Who decides when a parent needs to let go?  We recently ran into this situation a few weeks ago.  Our daughter is 22 years old and she just moved out.  She took ill one day and needed to go to the ER.  She does not have a car, so she called mom and dad.  We ended up sitting for many hours in the ER with her.  My husband was scheduled to work that day, so, from the ER, he called his supervisor to let her know that he would be late as he is in he ER with his daughter and the docs can’t figure out what is wrong with her.  The supervisor said fine, just keep me updated.  When we finally got out of the ER and were on our way home, my husband called his supervisor again to let her know that since there was only about 2 hours of work left, he would take this as a vacation day.  You see, we live an hour from his work, so by the time he would have gotten there, he would have worked an hour then turned around and went home.

My husband went in to work the next day and was called into the office.  He was told that if it has nothing to do with his wife or handicapped son that lives at home, he is not to take off of work.  They said that “your daughter no longer lives at home and is an adult now and has to learn to take care of herself.”  I was appalled when my husband came home and told me this.  So, in other words, if my other two kids who do not live at home anymore are dying, then he can go to them and take off of work to care for them.  Yeah right!

Who decided that they were the authority on parenting.  Who are they to tell me when to let go of my kids?   l love my kids and they mean the world to me.  They always will.  If they are sick or not, I am going to go to them whenever they need me.  Yes, they have to learn to live on their own, and they are, that doesn’t mean that I can’t help them out once in a while.  Especially when it comes to their health.  I think was my husband supervisor did was uncalled for.  Let see what she does the next time one of her kids gets sick and has to go to the ER.

We are in the process of planning a very large Thanksgiving celebration with my husbands family.  When all of our children were little, we would get together every year for every holiday.  Then as all the kids grew up, some went their own way.  We have some on each side of the country and some with significant others that require their attention at the holidays too.  So, this year, we found out that the ones who no longer live near home are able to come home for Thanksgiving.  We have decided to plan to have everyone together again to celebrate the holiday like we used to.  We used to number around 12.  Now we grew to almost 30.

My mother-in-law called me last week to talk to me about this planned dinner.  We are renting a hall because no one has a big enough house to hold everyone and cook.  What my mother-in-law wanted to know is if we have ever had ham for Thanksgiving?  I do remember a time or two when we did.  She was happy to hear that as she is hungry for ham and wants to go out and buy a ham.  Now my sis-in-law found out about this and was not happy.  She said “no ham because no one will eat turkey.”

Now, I don’t see what difference it makes.  Ham or turkey is fine with me.  Sure turkey is tradition, but whats more important, holiday tradition or family tradition?  Eating ham instead of turkey is not going to make it any less Thanksgiving than eating turkey.  Besides, I think just being together again is the highlight of the holiday.  I don’t care if I eat mac and cheese, with all the people I love around me, I am more than thankful.

What is poverty?

Many of us always ask why and what is poverty. When we say poverty, it is dealing of the condition of being poor. Being poor means a person is lacking of money or property or he is needy, penniless with little or no money or property. If you own nothing at all or having not enough necessities in your life then you will be consider poor or in the stage of poverty and it is the main problem of the whole world.

What causes Poverty?

Well first of all if you mismanage the money then it will be simply gonna be gone in months, days or seconds. If you abuse of oneself  like drugs, gambling, smoking, women, revelers or wild parties then you will be poor sooner or later if you cannot handle it.

Another thing is lack of knowledge. You need to have enough knowledge of all the things around you and what are the consequences in every thing that you made and you need to have a solution in every problem you take.

The worst one is laziness. If you practice this then don’t expect for any money that will come into your life. You need to think that if you will not work then you cannot eat and provide something for yourself and your family so bare in your mind that being lazy is one of the main reasons why poverty exist. If just people are hard worker except for people who are disable then you will not experience poverty.

Introduction

Building a strong family means that it is a family but what are the steps to make your family more stronger and solid? All you need to do is to improve the ABC of of the family and using this will make a perfect foundation of the family.

