Now imagine trying to divert curbing every time you pull into your driveway because some new city ordinance prohibits those nice tapered sidewalks that extend from your driveway into the street and you now have to drive over a rolled curb to get into your car.

No matter what angle you come in, you’re always going to hit the undercarriage of your car damaging the suspension and lowering the cars life in the long run.  Of course, you can always re-cement the sidewalk for a couple grand, that is, if your city lets you.  Or, you could get a curb ramp that solves the problem for a few hundred.

Both I and [[tag:Annie]] love to take walks in our neighborhood.  It’s a new housing development and with wonderful track homes.  The older section where we live have nice driveways with no obstacles to hit (except for our garage door, but that’s another story) and you could see over the years, how the home architecture changed giving it unique features as the real estate developer rolled out the phases.

It was about 5 years ago that the developer started putting in rolled curbs.  I told my wife that I wouldn’t buy a house with a curb like that and was glad we got in earlier.  It would have killed our cars.   I know that she wouldn’t be to adept at getting into the driveway, never mind our teenage son.

It didn’t take long and you could see from the gouges in the concrete curb where cars were hitting them left and right.  I guess my neighbor got pissed off at getting his car aligned every three months and decided he had enough.

The Bridjit curb ramp he installed does what it says it does.  It gives you that smooth transition from the street into your driveway.  He’s had it for about a year now and the HOA hasn’t complained and neither has he.

It was pretty simple to install.  The three piece hard rubber comes in 4 foot sections that are bolted together.  You can leave gaps at the top forming an angle that will fit the curvature of most cul-de-sacs.   The water flows in concaved section underneath, but you can tell from the picture that it does catch leaves.

[[buy:curb ramp|He bought his here]].

Dirt and mud collects, but all you have to do is flip it over and sweep away the debris or wash if down with a hose.  A very good product that you can sometimes find a little [[ebay:bridjit|cheaper on eBay]], but be wary of shipping costs.

[[rating:5]]

While this year I don’t think I’ll get an abundance of fruit, it’s good to know that my Blueberry bush will survive another season if I continue to monitor and test the soil.

Before we started using [[topic:ph soil meters]] it was hit and miss to keep our plants growing.  Our Azaleas often turned brown and die even with proper watering.  It was just that our soil around our house was alkaline and was killing our plants.

Frankly, I didn’t know that we had to monitor the soil so carefully in order for some of our plants to grow.

It wasn’t until we bought some acid loving plants a nursery, where they highly recommended planting them in their potting mix and to continue to add the compost every three months to help with the nutrients, I put two and two together.

Fortunately, testing the soil pH is much easier than it was in Biology where you dipped litmus paper in the solution to see what color the paper would turn.  While you can still use this method to sample a soil mix with distilled water, a pH meter with a soil/root probe gives you a digital reading.

Just stick it in the ground near the root system and you have a reading that tells you if your soil is acidic or alkaline.  That’s exactly how to test the ph of Soil.

There are several pH testers on the market that yield the information, except that I really like that fact that the Luster Leaf 1840 by Rapitest comes with a booklet of proper pH levels for about 400 plants and how to solve your soil problem.  The $20 meter will save you in the long run with healthier plants that you can enjoy year long.

It was clearly obvious from the evidence that with nice neat piles of leaves lined curbside, they could have only come from one direction … up wind.  But what can you do?  I guess I could plead with our neighbor to clean up his mess, but I doubt that would work.  So, alas, I get to work cleaning up my yard again.

Even though the curb-barrier made ready-to-pickup piles, it would take some time for my mini rake and hands to finish the job.  Of course the obvious solution would be to let it sit for a week for my gardener to finish the job or wait for the wind to blow and hope the problem would end up down the street at the next house.

But with minor complaints, I finish the job teary-eyed from dust and pollen — hence, the reason why I have a gardener in the first place — thinking there has to be a better way or at least benefit from the onslaught of leaves.

It’s strange how things work.  I was thinking along the lines of placing our sudden abundance into a composter only to find something better: Leaf Scoops!

Someone took the common idea of using two rakes together to pick up leaves and removed the cumbersome handles. Leaf scoops are made from a light-weight but sturdy plastic.  Cut out are slots to insert your hand in each one.

The formidable hand rake scoop can now be used with agility and speediness to cut down cleanup time to next to nothing.

