The War on Childhood Obesity

The fact that fifteen percent of children are obese has become sufficiently alarming to mount a movement aimed at fighting childhood obesity.

The Journal of American Medical Association in its December 12, 2001 issue portrayed childhood obesity as an epidemic.

The UK House of Commons in May 2004 urged that if actions are not quickly implemented to fight childhood obesity, it will become the leading cause of morbidity around the world, surpassing even smoking.

Experts around the globe have been crying out in unison that the primary causes of childhood obesity are mostly environmental.

They point accusing fingers at vending machines located in schools and the growth of the fast food industry (junk food) worldwide.

The easy access to food lacking nutrition along with relatively minimal emphasis on exercise has been predominantly blamed for the rise of childhood obesity.

Today's children face a serious health threat - and not simply as future adults, but also during their more fragile developing years.

The fight against childhood obesity must enlist the attention and assistance of parents, the children themselves, and even governments.

The combination of easy access to empty-calorie junk food along with sedentary lifestyles; (e.g. TV, video games, instant messaging) all converge as a health plague against the well-being of children.

Such a deadly combination calls for cooperative action among concerned family members, private organizations, and legislative bodies. Fighting childhood obesity cannot be the purview of only a few or merely a battle cry without subsequent follow through.

To fight childhood obesity, policy makers in the UK have planned to implement the labeling of food content to categorize each item's level of healthfulness.

Since there have been decades of heavy junk food advertising, the World Health Organization is even considering a ban on the promotion of such snacks on TV and print media, including teen magazines and newspapers.

Of course, the impacted manufacturers cried "foul" at the announcement since such a policy is supposedly not evidence-based and reflects poorly on their products.

Instead, they have urged that governments and other obesity organizations conduct scientific studies to validate the claim that their products are indeed harmful.

Numerous obesity organizations - including the American Obesity Association and Overeaters Anonymous - have been instrumental in fighting childhood obesity through awareness campaigns and family consultation.

Even the Surgeon General has called the citizenry at large to join the fight in diminishing and preventing the incidence of childhood obesity.

All have recommended that parents encourage their children to become more active in sports, dancing, and other healthy physical activities that help to burn calories and strengthen the heart.

These recommendations are in lieu of parking in front of a TV for hours with little more than a bag of chips and can of soda.

Fighting the plague of obesity cannot simply be addressed by personal adherence to diet and exercise alone.

The combined efforts of individuals, concerned organizations, and governing bodies are necessary to provide a message of solidarity that helps to control the incidence of obese children and thus minimizing their current and future health risks.

Roots of Childhood Obesity

The causes of childhood obesity can be loosely grouped into both adjustable and non-adjustable factors.

The former include those that when changes are applied, they can result in children losing weight or simply remaining physically fit. Concerning the latter, there are very limited options.

Among the adjustable factors that impact childhood obesity are lack of physical activity, a sedentary lifestyle (for example, more TV viewing than engagement in sports), constant exposure to advertisements of high calorie junk food, and questionable eating habits.

Every food we eat supplies the human body energy in the form of calories. When we do not expend these calories, they are stored internally as fat.

The role of exercise and physical activity in general is to use these excess energy sources in our bodies and, in the process, decrease our physical girth. This cycle is no different in children.

Trends in recreational interests for children have changed fairly dramatically over time. Active participation in sporting activities is often replaced with video games and TV.

Consequently, the hand becomes the most exercised part of the body!

Since the body in low-exertion movements uses only minimal energy, a significant percentage of body calories are converted to fat - the result over time is childhood obesity.

Today we live in an era of convenience. Instead of walking to school or to town as children did in prior generations, they can ride a school bus, use their own vehicles (or have parents do the driving), and can easily use public transportation when needed.

So children's muscles, rather than being pushed to walk and run, remain relatively idle. Most of their time is spent sitting with minimal movement.

Thousands of calories lay dormant, and waistlines balloon to obesity.

It does not help children that heavily advertised junk food, such as chips and soda, are so popular among the snacks available to them.

These types of foods combined with the lack of physical exertion lead far too many children down a weight retention trap.

Ever notice how much children eat even when they are neither hungry nor active? And when they do, typically the food is not nutritious.

These two factors alone simultaneously contribute significantly to the child obesity problem.

Such ingrained habits markedly increase their risk of long-term weight struggles, even well into adulthood.

Concerning non-adjustable childhood obesity factors, the primary is genetics. Scientists have observed for years that obese children frequently have obese parents.

Thus when a tendency toward obesity is inherited, concerned parents must provide more stringent measures to prevent - or at least minimize - obesity in their children.

In such scenarios, regular exercise, a nutritious lifestyle diet, and the other adjustable obesity factors become all the more critical in their childhood rearing considerations.

Ultimately, parents must simply accept influences that cannot be changed (e.g. genetics, flood of junk food commercials) while being diligent to engage in other available means of helping their children's general health, particularly in curtailing obesity.

Childhood Obesity and Heart Disease

Overweight children and adolescents have significantly increased during the past decade.

There are times during childhood and adolescence where one is more susceptible to weight gain, but these times also offer prevention opportunities for obesity.

Obesity is defined by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) according to body mass index (BMI).

Several health risks arise from a child being overweight, such as type-2 diabetes, sleep apnea, hypertension, and heart disease.

Fortunately approaches to counter childhood obesity have been clinically recognized, including behavioral, pharmacological, and surgical.

The prospect of morbid short- and long-term outcomes make childhood obesity a major public concern.

The increase of adult obesity has been correlated to the increase of childhood obesity.

Other countries such as Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, China, Germany, and France have reported increases of childhood obesity as well.

Parents who are suspect a problem can check by having a doctor or pediatrician measure the child's height and weight to see if they are in a healthy range.

As instances of childhood obesity increase, there is alarming evidence that these children will be predisposed to heart disease later in life.

The American heart Association (AHA) has issued statements on the importance of preventing obesity for this reason.

The AHA has also urged physicians to be proactive in identifying the development of obesity and health conditions such as type-2 diabetes and glucose intolerance.

Today's fast-paced, sedentary, fast food lifestyles entice children to build their lives around a steady diet of fatty and fried meals, much of which can e blamed for obesity.

The onslaught of obesity places children at risk for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, resistance to insulin, and a heightened risk for heart disease.

Research has also proven obesity in adults leads to hardening of the arteries, heart disease, strokes, angina, and heart attacks.

Despite this, relatively little is truly known about the importance of these adult issues in childhood.

Atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) begins in childhood and progresses throughout one's life. But there has been very little research or interest in childhood heart disease, so unfortunately there is correspondingly little information available for parents.

Research for the treatment of obesity has been relatively limited, especially when compared to the epidemic rise in weight gain.

So the most important prevention that a parent can make is to introduce healthy eating habits to their children and avoid overfeeding infants.

Children should not be given food as a reward or incentive because they learn to use it as a stress reliever.

On the other hand, children ought not be deprived of food they need since they could wind up adopting negative feelings about the experience and later develop an eating disorder.

Training on the basic food groups and proper servings will benefit children as well.

For instance, snacks that include healthy foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and grains should be high priorities.

And proper diet ought to be paired with exercise that gets the entire body involved. Good options would be biking, swimming, and walking.

Obesity treatment programs that prove to be successful include:

* Treatment before adolescence

* Willingness on the part of both the children and the rest of the family to participate

* Education of families about the complications of obesity

Involving the entire family in healthy eating habits is a great way to help one's child not feel awkward.

For example, healthy eating can be encouraged by parents providing more vegetables and fruits, and conversely reducing the number of sodas and high fat, high calorie junk foods.

Teenage Obesity and the Link with Depression

Depression has clearly been linked with obese children, yet which precedes the other is like the case of the chicken and the egg. It is unclear which is the cause and which is the effect.

Do children become depressed due to being overweight, or does the tendency go in the other direction?

Dr. Sarah Mustillo of Duke University Medical Center has studied the interaction between the human body's internal and external components.

Her observations conclude that obesity frequently leads to a social stigma that may bring about the onset of depression, chipping away at the child's self-esteem and ability to interact normally with others in the making and maintenance of friendships.

On the other hand, she notes other children who experience clinical depression and consequently eat greater quantities of food for emotional "self-medication," lose enthusiasm for calorie-burning physical activities, and become obese.

The incidence of childhood obesity is soaring.

According to other pediatric medical studies, the longer a child lives in an overweight condition, the greater the risk of experiencing depression and additional physical and mental health abnormalities.

Anyone who has struggled with weight knows intuitively that being overweight for a substantial portion of one's initial pre-adult years takes a far greater emotional toll than living in an overweight condition for a shorter period of time.

In another separate study where obese children rated their quality of life, their feedback resulted in very low scores.

Dr. Jeffrey Schwimmer of the University of California San Diego found this conclusion disturbing, especially as he noticed with some alarm that the rating is even lower than for other children who live as cancer patients.

When assessing distinctions between genders, another study conducted in North Carolina with 1000 Caucasian children revealed that boys are more prone to the obesity-depression connection than young girls.

Dr. Mustillo, referenced earlier, has also observed that the link between obesity and depression can be partly neuroendocrine-related rather than strictly the result of a social malady.

She explained that although teasing and isolation can lead to already-obese children becoming depressed, there are still other complex mechanisms in the human body affecting obesity, depression, and behavioral problems.

Abnormal functioning that is activated in certain parts of the brain during times of stress is thought to be one root cause that triggers depression and obesity.

The HPA axis (Hypothalamus, Pituitary, and Adrenal) secretes a stress hormone, called cortisol.

This hormone is crucial in the metabolism of energy, among its other functions. The downside of its activities is the deposition of body fat in the abdomen.

When fat build-up remains without being burned, the heart and other organs are pressed for greater service than normally required. Obesity, depression, and additional health concerns then become a spiraling, cyclical problem.

So back to the original question of which precedes the other: obesity or depression?

There appears to be no definite, consistent cause of one to the other, but there is surely a correlation!

Neuroendocrine examinations have indicated that body processes play an important role in influencing the accumulation of fat over time, so there is even more at work here than merely playground teasing and low self-esteem.

Medications for Teenage Obesity

There is pharmaceutical relief for teenage obesity.

Though the medical community is firm in its message that lifestyle changes have to be implemented to effectively deal with childhood obesity, there are medications which can be prescribed for overweight teenagers.

As with other lifestyle-related illnesses, obesity is a chronic condition that can require long-term treatment.

Once beginning such a program, there is a slight possibility that an obese person might need to take medications for the duration of his or her life to realize and maintain weight loss.

At the very least, treatment could be necessary for several years.

The mediations most commonly prescribed for obese teenagers are categorized as appetite suppressants and lipase-inhibitors.

The activity of appetite suppressants on the human body is to increase the feeling of fullness in the stomach while suppressing appetite - a person will simply have a decreased craving for food.

These drugs suppress the appetite by interacting with certain chemicals in the brain involved with both mood and appetite.

They include serotonin and catecholamine. Lipase-inhibitors, on the other hand, prevent the absorption of fat by not allowing it to be broken down to a chemical form and then consequently absorbed by the body.

Taking appetite suppressants has been known to reduce weight by several pounds more than that lost through only physical exercise and other non-drug therapies.

The greatest impact in obese teenagers is typically observed after six months of taking the medication. So patience is a must.

Though medication usage should always be considered with a sober mindset, taking the appropriate ones for teenage obesity, however, does eradicate some of the need for diet control and physical activity.

Despite this, studies support that the right medications actually help improve eating and exercising habits.

On another note of caution, these obesity-reducing medications for teens are needed only for those in a position of pending medical danger due to their excessive weight.

Such prescriptions cannot, and should not, be made available casually to teens merely entertaining a short cut for weight loss.

The consultation of a trusted family physician is critical in the decision-making.

Doctors will usually consider the distribution of fat in the patient's body and how many pounds overweight or obese the individual is as a basis for prescribing medications.

The main goal for taking obesity reduction medications is to move away from alarming health dangers brought about by an undue increase in weight.

Obtaining and maintaining an ideal weight based on height and body structure for most obese persons is normally not a realistic goal, though it certainly can be accomplished.

A modest reduction of five to ten percent of one's previous - or benchmark - weight is a worthwhile short-term objective that will lead to an improved state of health.

Beyond the shorter duration, one's prior success can serve as a launching pad for even greater weight loss where deemed still beneficial.

If a teen is very heavy and ill on an abnormally frequent basis, a visit to a doctor to discuss the prospect of controlling obesity through medications would be time well invested.

Once prescribed, the need for remaining on the medications will likely last for years, if not for a lifetime.

However, the benefit of the appetite suppression or prevention of fats being absorbed into the body may well be worth the trade off for greater health through the teen years and into adulthood.

Prevention of Childhood Obesity – A Team Effort

Being overweight can lead to disconcerting health problems for children, so it is much better to keep those health problems at bay by preventing obesity in the first place. How exactly is that accomplished?

