Tag Archives: safety

Dec16

Important Safety Tips When Driving In Ice And Snow

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Important Safety Tips When Driving In Ice And Snow

Regardless of how long you have been driving, you need to consider safety every time you get behind the wheel. Cars are dangerous and there are always hazards that you need to be aware of because any mistakes could potentially be fatal.

There are a number of driving rules that you should follow at all times, but you need to be particularly careful during the winter. When there is ice and snow on the roads, the dangers are amplified and you need to pay extra attention to what you are doing. This is especially the case if you are a nervous driver or you have just passed your driving test after finding a slot available thanks to a site like Driving Test Cancellations and are finally allowed on the road by yourself. If you are concerned about driving in the ice and snow, here are some important tips to help you stay safe:

Check the forecast before you leave:

The weather can change at any moment, and you need to be prepared for whatever may come your way, especially if you are out in the car all day. You don’t want to make the mistake of leaving the house while it’s dry, only to find that you are unprepared when it starts snowing later on in the day. Always check the forecast before you leave the house in the morning so you can allow extra time if it’s likely to be wet or icy. You may also want to change your route and go on safer roads when the weather is particularly bad.

Keep your tires in good condition:

Your tires are among the most important safety features on your car, so it’s vital that you make sure they are in good condition, especially during the winter. Make sure that you check the tread on your tires on a regular basis and replace them when necessary. Even if you have a big 4×4 and you think that you can handle any condition, it’s still vital that you keep the wheels in top shape. Make sure to invest in new 4×4 rims and tires when you need them. When you are buying new tires, look for ones with a high silica content because they provide more grip. You can get specific winter tires, which have a shorter stopping distance, so it may be worth investing in a set.

Check your visibility:

When the weather is cold, your windows will get covered in ice, making it impossible to see. Visibility is vital to your safety on the road, so make sure that your windows are completely clear. Scraping a small gap that you can look out of is not enough so make sure that you clear the windows properly. This means that you will need to leave yourself enough time in the mornings, so plan ahead. You should also check that your window wipers are working correctly so you don’t lose visibility in heavy rain or snow.

If you are driving at night, make sure that you check your lights too. You can’t always tell right away if a light is out while you are driving. It’s best to be safe and quickly check them before you leave the house at night.

Pack a winter breakdown kit:

Breakdowns are never good, but if you get stranded in the middle of winter, you could find yourself in a very difficult situation. That’s why it’s important to bring a winter breakdown kit so you can stay safe and get somebody to help you out. A snow shovel, scraper, and some de-icer will help you stop the car from freezing over or getting stuck in the snow. You should pack a flash light, as well, so you can see what you are doing if you get stranded at night.

Keeping everybody warm while you wait for the breakdown recovery van to show up is important too. It’s worth packing a few blankets in the car and maybe even a thermos with some hot drinks. Make sure that you pack a car charger for your phone so you can still call for help if your battery runs out. But if you get stuck somewhere without a phone signal, you might be forced to walk a while to find help. In this case, it’s a good idea to have some snow boots to change into.

A reflective sign will help other cars spot you if you get stuck at the side of the road. This improves safety and encourages people to stop and give you a hand. This winter breakdown kit can get you out of some sticky situations if you break down in the middle of nowhere while the weather is bad.

Adjust your driving:

You need to adjust the way that you drive to stay safe in the bad weather. Slowing down is the most obvious change to make because your stopping distance will be much greater when roads are wet and icy. It’s also much easier to lose control of the car, so you should always reduce your overall speed when driving in the winter. Using higher gears is important when driving on ice. Setting off in a higher gear will help you to avoid wheel spin and sticking to a higher gear generally will give you more grip. Always accelerate slowly so you maintain control of the car at all times.

When approaching a bend, always brake gently before and take the turn carefully to avoid skidding. If you do feel the car skidding, it’s important that you don’t panic and slam the brakes on. Instead, you need to turn in the direction that the car is skidding and keep off the brakes as much as possible. If you adjust your driving and slow down, you will be much safer. It will take you longer to get places, so leave with plenty of time to avoid rushing and putting yourself in dangerous situations.

The risks are much greater when driving in bad weather, so it’s vital that you change your approach. Make sure that you prepare your car properly and pack a winter breakdown kit. You also need to cut your speed and take your time to keep yourself and those around you safe.

