Momma Stuff

I’ve been too busy for the past weeks so I wasn’t able to post any new questions. Anyway, I think it is still good as it allowed some to still participate on the past questions that they find interesting.

This week’s question is about schooling and perfect age to enter school. I think it is quite timely as today’s the first day of school for most of the Filipino children. So the question goes…

Question:
For those who have kids who are already schooling, what age did you child enter school? Do you think it is the right age? Why?

For those who have kids who are not yet schooling, what age will you enter your child to school? Why did you pick that age?

The Rules:
The aim of these questions is to share opinions and experiences among moms (or dads) in the blogosphere.
Each week a new question will be posted and I’m inviting mom and dads to answer and share their thoughts about it.
If you are participating, leave your links in the comments section.
Link back to this site inviting other parents to join the fun.
Try to visit the other participants…you will love their answers, that’s for sure

Popularity: 51% [?]

After taking a survey of her readers, a travel editor reported: “If weather figured large in your reasons why a holiday was a great or a lesser success, friends figured larger still.” In fact, “good company” was given as the factor contributing to an enjoyable vacation “even more frequently than hotel deals and smooth-running hotels, trouble free journeys, good food, and interesting sights to see.”

When you vacation as a family, do not take it for granted that Mother will do all that she normally does at home. Be willing to assist with the daily chores. Show a cooperative spirit. Such an attitude contributes much to everybody’s enjoyment of the vacation.

Will your vacation be a pleasant one? A few choice photographs, postcards, and souvenirs, perhaps even some local crafts, are sure to bring back happy memories. But especially memorable will no doubt be newfound friends. Keep in touch with them. Exchange letters to relate interesting experiences. There are many ways you can make your vacation one that you will truly enjoy.

Popularity: 2% [?]

When I was still in school we use some fundraising events to support some of the charitable activities we are hosting for the community. These group fundraising events are always a success because of the amount of creativity and planning that goes into it. I even remember participating in Fun Runs to generate funds to give to less fortunate children’s books and school supplies. It was hard work but nonetheless fun because you know you are doing it for a good cause.

But like I said, these events require lot of creativity. It is not easy to think of a fundraising activity that will garner support. I found a website that helps in this area. It suggests what will fit into the size of a group fundraising. I found out that candy fundraiser are good for small groups which are less than 50 people in size. I think that is a good idea for an activity as well.

I also found some lollipop fundraising ideas in that site too. I find it very helpful and I’m book marking it for future reference. This will come handy when our little boy will enter school. For sure, the school will host these kinds of activities. I would have a ready reference and resource when situation calls for it.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Reducing your exposure to potential toxins often calls for only modest alterations in your life-style. Here are some suggestions that you might find helpful. (For additional, more specific details, we suggest that you check with your local library.)

1. Try to store most chemicals that give off vapors where they will not contaminate the air in your home. These chemicals include formaldehyde and products containing volatile solvents, such as paint, varnish, adhesives, pesticides, and cleaning solutions. Volatile petroleum products give off toxic vapors. This group includes benzene, which in high concentrations for extended periods is known to cause cancer, birth defects, and other reproductive harm.

2. Have good ventilation in all rooms, including the bathroom. Showering volatilizes certain additives such as chlorine that may be in the water. This may lead to a buildup of chlorine and even chloroform.

3. Wipe your feet before you step indoors. This simple act, says Scientific American, can reduce the amount of lead in a typical carpet by a factor of six. It also cuts down on pesticides, some of which break down quickly outdoors in the sunlight but may last for years in carpets. Another option, which is a standard custom in some parts of the world, is to remove your shoes. A good vacuum cleaner, preferably one with a rotating brush, can also reduce pollution in carpets.

4. If you treat a room with a pesticide, keep toys out of that room for at least two weeks, even though the product label may say the room is safe hours after treatment. Scientists have recently found that certain plastics and foam found in toys literally soak up pesticide residues like a sponge. Children will absorb the toxins through the skin and mouth.

5. Minimize your use of pesticides. In his book Since Silent Spring, Frank Graham, Jr., writes that pesticides “have their place in home and garden, but sales campaigns have convinced the average suburban homeowner that he must keep at hand an arsenal of chemicals sufficient to stave off an African locust assault.”

