In a world where it’s difficult to avoid toxins and pollutants, a lot of us make green choices for our families – but did you ever stop to think about green choices your pets? The upsetting truth is that your pets are as susceptible to irritation and illness from environmental toxins as you are. In fact, the Environmental Working Group recently discovered that household pets are displaying higher levels of toxic contamination than people. Their study investigated the extent of exposure that pets face to contaminants in our homes and the outdoors, and the results were alarming.  All of these toxins can leave you with one sick puppy. The pollutants that are finding their way into our homes can cause cancer, allergies, and other illnesses. But don’t despair! Here are some easy green pet care tips to protect your pets from the chemicals that are all around us.

Choose A “Green” Organic Pet Food

If you’ve ever read the label of your dog’s favorite food, it’s likely you were surprised by the number of ingredients used. You might not even have recognized some of them. To protect your pets, brush up on the basics of natural pet
foods. Try to choose foods without chemical preservatives. Certified organic and free-range pet food is guaranteed to be free from hormones, chemicals, genetically-modified ingredients and artificial flavors and colorings. Organic pet food also tends to be sustainably sourced, so you will be helping the environment too by making this green pet care choice.

Choose Green Grooming Pet Care Options

Nobody likes pooches that smell, but some of the shampoos and treatments that we use on our pets can do more harm than good. Grooming products and flea repellents are often a source of toxic exposure for your pet and your family, causing allergies and illness. There are plenty of natural options available for both bathing and getting rid of fleas that will do the job just as well. Sites like Native Remedies offer pet products that won’t bring more toxins into your home.

Green Your Pet’s Environment

Detoxifying your home is great for pet health. Replacing older foam pet bedding (which can contain harmful flame retardants) and vacuuming often can minimize your pet’s exposure to toxins. Try not to use stain-proofing treatments on couches and carpets – they’re loaded with toxic chemicals. Also, avoid using insecticides when you’re caring for your lawn – they contain chemicals that can cause nervous system damage in pets.

Green Health Care for Pets

Treating your animal’s allergies and illnesses can be a detoxifying experience, too.  The conventional ways of dealing with allergies in pets rely on the use of medications such as antihistamines and corticosteroids. These treatments can be
hard to get right and long-term use can be dangerous, so a holistic approach to allergy prevention can be helpful.

You can also try alternative therapies if your pet were to get sick. Chiropractic, homeopathic, and holistic remedies are becoming increasingly common for pets. However, they do come at a price so pet insurance is a good idea. Not all insurers offer coverage for holistic treatment, so it’s important to read the coverage details carefully. One option is Embrace pet insurance. They offer both cat and dog insurance that include coverage for these types of toxin free treatments, so you can rest assured your pet will have access to the best health care available.

Adria Saracino is a marketer, blogger, and freelancer. When not writing for clients and connecting with interesting people on the web, you can find her writing about style on personal fashion blog, The Emerald Closet.

You may also want to read Things to Consider Before Selecting A Pet

It seems that at some point most people become interested in their history to a least a small degree. Learning your family history can help to strengthen your family. The more you learn about your ancestors and their lives, the more your present family will be enriched. Researching your family background can be an activity that involves everyone. Here are three ways you can learn more about your family history.

Researching Your Family History Often Starts With Grandparents

You are fortunate if your parents are still alive and your children can enjoy them.   Plan a time to ask your parents and grandparents questions about their youth. Often they don’t think it’s important, and you may have to draw them out. They may even be self conscious about their lives. You will have to be skillful but once they get talking though, you will get a wealth of information. Don’t forget to write down the things you have learned. It’s easy to forget details.

My own mother and father had some great stories about how they met. For their Fiftieth Anniversary, my children made a video about their courtship and married life. They acted out the roles of Mom and Dad. Believe me, that video has become a family treasure.

If your parents live out of town, there are still many ways to communicate with them. There’s the telephone, Skype, email and good old fashioned letters. For years, our family vacations took us to where my husband’s parents lived. That way, our children got to know their aunts and uncles and many cousins.

Photos Are A Helpful Way to Research Your Family History

Photographs are a great way to learn about your family. Just get out the photo album and start looking through it with your parents or grandparents. Once again, write down names. When my cousin died, I inherited some very old pictures. There were even some tin types. Fortunately, I asked my father about the people in the pictures, but even he didn’t know all of them.

