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    Quick Survey of Surveys
    Surveys can be conducted in numerous ways: directly, by mail, by fax or by phone. Generally, you will have a better response if you ask customers to complete surveys while on your premises. Follow the guidelines below and, above all, let your customers know how you have implemented their suggestions. Eight out of ten will come back to see if you have followed their advice. Keep surveys simple and easy to read. Do not get too technical or make the survey long and boring. Ask close-ended or direct questions as much as possible. Instead of asking, for example, "What products would you like to see us add to our product line?" ask, "Of the following list, which products would you like to see in the store?" 1. Get a large sample before you tabulate results. Ten surveys won't give you an accurate representation. Depending on your business, 500 or more respondents may be necessary. 2. Put yourself in the place of the customer. Can the customer furnish all the information you are asking for? 3. Leave plenty of room if you ask open-ended questions or if one of your answers is "other." 4. Give respondents some kind of reward or incentive for filling out your survey. Examples include a coupon redeemable on their next visit, a grand prize or a drawing from amongst the finished surveys. (Be wary, however, of those who fill out more than one survey to increase their chances of winning.) 5. Construct the survey so that the results can be utilized in as many ways as possible. For example, names and addresses can be used to develop mailing lists. (Note: Surveys that ask questions about income or general demographics should not request the respondent's name and address.)
    Oregon Judicial Department has developed a “Basic Parenting Plan for Parents” that can be found at: http://www.ojd.state.or.us/osca/cpsd/courtimprovement/familylaw/parentingplan.htm. The Supreme Court for the State of Arizona has also developed a model parenting plan that can be found at: www.supreme.state.az.us/dr/Text/ModelPTPlans.htm

    The following samples are based on those parenting plans.

    Birth to 12 months

    Sample Language:

    Commencing on _________, Parent A shall have physical custody of the minor child(ren) each week on Tuesday and Thursday from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 pm. and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Parent A shall be responsible for picking up and dropping of the minor child(ren) at the residence of Parent B. Parent B shall have physical custody of the minor child(ren) at all other times not designated as Parent A’s time.

    Comments:

    At this young age, infants form a primary attachment to one parent and long periods of absence from the primary attachment figure may be traumatic. Parents should minimize the infant’s basic sleep, feeding and waking cycles.

    Pre-schooler 3 – 5 years

    The parties alternate weekends and the non-custodial parent has one evening or overnight during the week.

    Sample Language:

    A. Commencing on ___________, Parent A shall have physical custody of the minor child(ren) alternate weekends from Friday, after the end of school/child care/camp (or at 5:30 p.m. if the child(ren) are not in school/child care/camp), when Parent A shall pick up the child(ren) from school/child care/camps, or at Parent B’s residence if the child(ren) are not in school/child care, until Monday, at the start of school/child care (or at 8:

    Self Control is Key to Changing Your Life
    Galatians. 5:22-23: But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.Self-Control is Key to Changing Your LifeFor me, the hardest part of trying to make changes in ones life is that little thing that we call self-control.Ever made the decision to start exercising? You get all excited about it. You set the alarm clock to get up early the next morning so you can exercise 45 minutes before starting your day. The alarm clock goes off and what happens? You hit the snooze button. Aw, forget exercising. What were you thinking? The bed feels too good. You are simply too tired to get up. You will have to start another day.Or perhaps you did get up that morning, and even the next. But three days into your program, the bed feels better than the idea of getting up and exercising.What is the problem here?The problem is – NO SELF CONTROL.Or what about this?You write out all of your goals. You make the decision to review your goals each day and actively work on them.For five days, you do exactly that.Then, the fifth day comes and you simply don’t have the time to do it. The next day, you can’t find the time to focus on your goals either. Hey, you have the big project that is due and there are the kids that have that meeting at their school that you must attend, and your spouse need help out in the garage. There are way too many things that you must do and focusing on your goals simply will have to take a back seat for the day.Here’s another example: You decide to read the bible from cover to cover. You will do it each night before going to sleep—read two complete chapters before going to bed. For three days you do just that. The fourth day, you are too tired to read the bible, so you fall to sleep. You never pick it up again outside of carrying it to and from church on Sunday.Now, if any of this sound like you, don’t feel bad. It sounds like most of us.The problem is, most of us have absolutely no self-control.In order to make the necessary changes you will have to make in order to create the life
    How can parents decide on a custody and visitation plan?

    Parents who separate should have a custody and visitation or parenting plan for deciding how they will share parenting responsibilities. A custody and visitation plan must be in writing and signed by both parties and a judge to be enforceable.

