Family Holidays: Tips for Peace and Harmony

What do you like to do on family holidays?  Go to the beach or spend a week in the country?  Maybe you like camping or visiting relatives.  Whatever you enjoy, family holidays are a chance for everyone in the family to get reacquainted and spend quality time together.  It's a chance for parents to really talk with their teens and find out what's going on in their lives.  It's important to keep the communication lines open, and a family holiday is a good time to do that.  Having a good relationship with their parents is one of the most important factors in keeping teens out of trouble.

Studies have shown that when families take holidays together, they are more likely to eat together and are less likely to argue.  They do not watch as much television because they are involved in doing things together.  Kids even report that their parents seem to act differently while on holiday.

While family holidays are a good time to connect with your kids, communication problems that are already there will not automatically disappear.  Especially with teenagers it is important to listen and be flexible.  Find out what the kids would like to do and eat and plan accordingly.  While even teenagers need boundaries, it is important for parents to try to avoid needless confrontation.  Explain why you make the decisions you do and show them positive attention.

Kids will appreciate being included in travel plans.  There's a good chance they will choose a theme park or the beach if those are among the options.  Sometimes it works well for a teenager to take a special friend along on family holidays.  While this might increase the parents' load, the teen is likely to really appreciate it.  Also, sometimes it works well for kids to go on holidays with their grandparents instead of their parents.  Sometimes there is a special relationship here that can help kids open up and communicate about their concerns.

While on family holidays, if teens are uncooperative or behave improperly, try to deal with the problem in private.  Teens are very aware of embarrassmant and it is needlessly mean to exploit this sensitivity.  In fact, you might explain to the kids how their behavior embarrasses you, and they in turn might work harder at getting along and acting appropriately.

Kids will be happier on family vacations if they have snacks, drinks, and entertainment.  Few kids enjoy a long ride in the car!  Try to provide individual CD players or hand-held video games, and don't forget to take plenty of bathroom stops.  Sometimes kids enjoy the ride more if they can help you follow the map.  This is an educational activity for them as well.  By following these suggestions, your family holidays can make a happy memory.

Hot Weather Fun: Summer Crafts for Kids

When boredom looms and the weather's hot, get everyone involved in summer crafts for kids.  Kids are always excited to be free from the school routine when they are let out for summer break, but it isn't long until they start wondering what to do.  Summer crafts for kids will keep them occupied and maybe even teach them a thing or two.

In summer, crafts for kids can involve found objects, like seed pods, grasses, and similar objects.  Let kids create nature collection collages by gluing these items to a stiff piece of cardboard.   Help them spray paint some of the findings with silver or gold paint.  Alternatively, they might like to glue glitter to some of the findings.  Perhaps they would also enjoy collecting wild flower seed heads and creating dried flower arrangements.   Arrange the bouquet in a homemade vase.

A vase for summer bouquets, fresh or dried, is another craft that naturally fits into the summer crafts for kids category.  A simple vase can be made from a tin can.  Soup cans work particularly well because they are smooth on the outside and rather narrow.  Be sure to file off any sharp spurs on the inside opening.  Start the work of art by cutting a piece of construction paper or other colored paper to fit around the sides of the can.  This will be glued to the outside of the can, but first it needs to be decorated.

The vase cover can be decorated in many ways.  The child can draw a summer scene on the paper and then decorate it with glued on glitter or small stickers of summer things.  Another idea is for the child to write their name in large letters, and glue beans, seeds, or glitter to the letters.  Let all glue dry before attaching the paper to the outside of the can.  Add water and fresh flowers or leave dry for dry flowers.

You can also use the can for a trinket container or a place to put pens, pencils, and markers.  To make them real summer crafts for kids, glue grass seed heads and found seed pods to the paper in a decorative way.

Jar vases make good summer crafts for kids, too.  Canning jars make particularly cute vases, but any cast off mayonnaise, pickle, or other jar, even plastic ones, can work, too.  To make a jar into a vase it first needs to be sparkling clean.  Kids love getting wet in the summer, so let them roll up their sleeves (or put on a bathing suit!) and have fun splashing at the sink while "washing dishes."  When the jar is clean and dry, tie an attractive ribbon around the opening.  If desired, decorate the outside of the jar with glued on beads and buttons.

Summer crafts for kids will provide some cute decorations around the home and keep the kids from being bored.  This summer, crafts for kids should be at the top of every parent's To Do list!

Recreational after school programs

After school programs can be divided into 3 broad categories: academic,
recreational and social. Balanced development takes place when there is
compatibility between the physical, mental as well as the educational
achievements of the child.As the name suggests recreational after school
programs are based on a sport or recreation. Some of the more common
physical activities include football, swimming and basketball.Some clubs
offer programs like gymnastics, trekking and hiking. In this case,
youngsters are often given a short class in first-aid class also.

Recreational after school programs offer children an opportunity to let
off some steam and to destress themselves. The closed classroom atmosphere
and a day full of textbooks and writing cause the child to repress his
natural enthusiasm. He curbs his energy when he is required to sit quietly
in class and learn. Physical activity is an all-time low during such
times. This physical lethargy and inaction is countermanded by
recreational activities. Growing concerns of obesity and child diabetes
make it necessary for children to indulge in some strenuous exercises that
will allow them to work up some sweat.

