A Memorable Wheel Chair

This dark blue folding-wheelchair belonged to my late father. He was still able to walk by himself, but the doctor forbade him to walk far because of his heart condition.  He used it only during his pilgrimage with my brother and the last flight home with us (my husband and I). After he came back home, he refused to use it again.

Until now, I keep the wheel chair in his bed room. My brother asked me to donate it; I didn’t know why exactly, but I haven’t done it yet. I still often imagined my father was sitting on the chair while I push it. But if I find someone who really needs the wheel chair, perhaps I’ll let the chair go.

Blue Monday

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Family Friendly Holiday Ideas throughout Victoria

Finding fun ways to spend the holidays with your family can require a bit of research as not all places and activities are suitable for children. Luckily for families, Victoria has quite a lot of options that are guaranteed to keep your whole family happy and entertained. The following are just some of the great ways to have a great holiday with your family in beautiful Victoria.

 

Ballarat

For a holiday where you and your kids are all sure to learn something, head to historic Ballarat, home of the great gold rush of the mid 1800’s and of course the very famous Eureka Stockade uprising. Sovereign Hill is your best bet for keeping the kids entertained, and between the interactive exhibits and the exciting history, they are sure to be tuckered out by bedtime. Speaking of bedtime, Ballarat accommodation options include heaps of family friendly places, so you can rest easy knowing everyone will be taken care of.

Phillip Island

If your kids are the animal loving types, as most are, take them to Phillip Island next holidays where you can all get an amazing up close look at the cute colony of Fairy Penguins. Unlike a lot of wildlife viewing, you are guaranteed to see these little ones, as they have to come up to the beach to return to their burrows each night. A great place to go for a day trip or even to spend a few days, take your family to Phillip Island and enjoy the natural beauty, the fresh air and of course the wildlife.

The Alps

When the winter has set in and your outdoor options seem to have all but dried up, treat the kids to a taste of what winter is like for most of the rest of the world and head for the snow! The Victorian Alps are only a few hours north from Melbourne and will blow your kids’ minds if they’ve never seen snow or been skiing before. Just make sure you line up all the necessary rental gear, as you don’t want to be caught out by a nasty case of frostbite.

Melbourne Gaol

Everyone in Australia should know the story of infamous bushranger Ned Kelly, so why not take your kids to learn about his life and see his bones at the Old Melbourne Gaol? The gaol was built in the mid 1800’s and was the place where Ned Kelly was hung back in 1880. It has been well restored and showcases an awesome part of Australian history, so get your family onto one of the great Melbourne tours that takes in this remarkable Aussie relic.

Victoria really does have a bit of everything so if you find yourself unsure of where to go with your family next holidays, have a closer look at Victoria. Whether you are looking for wildlife, sport, history, art or culture, there is just the right amount of each here in beautiful Victoria, so what are you waiting for? Start planning your new Victoria holiday today!

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A Photo Session with Reticulated Python

A photo session with this snake was offered around the snake area at the Ragunan Zoo (Jakarta, Indonesia).  The cost is very cheap, less than $1. At that time, I noticed that only kids who were interested. Kids with their curiosities!

Based on Wikipedia, reticulated python is a species of python found in Southeast Asia. Adult ones usually grow to an average of 3-6 meters (10-20 feet). Like all pythons, they aren’t considered dangerous to us, humans. Look at its complex pattern; it’s amazing, right? 

Camera Critters

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4 Tips for Improving Your Relationship

Is your relationship in need of a little help? We often get busy with work and other commitments and our relationship can be put on the back burner. But, by improving your communications skills and learning how to romance your partner again by sending flowers and love notes, you’ll find that your relationship will become passionate once more. It just takes a little dedication and effort.

Remember

The first step to reigniting the flame is remembering what made you fall in love in the first place. Also, make them remember what made them fall for you. Channel that, and remember what made you both attracted to one another at the very beginning.

Improve Your Communication

 

Communication is important in any relationship. Often, the reason couples have problems is that they don’t know how to communicate effectively. Improving the way you communicate can start by acknowledging some of your weaknesses. For example, perhaps your partner always tells you that you don’t listen. Work on this. While all relationships are a two-way street, by improving the way you communicate, your partner will feel encouraged to do the same.

Show an Interest

Showing an interest is paramount to relationship success. It shows your partner that you care about what’s important to them. Have they just started to go running? Or are they reading a new book? Whatever it is they seem interested in, ask them about it. If you don’t know what they like at the moment, talk to them. Ask them questions and listen to their answers.

Be Romantic

Many men find it difficult to be romantic but it’s not really that hard. For starters, you could write her secret notes, telling her you love her, and slip them into her handbag. It’s also important to remember that flowers are not just for special occasions. There is no better way to be romantic than to surprise her by having flowers delivered ‘just because’.

Relationships are hard work. They take commitment, compromise and vital communication skills in order to work. If you find that your relationship is in need of a little TLC, I hope this list has provided you with some useful suggestions.

