Tips while entrusting your child with an extended family

Entrusting your child with an extended family like grandma, uncle, aunt et al, can be more satisfying rather than with a nanny or stranger. A child care provider who is related to you might prove to be advantageous, depending on the type of arrangement you have with them. Here are some proactive measures that you need to ensure effective and positive relationship.
Set your expectation from day one: What do you expect from the arrangement? Do you have certain foods that are musts and no nos. Who provides the food and diaper? It’s better to be clear no on these lines before starting on actual care.
Whose house will the child care services be occurring: In such a set up, the relatives prefer to take care of their kid at their own place. Check out for the safety standards in such case.
Discuss Money: It’s not always easy to discuss monetary aspects with grandparents. But it’s better to be clear in this regard. It’s better to discuss monetary aspects and hours of care.
Be very clear on the Dos and Donts list from the beginning. Keep in mind that while you may have definite preferences and rules, your relatives may not have picked up on those. And, be prepared to be somewhat flexible. If the relative is caring for other children as well, it is unfair to expect that she will be able to keep up with all the different preferences, especially at mealtimes.
Let relatives be just that when not in the official child care setting: Don't take advantage of your loving family by expecting them to watch your child at family functions and other events. Let grandma go back to being grandma, and not the "caregivers" during holidays and other special events.
You can even find a baby sitter or find a nanny online as backup option.

How to find out if your child requires tutoring

There are many possible reasons why you or your child might need tutoring. Here are some of the most important reasons.
· Teacher or counselor recommends tutoring
· Grades are dropping
· Homework seems increasingly difficult
· Extreme anxiety before tests
· Self-esteem is dropping
· Loss of interest in learning
· Feelings of wanting to give up
· Resistance to doing schoolwork
· Reluctance to go to school
A good personal instructor will inspire and help students - at all levels of academic accomplishment, develop study habits and organizational skills that will result in significantly improved schoolwork and test scores. Taking the time to consider whether to hire supplemental assistance means parents are giving their children an opportunity to excel in the classroom.
Parents can even try online tutoring. There are lot of online turorials which offer students assistance with online physics tutors or online science tutors. One can also seek help for specialized subjects like 10th grade chemistry or geometry tutoring.
Even a child who is doing well in the classroom may benefit from outside help to sharpen study and test-taking skills. A supplemental education provider can help your child prepare for a test, catch up or get ahead in a particular subject area.

Tips to train your dog to cope up with your baby

For a puppy your baby is a toy like thing that is hogging all the attention that belongs to him. This can sometimes create some difficult situations. For the dog his home is his territory and he feels that the new arrival is encroaching on his territory so he feels threatened by the baby. Since the baby will receive a lot of attention from you the pup also gets jealous of the baby. There are no sure fire remedies to deal with this situation. However, there are some tips which are useful such as-

The biggest challenge for your puppy is to deal with all the attention that the new baby gets. With a new baby around sometimes you inevitably ignore the puppy and he will have to learn to accept this. You can help your dog through this transition by introducing certain gradual changes.

If you start ignoring your dog suddenly upon the arrival of the baby it becomes very difficult for your dog to adjust, so it is important to get him used to it slowly. You can do this by ignoring him every day for sometime usually an hour should suffice. You don’t need to sit in one place. Go ahead with your regular chores like watching TV or doing your laundry just don’t talk to or look at your dog.

Once the baby arrives it will be normal to have baby toys lying all over the place. Your dog will find it hard to resist these toys and may get into a tug of war with the baby over the toy. He may also try to rip or eat these toys. It is important to stop your dog from doing so. The best way to do this is to not keep these toys in dogs reach. But this is not always possible. So train your dog before the baby arrives to stay away from the toys and baby products.

A good practice session for your dog should involve a couple of baby toys/ baby apparels thrown along with his toys in front of him. Since the baby toys look different and new the dog will definitely reach for them and when he tries to do so stop him with a firm “no” and divert his attention to his own toys. You can also lace the toys with mouthwash or sprays available in the market that stop furniture chewing. These sprays and the mouth wash produce an uncomfortable odor and taste for the dog. Soon the dog will start associating the command with the odor and taste and stay away from them. You can get these sprays and mouthwash when shopping online on good online shopping deals. You can even try online shopping malls.

