Garage sales are the best symbols of the street level economy in action. A largely cash operation that features the open exchange of second hand goods with the express objective of unloading as much old, space sucking junk as possible in the least amount of time can be a great time for everyone. Garage sales give people you would never meet the chance to root around your yard and house in search of something they too will use for a while, forget about, and store for years and years until they finally hold a garage sale and attempt to pawn it off on another unsuspecting scavenger. Yes, garage sales are amazing experiences.

Making Your Garage Sale Enjoyable

The key to holding a successful garage sale is to make it into a fun, laid back activity where people want to come and hang out. Garage sales are often done all wrong. Too often they turn into lackluster estate sales that no one wants to go near. Garage sales are, fundamentally, about selling your stuff and making a little bit of cash. To successfully accomplish this, you need some entrepreneurial spirit and a bit of salesmanship. Creating an inviting atmosphere where people want to be is the first step in having a kickin’ garage sale. Who knows, you may find that you have a knack for entrepreneurial matters and branch out and open a vintage thrift store after collecting your garage sale seed money.

Have A Plan

The first step to organizing a kickin’ garage sale is to plan. Decide on a day, preferably a weekend since there will be better turnout, and get the word out. Make signs and post them around four or five blocks of your house. Also, post ads online in the classifieds and on your social media accounts to let people know that it is going to be awesome. The more you can talk it up and make it seem like more than a boring garage sale, the better. Of course, you actually are going to make it into more than a garage sale by doing the following: music, food, and drinks.

Essentially, a real kickin’ garage sale is just a cool backyard (or frontyard) barbeque where old junk is for sale. The best way to attract a crowd is to invite your friends, tell them to invite their friends, and start a party. Make sure you get some tables and chairs and lay out all of your stuff to sell beforehand. Also, know what you’re willing to sell and make sure your friends know that too. People often haggle for things they see that aren’t necessarily for sale, so be careful what you leave lying about. Once you have everything out, decide whether or not you want to price everything. If you’re flexible, you may not want to price things, but having a price can give you a better starting point on any negotiations. Aside from the organizational details and managing any money you take in, the best way to throw a kickin’ garage sale is to turn on some tunes, light up the grill, and relax. If you get each of your friends to bring some food, you’ll be all set for an afternoon of food, fun, and commerce. You could even sell some burgers if you feel especially opportunistic.

Garage sales can be great ways to meet people and foster a community environment. If you sell a few old things and make some cash, all the better. The real objective to pulling off a memorable garage sale is to put people first and create a lively, relaxing atmosphere where people want to spend an afternoon and take some stuff off your hands. Chances are you won’t make more than fifty to a hundred bucks anyway, so don’t stress about making money and just have a good time.

Featured images:

•  License: Creative Commons image source

By +Ben Vaughn

Ben Vaughn writes on pulling off a kickin’ garage sale, utahgaragedoors.net, and converting your garage into a home gym.

Related articles

• One Man’s Rubbish is Another’s Treasure (coupons.answers.com)
• 7 Killer Garage Sale Tips (financesonline.com)
• Ways to advertise your Garage Sale (busyomahamom.com)

The majority of children have a sweet tooth and don’t particularly think about whether what they are eating is healthy so if given the choice they would probably just look for chocolate or ice cream as a dessert. So it can be hard for parents to come up with new ideas for quick and healthy desserts that will tempt their children and satisfy their sweet tooth.

Coffee Butter Cream

The Anchor recipe page has a great idea that parents could use to create a tasty dessert that is healthy and quick to make. Coffee butter cream will appeal to most kids and is an incredibly simple recipe. The ingredients that are needed to make the coffee buttercream are Anchor butter, icing sugar, whole milk and coffee and most people will probably already have these in their kitchen so there’s no time consuming additional trip to the supermarket. The coffee butter cream only takes about ten minutes to make and involves heating the milk and coffee together until the coffee has dissolved and then simply beating the coffee/milk mixture into the buttercream until it is completely smooth. Children may even like to help with the beating part particularly once they know they are going to get to eat the end result.

Decorate

Once it is made the coffee buttercream can be used to decorate either one large 18cm cake or a number of individual cupcakes. If you are feeling adventurous then a piping bag could be used to create fancy swirls and patterns on the cake with the buttercream. It is also possible and quicker to just use a knife to cover the cake with the buttercream. Putting sugar sprinkles or other decorations on top of the buttercream will also appeal to children. Another way to involve the children would be to put the buttercream on the cakes yourself and then give the children little pots of different decorations so that they can decorate their cake themselves – they’ll love it!

Crumble

Another option for a quick and healthy dessert would be a fruit crumble. This could be made using virtually any fruit depending on preference. It is easy to make the crumble beforehand and then just warm it through while the children are eating dinner. It is also a simple way to make sure that your children get one of their five a day servings of fruit and vegetables to ensure that they stay healthy and happy.

Healthy Treat

Giving healthy homemade desserts to children ensures that they still get to satisfy their sweet tooth but means that they do not have to eat unhealthy ingredients such as hydrogenated fats. Including fruit as an ingredient has the added benefit of ensuring that your children are gaining vitamins and antioxidants in a form that they will enjoy.

Everyone needs a sweet treat now and then and there are a number of ways to include this sort of treat in a dessert in a quite healthy manner. Coffee butter cream and the other foods here fill that need

Cormac Reynolds has written for a variety of food and culture websites and is a lover of sweet treats too.

