There are a couple of reasons…

But before we go into that, let’s briefly talk about the benefits
of submersible pumps first. For obvious reasons, a submersible
pump is named as such because it is designed to be placed in the
pond, and submerged under the water.

These are the easiest of all pumps to install, just drop them in
the water and plug them in - and you’re ready to do. Of course,
you might have some quick plumbing to do, attaching a hose to the
waterfall or to a submersible filter (another article entirely),
but other than that - that’s pretty much all there is to it.

Submersible pumps range in size or gallons per hour, from 50 GPH
all the way up to 50,000 gallons per hour, but for most ponds -
pumps anywhere from 350 GPH to 4000 GPH will do just fine…

So why might you also consider an external pump instead?

Here are a couple reasons. First, external pumps can much more
energy efficient. Now, a typical swimming pool or spa pump won’t
usually fall into this category - so be careful not to compare
apples to oranges! Pool pumps can also be huge energy hogs, so
always check the amps to compare different pumps together.
Anything over 10 amps will draw a significant amount of $$ out of
your pocket every month in electrical costs.

The external pumps that we are talking about are designed
specifically for ponds and water gardens, and are engineered for
energy efficiency. I’m not sure why those folks in the swimming
pool and spa industry haven’t figured out how to this yet, but
I’m sure they’ll catch on sooner or later.

I’m inclined to think the average pond owner is a bit more
intelligent than the average pool owner. Why else would someone
choose a pool over a pond? Unless of course you have both, but at
any rate - let’s just assume that we’re talking about external
pond pumps here.

For comparison, a typical 4000 GPH (gallons per hour) submersible
pond pump will typically draw anywhere from 10 amps all the way
up to 15 amps, depending on the brand. This can really burn a
hole in your wallet (or pocketbook) on a monthly basis, and in
some parts of the country will run you $50 - $70 in energy costs.

In contrast, a comparatively rated external pond pump like the
William Lim Wave I External Pump
(https://www.macarthurwatergardens.com/Pumps/wave_pump_for_ponds.htm)
is rated at 4380 GPH at 3.47 feet of head, and only draws 2.3
amps - that’s 3/4 less energy consumption than the submersible
pumps.

When you start getting into larger ponds, 1000 gallons up to
20,000 and above - it’s usually a good idea to look into these
more energy efficient pumps. For example, the 3/4 HP Dragon pump
(https://www.macarthurwatergardens.com/Pumps/dragon_pumps.html)
will move 7,770 GPH at almost 5 feet of head (and under pressure)
and only burn 6.2 amps.

External pumps are almost always better for using with
pressurized external filters as well, as submersible pumps are
not designed to handle all the back pressure. Other benefits of
using an external pump include:

-> Easy to clean without getting your hands messy

-> Come with a removable leaf trap which clog less often

-> Easy to hook up to bottom drains or surface skimmers

-> Generally last longer, and easier to repair / replace parts

So that’s it, more than enough information for you to make an
educated choice.

Just to recap:

For smaller ponds, and for simple installation and daily use,
submersible pumps are probably your best option. For larger
ponds, 1000 gallons and above, it may be worth looking into an
external pump for your needs. Although they cost a little more
on the front end, the energy savings alone can often more than
offset this increase in cost during the first year of use alone.

**************************************************
Brett Fogle is the owner of MacArthur Water Gardens and several
other pond-related websites including
macarthurwatergardens.com MacArthurWatergardens.com
and pond-filters-online.com Pond-Filters-Online.com. He
also publishes a free monthly
newsletter called PondStuff! with a reader circulation of over
9,000. To sign up for the free newsletter and receive our FREE
‘New Pond Owners Guide’ visit MacArthur Water Gardens today!
**************************************************

King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table used to wear flags on their horses and armour so that others on their side could tell who they were. The Jolly Roger was a symbol of piracy and flown by pirates at the top of their vessels to scare people off meaning “no mercy will be shown to those who resist”. Also, more recently the Olympic flag represents the five continents coming together in friendly competition, with the white background symbolising peace.

