Tips for a little help and Humor for a little cheer!

Tips of the Month:

Please don't make the mistake of letting your little ones drink too much juice. I have 6 year old twins (David and Ebony). When they were smaller they had juice in their bottles twice a day. I thought this was fine, as my two older girls (Jasmine and Zoe) drank juice from bottles also, and they were fine. A little over one year ago, Ebony had to have dental surgery, which was $5,000. She had all of her double teeth capped with stainless steel, and the two front teeth had to be removed. David now has to have the same surgery, but gets to keep his front teeth. I feel terrible about this! There are huge waiting lists for children to have the same dental surgery, caused by juice/cordial in their baby bottles. If they have to have juice, try to give them the no-sugar version. Really do your homework and check what these juices contain.
                                    - Christine from Australia

Play Music When Your Baby Goes to Sleep - "Here is a tip on how to get your baby to sleep longer:   Play music when you put the baby to sleep. I usually rotate between two or three soft music CDs (make it anything you like - classic, lullaby, soft country, children show/movie song). I have it on repeat function. I found that repetition lulls the baby to sleep faster. Plus, he finds it comforting and familiar when we travel and he is in a strange room or crib. It also blocks out sounds that would normally wake him up."
                                    - Mother of Two

Wanna lose those extra pounds? - "Discovery Health Channel is doing a FREE National Body Challenge 2007. It includes 8 wk membership to Bally Fitness Club, recipes, tracking, etc. Go to http://health.discovery.com/BodyChallenge/index.jsp for more details."
                                    - Mother of Two

Cell Phone Voice Messages - "If you hate checking cell phone voice messages like I do, check out http://www.gotvoice.com. My husband told me about it. It is a free service and you can have your cell phone voicemail messages emailed to you!"
                                    - Mother of Two

Baby gift - "Looking for a good baby gift that something different? Try a coin set: http://catalog.usmint.gov and click on gift ideas on the left margin."
                                    - Cheryl from Boston, Massachusetts

Daycare tuition - "Ask your daycare provider if they would give a discount for paying 3 or 6 months in advance. I asked mine and they gave me 10% off for paying 6 months in advance. I save over $100 a month!"
                                    - Sue from Arlington, MA

Humor of the Month:
A first grade school teacher in Virginia had twenty-five students in her class. She presented each child in her classroom the first half of a well known proverb and asked them to come up with the remainder of the proverb.

It's hard to believe these were actually done by first graders. Their insight may surprise you. While reading, keep in mind that these are first graders, 6-year-olds, because the last one is a classic!

1. Don't change horses...........until they stop running.
2. Strike while the...........bug is close.
3. It's always darkest before...........Daylight Saving Time.
4. Never underestimate the power of...........termites.
5. You can lead a horse to water but...........how?
6. Don't bite the hand that...........looks dirty.
7. No news is...........impossible.
8. A miss is as good as a...........Mr.
9. You can't teach an old dog new...........math.
10. If you lie down with dogs, you'll...........stink in the morning.
11. Love all, trust...........me.
12. The pen is mightier than the...........pigs.
13. An idle mind is...........the best way to relax.
14. Where there's smoke there's...........pollution.
15. Happy is the bride who...........gets all the presents.
16. A penny saved is...........not much.
17. Two's company, three's...........the Musketeers.
18. Don't put off till tomorrow what...........you put on to go to bed.
19. Laugh and the whole world laughs with you, cry and...you have to blow your nose.
20. There are none so blind as...........Stevie Wonder.
21. Children should be seen and not...........spanked or grounded.
22. If at first you don't succeed...........get new batteries.
23. You get out of something only what you...........see in the picture on the box.
24. When the blind lead the blind...........get out of the way.
And the WINNER and last one!
25. Better late than......................pregnant.

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