Although summer is round the corner there is no harm in getting ready for Halloween early – after all; is there such thing as being too prepared? Pulling off a great costume requires a flair for design, perseverance and more than a drop of patience – it will all be worth it when jaws hit the floor as soon as you walk through the door. But are you still struggling for a little bit of inspiration? Follow our five tips and you will soon be on your way to Halloween greatness.

Be original
Right, first off you need an idea. From here your great idea can flourish but if you have a duff idea you could be barking up the wrong tree.
Although there is no ‘right or wrong’ costume-making or designing it pays to be original. If you have a theme then try to put a twist on it – and not just ‘zombie nurse’ or something else equally as uninventive. Cult figures are good to copy as are TV characters from years gone by.

Judge the mood right
Now this is important – you need to think about what sort of party you will be attending/how long you will be on the move if you are out and about.

Just going trick-or-treating? Then a lightweight outfit will save you plenty of pain. Equally you may be going to a party but if it likely to descend into a messy night then hours of effort could be undone in moments.
Make sure you know what you are letting yourself in for and plan accordingly.

Set a budget
It is so easy to let your spending get out of control when you are making your own costume. You need to set a budget beforehand – otherwise you may find yourself perusing those little last minute final touches and realise you have spent hundreds on an outfit without really realizing it. As a good rule of thumb, never spend more on a costume than you would if you were buying it from a fancy dress shop.

Be creative
Now this really is the key part – it’s time to have some fun and get creative. Let your imagination fly and become a structural engineer at the same time; any problem can be overcome with a little bit of thought. There are some great examples of ingenuity out there so have a quick Google and find out the best way to solve your particular example. A great example of this is one party-goer who dressed as a Teenage Ninja Turtle and used a dustbin lid as the basis for his shell. Cardboard boxes, sticky tape, paper-mâché, superglue and glitter are all your best friends when it comes to making your costume.

Rope in friends
Now we all want our costumes to look the best and sometimes that may mean putting it in the hands of someone else. Know a friend who can sew like a boss? Perfect. Someone else with a eye for design? Get them involved. If you can make your outfit a collaborative effort then it is bound to be better.

Peter South – Party Planner advises to look for your perfect costume at www.props-n-frocks.co.uk

Most young girls can’t wait to grow up and quickly get fascinated by anything they see adults doing. They will watch Mum and their older sisters applying make-up and want to get involved but should you let them and what age is the right time to let them loose on your make-up bag?

Kids Should Be Kids

Parents know that adulthood is not all that it is cracked up to be! Childhood is a golden time when you don’t have to concern yourself with responsibilities, money and working. It should be a time of innocence and so most parents want their kids to stay kids for as long as possible before beginning their journey into adulthood.

These days with ready access to a mountain of information via the internet and the huge number of television channels available, kids are far more exposed to the big wide world than they ever were before. We live in a society obsessed with celebrities too and so young girls are quickly eager to copy their favorite stars and to wear clothes which are too grown up.  It isn’t great seeing really quite small children in very adult fashion styles and even worse if they are wearing make-up but they are exposed to so many images and so much peer pressure that parents have a battle on their hands. Few people want their children prancing around like one of those much publicized starlets from the beauty pageants!

Dangers

Kids will only realize how precious their childhood is once it has gone and so trying to explain that one is tough but it is a battle worth fighting not just to save their childhood but also because there are dangers in children wearing adult fashions and cosmetics. Made up kids can look much older than they are and can become the subject of unwanted sexual attention from boys and men. They may be able to associate with older people and to get access to places they shouldn’t when your back is turned. If they look older than they are, other people will not realize that there might be a problem with what they are doing or who they are with and will not intervene.

In The Home

It is probably best if girls are introduced to make-up at home and only wear it indoors to start with. Make cosmetics part of a game rather than anything too serious so they can practice applying it but don’t let them out alone when they are all made up until they reach their teens. Explain the dangers and why you don’t want them to wear it and perhaps start letting them wear make-up for special occasions only in the first instance. If they are keen to learn more about applying cosmetics try something like the Make-Up Creative Folder by TOP Model. This is a neat folder with cute faces and cosmetics which allows the kids to experiment on paper rather than on themselves. It turns cosmetics into something creative and interesting without the attendant dangers.

Featured images:

•  License: Creative Commons image source

Sally Stacey is a keen blogger who writes regularly on a number of interesting topics.

Thumb sucking is a behavior that is mostly associated with human babies, but what most people don’t know that other primates like chimpanzees and ring-tailed lemurs also show this behavior. So, it will be safe to say that this behavior is quite natural, but then again it can cause serious consequences or at times even prove to be fatal. Children are weak in terms of defense against pathogens. Hence, parents should do what ever is possible to protect their children against any sort of germs or disease causing pathogens. These harmful substances and germs can be ingested when children suck on their thumbs.

Biological background of the habit

Biologically, the thumb sucking habit takes its root from the breast feeding stage. This reflex is generally termed as a sucking reflex and is developed because the baby develops the instinct that sucking will bring them nutritional value. Therefore, it can be established that the thumb sucking habit is very much a natural reflex.

Usually this habit disappears at the age of 5 years, but in some cases it doesn’t fade away. This is where the habit can become dangerous. Parents should not wait till the habit runs its course because in this age, with all the pollution, the chances of the toddler catching germs and getting sick are quite high. Now the question that remains is how can parents break this habit of children without harsh treatment? Well, the answer is “gloves”.

