It is amazing to me how the bottled water industry has exploded in our country. It seems that every where you look someone is carrying a bottle of water. Until recently I did not think too much about this craze, until my daughter’s volleyball team had a health crisis.

My daughter has been involved in some type of organized sport since she was six years old. She is now sixteen and is a great team player and quite skilled in volleyball. She has a great personality so even though she is only a sophomore she was picked as co-captain on the team. I go to all of the home games and to as many of the away games as possible. A few weeks ago they were playing against a school about thirty five miles away from the town we live in. I stopped at home and changed clothes after work and picked up my son and drove to my husband’s office to pick him up. At the last minute I grabbed a case of water from the refrigerator in our garage. I had my son open the case and hand me a bottle of water as I was driving. When we picked up my husband he also wanted a bottle of water. He asked why I had brought a case along. I explained that some of the girls may ride back with us and they would be thirsty.

When we arrived at the game my daughter waved to us in the stands. She came over and asked if she could have a drink out of my bottle of water. She said that they only had the squirt bottles of water on the side lines and she did not like sharing with others. She also said that a group was going out for pizza after the game so they would not ride home with us. I had my son go out to the car and bring in the case of water. Several of the girls had a bottle of water and the rest said that they would use the squirt bottles. The girls won the game and we went home.

About three days later my daughter called me from school crying. Several girls from the volleyball team were very sick from meningitis. One of the girls was in the hospital for two days and the others were coming down with symptoms. They feel that the one girl spread it to the other girls through the bottle of water. They are supposed to squirt water into their mouths, but they are not always careful.

A week later the girl that had first contracted the meningitis died. The other girls are getting better, but they are all so sad and shocked that their beautiful young friend is gone. I am so thankful that my daughter did not drink out of the squirt bottles and that I had brought the case of water along. I think that having the bottle of water along saved others on the team from getting sick.

I will admit that I fully do not understand why so many parents are hell bent on doing attachment parenting. Now with having two small children of my own, I think I understand it even less than when I was looking at it from a child free perspective. While I do some things that may be considered part of attachment parenting, I cannot imagine being so immersed in something like this that I would beat myself up over not carrying my child in a sling all day. Personally, I think there are much better things to be concerned with than if my child has bonded with me enough through being carried.

Another thing with attachment parenting is that it seems to go hand in hand with mothers that are deemed as “crunchy”, or that like to do things in the most natural way possible. This includes breastfeeding for as long as three or four years. In my opinion, this is going a little to the extreme. While breastfeeding certainly is the best, going that long coupled with carrying in a sling most of the time, seems to me that it produces children that are dependent upon their parents and are quite shy and introverted and often don’t do things for themselves.

Mothers that follow attachment parenting are well within their rights to do so, and they of course think that they are doing everything that benefits their child. When looking at it from that view point, it is almost impossible to fault a mother for doing what she thinks is best for her child. In reality, that is what every single caring mother does. The problem I see with attachment parenting, or even other parenting styles, is that it follows a guidebook. You must do this, and you must do that. When you start following guidelines and rules for raising your children, you are setting yourself up for disappointment if you are unable to follow everything to a tee. The best advice I have been given for raising a child is to just follow your instincts, and everything will work out just fine. Sure, we can follow some recommendations, but to follow an entire style of parenting like attachment parenting does not allow room for what you feel you should do. Look at these parenting styles at face value, and do not feel the need to follow everything verbatim. Allow yourself to make your own decisions, and everything should be fine.

Medical bills are the number one cause of debt in this country and in a country where so many people are in debt, there must be a lot of us running around without any health coverage. Having medical insurance is very important but if you work for an employer who does not offer it or work for yourself, then you know how difficult it can be to find affordable health insurance.

I have been contemplating going into business for myself and was shocked at how much health coverage can cost. I am young and in good health. I have never had major health problems or surgeries but I cannot find what I consider to be affordable health insurance. In the searching I have done, I have found that decent coverage would cost me thousands of dollars every year. Like most working folk, I do not have thousands of dollars lying around looking for something to be spent on. My income is spoken for the moment it touches my bank account.

My current employer covers my health insurance with a PPO. I have been covered under HMOs in the past and I can’t imagine going back to that. When it comes to finding affordable health insurance that gives me the options I want and have grown used to, I may be out of luck. When debating expenses such as these, you have to ask yourself whether or not it is worth it. If you want the flexibility to see the doctors of your choice, you will have to pay for that luxury.

Finding affordable health insurance on your own can be very difficult. I have found a few websites that can make this search easier. Check out www.healthinsurancesavings.com or www.self-employed-health-care.com to look over coverage options in your area. Depending on your history and the coverage you want, it may be possible to find affordable health insurance if you spend some time wading through different sites. Just be aware that these sites will require that you divulge some pretty personal information.