Your baby and your dog will eventually become best friends but you will have to help this friendship to start. For your puppy the new baby is a strange being that makes peculiar sounds. The baby may feel that a dog is a big ball of fur to be grabbed and tugged at. The different perspectives may create a slight situation because of the baby tugs or pulls at your pup it will startle him and he may not react favorably. So to get him used to the tugging and pulling start by quickly pulling his ears when you pet him or by tugging at his coat when you are petting him. You can also add some baby sounds for effect. The whole point of this exercise is to get your dog habituated to the new sounds and actions that he may encounter with the new baby around.

Disater recovery solutions for SMBs

Today the need for disaster recovery extends far beyond major enterprises. Every small and medium business (SMB) depends on its network for virtually all its activities. If it is down for any length of time or critical data is lost, the cost can be enormous. In fact, the National Archives & Records Administration reported that 93% of the companies that lost their data center for 10 days or more filed for bankruptcy within a year. And anyone who watches nightly television should be aware that disasters could occur anywhere.

Fortunately, there are solutions that are reasonably priced and easy to implement. Companies can use a combination of disk and tape backup solutions to protect their systems. The best strategy nowadays is to back up your data to disk regularly and then archive it to tape every so often depending on how critical it is. Be sure to test tape recovery; it is a notoriously fickle and uncertain operation. A trial run now will avoid big problems later.

Developing a disaster recovery plan sounds like a tedious, time-consuming exercise. Hence many SMBs simply ignore or postpone it. However, using configurable templates reduces the time required significantly. Focus on recovery, not just backup. When a disaster occurs, it can take days to get all your systems and databases up and running. Users should look for approaches that help them recover quickly without doing any programming. You can even try sql server diaster recovery.

Tips before buying a digital camcorder

Tips before buying a digital camcorder

Unless you have an unlimited budget, buying a digital video camera involves a series of tradeoffs to get the best possible features you can afford. By planning ahead before you make your purchase, you can better anticipate where your camera will get used and extend its functional life in the process. The most important thing you can do before making a decision is to sit down and make a list of the 10 most likely scenarios your new camera will be used for. Depending on where you are in life, you might cross over into multiple categories and the reasons for buying a camera will exhibit some similarities. After you look at when and why you might want to record events, take a look at my list of 10 things to watch for when buying a digital camera.

· Ignore Digital Zoom: Digital zoom is the measure of a cameras ability to magnify pixels in an image. You don't get a close up shot with digital zoom, you get an enlarged version of the best optical zoom your camera supports, which ultimately results in grainy looking video.

· Megapixels Don't Matter All the marketing materials related to camcorders boast a number of megapixels in the camcorder. This number is only meaningful in relation to still images taken with the camcorder. If you're really concerned with the quality of your video image, look at how many chips are in the camcorder and how big the chips are In general

· Wide Angle Shooting: One often overlooked feature of digital video cameras is the native ability of a camera to shoot wide angle shots. This determines how far away from your subject you need to be in order to capture a clear image. It also determines how well you can shoot great video in close quarters.

· Low Light Performance Matters How well your digital video camera performs in low light is as much about how well it shoots video in your house with normal interior lighting as it is about how well it shoots in the late evening hours or in a dimly lit basement.

· Make Sure the Camera Fits Getting the right features in a camera is important. It's also vital to make sure the camera you are buying fits you. Can you hold the camera steady while shooting video? Is the video camera comfortable in your hand? Are the buttons placed in a way that makes them easy to press without jostling the camera during recording? Is the camera a size you're comfortable taking it with you, or is it too big so you'll never use it? Will the camcorder fit in your purse or do you need a separate bag? All these are questions that help determine whether a digital video camera is a good fit for your needs.

· Avoid Hybrid Cameras: The current range of digital video cameras with digital still camera functionality is inferior to almost all digital still cameras. The idea of a combined camera is better in concept than it is in practice.

· Buy a Tripod If you buy a digital video camera, you need a tripod to go with it. There's no other accessory, outside of a longer life battery, that will improve your video recording experience

Choose a good brand. There are Sony camcorders, Panasonic camcorders, sharp camcorders, Samsung camcorders. These days there are hard drive camcorders also available.

