The Niagara Region is known for its breathtaking scenery, award winning wineries and world class Shaw Festival Theatre in Niagara on the Lake. But now it has even more excitement to offer tourists – a diverse array of challenging geocaches.
Today, the entire Niagara Region is absolutely filled with outdoor adventure - all you need is a consumer brand GPS device, keen eyesight, and a decent pair of hiking boots.
What is Geocaching?
Geocaching is a fun 21st century treasure hunt where Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates are targeted to find buried caches of collectible goodies. The caches are hidden in Tupperware containers, empty peanut butter jars, or steel ammunition boxes.
Each geocache is an accumulation of rare and valuable geocoins, local pins, buttons and other traceable artifacts. It’s thrilling, especially if you set up an ‘amazing race’ with friends and family members to see who can find the booty first.
One international geocaching website binds the entire community together with remarkable unity. On this one site, ALL geocaches in ALL countries are listed, along with their coordinates and any hints you may need to find the booty. Best of all, membership is free. Register to follow the links below.
The Niagara Falls Urban Oasis geocache was created to accommodate the newbie to the sport; it requires an easy walk through a woodland park within a residential subdivision. The trail is well maintained, although the park itself is relatively small. This cache is easy find, hidden in a very traditional geocaching spot.
The Fort George Cache is more interesting, and it’s also easy to find. If you visit the website and read about this adventure you’ll find a strange history lesson. This cache’s progenitor, a user named Lakeport, has penned an entire history of Fort George, right off the top of his head. Such is the passion of geocachers for geocaching in this culturally rich region.
One of the most spectacular targets in the area is of course the infamous Niagara Virtual geocache, which combines with two other waterfall caches, Victoria Falls, Zambia and Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe in another related online attraction. Geocachers are citizens of the world.
A word to the wise, you should bring a rain jacket if you plan to visit this cache.
There is also a website disclaimer here to inform readers that in the winter months it may not be safe as “the logical access point to this cache may be chained off (final steps to the cache may be slippery). Some cache seekers duck under the chain to find the cache, but do your own assessment of this and if you feel that it is unsafe then do not proceed.”
Down the Canadian Gorge can be found somewhere on the trail leading down to the Niagara River. This cache is located on the Canadian side of the Niagara Gorge at the bottom near the whirlpool. Again there is a warning here that the terrain can be very slippery, muddy, and dangerous at times… but it’s worth it; the container full of great geocache items.
Finally the Toiypygmcela Tevral Bug Htoel is probably the most challenging geocache in the entire Niagara Region. Take note it contains a Bee-ware geocoin which I suspect might also be a warning to watch for live bees.
Typoglycemia is the informal name given to a purported recent discovery of the cognitive processes behind reading written text. Years ago, researchers at Cambridge University discovered that the human brain can comprehend words in context when only the first and the last letters are correct.
The clever geocacher that created this cache has challenged the membership to follow this logic and interpret the co-ordinates N40 59.398 W70 91.952 where only the first and last numbers are accurate.
Ontario Geocoins
As geocaching grows more popular, geocoins grow more valuable. Limited issue, traceable, geocoins in particular are attracting the attention of online collectors, and tourism promoters. First understand that a ‘geocoin’ is a special coin created by individuals or groups of geocachers as a kind of signature item or calling card. The pictures that accompany this article are images of the 2005, 2006 and 2007 official Ontario Geocoins, the first to be issued by the Province of Ontario. Each geocoin is assigned a unique tracking ID which allows them to travel from geocache to geocache or to be passed amongst friends, picking up stories along the way. There are no collectible Niagara Falls Canada geocoins yet, but rumors of immanent issue persist, as the Niagara Falls NY geocoins are already hot property.
The key point is: Dads should not just turn to Page 1 and jump in. They should set the mood first.
Many simple things can be done to set the mood for a book. Just taking a minute to talk about the topic of the book, may increase children's interest in the book and also build their knowledge of the book’s context.
For instance, if the story is about mangoes, before reading, they might eat a mango with the children. Before reading a story about kites, dads can talk to the children about their experiences flying kites or seeing them flown. If the book is about an animal the children might not know, such as an ox, it might be useful to show the children pictures of oxen on the cover of the book or on an inside page, and tell them a bit about oxen.
Dads can start by reading and maybe discussing the book's title. Titles may give children a useful preview of what is in store for them as they listen to the book. Also, if children know the book's title, it is easier for them to talk about the book and to ask for it again.
The cover may or may not give clues about what lies ahead. Dads might want to ask children to look at the cover and guess what the book is going to be about. This is a good way to promote prediction skills. Plus, children learn about the importance of covers. This can be useful if children design their own book covers as a follow-up to reading aloud or to create their own read aloud materials. Children can design alternative covers for a book they enjoyed or a cover for their own books.
Sometimes dads will want to highlight the authors of books. If they have found some interesting information on a book's author, they can share that. By showing authors (and illustrators) as people, dads can give children the idea that books don't grow on trees; they are written by people, and maybe the children can be writers too. Many children's authors have their own websites, or their publisher's website may contain interesting information about the authors.
Choosing a Daycare can be a one of the most important decisions in your life. As a loving parent, you need to take a few extra days to research daycares to find the one that fits you and your child.
Supervision * What is the child per caregiver ratio? * How many children are in the daycare? * How many caregivers do they have? * Are the children supervised during the whole day (restrooms, sleep time, getting drinks, and the like)?
Director Qualifications * Does the Director have a bachelor’s degree in a child related field? * What is the Director’s experience with children?
Teacher Qualifications * Are the caregivers required to have certification in a child related field? * How long has the caregiver worked with children? * Do you offer classes for your caregivers’?
Medications * Who dispenses the medication to the children? * Does the daycare keep all medication out of the reach of children? * Are all caregivers trained on how to read labels and dispense medication? * What documents do you need for prescriptions and other medications to be dispensed?
Immunizations * Are the children in your daycare up-to-date on all their immunizations? * Do you have records to prove that they are up-to-date on their immunizations?
Hand Washing and Diapering * Do caregivers and children wash their hands before eating? * Do the caregivers wash hands after changing diapers? Do the caregivers wash their hands after restroom use? * Is there a place where diapers are changed? * Do the caregivers always keep a hand on child while changing diapers?
Playgrounds * How often are your playgrounds inspected for safety? * Is there a fence surrounding the playground?
Emergency Plans * Does the daycare have an emergency plan? * Do you have information on who to contact in an emergency?
Fire Drills * Does the daycare have plan for weather issues? Toxic Substances * Are there cleaning supplies and pest killers kept away from children? * Where is your poison control information posted?
Child Abuse * Are caregivers seen at all times by others? * Have all your caregivers had a background check? * What are the steps you use to report child abuse?
You may want to visit the daycare several times to make sure all your questions have been answered. Keep in mind your ultimate job is to keep your children safe and healthy.
7 Secret of Early Childhood Parenting for Your Babies and Toddler - Right Brain Parenting
Today parents are facing lots of challenges. The first most critical is how to be good parents, follow by learning how to teach your toddlers, how to get along with 2 years old toddler. Others say terrible 2 when your toddlers reach 2 years old.
Here I share my experience of my toddler parenting journey...
Secret #1 Listen
Parent have to listen to toddlers... listen to their cries, breath, eye contact...Listen is critical to understand them better.
Secret #2 Think in their shoe
Think the way toddler with limited social network knowledge shoe. Consider they're immature, although they are genius in general. We have to think for their sake...
Secret #3 Open minded without concluded the right or wrong
Parents have to open their mind and cannot see the misbehave as negative behavior. Perhaps don't punish them, but open your mind to receive any information they want to convey...
Secret #4 EQ high and in control
Parents have to maintain a high EQ, control, control...control your temper..really it is critical needed for this doesn't matter what you are doing while your child wanted your attention. Try to calm down yourself by counting 1to 5 slowly can help!
Secret #5 Be responsive
It's critical to be responsive to your toddler if they are need your help. Perhaps if you have higher priority task to do at that moment, response to your child by telling them to wait while you need to finish the critical task to prevent any negative impact happen.
Secret #6 Be fair if you have more children
Be fair to your kids. It is important especially for the eldest kids. Be fair for love, for gift, for celebrations etc...
Secret #7 Patient
Last by not least, yes! It is be patient... We live in a world that is getting less and less patient. We can't wait for queue, can't wait for holiday, can't even wait for computer to boot up or PC software to run or internet page to launch... The only way to train parent patient is through above the six secrets, plus engage yourself in a hobby. Hobbies that need manually work, such as wash car, do art and craft, tracking, swimming... but not computer games please, because you have enough computer in your working life already :)
Hope this helps and enjoy your parenting plus bonding with your children!
