Home Improvements for Expectant Parents

Expectant parents have a lot on the mind, but, amongst the many “To Dos” in preparation for the baby’s arrival, home improvement should not be ignored. A new baby not only requires changes to the home, but to the house as well. Safety is the primary concern and should drive prioritizing decisions with respect to preparatory home renovation.

“Baby-proofing” has become a popular aspect of home improvement, and for good reason. While initially the baby’s time will be split between the relative safety of mom’s arms and the crib, once the baby learns to crawl you are in for a few years of curious, and potentially dangerous, exploration of every bit of your home. Many of these improvements require little effort but offer immeasurable returns in terms of peace of mind.

If you live in an older home you should definitely confirm that there are no lead-based paints in the home. If there are lead based paints on walls, doors, or other surfaces, they must be covered by specially-designed sealants or thoroughly removed. In either case, consult with a professional contractor to ensure you are taking all necessary precautions. Legal bans on lead pipes for home plumbing were only enacted within the last 25 years, so you should test your water for the presence of lead. Home test kits are available from most home improvement stores.

Electric outlets are of particular concern because they are easily accessible by the crawling baby. Look for easily attachable plastic covers with child-proof access.

If your water heater allows, set the maximum temperature to 120 degrees. If not, look into installing a system that monitors maximum water temperatures to prevent scaldings.

Removable gates can keep children off of staircases, but, as an additional safety measure, if you have polished wood stairs, you may want to consider adding some sort of inlay for traction. Handrails are also available that attach to the existing rail, without damaging walls, to provide a lower, easy-grip surface for small children.

On doors to basements, garages, or any area you want to keep the child out of, replace lever doorknobs with traditional circular knobs that are more difficult for a child to open. Alternatively, covers or accessories that prevent a lever knob from being opened can be bought at home supply stores and installed to avoid outright replacement.

If window replacement is on your list of pending home renovations, anticipation of a curiously crawling new family member is good reason to consider safety windows or window locks that cannot be easily opened by a child.

Install child-proof safety locks on cabinet doors, especially in the kitchen, to avoid dangerous exploration of household products, tools, or breakable items.

If you have tall bookshelves or dresser drawers, anchor them to walls to prevent a curious child from toppling one over.

Basic home repair such as replacing loose tiles or fixing sharp, broken table edges, can reduce the number of potential accidents into which a baby or young child might wander.

If all of these safety preparations have you exhausted, install a video/audio monitoring system in the baby’s room to save a few of those late-night trips out of the bed.

Tips for avoiding accidents in the home

 We all try to be responsible and look after for our own safety when we go out, especially when we go somewhere new and unfamiliar, we’re constantly on the look out for hidden dangers and things that could cause us harm; but some people seem to neglect this instinct in their own homes. This may be because our homes are so familiar to us and we think we know every aspect of it or it might be because we associate the home with the chance to relax, we don’t necessarily want to be thinking about all the dangers we might face there.

But what some people don’t realize is that over 2 million people are injured in their own homes each year in Britain, and thousands have accidents which prove fatal; so making sure you and your family stay safe and secure while in the house should be at the forefront of everyone’s mind.

There are many causes of household accidents. Most can be avoided with a little common sense and awareness.

It’s especially important to check your property for potential hazards when you have young children in the house.

Baby proofing products might seem like a pain to the adults in the house but they might mean the difference between life and death for your youngster.

Putting locks or safety latches on low level cupboard doors and similar things will stop baby trapping fingers and finding dangerous cleaning chemicals, for example.

Another major hazard for children and adults alike are the stairs. Make sure to have a secure gate fixed at the top and bottom of the staircase if you have children who might try to climb.

Fitting a secure railing or banister is vital, especially on steep staircases. Many adults injure themselves falling down stairs because they do not have anything secure to hold onto.

Household appliances are also a big cause of accidents in the home. It is important to make certain they are connected properly and any leads and wires are not damaged or exposed.

If there is a problem and it is the manufacturers fault you should contact them immediately and arrange a repair; do not just leave a faulty item thinking it will be ok, electrical items can cause fires and other accidents in your home, so never take the chance.

Cooking accidents are one of the biggest causes of injury in the home so be extra vigilant when using cooking equipment. Always keep a fire extinguisher in the house to deal with fire if it should occur. Never leave your food alone while it is cooking, especially if you’re using an open hob, and never let children or pets near to the cooker while it’s on.

It’s a good idea to teach fire safety to your children at a young age so that they always know what to do and the best ways to avoid dangers in the kitchen.

It goes without saying to always have a fire alarm installed and to check it has working batteries at least twice a month.

Sometimes though, you can do everything possible to keep your family safe but still experience an injury in the home.

If it was caused by something beyond your control, you should always consider taking legal action against those responsible, just as you would in any other circumstance. Just because your accident happened within your home doesn’t automatically make it your responsibility. Faulty equipment, for example, or something else that was not your fault, might have resulted directly to your situation and you should remember you have the right to justice and, in some cases, compensation.

Whatever you do in your home, make sure you take every precaution against dangers, both obvious and hidden.

This should feel like the safest place for you and your family, so do you best to make certain that it is.

If you do experience an accident that was due to someone else’s negligence, contact  <a onClick=”javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview(’/outgoing/article_exit_link’);” href=”http://www.accidentconsult.com/accidentclaims.php”>Accident Consult</a>  who can discuss you r situation with you and tell you if you have a case to claim for compensation.

Berlin: this is tomorrow calling

Berlin is hoping to build meetings business around the anniversary of the fall of the Wall. Isn’t it time put the past behind? John Keenan reports

History, like celebrity, can be as much as curse as a blessing. It seems only natural that a city such as Berlin should capitalise on its past. But at what point does a destination become trapped by that image? And when is it time to move on?

This year sees the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, and it seems that everybody in the German capital has gone over the top. Museums have organised themed exhibitions on the division of Germany and Berlin at the time of reunification. They include the house at Checkpoint Charlie, the German Historic Museum, the Allies Museum, Museum Karlshorst, the Stasi Museum, and the GDR Museum, among others. An exhibition on Alexanderplatz focusing on the Berlin Wall and the revolution will run until October and there are plans for an ineluctable fireworks display on November 9, the day of remembrance, followed by the inevitable concert at Brandenburg Gate and the indispensible political remembrance ceremony.

What of the future?

There is more to Berlin than spies and subversion. For example, this year’s cultural highlights include the new Dali Museum on Potsdamer Platz, a temporary art gallery Berlin on Schlossplatz and the reopening of the New Museum on Museum Island in October. And to underline Berlin’s cool credentials the MTV European Music Awards returns there this year. On November 5 the movers and shakers of the international music scene will be presented with coveted trophies in front of the Brandenburg Gate and in the O2 World.

Perhaps it is this side of the city that will be emphasized when Meeting Place Berlin 2009, organised by the Berlin Convention Office (BCO), seeks to showcase the city as an attractive and sought-after destination for meetings, conventions and incentives.

From July 2-6, around 100 national and international hosted buyers, on the invitation of the BCO, will have an opportunity to see for themselves the range of services offered in Berlin.

And no doubt BCO will hammer home the quality of its transport links. The international flight connections from and to Berlin are being extended; the non-stop flights to the USA by Delta Airlines and Continental and those to Qatar by Qatar Airways guarantee the shortest possible international business links. The new Berlin Brandenburg International Airport – BBI, on the site of the current Berlin-Schönefeld airport – is scheduled to open in 2011. When BBI opens there will be a 20-minute shuttle service between the railway station and the airport. 

For a fine example of how history can be intelligently incorporated into modern-day life, look no further than the Hotel de Dome on Berlin’s Bebelplatz. Rocco Forte’s typically stylish property is the former Dresdner Bank – the huge bank vaults now admit the visitor into a world of health rather than wealth, with spa rooms and a decent-sized swimming pool. The hotel has 146 bedrooms and five meeting rooms – the ballroom is a triumph of the restorer’s art and can comfortably host 250 delegates.

