Let’s keep with a safety theme. While keeping our kids safe is a top priority, it’s also important that we safeguard our rights. One way to do that is to become aware of the things that are happening in various aspects of our lives.

Public Citizen is a watchdog group that sets out to protect consumers. Founded in 1971, this non-profit group fights for openness and accountability in our government. Since they recieve no corporate (advertising) or government funding, donations are welcome.

Public Citizen monitors Auto Safetly, keeps tabs on Congress, watches over Global trade and has divisions for energy, health and litigation. The organization has been instrumental in removing Red Dye #2 (a carcinogen) from the market, releasing the Nixon White House tapes and organizing protests against the World Trade Organization. While diverse, these are all issues that concern every citizen.

You’ll also find a contact form at the site for any inquiries you have. This isn’t the place to complain that term life insurance quotes are too expensive but it is the best place to stay informed about the Global economy and what our government is doing day to day.

If you like what you see here, please consider a donation. You can become a member for as little as $20, although $35 will get you the Health newsletter, too.

So much has changed over the years since I first became a mother. My oldest son is almost 30; my youngest is 12. In the early 80s, child car seats weren’t mandatory. When my youngest was born, a nurse accompanied us to the car to ensure that we had an infant seat and it was installed correctly.

I still remember the mini blinds in the boys’ bedroom when they were small. We made sure that Jesse’s crib was away from the window because we were concerned about the cord. As it turns out, those cords on window coverings were the cause of many child tragedies, although we didn’t know it at the time. Today, parents can visit the Window Covering Safety Council website to learn about cord safety and how to keep kids safe.

With saftey tips on choosing the right window coverings as well as instructions on how to retro-fit existing window treatments, this site is a must-have for all parents. You’ll also find saftey alerts and an information packed newsletter.

Be sure to look over the list of other safety site links, too. With new technology comes new hazards for our kids. Whether you’re pricing tv lifts for the family room or garage door openers, there are always safety factors to consider, especially with children in the family. Be safe and do your homework!

I spent seven years working for an internet company. The owners/partners of the company were all about security. I learned quite a bit from those guys about keeping a network secure.

I’m not sure why but those lessons never really transferred over to my real life. Perhaps growing up in Small Town, USA I just never thought much about keeping my home secure. We’ve always had a low crime rate around here and neighbors still watch out for each other. Yet, times are changing and I don’t necessarily like those changes.

Over the past 15 years our garage/shop has been broken into 3 times. This is supposed to be a safe neighborhood but it seems even safe places aren’t so safe these days. So far, we’ve lost a few hundred dollars worth of tools but I’m not comfortable waiting around until something worse happens.

In fact, I can’t help wondering what will happen if someone gets the courage to break into our home. And what if that happens when we’re all there, asleep perhaps? What about my kids who sometimes fall asleep in front of the TV on weekends?

Yes, we do have a dog and she can be quite intimidating when she greets visitors with her bark. She’s a Pit Bull and they do have quite the reputation. The truth is, though, Belle is a very typical Pit Bull, meaning she’s friendly and affectionate. She just loves people and it wouldn’t be difficult for someone to calm Belle and turn her into a friend in a matter of seconds. Her bark may alert us to a visitor but a watch dog, she isn’t.

For the record, most family dogs are useless for protecting the home. A skilled thief can get around most any dog other than those trained solely for the purpose of guard dog. Yes, a dog may protect its master and I’m sure Belle would risk her life to protect my kids, but at the end of the day, she’s just a lovable dog whose strong suit is scaring off inept amateurs.

So, what to do? I’ve been looking into home security systems and I’m just amazed at the wide array of services. Not only can ADT Security monitor your home for break-ins but also for fire, flood, carbon monoxide and medical emergencies. Now, we’re not at risk for flood here on this hill but with our wood burner this winter, fire is a frightening possibility. I just never realized that one monitoring service would handle so many different situations.

I’m not sure if we can use one system to handle our house as well as our garage, since they’re not attached. Hopefully, that wouldn’t be a problem. I know I still have more research before I make a decision but so far, I really like the system and service that ADT offers like the 24 hour monitoring at five centers across the USA.

