Have a young child? Well then you’re probably familiar with the child care search. For most parents, finding affordable or available child care seems next to impossible.

However, there are solutions out there. Today’s neat site, Child Care Aware, is a non-profit initiative committed to helping parents find the best information on locating quality child care and child care resources in their community.

Type in your ZIP code at their Child Care Connector search engine and it’ll find the child care resource and referral agency nearest you. You can then contact this agency to learn more about affordable and available options in your area.

Child Care Aware also has great tips on steps to choosing child care, questions to ask and other tools for parents. Know a parent who uses child care services? Pass on Child Care Aware to them!

• Additional child care tips…

I received an urban legend e-mail from my dad this morning: this e-mail claimed that if you’re an emergency on the highway and you dial *77 on your cell phone, you’ll be immediately connected with the highway police dispatcher headquarters. This number might work in some states, however, in most cases it won’t.

Highway emergency numbers vary from state to state; so it’d be a good idea to find out the number for your state and also to write down the emergency numbers for other states you might visit on your next vacation. Also, you can always dial 9-1-1. Remember to clearly explain your situation and your location.

• Emergency Cell Phone Numbers State By State
  
• International Emergency Numbers
• Reporting an Emergency

I’m one of the few people who loves to shovel snow. There’s something really satisfying about getting out into the fresh air after a heavy snow.

But shoveling - while good exercise - isn’t exactly the safest form of physical activity. According to the American Heart Association, “the risk of a heart attack during snow shoveling increases for those who are middle-aged or older and for people who lead a sedentary lifestyle and who have been diagnosed with a heart condition.”

So if you’re heading out the door to shovel, remember to take it slow and easy. Read these two articles for more safe shoveling tips:

• Snow Shoveling - National Safety Council
• Snow Shoveling Tips - American Heart Association
• More blizzard tips…

My first babysitting job was when I was 11 for the neighbors across the street - I had to keep an eye on a infant while she napped. I remember feeling very “adult” yet very nervous, because I didn’t really have any knowledge on how to babysit!

Thankfully (for everyone involved!), I decided to take a Red Cross babysitting course at the local hospital. I remember doing CPR on a tiny plastic baby and learning about the best way to stop a nosebleed.

Luckily, for all those inexperienced (and experienced) young adult babysitters, those classes are still being offered today. Here Courtney Johnson from the Twin Cities Area Chapter of the American Red Cross talks about the skills young adult babysitters can learn through their babysitting training program:

Insurance - we’ve certainly all got questions about it.

Today’s neat site, the Insurance Information Institute, is a great place to find basic answers for your general questions about most types of insurance policies: auto, home, life, annuities, health, long-term care, disability and other special policies.

NOTE: Although the Insurance Information Institute is a nonprofit communications organization, it is supported by the insurance industry. So bear that in mind while viewing the site.

Have a site to recommend? Post it in the Comments below!

JetBlue has been in the spotlight recently due to canceled flights and many disgruntled travelers. Last week’s Valentine’s Day Blizzard in the Midwest and Northeast caused many delays, even stranding some JetBlue passengers in planes on the runway for more than 10+ hours.

Today JetBlue announced it would spend up to $30 million on new customer service-oriented programs including a customer bill of rights. JetBlue will be posting the details of their bill of rights on Tuesday afternoon and are inviting the public to share their feedback.

Other resources:

• There is a group advocating for a passenger’s bill of rights for all airlines - I wrote about this in a blog topic just a few weeks ago called What Airlines Can Do.
• USA Today put together a great passenger rights Q & A : Airlines’ actions put spotlight on passenger rights.

Sometimes the hotel can make or break a really great vacation.

So before you head out of town on your next trip, read the top advice from concierges, travelers and travel agents: what you should ask when you check into a hotel…

A new study from the University of Arizona claims that our desks are filled with bacteria, with women’s desks hosting nearly three times as many germs than men’s. (Guess what I spent my lunchtime doing!!)

Purses and wallets are also top germ offenders. While ridding your purse or wallet of germs, also take this opportunity to make photocopies of all your important IDs and credit cards. You’ll need these numbers to cancel your cards in the event your purse or wallet is stolen.

• More purse or wallet prevention tips…

Tall, male, dark hair, jeans and a T-shirt…
Think about how many people you know who could fit that description.

Exactly.

Being a witness is one of the hardest jobs around, especially if you’re also the victim: your heart is racing, your head is spinning and your body is so full of adrenaline you could probably lift an elephant.

I actually had to describe a suspect once after my home was broken into one Sunday afternoon: he was skinny, short, wore red shorts and a white T-shirt and had black curly hair. I only saw him for about 5 seconds so it was hard to remember every detail!

But there are a few things that would help you and the police, should you find yourself in this situation, either as a victim or witness. Here Minneapolis Police Dept.’s Officer Ron Reier offers helpful tips on how to describe a suspect to the police after a crime:

This year’s Valentine’s Day Blizzard hasn’t just stopped the flower delivery trucks, it’s also caused major delays and closings at airports.

So before you head to the airport to catch a flight, check out today’s neat site: Flight Delay Information from the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Air Traffic Control System Command Center.

The site features a map of the United States with the listing of the major international airports represented by dots. The colors of the dots represent the length of delays (green being the fewest, then yellow, orange and red; black means the airport is closed). Click on a dot to learn more about the types and reasons for the delay.

You can also contact your airline’s customer service line directly for status information about your flight.

• List of Major Airline Reservation and Ticketing Phone Numbers
  
• What to do if your flight is delayed or cancelled…