Welcome to Boomer411. We hope you will visit again. You can also subscribe to our RSS feed.

This economy sure can be a drag at times. It sure can add to our stress-levels if our places of work is facing challenges due to the economy. Also, we know we need to save up big time to retire and live well. But that lucky break seems to be eternally around the corner. What to do? How to get out of this rat race?

Ever wonder?

Well, here is some help. My friend and a Boomer411 Trustee, Jacky Hood of The Chalk Institute is conducting a webinar, in which she requested yours truly to present as well. Jacky will be talking about ‘Five Ways for Baby Boomers to Earn’ and I will talk about ‘Three ways for Baby Boomers to Supercharge (in each of those five ways) their careers’. You can learn more about Jacky Hood by reading our interview with her here.

You must register for the webinar to be able to attend. There is a small registration fee of $11.95 for this webinar. In return for the registration fees, you’ll receive an e-book version of Jacky’s latest book, “Happy About Working to Stay Young: Expanded Careers for Boomers and Seniors”.  

Be sure to sign-up for this webinar and supercharge your careers….

By Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist, Blogging at The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide
Guest Blogger
For the 79 percent of baby boomers who are overweight, here is some good news.

Prevention magazine has a tool called My Health Trackers. It can help you reach the health goal you set for yourself. You log and track your daily health habits. Your weight-loss, health, and fitness goals are analyzed.

With My Health Trackers, you can:

• Create a personal food journal to track calories, fat, protein, fiber, and vitamins.

• Log your workouts and daily activities to see how many calories you burned.

• Enter your weight loss goal and track your progress daily.

• Watch your waist, hip, and thigh measurements change as you lose weight.

• Get detailed nutritional information on thousands of foods.

• Track your mood, stress, and energy levels.

• Monitor your heart rate, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels.

• Track other items, such as sleep, caffeine intake, and headaches.

You need to sign up and decide on a password to use My Health Tracker.

Although it took about an hour get signed up and to figure out how to use the tracker, it was informative to see my total calories for a day and how they were divided between protein, fats, and carbohydrates.

As a vegetarian, the database didn’t always have the right choices I needed. Tofu sandwich wasn’t in the list. I had to put in my daily food list “one slice of tofu” and “two slices of bread.”

Vegetarian cheese also wasn’t listed either. I just called it a slice of tofu, which I guess it what it actually is.

For activities, the database didn’t have a calculation for “pruning, so I used “general gardening.”

Since I’ve started a new vegetarian diet, the tracker will be a good way for me to see if I’m getting enough protein. This is important because I don’t want to overload on carbs. Diabetes runs in my family.

I plan to lose 10 pounds. I’ve already lost five since beginning my vegetarian diet on Aug. 6.

That’s not very much. After watching a couple of sessions of “The Biggest Loser Families” on NBC-TV, I really admire the people who set goals to lose 50 to 100 pounds. Then, the first prize is great, too: $250,000.

By Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist, Blogging at The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide
Guest Blogger

It’s a terrifying story.

A six-year-old California girl tied a jump rope around her wrist and threw the other end out the window so that she could see it fly in the wind. When the SUV got underway, the rope became trapped in the axel. The rope tightened until it severed the girl’s hand.

It’s important to be thinking about safety all the time, when you’re with your grandchildren.

Each year, 2.5 million children are injured or killed by hazards in the home, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Be aware of and eliminate the dangers on the commission’s “Top Five Hidden Home Hazards” list:

1. Magnets: One death and 86 injuries since 2005; 8 million magnetic toys recalled.
2. Recalled Products: About 400 recalls each year.
3. Tip-Overs: Average of 22 deaths per year; 31 in 2006 and an estimated 3,000 injuries.
4. Windows and Coverings: Average of 12 deaths annually from window cords; average of nine deaths and an estimated 3,700 injuries to children annually from window falls.
5. Pool and spa drains: 15 injuries, 2 fatalities from 2002-2004.

The photo, upper right, shows MagnaMan Magnetic Action Figures, which have been recalled by the commission because ingested magnets pose aspiration and intestinal hazards.

For more statistics on what causes children’s injuries and deaths, see my article, “Making Your Home Safe For Your Grandchild.”

What can grandparents do to take preventative measures to avoid these dangers?

“Grandparents: Focus on the Child – Safety,” an AARP article, offers these suggestions.

• Suffocation is the No. 1 danger for infants. Become familiar with crib standards and determine whether second-hand cribs are safe. Put babies to sleep on their stomachs and remove all soft bedding and stuffed animals

• The No. 1 cause of death in children ages one to 14 is motor vehicle accidents. Make sure that your grandchildren are buckled in, that their car seat is the appropriate size for their age, and that they’re properly restrained. Seatcheck.org offers information on safety seat installations and inspections.

• The second most common cause of death for children age one to 14 is drowning. Don’t be distracted by reading, talking on the phone, or visiting with friends. Be award that children can drown in small amounts of water: small ponds, fountains, wading pools, and toilets.

• Unsafe toys and equipment also can cause injuries and death. Sign up to recall information in your e-mail from the commission’s On-line Form for CPSC Subscription Lists.

The photo, middle right, shows a Simplicity crib, which has been recalled by the commission due to failures resulting in infant deaths.

The AARP article also provides this list of Little Lifesavers that are small precautions grandparents can take to help prevent accidents or deal with them quickly and efficiently if they happen.

