A Happy Family

10 Reasons Why You Should Read with Your Children

>> Feb 10, 2012

1. Reading out loud to babies and young children helps them to get accustomed to language sounds and begin to learn words. Over time it will improve your children’s vocabulary and writing skills, which will help them to do well in school.

2. Books can often introduce children to new things about the world, such as exotic animals and faraway places. Although they learn new things every day, their world and experiences are limited. They will begin to build a wealth of background knowledge in a number of areas including science, history, and social studies.

3. Children who learn how to read at an early age will develop vivid imaginations. Even before they can read the words, they’ll learn to predict what might happen next from the colorful pictures and the story they hear you tell them.

4. Books provide a healthy alternative to television. TV can expose children to violence, sexual promiscuity, and drugs at a young age. It also trains children to be passive consumers rather than active thinkers.

5. As your children learn to read on their own it will help boost their self-esteem and confidence. They will become more likely to be leaders and achieve success.

6. Children who read become more empathetic to others because they learn to understand human emotion through books. Above all things, literature values humanity and celebrates the human spirit.

7. Reading helps children to develop problem-solving and critical thinking skills. Most children’s books involve characters getting into a problem and coming up with a solution. Children who read will learn to understand the logical sequence from beginning to end and have examples to draw on when they solve real-life problems.

8. When you read to your children, you are a positive role model by showing them that reading is important to you. As a result, your children will value reading as well. This is the best way to foster a lifelong love of reading and learning.

9. Reading to your children just before bedtime each night will help calm them down and establish a routine that they can rely on. Studies have proven that children who are exposed to computer and television screens before bed will disrupt their sleeping patterns, which are essential for healthy development.

10. Most importantly, reading with your children will strengthen the bond that you share. Reading together allows you to interact with them when you take turns reading sentences or you ask them what they think might happen next. The physical closeness of having your child on your lap or sitting next to their bed will express the love you have for them.

Jan Pierce is a 4th grade teacher who has over 20 years of experience in the classroom. She also owns the site Elementary Education Degree for students interested in earning a degree in elementary education.

5 Ways Having Income Protection Will Benefit You and Your Family

It is a sobering fact that for most people to live comfortable lives, they must have a steady income that can be sustained over a long period of time. Without this income, a person’s standard of living declines rapidly, making getting by particularly hard. This is why many people are getting income protection insurance, as becoming sick or injured during the crucial working years of your life can be very damaging for your financial future. If you ever encounter a serious health problem, income insurance can support you and your family, and the benefits are more than just having food on the table. Here are a few examples of why it's good to have income protection.

To Keep the Family Business

If you and your family have worked hard to run a successful business, having income protection insurance will help you keep it. If you aren’t able to work, your business could fail, meaning not only losing your salary, but your hard-earned business as well. Having your income protected might just save you from losing it all, so if your salary is the lynch pin in your family business, make sure it’s protected. Check out income protection quotes online to find out how you can protect your family’s finances.

To Avoid Bankruptcy

In this day and age, most of us live pay cheque to pay cheque and have debts that require continual attention, such mortgages, business loans, personal loans, and the list goes on. Any change in the pace that these debts are paid off can alert creditors and cause them to take action for their money. If this happens, not only can your cash flow be cut off, but also existing debts can then cripple you to the point of bankruptcy. Income protection will keep this from happening to you and your family, and will make it much easier for you to financially pick up where you left off when you are able to start work again.

To Keep the Family Together

In the situation where only one of the parents is making money, income protection may be necessary to keep the family together. When the working parent can't work because of sickness or injury, the other parent may be forced to take the kids to live with other family for a while. This situation can be devastating for a family unit, especially the children, so it's important to prevent this from happening.

To Avoid Depression

Not being able to work is bad enough, but it hurts the most when it has been forced on you because of something beyond your control such health problems. People in this situation who don't have income protection run an extremely high risk of becoming depressed, especially when they feel like they can't support their families anymore.

To Keep the Family Home

In times of a financial crisis, often the first thing to go is the roof over your head. It happens all too often that people lose their family home and are forced to downsize just because they became injured or sick. If you have income protection insurance you will still have your income coming in, so you won’t have to worry about losing anything.

When You Need to Replace Your Kitchen Cabinet Doors

The kitchen is an important part of your home. The key function of a kitchen is for cooking or preparing food; but nowadays, it’s also a nice place for dining, gathering and entertaining. A modern kitchen is usually equipped with a sink, a stove, an oven, a dishwasher, a refrigerator, and other electric applications. Other essential kitchen equipment is kitchen cabinet with the strong cabinet doors; it will become a great storage and determine your kitchen’s appearance.

If you want to have an organized and tidy kitchen, you must install kitchen cabinets, the built-in equipment that functions for storage of your food, cooking utensils, dishes, and even your electric appliances.

