Archive for html404

Food Allergies Education – A Healthy Tuesday Tip

Posted by html404 on January 8, 2013
in Articles, Education, Health, Health and Nutrition

Food allergies education. How many of you educate yourselves about food allergies, especially if your children don’t even have them? How many of you think about keeping children with allergies safe?

We have friends whose son has extreme allergies. She has to carry an Epipen. I remember a story she told of her older daughter helping with dinner preparations – making tacos – her daughter neglected to wash her hands after touching the different ingredients. After dinner her son started to get a red, itchy face…a sign of an allergic reaction. They determined that when their daughter made the tacos the residue from the cheese on her fingers caused their son to react to his dairy allergy. Amazing. Our friends are not the only ones suffering through the challenges of extreme allergies. There are so many children with life threatening allergies now that there are Food Allergy Initiatives and Ministries to support and help families, especially in dealing with their child(ren) attending school.

Last year there was an article featured on Yahoo that I thought worthy of attention, even a year later, because I believe food allergies education is crucial to keeping children with allergies safe.

Nearly 6 million or 8% of children have food allergies with young children affected most.[1]

The prevalence of food allergies and associated anaphylaxis appears to be on the rise. [2]

According to a study released in 2008 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about an 18% increase in food allergy was seen between 1997 and 2007. [3]

Even though I homeschool I feel it is important for us as parents to educate not only ourselves but also our children about food allergies because we all either know someone with deadly allergies or will inevitably meet someone with them. It is important for the safety of children with food allergies that we are aware and alert to the fact that our children need to know how to safely offer treats to their friends because there isn’t always going to be an adult around to “save” an allergic child from a harmful ingredient.

Please share what you have done to increase yours and your children’s food allergies education.

[1][2][3] FoodAllergy.org Food Allergy Facts and Statistics for the U.S. http://www.foodallergy.org/page/facts-and-stats


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Farm Expansion

Posted by html404 on January 7, 2013
in Animals, Family Stuff, Farm Stuff

What does 4.5 acres plus 12.2 acres equal? Yes 16.7 acres but it also means farm expansion. When we initially moved in 16 months ago we rented the house and about 4.5 acres with it. This included the property containing the house and barn plus an extra pasture on the west side of the barn and two smaller fields on the east side of the barn/north side of the house.

Initially, our landlords (four sisters) were against us using the barn and having large animals. After raising our small flock of chickens and turkeys we realized that if we wanted to grow our farm we’d need additional space and appealed to them late summer/early fall to reconsider, especially since we were willing to purchase farm insurance.

The sisters agreed and we moved forward to rent the additional land. Now there’s a ton of work to do and plans for a farm expansion!

Our priorities are:

  • Clean and organize barn.
  • Build a couple of stalls.
  • Bring our horse Blaze home to save on board.
  • Have a small vegetable CSA (Consumer Supported Agriculture).
  • Put up our low-cost greenhouse.
  • Fix our fence line.
  • Get a family cow.
  • Plant more pasture.
  • Buy our 2013 turkeys.

Other possibilities include:

  • Raising broilers (meat chickens).
  • Raise a couple of hogs. While we do not eat much pork, having a year supply of bacon sounds really good to us. Plus hogs are fun to observe.
  • Raise a beef cow or two for our family’s meat.

We have been busy marketing our farm. We got our egg license in December. Our eggs can be found at a local health food store and at a local monthly Green Market, but we have so much more marketing to do for our CSA and any other products we decide to raise. We do have over 60 people on our e-list and have 20 likes on Facebook. We are excited about the possibilities yet it’s with trepidation that we move forward. After all farming isn’t exactly a profession most people are getting into these days and is even considered career roadkill.

Let’s just say this is another huge step of faith on our part.


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Vanished by Irene Hannon

Posted by html404 on January 6, 2013
in Books, Reviews

Vanished by Irene Hannon is a book I have been waiting to read. It is the first book in the Private Justice Series. I have read her other books and my book palate was craving some mystery and intrigue.

