Change the batteries in your smoke detectors!

It is suggested that you change the batteries in your smoke detectors when Daylight Saving Time begins (and/or when it ends). You should also be testing your smoke detectors once a month by pressing that obnoxiously loud but life-saving little button. If you’re not, start doing so now. But change your batteries this weekend. It’s not that hard. I promise you.

The truth is that sixty-five percent of reported home fire deaths in 2000-2004 resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms. (USFA) And of those, 43% were without a smoke detector all together. While those fancy pants ones are a bit expensive, the truth is that a regular, working smoke detectors can save lives. Furthermore, in places like Los Angeles, it is the law to have smoke detectors in all sleeping rooms. Did you know that? Do you know the laws of your city or state? If you don’t have one, please go out and purchase one today. If you’re struggling to make ends meet, give your local fire department a call and ask if they have a program to provide smoke detectors free of charge. If you’re unsure of where to install yours or how to change the batteries, give them a call as well.

I want all of our readers to be safe and having a working smoke detector is part of that! So change those batteries and try to catch up on some sleep!

Change the Batteries in Your Smoke Detectors! is a post from Stop, Drop and Blog. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? Like our page on Facebook! If you have questions, contact me or hit me up via twitter.

Today I though I would bring you some links so that you can utilize the Internet as you teach your children about the importance of fire safety. Even very young children can utilize Internet sites, whether for games, for reading or for printing coloring pages. All they need is you to help them locate the sites, work on whatever the site offers and to explain the importance of each site and safety tip. Here are some of my favorites.

1. The National Fire Prevention Week website actually has some great resources for parents and kids. Things like the Fire Safety Inspection Checklist (.pdf) and the Fire Safety Information card are great activities to complete with older children. The arcade on site provides for a fun way to bring a discussion about fire safety into your learning process. For the youngest set, a coloring page with Sparky is made available that highlights the important things to remember to prepare for and in the midst of a fire emergency.

2. Sprout, the PBS kids channel, has a great Fire Safety Week program going on right now, including on their website. This site provides more coloring pages, including a counting one, a Fireman Sam one and some others. (A fun thing on the Sprout site allows for you to upload a picture of your kids’ artwork once it has been completed for others’ viewing pleasure on the website! Cool!) There are also some videos on their Fire Safety page.

3. USFA Kids (US Fire Administration) has a great site that combines pertinent information (Home Fire Safety, Smoke Alarms, and Escaping from a Fire) with some games (Crossword Puzzles, Coloring Pages, a test to be a Jr. Fire Marshal among other things). I found this site to be particularly easy to navigate for a computer-independent child who wants to learn on her own.

4. Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog is one of my favorite programs regarding fire safety. Sparkles’ owner, Firefighter Dayna, is passionate about fire safety (just like we are!). They’re actually part of the Fire Safety Week on Sprout this year! Their site offers more activity pages, GREAT fire safety videos and crafts.

These are just some great online resources for you, as a parent, to help your children understand the importance of fire safety. As a parent you need to know these things as well. First and foremost, know your house’s floor plan and make a fire escape plan should an emergency occur. Teach things as simple as “stop, drop and roll” and the importance of getting low should the hallway be filled with smoke. As you help your child navigate the online resources for learning about fire safety, make sure you’re up-to-date on all of your knowledge. Your family’s lives depend on it!

Tomorrow I will have a review of some younger child storybooks that also highlight some fire safety points. Be sure to tune in all week as I bring you various tips, fun pictures and other pertinent facts on fire safety. (Also, as this is October and Halloween is just around the corner, check out our review of the best firefighter costume on the market right now, pictured above.)

Fire Prevention Week: Utilize the Internet is a post from Stop, Drop and Blog. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? Like our page on Facebook! If you have questions, contact me or hit me up via twitter.

ICE stands for In Case of Emergency. If you travel anywhere, even to the grocery store, in any form, on foot or by vehicle or any mode in between, you should have an ICE card, at the very least, somewhere in or on your body or belongings. An ICE card gives the responding paramedics, firefighters or police officers pertinent information about you, your health and who should be contacted. I’ve told you how Ohio actually has a Next-of-Kin Database now easily attachable to your driver’s license. You should, however, also be carrying ICE information with you.

