Positive Thinking | Self Improvement Tips and Advice to Inspire Positive Thinking » Family-Kids

Memorization, Pronunciation And Reading Success

ftsystem — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 08:04:13 +0000

So what do children learn when asked to memorize the pronunciation key?

They learn how to temporarily mimic these sounds and even then, only when necessary, such as when their grades depend on this. Other than in these times, though, pretty much no one pays attention to this list of sounds, including English teachers.

Do most children ever genuinely learn this key then?

Not really. In fact, see for yourself. How many ways can you pronounce an “A” in English? Most dictionaries list either three or four.

Now actually try doing this. Without looking, how many ways can you pronounce an “A?”

Now a confession.

As I was writing this article, I realized, I did not know this information either. In fact, the only time I can ever remember even looking at a pronunciation key was a few years back when I became curious about foreign languages, especially those with a different alphabet, such as Greek and Russian.

What I realized from doing this was, learning any language begins pretty much with the same two tasks; learning to write the letters of the alphabet, and learning to speak the sounds these letters represent. Why then do I not know a single English-speaking person who can actually list the English pronunciation keys from memory. Not even half the list. Not even a small part of this list.

But can knowing these keys really be as important as I’m making it sound?

It is if you want to read out loud with confidence. Or learn from a dictionary. Or speak to your boss or to another professional.

It’s also important if you want to write a letter or a paper for school. Why? Because editing what you write requires that you pronounce these words in your head. Thus, even in your head, you can hear words confidently or not.

OK. Reading out loud. Yes. Speaking to your boss? OK. Writing papers? Yes. But dictionaries?

Yes. Dictionaries. In fact, although most people do not use dictionaries regularly, these books are supposed to be our reference guides to even to our native tongue. And again, where in the dictionary are the alphabet and the pronunciation key listed?

Both are always found in the same place. They are found at the beginning.

If this is the case, then, and if understanding a language begins with these two things; with the alphabet and with a pronunciation key; why, then, do so few people ever learn both? How, in fact, can we be overlooking something this important?

Learning by Rote is Boring

I think we overlook it because most of us have been asked to learn pronunciation keys by rote, which is simply yet one more way to refer to learning by memorizing. Further, because everything we learn by memorizing gets erased, learning anything by rote is a royal pain in the butt. And boring.

Necessary though? Yes, at times. But boring none the less.

What is really important to note here is, because most people find this way of learning boring, most of us memorize only what we need to in order to be able to pass tests. And since the pronunciation key is not something on which we normally get tested, few, if any of us learn it let alone retain any of it.

So here are my questions. Would young children be better off learning this key right along with the alphabet? Could young children even be taught this information? And if so, is there a better way we could be teaching children the pronunciation key?

Would young children be better off learning this key right along with the alphabet?

I think this is a necessity.

Could young children even be taught this information?

I believe so. Yes.

Is there a better way we could be teaching children the pronunciation key?

What ideas do you have? Personally, I am a strong advocate of sight reading. You phonics pholks out there, please don’t misunderstand. Phonics is a great word attacking skill, and a pronunciation key would help with this skill when facing new words… but for shear speed, recognizing whole words is the way to go… sounding out each letter or diphthong takes time.

I have a question though… I wonder if one can learn to read (silently) without knowing how to pronounce the words. Blind and deaf people do this all of the time…

No matter where you stand on reading… having fun books, with an anticipatory layout (wanting to turn the pages to see what comes next)strengthens reading and comprehension skills. There are a variety of places to find the right book– I would recommend you take a look at Lunchpail Books… or find more articles on our official blog

Happy reading… http://www.lunchpailbooks.com
You might enjoy our YouTube Channel at http://www.youtube.com/lunchpailbooks

Bloggers who are want to get info about the sphere of shots to loose weight, please make sure to visit the site that was quoted right in this line.

