8 Tips For A Stress-Less Holiday To Make

by: Marilyn Bohn

I think GPS systems are the greatest. (Global Position System) I know a few people who definitely need them. A few years ago we had guests driving from California to our home in Utah to stay over night. It was about a ten hour drive. I gave what I thought was excellent instructions and directions so they would not get lost. The night (early morning) my guests were to arrive I woke up at 3:00 a.m. with a start as Maggie hadn’t arrived. (She didn’t follow my directions, instead made up her own). From our place they were driving back to Washington D.C.. Her sister said she was afraid to take a nap because she was afraid she would wake up in Mexico. A GPS in her car will save her hours of frustration and time.

With the holidays arriving GPS is a great idea for all of us to have. The GPS I am talking about is: Great Planning System. By planning ahead we can have a happy stress free, joyous holiday season. Christmas can be one of the most stressful holidays. But with forethought and organization it can be fun and a holiday to look forward to instead of dreading.

First of all we need to decide what it is we want to get from the holidays. Do we want to have big dinners, entertain friends, and attend every function we are invited to, decorate, bake, spend time with family, send out Christmas cards, exchange neighbor gifts, establish traditions, give to charity or do something unique this year?

Once we have our goals in mind then we can move forward.

•Take some time and decide what is important for you to do this year for the holiday. Then write it down, map it out.

•Establish a time frame to accomplish each task. If it isn’t accomplished in the time we thought it would be, no beating up on ourselves or negative self talk. And if it doesn’t get done ask yourself what is the worst that can happen?

•Cook food ahead of time and freeze it. Some pies freeze well as do cookies. Check your recipes to see what else you can make and freeze.

•Plan on delegating. Who can put up the outdoor lights? Who can do the food shopping? Who can help decorate? Get a crew together to share in the fun.

•Plan a specific time to decorate, another to bake, another to deliver gifts—whatever you plan break it up into little jobs, a little at a time.

•If you send out Christmas cards, organize a basket with the cards, addresses and stamps, and then while watching a T.V. show address the envelopes on the commercials. Do cards in November to save time in December. OR Instead of sending cards, call your friends to wish them a Merry Christmas. Long distance calls have become so reasonable it may cost less than sending a card.

•Keep a notebook with the names of those you are giving gifts to. Check off the gift as it is purchased and make a note when it is wrapped and sent. You could do this on a spread sheet if you use the computer.

•If your family will let you mix up your traditions, try a new one, customize to your own personal preference.

Through all the planning remember this is to be a joyous season; don’t get sucked into thinking you have to do it all. Actually you don’t have to do any of it so have fun with what you decide you really want to do.

About The Author

Marilyn Bohn is a creative organizer who has been organizing for over 20 years. She is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers.She holds a bachelors degree in Social Work. She has reared five daughters and currently lives in Utah.

Go to her website http://www.marilynbohn.com where you can find free organizing tips and interesting blogs and helpful articles on organizing.

Toddler Pillows Tips For A Perfect Little Fit

by: Patricia Bowlin

A toddler pillow is a pillow that is just the right size for a child of two years or more. Prior to age two, use of a pillow of any type is considered dangerous and is not recommended.

Babies should sleep without the possibility of snuggling their little heads under a pillow and potentially smothering. Toddler pillows are about half the size of a standard adult pillow and they have their own special pillow cases that are made to fit.

A child of two to five or six years old simply can not sleep comfortably on a large standard adult pillow. Their necks and shoulders can not be comfortable because the pillow is too large and too thick. The toddler's special pillows allow your child's head, neck and shoulders to be supported just like yours but in a size proportional to the child's smaller body.

Measurements for pillows for toddlers are usually 12 inches by 16 inches in size. Pillow cases for the toddler's special pillow come in a wide range of prints and colors to fit in with any bedding theme you may have in your child's room.

When traveling, the pillow for your toddler will be great for carrying in the car for napping or for sleeping in hotels. Since hotel pillows are traditional thick and fluffy, your child will be much more comfy and sleep better with their own little pillow.

