1. Accidents and medical emergencies in the home happen frequently. Maybe more frequently than we realize.

 Statistics show a fatal injury occurs every 18 minutes in homes across America and every 4 seconds a disabling injury could occur. Accidents occur from falls, fire, burns, choking and poisoning.

2. Every home should have at least one first Aid Kit that is well stocked and readily available.

 First Aid Kits are used most often for minor injuries such as cuts, sunburns or bites. Having a well stocked First Aid Kit available can save someone’s life in a serious accident.

3. A First Aid Kit won’t be any good to you if you don’t know how to use it.

 Make sure you have a guide in your kit from a reliable source. It should have the latest medical advice and be easy to understand, particularly under stress.

4. There are 5 categories that are imperative in your First Aid Kit

5. Instruments

 Pointed tweezers for removing splinters
Disposable latex or non latex gloves
Small rounded-tipped scissors for cutting tape, clothes or bandages
Breathing Barrier for performing CPR
Thermometer-either digital or mercury
Ice Bag
Eye Patches
Oral medicine syringe
Bandages that are good quality. A variety of all sizes to dress a variety of wounds
One dozen individually wrapped sterile gauze pads 2″ X 2″
Six non-stick gauze bandages
Six individually wrapped sterile gauze pads 4″ X 4″
One roll 2″ gauze bandage
One roll 5″ gauze bandage
Elastic bandages
Triangular Bandages
Adhesive Tape

6. Antiseptics

 Antiseptics such as Hydrogen Peroxide to kill germs.
Antibacterial cream or ointment . This is good for cuts ,scrapes and insect bites.

7. Medicines

 Over the counter medicines such as antihistamine
cough suppressant
aspirin
syrup of ipecac in case someone ingests poison. This should only be used after calling the Poison Control Center first.

8. Keeping your First Aid Kit Updated

 Your First Aid Kit should be checked once a year, possibly the same day you check your smoke detectors, to be sure it is fully stocked and nothing has expired. Make sure you always make a note of anything you use out of your Kit so it can easily be replaced.

9. Storing your First Aid Kit

 Make sure you store your First Aid Kit in a tote bag or plastic container that will keep your kit clean and dry and easily accessible in your home. It is recommended to have one on each floor in your home and workshop. Make sure everyone in your home knows where they are and how to use it. It could save your families life.

For more Family tips visit:
http://www.bruisedonion.com/guide/family/

According to the Center for Disease Control’s National Vital Statistics
Report of 2002, 50% of first marriages ended in divorce and 60% of
remarriages end in divorce.

But, the Center for Disease Control also found that 96% of Americans express a personal desire for marriage, and almost three-quarters of Americans believe marriage is a life long commitment.

I imagine that there are somewhat similar statistics worldwide.
With these kinds of statistics, its easy to see how complex it can be when
people think they want a divorce, they have difficulty identifying how a
truly viable divorce reason might be defined. Wanting happiness through
marriage and wrestling with what may seem an inevitable outcome (divorce), can be emotionally and mentally
challenging.

After all, it is human nature to want to feel nurtured and secure, no matter
where you live!
So, if you’re thinking about getting a divorce, what are truly viable reasons
for actually getting a divorce?

Each government has different laws defining the difference
between ‘fault’ and ‘no-fault’ divorce reasons that have enough merit that
allow for the divorce to be granted.
While it makes sense for you to keep this in mind when deciding whether or not to get a divorce because there may be financial considerations to think
of, you should first focus on defining your own emotional or “personal”
divorce reasons, regardless of what the local governing body says.

If you ask 100 people how they define viable reasons for wanting a divorce,
you’ll most likely get 100 different answers because they’ll answer you
from their perspective, not yours.

Sure, there may be similarities to the way you feel in some of those answers
about ‘real’ divorce reasons, you may even agree with some. But, the real
answers to this question can only come from you. You have to figure out what reason or reasons would be viable in your mind in order to actually go
through your decision about getting a divorce or staying married.

Some reasons that people give for getting a divorce, or wanting a
divorce, are purely selfish and have no substance. An example of a reason
for wanting a divorce that has no substance is not liking the fact that
your spouse has constant unfounded jealousy. There is a deeper problem
that exists here, and in the case of this example, it could be that the
spouse who constantly feels jealousy has a confidence problem or some sort
of ‘fear of loss’. Whatever the case, the divorce reason in this example
clearly isn’t viable and should relatively easy to fix.

