You should be able to teach your kids on how to save money. They should be able to understand the concept of money and investment as early as childhood. This will prepare them to learn money management, as they grow old.

Here are some tips on how you can teach your children how to save money:

1. Your children should be educated of the meaning of money. Once your children have learned how to count, that is the perfect time for you teach them the real meaning of money. You should be consistent and explain to them in simple ways and do this frequently so that they may be able to remember what you taught them.

2. Always explain to them the value of saving money. Make them understand its importance and how it will impact their life. It is important that you entertain questions from them about money and you should be able to answer them right away.

3. When giving them their allowances. You need to give them their allowances in denominations. Then you can encourage them that they should keep a certain bill for the future. You can motivate them to do this by telling them that the money can be saved and they can buy new pair of shoes or the toys they want once they are able to save.

4. You can also teach them to work for money. You can start this at your own home. You can pay them fifty cents to one dollar every time they clean their rooms, do the dishes or feed their pets. This concept of earning little money will make them think that money is something they have worked for and should be spent wisely.

5. You can teach them to save money by giving them piggy banks where they can put coins and wait until they get full. You can also open bank accounts for them and let them deposit money from their allowance. You should always show them how much they have earned to keep them motivated.

Money and saving is not something that is learned by children in one sitting. You should be patient in teaching them and relating the value of money in all of their activities. Children will learn this easily if you are patient and consistent in guiding them and encouraging them in this endeavor.

The Spirited Woman Holiday Guide, a free downloadable gift created by the Spirited Woman Blogger Team and published by The Spirited Woman, a leading women’s online empowerment community, provides out-of-the-box gift-giving ideas that speak to the true spirit of the season.

And the information is all free, courtesy of a group of women committed to being a voice for spirited women everywhere.

Not the typical shop-til-you-drop catalog. Want to teach English in Ghana on a volunteer vacation? Give a creative gift from the heart? Read personal holiday stories sure to inspire tears and laughter? Or like the idea of going green for the holidays? The guide includes a very special 5-page “Going Green” insert with easy-to-follow eco-friendly tips for the season.

The guide also includes The Spirited Woman Blogger Contest. One lucky reader will have the chance to become a guest blogger and be featured on the front page of TheSpiritedWoman.com site. Rules for entering the contest only found in the guide.

“The 2008 holiday season is not about gifts that impress, but gifts that express. And our blogger team is on a heartfelt mission to reach out to women globally. That is one of the many reasons we created the guide,” says Nancy Mills, founder and publisher of The Spirited Woman (http://www.thespiritedwoman.com/).

This global-based blogger team “covers the beat” for spirited women everywhere on topics ranging from entertainment, travel, fashion and inspiration, going green to being a Spirited Kid providing a daily dose of positive Spirited Woman News. Their mission is to inspire women to live life fully with a sense of adventure, freedom, energy and fun — taking a spirited woman approach to life.

The Spirited Woman Holiday Guide is free and easily downloadable in PDF format so that women can share it with one another (http://www.thespiritedwoman.com/holidayguide/). It’s sure to have everyone talking this season.

Special thanks goes to Cleavage Creek Cellars (http://www.cleavagecreek.com/) for sponsoring the guide. Budge Brown, successful entrepreneur, lost his wife to breast cancer in 2005. Soon thereafter, he founded Cleavage Creek Cellars, donating 10% of gross sales to breast cancer research. Brown has quite a story to tell and his “Spirited Man” blog series is featured in the guide as well.

As the classic saying goes, “You can never be too rich or too thin.” However, it seems American women would rather look younger than be rich or thin. A recent poll commissioned by ZO Skin Health and reveals that on average, women would be willing to spend more on a facial care system that would make them look 10 years younger than they would on a diet program that would make them lose 10 pounds.

The survey, which was conducted among 1,131 U.S. adult women by Harris Interactive, reported how much women care about the overall health and condition of their skin, particularly their face.

Even in a time when many women have cut back on discretionary spending, they are willing to spend on a facial care system that they believe will be effective at making their skin look younger and healthier.

“Results, results, results. At the end of the day, that’s all that matters. Women are fed up with products that don’t work, that make empty promises and bogus claims. What counts are the active ingredients and their concentrations,” says Dr. Zein Obagi, board-certified dermatologist and creator of ZO Skin Health.

Some of the products and services-like peels, injections, lasers, creams and machines–can be pricey, so overall spending has shifted away from procedures that are new and trendy, in favor of products that are proven effective.

The ZO Skin Health survey also revealed that women think about the health and condition of their skin more often than they think about their love life. About two in five women (43%) think about the health of their skin always or often, which is more often than they think about their relationship status (39%) or cardiovascular health (33%).

This is not surprising to skincare maverick Dr. Zein Obagi, who has been championing the importance of healthy skin throughout his 25-plus year career. Even in a recessionary economy, lipstick and cosmetics sell very well — presumably because women still like to look good, and they spend on affordable luxuries. “You can’t solve all of the world’s problems, but you can take care of yourself,” he said.

Best known for his original anti-aging skin care line available only through physicians, Dr. Obagi has now developed a skin care line that features products with high concentrations of active ingredients and time-released retinol, which has been proven to be the only topical skin care ingredient proven to reduce the signs of skin aging.

“I created ZO Skin Health, for those who want a system that really works for aging skin,” says Dr. Obagi.

The 15-product ZO Skin Health line ranges from $45.00 - $325.00 and is available at zoskinhealth.com, select Nordstrom stores and Nordstrom.com.

ZO Skin Health fights skin aging by combining high concentrations of active ingredients into luxurious formulas. Developed by world-renowned dermatologist Zein Obagi, MD, the results-driven product line visibly improves skin health by stimulating cellular function. Dr. Obagi’s thirty years of experience and creation of a leading physician-dispensed skincare brand presented him with the vision to create ZO Skin Health, the confluence of Rx thinking and cosmeceutical labeling and the only cosmeceutical line developed by a physician who has dominated the anti-aging Rx arena. For more information, visit ZOSkinHealth.com.

2008 ZO Skin Health survey:

The survey was conducted online between August 1 and 5, 2008 among 1,131 adult women ages 18+. These online surveys are not based on probability samples and therefore no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete methodology, including weighting variables, please contact Ivy Cartagena or Danielle Hawkes.

“We are seeing an increasing number of breast cancer patients with augmentation,” said Robert R. Kuske Jr., M.D., clinical professor at the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center and radiation oncologist at Arizona Oncology Services in Scottsdale, Ariz. “By nature, these women are concerned about their appearance and we need to have options for them.”

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, breast augmentation is the most popular cosmetic surgery in the U.S. with 347,500 procedures performed in 2007. This represents an increase of 64 percent since 2000. Approximately one in eight women who undergo breast augmentation will develop breast cancer at some point in their lives.

The most common breast cancer treatment for patients with breast implants is skin-sparing mastectomy and implant exchange. Whole-breast radiation therapy after lumpectomy is an option, but carries a substantial risk during the healing process of scar tissue wrapping around the implant, causing it to become rock-hard and extremely painful. This condition, known as capsular contracture, also distorts the appearance of the breast.

Dr. Kuske set out to determine if partial-breast radiation with brachytherapy might offer a better outcome for women with implants wishing to avoid mastectomy.

Breast brachytherapy is a radiation treatment that can be given in higher doses to a small, targeted area of the breast after lumpectomy. Radioactive “seeds” are guided into place through small plastic tubes, or catheters, with the aid of imaging and a computer. The seeds emit high doses of radiation in short bursts.

Scar tissue is minimal, the implant remains unaffected and treatment time is shortened from 6 1/2 weeks with whole-breast radiation therapy to five days with brachytherapy.

For the study, 65 women who were diagnosed with small, early stage malignant tumors were treated with brachytherapy after a lumpectomy. The women received two doses per day, separated by six hours, over a five-day period. Follow-up was six months to five years. None of the patients experienced tumor recurrence during the follow-up period. Cosmetic outcome was determined to be good to excellent in 100 percent of patients with 95 percent judged excellent. Implant hardening was not observed in any of the patients.

“Compared to traditional treatments, brachytherapy offers an excellent alternative for these women,” Dr. Kuske said. “It offers very high rates of tumor control with fewer side effects and is easier on their lifestyle.”

