At-home Activities for Sick Kids
Children tend to get mighty cranky and clingy, and for most part of the time, get highly irritable when they are smitten by the flu or by any sort of sickness. What they crave for, at such times is, undivided attention from their parents and family members. As a parent, you have to be ready to take on all the duties of caring and fending for the child as well as provide means to keep your child’s mind engaged, so that it takes their mind off the sickness. In situations, when the child is affected with chickenpox or scarlet fever and is forced to stay off the school limits for days on end, it is only but natural for the child to get bored and lethargic. With the help of some activities, you can ensure your child is kept busy in something productive than have him/her get cranky all the time. Besides, it will prevent depressing moods from brewing at home level as well.
Kids love to play outdoors and having to sit at home all day will add up to their crankiness and irritability. Allow them some time daily to soak up some essential vitamin D and breathe in some fresh air; this will help make them feel better as well as speed up their recuperating process.
Throw around a few pillows and create a treasure cove for you and your child to rest during the daytime. To make it more interesting for your child, stack the fortress with books, puzzles and movie DVDs. Dress up your child (only if he/she is feeling up to the mark) and treat him/her like a true prince/princess; just playing this game will definitely make your child feel better and will surely take away the sickness blues.
Do not allow your child to get the sickness blues; instead keep boredom away with some games they will enjoy. Just to see your baby smile, try ‘horsing’ around. I can guarantee you that your child won’t show a hint of boredom with this activity. The mere presence of a smiling face can cheer up your sick child and keep the spirits soaring, by simply being there.
A good move will be to get your child involved in your hobbies (the one’s you enjoyed as a kid!). Take out that old treasure box you have hidden in the attic and get your child to spot the different types of coins/stamps/pens that you have collected over the years. You never know your child may carry forward that legend one fine day. Probably, you could team up this activity with a gist of how you acquired the particular stamp or coin.
Children love toys for the mere reason that the toys allow them to try out stuff with them without complaining. For a change, play a dummy with your kid, and boost your child’s creative streak. So what if you end up looking like a clown who has run away from the local circus? At least you’d have brought cheer to your child’s face.
Snip, snip, snip. There you go; give your child some colorful papers and a scissor and let him/her unleash their apparently active minds. Help out with making paper men and lanterns and use it to decorate the house. Ask your child to help out with decorating the living room or any other room with these paper cutouts. It will keep your child engaged in the activity as well as keep their crankiness at bay.
If your child’s not too comfortable with scissors and cutting, then simply hand some crayons and color pencils/pens and ask him/her to prepare greetings. After all, playing with colors makes the mood vibrant, and there is absolutely no harm if the child is sitting quietly and coloring his/her way to glory.
Leave your child alone for a brief period of time and let him/her play with soft toys. One of the observations made by many parents is that, allowing the child to play with toys puts them on a faster road to recovery. Besides, there’s an unspoken comfort when it comes to cuddling up with soft toys even when you’ve surpassed the age limit to play with one.
How nice to have your sweet little cookie help you out in the kitchen! With your child’s help, prepare something he/she likes to eat. This way, the food you prepare won’t go for a waste and the two of you will have a nice time together. Allow them to have the upper hand here, as that will ensure they do not get cranky.
Revisit some of your fondest memories with your child by taking out old albums and scanning pictures. You can even create a mosaic of the best pictures with his/her help and use it to decorate the house. Another activity that you can do with them around is, create a music CD or DVD with your child’s selection of songs. This will surely keep his/her spirit soaring for a long time.
Bored, eh? We will see that you won’t be anymore. One fun activity you and your child can try is make dolls out of paper foil, wool and socks. Once you’re done, ask your child to narrate a story with these dolls. You will have a nice time making them and then listening to interesting stories of your child.
Daddy dear, make some time for your precious little one and race a toy car please. Play with your child; it could be video games or simple car races, but your child will enjoy this activity the most. You can even build a rail at home; this way, you can deliver goods to your child and he/she can return some back to you. Indulge in some board games if your child is not feeling up to the mark to move around the house.
How very nice if someone sings, ‘You are my sunshine, my very sunshine …‘ Take a guess at what will happen; your child will begin feeling better almost instantly. Now for that little smile, you can indulge in excess pampering, can’t you? It worked for me though!
Remember that your child needs rest; make it compulsory to keep time aside for rest time. During this time, you could tuck your child to bed with a nice little story or song. Cuddle up close with your child and give him/her your undivided love and attention; that’s one of the best activities your child will love doing.
A little “pick-me-up” and “tuck-me-tight” time won’t take away anything from you or your pocket; and the best part is that it comes free of cost. Before signing off, I’d like to wish your child a speedy recovery; take care!
Lace-Up High Heels
The type of high heels you can add shoelaces to are ones that curve above the toes, and ones that don’t have a lot of embellishments on them already. That’s because you’ll have to create holes in the shoes and that’s difficult to do if the high heels have rhinestones, cord, and other embellishments.