Recent photos of your own family’s vacations or holidays are fun to look at. Pictures of your children at the beach or standing by your camping tent will be sure to bring funny stories to mind. Sometimes, you’ll hear about things you didn’t even know happened.

Of course, now, most people take digital pictures. Just be sure that you organize them in a way that lets you enjoy them when you want to. Creating slide shows of particular events like birthdays or holidays is a good way to present your pictures to your family.

Tracing Your Roots to Learn More About Your Family History

It’s a lot of fun to create a family tree, but diagramming the lives of your ancestors can be a daunting job. Fortunately, there are many online genealogical sites where you can do research without even leaving your home.

Even before you go online, talk to your living relatives. They may have important information about people in your family’s past that they are eager to share. You will hear some fascinating stories.

If your parents have a strong ethnic background, it would be interesting to learn about their struggles as immigrants to this country. My husband’s parents were born in Italy and immigrated here in their twenties. My daughter was able to visit their home in Italy and meet some of her Italian relatives.

Record Your Own Family History

Make sure you document your own family’s activities. They will be history to those who come after you.  When my family took a six week camping trip across the United States, I took plenty of pictures and some of the children wrote journals about their experiences. When we got home, I put it all together in two photo albums and they have become family treasures.

Knowing who came before you can help you appreciate where and who you are now. We don’t live in a vacuum. It is your responsibility to pass on to your children as much knowledge of their ancestors as you can. It is important for them to see their place in the living chain that is your family history.

Guest post by Stephanie who lives in Culpeper, VA where she enjoys hiking in the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains nearby. She has a website, Always-Outdoors, where she posts about outdoor activities and has written about everything from bird watching binoculars to a Coleman 3 room tent.

Callaway Gardens Details:

I just discovered Callaway Gardens, a beautiful 13,000 acres of Georgia countryside in the Appalachian Mountains. I chose it as a location for my husband and I to have our first romantic getaway without the kids.  I thought it would be the perfect place to relax and unplug!  Callaway Gardens offers one of North America’s biggest butterfly conservatories, the world’s largest azalea display, a lovely vegetable garden , ten miles of nature shrouded trails, lakes, bike and boat rentals, a Birds of Prey Show, and a Horiculture Center.  Oh yes, and did I mention the Treetop Adventure – Zip Line and Ropes Course and Virginia Callaway Discovery Center?

With so much to do and see at Callaway Gardens, we were not able to do everything we wanted during our little getaway but we did rent bikes and check out the nature trails.  We rode over to the Butterfly conservatory which was awesome.  They had tons of cocoons and you could witness some butterflies emerging and then go inside and see them fluttering about a terrific assortment of flora.  We enjoyed Mr. Cason’s garden and I loved looking at the amazing structures of the grape vines.

We rode our bikes around the lakes and saw the huge sand beach around Robin Lake. There was a big stage area right on the water where they have concerts and performances as various times of the year. I could just imagine my kiddos making sand castles and swimming on the Robin Lake sand beach.  In fact we passed several playgrounds and I kept thinking how much the kids would have enjoyed the trip too.  My husband and I even did a little mini golfing! They also had shuffleboards and ping pong tables.

Callaway Gardens is located just an hour from Atlanta, 3 hours from Birmingham, and 5 and a half hours from Nashville.  We stopped in Atlanta on the way to Callaway Gardens to enjoy lunch at one of our pre-kid favorite spots- the Euclid Avenue Yacht Club.  Delicious chicken quesadilla and Long Island Ice Tea!

The Lodge and Spa At Callaway Gardens:

We stayed at the Lodge and Spa at Callaway Gardens, part of the Marriott Autograph Collection.  The Lodge and Spa at Callaway Gardens blends the luxuries of an upscale resort with the simple touches of Mother Nature.  The resort sits within the beautiful Callaway Gardens, which offers a plethora of outdoor activities but they also give you complimentary wireless internet just in case you need to stay connected.  In fact, The Lodge and Spa at Callaway Gardens actually has the first U.S. Green Building Council LEED-certified conference center in the world!

The Lodge and Spa at Callaway Gardens has a hotel fitness center that is open 24 hours.  I skipped that but it was nice to know it was there!!  It also had a heated outdoor pool and two hot tubs.  There was also a Golf Course at Callaway Gardens that I know my husband would have enjoyed if we stayed a little longer but there was a lot to fit into our stay!