Answer to thumb sucking

One of the best remedies of thumb sucking problem is specially designed gloves that are made keeping in consideration of the habit of thumb sucking. The gloves are made of special spandex material with only the thumb being covered and the rest of the fingers open. With these gloves on every time the child looks to suck on their thumb the scratchiness makes the experience unpleasant. Consequently, the child will experience the unpleasant for a couple of times before ultimately abandoning the habit altogether.

Dental issues that arise due to the habit

Apart from germs and diseases another problem that the thumb sucking gives birth to is the need for dental work. Dental experts all over the world are of the view that this thumb sucking habit causes deformation of the teeth and other issues with the gums. This makes the ‘tolerate thumb sucking’ gloves more important. Since the habit is not controlled at an earlier stage it might inflict permanent damage to either the teeth or the defense system of the child.

Availability of the gloves

Another plus point is that these gloves are easily available over the web. All that is required from the buyers is to go online scan the catalogue that the online forums have shared and order the pair of gloves that they find fitting for their child. The gloves are available at more then reasonable rates and given their utility the rates become even more attractive. Gloves are also available for children that suck their fingers.

This article is written by staff writer at http://gloveyhuggey.com

If you were to play a word association game, ‘summer’ would go well with ‘sun’, ‘fun’ and ‘water’. And what combines all three of those better than any other summertime activity? Water parks, and more specifically, water rides.

While there are more than enough family-friendly water parks and rides to choose from around the world, why be safe if you can test the waters, so to speak, with some of the biggest and fastest water rides in the world?

Insano – Beach Park – Brazil

The Insano has been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s tallest water slide. Do you even need to know more? In case you do, it stands 14 stories high with an almost vertical drop. Those brave enough to get on will complete the ride in about 5 seconds – at 65 miles an hour. We suggest taking an extra pair of swimming wear, just in case…

Summit Plummet – Blizzard Beach – Florida

The Summit Plummet is not quite as high or fast as the Insano, but it comes pretty close. This ride features a 120 foot slope and riders travel at about 50 to 60 miles an hour. If you’re the competitive type, you can compare times with your friends, courtesy of the digital readout at the end of the ride. If you’ve lost, you’ll just have to go again.

Leap of Faith – Atlantis Paradise Island – Bahamas

The Leap of Faith in the Atlantis Paradise Island water park starts at the top of a Mayan temple. The drop at the start comes alarmingly close to being 90°, and it propels riders through a clear tunnel towards the end of the ride. Don’t blink, or you’ll miss the sharks on the way – the tunnel is submerged in a shark-filled lagoon.

Scorpion’s Tail – Noah’s Ark Waterpark – Wisconsin

Instead of launching yourself into the Scorpion’s Tail, you get into its capsule-like entrance, close the door and wait. Just as you start to feel safe, the floor will open and you’ll be dropped 10 stories to start your ride down this 400 feet slide. The initial drop happens at 50 feet per second, and you’ll complete the ride in all of 7 seconds. Some have done it in 5 seconds.

Waterslides Toboggan  – Città del Mare – Italy

This one wins for views and general ‘wow’ factor. The three pools and slides that make up this ride runs from the top of the hill by the Città del Mare resort straight into the Mediterranean Sea. No information on how you’re supposed to get back to the hotel is available but we’re sure you’ll find a way just to do it all again.

If you read this list while clutching your keyboard and hyperventilating, then perhaps it would be safer to leave the water adventures to others. You can still have a memorable holiday laughing at the fear on others faces while having your towel, sunscreen and bottled water delivered to your deck chair.

Terrence is a long-time writer and reader. He’s never tried any of these water rides himself, and can’t say with confidence that he ever will. He finds life on the ground much safer.

Despite the repeated warning dispensed by mothers for generations, sitting close to the television screen does not cause permanent eye damage. According to a 2007 study conducted by the Seattle Children’s Research Institute, sitting too close to the television, or as can be attested by too many office workers, the computer screen, can cause eye strain when viewed too closely or at an odd angle.

The impetus for this age old claim was a warning issued by General Electric in the early 1960s that televisions emitted dangerously high levels of radiation, a claim that has long been debated. Soon after the problem was discovered it was corrected, but the warning was permanently engraved in the minds of mothers everywhere for their children to hear, “Don’t sit so close to the television or you’ll ruin your eyes!” Somehow this has joined that pantheon of warnings such as “Don’t cross your eyes! They’ll stick that way!” and “Don’t crack your knuckles, your joints will get big and red!”

Just the Facts

So, plainly speaking, sitting close to the TV does not cause bad vision, at least in the opinion of most doctors. This is not to say, however, that sitting close to the TV is actually good on your eyes or that sitting close to the TV doesn’t indicate an eye problem.

According to most studies, adults normally watch TV at a much greater distance from the set than their children. Again, in most cases, children tend to watch television while sitting only a few feet from the TV which causes them to strain their necks in an upward direction to watch. This can cause both eye and neck strain if it is done over a prolonged period. If it’s any consolation, however, most doctors agree that just a good night’s sleep should cure any discomfort unless it is exacerbated by some other condition.

Enter Nanook of the North

If you ask most eye doctors about the relationship between watching TV and eye problems they will tell you that there is no relationship. Unfortunately, however, there’s the little problem of a study that was done in the late 1960s on the relationship between vision and environmental issues among Eskimo families.

At the time, there was very little formal schooling or anything else resembling modern civilization among Eskimo families. Researchers found that in these families there were practically no incidences of myopia, or the ability to see things up close but not farther away. After World War II, however, researchers noticed that although those Eskimos who were 56 years of age and older had almost no cases of myopia, their children, who were age 36 and older has an incidence of myopia of about 8 percent. The children of the later group, who were the first to learn to read had a 59 percent incidence of myopia.

