Toddlers – Planning a Vacation with Kids

by: Spiffy Baby

Got Toddlers? Got Chaos! Planning any kind of trip with toddlers can be complicated. There are certain things to keep in mind that might help preserve your sanity and possibly even let you have a little bit of fun together as a family.

Arrive Leisurely

Traveling with a toddler can take a toll on even the most patient parent. If you are flying, the experience can be exciting and will keep them occupied for about ten minutes before your little one is ready to start a full-scale exploration effort. In an airplane you do have the opportunity to get up and move around – take a trip to the restroom or, pilot willing, consider a trip to the cockpit.

Car rides can be complicated as well. Fortunately, toddlers are great at napping in the car, so you might consider leaving right before naptime and letting your enthusiastic one sleep the first couple of hours. A lot of parents also drive in the evening in hopes of a sleepy car ride for longer than a few hours.

While your toddler is awake, consider a favorite video, toys (http://www.spiffybaby.com/Toys-Playtime-p-1-c-5.html), books, coloring, action figures, snacks and anything else you can think of to keep them entertained. Plan on plenty of stops along the way to get out, change diapers and stretch legs. Rushing to get anywhere just makes things more stressful, so don’t get in a hurry.

Maintain a Routine

Your toddler probably has a nice nap routine at home, and vacation is not a time to wing it. If your little one naps at noon every day, move mountains to help them nap at noon on the road. Take a break in the hotel room or alternate separate parent activities so someone is there to help even the most reluctant toddler take a break in a busy day. Try to keep bedtime reasonably close to normal, too – a tired toddler is not a toddler that travels well.

Keep it Loose

If you are a scheduling fanatic when it comes to travel, toddler travel may not be for you. Plan activities with plenty of cushion time in between. Toddlers aren’t able to appreciate fine architecture, but they love a good fountain or the local zoo. Find activities that have a little bit of something for everyone – zoos, parks, beaches, hikes, wildlife, etc…

Mix “grown-up” activities in with toddler activities to give everyone something to look forward to. You might also want to pick a few of the most important landmarks to see and leave the rest for when your child has an attention span longer than fifteen minutes. Above all, just remember that this should be fun for everyone – even if you never leave the hotel pool!

4th week of July : PARENTING

Ten Basic Principles of Good Parenting
There Is A Science To Raising Children

Are you constantly searching the latest on parenting to make sure you are doing everything exactly right? It's time to relax. Temple University psychologist, Laurence Steinberg, says that perfect parents just don’t exist.

“Most parents are pretty good parents,” says Steinberg, “But I’ve never met a parent who is perfect 100 percent of the time. We all can improve our batting average.”

Here is a quick overview of the Ten Basic Principles:

1. What you do matters.
“Tell yourself that every day. How you treat and respond to your child should come from a knowledgeable, deliberate sense of what you want to accomplish. Always ask yourself: What effect will my decision have on my child?”

2. You cannot be too loving.
“When it comes to genuine expressions of warmth and affection, you cannot love your child too much. It is simply not possible to spoil a child with love. What we often think of as the product of spoiling a child is never the result of showing a child too much love. It is usually the consequence of giving a child things in place of love—things like leniency, lowered expectations or material possessions.”

3. Be involved in your child’s life.
"Being an involved parent takes time and is hard work, and it often means rethinking and rearranging your priorities. It frequently means sacrificing what you want to do for what your child needs you to do. Be there mentally as well as physically.”

4. Adapt your parenting to fit your child.
“Make sure your parenting keeps pace with your child’s development. You may wish you could slow down or freeze-frame your child’s life, but this is the last thing he wants. You may be fighting getting older, but all he wants is to grow up. The same drive for independence that is making your three-year-old say ‘no’ all the time is what’s motivating him to be toilet trained. The same intellectual growth spurt that is making your 13-year-old curious and inquisitive in the classroom also is making her argumentative at the dinner table.”

5. Establish and set rules.
“If you don’t manage your child’s behavior when he is young, he will have a hard time learning how to manage himself when he is older and you aren’t around. Any time of the day or night, you should always be able to answer these three questions: Where is my child? Who is with my child? What is my child doing? The rules your child has learned from you are going to shape the rules he applies to himself.”