There are many types of books. The key point when deciding what types of books to choose is: Introduce children to a variety of books. In this way, we widen their horizons. Here are some book types to consider.
Story books
When most dads think of reading aloud, they think of story books. These come in many types including folk tales, fairy tales, series about one character, adventures, mysteries, scary stories, and tales of growing up.
What about comic books? Don't say no to comics without looking at some. Many people who today are excellent readers, as well as some famous writers, started off reading comics. What is good about comics? The pictures help children understand the words, the exciting plots motivate children to want to know what comes next and the fact that most comics come in series, such as Spiderman, gives children much more to read after they finish one comic book. Wan Inn's son Julian took a big step toward learning French by reading the French version of the Astrix comic book series.
Yes, there are some junk comics, full of violence and other types of content may not want children to be reading. However, many other types of books (not to mention movies and television programs) contain the same type of content. At the same time, many educational texts can be found in comic book form.
Also, just because a book has drawings does not necessarily mean the book is easy to read. Comic books and other illustrated book can be for older children and adults. For example, the main character in Kayla & the Magical Tree is a pre-teen, and the book's themes are probably beyond the comprehension of younger children.
Wordless picture books
Who says that a book needs words? Babies, toddlers, and even older children can enjoy books with only pictures or just a few words. Talk about the pictures. Make up your own stories. Also, many picture books are made of child-proof materials, such as heavy cardboard, that little hands can't tear. Plastic picture kids books are great for reading in the bath!
No More Medication for Add-adhd - an All Natural Alternative for Children With Add-adhd
There are about 24 million children who are diagnosed with ADD/ADHD and now there are many adults being diagnosed also. Most of them if most all are on some form of medication like Ritalin.
There are other ways to get relief other than medication. There are many cases where medication has even made things worse. That is what this is about an alternative for those parents who do not like the affect medication is having on their children.
There is a foundation to good health that most people have never heard of before, mainly because there is not a lot of money in the medical field for staying healthy. Basically there is a whole industry centered around ADD/ADHD and billions of dollars to be made with the medication. Do we want our children medicated or healthy?
With that being said the question arises what is the key foundation to good health? It is actually pretty simple it is "alkalizing the body."
When the body is at the proper ph level that is alkalized it is brought to a natural state of balance which leads to optimal healthful condition. The ph scale measures the acidity or alkalinity in the body. The scale goes form 1-14. The lower the number the more acidic the higher the number the more alkaline our bodies are. We need to be in between 7-9 to be at our healthiest.
When the body is too acidic it leads to ill health like cancer, disease and other common illnesses. Natural unpolluted lake water is at about 7.5, which is where the body should be. By the way soda is at about 3 which is very acidic which is unfit for human consumption.
Another question is what leads to an acidic body? Life itself can lead to being acidic like, stress, metal attitudes, certain foods, exercise, environmental pollution and other sources. In the case of ADD/AADHD the child's body is too acidic. Once the child's body is alkalized he or she calms down and is able to function better mentally which leads to becoming a happier and healthier child or adult.
So the next question is how do you alkalize the body. Taking proper nutrition. Mainly taking minerals which do the alkalizing like calcium, magnesium and the other minerals we need in our bodies. Which most of us do not get through the foods we eat, especially processed foods.
How does all this tie into ADD/ADHD? What we are finding out is that with proper nutrition for alkalizing we are seeing parents decreasing medication and in many cases stopping medication all together. Which parents are thrilled about.
We advise using the nutrition in conjunction with the medication. That is when parents are seeing the dramatic changes and decide to decrease or stop medication. Of course this is done with keeping the Physician informed.
If you are not satisfied with the medication your child is on this may be an alternative for you.
As a dad, sometimes it's hard to know what to do with a newborn, especially if when you're new to all this. Don't let the awkwardness get in the way of spending time getting close to your new little guy or girl.
Here are a few fun things dads can do that you might try:
1. Strip the baby down to nothing or a diaper and lay him or her on a white sheet or blanket. Grab your camera and set the exposure controls to the smallest aperture possible - f12 or f16. Take a good inventory of the baby body parts (with obvious exceptions). With the smallest exposure setting, only what you are directly focusing on will be in focus in the shot.
2. Take pictures of your baby naked held in the palm of your hand. The window of opportunity for this is small so does it now. If you don't, a year from now you'll be at a party and see this kind of photo hanging in someone's hallway and you'll regret the opportunity that will never come again.
3. Strip down to the waist and enjoy the sensation of a newly bathed baby lying on your chest. This is the closest we can get to what moms feel, and it's not half bad. I wouldn't do it every day, but it's not bad. You will feel closer to your child than you did moments before, if only because you literally are closer to him.
4. Go for a stroll anywhere with the baby in a baby Bjorn, and enjoy the unique feeling of being a new dad. Everyone else will know you are as well.
5. Fall asleep with baby on your chest (just make sure mom is around to remove him in case you roll around).
6. Read a book to your baby. Love for books and reading starts early with experience and role models.
And some things not to do:
1. Resist the temptation to set your newborn baby in a salad bowl or flowerpot. You'll feel very guilty about the frightened look they get when you make fun of them.
2. And seriously, never, ever leave the baby unattended on counter, changing table, or in the bath, even for just a moment.
Spiritual Parenting - How to Affirm Your Child's Innate Sense of Truth
The core of your child's being is his spirituality.
From here grows his sense of self esteem and the values and morals which bring his sense of belonging.
Spiritual Parenting allows you to nurture your child's spirituality by creating magic through dancing, music and nature, and through sharing feelings and imagination.
Music
Sing together often. Use music cd's, dvd's, instruments, pot lids, the sound of the wind, rain drumming on the roof, your voices, concerts, community events. Sing while you walk, bath, cook, clean and play. Make up songs, create nonsense rhymes and tunes, sing the words of favourite books instead of reading them.
Dance
Dance with your children often - through this glorious experience children learn about the joy of music and movement. Be a mirror to your child through your own sense of delighting in dance.
Imagination
Open your child up to beauty and wonder by endowing the daily routine with peace and magic. Reveal this through loving guidance, through imaginative play and through your words, actions, songs and joy.
Nature
Go out often into nature through the changing seasons. Let your child get wet in puddles, skip together instead of walking, stop often to notice a different smell, make sure that you yourself delight in the marvel of the great outdoors. Learn together the names of plants and trees and delight in each others knowledge. Set up a nature table at home where new discoveries can be invited and encouraged.
Feelings
Teach your children to name their feelings by acknowledging and naming your own. "I'm feeling sad right now. That makes me feel very happy. I feel upset. I feel surprised". "I feel" statements will encourage your children to come up with their own, thus creating a healthy and wholesome sense of self. Ask them often, "How does that make you feel?"
Listen to your child as well as talking with him. This validates not only his sense of self, but allows for the growth of his intuitive self. Really listen for what he is saying and show him that you hear.
Magic
Show your child that life is magical, enchanting, rich and astonishing by creating unexpected pockets of surprise for them. Spiritual parenting helps your child cope well with change in life by giving life a mystical quality instead of a fearful approach. This enables a sense of adventure.
Years later my two eldest children still talk about the time their father woke them up at midnight, and then took them in their pyjamas on a car ride to see the first lights on the village Christmas tree. By creating a magical adventure through his own infectious joy, their father gave them an opportunity to extend their own inner magic through his spiritual parenting approach.
Silence
Don't be afraid to teach them about the beauty of silence. Encourage your young children to enjoy undisturbed quiet moments in your company. Show them by enjoying moments of silence in their presence, sitting quietly with your eyes closed. Teach them the value of walking together without talking. This is how they learn to feel their own inner peace.
Cherishing
Cherish them with physical affection, with words of love, with little gifts of flowers, unusual finds in the garden, written notes and through reading, playing and singing together.
Give them your undivided time and attention when you are walking with them, encouraging them to talk about their day, their friends, their hopes and dreams and encourage, encourage, encourage.
Bedtime
Create bedtime rituals that focus on the special nature of each of your children. Settle them into sleep feeling nourished, cherished and special. Try telling them "I love you today because..." and add a new reason for every night. Spiritual parenting in this way is a calm, child centred approach.
Do Children Suffer When Parents Refuse Marriage Help?
Have you ever thought how your children are affected by the relationship between you and your spouse? If your marriage can really use some assistance, then chances are high that your children have already taken note. Are your children affected because of you and your partner's refusal to obtain the marriage help that you deserve and need? Children are able to pick up emotions like frustration, anxiety, sadness and anger. According to your child's age, they might or might not be able to express and understand these emotions, but children can also feel and experience these emotions. Children are affected when parents feel concerned about their marriage.
Your children are actually aware of the raging emotions that occur in the home, whether you or your mate prefers the silent treatment or you both get into a screaming competition. If you are ware that your marriage needs some help and there is cause for concern, it is not a bad idea to explore some options.