6. Have flaking leaded paint removed from all surfaces, and repaint with unleaded paint. Do not allow children to play in dirt contaminated with leaded paint. If lead in plumbing is suspected, the cold-water tap should be flushed briefly until there is a noticeable change in water temperature, and water from the hot-water tap should not be used for drinking.—Environmental Poisons in Our Food.

That’s all for now. I have to search for some nice and affordable laughlin hotels.

Popularity: 10% [?]

In the United States and many other parts of the world, four-wheeled toddler strollers or prams are a common method of transporting children. And the trend in recent years has been to make them easier to use, more stylish, and more comfortable for the baby. Many have plush cushioning, washable pads, and elevated seats.

Strollers offer children a welcome repose, a change of pace, a rest for sore feet. For a sleepy youngster, a stroller can be like a bed on wheels. Often the motion of a moving stroller soothes and calms a tired and irritable child.

Toddler strollers can make life easier for parents too. One parent said: “It’s easier than carrying a child everywhere.” A child may be easy to carry when small, but it is a different story when he or she begins to double or triple in weight. Moreover, parents enjoy knowing that their child is safe and secure in a stroller that they are able to control.

In the United States, care is taken to make toddler strollers safe. They are designed with a wide base and a low center of gravity so that they cannot be easily toppled. Brakes must be strong and in a position where they cannot be disengaged by a child in the stroller. Latches are installed to prevent the accidental folding of the stroller. Care is taken to eliminate any “pinch points”—areas that can pinch tiny fingers. Seat belts give added protection.

Strollers may range in price from over $20 to some eight or ten times that much. One luxury model that retails for about $300 features an extra-large basket, a plush interior, a weather-resistant exterior, multidirectional wheel movement, and a fast-fold, lightweight frame. A specially designed “joggers stroller,” which allows mom or dad to wheel the baby while jogging, sells for some $380.

Popularity: 10% [?]

Everyone would like to cut insurance costs without cutting out the policy. But is this possible to do? Yes, it is. And some respected insurance men say that this is really what you ought to do—in some cases.

These men advise the public to keep their whole life insurance policy six or seven years until the cash values are substantial. Then they advise lapsing the policy without taking out the money. By law, extended term insurance will keep one covered for as many years as specified in the table printed in one’s whole life policy. You will recall the case of the New York widow who collected $6,000 on the death of her husband from his lapsed policy.

Extended term insurance can run for many years if one’s policy is seven years old or older. A person with terminal illness, for example, could utilize this suggestion to help pay medical bills with saved premiums. But there are also other ways to cut insurance costs.

Is a person’s policy rated? For example, if he has been paying a penalty for being overweight and he has been normal weight for a year or more, he can ask to have the rating removed. This applies to any rated physical condition or handicap that has been corrected. It is worth a try.

Another way to cut insurance costs is to request a “reduced paid-up policy.” Under the table of cash values, one’s policy will show how large a paid-up policy one is presently entitled to. Of course, it will not equal the face amount of the contract. That is why it is called “reduced” paid up.

If you are shopping for life insurance, first estimate your family Social Security benefits should you die. They could equal many thousands of insurance dollars. Then look around for inexpensive group coverage. Try your employer or trade union. Postal workers, teachers, nurses, lawyers, electrical engineers, for example, can buy excellent group coverage at reduced rates.

For those living in New York, Connecticut or Massachusetts the answer may be savings-bank life insurance. This costs less because one is not paying for the services of a licensed insurance agent.

Once a person gets the kind of life insurance quotes that he wants, he should form the good habit of paying premiums within the thirty-one-day grace period. If he is late and the policy lapses, the company is obliged to reinstate it up to three years after it has lapsed, but only if he proves to be in good health.

Another disadvantage in letting a policy lapse is that each reinstatement turns the clock back to the start of the two-year contestable period. After holding a policy for two years, it becomes incontestable. However, prior to the termination of the two-year period, any important omission uncovered as a result of a claim could void the contract. So, for such reasons, it is important not to let a policy lapse.

Life insurance should be treated as valuable property similar to a savings account, stocks or bonds. It takes some of the economic sting out of death. It can serve a useful role.

Popularity: 20% [?]

Since the nail grows from the matrix, proper care of this part of the nail is essential. Stimulating the matrix by regular massaging with cream or oil can benefit the nail plate. In addition, putting a drop of oil under the free edge of the nails can also be helpful, as it keeps the nail from drying out.

