Determine your “Why” and write it down.

Think about the reason why you want to loose weight. Is it to look better in a bathing suit for that vacation in July? Is it to be healthier and get your risk for heart disease and diabetes down? Do you want to be able to enjoy a more active lifestyle? Do you want more energy to play catch with the kids? Be as specific as possible.
Now take out a sheet of paper and write down your big “Why”.

Set and write down sensible weight-loss goals.

The next important tip to being able to stick to your weight-loss goal is to set a sensible goal to begin with. You shouldn’t expect yourself to loose more than 1 to 2 pounds per week. Look for a Body Mass Index (BMI) calculator online to help you determine whether you are underweight, normal, overweight, or obese. The higher your BMI, the more weight you can expect to lose in the long run. If you are in the normal range, but feel that you should lose weight, you may not want to aim for more than 5 pounds. On the other hand, if you are obese, than losing 50 pounds this year may be a good goal for you.
I would also like to encourage you to consult with your physician before starting any weight loss program. He or she can give you an even better idea on a good goal for you.

Make a plan you can stick with all year long.

You know yourself better than just about anyone else. Most likely you’ve been on a diet or two (or more). So you already know what doesn’t work for you. You’ll be most likely to stick with something common sense making small changes that you can live with from here on. Eat healthier and consume fewer calories, but also get more active.

Set small goals along the way.

Look at where you are at now and at your goal for the end of the year. Now break it down into several small goals. You want to break your weight loss journey down into small chunks that seem more attainable. Focus on the first “mini” goal until you reach it and then move on to the next one.

Keep track of your progress.

Keep a journal and record what you eat and how active you are during the day. If you chase the kids around the yard for 20 minutes, record it. Writing these things down builds accountability. You’ll find yourself thinking, “If I eat that cookie, I’ll have to write it down. I better skip it”. Or if you haven’t been a couch potato all day, you may be motivated to take a quick walk around the block so you can jot it down in your journal.

Celebrate each small goal.

Remember those small goals you planed out? Make sure you celebrate each goal you reach - but not with food. Reward yourself with a new blouse, a manicure, or a good book. Pick something you truly enjoy. This will build some positive reinforcement that will keep you going until you reach the next goal.

Keep your “Why” in mind.

Don’t loose track of the big picture. Remind yourself daily of your big “Why”, the reason why you want to lose weight. Keep the sheet of paper with your reason for losing weight close by and read it every morning or every evening. This is another big motivator to keep you going all year.

Losing weight can seem like a daunting task, especially if you have a fair amount to lose and you are just starting out. Don’t let it intimidate you though. Take it one step and one pound at a time. Before you know it, it will be the December and you will be 5, 10 or 50 pounds lighter. I know you can do it!

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Susanne Myers invites you to discover a healthier you. Think healthy cooking is hard? Or expensive? Think again. The Healthy Menu mailer makes it easy by providing you with a week’s worth of healthy dinner recipes and the grocery list to go along. To find out how you can save time and money and still fix delicious and nutritious meals visit www.healthymenumailer.com.

Post from: Lady Pens

Don’t lose more than 1 to 2 pounds a week.
You are aiming for slow and steady weight-loss. To set your goal, decide when you want to lose the weight by, and then expect to lose 1 or 2 pounds a week. So, if you figure a time period of 6 months, you want your goal to be around 26 - 52 pounds.

Even small goals will make a difference.
Don’t feel like you have to lose a lot of weight to make difference in your health. You will see benefits by losing as little as 10% of your body weight. If you weigh 150 pounds, losing 15 pounds may show an improvement in your overall health and the way you feel.

Use the Body Mass Index.
Feeling overweight, or thinking that you should lose some weight can be very subjective. To get a better feel for where you are at, you may want to calculate your Body Mass. Visit http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/bmi/calc-bmi.htm to find out what your BMI is and what it means. Adjust your weight-loss goal so you will eventually be in the “normal” category.

Speak to your physician.
Schedule an appointment with your general practitioner. He or she knows your medical history and will be able to advise you on how much you should lose. It is always a good idea to speak to your physician before you start any diet or exercise program.

Set Mini Goals.
Once you set your ultimate goal and have a time-plan for reaching it, break it up into several mini goals to reach along the way. Looking at a big goal can seem a little intimidating. Breaking it up into smaller goals allows you to focus on your first mini goal and gives you a feeling of accomplishment when you reach that goal. Then just move on to the next mini goal until you reach your big goal.

Now that you have your weight-loss goal and the mini goals in place, start by tackling your first mini goal. I know you can succeed by approaching weight-loss one step at a time. Your next challenge is just to get started.

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Susanne Myers invites you to discover a healthier you. Think healthy cooking is hard? Or expensive? Think again. The Healthy Menu mailer makes it easy by providing you with a week’s worth of healthy dinner recipes and the grocery list to go along. To find out how you can save time and money and still fix delicious and nutritious meals visit www.healthymenumailer.com

Post from: Lady Pens

Super Restrictive Diets

We all like instant gratification. We want to loose 30 pounds in 3 days. That’s what drives us to super restrictive diets that promise immediate fast results. We go on the soup diet, the rice diet or the egg diet. We are bound to give up - who can eat that stuff for 30 days straight?

The Juice Diet

With this particular diet, you don’t have anything other than water and this disgustingly sweet juice for 48 hours. Sure you’ll lose a few pounds of water when you first try it, but it’s obviously not a long-term diet plan.

Diet Pills

Diet Pills are supposed to work by suppressing your appetite and boosting your metabolism by using caffeine and similar stimulants. They don’t work well long term for two reasons. You don’t feel very well if you’re jacked up on caffeine that much. I tend to get grumpy, impatient and jittery. Secondly, their effects tend to wear off over time. Your body just gets used to all the extra stimulants and you loose the intended benefits and are simply stuck with a caffeine addition.

Low Carb Diet

Any diet that cuts out most of a major food group will be hard to stick with. Low carb diets were all the craze a few years ago, but are slowly starting to fade out. The reason is simple. In the long run, we don’t want to give up bread, pasta and rice.

You already know that these quick fix diets don’t work. You’ve probably made the New Year’s resolution to lose weight a few times and given up sooner or later. Make this year different. How? By using a more common sense approach to dieting. Eat healthy, make small changes to consume fewer calories and get more active. Slow and steady changes in what you eat and what you do will get you there. You will still be sticking to your resolution in February, March, and all the way into December.

