Parenting Advice

Make it Easy For Out of Town Family and Friends to Call With a Toll Free Number by Lee Percival

Toll free numbers are not just for the Fortune 500 sized businesses anymore! Thanks to the ease of getting a toll free number set up, it’s becoming more common not only for a small business to utilize a toll free line, but also for the average family to get their own toll free number. Having a personal toll free number allows friends and family to call you from out of town without paying long distance fees or running up their cell phone – and you only pay a few pennies per minute when you use the line.

It used to be toll free phone numbers required extensive equipment installed and an expensive monthly bill in addition to a pay-per-minute fee for all calls coming or going. Reserving a number was a timely process, and scheduling the installation often a chore because it would interrupt the operation of the business while the service was being set up. As recently as a few years ago, only big businesses could afford to have a toll free number because of the expense – and the calls could only be received in the location that the equipment was set up in.

Today, toll free numbers have gone “virtual”, enabling anyone who wants one to set up a toll free number for their home or business. There is no requirement to have any special equipment installed as calls coming into a virtual toll free line are forwarded to the phone of your choice. Receive calls on your home line, your cell phone, or your regular business line any time you want – and you can even set it up so your incoming toll free calls are forwarded to wherever you are at that time, meaning you never miss a call with a “follow me call forwarding” feature. You can set up a list of your numbers and what order to forward the calls until they find you!

Monthly service plans for virtual toll free numbers are as low as $2 per month, and the calling minutes with many providers of virtual toll free numbers can be prepaid, which means you will never be surprised with a high phone bill. Unlike cell phone plans that do not allow you to roll over unused minutes, the minutes you purchase for use with your toll free line are yours until they are used, even if you don’t use them all in the month you buy them.

Using a toll free line at home is a bit like having a calling card for your family and friends who are outside your local calling area, only easier since you won’t have to reload cards or mail them out: just give out your 800, 866, 877 or 888 number and let them use it whenever they wish to call you.

Thanks to the ease of setting up and the affordability of using a virtual toll free number, no family should be without their own line. Forget paying monthly service plans for long distance and give out a toll free number to friends and family instead.

Lee Percival uses Get800Today.com and their toll free phone service. He recommends getting a toll free number for business and personal use.

Article Source: AamRas.com - Articles

Two Family Attitudes That Promote Addiction Recovery by A. Tom Horvath, Ph.D.

1) Stay focused on the desired outcome, not the process. You may be hoping to find the “right” treatment for a loved one. Rather than insisting that your loved one do this or that (some treatment program you think will be helpful), focus on what you really want: no more (or at least fewer) addiction problems. Don’t get so caught up in the process of treatment that you lose sight of the goal. Let your loved one determine what might be helpful. Any program the user chooses is better than one forced on him or her.

Starting with local outpatient treatment often makes more sense than going off for 28 days to residential treatment. In many cases simply entering individual psychotherapy will be sufficient. Don’t hold your loved one accountable for going through the motions of change. Actually stay focused on the outcome you desire. In other words, “I’m going to treatment just like you wanted me to” should not be allowed to excuse misbehavior.

If it is available in your community, sign yourself up for CRAFT (Community Reinforcement and Family Training). These sessions will teach you how to take care of yourself, reward positive behavior in your loved one, and induce your loved one to enter treatment if it is still needed.

Remember also that change without treatment is entirely possible. Treatment centers rarely say this (it’s not good for business), but it’s an easily made observation. Smokers rarely attend treatment to change, but tens of millions of US residents have quit smoking. Is it easy to quit smoking? Of course not! You might object that intoxicating substances are different that cigarettes. To a degree, yes, but many who have quit cigarettes and also a more intoxicating substance report that even though the intoxicant was more fun, the cigarettes were harder to stop.

So, stay focused on the outcome you want, and let your loved one focus on how to get there. Also, do not hesitate to establish timeframes for the changes needed. Otherwise you may hear “I’m working on it” for a very long time.

In some cases insisting on drug testing to confirm the change may be useful. Mon-Wed-Fri drug testing is a frequency that will catch almost any substance use, including alcohol if you use the new EtG test. However, the EtG results need to be interpreted carefully, so seek appropriate guidance.

2) Expect to make some changes yourself. It is not accurate to think that “if he/she would just change then everything would be ok.” The way to change the behavior of others is to change your own. For your loved one to change his/her addictive behavior may require significant change in your behavior. Are you ready to maintain communication and a loving attitude, but set firm limits about certain behaviors? This is not the same as “tough love.” Some families have used the tough love approach (“come back when you are fixed”) and seen disaster occur. For instance, if you kick your child out, how will you feel if homelessness leads to being beaten badly or murdered? In many cases the place for the family to start is with their own treatment, to gain the strength to maintain the balance just mentioned: communicative and loving on the one hand, but firm on the other. Quite simply, if your perspective is “it’s his/her problem, I’m not the one who needs treatment,” perhaps you are not truly ready for the change you say you want? The right firm limits are often rather difficult to establish. There is no shame on seeking professional help to figure out the big picture: what you should reward, what you should ignore, and what you should set boundaries about.

