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So many fashion dolls to choose from

For doll collectors who have a liking for fashion, collecting fashion dolls seem like a logical option as a hobby. And there are so many different types of fashion dolls out there in the market that it’s easy to get confused. There are large toddler-sized fashion dolls, there are teddy bear sized fashion dolls and…let’s not forget those tiny little miniature fashion dolls that you can place over dressing tables, closets or on the bedside table itself!

Although fashion doll collecting is deemed to be a favorite hobby or interest that people of the fairer sex likes to indulge in, some men actually like collecting fashion dolls too! So, doll collecting is not a hobby exclusive to girls…men can and some do collect fashion dolls.

Contemporary fashion dolls, vintage or modern fashion dolls? Your choice

Fashion dolls have very contemporary designs today with a fusion of modern fashion clothes mixed and infused with traditional and conventional elements. Fashion dolls like Robert Tonner dolls are truly made for the hard core doll collector. Their dolls have a whole range of modern fashion dolls, vintage fashion dolls and also fashion dolls based on characters. Fashion dolls with characters, names and a personality profiles written out are often a hit with doll collectors. Barbie dolls sell like crazy – not only a hit with youngsters, but a hit with adults as well. In fact, the Barbie doll is, without a doubt, the leader in fashion dolls. Barbie dolls have been selling like hot cakes for ages and we don’t think it will stop anytime soon, either. As long as clothes designers keep coming up with new clothes and fashionable accessories for their Barbie fashion dolls, people will keep on buying.

Knowing where to find your fashion dolls

Knowing where to find affordable fashion dolls will make a huge difference to your budget, especially if you don’t have a lot of money to spend on this fashion doll collecting hobby of yours. Most of us don’t. You don’t have to have all the fashion dolls in the market today – it’s not urgent! Although a point to note is that new fashion dolls are often grabbed up in minutes after they hit the stalls. Keep some spare money and budget the money you want to spend on fashion dolls every month – and don’t overspend. It’ll make you feel resentful and you’ll soon lose interest in fashion dolls.

Buying fashion dolls online

For sure, you can find a wide range of fashion dolls in supermarkets, hypermarkets, and in children’s toy stores. But the best way to find cheap fashion dolls is online. Yes, online. Be warned that you have to be careful about whom you buy the fashion dolls from if you buy it online. Get to know the seller first before you part with your money….even if you’re desperate to have the fashion doll! Online auction websites like eBay, Amazon and Box Lot have tons of fashion dolls listed for sale at ridiculous prices. But as mentioned, be wary of the seller.

One last point to make about buying and collecting fashion dolls is this; it’s not the number of fashion dolls in your collection that counts. It’s the quality of those fashion dolls that makes a difference!

o Bisque. Many old, foreign dolls have heads and/or bodies made of bisque, which is an unglazed porcelain material.

o Composition. Composition is a (surprise!) composition of wood pulp, sawdust, and glue. The mixture was used to make heads and/or bodies of dolls before plastic came along and took over the industry.

o Celluloid. Before hard plastic came out, dolls were made of celluloid, a thin, highly flammable type of plastic. Don’t smoke near your celluloid doll!

o China. Many dolls that came out in the mid-1800s were constructed from glazed porcelain called “china.”

o Hard Plastic. A very durable plastic that was popular in constructing dolls in during the mid-1900s.

o Vinyl. Vinyl was often used in dolls of the 1960s. It can be hard or soft, and it sometimes has that that yummy plastic smell.

Dakota Caudilla, journalist, and website builder Dakota Caudilla lives in Texas. He is the owner and co-editor of [http://www.doll-headquarters.com] on which you will find a longer, more detailed version of this article.

In my last blog post, I explained the 5 signs of the fear of cooking that many people suffer from in deciding that they would like to learn to cook. Because the kitchen plays a particularly important emotional role in many people’s lives, not knowing how to cook can have devastating effects. Some people that have come to me to learn to cook have told me stories that not only explain their fear of cooking but have made it almost impossible for them to learn how to cook.

One of the ways that fear of cooking is intensified is through smells. Your sense of smell has a powerful links to your memories. In fact, I’m sure that most of you have memories that come flooding into your mind when you smell cookies baking or a pot roast. I have strong memories when I smell the chlorine from a pool that remind me of swimming and snack bar hamburgers.

Memories are not always positive. For example, I had one woman that came to my cooking school and told me that she can’t cook. Later in the evening as she was learning how to cook (funny how well cooking by method works), she explained to me that as a child, every time she went into the kitchen, her mother would scream, “Get out of the kitchen. You’re going to mess everything up. You’re going to ruin things. This is not a place for children.” No wonder she had a fear of cooking!

