Mar19

Breaking The Cycle Of Divorce

Posted on by
Breaking The Cycle Of Divorce

A friend recently quoted a familiar cliche to me recently in regards to my daughter: Apples don’t fall far from the tree. I’d better be a strong, healthy, fruit-laden tree for the sake of my kids, if someone is going to make such inferences, I thought.

So far, at least where my marriage is concerned, my apples are a bit rotten. I’m ow a divorcee. Due to no fault of their own, my children are now figures in an ever growing statistic. Will the trend continue into their adult lives? Have I unintentionally set them up for a legacy of failed marriages? Have my ex and I inadvertently lowered their adult expectations for a healthy relationship? Did I end up divorced because my parents divorced and I had no relevant role models for a good marriage? Or did I just mistakenly marry someone that ended up falling short of my ideal life partner?

I certainly cannot predict my children’s future. Still i fear my children will follow the same path we did, and that of their grandparents.

Marital discord in our family tree dates back to my own childhood. I was young when my parents divorced. It didn’t seem to affect me at the time. Only later in my teens and early college years did the gravity and consequences of my parents divorce really did sink in.

Specifically, I remember hating where we lived. I was the only kid in my class, or in my group of friends, who lived in an apartment. Everyone else came from brick homes from in suburbia with huge back yards with gorilla playsets, wooden swing sets, bounce houses and lush green grass. I also recall Christmas Day being the one time of the year when I avoided my friends’ phone calls. I loathed hearing about their new stereos, designer clothes and flashy skis for the upcoming senior road trip. a road trip we could not afford.

Our income status was not the only consequence of my parents divorce. I felt different from my peers, which only caused me to focus on what we didn’t have. I especially yearned for daily interaction with my dad. Involved dads hold a distinctive place in the hearts of children. They are our protectors, our rocks and our rescuers, when needed. Fathers represent, especially to daughters, what we will look for in our husbands.

The teenage years were just the beginning of my budding troubles. A divorce lasts far beyond the date of the final decree. I know this as both a child of divorce and now, a parent.

I hope the legacy my parents left me isn’t permeating the lives of my children. The idea that I have poisoned my childrens future because of my own divorce frightens me. More so, it saddens me. I don’t want my apples to fall from my tree if my past is a predictor of their future. I desperately want my son and daughter to have a fresh perspective on life – a perspective not spoiled by Mommy’s and daddy’s mistakes.

My daughter has been told she looks like me, acts like me, talks like me and is just as emotional as her mom. I feel totally responsible for who she becomes.

At the tender age of 7, she already mimics my tone of voice when she is angry, my hand gestures when she isn’t being understood and my lengthy hugs after a draining day. I pray she will one day be proud to hear she is just like her mother. If she can look beyond her parents divorce  and see the beauty we created before we said goodbye, she may imitate the good memories instead of the sad.

If her father and I can alter the course of the prophecy, I know her apples will be ripe with possibilities.

Feb13

Dealing With Parental Mistakes

Posted on by
Dealing With Parental Mistakes

1. Do you sometimes worry about the mistakes you may make inadvertently as a parent?

2. Do you fret about possible harmful effects your mistakes might have on your child?

3. Have you lost the ability to relax as a parent?

These questions need to be addressed because they are of concern to so many parents.

Childcare experts surmise that some of the anxiety parents experience is undoubtedly due to being bombarded with media information, sometimes contradictory, about infant child care, pre school and school age child development.  So we need to consider each of these questions in turn.

First, do you sometimes worry about the mistakes you may make inadvertently as a parent?  Actually, everyone, even professional childcare providers, make mistakes at one time or another.  It’s part of being human.  So there is no need to be consumed by guilt if you make a mistake from time to time.

Do you fret about possible harmful effects your mistakes might have later on your child?  Fortunately, most childcare and development experts tell us that a young child is a highly resilient creature.  This means that most mistakes generally will not harm your child, provided you are reasonable and are genuinely trying to help him.

So the important question to ask “When I made that mistake, was I genuinely trying to help my child, or did I do it just for my own convenience?”