A. Tom Horvath, Ph.D., ABPP, is a board certified clinical psychologist and president of Practical Recovery (addiction treatment), an addiction treatment facility in La Jolla (San Diego), CA, focusing on collaborative care and self-empowerment.

Article Source: AamRas.com - Articles

What Parents Can Do To Fight Obesity In Children by Deb Marsden

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re well aware of the huge coverage in the media, especially television, regarding the rapidly growing rate of obesity in children.

Even more painfully obvious is the fact that although our presumed awareness has increased, the actions taken to address this issue have not.

The phrase “you are what you eat” is painfully true, especially when dealing with obesity in children. So, if the assumption is made that as parents or adults, our awareness of the problem is there, then why aren’t we seeing a decrease in obesity in children rather than the reverse?

The truth is, children don’t do the weekly shopping for groceries, and they don’t cook the meals. So where is the food coming from? Who is the person responsible for bringing the food into the home? Children will eat what is available and they will no doubt scream if they don’t get all the fast food and junk food they desire, but who is the parent and who is running the show? Obesity in children is a serious issue that can and will cause health issues for these young people.

Admittedly, kids can wear the best of parents down but at the end of the day, their physical future is just as important or even more so, then their educational and vocational future. So, let’s review some tactics that might help over time.

Control the Amount on the Plate

It’s no wonder that obesity in children is on the rise when you see the servings of food considered normal. Average portions served in fast food outlets and in many family restaurants have more than doubled since the 1950’s. As a result, the public has come to believe that these huge portions are in fact average, or normal. They are not. Portions served in Asia and Europe are considerably smaller and the results are obvious. If you find yourself at a fast food outlet and the kids are screaming, now’s the time for compromise. Get the smaller servings or share the servings between a couple of them. Be sure to avoid the sugared drinks and this includes fruit juices. Even though they are low in fat and sugar does not contain fat, sugar is stored as fat if not burned up with exercise.

Encourage the kids to eat slower. Perhaps engage them in conversation over the meal so they slow down. By eating at a slower pace, it give the brain time to get the message from the stomach that it is in fact full. What About Between Meals?

Let’s face it; kids can be bottomless pits when it comes to satisfying their appetites. It may seem difficult at first, but keeping the junk food out of the house is a good place to start. If it can’t be avoided, then only have small amounts in the house at any one time and perhaps only allow them once a day or every other day as a treat.

Many people suggest more fat free choices but if they are manufactured food, then what is usually done is more sugar is added o help the flavor and this can in fact be worse than the normal fat.

Natural, unprocessed food should always be the first choice. Fruit and veggies, already cut up and ready for the kids to grab is very handy and kids will get used to it. Even peanut butter on oat bran bread is a much better choice than cookies and candy.When kids are hungry enough, they’ll eat what’s available so make their choices healthier.Obesity in children can impact every area of their lives, including relationships with others.

No More Couch Potato

Activity is the name of the game. Having an electronic babysitter in the form of TV, computer and video games, although sometimes unavoidable for your sanity, really can contribute to obesity in children. If they don’t want to go outside and play, or do sports, then compromise and put in video games that are activity oriented, like learning to hiphop or learn other dances. Even exercise videos can be fun.

Instead of driving to places that are within walking distance, walk. This provides good exercise and gets the children outside in the fresh air.

Obesity in children is a huge problem and requires the attention of those people who are responsible for their care. The physical well being of children is just as important as their education because what kind of future will they have if it is negatively impacted by obesity and the serious medical complications that go with it? What kind of future will they have then?

Overcoming Childhood Obesity is one of the greatest challenges faced today. Available resources can be found here. http://getobesityfacts.com

Article Source: AamRas.com - Articles

Mix Business And Family Time: Audio Conferencing Makes It Possible by Nahshon DeMore

Feeling guilty spending too much time at work even on weekends? Can’t take a vacation with wife and kids because there are those weekly boardroom conferences that run like clockwork every Mondays? It’s time to convince yourself to take a crack at audio conferencing.

Get that vacation!

It’s been two years in a row since you had a really fun vacation. Business has been picking up and you cannot leave your workforce of 16 people on their own for a day, let alone a fortnight for a grand vacation in a cowboy ranch with wife and kids. Business can’t run without you at the helm, so you’d better stay put.

It’s your unhappy wife who introduces you to audio conferencing. She has heard about it from her niece who works for a big company. The niece says she can be at national teleconference even when she’s at home filing her nails. No need for her to fly the long haul just to be stuck in a tedious meeting and it saves money for the company too.

Well, you grudgingly agree to look up an online information site on teleconferencing. It looked good. But how much would it shave off from your finances? Your wife glares at you and threatens to dump your dirty socks in the furnace if you won’t take her and the kids away from the cold weather.

Audio conferencing

Soon it becomes clear to you that audio conferencing, a standard conference call, makes it possible for you to have a conference with 2 or all of your staff without your bodily presence, and with less cost in terms of international calls. You just dial a local number without having to schedule a conference if you got a reservationless program.

