Most houseplants were originally from warm climates. They have adapted to needing low levels of light and that makes them suitable to conditions found in an average home. However, indoor plants can have an adverse effect on people and pets. Here are a few of the most popular house plants and what risks they may pose.

Kathy Zengolewicz

The Aloe Vera plant is commonly known as the burn plant. When you use the Aloe Vera plant for a burn, make sure to cut away the skin and the inner layer of yellow juice which can act as an irritant. Only use the gel in the plant to soothe burns.

Chrysanthemums, or Mums as they are commonly known can also work as an irritant. There are two types of Mums, a garden variety which is a hearty plant and an exhibition type which needs a lot of care. You want the garden variety for you house. The Mum has seeds from which an insecticide is extracted. But they are more dangerous to fish than mammals or birds.

Poinsettia are a nursery plant that you mainly see at Christmas time. At one time they were considered extremely toxic, but that was based mainly on hearsay. The Poinsettia plant can make you nauseous and sometime cause a rash if you ingest a leaf.

English Ivy is a vine that grows indoors and out. I has been known to cause poisoning in people and pets. If ingested it can cause difficulty with breathing, convulsions, vomiting, paralysis and coma.

Azalea plants are very popular house plants. They provide foliage all year round with beautiful flowers and they also clean the air we breathe. Again, they can be toxic if a piece of the plant is swallowed.

So, be cognizant where small children and pets are concerned and you will have many years to enjoy the beauty that plants will bring to you.

Take care. I’ll talk to you later!

Post from: Keeping the Castle

Kathy Zengolewicz

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 alcohol
• A thermometer
• Plastic gloves (2-3 pairs)
• A flashlight and extra batteries
• A mouthpiece for administering CPR
• A list of emergency phone numbers
• A blanket (on hand)

Make sure to read through your first aid manual or guide to ensure that you understand how to use the contents of the kit. It is a good idea to have all members of the family be familiar with the kit and how to use it.

Store the kit in a safe place out of a child’s reach, but accessible for an adult. Check the kit regularly to replace any items that have been used or that have expired.

You can assemble a first aid kit in almost any type of container. Make sure that the container is clean and waterproof. It is always better to hand a kit on hand. You never know when it may be needed.

Take care. I’ll talk to you soon!

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sxc.hu

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 painkiller and a fever reducer.  Although it is not wise to give aspirin to children, you should still keep some on hand for when it is needed.

Ibuprofen like Advil and Motrin and naproxen like Aleve and Naprosyn are also effective painkillers for adults and children over 12 years.

Decongestans and over the counter cold medicine is another must. Cough syrup for adults and children are sometimes needed in the middle of the night, so keep those handy. The same thing goes for antihistamines and allergy medications.

Keeping antacids tablets, calamine lotion, antihistamine cream and cortisone creams available is smart.

Bandaids, bandages, gauze pads and medical tape should be in every medicine cabinet. As well as an oral thermometer, toothpaste, floss and a spare toothbrush.

We don’t always think about things like medicine cabinets and what should be in them. Don’t be unprepared and make sure to check for any expired medications which can make you sick, and replace them with brand new supplies. You’ll be glad that you did. Make it a point to check your medicine cabinet regularly.

Take care. I’ll talk to you soon!

Post from: Keeping the Castle

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 a sandwich.

5)  Add chopped apple, mashed banana, or berries to pancakes.

6)  Use fruit when making sweets.  Instead of making chocolate chip cookies or a chocolate peanut butter pie, make an apple pie, pumpkin pie, banana bread, strawberry muffins, or blueberry pie.  Mmmm!

7) Make smoothies.  This is one of my favorite ways to get my fruit.  Strawberries, bananas, pineapple, oranges, and more.  Yummy!

8)  Bake sweet potatoes for dinner.

9)  Make fruit salad.  I always add pineapple to mine. I like the taste of the pineapple mixed with the other fruits.

10)  Enjoy a hot bowl of vegetable soup.

What ways do you add more fruits and vegetables to your family’s meals?

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Make sure your children understand basic fire safety.

Before teaching your children about fire pit safety you need to first make sure they understand the basics of fire and fire safety in general. Teach them to stop, drop, and roll if their clothing ever catches fire, physically demonstrate this technique and let them do it on their own as well. Instruct them to never use gasoline or oil as a fire starter, and show how to properly use a fire extinguisher in case a campfire does get out of hand. But of course most importantly, teach them never to play with matches or lighters.