A contrary approach has been adopted at the Ritz-Carlton on Potsdamer Platz. This traditional-looking hotel is in fact only as old as the modern unified city, but that doesn’t stop it exuding the ambience of a time-honoured fixture. If you get the feeling that you are surrounded by the Art Deco splendour of mid-town Manhattan, it’s no co-incidence; that’s what the designer wants you to think. But step beyond the gilded doors and you are soon disabused of the notion – you are bang in the middle of the steel and glass modernism of 21st century Berlin.

For the authentic experience of historic Berlin, the best game in town is the Hotel Adlon Kempinski. This landmark property, in the shadow of the Brandenburg Gate, has had its share of notorious guests – including Michael Jackson who was inspired to dangle his baby over the railings of his suite – but more importantly it has hosted a number of prestigious international events.

Bang up-to-date, the InterContinental, in the west of the city, features a glass pavilion conference centre which can hold up to 400 delegates. It also offers 37 meeting rooms, which includes the main ballroom with a maximum capacity of 1,300 people in theatre style. The InterContinental has 534 bedrooms and 50 suites.

From the sleek sophistication of the Hyatt to the robust Americana of the Marriott, by way of the monumental Westin Grand, there is no shortage of upmarket brands in Berlin. You negotiate your rate and you make your choice.

The Israeli hotel chain Leonardo Hotels will be opening two new hotels in Berlin this year. The first is taking shape in the former police headquarters on the Alexanderplatz. The listed building is being renovated and will open in July as the Leonardo Royal Hotel Berlin; 346 bedrooms plus function rooms for up to 500 persons are promised. The second hotel (a three star) is currently under construction on Wilmersdorfer Strasse in the west. The Spanish Silken Group is building its first four-star-plus hotel in Germany on Lietzenburger Strasse. Guests will be able to book a stay there from autumn onwards. It will have 205 rooms, including 42 suites. The highlights in the Silken Hotel are a Japanese garden with a waterfall and the large wellness area looking out over the roofs of Berlin. A 450 sqm meeting and conference area is an appropriate setting for all kinds of events.

In spring 2011, the luxury Waldorf Astoria Group will open their first newly-built hotel in Europe. Located in the vicinity of the Kurfürstendamm and the Zoological Garden, the 31-storey Waldorf Astoria Berlin will feature 242 rooms and suites, a conference area covering more than 1 100 sqm and a sumptuous spa facility.

The Hotel Barcelona on the Alexanderplatz is due to open in the summer of 2011 and will feature a swimming pool 30 meters above the lobby – separated by a single sheet of glass, this should keep you occupied while waiting to check in.

Away from the hotels, the city has a clutch of weird and wonderful venues. Axica – a typically eccentric Frank Gehry creation – features a modern conference room which can hold to 85 delegates, while the Forum, below stairs, is ideal for receptions for up to 750 people. The restored Museum for Post and Communications is another idiosyncratic gem encased in a glass atrium and is suitabe for a gala dinner for up to 100 people. The courtyard at the Jewish Museum can hold 500 people for a reception while the Meilenwerk tram depot – home to classic and modern cars – comfortably seats up to 450 for a gala dinner. The Kaisersaal on Potsdamer Platz offers a more exclusive atmosphere for small groups, while E-werk – formerly the electricty generating station – comprises two halls offering a maximum capacity for 900 people at a reception or 300 for dinner.

 Brief word…

We asked a leading Berlin-based destination management company to respond to this hypothetical brief: a pan-European company needs to retain staff and strengthen its upscale brand image internally. A two-day conference including by break-out sessions, a keynote address by the CEO and a gala dinner on the final evening. Here is what they suggested.

 Jill Tanamal

Ovation Germany

 For a conference in a city as rich in history as Berlin I would suggest the heritage property Hotel de Rome Berlin. Dating from 1889, the former headquarters of the Dresdner Bank has been impressively restored to form part of the Rocco Forte Collection. Located right in the heart of this bustling city, it combines the ornate grandeur of the original bank with many striking contemporary design elements.

 With 146 sleek rooms, a luxurious glazed ceiling ballroom, spacious breakout rooms and a lavish Spa carved out of the former vaults, this hotel provides for every meeting planner’s and conference delegate’s need. For something a little different, the former GDR chancellery of Erich Honecker is now a private university combining historical walls with state-of-the-art meeting facilities.

 Berlin offers a superb variety of locations for gala dinners. In addition to its world renowned museum spaces, the architectural highlight of the AXICA building cannot be missed. Located beside the historic Brandenburg Gate, architect Frank Gehry’s innovative and futuristic venue will wow even the best-travelled delegate.

 ‘Must-do’ group activities include the Trabi-Safari (using Trabants, the former cardboard cars from the GDR) or a flight with the well-known Rosinenbomber – guaranteed to combine a little German history with great entertainment and fun.

Berlin MICE hotels and services

 Browse MICE and corporate hotels in Berlin on the Great Hotels of the World website (http://www.ghotw.com/list/city/business/berlin.htm) including detailed meeting information, photos, reviews and more. 

 For great MICE offers and to request a proposal for your next event please visit the Great Hotels of the World MICE page (http://www.ghotw.com/facility/mice.htm).

 For more information on MICE events in Berlin contact Heike Mahmoud at the Berlin Convention Office: Tel: +49 (0)30 26 39 183 / berlin-convention-office@b-c-o.com

 Vital indicators: Berlin

 Value for money – 3

Compared to its near-neighbours, Germany is not cheap, and prices in the city reflect that fact. That said, Berlin offers good value compared to other major European capitals.

 Infrastructure – 4

The city has a good supply of five-star products and a choice of extremely professional destination management companies.

 The X-factor – 2

Two decades have passed since the fall of the Berlin Wall. If you were born in the late 1980s, the Cold War seems as distant as the Holy Roman Empire.  It’s time the city sold its future rather than its past.

 Access – 3

There are two airports either side of the city: Tegel in the north and Schönefeld in the south. The former is the main international hub. It is comparatively painless to get into the heart of the city from either.

 Luxury investment – 2

The city’s existing five-star stock is good but the focus of new-build hotels is downmarket.

 Conclusion

Berlin needs an image makeover if it is going to seriously challenge the big players in the meetings market.

Tips For Child Safety at Home

Maintaining your home for child safety is a big task but is one that is essential. There are so many things that can cause harm to children. All it takes is one mishap or forgotten element. There are many things that can be done to promote safety in the home and prevent accidents from occurring. New parents may find that they feel overwhelmed with all of the little things but in time it will become much easier to deal with.

Electrocution is one of the biggest risks that face a small child. All of the electrical outlets and plugs should be filled with safety guards designed specifically for that purpose. Most department stores and baby sections will have these outlet plugs. They seem to be more advanced all the time. They are no longer that easy to pull out and some even clip in place so that they are nearly impossible to take out. It definitely prevents little fingers from getting into an outlet running too much power for a child.

The stairs pose an incredibly large danger as well. They should always be blocked off with a safety standard gate that is approved by your country or state. Even a few stairs can cause great injury if a small child were to take a fall. It just isn’t worth the risk. Toddlers may be walking but they are not walking very well yet. Don’t make the mistake of taking the gate down too early.

If you have certain rooms that you would like to keep your children out of at a young age, find some door knob covers that make it difficult for small hands to open. Adults can work them but kids can’t which means they cannot get into off limits rooms or somehow make it outside undetected. This is something that happens too often, especially in the winter months when kids are not properly dressed for cold weather. Use door knob covers and take comfort knowing they are not escaping the house or playing in the bathroom.

Keeping your home clean also plays a role in the safety of your kids. Improper cleaning can lead to the growth of bacteria. Some bacteria are very harmful to the health such as salmonella or other bacteria caused by food. Do a regular tidy with antibacterial cleansers to ensure there is nothing lingering to hurt your family. The bathroom is a zone that should be cleaned on a regular basis as is the kitchen.

The most important thing that you can do to keep your children safe at home is to keep an eye on them. It is when kids are left unsupervised that they tend to get into the most trouble. Pay attention to what they are doing. Avoid allowing things like the phone or computer distract you from what the kids are up to.

