Firearm Safety and Gun Violence

 Individuals who are concerned about gun control need to make sure that they can use metal detectors in schools to prevent gun violence in schools.  This is something many people are highly concerned about. Gun violence is something that is affecting individuals and more specifically, our children. Even though the horrific school shootings grab all of the headlines, the number of children affected by firearms in the home are many. Ways that you can protect against gun violence are numerous and it all starts in the home. There are some things that individuals can do to protect children. Ways to protect children both in and out of the home are important. 

Studies have shown that many of these firearm shootings are actually accidental shootings that happen in the home. In fact guns in the home hurt or kill 10,000 children in the U.S. every year. 39 percent of US homes have firearms and properly securing these weapons are very important to make sure that children stay safe. This is fundamental to making sure less children are hurt or killed by firearms every year.

The majority of shooting in the home can be prevented by the use of safety devices, safety devices like locked gun cases for instance. With more than 20 children per day being injured by gun violence, it only makes sense that individuals should do whatever they can to protect children against gun violence in the home. The extraordinary number of children that are killed by gun violence have reinforced the fact that gun safety in America needs to be dealt with. Brain and spinal cord injuries account for the largest numbers of deaths from guns and or gun injuries in the US. Of the gun statistics that have been cited, the vast majority almost 5,000, come from assaults. 2000 injuries roughly came from accidents and the rest were from suicide attempts.

Studies have looked at making it illegal for anyone in the US under 21 to own a handgun. Even thought you have to be 21 to drink in alcohol, in many states an 18 year old can purchase a gun legally from a gun show, or from a private seller. The fact that young people can purchase guns also makes them something that could be used in school shootings. The people who are involved in shooting in the schools are almost all under 21.
Most of he school shooters have been teenagers. Making sure that 18 years can not legally purchase a gun may be a step in the right direction to making sure that children are protected while they are in a school setting. Striving to keep guns out of the hands of young people may be one of the ways to keep guns away from children. 

Another thing training personnel in schools may help These are very important steps need to taken to protect children. This is one of the things schools need to do to protect their students. Every school should also install a metal dectector to help prevent school shootings.

Gymnastics #FlyingEaglesGymnastics&Cheerleading

We enrolled our son to gymnastics at Flying Eagles Gymnastics located  in Steubenville Ohio.  The fee is $45 a month but we paid $130  as it included other fees.  We figured that he would like it because he is constantly full of energy.  He went there twice already, it is only an hour  lessons in a week.  I think that he likes it because he keeps practicing at home.

I am glad that he is into something.  We did not want him to think that we are not giving him  attention like we do with his  sister.  I hope that he would stay in the program.  This would  promote physical strength for him.  During the first  time he went, he was very nervous as you can see, he  is pulling his fingers  in the picture.  He does that when he is  stressed out.

Sending Birthday Money for My Mom

It's my mother's birthday today so I gave her an overseas call last night. We talked for more than an hour. I updated her with my status here and the growth of my kids and and all and she told me everything about our family back home. It was a nice but emotional  conversation that we have not  had in a long time. I was not able to talk to her last Christmas because  the signal at our place was very bad.  I am so relieved that I finally talked to her.  I told her to visit my sister in the city because I am sending the money this week. I want her to have a break for a day or two and enjoy her birthday.   Me and hubby are the only one that supports my Mom.  I feel bad that sometimes, we can't send her as much as we would like to.  We have to wait for the best exchange rate so the money we  are sending  will have enough for her.  

I am so glad that there are  International money transfer that offers the best rate there is.  I will have to double up the amount I have to send this month because my youngest sister whom we are sending to college will be paying her tuition fee also.  I am happy that she is on the last league of the  course she is taking.  Hopefully, she could find a job as soon as she graduates so we can also help my youngest brother who also want to go to school.

A photo of us with Mama by the beach

I miss my Mom so much.  It's been 5 years since we last seen each other  when we  came to visit.  We celebrated  my husband and son's birthday there.I want to end this post by  sending my love to my dearest mother, happy birthday and always remember that we love you!

