Always check the warning label

How can we possibly keep up today with safety? I mean it’s in everything we do and need. Car seats, not just 1, no way, there is 1 for every stage. Infant car seat, then 2 in 1, 3 in 1, then rear facing, front facing, booster chair. Air bags, side, front, rear. Helmets for bikes, rollerblades, skating, Does it ever end? They even have “Car Seat clinics set up just in case you don’t install your car seat correctly. I mean, are we being overly cautious or is all this necessary. Yes, I know statistics don’t lie and studies have shown the use of car seats and helmets help save lives and I am all for saving lives. I just want to know why they were not around when we were growing up? I don’t know about you, but I don’t even think my mother put a lifejacket on me when I went near a body of water. Taboganing, that was down a hill next to about 150 trees, ending with the Humber river below..lol. Did she ever worry that maybe my little tiny 60lb body (some things never change..lol) would fly into a tree and then maybe end up in the half frozen river??? Lol. I don’t think those things even crossed her mind. She just bundled us up in our snowsuits and boots and kind of pushed us down (that was when she actually came and supervised..lol). Skating, ya that too was done with no head gear, just plain old hats and earmuffs, that was our protection from the icy floor, puffs on our ears. There were no car seats, strollers with straps, helmets for cycling. Roller skating was and is, probably the most dangerous sport on wheels and it was around when we were growing up. I know a paesano (someone from the same Italian town) who fell while roller skating and she lost her 2 front teeth. Her mother brought her to the dentist capped her teeth and 2 days later she was back on wheels. There was no paranoia and fear of “what if” it happens again. My house is full of locks..safety locks. Locks on doors, drawers, cabinets, toilet seats. In my house growing up there was not one safety lock (except on the liquor cabinet when I was a teenager.lol). Everything was “enter at your own risk”. We were left unattended in the bath because there were no warnings on the bathtub (never leave child unattended) it was “get in the water and I’ll come get you when you are wrinkly and pruny”..lol. My mother left me and my sister in the bathtub for hours (water getting cold and all) and my sister (who is only 3 years older) thought it was funny to push my head underwater and see how long I can stay there before the bubbles would come up..lol..every time she would try even longer. My mother had no clue on to what was going on upstairs. If we were quite then that meant we were safe..lol.. I check on my son when he is taking a shower to make sure he didn’t swallow too much water..lol. Times are different now, we are bombarded with safety labels on everything we buy. Toys, strollers, cars, bikes and even on the things that are for safety. If you read the label on a floating device it is written in bold writing (Do not use as a floating device..lol) ok, if i’m not supposed to use it as a floating device then why am I using it as a floating device??? Safety, it is all around us. Wearing seatbelts while driving is now an essential part. If you choose to risk your own life and not wear a seatbelt well then you are getting a big fat ticket. Cops didn’t care back in the day, they would pull you over and just laugh and say “ok Ms, but next time maybe you should wear a seatbelt”. That was it, no ticket came with the warning. Our lives are now filled with safety and warning. Games have age groups listed on them . “Not suitable for kids aged 3 and under” or “this toy contains small pieces and may cause choking if swallowed.” Where were those labels for our mothers? I’ll tell you where they were..in a factory waiting to be printed 20 years later for us mothers today to panic and worry every time someone brings a new toy to our kids. There is no more opening the box (which is almost impossible to do because there are more plastic wires holding every piece of the doll together that you cause a sweat when you try to pry it open and you end up cutting yourself and then cursing to every Saint in the book, to the company that packaged the toy, and to the person that bought your kid the toy) and giving it to your kid. Today when you get a toy for your child..please, don’t forget to check the label!
That’s my peace today!

Stuffed Peppers
6 red peppers (cut in half)
1/2 lb ground veal
2tbs olive oil
1 cup cooked minute or long grain rice
1/2 c shredded zucchini and carrots
1/4 chopped red or yellow pepper
1/2 c cooked tomoato sauce (optional)
2 eggs
1/4 parmesan cheese
1/2 bread crumbs
1/4 c chopped parsley or basil
1/2 c shredded mozzarella

Cook rice as directed and set aside. In a pan, fry ground veal with olive oil. Once thoroughly cooked remove from stove and cool. In a small pan sautee all the cut vegies and set aside. In a large bowl, combine meat, rice, add eggs, cheese, cooked veggies, breadcrumbs and chopped parsley or basil,(if you are adding tomato sauce combine in mixture). Once all combined, take mixture and stuff into the pepper half. Top with mozzarella, (you may also add tomato sauce on top), cover with foil and cook at 400 degrees for about 45 min to 1 hour (depending on your stove).