The Parenting Lounge - New Online Newspaper

I'm proud to announce that My Kind Of Introduction has just launched the first edition of our very own online Parenting Newspaper!!

The Parenting Lounge is packed full of amazing articles from throughout the web - Many of the featured authors are who's articles decorate the pages of our paper are the brilliant bloggers that you see everyday! You'll also find articles from a few big names which include: Parents Magazine, ABC News among more. Our main interest is simply being a parent - other topics will pop up every now and then but of course we all know that children don't consume every moment of our lives so a bit of entertainment, a dash of World News and a splash of everything else - makes up the lovely sprinkles on top of our wonderfully delicious Hot Fudge Sunday!!

Okay, okay -- I may have went a tad too far with the ice cream comparisons -- but you get what I'm trying to say don't you?

I thought so :D

Anyways... before I scare you away, head on over to The Parenting Lounge and join in on the conversation!!

Hope to see you there!!!

View the First Edition of

The Parenting Lounge today!!

New issue published daily 

Disclaimer: This blog accepts compensation in the form of products and/or monetary for selected posts which will be labeled as sponsored. No matter the compensation, I only write about items and/or services that I have personal experience with and believe my readers will enjoy and/or benefit from. All opinions are my own and may differ from those of others.

View Full Disclosure for further details.

This post may contain affiliate links.

6 Children Died during May, in a 16-day period, from being left in Overheated Cars!

Don't leave your young child in a car on hot days! Common since right? 

That's what most would think, but... Did you know that in the US - 567 children have died while being left in a car, since 1998!?! (According to figures from the Department of Geosciences at San Francisco State University)
Almost 600 children that could of grown up to be doctors and teachers and could of changed the world for the better... and now we'll never know! 

According to the nonprofit child safety organization - KidsAndCars.org, Seven children, mostly under 2 years of age, have died during the month of May 2013! The oldest being a 4 yr old boy on May 15, from my State - NC in Transylvania County, just 55 minutes from my city of Asheville! (It makes me sick to my stomach to realize how close to home that was) 6 of those tragedies were between 4 states and in a 16-day period! All of those children were left by members of their family. (I also heard that 1 child has already lost their life during the month of June 2013!)

It's truly sad to know that these things happen to great parents and caregivers all the time! No parent intentionally leaves their young children in a hot car on a scorching hot day, it just happens and can be a heart-breaking situation. Most of the accidents happen to parents and caregivers that have a change in routine and forget that they had the child with them that day, when normally the child would be somewhere else. Or when kids run around outside and somehow gain access to an unlocked car and gets locked inside or falls asleep.

I remember hearing about a local daycare getting into trouble for forgetting a small boy in the DayCare van after a field trip, a few years ago. Luckily the child was found safely asleep in a back seat but the windows were up in the van and it was a hot summer day! Even though the daycare got into LOTS of trouble, they were very lucky that the little boy was fine, I bet his parents felt like the luckiest parents ever, once they found their son and realized he was 100% healthy. That DayCare was a very well known facility who's caregivers were schooled and well trained! 

That shows that this tragedy can happen to anyone, well trained, wonderful parent, loving grandparent etc!

It's good to remember that even on a mild day and the temperatures are in the low 70's, it can quickly become deadly. If the weather is 70 degrees outside, it's 125 degrees in your car when the windows are up! Even if you have the windows down, older kids can roll them up when playing or by accident, not to mention that those electric windows, themselves, can also cause injuries and sometimes even deaths as well. (Visit KidsAndCars.org to learn more about that subject.)

I want to make this tragedy, about our babies and young children, known so maybe we can save atleast 1 child from suffering from a heat-stroke before this becomes an epidemic! I searched far and wide to find some great tips on how we can help others and remember ourselves! I would like to share those tips with you:

Pediatric Emergency Experts say:
"A child's body heats up alot faster than an adult's and children don't handle heat as well. It can take as little as 15 minutes in an overheated car for a child to suffer life-threatening brain or kidney injuries. When body temperature reaches 104 degrees, internal organs start to shut down. At 107 degrees, children die!"