It is also convenient because you can use your mobile phone for the teleconference. The cinch that does you in is the greatly reduced fees for the teleconference compared to the standard long-distance calls you used to make.

You were not required to sign a contract. Yours is a small enterprise and you need that teleconference only twice – and until the next vacation your wife demands.

The next step is getting a dial-in number and a password, which you’ll share with the people you’ll have to teleconference with. You remind them to have their mobile phone batteries fully charged on the next couple of Mondays. The next step is planning the vacation, which of course your wife leads.

Family time in Texas

A vacation in Texas in November is perfect for your family – you all adore the great outdoors and want to try horseback riding. There are great home-cooked meals and great accommodations. You all start planning the trip and the kids are all worked up.

It has been a long time since you’ve enjoyed this kind of family planning. You didn’t notice that you didn’t make a dash for the computer. Instead, you and your wife had a fun evening with the kids for a change – something you should do more while your children are still little. Learn to relax because audio conferencing will make your vacation less stressful.

Want to know more about audio conferencing, the benefits of VoIP technology, and conference call etiquette? Visit Audio-Conferencing-Guide.com now for all your teleconferencing needs.

Article Source: AamRas.com - Articles

Feeding Baby - Coping With Messy Mealtimes by site admin

by Christine Albury

There’s no doubt about it - feeding babies is a messy business! It may seem easy at first, when YOU’RE in control and feeding your baby from a spoon. But once you give him finger foods, or his OWN spoon for self-feeding, then you’ll be amazed by the amount of mess he can create!

As hard as it may be, it’s important not to let concerns about mess stop you from enjoying these special times with your baby. If you are a very tidy person, watching your baby cover everything with food can be very stressful and your instincts may scream at you to clean it all up.

But babies actually NEED to be allowed to explore food at first. This helps them learn more about different textures and tastes and also gives them the freedom to control what they are eating. And this is an important point - your baby has an innate ability to regulate his own calorie intake. If you do not allow him the freedom to feed himself, you can “confuse” this natural ability by giving him more calories than his body actually needs - and this can lead to weight problems in later life.

Plus, of course, your baby should be given the spoon in order to develop the necessary skills to spoon-feed himself.

So what are the best ways to keep mess - and stress - to a minimum?

• Use a good bib to protect your baby’s clothes. When he first begins to feed himself, a “coverall” bib with sleeves is ideal. Alternatively - and when the weather allows - feed him with no clothes on!

• Protect the floor all around your baby’s highchair (not just underneath… sometimes a little food goes a long way!). Either invest in a highchair splash mat, or improvise and make your own, using any wipe-clean material. A shower curtain or liner is ideal for the purpose - not only is it easy to clean, but it’s nice and big too!

• Consider investing in a highchair cover if the highchair you’re using is particularly difficult to clean.

• Give your baby a bowl with a suction pad that you can attach to the tray on his highchair. This will limit him to only being able to throw the food that is in the bowl… and not the bowl itself!

• After preparing your baby’s meal, spoon only a small amount into HIS bowl and keep the rest beside you! This is less messy than allowing him to handle a large quantity of food and also means that you have some food left in reserve if too much of his ends up on the floor!

• As your baby learns to feed himself from a spoon, make his life easier by serving foods that he is able to scoop up without too much difficulty. Try thickening runny foods (like soup) so that they will cling to the spoon - some great thickeners include mashed egg yolk, wheat germ and pureed silken tofu.

• When the meal is over, invite the family pet in to help you clear up!

Don’t discipline your baby for being messy.

Quite simply, it is out of his control and he would not understand why he was being punished. Of course, if your baby is a little older and is throwing his food on the floor, then it’s time to gently set some family mealtime rules…

• When your baby throws food, try to determine if he’s doing it because he’s full. This is the actually the most common reason for doing so. If this is the case, then simply remove the food and say to your baby something along the lines of “I’m full”, “I’m done” or “No more”. This teaches your baby that he can actually communicate this fact rather than demonstrate it!

• If you feel that your baby is throwing food for fun, then try removing it for a minute or two, keeping it where he can see it. Calmly explain that “we don’t throw food”. (Keeping calm is important - your baby will very easily pick up on any sign of anxiety and the dinner table can rapidly turn into a battleground!). If your baby is hungry, he will be upset about the removal of his food, so return it to him. But be consistent - by removing his food each time he throws some, he will quickly learn that this is unacceptable behaviour.

• Sometimes, babies throw food to get attention… and it works! So be sure to give your baby lots of attention when he’s eating nicely, too.

Above all, keep things in perspective. Most babies go through a very messy phase and, although it seems to last for ages, he will have grown out of it before you know it! Then, of course, you will look back fondly at those happy days when he learned to feed himself! There is plenty of time for good table manners (and vacuuming!) later on in your baby’s life… for now, just have fun and encourage your baby’s delight in the wonderful world of food!

Christine Albury is a mother of four and the author of Homemade Baby Food Recipes - your complete guide to solid feeding during baby’s first year.

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Article Source: Life Is Cheerful