1. Use Facebook, Myspace or other social media.

One of the biggest obstacles to keeping friendships going is time. It takes time to email, to call, to make plans, to send holiday cards, to remember birthdays and to just keep up on another person’s life when you have one of your own. While it can be said that technology encourages people to stay tapping behind a computer screen rather than see people face-to-face, social media lets us keep in touch with more people. It gives us an efficient way to feel more up to date and have a stronger sense of connection.

2. Show up.

Nothing can replace seeing someone in person. Go to a wedding, go to a funeral, visit a newborn baby, make a date for lunch, stop by someone’s home. Make the effort.

3. Join or start a group.

They allow you to make and maintain new friendships. It turns out that seeing a person once every six weeks is plenty to keep a friendship alive. Meeting in a group is efficient, because you see a lot of people at once; it also means you’re creating a social network, not just a friendship. It’s a lot easier to maintain friendships with people if you have several friends in common.

4. Think about what’s fun for you.

People like to socialize in different ways. Maybe your friends like to go out drinking on Friday nights but that’s not fun for you, suggest different plans. Take charge of shaping your social environment. Some people become exhausted by their desire to keep up with all their friends; some people find it hard to get motivated to make plans at all. Think about what level and type of social activity brings you happiness, then make the effort to make it happen.

5. Be wary of false choices.

People say, ” I want to have a few close friends, not a bunch of superficial friends.” But that’s a false choice. There are all kinds of friends. You can have intimate friends and casual friends. I have work friends whom I never socialize with outside of work. I have childhood friends whom I only see once every couple years. I have online friends whom I’ve never met face to face. While all these friendships aren’t equally important to me, they still add to my life.

6. Make the effort to say “This made me think of you.”

We’re all busy, and keeping in touch can feel like a lot of work. One thing that works is to write “this made me think of you” emails whenever you see something of interest to a friend. Or when you see or think of something that reminds you “of that one time we did….” picking up the phone and sharing.

7. Cut people slack.

Except in the face of overwhelming evidence of bad intentions, try not to take it personally if a friend is late, cancels plans at the last minute, forgets about something that’s improtant to you, doesn’t answer an email, says something thoughtless……we all get caught up in our own lives sometimes. We have a tendency to view other people’s actions as reflections of their characters, and to overlook the power of a situation to influence their action. Don’t assume your friend is thoughtless and uncaring; maybe they are just overwhelmed by the demands of their own life.

8. Don’t expect friendship to happen spontaneously.

As with many aspects of happiness, people often assume that friendships should flow easily and naturally, and that trying to “work” on it is forced. Sometimes friendships naturally come together but in the world we live in today and all the demands life puts on us all, friendships are worth the “work” you put into them.

-Always make sure you have read the operating guide for your lawn mower. The better you understand how to use it, the safer you will be. Try to use a mower with a control that stops the mower from moving fowrward if the handle is let go.

-Make sure to wear the correct shoes. Do not wear sandals or sneakers, and do not go barefoot.

-Prevent injuries from flying objects, like stones or toys, by inspecting the lawn and picking up objects. If there is something in the lawn that cannot be removed, such as sprinkler heads or drainage caps, mow around the object.

-Make sure children are away from the area being mowed.

-Start and refuel mowers outdoors, not in a garage or shed. Mowers should be refueled with the motor turned off and cool.

-Always use care on inclines. Push walk-behind mowers across slopes and drive riding mowers up and down slopes.

-Always keep all four whells on the ground. Tilting the mower cowuld cause something to unexpectedly fly out from underneath.

-Never leave a running mower unattended. You never know who or what can get caught up in your mower while you are not there.

-Always disconnect the spark plug when you work on your mower. This will prevent the engine from accidentally starting. Make sure the blade settings are changed by an adult, with the mower off and the spark plug removed.

-Always turn off the mower and wait for the blades to stop completely before removing the grass catcher, unclogging the discharge chute or crossing gravel paths, roads, or other areas.

-Never allow children to ride as passengers on ride-on mowers.

Days 1 to 3: Push his morning snooze to 11 a.m. Ideally, he’d rest for two hours or more.

Days 4 to 7: Each day, push naptime back 15 to 20 minutes to get closer to a noon siesta.

Days 8 to 10: Continue to push naptime back until it starts at 12:30 p.m. or 1 p.m. Very soon after lunch. You don’t want it to get stuck at 11 a.m. because then your toddler will be awake too long before bedtime, and he will be a very cranky little man.

Four to fine hours seems to be about the right amount of awake time between nap and bedtime. Hopefully, he will stay in this nap routine at least until age 4.

Keep it short. Twelve month old babies don’t have much stamina, so two hours is probably the longest they can last with all the fun going on around them. Try scheduling the party around nap times, so they are in a good mood.

Save the themes for later. Your baby won’t understand a party theme. Use your creative energy to make something memorable for your baby’s scrapbook.

Have plenty of toys on hand. Your baby won’t understand structured activities. Let them play and do whatever makes them happiest!

Record for the memories. Ask another family member to be on camera duty so that you will be in the pictures or video.

Don’t forget the presents! Your baby might not understand the importance of the occasion, but they will enjoy unwrapping the gifts. They will probably even prefer the boxes and paper to what’s inside!

Many parents are concerned about their child’s thumbsucking. Wondering if its harmful and at what age it should stop.

Infants and young children suck on things because it makes them feel secure and helps them to learn about their world. Young children often use thumbsucking to soothe themselves. They find it relaxing often using it to fall asleep.

Thumbsucking does not cause a problem with teeth until the permanent front teeth come in(beginning about age 6). The strength of sucking determines whether or not dental problems will occur. Children who rest their thumbs in their mouths are less likely to have problems than those who vigorously suck their thumbs.