There are many ways which marriage help is available. One good way to assist your marriage is to go out with the kids from time to time. Confrontation in front of your children is sure to occur at some time regardless of how hard both parents may try to avoid this. This is not always a bad thing as children bicker among themselves and are able to make up again. This shows that adults can do the same. It is advisable that hot topics are spoken about privately with your mate. Having a date with your sweetie by just dressing up and going out on the town will be of great assistance to your marriage. Use the opportunity to discuss private issues in your marriage. A child sitter on a more frequent basis may be the simple solution. It could be marital help in the form of counseling is what is needed. Whatever the outcome time alone to talk about the issues is what is required.
It can be really stressful to keep going with work, bills and kids but you must remember to try to have some fun with each other. The best medicine for your marriage could be to remember how to laugh and have fun.
If you and your spouse arrange for marital help by way of counseling, then your children will be aware that daddy and mommy are making time for each other. This shows the children that you are working together. Refusal to get marriage help that you require will emit exactly the wrong message to your kids. The children will take note that the family isn't functioning together; Right out the window goes co-operation and teamwork.
Even though your spouse refuses help, it can still be to the advantage of both you and your children if some self-help techniques are tried. Improving yourself is always positive. If you feel the need for budget tips, a support group, counseling or a sitter then by all means you should locate it. The benefits you will receive will reflect in your marriage. Marital help can come in different forms.
If you improve, your spouse will be able to tell the difference. The children will also take note when daddy and mommy are getting along better. The whole family environment in the home revolves around the relations between family members, children behaviors and attitudes can follow the same negative path, if parents refuse marital help that is needed. When parents utilize marital help and benefit form it, children are able to notice the positive changes within the family. The family unit does not make a marriage work but a marriage can make a family.
When parents ask me about children and discipline, I always begin by inquiring about their own style of parenting.
For instance I ask them, "When we talk about discipline and children, what do you think your style of discipline is?"
"What do you think of your partner's parenting style when we talk about your children and discipline?"
"How difficult do you find it to discipline young children?"
I then ask questions about their own childhood experience of being disciplined and whether they see this as a positive or negative pattern to follow.
These answers usually create discussions about the methods to use with children and discipline, especially as so often I find that today's parents were smacked as kids. Often these discussions are very revealing to the parents. There is no more controversial topic than children and discipline to alert parents to their own, often deeply hidden, childhood parenting issues.
Nowadays, both children and discipline are seen in quite a different way than that of my own childhood, and thank goodness for that! Seen and not heard was very painful for many children back then.
Next I ask the parents to talk to me about their own personalities and whether they think they are reactive or responsive to their children when behavioural difficulties arise. This particularly applies when we discipline young children. Most times each parent is surprised to hear the observations of the other parent on their parenting style!
The earlier parents begin with a firm, clear and consistent approach to discipline and children the better.
What is the difference between reaction and response when we discipline young children?
Reaction
* Reactive parents often become emotionally involved with their children's negative behaviour, seeing it as a reflection on themselves.
* They can become distressed and take it personally, often feeling their child is "doing this to get at me".
* Often parents who have a problem with their own anger get caught up into the turmoil of a child's anger, unable to separate their child's behaviour from their own.
* This leads to escalating situations which become more about the parent than the child, with the parent unable to understand why it is all so out of hand.
Response
* Responsive parents look for ways to use the situation as a training ground for children and discipline.
* They look for reasons why their child is acting out, checking on their physical needs for food, water and sleep then trying to look at the situation from the child's perspective.
* They understand that their child would rather be calm and unstressed and they maintain a clear, consistent, focussed approach while remaining calm and in control themselves.
* They respond to the child rather than react to the situation.
I was talking to a friend of mine who is very involved in the running of the local soccer club. The club has made many changes over the past two years much having to do with helping kids realize the value of learning the fundamentals and cross training to improve their soccer performance. He told me that he has met with resistance many steps of the way.
He went on to say that he was shocked because he was asked to turn this program into a top program in the state. A while back the soccer commissioner for the state of Wisconsin told his committee that he had seen my friend's system and programming and thought that it should be the template for all youth programs in the state of Wisconsin.
Stupid Is As Stupid Does.
His committee came back to him and said that even though the program looked good they were going to decide against using it because it was different than what they were used to and it would involve some work. Hmmm...
So the decision was brought back to keep the existing program as is because they did not want to change it and they were afraid of the work and the possible negative response from parents. Hmmm again...
My thought is, bring in a professional to improve a program and get out of the way. We've gotten to the point where our opinion matters too much. At least we think so. How many times have we hurt our kids chances of really getting better and achieving levels that we never thought possible for them because we couldn't understand or agree with something. You don't have to understand it for it to work.
I believe that our job as parents is to help our kids by helping them make the right choices. Once we feel that we have made the right choices we need to give the people who we have entrusted with our children's futures the opportunity to do their jobs.
Are you a helicopter parent who is always hovering or are you a parent who is willing to live by your choices and relax and get out of the way? Even though we may be well meaning parents, we can't know everything. We need help. We would all do ourselves a favor to realize that and let things just happen.
7 Lucky Ways Fathers Can Turn Poker Skills Into Parenting Thrills
Sometimes taking a different look at parenting can inspire us with new ideas or remind us to practice sound principles we learned long ago, but in a more interesting way. I'm an avid poker player but also a committed father of two girls. And believe it or not, I've made some interesting connections between the two topics. Want to know how to turn your poker skills into parenting thrills? Here are 7 lucky ways to do it:
Play the Hand You're Dealt
In life, the "hand we're dealt" is the family environment we grew up in - how we were raised. Fathers should decide to pass on the positive aspects of their family heritage or change the negative aspects. Any hand can win, depending on how it's played.
Go ALL IN with Your Kids
In poker, going all in means committing all of your chips to the outcome of one hand, which is thrilling when you win. In parenting, going all in means making enduring commitments to your kids that will pay off in the long run, such as saving for their college education or helping them to grow spiritually.
Play No Limit Poker but Play Limit Parenting
No Limit Texas Hold 'Em is the most exciting game in the world because of the thrill of betting all of your chips at one time. However, fathers should practice Limit Parenting by setting limits and boundaries, all in an effort to help kids grow up to be responsible adults who enjoy good relationships.
Give Action to Get Action
In poker, giving action means playing even when you don't have a good hand, so eventually other players will give action back to you. In parenting, giving action means getting involved in your child's activities, even if the activity doesn't interest you. Your involvement shows genuine interest in your children as people. They might not understand that message, but they will feel it, and that's much more important.
Don't Bluff Your Kids
Bluffing works in poker but it doesn't work in parenting. Avoid making empty threats to your kids just to get them to do what you want. Instead, be honest and address the issue directly.
Know When to Hold 'Em and Know When to Scold 'Em
Communicate care and love by focusing on the positive things your kids do. When necessary, hold them accountable when they do behave poorly or fail to meet reasonable expectations.
Raise the Stakes by Having High Expectations
In poker, raising the stakes helps you win more money and in parenting, raising the expectations of your children helps them learn about themselves, build self-confidence, and succeed.
One of the reasons I enjoy poker is the competition and of course, the thrill of winning, whether the stakes are high or not. Well the stakes are definitely high when raising kids in this crazy world. That's why the best thrills I get in life will come from the payoff of my parenting. I hope yours will, too.
Most people wouldn't connect crystal figurines with fairy tales, but you can do that and create an exciting adventure for your child. Using a little imagination, you can make reading a fairy tale more interesting and meaningful for your child by giving your child a crystal figurine that goes along with the story.
Pick a crystal animal figurine related to the main character or animal in the fairy tale. As an example, if you are reading Goldilocks and the Three Bears, give your child a crystal bear figurine. When you give the figurine isn't critical. You can present it when you start the story, after you've read it or several weeks later. The one thing you can count on is kids love these stories and your child will have you read them dozens of times.
Here's why using a crystal animal figurine with the fairy tales is a good idea. First, for some inexplicable reason, very young children create in their own minds a very strong connection between the figurine and the story. Perhaps it is because having the figurine there while you are reading you are adding a concrete element (something your child can hold onto) to what would otherwise be an abstract experience. You are creating a strong association in your child's mind. Once you have several figurines, your child will probably go to the figurine shelf, grab one and hand it to you and say, "Read this one." If that happens, you'll know that a very strong association has been made.
You can also carry this connection one step further. By the time you've read the story for the fifteenth time, you'll be ready for this idea. Ask your child to make up a story about the crystal animal. Let your child give the figurine a name, a place to live, a favorite food or whatever else that fertile little imagination can produce. By doing this you are stimulating your child's creativity and imagination and the stories you get will be very entertaining for you and a welcome relief as well.
