Facts About Coin Lithium Batteries That Will Keep You Up at Night + @Energizer Giveaway #sponsored

~ this review and giveaway is brought to you by Energizer and all opinions are mine ~

Batteries.  I never really think about them until I need them or until I catch baby girl with them.  She has a sixth sense about finding them and fascinated by the look of them.  I know they are dangerous and we are diligent about keeping them out of her reach.  I did not know just how dangerous the coin lithium batteries were until I was asked to write about it.

I was also ridiculously unaware just how many items have these little batteries in them - remote controls, singing greeting cards, digital scales, watches, hearing aids, thermometers, children’s toys, calculators, key fobs, candles, flashing jewelry or decorations, and I have a lot of that in my home!  Ugh!

Apparently I am not the only one unaware of the dangers of lithium batteries, in a survey conducted by Energizer, 62 percent of parents reported being unaware of the risk associated with coin lithium batteries.

If it is suspected that a child has swallowed a coin lithium battery, it is important to go to the emergency department immediately. For more information on child safety and coin lithium battery safety, please visit nsc.org, www.energizer.com,  and www.poison.org/battery.

A challenge was presented by Energizer to see how easy the packaging on coin lithium batteries could be to opened.  The Consumer Product Safety Commissions has created strict guidelines to determine if a package qualifies as effectively child-resistant.

In this case, the coin lithium battery package is tested with groups of children who are given 10 minutes to attempt to open the package.  It was incredibly easy for the competitor's packaging to be open; I mean less then a minute easy.  I am certain that given half the chance, my three year old would open it just as quick and since they are small and shiny it will go in her mouth.  She knows better and still find does it!

The Energizer package was impossible to open with out scissors.  Which means that little hands will not be opening these packages and testing to see how quickly we can get to the hospital.

It is just as important to keep these innocent looking batteries out of reach of little hands as it is for all other types of batteries and it is reassuring to know that a company like Energizer will invest so much time and effort to help ensure their safety as well.

Now that you too will be kept up late at night worrying about the dangers of lithium batteries here is the giveaway via rafflecopter!  

What can you win...?  One (1) Energizer Weatheready 2-in-1 LED Light (to aid you while awake late at night), one (1) Energizer LED Nightlight (winner’s choice between Sleeping Beauty or Cars) (so you can see your way into your kid's room to make sure they are safe, and of course, two (2) packages of Energizer Coin Lithium batteries.

Change Your Clock, Change Your Battery and Enter to Get Your Own @Energizer Family Safety Kit

Thirty-eight percent of fatal fire injuries occur in homes with no smoke alarms, while 24 percent occur in homes in which at least one smoke alarm is present but fails to operate, frequently due to dead or missing batteries.*

That just blows my mind. It seems to me that smoke alarms and changing batteries twice a year is right up there with mowing the lawn and having a toilet. But, I actually had to learn my lesson the hard way about carbon monoxide detectors.  The first house we rented did not have carbon monoxide detectors.  It is required by our city that the landlord provide them and we took for granted they were installed until our upstairs neighbor came banging on our door because her's was going off.

As it turned out, by turning on her central air it caused all of the built up carbon monoxide from the basement to be distributed throughout the house.  Thankfully, my family was not home when her alarm went off and our neighbor called the fire department.  It took a few days to fix but our neighbor and her carbon monoxide detector  saved our lives.  It has become the first thing we check on and when necessary install when we move.

The fine folks at Energizer and the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) are once again working with local fire departments nationwide to raise awareness on the importance of working smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors in helping to keep families safe in their homes. As it happens this year marks the 25th anniversary of the annual Change Your Clock Change Your Battery® program.

What is the Change Your Clock Change Your Battery® program you ask? Why it is just one of the ways Energizer brings to life the company’s commitment to making a positive impact in communities across the country by spreading this life-saving reminder every time we change the clocks. That's twice a year, once in the spring and than again in the fall. Daylight savings ends on November 4 this year. That's Sunday! Are you ready?

Cal Ripken, Jr. participated in neighborhood canvass with the Chicago Fire Department

This year, to celebrate their home fire safety program, Energizer adopted 25 fire departments in 25 cities across the nation and equipped them with Energizer_® family safety products for their department and to share in their communities. Energizer also, as in year’s past, donated 250,000 batteries to fire departments across the country to distribute to local families in their areas.

To know that a company will reach out and help their community impresses me so much and they are letting me give away a Family Safety Kit to one reader! 

