Have you or your children ever had a teacher that your really enjoyed or who really left an impact? Both of my older children, Zack and Libby, were fortunate to have the same teacher for kindergarten. We will refer to their teacher as Mrs. K.

Zack is now in 8th grade and Libby in 7th. In all of the years they have been in school, I have never enjoyed another teacher as much as Mrs. K and neither have the kids.

Mrs. K drove my kids to express their creativity, taught them to enjoy reading and get lost in the make believe world of books and she always encouraged them to be themselves. For this, I am forever grateful to her and I am thankful that we have kept in touch with her over the years and happy to know that when Alexander starts school (5K) in the fall, he will have her as his teacher as well.

As a parent, I have always been a HUGE supporter or teachers, ecspecially here in Wisconsin after recent political events, and I will always stand by teachers for what they do and how much of their own personal time and money is spent on the student in our community.

As a supporter of teachers nationwide, I am proud to support the Hilton Alexonors Teacher Treks program. Thanks to this program, 15 teachers will get the opportunity to travel and experience, first-hand, the subject that they teach while enriching their curriculum and giving students the inspiration to discover and explore the world.
The panel of judges have narrowed the competition down to 30 finalists from 20 different states, including Texas, Illinois, Michigan, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Colorado, California, Massachusetts, North Carolina or Washington to name a few!

Each finalist has mapped out their travel dreams and you can vote daily for your top pick.  15 winners will receive a grant valued at $6000 so they can travel to the destinationof their choice in addition to their school receiving a $2500 grant to be used for cultural activities or  enhancements.

The runner-up won’t be left empty handed as theire schools will also receive a $2500 grant for culutral activities or enhancements.  

In addition to all of this, one winner from ALL of the submissions will receive a cultural excursion for their class with a $1500 value.

Not only do the finalists and the other submissions have the chance to win something, you can win something just by voting!  Of those that vote in the Teacher Treks competition, 10 random winners will receive one (1) Hilton Alexonors Gift Card valued at $250!!!!

You can cast your vote once per during the voting period.  Winners will be announced in May 2013.

So, what are you waiting for?? Go VOTE NOW!

You can also be come a Hilton Alexonors member and start earning points for travel!

If you happen to be one of the many people who want to be able to go out into public with a high fashion item that others are more than likely not going to be wearing, you are definitely not alone. The thing to consider when you try to buy an item of this quality is that you have to be able to afford it and be able to wear it well. This means that you take care of the item that you are purchasing so that it will last a long time and continue to radiate the same quality as it did when you first purchased it. The nice thing about designer clothes like the ones that you get at Heist are that you can pick them out at your leisure without any pressure from sales clerks, which makes it all the better.

One of the warmest and most comfortable ways to dress if you are in the mood to lounge is usually going to be sweatpants. However, these are not really fashionable. This means that you need to try to get something from a designer like Manrow! These are what you could call high fashion sweatpants and sweatshirts, but that is in no way cheap, except in price. When you can say that you paid for designer clothing for a combined cost of under 200 dollars for a top and bottom, you are going to be happy. These clothing items are very warm and crafted from a polyester/rayon/cotton blend to stay comfortable all the time. There are many colors in both pants and shirts. Pants come in seven different colors while the shirts come in three different colors.

For a less casual wear and a bit more conservative there are the great designs by Nili Lotan. While these are not casual in the sense of the above items, they are still perfect for an outing or a casual meeting with friends. A person wanting a plain T-shirt that is fashionable yet not cheap is going to love the Air Gray T-shirt that is offered for only 69 dollars. This shirt is made with 100% Pima Cotton and comes in medium and large with a low cut design for men or women. A much higher quality and fashionable item from this same selection is the Stitch Cape at 405 dollars. This is a wonderful combination of Alpaca/Merino/Nylon and feels like a dream upon the skin.

This is a guest post

The state of the economy in Australia and most of the world right now leaves much to be desired. World economies have been greatly affected by the global economic slowdown. Unemployment is on the rise, as are the costs of living. This is the state of most of the world’s economies since the slow climb back up from the financial downward spiral of a few years back. But one cannot just afford to give up. There are many ways that you can ensure that you and yours do not have to suffer too much due to all these problems.

