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If you are the parents, its a nail biting… exciting, yet scary time as our kids leave their childhood and move on to adulthood..

If you are the student, then you know that the Prom Night represents the finishing of High School, and the start of a new life, whether its off to college, university, or traveling. Things will change, your friends will all be following their own paths, and this is the one night where you will all be dressed up and out together.

For some it is not that important, they are just glad they graduated and move on.. but for most young girls, its all about the dress, the diets, the makeup, the shoes, and all the stress that goes with it for the parents and the kids, for this one crazy night.

The one night where you are more dressed up than you have ever been, where you look grown up in your gowns and suits, and the cameras are flashing from your parents, grandparents and siblings as they are a witness to this next stage of your life..

Many girls worry about their dress, what type should I get?.. what size? … and what does not help, is that most retail stores tend to display the size 2 - 6 models for these dresses, when in actual fact more than 6 out of 10 girls are plus size, or size 14 and up. This causes panic and crash diets among young girls, as the pressure to look perfect on that night increases.

Instead of trying to squeeze into a dress that is too small, find a dress that fits your body in all the right places, and you will look like a million bucks, no matter what size you are. The worse thing you can do, is to jam your curvy body, into something that was not meant for your body type.

So, ignore the size tag, find the dress you like and find the right one to fit you, and when it fits just right, you will feel great. Malls are not the only place to look for a nice dress, or gown, also consider shopping online, there are so many great styles this year for that perfect prom dress, and there are sites that cater ONLY to Prom Dresses…so you are sure to find one that will fit you. Shopping online means you have access to many more styles, than what your local mall will have, and by purchasing online, you don’t run the risk of buying the same dress as someone else.

Start early, measure yourself and figure out your size, and don’t obsess over the size, just go by the fit, and you will look and feel great for your prom, no tugging, no sucking in your belly, and not being able to breathe, you want to be comfortable, and have a good time, as this is the next step to the rest of your life, enjoy it and breathe easy!

Top five ways to have a fairly tale wedding on a shoestring budget!

Your wedding is one of the most important days of your life… you plan it, you prepare for it, you stress over it, and quite often, you end up to you eyeballs in debt over it!

The wedding industry knows this, and I hate to say this, but they play on your emotions and your stress. They will want to take over completely for you…. for a fee of course!

But if you are ready for this, you can have the fairy tale wedding of your dreams on a shoestring budget.

1) Pick another day from Saturday… this is the most expensive day to get married… I personally got married on a Friday night at 6pm. I was able to rent a hall for half the price, and got a good deal on my honeymoon that left Saturday morning to Bahamas!

2) Plan what you want, sit down and figure out ahead of time, how many people, what type of food, flowers, dress etc… BEFORE you talk to anyone, if you are not sure and you hmmmm a lot, they will move in on you quickly! At least have some kind of plan in your head and what your definition of a fairy tale wedding is!

3) Hire interior decorating students to help you with the hall, this will save quite a bit there.

4) Save as much money on the “extras” as you can, so that you can spend the money on the parts that are most important to you, such as your dress!. Do you really have to have 200.00 dollar centerpieces on the tables at the receptions?.. Personally, at the last wedding I went to, we found them to be in the way, and they got put under the table!! What a waste of money that was, as there were 25 tables at this wedding.

5) Another nice way to get “extra” pictures at weddings, is to purchase lots of disposable cameras, and put them on the reception tables, and have your guests take pictures during the reception… its amazing the neat pictures your guests can take!… But above all, stay calm, and try not to stress… try to anticipate what are going to be problems ahead of time, so that you can keep one step ahead of trouble..

There are many wedding planners out there that you can hire, but there is just as much good information on the net, in the form of ebooks, that are written by people who have “been there done that”.. one person was able to get a designer dress for 1/4 of the price, find out how…..

Remember when you were a kid, and how anxious you were for Christmas to get here? Things were less hectic then. People did more things together as a family. Today, in many cases, both parents have to work and time is at a premium. Many kids spend as much time with the baby-sitter as they do with their own family.

During the Christmas season, make it a point to plan some special activities as a family. Forget about those chores around the house. The laundry will wait and there is nothing good on TV.

