NIU

The right nutrition for kids

Posted by Stacy on Monday, September 29, 2008 1:34 PM

Having a child who is overweight can be a really difficult thing. I keep trying to get my son to lose weight, and have cut out buying any junk food, but nothing seems to work. I have consulted with his doctor, and he has tried to educate me about nutrition for kids, but it just seems like all the changes I am making are not helping my son. I want to help him, I can see that he is getting depressed and frustrated. We have signed him up for soccer, but even on the soccer field he looks sluggish compared to his peers and he always has his head down, which just makes him look so sad. A friend of mine is always telling me that it is my husbands influence that is causing him the most grief. She has spent a lot of time researching parenting skills and says that it is my husband who is making him fat. Well, I don't think that I really saw it until we had to bring snack for the soccer game, and I sent my husband out for a snack for the game and he brought back these little marshmallow all sugar hamburgers and fries with candy ketchup. I was so embarrassed that I found myself apologizing to the coaches for bringing such garbage to the field and feeding to the kids at 10am immediately following their game. It was then that I realized that I needed to do something. I spoke to my son's doctor and he suggested that perhaps next year I should send him to one of these summer kids camps for kids who are overweight. He said that doing this will teach him good eating and exercise habits, and will get him out of his home environment and away from my husband for a little while. The doctor feels this is probably the best way to help him break the cycle and learn about his own eating habits. I really just want to have a happy, healthy, and well adjusted son. I don't want him to hate himself and us, and I really don't want him to get picked on at school. I guess if he was over weight and happy, it wouldn't bother me, but I can see his pain, and I really just want to help him feel good about himself. Hopefully, I will be able to get him to lose some weight now, and then I will definitely send him to camp over next summer. I hope this is the answer I am looking for.

Looking for a decent Georgia health insurance

Posted by Stacy on Saturday, September 27, 2008 10:32 PM

These days it is hard to find a good private pay insurance plan. Sure if you are covered by Medicare or Medicaid well then you have it made, and Blue Cross Blue Shield is a great plan, but it can be hard to get such a comprehensive plan unless you are working for a large company or corporation who offers some great benefits. A friend of mine has Georgia health insurance through his employer and is very happy with his coverage as well. I just recently found out that with times being so tough, my employer is cutting out some more of our benefits and with this the cost of our insurance will cost about double what it costs us out of pocket right now and so I have been shopping around for different insurance plans, and they are actually more expensive than the plan through my company even with the rate hike. I am really hoping that I can find a good insurance company cheap, but my wife says that I will be out of luck. She says over the past few years insurance premiums are going through the roof and I will be lucky if I can find a policy at the same cost my company is charging. I am just worrying that will not leave us enough money to live on. Right now we are living paycheck to paycheck and I just don't think that losing about another $400 per month is something that we can really afford in these tough economic times. My wife and I already both work and I really don't want to have to get a second job just to be able to keep my family insured. The financial crunch is being felt by all, I know, but how are regular families supposed to keep going when the price of everything keeps going up. Also, around here I am lucky just to still have a job, after all one plant is moving to Mexico and closing its doors here, and another is having a major layoff. I guess just the fact that I still have my job is a major blessing, after all some people would think that I am lucky. I am worried about making ends meet and thinking that we are going to have to do some cutting back if we are going to survive it all.

Trying a free conference call service

Posted by Stacy on Saturday, September 27, 2008 10:28 PM

Remember those days when little kids would call each other on three-way every night, gossiping about anything from sports to fashion to Susie Q's ugly haircut? There was always that one poor unfortunate soul who was banned from the three-way festivities because of the extra charge for every call made. That clueless person would miss not only the juiciest gossip but also party plans and generally fun times.

Luckily for that deprived conference caller-turned-student, there is a service that understands the need for a free conference call and makes the whole process fast and easy. A service is here to help you with all of your free conferencing needs. That service is Rondee.

The great thing about Rondee is that it allows you to do so much as far as scheduling conference calls, sending out email invitations, and so much more. Have a huge group project but can't find a suitable meeting place in time? Schedule a conference call. Big party coming up and you need help planning it fast? Schedule a conference call.