So in the past, flags have played a significant part in society, which is also the case today. Every nation has a flag, whose colours are tied to the country’s history, for example, the orange in the Dutch flag represents the Orange Order that previously ruled the country. National flags are used to represent each country during conflict, sporting competitions, international conferences and events, but they also give individuals a chance to show their patriotism by flying the flag of their nation. This is particularly evident in England when a major football event is happening; the majority of the population who are football fans fly the flag of St George to show that they are behind the English football team.

Clubs and organisations have their own flags too, for example the boy scouts, and all have special meanings but are nevertheless there for symbolic reasons. Many organisations have caught onto the importance of flags and now manufacture these for a wide range of clientele. Piggotts ( piggotts.co.uk/flags-index.htm piggotts.co.uk/flags-index.htm) is one such example, and provides flags and flag poles for places such as the parliament buildings and other famous, high profile streets in London.

So why do well feel it’s necessary to expose these flags when we are feeling slightly patriotic? Well because they have been used for so many years, they have become a part of our heritage and are a symbol of individuality, which will continue for thousands of years into the future.

Andrew Cahill

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is one of the leading causes of deaths in infants. In fact, in the early 90s a campaign was started to get babies off their stomachs and sides and have them sleep on their backs. This alone seemed to cut the rate of yearly deaths in half from 5,000 cases a year to the present 2,500 cases of SIDS.

When determining the reasons for SIDS, the use of baby pacifiers was considered to try something new. Here is one quote out of many found that advocate the use of baby pacifiers, Nuby baby pacifiers or others.

“The studies have consistently shown that risk declines with pacifier use,” says SIDS researcher and panel member Rachel Moon, MD, who is pediatric medical director at Washington’s Children’s National Medical Center. “We don’t really know why. But the evidence was too compelling to ignore.”

The doctors worldwide are recommending that babies use pacifiers all the way through to age one. If you are breastfeeding your baby, you may want to wait a month before introducing the pacifier to make sure your baby is established in nursing. If you are not nursing, you will want to introduce your baby immediately to the use of a pacifier. One of the better brands that is baby friendly is the Nuby Baby pacifier.

How can a baby pacifier help in this case? They are designed with one air hole on each side which will help in the rare case that your baby will be able to shove the entire pacifier inside his or her mouth. Many of the designs for infants ages 0-6 months have handles on the pacifiers. These handles often times flip up under the baby’s nose and create an air pocket if the baby’s blanket is pulled over his or her head. Studies are saying that the sucking process alone is helping to prevent this horrible death.

There is no need to worry about your baby’s teeth developing at this point. They come in orthodontic styles as well if that is a concern but studies have shown that there is no detrimental effect from the use of pacifiers during the early years prior to the eruption of teeth. There have been studies that have shown that orthodontic pacifiers may actually help instead.

Even if there is no logical reason as to why the pacifier seems to prevent sudden infant death syndrome, isn’t it wise to not take the chance and just go ahead and use them? You will never want to have to ask “what if” if you don’t give them a try. Visit babypacifiershop.com baby pacifier shop for more information.

As in all cases, you, as a parent or grandparent must take responsibility for overseeing your baby’s health and well being as well. For future reference, the address for the manufacturer of Nuby baby products as of this article is: Luv n’ Care2805 Saint Charles Ave Monroe, LA 71201 (318) 388-4916

Margaret Dunn is a very active single mom of two children and a grandmother of two with a passion for learning how to succeed on the internet. Her goal is to learn it, succeed at it and then show others how to do the same by providing free seminars. She has written several ebooks and articles on diverse topics of interest. Her profession of 20 years has been headhunting. In addition, she now has 15 websites and blogs in various stages. She is an avid beach bum and travels to Cancun Mexico as often as possible. She has built an Ebay store and markets baby products internationally. Her desire is to help single moms and dads and stay at home moms or dads discover that there is a way to make a few extra dollars on the side while managing a very busy life. If you need info on finding a job, visit jobsearchtop10.com jobsearchtop10.com for lots of free info.

