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This is one more blog I am adding to PayPerPost. The more the merrier! The pot tackles the misery. I hope to be adding more fresh content soon!

Rubber Band Fun

Making toy cars using rubber bands is a lot of fun to do with kids. Rubber bands can be used for power or for traction. A toy car that uses a mouse trap is a fast, fun little car. The spring in the mouse trap releases energy to the wheels, that are wrapped in rubber bands, for traction. Get a few neighborhood kids together and make several for a race. Adult supervision is highly recommended in building a toy car using rubber bands. And fun is mandatory.

Get together all supplies for building a mouse trap car. This car requires a mouse trap, 2 metal rods, 4 small eye hole screws, some plywood, 2 rubber bands, some string, washers that the rods will fit into, a drill and bit set, jig saw or hack saw, an hammer, a vice, a wood file and a jewelers file., wood glue and some 2 part epoxy, and a drafting compass

Begin by taking the mouse trap and pulling out the wire that holds the trap open with the pliers. Keep this wire for later use. Remove the bait holder on the mouse trap. Remove any staples that may be present.

Using the eye hooks, screw them into an end of the trap. Place them 8 mm from the edge of the trap. Drill a small starter hole to keep the wood from splitting.

With the drafting compass to draw 2, 75 mm circles on the plywood. Cut them out with the jig saw. File the edges smooth with the wood file.

Place the rods side by side and check to see if they are exactly the same size. Cut and file to the right length if needed. Using the hack saw, cut approximately half way through one rod. File the cut so it is wide enough for the wire removed in step 1 to rest in.

Cut the wire from step 1 to 7 mm. Glue the end of this wire into the slot just cut with the 2 part epoxy. This will need to dry overnight.

Position the wire that is now dry to the back of the mouse trap. Slide the other wire through the eye hole screws.

Place the washers on the wires. With the drill and 3.7 mm bit, drill a hole in the center of the wheels. Slide the wheels on to the rods.

Tie the string in the center clamp on the mouse trap. Stretch the string to the end and tie it to the axle. Trim off loose ends.

Wrap the rubber bands around the wheels. Glue them in place.

Lift the clamp of the trap enough to get the loop end of the string over the wire on the rear axle. Pull the car backwards so that the string winds around the axle and lifts the clamp on the mouse trap. Sit the car on the floor and let it go.

Control Ants Safely

There are ants in the house. Ants in the kitchen. Ants in the living room. Ants in the bathroom. Ants come in through the smallest cracks in doors, windows and even the foundation of a home. Poisons and pesticides will kill the ants, but they are not healthy around children, pets or even kitchens. There are safe ways to kill ants safely for households that have children or pets.

Here are what is needed for 2 methods of getting rid of ants safely. Method 1 items are, a small spray bottle, some vinegar, water, black pepper and paper towels.

Method 2 items are, a paper plate, some syrup, powdered boric acid, some sidewalk chalk.

Mix equal parts of water and vinegar and pour into a small spray bottle. Fill 2 bottles and keep them in a couple of handy places. Spray ants anytime they are seen, inside and out.

Spray any ants as soon as they are seen in the home with the vinegar and water mixture. The vinegar kills the ants quickly and cleanly. No pesticides needed. To clean them up, just wipe them up with a paper towel and toss them away.

Locate a trail of ants inside or outside. Spray the ants with the vinegar mixture. Dust the trail with black pepper to prevent the ants from taking the same path into the house.

Follow the ants as they rush back to their nest and sprinkle more black pepper in and around the nest. This will repel the ants from their own home, and will cut down on how many are around the house.

The ants will run from the nest, spray the ants with the vinegar mixture as they leave the nest.
Pour hot water down the ant hole to boil and drown any remaining ants.

Another child and pet friendly way of controlling ants in and around the home is using boric acid and side walk chalk. Boric acid is toxic to ants and a few grains of dust can kill the hole colony safely.

Place a dot of maple syrup in the center of a paper plate. Sprinkle a line of boric acid around the syrup. The ants walk through the powder and take it back to their home, killing the whole nest.

Draw a line around the foundation of the home with sidewalk chalk once the ants are all out. Be sure to draw a wide line, with no breaks. This line will keep ants from entering the home.

The Rights of Grandparents and Adoptions

Adopting a grandchild or grandchildren is a noble and caring gesture for any grandparent. There are several situations in which a grandparent in Indiana can adopt a grandchild. Some children, as adults and parents, can become ill, get caught up in bad behavior, such as drinking and driving and get into other trouble with the law. Indiana court systems will grant custody to a grandparent rather than put the child or children into foster care.

The Beginning: Child in Need of Services

Initially, the Indiana court will order the child to be in need of social services. Indiana Child Protection Services will then attempt to locate a family member, beginning with a grandparent. The grandparents will then become legal guardians.

Porpose of Grammy's Blog

I started this blog mainly to vent, and to give some valuable information for all grandparents faced with challenges.

As parents, we do the best we can to raise our children right. Some children just have to learn the hard way, after they become parents, that everything they do in their lives, directly effects their children. Weather they stop bar-hopping, or drink and drive, EVERYTHING a parent does in their life effects their children.

What responsibility does a grandparent have when it comes to the grandchildren? If your child and their partner are neglecting or abusing your grandchildren, what can a grandparent do? The hardest thing any grandparent or parent can do is take charge of a bad situation.

Your Child Has Gone to Jail. What happens to the Grandchildren?

Your Child Has Gone to Jail. What happens to the Grandchildren?

A lot of grandparents have to step in and take care of their grandchildren. As parents, we do not want to see our children get into trouble with the law. But when they do, we, as parents have to let the law handle them. They are adults and should know right from wrong. The big issue here is, what to do about the grandchildren.

