Sunday, June 3, 2012

10 Reasons to Have a Family Vegetable Garden

There are few meals that are as rewarding as one that you’ve prepared featuring produce you’ve grown yourself; as food prices rise and the economy struggles to rebound, it’s also a great way to significantly slash your grocery bill. The benefits of cultivating a vegetable garden are almost endless; here are ten reasons why families might want to consider doing so themselves.

Teaching Kids About Sustainability – One of the most important things the modern child can learn about is sustainability, or acquiring “green” habits and reducing their carbon footprint. Working side-by-side in a garden, especially an organic one, can help parents pass these values on through leading by example.
Hands-On Biology Lessons – Most kids tend to learn things more quickly if they can interact with their lessons and have a hands-on experience. Starting seedlings and nurturing them until harvest is a great way to help kids understand the basics of biology and botany.
Reducing Grocery Bills – As mentioned above, the expense of a garden is almost always significantly offset by the reduction in grocery bills and food costs. Homegrown vegetables cost markedly less to cultivate and have the added bonus of reaching maturity right outside your door, which can also affect fuel usage and car mileage.
Family Project – As kids get older parents often discover that finding common ground becomes increasingly difficult. Getting collectively involved in a big project like a family kitchen garden can provide talking points and a shared interest that makes connecting with tweens and teens a bit less difficult.
Discouraging Sedentary Lifestyle Habits – Kids that are working in a vegetable garden are physically engaged and active, rather than passively entertained by television and video games. Getting kids outside into the fresh air and sunshine can help them form less sedentary habits, which will pay off greatly in the long run.
Improving Diet and Eating Habits – Mushy, bland vegetables that are pulled from a bag in the freezer aren’t typically appealing to the notoriously finicky taste buds of children. However, freshly-harvested produce is at its tasty and nutritious peak, making it easier to coerce children into eating things that are good for them while simultaneously encouraging better eating habits.
Instilling an Appreciation for Hard Work – Spending some of their free time in a garden can help kids gain a new appreciation for the amount of hard work that goes into the growing, harvesting, and preparing of food. When food comes from a grocery store shelf straight into the house, most children have a more difficult time grasping the amount of effort that producing that food requires.
Giving Kids a Sense of Accomplishment – From the moment a seedling first begins to poke through the soil to the eventual harvest of a tangible result of their effort, kids are constantly being rewarded through gardening. As plants grow and thrive, so will a child’s self-esteem and sense of accomplishment.
Teaching Kids Responsibility – Turning a packet of seeds into something that they can eat requires attention and dedication, which can help kids learn a sense of responsibility. Neglecting their plot of earth is almost certain to lead to a lackluster or even non-existent harvest, helping kids understand that some chores cannot be shirked without consequences.
Growing Special and Difficult-to-Find Varieties – A kid who refuses to eat a grocery-bin carrot might be intrigued enough by a red or purple variety to give them a try; recipes that call for produce that isn’t in particularly high demand might be impossible for a non-gardening cook to prepare. The ability to choose rare, heirloom and specialty varieties of vegetables for your family garden is one of the biggest reasons to invest your time and effort as a group into the project.

Urban-dwellers aren’t necessarily excluded from the prospect of gardening, even if they live in apartments or condos without available lawn space. There are often programs set in place in such areas to provide families with small garden plots in exchange for a monthly fee or labor contributions. If you live in a densely populated city, it might be a good idea to check for such programs before giving up the idea of a family garden.