Vanished is about an investigative reporter, Moira Harrison, who accidentally (literally) stumbles upon a major story. Due to the circumstances surrounding the accident she hires a private investigator firm made up of three PIs, Cal, Connor and Dev, to look into the few sketchy details her memory could recall after her car accident.

The intrigue only gets better as the more they delve into their investigation the more it becomes apparent someone isn’t keen on them uncovering more information.

I loved Moira’s character. She’s tenacious, never gives up and desired to do the right thing no matter what the cost.

While I got the mystery and intrigue I wanted, I was a tad bit disappointed with the predictable romance side and how quickly the “bad” guy was revealed. I like to be kept guessing ’til the end.

Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. The controversial topic of euthanasia is a tough call. Murder is murder and convincing someone or yourself that it’s ok, a blessing even, to put someone out of their misery – is actually a lie. It’s sad but true.

The medical profession has taken an oath (and here) to uphold life and do no harm, yet so many do. Think abortion. Think euthanasia.

I enjoyed the private investigation aspect of the book. Loved the PI’s desire for justice. Imagine a world where justice was more important than money, power or position?!

Included in this book was a little teaser section for Irene’s second book in the Private Justice Series and I can’t wait to read what happens to Dev, as well as learn about his story.

“Available January 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.


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January is Organization Month: Natalie’s Cleaning Routine

Posted by html404 on January 5, 2013
in Cleaning, Home, Organization

January is Organization Month. I have so many areas of our home to organize that it is shameful! Storage room, master bedroom, office, boys room and sewing closet – it’s a cedar closet that the owner made for his wife who loved to sew – are all areas out of control here at our house. Thankfully the girls, at least my oldest, is at the age where she regularly cleans and organizes the two rooms they occupy – their bedroom and their “nook” where they do their school work and go on the computer.

Natalie is a Professional Organizer at OrganizedHabits.com and a few months ago I came across her cleaning routine chart that I thought would be very helpful in light of Organization Month.

Natalie suggests spending 15-20 minutes a day cleaning an area of your home. I like that idea!

This chart was a part of Natalie’s Holiday Blog Series. She gave her permission to share it here but when I copied and pasted it the coding would not transfer correctly. 🙁 So be sure to check it out at the link I provided.

We plan to implement the 15-20 minute “rule”. With nine of us capable of cleaning that much time each day means a total of 2-1/4 hours of cleaning will be accomplished. Surely that will help us keep the house basically clean, right?

So how about you? Do you have any organization goals for the new year? How do you plan on tackling them?

Here’s the link again to Natalie’s Cleaning Routine: http://www.organizedhabits.com/holiday-blog-series-cleaning-the-house


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Charity Outreach and Jumping into a Frozen Lake

Posted by html404 on January 4, 2013
in Giveaways, Giving Back/Charity

You all know that I love to help in charity outreach when I can. But I really don’t think I’d be willing to jump into a frozen lake during the dead of winter.

My friend and fellow blogger Jen from Life With Levi is competing with a local PR rep to raise money for Haiti Outreach by jumping into a frozen Minnesota lake next weekend. That’s dedication, eh? To help spread the word, she’s giving away $20 PayPal cash to one lucky winner! She’s even pre-written tweets you can send out in exchange for entries.

By the way, she loves to win that’s why I’m reaching out to you to help her out! So in the name of charity outreach and jumping into a frozen lake…brrrr! Please support her effort!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


I received a link back in exchange for sharing this post.


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The Memory Jar

Posted by html404 on December 31, 2012
in Books, Reviews

Tricia Goyer is writing a brand new series called Seven Brides for Seven Bachelors. The series is a fictional work about the Amish. The Memory Jar (Zondervan, 2012), is the first book. I read it over a month ago. I have read a few of Trisha’s books and have enjoyed them.