Featured Image By: Pixabay

Dec12

FaceTime Fun

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FaceTime Fun

Hi! This seems like a resounding theme on all of my posts but in my neck of the woods, we are currently in threat level PURPLE for COVID-19. Not to be confused with Threat Level: Midnight from The Office. Those of us that get the severity of COVID and are taking it extremely seriously are hunkered down hardcore right now. Johnny and I have not seen any of our friends in at least a month at this point and it’s lonely and it sucks. I think I would honestly go crazy if I didn’t have my Johnny with me and, thankfully, I’ve had technology on my side too.

I have become a FaceTime/Skype/Zoom/phone call addict so that I can still keep in touch with my nearest and dearest. I love having scheduled chit chat “dates” and it gives me something to look forward to. Being able to “see” my friends even through the computer or phone screen helps put a renewed pep in my step and it’s the next best thing I have right now to actually hanging out. I have wholeheartedly embraced this form of contact and I highly recommend that my readers/social media friends follow suit… Especially if COVID is as bad in your area as it is in mine.

A very special bestie in my life has added an extra ray of sunshine to my blah quarantine existence by our weekly or biweekly FaceTime chats. For those of you who don’t know, Johnny and I chose to sit out on Thanksgiving with our family this year. So, believe me when I say, I was completely touched when my darling Kate of Live In The Nautical suggested that we FaceTime on Thanksgiving day.

Kate has been one of my best friends since lifewithlilred began. It’s crazy, because we’ve only met each other in real life once but I feel like I can tell her absolutely anything through our constant back and forth via our blogs, social media, texting, and FaceTime. I am so thankful to her because she knew how shitty I was feeling on Thanksgiving and she took time out of her celebrations to talk to me. It meant so much and I really do treasure the times that we have to see each other and catch up.

I wish that I could see my friends right now and I know that a lot of you do too. Is a video chat the most ideal way to see them? In normal times, no. But things are far from normal right now so I’d say video chatting is friggen perfect. It’s hard to feel so isolated but Johnny and I have been doing our damnedest to stay safe since March. FaceTiming has helped with the loneliness and if you are feeling down, then schedule a chat with one of your besties. It can only help and I think you will feel much better after. I know I did. 🙂 ❤

How do you keep in touch with loved ones during the coronavirus pandemic? What do you miss the most about “normal” life? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Dec2

Protecting Your Dogs In Winter Weather

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Protecting Your Dogs In Winter Weather

When winter comes around, every good pet owner will want to make sure their pooch is happy and safe. We can put on layers, while they cannot. We can avoid puddles and slippery ice on the sidewalk, just by knowing what would entail if we stood in them. Dogs don’t seem to realize their paws will get stuck to the ice and this can be incredibly dangerous and painful. Not to mention, they tend to bring in half the snowfall, as they come inside our homes from walks. We can help our dogs remain safe, not lose our minds with all of the cleanup duties, and enjoy winter together as good pet owners:

Frostbite danger:

Many people will still try to take their restless dog outside in the cold for his morning and evening walks. However, no matter what kind of dog you have, always make him or her wear some shoes. In the wild, dogs are not just roaming around in the cold. They avoid harsh conditions but we have domesticated dogs that want to stick to a routine and need to be outside at a particular time of day. That’s fine, but dogs will start to shiver and their paws become numb if they have prolonged contact with the frozen pavement. So make sure that they are wearing winter shoes or they might suffer from frostbite which is extremely painful.

 

He wants to snuggle:

If your pup isn’t allowed on the furniture, give him an elevated bed so it’s not touching the cold floor. If your dog’s bed is on tiles or hardwood floors, then it will lose warmth. But if you keep it off the ground this won’t be an issue. Nevertheless, give your dog an extra blanket or a thicker blanket for the winter. It is equally as important to move the dog’s bed away from draft-prone areas such as close to windows and doors.

Messy paw prints:

When your dog has been outside in the garden to do his business, he will have muddy paws. You can bet that during winter, in the rain and melting ice, the garden will become a muddy mess and that mess will be brought inside. Your furry friend doesn’t know any better, but thanks to a good reliable carpet cleaning service you won’t need to stay upset for too long. The paw prints won’t be permanent and your nice area rug won’t be scarred for life. They use a special patented Hot Carbonating Extraction service which does a very hot deep cleansing clean of any carpet. The carbonation doesn’t harm the carpet fibers and they don’t need to use any undue pressure to get the mud and muck out.

A need for more:

Just like you, during the winter your dog is going to want more food. It’s natural, as we need more energy to shiver, keep warm, and regulate our metabolism during winter. However, do not use this as your only method of helping your dog get through winter. Although he might beg for more food, you should be wary of feeding him too much. Instead, you should only add an extra 10-15% calories more than he would normally have. Give him a jumper or inside top to wear and this way he will not need to burn as many calories to stay warm.