If you are ambitious (and not too tired at night) write down your child's stories and put them into a book. Encourage your little one to add the art work. It will be a great project for both of you.
The second reason is one of accumulation. Over a period of several years you will have established a reasonable collection of crystal animals and crystal figurines. No doubt your son or daughter will lose interest in the figurines and fairy tales as he/she grows older. After all, there are more important things to consider like concerts, school sports, the latest music, graduation, college and let's not forget members of the opposite sex. Don't despair! All is not lost.
If and when the interest is gone and if you don't have room to display the figurines, carefully pack up all the figurines and story books. Store them in your attic or a closet. Be patient, your next big event is just around the corner. Wait for those thrilling words, "Mom, Dad, we're going to have a baby."
Decide when the time is right and rummage through the attic for those crystal figurines, fairy tales and story books. Pass then on to your son or daughter. A flood of memories will come back to both of you. Now your child can repeat the process with your grandchild. Your beautiful memories and little treasures will pass from one generation to the next and perhaps even the next. Imagine what you have just created - another family heirloom and tradition.
No doubt you can find many other ways how to use crystal animal figurines along with the fairy tales and stories you read to your child. Have fun! The whole process is quite enjoyable from beginning to end. Crystal animal figurines and fairy tales really do go together.
Over the course of the past year, a great deal of media attention worldwide has been trained on problems associated with toy safety. In fact, there have been some fairly major recalls of toys and other products that have been designed for babies, these recalls occurring in a number of different countries the world over. Understanding these problems, you may have some very real questions pertaining to product safety and baby gifts.
There a number of resources available to you on the Internet and World Wide Web that can be helpful to you when it comes to addressing product safety issues and baby gifts. For example, there are consumer and product safety websites that normally will be able to make available to you the latest news and updates pertaining to issues involving the safety to toys and other products for children and babies.
What you need to keep in mind is that a new child or baby safety concern arise completely out of the blue and literally at any time, day or night. Therefore, it is important for you to monitor with regularity these resources if you want to make certain that you have the most up to date information about product safety issues.
Unfortunately, and with no ill intent intended, it also is important for you to pay attention to the country in which a particular baby gift has been manufactured. In this day and age, certain countries have had more difficulties with product safety issues than have other nations. In this regard, it can be helpful for you to monitor the media and pay attention to alerts in regard to problems that are occurring in regard to consumer product safety issues.
It seems like you are making the right decision. The road that you are going down seems less fearful. Difficulty is certain heading along the other path. We know that this choice is best. There are so many ways to justify this decision. In your mind, it is the right thing to do for your child. Of only you had the foresight to see the peril in your decision.
I write these words from experience. There was a time when I stood at the same crossroad. My choices were identical: to stay or to go. Being young and immature, my rationalization led me to leave. Her mother did not have the luxury of a choice. Although I justified it in my own mind, there is no reason to abandon a child. Succumbing to fear will never lead to a healthy conclusion. It is the utmost in selfish behavior.
All around me I see men making the same choice. It saddens me deeply, because I know the results of their choice. Today, I have the insight I lacked so many years ago. Hindsight is indeed 20/20. If I had to do it all over again, I would choose the other path. The one I selected turned out to be the more difficult one. It is wrought with pain and frustration. Once you walk out that door, it is extremely treacherous to get back in. We can make up for a lot in life; time is not one of those things.
I see so many that believe they are doing the right thing by leaving. The most common argument is that I cannot make enough money here. Another is about not being able to get along with the mother. Both those situations may be true. However, they do not apply to one's relationship with his child. Your child cares little about the money you make. Nor does that child really care about the toys-his/hers or yours. And once you leave the house, the relationship with the mother is secondary. What matters is being there for your offspring. That is paramount.
Children are resilient. They adapt to the circumstances around them. Whatever form the family dynamics take, they will adjust. The question is how well will you be able to adjust? Do not be surprised if you learn that your decision created a host of other factors you never envisioned. Are your ready to live with the pain of those factors? Since it is likely you are unaware of the potential pitfalls of your choice, the odds of you being prepared for them is minimal.
My experience is that you need to forgo the money. Also, do what is necessary to get along with the mother. Stop hanging with your buddies and be responsible. Get off the alcohol/drugs so that you can be a father. This is the most reasonable option you have. If you choose to continue as you are doing, your road ahead will be a lot bumpier.
There was a time when I chose to leave my child’s life. That single choice removed me from my daughter for the first 5 years. She did not even know that I existed. During that time, another man walked into her life who became “dad” to her. To this day, he is still referred to as that even though she understands my biological connection to her. It is something that I live with everyday of my life. My choice led me to give up my position as my child's father.
After I garnered enough courage to try to resolve the situation with my daughter, it was too late. Stepping in after 5 years is an impossibility. Although I had the courts approving my re-emergence, I did not have my child's. Her entire world was shook to it's foundation. Someone of that age has a tough time understanding what is transpiring. In her mind, I was a disruption to the only world she knew. This instilled a lot of fear which manifested as anger. We are often unaware of how deeply our decisions can affect out children.
If you think the path back in was easy, think again. It took another 5-6 years before my daughter was somewhat tolerant of me. As mentioned, I am still not “dad” to her. And I never will be. That role was sacrificed by my decision. I also had to accept that I have no hope of ever having the type of relationship with her that my father does with my sister. That is reserved for the one who chose to be in her life even though this child was not biologically his.
The only hope that I have is to be a friend to her. My job now is to love her in whatever capacity she allows me. I offer my support for her with the expectation of nothing in return. I am entitled to nothing in this relationship. It was me that chose to leave. I am a guest in her life and am relegated to behaving as such. My rights went out the window the day I made that ill-fated decision. The courts may say one thing, but the mind of a jilted child will say something totally different. In the end, it is only her viewpoint that matters.
So you have the decision to stay or go. I know how much easier the road of going looks. Do not be fooled. It truly is the tougher route to take. This one decision will affect you the rest of your days. Learn from my experience and be sure to get it right. It matters little what your relationship with your child's mother is like. The best I hope for is amicable in that department. Money is no substitute for the love of a father regardless of how much it is. All your present selfish wants and desires might satisfy you now, but they will leave a big hole in you in the future. That, I can guarantee you.
There is only one choice here; that is to remain. Be a part of that child's life. This is not to say that you should stay with the mother. Some people simply do not belong together. Two people who are at each other’s throats fail to create a proper home for a child. Often it is best for all involved to part ways. However, being a part of that child(ren)’s life is always the best choice.
I say all this not so much for his/her sake, but for yours. I can only speak as one who abandoned my child and the pain is caused in my life. It is not something that I would wish upon another man. Not only do I feel the suffering within me but it is doubled when I consider the pain that I inflicted upon her. My decision affected someone who was completely innocent in the situation. I can assure you this is not something that you want to live with.
Learn from my mistake. It will save you an untold amount of suffering. You fail to realize the catastrophic consequences of your decision to leave. It is easy to do; I fell prey to it also. However, hindsight led me to write this for your sake. My bed is made. I accept the lifelong consequences of my horrific decision so many years ago. Yet I hope you choose the opposite track. If this can help just one person avoid this perilous state, then my experience didn't go for naught. Give yourself and your child a tremendous gift by choosing to be a part of his/her life. I can tell you from experience that you will regret not doing so.
If you're a parent, it's likely you have some kind of routine going for yourself and your kids; or maybe you don't. Are you the type of person who prefers spontaneity? Do you find it tiresome to be tied to a routine? Have you heard or read that having a routine is important for kids? It is my opinion that children thrive on routine.
Most of us do better with some kind of structure in our lives. We like predictability. It gives us a sense of security. Children are no different. They like to know that when they wake up they can predict breakfast will be offered, then some sort of activity, then lunch and if they're very young, a nap or a quiet time. They love it when they know what comes next. Every night after dinner is bath, a snack, stories, teeth then lights out. It might look something like that.
I've worked with parents who admit to me that they really don't have a routine. Breakfast might be anywhere from 7am - 10am or lunch is whenever they feel like it and dinner is much the same. In between that time the TV is usually on and it's just free play.
If your children are in any kind of childcare facility or preschool you'll notice that "free play" is an important part of the day but it always takes place at a specific time. There is always a routine. The kids know that after free play they have circle time and then they all wash their hands and that is followed by snack. They all know exactly what to expect. The program is designed that way because the teachers and childcare providers know that children thrive on routine.
Establishing a routine if you don't already have one isn't necessarily going to solve all your problems if you have problems, but it is one step that contributes significantly to a child's sense of security. If you're a parent who has never been used to routines, it can be difficult to make the adjustment if it isn't your natural way or being. You'll find though that both you and your children will benefit greatly when everyone can predict more or less what the day is going to look like. It doesn't mean you can no longer be spontaneous or never step out of the box. It just means you have a general guide to follow to give you some structure to your day.