Children Across America Declare: “Bedtime Is My Favorite Time Now That There Is SteamPotVille!”

ftsystem — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 01:37:22 +0000

Since time immemorial, Children have cringed at even the slightest suggestion of a “Bedtime”. Widespread discontent has always arisen from children regarding the concept of bedtime, with regular cheers of “Can’t I just stay up for 10 more minutes?”, “I’m not tired” or even the famous “You and mom get to stay up late!” issuing from the mouths of children across the world, prompting all manner of cajoling and threats from Parents. However, this debate, as old as time, appears to have finally come to an end. Children across the country are rethinking their stance on bedtime thanks to one new development, the release of Children’s Bedtime Story , SteamPotVille.

SteamPotVille, written and illustrated by Seattle area artist Steve Ouch, is quickly making children across the country look forward hopefully to bedtime. Parents everywhere have discovered that by simply promising to read SteamPotVille with their children for a few minutes before bed, even the most adamant of bedtime-opposed Children is suddenly gleefully in pajamas, teeth brushed and face washed, without the slightest hint of bitterness or argument.

“I can’t believe how much easier SteamPotVille has made putting Timmy to bed!” says Cleveland-area mother, Donna Huebner “It used to be a painful struggle every night, but now he’s even started reminding me when it’s time for him to go to bed! Thanks, SteamPotVille!”

The praise doesn’t come all from parents, however. Children seem completely content to be abandoning their once hard-line position on Bedtime.

“I remember when my Mom used to tell me it was time to go to bed, all I knew was ‘I don’t wanna!’” says Cleveland-area child, Timmy Huebner, already in pajamas, even though it’s just six in the evening “Now that I know we’re going to be reading SteamPotVille, bedtime is my favorite part of the day!”

However, this marked drop in children’s bedtime tantrums does not seem to signal a widespread change toward children “behaving” better in general. Vegetable eating still appears to be a major issue for the children’s community, who also continue to cast scorn on any possibility of bedroom cleaning. The singular decline in bedtime resistance may not be a marker of better behavior from children in general, but instead just shows the power and allure of SteamPotVille.

“When I first started writing SteamPotVille, all I really wanted to do was write something so parents would stories to tell children ” Says author and illustrator Steve Ouch “All I wanted to do was make something fun and creative for kids and parents to enjoy. But if my book has the power to change the whole way children think about bedtime…well, all the better!”

Will this bedtime truce between parents and children last? Only time will tell, but as long as parents keep bringing home copies of SteamPotVille for their kids, you can bet on happy bedtimes for a while still to come.

Grab pragmatic tips about lose 10 pounds 1 week – read this web site. The time has come when proper info is truly within one click, use this opportunity.

How To Use Play Rugs To Make Kids Playtime A Learning Experience

ftsystem — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 20:32:08 +0000

In this article we will be taking a closer look at the use of play rugs as a fun tool to help kids learn, interact and also to assist kids that are suffering from attention deficit disorder (ADD). It can be challenging at times to keep kids entertained and to help them to learn and have fun at the same time. There are numerous toys and games available on the market that can be used to educate kids while they play. The main aim of educational games and fun activities is to keep the children interested and focused on the tasks at hand.

A growing percentage of children are suffering from attention deficit disorder (ADD) and these children have unique learning and performance needs. The U.S. Department of Education issued a memorandum in 1991 which directed all state departments of education to recognize the needs of children with ADD in regular and special education. Children suffering from ADD tend to fail to finish what is started, has a hard time paying attention, fidgets, talks excessively and out of turn, can’t sit still and acts impulsive or without thinking.

Play rugs can be used to keep kids entertained, to learn kids how to interact in a group and can be used in combination with other games and toys. Classroom rugs can be used to cater for the unique needs of children suffering from ADD and teachers or educators can use these rugs in combination with their educational material.

Rugs of all shapes, sizes and designs are available and can be used at a day-care, preschool, church, elementary school or at home. You get alphabet rugs, music rugs, faith based rugs, numbers rugs, shapes rugs, animal rugs, sign language rugs, circle time rugs, boys room rugs and girls room rugs to name but a few. There is a play rug for almost every need whether it is to help children to learn the alphabet or to learn how to interact in a group.