Here are a few tips to help your child stop:

1. Offer praise for not sucking.
2. Remember that children often suck their thumbs to feel secure. Focus on correcting the cause of the anxiety and comfort your child.
3. Reward children when they avoid sucking during difficult times.
4. Your dentist can explain to your child what could happen to their teeth if they do not stop.
5. Relax. Remember that most children stop on their own before any problem occur.

A quote from a very funny movie that I always think of when I hear people overreacting to a situation.

The other day I found myself in yet another stupid debate on a forum board. The thread concerned an article about multi-cultural dolls being sold at Kmart. Apparently some people felt this was the perfect example of the downfall of the world. Yes! Hispanic barbies=The end of the world!!! As if this madness was not enough, a couple of the posters felt that the Jews were behind this. Don’t get me wrong, I would never underestimate the influence Jews have on the world but for the love of god these are children’s dolls. Do multi-cultural barbies bother you? Don’t buy them! You are not being forced to. Can’t stand even seeing them in your local store? Make the choice not to shop there. It really is that simple.

Its funny how a person can get themselves worked up over things that in the big picture don’t mean a thing, yet they will remain silent when it comes to the core issues of our movement. What it comes down to is we need more action and less reaction. Did you know, right at this moment in Arizona, illegal immigrants are walking into our country carrying drugs and IF they are caught, not only are they not deported, they are not prosecuted for it. The excuse? The State attorney for Arizona has lost federal funding, so there is no manpower or money to prosecute. This is a real problem. There are lobbyist out there that are pushing for thoughts to be added to hate crime legislation. Can you imagine? A law that would allow you to be prosecuted for what people perceive that you think . That is scary. Right now, we have POW’s that are serving unfair amounts of time for their beliefs, not for what their crimes are. This is something to get worked up over.

My main goal these days is to insure my children and myself have the right to have pride in our heritage and our race. I’m ok with other races having pride in their culture as long as it is not pushed on me and mine. Hispanic, black, and Hmong kids have their own dolls selling at Kmart, well good for them. My kids won’t be playing with them. Multi-cultural dolls are nothing. Lets get worked up about something that matters.

Sara WAU

6 slices bacon

3/4 cup chopped onion

2 T flour

2 T sugar

2 t salt

1/2 t celery seed

dash pepper

3/4 cup water

1/3 cup vinegar

Wash potatoes; pare thinly and remove eyes. Heat 1 inch salted water (1/2 t salt to 1 cup water) to boiling. Add potatoes. Cover tightly; heat to boiling and cook 30 to 35 minutes or until tender. Drain; set aside.

In large skillet, fry bacon until crisp; remove and drain. Cook and stir onion in bacon drippings until tender and golden brown. Stir in flour, sugar, salt, celery seed and pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring until bubbly. Remove from heat; stir in water and vinegar. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute.

Crumble bacon. Thinly slice potatoes. Carefully stir bacon and potatoes into hot mixture. Heat through, stirring lightly to coat potato slices.

Makes 5 or 6 servings.

Sara WAU

Cutting serving portions with a metal knife or utensil: Use rubber or silicone spatulas to portion and serve from your cookware or bake ware.

Storing pans improperly: Storing pans haphazardly along with other metal implements can cause scratches in the finish. Always nest your nonstick frying pans and bake ware carefully, and do not allow other metal pan covers with thin, sharp edges to sit inside your pans.

Drastic water temperature changes: Placing a very hot nonstick frying pan into cool or lukewarm dishwater can cause your pan to warp. A warped pan will not have even heat distribution and its cooking abilities will be reduced. Always allow your pan to cool completely before immersing it in water.

Using metal spatulas, whisks, or tongs: Refrain from using any metal utensils on your nonstick cookware to stir, turn food, scrape food residue, or blend foods right in the pan. The best utensils to use are wood, plastic, or silicone.

Cleaning pans in a dishwasher: Dishwasher detergents are generally too harsh for most nonstick cookware and kitchenware, and will eventually cause the finish to wear off. Bake ware that has scratches in it may also not dry completely and could rust. Hand-wash your nonstick cookware and dry completely before storing.

Cooking on high heat: Most nonstick cookware is made for low- and medium-heat cooking. Too high a heat can wear down or blister the finish, as well as cause pans to warp. To maintain your pan and increase its lifespan, follow the manufacturer’s instructions regarding cooking heat.

Storing foods in your nonstick pans: Foods should never be stored in the pans but should be removed. Pans should be cleaned carefully and dried before storing.

Cutting your pizza with a cutter: Cutting your pizza right in the nonstick pizza pan will mar the finish. Always slide your pizza out onto a wooden cutting board, and then apply the pizza cutter to portion servings.

Sara WAU

Source : Household Helpers

Eat lots of fibre, raw fruit and vegetables etc. which will help prevent constipation. Drink plenty of fluids and don’t put off going to the bathroom, when you need to go. Strong chemical laxatives are not recommended during pregnancy as they may induce miscarriage.

Establish an eating routine. Eat your high fiber foods or prunes first thing in the morning so that your digestive system will have the whole day to work.

Stay away from mineral oil as a laxative. It may prevent nutrients from being absorbed by your body.

Stay away from castor oil as a laxative. Castor oil can cause premature uterine contractions.

Sara WAU

1) How well it supports your baby’s head.

2) Wheter the covers are machine washable.

3) Only those with a seal of approval as a car seat, not a baby carrier.

4) How easy it is to adjust the harness.

5) Wheter the seat reclines.

Sara WAU