Acceptance - We should accept and understand the failures or defects of family members. Our life must go on. Always remember that without acceptance, everything will always be conflicts so give space.

Bonding - To build a strong family. One factor that you need to consider is having a good relationship between husband and wife and children.

Communication - You and your family should always have conversation and be open to each other.

Develop - Parent should help develop the talents of their children. Always support them on what they want and don’t force them what they really don’t want. I know some of the parents who decide for their children and that will be not good. Let him or her decide just guide them.

Encourage - Parents should always encourage their children to pursue their dreams and to aim high for their goals.

Friend - Parents shall not only maintain parent to children relationship but also develop their friendship.

God - Always make your children close to God to put their faith in God not to men.

If you’re looking for a fun and unique idea for your daughter’s next birthday party, why not try having a Photo Shoot party? Most girls enjoy posing for the camera, especially when they get to dress up or be made up pretty.

Start with invitations announcing your glamorous day. If you like, you can go with a theme suitable for your daughter’s age or interests, such as Princess or Fairies for younger girls or Hollywood or Top Model for older girls. Let them know that they will be dressing up and taking lots of pictures! You can also have just a general photo shoot with different kinds of props of your own choosing.

Begin to gather items for the girls to dress up in or use as props. Thrift stores are excellent for this, you can find old prom dresses, hats, jewelry, long gloves, sunglasses, etc. If it happens to be near Halloween, all the better. Wait until after Halloween when things are marked down and you can find princess tiaras, wands, boas, funky jewelry, makeup and all kinds of great stuff for really cheap.

Set up an area where you will take the pictures. Inside is best, where the lighting and weather can be controlled. You can use just a blank wall if you like, but props make the photos much more interesting. Even a simple chair or bench can be a lot of fun for silly or dramatic girls in front of a camera. Other items you can use could be colorful pillows, hanging strands of beads, stuffed animals, etc.

You can set up other “stations” also where the girls can get ready. One area for costumes, one for makeup, one for props, and so on. They can go one by one through each station as they get ready. The birthday girl gets to go first, of course! Be sure to have something else for the others to do while waiting their turn. Some may be entertained to just watch their friends, but a backup is always a good idea, especially for younger ones. Try a fun craft or simple game.

Enlist other moms to help. If you have friends that will be coming and don’t mind pitching in, use them to help coordinate outfits, apply makeup or just keep things in order. This can be a huge help in a situation that could get out of hand. Plus it will keep things moving faster.

Play some fun music to set the mood. Girls will feel even more like a ‘model’ if the atmosphere is there. Select age appropriate tunes to keep the energy up and the inspiration high.

A digital camera is highly recommended. This way, you can take lots of shots of each girl without worrying about wasting film. Another plus and really fun thing to do is to post the pictures online with www.snapfish.com or another photo website so they can go see all the pictures themselves and order some if they want. Place an inexpensive frame with a note in the goody bags letting the moms know where to go to see the pictures. Don’t forget to take a group shot as well!

If you have the opportunity, you can print out one picture for each girl before they leave as a souvenir or send one in a thank you note. Go with whatever works for you and whatever your birthday girl prefers. In any case, she and her friends will feel like beautiful stars for the day and your party will be remembered for a long time to come!

The times have changed dramatically, including the way we celebrate some of the holidays, since I was a child. Although I wasn’t raised in the “Over the river and through the woods” era, holidays are celebrated a lot different now, then they were 40 or 50 years ago.

We no longer have to get up at 5AM to stuff the turkey and get it into the oven so it’s done when the company arrives for dinner. Today we have turkeys with pop up timers to let us know exactly when they’re done. In addition to the electric and gas ranges we have to cook the bird in, there are now convection ovens, microwave ovens, deep fryer turkey cookers, and gas grills to get that bird all cooked up for dinner. You can even pre-order your whole Thanksgiving dinner and have it delivered, or pick it up yourself, and it’s fully cooked, if you so desire. Last, but not least, how about the Thanksgiving buffet at the local restaurant?

