Welcome to Animal Rescue New Orleans. If you are an animal lover interested in making a difference, you have come to the right place. Our journey began with helping animals that were abandoned, wounded, or lost after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. Now our efforts continue as we work to stand up for the rights of helpless animals that don’t have the voice to speak up for themselves. Learn how you can get involved in helping animals in your community. From pet adoption to ongoing efforts to sustain natural habitats for endangered species around the world, we are getting involved for our furry friends and we invite you to join us in the journey.

It is every parent’s nightmare, but it happens to all of us sooner or later.  You are strolling through the grocery store with your little angel when it happens.  Little Timmy spots a box of Cocoa Krispies with some cool toy on the front of the box and he goes nuts.  That box of cereal consumes Little Timmy until he is laying in the floor screaming and wailing like he is dying from some painful disease right there in the breakfast aisle.  If you have dealt with toddler tantrums, you know that they can be terribly embarrassing.  So what can you do to stop them?  The good news is that you can stop a tantrum.  Here’s how…

First, remember that prevention is key.  Once a toddler starts throwing a tantrum, it is hard to stop it.  If you’ve ever tried to reason with a two year old, you know why.  Their little minds get so overwhelmed with emotion that there is no room for logic or reason at this point.  Plus, they just can’t hear you over the screaming.  So instead, try to prevent the tantrum in the first place.  In other words, go grocery shopping when your husband is home to watch Little Timmy or get a babysitter instead.

Second, once the tantrum starts, don’t try to stop it by yelling.  This is not going to work and it’s just going to make you look even more ridiculous.  If you are in public and your kid starts pitching a fit, pick him up and leave the store.  Yes, leave.  Don’t worry about the cart full of groceries.  Push it to the side and just take your kid out to the car.  Give him a minute to calm down so you can talk calmly about the situation and if he won’t stop pitching a fit, go home and come back for your groceries later when Little Timmy isn’t with you.

Third, don’t lose your temper.  No matter how bratty your kid is acting, don’t resort to being a bully.  This will only teach him to act aggressively when angry and the next tantrum will include flying fists instead of just screaming.  If you are calm, your child will feel the calm vibes and eventually calm down too.

Every parent reaches the point where they must make a decision.  When kindergarten rolls around, you have to decide what kind of educational path you will choose for your child.  There are three primary options for every kid: public school, private school, and home school.  Surprisingly, many parents are opting for the last option and choosing to educate their kids at home.  If you have ever wondered why home school is such a popular choice for parents, here are a few reasons why people are choosing to try it.

First, home school is flexible.  When a child is doing all of their learning at home, the family is free to travel as needed.  For people who frequently change jobs or need to travel for work, home school is a flexible way to educate your kids without pulling them in and out of school constantly.

Second, home school is individualized.  If your child is struggling with one particular topic like math or science, you can slow the process down during homeschooling and make sure he grasps these concepts before moving on to other things.  On the other hand, if your child is particularly advanced in one topic, you can customize the studies to keep your child challenged so he doesn’t get bored with learning.

Third, home school is fun for the whole family.  What better way to learn than with the whole family involved!  Homeschoolers can enjoy a lot of hands on learning that kids in public and private school would miss.  When you are studying about life on the prairies during history, a home school family can actually take a field trip and visit the sites where stories took place.  You can do hands on science experiments and find creative ways to learn new topics without education becoming monotonous.

If you don’t have kids, chances are that you think a lot of parents are crazy.  They talk in baby voices to their kids in public.  They rationalize cereal purchases with screaming toddlers.  They wear those crazy Mom jeans and ratty t-shirts and they always look exhausted.  If you have ever found yourself puzzled at why moms do the things they do, prepare to be enlightened.  Here are 3 things every mom is thinking.  Trust me… this will shed some light on all of your questions and concerns.

1. “I wish I could take a nap.”

Moms are tired… always.  She is up all night with the screaming baby.  She works 24 hours a day, even if she is a stay at home mom.  Every time she tries to climb in bed for a quick rest, the phone rings, the dryer buzzes, or her husband needs her to run a few errands.  There is no sleep for moms.  Forget a day at the spa or a dozen roses, she just really wants a nap.