Brush his paws:

If you go for walks on the pavement instead of on the grass in the park, then beware of grit salt getting stuck in between his paws. This can lead to the skin splitting and becoming raw if left alone. Just use a simple toothbrush to wipe your dog’s paws clean as he gets inside. It will make sure little pieces of grit do not remain lodged in your dog’s paws. Again, as we have recommended earlier, just buy him some winter shoes and all of this will be avoided.

Your dog is counting on you to stick to his routine so he doesn’t feel anxious and become restless. But he also needs protection from the icy gritty pavement. These are just some of the things you can do to keep your pet safer this winter.

Featured Image By: Pixabay

Dec2

Lil Red’s Thanksgiving

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Lil Red’s Thanksgiving

Hello! For those of you who don’t know, Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I love sitting around the table with my family and enjoying the most delicious food that I have been waiting all year to eat, lol! Unfortunately, due to the nature of my job of working in several different homes throughout the course of this pandemic, Johnny and I deemed it unsafe for us to participate in the holiday with both of our families.

Making that decision was not easy and I honestly cried for at least three days about it. However, safety is and will always be my primary goal and anything I can do to protect my family, my clients, and myself is worth all of the hardships. As I’ve mentioned before, COVID-19 has been on a terrifying rise in Ohio and it has made doing anything other than work and grocery shopping damn near impossible for those who are taking the virus seriously.

On Thanksgiving, Johnny and I were able to visit with my family outside and my parents were nice enough to drop off our Thanksgiving meal to our apartment. It was not traditional in any sense of the word but we all felt good with that decision no matter how hard it was.

As someone who has worked in the health care field throughout this entire pandemic, it is safe to say that I am totally burned out. However, a bright ray of sunshine is on the horizon for me come Christmas. I have not taken any time off to recharge for the past nine months and I plan on taking two weeks off prior to Christmas so I can celebrate safely with my family.

It will feel so good to have that time to relax, breathe a little bit easier, and be able to watch my family open all of the gifts that I picked out special for them. Thanksgiving was a bust but I am going to make this Christmas the best one yet and I can’t wait!

How did you celebrate Thanksgiving this year? What is your favorite holiday? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

PS: Thank those of us in the health care profession not just with your words but by wearing a mask and social distancing to help curb the spread of COVID-19. We are tired. We are exhausted. And we need your help!

Nov30

Wanted: Holiday Season Guest Bloggers

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Wanted: Holiday Season Guest Bloggers

Hi everyone! I don’t know what COVID is like in your neck of the woods but it is bad, bad, bad in Ohio. Johnny and I are even more hunkered down than ever and, if that’s the case for you, then why not fill a free afternoon with guest blogging for lifewithlilred?!

From your Christmas cookie decoration station to gift guides, delicious recipes, favorite holiday memories, etc. if it has something to do with the holiday season, then I want it on my page! If you are interested in being a featured blogger for the day on lifewithlilred, please email me your post ideas at: sarah.mush6794@gmail.com so that we can chit chat and get you scheduled. 🙂

Once you guest blog on my page you will always be welcome back with open arms so join the Lil Red fam today! Stay safe and happy holidays! ❤

Nov26

How To Enjoy A Calm Winter

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How To Enjoy A Calm Winter

Winter is well and truly on its way. In fact, it’s pretty much here. And with what’s going on in the world right now, you may find that you really don’t want to be spending too much time on anything that’s strenuous or that takes your energy away. And if that’s the case, you will be reaping as many of the benefits that a winter hibernation can offer you. At this time of the year, we don’t always want to spend too much outside or on hard activities. Instead, we want to be able to slow down and make sure that we can get through to spring feeling fantastic. To help you to do that, you may find that the ideas below will inspire you:

To get started:

Before shifting into hibernation mode, is everything on your winter checklist tended to? Garden furniture put away? Winter tires installed? Has an inspection of your heating system been completed? As the temperatures drop it is so important to get your HVAC or boiler system inspected to ensure it is in working order for the season. A company like https://heatsafeheatingltd.co.uk/ (or something similar in your local area) can inspect your boilers and repair any issues to keep your home warm and cozy all winter long. All that will be left to do is relax!

Switch off more:

To start with, one of the best things that you can do here is to make sure that you’re letting yourself switch off as much as possible. If you’re always on the go or your mind is always racing, your time won’t be calm. So try to switch off from work or the online world for a little bit if you can.

