Author Archives: schatzi

No Investment Article Writing Job

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With any work from home scheme I am always wary if the person trying to get me to do the paid work wants cash upfront. If their service is so good, why do I have to pay to join? If there are overheads, why can they not be taken out of the income that I do make (there are systems that do do this!)?

It is a safer way to start working
So getting started on a home working scheme and not investing your own cash is a good way of avoiding unintentionally joining a scam scheme. If you are no investing your own cash, no-one can take it away from you.

But, how do you get work by writing articles? Well, there are a couple of different options.

Being paid as a content writer
Some people are willing to pay ghost writers to do their article writing for them. If you can write cleanly in English (and probably other major languages), then someone might be willing to pay you for your writing skills.

Content writing is an industry that is currently growing so the opportunities are far fewer outside of the USA at present, but if you look around you might be able to uncover a few websites that will offer you paid employment for article writing, without a joining fee.

Writing to promote affiliate schemes
After that the option is to turn your writing into cash for yourself. You can create a simple website – for example a Blogger website if you want it to be totally free or other options if you do not mind spending a little cash setting up. Next, sign up to affiliate schemes and start to write on your blog or website about the products and services that these merchants are offering.

Now all that you have to do is to start writing articles connected in some way to the affiliate schemes you are promoting. Write interesting articles that tell people why they should be buying a certain product and if they are convinced, they might just agree with you. In this case they will pop over to your website, click the link to the affiliate website and you might just make your commission.

No investment article writing is all about finding an avenue (or two) to turn your writing skills into money. Working as a content writer for people who need website content or promoting affiliate products through article writing are two options. There are many more as well for the keen writer.

You Can Prevent Or Minimise Potty Training Regression

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Potty training regression is a nasty and painful experience for a toddler and it sneaks up on children and parents quickly and quietly – they have no idea when, why or what caused this and suddenly everyone in the home is unhappy.

Parents are not pleased because the child cannot or will not use the potty BUT the real victim here is the toddler – their innocent mind can’t work it out and that little mind is certainly not developed enough to deliberately sabotage the potty training routine.

Parents – your child is NOT plotting against you!

There are a number of factors that cause this such as fear, change in diet, change of environment, changes to sleep habits, unexpected events, change in water supply.

These factors should be examined.

Fear – don’t make your toddler afraid of potty training. Words like “If you don’t go potty, Daddy will be mad when he gets home” or “If you don’t go potty I’ll take away your favourite toy”. There are many more utterances but you get the general idea – don’t frighten your toddler into not performing. Through fear your toddler will retreat to the first toilet they ever knew – a diaper.

Change in Diet– a little child who consumes cereals, fruit, vegetables and meat as part of a balanced diet will find coping with things such as fast food, excessive sweets, etc difficult and can experience potty training regression because typically their whole digestive system has been upturned and it has trouble recognizing these food products need to be eliminated. This is most often the case during trips away from home and vacations.

Change of Environment– Shopping malls, public facilities, travelling facilities present a huge challenge to a toddler during potty training. They are suddenly in an unfamiliar place and away from the safety and privacy of their home, so a negative result is not unusual.

Changes to Sleep Habits– When a toddler’s sleeping habits change both the child and the parent have to move on to a new schedule for potty training and its necessary to maintain this new routine. Although a toddler may be sleeping at a different time the potty training routine needs to be adjusted accordingly, positively reinforced and maintained so the child continues to learn what is expected.

Unexpected Events– Visitors have a huge impact on a toddler. The excitement of seeing a much loved grandparent, aunt, uncle, friend is all consuming and potty training is the last thing on their mind if its there at all. The toddler is focused on showing off their new toy or their latest work of art on a chalkboard and for parents entertaining guests, its all too easy for the hours to slip by and potty training goes unnoticed and unrecognized. When the party’s over, many parents can’t work out why their child will not go to the potty on command – parents must be mindful of time and make time no matter what entertaining is going on to take the toddler to the potty at the regular time.  A new baby in the house often results in potty training regression for a toddler. The young child does not know what jealousy is but at the same time the child sees the newcomer as an intruder on their domain and feels put out because they are not the centre of attention., and quite often potty training is overlooked by busy parents. 

