“Roses are red
Violets are green
I’m really sorry I hit my brother
But he was being mean.”

Kids not only say the darndest things, they write them, too. Whether this poetry springs out of creative writing exercises in the schools, or in HEARTSONGS, HOPE THROUGH HEARTSONGS and JOURNEY THROUGH HEARTSONGS 13-year-old now-deceased-but-never-forgotten writer Mattie J.T. Stepanek’s case, out of special circumstances, degenerative muscular dystrophy, that bring forth a remarkable gift, the rhymes can easily be lost through time, moving, throwing away of school papers, or just simply forgotten.

While our children’s poetry may not become best-selling books and CDs (Stepanek teamed up with young country star Billy Gilman to produce a CD), those sweet or questioning verses of childhood and angry, angsty teenage songs bring pleasure, joy and comfort. They are as much a part of history as official family records. How many of us wish we had saved our poems form clutter, neglect, forgetfulness, or the (we hope) well-intentioned suggestions of parents that “You just aren’t a poet”—or even a parent throwing away our written longings? You can bet Mattie Stepanek’s mom would never throw away his first poems!

Whether we have the gift to become a poet or not, whether or not our children are Emily Dickinsons, those scribblings and typings are part of our life, our thoughts, our feelings. They are gifts in themselves, and loving children everywhere have the creativity to give them as presents. Mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers, are moved beyond words when they receive a card on construction paper, or even computer-created by a junior Bill Gates or Charles Schulz. That card may contain a poem about “The Greatest Dad in the World.” Do you want to throw it away and keep all the store-bought greetings you take for granted? It may even move your spouse to wrestle with love poems, and you want to save those too.

The answer is scrapbooking. Poetry on paper is perfect for preserving in the pages of scrapbooks. You may want to create a scrapbook for family poems and created cards, or several scrapbooks if you have more than one poet in the family. You can organize the family scrapbooks by writer, poem subject (Dad, mom, the family dog or cat) or by occasions: birthdays, Christmas, anniversaries, graduations, new homes, weddings, births, and so forth. Or you can include poems in scrapbooks you’ve created to record these occasions, scrapbooks that contain decorations, invitations, announcements, pressed flowers, and so forth.

Some tips for successful poem preserving:

* While it’s tempting to include the yellowing paper your son wrote his first poem on, consider recopying it on pretty paper and include it. You can include the original paper if you wish, but do so beside the typed or handwritten version.

Do the same if a poem has smudges or spills.

* If you haven’t dated a poem by your child, look at the writing and compare it to different ages. Always list your child’s age.

* Always date family poems, either on paper or by making a note on a printed label or in handwriting.

* If you can’t guess when a family poem was written, look at the occasion. If it was your 50th birthday or a particular wedding anniversary, you know the date (unless your memory is like a man’s!)

* When you’ve started scrapbooking family poems, always choose heavy paper for future poems, or paper that holds up well.

* If the poem goes with a photo, include the original even if the image of the photo is on the paper the poem is printed on. Or include a photo from the event or a photo of the family member the poem is about for an illustrated poem!

* Consider typing up a page that includes sample quotes from family poems, a kind of “Best Of the Jones Family” list.

* Finally, if anyone in your family doesn’t mind hearing their recorded voice, record a CD or cassette of the poems and include it with the scrapbook.

You may never get your poems read nationwide, but you and your family will treasure the memories they bring. So start writing, and happy scrapbooking!

Kristin Johnson composes personalized poems, speeches, toasts, vows, and family memories. Visit http://www.poemsforyou.com to order your personalize memories. She is also co-author of the Midwest Book Review “enthusiastically recommended” pick Christmas Cookies Are For Giving: Stories, Recipes and Tips for Making Heartwarming Gifts (ISBN: 0-9723473-9-9). A downloadablemedia kit is available at our Web site, http://www.christmascookiesareforgiving.com, or e-mail the publisher (info@tyrpublishing.com) to receive a printed media kit and sample copy of the book. More articles available at http://www.bakingchristmascookies.com

I bet you haven’t given this blowing bubble activity any thought as a child party activity?

I’m not talking about little kids blowing little bubbles from those little containers - no, I’m talking about blowing HUGE bubbles. I bet you didn’t even know that it was possible? Yes, your bigger kids and their friends can have a lot of fun with this blowing bubble activity and what’s more, it’s inexpensive too… especially if you know how to make the right bubble solution and tools.

I’ll give you a few recipes to try out and also a couple of tool ideas. You can have lots of fun experimenting with the mixtures and creating your own original bubble making tools.

