How To Entertain A Child While Working From A Home Office

Writen by Danielle Hollister

There is no doubt that the benefits of being a work-at-home parent outweigh the drawbacks. However, some days can prove to be difficult when your two year-old is determined to climb on top of your filing cabinet while you're trying to participate in an important conference call. Here are ten tips that can help make your life easier, and your little ones happier, while you work at home.

Set up a little desk for your tiny assistant in your home office, close enough for you to keep an eye on him, but far enough away for you to focus on your work.

Tell your child that he is your personal assistant-in-training and emphasize what a big deal it is for him to have this title and his own work area.

Provide your child with some tools similar to those on your desk. Carefully select only the safest items that are virtually indestructible. Your child's active imagination and natural curiosity can easily lead to disaster if he gets his hands on the wrong gadget.

Assign your new assistant with important job responsibilities. Young children love to imitate adults, especially their parents. Depending upon what type of business you operate from home, you can dream up duties that mirror what your child watches you do every day.

One duty that may delight your toddler is opening mail. Give the child junk mail, advertisements or anything else you don't want to read. Provide a little trashcan or place for him to pitch the envelope if that's what you usually do.

Another job that may thrill your child and can potentially occupy him for more than an hour is organizing your out-dated files, old business cards, duplicate copies, rough drafts and any other impertinent papers. The key to this little task is to place files to be organized in a basket or file bin and provide an empty desk drawer or old briefcase for your toddler to transfer the papers to and from - possibly repeatedly. If you can manage to concentrate on your work and coach your new assistant at the same time, you may stimulate their thinking by beginning to count the papers he or she is moving from the basket into the desk drawer.

A must-have for your new little employee is a notepad or notebook similar to the type you use for taking notes, and crayons (if he or she will accept such a "childish" writing implement.) Encourage your child to draw a picture for you and make sure you praise the final product. The more compliments he or she hears from you, the more your child will want to keep creating special drawings for you, or Grandma and Aunt Jeannie and Uncle Timmy etc. Either take a brief time out or make it a routine at the end of the day to hang your child's masterpieces in your office. He will feel like he accomplished something that made you proud. Let your child help you tape his work on the side of your desk or up on the wall. You may be surprised by how intrigued your toddler is with tape!

A chalkboard is an easy, inexpensive addition to your home office that you may never need, but your assistant-in-training will probably use it every day. If you buy the big sidewalk chalk, your toddler will be less likely to decide to taste the bright colored sticks. If he or she does try to take a bite, the chances of choking are reduced with these fat pieces of chalk. Make a production out of adding this new item to your office. Pretend you need it to use it to record your daily business reminders. Your child will be more eager to get his little hands on something he sees you using. One little warning: Although this cheap addition to your office may offer a new outlet for your child's creativity, it will usually lead to the need for a quick bath at the close of the business day!

There are a few items that are actually "toys,'' but may be able to pass for "tools" (similar to the machines you use every day) to be added to your new assistant's desktop. Various toy companies manufacture mini-versions of adult products, like little battery operated computers, designed to teach your child the alphabet or animal sounds; play telephones that ring by themselves and talk back to your child; and musical keyboards that perform tunes automatically and also allow your toddler to make his own melodies. Your toddler may be content to imitate you with toys, like these, that look similar or sound the same as your desktop devices.

Depending upon the location of your office, layout of your house, and your child's level of independence, you may be able to designate duties that require him to leave your office to go find a phone book for you, or to locate that big envelope that came in the mail the other day. You can purposely forget to collect all the items you will need to complete your job that day or you can ask your little assistant to seek out objects that you don't really have to have immediately. Toddlers usually like to look for things, especially when they think they are helping mommy or daddy. Be sure to thank your child and compliment him for being able to find exactly what you wanted!

Resource Box - © Danielle Hollister (2004) is the Publisher of BellaOnline Quotations Zine - A free newsletter for quote lovers featuring more than 10,000 quotations in dozens of categories like - love, friendship, children, inspiration, success, wisdom, family, life, and many more. Read it online at - http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art8364.asp

Enjoying The Teenage Years

Writen by Audrey Okaneko

I can not count the number of times I've heard well meaning parents say "enjoy them now, soon they will be teenagers"

I see so many reasons why this sentence is harmful and misleading. First of all, each time you personally say this phrase in front of your own children, it affects their feelings of self worth. If you have a teenager who hears you constantly warn others about teens, you are basically saying your own child is troublesome to you.

