Top Specialty Journal

When I think about getting pregnant and having kids, honestly it’s not so much what I’ll wear that troubles me.  I know there is lots of choice available for attractive maternity clothing.

What concerns me is being diabetic and pregnant.  Since I have type 1 diabetes, there are a lot of things I’ll have to be careful about when I am pregnant.  The biggest problem is that the sugar in my blood passes through the placenta, while insulin does not.  So my blood sugar being too high means that the baby is getting too much sugar until the insulin does its job and brings my sugars down.

There are various problems that come from the mother being diabetic.  One problem is that the baby tends to grow bigger (all that sugar) and makes the birth more difficult, if not next to impossible.  That’s why C-sections are more common in diabetic moms.

There is also a risk of birth defects for mothers who really have their sugars out of control.

When I’m pregnant, I intend to be downright militant about checking my blood sugar and keeping my diabetes under control.  With any luck, I will be able to have the kind of birth I want: the smooth and uneventful kind.

Technorati Tags: maternity clothing, pregnant, type 1 diabetes

There are a lot of financial transactions that we do in person. However, there are also a lot of really important transactions that take place over the phone. I really hate this fact since I have a much more difficult time expressing myself on the phone than I do in person.

I’ve learned over time how to handle different financial experiences on the phone. For example, I’ve done a credit card debt negotiation over the phone twice. I now know all that there is to know about who to speak with regarding this type of debt settlement. I’m comfortable doing this over the phone because I have experience with it.

Problems with my bank are another story though. Whenever I’ve tried to deal with them over the phone, I’ve been unable to resolve whatever problem I was having. I can always take care of it in just a few minutes if I go to the bank in person. As a result, this is a financial thing I don’t do on the phone.

If I had my choice of how to deal with money issues would I always do it in person? Honestly, no. I’d actually rather do everything online! But I can’t always do that so I’ll handle things in person or by phone as needed.

Technorati Tags: credit card debt negotiation

If you work in the administrative side of providing health care services to the public, you have a pretty solid understanding of the business behind running a hospital or other medical delivery service. If you’re interested in getting ahead in this niche, you’re going to want to consider earning your Masters Health Administration degree and accellerating your career growth as soon as possible.

photo credit: brykmantra

The ATSU School of Health Management is one place where you can start working towards your degree certification in your own time, from the convenience of your computer. Whether at home or in your offices, you will enjoy the luxury that online education provides.

As you earn your degree, you’ll learn that health administrators are the folks responsible for everything business related in healthcare. You’ll begin to understand how to manage facilities, purchasing, and various financial aspects of the work. With over 4,500 new jobs being created every year for health administrators, you have a very strong chance of landing a top job after you’ve received your education at ATSU.

If you’re a good decision maker, you’re already ahead of the game. As a health administrator, the decisions you make will help your facility to provide quality health care and still enable it to turn a profit at the end of the day.

Technorati Tags: atsu school of health management, masters health administration

Having been involved with Scouts for a number of years, I have seen many different organizational styles.  Some of them have been very effective while others have not done so well.  But I thought that these experiences would help me to be well rounded when I finally stepped up to the plate and became a Scout leader.

I realized quickly that looking in as a parent from the outside was a lot different than actually being in a leadership role.  I think I was too quick to judge when I realized that there was a lot more going on behind the scenes than I had imagined.  In fact, it wasn’t until the first bottle drive that we had that I knew deep down that I was a little underprepared for this adventure.

But I was ready when it came time for the second bottle drive.  I had called the company that supplies my employer with delivery maps to see if they could provide us with custom maps of our area in the city so that we could better organize the bottle drive routes.  They were happy to oblige and the maps showed up just a couple of days before the bottle drive.

These new maps made such a difference that we were able to get done the work a full three hours earlier than the previous one.  The parents also commented on the better organization of the bottle drive and they were almost ready to do another one!  Though I am still learning, this experience has been invaluable - I hope that I can apply the lessons I learned this time to other aspects of my role as a Scout leader.

Technorati Tags: custom maps, delivery maps

One of the things that my girlfriends and I like to do on Saturdays in summer is to go to garage sales.  There are just so many treasures to be found amidst the junk, and usually we can find a good deal.  It is also very cheap entertainment and lets us catch up.

Today when we went out for our weekly garage sale expedition, we had one goal in mind - to find some wooden toys and jigsaw puzzles for the kids at our church.  The Sunday school coordinator had specifically asked for donations of these items, and we decided that we would do what we could.

The first two hours of going around to various garage sales were met with little luck - we were unable to find any puzzles at all.  We decided to take our treasure hunt to another part of the city in hopes that we would have more luck finding what we were looking for.

