My wife and I are avid pet lovers.  During our marriage, we have had 2 cats, 3 bunnies, 2 dogs, 6 mice, 2 turtles, regular hamsters, dwarf hamsters, teddy bear hamsters, and two 55 gallon aquariums containing goldfish and tropical fish.  Our pets have given us a great deal of joy over the years.  Many fish have received a “burial at sea”, and the pet graveyard in the corner of my yard is getting full (hamsters and mice only have a 2-3 year lifespan).  It is rarely dull at my house.

Three years ago, my wife gave birth to our first child; my “precious angel” Sydney, and last year my “little buddy” Spencer joined us.  Needless to say it is getting crowded in my house.  My two dogs have taken the hardest hit since my children were born.  Going for a walk becomes a family event as my wife and I try to marshal two dogs and a double stroller.  Unfortunately with me now working twelve hour days 5 and 6 days a week, these kind of family events are becoming rarer and rarer.  My Staffordshire Terrier “Jake” needs a great deal of attention and affection.  In six years, he has stubbornly refused to learn how to walk on a leash.  He still strains against the leash, putting maximum tension on his neck.  I have tried traditional collars, “choker” collars, a head harness, and a body harness, and nothing works.  With the head harness, he does not pull, instead he struggles with the harness until he has finally worked it off of his nose, or he just sullenly trails behind me, clearly miserable.  At home, he is always underfoot because he wants attention.  Whenever we have any company, he goes berserk trying to get to the newcomer to say hello.  This would not be so bad, except that Jake’s method for hello is to climb all over you and lick your face until you drown.  Whenever we have company, we have to lock the dogs in our bedroom for the duration of the visit.  My wife has completely lost patience with Jake.  My three year old daughter, when asked, says that she does not like Jake.  Jake wants to run, but my yard is too small for him.  I feel horrible because I feel that I am not being fair to him, but when I stop to look at my options, I am uncertain what to do.  I do not have the time available to give him the attention that he needs.  If I try to find him a new home, am I being fair separating Jake from his buddy Simon (my other dog), or do I need to try and find a new home for both dogs together?  How does one even go about finding a good home for a dog?  Does it make me a bad owner to try and find a new home for Jake?  He was abandoned when he was about 9 months old.  My mother-in-law was sitting on her front porch at about 11pm one night when she noticed a van stop just up the road, a door opened and shut quickly and the van drove away.  Within a couple of minutes, there was a dog running along her front fence.  Jake spent one night at my MiL’s where he howled all night long, and then came to live with my wife and I.  For the first week or two he howled a lot, but now, after six years, he is an extremely happy dog.  I know in my heart that I cannot provide him the life that he deserves.  I know that he would find happiness with a new family.  But do I have the right to uproot him from his home and abandon him to a stranger?  I wish that I knew the right thing to do.

Children in Increasing Numbers are Becoming Addicted to World Of Warcraft!

<rant>

I have been seeing more and more parents claiming that their child is addicted to World of Warcraft.  Now I am a great fan of the game, and I wish I could spend far more time playing, but I have far too many responsibilities for that.  One of my responsibilities is to be a father to my two children.  As a father, I know that it is my responsibility to look out for the health and well being of my children.  In order for your child to become addicted to a video game, you as a parent need to ignore what your  child is doing for extensive hours every day.  Now I do acknowledge that teenagers do not want their parents attention, and actively try to avoid their parents, but let us be serious.  How can a parent not notice when their child is spending in excess of ten hours every day playing a computer game.  It is hard for a child to hide from their parents when they are sitting in the same spot for ten straight hours.  Blizzard has recognized that addiction is a real problem amongst their players, and are trying to make parent’s jobs easier.  Blizzard has parental controls built into every WOW account.  A parent can limit the number of hours, and days that their child has access to their WOW account.  Also, if a child is spending all of their time playing World of Warcraft to the detriment of their health and well being, where are they getting the money to pay the monthly subscription?  If they are spending ten to sixteen hours every day as many parents claim, there is not enough time left to maintain any sort of job, which would mean that these same parents are paying for their own child’s addiction, and then complaining about the addiction, and blaming (and suing) Blizzard.  If your child has a genuine problem, confiscate their computer.  Let’s see them play without a computer.  Are they seriously going to go to their friend Billy”s house and use Billy’s computer for ten straight hours?  Do you think that Billy’s parents would tolerate that?  Billy’s parents will kick your child out, and then call you to scream at you for being such an incompetent parent.

