Divorced With Children: Knowing Your Power

April 29, 2012 By Leave a Comment

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Divorce isn’t easy on adults much less on children. Many times, custody is given to the mother because children attach more to her. Sometimes during divorce proceedings a mother’s care is questioned as inadequate or unsafe for her children. In this case, a mother should know her rights.

Mother’s Rights

Legal Representation

Hiring a family lawyer is a good way to protect your parental rights. Attorneys who specialize in family law will know the ins and outs of the law and the system. They will advise what mother’s rights in child custody hearings are.

Witnesses

In many divorce cases and custody hearings, testimony is a matter of “he said, she said” with little evidence to prove either one correct. If you’re going in to dispute accusations of your parenting, bring witnesses with you. Your lawyer will depose witnesses beforehand.

Physical Evidence

Any physical evidence that will help matters. This may include documents or receipts for financial support or doctor statements. If you have any proof of abuse or neglect on his part, give it to your lawyer.

Factors Influencing Custody

There are many factors that influence custody that the court will consider:

  • You can provide a stable home.
  • You are mentally and physically able to care for your children.
  • You were the primary caretaker of your kids. Children have a stronger bond with the parent that did most of the nurturing.
  • Your kids can voice their desires to the court.

If the Court Rules Against You

Sometimes the court will award custody to the father. In this situation, mothers have certain rights.

Visitation

A mother has the right to regular visitations with her children. You may schedule activities during this time. Visits must be free from the interruptions or threats from the father.

Petition

A mother has the right to petition the court to enforce visitation. You can also request a hearing when you feel that the agreement has been violated or visitation has been denied.

Injunction

A mother has the right to stop the father from taking kids over state lines. Many missing children are abducted by parents. You can get an injunction preventing him from taking your kids to an unknown or unreachable destination.

Mother’s Obligations

Not only do you have rights, but you have responsibilities as well. You must obey court orders and behave in your children’s best interest at all times. You must report any signs of abuse or neglect. Whether you want to or not, you have to work with your ex -husband and maintain an amicable and cooperative relationship.

Going through custody hearings is stressful, but knowing what you’re rights are beforehand will help you protect your relationship with your kids.

Filed Under: Family Tagged With: , ,

Recognizing the Warning Signs of Bankruptcy Fraud

April 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment

It’s no secret that the economy experiences large swings from year to year. Sometimes, businesses thrive and consumers flock to spend all their disposable income. In a matter of a few months, those same small businesses are closing their doors, and those once-carefree spenders are pinching every last penny.

When financial times are good, it’s important to stash that cash and save certain funds for those times when finances are leaner. If consumers aren’t seriously careful, they might find themselves filing for financial hardships, defaulting on loans and mortgages, etc. When this happens, there are serious legal penalties for lying to the bankruptcy court, and it’s important to be safe and smart with money to avoid legal trouble. Stay informed, and take a look through our best list of ways to recognize the warning signs of bankruptcy fraud, and learn how to avoid it in the future.

Image Courtesy of Tax Credits via Flickr.

Concealing Assets

If a friend of loved one confides he or she is doing some strategic shuffling to hide or conceal financial or material assets, it could be a huge red flag. Especially in the world of business, concealing valuable collateral points towards sub-legal activity. Sure, every business owner wants to save his company, but not at the expense of his reputation. Help steer him in the right direction and seek legal help together before proceeding.

Large Transfers

Huge amounts of money can sometimes be transferred to a different account, under the legal radar. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for any similar bank activity, especially if you own a business and have a hand in the finances. Remember that Uncle Sam will surely examine bank statements and financial history in a bankruptcy court and you can’t be too careful.

Gifting the Grandkids

Baby boomers who own successful, thriving companies know all too well that gifting the grandkids can be one of the best ways to push money out of a large account, tax-free. But be wary of a business owner who seems to be a little too generous. He or she might know a financial crash is looming, and is trying to preserve every last dollar, which could be a financial warning sign.

Now that you have a firm list of a few those tell-tale warning signs of bankruptcy fraud, you’ll know how to avoid them in the future. Spread the word to loved ones—especially those with small businesses—and learn how to safely stash any extra funds for times when finances are leaner. You’ll never regret being financially responsible, even if it costs a few extra dollars in the long-run. Live by a few smart finance rules, and always enjoy a business—or even family budget—happily in the black, despite financial and economic swings.

Filed Under: Finance Tagged With: , , ,

3 Tips for Traveling with Kids

January 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Image by Benjamin.Griffiths via Flickr

Traveling with children can be a hassle, but going on a family vacation doesn’t have to be complete chaos. Taking a little time to properly plan ahead can make a huge difference. The following three tips can help your vacation be less stressful like it should be.

