Regardless of how you feel about the current state of our union, our nation’s beginning deserves celebration! Independence Day brings out the patriot, and sometimes the pyro, in us all. With that in mind, have a fun day, enjoy the company, food and fireworks and be safe.
Unfortunately, thousands of folks end up in the emergency room each year due to firework foibles. Don’t you be one of them. Adult supervision is a must, let me re-state that, mature adult supervision is a must. Keep in mind that even the most innocent of firework fun comes with danger. For example, did you know that sparklers burn at over 2,000 degrees! That’s enough to burn some metals. Perhaps a better alternative is to break out the glow sticks and necklaces and allow the kids to put on their own light show. If a swimming pool is involved, a night time swim with a selection of glow goodies, will keep the kids plenty busy.
It wouldn’t be an American holiday if food was not involved. We will be eating our fill of hotdogs, hamburgers, potato salad, other sides and desserts. Foods should not be kept out for longer than 2 hours; especially when temperatures rise above 90 degrees. Let everyone have a round or two or three, then make sure to get leftovers to the fridge.
Apple pie is a great all American dessert, but if you are looking to avoid turning on the oven, try one of these fun desserts:
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Use a star shaped cookie cutter to cut stars from tortilla chips. Brush the chips with a bit of cooking oil, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, bake at 350 for a few minutes until crisp. Serve with blueberries, strawberries and fresh whipped cream.
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This easy Star Spangled Ice Cream Pie is sure to be a crowd pleaser.
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For fun treats like Patriotic Rice Krispies, Watermelon Stars, Red/White/Blue Pops and more, check out this page.
If you are heading out to see the fireworks, expect lots of others to be doing the same. This can put any parent with little ones on edge. Generally speaking, it is as easy as holding hands as you make your way through the crowds. Another good precaution is to make sure the kids have copies of your mobile phone numbers, and that you have recent pictures of your children on hand. Have a plan in place, tell your children that if they get separated from you, they should find the first mom with kids they see, but stress that they should feel as if this is mom they could trust (moms that are yelling, screaming, or seem disinterested in their kids are not ideal). Then they can tell that mom that they cannot find you and give that mom your phone number so she can contact you – other moms are usually their safest bet.
Happy 4th of July! Enjoy your day and be safe!
Thank you to Elife for the image.