Barbara Desmarais is a parenting and life coach and has worked with parents for close to 20 years. To gain more tips and insights into the most important job you'll ever have, visit her website at http://www.theparentingcoach.com . Receive a free copy of her popular e-book "Raise Your Children but Not Your Voice" when you sign up for her monthly parenting ezine. Set up a complementary coaching session and take the first step towards a happy, cohesive family life.
Most people wouldn't connect crystal figurines with fairy tales, but you can do that and create an exciting adventure for your child. Using a little imagination, you can make reading a fairy tale more interesting and meaningful for your child by giving your child a crystal figurine that goes along with the story.
Pick a crystal animal figurine related to the main character or animal in the fairy tale. As an example, if you are reading Goldilocks and the Three Bears, give your child a crystal bear figurine. When you give the figurine isn't critical. You can present it when you start the story, after you've read it or several weeks later. The one thing you can count on is kids love these stories and your child will have you read them dozens of times.
Here's why using a crystal animal figurine with the fairy tales is a good idea. First, for some inexplicable reason, very young children create in their own minds a very strong connection between the figurine and the story. Perhaps it is because having the figurine there while you are reading you are adding a concrete element (something your child can hold onto) to what would otherwise be an abstract experience. You are creating a strong association in your child's mind. Once you have several figurines, your child will probably go to the figurine shelf, grab one and hand it to you and say, "Read this one." If that happens, you'll know that a very strong association has been made.
You can also carry this connection one step further. By the time you've read the story for the fifteenth time, you'll be ready for this idea. Ask your child to make up a story about the crystal animal. Let your child give the figurine a name, a place to live, a favorite food or whatever else that fertile little imagination can produce. By doing this you are stimulating your child's creativity and imagination and the stories you get will be very entertaining for you and a welcome relief as well.
If you are ambitious (and not too tired at night) write down your child's stories and put them into a book. Encourage your little one to add the art work. It will be a great project for both of you.
The second reason is one of accumulation. Over a period of several years you will have established a reasonable collection of crystal animals and crystal figurines. No doubt your son or daughter will lose interest in the figurines and fairy tales as he/she grows older. After all, there are more important things to consider like concerts, school sports, the latest music, graduation, college and let's not forget members of the opposite sex. Don't despair! All is not lost.
If and when the interest is gone and if you don't have room to display the figurines, carefully pack up all the figurines and story books. Store them in your attic or a closet. Be patient, your next big event is just around the corner. Wait for those thrilling words, "Mom, Dad, we're going to have a baby."
Decide when the time is right and rummage through the attic for those crystal figurines, fairy tales and story books. Pass then on to your son or daughter. A flood of memories will come back to both of you. Now your child can repeat the process with your grandchild. Your beautiful memories and little treasures will pass from one generation to the next and perhaps even the next. Imagine what you have just created - another family heirloom and tradition.
No doubt you can find many other ways how to use crystal animal figurines along with the fairy tales and stories you read to your child. Have fun! The whole process is quite enjoyable from beginning to end. Crystal animal figurines and fairy tales really do go together.
I remember a conversation I had with a police detective some 35 years ago. He was telling me about what a mother had told him over the phone about her teenaged son. “Once he’s out of the house, he’s not our problem.” The detective, who served an upscale suburban community, was explaining to me that parents can be irresponsible and in his mind almost criminal in their neglect of children.
Parents are the most important people in a child’s life. They set the tone for everything. If parents abuse drugs, the children are likely to abuse drugs. If husbands beat their wives, their sons will likely be wife beaters too. If parents divorce and abandon their children, those children are not likely to become model parents either. Parents are the front line in the prevention of drug abuse and there’s so much they can do to try to secure the best possible future for their children.
The trouble is parents want schools to do everything. Teachers become parents, because “once he’s out of the house he’s not our problem.” What happens in the home is more important than what happens in the classroom. Parents can set the example by being informed. That begins with understanding the dangers of prescription medication. What is in your medicine cabinet? Do you know what medications are in the house, and how much of that medication you have? Are medications out of date? Take an inventory and keep track of what is in the house.
If a medication runs out too quickly, that is a sign that someone might be abusing that drug. Talk to your kids and make this a family project.
Teens especially will experiment with drugs. They hear about the experiences of their friends. They want to be cool and part of the crowd. If they experiment with the drugs in your house, what will happen? If you have a pain medication, what will that do? If you have a stimulant of some kind, what will that do? What are the dangers of overdose? Ask yourself, what are the dangers to my child?
Take control. Be the parent, the adult. Have an open conversation with your children about drugs, especially the drugs in your house. Stay on top of it and know the inventory. Make connections with principals and teachers at the school, with your family doctor and pharmacist, and with local law enforcement officials.
Be savvy. Know what is in your house, in the community and the potential negative impact it will have on your family. Drug abuse prevention starts in the home with responsible parents. Having this family discussion and having a plan about how to handle the medications in your home will be an effective preventative measure.
Today I discovered a killer of our teenagers and would like to share it with you. It should not be a surprise to learn that there is a thriving subculture on the Internet that gives out advice and information on just about anything you can think of. However, this day I would like to discuss something called robotripping. It means taking over the counter cough and cold medicines to get high.
I am told that one in ten messages passed on the internet between teenagers are about drugs. These sites tell our teens, what to take, where to get it, how to take it, how much to take and what other things to take with it to make it better.
Let me tell you how this all started. I had a cold with a bad cough. I bought some cold medicine, three different kinds and put them on the counter in my bathroom. My teen son had his own bathroom and to be honest I didn’t think a thing about leaving the medicine out.
Anyway, I took the medicine and it made me feel icky so I quit taking it and tried new stuff. To make a long and miserable cold story short, I got better. That weekend I was cleaning up and saw the bottles. But I noticed the cough syrup was almost gone and so I opened the other bottles and sure enough all the pills were about gone.
Now I knew that taking cough syrup to get high had been around for years, but surely my son would not do that!? I went to the computer and started to look it up. It scared me. I found that kids were taking it in such large quantities that at the least they were damaging their livers and at the most they were dying. Yes DYING.
I was aghast and angry. My sons and I talk of everything. Surely this could not have been going on right under my nose and without me knowing? So I waited. You know the “Mom’s wait” vacillating between anger and fear. While I waited I read up on it and learned.
Then I read this: *A dissociative drug which reduces (or blocks) signals to the conscious mind from other parts of the brain, typically to the physical senses. Such a state of sensory deprivation and dissociation can facilitate hallucinations, and dreamlike states of mind which may resemble some psychedelic mind states.
My son was escaping and hallucinating and I missed it? How can that be? I learned that there are over 250 products with DXM in it and the drug companies that make it don’t want it regulated even if it will keep our teens safe. I learned that is a real addiction just like any other drug but that it was worse in a way because it was legal and easy to get.
As I read the list of symptoms: restlessness, confusion, dizziness, double or blurred vision, slurred speech, impaired physical coordination, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, rapid heart beat, drowsiness, numbness of fingers and toes, and disorientation. DXM abusers describe different "plateaus" ranging from mild distortions of color and sound to visual hallucinations and "out-of-body," feelings of detachment from the environment and self, sensations, and loss of motor control. I became panicky and ready to fight this with him all the way to health!
He came home; I tried hard not to attack. I had done the self Mom talk and I was ready. Calmly I asked, “Are you robot tripping?” He laughed and said, “If you mean am I robotripping, no I am not, I am not that stupid, why? You been on the internet again Mom” So we talked about the missing medicine and found out it was one of his friends (who is now in treatment).
All I can say is that day I found a killer of our teenagers. It is important to communicate and keep aware of your home and what is going on in your world. Even the smallest of things can be an important clue to a problem.
Become Your Child’s First Teacher for Giving Excellent Morals and Education?
Your child learns most of his/her life lessons from you, including education. As a parent, you should think that “what your child has learned from you today”. If you don’t have an answer, think now to spend time with your child for giving good education and ethics of life. You have to dedicate time and effort from your side.
Becoming a teacher! If you are a parent, then you are a teacher for your child. As a parent, you have to teach values, beliefs, issues in every family and how to react in any difficult situation.
You should also teach positive and negative things of life, how to get out from the difficult situation on their own, how to share things, whom to believe, and how to help others. Other people also contribute to your child’s development.
Get involved! Many parents think they are involved in child education by selecting a school, dropping and picking their child from school. But, it’s not true.
You should involve in their studies. You have to meet your child’s teachers and friends regularly to know what is going on. You should realize that your involvement in your child’s education is as important as any other areas of their lives.
