Keeping Your Home Healthy

As if an answer to my plea for help, the What To Expect Guide To A Healthy Home arrived in the mail last week. This nifty booklet was put together by Heidi Murkoff, the author of What To Expect When You’re Expecting and offers plenty of tips on how to make it through the holidays as well as cold and flu season without getting sick AGAIN.

Does this have my name written all over it or what?? I devoured it cover to cover in no time flat. It’s written in the same friendly, accessible style as the What To Expect books, the author even starts off by reassuring the readers that our homes are probably cleaner than we think. (She obviously hasn’t seen mine lately.)

The booklet covers all the basics of keeping your home clean and healthy as you invite (possibly germ carrying) guests over to visit. It goes through each room and gives tips on how to address the unique problems each one presents. It reinforces many things you already know, but may need to be reminded of, and introduces some new things to consider. For instance: Little J is in the throws of potty training and LOVES to watch as the “fruits of his efforts” are flushed down the toilet. I never considered that tiny droplets of , let’s say, water vapor fly out of the toilet everytime it’s flushed and land on anything nearby. Like the toothbrush on the counter. YUCK! We will be flushing with the lid down from now on.

The second part of the book addresses creating healthy habits for your family (complete with a section on wand washing with some great tips on how to make sure it happens). It addresses everything from your own home to shopping trips (a personal phobia of mine) to daycare/pre-schools. We can’t keep them locked up at home for the whole winter, right?
Interested in more healthy tips? Download your own What To Expect Guide To A Healthy Home booklet right here. If you’re anything like me, every healthy tip helps!!

The Battle Is Over!!

Little J has never loved washing his hands. He would rush through it, barely getting his hands wet, hardly touching the soap, scrubbing for the recommended 15 - 20 seconds? Forgetaboutit!

I tried EVERYTHING:
having him sing his ABC's while he washed
having him sing Happy Birthday
filling the sink with soapy water and letting him splash in it (made a mess!)
getting all kinds of "fun" soaps
you name it - nothing worked!

Then we were introduced to SquidSoap...and washing became fun!

SquidSoap is made by Airborne and is a fun pump soap that puts a little ink mark on your hand when you push down on the pump (like a squid inks - get it?). The idea is that you have to scrub until the ink comes off, by then the required 15-20 seconds have gone by. Simple, but genius.

And just enough of a challenge to keep Little J entertained! (Plus there is the fun of putting the ink spot in a different place each time he washed up.)

Downsizing Your Home With Style

When Mothertalk asked me to review Downsizing Your Home With Style by Lauri Ward, I jumped at the chance. Granted, we aren’t downsizing our home, but with the amazing amount of STUFF that comes with having a child, it sure can feel like we did! I am always in the market for ideas on how to organize and store all of our things and maximize the space we do have.

The book delivers all the title promises, plus some. It starts off with the 10 most common decorating mistakes everyone makes and then walks you through what kinds of things you need to do before you move: measuring, deciding what to keep and what to toss. The author even goes so far as to help you determine the best way to get rid of the things you eventually decide not to move.

Once you have located your new space, she walks you through making the most of it. She lays out the best configurations for different areas and some original storage ideas. The author gives ideas on how to both increase the actual space in your home by modifying your furniture and creating new storage and also how to create the illusion of space by tricking the eye. Every room is tackled and multiple example pictures are provided.

While this book is a must-have if you are downsizing to a smaller living space, it is also a great reference to have available if you are just fighting the war with stuff – like most of us are.

Interested in winning an expert design consultation, a new Flip Digital Camcorder, and a $2,000 Crate and Barrel Shop Card? You'll want to check out the cool contest going on here!!

Louder Than Words

I admit that I used to dismiss Jenny McCarthy as nothing more than a dumb blonde. She really didn't have much to say that I was interested in hearing about. Playmate of the Year? Yeah? Great for her, congratulations,whatever.
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Then my friend gave me a copy of her book, Belly Laughs, when I got pregnant. Perfect name for the book...it was hysterical, laugh out loud funny. Not only is she funny, she can write. I had Little J and promptly trotted out to buy Baby Laughs, Jenny's book about having her son, Evan. It did not disappoint and was also laugh out loud funny. I developed a new respect for this lady.
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Life got busy as it has a habit of doing and I never did get around to reading her next book, Life Laughs, although it is on my list of "want to reads". Recently I started seeing her on the talk show circuit again promoting a new book. Oh, I thought, I'll bet it's good! I picked it up Monday night. I could not put it down. I finished at about 9:30 last night. It is not anything like her other books AT ALL. While her other books were real and funny and light-hearted, this book is real, and terrifying and heart-breaking.
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Jenny's son was diagnosed with autism and the medical community basically abandoned her to deal with the aftermath of his diagnosis on her own. Her own husband was almost completely absent from the process of dealing with the wreckage that this diagnosis caused in their lives, yet Jenny managed to pull herself out of the shock and depression she felt to look for help and answers.
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She found some amazing ones in some pretty surprising places. Diet, for instance. She noticed drastic changes in her son based on changes she made in his medications and diet. She also found a whole underground network of mothers and some physicians who support each other and work to help "pull their children through the window from the world of autism". She addresses what she feels is a possible link between vaccinations and autism. She clearly states that she is not against vaccinations, but feels that more research needs to be done into what effect they are having on our children. After reading the arguments she puts forth, it's hard not to agree.
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If you know anyone who is dealing with the challenges of autism, this book offers what many doctors will not, hope. Jenny has had an amazing amount of success with her son and offers a comprehensive list of all the resources that she found after hours and hours of searching and what she refers to as a Ph.D. in "Google research". It is written in her usually honest and personable style and is sure to be comforting to anyone facing the difficult road ahead that follows an autism diagnosis.
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Book Review: BOB Books

I'll admit - when this set of BOB books (set 1 - beginning readers) by Bobby Lynn John R. Maslen arrived from Mothertalk, I was not exactly an impartial reviewer. I have, in fact, been a fan of BOB books for years.