Surround your fire pit with large rocks and stones, and always have a fire extinguisher nearby.

This is especially true with larger fires in wooded, dry areas as you never know when a spark or stray flame may set fire to the surrounding area. To minimize this risk even further, you should teach your children to clear away any brush and other flammable debris from the area with a rake and before starting a fire. Teach them to keep a lookout for tree branches hanging overhead also, as taller fires have been known to set fire to these low branches.

Pay attention to the type of branches, logs, or wood you are burning.

Make sure your children know what poison oak and poison ivy looks like, as burning this in a fire can release irritants into the air which can be just as harmful as touching the plant with bare skin. This is especially true if you are roasting marshmallows or cooking over the fire. Finally, make sure they understand the difference between dead wood and wood that is still living; and teach them to only collect wood that has already fallen onto the ground as opposed to chopping down fresh trees.

This guest post is provided by Geoffrey F. Moore of My Fire Pits.  My Fire Pits has a large selection of fire pits, fire pit accessories, and gas burning fire pits.

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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 and exercise is important in sustaining a healthy lifestyle and will help you feel better about yourself in the end.

If you are serious about losing weight, it is helpful to begin keeping a diary of both the calories you burn through every activity (there are many online calorie calculators for this) as well as the calories you are ingesting daily. Even without traditionally exercising, you still burn calories every day from the activities you participate in and online calorie calculators can help you determine what the amount is so that you can apply it toward your BMR. Simply walking up and down the stairs, getting groceries, or walking around the block contributes to your overall calorie content of the day which is what this calculator helps you figure out. Furthermore, after determining how many calories you are eating per day, you can manipulate this so that you are eating fewer calories than you are burning. BMR helps you create a new diet by determining how many calories you are consuming and burning.  For example, if your BMR comes out to be 1400 calories and you burn 900 in daily activities, you should therefore be eating 2300 calories a day to maintain your current weight.  If you want to lose weight, you can lower this to 2000 a day. However, even if you only eat 2550 calories a day, this still goes over what you are burning in calories which will cause you to gain one pound every 2 weeks. The key is to determine how many calories you imbibe, lose, and what this calculates to

There are many ways to decrease your daily calorie intake. Instead of having an afternoon coke, drink a glass of water instead; even if you think you need the caffeine, simply having water will serve to wake you up and help quell your appetite for unneeded afternoon snacking. Your breakfast meals do not have to consist of greasy fast-food muffins or biscuit/sausage medleys, but can simply be a bagel, which can save 185 calories. There are many other shortcuts that can help you save several hundred calories a day, including things you can do at work such as walking up and down the stairs or going on a brisk walk during a break. Figuring out how many calories every activity is worth as well as how many calories every small snack is worth can go a long way towards helping you lose weight. Focusing on these small daily changes is the best way to reach your overarching goals; although you will not lose weight immediately like many weight-loss programs promise, you will permanently change your life for the better.

This post was contributed by Sarah Russel, who writes about the graduate degree. She welcomes your feedback at SarahRussel1234 at gmail.com.

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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 with all of your friends and know that you were still eating right.

The Weight Watchers website has loads of other healthy recipes for your enjoyment.

Have you tried any Weight Watchers recipes?

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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?

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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 reasons to drink brewed tea:

1)  Tea offers antioxidants which can boost your immune system, ward off the flu and other infections, and help protect your body from damage. 
2) Tea also helps your overall health.  Regular tea drinkers are at less risk for heart attack and stroke.  
3) Some studies suggest that tea’s polyphenols may reduce gastric, esophageal, and skin cancers.  
4) Other laboratory studies have found that polyphenols help prevent blood clotting and lower cholesterol levels.

Do you brew your own tea or do you buy it in a bottle?

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Post from: Keeping the Castle

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 out in the yard to sleep… which isn’t an easy things to do when there’s an inch or so of snow on the ground. But, this morning, I think that I will definitely be doing a few of the things on the list.

1. Remove all traces of dust that you can see

2. Clean out the closet

3. Wipe down all of the baseboards

4. Clean the window blinds

5. Take down the light fixture and give it a good washing

6. Vacuum the mattress

Obviously, there are more things that could be done, but they will all go on my list of things to do. The list above is a good start and one that I can do on a weekly/monthly basis.

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