Below are 3 Suggestions to help a parent or caregiver remember that a small child is in the backseat - From BabyCenter Blog

• Place a large stuffed animal in the carseat when the child is not there. Putting the stuffed animal in the passenger seat when your child is in their carseat helps to give you a visual reminder that your child is in the car.
• Put your pocket-book, cell phone, work shirt, -- something you would NOT forget about or leave in the car when you arrive at work, grocery store, etc -- In the back seat with your child. You will open the back door to get your belongings and see the child to remove them from the car as well.
• Have a set plan to Call or Text your partner when a child is dropped off. If your partner doesn't receive the expected call, then they can follow up to make sure the child arrived safe and sound to their detestation. Or have the caregiver (Grandparent or Baby-Sitter) call or text you or your partner when then the child is dropped off. The call will become something you will be waiting on each day.

I love these tips from the BabyCenter Blog! I would just like to add one more tip that I found at KidsAndCars.org:

Every-time you part your vehicle, open the back door to make sure no one has been left behind.

I'm also very happy to say that since I once had a family member who use to drive a school bus for the local Elementary and High School, I know that my kids are safe from being forgotten about at school. I'm pretty relaxed to personally know that the bus drivers check each seat in their bus after the children are dropped off at school. It is mandatory (as far as I know) for the drivers to walk through the whole bus, checking for sleeping kids, before they lock it up until it's time to take the kids back home! (The only thing I worry about on buses are bullies and seat belts... those are whole different stories on their own!)

Summer is here and it's time for family's to start their Summer Traveling!

I hope that by writing this post, I have been able to help atleast one child from being left in an overheated car this Summer. This is a horrible, serious accident that can be prevented!

If you believe this article is helpful, fell free to comment your thoughts and/or share with your friends.

Help me Save Our Children by Spreading the Word about Children and Car Safety during this busy Summer Traveling Danger Zone!

Do you have any tips or ideas on how to remember that your child is in the car??
(The children who get left in the cars by accident are normally sleeping or quietly playing.)

Sources: KidsAndCars.org - Blogs.BabyCenter.com - Parents.com

Photo Source: morguefile.com/archive

North Carolina Stores Repeatedly Failing Price-Scan Inspections

While on Twitter last night, I ran across a tweet from my local county Twitter Page that mentioned how stores have repeatedly failed price-scan inspections!

Photo found in Google Search

I'm not sure how other states are doing with their stores passing the price-scan inspections that are held periodicity through unannounced visits, but North Carolina seems not to be doing very well.
My county is not one that is listed of counties that have stores who have paid fines but it's still very surprising!

The counties mentioned are Charlotte, Smithfield, Delco, Elkin, Vanceboro, and Winston-Salem in North Carolina.

.

I live in Asheville, Buncombe County, apparently we are doing just fine.

What is a Price-Scan Inspection?

The state agency's Standards Division periodicity shows up at businesses to inspect their price-scanner system to make sure the prices that are being rang up match the prices advertised. If a store has more than a 2% error rate on overcharged then the inspectors discuss the findings with Store Managers along with doing a follow-up inspection at a later date.

If a store fails the follow-up inspection then the store may be charged a penalty. In addition to the penalties, the store will be re-inspected every 60 days until the store meets the 2% or less rate of overcharges. Additional penalties will be issues if the store fails the re-inspections.

Photo found on Google Search

“Families are watching their budgets very closely in this economy,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “The department checks the accuracy of price-scanning systems in retail stores so that consumers can rest assured they are paying the advertised price at checkout. If consumers think they have been charged the wrong price, we encourage them to contact our Standards Division.”

Below are a few stores that paid civil penalties after failed inspections between December 2012 and March 2013 according to The Buncombe Free Press:

• Walgreens at 5040 Beatties Ford Road in Charlotte paid $1,745 in fines for excessive price-scanner errors after three failed inspections from October 2012 to January 2013, with rates of 8, 4, and 2.33 percent respectively. The store faces another inspection.
• Dollar General at 60-5 Cronley Drive in Delco paid $2,955 in fines after five failed inspections. The store had an error rate of 6 percent in April 2012, 4.67 percent in May, 3 percent in August, 2.33 percent in October, and 3.67 percent in December. The store passed a sixth inspection.
• O’Reilly Auto Parts at 1557 N. Bridge St. in Elkin paid $555 after a first inspection in November found an error rate of 14 percent and a second in January found a rate of 3.33 percent. The store passed a third inspection in March.
• Advance Auto at 909 W. Market St. in Smithfield paid $2,950 after four failed inspections. The first inspection in July found an error rate of 8 percent; August found  the rate at 4.33 percent. The rate was 2.67 in November and 3.67 in February. The store faces another inspection.
• Dollar General at 240 N.C. Hwy. 43 in Vanceboro paid $900 after two failed inspections. The first inspection in October found an error rate of 8 percent. In December, a second inspection found an error rate of 2.33 percent. The store passed a third inspection.
• Walmart at 4550 Kester Mill Road in Winston-Salem paid $3,630 after two failed inspections. The first inspection in September found an error rate of 3 percent. An additional inspection in January found an error rate of 3.33 percent. The store faces another inspection.