We had a room with a huge, very comfortable king bed. There were lots of pillows so that you could pick just the right firmness for you.  There were premium cable channels and wireless internet available but we just unplugged completely for our romantic getaway. It was a pretty room and had a lovely balcony that gave us a view of the pool, the fountain, and the tree line.

The bathroom was very spacious and had a separate shower and tub.   The bathtub was awesome- nice and deep so you could really relax.  They also had complementary items from the onsite Spa Prunifolia- really lovely shampoo and conditioner.  Speaking of the Spa…

Spa Prunifolia:

Of course, I loved the sound of Callaway Gardens but I also loved the sound of the Spa Prunifolia and it was a huge draw for me.  Relaxing, enjoying nature and a bike ride, and then an amazing Swedish Massage.  What’s not to love right?  You can have your cake and eat it too!  Recharge at Spa Prunifolia’s 13,000-sq-ft spa, with an array of organic spa treatments and services.  Yes, please!  I regret being unable to sample each every amazing spa treatment that Spa Prunifolia offered (such as the Lemon Verbana Body Polish, Garden Aromatherapy Pedicure, and Prunifolia Signature Facial) but I was fortunate to experience the Swedish Massage firsthand.  It was amazing!  First I hit their steam room while I was relaxing and waiting for my appointment time.  Then I was given a choice of four amazing essential oil enhanced massage oils with different benefits.  When I laid down on the massage table, I knew I was in for a treat.  The massage table was heated and it was so relaxing.  Then  I had the most amazing massage where she really worked my muscles in a very effective way.  I was experiencing a kink in my lower back for 3 days before the massage and it was gone by the evening after her amazing treatment.  I loved all the extra touches like the heated towels and heated eye cloth.  When my massage was over, I could have just stayed there all day I was so relaxed.  I stopped at the dry heat sauna on the way out.  A really great experience.  In fact, writing about it is making me wish I could head over there right now!  No wonder it is named a “Top 100 Spa” by Conde Nast.

Piedmont Grille:

The Lodge and Spa at Callaway Gardens offers onsite dining at Piedmont Grille and the Ironwood Lounge.  The Piedmont Grille offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner and features eclectic Southern fare highlighting as much local, organic and wild ingredients as the region has to offer.  We sampled some yummy treats.

Of course we had to try the Fried Green tomatoes with the hot pepper jelly sauce and the cole slaw topping.   Very nicely done!

I also just loved the fresh rosemary bread that they served us to snack on while we waited for our entrees.  It had  a lovely crunchy crust and really flavorful soft inside.  You could tell is was freshly baked.  I got the Prime Rib- YUM!

My husband had the Sweet Water Beer Basil Short Ribs served with homemade herb spatzel,baby brocolli and au jous. Really good!

I enjoyed the Bananas Foster French Toast with maple syrup, pecans, and whip cream so much that I forgot to take a picture until I had wolfed half of it down!

My husband enjoyed the amazing breakfast buffet with the custom omelet station.

Pine Mountain, GA Attractions:

Besides all of the attractions in Callaway Gardens, you can also check out the rest of Pine Mountain if you can find the time!

• FDR State Park
• FDR Little White House
• Wild Animal Safari

Callaway Gardens Georgia retreat is the perfect destination for family vacations or romantic getaways.  I even saw a wedding party at The Lodge and Spa at Callaway Gadens! We would certainly go back.

I was provided with a stay at The Lodge and Spa at Callaway Gardens in the hopes that I would share my honest opinions. I received no monetary compensation and the opinions expressed are my own.

Dulaney-Solar offers a variety of Solar Landscape Lights and a selection of unique Solar Educational Toys.  Dulaney Solar has just added a Newsletter as a free service to keep customers informed on their sales and big news in solar technology.  What does this mean to you?  Well, if you sign up for the newsletter, you will get emailed a 10% discount code so you can save on all your solar lighting and solar toy needs!

Solar Landscape Lights:

Solar landscape lights come in a variety of styles- solar spotlights, recessed solar lights, pathway solar lights, and even mounted solar lights. Dulanely Solar offers resistant plastic and stainless steel for extreme conditions and longevity. Solar Landscape Lights are certainly a functional and attractive addition your property. Best of all they will help you to go green by saving on electricity use and eliminating the need for wiring. The bright LED bulbs are charged by the sun and turn on at night.