Here are a few simple tips that will make your display dazzle with interest. Look over your crystal figurines and identify those figurines that have something in common. For example, you might have a crystal elephant, a horse on a ball, and a clown. The theme here would be a circus.

If your crystal figurine collection is comprised of all animals, view them as farm animals, forest animals, jungle animals, zoo animals and build a cluster of figurines in these groups. Dolphins, oysters, starfish, lighthouses and sailboats create an ocean theme. The different themes are limited only by the figurines in your collection and your imagination.

Some collectors focus on one category of figurines such as butterflies or frogs or dogs. In this case, you can theme by manufacturer, color, size, style or artistic value. Each of these themes can be made attractive and interesting.

Collectors who have only a few crystal figurines can combine two or three figurines together in a group. Placing a crystal butterfly next to a crystal rose figurine is a nice touch, or placing a frog under a mushroom works nicely. Think about relationships and you’ll come up with lots of ideas and combinations.

The best time to reorganize your crystal collection is the day you clean and dust your display. As you remove the figurines, place them on a large table in the appropriate groupings you have identified. Once all the crystal figurines are on the table, you have plenty of room to rearrange each grouping according to size and eye appeal.

Spend some time on this activity to get the best visual effect that you can. Does the grouping look better with the figurines facing each other or all facing in the same direction. What is the best angle placement for each figurine in relation to the other figurines in the group? Obviously the larger figurines should be behind the smaller figurines.

But what do you do if all the figurines are about the same size? Try placing small, clear plastic stands of varying heights to raise the figurines in the back of the grouping. Varying heights adds interest and focus to the theme. You may have to do some searching for the plastic stands. Try arts and crafts shops and collectible stores.

Avoid using solid material for stands in a lighted curio cabinet. It will block some of the light filtering down through the figurines and glass shelving and create unwanted shadows. Figurine displays on a solid wood shelf or in a bookcase would not be affected by solid or colored stands. Just remember, under certain lighting conditions, crystal figurines will pick up and reflect the colors around them. Is that an effect that you want?

Now that you have all your theme groups laid out and adjusted for height, you can begin placing them back in the display cabinet or on the shelf. When the display area is completed, stand back and visually check each theme group. Can you see all of the figurines in the group? Can you immediately identify the theme? Make your final adjustments and you’re finished. Sit back and enjoy your beautiful crystal figurine collection.

If you want a stunning display of crystal figurines theme your crystal figurine collection. Your display will be organized, interesting and have great eye appeal.

Lowry Mell is a retired Merchandiser and former Management and Business Consultant. His articles focus of new and creative ways to use and display crystal and crystal figurines. For more information, visit: CrystalCrossroads.com CrystalCrossroads.com

My daughter wanted to help others from the time she was old enough to understand what it was she was doing. Before she was old enough for an allowance she helped me go through her outgrown clothes and toys to give away to charities. At Christmastime we would shop together for needy families (she looked forward to this as much as picking out her own gifts). And this doesn’t mean we weren’t needy ourselves. When my daughter was young I was a single mom working and going to college, and I was barely able to make ends meet. What little we had left over, however, we used to help others. I am convinced that this act of helping others took my daughter’s focus off of our own circumstances and created a passion in her for helping others. She always had food to eat and clothes to wear–she did not sense a lack in her life and so was willing to freely give anything she had.

As my daughter got older and started getting an allowance, she started spending her own money. She spent her allowance on family Christmas and birthday presents (however small), started tithing, and started contributing to charities of her choice. My daughter’s allowance is relatively small, compared to some of her friends, but that doesn’t keep her from making contributions, no matter how small, to people and organizations she wants to help. Now that she’s old enough to babysit, she has even more money to decide what to do with. She decides what to spend on herself, what to save, and what to give to others.

