Seven Holiday Stress-busting Tips from the Experts by Jan Carley

What could be more stressful than a job with a 364-day build up that lasts just one night? A job that involves near-impossible physical output, wild environmental conditions, high stress and has the hopes and dreams of millions of children around the world riding on your performance? Yes, being one of Santa's reindeer is a tough job! I recently consulted Santa's Reindeer and asked them what they have learned over the years to minimize their holiday stress. Here's what they said: Tip #1 ASK FOR SUPPORT All of the reindeer agreed that prepping for the holiday season has to be a team effort. If you are trying to pull the sleigh all alone you will get exhausted pretty quickly. Who can help you with the decorating, the baking, buying gifts, the entertaining? Tip #2 SLOW DOWN The more hurry, less speed tip came from Dasher who told me he was much more effective when he was reined in. A lot of energy is wasted when we are frantically rushing from thing to thing. Consciously slow down this holiday season- reduce your speed, stop to smell the fir trees and wherever you are, remember to breathe. Tip #3 STRATEGICALLY SCHEDULE This tip came from Blitzen who said that rather than setting a schedule that has constant high levels of activity over several days that create exhaustion and burn out - it is wiser to schedule blitzes of activity that happen at your optimum physical and mental times. Let's say you are a morning person. Schedule an extreme blitz of activity on Saturday morning for 4 hours - schedule your high output activity to end at lunchtime. Then schedule in a nap to refresh you for the rest of the day. Do a blitz, then slow down and relax. Tip #4 HOLD A FUN INTENTION Fun-loving Dancer advises us to consciously hold a one word intention of Fun. Think about that intention in the 15 seconds before you pop out of bed each morning. Imagine how holding that intention will positively affect your day! Tip #5 HIRE A CLEANER Of course that piece of advice came from Comet. Don't waste a minute of this magical season with cleaning supplies in your hand. Instead - go outside and toss some snowballs with the kids. Tip #6 REMEMBER HOW SPECIAL YOU ARE Rudolph inspires us to focus on our unique gifts and how we can best contribute to this world. Ignore what everyone else is doing. You may not the person that was meant to struggle with making homemade shortbread. You may, instead, be better suited to leading the family singsong around the piano. What is your unique contribution? Rudolph found out that his shiny red nose was his gift. What is yours? Tip #7 REMEMBER WHAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT Cupid reminds us that this holiday season is really all about love. Focus your Gratitude Attitude and on a daily basis, count your blessings. Give thanks to that which is truly important and watch how the holiday stresses and pressures melt away and your positive emotions increase. Written by Jan Carley, Professional Certified Executive Coach, Creative Coaching Group, Vancouver, BC, Canada Download your Free 8-page 2014 REFLECTION GUIDE and create space for a 2015 of possibilities. http://www.teleseminarswithjan.com/reflection-guide.html Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8844827

Six Remedies for the Holiday Blues by Brandielee Baker

The holiday season is a jolly good time right? Well, for some, not so much. If you are one of the many people feeling the pressure to put on a cheery holiday persona when you are really feeling blue, these six remedies can help. Tell the truth! OK, I'm not saying you need to publicly broadcast it. But, if you want any chance of passing through the blues, you must, must, must, honor how you're REALLY feeling. Write it down AND speak out loud. Just "thinking" about it in your head will NOT produce the same beneficial effects. Here is an example to help you get started.EXAMPLE: "I am really feeling overwhelmed and sad this holiday season. It is important for me to acknowledge my struggles. I understand that by doing so I am releasing some of the pressure that I have put on myself to fit in and be happy. I also understand that by releasing this pressure I am giving myself the opportunity to relax and by relaxing I am giving myself the possibility for a better experience."

Get more air! Yes, you heard me right. Increased circulation and greater oxygen uptake is key. This is not only beneficial for removing the toxins and waste from your body, but also releases endorphins and changes your thought focus. So put on your earphones, play some upbeat music and get out there. Walk briskly and breathe deeply! 20 minutes a day is all it takes to make a difference.

Make sense with Scents! Our olfactory system, the fancy way of saying your sense of smell, has a very powerful effect on our moods. Scents like peppermint, rosemary, tangerine and lemon can be very uplifting. I will be releasing a more detailed article about aromatherapy in February, but until then find your favorite scents and sniff away!