Even the results of this study have been questioned because although it is true that activities that are performed up close, such as reading, can lead to myopia, the children who were tested in this study might have been mainly made up of those whose parents brought them for case since they questioned their eyesight beforehand.

A more recent study, this one performed in Australia, showed that children who spent more of their time outdoors had fewer cases myopia than those who spent more time indoors. One of the problems with this study, however, was that further analysis of the children who spent their time indoors showed practically no difference in their eyesight whether they spent their time indoors reading or playing video games.

The bottom line for both of these studies is that although watching TV might not cause eye problems, it does cause eyestrain and other problems.

Austin Faux is a blogger for 20/20 Institute the leader in Denver Lasik Surgery.  When I’m not on the phone or talking Lasik with patients I’m working on our Facebook.

Having said that, it is not surprising why many adolescents find themselves in jail after a night of partying with their friends. This article lists down 6 dumb ways to get arrested while partying. These actions were attempted and executed by hundreds of shamelessly drunken young adults. Only fools will try to commit these acts while they are sober.

Smuggling Liquor Into A Party Filled With Underage Teens

The law prohibits selling or offering alcoholic beverages to underage teens. If you are caught smuggling liquor into a party filled with teenagers under the age of eighteen, you might get arrested, and you will face prison time and pay a hefty fine.

Lie About Your Age Or Identity

A lot of teenagers try to get a hold of fake identification cards just to be able to get into a party that doesn’t allow underage teens. If you are under the age of 18 and you are planning to use a fake ID, think again. If something goes wrong at the party and cops arrive, they will want to check your identification. Giving them false identification details can mean trouble.

In various states, lying to a cop about your identity or age while you are detained can lead to a criminal charge. Lying to the police is one of the surest ways to go to jail.

Agree To Pose For A Nude Photo

Agreeing or suggesting to pose for a nude picture can lead to legal repercussions. You might find yourself facing an Indecent Exposure charge. With all your nude photos from various cameras, the police will have sufficient evidence to make an arrest.

You might think that you will never pose for a nude photo, but binge drinking can dull your decision making ability. You might claim not remember exactly what you did at the party, but seeing your nude photos going viral online will serve as a grim reminder.

Have Sex In A Public Area

Teenagers, like you, have raging hormones, and this is only intensified by alcohol in your system. With that said, it is not surprising that you make stupid decisions when drunk. If you are drunk, you might engage in unsafe sex. Unfortunately, having sex, although consensual, may still lead to legal consequences, especially when you commit the act in a public area.

For instance, using a single-sex bathroom for anything other than going to the bathroom can lead to an arrest if you and your partner get caught. Remember that the bathrooms in most clubs tend to be heavily guarded. So before you start stripping each other’s clothes, try to think first. Better yet, do not drink excessively to avoid making dumb decisions.

Public Cat-fights and Brawls

When you and other people are intoxicated, it is so easy to find fault and start a fight. Throwing fists, threats, and shameless verbal abuse can lead to more than a sore body and blackened eye. You might find yourself in jail for assault and battery.

Drink And Drive

You might have avoided doing all stupid things listed above, and you are proud of yourself. You hopped on your car and drove away even when you have had more than two bottles of beer.

The most arrest in the country is from routine traffic stops. If you happen to encounter a law enforcer on your way home, he might pull you over. Once he smells alcohol on your breath or on your clothes, he might ask you to take a field sobriety test. If you fail, you will face a possible DUI charge.

These are just 6 of the dumbest ways to get arrested at a teen party. The best way to avoid legal problems is not to break the law to begin with. In addition, you must avoid drinking excessively because you will end up making stupid decisions which you will surely regret.

Citations:

• Gunter Creasey.”Party!”. June 26, 2011. Online Image. Flickr. May 22, 2013

Featured images:

•  License: Creative Commons image source

The author, Kris Hopkins, is a writer for legal websites where she offers a list of dumb ways to get arrested. She also occasionally writes for bail bonds agencies, such as BBD.

It’s the day you are finally getting your braces on.  Some people dread this appointment for a number of reasons.  Sometimes it is painful.  You don’t want to look different or draw attention to your teeth.  You don’t want to deal with the difficulty of eating or always wondering if there is food stuck in your braces.  How will it affect making out with your boyfriend?  Yes, all things to ponder.

Others are excited for the day.  You may think that braces are cool and have always envied your friends who already have them.  You may like drawing attention to yourself, and this is just one more way to do so.  You may be looking forward to the outcome of the braces – straight, beautiful teeth.

However you may feel about it, there is no turning back now.  You are already in the chair and the doctor is already gluing the brackets on each individual tooth.  At this point, you have no control over anything that is going on.  Or do you?

Control with Colors

When your orthodontist is done securing a bracket to each tooth, he is going to ask you a question.  “What color would you like your braces to be?”  Now, the actual color of the brackets is either metal or ceramic.  That will always stay the same.  But the elastic that holds the brackets to the wire can be almost any color you want.  This is what you have control over.

The orthodontist will hand you a clip with a display of elastic colors connected to it.  You get to choose from these colors.  Now, think carefully about this choice.  Whenever you smile or talk or do something to show your teeth, this color will be seen.  This color choice is a way to express yourself.  What do the color of your braces say about you?