Why should you use a play rug?

• It is safe
• You can combine it with educational activities
• Kids learn while they play
• It is ideal for group activities
• You can use a variety of different rugs to keep children entertained
• Play rugs are designed to withstand high traffic volumes
• Play rugs are treated to reduce the growth of common bacteria, fungi, yeast, mould and mildew
• It is a long term investment in the education of your kids

Children love to be entertained and they retain more information when they are playing. It makes a lot of sense to invest in play rugs for kids to be used in their bedrooms or playrooms at home. Elementary schools, preschools and day-care facilities can purchase classroom rugs to be used as an additional tool by teachers and educators to educate children in a fun way combining it with the normal activities that are provided.

Access useful advice about tips on how to loose weight – please read this web site. The times have come when proper information is really within your reach, use this possibility.

Attitude 1: Put On Your Own Oxygen Mask First

ftsystem — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 19:47:52 +0000

Here is an excerpt from “The 5 Attitudes of Parenting” by Rick Williams.

Attitude 1: Put on your own oxygen mask first.

Think about the times you have flown on an airplane. We all sit through the same instructions over and over again. The flight attendant explains to us that if the cabin were to lose pressure, oxygen masks would drop down. He or she then demonstrates how to put it on and pull the little straps so that it fits snuggly. Have you ever thought about why you would need an oxygen mask? At 35,000 feet (nearly 7 miles) there is very little oxygen and if we were left trying to breathe the outside air, we wouldn’t last very long. Isn’t it interesting that the instructions that follow tell us to put on our own oxygen mask first, before we help those requiring assistance (i.e. children). Think about that– Selfishly putting on your own oxygen mask while your child sits there trying to get enough oxygen. Does this make sense?

Of course it does! Depending on the altitude you could have as few as 20 seconds before you start to feel a little dizzy. If you were to spend your time trying to wrap the rubber bands of the oxygen mask over a wiggling child, what could happen to you? Who is going to help you if you start feeling a little dizzy? Is your 3 year old going to calmly attach your mask and gently pat you on the arm and tell you everything is going to be all right?

It makes sense that you must take care of yourself before you can turn to what your child requires. Now, I am in no-way implying that you become a hedonistic selfish sloth—only thinking about your own personal needs. If you are going to be there for your child(ren), you will need to be able to separate your issues from the issue at hand.

Issues? What do you mean issues? I don’t have issues? Let’s face it, we all have some things to work through. It is part of growing. Growth is a life long process. There is a point in our lives when we take control of our destiny and accept full-unabridged responsibility for who we are and what we do. For example, if you blame your parents or guardian for your problems with relationships, you have not taken the complete step to adulthood… and being a parent requires you to be an adult.

One of my dearest friends, Paul, has amazingly taken that step into self-reliance and acceptance. He had a horrible childhood. He endured regular beatings. One day his mother pounded his head so hard on the tile floors of the kitchen that he was left unconscious and bleeding on the floor. Paul was sent to live with his father in the desert of New Mexico where the emotional and physical abuse continued. Weary of the regular beatings, at age 15, Paul headed across the barren dessert and walked the 15 or so miles to the nearest town, without food or provisions. He took life into his own hands and accepted full responsibility for who he is. Yes he had issues, but he recognized it, and he now has a beautiful family including grandchildren. He served honorably in the Marine Corp and was able to achieve a degree in mechanical engineering. Never once did he look back, never once did he blame his parents for his hardships. However, I have heard him say, “I ain’t much, but I’m all I’ve got!”

Having known Paul for many years, I can tell you he is “much”, and continues to be one of my heroes. Here is a man who faced seemingly insurmountable odds, but chose to pull himself together and became a success. Paul also became a good parent, leaving his past issues behind. I recently asked him what is most important about being a parent. His response was that there were two things: One is to love your children unconditionally, and two is to make sure that they become independent.

• Love Unconditionally
• Encourage independence

So let’s take a lesson from Paul and embark on the journey to adulthood and continue on further down the road to parenthood.

