In praise of the family dinner | sleeping should be easy

How often do you eat together as a family? For those of us with young ones, eating with our kids is most likely a necessity rather than an ideal. After all, babies and toddlers still require a bit of supervision while eating, never mind that they still can?t fetch their own food from the fridge or serve themselves from the stove top. But the more my toddler has improved his self-feeding skills, the more I find myself stepping away to wash the dishes, or sneaking a peek on my iPhone.

It?s times like these that I remind myself to be fully present, particularly at the dining table. Even before we had kids, my husband and I decided that family dinners need to be a priority in our home. Neither of us grew up with an established dining routine?I remember eating with my family earlier on, but as we grew into middle and high school, we often had the TV on, or one sibling would be in another room doing homework, or each family member would grab his or her own food at different times of the night. I wanted something different with my husband and toddler, and so far, eating together as a family?with attention completely on one another?has garnered so many benefits for my toddler, including:

• Improved vocabulary and social skills. By eating in the presence of adults, kids are able to eavesdrop on words and conversations they otherwise aren?t likely to hear. Because of topics my husband and I discuss with one another, our toddler has picked up a few ?real life? words he wouldn?t normally find in children?s books. He is exposed to the art of conversation as well: turn-taking when talking with others, eye contact, and asking and answering questions.

• A healthy relationship to eating and food. We take our time when we eat and appreciate the different tastes our dinners offer us (as well as the effort made in preparing them). Hopefully our toddler will grow up learning that food is delicious and enjoyable and not something to be denied, hoarded or gobbled up.

• A chance to build a stronger family unit. Because dinner happens at the end of the day, we often discuss what took place while we were at work or while my toddler was at my aunt?s. We?re able to unwind from stress, laugh about funny episodes at work, and ask our toddler how his day was going. Some of our best memories happen at the dinner table and it?s no coincidence that a ton of videos I take of my toddler took place during dinner time.

With time as a premium, whipping up a dinner and getting everyone to sit at the table takes a bit of effort in our busy lives. And with a husband who works the most irregular 9-to-5 hours ever, many dinners often consist of just me and the little guy. Still, as much as we can, we try to eat together without disrupting LO?s routine, and always make sure that he has company for every snack and meal. How exactly do we make this happen? Below are several ideas we?ve implemented to spend quality time together around the dinner table:

• Prepare quick and easy meals. Long gone are the days we cook lasagna and home-made gnocchi?now we are all about recipes that can be cooked in an hour or less.

• Cook the night before. Leftovers can pale in comparison to freshly cooked, but you can save a ton of time by cooking the previous night. Unless both my husband and I are home, I usually reserve cooking for after our little guy is down for the night and reheat the next evening.

• Take your time and talk. Isn?t it crazy that for working parents, we often see our coworkers more than our own families? For me, breakfasts and dinners tend to be the times of the day where all three of us are together, so we use those moments to talk and laugh.

We may not always be able to eat together, and sometimes I?ll slip and sneak a peek on my computer during dinnertime while my toddler isn?t looking (shame on me!). But I?ll always be a fan of the family dinner and all of its far-reaching benefits.

How often do you eat together as a family? Are mealtimes a pleasant experience, chaotic or a bit of both? What can you do to make dinner time a regular occurrence in your home?

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Wal-Mart's proxy vote shows dissent against execs

NEW YORK (AP) ? Wal-Mart's final shareholder vote for its board of directors shows some dissent against key executives and board members, including CEO Mike Duke, in the wake of allegations of bribery in Mexico.

According to the tally, released by the world's largest retailer Monday, 13 percent of the 3.4 billion shares were voted against the re-election of Duke. The election results also showed that nearly 13 percent were against Chairman Robson Walton, the son of founder Sam Walton, and 15.6 percent against former CEO Lee Scott. A little over 13 percent of the votes were cast against Christopher Williams, chairman and CEO of The Williams Capital Group, who serves on Wal-Mart's audit committee,

Wal-Mart announced that these four executives, along with 11 other incumbents, were re-elected to the board at Friday's shareholders' meeting in Fayetteville, Ark. A new candidate, Marissa Mayer, who is vice president for local, maps and location services at Google Inc., was also elected.