Birthday in School

My son turned 7  a week ago and since it fell on a school day, we brought some snacks for his classmates.  I talked to his teacher and asked if we could bring some treat for the kids and she   gave us permission.  I am so glad that my husband took a day off that day, I had help  in serving the children their snack (cupcakes, ice cream, and juice only).  I wish that I could make some Filipino gfood for them but they are not use to it so they might not like it.  

My Burritos, love their first grade teacher so much.  Mrs. G is such a nice and very kind teacher.  She is one of our favorites in school because she is so down to earth.  She would   stop her car when she sees us at our front yard  playing or out walking.

My daughter's birthday falls on Summer break so she never get to experienced  celebrating birthday in school.  I remember when she was in  kindergarten, the teacher gave her a very early celebration for her birthday  at their classroom, I thought that was very sweet.

Coloring Pages for KIds

My children's school is closed today which I am very happy because it is frigid outside and walking out is not a good feeling. So what are we going to do on their off-days? Well, we are doing some arts and crafts and I am checking out the available coloring pages at www.coloringpageskid.com.  We will also be doing some  reading later on and I will let them play their video games after we got done with all the other things that we plan to do today. If you are planning to  have something to do with your kids, visit  http://www.coloringpageskid.com and check out their coloring pages available, they have a ton.  You can download it for free.  Below are some photos of my kids coloring, one of their favorite past time and hobby.

Do this count? Lol.

To avoid  that kind of mess, go to the website and print your kids something to color on.

5 Things You May Have in Your Home That Can Actually Be Very Dangerous

It seems not a month goes by without at least one major retailer or manufacturer issuing a recall. For example, 2014 got underway with both Kraft and Tyson issuing significant recalls for food products. While food recalls often get a lot of attention due to the immediate threat they may pose, that doesn't necessarily mean they're the most dangerous. As a result of often not getting as much attention, recalled products can actually be more of a threat.

The main reason recalled products can be so problematic is because parents may not realize there's a serious issue with an item they purchased, they may be putting the health or safety of their entire family at risk. To get an idea of just how many products slip under people's radars, we're going to cover five different recalled items that can still be found in far too many homes:

Toy Dart Guns (Sold at Family Dollar)

On the surface, this may seem like just another harmless toy. Unfortunately, because its darts are extremely small, they have the potential for a child to choke and asphyxiate. If you have one of the nearly two million orange toy gun with five darts and a multi-colored target sets that were sold by Family Dollar, it's best to throw it away.

Drop-Side Cribs

This style of crib has been produced by many different manufacturers. And because consumers were very receptive to the design, over ten million have been sold since 2007. But just because consumers thought this style was quite convenient doesn't mean that it's safe. As a result of this style of crib playing a role in several dozen infant deaths, all models of it have been recalled.

LG Dehumidifiers (2007-2008)

Over the years, LG has made plenty of products that are very popular and completely safe. But when they sold over 100,000 dehumidifiers from 2007 to 2008 under the Comfort-Aire and Goldstar brand names, they had to recall them as a result of these machines playing a role in numerous house fires. Even though most consumers wouldn't think of a dehumidifier as something that could cause a fire, that's exactly what this device has the potential to do.

Cleaning Solutions with Terpenes

Although these products haven't been formally recalled, research has found that when used in small spaces, cleaning solutions in this category can release enough pollutants to reach a toxic level. The good news is you can avoid any issues with cleaners by purchasing products from Chem-Dry, a company that's committed to producing cleaning solutions for cleaner and healthier living.

Bumbo Baby Seats

This type of seat was designed to help babies sit up straight. Unfortunately, because it doesn't have any type of strap, it caused quite a few serious falls. That issue is why the seats were recalled back in 2007.

As you can see from the above list, there are plenty of seemingly harmless items that can actually pose a serious threat. Since it seems like just about any product has the potential to have a defect that makes it dangerous, many consumers feel overwhelmed when they try to think of how they can possibly protect their family. While the reality is there's no practical way to avoid 100% of potential dangers, there are several relatively simple but effective steps you can take.

