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Home Safety Tips

Food Safety Tips For All Cooks

May 20, 2021 by Rachel 16 Comments

When my husband and I started dating nearly 13 years ago, I was blown away by what a pro he was in the kitchen. I had spent many of my post-college years making easy meals from my freezer. Admittedly, it was well after we got married that I even decided to give cooking a shot. On my first go at trying a new recipe, I posted a photo to Instagram. Immediately I received a comment about cross-contamination. I had no idea the mistakes I was making. Even now, as a much better cook, I need to remember certain safety items, which is why I’ve decided to put together food safety tips for all cooks!

Food Safety Tips For All Cooks

Basic Food Safety

Part of the reason I was always so nervous about cooking was because I didn’t trust myself cooking meat. Like many people, I was worried about undercooking it and getting food poisoning. So I would spend every night trying to figure out if my food was done enough before overcooking it.

Finally, after several years of ‘not getting it quite right,’ I started using a meat thermometer. It has been a lifesaver. I no longer question whether or not the chicken, beef, or pork is cooked safely. Because I know it is! I honestly wish I had started using a cooking thermometer sooner.

Giving Food Safety a Boost

Now, as a more experienced cook, I still struggle. But in different ways. One of my major issues when prepping a meal for my family is that I am distracted. Moreso, I know many moms are distracted during dinner prep. They’ll lose track in a recipe or forget if they added salt. But what if we forget about whether that cutting board would cross-contaminate?!

Food Safety Tips For All Cooks

The new Dixie Ultra™ Cutting Boards available at Walmart (in the foil aisle) help reduce the spread of germs by mitigating that risk. Simply prep, cut & toss! Basically, just toss away the germs when you’re finished.

Make Food Safety for everyone

I grew up with a mom that made a homemade dinner 6 out of 7 nights a week. But, I admit — I wasn’t present much during dinner prep times. So, one of the ways I’m taking food safety seriously is by educating my children in the kitchen.

Food Safety Tips For All Cooks

Teaching them to use a knife, cut veggies, and even grow their own food is important. But what good are these skills if they aren’t familiar with safe food handling? Getting them involved from a young age and talking about why we’re doing the things we are is educating in action.

Dixie Ultra™ Cutting Boards are especially perfect for Summer. When prepping for a cookout (like we recently did with extended family), they are my go-to. Dixie Ultra Cutting Boards helps eliminate the spread of germs between my sister’s fruit salad and prepping my pork recipe for the grill. That way, you’ll have a clean, fresh surface each time.

These tips are the easiest way to remove the worry of whether or not I could be creating a foodborne illness. Instead, I’m confident and able to stay focused on feeding the whole family.

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Filed Under: #MomLife, brews + food, cooking, Home Safety Tips Tagged With: brews + food, cooking, home safety tips

First Alert Home Safety Priority Checklist

February 14, 2021 by Rachel 14 Comments

When we first moved into our forever home, it was in December of two years ago. The temperature had just dropped. We ended up having an issue with the plumbing in our century home that caused a weird odor. We knew it wasn’t carbon monoxide, but we were worried about another harmful gas. So we called the fire department and they came to check it out for us. Luckily, it was a false alarm and just due to the plumbing not having been used in a long time. I’ll never forget that feeling of urgency and needing to make sure our smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors were working. We use the first of the year and mid-year as the moments we test and change the batteries for all of our detectors. And that’s why I’ve created a First Alert Home Safety Priority Checklist.

Make a plan + communicate it

Before we get started with our twice-yearly First Alert Home Safety Priority checklist, you need a plan. My kids are still young, but making a plan for home safety was at the top of my checklist when we moved into our forever home. I wrote out a list of important phone numbers, laminated them, and hung them on our fridge; I’ve relayed how to make an emergency call from a cell phone; and we all have a place to meet outside a safe distance from the house if we need to exit the house in a hurry.

This is crucial. In case of an emergency, an outdoor meeting location is important for kids of all ages. My kids know we meet by the big tree in the backyard and wait for one another. They don’t go back in the house. Period.

Home Safety Priority Checklist

When we go through our home safety checklist, I remind my kids of our plan. Oftentimes they will sigh and say “I know, mom.” But, nonetheless, it’s important to repeat and remember.

Why you need to make home safety a priority

At some point in our lives, every single one of us has thought “oh, that won’t happen to me.” But something about growing older and wiser reminds us that, yes, that can happen to us. And, although it isn’t pleasant to think about, it is responsible to do so.

Being aware of the invisible dangers

In addition to things you can see, like fire, there are other potential, less obvious, dangers lurking behind the scenes. One of those invisible dangers is carbon monoxide.

