Have Yourself A Quirky Little Christmas

It’s that time of year again…

Are you ready yet?

The decorations are out of the attic, the turkey’s on order and the presents are - almost - bought, wrapped and ready to go.

But every day the children open another door on their advent calendar, the excitement starts all over again, and you have to magic yourself into that ever cheerful Christmas angel. Are you starting to run out of ideas to amuse the children, while you escape for the vital cup of coffee and a few moments for yourself? Need some help? You’re in the right place.

We’ve all done the classic paper chains and snowflakes so why wait until January for something new? Have a quick look below for a bit of inspiration for something different.

‘Grow’ your edible Christmas tree

Are the children begging to put the tree, but you think it’s too early still? Get them to make their own! Pick up a box of ice cream cones from your local supermarket and whip up a bowl of green icing sugar, and let their imagination do the rest. Dolly mixture, smarties, and jelly beans all make fantastic baubles, and you can’t possibly forget the strawberry lace tinsel. A biscuit stuck to the bottom helps them stand, and a chocolate flake inside the cone makes an irresistibly yummy tree trunk. While you’re enjoying that sneaky glass of something special they can be happily building their Christmas tree forest.

Help Santa Scavenger Hunt

Oh no! The delivery sleigh to Santa’s workshop hit a stray shooting star and lost the elves building materials, how are they going to finish the presents in time for Christmas Eve? Well, it just so happens, the crash was in the sky above your house, wasn’t it? Wink wink, nudge nudge… Grab a box from the recycling and take a leisurely walk outside while the children hunt for the missing materials. Who knows what those talented elves could make out of pine cones, bottles, and a few oddly shaped stones? To keep them amused for longer, they could find something beginning with each letter of present, workshop, Santa or whatever else you fancy.  

Christmas Angels

Fancy a change from the Christmas jumper? We’ve all heard of making snow angels, and you’ve probably already made some angels out of empty kitchen roll tubes. Why not let your little angels become real Christmas angels? A basic metal wire can be bent into a basic outline, and pick your preference of fabric to create the rest of the wings. Add two elastic loops for armholes and plenty of glitter, and you’re all done! Why not get involved yourself and pair colorful circle lens with a white dress for a truly angelic look?

They may be simple ideas but let your imagination run wild and go as inventive as you like. Wheel these ideas out again with a little tweak for variety and further fun of games. For example;

1. Instead of edible Christmas trees, experiment with colors and create Santa and elf hats
2. Hide letters around your house which will eventually spell out a Christmas word.
3. Pick a cheap hair band and use it as a base for a halo to complete your angel outfits.

Hopefully, you’re feeling festively full of ideas to entertain the children in the run up to Christmas, and are eager to get started. Have a wonderful Christmas, everybody! UPDATE: Check out: NICO'S QUEST TO RECYCLE: A KID'S GUIDE TO RECYCLING

(Image by Petr)

Making an Informed Career Choice

A post-secondary education entails skills training in an apprenticeship position and a college or university education. It is structured in a way to offer more job opportunities, a better chance for promotion, increased job satisfaction the chance to earn an income throughout your career and the chance to keep studying what interests you. There are numerous post-secondary options such that it is difficult to make a decision on a given career option. It is important to carry out career planning to help you identify your dreams, goals, interests and strengths. This will help you to align dreams, goals, interests and strengths with your career choice making it easier to choose a school and a program.

Deciding What to Study

Keep Academic Options Open

The courses taken as majors in secondary school are important in determining one's career direction. It is important to take majors that will lead to a variety of career options in areas of interest as guided by the goals set. Seek the advice of teachers, parents and counselors to establish the areas of interest that would shape your career. It is important that your career choice is determined by interest, as it is what you may be required to pursue for the rest of the life.

Find the Right Fit

Carry out an assessment of your interests against the abilities and achievement levels. Check the evaluation test results and to determine the ability to pursue a given career field. Talk to student counselors and teachers as well as seek information on school choices on college placement websites. For example, if your child continually struggles with experimentation of issues despite motivation, extra help and hard work, then occupations reliant on experiments, will not be a good fit. A person who likes babysitting kids should consider seeking careers related to pediatric care. 

Have a Realistic Plan

Make a list of realistic potential choices, considering the competition, opportunities and abilities. Choose an area that you are confident and competent in so that you are not overwhelmed by the competition by your peers.  Use online tools like my next move to explore a variety of career options available. For instance, you may have an interest in air transport but may be lacking in the ability to pursue piloting. After much research, you can become an air traffic controller or an in-flight attendant.