I am a Judicial Advocate at my school and I try to keep in touch with the other Advocates once every two weeks to discuss procedure changes, strategies, and other good things. We now email back and forth but email can be terribly time consuming and not always efficient. It can take days to get a few simple points across. I heard about this service from a friend who had seen it mentioned on someone's Myspace page. I decided to research it and give it a try. What I found was impressive, to say the least.

Not only does Rondee offer an email invite (almost like RSVP) system, it also offers free call recording which can come in handy depending on the conversation. And as if this weren't enough, Rondee offers the option of scheduling recurring call appointments, making conference calls consistent.

Like any skeptic, I had my reservations. I wanted to know how everyone would connect to the conference at the meeting time and if I (or my invitees) would need some newfangled equipment or pricey software.

My reservations turned into opportunities for Rondee to shine. Unlike other services, Rondee doesn't throw a bunch of free conference call numbers at you and expect that if you call a different number you'll have to pay. There is one easy number to remember to call. The lucky selected few that receive the honor of your invitation call the same number and enter the invitation code and voila! They are now in your conference. It doesn't get much easier than that. And for the technologically challenged, have no fear: you just need an ordinary telephone to use the service (cell phones work too). No software to download or new handsets to buy!

I registered and found the entire process took less than 3 minutes to complete, which is much faster than many social networks. Rondee doesn't ask for much personal information and you won't have to waste time creating a profile before you get started doing anything. But probably the most convincing thing about Rondee is that it's free! Yes, absolutely free!

I have yet to actually complete my first conference call, since it is scheduled for tomorrow. But I look forward to using Rondee again and again in the future. Don't just take my word for it, though; try it out for yourself!

Schumacher homes

Posted by Stacy on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 8:46 AM

My parents are looking forward to their golden years, and over the years they have been able to save quite a bit of money. Honestly, one would think that spent it all with taking care of us kids and sending us off to college, but they really have been able to save quite a bit and now facing retirement, my father feels that he wants to purchase a new home for him and mom to retire in. Well, when they first started looking, I really thought they would never find anything that met all his qualifications in their price range, but then they discovered a company called Schumacher homes. Schumacher is a custom home builder that not only offers the most beautiful custom homes and layouts that I have ever seen, but all for quite a reasonable price. The design my parents picked out is simple but has the high ceilings and big windows that my father was looking for. The layout is very nice and the representative they dealt with was very thorough about explaining everything to them about the designs and the pricing. They took the time to take them through it step by step explaining all the details in a way that was very clear to them, both verbally and in writing. This was a really nice touch, since mom and dad are getting older and you don't want to see them getting in over their heads in a deal that they really don't understand. Anyway, my father already has the land and they are going to start on the new home in the Spring. My father is like a child in a candy store, he is so excited, but I think that my mother can only anticipate all the work that it will take to sell off their house and pack everything to move. My brother and I both said that we will help her pack boxes through the winter months, so that she'll feel a little more prepared come Spring. I think this move will be a great thing for them. I have seen the layout of the house, and if it is even close to what it is on paper, well, it will be beautiful and I am sure that they will live happily ever after in the home that Schumacher built.

ppc management

Posted by Stacy on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 8:45 AM

When starting your own website there are many things to consider. The first of course is whether your business is going to provide a service or sell a product. The second thing you then need to focus on is building your business or site and getting things moving in the right direction. Once you have established these things and you feel that you are on the right path, well it is time to invest in some solid marketing strategies that will help you get the information about your site visible out here on the web. There are many ways to do this, but of course one of the best ways is to hire an expert in the field of internet marketing. The internet and it's marketing are a little bit tricky and even though some people think that internet advertising is easy and all you do is set up a few ads in select places, it is not as simple as just that. A ppc management company will provide you the most for your advertising dollar with careful planned out placement for your ads in just the right spots. Many companies which provide pay per click ads also do SEO services as well to provide you with the most comprehensive exposure on the web. The key to any website taking off on the internet is having just the right advertising getting your name into the top searches so that your customers can find you. Believe me when I tell you that the competition is doing this and if you don't then you are missing the boat on getting your website the traffic you need to get your business up and running making the money that you want to be making. Look into it and you will see that the top sites in all the searches have a company pushing them to the top and as long as these services exist, why not take full advantage of their understanding of the internet and their ability to drive your site to number one. Let's face it, maybe your site will get there someday on it's own, but wouldn't you like to see the profits sooner rather than later? That's what I thought.