Bubble Tools

There are so many things around you that can be used to make bubbles. Wire hangers bent into different shapes, empty milk containers, string, plastic bowls, or even your bare hands held in the right position. Make a circle with your thumb and index finger or make an even bigger circle using both hands’ thumbs and index fingers.

Bubble Solution

The really big bubbles need lots of solution which can get quite expensive. It’s therefor a lot more economical to mix your own.

The best detergents to use are Joy and Dawn detergents but you need to experiment to see what works best for you.
You also need either glycerine or white Karo Syrup. This ensures colorful, sturdy bubbles. Glycerine can be bought from most drug stores, but it is expensive. Karo Syrup is available at the grocery store and is less expensive.

Amazingly enough, not any water is suitable! Hard water does not work whereas soft water does. Try using your tap water, but if you fail to get good bubbles, try using distilled water.

Solution 1:

1 Part Dawn Ultra/Joy Ultra : 15 parts distilled/soft water : 0.25 part glycerine/white Karo Syrup

Solution 2:

1 Part Regular Dawn /Regular Joy : 10 parts distilled/soft water : 0.25 part glycerine/white Karo Syrup

Solution 3:

2 Parts Regular Dawn /Regular Joy : 4 parts glycerine : 1 part white Karo Syrup

Most importantly - just have FUN!

Anne-Marie Killer is a mother of two step teenagers and a toddler. She is the webmaster and owner of http://www.Perfect-Party-Ideas.com
Read her blog where she documents the process of setting up http://www.Perfect-Party-Ideas.com at http://www.perfect-party-ideas.blogspot.com

Making simple, homemade devices is fun for any young person who likes to tinker and build. The build-it-yourself enthusiast will get a great sense of accomplishment from creating self-designed items.

Someone looking for a hobby or anyone interested in hands-on building and creating, can use common materials and items from around the house. You may need to purchase some inexpensive items such as glue or tape. Many simple devices can be made with tools that most people already have such as scissors, hammer and pliers. Simple devices can be built in between 15 minutes and 1 hour. Particularly involved projects may take many hours to complete.

Some projects could be useful items, artistic, or clever devices and gadgets. A variety of projects can be made: toys and playthings, curiosities and novelties, useful and practical items. Some projects require well written instructions to adequately explain how to complete them.

There are books written particularly for the adolescent or young adult who enjoys making interesting mechanical devices and gadgets. Some books are written to make constructing the described items easy. Projects are described using clear wording. Diagrams are included to assist in ease of understanding.

Choose a book that has these features. Most casual do-it-yourselfers will have the needed items around the house and/or garage. Only low cost and no cost materials are needed. Most items are made from small pieces of wooden boards, coat hanger wire, paper, used containers, and discarded household items or low cost items found in hardware stores. There are no kits to buy. The projects require common tools such as a scissors, hacksaw, screwdriver, pliers, knife, file or drill.

Books are available on a wide variety of projects. Books can be choosen that deal mostly with items that are mechanically interesting, clever or useful. The items may be toys or playthings. They may be simple mechanical curiosities, appealing because of their shape or structure.

Amazon.com has a great search utility for locating books. Go to Amazon.com. Select the book section. Then go to Advanced search. Then to Power search. You can search by author, title, subject, or keyword. Once you find the book, it can be purchased conveniently online.

Building homemade items is fun for the tinkerer who enjoys improvised devices. It is rewarding for anyone who wants to have the ingenuity to use the tools and materials that happen to be available. Building homemade items lets you enjoy mechanical devices and the ‘things’ around you.

Alan Detwiler is the author of the ebook Clever Construction: Use What You Have To Make Cool And Useful Gadgets And Fun Gizmos available at http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00020H3EE/leisureideas-20. He has a web site about homemade items at http://www.MakeGizmos.com

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Female lingerie sales are growing even in these economic markets. With massive chains suffering a dip in sales and high street stores closing down quicker and quicker, the womens underwear market is seeing sales climb at a great rate.

A British female lingerie store in Britain has reported a sales escalation by nine per cent. The biggest reason seems to be clear, girls love to feel gorgeous regardless of how the British economy is doing. With loads of girls spending time at home instead of going out, women are finding the advantages of looking alluring for their partners.

For the ultimate in alluring lingerie, lingerie retailers retail a range of hot and recession busting underwear. For the woman that loves to appear sweet and pretty there are silk nighties, and for the more adventurous girl there is lace bras and knickers. For the women that are looking to entice then there are cup less bras and g strings that is sure to please their partner.

Of course, girls underwear is not only for females. Guys underwear is furthermore seeing a shoot up in sales, mainly due to the popular David Beckham ads for designer Emporio Armani.

So whilst the credit crunch continues to grab magazine headlines, it seems girls are more interested in grabbing awesome underwear. Check this sexy tankinis from Phax, Sunflair, Gok Wan, Gottex, Seafolly and Miracle Suit.

