It's been a while since I was over here... I started blogging with many of you at the now defunct writingup.com and then made my way over to communati. There are a nice bunch of ex-writinguppers over there, as well as a great group of others. Today, I posted a blog hoping to reconnect with some of my favorite bloggers and then found a comment by Sire, directing me here.

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When children are in a daycare environment, viruses and other illnesses spread pretty quickly. It can be hard for parents to take time off from work when they have a sick child, but bringing them in contact with other kids will certainly infect the group.

At my home daycare, my sick policy is as follows:

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I've been providing care for neighborhood children for a number of years. It started out to be a way for me to be at home with my own while still making a financial contribution to my household, but after mine were all in school, I found that I continued because I loved it.

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For most of us, trying to lose weight is no picnic. We start out enthusiastic, but the feeling of deprivation can soon have us reverting back to our bad habits. Unlike Oprah, most of don't feel that we have access to experts in fitness and nutrition to help us achieve our weight loss goals. Happily, I found out that there is expert advice and support out there . . .

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Good, wholesome foods -- plenty of them -- and a glass of wine with dinner. That's the appeal of the Sonoma diet . . . flavorful and heart-healthy eating that leaves you satisfied, with both your meals and your jean size!

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Are you considering starting on the South Beach Diet to get into shape for summer? It has won the admiration of thousands of successful dieters, many of whom had failed at countless other diets.

Of course, check with your doctor before starting ANY diet. Once you have the approval of your physician, you can get down to the business of losing weight . . .

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Eggs and bacon for breakfast, a chef's salad at lunchtime and a big, juicy steak after work -- if this sounds like your dream diet, then the Atkins approach should make you one happy camper ...

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Winter is almost a memory and spring is just around the corner. Of course, with spring comes warmer weather, which brings out the shorts, little tee-shirts and dare I say it, swimsuits. Yikes!

If you are hoping to rid yourself of those extra holiday pounds (and maybe some that have been around a lot longer than that!), the time to begin is now. Losing weight is a national pastime; heck with baseball, I think weight loss is the national pastime.

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Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover are all hungry for your business. And why not? Americans purchase everything from home appliances to hamburgers on credit, often racking up thousands of dollars in debt.

It can be all too easy to build a mountain of debt and sometimes digging out takes years of diligence and dedication. It can be done, however, if you follow a few guidelines.

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You decided to write a blog for one main reason. To make some money, right? Me too. It only makes sense that you post your work to get the most readership (hopefully some ad-clicking folks!).

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