The way you file or cut your nails can make them strong or weak. It is recommended that you file your nails from the side toward the middle. Keep in mind that filing the corners away will weaken the nail. This will create a pointed nail, which is the weakest shape of all, since it has no support on the sides. For strong short nails, it is recommended that you let your nails grow straight out to about 1/16 inch [1.5 mm] at the sides and file a round shape that follows the contour of the fingertip.

Some women might like to have their nails a little longer. But here is a word of caution. Nails that are too long might attract undue attention as well as stop you from doing ordinary work. So keep a balanced view of the length of your nails. If you do, your nails will be an asset and make a good impression on others.

Never, say the experts, pick your nails with a sharp tool. This can cause damage to the hyponychium, the tissue underneath the free edge of the nail. This tissue forms a tight seal protecting the nail underneath. If this area is damaged, the nail might even separate from the nail bed and become infected. To clean under the nails, use a very soft brush. I personally like the manicure set from Rubis to keep my nail well kept.

Popularity: 21% [?]

For a Comfortable Home

A recent booklet entitled “Energy and Your Home,” edited by Isaac Asimov, points out that heating, cooling and hot water account for 75 to 90 percent of the energy use in a home. Among other things, it indicates that oversized furnaces and airconditioners are inefficient. Furnaces that are too large not only are more expensive to operate but also provide less comfort because of their short “on” and “off” periods that permit the temperature range to vary widely and air to stratify in rooms. Oversized airconditioners have “on” periods that are too short to remove humidity adequately. It may be advisable to consider these factors when purchasing such equipment for one’s home.

Paint and Light

For more light and for electric bills that are a little smaller, you might use light colors when painting a room. Bulbs of lower wattage may be usable if the ceiling is painted white, says Changing Times. The magazine also states: “Walls painted light blue, for example, reflect about 75% of the light back into the room, while a medium shade of blue reflects just over 40%.”

Ok, that’s all for now. Got to find a HDMI switch that we need.

Popularity: 24% [?]

“A simple smile is the best way to win friends and influence people,” reports The Times of London. A national survey conducted for the Royal Mail reveals that the first thing most people notice about someone is his or her smile. Nearly half of those surveyed said that they would not do business with anyone who looked unfriendly. Women managers in particular are more likely to promote employees who smile. Says Brian Bates, coauthor of The Human Face: “This research shows how important smiling is in society. We would often rather share our confidences, hopes and money with smilers.” Smiling increases the body’s production of painkilling endorphins, he adds, and people who smile spontaneously “have a more successful life in personal and career terms” not to mention that it’s the best wrinkle cream out there.

Popularity: 24% [?]

The study of 115,000 female American nurses, who were followed for 16 years found that when adults gain even 11 to 18 pounds, it results in a higher risk of heart disease. This study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine of September 14, 1995, indicated that one third of cancer deaths and one half of cardiovascular deaths were due to overweight. According to a report in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) of May 22/29, 1996, “78% of hypertension in men and 65% in women can be directly attributable to obesity.” The American Cancer Society says that those who are “significantly overweight” (40 percent or more above ideal weight) “have a higher cancer risk.” This is a major reason why many are trying to lose weight either by exercising, diet and Diet Pills.

But it’s not just putting on extra weight that is a danger; the distribution of body fat also affects the risk of disease. Those who carry excess fat in the abdomen are actually at higher risk than those who carry more weight in their hips and thighs. Fat in the stomach area is associated with increased risk of diabetes, heart disease, breast cancer, and uterine cancer.
Similarly, overweight youths suffer from high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol levels, and prediabetic conditions. And they often become obese adults. The New York Times, using data published in the British medical journal The Lancet, reported that “people who were fat as children died earlier and suffered far more diseases at far younger ages than the general public.”

Add up to the health risks is that fact that slimmer figure looks better. But for some losing weight is a losing battle. I have a co-worker who was trying to trim down but always gets frustrated. She tried going to the gym and dieting and it just won’t work, simply because she doesn’t have the discipline to stick to it. So she tried acomplia and it works for her. She also said that diet pills are her ultimate solution and recommends it to people who are facing the same problems as she is.

Although I hear some negative things about diet pills such as Reductil I don’t think it is fair to judge it by that. There are some who found it effective for their weight loss program. So it depends on the person. What works for you may not work for others, to each her own.

Popularity: 27% [?]