A Moving Experience: Making Your Move Easy on Your Parrots

Moving is about as stressful a time as any in our lives and the lives of our fids. Having just completed moving the "gang" into a new house, I thought I would share some of the things that helped our move go smoothly. The feathered crew (Alex and Zeke, African Greys and April, Umbrella Cockatoo) have settled in nicely and things returned to normal quickly. Granted, the move was to a nearby city and we were not on the road in the U-Haul for more than an hour, but I believe preparing the birds had everything to do with their reduced stress level and smooth transition.

I also want to mention that there is the coolest service for moving called PODS (Portable On Demand Storage). I had it delivered to my old house the weekend before the actual move. This allowed me to pack up all my non-essentials at my leisure, clear out the house and cut down on the stress and chaos of the actual moving day. They took the "POD" away and stored it at their warehouse until the day I scheduled it to be delivered to my new house. I only had to rent a U-Haul for a few left over things and the bird cages.

Everything but a blanket, pillow, alarm clock, bird supplies and cages (that didn't get into the POD) were packed up in the U-Haul the night before the actual move. Renting the U-Haul for an extra day was really worth it! All I had to do on moving day was gather up a few things, place the birds in the carriers, load up the cages and away we went to our new home. My "POD" was delivered to my house later that afternoon and I had as much time as I wanted to unload it. It arrived on a Friday and I scheduled the POD pickup for the following Tuesday.

The reason I recommend a service like PODS is that it relieved so much stress. I was calm, the birds were calm and I could focus on making them more comfortable instead of running around loading things up at the last minute. I will never move without PODS again - it was that good!

The move actually took place in several stages.

Stage 1 - Keep the Fids Informed

House hunting is always both exciting and exhausting. But, when I found a house I really liked and the offer was accepted, I showed the flyer with the picture of the new house to the fids and told them all about it. I told them how nice it would be for them to have a bigger room with nice big windows and everything. Yes, I really did this! They may not understand all the words, but they get the fact that something is up.

When my old house sold and the paperwork was progressing along nicely, I started packing. I made sure they saw what I was doing and I would talk about the moving day and how exciting it would be.

Stage 2 - Prepare the Fids

A few days before the actual move, I cleared out my master bedroom and moved the fids out of their normal "bird room" and into the master bedroom. It was only across the hall, and not in totally unfamiliar surroundings. But, it conveyed the message to them loud and clear that change was coming. I made the move in the morning so they would have time to get used to the new room before bedtime.

After their first night in the master bedroom, I introduced the idea of travel. They have all been in carriers at one time or another, but I didn't have three carriers, I only had one. I went and bought a new one and borrowed another to make three. Three days before moving day, I placed each carrier in front of the cage of the bird that would be using that particular carrier. I placed them there all set up and ready to go with the doors open.

After they stated at the carriers for a few hours, I took each parrot and placed them in the carrier briefly. Just long enough to close the door, tell them how good they were and take them out again. The next day I kept them in there a little bit longer, about 5 to 10 minutes or so. The third day, I placed each into their carrier for about a half an hour. I also picked them up in it and walked around the house. All the while telling them how good they were and about moving day the next morning.

Stage 3 - Moving Day

I woke up early. We were supposed to arrive at our new house at 8 a.m. because the phone company, cable and internet company, etc. were arriving that day to set things up. And you know them, they are so exact on the appointment times, "Sometime between 8 a.m. and noon" was about as precise as it got. I needed my phone and internet hooked up pronto, of course, what's an online parrot supply store going to do without the online part and a phone?

I talked to the fids for a little bit and told them this was it. Moving day was here! Then I put them in their carriers and started loading up their cages. (They have big cages.) They all went in their carriers without a fuss. I put them by the front door so they could watch their cages being loaded and telling them how exciting their new home was going to be. The last thing I did was put them all on the front seat of the U-Haul with me and drove off to our new house.

Along the way, I picked up my helper for the day who would help me get their big cages up the steps to the new house. April actually greeted her with a big "Hi!" She wasn't stressing at all! Upon arrival at the new house, the first thing we did was to bring the birds inside and put them in their new room. Of course, I was talking to them the whole time. Then, we unloaded cages and one by one they were placed inside. I prepared their food and water like I always do and tried to keep things as normal as possible for them. All that was completed and the birds completely set back up in their cages before anything else was done.

Stage 4 - New Digs

I kept things as normal as possible for them. After a day or two they were pretty darn comfortable. That's when I started being a tour guide. Each was given a tour of a different room. I went from room to room, one a day or a whole house tour. It depended on the bird's comfort level. I made sure to point out the windows to them and have them touch it so they know not to fly into it. Things returned to normal quickly and they really love their new space!