It is difficult to juggle the chores of tending a toddler and an infant but parents must make time to focus on the toddler, particularly the potty training regime.

Change in Water Supply– a sudden change in water consumed by a child can cause constipation and with it comes reluctance due to discomfort. Actually, adults can experience the same condition.  I strongly recommend that toddlers be gradually introduced to bottled spring water a couple of weeks prior to any lengthy time away from home. While on vacation continue to give the toddler the same bottled water then gradually wean them off that back to the regular water supply on returning home. By doing this, it will lessen the impact of an unfamiliar environment as mentioned above.

Potty training is not any easy task for parent or child but responsible parenting is essential – especially potty training. If, as a parent, you think potty training is harder on you, you’re wrong! That innocent little child is trying to learn something new, something unfamiliar, something uncomfortable and they are desperately trying to make sense of it all and coming up with no answers that mean anything to them. Now who has the hardest job?

Many parents reach a breaking point and then throw up their arms and walk away because its all too hard. This is exactly the time they should not – if you allow your toddler to run around the home and yard naked so you don’t have to bother, you are creating a monster that will take months to rectify and the child has learned nothing.

Just because you’re tired or busy is no excuse to neglect your child’s potty training needs.  Instead of complaining its time to put your shoulder to the wheel and work harder.  Responsible parenting is not easy, in fact its more difficult than any paid occupation you can think of but one factor remains constant – kids are kids – they always have been and they always will be.

Do not ever scold or punish a toddler for not getting potty training right when you want them too – that will only instill fear in their little minds and they will actually be afraid to go potty.

Toddlers still eat and poop the same as they did a hundred years ago – today’s tiny tots are not some high tech gadget you can walk away from when you’re done playing with it – they are little human beings who need guidance and help from parents to teach them what they need to learn for life.

Parents must always remember that they too were once toddlers and they too had to be potty trained by their parents or elders.

Patience and time is a prerequisite of every parent potty training their toddler and quiet diligence with some common sense will lessen the possibility of potty training regression.

Packing Your Child a Healthy School Lunch

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If a trip to Target is any indication, the school year is just around the corner. The colorful school supplies are in abundance and according to my daughter, Natalie, she “needs” at least one of each item. The new school clothes are grabbing her brother Lucas’ attention. And, since his twin, Jacob, remembers the P.E. teacher saying, “Your shoes need to be clean on the bottom to participate in gym.” he lifts his foot to show me how he “has to have a new pair of gym shoes .” Even though the enthusiasm for these new supplies wears off quickly, I love their excitement as they get a fresh start at the beginning of a school year. The truth is it feels good for me to have a fresh start as a mom. I get to begin the year being more organized than I was at the end of the last school year, with no searches for lost paperwork for at least two to three weeks hopefully. Our morning routine will be tweaked to be smoother. Our homework places will be cleaned and ready for practicing all that new learning – and no whining about doing homework for at least a few days. And, I’ll dig out our Laptop Lunch Boxes and start thinking about packing healthy lunches.

You see, of the things we spend time and money on each August as we get our children ready to go back to school, one of the most important things we can be planning for is making sure our child eats a healthy lunch every day. For our child to be on top of his or her game at school – focused, enthusiastic, good behavior, healthy – Real Food needs to be fueling his or her body. A lunch with healthy protein, healthy fats, complex carbohydrates and lots of phytonutrients is key. What does that look like in a lunch box? A healthy protein might be nitrate-free deli meat, Sunbutter, cottage cheese, hard-boiled eggs or a black bean burrito. Healthy fats can include nuts, seeds, avacados or full-fat yogurt. A variety of whole grains and colorful fruits and vegetables provide complex carbohydrates as well as the phytonutrients for a healthy immune system. This combination of foods helps feed the brain for sustained focus and good behavior, as well as providing a stable source of energy.

