Welcome to Michael's Article Collection

How to Sell Your House by Lease Options

Many people buy a house then have to move within a few years, due to divorce, relocation or financial difficulties. Without any equity though, it can be nearly impossible to find buyers and you still have realtor fees to contend with. There is a simple, easy way to have your payments taken care of for you and find a buyer, so that you can move onto your new life quickly and easily. Homeowners c. . .

The Spirit of Father's Day

Some time ago I received a gift from both of my children. It was spontaneous and had nothing to do with Father’s day. Yet, at the same time it had everything to do with Father’s day.My son, Kai, - he was 17 at the time - was attending a private boarding high school in Colorado. While we were talking on the phone he shared some wonderful news with me. Kai said, ”You know Dad, I am really happy w. . .

Control Your Children's Clutter!!

Ever feel overwhelmed by all the papers, notices, artwork, and other items your kids bring home from school? Don’t be a pack rat!! We’ll show you how to “Trap the R-A-T” (RETAIN, ACT, THROW)1. School flyers: Nearly every day, your child brings home flyers announcing some school activity, bake sale, field trip, or other such notices. Unfortunately, these notices tend to pile up unless acted . . .

Games Of The Past Meet The Present

Recently, our family had the opportunity to care for sisters' children for a couple days, when she and her husband traveled to a bed and breakfast for some much need rest and relaxation. They don't have a chance to get away that often, so I was more than happy to help them out for this little getaway. And, well, I would hope that she would do the same thing for me.Once I agreed to taking care o. . .

Commonsense Approach to Domestic Violence

Domestic violence the catch phrase for the past ten years. People use the words as if they represent an incurable disease rather than what it really is, deplorable human behaviors. It doesn't matter how many times Oprah, Sally, or Montel talk about domestic violence it is still happening to many of their audience members and viewers, why?In this society we have a bad habit of excusing women of . . .

Consignment Shopping Pays Off

Is your closet full of clothes you never wear? You can bet there are a lot of people who have a closet or dressers full of clothes they never wear. I did too, until I started consignment shopping. A clothing consignment store sells your clothes for you and gives you 30 to 50 percent of the selling price. Pretty good deal, when no one is wearing the clothes that are just collecting dust in . . .

Birthday Party Themes That Put Little Girls Centre Stage

(NC) - The mere thought of planning a birthday party fit for a princess can cause parents to panic - but there's no need to stress because with the proper theme, your little girl's party can be a huge success. According to birthdayuniversity.com, kid's parties have evolved significantly over the years, and are getting more original everyday. Long gone are the days when the party was held in the. . .

Grassophobia

Each day my daughter, pushing one year old now, amazes me with the lessons she teaches me. Yes, here I go again learning lessons from someone too young to speak. (Hmm … maybe that's a lesson, too.)In my corner of Starship Earth, winter rolled in a wee bit late this year. The thermometer went easy on us all winter, leaving our sidewalks clear of the usual mountains of snow. So I suppose it w. . .

Tips For The Whole Family To Practice Summer Fire Safety

Teach children the nature of fire - It is FAST, HOT and DANGEROUS!Prepare a home escape plan. Practice fire drills regularlyTeach your children the fire department's phone number or 911 Always keep matches and lighters away from children. Store them up high or in a locked cabinet and treat them like you would any other dangerous weaponDemonstrate STOP, DROP and ROLL in case clothes catch on fir. . .

Preparing For Safe Cottage Life

(NC)-Cottage living is home away from home to Canadians and life at the cottage boasts campfires, fireworks and hearty eating. In fact, Canadians love their cottages and feel more at home there than anywhere else, according to a 1998 Royal Bank survey. But as with primary homes, cottages require regular upkeep to protect against hazards, and fire safety is especially a key issue at the cottage.. . .

Make a Budget to Help Your Dreams Come True

A budget is a very important tool when you are trying to meet financial goals. It helps you to see where your money is going and therefore helps you determine where you can cut back. It also gives you something to go by when you get paid rather than piddling your money away. If you are serious about managing your money, a budget is an absolute necessity. When my husband and I first got married . . .

Easter Party Ideas

Easter marks the start of spring and is a sacred holiday for Christians throughout the world as it signifies when Jesus Christ was resurrected from the grave to live again. But where did the Easter bunny and eggs fit into the Easter tradition? The rabbit and eggs were actually symbols of fertility, immortality and new life to commemorate Christ's resurrection. In Germany, colored eggs were left. . .