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Susanne Myers is the co-creator of Healthy Menu Mailer. Busy Moms love the easy-to-prepare healthy dinner recipes, grocery lists and encouragement to stay healthy every day of the week. Get 7 free easy-to-prepare recipes that everyone in your family will enjoy by visiting www.healthymenumailer.com/sample.html

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Allergies

Did you know that eczema can be caused by the foods you eat or even what type of soap or laundry detergent you use? Eczema can be a symptom of an allergic reaction. If you suspect this may be the cause for your eczema, keep a food journal for a few weeks and see if you can find a connection between your eczema outbreaks and what you eat. You should also pay attention to any changes in your skin as a result of using a new laundry detergent or soap.

Skin Irritation

If you are prone to eczema, chances are your skin is very delicate and susceptible to irritation from outside factors. Often this skin irritation will also bring on an episode of eczema. The irritation can be caused by anything from rough clothing and towels, to harsh soaps and even extreme heat or cold. Sweating is also one of the known causes for eczema. Avoid wearing itchy sweaters and other rough clothing. Use a soft towel and pat yourself dry after a shower. Stay away from hot baths or showers and only use mild soaps and cleansers.

Stress

Many people experience eczema outbreaks when they are stressed out. There are two ways to tackle this issue. The best way would be of course to get rid of anything that is causing you anxiety and stress. That’s obviously not always possible, but take a good look at your life and how you could minimize some of that stress. Are there tasks you could outsource? Maybe it is time to find a less stressful job or get out of a relationship.

When you can’t get rid of the things that stress you out, learn to manage the stress better and also learn how to relax. Mediation is a very effective way to manage your stress levels. You can start with some simple breathing exercises and then move on to more advanced meditation techniques. Something as simple as taking a warm bath or going for a walk can do wonders as well to prevent future eczema outbreaks by reducing stress.

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To learn more about the causes of eczema as well as treatment options currently available visit www.eczematruth.com

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Natural Healing Lotions

When it comes to healing broken skin you should consider vitamin e and zinc to promote fast healing. Choose natural lotions with either one of these ingredients. Of course, you can also take both of them as an oral supplement. Natural healing lotions can help along in the healing process and get your skin back to normal faster.

Soothing Oatmeal Baths

An oatmeal bath is a great way to treat eczema. Add ground oatmeal to running bathwater. The oatmeal soothes itchy skin which of course keeps you from scratching and gives your skin a chance to heal. Oatmeal bath packets can be found at any drugstore or natural food store. Another option is to buy plain oatmeal and grind it in a coffee grinder to make your own oatmeal bath. When taking an oatmeal bath, it is important that the water isn’t too hot, or you risk drying your skin out even more. After your bath, use a soft towel to pat yourself dry. Avoid rubbing with the towel, which could irritated sensitive skin.

Prevent Eczema With A Good Moisturizer

The best way to treat eczema is to prevent it from flaring up in the first place. One way to do this is to keep your skin well moisturized. A natural body lotion without additives or preservatives should be used daily. This is particularly important right after you get out of the shower. Use moisturizer several times a day during the winter months, when your skin is exposed to dry heated air. Moisturizing your skin will help prevent eczema from flaring up. Make sure you also drink plenty of water to moisturize from the inside as well.

Give these natural eczema treatments a try and see if they don’t provide you at least some relief. Of course they should not be your only treatment option if you are suffering from moderate to severe eczema.

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For more information about eczema visit www.eczematruth.com and www.eczematruth.com/eczema-treatments.html for information on the different types of treatment options available today.

Post from: Lady Pens

Cooking healthy meals for your family will give everyone the energy they need for a full day, give them better concentration and focus, and help them do well in life. This will not deprive your family in any way. You will all be getting the proper nutrients you need without completely passing on all treats. Eating healthy is important for your health - not just now, but for the future as well. Studies have shown that eating healthy can help to reduce the risks of various ailments, heart disease, stroke, and many cancers. You can help your family lead a healthier life by cooking healthy meals.

Guidelines For Healthy Cooking -

1) Use Plenty of Fruits And Vegetables: Fruits and vegetables are often overlooked in today’s diet. However, fruits and vegetables are very important because they have vitamins, minerals and even antioxidants to keep you healthy, strong and help you fight illnesses. It is important to use fresh ingredients when cooking. Do not overcook your vegetables, as this will take out some of the nutritional value of them. Consider serving your vegetables raw or just blanch them (boil for about 5 minutes). Kids will especially love blanched veggies because it brings out their colors and makes them a little bit softer. Blanching doesn’t take out nutrients because you are only boiling them for 5 minutes. Just wait for the water to boil and place the veggies in. Put them on ice after the 5 minutes to stop the cooking process. You may also want to serve fruits with dinnertime as well. Most people don’t and that is why most people don’t get enough fruit in their daily diet. Serve a fruit and veggie with each meal.

2) Stick To Lean Meats And Fish: Lean meats and fish are an important part of your diet. However, too much meat can actually cause health problems. This is why adding fish to at least two meals a week can increase your health. Lean meats are better for you because they have less fat and sometimes less cholesterol than the other meats. Look for lean meats in your grocery store. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different types of fish: salmon, tuna steaks, haddock, cod, etc. Fish has important fatty acids that are excellent for your body and mind.

3) Watch The Fat You Use: Try to wean off of real butter and other fatty foods. If you must use real butter remember that just one tab of it a day is enough - no more. There are other options to choose from than just butter or lard. Add some of these items to your kitchen and your meals: olive oil, avocado, vegetable oil, butter spread made from olive oil, etc. You can also try using spices for your meals instead of fats. Try balsamic vinegar on your salad instead of salad dressing, or vinegar and olive oil. These can make great alternatives to other fatty foods.

4) What You Drink Counts Too! Do not forget about what you drink. As adults, we tend to not pay any attention to what we choose for beverages. A simple can of soda can have a lot of calories, sodium, sugar, and more in it. It doesn’t really matter if it is diet or not. It is still unhealthy. Cut down on drinks like soda, juices, coffee, and tea. You can healthily have coffee and tea about two times a day - that’s two cups a day, especially if you use sugar and cream. Try using lemon in your tea instead of honey or sugar. The best thing to drink is water. Always try to choose water over any other drink. Kids should not have more than two cups of juice a day because of the sugar. Make sure they get water everyday - and you too!

