Five Easy Steps to Asking Your Parents for Extra Money While at College

Have you seen this old joke of a university student writing a letter to his parents asking for some money?
The son :

The Parents :

In order to successful ask your parents for extra money while away at college, you need to have a strategy. You can't send off a silly note and expect your parents to send you money. Here's a simple outline of some steps to take to successfully ask your parents for extra money.

First, you should ask for extra money face-to-face whenever possible. If face-to-face isn't possible, you can ask for money over the phone. Asking for money by mail or email isn't recommended. We recommend face-to-face as parents will be able to see your body language ie: tears streaming down your face, begging on your knees, etc. It is more difficult for a parent to say 'NO' face-to-face than it is in an email.

Second, be specific about the amount of extra money that is being requested. If you simply say, "Mom, I need some extra money". She may be thinking you need only $20, but in fact you need $500.

Third, parents are more likely to hand out extra money if it's for a necessity, such as rent, food, clothes, or transportation. State that you need the money to cover one of these expenses and you'll soon have that extra money in the bank.

Fourth, if asking for some extra money backfires and your parents say 'NO' to your initial request, that's okay. This is just a step in the negotiation process. You need to have a come back if their response is 'NO'. If your parents say that the amount you are requesting is too much, you can suggest an alternative way of receiving money. You can suggest they pay for a certain bill such as the telephone bill so that you can communicate with them more often. You could suggest rather than getting a lump sum payment at once, that a monthly payment be set up.

Fifth, set out a repayment plan for the money that was received. Parents will love to see that you are responsible for money matters and that you are serious about the money that you are asking for. Most of the time parents will simply say, 'Don't worry about it' and will ask that you don't repay the money and that it's a gift.

Educational Toys for Infants and Children

Toys are an integral part of a child's life. The physical and mental development of a child, to a large extent, depends on the right choice of toys. The variety of toys available today, may confuse many parents about the selection of appropriate toys for their kids. Here is a guide to help parents choose educational toys for their children at the different stages of childhood.

 

Childhood is that stage of life, where you get fascinated with almost everything under the sun. Right from their birth, children are curious about everything and have an inborn tendency to explore and desire to learn. Toys play a key role in this process of learning and development of a child.

A general view is that a toy is something to be played with. It can be anything - a household item like a kitchen container or a set of building blocks. However, toys, which specifically help a child to learn about a particular subject or to develop a particular skill are known as educational toys. Educational toys should be selected carefully, according to the age of the child. As children are curious about learning new things, any toy or game is a learning experience for them. You can tap this natural curiosity and contribute to their knowledge in a better way, through education-oriented toys. Let us go through the different stages of development of a kid and the educational toys that suit each stage.

Zero to Six Months

For a newborn, after spending nine months in the mother's womb, everything is new. It may sound absurd, if you talk about educational toys for a newborn, but, toys are a great medium through which you can make the newborns, familiar with their surroundings. At this stage, the primary role of toys is to help the babies develop their senses and reflexes.

It takes at least two months for newborns to adjust to their surroundings. They learn through their senses of hearing, sight, taste and touch. You can stimulate these senses through the right educational toys. A newborn baby has blurry vision and can recognize things within a distance of 10-12 inches. So, while selecting toys for this age group, you should go for colorful ones. Crib mobiles with soothing music, crib music boxes, soft toys and safety mirrors are some good options. Crib mobiles help the movement of eyes, which in turn strengthens eye muscles; music enhances the listening skills, and soft toys or dolls help the newborns in recognizing faces.

As a baby enters his second month, he starts kicking his legs and waving his arms. So, floor gyms with hanging parts, light and music proves to be more appealing for them. It helps to develop motor skills, as the babies reach for the hanging toys. The third and fourth months are characterized by
their attempts to grasp objects. Here, they need rattles and toys that make sounds. During the fifth month, you can select toys, which a baby can hold in his hands. Bat-at toys, squeeze toys, musical toys, teething rings, etc. help enhance hand-eye coordination. In the sixth month, babies need toys which encourage them to crawl. Colored balls and action-reaction toys will be perfect for this age.

Six to Twelve Months

A baby starts crawling and takes efforts to sit straight during its seventh and eighth months of age. The thinking ability of a baby starts developing around the eighth month. Toys like building blocks, sorting toys, bath toys, interlocking rings, etc. are good at this stage. During the eighth month, go for toys which enhance confidence and strength of the baby, as he may try to stand up, holding the furniture. Ninth and tenth months witness more physical activity, with the baby trying to walk. Walkers, link-together toys, play-telephones, language development toys, etc are excellent for this developmental stage of a baby. You can introduce outdoor toys like swings, during this period. Also try some push-pull toys, ride-on toys, simple musical instruments, pop-up toys, balls, etc. and see the happiness on your child's face, as he plays and learns.