Make Lemonaid from a Lemon

About 2 months ago my family grew by one more. When we had our baby, the reality that we could no longer fit our family into a car hit us. Our back seat simply would not fit 2 carseats and a carrier car seat. So off the the dealership we went to buy a mini-van. After browsing several dealerships in one day. I found two vans that I liked at two different dealerships. Here is how I got a van. . .

Business Partners & Marital Partners, Will the Marria...

With today's economy, and the layoffs occurring as a result of these economic conditions, more and more people are opting to start their own business. Due to the low start up costs, the prevalence of home-based businesses is on the rise, many of these started by husband and wife teams.With the move from the corporate world to the home-based, couples are finding that a new set of problems are oc. . .

Winter Blahs Become Family Fun

After spending another dreary winter Sunday with not much to do I decided our family needed an exciting activity. I thought I needed a break from planning dinner so I'd give myself a break and give them an activity. I told my children that they were in charge of dinner tonight. They'd each need to prepare one part of the meal- their choice. Three of my four children were home and quite. . .

Preparing For the Holidays: Ho Ho Ho... or Bah Humbug!

Some of my clients dread the holiday season because it often represents stress, pressure, expectations, guilt, disappointment, pain, loneliness, exhaustion... and the list goes on.This is a choice. We choose who we spend time with. We choose what activities we say yes and no to. We choose where we go. Your holiday season can be as simple or as elaborate as you choose to make it, and it can be a. . .

Business Partners & Marital Partners, Will the Marria...

In the last article, we concluded by saying that keeping your business and personal relationships separate is very important to the survival of both your business and your marriage. In this article we will talk about how to achieve this goal.One of the most important ways to accomplish this is to set up distinct business hours, and when they are over, don't discuss business, concentrate on your. . .

Elderly Drivers: Stop or Go?

Without so much as a tap on the brakes, my aunt whizzed through another stop sign."What are you doing?" I shrieked. "That was a stop sign.""Oh," she replied rather offhandedly, "they just put those there so you'll look before you go into an intersection."That was the day I stopped riding with my aunt but not the day she stopped driving. From then on, I had visions of an enormous pink Chevy lead. . .

The Red Balloon of Happiness

Just when you think you know it all, some 17-month old child comes along and teaches you another valuable life lesson.Little Lady lost her favorite ball. There are few things that bring this 17-month-old more joy than playing with her favorite ball. And, of course, we want our daughter to have all the happiness she can get. So we headed out to the store to replace the missing ball. Little L. . .

Paying For Your Holiday Shopping By Doing Your Holiday Sh...

Before you know it, the holidays will be upon us. If you're smart, whether you are first considering mystery shopping, or are a seasoned mystery shopper, this year, instead of running up the credit card bills, how about doing your holiday shopping the smart way? By getting paid while doing it! I am not a big fan of relying on retail mystery shopping as a major source of income. Top-earning m. . .

Scaling Down (Almost) Painlessly

Moving to a smaller house or apartment in a retirement community almost always involves a certain degree of trauma, both for the elder who's moving and for family members. However, by planning ahead you can reduce the discomfort involved and turn what might well become a nightmare into a pleasant event.Begin by Planning for the MoveWhere is the elder moving? Go to the actual house or apartment . . .

101 Uses for Dirty Diapers

As the father of a toddler, I am an expert on dirty diapers. I know exactly what to do with them: throw them out!But along comes a New York waste company and a town in California who want me to do something else with my dirty diapers. Like cover my roof with them. Or walk on them. Or build a doghouse with them, perhaps. Does this sound nuts? Well, it's not. In fact, this project just won. . .

A Guide To Help You Teach Your Children Positve Self-Imag...

Raising a pre-teen or teenage daughter (or son) is not easy and can cause any parent a lot of stress. There’s so much to worry about – dating, drugs, alcohol, sex, school grades, just to name a few. But one crucial element often gets overlooked until it manifests itself in extreme ways (like through an eating disorder). I’m talking about self-image. It’s extremely important that parents ensur. . .

Saving Money By Spending Wisely

Why is it that the older and richer people become, the more conservative they are with their money? Have you ever done or know someone who has made an investment that promised a 10% interest or profit per month? Everyone wants to make above average profits. It is amazing how many people will send their very hard earned money across the world to Nigeria or to Boca Rattan, Florida on the promise . . .

How To Reduce Crime In Your City

(NC)-During my term as Chair of the National Strategy on Community Safety and Crime Prevention, I have a visited cities in the United States, England and Belgium to discuss successful crime reduction strategies with local crime prevention officials. One thing that struck me was how similar their experiences were. In each city there was a serious crime problem, a focussed response and a substant. . .

Preparing The Perfect Birthday - How To Make Planning Qui...