Child safety all starts with the parents. Identify areas that are cause for concern and do your best to eliminate or reduce their hazard potential.

Oslo: Vigeland Sculpture Park

Here’s the rub: It’s a beautiful day in Oslo (summer, preferably), and you want to be outdoors in the fresh and sunlit air, perhaps have a picnic on the grass, stroll and enjoy the sights. But you also want some culture, a bit of art, yet not be cooped up in a museum on such a glorious day. Where do you go? The Vigeland Sculpture Park, part of the Frogner Park, located in Oslo, is one of the most popular and visually compelling places to visit in Norway’s capital. 

Three kilometers northwest of the Oslo city center, the park covers 80 acres and features 212 bronze and granite sculptures by Gustav Berg. Each figure was personally sculpted out of clay by Vigeland and individual craftsmen were contracted to fabricate the pieces into what visitors see today. These works of art reside along an 850 meter-long axis divided into six sections: The Main Gate, The Bridge, The Children’s Playground, The Fountain, The Monolith Plateau and The Wheel of Life.

The Main Gate is made of forged granite and wrought iron and serves as an entrance to the park itself. It consists of five large gates, two small pedestrian gates and two copper-roofed gate houses, both adorned with weather-vanes. Financed by a Norwegian bank, The Main Gate was erected in 1926. Walking along the 328 feet long, 49 feet wide Bridge, you will encounter 58 of the park’s sculptures. The Bridge serves as a connection between the Main Gate and the Fountain. All of the sculptures are bronze-clad and contribute to the “Human Condition” theme of the park. One of the Oslo Park’s more popular statues, Sinnataggen, or “The Little Angry Boy.” This was the first part of the park to be opened to the public, in 1940. While most of the Oslo Park was still under construction, visitors could enjoy these sculptures.

Next one arrives at the Children’s Playground, located at the end of the bridge. This is a collection of eight bronze statues, all representing children at play. In the center, mounted on a granite column, is a representation of a fetus. One cannot say that there is no attention to truth.After the Children’s Playground is the Fountain, fabricated from bronze and adorned with 60 individual bronze reliefs. It portrays children and skeletons in the arms of giant trees, symbolizing new life emerging from death. It took Vigeland from 1906 to 1947 to establish this monument in Oslo.

Finally, you arrive at the Monolith Plateau and the Monolith. The Monolith Plateau is a platform made of stairs housing the Monolith totem itself. Thirty-six figure groups reside on the elevation carrying with them the “circle of life” message. Eight figural gates forged in wrought iron give access to the Plateau. They were designed in Oslo between 1933 and 1937 and erected shortly after Vigeland died in 1943.

The Monolith (Monolitten) is unquestionably the most popular attraction in the park. As the name suggests, the work is created from one solid piece of stone. This massive work was begun in 1924 when Vigeland himself modeled the monument out of clay in his Frogner studio. The design process took ten months. Then the model was cast in plaster. In 1927, a block of granite weighing several hundred tons was delivered to the Oslo park from a stone quarry in Halden and was erected the following year, protected against the elements by a wooden shed. It took 14 years and three stone carvers, beginning in 1929, to transfer the figures. The Monolith towers 46.32 feet high and comprises 121 human figures rising heavenward. This is meant to symbolize man’s desire to become closer to the spiritual and the divine. The tightly embraced nude figures convey a feeling of togetherness as they all make their way to salvation.

At the end of the park’s 850-meter-long axis is a sundial, forged in 1930. This is followed the Wheel of Life, completed between 1933-34. It is essentially a wreath depicting four people and a baby floating in harmony. It symbolizes eternity and suggests the Oslo park’s overall theme, which is man’s journey from cradle to grave.

Marvelous and powerful as these works are, not everyone has appreciated the sculptures. In March 2007, this park in Oslo was defaced when an anonymous person or persons affixed black strips of paper to every exposed nipple, crotch, and posterior on the park’s sculptures. As always, there is no accounting for taste.

For more information on Oslo, visit http://www.blogoslo.com and http://www.oslomicroblog.com.

A Week in the Life of the Single Working Mother

A Week in the Life of the Single, Working Mother

“It’s ok,” you think. “Nothing to worry about, really!”  I mean who doesn’t occasionally put their panties on inside out?  It can happen! The cottage is relatively dark in the morning and the bathroom has no light in it, so even if you went to the toilet you wouldn’t have noticed. No problem there. But then you go to the bathroom at work for the umpteenth time in the morning (you suffer from a weak bladder) and only then do you notice, staring back at you from the mirror,  a moron who is wearing two different types of earrings! Not two similar earrings, that may be understandable, but two totally different decorations. “Are those warning bells?” I think, listening intently.  “Or is that just the sound of me losing my mind”. I stride back into the office, laughing – you must do this in these situations -  and tell everyone the story. It’s funny, really, I mean, who doesn’t occasionally put two different earrings in their lobes?

All might have been well if I hadn’t remembered the keys! “Try to forget the key story!” I tell myself.  But no, a nagging imp-like, pest of a voice insists that I remember the keys. So, warily I cast my mind back to this morning’s debacle.  On leaving the cottage this morning, I absolutely know, without a shadow of a doubt, that I looked at the keys on their hook. I removed them from said hook and walked up to my car with three of my four children. Imagine my frustration and absolute impatience (I’m very impatient with ineptitude), when I couldn’t find the keys. This followed having to squeeze into my car (it was parked too close to my brother’s car), loaded with bags, trying to balance on my high heels that kept sinking into the soft earth. The keys! I just could’nt find the blasted things! We all looked, all four of us, while I muttered all the while that I definitely took them off the hook. Jarred, my nineteen year old, decided, very quietly, not to believe me, and wandered off to the cottage. He reappeared shortly after, keys in hand. Had I dropped them on the way? Did I put them down after picking them up? No, nothing that simple. I was flabbergasted to discover that they were still, in fact, hanging on the hook. Those damned fairies. Jarred knew better than to comment.

 My doctor says I’m stressed. My therapist says “Duh”! So, I decided that I would look at a week in my life and try to discover if I am indeed stressed, tired, overworked and hence abnormally distracted!

A week! How do you determine a week? My life seems to run from one chaotic moment to the next, forming hours, days, weeks and years. My absent-mindedness began on a Friday so I decided to capture my week beginning with the previous Sunday.

This week began relatively normally on Sunday evening when my eleven year old realized that he hadn’t completed his project that had been due for the previous Thursday. Nothing too complicated, just a moving greeting card! No need to panic, especially as he also had to look for every letter of the alphabet (in differing fonts and sizes), and stick them onto a piece of paper.  Ok, so I panic a little! Who wouldn’t?  Try finding a “Q” or a “J”. The card is cut out, his cricket players look like aliens and the family is in fits of laughter while my seven year old daughter draws something of a Rembrandt version of his picture (she is very bright). He doesn’t mind, just shrugs and continues to be glued to the TV, while I bellow, “Homework! Vincent, your homework!”

This situation could, in itself, be bearable but for that fact that it is happening at 6.30pm. This is the beginning of hell night. It is bath time accompanied by more bellows, “Get in the bath! Vincent, bath water! Katie, GET IN THE BATH!” It is school lunch time, but more on that later. It is uniform preparation time and goodness knows what else. There is always something of great significance that pops up out of nowhere to cause chaos and disorder.  There is also supper. After a huge lunch of prawns and rice the little angels are hungry. I’m not hungry! So I throw chicken pieces, covered with tinned tomatoes into the oven and put on a pot of rice.  I am functioning on three planes. My friend is there for a visit with biscuits, dips and wine – very sophisticated, my kids are between nakedness and pyjamas – very bohemian, my food is slowly overcooking and I am trying to engineer a moving cricket bat that will hit a ball across a card. As I’m sure I’ve mentioned, there is absolutely no need to panic – much! The kids end up going to bed halfway through the E-TV movie which, of course, is too late! I am a failure of a mother!

