Sep 10, 2014 | Safety and Security
Does your family have a plan in case of a natural disaster or other emergency? According to the Ad Council, half of Americans don’t have an emergency plan for their family. I’m embarrassed to say that I used to be one of them.
We go to great lengths to protect our loved ones. We childproof our homes and install safety gadgets like baby gates, outlet covers, and smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. We wear seatbelts in the car and always make sure our passengers buckle up. I thought my family was prepared and well-protected. Then as part of National Preparedness Month, I read the 50 percent statistic and realized we didn’t have an emergency plan.
What would we do if a severe storm caused us to lose electricity for several days? What would we eat? Would we have enough to drink? What else did my family need to be prepared? Every family has its own needs. Some of us have children, pets or are caring for someone with special medical needs. My plan two years ago would be quite different than my plan today.
Part of being prepared is making these plans ahead of time. Life is bound to throw us a few unfortunate curve-balls. No one likes to think about them, but it’s our responsibility to do so, not just for ourselves, but for those who depend on us. It’s far easier to keep your cool if you have plans and an emergency kit on hand than to try to come up with them on the fly.
In this particular instance, I knew the basics of what to do. But I had never actually sat down and organized “the plan” for my family. September is National Preparedness Month. I use this time as my reminder to re-evaluate my plan, update critical information and make sure my loved ones do the same.
Don’t have a plan? Now is the perfect time to get organized.
Ask yourself:
- Do you have a place to meet if you and your family members get separated?
- Do you have an emergency kit?
- Does everyone in your family know who they’d contact and where to go in an emergency? What if you aren’t at home?
The resources from the Federal Emergency Management Agency at ready.gov will help you make your emergency plans. There are materials for the whole family.
Here are the items I found most helpful:
- Prepare, plan and stay informed. Visit ready.gov
- Remember to keep a paper copy of your emergency contact list. If your phone battery or laptop loses their charge, you won’t be able to get to your saved contacts.
- Use this checklist to build your emergency kit.
- Once you have a kit, learn how to maintain it.
- Let’s not forget about the kids. It’s just as important for them to know what to do so that they can stay calm in an emergency situation: ready.gov/kids
This blog post is my reminder to you. If you don’t have a plan, create one. If you already have one, make sure it still suits your family and meets your particular needs. And always remember, it’s important to stay safe.
Aug 29, 2014 | Energy Efficiency
Summer is a great time to entertain your family and friends outdoors. My family spends a lot of time outdoors, and I’m all for taking the family fun outside to reduce our energy use and beautifying the backyard and patio. Upgrading to energy-efficient outdoor lighting products can make your home look great and help you save energy all year long.
I’m a DIYer to the core. I always seem to have my hand in some sort of home improvement project. To be honest, sometimes it feels like the list never ends. You check one project off your list, and you add two more. The good news is that these projects are fun and can make your house look great.
This year I had a few extra “to-do’s” on my list. As we were sprucing up the landscaping I decided this was the year the outdoor lighting needed an upgrade. Let me just say it was well past-due!
Off we went to the local home improvement store. You can get lost in those lighting aisles. As we browsed the aisles we found all sorts of things, from energy-efficient solar pathway and landscape lighting to ENERGY STAR® qualified fixtures, LED light bulbs and even exterior lights with motion sensors.
Based on what we had at our home, I opted for new LED lighting. Did you know that energy-efficient ENERGY STAR® LED bulbs use up to 75 percent less energy and last up to 20 times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs. (That’s a pretty big deal.)
But I wasn’t finished just yet. While some of the lights have motion detectors, I also wanted to put them on a timer. It seems we’re always flipping the light on for company and leaving it on … all night long. Those days (and nights) were about to end. We installed the perfect outdoor timer for us. We were able to adjust the dusk/dawn time settings. Easy! We’ll just have to remember to adjust in the fall when it gets a darker a bit earlier.
And who doesn’t want to have a beautiful patio? The next thing on my list was to break out these super cute Mason jar solar light accents.
They recharge daily with the sun and can be customized by adding a little extra decoration to the outside of the jar or by filling them. I filled mine with sea shells, but sand and a little flower or gemstones would also look great!
Are you thinking of upgrading your outdoor or patio lighting or have you finished any new projects? We’d love to hear what you’ve done in the comments below
Aug 22, 2014 | Energy Efficiency
Getting “unplugged” gets harder and harder these days. We’re so dependent on electronic gadgets and gizmos that it’s difficult to think of a time when I’m not within 5 feet of at least my mobile phone. It seems just about everything we do is behind a screen. Whether I’m at my computer writing a blog post or using my phone to pay a bill, I’m always connected.
I’ve made it my personal mission to make sure my family takes the time to completely unplug and enjoy the dog days of summer. It was time to turn off the phones, TV and tablets and get outside for family fun that was right up our alley.
We wanted to spend these beautiful summer nights outdoors so we brought the bowling alley to our backyard.
Glow Stick Bowling
What you need
10 Glow Sticks
10 empty water bottles
How we did it:
After digging 10 water bottles out of the recycling bin, I simply filled them with water. Next, I activated the Glow Sticks and plopped them in.
All that was left was to put on the lid, grab a ball and bowl.
Once it started to get dark, I set up the “pins.” I must say it looked really cool.
