Burned

Burned by Carol Higgins Clark

"At the Waikiki Waters and Playground and Resort, where Kit, one of Regan's best friends, has been staying, the body of dorinda Dawes washes ashore. Around her neck is an exquisite and historically valuable shell lei that once belonged to a Hawaiian princess. Will Brown, the manager of the resort, doesn't believe that it's an accidental drowning. Strange things have been happening at Waikiki Waters. Luggage has gone missing, food has been tainted, and tubes of suntan lotion are being dropped into the toilets. Will meets Regan in the hotel lobby and convinces here to get on the case. Once Regan starts digging she comes across all sorts of suspicious characters. The closer she gets to the truth, the more danger she's in. Is the culprit someone from the tour group visiting from Hudville, a town where it rains 89 percent of the time? Is it one of the employees at the hotel? Could it be Jazzy, a social climber who has a job house-sitting on the Big Island?"

I have to admit, I was very apprehensive when I started reading books by Carol Higgins Clark because I love her mother's books so much. I thought there was no way that Carol could compete in the same league as her mother. I was wrong. This is another great mystery series! I love the character of Regan Reilly. I love Clark's sense of humor and quirky characters as well as the unpredictable mysteries.

Rating (1, lowest; 5, highest): 4+

Do You Know What Time It Is?

Time Zone Converter will tell you what time it is in any city around the world. It takes into account daylight saving time (DST), local time zones, and accepts dates in past or future. There is a World Clock and other time zone tools.

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html

2006 Tax Benefits for Parents of Children with Disabilities

If you have a child with a disability - a severe learning disability (SLD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), ADHD, or other physical, mental or emotional impairment - you may qualify for valuable tax benefits.

According to parent attorney Mike O'Connor, "It's likely that 15-30 percent of families with a disabled child have one or more unclaimed tax benefits."

Did you know that "tuition costs for a special school that has a program designed to educate children with disabilities and amounts paid for a child's tutoring by a teacher specially trained and qualified to deal with severe disabilities may be deducted"?

Did you know that "Special instruction or training or therapy, such as sign language instruction, speech therapy, and remedial reading instruction" may be deductible? Did you know that related books and materials can qualify for the medical expense deduction"?

Did you know that "Parents who attend conferences to obtain medical information concerning treatment for and care of their child may deduct some of the costs of attending a medical conference relating to a dependent's chronic health condition"?

In 2006 Tax Benefits for Parents of Children with Disabilities, Mr. O'Connor provides a summary of the most significant federal income tax benefits. He advises you to print out this guide and provide your tax adviser with a copy. I agree with this excellent advice.

Download your copy of Tax Benefits for Parents of Children with Disabilities by Mike O'Connor, Esq. http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/tax.2006.benefits.oconnor.htm

The Power of Your Smile

Preventing Reading Difficulties and Reading Failure

Sue Heath, research editor for Wrightslaw, states, "Children do not learn to read with support. They learn to read with direct instruction. Reading is a learned skill. For many children, reading is not a skill that develops naturally as they mature."

In Preventing Reading Difficulties and Reading Failure, Sue provides the teacher with a comprehensive list of resources about how children learn to read, how to prevent reading failure, and how to implement research based instruction. These resources come from respected organizations including: * National Reading Panel
* National Institute for Literacy
* U. S. Department of Education

Read Preventing Reading Difficulties and Reading Failure
http://www.wrightslaw.com/heath/read.prevent.failure.htm

For more articles about teaching reading and research based instruction, go to Doing Your Homework
http://www.wrightslaw.com/heath/dyh.index.htm

Dating...

I hate feeling lonely and being alone.

I am a single mother and I haven't been on a date in over six years. Not that it was really a date, we went out once so he could call it quits; though, we stayed in often.

The man I am "seeing" now is not leading-man-in-a-romantic-movie handsome. His appeal doesn't come from the outside, but I find his solid stockiness and his receding hairline endearing. He is safe and comforting, like a favorite teddy bear. Unfortunately, I only get to see him every few months because he is so busy (translation: a workaholic). But we never go out; we just hang out at my house.

Why is it that men don't "wine and dine" women anymore? They just want companionship when they want it, on their schedule. Is it so wrong to want to be able to go out and have fun without my children?

I to have to say he does make me laugh and we can talk about anything & everything. We are still learning about each other. I love his sense of humor, his confidence, his down-to-earth style.