October is Fire Prevention Month

Most people don’t know but October is Fire Prevention Month, and with so many candles and lanterns around you can never be too careful. If you’re going to use open flame candles or jack-o-lanterns make sure they are away from flammable material and never leave them burning unattended. Make sure your house is equipped smoke detectors. Check to see if the smoke detectors are working by performing the recommended monthly test and replacing old batteries with new ones once a year. Always have a fire extinguisher accessible at your home. As a rule of thumb, if you live in a two story house you may want to keep a fire extinguisher upstairs and another downstairs.

Make sure that you have an escape plan for your family in the event of a fire. Keep important documents, like insurance policies and a complete room by room home inventory, somewhere secure like a fire proof safe or use an electronic personal record service like ma Vault. This allows you to access critical information from any computer in the event of an emergency.

To help educate your children about the importance of fire safety, visit the U.S. Fire Administration.

Have a Safe Halloween

Halloween is here, and many of us have been busy finding costumes for our children, ourselves, and if you are like me, our pets. But as we send our children outside to trick or treat, costumes and candy aren’t the only things on our minds. Safety is a major concern for parents everywhere, however there are a few precautions you can take to ensure a worry-free Halloween.

Trick or treat safety:

• An adult should always accompany children under 12 years of age.
• Do not go inside anyone’s house.
• Do not go into a stranger’s automobile.
• Do not take shortcuts through backyards, alleys, or parks.
• Walk don’t run. When crossing the street look both ways. Do not cross in between cars.
• Trick-or-treat on well-lit streets within your neighborhood and carry flashlights to increase visibility.
• Children unaccompanied of an adult should always travel in a group.
• Use the buddy system, and make sure you have at least one buddy with you the entire evening.
• Parents should plan a route for your child to use while trick-or-treating and set an early return time for your child.
• When you return home, have an adult examine and discard all candies that are not factory sealed or wrapped by the candy manufacturer. Never eat homemade or unwrapped treats.

CDC Halloween Health and Safety Tips
FDA Food Safety Tips

Top 10 Scariest Movies of the Decade

The horror genre has had a revival in the last decade. The latest horror movie to hit the theaters Paranormal Activity has been generating a lot of buzz. With Halloween approaching we wanted to compile a list of the scariest movies of the decade for anyone thinking about screening a horror marathon before the 31st.

1. The Ring – (2002) A journalist, who loses her niece to a mysterious incident, investigate and then discovers a cursed video tape, which gives the view 7 days to live.




2. Red Dragon – (2002) The predecessor to the Hannibal Lector series. Hannibal Lector aids in the investigation of the serial killer known as “The Tooth Fairy”.




3. 28 Days Later – (2002) Four weeks after an unexplained, terminal virus spreads throughout the UK, a handful of survivors try to find refuge.




4. Land of the Dead – (2005) The living dead have taken over the world, and the last humans live in a walled city to protect themselves as they come to terms with the situation.




5. The Others – (2001) A woman who lives in a dark old house with her two photosensitive children becomes convinced that her family home is haunted.




6. Saw – (2004) two men wake up, with a dead body lying between them, in the secure lair of a serial killer who's been nicknamed "Jigsaw" by the police because of his strange calling card.




7. The Descent – (2005) A caving expedition goes horribly wrong, as the explorers become trapped and eventually pursued by a bizarre breed of predators.




8. Hannibal – (2001) Hannibal returns to America and attempts to make contact with disgraced Agent Starling and survive a vengeful victim's plan.




9. Slither – (2006) A small town is taken over by an alien plague, turning residents into zombies and all forms of mutant monsters.




10. Constantine – (2005) Based on the DC/Vertigo comic book Hellblazer, Constantine tells the story of irreverent supernatural detective John Constantine, who has literally been to hell and back.

So what's your list of Scariest Movies from this past decade?

Hot Halloween Costumes

This year I think I’m going to participate in the fun Halloween Holiday! Normally, I hand out candy and watch all the cute kids with their costumes run around excited all night. Not this time! This year I want to remember how fun Halloween can be and dress up too!
In my search for costumes, I’ve come across some on the portal that I think will be hits this year and I thought I would share them with you.

For Little Boys: G.I Joe Costumes

(From left to right: Snake Eyes, Duke Costume, Storm Shadow)

Transformers Costumes

(From left to right: Optimus Prime, Bumblebee)

For Little Girls:

(From left to right: Belle, Hannah Montana)

For Adult Cosumes, I suggest sticking with the classics such as Vampires for Males and Witches for Females, or even cute pirates couples costumes. Last but least, don't forget those pooches. Check out the cute dog costumes we have as well.

I tried to add the classics in there while still touching on the new hot ones that have come out. What about you, have you decided what you want to be? Tell us what you or your children have chosen, I’m interested in hearing what everyone is picking!

Remember if you don’t see what you like here be sure to check out Market America’s Costume Category for more great costumes!