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) concluded in its September 30, 2004 report that there is literally no one person to blame for the obesity epidemic rampant in our generation.

The report added that different segments of our culture must work hand-in-hand to prevent obesity from ensnaring so many children.

What can parents do?

Of course, the usual methods of diet observation, restriction on calories, and physical activity belong with parents.

These same parents can routinely impress on their children's minds the importance of eating healthy foods and to exercise regularly.

Extra attention should be given to foods prepared at home since this is where children consume most of their food and where parents have the greatest influence over their behavior.

For example, parents can exchange fatty cheeseburgers and fries for a bowl of fresh fruits, and cans of sugar-saturated soda for fresh fruit juices. TV, computer usage, and video game time (i.e. sedentary lifestyles) can be reduced to a couple of hours per day.

Instead, they can be replaced with sports, traditional running games, and other activities that involve physical exertion.

Despite those possibilities, Dr. Jeffrey Kaplan of the IOM has stated that diet restriction and physical activity required of children by their parents will not alone decrease the incidence of childhood obesity; prevention of obesity must also be addressed at the community and national levels.

What can school do?

They can join efforts of the US Department of Agriculture and other federal agencies to set and enforce nutritional standards for children while they are on their premises.

This include monitoring the foods and beverages sold on school property, including either the removal of vending machines or replenishing them with nutritious snacks.

Additionally, a program that engages children for 30 minutes of physical activities should become part of the everyday school routine.

What can the food and beverage industry do?

At a minimum, restaurants can offer healthy food and beverage alternatives on their typically high calorie menus - and even highlight them as such.

Every meal offered on that menu could be provided a brief nutritional guide for customer convenience.

And how about government agencies? The federal government must publicly recognize that obesity is a national problem, just as with smoking cigarettes. It can lead in the implementation of healthy eating.

The reduction of childhood obesity is also assisted by policies which help with the alleviation of poverty through self-sufficiency programs that empower financial responsibility rather than ongoing dependence on government for sustenance and a perpetual poverty cycle; poverty and obesity are strongly correlated.

Poor families are prone to bear a disproportionate burden of obesity among children because processed food that contains an inordinate number of empty calories are less expensive than, say, fresh ingredients for a salad. Despite health warnings, the appeal of cheaper food is simply too appealing for most who struggle to pay monthly bills.

Every segment of a culture can participate in the reduction of childhood obesity, from the children themselves through our most revered leaders.

Parents can serve as role models in implementing diet restrictions and physical activity for their children, as well as adhering to those same standards for themselves.

Schools can provide time for children to engage in physical exercise each day and eliminate the sale of soda and calorie-laden "food" within their facilities.

Restaurants can certainly provide healthy meal options and nutritional facts about the foods they serve.

And of course, government bodies can lead with policies that reflect a priority toward healthy lifestyles.

How TV and Video Games Lead to Childhood Obesity

TV and childhood obesity unfortunately go hand-in-hand. According to a speech made by the U.S. Surgeon General in 2007, parents need to turn off the television, remove the cookie jar, and get their kids actively moving.

America's weight problems have grown to an epidemic proportion, and over 15 percent of children are obese - that's compared with only 4 percent in the 1960s.

What happened during the past four decades?

Did our bodies change?

No, actually it's our diets and lifestyles that have been modified.

Why TV is a Problem

Instead of playing outside in the afternoon, walking home, or staying late for after-school activities, kids are coming home and planting themselves in front of television and other sedentary-oriented technology.

According to a recent study by the Surgeon General's office, the average child spends roughly two hours each day vicariously "participating" in activities on TV.

After 6 hours sitting in a classroom, that's far too long for a child to remain inactive.

A lack of exercise and poor diet are the two major causes of childhood obesity.

For most people, it's not a health issue or genetic problem at the core - rather, it's simply a lack of physical activity.

Unfortunately, watching television just isn't exercise (don't we wish!), which is why TV and childhood obesity are such dangerous partners. Kids need to be up and moving, whether playing a game, running outside with friends, riding their bikes, or having fun with a video game like Wii Fit which gets the body moving.

Another reason why watching TV can lead to weight gain is that food consumed while doing so or playing video games tends to be consumed in greater quantities.

Because the brain is occupied, children often don't receive the signals that they are full or that their hunger is satisfied until well after too much food has been eaten.

Such over-eating will inevitably lead to undesirable weight gain.

Taking TV Out of the Equation

It may be emotionally difficult at first, but try to limit your child's television watching, video game playing, and computer time to about one hour total per day on school days and two-to-three hours per day on the weekend.

To fend off boredom, enroll your child in extracurricular activities such as soccer, baseball, judo, karate, dance, camping, or any other physical exertion that is both engaging and away from the TV.

"Engaging" is the key. The activity must be something your child enjoys, otherwise he or she will eventually quit.

To begin, sit down with your child and a copy of your local community center's program guide or pamphlets from nearby sports companies. Ask what activities spark sufficient interest to try. Then do it.

Family Patterns

To reduce the impact of television watching on your child's weight, initiate a family rule - adhered to by all family members, including parents - that there is to be no eating in front of the TV.

Television and childhood obesity correlate so well together mostly because people tend to both overeat and eat health-deficient snacks while watching the tube.

Instead, adjust family habits to eat all your meals and snacks at the dinner table or in the kitchen.

Try your best to get buy-in from each family member so that there is a unified approach to home traditions that impact health.

Putting a Face on Teenage Obesity

Out of the entire population of obese individuals in America, it is alarmingly estimated that between sixteen and thirty-three percent are teenagers.

Obesity as a medical problem is easy to recognize, yet is one of the more difficult to treat.

It is a contributing cause of approximately 300,000 deaths every year due to additional health problems that typically accompany excess weight.

Devastating as is the occurrence of death, that, however is not even the sum total of difficulties facing overweight teens.

Obese teenagers, because of their size, may additionally find themselves misfits in social settings.

Jordan Daily, overweight for the duration of his initial 16 years of life, certainly agrees.

He expressed his despair concerning his pre-teen years of not having a comfortable desk in school and how he simply wasn't able to enjoy time on the playground like other children because he could not fit on the sliding board and wasn't even permitted to try the swing for fear it might break.

That only added fuel to the fire with his young peers who could be prone to cruel comments without any additional incentive. As a result, Jordan - as with many other children like him - had to endure constant teasing.

It was as if being fat became a not-so-subtle invitation to harass. Jordan expressed his wish to simply have been normal: "...I just wanted to ride a bike.

