www.dual3.co.uk

Phyllis Goldberg, Ph.D.

The meltdown in the economy and the crisis in confidence couldn’t have come at a worse time. Have you been feeling stretched by the financial pressure? If you’re facing tough buying decisions, the responsibilities of the holiday season may even be getting you down. These are challenging times. This year, in more ways than one, you just have to let go of the idea of a perfect Christmas, Hanukah or Kwanzaa.

Even though it’s important to honor the tradition of giving, the accumulation of material things can’t hold a candle to the gift that matters most. Bringing cheer to others is a great way to cheer yourself up as well. And you can do it without breaking into your savings account. With the holidays fast approaching, you certainly don’t want more pressure. So follow these practical tips and keep stress in check as you focus on more joy and less stuff:

1. Give the gift of connection. Put heart in your relationships. Arrange a regular weekly date with your parents. Invite them out to lunch, a museum or the movies. Send a card to someone with whom you’ve lost contact. Enclose a recent family photo, your email address and a promise to keep in touch. Drive an elderly neighbor to the grocery store, a doctor’s appointment or the shopping mall.

2. Give to a worthy cause. Get the family or a group of friends together and spend a couple of hours at a homeless shelter. Pass forward gifts you’ve never used. Or bring some toys or clothes that are in good shape. Buy a small present for a street person you pass regularly and make eye contact when you give it. Put a big smile on your face and help cook the holiday dinner at a soup kitchen. Make a donation to Aunt Sue’s favorite charity; every gift counts no matter how much you spend.

3. Give of yourself. Enjoy time with your friends by inviting them over for an evening of fun. Organize a potluck dinner and have them bring their signature dish. Cut down on expenses by exchanging memories instead of presents. Or express yourself and create some of your holiday gift items. Make a coupon book filled with orders for good deeds. Add a personal touch by baking decorative cookies with the kids. Show others you care with an IOU to babysit so they can have a much needed night out.

4. Give to yourself. Take some down time over the holidays. For a couple of hours each day, try not to focus on your problems. Curl up with a great book from the library, watch the ballgame with your teenagers or take your grandkids to the park. Enjoy peace of mind by paying down your debts. Hold back from buying lots of gifts or taking the family on an expensive outing. Decide together how to spend a fun and relaxing day. Your family will understand and grow from the experience.

The holidays don’t always have to look like a Norman Rockwell painting. You create more stress for yourself if you stick to old routines and operate on automatic pilot. Begin to lay the groundwork for change in your gift giving rituals. As you can see, it doesn’t have to cost you anything but time. And when money is tight and life is challenging, connection and support mean the most.

It will be a gift to yourself when you recreate the joy of simpler days. Small changes can represent a new beginning. Take heart as you give a little that feels like a lot. And in these hard times, that’s a good lesson for all of us.

2008, Her Mentor Center

Phyllis Goldberg, Ph.D. & Rosemary Lichtman, Ph.D. are founders of http://www.HerMentorCenter.com, a website for midlife women and http://www.NourishingRelationships.blogspot.com, a blog for the sandwich generation. They are authors of a forthcoming book about family relationships. They offer free newsletter Stepping Stones.

Laurence Harmon

You

Qing Gu

What do give a man who has everything? One of these unique birthday gifts for dad, of course!

Grilling for Golfers

Is your dad the king of the golf course and the grill? If so, here’s a gift worth taking a swing at! Not only will the PAR-B-QUE 3-piece grilling set help him show off his golfing prowess right there on the back yard bar-b-que, but the extraordinary design is like no other. Each of the three pieces offers the perfect combination of function for the grill and love for the game of golf.

He’s guaranteed a hole-in-one with the spatula putter and golf ball tongs, and the grip on the meat fork is fit for a champion! Every grill master needs his tools, but take it one step further by giving him something he can be passionate about!

The PAR-B-QUE 3-piece grilling set is an unparalleled choice of unique birthday gifts for dad. After all, nothing brings out the caveman in a guy quite like standing over raw meat with a club in his hand — is there any better gift than that? This one is an ace for sure!

Engraved Cuff Links

If your dad has that certain “distinguished gentleman” allure, then the set of personalized silver cuff links just might be the ideal gift. Each stunning silver cufflink in the pair arrives engraved with one, two, or three initials of your choice, offering a handsome nuance to his professional wardrobe.

Even if your father is more casual than collected, personalized silver cuff links still make a great gift. If dad only dresses up on special occasions, your touching gesture will mean that much more. In fact, he’ll pull your gift out for all of the most important moments in his life, and that makes for an exceptional birthday gift he won’t soon forget.

