SHOO FLY, DON’T BOTHER ME!
February 16th, 2009 | 
Author: With the advent of mosquito season, many people are feeling concern for more than just the annoying itchiness of a bite or two. Worries about West Nile Virus — and other mosquito-carried diseases — are leading many who would normally avoid excessive use of chemicals, to start spraying and slathering on insect repellants containing the chemical, DEET (N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide).
SAFE USE OF CHEMICAL REPELLANTS
If you feel you simply must spray yourself or your child with an insect repellant containing DEET, try to keep the repellant away from your child’s face. If you apply it to the face, spray or rub the repellant onto your hands first and then apply from your fingers to the face rather than spraying or applying directly from the bottle or tube to the skin.
Insects often bite the lower extremities, so spraying or applying lotion to your legs and feet (especially if they’re wearing sandles during the summer months) is particularly helpful. Avoid using DEET-containing products on your child’s hands because more often than not, their hands will eventually transfer the DEET to their mouth.
Don’t spray or apply DEET products over cuts, scratches, rashes, or other open spots in the skin.
NATURAL ALTERNATIVES
But are there valid, healthier options when it comes to repelling our fine buzzing and biting friends? You bet! Some ideas for natural insect repellants fall into the category of folklore, myth and urban legends, but other natural remedies can be an effective means of protecting yourself and your loved ones from biting bugs and harsh chemicals.
Natural insect repellants tend to provide coverage for a shorter time, but their coverage is safer so you may find it worth the extra effort applying a bit more often. Most natural repellants only offer about one-tenth of the protection time found in DEET-containing products, so plan on reapplying every 30 minutes or so. Because of their shorter protection time, natural repellants are ideal for short evening outdoor activities like walking the dog, barbecuing, or watering the garden.
Remember: Don’t spray or apply any insect repellants (natural or chemical) over cuts, scratches, rashes, or other open spots in the skin. Also, be sure to avoid the eye area when applying repellants.
ESSENTIAL OILS AS NATURAL REPELLANTS
The most common — and most effective — natural insect repellants are various essential oils. Clove oil and citronella (rose geranium) are the most effective against mosquitos, but be careful with clove oil and use it sparingly — it can be a skin irritant. Other fairly effective essential oils include: Lemon grass, eucalyptus, castor oil, peppermint, tea tree oil, lavender, and cedar. You can buy cedar oil in spray-on bottles at your local pet store.
It’s important to remember when using essential oils: Don’t use them internally! They need to be used externally on your skin and garments. Be sure to test any oils on a small patch of skin before applying widely to your body to avoid allergic reactions or skin irritations.
You can make your own insect repellant sprays by combining rubbing alcohol (or witch hazel, vodka, or olive oil) with one of the listed essential oils (about 10-to-1, alcohol-to-oil ratio). Shake well before each use.
To make a lotion, use: 2 ounces distilled water, 2 ounces olive oil, and about 120 drops essential oil. Put the water into a deep mixing bowl, and using a wire whip, begin beating quickly while slowly drizzling in the olive oil. After oil is mixed into the distilled water, stir in the essential oil of your choice (citronella is probably the most effective for insect repellant use).
You can also add a few drops of your choice of insect- repelling essential oils to your shampoo or liquid soap to help counteract the prefumes in these products.
Keep in mind that the following criteria reduces the effectiveness of all insect repellants: Clothing rubbing on your skin, natural evaporation, your skin’s natural ability to absorb anything applied to it, sweat or rain washing off the repellant, and a windy environment.
Some folks claim that garlic is an effective insect repellant, but I think it works best for repelling friends (and maybe a vampire or two).
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
–Deborah Taylor-Hough is the author of several popular books including, ‘Frozen Assets: Cook for a Day and Eat for a Month’ and ‘Frugal Living For Dummies(r)’. Visit Debi online at: http://hometown.aol.com/dsimple/
Copyright 2005 Deborah Taylor-Hough
Used with permission. All rights reserved.
http://hometown.aol.com/dsimple
/
Since we don’t use the phrase “I’m bored!” in our home, we never hear our kids complaining about being bored during those long days at home during the summer months. But … I have to admit that we’re still an incredibly normal family.
Even without the “b-word” in their vocabulary, there are still those times when my three children (ages 16, 12 and 
just seem to be at a total loss for something constructive to do.
On one of those “I-can’t-think-of-anything-to-do” days, I had my children sit down and make a list of everything they could do completely on their own without parental help. After they brainstormed about it for over an hour (which was a good anti-boredom activity itself), the kids had a list of about fifty activities. Surprisingly, they even included a few household chores like dusting and weeding! I decided to ask for input from some other moms, and now my children have a list of over two hundred ideas to beat summertime boredom, and the list just seems to keep growing.
Thanks to the suggestion of one mom, we’ve put each item on this list onto individual pieces of paper, placed the papers into a container, and when the children need inspiration for an activity, they draw two or three papers and then decide which idea they want to do, either as a group or individually. The mom who suggested pulling ideas out of a container told me she found this method more helpful than giving the kids a huge list of possibilities. By narrowing the choices down to just two or three, it was easier for the kids to pick out the one that sounded the best to them.
