Melissa's Idea Garden

I received an email today that sent me to Snopes to learn about a threat I had never even thought of. My children are older and probably wouldn't try to see what hand sanitizer tastes like, but for a younger child who likes to explore, a lick of hand sanitizer could cause them to end up in the hospital. Take a few moments to read this article and be sure to warn friends, family, schools and churches that you are in touch with. These events happened two years ago and I had never heard of them.

Posted by Melissa Markham at 7:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yesterday, we made the orthodontis trip. Jack does have a bit of an overbite and the orthodontist recommends 2 years of braces to help correct the problem. The bill....$4500.00! That as much as I paid for my first brand new car!

We are contemplating whether we will do this or not. It's tough being put in these choices. If it was simply cosmetic, we would probably skip it. But since there can be issues with jaw problems, we are considering what to do.

As Jack says...."$4,500.00! But it's just some wire!">

Posted by Melissa Markham at 4:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

I have never ever been camping before in my life. My husband and I almost went once back in the mid 1990s. We borrowed a tent, but in the end, we ended up spending one night in a lovely bed and breakfast and one night in a Holiday Inn. A couple of years later, we made preparations for camping out. We bought a tent, sleeping bags, those egg crate things for under the sleeping bags. We put the tent up in the back yard...it was a really nice one. The kids had fun playing in it. But we didn't realize that we should do something to it to protect it from the elements. It was nylon and one day during a storm, the tent was torn to pieces by the wind.

This year my daughter spent some money she had saved up on a tent. Foolishly we got the nylon kind again. It wasn't up long, but there was a lot of work going on in our yard and we had to keep moving it around and then we got it set up where we wanted it and a terrific windstorm came through and broke the poles that held it up! She wants another tent, next time we will go for a canvas tent with stronger poles and we will find out what we need to do to the material to protect it.

Who knows, maybe once we get the tent thing figured out, we will actually go camping!

Posted by Melissa Markham at 10:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The vast majority of computer users have Microsoft products on their computer. And every couple of years, Microsoft comes out with a new and improved product, but this also means there is a new and improved price tag. Because Daniel is a computer consultant, we always have the latest Microsoft products. It is necessary for his job and a business expense for us. But there are many others who would like to update, but find the cost prohibitive.

Well, I have found a solution for you! Check out www.CostCaptain.com! This website has a section that is dedicated to educators. If you are a qualified educator, you are eligible for tremendous discounts on several Microsoft 2007 products.

You may be eligible if you fall in one of these categories:

- Accredited Educational Institutions
- Administrative Offices & Boards of Education
- Faculty and Staff of eligible educational institutions
- Enrolled Students of eligible educational institutions
- Public Libraries
- Public Museums
- Home-School Programs

I have found Microsoft Office 2007 to be a vast improvement over previous Microsoft Office products. The layout is more user friendly and I am able to navigate through the Office Programs with ease. There are many features that I have found useful in my day to day activities. If you are in the field of education, you know how useful programs like Excel, Word, and Publisher are. I also really like the new Microsoft Photo Editor. So, if you have been wanting to upgrade, but funds have been low, then check out www.CostCaptain.com. Your budget will thank you!

Posted by Melissa Markham at 11:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We hear a lot about global warming these days. I just read an article that adds other causes to our planet's warming and the soaring use of natural resources. Divorce, people remaining single longer, and the move away from mult-generational households are all adding to the toll on our planet. Take a married couple....they divorce and now you have two households.

Instead of one refrigerator, you have two. Two hot water heaters. Two dishwashers. And then there are the raw materials that go into creating two separate domiciles (wood, glass, metal). If one family sits in their living room watching TV together and making use of the living room lights, that is less electricity than that same family divided into two homes and both of those homes watching different TVs and using different lights.

It definitely provides food for thought! I wonder if the political bandwagon is going to start advocating making it harder to get divorces and a return to multi-generational home. Maybe we will be required to get married by 20 or we will have to move into an apartment with others to preserve resources.

Just something to think about! Be sure to read the National Geographic article for more information.

