and energy loss?
Believe it or not, there is a right way and a wrong way to slant the blinds during the colder months.
During cold months, the horizontal blind’s slats should be slanted from the indoors to the outdoors (up). Plus, make sure your horizontal blinds are fully lowered so they touch the windowsill. Slanting the blinds this way will trap the cool air between the window and the blinds and will keep your room warmer.
Do just the opposite for warm months. Slant the blinds from the outdoors to the indoors (down).
“The history of our race, and each individual's experience, are sown thick with evidence that a truth is not hard to kill and that a lie told well is immortal.” (Mark Twain)
Five Simple Fire Safety Tips
That Can Save Your Life!
A house fire at any time can put you and your family’s lives in great danger. Yet, fire experts say you can dramatically reduce the risk of injury or death by just following these five simple safety tips:
1. Make sure your house number is visible from the street so emergency vehicles can find you. Consider using oversized reflective or illuminated numbers at the curb, preferably next to your mailbox.
2. Install smoke detectors in places where they will activate in time for you to save yourself and family. This is usually within a foot of the ceiling. Make sure you test them monthly by pressing the “test” button, and replace batteries at least once a year. Don’t rely on the alarm to make an intermittent “beep” to change batteries.
3. Create a fire escape plan with an emergency route for each family member’s bedroom. If bedrooms are on the second floor, purchase a simple chain ladder for escape from windows. Arrange for a safe family meeting place outside the home in the event fire strikes. This way you can account for each family member instantly.
4. Place an adequately sized fire extinguisher near the kitchen area of your home. Also, place one at the opposite end of the home. Most homes use undersized extinguishers. Even if a small fire breaks out, you will want all the suppression you can get.
5. Remove all weeds, tree branches, leaves, and litter away from the perimeter of your home. Put a screen on your fireplace and keep it closed at all times. It’s best to sleep with your bedroom door closed to give yourself more time to escape in case of a fire. And teach your children what to do if their clothes catch fire: Stop, Drop, and Roll.
Favorite Thanksgiving Day Traditions
--One couple watches National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. It’s their reminder to not take the preparations so seriously and just enjoy the season.
--At dinner, one family asks everyone to share three things they are truly thankful for.
--After dinner another gets out the photo albums to reminisce.
--One gal loves the day after, Black Friday, and heading out to the stores at 4:00 a.m.
--Watching the Jacksonport Thanksgiving Day Parade before the noon feast is a must.
-- Miss Smith, Lindsay’s first grade teacher, taught her class a song about a turkey that was so happy when Thanksgiving Day was over. The first year after college that Lindsay was not home for Thanksgiving she called and sang that silly little song for me to lighten the day—the first Thanksgiving we would not all be together. Now my grandson Jack carries on the tradition. Jack (with Mom’s help) calls early in the morning on Thanksgiving Day and belts out his rendition of the turkey song. It doesn’t get any better than that—unless of course they are home for Thanksgiving!
Wishing you and yours happy memories with family and friends,
and God’s blessings of strength, happiness and good health.
Inside This Issue…
Seven Important Tips For Keeping Your Kids Safe Online….Page 1
How To Save A Bundle On Your Monthly Grocery Bill….Page 2
Have You Stopped Seeing Results From Your Workouts?...Page 2
What’s Your Favorite Thanksgiving Tradition?….Page 3
Simple Fire Safety Tips That Could Save Your Family’s Life….Page 3
Beat This Trivia Question And You Could Win.…Page 4
How My Proprietary “Maximum Home Value Audit” Gets You Top Dollar For Your Home….Page 4
Keep Your Kids Safe Online
Millions of kids use the internet every day. They do their homework, email their friends, play games, download music, watch videos and chat with each other online. While it’s a great educational and social tool, we know that it’s also a vehicle for scammers and predators who can put kids (and adults) at risk.
Parents and guardians need to take an active role in monitoring internet usage, particularly if you have teenagers. Where do you start? Here are seven tips to help keep you and your family safe:
1. Do your homework. Visit sites such as getnetwise.org, netsmartz.org and bbb.org to learn the basics of internet safety, including information on filtering tools available from most internet service providers.
2. Talk to your kids. If they’re younger, visit educational websites together. If they’re older, chances are they know more about the internet than you do. Ask them what sites they like and don’t like, and check out those sites yourself. No matter how internet-smart they are, they still need your guidance.
3. Make sure they know the risks. Teach them not to reveal personal information such as name, address, phone number, parent’s information or school information without your permission.
4. Ask them what friends they communicate with online. Make sure they don’t agree to meet face-to-face with someone they’ve only met online.
5. Be wary of sites that offer chat for “kids.” They often don’t screen for age and allow adults (pretending to be children) to participate.
6. Caution them about file sharing. Sharing files can lead to legal issues and the loss of personal information that may be stored on your computer. Plus it’s another way to spread harmful viruses.
