When was the last time you were able to make a nice, healthy home-cooked meal for your family? You remember the kind, where you could actually go to the grocery store and leisurely shop the aisles to select the ingredients for the recipe you want to cook that night. The kind of recipe that not only puts a smile on the faces of your family but gives you the peace of knowing that you are contributing to the health of your family by providing them with food not only prepared by you with love but is good for them as well. If you’re like most working Americans it’s probably not the norm for you, in fact, the closest thing you’ve come to a home cooked meal in a very long time is picking up dinner from the nearest fast food restaurant closest to your home. You just don’t have the time. By the time you get out of work, get to the grocery store and get the food home to prepare it, it’s already almost time for bed!

And I can’t tell you how many time I personally burnt a meal because I was multi-tasking! But you have to feed your family, so you do what you have to do.

But what if there were a better way? What if there was a chance that you could still earn a living but have all the time you need to be there for your family, cooking or otherwise? There’s no way around it, we live in a society where money makes the world go ’round. We NEED a paycheck in order to provide for our families but unfortunately the hours we work to make our money take away from the things in life that are most important…our families and our health. Both start to suffer when we stop paying attention to them. Our children start to seek solace in other people and things because we as their parents aren’t available. Our health starts to deteriorate because we don’t take the time to keep ourselves healthy, like going to the gym or nourishing ourselves with healthy home cooked meals. Heck, the guilt we feel for not spending time with our family tends to take a toll on us as well, and it’s a vicious cycle. But what is the solution? We need the money, what is the alternative?

Go into business for yourself. That’s right, run your own online business. Yes it can be done.

If you gave even half of your time and effort that you give your everyday job that is robbing you of your happiness anyway, you’re sure to succeed at being in business for yourself. By implementing the same discipline and dedication you give working for someone else, there’s no limit to how successful you will be if you choose to run a business from your home. Deciding to work from home can be pretty intimidating initially but with the right system, the right company, the right product, it can also be as easy as riding a bike. By joining a business that encompasses working as a group and with individual coaching, you’ll enjoy the freedom and satisfaction that comes with being your own boss. What a beautiful feeling that could be, total freedom to run your own day, not live by someone else’s schedule!

How excited you’ll be the moment you wake up in the morning knowing there is no rush to get out the door! What a lovely sense of pride you’ll take in knowing that you can be there for your family at any moment of the day and still be able to provide for them financially and in most cases, even better than your weekly paycheck had in the past. What a sense of accomplishment you can own by taking the time to provide a home cooked meal, EVERY NIGHT, and treating yourself to a restaurant when you just don’t feel like cooking. Wouldn’t it be nice to have the CHOICE? Yes it would, and it’s yours for the taking. You just have to do it.

Bedtime routines and rituals are very important for most children in establishing positive sleep patterns and in developing a sense of security and stability. Your child will benefit from a set bedtime. Pick a time for bed that is reasonable for your child and which you can consistently provide.

Establish a bedtime routine that can provide predictability and a comforting, familiar pattern.??? Even an understandable and structured visual pattern can assist this process and can provide reminders and consistency for the whole family.

A good bedtime routine will help teach a child to calm down, relax and get ready to sleep. However, not every technique works for every child. For example, if bathing is stimulating or frightening for your child, it??s probably a better idea to do it at another time of day rather than right before you want your child to calm down and go to sleep.??? Incorporate activities that you know have a calming effect on your child into their bedtime preparatory routine. Keep the routine short and sweet.??? It should realistically only consist of four to six steps that can be completed in a reasonable time frame, not drawn out into hours on end each night.

Reading a favorite book each night, brushing teeth, having a glass of water, and saying a goodnight prayer can all be calming, soothing activities for a young child to perform each night routinely.??? Hugging and kissing family members is usually also an integral part of the process, of course!

There are those nights or times when circumstances prevent your child from getting to bed at their usual time.??? Be sure not to shortchange the process when this happens, but keep in mind that each step can be shortened significantly in order to prevent long frustrations at a time when everyone is tired.???