200+ IDEAS FOR SUMMERTIME ACTIVITIES In no particular order, here’s our current (but continually growing!) list of activities:
- ride bikes
- roller blade
- basketball
- play board games
- make a tent out of blankets
- squirt with hoses
- run through the sprinkler
- jump rope
- read books
- blow bubbles
- make homemade play dough
- play with play dough
- press flowers
- do crafts with pressed flowers
- write a letter to a relative, friend or pen pal
- clean bedroom
- vacuum livingroom
- clean bathroom
- make a craft
- draw
- color
- paint
- pull weeds
- watch a movie
- write stories
- use binoculars
- use magnifying glass
- use microscope
- bird watching
- write a play
- act out a play
- invent circus acts
- perform a circus
- play card games
- make art on the front walkway with sidewalk chalk
- play catch
- play baseball
- collect rocks
- collect leaves
- collect feathers
- play Frisbee
- make Frisbee’s out of old plastic lids, decorate with markers
- dust the house
- brush the pet
- write letters
- read a magazine
- play dress-up
- play Cowboys
- pick vegetables
- play outside with the pet
- build a fort in your rooms
- build a fort in the backyard
- do a jigsaw puzzle
- play on the computer
- listen to a story or book on tape
- do extra schoolwork to get ahead
- do brain teasers (ie: crosswords, word searches, hidden pictures, mazes, etc.)
- cook
- surprise a neighbor with a good deed
- play store
- prepare a “restaurant” lunch with menus
- hold a tea party
- have a Teddy bear picnic
- play with toy cars
- play dolls
- play house
- chase butterflies
- collect caterpillars and bugs
- plant a garden or a pot
- collect seeds
- hunt for four-leaf clovers
- learn magic tricks
- put on a magic show
- plant a container garden
- sprout seeds or beans
- make sock puppets
- put on a puppet show
- make Christmas presents
- make homemade wrapping paper
- make homemade gift cards
- make picture frames from twigs glued onto sturdy cardboard
- crochet or knit
- make doll clothes
- sew buttons in designs on old shirts
- run relay races
- make bookmarks
- take a quiet rest time
- take a shower or bath
- bathe a pet
- feed the birds or squirrels
- watch the clouds
- organize a dresser drawer
- clean under the bed
- empty dishwasher
- vacuum under the couch cushions and keep any change found
- write these ideas on pieces of paper and pick out
- one or two to do
- whittle
- whittle bars of soap
- practice musical instruments
- perform a family concert
- teach yourself to play musical instrument (recorder, harmonica, guitar)
- fold laundry
- sweep kitchen or bathroom floors
- sweep front walkway
- sweep or spray back patio
- sweep or spray driveway
- wash car
- vacuum car
- vacuum or dust window blinds
- clean bathroom mirrors
- clean sliding glass doors
- clean inside of car windows
- wash bicycles
- clean garage
- play in the sandbox
- build a sandcastle
- work with clay
- copy your favorite book illustration
- design your own game
- build with blocks or Legos
- create a design box (copper wire, string, odds-and- ends of things destined for the garbage, pom-poms, thread, yarn, etc.)
- plan a neighborhood or family Olympics
- have a marble tournament
- paint a picture with lemon juice on white paper and
- hang it in a sunny window and see what happens in a few days
- finger paint with pudding
- make dessert
- make dinner
- give your pet a party
- paint the sidewalk with water
- start a journal of summer fun
- start a nature diary
- have a read-a-thon with a friend or sibling
- have a neighborhood bike wash
- play flashlight tag
- play Kick the Can
- check out a science book and try some experiments
- make up a story
- arrange photo albums
- find bugs and start a collection
- do some stargazing
- decorate bikes or wagons and have a neighborhood parade
- catch butterflies and then let them go
- play hide-and-seek
- create a symphony with bottles and pans and rubber
- bands
- listen to the birds sing
- try to imitate bird calls
- read a story to a younger child
- find shapes in the clouds
- string dry noodles or O-shaped cereals into a necklace
- glue noodles into a design on paper
- play hopscotch
- play jacks
- make up a song
- make a teepee out of blankets
- write in your journal
- find an ant colony and spill some food and watch
- what happens
- play charades
- make up a story by drawing pictures
- draw a cartoon strip
- make a map of your bedroom, house or neighborhood
- call a friend
- cut pictures from old magazines and write a story
- make a collage using pictures cut from old magazines
- do a secret service for a neighbor
- plan a treasure hunt
- make a treasure map
- make up a “Bored List” of things to do
- plan a special activity for your family
- search your house for items made in other countries and then learn about those countries from the encyclopedia or online
- plan an imaginary trip to the moon
- plan an imaginary trip around the world, where would you want to go
- write a science-fiction story
- find a new pen pal
- make up a play using old clothes as costumes
- make up a game for practicing math facts
- have a Spelling Bee
- make up a game for practicing spelling
- surprise an elderly neighbor or relative by weeding his/her garden
- fingerpaint with shaving cream
- collect sticks and mud and build a bird’s nest
- write newspaper articles for a pretend newspaper
- put together a family newsletter
- write reviews of movies or plays or tv shows or concerts you see during the summer
- bake a cake
- bake a batch of cookies
- decorate a shoe box to hold your summer treasures
- make a hideout or clubhouse
- make paper airplanes
- have paper airplane races
- learn origami
- make an obstacle course in your backyard
- make friendship bracelets for your friends
- make a wind chime out of things headed for the garbage
- paint your face
- braid hair
- play tag
- make a sundial
- make food sculptures (from pretzels, gumdrops, string licorice, raisins, cream cheese, peanuts, peanut butter, etc.) and then eat it
- make a terrarium
- start a club
- take a nap outside on your lawn
- produce a talent show
- memorize a poem
- recite a memorized poem for your family
Have a wonderful summer! (And for all you people in the Southern Hemisphere, feel free to save this article for December reading!)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: –Deborah Taylor-Hough (wife and mother of three) is the author of ‘Frozen Assets: How to Cook for a Day and Eat for a Month’ and the newly released, ‘Frugal Living For Dummies(r)’ (Wiley, 2003). Visit Debi online for more articles and tips at: http://hometown.aol.com/dsimple/
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
Category: 
| 