2. “My kid is the cutest one on the planet.”

Even if you think that toddler is obnoxious waving a sticky sucker around from his perch in the shopping cart, his mom thinks he is the cutest little guy to ever be born.  Even the ugliest babies are total beauty queens in the eyes of their mothers.  A child is the mom’s pride and joy!

3. “If you mess with my kids, I’ll kill you.”

Something happens inside of a woman when she becomes a mother.  Whether she was a successful business woman or a stay at home wife, a switch goes off when she becomes a mother and this crazy protective instinct permeates her entire existence.  If you mess with her baby, she is likely to kill you so just be aware.  Never touch a baby without asking.  Never engage a random kid in conversation without making sure mom is okay with it.  Moms protect their kids and that is what makes them absolutely extraordinary!

Bringing home your new little bundle of joy from the hospital is an unbelievable feeling. The emotions you feel jump around from one extreme to another. One minute you’re overwhelmed with joy then next your scared. In just moments you’re full of love that you think you will explode then the next you wonder what in the world are you going to do because you have no idea how to take care of baby.

All the ups and downs are expected, parenting is new territory for you and even if you have other children each one is different therefor parenting each one tends to be different. No matter how you feel, you can handle it. God gave mothers a special heart for children. Allow your mind to let go of these fears.

A few pieces of advice I can share is always love yourself and your child, no matter what. Showing your child that you unconditionally love them will help keep a bond between you two that will never be broken. Allowing your children to see that you love yourself and take care of yourself will help to show your child that you are still important too.

Treat each child individually. What worked for one child will not always work for the next. Allow your child to have individuality. Don’t force the other children to take hand me downs when they were able to watch the older child ask for the item and shop for it then when your eldest out grows the toy or it’s time for the next eldest to get a car, don’t force the child to take what the eldest had. If this is the way it will be for your children then make it a point that both are involved in finding the perfect toy or car and have an understanding that it will be handed down. You have no idea how many times I’ve seen brothers and sisters begrudge the other over the parents doing this. Give each child its own right of passage; don’t force one on the other.

The recent cover story in Time magazine has sparked a great deal of debate about different kinds of parenting styles and how effective they are. The main discussion in the article in Time was about the method of parenting known as attachment parenting, and while much of the debate has been about the picture on the cover, which showed a young mother breast-feeding her three year old son, there are some other bigger issues that the article points to. The story featured the theories of Dr. William Sears who claims that nature dictates that parents can never be too close to their children.

Many have called into question the actual effectiveness of this method of parenting. Some feel that it can undermine the marriage, which research has shown is often under more strain with the birth of the first child. If a husband feels that he is no longer important to his wife because of her attachment to her child it can turn into jealousy, which is harmful to the marriage.

Attachment parenting also proposes that children should sleep in the same bed with their parents on a nightly basis. This raises the question of how a married couple can maintain their intimacy with a child in the bed all the time. Most couples find that their intimacy decreases significantly after the birth of a child, even without practicing this principle of attachment parenting. There are so many issues that attachment parenting raises, and it is important that a married couple discuss the approach that they want to take in raising their children well before their first child is born. This will be best for the couple, as well as the child.

I have read many books on parenting since I became a mom eight years ago. They ranged at first from the basic “What to Expect” series to books on sleep schedules and baby sign language. As my daughter got older, and we added a second daughter, and then a son to our family, I realized that I needed a little help with “outside the box” techniques when it came to discipline. A few years ago a friend told me about the book “Creative Correction” by Lisa Whelchel, and I have really enjoyed the practical advice that she offers on everyday discipline issues that come up with kids.

Since every child is unique, the discipline techniques that worked with one child may not work with a sibling, or your best friend’s kid. Whelchel recognizes this, and gives personal examples from raising her own three children to back up her advice. She advocates finding discipline techniques that advocate learning why proper behavior and attitudes are important, not just punishing the unwanted actions. For example, she uses Scripture references to back up most of the discipline ideas, and they all reinforce Biblical qualities and values as the goal for reinforcement.