(NC)-Birthdays rank as the most important date of the year for many young children. Besides the cake and the presents, it's a day when families communicate that a child is special and loved. For a parent, this can mean a whole lot of pressure and money. Statistics Canada hasn't yet studied the birthday party economy, but with 5.5 million kids 13 and under…that can add up to some serious dollars. . .

The Family Cycle (I) - Euphoric and Dysphoric Cycles in M...

Despite all the fashionable theories of marriage, the narratives and the feminists, the reasons to engage in marriage largely remain the same. True, there have been role reversals and new stereotypes have cropped up. But the biological, physiological and biochemical facts were less amenable to modern criticisms of culture. Men are still men and women are still women in more than one respect. Me. . .

Sharing CONNECTIONS

A model project seeks to spread its success(NC)-Most Canadians know Lynn Johnston as an award-winning cartoonist of the popular comic strip For Better or For Worse. But to her neighbours in North Bay, Ontario, she is the guardian angel of a locally based youth drop-in centre program called CONNECTIONS.After witnessing first-hand the profound changes that many young people in the program were ex. . .

Raising "Advantaged" Kids - (An everyday, ordinary mother...

As a mother of 2 - a 4-year old and an 18-year old, it was important to me that I give my my children all that I have to offer as far as education (I don't have much...a high school diploma and 1 year of college). So, for me, I had to become creative in my efforts to give my children "the edge" in school and eventually in life. I've always had a mind set that I would not leave "schooling" tot. . .

Declutter Your Home in 11 Easy Steps

Feeling overwhelmed at the thought of organizing your home? Start on a smaller scale instead and it will be a whole lot easier. For example, instead of starting with the entire house, commit to starting with one room. Follow these 11 steps, and you're well on your way to an organized home: 1. PICK A ROOM -- ANY ROOM. Decide on what room to start on. Write it at the top of an 8 1/2 x 11 inch she. . .

Who Says Life Doesn'T Repeat Itself?

(NC)-There is a growing awareness that children who witness family violence experience severe emotional and behavioural problems. As they grow older, boys are at greater risk of abusing others, and girls are at greater risk of experiencing abuse in their relationships.In a sample of federal inmates who had a history of family violence, more than half (56%) reported that they witnessed some form. . .

10 Reasons Why Your Cat Loves You

There are plenty of reasons why your cat loves you. Ten of the main reasons are listed below. Enjoy! 1. You provide food - Cats love food and they love you for giving them that food. If it wasn't for you, they'd go hungry, and of course, if it wasn't for you, they wouldn't get those tasty scraps of meat after a meal. Those crunchy little biscuits aren't half bad either. 2. You clean the litter . . .

The Secret System For Getting Completely Out of Debt and ...

All families and home biz owners have to think about debt, finances, bills and income almost every day. There is no reason to be overwhelmed by something that can actually be CHANGED. How? This article will show you how to: Eliminate all of your debt (including your mortgage) in 5 - 7 years Take control of your finances Become financially independent (the dream of most Americans) by retirement.. . .

Safe From Strangers

There are few thoughts as terrifying as the abduction of your young child by a stranger. The fear causes parents to think long and hard about their children’s safety. They tell them in a very clear voice, “Do not to talk to strangers.”The problem is though, that a child’s view of a stranger is very different from a parent’s view. From the child’s perspective, because a stranger is someone they . . .

Your Words Matter

Amidst much groaning and moaning, we carried one of our two kayaks from the bayside of the key to the beach—two hundred yards of sweat and hand chafing. Loaded down with paddles and life preservers, we herded the kids to water’s edge.Captain Linus on the bow, oarsman Dad behind him, first mate Camille next in line and oarswoman Mom at the stern—into the waves we surged.After a few wobbly momen. . .

New Ways to Use Old Christmas Cards

Forty years ago when I was growing up on our dairy farm in Wisconsin, my mother always saved the Christmas cards she had received in the mail. In those days, people sent many more Christmas cards than they do now. Today, I still find myself saving the cards that I get each Christmas. When the holiday season is over, I take them down off the dining-room side of our kitchen cabinets. I look at ea. . .

Snowboarding Isn’t Just For Kids Anymore

Pain and injury avoidance techniques for snowboarding are invaluable but not well known. If you know how, you can avoid the two biggest mistakes that first time snowboarders make. A positive experience your first few times out will make you more likely to stick out the hard times until you learn enough to really have fun!“There’s no reason that adults shouldn’t snowboard and have as much fun as. . .

Walt Disney's Horror Movie

In 1934, when Walt Disney called for a meeting among his artists, a rumor had spread that he was going to shut the studio down and they would all be left unemployed during the great depression. Instead he personally told them in his own spellbinding way the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which he intended to make into his first feature length film. It was a risk unlike any other he h. . .