    What if parents cannot agree on a custody and visitation plan?

    If parents cannot agree on custody and visitation on their own they may go to court and ask a judge for a temporary order. The Court will first send them to Conciliation Court where a trained mediator tries to help the parties agree. In Los Angeles conciliation services are free. An appointment can be made by calling conciliation services at (213) 974-5524.

    If the parties still cannot agree, the Court will make a temporary custody and visitation order that is in the best interests of the children. The temporary order will continue until the parties can reach an agreement or until custody and visitation is resolved after a trial.

    If parents cannot agree on custody and visitation, they can also ask the court to appoint a mental health expert such as a psychologist to carry out a custody evaluation. A list of custody evaluators can be found at the Los Angeles Court's web site at www.lasuperiorcourt.org.

    Developing a Plan

    While it is difficult to make generalizations about the suitability of various parenting plans many experts agree that during the first years of life, it is important for young children to develop an attachment to a primary caretaker and recommend frequent but non-overnight visitation with the non-custodial parent for short periods of time. As the children grow older and are better able to develop multiple attachments longer periods of continuous overnight visitation is encouraged.

    Consider the practical aspects of any plan

    A first step in developing a plan is charting out the schedules of the children and both parents. This will help you make realistic choices based upon practical considerations. Take a calendar and chart out in a colored pen the activities of each of your children (e.g. when they leave and return from school/day care each day, when they go to different activities such as music lessons, when they have vacations etc.) Next, take a different colored pen and chart your activities and commitments. Include when you go to and return from work, go to meetings, go out with friends etc. With another colored pen do the same for the other parent. You should then compare both parents’ plans to see if there is any common ground.

    The children’s best interests

    When parents decide custody and visitation they should develop a plan around the needs and best interests of their children and not their needs or schedules. In other words, they should adjust the plan to the children, not the children to the plan. Parents should be looking at their children's need for love, emotional support and security. Parents should take into account their children's age, personality and experiences. Children will generally be better off when both parents are involved and participating in their upbringing.

    Next you should consider who has historically been responsible for different commitments with the children and which parent is practically able to fulfill them in the future. Questions you should consider are:

    • Who do the children turn to when they have a problem or need to share their feelings?

    • Who does homework with the children?

    • What do the children do on the weekends?

    • Do the children spend time with relatives and who takes them?

    • Who takes the children to medical appointments or picks them up in when they are sick?

    • Who provides the children’s physical care, such as bathing, changing diapers, arranging for sitters, haircuts, feeding?

    • How do you and your spouse discipline the children and set structure for them?

    • What kind of personal attention do each of you give to the children, such as teaching problem solving, reading, playing together, sharing activities?

    • Who is responsible for the children’s social activities, such as arranging birthdays, play dates, trick or treating, taking class trips, games, lessons, school plays etc?

    Joint Custody

    For older children one of the key issues is whether a joint custody is more appropriate than an arrangement where the non-custodial parent has alternate weekends and one or two overnights during the week. The answer will be different for each family. The parent’s relationship and their level of cooperation and also the children’s preferences can be as important as how much time the children physically spend with each parent.

    The Legal Aspects of a Plan

    Any parenting plan will have to make provision for who gets "legal" custody and who gets "physical" custody of the children. These are the terms that are used in agreements.

    "Legal" custody means which parent gets to make important decisions about the children's education, religious upbringing, medical treatment and other legal decisions. If one parent gets to make these decisions they have "sole legal custody." If both parents get to make those decisions together, they have "joint legal custody." It is rare for one parent to be granted sole legal custody unless there are issues of domestic violence and substance abuse or there is a history of the parents being unable to communicate. In deciding on issues relating to legal custody, form "Joint Legal Custody Attachment" FL-341 (E) which has been approved by the Judicial Council of California is helpful. It can be found at www.courtinfo.ca.gov/forms/.

    "Physical" custody means who the children live with on a daily basis. A parent has "sole" physical custody if the primary residence of the child is with that parent. The non-custodial parent then has visitation rights. The parents have "joint" physical custody if the children live with each parent for significant periods of time during the week.

    A custody and visitation plan should be consistent and detailed. It should spell out who gets the children when and where in enough detail so that it is easy to understand and enforce. Important questions are who has the children in the week and on the weekends? Who transports the children for exchanges and to activities? Who gets the children on holidays and vacations? In California, the Judicial Counsel has developed forms to be used when requesting custody and visitation. The forms "Child Custody and Visitation Attachment FL-311 and "Children's Holiday Schedule Attachment” can be found at www. Courtinfo.ca.gov/forms and are helpful in developing plans.