As long as parents continue to strive to do what they think is best for their child, their love, even with some mistakes, will eventually triumph over all else.

Have you lost the ability to relax as a parent?  If so, step back from what you are doing.  Give yourself a break so that you can enjoy raising your child.

By doing yourself this favor, you are also doing your child a favor.  Your child needs a relaxed and happy environment in which to grow and develop.

So if you answered “yes” to the questions at the beginning of this article, we have a threefold message for you:

  1. Realize and accept that you will make mistakes.
  2. Focus your attention on doing what is good for your child rather than on guilt for what you may have done wrong.
  3. Give yourself and your child the gift of a relaxed home environment.

Oct18

Chiropractic Care For … Animals?

Posted on by
Chiropractic Care For … Animals?

Natural chiropractic care for animals is a natural and drug free approach to animal health. In conjunction with regular veterinary care, chiropractic care can decrease pain, add quality to your animal’s performance, movement, and well being.

All animals regardless of their age can benefit from periodic chiropractic check ups. The chiropractic adjustments are gentle and most animals noticeably enjoy their treatment. We see dogs and horses most frequently but all animals can benefit – including cats, rabbits and even elephants!

Chiropractors have been applying their techniques to the animal world almost from the beginning of formal work in chiropractic. D.D Palmer, the founder of chiropractic, wrote in 1910, “The chiropractic idea of disease and the adjusting of the vertebrae, therefore is applicable to all animals that have vertebral back bones”. His son B.J. Palmer wrote in 1940, “…in the early days of chiropractic, we maintained a veterinarian hospital where we adjusted the **vertebral subluxations of sick cows, horses, cats, dogs etc.

**(A Vertebral Subluxation is a chiropractic term meaning a misalignment of the vertebrae in the spinal column.This health condition can be fixed by a series of chiropractic adjustments).

Sharon Willoughby DVM, DC, (a veterinarian and a family chiropractor) started the first Veterinary Chiropractic school in 1985. This school (now known as OPTIONS FOR ANIMALS), trains veterinarians and family chiropractors in the art of Veterinary Chiropractic. Fiona also trained at Options for Animals and spent many hours observing Dr Willoughby at her private practice in Illinois, USA.

Chiropractic for Animals is not a substitute for primary veterinary care, and can only be performed with consent from a veterinarian.

Aug20

Student Budget Guide

Posted on by
Student Budget Guide

Have you just joined college? Well, you will definitely have a lot of fun in college but don’t forget that college is the biggest learning curve of your life. In college, you don’t only learn about the subjects that you choose but also have a lot of life experiences. And one of the most important things that you have to learn during college is saving. Developing smart saving habits is very important and this is precisely why you should open a student’s bank account.

Studentbanking.co.uk is one of the best resources to get information all about students’ bank accounts. The student bank accounts are especially designed for students pursuing higher education and it allows students to save money as well as pay regular bills from the account. The students’ accounts have a few benefits as well. For example, you will get a lot of lucrative welcome offers and overdrafts that are interest free. This means that you will be able to spend more money than is available in your account. However, spending more than you have is not a wise thing to do.

To make sure that you don’t spend more than your means, it is important to have an idea of how to  create a budget, and student budget guide can help with that.

Step 1:

To make a budget, you will first have to make a list of all your incomes. Include things like internships, jobs, award money and parental help in the income list. Add up all the incomes and see how much your average estimated income is. In case your work hour usually fluctuates, it is advisable to estimate a little lower that you actually earn.

Step 2:

Your second step will be to make a list of all your expenditures. Your expenditure list will include things like rent, food expenses, transport costs and other expenses that you have to bear every month. Add up all the expenses.

Step 3:

The third step is to compare the total income and total expenditure. Check the expenditure list closely and see whether you can strike out things that you really don’t require every month. Note down how much you have to earn in order to maintain all your expenditure.

Lastly, stick to your budget.

Jul5

Why Study Foreign Languages?

Posted on by
Why Study Foreign Languages?

