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My wife's uncle and I built a fence and gates in my yard a few years back. The gates are starting to sag,and therefore don't latch anymore. Uncle has since passed away and I don't have much carpentry experience.
The posts seem to be solid still,and fairly plumb,but the gates themselves sag.
Are these fixable? How?
My wife's uncle and I built a fence and gates in my yard a few years back. The gates are starting to sag,and therefore don't latch anymore. Uncle has since passed away and I don't have much carpentry experience.
It will depend on how the gate was built, whether or not it can be repaired or should be rebuilt. Can you take a pic and post it for us of the framing?
The most common mistake I see with gates is that there is either no cross brace or it is installed wrong. Framing can be an issue as well. The size of the gate(s ) will also affect how much sag they will have or develop over time.
The cross brace should extend from the top latch side to the bottom hinge side. Framing corners should be butted, not mitered. Hardware should be attached to the framing, not just the pickets.
Sorry,you must have wrote the reply before I inserted the pics in my 1st post.
Can I save these based on what you see? Yes I suppose I could redo them again,but I figure I'd just have the same problem,as these started to sag after only a few months. I hoped I could square and strengthen what I have now.
As I suspected, the gates were not built properly, the biggest problem is that there is no cross brace.
Yes, you should be able to salvage this gate.
1 - Take off the vertical pieces that the hardware is attached to, as well as whatever that center piece is in the framing.
2 - Lay the gates on a flat surface and square them up.
3 - Lay your cross brace material from the bottom hinge side frame to the top plate at the latch side, then mark the brace piece for cutting.
Note: It is important that you install this brace correctly to get the best possible strength and longevity out of it. The bottom of the cross brace will be attached to the side of the frame not the bottom plate. The top of the cross brace will be attached to the top arm of the frame not the side leg.
4 - Cut the cross brace, set it in place, nail or screw it into the frame. For maximum strength, install fasteners from both the brace into the frame and from the frame into the brace.
5 - Flip the gate over and tighten all the picket fasteners as well as install two new fasteners through each picket into the cross brace. This will join all parts into one solid piece.
6 - Reinstall your vertical boards with the hinges and latches.
7 - Reinstall the gates.
8 - Go into house and get a beer and return to the gates.
9 - Open beer and admire your work ( Comfy chair and chips optional ) :cool:
Would this brace,I assume a 2x4,be laid out like the gate frame,or the pickets? IOW,when looking at the gate from behind,would you see the 2" or the 4" edge of the 2x4? (I hope this makes sense.)
I would orient it the same as the rest of the frame, which means you would see the 2" cross section through the picket spaces.
And yes, you would use a 2x4 of the same material as the rest of the framing.
Take the gates down, disassemble them and reconstruct, they can't be fixed as is. While you are doing this, you can replace any rotten member.
Spruce gave you excellent points, follow them.
Thanks guys!
Spruce,thanks for taking the time to write out in detail how to do this. I can picture exactly what your talking about.
You are welcome. Please give us an update (with pics ) when you finish your project. :cool:
A little BTW here, some people refer to this as Z bracing because it resembles the letter Z when done. The more common X bracing is used in buildings but it is not really as effective for use in a gate as a Z brace is.
keith3267 wrote:
A little BTW here, some people refer to this as Z bracing because it resembles the letter Z when done. The more common X bracing is used in buildings but it is not really as effective for use in a gate as a Z brace is.
All an X bracing would do to a gate is add weight, which is what causes the problem to begin with. With the proper installation of a Z brace, no worries. I've never had a gate fail with a Z design. The key is that these braces provide compressive support, so they have to be installed so that the weight is bearing on them.


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Essential Information
Careers in judicial administration generally require a bachelor's degree. Approximately thirty schools in the state of Washington offer bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs with coursework that can prepare students to work in court administration. Seven of the following ten schools are 4-year colleges or universities, while three private institutions in the state offer programs such as the following, with appropriate courses and concentrations:
- Law and Justice
- Criminal Justice
- Law, Societies and Justice
- Public Affairs
- Public Administration
- Public Policy and Management
Central Washington University
Located in the town of Ellensburg, Central Washington University was founded as a teacher's college in 1891. The College of the Sciences offers a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Law and Justice with coursework covering legal research, ethics, community corrections, family law, legal writing and basic mediation. Graduate students can pursue a Master of Science in Law and Justice as a working professional with 60 credits and a final exam with oral defense. A second option, also 60 credits, requires a thesis or research project. Graduate coursework includes topics such as legal liability, constitutional issues and research methods.