I wanted to fit in a desk and do what normal people do." His plea is typical of many obese teenagers.

Longer-term associated health problems related to obesity are typically of far less concern to overweight teens than their immediate problem of the teasing and taunting they frequently endure in the community and school.

They already feel badly enough about their size without others constantly reminding them.

Additionally, it is not uncommon for obese young females to struggle with depression on top of everything else.

Surveys conducted with obese teens to rate their own quality of life consistently reflect low scores - even some younger cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy don't feel as miserable as do overweight teens!

Other studies reveal that obese teenagers have a high incidence of low self-esteem and consequently tend to isolate themselves from others.

Without some form of positive intervention, a very high percentage of them will likely not move on to college, won't marry and will later succumb to live the duration of their lives in a low socioeconomic status.

A 2001 study by Latner and Stunkard further reinforces the findings of previous studies, warning then that the problem was escalating - and is little better today.

The study, a replicate of a 1961 study on the impact of obesity, revealed after teenagers were asked to rank their disapproval of various drawings presented to them, that they listed a sketch of an obese child as the most disdained figure.

So obesity in youth becomes a spiraling problem.

Heavy teenagers not only need the assistance of medical practitioners to help alleviate associated health problems, but additionally require psychological care.

Parents who plan a weight-loss program for an obese teenager need to consider options that include psychological therapy.

This type of care will help prevent their children from becoming unfulfilled adults later by developing a healthy sense of self-worth during their younger years.

Three Steps to a Closer Family

In today's busy world, it's easy to forget what matters most.

Being part of a healthy, loving family is one of the best gifts we can give our children and creating it is much easier than most people think. Three easy steps are all it takes to get started.

Step One: Create an open line of communication. Allowing your children to speak openly and freely about their concerns and troubles is a sure-fire way to increase your family's closeness.

Maintain honesty and you will find that problems get solved more quickly and easily. Instilling open communication in your children will also help them in all aspects of their lives later on. Listen with an open heart and a willing spirit.

Don't judge the thoughts and feelings of other family members. Rather, try to understand where they are coming from and figure out solutions to ease their problems.

Step Two: Spend quality time together each week. Many parents work full-time jobs and it's difficult to fit in time for relaxation and leisure.

This is not impossible to do and it's very important that you make time for your family. Take turns among members of the family deciding what to do together.

Try to pick activities that encourage talking and interaction. For instance, bowling will enhance relations better than silently watching a movie in a theater.

Try to keep the activity lighthearted and fun. Laughter bonds better than anything and its affects will ripple throughout your life for days.

Step Three: Set up a list of chores. This doesn't sound like it will bring a family closer, but one would be amazed to see what it can do.

Having a clearly defined list of responsibilities for each member of the family will ease frustration and resentment among family members.

It will also encourage family members to get involved with household responsibilities and teach them that teamwork is important.

Be sure to put the list up in a place that everyone will see easily and make a point of congratulating people when they do something well.

There are many ways to gain closeness within your family. These three steps are designed to give you a head start and help you create the family life you have always dreamed of.

Initiate conversation with your family and seek out their ideas and suggestions for gaining a closer relationship.

Above all, be open and willing to listen and work together. It won't always be easy, but it will always be worth it.

How To Choose the Best Car For Your Family

When you chose your first car, chances are you looked first at things like how cool the car was and how much you would love to drive it.

Then you looked at the price, and finally you chose what you could afford and tried to find the best thing in that price range.

Choosing the right car for your family is not that different from choosing that very first car. Sure, you have probably bought several cars.

And yes, you may have a slightly higher budget. But the fact is, you need to buy the best car for your family, with the money you have available.

The first thing to consider when choosing a car is its main use. If this will be the "second car" and the whole family will not normally ride in it, the car may not need to be as large or have as many family oriented features.

Next, who will drive the car the most?

The primary driver should be comfortable in the car, and that includes how the car drives, how the seats feel, where the controls are located, how they are built and whether the mirrors and controls are adjustable to the primary driver's needs.

The next thing to consider is not the next thing most people think of, but it is very important. You should be sure that the trunk is large enough and that it has a large opening.

Some cars with large trunks will not hold large objects in the trunk because the opening is too narrow.

You will also want to consider how many doors you need.

If more than two people usually ride in the car, four doors are almost a necessity, especially as kids grow. It can become a very big pain to get people in and out of the back of a two-door car.

Seating room goes along with the number of doors, but be sure that the seating room reflects actual adults.

Even if your kids are small now you want to make sure that as they grow, there is room for everyone in the car without scrunching.

Mileage is also a concern, as many smaller cars that get good mileage may be, in fact too small for your family.

However, as many companies are starting to concentrate more on mileage, you may find a nice van or sedan that will suit your family and get better mileage than your old car.

In the end, choosing a car is a very personal decision for you and your family to make together.

The main thing is that you should feel you have bought a car you can afford, that you and your family can be comfortable in and that will give you years of service.

After all, buying a car is a very long-term relationship, and you should be happy with your purchase for life of the car.

Just taking the time to examine your options and think about what you really need enables you to enjoy your car long after that new-car smell wears off.

Term Life Insurance - Are Your Protecting Your Family?

Why do we turn a deaf ear when we hear the words ‘life insurance’?

While nobody wants to contemplate a scenario that would require you to use it, have you ever envisioned your life – or your family’s life – if the worst was to happen and you didn’t have insurance?

Do I Need Life Insurance?

The purpose of life insurance is to guarantee an income to your spouse and children if you were no longer able to support them.

This is the scenario you should think about; if something happened to you today would your family be able to live in their current home?

Would they have enough money to maintain their current lifestyle?

Would the cost of a funeral become a burden?

Would the remaining spouse be able to support the family with little stress or would the combination of financial burden and loosing you cause unendurable hardship for them?

If you have saved and invested and prepared in other ways, you may feel certain that despite dealing with grief your family would have no financial concerns.

But that is rare. Young families especially are at a disadvantage when debts are high, responsibilities for caring for children are costly, income may not have reached its full potential or one partner is no longer bringing in an income and in most cases savings are low.

This is the scenario that requires a family to purchase term life insurance.

Why Should I Get Term Insurance?

Term life insurance is the most inexpensive form of life insurance. It is priced based on your age and health and is usually purchased in terms of several years – 1, 5, 10, 20 or anything in between.

This form of insurance will provide the highest coverage for the lowest premiums.

While term insurance is not ideal for older individuals since the price goes up substantially with age, it is the perfect solution for younger couples or families who have high debts including mortgages, life expenses and dependants.