Unlike educational programs, recreational programs do not tax the
mental processes. But, they do aid the learning process by making the
child more active. A child who is physically active is mentally fit, and
is able to focus his thoughts on the work at hand. Additionally,
recreational programs teach discipline, mechanics of teamwork and fair
play. These are important lessons in the growing process.

As more and more nuclear families emerge, the child faces greater
isolation. Many children shuttle between their classroom and their
bedrooms and do not have any meaningful relationships outside these.
Recreational programs offer ample avenues for socialization. This is a
place the child can go to and play even when his neighbor is not the most
welcoming. The Boy / Girl Scout programs are excellent recreational after
school programs. Lately, survival classes and camps have devised to
combine important survival skills with sports and games to educate
children on how to handle emergencies.

Like any good after school program, recreational programs are designed to
give children a safe area where they can indulge in some group activities
that interest them. This is one of the most effective ways to keep kids
out of the streets and out of trouble. But, one has to be careful when
enrolling children for recreational classes. The age of the child, his
temperament and his physical caliber has to be taken into account before
you choose the right program for your child.

Major garage transformation

One of the most commonly encountered questions when
thinking about converting your garage for a new use is
the warmth of the floor. Whether you are choosing to convert
your garage into a spacious home office or to convert it into a
gym room, you have to take into consideration some
improvements for your floor.

Since the garage has a concrete and uninsulated floor you
should focus on making it warmer and more resilient. Furring
up the floor with wood and plywood can accomplish both
tasks. As a warning, you should use pressure-treated wood or protect
the wood which is in contact with the concrete by placing a
layer of felt paper between the wood and the concrete.

First of all measure and determine how much you want to raise the
floor. All garage floors have some amount of slope from the
back wall to the wall with the garage door in it to allow the
water runoff. To achieve a level floor you will have to adjust
the joists, for this if you are placing the joists perpendicular to
the slope in the floor each of them would have to be ripped
down or shimmed up and if the joists are parallel to the slope,
you can rip them on a taper or use shims to level them.

Ok, you finished remodeling the floors, now it’s time to
examine your walls. You might be surprised to find out that
your walls are not even with the foundation they sit on. They
may be set back from the foundation or maybe overhang it in
other areas. Only one step will solve these problems: selecting
a lumber size that is deep enough to extend the framing past the
concrete. By notching each end of the furring strip and
attaching one strip to the face of each wall stud will result in an
even wall that completely hides the foundation. Also it will be
deep enough for the R-21 wall insulation, this type of
insulation being the most common code requirement.

When remodeling the walls and the floor several obstructions
may appear. Obstructions like pipes, ducts, wires and other
impediments to smooth walls may exist. For small obstructions
such as wires or small pipes you could adjust the furring strips
enough to accommodate them. The solution for larger
obstructions is to box around them. If the obstruction is a water
heater or something that you will need access to, you can frame
it in and enclose it on three sides and then provide a removable
access panel for the fourth side.

A building permit may be required for a garage make over.
Of course all the methods presented here are purely theoretical
and only for guidance. All garages are different and some
adjustments to the used methods or materials may be required
in order to accommodate to your garage.

Your workshop-garage heater

Why do you need a heater for your remodeled garage?
The answer for this question is pretty obvious: one of the
major disadvantages of using your garage as a workshop
or a home office is that it wasn’t meant for that. The
garage is the special place reserved for your car, the
garage is the room where you keep your lawn and garden
accessories.

If you start using this space for other projects that you
have, you need to deal with one major inconvenience,
that is warmth. During the summer you don’t have to
worry too much about this but during cold  seasons you
might find some difficulties in continuing your project
because of the very low temperature.

You can find many ways to warm up your workshop-
garage. You can try porcelain heaters; they
work great and can warm up a good area but they are not
meant to warm a large space for prolonged periods of time.

Another solution for you would be to use a kerosene
heater. These heaters are easy to turn on, most of them
have an electric starter. It should have a thermostat to be
able to regulate the temperature also they have a specific
scent, they do function on kerosene! So if you think you
cannot handle this smell, a kerosene heater wouldn’t be a
good choice for you. They are quite dangerous for your
children, if they have access to the garage and you would
definitely want to ventilate the garage very well!

A very good and popular choice nowadays is a gas heater.
Of course you have to hire a professional to install it. You
can find a gas heater suited to your budget for remodeling
the garage. There are many models and almost all of them
are fairly inexpensive. The main advantage of a gas
heater is that it gives you a consistently warm
environment. They are available in both manual and
thermostatic control types. You would probably prefer a
model that has a thermostat, even though its price is a
little higher than the price of a manual temperature
control model. The only thing that you have to do is to set
it on a desired temperature and leave it to do its job.

