Tips on Buying Bottled Water

There has been some controversy lately about buying bottled water because of plastic leeching from the bottles into the water.. First off not all bottled water can be considered to fine or premium bottle waters.

Still you and your kids have to drink water. If. Not drinking enough water often causes the feelings of illness that many people experience when they are first beginning a diet or exercise program. These symptoms can include dry itchy skin, headaches, stress, mental fogginess, weakness, sleepiness, bloating and constipation

Here are some tips on buying bottled water that is of a healthy and of a high quality because the last thing we want to do is lower the life quality for our children any more than we already have.

The first tip is 'don't believe the pictures that you see on bottled waters'. One of the biggest scams going when it comes to bottled water is for the manufacturer to package it with pictures of mountains or clear flowing crystal springs on the labels. You would think from looking at the labels on these waters that you are buying a product that is packaged right at the source. Nothing could be further than the truth. There are several very big manufacturers of bottled water that are simply reselling tap water from the Great Lakes and other sources are not that pure. In essence, what you are buying, despite that picture of the Majestic Mountain or big iceberg on the label, is simply tap water made from municipal sources.

The second tip is to never buy a bottle that has been scratched. You can often see a scratch in a bottle if you hold it up to the light. If you see a scratch it means that the product may be contaminated with chemicals from the glass or plastic leaching into the water. This is because plastic is made from layers and not all of the plastic used to manufacture a plastic bottle is that hard.

The third tip is to never buy a plastic bottle of water that a bit warped or looks like it is melted a bit. This can mean that the bottle melted a bit from heat exposure. When plastic bottles are heated up the chemicals in the plastic can leach into the water as well. This is also why you should avoid drinking bottled water that you know has been sitting in the back of a hot car trunk or in direct sunlight. It is possible that the ultraviolet rays from the sun have degraded the plastic and caused the beverage to become toxic.

The fourth tip is to always check the cap on any bottled water that you buy. If it is loose, open or appears tampered with in any way due not consume the water's content. Anything can happen in this day and age. The water could be tampered with or contaminated with bacteria. If the bottled water container appears fat or swollen this is definitely a sign that the water has gone off or is contaminated with bacteria so don't drink it!

Valentine’s Day Crafts

Valentine crafts are a perfect expression of your affection for another person because they say that the most heart-felt gift is a home made one. There are literally thousands of valentine craft ideas on the Internet, complete with recipes for everything from home made clay to gel candles. All you have to do to meet with the slightest bit of inspiration to get some kind of craft project going with your children.

Perhaps one of the most classic of valentine crafts is the floral wreath. All this involves is visiting your local craft store or Walmart to pick up some heart shaped foam backing. This foam backing will act as the armature for your valentine floral craft. You then have the option of pinning real or fake flowers (preferably red or pink roses!) to the armature until no foam is exposed. This kind of wreathe can also be decorated with bows, ribbons gumdrops and heart shaped candies. You can also buy heart shaped armatures at Walmart and other craft outlets that are made out of twisted ropes of grapevines. These grapevines make a very attractive spine to which you can attach blooms with tiny bits of wire.

Wreathes don’t have to created from flowers. They can also be created from candies. Heart shaped candies or chocolates can be affixed to a heart shaped backing to create an easy valentine craft that is also edible!

The art of candle making is also a source of valentine craft ideas, especially with the advent of the new gel candle making kits that are now out there on the market. Gel candles are petroleum based and they are not free standing, so you do need to purchase some attractive jars to pour your finished product in. Gel candles are created by melting flakes or chips of the gel in a double boiler and then pouring it into a jar or a glass. As gel candles are see through and often resemble liquid, a champagne or wine glass makes an attractive vessel. Before you pour the liquid you can also place objects such as small plastic hearts, faux engagement rings as well as heart shaped glitter into the glass before you pour the gel into the vessel. Like jello, the gel candle will harden and the objects will be suspended in the glass. Tying the jar or ribbon with a red bow turns this valenties day craft into a great gift.

The safest and easiest to make valentines crafts for children are usually made of construction paper or play dough. Pink home-made play dough is easily made using flour, salt and water and a couple of drops of food coloring. You can roll out the dough like clay and make heart shaped plaques using heart shaped cookie cutters. The heart-shaped results can be baked in the oven like cookies and given away like gifts.

Hearts can also be cut out of red construction paper to create valentines crafts. Red paper glue and scissors can either used to make cards or an accordian like string of decorations. All it takes is some glitter, crayons and a little imagination to spark your child’s imagination to create unique valentine’s crafts.