    Sample physical custody plans

    Some states have developed model parenting plans that take into account what is appropriate for children of different ages and stages of development. The Oregon Judicial Department has developed a “Basic Parenting Plan for Parents” that can be found at: http://www.ojd.state.or.us/osca/cpsd/courtimprovement/familylaw/parentingplan.htm. The Supreme Court for the State of Arizona has also developed a model parenting plan that can be found at: www.supreme.state.az.us/dr/Text/ModelPTPlans.htm

    The following samples are based on those parenting plans.

    Birth to 12 months

    Sample Language:

    Commencing on _________, Parent A shall have physical custody of the minor child(ren) each week on Tuesday and Thursday from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 pm. and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Parent A shall be responsible for picking up and dropping of the minor child(ren) at the residence of Parent B. Parent B shall have physical custody of the minor child(ren) at all other times not designated as Parent A’s time.

    Comments:

    At this young age, infants form a primary attachment to one parent and long periods of absence from the primary attachment figure may be traumatic. Parents should minimize the infant’s basic sleep, feeding and waking cycles.

    Pre-schooler 3 – 5 years

    The parties alternate weekends and the non-custodial parent has one evening or overnight during the week.

    Sample Language:

    A. Commencing on ___________, Parent A shall have physical custody of the minor child(ren) alternate weekends from Friday, after the end of school/child care/camp (or at 5:30 p.m. if the child(ren) are not in school/child care/camp), when Parent A shall pick up the child(ren) from school/child care/camps, or at Parent B’s residence if the child(ren) are not in school/child care, until Monday, at the start of school/child care (or at 8:0

    Student Loan Consolidation – Taking Advantage Of Valuable Resources Available To You
    In order to take advantage of valuable resources to help eliminate your debt burden from the payment of federal student loans, it is highly advisable that you consider consolidating your student loans. This is done by combining all the different types of loans you incurred. You can take advantage of Federal student loan consolidation in many cases.Federal student loan consolidation interest rates are currently at their lowest, so consolidating your loan means that the interest rate used for the whole duration of your loan is fixed.There are now a lot of options from lenders who can offer better rates on student consolidated loans. You can save yourself a lot of money by keeping up to date with which lenders offer lower interest rates, and by gathering all the important information you need in order to search for a consolidated loan that has better rates than your current student loans.One category you could take into consideration regarding federal student loans is availing of the FFEL student consolidation loan. This loan program helps any borrower especially students via multiple repayment schedules. Thanks to the FFEL student loan consolidation program, only one payment is made each month.Disadvantages of availing student loan consolidations, if there are any, actually depends on you. If in case it would take you a bit of a longer time in paying off your student loan, you will then consequently pay more interest during the course of your whole loan repayment. However, since in consolidating your loans, there are really no penalties in prepayment and if you continually pay the same amount payments before actually consolidating your loans, the interest you will incur would not increase thus you will be able to pay the loan faster than when you did not consolidate your loans.Another advantage when one avails of student loan consolidation is that there are no fees or charges incurred. The United States Department of Education does not in any way make charges or collects any fees to any borrower who avails of the student loan consolidation.Refinancing student loans again depends on the borrower. The United Sta
    le to develop multiple attachments longer periods of continuous overnight visitation is encouraged.

    Consider the practical aspects of any plan

    A first step in developing a plan is charting out the schedules of the children and both parents. This will help you make realistic choices based upon practical considerations. Take a calendar and chart out in a colored pen the activities of each of your children (e.g. when they leave and return from school/day care each day, when they go to different activities such as music lessons, when they have vacations etc.) Next, take a different colored pen and chart your activities and commitments. Include when you go to and return from work, go to meetings, go out with friends etc. With another colored pen do the same for the other parent. You should then compare both parents’ plans to see if there is any common ground.

    The children’s best interests

    When parents decide custody and visitation they should develop a plan around the needs and best interests of their children and not their needs or schedules. In other words, they should adjust the plan to the children, not the children to the plan. Parents should be looking at their children's need for love, emotional support and security. Parents should take into account their children's age, personality and experiences. Children will generally be better off when both parents are involved and participating in their upbringing.

    Next you should consider who has historically been responsible for different commitments with the children and which parent is practically able to fulfill them in the future. Questions you should consider are:

    • Who do the children turn to when they have a problem or need to share their feelings?

    • Who does homework with the children?

    • What do the children do on the weekends?

    • Do the children spend time with relatives and who takes them?

    • Who takes the children to medical appointments or picks them up in when they are sick?