Posted by Melissa Markham at 8:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The magic of Santa is a delightful part of childhood. But even Santa can use a helping hand from time to time. It is hard for him to answer all the letters he receives. After all, if he sat around answering letters, he would never get any toys made or lists completed. However, as a parent, we know the joy a child feels when they open up the mailbox and there is mail for them inside.

Letters From Santa is a company that is here to help. You can order a personalized letter from Santa to be sent to your child. And yes, there is still time! I don't know about you, but when my children write their Santa letter, I keep a copy of what they want from Santa, helps me with my shopping. You can incorporate that information, along with your child's gender, age, up to 3 of their accomplishments of the past year, and the name of the city you will be in for Christmas into a letter that will be sent to them on gorgeous Santa stationery. The envelope also has a Santa picture on it along with a postmark from Santa's Post Office.

And right now can you get this wonderful letter that your child will always treasure, but you can also get a follow-up post card that shows Santa on the beach and a door hanger for your child. Add a little more magic to your child's life this year! Merry Christmas!

Posted by Melissa Markham at 8:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today, MSNBC is reporting that 35% of the toys still on the shelf that have higher than acceptable amounts of lead and other dangerous chemicals. That means more than 1 in 3 toys has unacceptable amounts of lead. What are you doing regarding lead toys in your home. My children are older and I haven't worried about it too much as their toys don't often end up in their mouths. I do wonder about the possibility of the lead out of these toys getting into the environment. I mean, wasn't that one of the big problems with lead paint? It chipped and the lead got into the air and ground and carpet?

One point made in the article was that the lead is not always in an 'accessible' form. I guess that means it is so bound in the materials that it won't leech out? So many questions, but are there any answers?

Posted by Melissa Markham at 11:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I was thrilled when I was offered the opportunity to try Microsoft Student With Encarta Premium 2008. I didn't Microsoft had such a product out there, but let me tell you, we have been enjoying it tremendously now that we have it! I loaded it onto my son's computer, and now I want to load it on my own! I also have been having a hard time getting Jack and Katrina to stop fiddling with it and do something else! Jack, 10, in particular has been enjoying it tremendously.

Let me start at the beginning and tell you a bit about Microsoft Student with Encarta Premium 2008. This is a productivity suite of homework tools designed to help students excel. This version includes the following:

• Encarta Preumium 2008 - The #1 best-selling encyclopedia brand with content you can trust
• Learning Essentials - Complete with preformatted templates and tutorials designed for Microsoft Office (sold separately)
• Microsoft Math - which provides step-by-step help with math homework.

I installed this program easily (for me that is always a plus. I only had to click a few buttons (mostly next and okay) to get the program up and running.

Continue reading "Microsoft Student with Encarta Premium 2008" »

Posted by Melissa Markham at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Are there baby clothes on your Christmas list? Or maybe, baby clothes are just on your everyday list. We all know that when you have a baby, they go through a lot of clothes because they grow like weeds. One minute, they are in the cute 3 month old clothes, the next day, they need the 6 month old clothes!

Well, if you need baby onesies and t-shirts and you are in seeing range of these words, hurry up and check out Uncommonly Cute baby clothes right now! Because today, Cyber Monday, they are offering free shipping! But only today. I wish I had found out earlier, but there are still a few hours left! Just enter 'Monday07' at checkout!

Even if you do miss out on their great free shipping deal, no matter. They have so many cute sayings you will be wanting to fill up your shopping cart! I like the onesie that says 'freshly baked' and the one that says 'worth the wait.' They also have cute t-shirts for boys, girls and some really cute onsies designed just for twins! The baby on your list will be sure to get extra smiles with these cute clothes!

Posted by Melissa Markham at 8:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UPDATE: Kristen is the winner of this wonderful program! Sorry, I forgot to do the drawing yesterday! It was one of those days!

My children have been enjoying JumpStart programs for 7 years. They have learned math skills, geography skills, computer skills, reading skills and memory skills by playing Jump Start games since they were about 3 years old! And the best part is that they had fun while they did it! I always felt like Jump Start games were well created. The games were engaging as well as educational, the kids didn't complete them in one sitting and the cost was reasonable.