Research the Labor Market

Seek information on salaries, job prospects and working conditions on the identified jobs of interest. However, it is risky to choose a career based solely on economic projections and job prospects. This is because unforeseeable events may cause a major impact on the job market, such factors as politics, shifts in the economy, natural disasters or technological advances. Selecting a career based on interests and reasonable job prospects leads to job satisfaction. In addition, this will helps you work in a career that makes you fulfilled and satisfied also enabling you to pursue opportunities of similar interests making you a better employee or employer.

Easy Home Tips to Reduce Cellulite Deposition

Most women are terrified of the word cellulite. Every woman’s magazine and blog seems to talk about this and it is unfortunate how the issue is made much bigger in scale than it is. Cellulite is uneven fat deposition under your skin, especially around the thigh and buttock areas. It looks lumpy, dimpled and unattractive. Research says that 80-90% of women suffer from cellulite at some point in their lives. There are a lot of easy ways to prevent cellulite and to reduce its effects on your skin. You just need to spend a little time and effort on these amazing home remedies mentioned below.

Dry brushing skin

You will find body brushes in natural materials available in every health store these days. Use these to dry brush your skin, especially in problematic areas like thighs and buttocks every day. This helps remove dead skin cells, promotes the flow of blood and prevents lumping up of fat deposits.

Body wraps

This is a very effective home remedy to reduce cellulite and to remove excess toxins from your body. What is great is that there are so many body wrap options for you to try out without getting bored. The process is similar to Spa treatments where the body is covered up by sheets to induce heat and to thereby dissolve fat deposits. Starting from coconut oil to green tea extracts, bath salts and clay, there are a lot of diy experience you can have at home with these wraps.

Water consumption

This age-old solution also helps with your overall health. When you drink a lot of water, it prevents fat deposition, keeps your skin hydrated and prevents cellulite from forming. You can also substitute water with fresh fruit juices, tender coconut water, iced tea and other refresher drinks.

Body scrubs

Scrubs work similar to dry brushing, except that this is highly relaxing for the body and mind too. You can use sea salts, coffee, brown sugar etc. to regularly scrub your body before taking bath. Scrubbing helps loosen fat deposits, improves blood flow and prevents the lumpy skin appearance that people hate.

Organic body care products

Most people do not check the ingredients in their body products before using them. When you pick chemical laden products, they are adding a lot of toxins to your system. With time, this can lead to skin problems including cellulite. Make sure your body products are organic, safe for use and gentle.

Tomato skin masks

Tomatoes are very rich in lycopene and this is proven effective to break down cellulite fat deposits. You can easily make your own tomato paste mask and apply it on the skin. You can wash off once it is dry. Doing this regularly will show a great improvement.

Cellulite is not a life-threatening condition. You can easily prevent it and reduce its intensity by following these home tips. These are cheap and effective alternatives when compared to invasive treatments like laser and surgery. 

Simple Tips For Staying Healthy All Year Round

When it really comes down to it, our health is pretty much all we have. If we aren’t in good health, then it affects everything from our ability to work, even have relationships, or simply live a normal life.

That’s why it’s so important to take care of ourselves daily. It’s not just the bigger things like diet and exercise that are crucial to staying healthy, although those are obviously very important, but actually it’s the little things that can make the biggest difference over time so you can ensure that small things don’t turn into bigger things.

It’s also important to remember that, although things like colds and flus are more common in winter, they can strike at anytime of the year, so it’s a good idea to be constantly working to stay healthy and keep a strong immune system to protect against nasty colds, flus and viruses all year round.

Below are some seriously simple tips for you to help you maintain a healthy immune system no matter what the time of year is bringing to everyone else.

Plenty of sleep:

Although you may not feel like you need the recommended amount of sleep each and every night, it definitely makes a difference to your health overall when you get at least 6 hours of sleep daily. You’ll be more energized during the day, have better concentration, less likely to be distracted when carrying out important tasks, such as driving or cooking, and because your body is recharging whilst sleeping, then your immune system is given a good boost, too. If you’re able to, and you feel like you might need it, then it’s also recommended to take at least one 20 minute power nap during the day. Studies have shown that this boosts energy levels and productivity levels dramatically. It’s also been shown that people who get as close to the recommended daily amount of sleep are less at risk for major illness, such as heart attacks and strokes;

Cut off sugar:

