Identity Theft Prevention to Keep Us Secure for the Move

I really like services that help make life easier when difficult things happen. I've been quite impressed with the identity theft protection service offered by lifelock. Their CEO gives out his own social security number in every print ad and commercial, because they stand behind the security of their product completely. They have a million dollar guarantee which states that they'll pay up to $1,000,000 to cure a failure or defect in their identity protection service, per member, per lifetime for all incidents in the aggregate, regardless of circumstance. If something happens to your personal information while you are a member with them, they will completely handle the situation with creditors, law enforcement and the credit bureaus to ensure that your family's financial reputation is not harmed.

As I said, I'm really impressed by what they are offering and intend to take advantage of this myself. Since we're moving, changing mailing addresses to a new state, and moving all our records, I believe it will help keep our personal information secure throughout our move and beyond.

We are the New Leading American Economic Indicators

It would appear that our family might be a new leading economic indicator that economists and families might want to follow. Everyone is saying the recession has just gotten started or that it hasn't bottomed out yet. Well, I beg to differ.

Tim and I have spent the last two years living with my parents. There we said it for all to hear! Now media is reporting that it is a new trend for families with job loss or economic worries to move back in with their parents to get back on their feet. As this is coming out as a reportedly growing trend, we are moving back out into the unsheltered world, one paycheck from the street again. Things are different. Before we had a house with a half acre of land. Now, we have no real estate, no savings and no retirement, having used every bit of it to survive and pay our bills on - sans house. We actually sold our home just before the real estate crash, thus allowing us a pool of money that has been drained by our never ending bills from the old life. But, we have managed to keep paying those bills, not even late once, thanks to these parental living arrangments.

Now, with the new job Tim procured a few weeks ago, we do have enough income to get back into our own little place. And that is what we are in the process of looking for in Huntsville, Alabama. Tim has found employment in a city that seems relatively unaffected by the economic troubles around us. All is not completely rosy - they do have state income tax at 5%, Florida's is 0%. And they charge sales tax on groceries! 8%! Florida's charge 0% - so this is going to put a hurt on our food and other budgets right away.

I would not have chosen to leave Florida, but I choose to try to get back on our feet as an independent family again. I know my parents will be happy to have their space back, their organization back and the quiet, unassuming lives of retirees back. But they'll miss watching the grand kids going to school and growing up. I know we'll be happy to have control of the air conditioning temperature back - probably more than anything! But we are thankful to have had a soft place to land and to not be homeless. Family is good for that.

I will hope that we are the new economic leading indicators, seeing that our employment is improving, we are now moving out of parental homes and hopefully going to start rebuilding savings and retirement, just in time for college!

Some Freaky...and Nice Easter Videos for You!

The first one really is freaky! The weird little eggs will haunt me in my dreams tonight, as the Easter bunny prepares to add chocolate to their weird little countenances in the baskets set out for the children.



The next one is a classic and my favorite of all the Peanuts videos. It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown! That Marcy really is dim! This one "cracks" the kids up every time we watch it. I'm so glad we can still share in the awesomeness that is Charles Schultz. Happy Easter!

Keeping Kids Safe This Summer

Before you know it, the kids will be out of school and looking for things to do. You'll be wanting to keep them safe from the hazards that free time and heat can bring!

Here are some tips for keeping your children safe during summertime and Spring Break!





My Kids Ride Safe

• Infants ride in rear-facing car seats as long as possible, but until at least one year of age and 20 pounds.


• Children at least one year old and between 20-40 pounds are secured in a forward-facing car seat.


• Children over 40 pounds ride in a booster seat with a lap and shoulder belt.


• Children who weigh 80 pounds and 4 feet 9 inches tall may use an adult lap and shoulder belt.


• Before getting in my vehicle and starting the motor, I always walk all the way around it to check for children.


• I never leave my child alone in a car

My Kids Swim Safe

• I maintain visual contact with my kids when they are playing in or near the water.


• Install fencing around all sides of a home pool or spa. The fencing should be five feet high and have self-closing, self-latching gates.


• My children wear life jackets when on a boat, near open bodies of water or when playing water sports, and I make sure the life jackets fit properly.