[[buy:gardex leaf scoop|I bought mine on sale here]].  I just hope my leaf scoop it comes in before the  wind picks up again.
[[rating:5]]

What impresses me the most is that the Razor V9 is designed to protect children from ages 1 to 4.  The additional padding can be added for the younger wear yet when removed accommodate most four year olds.  This will give plenty of time before outgrowing and forcing you to going out and buy a larger youth-sized helmet.

The light blue color works for either a little boy or girl but the Razor V9 has a really nice looking design for girls called Maggie’s Flowers.  The helmet fits little heads 19 to 21 inches in diameter.

Although Schwinn and Bell make toddler helmets, they are slightly more expensive.  They have additional designs unlike than the plain blue Razor V9.  My preference is something that fits better and can adjusted as the child grows.  After all, it is common to add decals to helmets for that personal look.  But if a fancy creative design helps you to get your son or daughter put and keep a helmet on, go for it.
[[rating:4.5]]

This type of bike works well because they are made small enough for the child to both stand and walk with the bike and sit comfortably on the bike with both feet flat on the ground. Toddlers first learn to use these bikes by first walking with the bike while straddling over the seat. This allows the toddler to get used to a bike with wheels and steering. Once he or she is accustomed to this, he or she may begin to sit on the bike and slowly walk and once used to this, may begin to go faster and scoot along. After he or she is comfortable enough, gliding along is usually the next step. This is done by raising both feet while in movement and balancing on the bike. These steps usually come natural for a child to attempt, making the bike even more practical in learning to ride a bicycle. It also allows a child to learn to balance and steer before pedaling, which may be intimidating for very young children.

Runner bikes are very popular with families and there are now a variety of brands that are now very popular. These include Strider, KaZAM, Wee Ride and Skuut. Each has its own features and drawbacks that attract several types of parents and children alike.

[[http://stridersports.com|Strider bicycles]] are reasonably prices at about $100 on their website. They are specially made for children aged one to five years old because they have an adjustable seat that can lengthen as your child grows. This bike is lightweight with thick easy to balance wheels and a low center of gravity. This allows children to safely try out the bike for the very first time with little fear of tipping over, such as with the many training bikes. The low center also allows for children to easily steady themselves if they start to feel unstable on the bike.

At the same cost of a Strider bike, KaZAM’s most notable feature is its unique footrest that is positioned comfortably for children while they decide to cruise. It has been featured on various televisions shows and has won many awards as a toy and learning bicycle. KaZAM is also praised for its [[product:kazam balance bike|superior design and safety]]. They are more suitable for older children from three to five years old and ride best on smooth surfaces as opposed to more open terrain such as a park. The center of gravity is more similar to that of a normal training bicycle which may better prepare a child for the transition to a bigger bike, but may also be more intimidating.

The Wee Ride is one of the less expensive bikes available, but is only suited for children ages four to six. It also has an adjustable saddle and handlebars, but weights a bit more than the Strider and KaZAM. It is probably better built for children who were late in riding a bicycle out of fear from the pedaling and training wheels. It also comes with a brake and can handle different types of ground.

Skuut is one of the few rider bikes that only recently made the conversion to a metal model, but it is still very popular as a traditional wooden bike. Its appeal as a wooden bike is that it is one of the less expensive models. It can easily fit children of many ages ranging from two to even seven years old. The Skuut wooden bike is also the most physically appealing bicycles that many families do not mind having around the house. The metal bike has adjustable seats and handlebars, but they are not as easy as the rest to adjust. They feature disc breaks that are easier to use and more reliable and is also lightweight.

There are numerous toddler bikes available in the market. Each has its own unique features that are desirable for many parents and children alike and their own set of drawbacks. If the bike is for a very young child just starting off, a Skuut or Strider may be a preferred choice. The Strider does win over for its longer term usage and easier adjustments. A Wee Ride is perfect for older children who are learning to ride bikes later in life while a KaZAM is best for its reliability in the market and its noted safety features. Whichever is chosen, a bike such as these are great for teaching young children how to ride a bike and be active.

They didn’t have [[topic:balance bikes]] back then but if we had to do it all over again, we would skip the tricycle and training wheels and just have him learn with the most important step of balancing and control of the bike.

But as a parent, you must be wondering if two years old is old enough to start learning on a balance bike.  Regardless of size, as long as your child can straddle the bike, he or she can ride it or at least walk with it.

The magic happens when your toddler gains enough confidence to sit down after there is enough momentum to carry him forward.  This may happen when the bike is first introduced or when they have grown tall enough to sit down and lift their feet.