Undercharges were also recorded but do not count against the store. The money that is collected from civil penalties is distributed through out the school system.

Of course undercharges are no counted against stores, who is going to complain about spending less that they thought they were? I do like the face that the penalties paid are going to a good cause and not in the pockets of the politicians. Schools need all the help they can get and I personally don't believe that the North Carolina Lottery is helping out enough.

This information truly blows my mind! I never thought that the price-scanners would be ringing my items up wrong. I check my receipt when I think my total was too high but that rarely happens unless I go over board and don't realize it. Maybe I should start checking my receipts more often!

Do you check your receipts after your shopping trips?

You can find my source for the above information HERE.
All opinions made are my own and may differ from your own.
I did NOT get paid in anyway for this post.

Haywood County Easter Egg Hunts 2013

There are LOTS of Easter Events for the whole family to enjoy in Haywood County. Below are some of the events that are sure to make your Easter extra special this year!

• Elks Easter egg hunt March 30

An Easter egg hunt with prize eggs Saturday, March 30. The festivities will begin at 11:15 a.m., with the hunt to begin at noon.  All children up to the age of 10 are welcome to come hunt eggs, see the Easter Bunny and more. For information, call 734-0855.

Location - The Waynesville Elks Lodge

Address - 510 Dellwood Road, in Waynesville

When - Saturday, March 30

Times - Begins at 11am

Visit Website

• VFW children's Easter egg hunt March 30

The Veterans of Foreign Wars and its auxiliaries will host a children's Easter egg hunt at. All children of Haywood County are welcome. For information, call Mary Bevell at 454-0463.

Address - VFW Post 5202, 216 Miller St., in Waynesville
When - Saturday, March 30
Times - 10am - 12pm

• Community-wide Easter egg hunt March 30

An Easter egg hunt and party will be held from noon to 1 p.m. Saturday, March 30, at Maggie Valley United Methodist Church, 4192 Soco Road, in Maggie Valley.  Everyone is welcome. Bring a basket. For information, call 926-8036.

• Cruso UMC egg hunt  March 30

Cruso United Methodist Church will hold an egg hunt from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 30.  The event will include refreshments, games, storytime and more. Cruso UMC is just past Springdale golf course. For information, call 648-6395.

• Lakeview Easter egg hunt March 30

Lakeview Church of the Nazarene, 24 Nazarene Way, in Waynesville, will hold its annual Easter egg hunt Saturday, March 30.

The day of fun will kick off with a free hot dog lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. The Easter egg hunt will start at 1 p.m.  There will be hundreds of eggs, prizes, candy, a fire truck and more. For directions, visit www.lcnaz.org or call 926-9210.

• Newhope Easter egg hunt March 30

Newhope Church of God, 24 Hallelujah Dr. / Mauney Cove Road, will have an Easter egg hunt  from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 30, with a bounce house, castle games, hot dogs and other events. For information, call 400-1189.

• Town of Canton Easter egg hunt March 30

The Town of Canton will be hosting its annual Easter egg hunt at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 30, at the Canton Recreation Park, on Penland St. Children ages 1 to 12 are invited to participate. Prizes will be given away throughout the day. For information, call 648-2363.

• ‘Rock & Roll’ Easter event March 31

The Salvation Army Corps Building, 290 Pigeon St., in Waynesville, will host a family event on Easter Sunday, March 31. At 9:30 a.m.  there will be a ‘Rock & Roll Easter Festival’ with games, prizes a free throw contest, face painting, egg decorating and more. A worship service will follow at 11 a.m. For information, call 456-7111, ext. 3.