One nice Christmas activity is looking for a Christmas tree. Do some research and locate the nearest Christmas tree farm. Dress everyone warmly, pack two or three Christmas CD’s into the car, and hit the road. Crank up those CD’s right away and make sure everyone sings along. Don’t be afraid to have fun. Use a funny voice, make a few funny faces, tickle someone, and most importantly LAUGH.

When you arrive at your destination, grab a saw from the proprietor and head on out. Sing your favorite Christmas carols as you trudge along in search of the perfect tree. If your family is as picky as mine, it will take an hour or more. Again, don’t be afraid to have fun. The funny memories you create today will make your kids laugh for years to come!

After securing the tree, sing Christmas carols all the way home. Have a contest to see who can do the best Santa imitation. See who can come closest to guessing the total number of needles on the tree. (Pretend you know.)

The real magic of future Christmas gatherings will be based on the memories that you create now. Some of my fondest memories involve simple inexpensive things that we did with (and for) our kids when they were young.

Make an effort to create memories that will last a lifetime! It doesn’t have to be expensive. Our annual Christmas tree excursion is an example of the fun things you can do as a family that can bring a lifetime worth of laughter.

Get involved with your kids, do crafts, projects, and activities with them. I recall one activity; using nothing more than an inexpensive piece of cloth, we created a gift for our five-year old. It was a simple inexpensive gift that we made for less than a dollar. The real value in the gift was the wonderful story that we crafted about the object. Her squeals of delight and the look of absolute amazement on her face as she discovered it on Christmas morning was priceless. What’s more, she was the envy of her neighborhood friends when she showed them her precious treasure!

You can create lasting memories in many ways. For starters, there’s a great website for young children. It’s called Santa’s Place. It’s a daily journal of Santa’s activities that started on October 1. In it, Santa talks directly to your child (or grand-child). He asks them questions, fills them in on how the elves and reindeer are doing, sings songs, etc. Your children will love you for it!

Visit Santa’s Place at http://santasplace.blogspot.com

For that inexpensive, yet memorable gift above: http://www.howtoebooksite.com/Santasplace.html

Are your children anxious for Christmas to get here? The closer it gets to Christmas, the more wound up the kids get. Don’t tell anyone, but I think I’m just as excited as the kids.

 
Do you remember Christmas when you were a kid? The wonder and excitement increased daily as that special day drew near. The real magic of Christmas is in the memories that it creates. Some of my fondest memories involve simple inexpensive things that we did with (and for) our kids when they were young.

 
Going out to select our Christmas tree was always a great time. We’d sing Christmas carols in the car all the way to the Christmas tree farm. With saw in hand, we’d troop out into the field in search of the perfect tree. Sometimes it would take hours, but we loved every bitter cold minute of it.

 
One year, we selected a particularly large tree. It was so big; I couldn’t carry it to the car. We had to ask the farmer to help us carry it out. The farmer arrived a few minutes later with his 16-year-old daughter in tow. Together, the two of them carried the tree all the way out to the car. Imagine my embarrassment as I watched a young girl and her father carry the tree when I couldn’t. The family still gives me a hard time about that and calls me ‘wimpy’ whenever we get together for family Christmas gatherings.

 
Make an effort to create memories that will last a lifetime! It doesn’t have to be expensive. Our annual Christmas tree excursion is an example of the fun things you can do as a family that can bring a lifetime worth of laughter.

 
Get involved with your kids, do crafts, projects, and activities with them. I recall one activity; using nothing more than an inexpensive piece of cloth, we created a gift for our five-year old. It was a simple inexpensive gift that we made for less than a dollar. The real value in the gift was a wonderful story that we crafted about the object. Her squeals of delight and the look of absolute amazement on her face as she discovered it on Christmas morning was priceless. What’s more, she was the envy of her neighborhood friends when she showed them her precious treasure!

You can create lasting memories in many ways. For starters, there’s a great website for young children. It’s called Santa’s Place. It’s a daily journal of Santa’s activities that started on October 1. In it, Santa talks directly to your child (or grand-child). He asks them questions, fills them in on how the elves and reindeer are doing, sings songs, etc. Your children will love you for it!

