A Happy Family

Sleep Better, Feel Better

>> May 5, 2013

We all need between 8 – 10 hours of sleep a night, but thanks to the pressures of work and the technology which seems to follow us around from dawn until dusk, many of us find it harder than ever before to switch off and unwind. We get into bed still buzzing and confused from all of the seemingly endless stimulation that has greeted us throughout the day, and are simply unable to turn off our mind. We huff and puff, but simply can’t sleep. Insomnia affects a third of people in the UK, and ranges from difficulty falling asleep to waking up during the night or in the early hours. The more high-quality sleep we have, the better we feel and the easier it is for us to cope with the stresses and strains the modern world places on us.

/image:guardian.co.uk/

Symptoms

Symptoms of insomnia vary but usually include:

Difficulty unwinding and falling asleep
Waking up during the night and being unable to get back to sleep
Waking up in the early morning
Finding it hard to concentrate during the day – being distracted, irritable and grumpy

There are some easy steps you can take to address your insomnia before it becomes a more serious problem which requires medical treatment.

Relax and unwind

Some of the steps you can take to help you to relax and unwind in the evening include:

Taking a warm bath – use a few drops of an essential oil such as lavender, which is known for its relaxing qualities
Switching off your computer and mobile phone at least a couple of hours before bedtime and sitting down with a good book
Meditation – just twenty minutes of meditation every day can really help you to relax and let go of the day’s worries, whether you meditate alone or at a class with others. I recommend going on a short meditation retreat to learn the basics. You can learn more about meditation by clicking here. Or perhaps just Google ‘The Art of Meditation’ and seeing what you get!
Workout – a quick jog or session at the gym after work will help to de-stress you and tire you out, so you’ll sleep better later
Avoid eating late at night – eat your meal at least a couple of hours before you go to bed so your body isn’t still digesting food when you’re trying to sleep

Sleep aids

In addition to the above, if you’re still experiencing problems sleeping, you could invest in earplugs, blackout blinds or an eye mask and soothing music to help you drift gently off to sleep. A few drops of lavender or a spray of natural lavender pillow mist on your bed can also help to soothe you and send you off to the land of nod!

With modern life becoming increasingly fast paced, insomnia is set to become an even more common issue – but by following the above tips you can improve your chances of a restful night’s sleep and wake up feeling energised and refreshed.

Critters on Display

>> May 4, 2013

Sorry for not sharing live critters this week, but they are too good to be in archives only. All were seen in a homey restaurant. They are many displayed decorations there, I think the place is more look like a gallery than an eating place.

Camera Critters

Inspire Your Kids by Your Actions

For every child parents are the first role model and they try to do everything that parents did and they do it because they want to be like their parents. Kids always see what parents did and they replicate it in front of parents or alone depending on the conditions.

For a kid, nothing is good nothing is bad. He doesn't know what is meaning of good or bad he only knows one thing that his father or mother did it that means he can also do the same that's why it is very important for parents to act accordingly in front of their Childs.

Every child tax credit helpline says never do something in front of your child that you don't want from your child because if you did it no matter how bad that work is your children would want to do that without worrying about good or bad. To inspire your child from your action you can do things that you want from your kids and they will surely try to replicate it.

If you want to teach that your kids should say thank you for those who help him you will need to start doing that in front of him and over a period of time your kid will start doing it by himself. To inspire your child for anything or any ideology you need to embrace that ideology first and you need to do it from deep of your heart. You need to set an example so your kids can get inspiration from you.

To inspire your child more you can also tell them stories in which you did some good or inspirational work and what reward you got from your parents after doing that good thing. Also motivate them when they do something good and say sorry accept your mistakes when you did any.

Another method by which parents can inspire their kids about learning new thing is they can ask kids what a particular thing or subject is and what it does. In most of the cases kid would be unaware about those questions and he would ask parents for its answer. Now parents can answer these questions with a proper explanation. This method wills not only make a kid curious but it will also increase his knowledge about various things and kids get inspired from parents.

As mentioned earlier for every kid his or her parents are always super hero and a kid would do anything that he or she would see from parents no matter what a parent does. Anything that parents do is an inspirational thing for kids and they will get inspiration from every action. If parents will behave good kids will behave nicely, if parents remain happy kids would enjoy everything and if parents give their love and affection to kids, kids would return the same because of the inspiration they got from parents.