I was thrilled when I was offered the opportunity to check out the JumpStart World 1st Grade educational software. JumpStart has gone to a whole new level with this game! It is an interactive game and what you initially get are 2 adventure packs. This includes over 80 learning games and missions. Once your child has mastered these two adventure packs, then you can subscribe to the online site and get a new adventure pack every month. This means that as your child progresses, the challenges will increase and at a very reasonable rate! (either 7.99 a month or the remaining 10 packs at once for 64.99.) But, you may just want to play the two games included on the disk and if you do, that is also more than fine. However, I have a feeling that once we get through these two adventure packs, we are going to want to enjoy more experiences in JumpStart World.

Continue reading "Product Review: Jump Start World 1st Grade New for 2008! AND GIVEAWAY!!!" »

Posted by Melissa Markham at 10:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

I recently had the opportunity to receive and review three educational toys from Learning Resources. I was pleased to get this opportunity as we have purchased items from the before and we have always been pleased with the quality of the toys, the pricing and the fact that the toys engage our children's imagination. With Christmas coming up, and people scrambling for gift ideas, I want to share information about each of these toys it may help you with your Christmas shopping.

If your child has never played with Gears! Gears! Gears!, they are in for a treat! My kids have a small set of Gears! Gears! Gears! and they have used it to make puppies that walk, cool looking aliens and other concoctions. That's why I was excited to get the chance to add to their Gears! Gears! Gears! set with the 121 piece Lights and Action set from Learning Resources! This set comes with a motor and has parts that spin, sparkle and glow in the dark! I can't wait to see what cool creations they make with it!

Gears! Gears! Gears! Motorized Lights and Action Building set contains 121 pieces with easy-to-assemble interlocking gears, bases, connectors, and lights that offer high action fun in daylight or you can watch them glow in the dark! The easy-to-use motor lets children control all the action!

This particular building set encourages children to figure out how gears work together. Because if you don't line them up correctly, they don't turn and your creation doesn't go. This is a basic engineering principal that they are learning while they play! Get your child something new and different this holiday season! My kids guarantee they will love it!

Continue reading "Learning Resources: A Great Resource For Quality Educational Toys" »

Posted by Melissa Markham at 8:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I know that since my stepchildren were small, all I heard from the 'authorities' was to praise them for what they did. To say what nice colors they used in a picture (that looked like nothing) or to talk about their great grades. What I either missed or wasn't told is that you need to be careful with the words you choose.

A recent study showed that children's performances and the next task they were willing to tackle could be balanced on whether they were praised for being smart or whether they were praised for their effort.

In the one study, they gave children a puzle to do. For 1/2 of them, the test giver told them they were smart when they completed the puzzle. For the other half, the testers told them they put forth a lot of effort and worked hard. Then they offered all of these children the choice of another puzzle to do. The majority of ones who had been told they were smart, chose the 'easy test', the one that was like what they had already taken. The ones that were told they had put forth effort to complete their task, chose the harder puzzle (90% of the time).

Now, first of all, I find it interesting that the results give an exact number of how many kids chose the harder test, but would only say the majority of the other kids chose the easy test. Maybe the majority was 51%. I always question studies. What was their original hypothesis. How did they word the questions and do the statistics really support what they say or have they twisted them to do that. As a sociology major in college, I learned that statistics can say whatever a person wants them to say.

The next step of the test was to give each student the same test, one that they would fail (it was two years ahead of their grade level). For those who had been praised on effort, they didn't get nearly as bent out of shape as those who were praised for being smart. The ones who had been told they were smart, now seemed to feel they had failed. Whereas the other kids seem to feel like they just needed to put forth more effort.

The bottom line is that words do matter. Instead of praising your child with the empty word of how smart they are (and really, what does the mean?), praise their effort, their work ethic, their perseverance. Give them the tools to feel like they can lick anything with enough work. Don't give them empty words that sets them up for failure and feelings of mediocrity and for an unwillingness to take risks.