Let’s look a little more deeply into the 10 ways that the fear of cooking may affect your life

1. Anxiety – this can come from the thought of the “impending” meal and not knowing what to cook or how to cook.
2. Depression - eating the same things over and over again can cause depression and place a person in a lull where they lose the desire to learn to cook.
3. Lethargy - most often this comes from eating foods that aren’t good for us. In particular, eating empty calories or fast food over and over again.
4. Embarrassment - are you the person that always brings napkins to the pot luck? Not knowing how to cook can cause embarrassment when you never bring a meal to gatherings.
5. Loneliness - eating home cooked meals has the potential to bring families together. Without home cooked meals, there may be a sense of loneliness because so much conversation and socializing occurs over a cooked meal.
6. Non-Reciprocation – Have you been invited to dinner by your friends multiple times and never returned the favor? This can cause a feeling of being a “deadbeat”.
7. Poor provider – Not knowing how to cook can lead to a lack of variety for your family and feeling guilty from not feeding your children healthy foods.
8. Taker/not giver – Always depending on your spouse or partner to cook for you can make you feel like a taker and never being able to give back to the cook in the family.
9. Spend-thrift - Do you have kitchen gadget that were gifts or purchased that you don’t know how to use? Do you have a multi-thousand dollar range that makes popcorn? This type of guilt can intensify the fear of cooking.
10. Money stress – When one has a fear of cooking and doesn’t learn how to cook, there is a tendency to spend more money on take-out foods which can cause anxiety around money and cooking

You don’t have to suffer these effects of the fear of cooking! These are exactly the types of feelings and thoughts that drive me to continue to help people to understand how easy it is to learn to cook using simple cooking method. Having an understanding of how foods go together without using a recipe can not only make the fear of cooking go away, but will enable you to cook anytime anywhere with confidence. You will not only know how to cook but will never suffer from the devastating effects of the fear of cooking again!

Chef Todd Mohr is a classically trained chef, entrepreneur, cooking educator and founder of WebCookingClasses. You CAN learn to cook without written recipes by taking his FREE cooking class that will change the way you think about cooking forever!

Every person likes their steak cooked a different way, so throughout this article I will make sure that I cover each possible different way so that you will always get the best result for yourself or whoever you cook for.

There are several different cuts of beef that will make a great steak, and there are also many grades of beef to consider, depending on what the cow was fed on the farm, so your first step is to choose which one you would prefer. The choices include rump, scotch fillet, porterhouse, eye fillet and T-bone as the main premium cuts generally eaten. The beef’s grading will come down largely to marbling and maturity of the meat. There is a debate as to which is better out of grain-fed and grass-fed cattle, and really the answer is grass-fed beef is healthier for you as it is the most natural form of the cattle, while grain-fed beef will have a lot more marbling and flavour, so I will leave that choice up to you which way you want to go. As for maturity, I recommend finding a butcher that will hang your meat for quite a long time in their meat locker before carving it, I have found that 27 days is ideal. This will help tenderize the meat by having it stretched out and relaxing the muscles, to give you the best possible final result.

The rump and porterhouse are firmer cuts, and the rump in particular can be a bit tougher and chewier than the rest, and you will find a strip of fat at the top of each of these steaks, which will help flavour and tenderize the steak during the cooking process. Both these cuts I would recommend eating rare to medium-rare (I will discuss steak doneness a little later).

Meanwhile the scotch fillet will come very nicely marbled with fat throughout, and can usually be distinguished by a C-shaped piece of fat close to one side. Due to the marbling it will be very tender and full of flavour (however if you’re on a diet it may be one to avoid for now), and I recommend eating it medium-rare to medium.

The eye fillet is the most tender cut of beef, and will normally be free of fat, although this also means you may need to do something extra to add some flavour to it, the most popular way being to wrap bacon around it during cooking, so the fatty flavours of the bacon are absorbed by the steak. This is my personal favourite steak, and is best eaten medium-rare to medium.

Lastly we come to the T-bone, which has both the eye fillet and porterhouse on either side of the bone, and will get its flavour from the strip of fat on the outside of the porterhouse. I recommend eating the T-bone rare to medium-rare, though it can be tricky to cook evenly due to the bone in the middle.

Once you’ve decided which cut of steak you will be eating, you need to work out how big a piece of meat you want. A normal-sized steak is generally around 300g for a good-sized meal, however it could range anywhere from 150g up to 1kg and even more! The size of your steak will become important later when you want to cook it to a particular doneness. For example, two different rump steaks could quite easily weigh the same amount, yet be completely different shapes, sometimes they can be wide and flat, and sometimes short and thick, depending on what part of the rump the steak was cut from. Choosing the size of your steak and the shape go hand-in-hand, it’s best to have a thicker steak for a rare or medium-rare steak, and when you want a medium-well or above thinner is better. This is so it doesn’t take a long time for you to cook, and you can still have a juicy steak without burning the outside.

Now let’s just get away from the steak for a minute and think about what you’re actually going to cook it on. Ideally you should have a chargrill, one that sits on an angle, and has enough space underneath the flame to have a tray that you can put a small piece of wood on. What I personally prefer is mesquite wood, which comes from the USA, and the best thing to do is to soak it in water for a couple of hours before cooking. This will help the wood give off its smoky flavour rather than just burn away, and it will also last longer, usually for at least a couple of hours.