Business Card Sculptures

Almost everyone has business cards these days, and now you can turn them into truly unique birthday gifts for dad! Even a man who seems to have everything isn’t likely to have one of these unusual items on hand, so you can bet on this one being an instant hit!

The golfer card sculpture is the ideal desk accessory for a father who loves the game of golf.

All you need is to send off 20 of your dad’s personal business cards and you’ll receive a perfectly posed three-dimensional figure with one heck of a golf swing! Your dad can admire the stance and show off his business all at once, and it’s the ideal distraction for those days when he’d rather be anywhere other than work.

If you dad prefers the expanse of his executive office to the golf course, then the executive business card sculpture is the better choice for him.

He’ll find it impossible not to smile when this hardworking cardboard figure catches his attention, and you can be sure that it will! This little man sits at a desk that offers a great view of the face of the business card as he takes an important call, and every detail has been meticulously crafted to create a conversation piece that you can bet that he’ll proud of.

Both card sculptures arrive on a handsome walnut base and include a glass dome that offers a full 8″ of coverage. The classic presentation is the perfect finishing touch to this spectacular and very unusual gift!

For more information on unique birthday gifts for dad and last minute birthday gift, go to www.Coolest-Party-Ideas.com for some extra personalization fun!

Don VanPelt

My kids love to play outside in the winter, especially when there is ten feet of snow. But, I don

Francis Hosein

During the holiday for some people it can be very difficult to choose who or where to go when there is a blended family involve.

This new way of celebrating the holidays can be difficult for the children in making grown up decision of who they want to spend time with.

Creating new tradition

It can be difficult for the newly formed parents to decide who to go to for the holidays because you may feel that who ever you pick to go to as an example with the in-laws the other may feel bad or left out.

Creating a new tradition can be the way to go to bring newness and fun for you and your children and to be open to this new way of behaving.

Children have a hard time in accepting change when comes to leaving one parent behind when they are accustom to having their traditions at Christmas.

No guilt

Children in a blended may have a hard time accepting the new person into their family because of the fear of liking the new person as much or close to their feeling for their parent.

Children may feel that they are doing something wrong or that they are forgetting their parents

A. Nutt

Black Friday is not the only big shopping day of the year. There are plenty of other days that are giving it a run for its money. However, it is still the leader with its fantastic deals after Thanksgiving Day. But what are the other shopping days and seasons throughout the year that are proving to be quite profitable for businesses? We know that there are more than one.

Mother

Tamil Selvi Aldragen

Choosing safe toys for toddlers is an important job for any parent. You need to keep in mind the child

Dee Adams

Is it time to plan your kid’s birthday party again? Every year around that time you’re wondering - has it been a year already? What are we going to do THIS year? I don’t think I want 20 kids at my house again… so, what other options do we have?

If you’re that mom (or dad), here are some suggestions:

Build-A-Bear Workshop

For the kids who love Teddy Bears - this is the ultimate Teddy Bear birthday party. Kids get to choose a Teddy Bear (or any other animal within the price range selected) and give it a personality by stuffing it, fluffing it, giving it a voice, dressing it up, accessorizing it, and giving it a name. There is also a “Heart Ceremony” where each kid gets to choose a “heart” and make a wish, before placing it inside his animal.

Each kid gets a “Birth Certificate” with his Teddy Bear’s name, and a little cardboard house to take the Teddy Bear home as a goodie bag. Teddy bears, voices, clothes and accessories all vary in prices. You can designate a price range (starting at $10) for each one of the categories that suits your budget. Parties are for 6 kids or more and include a “party leader” who manages the party process and entertains the kids.

Chuck E. Cheese

Chuck E. Cheese is a chain of family entertainment centers and has been a kids’ favorite for many years. It offers indoor fun activities and games for kids of all ages. From play structures, tubes, slides and small rides to Air Hockey tables and arcade games.

Birthday parties at Chuck E. Cheese are fun and affordable. Parties are scheduled throughout the day, every day, and combine playtime with party time. Party tables are decorated and set up by the Chuck E. Cheese staff (as well as clean up) and are reserved for 90 minuets.

Every party gets a birthday performance featuring “Chuck E. Cheese and his musical friends” who entertain the kids with a little song and dance show. In a typical party each kid gets Pizza, soft drink, cake and game tokens (number of tokens depends on the package you choose).

