"It is true that you may occasionally overhear a mother say, 'Children must have their naps. It's mother who knows best.' When what she really means by that is that she needs a rest."
-- Donna Evleth
P.S. Don't forget to enter my giveway for a free 24-pack of Safety Caps!
To be honest, I have never really childproofed my house. I never put the drawer latches or toilet locks on, never used the tricky door handle locks (that I struggle with when I'm at other people's homes). I instead enforce strict rules (with dire consequences) for children who climb on furniture, play in the toilets, or turn on and off any machines in the house. I keep poisonous cleaners in a high cupboard that only my husband can reach. And it's worked for our family.
SafetyCaps are a wider and ventilated outlet safety plug that were invented by a dad with the same concerns as mine. They are the world's only oversized, ventilated outlet safety plug designed to eliminate suffocation. Inspired by the design of his daughter's pacifiers, inventor George De Cell made SafetyCaps to measure larger than a standard safety plug and contain two ventilation holes. That makes it a safety plug that's completely safe! 
Now I have the SafetyCaps in my home and absolutely love them. The unique design makes the outlet covers themselves a safer choice -- for all around safety. You can see in the picture how much more they cover the outlet than my old safety plugs, and how they would be impossible to fit in a child's mouth.
"You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance."
-- Franklin P. Jones
"I don't want to wear my jacket!" Volcano yelled as he was getting ready to walk to school. It was a typical Oregon morning -- drizzling rain and cool temperatures -- and he needed to wear that jacket.
"Why?" I asked him, handing it to him fiercely, looking at the clock. "You like getting wet on your way to school? You like being cold?"
"No! But Tyler always teases me," he explained. "He goes, 'Why are you wearing a jacket? It's not that cold.'"
I shook my head in frustration. Tyler is Volcano's best friend and our neighbor. The boys are in the same class and on the same soccer team, yet they fight like brothers. I've been witness to several nonsense arguments on our walks to school with Tyler -- like, who is the fastest at Mario Kart on the Wii or if Superman could beat a Transformer in a fight. And they always make up by the end.
Needless to say, Volcano put on his jacket and we were on our way. And needless to say, when we met up with Tyler, he looked at Volcano and asked pointedly, "What's with the jacket? It's not that cold."
I braced myself for yet another argument. Instead, Volcano stopped short and looked strangely at Tyler. "Why are you worrying so much about my clothes?" he asked him. "It's not like I'm wearing your clothes."
Tyler's face showed surprise, and then he just shrugged. I did my best to stifle my laughter, but caught Volcano's eye and gave him a wink. He smiled proudly back. We walked the rest of the way to school in silence.
I was so proud of him for finally sticking up for himself! Maybe it wasn't so bad raising a little smart a$$.
After all, he takes after his mom.
"My kids are the reason for everything. The reason everything is out of place, broken, and dirty."
-- Unknown
And have a great Valentine's Day!!
Yet another song about the best job in the world. Let me know which one you like better!
