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The Editor's Desk - From Beneath the Clutter
Feature Article - What to Look Out For When Choosing Health Insurance
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Guest Article - Tired Of The Mess? Tips To Keep Your Child's Room Neat
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Happy Valentine's Day everyone! I hope you all have a wonderful day.
Share your thoughts about this on the forum!
I don't know yet what, if anything, my husband is doing. He says he's not into celebrating Valentine's Day, yet for the past couple weeks he occasionally refers to it as our half-anniversary, which isn't quite accurate. It is the anniversary of the first time we went out "as friends" when he came back to the San Diego area after college. Never expected that one to go this far.
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I don't know if any of you need a merchant account, but I thought I would mention it. There are a lot of advantages to having a real merchant account versus only accepting PayPal payments. It gives your business a more professional appearance, you get your money in your checking account quickly without having to transfer it, and your business name and phone number appear on the customer's statement, so it is easier for them to remember you.
Don't forget, you can contribute your articles or tips anytime for consideration. Just use the contact form.
One of the biggest challenges of being self employed is having to buy your own health insurance. It’s a major expense and the wrong plan can fail you when you need coverage the most.
One of the big things to look out for is what happens if you come down with a chronic condition; that is, a condition that won’t be going away anytime soon. This is one of the easy times to lose coverage or find out that your premiums are going to go sky-high.
One example of a chronic condition is asthma. Obviously, a lot of people have this, and if you have to get your own health insurance, it’s going to be difficult to find a policy that wants to take someone on with this condition. The insurance company knows it is going to cost them money, so the premiums will be higher.
Another problem is that once you have such a chronic condition, it is very difficult to get coverage for it elsewhere. There are laws dealing with how preexisting conditions must be dealt with. If you have let your health insurance lapse for a time and you have a preexisting condition, it is quite likely that it will be excluded from your policy, meaning you have to pay for all medical expenses related to that condition.
Unfortunately, even if you later come down with a chronic condition you may find your coverage changes or your premiums increase. Health insurance companies, as with any other business, need to make money, so the companies will do what they can to minimize spending on chronic conditions.
Another problem time is if you have cancer. Cancer may or may not be treatable, and the answer is not clear-cut in many cases. A mild case may become serious, a serious case may go into remission. Treatments may take a long time and be expensive, making this a condition health insurance companies are less than enthusiastic about covering.
New treatments can be quite problematic. The latest medications may or may not be covered. It is possible, however, in many cases to fight the insurance company if your doctor pushes the matter. It may not be easy, however. New medications are often more expensive than ones that have been around for a while.
Whatever you do, make sure to compare plans from several companies. This will help you to make the right decision based on the needs of your family. If you are a woman of child bearing age, for example, you will probably want obstetric coverage even if you aren’t planning on having a baby anytime soon, just in case. Look at your potential co-pays, annual maximums and anything else you can think of to be sure that you are getting adequate coverage for your needs.
The simplest way to do this is to use a website such as eHealthInsurance or InsureMe.com
. Either of these will allow you to compare rates from several companies. Go over each offer carefully and decide which best meets your needs.
Stephanie Foster is the owner of Home with the Kids, a resource that knows that there's more to staying home with your family than just business. For more stay at home tips, visit the site at http://www.homewiththekids.com/ and subscribe to the free newsletter.
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Wanting your child to be organized and stay safe is an innate desire for parents. But sometimes, your kids don't see it that way. All your kids want to do is play, play and play some more! If you're having a hard time keeping your child's room clean and organized, read on for some tips to help you achieve your goal.
Make the room efficient. Make use of small drawers and cabinets where you can put your child's belongings. Utilize anything that fits the design or budget. The easier it to access, the better chance that it will be used.
For toddlers, hanging their clothes on small hangers on a low hung rod can help them choose their outfit and help them to feel like they are making their own decisions. These feelings help them to start to "like" how things work, and as they grow they will "like" having their clothes hung.
Organizing a baby's room is mostly for the benefit of the parent. Grouping the essential things you need in one area will help you find things quicker and make the job of caring for your baby much easier and safer. For example, put all the items you need for changing your baby on or near your changing table. You never want to leave your baby on the table to move across the room to pick up something that's out of place, and having to pick him up to do that is quite a pain as well. Likewise, arrange baby's bath basics together including towels and washcloths. Keep them within easy reach when you are bathing your baby. After all, you cannot leave your baby in her tub while you look for the baby shampoo.
Place shelves at reaching height for your child in his or her room. Shelves can be used to put toys on and when your child wants to play, she can easily reach them without having to drag out all the other toys.
Place a limit on the toys that are used at one time. Teach your child to play with one toy at a time. Then before she can play with another toy, she must put the first one away. If it's on a shelf that's at a level where she can easily access it, this job should be an easy one, she just may have to be reminded that the first toy has to be put back before the second one can be taken out.
Make organizing and keeping the room clean fun. Make using special containers for toys with small pieces a fun part of playing with that toy. For example, use an old shoebox as a toy car garage. Another example of making organization fun would be to place a basketball hoop on top of your little boy's laundry hamper. He'll be able to practice some basketball moves every time he changes his clothes.
Teach your child how to clean his room. Ask your child to join you when you are cleaning his room. Point out that there is a place for everything and keeping the room clean is as easy as putting every item back in it's place. As long as you don't let the room get too out of hand, cleaning will be easy. Eventually, you can transition to sitting on the bed and telling your child what needs to be done. Then later, he will know what to do without you being there.
Keeping a child's room clean can truly be a daunting task, but cleaning as you go and keeping organized makes it a lot easier. Follow the tips above and start to get in a habit, it takes practice and some time before you see results but it's well worth the effort.
Reba Collins is the owner and operator of Nikki Rae's-Cute Baby Clothes & Cool Kids Clothes-New and Gently Used Children's Clothing. Are you a mom that likes to save money and dress your little ones in cute and cool stuff? Stop by http://www.NikkiRaes.com.
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