Tag: college

College Bound, Healthy Living, Parenting

Finally, The College Student First Aid Kit with Mom-Approved Items

Erin Sluka

With one son back home after 4 years at College and continuing online, we have an 11 year old on his heels. I learned a lot as a College parent. I bought many things that turned out unnecessary and then there were the things I never thought of that became an instant need.

We spend about 18 years cooking for them, caring for them, cleaning scrapes, spooning medicine and now who will have eyes on them? Who will make sure they can take care of themselves? No one will! This is it and all you can do is send them off with the right tools and let them be little adults now. I bought a shallow tote on our son’s first year. It was low enough to slip under his dorm bed. In it were band-aids, medicine, Kleenex and all he’d need with a label that read -‘when you get sick’. It was the best I could leave him with.

Had I known about The College Student First Aid Kit that would have been so much better! Even a shallow tote took up too much room in that small space. The College Student First Aid Kit has everything but the kitchen sink (and the good brands too) in a small box. It was created by Beth Palmer Stewart, a Nurse practitioner with over 25 years of experience working with children, adolescents and young adults.

She also became a college Mom who quickly realized the struggle of finding first aid kits to leave with her student that wasn’t full of generic brands and wasn’t missing crucial items. She went to great lengths to research the best possible kits bundled into convenient sizes for dorm spaces and every student needs one as they head off to their new life.

I remember our son saying things like “..there is a student store if I need anything” or “…a Walmart is right down the street”. What they don’t realize is that when sickness hits you, that is one long drive to the store when you don’t feel like leaving your bed. Also, the student store was so far across campus and they lived at the bottom of campus hill and in the snow that town got, winter ailments were horrible if you needed to walk or find a parking space near that store. They need to have these essentials in the room and ready to go.

There are 3 sizes of kits to choose from. The most thorough is the Premium Plus Kit. With over 50 different medications, ointments, creams, drops, tools, and wound care items they will be taken care of just fine, Mom and Dad! Don’t worry. Before you know it 4 years have passed and you’ll be a pro at this. Visit College First Aid Kit to keep them prepared.

College Bound, Gift Guides

3 Unique Graduation Gifts that Promote Safety on College Campus

Erin Sluka

Sending one off to College? Scary, isn’t it? All we can do is help make sure they have all they need and let them go. For our own piece of mind, we can make sure we set leave them on campus as safely prepared as possible.

These Unique Graduation Gifts that Promote Safety on College Campus are great to give and in a time when needed, they will be so appreciative you made them available for them to use.

1. The Bunk Trunk

This is the best space-saver gift you can buy a grad heading off to a small dorm in College! If you have someone graduating High School and heading off to a College campus in a few months this is a gift that will get a lot of use! Dorm rooms are small and furniture just makes it smaller, so the Bunk Trunk is several spaces in one.

It is a safe/locker, nightstand and work surface all in one. But you can’t mount things or drill into the walls of a dorm room per the rules? There is no mounting hardware! It easily fits above the top bunk in college dorm rooms or under the bed. The BunkTrunk has a digital combo, so you never have to worry about losing a key. It even has a power strip with USB ports to charge your gear when it’s locked away.

The Bunk Trunk protects your valuables while you get to know your roommates and their friends. When student leaves their dorm room, they lock up their Bunk Trunk and take the key with them. Keeping valuables safe is on every students mind and this is a space saver and peace of mind for them. This is your must gift that you can buy HERE!

2. SABRE Pepper Spray Keychain for Women

Mom and Dad, take a breath! Remember putting your daughter on the bus for the first time and not letting out a breath until that little girl walked back off of it hours later? That doesn’t compare to leaving her behind on a big and scary campus! Leave her with SABRE!

Every female student (and males too) should carry a safe protection for themselves. I know a pepper spray is not cool-lookimg to carry around, so how about a pink one with quick release maximum police strength OC Spray. It also has finger grip for accuracy, 10-foot range with 25 bursts. So no one is messing with her now! This can be ordered right now on Amazon!

3. Securityman 2-in-1 Adjustable Door Knob Jammer

This is great for all dorm rooms. Not only does it keep intruders out, but there is no hardware installation needed which most dorms will not allow and it is easily removed in a fire or other emergencies where they need to leave in a hurry.

Whether they are in a co-ed building and needs that extra intruder safety or there is a campus-wide intruder alert they can safely barricade inside. Grips to hard floor surfaces or carpet. Available on Amazon.

College Bound, Education, Parenting

6 Ways to Prepare Your Teenager for College

Erin Sluka

You’re excited that your child is headed off to college at last! Most likely, you’re a bit worried and anxious, too, and so is your college-bound teen. Follow these tips to prepare your child for the first year away from home.

