Baby Sleep Tips - The Ferber Method

One of the most important things in getting you baby to sleep
properly is for your baby to learn to sleep on his or her own.
The reason it is so difficult for many parents - why parents of
a newborn suffer from so many sleepless nights - is because your
baby, at first, isn’t used to sleeping on his own, and when he
wakes up in the night he cries for his mother: being in the
presence of his mother is only way he knows how to get to sleep.
It is natural that this transition from sleeping with the
mother, to sleeping on his own, will take some time for your
baby. Many baby sleep tips involve setting up a strict nighttime
routine, and introducing objects - such as stuffed animals -
into the bed that your baby can associate with sleep. If you
find after some months that your baby is still not able to sleep
on his own, you can try what is known as the Ferber method.

Invented by Dr. Richard Ferber, the Ferber method is the most
common way of weaning your child away from the mother, in terms
of his sleep habits. It is usually successful within a couple of
weeks. Nevertheless, it is important that you choose a week
where you can afford to lose some sleep to begin the Ferber
method. Especially at the beginning of the process, the Ferber
method does require that you spend a lot of time listening to
your baby crying, and if you attempt it at a time when you are
desperate to sleep, you run the risk of breaking down and
allowing your child to sleep with you, or sleeping in the room
with him. If you do so you risk undoing a lot of work that you
will have put into the method.

The first night you attempt the Ferber method, put your child to
bed as you normally do. Your baby should be tired but still
awake when you put him to bed, so that he is left to fall asleep
on his own. After you leave the room, the baby will inevitably
start crying. Allow him to cry for about 5 minutes, then
re-enter the room to console him. It’s important that you stay
in the room for only a short time - even if he is still crying -
and that you don’t pick him up or rock him. This second time you
leave the room, wait 10 minutes before returning in the same
manner. The third time wait 15 minutes, and set this as a
maximum wait time for the rest of the night.

Every time thereafter, enter the room briefly and then allow
your child to cry for 15 minutes. Eventually, he will fall
asleep on his own during one of the 15 minute intervals in which
you are out of the room. The second night, you should begin with
a 10 minute wait before re-entering the room, followed by 15 and
then 20 minutes. In a similar fashion, increase your initial and
subsequent wait times by 5 minutes each night.

Using this method your child will soon learn to go to sleep on
his own. Although it can be difficult to listen to your baby
cry, understand that the Ferber method is a safe and effective
way of getting your baby to learn to sleep on his own.

Find The Right Medical Insurance For you

Many people think that they do not need medical insurance or
that they can’t afford medical insurance. Neither of these is
actually true. Yes, medical insurance costs seem to be growing
all the time, but the alternative is less than pleasant for
people who don’t have medical insurance. Everyone needs medical
insurance because one major illness or accident could completely
destroy a person’s financial security if they have no medical
insurance. For those that think they can’t afford it, there are
lots of options for cheap medical insurance, especially online.
Medical insurance is, quite simply, protection. It is something
that everyone needs, regardless of his or her financial
situation.

If traditional medical insurance does not seem to offer the kind
of insurance rates and coverage you are looking for, you can
always look online. Online health insurance companies offer a
variety of plans for complete coverage, partial coverage such as
dental, eye or prescription insurance, or to supplement your
existing medical insurance if it is not very good. Most online
companies will offer you competitive quote based on the
information you enter. Of course, the costs will vary depending
on your medical background and other mitigating factors such as
you being a smoker or having had any serious illnesses in your
past. Online health plan quotes are easy to obtain and require
no obligation to purchase a plan when you are shopping around
the various companies to find medical insurance that is right
for your health needs and your budget.

It makes sense to check out any medical insurance company you
are considering. Find out how long they have been in business,
what their reputation is, and if they are licensed in your
particular state. You don’t want to pay for insurance from an
insurance company that is not going to be there for you after
paying your premiums. Reliability is an important trait in these
types of companies.