I mentioned earlier that if possible your grill should be built on an angle, sloping up towards the back. As you know, heat rises, so naturally you should find the hottest part of your grill at the back, and get slightly cooler closer to the front. Most grills and hotplates in general will have certain “hotspots” that you will need to find for each one to work out the bests places to position your food when cooking. Once you’ve used a particular grill a couple of times you should find it quite easy to figure out your favourite spots to cook on. The combination of knowing where your “hotspots” are and using an angled grill will make it easier to find the best position to cook your steak. If you don’t have a chargrill to use and you have a flatgrill or a hotplate instead, I would recommend not cooking your steak entirely through on the hotplate, particularly for medium or above, seal it on both sides then place your steak on a tray and finish it off in an oven. Otherwise all you will do is burn the outside and lose all the moisture and juiciness from your meat.

The other element to consider is how you would like your steak cooked. In general, a well-done steak should be placed at the back, a medium steak in the middle of the grill, and a rare steak at the front. Obviously, this leaves medium-rare between the front and middle, and the medium-well between the middle and the back. In some situations you will need to adjust this slightly depending on the size and shape of your steak, a big, thick rump may need to be pushed a bit further up the grill to cook properly, while a thin and flat porterhouse might be best kept a little closer to the front to avoid overcooking. Your steak positioning will come down largely to personal preference and a bit of practice and experience with your grill.

Now that you should have worked out where on the grill you will place your steak, you’re almost ready to start cooking! What you need to consider now is how you will season your steak. You may not want any seasoning, that’s fine, go right ahead and start cooking. If you wish to use salt and pepper, I would suggest waiting until one side of your steak has been sealed before sprinkling any on, as salt has the tendency to leech out some of the moisture from your meat. My preferred method of seasoning is to get a really good steak seasoning spice and generously cover both sides before placing your steak on the grill. When you do place your steak on the grill, if you are going to have a rump or a porterhouse, make sure you place the strip of fat at the top, so as it cooks the fat will melt and drip through the steak, adding extra flavour to your meat.

The process of actually cooking your steak is quite simple, but there are a few key things you need to know to get the best result. Firstly, the advantage of using the chargrill means you can have nice cross-markings on your steak when it’s finished, which looks fantastic for presentation. To achieve this, your steak will need to be turned three times, the first time straight over itself, then on the second turn spin it around 90 degrees so the lines from the grill will cross over each other and make little brown squares all over the steak, and then the third and final turn will be straight over itself again. When you’re finished the steak should have cross-markings on both sides, and you can choose whichever side looks best to serve facing up.

What you should find if you have got the grill positioning right for your preferred doneness, 3-4 minutes in between each turn should have your steak turn out just the way you like it! (If you are cooking your steak bleu, you only need to cook it for 3 minutes on each side in total, just enough to seal each side basically).

This is just a guide to work by only, as each grill will produce slightly different results, but definitely the most important stage of cooking your steak is knowing when it is at the exact doneness you would like. This can sometimes be a little tricky, but there are a couple of methods for testing your steak without needing to cut into it. The best method to use when you’re just starting to learn would be what I call the “thumb test”. Hold your left hand out open and relaxed, and press the flesh of your left thumb with your right index finger. It should feel quite soft, and this is how a rare steak should feel when you press it with your finger.

Now lightly touch your left thumb to your left index finger, and press the flesh of your thumb with your right index finger. This is how a medium-rare steak should feel when it’s ready. Next, lightly touch your left thumb to your left middle finger, and pressing the flesh of your left thumb will feel like a medium steak when it’s ready.

Touching your left thumb to your left ring finger will make the flesh of your left thumb feel like a medium-well steak, and touching the left thumb to your left little finger will make the flesh of your thumb feel like a well-done steak. Try this out as a guide to get you started, and as with all things, practice and experience will help you hone your ability and instincts to know just when your steak is cooked to perfection! And just as importantly, make sure you get feedback from every person that you cook a steak for, this will make your progress go much faster. As they say, “feedback is the breakfast of champions!”

Another method to use, which can be a little bit sneaky, is if you can see into the middle of the steak at the edges to see what colour the middle looks like. This works really well for a scotch fillet, as you can gently pull away part of the meat right where the C-shaped piece of fat is without damaging your steak, and see if the inside is red, pink or grey.

Now I will explain to you each doneness, so you can work out how you would like to cook it and so you know what to look for when it is finished.

I will start with bleu, which is basically just sealed, is still very red in the middle, quite mushy to the touch, and will feel a little cool inside, only slightly warmed.

Rare is red in the middle from edge to edge, a little mushy, and will just feel warm inside. Medium-rare is red in the middle and pink at the edges, and will feel warm inside. Medium is pink in the middle from edge to edge, feels tender to the touch, and will be warm to hot inside. Medium-well still has a quarter in the middle that is pink, and will be grey at the edges, feels quite firm and is hot inside. If you plan to cook your steak medium-well or above, I would suggest you could speed up the cooking time by using a steak weight to place on top of your steak. It should be shiny silver and kept clean, and what will happen is the heat coming up from the flames below will be reflected down on to the top of the steak so it cooks on both sides. Make sure if you use a steak weight that you only place it on your steak after sealing one side so there is no chance of cross-contamination.