There are two types of gas heaters: vented and vent less.
The vent less unit uses air from the room and the vented
model has a system that vents directly out of the garage.
The disadvantage of the vent less model is that you have
to keep the room vented at all times because the unit uses
the air from the room where it has been installed. The
main advantage for the both types of gas heaters is that
they have a pretty low running cost compared to the
kerosene and electric heaters.

Remember that if you choose to install a more advanced
heating system like a gas heater, you must ask for a
professional’s help.

Front Loader

Also known as a front end loader, bucket loader,
scoop loader, or shovel, the front loader is a type
of tractor that is normally wheeled and uses a
wide square tilting bucket on the end of movable
arms to lift and move material around.

The loader assembly may be a removable attachment
or permanently mounted on the vehicle.  Often times,
the bucket can be replaced with other devices or
tools, such as forks or a hydraulically operated
bucket.

Larger style front loaders, such as the Caterpillar
950G or the Volvo L120E, normally have only a
front bucket and are known as front loaders,
where the small front loaders are often times
equipped with a small backhoe as well and called
backhoe loaders or loader backhoes.

Loaders are primarily used for loading materials
into trucks, laying pipe, clearing rubble, and
also digging.  Loaders aren't the most efficient
machines for digging, as they can't dig very deep
below the level of their wheels, like the backhoe
can.

The deep bucket on the front loader can normally
store around 3 - 6 cubic meters of dirt, as the
bucket capacity of the loader is much bigger than
the bucket capacity of a backhoe loader.  Loaders
aren't classified as excavating machinery, as
their primary purpose is other than moving dirt.

In construction areas, mainly when fixing roads
in the middle of the city, front loaders are
used to transport building materials such as
pipe, bricks, metal bars, and digging tools.

Front loaders are also very useful for snow
removal as well, as you can use their bucket or
as a snow plow.  They can clear snow from the
streets and highways, even parking lots.  They
will sometimes load the snow into dump trucks
which will then haul it away.

Unlike the bulldozer, most loaders are wheeled and
not tracked.  The wheels will provide better
mobility and speed and won't damage paved roads
near as much as tracks, although this will come
at the cost of reduced traction.

Unlike backhoes or tractors fitted with a steel
bucket, large loaders don't use automotive
steering mechanisms, as they instead steer by a
hydraulically actuated pivot point set exactly
between the front and rear axles.  This is known
as articulated steering and will allow the front
axle to be solid, therefore allowing it to carry
a heavier weight.

Articulated steering will also give a reduced
turn in radius for a given wheelbase.  With the
front wheels and attachment rotating on the same
axis, the operator is able to steer his load in
an arc after positioning the machine, which can
come in quite handy.  The problem is that when
the machine is twisted to one side and a heavy
load is lifted high in the air, it has a bigger
risk of turning over.

Porsche 365

The Porsche 356 is the first Porsche production automobile
and it was sold from 1948 through 1965.  Although many
consider Porsche 64 as being the first automobile produced
by the German company, the 64 was never mass-produced
and it was only a drivable test-mule. The 364 was created by
Ferdinand Porsche and his son, Ferry Porsche, designed by
Erwin Komenda and its engine features derived from the
Volkswagen Beetle, deigned by Mr. Porsche Senior.

The models available were initially coupe, cabriolet (luxury
convertible) and then roadster (a stripped down convertible).
Before being withdrawn in 1965, it went through several
changes. The most desirable versions were 356 “Carrera”
(often sold for well over $150,000), “Super 90” and “Speedster”.
In the late 50`s, the original selling price for a Porsche was
$4,000.

In 1954, Max Hoffman, the only importer of Porsches into
United States needed a lower cost, racier version for the
American marker. Therefore, the company created 356
“Speedster” that became a instant hit thanks to the low, raked
windshield (easily removable for weekend racing), bucket seats,
and minimal folding top. These days, this car is still very
appreciated as it is sold for over $100,000 and it has been used
in several films, including 48 Hours, its sequel – Another 48
Hours and Top Gun. In 1957, the production of Speedster
peaked at 1,171 cars. In 1959 it was replaced by the Convertible
D model, which featured a taller, more practical windshield,
glass side windows, and more comfortable seats.

Year after year, the basic shape of Porsche 356 remained the
same and was easily recognized and remarked, even though
changes were made, especially in the mechanical area. Coupe
and cabriolet models were produced every year up to 1965,
with the last 356B Roadster built in early 1963. The final model
build was 356 C that featured disc brakes and the most
powerful pushrod engine Porsche so far: the 95HP “SC”.

In the year that Porsche launched 911, 1964, Porsche 356 production
peaked at 14,151 cars. Still, the company continued to sell the
356C in North America through the end of 1965 as a lower-cost
vehicle. When the customers complained the price for 911 was
too high (almost twice the price of the 356), Porsche started
producing the 912, using the 356 engine. The 912model was
sold between 1965 and 1969.

56 years after the beginning of the production, Sports Car
International named 356C number ten on the list of Top Sports
cars of the 60`s. Today, the 356 is a respected car among the
collectors, as it stood the test of time. Worldwide, thousands of
356 owners maintain the tradition, preserving their cars and
driving them regularly.