So if you want to teach something to your kids do it by yourself first and inspire them by your actions not by your words.

Active Children’s Parties - Sports Parties to Thrill & Entertain

It’s possible to organise an active children’s party that can include sports and outdoor play. Like any kind of themed kids party, organising a party that can thrill and entertain means paying attention to the details when it comes to using a theme, and for selecting food and decorations. In terms of making a children’s party more active, hiring professionals that can provide a sports birthday party package on the day and different events, can help to make your children’s party stand out even more.

The first thing you need to do is select a specific sports theme, or to go with a more general set of games. What you decide on will depend on what your child wants, as well as whether they want to have a theme that features their favourite sports team or not. You may just have a party that has decorations and food themed around a sport, or you might want a more active day where you have five a side football, basketball competitions, and other sports activities spread across a party. Make sure that you invite the right number of children if you are going to have a lot of outdoor games.

In terms of choosing food for an active kids’ party, it’s important to think about how you can experiment with a theme, as well as ensuring that you keep things healthy. Football shaped birthday cakes, chocolate hockey sticks, or cupcake tops that include the club badges of favourite sports teams can be a good idea. However, try to include plenty of healthy drinks and snacks, and especially if you’re going to have outdoor games that’ll require a lot of energy.

For these games, what you kind realistically do will depend on how old the children attending the party will be; for younger children, just having some goalposts set up in the back garden, or a mini golf course, can be a good way of introducing some fun games to a party. Alternatively, you can hire professional children’s party entertainers to put on a few hours of different sports themed events - this might include mini Olympic events, football five a side competitions, and basketball shoots.

What kind of games you play will vary, and will depend on how much space you have, and on the weather. Chances are you’ll have to hire out a venue or use a local park with lots of space in order to run games successfully; work out the best venue possible for games in advance, and talk to party entertainers about where they might have held successful parties in the past.

In addition, you’ll want to have a good health and safety plan for the day - entertainers should already be CRB checked, while you’ll need a first aid kit for any bumps and bruises. Take precautions to be safe with games, and have plenty of adults around to keep an eye on young children at outdoors events. Serving up cake and sweets after sports is also recommended if you want to avoid stomach upsets.

Why Do People Like to Have a Bath In Their Home?

>> May 3, 2013

It’s the old home dilemma, something which many people have to decide when designing the layout of their bathroom. Should you install a stand-alone shower and do away with the bath? Or will a bath be important to you in the future?

Image credit: betterbathrooms.com

For most busy people finding the time to have a bath is a rarity. However, when you do find the time it can be really enjoyable. However, having a shower cubicle in your bathroom is practical, saves you space yet also provides a hotel-style feel to the room.

So, considering all of this, why might you end up opting to install a bath in your home?

Good for relaxing

Having a bath can provide some much needed ‘time to yourself’ and offers a way to get away from your hectic lifestyle for half-an-hour or so. Locking yourself away in the bathroom means no disturbances - you can fill your tub with nice warm water and bubbles, sink down and think about something else than work, the kids, the chores or whatever else it is that may be stressing you out at the time.

Can ease muscle aches and pains

Warm baths are actually proven to help ease aches and pains that your muscles may be giving you. The water around the areas of your body that may be tense and the movement around them can help to settle any niggles. Although when it comes to a relaxing point of view you may see having a bath at the end of the day as more practical, it may be worthwhile from a health perspective to have a soak in the mornings. Or, if you have been out running, working out at the gym or playing sports then it is ideal to have a bath as soon as you get home from this.

Good for the skin

Spending TOO long in the bath isn’t good for you - it can actually dry your skin out as you may see when your fingers start wrinkling up after a while. However, for those with medical conditions such as eczema who need to moisturise regularly the soothing water from a bath can actually prepare the skin more effectively, and definitely more delicately than a shower can!

It’s fun!

One of the most obvious benefits of having a bath is that it can provide some fun! You may think you are too busy to ever use it, but why not once in a while consider reliving your childhood and get into the tub to play around with the soapy suds or the rubber duck. Having a bath is really about getting away from it all - you don’t necessarily need dozens of scented candles and fragrances to do that!

Want to install a bath but don’t think you have the space? Don’t want to lose the practical benefits of having a shower. Then consider looking at Better Bathrooms range of Shower Baths on their website.