This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Ashworth College. All opinions are 100% mine.

One thing in life that we can all count on–no matter who we are– is change.

When you are a parent not only do you have your own changes to manage but those of your children. Though the roles of mother and father used to be very clearly defined and quite different, as we’ve moved into the 21st century the roles they play overlap as we adapt to the ultrafast-paced lives many of us lead.

However, a parent who is staying home raising a child or children has a time-honoured responsibility that has basic requirements that do not change.
It is of course your choice how you find the time do so but it may be more a need for you to prepare for the day when your child grows a bit more independent and you seek to increase your marketability that may have been on the back burner whilst you attended to parenting.

I can vouch for the fact after having two of my own that children do not grow up overnight. I can also speak to the vast challenge it is to juggle being a parent, a wage earner and a full-time student. I did  all of my “non-traditional” student leaning in a brick and mortar university but that was before getting an Online degree became easy, affordable, and the cherry-on-top– as close as my personal home computer.

I am currently closely examining the cost of university as one of my children –now age 17–is beginning college in the fall. You probably know that the cost of education has skyrocketed to ridiculous levels, locking out students that would have sought higher education. With the financial circumstances of raising children this has been especially hard on folks who were on a tight budget to begin with.

Distance education is a mom-and-family-friendly path you can take to help you get the education you’ve may have always wanted or perhaps you realize you truly need. It’s flexible, affordable, and is as close as your nearest computer.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Charter. All opinions are 100% mine.

I’m not a big television watcher but I am a serious one and like most folks my non-television schedule can be quite packed so scheduling the watching a television show or movie can be quite a challenge.

I think we can all agree that years ago when the VCR came ’round it was a convenience that ranked up there with the microwave–you know, the type of thing that you wonder how you ever did without?

More recently, DVR technology has been yet another step in the “can’t do without” direction regarding home entertainment. But the one downside to using my DVR to record my must-watch television shows and movies? Unless I program it to record the shows I wish to see–I can miss them. Worse, is when I think I’ve programmed it correctly, then go to watch a favourite show–only to realize that “something” went wrong (code for “I messed up”). How disappointing!

You can imagine then how incredibly enthusiastic I was when the On Demand viewing option became available. On Demand serves me in two important ways. One, it’s a little insurance policy that I will not miss my show if there’s a glitch and the the DVR does not record it. Two, I don’t even have to bother thinking about recording a host of shows both network, basic cable, and premium cable because with the ever-growing roster of television shows available On Demand, with a few simple clicks I can pull up for example, the last episode of LOST and enjoy it on my schedule. This kind of conversation has actually occurred in my home:

Me to my spouse: “Did you remember to record LOST (the ABC network hit/(Hawaii & LA-filmed) struck-on-an-island series that recently ended a phenomenally popular six-year-run)?” Spouse: “Yep!” OK! The two of us get comfy on the TV-room sofa, hit the DVR play button and… nothing.

“What happened?,” I say. “I don’t know, he says…I set it up…” “Oh well, I respond, we’ll just watch it tomorrow On Demand.” And we do. There is no blaming or upset for missing a show so compelling that we watched every episode for 6 years.

Pretty cool, right?

More recently, on the AMC television network, the show “Mad Men” has gotten a lot of praise and currently, quite a few Emmy nominations. Even though I’d not heard of any of the actors in the show previously they were now becoming names that you heard with some frequency. My curiosity has gotten the best of me–but I’ve missed the first three seasons and would feel weird jumping in without even knowing where they left off at the end of season three. So what do I do now? Check out the On Demand home page , of course! My plan is to work my way back, episode by episode, like I did with another television show I enjoy, Sons of Anarchy (on FX) which I’d love to see On Demand. I can watch whenever I wish, night or day! You can, too!
You will ‘Like’ their Facebook page as well.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Cryo-Cell International. All opinions are 100% mine.

If you have been considering banking your newborn’s umbilical cord blood I think that some recent very unfortunate events in the world and how Cryo-Cell is responding to them may hold great interest for you.

Cord blood, or umbilical cord blood, is blood that remains in the umbilical cord and placenta at the time of birth. In years past it was standard practice to dispose of them following delivery. However scientific research discovered that cord blood is a rich source of stem cells making umbilical cord blood a usable substitute to bone marrow in thousands of successful transplants. Cells taken from your newborn are a perfect match for your child throughout his or her entire life!

As you probably know, our neighbour Haiti, which geographically is part of North America and only one hour away from the United States by air, experienced a devastating earthquake in January 2010. The city of Port-au-Prince was nearly leveled with tens of thousands dying and injured. They need help now in rebuilding and resuming a semblance of a normal life again but children are especially vulnerable in the meantime.

If you have been seriously thinking about storing your baby’s cord blood this may help in that decision.

February is the shortest month of the year so time is short for you, throughout the month of February to make a difference in the lives of Haiti’s children as Cryo-Cell will donate $25 to the “Save the Children: Haiti Relief Fund” when you enroll now .

It’s smart when making a not-insignificant choice like this to do your homework–to find out all you can– before making this choice. It may help to know that Cryo-Cell is at the forefront of the cord blood banking industry having worked with tens of thousands of clients and most importantly in my opinion, Cryo-Cell has more accreditation than any other private cord blood bank, anywhere.