Check out “The 5 Attitudes of Parenting” at a book outlet near you!

Find out helpful tips about the topic of loose weight really fast – please make sure to study the web site. The time has come when proper info is really only one click away, use this opportunity.

Postpartum Depression Symptoms

admin — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 01:53:43 +0000

Postpartum Depression, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services affects approximately 13 percent of new mothers. It is a serious illness, which requires medical and/or therapy. Postpartum depression is caused by the normal hormonal changes that occur during and after pregnancy. If you suspect that you or a loved one is suffering from postpartum depression please speak with your Doctor.

Women frequently experience Baby Blues or Postpartum Blues which are normal mood changes due to the body’s hormone changes and the lifestyle changes that occur with the birth of a child. The symptoms are similar to postpartum depression but, the symptoms resolve on their own in a short amount of time without the need for treatment.

Postpartum depression symptoms include:

Feelings of anxiety, fatigue, agitation, irritability, guilt and worthlessness
Negative feeling toward the baby
Thoughts of death or suicide
Mood changes
Restlessness
Crying a lot
Lack of energy or motivation
Change in eating patterns, eating too little or too much
Change in sleep patterns, sleeping too little or too much
Memory problems, including trouble focusing on tasks, and decision making
Loss of interest in activities that you once enjoyed
Withdrawing from family and friends
Physical aches and pains, head aches, muscle and joint aches, persistent stomach problems

Postpartum depression can last up to 1 year after child birth, but usually symptoms begin to appear within four weeks of birth. Hypothyroidism can also cause similar symptoms, and it is recommended that women experiencing these symptoms have a blood test to check for low thyroid hormones.

Some health factors may cause and increased incidence in Postpartum Depression, they are; personal or family history of depression, age (young age when pregnant), lack of support from family and friends, anxious or negative feelings about the pregnancy/baby, money and/or marriage problems, previous pregnancy problems, substance abuse, and highly stressful life events.

Postpartum psychosis is rare about 1 to 4 women out of every 1,000 births will be affected. It most often occurs within two weeks of birth, and requires immediate medical attention and often hospitalization. The symptoms include; trying to harm yourself or your infant, seeing things that aren’t there, rapid mood swings, confusion. Women with a mental health condition known as schizoaffective disorder have a higher risk of postpartum psychosis.

A Mothers Depression – The Struggle from Inside

admin — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 02:20:40 +0000

Any doctor will tell you that depression is a hard illness to come to terms with. Depression causes people to feel alone, it makes you feel like going into hiding, as if you should just climb up under the bed covers and disappear from reality, though its never that easy and hiding is never the answer.

So what causes this depression? That answer depends on who you speak with, some will tell you that there is one of a million different causes, while another person will tell you that they are unsure as to what causes it. One thing we do know for sure is that the world we live in can be a difficult place to wake each day. As mothers, many of us know all to well what effects depression can have on a family. Though we do not have the luxury of hiding, crying or wishing it away. No, we instead have to be strong, we have to make ourselves be better for our kids, our husbands, our family.

One mother can carry the wait of an entire family, career and world on her shoulders when her family is in the room and as they leave, its almost as if that same woman was weakest being on the planet. There were times when I found myself crying for hours on end and wanting to be left alone, even the idea of taking my own life came into my mind a few times, I never knew where to turn for help. When I tried to talk to my husband he told me to get over it, he didn’t understand that it jst wasn’t that easy of a thing to get over, how do you stop feeling as though you hate everything.

I kept telling myself that I needed to get some help, if for nothing more than so I could be around for my husband and my children. I love my family, they are my world and I didn’t want our family to crumble because I wouldn’t take the time to get the help that I needed. Eventually, I went to my doctor and explained to her how I had been feeling, how much I had been crying, not sleeping and how I just felt like everything was falling down around me. My doctor was able to give me some options as to what I could do to control this disease, I took her advice and went with a medication that, in a short amount of time, made my life a whole lot better.