Our family recently came up with an idea of how we could work together to save up some money to help others. I am forever picking up loose change around the house, on the floor, in the car, and in the bottom of my purse. We decided to start a “Giving Jar” where we could deposit our spare change, and then as the occasion arose, we would use it to help others. We all pooled together our spare change and we already had more than $15. I placed the jar on the kitchen counter and put a big label on it that says “Giving Jar.” It has motivated us all to save more and is also a great conversational piece!

Don’t think you have to have a lot of money to give others a helping hand. Any amount, no matter how small, develops in your child the gift of a giving heart.

About The Author

Originally published at Suite 101. Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom of four. For more
inspirational articles and tips for everyday living, visit her
web sites at creativehomemaking.com creativehomemaking.com and
christian-parent.com christian-parent.com

The Journey

First, we tell them labour is like taking an unknown journey by car. Even if you’ve taken this road before, each journey is different and unknown. It can be very strenuous and demanding. It might be long. You might get tired. Someone or a few people might accompany you. Throughout this journey, others might try to help you out in order to safeguard you and make certain you reach the end safely. Some professionals might suggest that you skip the journey. Circumstances might actually require you to do that. Other professionals will encourage you to take the journey because it might become a highlight of your life.

Then we ask, what is the difference between that scenario and labour? After many responses, we tell them the real difference is that you have already learned to drive a car. If you had to take such a journey and didn’t know how to drive, would you be willing to spend eight to 12 weeks learning beforehand? Where is the birth professional in this analogy? Some are encouraging you to make the journey and others might think it’s too dangerous, or you might think you don’t need to do it, fly instead. The birth professional is usually the low or high tech mechanic.

Next, the couples talk about their relationships to the professional care provider. Their midwives are encouraging them to choose a birth plan. They have decided where to birth, and the doctors are often telling them what they need. So we present analogies to other common professional relationships. We are all passive when we go to the dentist, yet most of us take care of our teeth every day. If we took this approach to birth, we would prepare beforehand, but in the presence of the professional we would be passive. Not ideal.

Giving birth is more like learning to sing, dance, paint, throw pots or play an instrument. We probably seek a professional teacher. Yet we have to do the work to learn, as well as show the teacher our progress. If we took this approach to birth, then the birth professionals would be our musical instrument instructors, yet even midwives don’t often take that role. The Pink Kit is the driving lessons, so this analogy still doesn’t give us a clear understanding of what other similar professional relationship is like labour and being cared for.

By the time the class works through all the analogies, the couples begin to understand: only the woman is going to labour. The father, partner, friend or relative is there to help her on the journey, which will occur around and through whatever professional care they receive.

The Kit

Since The Pink Kit information developed in the U.S. in the late 1970s and 1980s, thousands of couples have used the preparation and then laboured in hospital. Having done the preparation ahead of time, the couples work together with directed breathing; they use positions that keep the woman open. There is been a great deal of ‘best positions’ that have been theoretical and not worked for women, because they didn’t know enough about their bony structure or how the muscles reacted to positions. They do hip lifts and sit-bone spreads and carry out sacral rocking so their sacrum is mobile. This developed instead of the counter pressure on the sacrum that closes the space the baby needs, although it relieves the back pain. Learning to keep the sacrum mobile, gives the baby room and the woman relieved regardless of assessments, monitoring or other procedures going on around them. They just go on working through the process of labour. Staff and doctors often comment on what a “good labour” they had. “Weren’t they lucky? One woman responded: “I wanted to grab that person by the neck and shout, ‘You don’t know how hard We worked for that good birth!’”

The Skills

When we ask couples what their mothers and fathers taught them about managing labour, most say: “Nothing,” “Not much,” or “It hurts, you’ll get through it.” If they haven’t been taught by their mothers and fathers how to manage labour, where are they getting the information, and how useful is it?

