How to Find a Good Pediatrician in Your Area
May 31, 2008
How to Find a Good Pediatrician in Your Area
by: Jacqueline Courtiol
Congratulations, you’re pregnant. As the count-down to the birth of your new child approaches, you should consider finding a pediatrician who will work the best with your soon to be expanding family. Having a pediatrician on-hand though the formative weeks and years of your child’s life is in the best interests of both you and your child. Waiting until your child gets sick or needs a check-up is absolutely not the time to be going through the selection process, which can be stressful even when everything is going according to plan.
Beginning Your Search
There are several sources you can tap into to locate qualified pediatricians in your community.
- A good place to start is the “American Board of Pediatrics (ABP)”. A pediatrician who is certified by them will have will have graduated from four years of medical school, received three years of resident training, and passed their written examination. They provide pediatrician search service on-line.
- Another source is the “American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)”. They also provide a referral database of participating members.
Divorce and the Stock Market
May 30, 2008
The most recent statistics show that about 50% of all marriages end in divorce. It is not very encouraging to enter into any kind of relationship knowing that it only has a 50/50 chance of being successful. Failure at anything is never pleasant, but there is one good thing about divorce. You are now free to try again and hopefully this time you will not make the same mistake.
Now I want you to think about divorce and the stock market. Do you own any stock or mutual funds that are selling for less than you paid for them? If you have owned any equities during this past three years I will be willing to bet you have some losers in your portfolio. Don’t you think it is time to think about a divorce, a divorce from a losing situation?
Suppose you sold everything today and put it all in a money market account paying 1%? I know what you think about 1%. Suppose you had dumped those losers 2 years ago and been in cash all this time? Would you be money ahead at 1%? I’ll bet you would.
How To Give A Great Gift Without Breaking The Bank
May 29, 2008
How To Give A Great Gift Without Breaking The Bank
by: Prachy Kansara
In a previous article I had said something about gifting for the general gifting etiquette with a lot of help from team of www.best50thbirthdaygift.com. Here will put some light on what one should do in order to have a more specific occasion such as a Holiday Season gifting. Although I should mention that I have taken portions of ideas from a book and I find it worth sharing. Here is how it goes.
Let’s start with the big E Expenditure
I started with an outline budget of what I wanted to spend on this occasion.
After I finished examining my expenditures for last year and created my new budget, I found a few less relevant categories that needed cutting out for this coming year. I especially found a great opportunity to save money in our “gift” category. See More
First, I made the decision that my theme for this year would be gift giving from my heart. Last year as I had Christmas packages spread around the living room and was trying to sort them for mailing, I found myself thinking like Scrooge. I decided that wasn’t really a very good way to enter into the Holiday Season!
Beyond Her Grasp
May 29, 2008
I am a woman, 42, who three years ago married a wonderful man who will be 48 on his next birthday. I love him very, very much. The only problem is our sex life is horrible. Pretty much nonexistent. I can safely say we have had sex maybe 20 times in our six year relationship.
When I’ve tried numerous times to talk to him, he gets defensive and says, “There’s nothing wrong with me.” He also says, if I want to have sex, I should just say so. But when I make advances, he pushes me away thinking I am playing with him. Then he leaves the room. Of course I get frustrated, out of the mood, and give up.
I love my husband so much I don’t make a big deal of it, although I know this is not normal or healthy. I can’t get him to go to counseling or discuss this. I am at my sexual peak, and I am tired of dreaming of sex with other men. I want our relationship to work, but I just don’t know how much longer I can go on like this.
Claire
If You Really Need A Dating Quiz, Maybe You Shouldnt Be Dating
May 28, 2008
Q. My boyfriend failed a dating quiz. Should I dump him?
A. If you’re the type that hates to be dumped, then you should dump him before he finds out that you even asked this question. If you put so much value on a dating quiz that you’re willing to break off a relationship because someone “failed” it, then maybe you’re not ready for dating yet.
You see, a dating quiz is written for entertainment purposes only. I’m not trying to be sexist here, but they are usually written for girls and young woman, and they are designed to prey upon your natural insecurities. They are biased towards some unrealistic viewpoint of what the perfect partner is and the perfect partner doesn’t exist.
I remember a dating quiz that asked if my girlfriend reached over to unlock the driver’s door after I let her into the passenger door. If I answered “Yes” then she would make a perfect wife. If I answered “No” then I should run away!
Come on, get real. If that’s all it took to be a perfect wife there would never be any divorces.
