Kids Bedding - Finding the Right Fit

Some 2 year olds still sleep in a crib, some sleep in a toddler bed, some in a twin size bed, and a few even sleep in a full size bed. What size bed a child sleeps in can be determined by many factors, including space of the child’s room, how they like to sleep (some children like to feel compressed in a tight space when asleep, while others like to have room to roll around), the child’s siblings and if they share a room and/or bed, and many other things. A teenager may sleep in the same size twin bed that a toddler does, and another might even have a king size bed in their room. So, really there is no wrong answer when it comes to choosing a bed size for a child, even as they get older.

When choosing kids bedding, though, it is very important to consider what type of bed the child has, or to make a decision on what type they will be getting. There are cribs, and kids bedding for these, toddler beds, which usually have the same size mattress as a crib does, twin size beds, full size (also known as double beds), queen and king size, although it might be very difficult to find bedding for a child that fits a queen or king size bed. As they get older, and wouldn’t want a cartoon theme anyway, it is not as hard to locate a type of bedding that a child would like for this large of a bed, but for the younger sect of children, it can be near impossible.

There are many different types of linens that qualify as kids bedding for a child, and these include sheets (fitted, or bottom, sheets, and top sheets), blankets (which can be comforters, quilts, fleece blankets, and more), pillow cases and shams, bed skirts, canopy curtains, throw pillows, regular pillows, and more. Many times the majority of bedding pieces will come in a set, usually called a bed-in-a-bag, and other times they will not. Purchasing them this way makes a lot of sense, for two reasons:

1. you save money
2. you don’t have to worry about accidentally buying pieces that don’t match

But, when they are in a set like this, it is important to pay attention to what pieces do come in the bag, because some come with pieces that others do not, such as the bed skirt or shams.

Also, it is good to know that these sets rarely have quilts in them, or other types of blankets other than a comforter. Fleece blankets are really good for kids because they are extremely warm during the wintertime. It is usually a good idea to also have a comforter or quilt though, because fleece blankets tend to come in different sizes than regular blankets, so when it comes to making the bed appear nicely, these don’t usually do the job as well as a comforter or even a quilt. Many children don’t care for quilts as much, simply because it is harder to find them in themes of their favorite characters or toys. But, if they like quilts, there are wide varieties of colors that they can be found in that can be made to match the rest of the child’s bedding and room decorations. There are also many kids who don’t care for comforters because during the wintertime, these blankets are cold to crawl into when trying to go to sleep. This is, again, a matter of preference for each child, because many children love climbing into a bed with a comforter, and love the fact that they feel cold when you get in (some even referring to them as a ‘cold’ blanket), because during the summertime they are a lot cooler to climb into than a wool or fleece blanket, as well.

For most bed sizes, there are the same options on kids bedding choices, there are a few differences between buying for a twin or larger, and buying for a crib or toddler bed, and the options are different:

Twin, Full, Queen, King:

Fitted sheets

Top Sheets

Bed Skirt

Canopy Curtain

Quilt or Comforter

Pillow Cases

Pillow Shams

Throw Pillows

Cribs:

Fitted sheets

Mattress Pads

Thin Blanket

Bumper

Bed Skirt

So, the kids bedding options are slightly different here. Toddler beds fall right in the middle, and it just depends on what type of toddler bed you have as to what you will need to consider buying. For example, if it is a racecar bed in which the racecar takes up the space from the mattress to the floor, there will be no need to buy a bed skirt, although it is a choice in bedding. Many times a set for a crib will come with a little baby comforter in them, but these are too fluffy to use on them when they are newborns. It is best to either put these up until they are a little older, or one option is to hang them on the wall above the bed. This way you are still getting to use it as an entire set, and keep the theme going in the room, but not risking your child’s safety for it. Mattress pads are usually something that you will need for cribs and many times toddler beds. When the diaper leaks at nighttime, these soak the leak up, preventing moisture from getting to the mattress. These work wonders, and many times they don’t cover the entire mattress, so you might worry about leaks that get to a part the pad does not occupy. But this is ok with toddler and crib mattresses, because they are usually a plastic or vinyl on the outside of these mattresses for this very reason. Then, you can wash them off and dry them when you change sheets. Other larger mattresses are made of absorbent materials, so if a child is in diapers or is a bedwetter in a larger bed, it is definitely a good idea to make sure the mattress is completely covered by a pad under the sheet.

While there are so many kids bedding options, it may become difficult to choose which pieces to get for your child, it is best to figure in both what your child wants, and how you want their bed to appear.

Article by Avid Amiri - President of Kids First Bedding Company. Providing information and products relating to kids bedding and baby bedding.

Gentlemen Start Your Engines With A Race Car Theme Party

If your little boy is full of energy and you’re looking for a party theme to keep up with his increasing liveliness then, a race car themed party is just the thing to satisfy him. Having a race car theme brings excitement, creativity and a memorable experience to those who attend. NASCAR, Daytona, Indianapolis are all popular races that can be featured at your party.

Be prepared to fill the party with games, fun and an overall good time. A few weeks before the party, collect large boxes and paint them in different colors. At the party each child will receive their own box. Supply paint, stickers, large numbers and anything else they’ll need to create their very own race car. With the bottom of the box cut out, the children can wear the boxes around their waists and have races with each other. Or, you can supply go carts for the children to take turns racing each other. Racing costumes and gadgets will add to the look and help get the kids in the racing mode. Online their are lots of shops that have supplies for parties.

Here is an easier craft to do, cut large triangles out of paper. Give one triangle to each child. Allow the children to decorate the triangle in different ways to create their own racing flags. Attach each flag to a stick and hang them around the party as decorations. Investigate recipes where you can make the food look like little race cars. The kids will get a kick out of the fact that the racing doesn’t stop off of the track.

Do you know anyone who owns a race car or a hot rod? You might ask them if they would bring it to the party. The kids could take a picture in it or next to it. The picture in a nice frame or a frame that the children have decorated themselves would serve as a nice party favor.

We found some cute stuff at Party Supplies Online. They have lots of NASCAR racing party supplies. Plus, adorable party favors.

Mrs. Party… Gail Leino is the internet’s leading authority on selecting the best possible party supplies, using proper etiquette and manners while also teaching organizational skills and fun facts. Free Party Games to help complete your event.

Divorce The Silent Price - 3 Easy Tips to Prevent Parental Alienation

Let’s face it - divorce is hard. For parents, for kids, for families, even for the family pet… divorce is difficult. Yet turn on any TV program and you’ll see divorced parents happily raising their successful children - shows in which every problem can be solved in 30 - 60 minutes - shows in which the child moves seamlessly between two households and where the parents remain the best of friends and communicate openly while sharing the parenting responsibilities.

Communication and cooperation are supposed to be two-way streets, but things don’t always turn out the way they should. Sadly, the majority of marriages end bitterly and it takes many years for both partners to come to terms with the marriage breakdown and stop punishing each other. Often times, however, those years of communication breakdown affect the children deeply.

It’s common in single parent households, for the custodial parent to develop a deep bond with the child. In households where there are still unresolved issues between the divorced adults, the connection between custodial parent and child could, directly or indirectly, lead to conflicts with the non-custodial parent.

Let’s meet Sam & Amanda

Sam is eight years old. He has an older sister, Amanda, who is twelve years old. Though Sam and Amanda’s parents have just formally divorced, they have been separated for two years.

During the separation period, things appeared to run smoothly. The parents shared the parenting responsibilities and dad was lucky enough to rent a house a block away from the kids so they spent a lot of time voluntarily shuttling back and forth between both households. Both parents made the effort to communicate as everyone adjusted to the fact that daddy now slept in a different house.

When the divorce was finalized, things changed. Within a month of the divorce, Sam began refusing to visit his father. His sister, Amanda, would walk him home from school and then walk over to her father’s house to spend the evening with him. Three to four nights a week, she would dine with her father - just as they had during the separation.

Amanda didn’t understand why her brother didn’t want to join her but she was happy to have dad all to herself and her feelings made her feel guilty when she saw Sam at school the next day.

Sam’s behavior began to deteriorate. His school work began slipping and he was exhibiting increasingly aggressive behavior on the school ground and towards his sister.

The nights that Amanda was home with Sam and their mother, she would attempt to talk to Sam to see if she could coax him into visiting their father. Day after day, Sam refused. The pattern continued for a month before Amanda approached her mother with her concerns. Her mother refused to validate Amanda’s concerns, even stating that it really is best if Sam “stayed away from that man - and so should you. I don’t know why you go there all the time. Aren’t we good enough for you?”

Amanda fled from the house crying and ran straight to her father. He listened to her as she expressed her sadness over the marriage breakdown and the loss of her best friend, her little brother. Dad listened to all her concerns and then they talked about giving Sam a bit more time to adjust to the change. “Even though we’ve been separated for quite some time, the divorce makes it final. There’s no going back now. I know we’ve all wished that things would go back to the way they were before but the divorce puts an end to all those wishes… for all of us. He’s angry and disappointed that all the wishing and hoping he’s been doing the last two years didn’t fix this.” Dad said. “But it’s not his job to fix this” was Amanda’s reply. “I know that and you know that… but you have to remember that Sam was just little when mom and I separated… and he’s still a little boy. So go easy on him. Just be there to listen if he wants to talk and don’t push him to visit. He’ll come when he’s ready.”

After six months, Sam was still refusing to visit his father, and Amanda, faced with pressure from both her brother and mother, decreased her visitation schedule. As the father lived in the same neighborhood as his children, he would often see them around the neighborhood. Sam would pretend he didn’t see him and run home to his mother. If they happened to speak, Sam was incredibly rude and belligerent and Amanda was incredibly sad. Sam clearly had little respect for his father and Amanda was clearly conflicted about her continued love for her father when others in her household appeared to have stopped loving him.

Dad expressed his concerns to Mom who replied “Who cares - what have you done to deserve respect. You’ve abandoned us!” so he turned to external support. Dad arranged for Sam to be referred for counseling by the school. His aggressive behavior had traveled from the playground to the classroom and was disruptive to the other children so the school arranged for him to meet with a counselor. The school also arranged for Amanda to meet with the counselor as she was still exhibiting a lot of confusion over the behavior of her brother and mother and was struggling with conflicting feelings for both parents.

Through active discussion with Sam during these sessions, it was discovered that Mom often shares her anger and bitterness towards Dad with Sam. She makes disparaging remarks about his father and has even started to make comments about Amanda on the evenings she spent with her father.

Mom was engaging in potential parental alienating behavior with the aim of severing the relationship between her children and their father. Her anger and disappointment in the marriage breakdown were unresolved issues in her life that prevented her from being able to close this chapter of her life and move forward. And Mom may not have even been aware of the result of her discussions.

Together with the counselor, Dad and Sam bridged the gap with open and honest communication and started to counter some of the negative feelings that Sam had inherited from Mom. Amanda was given some coping mechanisms for dealing with her mother’s aggressive behavior and the children resumed a healthy relationship with their father.

Here are a few tips that divorced parents can use to ensure they do not engage in parental alienation behavior.

1) Resolve: your own feelings about the divorce and life changes.

2) Allow: your children to have a safe space with both parents to communicate their feelings.

3) Never: have your children pay the price for your feelings.

Dr. Charles Sophy currently serves as Medical Director for the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), which is responsible for the health, safety and welfare of nearly 40,000 foster children. He also has a private psychiatry practice in Beverly Hills, California. Dr. Sophy has lectured extensively and is an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California Los Angeles Neuro-Psychiatric Institute. His lectures and teachings are consistently ranked as among the best by those in attendance.

Dr. Charles Sophy, author of the “Keep ‘Em Off My Couch” blog, provides real simple answers for solving life’s biggest problems. He specializes in improving the mental health of children. To contact Dr. Sophy, visit his blog at http://drsophy.com

Party Games Fun Mystery Games To Make Your Party A Success!

There are many party games sure to be a success, but everyone likes to come up with something special, different, and fun. One party game sure to please mystery lovers, and scavenger hunters alike, is a party game “Who done it” “Mission Possible” mystery. The key to this game working well and being sure to please is the all important step of planning.

It will take more then one person to plan and execute this party game mystery. To begin the party game, the guests arrive to find a “victim” (Stuff clothes, or use a doll, and add ‘blood’ and injuries to your victim). In the victim’s hand, will be a clue, which will point these amateur sleuths to yet another clue. You can make this as complex, or as simple, as you want, moving throughout your neighborhood (or building)or simply keeping all the clues within your house and/or yard. Guests will divide up into teams, with the hosts being the ‘detectives’ who present the clues, and guide the amateur sleuths in solving the mystery to find out ‘who done it.’

Occasionally, a particular party game participant will be required to act out a scene, or be confronted with evidence against them. They can prove their innocence, dispute the charges against them, or be temporarily jailed; if the other sleuths are convinced the evidence against their fellow partygoer is compelling. There can be jail breaks, and subterfuge according to how your guests react to the prompts you give them. Half the fun is seeing how each guest improvises to cast blame, and convince everyone which person committed the crime.

The real fun of this party game is the imagination of, not just the hosts who orchestrate the mystery, but the sleuths who solve it. One thing is certain, this game is sure to always be a success, and though the ‘who done it’ party game takes effort, imagination, and planning, it is a party that will be enjoyed by all, and is sure to be remembered as the best party game of all!

Mrs. Party… Gail Leino is the internet’s leading authority on selecting the best possible party supplies, using proper etiquette and manners while also teaching organizational skills and fun facts. Free Party Games to help complete your event.

How To Help Your Kids Have The Perfect Family Vacation

All parents want their children to have a good time on vacation, as memories of family outings together can be some of the most cherished remembrances of a person’s life. But kids have their own needs too, so it takes planning to make sure that they enjoy the trip. Parents also know that if their kids are having a good time, then most likely they can enjoy the vacation too. So here are a few tips on how to help your kids have the perfect family vacation.

* If you want to make sure that your kids have a positive feeling about the trip from the start it’s a wise idea to involve them and get their input early in the planning stages. Having a family get together where everyone can have a say in the final choice can be a way to enlist your kids support right from the start. Of course, as parents you may want to bring some structure to the discussion by offering only certain choices for the destination and then see what proves to be the most popular among all members of the family. But whatever you do, try to take everyone’s feelings into consideration before making your final decision.

* On many vacations the trip to get to your destination can set the tone for the whole getaway, so be sure to bring along books, games and videos that keep all the kids occupied during the journey and make the time seem to fly by. This can especially be useful on the trip back when it’s easy for children to feel let down by having to leave their fun vacation spot.

* Picking the right kind of accommodations where you stay can also be important if you want everyone to have a good time. Try to make sure that the hotel or resort is kid-friendly, or in other words has activities that would interest kids like swimming, fishing, games, etc. All too often parents pick a place to stay that they like, but it may not have the kind of features that kids will really enjoy. In this vein, keep in mind too that all inclusive family vacations are offered on the internet that provide activities and accommodations that will appeal to the whole family and they can also save you money on the whole trip. So why not consider these as well?

* Schedule at least a few activities where the family can safely break up into smaller groups to do something that will appeal to their age level. This can also apply to parents as well, because when you feel more relaxed and happy about the vacation that can also rub off on your children. Conversely if you are stressed out and feel bad about the trip that also can affect your kids, but in a negative way.

* Your kids will also need some rest while on vacation although they may not think so. So instead of just staying on the run every day, try to schedule a low activity day after a high activity outing. This way they kind of catch their breath and you won’t go home feeling that you need another vacation just to get over your vacation.

By being considerate of your kids feelings and planning the vacation well beforehand with everyone in the family in mind, you can enjoy your time together and experience the perfect family vacation.

Thad Pickering writes on many consumer related topics including vacation travel. You can find out more about how to find all inclusive resort vacations and discount all inclusive vacations by visiting our Vacation Guide website.

Gaining Piano Knowledge Beginners Can Accomplish a Lot in the Next 90 Days

Wouldn’t it be nice to know where you’ll be in 90 days? Wouldn’t it be nice to have something to say about that? Beginning piano students feel the same way and have more control over their progress than they often realize. Because they are just starting in piano and everything they’re learning is completely new to them students can at times feel overwhelmed and discouraged. To overcome their learning anxiety students need to focus on what they can learn over a specific period of time and then keep doing this. Over time this process multiplies students’ piano knowledge and achieves big results.

Students can start with the basics and make a list of knowledge that can be memorized over the next 90 days. If you’re a parent of a beginning piano student, help your child by making copies of this list and keep it handy. Purchase music theory or note-reading workbooks to help your child study this information. All work doesn’t have to be done at the piano. Beginners can take advantage of their time riding around in the car or waiting for dinner in a restaurant to memorize important music facts that will make playing easier. Your student can add to this a list of songs they want to learn to play over the next 90 days.

The goal is to check everything off the 90-Day List as having been accomplished over this period of time. At the end of the 90 days students should take time to celebrate their progress in a special way they can look forward to. After taking this breath and appreciating all they have achieved in just 90 days, student feel good about setting new goals for the next 90 days. This keeps beginners from falling into the “There is so much to know, How will I ever learn it all!” trap and instead focuses and redirects their attention to a plan for piano success that they have control over.

For great home piano activities parents can use to help children ages 5 to 11 develop their musical talent, visit Piano Adventure Bears Music Education Resources You’ll find a treasure box filled with piano resources to create an exciting musical adventure for your child - right in your own home! Visit their website and subscribe to their f’ree internet newsletter so you can download f’ree piano sheet music and mp3s of original piano compositions.

These exciting stories, games, piano lessons, and inspirational gifts feature the Piano Adventure Bears, Mrs. Treble Beary and her new piano student, Albeart Littlebud. Young students follow along with Albeart to learn what piano lessons are all about in a fun way that kids readily understand appreciate. Click here to visit PianoAdventureBears.com For a wealth of information about piano lessons, visit tallypiano.com

Piano Stories - How Literature Helps Piano Students Become Successful Musicians

Do you remember the very first stories you learned as a young child? I bet you do. And most likely you learned them from your parents and caregivers who used song as a way to comfort, teach and entertain you. Yep! All those nursery songs about the alphabet, numbers, and eeeentsy-weeentsy spiders were using music to prepare your brain for speech. So forget all that left brain nonsense our parents were taught about music. When grandma was playing the piano, she was enjoying the interplay of both left and right brain activity. This is why learning to play the piano is so beneficial to children. It stimulates neural development, using all five of the basic creative skills. They include Seeing (or Visualization), Observing, Forming Analogies, Inverting, and Simplification. These are the same creative applications found in literature, art and science.

Just as musical stories helped your child establish a foundation of creative skills for language and math concepts, the reverse is also true. Literature, art, and science can help your child achieve their musical dreams! Below are examples of how this happens in piano.

Visualization - “What would it look like if you could do it?

Visualization is probably the most difficult creative skill to develop. Having a keyboard in the imagination, however, gives a powerful boost to piano students’ playing and note reading ability. So it’s worth it for students to spend time developing this creative skill. Here’s an example of how young piano students can start to do this. The piano has groups of two and three-black keys. There are three white keys around each group of two black keys. Ask your child in piano to close their eyes and pretend to draw two very large black keys in the air. Then while their eyes are still closed ask: “Can you see the white key of the left of the two-black keys? It’s a C. Can you see the one on the right? It’s an E. Can you see the one in the middle? It’s a D.” Keep this up throughout piano lesson sand soon your child will be able to visualize music, scales and chords, as well as hear them! Use visualization whenever your child is frustrated with learning something new in piano. Just ask, “What would it look like if you could do it?” This gets kids using their imagination and seeing possible solutions through their mind’s eye, just as stories do.

Observation - “Eureka! I never noticed that before!”

Observation is about carefully noticing the little things to find similarities and differences. For example, what’s the difference between staccato and legato notes, or an accent mark and a tenuto mark. Hey, is that a triplet or three eighth notes? Wow, this creative skill sure is important in playing piano! Students use this skill in learning piano when they ask? “How are these notes the same? How are they different?” Piano students use this creative process just as scientists do to find surprises in nature that were always there, waiting to be discovered. Remind your child in piano to use observation to overcome challenges in the music. You’ll enjoy hearing them say things like, “Eureka! I never noticed that before!”

Analogies - How to Gain Perspective/ Change Perspective?

Analogies are used to gain or change our perspective. Here are some examples of how analogies help piano students. To play legato, pretend your fingers are an eeeentsy-weeensty spider. Curve the spider’s legs and walk your fingers on the piano keys. To play staccato notes, imagine the piano keys are hot! To show your child how analogies can change our perspective, and teach us new concepts, try this: Sing the words to the song Amazing Grace to the tune from the television show, Gilligan’s Island. Go ahead. Sing it now. “I once was lost, but now I’m found, was blind but now I see.” I bet that made you laugh :o)

Inverting - What would that look like if I turned it upside down?

Inverting also affects perspective by turning things upside down, or by taking things to extremes. Einstein did this when he obsessed over a beam of light and invented the theory of relativity. Einstein also loved music. Like his theory of relativity, many things we want to understand are counter-intuitive, including the piano techniques students need to play well. To tap into this creative function piano students can ask this question. “What would this look like if I turned it upside down?” Here’s a creative suggestion you can give your child for polishing a recital piece using this skill. Play the music backwards! Start with last measure instead of the first. Then play the last two measures, then the last three, then the last four, etc., until you reach the first measure. Then play the song all the way through and see how much better you can do it. This is a great way for students to thoroughly learn a piece of music.

Simplifying - “I’ve seen that some place before?”

Simplifying is how we find creative solutions to difficult challenges by eliminating what is unnecessary. Ever try too hard? Here’s a tip - Sometimes less is more. Before trying to re-invent the wheel, look back through the history books to see where this problem has been solved before by someone else, or yourself. Piano students can do this by asking, “Where have I seen this in music before?” “How did I play it then?” “What strategy can I follow to break this down and make it easier?” “What playing strategies has my piano teacher told me that I could apply here?” Or students can read a book to find out what other pianists have done.

So there you have it, piano parents. Five creative reasons to use literature, as well as art, science, and history to help your musical child achieve their piano dreams.

For great home piano activities parents can use to help children ages 5 to 11 develop their musical talent, visit Piano Adventure Bears Music Education Resources You’ll find a treasure box filled with piano resources to create an exciting musical adventure for your child - right in your own home! Visit their website and subscribe to their f’ree internet newsletter so you can download f’ree piano sheet music and mp3s of original piano compositions.

These exciting stories, games, piano lessons, and inspirational gifts feature the Piano Adventure Bears, Mrs. Treble Beary and her new piano student, Albeart Littlebud. Young students follow along with Albeart to learn what piano lessons are all about in a fun way that kids readily understand appreciate. Click here to visit PianoAdventureBears.com For a wealth of information about piano lessons, visit tallypiano.com

Things Children Can Teach Us About Business

I have been observing my 4 year old daughter and I have marveled
at how she always manages to take over a situation.
She gets more attention by not saying anything than all of
the other loud mouth kids her age.
The people at her school make a big deal out of anything
that she says because she doesn’t say much.
She’s also pretty resourceful.

For example, if she is hungry and no one is
really paying her any attention, she’ll go in the kitchen and
get a snack from the cupboard.
If she wants something that she can’t reach she’ll
find one of her “big people” to get it for her.
Here are some other things that kids can teach us about business.
When you want something put on your cutest “face”
Go to the person who has the power to give you what you want.
Ask for what you want in such a manner that the person can’t help but to say yes.
When they say no ask again
When they say no ask again.
When they say no ask again.
Be so annoying that they give you what you want anyway just to get rid of you.
Finally if that doesn’t work, go to the next person and start over.

Copyright 2004 DeAnna Spencer

This article may be reprinted and redistributed as long as the resource box remains intact.

DeAnna Spencer is a virtual assistant that helps entrepreneurs run a successful business by providing affordable administrative help. She also publishes a blog for small business owners. Visit this small business resource today.

Epidemic - Obesity

How did this disease grow to such epidemic proportions. There are many reasons people give, however, there are two which count “bad eating habits” and “lack of physical activity”.

Our “techno” society has made us all very lazy. In fact, I just saw a study the other day about the bad effect suburbia is having on people. No one walks anymore, everyone drives everywhere.

We have lazy boy chairs that have refrigerators built into them. I am going to use a often used phrase by Jay Leno, “How lazy are we getting when we can’t even get up to get the snacks we want”!

Anyone over the age of 50 remembers their mother making breakfast for them, getting a balanced lunch in the cafeteria at school; or your mother gave you a balanced lunch to take to school. When you came home from school, you got a snack of fruit or were told, No, you can’t have something to eat, it is too close to dinner. Dinners consisted of meat, vegetable, potato and glasses of milk (not soda, juice; these were treats, not a part of the diet). You ate everything on your plate. Or if you didn’t you didn’t get dessert. You had to at least taste, or try something before you decided you didn’t like it. Dessert was eaten after dinner (cake, ice cream, pudding, Jell-O). However, the portion sizes of all meals were moderate, not JUMBO.

Children went out to play when they got home. They didn’t go watch TV, play video games or get on a computer! They rode their bikes, played baseball, t-ball, softball, kickball, hide n’ seek, and a plethora of other games and activities. Yes, we had some children who were “husky”, however, not “obese”.

We have all these diets today, “no carb”; “low carb”, “low fat”, “South Beach”, I could go on and on. You get the idea. Think about people back in the 50s, 60s and 70s. Yes some had weight problems, but they had them because plain and simple “they overate”. They knew it and so did their friends and family. No excuses. However, the majority of us ate balanced meals and walked, and were active enough to burn off the food we consumed.

Today’s obesity problem is due to “lazy people”. We no longer take the stairs, we take the elevator. We no longer have to get up and turn the channel, we have the remote.

The majority of us sit all day long. We are either sitting in our car, bus, train, plane, or desk at work. When we do have the opportunity to walk, we ride!

In regards to our diets, I constantly hear I don’t have time for breakfast or making up meals.

Yes, you do, get up a half hour early and eat breakfast. Rather than sitting in front of the television set vegetating, try cutting up vegetables and eat them instead of chips, cookies or whatever else you grab for. Get a crock pot and make up stews. They are nutritious and filling, and eaten in moderation not high in caloric intake.

Just making up the meals is not enough, next you have to eat moderate portions. One of the best ways to see how much you are eating is to keep a food journal. If everyone logged everything they ate every day, they would be able to see where all the weight is coming from. Next, you need to start cutting out the extraneous stuff and go from there. Is it easy, no it isn’t. But
nothing in life is.

This is one of the biggest reasons why we have an obesity problem today. We all want the easy way out, the fast way, the “I don’t want to be responsible” way. The decisions adults are making are effecting our children. Childhood obesity has increased exponentially over the last 20 years. If nothing else, we need to change our eating and physical patterns and change them quickly. Obesity is a killer people. It causes diabetes, breathing problems, high blood pressure, heart attacks.

Is this the legacy we want to give to our children. Remember, we are role models for our children and what they are seeing is it is OK to eat, and eat and just sit around. I have actually seen commercials that portray an overweight child, lying on a bed, stuffing his face with chips, and clicking the remote, while an adult is asking him to get the phone and he is ignoring her. I was appalled and you should all be too!

Let’s make today the start of a healthy plan for all of us, and most importantly for our children.

To see how check out our guide, Keep Kids Fit Quick Start Guide: How To Get Your Family To Eat Healthy And Stay Fit at http://www.keepkidsfit.com If you are a parent who wants a healthier and fit family, this guide can help!