Family Safety Kit

Family Safety Kit complete with a reusable grocery tote containing:

• One 2-pack of Energizer® MAX® Batteries (9v) with Power Seal Technology – Dependable, powerful performance for the devices that help keep your family safe; now hold their charge when stored for up to 5 years
• One Energizer® Flameless Wax Candle – Enjoy the realistic flicker of a scented wax candle without the worry of open flame or hassle of soot and dripping wax
• One Energizer® Weatheready® Safety Light – Waterproof flashlight powered by AA, AAA or C cell batteries; includes safety whistle and imprinted preparedness checklist
• One Kidde Battery-Operated Combination Carbon Monoxide and Smoke Alarm

After entering the rafflecopter giveaway below, check out their the Energizer Bunny® Brigade's Facebook page.  If you liked their Facebook page on the rafflecopter form you will receive important fire safety tips and learn more about this important program and you are half way there to enter the Energizer Bunny® Facebook page's Family Safety Kit giveaway where lucky fans can register to receive a kit equipped with Energizer® MAX® AA Batteries, Energizer® Advanced Lithium AA Batteries, combination smoke and carbon monoxide detector, Energizer® Rubber LED Flashlight and Energizer® Flameless Wax Candles.  Hurry though, although my giveaway ends Thursday, November 9th, theirs ends on Sunday! 

So many opportunities to win life saving equipment!  Good luck, change your clocks, changer your batteries and be safe!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Change Your Clock, Change Your Battery and Enter to Get Your Own @energizer Family Safety Kit ineedaplaydate.com/2012/11/change…
— MryJhnsn (@mryjhnsn) November 1, 2012

Fine Print
I did not receive compensation for the post but I did receive the same Family Safety Kit that I am giving away.

*Statistics provided by the International Association of Fire Chiefs.

My Mom Tips For Driving (with the help of #Esurance)

This winter has been crazy! I don't know if we should be wearing raincoats and rain boots or ski jackets and snow shoes. Every day brings a new weather report and each day is different, snow today, gone tomorrow. Along with this unpredictable weather comes unpredictable driving.

Rain makes the roads slick and snow, well, snow is just snow. I hate the first day that snow hits Cleveland because everybody forgets how to drive. Since, snow has been unusually absent this year, it seems that with each new snowfall this winter, people act as if it was the first snow of the year.

We live in Cleveland people!

It snows, a lot, and somehow the ability to slow down, clean our cars off and respect each other goes right out the window. It is not just snow either but rain, too!

As a mom I am mortified!

Okay, not really mortified but since you can't hear my mom voice I thought I would try and show you instead. I am mortified!

Here is my Top 5 Mom Tips for Driving



1. Brush the snow off your car!
This is not hard people! A two inch by two inch opening is not big enough for anybody to see through especially when trying to navigate in a snow storm.

2. Slow, slow, slow.
When roads are wet from snow or sleet, slow yourself. Repeat this as necessary. Even if the streets are dry - slow down!

3. Share the road, but not too close.
Share the road means that we all get to drive on it, not on top of each other. Back off my bumper in any kind of weather but when the roads are less then ideal quick stops can be disastrous if drivers are on each other’s tails. Keep a safe distance, at least a car length, between you and the other car.


4. Headlights are not just flashy bling for your car - they have a purpose.
Your headlights have a purpose and not enough people use them at dusk, blizzards or dark and rainy days. How are you suppose to see other cars or for them to see you if we don’t light up the road? Turn your lights on whenever it is dark out, even if it is noon.


5. Pack an emergency kit.
Your car emergency kit should include a blanket (or blankets), snacks, jumper cables (or if you are lucky one of those battery boosters that don’t rely on another car) and a flashlight. I would also add cards and crayons only because if you are stuck in traffic with kids, having something to keep them busy is key. Worse case scenario - you might be stranded and no power to run the in car entertainment system. Best case scenario you are prepared for some quality time. Don’t stress.

In the words of the The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Don’t Panic! And, be safe, especially when the roads are covered with snow and ice. Accidents will happen but with a little luck and some safe driving it, hopefully won’t be your fault.



Fine Print:
I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Esurance blogging program for 8,000 My SocialMoms Rewards Points. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Traveling by Car can be an Adventure - My Top 10 Family Road Safety Tips

Traveling by car can be an adventure. It can also be a deal breaker for some relationships and it can be mind numbingly boring. Yes, I said it. Mind. Numbingly. Boring. It is often the boredom that does us in or lead us to some unsafe discussions.