When it comes to throwing a fabulous baby shower, one of the first things that sets the mood and the style of the event are the shower invitations that your guests receive. Some people spend more money on the invitations than they do on the baby shower! However, since not everyone has the money to spend on expensive engraved invitations to be oohed and aahed over, free baby shower invitations are a great way to go.

The Internet is chock-full of selections for free baby shower invitations, if you know where to look. If you and your friends are Internet-savvy, you might consider using an e-invitation service instead of a print invitation, which will allow you to send elegant baby shower invitations for free.

But if you’re looking for invitations that can be printed, there are stock images and free baby shower invitations that can be designed and printed using programs you already have on your computer!

When using free baby shower invitations, you must remember to include information like the guest of honor’s name, the time and date of the event, the location, the RSVP information, and whether or not the shower will be a surprise.

Your free baby shower invitations should be sent four to six weeks prior to the shower, to ensure that everyone invited receives the invitation and has plenty of time to reply.

When you have limited resources for planning a baby shower, you don’t have to merely “make do” with what you have. The resources currently at your disposal are more than enough to allow you to make beautiful, free baby shower invitations that the mother to be will love. You are only limited by your creativity. You could spend more money on your baby shower invitations, but free baby shower invitations leave you with money to purchase a much better gift for the mother and baby!

Learning the alphabet is a key part of your child’s education especially when it comes to learning to read and write. It is important that children learn not only to recite the letters in order, but also to recognize letters out of sequence. In addition, after mastering basic recognition, children will need to learn the sounds each letter represents and how to write it.

While many parents recognize how important learning the alphabet is to their child they are not always sure how to go about teaching the alphabet to their child. Many parents spend a lot of money on expensive products and programs designed to teach the alphabet but that really isn’t necessary and in fact may well be counterproductive.

As a literate adult you don’t need any tools, programs or books to help you in your quest to teach the ABCs to your child. You already possess all you need in your head (your own knowledge of the alphabet) and in your house. There are three simple keys to teaching your child the alphabet:

* Make it fun
* Make it real
* Make it regular

The most important rule to remember when teaching young children is to make sure that learning is fun. If you can make lessons into a game, a craft, or a song then your child will be a willing and eager participant. If you make learning into something boring or something that looks like work then you will have to fight your child every step of the way. Your child wants to spend time having fun with you so why not make lessons into fun time that you spend together so you both look forward to the experience? Just because a lesson was fun enough to make your child want to do it again-and-again does not lessen its value. Learning can be fun and something that was learned in an enjoyable way is much more likely to stick with your child in the long term than a lesson that was forced. If you can make learning the alphabet fun for your child then you will have accomplished two very important steps toward your child’s long-term success — knowledge of the alphabet and an eagerness to learn.

Young children need to experience their world through their senses. They do learn in the more traditional ways — seeing and hearing — but often prefer a more tactile approach that includes touching, smelling, and tasting. The more you can make the letters of the alphabet come alive for your child and give your child access to those letters in a way that utilizes their senses then the easier it will be to learn. Also, utilizing the real world for your lessons will not only save you money but will also help you teach your child the value of literacy.

Preschoolers learn at an incredibly fast rate but because they are learning and experiencing so many new things they can forget what they have learned just as quickly. That is why it is important to make lessons a regular part of your child’s day. It doesn’t mean that you have to set aside a separate part of the day because often alphabet lessons can take place at the grocery store, in the car, or at the kitchen table. What is important is that you consistently introduce the letters to your child in various forms and consistently reinforce the acquisition of the alphabetic principle. Even after your child has mastered the alphabet make sure you periodically review the letters so they don’t lose the knowledge.

If you make learning the alphabet fun, real, and consistent then your preschooler will definitely have a head start when the time comes to learn to read.

Deanna Mascle shares more tips about teaching your child the alphabet in her blog Teach Your Child The Alphabet at http://TeachYourChildTheAlphabet.com

Since a Naming Ceremony is a ceremony evolving as we speak, it is interesting to see some of the new aspects entering into the celebration, such as making a wish for the baby’s future life.

Not really a new concept. Wasn’t there something about fairy godmothers who wished some wonderful things for Snow White? And wasn’t there one fairy Godmother who was so ticked off by something or other, that instead of a good wish, she landed Snow White with a rather bad one?

At a Naming Ceremony making a wish can take many formats. Each guest present can be asked to write out their wish, and after each piece of paper is collected, the wishes can be buried under a tree which is planted in honour of the baby.

