Showing posts with label safety

Smokey Bear wants our help with Fire Prevention

in , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Saturday, November 07, 2015
Even though October is the official Fire Prevention month is the United States, the beautiful fall weather has us camping out, hosting backyard bonfires and using our fireplaces in our homes.  I feel the that fire safety is an important message that we all need to be reminded of so, I’ve joined a group of bloggers to share this message on behalf of the Smokey Bear campaign, which is sponsored by the Ad Council, the National Association of State Foresters and the U.S. Forest Service. My thanks to all for sponsoring today’s important message. 


According to the Smokey Bear campaign, nearly 9 out of 10 wildfires are caused by humans! Here are some startling stats:

  • In 2014 there were 7,933 wildfires caused by lightning, but 55,679 wildfires caused by human error (as reported to the National Inter-agency Fire Center).


  • In 2014 more than 3.5 million acres burned due to wildfires in the U.S. of those, more than 1.5 million acres burned due to human-caused wildfires.


While most of us don’t behave in a careless way, each year we learn of devastating wildfires caused because we humans acted in a careless way, which can impact millions of acres of forest and thousands of homes.

During fire prevention month and all through the year, we should be more responsible in our homes as well. For instance, half of home fire deaths result from fires reported between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. when most people are asleep. Only one in five home fires was reported during these hours!

Smokey Bear is asking us to be smart outdoors and in their homes! Here are some important links for us to get and stay informed.

Learn how to build a SAFE campfire to prevent wildfires:
CampfireSafety

See how easily burning debris can start a wildfire:
DebrisBurning

Understand how proper equipment maintenance can reduce wildfires:
EquipmentMaintenance

Safety is not only important indoors, but also around your property and community:
Community Fire Safety

How to prevent and detect fires inside your home:
Home Fire Safety

How to make sure you don't cause a wildfire:


Watch this Smokey Bear question video:





Take the Pledge!

Want to help Smokey Bear prevent wildfires? Join me by taking the pledge here and then go to the National Tally to see how many have joined you across the country here.

Thank you for reading and joining us in our effort to inform and help Smokey Bear prevent Wildfires. Please share this with your friends and family!


 Please share in comments: Has a wildfire or house fire impacted your life?
I am really happy to work with our sponsor, LifeBankUSA via Robb Digital today to share this information with you! I will receive a thank you gift for my time, however I only share content I feel will benefit my readers. All opinions are my own. 

pregant, mom, baby, healthy, contest

Having a beautiful, healthy baby is one of most joyous occasions for any Mother. I can still remember the moments I found out I was pregnant with both my sweet daughters and the prayer of thanks I immediately sent up, followed quickly by the fervent wish that my babies be healthy.  Thankfully, I had easy pregnancies and two beautiful, healthy newborns, who are now beautiful healthy teens. 

Had I known more about stem cell collection services from LifeBankUSA back during my pregnancies, I would have given it serious consideration and that’s why I agreed to share their information and contest with my readers. 


About LifeBankUSA:


healthy, baby, new, mom,



“Only LifebankUSA offers expectant parents the unique opportunity to bank stem cells from cord blood and placenta blood. Banking placenta blood stem cells makes your cord blood collection even more powerful for the near-term and for the future. It gives you the ability to bank more stem cells which has been shown to increase transplant success and survival rates. And placenta blood contains other types of progenitor stem cells which are expected to play a key role in regenerative medicine.”


Win!

car seat, giveaway,


LifebankUSA wants to give parents the chance to win one of THREE Graco 4everTM 4-in-1 Car Seats (valued at $330 each) in a random drawing from entrants in their Facebook contest. Entering is easy, just click this link and you’ll be taken to their Facebook page!

Good luck and Happy Mother’s Day! Please consider sharing with any expecting Moms you know!


Please share in comments:

Are you a Mom? If yes, how many children call you Mom? 





 I participated in an Influencer Activation Program on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for BGCA.  I received a promotional item to thank me for participating. However, all opinions are 100% my own.