• After their fourth birthday, my kids take swim lessons

My Kids Play Safe

• I always supervise my children on playground equipment.
  
• Safe playgrounds have 12 inches of shredded rubber, hardwood fiber mulch or sand beneath the equipment.


• I don’t dress children in loose clothing, clothes with drawstrings or necklaces when they play on the playground.


• When practicing or playing team sports, my children wear the right protective gear.

My Kids Wheel Safe

• I make sure my child wears a helmet and other protective gear when riding bikes, skates or scooters.


• The helmet fits snugly and does not rock back and forth. It should be centered on the head, strapped and buckled.The bike fits my child and is in good working order.


• I teach my child the rules of the road and to obey traffic rules.


• Children under 10 should only wheel on sidewalks, paths or other designated areas.

My Kids Walk Safe

• My children under 10 cross the street with an adult.


• Teach children to cross streets at the corner, to use crosswalks and obey traffic signals.


• Instruct children to look left, right and left again before crossing the street and to keep looking as they cross.


• Remind children to make eye contact with drivers before crossing.


• I dress my kids in clothing with reflective materials and give them a flashlight when it’s dark.

Parents - Here's A Great Engineering Program for Your College Student

As parents of soon-to-be college students, you are certainly evaluating which colleges and universities will be the best choice for your child. As important as the choice of college is, it is just as important to evaluate which program of study will best prepare him/her for the career and real world experiences they'll need when they graduate. Engineering is always a top field for graduates. Employers look for graduates with real-world experience gained by participation in top quality engineering co-op programs.

As a daughter of an engineer, who once aspired to join this profession myself, I heard time and time again, as my dad prepared to hire new graduates into his division, that the quality of engineering program they came from was paramount. Kettering University has one of the leading Co-op programs and maintains an edge by ensuring that they place students in companies in their freshman year and rotate them between school and their co-op job alternating every 3 months to gain practical experience from the beginning of their Kettering education. Their students are ready to add immediate value when they join their employers, this translates to higher salaries as well.

US News and World Report ranked Kettering University as "the #1 University in the nation for Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering" in its annual "America's Best Colleges Guide for 2008". As far as engineering majors go, industrial engineering is easily one of the fastest growing occupations in the world. My eldest daughter already shows propensity to enter this field. As the granddaughter of two engineers, and the niece of another, it just might be in her blood. Thankfully, the science and math programs they have now starting in elementary school are already preparing her to enter a top engineering program should she choose it. I am happy to see that the colleges, such as Kettering, are ensuring their students' future success with their co-op program.

Magnet Toy Recalls Today

Today there are several new toy recalls. I have been somewhat lax in my recall reporting due to our pending move. But I am rectifying this today and am reporting all the toy recalls since my last update, starting with these. I will be reporting the balance of them shortly. Remember you can find child-related recalls by looking at my category list to the right under Toy Recall or Child Safety.

Play Wonder Toy Sundae Sets/Target
Units: About 22,000, Distributor: Battat Inc., of Plattsburgh, N.Y.

The wooden cherries on top of the toy sundae pose a choking hazard to young children. Incidents/Injuries: None reported.

The recalled wooden sundae set toy includes six woodenscoops of ice cream, three cherries that attach to the top of the ice cream scoops, banana slices, a spoon and bowl. The ice cream scoops are green, pink, brown, yellow and purple. The sundae set pieces attach to each other with Velcro. Model number DPCI-204-12-0526 is included in this recall and is located on the packaging.

Sold exclusively at: Target Stores nationwide from December 2006 through December 2007 for about $10. Manufactured in: China

Consumers should immediately take the recalled toy sundae setsaway from children and return the toys to any Target store for a fullrefund.Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Battat Inc. at(800) 247-6144 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. ET or visit the firm'sWeb site at http://www.battatco.com/

Battat Magnabild Magnetic Building Toys or Sets
Units: About 7,000 (125,000 other Battat Magnabild Building Systems wererecalled on January 23, 2008) Distributor: Battat Inc., of Plattsburgh, N.Y.

