Carbon Monoxide: Detecting This Hidden Danger In Your Home

As a mom it’s just come naturally to me to try to protect my girls from life’s hidden dangers. One of the first things we do as parents to new babies is research all the safety precautions we must take, from childproof locks on bathroom and kitchen cabinets to blocking off stairs. We think about hidden dangers that have never before crossed our mind until becoming a parent.

There is one hidden danger in the home that most people, parents or not, don’t realize they can prevent very easily. One of the leading cause of accidental poisoning deaths in your home is carbon monoxide (CO), which can be deadly within minutes. Did you know that CO, which is colorless, odorless, and tasteless, is the leading cause of unintentional poisoning deaths in the U.S.? The only safe way to detect CO is with a properly working and installed alarm specifically designed to detect CO emissions. Unfortunately, according to the U.S. Census, while 75% of all homes have a potential source of carbon monoxide (CO) – like a water heater, fireplace, furnace, generator or any other fuel-burning appliance – only half of homes in the United States actually have a working carbon monoxide alarm.

Home Safety Month is in June…what better way to observe it than by making sure you are properly detecting CO emissions in your home?

Kidde Carbon Monoxide Detector For Home Carbon Monoxide: Detecting This Hidden Danger In Your HomeKidde makes a Worry-Free carbon monoxide (CO) alarm which offers 10 years of continuous detection from carbon monoxide. These UL-listed alarms are the first and only models to contain a 10-year sensor as well as a sealed-in lithium battery and they feature a 85 decibel alarm – loud enough to wake the average sleeping adult. Personally as a busy mom I love the idea of not having to worry about changing out batteries and annoying low-battery chirps. Until now, CO sensors operated for just five to seven years, depending on the model.

Kidde Worry Free CO Alarm Carbon Monoxide: Detecting This Hidden Danger In Your Home

Benefits of the Kidde Worry-Free Carbon Monoxide Alarm

Goodbye late night low battery chirps: The sealed lithium battery is tamper proof and provides 10 years of continuous power, meaning no low battery chirps or battery replacement

Longest Sensor Life Available: Carbon monoxide sensor is proven effective for 10 years – nearly twice as long as some models

Savings: No batteries to buy and replace every six months, which translates into savings (up to $40 over the life of the alarm)

Quick and Easy Installation: Simply slide the alarm onto the mounting bracket and it activates automatically. Place on a desk, shelf, table or a wall…wherever you find convenient.

Always On: 24 hr/day, 7 day/week protection

CO End of Life Hush Button: After 10 years of power, the alarm will sound a warning to indicate it needs replacing. The hush button will temporarily silence the warning for up to three days.

Two models of the Kidde Worry-Free Carbon Monoxide Alarm are available at The Home Depot with a suggested retail price ranging from $40 to $50.

Bitsy’s Brain Food: Healthy, Delicious Snacks for Kids

Being a busy mom with two school-age kids, I’m always on the lookout for healthy and convenient snacks. My girls also take their lunches to school every day and let’s face it, they get tired of the same old sandwiches, apple, and yogurt!

Two moms are the creators behind Bitsy’s Brainfood and they’re on a mission to revolutionize snack time.

Bitsy’s Brainfood features:

  • All natural organic ingredients (like real fruits and veggies)
  • Four delicious varieties: Zucchini Gingerbread Carrot, Sweet Potato Oatmeal Raisin, Orange Chocolate Beet, and Lemon Broccoli
  • Vitamins like A, B12, D3 and folic acid, as well as Omega-3 DHA+EPA
  • Calcium, iron, and whole grains
  • No GMO’s, preservatives, trans fats, artificial colors or flavors

The nice folks at Bitsy’s Brainfood sent us a fun sampler pack a few months ago and basically the snacks were devoured within 24 hours. My 2nd grade taste tester loved the Sweet Potato Oatmeal Raisin snacks best. Plus they come in fun alphabet shapes. What’s not to love?

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You can find Bitsy’s Brainfood at Wegmas, Diapers,com, Fresh Direct and Abe’s Market.

Blonde Mom Shops features product reviews, great giveaways, and fabulous finds. Be sure to visit and subscribe to my main mom blog, BlondeMomBlog.com, for more great content from this 43-year-old Southern soccer mom and like my Facebook page!

Natural Skincare Line derma e Age-Defying Night Creme Review

Now that I’m in my 40s I’m very cognizant of trying to reverse all the damage I did to my skin when I was in my teens and 20s that I admittedly never thought anything about. Remember “laying out” and using baby oil, no sunscreen and hitting the tanning bed? If you were a teen during the 80s I’m sure you do! Using a night treatment for my face is now part of my evening routine to banish the effects of years of not being so nice to my skin.

I’ve tried several anti-aging products before and derma e‘s Age-Defying Night Creme is one of the best products I’ve used. The derma e line is a 4-time recipient of the Best Skin Care Products award from Whole Foods Magazine and includes more than 90 products.

derma e’s Age-Defying Night cream is free of parabens, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfates and, like all derma e products, is 100% vegan and cruelty-free. It’s two powerful ingredients are Astaxanthin, which is 500 times more powerful than Vitamin E in neutralizing free radicals, and Pycnogenol, 50 times more potent than Vitamin E in fighting free radical damage. Essential lavender oil provides a fresh, clean scent to this night cream that’s fortified with hydrating Jojoba Oil, as well as nourishing Vitamins A and E.

You know the sign of a good skin care product? You literally use it down to the last drop! I think my skin looks pretty darn good for 43 and this night creme has definitely made a difference in helping reduce fine lines and wrinkles around my eyes, especially.

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derma e’s Age-Defying Night Cream packaging has changed…but the fantastic ingredients have stayed the same.

I received a 2-ounce jar of derma e’s Age-Defying Night Cream in September and it lasted about 3 1/2 months (with me using it nightly). Despite the name, this night cream is not too heavy or greasy, absorbing immediately. It retails for $39.50 (and is on sale on the derma e website right now for $34.50) and I can honestly say it’s one of the best night-time skin moisturizers I’ve ever used! If you’re looking for a natural age-defying moisturizer for nighttime, I’d highly recommend it.

Another great thing about derma e is their three-tiered charitable program, The Paraguay Project, which helps support the people, rainforest, and land of Paraguay.  derma e® purchases beautiful, hand-crafted Spiderweb Lace at a fair market price directly from co-ops in Paraguay, sells them to U.S. boutiques and online, and donates full profits as well as a percentage of all product sales to three non-governmental organizations: Guyra Paraguay, Clyde E. Bay Foundation and GlobaI Infancia.