It is also a good idea to decide what kind of coverage you need,
such as travel insurance, prescription coverage, dental
coverage, eye insurance, emergency care, etc. If you are of
retirement age, you need to find out if the medical insurance
you are looking at covers long term care, hospice care,
pre-existing conditions, etc. The needs of individuals are so
different. Medical insurance companies strive to offer
reasonably priced coverage for every life stage.

While medical insurance companies are not perfect, they can
usually work out a plan that fits your needs. There are a lot of
options in health care coverage these days. The best way to find
the right medical insurance plan for you is to assess your
personal needs, how much you can afford to pay for medical
insurance coverage, and then shop around for the best deal.

5 Tips To Select The Best Wedding Reception Location

Being disc jockeys, we get the opportunity to evaluate many reception facilities while having little or no bias to “sell” one location over another. Most Brides and Grooms know where they will be holding the ceremony before they decide where to have the reception, so we have compiled five observations that can help you when selecting your venue.

Distance - If people have to drive a long way to get from the ceremony to the reception, some will get distracted or decide to do something else. Try to keep the reception within a 15 to 30 minute drive of your ceremony. If it is not possible to get a reception hall close to your ceremony, make a caravan. Have the Bride and Groom lead the parade, and people will follow you to your reception.

Time - Time is just like the distance issue. If your reception is several hours after the ceremony, people will get busy doing other things and not show up for the reception. Try to start the reception within an hour or two of the ceremony. If you don’t want to start your wedding dance at 4 o’clock in the afternoon, have a Meet and Greet mixer before your reception. Serve some punch and get people to mingle. This will be one of the few times that both families will be together. Encourage family members to share stories about your childhoods.

Size - People like their personal space, and they have most likely spent an hour packed into a church for your ceremony. If you let them spread out, they will enjoy themselves more. Make sure your reception hall has plenty of room for your guests. The people renting the location might tell you it holds 200 people, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it will hold 200 people comfortably! Make sure to visit the venue before booking.

Climate Control - Having a summer wedding? Is your reception hall air conditioned? If people sweat while just sitting, they won’t dance. On the flip side, if they are cold they won’t dance either (who wants to dance in a parka?). Also make sure you know who has control of the thermostat so the temperature can be adjusted if needed. Chances are your reception will be warm and stuffy while all the guest are there, but as they trickle out during the night the room will begin to cool down.

Smoking - This is a hot button issue, but if your reception hall is non-smoking, you can fully expect smoker’s to leave your reception for 15-30 minutes every hour. If enough of them leave the reception area, you may find a large percentage of your guest just hanging out in the smoking area. This can be a big problem if you have many smokers in your wedding party. You don’t have to allow smoking, but it is something you should consider, especially if anyone has any health problems like asthma or allergies that could be triggered by smoke. If you decide not to allow smoking in the reception area, how close is the nearest place for a smoker to go? Is it close enough that you will be able to get needed wedding party members during events like the bouquet toss or garter auction?

Facility coordinators will no doubt bring up several other factors for you to consider when you interview them for your booking, but these are often missed items, especially if they don’t favor the potential venue. If you keep the overall picture in mind and work with your wedding planner or event coordinator on the decorating ideas, you will no doubt have an enjoyable and memorable wedding reception.

About the Author

About the Authors: Tim & Tammy Smith operate By Request DJ & Karaoke Company (http://www.byrequest.dj), located in Fargo, North Dakota. They have been providing entertainment for wedding receptions since 1994 and belong to several professional disc jockey organizations.

Most Parents Are Not Idiots Or Negligent — So Why Do We Need Compulsory-Attendance Laws?

Why do we need compulsory-attendance laws? Why compel parents to
send their children to public schools? Wouldn’t parents
naturally educate their children without compulsion? Human
nature and history prove this to be the case. All over the
world, parents push to educate their children, with or without
public schools.