I really believe that it went so smoothly because each of the steps prepared them for the next. I was shocked at how quickly they adjusted to life at the new house. They were even back to talking within hours of the move. April even talked IN THE U-HAUL. I hope this has been helpful to anyone considering a move in the near future!

Help With Dyslexia

More and more people are being diagnosed with Dyslexia nowadays. So more and more people are looking for information, help and advice on how to deal with this learning difficulty.

I was diagnosed with Dyslexia when I was very young and like many I was labelled a failure before I had even made it to secondary school. However now I am just about to start training to become an airline pilot. A life long dream that I am about to realise.

It is very important to remember that people with learning difficulties are not are NOT thick, dumb or lack intelligence. We are very clever people. Some very successful people are Dyslexic such as Richard Branson, Thomas Edison and Leonardo Da Vinci.

In my opinion 90% of teachers do not know enough about dyslexia. They label children that may be disruptive, don't do there homework and struggle in class as trouble makers and say that they are not trying hard enough. Teachers will come across students showing these problems. However they will still focus the majority of their attention on the students that are already doing well in school.

This then means that the children that may have learning difficulties fall further behind when they should be the ones receiving more attention in class. As you can probably tell I feel very strongly about this as this is very similar to what happened to me. So please if you are a teacher research dyslexia as much as you can. You can make a huge difference in the education of students with learning difficulties.

To help people find out as much information about Dyslexia and learning difficulties I have set up a website/blog. It is full of useful information, advice, recourses, links to other dyslexia sites and much more. If you have ever wondered what it is like for someone with dyslexia to read then there is a very accurate video here.

So please visit the link below for all the information you need.

Be Your Own Wholesale Florist

Sweet smelling flowers are the universal language that does not need verbal communication, without uttering word, your intentions are understood. A flower as small as it may seem communicates a subtle message to every being it comes across, especially to humans. In some ways, its aromatic fumes act as a decoy waiting for a suitable prey to come along. They behold your gaze and touch once you seep into their trap. Flowers are used in various ways, to show lamentation, flowers give the sick emotional health and serve as finishing touches on many occasions. In these economic times Flowers are not a staple or obligatory product but a luxury.

People purchase flowers and plants for their own enjoyment. Their delicate beauty allows them to convey messages to loved ones for all sorts of occasions. Retail florists are aware that consumers have a variety of choices when buying flowers, this growing business niche should be considered like any other retail business with a perishable product line. Fresh flowers smell good and look marvelous when professionally arranged. The return on investment can be very good; retail shops just have to be resourceful.

Retail florists have lost business and made lower profits as a result of people simply shopping elsewhere. Companies like Bloom Net, Blossoms Network, B Brooks, FTD, and Teleflora are not doing florists any favors as their commissions and fees are just too high. Retail florists should be knowledgeable in the basics of maintaining fresh inventory and the supply chain involved in flower transport. Rising fuel costs have also added to their losses and despite the downward pressure on retail price points the floral wholesalers have raised prices to the retail florists.

Buying flowers from a wholesaler is very easy to do if you don't mind the added costs. Wholesalers buy grower direct, consolidate product and ship the flowers in bulk to their wholesale flower stores and then distribute them to the retail florist; raising the cost of overhead, shipping and robbing days and weeks from the short lives of the fresh cut flowers. The key for a retail florist is to get the product shipped to their location direct from the growers their wholesalers are buying from.

Retail florists also have the options just like any other business, they just need to understand how business works. Besides making innovative flower arrangements, they need to know all about buying, selling, accounting, managing costs, planning profits to succeed. When retail florists are buying fresh cut flowers just a day or two of the plant they can offer customers an improvement in color, size, flower form, and flower bloom stalks.

Buying grower direct opens up great possibilities for the retail florist. Retail florists can purchase product from growers in North and Central America, South America, Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Asia that their wholesalers are buying from. When buying grower direct retail florists simply have more options; they can get into the wholesale side of the business and supply other retail shops or just be their own wholesalers.

American Idol 2007: Predictions For Season Six

Okay, so the top 24 are in and we are now all wondering who just might be our next American Idol for 2007. Last year, when Taylor Hicks took the 2006 Idol crown, he had the planet of great luck, Jupiter, transiting his Venus which increased his popularity among the masses.