Perhaps you think you are invincible. (You are not.) Perhaps you think you will remember all of your own medications and be able to verbalize them to paramedics even if you are unconscious. Perhaps you can dictate to paramedics each time your children have been hospitalized or their allergies while you are in a state of shock. In fact, even medical professionals can find themselves uncertain of such things when an emergency hits their own lives. This particular story is a very important reminder why this information needs to be easily available. To paraphrase his tips:

Accept that you are human and that accidents happen. Print out ICE cards for all wallets, purses, backpacks and vehicles. Program *ICE numbers into all cell phones. Print out detailed sheets of medications and other health issues to have easily on hand should something occur. If you experience an emergency and your responder is not familiar with the concept of ICE, please pass on the information. Your brief stint as educator may save another life.

And so what does all of this have to do with an iPhone app? smart-ICE4family is an iPhone app that holds your pertinent emergency info. But, it gets better! It’s a multiple profile ICE meaning that you can put in your information and the info of your family members. Designed by an EMS director with over 30 years experience as a fire-medic and emergency room medic, this program has everything that you need for first responders and ER staff to appropriately treat you or your children.

I learned about this app just before my trip to NYC for Swagapalooza. I quickly downloaded it, entered my info and went to sleep. I felt safer knowing that if anything happened, my information was with me. While we do have ICE cards in our wallets, I liked having it on hand in my phone as well. It is now the very first app on my screen. The icon that this app uses is actually the trademarked ICE symbol that is recognized around the world. It’s also bright orange and blue. It’s hard to miss. When I got home, I also entered the information of my children and husband (who were not traveling with me on the aforementioned trip).

The features of the app are pretty nifty.

• Multiple profiles.
• Fast 911 access.
• Alert function: After dialing 911 fromt he app, the phone goes into an alert mode and will sound an audible alert every two minutes. This feature allows EMS personnel to find your phone and medical information should you become incapacitated.
• Passcode wallpaper: This will allow you to set a custom message on your wallpaper if phone is locked.
• Stores all of the critical information needed in an emergency situation for up to five people.
• Dials emergency contacts within the app.

Things that I found especially handy: allergy information, preferred hospital (as we do not prefer the hospital here in city) expressed wishes (bleh) and medical history. The latter of which is very important for people and children with chronic illness. I don’t look like a very sick human being but my kidney disorder means that I can’t be pumped full of ibuprofen without a chance of throwing me into kidney failure. I’d really rather avoid that, mmkay?

It was easy to set up and fill out. And while we have printed ICE cards, I like the features of this app. I like knowing that I’ll be able to give very pertinent information, especially about my children, even if I am not alert.

I encourage all families to, at the very least, carry ICE cards. Make them up now even if you don’t have a fancy icon. Write them and put them in your wallets, purses and vehicles tonight. If you’re an iPhone user, I encourage you to download this app, make it your first icon button and enter the information. Immediately. I don’t like to think about emergencies and being unable to remember things or be awake to give paramedics information. No one likes to think about it. But I’d rather be prepared for such an event. I want our readers to be prepared as well. I want paramedics to know how to treat you, your significant other and your children. (As a side note: the company also offers a single profile version of the app for the single people among us. It downloads for $1.99 as opposed to $3.99.)

If you have all of your ICE information in place, iPhone app or not, please do your friends and family a favor and tweet or share this post. It’s so vitally important that people know about the concept of ICE and how easy it is to manage. I’ve got all of our information in now for our quick trip to Cincinnati tomorrow to see Disney on Ice. To be honest, I’m glad we have it there for our even quicker trips to the library and school. You never know… you just don’t.

You can read more about the app on EMS-Options.

_
[No compensation was received for this post. I paid for the app myself. I believe in keeping my readers up to date on safety information and technology. I always blog with integrity.]

An iPhone App That Could Save Your Family’s Lives is a post from Stop, Drop and Blog. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? Like our page on Facebook! If you have questions, contact me or hit me up via twitter.

