Head, Heart, Hands, and Health
February 26, 2009 by Kailani
Filed under guest post
Written by Guest Blogger, GroovyOldLady of Groovy’s Ruminations
When I was a kid I loved the book Follow My Leader by James B. Garfield. Â The story was bout a young man who becomes blind due to an accident with firecrackers. Â It was that book that introduced me to the whole fascinating world of training dogs to guide the blind.
Sadly, I grew up in apartments and trailer courts. Â Small pets were all we could have, so my parents rerouted my desires to girl-scouting. Â And that was the last I thought about 4-H.
Until recently…
Two years ago, my little girls (back then they were 5 and 7 years-old) were actively involved in a homeschool group at our church. Â Most of our church/home school friends were also involved in, you guessed it, 4-H. Â It seems one of the moms helped run a dairy goat farm. Â Her home schooled girls had been in 4-H for years and she had started a “goat club”. Â My girlies and I toured their farm and we were sold. Â We joined 4-H.
We were still a little shaky on what 4-H actually was, but we were working with goats on a weekly basis and having a blast – so who cared! Â Each of my daughters got to “lease” a kid in exchange for farm work. Â Each week we’d go to the farm, do chores and then spend time grooming, socializing and training baby goats. Â That way, when fair season came, the babies would be well behaved and ready for showing.
That first year, Girly-Girl showed her lamancha at a few of the local fairs and won several awards, ribbons and premiums. Â Yes, she won MONEY!
Silly-Head wasn’t interested in showing, but she had fun loving on her goat and both the girls learned about goat breeds, goat products, goat care, goat feeding, and goat breeding. Â They helped shave goats, feed goats, brush and wash goats. Â They helped trim hooves, give shots, and diagnose for worms.
It was awesome!
Unfortunately, last year that club started to fall apart. Â The leading mom had several health issues and family emergencies and some of the 4-H guidelines changed. Â According to the new guidelines my girls were “Cloverbuds” and as such, weren’t allowed to focus on just one project – like goats. Â The 4-H chief-high-muckety-mucks decided it was healthier for the younger children (up through age 9) to dibble and dabble in a wide variety of interests and activities instead of getting immersed in one intense topic.
At first we railed against this decision – mostly because we’d already been showing goats and loved them. Â But after listening and thinking, I’ve come to realize the wisdom of the change.
So now we’re in a new club. Â We’ve studied migration and hibernation. Â We’ve learned about recycling. Â We’ve rang the Salvation Army bells in the freezing cold while exuberantly singing Christmas carols. Â We’ve made crafts and birdfeeders. Â We’re preparing to learn knitting and plan a play for a local nursing home.
And we still have goats. Â Our new leader also has goats and they’ll be kidding in February and/or March. Â We’ll be leasing some! Â Silly-Head is still not old enough to show, but I imagine Girly-Girl will be in the ring beaming at the judge and holding her goat’s head high.
And I’ve just completed my training to be a 4-H volunteer. Â Did you know that 4-H is the youth branch of the University Cooperative Extension program? Â The 4-H’s stand for Head, Heart, Hands, and Health. Â All the activities we participate in are geared toward helping our kids (that’s people kids, not goat kids) to grow and mature in those four areas.
Much of what we do is related to agriculture – raising stock and better farming practices. Â But 4-H is MUCH more than that! Â It’s a club atmosphere where kids can learn leadership skills and service, drama, teamwork, conflict management, business principles, arts and crafts, science, cooperation, decision making, setting goals and keeping records. Â It’s a wonderful avenue for learning and growing!
If you are interested in learning more about 4-H, contact your local University Cooperative Extension. Â You can find it quite easily by just googling “[your state] cooperative extension”, then search for “4-H” on their homepage.
If you’ve never looked into 4-H for your kids, please do. Â It’s a wonderful way to help them grow!
Life Insurance for Frequent Flyers
February 11, 2009 by Kailani
Filed under guest post
Guest Post by Richard Reich, Los Angeles, CA
If you have ever applied for life insurance, you are probably familiar with the questions the insurance company asks on the application. Most questions pertain to your general health and lifestyle. The insurance company wants to know what kind of risk your health and lifestyle presents to them so they can charge you accordingly. If you smoke or are overweight, you will pay more premium than a “normal†weight non-smoker. Likewise, if your family history includes heart disease or cancer, you will probably pay more premium than someone with no family history,
But, were you aware that “frequent flyers†to foreign countries will sometimes pay a higher premium than those less-traveled. If you travel to some countries, you might not even be eligible for life insurance with most companies.
When applying for life insurance, the insurance company will want to know where you travel and how often.  They especially want to know if your travel plans include countries on the U.S. State Departments Warning list (To see a list of travel warnings, visit the U.S. Department of State. If your plans include some of these countries, insurance companies are likely to charge a higher premium, decline coverage or offer it with an exclusion for this travel. Some life insurance companies are more liberal when it comes to covering foreign travel, so if you fall into this category, your life insurance agent should know the best companies to apply with.
If you already have a life insurance policy, most life insurance companies will cover foreign travel as long as it was not planned or disclosed on the application. However, under the two-year contestability rule, an insurance company can deny a claim if they can prove non-disclosure of a known future trip. If you have a policy, take a good look at it before your next trip to make sure your policy will cover you.
About the Author
Richard Reich is President of Intramark Insurance Services, Inc. Intramark provides life and disability insurance via their websites www.lifeinsure.com and www.protectyourincome.com.
How Safe Are Hand-Me-Down Baby Gear?
January 23, 2009 by Kailani
Filed under babies, guest post, kids
Mothers-to-be are often flooded with hand-me-down baby gear coming from mothers, in-laws, neighbors and friends. These items can save you tons of money, but are they safe?
