This month we have a section from Sheffield School of Design again with another part of the series on decorating a childs room.

Also this month, we're pleased to bring you an article from EF Au Pair on what exactly an Au Pair is.

Our online polls have been a fun exercise. Be certain to read this months results on our poll about back to school costs. Look also for the new poll in this months "Ramblings" on Christmas shopping.

As usual, I'd like to take this moment to welcome all of our new subscribers and bid a 'welcome back' to our returning ones.

• September's Recipes
  • Chicken Fingers
    
• Decorating Children's Rooms using Fish Tanks
  
• What is an Au Pair?
• Ramblings
  • CHRISTMAS??

Chicken Fingers

• Cut the chicken into "Chicken Finger" sized pieces
• In one bowl, beat the eggs
• In another bowl, add bread crumbs and spices (I use salt, pepper and garlic powder)
• Dip the chicken pieces in the egg mixture
• Remove from egg mixture and add to the bread crumbs
• Roll around the pieces until covered
• Place in deep frying pan with enough oil to cover the chicken pieces at least half way
• Turn once, remove when both sides browned.

To say that kids love animals is a bit simplistic: yes, they love cuddling them, playing with them, showing them off to their friends. They do not love feeding them, cleaning up after them, or paying for their veterinary bills.

So what do you do when your children enter the early school years and start begging for a Golden Retriever or a Siamese cat? Especially if you live anywhere but in a huge farmhouse out in the countryside, getting a dog or cat can prove quite an undertaking. And while the timing might be perfect for the kids, it might be terrible for you: just when you're thinking you'll have a little more freedom now that they're in school for a full day, the last thing you want to spend your newly-acquired free time on is chasing dog toys from under the sofa.

The answer: a fish tank. Look at all the benefits to having fish as pets: you don't have to walk them, there's no risk that they'll have an accident on your grandmother's Oriental carpet, and once you get them installed, they're inexpensive to care for. And while little Billy might be upset if his prized angelfish dies, the blow won't be as bad as it would if Spot runs out into traffic.

And a fish tank won't only benefit the kids; it can also be a boon to your interior design. Thinking of the Sheffield Guidelines for Interior Design, remember that one function of the living room is to encourage conversation among guests or family members. A fish tank can make a terrific conversation piece for the adults, providing a focal point for a living room decor that's otherwise, well, floundering. Imagine your next cocktail or dinner party, with your guests talking about the blennies and puffers, and the kids proudly showing off their knowledge of water pH and gill function.

Another function of a living room is to get people to relax. Studies have shown that watching fish swim lowers one's blood pressure and is a natural stress-reducer, much more so than a television.

Fish tanks are no longer just an oblong box tucked into the corner of a room. They now come in all shapes and sizes, from desk-top miniatures to big hexagonal structures. You can even get a coffee table fish tank, so that you're practically swimming in there with the damsels and bettas.

The second Sheffield Guideline to consider is mood: the mood of nearly any room will be enhanced by a fish tank, because of this calming effect. Want a romantic influence of an evening? Switch off the lights except for the tank light, and ask your sweetheart to sit on the sofa with you to watch the fish.

Thinking of the third Guideline, harmony, ask yourself if a fish tank will harmonize with the style you already have in the room. Chances are that it will. Think of the tank as you would a piece of furniture: look at the shape of the tank, consider its lines, and think about the colors of the fish you'll have in it.

Quieter than dogs, 100% less shedding than cats. Fish: the perfect pet for the busy family that cares about the look and mood of the home.

Resources:
www.aquariumfish.net
www.tropicalfishstore.com

Reprinted with permission from the Sheffield School of Design Web site at http://www.sheffield.edu

"Juggling the demands of work and family can be a challenge for any parent.
And, finding affordable, flexible, childcare is a big part of that challenge. When there's only one of you, it gets even harder. For many single parents across the country, the solution is au pair care.

What is an au pair? Au pairs are young men and women (ages 18-26) from overseas who travel to the U.S. for a year, with a legal J-1 visa, to live with an American host family and provide up to 45 hours of childcare per week. All au pairs have childcare experience and have been carefully screened by one of the 7 au pair agencies that exist in the United States. The average cost of hosting an au pair is a competitive one - about $250 per week.

Carol Buttery is a single mom from Media, PA and has the following to say about her experience hosting an au pair: "As a single parent, I couldn't possibly find a better solution for the child care of my three young sons. Now I don't worry about sick days, snow days, or the variety of days that my children are not in school. I am a manager at a major Fortune 500 firm and need to leave my home daily at 6:45 a.m. to catch the train into town. My au pair, Katie, wakes my children, gets their breakfast, packs their lunch, supervises them brushing their teeth, and watches them get safely on the bus."

Live-in au pair care gives many parents peace of mind when they can't be home. It also gives a boost to the quality of time single parents do get to spend with their children. "When I come home dinner is ready, and we can peacefully sit down to a hot meal, rather than rushing in the door and trying to pull some make-shift dinner together when I haven't actually seen my children all day. Katie is bright, patient, kind, non-intrusive and respectful. Having an au pair expands my boundaries by allowing me to have more quality time with my children and the flexibility to find more time for all of the relationships in my life," Carol says.

Bill Goldstein, a host father with two boys, lives in Ashton, MD and couldn't agree more. "One of the most important advantages of having an au pair as a single parent is that it means having another adult living in the household. In traditional single parent homes, most of the responsibilities fall on only one person. My au pair, Jan, is wonderful. He is always volunteering to help with the management of the household while I am at work. Overall, having another adult around is extremely helpful."

Hosting an au pair is not the right childcare solution for everyone. You must be willing to make room in your home and in your heart for a young person who not only provides childcare, but becomes a part of your family. Many single parents think it's worth it. And, for single parents who do host au pairs, there is a unique benefit - the presence of another adult role model in the household, often of the opposite sex. This is the case for single parent and host mom Jill King, living in VA. She says, "We've had au pairs from Sweden, Norway, France, Germany, Latvia, and soon to be Poland. Two of the au pairs were guys and it was so good because I have older boys with a father that is barely involved. I think it is important for single moms to know that there is an alternative to finding a Big Brother service if they have older boys. I suppose the same would be for a single dad with girls."

For more information on hosting an au pair, please contact EF Au Pair at 1-800-333-6056 or visit our website at www.efaupair.org

Stephanie Rueter
Marketing Manager
EF Au Pair
One Education Street
Boston, MA 02141
www.efaupair.org
When You Want the World for Your Kids....

This months poll will deal ask the question when do you start your Christmas shopping? (it's sooner than you think!) For those who took part, last months poll ended up as follows:

Well folks, that's it for another month. As usual, if you have any suggestions or contributions let me know! We're always up to suggestions and recipes sent in also have the chance to be included on the website.

Jill Lassaline, editor
Single Parents World