Although, parenting can be one of life’s most joyful and rewarding experiences, quite often it can also be very challenging and stressful. As a parent there will be times when the demands and hassles of everyday living will mount and cause overwhelming stress. Some of the pressures can include: financial matters, family and marital life, problems on the job. The additional stress of caring for children can, at times, make parents feel angry, anxious and/or have the need to take a break from daily pressures and relax. Tensions and feelings are a normal and inevitable part of family life, but many parents can take it to the extreme. They need to learn ways to cope before it is too late.
Stress can potentially interfere with the parent/child relationship. Parents who have not learned to manage stress effectively tend to be less tolerant of their children’s behaviors and actions and are less emotionally available for them in times of need. Children often react to parental stress by specifically changing the ways they interact with their caretakers. Parents who react irrational can put children at an increased risk of being stressed themselves.
It can be argued that pressure is a positive thing leading to greater productivity, however, excessive stress can be detrimental to an individual’s physical and mental well being and can also significantly contribute to irritability, depression, and low self-esteem for the parent and their child. Michelle Bordem, Associate Executive Director of NewBridge Services, a nonprofit mental health organization that provides services and programs for today’s youth, teens, adults and seniors, said, “ The effectiveness of a parent’s ability to cope with mounting daily pressures has significant implications not only for them, but also for their child.”
What people must realize is that feelings of stress come from inside ourselves and that we can learn to keep our reactions under control. One way to reduce stress is to exercise regularly. Many activities offer the benefit of stress relief, however many are seasonal, and may also become affected by the weather. The martial arts can be practiced year round, and it is a great form of exercise for people of all ages. Many people think the martial arts is just punching, kicking and blocking. Besides learning self-defense, martial arts practitioners develop self-confidence, self-respect, self-awareness, self-control and relaxation techniques.
Students also learn how to focus and breathe properly which not only improves circulation, but it also provides additional stress relief. Martial arts training fully involves both mental and physical aspects, thus forcing students to focus on the present and to leave worldly concerns behind. Punching, kicking and striking exercises permit a controlled release of tension and aggression, which allows students to leave behind any negative emotions that they may have carried into the martial arts training area.”
Martial arts practitioners learn that anger and frustrations prevents clear thinking and the loss of self-control. As a result they learn to control themselves, and their surroundings physically and mentally. Learning to focus on what is at hand and managing their own emotions as well as others will not only reduce parents’ stress levels, but it will also help them accomplish professional and personal goals.
The described benefits of martial arts training may not make stress disappear, but it can help parents take more control of the stress around them. When parenting deals some unexpected challenges or lessons to learn, often it is not so much the situation or event, but how it is handled that helps parents cope.
About The Author
With over 40 years of experience, Grandmaster Ralph Chirico (10th degree black belt and Head of the Isshin Shorin Ji Ryu system) has helped hundreds of men and women lead a more balanced, healthier life professionally, physically and mentally through proper, traditional martial arts training. Check out, http://www.chiricos.com and learn how Chirico’s School of Karate can make a positive impact on the lives of your loved ones today.
The Adirondack chair is unlike any other chair every made. First designed by Thomas Lee in the early 1900s, this chair is amazingly comfortable, very affordable, and a chair that could easily be used for indoor furniture or outdoors by the pool or perhaps on the deck or patio. The overall design of this chair is so unique and interesting. Although there are many great aspects of the Adirondack chair, the favorites include the deep seat, curved back that wraps around the body, and the wide armrests, perfects for holding a favorite drink or providing a place to set a book.
Even though the price of the adirondack chair may seem a little higher than other furniture, remember you are buying a handcrafted chair that is made with the finest materials. Therefore, when cared for properly, the Adirondack chair will last for years. Therefore, the chair is well worth the investment. Keep in mind that you can do a few things to keep your Adirondack chair in tip top shape.
First, make sure you buy your Adirondack chair from a reputable manufacturer and retailer such as AdirondackChairs-Store.com. With this, you know with 100% confidence you are buying a handcrafted chair of top material by top experts. Generally, the best option for wood is Western red cedar, which is highly weather resistant and therefore, and excellent choice for outdoor use. The Adirondack chair is also dimensionally stable, and if you choose to paint it, you will find it wears well. Therefore, your first step is to buy quality.