Often times when people give ’surface’ or flimsy reasons for wanting a
divorce, they really have much deeper feelings about something and they’re
just using the shallow divorce reason as an avoidance of some kind. Or, they
give these ‘foundation-less’ reasons for wanting a divorce because they
actually aren’t aware that there are other deeper rooted reasons that are
the cause of the way they feel now.

Common reasons that cause people to think about or want to get a divorce:

*Couple has conflicting personal
beliefs

*Couple’s marital satisfaction
decreases

*Desertion

*Adultery

*Cruel treatment

*Bigamy

*Imprisonment

*Spousal Indignities

*Institutionalization

*Irretrievable Breakdown of some kind

Of course, you should add your own reasons to the list for wanting a divorce, better yet, make your own list. Solid divorce reasons for wanting or going through a divorce usually come from some sort of
occurrence, behavioral pattern, and/or change in the viewpoint of the
marriage itself.

In order to really make a smart decision, you should first list the
reasons that you have for wanting a divorce, then examine those divorce
reasons for true viability. Then come back to it that list in a day or so.

Chances are you will be able to scratch a few of those reasons for
wanting a divorce off the list because they were identified purely from an
emotional viewpoint rather than logic.

If you are thinking about getting a divorce, and haven’t clearly identified what reasons you have for feeling the way you do, you’ll be doing yourself a ‘dis-service’ if you act without carefully examining the viability each designated divorce reason. Everyone has their own reasons for wanting a divorce, make sure that you are certain that your reasons are
truthfully viable to you before you act on them.

For more info and articles on Divorce visit:
http://www.bruisedonion.com/guide/divorce/

Like most single women who are dating, I’m sure you’ll want to avoid getting involved with a man who’s likely to cheat. After all, he could one day break your heart. But according to statistics, an estimated 50 to 70 percent of men cheat on their mates. How can you tell if the man you’re dating is one of these potential cheaters? Wouldn’t it be great to have this information about him before you get too deeply involved?

Find out If He’s Prone to Infidelity

Finding out whether or not the man you’re dating is prone to infidelity is much easier than you think. Studies reveal that some men are more likely to cheat than others because of their background, their past history, or certain character traits. Using this information, I’ve designed a 7 question quiz that can help you determine if the man you’re dating is a potential cheater.

Single Women Screen Dates with this Quiz

The Potential Cheaters Quiz was originally posted on my website http://www.InfidelityAdvice.com to help married women find out if their husbands are potential cheaters. However numerous single women report that they’re using the quiz to screen the men they meet at dating sites, and through dating services and personal ads.

Decide Who Not to Date

The Potential Cheaters quiz can help you make an informed decision about whether or not to continue dating a man, or how deeply to get involved. By identifying and avoiding the potential cheaters in the dating pool, you can save yourself a lot of unnecessary headaches and heartaches.

Rate Your Date with the Potential Cheaters Quiz

So before you fall head-over-heels in love or get too attached to that new man in your life, rate your date’s cheating potential with the 7 questions below:

Potential Cheaters Quiz

1.Does he thrive on adventure?

2.Did he have a great deal of sexual experience prior to your relationship?

3.Does he have lots of female friends?

4.Does he have male friends who are cheating on their wives or girlfriends?

5.Does he have a parent who cheated?

6.Did he cheat in any of his past relationships?

7.Does he feel that infidelity is really no big deal?

What the Answers Mean:

1.Some men enjoy all the suspense, deception and intrigue that go along with infidelity. They’ll cheat just for the “thrill of the chase.”

2.Studies reveal that men who were extremely sexually active before settling down in a committed relationship are more apt to engage in sex outside that relationship. Don’t expect a leopard to change his spots.

3.Close friendships with women are a common starting point for infidelity. Friends can quickly turn into lovers. The closer the friendship, the greater the odds that it will develop into an affair.

4.Never underestimate the power of peer pressure. If his friends are cheating, he’ll soon be cheating too.

5.Infidelity tends to run in families. Children of unfaithful parents are often programmed to follow in their footsteps, considering infidelity to be the norm.

6.“Once a cheater, always a cheater.” There are exceptions, but statistically speaking, if he cheated once, he’s more apt to do it again. His history will probably repeat itself.