Check your smoke detectors. Watch my video.

Is it really necessary to test your smoke detector every month? Yes. As an example, we went on vacation in August. We were gone for eight days. Our smoke detector batteries could have died while we were gone despite changing them with the time change every year. (More on that next month!) Even if you’re gone for half of a weekend, you could lose function. It’s best to test and know for sure than find out the hard way.

So go press the button on your smoke detectors right now. Use earplugs though. Man. That was loud.

Important Fire Safety Tip: Check Your Smoke Detectors! is a post from Stop, Drop and Blog. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? Like our page on Facebook! If you have questions, contact me or hit me up via twitter.

Which leads me to ask the question: Are you ready in the event of a fire emergency on your vacation?

It’s not something people often consider. You pack the sunscreen, extra bug spray and sand toys. You make a menu to save money and a plan for rainy days (aquarium here we come!). You plan your budget carefully, leaving some extra wiggle room for cheesy shirts and squeaking sharks. You are careful to change the oil in your car, put air in the tires or, if you’re flying, check and re-check your flight reservation. Once you arrive at your rental home, condo or hotel room, you quickly toss the suitcases and make your way to the lake, the beach or the pool.

But that’s not what you should do first!

If you’re staying in a hotel:

• First look for the evacuation route, usually posted on the back of your door. Walk the route together, making notes regarding landmarks (two doors past the elevator) as smoke will make it hard to see.
• Make a meeting plan for outside the building so you can all find each other if you are separated upon evacuation.
• Remind your children (and yourself) to feel the door before opening it in the event you hear the fire alarm. If it is hot, do not open your door. If it is hot, fill the tub and soak towels and sheets. Then place them at the base of the door(s) to create a seal so that smoke does not enter. Call 911 to let them know you are trapped in your room.
• If the first happens to start in your room, exit immediately. Don’t forget to close the door behind you so as to keep the fire contained. Pull the fire alarm on your way out of the building and call 911 ASAP.

If you are staying in a rental home or a cabin/cottage:

• Upon arrival, check to see if smoke alarms are installed on every level of the home. If not, call to ask if one can be delivered.
• Discuss an escape route and evacuation plan if one is not posted in the home. Multi-level beach homes often have outdoor decks with staircases to use in case of an inner fire.
• Locate fire extinguishers. In fact, it is in your best interest to have one in your vehicle at all times anyway. If a fire extinguisher is not present in your rental home, take it out of your vehicle and put it in the kitchen in an easy to reach location. (Remember to put it back in your vehicle when traveling and/or before you leave unless you want to gift the home with your extinguisher!)

If you’re camping oudoors:

• Don’t think that you’re immune from fire safety issues, even if you aren’t specifically having a pit fire. Others around you may have fires.
• Teach children fire safety around fire pits. Draw a line around the pit which is their “Stop” line.
• Teach children how to stop, drop and roll. (Not blog.)
• Keep an extinguisher in your vehicle or, if your vehicle is no where near your campsite, in your tent or gear.

The truth is that hotels, vacation homes and campsites are not immune to the tragedy of fire. Always make sure to blow out candles, properly extinguish campfires and cook carefully. Thinking of these things before you rush down to show your children the waves can help save your lives. Common sense goes a long way but preparation in this way can help prevent a fire emergency or save your life in the event one occurs.

Be safe during the rest of your summer. We’ll be leaving for the beach in mid-August. We’ll be sure to look for smoke detectors on all three levels of our swanky rental house, find the smoke detector and talk about fire before we rush down to show TheBrothers the beach. Then, of course, as check-in as at three o’clock in the afternoon, we’ll have to head back to the house to make supper. Do you know what happens when you take a child to the beach for all of ten minutes? This:

But that loud, screaming child is a good thing. It means that the biggest tragedy we’re dealing with is a tantrum. And not a fire.

Don’t Take a Vacation from Fire Safety is a post from Stop, Drop and Blog. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? Like our page on Facebook! If you have questions, contact me or hit me up via twitter.