Small magnets inside the building pieces can fall out. Magnets found by young children can be swallowed or aspirated. If more than one magnet is swallowed, the magnets can attract each other and cause intestinal perforations or blockages, which can be fatal.

Incidents/Injuries: CPSC and Battat have received 16 reports of magnets coming out of the building pieces. No injuries have been reported. No incidents have been reported with models BB1439 and BAT-34.

This recall involves the 108-piece (item number BB1439H)and the 68-piece (item number BAT-34) Magnabild Magnetic Building Systemsets. The 108-piece set comes in a rotating display case containingsixty 1-inch rods with magnets and 48 metal balls. The 68-piece set comes in a window box and contains forty-four 1-inch rods with magnets and 24 metal balls. The rods come in different colors. All of the plastic building pieces have the word "Magnabild" in raised lettering onthem. "BB1439H" is found on a hang tag attached to the display case."BAT-34" is found on the box. The products are designed for children older than three years.

Sold at: Various retailers nationwide and online sellers from July 2005through February 2008 for between $20 and $35.
Manufactured in: China

Consumers should immediately take the recalled Magnabild Magnetic Building System away from children and contact Battat to receive a pre-paid mailer to return the toy and to receive a free replacement product.Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Battat Inc. at(800) 247-6144 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. ET or visit the firm'sWeb site at http://www.battatco.com/

Return from Alabama

I got back yesterday from our trip to Huntsville to relocate Tim for his new job. It was good I stayed for five days, as it gave me a chance to travel around the city and see more about schools and housing.

There are really too many choices for areas to live and schools - there will be many hard decisions to make to pick one over another. A complicating factor is that we have to rent, instead of buy. There aren't a lot of rental homes available and the apartments don't always mesh with the best schools. Also we have a lot of "stuff" to condense into an apartment, even though we weeded it out before we last moved.

The coolest elementary school is one located on the top of a mountain. It has only 250 students and a fabulous gifted program. It just scares me to ride up a mountain drop off road to go to school. Plus they have sea-type fog envelop the road from time to time.

More to come later on!

Alabama Native Helen Keller in Newly Found Photo

No, this post isn't an Alabama song, but it's just as Alabama-y. It's amazing how many people and things in the world are connected to Alabama. Today, CNN reports that a newly discovered photo of Alabama native, Helen Keller, shown with her teacher, Annie Sullivan, was published. It shows Helen with her beloved doll and teacher in Cape Cod on vacation. It's amazing how much my oldest daughter looks like young Helen.

I will try to be less disparaging of Alabama and Alabamans in general, since we are going to join them shortly. Certainly, Helen Keller is a role model Alabaman. And her image graces the back of Alabama's state quarter.

Countdown to Alabama - two days until our road trip in to the Bama lands.

Off to Alabama with My Banjo on My Knee...

You know how every Hannah Montana episode is titled by using takeoffs from popular pop songs....what, you didn't know that? Check it out sometime. I'm going to title the next ?? posts with Alabama related songs. I guess we'll find out how many there really are....

Me and the hubby are headin' out on the lonesome highway later this week to check out Bama. He'll be establishing a lone, single life without all of us until we get moved on up. I'm going to check out housing and the entire area in just a few days...oh boy! Photos to come later!

See ya!

Naked Hair?

I've written here before about the benefits of using natural shampoo and skincare products. I believe that many of the chemicals used in common hair care products are really bad for you and for the environment. There has been a lot in the news about phthalates and how bad they are for everyone, especially kids. When I stopped using "regular" shampoo earlier this year, my head breakouts and irritated skin disappeared. So I'm an advocate. I now only use natural products on my children too.

I had the chance to try out a new haircare line called naked naturals. I was very happy with the results, using the Awapuhi & Lavender scened shampoo and conditioner for Color-Treated hair. I, again, had no reactions when I used the shampoo and conditioner. My hair smelled clean and fresh for two days ( I am ready to shampoo again right now). I can definitely recommend this as a product to try if you're looking for a great all-natural shampoo. An extra benefit is that it will make your hair 7 times stronger with regular usage. I think I'm going to try some of the other scents too, since I like Aloe Vera & Chamomile. The products are now available everywhere so take a look and get naked hair!