Remember that the way in which you care for your adirondack chair will depend on several factors such as the temperature, humidity level, precipitation, how the chair is used, and so on. Additionally, you will need to decide the look you want for your Adirondack chair, which will affect the way in which it is cared for. As an example, if you prefer the weathered look, then you would leave the chair outside so it is exposed to the elements. The result will be a natural appearance that is kind of rustic. On the other hand, you might want a chair that is sleeker, newer looking. For this, you can choose to have the chair painted or stained.
If your Adirondack chair is left unpainted and should be covered with mold and mildew, a power washer would be an excellent way to clean it. Just remember to use the right size nozzle so the pressure is not so hard that the wood becomes damaged. If you do not have a power washer, you can use good, old-fashioned soap and water, brushing the mold and mildew off with a soft brush. When you have finished washing the chair, allow it to dry completely. Then, add a protective coat with something like polyurethane. This way, you will not have to deal with the problem again.
Adirondack chairs will also need to be cared for during the cold, winter months. In most cases, you would wash the chair off and dry it well. Then you could set it inside in the basement, garage, or perhaps even use it indoors. If you decide to store it, simply place a plastic tarp over the chair to keep it clean. With a little common sense and cleaning, you do not have to do much to an Adirondack chair, thus another benefit.
Jennifer Akre, owner of numerous furniture websites, makes it easy to find quality adirondack chairs and adirondack furniture styles . Learn how to decorate your patio or garden with an Adirondack style by clicking the following link: http://www.AdirondackChairs-Store.com .
These days, I find the lines are blurred between school and Real Life. Student life often means spending a cozy evening with your computer or heading to the boardroom for an on-site lesson.
Even traditional campus life has been redesigned for grown-ups. On September 5, 1999, the New York Times Magazine carried a story about life in the New Dorms that look like yuppie condominiums, complete with carpeting and what the Times calls “adult-sized refrigerators.”
Meanwhile, a lot of grown-ups who are old enough to remember typing their term papers are still living like students. Books, magazines and loose stacks of paper are strewn everywhere. A Real Student secretly misses bricks and boards, although today they cost more than particle board shelves and are impossible to move.
When I lived in Alaska, I realized there was no point in buying Real Furniture. You could equip a ten-room house for the cost of shipping the contents of a studio apartment to the Lower 48.
I ended up buying a couch from a graduating student and adding an extra futon to the Bedroom Set. In my next job, I fully intended to do the same until a colleague observed, “Isn’t there a time in your life when you stop buying used couches from students?”
A friend had a similar experience when she visited a Real Furniture Store seeking bookshelves. The salesperson showed her a nice unit for $450. Seeing that my friend was about to pass out, the salesperson explained, “This is a piece of furniture that you will be proud to display in your home.”
My friend left the store in a daze. Somehow, she explained later, she had never thought of bookshelves as furniture.
Still, I see progress. A friend called to say he bought a house because he was tired of living like a student and was ready to grow up. He was forty-five at the time.
I myself have acquired some Real Furniture, including the Beautiful New Couch I bought twelve years ago. And I once had a grown-up lawn, thanks to my lawn service person, who was a student.
We will never succeed completely. My friend with the house just called to say that his two cats have shredded most of the trappings of his adult life.
I understand perfectly. My Beautiful New Couch has served as a place for me, my house-sitters and my guests to take naps, and the dog has carried out extensive performance tests on each cushion.
I haven’t been a student but the Beautiful New Couch has gone through a reverse graduation: it looks far more exhausted than its predecessor — the couch I bought fifteen ago, from a student.
For serious advice about moving, download Making the Big Move.
About The Author
Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D., is an author, speaker and career/business consultant, helping midlife professionals take their First step to a Second Career. http://www.cathygoodwin.com.
“Ten secrets of mastering a major life change” mailto:subscribe@cathygoodwin.com
Contact: cathy@cathygoodwin.com 505-534-4294
Ways To Make Your Kitchen More Energy Efficient And Save Money
by: Chileshe Mwape
a) Kitchen Appliances
Install energy efficient labelled kitchen appliances (refrigerators, dishwashers, and clothes washers). Every kitchen appliance has two price tags - a purchase price and the operating cost. Energy efficient models will save you money and use less energy.
b) Lighting
- Install energy efficient labelled lighting (e.g., light fixtures: suspended lights, ceiling-mounted lights, cabinet lights, recessed lights, and compact fluorescent bulbs).
c) Refrigerator
- In most households, the refrigerator is the single biggest energy consuming kitchen appliance. Energy efficient refrigerator models use high efficiency compressors, improved insulation, and more precise temperature and defrost mechanisms to improve energy efficiency. Energy efficient refrigerators provide energy savings without sacrificing the features you want.