1. Be safe with fireworks and obey your local laws. What’s that mean? Know what is and is not legal in your area. If it’s not legal, don’t use it. The list of tips at FireworksSafety.com is really handy to keep in mind.

• Use fireworks outdoors only. (This should be obvious.)
• Obey local laws. If fireworks are not legal where you live, do not use them.
• Always have water handy. (A hose or bucket).
• Only use fireworks as intended. Don’t try to alter them or combine them.
• Never relight a “dud” firework. Wait 20 minutes and then soak it in a bucket of water.
• Use common sense. Spectators should keep a safe distance from the shooter and the shooter should wear safety glasses.
• Alcohol and fireworks do not mix. Have a “designated shooter.”
• Only persons over the age of 12 should be allowed to handle sparklers of any type.
• Do not ever use homemade fireworks of illegal explosives: They can kill you! Report illegal explosives to the fire or police department in your community.

If you are experiencing a drought in your area, avoid shooting off fireworks above your house or the homes of others. A stray spark or a bottle rocket gone off course could set a rooftop on fire. A few pretty colors and a big boom aren’t worth losing your home or injuring those that you love.

2. If you’re having a picnic, make sure that your hot foods are grilled thoroughly and that your cold foods (especially ones that contain mayonnaise) are kept cold enough. In fact, according to What’s Cooking America, there’s a “two hour rule.”

Two Hour Rule. Don’t leave perishable food un-refrigerated for more than two hours. Put perishable foods back in the cooler or refrigerator as soon as you finish eating. Don’t leave them out while you go for a swim or a hike, and don’t leave them out all afternoon to nibble on.

If you feel like something is if-y (like if the sun moved the shade off of a table, thus “baking” some potato salad), it is always better to toss it and be safe than figure it is safe and make everyone at the party sick. If in doubt, pitch it!

3. Don’t forget the sunscreen. While it’s been cold here in the Midwest this week, it’s supposed to be sunny and in the 80′s on Saturday. That said, even on cloudy days, 80% of the sun’s ultraviolet rays can pass through the clouds. (Trust me! I’ve been burnt on cloudy days.) Put your safe sunscreen on 15-30 minutes before heading outside and reapply every two hours or again after toweling off after a swim. (Don’t forget lips and the tops of feet!)

4. Don’t drink and drive! Obviously you should never be drinking and driving. However, just in case you think that you’re safe this weekend, you’re not. A holiday doesn’t magically exempt everyone from the rules of the road. Here in Ohio, a crackdown is planned on impaired drivers (through Monday). Fifteen people died in car accidents in Ohio during the 4th of July celebrations in 2008. “Almost half” of those were alcohol related. If you think you’re exempt because drunk driving accidents only happen to bad people and you, of course, fall under the heading of a “good person,” think again. Stop in and read Joy DeVere’s post at BlogHer which talks about how she lost her husband to a drunk driving accident and then was hit by a drunk driver herself. In short, save yourself and others: designate a driver.

From our family to yours, have a safe and Happy 4th of July! (I’m sure we’ll toss up a family picture from my Uncle’s wedding at some point in time over the weekend. I can’t guarantee we’ll be smiling. But we’ll be safe!)

Be Safe This 4th of July! is a post from Stop, Drop and Blog. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? Like our page on Facebook! If you have questions, contact me or hit me up via twitter.

The day we chose was the only available weekend day in a month and a half period. Even still, we had to push our party back an hour because they were decorating the building for Christmas earlier that day.

I’m glad I called the first week of June to reserve the hall for the weekend before Thanksgiving even if people laughed at me.

It’s difficult. Having the boys’ birthdays a week apart (almost to the minute) is difficult enough. (And nearer to their birthday party, I’ll discuss why I’ve decided to go with one party for the time being.) However, having their birthdays fall so close to Thanksgiving (which, of course, is close enough to Christmas as it is) requires a lot of early planning. Last year, to make matters more difficult, we had to deal with a family members’ wedding which limited our days to throw the party down to one. I had three to choose from this year. Only one worked with the only affordable hall in our area that holds our large extended families and closest friends.

I’ve learned a few things over the years about throwing a birthday party so close to the holiday season.