AT A GLANCE

• Brachytherapy can successfully treat early-stage breast cancer in women with implants and preserve the breast’s appearance.

• Breast brachytherapy substantially reduces the risk of implant hardening.

• Approximately one in eight women who undergo breast augmentation will develop breast cancer during her lifetime.

For patient-friendly information on brachytherapy, visit RadiologyInfo.org.

Source: Radiological Society of North America (RSNA)

AND …

The Pussycat Dolls have just been announced as the special guests on Britney Spears’ upcoming tour!

Pussycat Dolls European Headlining Tour:

• 1/18 Aberdeen Scotland AECC
• 1/19 Glasgow Scotland SECC
• 1/21 Newcastle England Newcastle Arena
• 1/22 Birmingham England NIA
• 1/24 Nottingham England Nottingham Arena
• 1/25 Bournemouth England BIC
• 1/27 London England O2 Arena
• 1/28 London England O2 Arena
• 1/29 Manchester England MEN Arena
• 1/30 Cardiff Wales Cardiff Arena
• 2/1 Dublin Ireland O2 Dublin
• 2/3 Belfast Ireland Kings Hall
• 2/5 Sheffield England Sheffield Arena
• 2/6 Liverpool England Liverpool Arena
• 2/8 Paris France Zenith
• 2/9 Amsterdam Holland HMH
• 2/10 Frankfurt Germany Jahrhunderthalle
• 2/12 Zurich Switzerland Hallenstadion Zurich
• 2/13 Brussels Belgium Forest National
• 2/14 Munich Germany Zenith
• 2/17 Monte Carlo Monaco Grimaldi Forum
• 2/18 Dusseldorf Germany Philipshalle
• 2/19 Berlin Germany MSH
• 2/21 Prague Czech Republic T-Mobile Arena
• 2/24 Bratislava Slovakia NTC Arena
• 2/25 Belgrade Serbia Belgrade Arena

Pussycat Dolls On Tour with Britney Spears:

• 3/3 New Orleans, LA New Orleans Arena
• 3/5 Atlanta, CA Philips Arena
• 3/7 Miami, FL American Airlines Arena
• 3/8 Tampa, FL St. Pete Times Forum
• 3/11 Uniondale, NY Nassau Coliseum
• 3/13 Newark, NJ Prudential Center
• 3/16 Boston, MA TD Banknorth Garden
• 3/18 Toronto, ONT Air Canada Centre
• 3/20 Montreal, QUE Bell Centre
• 3/24 Washington, DC Verizon Center
• 3/26 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun
• 3/27 Pittsburgh, PA Mellon Arena
• 3/30 Houston, TX Toyota Center
• 3/31 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center
• 4/2 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center
• 4/3 Minneapolis, MN Target Center
• 4/6 Edmonton, ALB Rexall Place
• 4/8 Vancouver, BC GM Place
• 4/9 Tacoma, WA Tacomadome
• 4/11 Sacramento, CA ARCO Arena
• 4/12 San Jose, CA HP Pavilion
• 4/14 Salt Lake City, UT Energy Solutions Arena
• 4/16 Los Angeles, CA Staples Center
• 4/19 Anaheim, CA Honda Center
• 4/24 Glendale, AZ Jobing.com Arena
• 4/25 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden
• 4/28 Chicago, IL Allstate Arena

“I Hate This Part”

video: imeem.com/pcdmusic/video/uqlNCRFs/pussycat_dolls_i_hate_this_part_music_video/

American Music Awards performance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMIvEDRRH70

Source: Interscope

Live from Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas, on TLC

The 2009 Miss America Pageant promises to be an exciting event with the announcement of the strikingly diverse panel of national judges. This year’s panel of seven esteemed judges includes a Broadway star; a renowned denim designer; a Miss America turned philanthropist; an Olympic gold medalist; a casting genius; a celebrated entertainment news reporter and anchor; and the hottest hairdresser in Hollywood. They will evaluate the contestants from the preliminaries through the final night of competition, which will be premiering live from Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas on Saturday, January 24, 2009 8:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed, exclusively on TLC.

