The good people at Oreck asked me to try their new IntellaShield vacuum and I
agreed to share the results with my readers. I agreed to give the
vacuum a try in my home. Here are my findings and opinions.
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If you know me, you know I am a huge advocate of child safety. Having children is a full time job and their safety is a major concern of parents the world over. While performing searches for ‘autism safety products’ I found a very special site.

My Precious Kid sells high quality safety products for all children, not just kids in the Autism Spectrum. In fact, their page for Autism appropriate products was put together by a mother of an autistic child who had browsed their product line.

I spoke with Kay Green, one of the owners, yesterday. Even though the company is located in the Pacific Northwest which is 3 hours behind my time zone, she promptly responded! How cool is that? Speaks volumes about their customer service, I think.

So, shortly I will be reviewing a child locator. While you are waiting for that review, why not join in on this giveaway?

How it works:
My Precious Kid will be giving away 5 Car Seat ID tags to 5 Family Resource readers. This is perfect for parents, grandparents, and friends who have expecting friends. To earn an entry, visit My Precious Kid, browse their products, then come back and post your favorite safety product and why in a comment on this post.

Want to earn extra entries?

1 extra entry- Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter. Post your Twitter ID here or follow Family Resource on Twitter so I can verify your tweet.
1 extra entry- Link to this giveaway on a message board or forum then post the link here so I can verify.
2 extra entries- Blog about this giveaway on your blog and link to this post.

I will be verifying all entries, so please don’t forget to post the links in your comment!

Winners will be chosen February, Friday the 13th. Who says Friday the 13th has to be unlucky?

Urine is probably the top ‘worst’ stain of all. While working in nursing homes, I noticed how fast the sheets and other washable fabric seemed to wear. This was due to the washing techniques used to remove urine and feces. In most facilities, anything that can be washed is put through a very hot cycle with a huge amount of bleach. If you have a loved one in a long term care facility, now you know why their clothing ends up looking older before it should!

If you are a parent or caretaker of someone who is incontinent, then you will need to know how to remove urine stains/odor. We all know that babies leak, but there are also children who have issues with bedwetting and older people who have incontinence problems outside of their clothing.
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How often do you really clean the coils on your fridge? Once a week? Maybe once a month? Or if you are like thousands of others, you have forgotten that your fridge has coils.

Your appliances will last a lot longer if you give them a regular cleaning. Once a month, you should break out the hose attachment to your vacuum and get all of the dust, hair, and crumbs out of or off your appliances. Start with the refrigerator it is the most important. Your food needs to stay cool, so always clean the fridge first.
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Almost every parent is aware of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). If you are not familiar with SIDS, it is when a baby between the ages of 0-12 months dies without any known cause. Even with an autopsy a cause is still unknown at this time.

There are things you can do to reduce the risk of SIDS with your baby. Recently researchers discovered that the use of fans in the room where a baby is sleeping reduces the occurences of SIDS by a whopping 72%! A fan increases ventilation which may reduce the CO2 buildup that can collect around a baby’s face. Try using a fan, even a ceiling fan, on low. It will also give you more peace of mind.
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Hi! It has been a while since I have updated here at Family Resource. You are probably wondering what in the world happened.

Well, yours truly added another little DirtMonkey to the zoo. Yes, crazy as your favorite (I hope I’m your favorite!) blogger is, she has a new baby boy. That brings the count of children up to 5. I have to admit he is a cute little thing.

The past month has been one of recovery from a c-section, taking care of various illness in the other children and myself. These events have led me to decide that a good portion of the first months in 2009 here at the blog should center on health.
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For those of you who visit Family Resource and have a child who is in the autism spectrum. This also works well for Fragile-X children. Feel free to print out and modify this to your needs and for sending to family and friends.

Posted via permission of this blogger:
Fragile What?!
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If you plan to let your children travel with a friend or family member this holiday season, there are a few things you should do to prepare for the trip. It may come as a surprise, but there are parents who do not take proper precautions when sending their children off for a special trip. Do not be one of them!
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How often do you wash clothes? Laundry is a huge ‘money sucker’ and I am not just talking about the energy costs. The more often you wash something, the more wear it gets. It isn’t just having clothes on that ruins them, it is the detergent and drying action. Yes, even line drying can add wear and tear.

Fading, missing buttons, zippers that won’t zip, and ruined decorations. Yikes! All of this just from washing alone.
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While checking out my favorite blogs I saw that former Family Resource blogger, Jennifer Chait has posted links to the W.A.T.C.H. 2008 top ten Worst Toy List.

Jennifer states that there are some pretty suspect toys out there this year. For more on her post and for a link to the list, visit her blog, Tree Hugging Family. You will also find tons of green living news, perfect for those of you who are very eco-conscious.

When choosing toys for your children:

Check the age appropriate information. Never buy any toy for a child under 3 with small parts. If your child is older and still mouths items (some special needs children do this) do the same check. Remember, if it can fit into a toilet paper tube, it can fit into your child’s mouth.

You get what you pay for. Sometimes the plastic in low cost toys have chemicals (like lead) that are harmful. If you can afford it, stick with name brands. Even a visit to the thrift store if you are low income will bring better results than brand new, low quality toys.

eBay, Amazon, and Overstock dot com are great places to find holiday deals. Amazon offers used items. Do not be afraid to buy something used if it is in excellent condition. Often these items were not really used, just purchased and not wanted.

Gift cards for kids can be a great idea. Kids get to carry their own credit card’ and choose their gift. If you are buying for a relative’s child, check out all of the really cool decorated gift cards out there. Some are really neat!

Above all, have fun. Do not stress over gifts. The more love you put into your gift, the more important it feels to the child. Years later they will remember the thought, not the toy in the junk box.