By 9.30pm, school uniforms are ready, hanging over chairs but sandwiches must be made. I usually make amazing lunches but tonight there is no bread. If there was bread there would be no filling. I am, however, supermom, and I have a plan! Tuckshop! Godsend! Tomorrow I will make that new sandwich filling : sweet corn, tuna and mayonnaise. The kids are already moaning about that one. I tell them that they have to broaden their horizons! Then I get “make us an extra sandwich, in case we don’t like that one”. My kids, the connoisseurs! Tuna – not good enough.  Ham – only fine alone, no mayonnaise or, for Katie and Jarred, with mustard. Vince wants salami, no mayonnaise. I tried pilchards and cucumber. My little ones tried to be kind saying,  “Mom, we didn’t really like the lunch today”. Jarred said it was wonderful but he that he couldn’t take it to Varsity anymore because : “It STINKS!” How subtle! One day they love chocolate spread, the next they don’t. One of them, can’t remember which, hates cheese spread but my twenty-two year old could live on it.  One loves peanut butter, the other shudders at the thought. The only thing I seem to get spot on are the chocolates and sweets that I provide.  Jarred won’t eat those though! He’s trying to diet!

Monday morning dawns and I have to drag myself out of bed at 6.30 after I’ve changed the alarm setting twice. I realize that I’m playing with fire as Jarred must be at University by eight and we have to drop the little ones off first. He will be furious if he realizes how late we got up. Little ones don uniforms (this takes about half an hour – no idea why), with me shouting about how they should stop dawdling and have breakfast. Needless to say, they suck down their cocoa pops while big brother rants about how late he’s going to be. I decide that I can’t possible make it to work. My neck is in agony, I am exhausted and constipated and signs of haemorrhoids are beginning to emerge.  My boss will spontaneously combust as she has told me that today I am getting a written warning for a mistake made on Friday.  Could my physical symptoms be psychosomatic or am I merely skirting the threshold of severe and irreversible stress? I phone the office, make excuses to my colleague (it’s easier) and go to bed, after telephoning the doctor to make an appointment for my daughter and myself. Katie has been getting waves of extreme tiredness and I’m really worried. It’s never anything curable, when it’s your child, is it? The mind of a mother is a very frightening place sometimes.

Monday wears on. I fetch Katie and her friend from school at 1.00pm. We go home, relax a bit, read and I smoke hubbly bubbly, (it relaxes me, ok!). She has raided my purse because she wants a pie for lunch. I have no money save R40 in the car for petrol! Jarred has my card. Three fifteen p.m. and it’s time to fetch Vincent from cricket (back to the school I left  two hours previously). I give in and buy two pies and put twenty rand petrol into my car. We pick up Vincent, nearly get hit by a stray cricket ball and head off to the doctor for our 4.00pm appointment. The fun has just begun! Kaitlyn must have a blood test. Have you ever tried to hold down a ten foot, rabid, thrashing and peculiarly terrified Anaconda? I’m sure not but I think it would be a breeze!  It would certainly be easier than holding down a terrified, stubborn, bucking bronco of a seven year old. I won’t go into detail – it’s far too traumatic – but it played out like a scene from a Tarantino movie.  Three adults (all in various phases of shock) holding down a tiny child whilst one of the adults sticks a 10cm thick, 1 metre long needle into her arm and  proceeds to suck all the blood from her body. She, all the while, screaming “Mommy! Mommy! Please!”.  I tell you, if you have never felt like a heel before and have an odd desire to do so, I fully recommend this as the way to go about it.

In the midst of the screaming chaos, Jarred phones. “You can fetch me now”, he says nonchalantly. The little pulsing blood vessel in my temple seems to explode as I explain as calmly as possible, why he has to wait. Meanwhile, Vincent has disappeared to the toilet in the front of the doctor’s rooms. He does not emerge until the screaming, from the far end of the building has subsided! Once the torture is over, she is shaken but laughs as I joke about how strong she is and how hard she can kick. She is not the only one trembling. The doctor grins nervously at me saying that he knows it seems barbaric, but honestly, it has to be done. Then he rushes from the room. The nurse just fumbles for words and I sit there hugging my daughter until my heart decides to return to my chest.

It is now five o’clock and Jarred is waiting at the University in Parktown. I rush off, still shaken but trying to play it down and make jokes. Katie sits unusually quietly on the back seat. I hardly notice the hellish traffic, I can handle anything after the past hour. We get to Jarred and he, very foolishly, says : “Why do you make appointments at five when you know you’re fetching me?” Is it really necessary to explain or will my feral death stare suffice. It does! Katie revives and excitedly tells Jarred about her nightmare experience. In record time it becomes an adventure and by Wednesday I will be relieved to know that my baby is doing well and that she probably just has worms.

In the blur that is my life I make supper, get the children bathed, eat, sort out homework, uniforms and sandwiches. The ex-husband telephones the children and says something inane to Katie like : “If you go to bed early you won’t be so tired and need blood tests.” Although I contemplate smashing the cell phone against the wall, I realize that it is mine and so I pour myself another glass of wine! The quiet breathing of my sleeping children, the studious attitude of my middle son, and the comings and goings of my eldest make it all worthwhile – most of the time! Thank God Monday is over.

Tuesday begins much the same way with me pulling my comatose body from the sleeper couch (don’t ask). Today there is a cricket match for Vincent (he finishes at about 5.00), and netball and  P.E. for Katie. I am organized. All is well. The usual shouting routine ensues in a fast-forward blur and I appear, miraculously, at work. I am angry and defensive due to the fact that when my friend called for me at work on Monday, my boss told him that I was scared to come to work. Scared? Of work? I’m waiting for blood test results, if you really want to know what fear is! I am called into the “big boss’s” office. I am given the poor work performance lecture and am prepared to receive my letter of warning. I decide to completely ignore my boss – dislike her right now – pull myself together and try even harder at work.  I am so happy when my friend calls and says that I don’t have to do lift scheme and that Kate can play with “Scarlie” today. A breather!  Jarred, however, finishes early so I have to take him home and come back to work. What is it they say about no rest?

After work I fetch Katie from Scarlet (where she did her homework – whoopee) and Vincent from cricket.  I finally get the kids into the bath while I cook supper in the house (again, don’t ask).  It’s a rather difficult task as I have to keep running back to the cottage for the ingredients that I have forgotten.  I try to do this really quietly because if the bathing darlings hear me, I am yelled for. This usually happens when I’ve made it into the cottage undetected and am halfway back to the house, thinking how cleverly I have eluded them. The word, “MOM”, uttered very loudly, causes me to stop dead in my tracks. Like a secret agent I attempt to melt into my surroundings. I become very quiet, I tip-toe up the stairs and into the kitchen. Made it! They soon forget that they have called me and I am congratulating myself when a raucous cacophony emerges from the bathroom and the air is filled with shouting and wailing.

“Jarred!” I scream, “For goodness sake, sort them out!” 

They are fearful of him until he turns his back and then Katie begins to sob and gesticulate hysterically. It appears that Vincent has ‘accidentally’ wee’d in the bath and then, just as ‘accidentally’, has splashed all the wee-filled water all over her.  All fear of terminal illnesses vacate my mind as I threaten to drown the children in the bath. My yells of “GET OUT! PUT NEW WATER IN,” to Vincent are heard blocks away while Katie adamantly refuses to get back in the bath with him and wanders around sopping wet and wrapped in a towel.

I somehow make it through the evening, tidying my cottage, packing my mom’s dishwasher with my dishes and watching that Vincent completes his homework. All memory of long division has long since been erased and I battle to help him with his maths homework.  I quickly pack Katie’s ballet  clothes – where the hell are those character shoes – and convince her that, because the shoes are too small,  I will get her new ones.

“Feel where my toe is,” she says convincingly to me.

Vincent has P.E tomorrow, so does Katie, but he refuses to wear a Speedo and so I must pack him some long shorts. While I fully applaud his fashion sense, I doubt that the school will believe his excuses for much longer.  I sigh when, miraculously, the atmosphere is infused with the even breathing of sleeping cherubs. I am just relaxing into a wine-induced oblivion (of course I’m exaggerating) when Gary, my eldest grabs on to my security gate from outside shouting, “Mom, Mom, hurry, open up! Quickly! Hurry!” My heart leaps into my throat. Someone is dead? Someone is chasing him? It’s obvious that something truly horrible has happened”.

“What is it? I somehow blurt out.

“Hurry! Open up! It’s Prison Break”.

How I’ve actually made it to Wednesday is beyond me. Perhaps it’s those “happy pills”, maybe the fact that I’m eating better, or more likely, I am simply functioning on auto-pilot.  Things go relatively smoothly this morning. I think I’m used to the chaos and I arrive at work only to realize that I must go shopping to cater for the afternoon meeting.  My boss is subjected to grunts, nods and head shakes from me as I refuse to be civil to her. I do a few things in the office and then head off to the shop to buy the eats. Today is not my lift scheme day and I look forward to a nice quiet lunch with my colleague from my previous job.  It’s really nice and I get back to work relaxed after a glass of wine and a tramezini.  I have a few invitations for the evening (kids are out Wednesday evening with their dad), but I decide to stay home and do my ironing that has been building up for weeks.  I buy myself a bottle of wine, make no supper because I’ve eaten and sit down with a magazine on a chair that I hardly move from for the entire evening. Jarred sits with me doing his homework. I help him because it’s English and I’m not bad at it. When I look for the wine I realize that I left it in my car, which Gary has taken. I sigh! I will have it at 7.30 when he gets home and hubbly will do in the meantime. I make sandwiches at the table and sort out school clothes. Needless to say, I do absolutely no ironing and have a glass of wine at 7.30. I continue to do the Sudoku that I have been doing the whole evening. Vincent and Katie get home at 8.00 and I have to rush them through a bath and then homework.  In bed late again! Jarred then begins to play guitar and make up a song about the politics of the country. I am excited and write down the words. Katie and Vincent listen from their beds.  By bed-time I’ve had about three glass of wine and am sleepy. Uncharacterisically, as I lie down the room begins to spin, and spin, and spin! I end up sick in the bathroom and fall asleep almost immediately.   What an end to my night of semi-solitude. They say, those very wise “they” people, that alcohol affects you more when you’re stressed. I wonder….! It’s a damn good excuse though.

I am pretty sure that I don’t have to mention that the vacating of my bed on Thursday morning is no easy task.  I do, however, succeed! Today we leave with only school bags. No tog bags, no cricket bats, no tackies, no ballet things, no extras at all. I feel free, wild – nothing to forget. The euphoria is intoxicating. This must be Heaven. I am even energized to go grocery shopping this evening. My friend says that she is free this evening. She asks if we should get together. Frankly the idea of wine or any other alcoholic drink, after last night, induces fear and trembling.  I decline.  Work is quiet as I continue to ignore my boss and 2.00 pm brings about my usual lift scheme.   I drop the little ones off, practically begging them to tidy the cottage and go back to work.  I don’t recall this but they say that I told them they could go shopping with me if they tidied up.  At about 4.00pm Jarred arrives at the office and I take him home. I have since decided that I should shop alone, leaving the little ones at home with Jarred to bath and do homework. The outcry that results from this suggestion to Vin and Kate is something I am not qualified to deal with.  I deflate and collapse into my car seat and meekly say, “get in”. They inform me that they “even cleaned the cottage”, in order to be able to go.

Shopping to me is a sadistic ritual.  I cannot comprehend those perverse individuals who actually enjoy the dreaded ordeal.  Add on two children who want everything in sight and who, after pleading to accompany me, want to go home after half an hour. Include fist-fights, sibling verbal abuse and disappearances every five minutes for free samples, and the whole thing intensifies ten-fold. I arrive at the shop at about 5.00 pm and get home by 7.30.  I am comforted by a well-meaning woman who tells me that my two fighting little maniacs are completely normal.  This is after she hears me yelling hysterically at them to “STOP IT!” and “I TOLD YOU TO STAY AT HOME”, accompanied by several other expletives. I tell her that I’ve had to go through it twice, having two older sons as well, and that I must have done something particularly evil in a previous incarnation.  She tells me that I look too young to have two older sons and I almost kiss her.  I feel haggard and worn, but decide to preserve the tiny morsel of dignity that I have left.  

I arrive home in the dark with two tired children who have not as yet bathed or, horror of horrors, done homework. Supper is no problem. MacDonalds, I love you! The cottage is in a dismal condition and if they had indeed tidied it up, a hurricane has since swept through it.  I try to tidy while Jarred brings a few shopping bags from the car. We eat and Katie takes ages to finish her food while I jump around uneasily trying not to think of bathing and homework.  Vincent gets stomach ache and needs the toilet but can’t find matches for the candle that has replaced the broken light bulb.  He eventually decides he has to go in the dark but five minutes later is wandering around bare-bummed looking for a torch! Jarred is ranting about how unfair it is because no-one will help him unpack the car and I am cleaning, packing away groceries and emptying the garbage bin, while yelling at Vincent to get back into the pitch black bathroom and onto the toilet. Katie, meanwhile continues to eat at two chews per minute and Xena, my Doberman, runs in and eats Vincent’s burger! Thank goodness Katie has two burgers, having got the special in case Gary is home for supper.  This extra one is given to Vincent. When I remind my daughter that she is taking an abnormally long time to eat she throws down her burger saying, “Fine, I will starve”. This results in me telling her what a “princess” she is!

Add to this chaotic evening the fact that there is a really young and persistent man that I know who keeps phoning me at the most inconvenient times and you have the makings of a true farce. I kid you not, to the delight and bemusement of my children he phoned and let it ring for a full seven minutes. They, and I, were absolutely amazed. My little ones know all the excuses in the book now when he calls, but this time we just let it ring – our amusement for the evening.

Eventually, eventually, eventually clean, educated and well-fed children are lying in their beds.  Unfortunately there is some good stuff on T.V. and the little darlings keep peeking at the screen. Death stare time! Eyes shut! And peace reigns supreme.

Friday, FRIday, FriDAY! Happy days! It’s Friday!!!! I have made it. We have made it. We are breathing and relatively sane. One more day to get through. Should be a breeze. And all appears to be fine but looks can be deceiving. I am organized! I am Supermom! Katie’s ballet clothes are ready, lunches are packed into cases and it’s time to go. But dizzyingly quickly we return to the Friday day I lost my mind!  The keys, the panties, the earrings – all effects lasting temporarily however.  My initial horror gives way to amazement as I realize that my distractedness appears to have come along with a burst of genius. I have managed, quite extraordinarily, to work out how to put seven separate documents onto one document on Excel. This involves a lot of copying, pasting, (making small), renaming and finally coming out with a whole new document. I am so impressed with myself that I forget to sulk and run to my boss to tell her how wonderful I am.  She agrees that I am very clever and I see no reason to continue the argument.

After the initial shock of all my weird activities of the morning, I begin to feel relatively relaxed.  Katie has ballet and so does her friend, so the other half of the lift scheme does the lifts today.  I do, however, still have to take Jarred home. This changes when he telephones to say that the pub at Education Campus is opening today and he will come over later, probably around three. This all seems fine until my boss, whom I have just made friends with, decides that we can go home early – at three. I try to call Jarred. Surprise, surprise – his phone is off. I have to wait. I can’t very well go storming into the pub to yank him out. In the meantime his older brother calls. I must meet him at home and then take him to Vodacom to sign for his new SIM card. The problem is we must do this by 5.00 as the shop will probably close. The other problem is that I have no idea what time Jarred will put in an appearance.  Gary laughs hysterically when he hears the situation, telling me that I’ve got a long wait ahead of me. I little while later the little ones call me at work to ask if they can make me a surprise from their recipe book. I agree to this asking, as nicely as possible, that they clean up after themselves.  At about 3.30 Gary phones, asking where I am and Jarred eventually arrives at four o’clock. At four fifteen Katie calls, asking how far I am from home because the surprise is waiting. I drop Jarred at home and Gary takes his place in the car. Katie runs out asking where I’m going and saying that the surprise is ready. I assure her that I will not be long. We get to Vodacom, sign the papers and are told that it will cost R65.00. Gary and I look at each other incredulously. Neither of us has money on us.  He decides to drop me at home, as I’m really anxious to have my surprise before the babies’ dad fetches them for the weekend. Gary will fetch my bank-card and go and pay the account. Miraculously we find the card in the car. At home I have a sosatie stick with strawberries, pineapple, banana and dates (because I have given up chocolate for lent) waiting for me on a plate with ice-cream and custard.  Children have an amazing way of erasing a week of stress in an instant, by a simple gesture of love so pure that it melts your insides and touches you to the very core of your being!