Party Prioritize! You do not have to accept all your holiday invites. It's OK to say no and today I give you permission to do so. For the sake of YOU feeling well, limit your "have" to attend list to a MAXIMUM of 3-4 parties. HINT, HINT, before each party, do the exercise listed in Remedy #1.

List Your Awesomeness! OK, this may sound a little over the top, but hey what do you have to lose besides the blues? And umm, let's be honest here, your blues self-talk radio channel is NOT so positive or motivating. You do have the ability to feel better by getting your mind to focus on more positive self-dialogue. So, sit down and make a list of all the things you know you do well. Right now. Yes, get that pen out, or open your laptop, and start writing a list of what makes you amazing. What are you waiting for? And if you need someone to hold you accountable for just how great you are, send it to me!

Reach out for Support! OK, this is the most important one. Support is key for changing the blues for good. Why? Because that blues DJ is so awfully good at playing the blues songs like: nobody understands, nobody cares, I have to do it all on my own, I'm weak if I don't take care of it by myself. Sound familiar? Make today the day that you fire the blues DJ and get real. There is NO weakness in support! You matter this, and every, holiday season. You have the ability to get through these feelings. You also have the opportunity to get to the other side where you can authentically say, "I'm OK" and, "I DO feel better." Nobody else can do this for you, BUT that does NOT mean that nobody cares about you. And remember, I am only an email, or a phone call, away. May this New Year be your best yet! Wishing you complete success and health, Lee Baker Contact me for more information on the unique and powerful work I do at Positive Constructs. http://positiveconstructs.com/contact#sthash.BPC1l48l.dpbs Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8852615

Choose the right bag for school by Deerah van Heerden

Buying the wrong bag, or even buying the right bag but wearing it badly can cause unnecessary and harmful stress to your child's spine, leading to muscle strain and rounding shoulders. Keeping in mind that acute back ache can lead to chronic issues which become life-long battles, especially with young people as their bodies are still growing. Below we address some points which may contribute to the health of your child's back and posture, directly relating to the way in which they carry their bags.

Buy a Backpack A backpack that sits neatly across both shoulders with the straps adjusted to the same length is far more beneficial than a bag that would sling over one shoulder. There should always be an equal weight displacement across the back. You can usually see the strain in a person's posture if one should is working harder than the other. A person should be able to walk upright and straight forward without leaning or compensating one way or the other. A backpack is also usually built around a structure with padding and reinforcement. These supports are designed to sit in a particular position on the back to alleviate undue stresses and place weight correctly.

Don't overfill a bag An overloaded bag is very heavy, rather be organized enough to know what days certain items are required, and not carrying unnecessary items. The correct amount of weight that can be carried is usually 10% of your body weight, so a 40 kg child should not carry an excess of 4 kg on their backs. It may be extra work, but packing and repacking each day will greatly assist in cutting back on weight, especially with unnecessary debris build up at the bottom adding sneaky bits of weight.

Pack Correctly Adding on to the previous point of unpacking and repacking each day, removing unnecessary items and packing the correct items in the correct places is important for weight displacement, because if things shift during transit it could compromise the center of gravity. A bag should sit above the waist and not hang too low either, again placing the correct weight at the correct point. Once you have invested in the correct bag and stationary that fits accordingly, make sure you look after it and it may last your child longer than the school year. Label your children's items as this also encourages enthusiasm and helps them to hold onto their things for longer. For great personalized labels, visit labels4school For great back to school labels, without the hassle of queues and driving, order your personalized labels online and have them conveniently delivered. Visit Labels4School at: http://www.labels4school.co.za/ Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Deerah_Van_Heerden Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8833289

Chinese Maths Teachers help English pupils make the grade by Luke Walton

St Gregory's Primary Academy, Stockton The teachers from Shanghai said the Stockton classroom had a more relaxed atmosphere A group of Chinese maths teachers have swapped their classrooms in Shanghai for primary schools in England as part of a project to improve numeracy standards. Pupils in Shanghai came top in the international Pisa league table of numeracy skills - with 15-year-olds from the Chinese capital an average of three years ahead of counterparts in England. The Department for Education says the teacher exchange will bring the "best teaching in the world to English schools" and lead to long-term improvements in the way the subject is taught. Twenty-nine Chinese teachers are spending a month in English primary schools, with more teachers due to arrive next year. This follows a trip by 70 teachers from English schools to Shanghai schools where they spent a fortnight observing lessons. At the St Gregory's Primary Academy in Stockton, Shanghai teacher Peizhen Wang was impressed by the relaxed mood in a class of six- and seven-year-olds, which she contrasted with the more formal atmosphere of her own class. "This school is like a family. Everyone, the students and the teachers are very happy," she told m Peizhen also liked the colourful wall displays of children's artwork, an approach she wants to take back to her own school.

