Money saving tip and another great use for…

I am a nurturer by nature. Being able to help people or make them happy makes my day a little brighter. So, when I recently “discovered” something, I wanted to share it. This may not be the world’s biggest or most important revelation, but I believe it’s noteworthy.

Some lessons come to us in an instant. Others come in increments, one bit of information at a time. If we are lucky, sometimes we can take those bits of accumulated knowledge and piece them together into a tangible concept. Six years ago, we moved into a house that had been built in 1965. The kitchen counter tops were ugly. I got the bright idea of tiling them until we could decide what we really wanted to do with the kitchen. At first they were pretty. then the grout started to get dingy. We eventually had someone come in and re-grout them. Well, guess what happened. That’s right, they started getting dingy again. I hate using harsh chemicals, especially in the kitchen. And most grout cleaners are harsh. That’s where taking bits and making them into a whole comes in.

I love cleaning with vinegar. From soaking fruits & vegetables to mopping floors, vinegar does the job. Recently we had to have our bathroom tile redone and the expert told me that vinegar was one of the best things to keep tile & grout clean. That made sense to me. So that information was stored. The second bit was that most products, whether they are chemical or not, need time to work. The third source was from someone who was really trying to sell a product.

People are always trying to get us to buy the next miracle product. I have fallen prey to a lot of this wonderful “stuff” in the past. Don’t get me wrong. There are some great products out there, but not everything lives up to it’s praises. Because of this, I have become pretty skeptical. So, when someone wanted us to try a certain company’s microfiber clothes, I didn’t jump up and shout “Eureka!” Let’s face it, there are tons of microfiber clothes out there. Then, I walked into my kitchen and looked at my counter tops. They had become somewhat of an embarrassment to me. Then I started connecting the dots.

In a bowl, I mixed half water, half vinegar. I then dipped a brush into the mixture and started spreading the mixture over the tiles, making sure all the grout was covered. Then I went on to another project. Periodically I came back & reapplied some vinegar water, lightly scrubbing the grout. After about an hour, I dampened the microfiber cloth and started cleaning the grout. I would be lying if I said the grout looked new, but, the difference was amazing. I was so proud of how sparklely clean everything looked. So, you can bet your sweet bippy that once a week I will be cleaning the counter tops with vinegar. I hope this little bit of information about vinegar will make your day just a little bit sweeter.

Penny Berger
Guest Blogger

Are you looking for some fun, free things to do with your kids before school starts?

Last week it dawned on me that summer is almost over. Some kids go back to school on Monday while most seem to go back on August 24. If you are like me you are trying to squeeze every ounce of fun out of summer before it is over. So, I thought it might be nice to list some of the free events happening this week.

Star Cinema on Stringtown Rd in Grove City offers free movies on Wednesdays and Thursdays during the summer. Movies begin at 10:00a. This week they are showing Despicable Me. This will be the last free movie for the summer.

Also on Wednesday, August 17, Scioto Mile is having a program titled Fountainside Friends and Fun from 11:30a-1:30p. The Turtle Lady will be there with some of scaly sidekicks. After the Turtle Lady stick around to learn about creek animals from representatives from the Soil and Water Conservation District. There will also be an interactive reading of Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax.

Do your kids like to bowl? If so Grove City Lanes offers free bowling for children from 12-6 on weekdays until the end of August.

Lastly, Homestead Park in Hilliard is having an Insectivorous program at 10:30 on Friday, August 19. This one, however, is not free. Admission to the program is $1 per child. After the program stay to play in the water or dry areas of the park.

I hope this list helps you to find something fun, and maybe something new, for you to do with your children before school begins. My plan is to continue to list and promote free and low cost activities for families and children. So, check back often!!

New Car Seat Regulations by the American Academy of Pediatrics

Lately, there has been much talk about car seats in the news. The American Academy of Pediatrics just issued new recommendations for rear facing children. The new recommendation is for children to rear face until at least age two. Child Passenger Safety Technicians (CPST) have been advocating this for quite some time and children in Europe rear face until age four or five.

New recommendations have also been given for toddlers and older children. Four AND 40 is no longer the standard for booster seat use. The new recommendation is that children remain in a five point harness until they have outgrown their forward facing seat. With the new seats on the market this is generally around age six. At that point a child is transitioned to a high back booster. Finally, once a child has outgrown the high back booster by height he is moved to a backless booster.

Four out of five car seats are installed correctly. Could yours be one of them?

CPSTs can assist you in the selection of an appropriate car seat for your little one. A CPST can help you if you have any questions regarding the installation of your car seat in your vehicle.