Like many books I read, this book is about relationships. It doesn’t matter if you are Amish, Baptist, Evangelical, Reformed or whatever type of Christian you label yourself, relationships are key to your and my existence. This post could quickly become my soap box if I allow it to because of my views and expectations of relationships/friendships. I have a beef about Christians, even though I am one, and how flippant many are in how they develop and maintain relationships/friendships. So often what comes across to people really isn’t how it is, it’s just the emotional barriers a person has put up to protect themselves from being hurt…yet again.

But that’s not what this post is about, so onward….

The Memory Jar is about a young Amish woman, Sarah, who lives in Kootenai, Montana. The memory jar is her special way of remembering a cherished friend who died. Like many unmarried women her age, she wonders if she will ever find a special man to share her life with.

I really like the sweet friendship and common bond – love of baking – that develops between Sarah and Jathan. Jathan, a visiting bachelor, among dozens of visiting bachelors who seek to live there for six months in order to receive “resident” status for the fall hunting season. What I didn’t like was how swayed Jathan was by other people in his life, at least initially. It was rather heart wrenching to read the turmoil this couple had to go through.

It was also hard to read about Sarah’s grief journey over the loss of her beloved childhood friend. I can relate to grief on a different level but always find it hard to read about because it evokes so many emotionally charged memories, not all of which are good. 🙁 So as usual I cried.

The difficulties Sarah and Jathan had to go through to be understood by family members, the hurdles they had to overcome for having a new generation of ideas end up being character building, as well as foundational in strengthening their relationship. Something I think every relationship endures at some point or another, the key is whether or not the relationship makes it through them or breaks in the process.

As always, I love the show of community among the Amish, but in this story a different side to that community was shown and not in a positive way, especially in Jathan’s home town.

Trisha Goyer’s The Memory Jar receives two thumbs up from me!

Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.


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eco.kid’s Giveaway

Posted by html404 on December 28, 2012
in Giveaways, Kids Stuff, Organic, Personal Care Products

eco.Kids is hosting a giveaway with us! You can read our review of them on the blog: Kim’s review

eco.kid’s products are all natural and safe for your babies. We love how they also work. Unlike most organic products that only do half the job, these do more then their fair share. Plus they smell good too!

You can enter to win below! They are giving away ten products. Which adds up to five winners winning two products each.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


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5 Last Minute Stocking Stuffers

Posted by html404 on December 22, 2012
in Eco Friendly Products, Fun Stuff, Gift Ideas, Holidays, Kids Toys, Organic, Reviews, Seasonal Stuff, Shopping, Techie Stuff, Technology/Electronics

If you are heading out shopping this weekend and still need a few stocking stuffers, we have some ideas for you! Below are some products we have recently tried and reviewed or have used in the past. From techie stuff to kids toys, there are last minute stocking stuffers for nearly everyone in the family!

1. Shredz. We got our first snow the other day and our boys have been outside playing with their new Shredz action figures and accessories. The boys really like them! The photos speak for themselves.

2. Eco.Ditty. Eco.Ditty is a company that offers eco-friendly, organic cotton, reusable sandwich and snack bags.

3. Fruit. My mom use to always put a huge apple and orange in our stockings. We never saw that size of fruit any other time of the year.

4. Love’s Christmas Journey DVD. We won this movie in a drawing or something and received it this week. Planning on watching it this weekend or sometime over Christmas.

5. PlayMG. PlayMG is a portable mobile gaming device. It is very cool. So cool that my husband and I have enjoyed playing NBA Jam. 😉 If you knew us, you’d know that we both love basketball both watching and playing, but don’t do much of either anymore. Though PlayMG is a pricier item for a stocking stuffer, it is the size of a perfect last minute stocking stuffer, especially if you are stuck in what to get a special someone. No need to buy extra equipment, as it uses a standard cell phone charger to charge. Accessories can be purchased separately, like a case, charger etc.