5) Treats In Moderation Are Ok: This is not a fad diet. This is a lifestyle change for you and your family. Yes, you can have treats in moderation. Have something every once in a while.

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Are you ready to give healthy cooking a try? Start by getting your free menu planning basics report now at: www.menuplanningcentral.com

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Green Eggs and Ham

This has to be the most famous Dr. Seuss inspired dish. Scramble a few eggs, add a couple of drops of blue food coloring to the mixture and cook as usual. You can serve a warmed up slice of ham with it, and if you want to go all out, brush the ham with a little green food coloring.

My kids love either biscuits, or mashed potatoes with this dish. Add a little food coloring (either green, or a complimentary color like red) to the biscuit dough or the finished mashed potatoes for even more fun.

Cat in The Hat Snack

Make the Cat’s Hat for a fun snack. All you need is a few Ritz crackers, gummy lifesavers (preferably in white/clear and red) and a little vanilla frosting. Put the Ritz cracker on a plate. Use a little bit of vanilla frosting to glue the first lifesaver on the cracker. “Glue” more lifesavers on top of the first one alternating between red and white.
These snacks are so cute; you may want to take a picture of your child’s creation before it is devoured.

Wiggly Fish

This snack was inspired by “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish”. Prepare several different colors of Jello according to package directions and pour each flavor into a shallow pan. Use a fish shaped cookie cutter to cut the Jello into fish shapes. (If you don’t have a fish shaped cookie cutter you could also just cut fish shapes with a knife.) You can also add small pieces of fruit to the Jello mixture before it cools. This is a great way to sneak an extra serving of fruit into your child’s diet.

Pink Ink for The Yink

The Yink in “One Fish, Two Fish” love to drink pink ink. Make your own version by combining a few strawberries (either fresh, or frozen and thawed) and some milk in a blender. Add a few drops of red food coloring if the “ink” isn’t pink enough.

A Fruity Hat For The Cat

How about this for a fun Sunday breakfast? Whip up a batch of silver dollar pancakes and cut up some fresh strawberries. Grab some whipped cream and let the kids assemble the Cat’s hat by stacking pancakes, and strawberries on top of each other using the whipped cream as “glue”.

Enjoy a few of these Dr. Seuss inspired snacks and meals with your family, or invite a few neighbor kids over for a Dr. Seuss party. Either way they are a lot of fun and a great way to bring some of the Seuss stories to life.

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Want more family friendly recipes and crafts ideas? Visit www.dinewithoutwhine.com/info for a sample weekly menu plan your entire family will love and www.kinderinfo.com for tons of craft and activity ideas that are sure to keep your little ones entertained.

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Decorate A Cookie

· Sugar Cookie Dough
· Cookie Cutters
· Wax Paper
· Confectioner’s Sugar
· Water
· Food Coloring
· Assorted candies
· Colored Sugar (different colors)
· Sprinkles

Prepare a batch of your favorite cookie dough, or purchase some refrigerated sugar dough. Roll it out and place it on the wax paper. Let the kids cut out cookies using the cookie cutter, then bake them according to the baking instructions for your dough.

Allow the cookies do cool. Prepare “Glue” by mixing the confectioner’s sugar with water to form a sticky paste. You can add food coloring to turn it into different colors. The kids can paint the cookies with this glue, then add candies sprinkles and colored sugar.

Allow them to dry and either let the kids eat them at the party, or place them in plastic bags so they can take them home after the party.

Magic Wands

· Refrigerated Sugar Cookie Dough
· Star Cookie Cutter
· Popsicle Stick
· Confectioners’ Sugar
· Hot Water
· Food Coloring

Roll out the sugar cookie dough and cut using a star-shaped cookie cutter; bake according to package instructions.

As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, and are still soft to the touch, carefully push a Popsicle stick between any two points of the star. This makes the handle for your wand.

Frost the cookies with glossy icing. To make glossy icing, simply sift confectioners’ sugar into a bowl. Slowly add hot water, while mixing, until it becomes a smooth paste. Add a few drops of food coloring to make extra colorful treats. These wand cookies are somewhat fragile, but they’re delicious and a lot of fun to eat!

Dessert Pizza

· Sugar cookie dough, store bought
· 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
· 1 cup sugar
· 1 teaspoon vanilla
· Fruit slices like banana, strawberries, apples and blueberries
· Greased cookie sheet or pizza pan

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Slice up the dough like you’re making cookies.

Press the dough into a pizza pan. You should end up with thin, sweet pizza dough. Bake it for about 8 minutes and cool it on a rack.

Combine the sugar, vanilla and softened cream cheese. Spread it all over you pizza crust.

Top with the fruit slices.

There you have it … Three fun baked treats that not only make a great addition to any birthday party, whether you are serving cake or not. They are also a fun activity for the kids during the party. Give one of these a try at the next child birthday party you throw.

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For tips and ideas to plan the perfect birthday party visit www.littlegirlbirthdayparty.com and for more kid-friendly recipes delivered to your inbox every week visit www.dinewithoutwhine.com/info

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Using an unfamiliar bathroom can be a bit of a challenge for both parent and child during this stage. Here are some tips to make the adjustment easier on both of you. Before you know it your little girl will be comfortable using a public restroom.

Use The Potty Before You Leave

Use the bathroom before you leave and encourage your child to do the same. Wording it as “Let’s go use the bathroom before we leave” works much better than demanding your child go to the potty or she doesn’t get to go. She will feel like a big girl, since she is doing what Mommy or Daddy does before they go out to run an errand.

Bring Toilet Paper Or Wipes

Since restrooms aren’t always stocked with toilet paper, bring a few sheets of your own. Carrying a small container of moist wipes works as well and helps clean up all sorts of little messes. Carry a small container of hand sanitizer in case there is no soap to wash your hands.

Scout Out The Bathroom When You Get There

When you get to a store or bathroom, take a quick peek in the bathroom with your child. She’ll feel more comfortable using it later if she knows where it is at and what it looks like.

Use Large Stalls

Whenever possible, use the larger handicapped stall. There’s enough room in there for both you and your child. A lot of stores, malls, and even larger venues like amusement marks and museums how have family bathrooms. They are much larger than regular bathrooms, usually include a changing area and have enough room to even fit a stroller inside. Since they are usually for the exclusive use of parents with small children, they tend to be cleaner than regular restrooms.