Distance yourself:

From here, you might want to try and think about keeping your distance from negativity. This may seem like a strange thing to add in as a winter practice, however, it can be really beneficial for your mind. If you know that you have a lot of toxic people in your life as you’re choosing to enjoy a few calming months, it’s good to try and keep them at arm’s length. That way, you know that your tranquillity won’t be threatened.

winter3

Unsplash Image

Make room for calming practices:

The next thing that you might want to do is make sure that you are welcoming more calming practices into your life. You may find that you are able to feel a lot calmer throughout the colder months when you actively look to make this happen. Maybe you want to read instead of watch TV? Turn to something like Bloom Farms CBD instead of alcohol? Or quiet games nights with family rather than something rowdier? It all helps.

Treat yourself better:

Even if you think you already do this, you may not be treating yourself as well as you’d think. Are you resting? Are you looking after your body? Are you prioritizing your needs? If not, then you’re going to want to make sure that you change this. You’ll find it helps you to be a lot calmer and feel much better about yourself.

Enjoy the downtime:

Finally, you may find that it’s actually really nice for you to just enjoy more of the downtime. Winter isn’t always as fun, busy, and outgoing as summer – and it needn’t be. With winter comes the cold and dark and it’s not always the time of year that you want to be active. So just let yourself enjoy the calm and the slower pace. Do less. Relax. Be slow. Lap up all of the things you can do in hibernation before a glorious springtime comes back once again.

Ready, set, relax with the tips above and have a calm and safe winter!

Featured Image By: Unsplash

Nov26

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello everyone and a very Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! Compliments of COVID, the 2020 holiday season is going to be a lot different. Family get togethers might be taking place over Zoom rather than in person or the celebrations could be pushed back until everyone can participate without crippling anxiety. No matter how you spend your day, I urge all of you to do it as safely as possible so all of your loved ones will be around to celebrate a *hopefully* normal Thanksgiving and Christmas next year.

2020 has been a wild ride and the craziness just reminds me of how thankful I am for all of the wonderful things about my life. A beautiful family, loving relationship, rewarding job, and fabulous friends both in person and online in the blogosphere are certainly nothing to sneeze at!

Thank you all so much for sharing in lifewithlilred with me because each and every one of you help keep me motivated to write each and every day. I am so proud of the sense of community that I feel on my page and I wish nothing but health, safety, and all of the good things for you and yours. ❤

Happy Thanksgiving!

Nov20

At Home Concerts Pt. 2

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At Home Concerts Pt. 2

Hello! For those of you who don’t know, my “big girl” job is as an independent provider for adults with special needs. Pre-COVID, community integration was my specialty and I was always finding exciting activities and events for my clients to participate in that they might not have had access to before.

One of my favorite haunts “back in the day” with a client who is a music lover was a vinyl record club at the library where a group of our now good friends would sit around, eat pizza, listen to music, and talk about anything and everything. It was such fun and we both miss it a lot so, naturally, at home concerts had to happen when record club was no longer an option.

At home concerts are one of my favorite activities to do with clients now because it’s fun, safe, and I love singing and dancing with my pals! If you remember my original At Home Concerts post, you will know I taught one of my friends how to use YouTube and we are still going strong on watching his favorite golden oldies artists perform.

My other client has a much different taste in music, though. He loves rap! And so do I so at home concerts with him are an absolute trip. In fact, he was the one who introduced me to Cardi B and she’s one of my faves now! Every week we alternate who is going to pick the album and we spend the entire time dancing on opposite ends of the room, laughing, and talking about everything from the important to the downright silly.

Pre-COVID, at home concerts were the last thing on my mind when I could take my clients to all kinds of wonderful events where live music was played. Post-COVID, I find at home concerts to be an inspired idea and it has become my new favorite part about my job.

Exploring different genres of music, hearing songs I’ve never listened to before, and seeing my clients have fun is a high point of my day when we feel like listening to some tunes. We all consider our at home concerts to be an exciting event and it could be for you and your friends/family too!

Dress as your favorite artists, celebrate a different theme or genre, or even learn the different dances of the times so you can better groove to the music. An at home concert can turn a blah day into something really awesome – all it takes is a little creativity. 🙂

What are some of your favorite at home activities? Do you have any suggestions for what my clients and I should listen to next? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov19

4 Unusual Benefits Of Learning From Home For Kids

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4 Unusual Benefits Of Learning From Home For Kids

Earlier in the year, schools around the world closed their doors for many months. At the same time, teaching still moved forward and kids still learned. It was all done at home, and there’s every chance we’ll see this again in the future. Nobody really knows what will happen with COVID in the next few months/years, but you could also look ahead to the distant future. Who knows, learning from home might be the common thing in ten years!

