YUM! If you have not tried this candy, you definately need to!! Baskin Robbins has found a way to capture that wonderful ice cream taste in a the form of a small piece of candy. My favorite is the Cookies N Cream Hard Candy.

These candies are available in hard or soft versions in a variety of flavors. For those of us watching our sugar intake, there’s even Sugar Free options! Look for them at Target, Walgreens, Shoppers and other various stores. Let me know what your favorite flavor is!

Tags: General by Stephanie
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Vinegar is one the safest, easiest, most versatile items you can have in your home. You can mask that vinegar-y smell with a few drops of you favorite essential oil. This is the second part in a series of “The Many Uses of Vinegar”. Ready? Here we go…

Uncracked Eggs. A tablespoon or two of white distilled vinegar added to your water will keep your eggs from cracking while boiling.

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Tags: General, Safe Things, Vinegar by Stephanie
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Colony Collapse Disorder – the drastic rise in the number of disappearances of Western Honeybee Colonies in North America.

Bees are annoying, so why is it a big deal that they’re disappearing? Well, approximately 1/3 of the food we eat depends on honey bees for pollination! With the bees disappearing, the pollinating of crops is getting more and more difficult.

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Tags: Free, General, Helpful Sites by Stephanie
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I just learned that as of June 30th, the new law in Maryland is that any child under the age of 8 or 4’9″ must be in a booster. This is the recommended height and age and is law in some states and catching on in others. Do you know what your state’s law is? Check it out. I will admit, I am totally guilty of moving my older kids to a booster and out of a booster too soon. But, I have learned a lot and my 12yo is now in a backless booster. My 9yo has both a backless booster and a highback booster. My 4 yo is the proud owner of two Sunshine Kids Radians, while my almost 2 yo rides rear-facing in a Marathon and forward facing in a Roundabout.

Buying a car seat is a big task. There is no single perfect seat. The best seat is the one that fits your child and your car and that is used correctly every time. There is not a single seat that will take your child from birth to age 8, you will need to purchase more than one seat.

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Tags: General, Safe Things by Stephanie
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What’s the best and safest cleaner for your home? Vinegar. You can use vinegar on just about anything. Stop buying those pricey, use specific cleaners and get a big ole bottle of vinegar. Hate the smell? Grab a bottle of your favorite essential oil. I like tea tree oil, lavender oil and sweet orange oil. This will be an ongoing series with 5 tips posted at a time. There are so very many uses for white distilled vinegar, they can’t possibly be all listed in one post! So here we go…

Destroy the Weeds. Pour full strength on sidewalks and driveways. Be careful and keep in mind, this will kill anything green so definately avoid your garden!

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Tags: General, Safe Things, Vinegar by Stephanie
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But it says “no sugar added”, it has to be better for the kids right? Not if you’re trying to avoid chemical sugar substitutes. We all know to look out for aspartame and saccharin, but do you know about acesulfame potassium? Acesulfame potassium is also known as acesulfame K and Ace K.

Ace K has been approved by the FDA for use in baked goods, refrigerated goods, candies, sweetners and more since 1988. It is often used in combination with other artificial sweetners.

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Tags: General, Health by Stephanie
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