Taken From Summer Nanny Jobs

Friday, June 1, 2012

10 Gag Gifts You Can Only Find on the Web

Some of the most fun gifts to give aren’t the sentimental ones, but the gag gifts for that special someone in your life you just love to prank. Whether it’s A Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, birthday or just-because occasion, we’ve put together a list of some great gag gift ideas from around the web just for you:

Prank the Monkey – This gift idea is the perfect choice for someone you know who enjoys playing gags on others too. It’s an entire book of prank ideas and how to set them up. It’s the gift that keeps on giving.
PC Prankster – We just love this plug-and-play (or should we say plug-and-prank?) gag gift. Just insert it into your friend’s computer and watch the madness that ensues. As a consolation for his troubles, of course, you can actually give him the Prankster for use on someone else.
Annoyatron – Wish we’d thought of this one! If you’re going to use it at work, we recommend choosing a victim who works in another department, out of hearing range. After “serious” consideration, we’ve decided that a good location would be your friend’s carry-on bag.
Dr. Fart – Liven up those interminable waits in the customer waiting room at your service center, or at the doctor’s office. Explain to other patients that you’re here for a colonoscopy if you’re sitting in the doctor’s office, and if you’re waiting in the service room tell the other car owners that you came in for a new muffler.
Mooning Gnome – Spring is here, and friends are tending to their gardens and landscaping chores in earnest. What could be a more friendly gesture than to bring along one of these fine additions to your friend’s backyard paradise? We’re sure she’ll love you for it.
Pig Snout Mug – There’s just something about the subterfuge and subliminal message of giving this gift to someone that we just love. On the surface, it looks like a thoughtful enough gift… that is, until they use it. Who looks at the bottom of a coffee mug, right?
Fake Lottery Tickets – We have to admit, these are rather cruel. So you’ll probably want to double up on your order. Of course you’ve got people already in mind for one of these, like that server at the restaurant who kept you waiting for ten minutes while she gabbed with her friends at another table.
Tattoo Sleeve – Wear them to a board meeting with your sleeves rolled up. Let your teen wear them to breakfast, and show them off to Mom. There’s no shortage of scenarios for these, so you’re sure to find the right recipient or setting to have some laughs with these.
Ugly Bug Calendar – A wall calendar only Grissom from CSI could love. Or you, when you give it to your friend for her birthday. It’s a refreshing change from all those lighthouse, pets, and Chippendale’s calendars she can get just anywhere.
Butt Station Desk Organizer – For the co-worker who has everything, a suitable place for holding it all. You can even choose the color of your little Gumby-like character with the funny-looking desk chair.

Taken From DSL Service Providers

10 Reasons Parents Choose Private Schools for Their Kids

In the realm of parenting, few decisions hold as much importance as those regarding your child’s education. From the moment they walk through the door of their very first classroom, children begin to learn the study habits and work ethic that will shape the rest of their lives. For some parents, a private education over a public one is non-negotiable; here are ten of the reasons why:

Poorly Performing Public Schools – In some areas of the United States, public schools are performing so poorly that graduates simply aren’t prepared for the rigors of college and thus opt to enter the workforce directly after high school or even to drop out. For some parents, this is a significant motivating factor in the decision to send kids to private school instead.
Smaller Class Sizes – Hiding at the back of a small, private classroom is markedly more difficult than being lost in the shuffle of a sprawling public school. These smaller class sizes and the availability of more one-on-one instruction are one of the most popular reasons parents opt for a private education.
Religious Education – Parents who are invested in the idea of a religious education often choose a private school connected to their faith in order to ensure that the same values they hold at home are instilled in their children during study hours. Because religion must be kept out of public schools, devout moms and dads might choose a more private, faith-based education.
To Improve Academic Performance – In many cases, teacher-to-student ratio in a private school is just what a student who’s struggling to keep up in larger public classes needs. Curriculum and special programs in private schools can be vastly different from their public brethren, helping kids with diverse learning styles learn in a way that’s tailored to their specific needs.
To Take an Active Role in Education – Most private schools have high expectations regarding parental involvement, which can be quite different from the hands-off policy adopted by public institutions. Parents with the desire and the time to become an active part of their kids’ education may find that a private school is more suited to that involvement.
Higher Accountability – In a struggling public school, administrators might be more invested in high standardized test scores than keeping kids accountable for their day-to-day coursework. Because many public schools are exempt from government-mandated standardized tests, kids are actively taught rather than simply helped to memorize testing material.
Sports Programs – Many private schools have strong athletic programs, making them an ideal choice for sports-minded kids. Parents that are invested in developing their child’s athletic potential often choose a private school as a result.
Emphasis on Arts and Music Programs – State education budgets are being slashed across the country, leaving arts and music programs on the chopping block. In some districts, these programs have already been discontinued, leaving parents of budding artists and musicians to seek private options for their talented offspring.
University Preparation – Studies have indicated that a privately-educated child is twice as likely to continue to college as those that attend public school, and also more likely to complete a university program after enrolling. Because most private schools place a high importance on preparing kids for college, they might be a better choice for some families.
Safety Concerns – While it’s certainly not true that all public schools are dangerous, or even that all private ones are safe, there are areas in the country where a public school might have a higher risk of violence, truancy and other concerns. Parents in these areas generally choose to privately educate their child if it’s even remotely financially feasible.

