Wednesday, July 27, 2011

15 things you should always keep in your car

Labor day is fast approaching, but there's still time to get one last road trip in before the school year begins. And when it comes to driving, there are certain things you should always have handy, no matter where you're going. Here's a checklist of things you should try to keep in your car at all times.

  1. Spare tire. It seems silly to include this—don't most cars just come with one?—but if you've used yours recently then it's worth making sure it's back where it belongs before you hit the road again. Be sure to check the pressure and condition of your spare tire just as you would all of your other ones.
  2. Fix-a-Flat. At less than $10 a can, this product can be a lifesaver if you have a slow leak. Just connect the small hose (included) to your tire; the rubber compound flows in to form a strong seal and your tire is temporarily re-inflated, all without using a jack or having to remove the wheel. 
  3. Booster cables. It's often easier to boost your battery than it is to find a new one when you're stuck on the side of the road. 
  4. Roadside assistance. If you don't want to pay an annual fee for a service you only rarely use, but don't want to be stuck without a safety net while you're driving far from home, check out Allstate's new Good Hands Roadside Assistance. It's a pay-as-you-use-it program with set fees for certain services—$50 for jump starts, retrieving keys that have been locked in the car, tire changes, and fuel delivery (up to three gallons) and $75 for basic towing (up to 10 miles, $3 per additional mile). You can sign up in advance (it works in all 50 states, but not in Puerto Rico) and you don't pay anything unless you need their help. You can find out more or register for the program by clicking this widget:
  5. Small tool kit. I prefer an all-in-one gadget like a classic Leatherman multi-tool, but if you have room for a small box, be sure to stock it with a wrench, a ratchet and sockets, a small hammer, pliers, electrical tape, and flat-head and Philips-head screwdrivers.
  6. Flashlight. Don't forget to keep it stocked with fresh batteries!
  7. Charger for your cell phone. In an emergency, one of the last things you want to deal with is a dying cell-phone battery. Consider a solar-powered charger, like the Solio Universal solar charger kit, which comes with adapters for popular smart phones.
  8. Small first aid kit. You don't have to bring a kit fit for a wilderness explorer, but some antibiotic ointment, alcohol pads, an ace bandage, sterile gauze, medical tape, a small pair of scissors, a couple of maxi pads, and a few adhesive bandages can help you handle a minor injury. (Why maxi pads? Because they're far more absorbent than plain gauze.)
  9. Duct tape. Duct tape always comes in handy. 
  10. Plastic bags. Those ubiquitous grocery bags can be used for stashing wet clothes, lining a child-size beach bucket for use as a portable potty, covering your shoes in preparation for a wet walk, temporarily fixing a cracked window, and so much more. Bonus: Squished together, they hardly take up any space at all.
  11. Large towel. Use it for drying off in warm or wet weather, or as an emergency blanket during the winter. 
  12. Tarp. Use it as a shelter during inclement weather. Use it as a ground cover, or as an impromptu raincoat. A shower curtain may do, in a pinch, though it's not as large or as durable as a tarp.
  13. Chemical hand warmers or ice packs, depending on the season. Available at most hardware stores, hand warmers activate when exposed to air and can be used to stave off frostbite in an emergency. When it's hot out, a chemical ice pack (squeeze it to break an interior seal and mix the two components together) can help prevent heat stroke in people and pets
  14. Water. For drinking, and for cooling down hot engines or cleaning off buggy windshields.
  15. Extra clothing. You don't need much—a T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants, plus fleece gloves/scarf/hat for those cold weather months. 
What emergency materials do you keep in your car ?


This post was commissioned by Allstate; all opinions/reviews presented in it are my own.

Friday, July 8, 2011

Wish, granted: 6-year-old cancer patient hugs her favorite princess

I was so happy when this assignment was tossed to me today; after writing about horrible and heart-aching stuff for the past few weeks, it was wonderful to be able to share something so uplifting. Struggling with stage IV cancer, Diamond Marshall, 6, has her wish granted when she is chosen to greet Prince William and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, at the Calgary Airport yesterday. She was so excited that she threw herself into the princess's arms for a hug.

The pictures tell the story, but of course there's more to read over at Yahoo!'s Shine. Click here to read "6-year-old cancer patient gets a royal hug," or keep your eyes right here to see some of the sweetest shots.