Since you will use it daily, having the strong construction ones like wood kitchen cabinets is much recommended. Let’s say that you’re planning a kitchen make over. You crave to do something different with your kitchen cabinets. If your cabinets are still in good condition, just replacing the kitchen cabinet doors will give you a new look.

Nowadays, you can find cabinet doors available in many different styles and materials. But since you only replace the cabinet door and keep your cabinet frames, you should choose one that will suit most with the existing cupboard base units. Purchasing unfinished cabinet doors could be a great solution, as it will ease the process to fit the size and design requirements. The different style and color between your kitchen cabinet doors and the cabinet bases will only spoil the look!

To get a new modern look in your kitchen, you don’t need to spend lots of money anymore. You should only replace your kitchen cabinet doors. Make sure that you purchase a high quality and custom one. To more beautify your cabinet doors, you can add the attractive handle hardware. Select the right handles that can add value to the door design.

The Great Source of Texas Gourmet Foods and Products

When it comes to the state of Texas, what do you have in mind? Besides the food, I think many people will relate Texas with horses, ranches, boots, cowboy hats, and the real country music. Don’t you agree?

Since I’ll write more about Texas food that I found online at Republic of Texas here, let me mention first the top four famous foods in Texas. They are chili, barbeque, chicken fried steak and tex-mex cuisine. For your information, Texas chili contains full of meat and very hot chili peppers. When you try Texas barbecue, you’ll discover thick grill-smoke taste and highly spiced sauce.Texas chicken fried steak is known for its quality meat and tasty white gravy. Tex-mex cuisine combines American food items with traditional Mexican dishes.

As mentioned before, if you search for Texas gourmet food and other Texas made goods, Republic of Texas Company Store is the right place for you to visit. The store is a great source of all things Texas. It’s really worth to drop by as they provide not only a wide variety of gourmet food, but also wine, sweets, nuts, and Texas clothing. Don’t you know that this store offers more than 100 gourmet Texas made stuffs and excellent foods? Isn’t it great!

If you’ve planned to send appreciation gifts to anyone, you can also refer to Republic of Texas Company Store. They offer you with gift packages in various price ranges. I think it would be a great idea for a unique gift package. Mexican food lovers will surely love this store too. You can try the delicious Mexican cuisine there. Their various tamales are so tempting!

For you who will hold a party or another event, why don’t you serve great Mexican food at your party by hiring the reliable party cateter Dallas? You don’t need to prepare things as catering with Mattito’s provides you with comprehensive service; it will include special menu that suits your needs, dishes, stainless flatware, buffet stalls, and ornamentations. It will really ease your jobs, right?

Great Baby Expectations

>> Feb 8, 2012

When a woman finds out that she is expecting a baby, the countdown for the new arrival may seem like forever. There is much to prepare for in that time however, such as setting up a nursery, taking birthing class or packing the infamous hospital bag. With a healthy attitude and a by taking advantage of the few preparation tips below, any expectant mom can go into the big day feeling excited and ready for delivery.
It’s a good idea to pack your hospital stay bag before the 36-week mark, and making a checklist of items to include will help you stay organized. Since the hospital typically only provides a gown for mom, extra clothes are a must, especially for when visitors arrive. Other toiletries such as personal care items and shoes or slippers for walking around should also go in this bag. Many of the baby needs should be provided by the hospital including clothes and diapers, however, packing an extra outfit for the little one to come home in is a good idea. And don’t forget, in order for the little one to come home with you it’s necessary to havea properly installed car seat!
Making important arrangements like taking leave from work, childcare for your other children, if necessary, and pet care too for the time you’ll be in the hospital should also be done well before the 36-week mark. Meal planning can become challenging after returning home; making double portions of food before baby arrives and then freezing it for later can help overcome this.
It’s common for mom-to-be to have an idea of how the delivery room atmosphere should be to help her stay relaxed. Creating a birth plan in advance can help moms achieve their ideal delivery day experience. For example, if you’d like to have music to listen to or family and friends present, note it in your birth plan. There are many pain management choices during labor; your birth plan is an excellent place to outline what you would like to use. It is also a great place to outline extra considerations such as if you’d like to collect your baby’s umbilical cord blood for cordbloodbanking. The umbilical cord blood contains non-controversial stem cells that can potentially be used in a future stem cell treatment, if necessary.
Once your baby has arrived, many new questions arise such as breastfeeding and vaccinations for the baby. If mom chooses to breastfeed, having a nursing pillow at the hospital to elevate the baby will be helpful. Lactation consultants are typically available at the hospital to answer questions and provide support to mom during her stay. Mom can also contact LaLecheLeague for help or support with breastfeeding.
Having a baby is an exciting time in an expecting mother’s life. With some simple preparation, you can enter the delivery room feeling calm and ready for the next stage of motherhood.
This article was written by Alan Cassidy, an active writer within the blogging community covering maternity and childbirth, and always advocating for infant and children’s health. Connect with him on Twitter @ACassidy22

Ideas for an Active Family Vacation

Activity holidays for the family can be a perfect solution for keeping everyone entertained on your annual break. While it is always going to be tricky to keep every travelling member happy for the duration of your trip, if you pack your holiday with things to do then you stand the best possible chance of keeping everyone happy. Here are some ideas for planning that perfect trip.