In Japan, school is compulsory only up to the equivalent of
junior high school (ninth-grade level). High schools in Japan,
like colleges in America, are privately owned and charge
tuition. Middle-school students compete fiercely for a place in
high schools even though their parents must pay to get them in.
Yet most Japanese parents push their kids to apply for high
school and scrape up the money for tuition, without the Japanese
government’s pressuring them to do so.

In America, millions of parents voluntarily pay thousands of
dollars a year in tuition to send their young children to
private kindergartens, and their older children to a private
college. Obviously, most parents think that educating their
children is very important. So why do we need compulsory
attendance laws for first through twelfth-grade education?

Compulsory-attendance laws imply that government has to force
parents to educate their children. Common sense and history
prove this notion false. Up to the 1850s, before we had public
schools in America, the literacy rate was over 90 percent. Yet
most parents taught their children to read at home. They did not
need town officials to force them to educate their children. All
over the world, most parents’ want to give their children a good
education so they can have a secure future.

Compulsory-attendance laws also imply that some parents are too
ignorant or indifferent to their children’s welfare to educate
their kids. If this was not the case, then why compel parents at
all? Local governments therefore believe they have to force
these “bad” parents to deposit their kids in public schools, for
the alleged good of the children.

In effect, local governments and public-school authorities don’t
trust average parents to have the decency and common sense to
educate their kids, unless public-school authorities force them
to. That notion is as absurd as claiming that parents would not
feed their children unless government authorities forced them to.

There is a saying that if you want to know the real purpose of a
law or social system, follow the money. Who benefits the most
from our public schools? Certainly not our kids. I submit that
the real purpose of compulsory-attendance laws is to enforce a
public-school system that benefits public-school employees.

Article Copyrighted © 2005 by Joel Turtel.

A Wealth of Kid Hobby Ideas

Every young person needs a hobby. An interesting kid hobby will
help children learn as well as keep them entertained for hours.
It might even help them stay away from a bad peer group and stay
out of trouble. Some kids might think of video games or TV as an
appropriate kid hobby, but most parents would like to see their
kids doing something more challenging or educational.

A good kid hobby is playing a musical instrument. The guitar can
often be self-taught from a book if a child has the interest,
but for piano playing or other instruments, you will probably
have to invest in lessons. Practice is, of course, an essential
part of mastering any musical instrument.

Another type of kid hobby is pursuing an art or a craft. Kids
can learn to draw, paint, or make scrapbook pages. They can
learn needle arts, such as embroidery, sewing, knitting or
crocheting. Beginning carpentry is a very useful kid hobby that
may turn into a career, or at least skills that will be used for
a lifetime. Tinkering around on gas engines or electronics is
another kid hobby that can lead to useful skills.

There are all sorts of things that kids might like to collect
for a hobby. Some of the more common collections are of stamps,
coins, and rocks. Stamps are interesting because they can be
from many different countries, becoming a geography lesson.
Coins and stamps both are of historical significance, and
encourage reading to learn more about different eras in history.
Rock collecting as a kid hobby requires looking into science
books.

Other collectibles include bean bag toys or figurines of a
certain thing, such as owls, frogs, or unicorns. Anything a
child has an interest in can be collected. If a kid is
interested in dolphins, for instance, she may not only collect
dolphin figurines and posters, but also be motivated to read
books about dolphins.

Construction sets also make a good pastime for kids. Many people
may think of these only as toys, but children who have grown up
with these sets and added components to them down through the
years can create some pretty impressive models. They are also
gaining skills in reasoning and perception as they build.

Making model, such as cars, boats, and airplanes, has always
been a popular kid hobby. If your child is interested in making
models, be very encouraging in the beginning. Model car kits can
be very complicated and require a great deal of precision. If
your child’s first few creations leave a little bit to be
desired, don’t laugh or scold, or he is likely to never want to
try to make anything again! Get the easiest kit he is willing to
make and then patiently help him as much as needed.