Well-done steaks are grey throughout, no pink at all, quite firm, although can still be juicy, and is very hot inside. Very well-done steaks are grey throughout with no pink at all, very firm, very hot, and no juices whatsoever. You can also get your steak cooked Pittsburgh, which basically means charring the outside so it is burnt while the inside doesn’t need to be completely cooked. For example, if you want to have your steak Pittsburgh-Rare, you could char the outside, and the inside would be red in the middle from edge to edge. To do this you will need some oil or butter, I personally use lemon butter just for the flavouring, and drizzle some over the steak until it drips onto the flames underneath. Your goal here is to build the flames up so they are licking at the steak and will cook the outside much faster than the inside.

CAUTION! Be very mindful of how much butter you use, make sure you have fire safety equipment, and if necessary that you have adult supervision. Do not do this if you do not feel comfortable working with large flames, it can be very dangerous if something nearby catches fire, so please be very careful if this is how you would like to have your steak cooked.

Everybody has different preferences when it comes to their beef, but I would urge you to try each different way so you can work out for yourself what’s best for you. Many people fear the sight of blood coming out of their steak, if you can work up the courage to try something new for yourself, who know, you might find you really like it! I personally eat my steaks medium-rare, and would like to take this opportunity to mention that once your steak starts getting to medium-well and above, you really lose a lot of the nutritional benefits of eating beef, so I would recommend not cooking your steak any more than medium, but obviously that is a choice that is entirely up to you.

Now all that’s left to do is to serve up your perfectly cooked steak, there are many choices of sides and sauces, far too many to list here. I always love it with a creamy mashed potato and seasonal steamed vegetables, and my favourite sauce is mushroom sauce. If you have the time the best sauce is made using beef bones, cooked off with a little tomato paste, then make a stock by boiling the bones in water with some celery, carrots, onion, leeks, bay leaves and peppercorns. Simmer it for a couple of hours until it reduces about three-quarters, and then remove the bones and vegetables. Add some red wine and port, and reduce it down to about half of where it is now, until it starts to thicken with a nice consistency. From here you can add some sliced mushrooms, or peppercorns if you prefer, and even add a little cream if you like as well. This is very time consuming to make the jus (rich beef gravy), but if you can do it you will find it well worthwhile. One other little tip I have for you is to brush a small amount of lemon butter over your steak before saucing it, this will keep your steak very juicy and tender.

I hope you enjoy cooking and eating many steaks in the future, and make sure you go out and impress your friends with your newfound cooking skills!

Mick Reade is a chef from Australia who has been cooking in commercial kitchens across the country for over 10 years, and has been helping teach others how easy it can be to cook great tasting and healthy meals, for more information please visit http://www.alleasyfoodrecipes.com

Unlimited movie downloads are available to us nowadays through online movie stores. Being able to download movies at the click of a mouse has opened up our 17 inch monitor into a movie theater, one that never closes at night, and screens any movie we desire to watch at our beck and call. Such is how far our technology has advanced. We will see why unlimited movie downloads online stores have revolutionized the whole movie industry and what you are missing out if you are still stuck with your VCDs and DVDs.

It wasn’t so long ago when we were still relying on VCRs, acronym for video recorders to watch movies on tapes. If you are born after the 80′s, you probably might have a very vague idea or mental image about what those gadgets are. Perhaps you have sat beside your grandma on the couch watching a recorded TV show or movie from one of those little black boxes, or you have come across one of those in the junkyard or even museum. In the 90s, the arrival of those small little discs called video compact discs or VCDs took the movie industry by storm. Compact by the standards of those days, these still have its place in the home of many Americans. However, fast forward to today, downloading and watching movies online is gaining such great speeds that we simply cannot ignore.

You may wonder what’s the big deal about being able to access unlimited movie downloads. After-all, your VCD and DVDs are working well and not giving you problems right? Let’s see what you are missing out as your neighbor next door is quietly downloading his favorite TV show.

1. Convenience of Movie Downloads

Buying a VCD or DVD is easy if you know what title you are looking for. However, if you are like me who simply want to grab a good show so that you can relax and watch it during the weekend, imagine with me then that you could be doing a little searching at the movie store reading reviews and thinking which movie is good and worth your bucks. You cannot be buying everything you like because they are costly right? Next, you would be queuing with the rest of the folks for your turn to make your payment. Compress that image and envisage you sitting in front of the computer, and with a few clicks, the movie is ready for viewing. Isn’t that cool?

Whether you want to watch a movie or TV show at 4am, or on an off day, the movie sites are there round the clock, ready to serve you with unlimited movie downloads.

2. Cheaper Alternative

Movie VCD and DVD prices have dwindled over time owing to lower costs of production. If you have studied economics, you would understand about fixed capital costs and why mass manufacturing would eventually bring costs down. Nevertheless, to cough out $10 or more for a VCD/DVD is still too expensive to me. Well, after all, you probably would only watch it once and then chuck it aside to collect dust. Download sites however run on a lifetime membership model where you can gain access to virtually unlimited movie downloads. And the best part is you don’t pay for per movie download, but one low payment for lifetime access. We are not even talking about thousands or hundreds of dollars, but the cost of one or two good DVDs.