One of the best things you can do to help your child be a successful learner, be on his or her best behavior, and have the strongest immune system possible throughout the school year is to plan out and prepare your child a healthy school lunch.

When we pack a lunch of Real Foods, we eliminate Fake Food ingredients that set our children up for being unhealthy and less successful at school. When lunch items are loaded with sugar, artificial flavors, artificial colors like Red 40 and Yellow 5, and sweeteners like high fructose corn syrup, children’s bodies are burdened with processing those Fake Food ingredients. Children are reacting to these ingredients with poor focus, fatigue, hyperactivity, and weakened immunity.

A recent comprehensive meta-analysis of the medical literature concluded that Yellow 5, Red 40, and six other widely used artificial colorings are linked to hyperactivity and behavior problems in children. (cspinet.org)

If, for cost or convenience your child is purchasing a school lunch, go over the menu ahead of time and choose which items your child is allowed to purchase. With your child, pick the healthiest lunch choices possible. If you have questions about ingredients, contact your school and ask. Also let your school know if you would like to see healthier choices made available. Find out if your child is purchasing ala carte items, like ‘fruit’ roll-ups, chips, and other Fake Foods. If you have children in middle school and high school, talk about healthy choices, as they have more opportunities to purchase Fake Foods. It is important not to hand over your opportunity and responsibility for feeding your child to schools and daycares.

So, while enjoying your last weeks of summer, remember to put ‘packing healthy lunches’ near the top of your To Do list as you get ready for your well-deserved fresh start this Fall.

New Trends in Language Learning

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Language learning has evolved a long way from the pedantic method used some time in our own generation. That was the time when we had to be careful about the ending of verbs or nouns in learning a foreign language like Spanish or Latin. It was a boring experience for most of us.

Today as we live in this global village, a single community where everyone is at easy reach through technology, language learning is almost an urgency. We can no longer live in a world where we only know our own language, and not care about how the other peoples in the world communicate with one another in speech and writing.

Many of us have already the experience of opening a website whose language is different from ours. I have opened websites in French, Spanish, and Russian without my knowing ahead of time that those were the languages in those websites. I thought they were all in English.

If we have to do profitable business with our neighbor nations we have to understand their language. For example, Mandarin being the language used by most number of people today, we would do well to know this language to do business with people speaking this language. And of course those speaking Mandarin would do well to learn English, the second most used language in the world today.

With the increase in leisure time and money some go around the world in search of new sights and sounds. These are the tourists. They too want to learn the basics of the language of the people they are going to visit, even just saying the customary greetings and the language of the market.

But it is not only for business and tourism that we need to learn another language. Language learning is necessary for universal understanding and peace. When we learn a language of a people we necessarily learn its culture. Here we discover similarities and diversities with other nations. We learn that love is a universal value. We learn that in other countries there are human males who love more than one female, while in other cultures there are human females who love more than one male. There are diverse practices of marriage, but all built on the same value of love.

There are still vestiges of the old way of language learning, especially in our schools. This was the way I learned Spanish, by memorizing the sounds and forms of the Spanish words. In my high school I had three years of learning Spanish as a subject. In college I spent more than 400 hours of studying Spanish in the classroom. Today I can only read and speak simple Spanish. I cannot use it to carry a conversation. The reason for that is because I learned Spanish by memorizing the forms of the Spanish words, but did not really learn to speak it as fluently as English.

The way of language learning by memorizing forms of verbs, nouns, adjectives, pronouns and grammatical rules is still being used today in formal classes in colleges. But there are signs that this is not going to stay for long because of the recent new trends in language learning.

For one, there are now many courses on language learning in the Internet, some of them are free, at least for the fundamentals. This was not true 20 years ago. Of course these free courses have ads inserted here and there with options to upgrade for a cost. But if one is really interested and has the time and the Internet connection, language learning is no longer a big problem, unlike before where we have to pay tuition and miscellaneous fees to learn a language in school.