Language is at the core of human experience. Through language we express the hopes and dreams we hold for our families, our state and our nation. The ability to communicate in a second language enables us to know the hopes, visions and dreams of others around the world. The study of foreign languages prepares today’s youth for tomorrow’s opportunities by supporting basic skills instruction, developing cross cultural understanding and preparing our youth to enter the global marketplace. Sequential foreign language study yields many benefits:

Listening skills:

Foreign language study has been shown to enhance listening skills and memory, contributing a significant additional dimension to the concept of communication.

Reading skills:

In the area of language arts, students of second languages are thought to improve their reading conprehension in the native language and also score higher in reading achievement.

Higher Test Scores:

During the past several years, data from the Admissions Testing Program of the College Board definitely shows a positive correlation between SAT scores and the study of foreign languages.

  • Each year of study correlates to increasingly higher scores. No other subject area, when isolated, produces the same results.
  • English and mathematics performance levels of students who have studied a foreign language in high school are higher than those of students who have not.
  • Detailed studies also suggest that the mental processing skills required to do mathematics problems are also developed by language processing, and vice versa.

Cultural Pluralism

Children who have taken foreign language classes develop a sense of cultural pluralism, openness to and appreciation of other cultures.

Career Development

Learning a foreign language provides a competitive edge in career choices in today’s and tomorrow’s world. This is substantiated by employers in New York State who, when interviewed by the New York State Department of Labor, expressed a desire for workers who can communicate in a second language.

Global Economy

The global economy is a fact of life in the 21 century. Some pertinent figures are listed below:

  • One out of 6 production jobs in U.S. depends on foreign trade.
  • 50% of the top profit making companies on Fortune Magazine “500″ list are foreign owned.
  • 20 million foreigners travel annually to the United States and spend $8 billion. They spend nearly $1 billion in New York city alone.

 

May10

Small Backyard Swing Sets For Kids

Posted on by
Small Backyard Swing Sets For Kids

If you have a limited number of space in your back yard and kids keep asking you for their own wooden swing set or gorilla playset, the situation is not hopeless. Having a swing set for kids has a lot of benefits, including saving you time that you spend taking kids every other day to the park to play on wooden swing sets.  You will not have to take time out of your busy day to spend on driving your kids there and back, if you had a wooden swing set.
Lets look at the number of possible options for you. There are many great backyard swing sets for kids on the market, many of them come with great options that are not only sized for smaller spaces, but also very affordable. The time to begin your search for smaller backyard play sets is early spring. Then you will have enough time to research gorilla swing set and other smplay sets for kids online and will not be pressed for time to make a buying decision.
With so many options available, like the material swing sets for kids are made out of, the colors, the features, and the add-ons, most people become confused and frustrated. If this is the case with you, read on to discover several great backyard playsets by two different companies that are sized perfectly for smaller yards.

Option number one is the stellar Bearcreek Bungalow unit by Woodlawn. This unit is perfect for a smaller yard or parents that don’t want it to take over their entire area. Check out this compact option that is easy to put together. It will save parents a lot of frustration and possibly from having to hire a carpenter or handy man to help assemble it because it has pre-assembled parts. For example, some of the pre-built components are the rockwall (which is always a kid favorite to play on), side panels, deck floor and the climbing ladder. If you are not a handyman and have difficulty constructing things, than the Woodlawn backyard playsets are the perfect solution for you. However, don’t let the size of this particular option fool you. It packs a punch in terms of all of the options and accessories that are offered with it. There are a ton of great play options for these wooden swing sets that will entertain kids for hours, just like the bigger versions.

Another great option is by Swing-N-Slide, a very well known and reputable company in the playground industry. Their wonderful collection of backyard playsets can be found in the backs of homes across the country. The unit that is perfect for smaller spaces is the Brentwood. These awesome wooden swing sets offer the discovery mountain climbing wall and an 8-foot wave slide. Your children will thoroughly enjoy playing on both of these great options. They will be able to develop upper body strength as they rock climb and the slide offers a fun and thrilling ride down. These wooden swing sets really are one of the best options for smaller areas where space is a problem. Another benefit of this unit is that it is a ready-to-assemble kit that features the award-winning Rapid-LOC bracket system. The best part is that everything you need is in one box. This cuts down visits to the lumberyard or hardware store to build it!