Every home and car should have a first aid kit in case of emergencies. I have a list of what should be included in your first aid kit.
Here is what you should have on hand:

A first aid manual or guide
sterile gauze
adhesive tape and bandages in different sizes
An elastic bandage
A pair of goggles or other eye protection
A manual aspirator or suction unit
Antiseptic wipes
Topical medications such as iodine, aloe vera gel, tea tree oil
Anti-itch ointment
Soap
An antibiotic cream like triple-antibiotic ointment
Hydrogen peroxide
Hydrocortisone cream
<Acetaminophen and ibuprofen
A pair of tweezers
A sharp pair of scissors
Safety pins
Instant cold packs (disposable)
A bottle of calamine lotion
Alcohol wipes or ethyl …read more

Do you know what’s in your medicine cabinet? When was the last time you checked the expiration dates on any medications that you have? I can’t say that I ever thought about it before, but I took the time recently to to do just that and I was surprised to find that so many of my over the counter medications were expired. I don’t mean recently expired, I’m talking being expired for some time.
Aside from any prescription medications you may be taking it is a good idea to have some of the following items on hand.
Aspirin, for use as a …read more

As the Keeper of our Castles, one of our responsibilities is to provide healthy meals for our families.  Soccer, football practice, dance, piano, science club, and all the other extracurricular activities can make us feel scattered and it may seem too much of a challenge to prepare something healthy.

Here is a list of ideas to include more fruits and vegetables into our diets.  I hope this helps inspire you.
1)  Try cooked pumpkin or winter squash for dinner.
2)  Make a quiche and include chopped bell peppers, onions, and spinach.
3)  Try applesauce on pancakes instead of syrup.
4)  Add lettuce and tomato to …read more

Having a fire pit at your home or at a campground is a great way to relax and enjoy the great outdoors once the sun sets and it can be a great social activity for the entire family. But because this is such a popular family activity parents must take extra care when their children are around fire pits. And of course once they are old enough to understand, there are several important points you need to make about fire pit safety.

 
Make sure your children understand basic fire safety.
Before teaching your children about fire pit safety you need to first …read more

Guest post by Sarah Russel
BMR (basal metabolic rate) is a way to determine how many calories you need per day according to your height, weight, and age. It is similar to determining your body mass index, in the sense that you can find many online calculators, although this calculation presents a new alternative toward losing weight. Your BMR is what your body needs to maintain normal functions like breathing, digestion, etc., so it is important to figure out what yours is before constructing a workout routine which may burn too many or too few calories. Determining the balance between calories …read more

It seems that anything that tastes good is loaded with fat, sugar, and calories.  It takes a lot of self-discipline to make it through all of the temptations.  This is why I like it when someone takes a recipe that is normally loaded with fat and tweaks it to make a healthier version. 

I found a recipe at the Weight Watchers website for Layered Mexican Bean Dip.  Mmmmm.  That sounds like a cool, refreshing treat to eat this summer!  Wouldn’t you like to take this dish to a summer party?  Take along some veggies or baked tortilla chips and you could sit around eating …read more

Do you enjoy McDonald’s iced coffee?  Do you find it’s an inexpensive treat in which to indulge?  Before your next coffee, you might want to read some interesting information about the ingredients in a McDonald’s iced coffee.  Rachel from Small Notebook gives us some food for thought.

I’ve been working on a recipe to make my own iced coffee and frappuccinos at home.  Reading this article is a good reminder of the preservatives and chemicals in the food we eat.  It seems almost impossible to get away from it.
Do you drink McDonald’s iced coffee?
image from sxc.hu

Today is Iced Tea Day. Yes, it seems there is a day for everything. Nevertheless, I live in North Carolina and I know how much southerners love their sweet iced syrup tea.  
In the past few years, the tea market has exploded.  You can buy bottled tea in many different flavors and some of them have herbs such as ginseng.  The question is, Do these bottled teas have the same health benefits as brewed tea?  Unfortunately, no.  Studies from Oregon State University, the US Department of Agriculture, and Consumer Reports report that bottled tea has lower levels of polyphenols and antioxidants. 
Here are some …read more

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To be honest, I had no idea that so much would be involved with getting rid of most of the dust in a bedroom, especially if you suffer from asthma. Luckily for me I don’t, but just reading about what makes up dust, just gave me the willies. As I’m typing this, I’m feeling just a wee bit queazie, but the thought of breathing in mold, fibers, and tiny dust mites, is just plain horrible. Have you seen what a dust mite looks like when magnified. It’s almost enough to send me …read more

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This morning I wanted to pass this along… just in case!  My daughter was especially picky when she was little and here’s a mistake that I made that I don’t want you to make. It almost breaks my heart when I think about it. I had read somewhere that it was really cute to write little messages on bananas and then pack them into the lunch bag. Well it might be really cute, but not if it makes them cry each day. She didn’t tell me until a couple …read more