#+ having to make an appointment with my doctor on top of arranging delivery while i was already having ye olde withdrawal brain zaps ...

[iii-days-grace]

i took yesterday off to eat soup and take a nap so today is saturday2 for me

[nelapanela94]

Levi x Fem!Y/N

Levi and Y/N choosing a name for the new member of their family.

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Kids had never been a topic of conversation between Levi and Y/N, and much less were they part of the plans. Now they were both in her room, listening in disbelief to the doctor announcing the big news to the soon to be parents.

"We appreciate your discretion, Doc" Y/N said while putting her shirt on.

"My lips are sealed" He swiped his thumb and index fingers across his lips, pretending to zip and lock his mouth. "Everything seems alright so far. I'll set an appointment within two weeks" Y/N nodded and he finished packing the instruments before taking his leave.

Levi was leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest and eyes closed. Y/N chewed her lower lip waiting for him to say something. "You said you'd timed it"

"I'm sorry I miscalculated" she walked towards the black-haired man and stopped in front of him. "Are you angry? It's only seven weeks, we still can..."

"Don't even think about it" We warned opening one eye. The steel gray orb landed on her face. "We're having the brat together Y/N" He reassured. "And I'm not angry, I'm just surprised" He let out a sigh. With both eyes opened, he scanned her face looking for a reaction. She looked at him with her mouth agape as tears of joy were forming in her eyes. Then, the sweetest smile drew on her lips. "You don't know how lucky I am to have you by my side, Levi" She whispered before pressing her lips on his.

Levi and Y/N had kept their relationship a secret for over a year, and only Erwin, Hange, Mike and Moblit knew about it. The ravenette had threatened the energetic Hange with killing the precious titans they used for research if they let it slip off their mouth. However, they let the secret escaped when Moblit was around, and that's how he learned. Fortunately, no one else heard, and Moblit was good at keeping secrets.

Y/N and her boyfriend entered the commander's office.

"Levi, Y/N, what brings you here? Today is your day off"

"There's something you need to know" Levi bluntly said.

"Erwin" the young woman took a deep breath. It was now or never "I'm pregnant" She averted the eyes, biting her inner cheek. Erwin's eyebrows rose at the news. "But it wasn't my fault, it was Levi's" She gabbled and hid behind the ravenette, who was standing next to her.

"Congratulations" A corner of his mouth lifted. Y/N poke her head from behind Levi's shoulder. "Thanks!"

"It also means you'll be out of the field for a while" The commander was happy for them; but concerned at the same time. Y/N was a skillful soldier and a great asset on expeditions. Her absence would be noticeable. Levi, on the other hand, was glad and relieved Y/N wasn't taking part on any upcoming mission, meaning one less concern for him.

As months passed by, Y/N's belly began to stick out, making it impossible to hide her pregnancy any longer and rumors about the father's identity spread among the scouts. "I'll tell you when the baby is born" She'd firmly stated. They tried to guess and even make their bets, but they were not even close. No one would believe that the ever stoic, ill-mannered captain was soon to become a dad.

"Don't mind them" Y/N told Levi once.

"I hate when they insinuate you're a..."

"You and I know the truth, it's all that matters. I can't care less about their comments" she placed a kiss on his cheek. "Now, I want some rice with cheese and strawberry jam on top"

"That sounds disgusting"

"it's not, you gotta try it"

And obviously he'd go downtown to get the damn cheese she liked.

When Levi was hectic with work, Hange and Moblit looked after Y/N. The brunette researcher was too excited and impatient to meet their nephew or niece. Since the future mother didn't want to be a burden, she volunteered to take notes and help with the transcription of the investigation reports, even though Moblit insisted she didn't have to.

The night before the 57th expedition, Y/N and Levi were lying on his bed, his calloused hands caressing her belly. "Please, come back home to me safe and sound" she placed a peck on his lips. "To us" and her hand found his. "I want a boy" she said with a smile. "With your hair, your nose and your eyes"

"The brat will have your looks"

"But..."

"Listen Y/N, I promise I'll come back to you" he kissed the back of her hand. "The doctor said you'll deliver anytime soon. I'll be there for you"

The 57th expedition beyond the walls ended up in an utter mess. Countless lives lost, including Levi's squad. Injured soldiers with missing limbs and on the verge of death. Y/N waited for Levi in the SC headquarters. The doctor had advised her not to travel to Karaness since she could go into labor any moment. When Levi opened the door, she threw her arms around him and hugged him tight. She would not let go, as if her life depended on it. He cupped her face and passionately kissed her. The expedition didn't even last a day, but it felt like a century.

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Levi was impatiently waiting outside the delivery room, nervously walking back and forth and cussing under his breath. "Take a seat Levi" Hange worriedly said. "Your leg is still healing"

"Shut up, shitty eyes"

In truth, he didn't mind the damn leg.

"Captain Levi" he heard the nurse's voice. "You can come in now"

"Congratulations to you and Y/N!" Hange squealed in excitement. "Take your time, I'll be waiting downstairs."

Levi opened the door and found Y/N sitting on the bed, with her back resting on the headboard and the newborn in her arms. He dragged a chair and took a seat next to the bed, placing a hand on Y/N’s. “Are you ok?”

“I am” She assured. “I’m just exhausted”

“Did you give your mom a hard time, brat?” He said rubbing the baby’s head with his thumb, careful enough to not wake him up.

“Isn’t he cute?”

“Yeah, we did a good job” He proudly said. A smirk showed on his face. “We did have fun” Y/N chuckled, shaking her head.

“I haven’t thought in a name yet”

“Me neither” He sweetly placed a kiss on the side of her head.

“I guess we’ll have the time to come up with a good one” She looked down at the new bundle of joy and smiled. “Daddy and I will protect you at all cost little one” She whispered.

Levi couldn’t keep his eyes off of the new member of their family. The new life they had created, half him, half Y/N; he now had another reason to fight for.

After the battle against the colossus and the armored titans to bring back Eren and Historia, the Survey Corps were left on the brink of dissolution. Dimo Reeves and two of his employees were found death in the middle of Trost. Commander Erwin was to blame for the murders and all the remaining members of the Scout Legion were to ceased their activities and turn in to the Military Police. Erwin had previously made an arrangement to hide Y/N and the baby in a brothel room in Trost. The sole idea made Levi uneasy, but he was aware Y/N was not in the condition to escape along with the rest of the scouts while protecting Eren and Historia.

Nonetheless, her hideout was discovered by the M.P.

A tall man broke into the establishment looking for Y/N; and out of fear, the owner gave her away. The man didn't bother to knock and kicked the door open to her room. The place was dark, the smell of recently blown out candles still lingered in the air. Y/N had managed to take the baby in her arms and hide under the kitchenette counter. Tears were running down her cheeks, and cold sweat bathed her entire body. She was quivering in panic, and covered her mouth with one hand to drown her crying. She was praying to all the known gods for the little one not to start crying anytime soon. Surprisingly, he was staring up at her with a cute toothless smile and bright steel gray eyes.

"Well, well, you can't hide from me for too long" the man laughed as he searched around. "Gotcha!" Y/N jolted and cried harder when she saw the gun aiming at her. "Let's end this nice and smooth"

"Who are you?" She asked between sobs. "Why...?"

"Shhh, I'm afraid I'm not here to answer your questions, young lady"

"Please" She pleaded. "Kill me, but don't hurt my baby"

The man's expression turned into a scowl. "Baby? They never mention anything about a baby" He muttered. The infant's cry filled the room, and the coated man grunted.

"Can I... put him to bed?"

"Make it fast"

She stood up slowly, her knees almost giving in. She walked to the bed rocking the baby, feeling the gun on her back. The cry finally came to a halt. Y/N placed a kiss on the baby's forehead and whispered "I love you" before tucking him between two pillows. Then, she turned around with her hands up. The man put the pistol in the case and was about to take his knife out, when a glinting, flower shaped object hanging around her neck caught his attention. His forehead furrowed and walked towards her with a menacing look on his face. "Where did you get this?" he growled, grabbing the pendant in his hand.

"The baby's father gave it to me" She replied, her eyes shut, waiting for the knife to slice her throat.

"May I know his name?"

"Levi, Captain Levi from the Scout Legion"

"I see" His scowl turned into a smirk. "The midget managed to get himself a pretty lady and make her a child. I guess he did learn something after all"

"Uh?" Y/N snapped her eyes open, confused at his sudden reaction.

"What's the baby's name?"

"We haven't had the time to think about it yet. I just call him baby, and Levi opted for brat"

The mysterious man took his knife out and with the free hand, he grabbed a fist full of her hair. With a swift movement, Y/N long strands of hair fell on the floor. It was too fast she didn't even have the time to shriek. "Change your clothes and grab the little runt." He ordered. "I'm getting you out of here" Y/N nodded in understanding and changed into a big shirt, loose pants and her boots. She then wrapped the baby in an improvised baby carrier she made out of a blanket.

"I'm ready" She gulped and everything went black.

Y/N woke up in a small cabin in the middle of the woods. She rubbed her eyes and looked around. The man with the hat was sitting at a chair across the room, while the baby laid peacefully next to her on the bed. The headache make her wince in pain.

"Sorry, but they had to believe you were dead" He bluntly said as he stood up. He put his coat on and fix his hat before leaving.

"Wait. I have plenty of questions sir. Who are you? What is this place? Why did you save us? What about the necklace..."

"You really are a pain in the ass" He complained. "The necklace was a present for my sister. I had it crafted for her when we were young" He turned around. "Ackerman. Levi Ackerman is his full name. Take good care of the little brat" He continued his way to the exit.

"Wait" She got off the bed and followed him. "Who are you to Levi?"

Without turning around, he replied. "An old acquaintance"

Y/N didn't ask anything else. She stared at the man's back as he walked away. When the man was out of sight, Y/N finally relaxed, letting out all the tension contained in her body. While the baby was still asleep, she did a little house tour. There was not much to see, honestly, but the place was cozy enough. There was food for at least three days in the kitchen, as well as barrels of clean water and firewood. She went back to the bedroom, laid next to the sleeping bundle and caressed his black strands of hair. "It seems you're an Ackerman after all" She chuckled. "Your father..." Her eyes saddened. "I wish I could go and find him, but I'm still recovering and taking you with me would be a high risk." She heavily sighed and closed her eyes. "I do hope he's doing well."

A couple of days later, a heavy knock on the door startled Y/N. She swallowed hard and tucked the baby in the bed "Shhh" She put her index finger on her lips, "I need you to be quiet. Do it for mommy" She said in a whispered, then headed to the kitchen. She grabbed a pan and slowly walked towards the door; her hand landed on the knob as cold drops of sweat traveled down her temples. "Oi! Y/N, it's me. I know you're in there, open up" Without a second thought, she twisted the doorknob and found her Levi standing there, with stains of blood on his face and clothes. Y/N glomped the ravenette.

"Levi!" She squealed; her eyes already glistened. "Oi" He fought to keep his balance and embraced her tightly. "Don't leave me alone again" She sniffed.

"I promise I won't" He muttered. "And can you get rid of that damn pan? It's making me nervous"

"Sorry" She threw it away. "I can't believe you're finally here. Please tell me this is not a dream?"

"This is all real" He pulled apart and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Are you alright? did he hurt you?"

"I'm fine, Levi. That tall man with the cool hat was sent to kill me, but he changed his mind when I mentioned your name and hid me in this place instead. Are we even near the city? and how did you find me?"