I highly recommend you read the complete article. There is lots of interesting information. As a parent, I want to help my kids to succeed in this competitve world.

Posted by Melissa Markham at 2:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Childhood is a time for magic. Children grow up so quickly nowadays. The reality of the world is thrust upon them on a daily basis. I think it is important to help them to enjoy the innocence and magic childhood has to offer for as long as possible. I debate this with myself yearly. After all, I don't want my children to feel lied to. But I have such fond memories of Christmas magic when I was a child, that I decided it was important for me to pass on to my children a taste of that same magic.

When I think back to my growing up years, I remember the joy of leaving cookies and milk out for Santa, the belief that I knew I heard those prancing and pawing hooves on my roof, and the delight when the next morning would find the milk and cookies devoured and presents left under the tree.

When I turned 6, I lost my two front teeth on Christmas Eve. Imagine my happiness to find money under my pillow on Christmas Day and presents under the tree. Remember my surprise when I noticed a square piece of foil...the same one that I had left under my pillow the night before for the tooth fairy! We quickly determined that Santa and the Tooth Fairy must have been at my house at the same time! (And I missed it!) They probably got to talking. I am sure Santa shared some of his milk and cookies (what a treat for the tooth fairy) and in the joy of their meeting, the tooth fairy forgot my teeth. I left them under my pillow again for her that night and she rewarded me with two more quarters. What a year that was!

Continue reading "Christmas Memories...Arrange for a Magical Phone Call From Santa" »

Posted by Melissa Markham at 11:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

None of us like to think about the fact that we will one day die. Wills, life insurance, guardianships for our children are all things that we tend to put on the back burner. It is almost like we believe that if we don't do something about it,the event won't come to pass. And conversely, it is like we believe if we do make those preparations, we are tempting fate. In fact the opposite is true. In homes around the world, spouses, children and even parents are relying on you. What if the unthinkable were to happen and you were to be involved in a fatal accident? Would your family be taken care of? Don't put your family in a situation where they are not only having to grieve for you, but they are wondering if they are going to be kicked out of their home.

Don't know where to start? Which type of life insurance to get? Let Advantage Life Insurance Company help. They can explain the different types of policies that are available. They will help you save money on insurance. Whether you want whole life insurance policay or a term life insurance policy. Whether you are overweight or a smoker, they can help you protect your families future.

Posted by Melissa Markham at 10:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Do you have a child heading towards college?

Do you have funds set aside to pay for those college years?

Some of you may be lucky enough to have a student who qualifies for a scholarship, even luckier if they qualify for a complete scholarship, but for the vast majority of us, college means needing to come up with tens of thousands of dollars. And most of us parents don't have it. So what are the options? We live in a world where the need to have a college education is greater than ever before. More and more jobs are requiring a college education before they will even consider interviewing you. As parents, we want to help our child get the best start in life possible.

This is where federal financial aid can come in handy! Low interest loans for college students are available and they are usually available in a deferred payback situation (i.e., you don't start paying them back until after graduation from college). I was the first in my family to go to college and we didn't know about all of the options that were out there. We did qualify for a loan. My parents had most of the money in the bank for my college, but the payback rates were lower than the interest they were receiving on the bank where their savings was. So it was smart for them to take advantage of the federal loan and let their money continue to draw interest.

Plus, parents can be co-signers on these loans and allow their children to be the 'main' signers and the student can then be working on building their credit after graduation. Plus, the student is the one who ultimately benefits. I believe that it is not out of whack expecting students to pay for part or all of their college education.

There are a lot of different options. Scholarships.com keeps you up to date on what is out there! They not only alert you to the different types of loans, but they help you to figure out which option is best for you. Your child's last year in highschool is a busy one full of transitions and special events. Take this worry off of your plate. Turn to the people who know what they are talking about and let them help you sort it out.