Maths scores During their visit, the Chinese visitors work alongside the school's teaching staff to take lessons, coach pupils and run master-classes for local primary school teachers. They use a translator when teaching from the front of the class. One of the teachers at St Gregory's, Lucy Ashley, visited Shanghai earlier in the year. She said: "The secret is that there is a lot more focus on the basics of maths. Children are given more time to practise, with smaller steps so there's a deeper understanding of the numbers." After helping Lucy Ashley to lead a lesson on addition, using counters projected onto a video screen, Shanghai teacher Juanqin Cai told me pupils in Stockton were "very polite and worked hard". But she believes Chinese schools take a more methodical approach to maths: "In the UK they learn many new topics and this is different. We will go step by step, not so quickly

'Work ethic' The English schools hosting the Chinese teachers are part of the government's network of maths hubs - centres of excellence designed to spread practice in numeracy teaching in other schools. Janice Gorlach, head of standards at the Carmel Education Trust which includes St Gregory's, said the school was considering changing the structure of its classes in response to what it had learned from Shanghai, by introducing a shorter lesson in the morning with more time later in the day for practice and catch-up sessions for pupils needing extra help. "By restructuring the length of time of lessons we can pick up any child that is struggling," she added. In Shanghai, primary school maths teachers are specialists who only teach that subject, and nearly all are maths graduates. They typically deliver only two lessons a day, with other time spent on marking and planning as well as collaboration with other maths specialists. There are fewer specialist maths teachers in English primary schools. Some have questioned whether importing Shanghai teaching methods will allow British pupils to catch up with their Chinese counterparts in terms of numeracy. Dr Jon Jerrim of the Institute of Education said factors outside the classroom such as family support and culture played a big role in Chinese students' strength in the subject. He pointed out that pupils from Chinese backgrounds also performed well in the subject even if they were at school in another country such as England or Australia. "It's about a lot more than teaching methods. It seems to be to do with the expectations that parents hold for their children, the work ethic of the east Asian immigrant group, along with the selection of schools by the parents as well," Dr Jerrim argued. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-30149801

Best Educational Toys for Toddlers by Create True Bliss

BEST EDUCATIONAL TOYS FOR TODDLERS November 24, 2014 Its that time of year, where we are all in desperate search for the best toys to gift to our children. Here are the top educational toys I have found for 2014.

1- LeapFrog- LeapReader jr. $9.99 Flashcards $25.99 Reader leapfrog.com- This is one of my son’s favorite toys. We bought it for him last year. You program your child’s name to the reader dog, and when you turn it on and off it greets your child by name. I love this paired with the Alphabet flash cards. It sings a song for each letter that teaches the sound of the letter, on one side and relates the letter to the animal on the other side. This has been a lasting favorite in our home. You can also get books that the dog will read to you.

2- Crocodile Creek- Jumbo tower puzzles 36 piece. $15.99 Amazon Such a cute puzzle with big, sturdy pieces, that are durable for toddler wear and tear. They have many different styles of puzzles including zoo animals, space, and farm animals to name a few. All of their puzzles are super cute and come packaged really nicely as well.

3-Peaceable Kingdom- Match up memory game and floor puzzle. $8.99 Amazon- These work great for flash cards to teach colors, numbers, body parts, english and spanish words, and many more. You can then put them together into a floor puzzle. Very colorful and bright. 4-Peaceable Kingdom- Sunny Day Pond Game $15.99 Amazon- Colorful and fun game you can do together, that teaches problem solving.

5-Melissa and Doug- Race Car Carrier $27.99 Amazon- Great way to teach numbers. How many cards on top? How many on bottom? How many if I take one away. Fun spin on the regular Flashcard method. Jagger would LOVE this.

6-Fisher Price Little People A to Z Learning Zoo $70.00 Fisher Price- Jagger would go crazy over this. There is an animal for every letter. It makes the sound of the letter and the sound of the animal. Great toy for teaching about animals and the ABC’s at the same time. It comes with a carrier for the animals.