We have really been enjoying learning to us our PlayMG, but I wouldn’t say it hasn’t been as user friendly as I would like. It took me an email and a couple calls to support and I still cannot get the internet to work even though my WiFi says it is connected. I have to call them again after Christmas. The game has frozen on us a couple of times causing us to reset it by pressing the brightness and volume down buttons, which I need to ask about. Support has been great though.


There were a couple of cards like this and that was the extent of instructions. 🙁 It came beautifully packaged though in a nice box that slide out like a drawer. Too bad my children sort of wrecked ours already or I could show you how nice it was.

I will say that so far the PlayMG has been a motivator for my boys (9 and nearly 11) to do their chores, so it is working in the sense that I want it too. I like that it is portable and needs no other service other than WiFi and it will work with our NetZero device. I also like that we can use the Bill My Parents card. I added $20 to it and Bill My Parents added another $10, so I can use that as an extra incentive for chores. OR if certain individuals are not complying then I can say I get to spend the money instead. Hoping I don’t have to resort to that but if I have to play hard ball I will!

The Bill My Parents card works like a debit card but teens cannot overspend if there is no money on the card. Parents can be notified via email of purchases etc., but they will not be able to get a report of websites visited or what their kids watched. That’s a downfall, if you ask me. I like that it’s a debit card. Now that my girls are getting older, it will be a useful tool to use to educate them about responsible credit card use.

Overall, we like PlayMG, I just wish more instructions came with the device on how to get everything set up -email, internet etc. This is a great device that gets my children OFF my iPhone and onto THEIR games without expensive cell phone charges or contracts.

Have fun with any last minute shopping, visiting or preparing you have to do this weekend!


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Prevent Getting Lost With Navigation Apps

Posted by html404 on December 20, 2012
in Reviews, Techie Stuff, Technology/Electronics, Travel, Uncategorized

When traveling do you use GPS or do you prevent getting lost with any navigation apps? Leave me a comment if you do!

Last Saturday I started an early morning paper route – paid opps and business has been rather slow this month so I needed a back up plan that still allowed me to be at home with my children. The glories of being self-employed…work isn’t always steady or consistent. A paper route allows me to work while my family sleeps. In the spring, if not before, I plan to invite my older girls to help me so we can spend extra time together. If that goes well, then maybe the little ones can join me, but I’d really hate to get them up that early!

An early morning paper route means I have been getting up at 2:22am and am usually out the door by 2:40-2:45am to head to the warehouse to bag the Chicago Tribune, Sun Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today and New York Times. Grab my route papers and be on my way. It’s very easy work. It’s finding the houses and maneuvering my town’s streets in the dark that is taking longer to get use to! I’ll admit I am not much of a navigator and while I have improved, you all know that I have used my human GPS – my travel savvy husband – many times in the past for help getting around town.

Multiple times I have got turned around or taken the wrong way as I drive my route. I have even called Mr. D, the man who’s in charge of routes, for help finding what I call “mystery” houses, the ones with no numbers, yet we are suppose to know where they are! Thankfully, Mr. D trains new drivers with half their route first so I have had the same half all week, however, there are a few new/different houses every day. This weekend he’ll probably introduce the second half, which will be interesting as the weekend routes are bigger and longer.

The past couple of days I have been using Verizon’s Navigator App to help me drive my paper route more efficiently. It has really helped, especially the voice directions on VZ Navigator. The Verizon Navigator voice guidance feature uses traffic lights and number of streets instead of feet or meters, to provide a safer driving experience.

About VZ Navigator

As I stated, VZ Navigator is an GPS or navigation app you can download to your cell phone. Verizon is offering a FREE 30-day trial, after the 30-day trial it costs $2/month or you can pay as you use for a fee of 99 cents per day (Yikes!). According to your data package you may be billed for data usage per megabyte basis.

The app also offers roadside assistance service, show traffic, a follow me option, plan a trip view, a place to store favorites, contacts, recent searches, find a place, movie or events and you can even input your preferences.

