Showing all posts in September 2013

In business

Time to Start Your Own Business? 4 Franchise Opportunities for Parents with Young Kids In Australia

Author RosselPosted on Leave a comment

When you’re raising a young family, it’s difficult to strike a balance between the long hours required by the sanitised office existence; you either make enough to get by comfortably and rarely see the kids, or earn a meagre sum and enjoy a dynamic home life. Franchises are fast becoming the new business plan for many parents just like you, seeking the money spinning without the familial sacrifice, but with so many franchises available on today’s market, it’s difficult to pick which one suits your lifestyle.

franchise opportunities
Hog’s Breath Café

If keeping it local is important to you, Hoggies (as its casually known) is 100% Australian owned steakhouse chain, delivering meals bubbling with taste and passion, as franchise owners espouse the family friendly atmosphere of relaxed fun surrounded by funky furnishings. Though food service and hospitality is not for everyone, franchisees need to invest in the customer, keeping service excellence at the centre of everything they do. What can you expect? A blistering pace and an extremely interactive environment. This is the perfect business for parents with teenage children.

Civic Video

Ever dreamed of owning your own video store (or is that DVD/Blu-Ray shop now)? In the age of online streaming and rental machines, the video shop still manages to thrive, suggesting that the movies is still an experience to be savoured; this is particularly good news for a supposed dying industry, as people still flock to the bricks and mortar hire outlets to entertain their family (and minimise repeat runs of the latest My Little Pony animated flick). A Civic Video franchise will give you the stability you need, secure a livelihood and create a micro family within your business, as small staff numbers help you to build a lasting rapport.

Ben and Jerry’s

Our first international contender, legitimate Ben and Jerry’s franchise opportunities are growing in metro and surburban areas, as their creamy concoctions hit Australian shores with a vengeance. Imagine growing up in an ice-cream shop, sampling a kaleidoscope of flavours while Mum and Dad work alongside possible new allies… Who wouldn’t want that childhood? Friendly and fun, B and J is the ideal franchise choice for budding business owners looking to make a cost savvy splash. There will ALWAYS be a place for ice-cream.

Kip McGrath

It’s not very often you’ll stumble across a combined business opportunity and the chance to make a difference in somebody’s life. If you love children and communicate well with other parents, an educational option might be just what you’re looking for. No food service here, just the pleasure of shaping future generations to be smart, independent thinkers, helping them overcome the issues they experience in the current primary and secondary systems. Learning is for life.

Franchises are just like any business; you are directly responsible for the outcomes of your staff and daily takings, though you are also supported by a larger structure, with many procedures and training regiments set out. Jump on the franchise bandwagon today and make a change for the better.

Image Credit:
Artur84 – FreeDigitalPhotos.Net

In child care

Leaving Your Kids in Another’s Care: How to Choose the Best Child Care Provider

Author RosselPosted on 1 Comment

Majority of people today work for a number of hours in a day and do not have a choice but to leave their children in another person’s care. Whether you are looking for a babysitter, a nanny, or a child care center to take care of your kids while you are away, you have to make sure that you choose the best child care provider around. It might seem like babysitting is such a menial job, but it’s actually an important job that has to be performed as well as, if not better than, any other job around. A child care provider, after all, is entrusted with the life of children left under his care.

best child care provider
Parents looking for the best child care provider cannot simply look at resumes, credentials, and experience in deciding who to hire.

Parents looking for the best child care provider cannot simply look at resumes, credentials, and experience in deciding who to hire. The first step really is to look inward before you come up with a set of criteria to measure your candidates against. You have to take your child’s needs into consideration as well as your family values and rules. This will allow you to come up with a list of requirements that your child care provider should comply with.

Generally, very young children should not be left with just anyone. There are feeding schedules and special care needs that are supposed to be followed to the letter. A nurse or someone who has received proper training in pediatric care is the best person for the job. Of course, you will have to pay more to hire these trained personnel as opposed to hiring the neighborhood babysitter.

You also have to think about whether you prefer to go for in-home care or center/school-based care services. In-home care involves leaving a complete stranger alone with your child in your own home. There are a lot of horror stories about babysitters abusing their employers’ trust. It is important to know who you are welcoming into your home and entrusting your child with. It is also important to stress the house rules that should strictly be followed especially when your child’s safety and security are concerned. With a center/school based care service, on the other hand, you have to take your child to a day care facility or a preschool. You can expect regimented and organized activities in these facilities. These activities are designed not only to keep your child preoccupied but also to address some of their developmental needs. For parents who want their children to have some interaction with other kids, a center/school based facility can be considered as the best child care provider.

Image Credit:
David Castillo Dominci – FreeDigitalPhotos.Net

In home improvement

Five Ways to Make Your Kid’s Room More Fun

Author RosselPosted on Leave a comment

Mobiles

When I say mobile, it’s not what you’re thinking. Children should be kept away from mobile phones for as long as possible (preferably until they can afford to pay for it themselves). By mobiles I mean a decorative structure that’s suspended from the ceiling so that it can move freely in the breeze, or be turned by hands. Mobiles for adults were made by artists such as Miro in the 60’s and are fun and beautiful for all ages. You can buy this at some art shops or children’s toy shops, but you can also easily make your own by drawing or cutting out images of animals, machines or story characters that your children like; you can also get your kids to draw their own! Laminate them, and then get to work with some unbent coat hangers, needle and thread.

kid's room
Buying your children a bunk bed is an excellent way to give them the feeling that they are in a tree house, the crow’s nest of a pirate ship…. the only limit is their imagination.