3. Movie Downloads Are Safe & Legal

People are concerned about downloading movies online. That is totally understandable for two reasons. Downloading a file online can expose your computer to harmful adware or spyware. Worse still, if you are downloading a movie illegally, this could land you in big trouble with the law. But these two problems are well taken care of at these unlimited movie downloads sites. Firstly, they ensure secured downloading and protection against attacks of adware and spyware. Secondly, many of these sites have made agreements with the original producers of those movies such as studios, etc to release those movies online for downloading. With these two worries behind us, it becomes clear that having access to unlimited movie downloads is a strong proposition for us not to ignore these download sites.

These reasons are probably the push factors for more people flocking to their sites instead of heading to traditional movie stores or cinema theaters for a movie. Read a review about those unlimited movie downloads sites at my blog to find out which are the hot favorites among movie viewers nowadays.

Davion is a successful webmaster, author and a movie lover. Read a review of the best unlimited movie downloads sites that offer the latest TV shows, newly-released movies and more at unlimited–moviedownloads.blogspot.com.

The following are suggestions to the client involved in a contested divorce case, motion to modify or paternity case in which custody or temporary custody is or may be at issue. Also, remember that there may be a request for change of custody or temporary custody in the future and therefore, the following suggestions should always be taken into consideration.

These suggestions are made for the present and future benefit of your children and your goal as a parent should always be to improve the children’s lives and to better provide for their needs.

Remember: Everything you do or do not do as a parent affects your children and their future.

1. Exercise your custody rights to the maximum, but always remain flexible to accommodate special circumstances relating to either the children or the other parent. Try to determine the real needs of your children and really listen to what they have to say, and equally importantly, what they are not saying. Do not attempt to become a private investigator and do not speak disparagingly of or belittle the other parent or stepparent, or any other significant person in your children’s lives. Enjoy the time you spend with the children and allow them to enjoy you and the time that they spend with you.

2. Regularly keep a journal or diary of events in order to remember and be able to point out dates, witnesses, facts, etc., pertaining to significant events and problems regarding the children. Maintain this diary in a secure place where it is not accessible to the children. Do not let the children know that you are keeping this diary.

3. Learn how to be a better parent. Begin by selecting, from the bookstore or library one or two books on child care, child raising, and parenthood that are written for parents of children of your children’s ages or any special needs they may have (for example, being children of divorce or having an absent parent suddenly reappear). If you are considering joint custody or if the other party is requesting joint custody, read some of the available books on the subject. Knowledge is power and it will help you make the best decisions for your children and yourself.

4. Be involved in all of your children’s activities, including school, sports, scouts, counseling, medical and dental care. Get to know those people who teach your children, run their extracurricular activities and care for them. Generate and maintain a genuine interest in these areas. Maintain communication with the other parent about these issues. If you feel excluded, take action to remedy the problem. Go to the school, attempt to get information from the other parent and document those requests by sending letters or e-mails and keeping copies for your files. Do not quiz the children. If you can not get the information you seek, talk to your attorney about the options that you have.

5. Attend the church or temple activities of your choice. Become active in the affairs and social activities of your church or temple. Get to know and be known by those who actively participate. Take the children with you to these activities and otherwise involve them whenever possible.

6. Develop a plan showing how you would provide care, love and guidance and meet the other needs of your children should you be awarded custody. If you have custody and are involved in a Motion to Modify, be able to speak on how you do so now. Examples: where the children would live, their daily routine, who would care for them when they are not in school and when you are not physically present; educational and religious plans; what visitation and custody plans you would work out for the other parent (be liberal in your thinking and planning); what custodial arrangement you ultimately wish to obtain. Develop a workable, reasonable, and logical daily routine for the care of your children and be able to point out how your plan, care, and attention to the needs of the children is better than the existing one and how it will be better for the children in the future.

7. Make a list of relatives, close friends, and neighbors who have been or will actively assist you in providing for the needs of the children. Enlist these people and involve them with you and the children. Have your children get to know these people and establish a meaningful relationship between these individuals, the children and yourself.

8. Make sure the physical facilities of your home are totally adequate for the children. Try to step outside yourself and view the situation from a neutral vantage point. Look at it with a critical eye to be able to realize where improvements and changes are needed and make them. A clean and well-organized home is necessary. The children must have adequate shelter, food, and around-the-clock care, attention, love, supervision and discipline. You will need to show your home surroundings are or will be beneficial for the children. If you have a pre-school aged child, consider contacting the “Parents As Teachers” programs run by your local school. It is free to all, and they are an excellent source of information and guidance.

9. If you will require daycare for your children, investigate several alternatives that will suit your particular circumstances. You should be able to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each option, taking into account location, hours, level of care, reputation in the community, and, of course, cost. Be realistic about what you and the other parent can afford. The State of Missouri has a “Family Care Safety Registry” that may be accessed by calling toll-free 1-866-422-6872 or http://www.dhss.mo.gov/FCSR/. BJC offers a free booklet with tips on choosing a quality daycare that may be obtained by calling 314-454-KIDS or visiting http://www.bjc.org.