The Choices are Endless

There is a lot to think about here.  Do you have a loud personality and want some loud colors to go along with it?  Maybe your personality is more subdued and you want the color to just blend in.  Maybe you want to make a statement with school colors or colors that mean something to you.  If you have a favorite color, you can display it through your braces.  Let’s go over some of the many options.

Dark Colors – Your orthodontist will probably tell you that dark colors such as black and navy blue will make your teeth look whiter.  If this is of importance to you and aesthetics is high on your list, these colors may be your best choice.  Dark colors stand as a high contrast against your teeth.  The high contrast make your teeth look white and are frequently chosen for this reason.

Grey/Silver or Clear – If you are one of those people who don’t want to stand out, you may choose grey because it blends in with the silver color of the brackets.  You may also be tempted to choose clear because that blends in also.  Be aware, though, that clear elastics tend to become stained over time and may take on a yellow tint.  This may backfire and draw attention to your teeth in a bad way.

Favorite Color – You may just have a favorite color and want to use that on your braces.  It is a way to express your likes and personality.  Also, if you have a tendency to wear a lot of your favorite color, your braces will often match your clothes!

School or Team Colors – The color of your braces can also be fun way to support your school or favorite sports team.  Pick their team colors to put on your pearly whites.

The possibilities when it comes to the color of your braces are vast.  Choose whatever you are comfortable with and make it match your personality.  If you have a loud personality, make it show with your braces!  Whether you choose a single color, alternate two colors, or have a different color for every tooth, this is the one thing you have a choice over when it comes to your braces.  Have fun with it and choose wisely.

Jamie has written for many years about a variety of topics.  She especially enjoys writing about family, health, and how to choose a Salt Lake City pediatric dentist.  Her children currently have braces and she enjoys watching them pick out new colors every time they return to the orthodontist.

Related articles

• Getting Dental Braces as an Adult (everydayhealth.com)
• Braces Breakthroughs: What’s New in Orthodontics? (everydayhealth.com)

1. Talk to your teen. Every teen will be faced with some kind of peer pressure in their life, and it is important for parents to talk to their child before this happens so that they are prepared. Start when your child is young and continue with the talks through their teenage years. Take time to tell your child about the dangers of drugs, eating disorders, and other dangerous trends, and keep the conversations open so your teen feels comfortable talking to you about it any time.

2. Give them positive role models. Parents can help their kids avoid dangerous activities by modeling healthy behavior. Set a good example for them by taking care of yourself, managing stress in healthy ways, and being responsible about your drinking. Encourage your teen to also find like-minded friends that will avoid drugs with them.

3. Give them excuses. It’s not enough to tell your child to just say no to drugs. Teens need concrete examples of ways to resist peer pressure. As part of your talks, give your teen excuses they can use when faced with the temptation to do drugs or other dangerous activities. Some parents choose to role play with their child so they can rehearse exactly what to do when faced with the situation.

4. Build up their confidence. One reason many teens are so susceptible to peer pressure is that they lack the confidence to go against the flow. Kids follow the crowd because they are afraid they won’t be accepted if they aren’t like everyone else. Eating disorders like anorexia or bulimia in teenagers are common because these young people lack self respect and confidence in themselves. In order to build up your child’s confidence, be slow to criticize and quick to compliment. Help your child see their good qualities and talents, and teach them that everyone struggles with feelings of inadequacy at times. Above all, be the listening ear when your child feels insufficient.

5. Keep them busy. Teens and pre-teens that have responsibilities and commitments outside of school will be more likely to avoid peer pressure at school. Activities like sports, the theatre, and even work help keep kids from being overly concerned about what other kids are doing. Extracurricular activities give kids things to do after school instead of getting caught up with drugs or other activities.

It is difficult for youth to stay strong when faced by negative peer pressure. Parents can make it easier by preparing them before the pressure starts, and by helping them stay confident with themselves and their decision to stay clean along the way.

Featured images:

•  License: Royalty Free or iStock source: Copyright (c) 123RF Stock Photos

Bethany Winkel is a freelance writer who specializes in topics related to drug and alcohol addiction.

Related articles

• Kids Dealing With Peer Pressure (everydayhealth.com)
• Teen Depression (teendepressionblog.wordpress.com)
• The Top Fears Parents Have About Teen Drivers (allstate.com)
• Peer Pressure Experienced as Early as Childhood (counselheal.com)

Can I Put Hidden Cameras in My House Without Telling Visitors?

In most states, it is perfectly legal to use a hidden camera to watch people working on your property, as a way of ensuring the safety of your family and property. However, states differ as to the subtleties around these laws. In most cases, you are not allowed to place the cameras anywhere where the person you’re watching has a reasonable right to privacy, for example in your bathroom, or, if they are in a live in working position (for example an au pair), their bedroom.

The reasons you have for recording them can also affect the legality. If you merely want to ensure they aren’t doing anything illegal, or which you have forbidden in their terms of employment, this is acceptable. However, you must not film them with the intention of gathering blackmail material or anything else you might use maliciously or inappropriately.

What About Outside My Property?

You are generally within your rights to use a CCTV camera system to watch the areas around your property, including public areas or exposed parts of neighboring land, for security purposes. However, if your cameras can see into a neighbor’s home or a private area (such as a fenced in yard or a pool area) this may not be acceptable, both legally and socially. Generally, it is best to check the laws in your state and ask your neighbors how they feel about it before installing any cameras that will capture things other than those happening on your own land.

What About Audio Surveillance?