"He told me where to find you" He pressed a kiss on her forehead.

"Come on in, somebody wants to see you" she took him by the hand and led him to the bedroom. Levi sat at the edge of the bed and a small warm smile drew on his face. The giggling baby wrapped his little hand around Levi's index finger. "Y/N" he called her name.

"Huh?"

"Have you thought of a name already?"

"Not really"

"What about Kenny?"

"Kenny? I actually like it" She smiled and rested a hand on Levi's shoulder. "Kenny Ackerman will be, then"

[sweetswoochie-blog]

'TRAVEL WITH BABY' TIPS- Travelling with kids does not have to be stressful

Most of us love travelling and every well planned break is a truly enjoyable event. Planning and organising become even more important when travelling with babies and children. This "travel with baby" page should provide you lots of valuable tips in preparation for your holidays.

If you travel with children, you have to carefully think every aspect of your journey through. Starting with planning the holiday dates, deciding a holiday destination, booking flights and arranging accomodation, every aspect of your travel has to be precisely planned if you wish to avoid a stressful and incnovenient holiday. Travelling with babies can be pleasant and stressful at the same time, but how you have organised yourself will dictate how things pan out.

I TAKE LIBERTY TO POST HERE, FOR THE READERS BENEFIT, THE BEST TIPS FOR TRAVELLING THAT CAPTURED MY IMAGINATION. ALL CREDITS TO "THE GUARDIAN" AND "THE OBSERVER"

50 top tips for travelling with kids

With a bit of know-how, travelling with small children needn't be a hassle. Author of the new Rough Guide to Travel with Babies & Young Children, Fawzia Rasheed de Francisco offers an essential checklist for parents

Fawzia Rasheed de Francisco, The Observer, Sunday 20 January 2008

Planning your trip

1 If this is your first trip with your children, plan for a slower pace than you might usually attempt. If you want to see more than one place, be realistic about what you can cover with little ones in tow. The less you feel you have to pack in, the more enjoyable and stress-free the holiday - and you'll be better able to take the odd day indoors in your stride if the weather is bad or the kids need to rest.

2 If you are travelling with another family, or adults, before you go, discuss what each person wants to do, agree how to split chores or take turns minding the children, and talk about the balance of spending time together and apart. Come to an agreement about the way you'll split the bills (taking into account the smaller share of expenditures for the children).

3 If your children have special needs, it can be helpful talking to parents whose children have similar conditions, and who may have useful travel tips - try disabledfriends.com or youreable.com. Getting an identity bracelet that has details of your child's medical condition, treatment and their doctor's name is useful in case of emergencies (medicalert.org.uk).

4 Similarly if anyone has serious allergies, you might want them to travel with a card that specifies, in the language of your destination, what they're allergic to and how serious the condition is. Allergy UK produces cards in 27 different languages (allergyuk.org).

5 If you are looking to keep costs down, consider a home exchange. If you swap with another family you can end up with a child-proofed home, toys to play with and insider information on things to do and healthcare services. The following websites may be useful: homelink.org (house-swap organisation with over 13,000 homes in 69 countries); matchinghouses.com (house swaps for families with special needs).

Other low-cost options include farm stays and university accommodation (venuemasters.co.uk); these have potential pluses such as animals to look at, sports facilities and wide open spaces.

6 If you're going down the hotel route, always check for special family deals, from discounted rates to free meals for children; many international chains offer these. Most hotels and guesthouses provide breakfast, but unless it's included in the room rate, it's often a waste of money for children, particularly if they only eat a piece of bread or a bowl of cereal. If breakfast isn't included, try asking for 'complimentary' ones for the children. Alternatively, you could take along something to snack on for the first day, and buy in a simple breakfast to eat in your room thereafter.

7 Supervised childcare such as a kids' club sounds good, but can mean little more than a bunch of children lumped together in front of a TV while an attendant keeps an eye on them. Ask how many children are cared for, whether groups are split according to age, and what specific activities might be - and be prepared to check it out yourself when you arrive. If anything seems amiss, be prepared to cancel your plans and start looking for alternatives.

8 Finding accommodation when you arrive can be challenging with children in tow. So even if you do want to keep things flexible, it's worth pre-booking for your first few nights: this will allow you to look for other places in a more leisurely way.

9 If you're going overseas, see your doctor at least two months before you leave to discuss your plans. When making the appointment, mention the ages of your children and ask if they need to come to the appointment; when you go, bring everyone's vaccination records, and ask the doctor to note down their blood groups for you. If any of your children has a pre-existing medical condition, ask for help in identifying a doctor in your destination who specialises in the same condition. Children under 18 months won't be given any travel-related jabs.

10 If you're travelling to a country in which malaria is endemic (check the list of affected countries at who.int/ith/en), you need specialist advice on the appropriate antimalarial medication. You'll also need to make sure you take ample supplies of insect repellent, clothes to cover everyone up in the evenings and, if the place you're staying in doesn't have them, bed-nets impregnated with insecticide.

11 You can get antimalarials in syrup form, though tablets are much more common. As children are usually prescribed smaller amounts of the same antimalarials as adults, this means breaking tablets into pieces, so it's a good idea to buy a pill-cutter; these are widely available and cost next to nothing.

12 If you're going to need visas for your destination, don't be surprised if they're a requirement for children as well as adults, and that their fee is the same as for yours. As many countries require visas to be collected in person by applicants (including children), you may have to make a trip to the main embassy in your country, although it's often possible to apply in writing first to avoid two trips.

13 There are a number of instances where you might need to carry extra documentation when travelling with children. If you have an adopted child, you must take their adoption papers; and if you're the only parent travelling - regardless of your marital status - you might be asked for proof of consent from the other parent for your child to travel. This is more likely in countries where overseas adoption and/or child trafficking is common. If the name on your child's passport is not the same as yours, or if your child bears little resemblance to you, the chances of this being an issue increase.

The standard requirements for authorisation to travel are your child's birth certificate, your marriage certificate (if applicable) and a signed and attested consent letter from the other parent confirming you can travel with your child. If the other parent is no longer alive, you may need proof.

14 Getting your children started on a few holiday-related projects before you leave is a great way to prepare them for what's to come. You could explore maps, or the history, geography, animal and plant life of your destination, or read books or watch a film that's set there. If the food is likely to be radically different, research dishes that they might enjoy, and try rustling up something similar before you go.

On the move

15 If it looks like you're going to be weighed down with mountains of bags, you may want to send on suitcases and bulky items such as prams via a baggage delivery company. You'll pay around £70 to send up to 30kg of luggage one way between European countries, and £110 between the UK and US, but prices per kilo come down the more you send, and you'll get better rates if you send things a few weeks rather than a few days before you travel. Try firstluggage.com or carrymyluggage.com for a quotation.

There are also companies that specialise in delivering baby products such as formula, baby food and nappies - try babiestravellite.com.

16 Hand-held carrycots are superb for babies small enough to carry when on the move, and can double up as a bed, too. Although some hotels offer beds for babies, they're often pretty poor, with saggy mattresses and no shields to prevent babies from falling out. It's better to play safe and bring your own. Most carrycots come with a detachable cover for the body and a shade for the head, and some have a built-in net screen as well. Apart from the obvious protection against the sun and bugs, these are useful for blocking out glaring ceiling lights - such as in airports - which tend to bother babies. Travel cots that break down into several pieces and pack away into their own bag are useful for babies and toddlers too large for carrycots. Carrying babies in a sling strapped to the body is a popular option; both hands remain free and you can detect changes immediately, sensing the moment your child wakes, sneezes, or has a stomach cramp. Slings are the perfect travel aid: they're comfortable, practical, and fold away into no space at all. They're suitable for babies over a week old, measuring at least 53cm tall and weighing more than 3.5kg, and the best ones have wide straps that distribute weight, are machine-washable and have a back or neck support for the baby.

17 A pram or buggy can be useful on holiday even if your child is walking, serving as a place for them to rest during day trips, a makeshift bed when out in restaurants and something to help with carrying the bags. If your destination is unlikely to have paved paths, it may be worth investing in an all-terrain version.

18 In each new place, don't forget to designate a meeting point in case anyone gets separated from the group. If it's likely you'll be in really dense crowds, promising a reward for staying together works as a good incentive.

19 Child monitors can be a real help to keep an eye on young children in crowded places such as airports and shopping malls. The parent carries a tracking device - about the size of a TV remote control - while the child wears a watch-like contraption. Should the distance between the child and the tracker exceed the user-defined range, or if the bracelet is removed, an alarm sounds. Furthermore, once the tracker sounds the alarm, you can push a button to set off a bleeper on your child's bracelet to help you track them down.

20 If your children still crawl around on the floor, one way of keeping them reasonably clean is to take a plastic sheet that you can put down anywhere for them to play on.

21 If you have to sterilise things regularly, consider taking a portable steam steriliser; they work well and with minimum fuss. For sterilising small items on the move - for example dummies or teething toys - you can use sterilising tablets in a watertight screw-top container.

22 If your child is on bottles, bring what you need to make up fresh ones along the way; to save space, fill spare bottles with water, then add milk powder and top up with boiling water when you need them.

23 Breastfeeding in an unfamiliar destination can be a worry, and it is worth doing some research into local attitudes towards feeding in public before you go. If in doubt, try finding some female company, perhaps in a women's clothing shop. Another idea is to head for the ladies' toilets of a posh hotel; these are usually spacious, with seats and pleasant surroundings.

Air travel

24 If you'd like to be met at check-in and helped with the children and the bags all the way to your plane, ask for 'meet and assist' services when booking your flight. This is generally provided by the airport and not the airline, and whether or not you get it depends on the availability of staff - but if you're travelling as a single parent with more than one child, you'll be given priority.

25 If you're a member of an airline's frequent-flyer club, you may be entitled to use a private departure lounge. Facilities such as a supervised place to leave hand luggage, comfortable chairs, free drinks and snacks, TVs and spacious toilet facilities are especially welcome when travelling with children. If you're not a member, you can often use the lounges if you buy a day pass.

26 Check the latest restrictions on hand luggage before travelling. The more stringent regulations relate to carrying liquids, gels and creams, which includes baby foods, drinks and nappy cream. The standard instructions are not to carry over 100ml of any single item, although exceptions are usually made for essential medicines or supplies for children under two. You can also get away with more (up to 400ml) in the way of milk and drinks so long as these are decanted into bottles and no-spill cups; if you carry the same in the original cartons or bottles, you'll be asked to leave them behind. There are also discretionary limits for baby food - these are generally kept vague, but as long as you don't have more than what security staff deem to be a reasonable amount for the flight, you'll usually be fine.

The best way around the restrictions is to decant creams into small bottles, and bring just powdered milk; you can get hot water to make feeds on most flights, and as soon as you pass security, you can buy bottled water too.

27 Some airlines let you check in online, which allows you to book preferred seats from home and cuts out queuing. When you get to the airport, you usually join a fast-track queue to hand over your checked luggage. Similarly, train stations which feed airports occasionally have check-in facilities, meaning you're then free to board the train with the children but without the bags. Some airlines allow you to check in luggage in advance, sometimes as much as a day before you fly. Though you have to make an advance trip to the airport to do this, the advantages are that you get to turn up a little later than usual on the day, and will have your hands free to tend to your children.