Parents, do your job, and stop blaming everyone else!

</rant>

For more articles, visit Game Intrigue

I consider myself to be a relative expert of almost all things to do with World of Warcraft.  That’s why, when I saw this new dailies and events guide, I was pretty surprised.  I mean, I can understand a few people maybe wanting a WoW Dailies guide to help them, but the guide seemed very popular.

That got me thinking a bit.  At first I thought, I’ve been playing WoW since it was in beta, so I know almost everything there is to know about dailies and events – but what about newer players, or players who just aren’t as hardcore as me?  After a while, I was just too curious to stand it anymore.

So, after deciding to just give Zygor’s Dailies & Events Guide a shot (I wasn’t expecting much at all), I was in for a rather big surprise.  I was completing dailies faster than I ever had before – and I’m an expert!  Once I picked up my trampled ego off the floor, I was pretty impressed.  I mean, I was doing things in only a few minutes what used to take me an hour, or more, to complete.

Now, I’m the proud owner of full heirloom item sets for all classes and I got my Crusader title faster than I thought was possible.  All in all, I use Zygor’s guide every day, and if you are looking to do dailies and get heirloom items and your Crusader title really fast, this guide is not a bad investment.

For more articles, visit Game Intrigue

Building an outdoor play-system

As life in the suburbs has gone to bigger and better things .. more square footage in the home with bigger yardspace … the play area for children have grown and gone in the direction of bigger is better as well. It was not so long ago that if your friend down the street had a simple swing – they were the envy of the neighbourhood. Today, kids become the subject of envy when their family builds a new “Play – System. ”

Terminology such as Play-systems, Jungle Gyms, Forts and Swing Sets are virtually interchangeable. Many stores selling outdoor play equipment like to call a swing a play “system” because it means that they can increase the price. For many people, seeing the price of these systems reminds us of how much we paid for our first car.  However, there is another way to make your child the envy of the neighbourhood and does not have to be very expensive.

With some very basic carpentry skills coupled with time and a little effort, a Do-It-Yourself Swing Set or Fort is easily attainable. Today’s swing DIY kits are basic and easy to understand.

These kits come with a fully illustrated manual that will take you step by step through the process of buying wood, cutting, drilling, assembling and adding the finishing touches.

The savvy parent makes the kit a Christmas gift, because you can then delay the cost of buying the wood until all of the planning and preparations  are complete (ie Spring), when it is finally time to build the system.  This wait will undoubtedly add to the child’s anticipation.

Some of the common questions that get asked are:

How much do I have to budget?

A small DIY Play Set can be as low as $295. ** BUDGET SAVINGS ** Many play sets have to charge a hefty fee for sending the slide. Indeed, this is the only element that must be boxed and cargo shipped. A good way to save money is to buy your slide locally. Check with your local hardware store first.

You should be able to purchase your wood locally for approximately $175 for a small system. Which means the total price for a basic play system would be approximately $470. On average (Including the cost of wood) a basic package can be built for less than $ 600, a medium sized system less than $900, and larger models $1,200. (which usually includes the cost of the slide)

How long do these projects take to assemble?

Most DIY mid-size swing set, jungle gym, and forts can be completed in a weekend (12-16 hours).

Good system kit plans try to avoid pre-drilling and angle cuts whenever possible. In addition, they design their frames and beams without compromising overall strength.

Do I have the necessary tools?

All DIY plans will include a “list of tools required.” Believe it or not .. The only power tools that 90% of the available plans require are a circular saw and an electric or cordless drill. Only commonly found tools and basic carpentry skills are required to assemble these kits. The plans, swings, accessories, hardware, etc is all included in the kit. The wood is purchased by you locally and typically consists of 2×4, the 2×6, and 4×4.

Here is a simple guide for buying your play system.

1. Research! Start by determining the system that you want. Determine whether a slide for your kit is available locally. This will save about $100 in the cost of shipping a slide from the manufacturer! Kits without slides typically include: brackets / bolts / swing seats / channels / canvas roof (if included) and plans. Take note of what tools are required.

2. Purchase your swing kit. A standard kit with a 5 ‘x 5′ Fort and a three-system system will typically cost about $300

3. Once you have purchased your kit, identify and budget for the purchase of wood. One way to save a few extra dollars in the price of wood is to contact your local lumber store. Do not always assume that the local big-box hardware store is the cheapest wood available. Taking the time to compare the price of your wood between stores can save you up to 25% in the total cost of your system. The cost of wood for a system like the one mentioned should run about $250.