How to search for a nanny

Have you decided to hire a nanny but don’t know where to start? This tip sheet outlines the process for you, offering ideas on how to find a nanny, hiring, and keeping a great nanny.

Know What You Need and What You.re Offering: Before you begin your search, take the time to answer three key questions. One, what are the requirements of my job (e.g. hours, responsibilities)? Two, what type of daily environment do I want for my child? And three, what type of person can I (or can I not) develop a positive parent / nanny relationship with?

Develop a Written Job Description Now that you know what you.re looking for and what you.re offering, it’s time to put that information together into a written job description.

Choose a Search Method The search method you choose, full service agency, online nanny job site or self search, depends on how much money and time you can afford to invest in your nanny search. The general rule of thumb is that the more money you invest, the less time you need to invest.

Narrow Down Your Candidate Pool Once you start your search and begin receiving inquiries from nanny candidates, you’ll need to decide which candidates you want to pass on and which ones you want to learn more about.

Interview Nannies: Once you.ve identified the candidates you.re seriously interested in, it.s time to start in-depth interviewing. It’s important to go beyond the standard interview questions and really explore who the nanny is both as a person and as a caregivers. An in-depth, probative interview is crucial in deciding if this nanny is the right nanny for you.

Reference Nannies: Once you’ve interviewed a nanny, the next step is to contact her references and get their perspective on which she is as a person and as a caregiver. It’s crucial to talk to a wide variety of references – past employers as well as co-workers or nanny colleagues, teachers, clergy, friends and family. Each person will have different information to offer you, allowing you to put together a more complete and accurate picture of who the candidate really is.

Perform Background Checks: Before a nanny begins work, make sure all recommended background checks have been run on her. Don’t assume your placement agency or online job site has done the work for you. It’s up to you to make sure the background checks done on your potential nanny provide the information you need to make an informed hiring decision.

Develop a Nanny / Family Contract Developing a comprehensive nanny contract is the single most important step you can take towards building a successful, long-term nanny / family relationship.

Welcome Your New Nanny: Investing a little effort into welcoming your nanny will reap great rewards. Give her an empty drawer in the kitchen or common area, give her a tour of the area, and introduce her to neighbors, teachers, and play date moms. Letting her know you.re happy she’s your new nanny will get your relationship off to a great start.

Steps You Can Take To Improve Your Children's Education

Read together: Children who read at home with their parents perform better in school. Show your kids how much you value reading by keeping good books, magazine, and newspapers in the house. Let them see you read. Take them on trips to the library and encourage them to get library cards. Let children read to you, and talk about the books.

Focus on Homework. For each subject, whether your children have been given homework or not, make sure they review their notes. This will mean that when a big test or an end of unit test comes up, they will be prepared to study for it. Focusing on homework will also help your children be ready for the next lesson, and ready to ask any questions that might have come up. If your child requires help with a pre calculus tutorial or geometry tutoring, then take steps to arrange for one. Apart from Maths, there are online science tutors or specialized online physics tutors who can be of great help for your child.

Use TV wisely: Academic achievement drops sharply for children who watch more than 10 hours of television a week, or an average of more than two hours a day. Parents can limit the amount of viewing and help children select educational programs. Parents can also watch and discuss shows with their kids. This will help children understand how stories are structured.

Establish a daily family routine with scheduled homework time: Studies show that successful students have parents who create and maintain family routines. Make sure your child goes to school every day. Establish a regular time for homework each afternoon or evening, set aside a quiet, well lit place, and encourage children to study. Routines generally include time performing chores, eating meals together, and going to bed at an established time.

Use your time efficiently. If your children get stuck on a particular piece of homework, have them leave it and move on to the next piece. Otherwise, their frustration will rise and make matters worse. Have your children go back to the piece they left after a while. Things might be clearer then.