The laws around recording sound are slightly different to those concerning video, so if you intend to capture audio as well as video in your home then you should definitely check out what is considered legal in your state. You may be able to record some sound, for example you may be able to record your nanny talking to your children. However other things may be expressly forbidden, like bugging the phone and recording both sides of conversations between your nanny and her family and friends.

In most cases, you can find out what you need to know about your staff and their behavior just by watching with cameras, so unless you particularly need to hear what they are saying (for example if you are worried about the language they might be using in front of your children) it is best to avoid audio recordings.

The contributor of today’s post, Kate Harris, is a private investigator. She uses blogging to share her expertise on security systems. She believes that security locks and cameras are essential for both large and small scale companies.

Pirates!

Pirates are a popular theme that works well for both boys and girls, so it’s a good one to do if you have a mixed group attending. It can also lend itself to several age groups, with younger children enjoying nautical themes drawn from shows like SpongeBob Squarepants and older kids enjoying a chance to dress up like Johnny Depp in Pirates of The Caribbean. There are lots of ways you can add to the pirate theme in the way you decorate your garden or deck, for example using a big “treasure chest” to keep gifts in, and putting nautical netting and fun things like starfish and flags around your yard area. If you have a pool, even better – you can even create some fun pirate themed water games.

Sports Party!

Whether your kid loves playing a sport or is more into supporting your local team, a sporty party is not only a concept with lots of cool decoration ideas, but also one where you can put in lots of active games that will wear everybody out! You can pick one sport based on your kids’ interests; such as baseball, football, soccer or basketball and decorate your garden with themed things like giant foam fingers, balls and posters of their heroes. Alternatively, you can go for a theme like the Olympics and create loads of different activities where kids can compete.

Glam Party!

Older girls may prefer something that feels a bit more grown up, so why not throw a celebrity inspired party with lots of sparkle and glamour? You can pick a theme like red carpet or rap video pool party, and decorate with lots of bling. Let the kids drink punch out of wine glasses, and eat fancy looking cakes and goodies. Activities could include a joke awards ceremony where the birthday girl gets the best awards, and fun things like glitter tattoos.

A Word about Safety

As long as everything is well supervised, outdoor kids parties are usually perfectly safe, but make sure you think about any potential hazards before the event. Plan out your policy on when guests can use the pool if you have one, and make sure you get any maintenance work like fence repair done in advance. Also ensure you have plenty of suntan lotion, and first aid gear on hand in case someone gets injured playing party games or gets any insect bites or stings.

Being prepared for minor summertime injuries as well as things like allergies and sunburn will make sure that if any of these things happen, there won’t be any drama and everyone will be able to get on with having a good time.

Today’s featured contributor, Daniel Morgan, is a home renovation expert at As Good As New. Daniel is a frequent blogger. Through his blogs, he shares tips on how to clean decks and fences in a right manner.

Children are a lot smarter than most people give them credit for. If you have children you probably know this. In emergency situations children are often known to respond and think, clearer and wiser than adults. Something about children’s innocence allows them to partially disconnect from the severity of emergencies and rationalize what steps need to be taken to solve the problem. Because of this our children need to be educated of what to do in emergencies so that they can have all the tools they need if faced with these types of situations. Children of any age can be taught to some degree on how to properly respond in emergency situations.

911

Calling 911 is the most basic and simple skill a child can be taught to respond in emergency situations. As soon as a child can clearly talk and think some what rationally they can be taught to call 911. The great thing about the 911 emergency hotline is that the operators are taught to be able to talk to anyone of any age and get the information out of them that they need to properly respond to the emergency.

CPR

CPR is a skill that can be taught to a 10 year old. It depends on where you live but some states will start official CPR certifications at 13 yrs. old. If your child is of age in your area taking a CPR class at your local rec or medical center is a great way to equip them with the tools they need to respond in an emergency situation. Even if your child is not of age to receive and official CPR certification there are things that you can teach them to aid in these situations. A great skill to teach your under age child if you are some one else collapses is alert the people around them and ask if anyone knows CPR.

Emergencies in Public

There are tons of different circumstances that can be labeled as an emergency in public. There are tons of different scenarios that you could talk your children through but there are a few basics things are the most important for them to know. The first thing to teach your child is to get help. If there is a person attacking them or some one else they need to run away if they can and scream for help. If someone becomes unconscious they need to find someone else and ask for help. Your child needs to know to find a safe place. If there is a fire, shooting, or car accident they need to know to immediately remove them self from the danger or hide in a safe place. This is a skill that you will have to carefully talk your children through different scenarios.

Emergencies in the Home

Emergencies in the home can include but are not limited to, burglary, fire or someone being injured. In these types of situations your child needs a quick way to get help if they are able to. Smith Monitoring, the leader in Baytown home security, has come up with a way that children can quickly get help in emergency situations. If you choose to use Smith Monitoring, or local companies like it, as your home security system they will place a digital panel if your home. One of the features of the digital panel is the ability to call police, medical or fire responders from the panel. Teaching your children to navigate the easy to use panel will allow them to call emergency responders in the event of an emergency

Author Bio: Ally is a writer for Smith Monitoring, wife, youth mentor, and health nut. Follow her blogs for all the current trends on home, health, and family.

Photo By: zev

When it comes to YouTube, it’s good to know where to go, otherwise if you trawl aimlessly and hope to get lucky, you could find that you’ve wasted six hours of your life watching conspiracy videos, cats wearing human clothes and footage of people falling over.

Here’s a list of a few of the best channels to go to for informative, learning-based content. Since knowledge is infinite, it’s nowhere near exhaustive, but it’s still a darn good start.