We had much more success on the other side of town.  In just one short hour, we were able to buy four box loads of the toys and puzzles that we were asked to find for a measly ten dollars.  Not only was the trip a success, but we had fun doing it.  I wonder what we are going to look for next week.  I just can’t wait.

Technorati Tags: jigsaw puzzles, wooden toys

As freelance writers, there are a lot of business expenses that we can deduct from our gross income at tax time.  This reduces the amount of taxes we have to pay, which is a good thing since the self-employment tax is so darn high!

A lot of freelance writers and other sole proprietors I know are much more liberal than I am about what they deduct, though.  I know writers who will plan business trips — such as a trip to attend a professional conference — to a city where a friend lives, so that they can write off the cost of visiting their friend.

I try to be very careful about making sure I’m only writing off expenses that can be justified, so if I planned a trip like that I’d be careful to only deduct part of the cost, the portion of the trip that is for business purposes.  If you need to save money and want to visit a friend, I suggest seeing if the friend can put you up while you’re there.  If not, you might be able to find a hotel deal online that would make the trip more affordable for you.

I just don’t think it is worthwhile to ever take a business expense that you couldn’t fully justify to the IRS if they audited you.  Sure, the chances of an audit aren’t that high, but is that really something you want to gamble on?

Technorati Tags: business expense, business trips, freelance writers, hotel deal

There are a lot of people who have a seasonal online business. This is great because it allows you to work part-time from home for only a portion of the year. However, you may be discovering that the economic issues caused by the recession are creating a strain on your finances. If so, you may want to expand beyond the seasonal business that you currently operate into one that can earn you an income year round.

The majority of seasonal online businesses are related to the Christmas holidays. A lot of people sell items that are specific to this time of year. Some examples of such items are Christmas ornaments, baked goods or canned goods designed to be Christmas gifts and holiday gift baskets. These items all sell well during a few short months of the year.

If you’re looking to expand beyond the seasonal store then you simply need to figure out a way to create year round products from the products that you already sell. For example, someone who sells holiday gift baskets may start to create gift baskets for other times of the year. Birthday gift baskets and get well gift baskets are sold year round. It should take just a bit of creativity and some new marketing to grow your business in this way.

Technorati Tags: get well gift baskets, holiday gift baskets

How many times have you heard Hollywood success stories where the main character has financed his movie with the use of his credit cards? More than a few times, I assure you. What you never hear, however is the countless stories of those that tried taking this pathway to success and ended up without a penny, homeless and on the street because they had maxed out their credit with no way of paying it all back.

When seeking out fame and fortune, it is important to understand the right and wrong ways to do things. This doesn’t mean one should never take chances or go out on a limb. It does mean that everything should be thought out, and contingencies should be at hand.

One good tool to know about is use of the cash advance. By using advances, it can be possible to take advantage of opportunities today while still planning on making repayments in the near future.

It would only really take one giant success story of a film being financed or massive business success all due to a cash advance for that tool to become more accepted and more readily used. We often malign the things we do not understand. More often than not, though, it has to do with our ignorance rather than with our knowledge.

Technorati Tags: cash advance, credit cards

For the last two years in high school, I have been dreaming of becoming the team captain for the football team.  I have dedicated my time during school to focus on becoming the best player that I could be.  This meant that I missed a lot of other activities since I spent so much time training instead of doing anything else.  But I believed that the dedication would pay off, so I didn’t think that I was really missing anything.

And it did.

In my senior year, my dream came true and I found myself in the position where I was the captain.  It was one of the most amazing moments in my life when they made the announcement as it meant all the hard work that I did was worth it.

I quickly realized though that there was more work involved in being the captain than I had thought.  I wanted to make sure that I did the best job I could, so I found some team software that would help me with all the work I needed to do.

But I know that I will do what it takes to make our team the best - being team captain was the role I was born to be.

Technorati Tags: dedication, team captain, team software

Having worked as an independent travel agent over the past decade, I’ve seen a few changes in how our business operates. Clearly, the Internet has changed the way things are done both for professionals as well as everyday lay persons. One of the most frequent questions I’m still asked is what I recommend in the way of best travel deals.

My response is usually to ask them questions. How much time do you have for your vacation? If they say they’d like to go for an extended travel plan, I am quick to suggest they consider a train trip in Canada. The values are amazing and the vacation never fails to provide for a lifetime of memories.

If I’m asked about beauty and majesty associated with a vacation outing, I’ll often relay my own personal experiences fishing and hiking during a holiday in Lake Louise, Canada. The small village that supports Lake Louise is quaint, lovely and offers tons of activities for visitors year round.

Whether my conversations result in booking of travel for potential clients or just me imparting my experience and knowledge, I always feel good when I can share with new people. Hopefully more folks will consider spending money on vacations in the near future.

Technorati Tags: holiday in Lake Louise Canada, train trip in Canada