Eastern Washington University
Eastern Washington University, in the town of Cheney, is a public institution that was opened in 1977. Through the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, students can pursue a BA in Criminal Justice. Undergraduate coursework includes topics such as penology, criminal law, statistics and ethics. The College of Business and Public Administration offers graduate students the opportunity to pursue a Master of Public Administration (MPA), with courses covering research approaches, public policy analysis, personnel management, regulation and administrative law.
Heritage University
A private non-denominational institution founded in 1981, Heritage University is located in the town of Toppenish and is the successor to Spokane's Fort Wright College. Undergraduate students can pursue a BA in Criminal Justice with courses covering criminal justice organization and administration, social statistics, civil liberties, legislative processes, report writing and the judiciary.
Northwest University
The suburb of Kirkland is home to Northwest University, a private institution founded in 1934 by the Assemblies of God Ministries. Through the College of Arts and Sciences, students can pursue a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in legal studies. Program coursework includes topics such as the judicial process and constitutional law.
Seattle University
Founded in 1891, Seattle University is a private Jesuit Catholic institution in the metropolitan hub of Seattle offering two undergraduate and two graduate programs that can provide students with a background for employment in the court administration field. Undergraduate students can pursue a BA in Public Affairs through the College of Arts and Sciences. Program courses cover urban planning, public administration, judicial processes, policy analysis and judicial, executive and legislative policy. Undergraduates can also choose to pursue a BA in Criminal Justice, studying topics such as criminal justice organizations, the American court system, trial skills, juvenile justice and social control.
Graduate programs include a Master of Arts in Criminal Justice program that focuses on crime research and analysis and an MPA program with coursework on policy formation and management analysis. Through the government specialization, students in the MPA program study administrative law and can choose elective topics like justice administration and city management.
The Evergreen State College
A public college located in Olympia, The Evergreen State College was established in 1971 to provide liberal arts education with a distinct focus on sustainability and social justice. Graduate students can pursue an MPA with concentration options in public and non-profit administration, public policy or tribal governance. Students in the public and non-profit administration program complete courses on topics such as human resources, fiscal policy, ethics and leadership.
University of Washington - Seattle Campus
Founded in 1861, Seattle's University of Washington is a large public institution. Through the College of Arts and Sciences, students can pursue a BA in Law, Societies and Justice, a program that includes coursework on constitutional law, civil liberties, U.S. courts, policing and comparative law. A minor in Law, Societies and Justice is also available. The Evans School of Public Affairs offers graduate students the opportunity to pursue an MPA with eight optional areas of specialization, including metropolitan policy as well as public and financial management. Graduate coursework includes topics such as public financial management, program evaluation and microeconomic policy. The University of Washington also offers an accelerated Executive MPA program that allows professionals to customize the curriculum to address the challenges they encounter in their jobs. Additionally, students can choose to pursue a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Public Policy and Management.
Washington State University
The town of Pullman is home to the main campus of Washington State University, founded in 1890. The Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology features a BA in Criminal Justice program that includes course topics such as juvenile justice, and comparative criminal justice systems. A criminal justice minor is offered as well. The Pullman campus also provides a Ph.D. in Criminal Justice. Students in this program study criminal justice research and analysis.
Washington State University - Spokane
The city of Spokane is home to an urban research campus of Washington State University that was founded in 1989. Graduate students can pursue a Master of Arts in Criminal Justice. The curriculum covers subjects like research methods, criminal justice institutions, prosecution, adjudication, public administration and judicial politics. The Spokane campus also offers a Ph.D. in Criminal Justice in conjunction with the main campus in Pullman. Students can study doctoral-level courses in Spokane, but must complete some courses in Pullman.
Washington State University - Vancouver
The Vancouver campus of Washington State University was founded in 1989. The College of Arts and Sciences offers a BA in Public Affairs with a concentration option in public administration and management. Graduate students can pursue a Master of Public Affairs with a concentration in justice studies. In addition to required courses that cover research methods and public policy, graduate students can complete coursework covering judicial processes, criminal procedure and civil liberties.
