Archive for September, 2007
Stay-At-Home Dads
by Donald J. Trump
It’s not a job that I could do, but more and more fathers are taking on the role of “Mr. Mom” and deciding to become stay-at-home dads.
Homemade Potato Chips
INGREDIENTS:
- 6 or more medium lg. potatoes
- Oil or fat for deep frying
- Salt
PREPARATION:
Wash and peel the potatoes. Slice very thin.
An old fashioned cabbage slicer can be used (careful of the fingers) - or use a sharp knife or food processor with a thin slicing blade.
Put the slices at once into a bowl of cold water and let stand for at least one hour. Ice water is best, but you can set the whole bowl in the refrigerator if you wish. Dry well by shaking them in a towel.
Fry in hot oil at 390 degrees F. until a light golden brown. Don’t try frying too many at once, better to put one layer on the frying basket. Drain on paper towels or any kind of plain crumpled absorbent paper.
If you haven’t any paper, use a worn dish towel. Salt lightly. These can be kept for some time if they are sealed into plastic bags or containers after they have cooled.
Infant Car Seat Safety
More children are seriously injured and killed in auto accidents than in any other type of accident. Each year, hundreds of lives could be saved if children were protected in cars by using child safety seats. Using a child safety seat is the best protection you can give your child when traveling by car.
When purchasing a car seat, look for:
- Label states that it meets or exceeds the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
- Is the car seat appropriate for your child’s height and weight?
- Be aware of the type of seat belts your car has; all car seats are not compatible with all seat belts.
- Check recent car seat recalls before making a purchase.
National Childhood Injury Prevention Week
While I was doing some research on child safety I found out that every September 1st - 7th is National Childhood Injury Prevention Week, which as a stay at home dad I believe should be every week.
So I decided to write an article on child safety and found some insane statistics:
56,000 children are injured EVERY day
22,000 young children die as a result of injury EVERY year
60,000 young children who are permanently disabled EACH year.
So being the paranoid parent that I am I have put together a safety category in the hope that it may save lives.
But the good news is that many of these incidents can be prevented by using simple child safety devices on the market today. You can childproof your home for a fraction of what it would cost to have a professional do it. And safety devices are easy to find. You can buy them at hardware stores, baby equipment shops, supermarkets, drug stores, home and linen stores, and through mail order catalogues.
Here are some child safety devices that can help prevent many injuries to young children.
1. Use Safety Latches and Locks for cabinets and drawers in kitchens, bathrooms, and other areas to help prevent poisonings and other injuries. Safety latches and locks on cabinets and drawers can help prevent children from gaining access to medicines and household cleaners, as well as knives and other sharp objects.
Look for safety latches and locks that adults can easily install and use, but are sturdy enough to withstand pulls and tugs from children. Safety latches are not a guarantee of protection, but they can make it more difficult for children to reach dangerous substances.
Typical cost of a safety latch or lock: less than $2.
2. Use Safety Gates to help prevent falls down stairs and to keep children away from dangerous areas. Safety gates can help keep children away from stairs or rooms that have hazards in them. Look for safety gates that children cannot dislodge easily, but that adults can open and close without difficulty. For the top of stairs, gates that screw to the wall are more secure than “pressure gates.”
Typical cost of a safety gate: $13 to $40.
3. Use Door Knob Covers and Door Locks to help prevent children from entering rooms and other areas with possible dangers. Door knob covers and door locks can help keep children away from places with hazards, including swimming pools.
Be sure the door knob cover is sturdy enough not to break, but allows a door to be opened quickly by an adult in case of emergency. By restricting access to potentially hazardous rooms in the home, door knob covers could help prevent many kinds of injuries.
Typical cost of a door knob cover: $1 and door lock: $5 and up.
4. Use Anti?Scald Devices for faucets and shower heads and set your water heater temperature to 120 degrees Fahrenheit to help prevent burns from hot water. Anti?scald devices for regulating water temperature can help prevent burns.
Typical cost of an anti?scald device: $6 to $30.
5. Use Smoke Detectors on every level of your home and near bedrooms to alert you to fires. Smoke detectors are essential safety devices for protection against fire deaths and injuries.
Check smoke detectors once a month to make sure they’re working. If detectors are battery?operated, change batteries at least once a year or consider using 10?year batteries.
Typical cost of a smoke detector: less than $10.
6.Use Window Guards and Safety Netting to help prevent falls from windows, balconies, decks, and landings. Window guards and safety netting for balconies and decks can help prevent serious falls. Typical cost of a window guard or safety netting: $8 to $16.
7.Use Corner and Edge Bumpers to help prevent injuries from falls against sharp edges of furniture and fireplaces. Corner and edge bumpers can be used with furniture and fireplace hearths to help prevent injuries from falls or to soften falls against sharp or rough edges.
Typical cost of a corner and edge bumper: $1 and up.
8.Use Outlet Covers and Outlet Plates to help prevent electrocution. Outlet covers and outlet plates can help protect children from electrical shock and possible electrocution.
Be sure the outlet protectors cannot be easily removed by children and are large enough so that children cannot choke on them.
Typical cost of an outlet cover: less than $2.
9.Use a Carbon Monoxide (CO) Detector outside bedrooms to help prevent CO poisoning. A carbon monoxide (CO) detector can help prevent CO poisoning. Consumers should install CO detectors near sleeping areas in their homes. Households that should use CO detectors include those with gas or oil heat or with attached garages.
Typical cost of a carbon monoxide (CO) detector: $30 to $70.