Secondly, there are now video and audio lessons on language learning that can be accessed through the Internet. Before we only had the textbooks and the dictionaries. We were never sure if our teacher pronounced the foreign words correctly since he or she was also not a native of that foreign language.

Thirdly, we have now translations with the click of our computer mouse. This was unthinkable before. We have talking dictionaries. We type a word in English, choose the language we want a translation of this word in, and hit the return key and we hear the word in the other language. For now we have this kind of dictionary for French, German, English, Italian, Latin, and Spanish.

We also now have the Virtual Personal Interpreters (VPI). These are software translators that can translate phrases and sentences. You can also hear how the words, phrases or sentences are pronounced by native speakers. At present there are VPI for English users in Spanish, German, Italian, and French. You can take a look at these talking dictionaries and VPI at http://www.logoi.com/languages.html.

We can now learn languages through cell phones, mp3 players and other gadgets. We can have live online tutors with the use of Skype.

Language learners can now also practice to speak other languages online with partners using other languages. You help somebody practice her English, and your partner on the other side of planet earth helps you practice your Spanish. You can do this on your PC, laptop or cell phone.

Through the Web we can now listen to the radio stations broadcasting in languages foreign to us, such as Spanish. We can also look at TVs using foreign languages. This way we get the proper accent and intonation in learning another language.

Language learning indeed has gone a long way from the pedantic classroom style of instruction.

Keys to Passing an Exam

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When it comes to studying, sometimes you have to do what you have to do. That includes cramming at the last minute. Even with a narrow time frame, you can eke out a passing grade.

The most important thing to remember is that it’s only a test. If you get worked up, you’ll only cause yourself to panic. That’s a terrible frame of mind in which to try to learn. Try to remain calm and understand that one test will not decide your entire academic career.

Remember that the absolute worst thing that can happen is that you won’t pass the test. With that in mind, you can build from there, obtaining a firmer grasp on the subject at hand. The better your grasp, the higher your potential grade. You should keep in mind that anything beyond a failing grade could be considered a success.

The first thing to do is try to come at studying with a clear mind. Your minimal goal is to come away from the test with a better than failing grade.

The main purpose of cramming is to obtaining as high a grade as possible with a minimal amount of effort. This should raise you in your professor’s and classmates’ esteem.

There are numerous methods for cramming. Most are derived from a system of breaking down subjects into manageable packets that can be better processed by your mind. To begin with, pick out the major points from each section of your study material. Once you’ve deciphered the key aspects, try to master those before moving on to subsequent sections.

Basically, you should master one area of your subject matter at a time. Once you have a firm grasp of that material, you can move on to the next section, and so on and so on until you’ve covered everything to be tested.

In the end, you will have a better understanding of the material and ought to escape your test with at least a passing grade.

What Kind Of Online Education Course Are You Looking For?

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If you are thinking about the idea of an online education course in order to better yourself and further your career prospects, then you might be wondering where on earth you begin and how do you go about getting involved. Well, these days when it comes to the topic of online education there are many different establishments who can help you, and conversely, there are many of them who can’t!

You need to avoid the companies who are simply out to try and get your money, and make sure you pick the genuine dedicated establishments whose only goal is to make sure that you become a roaring success.

What kind of courses is available

For a start, there are high school courses where you can learn your high school topics online. These are great for parents who want to learn their school subjects again in their own time and at their own rate. Then you can take things further and choose one of the many distance learning courses that are completely interactive online.

These are great ways to learn a new subject, as the online education course providers can easily keep the content updated, and you can submit work for quicker checking so that you get back progress reports quicker.

You also get access to many like-minded individuals who are doing the same online education course as you, and can discuss and share ideas as though you were sat in a regular classroom.