6. Foster your child’s independence.
“Setting limits helps your child develop a sense of self-control. Encouraging independence helps her develop a sense of self-direction. To be successful in life, she’s going to need both. Accepting that it is normal for children to push for autonomy is absolutely key to effective parenting. Many parents mistakenly equate their child’s independence with rebelliousness or disobedience. Children push for independence because it is part of human nature to want to feel in control rather than to feel controlled by someone else.”

7. Be consistent.
“If your rules vary from day to day in an unpredictable fashion, or if you enforce them only intermittently, your child’s misbehavior is your fault, not his. Your most important disciplinary tool is consistency. Identify your non-negotiables. The more your authority is based on wisdom and not on power, the less your child will challenge it.”

8. Avoid harsh discipline.
“Of all the forms of punishment that parents use, the one with the worst side effects is physical punishment. Children who are spanked, hit or slapped are more prone to fighting with other children. They are more likely to be bullies and more likely to use aggression to solve disputes with others.”

9. Explain your rules and decisions.
“Good parents have expectations they want their child to live up to. Generally, parents overexplain to young children and underexplain to adolescents. What is obvious to you may not be evident to a 12-year-old. He doesn’t have the priorities, judgment or experience that you have.”

10. Treat your child with respect.
“The best way to get respectful treatment from your child is to treat him respectfully. You should give your child the same courtesies you would give to anyone else. Speak to him politely. Respect his opinion. Pay attention when he is speaking to you. Treat him kindly. Try to please him when you can. Children treat others the way their parents treat them. Your relationship with your child is the foundation for her relationships with others.”

There is no guarantee that following these guidelines will result in perfect parents... remember, there is no such thing!

Good parenting, says Steinberg, is “parenting that fosters psychological adjustment—elements like honesty, empathy, self-reliance, kindness, cooperation, self-control and cheerfulness.

“Good parenting is parenting that helps children succeed in school,” he continues. “It promotes the development of intellectual curiosity, motivation to learn and desire to achieve. It deters children from anti-social behavior, delinquency, and drug and alcohol use. And good parenting is parenting that helps protect children against the development of anxiety, depression, eating disorders and other types of psychological distress.”

“There is no more important job in any society than raising children, and there is no more important influence on how children develop than their parents.”

by Steinberg's

More income???

Buy an e-book and start to generate income automatically.....There is more than 45 e-book where you can download to read....Just pay RM50 and the income will grow while you spend your time reading all those book...

****click here****

Don't waste your time and take your move now!!!

Adsense

Want to know about adsense? How about some tips about how to make more money with adsense?

More information about adsense at http://sbm979.blogspot.com/

10 Julai 2007 : My husband and his friend went to watch the AFC Games where Malaysia meets China....mula games agak menarik di mana team Malaysia banyak buat serangan yang menarik dan hampir2 menyumbat gol pembukaan....Tapi yang score hanya lah China.....satu..dua..tiga...dan empat....Selepas empat goal.....kebanyakkan seat di Stadium Bukit Jalil telah mula kosong di mana penyokong tidak sanggup lagi melihat team Malaysia dimalukan dengan begitu teruk oleh China...Walaupun Indra Putra berjaya menyumbat satu goal (kata pengulas perlawanan sebagai gol bagi merapatkan jurang dengan China..4 - 1 dah masa tu....aparaaa)..Penyokong Malaysia dah tak de mood nak tengok...What a dissapointment!! Game yang memalukan...pemain Malaysia macam baru belajar main bola....Gol2 China semua mudah-mudah.....Tak de pemain Malaysia yang jaga pemain China yang score tu ....Macam mana ni?? Ingat ke gol tamat setakat 4 tapi 5 rupanya......satu2nya negara tuan rumah yang kalah dalam perlawanan pembukaan.....Apa masalah nya nie?? Nak kata program sukan negara tak aktif...macam2 program ada....insentif pun banyak....mana-mana tempat pun boleh berlatih tak ada yang nak kacau....except ada yang amik gambar la......tengok contoh Iraq.....negara bermasalah....nak berlatih bola pun susah takut terkena peluru sesat.....tapi boleh plak seri....

p/s: Teringat bola sepak dulu2 yang meriah dengan 'star'....