    • Who provides the children’s physical care, such as bathing, changing diapers, arranging for sitters, haircuts, feeding?

    • How do you and your spouse discipline the children and set structure for them?

    • What kind of personal attention do each of you give to the children, such as teaching problem solving, reading, playing together, sharing activities?

    • Who is responsible for the children’s social activities, such as arranging birthdays, play dates, trick or treating, taking class trips, games, lessons, school plays etc?

    Joint Custody

    For older children one of the key issues is whether a joint custody is more appropriate than an arrangement where the non-custodial parent has alternate weekends and one or two overnights during the week. The answer will be different for each family. The parent’s relationship and their level of cooperation and also the children’s preferences can be as important as how much time the children physically spend with each parent.

    The Legal Aspects of a Plan

    Any parenting plan will have to make provision for who gets "legal" custody and who gets "physical" custody of the children. These are the terms that are used in agreements.

    "Legal" custody means which parent gets to make important decisions about the children's education, religious upbringing, medical treatment and other legal decisions. If one parent gets to make these decisions they have "sole legal custody." If both parents get to make those decisions together, they have "joint legal custody." It is rare for one parent to be granted sole legal custody unless there are issues of domestic violence and substance abuse or there is a history of the parents being unable to communicate. In deciding on issues relating to legal custody, form "Joint Legal Custody Attachment" FL-341 (E) which has been approved by the Judicial Council of California is helpful. It can be found at www.courtinfo.ca.gov/forms/.

    "Physical" custody means who the children live with on a daily basis. A parent has "sole" physical custody if the primary residence of the child is with that parent. The non-custodial parent then has visitation rights. The parents have "joint" physical custody if the children live with each parent for significant periods of time during the week.

    A custody and visitation plan should be consistent and detailed. It should spell out who gets the children when and where in enough detail so that it is easy to understand and enforce. Important questions are who has the children in the week and on the weekends? Who transports the children for exchanges and to activities? Who gets the children on holidays and vacations? In California, the Judicial Counsel has developed forms to be used when requesting custody and visitation. The forms "Child Custody and Visitation Attachment FL-311 and "Children's Holiday Schedule Attachment” can be found at www. Courtinfo.ca.gov/forms and are helpful in developing plans.

    Sample physical custody plans

    Some states have developed model parenting plans that take into account what is appropriate for children of different ages and stages of development. The Oregon Judicial Department has developed a “Basic Parenting Plan for Parents” that can be found at: http://www.ojd.state.or.us/osca/cpsd/courtimprovement/familylaw/parentingplan.htm. The Supreme Court for the State of Arizona has also developed a model parenting plan that can be found at: www.supreme.state.az.us/dr/Text/ModelPTPlans.htm

    The following samples are based on those parenting plans.

    Birth to 12 months

    Sample Language:

    Commencing on _________, Parent A shall have physical custody of the minor child(ren) each week on Tuesday and Thursday from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 pm. and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Parent A shall be responsible for picking up and dropping of the minor child(ren) at the residence of Parent B. Parent B shall have physical custody of the minor child(ren) at all other times not designated as Parent A’s time.

    Comments:

    At this young age, infants form a primary attachment to one parent and long periods of absence from the primary attachment figure may be traumatic. Parents should minimize the infant’s basic sleep, feeding and waking cycles.

    Pre-schooler 3 – 5 years

    The parties alternate weekends and the non-custodial parent has one evening or overnight during the week.

    Sample Language:

    A. Commencing on ___________, Parent A shall have physical custody of the minor child(ren) alternate weekends from Friday, after the end of school/child care/camp (or at 5:30 p.m. if the child(ren) are not in school/child care/camp), when Parent A shall pick up the child(ren) from school/child care/camps, or at Parent B’s residence if the child(ren) are not in school/child care, until Monday, at the start of school/child care (or at 8:

