This is a test post I have been neglecting this area for a while now…

It’s the last day of January and it’s freezing cold out. I’ve almost had enough of winter as well I’m sure has everybody reading this. This newsletter writing is very trying.  I never think I have enough exciting news to spread but I will do my best. Last weekend I partially sponsored a local event called Family Literacy Day. It’s an event that is held to enhance family reading and craft interaction for smaller children. It’s held at one of the high schools here and put on by the Ontario Early Years Centre. The idea is to take your children there for an event-filled afternoon. They have special guest readers like the mayor, local celebrities and others who read stories to the children. Then they have a craft area set up so the children can do some specific things like design their own bookmark for a chance to win a prize. This year was really neat because they had reading dogs there which are dogs that are very child-friendly. Sponsored by St. John’s Ambulance, they don’t read but they lay there very quietly while children read to them. It makes the children a little more at ease as they don’t feel like they are being judged. There are also some well known childrens book characters there like Curious George and Clifford the Big Red Dog .The money I donated goes to buying books, because every child who attends the event gets to take home a free book. It is a very satisfying way for me to be involved in the community.

This is my grandaughter Elandra at Literacy Day.

While we are on the topic of children I think this is a good time to talk about safety while enjoying winter activities .Here are some tips and rules to follow. I know that they all seem very self explanatory but we all need reminders every now and again, so read these and pass them along to your children. These are brought to you via a website called www.aap.org. There is plenty more on their site to look at.

Winter Sports and Activities
Set reasonable time limits on outdoor play to prevent frostbite.  Have children come inside periodically to warm up. 

Ice Skating

• Allow children to skate only on approved surfaces.  Check for signs posted by local police or recreation departments, or call your local police department to find out which areas have been approved.
• Advise your child to: skate in the same direction as the crowd; avoid darting across the ice; never skate alone; not chew gum or eat candy while skating.
• Consider having your child wear a helmet while ice skating.

Sledding

• Keep sledders away from motor vehicles.
• Children should be supervised while sledding.
• Keep young children separated from older children.
• Sledding feet first or sitting up, instead of lying down head-first, may prevent head injuries.
• Consider having your child wear a helmet while sledding.
• Use steerable sleds, not snow disks or inner tubes.
• Sleds should be structurally sound and free of sharp edges and splinters, and the steering mechanism should be well lubricated.
• Sled slopes should be free of obstructions like trees or fences, be covered in snow not ice, not be too steep (slope of less than 30º), and end with a flat runoff.
• Avoid sledding in crowded areas.

Snow Skiing and Snowboarding

• Children should be taught to ski or snowboard by a qualified instructor in a program designed for children.
• Never ski or snowboard alone.
• Young children should always be supervised by an adult.  Older children’s need for adult supervision depends on their maturity and skill.  If older children are not with an adult, they should always at least be accompanied by a friend.
• The AAP recommends that children under age 7 not snowboard.
• Consider wearing a helmet.
• Equipment should fit the child.  Skiers should wear safety bindings that are adjusted at least every year.  Snowboarders should wear gloves with built-in wrist guards.
• Slopes should fit the ability and experience of the skier or snowboarder.  Avoid crowded slopes.
• Avoid skiing in areas with trees and other obstacles.

Snowmobiling

• The AAP recommends that children under age 16 not operate snowmobiles and that children under age 6 never ride on snowmobiles.
• Do not use a snowmobile to pull a sled or skiers.
• Wear goggles and a safety helmet approved for use on motorized vehicles like motorcycles.
• Travel at safe speeds.
• Never use alcohol or other drugs before or during snowmobiling.
• Never snowmobile alone or at night.
• Stay on marked trails, away from roads, water, railroads and pedestrians.

Well I don’t know how much more news I have. Ground Hog Day is coming up and I can never figure out which is which regarding the shadow thing so I have come up with this over the years and it never fails. If the rodent sees his shadow it’s 6 more weeks of winter….if he doesn’t there’s about a month and a half left.

 I will be at the Woodstock Home and Garden Show this year after missing it for 2 years so I hope to see some familiar faces there. If you are going please stop by and see me and have a chat. The dates for the show are March 14,15,16.

I think that’s it for this month. Thanks for reading, and I hope you find some of this useful.

Flint

Christmas is finally over…I’m not the big fan of the yuletide season and its not the money and its not the commercialization….It’s the fact that it completely halts the entire world for two days…..No TIMS for 24 hrs…So on to New Years.    This I like.   I wish it was actually a way to start fresh but no such luck….but we can do a few things that can help like the infamous resolutions…there are several ways to attack these.  There is the I want to save my life approach and swear off smoking or skydiving…There is the I want to simplify my life and buy a whack of organizing tubs and sticky notes.  Or there is the Flint approach… I won’t become Prime Minister this year …I swear I will fit into those oversized coveralls I bought last year cause they were on sale….I thought triple x sounded fun…last but not least I will not get my cholesterol tested…I know too many people who were just fine and then boom all of a sudden they are eating tofu because they’ve had theirs tested.

OK next its the end of a tax season and the start of a new one.

 A new year means a new set of books….time to drag the old stuff to the book keeper…she will just love me for that and with a lower GST rate…that’s even better because now my she can hassle me to send in my stuff 1 percent less.

 Always lots on the go for me at Our Man Flint  .

I’m hoping to add more Lawn and Yard maintenance to my buisiness this year as well as adding a home maintenance package which will be a checklist of different things around your home that needs to be looked at for a small fee. We monitor that and if it needs upgrading or replaced then we give you a quote to bring it up to a repaired state..Example check eavestroughs for leaks and repair or replace…or check and clean dryer vents and replace any cracked or missing vents or louvers to keep critters out…that is the type of thing we are expanding into.  It’s like a preventative maintenace progrom for your house….somewhat like your car.  In the long run it will save you money because problems will be caught when they are minimal and are stopped before more underlying damage is done.

For more information on this program please contact me at the website or call me  …there are different programs depending on individual financial budgets..

Here are some winter household maintenance things you can do around the house

(brought to you from the web by www.contentisking.com)

Winter

Exterior
__ Inspect roof after large winter storms.
__ Inspect gutters and downspouts during a rain storm for leaks.
__ Keep gutters clean of ice and debris.
__ Check for drafts along doors and windows. Caulk and repair weatherstripping if necessary.

Appliances
__ Tighten garbage disposal’s drain connections and fasteners.
__ Inspect dishwasher for leaks.
__ Clean range fan blades and housing.
__ Clean and test refrigerator door gasket.
__ Vacuum refrigerator coils.
__ Clean clothes washer’s water inlet filters. Inspect hoses for leaks.
__ Vacuum lint from clothes dryer ducts and surrounding areas.

Plumbing
__ Inspect sinks and plumbing shutoff valves for leaks.
__ Test toilets for stability and inspect for leaks.
__ Inspect caulking around sinks, showers & bathtubs. Re-caulk as necessary.

Electrical
__ “Exercise” circuit breakers.
__ Check for frayed appliance cords.