Building a Kid-friendly Computer

Do you worry about your children using your computer? What trouble can they get into on the Internet? What harm could they do to your important data? Why not build them a computer of their own?

Build your children a computer using some inexpensive parts that you buy online or recycle an older computer. The child’s computer doesn’t have to be very powerful or loaded with memory. Just build something functional that they can call their own. If the hard drive is used, format it in order to wipe it completely clean. Install an operating system that you are familiar with. For this example, we will use Windows XP. Once the operating system is installed, remove all applications that your child doesn’t need. This should free up quite a bit of space and remove a lot of distracting icons. Install some fun children’s learning games and create shortcuts for them on the desktop.

Customize the computer to match your child’s tastes. Apply cool stickers to the computer case or even paint it a wild color. Adjust the screen resolution so that the text and icons are larger and easy to see. Change the background on the desktop to a colorful splash with some familiar cartoon characters that your children will recognize. Once you have everything set the way you like it, create a store point using System Restore. This is found by clicking the “START” button and going to All Programs>Accessories>System Tools>System Restore. Chose the option for creating a restore point and name the restore point description something easy to identify, like the current date. Now, if your child changes a critical setting by accident, you can restore the computer to perfect working order.

Take control of your child’s online experience. Buy a router and configure it with policies that restrict the times that they can access the Internet. For even more control, purchase Internet monitoring software that will block websites based on your criteria. Use Windows Remote Assistance software or one of many available remote access programs to monitor your children’s activities if they are located in another room or if their monitor isn’t visible to you. You can also configure your router to save a log file of the pages they visit that they cannot delete unless they have access to the router.

Password-protect your own computer and leave it logged off when you are away from it to encourage your children to use their own computer. Check the permissions on your computer and turn off sharing to the root of your hard drive. You will not have to worry about them accidentally deleting your files or infecting your computer with any malicious viruses. Let them have all the fun they want with their computer and if they mess it up, just reformat it and start all over.

How to Spend a Relaxing Day at the Beach by Yourself

A day at the beach with the whole family is fun, but a day at the beach by yourself is an entirely different experience.

Do some research online and find a quiet, secluded beach that is appealing to you.  The best beaches to visit when you are searching for a little peace and quiet are the more natural ones without an overabundance of hotels and residential homes.  Believe it or not, beaches like this do still exist and they’re not that hard to find.  You may have to drive a long way to get there, but it will be worth the journey.  Even beaches in close proximity to you may be less populated in the off-peak season and during the week.  Take plenty of supplies with you so that you are comfortable.  Pack a first aid kit in case you find yourself too far from civilization to acquire medical assistance.

Explore the beach and admire the awesome beauty of nature.  Take lots of pictures with your disposable camera, but leave everything else untouched so that the next person to visit the beach can enjoy its natural beauty as well.  If you were brave enough to bring an expensive camera, be very careful to protect it from sand and moisture.  Early in the morning and late in the afternoon are the best times to get dramatic beach photographs.

Find a secluded spot and spread your beach towel or bamboo mat.  Enjoy the soft, peaceful sounds of the waves crashing and the birds chirping.  Immerse yourself in that good book that you’ve wanted to read.  Don’t forget to apply sunscreen several times throughout the day.  You can still be burned by the sun’s ultraviolet rays on a cloudy, overcast day.

Do not swim in the ocean while you are alone.  If you are pulled away from shore by a strong rip current, there will be no one to save you.  Save swimming for your next visit to the crowded public beach with lifeguards.  Never turn your back on the ocean!

Take all of your belongings and your trash with you when you leave the beach.  If everyone can manage to do the same, the natural beaches that we have left can remain beautiful forever.

Finding the Best Deals at a Children's Consignment Sale

Why pay retail prices for children’s’ clothes and toys when you can pay a fraction of the price for lightly used items at a children’s consignment sale

The basic idea behind a children’s consignment sale is that someone gives an organization, often a church or school, some articles of clothing or toys which are clean and lightly used.  The organization will tag the item with a price and a reference to the seller.  The general public is admitted and when someone buys the item, a large percentage of the money goes to the seller and a small portion to the organization, so both parties benefit.  These consignment sales may be listed in local newspapers or even mentioned on web sites like Craigslist.org.  Friends who also have young children are also good resources for discovering new consignment sales.

Most organizations who conduct consignment sales will offer a discount to the people who consign their items.  Volunteers who help with the sale also may receive a discount and be allowed early entrance to the sale.  Early entrance is a great privilege because it will give you access to the best items at the best prices.  Also, you get to shop with a much smaller crowd.  Some popular things to search for at children’s consignment sales are the “boutique” items, which are normally isolated in their own section.  These are high dollar items like fancy dresses and shoes and usually cost more than the average items.

If you do not consign or volunteer for a sale, but you do want to shop, be sure to arrive early and bring a container, like a clothes basket to carry your purchases.  Also be sure to bring some cash as many consignment sales are not equipped to process credit cards.  Be prepared to navigate through a highly motivated crowd.  Due to the low prices and crowded spaces, it is not uncommon for tempers to flair and for people to get into arguments over items.  It is best to avoid these confrontations if possible.

