It's nice to see a warm day in my area. I think it's supposed to get up to 69 degrees today and then 73 tomorrow. This after about two weeks of freezing weather every night. I shouldn't complain, though. This winter hasn't been the coldest on record, I just feel like I've been using my heater a ton lately. In fact, my last gas bill said that my usage in December and January was twice what it was last year.

As usual, I started thinking about using the oven more to help keep the house warmer. (Plus who can complain about homemade cookies and bread?) This is OK since I have an electric stove (though not terribly efficient) but did you know that if you have a gas stove it's not safe to use it constantly like you would if you were trying to heat your home? It can deplete the oxygen in your house and cause carbon monoxide poisoning. I know when the recent ice storm hit Oklahoma and electric heaters weren't working, many turned to their gas stoves. If you have a carbon monoxide detector, this can help but what if the power is out and your detector doesn't have a battery backup?

With these issues in mind and more storms to come before the winter is over, find out if you should be worried about carbon monoxide poisoning and learn what to do to keep your family safe.