The judges were announced by Sam Haskell, III, Chairman of the Board for the Miss America Organization (MAO), Art McMaster, President and CEO of MAO, and Anthony Eaton, Producer of the 2009 Miss America Pageant. This year’s panel of judges is comprised of experts in each of the fields that a young woman must excel in, in order to be named Miss America. Miss America must be beautiful, talented, intelligent and well-spoken, a leader, have a commitment to her community, be contemporary in her style and fashion — a relatable and individual ‘it girl’ who can connect with today’s modern woman, as well as being physically fit. To determine who will be Miss America 2009 the following panel of judges has been selected:

From the Field of Fashion — PAIGE ADAMS-GELLER — Adams-Geller is a former fit model turned denim designer who was once lauded as “the perfect body for jeans fitting” and the most-requested fit model by the top denim designers in the industry. She is now the owner of Paige Premium Denim, PPD for men, Paige Petites, Paige Maternity, Paige Kids and Paige Black Label.

From the Field of Entertainment — LAURA BELL BUNDY — Most notably known for her role as Elle in “Legally Blonde: The Musical,” this triple threat has received nominations for a Tony and Drama Desk Award and has received a Drama League Honor. Bundy has several film and small screen credits and has released two albums.

From the Field of Community Service — NICOLE JOHNSON — Johnson is Miss America 1999 and has spent her time since her year of service educating and raising awareness and funds for Type I Diabetes. She has won several awards for her advocacy and has created her own foundation to continue her commitment towards this terrible disease.

From the Field of Fitness – CULLEN JONES — Jones is the second African American in history to win an Olympic gold medal in swimming and also helped his team win additional gold medals and set world records in the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. Jones is also involved with the USA Swimming Foundation’s Make A Splash program, helping minorities learn how to swim.

From the Field of Talent — BETH KLEIN — A renowned casting genius, Klein is the Senior Vice President, Talent and Casting for Showtime networks. She currently oversees casting on all Showtime series including Weeds, The L Word, Dexter, and The Tudors.

From the Field of Communications/Interview — JIM MORET — Moret has covered entertainment news for over 20 years and is currently the chief correspondent for Inside Edition. He is a regular guest contributor both as a legal analyst and entertainment reporter for CNN’s Headline News, Fox News Channel, Court TV, and MSNBC.

From the Field of Beauty — KEN PAVES — Dubbed by the media as one of the hottest hairdressers in Hollywood, Paves has remained one of the most sought after hairstylists in the world for the past 12 years. His work has appeared in all of the top industry magazines and his celebrity clientele include Jennifer Lopez, Jessica and Ashlee Simpson, Celine Dion, Kerry Washington, Marcia Cross, Eve and Jessica Alba.

MISS AMERICA: COUNTDOWN TO THE CROWN

TLC presents the four-part reality series MISS AMERICA: COUNTDOWN TO THE CROWN, capturing the excitement as the 52 Miss America contestants live together and face off in challenges that help them better prepare for the iconic pageant. Each one-hour episode, hosted by Tyler Harcott, will follow the contestants as they navigate through a series of team and individual competitions that will help them prepare for the pageant and prove they have what it takes to be a modern-day Miss America. This year, the stakes are higher than ever — viewers at home will have the power to vote four contestants directly into the pageant’s Top 15. Tune in starting Friday, January 2, 2009 at 10 PM ET as the 52 contestants compete to have their ultimate crowning moment.

Media who wish to cover the 2009 Miss America Pageant can download a Press Credential application online at www.MissAmericaPressRoom.com, where up-to-the-minute competition news and information, as well as downloadable high resolution images of Miss America 2008 Kirsten Haglund and the 2009 contestants are located.

Source: The Miss America Organization

When broadcaster and health campaigner Anne Diamond reviewed some videogames earlier this year, her damnation was so scathing that it overshadowed The Byron Review, a major government-commissioned report on the subject.

Fast forward eight months and the leading health campaigner is now working with researchers to test a theory that certain casual games may actually help weight loss and she’s recruiting volunteers for a clinical trial to put the theory to the test.

This study was prompted by work already undertaken in the U.S. by East Carolina University research published in May 2008 which showed casual videogames relieved stress [see the following for more information http://www.ecu.edu/cs-admin/news/releases/2008/4/ecupopcapstudy04282008.cfm].