Don’t Leave Your Child Unattended In A Public Bathroom

Always accompany a small child into a public restroom. Unfortunately you just never know who might be hanging out in there. Play it save and stay with your child. For women it is usually acceptable to take a small boy into the lady’s room. For a father, taking his daughter may be a little trickier. Check out the men’s restroom. If there is a stall that is somewhat clean and there is no one standing at the urinals, it is perfectly fine to take your daughter in there. If the lady’s room is the only option, Dad could stay at the door and walk his daughter through the process, making sure you stay in verbal contact. If the lady’s room is completely empty, he can also take her inside, and let other women coming in know he’s there. Just jell something along the lines of “Dad in here, just a minute”.

Keeping these suggestions in mind, go ahead and venture out with your potty-trained child. After a few trips to the public restroom she will be a pro at it and you won’t believe you ever had to worry about it.

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For more information about potty training, potty training tips and a free ecourse to help you potty train your child visit www.mypottytraining.com

Post from: Lady Pens

Make A Batch Of Cookies

What child doesn’t love to make - and of course eat - cookies. Whip up a batch of your favorite chocolate chip or sugar cookie dough. Make them special by adding some small candies like mini M&Ms. With sugar cookies, you can keep the kids busy even longer by letting them cut out shapes with cookie cutters. Bake the cookies, and then pour everyone a big glass of milk to serve with the warm baked treats.

Play A Board Game

Remember those boxes of board games that have been collecting dust in the closet? Dig one of them out and ask the kids to join you for a fun game of Candyland, Memory or The Game Of Life. Just grab one of your old favorites and share it with the kids. Card games also work well.

Go Play In The Rain

As long as it’s not too cold outside and of course only while there are no thunderstorms in the area, playing in the rain can be a lot of fun. Get everyone dressed in their rain gear (including boots) and go jump in some puddles. I bet you have forgotten how much fun that can be - and the kids won’t believe Mom is actually outside jumping around with them. What a great way to bond with your kids.

Watch A Movie Together

When was the last time you snuggled up on the couch with the kids and watched a movie together? Rainy days are perfect for this. Pop some popcorn and enjoy the show. Take it even further by reenacting scenes later, or making a craft that relates to the movie.

Build A Fort - Inside

What child doesn’t love to build a tent or fort? When it’s pouring outside, bring the fun inside. Throw a blanket over a few chairs for a quick tent hide away, or take the cushions off the couch and build a fort. Spread an old blanket or a towel out on the floor and serve the kids’ lunch in their tent or fort.

Play Dress Up

Playing dress up is another great way to spend a fun afternoon with the kids. Start by raiding your closet and any Halloween costumes you have been saving for next year. A white shirt will become a doctor’s white coat. Your prom dress or even a fancy blouse will turn your little girl into a princess or beauty queen. Make other props out of cardboard boxes, construction paper and anything else you can find around the house.

Get Out The Craft Box

Do you have a craft box? If not, just grab some construction paper, scissors, glue and some old magazines. The kids will be busy for hours making collages or creating storybooks. For younger kids keep a few coloring books and a box of crayons handy. A few tubs of playdough are also a welcome distraction when it’s raining outside.

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For more craft ideas and other fun activities for you and your kids visit www.kinderinfo.com and don’t forget to sign up for our weekly newsletter full of crafts and ideas at www.kinderinfo.com/newsletter

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Don’t Let The Mess Get Out Of Control

If your child’s room is totally out of control, you’ll have a hard time getting him to clean it all up. Jump in there with him, and get it all straightened out. Consider removing some of the toys at least temporarily. We started rotating some of our daughter’s toys and it’s working very well. Less toys in the room means less potential mess.

Have A Place For Everything

Take a few hours and organize everything in you child’s room. Your main focus is to make sure every single toy, book and piece of clothing has a place. It will be much easier for your child to keep his room clean if he knows exactly where everything goes. This also helps avoid him stuffing everything in the closet or toy box.

Turn on Some Music

Do you crank up the music when you clean the house? It’s a lot more fun to clean with music playing. The same goes for your child. Dig out one of his kid’s music CDs and turn it on for him when it’s time to clean. Show him how much fun it can be to dance around while you pick up toys.

Make It A Game

Take the having fun while cleaning up a step further by making it a game. See how can score the most points in toy box basketball or race each other to see who can clean up the most toys. Once your child gets the hang of cleaning his room and doesn’t need you by his side, race each other to see if he can clean his room faster than you can clean the living room or the kitchen.

Use The Put It Up Rule

Now that the initial clean up is done, take some steps to keep his room from getting out-of-control messy again. The easiest way to do this is to implement the put-up rule. After your child is done playing with one toy or game, get him in the habit of putting it up before he gets out the next. He will need some reminders from you in the beginning to get into this habit. If there are toys or clothes lying around by the end of the day, make him clean them up before bedtime.

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Start by getting as much as possible done the night before. That means making sure their homework is done and they are prepared for any upcoming tests or exams. If they need permission slips or papers signed, take care of that the afternoon before as well.

Ask your child what he or she would like for lunch the night before as well and prepare as much of the lunch box as possible. Pick out an outfit for school as well and lay it out in your child’s room.

Being tired is a big motivation killer. Get your child to bed at an appropriate time. This works best if you are establishing some sort of bedtime routine. Making sure your child gets plenty of rest at night is one of the best ways to get them motivated to get ready for school in the morning.

Spend some quality time with your child before school. Our kids crave our attention more than anything else. Turn off the morning cartoons and sit down to breakfast and have a chat instead. Ask your child about how school is going and give plenty of praise. Of course you should do the same after school or over dinner. Showing an interest in what your child does at school can be a big motivator for him or her to not only get ready for school in time, but to show interest and learn while there as well.

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For more parenting tips as well as ideas for crafts and activities you can do with your kids sign up for the free Kinderinfo Newsletter at www.kinderinfo.

Post from: Lady Pens

How do you start your own game night? It doesn’t have to be complicated at all. Start by picking one night a month that everyone will be at home. If you have busy teens in the house, you may want to let them know about a week ahead of time that you expect them to stay in that night. With younger kids it’s usually just a matter of finding a night without soccer or swimming practice and your husband doesn’t have a late meeting or bowling night with the guys.

