How to Protect Pictures and Video of your Family

Digital cameras continue to grow in popularity.  It is becoming the norm for precious memories to exist exclusively in a digital format.  The average person copies photos to their computer and saves them, but how many of those pictures are ever printed on photo paper? What happens when that computer eventually crashes?

One method for sharing, organizing, and storing photos, which is becoming very popular are the online photo sites.  They allow members to upload, organize, share, edit, and print pictures.  The problem with these sites is that once the photograph is uploaded to them, the member will eventually have to pay that company each time photo prints are needed.  That’s fine as long as the company stays in business, as long as their quality remains intact, and as long as the member doesn’t need pictures in an hour.  These are several things to consider and should encourage everyone to at least keep backup copies of photos whether the online photo websites are used or not.

Saving pictures exclusively to the family computer that everyone uses is not very secure or reliable either.  A computer that is used daily to connect to the Internet is exposed to many dangerous threats that can corrupt data and ultimately destroy, not only pictures and precious memories, but any hard work which is stored there.  It’s alright to save files and pictures to that computer, but precautions should be taken immediately to protect them.

Use a hardware firewall to protect that computer from the Internet.  Firewalls are available at all electronic retail stores that sell computers and are easy to install and configure.  Use a trusted antivirus program to monitor the computer for harmful viruses, Trojans, and worms.  Install a spare hard disk drive into the computer and either manually copy important files to it or use a software backup utility to do it automatically.

An even better idea is to build a stand alone computer that is used exclusively for storing pictures, important file, and videos.  Do not connect this computer to the Internet and be sure it is password-protected and logged-out when not in use.  Install a DVD writer in this computer and make DVD backup copies of all important files and keep the DVD’s stored in a locked box or filing cabinet in a temperature-controlled room.  If this computer needs to be networked to the computer that uses the Internet, then it is possible to block Internet usage on the backup computer and still send files back and forth between the two.

Protecting Your Family from Home Invaders

The security of your family is very important. Not everyone can afford home security systems or guns. This article describes several easy and inexpensive ways to prepare a home to protect your family.

Always know that if someone wants to break into your home badly enough, they will find a way. That doesn't mean that you should make it easy for them to do so. It is surprising to me how many people have told me that they lock the doors to their home only while away. This is very dangerous! Purchase a deadbolt lock for any doors that are easily accessible to the public and keep these doors locked at all times. Start a habit of locking all doors at all times. If you leave to go to the store, lock the door behind you. When you get home... lock the door behind you. Teach children to lock doors behind them and to always see who is knocking at the door or ringing the doorbell before opening the door.

If the home is equipped with wooden window panes, use a power drill to drill a hole in one corner of each window where the upper and lower panes meet. Make the hole large enough to insert a heavy gauge nail. The nail should be easy to remove in case of emergency. It's not a bad idea to tie a piece of string to the head of the nail to make it easy to pull out. The point of the nail is to make the window difficult to open from the outside.

To secure a sliding glass door, cut a broom handle or stick to fit the space in the track behind the door where it slides when it is opened. It is very easy to bypass the latch on a sliding glass door, so be sure to leave the stick in position while the door is not in use. If you have a fenced-in yard, be sure to lock the gate when not-in-use. Also lock storage sheds with a lock large enough that it may be seen from outside the fence.

Leave a light on during the night, both inside the house and outside. This may just deter someone from breaking in if they think someone may be awake inside the house. Also, it's easier for crooks to operate in the dark. If you own a dog, give them full run of the house during the night. They have amazing hearing and will let you know if someone is snooping around outside.

Cover all windows with shades or blinds at night so that it is difficult to see into the home. If it is easy for someone to see from the outside that you own the latest game system, a huge expensive TV, or maybe some expensive artwork, then it may prove tempting for a would-be thief to put your home at the top of their list. Actually, if you can afford all of these high-dollar items, then a home security system is probably a wise investment too. The bottom line is that your family's safety comes before all material things. If you find yourself in the situation where someone has entered your home, let them take your money or some of your belongings if it means that they leave without harming anyone. Then call the police and file a report

Announcing a Pregnancy to Family and Friends

So you just found out that you are going to be a parent. How exciting! How should you inform your family and friends? Here are some suggestions.
 

Many young, expecting couples decide to announce a pregnancy via a huge gathering of family and friends so they can tell everybody the great news at once.  This type of gathering is fun and allows everyone to hear the good news at one time.  The problem with this plan, however, is that the future parents don't get to see everyone's initial reaction to the news. If this is a concern, a more personal visit with each person may be the better choice.  One-on-one visits allow intimate conversations with each other and the satisfaction of seeing the joy on peoples’ faces when they hear the good news. Save the big parties for the baby showers or just have a huge gathering after everybody knows.

On a piece of paper, write a complete list of family and friends. Arrange these names in order by when each person or group will receive the good news. The parents of the expecting mother and father, if they are still living, should be the first ones to know the good news, since they will be the child's grandparents.

Decide who lives close enough to visit and who will receive a friendly call instead. Plan this carefully because good news travels fast. You don't want someone special to receive a phone call from another friend or family member before you are able to tell them. Plan the visits so that phone calls can be made to the out-of-town friends and family while you are on the road from one in-person visit to the other. This is the most efficient way of reaching more people in a shorter amount of time.

For parents and grandparents of the expecting parents, it is a good idea to present them with a gift; something with a significant reference to grandkids or great-grandkids. This gives an element of surprise so that you can watch the look on their face change as they realize what they are hearing. It is very exciting for everyone involved. A book about how to spoil grandkids or a picture frame or flip book with "grandkids" engraved on it are some suggestions.

Take pictures and video while visiting with friends and family and then write about the experience, including the date and time that each were told. These will make interesting entries into the baby's memory book or even a personal blog and you'll be glad that you took the time to do it when they read it years from now.  Don’t procrastinate and allow precious memories of this joyous occasion to fade into obscurity.