1. Big Think

After an hour or so on Big Think, you’ll feel like a polymath. It’s a channel that specialises in long interviews with leading thinkers and experts, often divided into five and ten minute snippets for each subject – meaning you can jump from ruminations on magic, neuroscience, linguistics and religion, all in a short space of time.

2. Ted

Ted Talks need no introduction. A once secretive conference of industry insiders in the valleys of California, now open to all through the Ted youtube channel. In many ways it’s the polymath model writ large, hour long, in-depth digressions on subjects from reforestation to animal psychology.

3. 10thDim

10thDim exactly what it sounds like – or what it would sound like if they’d used the entire word. It’s all about the 10th Dimension, a theoretical dimension the existence of which is suggested by some theories of quantum mechanics.

The channel contains endless variations and metaphors for explaining 10th dimensional theories. If that sounds a little one-note, then you haven’t tried to imagine the tenth dimension yet. Here’s a teaser to get you started: in some models of parallel dimension theory, time makes up two of them.

4. Sesame Street

Of course, multidimensional theoretical physics may be  too challenging for some people or you are looking for something more child-friendly.In which case colourful puppets singing about the alphabet might be more your level. Plus, if you don’t want to see Feist singing a modified version of ‘1234’ backed by a chorus of singing penguins and chickens, you’re officially dead inside.

5. Fora.TV

‘Fora’ being the plural of ‘forum’, focuses in streaming and uploading content from conferences and forums across the world, unbound by any one subject. As one might expect, a lot of the subject matter is quick moving fields like science, technology and design.

6. IQSquared

IQSquared’s specialty lies in long-form videos of debates. These are a great learning tool because instead of just having the information presented, you get to see the intelligence at work as great minds thrash out complex issues. Alternatively, you could pick an issue you already have strong opinions on, and spend the debate rooting for your side to win.

7. Authors at Google

One of the signs of being a highly educated genius at cocktail parties and coffee shops is the ability to namedrop authors, their work and their ideas. For most of us, the barrier to doing that is having to read all those books first! The beauty of Authors at Google is that writers and authors get to talk on the subject of their latest works, and then take questions from Google staff, giving a preliminary insight into the ideas behind their books. Not only can you sit in and absorb it, but it also demonstrates how a more Socratic Q & A format is an amazing tool to engage and motivate pupils.

We’ve covered a few here, but the web is full of fountains of e-knowledge. Do you have any favorite tools to assist classroom learning, or channels covering obscure fields that deserve more exposure? Then why not let us know with a comment?

Featured images:

•  License: Creative Commons image source

Ed Hitchman is a writer and blogger. He recommends Classroom Carrots. 

How To Dress

Sure, shopping for your dress may be the biggest element of your prom, but be sure to get what you want. Do you simply HATE high heels? Then, guess what – you don’t have to wear them! Go in flats or sandals. You need to be comfortable, and the confidence you exude when you don’t have to worry about stumbling around on high heels can make the difference between a tense prom and a wonderful prom.

It’s OK To Save Money

So many times, girls stress out about whether they have spent enough on their dress or not – they get into comparison. But you know what? Catty comparisons won’t cheapen your look. If you look fabulous, and feel wonderful, snippy little comments fall flat. Check with resale boutiques for your prom dress. If you’re worried about accidentally buying one that was worn to your school’s prom last year, go to a different neighborhood. You can find a designer dress to die for, and pay no more for it than you would for one not nearly as nice. You may even be able to borrow one from a friend or relative, and use the money you save to rent a limo.

Friends Are Fun 

So many times, girls and guys both miss their prom because they don’t have a “significant other”. Prom night is a big night, and you shouldn’t miss it because you are not in a serious relationship. In fact, you’ll probably have more fun that those who are with a serious date. Ask a friend to go with you to the prom. These days, if you have a friend of the opposite sex, it’s ok to have a friend date to the prom. Or, if you want to, go with several other of your best friends. Just about everything is good these days, and you can have a blast if you’re not trying to impress someone.

Get Plenty of Pictures 

Smart phones make this so much easier, but it’s still common to come away from your prom night with few pictures. Don’t gripe at your mom for taking your picture in your prom dress. These are memories that you’ll have well documented. Some girls are even having professional photo sessions in their prom dresses, just as they would with their wedding dresses.

Keep It Comfortable

Once the prom is over, the pressure to fit in continues. You’ve forged your own way with your dress and your date, don’t back off afterward. You don’t owe your date anything, and you don’t have to go out drinking after the prom. If you aren’t comfortable with it, you don’t have to do it. If others feel like they have to pressure you into something, move on.

Featured images:

•  Photo provided by: Guest blogging community
•  Photo provided by: smartphotostock.com
•  Image courtesy of Cheap photo stock

Anastasia is a model from Russia. She was elected as the Queen of Bridesire for April 2013. Anastasia loves wearing different dresses designed and tailored by Bridesire and walking on the T-stage. You can find more 200 pictures of her on Bridesire.com under the categories of bridal gowns and bridesmaid dresses.

Senia holds a certificate for achieving A-B honor roll status during two marking periods this school year. However, she was also on the all A honor roll during two marking periods and she also has a certificate for the MEAP Mastery in Math and Reading! Go Senia!!!

