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AndYouHaveKids.com is moving - Sort of.

OLD SITE: AndYouHaveKids.com
OLD NAME: And You Have Kids

NEW SITE: kids.AndYouWill.com
NEW NAME: And You Will Have Kids

SAME RSS FEED: feeds.feedburner.com/Andyouhavekidscom

I am consolidating all of my “AndYou” series of blogs into one mega site called AndYouWill.com.

The plan is: First the transfers, then the testing, .. and finally the 301 redirects to ensure link popularity and let the search engines know we moved!

This move should be completed by October 1, 2007. As for moving, it’s all really the same old site and all of its’ existing settings .. it’s just a new URL location .. that’s all~

Thank-You For Your Patience! // HART

               

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AndYouTravel.com is moving - Sort of

OLD SITE: AndYouTravel.com
OLD NAME: And You Travel

NEW SITE: travel.AndYouWill.com
NEW NAME: And You Will Travel

SAME RSS FEED: feeds.feedburner.com/AndYouTravel

I am consolidating all of my “AndYou” series of blogs into one mega site called AndYouWill.com.

The plan is: First the transfers, then the testing, .. and finally the 301 redirects to ensure link popularity and let the search engines know we moved!

This move should be completed by October 1, 2007. As for moving, it’s all really the same old site and all of its’ existing settings .. it’s just a new URL location .. that’s all~

Thank-You For Your Patience! // HART

               

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AndYouGarden.com is moving - Sort of

OLD SITE: AndYouGarden.com
OLD NAME: And You Garden

NEW SITE: garden.AndYouWill.com
NEW NAME: And You Will Garden

SAME RSS FEED: feeds.feedburner.com/AndYouGarden

I am consolidating all of my “AndYou” series of blogs into one mega site called AndYouWill.com.

The plan is: First the transfers, then the testing, .. and finally the 301 redirects to ensure link popularity and let the search engines know we moved!

This move should be completed by October 1, 2007. As for moving, it’s all really the same old site and all of its’ existing settings .. it’s just a new URL location .. that’s all~

Thank-You For Your Patience! // HART

               

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Easy Home Modifications for Retired Independent Living

Many older adults (such as you) want to keep their independence as long as possible and that means living alone. Sometimes however, a home can be filled with hazards that can impede the quality of life for a senior. Therefore, with a few modifications, you can keep your independence for years to come.

It is great to know that many modifications can easily fit into most budgets. The only hard part is where to get started! You have to look at what your lifestyle is and what your needs are. This will likely dictate the primary modifications you will need to implement. Of course, you have to keep your overall safety in mind as well.

The best way to determine what modifications you might need is to go through a checklist room by room. Here are some things you should think about in your planning:

1. Bathrooms and kitchen areas – If you are hindered by arthritis, you will want to ensure that the cabinet knob are easy to manipulate. Can you turn the faucets off and on easily? If you have balance problems, you will need a bar in the bathtub and probably along the wall or near the toilet for assistance.

Can you easily reach the cabinets above and below your eye level? What about the height of the counter area? Being able to get in and out of the tub is also a consideration as well.

2. Check the traffic areas like the steps, hallways and stairways. If you have stairs, you will want to make sure that you have handrails on both sides should you lose your balance or need assistance going up and down. Look at the flooring. Is the carpet secure or will it likely trip you at some point? Is the laminate or tile floor fairly smooth? Do you need a lift installed that will take you up the stairs? Sometimes, stairs outdoors can slow down a senior and cause a potential fall. See if a ramp would be more advantageous for gaining entry into the home.

3. Storage areas such as closets can pose a big problem. If you have lost strength in your arms or you have joint issues, chances are that you cannot hold your arms above your head for very long. Therefore, you might want to reconsider any high shelving units in your closets or pantry in the kitchen. Could a storage bin system be more efficient? Look for ways to increase storage so that you don’t have to stoop too low or reach too high. In addition, avoid having to climb a step stool for anything.

4. Flooring options are important. If you have any step-ups or step downs, are these easily seen? Sometimes, seamless laminate or tile floors give the illusion of one floor when there is a graduated step. Are the places where different flooring materials like carpet and laminate or tile meet protected as tripping hazards? Are area rugs protected by slip-proof mats?

5. Ventilation and lighting can be important to maintaining independence. Check for sufficient light sources in each room. Do you have adequate light when you get up in the middle of the night? The lights should also be bright enough to see any potential hazards as well. Do you have good air circulation and vents for heat and air?

6. Assistant devices can increase your independence in living alone as well. Alarm systems help in case you need help. Special speakers throughout the home can ensure that you hear anyone ringing your doorbell. Installing telephones in strategic locations can ensure that you will get to them easily in case of emergency. Checking the electrical outlets and switches is also important too.