• Maggie Easter sunrise service March 31

Easter sunrise service at 6:30 a.m. Sunday, March 31, at the Maggie Valley Pavilion, on Soco Road. Sponsored by the Maggie Valley Civic Association.Free pancake breakfast following.  Everyone is welcome to attend.
For information, call 926-7630.

Location - Lake Junaluska
Address - Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center, 91 N. Lakeshore Drive, Lake Junaluska, NC 28745
Visit Website

All events are open to the public. Spring in the mountains of western North Carolina brings a burst of color, with wildflowers evidencing rebirth and renewal. Gather with family and friends at Lake Junaluska to celebrate Easter with a powerful sunrise service and other special Easter activities, including an Easter Egg hunt, an egg painting contest and other children's activities. These events are co-sponsored by  Lake Junaluska, Ingles, Wal-Mart, and others. The Friends of the Lake 5K run will take participants on a route that showcases the beauty of the Lake Junaluska grounds. 

Saturday, March 30 

Friends of the Lake 5k, Family Walk, and Fun Run

Visit Website to see Registration Information and Prices

• 5K Map 
• 7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. - Registration / Check in
• 9:00 a.m.  5K Run begins
• 9:10 a.m.  5k Family Walk begins
• 10:00 a.m.  Half mile Fun Run for Kids 10 and under begins

Egg Hunts, Decorating Contest, and Activities 

•  10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Egg Decorating and Activities for all ages in Harrell Center Auditorium, 1st floor
• 10:30 a.m.  1 - 3 Year Old Egg Hunt
• 10:45 a.m.  4-7 Year Old Egg Hunt
• 11:00 a.m.  8-12 Year Old Egg Hunt
• 11: 45 a.m.  Egg Decorating Awards to be given in Harrell Center Auditorium, 1st floor

Sunday, March 31  

• 7:00 a.m.  Easter Sunrise Service, Amphitheater at the Cross
  Rev. Rob Huckaby, Preacher
  Music: Brass Quintet
  Weather permitting. Rain location is Memorial Chapel.
• 7:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.  Easter Breakfast Buffet at Lambuth Inn
  Tickets available at the front desk of the Lambuth on Sunday morning.
• 10:30 a.m.   Long's Chapel UMC Easter Service, Stuart Auditorium
• 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.  Easter Lunch Buffet, Terrace Hotel
  

Tickets available online and at the Terrace Hotel Front Desk. Reservations may also be made by calling 828-454-6662.

Cost - Adult tickets $21.95 Child tickets $11.00

Who will be 2013's NEW Bachelorette?

Desiree Hartsock will be ABC's 2013's Bachelorette!!

Debuting on TV as one of the girls chosen to date Sean Lowe in this past season of the Bachelor. Chris Harrison announced tonight on The Bachelor - After The Final Rose show. Desiree and Sean had great chemistry but after a very unhappy conversation with Desiree's brother, Nate, Sean sent her home. Now she gets the chance to travel the journey of Reality TV Roamance and see if she too can find love like Sean Lowe did with his fiance Catherine Giudici.

Desiree is a Fashion Designer.

After she moved to California, Desiree got a job as a production assistant at a woman’s clothing company called Serenity Bridal, and eventually became their only designer.

HOW COOL IS THAT!

Are you looking forward to watching  Desiree Hartsock as the Bachelorette?

Help us Help the Less Fortunate

I have something really important I would like to tell yall about....

 

My brother-in-law and his wife are doing something WONDERFUL for their 1 year Anniversary/Honeymoon.

Chris and Nicole live in Granite Falls, North Carolina. They have a beautiful daughter together and are newlyweds, they tied the knot in October of 2012. Chris and Nicole are passionate about helping the Native American population. When they heard about this poverty ridden reservation in South Dakota, they knew they had to help.

They are planning on traveling to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota this October for their 1 year Wedding Anniversary. Pine Ridge is not only the poorest Indian reservation, but the poorest place in the country.

They are wanting to take clothes, coats, school supplies, etc. Anything that can help make the life's of these people a little bit easier.

Nicole and Chris are accepting donations from anyone who would like to help the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

Some Idea's For Donations

Clothes

Coats

School Supplies

Shoes

Blankets

Etc.

Anything that will make life easier

Money Donations are also being accepted

Anything you are able to donate will be greatly appreciated!