28 The low humidity of cabin air can cause mild dehydration as well as dry and irritated nostrils, so it's important to get kids to drink regularly. If anyone gets a streaming nose (also a factor of low humidity), wet the insides of their nostrils with a finger dipped in water - this often works like magic. Flying can also prompt air expansion in the middle ear and sinuses, which can be painful for babies and infants because of their smaller ear passages. To prevent discomfort, massage your child's ears from behind and give the earlobes a few gentle tugs from time to time. Toddlers also find it helpful to suck on something or have a drink during take-off and landing.

Rail and bus travel

29 When booking tickets, make a point of asking for deals for families and young people. In many instances, a family travelcard reduces the cost of ordinary tickets by so much that it's worth buying one even for a single trip. Such deals are usually restricted to travel outside rush hours. To buy a railcard, you usually need to show identification for one or both parents, and have photographs with you.

30 If you're travelling with more than one child and you want space for them to play, it's a good idea to buy more tickets than you need, or book out an entire compartment. This might sound elitist, but sharing a packed carriage can be overwhelming when you're with small children.

31 When you're boarding a bus or train, decide who is going to get on first, who will go last and who is stowing the luggage so as to be sure nothing and no one gets left behind. If you're on a train, establish limits in terms of how far older children can stray and how long they can be away for, emphasising that they always need to come back to you when the train slows down to stop.

Driving

32 Regardless of the regulations in your destination, always use children's car seats whenever driving with your kids. If you're going to use the seat in several different cars - taxis, say - go for a universal model which works with all kinds of seatbelts. For general guidelines and information on some of the common errors when fitting child's car and booster seats, go to childcarseats.org.uk.

33 Extra rear-view mirrors trained on the back seats will allow you to keep an eye on the children without having to turn around, and are particularly useful if you're driving without another adult. They are easy to get hold of in car accessory shops or online.

34 Accessories for entertainment such as tape decks or portable CD/DVD players fitted for use in cars (via the cigarette lighter) help to ensure the right mix of entertainment for children. And if you don't want their fun to bother the driver, bring headphones as well.

Staying healthy

35 If you're heading for the heat, choose clothes made from natural fibres - sweat irritates delicate skins and can lead to prickly heat or sweat rash. Expect to change your baby up to three times a day - particularly if they're not used to the heat and will sweat a lot. Children will need two sets of clothes per day, and sunhats with wide brims and neck flaps are worthwhile when playing outdoors. Equally, don't overlook the fact that children's eyes are more vulnerable to glare than yours; get them sunglasses, or goggles with elasticated straps, which stay on better.

36 If the tap water isn't safe to drink, you'll need to boil, filter or sterilise your own, or buy bottled water. If you plan to use bottled water to make up formula feeds, aim to get the lowest mineral content you can. Make sure the children don't drink from taps, including when brushing teeth. Keeping a bottle of drinking water by the sink is a helpful reminder.

37 When eating out in countries with poor standards of sanitation and hygiene, always eat at busy places where the turnover of food will be fast, and avoid buffets: they're notorious for harbouring the bugs that cause diarrhoea.

38 When eating in restaurants, if the crockery or cutlery is wet, giving it a dry wipe with a clean tissue will lower any potential dose of bugs. Check that bottles and cans are unopened before handing these to the children (and use straws or clean the can or bottle before they drink), and get them to avoid ice and salads.

39 Carry some non-prescription antihistamine such as Piriton, for symptoms such as sneezing, streaming noses or itchy eyes. For skin allergies, try applying over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream; natural alternatives include drinking honey and apple cider mixed with warm water, a spoonful of honey or, particularly for hayfever, nettle tea.

40 Children are particularly prone to dehydration, mostly because they don't drink unless they feel thirsty. If your baby is exclusively breastfed, you should drink more whenever it's hot so that you produce slightly diluted milk; but if temperatures are particularly high and you don't have enough milk, give them some water to drink, too. Also check all your children's urine from time to time; if it's darker than usual, cloudy or strong-smelling, insist that they drink more.

41 Constipation can be caused by dehydration or changes in diet. Give babies water to drink, use a light oil to massage their tummies, and bring their knees up to their chests a few times. You can also gently rub a button of Vaseline over their anus. Give older children water and a few teaspoons of a light vegetable oil to drink, as well as trying the Vaseline and abdominal massage.

42 Most hotels do not provide mosquito nets for baby cots so you'll need to take your own. The easiest way to protect babies from insect bites (apart from mosquito nets), is to put them in a light cotton fabric sleeping bag, with a long-sleeved top, and slather a healthy dose of insect repellent on the fabric.

Being there

43 Most tourist accommodation isn't particularly child-friendly, so once you've checked in you'll probably need to make some adaptations yourself. Start off by checking locks on doors and windows to make sure the room is secure. Check the sturdiness of the fittings - wobbly balconies and railings are unsafe and mean you should change your accommodation straight away. Point out things such as loose towel-rails or curtain rails to the staff and either agree that you can't be responsible should they fall down, or ask for them to be fixed or removed. Use insulating tape to cover exposed wires or sockets or block them off with furniture that's too heavy for your children to move. It's also a good idea to check the temperature of the hot water; it's often scalding, so you may need to warn your children.

44 Once you've researched your destination, prepare a list of possible activities that take various lengths of time and suit different weather conditions. If you've more than one child, give each a turn to make choices from the activities list.

45 If you're travelling with more than one adult, try splitting up from time to time, either having time with the children, or heading off without them to do something on your own.

46 If you plan on walking or cycling, remember that young children won't want to focus on getting from A to B, but on following their interests, so allow time for exploring. Plan your route around the capacity of your youngest child and your ability to carry them. Try to choose a route where the scenery will change frequently. Good choices for walks or rides include following a river or canal towpath; there are no hills to negotiate, and there's the possible bonus of water to play in and birds to feed. It's also a good idea to combine walks or rides with an activity such as swimming or taking a short train ride.

47 Children might get more exposure to sunshine than adults if carried in backpacks or on a child seat at the front of a bike; and if they're not walking or cycling themselves, they'll get colder than everyone else as they won't be warmed up with exercise - protect them accordingly and have layers to pull on and take off.

48 Apart from taking photographs, there are lots of ways to help your children preserve memories of your trip. You could buy a postcard for each destination and help them to note a single memory on the back, alongside the date or their age. You could also get them started on collections of things that can be found in most places, such as badges, paperweights, model cars and boats or toy animals.

49 If your children are keeping a journal, encourage them to draw and list things they see and eat; they could also collect autographs and doodles from people they meet as well as ticket stubs and labels to stick in. If free mini-maps of places you visit are available, get extras for the children to stick into their books, and help them circle the places you've seen. If you're encountering different languages, put in lists of new words and add more as they learn one set.

50 Local toys are often worth seeking out, and make great gifts to take home. Apart from the novelty value, kids tend to like playing with the same things that local children have, and it can help with making friends.

[mobappdevelopmentcompany]

Noteworthy On-demand Service apps of 2021!

Modern individuals are busier than ever and hence prefer on-demand services for accomplishing their daily activities and tasks. Furthermore, they expect a super-fast response to their service requests and doorstep delivery of products/services. For this reason, on-demand service apps are garnering traction amongst the masses since the last decade. The on-demand platforms offer a wide range of services starting from utility to entertainment, via mobile apps, and most importantly, the users can avail of those services without having to step out from the comfort of their homes or offices. Moreover, such apps can be downloaded for free or in exchange for a minimal price. So, what else can a tech-savvy new-era individual ask for?

If you are an aspiring entrepreneur and planning to tailor a user-centric on-demand app, take a look at some of the success stories of the on-demand business model. A quick read will provide you with an idea about how this approach functions.

On-demand Service Apps: In a Nutshell

The on-demand service model instantly connects consumers with a huge pool of service providers. Such platforms are usually built as a mobile/web application and their operations are managed via the admin dashboard which enables app owners to keep a watch on every ongoing/completed transaction. Click here to gain further insights about on-demand apps and some innovative on-demand app ideas.

Noteworthy on-demand Service Apps: 2021

Category: Healthcare

Doctor-on-demand: Healthcare Services

This US-based telemedicine firm enables patients to schedule appointments with the practitioners of their choice and avail of online doctor consultation facilities from any place, at any time. Users can arrange for scheduled doctor visits with licensed medical service providers across the US. Health systems, health plans, and retail clinics are also covered under this platform.  These services maintain high clinical standards while elevating the convenience quotient of patients and saving their time as well as money.

My Medicash App

This user-friendly on-demand service app has garnered immense attention in the medical industry currently. The users can quickly make an insurance claim request with a few taps on their smartphones. Users can get connected with a qualified specialist and can discuss about insurance claims and the other health plans in a quick conversation. This app isn’t entirely budget-friendly as it charges users for every visit but offers a good value for money for sure owing to its prompt and high-end services.

Category: Self Care

Soothe: Massage Services

Soothe is a California-based multi-national massage service provider. With this on-demand massage app, booking an appointment with a massage therapist is just a finger click away! Soothe connects users with top-notch, certified, and licensed personal care service providers and masseuses. These professionals get their own massage kit including oil, table, linen, music system, etc. The therapists provide services like stress relief, couple massage, etc. at the users’ desired location – home, hotel, or office. Also, it offers different types of massages that users can choose from.

Glamsquad: Beauty Services

This New York-based app was established by Victoria Elsner in 2014. This happens to be one of the most noteworthy beauty services providing platforms and operates through various cities in the U.S.A. This modern-era omnichannel beauty brand offers services like make-up, hairstyling, nail beautifying services, and many more. Users can search and book beauty services as per their preferences and once the booking is done, professionals visit the users’ site for providing their services.

The platform has handpicked trustworthy and proficient beauty practitioners for offering consistent and quality-driven services to consumers. Intelligent, data-driven technology is employed for matching the professionals to the clients based on the customer requirements. This way, Glamsquad delivers an enriching and personalized in-house experience to customers.

Category: Home Services

Handy

This on-demand handyman service company connects users with cleaners, movers, handymen, and furniture makers. This app is extremely helpful for the ones looking for assistance concerning household chores like packing/moving, cleaning, assembling/installing furniture, etc.

The users need to book an appointment with a handyman and provide the personnel with cleaning tools and equipment. The app allows the user to make calls to the same personnel for executing similar tasks.

TaskRabbit

This on-demand service app provides household services like house cleaning, repair, and maintenance of stuff, etc. to registered users. Users can hire services from nearby locations and once the desired task is completed, they can tally with the to-do list provided within the app itself. The quality of the services provided is top-class and secure. And, amongst several payment options, the option of cashless transactions is also included.

Category: Cleaning Services

Rinse: Laundry Services

This app offers laundry services – Users are required to schedule their laundry pick-up – mention a time and date. The laundry professionals clean the clothing as per the kind of services chosen by the user and deliver back the laundry to the users’ desired location within the given time. Rinse provides the facility of “smart scheduling” to simplify things for consumers and add to their convenience. Besides, customized cleaning preferences are taken care of. The platform ensures that the cleaning standards are above average and offers several convenient payment options including cashless transactions.

Wype: Car Washing Services

This Los Angeles-based on-demand car cleaning service offers eco-friendly solutions. It offers on-the-go cleaning services for customers and enables users to book such services at affordable rates.

Category: Pet Care Services

Rover:

This is a popular app offering daycare services for pets and provides house-sitting pet care services as well. Rover helps users to relieve stress by minimizing action items concerning different pet care activities like dog walking, drop-in visits, doggy daycare, pet boarding, etc. Pet owners can register on this platform for finding/booking sitters. Rover is known for more efficiency and speedier processing of requests as compared to other similar apps. Other notable offerings include faster responses through push notifications, round-the-clock customer support facilities, and secured and hassle-free payment options.

