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Did you know that cases of food poisoning actually increase in the summer months in the US? There are two main culprits: 1. eating at outdoor picnics where the food is not always keep at appropriate temperature and 2. Eating questionable restaurants while on vacation. Furthermore, young children are even more susceptible to not only getting food poisoning but suffering more as a result. Here are few key things to keep an eye on in either situation.

What is food poisoning?

Food poisoning is one of the most difficult of the common ailments to diagnosis. Mostly because it can be caused by a variety of things – bacteria, parasites, viruses, and other toxins. But essentially it is a result of ingesting food that contains one of these unsavory items. Common symptoms are vomiting, diarrhea and stomach cramps. Some specific forms of food poisoning have their own symptoms, like salmonella is usually accompanied by fever. Children tend to be more intensely affected by food poisoning, manily because their stomachs are just not strong enough to combat the bugs. If you are pregnant you also want to be very careful. These bugs can occasionally have especially adverse affects on an already delicate stomach.

Eating at Outdoor Picnics/BBQs

There are two main players in the backyard food poisoning game.

1. Food not kept at temperature. Often people will set out all the food in original containers and/or bowls and leave it all sitting out throughout the event. Things like potato salad, fresh meats, dipping sauces, fruits and most vegetables will begin to go bad after about an hour at temperatures that are too high. This is when they start to breed the bacteria that cause food poisoning. Additionally, flies and other bugs may land on the food, leaving all sorts of icky stuff behind.  So how do you avoid this sort of thing? Well for starters get food tents to place over the food, to keep flying and crawling things out. Then you can double bowl the perishables with ice in the bottom bowl to keep the food cool enough. If you plan to leave the food out for an extended period of time, make sure you keep the ice refreshed.
2. Undercooked meat is another offender.  When cooking on the grill, many people tend to under cook meats, especially chicken. It is important to invest in a quality food thermometer, for any cook, but especially for grilling meats. A quick tip – when checking the temperature you always want to reach the middle of the cut of meat, but stay away from the bone. The bone will be hotter than the meat and give you an inaccurate reading. You want to be sure that meat is cooked to the appropriate temperature.

Poultry – 165deg

Pork – 160deg

Ground Meat – 165deg

Eating Out on Vacation

Sure we all love to be adventurous when we are on vacation. I know my family and I like to try new things, especially if it is totally unique to the location. But you have to be careful. Not to be prejudice but some locales and even entire countries do not have the same health regulation that we do. There are few things to keep in mind when eating in questionable places. If it looks or smells funny – other than just different – pass on it. There are very few edible foods that have a grey tinge to them and the smell of rotten food is very recognizable. However, many foods that are contaminated will still look totally normal. Try to find a moderately clean place – this means clean dishes, utensils, and drinking cups. Only drink the water if you are sure it is safe, water can carry a myriad of bacteria and parasites. And go with your gut to protect it. If you aren’t too sure, then pass, especially if you have children with you.

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Water safety is a big issue in my family. It’s always been important, but last year we really got a chance to see just how important it is. You see, my oldest son almost drowned in a boating accident last year. He survived only because he was wearing a life jacket. We were out boating when my husband and son jumped into the lake for a quick swim. The waves picked up so I went to turn the boat around to go pick them up – but the boat wouldn’t start. The starter on the boat had gone bad. Within minutes, I watched as my husband and son floated so far out in the water that I could no longer see them.

They were in the water for well over an hour before the coast guard found them and by then, my son’s body temperature was so low that he had to be rushed by ambulance to the nearest hospital – all while I was still stranded on the lake watching the ambulance drive away. I was told later that if his body temperature had gone down another 5 degrees or so, he wouldn’t have survived. The fact that they both had life jackets on is the only thing that kept them alive in rough waters long enough to be rescued.

It was a scary experience and it still gives me nightmares. Today, I’m signing up my two oldest children for swimming lessons so they can be as prepared as possible for an emergency in the water.

It’s one thing, however, for me to understand water safety. It’s another thing entirely to make sure my kids understand. My son won’t go near water without his life jacket now but there are many other aspects of water safety that all children need to be reminded of. Disney and Underwriters Laboratories have put out a great video about water safety that is designed with kids in mind. It features Pumbaa and Timon from The Lion King and talks about water safety in a way that is entertaining and easy for kids to understand.