Alberta Lt. Gov. Donald S. Ethell waited patiently while Prince William and Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, stopped to chat with 6-year-old Diamond Marshall on Thursday, July 7, 2011, in Calgary, Alberta.
(AP Photos/The Canadian Press, Nathan Denette) (Photos via Yahoo! Shine)

The 6-year-old was accompanied by her father and stepmother. "She was so lovely and so gracious," Danielle Marshall, 32, said of the former Kate Middleton. "For a little girl who has dreamed of meeting a princess it was a dream come true."

After hugging the pretty princess, Diamond said, "She was as fancy as she looks on the TV!"

The real clincher for me, though, was little Diamond's letter to the princess. "I watched you get married from my bed," she wrote. "My favorite princess is Aurora, who is yours? I would really like to meet you. Do you want to meet me too?"

(Photos via the Alberta, Canada, Public Affairs Bureau)

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

The Casey Anthony verdict: "This is a court of law, not a court of justice"

Casey Anthony and her lawyer after the July 5 "not guilty" verdict. Photo: AP via Yahoo!'s Shine.
I was horrified when 2-year-old Caylee Anthony was in the news back in 2008. I'd "lost" my youngest daughter in a museum before, though it was only for a few minutes, and my heart went out to both mother and child. Caylee had been missing for 31 days before her mother, Casey Anthony, reported her disappearance; soon after, the mother was arrested for murder. A few months after that, the toddler's skeletal remains, with duct tape over the nose and mouth, were found in the woods near her grandparents' house, where the little girl and her mother both lived.

The details are even worse, so I won't go into them here. But the most damning evidence against Casey Anthony was the fact that she lied about her toddler's whereabouts for weeks, and spent her time partying instead of searching for her daughter.
 
On Tuesday, Casey Anthony was found not guilty of first degree murder, manslaughter, and child abuse. The 7-woman, 5-man jury in Florida convicted her only on four misdemeanor counts of lying to law enforcement, which has a maximum sentence of a year in jail for each count. Given that she's been locked up since late 2008, it's possible that tomorrow the judge will sentence her to time served—meaning that she'll walk away a free woman instead of facing the death penalty or life in prison.

People all over the country responded to the verdict with disgust, disbelief, and anger. I've spent this week looking over the case and pouring over the details, and I have to admit: I'm disgusted, too. But still, the not-guilty verdict is right, even if it feels horribly wrong. Over at Yahoo.com, I explain why:

The outrage over the death of a little girl is understandable (to say the least), but it's easy to forget that Casey Anthony wasn't on trial for knowing what happened to her 2-year-old daughter. She was on trial for premeditated murder. And though there was plenty of logical, circumstantial evidence that pointed to her guilt, there was no concrete, forensic evidence that tied her to the crime. To put it another way: In spite of the phone calls, the diary entries, the lies, the non-existent nanny, the duct tape on the body, the computer searches for chloroform, and the evidence found in Anthony's car, the prosecution couldn't prove that Anthony was the one who killed Caylee, or that she wasn't instead covering up for the person who did.

The quote in the title of my post has been attributed to Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., and it seems right for this case. The jury followed the letter of the law, even if those of us on the sidelines feel that justice wasn't served. And isn't our court system supposed to be about the law and the presumption of innocence, even when morals, and possibly common sense, seem to say otherwise?

Friday, July 1, 2011

Wisdom from the road: What do you wish you'd learned earlier in life?

I first met Miss Britt when I interviewed her for a Member Close-Up piece at Work It, Mom!, back in 2008. We reconnected when she started writing the "Full Time, All the Time" column there, and finally met in person at BlogHer in 2010. A month ago, she and her family sold their belongings, left their home in Central Florida to spend a year living out of a 24-foot RV while they travel the country. And she's sharing her experience with her readers at her blog, "In Pursuit of Happiness."

Today's post is offers 18 things that she's learned during that first month on the road. They're pieces of wisdom that most of us are looking for but unable to find easily, distracted as we are by the minutiae of daily life. Here are the five things that really struck a chord with me:
  • Time together and time apart are both important for maintaining healthy relationships.
  • What you can provide your children has almost nothing to do with how grateful (or ungrateful) they will be.
  • Don’t put stuff off. Just do it, even if you think the outcome or news will be bad.
  • People and places can surprise you. Even if you don’t have the time to learn the back story, remember that there always is one.
  • Being clear about your intentions increases the odds that you’ll be happy with your results – in just about anything.
Click through to read Miss Britt's entire post and follow her adventures. But first, tell me: What's one you've learned that you wish you'd understood earlier in your life? (For me, it's the fact that the little things in life are the big things.)