It is hard to believe, but there are some grandparents who will not take their grandchildren, if the parents get into trouble with the law. They just don't want to deal with the issues involved. There are other parents that will take them in a heart beat. No matter what the parents issues are.

There is a lot to taking custody of grandchildren when the parent or parents are in trouble with the law. Whether it is temporary or permanent, child protection is involved. There is the paperwork, background checks, fingerprinting, court hearings and even monthly visits from a caseworker.

If, as a grandparent, you find your self in this situation, there is help available. The place to start is of course with your local child protection agency. They are there to help. In most cases, child protection would much rather keep the children with family. Putting them in foster care with strangers is very hard on the children. Keeping them with family is a much better situation for all involved.

Be proactive. If your child has been getting into trouble with the law, contact child protection. Give them your information. Tell them you want the children to come to you if things get worse. Don't worry about giving your kids a “bad name” . If they are in trouble with the law, child protection already knows what is going on. Contact from you gives the authorities another option instead of foster care with strangers. They also have access to other services that you will need.

If your child is in major trouble with the law, and is looking at serious jail time, the paper work for temporary custody should be started as soon as possible. You may even want to consider consulting with a lawyer. To protect the children. Someone needs to have legal guardianship to sign for medical care, school, and even mental health care.

Whatever the issue is, as grandparents, we have to protect the grandchildren. They are the innocent victims of their parents bad behavior and deserve to stay with family.

Here is my favorite resource: worth every penny for the advise! Grandparents Rights For Custody And/or Visitation.

Finding good daycare-cheaper is not always better.

Those of us who are parents know how hard it is to find quality and affordable childcare. I know, from experience, that cheaper is not always the best way to go. Before we had our third child, I did get a job with a very good friend. We thought we were doing so good! The sitter we found was a friend who lived in the same apartment complex. We used to visit her a lot before we became employed. We let our children play together, bake cookies, get together once or twice a month and cook dinner for all 3 of our families.

Mary and I decided we should get jobs. Our friend said she could watch our children for 30 bucks a week! That is a great price for 2 kids. We found a job together doing some post construction cleaning in the Dallas, TX area.

I will never forget that fateful day when Mary got a phone call from her husband. We were cleaning a building that looked over the Cowboys practice field. We had decided to take our lunch closer to watch them practice. Mary received a call right before we were going to lunch break. As she was listening to the caller, I saw her face turn a frighting shade of white and she almost passed out! When she was finished with her call, she was hysterical. It took what seemed to be and eternity to get her to tell me what happened.

Her husband was calling from the hospital in Garland. The Dr. told him that her son, Christopher, had sustained a sever head injury and needed to be life-flighted to a nearby children's hospital. We rushed to the hospital as fast as we could. When we arrived, the Doctor met us at the entry to the ER with child protection. They told us that little Christopher's injury was not caused by a fall. The type of injury to his head could have only came from being dropped or falling from 6' or higher. Her baby was dieing. There was nothing they could do.

Mary passed out. Smelling salts were brought in to revive her. We were taken to the childrens hospital where he had been taken. For about a week the little guy wouldn't give up. Mary, her husband, and I all stayed and cried and held his little hand. We were all with him the day he stopped fighting.

There was an investigation by child protection and they inspected the other children in the sitters care. Questionable marks and bruises were found on Mary's 2 year old daughter, my 2 year old son and my 3 month old daughter. After the case workers eliminated us, as the parents as the abusers, they concentrated on the sitter. We just couldn't believe our friend could hurt our children. We were devistated!

The trial was long and drawn out. Almost a year later, we found out the true story of how little 13 month old Christopher was injured. The sitter admitted to not being able to handle him that day. He was a "cry baby". That day she just couldn't take it. She sent a little 13 year old neighbor child outside with the other children and proceeded to slam that little guy's head onto a dresser and concrete floor until he stopped crying, forever.

The sitter was sentenced to life in prison for causing injury resulting in death to a minor child. She is still there to this day.

This was the time in my life that I decided I would never trust another person to care for my children. Until they were old enough to speak up when something was wrong, I would stay home with them.

As parents we are supposed to protect our children from people who would do them harm. It is very difficult to know who to trust. Anyone can become a certified sitter. That is still no guarantee that your children will be cared for properly. When looking into day care, use the technology that is available. Do a background check on the potential care giver. Conduct several visits and interviews. Find out as much as you can about who you will.

Full Circle

It seems my life has come full circle. I have come to the conclusion that I was meant to raise children. My loving husband, Alex and I have 5 children. Three are mine and two are his. Three of them are now single parents of 7 great kids! I must say that I just love being a grandma!

I began my married life at the ripe old age of 18 and had all 3 of my children by 22. I chose to stay at home with my children after a babysitter killed my best friends little boy while Mary and I were working. Our children were at the same sitter! From that moment, I decided to take care of my own children!

Once my children were in school, I got my first drivers license at the ripe old age of 30. A short time later I started some college classes. My husband at the time was an alcoholic, who did not want me to become independent. He started to become violent. In the end, when our children were teenagers, we divorced.

I then worked 2 or 3 jobs for several years. I missed a lot of the children's teenage years, but we got through. Now they are all grown up and on their own. Two of my children have been through bad marriages, and are now divorced, trying to raise their children on their own. One of my husband's is also now a single parent. I lost my job over 2 years ago. Long story short, things happened to keep me home.

Now I am a stay-at-home grandma. There are 7 of the wonderful little people. I must say they are a joy! But there are days when I just don't know how I did it so many years ago!

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