First, remember that some quick Googling prior to a purchase can help point out any potential problems that may not have gotten enough attention yet to trigger a recall. Second, be aware of any recall notices that come up on the news when you're watching or browsing through it. Finally, if anything ever happens with a product to create doubt in your mind, remember that being safe by getting rid of it is preferable to not doing anything and ultimately having serious regrets down the line.

As a bonus tip, because more companies are aware that consumers are more informed than ever, plenty are going above and beyond to ensure that the products they produce are completely safe. By choosing to make purchases from these types of companies, you can both protect your family and ensure that this trend continues to grow.  

Gerald Smith is a professional blogger. After his first son was born, extensive research into a health issue led to him discovering a lot of information about all the dangers in many modern homes. Since then, he's made it a priority to educate other parents about these potential threats.

Newspaper Clippings

I save every newspaper clippings of my children and include them in their scrapbooks.  I want them to remember all the activities they have participated in school  when they are older.  These are just few of them.  

How about you, do you cut newspaper with your children's activities?  These are some things that I want my kids to remember about me and not just a strict  Mom lol.

The Corrs

I always admire families  that are gifted with music just like The Corrs.  These four Irish siblings  is one of my favorite artists of all time. I love their songs and the fact that they can play different kinds of music instrument like  the yamaha drum set, violin, guitar, piano, keyboards and all others.  I wonder if both of their parents are  musical talented as well because they are all  very god artists.  Below is the video of their song Breathless, onle of my favorites of their songs.

Grades of my Burritos

My kids came home  last Friday with their  report cards.  Both of them have excellent grades which makes me very happy.  All that extra time  of studying with them is worth every minute.  Below is Ms. Burrito's grades/ratings for the second  grading.

The little man is doing great as well.  I am now at peace that my son would do as good as his sister does.  He just don't have that drive that she has but with me and my husband's guidance and help, he will  do very good (I hope).

Our son wants to be tested for the gifted program as well but I am not sure if he is ready for it.

Dance Moms

As much as I object for my 8 year old to watch  the TV show, Dance Moms, I can't because she like watching those girls dance.  So I what I would do is hold the remote and fast forward it whenever the Moms are having too much drama.  The latest episode showed where the group has to portray a diva attitude like Myley Cyrus so they have a microphonle  props.  I am sure that it wasn't the royer microphones at Guitar Center but they did a pretty good job in portraying the roles.

Simple Celebration

Our little man had a very simple birthday celebration.  Ever since he started going to school, we have been  bringing snacks at his  classroom instead of hosting a party at home.  Our neighbors (Howells and Fanchers) make his day extra special.  The homeroom Mom of the first grade also prepared something little for him which is really sweet!

We let him pick what he want for  his birthday.  He got a walkie talkie.  We  asked him if he wants and iPod as he was jealous of her sisters but he said he  changed his mind.

Music School

The Music teacher at my children's school sees something special at our daughter.  She said that Ms. Burrito has a rare talent and that she encouraged us to send her to  a different music school if we want  her to learn the proper way.  She told us that she will be contacting people  that she knows at Carnegie University to help our daughter out.  I just hope that it isn't something very expensive and we can't afford it.  I am sure that we won't be needing a   cheap amps at musicians friend but I am worried that  it is expensive.  Oh well, everything happens for a reason, right?

Her Music Teacher and Friends after the Christmas Mass

Birthday on the Weekend

We were invited to  Nathan's  first birthday party last Saturday.  We went to the mall that morning and bought the present.  It's been a while since we  attended a Filipino party so it was kind of weird but the kids had  so much fun playing with the kids.  Here are some of the shots I took of the children.

When their  daughter was little , I used to baby sit her but when she started to get active, I told  them that I can no longer do it as I couldn't do my job online.   We asked her if she still remember us and she said yes.