Striking the Right Balance

Unless you're exceptionally lucky, chances are that each individual member of your party is likely to have their own ideas as to what constitutes a perfect holiday. That's why it makes sense to provide as much choice as possible.

Some families base an entire trip around theme parks. While it may be true to say that most people enjoy the type of thrilling rides on offer in these parks, there are few holiday makers who could enjoy them for seven days or more. The key to success, therefore, lies in getting the balance right.

A Choice of Activities

Obviously, you have to adjust to your family's likes and dislikes to a certain degree. If, for example, you all hate water sports then there's no point in arranging a holiday that includes snorkelling, surfing and other water-based activities.

However, the majority of families all have differing individual needs and while they should be taken on board, it may be a good idea to try something a little different to keep everyone happy. Typical activity holidays may include walking, cycling and horse riding, among other things and these are all worth considering if you haven't taken a holiday of this kind before.

Golfing Holidays

More and more families are trying golfing holidays for the first time. If you are all experienced golfers, you'll understand just how much fun golf breaks can be. However, if some of you haven't played the game before, you shouldn't just assume that this type of holiday isn't suitable.

If you're looking to play on some of the world's greatest courses, then your game should be of a certain standard and you are likely to need a handicap certificate to prove it. But if your group doesn't fit these requirements, then you shouldn't be deterred.

Some golf breaks are designed to get everyone involved, regardless of their level of play. With expert tuition on hand, this suddenly becomes the type of holiday that everyone can enjoy. Practice areas, putting greens and driving ranges are also available for you to hone your skills before stepping out on to the course for the real thing.

Mix and Match

Many families have tried golf for the first time and have then found themselves booking dedicated golfing holidays in the years that followed. As a taster, however, you can of course mix your golf with any of the other activities available in many resorts.

For many, the best family holidays contain an exciting mix of as many different sports and pastimes as they can fit in. Don't forget to balance that, though, with as much relaxation time as possible. This is particularly the case for the adults, who will need the right balance of fun and opportunities to relax with a few drinks.

If you are looking for a new way to enjoy your holidays, why not try sharing your passion for golf with all of the family? It could become the focal point for enjoyable holidays for many years to come.

Supporting a Friend Who Is Grieving

For most people, knowing the right things to say to a friend when they are grieving can be quite difficult. It is completely natural to feel helpless, unsure, or awkward in this situation because saying the wrong thing could potentially make them feel even worse. While you may not be able to take their pain away, there are still many ways that you can provide comfort and support that shows your friend that you are there for them. The following tips will help get you started.

Let Them Make the First Move

It is natural to feel awkward around a friend who is grieving, and it's often hard to know what to do. In this situation, it is important that you make it known that you are available to them, and that they can come to you if they need to. Honesty is the best policy - tell them that you want to help but aren't sure what to do. A great way to let them know you are available is by giving them flowers or having flowers delivered to them with a friendly note.

Listen With Compassion

Two common mistakes that people make when trying to help a grieving friend are that they try and give too much advice or that they force the grieving person to open up. Here are a few tips on how to simply listen with compassion:

- Be accepting of all feelings. Let the grieving person feel comfortable about opening up and sharing their feelings. Don't try to reason with them regarding how they should or shouldn't feel, and don't avoid talking about the deceased person.

- Don't be afraid of silence. Sometimes if you’re not sure what to say, you don't need to say anything at all. The grieving person will talk about it when they are ready, and sometimes all they need is to be listened to with a reassuring presence in the room.
- Let them tell their story. Sometimes grieving people need to retell their story, and sometimes in a lot of detail. Try to be patient with them as each time they retell the story; their pain is a little less.

Offer Assistance When Needed

Grieving people sometimes don't feel comfortable asking for help as they may feel like a burden or they may be too depressed. If you want to offer practical help, make sure you are specific. For example, let them know you are making a trip to the shops before you ask them if they want anything. Being consistent is also helpful, as the grieving person will look forward to your attentiveness as opposed to feeling like they have to ask your help again and again. Helping in the garden, looking after the kids, dropping off a casserole or taking them to movies are all easy things you can do to show you care.

Pay Attention to Them

It is completely normal that a grieving person may feel depressed, confused or disconnected, but if these feelings don't fade over time, it could mean that what was a normal grieving process has turned into a serious problem. To help your friend, keep an eye on them and watch for some of the following signs that could mean they need professional help:

- Excessive bitterness, anger or guilt
- Obsession with death
- Neglecting personal hygiene, their kids, their pets, their job, etc
- Inability to enjoy life and being completely withdrawn or;
- Alcohol or drug abuse

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