Archive for the ‘Family Fun’ Category
I wanted to share these 11 Tips for a Safe 4th of July Holiday
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Be a safe swimmer. Water sports and fireworks are two of the biggest pastimes for Fourth of July celebrations, and these are both linked to numerous deaths and injuries each year. Never swim alone, and make sure that kids’ water play is adequately supervised at all times. Many children or adults drown occur when other people are nearby, so always have a designated chaperone for water play and don’t assume that others are watching the kids. Statistics show that most young children who drown in pools have been out of sight for less than five minutes. Alcohol consumption also increases the risk of accidental drowning.
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If fireworks are legal in your community and are a part of your celebration, be sure to store and use them safely. Keep the kids away from the fireworks at all times, and keep spectators at a safe distance. Attending fireworks displays organized by professionals is always safer than trying to put on your own show.
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Use alcohol responsibly. Alcohol and fireworks can be a hazardous and dangerous combination. Also, have a designated driver to bring partygoers home from the festivities. Remember also that alcohol and swimming can be as dangerous as drinking and driving.
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Lakes, waterways, and seas will be crowded with boats. Review safe boating practices, and don’t drink and drive your boat. Alcohol consumption while operating boats or other motorized water vessels is illegal, and you can be arrested for a BWI (boating under the influence!). Be sure that you have an adequate number of life preservers on hand for extra guests. Become familiar with the boating laws in your area.
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Cover food and beverages outdoors to discourage bees and wasps from attending your party. If someone is allergic to insect stings, you should have an emergency anaphylaxis kit on hand. Wearing shoes, long sleeves, and long pants outdoors and avoiding fragranced body products, bright colors, and sugary drinks can also help prevent bee stings.
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Apply sunscreen both before and during an outdoor party. Ultraviolet rays from the sun can cause both premature aging and skin cancer in the long term, and a painful burn the next day. Even those with darker skin should use a sunscreen with a minimum sun protection factor (SPF).
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Check prescription medications you are taking to assure you will not have a sun-sensitizing drug reaction to the medication.
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If you’ll be hiking or camping in an area where ticks are abundant, wear long-sleeved, light-colored shirts and long pants tucked into socks or boots to protect yourself from tick-borne diseases. For your skin, you can use a tick repellent with no more than 30% DEET according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Products containing DEET should not be used on children less than 2 months of age and should not be applied to the hands or face of young children. Check yourself (and your pets) for ticks at the end of the day.
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Spend adequate time indoors or in the shade and drink plenty of fluids to avoid heat illness in extremely hot climates. The risk of heat-related illness is increased when participating in strenuous activity or sports, and those with chronic medical conditions and the elderly are also at an increased risk of heat exhaustion and/or heat stroke. Alcohol consumption can also promote dehydration and increase the risk.
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Keep children away from campfires and grills. Gas leaks, blocked tubes, and overfilled propane tanks can be a cause of grill fires and explosions.
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Don’t leave the picnic spread out all day. Allowing food to sit in outdoor temperatures can invite food-borne illness. The U.S. FDA suggests never leaving food out for more than one hour when the temperature is above 90 F and not more than two hours at other times. Foods that need to be kept cold should be placed in a cooler with plenty of ice or freezing packs and held at a maximum temperature of 40 F. While mayonnaise and other egg dishes are often associated with food poisoning, any food can potentially become contaminated. Adequate hand washing and food preparation can also help prevent food poisoning.
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I have been wanting a date with these three men for such a long time and Sunday I finally got a chance.
Malik came home Friday for Spring Break from Bowie State University, hubby is feeling strong enough and comfortable enough to be around crowds after a long winter of Chemo treatments and Tayair decided to hang out with us as well.
Many thanks to Johnnie Lonon, who you will remember was featured in my “Millennials Making History” blog feature, but in case you missed it, click here to read the post. Johnnie is an Account Executive for the 76ers and he invited us to a game.
I know all about the Sixer’s record but going to one of their home games in Philly wasn’t all about the game or even the team, it was getting in some family time with my three men.
As a mother of sons, my heart is always with them even when they leave home and often times it is very difficult to view them as grown or almost grown men…I can still feel their little hands grabbing me around the leg!
Life has a way of flying by even when you aren’t having fun and those precious family times become fleeting which is why I try to grab a few when I can. So not only did I have a date with my hubby and 2 sons on Sunday, but I also got a date with my youngest on Saturday when he and I went shopping at Goodwill, Plato’s Closet and the Dover Mall…despite the fact I had to pay for everything.
Although he probably wanted to be with his buddies, if you look at his face you will see that he had as much fun as I did yet my heart was much more full!
The date at the Wells Fargo Center was nice, the dinner was alright, $8 slices of pizza and $7 sodas, but the best part was just being with my three men #blessed
Okay, so how many of you moms of mini men can relate, chime in and leave me a comment.