Many kids enjoy sports, making any athletic activity a great kid
hobby. Soccer, basketball, and little league baseball all come
to mind, but don’t forget about track and field events. Maybe
your child would enjoy distance running or gymnastics. An active
kid hobby will help your child stay in shape as well as make an
interesting pastime.

Gift Ideas For The Lady In Your Life

Do you need some amazing gift ideas for the lady in your
life? As a guy, it is difficult to find the things that you
really should give your girl. You don’t really know what you
should buy and it is very hard to know what she will like. Women
are all different and there is no telling what your girl is
going to appreciate. But, you really would like to give her
something special, something that she will cherish.

To help you to find the gift
ideas that will charm her, here are a few things that you
should consider. You’ll find that there are more than a few
things on this list that your ladies will love. But, remember,
to make it really matter, make sure that you purchase what you
think your lady will love the most, unless you want to spoil her
a little!

Jewelry

When you think about gifts for a woman, you think jewelry. Most
guys would love to give the gift of jewelry but have no idea
just what to buy and how to find it at an affordable price. Here
are some tips to help you to choose the right jewelry for your
lady.

* Look at the things she already has and wears. Does she love to
wear diamonds? Does she have a variety of different pieces? Does
she like gold or silver? Then, look for jewelry as it is a great
gift idea that fits well with the pieces that she already has. *
Unsure of what to purchase? Ask another woman for some help.
Make sure to stick with the same age range as your lady. What
would they recommend? Which pieces fit with the styles that your
girl likes and are pieces that are being recommended? * Next, to
help you to find an affordable price on this gift idea, go ahead
and use the web to make your purchase. You will have many more
ideas online and you’ll find that they are much more affordable
online as well. * Shop around too! This is a great way to make
sure that you get a good looking piece of jewelry at an
affordable price! You can do this on the web very quickly!

Other Choices

There are other gift ideas that you can purchase for the woman
in your life. For many, the wonderful soothing fragrances of
aromatherapy are just what they need. Does the woman in your
life have a love of candles and scented things? If so, she would
probably love to have any of these things.

* Consider leather wrap or stone wrap necklaces for an amazing
choice. * Many of those who enjoy aromatherapy would love to
receive a gift of a salt lamp. * Looking for something a little
more romantic in the way of a gift idea? Then, consider things
such as essential oils and fragrant oils. These can be amazing
gifts.

Great gift ideas can be
found in many ways. Instead of worrying if your lady is going to
enjoy what you purchase, just make sure to purchase something
that you would like to give her. If you allow your love for her
to help you to choose the right gift for her, there is no doubt
that it will be quite amazing. Gift ideas can be found
throughout the web and at http://www.mygiftidea.net. Check out
many and choose just the right one.

Would you like to make a family book?

I think we all have a box of pictures sitting around. It is
tragic to let pictures of our children, pets, or grandparents
collect dust. I have a way for this problem to be solved in a
number of hours.

If you have a computer and a scanner or digital camera this idea
is for you. All you do is buy the type of book you want; there
is many to choose from including: a brag book, a heritage book,
a cookbook, a scrapless book. That is a few of them, you’ll have
to have a look to see the rest.

These books are library bound, and hard covered. If taken care
of you will hand these down from generation to generation. What
a gift! My grandfather wrote a book while he was dying, I am
currently making a beautiful hardcover book, including pictures.
He would have loved it. This way my children will know a man who
was a great influence in my life.

I am excited about getting the word out about these books,
please have a look at my website and shop for your family and
friends. The prices are more than reasonable. And there is still
time to order your Christmas presents. My web adress is:

www.heritagemakers.com/157220

Enjoy your time remembering your family. Love knowing that your
history is preserved for generations to come.

Sharing Parenting Tips

I faced a challenge when we started a family: my husband, Bill,
had no domestic skills. He wanted to share parenting. His
flexible hours as an academic allowed him to help at home. But
he could barely boil an egg.