1. Look at your calendar about six months in advance and find what days work best for those whose attendance is necessary. For our family that means picking a weekend day (so more people in the family can travel and attend) on which FireDad does not work at the fire department (as his attendance is necessary).

2. Book your location early. If someone makes fun of you for doing so, ignore them. You don’t need to order the cake in July but you might want to make the calls regarding location. Remember that people throw parties for their businesses, families and other groups during the holiday time. Halls, restaurants and other party locations fill up quickly. Booking early ensures that you will get your choice of date. For us, as we live in a small city with a limited number of options, it’s basically mandatory. Some argue that larger cities can wait until September or October to call. However, remember that while larger cities have more venues, they also have more people planning said parties. Play it safe.

3. Once you have picked a date that works for those whose attendance is necessary and works with the location you have chosen, don’t change it. Things are going to come up. People are not going to be able to attend because of conflicts. Something might come up that a necessary attendee might prefer to do than endure the noise level of a child’s birthday party. Too bad. Send out an email to those you care to invite and warn them of the date. Stick to it.

4. Make a list and start buying gifts early. I just recently made the boys’ birthday present list (and am working on the Christmas list). I will start purchasing one gift with each pay through either the days themselves or the gifts are finally purchased. This saves money in the end as I don’t go off list too much and I can avoid the last minute tendency to over purchase. Also, with the economy looking the way it does right now, having gifts purchased early could be really beneficial if something was to happen to our income. (I’ll tell you later what we’re buying for a four year old boy and a two year old boy.)

5. Send the physical invitations with a month’s notice. Even though you may have emailed those most important to you about the date well in advance, reminding them with the physical invitation with enough notice is still necessary. Having something to stick on the fridge is much more likely to be remembered than an email in their inbox, lost among a sea of other “important” things. Include an RSVP date on your invitations. Hopefully people will actually remember to do so!

6. When the party rolls around, don’t be upset if people can’t attend. Our party, as an example, is the weekend before Thanksgiving. Those who are planning on traveling four days later for the turkey eating holiday might not be able to travel to the boys’ birthday. Money being what it is (have you seen the gas prices lately?), I will understand if people can’t cough up the money to drive on in twice in a week. It will be okay in the end.

Planning a birthday party around the holidays can be frustrating. I’ve learned to ignore the people who make fun of me and accuse me of over-planning. My birthday parties aren’t lavish affairs. I don’t rent bounce houses or bring in clowns. We make the food ourselves (but not the cake because I have no talent in that area). But I do try my hardest to make it an enjoyable day for my children and those that matter most to our family. Part of that process is starting the planning early enough so that a party can actually take place.

As such, November 22nd should be a lovely day for our sons. Loud, sure. But fun. (Buzz & Woody theme going on! You know you want to be there!)

Planning a Birthday Party Close to the Holidays is a post from Stop, Drop and Blog. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? Like our page on Facebook! If you have questions, contact me or hit me up via twitter.

My shoulders, arms, chest and upper legs are now the color of a beautifully ripe tomato.

My face, however, is saved as my foundation has 15SPF already in it. Saved by a purchase by my maternal grandmother. I should send her a thank you note. Anyway, so, yes. I’m dealing with a pretty hefty and oddly lined sunburn this morning. It definitely doesn’t match my bathing suit lines. Or the shirt that I’m currently wearing. I almost feel the need to wear a turtleneck until this humiliation passes. I feel like a fourteen year old who got a hickey in the middle of summer; how do I hide this mess?

Of course, I feel better knowing that neither boy has a spot of burn on them. The fact remains that “overexposure to sunlight before age 18 is most damaging to the skin.” (Of course, daily unprotected exposure, even when it doesn’t result in a sunburn, is what causes the most damage.) I know I need to be more careful with myself. I’m fair skinned, freckled, moled and come from a family with a history of skin cancer. However, my boys are also fair skinned (though BB has both maternal and paternal grandfathers’ ability to tan), freckled, moled and come from two sides of a family with a history of skin cancer. They’re under eighteen. As such, they will always be my first priority when it comes to applying sunscreen. (More info here.)