School Comparison: At a Glance
|School Name
|School Type and Setting
|Court Administration Degrees Offered
|Undergraduate Tuition and Fees (2018-2019)
|Central Washington University
|4-year public; distant town
| Bachelor of Arts in Law and Justice,
Master of Science in Law and Justice
| $8,072 in-state,
$23,053 out-of-state*
|Eastern Washington University
|4-year public; fringe town
| Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice,
Master of Public Administration
| $7,323 in-state,
$24,444 out-of-state*
|Heritage University
|4-year private not-for-profit; rural
|Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice
|Northwest University
|4-year private not-for-profit; large suburb
|Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies - Legal Studies concentration
|Seattle University
|4-year private not-for-profit; large city
| Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice,
Bachelor of Arts in Public Affairs,
Master of Arts in Criminal Justice,
Master of Public Administration - Government specialization
|The Evergreen State College
|4-year public; midsize suburb
|Master of Public Administration - Public and Non-Profit Administration concentration
| $7,746 in-state,
$26,262 out-of-state*
|University of Washington - Seattle Campus
|4-year public; large city
| Bachelor of Arts in Law, Societies and Justice,
Master of Public Administration,
Executive Master of Public Administration,
Doctor of Philosophy in Public Policy and Management
| $11,207 in-state,
$36,588 out-of-state*
|Washington State University
|4-year public; distant town
| Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice,
Doctor of Philosophy in Criminal Justice
| $11,584 in-state,
$25,820 out-of-state*
|Washington State University - Spokane
|4-year public; midsize city
| Master of Arts in Criminal Justice,
Doctor of Philosophy in Criminal Justice
| $11,840 in-state,
$26,418 out-of-state**
|Washington State University - Vancouver
|4-year public; rural
| Bachelor of Arts in Public Affairs,
Master of Public Affairs with Justice Studies concentration
| $10,319 in-state,
$24,555 out-of-state*
Sources: *NCES College Navigator, **Washington State University - Spokane.

subset: commoncrawl


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Looking for a place to stay? Just pick up the phone and call us! Our team will gladly help you with information and resources to ensure you have the best deal and a comfortable stay.Office Address: E-615, Greater Kailash – II, New Delhi – 110048
Do you still have questions regarding our services?
So, if you're headed to Goa and want to try out Anara Homes & Villa – Candolim.
Let's Support our Prime Minister in his Endeavor to cleanse our country of perils of dual economy by going cashless.


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Arrest Records
Find out about someone's:
Mississippi criminal records are ordered through fingerprint identification. However, they are not easily obtained by anyone; a requesting party has to have the credibility of getting such records for whatever legal purposes. The state offices which residents can go visit to for the said legal documents include the state's Department of Corrections, the Mississippi State Police, and the state court system. Others can also go to the local law enforcement or governing agency.
To acquire a background check report on someone you need to keep in touch with the state's Bureau of Investigation office. To do that, you need to have fingerprint cards from your county police headquarters. Next step would be to forward the prints to the Criminal Information Center. The said center would then compare them with the state and FBI archives. There are actually so many resources that individuals can go conduct the search from. As a matter of fact, Mississippi also created the Department of Public Safety which has an online database that holds a list of all the authorized state and federal agencies for criminal records searches.
In Mississippi, criminal records have been documented since 1975 up to present. They have also organized their records database by not only providing a venue to perform inmate searches but also features crime statistics and victim services. The service fee that would be required depends on how much details you would need to obtain. To find out the exact amount to be paid just keep in touch with the Mississippi Department of Corrections for inquiries.
Searches could take longer than expected probably because of the state's lack of equipment to facilitate the search. But, as time went by, they were able to develop an online database where searches can be conducted from. However, it can only do limited functions and can only offer fewer details. The good news is that online records services these days have existed to help quicken the whole records retrieval process. In fact, the all-encompassing data can be downloaded one-time within the convenience of one's home. Just make sure that you agreed with a trustworthy online resource for the data that you need.
Search State Criminal Records


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If you need the details about Stitch Fix, here they are:
You go to stitchfix.com and you create your style profile. (there's currently a waitlist, but it's not long at all!) Then the Stich Fix stylists hand pick 5 items for you to try on. They send the clothing pieces directly to your house, you try them on and decide what to keep (if anything) and then you send back what you don't want. Easy peasy.
- There's a $20 styling fee, which you can use toward your order. (that's awesome!!)
- If you keep all 5 items you receive 25% off your order.
- You choose your price range
- The more feedback you give on the pieces sent to you, the better they get over time. So be sure to be very specific to your stylists so that they can send you things you'll love.
As I previously said, I wasn't as excited about this box. I told them to focus a little more on fall fashion, and they definitely did that. But maybe I wasn't as ready for fall as I thought, because the colors weren't really catching my eye.
Check out my Stitch Fix and let me know what you think??
(p.s. sorry for the ugly facial expression)
Well, that's it y'all! Overall, I'd give this Stitch Fix a 'B-', which is actually a little bit disappointing. I really wanted to love more of the items I got, but most of it was just "OK." Ah well, I will give them lots of feedback and hopefully I'll like the next one better!