    How VoIP Helps To Boost Up Business
    This is a well-known fact that using VoIP technology one can cut the cost of telephoning to a large extent. Any individual, who has the habit or need of making frequent calls, both domestic as well as international, can use this technology to keep the cost of the calls low to a surprising degree. It is not that only individuals can take benefits of this technology. This can be successfully availed by owners of small businesses all across the world.Successful application of VoIP technology in business organization contributes a lot to saving the cost of phone calls and thus increases the profitability of the business. Here a brief description is given on how this can help a businessman to increase his profitability. Suppose, most of your clients are in London but you are based in Edinburgh. So, what you can do is to choose a connection with a London code. Under the system you will be able to set up toll-free lines that will give your business the image of a large one.Simultaneously, this will enable you to create an impressive business presence in the city where most of your clients are based. Along with this, your business will create good impression in many other cities. Moreover, if you choose a plan carefully you will be able to make unlimited free calls for a fixed payment. It will also give you the scope to forward calls, make calls internationally at a very low charge and thereby expand the domain of your business operation over exotic places.Because of “unified messaging’’ offered by VoIP, you or your office staff will always be able to know the caller. The system also collates all the messages so that you can prioritize your responses accordingly. More interestingly, you can retrieve messages via telephone, PC, laptop, or PDA and hence you will be able to provide your customers with round the clock services. In this and many other ways VoIP can help to boost up a business.
    need to share their feelings?

    • Who does homework with the children?

    • What do the children do on the weekends?

    • Do the children spend time with relatives and who takes them?

    • Who takes the children to medical appointments or picks them up in when they are sick?

    • Who provides the children’s physical care, such as bathing, changing diapers, arranging for sitters, haircuts, feeding?

    • How do you and your spouse discipline the children and set structure for them?

    • What kind of personal attention do each of you give to the children, such as teaching problem solving, reading, playing together, sharing activities?

    • Who is responsible for the children’s social activities, such as arranging birthdays, play dates, trick or treating, taking class trips, games, lessons, school plays etc?

    Joint Custody

    For older children one of the key issues is whether a joint custody is more appropriate than an arrangement where the non-custodial parent has alternate weekends and one or two overnights during the week. The answer will be different for each family. The parent’s relationship and their level of cooperation and also the children’s preferences can be as important as how much time the children physically spend with each parent.

    The Legal Aspects of a Plan

    Any parenting plan will have to make provision for who gets "legal" custody and who gets "physical" custody of the children. These are the terms that are used in agreements.

    "Legal" custody means which parent gets to make important decisions about the children's education, religious upbringing, medical treatment and other legal decisions. If one parent gets to make these decisions they have "sole legal custody." If both parents get to make those decisions together, they have "joint legal custody." It is rare for one parent to be granted sole legal custody unless there are issues of domestic violence and substance abuse or there is a history of the parents being unable to communicate. In deciding on issues relating to legal custody, form "Joint Legal Custody Attachment" FL-341 (E) which has been approved by the Judicial Council of California is helpful. It can be found at www.courtinfo.ca.gov/forms/.

    "Physical" custody means who the children live with on a daily basis. A parent has "sole" physical custody if the primary residence of the child is with that parent. The non-custodial parent then has visitation rights. The parents have "joint" physical custody if the children live with each parent for significant periods of time during the week.

    A custody and visitation plan should be consistent and detailed. It should spell out who gets the children when and where in enough detail so that it is easy to understand and enforce. Important questions are who has the children in the week and on the weekends? Who transports the children for exchanges and to activities? Who gets the children on holidays and vacations? In California, the Judicial Counsel has developed forms to be used when requesting custody and visitation. The forms "Child Custody and Visitation Attachment FL-311 and "Children's Holiday Schedule Attachment” can be found at www. Courtinfo.ca.gov/forms and are helpful in developing plans.

    Sample physical custody plans

    Some states have developed model parenting plans that take into account what is appropriate for children of different ages and stages of development. The Oregon Judicial Department has developed a “Basic Parenting Plan for Parents” that can be found at: http://www.ojd.state.or.us/osca/cpsd/courtimprovement/familylaw/parentingplan.htm. The Supreme Court for the State of Arizona has also developed a model parenting plan that can be found at: www.supreme.state.az.us/dr/Text/ModelPTPlans.htm

    The following samples are based on those parenting plans.

    Birth to 12 months

    Sample Language:

    Commencing on _________, Parent A shall have physical custody of the minor child(ren) each week on Tuesday and Thursday from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 pm. and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Parent A shall be responsible for picking up and dropping of the minor child(ren) at the residence of Parent B. Parent B shall have physical custody of the minor child(ren) at all other times not designated as Parent A’s time.

    Comments:

    At this young age, infants form a primary attachment to one parent and long periods of absence from the primary attachment figure may be traumatic. Parents should minimize the infant’s basic sleep, feeding and waking cycles.

    Pre-schooler 3 – 5 years

    The parties alternate weekends and the non-custodial parent has one evening or overnight during the week.

