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But with that comes a lot of risks, more notably the risk of a virus or trojan. These things can sneak into any file type these days. It’s hard to figure out what is and is not a virus. I mean how do we know, we just click stuff - we’re not programmers or hackers right? Well… wrong. You need to know the basics to be able to exist on the net and not get a virus. Here’s some of MY tips I have learned.

- Avoid using programs like limewire, bearshare etc. Any of those “free” programs that you can download music from. They are INFESTED with spyware and viruses.
- Don’t open emails that have attachments from people you don’t know. And if you do know them make sure the file extensions are not: .exe, .bat, .dll or any other kind of SYSTEM file.
- Don’t let your kids use your computer. They could be clicking all sorts of malicious links.

These are the more obvious tips and franky I am not as advanced as some people. But USE COMMON SENSE. If its some crazy blinking banner that says you are visitor #12387736 and won a free truck, chances are you didn’t and they are “phishing” for info or giving you spyware.

Care to add to my article? Please comment.

Planning a Family Vacation

Planning is not as easy as it sounds and is comprised of several stages:

1. Choose a time of year
2. Decide if it is a “learning” trip or a “relaxing” trip
3. Pick a location
4. Search for local activities
5. Look for flights and deals
6. As part of the above, plan hotels and flights around each other

These are not as easy as they sound and can take months if not even a year to plan correctly. I have spent one and a half years planning a family vacation once. Granted it was an hour a month, I still took a long time to make sure everything was done correctly.

Vacation: Mission Critical

There are some things you can not go without on a vacation that I have learned. So I want to list my crashdown DO NOT FORGET to take list. These items go with me on every trip. Sometimes none are used, sometimes all. But I have gotten use out of every single one at some point.

Dental care travel pack (toothpaste, floss, brush), Gum (for the flight), water purifying tablets, US Currency, Canadian Currency, local currency, credit cards, TRAVEL INSURANCE, clothing for every type of weather condition, if you wear glasses bring your case and headband to hold them in case you discover water to swim in, plenty of socks, water cantine, security travel wallet, pre-paid phone card, drivers license, passport, birth certificate, proof of citizenship in your home country, photos of your children and you with entire family (multiple copies).
These are some of the articles I couldn’t leave without. Believe it or not, some countries will not let you enter them without proof you are the legal guardian of under-age children. So be prepared to provide proof that they are yours - legally.

What do YOU want to see?

One of the problems I made on family vacation #1 was planning ALL of the events myself. I made the mistake of not asking anyone’s input. I suffered later as everyone was miserable. Apparently touring castles doesn’t interest everyone in the family. I had to adjust next time to make sure that I put time aside for activities everyone else wanted to do. I also asked in advance of going what they wanted to do so I could seek out anything that was related and plan it into our trip.

As a father and a trip planner, don’t fall for the family vacation mistake of thinking your way or the highway. People will get cranky and revolt… and you can’t escape them into your couch and TV - you’re in another country!!

This is just an introduction and a general blabber about a family vacation. I’ve had a lot of trips and maybe soon I will talk about them. I know I want to talk about round-abouts at some point. I… hate… round-abouts.

In your opinion are we more or less productive on a daily and yearly scale than people were decades ago without the type of rapid communication we have today? Are we moving parallel? Advancing? Slowing down?

I’ve been teaching my kids the value of money simply by alloting them an allowance every week by performing chores around the house. It’s nothing intense like scrubbing a toilet or planting a new flower bed (although I’d love it if they stopped eating the dandilions… or maybe that is the deer) but it’s things like doing the dishes and vaccuming their own room. The responsibility involved is obvious and most parents do this to their children from day one. However rewarding them for the activity shows them they will receive money for doing labor. It sounds basic enough doesn’t it?

I’ve taken it a step further however. I have taken the average cost of equipping my kids with new clothing, school supplies, toys and other items I may purchase for them throughout a month and I put that money on a Visa Check Card. I opened each of my kids a checking and a savings account, and I place that average amount into their checking account every month. They have their own Visa Check Card and go about using it on their own.

When they were younger, if we went to a store they would just chuck in a bag of cookies and not even think about it. Now that they have had their own money, I’ll tell you their views have changed considerably. My daughter said “Those cookies are 3.49. Let’s get the $1.99 ones!”

Now many people have had opposing views on what I am doing. The arguments I have heard include:
- They are too young to WORRY about money
- That sort of responsibility is the parent’s jobs
- Kids should bne outside playing not thinking about money

I agree that they are too young to worry about money, which is why this approach is so great. They don’t worry about a thing. They buy their own clothes (granted I am there, and help them with the math on account balances and item totals), buy their own snacks and other products. When they are out of money they make more. If they have a balance, then they can splurge on something fun. The whole idea is to PREPARE them for what is going to happen in several years anyway. They will get a job and need to be able to manage money. I am simply teaching them from an early age that managing money is not so much a chore as doing the laundry. It’s easy when you are responsible.

Many of my friends have gone ahead and put their kids on the same system and reported huge success. I really think I’ve hit the nail on the head here with a very good system.

Please post your feedback and comments. I am very interested to hear your point of view.