We still had a touch of World Cup fever, so we used a soccer ball and “bowled” with our feet. Simple, easy and a great new spin on an old classic. The kids loved it, and to be honest, so did we. It was hilarious to see just how bad our aim was at first. The best score was obtained by my little one, who is 2. She “bowled” with her hands and feet. And at times, she took off with a pin or two.
It was an unplugged summer night success. Check back to see what activity is next on the list and visit Project Envolve to what fun activities these families came up with.
Did you give glow bowling a try? Comment below with other family fun activities you’d like to share.
Aug 5, 2014 | Energy Efficiency
Saving energy doesn’t have to be hard, time-consuming, inconvenient or expensive. You’ll be surprised to know the little things you can do to save on your electric bill.
It took me awhile to get in the habit of doing these simple life hacks, but after seeing my savings, I am never going back. These tricks cost little to no money and don’t take much time. You can save energy and money! Cha-ching! That’s music to every family’s ears.
Ready to get started?
1. Turn off the lights –When you leave a room, hit the light switch! If you tend to forget to turn the lights off, think about installing occupancy sensors that will automatically turn off the light when no one is in the room. Bathroom and laundry room lights were notoriously left on in my house. Not any more, thanks to my occupancy sensors.
2. Use energy-saving light bulbs –Try switching to energy-efficient LEDs. The light-emitting diode bulbs use less energy than traditional incandescents and can last for more than 20 years.
3. Shut off computers – If a computer won’t be in use for over two hours, remember to turn it off or unplug it. If you are just stepping away for a few minutes, put your computer in sleep or hibernate mode rather than a screen saver. Screen savers don’t save energy.
4. Use smart power strips – Plug your devices into a smart strip. These smart strips work especially well for entertainment centers. They will automatically turn your DVD player, game system and other peripherals off when you shut off the television. If you have a regular power strip, simply turn the power strip off to turn off all the devices at the same time. Devices left on are wasting energy and your money.
5. Use your windows – Instead of cranking up the air conditioning at night, leave the windows open. Nighttime is naturally cooler than daytime. On a breezy day, open up the windows to get a nice breeze to cool you down.
6. Unplug phone chargers – I know I’m guilty of unplugging my phone from the charger but leaving the charger in the outlet. I had no idea this wasted energy! It only takes a second to unplug the charger from the wall, so it is really an easy fix.
7. Program your thermostat – When no one is home, why waste energy overly cooling or heating your home? Install a programmable thermostat. Program your thermostat to a higher temperature when the house is empty. You can save about 1-3 percent per degree, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
8. Wash laundry in cold water – Most of your washer’s energy use comes from heating the water, so use cold water whenever you can. Less energy equals more money in your pocket.
9. Landscaping – Plant trees to create shade and naturally cool your house. Besides making your house look prettier, it’ll help you lower your electric bill!
10. Keep air vents clear – Chances are, somewhere in your house a vent is being partially blocked by furniture. Take a few minutes to rearrange your furniture so that all vents are exposed for maximum efficiency or buy vent deflectors. They’re inexpensive and will redirect the air flow around obstructions.
11. Clean or change AC filters once a month – If you change or clean your filters regularly, your air conditioner will function at its best!
12. Use microwave to cook leftovers or small meals – Microwaves use much less energy than an oven, so if possible, heat up your food in the microwave.
13. Let dishes air dry – Use the dishwasher to wash your dishes, but set your dishwasher to the air dry mode.
Jul 2, 2014 | Energy Efficiency
The scorching hot days and steaming, muggy nights have returned. It’s time to break out the bathing suits, hats, sunscreen and other things “summer.” On some of the hottest days of summer, it might feel like you can’t escape the heat and humidity, especially if you don’t have air conditioning.
Have you given up hope that you’ll find a way to cool down? Think again – I’ve got good news for you. There are lots of ways to beat the heat.
- Switch out your light bulbs – Install LED lights because they produce light without producing much extra heat like more traditional incandescent bulbs.
- Use the wind-chill factor – I like to use a portable fan to blow cooler air toward my face or feet. But don’t forget to turn your ceiling fan off when you leave the room. Remember: Fans cool people, not rooms.
- Save it for later – Wait to do heat-producing tasks like baking, using the dishwasher and laundry until cooler hours.
- Use windows and blinds to your advantage – Open your windows to let in the cooler air at night. Close your blinds or curtains during the day to keep sunlight from heating up the air inside your house. Have you tried insulated or blackout curtains? They do a terrific job keeping the sun at bay.
- Change your scenery – Visit public places that are air-conditioned. See a movie, read a juicy book at the library or window shop at the mall.
- Get low – Hang out and sleep in the basement or lowest floor in your home because it will be cooler than floors at higher levels.
- Break out your bathing suit – Find your favorite body of water, whether it’s the pool, lake or even the ocean, and cannonball in. If you don’t feel like leaving home, cool off with an outdoor shower using a garden hose and sprinkler. .
- Dress appropriately – Wear thin, loose clothing that will let your skin breathe. Stick to lighter colors.
- Switch up how you cook – Avoid using the oven because it can turn your house into an oven. Instead, step outside and use your grill. Or try to eat meals that don’t require cooking, like a salad. Drink lots of water to stay hydrated.
- Seal it up — Make sure cracks and gaps around doors and windows are sealed. Just as you don’t want to let cold air into your home in winter, you also don’t want to let warm air in during the summer.
Ahhh. Relief.