Whenever people need to accomplish a new task, it’s vitally important that they learn appropriate skills and then apply them. Because so few people have been at births, they have no idea what appropriate skills are. If a woman perceives her contractions as manageable, she will use her breath sustainably, create self-relaxation responses, get into” labour and accept the process. If she perceives them as painful or very, very painful, she will respond with ragged breathing, tensing her body and using other struggling behaviours. What CKT is teaching expectant couples (lessons they will eventually teach their own children) are the sustainable behaviours they can put into place regardless of the woman’s perception, particularly when she does feel her labour to be “painful

The fact is that these are the universal skills that any woman can use, not just another ‘theory’ or ‘technique’. People are continually saying that what they learned in ‘childbirth education’ classes went out the window, which means, to date, those skills aren’t universal enough or not useable. Why would a woman want to respond to labour with frantic behaviour? It’s the lack of appropriately learned skills.

As women learn these appropriate skills and apply them to the task, there is more consistency in how women respond to the process of labour and how their partners can help them stay on a sustainable behaviour track. Because labours are so similar, we can define, hear, see, experience, practice, model, remind, encourage, remember and know appropriate responses to the experience. A woman who is struggling with labour may hold her breath or scream, groan and moan, whereas a woman who is managing her responses to the sensations will tend to breathe in through her nose and out through either her nose or mouth in a manner that sounds “right.” Because most people have no idea what sounds right, we have to show them so they can develop the skills.

We ask fathers or the support people to look at the woman’s face and forehead when she is relaxed during labour . Usually when relaxed, a person’s forehead is smooth. When a woman wrinkles her forehead in labour, the father understands that her internal sensations are intense, and he can observe whether she is responding to them with tension. He can then help her reduce the tension using “common body language” or “common body touch.” If she is breathing more raggedly, he can model directed breathing to remind her to use breath as a focus.

If the partner sees the woman standing on her toes, with shoulders around her ears and bum muscles tight, a father working with The Pink Kit is less likely to tell her to relax, drop her shoulders or come off her toes. Using his skills and knowledge, he’ll just tell her to relax inside the pelvic clock and minnie mouse muscles (her bum muscles). She’ll know what he is talking about. She would have done that herself, except the sensations were a bit too much at the time. She still might not like the experience, but she’ll love how she managed herself. She’ll love her partner for knowing specifically what she needed to do rather than giving her a general direction that could elicit: “I’m trying to relax!” “Shut up!” or “You try!”

One woman said after her birth: “Before each contraction, I set up my directed breathing. The contractions were fine. So I thought to myself, ‘maybe the breathing has nothing to do with it,’ and I just let the next contraction happen. It was off the planet in intensity. What scared me was that it took me four to five more contractions to get it back.”

What the statistics (on our website) don’t show is how empowered both mothers and fathers feel; that the woman knew she could turn to her partner for the coaching skills; that their partnering and parenting relationships are enriched.

There is no doubt that if we had all been at 100 births, we would see and hear which mannerisms are sustainable and which indicate that a woman is struggling with her perception of the experience. But the skills haven’t been passed on generation to generation. Common Knowledge Trust wants that to change. All the couples who use these resources tell us the same thing—they will pass the knowledge on to their sons and daughters. Women will labour, whether at home, in hospital, with a midwife, with a doctor, whether having a natural or a medical birth. Skills work well in all situations.

Knowledge is power. It reduces fears, increases confidence, builds skills and encourages conscious response rather than impulsive reaction to an intense experience. It develops a strong and deeply personal sense of accomplishment for both women and men. Most important, we’ll pass it on to our children.

Winter green is trustee and founder of the Common Knowledge Trust based in Nelson, New Zealand. The trust promotes the Pink Kit Method which gives private childbirth lessons for use in ones own home. For more information birthingbetter.com visit the Birthing Better website

In fact, understanding Peaceful Parenting® means understanding why there is a need for setting limits and standards for our children. Our children are born with a genetic instruction for freedom. But this does not mean there are no limits. A Peaceful Parent’s job is to establish boundaries, allowing only as much freedom as a child has responsible behaviors to handle. As we increase our children’s freedom we must teach him/her the increased responsible behaviors to handle the additional freedom. This means setting standards and setting limits.