“Of course, we are not talking about the kinds of violent games I reviewed earlier in the year, and which caused such a stir in the gaming world” Diamond comments. “We’re looking at casual videogames. Research suggests that, unlike the violent and adrenalin-fuelled titles I reviewed, certain “casual” games can reduce stress levels, enhance mood, and even reduce depression. What’s more, they could actually help with weight loss - a subject very close to my heart. The theory is that playing casual games like PopCap.co.uk’s Bejeweled Twist for a few minutes, say at lunchtime, or at a stressful time of day, can provide a simple distraction from food cravings, helping dieters remain focussed, de-stress them and lift their mood - very important features in weight loss… So naturally, I wanted to know more.”

Respected dietician and nutritionist, Nigel Denby, who will conduct the research throughout January 2009 added: “Beating cravings and ‘grazing’ are two of the most challenging aspects of dieting for many people and January 1st is traditionally when many people embark on a diet. The majority have fallen off the wagon within three weeks. We’ve therefore decided to make this trial a real torture test and see if Bejeweled Twist can help New Year dieters achieve their goals.”

Cathy Orr of PopCap.co.uk, the company behind Bejeweled Twist and whose games were used in the clinical trials in the US said, “We are delighted Anne is involved in the new trial. We are just beginning to understand some of the positive health benefits casual games can have and we hope that we can find some good news for the millions of dieters in the UK.”

Dieters who wish to participate in the trial should visit http://www.popcap.co.uk to try out Bejeweled Twist and sign up for the study. The research will take place throughout January 2009.

Anne Diamond added: “Losing and managing weight is a struggle - some experts say that 12.8 million Brits are on a diet at any one time and all my research shows that it is a life sentence, and people need to develop strategies to stop snacking or comfort eating. Anything that can help make dieting even a little bit easier and less stressful is a positive development and playing casual games is something that anyone can do, any time, anywhere.”

Bejeweled is the most popular casual game franchise of the 21st century, with more than 350 million copies downloaded and over 25 million units sold. Bejeweled Twist is the first new Bejeweled title in almost four years.

Debt Divas has been set up by female financial experts Melanie Giles, Melanie Nicholas, Susan Clay, Suzanne Stocker and Vanessa Phillips and encourages women, who are traditionally reluctant to own up to their personal debt problems, to talk, share and discuss how to resolve their finance worries. The site provides a combination of professional advice, hints, tips and case studies along with a ‘Debt Analyser’ and a ‘Girl Chat’ forum facility.

According to a report by the Consumer Credit Counselling Service, women account for more than half of their client base (almost 60%) and women are also more likely to have home credit, store card and catalogue debt than men. Women are also more likely than men to keep their debt problems secret. Forty percent of female CCCS clients hide their debt problems from their partners, compared to 34 percent of men.*

Melanie Giles, who heads up the Debt Divas team is one of a very small number of female insolvency practitioners in the UK and along with her female colleagues, who are all debt experts, hopes the website will offer a much needed open forum for women in financial trouble, who want to seek help and support whilst retaining anonymity.

“As a group of female finance practitioners we were all finding that a large proportion of the calls we were receiving from potential new clients were from women,” says Melanie Giles.

“Many women with debt problems get into trouble because they are more likely to be single parents, working part-time or caring for relatives, often earning less than men. Women also often borrow from high interest sources and then feel embarrassed about admitting that they are not managing their finances.”

“A ‘help-site’ with an active online community forum that offers advice, tips and guidance from peers, experts with a uniquely ‘female’ view and anyone with an interest, was seen as the best way to offer a truly relevant and practical service to as many women as possible,” added Debt Diva Susan Clay.

The site offers news, features, guidance and opinion and actively encourages participation from members when it comes to offering examples of what has and hasn’t worked for them.

Sections on the ‘help-site’ include general debt solutions, case studies and success stories as well as extensive resources on Debt and Health, Debt and Family, Debt and Workplace Issues including budget busting recipes, how to look good on a budget and much more.

“With Christmas looming and all of the financial implications that come with the festive season, we hope members and future members of the site will band together and come up with some really useful tips,” added Melanie Giles.

“The site offers up-to-date professional advice and guidance but the Debt Divas community is also very much about women helping each other. And we’re pretty good at that!”

For further details visit http://www.debtdivas.co.uk .

