The “babies” tend to be on or near me, or crying, or both. I spend a fair amount of time trying to get William to sleep, to get Elliott to get involved in something that will actually keep him happy for a little while, or to get William to play on the floor for 10 minutes straight so that I can get something done. But, a lot of days, it seems like I'm not succeeding in any of those efforts.

    So, yesterday, a friend of mine posted a picture on Facebook. This particular friend has a baby who is about a month younger than William. The picture was of the baby, who had made his way across the floor to the toys housed along the side of the room. I just kept looking at that picture and thinking that if only William had some different toys to play with, perhaps he would stay occupied a bit longer at a stretch. But William seems so bored with all of his toys! And I am so ready for him to be ready to play. In order to find a way to make him playing longer, I kept looking at that picture. Suddenly, I realized my sons need to play closer to me.

    So I cleared off the cubby(围起来的)shelves in the playroom, and my husband and I moved it to the living room. We found all of the toys that would be safe for William and put them in the cubbies. Then, we pulled the play kitchen in.

    William was so interested in what I was doing that he sat there and played and chewed on his toys while we moved furniture. When we were done, I moved him over closer to the cubbies and he got so excited that he didn't disturb for an hour, while I made dinner and cleaned up! Even Elliott played happily for a few hours. It was a dream come true! And I got to know that my lack of happy children was because of my desire for a toy—free living room.

    IPhone owners are vainer（虚荣）and spend more on clothes and grooming（仪容）than those who have BlackBerrys and Android phones, new research claims.BlackBerry owners earn the most and are more likely to have long-term relationships, while people with Android handsets are most creative and the best cooks.

    The study, carried out by TalkTalk Mobile, surveyed 2,000 owners of the three major smartphone brands to determine whether the choice of handset was an extension(延伸) of their personality. The study rated users in various walks of life using a point scoring system including personalities, daily habits and the type of industries they work in.

    Other results from the study found that people with an iPhone are more image conscious and generally consider themselves more attractive than those with other handsets. They are most likely to describe themselves as adventurous, bright and are most likely to work in media, publishing and education. They also believe their boss rates them highly. Apple owners also tend to have done more travelling and are the most active on social media sites.

    BlackBerry owners were found to be the least punctual(准时的), but despite putting in the least hours at work they are the most active phone user—sending more texts and making more calls in the average day than any other phone user. They are more social and have more friends overall. They also earn nearly two and a half thousand pounds a year more than other smartphone owners, with an average salary of $27,406. BlackBerry users classed themselves so loud and mainly work in the health, finance or property sectors. They were also found to drink more tea and coffee each day than any other phone user.

    Android owners were found to watch more TV than others and drink the most alcohol—consuming more in an average week than iPhone and BlackBerry drinkers. They have the most jobs in engineering, the government and public services and environmental services. They have the best manners and are more shy and relaxed than their counterparts.

    Dan Meader, Director of Mobile at TalkTalk, said,“Many of us have our mobile phones on us almost constantly so they do become an extension of us in many ways. It's interesting to see then how the choice in handset may reflect different aspects of personality and the results do show some unusual difference

    How do I book a place on Airbnb?

    When you book a place on Airbnb, you are making arrangements to stay in Someone's home. Each host has their own style of hospitality, starting with how. They like to get to know their guests. Some hosts want to approve reservations, while others are comfortable letting you book their place instantly without waiting for approval.

    ⒈Complete Your Personal Details

    In either case, it's important to know that Airbnb is a community that relies on trust. Complete your personal details before you request a reservation with a host, so they can know a little bit about you when they confirm. Your personal details should include photos and verifications (证明）, especially because some hosts require guests to have a profile photo and verified ID in order to book.

    ⒉Find the Right Place

    With over 800,000 unique listings around the world, you'll want to make sure the place you choose has everything you need for a comfortable and memorable trip. When searching for a place, make sure to include your dates and number of guests to get the most accurate pricing. Read reviews, descriptions, house rules, and facilities for each place to see if it's the right fit for your trip. You can always contact the host if you have any questions about their home.

    ⒊Book It!

    You've found the perfect place, and now it's time to make it official. This is where the host's preferred way of booking will determine how you'll confirm your reservation.

