Pacifier Or Not?

Before I had children, I swore my child would never use a pacifier. To me, they were simply signs that a child was just not very well taken care of. You know, Mom doesn’t want to pick the baby up and comfort her, so she just puts a pacifier in her mouth to quiet her. But, I’m older now, and I have three children, so I’m wiser too. There definitely are times when a pacifier is a huge help – not just a crutch for Mom. As it turns out, some newborns just have a greater urge to suckle than others. If your baby is like this, a pacifier is almost a necessity. For these babies, the suckling they get from nursing or taking a bottle is simply not enough. My daughter was one of these babies, and unless she fell asleep while nursing or taking a bottle, that pacifier was critical to getting her to sleep. Other children simply don’t need this extra suckling, and, for these children, a pacifier is usually not necessary. Occasionally sucking their thumb or fist is satisfying enough for them. Watch your child in those first few days, and make the decision based on your baby’s behavior. One caution, however; if your baby is nursing, you should avoid the pacifier until your baby’s nursing habits are fully established. A pacifier can cause nipple confusion in babies who are struggling with breastfeeding. The problem with pacifiers isn’t really the use of the pacifier itself, rather overuse, or use of it long past a normal age. Pacifier use can cause serious dental issues, and should be used only for the required amount of time. Plus, the older your child gets, the harder it will be for you to keep it clean. Also, if your child relies on a pacifier to fall asleep, you will be required to retrieve it for him multiple times during the night, when he is unable to locate it on his own. If your child uses a pacifier, look for the natural opportunities that will arise for giving it up, and seize them. For example, my daughter caught a bad cold at about six months old, and wouldn’t use the pacifier; because she was so congested she could hardly breathe. As soon as she started to refuse it because of the cold, I put it out of sight. Once her cold was over, she had forgotten about it. My middle son held on to his a little longer, but at about thirteen months, I noticed that just before he fell asleep at night, he would toss the pacifier out of his crib. So, one night, I picked it up off the floor, and put it away. Same ending – he never noticed it was gone. If your child needs it, a pacifier can be a great comforter, and can make life easier for you, too. Just be sure not to let it go on for too long, or you and the baby can become dependent!

New Study: Cleaning The Tub Is A Pain

People have been complaining about cleaning the bathroom since the advent of indoor plumbing. Now a new study by the University of California San Francisco/Berkeley Ergonomics Program indicates that help is on the way for those who detest bending and stretching to get a clean tub and shower. According to the study, using a tool with a long handle can make cleaning the tub/shower easier, taking less effort and decreasing stress on shoulders, knees and lower back. "The widely used sponge and spray cleaner cleaning method tends to place users in several postures that can result in injury to the musculoskeletal system," said study lead ergonomist and physical therapist, Ira Janowitz. "Our research shows that using a cleaning tool with a long handle to do the stretching for you helps relieve musculoskeletal stress." Following a few easy tips can help you prevent low back pain, says Janowitz. • Push rather than pull when you have to move a heavy object. Keep your back straight and the object close to your body when moving an object. Always avoid twisting while you are lifting. • While performing common household chores, use products that are ergonomically designed to reduce awkward bending or stretching, such as the Clorox BathWand. Designed specifically for cleaning the tub and shower, this handy tool has a 23-inch handle and swiveling head that allows you to easily reach large and hard-to-clean areas without straining or kneeling. • An inactive lifestyle can contribute to lower back pain, so make sure to exercise regularly. Exercise is important for strengthening and conditioning muscles of the torso, or "core" muscles, that support the lower back. Experts estimate that 80 percent of Americans will experience back pain at some point in their lives. To keep back pain from interfering with the activities of your daily life, be sure to take the necessary precautions when possible-be it on the job or while doing chores around the house.