Determine How to Finance College Costs

Image via Flickr by CollegeDegrees360

Finalize college financing before your teen heads off to school. Help your child fill out federal and school financial aid forms and apply for scholarships. You may also need student loans to cover remaining costs. Remember that financial aid and grants don’t pay for some expenses, such as clothing, food, and car insurance. Consider taking out a private student loan to have extra cash on hand to cover such expenses.

Boost Emotional Skills

Right now, when something goes wrong, you’re right there to help your child through tough times. At school, your teen must manage emotions and challenging situations alone. Sit your teen down and talk about how to handle life events, relationship issues, and stress. Work to build your child’s confidence in handling emotional issues.

Review Basic Life Skills

Does your teen struggle to keep the bed made and the bedroom clean? Most likely, your child will share a room. Review how to clean, do laundry, go shopping, and cook some light meals. Make sure your college student will be a welcome roommate.

Discuss the dangers of alcohol and drugs, too. A college campus is a fun place that can be full of temptation. You won’t be there to help your child say no to risks like drinking and trying party drugs. Prepare your teen to make the right decisions when you’re not there.

Create a Budget

Teens who have not managed their own money will be in for a shock when they head off to college. Create a budget to show your child how much money to spend each month. Review how to track debit and credit card spending, and discuss the importance of paying bills on time.

Focus on Health

Immunizations must be up to date before your teen arrives on campus. Your child should also have a health insurance card and know where to go for help in case of illness. Review how to use campus health services, urgent care facilities, and emergency rooms.

You won’t be on hand to make lunch or dinner.  Teens will have a lot of food options, not all of them good ones. Help your child avoid the dreaded “Freshman 15,” which refers to extra weight college freshmen tend to gain. Review nutrition guidelines to help your child make healthy choices when you’re not around.

Make Your Expectations Known

Make it clear that your child is in school to learn. You’re not footing the bill or helping with loans so your freshman can hang out and drink beer. If you expect a report card with all A’s, make sure to tell your teen to work toward those grades.

Put your child on the path to living independently before your teen leaves for school. Review these tips with your college-bound teen to give him or her the necessary skills to be successful while living away from home.

College Bound, Gift Guides, Graduation Gift Ideas, Healthy Living

ZeroWater’s 7 Cup Water Filtration Pitcher with Ready-Pour Review

Erin Sluka

I have partnered with ZeroWater and sample was sent for feature

Do you have your list? That master ‘New College Student Dorm’ list? Perhaps you are sending back a Sophomore or Junior so you’ve been at a summer-before-start before. You will never use the word ‘compact’ or ‘dorm size’ as much in your lifetime as you will in the next few years. You have to think about space saving as you think about sending them off healthy and with the best of what you can leave with them. The ZeroWater‘s® 7 Cup Water Filtration Pitcher with Ready-Pour™ is a must-have and I will tell you why!

First of all it is compact. At 7 cups a pitcher it is shaped to slide into those small fridges. It saves time as a water pitcher because the design allows you to pour even as it finishes filling through the filter. Know what’s in the dorm building water? Do you really want to know?!! ZeroWater will leave you piece of mind that they are getting nothing but pure, filtered water. I put it to the test…..

I used 3 separate glasses so no residue from each testing water was mixed. I started with my city tap water and although when I look up my area it says our TDS levels are about 59, you can see they clearly are not! I have 126 out of my tap. I am still at the standard but obviously contains some contaminants. Then I tried a standard store bought water bottle and got 16…better! Of course my ZeroWater from the pitcher was zero. Now that sounds like a dorm must-have to me as a Mom!

Understanding the ZeroWater filter system and TDS

5-Stage Filtration:

Stage 1 – Removes suspended solids such as dust and rust that make your water appear cloudy 

Stage 2 – Removes additional suspended solids 

Stage 3 – Removes organic contaminants; pesticides, herbicides, Mercury, Chlorine, Chloramine, and stops bacteria from growing 

Stage 4 – Removes inorganic compounds i.e. metals, nonmetals and radiological contaminants. 

Stage 5 – Removes remaining suspended solids, holds the resin in place 

Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) refer to minerals, salts, metals including lead, chemicals, fluoride and runoff polluting your drinking water. 

A Promo Code for the ZeroWater‘s® 7 Cup Water Filtration Pitcher with Ready-Pour™

You can find the ZeroWater‘s® 7 Cup Water Filtration Pitcher with Ready-Pour™ at www.zerowater.com and if you use the code Grads20 you can save 20% on this exact pitcher! Head on over and save before that code ends! Be college dorm ready!