There are a variety of things to consider when modifying a home for independent living. However, most things can be easily done and will provide you more time in your own home before assisted living becomes an issue.

               

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Rome - The Sistine Chapel

Image Source: Wikipedia

Though named after Pope Sixtus IV, who commissioned the chapel construction, the Sistine Chapel was given everlasting fame by Pope Julius II. For, in 1508, it was he who commissioned Michaelangelo to paint frescoes to cover the 10,000 square foot ceiling.

But on the way to the ceiling there are many delights for visitors to Rome and Vatican City, of which the Sistine forms a part. The chapel is nearby the Vatican Museum, itself worth a day or two. And, St. Peter’s is also not far away with another Michaelangelo masterpiece, the Pieta not to mention the dome of the basilica.

The chapel itself is on the small side, only 41m (135 ft) by 13.4m (44ft). But within these walls are works of art that would happily be acquired by any of the major art museums in the world. All have benefited from a large restoration project carried out from 1979 to 1999.

Many famous names are represented and many others that should be better known. There are several Botticelli works here, including the 1482 Life of Moses and The Punishment of Korah. Alongside and nearby are Perugino, Ghirlandaio and Rosselli, master artists of the period.

Of course, the main attraction - and properly so - remains the Sistine Ceiling. Formerly decorated only with a bland covering of painted stars, after four years of literally back breaking labor, Michaelangelo transformed it into the glorious nine-panel magnum opus it is today.

Drawing from stories in the Old Testament, Michaelangelo festooned the ceiling with Sibyls, prophets, Noah, obscure nude males, and - not least - Jehovah giving life to Adam with the touch of a finger.

Cleaned and restored in the 1990s, the ceiling shows the magnificent colors of one of the five greatest painters the world has ever seen. As Goethe described it:

“Without having seen the Sistine Chapel one can form no appreciable idea of what one man is capable of achieving.”

Spending four years on a specially constructed scaffold, the paint nearly making him blind, the great artist had to devise and supervise a dozen innovations. Just as one example, an entirely new plaster - intonaco, still in use today - was created to resist mold and hold the paint properly.

Though the main sections were completed in 1512, Michaelangelo returned to the work more than 20 years later to paint the Last Judgment, beginning in 1535 and finishing the work in 1541. It too is not to be missed. Nor can it be, really, since it covers the entire wall behind the altar of the Sistine Chapel.

Among other fascinating aspects is the depiction of St. Bartholomew, a self-portrait that shows the figure having his skin flayed. Michaelangelo was heavily criticized at the time, and by powerful figures, for his frequent depiction of nude figures. Though he won a temporary victory, the genitalia were later painted over.

Even those not usually interested in fine art come away from seeing the Sistine Chapel with a sense of awe. No visit to Rome is complete without a viewing of this site of so many masterpieces.

               

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Your Options when You Lose Group Health Insurance and You Are Younger than 65

What happens when you are younger than 65 years of age (when you are eligible for Medicare) and lose your group health insurance? For a variety of reasons, many older people under the official retirement age lose their group health insurance and the reality of private individual health insurance is hundreds of dollars above what your budget allows. Millions of adults are in this predicament. Some choose to take their chances with no insurance and others sacrifice so many things such as adequate food for their diet in order to afford medical coverage.

There are some health insurance options available to you depending on your situation. You just have to dig deep (because the government is not going to help) to find an avenue that would best suit your needs and lifestyle until you can quality for Medicare. Everyone needs health insurance because it takes just one mishap to completely destroy your financial future.

The majority of people under the age of 65 have insurance through their job or their spouse’s job. This group health insurance could be composed of a number of plans from PPOs to HMOs. The employer picks up part or all of the cost and you subsidize the rest if needed. Group insurance often costs less than individual health insurance and has more benefits. Therefore, it makes sense to try and hold onto this insurance.

First, let’s look at the reasons why you may end up losing your group health insurance:

1. Your spouse dies or you divorce, thus losing that avenue of insurance.
2. You quit your job, get laid off or are fired.
3. Your work hours might be cut back thus precluding you from being eligible for insurance.
4. You retire early without a plan for health insurance and a long wait until you reach age 65 and are eligible for Medicare.

Luckily, there are some steps you can take if you are faced with the possibility of losing your health insurance. The first thing you should do is determine if you are eligible for COBRA benefits. While it will cost more, at least you would not be denied automatically. Look into your HIPAA rights. This Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 protects your right to insurance if you change jobs. Finally, you can see if your group health insurance plan can be converted into an individual health insurance plan.

There are some other avenues to pursue if you know that you will likely lose your group health insurance. If you belong to some type of membership organization whether it is a community, fraternal, social or professional, there may be possibility of garnering individual health insurance through this method. Some insurance companies will treat all the members of the organization as a group and offer group health insurance rates. In addition, most states have risk pools where people who cannot normally get insurance can go and get coverage. It is rather pricey but not always as much as individual health plans.