I’d highly recommend watching the Safety Smarts video with your kids and talking about the basics of water safety before we get too deeply into summer. All three of my kids sat and watched the video all the way through. My kids are really good about trying to do whatever they need to do to stay safe. If I arm them with a little bit of information they definitely remember it.

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Underwriters Laboratories. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

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School’s out and your family is no doubt planning on heading out of town at some point before it starts again. Whether it is a weekend trip to the woods for camping, or a cross-country road trip there are some basics you might want to keep in mind before heading out on your vacation.

Who Are You?

No matter if it is a weekend trip to the coast or a two week jaunt to Mexico, you need to have all the appropriate identification. And not just for yourself but for your spouse and children as well. If you are leaving the country at all, everyone needs a passport. And this is something you need to obtain well in advance as it can take several weeks to arrive after completing the application process. If you are leaving the state you live in you may want to care certified copies of your children’s birth certificates, especially if your spouse won’t be joining you and definitely if you are not married to the child’s other parent. If you will be traveling by car, be sure to contact your insurance company and square up your cover. Make sure that you have your most current insurance verification card and add any coverage that might be necessary when crossing state and country lines.

Where are you going?

Do some research before you head out. Even if it is an “all-inclusive” trip, find out exactly what that means. If is better to over plan your trip then not have everything you need. Also you might want to find some extra activities that you can turn to if something doesn’t go as planned. For example, it would be awful to arrive at a museum you had planned to visit only to find it closed for renovation and now you don’t have a plan B. Also keep in mind the weather and climate of your desitination and pack accordingly. And lastly, if you are leaving the country check with your doctor about any vaccination s/he would advise you and your family to obtain.

How are you getting there?

If you are traveling by car, remember to take it in for a “once-over”. Many auto shops give a free vehicle inspection with an oil change. Some key things to have checked are the tread and pressure of your tires, all the fluid levels of your engine (oil, coolant, transmission, brake fluid, etc.), your alignment and finally all of your lights.

If you are traveling by plane, carefully read all of the fine print from the airline. There have a been a rather large amount of changes to typical flights so you want to be prepared. Each airline has their own rules about number, weight and dimensions of luggage. You also want to check on the proper procedures of bring child seats and/or stollers. Additionally, you will want to check the specific airports that you will be using for proper security procedures, each is likely to be slightly different.

A few more miscellaneous points

• Be sure to bring enough of any daily medications to last twice as long as your trip. You never know what might happen. Also it is best to carry all medications in the original packages it was prescribed in, clearly labeled by the pharmacy.
• If your children have a lovey that is small enough to travel, bring it. It will make nights away from home easier.
• Bring small items (toys, travel games, books) for your children to be entertained by during the “in-between” times, like waiting in airport or riding in the car.
• Make sure that at least one person back home has a specific itinerary of your trip. They should know when you are leaving and when to expect you back as well as the best way to contact you should something happen with your home.

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The sun is shining, the days are hot and if you aren’t careful your skin is burning! Sunscreen and/or Sunblock application is a very important daily ritual, all year-round, but especially in the summertime! But how do you know which to choose, how often to use it and what is really the point. Here are some basics.

SunBLOCK versus SunSCREEN

It really comes down to a simple variation. Both work to prevent over-exposure to the sun’s rays, they just each use different means. Sunblock, as you guess, actually blocks, or reflects the UV rays from your skin, preventing exposure to the harmful rays. Sunscreen absorbs the UV rays so that they don’t reach your skin. Since both, “actively” work to reduce exposure to the sun, you need to follow the bottle’s directions regarding how often to reapply. Essentially as the cream does it’s job it get’s “used up” so reapplication is imperative to insure continued coverage.
As for which to choose, it really is a preference than anything else. You just want to be sure that you and your whole family put on sunscreen everyday, even if you won’t be sitting in the sun all day, if you are going outside you need to put it on, especially in summertime.

What is the Point?