Filed under: News, Report Card Tagged: 5th grade, 6th grade, awards, certificates, Education, Graduation, honor roll, school ]]> http://simplysenia.com/2013/06/07/senia-gets-all-as-graduates-to-sixth-grade/feed/ 0 seniaA seniarose seniaA http://simplysenia.com/2013/06/07/nose-jobs-for-teens/ http://simplysenia.com/2013/06/07/nose-jobs-for-teens/#comments Fri, 07 Jun 2013 13:25:17 +0000 Dangerous Lee http://simplysenia.com/?p=2308 ]]>

Most American teens are now getting their noses reshaped. This is a minor procedure which one can do and be discharged on the same day. This procedure of modifying the shape of the nose, which is commonly known as rhinoplasty can either be simple or complex depending on the way it is done and the success of this procedure heavily depends on the skill and experience of the surgeon. This has a huge impact on a person look and should therefore be taken very seriously.

Ages When Teens can have Rhinoplasty

it is advisable to only have a nose job when the nose has reached its full size. For girls, this happens at around 15 or 16 years of age while for boys it may happen a little bit later as the girls mature faster.

Types of Rhinoplasty

The different types of nose jobs may include:-
- reshaping the tip of the nose
- Making the bridge of the nose straight
- Opening breathing passages in the nostrils
- Remaking the shape of the nose
- Removing defects such as humps
- changing the size of the nose

Nose jobs can be done either for aesthetic or medical reasons. Some people with breathing problems may want to open up the air passages which is a medical reason while others would lie to enhance their beauty which is purely aesthetic.

Risks associated with Rhinoplasty

Just like any other type of surgery, rhinoplasty has got its own risks. These may include the following:
- Nosebleeds
- A feeling of numbness
- swelling
- Nerve damage which may even be permanent at times
- Damage to small blood vessels on the surface of the skin

It is important for parents and teens to get the opinion of a doctor concerning the risks involved with a rhinoplasty before undertaking it. The teen has to be mature enough to handle the risks and consequences involved on their own. They also need to be doing it for the right reason as this is a change that stays with someone for the rest of their life.

After the actual nose job, a lot of support is needed from friends and family. Ones head has to be elevated for a minimum of 24 hours after the surgery. One also needs to be ready for some pain and swelling though this can be managed by using cold compresses and a bunch of medication. Although the swelling and redness may be there for the first couple of days, it usually heals within a couple of weeks leaving fantastic results.

Choosing a surgeon

It is always good to have the rhinoplasty performed by a plastic surgery who has lots of experience and a proven track record. The operation itself should also be done in a credible facility in case of complications with the surgery. It is also good to talk with the surgeon prior to the procedure in order to describe one aspirations and expectations while learning about the benefits and risks involved with this procedure. Health insurance should also be taken care of early enough as health insurance companies do not usually cover plastic surgery unless it is on medical grounds.

Julia is passionate blogger about women interests.

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• Rhinoplasty Recovery After Timeline – Recovery After Having Undergone Rhinoplasty (rhinoplastyrecoverytimeline.wordpress.com)
• Rhinoplasty – Nose Jobs Explained (nosejobpainafter.wordpress.com)

If you’re an avid Facebook user, chances are you’ll have seen lots of your friends post pictures of their children. Some parents love to show off every messy meal, silly pose and glowing smile they capture as their child grows, and many even choose to use baby pictures as their own profile shots instead of pictures of themselves. Most people love being able to see pictures of friends’ kids, especially if they live far away and don’t get a chance to see them in person, and it gives parents a good feeling to bask in all of those “likes” from around the world.

Of course, the internet is such a huge, confusing thing at this point in time that there can always be a chance that the pictures you post on Facebook will be seen by people you don’t know or who you specifically don’t want to be able to see them. As a result of a general mistrust of the internet, along with a sense of confusion around how Facebook’s privacy setting work, more and more parents are refraining from posting their kids’ images online.

Why Some Parents Don’t Post Pictures of Their Children

In a survey carried out on just over 1,300 parents, all of whom had social media profiles and were over the age of 25, it was shown that 23% simply refused to post any pictures at all of their children on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or other social media sites.

The reasons given for this all fell under the banner of them being concerned about safety. 29% of respondents said they didn’t feel that Facebook gave them enough control over who would be able to see the pictures. 27% responded that they didn’t properly understand about Facebook’s privacy settings, and so didn’t feel confident that they had made their pictures visible only to their intended audience. 22% were concerned about copyright, and didn’t want the owners of Facebook reusing their images.And, 21% responded that they simply didn’t trust the web (some respondents admitted to more than one of these reasons).

Is It Actually Safe?

In actual fact, it is safe to post pictures on Facebook, but only if you understand and regularly check your privacy settings, and are careful about who you add as a friend.

If you have your privacy set correctly, only people you have on your friends list will be able to see or comment on any pictures you add, including those of your kids. You can also choose specific settings for an individual photo when you post it, so you can make pictures of other things, like work related stuff, available to a wider audience than your kids photo albums.

Of course, even when you have done this, you have to be sure that the people on your friends list can all be trusted not to inappropriately use or share your images, so refrain from adding people you don’t know well if you want to be able to safely share pictures.

Featured images:

•  License: Creative Commons image source
•  License: Creative Commons image source

Today’s guest author, Clara Morgan, is a speech therapist based in America. In her opinion, it’s important for parents to pay attention to early signs in a baby for any speech disorders. As an environmentalist, she is motivated towards a greener and a healthier planet and works towards it in her spare time.

Related articles

• Decoding Facebook’s Privacy Settings (infotainmentnews.net)
• No Privacy Settings? I also like to live dangerously. (shawnbell4.wordpress.com)
• It’s Time For A Social Media Spring Clean (fliptop.com)