Were you aware that thousands of umbilical cord blood stem cell transplants have occurred worldwide in an effort to combat over 75 different diseases? And here is something that astonished me: Cord blood stem cells are 100% match for the infant donor and 1 in 4 match his or her sibling!

Fleming Collage, Haliburton Campus (Photo: Roger Corrao)

Hey there!

I’m spreading the news about  the Internet Outreach Program’s series of courses through Fleming College that is being offered to folks in the Haliburton County. It’s been a long time coming but with the funds from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Farm, and Rural Affairs’ (OMAFRA) finally released Haliburton County can finally join the information age with the Internet. I’ve supplied all the information you should need (below) no matter if you are an absolute beginner, beginner through intermediate, or perhaps a business person building a brand on the world wide web.

I’m truly impressed with the diversity of offerings and the token fee involved for each series that should make this endeavour one that anyone can undertake.

It’s my understanding that broadband service is now or soon will be available to 95% of Haliburton County residents and  the cost is extremely low.

I’m looking forward to taking advantage of this service next summer. Unfortunately, since the funding was held up and I needed to work from the cottage my spouse and I committed to a 2-year contract with a satellite Internet provider and the cost is ridiculous. I’ve been told by a Broadband Outreach Program representative that this provider will need to lower his rates to be competitive but I’m not holding my breath as he’s made no offer yet.

As my cousin’s spouse remarked, this guy should be paying us as we agreed to be the point of origin for his satellite dish so he could offer services to the folks on Maple Lake.

I thought he’d put some effort into marketing as we were promised a lower fee when 5 more people signed up. He never did much–at least not via his website–and he certainly won’t now and it’s become a real pain. Lesson learned. I simply wanted to spend more time at the Lake but the reality was I couldn’t afford to do so without working. Now I’m paying over two years many times more than I made in the sum total of two months using the service.

But back to you smart people for whom the waiting is now paying off. All the info on the almost-free Internet classes is below.

Enjoy!

County of Haliburton- Broadband Outreach Program
Internet Courses for individuals and businesses
at Fleming College for only $10

Kincardine Harbour Marina, Lake Erie, Ontario

Kincardine Channel, Penetangore River, Lake Erie, Ontario

As a Canadian ex-pat who married an American and is currently raising my youngest son in the Chicago area, I must admit that there are times when I just ache to get a glimpse of my beloved homeland Ontario, Canada

Though I long ago left my birthplace Toronto, (my father was transferred here when I was a child) I’ve continued to enjoy a spot in Haliburton County that my family has owned for going on 70 years.

Once a week or so I pick through the webcam shots which are available through the Ontario Weather Network and I click to the areas that are closest to our cottage with the hope that I’ll get an approximate glimpse of an area much like ours. Every time I’m disappointed and disheartened by what I see–which is very unlike what I see in person when I come to stay each summer in the gorgeous Haliburton Highlands.

The area that is closest to our cottage geographically is the town of Haliburton, 12 miles from our lake.

The webcam for Haliburton is hosted by Halcom Communications Ltd. where one must often click through to their advertisements before getting a glimpse of the webcam shot.

Unfortunately, I’ve never seen a webcam shot of Haliburton that wasn’t out of focus. The person representing Halcom Communications Ltd. who set up the camera overreached and the camera is insufficient to render the entire top half of the webcam shot as anything but a haze, on my screen currently, a purple haze. The camera also to put this charitably, is at such an angle that Haliburton’s best side is not showing. It is also at such an angle that I feel compelled to adjust it.

This would not be the end of the world though no matter what, it is an exercise in waste of resources but Haliburton County depends on people realizing what a jewel it is and visiting –perhaps for an extended stay?

What’s the best advertisement for Haliburton County? Haliburton County itself! And if you cannot see the county in person, a webcam image like the ones below (except the Haliburton one) should capture the area so you get a general feeling of it’s great attractiveness.

Though I have emailed Halcom Communications Ltd and politely asked them to adjust their webcam, I have gotten no reply and worse, there’s’ been no change in the quality of the webcam image.

To sum up, Halcom Communications Ltd does a terrible job of representing Haliburton and thus Haliburton County with their poor webcam image that the entire  world is privy to via The Weather Network webcam feature.

Halcom Communications Ltd. takes full advantage of offering it’s crummy webcam feed to flog their services to the public yet gives virtually nothing in encouraging folks to visit Haliburton County.

I know first hand that there are some wonderful professional photographers in Haliburton and I urge anyone that cares about contributing to the economic health of Haliburton County to alert them to this wasted opportunity to promote the town and county and at the same time their services. A number of town like Barrie for example have more than one webcam  image ( Barrie has 4!)

Please, pro photographer or amateur please consider adding your webcam feed of the beautiful Haliburton Highlands to the Ontario Weather Network. It is in fact free advertising that can potentially reach millions of people. All you have to do is care enough to show off the place you live.

Thanks!