So, do any of you have a home security system? If so, has it calmed your fears of safety for your family? If not, have you considered one? Do you like what ADT has to offer? Take a minute to let me know what you think about home security in general.

My husband can build houses. He’s a brick mason but he can do just about any part of home construction. I consider myself fortunate that he’s so talented. He doesn’t, however, work on cars. Oh, sure, he can change the oil and do some minor repairs but he’d rather hire someone to do the big stuff. Working on vehicles frustrates him. He’s the kind of guy that isn’t interested in the latest turbocharger or new rims; he just wants to get in his truck or car and drive. Some guys are like that.

I’ve been around long enough and have owned enough cars to know that finding a reputable car repair person can be a daunting task. I don’t know why that is but I think it’s a pretty universal situation. Maybe it’s just that most of us don’t understand automotives or maybe we expect too much from our mechanics. Or maybe a good mechanic really is hard to find.

I have one son who has helped a lot with my car repairs and we have a very trustworthy regular mechanic, but for those still searching, there’s finally some help. Repair Pal claims to take the mystery out of auto repair and by the looks of the website I’d say they’re definitely on the right path.

Repair Pal is full of information for the car owner. There’s an Encyclopedia with answers to your questions about car parts and services. There’s a knowledge base of common problems and ratings of cars as well as an area to list your car with your own repair information. This information along with the ratings you give to mechanics in the Shop Directory help to make Repair Pal even more useful.

My favorite part of the site, though, is the RepairPrice Estimator. Just enter your car’s details, your city and state or zip code and the repair work you need done and the Repair Estimator will give you the price range you can expect to pay. Scroll down and you can see the price broken down into parts and labor. That service alone makes Repair Pal an invaluable site for car owners. Check it out and be sure to rate your favorite (and least favorite) mechanics.

At least once a day, someone in my family asks me to search for something on the internet. Even my husband, who doesn’t know a mouse from a thumb drive, has me searching every time he hears or sees something interesting on TV.

Probably the most common searches I’ve done by request are for health questions. I guess we all have a bit of hypochondria, huh?

When it comes to health related searches, I’ve found one of the best places to begin is at Organized Wisdom. This site is powered by real people who guide you to the best online sources for your topic. No more wading through spam links and junk sites just to find those two or three or reputable sources. Organized Wisdom does the sorting for you and presents the best, most authoritative results.

Organized Wisdom covers all sorts of topics from Diabetes and Asthma to Depression and Breast Cancer. Whether you’re looking for general information on Obesity or have specific questions about an eating plan or the alli diet pill, you’ll find honest answers here.

I noticed, too, that Organized Wisdom has some job openings. After you look around the site a little and bookmark it (because you really ought to bookmark the site) take a look at the jobs they’ve listed. Maybe there’s something there for you!

Okay, kids, I’m going to play to my age for this one. You younguns might want to just run along and skip this altogether. For now, at least.

Now that I’m 50 I’ve decided to look into joining AARP.

There, I said it. I admitted that I’m old enough for the old people’s club. And you know, it isn’t so bad. I mean, now that I’m over that initial shock, I can see that there are many benefits to being this age. Being able to join AARP is one of them.

I’m still too young for Medicare but AARP does offer reasonably priced life insurance as well as some nice travel deals. In fact, AARP offers discounts on all kinds of items like the great buys in their Health Essentials Catalog.

Oh, and the one thing that convinced me to join AARP is that my membership is free when my husband joins. That’s two for the price of one. After 50 years, it’s about time good deals started coming my way!

With the holidays around the corner, it’s time to start researching those gifts that are on our lists. Most electronics are costly and we want to spend our dollars wisely. And lets face it, no one can know everything about every gadget and gizmo out there. For me, the weak link is photography. And, as luck would have it, I’ve had two requests for digital cameras from the kids this year.

