Making Spring Break Events Safe

Your kids are going on that spring break trip whether you like it or not (well… maybe you’re footing the bill for it and you’re letting them go). At any rate, they certainly don’t want Mom and Pop along for the ride. The best thing parents can do for their ready-to-live-it-up kids is stuff their brains full of wisdom before they hit the beaches and bars… and hope that they remember what they’ve been taught when it really counts.

Many people are unaware that Natalee Holloway and her travelmates had several chaperones on their adventure… and even that wasn’t enough to avoid such a tragedy. You can’t take precautions after the fact. Whether or not your child will have chaperones on their spring break, it’s crucial to arm your teen or college-aged student with knowledge so they can protect themselves, no matter what happens.

While you want your child to have the trip of a lifetime and enjoy themselves, there’s nothing wrong with putting a little bit of fear into them through modern representations of student trips gone wrong. Movies like Taken (Liam Neeson’s daughter is forced into the slave trade when she and a friend trust the wrong man on their trip abroad) and Hostel (three backpackers head to Slovakia for hedonistic fun… except it doesn’t turn out that way) may dramatize the worst that could possibly happen but, if nothing else, your kids will recognize the mistakes these travelers made… and refrain from making the same ones themselves.

Follow these spring break travel safety tips from experts so that you can have some peace of mind and your child can get their kicks the smart way.

Featured on SheKnows. Read the full article.

Baby Names with Bite

Need a cheat sheet for your reading of the Twilight Saga? Trying to figure out what to name your Renesmee-to-be? This baby name article lists all the main characters, from the humans to the werewolves to the vampires (half-vampires, nomadic vampires, the Volturi, you name it).

The worldwide popularity of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Saga has brought a slew of unusual names to the forefront while also reinvigorating the appreciation of names that, for one reason or another, might have dropped out of fashion. Listed below are a selection of main character names from Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn. Be forewarned, some of the names come with brief character descriptions – so if you haven’t read the books, there are spoilers ahead!

My only question for you is: Team Edward or Team Jacob? I think we all know what the right answer is…

Featured on BabyHold. Read the full article.

Does It Matter What a Gangster’s Credit Score Is?

No, it probably doesn’t matter what a gangster’s credit score is. They’re not exactly filling out paperwork when they need a loan for their yayo. But it is nice to know that the dialog from The Godfather, Scarface, Goodfellas, and The Departed that I’ve memorized over the years has finally come in handy. The theme of this article is hysterical – but it makes a sometimes-icky subject highly readable. And no matter what your credit score is, don’t ever underestimate the other guy’s greed. (P.S. All referenced films come highly recommend.)

Featured on MintLife.com. Read the full article.

Trouble Conceiving? Get Out of Your Head…

Conception is a touchy subject, fraught with worries about infertility. Instead of getting all flip about ways of getting pregnant, I consulted some mental health and sex experts about what’s really going on when couples are trying to up their chances of pregnancy. The main discoveries? What might be holding you back is more about what’s going on in your head than what’s going on in the bedroom. Get some realistic conception tips in this article.

When you’re purposely trying to make a baby, it takes more than just candlelight and Marvin Gaye to keep sex exciting. Attempting to conceive is just as much of an emotional and mental journey as a physical one, especially if you’ve been working at it for some time with no luck.

If sex is starting to feel like more of an obligation than a joy, it’s time to determine how to keep baby-making a pleasant, memorable experience rather than one more addition to your list of chores.

Featured on SheKnows. Read the full article.

Safe Remedies for Mothers-to-Be

Just because a woman is pregnant, that doesn’t mean the typical aches and pains go away. In fact, having a bun in the oven can create even more twinges and squeaks and troubles. But mamas-to-be have a harder time navigating the medicine cabinet. This article – featuring advice from an ob/gyn, chiropractor, yoga instructor, and natural wellness specialist – sheds light on what’s safe for mom to take when baby is in utero… and what’s not.

Featured on SheKnows. Read the full article.

Social Media – You Don’t Have to Do It All Yourself

For the Creative Class Exchange – aka, the source on how we live, work, and play – I do a lot of different things. Blog writing is one of them, though just a very small component overall. What I mostly do is manage the blog, edit and proof posts, and keep an eye on the group’s social networking adventures like Twitter and Facebook.

What’s that? You’re looking for a super-fly, multi-talented writer and editor and social media pro to help you out with your blog and all related goodies? Just give me a shout and we’ll caucus.

Financially Savvy Writing

I write a great number of feature articles about credit score, but I also write web content for credit score education expert Solomon Algazi. (And in case you’re wondering, my credit score is in fine shape, thankyouverymuch).

Here are some of the pages I wrote for the launch of his newest site:

• Homepage
• Credit Education Videos
• About FICO Scores and Credit Reports
• Credit Seminars and Other Services
• Loan Modification and Forensic Loan Audits

Boring? Hardly. If you’re at all concerned about your financial future, this information is riveting.