Solar Toys:

Dulaney Solar also offers a fantastic collection of solar educational toys.  From solar trains to solar robots to solar helicopters, these solar toys will teach the benefits of solar energy in a fun way. These solar toys building kits are designed to teach how solar power is used to move a small motor as well as teaching about building. They may even spark a love of science and engineering!  Charge the solar cells under the sun or indoors with a halogen light and watch they solar toys go!

Solar Discount:

Head over to Dulaney Solar and sign up for their newsletter in the left hand margin to get a 10% off discount code to save on your solar needs!

My True Nature is a line of natural bath products for kids.  It was created by a mother for her children.  All of the My True Nature kids bath products are 100% natural and completely free of genetically modified ingredients, parabens, petrochemicals, phthalates, sulfates, synthetic dyes, synthetic fragrances, triclosan and preservatives.  (If you want to learn more about those chemicals and why you may want to avoid them, My True Nature provides details here.)  They use certified organic ingredients whenever possible.   Their plantain extract, white peony tea extract, aloe vera, olive oil and essential oils are all USDA Certified Organic.

You can even feel great about the bottles!  “Our bottles are made in the U.S.A. from 100% FDA approved post-consumer PET plastic. Post-consumer plastics have already been processed from a fossil fuel to plastic, so to reuse the material in a new bottle does not require the further depletion of new fossil fuels. Because of this, our bottle manufacturer estimates that the carbon footprint of our bottle is approximately 60% less than with regular PET plastic bottles.”

My True Nature Kids Natural Scrubby Time Set Review:

This natural Scrubby Time Gift Set includes a 12oz bottle of Ollie’s Natural Kids Hand Soap and an 8oz bottle of Daisy’s 2-in-1 Natural Kids Shampoo/Body Wash.  I like the nice big size of the natural kids hand soap and like that it is plant-based and gentle yet very effective!  It also has a very light fragrance which is soft and pleasing probably from the organic white peony tea extract.  The Daisy’s 2-in-1 Shampoo/Body Wash gets my kiddos squeaky clean without irritating their eyes or drying their skin. It has a very soft citrus scent. I like that they are full of nourishing and calming organic botanicals including olive oil, aloe, and pure essential oils but free of parabens, petrochemicals, phthalates, and sulfates.  My kids like the cute cartoon characters on the bottles!

My True Nature Kids Natural Gift Set Giveaway:

One lucky winner will receive one My True Nature combo gift set which includes a 12oz bottle of Ollie’s Hand Soap and an 8oz bottle of Daisy’s 2-in-1 Shampoo/Body Wash. ($28 value)

Giveaway Dates:  February 22- March 7, 2012 Midnight CST

How to Enter:
Do any one or more of the following and post a comment below about each action you took. Each comment will count as a separate entry so your chances of winning increase- limit of 5 entries per person since there are only 5 actions.

1.  Visit My True Nature and leave a comment here with something that catches your eye
2.  Subscribe to Family Focus Blog RSS feed or email in top right hand margin
3.  Like My True Nature on Facebook
4.  Like Family Focus Blog Facebook page
5.  Tweet and leave URL:
Enter to win @MyTrueNatureSF #Natural #Kids Bath Gift Set #Giveaway  http://familyfocusblog.com @familyfocusblog

Giveaway Rules:
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY AND VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.  Open to the USA only,  age 18+ to enter. Winner announced right here on March 8, 2012. Thanks for entering and good luck! Winner selected through random.org and notified by email.

I was provided with the gift set in the hopes that I would share my honest opinions.  I received no compensation and the opinions expressed are my own.  Affiliate link included.

Mr. Chewy is an online pet supplier.  If you aren’t familiar with Mr. Chewy, they offer fast convenient service with a huge selection and lots of information to help you find just what you are looking for.   My “celebrity dogs” were given the opportunity to review a new addition to the Mr. Chewy dog food line up- Orijen Dog Food.