I’ve read reviews all over the internet but in the end I went back to the one site that has never let me down. Steve’s Digicam site is the best resource for anyone planning on buying a digital camera. Established in 1997, Steve has maintained a straight forward, no nonsense site that’s overflowing with information.

My first stop at Steve’s is always his Best Camera roundup. I’ve purchased my last two cameras from this list and was pleased with both choices. The list appears to be updated frequently so check back often for new picks.

If the whole digital camera thing confuses you, Steve’s Digicam Dictionary will help make sense of all the terminology. Have a question? Head to the Digicam forums and ask other users for help. Steve even offers Digicam software suggestions to really make the most of your photography.

Steve also has the Original Digital Photo of the Day Contest. Read the rules then enter your best shot each month. Even if you don’t win one of the terrific prizes, you might still get featured as a photo of the day!

I’ve always been interested in health and beauty. It wasn’t until I discovered mineral makeup, though, that I began to appreciate the world of herbs and holistic medicine. I must say, I was surprised and fascinated by all of the wonderful treasures that nature provides.

One of the most extensive websites for herbal information is Henrietta’s Herbal Homepage. It’s been around for more than a decade - since 1995! Henrietta began by first posting her Medicinal HerbFAQ and later adding her Culinary HerbFAQ. After years of being hosted free of charge, Henrietta has moved the site to her own domain where she also blogs.

Whatever it is you want to know about herbs, alternative or holistic medicine, this is the site to visit first. You’ll find drawings, photos, articles and some excellent and hard-to-find early works, all scanned by Henrietta. This site is so chock full of information that you just have to go there and check it out for yourself.

Now, I know not everyone is searching for the same in depth information that I might be. I use herbs for blending and for soapmaking. But even if you’re just looking for information on a green tea fat burner or using Feverfew for migraines, you’ll find just what you want here. Go ahead, check it out. Just set your timer because you’ll easily spend an entire day reading and learning.

We all know that there are numerous job hunting sites. I know quite a few people who have had enormous luck finding new jobs by posting their business resumes online. The problem with those sites, though, is that they’re geared toward management and white collar.

I’ve been trying to help my husband find work for the winter. My husband is one of the best brick and stone masons in the country. His work speaks for itself and you can’t really put that in a resume. Sure, he’s run projects; he’s ordered materials, estimated and managed crews. But his forte is his eye for beauty.

Although the pictures are lovely, the home my husband worked on in Hawaii is just breathtaking in real life. He and my son built every arch, laid each stone from the house to the barbecue to the bridge over the lagoon style pool. In fact, my husband laid the block on that house in 2001.

Anyway, he’s now looking for work since things are slowing down around here with the cold weather. I’ve had no luck at the traditional job search engines but I have found a number of leads at Simply Hired and Indeed. These sites seem to include a wider variety of occupations.

I’ve just discovered the employment forum at Indeed so I’m going to look through there to learn even more about online job searches. If you know of other good job search sites, especially for the construction industry, let me know. And if you know of someone who needs a top-notch brick and stone mason, drop me a note. I know the best!

Another summer has passed and I have not kept my promise to myself. For the second year in a row, I had every intention of taking my kids to see a movie at one of the country’s last Drive-in theaters. How did summer get away from me again?

If you’ve wondered whether there are any Drive-ins near you, check out The Drive-In Movie site and take a look at the theaters in your state. I was surprised to find that there are three drive-ins near me; I’d know about only one of them.

Now, back when I was a kid, there were 6 drive-ins close enough to visit frequently. One was right at the bottom of our hill and the the old screen is still standing. That one was close enough that we could walk to it.

I guess traditional theater seating is more comfortable but there are still advantages to drive-ins. Although I no longer smoke, my husband still does and the drive-in allows him to do that while he’s watching his movie. And with snack prices so high at theaters, it’s much more economical to bring in your own food. And then there’s the simple joy of remembering all the great summer evenings spent at the drive-in with friends and being able to pass that on to my own kids.

Hopefully, some of you reading this are in a warm state and can still get to a drive-in this year. And next year, I WILL keep my promise.