If you would like to donate or would like more information,

You can Email me at AutoFaerie@gmail.com

Please put "Pine Ridge Indian Reservation" in the Subject Line so I don't delete the email on accident.

Thank you in advance and I hope to hear from you soon

Help us help the less fortunate.

A 5 year old girl tragically loses her life by the hands of a 16 yr old family friend

 NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y.

A very tragic story has hit the news in the past couple weeks. A beautiful little girl has lost her life due to a 16 year old, family friend, in Niagara Falls, New York.

Isabella Tennant was dropped off at her grandmothers house on Sunday afternoon, while her mother, Crystal Walker, headed to work. Isabella's grandmother, Sharon Lascelle, has a big heart and has a tendency of letting a young teenage boy, who lives close by, to come stay in her house sometimes when his heat was turned off. Well this normal Sunday night just happen to be one of those nights where the 16 year old boy, John Freeman, decided to stay at Lascelle's house. "She's just so welcoming in her home and just trusts everyone," a heart-broken and tearful Walker said in an interview broadcast Tuesday.

Police say that John Freeman came over to the house sometime Sunday night, and after Lascelle went to bed, around 11 pm, Freeman killed Isabella with his own 2 hands! After killing the child, Freeman called up one of his friends, 18 year old Tyler Best, to help his depose of Isabella's body. They put the little girl in a trash bag and put her in a trash can a few blocks away.

Monday morning Tyler Best went to the police, told them what he knew and led them to the trash can that held 5 year old Isabella's body. Both boys were arrested and were sent to jail. Freeman pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder charges while Best pleaded not guilty to charges of tampering with evidence. They are both due to return to court on September 7th.

"I just don't want it to be real," Walker said. "I just want her back."

Isabella Tennant was only 5 years old and was all ready to start kindergarten in just 2 weeks. She had already finished school shopping. Isabella's backpack is all packed and ready to go, still sitting in her room. She even packed her lunch 2 weeks ahead because she was so excited to start school!

Over 1,000 people attended the funeral at St. Louis Church in Buffalo.

News Story from www.huffingtonpost.com

Police name 5-yr-old's suspected killer

Video From www.wivb.com

This is so heart breaking! I truly don't understand how anyone could hurt an innocent child! What could of she done that made him so mad that he wanted to hurt her? Then why put her in a trash can, down the road? Did he not think that someone would find her? another question I have running thru my mind is WHY did Freeman's friend help him that night to begin with? Why didn't he just call the cops right then? This story broke my heart and blew my mind!

What do you think about this tragic story?

Movie Theater Shooting

I saw this picture on my facebook wall and I couldn't help but want to add it to my page! My heart goes out to all the victims of the Movie theater shooting that happened Friday night at 12:30am. Those people were just wanting to watch their favorite movie premier and got hurts for it, some even lost their life's! They were alot of kids hurt in that shooting that did not deserve it. Christian Bale would be making those little kids dreams come true if he went and seen them in his Batman suit! Give those kids something to smile for, give them hope! Everyone who got hurt or lost someone are in our prayers!

WLOS ABC 13 - Will You have Internet on Monday?

WLOS ABC 13 - Western North Carolina's News :: News - Top Stories - Will You have Internet on Monday?


Have everybody heard about some people losing their internet tomorrow, Monday? Apparently in 2011  a virus was set out to steal IP addresses. The government busted the people behind it and built lots of new servers to fix what the hackers had "rewired". But now they are closing down the back up, which means that if your computer is infected with the virus that was let out in 2012, then your computer will not be able to access the internet on Monday! There is a way to fix it. Below is an article I found on my local news webpage. Check it out and then click the link to make sure your computer stays in working order!!

Will You have Internet on Monday? When the computer trojan virus, DNSChanger, creators were arrested over 8 months ago the FBI began shutting down domains that may have been affected by the DNSChanger malware.
The virus, which has been circulating the web from as far back as 2007,redirects internet traffic to sites with paid advertisements where cybercriminals can hack into unprotected computers.
Authorities say some 275,000 computers are still at risk.   
On Monday, the FBI's temporary Internet servers will go dark, leaving thousands of unsuspecting malware-infected individuals without online access.

Is your computer safe? Click here to check with the NS Changer Working Group (DCWG)
For a list of other safety tools, click here