Category: Holidays

10 Halloween Safety Tips to Keep Your Trick or Treaters Safe!

October 23, 2012 Family Life, Halloween, Holidays

halloween-tips

I compiled a list of Halloween safety tips to keep your little ones safe while out Trick or Treating!

To kids Halloween means a night of fun dressing up and getting lots of FREE CANDY! With so many kids out on the streets, parents want to keep them as safe as possible.

There are lots of great Halloween Safety Tips, but I wanted to list the top 10 that I feel are the most important to go over with your kids before Halloween gets here!

These are not in any particular order.

Trick or Treat: 10 Halloween Safety Tips

1) Buy flame resistant costumes. Ensure they fit well so they are not tripping. You will also want to check their shoes so they won’t trip.

2) Opt for Face Paint instead of masks. Halloween masks can get in the way of them seeing well especially at night. Make sure the paint is non-toxic and test a patch before applying as some kids can have an allergic reaction to the paint.

3) Add reflective tape to their costumes. The costumes will be more visible especially in the dark.

4) Have your kids walk in groups. It’s always a great idea for the kids to walk in groups for added safety.

5) Have older kids carry a cell phone if an adult is not present.

6) Go to neighborhoods you know. Also, stress to your kids the importance of not going into a stranger’s home for candy.

7)  Use sidewalks when available. Make sure they also look both ways before crossing a street.

8) Use a flashlight or glow stick. Also they could wear those glow in the dark necklaces.

9) Don’t go to houses that aren’t well lit or dark. If the house is dark (porch lights off) then it means they are not handing out candy.

10) Check all candy before eating. Warn your kids not to take or eat any unwrapped treats from strangers.

Afterwards I always limit my son on eating too much candy especially as it’s on a school night. Also make sure to remove all and any face paint so it doesn’t irritate their skin.

I am very fortunate that the neighborhood we go to close down main roads which makes it much safer. The majority of the house owners sit outside handing out candy which makes it easy to watch your kids. Also, stress to your little one(s) to be polite. I know it should go without saying but so many kids do not say thank you after getting candy. My son gets lots of compliments from the house owners on how polite he is. I understand kids get excited and want to get to the next house quickly, but they really do appreciate it. 🙂

Some of these are common sense, but I think it’s a great idea to review with your little ones some of the rules before they go out. I hope you enjoy and the kids have a fun and safe Halloween!

Do you have some great Halloween safety tips to share? Then leave me a comment as I love to read your thoughts and tips.

I have a great website you can visit for fun Halloween coloring and activity pages you can print out!

CountryTrail Soy Candles Review

October 18, 2012 Holidays, Product Reviews, reviews

I was so excited when I was asked to review Countrytrail Soy Candles – Simple Yet Elegant.

Karen is a mom running her candle business with the help of her family. I was extremely impressed with how well packed my candle was along with some extra goodies and a set of candle instructions. All of her candles are hand-poured and dye-free soy candles.  I really like the look of the candle which is in a nice glass jar with a country look.

I received Mrs. Claus’s Crib which is a combination of gingerbread cookies and spiced cakes with Cinnamon. It smells as good as it sounds. This candle is perfect for the Christmas Holidays. It will smell like I have been baking all day. I have reviewed several soy candles over the last few months. This candle is just a candle with nothing hidden inside except a delightful aroma that is a treat for your nose!

The scent filled my whole house and the candle was in the kitchen. I have yet to burn a soy candle that could fill my entire house with an aroma like Countrytrail Candles did. My husband walked into the house and wanted to know how I was baking since our oven is out. Then he saw the candle and laughed. He really thought I had something baking.

I also received three samples: Craig’s Sugar Cookie, Campfire, and Pumpkin Pie. I am saving the Pumpkin Pie for Thanksgiving. My husband is excited to burn the Campfire especially when the weather gets colder. He wants to feel like we have a fireplace in our living room. The candle is the next best thing to an actual fireplace with less mess. Karen also sent me Soy Melts called Smodor Eliminator which is a scent to help eliminate odors from your house and has Orange and Cinnamon essential oils. I plan to burn one this weekend after we clean the house.