Marriage or Divorce — Check Your Social Security Number

Newlyweds and the recently divorced should make sure that names on their tax returns match those registered with the Social Security Administration (SSA). A mismatch between a name on the tax return and a Social Security number (SSN) could unexpectedly increase a tax bill or reduce the size of any refund. For newlyweds, the tax scenario can begin when the bride says "I do" and takes her husband's surname, but doesn't tell the SSA about the name change. If the couple files a joint tax return with her new name, the IRS computers will not be able to match the new name with the SSN. This could result in tax assessments or even an audit since the IRS may be under the impression that you are simply evading taxes. Similarly, after a divorce, a woman who had taken her husband’s name and had made that change known to the SSA should contact the SSA if she reassumes a previous name. Failure to take this action can lead to audits. Can you imagine going through an audit with your former spouse? It's easy to inform the SSA of a name change by filing Form SS-5 at a local SSA office. It usually takes two weeks to have the change verified. The form is available on the agency's Web site, www.ssa.gov, by calling toll free 1-800-772-1213 and at local offices. The SSA Web site provides the addresses of local offices.

Make Grandma's Day - Kids Gift Suggestions For Grandparents Day

Gifts for Grandparents Day don’t have to be complex. In fact, of all the holidays that children participate in, Grandparents Day is one of the simplest for which to create a gift. The first thing to remember is that, for a grandparent, spending money is not always the best option. Grandparents love gifts from the heart. This often means crafts or gifts created without spending any money. For example, rather than buying a bouquet of flowers to hand to Grandma, a handpicked bunch of wildflowers would be more appreciated from her young grandson or granddaughter. And in place of a store-bought greeting card, a hand drawn and written card would be more expressive of the youth’s true feelings toward his or her grandparents. If your child is old enough to read, help them to find a simple, short book or story that involves children with their grandparents, and have them read it to their grandparents. Or, if they are a little older, perhaps they could even write a poem for their grandparents. All of these ideas cost nothing and yet mean the world to your child’s eldest relatives. If your child is too young to get involved in such projects, give them simple tasks. Have them color a picture and give it to Grandpa, or let them glue macaroni to construction paper and create a picture for their grandparents. Even something as simple as writing names when the child has learned to spell can be impressive as a gift to doting grandparents on Grandparents Day. This is one reason that grandparents are so special and deserve to be celebrated. They are always excited by the smallest of accomplishments by their grandchildren. It is almost as though they see it as a job to make a “mountain out of a mole hill” in regards to the slightest advancement in their grandchildren’s intelligence or abilities. So, whether a simple stick-figure picture or a complex collage depicting what the child thinks or feels about his or her grandparents, any gift is bound to be seen as special by Grandma or Grandpa on Grandparents Day.