 Reality, however, has a nasty way of intruding on the most special of moments. My friend arrives to take me for dinner but my ex has not yet collected the children. The place is unbelievably noisy. There is a ridiculous modern musical blasting from the television and Jarred is showing everyone his political song. The atmosphere is mildly crazy but very enjoyable. The ex hoots at the gate for the little ones. Unfortunately at this precise moment my father and brother decide to have a very heated altercation. I do not want my children’s father to hear or see anything about the argument (long story) so I rush the children out as soon as possible.  It is a scene from a black comedy. The more I tell them that they must leave quickly, the more times they return to fetch something that they have forgotten. It is unbelievable! Finally they leave and I breathe a sigh of relief. My eldest son’s girlfriend has been ushered into the cottage to escape the argument inside.  My friend and I leave, I tell Jarred where to hide the keys and I, naively, believe that I am due for a quiet and peaceful weekend.

Dinner is uneventful except for when I go to the bathroom, get confused with the doors and end up exiting the ladies and entering a sushi restaurant that I hadn’t been eating at. After the initial confusion, I make a hasty retreat and find my friend outside, waiting for me.  While on my way to the bathroom I discover that Jarred has called me twenty-two times and I have finally heard the phone on the twenty- third try. He tells me that there is trouble at home and on top of this he has dropped my cottage keys into the cottage and cannot get them out. My friend and I end up getting into the cottage by unscrewing one of the security gates, at the same time releasing my Doberman who has been prisoner in the cottage for goodness knows how long. In the meantime I go to find my brother who has passed out in the garden and attempt to help him. The rest is a long, involved and futile story and is best ignored and forgotten.

My peaceful Friday ends and I fall into bed and into a deep sleep.

I have big plans for Saturday. I am going to get myself out of debt. I will get up relatively late, go to the bank and draw the money. I will then pay off my clothing accounts, my T.V. and buy my daughter and my friend their birthday presents. I have, however, discovered that in life that you should never plan anything. Go with the flow. That way you can never be irritated! This I have discovered but unfortunately I have never actually learnt from it.

I arrive at the bank. None of the banks at the mall have electricity. I swear, various expletives, under my breath and head off to the other mall. I think that I am very clever but at the same time have a sense of foreboding about what I will find at that bank. I am astounded beyond my normal ability to be astounded! The queues begin at the tellers inside the bank (far, far inside the bank), out the door and all the way down to Woollworths, which is about half a city block away. All the other banks have the same problem. I mutter some more swear words, this time including some obscenities about the state of the country and decide on retail therapy, which I most certainly cannot afford.  I head home, make a hubbly (yes, again) and tidy my flat. I am busy with this when my brother’s weird girlfriend starts yelling out my name. Jarred is amazed to see me hurl myself across the room, jump out of my shoes and fling myself onto Katie’s bed, at the same time begging him to tell her that I’m asleep. I close my eyes tightly, praying that she won’t come in.  Jarred, the horror, lets me lie like that for a few minutes, choosing not to tell me that she is gone. I continue to hide for awhile then poor myself a glass of wine (yes, again), put on a load of washing, set up the ironing board and complete all my outstanding ironing. I am Superwoman! I am Wonder Woman! I am Mother! I put washing on the line and it rains! I am Exceedingly Irritated Woman.

I, being so damn popular, have three invitations for Saturday evening. My haemorrhoids are agonizing at this stage and I decide I cannot go to the braai. I also don’t feel like visiting the young obsessive phone caller. I decide to surprise my friend and go to him to watch a DVD. The evening is uneventful except for the fact that my eldest son keeps phoning me to yell about how unfair it is that he has to lift my middle son to a party. He rants about how far it is and how it’s unfair to use his girlfriend’s car.  At about ten o’clock I go home and sit with Gary in the cottage until he leaves to fetch his girlfriend. I bath and, exhausted, climb into bed. The cell rings at 12.30. That dreaded call that will inform me that Jarred cannot get a lift home and I must fetch him. I am half asleep and ask Jarred to call me back with directions. Gary calls and tells me where to go. I put my dog in the car – she is astounded (as astounded as a dog can be) and we head off into the unknown, with a set of directions on my lap. I am in some God-forsaken place in the middle of the night but I eventually  find the place after a few more phone calls to Gary. I find the street but not the number. There is no number eighteen. Fortunately I am not alone in my stupidity as the taxi driver who has just arrived is also driving up and down the road in search of number eighteen.  I find it, eventually, around the corner – something that must have slipped the minds of both my sons.  I then spend about ten minutes outside waiting for Jarred to appear, anger causing all my arteries to pulse unusually. I cannot call him because, surprise, surprise, his phone is off! I cannot go in because I am in my pyjamas. I am on the verge of an embolism when he appears at the gate, glass in hand. I am irritated. I am tired. I tell him to throw the drink out.  His friend then proceeds to vomit next to my car. I am petrified. He cannot puke in my car. He sits in the front, window wound down and proceeds to tell me, in a very elevated tone, how much he loves me and what a good person I am. I am almost deaf when we reach home. I flop into bed at 1.30 in the morning.

Sunday – wonderful Sunday. I get up late. I go to breakfast with my friends. Have a wonderful Pina Colada (spelling) and then head home. I must go shopping for my friend’s present, but decide to go with him so he can choose it. Then we see a movie. I am relaxed for the first time in a week!  He drops me at home. I iron the load of washing on the line and put on another load. The older boys are home and have toast, biscuits and dips for supper. This is my day, this is my moment, this is my time! I am tired. I am relaxed and I must preserve the last iota of strength that I have to begin this routine all over again!

The conclusion of this pitiful but ultimately fulfilling tale – : I am tired, I am stressed but hey I do these things for the people that I love. I love and am loved and nothing is too much  – although it sometimes seems that way.

And Monday I want to start gym again! Wish me luck!

Book FAQ

Fictional creative story planning please?
i know lots of people ask but i am (unfortunately) the kind of writer who needs the suggestion of an concept before my creative juices get flowing i usually write for babyish adults, but i dont mind adult topics. Anything will do, believe me, even a phrase can pique my creativity. Thanks in advance. I’d rather be a…

Fictional part please?
I’m trying to get as much information on a character I’m designing –hair, measurments, weight– and need a touch help.Most importantly I’d like a website for future use however, answering directly is fine.Are these biddable measurments for a female, and what, approx. would her weight be? Height: 5′7 Waist: 31 Hips: 36 Bust: 36A website for hairstyles, and their names?…

Find a book cover by it’s photo?
I got a new book I know I haven’t read, but I KNOW the photo was used for another book. I can’t numeral out what book it was and it’s driving me crazy. I already searched by the photo credits and found nothing… I hold to know what it was used for! How can I find…

Find a two being prespective book?
I love reading books that have two people telling one and the same story but from different perspective. I don’t know what the writing technique. Some of the book that I have come across are Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen, Armageddon Summer by Jane Yolen and Bruce Coville, Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater, and Nick & Norah’s Infinite…

Finding a literary agent for screenplays?
I am a non-WGA member who is having a little trouble finding and securing a literary agent due to copious agencies only accepting solicited work, and many not having Lit. departments at adjectives! Any tips for securing an agent? There are tons of scam agents, especially in the film field. http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/p… Try writing successful screenplay writers…

Finish this simile..?
the words stuck in my head like… a traumatic event sticks with a young child The words stuck in my head close to syrup. The words stuck in my head like paste. The words stuck in my head like melt candy. a two pound block of cheese surrounded by a colon. a fat kid in a tunnel slidea fat girl…