Have you finally installed that copper or bronze water fountain in your home or office, and are you enjoying its inherently pleasing beauty? Well, get ready to receive another benefit from it. As the water cascades down from the spout to the basin, it generates beneficial white noise and yields healthful negative ions into the very air that you breathe. This will not only boost your personal health, but the health of everyone who works or lives in the same space as you, all thanks to your bronze water fountain.

Most people would come near the places where the air is fresher and cleaner, like a forest, seashore, waterfalls, or beaches. This is because they realize that clean, pollutant free air makes your body feel recharged and rejuvenated. The reason you feel so refreshed in these desirable locales is because of the significantly higher negative ion concentrations in the breathable atmosphere. In the city and urban areas, where pollution and other positively charged airborne contaminants thrive and dominate the breathable atmosphere, negative ions prevent these bad agents from forming. Negative ions can boost your health and make you more energetic, more stable, and more alive.

Of course, every one of us would love for the opportunity to have more efficient, healthier bodies, but we can’t constantly visit the places where negative ion quantities are higher. People who reside in the city can visit such places once in every year because of the hectic schedules they have. This is not enough if we want to stay refreshed and healthy. Water fountain can be considered. For your family’s health, and of course your own, use a copper or bronze water fountain to give you the benefits of healthful negative ions. This is on account of the increased generation of negative ions as the water cascades down and splashes from it. Although being beside a beach or waterfalls is something different, having a water fountain at home is an alternative. You can experience health and wellness every day at your own home.

Negative ions, as produced by the splash of water from the copper or bronze water fountains, have several positive effects on the physiological system and physical development of the human bodies. It was proven that it can stimulate balance in the serotonin level of the brain. It can reduce tension, stress, depression, and other emotional disorder. It can also make the weak body stronger and rejuvenated, making the body comfortable as it performs and the mind is set in a good condition as it process its duties. It helps the body maintain a good physical condition by reducing the unhealthy molecules or elements in the body. Negative ions can also neutralize unhealthy particles present in the air so there will be lower rates of getting them. The environment also improves, getting healthier and healthier with an increasing negative ion count.

Everybody wants to improve their health, their physical condition, and their ability to relax and focus despite the airborne contaminants, pollutants, and bioaerosols in the environment. Truly, there is no better way to bring these benefits into your home than to install a copper or bronze water fountain. It does not only provides, white noise for good relaxation, it also increases the rates of negative ions in the air for a healthier and better development of the body system of the family.

The choice to attend relationship counseling is often only investigated as a last chance option to bail out a problem relationship and head off a break up.???
However, in order to have an incredible relationship, it is best if a couple
pursue counseling early in the relationship prior to issues compounding.??? Don’t be intimidated to try counseling since it is probable that small problems caught early can limit greater issues and possibly salvage a relationship.
Older couples and those who have been married 10 or 20 years or more tend to defer from counseling since it was not easily available as an option when they were younger.??? This is sad, especially not knowing if counseling could have salvaged the relationship.??? Youthful couples are more apt to try new things
and counseling is much more accepted than before.
???When mentioning the subject of attending relationship counseling, the best approach is to explain that you need help dealing with an issue.??? This will lower resistance to meet with a counselor and your partner will not feel accused of being the problem.??? Eliminating blame and a compassionate request for much needed assistance for yourself will go a long way to having your partner say yes to counseling.
Never accuse your partner of requiring counseling even if you believe they are
the biggest part of the issue.??? If you explain that counseling could teach you to be a better partner and help you commit more to the relationship, you should have an encouraging response to attend counseling.??? Once in counseling, you both will gain discernment on how to execute your roles in the relationship better.
It really doesn’t matter if you have been in your relationship for 1 year or 5 years, relationship counseling can be a way to keep small problems from becoming substantial ones.?????? It’s never too early or late in a relationship to concede that counseling can help make your bonds stronger and can help with procedures??? to keep your relationship running more comfortable.??????
Staying undisturbed while discussing attending relationship counseling is wanted.??? Your partner could possibly become defensive and feel that it is their failing that things are not going right.??? They might also not even know that there was a problem and need time to figure things out.??? Make sure to explain that choosing counseling does not mean the end of the relationship, but a way to be trained how to make changes to improve your time together.
Even with careful planning and picking the right time to bring up the subject, your partner may still fail to go to counseling with you.??? While not the reaction you are hoping for, this is not the time to get frantic, or to place blame.???
Counseling will work better with both of you going, however, it is critical that you go ahead and make it on your own.??? It is desirable that your partner willcomprehend how important that counseling can be to your relationship, especially if you are able to maintain a positive attitude, and make the resolution to go with you.