10. Develop common interests with your children and continue to be involved with those that already exist. Become a part of, share, and enjoy their world with them. Do not forget birthdays, Christmas, parent-child events at school or church and other special occasions that mean so much to children. Other than just gifts, you must give of yourself. Be an active parent, interested in their schoolwork, outside school activities, their sports, clubs, organizations, friends, and their plans for the future.

11. Make a study of the schools your children are or would be attending if living with you. Know and familiarize yourself with bus services or other transportation, hours of school, before and after school care, extra-curricular activities, etc., and have a good working knowledge of this important area of your child’s development. By law, each public school is required to produce a “school report card” with basic statistics about the school. Call the schools in your area and in the area where the other parent lives and get copies of these documents. Read them carefully and talk with school personnel if there is anything that you do not understand.

12. Obtain friends, relatives, neighbors, bosses, fellow employees, and church members who will be willing to testify in court as to your behavior patterns, reputation, responsibility, interaction and relationship with the children and general fitness as a parent. You will need to discuss this frankly with each of these people. Give us their names, addresses and telephone numbers and a brief statement as to what they are able and willing to testify to in the actual trial of your case. Advise us if you do not wish us to call them without first talking to you.

13. You need to honestly prepare a statement of constructive criticism of yourself and your spouse or former spouse, any stepparents or significant others in a stepparent role, as parents. Be fair and accurate, and put down facts and circumstances that can be proven or about which proof should be obtained. This statement tells why a change in custody is necessary or why you should retain custody. It should be detailed, and you should forward it to us as soon as possible. Remember that it is a sign that you are a good parent that you can admit that there are ways that you can improve as a parent.

14. Do not have members of the opposite sex to whom you are not related spending the night with you when the children are there. The court may consider this to be a negative factor when determining custody.

15. Have, maintain, and show an open healthy attitude toward visitation and custody of the other parent. The children need the love of both parents, and your own attitude in this respect is important to the children and will be given some weight by the court. The greatest gift that you can give your children as they grow up without both parents in the same home is the ability to love the other parent.

16. Your own emotional and physical health are important factors that will be considered by the court. It is important for you to be composed and in full control at all times and to be able to prove your maturity, responsibility, and self-management. Remember that actions speak louder than words and that there is no excuse for you to disagree disrespectfully with the other parent in front of the children or to discuss adult issues such as why you and the other parent are not together or the financial arrangements between the parents for the support of the children even f they ask or even if they have inaccurate information. Simply tell the children that both parents love them and that they will be taken care of and whatever issues they have are between the adults and that you will not discuss them. If this is a problem in your situation, talk to your attorney about your options.

17. It is important for you to be able to discuss in some detail your strengths and weaknesses as a parent and your spouse’s or former spouse’s strengths and weaknesses as a parent, as well as those of any step-parents or significant others. Remember, if your spouse did not have significant good points and strengths, you would not have had children with him or her. Similarly, you should be able to discuss your children’s strength and weaknesses in some detail. It is a positive attribute of a parent to be able to recognize both positive and negative in his or her children, him or herself and others.

Leigh Joy Carson, St. Louis Family Law Attorney

Looking to buy a new car this year? You may have your heart set on a particular make or model and you might have explored the new and second hand car prices on the internet and have decided that you can afford to purchase the car of your dreams, but a question you have to ask yourself is can you afford to run it? 

Previously you may have asked yourself this question in passing and not really given it any real thought, but with the changes in Vehicle Excise Duty in 2009 and spiraling fuel and maintenance costs, coupled with the Credit Crunch and the through of recession for the next few years then running costs become much more important, therefore compromising and picking a car that you not only like, but will save you money in the long run is a sensible thing to do.  

What about the changes in Vehicle Excise Duty? Now cars are classed by how much Carbon Dioxide they emit, therefore more environmentally friendly cars will be charged less Vehicle Excise Duty than more polluting vehicles. At the time of writing the least polluting cars will be exempt from paying tax at all, where as the most polluting cars (class M) such as large, big engined 4×4 vehicles will have to pay £440 per year. Come 2010-11 then this cost increases further to £455 per year.  

If you’re looking to purchase a brand new car, then there will be another shock for your wallet and it has been dubbed the ‘showroom tax.’ If you’re looking to drive that Class M car out of the showroom, you’ll also have to face a bill for a one off ‘showroom tax’ payment of £950. 

To help you pick the right car in this current environmental and financial climate we’ve compiled a top ten list of cars and car related schemes to consider that could save you money. 

1. Buy a Small Family Hatchback. Small family hatchbacks are generally more economical to run and are usually big enough to meet most people’s needs. For example the VW Polo Bluemotion 1.4 Tdi is an economical runabout which falls into the Group A tax band. Not only do you not have to pay any tax on this vehicle, you can also avoid paying the showroom tax as this diesel car is so economical it is exempt. This car also boasts around 70mpg which makes it super cheap to run. 