    Sample Language:

    A. Commencing on ___________, Parent A shall have physical custody of the minor child(ren) alternate weekends from Friday, after the end of school/child care/camp (or at 5:30 p.m. if the child(ren) are not in school/child care/camp), when Parent A shall pick up the child(ren) from school/child care/camps, or at Parent B’s residence if the child(ren) are not in school/child care, until Monday, at the start of school/child care (or at 8:

    How to Make Money on the Internet - Part 3 of 7 Search Engine Optimization & Pay Per Click Ads
    When a set of key words and phrases are placed with the right frequency on your website, resulting in a #1 page rank on Google, this is called Search Engine Optimization. The Links appearing on the right side, called sponsored links are paid for links by advertisers and termed as PPC advertising. Being on the 1st page of Google gives confidence to your reader, and in the long run is what you should aim for.There are many instances when sites are optimized with the right frequency of key words that attract visitors but still don’t convert to paying customers. It could be any reason, perhaps the sales letter copy needs work or you’re not capturing your visitor’s details and following up with them with an auto responder. Fortunately, these are areas that can be corrected quickly.What’s more alarming is, what if the niche you are targeting is simply not an area where you can make money online, and your site has already been optimized for it over the last 3 months. That’s 90 days lost. Not to mention the efforts you would have made in creating back links to your site.Quick illustration no 1, you have an interest in golf and your gut feeling tells you that XXX golf clubs are going to be a hot item to sell. You start building your site around the keyword “XXX golf clubs” to have a good Google ranking, only to find that your free search engine visitors don’t buy clubs online. Most of them prefer to purchase XXX golf clubs in shops where they can physically touch and feel the product.Scenario number 2. You locate a good info product that has had great success on the internet. Let’s call it “The Art of Making Money Online”. You invest a small amount in paid advertising and find that this product sells well because it is quickly available by download and its customers have credit cards. Now that you know the sale of the Ebooks covers the expenses of your PPC advertising, it is a worthwhile to embark on your SEO campaign.So, make money on the internet by 1st doing a litmus test on about 10 targeted keywords and check the sales results before incorporating them into your website. That way, you can build a SEO optimized website with k
    "sole legal custody." If both parents get to make those decisions together, they have "joint legal custody." It is rare for one parent to be granted sole legal custody unless there are issues of domestic violence and substance abuse or there is a history of the parents being unable to communicate. In deciding on issues relating to legal custody, form "Joint Legal Custody Attachment" FL-341 (E) which has been approved by the Judicial Council of California is helpful. It can be found at www.courtinfo.ca.gov/forms/.

    "Physical" custody means who the children live with on a daily basis. A parent has "sole" physical custody if the primary residence of the child is with that parent. The non-custodial parent then has visitation rights. The parents have "joint" physical custody if the children live with each parent for significant periods of time during the week.

    A custody and visitation plan should be consistent and detailed. It should spell out who gets the children when and where in enough detail so that it is easy to understand and enforce. Important questions are who has the children in the week and on the weekends? Who transports the children for exchanges and to activities? Who gets the children on holidays and vacations? In California, the Judicial Counsel has developed forms to be used when requesting custody and visitation. The forms "Child Custody and Visitation Attachment FL-311 and "Children's Holiday Schedule Attachment” can be found at www. Courtinfo.ca.gov/forms and are helpful in developing plans.

    Sample physical custody plans

    Some states have developed model parenting plans that take into account what is appropriate for children of different ages and stages of development. The Oregon Judicial Department has developed a “Basic Parenting Plan for Parents” that can be found at: http://www.ojd.state.or.us/osca/cpsd/courtimprovement/familylaw/parentingplan.htm. The Supreme Court for the State of Arizona has also developed a model parenting plan that can be found at: www.supreme.state.az.us/dr/Text/ModelPTPlans.htm

    The following samples are based on those parenting plans.

    Birth to 12 months

    Sample Language:

    Commencing on _________, Parent A shall have physical custody of the minor child(ren) each week on Tuesday and Thursday from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 pm. and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Parent A shall be responsible for picking up and dropping of the minor child(ren) at the residence of Parent B. Parent B shall have physical custody of the minor child(ren) at all other times not designated as Parent A’s time.

    Comments:

    At this young age, infants form a primary attachment to one parent and long periods of absence from the primary attachment figure may be traumatic. Parents should minimize the infant’s basic sleep, feeding and waking cycles.

    Pre-schooler 3 – 5 years

    The parties alternate weekends and the non-custodial parent has one evening or overnight during the week.