How to Clean Your Home a Little Each Day

In one week or less, a home can transform from a perfectly clean living space to a completely horrific nightmare of clutter. It's difficult to explain what causes this phenomenon, but there are several easy solutions to recover from it.

In most homes, it is natural for clutter to accumulate in a short period of time. This does not mean that the inhabitants are filthy people or that they do not care to keep a clean home. Clutter is evidence that people; busy people at that, are living in the home. The following steps should assist in maintaining a clean home within a budgeted amount of time.

Share the responsibility! If two or more people live in the same home, then each should be responsible for cleaning it unless one of them is under the age of three. Everyone should take responsibility for their own belongings and also for their messes. This is simple. If only one person in the home wears a size 13 shoe and there are two of them lying in the living room floor, it is that person's responsibility to relocate the shoes to a closet or appropriate storage space. If food that is packaged in a wrapper is opened and consumed, the wrapper should be deposited in the garbage can and not on the coffee table or on the floor.

Use the "Back and Forth" method of spot cleaning. This really works! Start at one end of the home and identify all of the things that do not belong. Pick up a few; not too many, and walk to the other end of the home. Upon passing the spot where each item belongs, deposit it neatly and continue on to the other side. Repeat this process, starting from the opposite end. With a radio positioned at a halfway point, music may be heard throughout the journey. Several things are accomplished using this method. The home slowly becomes organized. The person cleaning gets some valuable exercise and entertainment by singing and possibly dancing as they go. The entire house does not have to be cleaned each time this method is performed, but it is a useful means of managing clutter in high-traffic areas.

Once clutter has been cleared, it is a good idea to perform deeper cleaning. Scrub or mop floors, dust furniture, and vacuum carpets and rugs. As with the "Back and Forth" method of cleaning, deep cleaning does not have to be done all at once. Pick one day to clean the kitchen. Clean the bathrooms another day. Only do as much as time or energy allows.

By using these steps to keep a home in a manageable state, there will be less stress involved when a surprise visitor drops in unannounced.

How to Make Your Wife's First Mother's Day Special

Mother’s Day is a special day in which we remember the important women in our lives who have earned the distinct honor of motherhood.  The most cherished celebration of Mother’s Day is the first one for a new mom.  Here’s how you can make it memorable.

Celebrate every Mother’s Day by doing special things for your mother and your grandmother. When your wife becomes a mother too, it is crucial that you don’t overlook the importance of recognizing her on this special day. She will remember her first Mother’s Day for the rest of her life. The goal for a caring husband is to make the day special so that she will remember it fondly. Start planning Mother’s Day for your wife months in advance to allow you enough time and savings to make it extra special.

Begin Mother’s Day by allowing your wife to sleep-in.  Attend to the baby’s every need without asking your wife for help and keep the house quiet so that she can rest.  Fix a nice breakfast including her favorite foods, like omelets, pancakes, or crepes.  Serve her breakfast in bed and give her some pretty flowers, but don’t go overboard.  Arrange a few bright and colorful fresh-cut flowers in a pretty vase.  When she is finished with breakfast, give her a long foot massage followed by a soothing body massage.  If the baby is still sleeping, you could also use this time for a little intimacy and maybe share a warm shower together.

Plan an event-filled day and include activities like a trip to the park and a picnic.  Be sure to take your baby along so that you all get to spend time together.  As the strong and loving husband that you are, you should take over the responsibility of feeding the baby, changing all diapers, and carrying as many baby supplies as you can on your own.   While you want your wife to enjoy the company of your child, you also want this day to be very stress-free for her.  Take lots of pictures to include in your photo albums.

Enlist the services of a babysitter, preferably a trusted family member, and take your wife out for an elegant dinner and some entertainment.  Try to plan something that you don’t normally do.  Take her to a nice restaurant that you’ve never tried.  After dinner, go see a play or take a romantic night cruise.  Explore whatever couples-friendly activities are available in your area.  End the evening with a romantic stroll through a safe and well-lit area.  When you find an especially beautiful spot, pull the piece of paper with the special poem from your pocket and read it to your wife.  Share a sweet and passionate kiss with her.  If all of these things are done with love and sincerity, she will remember them in perfect detail for the rest of her days.  If your babysitter is willing to keep your baby all night, surprise your wife even further by reserving a nice hotel room with a Jacuzzi tub.  Find the coziest bar that you can in your area and take her there to enjoy a few of her favorite drinks before retiring to the hotel for the night.

At the end of the evening, when you’re both snug and comfortable in the room and your wife is expressing how wonderful a time she’s had; provide her with one last sweet surprise.  Give your wife her actual Mother’s Day present.  An ideal gift for a first Mother’s Day is one that represents her, you, and your baby in a keepsake that she can hold onto forever.  A picture of the three of you in a nice frame is one idea.  If you are resourceful enough to have made something with your baby’s hand or foot prints on it, this is a good occasion to give it to her.  When it comes to the gift, it’s not the dollar amount that’s important, it’s the thought.  The dollars all go towards the events leading up to this moment.