- Keep your refrigerator and freezer filled for most economical operation. Less cold air is lost when the door is opened in a filled refrigerator because the food helps retain the cold.
- Allow foods to partially cool before placing them in the refrigerator. It takes more energy to cool hot food. For added savings, cover foods and liquids. The moisture that is released by uncovered containers increases energy use during the refrigerator’s defrost cycle.
- Select a refrigerator with a freezer on top. A side-by side unit uses up to 20 percent more energy. The Energy Guide label will help you choose the most efficient model.
d) Oven
- Don’t open the oven door to take a peek at what’s cooking inside. Instead, turn on the oven light and check the cooking status through the oven window. Opening the oven door lowers the temperature inside - by as much as 25 degrees - which increases cooking time and wastes energy.
-As long as your oven is on, cook several items at the same time. Just make sure you leave enough room for the heat to circulate around each item.
- In an electric oven, you can turn the heat off several minutes before your food is fully cooked. As long as the oven door remains closed, enough heat will be stored inside to finish cooking your meal.
e) Dishwasher
- Let your dishes air dry. A dishwasher uses more energy to dry dishes than to wash them. If your dishwasher doesn’t have an automatic air-dry switch, turn off the control knob after the final rinse and prop the door open to let moisture escape.
- When purchasing a dishwasher, look for energy saving features such as a short wash cycle. Shorter washing cycles, with fewer rinses, save water and water-heating energy.
- Use your dishwasher only for full loads. Be sure your dishwasher is full, but not overloaded when you turn it on. Improper loading can result in poorly cleaned dishes that need to be rewashed.
- Install your dishwasher away from your refrigerator. The dishwasher’s heat and moisture make the refrigerator work harder. Keep your refrigerator away from other heat sources such as direct sunlight.
f) Kitchen Walls, Windows and Doors
- If your remodelling plans include opening walls you could improve your comfort and the energy efficiency of your home by adding insulation and air sealing. If you are replacing the windows, doors, and skylights, install those with the energy efficient label to make your kitchen the most energy efficient on the block.
About The Author
Chileshe Mwape writes for the Kitchen Appliances website at: http://www.kitchen-appliances-uk.org.uk/ and for a number of other websites including http://www.in-cast-iron.org.uk/ where you can find a wide selection of cast iron appliances.
Creating your path to success depends on walking on a firm foundation. Knowing WHAT you want is only the beginning. Visualizing what you want and repeating affirmations makes your intentions stronger. Yet, this is not enough. So what IS the secret to realizing your goals? Let’s walk the path together. As we walk the path step by step, I encourage you to write the answers to these questions:
Step 1: Where are you now? What are your strengths, resources, and areas of improvement?
Step 2: What do you want to achieve? What is important to you? Money? Relationships? Having fun? Creating a vibrant body? ?Use your imagination to explore. List everything you want without editing.
Step 3: What do you REALLY want? What lights you up and gets you excited? What is your heart’s desire?
Step 4: Now explore the risks, obstacles, or challenges that could interfere with achieving these goals. Notice what is stopping you from having what you want now. This is the most powerful question to answer because it is how you sabotage yourself from success. By recognizing the challenges, obstacles or risks and addressing them in your Action Plan, you manage your productive tension to focus on your desired outcome.
What’s Stopping You?
Feelings of unworthiness?
Self-sabotaging mind talk?
Do you dress for success?
How is your love life? Do you regularly express your love to the significant relationships in your life?
Release negative people from your life
Release self pity ? Focus on gratitude instead. Make list of what is good in your life.
Attitude ? are you usually upbeat?
Health: attitude, energy, mental clarity, and overall well-being are all linked to good health. Health is supported by
Exercise: Pleasurable forms can include weight lifting, dance, belly dance, Tango, golf, tennis, jogging, walking, cycling, yoga, and many other forms.