2. Buy a Diesel. When it comes to economical cars, vehicles with diesel engines are first to spring to most people’s minds. Whilst historically this was typically true, with the cost of diesel at the pump increasingly outstripping the cost of petrol, buying a diesel may not be the best way to save money. For drivers who typically need to drive a lot of miles each year then a diesel will still be more cost effective than its petrol equivalent. However if you do not drive many miles then this may not be true. You’ll need to do the maths before you take the plunge in buying a diesel car. On the plus side, the miles to the gallon of a diesel vehicle is typically much higher than petrol cars, so you will at the very least be doing more for the environment. Diesel vehicles are also typically classed into a lower tax band saving money on Vehicle Excise Duty.  

3. Bi-Fuel Cars. Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) as a method of running a car or van is becoming a popular way of running a vehicle more environmentally friendly and economically. Although you can buy a bi-fuel car from new many people pay to convert their current car to support LPG. The cost to convert a car is typically around £1500 and a real saving of around 30% on fuel costs can be made with each fill up at the pumps. Finding a petrol station that sells LPG may be one of the more difficult aspects of owning a LPG vehicle, with at least 10% of forecourts now stocking this alternate fuel type.  

4. Electric Cars. – For many years electric cars have been pitched as the salvation to spiralling fuel costs and saving the environment from car pollution. Unfortunately in reality the electric vehicle hasn’t really lived up to the hype, with slow vehicles and short battery life limiting range. There are a few vehicles on the market which may be suitable depending on your circumstances. If you live in the centre of a large capital city such as London then a vehicle like the G-Wiz may be the right vehicle for you. Owning a G-Wiz in London could make perfect sense as they are exempt from paying parking charges in Westminster, do not have to pay the Central London Congestion Charge and are free from both road tax and petrol costs. However there are some catches. The G-Wiz is a tiny vehicle and feels very cramped inside. The car has a top speed of 50-60 miles per hour, which may not be the end of the world in a city where traffic barely moves faster than a snail pace. Another limiting factor is that the range of the vehicle is just 70 miles and it takes a while to recharge the batteries, which is not quite as simple as filling up at a petrol station! A less extreme version of the G-Wiz is the Toyota Prius, a hybrid electric vehicle which predominately runs off petrol, but uses electric power at low speeds and recharges the batteries at faster speeds. The Prius can do around 65 mpg making it an extremely economical car to drive.   

5. Large Cars For the Family and Dog. If you’re single and want to save money on your car running costs or do your bit for the environment then you have a lot more options than families who need a larger vehicle to fit everyone in. Whilst smaller cars are more likely to be economical there are some larger vehicles out there which have been designed with both space and economy in mind. Take the Ford Focus C-Max 1.6 TDCI LX- a MPV which has been designed to give plenty of room inside. This is a five seat car which boasts a 1620 litre boot space and a top speed of 115mph. With fairly low emissions, helping to save money on Vehicle Excise Duty and decent economy with 58mpg this vehicle is a good bet for a family looking to save money.  

6. Sports Performance in a ‘Green Car’. Traditionally being green means that you also have to sacrifice something. However car manufacturers being aware of this have been trying to come up with a compromise- a car with good performance, yet can also give a decent MPG return. For example the Honda Accord 2.2 I-CTDI Sport is one of these cars with 52.3 MPG and a top speed of 129 miles per hour, a great combination of efficiency and performance that can meet all your expectations.  

7. Buy a Classic Car. If you’re scared that you’ll loose a lot of money on the value of your car then buying a classic car may be the best option for you. Try to avoid fashion trends such as the one for VW Beetles and Camper Vans which inflate the cost of these vehicles short term for them to only crash at a later date. Instead pick a car that pure enthusiasts hanker after, as most classic cars tend to hold their value, or indeed increase over time as long as they are looked after. Maintenance costs are likely to be much higher with a classic vehicle and they may not be the most economical on the market, but for pure return on investment if you pick the right vehicle then you will likely get your money back when you come to sell the car.  

8. Car Sharing Schemes. Those looking to save money on their everyday running costs of their cars could consider car sharing schemes. Basically car sharing schemes are set up for people to take turns when they drive, saving themselves money on fuel, plus gaining the benefit that they do not have to drive all the time! There are plenty of car sharing schemes out there, such as ones set up for parents doing the school run to a scheme for members of the Met Police Force in London. Explore the options in your local area and you may find that car sharing is a great way to save money. Perhaps if you want to get even more involved you could consider setting up your very own scheme.  

9. Time Share Cars. You’ve heard all about time share villas in the Costa del Sol, but you don’t necessary have to be scared of time share car schemes. These schemes can range from clubs where you get a share of a Ferrari or Bentley to drive at the weekend every so often, to pay-as-you-go car schemes where you can join a club, and simply book a run-around for as long as you want from an hour to a day. For those who tend to use public transport predominately and can’t really justify owning a car then a pay-as-you-go scheme may be the perfect way of having access to a car without having to pay expensive rental costs. Live in a city and fancy a country jaunt once a month? No problem, book a car online and pick it up, swipe your membership card on the dashboard and you’re away! Generally fuel costs (up to a point) are included and insurance is also taken car of.  