The birthday kid gets a collector’s cup, cotton candy, a crown, and a helium balloon. Additional party options such as extra cake, goodie bag, or collector’s cup are available for purchase. You can also bring your own cake and/or ice cream.

Golfland Entertainment Centers

There are currently 9 Golfland Entertainment Centers throughout California and Arizona. Each Golfland has a unique theme and many combine different kinds of attractions. Birthday party packages at Golfland and SunSplash entertainment centers vary for each location. Golfland Birthday Party package ranges between $8.50 - $12.99 per kid (depending on the location) and requires 10 kids minimum.

Basic package may include One round (18 holes) of miniature golf, pizza and soft drinks, arcade tokens, party supplies, and complimentary round of golf for the birthday kid.

The Sunsplash Birthday Party package is for kids 14 years old or younger, and require 10 kids minimum. Each package costs $23.00 per kid Monday - Thursday, and $24.00 per kid Friday - Sunday, and may include all day admission to Sunsplash Waterpark, Hamburger & fries or Pizza and a soft drink, party supplies, and complimentary Waterpark Pass for the Birthday Kid.

There are also add-ons and upgrades that can be purchased for each package (where available): Miniature Golf, Laser Tag, Race Cars, Bumper Boats, Golfland Waterslide, Golfland Arcade, Birthday cakes, Goodie bags, and Ice Cream.

LEGO

For kids 6 and older who love LEGO - this is a dream come true. This ultimate LEGO party offers 1 - 1.5 hours of creative play activity in the LEGO store. Each party is customized for the birthday kid and is led by LEGO party host.

There are different themes for boys and for girls to select from:

BIONICLE

LEGO Star Wars

Mosaics & Creator

LEGO Racers

LEGO CITY

Party package starts at $10 per child, and the minimum number of kids is 5. Each kid get to take home a goodie bag with a set of LEGO, and the birthday kid also gets a LEGO Birthday Brick.

My Gym Children’s Fitness Center

Each birthday party at My Gym is age appropriate and tailored to the birthday kid’s favorite activities and games. Birthday party packages vary from one location to another and may run for 1.5 - 2 hours.

Cost for each party also varies depending on the location and the number of kids, which can be from 15 - 25. Each package may include exclusive play in the gym and is facilitated by My Gym trained teachers.

Activities include games, gymnastics, Space Flight, puppets, rides, songs and other birthday festivities, where the birthday kid is at the heart of the celebration. All kids get to participate in all activities.

My Gym staff will setup and decorate the place, serve the refreshments and even clean up after the party. Party goodie bags can be added to the package at additional cost.

Pump It Up

Pump It Up offers indoor birthday party packages for kids ages 2 and up and features huge inflatable play structures in different shapes and sizes for climbing, sliding, jumping and playing. There are two birthday party packages to choose from:

“Classic party” is for up to 25 kids and “Mini-Classic Party” is for up to 14 kids. The kids get to spend some time in one play area, then move to another play area, and then at the party room.

Both Party packages include Color invitations, party supplies, supervision by trained staff during play time, and Party set up and clean up. Pump It Up goodie bags and inflated helium balloons can be added to each package for additional charge.

The Little Gym

Each birthday party at The Little Gym is tailored for the birthday kid and is facilitated by friendly staff. All parties feature fun activities with movement, and exclusive use of the gym for the duration of the party.

Birthday parties are 90 minutes long and can be scheduled for Saturday or Sunday. Birthday party packages vary for each location.

The cost for each party depends on the location and the number of kids, and may include Two staff members to facilitate the party, setup and cleanup, “The Little Gym” invitations, party supplies, and “The Little Gym” T-shirt for the birthday kid.

YMCA

The “YMCA” is a world-wide not-for-profit community service organization with a special emphasis on community development and

young people. The YMCA’s mission is building a healthy spirit, mind, and body and its motto is “We build strong kids, strong families, strong communities”.

Birthday party packages at the YMCA vary from one location to another. Depending on the facility, some parties may include swimming, games, and sports activities. Cost varies for each location.

For more details about each party place and photo gallery please visit the Birthday Party Places section of our website: http://www.cool-kids-places.com/birthday-party-places.html.

Dee Adams is a mom to a 7 year old boy and the owner of Cool Kids Places, a website for parents looking for fun and interesting places to go with their kids.

Jack Olikon

In the first place, you’re the envy of many people, excluding the ones who are crazy. Small town life is better suited for human beings. We were not meant to be crammed into 20-story skyscrapers that are less like apartments than filing cabinets for people. We were not meant to spend three hours per day in traffic. We shouldn’t have to smoke cigarettes just to clean the smog out of our lungs.