7.If he doesn’t believe that infidelity is wrong, his behavior will reflect his beliefs.

How to Evaluate Your Results

Generally speaking, the more ‘yes’ answers, the greater the likelihood that this man will cheat. But some answers carry more weight than others, so you’ll want to take a closer look at the results.

If you answered yes to #1, #2, or #5 (but not all three), he’s a POTENTIAL CHEATER who may very well cheat on you if the opportunity presents itself. If you decide to get involved with him, you need to make it difficult for him to cheat. Familiarize yourself with the signs of infidelity, so you’ll know if he starts to stray.

If you answered yes to #3 or #4 alone, together, or in combination with #1 or #2, he’s a COMMON “GARDEN-VARIETY” CHEATER who will cheat if he feels he can do so without getting caught. Your challenge, if you insist on dating him, is to stay one step ahead of him by learning to recognize the early warning signs. If you know how to spot the signs of impending infidelity, you may be able to stop his cheating before it starts, or leave before he breaks your heart. Familiarize yourself with the 21 major categories of telltale signs.

If you answered yes to #6 alone or in combination with #1,#2, #3, #4, or #5 you’re dealing with an EXPERIENCED CHEATER who knows how to hide the obvious signs of infidelity. The most important thing to do if you’re dating this man is learn to spot the subtle signs of infidelity, because these are the signs that will inevitably give him away. Get a good infidelity reference guide, watch him like a hawk, and try not to get too deeply involved.

If you answered yes to #7 alone ( This one’s the biggie!) or in combination with any others, you’ve got a HARD-CORE, HABITUAL CHEATER on your hands who’s probably already having an affair. (You could unknowingly be the Other Woman.) For this man, cheating is a way of life. If you don’t want to become an infidelity statistic, leave this man alone. Should you decide to take on this challenge, you’re in serious trouble if you don’t know how to spot the subtle signs of infidelity. Forget about watching for the usual signs of cheating. This man is an expert at covering his tracks. The best thing you can do is become adept at spotting the subtle signs of infidelity, since there won’t be any obvious signs to give him away. The subtle signs are the ones he won’t even think to cover up.

For more advice and tips on Relationships & Dating visit:
http://www.bruisedonion.com/guide/dating/

I found it very interesting researching the top 100 baby names for this article, because although my husband and I thought we were going for unique baby names during my pregancy, both our daughters’ names are on the list! I guess we are not as innovative as we thought we were.

Every year, the US Social Security Administration compiles a list of the most popular baby names. You can search their online database for the popularity of a certain name, and you can also see how the popularity of a name has changed over time. (http://www.ssa.gov/) It’s a very interesting way to waste an hour instead of working (lol).

It is fun to note that the letter “E” is quite popular. Common “E” names in the top 10 of the top 100 baby names are: Emily, Emma, Ethan and Elizabeth. It seems that slightly old-fashioned, or traditional, names are making a comeback as well, with names like William, Joseph, and Christopher for boys, and Elizabeth, Abigail, Hannah and Grace for girls.

However, “new age” or modern names are also in the 100 top baby names with babies’ names such as: Tyler, Brandon, Logan, Austin, Hunter and Cody (for boys) and Briana, Kayla, Chloe, Hailey, Jasmine, Destiny and Makayla (for girls).

Jacob and Emily are the number one most popular names for a few years in a row.

It’s always important to imagine what your baby’s initials or nickname will be. My mother’s friend was shocked when she was pregnant because her last name was Cole, and she wanted to name her baby Nathan Kingsley, but everyone said that he would be nicknamed Nat King Cole!

I also recommend imagining what your baby’s email address will be. My initials are sdi and my email is sdingram@. You need to be aware that your baby’s email could be dumb@ or fat@; just something to keep in mind.

Whether you are looking into babies names because you want to go with the pack and make sure your baby’s name is common and amongst the more popular, or you are the opposite and you want to make sure your baby’s name is innovative and original, be sure to check out the top 100 baby names so that you can ensure the name you want is there (or not!).

For more info and advice about Baby visit:
http://www.bruisedonion.com/guide/baby%20names/

When a couple steps forth with a baby in tow everything in life is stable and normal. People hold open doors, hard shopkeepers “chuck” and go all gooey before catching themselves and generally life is an easy ride. But gentlemen, when he who dares to step-out with a baby in tow (minus the wife) life becomes a series of obstacles that never ceases to surprise.

