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.
Sitting Here Pouting
I am so bummed!
I should be on an airplane somewhere over the pacific at this very moment on my way to Los Angeles. Thanks to Mom Bloggers Club, I was supposed to attend the Eastman Kodak Mom Blogger event in Irvine California this evening. It was to be dinner, mimosas, and lots of fun activities as Eastman Kodak shared with us all the wonderful things you can do at the Kodak Picture Kiosk including create photo books, Picture Movie DVD’s, collages, 5×7 or 8×10’s, poster prints and Greeting cards . . . all in just a matter of minutes.
Instead I’m home with what seems like either food poisoning or the stomach flu. Either way it’s not a pretty sight.
So now I’m sitting here drinking my ginger ale and pouting.
I was so determined to go that I actually got up at 4am, dragged myself out of bed, got myself ready, and started driving to the airport in rush hour traffic. Maybe it’s just nerves, I told myself. However, as I started to involuntarily dry heave in my car as I tried not to rear end the person in front of me, I knew I couldn’t go. I took the next exit and went home.
I wanted to cry! I mean, this is Eastman Kodak we’re talking about! Whaaaaa!
And as if that wasn’t bad enough, I was finally going to meet Rockin’ Mama Caryn in person. We work together at Family Review Network and she was scheduled to attend the same session.
Okay, now that I’ve shared my woes with you I think I’ll go back to pouting again. Besides, I think there’s a toilet with my name on it. TMI?
Update: I just received an email from Kodak saying that they would be willing to re-schedule with me for a day when I’m feeling better. Woo hoo! Things are looking up!
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
