Tips Guides Resources

An evil is stalking the world now that wasn’t here when I was a kid. Maybe it’s been here all along but as a kid I never saw it lurking near the cotton fields of north Alabama. We knew what the devil was of course, from going to the West Huntsville Baptist Church every Sunday morning and evening, but I don’t think it entered our minds to think he was walking down the same road as us.

It’s different for boys today. They can’t have the same advantages I did growing up because it’s just too dangerous leaving them alone! Because something bad and ugly could be behind the next bush, kids are missing out on some of the important steps of growing up.

Sadly, I doubt if my grandsons will ever experience the forbidden thrill of smoking grapevine and pretending it was a cigarette. Except for burning our tongues when we tried to smoke those twigs that we pretended were cigarettes, I can’t recall any long lasting harm that was done. Of course we didn’t tell our parents, because we would have gotten whomped for even thinking of smoking. That’s the experimental stage.

I remember walking home, after spending the day fishing on the creek about a mile from the house. I can still smell the tar that bubbled and cracked on the gravel road as my buddy and I trotted on the shoulder, because the road was too hot for our bare feet. I can’t recall catching fish of any size, but being alone without the supervision of adults was an important part of our transition into men.

We can’t allow our kids to have that kind of fun today. Sometimes I think my grandkids are overly protected by their parents, but then I hear on the news about some 12 year old boy who was kidnapped, molested and killed just a few miles from where we live and I realize I’m not living in the same world in which I grew up.

Playing hookey from school is a very important part of the growing up process. It gives a young man the opportunity to spread his wings and fly to where he’s never gone before! Jesse Haney and I slipped out of the school yard one day long ago, just after math class and went rabbit hunting. This January morning was so cold that anyone with any sense stayed inside. The rabbits must have been smarter than us because we never saw one.

We’d timed our escape perfectly; this particular morning there was a substitute teacher for the next three classes who didn’t know us at all. Recognizing an opportunity when it slipped in and whacked us on the head, we were off the school property by the time the bell rang for the next class. We ran over the hill behind the school building, detoured a block to Jesse’s house where we grabbed two twenty gauge single-shot shotguns and a half box of shells.

By twelve years of age, most of us boys had shotguns if we wanted them and most of us did. We were taught to not only to respect guns, but to be in awe of them. This was all part of maturing, but if I had shot myself, my mom would have killed me. Few 13 year old kids today are responsible enough not to shoot each other. Besides, a kid with a gun today would probably get arrested, especially if he was hunting during school hours.

Another part of growing up was camping out in the woods across the cotton field in front of our house. During the summer nights we would hear sounds of varmints in the woods near where we were trying to sleep. Besides animals lurking in the dark, we were convinced that there were ghosts and goblins just waiting for us to step out of the tent.

One comforting thing that sustained us during those scary and exciting nights of our youth were orders from our parents that we were to always keep the front porch light in our sight so we could find our way home in the dark. The knowledge that help was within sight, was comforting, even though we would never have admitted it.

The America I stumbled through on my way to adulthood had its own brand of evil, but I don’t believe it was nearly as bad as the ones kids face today.

Bob Alexander is well experienced in outdoor cooking, fishing and leisure living. Bob is also the author and owner of this article. Visit his sites at:
http://www.redfishbob.com
http://www.homeandgardenbob.com

Shopping for baby clothing can be harder than you think, especially if you’re shopping for someone else’s baby. Hopefully this article will give you a few ideas on how to buy baby clothes. We’ll also throw in a few tips about buying baby clothes online.

Size

Baby clothing is usually sized according to the age of the baby. The sizes are as follows: 0-3 months, 3-6 months, etc. These age groups can sometimes be a problem because you may have a bigger or smaller baby than normal. My baby boy has already grown out of his 0-3 months clothes and he is only one month old.

When buying baby clothes for a newborn, try buying the 3-6 months size and you’ll stand out from the crowd that is buying clothes the baby will only be able to wear once. Trust me, the mother will thank you later when your clothes are the only ones that fit her newborn.

Online Tip: Most places you shop online will have a section where you choose the size of the clothes. If they don’t, then do not purchase there.

Gender

If you are trying to buy baby clothes, then we sincerely hope you are shopping for a girl. Why? Options and quality. For some reason designers have created a lot more baby girl clothing than baby boy clothing. If you don’t believe me, try going to Target and tell me if you see more pink or more blue?