Diet: Well balanced diet is best. Studies have shown that excessive protein creates health risks/issues.
Medical exams: Regular checkups help you know where you stand and how to get back on track if necessary.
Spiritual Life: Your spiritual life builds your foundation.
Complacency or "Golden Handcuffs" ? When we get too comfortable, we can set ourselves up to fail. If you are at the top, keep your edge and passion by giving yourself new challenges.
Do you have the passion to win or achieve a goal?
Step 5: Select your favorite goals and write an affirmation for each following this format:
I have/am/achieve specific goal stated in present tense by specific deadline.
State your goals in specific, measurable terms so you can recognize their achievement. Avoid the use of the words "try, not, don’t, can’t, shouldn’t?" The mind does not hear the "not" and cannot produce results with "try". An example of an affirmation is "I achieve my monthly financial goal of $$$ easily by the 28th of every month." Another example of an affirmation is, "This is my LUCKY day!"
Step 6: Imagine yourself already having your goals accomplished. What do you see? What do you hear? What do you feel? What do you smell? What do you taste? Let yourself BE there now!
Step 7: Create an Action Plan to achieve your desired results. Be specific about every step required. The goals need to be compelling to be achievable.
Step 8: Reinforce your goals daily. Create a vision map with YOU in the picture and place it where you can see it daily. Record your affirmations in your voice and listen to them daily. Repeat your affirmations morning and night. Focus on what you desire.
Step 9: Be Accountable. Find a coach who you will allow to hold you accountable in a supportive way. Ultimately, accountability is the key to success. A coach supports you by inspiring pride and self-discipline. For best results, the coach is someone who has no attachment to the outcome. The coach walks the path with you - but not for you.
Ultimately, your success depends on your ability to monitor and manage your level of productive tension.
Susanne Rothschild
The Rothschild Corporation
410 Merrymount Court
Katy, TX 77450
WEB SITE: http://www.managementtrainingconsultant.com
OFFICE: 281-395-8709
Management / Organizational Consultant with extensive domestic and international experience in strategic human performance consulting helping organizations realize bottom line results aligned with business objectives.
The Ever Anticipated Feat Of Walking
by: Sarah Veda
We make such a big deal out of when a baby takes his first steps. In fact, the age at which your child took his first steps will be ingrained in your Mommy memory forever, just like your child’s birth weight and time. Personally, I think walking is a bit overrated, since you can’t manage to keep them out of trouble ever again once they start, but here are some things you might want to know, anyway.
For some reason, everyone seems to think that a baby should be walking by his first birthday, but the fact is that most babies don’t walk until after this time. There are a few who walk as early as nine months of age, but a great many who don’t take their first steps until fifteen months. And, if your child is a late walker, it has absolutely no bearing on his intelligence.
The age at which a baby walks is often genetic. Walking very early or very late often runs in the family. My husband walked at nine months, and I walked at ten months, so we were unlucky enough to have a daughter who also walked at ten months. She was very petite, so she looked like the world’s tiniest walking human. She also scaled the kitchen counters before she was a year old, so you can see what I mean by “unlucky”.
When your baby walks is also often related to his size. Babies with short legs usually walk sooner than those with long legs (a balance issue) and thinner babies usually walk sooner than their more plump counterparts.
Pushing your baby to walk is not a good idea, but providing him the opportunity to learn is critical. If you force your child to endure daily practice sessions, he may just rebel and refuse to walk for quite a while. On the other hand, if you keep him in swing or playpen all day, he’ll never have the opportunity to try out his skills. Give him some supervised time on the floor, and he’ll figure the rest out with or without your help.
If, by chance, your child is not walking by the age of eighteen months, it is best to have him checked out by a doctor. There is not necessarily anything wrong, but most babies are walking by this age, so have him examined as a precaution. But, don’t be too eager, because once he starts walking, all the rules change. Someone, though I don’t remember who, once said, - “We spend the first two years of our children’s lives teaching them to walk and talk, and then the next sixteen telling them to sit down and shut up.” It’s so true.
About The Author
Sarah Veda is a 41 year old wife and mother of two boys and one girl. She spent many years as a manager in the corporate world, and gave it up to be a stay at home mom. Go to http://www.infantresources.com now and get her incredible baby minicourse - absolutely free.
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