With descendants of Wal-Mart's founder owning about 50 percent of Wal-Mart's shares, activist shareholders had little chance of voting out the board members. But the numbers show a dramatic erosion of support compared with recent years.

Over the previous five years, Wal-Mart's board had received on average 98.4 percent support, according to Michael Garland, who represents the New York City Comptroller's Office, which oversees the public pension funds of New York. The group, which owns 5.6 million shares of Wal-Mart, voted against five members of the board including Scott, Duke and Walton.

The shareholders' meeting comes after a story by The New York Times published in April said the world's largest retailer allegedly failed to notify law enforcement after finding evidence that officials authorized millions of dollars in bribes in Mexico to get speedier building permits and other favors. Duke was head of Wal-Mart's international business at the time of the probe in 2005, and Scott was CEO. It's not clear what board members like Walton knew.

Following the allegations, it has been reported that federal authorities in the U.S. and Mexico are investigating Wal-Mart for potential violations. Investors are suing top executives. And shareholder groups, including the nation's two largest public pension funds, called for the removal of several board members.

Two leading proxy adviser firms, ISS and Glass Lewis & Co. Inc., recommended to Wal-Mart shareholders to vote against certain board members up for re-election as well. They said executives neglected their responsibility relating to the alleged bribery scheme.

Wal-Mart's shares rose 43 cents, to $65.93 on Monday, hovering around a 12-year high. That more than makes up for the 7 percent drop in price after the bribery allegations surfaced.

Associated Press

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Iran's Khamenei: Israel risks 'lightning' reply

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Short Sales Gaining on Foreclosures in Oregon Real Estate ?

Short sales have surged in Oregon in the past year as an alternative to foreclosure.

Pre-foreclosure sales ? most of which are short sales ? now make up more than 10 percent of home sales statewide and in Portland, according to numbers released Wednesday by the foreclosure listings site RealtyTrac. A year ago, they made up only 7.5 percent of home sales.

And the increase comes in the year?s first quarter, when overall home sales in the Portland area increased by 12 percent compared with a year earlier.

At Gay Realty Watch, we look for news to share with you about the gay real estate market ? both lgbt real estate news and news specific to gay and lesbian real estate meccas.

Full Story from LoanSafe

Click here for gay realtors, mortgage lenders, and other real estate professionals in Oregon.

If you have a gay real estate story that you?d like to share with us, contact us at info@gayrealtynetwork.com

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Video: Bill Bradley shares his hopes for the future

A Second Take on Meeting the Press: From an up-close look at Rachel Maddow's sneakers to an in-depth look at Jon Krakauer's latest book ? it's all fair game in our "Meet the Press: Take Two" web extra. Log on Sundays to see David Gregory's post-show conversations with leading newsmakers, authors and roundtable guests. Videos are available on-demand by 12 p.m. ET on Sundays.

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3 Ways to Succeed with Small Business Marketing | Tame Robos

Owners recognize they need business marketing to help develop and strengthen brand recognition, but most don?t know how or where tostart. A common practice is to take out ads in YellowPages or local newspapers. However, this tactic rarely brings in a lot of customers.

Company owners then feel that business marketing programs are a waste of time and money, so they do nothing to advertise their company. To succeed in today?s marketplace calls for making use of several online and offline techniques. Gone are the days of being able to rely on phone books to attract customers.

Today, every business needs to have a website; get involved with blogging; produce online videos and podcasts; deliver electronic newsletters; write press releases; engage in social media marketing, and communicate with consumers through mobile marketing.

This is enough to overburden anyone, but the fact is all of the above need to be used to maximize brand exposure. A simple fix is to hire an online marketing consultant to handle tasks and observe all of your results.

Company owners often say they cannot afford to retain a professional agency. The fact is it?s considerably more costly to fly solo and results will be less than hoped for. Working with experts offers many benefits including improved revenue that should cover agent salaries and advertising costs.