One to Five Years

Almost all babies start walking between their twelfth and fifteenth month. During this period, they utter their first words, generally associated with food, parents, or pets. The educational toys in this period, should aim at helping them develop these skills. As they enter their second year, you can introduce more educational toys to enhance their vocabulary and creative skills. Get them books with pictures, crayons, play dough, etc. during this period. You can also choose soft alphabet blocks, stacking rings, solid letters and large balls.

A two-year-old can walk, jump and hop, has good hand-to-eye coordination and tries to speak full sentences. At this age, kids tend to observe and imitate the speech and mannerisms of the elders around them. So, it is advisable to get them sporty toys, role-play toys, water toys, wagons, dolls, stuffed animals and child-sized tables/chairs. You can also introduce educational toys, which help in counting. As a child enters his third year, he will want more sporty toys, simple board games, play sets, dolls with accessories, story books, picture books, realistic toys like animal sets, model cars and trains, and puzzles. Such learning toys help in preparing them for kindergarten.

During the fourth year, kids become proficient in almost everything expected from them at this age. They can walk well, carry their things, draw, write words, sing, dance, swim, skate, etc. Try to indulge them in more creative projects and in toys that can help them with their reading and writing skills. You can get them educational toys like drawing toys, electronic games, board games, simple musical instruments, etc. These toys help them build self-confidence.

Above Five Years

Kids in this age group, make friends and spend more time playing with their peer group. They are active in hiking, swimming, biking and also start having hobbies. They enjoy board games, art kits, science kits, art materials, marbles, larger bicycles, construction sets, backyard gym equipment, kites, etc. Between the ages of six and nine, you can go for science experiment kits, junior versions of adult sporting equipment, pogo sticks, jump ropes, magic sets, tabletop sports and video games.

Kids in the age group of nine to twelve tend to develop skills and hobbies that usually last for their lifetime. Science kits, jigsaw puzzles, advanced construction sets, chess, playing cards, remote control vehicles, checkers, dominoes and books are beneficial for them.

Things to Remember

    * Choose appropriate educational toys for different age groups, considering your child's abilities and interests.
    * Always read the instructions before using the toy or game and keep the product literature safely, for future reference.
    * Educational toys for infants/toddlers should not have any sharp edges, and small parts.
    * Let the kids play under your supervision.
    * Don't allow the younger kids to use toys meant for the older ones.
    * Keep these toys in a safe place, away from very young children.
    * Check these toys at regular intervals for damage.

Playing, in general, helps children to develop their senses and motor skills in the early stages. It also helps the kids in enhancing their creativity, thinking, problem solving skills and language. So, playing with educational toys means learning and mastering various skills. Every parent should try to choose suitable educational toys for their children. Apart from buying these educational toys, it is important to spend quality time with your kids. At times, you may have to sit with your children and explain to them, the working of a particular toy, help them solve a puzzle or simply play with them. All this makes a difference in the overall development of your child, as your child is everything that matters to you.
By Sonia Nair

Is Halloween for Children Boring Now?

It seems they are starting to view this holiday as a repetitive, boring time of the year. Heck, many activities throughout the year to keep children occupied seem to be far and few between! We all know that the Holidays can bring about more stress, less time to accomplish tasks and less time to spend with the kids.

This doesn't have to mean that Halloween can't be any different. I have discovered a fun, educational, and very cheap way to entertain that includes games, coloring worksheets, puzzles and more! These are not the same activities found in your local store. With these printable Halloween activities, your children will be able to play, laugh, learn, and ultimately think and enhance their brain's motor skills.

Being a father of one, it is hard for me to imagine how some of the parents out there handle three or four kids on a daily basis! You are all angels in my book! I know that many of you out there look for ways to spend more time with them or just keep them occupied so they aren't destroying the couch or bedroom!

At the end of the day, kids just want to have fun and parents want to make sure it is safe, educational, and promotes quality time to be spent together. Our lives only continue to get busier and busier, so it is always recommended to step back and make some of that time well spent.

Growing up, Halloween was always one of the favorite holidays around the house. The costumes, spooky themes, and of course the candy were the main highlights! If we had access to these activities and puzzles when we were younger, that would have enhanced the experience that much more! Plus, it would have provided a much bigger interaction with my parents and family that was needed during this very busy time of the year.


I know as a parent we always want our children having fun and loving life, but we always want to ensure that they are learning in the process whenever we have control over it. One way to accomplish this is to have fun, educational material that can be used more than once that kids love! I even know of teachers that have used these Halloween activity kits in the classroom and have received much positive feedback from their students.
A happy, successful Holiday is right around the corner. Getting small ideas and activities to create time with your family is one sure way for everyone to enjoy!

Lose Belly Fat With Green Tea! HOW!

I mean it! You may already be aware of some of the health benefits associated with green tea! But, this 1 is just AMAZING!