7. Discuss and post online rules near the computer. The websites listed above have excellent examples.
Above all else, get involved in your kids’ online activities.
Working together with your kids, you can greatly minimize the potential risks of being online.
Has Your Workout Routine Fizzled?
Have you been working out regularly, but haven’t seen the results you want? You may have hit what they call “the plateau.” There can be two reasons. Your body may have become accustomed to your routine. What can you do? It’s time to change it. If you’re used to running or swimming, try walking. If you do aerobics, try light weight lifting. And if you’re feeling tired, take a break. Let your body rest and renew itself.
Second, look at your diet. To see results, you must change something. You may need to cut back on your calories to see the results you want. Or you may simply need to change what you’re eating—eat more fruits, veggies and salads...and reduce fats, refined sugars and carbs.
|
Amazing Facts! ü Most lipstick contains fish scales. ü The first product to have a bar code was Wrigley’s Gum! ü The average person laughs 13 times a day. ü Baby Robins eat 13 feet of worms each day! ü You blink 10,000,000 times per year. ü Fingernails grow nearly four times faster than toenails. ü Chewing gum while peeling onions will prevent you from crying! ü 166,875,000,000 pieces of mail are delivered each year in the U.S. (so that’s how so many get lost!!) ü Every human has a distinct tongue print.
Lighting Birthday Cake Candles? Try This… Have you ever tried to light the candles on a beautiful birthday cake, only to be disappointed by dripping wax and burning fingers? Here’s a quick and easy solution: Simply find a piece of raw spaghetti, light the end, then light the candles on the cake. You can easily light all your candles with no burned fingers or wasted matches.
Easy Energy Saving Tips! If you have Venetian or other horizontal blinds in your home, did you know that the direction of the blinds can directly affect the heat and energy loss?
Believe it or not, there is a right way and a wrong way to slant the blinds during the colder months.
During cold months, the horizontal blind’s slats should be slanted from the indoors to the outdoors (up). Plus, make sure your horizontal blinds are fully lowered so they touch the windowsill. Slanting the blinds this way will trap the cool air between the window and the blinds and will keep your room warmer.
Do just the opposite for warm months. Slant the blinds from the outdoors to the indoors (down).
“The history of our race, and each individual's experience, are sown thick with evidence that a truth is not hard to kill and that a lie told well is immortal.” (Mark Twain) |
Five Simple Fire Safety Tips
That Can Save Your Life!
A house fire at any time can put you and your family’s lives in great danger. Yet, fire experts say you can dramatically reduce the risk of injury or death by just following these five simple safety tips:
1. Make sure your house number is visible from the street so emergency vehicles can find you. Consider using oversized reflective or illuminated numbers at the curb, preferably next to your mailbox.
2. Install smoke detectors in places where they will activate in time for you to save yourself and family. This is usually within a foot of the ceiling. Make sure you test them monthly by pressing the “test” button, and replace batteries at least once a year. Don’t rely on the alarm to make an intermittent “beep” to change batteries.
3. Create a fire escape plan with an emergency route for each family member’s bedroom. If bedrooms are on the second floor, purchase a simple chain ladder for escape from windows. Arrange for a safe family meeting place outside the home in the event fire strikes. This way you can account for each family member instantly.
4. Place an adequately sized fire extinguisher near the kitchen area of your home. Also, place one at the opposite end of the home. Most homes use undersized extinguishers. Even if a small fire breaks out, you will want all the suppression you can get.
5. Remove all weeds, tree branches, leaves, and litter away from the perimeter of your home. Put a screen on your fireplace and keep it closed at all times. It’s best to sleep with your bedroom door closed to give yourself more time to escape in case of a fire. And teach your children what to do if their clothes catch fire: Stop, Drop, and Roll.
Favorite Thanksgiving Day Traditions
--One couple watches National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. It’s their reminder to not take the preparations so seriously and just enjoy the season.
--At dinner, one family asks everyone to share three things they are truly thankful for.
--After dinner another gets out the photo albums to reminisce.
--One gal loves the day after, Black Friday, and heading out to the stores at 4:00 a.m.
--Watching the Jacksonport Thanksgiving Day Parade before the noon feast is a must.
-- Miss Smith, Lindsay’s first grade teacher, taught her class a song about a turkey that was so happy when Thanksgiving Day was over. The first year after college that Lindsay was not home for Thanksgiving she called and sang that silly little song for me to lighten the day—the first Thanksgiving we would not all be together. Now my grandson Jack carries on the tradition. Jack (with Mom’s help) calls early in the morning on Thanksgiving Day and belts out his rendition of the turkey song. It doesn’t get any better than that—unless of course they are home for Thanksgiving!
Wishing you and yours happy memories with family and friends,
and God’s blessings of strength, happiness and good health.
