How to make hot chocolate so rich it coats your spoon

New York City has claimed its latest victim: City Bakery has permanently closed its doors. It’s rare that the closing of a small businesses becomes near-national news, and it’s understandable that those of you who have never tasted the mythical hot chocolate don’t understand what all the fuss is about. Back in the…

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Author: Allison Robicelli on The Takeout, shared by Virginia K. Smith to Lifehacker

When People Ask You Overly Personal Questions, Just Lie

Show up in public with a pregnant-looking belly and suddenly everyone is all “When are you due?” and “Do you know what you’re having?”, as if the contents of your uterus are somehow their business. You will probably feel pressured to answer politely, but here is another option: lie.

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Author: Beth Skwarecki on Vitals, shared by Beth Skwarecki to Lifehacker

Make Your Kids Think Your Favorite Treat Is Gross

Sure, you could sneak around, hiding your favorite treats in the box of the blandest cereal in your pantry, devouring them in secret once the kids are safely in bed for the night. But why do that when you can brazenly enjoy it right in front of them because they believe that piece of chocolatey goodness is actually…

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Author: Meghan Moravcik Walbert on Offspring, shared by Meghan Moravcik Walbert to Lifehacker

The rights of an unmarried father in Texas

For unmarried parents in Texas, gaining access to their child can be far more difficult than for a married parent. Mothers, of course, have a natural advantage because they give birth and demonstrate without any doubt that they are the child’s biological mother. Fathers have a more difficult task in establishing their parental rights.

In order to exercise the full spectrum of paternal rights, a purported father must first prove that he is, in fact, the child’s father. If the mother does not dispute the father’s assertion of parenthood, that issue may disappear. However, if the mother disputes the male’s paternity, the man may need to commence a paternity proceeding to prove that he is the child’s father. A full-scale paternity proceeding may involve DNA testing and the testimony of persons who saw the mother and the alleged father together before the child was born. A mother may also be required prove paternity if she wants the biological father to provide child support.

If the man’s paternity has been established, he is entitled to the full panoply of paternal rights, subject only to proving that the man’s involvement in the life of the child will serve the best interests of the child. The father’s rights include: the ability to make decisions concerning the child’s medical care, education, religion and general welfare, and to have reasonable access to the child. As with any dispute between unmarried or divorced parents concerning any of these issues, the court may be required to intervene to resolve issues that the parents are unable to resolve.


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Author: On behalf of Katie L. Lewis of Katie L. Lewis, P.C. Family Law