First cross for a story charicter?
In my story there’s a team of three (Kind of like form naruto) Two boys & one girl. In their teens. Now for my eldest boy, i named him Dakota, but that anyone a unisex name, & him haivng to be the strongest, jsut doensn’t seem to fit. Can you guys think of a virtuous name,…

First daytime at UNIS? within a long process gone ishmael beah?
I was wondering in ishmael beah A long way gone, which module of the book does he descrbie his first day at UNIS?Thanks have you checked the preface? best to you…

First entity or third creature?
I’m beginning to write a novel so i need to no if i should right contained by first person (I) or third person (he she it)The novel is going to be roughly speaking a team. Of course i know that in first person i could switch from one troop member to the next but i don’t want to…

First or Third Person? Which do you prefer to read/write?
And why?I’m just curious x i close to boththird person makes story more engaging if its suppose to be a thrillerfirst being makes u feel relate-able to the person and story seem more realistic In my opinion, first person is a lot easier to write next to, and I do…

Five People You Meet contained by Heaven board hobby?
I have to make a board game for The Five People you come upon in Heaven, by Mitch Albom.Any ideas?Thanks. I read the book a while back, but can’t remember specific details.You could try resembling, a Candyland theme, you know, with the 5 people. Like you know how within Candyland, if you draw…

Five point some1?
can someone tell me wat is da story of 5.some1? ihav heard dat its da best buk acc. 2 ma frend. is it worth reading? Chetan Bhagats book? perfect one. Do you think what you own written is English? Don’t mistake me -your question is not worth reading. One interrogative mark carries impossible to tell apart sense as many.

Flash Fiction..Not sure what it is?
I heard my teacher talking roughly speaking it today, not sure what it is…and is there any good sites to write a story on it that has copy write?not national writing month or something resembling that. just you write and have people read and supply advice. thanks. weenis Never heard that term in the past. Flash…

Flowers for Algernon: Is the end joyous or tragic?
I have to to explain why it is happy or why it is a sad climax? can you help and i also have to give examples from the story to support my answer. We read it within class and its the shorter version, not the entire book. PLEASE HELP ITS DUE TOMORROW!! Well, I…

Flowers For Algernon: operarion?
Okay so whats the name of Charlie’s operation? And like what was it suppose to do (specifically) I know its suppose to craft him smarter but how?? i dont think they named it… and its suppost to fix the cells contained by his brain, and make them function properly.sorry i dont know much, i only read the shortened version…

Follow up book to the Da Vinci Code?
I just read the Da Vinci Code and i thoroughly enjoyed it, so im looking for a book with more symbolism, templars, stuff resembling thatplease interesting reads, no documentary type books Last Templar-Raymond Khoury Source(s): http://raymondkhoury.com/book/book_templ… just go look into adjectives the books by Dan Brown. and if you want more there’s…

Font size for a book im writing?
I am writing a book and was wondering what font size would be the best to use since i will try getting it published once i have finished it. Is size 14 good or 12? Do editors prefer a specific size? gratitude they usually use 10-12. editors prefer font size 12, times new roman…

For a Harry Potter and Fight Club enthusiast, what are some other really flawless books to read?
I stopped reading in about fifth grade because I realize that a lot of books just aren’t good. I’ve tried reading The Chronicles of Narnia series but at the fourth or fifth one the stories go way too slow and I got bored of waiting for…

For a project contained by spoken language arts i entail to know the birth of my designation any one own any dutiful sites i can use?
thanks in advance! This site is brilliant:www.behindthename.com Source(s): I’m a writer. Spend far too much time trawling signature websites. www.behindthename.com/ babynamesworld.parentsconnect.comgenealogy.about.com/library/surnames/b… www.searchforancestors.com/surnames/or… www.thinkbabynames.com/ www.weddingvendors.com/baby-names/www.zelo.com/www.krysstal.com/wordname.html www.babynamesorigins.com/ www.mayrand.org/meaning-e.htm Source(s): www.dogpile.com 1. turn to www.google.com2. type in- define: _______(your…

For A story I’m writing, could my 17 year infirm most important guise step on a leave by herself?
Or would she have to have a guardian with her? She would be vacationing within Hawaii, if that makes a difference. Thank you very much. My fifteen and sixteen year old characters went on a road trip. She can. It really depends on…

For adjectives book lovers. What do you have a sneaking suspicion that of my writing?
I stood at the gate of the cemetery; my hands dipped inside my mutton, black coat. I watch as the breeze carried orange crumpled leaves towards my slender body. As I raised my shoulders and yawned, the beat of big heels came from behind me. I turned to…

For adjectives book lovers. What do you ponder of my story?
Once there was a boy called Dangy. Dangy lived alone surrounded by a small room, in an old castle. But one night, Dangy established to leave the castle. He went down the marble stairs, but before he reach the gate of the castle, it started raining from the ceiling. Dangy shivered and…

For adjectives book lovers. What do you presume of my story?
I dashed to my parent’s room, dragging my broken foot behind me across the marble floor. Mum’s voice was so muffled from the other end of the house, but I could still her screaming at Dad. I open the wardrobe and a round heap of shirts fell over me. After throwing the…

For adjectives book lovers. What do you reflect on of my story?
I dashed to my parent’s room, dragging my broken foot behind me across the marble floor. Mum’s voice was so muffled from the other end of the house, but I could still her screaming at Dad. I open the wardrobe and a round heap of shirts fell over me. After throwing…

For adjectives harry potter fan. What do you imagine?
P.S The Edward that i mention in my book has nothing to do next to twilight. Chapter1.Elma’s shadow drifted down Redville’s dark streets. She raised her eyebrows and twisted the sides of her lips downwards whenever the photo of Vladimir, pulling out his dagger and dipping it in his chest, ran into her head.

For adjectives harry potter lovers. what do you reflect on?
Chapter1.Elma’s shadow drifted down Redville’s dark streets. She raised her eyebrows and twisted the sides of her lips downwards whenever the imitation of Vladimir, pulling out his dagger and dipping it in his chest, ran into her head. Even the imitation of Edward’s Gustav son as he cried over a faceless body, made…

For adjectives inspired authors…?
What’s your next book idea? If you are wanting or already writing a book what’s the summary of your book? I know this may seem close to a weird question to ask but I’m curious. I promise a to the extreme that I will not steal your idea. I respect relatives so I respect your original idea I…

For adjectives reader out here. What do you cogitate of my writing?
The angels.In an orphanage, there lived a boy called Sam. All day, Sam lounged alone within his bed, reading, or watching his friends as they played all around him.At night, Sam hid his facade in the pillow and cried. He had bone cancer. His skinny body shivered in bed as the…

For adjectives reading lovers. Do you resembling my writing?
I dashed to my parent’s room, dragging my broken foot behind me across the marble floor. Mum’s voice was so muffled from the other end of the house, but I could still her screaming at Dad. I open the wardrobe and a round heap of shirts fell over me. After throwing the shirts at…

For adjectives reading lovers. What do you mull over of my story?
Once there was a boy called Dangy. Dangy lived alone surrounded by a small room, in an old castle. But one night, Dangy granted to leave the castle. He went down the marble stairs, but before he reach the gate of the castle, it started raining from the ceiling.Dangy shivered and…

More Book questions please visit : BookFreeFAQ.com

Old Dog Care And Comfort

If you’re a dog owner, no doubt your dog is part of the family. As your dog gets older, he or she may have needs that were not present when younger. Old dog care is an important part of your dog’s life as he or she approaches the senior years.

Different breeds of dogs age at different rates, and oftentimes, those who are “mutts” are in general hardier than purebred breeds. However, no matter the breed, at some point, a dog is going to exhibit signs of aging, and you have to be ready for this so that your beloved pet can receive the care required for an older dog.

Just like human medicine, veterinary medicine has made great strides in geriatric care, so that our pets can live longer than they ever have before. With a little bit of effort, you can provide your old dog care suitable for your faithful companion, so that he or she has a comfortable and pleasant old age.

The Aging Process

Some signs you may notice that show Fido is showing his age may include: sleeping more; eating less; being startled by noises, bright lights, or lots of activity; not coming immediately when you call (may indicate hearing loss or physical difficulties such as arthritis); a duller coat; skin with less elasticity; eyes that are not as bright or may be clouded (including the possibility of cataracts); or loss of bladder or bowel control in a dog that was previously well housetrained.