Coping with Your Abuser

How to cope with your abuser?Sometimes it looks hopeless. Abusers are ruthless, immoral, sadistic, calculated, cunning, persuasive, deceitful - in short, they appear to be invincible. They easily sway the system in their favor.Here is a list of escalating countermeasures. They represent the distilled experience of thousands of victims of abuse. They may help you cope with abuse and overcome it.. . .

The Narcissist and His Family

We are all members of a few families in our lifetime: the one that we are born to and the one(s) that we create. We all transfer hurts, attitudes, fears, hopes and desires – a whole emotional baggage – from the former to the latter. The narcissist is no exception.The narcissist has a dichotomous view of humanity: humans are either Sources of Narcissistic Supply (and, then, idealised and over-va. . .

What is Abuse?

Violence in the family often follows other forms of more subtle and long-term abuse: verbal, emotional, psychological sexual, or financial.It is closely correlated with alcoholism, drug consumption, intimate-partner homicide, teen pregnancy, infant and child mortality, spontaneous abortion, reckless behaviours, suicide, and the onset of mental health disorders.Most abusers and batterers are mal. . .

10 Simple Steps To Avoid Phony Telemarketers

Although telemarketing calls should diminish, especially if you’ve registered for the national do-not-call list, scam artists are still out there hoping to con you out of your hard earned money. Scam artists don’t care about breaking telemarketing sales rules because most are fly-by-night operations that change names and locations quickly before they are caught by authorities.Fraudulent telema. . .

Muscle Pain And Children Do Not Mix

I am in pain. I've been in pain all day. Last night, I was in "searing pain", which is pain multiplied by pain, divided by relief, then multiplied by pain to the tenth power. In case you are not a math whiz, that equals pain with 33 zeros after it. Two days ago, I was in pain (just regular pain, no zeros). In fact, I was in pain all week.Welcome to my humor column.Actually, pain is not rea. . .

Ghost Stories

When I started teaching English at Northwestern Military and Naval Academy near Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, nobody warned me about the ghosts.Northwestern — a beautiful, old granite building — was a boarding school. A hundred boys lived there, ranging in age from seventh grade through twelfth, although the building could have accommodated maybe twice as many. The school had been in existence for ab. . .

The Thanksgiving Blessing

“Wouldn’t you just know it,” muttered my husband, Randy.We had already been driving for a couple of hours in a pickup truck that we had borrowed from a friend, and now it was completely dark. “What’s wrong?” I asked sleepily. I had dozed off only a few minutes ago.“It’s starting to rain,” Randy replied, as he reached over to turn on the windshield wipers.Rain? In a few seconds, I came fully awa. . .

Help! I've Got a Pregnant Cat!

So, you've got yourself a pregnant cat.Was it a stray that adopted you? You heard a plaintive meowing, opened your back door and there she was. You won her confidence, gave her some scraps and a drink of water, spent some time petting her and then left her to it. Next day she's back. And before too many days have passed you decide that as she has no collar, no address tag, that you have got you. . .

Stop! Don't Give Your Cat That Chocolate!

"Where's the harm? My cat seems to enjoy chocolate and it's only a small piece." Just because certain foods, such as chocolate, are enjoyed by us humans and are perfectly safe for us, it does not mean they are suitable for cats. Chocolate contains chemicals which rarely cause problems for humans, but for cats and other domestic pets, these chemicals can, in rare cases, be deadly. One problem is. . .

Chartered Feelings

Public transport system in Delhi is very poor when compared with other metropolitan cities. Traveling in a DTC bus or a blue line bus during peak hours is really nerve rattling experience. Unlike other cities, Delhi does not have mass rapid transport system. Due to absence of a reliable convenient and efficient transport system office goers in Delhi are compelled to have their own arrangement t. . .

Simplify the Season

Let's take a look at a typical Christmas To-Do list: bake cookies, buy and make gifts, attend office party, church commitments, address and mail cards, clean the house for guests, decorate...it goes on and on.... The holidays are meant to be a time of joy and family celebration. But all the running around we do can zap the fun. Here are some ideas to simplify the season. Gift Giving: Purchase . . .

Dear Santa: Christmas Sucks!

Christmas time is finally here, and most people during this holiday are happier than a fat kid eating a Krispy Kreme donut. Christmas brings so many great things to the table; the caroling, the NO SCHOOL, the snowmen and hour long snowball fights that ends with bloody noses, the eggnog and drunken relatives, the presents, holiday parties, and the drinking hot coco next to a roaring fire while c. . .