Set your sites higher: 5 tips to update your website for success

When it comes to the internet, your website is your front door, your waiting room, your store and your office. The impression you make with a clean, professional-looking and functional website will carry over to your business dealings with customers and clients. A little common sense and care can go a long way. Try to view your site from a user's perspective, and don't be afraid to get feedback on improving the web experience. Here are some tips to help you spruce up your site design.

1) Mind the basics.

A visitor should be able to tell what your business does right from your main web page. Most web suffers don't have much patience, so you have only a few seconds to make a good impression. Keep your site updated regularly with new content, products or information, and your customers will have a reason to stick around as well as come back later. Proofread your entire website to catch spelling and grammatical errors before your customers do. Make sure your contact information is easily accessible.

2) Keep your site structure well-organized.

Be sure your website navigation is clear, simple and consistent from page to page. Overall, page sizes should be reasonably compact and blocks of text streamlined to a manageable size. Try to place the most important information toward the top of the page so that you minimize the amount of scrolling your customer needs to do to view important content or product information. In particular, watch your graphics placement, and avoid horizontal scrolling--it's an annoyance that does not generally sit well with suffers. A site map or search function can also be a handy tool to help visitors Locate the exact content they're Looking for, especially for large, elaborate websites. Good site structure translates into ease of use and satisfied customers who will want to return to your website.

3) Flashy websites with tots of spinning video, animated splash pages and automatic music may be appropriate for some businesses, but not most.

Elaborate web design can stow down the user experience and be a turnoff for potential customers. Keep the took of your website clean, and always consider the impression you're making on a first-time visitor. Do you really want them waiting around for a page to Load or frantically reaching to turn down their speakers? On a more basic level, be aware of the size of your graphics files. Keep them slimmed down so they will load fast.

4) Pay attention to the impact of different colors.

If you wouldn't print a business card with hot pink text on a black background, you shouldn't have a website that looks like that, either. Be sure to check that all text is easily readable and that your overall use of color is easy on the eyes. Businesses that already have a color scheme associated with their branding can carry that over to their websites for a consistent experience both online and off.

5) Go to a professional when you need to.

Most busy entrepreneurs don't have the time or expertise to build and maintain an elaborate website. For simpler sites, web design templates like those Network Solutions offers to its customers can be a quick and painless way to get up and running on the web. If your needs are more complex, it may be a good time to check in with a designer who can specifically tailor a site to fit your business and your budget. Network Solutions, for example, has professional web designers on staff to build your business site to meet your specific needs. A service like that is not only affordable, but can also get your site up quickly while providing the added benefit of monthly maintenance. Busy entrepreneurs will appreciate the one-stop shopping that Network Solutions offers for hosting, design and e-mail

For more information on growing your business online, go to www.entrepreneur.com/etips.

Trip to Sabah

Recently I went to Sabah with my family....in order to support 'Cuti-cuti Malaysia'.....(actually i manage to get free ticket from airasia....just pay the airport tax..RM130.00 per person...) depart on 9.35 and arrive at K.Kinabalu at 12.15...RM20.00 per taxi from airport to the city centre... I stay in promenade apartment..for 2 room apartment plus kitchen, 2 bathroom, tv and etc cost me about RM230.00 per night...ok huh? for 6 people it is quite comfortable....promenade is quite popular for tourist bcoz it is strategic iin the middle of the city...near philipine market, centre point shopping complex, evening market and of course along the sea side.... We rent Toyota Avanza for RM180.00 per day...for Toyota Unser RM200.00 per day....


Manukan Island ...where you can do snorkelling.....where u dont have to chase for fish b'coz fish will totally chase u.. it cost RM24.00 per person for one island, RM33.00 for two island and RM43.00 for 3 island...discount RM3.00 for student card...this charge is for Malaysian...They charge additional RM10.00 for non-Malaysian...I went to Manukan Island and Sapi Island because it is the best place to do snorkelling... 20 minutes boat ride to Manukan Island....10 minutes boat ride from Manukan to Sapi Island....