    Sample Language:

    A. Commencing on ___________, Parent A shall have physical custody of the minor child(ren) alternate weekends from Friday, after the end of school/child care/camp (or at 5:30 p.m. if the child(ren) are not in school/child care/camp), when Parent A shall pick up the child(ren) from school/child care/camps, or at Parent B’s residence if the child(ren) are not in school/child care, until Monday, at the start of school/child care (or at 8:

    Are You on the Road to Financial Success or More Credit Card Debt?
    We often surround ourselves with possessions in order to bring a sense of security into our lives, but are these material objects really creating security or depriving us of it? Many people may seem financially independent and successful; however, appearances can be deceiving. They may have a well paying job, a nice house, new cars, and many other luxuries, but the reality of the situation is that they may also be deep in credit card debt. Beneath the appearance of prosperity, they could be living paycheck to paycheck, simply making the minimum payments on each of their bills every month. On the surface they seem to have an endless supply of funds, but they are basically one paycheck away from financial disaster.Financial success includes the ability to withstand financial hardships, such as unexpected money emergencies or loss of income. When presented with financial problems, many people have a difficult time coping because they owe too much in credit card debt and do not have enough money saved. This is why it’s important to create an emergency account that can cover your basic living expenses for three to five months. You need to have some sort of emergency fund in case a financial hardship, such as job loss or medical issue, arises.If you often say, “I simply do not have anything left over to save,” when it comes time each month to put money in your savings, there is a strong possibility that your basic expenses are eating up too much of your income. Depending on your monthly wages, your mortgage/ rent should equal 30 percent of your income. If you are clearing $2400 dollars a month, your rent should be $720 or less. Also, your basic expenses, such as your car payment, utilities, food, and insurance should not exceed half of your monthly income. So, if you are paying a large car payment every month, you should think about selling your car and buying a less expensive or used vehicle (just make sure it’s reliable). If your house/ apartment payments are extremely high, you might want to consider moving into a less expensive home or living in a more affordable area.You may find it difficult to downgrade because you are giving up the
    Oregon Judicial Department has developed a “Basic Parenting Plan for Parents” that can be found at: http://www.ojd.state.or.us/osca/cpsd/courtimprovement/familylaw/parentingplan.htm. The Supreme Court for the State of Arizona has also developed a model parenting plan that can be found at: www.supreme.state.az.us/dr/Text/ModelPTPlans.htm

    The following samples are based on those parenting plans.

    Birth to 12 months

    Sample Language:

    Commencing on _________, Parent A shall have physical custody of the minor child(ren) each week on Tuesday and Thursday from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 pm. and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Parent A shall be responsible for picking up and dropping of the minor child(ren) at the residence of Parent B. Parent B shall have physical custody of the minor child(ren) at all other times not designated as Parent A’s time.

    Comments:

    At this young age, infants form a primary attachment to one parent and long periods of absence from the primary attachment figure may be traumatic. Parents should minimize the infant’s basic sleep, feeding and waking cycles.

    Pre-schooler 3 – 5 years

    The parties alternate weekends and the non-custodial parent has one evening or overnight during the week.

    Sample Language:

    A. Commencing on ___________, Parent A shall have physical custody of the minor child(ren) alternate weekends from Friday, after the end of school/child care/camp (or at 5:30 p.m. if the child(ren) are not in school/child care/camp), when Parent A shall pick up the child(ren) from school/child care/camps, or at Parent B’s residence if the child(ren) are not in school/child care, until Monday, at the start of school/child care (or at 8:00 a.m. if the child(ren) are not in school/child care/camp), when Parent A shall drop the minor child(ren) off at school/child care/camp or at Parent B’s residence if the child(ren) are not in school/child care/camp.

    B. Commencing on ____________, Parent A shall have physical custody of the minor child(ren) each week from Wednesday, after the end of school/child care camp (or at 5:30 p.m. if the child(ren) are not in school/child care/camp), when Parent A shall pick up the child(ren) from school/child care/camp, or at Parent B’s residence if the child(ren) are not in school/child care/camp, until Thursday, at the start of school/child care/camp(or at 8:00 a.m. if the child(ren) are not in school/child care/camp), when Parent A shall drop the minor child(ren) off at school/child care/camp or at Parent B’s residence if the child(ren) are not in school/child care/camp.

    C. Parent B shall have physical custody of the minor child(ren) at all other times not designated as Parent A’s time.

    * Instead of referring to alternate weekends, a plan can refer to 1st, 3rd and 5th weekends of the month. This generally avoids any confusion about which parents has custody on any given weekend.

    Comments:

    It may be suitable where Parent B has not been very involved in the day to day care of the child and has a busy work schedule. Three to five year olds may show increased anxiety moving between parent’s homes. This does not necessarily reflect on whether the other parent is not a good parent or does not want to be with the other parent. Depending on the maturity of the child and the practicality of the exchanges these times can be negotiated so that Parent A only has the child one or two evenings in the week and has shorter or longer weekends.