Lemon Oil - Not Just for Furniture

I have had a successful cleaning business for nigh onto twenty five years. As a result I have learned many secrets. As I get closer to retiring from my business, I plan to reveal some of those secrets. One such trade secret is the many ways Lemon Oil furniture polish can be useful. First and foremost Lemon Oil on furniture does an excellent job of nourishing & protecting your low luster furniture. The oil leaves a beautiful shine, and prevents fine wood finishes from drying out. Lemon oil replaces lost moisture in older wood surfaces and penetrates worn finishes. Wood furniture should be polished at annually and lemon oil is a my product of choice. Be sure to pick a brand of lemon oil that polishes without the use of waxes, silicones, or harmful solvents. An added feature of the popular brands is that of a sunscreen to keep your furniture from fading. When polishing with lemon oil, I recommend putting a small amount on a soft, non-abrasive cloth (old t-shirts make great dust cloths) and applying onto the wood surface. I do not recommend using lemon oil on high gloss veneers. On heavily soiled surfaces such as painted wood, plastic-laminated surfaces, fiberglass shower stalls and glass shower doors spray a small amount of lemon oil on the surface before spraying with the all purpose cleaner of choice. The lemon oil penetrates deeper and loosens the dirt. The combination of oil with your cleaner will result in a cleaner surface in half the time. After cleaning shower stalls and doors, rinse well in order to get rid of excess oil. Dry surface and wipe with a cloth that has been treated with a very small amount of lemon oil to prevent hard water stain build-up. The thing to remember is to use a very small amount and not to use it on the tub or shower floors or you will make it slippery. When cleaning offices which have many large leather chairs I would simply wipe the arms and top of chairs lightly with a treated cloth and it would wipe the dust and leave a nice protective shine. The office chairs get a lot of wear, especially on the arms and just a light rub with the oil helped to preserve the leather and prevent splitting. I once cleaned a chiropractor’s office and there were many leather tables. Some of them were starting to split and wiping them with a lemon oil treated cloth retarded the splitting.. When cleaning house, lemon oil was invaluable. My oil treated cloth would quickly wipe away the beginning signs of tarnish on silver and brass knickknacks. This served to extend the length of time between thorough cleanings. The face of the microwaves which would get so greasy from fingerprints would wipe to a clean and brilliant shine with my magical lemon oiled cloth. Stainless steel is another troublesome surface to clean. It gets smudged and smears easily. There are several good products made specifically to clean stainless. However, you will find that these cleaners are all oil based products. Cleaning professionally, economy was a factor to consider. Also I had to consider how many products I could fit in my kit. Therefore the fewer products that would give the same results the better. I found that a cloth treated with lemon oil did wonders for wiping out smears and smudges on stainless steel leaving a spot free shine. Even marble surfaces can be brought to a smudge free brilliant shine with lemon oil. One more use I want to mention is the cleaning of scuff marks on floors. On wood floors use a very minimal amount on a soft cloth or sponge and rub ever so gently to remove stubborn scuff marks. On other floors you can use a little more and rub a little harder. The oil lifts the scuff marks like magic and then mop as usual. When I first starting selling on ebay, I would come across some very old musty items that had been stored in basements and attics.. Spraying a cloth with a small amount of lemon oil and wiping the items would clean the items and aid in removing water stains. This worked well on old vinyl and leather items, although the color would darken a bit. I would suggest that you always test an inconspicuous area first. An added benefit to cleaning these items with lemon oil was the pleasant citrus fragrant that lingered. In extreme mildew, a hint of the mildew odor remained. However, in most cases there was always a definite improvement. I could also salvage many hard covered books by wipe the outside with a cloth that had been pre-treated in lemon oil. It would help to remove any water stains. Of course you would not attempt to wipe the pages. If the book had any old labels, like book store stickers that had been partially worn away the lemon would dissolve the glue and remaining label. The oil did darken the color of the book cover a little. Again the key factor is to use just a little and not to put the oil on the book but on the cloth. The important thing to remember when using the lemon oil is ‘less is best’. I always treated a cloth with the oil and kept it in a plastic baggie. It would be enough to last through the whole days worth of cleaning, sometimes longer. Today you can purchase lemon oil in premoistened wipes if that is your preference. I would be careful using such wipes on surfaces like leather or shower stalls as there may be too much oil in the wipes. I still prefer treating my own clothes. Whichever you use, lemon oil has many uses in cleaning professionally or for your own personal use.