]]> http://www.weisswords.com/2010/02/content-writing-for-a-credit-education-site/feed/ 0 http://www.weisswords.com/2010/02/dos-and-donts-of-postpartum-sex/ http://www.weisswords.com/2010/02/dos-and-donts-of-postpartum-sex/#comments Mon, 15 Feb 2010 03:27:45 +0000 Elizabeth http://www.weisswords.com/?p=1039

Getting Busy After Baby

Getting busy got you that baby… but what’s the scoop on when you can get back to business again after the birth of your newborn? Doctors chime in on what’s safe, what’s not, surprises you can expect (some good, some not so good), and how your bedroom behaviors may be affected since baby came screaming into life.

Wherever your libido stands after giving birth, before you jump back in the sack again there are some do’s and don’ts you should familiarize yourself with so you know what to expect of postpartum sex.

TheSkinnyScoop.com, a site where moms survey other moms, asked their community the question, “How soon after your first child did you and your partner start having sex again?” 7 percent answered that they had sex again at one month, 50 percent at two months, 36 percent at three months, and 7 percent at six months or more.

Whether or not you fit into that 50 percent category, this stat brings us to our first postpartum sex “don’t.”

Don’t compare yourself to other moms…

Featured on SheKnows. Read the full article.

Helping Your Kids Through Your Divorce

As if divorce isn’t tough enough for adults, it’s even more difficult when children are involved. Find out the best ways to approach your kids about this sensitive subject, communicate with them, and help them cope.

Divorce isn’t kid stuff. It can create irrational fears in your children about safety, as well as their own happiness and yours. Depending on the ages and maturity of your children, each can react to the divorce in different ways. Some children may withdraw while others act out. It can be easy to let your own anger get the best of you when your child’s frustrating behavior seems to be taking over, but remember that their emotions are fluctuating too. Allow and encourage your kids to talk about their feelings, whether they are sad, angry, or confused.

Featured on SheKnows Geoparent. Read the full article.

How to Raise Confident Kids

Make your little ones feel big. Let them make mistakes. Nurture their passion. Play fair. Limit your praise. Get the scoop from pros and moms about how they’ve nurtured self-esteem in their kids.

Laying the cornerstone for your little one’s confidence can feel like a daunting responsibility, but with the proper nurturing, your child’s genetic gift of self-esteem can blossom. It is possible to encourage your child to believe in herself and in what she does while keeping her grounded and cultivating an open mind.

Featured on SheKnows Geoparent. Read the full article.

Conservative Yet Informative Bio Writing

The multi-faceted and multi-talented legal brains of Femminineo Attorneys were smart enough to populate the website of their growing practice with executive bios of their team. If you want to really sell your services to someone, you have to let people know who you are, where you come from, and what your credentials are – good, solid, power writing.

Read the five bios I’ve written for this firm.

Protect Your Kid… from Yourself

I hate flying. It’s the most unnatural thing to me, floating up there in the fluffy clouds. I also have an irrational fear of snakes. And cotton balls. (I’ll spare you the story here, but feel free to ask.) So I found it important to examine the danger of parents passing on their own phobias to their kids.

Whatever your irrational fear — and we all have them — you don’t want to stunt your child’s development by re-planting your own worry in their mind. Your little one could be the next Steve Irwin, a fighter pilot, or an Olympic swimmer… but if you’re too freaked out to let them even try the things that give you the heebie-jeebies, they’ll never know what they might really love.

Fears and phobias can immobilize you and prevent you from exposing your child to some amazing life experiences. The thing is, the harder you try to keep your kids away from the things that leave you breathless and shaking, the more they’ll push to experience it. You may reach a point where you feel like your child is punishing you because all of the activities you try so desperately to avoid seem to enthrall them endlessly.

Featured on SheKnows Geoparent. Read the full article.

Gena Lee Nolin Shares Her Story

Even in today’s tell-all world, the affliction of postpartum depression is still too hush-hush. Celebs like Gena Lee Nolin – who has suffered and recovered from PPD – are trying to change the perceptions about this disease to help new moms find relief in a life that should be fraught with joy, not grief. This article includes the symptoms of PPD, the difference between PPD and the baby blues, and how to begin coping.

Actress Gena Lee Nolin, who is best-known for her time as the conniving blonde beauty Neely Capshaw on Baywatch, is in real life a devoted mother of three. She personally experienced the trials and triumphs of postpartum depression (PPD) after giving birth to all of her children and calls it, “One of the hardest things I’ve ever gone through and one of my greatest accomplishments.”

With celebrities like Nolin and Brooke Shields speaking out on PPD you have probably heard the term, but may be wondering exactly what it is.

Dr. Peter Swanljung, staff psychiatrist at Friends Hospital in Philadelphia, says postpartum depression (PPD) symptoms are similar to depression symptoms that would come on for any other reason. “What makes postpartum depression different is timing. If depression symptoms begin within four weeks of childbirth, it can be classified as postpartum depression.”

Featured on SheKnows. Read the full article.