It is usually only when those first few red flakes begin to appear in their water glasses that people begin to realize that they have a problem. This is when they begin to search for information as to how to remove iron from drinking water.

Let me make it clear first that in and of itself, iron in our water is not 100% bad for us because our bodies need to have it in order to function properly.

Iron is actually considered to be an essential nutrient since it is what transports the oxygen in our blood. If everything is as it should be, you should be receiving no more than 5% of your daily recommended allowance of iron from the water that comes through your tap.

However when the amount of iron in your water surpasses the 0.3 mg/l (ppm) then it can affect the way that your water looks and tastes.

Even though it doesn’t do us any physical harm, people consider it a tremendous nuisance to have iron in their water. Have you ever seen your tap water turn red, brown, or yellow color or have a metallic taste and the offensive odor? That is iron.

Having this much iron in your water will stain your clothes, glassware, dishes, and your household fixtures such as your tub and your sinks. Iron can also build up and solidify inside of your household pipes and either restrict or completely block the flow of water.

In the vast majority of cases, it does not get quite that bad though, as most of the complaints that people have are simply limited to the taste and odor issues. These issues can be solved quite simply.

The solution will do more than just remove iron from your water but will also remove other metals from your water that truly are toxic to your body.

There are traces of many metal elements in our water supply and some of them, for example lead, can cause you great physical harm.

The ingestion of this metal element has been known to slow the development of children, cause mild to severe brain damage, and in extreme cases it has even caused death. There is no safe amount of lead that you can ingest.

The best solution as to how to remove iron from drinking water is to purchase a home drinking water purification system that has multiple stages of filtration and an ion exchange feature.

This type of purification unit not only removes all of the metal elements from your drinking water, but will substitute these dangerous metals with acceptable ions such as sodium, and potassium. This filter system also has everything that you need to protect you from other chemical contaminants in your water, such as herbicide, pesticides and pharmaceuticals.

Indeed, to remove iron from drinking water is just one consideration that you should have in your quest for healthier and safer drinking water. But to truly have the cleanest, healthiest drinking water, you’ll need to think about a whole range of other contaminants.

A multiple user device such as a hospital grade breast pump has a high possibility of being a source of contamination. There is always a possibility of contamination when more than one person handles these devices.

A personal is kit is very important while using hospital grade breast pumps. The kit must be designed in such a way that it prevents the backflow of milk into the pump during use. It is extremely important to note that the kit is not for multiple users and is only for single patient use. This is because if milk flows back into a pump, the chances of it providing a medium for organisms to multiply is present, which becomes a potential source for contamination.

It is suggested to use clean equipment, collection kits, and containers for the milk to reduce the possibility of contamination. The mothers must always wash their hands prior to collection. Also, the mother must make it a daily practice of cleaning the breasts with a laundered washcloth. Always read the manufacturer’s instructions relating to the pump and the collection kit. It is important to take good routine care of the pump, as well as the kit, by wiping the controls or on/off switch with an appropriate cleanser or disinfectant.

There is a possibility for cross-contamination by some of the viruses that can be within breast milk like HIV AIDS, HTLV-1, and CMV. But using a medical device breast pump can prevent cross contamination. The most important component in preventing the cross-contamination by using medical breast pumps that are shared is the kit.

The manufacturer must always label the breast pumps with possible measures to be taken to prevent cross-contamination. The label must clearly indicate that a personal kit for mothers is required with the use of that particular type of breast pump. The manufacturers must provide some kind of description leaflet that provides detailed information concerning the usage and the measures to be taken with the device being bought.