Please note:  both Kincardine  photos are showing as pixelated because the originals are small.   I should not have included them in the gallery but I love these areas–so excuse, please.  The main point was for you to see Haliburton, which is offered as a large image by Halcom and contrast that with Reach Harbour in Lakefield, Ontario which is a very good, large webcam shot.

At top is how Kincardine is supposed to be viewed, I have enlargef them slightly which is causing  a bit of pixelaton but even so, there is far more detail in their small shots of the harbour than the ginormous one taken of Haliburton by Halcom.

[View with PicLens]

Last night–around 10 p.m. when spouse and I were walking our little dog around our neighbourhood I noticed that over the past couple of nights the ponds and rivers have frozen up almost completely. With December fast approaching we are heading into some of the more disagreeable weather we have each year. We don’t usually get much snow in December but the temperatures–and the wind become quite uncomfortable.

So today it was no surprise to see that every web camera in Ontario that I usually peruse showed a scene including snow and/or ice. And while I can still look out and see green grass on the hill near the road, I can see no green save for the evergreen trees in the photos of Ontario taken today. Thank goodness for evergreens.

Lake Nipisssing, North Bay

Mountain Trout House, Kawagama (photoshopped*)

This camera illustrates a frustration that will only most likely grow deeper as the weather gets more severe.

*Much of this photo was obliterated by brown scum on the camera lens. Therefore the sky is completely photoshopped, as well ad some of the snow. I tried to make it look as I think it looks but still, I  must ask the question of Mountain Trout House. You’ve gone to the trouble of setting up your webcam and getting it featured at a couple of web camera websites on the Internet. You have a business and you’d like to show off the beautiful area that surrounds it, right? They why pray tell, can someone not go outside and clean the filthy lens to your webcam?

That goes for you too, Halcom Communications in Haliburton. You do a disservice to the town of Haliburton, a town whose lifeblood is tourism dollars, by having either your camera “down” (not available for viewing) or dirty or crooked or some combination of these. Why are  you trying to promote business with a crap webcam?! Iknow this to be a fact as my spouse checks every day from his super fancy high-powered work computer and he never, ever gets a good shot of the Haliburton “Eye In The Sky.” If that’s an eye in the sky, then it’s a blind eye.

Perhaps I sound a bit cranky but these two webcams in particular are what I’m offered as choice when I want to see webcam photography of “Maple Lake, Ontario.” I’m an action-oriented person and since I have Internet at the cottage–right now–right this minute I’ve decided to try to finance a webcam to capture Maple Lake. I’ll put it in next summer and run it through the summer (hopefully) so I can get an idea of the in’s and out’s of doing so. I’m also tempted to contact these guys who do a consistently fantastic job with their webcam offerings:

Reach Harbour, Lakefield

(Click photos to enlarge)

..and ask for any tips or suggestions. I can see that they are using a fisheye lens but beyond that am not sure what they are doing right. Not leaving the camera exposed to the weather is probably job one./end rant.

Penetangore River, Kincardine, Lake Huron

Calabogie Ski Hill Peaks Resort

(Click photos to enlarge)

Toronto Island

Boler Mtn. Slope, London

Blue Mountain

Getting a post-high school education is something that people of all ages and stages in their life, as well as from a spectrum of economic backgrounds consider.

Added to the roster of many financial considerations which have popped up in the last year or two is the cost of transportation. Especially if you were considering commuting to school, the cost to get you to school and back must be factored in as a major expenditure. And so it’s unsurprising that pursuing Online Degrees is an option that five times more people chose over getting a degree in the traditional fashion.

If you are interested in a comprehensive search directory of where you can pursue online degree programs  and/or courses please click the link above.

The Minden Branch of the Haliburton County Library has announced that construction will soon start on a new 5,000 sq ft library. The Minden Branch will still be open during construction though it’s important that patrons obey all fencing and signs around the Cultural Centre.

If you are curious about what to look forward to when the project is complete you can do so now as the plans for the new addition are available to the public at the library.

I’ll keep tabs as the project progresses so you can know exactly what happening, when.

Stanhope Airport, Maple Lake

Spouse and I have begun discussing the whens of this coming summer of ’08 at Maple Lake.

We have a bit more leeway this year because youngest son is only taking one summer school class–Driver’s Education and it ends in early-mid July. We didn’t have that kind of choice last year.

What I really need to know is will there be high-speed Internet access to the cottage by July 2008?

It’s seems like an impossible dream–especially when I recall what a big deal it was to finally have one telephone installed in the main cottage. Prior to that we’d have to walk the 1/3 mile or so to Ted and Gerry Carr’s house–near where our road and the paved road met and borrow their phone. Ted and Gerry, bless them, lived at Maple Lake year-round and they were truly good neighbours.

Anyway, back to the present. I need to telephone the cable company that is supposed to be getting the Haliburton Highlands all prepped for Internet action. I’m a bit leery as they say on their website that they are backed up with so many requests. I’ve sent them an email asking for more information but haven’t heard a thing from them. I’m hoping they are just so busy getting the equipment in place so I can have Internet access at our cottage–and be able to work from the Lake–that they haven’t had the time to respond. Leave me alone. Let me live in my dream-world for at least a few minutes longer. Thanks.