Choose some games ahead of time and make sure all the game pieces are complete. You don’t want to find out that you can’t play monopoly, because someone took all the little houses out of the box years ago. Think about what games you have around the house and take a look at what shape they are in. When it comes time to choose the actual games, keep all players in mind. If you have younger children, you may want to start with games like memory, Candyland or Go Fish. Older kids may enjoy the game of life, mystery or card games. Choose at least one game that each family member will really like to make sure everyone is having a good time.

Of course board and card games aren’t your only options when it comes to family game night. Younger children will enjoy simple games like “Simon Says” and of course charades are always a favorite. Other ideas are hangman, tick-tac-toe and “I Spy”. I’m sure once you start playing some of these games, you’ll remember some other old time favorites.

Get some sack foods like chips, popcorn and pigs in a blanket for everyone to munch on while you are playing. You could even fix a few different types of appetizers and skip dinner. Grab some ice and a few different sodas and you are all set for game night.

Pick a comfy spot for your game night. The kitchen table usually works well for board games, but your living room coffee table may work as well. You can even throw a few pillows on the living room floor and hang out there to play games.

That’s all there’s too it. Just get everyone playing and see for yourself what a great time you can have with game night. They’ll be ready for more next month, or you could even make it a weekly event. What a great way to reconnect with your family and enjoy each other’s company.

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Post from: Lady Pens

Ride Bikes

When was the last time you took a bike ride through the neighbor hood? Riding bikes is a great way to spend some quality time with your kids outside after work. Dust off your old bike, put helmets on everyone and go out for a bike ride. You can also go on a longer ride on the weekends. Check with your local bike shop or the city’s parks and recreation department about trails that are family friendly. Pack a few sandwiches and fill up those water bottles and you are ready for a ride and a picnic.

Go On A Nature Walk

A nature walk is a fun way to spend some time with your child outside. It is also a perfect opportunity to teach him about nature, lifecycles, the climate and more. If you have binoculars, take them with you for a close up view of any wildlife you may come across. Even a squirrel becomes an interesting viewing object with binoculars. Take some small plastic or paper baggies with you to collect leafs, rocks or pinecones. When you get back home you and your child can make a leaf collage or use all objects to recreate a forest scene in an old shoebox.

Dig Out The Roller-skates

Do you remember how much fun you had roller-skating when you were a kid? Dig out the roller skates or roller blades and get out there. You can find a smooth sidewalk to ride, or consider visiting a skating ring with the whole family. Roller-skating is another great way for the entire family to spend some time outside together. You can push very young children around in a stroller or have your preschooler ride a tricycle while the rest of the family skates.

Explore A New Park Or Playground

Grab a map or make a call to your local park and recreation office and find a new park or playground you can all explore together. Spend an hour or two at the playground, go for a walk on the trails in of a new park, or pack a few sandwiches for an easy picnic in the park. You never know what you may have been missing until you start exploring all the different parks and playgrounds in your area.

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Spend this quality time with your kids reconnecting with them. Stirring a batch of chocolate chip dough is a great time to talk about what’s going on at school, or what may be bothering them. You’ll be surprised how much you can learn about your child’s life in this relaxed, laid-back atmosphere of baking together.

Keep it fun and relaxed. Who cares if there’s flour scattered all over the counter and floor. It won’t take you long to clean up after and the kids will have much more fun when they don’t have to be super careful about what they are doing. Young kids enjoy helping you measure out flour and stir the dough. Let them do as much as possible by themselves and just clean up after them. Use an extra large bowl when you are baking with younger kids. This will allow them to stir the batter without half the dough slinging out.

Cutout sugar cookies are a lot of fun for younger kids. You can find an assortment of cookie cutter shapes at your local discount or craft store. Take the kids with you and let them pick a few of their favorite shapes, then put them to work cutting out cookies from dough you rolled out.

After the cookies are baked and cooled it’s time to decorate them. Mix milk and powdered sugar to make a paste. Let your child brush this glue on the cookies using a pastry brush or the back of a spoon. Then let her decorate with lots of sprinkles and miniature candies.

After all this hard work baking and decorating the cookies it’s time for a short break and snack. Pour each of you a tall glass of milk and taste a few of the homemade cookies you just made.

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For some great cookie recipes for kids visit www.kinderinfo.com/recipes/cookies.htm and instructions on how to make a simple child apron visit www.kinderinfo.com/crafts/child-craft-aprons.htm

Post from: Lady Pens

Take a Tour
One of the best ways to prepare your child for the big first day of school is to take them to the school so they can take a tour. It will be a big help for your child to see the layout of the school where they will be going, so the first day will not have them in a totally strange place. If they are able to take a tour, they will be able to visualize going to school instead of fearing the worst.

Meet the Teacher
Another great way to help your child prepare for their first day of school is to take your child in to meet their teacher. Most teachers are skilled at dealing with children and will be able to make your child feel at ease. It will be helpful to your child to have a picture in their head of their teacher on the first day of school. This will help them to be able to find their teacher easily and the teacher will not seem like such a stranger, since they will have already met.

Play School
Playing school together, or roleplaying, may be a great way to help your child mentally prepare for their first day of school. Make the roleplaying fun and exciting so your child feels excited about going to school. Playing school together will help communicate to your child that school will be fun and exciting, and it will be much less scary for them on the first day.

Make School Supply Shopping Fun
Part of preparing for school includes shopping for school supplies, and getting your child involved in the school supply shopping will be fun and will help them mentally prepare for school. Talk about all the cool supplies that they will be using in school, and use the shopping trip to further a positive outlook on the first day of school.

While the first day of school may not be without it’s challenges, you can definitely make it an easier process if you take the time to prepare your child for what is going to happen. If you take the time to properly prepare your child for the first day of school, you should have a child who is excited to go to school and enjoy the fun.

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Preparing your child for the first day of school isn’t the only challenge you face as a parent. For more solid parenting articles along with fun crafts, activities, recipes and product reviews and recall info visit www.ParentingZoo.com and join our online parenting magazine and membership site.

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Get Everyone Involved

One of my biggest secrets is that I don’t try to be supermom and I don’t try to get everything done by myself. Of course this includes making dinner. In our house cooking is a family affair. My husband and daughter are in the kitchen with me, cooking, setting the table and cleaning up after along with me. It makes every step of the process much faster, and when I am running late and don’t make it home in time to get dinner started, the two of them can get started without me. Cooking together is also a great way for the three of us to bond.