There are even allergy-proof pillows in toddler sizes available if your child is allergic to pillow fill. You'll even find pillow covers that are toddler sized for additional allergy proofing.

If your child doesn't have allergies, you can select down fill for their special little pillow, or you can select polyester fiber fill. Each will last pretty well, but you will pay a bit more for 100% down fill.

Now that you know all about toddler pillows you'll probably want to have several on hand so you have enough for sleep overs.

About The Author

Patricia Bowlin loves to help you create your perfect bedroom sanctuary with hundreds of FREE, helpful ideas, advice and tips bedding of all kinds from pillows, comforters, to blankets, kids and baby bedding: http://www.best-in-bedding.com

Home Loans: Takes Out Your Expenses With Low Cost

by: Dina Wilson

Your home can be the best friend when you need a financial help. It you are possessing your own home then there is no dearth of financial options to you. Some of your needs require such an amount that you can’t arrange it with other options available in the market. For that home loans are in provision that allows you with a good sum and is secured against your home.

Home loan is secured loan that is secured against the equity of your home. The equity is that value of your home that is left after all obligations towards a home you have. With this loan you can avail an equal amount of your equity value. However, in some cases, it can be even 125% of the equity value. The general amount that is granted with this loan ranges from £3000 to £100000. Your repayment duration is scheduled in a very convenient manner. You can repay the amount with flexible duration of time that can stretch over a period of 25 years.

You can invest the received amount on a number of your expenses. These expenses are generally your college fees, renovation of the home, outstanding bills, buying a car, and even to debt consolidation.

You can also go for home loans when you have to buy a new home. In that condition the same home is pledged as security and you are provided with a sufficient fund to invest it on buying your new home.

Home loans are low cost financial help, as the rate of interest with it remains always lower. You get this advantage, as you put a security against the borrowed money that lessens the risk attached to it. Further you can also make your loan cheaper by comparing among the various options because of differed rate of interest with the lenders. You can choose for online options to make your comparing easy.

You can avail the home loans even if you have bad credit. Since, your home is kept as collateral that assures for your repayment and makes a way for you to avail this loan. However, you may be charged with a somewhat higher rate of interest for this.

Home loans can be the best place for those who are seeking a low cost loan. With this loan you can make out any of your expenses with a very low cost. The utility period makes you comfortable at repayment that is essentially required to maintain a healthy financial condition.

About The Author

Dina Wilson is an expert loan advisor at online home improvement loan. She has done MSc Management and Finance from University of Whales.To find Home Loans, home equity loans, online home loans visit http://www.online-home-improvement-loan.co.uk

Common Federal Housing Mortgages

by: Peter Kenny

For those seeking to buy a home, a good place to look for help with loans is through the federal government. Some of the more useful and common loan programs that are currently being offered follow:

There are three government agencies that insure mortgages for homebuyers. The first is the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), which is part of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The second is the Veterans Administration (VA) which works with active duty and non-active duty military personnel. The third is the Rural Housing Service (RHS), which is a branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Consumers should understand that only approved lenders can offer these loans to homebuyers, and there are certain required standards that the property has to meet in order to qualify for these loans.

Federal Housing Administration Loans (FHA)

Perhaps the most popular agency for home loans is the FHA. The FHA offers a mortgage financing program that insures home loans to homebuyers. The FHA does not actually make the loans to the homebuyers but instead it acts as an insurance policy for lenders. Because the financial requirements for FHA loans are more relaxed when compared to traditional commercial loans, more people are able to purchase homes.

FHA insurance work because it helps lenders to work with those who might not completely fit the lender's normal loan qualification requirements. FHA requirements reduce the debt-to-income ratio from 28/36, which is the traditional loan requirement, to 29/41 for FHA loans. FHA loans also require a lower down payment of only 5 percent or less, and they allow 100 percent of the money used for the down payment and closing costs to come from a family member. Traditional loans will not let buyers borrow the money used for those fees and payments.

There are maximum loan limits with FHA loans. These limits vary by state or region. You can visit the FHA website to find the limit for your geographical area.