Check Airport Rules

You have probably spent a lot of time searching for cheap San Francisco flights or for the company that gives the best deals, but you need to remember to research the rules and regulations of the airport. This will help your check in process go more smoothly and prevent you from over packing. Check to see if there are regulations on strollers and car seats or if there is an extra fee. In most cases, you do not have to pay extra for these items, but you should confirm this with the airport. You will also want to check how much baggage each person is allowed to bring, what size is appropriate, etc. Most airports only allow small bottles of liquid on the plane, so make sure you bring along travel sized containers and put them in a plastic bag. Don’t bring along anything that is not allowed or it may get thrown out.

Bring Along Entertainment

Whether you have a video game policy you enforce at your home or not, it doesn’t hurt to let your children play games while you travel. This will keep them from distracting others around them by keeping them occupied and entertained. Forms of entertainment that you may want to bring along include coloring books, travel DVD players, portable electronics, and more. You may also want to bring along snacks to keep your children satisfied while you travel.

Plan Ahead

It’s always good to plan ahead when going on vacation, but traveling with children can take extra research and planning. Make sure you have plenty to do at your destination to keep your children occupied and having fun. Plan a variety of activities that both your children and you will enjoy, such as going to the beach, checking out a water park, going to an amusement park, or exploring a museum. If you are planning to leave your kids alone while the adults enjoy an activity, make sure they have supervision, whether one of your children is old enough to watch the others or your hotel offers childcare services. Planning ahead is important when traveling with children, but don’t be afraid to try something off of the itinerary.

Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: , ,

Finding Associations for Women Online

August 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment

We tend to think of it as a man’s world, which is ridiculous for so many reasons, but it nevertheless seems to hold true in many accounts. Consider the world of business. It is almost expected that the CEO or Director of Operations is going to be a man committed to the success of his business.

We all know that while this may hold true in many cases, it is simply not always the case. Women have made huge strides in terms of being accepted as leaders. The last few presidential cycles has witnessed more women at the forefront than ever before. And women are becoming business leaders and entrepreneurs at an ever growing rate.

With this shift in societal architecture, a need for women to form supportive groups that further their goals and aspirations has arisen. There are many such associations that can be found online and, if the specific groups can’t be found, there are many capable women ready to start them.

Finding such associations online can be done through search engines using key words like “women” and “associations.” It also is helpful to use words pertinent to the reason for the association in question—whether it be “female entrepreneurs” or “mothers working from home.”

Canada offers a very direct means of finding such organizations by use of Canada 411. There, a woman can quickly research the associations offered to them in particular or other groups and organizations that might help them become more successful, regardless of the field or endeavor in which they are interested.

Filed Under: Feminism, Society Tagged With: , ,

Women in American Politics

July 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Nancy Pelosi photo portrait as Speaker of the ...

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Amazingly enough, for what some consider to be the “best country in the world,” the United States has a shockingly low female representation in all levels of politics. There are currently 20 women holding the leadership positions of their country, either as Prime Ministers, Chancellor or President.

Sri Lanka was the first country which, in 1960, elected Sirivamo Bandaranaike as their Premier Minister. In 1974, Argentina elected Isabel Perón as their President. Since then, women have held any manor of political position throughout the world. In the United States, however, women have never held the office of either President or Vice President.

While the offices of the United States President, Kazakhstan President and many more have gone without women, there are plenty of women in powerful positions. In the United States, women such as Hilary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi and Condeleezza Rice are all trailblazers. Hopefully, the work of these women will one day make it possible for a woman to hold the office of President in the US. Even Barbara Walters was recently quoted saying that the USA would benefit from a woman leader.

It is interesting to note, that even countries who are dealing with intense economic, political and humanitarian issues have women leaders. If women can capably run those countries, why can Americans not elect a woman as President?

Only time will tell. Recent American politics has seen Hilary Clinton run for President and Sarah Palin run for Vice President. Perhaps the next time the US has an election, a woman will be elected into office.

Filed Under: Women

Don’t Sleep Walk Through Life – Live It!

July 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment

In today’s current economic climate, it is almost always necessary for families to have two incomes. Over the past two years, there has been a steady increase in the number of working women. This has forced more and more women to face a very real problem – there are only 24 hours in a day and none of us have a clone. As women’s issues go, dealing with the stress and workload of being a working mom doesn’t often get press, but it should. Today’s working moms are putting in more hours than ever before as they attempt to balance their home life, their work life, their children, and their spouses.

As mom’s, to some extent, we must do it all. Going back to work after we have children does little to change this attitude. If anything, it only makes it worse. We still want to prepare meals, go to soccer practice, and spend quality time with our spouses, but as our days get stretched thinner and thinner, we often are left wondering just how much sleep we actually must have.

Before you get to the point where you want to tear your husband’s leg hair out, you should take a few minutes to step back and reconsider. What things are you doing that could delegate? How often do you find yourself going behind your spouse when he has tried to help with the chores? Are there things that you can give up doing? You may find that be readjusting your priorities you can place yourself to live life instead of sleepwalk through it.

Filed Under: Society, Women Tagged With: , ,

Balancing the PTA with the PTA’int

July 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment

We struggle to say no. The PTA calls, needing twelve dozen cookies, tomorrow, and do we even hesitate?  Of course not.  We don’t want to be judged as inadequate.  We will do what we have to do, even if we have to bake oatmeal raisin cookies at four in the morning, to get them to the PTA on time.