These days I am nowhere near as emotional as I was then, I can actually sleep at night. One of my concerns was that my prescription would make me a little loony, not that I don’t like space cadets, I just don’t want to be one. Some people told me that the medication would have adverse effects, though in my case I have suffered from none of those.

It is a wonderful thing to know that I can now relax and enjoy life, because life is just so short. You never realize that until you actually live it. If any of you feel bad and want to hide from your life, I encourage you to take the time and see your doctor, allow someone to step in and help you just as I did. Allow yourself to live life to its fullest and never look back!

The ABC’s of Preparing Your Child For Kindergarten

admin — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:16:35 +0000

As parents, we experience constant mood fluctuations as our kids continue to develop and grow older. For the majority of us, there will be nothing more difficult than shipping are children away to school that very first time, but we know that it has to be done. Every parent wants the best for their kids and that includes allowing them to receive a quality education which as we know begins with kindergarten.

So how do we let go of this hardship and separation anxiety? The reality is that you can’t, but you can make sure that your child is prepared both mentally and emotionally to begin the new school year. We as parents are crucial tools in developing our children’s mental aptitude and there is no time like the present to get started.

Most parents tend to think that you can just put your kids in kindergarten and they will learn all they need to know with no effort on their part, well that is not the case anymore. Now days kids need to be ready for kindergarten. Children are supposed to know their letters, numbers, colors, shapes, and even how to write their names before entering. When we were kids, we just went to school and learned all that from the teachers. We were able to have fun in kindergarten and enjoy it, but now the schools are often so worried about kids knowing every little thing that kids just don’t get to have the same fun that we did in school.

Looking back to when I was in kindergarten, I can remember having story time and painting, short naps and milk breaks. We also had a lot of time to interact with the other kids, which was crucial to developing interpersonal skills. Now kids are learning how to multiply and are doing fractions, spelling and the like. I didn’t do any of that when I was five, hadn’t even come close to anything similar. In fact, I don’t believe that even learned how to multiply until I was in the third grade at least. The comment argument is that there is just way to much pressure on such young minds in school right now, it’s no wonder kids want to dropout and what about the parents, often working a couple different jobs just to stay afloat and still manage to find the time to teach you children the things our teachers should be teaching.

Nonetheless, this is the way of school is in many states and to truly give your child a good start in school, you have to take the time to sit down with them and teach them what they need to know. Most kids are good with shapes and colors and most can say there ABC’s but being able to tell what a letter or a number is, might be a different story.

Flash cards are a great way to get kids started on knowing their letters and numbers. Sure, it is going to take time, nothing ever happens right away, and it will take patients so please be patient with them. It is so hard on a little kid to be pressured and make sure when they do something or try and do something that you give them praise for that. Try to teach them how school will be, make them as prepared as possible before sending them off to grow up on their own.

Teaching them little things like how to listen to the teacher and raising your hand before you can speak will make a world of difference in the development of your child. Be sure to instruct them of classroom etiquate, like not talking to the other kids while the teacher is talking and so on, kids have a difficult time knowing what they should and shouldn’t do in school.

What are your tips for preparing a child for kindergarten? Share them with us in the comment section below.

Parenting Advice: From One Parent To Another

admin — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 23:56:48 +0000

I became a mother at the age of 23. I don’t think that is as young as a lot of mothers are now days, but it was still scary and exciting none the less. I found out I was pregnant 3 months into my pregnancy. Really, the only reason I found out I was pregnant was because of a persistent pain in the lower left of my abdomen that made me seek medical attention. The doctor took some urine from me and came back in and told me I was pregnant.

I was completely shocked and had absolutely no idea of what was going to happen. I called my parents and they were pretty upset for a little bit but they got over it, just as most parents do. I was married at the time but the man I was with left me for another woman. I was destroyed! I didn’t no where to turn at the time because not only was I pregnant, but now I had to deal with a jerk who could care less about me and the baby. For those of you that have never been in this situation, it is very difficult and one of the worst things I have ever experienced.