text: AMG Specialty Hospital has Registered Nurses on duty 24 hours per day. All Registered Nurses are trained in the treatment of complex illnesses and conditions and response to emergency situations. Many of our nurses have achieved National Specialty Certifications such as: ICU, Wound Care, Medical/Surgical and Rehabilitation Certifications. Licensed Practical Nurses and Certified Nurse Assistants are also on staff to assist the Registered Nurse in direct care and implementation of the Nursing Plan of Care. Our nurses are an integral part of the interdisciplinary team assigned to each patient and are active participants in the overall Interdisciplinary Plan of Care.


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|Flowers are 100% a perk of hospital stays (From here)
- It is important to feel appreciative of the fact that wherever you are in your journey, there's always someone else who is only at the beginning of the turmoil. Feel lucky that you've come so far.
- The longer you're on a ward, the more vocal you feel entitled to be. The lady next to me has been here a couple of months and she's definitely self-elected leader of this bay's pack.
- You can pretty much never trust the custard served.
- Try not to underestimate the kindness of strangers. I had a difficult time a couple of nights. The first, a couple of family members of different patients came over to my bed, gave me a hug and some tissues, helped me out with my legs and chatted to me until I felt settled. The second time, it was 4am, the other patients could tell I was having a hard time when I called for help, and despite the fact that they were in ridiculous pain themselves and I'd probably woken them up, they mentored me through the next bit, telling me what medication to ask for, to breathe deeply to keep calm and counted with me to focus my mind elsewhere. It was comforting to be amongst people who cared that much, despite their own troubles.
- People who work in hospitals have such demanding jobs. I'm sure some of the doctors who treated me didn't leave the hospital at all the entire time I was there. Their families must get fed up but they must love their jobs.
- Being able to open your bowels normally is an utter luxury I tell you.
- Visiting hours are an uplifting time, with the breaking of routine and noise and colour from outside, except when you see the lonely people and feel sad that nobody is with them.
- Life is much better without a fuzzy head, especially when it means you can read. Books are marvellous transporters.


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Hartmann - Fukushima...is this the China Syndrome?
Paul Gunter, Beyond Nuclear joins Thom Hartmann. Meanwhile, Japan is not out of the danger zone...in fact the nuclear crisis is getting worse and worse! We've recently learned from Japan that the amount of radiation released was more than 20 times that from the Hiroshima bomb, and now it looks they may be experiencing the early stages of a total China Syndrome meltdown. And is the United States in danger too?


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Buying Time or Speeding Up?: Iran's Mixed Signals
With international negotiations on its nuclear program scheduled for February 26 in Kazakhstan, Iran has made some interesting ? and seemingly incongruous ? announcements in recent days. First, on February 12, Iran confirmed that it has once again drawn from its stockpile of 20% enriched uranium in order to produce reactor fuel. Then, on February 13, it announced that it had begun the work of installing next generation centrifuges at its Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant (FEP). The first of these actions effectively slows down Iran's approach to nuclear weapons capability, the latter hastens it.
First, it is important to point out that these Iranian statements have yet to be verified by international inspectors. We do not yet know how much, if any, 20% enriched uranium Iran has recently been removed for processing into fuel. Second, there has been no independent verification that the advanced centrifuges are being installed, let alone whether they are operational, or whether they represent a technological improvement above the previous generation. The next report of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), expected later this month, should begin to answer some of these questions. (The last IAEA report came out in November 2012. See BPC's analysis of the finding here.)
However, these announcements appear to be sending a mixed message.
On the one hand, the removal of 20% enriched uranium pushes back the date at which Iran will cross the threshold of nuclear weapons capability. This would suggest that Iran is trying to apply the brakes to its nuclear program. Indeed, this would be the third time in the last year that Iran has drawn down its stockpile of 20% enriched uranium. Last May, and then again in November, the IAEA reported that Iran had removed 20% enriched uranium, 30 and 36 kilograms respectively, to be turned into fuel for its Tehran Research Reactor. Without these past removals, Iran's stockpile of 20% enriched uranium would have surpassed the critical threshold of 155 kilograms ? the minimum amount of 20% enriched uranium needed to produce, with further enrichment, enough fissile material for a nuclear device ? last November.
But with the removal of 66 kilograms of 20% enriched uranium in 2012, Iran pushed the date for crossing that threshold into mid-2013. By removing yet more 20% enriched uranium, Iran delays that moment even further. If we assume that they have once again removed roughly 30 kilograms and that their rate of producing 20% enriched uranium has remained constant since November, Iran's stockpile would surpass 155 kilograms by September 2013, effectively buying three months.