I cannot think of any manufacturer that makes a bike that is not adjustable so the day may come sooner than latter you would expect.  I especially like the [[product:KaZAM Balance Bike]] that adjusts and grows with your child.  Some of the wooden bikes are nearly the same price as the KaZAM and Stryder but do not have nearly the same number of features.

Keeping safety in mind, I think it is very important at this stage to introduce a bicycle helmet that is sized to fit toddlers.  A helmet too large will easily come off and will not provide adequate protection.  But it is necessary to reinforce the idea and habit of wearing protective gear while riding is vital.

Regardless of which bike you choose for your little one, you will rest assured that your 2 year old can learn to ride a balance bike.

I have to admit that out of all of her animal figurines, WFF mouse figurines are my favorite to collect.  Perhaps this is because they don’t cost an arm and a leg to collect and usually run about $100 each.  My perception of being less expensive than her [[http://www.lladro.com|Lladro porcelain figurines]] may be unfounded now that Annie rapidly checks off items from the Wee Forest Folk Master List with [[ebay:wee forest folk|winning bids on eBay]].

Even though the Petersen Family continues to release hand crafted each year, Annie loves her pajama party mice especially “Story Time” and “Doggie’s Dish.”  (Even I’m fond of some her mouse sports collection and I often dream I was on the golf course when looking at “Puttering Around.”)

One of our future vacation trips is a New England trip in the fall to see autumn leaves.  Of course we would like to tour the Carlise factory in Massachusetts, but from what I understand, factory tours are only open during the summer months.

If you collect figurines, I highly recommend the Wee Forest Folk.  They are cute and addicting making them fun to collect especially if you can [[ebay:wee forest folk|find bargains here]].
[[rating:4.5]]

The durable steel frame includes a foot rest where tikes will lift up their legs and rest their feet while coasting.  This feature is unique to this bike and replaces the normal pegs found on other riders.  The foot rest placement is roughly where you would find peddles on a two-wheeler making it an easy adjustment for your child enter the next stage of bicycle riding.

The adjustable handlebars and seat rises and lowers to the proper height of your child.  The seat adjusts quickly so that it can adapted when an older or younger brother or sister wants to give it a ride.

[[buy:green kazam balance bike|Buy One Here]]

The 12 lb bike is light enough for a three year old to handle plus the manufacture recommends that anyone younger should not ride the bike.

The KaZAM comes with a one year warranty but from what I’ve seen on eBay, they last many years.  If you’re interested in saving some money, [[ebay:kazam bike|buy a used one there for about half price]].

[[rating:5]]

The constant air flow of 75 cubic feet per minute (CFM) rapidly dusts beyond what canned can remove.  The duster is turned on and off by depressing the convenient switch with your right thumb.  Since you get continuous air, there is no need to burst the air out like you would do with a can.  Just hold and spray the air over the dirty area to clean.

Another nice feature is that the air comes out at room temperature so that you don’t have to worry about freezing things like you would with compressed air.  Your fingers won’t get frostbitten if you’re holding delicate parts while cleaning.

The ED500 has three different nozzles that give you from pinpoint control to a fanned out pattern for dusting larger areas.  I use the pinpoint to clean fans and air intakes on my computer and the widest nozzle to dust the cables and desktop.

The twelve foot power cord is more than adequate for dusting a small area such as a home office yet not too long where it gets in your way.  I do like that fact that canned air works without electricity which is one bad point against the DataVac.

There are many places online where you can [[buy:electric duster|buy an ED500]], but you may want to [[ebay:datavac ed500|check the auction places first]].  Sometimes you can pick one up a little cheaper.

All in all, the Metro Vacuum ED500 with its 500-Watt motor is a fantastic electric duster that can be used to clean just about any dusty thing in your house.  [[rating:4]]

I keep my WFF Mice inside [[topic:curio cabinets]] to reduce the dusting to next to nothing.  However, when I bring them out for display, these little dust catchers accumulate dirt particles that make them difficult to clean.

The best trick for quickly cleaning your mice is swipe a can of your hubby’s compressed air he uses for cleaning out the fans on his computer.  (And he wonders why he’s always running out of air.)  Gently blow off the dust keeping your mice a distance of at least twelve inches from the nozzle.

You will have to hold onto your collectibles because the air will come out at a hurricane force and may damage them if they are knocked over.  Use caution when using this trick.

[[product:electric duster|Click Here]]