10.Cut Window Blind Cords; use Safety Tassels and Inner Cord Stops to help prevent children from strangling in blind cord loops. Window blind cord safety tassels on miniblinds and tension devices on vertical blinds and drapery cords can help prevent deaths and injuries from strangulation in the loops of cords. Inner cord stops can help prevent strangulation in the inner cords of window blinds.
For older miniblinds, cut the cord loop, remove the buckle, and put safety tassels on each cord. Be sure that older vertical blinds and drapery cords have tension or tie?down devices to hold the cords tight. When buying new miniblinds, verticals, and draperies, ask for safety features to prevent child strangulation.
11.Use Door Stops and Door Holders to help prevent injuries to fingers and hands. Door stops and door holders on doors and door hinges can help prevent small fingers and hands from being pinched or crushed in doors and door hinges.
Typical cost of a door stop and door holder: less than $4.
12.Use a Cordless Phone to make it easier to continuously watch young children, especially when they’re in bathtubs, swimming pools, or other potentially dangerous areas.
Cordless phones help you watch your child continuously, without leaving the vicinity to answer a phone call. Cordless phones are especially helpful when children are in or near water, whether it’s the bathtub, the swimming pool, or the beach.
Typical cost of a cordless phone: $30 and up.
Baked Pizza Sandwich Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 pound Lean Ground Beef
- 15 ounces Tomato Sauce
- OR
- 15 ounces Pizza Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Oregano Leaves
- 2 cups Biscuit Baking Mix
- 1 Egg; Lg.
- 2/3 cup Milk (Substitute Soy Milk)
- 8 ounces Cheese; *
- 2 ounces Mushrooms;Sliced,Drained
- 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese; Grated
Directions:
Use 1 8-oz package of sliced process American Or mozzarella cheese.
Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cook and stir the meat in a large skillet until brown. Drain off the excess fat. Stir in half of the tomato sauce and the oregano leaves into the meat mixture. Heat to boiling then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. While the meat mixture is simmering, mix the baking mix, egg and the milk. Measure out 3/4 cup of the batter and set aside. Spread the remaining batter in a greased baking pan 9 X 9 X 2-inches. Pour the remaining tomato sauce over the batter, spreading evenly. Layer 4 slices of the cheese, the meat mixture, the mushrooms and the remaining cheese on top of the tomato sauce. Spoon the reserved batter on the top of the cheese.
Sprinkle the batter top with the grated Parmesan cheese and bake, uncovered, until it is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.
How you & Your Partner Should Save Money
Money-saving tips for couples with a stay at home dad
Most couples with a stay at home dad can have a hard time adjusting to a different way of life, especially when it comes to financial matters. As separate individuals, your spending habits will differ. This is why you both need to make certain adjustments to combine the household budget.
Here are some ways on how you and your partner can make the ‘financial aspect’ of your marriage harmonious and organized:
1. Understand the way that you both look at money.
If you and your spouse have different beliefs when it comes to money matters, sit down and discuss it. The key here is to be able to compromise. For some people, money is a security measure that needs to be saved. Other people spend it luxuriously and look at spending money as a means to reward themselves for their work. Still, other people are very thrifty that they hardly ever spend a cent of what they have earned.
Understand that the way that you both treat and spend money stems from how you were brought up by your parents. Think of everything that you need to discuss when it comes to your household budget. If possible, set rules on how you will spend your combined income on utility bills, food, mortgage, car maintenance, etc.
2. Set future financial goals.
If you just had your baby, consider this when organizing your finances. Future expenses like clothes and food may require you to spend less on other things like eating out.
3. Share your money-saving skills with your partner.
If you have different family backgrounds, then you would have something to contribute towards organizing your joints assets. Make each other aware of your personal finances then think of ways on how you can further boost your money-handling tactics.
By following these tips, you will surely have your finances organized to lead a more comfortable lifestyle.
What You Say to Children Really Does Matter
Have you ever spoken unkindly to someone? Did the words profoundly affect that person? Words are powerful; and when they are used to hurt someone, they can be devastating. The words you speak and the things you say do have a huge affect not only on yourself, but others as well. Yes, what you say really does matter.
Have you ever called yourself stupid, dumb, idiot? Have you berated yourself in front of the mirror because you feel fat? Do you realize every word you say is being processed by your subconscious and, in some cases, imbeds itself there? Thus, it begins to seep into your conscious self and the feelings of self-worth begin to dissipate.
What you say ultimately translates into eventual belief. If you utter to yourself, “I’m not very good at soccer,” you will never succeed in that sport. You are setting up a defeatist attitude even before you begin. When you begin a thought or a sentence with a negative word, your expectations can never be realized.
So too, you may call someone an idiot. While you may apologize, the word has already been spoken; you can’t take it back. The person on the receiving end of the insult may take it to heart, and can be changed forever. We live in a world where words are used to attack, cajole, embrace, nurture, disengage, provoke and inspire. We not only hurt ourselves, we hurt others as well. Anger, frustration, and disappointment contribute to the misuse of words. Even though the aftermath of unkind words are realized, we still do it. Perhaps the old adage is true, “If you can’t say something nice, then don’t say anything at all.”
It is important to realize the affect words have on us. Whether we mean to say them or not, said often enough they can transform the very essence of who we are. Children are especially vulnerable to words. Yet, we continue to use unkind and often insensitive words as a disciplinary measure. Eventually, they grow up with low self-esteem, or painfully shy, or feel they are worth anything at all.
The next time you speak, think about the words you are about to impart. Choose them wisely when speaking to your peers, and cautiously when speaking to children. Understand that one word can positively or negatively affect someone’s life; even your own.
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