I have recommended her book to several friends and we have implemented some of her ideas and challenges into our own parenting. We have seen wonderful results from many of the ideas, and while we don’t agree with everything that she says, we feel her parenting book and the advice she offers have a lot to offer parents who are tired of just issuing a time out or a spanking for everything with no true behavior changes. Creative Correction is an easy read, and I think most moms and dads would be able to glean at least one useful nugget of practical information from her book.

It is an inevitable event at some point for most parents. Despite what you might want, you may have to leave your child with grandparents for a long weekend or maybe longer while you travel. While you would love to stay in St. Louis with your little ones, you will likely have to venture out on a trip for work or maybe just a special getaway with your spouse. So when you need to travel and the kids have to stay behind, how do you make the separation a little easier?

First, you need to prepare your kids. It’s not a good idea to spring a long separation on your child or simply say, “I’ll be back soon.” Your children need to know what to expect to let them feel a little bit of control during the time you are away. Sit down and have a cheerful, excited conversation about the upcoming trip. Emphasize all the fun your kids will have staying with Grandma and downplay the separation from you.

Second, make sure you pack with homesick children in mind. Add in a few of the kids’ favorite toys from home. Take a familiar pillow or blanket for night to make it more comfortable, particularly if your child isn’t used to being away overnight. You should also try to include a way for your child to communicate with you frequently. A prepaid cell phone just for your child to use for calling you is a great way to make things easier and avoid long distance charges for your baby-sitter.

Finally, make time to see your child even when you are far away. Through apps like Facetime or free programs like Skype, you can talk and see each other at the same time by using the Internet. This is a great way to stay connected and spend a few minutes together each day, even if you are on the other side of the world.

There are times when conventional cigarettes simply are not convenient. A perfect example of this is when you are camping. As a smoker, you are already aware of the fact that you are not going to be able to stand being stuck in the woods for several days without craving the occasional cigarette, however the cigarettes that you crave pose some really serious complications.

The first problem that you invariably run into when it comes to bringing cigarettes along on a camping trip is how many packs should you bring with you. You want to make sure that you have enough cigarettes to get your through the experience. On the other hand, each pack of cigarettes is going to take up room in your backpack, and you are going to have to carry them around with you. Reading e-cigarettes reviews can help answer these questions.

Another concern is fire. It does not matter what time of year it is, there is always a chance of a forest fire. No matter how careful you might be, there is always a chance that the wind could knock a bit of ash from the tip of your cigarette, blow it onto a dry leaf, and start a historical forest fire.  It would not be the first time it has happened, and it is not something you want on your conscience.

E-cigs are the best solution for your camping and smoking dilemmas. The cartridges that the electronic cigarettes use are small and contain several packs worth of nicotine. Since the e cigarettes do not produce any ash, you do not have to worry about accidently setting of a forest fire. As an added bonus, you will never have to worry about how you are going to dispose of your cigarette butts. The electronic cigarette is convenient to use and always ready to go so that you will be able to enjoy your camping trip.  You can even save by using e cigarettes coupons that you can find on the web during your research.

One of the biggest problems you are going to encounter when you are camping and using electronic cigarettes such as South Beach Smoke or Premium e-cigarettes is charging the battery. After reading Premium E Cigarette Reviews and South Beach Smoke Reviews I found that the good news is that the batteries that the best electronic cigarette brands use are designed to hold a charge for a very long time. The other advantage of the bestelectronic cigarette brands batteries is that most of the atomizers are designed in such a way that they only work when you actually lift them to your lips and start to puff; if you are not puffing, the electronic cigarette is not making any vapor, and the battery is not getting drained. If you are going to have access to a car while you are camping, you should make sure that you buy a car charger, which simply plugs into the car’s cigarette lighter. By ordering a starter kit that includes a cigarette case, you will have an easy way to keep your e-cigs safe, no matter how haphazardly you stow your camping gear.

I have been in charge of the PTO program at my son’s school for three years.  Overall, it has been a really rewarding experience although we’ve had our fair share of conflicts with the school board.  In the past few years, we have united as parents to get healthier school lunches and we have protested when the school board tried to get rid of recess in the afternoons.  I have been an advocate for my child and the other children who didn’t have parents to give them a voice.