Wag

This app helps dog owners in finding dog sitters. The app connects registered users with dog lovers who would like to take care of dogs for a particular timespan and engage in fun activities like sitting, playing, walking, etc. Wag offers GPS tracking so that the owners can track all the outdoor activities with their pets.

Other Notable Categories

Fiverr: Digital Freelance Services Marketplace

This platform is an online marketplace offering digital on-demand freelance services. With Fiverr, entrepreneurs get instant access to a huge pool of talented remote freelancers. And, whether one needs a host of services, long-term services, or just an expert service for one specific business task; Fiverr happens to be the one-stop solution.

Fiverr is equally beneficial for service-providing professionals. Here, the users can invest in their creativity and innovativeness for generating income and can also utilize this platform for adding to their experience. It is an ideal platform for showcasing one’s skills/talents concerning writing, editing, translation, technology, photography, etc.

The major offerings include the facilities of streamlined search, discovering new talents, and formation of inter-global partnerships; round-the-clock communication between the sellers and buyers, and the availability of push notifications.

Drizly: Alcohol Delivery

If you would like to get your favorite wine, beer, or liquor delivered to your footstep, Drizly is the app for you! It offers a wide selection of drinks and whether it’s a large-scale delivery or just a few bottles of drink you can avail of the services. Individuals using this app enjoy the option of selecting from their preferred store after comparing the prices. Moreover, users placing instant orders can choose from pre-arranged sets of booze paired with a host of other party dishes like pizza, based on different occasions. Furthermore, the order is delivered within one hour from the time of booking. Drizly is available for both iOS and Android users and has acquired over 500,000 installs.

This app was launched in the year 2012 and currently operates across 100+ cities in Canada and U.S.A.

Blacklane: Chauffeur Services

This app is the brainchild of Berlin-based start-ups Frank Steuer and Jens Wohltorf and offers chauffeur services to its users. Users are connected to professional chauffeurs and can book as per their preference. Thereafter, the concerned chauffeur picks the user from their location and drops them at the desired location. The riders can even give instructions to the driver on how to reach the destination. This app came into being in 2011, and today, its services can be availed by 300+cities, 60+countries, as well as 600+ airports across the globe.

Bloom That: Gift Services

This on-demand service app allows users to send surprise gifts or flowers to someone for expressing love, gratitude, congratulating, or wishing success, etc. The app offers an easy-going and intuitive interface to add to the convenience of users. Users can pick from a wide variety of seasonal gift items, choose the date, time, and shipping address while ordering gifts. Once ordered the progress of delivery can be tracked through the app.

Bloom That comes with certain distinct offerings. It enables seamless merging with the calendar of the users’ smartphones, records and sends reminders to users on special occasions, and provides exclusive benefits and offers for app users.

Bottom line:

Today, most individuals resort to on-demand home services apps for making their lives easier. Therefore, this is a golden opportunity for business owners to make the most of this demand by tailoring a user-centric utility app. The success of the aforesaid apps speaks volumes of the potential of such on-demand apps.

So, it’s high time to rope in an experienced and adept On Demand app development company, for architecting your dream app. If you have a phenomenal on-demand app idea, reach out to Biz4Solutions, a prominent On Demand app development company, with 10+ years of experience in serving global clients. Our team of skilled professionals will transform your dream into a fully functional and highly performant app.

We have a track record of crafting some noteworthy on-demand apps like Beach Caddy, Exut, Phlex65, etc.

To know more about our core technologies, refer to links below:

Java App Development

Nod.js App Development

Swift App Developments

[namjoonchronicles]

Commitment - [BTS] Vlogger!Hoseok Au

[A/N] If you like it, then you should’ve put a ring on it *dances to Hoseok* His fingers unf

The camera focuses on you, it shifted and is twisted to focus on you. The cameraman, Hoseok, was really determined to get a good shot. The little figurines and impressive poster of Michael Jackson at the background, must show. Also, the view is you.

You in your most natural state. Looking like a devoted wife. Hoseok smiled at you being entirely oblivious of his actions, and whispered to the camera softly, “One day, I’ll marry you.”

The counter tops are filled with new figurines Hoseok bought. He had left his earphones on the stool again, his headphones next to your almost-empty cookie jar. He went home quite late last night, so probably he just plopped next to you on the bed due to exhaustion.

Hoseok was editing in his office slash studio a whole 24 hours and you were alone at home. Apart from vacuuming the whole house, you were occupied with choosing a string of polaroid pictures you took with Hoseok on your last trip to Hawaii. He promised to return home for dinner. But you had a feeling that he won’t.

Since he slept past his alarm this morning, you decide to leave him alone on the bed. But shortly after you got up, he did too. He gave you a back hug, first and foremost. “Sorry I didn’t reply.” He mumbled sleepily, his eyes were droopy while you rubbed the back of his head, brushing your teeth. Fast forward a few hours later, you were in the kitchen.

You were arranging the clean plates into the cabinet underneath the counter top, when Hoseok came with his newly bought camera.

“...and this here is our love and sunshine,” he turned the camera to you and him, while he rested his chin on your shoulder, “She’s camera shy but, I say, you looked good. As always.” He boasted to the lenses, winking at you through the square view of the camera flap.

He steps away from the frame next, and focused on you again. You smiled shyly at him, pressing a smile on your lips like ‘it’s too early for this’—face.

“...To the viewers watching this, honey, say a few words...” he asked and you dead-ass replied him, “A few words.” Hoseok threw a heavy-lidded gaze at you through the camera and stopped recording, abruptly. Annoyance, decipate through his entire face.

“You’ve been hanging out with Yoongi too much.” He slaps the flap closed and set the camera away. There’s a hint of jealousy in his voice. Also, a grudge. Because you’ve been picking up some of Yoongi’s aloof attitude. “Maybe if you tone down the broadcasting, I would be spend more time with you...” you shot.

Hoseok propped an elbow up and rested his chin on the heel of his palm, giving you a lopsided smile from the tall stool by the counter you were wiping. “...are you hungry now?” You asked, desperate for a diversion of topic to speak of, because you know you strucked Hoseok’s feeling a bit, with the words you say.

Stupid feisty mouth.

Hoseok pouts and pressed his lips together, next. He was clearly arranging his thoughts and words in his mind for a respond, but stayed silent for a minute too long.

“What do you want to eat? I’ll eat what you want to eat... Should I call the delivery? You liked those fried rice,” Hoseok blabbered, softly. As if to mend the distance that you unintentionally created. If it was just a day, you wouldn’t mind.

Honestly, you won’t.

But he only comes home when he wants the comfort of bed. He completely ignores the doctor’s appointment about his ankles and backbone, despite you telling him not to. He had been spending a few nights, drinking and just, being an incomprehensible mess.

“Okay. To the fried rice,” you surrendered. Hoseok immediately grabbed the house phone and start dialling. He marched to the fridge door to see the restaurant’s operating hours and passed a nonchalant look to a tiger cub magnets Taehyung gave, while pressing the phone to one ear.

You heard him opening the fridge while speaking through the phone at the operator, ordering everything you liked in a flash. Before he could even snap open the can of beer, you snatched them from him, shaking your head. “Isn’t it too early to be drunk...” you muttered at him, under your breath. Glaring.

He looked at you with puppy eyes as you placed the can back in the fridge. Then you gently slapped his butt twice as a punishment while fetching a banana before rushing to the couch and turn the television volume louder but not loud enough for Hoseok to be bothered while he is making calls.

The call ended shortly after. Hoseok joined you and you put your legs on his lap. He immediately starts massaging your feet, while his eyes stuck on the television screen. “Didn’t the heroin died?” He asked, voice a little higher than usual. “She drowned but she came back alive because the fisherman saved her... you missed two weeks episodes.” You explained and hissed when he rubs the sore area of your soles.

“Doctor’s assistant called me to say you missed the appointment.” It felt like dropping a bomb because Hoseok literally froze temporarily at the mention of it. “The appointment. I forgot...” He let out an awkward-forced-giggle, glancing at you, short. “They called you. And texted you.” You chewed on the banana.

“Must have missed the text. It gets overlapped with something else?” He fish out another excuse. You recoiled your legs and tuck them underneath you, facing him. He avoided eye contact. “I know when you’re lying. I asked Yoongi where you’ve been...” Your patience is waning. “Don’t lie to me Hoseok.” You warned.

He clasped his hands together, and dropped his head. “I have friends other than Yoongi, you know that.” He said, leaning back to the couch. “You’ve been drinking a lot too. Anything wrong that you want to tell me?” You lay across his laps and he instinctively ran his fingers through your hair while looking into your eyes.

“...Can I tell you? I really shouldn’t.” That was really odd. Hoseok isn’t the best secret keeper or the best at hiding things, but his odd behaviour had been giving you red alarms. “Is there something troubling you?” You asked, gently, capturing his hand, and stroking his thumb. “You’ll scold me if I tell you.” He said, short.

“What is it,” you sat up, curled in his arm.

“I have deadlines I can’t keep. I’m drained. I’m out of inspirations and I’ve been having shoulder pains from it.. Liqour makes it go away... temporarily. I’m consumed at work because I couldn’t produce the way I did before... that’s why everything is taking twice as long.” He spilled them out.

“I’m scared that I won’t be able to meet the expectations of my fans,” his face fell. “The back injury is from back flip, isn’t it? I see you can’t crouch down anymore... you grunt in your sleep...” you pinched his chin and pulled his face to yours. “...ever heard the magic of hotpacks?” You gave a chaste kiss full on the lips and that’s when the doorbell rang.

“Sit down. Let me get that.” You skipped out of his lap and he let out an appreciative smile. “But we’re still going to the doctors.” You added. Hoseok watched your back getting smaller as you walked to the main door and whispered one more time to himself,

“One day, I’ll definitely marry you.”

And a commitment from a man that is as desirable as Hoseok, who repeatedly say that he would like to be seriously involved with you?– was surely something to be envious of.

[stephaniefchase]

Bajan Newscap 10/18/2017

Good Morning #realdreamchasers. Here is your daily news cap for Wednesday, 18th October, 2017. There is a lot to read and digest so take your time. Remember you can read full articles via Barbados Today (BT), or by purchasing MidWeek Nation Newspaper (MWN).