The distinction between Peaceful Parenting® and other kinds of parenting programs is not in the kinds of standards and limits set. The distinction is how we manage ourselves and our children when our children do not meet our standards or abide by our limits.

Conventional wisdom teaches adults to ensure that children will meet standards and abide by limits by externally controlling the child. If a child does not do his homework, many parents would either punish the child by taking away some privilege or threaten this action. If a child does not follow the limits of his curfew, many parents would take away the child’s privilege of going out the next time.

Many Peaceful Parents expect that their children will complete their homework. Parents who are attempting to follow Peaceful Parenting® ideas still set a curfew when their children leave the house. However, if a Peaceful Parent’s child fails to complete the assigned homework or does not comply with the agreed upon curfew, Peaceful Parents do not attempt to externally control their children. Threats, punishments and consequences are not how these parents work with their children around expectation and limits.

Giving up the urge to externally control our children into compliance is difficult. Because we are parents with expectations we have pictures in our quality worlds of our children meeting our expectations. When they don’t we still feel the urge to get our children to do what we want. The difference is that with Peaceful Parenting® knowledge, we understand that trying to externally control our children is not the answer.

But what can a parent who is learning Peaceful Parenting® do? Are there some interim steps that a parent who is making the shift from external control to Peaceful Parenting® can take? It is very difficult to give up trying to insist our children comply by externally controlling to operating from a Peaceful Parenting® perspective. So here are some steps to help you get started.

Step 1. Set the limit/standard.

Explain to your child why you have set the standard/limit that you have. Whenever possible, ask for your child’s opinion and incorporate his ideas into the standard/limit.

Step 2. Expect compliance.

Explain to your child what your agreed upon standard/limit is. Ask if she understands it and is willing to follow/abide? Explain that you expect she will comply.

Step 3. Make a plan AHEAD of time for possible noncompliance.

Talk with your child about how the two of you should work things out in case he doesn’t follow the limit or meet the standard. Ask him how he wants you to handle this possible event. Explain how you want to handle this possibility differently, that is to avoid punishments, threats or imposing any kind of consequence. Explain that you want to talk with your child about how to work together to reach success.

Step 4. Working things out together if you child doesn’t meet the standard or comply with the limit.

Based on your agreed upon plan made in step 3, follow the plan of talking together. Using the “magical question” ask your child what she wanted that she tried to get by not meeting the standard or abiding by the limit. Work together to come up with a new standard or limit that incorporates your child’s desire responsibly. This may mean that you need to alter your expectation or limit slightly.

Step 5. DON’T GIVE UP

Continue following steps 1-4 until you and your child have worked together successfully and found a mutually agreed upon limit or standard. This is the most important step of all. By continuing to work with your child on this issue he will know that you mean business and are not going to give up until you reach success together. He may be use to your usually attempts at externally controlling him. He is given his punishment, takes it and still gets what he wants eventually. Most children know that parents cannot hang in there long enough. Children “win” by their parent’s lack of staying power. In the Peaceful Parenting® model you and your child both win because you work together to figure out how you both can get what you want.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nancy S. Buck, Ph.D. established Peaceful Parenting, Inc. in 2000 to bring her knowledge and experience with effective parenting to the greatest number of parents and other caretakers of children. She developed the peacefulparenting.com Peaceful Parenting® program from her 25 years of experience as a developmental psychologist, trainer and educator with The William Glasser Institute and as the mother of twin sons. Her genuine, warm and authentic teaching style is clear and concise, helping learners move from the theoretical to real life situations.

peacefulparenting.com peacefulparenting.com

Improve your family - Improve your world

Most people like to decorate their decorative mailboxes according to the season but why stop there. If you are someone who is happy all the time smiley face your mailbox. If you are Greek put the Greek gods all over your mailbox. Something that you see on most peoples decorative mailboxes is their family’s last name in regular old boring colors and letters so the mailman does not accidentally deliver your neighbors mail to you. You can be that special person on the block that puts your family’s last name on the mailbox with the lime green and shocking bright pink letters. It will make your mailbox stick out like an infected sore thumb, but will guarantee that everyone who passes by it will stop to look at it!