If this sentence is being said in front of preteens, those preteens are listening and hearing and watching for reaction. They want to know how mom and/or dad react to being told that in a year or two, their own child will no longer be enjoyable.

Let's face it, every stage of life brings about its own set of challenges and opportunities. Toddlers are learning independence. Preteens are learning a new sense of independence. Teenagers are learning about the independence of becoming adults. By midlife, we often hear the phrase "midlife crisis" and then we often hear that the elderly can get away with anything because they are elderly.

Every stage of life is different. We continue to grow as a person from birth right through death. I smile incredibly thinking of a wonderful woman I know who is over 90. She still drives. She still sits on the board of a few organizations and she still participates in and leads a current events group. This is proof positive that we continue to grow and learn through out our lives.

I personally have enjoyed immensely the teenage years of both of my daughters. As a teen they are very independent, meaning you can leave the house for a few hours and not worry, you can ask for help with cooking, cleaning, and all other chores and you can enjoy incredible conversations with these kids who now have very strong opinions.

I have enjoyed meals out in exotic restaurants with my teens. I have enjoyed long walks where we can chat about life and our own thoughts. I have enjoyed weekend trips with my girls. I have enjoyed a morning cup of coffee. I have enjoyed the most recent movie release with them. Of course this list goes on and on.

Did my kids ever yell? Of course they did. Did they ever not follow a rule? Of course they did. Just as toddlers, preteens and elderly do all of these things, so do teens.

When someone tells me their child is about to become a teen, I hug and congratulate them. They are about to experience a wonderful new relationship.

Audrey Okaneko is mom to two girls. She can be reached at audreyoka@cox.net or visited at http://www.scrapping-made-simple.com

What You Should Do When You Have A Baby

Writen by Martin Lukac

Having a baby changes everything in your life. Not only are you facing a new lifestyle, but you need to make some financial changes as well.

Start with looking at your budget. While little ones don't take up that much room, preparing for their arrival can take some money. Your new budget should include food, diapers, baby clothes and health insurance costs. Then consider all of the one-time expenses that will occur before and after the baby arrives, such as strollers, car seats and baby monitors. You will be surprise at how fast the costs can add up.

Make sure you apply for a Social Security Number for your child. You will need it in order to take advantage of the tax benefits available to parents. You can apply when the baby is born. The easiest way is to apply at the hospital. Simply tell the hospital representative that you would like to apply for a Social Security Number for your baby. You will need your and your husband's Social Security Numbers. Your will receive your baby's card in a few weeks.

Make sure you protect your child's social security number and card. Identity theft is an increasing crime in this country. Don't give it out without good cause, such as to the IRS or for a savings account.

You may find that you will need additional insurance coverage, especially when it comes to life insurance. Good coverage will give your child and spouse the funds to continue in a consistent way after your passing. Select the amount of coverage that will help your family meet living expenses, pay the mortgage and send your children to college.

Young parents are more likely to be disabled than killed in an accident. It is important to prepare for this by having disability insurance. This will replace a portion of your income so you can continue meeting your financial obligations until you are able to work again.

If you don't have a will, you need one. A will is the perfect place to name the guardian of your child in the case of both parents passing away. Without one, the state determines who raises your child. You can also establish what parts of your estate go where and to whom.

Once the baby has arrived, have it added to your health insurance as soon as possible. This will help avoid any mixups. Call in advance to see what you will need to do. You should also update your income tax withholding to reflect an additional dependent. This will give you a little more money in each paycheck, which you can spend on those endless packages of diapers.

Having a child is a good time to look at your finances and your goals. It is the perfect time for planning for the future.

Martin Lukac, represents http://www.RateEmpire.com and http://www.1AmericanFinancial.com, a finance web-company specializing in real estate/mortgage market. We specialize in daily updates, rate predictions, mortgage rates and more. Find low home loan mortgage interest rates from hundreds of mortgage companies!