Needless to say, our early experience was rocky. We persevered,
however, and the fifty-fifty parenting arrangement we worked out
with our first child made having our second baby much easier
than it would have been otherwise. What follows are tips from
our experience and from my reporting on the subject:

*Be sure it’s what you want. Sharing parenting involves
tradeoffs. As a mom, you don’t always get to do things your way.
You negotiate childcare issues a lot with your mate, which can
be tedious. However you get a real partner and the kids get a
hands-on dad. You also understand each other’s lives better than
when you operate in separate spheres.

*Take a stand. Women usually don’t get a fifty-fifty deal
unless they push for it. Parenting tasks can be tedious. Many
men won’t do them unless asked. In addition, women serve as
gatekeepers for fathers’ involvement; studies show that husbands
take cues from their wives about how much to step in. Make clear
what you want, see if he agrees, and if so, get out of the way.

*Don’t take work as an excuse. Recently a new mom asked
me, “If I stay at home with the kids and he works, should I
expect him to help after hours?” Yes. After all, come evening
you’ve both worked. Alternate parenting duties after hours so
each person gets a break. But recognize that if he works 80
hours a week sharing parenting probably isn’t an option. Parents
who share duties usually have family-friendly careers.

*Be specific. I spent our first year parenting saying, “I
need more help.” Bill responded, “I want to help.” And round and
round we went. Finally I listed our domestic duties and we
divided them up. Making the list was empowering. Finally all my
minute tasks were visible to my partner. I also realized how
much my husband was doing already.

*Create mom and dad duties. Often the obstacle to sharing
parenting isn’t the man in the house, but the toddler. The
minute daddy takes over, the little one screams, “NO, I WANT
MOMMY!” Kids thrive on routines so set duties can help with
this. Make dad the bath guy and mom the bedtime reader. Don’t
intervene when your husband is in charge. And if junior hollers
for dad when you’re on duty? Don’t judge yourself by your
toddler’s whims.

*Be flexible. Equal doesn’t have to mean the same. Some
couples thrive splitting childcare tasks down the middle. Others
prefer to carve out separate spheres of responsibility. Either
way works as long as each parent is free from meddling by the
other.

*Train him. Nobody likes being told what to do. But if
your husband is like mine, you have to train him. Show him how
to make one simple kid’s meal. Don’t rescue him. You learned how
to cook burning burgers too. And take heart, attitude is more
important than aptitude. The difficult guy is the one who made
the gourmet meals when you were dating and has refused to cook
since.

*Air anger when necessary. The silent treatment doesn’t
work. I know. I’ve tried it. Having a tantrum, however, can be
effective. I’m not proud of the one I had in a restaurant but it
got my man’s attention. Men can handle anger, but they’re lousy
at reading tea leaves. Better a few fights than resentment.

*Plan for baby number two. If you’re having a second
child, talk to your husband about the family’s needs before the
baby arrives. What worked or didn’t the first time around? How
can you do things differently? Get dad to start caring for your
older child before the second arrives, by, say, getting your
firstborn ready for school. Think small. What will need to be
done? Who can do it best?

*Brag about sharing parenting. Boast to the women at the
park. Praise your husband’s parenting skills in front of others.
A lot of people want to share parenting but lack role models.
Your example can help. Bragging also recognizes shared parenting
for what it is: a great accomplishment!

(c) 2005 Jennifer Bingham Hull. Reprint rights granted as long
as the article is published in its entirety, including the
resource box and live links in it.

Trouble Sleeping? Here’s a Quick Cure

When you go to bed every night, do you toss and turn? Well
here’s a way to fall asleep fast.

Many of your problems are from stress. Tension builds up all day
long and it can rarely just go away at bedtime. People require
peace of mind at bedtime. Or else you can’t fall asleep. Sleep
is ver important to our physical well-being. But if your mind
won’t allow your body to fall asleep, we cannot be at peace. If
you have too many problems, it’s hard to overcome this cycle.
The solution can be a simple, quick, 10 minute before bed
routine. You should do this in your bedroom, either on the bed
or floor.