This attempt to put the brakes on its nuclear program appears to contradict a concurrent development: the installation of next generation centrifuges at the Natanz FEP. The centrifuge model currently deployed at Iran's enrichment facilities, the IR-1, based on a Pakistani design sold to Tehran by A.Q. Khan, has underperformed. Iran has steadily increased the productivity of its centrifuges (measured per machine in Separative Work Units per year [SWU/yr]) from 0.08 when Iran first began enriching in 2007 to 0.76 – 0.9 SWU/yr more recently. But that still falls far short of the 2.5 SWU/yr that these centrifuges are designed to produce. The IR-2m centrifuges that Iran claims to be installing have a nominal productivity of 5 SWU/yr. Even if Iran is unable to unlock the full potential of these centrifuges, it is still reasonable to assume they will be able to enrich uranium twice as fast as the IR-1.
It is widely expected that were Iran to make a sprint for a weapon, it would feed its existing stock of 20% and, if necessary, 3.5% enriched uranium into the centrifuges at the Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant to produce HEU. If we assume that the IR-2m will achieve twice the productivity of the IR-1 (1.8 SWU/yr) and that Iran installs 3,000 of these machines at Natanz, as the IAEA expects, in addition to more than 9,000 centrifuges already operational there, the facility's productivity will increase by more than 75%. This would translate into a 40% reduction in the amount of time Iran needs to produce the minimum amount of HEU for a nuclear weapon (for more on timing assessments see here).
Interpreting the significance of these seemingly contradictory actions will be key for policymakers, especially as they head into the February 26 negotiations in Kazakhstan. But until we have an answer as to why Iran is speeding up its enrichment program at the same time stalling for time, the United States and its partners should continue to make clear, in both word and deed, that they will use all means in their power to prevent a nuclear Iran.


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Cheap doesn't have to mean nasty, and in these challenging times budget options are more sought-after than ever. Holidays are no exception, and we are here to show you that you can have an amazing holiday on a shoestring budget!
Some options are more obvious, while others will take you beyond the usual holiday ideas and perhaps beyond your comfort zone! Taking a very cheap holiday can require some stretching of the mind as well as the budget, but the reward is a unique and exciting break that you will never forget. Here are ten ways to have a big holiday on a little budget…
Workaway is an organisation which allows travellers to find property owners abroad who are willing to provide food and lodging in exchange for a few hours help, also close to visit the breakfast spots in Chiang Mai. Possible tasks include everything from conservation work in the rainforests of Bolivia to helping teach English to a school for visually impaired children in China. Whatever you get to help out with, Workaway and organisations like them provide a very cheap way of exploring a country while becoming immersed in the day to day life of the host culture.
WWOOF is a network of organisations which aim to provide 'World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms' for travellers wishing to find cheap board and lodging while experiencing various types of organic farming. Travellers are matched up with farmers, who provide basic accommodation in return for help with tasks around the farm.
Most people go away on holiday each year, and many of those like to have someone 'housesit' their property while they are away. There are various websites around to match up property owners with trustworthy sitters, and in return for a few basic maintenance tasks around the house, some very nice accommodation options are available here! https://www.moveflat.co.uk/
Couch Surfing
Couchsurfing has become a popular option for travellers seeking free accommodation, with huge numbers of people signed up to welcome travellers into their homes and living rooms. Websites serve to connect travellers with couches all over the world, and it's easy to get connected to friends of friends as you surf the couches of the world!
Island Caretaker
Although not exactly a regular occurrence, competitions sometimes come along which are just too good not to enter! Back in 2009, the Tourism Queensland created a contest offering the prize of the 'Best Job in the World' – the chance to become the 'caretaker' of the islands of the Great Barrier Reef. Ben Southall won the prize, and has been exploring the area for free and documenting his travels ever since.
House Swap
Another great way of getting great accommodation overseas for nothing is to swap houses with someone! House swap websites match people according to destination plans – so sign up and see if anyone where you want to travel wants to swap with you!
Overbooked Flights
With airlines often over-booking flights to make sure they don't run empty seats, travellers who are flexible on time can get some serious perks just for giving up their seat. Some travellers even plan for this, searching out busy flights and offering to give up seats in exchange for free flights, hotel rooms and meals. Thrifty indeed!
Wild Camping
Most people either love or hate camping, but if you're in the 'love' camp (so to speak) then wild camping, where permissible, is a fantastic and cheap way of exploring a new area and really getting a feel for the landscape! Once you've invested in the tent, mat, sleeping bag and cooking gear, then this is a repeatable free option!