Healthy Eating For Children
May 27, 2008
Healthy Eating For Children
by: David McCarthy
Healthy eating for children should be treated as top priority by all parents because as a parent we all have a responsibility to give our children the best possible start in life. Feeding them a healthy diet when young helps them to grow into fit adults who suffer from fewer ailments and can look forward to longevity. Is there any parent who doesn’t wish this for their children?
The obvious question now is what constitutes and good diet for children? I will give a link to a very good website at the end of this article that will deal with all the technical aspects of a healthy diet. For now accept that the food pyramid that was instigated by the US Department of Agriculture is a very good starting point.
http://www.recipesmania.com/article-food-pyramid-1.html
Save the Date Etiquette: Everything You Need To Know
May 26, 2008
Save the Date Cards are announcements that inform your guests of your future wedding in order to keep your special day free. They are essential in the following situations: if many of your guests are traveling to your wedding, your wedding takes place on or around a holiday, you are planning a faraway destination wedding, or your wedding will take place in a seasonally busy or tourist locale, where the flights and hotels perhaps book up early.
They are generally sent at least 4-6 months prior to your wedding but, if you are planning a destination wedding, for example Hawaii it is strongly recommended that you send them 12 months in advance if not longer. For seasonally busy and tourist locales or on or around a holiday it is best to send them 9-12 months in advance. Your guests will then have ample time to make all the necessary arrangements needed to be a part of your special celebration and may even extend it into a vacation of their own.
Use your imagination, Save the Date Cards are not meant to be formal. There are many design options available. You can have them match your wedding invitations, magnets, brochure style, post card size, multiple layers, booklet style, you can add a picture of you and your fiancé, or embellishments to add a personal touch.
8 Ways to Celebrate Chinese New Year
May 25, 2008
8 Ways to Celebrate Chinese New Year
by: Kah Joon Liow
What are the Chinese New Year activities for celebrating
this most important festival in the Chinese calendar?
Let’s start at the beginning…
In China, Chinese New Year is called the Spring Festival.
That’s because the first day of Chinese New Year falls on
the start of spring.
The beginning of spring is a fresh start
It’s the start of a new year of sowing and reaping.
A wish for a good harvest in the year ahead.
(That’s how the Chinese character for “year” nian2 年 came
about.)
A cause for celebration!
All around the world, Chinese families…
put up Chinese New Year scrolls on both sides of the door,
set off firecrackers (It’s illegal in many Chinese cities
now, but people do it anyway)
and married adults give children red envelopes filled with
“lucky money”.
Chinese New Year activities begin 2-4 weeks before the “big
day”.
Here’s what you can do to celebrate Chinese New Year.
It’s what Chinese families do all over the world.
Unusual Baby Shower Party Ideas For a Lively Celebration
May 24, 2008
Unusual Baby Shower Party Ideas For a Lively Celebration
by: Dee Schrock
Gone are the days of Aunt Tilly ooing and awing over cute little baby booties. New Mothers-to-be are spicing up the traditional showers to include more entertaining games and activities, including roping the dad-to-be into the fun!
Baby showers were traditionally held for women only. These days, it is more acceptable (and common) to hold couples showers.
Baby showers can be held at any time of day and can either be a surprise or involve the mom-to-be in the planning process.
Activity Ideas
Who said baby showers have to be boring? Here are a few ideas to liven up your celebration:
*Is the mom-to-be known for any particular hobby or activity? How about an all-inclusive activity such as bowling or based on her interests such as a natural history museum.
*Baby predictions theme. Will the baby be a boy or girl? A football star or Tasmanian Devil? Use a fortune telling theme complete with palm readings and crystal balls.
*Pamper the mom-to-be. You can pamper her with a day at the spa complete with manicures, pedicures, and massages. It can take place at the spa itself, or create a pajama party for in-home pampering.
?Dating Again? Redefined
May 24, 2008
Define dating again as The Joy Of Dating Again. It is all about rediscovering ourselves, and then sharing with others our growth and realizations.
Right now, take a moment and think about what the joy of dating again means to you.
Here are some definitions as examples:
The joy of dating again is a reflection of your evolution from pain to joy.
The joy of dating again is a self-growth process, and we share ourselves through interacting with others.
The joy of again is a method of discovering your new sense of self and developing your instinct.
The joy of dating again is a trip into the unknown, expecting the known to happen.
Dating again is like peeling an onion, you are always discovering more about yourself, and others… and there’s always more coming.
The joy of dating again is learning how not to need anybody to make us happy; therefore, finding happiness and love.
The joy of dating again is stretching our comfort zone by trying things we have never tried before.
The joy of dating again is learning to give ourselves the gift of self-esteem.