John Reese's Top Traffic Secrets

Track all sources of traffic generation. John Reese stresses the need to track where all traffic comes from and at what cost. It is crucial to know exactly how many sales, newsletter sign-ups, or other leads your particular marketing campaigns generating. This enables you to work smarter and not harder. By tracking all traffic to your site you can make twice as much while working fifty percent less. Content is King On the internet, people are searching for one thing....... Content! Load your website with as much content as possible. Then, continuously add content. Search engines love information and they will love your site if you've got lots of it. There's plenty of free content for the taking on the internet. You can load up your site with articles from article directories like ezinearticles.com. Or, you could be like John and use content from the public domain. Or, you can use content that is in the creative commons. This type is now easier than ever to find now that Yahoo and others have come out with a search engine designed specifically for content that is in the creative commons. An affiliate program is critical to maximum traffic and sales. Lots of internet marketers don't take advantage of this powerful traffic-generating technique. An affiliate program allows you to have your own personal salesman spread all over the web. The best part about it is that there is absolutely no risk involved but tons of traffic and sales to gain. Your website simply cannot grow to its full potential without an effective affiliate program. Banner Ads John Reese advocates the use of banner ads during a time when they are largely an untapped marketing source. Banner ads are one of the most overlooked sources of targeted traffic online. Also, banner ads are now one of the cheapest sources of targeted traffic. In the late 1990's during the dot-com boom, people were selling banner ads for $40 and $50 CPM. Then the dot-com bubble hit and these rates hit the floor. You can now buy banner ads dirt cheap, at $1 to $1.50 CPM. This is $1 for 1,000 banner impressions. The key here is to find the perfect place to advertise that will send targeted, willing to buy customers to your site. Create viral reports that can quickly spread around the internet. This method works best when you have an affiliate program. Allow others to brand your report in order to encourage its distribution. A quality free report can be a powerful promoter when passed around the internet. This same phenomenon can occur when you submit your articles to article directories and popular newsletters. Take advantage of your virtual real estate. Take advantage of the different parts of your website. Don't let any of your web pages go to waste. You can do this by adding a link to another one of your web sites or pages on your thank-you or sales confirmation pages. If you have articles on your site, place links to related articles on the bottom of the page. The longer you keep a visitor at your web site, the more valuable they become. It is very important to funnel traffic from within the multiple sites you may have. Continually seek out other web sites to link to you. Now, we're not just talking about any kind of link here, but powerful, traffic-generating links from respected sites. Here are some quick suggestions: Send a related web site an article that you have written and allow them to display it on their website with a resource box at the end. Offer to exchange articles and tell them about the benefits of doing so. Allow multiple, related web sites to distribute your free e-book or report. All web masters are looking to add value to their web site, why not make it easy for them. There are unlimited possibilities, be creative! Online group participation can produce a no-cost stream of traffic and sales. Get involved in email discussion lists, online groups and forums that are related to your target market. Becoming involved in discussions makes you very credible. Traffic from forums can produce a much higher sales conversion rate. This method can produce quite a bit of sales for you just by helping others out. Not to mention, you'll learn a lot along the way.

How to Win at Multiplayer First Shooter Games

The way most first player shooters score kills is simple to understand the harder it is to make the kill the more points you get. This means that if you kill someone with a knife you will get more points then someone using a chain gun, but running around with just your knife out is a big gamble unless you are extremely skilled at the game. This method of play will usually just make you the biggest loser. One way to get a good score is to take a long range weapon like a sniper rifle and camp out near the enemy camps spawn point. By doing this every time someone on the opposing team gets killed they will instantly revert back to the spawn point and you can shoot them, then they will disappear and then reappear and you can shoot them again. You get fewer points like this, but it is the same principal as playing roulette in the casinos, it is easier to get many smaller wins, rather then one big win. When using this method try to pick your location using your head and do not just take a gamble on your sniping spot. You will want to have the advantage of height, but sometimes if you can get a good shot and be in a lower location it may be the last place someone looks for you. Many of the newer first player games allow the sun to be used as it would in real life. So going up a hill and having the sun at your back will give you a natural advantage in the game, and allow you to snipe from the same spot for a longer time before someone finds and kills you. Another way to get a higher score is to work as a team with other players. Most people playing a First Player Shooter are playing alone with the goal of running around and killing everything that moves, but if you and some friends are playing you can use each other as in real combat. Now that you have other people watching your back as a unit you can be a more effective killer in the game, an example of this is that in some of the delta force games you can take a helicopter and if your friend is flying it you and another friend can man the chain guns and you can cover a bigger area, and deciding on a plan before starting the game you can develop a good strategy as a professional gambler or Online Poker player would allowing you to focus on 1 thing instead of many different aspects of the game. Many times I would jump into the pilots chair and other players would jump in and I would circle the enemy camp but the players in the back of my chopper would not attack instead they would jump out or just wait for me to land instead of helping me attack from the air. So instead of increasing our chances of winning by working together they just wanted to be a team of 1. This will decrease the chances of our team winning the game, just like a player at a blackjack table can make all the other players lose by making bad decisions when it is that players turn. Formulating a good strategy, playing as a team and using all available tools at your disposal you can not only win more games and get more points, you will also have a better online gaming experience, and this applies to playing first person shooter games and gambling in online casinos.