BOB books are designed to address each stage of a child's reading development. Each book previews the beginning sound(s) used in that book. Using these sounds, the child can easily read the short, simple words and sentences that make up the book. Parents are supported with discussion ideas on the back of each book and a teaching ideas card with each set. Even without these aids, parents will find these books very easy to work with.

Most reviewers will be talking about using this book with their emerging readers - four year olds who are learning how to put their letters together to form words. BOB books are excellent for that and I look forward to using them to help Little J make that next step in his reading development. But I have used BOB books for years for my students who have been on the other end of the spectrum. Those students who have made it through the lower elementary grades but have somehow not mastered the basics of reading and phonetic awareness.

BOB books are fun, non-threatening, and easy to finish. These three things make them perfect for those students who may have "turned off" to reading. Their light-hearted nature make them appealing and their simple pictures allow readers to concentrate on the words rather than being distracted by bright colors and busy designs.

Whether you are looking for a great way to start off your pre-schooler on the road to reading or need a way to motivate a reluctant reader, BOB books are a safe bet. Take a look at all the different sets they offer and choose the one that best suits your needs - you won't be disappointed!

Looking for a good roofer in the Milwaukee area?

Then Integrity Roofing is just who you need to call!

You may remember that we had our roof replaced last month to repair the hail damage we sustained last spring. I had at least six different companies come out and give me estimates of the damage and their quotes for repair. Mark from Integrity Roofing was the only one who did not make me feel like I was buying a used car! He was upfront and honest about what actually needed replacing (no - I didn't really need new gutters) and his price was fair and reasonable.

He and his partner do all their own work, no subcontractors will show up at your house. They only tore off the amount of roof that would be replaced that day, so I didn't have any exposed wood when a rain shower hit in the middle of the night. They were careful and curtious and even left room for me to get my car in and out of my garage.

What really amazed me was that not one single flower or shrub all the way around my house showed a bit of damage. (I had a friend who had to replace three of her shrubs after her roofers put ladders in the middle of them. ) They did a great job cleaning up after and even did an extra sweep for nails, since I have a three-year-old who plays in the yard. My neighbor was so impressed, she also hired them to replace her roof.

Several weeks after our roof was finished, my parents noticed a leak in their own roof. (I'm sure you've seen the reports of the horrible rains we have had here in the Midwest lately.) Even though Integrity Roofing doesn't do repairs, just replacements, they came out in the rain and took a look at the roof to see if there was anything that they could do to stop the leak until repairs could be performed....at no charge.

How great to find a business that lives up to it's name!

My New Favorite Camera

Back in 2002, we were heading out to the west coast for a vacation and decided that it was time to invest in a digital camera. We were new to the world of digital photography and bought a pretty basic HP camera. It worked quite well for what we wanted at the time.

Then we had Little J.

Again, the camera was fine while he was a fairly stationary infant. Once he began moving around at a faster pace, I began getting very frustrated with our camera. There is a rather significant pause from the time you push the button until the picture is actually taken. Then there is another pause until you are able to take another picture. I wound up with a LOT of pictures of the back of Little J's head.

I began asking around about cameras and found that what I wanted was a digital SLR camera. I settled on the Canon EOS Rebel XT and I love it! It allows you to take pictures as if you were using an old-fashioned 35 mm camera. Hardly any time passes between pushing the button and the shutter action. Also, you can set it for action shots and take like 50 million pictures in one second (okay, it's a 14 frame burst, but it FEELS like 50 million!). The camera has a great auto focus mode, or you can focus manually. It is compatible with the lenses we bought for our 35mm rebel, so that is an added bonus. The LCD screen is bright enough to be seen outdoors and shows a very accurate representation of the picture.

It really is the best of 35mm shooting with the advantages of digital thrown in!

Fade-Proof Your House

When we were house-hunting, one of the things that sold me on our present home was the bright, sunny interior. Our living room has two huge windows, one facing south and one facing west. From about noon to sunset, at least one piece of furniture or another has direct sunlight on it. Not a big deal, until we bought two couches and a chair in a dark shade of green.

Not long after the furniture made its arrival, I started noticing a change in color due to the sun. Then a friend introduced me to Gila Window Film. It is a thin, clear sheet of film that goes on the inside of your windows and filters out the UV rays that can damage and fade your furniture. We have had it on our windows for over two years now and the fading has completely stopped.

The application of the film can be a bit difficult if you are dealing with a large area. I've found it manageable if you have at least one other person to help you. You soak the film with a water and soap solution and basically slide it into place. Once the film is up, you trim it to fit your window and then have to work out the bubbles that form underneath the film. I was able to remove all of the larger bubbles, but was left with a few very tiny bubbles that have never really disappeared. I can't see them unless I am quite close to the window and purposely looking for them. Not a bad trade off for couches that will actually stay the color that they are meant to be.