It seems you can’t read a single magazine or what any of those health-related television shows without someone urging sunscreen use. Shoot, I am doing it right now. Well there are two very important reasons: Skin Cancer Prevention and Anti-aging.
According to the American Cancer Society, Skin Cancer is the number one most common form of cancer found in Americans. Fortunately it is also one of the easiest forms of cancer to prevent as well as catch early. Skin cancer is caused by over-exposure to UV rays (the rays from the sun). So it goes to reason, that adequate Sunscreen/block usage will do lots to prevent skin cancer formation. For more information on how to prevent, as well as what signs to look for please visit the American Cancer Society’s Website at www.cancer.org
As for the skin aging ramifications, it has been proven that at least 80% of the visual signs of aging on the skin is caused by UV exposure on the skin. Basically, collagen cannot withstand the effects of the sun. Collagen is what keeps our skin “perky” and smooth. Once collagen is damaged, there is much debate about whether is can be repaired. But most the of research leans towards the notion that it cannot be repaired, it is better to provide protection the try to fix the damage after. What this all boils down to is the fact that extended sun exposure results in lots of wrinkles!

As an aside, sunglasses are also very important. You want to find a pair that really block out the sun, as UV rays have adverse affects on your eyes as well. The brightness alone can have long-term negative effects on your eyes’ ability to focus.

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Lexus invited my entire family to Pasadena, CA to attend Lexus Family Safety Camp. We’re big Toyota fans, and while we have not been directly affected by any of the safety recalls, I have to admit that some of the recent media attention has made me nervous. The idea of not being able to stop your car when you need to is terrifying to any parent. Toyota has always been rock solid in safety as far as I was concerned. I have never had a reason to feel unsafe in our car so when a trusted companies is badmouthed in the press you have to wonder whether your brand loyalty is in the right place. I was anxious to meet with Lexus and get their take on things and let them reassure me that my family’s safety was their top concern.

One of our Lexus driving instructors told me that driving a car is the most dangerous thing that most people will do. Our family experienced a horrible loss several years ago that really made that point clear to us. Cars are dangerous, and we need to know how to use them in order to protect our family, both on the road and in our driveway. Toyota set up several driving stations and put us in their cars with several famous race car drivers (who I’m sure would have made me very star struck if I knew anything about racing).

My family and I enjoying lunch before the kids headed off to explore the Kidspace Children's Museum.

Safe Driving Tips from Lexus Family Safety Camp

• Drivers education typically teaches us to drive with our hands at 10 and 2. This is actually not the safest option because in the event that the airbag deploys, your hands are directly in front of the airbag path so you are more likely to be injured. The 10 and 2 position also limits how quickly you are able to turn the steering wheel in an emergency. Placing your hands at the 9 and 3 position will limit injury from the airbag in case of an accident and allow for increased maneuverability while driving. If you are the parent of a teen, you may want to be sure that they are learning the correct position in drivers education.
• If your car goes into a skid on a wet surface, pause for a second to get control and allow the vehicle stability control to work. Avoid over-correcting if you lose control on a turn because once you recover from the skid you want your steering wheel to still be turned in the direction you were originally trying to go or you risk losing control a second time.
• All street vehicles have a breaking system that is more powerful than the engine so pushing down the break, even if the gas pedal is still down, will stop the car. Lexus has an additional brake override system that automatically reduces the engine power when the break pedal and accelerator are applied at the same time to increase stopping time.
• If you can’t stop your car, you can put it in neutral (or reverse if you are driving an automatic transmission Lexus or Toyota) to disengage the transmission from the engine and allow you to slow down. For some reason I’ve always wanted to try that but I thought it would damage the car. The Camp Lexus drivers let me test this out first hand and while it wasn’t as dramatic as I thought it would be, the car did come to a smooth stop. We also got a chance to try turning the car engine off while driving in order to stop the vehicle. This technique also helps the car to come to a quick stop, but you will eventually lose power steering and the breaking electronic assist so you will want to bring the car to a stop as fast as you can.

Here I am testing out two cars, one with ABS and one without. Ignore the crazy things I was doing with my eyes. I left my sunglasses in my car and the light was bugging me. I had never driven a car without ABS before and it was really interesting to see the difference.

Child Car Safety Tips

• Most children cannot safely ride in a car without a booster seat until they are 10 years old. We’re big proponents for booster seat use in our house. Our kids have always known that they are expected to ride in a booster seat until they are at least 8 years old but after talking with Stephanie Tombrello of SafetyBeltSafe USA, I’m planning on keeping them all in boosters even longer. Her simple 5 step test helps parents determine whether their child can safely ride in a car without a booster seat.