Orijen Natural Dog Food Review:

I took a peek at Orijen Dog Food to see if I would be interested and I was caught by the slogan- “Nourish as Nature Intended.”   Orijen differs from conventional pet food makers because Orijen makes “Biologically Appropriate” dog food formulated to nourish dogs in keeping with their evolutionary and anatomical adaptations.  Orijen dog rood is rich in protein with limited carbohydrates and it is actually grain-free dog food! Orijen features more fresh meat than any other dry dog brands- 75% or more! Orijen is designed to mirror the natural diet and includes a diversity of meats including fresh, free-run chicken and turkey, fresh whole eggs, fresh free-range red meats and fresh saltwater and freshwater fish for a healthy and nourishing diet as nature intended.

Orijen says, “We start with fresh, never-frozen meats that are sustainably farmed, fished or ranched within our region by people we know and trust. Considered too expensive by conventional pet food makers, our fresh regional ingredients are unmatched in any other dog or cat food on earth. From free-run poultry, to wild-caught fish to free-range red meats, our regional ingredients are approved ‘fit for human consumption’ by the Government of Canada and arrive at our door fresh each day — so they’re preservative free and bursting with goodness to nourish your dog or cat completely.”

Orijen dog food also offers a variety of dog foods so you can find just the one that meets your dog’s needs.  The Orijen Senior Dog Food was calling to my German Shepherds- Mozart is about 13 years old, and Duchess is about 12 years old.   I had a feeling that this Orijen high protein dog food would appeal to their taste buds and I was also glad they would be getting the extra nutrients they really need at their old age.  I was impressed at the Orijen dog food herbs, enzymes, antioxidants, and vitamins to help strengthen my dogs’ tissues and organs.  When put to the test, my dogs loved Orijen Senior Dog Food.  I could smell a difference in the Orijen dog food verses dog food from the grocery store.  The Orijen natural dog food smelled really fresh and rich.  If I could smell the difference, I know they could and they rush right over to eat up their dinner when I crack open the bag.

Mr. Chewy did provide me with the Orijen Dog Food in the hopes that I would share my honest opinions.  I did not receive monetary compensation and the opinions expressed are my own.

FreeRxPlus is proud to offer a free Prescription Discount Card Savings Program to all who need it!  The FreeRxPlus Prescription Drug Program allows you, your family and your friends to easily save money on prescription drugs. It is not insurance. It is a way for you to receive significant discounts on prescription drugs at most pharmacies. The Prescription Discount Card can save you up to 70% off prescription drugs at participating pharmacies nationwide, and even more through their mail order program.  They also offer discounts on medical labs and imaging.

“Drug costs have been the fastest growing component of healthcare costs for the past 5 years…Anyone with or without prescription coverage can take this card to a participating pharmacy and receive immediate savings on medications.The FreeRxPlus® card is accepted at … over 54,000 national & regional chains as well as thousands of independent pharmacies!“

You can find out all the details on the Free Prescription Drug Discount Card at freerxplus.com.  You can print a free card right off the site or have one mailed to you!  Check it out to see what you can save today- it’s free after all!

I was provided with information on the Free Prescription Drug Discount Card by an Independent Distributor/ Med Tech who meets with nurses and office managers of private physician offices to make known that this free program is available to all private pay patients or patients with a lapse in coverage(medicaid, chip, medicare, medi-Cal).  Sponsor Feature.

I was recently sourcing some articles for fun kids crafts and I ran across WallPops, a premier line of peel and stick wall art, from Brewster Home Fashions for fun wall décor kids can create in minutes.  I had heard of peel and stick wall decor before but I was very unsure what to expect.

I searched Wall Pops to see just what kind of options they had and I found quite a few I fell in love with.  But I was left wondering what would they really be like when I put them on my wall?  Would they get messed up easily?  What if I got them on crooked?  Would they look classy?

Wall Pops Review

I decided to try out a kids one because I never did get around to painting the mural I intended to paint in my children’s room.  I found the perfect one that would be great for a boy or a girl since my kids share a room- a peel and stick tree with animals.  This WallPops tree kit features a delightful tree surrounded by woodland animals, butterflies, bluebirds, toadstools, and acorns.   It is so cute!  My kids LOVE it and so do my husband and I!