VA Home Loans

Veterans Administration loans have their own policies and procedures. Qualified veterans and active-duty military personnel have been able to buy a home for as much as $417,000 without a down payment or private mortgage insurance for some time now. However the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae) has changed its rules to allow larger VA loans if the veteran or service member can make a down payment of at least 25 percent of the portion of the home's price that exceeds $417,000.

For more information on the VA home loan programs that are currently available visit their website. There are some new changes, such as the one mentioned above, that consumers should look into if they qualify for a VA home loan.

Rural Housing Service Loans

For those who live in rural areas or small towns, they may qualify for a low-interest loan through the Rural Housing Service. The RHS offers both guaranteed loans through approved lenders and direct loans that are funded by the government. These loans are especially useful in helping low income families to get homes.

About The Author

Peter Kenny is a writer for The Thrifty Scot, please visit us at http://www.thriftyscot.co.uk/mortgage/ and http://www.thriftymortgages.co.uk/remortgages http://www.thriftyscot.co.uk/news/012008/frozen-rate-leaves-homeowners-with-mortgages-disappointed.html

10 Tips On Reducing Renters Insurance Costs

by: Timothy Rudon

Renting a home or office necessitates insurance protection. The insurance protects renters against fire, theft, vandalism, natural disasters or a liability suit. Leading insurance companies offer renter’s insurance policies with varied coverage. Most renters insurance policies cover perils like: fire, storms, explosions, riots, aircraft collisions, vehicle accidents, smoke, mischief, theft, natural disasters, falling objects, floods, electrical or plumbing mishaps, earthquakes, and more.

Be an educated purchaser of renters insurance and make the effort to find out whether the renters policy offers ACV, actual cash value or RCC, replacement cost coverage.

The premium for renters insurance depends on many factors like where you live, the age of the building and so on. There are many ways by which you can aim to reduce renters insurance costs:

1. Buy a policy after making comparisons online and offline. Choose a policy that offers the most at the lowest premium.

2. When choosing a rental home or office think of how the location and age of the building will affect your insurance premiums. Choose a location that is affordable but does not cause a huge increase in insurance costs.

3. Reduce costs by increasing your deductibles. Create a financial plan and make sure you can actually afford the deductible payments.

4. Keep a check list of what will increase renter’s insurance costs. For example do not buy or adopt a dog on an impulse. Many companies are wary about covering owners of certain breeds of dogs and other pets.

5. Maximize safety features in your rental space. Insurance companies offer great discounts when protective devices like fire detectors, smoke alarms, burglar alarms, and fire extinguishers are installed in a rental space.

6. Think about buying a renters insurance policy from the same insurance company that has covered your health and vehicle. When companies know that you are a reliable and responsible citizen they offer what is known as “multi-line discounts.”

7. Read articles and tips on insurance online and determine how you can benefit most.

8. Follow in the rental space the safety regulations recommended by authorities. Take good care of storing inflammables, left over pain thinners, and other hazards.

9. Before buying a renters insurance policy create a list of valuables in your possessions and inform the insurance company about them. Items like art, antiques, diamonds, jewelry, and state-of-art electronics may need additional riders/coverage on the renters policy.

10. Always check online, in magazines and news papers for special offers and discounts being offered by insurance companies.

Being a responsible citizens and having a good credit rating and report is also advantageous and insurance companies offer better deals to individuals who are considered to be low risk.

Get greater renters insurance benefits by planning your life well. Insurance costs have many variables and depend on aspects like your age, insurance coverage, financial standing, debt and more.

The World Wide Web is a thriving marketplace for online renters insurance policies. Insurance bought online is often cheaper than offline. Websites devoted to insurance bring online leading insurance companies and the most affordable options. Customers online can also make use of tools like insurance risk computation, and online quote comparison tools.

About The Author

Timothy Rudon is a writer for http://www.1866rentersinsurance.com , the premier website to find renters insurance, apartment renters insurance, renters insurance quotes, home renters insurance, renters insurance online, renters insurance rates, cheap renters insurance and many more.