Keep in touch with the school: Parents cannot afford to wait for schools to tell them how children are doing. Families who stay informed about their children's progress at school have higher-achieving children. To keep informed, parents can visit the school or talk with teachers on the telephone. Get to know the names of your children's teachers, principals, and counselors.Use community resource: Activities sponsored by community and religious organizations provide opportunities for children and other family members to engage in positive social and learning experiences. Family- oriented community resources may include health care services, housing assistance, adult education, family literacy, and employment counseling. Families can reinforce their children's learning by going to libraries, museums, free concerts, and cultural fairs together

Four Basic steps for skin care regimen

Who doesn’t want to have a healthy and glowing skin? While many sites bombard you with information and tips on how to maintain your skin, here are four basic things that you need to know about your skin maintenance. Follow these and rock at your summer party.

Cleansing : means to free from dirt, purify. Simple is key here. You need to find a good cleanser that your skin responds well to, and stick with it. Avoid bar soaps as they tend to dry out the skin. soap should only ever touch your skin from the neck down. Cleansers contain oil, water and "surfactants." The oil dissolves oil on your face, surfactants dissolve dirt and makeup and the water washes it all away. The secret is finding the right mix of oil. (Makes sense to us). Too much on your skin will clog pores, while too little will dry it out. This is why you need to know your skin type.
Use warm water to loosen dirt and clogged pores. Use a dime-sized bit of cleanser, then rinse with cool or lukewarm water. You'll also want to take off your makeup with a proper makeup remover.

Exfoliation is the step most people skip in their weekly skincare routine. If you start properly exfoliating your skin, you will notice an almost immediate difference. According to Berg, one of the reasons men's skin looks more youthful than women's is because men tend to exfoliate daily when they shave. There are several ways to exfoliate skin: Microdermabrasion, chemical peels and retinoids.

Toning: Some people swear by toners, but many beauty experts do not (I once read a skincare expert claim, 'toners are only for copy machines'). Toners are meant to remove all remaining traces of oil, makeup and dirt, but a good cleanser should do this. I firmly believe it's up to you. If you like the way your skin feels with a toner. Buy it. Use it. Enjoy it.

Moisturizing: Though many beauty editors swear skin doesn't need moisturizer, basically everyone else disagrees. A basic law of beauty is that everyone, no matter her skin type, should moisturize. Even if your skin is oily, it will benefit from moisturizers. Why? Moisturizers seal moisture into skin. So how much should you moisturize? Your skin will tell you. When your skin is tight, it's crying out for moisture. Be careful not to over moisturize -- this can cause clogged pores. Check out your skin type.

Apply sunscreen 'O' magazine ran an article in November 2006 featuring interviews with several top skin care experts and dermatologists (check it out here). Every single one of them said sunscreen was the most important part of your skincare regimen. It was the secret they would pass on to their daughters.
Another important key towards skin care is the skincare products or the beauty products you choose. Be extremely cautious and careful while buying them. Do not compromise. Certain good products might burn your purse but not you skin. You can even shop online for best shopping deals. Some good products might offer special shopping deals.
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Listening to win

It doesn’t matter if you are doing 10th grade chemistry or 11th grade science. It is important for you to be a good listener in class. Much of what you will have to learn will be presented verbally by your teachers. Just hearing what your teachers say is not the same as listening to what they say. Listening is a cognitive act that requires you to pay attention and think about and mentally process what you hear

Here are some things you should do to be a good listener in class.

• Be Cognitively Ready to Listen When You Come to Class. Make sure you complete all assigned work and readings. Review your notes from previous class sessions. Think about what you know about the topic that will be covered in class that day.

• Be Emotionally Ready to Listen When You Come to Class. Your attitude is important. Make a conscious choice to find the topic useful and interesting. Be committed to learning all that you can.

• Listen with a Purpose. Identify what you expect and hope to learn from the class session. Listen for these things as your teacher talks.

• Listen with an Open Mind. Be receptive to what your teacher says. It is good to question what is said as long as you remain open to points of view other than your own.

• Be Attentive. Focus on what your teacher is saying. Try not to daydream and let your mind wander to other things. It helps to sit in the front and center of the class, and to maintain eye contact with your teacher.

• Be an Active Listener. You can think faster than your teacher can speak. Use this to your advantage by evaluating what is being said and trying to anticipate what will be said next. Take good written notes about what your teacher says. While you can think faster than your teacher can speak, you cannot write faster than your teacher can speak. Taking notes requires you to make decisions about what to write, and you have to be an active listener to do this.