The insurance can cover you while your children grow and the mortgage is paid off. When the policy expires you should have invested, paid down your debts and no longer have dependants.

Who Needs to be Covered?

Since insurance is actually income protection – providing money if you cannot – you need only cover the individuals who contribute to the family financially.

First and foremost the MAIN income earner needs coverage. If the main income disappeared it would be crucial for the insurance to cover the needs of the family.

Second, if any secondary income is relied on to cover expenses that person should also have an insurance policy.

This includes the main caregiver if that person is a parent or unpaid family member. Why?

Even if they don’t contribute an income, if they were not caring for the children you would have to pay someone else to do it. Insurance would cover that additional cost.

Third, only if you cannot afford funeral expenses (generally about $5000) should you take out an insurance policy on your children.

There is no reason for children to otherwise be insured as they do not contribute to the family income.

Now You Know…

If you haven’t taken the time to understand the purpose of term insurance, now you can decide if it is in the best interest of your family to provide this protection.

It will give you peace of mind and make all the difference to your family in a time of need.

Tips for a Healthy Family Makeover

Did your family have a long day at work and school?

No doubt you are exhausted and can't wait for dinner to get on the table so you've picked something up on the way home or open a pre-packaged meal to heat up in the microwave.

Maybe after dinner everyone will sit down to relax in front of the TV. Or maybe you still have some work to catch up on and need to battle your kids for time with the computer.

Does this sound like a typical weeknight in your home?

It is for many families. Like them you may feel that your family could improve in overall health and fitness, but with each day flying by it's easy to get distracted and simply keep following the same routine over and over.

IS YOUR FAMILY HEALTHY?

It is never going to get easier, so why not take a moment to determine just how healthy your family is.

Start by using a BMI calculator (just look for one online) to determine if anyone in your family is overweight.

Is anyone overweight?

Examine your eating habits. Does your family eat out or buy fast foods more than once a week?

How many sugar filled soft drinks does your family drink in a day?

How many meals have fruits or vegetables included and what kind of snacks are they eating on a regular basis?

Since many people who are overweight are not eating too much it is often an indication that they are not ACTIVE enough. How active is your family?

Do you drive everywhere?

Watch more than 2-4 hours of TV per day? Does anyone engage in fitness or sports programs?

Even if no one is overweight you may correctly feel your family is not FIT. So what can you do?

SMALL CHANGES - BIG DIFFERENCE

You don't need a major makeover to start increasing your family's health and well being. Some steps to a healthier lifestyle simply require a bit of forethought and planning.

- Sit down for meals as a family.

Eating together without the TV or radio on not only helps you develop an awareness of what and how much everyone is eating, but also builds family bonds with conversation during the meal.

Start with at least one meal per week and build to at least one meal per day together.

- Replace soft drinks and other high sugar drinks with milk and water.

The amount of sugar (up to 13 teaspoons) in a soft drink is not only calorie filled but sap energy as well.

Not having soft drinks or sugar laden fruit punches in the home at all will help everyone develop new habits. Switching to a lower fat milk will also help and is hardly noticeable.

- Reduce TV time AND computer, video games and other sedentary activities.

Having other activities such as board games, outdoor play, household chores and organized sports or programs helps children to develop better self-esteem and create bonds with peers and family members.

- Offer healthy alternatives. Setting out a bowl of baby carrots and low fat ranch dressing is as easy as a bowl of chips and dip.

Buying a jump rope or bike as a gift is as easy as choosing a new computer game or video.

Joining friends for a game of soccer or learning a new dance is as fun as instant messaging or hanging at the mall.

- Start small. It's better to make a few gradual changes than to expect everyone to stick to a new routine.

Making diet and activity changes means you and your children need to plan alternatives or else you will become frustrated and slip back into old habits.

Your efforts to set a good example can set your children up for a lifetime of better health!

Ideas for Spending Quality Family Time

Many parents today would like their kids to watch a lot less TV, and instead, spend some quality family time.

But how do you do that, when both parents are working, and there isn't a lot of time to prepare fun activities on a daily basis?

Let's find out what you need to have handy in order to find time to play with your family.

Create a family activity center that includes fun things for everyone in the family. Here are some ideas, right from your home:

Toilet Paper Tubes: You can play your own version of "bowling" with these. Stand 10 of them up in a "V" shape, and have the kids throw a rubber ball at them (pick a 6" diameter or smaller ball).

Of course, you can encourage the kids to be creative and color the tubes, and you can also come up with different ways to throw the ball: standing on one foot, blindfolded, push it with your nose, etc.

Plastic Containers & Tops: You can use pudding and yogurt containers, or any other plastic tubs to hold your crayons, markers, and paint.

The tops can be used as dials for play dashboards, or even as play dishes, or cookie cutters.

Cotton from Vitamin Bottles: You can use these to make hair for puppets, smoke for volcanoes, or snow for winter games.

Used Gift Wrap: Great to decorate home-made toys, and wrap make-belief gifts.

Fabric Scraps: These have so many uses to keep your kids busy! Make doll clothes, wrap gifts, decorate tins to keep pens in, make pillows and potpourri sachets, create small quilts, etc.

Junk Mail, Catalogs, and Magazines: Great sources of pictures for your family games. You can get decor for that new doll room, people for your next activity, and even a story or two to read.

As you can see, there are many things around your home that can be put to great use for quality family time.

Now, here are some quick game ideas you can play with the family, instead of watching TV:

Reverse Writing: This can make for some great fun for everyone in the family. Ask everyone to write a message for the rest of you, but in reverse.

Then look in the mirror to see how you did. Not only is this game fun, but it exercises the brain of all those involved.

Sand Paintings: Take one of your child's drawings, and make it an art piece. Using a Q-tip apply some white glue, to the drawing, then spread a handful of sand over it and let it dry for a few minutes.

Shake the excess sand off, and you've got sand art. You can take this a step further, and add color to it, but painting the sand.

Create a Book: Who wouldn't love being an author?

Get together several magazines, newspapers, brochures, junk mail, and mail order catalogs, and look for things your child is interested in.

Then, organize the pictures into a story line, glue them onto paper, and tie them together to form a book. Add a "hard cover" made of cardboard and decorated by your kids, and you are done.

It's not hard to find ways to have quality time: all you need to do is a little planning. Go spend some time creating your own family activity center, and be ready for a lot of fun!

Balancing Work Life & Family Life

Think back 20 years or so. The average family had 2 children, one parent who was the main income earner, and one home maker.

Generally speaking, the father went to work and provided the income, and the mother stayed home to perform the unpaid work of raising the kids, doing the washing and making sure dinner was on the table and ready to eat by 6.00pm sharp. There was a definite equilibrium of balance.

Oh, how times have changed.

These days, it's almost a non-existent notion that one parent works while the other looks after the family.

The average person is working longer hours - 9 to 5 seems like something from the Stone Age.

Employers demand more, and employees wanting to further their career happily oblige by increasing work loads and hours.

More than likely the main income earner will leave before the kids wake up, and get home with dinner waiting in the oven, just in time to tuck the little ones into bed.

Not to mention the secondary money puller, who has to fit managing the household to working part-time.

In addition, the creation of single parent families has steadily increased over the past 20 years which makes the challenge of earning sufficient income and finding suitable child care that much more difficult.

So how do we find the balance between Work Life and Family Life? Everyone's perfect balance is not so perfect for others, so there are two key factors that will help you create the balance that's right for your family.

1. Set Goals

You have probably heard it time and time again.

If you don't have any goals, how will you know where you are going?

What are you aspiring to achieve?

More than likely you have career goals and aspirations, so apply these same principles into your home life. Start by writing down and answering some simple questions.

a) What are your goals in relation to your family?

b) How would you ideally like to live your day, week, month, year?

2. Set a Timetable

Time Management is vital to succeeding in balancing your life. Once you have written down your goals, create a 24hour timetable broken down into half hourly increments.

You can either increase or decrease the increments as you go along, but this will give you a platform to start with. Map out your day the way it is now. For example, 6.30 wake, shower and change; 7.00 breakfast; 7.30 out the door.

When you have broken your day down, try and identify pockets of time that can be used in areas that have been defined in your goal setting - like helping with your children's homework, spending time with your spouse, time out by yourself etc.

This may seem tedious, but you would be surprised at how much time you will find to work on your goals, and start creating and living the balanced life you desire.

Are You Teaching Your Kids Unhealthy Habits?

As a parent, you have many obligations and responsibilities to juggle, all centered on your kids.

You constantly serve as an example, not just when they are little, but throughout their lives.

These obligations and burdens mean that you are a constant role model; you are the person that your kids look up to.

This means that how you take care of yourself will have an impact in shaping your children's health over the course of their lives, too.

If you are overweight, and do not take the time to exercise and manage your health, how can you expect your children to do so?

If you see exercise as a chore or a burden, how long before your kids pick up that attitude from you and carry it forward throughout their lives?

Obesity is something that is determined in part by genetics, but is mediated by several other factors as well, among them diet, exercise, and activity level.

Kids are, by nature, high energy. They are always running and shrieking when they are little, and burn off lots of energy by playing.

Make that your focus. Take the time to play with them. Do not make exercise 'trudge on the treadmill'. Make it, "OK, let's go to the park and play ultimate Frisbee".

Do things together as a family. Plan family hikes, walks, and bike rides. Use them as an excuse to get some exercise together and talk about the day.

How much exercise is enough?

In general, try to get 30 to 60 minutes of low-level exercise per day, whether it is walking through the park at a brisk pace, running with the dog, or chasing your kids around the playground with a super soaker. Whatever you do, make it fun.

Give your kids some input into what activities you will do as a family. Some kids get into competition and sports, while some would rather do something fun that does not involve proving that they are better than anyone else.

In particular, pay attention to your introverted children and let them know that what they want to do matters and that they will not get bullied by their older, more assertive siblings.

Since your kids will learn from your example, make sure you are setting the right one. If you are not taking the time to run around and play, they will emulate you and, once a child becomes obese, they can get 'stuck' in that health problem for the rest of their lives.

Searching Home Building Plans For Your Perfect House Plan

Imagine that you have just spent a mere fortune buying home building plan books to try and find that perfect house plan only to find that not one single plan actually fits even remotely close to what you have dreamed.

None of them have the kitchen you have yearned for, none have that beautiful dining room you've envisioned for your family, and not even one offers that master bedroom suite you have been so long awaiting to jump into for a good night's sleep.

Now imagine, what if you had read this article first to learn that you don't need to spend a dime searching for that perfect home building plan?

Does that catch your attention?

Great! The thing is, you can quickly search thousands of home building plans (if that's how many it takes) until you find the one plan that is perfect...and for free!

How, do you ask?

The information highway leads you to the perfect home of your dreams. You just have to take a little time to plan ahead and then sit down at your computer to let your mouse take you on that "www" adventure.

To get started, really take some time to discover what it is that you truly want in your home, such as: your home style, how many bedrooms, how many baths, how many floors, how much storage space you'll need, the overall layout of your floor plan, what kind of kitchen layout would best suit your culinary skills, and so forth.

Next, find a home plan web site that offers the style of home you desire. And finally, enter your search criteria into the web site's own search engine, which most often have, to weed through the plans that don't fulfill your criteria.

Now you're on the right path to discovering the one plan that will truly satisfy you and your family.

Does that sound easy enough?

You'll be surprised how easy it really is once you've taken some time to discover what it is that you truly desire in a home before beginning your search.

When you do, even if you know nothing about home building plans, it becomes quite obvious, right from the start, if a plan either will or won't work for your family.

Perhaps, you will find a plan that may be close to your dream home, but not quite. To be "right on" it may only take a little custom redesign, which is often offered as an option from the home plan designer.

Though quite possibly, you will be lucky enough to find a plan that works perfectly as it is drawn. Nevertheless, you are sure to save money by not having to buy one single home plan book to discover the home that is right for you.

Now, grab your mouse and let's go.

10 Steps for Cooking-Up Family Memories

The kitchen is the perfect place for making memories. When you spend time baking, cooking and enjoying meals with your family, you create happy memories you and your children will cherish forever.

The benefits of preparing and enjoying food as a family are clear. You save money and eat healthier meals.

You create opportunities to connect and communicate with your children and spouse. And most importantly, you show love for your family when you spend time cooking and eating with them.

Children of all ages need your attention and your time. By working together to create a meal or bake a batch of cookies, you spend valuable time together.

So, here are 10 steps to get your family cooking up memories.

Step 1:
Teach small children the fun of cooking by helping them bake cookies and cakes. If you are short on time, you can use a boxed cookie mix and spend more time decorating.

Step 2:
Encourage the littlest ones to play pretend cooking. Kids love to play with real mixing bowls, strainers and wooden spoons. These make harmless toys and can be easily thrown in the dishwasher for quick cleanup.

