Search Results for: blog dealing with ticks

Treating Your Home and Yard for Fleas and Ticks

Most of the time, treating your pets for fleas and ticks with a monthly preventative is enough to keep an infestation out of your home and yard. Most of the time. If the critters are out of control, you may have to take action to evict fleas and ticks from your home. This doesn’t mean you should stop the monthly flea and tick preventative for your pets, either! The absolute best way to keep fleas and ticks off your pets (and out of your house) is to use a preventative all year round. In some areas, where winter temperatures drop … Continue reading →

Avoid Swimming Pool Sickness

And I thought chasing after a wet, naked child in public was a problem… Imagine taking your kids to the city pool to cool off on the first day of summer vacation, then being forced to spend the next week nursing them back to health. A growing number of kids are getting sick from swimming in public pools.  The problem has become so widespread the Center for Disease Control recently issued a warning to parents about protecting their children from recreational water illnesses. Heath experts say even regularly maintained pools can contain contaminants like cryptosporidium.  If a person doesn’t shower … Continue reading →

Seasonal Parent-Child Bonding on the Cheap

A winter storm watch has been issued for my neck of the woods.  Meteorologists are predicting nearly eight inches of the white stuff will fall in less than 24 hours.  As a parent, who was born and raised in Hawaii, and despises the snow and cold, I am really not looking forward to dealing with icy roads and below freezing temperatures.  Still, my kid is a Wisconsinite, so I have to do what any good mother would do—suck it up. Sacrifice; it’s the hallmark of good parenting, right? Winter presents a unique challenge for many parents.  Some days, Mother Nature’s … Continue reading →

Meeting the Neighbor Dogs

I’ve blogged before about my neighbor’s dogs, the ones she lets roam free through the neighborhood. Sometimes I see them in our yard. Yesterday while I was working, I noticed one of them, the tan one, out the window. I went outside to greet it, as I always do whenever I see any of the neighborhood pets. They all, cats and dogs included, run away from me. This dog did the usual, but I thought of something: I called for it to come here. I didn’t think it was a dangerous dog, because our neighbor said he isn’t. He also … Continue reading →

Space Savers

Most crafters make use of traditional 12×12 albums to create memorable scrapbook layouts. However, there are times when 12×12 simply isn’t enough space to showcase all of your photos, mementos and embellishments. You can typically avoid having to redo your hard work by blocking your layouts prior to adhering items onto your page. While you are arranging your materials to create a cohesive design, consider the amount of space you are dealing with and how you can make use of every inch. For example, if you are suffering from picture overload, consider using photo corners instead of frames or mats. … Continue reading →

Avoid Auto Insurance Claims On Halloween

There are dangers that are present on Halloween night that drivers will not face any other time of the year. You can expect to encounter more pedestrians than usual. There may be some inebriated drivers. This year, some states may have to deal with snow. Stay focused, and you can avoid some auto insurance claims this Halloween. There is something about Halloween that makes a lot of people throw all caution to the wind. Between the trick-or-treaters who are riding a sugar rush from eating too much Halloween candy, and the drunken revelers that appear in bars, there is great … Continue reading →

Food For Thought

Packing school lunches, worst mom job EVER, in my opinion. I’ve been scarred after just a single year on the job. So yeah, me and school lunches—-packed or served-—far from friends. And just as I was reveling in the freedom from prepping and packing that summer affords me I see the Today show’s piece on kids, food poisoning and brown bag school lunches. Greeeeaaaat! Turns out that parents, who try so hard to pack healthy school lunches, are actually making their kids sick. According to new research published in the Journal of Pediatrics, only one measly percent of home lunches … Continue reading →

More Fun Ways to Cool Off

Here we go again! I would say that the heat is on, but it never really turned off. We’re still baking in oppressive heat and humidity, as Mother Nature makes darn sure we know that summer is here. Fortunately, I was born and raised in Hawaii, so dealing with tropical conditions is nothing new. If there is one thing people from the Aloha State know how to do, it’s how to have fun in the sun. If you are looking for fun ways to cool off, don’t rely solely on swimming pools, water parks and air conditioning. Rather, grab the … Continue reading →

Should Teens Get An Allowance?

Once children hit the teen years, the decision to continue an allowance may not be easy. The rule we have made in our home is that until they get their first job, we will continue with allowance. The reason for this is so that they can learn the value of a dollar and how to save. They will still be expected to do those chores even after they get their first job, however. After all, I don’t get to quit helping out around the house just because I have a job. So the need to pitch in as a family … Continue reading →

Snowed in With Kids

Christmas 2010 will be a white one for millions of parents across the upper Midwest. For me, it’ll be red and white. All the white has me seeing red. This weekend, more than a foot of snow fell on the Wisconsin city we call home. In addition to the five-foot tall snow drifts, we are dealing with wind chills in the -25 to -35 range, and subsequent school closings triggered by the inhumane conditions. For kids, a snow day is cause for celebration; for parents, not so much. Personally, I’m not a huge hater of the snow day, if it … Continue reading →