In addition to the meal, the entertainment aspect of the day has changed also. The men no longer sit in the living room and just visit, while the women stay in the kitchen and wash up the dinner dishes. There’s usually an array of football games on the two or three television sets the American home now has. The kids aren’t usually outside throwing snowballs, or making snow angels in the snow, like years past. If they aren’t on the computer, or playing on the playstation, or watching a movie on the vcr, they’re probably talking on their cellphones.

Many of our larger malls have stores that are open on Thanksgiving Day, so this may be a time to start your Christmas shopping, instead of waiting for the day after Thanksgiving Day sales to start.

Technology, electronics, and the space age, are all signs of our modern times. They have replaced the old fashioned turkey, stuffing, yams, and pumpkin pie Thanksgiving Day of years gone by, somewhat. I kind of miss those sit-down dinners, where the finest dinnerware was set out, Grandpa carved the turkey, and we all held hands and said grace, thanking the good lord for all our blessings.

In some homes, they still celebrate the day in a similar fashion to the way their ancestors did, but in many homes, it just seems to be another day. Football, the internet, and shopping have replaced some of the family togetherness, that used to be such an important part of the day. Our grand kids are constantly complaining how bored they are if the television isn’t blaring, or they aren’t playing some video game.

The good old days style of Thanksgiving may have gone by the wayside, but I still miss Grandma’s pumpkin pie with “real” whipping cream, instead of “coolwhip”.

Much like Ralph Waldo Emerson, many people haven’t even thought to read Henry David Thoreau, or they won’t because he is “too boring.”  Thoreau did something we today would cringe to even think about: he spent two years living in the woods, away from any civilization.  He spent those two years almost as a hermit living off the land and learning how to survive solely on the things that nature provided.  Why did he do such a thing; and then write about it?  He wanted to learn all that nature could teach him and he wrote about it so that future generations could understand his ideas.  Many of his theories and ideas came to him while he spent those two years in the woods.  He talks about different things in his book: “Walden.”  But barely anyone reads his work.  I hope to be able to help people understand his purpose more, and see into a mind that is long gone.  With his quotes we can understand why nature was so important to the transcendentalist movement, and the importance nature still has today.  Let us take a look into the world of Henry David Thoreau and see what he was talking about.

Of course the first place you need to start when looking at any work of literature is in the beginning.  In the very first chapter entitled Economy, Thoreau talks about people putting emphasis on minor things.  He states Most of the luxuries, and many of the so called comforts of life, are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind…the wisest have ever lived a more simple and meager life than the poor.   I know what you are thinking: “what in the world does that mean!”  What he is trying to say is that luxuries of life things we consider the comforts of life hinder our own advancements.  How often to people say kids shouldn’t spend so much time on the computer or playing video games?  They should be outside or reading a book, this is a long the lines of what Thoreau is saying.  We have become too dependent on the luxuries in life.  We don’t NEED to computer to survive, sure some people make a living on it, but is it a necessity to survive?  Also we don’t need a television to survive.  I have heard a pastor say it perfectly “without a television I am forced to spend more time talking and interacting with my wife and kids.”  The so called luxuries of life takes away the personal contact, not just with our families but everyone around us.  Too often we are sitting in the house watching television instead of going out to the museum or catching a free show.

He goes on to say that the wisest man to ever live, lived a life of simplicity and a more meager life than those who couldn’t afford the “luxuries” of life.  Meaning the wisest of men knew that one of the richest of life would be to live simplistically because you are not focused on the luxuries and too drawn to them.  When we live by only the necessities of life, we learn more and learn to appreciate things more.  When you spend two years in the woods having to  hunt for your food and chop your own wood you appreciate the warmth and the taste of the food more.  When you need to work for what you have and earn you value it more.  We take for granted that the television will always be on, and too often when the electric goes out people are unsure of what to do.  Grab a book, light candles or camping lamps play a game of cards by the camping lam por just sit around a candle and TALK to each other.  Oh goodness we need to talk to each other sometimes.

