Get Rich. And Quick!
You have probably gotten a million emails along these lines. The wife of the disposed leader of Nigeria. That hot stock tip. Stuff envelopes from the comfort of your home! With only a little effort, you can become rich!
You probably wonder why these emails are even sent anymore, does anyone fall for them? Well, the reason spammer send them is people still get hooked. The lure of easy money is too much for most people, especially people that are pinching their pennies and are on single income. Since the cost of sending spam is next to nothing, even if they get a few responses for every million emails, they can still make a little money.
The truth is that there is no reliable way to make money quickly with no effort. No matter what the salesman on your doorstep tells you, hang on to your pennies! There are reliable ways to make money, but they usually take time and effort. Investing, side jobs, even this crazy thing called blogging are some of the ways you can get rich.
Putting away a set amount of money every month, even if it is only $50, can go a long way in 40 years when you retire. Compound interest is the best friend you can have in the financial world, it will repay you many times over. Ignore those hot stock tips and invest in a mutual fund or index fund that will grow at a nice steady pace. If you keep your money in safe places and limit your risk and the downside, the upside will take care of itself!
Free and Amazing Photo Organizer
So you have kids and a digital camera. That probably means you have anywhere from 1-10000 pictures and videos of them. Most digital cameras come with software to help you organize and edit your photos, but most leave a lot to be desired. One of the best programs out here also happens to be free! It is called Picasa.
This program is amazing. It can watch your picture folders, adding new ones anytime you plug in your camera. It creates thumbnails of all your videos and pictures for easy organizing and editing. You can do a lot of basic editing, cropping, red eye reduction and a bunch more.
One of the best features is you can choose what format to print pictures in. You can have wallets, 5×7, 4×6, all the common formats. You can print out the best pictures and give to family members as gifts!
You can also have it resize images before you email them so you don’t clog your family’s email accounts with glorious pictures of your kids.
Once I discovered this, I threw out the horrible Canon software and have never looked back. And that was about 6000 pictures ago!
Family’s Best Friend on the Cheap
If you have a pet, you know how easy it can be to spend money like no one’s business on them. A new collar, chew toys, fancy food, plush beds, even clothes in some cases! All that can add up very quickly, you would think a tiny sweater would be $5 or so, not $20!
We have one 50 lb dog that we budget $50 a month for and that seems to work out fine. You will have months where the costs will be higher, the yearly checkup is one that comes to mind, but it will usually even out in the end. One way to save money is to purchase any medicine like Frontline or anti-flea soaps or sprays online and NOT at the vet’s office. They can be almost twice as expensive in some cases!
We do splurge a little bit in this food category, buying the slightly expensive Eukanuba pet food instead of a generic product. They are probably all the same but we have been with Eukanuba for the dog’s entire life so why switch now.
If you have a baller like we do, you can find huge lots of used tennis balls on eBay for next to nothing. They usually come from a tennis academy or school and have plenty of bounce left in them. You can usually get them in lots of 50 or more that will last for many many years. Don’t buy fresh tennis balls just for your dog to slobber all over and chew through.
Just keep in mind that pets are quite content with only a few things and really don’t need that plush velvet bed.
Reading Comprehension, Part 3
Some final thoughts on Reading (although I may return to the topic again sometime).
Be sure to include some books in your routine that do not have printed words. Children can look at the pictures and help you tell the story. Talk about what is happening in each picture. Pause occasionally and predict what will happen next. Make connections to the story, “Has you ever seen a helicopter like that?” One of my favorite picture-only books is Good Dog Carl.
Eventually, when your child has the needed attention span, try books that do not have pictures. Talk to your child about what they ‘see’ in their minds as you read the words. Or, have them draw pictures to go along with the story.
Be sure to include some non-fiction literature as well. Informational books about animals or trucks can be just as stimulating and interesting for your child.
Establish reading as part of your daily routine and your child will be one step ahead of the game when school begins. Did you know that there are some children who begin Kindergarten not knowing how to turn pages of a book and who cannot recognize the front vs. back of a book?
Finally: Reading is a FREE activity! You don’t even have to buy a book. Visit your local library and borrow books for free. Or spend a little money at a Friends of the Library Book Sale, garage sales, or online book trading sites. Organize a book swap with your neighbors or other parents of young children.
Keep on Reading!
Reading Comprehension, Part 2
Tips for supporting your young child’s reading comprehension:
1. Have your child ‘read’ a story to you. This works especially well when it is a book that you have read to him 159 times already.
2. After reading a story, ask what they remember about it. Talk about your favorite part. Even if your child cannot voice their own thoughts yet, they are getting good modeling from you. me: “What did you like best about that story?” him: silence me: “I really liked the doggie in the story.” him: silence me: “Remember that day when our doggie ran around in circles just like the doggie in the book?” him: smile me: “We were laughing and laughing, just like the little boy in the story.” him: “Molly ran round and round and round!” me: “Yeah, she did!” him: “Read the story again.”
3. If your child has enough words, have him tell Daddy (or anyone – his stuffed bear) about the story. Remember to model doing this yourself for a while first. Even if it sounds silly to you to tell your spouse about the Pokey Little Puppy and his adventures.
4. Make connections to the book. For example, if you are reading a book about baby animals, remind your child of when you saw the baby animals at the zoo. If you read a book about a boy who likes trucks, ask your child if he likes trucks too.
5. Make predictions. Pause throughout the story. Ask your child what he thinks will happen next. Even if they can’t respond, model making predictions yourself. “I think Thomas is going too fast on the tracks. I think he will crash! What do you think will happen?”