If you have an eyelet setter it doesn’t take long at all to create the new, lace-up version of the high heels. The little, hand-held contraption can be found at a craft or fabric store and works to easily create small holes in the shoes. Start near the curve above the toe at the top, but off to the side, to make the first hole. Make one on the opposite side as well. Continue to make pairs of holes, one on this side, and then one on the other side, until you have five or more sets of holes. The holes should go around to the middle of the side of the shoe, on each side.
Use an extra-long shoe string – or even a piece of narrow ribbon – to lace up the shoe. Thread the shoelace and string it like you would a regular shoe, but with the excess ribbon or shoelace, wrap it around your ankle, and then tie a bow.
There are variations you can do with the lace-up high heels, including making larger holes, and threading a wider ribbon through the holes. No matter which version you make you can bet on the fact that everyone will notice your fabulous and fashionable high heels.
Steamboat resumes travel on Mississippi
The Associated Press
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Priscilla Presley smashed a champagne bottle against a steamboat Friday, christening the American Queen as it resumed voyages along the Mississippi River.
In this Thursday, April 26, 2012 photo, the American Queen steamboat rests at the boat ramp on the northern tip of Mud Island as dawn breaks over Memphis, Tenn. The refurbished steamboat will be offering river cruises up and down the Mississippi and its tributaries. (AP Photo/The Commercial Appeal, Mike Brown)
“Just floating down the river brings back a lot of nostalgia for the heartland,” said Presley, the former wife of the late rock ‘n’ roll icon Elvis Presley, who lived in Memphis before his death in 1977.
The American Queen is the largest steamboat in the world, carrying 436 passengers. The 418-foot-long vessel is taking tourists on long-distance trips on the Mississippi for the first time since 2008, when its previous owner ceased operations.
The christening took place just before the boat left its home port of Memphis on a seven-day river cruise to Cincinnati.
The boat was purchased in August and has been refurbished and recommissioned by Great American Steamboat Company.
Presley thanked the boat’s owners for naming her godmother of the boat. “She’ll be bringing fun to families and friends from all over the world,” she said, adding that the American Queen represents a city her husband loved.
She also praised the company for creating more than 170 jobs with the relaunching of the cruises. The cruises are expected to have an $ 89 million impact on the area economy, with travelers spending on flights and hotel rooms before and after trips, and during shore excursions.
The boat will be traveling along the Mississippi and its tributaries to cities such as Vicksburg, Miss., Louisville, Ky., St. Louis, New Orleans and Pittsburgh.
Steamboats on the Mississippi represent a storied chapter in American history and folklore, harking back to the 19th century and the writings of Mark Twain.
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April 27, 2012 05:31 PM EDT
Copyright 2012, The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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How to Get Veteran Education Benefits in California
If you are a California veteran returning from Operation Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom or any other military campaign, you are eligible for education benefits such as the California Fee Waiver program. It’s just a matter of knowing what those benefits are and how to take advantage of them.
When I separated from the military, I did it in California. I knew that my Montgomery GI Bill (which I later transferred to the Post 9/11 GI Bill) would provide great education benefits. What I didn’t realize was how many benefits I would receive if I chose to go to a state school. If you are a returning veteran in California- even if you aren’t a resident- consider these benefits and options.
California Veteran Fee Waiver Program. California will waive tuition costs for any veteran that wants to go to a California state school, to include community colleges. If you aren’t a resident of California, the state will also waive the non-resident fee for a year. After that year is up, you can re-apply as a resident if you have a California driver’s license.
However, if you are a discharged veteran, you can’t leave the state for more than a year for non-temporary purposes. If you do, you will be charged the full non-residency fee. Just make sure you have any evidence showing that you can still vote in California elections or are still a permanent resident if you do temporarily leave.
Eligibility. If you are an active duty veteran stationed in California for at least a year before you separate, you qualify for these benefits unless you are stationed here for educational purposes. If you are a grad student, there’s a two-year limit for the fee waiver benefits.
It isn’t just veterans who qualify, either. Spouses and children of these veterans can also qualify for the fee waivers. Students can’t earn an amount above the national poverty level as of December 31st of the last year to receive the fee waiver benefits. This includes any financial support from parents. The spouse qualification includes certified domestic partners. If your dependents are going to grad school, the fee waiver is only good for one year.
How To Apply For Fee Waiver Benefits. You can apply through the administrative office of any California state school. They will hand you the College Fee Waiver Program application, which can be found at this link. Remember that you’ll need a Service Connected Disability rating from the VA. That can take a number of months to receive. If you don’t have a rating, contact your regional VA office to get the process started. You should be eligible for the Benefits Delivery at Discharge program which will speed up the process.
Dependents will need some sort of documentation proving they are a spouse or child of a veteran. Birth or marriage certificates as well as dependent government-issued ID should suffice.