But if you've been down this road before you already know how important it is to exercise during your pregnancy. (Remember...ALWAYS check with your doctor before starting an exercise program.) The benefits of exercise to your health, your body and your state of mind are just too great to ignore.
What you may not have considered is what a fantastic opportunity you have to use this season in your life to develop a fitness habit with your entire family. It can be tough to jump on the treadmill or work out at the gym each day with a small child in tow, but it's not so tough to...
-- play tag in the yard.
-- dance to music in the living room.
-- carefully roll a ball around on the floor, gently stretching your muscles as you do.
-- discover the joys of chasing after a bouncy ball outdoors.
-- kick the leaves around in your yard.
-- pretend to be birds flying all around.
All while including your other child or even your whole family.
Any of these activities can be aerobic if done consistently. Even better than that, these activities can cause hysterical laughter. Imagine that. Your family getting the idea that fitness is fun!
If you have older children, walking around the neighborhood or a track is a great way to stimulate conversation. Believe me, you'll want those well-established relationships long before the teen years set in and now is the time to build them.
You get the idea here, don't you? The name of the game is to MOVE...jump, wiggle, walk, dance, stretch and any other movement that is comfortable and safe for you while pregnant.
Beneficial exercise during pregnancy need not be tedious, boring or tiresome. In fact, exercise like that is destined to be stopped as soon as possible! If you're sports minded, you can...
-- swim together. Your pregnant body will feel lightweight in the water and there are many excellent "Mommy and Me" type swim classes that can be done with your older child.
-- practice ball catching and throwing, or dribbling a basketball or soccer ball. You'll need to go slower and so will your child, but it's still great exercise plus wonderful fun.
-- try badminton. Even a preschooler can practice (watch that racket!) and it's very easy to connect with the birdie. You'll find yourself moving a lot, even just to retrieve the birdie.
This is a win-win for everyone in your family. When you exercise during pregnancy, you not only benefit you and your unborn baby, but you can use this special time to get your family on a firm fitness path that can continue the rest of your lives together.
Encouraging your family in the ways of health and wellness is priceless. Put on those tennies and get started today!
Its A Family Affair Download
These days the huge, and growing, costs of tuition, fees and room and board have turned paying for college into a family affair. Impressing upon your kids the importance of a college education, and the character-building exercise of pitching in with other family members to fund it, can be a good lesson in family and personal values. It's also part of a trend in recent years toward helping even the little ones become financially responsible ? it's a good habit they will later thank you for helping them cultivate.
According to collegeboard.com, average annual college costs in 2006-07 were $22, 218 for a four-year private school (up 5.9 percent from last year), $5,836 for a four-year public school (up 6.3 percent from last year), and $2,272 for a two-year public school (up 4.1 percent from last year).
Lots of Options, Loans If You Must
The good news is there are many ways to deal with the college funding issue at any stage of the game. You can take advantage of ways to reduce your income tax bill with education credits like the Hope credit and lifetime learning credit. Parents may consider the popular 529 college savings plans and grandparents in a position to contribute to your child's college fund may qualify for state income-tax deductions and gift and estate tax benefits by using certain instruments. (Be sure to look into the new 2008 "kiddie tax" law, which closes a loophole that effectively encouraged parents to transfer assets to their kids in order to save on taxes.)
Debt is the least attractive option, but sometimes unavoidable. There are needs-based resources like the Federal Perkins Loan Program. There are subsidized, federally-guaranteed Stafford loans (www.fafsa.ed.gov) and unsubsidized federally-guaranteed loans (Parent Plus and a version of the Stafford), neither of which is needs-based. Private loans may also be available from banks or finance companies. The U.S. Department of Education's National Student Loan Data System (http://www.nslds.ed.gov/) is the central database for information on financial aid resources.
Getting a Head Start with Stocks and Real Estate Might Make a Big Difference
A great idea for anyone in the family who can get a head start on saving for college ? one that is particularly suitable for involving your child ? is some type of automatic investment plan (AIP) that transfers money directly from a checking or savings account into a mutual fund chosen based on the time frame you're working under. An AIP is a convenient way to take advantage of dollar cost averaging, which means you'll buy more shares when prices are low and fewer shares when prices are high ? one of the keys to successful long-term investing.
Getting teens and young adults involved in real estate investing to help solve the college funding dilemma is something that few parents might think of. But Club Palooza has ? and the sponsors have put together an engaging, hands-on type of real estate investor educational experience designed to appeal to adults and their young relatives alike. And young attendees get a stellar return on investment ? the Club Palooza lessons in financial literacy are free when they are accompanied by a registered parent, aunt, uncle or grandparent.
Club Palooza is an engaging, hands-on type of real estate investor educational experience designed to appeal to adults and their young relatives alike. And young attendees get a stellar return on investment ? the Club Palooza lessons in financial literacy are free when they are accompanied by a registered parent, aunt, uncle or grandparent.
Club Palooza Is a Lifelong Gift
Club Palooza is part of Investor Palooza, the premier annual conference for the nation's most successful real estate investors (www.investorpalooza.com). This year Investor Palooza takes place on January 18'20, 2008 at the Renaissance Charlotte Suites Hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina. Among the 12 sought-after speakers on the panel and instructor for Club Palooza is Ken Edmonds, a real estate investor who has been teaching financial literacy to children and college students since 1975. Ken is pleased to have made a positive impact on the lives of thousands of young people over the past 30 years. He is an advocate of helping our youth learn how to successfully manage their financial lives so they can be free of money pressures and spend time on other productive endeavors. As one of Ken's students put it: ?Mr. Edmonds taught us how not to lose sleep over money but to make money while we sleep.?
For more information on registering for Investor Palooza and Club Palooza, go to www.investorpalooza.com. Club Palooza is limited to 75 students, so be sure to enroll today.
Both Colleen Langenfeld & Larry Goins are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Colleen Langenfeld has sinced written about articles on various topics from Parenting, Health and Parenting. Colleen Langenfeld has been parenting for over 26 years and helps other moms enjoy mothering more at today.. Colleen Langenfeld's top article generates over 49500 views. to your Favourites.
Larry Goins has sinced written about articles on various topics from Pregnancy Problems, Property Investment and Finances. BIOGRAPHY OF LARRY GOINS:Larry H. Goins is not only licensed as a mortgage lender and mortgage broker in North Carolina and South Carolina, he is also licensed in both North Carolina and South Carolina as a Real Estate Broker and General Contractor. He is. Larry Goins's top article generates over 480 views. to your Favourites.