One thing that one must accept is that the situation is not likely to improve overnight and that the conventionally accepted modes of paid employment are becoming obsolete. When there is a doubt of financial stability, firms are unlikely to retain a potentially less cost effective structure of employment when freelance or contractual based positions are better for the company. This means that a normal 9 to 5 job that you may get to go to everyday is rather hard to come by.  The qualifications and experience that you possess do not matter much if there no position out there at all. Even if you are willing to be flexible on your expected salary package, it does not ensure that you will find a job. 

Passive Income               

The best thing for you to do is to ensure that you possess a steady flow of what is called as a residual or a passive income. This means a source of revenue that you start and it works to continue bringing in additional income with little to no additional work. The ideal method to go about setting up such a constant flow of money is the internet. Online marketing, content writing, blogging, graphic designing, freelance programming, developing apps, website administration are just some of the simple ways that a little basic knowledge of computing and a small amount of initiative and innovative thinking can help you sustain your lifestyle by supplementing your traditional sources of income.

Blogging

Start a blog contribute religiously, and maintain the relevancy with articles that add value to the topic under discussion. Soon you will have built up a loyal set of followers and people will be lining up to post guest posts on your blog. Now you can start charging them nominal amounts for approving their posts; suppose you ask for $5 a month, for 10 posts from a single guest; imagine the money you will be making month on month, just by maintaining the integrity of your blog. For this, you have to post at least once a day, on the latest news, trends, etc. This is the beauty of internet marketing. But there is a gestation period just like any other business, and you have to be patient.

Just because regular job has become scarce does not mean you can’t make money.  As they say, “When one door closes, a window opens.” Which means opportunity is everywhere.  All you have to do is turn on your computer and with a little creativity your financial problems can be reduced.

This article was brought to you by Low Income Loans Australia, a financial blog which assists readers with creative borrowing options and tips on how to save money.  

Children can be extremely difficult to buy gifts for, especially when you’re on a budget. As your friends and family grow, and your own family grows, you’ll find yourself going to more and more children’s birthdays every year. Preparing for these birthdays may take a little preparation if you want to stick to your budget.

1. Books And Videos

Books don’t have to be boring. If the child has an electronic book reader you can get them new books in the series, and there are many children that have specific interests that they would be very excited to have a book about. There are many books today that have electronic features that interest children, and there are books for practically any age group and type of child. Educational but entertaining DVD sets are also a great way to help a child learn while they’re having fun at the same time.

2. Clothing

Children grow out of clothing all the time, which means that clothing is a great gift both for the kids and the parents. Kid’s clothing is usually fairly inexpensive because designers know that it will need to be replaced often. If you want to save money you can download a printed pattern and sew it yourself. You can choose a fabric pattern that involves something the child really likes, such as dinosaurs for a younger child.

3. Grab Bags

When you need to save money, you can go for quantity over price. Grab bags are a great way to give a child many small gifts and not a single large gift. Candies, small toys, stickers, and other fun items can entrance a child for a long time. By putting a lot of thought into every item you put in the bag you can show the child and their parents that you really care about getting them something they’ll love.

4. Stuffed Animals

Many children absolutely adore stuffed animals, and even large stuffed animals are usually very economical. You can pick out an animal that they like or a color they like and they’ll be extremely excited to meet their new friend. Before you pick out a stuffed animal you can also give a call to the parents to make sure that they don’t already have something similar in their room and to make sure that their stuffed animal phase is not yet over.

5. Board Games

Board games are a great way to pry kids away from the video games and get them to spend more time with their family. The child and their parents alike will benefit from the togetherness, and many children will have just as much fun with a board game as with electronics with just a bit of encouragement. Board games are very cheap today, and there are many board games that you’ll be able to choose from depending on the age of the child and their interests.

Author Bio

Kate is a mother of 3 children who sometimes finds it financially challenging to buy gifts for all the children in her extended family. She put together this list of ideas for anyone who may be in a similar situation. Kate also recommends that people should check out the latest target catalogue for more inexpensive gift ideas for kids.