My son also eager to get down......experience it urself.... To enter the island..we have to pay RM3.00 once and you can use the same ticket to every island in the same day...lunch at Sapi Island is much cheaper than Manukan Island....Just pay RM20.00++ to eat everything they serve....sea food of course!! What a nice view u can see here...white sand....Time to relax!!!






"We are ready mummy"....With his cousin...Snorkell equipment for RM10.00 per pc.



Kota Kinabalu city from view deck at Bukit Bendera..(I thought only in Penang got Bukit Bendera)....somewhere near stadium Likas...Got Motor Grand Prix that day....you can see the whole city from here..
To have a nice seafood meal....I suggest Gayang Seafood restaurant...somewhere near the road way to Kundasang..Near Kampung Nelayan....fresh and yummy!!! Dont forget Timpohon at Kundasang *gate for Mount Kinabalu climbers to enter* to get a close view to Mount Kinabalu and Hot Spring at Ranau if you need a hot water bath....

Blog

Never thought to use blog to publish anything that i want to share....usually i just email but today is the first time i use blog...and the first time i have my own blog....wakakakkak...eventhough i am a multimedia person and my job is to maintain and update my company website...wakakakakak..

may be i'm not that creative to create all those thing i.e website ...... :)

CSS

In computing, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is a stylesheet language used to describe the presentation of a document written in a markup language. Its most common application is to style web pages written in HTML and XHTML, but the language can be applied to any kind of XML document, including SVG and XUL. The CSS specifications are maintained by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).

CSS has various levels and profiles. Each level of CSS builds upon the last, typically adding new features and are typically denoted as CSS1, CSS2, and CSS3. Profiles are typically a subset of one or more levels of CSS built for a particular device or user interface. Currently there are profiles for mobile devices, printers, and television sets. Profiles should not be confused with media types which were added in CSS2.

The use of CSS to position the content of a web page is sometimes referred to as CSS-P or CSS Positioning.

Overview

CSS is used by both the authors and readers of web pages to define colors, fonts, layout, and other aspects of document presentation. It is designed primarily to enable the separation of document content (written in HTML or a similar markup language) from document presentation (written in CSS). This separation can improve content accessibility, provide more flexibility and control in the specification of presentational characteristics, and reduce complexity and repetition in the structural content. CSS can also allow the same markup page to be presented in different styles for different rendering methods, such as on-screen, in print, by voice (when read out by a speech-based browser or screen reader) and on braille-based, tactileHTML or XML markup can be displayed in a variety of styles, liveries or color schemes by using different CSS. devices. Similarly, identical

CSS information can be provided by various sources:

• Author styles (style information provided by the web page author), in the form of
  • external stylesheets, i.e. a separate CSS-file referenced from the document
  • embedded style, blocks of CSS information inside the HTML document itself
  • inline styles, inside the HTML document, style information on a single element, specified using the "style" attribute.
• User style
  • a local CSS-file specified by the user using options in the web browser, and acting as an override, to be applied to all documents.
• User agent style
  • the default style sheet applied by the user agent, e.g. the browser's default presentation of elements.

CSS specifies a priority scheme to determine which style rules apply if more than one rule matches against a particular element. In this so-called cascade, priorities or weights are calculated and assigned to rules, so that the results are predictable.

Advantages

Advantages of using CSS include:

• Presentation information for an entire website or collection of pages can be held in one CSS file, allowing sweeping changes to be propagated with quick changes to this one file.
• Web browser software can store a copy of the CSS file in the computers cache, so that it doesn't have to be downloaded each time the user views a web page that references it.
• Different users can have different style sheets: for example a large text alternative for visually-impaired users, or a layout optimized for small displays for mobile phones.
• The document code is reduced in size and complexity, since it does not need to contain any presentational markup.

Use of CSS

Prior to CSS, nearly all of the presentational attributes of HTML documents were contained within the HTML markup; all font colors, background styles, element alignments, borders and sizes had to be explicitly described, often repeatedly, within the HTML. CSS allows authors to move much of that information to a separate stylesheet resulting in considerably simpler HTML markup.

Headings (h1 elements), sub-headings (h2), sub-sub-headings (h3) etc. are defined structurally using HTML. In print and on the screen, choice of font, size, color and emphasis for these elements is presentational.

Hi

Anybody want to share any multimedia note are welcome...