If you are not comfortable using the web to search for affordable health insurance you may have to spend hours on the phone with various providers. This can be a very tedious and frustrating venture but having health insurance is vital in today’s world. Beyond the threat of debt, being able to take care of yourself and your family is the most important thing you can do. Being around as long as possible and sharing a healthy life with your family are the most precious things you can ever offer.

More and more Americans are in need of affordable health care. Some employers for hardworking employees have had to cut back on some of the health care for everyone because of the rising costs and working with a budget. I know, I am one of them. I have a great job and prior to 2006, I had amazingly wonderful health care. Suddenly, my employer announced last fall that it was getting too expensive and switching health care providers. The company was seeking more affordable health care that would benefit all of its employees. Some people will argue that my new insurance is still great and I am fortunate to have it. I do agree, to some extent. However, their search for affordable health care now costs me double the money from my paychecks to have my husband and daughter on my policy. Yes, that is correct, it is costing me double what I was accustomed to. This means, that for my company to provide affordable health care to all of the employees, it is no longer affordable for us. Without getting a raise, my paychecks are dwindling just so that my family can have health care.

Granted, my health care is still decent. The new company that we have is not as good as our previous. In my opinion, my company’s search for affordable health care not only left all of us with a significant cut in our paychecks, but higher co-pays and more out-of-pockets expenses from us. Four years ago, I gave birth to a wonderful little girl. My old insurance paid 100% of my hospital stay. Today, if I had a baby, it would cost me almost $4,200 for my out-of-pocket fees. That’s just for the hospital and delivery. I would also be paying more for my co-pays. Somehow, it just doesn’t seem to be fair to the majority that is involved.

There are more and more affordable health care programs being created to help those that do not have any coverage. Single mothers, families working for companies that don’t offer coverage, low-income households - they are all able to get affordable health care or even free health care. While I am appreciative of those programs because they are savings lives and helping people to grow stronger and healthier, some people take advantage of them. Those programs should be for struggling families who are taking steps to better their futures, not for people who have no motivation and live off of the state systems and affordable health care programs. The taxpayers, such as myself, are contributing to the affordable health care programs. Meanwhile, my family hesitates to visit the doctor because the costs we now could incur. My employer definitely found advantages to finding affordable healthcare for its employees. However, their money saving technique wasn’t good news to employees. We suddenly were making up for their affordable health care endeavor - by seeing less of our paychecks. Something needs to be done in this country to offset rising costs and provide more affordable health care to those who are in need.

My husband and I are best friends with a couple who has tried for years to conceive a child. They have exhausted most fertility methods that their insurance has allowed them. Finally, they were faced with the decision of trying some expensive methods that were not guaranteed, or of adopting. Over dinner one evening, they told us that they had been thinking about looking into adoption from China. My husband, having been adopted as a baby, told them that he thought that was a wonderful idea. I silently wondered to myself, why they couldn’t adopt a child from our own country who needs a home, but expressed my delight for them. Over the next few months, they gathered lots of facts and information about how adoption from China works.

I decided to do some research on my own on adoption from China just to satisfy my own curiosity. I was actually quite fascinated to learn some facts that I would never have guessed. 95% of children that are adopted from China are females. That is because of their population control regulations. I think it is terribly sad that the government has chosen to regulate what the population can be, but I do not live in that country and will not get into that. So, almost anyone considering adoption from China will be guaranteed to be bringing home a little girl. I was surprised to learn that adoption from China averages $20,000 - $25,000. I wondered how the average family can afford those fees. Our friends said that they planned on taking out a home equity loan to be able to afford to move forward with adoption from China.

Both spouses who are looking into adoption from China must be at least 30 years old. That meant that our friends would have to wait one more year before starting the process, giving them time to get prepared and save some money as well. They also needed to get their passports and prepare to take a last minute trip once they were contacted that there was an available child for them. Adoption from China requires that at least one of the spouses travel to the country to bring their child home. I know that they both planned on being there to greet their new family member and perhaps enjoy their time overseas. Once they were both 30 years old, it would most likely be less than a year for them to be able to have a child. In America, that wait can be quite a bit longer.

After hearing their thoughts on adoption from China and doing some of my own research, I was excited for them. They knew that adoption from China was what they wanted to do. I had decided that I would be throwing them a huge shower when they brought home their new family member. They would definitely be deserving of it.

As people age it is important that they are able to continue doing things that they enjoy. This is often difficult if they are restricted in their mobility, or if their abilities change due to illnesses. The elderly often have struggles with depression because of the number of losses they suffer. Having some type of hobby that they enjoy can help them deal with the depression.