There are from diploma courses to simple forms of courses

There are online diploma courses which are useful when you need to attain a certain level ahead of a job application or planned promotion with your existing organization. There are degrees on line which are online courses that allow you to become academically qualified.

Whatever it is that you are thinking about, there will normally always be some form of online education you can take advantage of. Sometimes it can simply be a paid membership where you can learn things like a new programming language.

In order to stay safe, conduct a research online where you search for “reviews of XYZ company” and see if other people have used them before and what their experiences with them were. You may also type things such as “XYZ scam” and see if anyone considers them to be safe. Then, always try to use a credit card for any payments, as you will get payment protection should anything go wrong when buying online education courses.

Why Book Your Employees Onto a First Aid Training Course?

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If you run an office or other place of work, it may be a good idea to sign your employees up to receive first aid training.

Courses are not hard to arrange, and even a short course of a few hours or an entire day can provide your staff with the skills they need to save a life.

Here are some of the main reasons for signing your staff up for first aid training.

1. Accidents Can Happen Anywhere

There are hazards all over the office, and accidents really can happen anywhere, even if you consider a place to be safe. Trips, falls, cuts and worse can all occur in any workplace, and if you work with machinery in a factory then the work environment can be even more risky. First aid at work is one area you may learn on your course, and this can really help if something happens in your place of work.

2. The More Trained Staff The Better

You should always ensure that at least one or two of your staff are trained in first aid at work. However, what harm is there in making sure that even more people are trained up? By getting lots of your staff trained up, you never need to worry about whether the staff who are trained are going to be in the office or not.

3. Very Useful for Activity Days

If you like to plan activity days for your staff then sending them on a first aid training course can better prepare you for any accidents which may occur outside of the office.

4. Show Your Staff You Appreciate Them

First aid training is not just something which benefits your company: it also benefits the individuals carrying out the training. First aid is a skill which they can use for life, so by sending them on a course and paying for it you will be showing your appreciation of them.

5. Set an Example By Attending a Course Yourself

If you want to arrange for your staff to carry out first aid training, perhaps the best thing you can do is to set an example by signing yourself up for a course as well. You’ll then ensure that you too have the skills needed in situations which require first aid treatment.

Conclusion

Get First Aid Training for Your Staff

Signing your staff up to attend a first aid training course is a good idea for all of the reasons highlighted above. First aid can save lives, so making sure that your staff know what to do when an emergency arises is something you should take very seriously.

How Preparation Makes College Graduation So Much Easier!

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Picture yourself visiting a new city in another country that didn’t speak the same language as you and you had no idea where to go?

Can you imagine the feeling of isolation and sense of overwhelming despair you would feel in a situation like that?

Now this is what many college students have felt on their first day on campus. I say this because I was one of these students. I wasn’t sure where to go. All I knew is that I had my class at a certain time. All I had with me was a map of the school and my class schedule.

I’ll tell you what would have helped me. If I had some information about the process of college, how to succeed, and how to feel more comfortable there, I would have walked a lot lighter on campus that first day.

Luckily I had a parent with me when I was picking my classes. I know that many students have to choose for themselves and go through this process alone. For the majority of people, going through a process like this alone can be stressful and discouraging. Don’t lose hope yet though. I believe there is a solution.

All that we need to do is provide high school graduates that are planning on going to college with a guidebook that will explain to them how to pick classes effectively, how to study efficiently, where you can become friends with people that have similar interests, and be provided with information as to the services that are available to them there. You mix that information with a way to set goals and imagine yourself to be a college graduate and I will guarantee you have a more confident student walking onto campus.

This information isn’t hard to provide. We just simply need to get the material out to the students. Students are very resourceful, but don’t make them do everything on their own.

My friend and I went through college on our own pretty much. Throughout our years in college, we learned the process of saving money, effectively choosing classes, and all necessary transfer information (we went to community college). Now, we have taken our personal experience and have decided to help students make their college experience more simple, easy and fun!

With proper preparation and the confidence to succeed, we will see more college graduates than ever before!