The quality of baby girl clothing is also better than baby boy clothing, probably due to the sheer quantity of baby girl clothing. If you are looking for unique baby clothes, you’ll have a much easier time if you’re shopping for a girl.

Online Tip: A few stores online actually allow you to create your own onesies, a nice feature if you’re looking for unique baby onesies or other baby clothing.

Price

Baby clothing prices fluctuate wildly depending on the quality and name brand recognition. I’ve never been a huge fan of paying for the name brand but sometimes paying more is worth it.

Remember not to buy all of your baby clothes before the baby is born. Doctors are not 100% accurate in determining the sex of a child–it’s no fun to take back all of those cute clothes after being surprised with a boy when you thought you were having a girl. Try buying gender neutral clothes if you are buying for someone who hasn’t told you the sex of the baby.

It is good to remember that babies grow extremely fast, another reason not to buy tons of clothes before the baby is born (you could be stuck with a bunch of clothes that don’t fit).

Babies make messes often. You might be surprised how often they spit up on their brand new clothes (babies are more prone to spit up if they are wearing your favorite outfit). If you’re on a budget, don’t spend all of your money on something that will be getting dirty fast.

Online Tip: Watch out for shipping prices! Some places charge as much as $5.00 per item. You can find special deals where shipping is free (though you usually have to spend a fair amount before getting these deals).

Shopping for baby clothes is extremely fun. Hopefully these tips will help you have an overall positive experience when shopping for baby clothes for yourself or for a friend.

Online Tip: Watch out, online shopping can be extremely addictive.

Kimberlie is a mother, author, and baby clothes guru. Come find out all about how to buy baby onesies at her blog:www.babyonesies1.com

If you’re the parent of a teenager, then you know how teens like to keep up with the latest fashion trends. This is understandable, as teens are trying to establish their own identity, outside of identifying with their parents. However, there is the likelihood that some of these fashions may seem inappropriate, even to the most lenient of parents, and especially to those who are more conservative in nature. You don’t really want your daughter in short shorts, or low cut tops, and you probably don’t want your son looking like a thug or hoodlum. Where do you draw the line between your teen dressing in trendy fashions and dressing inappropriately? Perhaps, more importantly, how do you draw the line?

When it comes to dealing with your teenager and the fashion trends you don’t find acceptable, your first reaction may be to lay down the law, and rule with an iron fist. You are the parent, after all, and in your home, your rules must be followed. That’s a fair agreement, isn’t it? However, this sort of philosophy may do more harm than good. Just think back to when you were a teenager. Most likely, you would respond unfavorably to being told how to dress by your parents. That may have worked well as a child, but teenagers want to establish their own independence and identity. The best option is to take a different approach than the authoritarian one.

One of the many cases where you most certainly should speak with your teen about their fashion choices is where those choices could end up causing harm. Many of the teen fashion trends involve wearing clothes that are quite revealing. This can send a dangerous message that your teen is marketing himself or herself sexually. Your teenager probably won’t see it this way, but those who see your child very well may get that message, whether it was intended or not.

In this case, you should sit down and explain your concerns. Let your teen know that there is the possibility that sexual predators may interpret their provocative fashion style as being an invitation to receive attention. Calmly explain that if this is not the message that he or she wishes to send, then perhaps it would be wise to reconsider his or her fashion choices. Taking the time to explain the logical reasons behind your concerns will be more likely to be effective than simply demanding, “You aren’t leaving the house in those clothes.” You may even find that your teenager feels a sense of gratitude that you treated him/her in a more adult manner, and be more compliant with your wishes, realizing that your position on the issue stems from actual concerns for his or her well being.

You and your teenager should also be aware that fashion trends can sometimes change rapidly. What’s in today, may be out in just a few months, never to come back in style. It’s entirely possible that the fashion trend your teenager seems so enamored with, and that you detest so much will be a quickly passing phase.

You could also work together with your teen to look at trends that the two of you can agree upon. There is a wide variety of fashion magazines and online fashion sites that you can explore with your teen to look at alternative trends that may be more acceptable. You can point out things that, whether you appreciate the taste of them or not, are fashions that you would find to be within the confines of what is acceptable. This could also turn into a fun bonding experience, as well as a good way to come to a compromise with your teenager.