We work, we work at home, we struggle with deadlines as they whiz by, and we wonder if we can find balance between the school meetings and the office meetings. We lose ourselves in the daily rush of mediocrity.
How do we juggle our responsibilities, and still maintain some semblance of normalcy? How do we keep our hopes and dreams from getting buried?

Here are some suggestions:
1. Keep a journal. Whether it is a photo journal, a diary, a sketchbook, whatever your secret talent, take a few moments a day to recover your creativity.

2. Remember to breathe. In the moments of the most stress, practice deep-breathing techniques. They’ll help you focus, and help you keep your calm.

3. Practice saying ‘no.’  remember that no one expects you to be Super Woman.  It’s perfectly understandable if you can’t make those cookies, after all.

4. Take time for yourself.  Schedule yourself a day at the spa, or a haircut, or a simple trip to the bookstore.  Spend some time with just yourself, and concentrate on rejuvenation.  Do what relaxes you most.  There is no right an wrong here, only what you need.

5. Spend time with just your significant other.  No kids, if you have them, no dogs, no bosses.  Just the two of you.  Take time to reconnect to one another; find out why you fell in love in the first place.  6. Back away from the laundry.  Who cares if there’s a mountain of laundry that needs doing!?  Take that time periodically to spend time with your family or your best buddies.  Laundry will never make you laugh like your children or your girlfriends will.

Filed Under: General, Society Tagged With: , ,

Issues Working Women Face

June 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment
sexual harassment ?

Image by krembo1 via Flickr

Men and women are supposed to be equal when it comes to the workplace. They are supposed to have equal pay, benefits and job opportunities. However, that is not the case. Women continue to face a number of issues in the workplace.

Here’s a look at a number of the issues working women face on a daily basis.

Childcare Costs

Women are still viewed as the main provider for childcare. That puts the burden on working women to find a suitable childcare alternative for the hours that they are working. This is an added expense that many men do not have to consider when entering the workforce.

The Pay Gap Between Genders

Many companies will have you believe that men and women are making the same amount of money but a recent survey says otherwise. A recent survey discovered that there is still a significant difference in salaries between what women make and what men make. This difference is believed to be a direct result of women taking lower paying jobs and the time they take off to raise children.

Sexual Harassment

Many working women face the possibility of encountering sexual harassment in the workplace. While sexual harassment is a crime and punishable by law many women still encounter this issue regularly while they are in the workforce.

While some men encounter these types of problems the majority of the people who handle childcare costs, face unequal pay and encounter sexual harassment continue to be women who have entered the workforce. That is why these issues are considered working women’s issues.

Filed Under: Feminism, Women Tagged With: , ,

There is No Unbiased Elephant

May 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

It seems strange that we automatically assume that the news is reported free of bias. We tend to think of the “news” as being equivalent with the “truth.” Of course it makes sense we would see it this way since we think of news as events that take place. What could be more cut and dried? It either happened or it didn’t: truth or untruth. The problem of course appears when we attempt to describe the news.

New York Times

Image via Wikipedia

Think of the reporting of news as the blind men describing an elephant. One feels the tail and assumes the elephant is a rope. Another feels the leg and says the elephant is a pillar – and so it goes as each describes a part of the elephant. When a news event takes place people can’t help but gravitate to a certain part of the story

When a politician speaks it is easy for the person reporting on the story to see the event from his perspective. It’s actually normal human behavior to do this. If the reporter favors the politician he will focus on those aspects of the (elephant) politician that are positive. Another reporter may believe the politician to be untrustworthy. In this case his interpretation will focus on the negative feature of the elephant/politician.

The problem isn’t that one network, newspaper, or blog is biased. The problem is assuming that any of them are unbiased. The only way to approach the truth when it comes to the news is to review reports written by those with opposing points-of-view and attempt to reconstruct the elephant as accurately as possible given the various different perspectives.

Filed Under: General Tagged With: , ,

How You Get Into Office

March 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Many people are fed up with the kind of treatment that they get from those in office, but the truth is that it’s very difficult to blame the politicians singularly for the shoddy treatment that the citizens get. The political machine makes it very difficult for people to do their jobs and that leads to a whole world of trouble for the people who have health care and education needs.

Let’s forget, for just a second, about the differences between the two political parties that complicates the political landscape but let’s go back to what someone must do in order to be a part of the political system at all.

A person who is running for office on a major level, even if it’s on the major local level, is doing it because they are committed to seeing the benefits of being in politics. It will cost them six figures of their own money easily to get involved. Of course they cannot do it alone and therefore they reach out to other political people to find investors. The money that is given to them is done in good faith. The faith is that when all is said and done they will give back just what they put in. This makes the job they have to do so much harder. When they get into office they have to start paying back favors before they can make a difference. It’s a tough way to live but it’s the price they paid to get into office in the first place.

Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: , ,
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