There are many people who will come home from work and be cranky but they can take out all of that in drawing, coloring and decorating. This can just be hobby to some, but for others it is a stress reliever and can get everything off of their mind. See how great decorative mailboxes can be?

Many stores sell the materials you will need to use for decorative mailboxes, but you can use any old materials that you may have lying around in your house. You can use cotton balls and color them with a marker or paint then glue them on your mailbox. This is a very easy idea to use.

Some people are so dedicated to the hobby of creating decorative mailboxes that they have even started groups that will just decorate mailboxes. A group in Kansas City was started three years ago called the “Decorating Grannies.” Yes, it is what it sounds like, a group of old ladies that lived in the retirement home decided to put ads in the newspaper and hang up flyers letting people know that for a very small fee they can have their mailboxes completely re-decorated by the coolest group of grannies ever. The money that they raised was donated straight to the retirement home to sponsor more activities that the oldies want.

If this story inspired you and you like decorative mailboxes then maybe you should try doing what these grannies did. You could be known as the hero of your community if you donate the money you need to maybe build a new playground for the kids or even buy new plants to grow around the area. The whole entire neighborhood will appreciate what you did and you will feel good about yourself and all of your friends will too.

Mailboxes HQ mailboxes-hq.com/ mailboxes-hq.com/ contains information about mailboxes from designer mailboxes through how to keep your mail safe from criminals.

Recess First:

Children spend the entire day in a structured environment. Why not let them relax once they get home. Allow them to lay on the floor in front of the television for a time with a snack or play outside with their friends. After this recess from school their minds will be clearer and more receptive toward tackling homework.

A Comfortable Place:

Let your children discover what works best for them when completing homework. Most parents don’t allow their children to watch television, or they expect them to sit at table or desk. Classrooms have constant interruptions therefore, children learn to tune out noise. If your child can complete his homework assignments laying in front of the television or listening to music then why worry about it. Of course, if the music or television interferes then turn it OFF!

Make A Time for Homework:

Kids today are involved in sports, music lessons and other activities. Make sure their schedules aren’t overloaded after school. The general rule for homework is: first grade 10 minutes, second grade 20 minutes, third grade 30 minutes, and so on. The amount of homework your child receives should be commensurate to their grade grade level. If your child is having difficulty with homework then they’re probably having trouble at school as well.

Help them Become Independent:

Many times young children come home excited with homework and are eager to get started. You want them become independent learners - encourage their enthusiasm. Leave them alone and don’t interfere, even if they’re completing an assignment wrong. They’ll figure this out later and know when to ask for help. On the other hand, if you know your child usually has homework and fails to get started, help them get organized and started. Provide a choice of times and places for them to do homework.

Avoid Punishment:

Disciplining your child for not completing homework usually doesn’t work. Creating a reward system is usually more effective. Realize that many kids see homework as a waste of time - busy work, especially if it’s too easy. Other reason could be: its too difficult, there are problems at school with the teacher or other students. Find out why and go from there there.

Parents are their childrens’ first teachers. They can send the message that school is important, when they help with homework.

Carol Fraser Boles has a Master’s degree in Special Reading and an Educational Specialist degree in Curriculum and Instruction. She has more than ten years experience teaching K-12 reading in public schools. She now manages her own business and is a member of the Lieurance Group, a freelance writer’s cooperative. Find out more about her writing services at lieurancegroup.blogspot.com lieurancegroup.blogspot.com. For more tips on education and parenting visit her blog at teacherspetplace.blogspot.com teacherspetplace.blogspot.com or email her at mailto:Cwrites-56@hotmail.com Cwrites-56@hotmail.com

Chances are, that you’ve been thinking way too hard!