I simply have to let you know about it! ALL about it! You can get rid of that troublesome belly fat with this beverage! Even that stubborn belly fat that never seems to go no matter how much time you spend in the gym! Just how does this tea do that?

Let me explain! In all teas, there are beneficial chemicals know as polyphenols and catechins. It is these catechins that are actually responsible for the belly fat melting capabilities of the green! Green tea has high levels of catechins due to the tea preparation process. this tea is steamed not fermented at all. This causes the tea to retain high levels of catechins.

So, just how do these catechins do anything for fat loss and metabolism? Well, these catechins have a very unique ability. They are actually able to interfere with fat digesting enzymes in your stomach and intestine! The result? You have incomplete digestion of fat lipids. Yeah, so what?

This leads to less absorption of fat throughout the entire digestive tract! Yes, that's what we want! And......

You have more elimination of fat lipids. So, essentially, the catechins in the tea are stopping you from absorbing the fat. These catechins also cause the FAT to simply pass through your body! Now, that's what I'm talkin' about! How can you go wrong?

By just adding some green tea to your diet...... And not changing anything else at all...... What do you get?

Less fat absorption! No matter what! If you think anywhere along the same lines as I do......

Blue Grape Pancakes

Those of us living in Ontario or the northeastern United States have always been fortunate to be able to enjoy baskets of fresh Concord grapes every fall. Even more fortunate has been the arrival several years ago of a seedless variety known locally as "Coronation" or "Ontario Blue Grapes". Bursting with an unmistakeable sweet and tangy juice, I snack on these deep-blue-skinned grapes almost compulsively at this time of year, and both Concords and Coronations are great for jams, jellies, preserves, and even pies.

After the first basket or two disappeared from the snack bowls that I set out every day on the table, I knew I had to put these amazing Coronation grapes to use in a treat to share with my blog readers. I was delighted recently by Kevin's idea at Closet Cooking of freezing pieces of cream cheese to put into pancake batter for his Blueberry Cheesecake Pancakes, and then the idea of pancakes with a blue grape sauce struck me. If you like the flavour of Concord grape jellies, you'll be blown away with this blue grape sauce! Best of all, it makes plenty extra to store in a tight-sealed container for several days to pour over ice cream or other baked treats.

If you can't find Coronation grapes, Concords may be used if they are available in your area — follow the instructions below for seeding the grapes. Muscats would make an interesting option as well. If using other table grapes, add an extra tablespoon or two of sugar or honey to the sauce.

Blue Grape Pancakes

Pancakes:

4 oz. cream cheese
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons honey
1 cup milk
1 egg, lightly beaten

Blue Grape Sauce:

2 cups blue grapes
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup sugar or honey
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon warm water
juice from 1/2 lemon

The night before making the pancakes, cut the cream cheese into small pieces. Lay the pieces between two pieces of wax paper and freeze.

Prepare the blue grape sauce by mashing the blue grapes in a bowl. If using seeded grapes like Concords, first squeeze the end of each grape opposite the stem to separate the skins from the pulp and set the skins aside for the sauce. Mash the grapes well and press through a strainer to remove the seeds. Add the mashed grapes (and their skins if separated) to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat with the 1/4 cup of water and sugar or honey, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat to low and let the sauce simmer gently, stirring occasionally. Mix the cornstarch with the tablespoon of warm water, and stir into the sauce. Keep the sauce at a low simmer while the pancakes are being prepared.

To make the pancakes, preheat an oven to 150°. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Beat the egg lightly in a small mixing bowl. Stir in the melted butter, honey, and milk.

Pour the egg and cream cheese mixture into the dry ingredients and mix the batter with the frozen pieces of cream cheese.

Butter a non-stick griddle or cast-iron frying pan and heat over medium heat. Pour 1/4 cups of the batter into the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes or until bubbles appear on the surface and the bottom is golden brown. Flip the pancakes and cook for another minute or two or until the bottom is golden brown. Keep the finished pancakes warm on an oven-safe plate in the preheated oven.

Finish the blue grape sauce by removing the pan from the heat and stirring in the lemon juice. Serve the pancakes warm topped with generous ladles of the blue grape sauce. Makes 8-9 4-inch pancakes.

Mixed Lentil Dal

A proper and nourishing vegetarian diet must consist of a balance of legumes, grains and vegetables for complete proteins. This dal is easy to prepare and just right with a dressed up rice dish on the side such as Indian Lemon Brown Rice. A creamy blend of split dals, and a most delectable blend of spices along with the paste that makes the dish full of flavor and just right.

Yet another recipe adapted from "Sukham Ayu" by Jigyasa Giri and Pratibha Jain. I highly recommend this cookbook to cooks who adore Indian cooking such as I do. If you want to learn about vegetarian Ayurvedic cooking, this is the book you must have on your shelf.