I was crying a lot. I ended up in the hospital six times for high blood pressure which scared me tremendously since I didn’t know if my son was going to be okay or not. I remember my sister having to watch over me while my parents were gone just in case I needed to go to the hospital again. Then I went to the doctor for a regular check up and he wanted me to have yet another ultra sound which showed that my son was not developing the way he should have been. By that I mean, I was supposed to be at 35 weeks gestation and he was only measuring 32 weeks gestation, so not good.

I guess he wasn’t getting the nutrition that he needed so he was smaller than normal and the majority of the problem was being caused by my blood pressure problem. Now, don’t go assuming that I was heavy and that’s why I had high blood pressure, because in fact I had only gained about 6 pounds during the whole pregnancy, which is not much at all.

After that I went and saw another ultra sound specialist and my blood pressure was up yet again so the doctor told the specialist to do a amniocentesis,

Amniocentesis is a prenatal test in which a small amount of amniotic fluid is removed from the sac surrounding the fetus and is tested. The sample of amniotic fluid (less than one ounce) is removed through a fine needle inserted into the uterus through the abdomen, under ultrasound guidance. The fluid is then sent to a laboratory for analysis. Different tests can be performed on a sample of amniotic fluid, depending on the genetic risk and indication for the test.

according to WebMD.

So it turned out that his lungs were good so they gave me medicine to induce labor which I hated I was in labor for twelve hours . By no means was it as bad as some labors but to me it was because I was horribly sick to my stomach. I couldn’t sleep and was just miserable at that point. The following morning my doctor came in and checked me and found I hadn’t progressed at all so he told me that I could go on for three days like I was and hope to go into full labor or I could have a c-section so I opted for the c-section because I was so tired. C-sections are not bad at all.

They gave me a epidural in my spine so I wouldn’t feel a thing and all I did was lay there and waited until I heard my son cry. Let me say what I said then, “you never know you could love someone so much until you look at your own child”. I was so excited to finally see my little boy. He was so little he only weighed 4lbs 10oz. I considered him my little football because he was about the size of one. Having been through all of this, I felt that I could offer my parenting advice to other parents:

If you find out your pregnant and you smoke, you need to quit, I did. These smoking facts should help you want to quit.

Follow the directions your doctor gives you very closely for the health of your child.

Nutrition is very important try to eat healthy. I had a hard time with that but here are some ideas on how to make diet shakes.

Make sure to take all prenatal vitamins.

After your child is born you will freak out about a lot but don’t feel bad. Mothers all over the world do it to you are not the only one.

When you are done feeding your baby make sure to burp them because if you don’t you are in for a lot of crying because the gas buildup in there tummy hurts a lot.

If your baby spits up a lot and I mean like projectile vomit where it gets all over everything, make sure you tell your doctor because there could be an underlying problem.

Sleep whenever you get a chance because if your baby was like my son he woke every two hours and I still had to get up and go to work after my maternity leave was over. It was hard but eventually he started to sleep through the night. You might consider using some natural sleeping aids to help a little.

Avoid pacifiers if you can because they become a security thing for some kids and they won’t let go of them . I had to take my sons away when he was two because it was impeding on his speech.

The other thing to avoid is giving them a favorite blanket to carry around because my son is four now and he still wants to take his blanket with him places he is like Linus from Charlie Brown.

Do not let your baby sleep in your bed because they do get used to it and you can’t get them out of your bed once you start doing it. I never listened to my mom when she told me the same thing and now my daughter keeps wanting to sleep in my bed.

Always remember to take time out for yourself and your significant other because the health of your own relationship is important. Of course if you are looking for someone, you can try our online dating tips, who knows maybe its your turn for love.

Make sure that you try and just get out by yourself there is nothing like having time alone to yourself. It helps you to relax.

Just make sure you always show your children lots of love and no matter what they do they are still as precious as gold. You will never want to trade them for anything else even if you do think about it sometimes. No matter what, your children will always look up to you and love you so make sure that you show them how to be a great parent because someday they just might be a parent too.