Last-Minute Deals
We all know about this one these days with the portable countertop icemaker! However, if you're really flexible on dates and destinations you can bag a really cheap trip to some amazing destinations…
Go All-Inclusive
Last but not least, opting for an all-inclusive trip can be a big help when trying to stick to your holiday budget. Food & drink PR can take time, so this is a good chance to save some money. With the majority of meals and drinks covered in the holiday package price you're less likely to come home with a guilty conscience!
|countertop icemaker


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Raising Smart Kids by Fostering Decision-Making Skills
Smart older kids know how to make wise choices. Their everyday decisions influence how they learn, behave, and get along with others. In this way, the ability to make choices becomes one of the most important abilities your child can acquire.
But choices bring consequences, both good and bad. Sometimes the choice between two desired options means losing one or the other. Being able to make difficult choices early provides roots for future decision-making and provides your child with the following:
- The confidence to hang up the telephone when she has to study for a test
- The gumption to say "no" to riding in a car driven by a friend who's drunk
- The confidence not to smoke when all her friends do
- The strength to avoid the pressure of sexual intercourse
Begin the training early
Choices are part of life. The right choices separate those who succeed and those who find hardship later in life. But the skill to make choices doesn't come easily. Your child needs years and years of practice from babyhood on. The simple choices you orchestrate for your child now allow her to practice, and maybe falter, while still surrounded by the safety net of home and family.
Your baby chooses between one toy or another all the time. Now it's time for you to expand the options for your toddler/preschooler. Whenever possible, give your toddler a choice. Allow her to choose clothes, foods, and which activity to do first. She'll feel grown up, respected, and important.
The biggest trick at this age is to allow choices that don't offend your adult sensibilities in some way. To do this, make the choice yours or yours: Offer a choice between two options you prefer but ones that also interest your child.
- Do you want to take a bath or brush your teeth first? You know full well your preschooler prefers to stay up until midnight.
- Do you want juice or milk for breakfast? You understand that your preschooler really wants the out-of-bounds coffee Daddy is drinking.
- Should we go to the post office or supermarket first? You know errands aren't favorites, but they have to be done.
- Be sure to save bonus places, such as the library or toy store, for last, or your agreeable kid won't want to leave these places and definitely won't be agreeable any more, if she does go.
- Would you rather wear the red shirt with blue pants or green-striped shirt with green pants. This avoids seeing your toddler in mismatched clothes when going to a dressy wedding or restaurant.
Allowing choices shows respect for your child's opinions without giving up your responsibility as parent. As a smart parent, you relinquish small decisions while keeping control of the big-ticket items that can affect your child's health and safety. Your preschooler assumes control over her life, practicing making simple choices. Unless you allow your child to make decisions now, she may not be able to later, when the stakes are higher.
Making the most of "I can do it myself"
Welcome to the I-can-do-it-myself (or me-do-it) stage. This is the age of the:
- Quick-change artist, or if you're really lucky, outdoor stripper
- Mechanical wizard who unfastens the car seat belt while you're zooming along the expressway
- Self-help queen who pours her own juice, spilling enough to wash the table and create a wading pool on the floor for the dog
- Helper shopper who drops scores of unwanted but colorful items into your shopping cart
- Fashion plate who goes to restaurants only if she's wearing her tutu, red boots, and 10-gallon hat
Kids this age naturally want to do everything for themselves, even when they aren't always successful. And they want to do what you do because they think being an adult has more perks than being a kid.
The I-can-do-it-myself stage is the beginning of the drive, willingness to work, and optimism characteristic of smarter kids. Properly managed, this stage helps her budding self-image turn into a can-do approach later in life.
So what's a parent to do when you're out of time and/or your child dawdles over tasks you'd rather finish yourself quickly. Do you have a choice when your child insists on performing an activity that's far too difficult for her? Here are some not-so-foolproof options to try:
- Allow your child to tackle a difficult job, but stay close by. If you see frustration building, ask whether she wants help. If the stars line up, she may permit your intervention, the task will be completed, and all will be well in Toddlerland.
- Distract your child with a more pleasant assignment, so that you can handle the task at hand. For example, offer your tot a chance to read a favorite book or hold her prized teddy while you tie her shoes.
- Break down the tasks involved in what your child wants to accomplish. Assign an appropriate task to her, and you do the hard stuff. Make sure your child knows that her part of the job is very important. For example, "Let's pour the juice together. You hold the cup very still, the hard part. I'll pour from the container."
- Take the offending article along with you, if you're in a rush. This gives you some extra time to work out a plan, one where you can complete the job without a violent response. There's no law that says your child has to wear shoes into the car or have a buttoned sweater before leaving the house. But do expect a few stares.
- Arrange small jobs your child can do to work alongside you before a struggle develops. Kids just want to play grownup. Give your youngster a dust rag. Buy her a pretend rug sweeper or small snow shovel or rake. Ask for her assistance making beds and setting the table. If you're brave and available for close supervision, give your child a few minutes of pushing the real vacuum, spraying the windows with cleaner, or smushing the polish on the table.