Mixed Lentil Dal

1/2 cup of red lentils (split masoor gram)
3 tablespoons of channa dal (bengal gram)
2 tablespoons of urad dal
2 tablespoons of split mung beans (split green gram)
1/2 teaspoon of turmeric

1 small onion, finely chopped
dash of cayenne
dash of asafetida
sea salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon of amchur powder (dried mango powder)

ghee, butter or oil

For the paste:

2 teaspoons of coriander seeds
1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
3 - 4 dried red chilies
2 fresh chilies, seeded and chopped
1 4 inch piece of cinnamon stick
4 black peppercorns
2 whole cloves
1 small piece of garlic, chopped
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped

fresh coriander or parsley for garnishing.

Rinse the dal well and soak in 3 cups of water for 1/2 hour - to an hour. Bring to a boil along with the turmeric, reduce the heat and simmer until the beans are tender - roughly 2 to 3 minutes. Blend a portion of the beans using a hand blender or food processor or blender. Set aside.

Grind or blend all of the ingredients for the paste with a wee bit of water.

Heat a few teaspoons of ghee over medium heat in a heavy bottomed frying pan. Toss in the onion, stir and fry for 5 - 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low, add the paste, cayenne, asafetida and saute for another 9 - 5 minutes. Transfer to the pot with the dal, along with the mango powder, sea salt and 3/4 cup of warm water. Simmer for about 10 minutes, adding more water to achieve your desired consistency.

Garnish with fresh parsley or coriander and serve hot.

Serves 4 - 6.

What Are Skin Peels And Which One Is The Best

In the recent years fashion and looks have become a billion dollar industry and as expensive life altering procedures become less expensive and more affordable it looks like this trend will continue for many years to come. Everyone is questing for the fountain of youth and apparently it can be found in the field of plastic surgery. They can make your skin look younger, tighter and more youthful for a price. One of the most popular treatments is the skin peel. They consist of everything from light peels like fruit and sugar derived (glycolic) peels and deeper peels like TCA and phenol. These peels can reveal younger skin and rejuvenate your face. Some of them are quite literally even considered to be the fountain of youth in a bottle (like the TCA peel).

There are basically four different kinds of peels and they range from light and superficial peels like glycolic to deeper peels like the TCA peel and phenol peels. We will not discuss phenol peels as they are dangerous and are rarely ever used. The deepest peel doctors use today is the TCA peel, which is the most effective and safest of all the skin peels. The basic function of a chemical skin peel is to loosen bonds between cells in the top most layers of skin through a mild and controlled chemical burn to cause peeling and to reveal more youthful skin from underneath. This process when done regularly can result in a reduction of wrinkles, fine lines, age spots and other symptoms of aging skin. In the case of the TCA peel it is also been proven to be highly effective in the treatment of acne and resultant acne scarring.

The light or superficial peels are generally glycolic and salicylic acid. There are many off shoots of these like fruit acids, the pumpkin peel, etc... Any of these acids that you see available at your local store have a concentration or strength that is so low that it is basically ineffective. For these light peels to have any visual effect at all the concentrations must be in the range of at least 30 percent. Regardless, even when done in a doctors office they must be redone every 2-3 weeks for any lasting effect. And at $100 to $300 per peel it can become expensive quickly.

The salicylic peel is a little different from the rest of these lighter peels as it is oil soluble and the others are water soluble. This gives salicylic the distinct advantage of being able to migrate deeper into oil blocked pores and to help with pimples and very light acne. This is why it has recently been added to some current acne products like Murad. This is why Murad is more effective than Proactiv. The problem is that just like glycolic it must be used at a higher concentration to have lasting and visual effect. Low concentrations and strengths, like in most over the counter acne products, is ineffective in fighting acne. Concentrations of at least 10 percent are recommended by dermatologists.

Then there is the TCA peel. TCA stands for trichloroacetic acid. It is a synthetic acid that has the ability to do everything that all the lighter peels can and more. It can completely kill acne causing bacteria and rid the facial skin of it for good. It can reduce and minimize scarring, tighten the facial skin and rejuvenate the skin. It can treat more skin problems than any other skin peel. From skin blemishes, pigmentation problems, acne, aging skin, and even precancerous and cancerous skin legions. The TCA peel is offered in almost every dermatologist and plastic surgeons office as it is the most effective treatment outside of actual surgery. Its results also last the longest, up to 6 months or more depending on the strength and depth desired or achieved. It has even ben stated in numerous medical journals that the TCA peel is every bit as effective as Accutane, the strongest acne medicine available, without the bad and very serious side effects. The TCA peel normally runs between $300 and $500 per application at your doctors office, but can now be purchased for under $30 for in home use (see link below).

Skin peels can be very effective in treating both aging skin and acne and it is obvious that the TCA peel is the best of these.