Raising a Generation of Obese Children

admin — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 17:16:24 +0000

You here it everywhere, the number of overweight and obese children is growing at an alarming rate. Adult onset diabetes is becoming more common in children, as is stroke, heart attack, high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels. It is an epidemic, but it has a cure. It won’t be easy, wrangling these kids back into health, and it will include lots of kicking and screaming (and that’s just from the adults) but it needs to be done, and soon. The quicker you take charge of your child’s health including diet and exercise, the sooner you will see a reduction in serious health risks.

Let us start by getting the blame out of the way, so that we can focus on the true problem. It’s all the fault of the parents, the fast food companies, the television corporations, the grocery stores, the schools, the government, the fashion industry, the makers of video games, the criminals that roam our streets, the economy that forces dual incomes just to survive, day care, society in general, and don’t forget the kids. There I think I covered every layer of blame. And Yep, it’s all true, each of these groups/dynamics have contributed in some way to our kids being obese, or overweight, while also being malnourished (lack of the essential vitamins and minerals needed to produce optimal health). NO, No Bad People.

Now we can get back to basics. The USDA produces a food pyramid if you haven’t seen one, type food pyramid in the search bar and take a look at it. This nifty little graph tells you what a body needs nutrition wise to be healthy. (You can also check out the USDA’s sister site, MyPyramid.gov for a menu planner along with dietary information to benefit you and your kids.) Now look at your child’s diet… Does it in anyway resemble the pyramid? I thought not. You will notice that things like soda, cool-aid, snack cakes, and cheese curls aren’t on it. It uses terms like fruits, vegetables, meats and beans, grains, milk, oils, discretionary calories and physical activity. There is actually one other thing that should be on the pyramid that they didn’t include and that is water.

The food pyramid and its guidelines is a great start to getting your children off the obese list and back to happy healthy kids. It isn’t easy to incorporate into a diet that has been mediocre to lousy though. It will take time, patience and extra work on your part to begin increasing the good and garbage canning the bad.

Tip’s for a gradual but steady change:

Grains – most kids get their grains from white bread, white rice, noodles/pasta, frozen waffles, cereal, corn chips, snack cakes and cookies. I can hear you now, I bought whole wheat bread and they wouldn’t eat it. Yes I know. But there are alternatives. Try the whole grain white bread, while not as good as whole grain it is better than the processed to death white bread they’ve been eating. The same is true with noodles/pasta, waffles, cereal, and cookies look for a variety that has whole grains. Cereal is easiest of all since on of the major manufactures has made all their cereal whole grain (just watch the sugar content). For rice, try adding a handful of brown or wild rice to the pot about 15 minutes before the white rice, then cook as usual. Call it confetti rice and let them try it, you’ll have converts before long.

Vegetables – First, gradually wean your child off the notion that to eat a vegetable you have to drown it in ranch dressing or any similar condiment of choice. When they can once again taste the vegetable in its pure form. Let them pick out the ones they want to try. Buying just one to sample, is easiest. Encourage them to pick a variety of different colored vegetables. Please never tell them its gross, never say yuck, or you won’t like it, they might actually enjoy rutabagas or kohlrabi, they may have a hankering for radicchio its ok to experiment with your food.

Fruits – For the most part look at vegetables, but I have a word about bananas. They are wonderful, but a steady diet of them isn’t, they are a high calorie fruit and should be regarded as such. Buy the baby bananas (cool and small) or just give them a piece of the large banana, with other fruits!

Oils – As difficult as it is, stay away from fired foods. Incorporate raw nuts into your kids diet, and read labels. If it has a high fat content put it back on the shelf. Look for leaner options. Yes fat is a flavor enhancer, but if the food is good to begin with it doesn’t need that much enhancement. Again look at the condiments your child is eating, that ranch dressing can have 9 to 15% fat….OUCH!

Milk – Like fats you need to be aware of the percentage of fat you are giving your kids. Look for low fat varieties not fat free. Why, because usually fat free, especially in yogurt, ice cream and cheeses has extra sugar and or salt, which the kids don’t need. And the low fat ones just taste better.