Posted by Melissa Markham at 4:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I was up with the chickens again this week. I didn't plan to get up quite as early, but I left my alarm set to wake me up at 5:00 (which is the time I got up for the yardsale last week). I didn't want to get up until 6:00, but that's just the way it goes. Since it was midnight when I went to sleep, I was a wee bit tired, but a shower woke me up. I did some work, then headed to town to help out with the 4-H bake sale we were doing today. I had made brownies and cookies. I was in charge of bringing tables and I brought signs with prices and I brought a chair to sit in. I didn't bring children, That was my one mistake. I was envisioning four hours of boredom and my daughter, in particular, moaning about when were we going to go home and couldn't I buy her something. I also wasn't sure any of the other moms were going to bring their kids (I should have asked, but it just didn't occur to me...too many other things on my mind right now).

So we went and got set up. We had brownies, peanut butter cookies, 1/2 a lemon pound cake, 4 loaves of bread, cupcakes, muffins, chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter granola bars, and bags of popcorn. We started selling at approximately 9:00 a.m. and sold until 1 p.m. We had signs up that we were selling baked goods to raise money so we could send soldiers in Iraq and Kuwait care packages. We explained to people that we would be sending the care packages to unit leaders who would then pass out the items to those soldiers who didn't get much if anything from home. People opened their hearts and their wallets.

Continue reading "An Awesome Day" »

Posted by Melissa Markham at 10:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

GreenRoad Technologies has a product that is being hailed by businesses and insurance companies across the country. Their product provides private in car feedback to the driver so the driver of the vehicle knows what they are doing wrong and can improve it.

When we go through driver's training in school, there is a lot of information given to us in a short amount of time. Plus we are more excited about the act of driving than learning how to do it correctly. Most states have increased the times that teens practice behind the wheel training, but that does have one flaw. As adults, we were once those anxious teens ourselves and we have probably developed poor driving habits over the years that we may then pass on to our children.

The GreenRoad system will bypass that and make us all better drivers and help to make the road a safer place to be. Check out these statistics!

Their customers have achieved dramatic results:

54% reduction in driver crashes
42% reduction in at fault crashes
50% reduction in risky teen
driving behavior
7% reduction in fuel consumption

Posted by Melissa Markham at 9:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I wrote a few days ago about how we are having to be involved with some fundraisers this year due to our involvement with our church youth group and 4-H. the 4-H group is looking for more fundraising ideas for later in the year and I found a site that interested me. I really don't care for the popcorn, special candies, or teeny candles fundraisers that I have run across in the past.

ARC Marketing does have some fundraising options that interest me. They have a variety of personalized silicone bracelets and custom car magnets. And if you haven't seen either of these items in your daily wanderings, you are not looking about you.

Custom car magnets show everything from support for Breast Cancer research to support of our troops to showing the world which football team you support. These magnets can be in the shape of ribbons, pawprints, or have your personalized logo printed on them.

The silicone bracelets come in a variety of colors and can show things such as an allergy, your school affiliation, or your favorite sports team.

ARC Marketing provides a quality product at a great price. For example, the standard cost for a silicone bracelet is 85 cents. Most people sell them for $2 or $3. This is a great way to make money and easy too. Most kids have a couple of bucks on them and are delighted to buy a personalized item such as a bracelet. For an order of 300 magnets, the price per magnet is $2.17. But if you order more magnets than that, the price decreases. Most organizations sell the magnets for $5.00. When was the last time you did a fundraiser that you could get excited about and make 100% profit on?!?!?

I will be passing the ARC Marketing website information along to our 4-H club at our next meeting.

Posted by Melissa Markham at 4:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When my stepsons were attending school, I dreaded fundraisers. Actually, for the most part I hated them. I hated asking my friends, families and co-workers for their money. Partially because our own money was tight and the way this game works is that you would ask your friend, and then she would turn around and ask you to support her child. Does this seem a bit bizarre to you?

When my oldest needed to raise money for band trips, we didn't do the fundraisers. Instead we went to grandparents and said, Bruce wants to go on this trip. It will cost 'x' number of dollars. Would you each be willing to contribute instead of us hitting you up for a variety of fundraisers. They always preferred to go that route. In other times, we would just give them the money ourselves (buying a few items for our home or as gifts) instead of going out looking for others to join in. After all, if I was going to spend say $20.00 either way, I might as well spend it by supporting my child and not by asking others to support him.