One more benefit of finding common ground with your teenager on what fashions are acceptable is that it could reduce friction between your teen and school dress code policy. Just as teenagers don’t like being told “you can’t wear that” by you, they can also resent the enforcement of a school dress code. Schools often prohibit students from wearing certain types of clothing, especially offensive or revealing clothes. Learning to work together with your teen may have the benefit of preventing an issue with school authorities from ever becoming a problem, or resulting in any sort of suspension or disciplinary action.

Taking these few steps to try to cooperate with you teenager instead of ruling your teenager should help reduce the level of conflict that you have between each other. Teens like to be fashionable, but that doesn’t mean that they have to wear things that are inappropriate. By working together, you can help your teenager to understand why it is your duty as a parent to impose a more responsible sense of fashion.

At Design Your Own Prom Dress Online you can find other fashion tips, including How to Turn Your Prom Dress Design into a Real Prom Dress.

For kids, receiving a present is a momentous affair regardless of the time of the year. Whether its Christmas or birthday, gifts are always treasured. For that upcoming party which will mark a significant event in your childs life, try some of these alternative gift ideas from Chris Robertson (Live Habitat Gifts) and Tony Mikael (ATV for kids).

Live Habitat Gifts

Kids can learn a lot about the important things in life by observing animals in live habitats. One gift product that has been very popular for years is the ant farm. Ant farms give children a glimpse into how the ant society really works underground.

Kids can watch as the ants create their tunnels, gather and store their food, protect the queen ant, and work together to keep the ant family alive and well. Though they are very small, ants are often called a small army and ants are frequently used in describing good work ethic. As your child observes his ant farm, he will learn values about work and play while enjoying his tiny new found friends!

Other popular live habitats include frog habitats, Deep Sea Jellyfish, Shark Reef Aquarium or other fish aquariums, Bug Explorer, and Hermit Crab Cove. With each live habitat, there are plenty of lessons to be learned. Children learn by experience and observance. The live habitats enable them to learn safely and in a fun way from their own home.

Practicality in buying ATV gifts for kids

Buying a kid who is an ATV enthusiast makes perfect sense because you are actually sticking to something safe. Let us look at it this way….a kids ATV gift is practical because they will be using it for practical purposes and it can be used over a long period of time. Furthermore, it is harder to outgrow a kids ATV gift than to outgrow a pair of Nikes! And trust me, kids outgrow or get bored with gifts too easily. The last time I got a gift for my friends child, she outgrew them within a few weeks!

Purchasing kids ATV gifts do not break your budget

And of course, when looking for kids gifts, the foremost consideration is always the cost. When you purchase a kids ATV gift, make sure it is affordable and will fit into your budget. There really is not a point in spending too much on the gift in an effort to buy their affection. Kids do not work that way - expensive gifts are reserved, usually, for business people! Let us be honest with that, huh? You get a business associate or potential client something expensive and they might respond positively by giving you their next big project - with kids, it just does not work that way so, do not waste your time and money.

Safety is number one for the kids

I do not know about you but whenever I buy ATV gifts for kids, the first thing that comes to mind is always safety. Consider purchasing gifts from well-known brands because the more established they are, the more research they would have done, the more experience they would have had. Experience counts for lot as far as ATV gifts are concerned.

Consider buying a kid an ATV helmet if you run out of ideas. A kids ATV helmet can have many different uses. They can use the ATV helmet for bike riding or when they are going for a short ride to the store with their dad on a motorbike. It is not restricted to just ATV riding.

Make sure the ATV gift is suitable for their age

Although it has become relatively easy to find ATV gifts for kids online, one thing is for sure. You will have to make sure the gift that you are getting is suitable for the kids age. If the kid is larger than others his or her age, buy one size larger. In fact, to be on the safe side, I buy everything one size larger for apparels. The only kind of kids ATV gift that I cannot buy one size larger is the ATV helmets. In terms of helmets, I always get the help of their parents.

Matthew Stanton writes an article about Gifts for Kids and how one can make and select the best out of their gifts for kids. Simply visit this website at Gifts for Kids

Seen those baby on board bumper stickers? How about the Baby inside stickers that look like the intel processor chip logo? There is no doubt that the baby in the car is the most precious cargo in the vehicle, and worthy of letting everyone know that you are carrying valuable cargo, but there is also some important things you need to do to keep the baby safe. Baby car seats hold your most precious cargo. Whether you are running down the street for a gallon of milk, or you are going cross country on vacation, you should always make sure that your baby is strapped properly in the car seat. There is the right and wrong way to do this, so lets take a look at what it takes to make sure you are on the right side of the baby car seat set up.