Local business marketing is a sophisticated process that needs to intertwine each method together to maximize outcome. Learning Internet marketing strategies requires some sort of instruction, whether from an marketing coach or teacher.

Creating a quality business website that is SEO-friendly and contains SEO optimized content is very difficult. To obtain top rankings at search engines necessitates knowledge about coding, SEO keywords, latent semantic indexing (LSI}, and online marketing laws. Anyone unfamiliar with these terms ought to hire experienced web designer and copywriters.

Blogs are a exceptional way to interact with customers and generate brand awareness. However, content has to be published consistenly and also has to be optimized for the Web. Linking blog entries to website content is a great link building process that can enrich search positions. Other link building methods include producing online videos, podcasts, and articles; leaving comments on blogs; press releases, and social media outlets.

Most owners find it helpful to hire?business marketing consultants to get familiarized with the best online advertising methods. Specialists can help owners develop a strategic business marketing plan to integrate all sorts of marketing campaigns together.

This entry was posted on Sunday, June 3rd, 2012 at 8:22 am and is filed under Business, Small Business. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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Naperville roofing, Windows Naperville, - Planning On Staying In ...

The volatile real estate markets throughout the country mean that many homeowners are staying put in their homes, even if they originally bought with the intention of moving after a few years. This means that homeowners are looking for ways to improve their houses. If you're wondering which projects can help revitalize the exterior of your house, here are some of the ones that offer the biggest bang for your buck. These are some of the best projects homeowners can do to improve their home.

Installing New Roofing

Installing new roofing is one of those projects that is oftentimes done because it's necessary, not because a homeowner wants to improve the look of the roof. Whether you have leaky roofing because of age or because of a recent storm, newly installed roofs can help improve the value of your home. Roofing has a potential return on investment of around 60-65 percent, and a new roofing system can definitely help your house sell quicker if you're faced with trying to sell in a few years. If you're staying put, you'll be able to enjoy a maintenance-free roof for years.

Replacing Old Windows

If your energy bills are out of control, consider replacing the windows. Whether your windows are old and worn out, or if they're outdated single pane windows, replacing them can greatly improve your home's energy efficiency. New windows can cost anywhere from $300 up to $1000 per window, but they have a return on investment of up to 80 percent, which means homeowners can rest easy knowing that they're making smart improvements whenever they do try to sell. If owners choose to stay in their home, new windows can greatly reduce the cost of heating and cooling, so they're a smart upgrade any way you look at it.

Using Siding Contractors To Replace The Siding

Smart homeowners know that the exterior of the house makes the first impression for guests and neighbors. Instead of dealing with worn out, faded siding, they're calling siding contractors to upgrade the look of their houses. There are a number of different types of materials that siding contractors can install, but homeowners looking for the biggest return on investment are choosing fiber cement siding. This type is long lasting, is resistant to mold and can even be painted any color the homeowner wants. Fiber cement also offers a return on investment of nearly 90 percent, which makes it a natural choice for homeowners who want a great looking home and to gain the highest return on investment for any home remodeling project.

Choosing The Right Contractor

Before you choose your contractor, make sure you're choosing one that offers lengthy extended warranties. These types of roofing, windows and siding contractors will likely be highly experienced at completing different types of home improvement projects, which can help ensure you get the quality installation that you need. Check to see if there are any complaints through the Better Business Bureau and ask how long the company has been in business. A company without longevity in your area might be more likely to close up before the work is completed, leaving you scrambling to find another contractor to help.

Also, take the time to get at least three different bids before selecting the contractor for your home. If one quote seems much lower than the others, do a little research and find out why. Oftentimes this can be because the contractor has cut corners, they don't pull the proper permits or even because they're uninsured to do the work.

If you're unable to sell your house because of the local economy, that doesn't mean you have to be stuck with a house that makes you unhappy. Instead, look for exterior remodeling contractors, such as siding contractors who can help you improve the look of your home.

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