Now if only I had someone to apply mine while I was taking care of the children. Do they make those?

Of course, our family also deals with the fact that the boys have sensitive skin. I recently decided not to listen to my better judgment and use some cheaper sunscreen. BigBrother broke out in hives. I know better. In fact, I know enough to pay attention to helpful lists like this one at Skimbaco Lifestyle. Knowing which sunscreens are safe and which are, well, really not is helpful in making my decision as well. (You know, if I could just remember to put it on my own darn skin.)

In the end, my sunburn has been a learning lesson for BigBrother. I showed him my bright red arms, at which point in time he had a great giggle. I explained that was what would happen if he didn’t let me put on the sunblock before we went outside to play. His eyes got sort of big and he agreed that sunblock was the way to go. He’s an easy sell. It’s the Wiggle Monster otherwise known as LittleBrother who tells me, “Tickles,” as he tries to roll away.

I’ll be more careful with myself for the rest of the summer. If only so I don’t look like a bright red tomato at the billion and twelve events I have to attend this summer. But if you need some visual proof as to the benefits of sunscreen, take a look at this picture from last night’s Meet & Greet after the Yanni concert in Columbus. Can you tell which one is me? The bright shining red one.

So, yes, trust me on the sunscreen.

[Head on over to the review blog to read more about my fantastic, sunburned night at the Yanni Voices concert.]

But Trust Me On the Sunscreen is a post from Stop, Drop and Blog. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? Like our page on Facebook! If you have questions, contact me or hit me up via twitter.

As I continued researching, I started letting BigBrother hold my DSLR once a day and snap a photo of someone or something. I know this sounds insane (OMG! WHAT IF HE DROPS IT?!) but letting him take one picture per day made him smile with glee. After seeing how good he was at lining up the person in the photo and pressing the button, I started rethinking camera options. Here are a few samples of his DSLR shots.

Apparently I’m his favorite subject. (Also, I apparently wear a lot of green. Interesting.) All the same, the point is that I didn’t ever teach him how to line a person up or even what button to push. After being the subject of over 10,000 pictures himself, he just learned by osmosis or some other scientific means. He knew how to look through the eye piece, find me in the viewfinder and press the button. Not too shabby.

After seeing the results from his once-daily DSLR usage, I started to reconsider the kid camera issue. Their reviews are not all that great and none of them contain a flash which, if you know about photography, can help create a more stable, less blurry photograph. As an adult, I can hold my arms pretty still. As a kid, well, let’s just say that BigBrother is a constant blur of motion himself and that without a flash, he’d be likely to show that blur. To make matters worse, he doesn’t like blurry pictures. He told me so when I forgot to open the flash on my DSLR once. “Mommy, this picture is broken.” Great.

I didn’t want to spend lots of (and/or any) money on a real adult camera either. Knowing that the constant blur of motion also occasionally falls down and frequently bumps into walls, I was having a hard time justifying the $100 purchase of a camera that might not stand up to drops or hard use. So, I debated it for awhile longer.

Until I remembered our old camera!

If you read our old blog, you may remember the drama of our old camera and why we no longer shop at Best Buy. Suffice it to say that the camera is of little use to us anymore but it still works. It took me a full two days to remember where I had put the thing. It needed batteries. On one of the three memory cards for it (two of which work, one doesn’t), I found a picture of the pregnancy test from when we found out about LittleBrother! I formatted them all (confirming that one really didn’t work anymore) and called BigBrother upstairs.

He was confused as it is a point and shoot and, therefore, he doesn’t have to look through the eye piece. (Though he can.) I explained how to switch it off and on and how to look at the pictures he had just taken. And then I set him loose.

I’m raising a mini-photographer, I tell you. Let’s highlight some of his first day photos.

His fire boot and some books!

FireDad “sleeping” as the running into the bedroom actually woke him up.
(Which, yes, was my secret plan when I said, “Go take one of Daddy!”

Somehow he snapped a good picture of me!

LittleBrother looks confused but sits still anyway.

Yes, I took one of him at the same time because I’m way dorky.