debt consolidation

Posted by Stacy on Friday, September 12, 2008 9:25 AM

I have seriously been considering debt consolidation lately. My husband injured his back at work and so I have been working during the days and going to school at night and the schedule is really starting to take its toll on me. I can't even imagine how I am going to keep this up for another month and not only that but I am not even able to pay the bills. The whole thing has been a bit overwhelming but I am really trying to work with it. A friend of mine just told me that she did a debt consolidation program last year and that it really saved her. She said that they were able to keep her from getting her house foreclosed on and that they were able to get her on a monthly budget that she could afford. She said she had a lot more debt than I have and that her monthly payments were so reasonable, they actually gave her some breathing room. She said that not only did it stop the nagging phone calls from debt collectors, but it also allowed her to take some time to get the rest of her life back in order. She said the companies stopped charging her interest and late fees and with each payment her balances were finally going down. The only problem that I really see with doing this is that my husband is not exactly on board with debt consolidation. He is very out of sorts with not being able to work and all, and he says that we should be able to pay our bills on time. I showed him the numbers on paper, but he simply refuses to believe that there is no other way. I got the name of the company she used to consolidate her debt, and I am seeing if I can set us up an appointment. Maybe if my husband could actually meet with a financial adviser who believes this is a good option for us, then just maybe he will consent to it. I think maybe if he hears this information from someone other than me, then maybe he can relax and believe that it must be the best option for us. After all debt consolidation is still a way of making good on your debts, just at a little bit slower and more reasonable pace.

craft ideas

Posted by Stacy on Friday, September 12, 2008 9:20 AM

I have been going through magazines lately trying to come up with some nice and easy craft ideas. See I have been really working to save money wherever I can and I have decided that I am going to make many of my Christmas gifts and save some money. I do however realize that if I am going to even remotely consider making gifts for the holidays, well than now is the time to start. If I wait until around Thanksgiving then it will get too stressful, especially with finals and stuff, I just will start to make myself nutty and that won't be good. Making crafts can be a fun and inexpensive way to pass the time and you don't have to really even be artistically talented to start a hobby like this. I would never had told you that I would make gifts, but a few years ago I decided to give up watching television and so in the evenings, I would look for something to do and I decided to pick up something at the local craft store to fill my time. Well, I did and honestly I have never found anything more enjoyable. I bought a couple ceramic Christmas ornaments and a couple of enamel figures, and at night I would sit and paint them. All in all the whole set up, brushes and everything probably cost me about $10.00, but it was so enjoyable, and honestly they didn't even look like they were hand painted, they actually looked store bought. Well since then I have gone back to watching TV and have moved away from doing crafts, but being that money is tight and that I love to give everyone a little something for Christmas, I think this is a perfect idea to capitalize on the situation and take some time away from the TV and make some great and inexpensive gifts. My latest venture, I think may just be candle making because I read a neat article about candle making and I love the fact that you can choose the colors and the scents based on a specific person and their likes and dislikes. The article made it sound pretty simple and I am sure that I can do it if I really try, I will just need to set up a good solid work space for myself and it will all work out really nicely I am sure of it.

diet pills

Posted by Stacy on Wednesday, September 10, 2008 7:17 AM

Sometimes you wonder (well at least I know that I do) about how celebrities lose all the weight so fast, especially after having a baby. You see a celebrity pregnant one day and then 3 weeks later they are super skinny again and they say it was hard work and dieting (some even say they don't diet). But it makes you wonder if any of them are resorting to diet pills to make the weight disappear. It also makes you wonder how far people will go to lose weight whether it is 5 pounds or 50. You always see actresses on television or in magazines promoting a diet like jenny Craig or weight watchers or even diet pills, but you have to wonder if the way that they are promoting to lose weight is actually the path that they followed when they lost all of theirs. I find it hard to believe that the same way Jessica alba lost all of her baby weight will work for me one day when I am pregnant, as much as I wish it would it seems like celebrities go above and beyond and will not stop at anything to be skinny.