Options exist for relatively affordable individual health insurance. You just have to be proactive and anticipate the possibility that you may lose your group health insurance. Except in cases of sudden spousal death or being fired, you would have some indication in advance.

               

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Indoor Herbs vs Outdoor Herbs

There’s a large overlap between herbs that do well in an outdoor garden versus those that thrive inside. Many will perform equally well in either setting, provided they’re cared for properly.

Fortunately, herbs are just about the easiest possible plant to tend. Once planted in the proper soil, they’ll do well with almost no care. They perform well in earth that would be considered poor for other plants. They rarely require fertilizer of any kind, are drought tolerant and most will come back year after year.

That makes the choice easy for picking some to go out in the sunshine or into a pot for the house or deck.

Bay Laurel is a Mediterranean native so it likes lots of sunshine and dry conditions. But it can be planted indoors or out. Just make sure the container has good drainage if you want this herb in a pot. Allow it to get plenty of sun if it’s in or near the house.

Fill a pot with pre-dampened potting soil, and make sure the container is large enough to prevent the Bay Laurel from becoming root bound. Then place the herb where it will get 6 hours per day or more of sun and watch it outgrow your container in a year.

Chives can thrive in a pot, but they really excel in a garden. They soak up the heat and sprout up to a foot or more, producing beautiful purple flowers. They do well bunched together and can last years, wintering over well in cold climates. Clip the leaves near the base, rather than further up.

Parsley is an excellent choice for an indoor herb. Even though it will grow well outside, it will probably only last one season. Keep it in a pot and you can sustain it year after year. Easier to grow from plants than seeds, it will be easy to tend for.

New leaves grow from the center, so trim the outer ones first in order to keep the plant healthy. They love sun, so put them on a sill in a window with southern exposure (in the Northern Hemisphere) where they can soak up the rays.

Let that Lavender stay outside until you’re ready to prepare it for potpourri or a perfume sachet. It makes great ground cover and gives a garden a lovely smell to complement the beautiful pinkish-purple flowers.

Lavender requires very little care, just make sure the soil drains so it isn’t excessively wet. They’re bug-resistant and the deer don’t care for the blossoms so you won’t have to take special precautions. No need to fertilize or prune either.

Most herbs will winter well, and many will do just fine in a container or a basket. Just keep the soil a mixture of clay and sandy loam to ensure some water retention, but not too much. Indoors or out you’ll find they are lovely, aromatic and many make for great seasonings when harvested.

               

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Common Baby Supplies

Having a new baby is such an exciting time, but with all the commotion, it’s possible to forget an item or two for the nursery. Baby supplies are much needed elements when caring for your baby. With a new baby in the house, no baby supplies could be more important than baby safety products. Baby supplies and toys should be carefully selected with baby’s safety in mind.

The Essential Baby Supplies

When the baby finally gets home from the hospital, the better prepared their mothers are, the easier time they will have. Use a checklist to make sure all the important bases are covered and include items such as:

* Infant car seat
* Clothes
* Crib and bedding
* Diapers
* Stroller
* Bath supplies
* Baby monitor
* Baby carrier
* Bouncy seat
* Baby toys
* A tape player or other ways to make music
* etc

Be Prepared

Being prepared for any eventuality can help you take better care of your precious child. The better supplied you are before the baby gets here, the smoother transition to parenthood will be. What follows is a handy checklist which can make sure that all the baby supplies are ready in time for the new arrival. Keep the modern parent in mind when selecting baby care items and other baby supplies. When selecting baby safety products, baby supplies, and other baby care items, base your decisions on these important factors - baby’s health and your convenience.

Keep The Baby’s Health In Mind

The baby’s health is the top priority when it comes to choosing baby safety products and baby supplies. Sometimes the more expensive products do not necessarily mean that they are great items to have. Always keep up to date with the latest news regarding products which may have been recalled.

Use Travel Friendly Baby Supplies

In the age of travel and communication, it is important to have a travel-friendly baby supplies. We need strollers, travel cribs, car seats, and other baby care items with portability and baby safety in mind. It is important to have baby safety products, baby supplies, and other baby care items to be pleasing to the eye and convenient enough that you do not have to fumble around.

Some young moms are often at a loss of what their baby might need and what baby supplies are best for their baby. This sort of situation often leads to a sick baby or an accident which could have been prevented by being better prepared. It is best to keep in mind that the safety and comfort of the child is top priority when selecting the supplies needed.

               

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Effects of Aging and Keeping Them in Check

Growing old means your body goes through a variety of changes. It’s just a natural progression of life. Bones, joints, skin tissue, muscles, hormones and even changes at the cellular level all occur. It is up to you and partially your genetic history to make certain lifestyle choices which will allow you to retire and age gracefully.