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The combination of slippery pumpkins and sharp knives can be dangerous. Follow these tips to help keep everyone safe when carving your Halloween pumpkin this year.
Set an Age Limit
Consumer Reports recommends that children younger than 14 years old should not do the actual pumpkin carving. But younger kids can still get in on the fun:
Have them draw the patterns for their pumpkins.
Allow them to decorate their pumpkins with markers, paint or non-carving decoration kits.
Let them clean out the seeds and pulp from inside the pumpkins.
If you decide to let your teens carve pumpkins, closely supervise in case anything goes wrong.
Use the Right Tools
Big kitchen knives aren’t the best fit for this job. According to Consumer Reports, a pumpkin carving kit is a safer option. The tools in these kits are:
Designed to easily pierce pumpkins
Not as sharp as average kitchen knives
Smaller and easier to control
Follow Proper Technique
Avoid finger and hand injuries:
Work slowly and steadily — don’t rush the project.
Cut away from your body with the carving tool.
Use small, controlled motions when carving.
Keep your free hand out of the way to avoid mishaps.
Set Up for Safety
Before you start carving, prepare your pumpkin carving area and tools:
Make sure the carving area is dry, well lit and on a stable surface.
Wash and dry all of your tools before carving.
Keep your hands clean and dry to avoid slipping.
Safe pumpkin carving is just one key to a happy Halloween. Get more safety tips for a worry-free holiday from State Farm®.
Is Pumpkin Carving a tradition in your home?
See more at: http://bit.ly/1W2TQcI
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Summer is right around the corner and if you have little ones or are entertaining the grands this year, sometimes coming up with fun activities can be a challenge and the last thing you want to hear is, “I’M BORED“!
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GOOD LUCK!
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Hello Friends and Happy Monday!
I trust you all had a great weekend with an opportunity to do something special with your family or friends. Saturday evening after spending all day sitting on hard gym bleachers at our son’s 1st wrestling tournament, hubby and I attended a festive family event. The family members were some that we had never met before nor did we know they live only 12 miles from us.
It was at my mother-in-law’s funeral this past summer that a cousin told us about this annual family affair and invited us to attend. It was a festive evening spent with our new found family members and their wonderful friends.
Here are a few highlights from the evening.
Their home was beautifully decorated and decked out for the holidays
Plenty of food and drinks…
Chatter and Cheesecakes…
Joyful jokes and jolly …
Many conversations and memories from past…
Festive photo in front of twinkling windows…
Giggles, games and gambling…
A night of Festive Family Fun led to a our first Snowy Sunday…
Did you do anything festive this weekend?
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One of the best family events in Middletown, DE is the Olde Tyme Peach Festival held the 3rd Saturday in August. When we first moved to Middletown in 1993, we didn’t attend regularly because it was small and somewhat boring with a few vendors, a short parade and intense heat. However, for the past several years we have gone on a regular, and in my opinion, yesterday’s festival was by far the best with the largest attendance, the most vendors and to top it off, incredible weather!
I had been looking forward to going all week but the forecast had me a bit concerned even though the festival is held rain or shine. Thankfully the rain ended early Saturday morning and the sun beamed brightly for the remainder of the day. The heat wasn’t an intense mid-August melt and considering the recent heat wave, we were truly blessed to have had a perfect day.
Usually our day begins watching the parade with a beverage from The Java House Cafe and ends with taking home fried fish sandwiches made by members of Dale United Methodist Church. Hubby had an early morning event so we missed the parade, but got there before noon and spent several hours walking and enjoying our little town’s festival. The Square was filled with people, young and old, families with kids, pets, live music, dancers, vendors, politicians, food, games, giveaways and genuine small-town fun. The local stores were advertising Peach Festival sales, and we stopped in at Off The Kuffs to check out the mens wear. Walking with my fam, sipping iced Green Tea brought back memories of being in New York during their annual street festivals.
The Peach Festival is presented by the Middletown Historical Society and they should be commended on making this event an annual success. In years to come they may need to close off more streets as I can certainly see it becoming even larger with the time extended beyond 4:00.
As we walked hubby and I were on the look out for Dale’s spot, in search of their infamous fried fish sandwiches, soaked in hot sauce between two pieces of white bread! Up and down every street, looking, sniffing, searching….all we found was the vacant space where the Church normally sets up…not sure what happened but pray it wasn’t anything serious. We also missed out on buying a Peach Pie from MOT Senior Center but was glad they moved them onto vendor’s row.
Disappointed and hungry we walked back to The Java House Cafe and ordered Jerk Chicken Panini’s and Mango Smoothies. The sandwiches were perfect, just the right amount of Caribbean spice to satisfy my taste buds and more than enough to make me forget about the fish sandwiches…at least until next year!
See ya next year!
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