Carbon monoxide

Carbon Monoxide is an invisible, odorless and tasteless gas that is produced from any fuel burning device in your home (like your furnace or gas fireplace). The only way to detect carbon monoxide is to install detectors on each floor and in every bedroom of your home. I trust First Alert to keep my family safe and to alert me in the case of a safety issue.

Home Safety Priority Checklist

According to the CDC, carbon monoxide is the number one cause of accidental poisoning deaths in the United States. Approximately 50,000 Americans visit emergency rooms each year with carbon monoxide poisoning. How scary is that!? I trust our First Alert carbon monoxide detectors to keep my family safe.

Our First Alert carbon monoxide detectors have a built-in 10-year sealed battery and don’t require installation. Once a month, I test the alarm with the test button, but other than that, we just leave it. It displays a digital temperature read as well. Which is super helpful.

Dangerous cords and surge protectors

Something you may not have visible in your home are dangerous cords. When electrical cords are fraying or damaged, that puts them at risk for starting house fires. Every few months you should be going through your cords (as well as surge protectors) to make sure they are not damaged. Check to make sure you aren’t overloading your outlets and surge protectors as well. As those can be a danger resulting in a house fire.

Use this printable home safety checklist

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Filed Under: home safety, Home Safety Tips, printables Tagged With: home safety tips, printables

Taking Control of our Back-to-School Routine with Guardian

August 27, 2019 by Rachel 30 Comments

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Okay, so maybe some of you think that should be the holidays, but for those of us with two or more kids, the most wonderful time of the year is Back-to-School season!

Our new school year only started a week ago, but we are already into a decent routine, thanks in large part to Guardian Alarm.

Living right next to the school has its benefits. Walking Ari to school each morning takes all of 1 minute. Traditionally, elementary school students in our district require an adult to pick them up at the end of the day. However, our proximity to the school means that Ari is allowed to walk home alone — even as a 1st Grader!

kid going back to school

He has been able to maintain a bit of independence by letting himself in using our Guardian Alarm deadbolt with a passcode. He has his own passcode which not only allows him to enter but notifies me via the TotalConnect app when he does.

kid using home security system
Kid using keyless entry

It has been incredibly helpful since school release is during the girls’ nap time. He has definitely taken charge with the home automation aspects, too!

And, of course, having the safety and security of knowing that he is home safe after a long school day is a huge relief. When I’m upstairs with the girls, I wait to hear that he is home, and then I check on him with our security camera. I can see him in the kitchen finding himself an afterschool snack. Then I watch him take it to the dining room, where he settles in for a few minutes of ‘chill’ time before homework.

Use this handy printable checklist to help the back-to-school transition:

back-to-school-checklist

As in all times of transition, we will find a good rhythm soon enough.

Back-to-School Checklist - PIN ME

Filed Under: #MomLife, back-to-school, children, cleveland, Columbus, family, home safety, Home Safety Tips, parenthood, printables, tips + tricks Tagged With: akron, back-to-school, cleveland, family, home decor, home safety tips, motherhood, printables, tips + tricks

Leave It To The Pros // Why We Chose A Professionally Installed Home Security System

July 24, 2019 by Rachel 37 Comments

THIS POST IS SPONSORED BY GUARDIAN ALARM BUT THE CONTENT AND OPINIONS EXPRESSED HERE ARE MY OWN.

It’s hard to believe we’ve already been in our forever home for 7 months! We’ve done so much to make this house a home, but, funny enough, I have yet to hang up any photos or wall decor! I just can’t commit to the placement of things!

Besides not having anything hanging on our walls, the other major difference between this home and our old house was how we decided to protect our investment.

…

Read More

Filed Under: #MomLife, Akron, children, cleveland, Columbus, Cuyahoga Falls, family, home decor, home safety, Home Safety Tips, mommyhood, money saving tips, Ohio, parenthood, tips + tricks Tagged With: #MomLife, akron, being a mom, children, cleveland, columbus, home decor, home safety tips, mommyhood, money saving tips, motherhood, ohio, parenthood, tips + tricks

Home Safety at Your Fingertips

May 24, 2019 by Rachel 12 Comments

THIS POST IS SPONSORED BY GUARDIAN ALARM BUT THE CONTENT AND OPINIONS EXPRESSED HERE ARE MY OWN.

 

Ohh, Memorial Day weekend! We’ve officially been in our home for 6 months — can you believe that?! Where does the time go? As we enter this weekend I feel… calm. Truly, I feel calm. Yes, we will be traveling to visit family and attend various celebrations, but I am breathing a breath of fresh air in the fact that I have not once hesitated on whether or not our home is safe while we are off living our busy lives.