• Meet the Challenge. Don't give up and stop listening when you find the information being presented difficult to understand. Listen even more carefully at these times and work hard to understand what is being said. Don't be reluctant to ask questions.

• Triumph Over the Environment. The classroom may too noisy, too hot, too cold, too bright, or too dark. Don't give in to these inconveniences. Stay focused on the big picture - LEARNING.

• Listening is also important when taking online geometry tutoring. Tutoring is taken up for an inspirational cause. Tutors inspire you to score and perform better. Its important to listed to your geometry tutor or your pre calculus tutorial as you listen in your physical classroom.

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Online shopping - The new age shopping

Shopping is certainly a stress buster.

Many people shop because of their needs; weddings, spring summer fashion, summer dresses. Many splurge into shopping to relieve stress. Many do shopping just because they have money.

Today the trend is to do online shopping. Online shopping is the new age shopping. You can shop in the convenience of your home, or wherever you are. There are sprawling online shopping mall which give you a same gratification as visiting a physical mall.

Shopping Online is more beneficial if you are too busy to drop by your favorite store, it is truly convenient you can still choose what types, designs, or kinds of stuff you want, sizes, it’s all available in just a click. Plus, they will deliver it to you or to whomever you want to give stuff as a gift. Whatever you want such as shoes, clothes, furnitures, gadgets, etc…Everything!

Especially during this recession times, you surely want to get the most out of your money’s worth. How do Online Shopping can get you that? Simple. It’s because you are using credit cards or virtual credit cards, it only deducts the exact amount you have to pay for the product and you could just do pre-payments that makes it no worry about bills later. Unless you’re such a credit card dependent, that wouldn’t be great during these times, crisis. When online shopping you can also avail of the discounts offered by, various discount shopping online portals.

This recession you could also opt for good quality second hand stuff that come for sale online. Many trusted online shopping portals connect sellers and buyers interested in selling/buying second had goods.
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Exotic honeymoon destination

Looking for an exotic honeymoon destination? Well, try out war-ravaged Iraq where you can have sex in Saddam Hussein’s bed for just 150 pounds per night.

Yes, it may sound a little awkward, but Iraq is offering newlyweds the chance to spend their wedding night in the former dictator’s bedroom in his palatial boudoir in the town of Hillah, 60 miles from Baghdad. “We hope that many people will visit,” leading British newspaper The Sunday Times quoted a tourism official in the battle-scarred town as saying.

With its Roman columns, chandeliers and gargantuan bathrooms, the palace is a striking example of excess, and one of several reserved for the exclusive pleasure of the former dictator, who was deposed in 2003 and executed in 2006. Perched on top of a man-made hill overlooking the Euphrates, the building has seen better days: even lavatories were removed in the orgy of looting that followed the allied invasion of the country in 2003.

Until 2005, it was occupied by American troops, who have left their mark in the stonework with a various graffiti such as “Brian loves Brandy”.
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Sex and City 2 will be released in 2010

What will you be doing then, folks? If you’re anything like Empire, you’ll be in the queue for Sex And The City: The Movie: 2! Squeal!

OK, so that’s probably not going to be the title, but Warner Bros. and New Line have just announced that the sequel to the hit (where’s that silent ‘s’ button when you need it?) TV show adaptation is coming, and it’s coming right soon.

It was inevitable, of course, given that the first movie pulled in an astonishing $412.6 million at the worldwide box office. That’s a lot of moolah for an R-rated rom-com.

Sex And the City 2, as it’ll probably be called, will go up against Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time, and Jake Gyllenhaal’s abs. Both films may not seem like they’re going after the same audience, but you never know.

So far, little is known about the plot of Sex And The City 2, but the old gang – SJP, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis - will all return. How will Carrie’s marriage to Big have fared? What’s up with Charlotte’s baby? Will Samantha get back with Smith? And why the hell do we care so much? DAMMIT!

You can watch sex and city movies online. Watch see movies online or stream movie online.