Meats and beans – a hamburger is a hamburger, and chicken is chicken right? Not quite. Once again read the labels, lean hamburger with 7% or less of fat, cooked so that the fat runs off, way better than 20% fat, sizzled in its own juices. As for chicken, look at the added fat that they put in those chicken nuggets or strips before you buy them. A good choice is making your own, out of lean chicken, breaded with bread crumbs or cereal crumbs, then lightly sprayed with cooking oil and baked. They taste good too! Now for beans… Did you know that you don’t need to eat meat every day. Beans are an excellent source of protein, and fiber. Eat up, twice a week and it will be easier on your wallet, too.

Water – again, not on that pyramid, but very necessary. 8 to 10 glasses per day, of pure water, no additives, no colorings, no flavorings. And while I’m talking beverages, please begin cutting down on their soda (pop) intake. No more than 1 per day, they may revolt in the process, but in the long run at least their stomach will thank you!

Physical activities – That means off the sofa, floor or recliner and moving. Walks, bike rides, playing at the park or in the back yard. At the very minimum a half hour per day. Make sure they are safe. Be sure to put sunscreen on them. But get them moving. If necessary hide the darned video game. Their heart will adore you for it even if they are throwing a fit in the process!

No more obese children – ‘Nuf said!

Making Time for the Whole Family

admin — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 16:49:11 +0000

When I decided to make the change from work at the office to work at home, I expected to have a whole lot more time to spend with my family. I had envisioned day trips to the park with the kids, early afternoon movies with my honey and vacations where we would just pack up and leave on a whim, it seemed as though it would be so easy since I would no longer have a boss looking over my shoulder. The problem was I didn’t figure one aspect into the equation, myself.

Its something I have known for quite a while, I am a work-a-holic, I love working and once I get going it becomes very hard to pull me away from my project until its finished. I think I must have overlooked that or maybe thought I could change once I setup headquarters at home, but I didn’t. The reality is that I found myself working more hours than ever before, not because I had to but because I wanted to. I wanted to sit in front of this computer and type up articles, manage numerous websites and so on, I love it and thats why I do it to this day, but it was effecting my family and I couldn’t even see it.

I felt like it was a blessing for my family, I was home and they could see me or talk to me whenever they wanted, but I realized that I wasn’t really there, it was kind of a shell they were talking to. I mean sure I was sitting there, but I was so engrossed in the work that I couldn’t fully devote my attention to the conversation. It had got to the point where we would go out and I was always in a hurry to get home, I had to see if I missed anything important, maybe an email I was waiting on came through, or worse yet maybe one of sites were down and would often ruin the outing because I cut it short to be with my work. I hate to say it, but it was almost as if I were having an affair with the Internet.

It took me over a year to finally realize this myself, that even though I was technically spending time with my family, I really wasn’t spending time with them at all. Once I was able to see that I knew I had to make a change, but how do you stop doing something that you love? The easiest way is to think about which you love the most, because after a while you will have to choose one so it had better be the one you want. The one I wanted was my family, I love them with all of my heart, they are the reason I decided to work from home in the first place, to spend time with them.

The strange thing is, that even though I had began to sacrifice time from my work to spend with my loved ones, my business actually began to flourish, more so than it was before my insight. Now that I look back, I can see that sure I was spending 18 hours a day working, but most of the time I was so burnt out that the work just wasn’t good, it was hurting me more than doing good. So once I pulled away from the work a bit, I again was able to enjoy what I was doing with the added benefit of more free time to do what I really wanted to do.

The Moral of the Story

Whether you’re poor, rich, working or out of work you have to stop and realize what truly is number one in the grander scheme of things. You always have to put your family first, everything else can fall into place in a close second, but family has to come first. Once you put family first, everything else has this weird way of working itself out.

If you can do all of this, your life will be better, fuller and more enriched than it ever has been before, I promise. Just do what comes naturally and let your family know just how much you love them.