I have to admit, looking back at our situation in our previous home, safety was certainly a concern, but not enough so that we did anything about it. There were many times where Chad was out of town for work and I was left alone with our children, and I just didn’t feel ‘safe.’ I would spend those days (and nights) worrying about a home intruder — just hoping that we would not have to deal with that type of situation. I’m thankful that those fears can now be put to rest.

See, while the kids and I are on the go this Memorial Day weekend, Chad will be off working the entire weekend. But we’ll both be able to monitor the safety and security of our home with Total Connect, the mobile app from Guardian Alarm.

Total Connect allows me to monitor the safety and security of our home when we’re away. I can control the handy lamp module that’s currently installed in our living room so I can effortlessly turn lights off and on (and thus give the appearance that we’re home even when we’re away). I can also check on that big package we’re expecting by live-streaming our Guardian Alarm camera. It’s so handy and easy to use.

I’ve long wondered what the fuss of automation in a security system was all about, but having the Total Connect app at my fingertips has truly changed our lives. Entering the house when I get home from Memorial Day festivities is made so much easier because I’m able to both disarm and unlock our back door with the push of a button.

While we’re off playing in the park, meeting up with friends for playdates, and enjoying the nice, long, weekend, Guardian Alarm will be taking care of the rest.

Now if only Guardian Alarm could help with keeping three crazy kids under control during all of these outings! Ha! I’m kidding, obviously, but I seriously wouldn’t mind if someone invented a teleportation device to effortlessly get us to-and-from our destinations without having to battle traffic!

How are you

 

keeping your home

 

safe and secure

 

this holiday?

 

 

Filed Under: #MomLife, busy mom, celebration, children, home decor, Home Safety Tips, money saving tips, Ohio, parenthood, tips + tricks Tagged With: #MomLife, being a mom, busy mom, celebration, children, home decor, home safety tips, money saving tips, ohio, parenthood, tips + tricks

Travel Tips // Getting Peace of Mind with Guardian Alarm

April 18, 2019 by Rachel 24 Comments

This post is sponsored by Guardian Alarm but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

Well hello, spring! I feel like we’re finally pulling out of our season of hibernation and are about to enter the season of travel.

This Easter weekend we’ll be taking our first trip away from our new home since our big move in December. In anticipation of this trip, Chad and I decided it was time to get some peace of mind by having Guardian Alarm come out and install a security monitoring system.

Years ago (which seemed like another lifetime) I heard several stories from people who had just had a break-in. It was heartbreaking on so many levels. What was most rattling was that these people — often times parents with small children — no longer felt safe in their own homes. From that moment on, security has been a top priority. I never want to feel like my safe haven has been violated by a stranger.

When I contacted Guardian Alarm, they walked me through how the process would work — from beginning to end. We discussed areas of the home that I really needed to secure like all three doors, securing the hallway to alert us to potential intruders, and a camera to keep an eye on things.

I definitely want to protect my kids from potential intruders, but I also want to make our lives easier with home automation. So we decided to get the keyless entry deadbolt, a lamp module, and also a combination fire alarm/CO2 detector.

The installation process was so easy and wonderful. Our installer, Megan, walked me through the entire process step-by-step. I had so many questions about which was the ‘right’ way to secure our home. She took the time to answer all of the questions in depth. We even decided to separate the CO2 detector from the fire alarm (at her suggestion) so that we could assure our home would be it’s safest.

Thanks to Megan, the placement of the CO2 detector will immediately recognize as soon as there is a danger or threat to our family — and the monitored system will notify emergency services. It’s amazing.

But most importantly, when we travel this weekend I won’t worry about the fact that we have a very high-profile location. This house sat vacant for many years and I often hear people say “Oh you’re the people who bought that house! We always talked about buying it! It’s such a great location!” And they’re right. We’re right next to our sons’ elementary school.

Unfortunately, this means that there is a good amount of foot traffic, both for the school and the playground. There is a parking lot near the edge of our property. And we’ve noticed that people certainly like to cut through the drive. I plan on using the lamp dimmer switch to remotely turn off and on our living room light at key times during the day and evening and I’ll check in on the property with the camera just for a little bit of extra peace of mind.

Honestly, I can’t imagine entering into this busy season of life (with all of the travel, sports, and other various activities) without having a Guardian Alarm system to keep us all safe.

 

How do you

keep peace of mind

when you travel?

Filed Under: #MomLife, children, Explore Ohio, family, Family Travel, home decor, Home Safety Tips, living sustainably, mommyhood, money saving tips, parenthood, review, road trip, shop local, tips + tricks, travel, Travel Adventures Tagged With: #MomLife, children, explore locally, explore Ohio, family, Family Travel, home decor, home safety tips, mommyhood, money saving tips, parenthood, review, shop local, sustainable living, tips + tricks, travel, Travel Adventures

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