What I really liked were the wonderful instructions on how to take care of my candle. Some people complain about soot after blowing out a candle. This is a big mistake, and she sent me a wick dipper to put it out. You just take the curved end and pull down the wick into the melted wax which extinguishes the flame and no soot! I was amazed at how simple it was and no soot to ruin the amazing aroma of the candle. She has more great candles tips so you can check them out here!

Countrytrail Soy Candles also has more than just candles! You can also find room spray, ceramic candle warmers, and soy melts! Even better are her amazing and very affordable prices! She has an 8 oz size for only $8.50 and the 16 oz is only $13.50!!!

I am so impressed with the quality of these candles that I am going to buy a few for Christmas presents. My mother-in-law is a HUGE candle addict, I know for a fact she is going to love this candle. I am also going to buy her a Mrs. Claus’s Crib as it’s a family name. 😉

Countrytrail also offers fundraising options and wholesale accounts!

Karen has generously provided a coupon code for my readers that will give you 10% off your entire order! Use Countrytrail at checkout to receive the discount!

Disclosure: I received a free candle and melts to review. I received no monetary compensation or asked to leave positive feedback. All my opinions are 100% mine and mine alone.

Snag 140 Vistaprint Labels for only $3.69 Shipped!!!

October 15, 2012 Holidays, Hot Deals

With the holiday season getting closer, now is the perfect time to stock up on holiday labels! Choose from thousands of designs, or create your own!

Click Here to Get 140 Labels from Vistaprint for only $3.69 shipped!

Here are some great and creative ideas to use with these labels.

  • Showcase your own, or even your children’s, creativity and upload your own designs of their drawings.
  • Label the care packages of your famous homemade chocolate chip cookies and brownies you send to your children in college to get them excited to come home for the holidays.
  • You can even add a special photo of the newest members of your family when you mail your New Year’s letter detailing all of the wonderful changes to you family in 2012.
  • And for all those gifts, you can add “to” and “from” fields to create your own special gift tags for your equally special presents.

Hurry as this offer is a limited time and expires on October 17th at 11:59PM EST!

 

Louisiana Tax Free Weekend Starts August 3rd to August 4th!

August 2, 2012 Back to School, Holidays, saving money

Don’t forget Louisiana Tax Free Weekend starts at 12:01am August 3rd through 11:59PM August 4th! So Friday and Saturday you will NOT pay the 4% Louisiana State sales tax on personal goods up to $2,500! You will still pay parish tax. So if your sales tax is 8% then you still pay 4% on purchases these two days only.

This is perfect weekend to finish up your school shopping for uniforms, underwear, socks, backpacks, and shoes! Or maybe you need some new furniture!

Here are the purchases  that will NOT be Tax Free this 2012 weekend!

  • Cars (subject to license and titles)
  • Meals made and consumed on premise (think restaurants)
  • To go meals
  • Any items purchased for a business or non-profit so only personal use will count.
  • Hotel Rooms
  • Amusement, recreational, and athletic admissions
  • Repairs to tangible personal property
  • Laundry, cleaning, pressing, and dyeing services
  • Vehicle parking
  • The furnishing of cold storage space
  • Printing services
  • Telecommunication services

There are a couple of exemptions to the tax free weekend.

  • The customer buys and accepts delivery of eligible property;
  • The customer places property on layaway;
  • The customer acquires property that was previously placed on layaway; or
  • The customer places an order for immediate delivery, even if delivery must be delayed, provided that the customer has not requested delayed shipment.
  • Rain checks issued BEFORE the holiday will be tax free if you buy them during these 2 days  BUT rain checks issued during the weekend will not be eligble for later use.

If you have any other questions then please go visit the Louisiana Revenue Web Page for the Sales Tax Holiday Info and watch the short video.

Have a Happy Fourth of July!

July 4, 2012 Family Life, Holidays

I hope everyone has a very Happy Fourth of July today! Be safe if you are outside in the sun today so use plenty of sunscreen and drink lots of water!

Enjoy the day and remember our country is celebrating it’s Independence today and thank your current and past military for protecting and serving their country!