Is this a bad message that is being sent to teenagers and young adults? Always seeing skinny celebrities and if they aren't skinny (Kristy Alley) they are trying to get that way. When did we decide that you have to be skinny to look good and feel great about yourself? Even stars that have been known for being proud plus size celebrities are losing weight and showing off. So is that what we need to become, skinny to feel good? I know I buy into it as bad as that might sound. There is not one week that goes by (maybe not even a day sometimes) that I don't think I should lose weight and I'll be happier. I read somewhere that people took a poll about money and the results said that once you have enough money to provide for all of your needs and not have to worry about struggling to pay bills or support your family, the more money above that certain line doesn't make you any happier. I wonder if that's how it is with weight. We all think that if we are really skinny we will be happier and better people but maybe if we just get to the point where we are healthy, losing more weight won't even matter.

telephony trends

Posted by Stacy on Tuesday, September 09, 2008 2:06 PM

Writing a business plan sounds simple, at least it did for me, but now that I am actually doing it, it is much harder than I had anticipated. I thought you basically just picked a location and a business and boom you had your own place, now I can see why they are having us write our business plans before we get out of school. You don't think about the little things in business, like the furniture you will have to purchase, the office equipment and even what type of lighting, heat and telephone system.

I was speaking to someone in my class and she was telling me that while writing her business plan she looked into what information technology was available for use in her office. She said that she found it amazing all the phone technology info that she had come across, and that got me thinking about what type of phone system I would need to use. Obviously more than one line would cost more, but would probably be necessary to keep my business flowing. I would also need to have a voice mail and call forwarding system, especially at first so that I could easily pick up my calls when I was out of the office. In any case, I decided to go online and see what telephony trends were out there. I actually found some really great voip services, phones that go through your high speed internet connection. The cost was really reasonable, so that I could afford to put in multiple phone lines, and I didn't realize that they offered so many different services. I was thrilled because this savings will help me get other things that I need to get my business off the ground. I am learning so much creating this business plan and I really can see that this is going to pay off. Some people are creating a fake business plan, just to get it turned in and get a grade, but I am really trying to create an accurate business plan that I can really use to put together my business. I look at it this way, if I do the real work now, it will be less work that I will have to do when I first get out of school. Just because I am turning it in for a grade, doesn't mean that it can't be my real business plan too.

business gifts

Posted by Stacy on Tuesday, September 02, 2008 8:45 AM

Business gifts and promotional items can make such a big difference in promoting a business. For years I really tried all kinds of advertising for my office and got little to no results at all. I constantly had people coming into my office to help me with new advertising strategies, and each time I would think that this would be it, and I would put the money down on the table to do some ad in a magazine or some radio spot, just to find that most people did not pick a dentist off the radio. The magazine ad did get me a few new patients and so did the direct mailer, but for the amount of money they were costing me it was just hopeless. I was barely making any money back from the patients that were coming in. Then I was at my kids school and there were a few kids walking around with t-shirts that they had obviously gotten from local businesses. There was one kid wearing a Mickey's Auto Repair shirt and another wearing a spine shirt from a local chiropractor's office. Well, I thought this was a great idea. I went home and immediately began looking up promotional advertising and the companies that carried these types of items and found that there were a large number of companies that specialized in just these types of items.

I couldn't believe how may different items there were to choose from. They included items such as sports bottles and t-shirts and even coffee mugs and travel bags. I was so impressed and sat down to try to think of a cute slogan to put on these items. I couldn't really come up with something so I contacted the company that I liked and they were able to help me come up with a catchy slogan and they helped me pick products like they were my own personal adviser. I was so impressed not only with the products and prices but also with the incredible customer service. I loved the products so much that I even decided to give sports bottles to all the high school ball teams in the area, and they have been advertising for me ever since. Now my business name is all over town and the families are coming in at the rate of 1 to 2 new families a week. At this rate, I won't be able to take any new patients soon unless I add an associate or something, but overall this is a good problem to have.