- Don't expect perfection. And whatever you do, never redo anything your child has just done. Nothing deflates your child more than seeing someone adjust, pick at, or otherwise change something she worked so hard on. And that goes for children of any age and spouses, for that matter. If the job has to be done a certain way, don't give it to anyone else to do. Keep it to yourself, and assign a more workable but similar task for your child to do by your side. "Daddy slices the roast. But you can arrange the parsley on the serving platter.
- Assign responsibilities your child can handle, such as watching the baby on the rug or picking up toys. These seemingly little jobs give your child a chance to try out what being grownup is like.
- Celebrate minor and major accomplishments. Whoop and holler over staying dry at night, riding a tricycle for the first time, or putting on a coat like a big kid.


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The Indian Test Team is ready to take on Bangladesh in the one-off Test, starting on June 10 at Fatullah. This would be the team's first series under a new captain – Virat Kohli. The captain's recent media statements, in which he suggested that he would not mind 'risking a loss in order to win', clearly suggest that we might see a slight shift in India's approach to Test cricket.
KL Rahul down with illness, top order unchanged
The only question that the team management might have been called upon to answer before the Test match ought to have dealt with the opening combination. However, with KL Rahul unable to recover from his illness, that question has been put to rest. No replacement opener is set to join the squad now, which means Dhawan and Vijay shall stay put at the top of the order. Vijay has already found a decent amount of consistency in form in the last one year. Dhawan, however, has been on and off the radar, looking ordinary in the white jersey for quite some time. The southpaw needs to pull up his socks in this match, if he envisions a bright Test career for himself!
Middle order in good form
Cheteshwar Pujara's brief stint in English Country Cricket (for Yorkshire) in the last few months ought to have done him a world of good. Besides, his confidence is at an all time high after scoring an unbeaten 133 against Hampshire just a month ago. Virat Kohli, after an exceptional tour of Australia last winter, must be in good spirits ahead of the Test. He has indicated, time and again, how the responsibility of captaincy lifts his game every now and then. Rohit Sharma's brilliance was on full display when he led Mumbai Indians to the IPL 2015 title. With a proven track record on sub continental tracks, Rohit stands a good chance of feasting on the Bangladeshi bowlers in Fatullah.
Rear guard – Wriddhiman Saha and Ajinkya Rahane
After waiting for a excruciatingly long period of time, Bengal lad Wriddhiman Saha has finally managed to become the most preferred wicket keeper in the country, atleast for the Test format! Having seen a surge in his form in the last three years, during which he also rose to the heights of glory in the IPL, Saha shall have a key role to play down the order in the Indian Test team.
The Indian tail has quite often failed to wag in the recent past. The wicket keeper batsman's performances shall thus be closely scrutinized to determine how far he manages to solve that problem.
Saha can expect full support from Ajinkya Rahane, who has developed into one of the finest Test cricketers in the country, in the last 2 years. Rahane's performances abroad (South Africa, New Zealand, England and Australia) have been applauded by cricket pundits from all over the world. And the upcoming Test match gives him the opportunity to bolster his reputation further.
Ideal mix of spin and pace in bowling department
With Harbhajan Singh included in the squad, the chances of Indian spinners running through the opposition batting order look bright. And with Ravichandran Ashwin's list of phenomenal performances in the sub continent, one can expect the Bangladeshi batsmen to be troubled by the Indian spin attack. The prospects of Karn Sharma being given the nod ahead of Bhajji look bleak. However the youngster should make ample use of this opportunity to interact with his senior 'spin' colleagues.
Ishant Sharma's comeback from injury saw a mixed performance in the recently concluded edition of the IPL. However, the lanky pacer may be given a chance to comeback to full fitness at Fatullah. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav are the three other pacers included in the squad. Yadav and Bhuvi, would be the most likely candidates for the playing XI, if the team goes in with 2-spinners-2-pacers combination.
Indian Test Team for Bangladesh (Full Squad)
Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara, Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Harbhajan Singh, Ravichandran Ashwin, Karn Sharma, Varun Aaron, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav.


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Busy ... Busy ...
On one of the forums I belong to, I saw a posting about the free e-book Windows_7_The_Missing_Manual.pdf (downloadable from a variety of sites). So I downloaded it. It looks like this 849-page book is free for 45 days. So I am busily reading. So far I am on page 247, and I find it very useful. I was considering installing my old IBM ViaVoice dictation software, now I find that Windows7 already has dictation software built in. There are lots of other neat tricks and shortcuts.
