One of the biggest fears people have about working at home is how easy it is to be scammed. Everywhere you look there are opportunities promising far too much. It’s a frustrating search for many people.

But for those who are willing to strike out on their own there are plenty of possibilities to consider.

One of the first things you want to keep in mind, however, is that going it on your own does not mean you won’t lose money. Starting a business means taking risks, and that goes beyond merely avoiding scams.

Start out by thinking of jobs you would like to do from home. Could your current experience translate into anything else?

Freelancing in your chosen field is one way to do it. Sometimes this is more of a work from home deal than work at home. You may have to go to client offices, after all, and sometimes it is simpler to do the work from there. Read the rest of this entry »

How many parents are rejoicing over this news? Disney has decided to stop making those cheesy, cheaply animated, direct to video sequels to their popular children’s movies.

It’s about time!

I know my daughter always wants these when she hears about them, but I have yet to see any sort of consistent quality or great storytelling in them. As the article notes, Return of Jafar aside, perhaps.

The animation in the sequels tended to make most parents cringe. I don’t know if kids always notice that consciously, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they realized something is off with the quickie sequels.

Now I just have to hold firm and convince my daughter that Cinderella III is not a must-own. She really, really wants it. And darn it, I think it’s in the previews of one of her other movies. I’ve seen reviews that make me hopeful that it will be tolerable if she does ever get it, but there are also some reviews that make it sound really horrible.

I’m not so sure that I want to find out which it is.

[tags]disney,disney animation,direct to video,disney sequels,cinderella III[/tags]

Summer’s a great time to be at home with your kids. Lots of things you can do as a family, and generally freer schedules. But there are also plenty of hazards.

Swimming pools are one of the best known hazards. Every parent knows that young children need to be watched around them. But do you think about smaller water holders, such as buckets? If you have younger children, these can pose a danger too.

Even if your kids aren’t going to be around water all that often I strongly recommend swimming lessons each summer. It’s just good sense. You may not have a pool, but will they ever go to a friend’s house? What if the friend has a pool?

It amazes me how often I see very young children playing in the street if the street is at all quiet. This is especially common on cul de sacs. What I find disturbing is how common it is to see children as young as 2 doing this with no obvious adult supervion. Just a slightly older sibling. And even the quietest of streets do sometimes get cars going too fast down them. It’s not something I think of as a good idea. Read the rest of this entry »

Have you ever bought the Entertainment book? My mother used to get it occasionally when we were kids, but I’ve never bought one for my own use. I just remember how rarely she remembered to use it. But I keep thinking I should give it a try myself.

Now is a good time for it. Their June Promotion is a FREE 2007 Book if you just reserve a copy of the 2008 book. The deal ends July 15, 2007. And about six months is still a pretty good amount of time to have the 2007 book.

I think the trick is to keep it with you all the time. My mother’s problem with it probably related to her habit of keeping it on a desk, easily forgotten.

But there are so many things you can save on. Many of them I don’t do often, such as eating out or going to a movie. But some grocery stores have coupons, and the range of coupons available can be simply amazing. I’ve really been thinking that I ought to give the Entertainment book a try myself.

Have you ever used it? What did you like most (least)?

[tags]entertainment book,coupons,saving money[/tags]

Now that my kids are out of school I’m trying to adjust their routine for summer. I like to get them outside and playing at least a couple hours a day. And that means building up a routine of using sunscreen.

My kids are lucky in some ways. I burn very easily. They take after Daddy and get tans instead. But I know all too well that that doesn’t mean they don’t need sunscreen. They do.

Getting the kids into the habit of using sunscreen is pretty easy in my experience. Be consistent for a few days to a week, then they start insisting upon it.

They generally like to play outside in the late morning, which of course is when the sun is getting pretty strong, then go inside for a few hours, going back outside later in the afternoon, by which time the sun’s rays aren’t quite so powerful. I like that routine. It means that not all of their outdoor playtime is when the risk from the sun is highest.

Our sunscreen is 50 SPF. I never buy anything less than 30 SPF because I burn so easily. But of course you can use your preferred level for your family.

I know we ought to wear hats more often too, but really we don’t. Ariel likes to take her parasol outside, which serves much the same function those rare times it remains above her head.

Does your family do much to protect their skin from the sun?

[tags]sunscreen,summer,sun safety[/tags]