Unless you’re completely dedicated to the cause, really are willing to give up certain things and go on a pretty strict diet to completely eliminate sugar from your life, then it honestly isn’t the most realistic or easiest thing to do. That doesn’t mean that you can’t cut back on it or at least eliminate it partially. It’s actually pretty crazy just how much sugar we consume on a daily basis - mostly without even realizing it. Nutritional information on a lot of products can be quite confusing in terms of how it’s worded, so a lot of things that contain quite a bit of sugar are things you wouldn’t expect. Sugar is not only responsible for causing dental problems that require you to make an out of hours phone call to an emergency dentist at http://dentista.24hora.org/, but is consistently linked to other major illnesses, such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and a shocking rise in childhood obesity. Most things are fine in moderation, and a little sugar here and there is okay, but in order to stay healthy, try to cut back on this as much as possible. If you can’t live without the sweet taste it brings, then look for healthier, natural alternatives;

Stay hydrated:

The best thing you can give your body for hydration is water - it is, after all, the source of life itself. Though, as much as I love water and try to drink as much of it as I can each day, the taste is obviously quite boring when that’s all you drink. Other things you can use to stay hydrated are green tea, matcha powder, which is a very pure green tea in powder form, but known for its amazing health benefits and the fact that it helps boost energy levels more than coffee. Also snack on foods that have a high water content, such as watermelon, cucumber, tomatoes, and grapes - or simply add some fruit to a jug of water to give it some flavor.

Cut back on alcohol:

Much like sugar, cutting out alcohol completely is not a lifestyle choice that suits everyone, but that doesn’t mean your health needs to take a beating because of it. Go easy on the alcohol and enjoy it in moderation. Make sure you drink plenty of water in between drinks, and don’t over indulge just because everyone else does - especially over the Christmas period and during celebrations. If you do decide to completely cut it out, then it’s to be admired, but be aware that, due to the society we live in, most people won’t understand your choice. Just stand firm and be happy in the knowledge that you’re putting your health first, and that while they’re nursing a hangover, you’ll be doing far more productive things.

Healthy Meals Even the Kids Will Love!

For Michael's 14th birthday, he requested California rolls, and the other kids also loved them!

Some kids will eat anything you put in front of them, but they are really few and far between. Most kids are the pickiest eaters on earth, as every mother knows after trying to get them to eat their veggies before asking for dessert. In fact, some kids are so finicky that mealtimes are a raging battle, a fight to the finish over who will triumph.

We hate to admit it, but most often kids are the victors. Other than forcing food down their throats, there’s little we can do to make them eat. Sometimes they are stubborn enough to sit there for extended periods doing nothing more than moving the food back and forth across their plates.

However, if you know where to look, you can find healthy meals even the kids will love.

The Internet Can Be a Vital Resource

Many mothers have sought refuge in online recipe sites like Pocket Change Gourmet where they can find recipes pleasing to kids but also inexpensive to put together. How often have you lamented the fact that you spent extra money thinking to put something ‘attractive’ on the table, only to find that they scoff at that as well? There is no need to go to extra expense if you can find cheap meals that are appealing enough even to the finickiest eaters. From message boards to recipe sites, take time to see what other mothers are having success with and you just might be in luck tonight at dinner!

Hide the Green

What is it about the color green that kids don’t like? If they see green on their plates, they automatically assume it is not going to be good and refuse to even try it. It could be lime Jell-O, pistachio ice cream, or something really yummy and they will reject it out of hand. Some mothers grind vegetables up and hide them in meatballs or other stews and soups which are tomato based because all kids see is red. It’s amazing what you can get them to eat if you can disguise the color green! It would be interesting to do a scientific study on why kids hate green – on their plates that is!

Dark, Colorful Veggies Are High in Antioxidants

While it is true that dark, colorful veggies are highest in healthful antioxidants, no one said those dark leafy veggies needed to be green. You can use all kinds of veggies with very little green in them and kids will usually try them. Chards with red edges on the leaves are one way of getting kids to eat leafy greens and have you thought of red cabbage instead of green? Any dark red, orange, or purple vegetable will be a high source of vitamins and minerals and usually colorful enough to get the kids to try.

The trick is in getting them to try something for the first time. For some reason, kids seem to live by a color code when it comes to eating, so if you keep this in mind, mealtimes won’t be such a battle. Hide the green and see what that does to reduce the stress of getting them to eat their veggies. It’s worth a try, at the very least – what can you lose?