Go to any local retail store and start browsing. What you’re looking for is some type of a cup, bowl or canister. Something that is deep enough and round enough to have a plant potted inside. Now start being creative—have you thought of anything yet?

This is such a neat way to make a simple gift into a very creative and meaningful one. For example, for a birthday, you could find a mug that says “happy birthday grandma” on it and plant grandma’s favorite flower inside. Other ideas would be to find a cute canister of some sort or to find a small, rubber, child sized boot. Look for any original object that isn’t a pot that could hold a flower.

Then, head to your local florist (or certain retail stores) and choose a plant or flowers that will fit inside your new “pot”. Now plant the flowers and add a bow and voila!! This thoughtful gift will be enjoyed by the recipient and everyone else at the party!

For more great gift giving ideas and money saving tips, visit us at MomOnABudget.com www.MomOnABudget.com

Jennifer is the owner of MomOnABudget.com MomOnABudget.com. MomOnABudget is an excellent resource for money saving tips, work at home ideas, how to deorate on a budget and so much more.

Today, this code is combined with letters to create a great coin grading scale that anyone can follow. In the remainder of this article, I am going to share with you nine different grades for coins. We will start with the best possible grade and work our way down from there.

The best possible grade is MS, which means Mint State. Actually, the MS grade has a numerical range from 60 to 70. An MS coin is perfect in every way and uncirculated. You don’t find MS-70 coins, you buy them—if you can. The majority of MS grade coins you will see are MS-65. If you turn on your TV, there’s probably a coin selling show that will have MS grade coins.

Next up is AU. Almost uncirculated (AU) coins typically have very light traces of wear on them. One thing is for sure. The novice will have trouble determining if the coin is AU-50, AU-55, or some other grade. Here’s a tip. Find the highest point on the coin (the part that sticks out the most) and look for wear. That will be your guide.

Below the AU grade is the EF grade, which means extremely fine. The EF coins have slightly more wear. Keep in mind that grading is a precise process. EF grade coins are very striking.

Very Fine coins (VF) have even more wear than the EF grade coins, but they are still great to look at. VF grade coins have sharp features, and light wear. It’s one step above the change you have in your pocket.

Fine coins are basically pocket change. These coins still resemble their mold, but they have worn details. Perhaps you have seen a worn coin from the 1960’s. If the coin is really showing some wear, it can be downgraded to Very Good (VG). The rims of the coin will still pop, but the coin has miles on it.

Should the coin be fairly worn, but the mint marking is still visible; it’s Good (G). Below Good is AG (Almost Good). The AG grade coin has excessive wear, and features like the date might be partly missing. Fair (F) coins are in miserable shape. They might even have holes in them or be misshaped. Finally, there is the Basal State coin, which is basically a worthless coin.

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While most retirees search for a city offering four seasons, look no further than Annapolis, where activities are available year round. In fact, it has been estimate that over five thousand new homes are planned for construction for which those over 55; and another project is underway in which over two thousand homes will be built in the Odenton area as well. Just to give you an idea of the popularity of this city, many who have moved away are returning in droves.

Annapolis has been called the “Athens of America,” and besides the many important figures who have been associated with this city, it is an area where its historic buildings, some fifteen hundred according to estimates, make up the largest l8th century architecture in the US. The U.S. Naval Academy, established in 1845, is one of more well-known facilities in Annapolis. So too, arts and entertain play a huge role in this city. With year round fairs and festivals; a ballet troupe; a symphony orchestra and opera company, as well as its theatres; Annapolis has been touted as one of the top distinctive destinations in the US. This thriving, living community, with a waterside location that offers boating, yachting, and summertime festivals; attract crowds to the City Dock for crisp salt air and views of sailing vessels. This charming city is approximately thirty miles from Baltimore, Washington, and Delaware.

As an ideal place to retire, Annapolis wins hands down. If you are a history aficionado, or have a particular love for the arts, this city will welcome you with open arms.

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