Step 3:
If you live by your day-timer, schedule in baking cookies with your kids. Our schedules can be so hectic that something as simple as baking a batch of chocolate chip cookies can get skipped over. Write it down and do it.

Step 4:
If you have teenagers, let them play their favorite music while they wash the lettuce and set the table.

Step 5:
Work together with your spouse to prepare the dinner and use the time to catch up on each other's day.

Step 6:
Even if you are in a rush preparing dinner, remember to reduce your stress and focus on creating a fun atmosphere that naturally encourages the whole family to participate.

Step 7:
When spending time preparing food with your children, include lessons about healthy eating choices. Keep the conversation positive and avoid listing foods they can't have.

Step 8:
On days where you anticipate time will be tight, consider taking a short cut by using a frozen stir-fry mix or pasta with a jar of pre-made sauce. Your family will appreciate your relaxed mood much more than a made-from-scratch dinner.

Step 9:
Share the job of grocery shopping. One week have mom take one of the children as a helper, the next week dad can go with another child. Always work from a grocery list and let your children help you retrieve items and cross them off the list.

Step 10:
Have big family meals where you share about your day. Keep the conversation fun and avoid negative lectures over dinner. Remember to laugh.

Take these steps today and make your kitchen a fun and memorable place for your whole family.

Family Meals - Better for Children, Easier for You

Another day, another dinner to prepare. Are you having a difficult time finding easy to prepare meals that can satisfy your growing family?

You want to give your family the best, but time is in short supply and preparing a healthy meal has become a chore. Too often take out or frozen dinners have to do. Is there a way to combine healthy eating with convenience?

Yes! New methods of cooking and easy to prepare staples can change your eating habits and lead to a better eating style for your family.

According to the 'Kid's Health' Program created by the Nemours Foundation, family meals are an important part of developing healthy habits in your kids.

Eating as a family will encourage your kids to eat healthy foods like whole grains and vegetables. It will discourage unhealthy snacking and even make them less likely to try smoking, alcohol or marijuana.

But how do you plan healthy family meals on a tight schedule? Here are some ideas to start:

Does your family love lasagna? Maybe you thought that it was a labor intensive dish that just doesn't fit your lifestyle. Cheesy and full of fat, perhaps it's not even a wise choice.

However, lasagna is actually one of the most versatile meals to prepare - and with instant (no boil) noodles, it doesn't even have to be a big job.

There are lasagna recipes for vegetarians, low-carb, low-fat and even diabetic diets. Lasagna noodles now come in instant, no-cook preparations that cut time and energy when making this hearty dish.

For lasagna or other pasta dishes, try using whole wheat pasta and shredding carrots or zucchini into the meat sauce for an easy way to up the nutritional value.

Using lean ground beef or even substituting with ground turkey or chicken can make for a surprising, yet nourishing result.

Buy bottled pasta sauces for even faster preparation - many grocers carry a wide assortment that will add variety to your dishes.

Looking for an elegant chicken dinner?

Don't forget about frozen skinless chicken breasts. Baked in the oven with a dollop of salsa and shredded cheddar on top makes for a healthy alternative to frying or heavy sauces.

Need ideas for a side dish? Why are you wasting time cutting and washing lettuce when you can pick up a prepackaged bag at the grocers?

Not to say it's the cheapest method, but it definitely helps busy families put nutrition ahead of convenience when planning a meal.

Have you ever tried steaming vegetables in the microwave? Fresh or frozen veggies make for another easy side dish when they're popped into the microwave for a few minutes.

Add a couple tablespoons of water and cover with a paper towel, an easy AND healthy alternative to frying or boiling.

We're all concerned about our children eating healthier foods. Regular family meals will encourage kids to develop healthy eating habits - an important key to good health later in life.

By making meal time less stressful you can focus on the joys of spending time together instead of the hassles of preparing meals.

E - Dove Services   02 - 10 - 2008

How to Get Started Finding Your Ancestors

Genealogy has become a widespread hobby in recent years. People want to know who their ancestors are, perhaps because they want to know who they are.

And knowing who your ancestors are, and knowing something about their lives, will help us understand who we are.

But how do you find your ancestors?

Let's get started.

First, write down all information you can about yourself (birth date, birth place, your parents' names, birth dates, and birth places, marriage date and place, your brothers and sisters, etc.)

You might have to review birth, marriage, and death records to find out this information.

Perhaps you have a family Bible or other records that have been passed down in the family that you can use to gather this information.

How much do you know about your grandparents?

Are they still alive?

You should make a point of interviewing them to find out all you can about their lives. You could record the answers to questions you put to them about their lives.

You want to gather more than just dates and places. You want to know about their lives, habits, accomplishments, relationships, and other interesting information about their lives.

That way your children and grand children will have some interesting information on their ancestors in addition to names, dates, and places.

Also, interviewing your grand parents could reveal information about their parents and grand parents.

Once you've exhausted reviewing the information from your living ancestors, you need to organize what you have.

You can do it two ways:

1. Find paper forms such as pedigree charts and family group records (you can do a search on Google for "genealogy forms" to find forms that you can print out) and enter the information you've found on these forms. Or:

2. You can download a genealogy program so that you can keep your records on your computer.

Free genealogy programs (search Google for these program):

1. Personal Ancestral File (PAF)

2. Legacy Family Tree (You can upgrade for a fee)

You can also purchase genealogy programs that have additional capabilities. Family Tree Maker is such a program.

Once you have your initial information collected and organized, you can then use that information as a springboard to further your search for your ancestors.

The World Wide Web or Internet is the next natural resource for your search.

There are a number of genealogy search engines and directories that you can start out with.

Family Search could give you a great start. It's a search engine of genealogy information databases maintained by the Family History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

It maintains databases of genealogy information, including a search of the information available from the Family History Library. And it's all free.

You can purchase subscriptions to some of the more prominent databases on the Internet, such as Ancestry, One Great Family, World Vital Records, or My Tree. You have to make a determination whether they are worth the cost.

Also, using some of the genealogy directories can help you find resources to locate your ancestors. A couple of directories that you might consider using are Cyndi's List and LinkPendium.

One more strategy that you might use that doesn't require a lot of computer savvy is the use of the general search engines to locate your ancestors.

Every day new web sites come on line with information that you can use. Try starting with Google and search for your ancestors.

Type in your ancestor by full name and surround the name with quotation marks. If you're lucky, you will find some information on the person.

Search Google by name, place, dates, type of records, etc. You will be surprised how much information there is out there on the Internet.

With the technology available today, your chances of finding your ancestors has become so much easier than even 20 years ago.

