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A Look Back at Halloween 2013

By on February 26, 2014 in Back to School, Holidays, Occasions and Observances

For some reason, this morning I was thinking about Halloween. It seems like life has been moving so fast lately that I had not processed that day into memory yet, when I got around to it today I savored the memory of my children. My son is 3 and he wanted to be Batman.  Getting his costume took a back seat, which is a fail on my part as a parent. Harper was born in October and time passed quickly. About 4 days before Halloween my husband made the effort to find a Batman costume. My son got a too big costume, my husband got an A for effort and we got cute pictures.  Harper was the cutest little Bat Girl companion!

My son loved trick or treating. What kid doesn’t love candy? He also loved pumpkins and the costumes this year. 3 is a magical age. Despite how busy life had been at that time, taking the time to walk with my son and watch his eyes dance with delight took a priority. 2013 is a Halloween I will never forget.

 

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The year before my little boy went as Woodstock from the Peanuts.  It was a very cute costume! I can’t wait to see what they dress up as for Halloween 2014!

 

Halloween is fun for the entire family. The costumes, the decorations and the festive  food appeal to kids of all ages. Halloween is fun for bloggers too!  Where do you shop for your Halloween gear?  I like to shop for costumes from one stop shops like Mr. Costumes that have large selections for the entire family.

I am glad I got to share a wonderful memory from my life with you today. I would love it if you would tell me about your favorite Halloween memory, costume or idea.

 

This post was brought to you by Mr. Costumes

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Teenagers Encouraged to Take Advantage of Free Heart Screenings

By on February 25, 2014 in Health, Health & Fitness, Parenting Tips

Teenagers Encouraged to Take Advantage of Free Heart Screenings

Heart disease is a serious epidemic that affects many people throughout the country. Many older Americans are frequently told that they should see their doctor for screenings and change their lifestyle to reduce the chances that they will suffer from the disease. However, many teenagers are also at risk of developing heart disease as well. Many experts warn that adolescents that are at risk of heart disease should seek screenings and treatment as needed.

Children Can Suffer from Heart Disease

Many people mistakenly believe that children are immune to heart disease. Unfortunately, children still develop serious health complications from heart problems every year. According to the CBO, teenagers that are significantly overweight or have a family history of heart disease are at a greater risk of developing heart problems.

It is important to be aware of these risks and find out if your teenager is suffering from health problems. Dr. Shannon Blalock of the Championship Hearts Foundation said that the risk of children developing most heart diseases is pretty low. However, the complications from congestive heart disease and other cardiovascular problems can be serious. Blalock said that it is always a good idea to have your child screened and treated.

Paying for Heart Screenings

Many parents would like to have their teenagers screened for potential heart problems, but worry that they can’t afford to do so. Fortunately, there are a number of different ways that you can pay for heart screenings. Here are some options that you will want to consider.

New Requirements Under the Affordable Care Act

The Affordable Care Act requires insurance companies to pay for free screenings to diagnose potential illnesses. If you are not currently insured then you may want to look at coverage on the new health exchanges. You may be able to find an affordable health care plan if you don’t make enough money to qualify for a subsidy. If you can find a good plan then you may want to buy it and use it to get free screenings.

Nonprofit Clinics

There are also a number of great clinics such as the one Blalock works at that provide free or low-cost screenings. You may want to check with these programs and see if they can help.

These programs often have a number of sponsors or volunteer healthcare providers, such as people who made a career choice to become a medical sonographer. They strive to help teenagers and their families gain access to affordable healthcare treatments. They have access to decent ECG machines and can identify most problems.

Don’t Take a Chance With Adolescent Heart Disease

You don’t want to take any chances if your child may suffer from heart disease. It is a serious condition that can cause many problems. Even if your child doesn’t have heart disease right now, these screenings may identify risk factors that they need to be aware of in the future. You will want to find out and address them as soon as possible.

About the author: Kalen shares tips on heath, wellness and other topics.

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Are These Time Management Mistakes Destroying Your Productivity?

By on February 25, 2014 in Blogging, Just for Moms, Random

Are These Time Management Mistakes Destroying Your Productivity?

Time management is an essential skill that every leader needs. Unfortunately, there are far too many people in the workplace that can’t manage their time well. One poll by Ipsos Public Affairs-Randstadfound that about 43% of U.S. employees feel that time management is a serious problem in their organization. Do you feel that you are as productive as you would like to be? You may be making a few serious mistakes that are destroying your productivity.

 

Common Time Management Mistakes

There are a variety of reasons that people have a hard time managing their time well. Alayna Johnson just created a great new post titled What Do Companies Look for in a Manager. She said that managers need to get results. She shared some great tips, but one thing that I feel the need to add is the importance of time management.

It appears that advances in technology have made it even more difficult. The Ipsos Public Affairs-Randstad and similar polls show that mobile technology and social media may be some of the reasons that people seem more distracted in the workplace and have a harder time staying productive.

You will need to be aware of the mistakes that may be making it difficult for you to stay on task and try to break the habit. Here are some that you may be making:

Failing to Prioritize

You only have so many hours in the day. You need to make sure that your time is spent most effectively.

Far too many managers try to solve problems in the order that they are received. They spend a large portion of their day dealing with less important tasks. By the end of the day they often realize that they have at least one urgent task that they are behind schedule on.

You don’t want to fall into this trap. You want to make a list of everything that you need to do at the beginning of every day. Put the most important items on the top of the list and don’t work on the less important tasks until these things have been addressed. You may need to update your list throughout the day as more tasks are assigned to you.

It is also important to prioritize the steps within each task. A lot of the steps may be redundant or unimportant. Try seeing if there are things that can be omitted to do the work more efficiently.

Give Each Task 100% of Your Attention

You would think that most workplaces would be more conducive to getting work done. Unfortunately, there are a lot of distractions that can keep people on task.

Do you find yourself stopping in the middle of a task to talk to your coworkers? Do you stop writing an email or grant proposal in midsentence to see what your friends have posted on Facebook? Are you constantly checking your phone every time the new girl you are seeing sends a text?

You need to identify any distractions and try to filter them out while you are working. It may be a good idea to put a sign on your door telling people not to bother you. You may also want to turn your phone on silent or airplane mode so it doesn’t become a distraction.

About the author: Kalen is an entrepreneurial coach. He was one of the founding members of WPI Genuis! when he was studying his undergraduate program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

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Best Tips for Keeping Your Frozen Yogurt Healthy

By on February 19, 2014 in Food, Health & Fitness

Best Tips for Keeping Your Frozen Yogurt Healthy

Frozen yogurt is a healthy alternative to ice cream and many other desserts. However, many people doctor their yogurt with a number of toppings so that it becomes a lot less healthy. Many people also need to learn to eat healthier portions. Here are some tips that you will need to follow to ensure your yogurt remains healthy.

Frozen yogurt

Frozen yogurt (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Tips for Topping Your Yogurt

You will want to be careful when topping your yogurt if you are trying to stay healthy. Here are a few tips that you should follow:

  • Avoid indulging. Many people like to top their yogurt with M&Ms, Snickers bars, Jelly Beans and whipped cream. Unfortunately, these toppings can be a huge temptation if you are visiting a frozen yogurt shop. This totally defeats the purpose of eating frozen yogurt to stay healthy. You will want to limit or avoid adding these toppings altogether.
  • Choose larger healthy toppings. Most people understand that avoiding candy and other unhealthy toppings is important. However, many people don’t realize that adding larger, healthy toppings is important as well. Large strawberries, blueberries and other fruits will help fill your cup. They will be better for you, but they will also force you to add less yogurt. This will reduce the amount of sugar that you eat while still consuming some essential nutrients. Cooking Light has a great article on the healthiest toppings to add to your yogurt.

Choosing your toppings carefully is important. You want to avoid adding so many toppings that you end up doubling the amount of calories that you are consuming without adding any extra nutrients.

Go Easy on Portions

Frozen yogurt is a healthy food, but that doesn’t mean that you can eat humongous portions. Here are some tips to make sure that you have a reasonable portion:

  • Buy a smaller cup of yogurt.
  • Don’t fill the cup all the way to the brim.
  • Set a limit on the amount of money that you will spend. Most people who spend more for yogurt feel  compelled to get their money’s worth and are often tempted to add a lot of extra sugary toppings.

These tips will help you make sure that you eat a healthier portion.

Choose Your Yogurt Carefully

You will also want to be careful about the types of yogurt that you eat. Some types are a lot better than others. You will want to look at different brands that they offer and compare the amount of fat, sugar and various nutrients.

Most eateries list the calories on each type of yogurt they offer. They don’t usually offer information on the different toppings though, which makes it difficult to know how many calories they eat. You may want to research them before adding them to your yogurt.

It is also a good idea to avoid mixing flavors. Taste buds tend to get tired more easily after eating a single flavor, which will deter you from wanting to keep eating.

About the author: Kalen is passionate about eating a healthy diet. He talks about the benefits of eating yogurt from Frozen Yogurt Solutions.

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Identifying Alcoholism Among College Students

By on February 13, 2014 in Back to School, Health

Alcoholism is a serious disease that affects millions of people of all ages every year.  The signs of alcoholism are easy to identify for most people. However, it is particularly difficult to identify the symptoms in college students, because many people believe alcohol abuse is part of the college lifestyle. It is important to understand that college students can be alcoholics too and recognize the symptoms.

 

The Difficulty Identifying Alcoholism in College Students

It can be difficult to notice signs of alcoholism with students suffering from alcohol problems. Many people have the attitude that binge drinking is only alcoholism after college. Heavy drinking may be part of the college experience, but that doesn’t mean that college students don’t have drinking problems. Their friends and family can’t be in denial of their problem, because they may need to get them into a rehabilitation program.

 

A Kranz (wreath) of Kölsch beer.

A Kranz (wreath) of Kölsch beer. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

However, the standards used to diagnose alcoholism in college students may need to be different from other adults. One writer from Time Magazine pointed out that changes to the new DSM could label two out of five college students as alcoholics. Few of these students develop lifelong problems with alcohol so the diagnosis may be too broad. However, some students do clearly develop alcohol problems so an objective diagnosis is necessary.

When is it Alcoholism?

It is difficult to objectively state when a college student is suffering from alcoholism rather than enjoying their college experience. However, there are a few standards that we can use to make the distinction.

Problems With School and Work

The best way to define alcoholism is by whether or not it causes problems in people’s lives. Students whose grades suffer, have difficulty making it to class or regularly miss work due to being hung over from the night before are probably suffering from alcoholism. Students that are drunk in the middle of the school day and even attend class under the influence are at a particularly high risk of suffering from alcoholism.

Legal Issues

Students suffering from alcoholism are also at a high risk of facing legal problems. One student admitted that she received two DUIs before her 21st birthday, which is a clear indication that she has a problem. Other students may face charges after getting into fights or other legal issues when drinking.

Health Issues

People suffering from alcoholism are also at an increased risk of dealing with health issues. Many students end up in the ICU after binge drinking when they first start college. This is usually because they haven’t come to terms with their limitations yet and learn how to drink more responsibly after.

However, some students continue to binge drink and may end up the emergency room more than once. These students are more likely to be suffering from chronic substance abuse problems.

Other Mental Health Problems

One study found that about 30% of people with some form of mental illness were likely to abuse alcohol or other substances on a regular basis. This is about four times higher than the average population. The fact that a student drinks heavily while suffering from mental illness doesn’t necessarily mean that they are suffering from alcoholism. However, it does show that people in their lives need to monitor their drinking carefully.

About the author: Kalen is a health and wellness writer. He shares information about identifying and treating various medical problems

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