Anyway, you might worry about kids not being in school, but there are actually a few benefits of learning from home like the following:

You get to monitor their work:

When your child is in school, you have to assume they’re paying attention in lessons. You put blind faith in the idea that they are working hard at all times. Realistically, this could be far from the truth and they might mess around a lot. But, if they learn from home, you can monitor their progress. You can check that they’re paying attention and being a good student. Effectively, you make sure they do the school work and actually learn while in class!

They develop better computer skills:

All schools will have a system in place where children can speak to teachers as they learn from home. Typically, this is some kind of cloud based teaching software. As such, your children spend a lot of time working on a computer and using different applications. In this day and age, that can be extremely beneficial. They develop better computer skills, setting them up for better job prospects. You pretty much need to be a computer expert if you want a job in the next decade or so. So, while face-to-face learning may be better in some aspects, studying via a computer doesn’t come without its strengths.

In this day and age, kids learning from home can be extremely beneficial. They develop better computer skills, setting them up for better job prospects. In today’s technological world, numerous digital educational resources can be accessed via a computer, tablet, or other smart device. It explains why platforms like Age of Learning are excellent channels for children to learn while enhancing their computer skills. As your young ones become more proficient in computer usage, they can easily access other learning tools designed with similar programs.

Much better school lunches:

Let’s be honest, school lunches are terrible. They might be good in some schools, but they generally reach a very low standard. By learning from home, your child will have access to the entire kitchen – and your cooking. Therefore, you can make them a much better and more nutritious school lunch. This will definitely help fuel them for the rest of the day.

Fewer distractions and more help:

Your child has fewer distractions when they’re learning from home. This is mainly because they have no classmates causing disruptions. As a consequence, they might be able to focus and get through their work a lot quicker. Plus, the other benefit of not being in a classroom is that they can get more help. If they struggle with something, they can ask you for assistance. There’s no need to wait for the teacher to help twenty other kids before eventually getting to them!

See, learning from home isn’t as bad as you might think. So, you shouldn’t worry if schools close again, and your child is back in this situation. Like everything in life, it’s all about finding the positives out of a negative situation. 

Featured Image By: Pexels

Nov19

How To Ace Winter At Home

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How To Ace Winter At Home

Winter varies from place to place but unless you’re somewhere on the equator the likelihood is that it’s going to be cold. Sure, some places are worse than others and will need better home preparation but, in most cases, there’s usually a few things needing to be done to ensure the home is a functioning and comfortable place to be during the winter months. Some people love winter. The coziness of it is what attracts people, and Christmas, of course. Others hate it. They don’t do well with the darkness and cold, and that’s fine. Either or, here are some tips to help you succeed over the winter months:

Get your energy solutions sorted:

Energy prices fluctuate year in and out which is why you need to change your provider often. If you want a good winter, you don’t want to pay too much money for your energy, so make sure you consider changing providers. You might also want to look at your insulation. Of course, a heating and cooling company can check this out for you. If you know you don’t have any it could be a worthy investment which could save you a lot of money on energy. In the same vein, you’ll want to get your boiler and other burning devices serviced so that you know they’re safe to operate.

Clean the gutters:

Winter usually brings rain and snow. This will increase water flow and really clog up your gutters, especially if you live somewhere close to trees. The leaves are usually the key culprits of gutter blockage. You can buy the tools for these on amazon but you might just be better off approaching someone to do it for you. If you do it yourself, make sure there’s someone under you holding the ladder so you don’t fall.

If you are having consistent issues with your gutters, you might want to consider a new approach. Aluminum Seamless Gutters provide long lasting and durable protection and can make a huge difference if you live in a rainy climate. A reliable gutter system will better protect your home during inclement weather.

You might also need to clear the drains which the gutters run into. These can be more important because they’ll cause standing water issues around your home, small puddles might be manageable but when you get the bigger ones it’ll be a lot harder to handle in most cases. It’s just a case of lifting the lid with a gloved hand and pulling the leaves out.

Check the alarms:

You’ll be at home more often due to the winter weather and this is even more prevalent this year due to coronavirus. So make sure it’s safe. Check your smoke alarms first, then make sure you’ve got a working carbon monoxide alarm in place around any fossil burning appliance. Then you need to ensure the house alarm is working. If it isn’t, think about upgrading or at least making the current one work properly. If you can’t afford it don’t panic, just make sure your doors and locks are secure and be sure to check the windows too.

Get your home in tip top shape before the winter comes with the tips above!

Featured Image By: Pixabay