TAX SQUEEZE – Charging that some of the country’s most vulnerable citizens, pensioners, are now simply “existing” thanks to the National Social Responsibility Levy (NSRL), the Barbados Association of Retired Persons (BARP) is pleading with Government to give its members an ease from the dreaded tax. BARP President Edward Bushell told Barbados TODAY that three-and-a-half months after its implementation, pensioners were finding it increasingly difficult to keep up with the rising cost of living forced upon them by the levy. Bushell said with prices already high even before the NSRL climbed from two per cent to ten per cent of the customs value of imported and locally produced goods, and with the economy “going downhill”, BARP had been doing all it could to help its 40,000 members cope. However, he said the levy, along with other tax measures announced in the Budget in May, made it “tougher and tougher” for pensioners to survive. (BT)

GOVERNMENT SEEKING TO RE-NEGOTIATE WORLD BANK MULTI-MILLION LOAN – The Antigua and Barbuda government says it wants to re-negotiate a US$40 million loan which the World Bank had approved for re-building Barbuda that was severely damaged by Hurricane Irma last month. Prime Minister Gaston Browne, speaking on Observer Radio here, said the terms and condition of the loan from the Washington-based financial institution are not in the best interest of the island. Browne, a former banker, said that his government is also seeking the World Bank to reduce the interest rate from the 3.5 to four per cent to one per cent. He said the funds would also be going into non-revenue earning projects. Browne had said soon after the passage of the hurricane that more than US$100 million dollars would be required to rebuild Barbuda, home to an estimated 1 600 people.  (MWN)

BIBA SUPPORTS REVOCATION OF FOUR OFFSHORE LICENCES – Barbados’ decision to shut down four international business companies over allegations of money laundering and corruption is a credit to the island’s monitoring systems. This was the view of president of the Barbados International Business Association (BIBA) Marlon Waldron as the sector began another year of celebrating its contribution to the island. Waldron said the action by Government was a tangible indication the country operated a clean jurisdiction for international companies. He told Barbados TODAY that while he did not have details on the firms’ activities, he suspected that “some information came to the attention of some service providers” who were doing their own due diligence. The top BIBA official rejected any suggestion that the discovery would be a blot on the country’s image. Last Friday, Minister of International Business Donville Inniss revealed that the licences of four international business firms were revoked after their beneficial owners were found guilty of engaging in money laundering and corrupt practices in other jurisdictions. In this connection, Waldron was satisfied the announcement by Government was the right move and should not have come from an agency outside Barbados. (BT)

GOVT WANTS $1.8M MORE – Government has sought a further $1.881 million for the David Thompson Health and Social Services Complex, which was opened two years ago. Leader of Government Business John Boyce told the House of Assembly yesterday the money was needed to pay off suppliers and represented the remainder of a sum that was previously sought but was reduced due to Ministry of Finance constraints. “The last time we came here it was clearly pointed out when I spoke that the submission to the Ministry of Finance was in the order of $4.4 million, but that the Ministry of Finance could then only guarantee $2.5 million for payment of the project. So obviously we would have had to come back to the chamber for the remainder and that is exactly what we are doing today,” he said. In his report on the operation of the polyclinic at Glebe Land, St John, Boyce, the Minister of Health, said it had been fully integrated into the health care delivery system and saw about 1 100 patients in September. (MWN)

THROW THEM OUT! – An old boys’ club of consultants is controlling things at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), contends a Government minister. Member of Parliament for St James South Donville Inniss made the charge today in the House of Assembly, as he criticized the island’s doctors, calling for their contracts to be ripped up. Inniss, a former Minister of Health, was speaking during debate on a resolution for an additional $1.8 million to pay contractors for the David Thompson Health and Social Services Complex in St John. The Minister of Commerce called for an overhaul of the way some consultants operated at the island’s main health care facility. However, Inniss said what concerned him was the failure to examine the current arrangement with some senior physicians at the hospital. “My view . . . is that the contracts between the consultants and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital need to be thrown through the window. [They are] not relevant to 2017. The contracts that exist today may have been fine when you had a few with the skills available as they did 30 years ago. “But today, you have an old boys’ network that is continuing to run things in that institution and denying opportunities to others and some of them are running a thriving private practice out there that is creating a lot of pressure on . . . the QEH,” Inniss told the House. The St James South representative called for a serious examination of health care financing in Barbados, revealing that it costs the state $4, 000 each month to treat a single dialysis patient. (BT)

FIX IT MR MINISTER MAP – Minister of Transport and Works Michael Lashley recently announced that Government will be conducting a road improvement exercise expected to cost around $30 million. To that end, the NATION has started our new series 'Fix It Mr Minister' which gives readers the opportunity to highlight roads which they know of and travel each day which may be in need of repair.  The reaction has been overwhelming and we are still sorting through the responses and visiting many of the problem areas. To aid in the process, we have created a Fix It Mr Minister map (below), which shows the areas that have been brought to our attention. Areas with blue icons indicate those which our news teams have visited while those with yellow icons are reader submitted which we have not been able to independently verify as yet. This map is a work in progress and is still being updated as information comes in.  Please continue to email us at editorial@nationnews.com to tell us which roads need fixing urgently. We thank those who have already sent in their responses, and we will act on them accordingly. (MWN)

‘AVI STAYS’ – He has been warned by former prime minister Owen Arthur not to do so, but Dominica’s prime minister Roosevelt Skerrit has rejected the former leader’s advice on the appointment of Barbadian economist Avinash Persaud as his special economic advisor on economic recovery post-Hurricane Maria. In an interview with Barbados TODAY last month, Arthur had cautioned Skerrit to think twice about putting his country’s future in the hands of the ex-Paradise executive chairman, given his role in the “mangled” Four Seasons project (otherwise referred to as the Paradise development) in Barbados between 2010 and 2012, while Arthur was at the helm of Government. Arthur had not minced his words, stating that while the wreckage caused to Dominica so far could largely be blamed on category five hurricane winds and rains, “you cannot explain it [wreckage] in the case of Paradise” where Persaud was part of a team trying, but failing, to raise money to pay creditors. However, in a national address last night, Skerrit was full of praise for Persaud, listing the economist’s many accomplishments and the many positions he has held internationally. At the same time, while not mentioning Arthur by name, the Dominican leader took a dig at those who he said “would rather pontificate from a safe distance”. He hailed Persaud as “the principal architect of our external funding and economic strategy” and as the ideal man for the new economic advisory post. During last night’s address, Skerrit also acknowledged “the ongoing and invaluable support” of Irish businessman and Digicel founder Denis O’Brien to Dominica in its  “denuded” state. He explained that “after rushing to check on us soon after Maria struck, he [O’Brien] has assisted us greatly by asking his network of influential connections to identify experts who could help us; also, he got them to us or us to them. O’Brien was listed among the world’s top 200 billionaires in 2015, three years after then Haitian president Michel Martelly awarded him with the National Order of Honour and Merit for his investments, contributions and promotion of Haiti. (BT)

LASHLEY: REGION MUST UNITE TO DO MORE – When Caribbean governments and entrepreneurs work together, their collective efforts will make a significant contribution to the region’s development. Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth, Stephen Lashley, made this suggestion last evening as he addressed the launch of the Annual General and Strategic Planning Meeting of the Caribbean Alliance of Youth Entrepreneurs, Caribbean and Canada (CAYE-C&C), at The Hospitality Institute, under the theme: Fostering a Sustainable Future for our Young Entrepreneurs. Explaining that entrepreneurship was an effective developmental tool, Lashley noted that for it to be most impactful and sustainable, a regional approach to “advancing and showcasing its legitimacy” must be taken. To that end, he assured the CAYE – C&C of Government’s support of that organisation’s development and sustainability. The Minister referenced Goal 8 of the Sustainable Development Goals, which speaks to promoting sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all. Lashley further stated that it was important for young Caribbean entrepreneurs to create both a strategic and an action plan, so as to collectively utilise their skills and resources to build businesses that were globally competitive and which contributed to regional development in meaningful ways. Speaking on the importance of closing the gaps in insular thinking, the Youth Minister was of the view that for the region’s future to be sustainable, persons must be willing “to set aside borders and forge regional partnerships”. He noted that with great diversity present throughout the region, such differences could be used to the advantage of Caribbean nationals. The CAYE-C&C is a coalition of 13 organisations from nine Commonwealth countries, including Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica and St Lucia. (MWN)

MY DAD RAPED ME! – It was as chilling a story as anyone could ever tell. It was the harrowing story of a 34-year-old woman describing in disturbing detail to a hushed audience of leading jurists, including the country’s chief judge and a member of the region’s appellate court, the nightmare she endured over virtually her entire lifetime as she was raped over and over, and the flippant reaction of law enforcers towards her. Alicia Bailey sent chills down the spines of some and brought tears to the eyes of others as she told this morning’s launch of the Model Guidelines for Sexual Offence Cases in the Caribbean how those close to her, including her own father, had raped her by the time she was four years old. “At the age of four to six years old I was sexually abused by persons who were known as friends of the family. Onwards from that age, I was sexually assaulted into my adult years by my father, family members . . . I was raped on more than one occasion. Those experiences have left a stain on my life,” Bailey said somberly, causing some audience members to bite their lips. Among those who heard her story were Chief Justice Sir Marston Gibson and other High Court judges, Madame Justice Maureen Rajnauth-Lee of the Trinidad and Tobago-based Caribbean Court of Justice and Canadian High Commissioner to Barbados Marie Legault. They listened intently as Bailey, in control of her emotions, lamented that to this day none of her attackers had been made to pay for their crimes. She explained that this was because she was forced to drop the cases against her family members and refused to report a rape by a man years later after being told by a law enforcement officer it would not succeed because of her history of withdrawing charges. What made her story even more unnerving is the fact that Bailey is the child of a rape victim, her mother also having been sexually assaulted by Bailey’s dad, with whom the mother never had a relationship. And despite having to recall the horror, the mother-of-three tried to force a smile as she shared her experience with the justice system. (BT)

‘RAPE VICTIMS WILL NOT BE RELEGATED TO THE BACKDROP’ – Barbados has become the first Caribbean Community country to be presented with new international guidelines for sexual offence cases. The Model Guidelines for Sexual Offence Cases in the Caribbean, launched today at the Courtyard by Marriott in Hastings, Christ Church, form part of the multi-million-dollar Judicial Reform and Institutional Strengthening (JURIST) project, a five year regional Caribbean judicial reform initiative funded by the Canadian Government. They are intended to provide internationally-accepted best practices for the management of sexual offence cases in the region and offer a rights-based approach to the treatment of complaints and vulnerable witnesses, including children involved in sexual assault cases. Director of the JURIST project Dr Penny Reedie told the launch these guidelines would first be implemented and tested here before being shared with the rest of the Caribbean. She added that several other initiatives were in the pipeline, including a special court for sexual offences. (BT)

TWO-CAR CRASH AT PORTERS – Reports reaching Nation News indicate that there was a two-vehicle accident along Porters, St James. The lone male occupant of one of the cars complained of pains to his chest. The other vehicle, driven by a male, contained passengers that were all children. Three of the four children received minor cuts to their hands and legs, while one of them complained of pains to the neck. (MWN)

BUGGERY-ACCUSED MAINTAINS HE’S IN HIS RIGHT MIND – A 37-year-old man, accused of committing buggery against another, was granted $3,000 bail when he appeared in court today. It is alleged that Orville O’Neil Rawlins of Inch Marlow, Christ Church committed the act on October 16. He was not required to plead to the indictable offence when he went before Magistrate Douglas Frederick. And while there was no objection to his bail, Station Sergeant Neville Reid requested that the accused be made to report to a police station twice a week and stay away from his alleged victim. However, Rawlins objected to the prosecutor’s application, claiming that the allegations against him were “completely erroneous and false”. His objection was denied and he was ordered to report to Central Police Station every Wednesday with valid identification. It was then that Rawlins made another application; this time for the reporting time to be changed to Friday “because that is when I come to town . . . . That’s when the weekend starts [and] I usually party on Fridays”. The magistrate responded saying, “that’s ignorance!” However, Rawlins did not stop there. He went on to ask the magistrate whether the “accuser” and someone else could be tested for drugs because “both of them are literally paros”. It was at that point that Frederick questioned Rawlins’ state of mind. “I don’t have a mental condition . . .  . I have multiple degrees,” Rawlins said in response. His case continues on February 26 next year. (BT)