My mother had to leave her home and move to an apartment when she could no longer drive. She was living by herself in a five bedroom farm house and she could not keep it up any more. My mother has always enjoyed gardening. In the late winter she would plant seeds in small moss containers to start her tomato, pepper and squash plants. She did this in the basement and placed them in a windowsill so they would have sunlight and warmth to germinate. There is a garden at the senior building where mom moved to, however she moved at the beginning of winter so I knew it would be a long wait until spring. That year for Christmas my sister-in-law gave my mom a kit for growing African violets. The kit included a grow light, several trays to start slips in and two African violets of different colors. This was the perfect gift. Mom cleared space in the corner of her bedroom to put the light as well as the plants. The room has a large window, but the natural light would not affect the growing light. Mom was pleased to have a hobby that was familiar, yet new.

Mom mentioned the African violets to one of the other residents. The resident told her that she was nursing a violet that had gotten too dry when she was away on vacation. Mom told her to bring the plant over and they would put it under the light. That was the beginning of a new friendship that has grown to be very strong. The two of them now have African violets in many different colors and varieties. They have bought books that they share on how to care for the plants. They have potted so many plants that they are starting to place them in the common areas of the apartment building. They supply each person that moves in one of the African violets as a house warming gift. This hobby has not only cemented a friendship, but it has given my mother a new purpose in her life. I am so thankful that my sister in law gave her this thoughtful gift.

There are so many infertile couples today. Several of our friends have struggled with getting pregnant. The infertility does not seem to fit any pattern. Some of the people are older and others are younger. All are healthy individuals that would make great parents, however for various reasons they are unable to conceive or achieve a full term pregnancy.

This affects each couple differently. Some couples decide to become involved in the artificial insemination and others will take fertility drugs. All of this takes a great deal of money. Some of our friends decided that they would adopt a child rather than go through the medical procedures. This can also be an expensive option; however they decided that they would adopt a child through the waiting children’s society.

The waiting children’s society has several children that are in foster homes for a variety of reasons. The children range in age from toddlers to teenagers. The children are available for adoption because their parents no longer have their parental rights, either because they voluntarily gave them up, or the rights were terminated through family court. The fees to adopt a child in this manner are not very high. There is the cost of having a family study done, which consists of interviews, references, background checks, and in some case psychological testing. Once the home study is completed and the couple is found to be good candidates, they are shown a booklet of the waiting children. The booklet typically has the child’s picture, age and a brief history. If the family finds a child they are interested in they are given more detailed information. Once the child’s history is known the couple is given the opportunity to meet the child. The child then may come for a weekend visit and will then move in with the couple in a foster care situation for a period of time prior to the legal procedure that makes the placement permanent. The reason that the process is slow is that it is found that at times the desire to adopt a child is so strong that the reality of having a child added to the home is not clearly thought through. This process allows the parents and the child a time to get to know each other and to adjust to the idea of being a family. Many times the children have had difficult things happen in their family of origin and it is difficult for them to trust adults. To adopt a child that has experienced abuse and neglect takes a great deal of love and understanding on the part of the new parents.

Your little one’s first birthday is a true milestone. This special occasion comes only once in a lifetime and you really want the very best for the occasion. One very important detail that is often overlooked is the 1st birthday invitation.

The 1st birthday invitation is useful in getting the details of the event circulated to your guests. Of course you want to include the essentials like the time and location of the party as well as the general theme. Fortunately, you can use the first birthday invitation to convey the theme to your future guests.

Themes and birthday celebrations go hand-in-hand. The theme of the party can help you stay focused and it can actually help you save money in the long run. People tend to buy a lot of unnecessary things when they want to impress and when they are really excited. Having a theme in mind right when you buy the 1st birthday invitation can help you narrow your choices.

I found the ideal first birthday invitation for my daughter’s special day. She was born a week after Christmas so many of the themes that I considered revolved around winter. I considered snowflakes and snowmen but nothing really stood out until I came across a collection of decorations for a girl’s first birthday party.

The collection had nothing to do with winter. In fact, the 1st birthday invitation was shaped like a butterfly and boasted pastel pinks and yellows. There was something about the design and the lovely colors that really caught my eye. The simple fact that there were accessories like party hats and paper plates that had the same design as the baby birthday invitations was a plus.

In just one stop to the party store I had all of the items necessary for the baby’s party. Everything was coordinated and I even found guest favors that included pink and yellow bouncy balls. The great thing about the 1st birthday invitation was that it inspired the theme for the entire celebration.

My guests knew what to expect and none were surprised to see pink and yellow flowers, balloons and even a pink and yellow cake with butterflies. The 1st birthday invitation carried through the entire party. I even found matching thank-you notes as well.

When I think of my daughter’s birthday celebration I will always remember the pink and yellow invitation. In fact I have a copy of the 1st birthday invitation in her scrapbook. I know that it is the beginning of many celebrations to come.