Be aware! Your involvement should be from school’s perspective. Become a teacher and find out what is taught in the school. Check their note books and read every thing that is taught in the classroom.
You should be aware of your child’s studies regularly and how your child is performing.
Talk to your child about their school when they are in good mood to explain. When you involve in their school activities, there are less chances of your child becoming absent to the school.
Be visible! Many parents are seen only at school events. But, when you have decided to involve in your child’s education, volunteer some of your time at school. Attend the parents’ meetings regularly. If you are visible regularly, teachers can meet and discuss if any problem arises. If you cooperate with them, they will not hesitate to discuss any matter with you.
Child success! Parents should involve in learning activities, homework assignments, and making the children read materials and instructions provided by teachers. When you work and spend time for your child, your child can become success in the education.
Become your child’s advocate! Children in young age cannot become their own advocates. You have to become your child’s advocate to fight back their rights, save from dangerous situations, back their pursuits, become their patron by supporting their talents, speak on their behalf and sponsor their efforts at achieving success.
Becoming an advocate means becoming a teacher and making your child to learn all those things that they are unaware of. When you become advocate, your child learns the same things and protects themselves and their children.
Parenting Teens with Love and Logic - Crossing The Emotional Barrier
Crossing the Emotional Barrier
Time and time again, I experience teens making decisions based entirely on emotions. With this age of instant results from the internet and speed-of-light text messaging, our kids, like never before, are prone to making quick decisions. Unfortunately, these decisions are often based on knee-jerk emotional reactions rather than logical reasoning.
If we don't correct this course, we will experience more and more bad decisions made by our youth when they enter high school for the first time or leave home for college.
Parenting teens with love and logic is essential.
We need to introduce logical reasoning in the decision making of our adolescents. This is done with slowing down the process and encouraging the teen to consider options by asking questions. Yes, asking questions. Instead of barking commands or making arbitrary rules, parents need to consider teaching their teens how to make good decisions by asking them to weigh the pros and cons.
Love and logic come together with taking the time to connect with the teen and ask them to seek logical conclusions before they make their decisions. Have them, not you, identify the possible upsides and downsides to their decision.
Explore Risk Versus Reward -
Explore the level of risk vs. reward by asking them if they are willing to take the chance by making a decision that might otherwise be unfavorable. Should they make the right decision, simple acknowledge it with encouragement like, "I think that is a very wise decision".
If they choose a direction that you feel, short of endangering themselves, is not the best choice, again, in the long run they will discover the power of learning from the school of hard knocks. And there is nothing wrong with that.
We have all made bad decisions over time and no words of advice from our spouse, our boss, or our parents would have changed our minds. And we survived and learned from our mistakes.
After all, wouldn't you rather have them learn how to make their own decisions while they are under your roof than out on their own?
It is a more difficult challenge for the parent to bite their tongue and wish their adolescent well. It is scary.
It is much easier to forbid them to do a certain thing.
However, at this stage in their life, they will most likely do it anyway. The chances are even greater that they will lie to you about it and place themselves at greater risk by having to conceal it from you.
Would you rather have your child be honest with you and know how and when you can be ready to support them or do you want to receive a phone call at 2 o'clock in the morning with news that demonstrates that they lied to you and broke your trust.
I once was asked to speak to a group of teenage boys about the importance of families. I am a high school religion teacher and often speak to teens. But this assignment made me nervous because I knew it was a topic the boys weren't excited to hear.
Minutes before speaking I had an unusual experience. A visual image came to my mind as though someone had turned on a television set in my brain. I clearly saw a scene you might see on the Discovery Channel -- it was a lion scattering a herd of animals.
The image came so powerfully that it surprised me. I wondered if it had anything to do with the talk I was about to give. The understanding quickly came.
When a predator attacks a herd the first job is not the kill. There is strength in the herd and the predator knows it. The first job is to scatter. If the predator can separate the weak from the strong and the young from the powerful they become easy targets.
This was demonstrated powerfully in a National Geographic special I saw about mother elephants (cows) and their babies (calves). Elephant cows are careful to keep their calf within a step or two because danger is always waiting nearby. Lions sometimes stay as close as 20 feet. When the cow charges the lions they easily lope away. The lions understand they can never get to the calf with the powerful mother nearby. So they watch and wait for one of them to make a mistake.
The program then showed of one calf becoming separated from its mother. The lions quickly pounced on it, trying to bring it down and kill it. Somehow this lucky calf was able to escape and return to the safety of its mother.
We live in a society now filled with children not so lucky. Predators have successfully scattered and separated families. Children have become easy targets. These attacks are devastating not only families but entire societies.
In his book, The Broken Hearth, former US Secretary of Education William H. Bennett stated:
"It is fashionable these days to say and to believe that matters like divorce, illegitimacy, cohabitation, and single-parenting are "private" matters that are not the business of the wider community. To which I would respond: There are few matters of more profound public consequence than the condition of marriage and families. Most of our social pathologies -- crime, imprisonment rates, welfare, educational underachievement, alcohol and drug abuse, suicide, depression, sexually-transmitted diseases -- are manifestations, direct and indirect, of the crack-up of the modern American family."
What is the answer? Former Secretary of State Colin Powell said it well:
"We either build our children or we build more jails. Time to stop building jails. Our children are not the problem, they are our future. If you want young people to become contributing citizens and not convicts, then early in life we must give them the character and the competence they need to succeed in this exciting new world. It begins in the home with caring, loving parents and family members who pass on the virtues of past generations" (GOP National Convention, July 31, 2000).
It begins with parents. We have the responsibility to stand close to our children, to make time for them, to love them, to teach them. If we do not they will become victims to the serious predators that now surround them.
There is strength in a herd.
Timothy L. Carver is employed as a high school religion teacher for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is happily married, has two married children and two grandchildren. His hobbies include writing, golf and gardening. He is the co-founder of Families In Zion, a website that provides free family home evening lessons, inspirational stories, and object lessons.
Steps That You Can Follow in Preventing Cold Sores
Cold sores are also known as oral herpes and occur because of the viral infection. Attack of herpes simplex viruses causes the cold sores. These viruses enter through the mouth and attacks on the nerve cells. Viruses then travel towards the ganglia by the use of nervous system. In the ganglia these viruses rest and eventually with favorable conditions is activated. Attack of the viruses will be permanent and do not leave the body; therefore it is hard to remove them. Consequently, to stay away from the infection you need to prevent it.
If you find rash that is turning in to blisters around the area of mouth then these blisters are of the cold sores. These blisters eventually turn in to dry slab. This is the first symptom of the infection. Blisters will appear for period and then again disappears. This cycle will continue for moths and years. Reappearance of the blisters depends on the triggering. Therefore, to prevent the blisters we need to keep control over the triggering. If skin is itching, irritating, and tingling, then you have to understand the signals of the blisters. On such skin, apply antiviral cream. To apply the cream first you need to wash your hands. Do not apply cream with hands instead of using hands prefer cotton buds for application.
However, this step seems to be extra precautionary but you have to follow them. Usually viruses attack the body with low immune systems. Therefore, to defense virus body need to be with strong immune system. Tiredness, stress or other illness are the major reasons of low immune. Hence, healthy life can go a long way to prevent blisters out breaks.
Beside these entire if you are already suffering with the infection then you have to take precautionary steps to avoid spreading the infections. However, this disease is not dangerous but is embarrassing. You can prevent spreading of the infection by avoiding kiss. The people suffering with the infection try to avoid kiss or should not engage in oral sex. Rubbing and itching spreads the infection to non-affected area. Therefore, do not touch the cold sores and other area of the skin. In case of touching the blisters, immediately wash the hands to avoid the infection. Not only in these cases but they need to adopt the habit of regular hand washing.
Do not try to hide the cold sores with make up because chemicals use in the cosmetics infects more. To prevent the infection never share the cosmetics mainly lipsticks. Not only the cosmetics but also the persons try to avoid sharing of food, drinks or towels. Regular application of antiviral cream helps in healing and decreases the contamination of the viruses. Herpes simplex viruses are contagious during out breaking but can spreads infection before and after out breaking period. They spread infection in the reproduction period also.
Cold sores can occur due to herpes simplex virus of type I.These virus are highly contagious and once contracted will stay in the body for life time. Viruses enter through the mouth and then attack the nerve tissues. From nerve tissues, they travel for ganglia through nervous system. In the ganglia, viruses lay dormant in the body and when favorable conditions occur activates in body.
Presence of the blisters can be observed through slight iteration on lips or face, bumps under the skin that try to grow to push and nudge at your pores. These blisters will appear for around three weeks. After this period, blisters will again go in dormant phase. This process goes on continuing. You can get rid of cold sores in many ways with the help of home remedies as well as professional remedies.