As is true with many far-reaching decisions, there are no one-size-fits-all options. Some families find that private school is more suited to their individual needs, while others may feel that a public education is a better fit. By carefully considering all options, you can make the choice that best benefits the needs of your child as an individual.

Taken From Babysitting

10 Different Songs That Instantly Make Kids Smile

There’s something about a familiar tune that brings joy to children everywhere, even when they’re not feeling much like laughing. Even adults with less-than-stellar singing voices can light up a little one’s face by bursting into a favorite song; here are ten tried-and-true tunes guaranteed to do the trick.

“Itsy Bitsy Spider” – Toddlers especially love the “Itsy Bitsy Spider” song, even if they lack the fine motor skills to replicate the hand motions themselves. This song always tends to fascinate little kids, and they are usually overjoyed watching an adult perform the motions as they sing along.
“This Old Man” – The highly customizable “This Old Man” inspires paroxysms of giggles, especially when a grown up plays “knick knack” on a little head and makes dramatic work of “rolling home.”
“You Are My Sunshine” – Though it’s more mellow than most of its companions on this list, there’s something quite uplifting about “You Are My Sunshine,” assuming that the second verse with its themes of loss and sorrow are omitted.
“Bingo” – The beloved archetype of the kid-song farmer makes his list debut with “Bingo,” a ditty about his dog complete with requisite hand clapping and spelling sure to keep kids joining in and laughing the whole way.
“London Bridge” – Despite the rumored dark origins of “London Bridge,” chronicling the many disasters that the structure endured, it’s a favorite of kids. With enough bodies, there’s even a corresponding pantomime game in which one participant attempts to elude capture during the line, “take the key and lock her up, lock her up…”
“Ring around the Rosie” – Taking a cue from the morbid history surrounding “London Bridge,” another perennial childhood favorite is “Ring around the Rosie,” which may or may not be about the plague epidemic in 16^th century England. Either way it certainly is a never-fail hit with kids.
“The Farmer in the Dell” – Singing “The Farmer in the Dell” without playing the corresponding game is fun for children in itself; adding enough participants to act out the story just piles on the amusement.
“If You’re Happy and You Know It” – There’s something irresistible about the clapping accompaniment to the rollicking tune of “If You’re Happy and You Know It” that gets kids moving and laughing every time.
“Old MacDonald” – The old Farmer makes his third appearance with the nursery staple “Old MacDonald,” which allows kids to interject any animal they can think of along with their corresponding sounds.
“Hokey Pokey” – Today, even very young children lead a more sedentary lifestyle than those of previous generations. A rousing round of “Hokey Pokey” gets everyone up and moving, interacting with one another while trying to sing around the volley of chuckles that inevitably ensue.

These are just a few of the classic kids’ songs that seem to never go out of style; combing through your own childhood memories is sure to net dozens more that fit the bill and keep the fun going indefinitely.