If the stars do have anything to say about who wins American Idol (and I think they do) I can't wait to take a peek at the birth stars for this years contestants and make my prediction for the winner. However, I don't start that stargazing process until the top 12 are in---and as their dates of birth become available. So for now I'll just have to use another divining technique---one that can be had from the playful use of Anagrams; and will see what they predict to say about those in the running so far.

But first, let us begin with the anagrams that I found from the word phrase AMERICAN IDOL. What I found is unerringly connected to the shows whole premise; To make dreams come true for those who want to reach for Stardom. The following are the anagrams that I found to be amusing, enlightening, and appropriate to my own mental musing about the show American Idol and its contestants.

The first anagram I want to address is IDOL IN CAMERA. Aren't the judges always commenting to the contenders about how they appear on camera, or their appeal to America? Yes, they are. Now about this anagram, CLAIMED ON AIR this surely reflects American Idols' high TV ratings and their marketing strategies that get us to watch the show week after week with Cowel's unrestrained crass, and Paul's emotional teeterings.

And how about COIL IN A DREAM! Isn't that exactly what each and every one of the contenders are doing? Which sort of gives compliment to the next anagram I found, I'M IDEAL, OR CAN . Isn't that what America's votes do to one of them each week as the show progresses through to its 14 weeks of eliminations. Yes, it certainly is.

Now the disturbing anagrams, A DEMONIC LIAR and MALICE IN ROAD that I found surely suggests that there could be some backstabbing and untrusting behavior going on behind the scenes of American Idol. Makes me sort of wonder if all of America's votes are being properly managed. I know that I would like to see a bit more accountability in how the votes are handled; And it certainly explains how the band, comprised of professional musicians, sounds fantastic for one contestant performance, then all of sudden the sounds they bring up the rear seem a bit off kilter--making for what the judges tell a contestant is a lousy performance. I don't know about you but I noticed the band as much as I noticed the contestants--and sometimes they just ain't bringing it.

We have already seen how the show has launched careers for those who lost the competition, as can be read in the anagram, RADIAL INCOME. Justin, Clay, Jennifer Hudson, McPhee and others are making videos, recordings, movies and are appearing on more and more television shows. So it seems that even losers can benefit financially from being a contestant on Idol.

The anagram MELODIC ARIAN seems to be suggestive of an Aries person winning the competition. Carrie Underwood, born 3-10-1983 is a Pisces by Sun Sign, but of all the winning Idol's Carrier is the only one who has a strength of Aries in her natal birth chart; as Mars and Venus are deposited in the sign of Aries and very powerfully near a conjunct aspect. Fantansia a Cancer, Rueben a Virgo, and Kelly a Taurian; while Hicks was a Libra by Sun Sign, but it is possible that he could have a strong Arian Moon if he was born on the 7th of October and not the 6th in 1976 ---there are too many sources that are citing Taylor's birthday differently--so the anagram could be referring to him too. But for now, I'll have to give that MELODIC ARIAN anagram belonging to American Idol to Carrie.

Now lets get started on the name anagrams for the American Idol contestants for 2007 and see who they think will make it to the top 12.

The GALS

ALAINA ALEXANDER = LAX LEAD IN AN AREA = Out ANTONELLA BARBA = A TALL BANANNA BORE = Out GINA GLOCKSEN = EGOS CLANKING = In HALEY SCARNATO = AHA! ONLY REACTS = Out JORDIN SPARKS = DROPS INK JARS = Out LAKISHA JONES = AHA! JINKS LOSE = Out LESLIE HUNT = I'LL ENTHUSE= In MELINDA DOOLITTLE= ALL-TIME NOTED IDOL = In SABRINA SLOAN = A SNARL IN A SOB= Out STEPHANIE EDWARDS = DESPERATE AND WISH= In AMY KREBS = S! MY BREAK = In NICOLE TRANQUILLO = QUELL CROON, NAIL IT= In 6 The GUYS

ANTONIO TABALDO = TAN AN IDOL TABOO= In Now Out Later BLAKE LEWIS = A WEEKS BILL = In BRANDON ROGERS = R RARE SONG BOND= In CHRIS RICHARDSON = DARN! IRISH SCORCH= Out CHRIS SLIGH = CH! HIS GIRLS = In JARED COTTER = O! DRAT! REJECT= Out JASON HEAD = OH! SAD JEAN= Out NICHOLAS PEDRO = DISHONOR PLACE= Out PAUL KIM = A LIMP KU= Out PHIL STACEY = THY SPECIAL = In RUDY CARDENAS = RANDY CRUSADE= In SANJAYA MALAKAR = YA! ALAS! A JAM RANK = In - Is Brought Back

Now understand that I wish all the Idols well ---and I try to use anagrams that wouldn't be offensive if any of the idol contestants themselves (or their families) eyes graced this page. However, I can't help but to note the energies present in their names and discern which of them have a more positive influence in being a top running contestant that goes the distance in this competition.