Traveling by car is hard. It is not like you just drop your bags off, recline your seat and fall asleep until you reach your destination.

Okay, traveling with kids, by car, is hard. I remember a time when I would call a friend, hop in the car and head off to somewhere other then here. The open road. The wind in our hair. Traveling at a leisurely pace. I remember being able to drive all night and reach the destination to see the sunrise.

Now... I have to plan. I make lists (I hate lists). I have to pack snacks and diapers. Map out rest stops for potty breaks and gas. I have to budget our money for restaurants and make sandwiches in between to afford the restaurants (and the trip). Then there is entertaining the kids... it was not bad enough when it was just one kid but now we have a kindergartner and a baby who is barely a toddler... sigh.

Recently, the family had to go to Atlanta for a funeral. We drove. Fourteen hours. The last four hours the baby cried. Loudly. Uncontrollably. She threw up. Twice. There was no way to comfort her and eventually I laid my head on the car seat’s arm rest and she laid her head on top of mine and we fell asleep. We were almost to Grandma and Grandpa’s house; she slept until we got there.

The ride back was so much easier because we left early and we went by her schedule instead of trying to make baby bend to ours. She just wanted her bed and she wanted to nurse. We just wanted to get to our destination.

My little man... he slept, he watched movies and he looked at his trip book. He acted like we did this all the time.

We don’t, but now I know how to prepare and here is my Top 10 list for keeping the family safe while driving.

10. Plan your schedule around the youngest person’s eating and sleeping times. Yes, this may seem inconvenient but after hearing baby cry, inconsolably for four long hours... I can adjust driving early in the morning instead of later if it means she is in a bed that night and I’m not, or more importantly, the driver is not agitated by her screams

9. It is okay to stop. It is tempting and even preferable to drive straight through; to get there as fast as possible but the rest of your family may not feel the same. Besides, when you are tired your eyes plays tricks on you and the last thing you need is a trip to the ER because you did not want to stop and take a break.

8. Pack snacks. Lots and lots of healthy snacks with some junk food thrown in for good measure. It is an adventure, splurge a little and take some things fun. Gum and hard candy are perfect to help you concentrate and keep your mind focused on the road.

7. Take advantage of the multimedia age. The kindergarten and the Uncle watched movies on a potable DVD player. I made a trip book for the kindergartner so he could track our journey and learn about the states we would be driving through to get to Atlanta. I had my iPod touch to play a game *cough angrybirds* and watch movies. I also plotted our trip using the SocialMoms app, which kept me busy. The Husband had his iPod spitting out the tunes. A little something to keep everybody busy and, for the most part, happy. When every body is happy - the driver is happy and safe.

6. When possible, plan meals around rush hour. Breakfast and dinner time can be a lot more enjoyable when in a booth at a local restaurant and not in the middle of a traffic jam.

5. Map out your destination and make more then one copy of the map. This is of course if you don’t have GPS but we pretty basic folks and that GPS do hickey thing is way too advanced for us. 

4. As tempting as it may be - leave the kids strapped in the booster seat and/or car seat. It would have been so easy to just nurse the baby while the Husband drove or let the kindergartner stretch out on the back seat but it is too easy for those little bodies to go flying. Even while strapped in, do not let your child lay down. Those seat belts can be razor sharp in a collision. And for heavens sake... make sure they are installed properly.

3. Bring blankets and pillows. Not just for your comfort but just in case anything should happen and you may need to sleep in the car.

2. Water. Bring lots and lots of water. You can never have to much water (and gives you an excuse to abide by top number 9).

1. Get the car checked out, tires filled and fluids topped off because there is nothing worse then being stranded somewhere when it was something that could have been prevented. Don’t forget to inspect your windshield. Think you can ignore a chip in your windshield? According to Safelight AutoGlass, the windshield provides up to 30% of your vehicles structural integrity, and a chip smaller than 6 inches (or the size of a dollar bill) can easily be repaired by filling it with a special resin. A chip could turn into a crack at any time, often when you are least expecting it.... like on a long, family road trip. Safelite AutoGlass can repair the chip in your windshield, often in just 30 minutes and where ever your car is parked. They will even email you a photo of the technician with their credential so you know who to expect - no surprises. You have enough to worry about... don't let a crack in the windshield ruin the whole trip.

Safety should take priority while driving all the time but especially when you are far from home. Don’t take chances and if you can afford to rent a bus, with a driver. Nothing like being driven to your destination - all the fun of the car ride with out the hassle!