Trampoline Safety Rules

Watch out!  If your child sees a trampoline they will most likely head straight for it and beg to give it a try.  Children love the idea of bouncing up and down because it is so much fun.  They may also think that it’s as close to flying that they’ll ever get.  Moms, on the other hand, are worried about trampoline safety.[ad]

It may be surprising to know that jumping on a trampoline is safer than you might think.  In fact, reports show that fewer children are hurt jumping on a trampoline than playing baseball, basketball, football, soccer, or riding a bicycle.  A report also stated that as long as children follow the safety rules for trampolines, the numbers of injuries is quite low.

Most injuries sustained by children come when there are too many children on a trampoline at one time and one of them gets pushed off, they collide with another child, they land on the springs or frame, fall off of the trampoline and land on the ground, or they jump off of the trampoline rather than climbing off it properly.
Here are some trampoline safety rules to give your children when, and if, they are able to play on a trampoline:

* Be sure that the trampoline is put together properly before allowing anyone on it.

* Keep the area underneath the trampoline absolutely clear.

* Place the trampoline in a level area that is free of trees.  There should be at least ten feet on all sides and at least twenty feet overhead.

* Only one person at a time is allowed to be on the trampoline.

* Somersaults are not allowed because of the risk of landing on your head or neck.  Both of these injuries may cause paralysis.

* Keep the shock-absorbing pads on the trampoline at all times.

* Children under the age of six are not allowed on the trampoline.

* Adult supervision is necessary whenever children play on the trampoline.  There should also be spotters near the sides for additional safety.

* If possible, purchase and use a trampoline enclosure to help prevent injuries from occurring.

* Don’t allow children to jump from the trampoline; always have them climb off.

* Have children bounce low so they can remain in control.  It is also best if they can stay as close to the center of the trampoline as possible.
Trampolines can be great fun.  The exercise children receive while using them is also beneficial.  While it’s true that trampoline safety is, and should be a concern, if your children follow these trampoline safety rules, they will be less likely to be injured.  If you’re still not sure, why not give it a try for yourself to see how fun it is?

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Haunted House Halloween Party

If you choose to celebrate Halloween, you probably want to do it in style.  That could mean having a haunted house Halloween party.  But how do you make your house look spooky enough to be considered haunted?[ad]

Start out by asking yourself some questions.  The answers will make decorating easier.

1.  Where will you start decorating?  Do you begin outside and carry the decorations into the house or will you decorate beginning at the front door?
2.  How many rooms in your house will be haunted?
3.  How many people can safely fit in each room you plan on using?

Knowing the answers to these questions will help you plan a more effective, fun-filled haunted house. 

Be aware of the ages of the people who will be coming to your party and plan your decorations and entertainment accordingly.  If there will be several children, you may choose to have an area that is set aside for those more squeamish.

Decide how much money you’re willing to spend on decorations.  If you can’t afford all of the mechanized coffins and fog machines, you can still have a great haunted house.  Here are some ideas:

* Have all family members dress up in scary costumes:  werewolves, vampires, witches, and skeletons are good choices.
* Play a scary movie in one of the rooms and have someone dress up like the main character to jump out at the guests at pivotal points in the movie.
* Create a mad scientist lab with plenty of items for your guests to feel.  Peel grapes for eyeballs, spaghetti in a bowl, or make a brain out of jell-o.
* Set aside buckets of dry ice throughout the house to give it an eerie feel.
* Use police tape to block off areas that shouldn’t be entered.

Keep safety in mind when creating your haunted house.  You need enough light so people can get safely through the rooms, but not so much that the room is fully lit. Cover the windows with dark fabric or plastic bags so outside light doesn’t seep in.  Find your old strobe or black lights to change the atmosphere.  Use orange or red light bulbs in your lamps.

Create a maze with cardboard or sheets.  If you have enough people that are helping, have some of them stand between the hanging sheets to make noise and grab at the guests.  Hang bats, spiders and spider webs, and skeletons inside the maze for people to walk into.

If these things haven’t given you any ideas, take a look online.  There are websites galore that have pictures of past haunted houses and you’re sure to get some great ideas from them.  When it’s time to plan your haunted house Halloween party, if you do it right, your house will be a scream!
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Getting Started Preparing for the Holidays

Before long you’ll see Halloween costumes and candy crowding store aisles.  The day after Halloween, as they clearance out all of that merchandise, they begin putting out Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations.  There are ways of getting started preparing for the holidays and these can help make the transition from one to the other easier this year.[ad]

Most people think about the foods they’ll enjoy when it comes to holiday season.  So there’s no better place to start getting prepared than with this essential piece of the holiday puzzle.

Develop a meal plan for each major meal you’ll be serving over the holidays.  If you’re having a party instead of a meal, decide now what you’ll fix and what you’ll ask others to provide.  After you have your meal plans made, you can better decide which items you can buy along the way instead of having to purchase everything all at once.

Each week until the big meal, buy the non-perishable items that you’ll need for cooking.  Canned broth, butter, canned pumpkin pie filling, drinks, and olive oil are items that can be used for your holiday meals or for regular meals during the upcoming months.  Take advantage of sales on these staples by buying extras if your budget will allow it.

Create a seating plan so everyone will be able to enjoy the meal, especially if you have some family members that don’t particularly get along.  Determine if you’ll have enough chairs for everyone or if you’ll need to borrow some.  Tackle this task as early as possible so you can either find or buy the chairs you need with plenty of time to spare.

Do as much preparing and cooking before the actual day as possible.  Wash, peel, and chop any vegetables you can and put them in the refrigerator.  Make cookies and pies as much as two weeks ahead of time and store them in the freezer until needed.

Start saving money now to pay cash for as many gifts as you can rather than putting them on credit cards.  If you can save $50 a week, within ten weeks you’ll have $500 set aside.  Determine how much you intend to spend in total and then divide that by the number of weeks until Christmas.  That’s how much money you need to save each week.

If you enjoy doing crafts, why not make some of your holiday gifts or decorations?  Depending upon what type of crafts you do you may be able to make several gifts if you start now.  Help your children make gifts, as well, to cut down on more gift-giving costs.

The holidays will be here before you know it.  Don’t be caught off guard.  Start getting prepared for them now by using some of these ideas.  If you plan ahead and work toward a goal, you may be able to accomplish them and save money in the process.
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