10. Car Finance Packages.  In the current economic climate taking out a car finance package makes perfect sense as you can split your payments over many months allowing you to fully budget for your vehicle. If you are considering buying a car in cash over a forecourt you may be concerned about the recession and redundancy. Having a nest egg in the bank can help provide comfort and piece of mind. Spending that nest egg in the current climate may not be the most sensible thing to do therefore buying a car on a car finance scheme can be the smart move. Also you will likely be able to afford a better car on finance than you might if you were to buy a car outright. The newer the car the more likely your maintenance costs will be reduced, again saving you money in the long run.

Julie is a freelance writer and loves to write on a wide variety of topics.

To learn the gourmet cooking terms seems to be a must in the field of cooking. The gourmet cooking terms are of very much importance especially if you are currently enrolled in a gourmet cooking school, of course. But then again, the importance of learning these also goes the same for people who want to know more about it. This is despite of the fact the the application is much more important than in memorizing the terms. But to perfect the method, you should be familiar enough.

Learning What you Need to Learn

Throughout the internet, you can find a lot of sources on gourmet cooking terms. You may be able to be familiar with the term related to gourmet cooking but nothing beats the familiarity that comes with the practical application of those concepts. Below are some of the things that you need to do besides learning the gourmet cooking terms:

1. Get enrolled in a culinary arts school. If you are planning to be a professional chef, it would be a must to be in right process of your career. But if you are just seeking for some additional expertise but not a degree, these schools can be of great help in providing you the training and knowledge that you need.

2. Engage in culinary arts training and workshops. Training materials and workshops would really make a great help in the learning process. The terms and skills are all incorporated in training materials that you can get from gourmet cooking trainings and workshops. In addition, there are a lot of programs which could help you in acquiring the skills that you need. These programs can be learned right at your home. This is interesting since you do not have to leave your home to learn something.

3. Invest in your television. Aside from enrolling in schools and attending workshops on gourmet cooking, Interestingly, a lot of cooking terms can be learned right in your own television. A number of cooking shows often provide cooking terms that would also be helpful for you. Aside from the cooking terms, cooking shows also provide the procedures of gourmet cooking and some tips on handling the needed utensils and how to get the desired results in cooking your product. This, in a way, gives you a learning avenue at the comfort of your home.

With no doubt, the gourmet cooking terms can be searched easily using the internet. You can also find some useful tutorial on gourmet cooking over the internet. But then again, the fact remains that learning the terms of gourmet cooking is not enough. It is always the application that matters.

Abhishek is really passionate about Cooking and he has got some great Cooking Secrets up his sleeves! Download his FREE 88 Pages Ebook, “Cooking Mastery!” from his website http://www.Cooking-Guru.com/770/index.htm. Only limited Free Copies available.

Students world over are whole-heartedly accepting online education. The advantages of online education have made it the popular mode of education among the students of all age groups in all parts of the world. This growing popularity of online education has led to the emergence of a large number of educational institutions offering online education for a wide range of subjects. The growth of educational institutions offering relearning facilities has been significantly high in the US, Europe and the developed nations of the world.

Online Education- Changing Perception

In the past people perceived online education as an unserious and unscrupulous way of laying hands of a fast degree and getting good grades without much effort and hard work. People also had doubts about the reputation of education institutes offering online education. However, the times have changes significantly and today the majority of educational institutions offering online education are well established. Most of the world’s leading education institutions have commenced online programs, which vindicate the validity of online education. Most of the online courses offer in-depth learning to the students in their respective educational modules.

Factors Contributing To The Growth of Online Education

Online education is becoming popular because most of the educational institutions offering online courses ensure qualitative learning. Talented professors and subject matter experts are at the helm of affairs at almost all accredited universities and colleges offering online courses and online degree programs. The students can be assured of good results in such courses.

Here are some factors that have contributed to the fast paced growth of online education:

· Flexible schedule

The biggest advantage of online education is that the students can do effective utilization of their time, which is the most precious resource. People participating in online education have the freedom of maintaining a flexible schedule, which helps them tremendously and it has come as a boon for the people who are working and want to continue their education.

· Student-Centered Learning

The students in online education have an advantage because they are in charge of their learning experience. The students can prioritize their schedule and complete the assignments as per their comfort levels and convenience. This is possible because the teachers in online mode of education are not teaching you all the time. As an online student, you have the liberty to select the mode of learning.

· Fair Playing Field

Online education is growing in popularity because it offers a level playing field to all the students. When you are learning online, your performance is the only criterion that affects the decision-making and your gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, and other considerations do not cloud the decision making process. This is one of the major factors contributing to the growth of online education.

All these advantages of online education may prompt you to join e learning. However, before you take the plunge and enroll in an online course, please make sure that you are familiar with the methodology of online education.

Milos Pesic is a successful webmaster and owner of popular and comprehensive Online Education web site. For more articles and resources on Online Education related topics, Online Education Courses and degress visit his site at:

=>http://online-education.need-to-know.net/