Since you are probably tense, it is important to relax. Most
people feel the tension in their neck, lower back and sometimes
in your upper back between your shoulders. So relaxing the spine
is the first step to a calmer you. Here is a yoga pose that may
help. Kneel near or on your bed, and sit back with your rear on
top of your hands. Bend forward until your chest is resting on
your thighs and your forehead is touching the bed or floor with
your chin tucked under. Relax your arms on the bed or floor
beside your legs, palms up. Hold for 10 seconds. This will help
relax your neck, lower back and hips. Deep breathing is very
important for your entire body to relax.

Slowly get up. Next, sit on the edge of your bed. Lower your
chin to your chest. Push your head forward and your shoulders
back as though you are a turtle. Hold this position for 3 to 5
seconds, and repeat three more times.

Now relax your back. Lie on your back and bring your knees up to
your chest. Grab your knees just below your kneecaps, and gently
turn them to the left five to ten times. The repeat this
bringing your knees to the right five to ten times. This should
stretch your lower back. And feel very good.

Lay flat on your back and place your arms out with the palms up.
Bend your knees and put your feet flat on the floor or bed.
Inhale slowly and deeply. As you exhale, slowly drop your knees
to the right and turn your head to the left (at the same time).
Breathe deeply again, five times. Inhale and return your head
and knees to the center and exhale as you lower your legs to the
other side. Do this three more times.

Relax and close your eyes. Try to relax all the muscles in your
body. Start at the top and work your way down to your toes. This
should ease some of the days tensions.

Now get under the blanket. The room should not be too cold (68
to 70 degrees) or too hot (not over 76 degrees). Lie on your
back and breathe slowly. Do this four more times and you should
start to feel drowsy. A calm, easy, peaceful, feeling should
wash over you in about 5 minutes.

The less you worry about not being able to sleep the better.
Less worry, more sleep. Think peaceful thoughts. Let the days
worries slip away, like bubbles. As they pop, so does the
tension and stress of the day. If you train yourself to relax,
and think soothing thoughts, sleep should come. Listening to
quiet music can also help. Endorphins are released that cause
you to relax. Just remember to not think of anything negative.
Practice this routine over and over again. And soon your sleep
with come quickly and naturally.

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Tattoos Enter Our Popular Culture

Tattoos have become part of our popular culture. The demand for tattoos has grown and today you are more likely to encounter a professional person or a housewife in your local tattoo parlor than a rebel. This acceptance into the mainstream of our culture has resulted in an increasing demand for tattoos, tattoo parlors, skilled artists and tattoo supplies. It is a growth industry!

Business is booming in the world of tattoo art as tattoos are becoming more and more popular both amongst the rich and famous and within the general population as a whole. Around one in every seven adults today sports a tattoo and they have become integrated into our popular culture.

Popular cable TV shows like Miami Ink and Inked have taken viewers inside the world of tattoo artistry. These shows are based around tattoo artists who open and run tattoo parlors where they live, work, and showcase their art. These are very popular shows which help to increase the popularity of the art of tattooing. So much so, that phrases such as ‘slinging ink’ and ‘pounding skin’ are now entering the nation’s vocabulary.

In the past the tattoo industry was more underground and associated with a bad-boy type image. Developments in popularity brought about by tattooed celebrities and athletes as well as a focus on health and sterilization has helped push tattooing into the mainstream of our culture.

Today the focus is on professionalism and artistic development. And reputable equipment and safe supplies has played its part in its growing popularity. This has helped to generate a safe and comfortable environment which has been accepted by a wider audience. Tattooists look for supplies that match their requirements. For cost effective alternatives many turn to quality tattoo starter kits to meet their needs. These hand picked tattoo kits include all you need to get started in a tattooing career.

Alan Tennent writes for TattooKits.com a leading supplier of tattoo kits. Visit their website http://www.tattookits.com