BAIL APPROVED BUT GEORGE STAYS ON REMAND – A “potentially fatal” medical condition suffered by Marlon Omar George today persuaded a magistrate to grant bail to the accused, who had been on remand for multiple burglaries. However, George, of no known address, was forced to return to prison because his surety was deemed unsuitable. The 31-year-old, who is accused of committing three “serious” burglaries – one in December 2016 and two in January this year – will get another opportunity on Friday when he is scheduled to return before Magistrate Douglas Frederick in the No.1 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court. He was advised to present a proper surety as his bail will be “hefty”. George’s attorney Angella Mitchell-Gittens today told the magistrate her client would be better served at home due to his medical condition, a point she sought to prove by questioning registered nurse Selwyn Alleyne, who is currently in charge of the medical unit at HMP Dodds. Alleyne revealed that George suffers from myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune illness which affects the immune system’s normal functions such as swallowing and the lifting of limbs. He explained that George can experience “a crisis” without warning, and if left untreated the condition could be fatal, as there is no known cure, although it can be treated via injection. Alleyne also explained that George had been to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital several times for the condition, and while the personnel at Dodds medical unit could treat the accused man, they did not function on a 24-hour basis. Mitchell-Gittens then submitted that being at home under the circumstances was in her client’s best interest. However, the magistrate said while he was not convinced that George could not get the necessary treatment at Dodds he would err on the side of caution. (BT)

THIEF GETS 18 MONTHS – A well-known thief, of no fixed place of abode, will have somewhere to call home for the next 18 months. Magistrate Douglas Frederick today sentenced 52-year-old Andrew DeLisle Carmichael to a year and a half in Dodds prison after he pleaded guilty to stealing a bag and a screwdriver belonging to Rodney Lynch, as well as a stack of bus tickets, two badges and a ticket punch totalling $1,588.49 Carmichael also confessed to stealing a purse, a bottle of cream, a bracelet, a cellular phone, a pair of headphones and a phone case totalling $520 from Keishanna Phillips. Lynch, a bus driver, ventured into the Pine, St Michael area in his private vehicle last Sunday and left the items unattended for about 15 minutes. On reaching home sometime later, he realized the items were missing. That same day, Carmichael grabbed Phillips’ handbag from the front seat of a vehicle, while she was at the rear end plying her trade. Carmichael, who was subsequently arrested for both crimes, was today sentenced to two consecutive nine-month terms in prison. (BT)

THIEFING SPREE – A 49-year-old man, who admitted to robbing four people, will spend the next 36 months at HMP Dodds. Dennis Anderson Holder, of no fixed place of abode, pleaded guilty before Magistrate Douglas Frederick to entering the home of Karen Arthur as a trespasser on May 30 and stealing $1,500 cash, an $800 bracelet, a $5 pair of earrings, a $1,000 chain and pendant and a $1,000 watch. On June 4, he burglarized Natasha Maylan’s home and stole US$550 and £140. He then took a break from his criminal enterprise for almost two months before allegedly robbing Gina Chieffo-Mazzarelli at knife-point on August 18 of a $500 wristlet, a $400 pair of sunglasses, a $20 key card, US $43 and BDS $1,005.14. A day later he robbed Kerry Thorne of a $135 cellular phone, an $810 digital camera and $20 in cash. The visitor, who is in the country on a student visa, was walking near the junction of Rendezvous with Amity Lodge with another foreign student on August 19 when Holder suddenly grabbed her handbag and escaped with her belongings. Today, Holder apologized for his actions after Station Sergeant Neville Reid outlined the offences. “I apologize for what I did. I am sorry for what happened as a result of using drugs I have no control,” he said. In response, Frederick told Holder: “I have to put you out of commission . . . because you are becoming violent.” However, Holder denied that was the case. “I admit that I snatched the woman’s [Gina Chieffo-Mazzarelli] bag but I did not have no knife,” he maintained. (BT)

BFA GOAL – The Barbados Football Association’s (BFA) Wildey AstroTurf will have a new look come next year. With work set to begin on the facility this week, footballers will be in new conditions, with their own lights and brand-new bleachers at the opening of the 2018 season, scheduled to kick off on January 7. BFA’s general secretary Edwyn Wood made the confirmation in an interview with MIDWEEK NATION yesterday. “We received the necessary funding from FIFA [world governing body], and payment has been made to the contractor for the start of the project,” he explained. (MWN)

HOCKEY HAMMER – Barbados faced the might of Canada and were hammered 6-1 on day two of the 2017 Indoor Hockey Pan Am Cup in Georgetown, Guyana yesterday. The Canadians dominated the match and scored six goals in the first half hour before the Hockey Tridents got a consolation goal from the stick of Akeem Rudder in the last minute. Canada, the highest ranked men’s team in the tournament, started the match with a very high tempo and pressed Barbados early, forcing quick unscripted decisions from the Barbados defence and centre players. The quick start and experienced pressing yielded early results for Canada, as Canadian captain and indoor veteran Ken Pereira converted an early chance against fresh Barbados custodian Keenan Knight in the seventh minute. It was a somewhat uneven match in terms of experience, as Pereira celebrated his 400th indoor cap for Canada while Knight was on debut. (MWN)

‘BESSY’ DIES AT AGE 83 – Journalism in Barbados has lost a stalwart of the profession. It was around 6:45 a.m. today that respected journalist Robert Bessy Best passed away at his Derriston Road, Spooner’s Hill, St Michael home at the age of 83. His wife Margaret told Barbados TODAY that for the past three years he had been battling with diabetes. During his illustrious career, he was managing editor of the Barbados Advocate newspaper and lectured in mass communications at the Barbados Community College. For a brief period, he served as editorial consultant and proofreader at the Nation newspaper. Best was also president of the Men’s Fellowship of the St Leonard’s Anglican Church on Westbury Road, St Michael. In immediate reaction to his death, the Nation’s first editor Carl Moore said Best’s passing signalled the end of an era. He pointed out that although he held a law degree, Best’s language was never pedantic or pretentious. According to Moore, Best supported the American professor of English William Strunk’s edict that “a sentence should contain no unnecessary words for the same reason that a machine should have no unnecessary parts”. Moore pointed out that in his time as editor, readers were seldom sent scurrying for a dictionary or thesaurus in search of meanings of rear and unusual words. He said Best was the master of irony and could find it in almost any situation. In his tribute Editor Emeritus of the Nation Harold Hoyte said: “All of us who became immersed in journalism in the late 50s and early 60s looked up to Robert for training and guidance. (BT)

That’s all for today folks there are 75 days left in the year Shalom! #thechasefiles #dailynewscaps Follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram for your daily news. #bajannewscaps #newscapsbystephaniefchase

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How a Home Health Company Can Supplement Care

In one of our previous blog posts, we looked at the differences between palliative care and hospice. Generally speaking, palliative care describes a type of care provided in association with a chronic illness; hospice care is provided at end-of-life. Insurance* only covers a portion of these services. This is where home care and home health companies can come in to play, as it relates to the total Care Plan whether it be palliative or hospice care.

Case Study

David and his sister have been caring for their Dad and were just told that he now qualifies for hospice care. After contacting several hospice companies, they chose one and were looking forward to the additional care their Dad would be receiving. Care for Dad had increased to several hours a day and even though they shared the responsibilities, it was beginning to take a toll on them. Housekeeping, cooking, bathing, dressing and medication management were surpassing the full-time job mark. You can imagine their shock to learn that insurance would only cover a home health aide 45 minutes a day, 3 days a week. Moreover, the aide will only be able to assist with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs). They expressed their concerns to the hospice company who suggested they consider supplementing Dad’s care with a home care or home health agency.

Creating a Care Team

Hospice and Palliative care can be provided by several different people and agencies that work in conjunction to provide patient care. Think of it as having a Primary Care doctor who oversees and guides the care, but uses specialists (a cardiologist, a gastroenterologist, etc.) when needed to address very specific needs. Supplementing palliative or hospice care with a home health agency is very similar; the palliative care or hospice team oversees the Care Plan, but companies like Nurse Next Door can be part of the team to provide services that will enhance your loved one’s care.

Does your Mom or Dad want a massage? Do you want someone with them 24/7 at end-of-life?

In the case study above, David and his sister welcomed support so they could be present simply as a son and a daughter and not worry about things like repositioning, suctioning and mouth care. That’s what Nurse Next Door can do. Depending on the type of care you want (medical or non-medical) will determine what type of supplemental company you go to: A home health company can do everything (medical care, ADL care, IADL care) and a home care company can only do ADL and IADL care.

Note: Make sure for ADL care, you ensure you have a home health aide or CNA. Learn more about the different levels of health care professionals that may be involved in the care of your loved one.

Care Can Vary and Change

Different palliative and hospice care companies may offer different levels of service. While they all get reimbursed by the same insurance companies, different business models and focuses may change the way that they’re able to care for you or a loved one. For instance, Delaware Hospice has a hospice house in Milford, Delaware where your loved one will go if he/she has uncontrollable pain or symptoms. Seasons Hospice has a hospital wing that they use for this. Vitas Hospice was trialing a system where they would provide 24/7 nursing care in the home if they had clients with uncontrollable pain. So different companies have different resources and models that change how they deal with your loved one.

As a patient’s symptoms change or progress, so too should their Care Plan. You know how you make changes to your lifestyle to get a certain result? Like working out and eating healthier if you want to feel better? Care is like that, too; the Care Plan constantly changes to achieve a desired result. Your Mom or Dad’s needs will be constantly evolving. Sometimes they’ll need the same resources for months, and sometimes the Care Plan will need to change every few days. Understanding this will help you not get frustrated every time something needs to change, or you are given a care recommendation that is new.

4 Questions to Ask When Looking for Care

If you’re looking at palliative or hospice care for your loved one, remember that the amount insurance covers will be minimal. When putting together your care team, here are some great questions to ask to help guide your decisions:

1. What is the prognosis?

If it’s short and death is imminent, it is easier to handle the cost of 24/7 care. If it’s a longer time-frame, finances may impact your decision. BUT always think “investment” instead of straight cost. There are loan options, reverse mortgage options, and insurance policies that may be able to contribute to covering costs.

2. What does Mom or Dad need help with to maintain a quality of life?

Use our Level of Need calculator as a starting point.

3. What are my priorities when choosing a hospice and palliative care company?

If keeping your loved one at home is at the top of your list, consider asking a few more questions:

– How many hours will they be scheduled for?

– How often will a nurse come out?

– What else needs to be coordinated?

Nurse Next Door has a great Case Management program just for you, assisting to arrange things like medication delivery, lawn care, and transportation to doctor’s appointments etc.

4. What level of home care and supplemental care do I need?

Make a schedule of friends and family who want to be involved in your loved one’s care. Who can help often depends on the prognosis. If care is needed for a week, it may be easier for family and friends to cover certain hours. If it’s weeks or months, then asking for long-term commitments is more difficult and additional supplemental care from an outside source may be necessary and/or preferred (read about why a home care agency can be a great thing in your life!).

Add home care or home health company based on needs. Nurse Next Door Delaware is a home health company** and can offer everything from administering medication to ensuring your Mom’s lawn is cared for. Finding a company like this can give you great peace of mind.

Add additional services such as Meals on Wheels, therapy visits, and grocery delivery. Consider using a pharmacy that has a free delivery service. Nurse Next Door Caregivers can also assist with meal preparation as well.

Caring for an elderly family member who is facing a chronic illness or end-of-life is never easy. We want you to make the most of your loved one’s last days and to be truly present. There are professionals ready to walk with you to ensure the best care for your loved one and for you. Want to read more on the topic of end-of-life care? We love Atul Gawande’s Being Mortal.

