So, you’ve decided to give up. No New Year’s Resolutions for losing weight, you say! You’re fed up of all the diets that have promised you great results yet left you hungry, tired, irritable and weak. You’re fed up of all the "wonder workouts" that have promised you amazing strength, fitness and flexibility ‘in just minutes a day’ but that have left you feeling tired, sore, stiff and, truth be told, no firmer or less flabby than you were before. But most of all, you’re fed up of all those fitness "experts" out there who tell you how easy it is, how little time it takes and how amazing you’re going to look if you follow THEIR program (ONLY theirs, mind you, no-one else’s will even come near to what they’re offering).
Even the best-intentioned Date Night ritual can get boring! Couples tend to do the same things over and over again (dinner and a movie... sounds familiar?), involving the same friends over and over again. Adding a little novelty to your Date Nights help to keep your outings interesting and the marriage fresh. It doesn't even have to be expensive. It just has to be fun!
Here are five ideas for a great date night.
By now everyone should know that you’re supposed to say ‘thank you.’ And there is no nicer way to say it than with a well-written thank-you not. Not an email, not a text message, an honest-to-goodness handwritten thank-you note is appropriate for almost any situation. If you don’t already know how to write one, I’ve got a few tips for you.
The note itself
Keep a stash of thank-you notes handy. If you have to go out and buy one each time you need one, you’re less likely to do it. Having notes on-hand makes it easy to jot down a quick – but thoughtful – note of thanks. You don’t need a full size sheet of paper but a smaller folded card works wonderfully. You’ll be surprised at how far a note like this will go for your hostess or gift giver.
Social and personal thank-you note
Sending a note to your host or hostess or gift-giver should be done as soon as possible. Get your note in the mail the next day if you can. Your note doesn’t have to be poetry. You just need a few sentences that are meaningful. Thank them for the gift or party, let them know how much you appreciate their thoughtfulness and suggest you get together again soon. You really only need three or four sentences to get your point across and make a nice impression. You don’t have to get too detailed or specific. And you don’t have to go on about the many uses of the gift or the details of the party. Keep it short and sweet and you’ll do the trick nicely.
All kids can improve their penmanship with lots of practice! Handwriting for Kids provideds free printable lined worksheets for your child to practice his handwriting. Customizable tracing sheets are as easy as typing in some words and clicking a button. WoodlandsMommy.com recommends giving your child 1-2 practice sheets a day, and by the end of the school year you might be surprised at how good he's gotten with writing! Start here.
Leading child development authorities often report that much of a child's early reading success depends on the level of support given at home. Children who are given the opportunities and tools for learning to read both at home and at school have a better chance of success. The following are ten tips that can help parents know when they are on track helping their children prepare for reading success.
Often summertime finds older kids and teens involved in lots of activities without too much time to be bored. Young children, however, may not have as many options besides the library and an occasional trip to the pool or Pump It Up. Television or video games may become a handy back-up. And while a little of screen entertainment for young children is fine, too much of it can result in increased reliance on screen technologies to feel satisfaction, taking the pleasure out of daily play experiences. The unintended negative consequence becomes children watch more and play less. The American Academy of Pediatrics cautions parents to keep TV viewing for children under the age of eight to one hour or less a day.
For years, we were all encouraged to have a baseline mammogram done at age 35 and now they are pushing that to 50 years of age. There seems to be a lot of confusion surrounding when to start screening for breast cancer. But did you know that active cancer cells double in number every 90 days? That means that if you have 2 cells at day 90, you will have over one million in the fifth year and it still won’t be detectable by a mammogram!
At Woodlands Wellness and Cosmetic Center, Dr. Sakina Davis brought thermography to the center to find a safe alternative to mammography. “We were seeing so many of our guests in their 60’s that had never had a mammogram because it was painful or they did not want to risk being exposed to radiation. We had other guests that refused mammograms because they had breast implants and did not want the risk of having them rupture. I knew there had to be something out there tohat was effective”.
Are thumbsucking and pacifier habits harmful for a child's teeth? Thumb and pacifier sucking habits will generally only become a problem if they go on for a very long period of time. Most children stop these habits on their own, but if they are still sucking their thumbs or fingers past the age of three, a mouth appliance may be recommended by your pediatric dentist.
Call it spring fever, call it the madness of March, but it’s that time of year when we moms get anxious to get rid of the clutter! Whether it’s a few boxes of old clothes or years’ worth of stuff, everyone has something they need to unload.Tossing the stuff in the trash isn’t an option for some items as they may pose a hazard to the environment. Furthermore, many people throw away thousands of dollars in usable goods every year because they don’t know where to recycle or resell them. A local business-owner says there are ways to clean out, stay green, get organized and even make some money in the process.
It's not too late! Work with your child to set a few joint resolutions to make this school semester a success for both of you! These academic resolutions will help you and your child tune up your habits and alleviate stress that can interfere with the learning process.To make Game Night a success at your house, here are some tips on how to get started:
1. Agree on a night and time when everyone is available. Don't make the mistake of scheduling during your son's football practice or your daughter's piano lesson.
2. Don't let anyone out of game night unless it is a really important occasion. If they start missing for every little thing that comes up, eventually there will be no one left to play!
3. Decide as a family what games will be played. Vote on them and choose from several that you can switch between. If you take turns choosing which of the chosen games you will play, then keep a record of who chose last and whose turn it is every week.
4. Choose games that are age appropriate for the whole family. You don't want to play Chutes and Ladders every week and the little ones can't keep up with more complicated games. Look for those marked "All Ages".
5. Don't answer the phone. Have the machine pick up any calls to make sure you don't miss anything important. Otherwise, you will end up stopping to wait for conversations that interfere with your family's special time.