You should always put your baby car seat in the backseat of the car. The reason for this is many fold. Some of the key reasons are that your baby will be in the most centered location of the car, should you get in an accident. The backseat of the car give the child the best odds of minimizing impact. The other reason is the front drivers air bag. You do not want the air bag deploying on the child should you get into an accident. If you are driving a truck, then you have no other option, except to strap the baby in the middle of the seat and not next to the door. But, if you are driving a truck, then you really should consider other options in transportation. Your child should be worth that extra consideration.

When you install your baby car seat into the back seat of the car, you want your baby to face the back of the car. If your baby is facing the front of the car, then car seat is not put in correctly. Not only should the baby face the back of the car, but the car seat should not be standing up straight. The car seat should be sitting on the seat of the car as if your baby is in the lying down position while inside of it. Many infant car seats have a level marker so that you can get it just perfect when you are installing the car seat into your vehicle. Depending on the age of the baby, you may be able to have the car seat facing forward, but that is typically for toddlers. Check the manufacturers recommendations to be sure you have your child facing the right way.

Again, make sure your child is in the center of the back seat. Placing the baby car seat in the middle of the back seat will keep your baby from getting much direct impact from a probable car accident. Also, be sure that the seatbelt is snug around the baby car seat, so that it can not be moved. Always be sure that the seatbelt is buckled as well. When you try to move the carseat, it should be snug and not have a great deal of play. If you can shake the seat around, you run the risk of a snapping motion in event of an impact. The carseat should feel like an integral part of the back seat…as one unit.

Lastly, remember that the baby car seat is a safety piece of equipment, not a fashion piece. While you probably have a nice seat for your baby, don’t get hung up on the fact that you may need to change the seat when you child out grows it, or if something were to happen to it.

When you are ready to buy baby car seats, visit http://buybabycarseats.com they have a large selection of cheap Britax car seats and also cheap Graco car seats.

These soft and adorable little creatures have been around since 2005. Although it took me until May 2007 to finally meet my first ones. I was living in New York and it was actually an adult who owned several of these stuffed animals. She was a school teacher who came across the Webkinz when one of her pupils brought one to class. She quickly grew attached and raced to the nearest toy store to load up on this new craze. I remember she had the Clydesdale horse and my favorite, a Koala, that I could not resist hugging. She was anxiously awaiting the release of the Raccoon, which was being released in June 2007. I recall this grown, professional woman sounding like a child on Christmas morning as she described the value and fun of owning one of these Webkinz!

I personally didn’t get it but that doesn’t matter to the Gantz company who produces these stuffed animals and since there is no shortage of Webkinz fans out there. These days you can find almost every animal or creature made into a Webkinz. This month alone, August 2008, will be the release of many more including a silver-back Gorilla and a Skunk. Next month will include a Bat, a Chipmunk and many more. This Christmas season you can run out and buy a Snowman.. I personally think they should have come up with a Snow Lady to match!

You can go online to many sites to find which ones are available to purchase and which ones are “retired”. You can also find them in most card and gift shops or at some of your favorite local toy stores.

Now these are not just little stuffed animals that lie around and collect dust. Each one is equipped with a secret code and you go on their website and get access to the virtual Webkinz World. On this site you can play games or interact with your pet. They even have their own room that you can purchase furniture for and decorate to your little hearts content.

I have gone to several websites to learn more about the Webkinz and was amazed to find all the fun things that are associated with these cute little stuffed toys. One of the many cool things was making meals for your virtual pet. There are tons of recipes with funny names such as, “Sloppy Joekinz, Spinneretti or Monstrosoupy”. All the food products to make the recipes are purchased with the points you receive as you play games, etc. You can even buy appliances to assist you in preparing the recipes, such as: Stoves, grills, toasters, blenders and almost any that you would find in a real kitchen.

The Webkinz business is a huge and fun phenomenon but of course everything has its downside. I must unfortunately add that there are Webkinz poopers out there who think the whole idea is ridiculous and not a good idea for some Children. But I suppose with everything in this world only you know if buying one of these charming little pets and nurturing and playing with them is for you or not. But regardless, go check them out and enjoy.

This author is a huge fan of Webkinz