Like breaking a bad habit, it will take some time before you lose your big-city ways and settle down with the locals. The locals can tell that you’re from the big city. They can’t miss it. They see the way you hug the walls and dart everywhere, speak only when spoken to, and drive your car like you stole it. You’re either from the big city or seriously antisocial.

Your tempo of life will be exceptionally out of place the first year. This is because the big city has no tempo of life. It has a frenzy. The small town has a tempo, and it will gradually make itself known to you. It will come out in the way the postman gets to your door just before sunset, the stores all close by suppertime, and every driver on the road gives you the right of way. They’ll gently nudge you into their way of thinking when they surprise you by remembering your name the next time you walk in the store, and indeed by caring what it was in the first place.

Just after you’ve moved to a small town is the best time to take some vacation from work. Give yourself a reason to sleep in a couple of mornings, then just tour around the town and take your time getting to know it. You won’t have your potentially hectic job getting in your way, so you’ll be able to relax. You’ll also have a couple of nights to sit up in bed wondering what that sound is. Oh… it’s crickets.

Big cities make you a little paranoid, and it will take some time for that twitchy reaction reflex to go away. You no longer need a crowbar to defend yourself from beggars and panhandlers in front of the store. Look around and notice the lack of graffiti and vandalism. Start your day with the local TV news; where before you got to hear an endless stream of shootings, robberies, and kidnappings, now a water main breaks in the town’s only park - and it’s the story of the day!

Shopping will be a pinch. Businesses in small towns tend to be limited in options and to close early. This is a good time to brush up on your online buying, since the Internet gives you so much more variety. But look for quirky little shops that you wouldn’t find in a big city; for there lives the soul of a small town. Be ready for a slower pace on shopping day. The clerk will be talkative and candid, and any locals you bump into there will be going on about the weather like they’ve never seen it before.

Where do they have the fun in this town? Well, fun is what you make of it. If you’re single, you’re going to have a tough time of it. Small towns are for families, where you have the kids running around so much that boredom is a welcome relief, and where mum and dad make their own recreation after the kids are in bed. Don’t miss the community attractions, though - go see that World’s Largest Ball of Twine and get your picture taken next to the giant plaster Mexican Tyrannosaurus Rex wearing the sombrero outside the tacquieria. Spot some trains, chase a kangaroo, and go fishing for trout. Isn’t that what you came for?

Don’t worry, the natives know that they have a boring life, and they compensate. That’s where all the goofy pumpkin-bowling contests and line-dancing nights come from. If there is a bar within city limits, it will be infected with the karaoke virus. Getting so drunk that you can’t control your singing used to be just something annoying that people did, but now it has a name and they charge extra on the drinks for those nights and there’s a club to join for it. It got popular because it turned out to be a great way for 40-year-old singles to hook up. It’s easy to find a date when you’re all at someplace that’s guaranteed to be stocked with people who have nothing better to do at the moment.

Just know that once you’ve adjusted to small town life, you can’t go back to the large city again. You’ve culled yourself from the herd. You’ll just take off walking across an intersection forgetting that you can get flattened by the next SUV driven by the Starbucks-addict on her cell phone. You’ll greet a stranger on the street and his response will be to mug you. And you’ll never be able to sleep there, because you’re used to not sharing a wall with neighbors. No, it’s too chancy to risk. Just stay in the small town circuit and let the rest of the world drive each other crazy.

Jack manages a backload furniture removalist company in Australia. The company specializes in quality interstate furniture removalist. Based on the Gold Coast in Queensland but moving homes nationwide. Quality assured furniture removals company, . Moving home Australia wide has never been easier than with Jack and the guys at Mardi Gras backloading furniture removalist

Laurence Harmon

A recent study conducted by the Coalition to Protect Choice in Senior Living found that an astounding 84 percent of Americans over 50 expect that, within the next 10 years, at least one member of their immediate family will move into a senior living community, and that nearly one-quarter of those over 65 anticipate that they will do so as well.

There’s more. More than one-half of younger Americans–Baby Boomers, 76 million in number, the largest generation in our history–believe that their own parents will be relocating from their single-family homes into a senior housing project within the decade.

As might be expected, the study found that cost and quality of care will be the most important factors as these Boomers and seniors evaluate the various long-term housing options.

Prospects will be very budget-conscious as they consider assisted living or nursing home care. They intend to keeps costs at a minimum. Fully 78 percent of the study’s respondents agreed with the statement, “It is difficult to find the quality you desire at the price you can afford.