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Leno show out of prime time

Not everyone will be able to get their before-bed Jay Leno fix come September.
Boston's NBC affiliate, WHDH-TV, is opting to air an hour-long local newscast in the 10 p.m. hour instead of sticking with the network's new talk-show vehicle for Jay Leno, who will bow out as host of the Tonight Show on May 29.
"We feel we have a real opportunity with running the news at 10 p.m.," station owner Ed Ansin told the Boston Globe. "We don't think the Leno show is going to be effective in primetime," Ansin said yesterday. "It will be detrimental to our 11 o'clock. It will be very adverse to our finances."
But NBC doesn't plan to stand idly by so that Bostonians can tune into the Channel 7 news.
"WHDH's move is a flagrant violation of the terms of their contract with NBC," said NBC TV Network president John Eck. "If they persist, we will strip WHDH of its NBC affiliation. We have a number of other strong options in the Boston market, including using our existing broadcast license to launch an NBC owned and operated station."
The controversial (in theory, not content) Jay Leno Show will launch in September, thereby officially ending NBC's tradition of showing scripted dramas at 10 p.m. (The tradition symbolically ends with tonight's ER finale.)
Conan O'Brien is poised to take over the Tonight Show June 1.
Boston is the seventh largest TV market in the U.S. Ansin told the Globe that WHDH's contract with NBC allows it the option of passing on Leno in favor of news.
It remains to be seen whether this will be the beginning of a nationwide revolt.

You can watch your favorite TV episodes online or download TV shows on internet TV

How to study science

Your kid might be struck with 9th Grade science or 7 Grade science. Make science enjoyable for your kid’s right from their childhood. Here are some tips.

• Understand relations: Science is a study of dimensions, relations and their interplay. Rather than remembering facts, it is more important to understand relations between various interdependent parameters and how some quantities relate differently to different items. Understanding this relation is understanding science.

• Solve problems: Solving problems gives you deeper insights into the way physical laws work.

• Historical perspective. Science normally appears a very dull collection of facts while, in fact, it is a very dynamic field with lots of false starts and errors. All this is very instructive and gives us new ways of thinking.

• Understand language: It is a surprising but true suggestion that in order to master understanding in science, it is necessary to understand language. Understanding of language is necessary so that you can understand and express yourselves better, to others and also to yourself, and that is a prerequisite to a being a good scientist.

• Read different books: Each author explains a subject as best as he or she understands and even within a book, the author may understand different parts differently. It is useful, almost necessary that you read as many different books on the same subject as possible. You don't have to read all books like text books, even browsing through different books help.

• Concentrate: Any study is a full time activity. You need to make a complete commitment to it and make the subject your own. It is a full time, all consuming love affair.

• Don't work too hard: Give the brain time to think things over, meditate and relax, leave some time away even from pleasurable activities.

• Ask questions: It is necessary to ask questions so that not only can you understand better but also so that the person talking to you may be able to explain things in a way you like.

. Take online help: You can take help of online science tutors or online 7th grade science.

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Save on your winter sports clothing during recession

Its recession time. I know it pains not to indulge in winter sports to save those few bucks. Here are are some expert tips on how to save on winter sports clothing and your winter sports accessories.

• Don't skimp on the boots: When it comes to skiing, the right boot fit can make or break your time on the slopes
• Save on the poles Poles are the least expensive piece of skiing equipment you can buy. You can save some money by buying thinner poles for cross-country use, he suggests.
• Take some skis out for a test run They say you won't know until you try, so take a pair of skis for a test run to see which a good fit are for you. The best way to do that is by trying out rental skis and boots at a resort, so you know what works for you.
• Go Online: Buying and selling used equipment has never been easier, through websites such as eBay and craigslist. Some websites, such as evogear.com, sell used and demo ski and snowboard gear or winter sports accessories at hugely discounted prices. Do your online shopping.
• Visit Second-hand Goods Stores: You won’t have to look far to find a second-hand or consignment store in your neighbourhood. Many specialize in sports equipment, such as Sports Junkies (sportsjunkies.com). Check your local phone directory under “sporting goods.”
• Attend an Equipment Swap: Many winter-sports clubs and related organizations organize swaps where people can buy or sell their used gear on consignment
• Creative Recycling Options: Sports equipment such as skis and snowshoes used to be made from wood, but are now made from hardened plastics and polymers that should never end up in the landfill. If your equipment is too beat up to sell or repair, get creative. Craft a bench out of a snowboard or a coat rack out of old skis.

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