Provocative Relationship Blog Writing

For a little while, I did some writing for Ask Mars Venus, a relationship coaching and advice site. I penned regular installments for their relationship blog promoting their methodologies and highlighting juicy relationship and dating tidbits of interest to their community.

Here are a dozen blog entries that cover everything from snooping on your spouse to ooey-gooey nicknames, flirting to cheating, divorce to bedroom bliss. In no particular order.

Mom’s Ready for Baby… Is Dad?

Women spend nine months becoming a mom. Men spend those nine months, well, kind of forgotten in lieu of the big belly and baby furniture and pregnancy cravings. But dudes need some doting too. Here’s how to help him adjust to fatherhood.

You’ve been mentally preparing for everything before the arrival of your newborn. Diapers? Check. Changing table? Check. Plethora of onesies? Check. But before you know it, the ninth month has arrived and you get this panicky feeling clutching at you… what have you forgotten?

Then it hits you. You’ve been planning for baby, but you haven’t been laying out a plan for dad.

Featured on SheKnows. Read the full article.

Raising a Book Lover

Books are phenomenally important. I have an entire bookshelf filled with only children’s books… some from my own childhood and new ones I’ve picked up along the way. There is nothing to replace books, and any child who is instilled with a love of reading will be a very lucky child indeed. I highlighted some of the best books for kids in this piece, but these titles only scratch the surface of what’s out there for the youngster in your life, from Arnie the Doughnut to the Twilight Saga.

Belly Button Book, by Sandra Boynton
For the little folks who are obsessed with this silly body part, this board book from beloved Boynton has the belly button taking center stage. It’s filled with delightful language and priceless illustrations to tell the tale of hippos and their “bee-bo’s.”

Curious George Takes a Job, by H.A. Rey
This funky monkey gets into mischief and learns some important lessons with the Man in the Yellow Hat. Kids will adore the illustrations and the shenanigans that George manages to get into. And there are so many other installments of George – but this one is the standout of the bunch.

Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott
This classic, enchanting story will never leave you once you’re introduced to the March sisters: Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. This is a story of humanity and family, love and loss, courage and fear – relevant, unforgettable, a masterpiece of American literature.

Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, by Lewis Carroll
Nonsensical happenings, curious language, outrageous characters – this timeless celebration of Alice’s adventures will spark every imagination one way or another. The version to have in your collection is that with the masterful and detailed illustrations by John Tenniel that so carefully match the text.

Featured on SheKnows.com. Read the full article.

Are You a Fashion Nightmare? Or a Fashionista?

My sister often accuses me of mismatching my clothes on purpose. But I don’t go in my closet every morning and say, “Hmm… what can I wear today so I won’t match?” I choose clothes based on what I think goes together, and oftentimes those are colors or patterns outside the norm. So I fully endorse what I have written here.

Accessorize to Maximize
Wondering how to indulge your Technicolor fantasies without looking like a five-year-old? Fashion-forward femmes know that, these days, color is totally in—and the safest place to get away with it is by “mismatching” your shoes and bag (and, yes, in the same outfit!).

All Bruised Up
Forget that old rule about blue and black not matching. Belt up with black over blue, or slip on some onyx heels. It’s all good—you may even want to throw in some purple or yellow accessories for good measure. But you don’t have to take our word for it—these designers show that you’re never too bruised to be fierce.

Down the Rabbit Hole
Sometimes you have the guts to buy that outside-of-the-box, hard-not-to-notice garment that you know full well doesn’t match anything in your closet. But once you get it home, you don’t quite have the moxie to actually wear it in public. Take heart. You can dress like you’re in Wonderland without people thinking you’ve been smoking out of the wrong end of the hookah pipe. Take a gentle pattern and mix it with a bold one—like the polka dots and pastel plaid shown here.

Featured on iVillage.com. Read the full article.

Little Miss Writer

Take a gander at my growing portfolio to actually read some of what I’ve written.

FYI – This online portfolio is thorough, but it’s not a complete record of all my publications. To inquire about the master list, just give me a shout.

Business Writing Service… with Personality

If you need an executive bio that’s professional but also full of personality and readability, take a look at this one for an IT expert. If I can make the IT field interesting, I can spin any subject into a must-read webpage.

Real the full bio.

International Baby Naming Trends

You can’t help but wonder what parents are doing in other countries when it comes to naming their littl’uns. I tried to provide a little insight in these articles.

• Dutch Baby Names: Monikers from the Netherlands
• Greek Baby Names: Regal and Romantic
• Hungarian Baby Names: Rich with Culture
• Spanish Baby Names: Exotic and Romantic
• European Baby Names and Meanings
• Southern Baby Names for Boys and Girls
• Muslim Baby Names and Meanings
• Asian Baby Names: A Growing Trend
• English and Old English Baby Names
• Popular American Girl and Boy Names by State
• French Baby Names for Your Little Trendsetter
• Popular Canadian Baby Names

All featured on BabyHold.com.