4. The final step before building is to determine if you want to prepare the land where you intend to build your system. Do you want to level the ground, or add mulch or padding of any kind? While this will add to the cost of the final project, it will save bumps and bruises in the future.

By using a DIY kit, and your own efforts, you will have built a play-system that your children will love you for. Note that the above is assuming you are looking for a basic Fort / Slide / Swing Set system. There are many more elaborate designs available, which can dramatically increase your costs.

Newts are a type of amphibian that look a lot like salamanders. However, unlike salamanders, newts spend most or all of their life in the water. They are descended from salamanders, but they separated about sixty million years. Now, are found in many temperate parts of the world, including Asia, North Africa, Europe and North America.

Newts are popular among pond owners. They are charming, beautiful animals in their own right. A pond with a population of newts also means that the pond is very healthy because these creatures have some specific vital needs. If you are thinking to colonize the pond with newts, or set to attract these little creatures, here’s some information that might help.

Newts often are food for other creatures. This means that having newts could attract some birds to your pond, and also means you have to pay attention to what is living in and around if you want to keep your newt population alive. Carnivorous fish tend to choose these small lizard-like creatures, making it difficult to keep the population up. Also, if ducks frequent the pond, they can eat the vegetation that the newts use to hide their eggs. This does not mean you have to chase all predatory birds away or transfer all of the fish out of the newt pond, but it’s a good idea to try to provide a habitat and other conditions that encourage a thriving population that will not be damaged by too many predators.

Other hazards that can kill native newts is a small pond that requires a circulation pump, because newts can be sucked into the pump and killed. Even if you use wire mesh, these pumps can kill very small newts. You can solve this problem by using an ultra fine mesh, or by placing the pump under a pot with a hole in it. Remember to use a screen over the hole as well. These methods reduce the number of newts you will lose, and make it less unpleasant to clean the filter.

Newts do not need very deep water, and prefer slopes with lots of plants. High density weeds will encourage them. A well designed  environment will assist you in developing a large population that will be able to withstand predatory fish and birds. Although the tadpoles and young newts will be the most common victims, a healthy pond will have enough new births that your population will  increase. Expect to see baby newts around April and May, if your animals are breeding. You can either make your pond suitable for the local species of newt that you’d like to attract (specific conditions vary by species) or purchase newts and stock your pond. The second is more expensive, but also gives you a better chance of seeing these animals live and grow in your waters.

Female Palmate Newt in my garden pond.

Why is there an increase in demand for Tutus?

If you have girls, then you should know what a tutu is.

Yes! That fairy-like dress that consists of yards and yards of tulle that has numerous colours flying, the dress is a dream for any little princess’ birthday, Halloween and Christmas or any time in the middle. These sweet little dresses and skirts are perfect for getting the baby portrait done or just go to a picnic. There a recent spike in demand for tutus and numerous websites have sprung up not only sell handmade tutus but some of them also teach how to make a delicious tutu for your diva or princess.

Although the history of tutus goes back to the 18th century when they were created to give an airy look to ballet dancers, fleeting across the stage, there are tutus for every occasion.  Although people generally associate with little girls, there’s something for all ages. Young children love to wear a tutu regardless of what they are playing, whilst older girls will put on a tutu just to twirl and dance for no reason. In recent years, a number of celebrities have been photographed with their children in tutus and it is becoming even more popular. In the recent past, the daughter of Hugh Jackman was seen wearing a tutu, while in American Idol, Paula Abdul once came dressed in a tutu.

Although increased interest in celebrity tutus has led to a rise in the popularity of the tutu,  most girls love tutus of any style. The versatility and flexibility of the tutu is quite remarkable, because they may be modified according to your needs. Unlike party dresses that are very expensive, tutus are available in a wide range of colours and prices to suit individual needs and budget. Ranging from $ 20 to over $ 90, tutus lend a grace and charm to birthdays, Christmas, religious services, Kwanzaa, graduations, weddings and other special events.

Most online sites and stores that sell tutus also regular stock fairy wands, in addition to headbands and other accessories to give that extra look of designer clothing for each tutu. With changing styles and demands amongst all ages, tutus are not only available in short and classic styles, but are also available in other designs like the tutu dress which has a satin ribbon around the neck and is longer than the usual tutu.  Your demanding little diva will become your special little princess in a tutu designed with bright colours, perfect for the party or the family portrait.

Ballet Class: The “Psycho” Tutu Girls