Data Entry
It seems like irony, for such a slow and klutzy typist as me to be asked to manually enter two family history books into a genealogy database. I have completed the info on the smaller, first book, and I have started on the second book. The second book is in German, a language that I gained a brief acquaintence with in 1969, and where I have forgotten nearly everything I learned. Still, after a 2-hour session with a native speaker of German, I was up and running. ... well at least crawling! The vocabulary used is very minimal, which helps. I am currently on page 20 of 425. I am using the free Personal Ancestral File 5.2 software for the data entry. I have never found anything faster and easier.
I am enjoying our brief but beautiful summer!
Bill's Genealogy Blog
Bill Buchanan is a long-time genealogy enthusiast, living in Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada. This blog will describe my experiences as I research my family history and help others.
About Me
- Name: Bill Buchanan
- Location: Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada
I am a retired online school teacher. I love family history. Since 2007, I have spent much of my time providing part-time support for the world's largest free family history site https://familysearch.org This is very rewarding. I have helped others with the Family Tree and related FamilySearch products.
In 2010-2018 Iserved in the Edmonton Riverbend Family History Centre. I have a FHC blog at Bill's Family History Center Blog For information the Latter-day Saints and family history click https://www.comeuntochrist.org/
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Busy ... Busy ...


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Following up my two posts on the Piet Oudolf's planting design for the Battery Bosque in New York City's Battery Park, Sigrid Gray, Director of Horticulture for the Battery Conservancy, sent me several clarifications about the design intent and maintenance practices at the garden. I had presented the Gardens of Remembrance (GOR) and Bosque Garden as essentially different parts of the same garden. Ms. Gray pointed out that "the Gardens of Remembrance are really not a waterside extension of the Bosque. The GOR, a sun garden, was planted in May 2003. The Bosque, a shade garden, was planted in May 2005. To further separate his first 2 gardens at the Battery, Piet requested a dividing wall, thus the curvy black granite stone wall between them.
Variety and distinct qualities between each project are the standard Piet requires of himself. Species are only repeated when the physical characteristics of the site are similar, even then hybrids often differ."
At the time of my visit in August, the London Planes in the Bosque had lost some of their foliage and the day was windy, even stormy, so the difference in the shade and sun gardens was less apparent. I need to visit the gardens more frequently and under different weather conditions to see these distinctions. Best to do that in the height of summer, when the plantings can more easily be compared.
I had made the obvious point that these, like other Oudolf gardens, look naturalistic but they are far from natural gardens. Ms. Gray explained a little about the maintenance practices required for this kind of garden.
"The gardens, as is typical of Oudolf designs, require a great deal of care because they are formal gardens of naturalistic style, not natural. Points of control are different from more traditional or uniform posing of plants by staking, deadheading, deadleafing. Mood in a naturalistic garden is very dependent on weather effects: the weight of rain, direction of wind, frost, snow, etc...so less time goes into counteracting nature and other work such as species-sustaining propagation and seedling selection during weeding becomes key. Species are relocated or removed if the site is hostile rather than forced to stay as per design. For example: Carex muskingumensis, a water-loving sedge, is not tricked with extra watering into remaining where tree root competition [creates] a hostile environment, but moved to a new location in the garden. A minimum of autumn leaves or cut chaff is removed, but excess is removed in some places. The gardens stand during the winter, but mechanical damage is removed if it looks unnatural.
Common wisdom in this type of garden is that it requires fewer gardeners with more knowledge."
Probably in response to my mention of Piet Oudolf alone, and neglecting to credit the many planners, landscape architects, architects, lighting designers and others involved in developing the concepts and designs for the Battery, Ms. Gray concludes by describing the work that has been accomplished and the work remaining to be done.
"Renovations are only 50% complete at Battery. The Battery Conservancy and NYC Parks began rebuilding the park 14 years ago using a 1986 renovation master plan by Philip Winslow. That plan continues to be built. $80 million of work has been completed. The Gardens of Remembrance project and Bosque project were created by a team that included architects, landscape architects, lighting designers, and landscape designer Piet. Projects in development: the Bikeway that will be designed by Quenell Rothschild & Partners landscape architects, architects, lighting designers, and landscape designer Piet; a glass carousel by George Tyspin surrounded by blue gardens funded by Tiffany and designed by Piet; a park playground renovation designed by Frank Gehry with landscape architects, local architects, and landscape designer Piet; main lawn renovation and Oval green (part of Bikeway project) funded by MTA mitigating park damage during 4 years of subway construction; and the Castle Clinton renovation."
If you've visiting New York City or live there, try to get to the Battery. The gardens will have much to offer even during winter. Since the Battery is the main site for viewing the Statue of Liberty and the Harbor, it's probably on most visitors' itineraries.