Your Company Vehicle is a Portable Bill Board; A word of advice on children passengers
May 31, 2009
Child Safety Restraints and children in work vehicles
If you take your child in your work car, van, SUV or work truck, you should determine the type of safety seat that’s appropriate to your child’s age or weight and will allow you full control of the vehicle including use of the stick shift.
If your child is newborn to nine months or twenty pounds, use an infant safety seat. With this type of protection, the infant rides backwards in a semi-reclining position and is held in place by a built-in harness. The vehicle’s lap belt secures the safety seat in place. For comfort and added support, folded towels may be placed between the infant’s body and sides of the seat.
If your child is nine months to four years or forty pounds, use a toddler safety seat. There are two types of restraints: the harness and the booster seat. The harness in a wrap around seat comes across both shoulders and up between the legs. The padded sides offer protection. The seat is secured by the vehicle’s safety belt. Some models are anchored at the top with a bolt. If you use this type, you must install the anchor bolt on the rear shelf or the seat will be unsafe. In the elevated booster seat, the child is secured by the vehicle lap belt and either the vehicle shoulder belt or the special harness sold with the unit, which required an anchor bolt.
Featured Article on Parenting: The Power of Belonging
May 30, 2009
Search for Assurance: The Power of Belonging
The job hunt is on, as is the quest to find another great preschool and neighborhood to be part of. After feeling out of place, hearing over and over that an item I’m searching for is not available, or a pretty basic procedure I thought I had a grasp of is "done differently here. You must be from overseas," I’m really glad to be back.
It’s as I suspected-we each have a checklist of things we rely on to assure us that all is okay. For my elderly aunt, reciting the family tree mentally anchors her in the family, and strengthens her sense of belonging to it. I never understood before, but she has actually memorized the biographical details of most of the family members. She orients herself by acknowledging aloud who’s married to whom, who’s building, and how many children they have, where they graduated from, and the names of all of the grandchildren. I used to search for mention of myself in this Roll Call of Impressive Achievers. This year, I decided that establishing my own checklist of anchoring events was more important to me than being named on someone else’s. I started by writing and compiling a book with my daughter.
Parenting Styles - Overcoming Your Differences
May 29, 2009
If you spend any time in the parenting section of the library or your local bookstore, you will find hundreds of books on disciplining and raising your children. All the leading experts have their own ideas about what works and what doesn’t. As a parent, you have your philosophy that you bring to the table. Most of your thoughts come from what you learned as a child. You either liked the way your parents raised you, agreed with some of it and disagreed with the rest, or didn’t like any part of your parents’ ideas. Then you talk to or watch other mothers you know and these ideas get added to the mix. You take the best from all these sources and you set off to be the best mom you can be.
And then something happens that interrupts your plan for raising your children. Dad has a whole other set of ideas and plans for raising his children. Most of the time, dad’s ideas have not come from the many books on parenting he reads or the oodles of fathers he brainstorms with. His ideas, too, come from the way in which he was raised as a boy, but sometimes Dad operates on auto pilot when raising and disciplining his kids. Even the best and most agreeable parents sometimes disagree. So what do you do when your two philosophies clash?
Helping Your Kid?s Grow a Garden
May 29, 2009
Start some gardening traditions with your kids. Give them their own garden patch and a spot to dig. Children love getting their hands dirty and watching things grow.
Be sure to buy good quality, child sized gardening tools. Plastic toy versions just won’t hold up to the task. You will also need children’s gloves and a watering can.
Mark off the garden area and turn the soil. Kids can help break up any lumps with their hands. Work in some organic compost.
Choose seeds that will grow quickly. Small children get impatient if their plants take too long to sprout. Radishes, Snapdragons, Cosmos, and Sunflowers will all germinate quickly. Carrots and strawberries are also easy to grow– and yummy to eat.
Large seeds like beans and Morning Glories are easy for small fingers to push into the ground. You can start your seeds indoors in an eggshell carton. When the seedlings are an inch high, tear off the egg carton, and leaving the soil intact, transplant the seedlings outside.
Preparing for New Baby or Traveling with Baby this Summer
May 28, 2009
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among children in the United States. In 2003, 1,591 children ages 14 years and younger died as occupants in motor vehicle crashes and approximately 220,000 were injured. That’s an average of four deaths and more than 600 injuries each day. Many of these deaths could have been prevented if babies were properly restrained. Inventive Parent (www.inventiveparent.com), a premiere online parenting resource and a provider of solutions invented by real moms and dads, is pleased to announce important baby passenger safety information. Designed to eliminate the confusion around rear-facing car seats and when or what type of car seat baby needs to be in, this is information parents should know whether preparing for new baby or traveling with baby this summer.
Types of Car Seats There are two types of car seats for babies under one year old ? infant seat/carrier combinations and convertible car seats. Infant Seat/Carriers are designed for newborn babies through 20 or 22 pounds. They are designed to move in and out of the car. Some have bases that remain attached to the car’s seat, others are buckled in and out and some have padded, crooked handles, or a stroller base.