Then you had to spend a lot of time writing letters. Now you can go to your computer and find more in one hour than your could find in months 20 years ago.

Good luck in finding your ancestors!

Meeting the Challenge of Being a Stay at Home Mom

Whether men agree or not, Mothers are one the most influential group of people in the world.

Since our children represent the future generation, then the women who mold these children, their mothers, deserve to be respected and supported.

As a mother and a parent, you will make decisions that will have a lasting influence on the life of your children and the type of people they grow up to be.

Some of the decisions you will have to make are whether you should stay at home with the children or work outside the home, and if you work outside the home, who will care for your child.

Let's talk about the Mom's that decide to stay home to take care of their family.

Here are five things that will help you meet the challenge of being a "stay at home Mom":

1. Be reasonable. You may start out with the best intentions and expectations. You probably read all the books on the market before your first child was born.

In the end, they may have only added to your feeling of failure and incompetence when things did not go exactly as the books said they should.

Don't buy into someone else's expectations for you and your child. That will only cause you discouragement and disappointment.

Have reasonable expectations for your abilities and the abilities of your children and their growing independence.

2. Simplify things in your life. You need to establish priorities and give more of your energy to the more important things on your list, including the time and personal attention your child needs.

Clean out some of the "clutter" in your life. Get rid of the things that are not really necessary to reduce cleaning and maintenance, and give yourself more room, mentally and physically.

You may think you can have it all, great career, great family and still have time for yourself.

You may even see yourself as the Super Mom, running from one child's activity to another that requires an endless list of gadgets, clothes and money.

You have to determine what is essential and useful to you and help your children to do the same.

Don't try to do it all.

Children need to learn everything in life does not revolve around just their activities.

3. Do what you can, don't worry about the rest. Decide if there are areas that you can improve your life.

If you are working outside the home, can you work fewer hours?

If you simplified your life, could you stop working outside the home altogether?

Is there something you can do from home that would generate an income and still leave you plenty of time for parenting (including the fun stuff)?

If your job or career has been a source of fulfillment, you may need to find another means to satisfy that need if you decide to stop working outside the home.

When you have made those decisions, live with them and don't compare yourself to what someone else may be doing with their home, career or family.

4. Don't try to do it alone. The father needs to have a share in the parenting and the care of the home.

With a husband's help in sharing the housework, you will have time to work on the goals the two of you set together when you decided to be a stay at home Mom.

Perhaps you can form or join a support group of other stay at home Moms so you can share ideas, lunches, swap play dates or the like.

It is important that you have some adult conversation in your day or you will drive yourself mad and beat yourself up with guilt for wanting that adult exchange.

5. Make time for relaxation. To be successful at being a stay at home Mom, you need to stay balanced.

Even though your child's needs are important, so is your keeping yourself happy and content. That means you need a way to relax.

Make time for yourself every day, even if it is only thirty minutes. Train the children to play quietly or nap for a while so you can recharge your batteries.

Enjoy a book, some soothing music, working on your hobby, etc. If you do this every day, you will feel like a new person.

Being a Mom can be one of the most rewarding careers available to a woman.

If these suggestions are followed, your job as a Mom can be much more enjoyable, successful and satisfying.

You can do it!

Your child is worth it.

E - Dove Services  26 - 09 - 2008    New

Making The Most Of Hard Times

If you are struggling to make ends meet, start making plans today to overcome possible problems tomorrow.

Making the most of hard times means being as prepared as possible for any circumstances that come your way.

Food prices are skyrocketing. Gasoline is going higher every week, sometimes every day. Foreclosures are up. There are many more expenses climbing at rates never seen before.

It is time to start planning for changing times. Those who have a plan and have prepared, even a little, will have an easier time than those who just go with the flow until it is too late.

What type of plan can you make? What can you do today to prepare for tomorrow. Traditionally, people have been told to save money.

Often 10% of your income is the amount you hear to save. When you are having trouble paying the bills, it is hard to start saving $1.00 much less 10% of what you earn.

Most people find themselves in trouble before they know what is happening. They get laid off or down sized. Sometimes someone gets ill or hurt and cannot work.

The causes of trouble are numerous, but with some well laid out plans you could avert some of the disasters you see others encountering.

To start make a list of all of your expenses. The obvious ones like rent, utilities, gasoline and groceries are easy.

The hidden ones like money spent on sodas at work or coffee at the local kiosk also add up. Figure out what you spend.

Plan to cut expenses wherever you can and lower expenses in other areas. Totally eliminating something often saves a lot of money. Cutting back may save even more.

Cut back on the cuts of meat you buy. Cut out expensive snacks and substitute healthier fruits and vegetables. This article is about is getting you thinking today and preparing for tomorrow.

Do you drive a large vehicle? Could you pay the payments on a smaller car with the savings it would give you on gasoline? 28 to 35 miles per gallon instead of 8 to 15 MPG might save you from problems.

A recent article said the older Geo Metro was getting close to 45 miles per gallon of gas. Could you downgrade to a clunker for most of your driving?

Carpooling was a big push back when gas was well under $2.00 a gallon. Maybe it is time to find two or three people to carpool with.

Go online and search for “frugal living” or “money saving ideas”. Start now to prepare for tighter times tomorrow.

If your house is in foreclosure, it is too late to start saving to protect your investment. Today is the time to start planning on how to get through and maybe even thrive as prices go higher all around you.

Finally, if you see problems in your future, think of getting a second, part time job. Two to six extra hours a day may mean you are tired for a while, but it also may mean you have time to get the answers you need to make life better for yourself and your family.

Sept 08 2008  E- Dove Service

The Gift of Self Knowledge

One of the greatest lifetime gifts that a parent can give to their child is the gift of self knowledge. This gift will keep on giving for their children's entire lifetime.

If your children have a solid grip and understanding of their very own unique selves, you will help prepare them to be stronger, more confident, and have greater self esteem.

Each person is born with a unique personality and their own set of personal interests. These characteristics are part of the package that we are all born with, but individual uniqueness is not always recognized or identified and developed in childhood.

Some children seem to sense and know from a very early age just what they enjoy and want to do for the rest of their lives, while many others need some help and nudges along the way to find their uniqueness and their very own passion.

Children born to the same family and raised in a similar manner are each unique regardless of their upbringing.

For instance, one child may show an avid interest in caring for animals, and this child will probably spend a lot of time with the family pet, and their reading preferences will be about engaging animal stories.

Another child in the family may be extremely interested in exploring and finding out how everything works.

This child will keep you constantly on your toes with their never ending questions about everything from wanting to know how your