Keeping Your Senior Dog Comfy

You can provide proper old dog care so that your senior dog remains comfortable in his or her old age.

First, most dogs know, for example, that they should not be having accidents in the house. Therefore, make sure that you are soothing and comforting if your geriatric dog should happen to have an accident in the house. This is not a time to punish, because the dog is already going to feel that he or she did something very wrong. Instead, provide a comfortable spot for your old dog to lie on that’s easily washable, such as a bed or comfortable rug. That way, if an accident happens, it’s easily cleaned up. If your dog must stay out of places, such as a favorite room, where accidents simply can’t happen, use a baby gate to keep him out of that particular spot.

Second, old dog care should include regular veterinary visits to make sure your dog is up on his or her shots, and that everything is being done to make sure he or she remains healthy. One of the most important things you can do for your dog is to make sure that his or her teeth are clean and healthy. Get your dog’s teeth cleaned on a regular basis if necessary. Not only does an unhealthy mouth cause things like gingivitis, soreness, or tooth loss, but it can actually also cause other systemic problems like heart problems and arthritis.

Third, make sure you provide the proper diet for your dog. Your veterinarian can give you proper foods that are more appropriate for older digestive systems, as well as for dogs with such problems as kidney failure, heart failure, or for those who have trouble chewing.

Fourth, make sure your dog stays safe. As hearing and eyesight fail, and as coordination becomes less trustworthy, your pet may have trouble with things like stairs, and can actually fall and injure himself. Strategically placed baby gates by stairs can help ensure that your dog doesn’t take a tumble.

Fifth and finally, make sure you provide lots and lots of love to your aging pet as part of your old dog care. Remember that your pet is the same loving dog he or she always has been, with just a little more gray hair and a little less agility. Shower him or her with lots of attention just as you always have, so that he or she still feels like part of the family.

Maintaining home safety all year round

Steps can be taken to ensure that various components around your home are safe for youngsters. For example, baby walkers can become very dangerous for children, as they can result in children falling down stairs. Ensure that safety gates are installed properly and that the cribs meet current standards for safety. Gates that fasten to walls are ideal for the tops of stairs, while spring-loaded gates are a superior choice for the base of stairs. Next, check various aspects of cribs, such as the mattress, the screws, and the frame. In regards to bathtub safety, keep these tips in mind: A child can drown in just a few centimetres (1 inch) of water, within the duration of seconds! Within seconds, hot water from a faucet can burn a person’s skin. In fact, a child’s skin burns in a quarter of the time required for an adult’s skin to be burned! Before placing your child in the bathtub’s water, use your elbow to test the temperature.  When running a bath for your child, consistently begin and complete the process, with cold water.  If you must leave the bathroom while bathing your child, take your son or daughter long with you. Instruct your child to sit in the bathtub 100% of the time.   While certain components in a house can pose threats to children, remember that child safety products from a child safety store can help to secure their safety.  Be careful about what your child puts in his or her mouth. To prevent your child from choking and strangling on objects, remember that if a child can fit an object in his or her mouth, your child could choke on it. Therefore, keep all tiny objects out of reach of infants and toddlers. Objects whose consuming pose a threat to young children, include small toy parts, seeds, chips, small candies and nuts, popcorn, wrapping paper, batteries, broken balloons, and hot dogs. To prevent your young children from choking on food, shred or cut foods that is hard and round, into narrow strips. Also, children must always chew their food slowly and sit up while eating meals or snacks. Lastly, as a parent, it is wise to master the indicators of choking and what steps to take when it occurs.     

In addition to choking on tiny objects, remember that the majority of homes include 200-300 poisons. Teach children the hazard symbols on containers, so they will realize the danger of consuming such products. Keep items such as cleaners; nail polish; holly and mistletoe; perfume; and cosmetics away from children, as they become poisonous when consumed. Even party leftovers certain medicines, and holiday ornaments can be poisonous to children! Lastly, remember that “child-resistant” caps vary from “child-proof” versions.

Children Safe at Home

For your child to maintain a safe home environment

Adults and parents are responsible for all aspects of our children are safe at home, and the importance of the region to improve the following safety tips for children will be sufficient answer! Child safety of the home where the accident occurred, and weaken the ongoing effects have whois include burns, family, and irrational fear, blindness, or even death! Children safe at home ahead with relative ease, when parents and carers to understand and apply some basic safety tips for a child.

Children are unique and valuable personal and relevant to the safety of the child at home, where everything must be completed to create a safe space to grow up sign. Often our child’s natural curiosity and bring them in close contact with the respective entries in any manner harm, so it is essential that all children safe at home practice and family members to minimize those risks.

Basic safety tips for children when you apply a long way to ensuring that parents are moving in comfort without fear of accidents or other trauma that occurred whois. Of course, children need constant supervision, but child safety practice at home for fear that it is often alleviated their feelings about. Three under three infants continued to be head coach if possible, many children are safe at home, through a stop sign accident. Accidents often occur when a parent is distracted, tired or are not sufficiently aware of the importance of child safety at home.

Where is the lack of safety of children at home, take it for a few seconds just to suit the accident occurs. Babies and toddlers roll and crawl constantly while developing new skills and child safety at home is essential to ensure that they do not injure themselves while exploring their new world. Remember, the safety of children, including a baby at home, but never left the same impression on a chair or bed room when you leave the platform. Even a baby can roll jameuljaneun injury, so that you can turn off and play safety as a part of safety tips for children and common sense.

Lie down on your stomach with your children safe at home is a good way to start planning murder! From the perspective of a baby’s height and looks around at the possible risk to alert the drawers, such as loose, open pot or plug socket, then introduced to attend. The safety of children at home, once achieved complete whois pinpoint the removal of potentially hazardous items and adults.

Hot items such as coffee percolators and Joseph should be kept well out of reach of a child when the child safe at home and also practice infant are several ways you try to use when you are trying to achieve their goals! To reach their respective kettle or a hot plate to be relaxed when you go to another, because of all the connections Bear in mind that this is typical child safe at home.

Your account is available to the infant must have access to electricity poles products, drugs, drugs, poisons or cleaner, or even standing on the other hand, a high chair. With proper planning, your child must be an absolute priority for the region safe at home. Outside the building, as well extra shelf when it reaches them to ensure the safety of children at home and maintain a dangerous item will be safely stored in locked cupboards. With regard to the children’s safety at home, it is common knowledge that children love to items placed in their mouths, poses a 36.3 hazard will be introduced. Child safety tips for small objects is kept always stress that far exceeds the reach of the baby.

Parents living in the homes of all children safe at home stairs, it is well-practiced, and some safety features appropriate. Gates at the top and bottom of the stairs is a strong child safety guarantee that the principle will be applied at home and the safety of the maximum allowed. This baby child safety tips before practice starts, we must, or he could hurt her badly.

Another important safety tips for children are often forgotten by the new parent yet prove a danger sign that the temperature of bathwater. Safe at home where children are correctly applying the 120 Fahrenheit or hot water heater should be set low to ensure maximum safety. Every parent wants the child safe at home and bathe all the water temperature is no longer choose their own hands or elbows with the reserve so that it occurs.

Children must while bathing or swimming coach and basic safety tips for children should always adhere. Parents are their children safe at home, the idea that perception is also applied to the swimming pool, make sure that family members have access to their children unless they are supervised. The parents of a high fence and locked gate for the best children’s safety tips for an entry permit only for the region under the supervision.

Drowning is one of the major causes of death among children and mistakes can sometimes be avoided by securing an appropriate child safety at home. A child needs to test the boundaries of their own in order to continue to promote learning and child is essential for the victim to prevent accidents at home.

Basic safety of children at home would be helpful in creating an environment conducive to learning, and your children safe. Walking through your house and gardens, along with today’s view, and then to detect possible risks to children’s safety practices at home. Children safe at home, the first step is to start with you and all child safety tips for when you perform your families a safe environment is assured.