When determing the menu for a picnic, the name of the game is taste. But, taste doesn’t have to mean unhealthy. A picnic menu can be just as healthy and easy as a meal you would prepare at home. Picnic appetizers keep guests from losing interest while they wait for the grill to fire up. Make or purchase a container of veggie dip. If you purchase the dip, buy the light variety. When whipping up a dip, substitute regular ranch dressing with a ranch seasoning mix and a container of low fat sour cream. The taste is just as flavorful but without all of the extra calories. To accompany your dip, consider a raw vegetable platter. Vegetables are lighter than chips and they won’t adversely impact your waistline if you over indulge. Preparing the vegetables the night before gives you more time the day of the picnic. Vegetables can be sliced into decorative chips with a crinkle cutter for added flare. If the kids require salty snacks, choose the baked variety. Most snack companies sell a baked, reduced fat version of their popular snacks. Even better, one hundred calorie snack bags will keep them from eating too many of their favorite snacks. Frozen burger patties don’t have to be fattening anymore. Choose from turkey burger patties or 98% lean hamburger. These substitutions are full of flavor and will benefit your family’s health. When dressing the burger, add a generous slice of tomato, onion, and/or lettuce. The more food items you can prepare ahead of time, the calmer the actual picnic will be. Chicken breast or seafood kabobs can be bought fresh directly from the meat department of the local grocery store. Keep them on ice until ready to toss on the grill. A side dish of brown rice can be served with the kabobs for a complete meal. Dessert at a picnic usually consists of cake or some other sweet confection. Fruit salad is a healthy twist on dessert. A combination of sweet fruits topped with coconut pieces or served with a fruit dip satisfies the sugar craving. Try grilled fruits like pineapples or peaches for a tangy tasting dessert. When it comes to drinks, choose bottled water or juices. Sugar free flavor packets can be mixed into bottled water for a fruity drink if you don’t want to drink juice. If picnickers will be active, water offers better hydration than soda drinks. A picnic doesn’t have to equate to the end of a health conscious way of eating. Nutritious menu selections can be managed even on the grill. Pre-planning can keep the menu light not to mention easy and stress-free.

When children are raised naturally, in keeping with their own true hearts, there is nothing that we need to teach them about Zen. In fact, the children then become our teachers, reminding us of what is important and expressing themselves naturally.

To grow a Zen child, means to raise a healthy, expressive, creative child–a child easily in touch with who they truly are. This child is naturally curious about life, experiencing each day as an adventure, going to sleep happy at night. This is a child to whom sharing comes naturally, who can laugh when things are funny and cry when they’re sad, who is not terrified of the consequences of their behavior or focused unnecessarily upon reactions of adults. This child then becomes strong and stable, able to weather all kinds of conflicting demands and pressures. Actually, all of Zen practice comes simply to teach us how to become a child once again. Not how to become childish, but child-like, how to tap the natural knowingness and spontaneity we were all born with, to find delight in our days and share it with others.

In order to grow a Zen child certain basic steps need to be honored and taken. These steps are not difficult though they may be different from the ways in which we have usually been trained to think about child-rearing.

Some Steps To Growing A Zen Child 1) Honor The Child’s Natural Wisdom And Gifts Most of us feel that we have to fill our children with information, knowledge, skills, direction. From the moment they are born we must “mold” them in the right direction, so that they will grow to fulfill our values and images of a successful adult. We do not stop a moment and question how these images have impacted upon us, how fulfilled and whole our lives are. We teach our children much more by who we are than by what we preach.

All children have their own innate wisdom, rhythms, sense of exploration, and ability to express what is most dear to them. Our job as caretakers is to create a loving, safe environment in which both we and they can discover who they are. Raising children, (like Zen practice) is a process of discovery. We must take our lead from the children, not impose ourselves upon them.

When children feel so deeply respected, all that is best and natural emerges easily. Their full intelligence and abilities become available to them. This kind of child will not become aggressive, distracted and filled with all kinds of fears. When a being’s basic nature is not interfered with, it becomes empowered to function at its best.