This month, ShopSmart, from the publisher of Consumer Reports, is placing pre-used cribs, toys, clothing and more under the microscope so you know when you can gratefully say yes and when you should gracefully say no thanks.
Tips to spot unsafe hand-me-downs:
Bath Products:
- Safe: Used baby bathtubs are fine as long as the lining isn’t full of mold or mildew.
- Not Safe: If the tub has an odor of either of these, say no thanks because they can be hard to remove. Also, skip secondhand bath seats, bath rings, and inflatable tubs since they have been responsible for many deaths among babies.
Car Seats:
- Safe: A car seat that has all its original parts and labels, has never been in a crash, and fits your car and child is OK.
- Not Safe: Products more than six years old are outdated, and most likely too run down to be considered safe.
Cribs:
- Safe: Any crib that was manufactured after the year 2000 should be fine, as long as it is not broken or missing any pieces.
- Not Safe: Prior to 2000, cribs were held to different safety standards, and will not be acceptable for your baby, even if you slept soundly in them. Any crib with cutouts in the headboard, and corner posts over sixteen inches pose serious risks for a child’s safety.
High Chairs:
- Safe: Say yes to a hand-me-down high chair if it has a five-point harness to prevent your child from climbing out and a fixed crotch post that prevents him/her from sliding out the bottom.
- Unsafe: Old fashioned wooden high chairs with removable trays or arms are considered dangerous and uncomfortable for the baby, in addition to not being up to newer product safety standards.
Strollers:
- Safe: Strollers made after 2007 when new safety standard were published are safe.
- Unsafe: Any stroller made prior to that date, or has missing, loose, or broken pieces is not.
Toys:
- Safe: Stuffed animals and most children’s books make fine hand-me-downs. In the case of lead contamination in used toys, there are many home lead inspection kits which can be purchased for under twenty dollars which will tell you whether the toys are safe.
- Unsafe: Avoid any toys that are chipped, as well as any small parts that can fit through a tube of toilet paper, since they present serious choking hazards for small children.
Used Clothing:
- Safe: As long as buttons and snaps are on tight and none of the thread is unraveling from the fabric, the used clothing is fine.
- Unsafe: Pass on any article of clothing with drawstrings because they pose a strangulation hazard.
Courtesy of the March 2009 issue of ShopSmart
Top 15 Travel Blogs
December 29, 2008 by Kailani
Filed under guest post
Written by: Misty Faucheux
The new year has snuck up on us once more. The Christmas decorations will soon be taken down and placed back in dusty corners. Resolutions will be made and broken. And, just like these traditions are honored around the world, we honor perhaps one of the best known traditions of this time of year: the best of the best lists. In this vein, we pay homage to the 15 best travel bloggers of 2008 and look forward to what they may bring us in 2009.
- National Geographic Intelligent Travel National Geographic is already known for their in-depth reporting, great photographs and world reknown magazines. Here, they use those already extensive resources to create an entertaining and very informative blog about the known and unknown places of the world.
- WorldHum Presented by the Travel Channel, Worldhum gathers together some of the best and brightest writers, editors and contributors around to provide news, tips and tidbits from the world around us.
- Viator Blog The staff of Viator have traveled all over the world and are sharing their experiences with you. The goal of Viator is to provide readers with insights and news about a variety of destinations.
- Everything-everywhere Gary Arndt has been traveling around the world with one goal in mind: see everything there is to behold. Follow his adventures, and see what he sees through both words and photographs.
- Travel Babel Claire Walter is a travel writer and began blogging in 2006. Now, she shares with her readers the latest news and trends of the travel industry.
- The Cranky Flier Want a good laugh, but still be informed? Well, the Cranky Flier is just the place to go. Specializing in airline industry news, this guy won’t disappoint.
- Killing Batteries Leif Petterson’s blogs are more than just fun and educational to read; they’re hilarious as well. Follow his adventures and his struggles from places like Romania, Rome and Belfast.
- Travel Gear Blog Everyone wants the latest and greatest travel gear there is. So, turn to the authority. Travel Gear Blog gives you information on what’s new, what’s on sale and what shouldn’t be skipped.
- Matador Are you passionate about your travel experiences? Then, you should join Matador’s travel community. Join others who are just as passionate about writing, traveling, vlogging and photography as you are.
- Beijing Going to Beijing? Then, grab a handy computer and upload Suzie’s recommendations. She lived in Beijing for three years and now shares all she learned with the rest of the Web.
- Gas.tron.o.my If trying new food dishes is one of the sole reasons for visiting new places, then you should be reading Gas.tron.o.my. She has sampled almost all there is to sample in Vietnam.
- Neil Duckett Ever felt like a fish out of water? Neil Duckett shares your pain. As an Aussie living in Japan, you can learn along with him how to fit into a strange culture.
- Candy from Strangers Join the ever-lasting search for the best piece of chocolate or perhaps lollipop. Malena travels all around the world searching for the next best piece of candy.
- Delicious Baby Your kids need to have fun too. Take advice from someone who can help make travel with your kids exciting and more enjoyable for everyone.
- My Sweet Viscape Are you visualizing your escape this minute? Well, Viscape can help you find the perfect place to stay or go on your next vacation. Read all about the latest trends in the real estate and the travel markets.
So, for all those that are making resolutions to blog or even just read more, these writers should provide you every bit of inspiration without all their perspiration.
Misty Faucheux is an avid writer and traveler. She has visited every state in the union and many countries in Europe and Canada. Misty lives in Colorado with her three cats and two dogs (just couldn’t say no to the pound puppies and kitties) with her boyfriend. She is currently working as the social media manager at Viscape.com, a social networking travel and real estate Web site. http://mistyfau.wordpress.com/