Autistic Child Care

by: Mary Rose

Autistic child care should start as early as possible. Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears before age three and in some cases as early as 18 months. It is a neurological disorder that affects the functioning of the brain in areas of communication and social interaction. Although the characteristics might be the same, each person is very unique. Autism is a spectrum disorder whose characteristics can present themselves in a wide variety of combinations from mild to severe.

An autistic child can be identified very early. Parents are usually the first to notice unusual behaviors in their child. Normally a child of 12 months is expected to babble, say a few words, pick up gestures like pointing and share emotions like smiling with parents. In some cases, the baby seemed different from birth, unresponsive to people or focusing keenly on one item for long periods of time. The first signs of an autistic spectrum disorder can also appear in children who seem to have been developing normally. When an engaging, babbling toddler suddenly becomes silent, withdrawn, self-abusive, or indifferent to social overtures, something is wrong. Autistic child care is best done if the condition is diagnosed before the age of three. The best approach towards it is to count the child's strengths rather than the weaknesses.

People use different terms to describe individuals within the autistic spectrum, such as autistic tendencies, high or low-functioning autism, or autism spectrum. Whatever the term, an autistic child can learn and function productively given the appropriate educational plan. Visual and not verbal clue should be focused in building an exhaustive module, to reach out to individuals falling in the spectrum of autism. We need to break routine way of teaching to encourage flexibility and stress on unambiguous communication. We must teach the autistic child life skills in a way that they can easily recall or relate to.

Visual augmentation helps a child communicate better. Autistic child suffers from social deficits like speech impairment, problem in understanding others' perception and context and normally communicate in a way that is not understood by others. We have to teach them to communicate in socially identifiable way. Structure makes tasks predictable, reduces anxiety in the child. One can develop a concept using visual gestures. This helps the child which is struggling to recall the sequence. An autistic child's behavior is often mistaken as unruly. But it is only when the child is unable to communicate, it responds aggressively.So, we need to equip the child with better tools to communicate. Structured teaching can be beneficial to help the child pick up life skills.

Awareness has to be created to enable families to carry out autistic child care in a better manner. They need to have access to better medical management of the related disorders like aggression, hyperactivity and irritability. Parents need to learn to communicate and give out unambiguous instruction to their wards. There should be support for employment and opportunity for autistic individuals in the society.

About The Author

Mary Rose has authored several books including books related to children and child care.For more information logon http://www.casanads.com/bm/children.htm

5 Tips to Throwing a Great BBQ

by: Dave Roth

Throwing a great BBQ can be difficult, but only if a person does not plan appropriately first. There are 5 tips that should be followed if a BBQ is going to be as successful as possible. Making sure to follow them will not only help the host to have a great BBQ, but it will also alleviate some of the stress that often comes with planning a BBQ or other party.

First, what kind of food is offered is very important. If there are guests that are vegetarians, offering some vegetable skewers or kabobs would be very thoughtful. If there are guests that are allergic to seafood, make sure to have something other than fish. By spending a little bit of time planning for any potential issues with food and drinks, virtually all of the problems with those issues can be avoided. Second, watch the weather report. Planning a BBQ on a day that is going to be rainy, very cold, extremely hot, or really windy would be a bad choice. Naturally, there is no way to completely control this, but it is important to plan ahead as much as possible.

Third, invite people early enough to ensure that they can come if they want to. If a person waits to long to invite others, they may have already made other plans and will not be able to come. Fourth, have activities for people to enjoy. Simply having food might not be enough. It would be a good idea to have some games available, or provide some kind of entertainment for guests so that they do not find themselves bored.

Fifth and finally, know that there is no way to plan for every eventuality. Something could always go wrong, so be flexible and ready to make changes if need be. Most problems can be taken care of with a little bit of ingenuity.

Following the 5 tips listed above will help anyone who wants to throw a great BBQ have the highest chance of success.

About The Author

Dave Roth runs a leading outdoor game and sports product site that sells horsehoes, volleyball, and cornhole gear, go to http://www.corntossmania.com right away.

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