* Centre for Credit Counseling Statistical Yearbook 2007

While families are trying to make wiser spending choices this season, that doesn’t mean that Santa Claus will be put on the back burner. With parents opting to spend only where it counts and make sure they are getting the most bang for their buck, they are being selective with gift purchases, and are putting a focus on traditions that will make the most impact on their families’ Christmas memories.

One company that specializes in making sure that children receive a memorable visit with Santa Claus is SantaSpeaking.com, which provides personalized phone calls to children from Santa. SantaSpeaking.com’s early season figures show a 46% increase in scheduled visits over 2007, illustrating families’ commitment to keeping the tradition of Santa Claus alive.

“Parents can do much to scale back their Christmas, but children will still expect Santa to come. The anticipation of his arrival is part of the magic of their holiday, and a special visit with Santa just adds to that,” says Anne Gaskell, founder of SantaSpeaking.com. “We weren’t sure what to expect in terms of volume this year because of such gloomy forecasts, but we’re surprised to see the spike in orders so early in the season.”

Scott Williams, VP of Emisare Inc., a relationship and branding firm in Greensboro, NC, says, “Families will use this time to focus on what’s important, keeping their traditions intact and strengthening the message of Christmas. Celebrating Santa Claus offers parents the opportunity to stress valuable lessons like being kind, considerate, helpful and to show appreciation for what you do have, at a time where indulgent spending may not be an option for families.”

And so while there may be fewer presents under the tree this year, families are counting on Santa to still bring cheer and warm, fuzzy memories at a time where families really need it. Keeping family traditions like Santa Claus alive — when little on the news seems bright — may just lend optimism to Christmas where pessimism was forecasted.

SantaSpeaking.com was founded in 2004 by two moms in the midwest who aim to brighten other families’ Christmas through the magic of Santa Claus. SantaSpeaking.com provides personalized phone calls to children from Santa Claus, offering a recording of the conversation after the call is made as a keepsake to parents. Cost of calls and recordings range from $21.95 - $49.95.

NCPC suggests following these safety tips to avoid problems during the start of the busiest travel season of the year.

Safety begins at home

• Make sure your house looks “lived-in” when you are away. Lock all doors and windows, and set household lights (inside and out) on timers.
• Trim your hedges and bushes so thieves do not have a place to hide out.
• Have a neighbor park a car in your driveway to make it appear as if someone is home.
• Invest in an alarm. An alarm system controls access points to your home and lets you know if someone has invaded your space.
• Ask a trusted neighbor or friend to watch your house and pick up your mail and newspapers while you are away.
• File a “travel plan.” Let someone know where you are going, the route you plan to take, and when you plan to arrive. If you deviate from that plan, let someone know.

Watch out for clever criminals

• Do not stop if your car is bumped from behind or if someone says there is something wrong with your car. Go to a service station or a well-lit, populated area and call for help.
• Fill the gas tank before dark and lock your car doors, and roll up your windows if you step away from the car for any reason.
• Never leave items of value such as cell phones, cameras, jewelry, or other expensive belongings visible in your car. Lock them in your trunk or take them with you.

Safety away from home

• Carry money separately from credit cards. Carry your purse close to your body or your wallet inside a coat or front trouser pocket.
• If you choose to shop on Black Friday, do not overburden yourself with packages to avoid being an easy target.
• Stick to well-lighted and well-traveled streets at all times.
• Select ATM machines in visible, well-lighted locations.
• Do not leave valuables in your hotel room. Most hotels have safes for guest use.
• Keep your hotel room door locked, even when you are inside.

National Crime Prevention Council

The National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) is a private, nonprofit organization whose primary mission is to be the nation’s leader in helping people keep themselves, their families, and their communities safe from crime. NCPC manages public service advertising under the National Citizens’ Crime Prevention Campaign — symbolized by McGruff the Crime Dog(R) and his “Take A Bite Out Of Crime(R)” slogan — and acts as secretariat for the Crime Prevention Coalition of America, more than 400 national, federal, state, and local organizations representing thousands of constituents who are committed to preventing crime. NCPC is funded through a variety of government agencies, corporate and private foundations, and donations from private individuals. For more information on crime prevention issues, visit www.ncpc.org.