I don’t mean a trip to the corner shop, “no siree”! I mean a fully-fledged trip into town, pram, milk bottles and spare nappies to boot! Small things are immediately noticeable, like that hard and mean-looking grocer down the road! When my wife goes in to his establishment he goes all gooey, in fact he doesn’t notice me at all; just talks to my wife and son and ignores me as if I was the invisible man. But walking in to his shop with only my son, an apple to buy before the days outing ahead and he became meaner and harder. In fact he noticed me for the first time, glared at me as if I had just stolen the kid and was on the run and said “hope that’s not for the little one”! I felt like saying what’s it got to do with you mate but ……………on the bus the driver who suggested that I sit near the front instead of upstairs was nearly out of his seat and taking the part of usher before realizing that this was not really in his job description!

Somehow some basic human instinct suggests that ‘man’ is neither capable nor fit to look after a baby! This instinct immediately raises the hairs on the backs of people’s necks, images of disaster loom in their minds and unseen forces push them forwards to offer help. They do not see a happy and carefree father pushing his laughing baby along in the pram, they see a harried father who is at his wits end and who is desperate for help. They see a tormented and unwilling baby, screaming and kicking in desperation, a father who is pulling his hair out and desperately looking around for somebody to just show him what to do.

Once in town and in the department store I headed straight for the baby changing room! Same routine as always except minus one cog – the wife! I did what I had done so many times before whilst my wife had sat down to read a magazine. Well, the plan was the same as all those times before, make the milk give my son the bottle, lay him down on the nappy changing “thingy”, change his nappy, etc! I did not even get as far as the hot water dispenser! One mum, before I had even entered the room stopped me in my tracks and in a very serious way informed me that the seat belt on the pram was not fastened. One has to be polite in situations like these; I myself planning ahead as always had removed the seat belt just then in preparation for lifting my son out of it once inside the baby room. I did not know of the golden rule that one cannot unfasten the seat belt until well inside closed doors!

Inside the room, some mystical being ran around the room telling all of the mums that a ‘father-alone’ was out and about! Upon entering heads swiveled in my direction, a series of forces pushing bodies towards me and unwanted advice started to escape from mouths. Once past I could hear whisperings, stories being generated and past on; a fictional myth growing in reality to become truth in mind! I shut myself off, warded off the numerous hands that where heading towards my sons cheeks like locusts, barged through with forced smiles and “no thanks”, and managed to get to the water machine. I smiled politely to the lady who showed me how to press the button for hot water, grimaced when told that the milk I had made was too hot (how did she know?) and nearly barked when asked “is the wife in not well dear”!

These kindly mums, whose husbands obviously knew nothing about how to change a nappy or feed a baby his milk, had my son crying within five minutes. He doesn’t like attention in the form of searching hands. He especially doesn’t like getting his cheek pinched or chin chucked! I felt like shouting “give him air” or wading in with elbows to rescue him but they were all so well-meaning, these poor mums! Needless to say that as my sons screaming and bawling intensified to maximum pitch the mums turned to me as one as if to say “look at the poor man, doesn’t know how to look after his baby”.

Naturally as they confirmed their belief that I was totally inept and useless, wandering hands gained purpose and started to lift my baby out of the pram to offer him comfort – my son hates strangers holding him! Well, I made a run for it, I grabbed the baby in mid-air, swiveled the pram around on a sixpence, closed my eyes tight and charged for the door, throwing aside mothers like pins at the bowling alley!

I went to the men’s toilet to change my son’s nappy! At least in the sanctity within, nobody talked to me, no advice was freely given and no insects to ward off. Naturally, looks of sympathy and confusion were issued freely, stories would abound later as husbands rushed to tell their wives about the “poor sad man with the baby” – but who cares, just don’t talk to me about it.

I suppose all is not so bad! A new dimension opened up, one that it would be best if my wife knew nothing about! I have never in my life had so many young ladies (ones who wouldn’t know what the inside of a baby changing room looked like) surrounding me; albeit they were cooing at my son but ……… something about single men with babies must be an attraction. Anyway, I always enjoyed their reaction when saying loudly, “ah, here’s my wife coming now”, the desertion was abrupt and complete! I know how to handle that one; it’s the rest that bothers me!

For more tips and advice on Babies visit:
http://www.bruisedonion.com/guide/babies/