7-Mudpuppy Jumbo Puzzles $11.99 Amazon- Cute designs from animals, to dinosaurs to Fairy wonderland. There is sure to be one to fit your little one’s personality. Comes with 26 jumbo puzzle piece. This one is a must on our Christmas List Happy Shopping. https://createtruebliss.wordpress.com/2014/11/24/best-educational-toys-for-toddlers

8 Healthy Meal Rituals of Lean Families

There are few things that Americans agree on, but here’s one of them: Eating dinner together as a family is a good idea. And yet, The Walking Dead eat together more often than today’s families. For most of us, getting the whole group together for mealtime is a ritual reserved only for Sunday nights or special occasions. Otherwise, it’s the drive-through gobbled in the car, the takeout snarfed in front of the TV, or the leftovers shoveled down while standing over the sink. And this style of eating is bad for a lot of reasons. Number one among them: Families who eat together stay lean together. In fact, in one study, 80 percent of healthy weight kids ate dinner with their families at the table, compared to 55 percent of overweight kids. Families of overweight kids mostly tend to eat in family rooms, offices or in bedrooms. Set the table for a lifetime of healthy living by setting the table tonight. Use these 8 Eat This, Not That!-approved tactics to fool your kids into eating right—while you lose weight too! (And remember: Better eating all starts at the supermarket—click here to discover the 8 Foods You Should Eat Every Day.)

Healthy Ritual #1 Pass bowls family style. You may think you’re imposing portion control by dishing out servings for your kids, but in fact, you’re robbing them of a very important lesson. When kids serve themselves, they learn to read their own body’s hunger cues, according to a recent study printed in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Children who are given control at the dinner table are also more likely to try new foods, the researchers said.

Healthy Ritual #2 Make the meal last 4 ½ minutes longer. That’s the difference between how long healthy-weight kids spend at the dinner table, and how long overweight kids spend there—18 minutes on average for the slim kids and 13.5 for the heavier ones. That might not make a lot of sense—more time at the table means more time to eat, right? But in fact, eating slower means eating more mindfully, and not shoveling down food in an attempt to get back to whatever else is on your mind. Related: Lose Weight Eating Cheese Fries (and other comfort foods like Mac and Cheese), with this free Cook This, Not That! family recipes app. Learn how to save time, money and calories in just minutes while still eating the foods you love.

Healthy Ritual #3 Leave a little something on the plate. Whether it’s a Clean Plate Club membership drive or castigations about starving kids in Africa, efforts by parents to get their children to eat healthy foods can backfire. In a study of 63 children, Cornell researchers found that those whose parents insisted on clean plates ate 35 percent more of a sweetened cereal later in the day. If kids ate 35 percent more than 1 serving of Froot Loops every day for a year, they’d gain 4 pounds! Rather than forbidding certain foods, set up specific parameters for when treats can be enjoyed.

Healthy Ritual #4 Put away electronics. Say “nevermore” to Evermoor and snap off Snapchat. Parents who let their teens use electronic devices or watch TV during family meals tend to serve less nutritious food and have poorer family communication, a new study by the University of Minnesota suggests. Researchers found families that reported frequent media use at meal times also served up less fresh fruit and vegetables and more sugar-sweetened beverages. In fact, distracted eating is almost as dangerous as distracted driving: A separate study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that distracted eaters consumed 10 percent more in one sitting than they would otherwise. (While you’re sliding that iPad to “off,” also check out these essential Secrets to Losing Weight While You Sleep.)

Healthy Ritual #5 Use smaller bowls and plates. Our eyes always tend to be bigger than our stomachs. A recent Cornell study found bigger bowls (16 oz vs 8 oz) caused children to request 87% more food, and eat 52% more of it, than they would otherwise. And while adults aren’t as susceptible to the visual illusion, research printed in The Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) found larger bowls caused people to serve and eat an average of 16% more. And with the typical manufacturers’ snack package being 2.5 times bigger than the appropriate amount for young kids, health-conscious parents fight an uphill battle. Control what you can. Keep in mind that restaurant portions—even for kids—are egregiously oversized, so don’t force them to wolf down every last tater tot. Splitting a dish with a sibling is never a bad idea (as long as you ask for two toys). At home, use smaller bowls, plates, and utensils.