However, before getting rid of it, you have to identify the blister and you have to be sure about cold sores. As many of the peoples get confuse cold sores with canker sores. Cold sores blisters are red and pussy where as the canker sores are small white bacterial infections in the mouth. Next step to get rid is recognizing the blister and avoid triggering virus. Causes of out breaking the blisters vary from person to person. Blister will appear because of stress, anxiety, salty and acidic food, pregnancy or menstruation, overexposure to extreme weather and health problems like cold or flue.
To avoid the spreading of the blister you have to clean cold sores. Use hot and soapy water and clean wash cloth to cleanse the blister and its surrounding area. While cleansing avoid rubbing it may cause further irritation and infection. To avoid skin to skin infection avoid touching the cold sores. After cleaning cover, the cold sore with petroleum jelly based creams. These crèmes are beneficial in healing the cold sores by sealing the herpes viruses. This will minimize infection and irritation. For this you may use pain relief ointments like Neosporin.
Any infection can decrease with proper consumption of healthy diet, herpes simplex infection also cures. To reduce the infections try to include notorious and healthy food. Along with the proper diet exercise and adequate amount of sleep is also necessary. Therefore, you have to supplement your diet with vitamins, antioxidants, nutrition's, exercise and sleep.
All these remedies will help reduce the infection but if cold sores persist for more than two weeks with some home treatments on, then one have to seek medical advice. Physicist may prescribe certain tablets that will cure the blisters and decrease the pain and irritation.
A Look at Some of the Home Remedies for Cold Sores
Cold sores are the infection caused by the herpes simplex viruses. Viruses enter the body through the mouth and the attacks the nerve cells. From the nerve tissues they travel towards the ganglia and lay dormant. When these viruses get trigger gets activate and shows the presence in the form of blisters around the mouth area, fingers and on genital organs. Often these cold sores are panic and irritating filled with golden sticky fluid. It is hard to flush them out but one can prevent the infection or out breaking of the blisters. Normally blisters completes period of three weeks when comes first time or come subsequently and after this time period they again go in the dormant stage.
But many of the time situation may occur that person has any important task to do and within that period blisters out breaks. To cure them each time popping up the tablets is not the right way and therefore one need to try some home remedies to cure. Some of the things are helpful to decrease the discomfort and speed up the healing. To cure the blister fast you have to cover them with the petroleum jelly. This will protects the skin from secondary infection with the bacteria of the viruses along with curing the blisters.
Long exposure to the sunlight also increases the possibilities of blisters therefore while going outside you have to apply sunscreen lotion to body as well as lips as they are more sensitive. On the other side if you try to hide the blister with make up they will reactivate soon. Chemicals in make up can make the sores worse and therefore don't try to cover them with makeup. Person with orofacial infection try to avoid sharing particularly lipstick or any other cosmetics to prevent the infection.
Use of new toothbrush also helps to reduce the contamination of viruses. Often blisters are panic and therefore to reduce the pains painkillers are helpful along with tablets anesthetic ointments are also helpful to numb the pain. Ointment containing benzocaine is helpful to reduce the pain. If the person has frequent or severe cold sores then they need to consult doctor for proper health care. To keep the blisters away avoid salty and acidic food. Salty food like potato chips or citrus fruits can irritate the blisters and add pain.
Cold sores are very contagious therefore person with orofacial infection avoid kissing and sharing cups, towels or other things. They need to wash there hands frequently after touching the sores as they can spread more if touched with eyes and genital organs. Another trigger to activate the virus is stress. Therefore one has to keep the stress away with the help of meditation and exercise.
Blister can spread by squeezing, pricking or pinching the cold sore, therefore avoid doing it and wash hands after each touch. For accidental situations it will be good practice to keep hand sanitizer with infected person. This will help the person to reduce infection of blisters if there is no wash basin to wash hands.
How to Get Rid of Cold Sores by Relaxing and Unwinding yourself
Cold sores are also known as the fever blisters. Herpes simplex viruses cause cold sores through viral infection. These viruses attack the skin and nervous system of the body. Viruses lay dormant in the body and when they are triggered, they become active. These herpes viruses cause infections in the human bodies. Viruses attack the nervous system of the body even when they are latent. Triggering activates them and their presence is indicated by blister around mouth. These blisters can be painful as well as watery and can occur on mucous membranes and genital areas.
Once the body gets attack by viruses, they remain in the body for lifetime and therefore are hard to flush out from the body. Once you treat them, the virus's retreats back into the nerve cells. Some times these viruses remain dormant and get activate eventually and cause new cold sores to appear. Since these viruses are, permanent we cannot remove them but we can try to decrease the chances of future outbreaks. To get rid of cold sores you have to keep control over the triggers.
In the cold and flue, body easily triggers the viruses and therefore one need to get cure as soon as possible from the cold and flue. This will restrict the cold sores. Another reason of cold sores is stress. In the stress immune systems of the body weaken, this allows the viruses to come in activation state and can cause the blisters. Therefore, one has to try to keep the stress away.
Many of the peoples are very sensitive to cold sores when spends more time outside in the sunlight. The peoples affected quickly by cold sores when they suffer with sunburns. Therefore, simple remedy is to apply good sunscreen lotion particularly to lips that defense against the sun causing blisters. Cold and wind also causes the cold sores and therefore to protect the skin one has to apply sunscreen lotion while going outside.
Pregnancy period and menstruation period triggers the viruses in the body. In this stage body suffers from the hormonal changes and therefore body can trigger the hormonally induce cold sores.
Hence, to reduce the cold sores efficiency one has to take proper rest. Adequate amount of sleep keeps the person stronger and healthier than the person who takes minimum amount of sleep. Along with the rest proper nourishment of the body with nutritious is necessary. Proper intake of proteins and nutrition plays important role in healing process.
To keep body healthy and protected from the cold sores antioxidants are important. Peoples who frequently outbreaks the blister are vitamin B deficient and therefore they need to include the external supplement of antioxidants and vitamins. Amino acids, lysine also shields the body from cold sores. However, these are helpful in healing the blisters one has to consume them in doctor's recommendation.
Relax and unwind yourself, as this will keep your body away from the disease.
The cold sores are the disease that will generally affect mouth and the nose. The cold sores are a viral infection and it causes small sores on the mouth nose and other parts of the body. The herpes simplex type 1 is responsible for the infection of the mouth and nose.
It infects the lower part of the nose or sometimes the infection also reaches in the nose. In the nose it affects generally the nostrils. In these disease sores are developed on the skin bellow nose and also inside the nose. These sores are small in size however they grow in the form of groups and therefore they can be painful. The skin where the infection occurs becomes red and appears as inflated. After some time of occurrence of the infection the sores grow in size and finally they burst i.e. they break open and dispose out a clear fluid. This may happen because of mechanical stress as touching with the finger etc. When this happens a curst is developed in the area of the infection.
However after this, the sores disappear themselves without doing anything. Therefore they may disappear even without the need to take medication.
As the sores appear in groups containing a large number of sores, the nose becomes very painful. They also cause itching. If they appear bellow the nose they are visible externally and therefore they cause embarrassment for the patient.
The infection occurs when the patient comes in to contact with the germs i.e. the herpes. They spread from the infected person to the other people. This happens when they sneeze or through the common use of things like towels, napkins, etc. it also occurs because of the touching the sores with the hand or other body parts.
Once the virus herpes simplex enters the body of the patient it may remain inactive for sometime. However due to some stimulus as cold or some other chemical stimulus also it may give rise to the sores on the skin. Therefore they occur commonly during the cold season and so called cold sores.
They can occur to people of any age from children to adults. However, in some 20 to 40% people though the herpes enters their body it remains inactive. It is not able to grow and create the symptoms of cold sores in them. The remaining ones show the symptoms of the infection externally.
The complete cure from the infection is not possible. The virus remains in the body for ever though it may become inactive for sometime because of the cure methods. Therefore the cold sores occur frequently throughout the life of the patients.
The sore disappear naturally after their occurrence. This takes a time of about two weeks. Many types of creams and antiviral medicines are available in the market. However these will only reduce the time of healing by about 3 to 4 days. However they give immediate from the pain that these sores cause.
Using the natural substances as the lysine, zinc vitamin c etc can help in reducing their occurrence. In addition to this it has been found that the amino acid Arginine is rerqired by the virus for their growth and therefore the patients should avoid eating foods containing Arginine.