    “2:2:3” Joint Physical Custody for older children

    The parties alternate weekends and each parent has the children two days in the week.

    Sample Language:

    A. Commencing on __________, Parent A shall have physical custody of the minor child(ren) each week from Monday, at the start of school/child care/camp (or at 8:00 a.m. if the child(ren) are not in school/child care/camp), when Parent B shall drop the minor child(ren) off at school/child care/camp, or at Parent A’s residence if the child(ren) are not in school/child care/camp, subject to paragraph C below, until Wednesday, at the start of school/child care/camp (or at 8:00 a.m. if the child(ren) are not in school/child care/camp), when Parent A shall drop the minor child(ren) off at school/child care/camp or at Parent B’s residence if the child(ren) are not in school/child care/camp.

    B. Commencing on __________, Parent B shall have physical custody of the minor child(ren) each week from Wednesday, at the start of school/child care/camp (or at 8:00 a.m. if the child(ren) are not in school/child care/camp), when Parent A shall drop the child(ren) off at school/child care/camp or at Parent B’s residence if the child(ren) are not in school/child care/camp, until Friday, at the start of school/child care/camp (or at 8:00 a.m. if the children are not in school/child care/camp), when Parent B shall drop the child(ren) off at school/child care/camp or at Parent A’s residence if the child(ren) are not in school/child care/camp, subject to paragraph C below.

    C. The parties shall alternate physical custody of the minor child(ren) during the weekends, from Friday, at the start the start of school (or at 8:00 a.m. if the children are not in school), until their return to school on Monday (or at 8:00 a.m. if the children are not in school) when the children shall be returned to their respective school or to the receiving parent’s residence, in the event the children are not in school.

    Comments:

    The child spends no longer than three days/nights away from either parent.

    “2:2:5:5” Joint Physical Custody For Older Children

    The parties alternate two and five day periods with the children. Each parent has two consecutive midweek overnights each week and alternate the weekends.

    Sample Language:

    A. In Week 1, commencing ________, Parent A shall have physical custody of the minor child(ren) each week from Monday, at the start of school/child care/camp (or at 8:00 a.m. if the child(ren) are not in school/child care/camp), when Parent B shall drop the minor child(ren) off at school/child care/camp, or at Parent A’s residence if the child(ren) are not in school/child care/camp, until Wednesday, at the start of school/child care/camp (or at 8:00 a.m. if the child(ren) are not in school/child care/camp), when Parent A shall drop the minor child(ren) off at school/child care/camp or at Parent B’s residence if the child(ren) are not in school/child care/camp.

    B. In Week 1 and 2, commencing ________, Parent A shall have physical custody of the minor child(ren) on Friday, after the end of school/child care/camp (or at 5:30 p.m. if the child(ren) are not in school/child care/camp), when Parent A shall pick up the child(ren) from school/child care/camps, or at Parent B’s residence if the child(ren) are not in school/child care, until the following Wednesday, at the start of school/child care (or at 8:00 a.m. if the child(ren) are not in school/child care/camp), when Parent A shall drop the minor child(ren) off at school/child care/camp or at Parent B’s residence if the child(ren) are not in school/child care/camp.

    C. After the conclusion of Week 2, the two week rotation shall commence again with the physical custody schedule set forth above for Week 1.

    D. Parent B shall have custody of the children at all times not designated as Parent A’s time.

    Comments: The works better for well adjusted children who have a good attachment to both parents. It allows for joint physical custody but each child is only away from the non-custodial parent for five days.

    Alternating Weeks - Joint Physical Custody

    Sample Language:

    Commencing __________, and on alternate weeks thereafter, Parent A shall have physical custody of the minor child(ren) from Monday at the start of school/child care/camp, or from 12:00 noon if the child(ren) are not in school/child care/camp, until Parent A returns the child(ren) to school the following Monday at the commencement of school, or 12:00 noon if the child(ren) is not in school/child care/camp, when Parent A shall return the child(ren) to Parent B’s residence. Parent B shall have custody of the child(ren) at all other times.

    Comments:

    The children may need to have mid-week contact with the non-custodial parent. This schedule can be altered to provide for a mid-week evening or overnight with the non-custodial parent.

    Sample Legal Custody Plans

    In deciding on issues relating to legal custody, form "Joint Legal Custody Attachment" FL-341 (E) which has been approved by the Judicial Council of California is helpful. It can be fo

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