All posts by Alicia

Single-Load Liquid Laundry Packet Safety Tips and Take the New KEY Pledge Today!

July 11, 2013Cleaning & Cleaners, Health, Safetylaundry, Safety, Single load laundry packsAlicia

My 13 year old does his own laundry and I am absolutely thrilled about that. I have decided however, not to push my daughter who is 7, into helping me with laundry until she’s a few years older, despite her desire to help. I am a believer that parents should not put their kids at risk just to learn something that they can just as easily learn when they are older and more capable of remembering the proper techniques. You wouldn’t teach a 1-year-old to ride a bike or an 11-year-old to drive would you? My personal belief is that you should consider waiting until your child is about 10 years old before you teach him how to do laundry and hand over laundry responsibilities to him or her.

It is important to make everyone aware of the need for safety when using, storing, and handling the new, concentrated packs of single-load liquid laundry packets. Single-load liquid laundry packets, when handled, used, and stored properly are a convenient, easy-to-use product to help get your laundry done more efficiently and effectively.

The convenience of these products is a boon to adults but it’s important to remember these packets contain highly concentrated detergent and need to be treated like any other household cleaning product, stored safely up and away – out of sight and reach According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC), in 2012, poison centers received reports of 6,229 unintended exposures to highly-concentrated packets of laundry detergent by children 5 and younger..Thanks to ACI (American Cleaning Institute) there is now a safety education program aimed to equip consumers with the proper education and awareness on how to properly use, handle and store singleload liquid laundry packets. The name of this consumer program is the KEY Pledge Laundry Safety Campaign.

Parents should take the American Cleaning Institute’s KEY Pledge keypledge.com, because we all play a KEY role in laundry safety. Parents, caregivers and adults can all BE THE KEY to a safe laundry room and routine; we should all be aware of the simple, safety steps when it comes to properly using, storing and handling the new single-load liquid laundry packets to ensure our family’s safety.

And by taking the KEY Pledge, you will have access to the following:

Track KEY pledges and follow pledge progress across the nation and in your home on a heat map. Check out how your area is doing!
Enter a sweepstakes** for a chance to win a $2,500 grand prize to help makeover your laundry room

Single-load Liquid Laundry Packets Safety Tips

Do not let children handle laundry packets
Do not puncture or pull packets apart
Store out of child’s sight and reach
Keep the packet’s package closed and in a dry place
Packets quickly dissolve upon contact with water, wet hands, or saliva so it is necessary to keep them dry

Here are a few additional safety tips to keep in mind when you have single-load liquid laundry packets in your household with children:

1. If there is a reason to believe a child may have been exposed to the contents of a single-load liquid laundry packet call the Poison Help Line immediately. The # is 1-800-222-1222.

2. Store these packets in the same safe manner as you would store any other household cleaning product such as drain cleaners, toilet bowl products and bleach.

3. You know that a child should wear a safety belt when riding in a car. Parents are also aware that they should teach children safety measures when they are crossing a street. Treat the handling and use of single-load liquid laundry packets with this same degree of concern and caution.

4. Take the time to carefully read the warning statement on laundry products. Even if you have been using one of these cleaning products for months (or years).

Be safe. Be careful. Be responsible. Education is the KEY to your family’s laundry safety.

All children are different; even your own children. You might think that because your first child didn’t try to get into the laundry detergent or other cleaning supplies, that your youngest will be the same and so you store cleaning supplies in a less safe place than you might if your first child did have issues with getting into things.

Don’t think that way. Just because your first child always looks twice before crossing a busy street, doesn’t mean that your second child will think the same way, right? You get what I’m saying.

Keep your home safe for you and your children. Visit keypledge.com and pledge to be the KEY to a safe laundry room and routine.

2013 Toyota Sienna Minivan Review with Video

July 11, 2013Car Reviews, Technology, Transportation, Travel2013 Toyota Sienna, minivan, Toyota reviewAlicia

I was given the opportunity by Toyota to test drive a 2013 Toyota Sienna for a few days, during Reviewers Retreat conference at Callaway Gardens in Georgia. The roads at Callaway Gardens are what I consider to be some of the best roads for test driving a vehicle, at legal speeds, of course. 🙂

Anytime I test drive a vehicle for review, the following 5 things are on the top of my list to check out:

Exterior (aesthetics)
Comfort
Handling
Technology & Entertainment
Safety features

Here is an overview of those 5 aspects of the Toyota Sienna, as well as a couple of extra bits of information about the popular minivan.

The 2013 Toyota Sienna is stylishly designed and strongly built. In addition, it is an incredibly spacious seven or eight-passenger vehicle that features a long list of appealing standard and safety features. Plus, there are many optional features that car buyers will find attractive. Toyota gave the exterior distinct modern styling that is not chunky like many other minivans in its class. Plus, the body of the Sienna is reinforced with side impact beams as well as front and rear impact absorbing crumple zones.