Shortcuts Are OK

Don’t feel like you have to make everything from scratch for it to count as a home-cooked meal. It’s ok to take shortcuts. Some of my favorites are to use bagged salad that’s already cleaned and ready to go, breadsticks and rolls that just need heating up and all kinds of canned soup or stews. There are also quite a few good frozen meal packs available these days that you just cook in the pan or in your slow cooker. Whenever I do take the time to make things like soup, stew, casseroles or even meat loaf, I make several batches of the dish and freeze the remaining portions for another day when I’m short on time. What counts is that you get a healthy meal on the table, not the amount of time you spent in front of the stove.

Plan Your Meals

Last, but not least, let me share my biggest secret with you - I plan my meals. It’s sooo much easier to get dinner on the table, when you know exactly what you’re going to cook ahead of time and have what you need at hand. Just sit down once a week with a pen and a piece of paper and write down exactly what you are going to make for dinner each day of the week. Get your recipes out , and attach them to the list, then make a grocery list. It saves a lot of time only having to go to the store once a week and by attaching the recipes to the list of menus, other family members can get started on dinner when you’re running late.

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For a great free report on meal planning basics visit www.menuplanningcentral.com - the report goes into much more detail on how you can start planning your meals and also comes with a blank menu planning worksheet and shopping list that I use every week.

Post from: Lady Pens

There are many other options to get more active that don’t include jogging, weight lifting or other “traditional” ways to work out. Here are a few ideas to get you moving

1) Chase your Kids around the Yard
You’d be surprised at how much of a work out you’ll get playing catch with your kids. Time will fly while you are having fun and your children will enjoy the extra time with you. Just get out there and play.

2) Turn up the Music and Dance around the Living Room
While you’re dusting, putting up dishes, straightening up the kids’ rooms, or after you’ve been sitting around for too long, just play some of your favorite upbeat music and dance around in the house. Not only will you get your heart rate up, but you’ll also have more fun doing some of those chores.

3) Plant some Flowers
When the weather is nice, just get out there and plant some flowers. Or you could start a little vegetable garden, trim some hedges, cut the grass, or plant a tree. You get the idea. Just get out there, enjoy the sunshine and fresh air, and play in the dirt. Yes, this actually counts as exercise in our book.

4) Go for a Walk with a Friend
Take a walk and invite a friend to come along. I’ve had some of the best conversations while on a walk. Getting to chat with a friend makes the time fly by and before you know it you’ve been walking for 30 minutes.

5) Listen to some Music or an Audio Book while you Walk
Again, keeping your mind on something else will make the time fly by and you’ll get some extra fun out of your walk. You may even want to consider getting an MP3 Player. You can easily add what you want to listen to and go for your walk.

6) Sign up for a Yoga or Pilates Class
Consider starting a yoga or Pilates class. Both of these workouts are pretty low impact and won’t leave you sweaty and sore (mostly). You may also enjoy meeting some new people in the class.

7) Take some Dance Lessons with your Partner
Ok, here is the tough part: Convince your partner to take some dance lessons. Dancing will give you quite the workout and it’s just plain fun and of course romantic. Think about all your options here. You can pick from anything from Ball Room Dancing, to Line Dancing, to Latin etc. Pick something that sounds fun to you and go for it. You’ll enjoy the extra one on one time with your partner as well.

8) Go for a Swim at Your Local YMCA or Aquatic Center
Swimming makes for some great exercise. It is low impact and easy on your joints. Start by swimming a few laps, or play in the pool with your kids.

9) Go for a Bike Ride
Take the entire family on a bike ride. You can ride through your neighborhood in the evenings or plan a longer trip for the weekend. Pack a picnic for extra fun and start peddling.

10) Go for a Hike
Look for some hiking trails in your area and go for a hike. This could be a fun activity for you and a friend, or take the entire family along. Start with some easy trails and work yourself up to some longer or steeper trails.

Go ahead, pick one or two of the activities and get moving. I’m sure you’ll come up with plenty of versions of your own. The most important thing is to find something you enjoy, so you’ll stick with it. Get out there and get moving today.

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Susanne Myers together with Christine Steendahl, owns and publishes the Healthy Menu Mailer. Each week, we provide you with 7 dinner recipes. Sign up for a free sample menu at www.healthymenumailer.com/sample-newsletter-signup.html

Post from: Lady Pens

A pedometer is a small electronic device, about the size of a pager or smaller. The basic function of a pedometer is to track or count how many steps you take. Most models will also convert our steps into the number of miles you walked and calculate how many calories you have burned. More advanced models will save several days worth of date and some will even connect to your computer so you can chart your progress through software provided as well.

So the pedometer helps you keep track of how many steps you walked. I find that I’m much more motivated to take a little walk through the neighborhood, or park a little further when I’m running errands when I’m wearing my pedometer.

A recent study by the University of Minnesota shows that people wearing pedometers tend to walk more. The study split people up in two groups who were both encouraged to walk each day. Only one group was given pedometers to track their steps.

Those with pedometers increased their steps by about 2100 per day, or 20 minutes of steady walking, a 30% increase in daily steps. They walked almost twice as many blocks as those without pedometers. People using a pedometer also tend to stick much longer with a walking routine.

To get the most out of your pedometer, set daily and weekly goals. Start by setting a baseline number of steps. To do this, simply wear the pedometer for a few days. Don’t try to aim for a certain number of steps. All you are doing at this point is measuring how many steps you take in a normal day. Calculate the average number of steps you take any given day. Next you want to start taking 500 to 1000 steps each day. You can easily accomplish this by taking a little walk around the block, parking a little further away during errand and at work, as well as walking to a college’s office instead of calling him or her. Each week, or every two weeks increase your steps and additional 500 to 1000 steps until you reach a minimum of 10,000 steps per day. If you are walking to lose weight, work yourself up to 12,000 to 15,000 steps per day.

Walking is one of the easiest ways to exercise every day and a pedometer will help you track your progress and motivate you to keep walking. All you have to do is put on some comfortable shoes, clip on your pedometer and put one foot in front of the other. I encourage you to give walking and using a pedometer a try.