One of the most surprising benefits of my role in the PTO has been the friendships I found.  In fact, a lot of the parents began getting together outside of meetings to talk and share stories of parenthood victories and defeats.  One time, we were having coffee as usual when a mother shared her new hobby.  She told us that she had fallen in love with playing City Bingo and she just couldn’t stop talking about the games that were offered on all the great bingo sites.

I had never heard of free no deposit bingo on the internet until then.  A few of the other parents admitted that they had played a game or two on sites like Fancybingo, but I had never tried it.  I listened as they shared stories of winning cash or competing in progressive jackpots and I decided that it sounded like a fun game!

One of the dads suggested that we start a bingo league of our own.  He pulled out his laptop and started doing some research to find the best free bingo bonus that was available at the time.  After a few minutes, we decided that we would play the sands of fortune slots each week as well as Fluffy Favourites. Since that day, we have been “meeting” online on Tuesday nights to play bingo together.  We chat through the interactive feature on the site and we share stories just like when we meet for coffee.

When I think back on all of the reasons I have enjoyed being a part of the PTO, I definitely think starting that bingo league was one of the high points. We have had a lot of hours of fun playing bingo together!

As soon as your teenager reaches their sixteenth birthday, it seems like the expenses start to pile up like never before.  Your baby has grown up and has a driver’s license and cannot wait to get behind the wheel. This presents parents with a whole new set of problems, from anxiety to financial difficulty.

The first thing that is going to come up is motor insurance. Since your teen is going to be driving the car, they are going to need to be included in your motor insurance policy. This means an increase in your insurance rates. One of the things you might want to consider is making sure that your motor insurance, landlord insurance and second home insurance UK are all covered by the same company. By combining policies and getting them all from one company, you can usually get a great discount to save some money each month.

If you have decided that your teen should be responsible to pay for motor insurance, you should explain how to do a free electoral roll search to help find and compare insurance companies and find the best rate.

Another thing you might want to consider is exploring the internet and teaching your teenager about how to use websites that offer free legal advice to young drivers. Even if your teenager never actually has to get legal advice, the places that offer free legal advice are an excellent place for them to find CV templates that they will need if they are ever in a position where they have to enter into a formal contract with someone and need to make sure that everything is legally correct and binding.

The better parents are about teaching their teen about how to be responsible, the more likely it is that the teen will become an upstanding adult. You should make every effort to include your teenager when you are dealing with matters such as choosing their motor insurance. This will teach them that being an adult requires a great deal of responsibility and that it can be expensive. While you have your teen’s attention, make sure to explain why it is so very important to have motor insurance in the first place.

Would you rather work with a real estate broker that treats you like a commodity or with a broker who treats you like a friend?  I think most of us would agree that conducting real estate transactions should not be a harrowing experience. However, many of us would also agree that many realtors treat clients with a certain amount of impersonal professionalism. As the president of the local parent’s organization I have heard many a discussion about buying a home in Madison, WI.

Many of the parents in our organization have bought or sold real estate in the past few years. Some tell real horror stories about the ordeal of dealing with a realtor. The one common thread of the recent discussions is that everyone seems to agree that their experiences with Southern Wisconsin MLS realtors have been positive.

One of the more common complaints about other agents is that they just won’t listen. Time and time again they drag you out to look at properties that are nothing like what you have described to them as desirable. Parents often comment about Madison brokers really listening to what you want and finding properties to match your needs.

Parents frequently chat about how a real estate agency helped them with sound professional advice all throughout the buying or selling process. Currently there are numerous Madison homes for sale and most parents concur that Madison MLS brokers are the very best at sealing sales.

Madison brokers are familiar with the area and all its fine features. When it comes time to buy or sell real estate they are the first choice of all the parents at our meetings. It makes no sense to deal with an agent who knows nothing about the area you are moving to or the market you are selling in. Most of us prefer to deal with local agents who are well versed in what an area has to offer to buyers and what the market has in store for sellers.

When you decide to sell your home in the Madison area, our members agree that selecting a Madison broker is the smartest choice. Go online and get a free ebook about selling your home fast with an optimized bottom line courtesy of your Madison MLS. Make buyers line up to buy your house; hire a Madison MLS realtor to market your home.