Under the Hood

Under the hood, Toyota equipped the Sienna with a powerful 3.5 liter V6 engine that churns out 266 horsepower with 245 pound feet of torque. Front wheel drive and an automatic six-speed transmission come standard on all trim levels. On upper trim levels, all-wheel drive is optional. The gas mileage is pretty good for a vehicle this size, which is estimated at 18 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway.

What We Love

What I love:

– Triple-zone air conditioning so everyone stays cool or warm
– Heated front seats – great for my back!
– Easy steering and great handling on windy roads
– Satellite radio and easy connection with iPhone
– Natural sounding GPS voice!
– USB port and A/C charger in the front cabin
– The large empty space in front of the front center console where my purse fits perfectly! 🙂

What my 7-year-old loves:
– Lots of leg room in the middle row
– Comfortable, adjustable arm rests
– “You can pack more stuff in the Sienna than in our car”
– The DVD/entertainment system

What my 13-year-old loves:
– Finding new places using the GPS/navigation
– The 12 cup holders. There’s apparently never enough cup holders!
– The sunroof
– The USB port and A/C chargers so all iPhones and iPads stay charged

What dad loves:
– Ample head & leg room – he’s tall
– Fluid design of the front cabin area
– Additional storage space above the glove compartment

There are five available trims of the 2013 Toyota Sienna, which are base, LE, SE, XLE and Limited. The base and Limited models seats seven passengers. The LE, SE and XLE seats 8 passengers.

Interior

Inside the Sienna, the driver and passengers will enjoy plenty of leg and head room and a large amount of cargo space. If more space is desired, the second and third row seats easily fold down. Some of the most impressive interior features include the available rear entertainment center and optional elegant wood-grain trim. Other interior features include 12 cupholders, a GPS system and an available touchscreen navigation system with phone and streaming audio connectivity.

Standard & Upgrade Features

Standard features include a telescoping steering wheel, a CD player, 17-inch alloy wheels, triple-zone air conditioning, cruise control and power windows, locks and doors. Upgrade features include 18 or 19-inch wheels, leather seats, heated seats, Bluetooth, a DVD player, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, foglights, a power liftgate, keyless ignition, satellite radio, privacy glass and an iPod/USB interface.

Safety

An eight-way power driver seat and an auto-dimming rearview mirror are also offered as upgrade options. Toyota builds some of the safest cars on the road today, and the Sienna comes outfitted with many safety features such as various airbags, active front head restraints, anti-lock disc brakes, child safety locks, brake assist, a tire pressure monitor, daytime running lights and stability and traction control.

Optional safety features include hill assist, front and rear parking sensors and a blind spot monitor with rear cross-traffic alert. Toyota also offers an available Safety Connect system. In addition, the 2013 Toyota Sienna received five out of five stars during side collision testing as well four out of five stars for overall crash protection.

The 2013 Toyota Sienna is a safe, spacious and family friendly minivan that has lots to offer for everyone in the family. I think you’ll love it!

Learn more about the 2013 Toyota Sienna minivan on the Toyota website and find a Toyota dealer near you.

I was provided with a 2013 Toyota Sienna to drive for several days for purposes of this review.

What do you use every day that could have millions of germs on it?

July 8, 2013Cleaning & CleanersBounty DuraTowel, cleaning, dishcloth, kitchenAlicia

Bounty DuraTowel review

I have two kids who like most kids make a huge mess in less than 5 minutes so you will never find me far from a cleaning product. I’m on constant alert, just waiting for the next mess to happen when I’ll need a dishcloth or paper towel, carpet cleaner, or stain remover, for a mess that someone has made.

I used dish cloths to clean up messes in our kitchen for years. I used reusable dish cloths because I didn’t like the idea of throwing away paper towel after paper towel.

My mom even made me about a dozen beautiful knit dish cloths and I used them to clean anything and everything in the kitchen. The knit dish cloths are soft and pretty. However, the knit didn’t help combat the dishcloth smell I experienced with ‘regular’ dish cloths.

To top it off, it seems that everyone in my family feels the need to use a new dishcloth every time we clean a surface.

Why do I use a new dishcloth almost every time I need one?

After just one day there can be millions of germs on a dishcloth. Read Prevention Magazine’s 10 Worst Germ Hot Spots for more on this.
Used dish cloths smell and I don’t purposely touch smelly things.
I have no idea what my husband or son used a dishcloth on, so why would I want to use it to clean my kitchen counters? They have been known to clean spills off the floor with a dishcloth and put it back on the sink to reuse later. Yuck!

DuraTowel paper towel by Bounty

Isn’t the idea of re-depositing something that you wiped off one surface, onto another surface gross? I think so. So when there was a dishcloth on the sink that I didn’t use in the past day, I put it in the dirty laundry and replaced it with a new clean dishcloth. Also, it’s a well-known fact that germs thrive on moistness so what do you think happens to a wet dishcloth as it’s hanging on the side of the sink? The germs on it multiply! Most people hang a used dishcloth on the edge of their kitchen sink which does not allow the dishcloth to completely dry. What do you use a dishcloth or paper towel for in the first place? To clean surfaces and get rid of germs!

DuraTowel paper towel by Bounty

I’m not suggesting that you use dozens of paper towels a day. I use paper towels sparingly. This week I tried Bounty’s new DuraTowel paper towel and like other Bounty paper towels I’ve used, 1 wet DuraTowel cleaned all of my kitchen counters. I used another to clean door knobs and handles.

DuraTowel paper towels are very absorbent and are soft enough to feel like a dishcloth.

Designed with more fibers that hold together even when wet, Bounty DuraTowel feels and cleans like a cloth to tackle the toughest projects. In a secure P&G lab demonstration, a black light revealed that even after rinsing a used dish cloth can still drag around old clean-ups. A fresh DuraTowel leaves surfaces three times cleaner than a used dishcloth.*

In a secure P&G lab demonstration, a black light reveals that even after rinsing, a used dishcloth can still drag old clean-ups around. However, when you start fresh with a Bounty DuraTowel, you can feel good about tackling tough jobs knowing your DuraTowel will leave surfaces three times cleaner than a used dishcloth.*

My Dishcloth Germ & Bacteria Test Results

The P&G Research & Development team conducted ATP (see below for explanation) testing on a dishcloth that I used for several days and the results were 18,262! As you can see, after only three day’s use, my dishcloth harbored millions of germs and bacteria.

The ATP test is a process of rapidly measuring actively growing microorganisms through detection of adenosine triphosphate, or ATP. ATP is a molecule found in and around living cells, and as such it gives a direct measure of biological concentration and health. ATP is quantified by measuring the light produced through its reaction with the naturally occurring firefly enzyme luciferase using a luminometer. The amount of light produced is directly proportional to the amount of living organisms present in the sample.

DuraTowel has a suggested retail price of $3.19.

I am a compensated P&G blogger. All opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way.

3 Ant & Roach Prevention Tips + Combat Roach & Ant Killing Bait Strips Review

July 5, 2013New postsant bait, bug season, CombatAlicia

Let me preface this post by saying that I don’t condone the harm of any insect when they are not inside my home. I don’t allow my kids to step on ants or hurt insects unless they post a threat.. like mosquitos, wasps and bees. One insects such as ants and roaches cross the border into my home, that’s a different story. Take action!

I grew up in Florida and am very familiar with the Combat brand. I was the ‘roach detector’ in our house in Florida. Mind you, I was a young child.. how my parents and sister let me have that job, is beyond me. Because I grew up using Combat, it is the brand I go to whenever there is the first sign of an ant or roach in our house. I was recently asked by Combat to try out their bait strips and let you know if I like them and that is what I am sharing with you today.

I’m sure you’ve noticed the ant mounds creeping up in your yard over the last month or so. It’s that dreaded time of year again, and I don’t mean summer, I mean bug season! You know what that means, if bugs are outside your home, then they are sure to find their way inside. Using an insecticide safely inside your home can control pesky ants and roaches.

Does this look familiar?

Every year around early summer ants start marching in through the windowsill in our kitchen and invade any fruit or food that is on our counter. It’s awful. It’s like it happens overnight but every year, I resolve the problem quickly. 🙂 To keep bugs from making me uncomfortable in my home, I am using Combat’s new Killing Bait Strips. With the same killing power found in Combat Gels, the thin bait strips help get rid of roaches and ants so I can enjoy my summer, pest free! Thank goodness!

At the fist sign of an ant or roach head to your local store and pick up a box of Combat Ant Killing Bait Strips, or the Roach Killing Bait Strips, or both if needed.

How to use a Combat Ant or Roach Killing Bait Strip

Combat is very efficient when it comes to killing ants and roaches and the bait strips are very easy to apply. First, you take one of the strips out of the packaging. You will notice that the bait strip has a small removable strip on it that when removed, reveals sticky adhesive. Peel the strip off and just mount the bait strip where ants and/or roaches are attracted such as, dark places, under cabinets, and near garbage areas just to name a few. Once you have applied the bait strip to the area you will pull the main bait strip cover off and that’s where the bait is located.

Please note to make sure that the strips are kept out of the reach of children and pets.

The strip has bait in it that attracts ants or roaches to it. When an ant finds the strip, it will eat some of the bait then carry some bait back to their colony. Other ants in the colony are exposed to the insecticide and the entire colony is destroyed. Score! Sorry ants.

When you have used all the strips out of the box that you need make sure you store the leftover ones in a cool, dark place away from food and children.

What if your kids touch a bait strip?

The insecticide in Combat’s bait strips was formulated to specifically affect insects and is virtually non-toxic to humans. However, it is recommended that anyone who handles the bait strips, washes their hands after contact for their own protection.

3 Tips to prevent ants and roaches from taking up residence in your home

1. Don’t feed the ants and roaches!
Don’t leave food and drinks out in any room of the house. Eat at the kitchen or dining room table and clean up after your meals, immediately. Don’t allow children to snack or drink juice in other rooms of the house.

2. Seal windows
Most insects enter a home through window or door cracks. Seal these entry spots with caulk.

3. Sweep and mop the kitchen floor often
Ants and roaches will often go unnoticed because they spend a majority of the time on the floor, under the cabinets, kitchen sink, or stove. To prevent ants and roaches from hanging out in these areas, keep them clean by sweeping and mopping often.

Thank you Combat for introducing me to another Combat product that helps keep my home free of bugs!

Do you have clever ways of keeping insects out of your home? Tell us in the comments below.

Castaluna Plus Size Fashion.. Brand New Moms Can Dress Fashionably!

July 5, 2013New postscastaluna, plus size clothingAlicia

Castaluna is an online store based in the UK that offers plus size women trendy reasonably priced clothes and accessories in plus sizes.

Consider this though, even if you do not live in the UK and you live in the United States or another country you can still use Castaluna for fashion inspiration and ideas.

Castaluna offers clothes that help make women feel and look more confident and accessories to complete the outfit. Many new moms, as I’ve talked about before on The Mommy Insider, feel that they can no longer dress fashionably because they can’t put together an outfit made up of sizes that they might not have worn pre-kids.

Here’s a tip..

Castaluna offers a large variety of items and brands. Their online selection include shoes, lingerie, dresses and bags, belts, shirts, and pants. Brands they offer include Hilfiger Denim, Diesel, and Cleo as well as dozens of others.

Castaluna specializes in clothes for plus size women. The sizes run from 14-36. Many of the women who shop online at Castaluna are plus size women looking for comfortable yet trendy clothes, women who are pregnant, and women who have just had a baby. In many stores there is just a small section for plus size clothes yet Castaluna is dedicated completely to plus sizes.

Becoming a new mom is hard enough finding clothes should be fun and easy and with Castaluna there are so many plus size options to choose from.

One of the best things about Castaluna is the variety they offer. One of my favorite sections on the site is the ‘vintage inspired’ section. The selection of vintage inspired pieces are items inspired by clothes that were worn in the 1950’s. The fashion in the 1950’s was classy yet fun. The vintage category includes lots of red and blue hues as well as fun patterns such as polka dots. The vintage inspired category offers cute bras, trendy bathing suits, plus size dresses, stylish purses and comfortable cute shoes.

The Green tonic category which is also found under the trends section at the top of the site is a great category if you are looking for clothes that are a little more fun and playful. The green tonic section offers beautiful green hues, long flirty skirts, gorgeous heels, comfortable shirts and much more. Not only is there a variety of styles in the green tonic section but there is also a lot of styles and colors to choose from. The green tonic section and the vintage inspired section are certainly two of the best categories for trendy, stylish clothes and accessories.

Even with so many great vintage, plus size, and trendy items there are a few items that just really stick out to me because they are just so beautiful. One of those items is a pair of Daxon Flower Earrings. For a day out on the beach pairing the turquoise earrings with the beautiful black body shaping swimsuit by TAILLISSIME is a great idea. The TAILLISSIME bathing suit is a great option because it uses materials that help suck in the skin and give the most beautiful curvy body.

Another great item that is perfect if you are a new mom or if you are about to have a baby is the cotton maternity and nursing pajamas by Cocoon. The pajama set includes a v neck long-sleeved shirt and a pair of high waisted pajama pants so they can be worn above or below the belly. The Cocoon pajama set comes in a few different colors as well as a few different sizes. It is so comfortable and light weight that it is a great item for new moms who need a simple comfortable pajama or women who are about to have a baby and need something stretchy and comfy.

Shopping for clothes after becoming a new mom, or while expecting a child can feel a little overwhelming sometimes but Castaluna takes away those troubles but offering a variety of plus sizes. Whether it is vintage, classic, modern or even funky many great clothing and accessories are available at Castaluna. Women and even men who are plus size do not have to settle for bland outfits when they an whose stylish, trendy outfits that flatter their figure.

Do you have a few favorite plus size items that you lived in after having your baby? Tell us about them in the comments!