With Your Family in Mind

A successful divorce has been argued to contain the following elements, recovery from the emotional pain of separation, becoming grounded as a separate individual, providing the necessary nurturance and social growth of children and developing a healthy attitude toward self, ex-spouse and past marriage (Ed Sherman, Practical Divorce Solutions).  It seems near impossible to achieve any of these elements without first adopting a positive attitude.

The Magazine of Santa Clarita readers have been sending in pertinent questions about the voiceover business.  Here’s a recent one:
Q:  In learning how to use my voice better and being able to use it for voice acting more, how helpful are standard acting classes versus dialogue coaching or voice training? —Jenna M., Sylmar, CA

Some of the more serious accident cases that I have received occurred during the colder months.  So, what accounts for this, and what can we do to prevent ourselves from being a victim in an automobile accident during this time period? First of all, most of the accidents during this time of year occur due to rainy weather conditions, and associated with that, failure to properly maintain one’s vehicle.  Another major cause for accidents this time of year is drinking and driving.

When you were a kid, did you picture what life would be like as an adult?  Did you become that policeman, doctor or movie star?  Did you marry, buy your perfect home and have your perfect children?  What did life look like then?  Is today’s picture remotely what you pictured as a kid?

Do you have extra room in your heart and in your home for a child?  If you think you have what it takes to become a parent or if you’d like to add another member to your family, you are needed.  You are really needed.  With more than 119,000 children waiting to be adopted nationwide, your love and care could make a world of difference.  Whether it’s becoming a foster parent or adopting a child, the option is there for you to consider.

Did you know our valley has a Bar Association?  Several of our local attorneys formed this bar association a few years ago, intending to foster communication among local attorneys, provide legal education to its members, and support our community in a variety of ways.  I am honored to serve for a third year on the Board of this association.

Setting up ground rules to resolve issues helps couples keep their eyes on the big picture rather than on mini “victories.”  That’s one of the reasons that a mediated divorce, on average, feels and works better than a litigated divorce.  

Sometimes during custody battles or residency decisions parents find themselves involving their children.  They do so sometimes hoping the opinion of the child will affect the outcome.  Other times, the children themselves may ask for a change.  The child’s desire may be influenced by many outside influences; sometimes they might want to be closer to a particular school or friends.

The Macintosh finally has the perfect solution to the mundane world of PC-based Point-of-Sale Systems. Xsilva LightSpeed is a ground-breaking new multi-user Point-of-Sale system built exclusively for Mac OS X. As the Mac proliferates the computer market, more and more small businesses are looking to adopt it as their hardware solution, and are subsequently seeking a business management software package that reflects the Mac look and feel and user experience.  Xsilva LightSpeed fills that very demand.

A carpool is simply two or more people sharing a ride together in a common vehicle.  Typically this involves two to three co-workers or students from the same community driving together, rather than commuting in their individual cars.  A carpool can operate on a daily or occasional basis (once or twice a week), and may involve rotating the driving responsibilities.  It is possible to carpool even if you don’t have a car of your own; you simply contribute toward gas and other expenses instead of providing a vehicle.  Flexibility is the key to carpooling.  There is always a way to make it work for you.

When a child is diagnosed with cancer, normal family routines come to a sudden stop.  Everything must now revolve around that youngster’s fight for survival. Chris and Sue Hoefflin, co-founders of the Michael Hoefflin Foundation certainly understand that situation. Their son, Michael, fought a four-year battle against recurrent brain cancer. Throughout his ordeal, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles became the Hoefflin’s home-away-from-home. Despite Michael’s anguish, he selflessly wished for a day when no child would ever have to know the horrors of cancer. He longed for an end to all forms of this disease.

As you read this, 2007 is emerging as a New Year.  There will be some new births among us and they will always look to this year as their special year of birth.  There will be others among us that will leave this life and begin to live “more” life in the presence of our Heavenly Father.  Some of us are making new commitments or renewing old ones that call for us to live a stronger, better, more joy-filled life.  Some call these New Year’s Resolutions.  Someone once quipped, “A New Year’s resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other.”

Congratulations!  You’ve just paid $25,000 for your brand new dream car.  It’s beautiful.  For the first nine months, your car runs likes a dream.  Everything is perfect and then, after putting 8,000 miles on your car, it begins to break down continuously, and is in the repair shop numerous times, often for the same problems. So you think you’ve got a lemon?  Guess what?  You probably do and you’ve got rights.

The Magazine of Santa Clarita readers send in their questions about the voiceover business.  Here’s a recent one:
Q: “I’m not an actor, but I’ve done some announcements for a local cable television station.  Do I have any chance of doing announcing for radio and TV commercials?” — Edward M., Valencia

One of the most useful, flexible and cost-effective legal devices available is the Revocable Living Trust.  If properly drafted and funded, a trust can enable us to avoid probate and perhaps save hundreds of thousands of dollars of federal estate taxes. Ordinarily , the FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) insurance on bank deposits only covers the first $100,000 in an account.

January is the month of changes for all.  If nothing else, remember to use the correct date for the New Year!  It is the time of year that we feel renewed and we feel the year has new potential for all of us.  With a clean slate, most of us begin planning what we would like to accomplish in the New Year, particularly after December, which can be a tough month for many of us.

Dana Sher has been a Top Producer in Real Estate Sales for Re/Max of Santa Clarita for the past fourteen years.  Dana’s commitment to her clients and dedication to their happiness during their real estate transactions has contributed to her success.  Dana and her husband Gabe, recently hosted their 13th annual pizza party for her clients, friends, family and affiliates.  Over 100 guests attended.  “The pizza party has always been a great time for me to once again say “thank you” to my clients.

Area military families now have a new place to turn to when searching for childcare and child development programs.  The Child Care Resource Center (CCRC), in partnership with the Department of Defense and the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (NACCRRA), is offering child care assistance to active duty military families who live off-base and do not have access to on-base child care.  The program includes child care financial assistance and one-on-one support to help locate high quality child care for active duty and reserve military families.