Healthy Ritual #6 Ask them if they’re hungry. Researchers at the University of Illinois suggest that asking the right questions can help children listen to important hunger and satiety signals. So acknowledging an empty plate with a question like “Are you full?” or “If you’re hungry, you can have some more,” is more conducive to teaching intuitive eating habits than a simple: “Are you done?” (You’ll also want to question exactly what’s in your food. Start with our latest Eat This, Not That! Lunchtime Special Report: Brand-Name Deli Meats Worse Than Cheetos.)

Healthy Ritual #7 Try all sorts of new foods. Nowadays, kids avoid vegetables like they’re out-of-style sneakers; only one in five of them actually eats enough plant matter. If you want to reverse that trend, a little scheming can go a long way. Research out of England found that giving children a taste of a new vegetable daily for 2 weeks increased their enjoyment and consumption of that food. Giving kids ownership over what they eat is also a powerful play. Turn a trip to the supermarket into a treasure hunt, and let them try to find produce they’ve never eaten before; letting your children choose their vegetables can lead to an 80 percent increase in their consumption. Pick any from this definitive shopping list: The 34 Healthiest Foods for Kids.

Healthy Ritual #8 Set the example, Dad. In less than five years, the percentage of our calories that come from food outside the home has risen to 43 percent—the highest since the USDA began tracking such statistics. Parents’ increasing penchant for restaurant food or delivery can translate to nutritionally unsound decisions by kids. One study laid the heaviest blame on fathers. Researchers at Texas A&M University say dads carry the most influence largely because when they take their kids to, say, Burger King, it’s often as a treat. This enforces the idea that unhealthy eating is positive. Next time it’s Day with Daddy, choose a restaurant without Big Macs. https://www.yahoo.com/health/8-healthy-meal-rituals-of-lean-families-104073575158.html

Autumn Statement: A Long-Term Economic Plan Should Have a Poverty-free UK at Its Heart by Julia Unwin

Julia Unwin is Chief Executive of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), the independent anti-poverty charity Autumn Statement: A Long-Term Economic Plan Should Have a Poverty-free UK at Its Heart The Autumn Statement was the Government's last chance to ensure the economic recovery does not bypass the worst off. This opportunity was missed. George Osborne's claims about the health of the jobs market yesterday ignored the harsh realities. The nature of work is now more precarious, low-paid and insecure, making an escape from poverty ever harder in the modern labour market. Despite record high employment, people are left struggling to make ends meet and unable to escape poverty through work. Figures for JRF show two thirds of people who moved from unemployment into work in the last year are paid below the Living Wage. This is partly why the Treasury coffers are depleted and our economy's full potential is not being reached.

Our state of the nation report last week by the New Policy Institute spells out the state of the labour market and the scale of the problem in stark detail. The Chancellor talked about the facts on employment and the facts are these: people forced into self-employment earn 13% less today than they did five years ago; 1.4million people are on precarious contracts not guaranteeing a minimum number of hours; and the long term prospects for people in low paid work are not promising either - only a fifth of low paid employees have left low paid work completely 10 years later.

The proposed remedy to the rising deficit has been to try to hold down the welfare budget, a move which will fail unless the Government tackles its underlying causes. The raid on the Universal Credit budget by freezing the Work Allowance is a backwards step in making work pay and undermines the support offered for childcare costs. JRF has argued help with childcare should not be funded at the expense of other poorer families, and the balance of funding between poorer and better off families need to be looked at again.

Another of the Chancellor's hand outs, raising the personal tax allowance, is an expensive way of helping the working poor. Most of the additional money will actually go to better off families, while poorer families only keep a third of the tax cut because of the way the benefit system takes away support from households as their earnings rise. Raising the Work Allowance, rather than freezing it, would have been an effective way of making work pay for those in poverty and ensuring the benefits of the economic recovery are felt by the worst off.

But the move continues a trend we have seen in this Parliament from distributing resource away from the bottom to the middle. The Statement found additional money to support families' budgets, but targeted it largely at the better off: those who have pension pots, ISA savings, take children on foreign holidays and can afford to get onto the property ladder. This was a missed opportunity to support low income families, who have seen their cost of living rise 50% in the last 10 years. George Osborne has high hopes for 2020 but we know for the worst off families, the forecasts are heading in the wrong direction, with one in four expected to be living in poverty by then. We are concerned the recovery will be built on rising poverty and insecurity. A long-term economic plan should have a prosperous and poverty-free UK at its heart. http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/julia-unwin/autumn-statement-2014_b_6268498.html