Our names are very powerful entities in and of themselves. Some names tell a story quickly and point blank. Others, have a bit more mystery surrounding them. All I do is note the energies. I get the feeling from one of the male names above and also from the chart I did on the first show when the voting process starts, that one of the top 12 will be disqualified, and one asked to come back and that is due to Mercury's Retrograde motion during the top 24 eliminations, and a very telling anagram from one of the male contestants names. I don't want to disclose it now.

I'm sure I will be surprised when I few of my predictions are wrong, but it is just so much fun playing along with the excitement of another Idol season. I am ready to be entertained and look forward to seeing what happens.

Being a Good Father - A Couple of Tips

We all become adults eventually and nearly all of us will face the challenge of parenting. Raising a child is the most rewarding experience that you can face and while it may be overwhelming at times, it is all about being a good father and preparing them for adulthood so that they can survive on their own and everyone needs a few tips along the way and I thought I'd share some of mine with you.

• Their needs before yours. It doesn't matter if you like smoking or drinking, both are bad for your child and could set a bad example for them. It's hard to quit, I know, but it's for your child.

• Play with your child. It's important that you have fun with your child, get out there and play some sport or stay inside and play video games on a rainy day.

• Read stories and books. Children love using their imagination and what better way than perhaps a bedtime story? Or maybe do it in the middle of the day? Children's books are made for this and they are really good so get some.

• Stand by their mother. Don't say stupid things to her, don't fight, don't contradict her and such. Your relationship with your child's mother affects their self-esteem and how their views on women. So remember, be a team.

• Give your child self-esteem. This is really important and can be accomplished in several ways. Show you child that you love him/her (don't just tell them, show them!) by spending time with your child, talking and listening to him/her, praise your child and teach them right and wrong. Most importantly, spend time with them.

• Learning about finances. Often missed and oh so important. From an early age teach your child the value of money, how to save for something, how to manage the money and how to earn it. Perhaps by doing various chores in the neighborhood such as mowing lawns?

• Clean the house together! Cleaning is a task that most children will hate doing therefore you should teach them to clean up after themselves at a young age and clean their own room. But whenever you need to clean the house get your child to help, not only will it be more fun to do it together it could teach them a valuable lesson about teamwork.

The general guideline to remember and follow is to be nice to your entire family and spend time with them and things will work out just fine for both you, your child and your family.

What Are Online Skill Games?

In this article we will take a closer look at this popular and rapidly growing form of online entertainment and discuss exactly what defines online skill games as well as the vast choice of such gaming options available to you today.

Skill games online require you to pit your wits against other human beings or against a sophisticated software program that will replace the human user. Most of these games can be enjoyed for free but there are an ever increasing number of online gamers worldwide who choose to challenge one another for cash prizes.

The main difference between online skill games and more traditional gambling pastimes is that the outcome of a skill game is based on players' ability and performance, with any elements of luck either eliminated or greatly reduced. This is critical, in order to be legal and avoid falling under anti-gambling statutes.

So what are some of the different types of skill games that you can play?

You will find an incredible choice of games as you begin to delve through the multitude of skill gaming websites at your disposal.

The games are generally simple with just a few rules to learn, are often enjoyable and highly addictive. These games offer something to suit all tastes and include the following popular examples:

Board games like draughts and backgammon; Sports games like pool, golf and basketball; Puzzle games like jigsaws and word games; Arcade style games such as shooting games.

The skill games online arena is growing at a faster rate than any other web market today. In fact, this entertainment sector is actually growing four times faster than the rate of overall internet growth and experts predict the market to grow from $5.2 billion USD in 2007 to $13 billion by the year 2011.

This example will highlight just how much this industry sector has developed and how it now carries enormous mass market appeal. In June 2006, 7.6 million British people (28% of the UK online population) visited the online games sector, with the average visitor playing games for an hour and a half at a time.

The online skill games market has been identified as the next step in the evolution of entertainment online and people of all ages, from all over the world, are currently playing in their millions. Some of the larger game networks have hundreds of thousands of players playing these games at any one time.

With this industry growing at such a rapid rate, the choice of games and the quality of sites available has never been so good. So get on the internet today and lose yourself in hours of online fun.