Or, within the context of the ceremony, a candle can be lit and circulated among the guests. Each guest holds the candle while making a silent wish and then passes it on to the next. Nothing to stop the person who wants to do so, to express the wish out loud.

It would be interesting to know what types of things people value enough to wish for this new human being to experience. One can imagine the normal staff like health, happiness, long life, success, richess etc.,

But what would really be the most valuable thing that could be given to a new born baby?

Perhaps they would be things that we could never express because they go so much against the grain of that which we have been taught to value.

Could we ever dare to say, for example, I wish for you to be whatever you choose to be, as opposed to what we all expect you to be. Will being a drop out of school make your happy? Well then, don’t let me stop you. Draw up your own blueprint. Create your own life.

Vlady Peters is an Australian Civil Marriage Celebrant authorised to perform marriages in Australia. She also perform general ceremonies such as Baby Naming, Renewal of Vows and Commitment Ceremonies. To learn more about her as a celebrant and an author visit vlady at http://www.weddings-celebrant.com.

Hundreds of keen skiers will presently be searching for their ski equipment and darting off in search of the greatest snowfall. And doubtless the result from your carbon footprint will be roughly as far down the list of holiday to dos as a xmas tree after xmas. But last winter, a late snowfall hit the tabloids and tourists were frightened about the bits of snow disappearing almost as soon as they settled.

Holiday company Chalet 1802, located at the foot of Monte Bianco in Chamonix ski resort in the Alps, is one of the first autonomous firms to go carbon negative and afford skiers an environmentally friendly alternative while organising their ski trip. Chalet 1802 owner Maighdlin stated: Last winter was quite a shock with the most warm wintertime in fifty five years in the French Alps. Skiing skiing areas for example Bessans, Luz Ardiden and Le Grand-Bornand has difficulty.It was balmy and the snow didnt settle so much of the early skiing season in the French Alps was uneven. We determined to go carbon neutral to help preserve the skiing resort.

Maighdlin said: We’re not trying to dictate to holiday makers but I believe its important to afford the clients the selection without raising the price of the stay. When the guest book with us and visits our skiing chalet they can further off set their carbon footprint and we soak up the extra costs. Of course we still have a sauna and a hot tub - customers require opulence but not at the expense of the environs, so we looked at ways of lessening the impact of a skier traveling over here for a winter holiday.”

Chalet 1802 have also joined with organisation Climate Care, which deals with global warming by making C02 deductions for individuals and businesses.

Most parents know that car seats are the safest way for their child to travel and most parents use them. The problem is that of these, in fact about 80%, use their car seat improperly and they don’t even know it. The easiest mistake to correct is to make sure that your child is in the right car seat for their age and they are facing in the right direction.

Other common mistakes are that the harness straps are too loose or in the wrong position or the harness chest clip is in the wrong position. A big mistake is placing the infant seat in front of the airbag. Some parents are not locking the seat belt correctly and not using the locking clip for seat belts that do not lock automatically. Some are not positioning the seat correctly.

Make sure your infant is in the right seat for their age. Babies that are less than a year old and less than twenty pounds must be in a rear facing car seat. Many babies will reach twenty pounds before their first birthday, they still must be rear facing until their first birthday. Same goes for infants who are one year old but not yet twenty pounds, they still need to be facing the rear. When your baby has reached one year old AND twenty pounds, then they can sit in a forward facing seat. They can stay in this seat until they are 40 pounds.

If your child is over forty pounds then they need to be in a belt positioning booster seat. This is the seat that they will probably stay in until they are eight years old. The harness of the booster seat needs to be used until the child is at least eighty pounds and 4 feet and 9 inches tall. By that time they can use the car’s lap/shoulder belt as long as they are positioned correctly. The lap portion needs to lie across their hip, not across their belly. The shoulder part needs to be across their shoulder, not rubbing their neck. All children of 12 and younger need to stay in the back if possible.

There are many things that parents need to double check before their child is safe in their car seat. When using the rear facing infant or rear facing convertible seat, you must make sure that the chest clip lies across the chest at armpit level, not by their belly. The harness strap needs to be snug and straight, not twisted or loose. Rear facing harness straps need to be level with your child’s shoulders or slightly below. The angle of the seat needs to be at a 45 degree level. Never place your rear facing infant seat in front of an airbag.

When facing your child forward the harness straps need to positioned at your child’s shoulders or slightly above. Parents should be using the top set of harness slots. The straps need to be snug and tight and the chest clip needs to be at mid-chest or armpit level.

Parents need to avoid car seats that have been recalled, involved in a crash and are more than four years old. Your car seat should not have any cracks, missing parts, instructions or the label showing the model number and manufacture date. Always read all the instructions before installing.

Michael Russell Your Independent Baby and Toddler guide.