    Instant Book

    For hosts who don't want to approve each reservation, you'll see a button on their listing that says Instant Book. Like the name suggests, you can confirm a reservation at these places right away.

    Request to Book

    Many hosts prefer to approve reservations before they're final. In this case, you'll see a button on their listing that says Request to Book. To submit a reservation request, you'll need to enter your payment details.

    Hosts have 24 hours to accept your request, and your reservation is automatically confirmed once they do.

    Pre-approvals and Special Offers

    If you decide to contact the host to ask questions before attempting to book, the host may respond to your message by inviting you to make a reservation with either a Pre-approval or a Special Offer. A Pre-approval is an invitation to finish booking for the dates and number of guests you noted in your message. A Special Offer gives the host the opportunity to provide special pricing, dates, and other reservation details before you book.

    Why YOUR keyless car could be gone in 23 seconds: It's a crime wave reaching high proportions and the gadgets(小装置) used to hack into your car and steal it are being sold to thieves by High Street locksmiths.

    Car thieves are using high-tech gadgets to break into and steal cars in seconds. One thief stands by a house to pick up a signal from a car key using a relay. The relay broadcasts the signal to the car, where a second thief opens the door. The scheme, which does not involve breaking windows, steals cars in seconds.

    Thousands of cars across Britain are at risk of a new form of high-tech theft which allows thieves to fool bypass the security systems in keyless cars using a relay system to boost the signal. So-called 'relay' theft occurs when two thieves work together to break into keyless cars. They use equipment to capture electro-magnetic signals emitted by key fobs. Any vehicle with keyless entry could be easily stolen. These include cars from BMW, Ford, Audi, Land Rover, Volkswagen and Mercedes.

    I was waiting for my train and on the subway station's floor was a man just sitting there. I looked around and nobody stopped so I just went my way. After a few steps, I turned and asked him whether he needed help. He told me his house was one station further and he would only need to take the train there. So I reached for his hand to help him stand up.

    He wanted to take the stairs but I feared that he would hurt himself since he seemed too weak to walk, so I asked him to take the elevator. Even though my mind was trying to turn the danger lights on, I put the thought that I should not go alone with a drunken man out of my mind and accompanied him on the elevator.

    We arrived on the platform with no incidents. The man's knees seemed to soften, so I asked him to rest on a bench. While sitting there, he thanked me, telling me that I saved him. No, I said, I really did nothing; he saved himself as he walked on his own feet.

    At the next station, we said our goodbyes. Before I knew it, he left 100 dollars and dashed out of the train. There was no way to give him back his money. I wanted to leave it on the seat, but a young woman who thought it belonged to me ran after me and gave me the note.

    My initial reaction to getting that money was of shame and I even felt offended. Then I thought he just wanted to thank me, the best way he knew how. Now, my question is — what act of kindness shall I do with these 100 dollars?

    Author Avi, winner of a Newbery Award, a Scott O'Dell Historical Fiction Award, and several Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards, may have seen his first children's book published in 1970, but that doesn't mean he's lost his talent for connecting with young fans.

    The American writer, born in 1937, agrees that getting involved with his readers is one of the key reasons he keeps writing, and that he's been fortunate enough to hear directly from readers about the impact (影响) his books have had. “I have been touched many times by readers who find some special connection between their lives and something I have written: the Danish girl who read something of mine in Danish, and struggled to communicate that in her poor English; the autistic (自闭症的) boy who somehow found something meaningful about my books that reached his own inner life; the women who have told me how important The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle was to them when growing up."

    Beyond his fans' questions about the characters he's created, the writer's most commonly heard question may be about his own use of the single name “Avi." “As a young adult, I was a reader of French literature, which has that one name tradition: Moliere, Racine, Anouilh, Gide, and so on," he explains. “Avi was given to me by my twin sister when we were very young children, and it stuck. Then my family discouraged me from taking up writing as a career because they considered my writing poor. By using Avi, I was showing my determination to them."

    Although he believes－and has the awards to show－that his writing skills have improved, writing still doesn't come easily to him, despite having over sixty books to his credit. “I never studied writing in any formal sense. I taught myself to write by reading, and by imitating what I was reading," he says.

    The writing task may be tough, but the payoff is big. “To create, share, and support the gift of reading and literature, is to give young people the gift of many worlds, within and without," Avi states.