• Be watchful. When we’re supervising grandchildren, don’t let other distractions intrude. Keep both eyes open. One eye isn’t enough.

• Learn first aid and CPR, especially if you have a pool. If the unthinkable happens, be prepared to act. The faster you can begin basic first aid or CPR, the more likely your grandchild will have a good outcome.

• Post emergency numbers by all telephones, not just the one in your kitchen. Don’t forget your cell phone. Include the number of the U.S. National Poison Hotline at 1-800-222-1222.

• Introduce your grandchild to basic safety principles. Make sure they know their name, address, and phone number. Teach them how and when to dial “911.” Rehearse a fire escape plan with them. If there’s a Safety Town program in their neighborhood or yours, enroll your grandchildren. It’s a great way for little ones to learn safety rules

• Safety-proof your house before the kids arrive. Place medication and cleaning supplies out of reach. Cover exposed electric sockets. Move fragile, breakable items.

“Childproofing Your Home: 12 Safety Devices to Protect Your Children” offers suggestions for devices you can install yourself.

Here’s a list of Web sites and references to help you with child safety issues:

HealthyToys.org

Zrecs – Safer baby teethers

Squidoo – Safer baby teethers

“Childproofing Your Home”

“Soft Bedding May Be Hazardous to Babies”

“Safety Devices Help Prevent Deaths and Injuries”

“Strings, Cords, and Necklaces Can Strangle Infants”

“Baby Safety Checklist”

“Child Care Safety Checklist for Parents and Child Care Providers”

The photo, lower right, shows hooded sweaters recalled by Empress Arts, which have been recalled by the commission because children can strangle on the drawstrings.

By Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist
Guest Blogger

Millions of boomers love to take photos. However, many boomers aren’t able to use their photos or enjoy them because they don’t have them organized.

Taking photos for me is one of the great pleasures of life. But, for years, my photos stacked up because I didn’t know how to store them safely in a way that would preserve them over the years.

A friend of mine took the best dozen or so photos of each of her children every year and put them in a notebook. She used colored construction paper and pasted the photos on with rubber cement.

It looked great. And, when her two children graduated from high school, she presented them each with a huge notebook of photos.

I was envious. Most of my photos were still in boxes.

But, her method didn’t seem right to me. And, sure enough, it’s now known that rubber cement damages photos. In addition, acid-free, archival-quality papers are now available that are much safer to use than construction paper.

About a dozen years ago, I finally found a system that works:

• Place photos and negatives in acid-free plastic sheets with pockets for different size photos or negative strips.

• Put the pages in notebooks that hold 8 ½ x 11 inch photo sheets.

• Organize the photos by year.

The photo to the right shows one of the notebooks that I’ve completed.

The method is working well. A big breakthrough came when I realized that if I purchased sufficient supplies ahead of time, I could make the notebooks as photos and related materials came in. This avoids photos stacking up with articles, catalogs, and magazines that need to be filed.

I’ve assembled about 50 notebooks, and I’ll probably need to make 50 more.

It’s wonderful to be able to find photos when I need them. For example, I’ve made a number of photo boards for my friends and family for special events. I’m also scanning photos to use on my blogs.

If you need to develop a method for photo storage, the article “How to Organize Your Photos” on the ehow.com Web site offers these tips:

• Gather your photos.

• Label the photo packets on the outside top edge with the event and date, and put them in a shoebox.

• Put your loose photos in plastic recipe boxes with tabs labeled for time periods or events.

• Choose a system to store and display your photos.

• Don’t worry if you don’t have time to make scrapbooks now. Protecting photos is the first step.

• Label and store photos in albums as you get each roll of film processed.

Some photo stores and retail outlets offer acid-free pocket pages for sale. This photo shows the sizes that are available. Among the online sources are:

Print File Archival Storage

Ultra Pro

Light Impressions

As for digital photos, I’m figuring out what to do about them. I purchased an i-Mac in January. My photos are nicely stored in the Apple photo library. However, I haven’t backed up any of my photos on CDs.

Here are some references for organizing, storing, and backing up your digital photos.

“Be Sure to Back Up All Your Priceless Digital Photos” – USA Today

“Archiving and Backing Up Your Digital Photo Collection” – Dummies.com

“Preserve Your Digital Photo Memories” – AARP

“Archiving and Backing Up Your Digital Photo Collection” – Sympatico.msn

“Five Ways To Never Lose Your Photos” – Digital Photography School

For more information for boomer consumers, see my blog The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide.

By Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist
Guest Blogger

Many baby boomers aren’t interested in pursuing a traditional retirement of leisure. The majority of boomers say they plan to keep working and earning in retirement. However, they’ll do so by cycling between periods of work and leisure.

But as you approach the retirement age you’ve selected, how can you determine just what it is that will keep you engaged and fulfilled in retirement?

“Smart Women Don’t Retire – They Break Free,” a book by Gail Rentsch, offers suggestions for women who know they want something different when they leave their jobs, but can’t figure out what it is or how to get it.

“This kind of transition is new to us as well as to the experts,” Rentsch says in her book, which is quoted on the blog Boomer Café.

Some of the suggestions Rentsch offers women are to observe what other women are doing, seek advice from emerging experts, and give weight to their own thoughtful insights.

“Smart Women Don’t Retire – They Break Free” is the first book from The Transition Network. The network focuses on the needs of women as they explore new possibilities and redesign the old model of retirement.

For more information for boomer consumers, see my blog The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide.