Holiday Diet Tips for You and Your Children

Keep your diet intact during the holidays is definitely a challenge. You must have a plan if you want to handle it right without missing any holiday get-together. In connection to this, the proper mindset to have is to allow yourself to eat all your favorite food in sensible portions. 

Be picky – If you’re in a buffet, try only dishes that aren’t usually available in your kitchen year in and year out. This will keep you from gorging on every dish served on the table. 

Chew gum – Are you in charge of the cooking? If yes, you’re most likely give into the temptation of eating every now and then. Chewing a sugarless gum will keep you from eating while cooking.

Don’t skip meals – Some people starve themselves for the whole day when they’re attending a dinner party. If you do this, you will have the tendency to overeat. Eat normally on the day of the dinner party. Eat a full breakfast, a light lunch and a small snack before the dinner party starts.

Ignore the appetizers – Eat some fruits, nuts or salads Instead of appetizers. This will help you keep watch of the calories even before the main course begins.

Don close-fitting clothes – Close-fitting clothes require you to suck your stomach in all the time. When you’re busy holding your tummy in, you will be conscious about the amount of food you put on your plate. Hence, you will eat less.

Add fun activities – Kids and adults will simply focus on the buffet table if there’s nothing to do in the party. Incorporate dancing, games and indoor or outdoor activities that everyone will enjoy.

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Depression in Early Childhood: Know Its Warning Signs

It is a fact that depression can begin in early childhood. Depression comes with warning signs. These symptoms can be observed in your children no matter how young they are.

Preschool children undergoing depression usually exude unexplained shyness and physical criticisms. Moreover, depressed young boys display anger while depressed young girls display sadness.

Young as they are, children aren’t able to express their feelings clearly – especially through words. Their depression may be caused by extreme fear about something or someone. They could express this by clinging tightly on their parents; not going to school or anywhere outdoors; and complaining about physical pain even with the lack of medical cause.

Apart from these, depression among young children may surface in the form of irritability. Medical and psychological experts see irritability as a key warning sign of depression among children. Irritability comes with varied facers – outbursts of anger, moodiness and negative behaviour or inappropriate reactions. When children are irritable, they are less likely to gain pleasure from play and interaction with other children their age. Thus, irritability in your children must be neglected at any rate. 

If you suspect your child of having depression, bring him to a pediatrician right away. A pediatrician is capable of determining any physical illness that causes the depression. Have his mental health checked if he turns out negative of any physical sickness. You will be able to know whether he has a mood disorder or not. Consider all appropriate treatments you can afford if he’s diagnosed to have depression.

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Effective Tips on Getting Your Children Do Homework

Even though kids do not like doing homework, they have to endure the process until they graduate high school if not college. Getting into a rhythm of great homework habits is difficult to start but it is achievable. However, you must take the extra effort to help your kids on this task before they can do it on their own.

Use a planner – This will be useful in planning out your kids’ tasks daily. When their homework are itemised in a planner according to deadlines, kids will not feel overwhelmed and so they will be encouraged to finish them bit by bit.

Stir clear of after school activities – It is important to face the fact that homework requires many hours to be completed. Thus, your kids must be free of after-school activities which eat much of their time and energy. If they have music lessons or sports, schedule it during the weekend.

Have a routine – Believe it or not, kids are comforted by routine. Routine makes them confident that they are in control of everything. After getting home from school, let your kids eat and rest for a couple of hours. Then, prod them to do their homework.

Create a homework  area – Do you have a study room in your house? If you don’t setting up a study area would be fine. It can be in their room, kitchen or living room. Just make sure that it’s free from distractions like computer games, loud music and TV.

Include breaks – Doing homework for long hours is strenuous. Allow your kids to stand, stretch and break away from their desk for a few minutes. Short breaks will keep them from getting bored or exhausted and losing concentration.

This video might help if you need more insights on this topic.

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Nagging Kids about Homework: Is This Advisable?

It is very tempting to nag your child when he’s not accomplishing all his homework. Before giving in to this temptation, pause for a second and understand that is common among kids to dislike doing homework. Primarily, this is due to the fact that they’ve already stayed long hours in school. They would really want to relax after school and spend their remaining energy on something enjoyable.

Nagging is not the solution to your child’s lack of motivation to accomplish his homework. Why? Nagging puts premium on the value of the homework and not on the value of your child. It may seem that nagging disciplines your child. But the truth is he simply completes his homework so that you can quit nagging him.

Nagging can also conditions your child you not to follow your orders the first time you said them. In effect, he will not do his homework until you remind him about it ten times. Such a situation can also lead to more serious issues like power struggle and irresponsibility.

Instead of nagging, allow natural consequences to happen when he has not done his homework. This will give him a taste of his irresponsibility. If ever he does his homework on time and receives positive consequences from doing so, encourage him to keep up the good work that he has started.

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Plaiting Your Horse's Mane - All You Need to Know

Growing up, I have always wanted to own a horse. I got interested in it because I used to help my grandfather groom horses for public ceremonies during holidays. My grandfather and I didn’t get paid much for it. But it gave us the creative satisfaction – from dressing up horses down to quarter marking their rumps.

Plaiting is one of the grooming skills that my grandfather and I have perfected in those early years. Keen to know how this is done properly? Read the following tips.

Prepare your plaiting tools – You will need a mane comb, body brush, elastic bands, hair gel, sponge and water.

Wash your horse’s mane – This is best done a few days before your scheduled plaiting. Apply shampoo and conditioner to avoid flyaways.

Position your horse – Choose a spot where you and your horse will be from distraction. Hang a hay net in front of your horse. This will keep him still. Tie him with a quick-release knot. Stand by the side of the neck where the mane is falls.

Brush the mane – Brushing will get rid of the tangles. Once the mane is untangled, comb it gently into sections. Moisten each section with water.

Plait with elastic bands – Plait each section tightly from the top to the bottom. Use an elastic band to secure each plaited section. Fold the plait twice. Use another elastic band to secure it. Repeat the same process all the way down the neck of your horse.

French braid your horse’s forelock – Do this up to your horse’s nose. Fold it under once done and secure using an elastic band.

Plaits are key in making your horse’s mane more presentable. They train the mane to fall on the preferred side. Moreover, they reveal your horse’s beautiful neck and crest.

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Temper Tantrums and Your Child

Temper tantrums is common among children. Some children may not express them though. It is characterised by screaming, kicking and other forms of uncontrollable behaviour. Children usually throw tantrums in public places.

Children throw tantrums when they can’t control their emotions or when they want to control the situation. Most children are overwhelmed by their emotions. They don’t know what to feel – anger, frustration or sadness. As a result, they scream and display wild behaviour. Moreover, some children throw tantrums in order to get what they want. This happens especially when parents turn down their requests to buy stuff or do something they like at the moment.

Prevention is better than cure – so goes the saying. Thus, the best way to deal with temper tantrums is to prevent it from ever happening. How? Start by observing your child. Is your child most like to lose control when she’s hungry, scared or tired?  If hunger causes your child to throw tantrums, refrain from planning activities that will cause him to skip meals.

Frustrations precede tantrums. In this regard, help your child manage his expectations so that he will not throw tantrums in public. For example, before going to the mall explain to your child that you cannot buy him a toy he might like.

In connection to this, establish firm rules with your child. Tell him that no matter how loud he screams in public you will not give in to what he wants. Moreover, keep him busy with a task while you’re together. This will keep his attention away from tantrum-causing situations.

Finally, teach your child how to manage his feelings. Give real life situations and ask them what to do during those situations. Reward him whenever he’s able to manage his emotions and temper.

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Ways to Build Positive Discipline in Your Home

Behavioral problems are common among kids today. They can be corrected by discipline - positive discipline specifically. Many psychological experts attest to the effectiveness of positive discipline. It comes with four important principles. Learn the following principles today if you want to enforce positive discipline in your home.

Build a healthy relationship - A healthy relationship between you and your children is founded on the quality that you spend together. Make time to know each of your children more. Do happy and positive activities with them. Ask them about their feelings at the moment. All these will help you create positive discipline in your household. 

Provide encouragement all the time - Mistakes are part of life. Instead of uttering words that hurt and scar your children's souls, comfort them with words of encouragement. Guide them to do and know better the next time they get caught in a similar situation.

Solve issues together -  Refrain from practicing authoritarian parenting. Involve your children in solving heart issues and problems happening that concern them. You might be surprised that they can give you better options in handling certain things. 

Do away with punishments - Present positive consequences to your children when you're disciplining them. Guide your children to doing things that will lead to desirable and positive results.  This will get them excited about correcting their behaviour.

By the way, I stumbled upon this video. You might find it helpful and so I'm sharing it.

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Insights on How to Improve Your Parenting Skills

Parenting is tough especially if it is your first time. What makes it tougher is that it comes with no manual. You do it as you go through it. Mistakes are inevitable in parenting but they can always be corrected. Do you want to improve your parenting skills? These tips can help you with that.

Spend quality time with your children and listen to them. Generally, parents never fail to share many hours with their children. But in those many hours that they sit with their kids, parents are unable to share quality time with their kids because they’re doing something else. Listen to your kids’ stories. Actively engage in a game with them. They will open up to you easily this way and you will get a hint on how to parent each of them depending on their personality.

Keep your cool. Don’t lose your control in front of your kids no matter how angry you are. This does not concern only you being angry at their misdeeds. This includes being angry at someone else or over circumstances you’re unable to control. The anger you display when times get tough or when someone becomes annoying implies that it is the right way to react. Your kids will copy just that.

Don’t break your own rules. Sticking by the rules you’ve made is crucial in instilling discipline in your child. Breaking them every now and then will promote irresponsibility.

Display love and affection as often as possible. Kids are most likely to obey parents who make them feel loved. Hug and kiss your kids. Say ‘I love you’ to them. Kids need emotional security more  than gifts, money or toys.

 

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Top Parenting Styles and Their Effects on Kids

Parenting styles are key in child development. Studies even show that relationships between parents and their children are also affected by parenting styles. Generally, parents discipline their children in four ways. These are known as authoritarian, authoritative, permissive and uninvolved parenting.

Authoritarian – In this parenting style, the parents set the rules and they simply expect their children to follow. The parents punish their children for dis obedience. In case of obstacles, the parents decide and plan the actions their children must take. This parenting style produce children who have no problems following rules set by the authorities – elders or people in the position. These children are less likely to grow up as law-breaking adults. On the negative side, these children are most likely to grow up as adults with very low self-esteem.

Authoritative – Rules also exist in this parenting style.  But exceptions to the rules are recognised here by both parents and children. Authoritative parents explain the logic behind each rule. They also consider the feelings of their children about each rule. They use consequences – positive ones – in disciplining their children. They also match obedience with praise and rewards. Children raised using this parenting style grow up into adults with good decision-making skills.

Permissive – As the term implies, this parenting style doesn’t involve rules. It lets children do whatever they want. Permissive parents tend to discipline their children only when the latter involve themselves in a serious problem. Permissive parents often want to act as their children’s best friends. Permissive parenting style produce children who have academic and behavioural problems. Consequently, these children grow into irresponsible adults.

Uninvolved – This parenting style simply promote neglect. Apart from not disciplining their children, uninvolved parents don't provide for their basic needs. These parents often leave their children in orphanages and entrust their upbringing to another person's care. Children of uninvolved parents lack happiness, discipline and self-esteem.

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The Truth About Root Canal Therapy

Root canal treatment is offered by most dentists to patients who have severe tooth decay. Even though it appears to be a common procedure, it is often not explained to concerned patients.

The root canal is a funnel-like spot inside the tooth. It is filled with soft tissue and nerves that give life to the tooth. These tissues and nerves are collectively known as the pulp.

Severe tooth decay causes infection that can damage the surrounding gums and teeth. To save the affected tooth and its neighboring teeth from falling off, root canal treatment is suggested by dentists. Before we go any further, let me share this infographic that can help us all in understanding what a root canal involves. 
 

In the event of severe tooth decay, a root canal may be necessary. The patient may be in severe pain, but by removing the pulp inside the canal, the pain and the infection can be eliminated. The removal process can be painful as well and it may add up to the agony that the patient is currently experiencing. Consequently, the dentist will first have to inject local anesthesia. As soon as the anesthesia numbs the infected tooth and the surrounding areas, the dentist can carry on with the procedure.

The dentist will drill a hole onto the tooth. The infected tissues and nerves will be removed through this hole. To remove the entire root system that could be lying deep into the gums, the dentist will need to dig deeper until the narrowest part of the root canal is reached.

Once the root canal is emptied, it will then be filled with a special type of cement. This cement serves as the pulp that will keep the treated tooth standing and functional. Often times, dentists suggest the application of a crown on the treated tooth. The crown can delay if not totally stop the crumbling of the pulp-less tooth.

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Tips On Encouraging Kids To Love Reading Books

Reading books is deemed as a chore by most kids these days. They no longer enjoy the feel of holding a book, flipping its pages and understanding its content chapter by chapter. Thus, making kids treat it as   fun activity will require much effort on the part of the parents.

The best way to make your kids love reading is to read aloud to them before bed time or whenever you have time to spare. This also means that you must love reading too. Instead of holding your gadget and browsing through ebooks, let your kids catch you holding your favourite paperback book and reading it in between household chores. If possible, limit the number of computers or mobile gadgets in your house.  A desktop or laptop for the whole family is enough especially when your kids are still young. 

Walk your kids to the nearest library in your locality. Kids can be thrilled with the idea of being surrounded with a lot of books and reading them with other kids. By frequenting the library with your kids, they will have a bigger chance to meet a reading or library buddy. Your kids will have new friends besides a new found love for reading.

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