English Pronunciation For The ESL Learner
May 27, 2009
English Pronunciation For The ESL Learner
by: Lynn Bo
What is an accent? An accent is the carryover of sounds from the speaker’s original language to the second language. When we are infants we literally have the ability to speak any language in the world. We are all born with the necessary speech mechanisms and the capability to learn any language. We end up speaking the language that we do solely by reinforcement. The sounds a baby hears and the speech patterns he is exposed to are the ones that she develops. Soon the baby gains the fine motor skill and control she needs to create sounds herself. The infant will begin by babbling and playing with sounds. Soon she is able to produce simple vowel/consonant combinations which maybe why mama and dada are often their first words, they can make the combination and the big reaction it elicits reinforces their efforts. By 18 months she will be able to produce about 20 words that have meaning and understand around 50 words. Now babies of course have the ultimate immersion experience. In order to obtain any control over their environment they must learn the language and they are surrounded by the language almost 24 hours a day.
What is Prenatal Intelligence?
May 26, 2009
Prenatal intelligence, also known as fetal intelligence, has become a very hot topic among medical professionals and expecting parents because of the affects it might have on the fetus. Many studies have been done that show a link between fetal stimulation and intelligence as well as increased development of motor skills, language and social skills. This is important for expecting parents who want to give their child the most advanced opportunities to be as intelligent and well adjusted as possible. Some studies regarding prenatal intelligence discuss the use of music when pregnant.
Almost everyone has seen the image of an expectant mother with headphones on her belly. Although this may look silly, there is actually a very real connection between communication with the fetus and its development as a newborn. Many researchers believe that playing music to the fetus increases its ability to learn and develop at a quicker rate once it is born.
Raise Awesome Kids! This 4-Point Plan Gets Results
May 25, 2009
Are your children truthful, kind, and helpful? If so, read no further. If not, please listen to Colby and his mom.
"All my friends cheat," announced 11-year-old Colby.
"What?" exclaimed his mother? "You don’t cheat do you?"
"Sometimes," answered Colby. "But I never get caught."
"It’s not all right to cheat, young man," scolded his mother. "How many times have I told you cheating is wrong? What is the matter with you?"
Whether it’s lying, stealing, cheating or some other problem behavior, do you find yourself giving lectures on being honest while your child rolls his eyes?
I remember counseling one father who loved his daughter so much that he would give her two-hour lectures. She not only rolled her eyes, but tapped her fingers too. He would yell, "Are you listening to me?"
"Uh-huh," she’d answer.
Parents, there is an easier way. It doesn’t have to take two hours either. Consider using the 4-POINT PLAN:
Probe Listen Appreciate No Criticizing
Instead of worrying, whining, or wearing yourself out with lengthy lectures, make your goal one of understanding what and how your child thinks. By knowing what your child thinks, you can better influence how he or she thinks. This simple PLAN will help you communicate more effectively.
Mommie Moments ? Taking Time For Yourself
May 24, 2009
Being a parent is a role that requires a large majority of our attention and time. Whether you have one child or fourteen children, you are more than likely aware that personal time is at a minimal. As a mother your attention is always on demand. There are meals to be made, clothes to be washed, and rooms to be cleaned. Not to mention other responsibilities like entertaining hungry little minds.
So where does your time fit into this equation? Regardless of time restraints, it is imperative for a mother’s well-being to have a little down time. Even a half hour to an hour a day can be a refreshing overhaul for a mother’s daily routine. A moment to gather your thoughts without distractions can refresh your spirit and attitude, making you that much more prepared to meet the demands of your children, your family, and your life.
Nurturing our children begins with us nurturing ourselves. When we view our personal time in this way, we are able to see what a priority we really should be. Take time to dedicate to personal reflection like journaling, music, or art or whatever activity that makes you really feel apart of yourself. If you only get small increments of time daily then make a weekly list of what you would like to accomplish. Manage your time, don’t allow time to manage you.
Chiropractic Schools
May 24, 2009
Before CHIROPRACTIC SCHOOLS accept one into their educational system, it is recommended that students have earned a degree in the arts or sciences from an accredited college or university. Chiropractic schools also require applicants to have at least 90 semester hours in English, social sciences or humanities, organic and inorganic chemistry, biology, physics, and psychology as well.
Chiropractic schools offer education and training in chiropractic health treatments. Teaching a broad spectrum of topics of diagnostics and treatment for persons suffering from muscular, nervous and skeletal system problems; chiropractic schools and colleges stand strong on the firm belief that interference within these systems can disrupt normal functioning and lowers resistance to disease. Chiropractic schools are holistic educational systems that place emphasis on the patient’s overall well-being. By evaluating numerous factors such as one’s exercise, diet, rest, environment and heredity; chiropractic schools teach prospective physicians to use natural, drug-free, non-surgical health treatments that rely on the body’s self-healing mechanisms.
After completion of the chiropractic school of choice, a four-part exam is administered by the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners. However, state examinations may supplement the National Board testing — dependent upon individual state requirements.
