DIY Trellis

We're selling our house and needed plants for the front stairs to "spruce it up" a bit.  So I bought Mandevillas because I heard they are hard to kill and since I tend to kill most plants I buy, I thought these were a good match.  And my goodness, I've done nothing to them and they're growing like crazy!!  So crazy that they outgrew the mini trellises they came with.  So I went to Walmart and Lowes looking for trellises....are those out of style these days?  Because no one carries them.  So I made my own.

Step One: Find two 4 ft long sturdy sticks and two 12" sticks.  These are the sizes I used, but you can make them bigger or smaller depending on where you want to put your trellis.

Step Two:  Lay out your trellis to the pattern you want.

Step Three:  Use twine to secure each intersection.  Wrap a few times around one diagonal then switch to the other direction.  Tie in a secure knot in the back of the trellis.

Step Four:  Stick in your planter and place your vines accordingly.  Looks like I'll need a bigger trellis soon.

Rear-Facing Carseat for your TODDLERS

I've posted about this on facebook before, but I feel like it fell on deaf ears (or blind eyes?)  So after reading an article on Parenting.com today about child safety, I feel like saying this about kids in carseats again: “REAR-facing is 5 times safer for two-year-olds.” -Dr. Baer, child safety expert

"The fix: Follow the newly-issued guidelines by the American Academy of Pediatrics that advise parents to keep their toddlers in REAR-facing car seats until age 2 OR until they exceed the height or weight limit for their car seat, which is typically 20 pounds for an infant seat, and 35 to 40 pounds for a convertible seat. Even if your child’s legs are touching the back seat of the car, or even bending so they’ll fit, it’s not unsafe and NOT a reason to turn your child around too soon."

(*info taken from a recent article about Child Safety on Parenting.com http://www.parenting.com/gallery/car-seat-laws-requirements-installation?pnid=318525 )

Don't want to believe me?  Watch this... Crash Test Dummies  Google it for more.  Head on collisions are far more serious than a rear-ender.  

I've heard these arguments:

1. I've already turned her around forward facing, she'll be mad if I turn her back around.

I say: So you don't want to enforce rules with your child? Your 2 yr old knows more about safety than you do? And you'd rather her have a broken neck?

2. I don't know how to install the seat.

I say: Take it to a fire station, they'll do it for you. Not an excuse.

3. Other kids will make fun of him for being rear facing still.

I say: Kids make fun of kids no matter what. Wouldn't you rather be safe than sorry? Wouldn't you rather have your child tell you when they're an adult that they remember being made fun of, vs not having your child make it to their adult years?

4. A rear-ended accident would cause the whiplash if they're forward facing. 

I say: Do you want whip-lash from a minor rear ended accident, or broken neck, paralysis, or death from a head on collision. You choose.

5. The odds of getting into a fatal head-on collision are so small, it won't happen to us. 

I say: I don't have those statistics, but my mom was killed in a head on collision so they do happen to normal people.

This is such a simple fix.  You may be one of the lucky ones who never gets in the accident which would be wonderful on so many levels.  You might be one of those parents who has had 3 or 4 kids already and never had an accident so why not keep doing things the way you have been, right?  If you got cancer would you want the same treatment doctors were doing 10 years ago?  nope.  Maybe you're a grandparent who isn't up to date on all the new research...tell your kids!

I can't say it enough, this is such a SIMPLE thing to do to protect your sweet babies and toddlers!  We run around our houses making them childproof, buying covers for our outlets, gates for stairways, locks for cabinets...why not childproof your car!?!