The Tree house Wall Art Kit contains two 17 1/4″ x 39″ sheets and comes with 26 pieces.  I unrolled it and right away my kids wanted to help.  I was nervous about this since they are only 4 and 6.  I also wondered if I should wait for my husband to get home and do it all precise with measuring.  The kids and I were to excited so we decided to go for it.  I did the first panel being super careful to get it just right while my daughter peeled up the second panel and got ready to add on.  I helped her line it up and I was amazed at just how easily it went on.  We didn’t end up with any bubbles which I was nervous about at first until I did the first one and saw how easy it was to affix to the wall.  My son wanted in on the fun and stuck the owl onto the wall.  I wanted it in a different position and was able to move it very easily.  WallPops are great quality, look really good, and are so easy to use.  I give them two thumbs up.  The fact is, I want more WallPops to decorate my bedroom and living room too!

Pretty dramatic before the peel and stick wall decor and after the peel and stick wall decor photos!

Oh, one more thing I did, they come down nice and easy so some day when my kids think they are too grown up for that, I can just peel the Wall Pops off!

I was provided with the Wall Pop peel and stick wall decor in the hopes that I would share my honest opinions.  I received no monetary compensation and the opinions expressed are my own.

My kids love face painting. I have done face painting for fund raisers and fairs and it was surprisingly popular and lots of fun.

Face Painting Tips:

*Professional face paint is expensive, but it is so worth it, they are certified safe.  That way you can rest assured that there are no hidden nasties or toxic pigments in the facepaint.
*Professional face paint goes on a lot easier and comes off much easier, especially out of carpet and clothes.
*Buy big tubs so that you don’t run out and have a sea of disappointed faces.
*To keep costs down, just buy a couple of colors, like red, blue and yellow, and
mix them together to make more colors.
*Use disposable cotton buds and make-up pads. Using different pads for different colors means you don’t have to wash out the pads during a painting session.
*Make sure you have plenty of photos of finished faces that kids can look at while they were waiting. This gives them time to make their minds up and also gives you a template to work from. *Many of the face paint suppliers will also provide photos and charts of the finished product as well as stencils for the less confident.
*Remember to take a mirror so the person who’s face you’ve just painted can see the result.
*Baby wipes work fast and easy for ‘mistakes’; you can also be assured they are safe to use on faces.
*Avoid letting paint dry on your brushes and utensils. Brushes, utensils, and hands can then be washed with soap and water.

How To Videos are available on the website

http://www.derivan.com.au/pages/face-and-body-paint-videos.html

Guest post by Luke Verhelst who is an artist. You can see some of his work at CafePress.

Babies come into the world depending on those around them for everything. They need others to provide for their food, clothing and safety. Parents need to be hyper-vigilant when their babies learn to crawl and walk to ensure their children’s safety.

As a child grows from an infant to a toddler, parents must begin to teach the child about safety. Parents need to begin telling their toddlers why they do certain things. Although parents do not owe a child an explanation of every decision, they need to help the child become aware of some of the dangerous possibilities that can occur. Telling children to stay back from the stove when mom is cooking because they might get burned reminds them that even common situations can be dangerous, so the child must begin to think before acting.

A wise parent will realize that, although toddlers are capable of understanding simple instructions, many toddlers have very poor impulse control and very short memories. Therefore, while a toddler may understand a parent’s instructions to stay close in the parking lot, the child may forget the command in his excitement to enter his favorite restaurant. Parents must never depend on a toddler’s obedience in life-or-death situations. It is good for the parent to not only give a command, but also be vigilant to ensure that the command is followed.

Many parents find that strong-willed children are quite difficult to keep safe. These toddlers seem bent on defying any parental order, even those that are clearly designed for safety. These children are so focused on establishing their independence, that they disregard many parental commands. A good parenting technique for these challenging children is to give them choices. Giving a child a choice between two equally safe options gives him the illusion of autonomy, but still forces him to comply with your wishes. A parent might tell her toddler, “We are going into the store now. Do you want me to carry you, or do you want to hold my hand and walk?” Either way he decides, the child will be safe, but he will feel that his wishes and independence are respected in this scenario.

Toddlers are fast, smart and determined, but they usually are unaware of the dangers of everyday life. It can be overwhelming at times to be completely responsible for the safety of a toddler. However, by using common sense and vigilance, is possible for parents to protect their small children from most of the hazards of every day life.

Guest post by Monica, who believes that safety should be an important consideration when choosing childcare services as well.  She suggest that to ensure that children are properly supervised, parents should make sure that state recommendations for the adult-to-child ratio in day cares are followed.