Continue reading "First Fundraiser Experience" »

Posted by Melissa Markham at 7:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Do you spend much time in the car? Will you be traveling a lot in the holiday months ahead as you go over the river and through the woods to visit friends and family? Then this contest is for you! Madallie has A Children's Travel Store and it has everything you can imagine to help those long trips go smoothly by.

There are books, blankets, crafts, and games all designed to entertain your children on those long trips. Be sure to bookmark her site because if you don't win the $50 gift certificate, you are going to want to be able to find her store again and get stocked up before your next long trip.

Now about that $50 gift certificate. To win it, you need to visit Skimbaco for the details. It is as simple as spreading the word and having a lucky star shine on your name! Good luck!

Posted by Melissa Markham at 12:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Allowance is something we give as long as my dh is working. As a computer consultant, he sometimes goes through periods of time when he is not working and when that happens, allowance generally stops because we just pay the essentials. When all is right in our financial world, our children get their allowance once a month. They each get 1.00 a week for every year of their age. So Jack, who is 10, can get $40-50 a month. This comes with a 'hitch'. Their allowance is what they have to buy things they want. Toys, video games, CDs, etc. We buy clothes, but if they want something special that I might consider a bit frivilous in the clothing line, they would have to purchase that themselves. If something comes up that they want, they have to wait until the next time allowance rolls around. I encourage them to keep a list of things they want so when they get their allowance, they can have that to remind them instead of picking up the first thing they see. I have also shared the joys of yard sale shopping, ebay, and thrift stores and how they can stretch their dollars further...

Now on to chores...

Continue reading "Our Children's Chores and Allowance" »

Posted by Melissa Markham at 5:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Go leave a comment at Mums the Wurd about how you are feeling regarding the lead paint in toys from China and what you would like to see the government do about this situation. We need to make our voices heard on this matter! She will get our word to the proper people in time for an October 1st meeting!

She is also going to be giving away a $100 gift certificate to Natural Pod. Be sure to peruse the site and you will no doubt be pleased with the quality toys that are made with our children's best interests in mind.

Laws are not going to get China to stop what they are doing. Our lack of consumerism of Chinese products will. Buy better quality toys and stop burying our children in glitzy plastics that may harm them. So they may have fewer toys to play with, but then they will be encouraged to be more creative, more imaginative in their play and we will be teaching them value and quality over consumerism. Plus we will be bringing business back to our own country. Seems like a win-win situation to me.

Posted by Melissa Markham at 9:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Do you struggle with getting your children to do chores? Maybe because you feel like they should be kids and you should do the work or maybe because they do a horrible job and don't meet your standards or maybe because you would rather just do it and be done with it than nag?

And then there is the question of allowance...how do you handle that issue? Well if you would like to share your triumphs in these area and your share your wisdom for the ages, be sure to join in the Children's Chore Carnival at Don't Try This At Home! She will be putting a Mr. Linky in place on September 13th, so that gives you some time to get your thoughts together and share them with the world! Or if you are struggling and need to read the wisdom of others, you now know when and where to go for helpful tips!

Posted by Melissa Markham at 7:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When I was growing up, I had no idea that there might be career choices that would be better than others based on the trends of the economy. I knew I wanted to do something that helped people and went through thoughts of being a lawyer, a nurse and a journalist before ending up in the Early Intervention Field and later ending up at home as a full time mom. Did I know if those fields were overfilled? Heck no. But now, either due to technology and record keeping or because I follow these things more closely than my parents did, I have some information to share with my children...

Continue reading "Where is the Job Growth Expected Over the Next Decade?" »

Posted by Melissa Markham at 8:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Our children are our most precious 'commodity'. We do everything we can from the day they are born to protect them. And the more the world changes, it seems the more there is to protect them from. Partially due to the sheer increase of population and partially due to the time they are not by our side.

Continue reading "National Sex Offender Registry" »

Posted by Melissa Markham at 9:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)