There are others, of course. Many others. The top of LittleBrother’s head. FireDad’s slippers. His caterpillar bed. A pile of books. Blocks. His toy box. Everything. He wants to take a picture of everything. At every moment. It’s very amusing.

There are rules, of course. He is not allowed to just carry the camera around at random which is the only benefit I can see to one of the kid-safe cameras. As it could bust if he dropped it down the stairs, the rule is that we have to be actively in the room with him as he’s snapping away. He can run back the hall and take a picture of his caterpillar bed but I have to be aware that he has the camera at the time. We’ve found that some camera time after lunch lets him get some photobug out of his system. But the  best time for snapping pictures we have found is after supper. That hour and a half before bedtime is now a funny time of photographing.

I know part of this whole decision to go with an old camera instead of a kid-safe camera is because I’m a pseudo-photographer and, as such, a photo-snob. I don’t like grainy, blurry pictures any more than BigBrother does. I also feel that they are “broken.” The only blur I approve of is motion blur that comes on the action setting. Otherwise, clean pictures, please! His new-old camera is only 4MP but it’s that addition of a flash that really makes all the difference.

And, yes, I’m prepared for it to break sometime in the future. I imagine a fight between TheBrothers with tugging and pulling and the eventual camera flying through the air to crash into a million and one pieces. I will probably be upset, yes, but the point is that we had a camera that was getting no use. Some of its settings and abilities don’t work properly due to the Best Buy Debacle of 2007. It is of no use to me. But I don’t like things to go to waste. And so as long as it has enough function to snap a picture, save it to the memory card and be retrieved from that memory card, I’ll let him have that camera. (Don’t ask me what I’ll do when it eventually quits working or ends up broken. But it won’t be a kid camera. I’ll tell you that.)

Until then, look for monthly updates on BigBrother’s best photographs!

Old Adult Camera = New Kid Camera is a post from Stop, Drop and Blog. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? Like our page on Facebook! If you have questions, contact me or hit me up via twitter.

A conversation in the FireHouse went like this earlier today:

FireDad: Are you done with this burner? *accusation in voice*
Me: Uh, yeah.
FireDad: *turns it off*
Me: To be fair, I was talking on the phone.
FireDad: And that’s how fires start.

Honestly, he is right. When they take kids through their smoke trailer, they talk about things like distraction causing fires. Forgetting to turn off burners (ours are electric, not gas) is actually a pretty common cause of starting a kitchen/house fire. What if I had tossed something on the top of the stove while cleaning? What if this had been yesterday when FireDad was at work and it had been left on all day? The what ifs pile up and I’m left feeling a bit unnerved. And guilty. And somewhat indignant! Indignant?

Well, yeah! I would like to blame all of this on FireDad. You see, we ran out of coffee two days ago. Two! He didn’t get any until this afternoon. You know, after the error on my part. And so, I have been drinking hot tea. I boil water in our kettle. When removing the kettle from the stove top, I forgot to turn off the burner. Without the amount of caffeine I consume in coffee, my brain wasn’t working right and that’s why I forgot to turn off the burner. Which brings us back to the fact that if FireDad had bought us more coffee, none of this would have happened. I wouldn’t have been drinking tea. I wouldn’t have needed hot water. My brain would have been functioning properly. See? It’s all his fault.

I type that paragraph, of course, very tongue in cheek. I’m normally very keen on fire safety and protecting our family and household from dangerous things like this and, so, leaving the burner on and getting caught by my husband… the firefighter… was a wake up call. We can never be too careful when it comes to fire safety.

And so, I encourage you to check and double check your stove burners when you are done cooking. Not only could you prevent a burn to yourself, your child or someone else in your home but you could prevent a house fire. I know it seems easy. I know it seems common sense. But, to be honest, if I forgot to turn off a burner, chances are that you could forget as well.

Keep those families safe, folks. (And have a nice weekend!)

Fire Safety Tip: Turn Off Your Burners is a post from Stop, Drop and Blog. Want more of Stop, Drop and Blog? Like our page on Facebook! If you have questions, contact me or hit me up via twitter.