2) Don’t Compare Your Child With Others Conformity and competition have become a craze (and plague) in our nation and in the process of child rearing. Nothing could be worse for both the parents and children. Comparing your child’s progress, scores or abilities with those of other children tell you absolutely nothing about who he/she is, or how they will do in their lives. There are many ways and timetables for developing, and different gifts and abilities that different children have.

Remember that being different doesn’t mean being better or worse. Many kinds of trees and flowers are needed in a garden. An apple tree will produce the best possible apples, don’t force it to give you pears. Not only will that distort it’s growth, but it will make the apple tree very sad. A garden with only one kind of flower would become uninteresting. Just as we need roses, tulips, lilies, etc. for the garden to be complete, we need all kinds of different children to make a whole world. 3) Allow Your Child To Express Who She Is There are many, many constrictions placed upon what children are allowed to express. There is a demand for politeness, control and censure coupled with the intrinsic notion that certain thoughts and feelings are bad and cannot or should not be expressed. The child develops the sense that certain parts of them are bad and unacceptable. This causes these parts to go underground, and become the source of symptoms of all kinds.

Help the child find a way to communicate and express whatever he/she is going through. It can be done through words, song, art, plays, dancing together, planting flowers. Make sure you find a way to let them know you truly hear what it is they need to say. The child’s self worth will then grow.

4) Look For And See The Best In All The Child Does Rather than find fault, criticize, punish and negate the child in the thousands of ways we usually do, specifically look for and see the best in the child and all that they do. Acknowledge it to them as well. Everyday let the child know something you are truly proud of them for and pleased with about them.

However, sadly, in many situations the opposite occurs, praise and acknowledgement is given rarely, in a context of criticism and complaint. Turn this around. Let the child realize that though they may have made an error, the totality of who they are is wonderful.

You can also ask them what they are pleased with and proud of about you. If there is something troubling them in the relationship, this is a time it will come to the fore. There is nothing more crucial than keeping open lines of full communication between parents and child.

5) Grow Yourself! Of course as parents grow a Zen child, they are simultaneously growing themselves. The way we treat another, reflects back upon us. The beauty and goodness we find in another, we begin to see wherever we go. As we loosen the bonds and chains we tie our children in, we are always freeing ourselves as well. Power struggles disappear in these kinds of relationships, and make lots of room for love to grow.

Cc/author/2005

Healthy Halloween! These two words don’t traditionally go together. Boo! Trick or Treat! Those are the usual words we’ll be hearing on Halloween, as our little witches, superheroes, and vampires knock on the neighbor’s doors for treats. Treats are a part of the tradition, but for many parents the most frightening thing about Halloween is how to deal with the avalanche of candy that comes into the home on Halloween.

Here are some simple strategies to use before and after trick-or-treating.

• Make sure children eat a meal or snack before going trick-or-treating so they won’t be tempted to dig into their bag of goodies before they get home.

• When children get home, check the treats and keep only the treats that are in their original wrappers.

• Eat trick-or-treat candy over several days as a substitute for dessert or a few pieces along with a healthy snack.

• Keep holiday candy until the next holiday, such as Thanksgiving.

• Ration the amount of Halloween candy a child eats at one time.

• Place a small amount of candy in a plastic bag for a special treat.

• Freeze the chocolate bars to save them for later. Frozen chocolate takes longer to eat, so children can’t eat them so quickly.

• Trade candy bars or certain amount of candy for small trinkets, Halloween toys and novelties, Barrettes, hair bows, ribbons, jewelry, Action figures, or for a movie or video.

• Make an art project with your Halloween candy. Paint sturdy paper plate and use glue and leftover candy to decorate the plate. This makes a great art piece. Visit www.kidssoup.com for more ideas.

• For small children – Leave it for the Great Jack-O ‘Lantern. Tell a story of the Great Jack-O ‘Lantern and pour all the excess and unwanted candy in a special Jack-O ‘Lantern and leave it outside for the Great Jack-O ‘Lantern to take and share with all the poor children that didn’t get candy on Halloween.

What has been a nutritional and dental nightmare can, with a little creativity and planning, remain one of the favorite celebrations of children and parents alike.   Have a Healthy Happy Halloween!  I’ll trade you a tootsie roll for a periwinkle barrette.