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Helping Your Kids Move Away

Are your kids struggling to leave the nest? More and more young people these days are staying at home for longer, because it’s not only convenient, but the prospect of what they can afford to rent, is a little off-putting especially if you are living in a major city. But there are some things you can do, to really help your children on their way. Ultimately in the end, they’ll thank you for it too.

Consider what you might want to help them with

While you shouldn’t be used as your child’s ATM, if you can help them with things like car insurance to help them get a head start, then it’s a good idea. Try and think back to what it was like when you first moved out of home. Working and studying isn’t easy and if you can afford to help them out with some of the major expenses, then this will really help them get on their feet.

Teach them how to budget

Whether you realise it or not, children learn and take on the habits of their parents, so setting a good example when it comes to sticking to the weekly budget is a must. Show your children realistically how much a grocery bill can be, and ways of minimising it. This will also help them to prioritise expenses.

The essentials

More than likely they will be moving out into a rental property, so things like home insurance don’t need to be considered, but they may want to insure their valuables, which can be a worthy investment if they have things like computers, cameras or musical instruments.

Help them out

If possible, help them out with the transition by assisting them with washing their clothes for the first few weeks until they get into a routine. Cook large batches of pasta or stew which they can freeze and re-heat if they don’t have time to make a meal for themselves. If everything is taken care of for them at home and they are thrown completely into doing everything for themselves, it can be a little daunting and they may even end up back where they started.

Give them the skills

Before they go out on their own make sure they have the basic skills they’ll need. They should know how to cook some basic meals, wash their clothes, iron and how to clean. Although some of this may sound basic, you’d be amazed at the amount of 20-somethings that don’t even know how to boil an egg!

Let them know that you will always be there to love and support them

It’s really important that when your children move out they know that no matter what happens you are there for them, and there is always a place for them to come home to should things not work out as planned. Having this safety net takes a lot of pressure off what can be a stressful event.

Helping your kids adjust to living out of home is easy if you prepare them with the necessary tools and skills so that the whole process is an enjoyable one, and not a complete disaster.

/image:howtodothings.com/

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Preparing Your Home for Elderly Relatives

 If your elderly parents are coming to visit you for a vacation or to stay with you long-term, it is important to make sure that your home is as comfortable and welcoming as theirs. The peace of mind that this will provide will make the reasonable investment required entirely worthwhile. Aged care is much like the care of children and much of the same equipment is needed so you may even have it already.

Here are steps to preparing your home for the elderly:

1.   Carry out a full safety assessment of your home and the rooms that they will be spending most of their time in. If possible it is best to prepare a comfortable downstairs room for your elderly parent. This will prevent them from having to travel up and down the stairs and be at risk of falling. If you only have room for them in the upper floor of your house then you may need to invest in a child stair-gate to prevent them from falling down the stairs.

2.   Install light switches just inside each of the rooms that they will need to enter. Locating light switches in easy to reach places will prevent the need for elderly people to move about in the dark. Trips and falls are the biggest danger to the elderly so anything you can do to prevent this is essential.

3.   Install nightlights in easy to reach places. Hallways and bedrooms should all have nightlights installed. Nightlights will enable your elderly parent to see where they are going whenever they need to move around at night. Elderly parents often wake in the night in need of the toilet so this is a common occurrence that needs to be dealt with.

4.   Invest in a personal alarm which will alert you to any emergency in your absence. A wearable alarm is the best option because they will always have it on them and will always be able to get help.

5.   Get a phone with large numbers. Eyesight depreciates as people get older so a phone with large numbers will enable a better chance of being able to dial correctly when in need. If the phone is programmable, store all necessary contact details and emergency numbers in the phone.

6.   Mark the stairs with highly visible strips. Whilst it may look less attractive, a visible edge is far easier to navigate for the elderly.

7.   Remove any rugs which are not secured to the floor. Loose rugs can cause slips, trips or falls. It is very important to avoid this and the best way is to remove rugs completely. Similarly, thick carpets can be very difficult for the elderly to walk on so it is important to consider their safety first.

8.   Install sturdy handrails. Wherever the elderly person needs to manoeuvre should have an assistance rail. There should be support bars in the showers and non-slip floors.

9.   Arrange for elderly care support if you are taking on long term care responsibilities. It is very important that you are still able to enjoy your life whilst looking after an elderly parent. Arranging for an afternoon or day off every week could provide you with the time to rest and recuperate that you need.

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Monday Night Post

Oops, it’s already Monday night here, I’m late again to join Blue Monday. Last weekend, my husband and I were busy at home. We tried to make some changes in our home and it hasn’t been finished until today.

During our visit to the zoo, we saw an animal show. Through two smart otters, the trainer taught kids to always throw rubbish at the right place. Ah, I still often see adults who prefer to litter. They should be ashamed with these otters, aren't they? :)

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