Taken From Live In Nanny

10 Reasons Why Nannies Should Watch the Cartoon Network

Working as a nanny means spending the majority of your time surrounded by kid-centric activities, programming, meals and outings. And while watching more cartoons might not top your list of fun things to do in your spare time, it’s also a good way to stay involved and aware of what the kids are watching, especially on TV stations like Cartoon Network. Here are ten ways you can benefit from watching Cartoon Network:

For Monitoring Purposes – When busy parents leave you in charge of their children, there’s an inherent measure of trust present that you will do your best to shield those charges from inappropriate and questionable content. By keeping an eye on the Cartoon Network, which is likely a household favorite, you can get an idea of what programming is and is not appropriate for your charges to be watching.
Keeping Up With Kid Slang – Teenagers aren’t the only ones with their own languages; kid slang changes just as quickly and can be just as inscrutable to adults. However, keeping up with your charges’ favorite programs can give you an inside track on the sources of some of their new lingo.
Familiarizing Yourself With Favorite Characters – Every child has a favorite character; one that they emulate, collect their merchandise, and request as the theme for birthday parties. Having a good idea of who these characters are and what makes them so appealing to your charges can be a great way to get to know them on a personal level.
Bonding Time – Spending time with the children in your care, even during downtime, is a great way to ensure that the bond between you is strong and that they feel safe, loved and happy in your presence. Though it might not be the most exciting part of your day, spending cartoon time beside your charges rather than treating it as Nanny Break Time is one of the quickest ways to bond with them.
To Prepare For Experimentation – Most kids know better than to jump off of a cliff just because they saw Wile E. Coyote doing it, but that doesn’t mean they won’t get a wild hair to recreate the scene by taking a deliberate header from a marginally safer height. Seeing the same stunts that the kids do can give you some valuable insight into the things that they might be tempted to do later, which can go a long way towards helping you prevent it.
To Create Talking Points – Finding common ground for conversation with older kids can be a bit difficult; however, if you’re watching the same shows and sharing some of the same experiences, you might find that talking points present themselves naturally throughout the course of the day.
Reliving Your Own Childhood – Plenty of the Cartoon Network’s daytime programming line-up consists of old-school animation and reruns of vintage favorites. On days that you’re feeling particularly nostalgic, settling in with the kids to watch Looney Tunes might be just what the doctor ordered.
To Keep Track of Screen Time – For nannies that truly dislike cartoons, each and every second spent in front of the television is carefully accounted for and counted down. Forcing yourself to watch along with the kids can help ensure that TV time doesn’t go a bit longer than the rules allow simply because you were otherwise engaged and lost track of time.
Choosing Programming in Advance – Having a basic idea of the shows that come on during the daytime lineup can help you make TV time schedules in advance that include programming you feel that your employers and your charges will be equally happy with.
Adult Swim! – When the kids have gone to bed and you’re safe in your quarters, unwinding with some adults-only animated comedy might be just what you need to prepare for the next busy day ahead.

There are tons of reasons why nannies and parents alike should familiarize themselves with the television programming that kids are watching; these are just a few of them. Staying abreast of changes in scheduling and content is one of the best ways to ensure that little ones aren’t being bombarded with images and concepts that are inappropriate for their age and comprehension level.

Taken From National Nannies

10 Signs You Should not be Dancing in Public

It’s safe to say we’ve all probably seen those people out on the dance floor who are “dancing” with their arms flailing around uncoordinatedly, and all you can do is wonder what they would think if they could see themselves in a mirror right at that moment. Though with embarrassing and incriminating cell phone videos dominating YouTube these days we all probably need to be a little more careful because we could easily end up starring in our own little dancing YouTube video. And really, how embarrassing would that be? Check out these 10 signs that indicate you should not be dancing in public:

Your dance moves are hurting other people: If the management comes out and asks for your insurance information because theirs won’t cover injuries caused by reckless dancing you probably should take a break and sit the next song out. All that jumping around, bumping into people, and stepping on feet isn’t doing anything other than inflicting bruises on other unsuspecting dancers.
You have fallen down more than three times: This one is pretty clear. While you may think you are the God’s gift to dancing, that’s likely just wishful thinking that you have killer dance moves, or it’s the alcohol tricking you into believing you’ve suddenly traded your klutziness for grace.
Everyone else has left the dance floor: When your gyrations have gotten so out of control that everyone else has left the dance floor for fear of getting run over by you then you know you should not be dancing in public. It might happen slowly at first, but when you start out shoulder to shoulder with people and then all of sudden you have enough room to do cart wheels you need to ask yourself why you are the only one left on the dancing.
People are all pointing at you: You are so engrossed in dancing that you don’t notice that everyone in the room is pointing at you. Sure, it may be that your pants have fallen down or your blouse has popped open, but the odds that it’s more your incessant and outdated lawnmower moves that have people gaping.
Your partner has left the building: You’ve heard of Elvis leaving the building right? Well, now your partner has left. At first you think that they just ran to the restroom, but after a while you notice that they never came back. Either you have really bad breath or your sweet dance moves turned out to be not so sweet.
The room is spinning and you aren’t: This is an instant giveaway that you should not be dancing in public. You have definitely had too much to drink if the room is spinning and you are not. The odds are good that in this condition you probably aren’t the best dancer. In fact, you’re probably not the best at anything right now.
Someone mentions the words “strip club”: Some people’s dancing style is more appropriate for the bedroom or a strip club than for dancing in public. If you hear people talking about your dancing followed by the words strip club and possibly pole, all in the same sentence, then you might want to rethink your current dance moves.
The DJ stops the music when you come onto the floor: If every time you come onto the floor the DJ takes a break or stops playing music you should probably get the hint that you should not be dancing in public. I wouldn’t worry if it only happens once, but if it happens more than once it’s time to reevaluate.
They show you the private dance room in back: In some clubs I’m sure they do have private rooms in the back for dancing, but in most clubs they just have one big dance floor. So if someone comes and shows you to the private dance room you should probably check to make sure it’s not a closet, or worse, a door to the back alley.
People start mentioning Funniest Home Videos: When everyone you know has a camera on their phone you might be careful when you start hearing people talk about sending clips of you dancing into Funniest Home Videos. You should be especially cautious if you look around and see a dozen people taking video of you. Odds are that they aren’t taking video so they can go home and study your moves. It’s more likely that you can expect to be starring in your own YouTube video very soon.

Taken From Top Dating Sites

32 Innovations That Will Change Your Tomorrow - Interactive Feature

32 Innovations That Will Change Your Tomorrow - Interactive Feature - NYTimes.com

Edition: U.S. / Global

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Published: June 1, 2012

32 Innovations That Will Change Your Tomorrow

The electric light was a failure.

Invented by the British chemist Humphry Davy in the early 1800s, it spent nearly 80 years being passed from one initially hopeful researcher to another, like some not-quite-housebroken puppy. In 1879, Thomas Edison finally figured out how to make an incandescent light bulb that people would buy. But that didn’t mean the technology immediately became successful. It took another 40 years, into the 1920s, for electric utilities to become stable, profitable businesses. And even then, success happened only because the utilities created other reasons to consume electricity. They invented the electric toaster and the electric curling iron and found lots of uses for electric motors. They built Coney Island. They installed electric streetcar lines in any place large enough to call itself a town. All of this, these frivolous gadgets and pleasurable diversions, gave us the light bulb.

We tend to rewrite the histories of technological innovation, making myths about a guy who had a great idea that changed the world. In reality, though, innovation isn’t the goal; it’s everything that gets you there. It’s bad financial decisions and blueprints for machines that weren’t built until decades later. It’s the important leaps forward that synthesize lots of ideas, and it’s the belly-up failures that teach us what not to do.

When we ignore how innovation actually works, we make it hard to see what’s happening right in front of us today. If you don’t know that the incandescent light was a failure before it was a success, it’s easy to write off some modern energy innovations — like solar panels — because they haven’t hit the big time fast enough.

Worse, the fairy-tale view of history implies that innovation has an end. It doesn’t. What we want and what we need keeps changing. The incandescent light was a 19th-century failure and a 20th- century success. Now it’s a failure again, edged out by new technologies, like LEDs, that were, themselves, failures for many years.

That’s what this issue is about: all the little failures, trivialities and not-quite-solved mysteries that make the successes possible. This is what innovation looks like. It’s messy, and it’s awesome. Maggie Koerth-Baker