As a Mom of a teen and a tween, I found this cyber safe initiative compelling because keeping them safe in this rapid fire, digital sharing age is a bit daunting. Teens tend to communicate via electronic devices exclusively. Phone calls are almost extinct. With all their texts, tweets, selfie sharing and snap-chatting, our kids build solid friendships- but there is also lot of room for clichés excluding peers, misinterpretation, hurt feelings and bullying.  

Even though I consider myself a socially savvy Mom who has open relationships with her daughters, I found a wealth of helpful information at BGCA’s website for parents and teens.



About BGCA’s #CyberSafe Futures:

Talking to your kids about online safety is the first step.” BGCA understands that growing up in the digital age is tough on teens and parents. That’s why BGCA, in partnership with Sprint put together a #CyberTribe of expert teens to help answer questions facing kids online. 

The first thing I did when I visited the BGCA cybersafe site was take the “Are you a Cyber Smart Parent?” quiz .


The good news?  I am a socially savvy Mom.


 BGCA#CyberSafe button



Go here to take the quiz yourself. 


After taking the quiz, I checked out the Resource Page. Resource Topics include: Cyberbullying, Social Networks, Mobile Technologies and Online Privacy. 

Here's the link to the Teen Resources page.  Once there, your teen can explore life skills, arts, health, programs and more. 


Next I asked a #CyberTribe Question because if you want insights on teens- who better to ask than a teen. This is a weekly Q & A session,  so head on over and submit your questions.  Plus,  when you ask a question, you are entered to win an IPad mini!


CyberTribe IPad sweeps


Navigating this site is super easy for parents and teens, so I invite you to check it out and forward the link to your teen because as BGCA says: “Every teen deserves a #cybersafe future.”


Please share in comments: Have you or your child experienced cyber bullying or felt unsafe online?


Disclosure: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be a good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Schools are closed today for a Manhunt

in , , , , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Monday, February 25, 2013


We were watching the Oscars last night,  my husband and I hoping that the last joke Seth McFarlane said flew right over our dear daughter’s heads, when all of our phones started ringing at the same time.

 This usually means only one thing: there will be no school the next day or the schools will be opening late due to inclement weather.


bad weather
Courtesy: abclocal.go.com
 These messages are met with glee on the part of the kids and since I’m a work at home Mom, I am able to roll with it much easier than my working Mom friends. 

What startled us was the reason behind this closing: a manhunt was happening right then for a man who worked at one of the counties schools and had access to said schools.  According to the news, this man was involved in a domestic violence issue.

I applaud the district for putting safety first. In light of all that has happened in and around public schools of late, I say it was an excellent call, but it raised a deeper question for us as parents. 

What type of background checks are being done for employees in supporting positions such as this man who was a maintenance worker?  Is this another area our public schools need to improve upon?

 I honestly do not know what criteria are in place. But I mean to find out. I am a bit embarrassed that I don’t know.  I just assumed that these workers were asked to go through the same screening process as teachers, staff and even volunteers.

 For example, I am a tier 3 volunteer in our school district which means I have been finger printed and had a background check completed; therefore I am able to go on field trips and volunteer for activities that put me in direct contact with children.

I hope in my search I do find out that all workers entering our schools have had to pass this same level of security, if not more.

We spoke with our girls at length about safety at schools and let them know we felt comfortable sending them to school because our district did go the extra mile to ensure our schools were as safe as possible. 

Thankfully this dialog ran long ( much like the Oscars) and we had stopped watching the show to talk. This saved our kids from hearing any of the song Seth McFarlane entertained the audience with next. You know the one about female body parts? So not kid friendly. 

 By the end of the Oscars, when my kids had been fast asleep for some time, our local news reported that the manhunt had ended. The man safely in custody and that schools would remain closed.

Good.  I am very thankful that this story has a happy ending.

 So has your school ever been shut down for something like this? Do you know what your school districts security policies are?

Please share your thoughts on this. 





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