Changes in your Joints, Bones and Muscles

Most people recognize that posture often changes as you grow older. This occurs because your vertebrae become compressed and density could be lost in the bones. Joints, after a lifetime of “abuse” become stiffer and you also lose flexibility and some movement. With muscles, they tend to thin with little activity keeping them supple. Muscle tone is lost as well as flexibility.

Of course, if you adopt a healthy lifestyle while you are still young, you will less likely lose muscle tone, flexibility and bone density. It takes exercise and a good diet rich in calcium and other essential vitamins and minerals that are essential for health from the bones to the pores of your body.

Changes in your Cells, Body Tissue and Organs

There are millions of cells which make up all the parts of your body. Just envision them as Lego blocks, constructing the body tissue, skin, muscles and organs in your body. As you age, these cells grow, rendering them less capable of reproducing new, healthy cells. This slowing of cell reproduction is what makes body tissue more inflexible. The trend continues with the blood vessels and organs.

Skin loses some of its elasticity which is important for protection against injury, wrinkles and more. Have you ever noticed great-grandma’s crepe papery thin skin? This is a result of drastic aging. In addition, when the body tissue becomes more rigid, this means that your muscles become weaker and less dense. Also, the body organs like the heart, lungs, liver and kidneys start to work at a slower capacity and at a less effective pace.

With a good healthy regiment that starts when you are young, you can greatly slow down the aging process from the inside out. Of course, it is never too late to adopt healthier lifestyle principles, even after retirement.

Hormone Changes in the Aging Process

Hormones are produced from various organs in your body and can have a great effect on some of your body processes. These hormones affect your body in different ways so it stands to reason that as you age, your hormone levels will change too. Menopause is just one of these hormone changes that can have a profound effect on your health.

Basically, there is no way to get around growing older. Sure, some people will go for plastic surgery to tighten up the skin or have some fat suctioned out. However, eventually, Father Time is going to march right over your body. You have two things that you can do to stay as healthy as possible to grow old with grace. First, you keep those doctor appointments for check-ups and physicals. And second, adopt a healthier lifestyle by abstaining from alcohol and tobacco. Eat a better diet rich in vitamins and minerals. Most of all, get plenty of sleep and rest so that your age doesn’t show!

               

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Paris - Versailles

Eglise notre dame versailles façade Image Source: Wikipedia

As you approach the gates of Versailles you inescapably have the feeling of entering not a palace but an entire city. The impression is justified given the massive scale of the building and the even larger grounds.

Beginning as a modest château of stone and slate to serve as a hunting lodge for Louis XIII (13th), Versailles blossomed - figuratively and literally - during the reign of his son. By 1682, after 20 years of work, the ‘Sun King’ took up residence… and then building really began.

At its height the grounds covered 1,800 acres and housed over 1,500 fountains besides the enormous palace. Around 300 remain today. Around the grounds are several distinct gardens. Watered by a system only part of which were 150km (90mi) of canals, the gardens and fountains are themselves a show on Sundays.

Covering 250 acres, the gardens were designed mostly between 1661 and 1700 and continue to amaze visitors. Be sure not to miss the large Fountain of Apollo, with the sun god driving a chariot of horses out of the surface.

Also on the grounds are huge stables. Closed to the public for almost 200 years, they were originally home to 600 horses owned by Louis XIV (14th). Now home to 20 Portuguese Lusitanian horses, the indoor arena is decorated with a sculpture and drawings of which the Sun King himself would have been proud.

Visitors can enjoy a directed tour of the stables and watch a morning dressage with costumed riders. (’Dressage’, French for ‘training’, is a standard equestrian term. It means, roughly: training horses to move in complex patterns similar to a dance.)

But, of course, it is the château itself that forms the (literal and symbolic) center of the place. With 700 rooms no single visit could encompass more than a small percentage of the total.

Thousands of nobles and their servants lived here in the late 17th century, as Louis managed his government with tight reins within the palace gates. Which were always left open, interestingly, in order to give a sense that the palace was ‘owned by the people of France’.

Throughout the château are paintings, sculptures, wall hangings and structural elements drawn from all over Europe.

One of the main attractions, justly so, is the 73m (239ft) long La Galerie des Glaces (Hall of Mirrors). Bearing no resemblance to a fun-house, the high mirrors line the walls on one side with seventy windows open to the gardens on the other. Still impressive, the mirrors were the latest technology of the time and awed even jaded visitors. Set off by Corinthian pillars of green marble, the room (which once hosted many a formal dance) still dazzles.

Viewed by thousands of visitors daily, the château can be quite hot and stuffy in the summer, even outdoors. Dress appropriately. The grounds and palace are open year round and can be reached via the RER line C: Versailles – Rive Gauche.

               

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