Rug Up

The floor of their bedroom is the space where a lot of children spend most of their time; playing with toys, drawing, reading. Adorning the floor with something colourful, beautiful or even interactive gives an extra dimension to their playtime. For young children, you can get rugs that depict two dimensional street scenes that they can run their cars and other vehicles along, giving a tactile dimension to their imaginative world. For what will suit the interests of your child, and the style and dimensions of their room, check out our full rug range at www.rugsamillion.com.au.

Bunk Up

Almost all children like climbing things; while trees may be a little nerve wracking for some parents, buying your children a bunk bed is an excellent way to give them the feeling that they are in a treehouse, the crow’s nest of a pirate ship…. the only limit is their imagination. Even if you only have one child, or only one child sleeping in that room, they will enjoy the added elevation, and you might be able to adapt the bottom level to storage; or perhaps a private suite for all of their stuffed animals?

Brighten Up

Lighting is an essential aspect of any interior, and that includes your children’s rooms! If your child likes to sleep with a nightlight, you can find a range of cute and playful ones shaped like animals, stars and moons, and a huge number of other styles. Overhead lighting can be a bit bleak in any space, so consider trying a standard or wall mounted lamp, or even fairylights. A touch lamp beside your child’s bed will spare them trying to fiddle with switches and knocking it over if they have to get up in the middle of the night.

Put it On Display

Instead of ordinary storage ideas like wardrobes, cupboards and books shelves, try using stacked pigeon holes, either attached to the wall from ground level or mounted at the eye level of your little one. If you kids have ornaments or other precious objects like photos, trophies, stuffed toys or seashells they can put them in the pigeon holes not only to be admired, but it also allows for easier access to toys!

Image Credit:
Luigi Diamanti – FreeDigitalPhotos.Net

In kids, pets

Children and Pets: Is Your Home Ready for Another Family Member?

Author RosselPosted on Leave a comment
When you are adequately prepared, you can be sure that your children and pets will have a happy and healthy relationship.
When you are adequately prepared, you can be sure that your children and pets will have a happy and healthy relationship.

Having pets is a big responsibility. You need to understand the needs of both children and pets. As a parent, you want to experience all the benefits people say kids can get from their pets. There is no guarantee, however, that bringing home the first puppy or kitten you find at a pet store will actually result in these benefits. Caring for pets can teach your kids responsibility. It can also be a means to develop their nurturing skills. For you, coming home to your pets could be a great stress reliever. To experience all these benefits, you have to prepare your home for your pet.

To start with, you have to make everyone understand that the pet that you are going to bring home is to be treated like a family member; that is, with love, care, and attention. The next thing to do is to choose what type of pet to get. You and your children can decide to get a single goldfish, a parrot, a rabbit, a puppy, a kitten, or whatever pet you think you can take care of and will find your home comfortable. This brings us to the next part which is preparing the family for the demands of pet ownership. The family members will have to understand what their responsibilities are in taking care of the pet. They have to be committed to the roles that they are going to take when you bring your pet home. Smaller children could perhaps be assigned to feed the fish or birdies. It would not be wise, on the other hand, to let little children take care of feeding puppies or kittens. It would be important that children and pets can be really playful and could easily get carried away. You have to talk to your kids and teach them the safe way to play with pets.

Before you schedule your pet’s homecoming, you have to make sure that you have everything he needs to survive in your home. Designate a place for your pet in your home. If you are going to let your puppy or kitten inside your home, you have to make sure that you put away the things that they may accidentally knock over. You can find all you need to prepare for your pet’s homecoming from your local pet store. Or, you can go online and find out where you can get the basic necessities for your pets at more affordable prices. When you are adequately prepared, you can be sure that your children and pets will have a happy and healthy relationship.

Image Credit:
Artur84 – FreeDigitalPhotos.Net

In family, gift ideas

Ideal Christmas Gifts for Grandparents

Author RosselPosted on Leave a comment

The Christmas countdown has already started and many people have also started making their Christmas list this early. You don’t want to be stressed out buying gifts during the holiday rush so it’s ideal to start looking out for the perfect gifts for the special people in your life a couple of months before. For Filipinos, showing love and affection for the oldies is a unique trait thus even the simplest gifts and gestures go a long way in making them feel extra-special. Here are 5 ideal suggestions to help you find ideal Christmas gifts for grandparents this season.

grandparents Christmas gifts
For Filipinos, showing love and affection
for the oldies is a unique trait.

Travel Pillow

Indulge your grandparent’s desire to travel once they have retired. Suggest destinations and activities that they would enjoy and would not be too taxing for them. Make travel more comfortable for them by gifting them with a travel pillow that they can slip on their neck anytime anywhere. It’s small, handy and will allow them to do catnaps while in transit.

Make A Scrapbook or a Photo Album

Reminisce with your grandparents by collecting memorabilia and items from their generation and putting it together in a scrapbook. Find, scan and print pictures of them wearing vintage fashion trends, with their kids and with their grandchildren. It is always a wonderful experience listening to them tell stories of life while you leaf through this scrapbook or photo album.

Bedroom Slippers

Show how much you care about your grandparents’ heavy calloused feet by slipping them on a pair comfy, fuzzy and cozy bedroom slippers. This simple gift will go a long way in making them feel your thoughtfulness. They will forever love you for this.

Headphones

Surprise your grandfather or grandmother with tunes from their generation. Download music into your iPod, PC and give them a pair of headphones or earphone and watch their faces lit up with songs they’ve been listening to while growing up.

Picture Frames

Grandparents are usually notorious for dotting on their grandchildren and giving them framed photos of you and your cousins will truly fatten their hearts! This is a simple yet very meaningful ideal Christmas gift for grandparents. Don’t worry about giving them a framed “selfie” for they will probably treasure this gift more than anything else.

Image Credit:
Worradmu – FreeDigitalPhotos.Net