Copyright 2006, DeFiore Enterprises

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When What We Say Isn’t What We Mean

“Dear Mum, I’m writing to tell you about the amazing things that have been happening to me since I arrived in Australia. Last week I went on a bush tucker trip into the outback, where an Aboriginal man showed us how to extract the worms out of black boys and eat them …”

This extract from a letter written by an English tourist to his very English mother nearly caused an International incident, and underlines nicely why I’m so fond of the English language.

‘Mum’ had a panic attack. First she called as many Australian Backpackers hostels as she could find, followed quickly by a call to the local police station to inform Interpol about the diabolical deeds being done down under. Minutes later she was on the phone to British Airways booking the quickest departure to “right now!”
She was going to put a stop to this barbaric ritual, rescue her son from this Antipodean nightmare and ensure the perpetrators of this awful crime were put behind bars for ever.

The lovely thing about English is that it can mean many things to many people, and her interpretation of ‘black boys’ was merely different to ours. Her images were unlike ours too, and caused her sleepless nights clutching the pillow and hanging on to her amused husband.
Not those kind of black boys you see.

When it was explained that blackboys were rugged Australian bush plants, the lady in question was most indignant. “What a stupid name for a tree” she blustered. “Ooh, when I think what those nasty men were doing to my Derek!”

It’s difficult enough when it’s English TO the English. A Swedish lady complained bitterly one day to a local proprietor that her ‘tampax’ had been stolen from her room. Not wishing to appear phased by this revelation the kind host apologised and said he’d try and find them.

This wasn’t good enough. The Swedish guest insisted he go out and buy her some more ‘tampax’. After all, they’d been stolen in his establishment, so it was his responsibility to replace them. Beginning to panic he waffled on about being busy and having a whole day of cleaning in front of him, before vanishing into the kitchen to look busy. She followed him.
“You are going to buy my Tampax?” she asked, calling him through the open door. “I do need them urgently you know!”

Our intrepid host asked her to get them herself, and if she insisted he could reimburse her. She got cross, and followed him from room to room as he cleaned. Eventually they arrived in the guest lounge room where the conversation turned into an argument, one which the other guests were following with interest.

“I want my ‘tampax’ tomorrow at the latest ” she stormed, “I’m going camping.”

Our host stopped and looked at his assailent desperately. “I don’t care if you’re going skiing” he said, ” I wont replace them. I’m sorry they were mislaid, but you probably used or lost them yourself!”

He did a Basil Faulty and disappeared up the stairs at a rigid gallop.

She followed him again.

After giving him a verbal battering in Swedish she disappeared, reappearing at tea time and introducing herself to the rest of the guests. She turned to her host and told him she’d managed to find some more ‘tampax’, so there was no need for him to bother. He told her curtly he was glad, before she dropped the bombshell and asked to borrow a hammer so she could” Bang them in.”

He looked at her very closely, saw the glint in her eyes and fetched the hammer.

Curiosity overcame him though, when handing it over.

“Why a hammer?” he stammered, mental images queuing up for a turn.

“So the tent doesn’t fall down silly” she said, and skipped off to bed.

It had taken a whole day to dawn on him. She wanted tent pegs, not ‘tampax’.

Such a little slip of the tongue, but the host was immensely glad he hadn’t succumbed and bought the nice lady a packet of ‘tampax’. Her tent would have blown away.

Rob Daniel is a children’s author, memory and self-esteem teacher. He lives in beautiful Albany on the south west corner of Western Australia, has a passion for mangos, the Greek Islands and coaches three soccer teams. He sort of still plays himself!

Rob creates ‘turn the page’ children’s e-books with illustrators from around the world. You can check out and if you like, buy his books from http://www.chocmint.com
You’ll also find an opportunity to join the chocmint adventure yourself, if you have a passion for writing and illustrating for children.

LATEST book published ‘A Tail’s Tale’, illustrated by UK artist Elizabeth Stringer.
Part proceeds from these books go towards sponsoring children at the BearCare orphanage in Kitgum, Uganda run by the extraordinary Murray Kidd.