 
Visit Santa’s Place at http://santasplace.blogspot.com

 
Bring a sense of wonder, amazement and adoration to the children (and grand-children) in your life. Get all the details on that special gift we gave our daughter and more! You can find it at: http://www.howtoebooksite.com/Santasplace.html

Stranger Danger is one of the most important lessons for children to learn. We all know the catch phases like “Don’t talk to strangers”, “Never get into a car with a stranger”, and “Don’t take candy from a stranger.” The phases are simple reminders for kids, but they can make the child insecure and fearful. How can we teach about stranger danger without scaring them or give them nightmares? Here’s some quick tips to keeping your child safe.

What is a Stranger?
The first thing to teach children is the difference between a friend and a stranger. Statistics show that casual acquaintances perpetuate most abductions. Children wrongly assume that because the parent says “hi” to the clerk at the grocery store, that they are friends. Quiz your child in the difference between a stranger and a friend. Ask them if… a teacher is a friend or stranger, how about the cashier at Blockbuster, or your neighbor that you have know for 5 years, etc.? This drill is an excellent start.

Saying No to Adults
We teach our children to respect adult and listen to them so most children have difficulty say no to adults. Child Predators exploit this tendency to abduct children by telling them to get into a car with a stern voice. The stern voice makes the child feel they did something wrong and comply with the demands. Teaching your child, that it is okay to say no to strangers and that they ALWAYS need to ask parent’s permission first before meeting stranger’s demands. Parents can role-play the parts of the stranger and have child say no.

What’s the Secret Password?
In the case of an emergency, create a family password that only you and your child know. A friend may need to pick up your child at school or an activity. How does your child know that you asked them to pick them up and it’s not a trick? Yes, you got it, the family password. The child asks the friend for the family password and if they know it, the child knows that you did send them and everything’s okay. Don’t forget to change the password once it is used.

Important Information your child should know
Teach your child some vital information will assist if they get lost. You should quiz them periodically to ensure they remember it. Give them lots of praise and attention for answering correctly. The vital information for the child to know is your full home address, home phone number, both parent’s full names, and cell phone numbers. Many kids are shy around other adults so it’s important to build their confidence so they can repeat the information to a police officer or another person trying to help.

Know thy enemy
Awareness is power in abduction safety. Parents should know if any child predators live in their area. Parents can go to http://www.familywatchdog.us to search for child predators with prior conviction in your area.

Tim Rosanelli is a 5th degree Black Belt in Shotokan Karate and owns Maximum Impact Karate located in Dublin, Pennsylvania. For more information about Maximum Impact Karate visit their website at www.maximpactkarate.com
Or…
Read more of Tim Rosanelli’s articles at www.timrosanelli.blogspot.com

Enforcing rules on children is necessary for effective parenting. Rules promote safety and structure to a child’s life that create order and set them up for success at home and school.Situations usually arise when parent’s attempt to enforce these rules and a child resists. This leads to parent is nagging, cajoling, and negotiating with the child to compile.

Setting up effective rules will make instilling positive discipline much easier. The follow pointers will show you how to create effective rules.

Enforcing the Do’s, Not the Don’ts
Children hear the word “Don’t” and “No” all the time. It’s no wonder that “No” is one of the first words that children learn to say. Most rules appear in a negative form for example, “Don’t Run” or “Don’t touch”.

The problem with the negative form of rules is that they do not present the parent’s expectations. The common rule of “Don’t Run” does not exclude skipping, hopping, crawling, spinning, etc. - all of which could or could not be acceptable behavior. Children think concretely. Therefore, this rule means that anything else is acceptable.

The positive form of rules creates a parental expectation, which is extremely powerful. Instead of the “Don’t Run” rule in the example above, we say, “We must walk in an orderly fashion”. This rule provides a clear expectation of their behavior.

Here’s some common transformation of rules from Negative to Positive.