Learn more about how Nurse Next Door home care services can support your loved one.

*Note: Nurse Next Door provides private home care and charge a fee for our services and are not affiliated with any government programs. We do not accept Medicare or Medicaid. You might be reimbursed by Veteran Affairs, please reach out to them directly to confirm eligibility.

**Note: Depending on state or provincial regulations, not all locations may be able to or are required to provide medical/skilled care. Please contact us for further information on what services we can provide in your area.

The post How a Home Health Company Can Supplement Care appeared first on Nurse Next Door Senior Home Care Services.

from Home Care News https://www.nursenextdoor.com/blog/home-health-company-supplement-care/

[zulmaabroxton1988-blog]

How To Become a Certified Financial Planner (CFP)

I get asked pretty frequently about what the requirements are to become a Certified Financial Planner

and what I went through to achieve the designation.

Knowing there are over 800,000 people who can be considered “financial advisors” to some degree, I knew I had to differentiate myself.

But, it wasn't all about being different; it was also about having a deeper understanding and appreciation of the financial planning process.

I knew becoming a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER

professional (CFP®) was the answer to enhance my career. I found it fitting to not only share my experience but to have a few other CFP® professionals chime in with their experience's, too.

But before we dive into how, let's take a step back. Let me tell you more about how I got inspired to become a CFP.

I love my job. I can't tell you how lucky and fortunate I feel to be able to truthfully say this.

Is my job easy? H-E-Double-Hockey-Sticks no!

Being a financial advisor requires a certain skill set I had no idea I had until I got started in the business.

But I'm not here to tell you how successful I am.

What I want to do is to address the most common question I get from prospective advisors:

I'm interested in becoming a financial advisor. What do you consider the best way to get started in your industry?

Whew. That might seem like an easy question to answer, but SO much has changed since I got in the business over 15 years ago.

How I Got Started: A Look Back In Time

Pretty soon it would be the end of a good run - graduation was approaching. I had just had one of the best interviews of my life with A.G. Edwards and Sons (they were purchased by Wells Fargo).

It was so good, in fact, I felt I had secured a position with their corporate office in St. Louis, and I would soon be living the dream of riding the corporate ladder to the top.

It all looked good; then the “Dot Com” bubble burst.

Things changed. And not for the better.

A. G. Edwards, at the time, had a been in existence for 117 years and never had any company layoffs. Never.

That is, until, I was getting ready to graduate. Of course, right?

My future, which once had visions of me living in St. Louis, was gone. Now what I'm going to do?

Um… How about Plan B?

Part of me getting the opportunity to have a great interview was because I was already interning at the local A.G. Edwards office in my hometown.

I landed the internship as kind of a desperate measure between my junior and senior year. I had one of those pucker moments where I realized that other than my work history of local retail jobs and my military experience, there was nothing really outstanding on my resume.

It hit me how I would be graduating in a year and I still needed to get up and do something, and I needed to do it now.

Through a connection, I inquired about a summer internship at the local A.G. Edwards branch, and I was lucky enough to get it.

It was like any other internship you would imagine: filing, paper shredding, all the administrative tasks that no one else in the office wanted to do.

Although the tasks were remedial, I treated the internship like a real job. I showed up on time, dressed the part, did everything which was asked of me (and above), and made a lot of good impressions on the staff.

Amazing What a Little Bit of Effort Will Do

Along the way, I was asked by one of the assistance of the top producers in the branch if I could help file away some financial statements which had been piling up on them. I'm the intern, of course, I'll help.

As I started to file them away, I realized their filing system was a little bit out-dated. In fact, it was a mess.

So I took it upon myself to re-setup their file system which I thought would help them out in the long run. Turns out, the little extra effort made a very good impression.

As it turns out, the top producer was looking to hire someone part-time to help out his assistant with their day-to-day tasks.

At this time, I was getting ready to be a senior in college. I was already working 15 to 20 hours a week at a mall job. But I thought it was good opportunity to get my foot in the door.

My senior year, I was hired to work 8 a.m. – noon, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday (most of my classes were on Tuesday and Thursdays), and then I would also work at my mall job in the evenings and weekends.

I didn't think much of the job at the time, about what it may turn into. Turns out it would lead to much, much more.

I continued working for them and helping them out with just their day-to-day tasks. Then, along the way, the broker had asked me if I'd be interested in cold-calling for him.

I had never done anything of the sort, but I thought, oh, what the heck, we'll give it a try.

Every once in a while I would call randomly from a list he had purchased of residents in the local community. I was calling just to set appointments for him, with a basic spiel; and, to both his and my amazement, I landed him a few appointments.

That's when it started to happen.

My first nameplate – how exciting!

As graduation was getting closer, it turns out this producer who I had helped with his filing, was looking to hire a junior broker.

He had asked if I was interested, but initially I turned him down, primarily because I had bigger dreams. I had planned on working a corporate job up in St. Louis, and also I felt I was way too young to handle people's money.

I had noticed many of the top clients who came in the branch were at least twice, if not three times my age. I felt I had no business advising them on their retirement planning.

So I kept plugging away, hoping for the next bigger and better thing.

As graduation approached, I realized the bigger and better thing was not coming. I didn't want to graduate without having something lined up, so I accepted his offer.

I was going to be a junior broker.

I didn't have the same ring as “corporate executive” or “investment banker”, but I was still excited for the prospects of what could come.

Most everything in life I'd ever tried out, or even attempted, I had always succeeded; so naturally, I thought this would be no different.

I still didn't know if this was what I would do for the rest of my life, but I was excited for the opportunity to see what could happen.

And as they say, “the rest is history.”

If you're at the same point in your life, where you're truly considering the possibility of becoming a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER

, you might be wondering what exactly the process looks like from beginning to end.

Well, here's exactly what it takes.

The Steps You Need to Take To Become a CFP

1 | Complete the Education Requirement

Before you can even apply to the CFP® program, you have to satisfy the preliminary education requirements.

At the point in my career, I decided to pursue the CFP® certification, I was more than five years removed from college, with my Bachelor's in finance, so I easily satisfied the education requirement.

Currently, the CFP Board allows three different paths to achieve these requirements. Taken directly from the CFP.net website:

Complete a CFP Board-Registered Education Program

There are more than 300 academic programs at colleges and universities across the country from which to choose.

These programs include credit and non-credit certificate programs, undergraduate and graduate degree programs.

They use various delivery formats and schedules, including classroom instruction, self-study, and online delivery.

Many of CFP Board's Registered Programs also offer in-house educational programs for individual companies.

Academic degrees and credentials which fulfill the educational requirements include:

Certified Public Accountant (CPA) – inactive license acceptable

Licensed attorney – inactive license acceptable

Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®)

Doctor of Business Administration

Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC)

Ph.D. in business or economics

Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU)

Request a Transcript Review

Certain industry credentials recognized by CFP Board, or the successful completion of upper-division level college courses, may satisfy some or all of the education requirements set by CFP Board.

Bachelor's Degree Requirement

A bachelor's degree (or higher), or its equivalent,1 in any discipline, from an accredited college or university2 is required to attain CFP® certification.

The bachelor's degree requirement is a condition of initial certification; it is not a requirement to be eligible to take the CFP® Certification Examination.

After you pass the CFP® Certification Examination, you will be required to provide evidence (official transcript from the degree-granting institution) you hold a qualified bachelor's degree or higher degree.

Jim Blakenship, CFP® and author of Getting Your Financial Ducks in a Row, shares his experience on achieving the CFP® designation:

I took the American College Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) course which fulfilled the education prereq. The ChFC course was provided by my employer at the time (an insurance company). I followed this up with a CFP self-study course from Dalton. Then I went to a two-weekend live review from Dalton. The Dalton courses were much more useful than the American College course, in my experience.

2 | Pass the CFP® Certification Examination

Wholey Moley, what an exam!

The CFP® Certification Examination was by far the most challenging exam I've ever taken (and hopefully ever will) take.

The two day, 10-hour exam applied all the key areas of comprehensive financial planning. Although all questions are multiple choice, they are arranged in a way where every question “almost” sounds right.

That's what makes the test so challenging.

The exam is administered three times a year – generally on the third Friday and Saturday of March, July, and November, at about 50 domestic locations.

I took mine at the University of Missouri-St.Louis in November of 2007. The application deadline is approximately seven weeks prior to each exam date (e.g., February 1, June 1, and October 1).

To apply to take the exam, complete the online application, download an application, or call 800-487-1497 to have one mailed to you.

Completed applications, including payment of the $595 fee, must be received by the deadlines printed on the applications – there are no exceptions.

How I Prepared For the Exam

My previous firm had an arrangement with Kaplan University which offered a “boot camp” style class.

Once a month, for nine months, I traveled to St. Louis to sit in on a four-day (8 a.m. – 6 p.m.) lecture. I've never drank more Diet Coke and coffee in my life!

Our instructor was insanely smart and helped us trudge our way through all the concepts. Imagine learning about estate planning for 9+ hours a day. Are you jealous, yet?

After all the sessions, we then had a final recap with a different instructor a month before the actual exam.

Reflecting back, I really don't know another way I could have absorbed so much information in such a small amount of time. If I had to do the CFP program by self study, I would probably still be without the designation (no joke).

Richard T. Freight, CFP® who also authors the blog Think Beyond the Numbers, confirms my suspicions by sharing his experience with the CFP self-study program:

After failing to discipline myself with self study, over the course of 3 years I took the individual courses (5 in 1998) at 3 different community college and universities, often traveling an hour each way, twice a week, to pass the exams. Then I took Ken Zahn's “blitz” 3-day course to pass the overall exam. I know it sounds like the old walking uphill both ways to school in the snow, but it wasn't a cake walk by any means. My overall exam had a pass rate of 49% across the U.S. that year.

Test Results

I sat for the exam in November of 2007 and didn't receive my test results until early January. Talk about suspense.

I just happened to be home the day when the mail came. I remember seeing the thin, little white envelope from the CFP Board and my heart sank.

Why was the envelope so thin? Was it a bad sign?

I nervously paced inside and finally just ripped the envelope open….Congratulations you passed.

I screamed with excitement and then called my wife to share the good news.

Typically, each testing period has about a 50% pass rate and this was about the same with my group. This is why I was so thankful I passed.

When you receive notice you passed, you then have to satisfy the remaining requirements.

3 | Meet the Experience Requirement

In March of 2007, I began the Kaplan University CFP® course. At that time, I had been a financial advisor for already five years, which satisfied the experience requirement.

The CFP Board requires you have at least three years of qualifying full-time work experience.

According to the website, the experience can be gained in a number of ways including:

the delivery of all, or of any portion, of the personal financial planning process to a client.

the direct support or supervision of individuals who deliver all, or any portion, of the personal financial planning process to a client.

teaching all, or any portion, of the personal financial planning process.

Joe Pitzl, CFP® shares how he got a head start in completing his experience requirement:

To get a head start on fulfilling my experience requirement, I held three financial planning internships and filed tax returns in a tax firm for two years while in school (it counted for about a year collectively). I then worked for a year as a full-time financial planner before taking and passing the exam. Six months later, I had officially fulfilled the 3-year requirement and became a CFP®.

4 | Background Check… Do You Pass?

Applicants for CFP® certification must pass CFP Board's Candidate Fitness Standards, which describe conduct which may bar an individual from being certified.

This is one of the aspects which makes being a CFP® professional so much more prominent; we are held to a higher standard than your typical financial advisors.