Also it is important that though the sores may cause itching they should never be scratched or they will spread to the nearby region
Every parent wants to provide the most nutritious food for their growing baby. That simply goes without saying. A baby`s system is smaller and more fragile than those of adults. And development of their central nervous system, bones, immune and hormonal systems need optimum nutrients. Babies are also more susceptible to toxins in the environment and poorly processed baby foods. If you`re not a parent with lots of spare time to make your own baby food from scratch (most of us are forced to multi task all day), there are lots of excellent options. Many baby food companies now produce baby food with quality and even organic ingredients. There are so many brands now that cover all the food groups to ensure a balanced diet for your baby. Of course whole grains are an essential and when fed with plenty of fluids, will keep a baby or child regular. Again, be sure to look the word "organic" on the label or box. Organic means that the food is grown without the use of pesticides and in a certain way to insure that that were no chemicals or preservatives used in the processing of the food. Some also avoid foods that have been genetically modified. Many adults prefer eating this way - I know I do. Everyone in my family chooses brands and products that have natural ingredients as part of a healthy lifestyle.
Why not instill good nutrional habits in your baby and children? Especially when too many kids have been acclimated to eating fast food, there`s such a need to steer them away from this style of eating. Look at the statistics of overweight children in the country in recent years. There`s a huge health benefit to avoiding fast food and let`s not forget the packaged foods that are loaded with chemicals, saturated fats, and sodium levels that are through the roof. Just read the ingredient lables and you`ll see what I mean. As an example of finding unprounceable and even unappetizing ingredients in some packaged food items, the next time you are in the supermarket, check out the ingredients in a package of scrapple or spam. That should be enough to convince you to consider foods that are very close to their natural form and made with pure ingredients.
It used to be more expensive to buy natural food products in general but now most supermarkets across the country are jumping on the organic bandwagon, making healthy foods not only very available but also price competetive with specialty and health food stores. You can find them next to the other typical baby food brands on the shelves or in the health food isle or section of the supermarket. Reading the ingredient label, you`ll find that there`s no added sugar, salt, additives, or preservatives. After all, you do want the best and most nutritous foods.
Eco Friendly Toys for BabiesEco Friendly Toys for Babies
With all the recalls for toys made in China, it`s important for parents to consider and eco-friendly or "green" alternative for buying toys. Green products in general are items that considered to be natural and/or organic - made of natural materials that rae also biodegradable and recyclable. It`s also a good idea to look for toys that don`t use toxic dyes or any lead. This is especially important because infants and young children tend to put alot of objects in their mouths, particularly when they are teething.
What I found when doing research on this topic is that there are many toy designers and toy manufacturers that now take all this into consideration. They not only consider the eco-friendliness of a toy, there`s also a concern about durability, eliminating sharp edges, and not designing toys that have small parts that can fall off and be easily swallowed. So stuffed animal toys with glass or button eyes are out. Cloth and soft toys that are washable are now much more popular.
Now for the fun stuff. Toy makers design their products according to age group. For newborns and infants, there`s alot of mobiles that show brightly colored bold geometric shapes and patterns that work to a baby`s ability to focus their eyesight. Some play soothing music - even Mozart and Beethovan. Lots of toys fall into the activity or educational categories to keep the munchkins busy and entertained. Again, these are designed according to age group and dexterity levels. Many of these toys while being fun are also adorable. They`re soft, safe, and washable too. Some of the bath toys play music, light up, and spin around. How fun is that? For a busy and full time working parent, bath time might be one of the few times where you get to spend quality time with your little ones. You`re there anyway, so it might as well be fun and entertaining. You can use the tub time to play with your kids with these wonderfully designed activity toys, and you know what? You`ll have a blast too watching your baby play, learn, and of course, get clean. I invite you to look at the website I designed. It provides a huge resource for current baby and child care, information, and supplies - many at a discount for parents (and doting grandparents too).
Many adults, including teachers, stop reading to children after lower elementary school, sometimes even earlier. A common belief seems to be that reading aloud is the predecessor to silent reading and that once children begin to read silently, we should stop reading aloud to them. This is most unfortunate.
Everyone – we adults included – enjoys being read to. However, some older children may feel that we are treating them like little kids if we read aloud to them. One way to overcome this objection is with the choice of materials that we read. Older children will quickly recognize that the content is not baby-ish. An additional way to show that reading aloud is not just for young children is for another adult to join as a listener. In this way, children see that adults too take pleasure from being read to. After all, adults buy millions of audio books (books on tape or CD, etc.) every year.
Experts on language teaching recommend reading aloud for all ages of students. For instance, Regie Routman, author of best-selling books for reading teachers, states that "reading aloud should take place daily at all grade levels, including junior high and high school." Similarly, in their book A Nation of Readers, Richard Anderson and colleagues state that reading aloud "is a practice that should continue throughout the grades." (p. 51)
Research supports the use of reading aloud with older students. For example, Professor Warwick Elley of New Zealand led an international study that compared reading levels of students between 9 and 14 years of age in 32 different countries. One of the study's conclusions was that frequent reading aloud by teachers contributes to higher reading scores.
M. S. Cosgrove conducted research with upper elementary school children and found that they too benefit from being read to, even though they were all able to read on their own. These benefits of reading aloud came in the form of higher achievement and enhanced attitudes towards reading.
Best Easter Ideas - Chocolate Yummies Fill Empty Tummies
How time flies by, it only seems like yesterday when the tedious job of taking down the Christmas decorations was undertaken and stored up the loft, only to repeat the whole tedious process accordingly to commemorate Easter. However, because the lord is involved with both festive dates - makes tasks as such not so tedious at all but much more rewarding. Christmas day we celebrate the birth of Christ and Easter Sunday his resurrection.
Tradition up holds by giving a child a chocolate egg on Easter Sunday, and in some cases more because of greed, all because mom and dad give in to their demands. This is not good for their health or your pocket. Parents need to downsize on the chocolate egg or quantity. Huge savings can be made by doing this thus giving you those extra pennies to spend on healthy candy alternatives.
Easter is about feasting but do take care of what edible delights you are serving up. Keep your child's welfare in mind. hence no guilt trip for you if the child is sick from overeating or piling on the pounds
If the feast table is to be laden with yummies to fill the tummies then it is a good idea to include some healthier alternatives. There is a vast variety of healthy replacements for candy baskets.
Instead of chocolate or marshmallow candy, fill the baskets with natural cookies which can be baked at home and juicy fruits. Mini boxes of raisins dried apple pieces and sultanas are a good choice of appetizer.
Fill basket with low fat candies.
Both stuffed bunny rabbits and jelly beans are tempting eye candy to a child and low in calories. After the feast their will be the cleaning up so no time to cook tea, a good idea is to have the children decorate hard boiled eggs which can be eaten with a salad.
If the hens have been laying and you have spare eggs organize an egg rolling competition. Hard-boiled eggs are rolled down a slope, the winner is the one which rolls the egg the furthest, survives the most rolls, or is successfully aimed between two pegs!
Below budget-friendly activities for kids this Easter:
Take the kids on a shopping spree. Give each whatever you can afford and let them choose their own Easter gift, by doing this the day will not seem as long than that of being in the home running out of ideas as to what to do next.
Easter Garden : Pick up some flower pots, and seeds, and teach your kids a few gardening basics then let them plant their own spring flowers.
Sometimes a change of location is all it takes to keep kids entertained and more so at Easter time. So why not take the kids on a picnic, weather permitting. Whether it is the garden or a nearby park the kids will love it. Bring a toy to play with, it would be in your best interest to replace the old kite or ball with a new one, this will excite the children more.
Give young children a basket of brightly coloured plastic eggs; with coins inside each egg, be careful with small items placed in an Easter basket.
Easter day is named after the Saxon goddess of spring, Eostre, whose feast took place at the spring equinox. Easter is now the spring feast of the Christian church, commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Traditionally Easter eggs are given as presents symbolising new life and the coming of spring.
Parents - Are Public Schools The Right Fit For Your Child?
If you're anything like me, perhaps you feel like the public school system is doing more harm than good for our children. Over the past 4 decades, numerous public schools have fallen so far into squalor, that they now tend to resemble shelters and compounds to house something other than students. Maybe school is no longer challenging enough for your child or their talents are not appreciated, encouraged, or nurtured? Or maybe you're sick and tired of having your child simply participating in the education "process", but not actually receiving one?
Most students start to drift away from school, because they have dwindling interest in the way they're being taught and what they are being taught. Public education has been notorious for turning out future employees and followers. While private institutions churn out the leaders and decision-makers of our country. Fact of the matter is, most of us can't afford to send our kids to the top private schools. We try to do what's best for our children with what we've got. When even those efforts are undermined by the public-school system, the up-hill battle to keep our kids on the right track is compounded ten-fold.
Fortunately, there are education systems that help supplement the public-school learning process(or lack thereof). Why not do some research and locate the right tools to help you keep ahead of all the forces that seek to devalue and hamper your child's growth. It's hard enough trying to instill the appropriate values and work ethic in our kids. It is vital that we do whatever is necessary to ensure that we, ourselves, are not contributing to the same neglect and inattention rampant in public schools today.