Stephanie introduced us to this great child restraint vest from RideSafer. I have never seen one of these in the stores but I think it would be perfect for elementary school aged children who carpool to school and may be riding in cars that don’t have spare booster seats available for them. This is light enough that a young child could easily carry it back and forth to school so he has a safe way to travel in a carpool.

Stephanie assured me that these have passed all the safety testing so they seem like a great option for older kids or parents who need to fit three carseats in the backseat of their car.

• Janette Fennell of KidsAndCars.org wants parents to understand that cars are dangerous – whether they are moving or parked in the driveway. Every year children are killed by being left in hot cars, being strangled by power windows, or being backed over in a driveway. After being kidnapped and locked in the trunk of her car, she fought to require car manufacturers to install trunk release buttons inside the trunk of every car. Her dramatic experience has allowed her to be an advocate for children everywhere and it was amazing to hear her story. Our family made an increased commitment to car safety when our neighbor’s little boy was injured in a front over accident while crossing a driveway. I make it a habit now of walking around my car before backing up and being extra careful before turning into any driveway or parking lot.

Camp Lexus gave me some great information and my kids had a blast playing at the Kidspace Children’s Museum during the event. It was great to see all of the safety features that Lexus has built into its cars and get some experience testing them out behind the wheel.

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You get your workout in, and you go jump in the shower. But what about your fitness equipment, do you clean it? A surprisingly large amount of people don’t! It’s just not something most people think about. But if you have your own equipment in your hope, you need to keep it clean and well lubricated. You also need think about your water bottle, weights, mats, and even shoes!

Large Equipment, Weights, Benches and Mats

You drip sweat all over your treadmill, elliptical or other piece of cardio equipment, but do you really clean it up? Even if you are taking a towel to it, you may not be getting all the ick off! Think about what sweat really is – it’s the impurities and bi-products that result from your body working. You definitely need to be using something stronger than a wet towel.

Try something like disinfecting wipes. You can also use these to clean the handles on your weights, wipe down your weight bench and wipe off your yoga mat. You also need to follow the manufactures maintenance guidelines for machines. They need to be lubricated with the proper products to keep in good working order. Also, treadmill belts need to be adjusted to the right tension occasionally.

Water Bottles

You probably run your water bottle thorough the dishwasher after ever workout, right? But is it really getting clean? And if you are putting more than just water in your bottle – like Propel – you are probably creating a residue that you can’t even see.

You may want to invest in some water bottle cleansing tablets. They are gentle enough to not ruin your bottle or leave anything behind!

Athletic Shoes

This is one that people really don’t think about until they get Athlete’s Foot (an infection that is caused by a fungus that grows in moist areas and causes painful burning and itching as well as scaly, flaking skin), and then it’s almost too late to salvage the shoe. When you exercise with shoes on, your feet sweat! You probably put your socks in the wash but what about your shoes? This is not just about the smell that your shoes might take on, but also the bacteria. Some people just run their shoes through the washing machine (don’t dry them, most athletic shoes have specially designed molded plastic pieces in the upper or sole, and they will not withstand the heat of a dryer). For the odor, you can try some Charcoal Shoe Inserts. For disinfecting purposes, you need to find a product that actually kills the bacteria and fungus – such as a Shoe Spray.

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Most everyone has had a prescription at one time or another. Whether you take medication daily or just when you are ill, there are some important things to keep in mind when it comes to prescription medication:

• The reason a medication is only available via a physician’s prescription is because if it is taken for anything other then its intended purpose or at prescription level dosages, the incredible risks can and will outweigh the benefits.
• You should never share medications, even if two people are prescribed the same pills, they could be of different dosages and or frequency.
• If a medication “isn’t working”, contact your doctor immediately. There are any number of reasons that this may have happens, ranging from the minor to the life-threatening. Even vitamins can become toxic is mixed with your body’s chemistry in an inappropriate method.
• Never discontinue a medication prior to the original prescription without discussing it with your doctor.
• If you are prescribed a new “daily” pill, be sure to ask what to do it you miss a day. Sometimes you can just double up the next day, sometimes you can just skip it, and sometimes you need to be very specific about how you remedy this issue.
• Always inform both the doctor and the pharmacist of other medications and vitamins that you are taking when you receive a new script. Even if you think it doesn’t matter it might, and your doctor can’t consider what he/she doesn’t know when choosing a medication. And double check it with the pharmacist, because better safe then sorry.
• Also make sure that directions the doctor gave you match the bottle and what the pharmacists tells you. If there is a discrepancy, ask some questions.
• Never leave prescription medications out in the open. It is becoming more and more common for people of all ages to seek out prescription drugs to provide some sort of intoxicating effects – and not all of them care what the medication is, they just pop the pills and see what happens (it is actually considers part of the thrill – go figure). And of course you want to keep your curious toddler safe.
• Try to keep track of all the medications each of your family members is currently taking. Some people save it as a note on the phone (easily changed). In a time of emergency, a paramedic will need accurate information.
• When you have taken all of the pills from a prescription, remove the label with your personal information (name, address, phone number, RX number, pharmacy and doctor’s information) from the bottle. Some people can create a fake script from this information.
• If you child is prescribed a medication, be honest with the doctor about whether or not Johnny will swallow a pill or Jane needs flavored syrup. This is no time for pride, you child is being prescribed a medication to remedy a problem, therefore you need to insure that ingestion is going to go as smoothly as possible.

It is also smart to invest in a pharmocological dictonary. I caution you not to use it for self-diagnois but rather as a reference when a family member gets a new script.

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This is another not so fun topic to discuss but something I want to talk about. So many people get into a routine with their daily activities, to the point of almost being robotic. This is when you are in the most danger of getting blindsided by trouble. Specifically, I want to talk about parking lot safety. Yesterday at my local grocery store, I noticed a woman sitting in her car, with the engine running and the driver door open while she looked over her receipt, another woman loading her groceries in her car while her purse was sitting in the top of the shopping cart, and finally another woman who was juggling three over laden grocery bags while her toddler (no more than three) darted around the parking lot. You might be thinking, “hey sounds like any other day at the grocery store”, and maybe even “I do that stuff all time”. Let me be honest, I do it too, more than I would like to admit. And truthfully, they all seem pretty innocent, but it’s only takes one moment of innocence for trouble to strike.

Get in and Lock up

You should never sit in your car in a parking lot, day or night, without the doors closed and locked. Car jacking is on the rise in our country. If you are sitting there in your car with the engine running and the door open, you are a perfect target for someone to either remove you from the vehicle and drive off or force you over and get in. I am not saying that you can’t look over your receipt before you drive away from the store, just get all the way into your car and lock the door while you sit there. And always give your car a once over as you are walking toward it. If anything looks strange, go back inside and ask a bagger to come out with you. Look into your windows to be sure that no one in lying in wait in the backseat. If you feel like that car that has circled three times without parking (especially if there are lots of available spots) go back inside and wait for the car to leave or park, if they don’t alert the store manager)

Never Leave Valuables Unattended

There are two things that should be put in the car as soon as you get to it – your children and your purse. In reality, our groceries are replaceable and can wait till last. But if you leave your children unattended for the short time it takes to load up your groceries, they could be easily grabbed and put into a waiting car. The same goes for your purse. If you are like me, your life is in your purse. Not only would it be costly, it would be terribly inconvenient if you lost your entire purse.

Use a Cart

Unless you can hold your child’s hand and carry the groceries, always use a cart. Most little ones are smaller than a car’s bumper and therefore are not visible in a rearview mirror. So just make it easier and use a cart to push your groceries and child out to your vehicle. And if your child is walking and gets away from you do not be scared to scream, yell and middle name them to get their attention. If people look at you like you are nuts – they probably don’t have children. Better to look a fool for a moment, then mourn for a lifetime.

Be Defensive

It is best to go to stores in the day time and at non-busy times. But this is not always possible. So you need to be defensive. Walk tall and with purpose. If it is very dark and you have long way to go, get your keys in one hand and your cell phone in the other before your leave the building. Put your keys through your fingers like spikes, ready to swing. You might also consider carrying pepper spray, but only if you are comfortable with the prospect. Do not stop for strangers, even if they look “normal” – criminals spend a lot of time practicing on “looking normal”.

Again, I am not trying to turn you into a paranoid, quivering, agoraphobic. I am merely, trying to put these concepts into your mind, before something happens. If you are going to be an active member of society you have to also be a cautious member.

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