This app offers 2D, 3D, Dashboard and List view, plus so much more. From detours to weather, so far it appears to be a full service app from my initial use of it.

VZ Navigator Review

For the most part I am very hesitant to use location services and rarely have that feature turned on, but for the purpose of this post and review I turned it on. The thing I like the most is the voice guidance, which saves me from having to look down so much at the list of directions or the moving pin on the map (that’s what Google Maps provides).

Another thing I like is the convenience of it being on my phone without having to buy another device.

The thing I don’t like is the monthly charge at the end of the 30-day trial. I could buy a GPS system, you know? Time will tell on how much I use it and how attached I get to it. Ha! It’ll probably save me time on my paper route though!

Visit iTunes learn more about the VZ Navigator App.

This is a sponsored post.


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5 Christmas Toy Dangers for Older Children

Posted by html404 on December 20, 2012
in Guest Post, Kids Stuff, Kids Toys, Parenting, Safety, Uncategorized

5 Christmas Toy Dangers for Older Children

When the topic of toy hazards is brought up, most minds jump to infants and toddlers: small toy parts, plastic bags, too-long cords and drawstrings are just a few items on the “list of things to be aware of.” But, risks to children don’t suddenly stop at age three or six, and toys can pose a threat to older children too; they just do so in different ways. To help you keep your kids safe and teach them good habits, here’s our list of the top five Christmas toy hazards to be aware of for older children:

1. Loud noise – Nowadays, it seems like every kid has a pair of earphones permanently attached to their head, but these toys can end up causing some serious harm in the form of hearing loss. When a child, or anyone for that matter, is continually exposed to high levels of sound, the pressure from the sound waves can damage tiny hairs in the ear. These hairs are responsible for transmitting the sound to the brain, and if they cannot do so effectively, then the person will experience hearing loss. In fact, a study by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) showed that 14.9% of kids in the U.S. have low- or high-frequency hearing loss of “at least 16-dB hearing level in one or both ears.” Teach your children to set the volume on their music players and phones only up to a certain level. You can also set a maximum volume limit on many music players like the iPod and iPhone to make sure they don’t exceed a set point.

2. Laceration dangers – Big kids usually get bigger toys, but metal ones like pogo sticks and scooters have parts which can become dangerous during rowdy play. If a part breaks off, or a child falls onto the toy, it can cause a laceration, so always make sure they wear safety equipment, and avoid toys with sharp edges or points whenever possible.

3. Age or size inappropriate toys – Always look for and heed the manufacturer’s recommended age limits, and consider your child’s size as well when purchasing toys. A toy that is too big or too small can be dangerous because it is more difficult for the child to operate. In any case, make sure they are always wearing the appropriate safety equipment.

4. Defective toys – Toy recalls are not uncommon, and unfortunately, many defective toys make it to the market every year. However, SaferProducts.gov offers a searchable online database of harm reports for products that are still available on the market, as well as those that have been recalled. Check this before making any Christmas toy purchases to ensure there aren’t prior instances of injury with the product.

5. Riding toys – Bicycles and scooters may be fun to ride, but they also mean your child may be playing on or near the street, and the vehicles traveling on it. Teach your child to ride only on the sidewalk or in the driveway, and if you live on a busy street, you may simply want to restrict play to a park or other space designated for children. Furthermore, always make sure they are wearing a helmet and protective pads.

As you can see, these Christmas toy hazards are serious concerns, but it only takes a little effort to protect yourself and your children against them. By keeping up to date with recalls, ensuring proper equipment is worn while playing, and encouraging healthy habits in your children, you can make this Christmas fun and worry-free for all.


Kara Alcamo is a concerned mother, freelance writer and contributor to the Ross Feller Casey blog. Visit the website to learn more about these Pennsylvania medical malpractice lawyers.

This is a paid guest post.


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