Negative Statement: “Don’t Run”
Positive Statement: “Please walk in an orderly fashion”

Negative Statement: “Don’t Touch”
Positive Statement: “Let’s only look without touching”

Negative Statement: “Don’t Push”
Positive Statement: “We need to keep our hands to ourselves”

Negative Statement: “Stop throwing around that toy”
Positive Statement: “We need to play with toy properly”

Write and Post your New Rules
Writing and posting your new rules will give a visual account of your expectations. You need to review these household rules with your child on a constant basis. The more you speak of these rules, the more the child will naturally integrate them into their mindset and lives.

For each rule, you can write the consequence for not following the rule. Natural consequences are great to add here. For example, the rule of playing with toys properly, the natural consequences would state that you will take the toy away for the rest of the day or that you will not replace broken toys. Statements like these develop responsibility in children.

Follow through
All is lost without follow through. Rules that parents do not followed through on are as good as no rules at all.

Developing effective rules helps to instill positive discipline in children. They also encourage children to increase their level of responsibility. These factors make parenting and applying the rules much simpler – providing better family harmony.

Tim Rosanelli is a 5th degree Black Belt in Shotokan Karate and a veteran of the martial arts industry. He owns Maximum Impact Karate located in Dublin, Pennsylvania and also serves the communities of Perkasie, Doylestown, Quakertown, Plumsteadville, and Pipersville. For more information about Maximum Impact Karate visit their website at www.maximpactkarate.com
Or…

Read more of Tim Rosanelli’s articles at www.timrosanelli.blogspot.com

Chances are, if you live in any well populated area, that you have many Martial Arts school within driving distance from your home. Rightly so, because the Martial Arts are becoming a well recognized and hugely popular activity for children with millions of them currently enjoying the martial arts as we speak. With so many choices, how is a parent to find the perfect Martial Arts school for your child? This Parent’s Survival Guide will make finding and selecting the perfect Martial Arts for your child as easy as 1-2-3.Martial arts schools range from huge Mega-schools to tiny mom and pop shops. The prices range too. The average price for group classes are about $125 per month but range greatly according to location, facility, and local demographics.

Tips to pick the right Martial Arts School for your child

Get Referrals - If someone you know is happy with their child’s Martial Arts School, most likely, the school is a good choice for you or at least a starting point. The added benefit is that your child will know someone at the school which will make them feel more comfortable. Plus, lessons are always more fun with friends.Check out the Facility - Whether the facility is well maintained or poorly maintained says volumes about the owner’s attitude and professionalism. If the school looks like a dungeon, most likely, it’s run like one and it’s best to stay away even if it means paying a high tuition at another school.

Check the instructor’s credentials - Currently, the martial arts do not have any standards that qualify someone to become a teacher. Don’t look at the number of trophies or the number of degrees of Black Belt of the instructor. Instead look for solid teaching or instructor credentials that show the instructor’s proficient in teaching, not just tournaments.

Choose an instructor not a style - Each style has its advantages and disadvantages. Watch how the instructor interacts with your child. Ask yourself, “Is the instructor enthusiastic?” “Does he generally enjoy working with children?” If your answer is “Yes”, then explore further into what the school has to offer.

Get your child’s opinion - If your child likes the instructor and responds well to their instruction, you found a winner! The rapport between the instructor and child is the number one factor deciding if your child will stick with the program long enough for them to gain the life skill benefits of the Martial Arts.

Try an Introductory Lesson - Most schools allow new students to take a few introductory lessons for a nominal fee or for free. Be upfront with the instructor that you are trying out a few schools before making a decision. If the school tries to block your search or gives you an attitude, it’s a huge warning sign. A confident and high quality school will invite you to compare their services to other schools even if they are higher priced than the competition.

Expect Follow up - Be glad when a school calls you to follow up. This is a sign that the school will be more concerned about your child’s development and follow up with you regularly for feedback.

Follow your Instinct - Heed your gut feeling about the school. If something does not feel right, don’t join until it does.

These eight tips will help you survive the process of selecting a Martial Arts School to find the perfect one for you and your child.

Tim Rosanelli
visit our school website at www.maximpactkarate.com
Read more of Tim Rosanelli’s articles at http://www.timrosanelli.blogspot.com/
or check out http://milliondollarbusinessquest.blogspot.com/

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