Life in the Ketchup Bottle: Gonna Rock this Town...

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Gonna Rock this Town...

Well, thank you, Guinevere!

I've been chosen as a Rockin' Girl Blogger.

I have to say that while I do not rock in the traditional sense, I most definitely do have my strong points, and I have it on good authority that I should be proud of who I am. So that's me, rockin' the ketchup, murder ballads, and nursing dresses. :D

As per RGB tradition, I will now pass on the award. Here are my choices of Rockin' Girl Bloggers:

1) Awesome Mom at Adventures of an Awesome (Sometimes) Mother. From the style of her writing to her grace under pressure to her innate humor to her AWESOME parenting skillz, she rocks.

2) Kira at Aerin Amelia: Our Miracle Baby. Kira has turned her daughter's struggles into advocacy for preemies all over the country in the form of her work for the March of Dimes. She always has a kind word when I have troubles and she has an impeccable sense of style, both in clothing and in actions; she always thinks before she speaks and is never crude, vulgar, or inappropriate. In other words, she rocks because she cares.

3) Mean Mommy (known to some of us as "Euphrasie") at Guess What the Kids Did Today because anyone with kids that smart who doesn't go completely crazy, rocks. (Also, they're adorable.)

And most of the other Rockin' Girl Bloggers I would nominate, already have the award. So kudos to all of you-- may we rock long.

Button is on the sidebar (it's actually just a picture), pick it up and put it on your own blog, then pass on the honor!

4 comments:

Karen said...: Great minds think alike! I just nominated Awesome Mom this morning! She does rock! :); 6:35 PM
Mean Mommy said...: Aww, shucks. :)

Although, I must point out that there's scant evidence that I haven't actually gone completely crazy.; 7:53 PM
Awesome Mom said...: Thanks for the nomination and the nice words.; 8:18 PM
Anonymous said...: Congratulations!; 10:38 PM

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More Ketchupy advice on how to keep your child safe in the car

Make sure the seat you are using is the safest possible for your child's weight, height, and age, and used in the safest configuration possible.
Make sure the seat you are using is not expired. (Yes, they expire! They can weaken over time. Don't use an expired seat-- or for that matter, an outdated one, such as a car seat with an overhead shield, which are not generally considered safe.)
Never use a seat that has been in a crash (don't use it if you're not sure if it has been in a crash, either.)
ALWAYS read your car seat manual AND your car's manual to find out the best way to properly install your child's car seat!
Keep your child rear-facing as long as possible. One year and 22 lbs. is the MINIMUM, not the actual limit, or even the current recommendation. I am proud to say that all 3 of my girls are currently rear-facing, the oldest 2 in higher-weight rear-facing seats! Having bent legs or legs hitting the back of the seat does NOT mean that the child is too big to rear-face, and is not dangerous. There are now seats that rear-face to 40 lbs. and beyond.
Once your child turns forward-facing, keep her in a harnessed seat as long as possible, including buying a higher weight limit seat if you need to (and if possible.) 4 years and 40 lbs. is the MINIMUM, there are seats that go up to 65 and even 80 lbs. as a harnessed seat.
Make sure your seat fits your child and that you're buckling him in correctly. Check weight limits carefully. When rear-facing, straps should be just at or below your child's shoulders, and there should be no less than 1 inch between her head and the top of the seat. When forward facing, straps should be at or above the shoulders, and the top of the ears should not be above the top of the car seat. In a harnessed seat, the chest buckle should be over the nipples, with the top approximately at the level of the armpits. The harness should always be tight enough that you can not pinch any slack in it if you try. In a high-back booster, the belt should be correctly positioned across the child's chest and shoulder, and the tips of the child's ears should not be above the top of the booster.
Don't put your child in the car in a heavy winter coat or snow suit, especially in a harnessed seat! Remove thick coats before getting in the car; use blankets and/or thin fleece coats that you don't have to re-adjust the harness for, or buckle your child in and then put the coat back on backwards, or use it for a blanket, so it doesn't interfere with correct tightening of the straps.
Always make sure your child's seat is securely installed before buckling him in. Use whatever devices are necessary to get a tight fit, including LATCH according to guidelines up to 40 lbs., and locking clips for older seatbelts. Always make sure seatbelts used to install a seat are locked, whether by a locking clip or device or by pulling the belt all the way out before letting it retract (in newer vehicles.)
Never use LATCH belts and a seatbelt at the same time to install a car seat. This can put too much strain on the seat. Use one or the other. This doesn't apply to the top tether-- you may use the top tether after you have switched to seatbelt installation (see above links.)
When you must move your child to a booster, choose a high-back booster for as long as possible. Most experts agree that 6 years old is the youngest most childrens' hips are developed enough to distribute a seatbelt correctly, even with a booster, and a high-back booster provides more protection for your child's head and neck as long as s/he fits in it.
Never use a booster seat with a lap belt only. If there is a lap belt only seat in your car, the ONLY child who should be seated there is one in a five-point harness car seat installed with the lap belt (or LATCH if your car is equipped with it.)
ALWAYS read your car seat manual AND your car's manual to find out the best way to properly install your child's car seat!
Make sure the seat you are using is not expired. (Yes, they expire! They can weaken over time. Don't use an expired seat-- or for that matter, an outdated one, such as a car seat with an overhead shield, which are not generally considered safe.)
Never use a seat that has been in a crash (don't use it if you're not sure if it has been in a crash, either.)