Electronic cigarettes are extremely popular these days.  People are interested in the potential health benefits of switching to a tobacco free substitute that still offers the nicotine fix that they have come to need for daily life.  One of the main reasons that advertisers suggest that smokers make the switch to electronic cigarettes is so that they can smoke anywhere.  While this sounds like a great argument, is it actually too good to be true?

Throughout most of the world, restaurants and bars are banning smoking from their premises.  Even hospitals are posting signs that forbid people to light up on their premises.  So how does this affect people who use the Premium e cigarette?  In theory, you are allowed to smoke at any location when you are using the Safe Cig.  There is no second hand smoke and the cigarettes are also designed to look just like an ink pen or another discreet object so that people cannot even tell you are smoking.

When you are using SmokeTip electronic cigarette cartridges, there is no smoke.  Instead, you will be inhaling a harmless vapor mist that is completely safe.  With that in mind, it cannot be harmful to others if you smoke in public.  Still, some argue that the smell and odor of the cigarette is still going to be offensive.  Yet if you read e cigarette reviews you will quickly see that this is just a myth.  In fact, most users say that the vapor is completely odorless.  Not only does this make it better for smoking in public, but it will also eliminate the nasty smell that used to linger on your clothes, hair, and fingernails.

Since the e-cigarette has no second hand effects or odors, most places will allow you to use them.  Just be aware that if the manager doesn’t understand the difference between a tobacco cigarette and an electric cigarette, you will need to explain it before you start smoking or you might get kicked out.  Be educated and have materials with you to prove that your story is true.

You can buy e-cigarettes online by visiting retailer websites or through electronic cigarettes affiliate programs links.  Just do a little research and find the brand that looks right for you, whether it be looking over pictures of V2 Cigs or GreenSmoke.  If you opt to buy the V2cigs starter kit you would be wise to look online for a V2cigs coupon code to make the cost of the starter kit even less expensive!  But if you decide that the GreenSmoke Love Bird’s kit is a better fit for you and your lover make sure to look for the Green Smoke coupon so that you can get a great deal!  Soon, you will indeed be smoking anywhere you want without putting others at risk from second hand smoke.

How clean is the water you drink?  Do you drink tap water, bottled water or filtered water?  And, is there really much difference between these?  Well, it really depends on where you are living, but the truth is that there really isn’t that much difference between bottled water and tap water, for a start.  However, the cleanliness of the tap water that you drink can be affected by the type of water filter you use.

There are a wide variety of water filters available on the market, but the most basic of these is a carbon based filter.  These are probably the cheapest form of water filters, but that does not mean that they are not effective.  They are usually made with charcoal, derived from the husks of coconuts, and this form of carbon absorbs the various impurities present in the water as it flows through.  Sometimes the charcoal comes in a solid block and sometimes in a looser form.  The solid block is better at filtering the water, but the water takes longer to pass through than it does loose charcoal.  Sometimes silver is added to the charcoal as this helps to kill about six hundred and fifty different kinds of bacteria, making the filtered water much safer.

Although charcoal is a very good filter, if you live in an area where there is a lot of sediment in the water, you will probably want to use a sediment pre-filter to take most of the sediment out before the water hits the charcoal.  Otherwise the charcoal will get completely clogged up and become useless long before it should.  Since the charcoal filter is more expensive, it is worth getting the pre-filter as well.  The thing about a charcoal filter is that it won’t change the acidity of your water.  If you had acidic water to start with, it will still be acidic after you’ve filtered it with a charcoal filter, and the same goes if you have alkaline water.

Of course it is entirely up to you whether or not you choose to use a water filter.  For water in the United States, you really don’t have to.  The water that comes out of your tap is usually safe and is actually not that different than the water you find in bottles being sold at several hundred times the price of your tap water.  It is really in areas with water contamination that water filters become necessary, and then the basic carbon filter might not be enough.  You would really need to know what kind of contamination you were dealing with and then figure out what kind of filter you need based on that knowledge.

There are some filters that work perfectly fine for household use, such as charcoal filters, and then there are some specifically designed for more extreme situations, such as those found in parts of the world suffering from drought or war situations.  These kinds of filters allow you to literally walk up to a pond which has weeds and scum floating on top, throw in a pipe and draw out water which is immediately safe to drink.  Needless to say, this kind of filter is rarely necessary in a North American household.