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Susanne Myers is an avid walker herself and encourages others to do the same with her website. She provides you with great resources to walk off the weight, including articles on healthy eating and walking, low calorie recipes and product reviews. Visit www.walkingofftheweight.com to learn more and to sign up for her weekly tips and encouragements to keep you walking off the weight.

Post from: Lady Pens

Why should I walk?
Walking is one of the easiest forms of exercise to get into. You don’t need any special equipment, just a pair of comfortable shoes. There are no new techniques to learn, since you already know how to walk. Walking is a very low impact activity, that doesn’t put much stress on your joints. You can start out at any pace that is comfortable to you and walk for as long as you’d like. Over time you will gradually increase the intensity of your walking workout by walking for longer periods of time, increasing the speed as well as the incline you walk at.

What should I keep in mind when purchasing a pedometer?
You can spend anywhere from $10 - $100 and more for a pedometer. A basic model will work just fine, as long as it tracks your steps accurately. Basic models may only give you the number of steps you walked, while more advanced models will also calculate the distance walked, calories burnt and usually also keep track of several days worth of walking. Some even come with some tracking software you can use on your computer. It will be up to you to decide how many bells and whistles you would like on your pedometer.

How do I wear the pedometer properly?
There are two ways to wear a pedometer that have been working well for me and have given me very accurate results. The first is to wear the pedometer on your belt or directly on your waistband right over your front pocket. The pedometer should be in line with your foot. The second option is to clip the pedometer to the top of your shoe. On the side, right below my ankle is the most comfortable position for me.
Some people also get good results by carrying the pedometer in their back pocket or clipping it to their waistband on their side. Try something that seems comfortable to you and walk 100 steps. If your count and the pedometers count are within 5 steps of each other, you’re in good shape.

How do I get started?
Establish a base figure of how many steps a day you take right now on average. To do this, wear your pedometer each day for a week and record your daily steps. Calculate your daily average by adding up all the steps you walked for the week and dividing the number by 7. Now that you have a base figure to start with, let’s see how you can increase the steps you take each day.

How should I increase my steps?
Increase the amount of steps you take by adding 1000 - 2000 extra steps per week until you reach 10,000 steps if you are trying to stay fit and healthy or 12,000 if you are trying to loose weight. 2000 extra steps may seem like a lot at first glance, but you can spread them out over the course of the day. Park a little further away while running errands or when you go to work. Take a quick stroll during your lunch break or walk around the block with your spouse in the evening. Chase your kids around the yard. Once you get started, you will find all sorts of creative ways to get a few more steps in here and there.

Now what?
Once you have worked your way up to your target steps, stick with it. Of course there will be days when you can’t walk 10,000 steps, but do your best to average 10,000 a day during the week. If you didn’t walk much during the week, go for a hike on the weekend. Pretty soon walking will become a habit for you and you will miss your daily walk when you can’t work it in.

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Susanne Myers runs Walking Off The Weight, a resource site for anyone interested in www.walkingofftheweight.com“> walking for weight loss. Visit the site for more information and sign up for her weekly walking tips at www.walkingofftheweight.com

Post from: Lady Pens

As you eat less to lose weight, your body goes into survival mode and your metabolism slows down. A slowed down metabolism means you are burning less calories. Yikes! Not exactly what you were trying to accomplish, right. After all the idea behing losing weight is to burn more calories to get rid of all that unwanted body fat.

Let’s talk a bout some simple things you can start doing every day to speed your metabolism up. One of the first things you should do is to get some exercise. Any type of exercise that gets your heart rate up will also speeds up your metabolism not only while you exercise, but for hours afterwards. Find something you enjoy and can stick with for the long run. Go for a walk, chase your kids around the yard, get an exercise DVD, or join a local gym. Aim for 30 minutes of exercise 5 days a week.

The other strategy that seems to work really well for me in combination with walking every day is to eat several small meals throughout the day. My body doesn’t feel starved so my metabolism doesn’t slow down. This works best if you include some sort of protein with each meal. Lean meats, hardboiled eggs, protein shakes and lowfat cottage cheese are all great sources of protein. Combine them with some whole grain products or a piece of fruit for a small meal or snack.

Give these strategies a try and speed up your metabolism. You’ll lose weight faster and you’ll feel better with all this extra energy. Once you get in the habit of exercising and eating smaller, more frequent meals, it will become easy to stick with and the benefit is obvious. You feel better and have a smaller waistline.

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Susanne has been losing weight by eating well and walking more. Visit www.walkingofftheweight.com to find out how you can start walking off the weight today and visit www.healthymenumailer.com for meal ideas that are healthy and low in calories.

Post from: Lady Pens

Get Up Earlier Did you know that you are much more likely to stick with any type of exercise program, if you do it in the morning? Makes sense, doesn’t it. The day is new, and you haven’t had a chance yet to get burned out from long meetings at the office or running around town all day. It’s hard to get motivated to work out after a long day, so why not get it out of the way first thing in the morning?

Set your alarm to go off 20 - 30 minutes earlier than usual and ride your exercise bike, go for a brisk walk through the neighborhood, or get an exercise tape and work out with it in the morning. Exercise is a great way to start your day and you’ll feel energized throughout the rest of your day.

Walk During Commercial Breaks You just settled down on the couch to watch your favorite TV show, and it goes to commercial. That’s the perfect time to get in a little exercise. Just get up and march in place right in front of the TV until the commercial break is over. Doing this even just once or twice a day will start making a big difference. You can even wear a pedometer to get an idea for how much walking you get done during your favorite TV shows.

Once you get used to your commercial workout, step it up a notch by marching through the entire show. Now that’s a workout! Plus you don’t have to feel guilty about watching Desperate Housewives anymore instead of doing the dishes - you’re exercising.

Work On Your Abs While You Wait In Line One of my least favorite things to do is to stand in line. Whether it’s at the grocery store, the pharmacy or the DMV, it just seems like such a waist of time to just stand there and wait. That is unless you are working out at the same time. You can get a great abs workout standing in line and best of all, no one has to notice. Here’s how you do it:

Stand up straight and suck in your stomach as hard as you can. Hold and count to ten before you release. Repeat. Each of these counts as one sit-up and is just as effective. Just imagine how many sit-ups you can do just while waiting in line each week.

Go For A Family Hike Or Bike Ride Instead of just hanging out on the weekends, take the family for a hike or go on a bike ride. You get to spend some quality time with your family and get some great exercise at the same time.