The board will conduct a background check as you make your commitment to adhere to the CFP Board's Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility and Financial Planning Practice Standards.

Brian Plain, CFP® shares a similar accelerated approach to achieving his designation:

Apparently I'm a glutton for punishment as I fulfilled my education requirement through the accelerated 9-month program at Northwestern and then did a 4-day live review course prior to taking my exam…for the first time. Getting the “fail” letter in the mail was deflating, but it was also made me appreciate the experience so much more when I received my “pass” letter the next time I sat for the exam. Needless to say, I still have the letter!

5 | Time to Pay Your Dues

After you verify those three steps, it's time to pay up (yeah, the $595 fee from before was just to apply).

You'll have to pay a one-time, non-refundable initial certification application fee of $100 for the background check.

In addition, you will be responsible for a biennial certification fee of $360. To me, this cost is minimal, compared to the amount of knowledge I have gained through the whole process.

Jason McGarraugh, CFP® gives a detailed account of his path to becoming licensed:

I went the Degree Plan rout. After spending 4 years getting a BBA in Corporate Finance at Texas Tech I graduated without any of the Financial Planning knowledge that I wanted. Circa 2000 I discovered that Texas Tech actually had a Masters program in Financial Planning. I spent 2 1/2 years working on my Master of Science in Personal Financial Planning which included the necessary CFP® courses with additional classes to round out the degree plan. After graduating I spent a semester working for a private school in Singapore that taught the CFP® courses there.

I moved back to Lubbock in May of 2003 and began the two month live review with the professors at Tech to prepare for the July exam. I made enough money In Singapore to pay for the review and a few months of rent with some friends that were also taking the review. I studied 6 days a week for two months and passed the exam on the first go round. I probably put in about 250 hours of study and class time. I made it a point to take one random day off a week to relax.

It took about a month to get the results back and during this time I was interviewing for jobs. By early October 2003 I was fully licensed for insurance and securities and working with Waddell & Reed in Fort Worth, TX (plan B). I reached my 3 years in October of 2005 thanks to 12 months of experience as a Peer Financial Counselor with Tech's Red to Black program.

6 | Congratulations! You Are Officially a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER

Professional

Once everything is complete, you will get a notice you are officially a CFP® and you can refer to yourself as one.

After making it this far, you deserve it.

Now it's time to order new business cards and make the appropriate updates to your website. I never thought I would be so excited over “three little letters” but all the time invested to achieve those letters makes them extra special.

7 | Continuing Education Requirements for a CFP®

Once you pass the exam, you're not done, however.

Every two years you'll have to satisfy continuing education requirements to keep your CFP® credentials. The CE requirements consist of:

2 hours from a CFP Board-approved program on CFP Board's Standards of Professional Conduct.

28 hours from one or more of the accepted subject topics.

It's up to you where and how you complete the CE requirements, you just have to make sure it's a pre-approved program by the CFP board. There are plenty of resources nowadays to do this.

One of my favorites is mini quizzes found in trade journals such as Financial Advisor Magazine and the Journal of Financial Planning.

It's always nice to learn something new and get credit for it, too!

Are you still considering becoming a financial planner? Think you're ready? Keep reading.

Going Solo – The True Costs of Starting Your Own Financial Planning Firm

In 2011, I embarked on one of the most exciting business transitions of my life – I formed my own registered investment advisory firm. I get a lot of questions from advisors wanting to know about the process.

How does it work?

How much does it cost?

Is it worth it?

Plus, I have friends and blogging friends who are also curious and would love a look behind the scenes of starting a financial planning business. Since I have over 5 years underneath my belt of starting my own firm, I thought I would share a little bit of how it all went down.

I'm also trying to get a sense of how much I have spent in the past year in doing so… thank goodness for my CPA!

Before I begin, let's first start with a jump back to my story so you can understand exactly what had happened since getting my “three little letters” approved.

The First Step

In 2007, three others advisors and I left A.G. Edwards and Sons, which had recently been bought out by Wachovia (now Wells Fargo) and started Alliance Investment Planning Group. We were an independent financial planning firm under the independent broker-dealer, LPL Financial.

LPL Financial was the largest independent brokerage firm and the big difference between them and an Edward Jones or a Merrill Lynch (or any major brokerage firm), at least from the advisor standpoint, is they allow you to create your own company at the local level.

That's why we operated as a DBA (doing business ass) Alliance Investment Planning Group.

Essentially, in the relationship, I was an independent contractor utilizing their services, and then LPL held my licenses: my Series 7, and my insurance licenses.

Keep in mind many advisors don't take this step, although it's becoming more popular. From a payout standpoint, it definitely pays to take some risks.

Let me explain…

With A.G. Edwards, my payout was 40%.

That meant for every commission or fee earned, I would give the company 60% of every dollar. That was my price for having the company name behind me, back office support, my fully furnished office (phone, computer, desk, etc), a receptionist and anything else you would need to run an office.

For many, it takes away all the added pressure of running a business so you can just focus on your existing clients (and also acquiring more).

Unfortunately, if you're an obsessed entrepreneur like myself; it just wasn't quite enough.

Moving to LPL meant we now became true business owners.

We had to find our own office building, buy our own computers, desks, printers, filing cabinets, phone systems, 47″ TV's (I will argue to this day it's a necessity!), receptionist, etc.

Why would anyone want to deal with that?

Because the payout increased from 40% to 90%.

Yes, that's a pretty substantial raise. What made it even more substantial is we were able to split costs 4 ways. (We eventually added 3 more advisors so everything was split 7 ways.)

This meant more money in my pocket! My revenue increased dramatically because of this.

In fact, it has increased 4-5 times more where I was at when I left A.G. Edwards in 2007.

Trapped in a Box

My practice continued to grow and, honestly, I had no reason to change. No reason whatsoever.

There was, however, this one little thing which occurred which eventually made me realize change was not only coming, it was inevitable.

That “occurrence” was this blog.

As my blog continued to take off, and I got tired of the compliance hurdles, I knew I needed to make a change.

If you have a Series 7 license, anything you do online comes with great scrutiny and everything, I mean EVERYTHING, has to be pre-approved first.

Note for those who aren't familiar with this industry: If you have a Series 7, you have the ability to sell a security (stock, ETF, mutual fund, variable annuity) and earn a commission. If you can earn a commission, FINRA has fairly strict rules on how you discuss these types of securities. That's what makes blogging such a challenge for advisors with their 7.

Pre-approval is very time consuming, but it wasn't the most frustrating part.

I was also limited to what I could say and how I could say it. As an example, my post 7 Financial Advisors I Would Like to Punch in the Face would never have been approved. Never!

And that's why I enjoyed writing it so much more.

Dropping the 7

To get the freedom I wanted, it required me dropping my Series 7 and then forming my own RIA (registered investment advisory firm) with the state of Illinois. There were a lot of hurdles in my way because I didn't know how it all worked.

I didn't know if I could stay with LPL Financial.

I didn't know if I could still be in the same office building with my current partners.

I didn't know how to even begin.

I had a lot of fact-finding to do.

Thanks to some good contacts, I learned it was possible to operate in the same office as my other partners, I would just to create a separate entity, ergo, Alliance Wealth Management, LLC, was born.

I had to get a new phone number, order new business cards, and change my literature to reflect these changes, too.

Now, the question was who was going to be my custodian. The custodian is the provider who offers statements, a trading platform to buy and sell investments, among other things.

LPL Financial has an RIA platform, I just didn't know if it would all work out.

Sure enough, it did. This was an easy transition for many of my clients since they would continue to get the same statements and most would keep the same account numbers.

Another note: this was probably the most confusing part about the whole process, which was hard for my clients to fully understand, especially since was still with LPL. The easiest way I explain it is I just switched departments within LPL's business structure. Before I was an independent agent/contractor with them. Now my firm, Alliance Wealth Management, LLC., is a client utilizing their custodial services. LPL no longer held any of my licenses and they are not responsible for me. Instead, the State of Illinois is now responsible for me. Clear as mud? Good.

[themomsandthecity]

I Induced All 4 of My Labors, and I Don't Feel Guilty About It

When my lower legs and feet started to swell in the last few weeks of my first pregnancy, my husband convinced me to call the doctor. I was hesitant - I didn't want to be one of "those" pregnant women who freaked out at every little twinge, and I figured it was just normal water retention - but to pacify my husband, I made the call. As it turns out, it was definitely the right decision. I was diagnosed with preeclampsia, a pregnancy complication that can be dangerous for both the mother and the baby. My doctor monitored me closely for a week or so, but during one routine appointment, my blood pressure skyrocketed to an insanely high level. Since the only cure for preeclampsia is delivery, it was decided: an immediate induction, at 37 weeks, was an absolute necessity. Luckily, even though he came a little early, my baby boy was already weighing in at a healthy eight pounds, nine ounces. His lungs were developed. He didn't need any medical interventions due to his premature arrival. There were just so many unknowns, and to a person like me, those unknowns brought on terrible anxiety. Aside from the surprise of the induction itself, I was relieved at how smoothly everything had gone. As a first-timer, I had a ton of labor-and-delivery-related worries. Pooping during childbirth topped the list, but a close second were the questions surrounding labor itself: would I know when I was going into labor? Would my water break while I was walking around the grocery store or something? I had this terrifying vision of slipping down the snack aisle in a trail of amniotic fluid in front of horrified onlookers. There were just so many unknowns, and to a person like me - I like things orderly, OK? - those unknowns brought on terrible anxiety. But my induction took those unknowns out of the equation, and though I was still scared (I mean, I was about to squeeze an eight-pound behemoth out of my nether-regions), knowing what would come next helped tremendously. I was admitted to the hospital, hooked up to the monitors, and Pitocin was administered to get labor started. I knew exactly when it was coming. When my water broke, I was in bed with absorbent pads underneath me. And it helped me be as calm as possible considering the circumstances. Related 19 Things You Might Not Have Thought to Bring to the Hospital (but Should) I didn't have preeclampsia with any of my three subsequent pregnancies, thank goodness. But every time, I asked my OB if induction was an option. Since my babies always tended to be on the plump side (eight to nine-plus pounds, respectively), and since I had been successfully induced without complications in the past, the doctors always gave it the green light. So I was induced three more times, each time at 39 weeks - just one week before my due date, always when the babies were fully developed and equipped for life outside the womb. Induction of labor is a controversial topic, but in my situation, it was a godsend. As with my first delivery, it was comforting to know step-by-step what was going to happen - even more so since I had now been through it before. Since I had a specific date and time to be at the hospital, I knew exactly when to have my bag ready. I was able to make sure I was all showered and shaved. There was no urgency surrounding my check-in, and I was able to relax a little. Not only that, but it was a benefit as far as scheduling was concerned. Related I'm Not Ashamed of My 2 C-Sections, So Don't Try to Make Me Feel Bad My husband worked a very demanding job with lots of hours, and he was able to make concrete arrangements. We lived a long distance away from our families - but knowing the date I'd be in the hospital allowed them to make plans to come help. My mother and mother-in-law came and cared for my other kids while my husband and I were bringing our newest addition into the world, and we brought the baby home to a clean house and a stockpile of meals. It was fantastic. It isn't without its risks, of course, and if you'd rather go au natural than schedule your birth experience, I'm definitely not here to judge. For me, though, my inductions helped ease my anxieties - around labor and logistics both - and made my overall experience calmer and more enjoyable for everyone involved. And I'd do it again in a (physician-approved, hospital-scheduled) minute. http://bit.ly/2r4yd3k