Coaching Your Way to Personal Fulfillment

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Coaching is not for everyone but for those aspiring to be a coach with impact it is an extremely gratifying and satisfying way to spend your time. My coaching started at the tender age of 18 when I was thrown into a team coaching scenario. Watching, teaching and developing the all round skills of this team totally changed my perspective on things.

Who would ever believe the feelings achieved by being a part of people achieving more than they had ever dreamed possible. It was simply awesome. The coaching bug had hit and it was quickly followed by roles with senior sports teams and professional athletes in another field.

The transition into the corporate sector has been just as rewarding and certainly as challenging. The role of a coach does not change a lot when it comes to what the ultimate goal is, they are winners, they are leaders and every one of them exists because someone believes they have the ability to get the best possible results out of both individuals and teams.

Some coaches are highly skilled and very proficient in specific areas meaning their all round knowledge and skills often goes unnoticed. Who could ever forget the locker room speech delivered in the movie “Any Given Sunday”? A coach’s role is to get the best out of people he has chosen to mentor. He is not a dictator and should never lead by installing fear. It is a position of responsibility and trust.

Whether it is coaching ballet, life skills, lacrosse, maths or chess, the attributes shared by good coaches is consistent amongst them all. If you are just starting out in the coaching field, the list of personality traits is purely the start of the recipe when identifying what actually goes into the mix and what is needed to get the required result.

Communication
“First seek to understand before being understood” (Stephen Covey)

Understanding personalities
No 2 individuals are alike and conflicting personalities will raise many challenges.

Knowledgeable
May not be needed in some areas but is essential in what you teach.

Motivator
An ability to inspire others provides a long and fruitful career as a mentor/coach

Leads by example
Do as I say and not as I do can be fraught with danger in most situations but not all.

Committed
This is not negotiable. Persistent and consistent commitment is paramount.

Respectful
Not always displayed but a must for long term success.

Psychologist
A full time position without the degree.

Trustworthiness
Just as in business and life you will sink or swim on the back of this attribute.

Empathetic
An inner confidence that allows you to see things from someone else’s perspective

Goal orientated
Set them in stone and make your team goals open and shared by everyone

Just as in life, these skills are not learned over night but many of them exist already within your personality and moral values. Put yourself out there and share what you know. Inspire others to be what they want to be and you will feel the same levels of exhilaration experienced regularly by the successful coaches of the world.

Medical Billing and Coding Careers, Flexibilty and Satisfaction

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Job opportunities don’t always align with job satisfaction. Today job seekers are not only interested in making a higher wage, more and more people want to be happy with the work they have chosen, in lieu of and ahead of the bigger paycheck. Health care careers off a plethora of opportunities for both.

The list of priorities for many people today when it comes to employment may vary from time to time, however most people will put the need to believe their position and work have value close to the top of their list. Not far behind is flexibility in hours and work environment. A career in Medical Billing and Coding fits the bill perfectly.

Health care costs have literally soared beyond the reach of many people. Physician’s expenses have paralleled that increase. The need for accurate, detailed billing reports and processes has a made this career choice very popular and in high demand. Billing experts submit and track all insurance claims and make sure insurance companies reimburse the health care provider. In other words this is how the health care industry gets paid, making this careers very important.

A career in medical billing and coding will require some formal training. The potential candidate should be detail oriented and possess a measure of people skills, as patient interaction will be frequent. However his or her employer will treasure a competent medical billing expert. Online course and community colleges offer a wide variety of courses to help in your training. Continuing Education will be required as codes often change and procedures are ever evolving.

There are a great number of clinics and physician’s offices that are allowing medical billing and coders to work from home, making it an ideal choice for stay at home mothers and fathers.

The pay scales for medical billing specialists can vary from state to state and office to office. However you can expect a starting salary of $ 35,000.00 depending on your training and experience. Once qualified and trained, the medical billing career candidate will not have any trouble finding employment. Many training facilities offer job placement opportunities.