If your life is as busy as mine, give a few of these exercise tips a try and see if you can’t start to find time to work out a few times a week.

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For more tips on how to squeeze some exercise in your busy day visit www.homebasedworkouts.com. Get healthy and low calorie meal ideas delivered right in your inbox. Sign up for a free trial at www.healthymenumailer.com

Post from: Lady Pens

Use a backyard step or stepping-stone for a quick stepping workout. Step up with your right foot follow with your left one. Step down backwards with your right foot and follow with your left one. Repeat 11 more times for a set of 12. Next start with your left foot and do another set of twelve steps. Continue to repeat these two sets until your legs get tired

Grab a jump rope and jump away in the backyard for an awesome cardio workout. Mix things up by jumping higher, crossing the rope in front of you, or even jumping backwards.

Another great cardio workout is to run around the yard. If you are feeling a little odd doing this by yourself, ask the kids to join you for a game of catch. Stopping and running like you usually do in a game of catch or even kicking the soccer ball around the yard, makes for great interval training, since you will be running in spurts. Give it a try and watch your heart rate go up.

For a great upper body workout, mow the lawn and then rake up the clippings. While you are pushing the lawn mower, focus on your upper arms and shoulders. Use those muscles to push the mower and of course use good posture and suck in that stomach. You can work out slightly different muscle groups by changing your hold on the handle bar of your mower. Most importantly though, pay attention to the mowing itself and watch those toes.

If you have a swing set in the yard, or a tree with an appropriate branch for that matter, use it to do pull-ups outside. Got a trampoline sitting around? Climb in and jump around for a great lower body workout that also gets your heart pumping.

Working out in your backyard can be a lot of fun. Give it a try and get creative with it.

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For more great workout tips visit www.homebasedworkouts.com and sign up for the free workout tips newsletter.

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Workout DVDs

One of the easiest ways to get your heart pumping with a workout at home is to purchase one (or a few) of the workout DVDs available today. You can find cardio workouts on just about anything from kickboxing to dance. Pick one that looks like fun and start working out. If you just add a new DVD every 3 months, you’ll have a great little library of cardio workout DVDs in no time. Rotate through the different workouts and you’ll never get bored of working out at home again.

Treadmill

A treadmill is a great way to get a good cardio workout at home. You can walk on it briskly or go for a jog or run. Some models will even let you adjust the angle of the walking surface, to simulate going uphill. Keep your workout from getting boring by listening to some music or audio books while you walk.

Stationary Bike

A stationary bike is another great piece of equipment that allows you to get in a great cardio workout just about anywhere in your house. All you have to do is jump on the bike and peddle away. Keep some water close by to stay hydrated. I like to watch TV or a movie while I’m riding my bike. You can also read books or magazines if you are just peddling at a slower yet persistent pace.

Jump Rope

A jump rope is one of the least expensive pieces of workout equipment you’ll ever buy. You can pick one up for a few bucks, or borrow one from your kids. To get a great workout, simply jump rope for 20 to 30 minutes. For a great interval training, jump 100 jumps as fast as you can, then slow down to a more comfortable jump, barely lifting your feet enough to let the rope go through.

Step Workout

You’ve probably seen those fancy step workouts at the gym, or the TV infomercial. Guess what? You can get a great step workout at home without any specialized equipment. Utilize the bottom step of your stairs, or any large, sturdy box you can step on and off. I use an old milk crate at my house. Step up using your right leg first 12 times, then switch to leading with your left leg. Repeat. For some variety try stepping side to side.

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For more great advice on working out at home visit www.homebasedworkouts.com and don’t forget to sign up for our free workout tips newsletter. You’ll find great recipes and meal ideas for eating healthy at www.healthymenumailer.com - Your Healthy Meal Planner. Sign up for a 7-day Sneak Peak.

Post from: Lady Pens

The e-coli bacteria can be found in any raw or undercooked foods. Most often outbreaks are linked to undercooked meat, or unsafe handling of raw meat, particularly ground beef. What was up until now less well known is that e-coli can also be found on fresh produce like fruits and vegetables.

E-coli bacteria cause severe diarrhea often with bloody stool and can cause kidney failure and possible death. The old and the young are particularly prone to extreme cases of the infection. If you suspect you have been infected with e-coli, contact your physician right away.

E-coli naturally occurs in the intestines of animals like cows and chickens. As these animals are slaughtered and processed, traces of the bacteria can come into contact with the meat. Ground beef seems to be especially prone to getting contaminated. To kill any e-coli (or other bacteria for that matter) that may have “snuck in”, cook all meat to an internal temperature of at least 160 F.

So, how does this same bacteria get into our salad, veggies and fruit? Manure is often used as a natural fertilizer and gets’ stuck on the outside of the vegetables and fruits as they grow and are harvested. Produce is cleaned off before it’s bagged and shipped to you, but that doesn’t necessarily mean all the bacteria are gone.

In particular vegetables including salad that are bagged provide a perfect growing environment for the e-coli bacteria. The bag ensures that there is always some moisture around the produce that allows the e-coli to multiply.

The recent outbreak of e-coli in bagged spinach along with previous outbreaks in bagged salad mixes and even containers of strawberries makes you wonder if we should just avoid all prepackaged and bagged produce. Fortunately we don’t have to go that far, but we should get in the habit of properly preparing those foods.

Salad and vegetables mixes in bags are often pre-washed and sold as “ready to serve”. Take a few minutes and rinse them with warm water, followed by a splash of cold water to avoid cooking the spinach or salad. Use plenty of warm water on hardier vegetables such as tomatoes or carrots and don’t forget to wash fruit with plenty of water as well, especially strawberries. Strawberries grow very low to the ground and are often fertilized with manure or are grown on soil that was previously fertilized that way. Since the berries grow practically directly on top of the soil, it is easy for the e-coli to catch a ride on the fruit directly into your home.

Washing raw fruit and vegetables with plenty of warm water should get rid of most of the bacteria, making it safe to eat. Make it a habit to wash your produce whether the packaging indicates it’s pre-washed or not. It will only take a few minutes and could prevent you from getting sick in the long run.

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Susanne Myers is the co-publisher of the Healthy Menu Mailer, a weekly recipe and menu mailer that’s all about eating healthy. Join us for a free 7-day sneak peak at www.healthymenumailer.com

Post from: Lady Pens