We are led oftener by the love of novelty, and a regard for the opinions of men, in procuring it than by true utility.  These words also come for the first chapter of Thoreau’s book, several pages after the previous quote I used.  In this section Henry David points out that when we buy something whether it is a car, clothes, or even a computer (he used clothes but it could be applied to everything) we pay attention to the novelty of the thing, and then what others would think about the certain object.  When the iphone came out, how many people lined up for hours just to get one?  Why? Simply the novelty of it.  A phone should be something we use to keep in contact with people and cell phones in case heaven forbid, we get into an accident on the road.  Why do we need the iphone, the razor, venus, chocolate, chocolate mint, balckberry, etc I am more than content with a phoen called Sch-U500; a small phone that doesn’t do too much, just call and take pictures and I really don’t need to take pictures with it.  All these features on a phone in Thoreau’s eyes are so unnecessary and would be luxuries that we could do without and hinder us.  Too often we don’t care about having something for the utility of it just what others would think about us if we had it.

Thoreau emphasises this idea just a few paragraphs later when he says who can wear a patch, or two extra seams only, over the knee?  Most behave as if they believed that their prospects for life would be ruined if they should.  How many people out there would admit to wearing patches on their jeans or sewing up a pair of shorts because the pants got too short?  People often see things like that as a sign of poverty, when that isn’t the case.  People think that if they don’t have the latest fashions then they can’t make it or that they aren’t “in the know” or “cool” anymore.  Shouldn’t our clothing protect us from the elements and keep us covered?  Does God care about what we wear, of course not, so why should so much emphasis be put on how you dress?  Too often, in high school mainly, people will not even talk to some based on how they dress or even do their hair.  That is shear silliness!  It goes back to what Thoreau said about so called comforts hindering us.  It hinders our accepting others on the basis of who they are.  He adds fuel to the fire by saying We don’t worship the Graces or Parcae, but Fashion.  He is saying Fashion becomes such a high priority that we place it higher than God’s himself.

We are too quick to buy things we really don’t need, but struggle with things like tithing to church, or pay the minimum possible on our bills.  The country is too far in debt and I have to wonder why.  Could it be like Thoreau said and that we spend too much on luxuries and things we may not really need and not spend money on the important things?  We put too much emphasis on things that don’t have importance like our electronics.  What we need to do, and this is what Thoreau was getting at, is simplify life.  There is no need to have everything bigger and better than the next person.  Material things aren’t what makes us happy…it’s the relationships in our lives.  Well that ends part one of Taking a look at Walden.  Thoreau brought up so many different ideas throughout his book.  Each idea and theory can be applied to today just as Emerson is.

Managing time is very important in our lives!  We often have the habit of doing things later, later, and later until you forgot to do the task on the time you should work on it making you unable to do other tasks on the line.

1.  ALWAYS BRING WITH YOU A SMALL PEN AND A PAPER.

This is for you to write everything that comes into your mind and be able to include it on the future list of DO’s and DON’Ts!

2.  EVERY TIME YOU THINK OF SOMETHING, DO IT RIGHT AWAY.

We often have the body clock and body alarm that warns and reminds us to do the things we must do.  These are the things that we often forget and won’t be able to make it up if make no actions.

3.  WRITE DOWN, THE NIGHT BEFORE, EVERY TASK YOU HAVE TO COMPLY FOR THE NEXT DAY!

Write down itinerary before every routine to save time.  New ideas must be written down to a small piece of paper to be done after your daily planned activities or better yet include it to the future to DO list.

4.  ALWAYS PLAN YOUR WORK, AND WORK ACCORDING TO YOUR PLAN.

This is very important!  Always plan your work for a systematic result.  Systematic results will give you peace of mind and will make you free from stress!  To work according to your plan will make your life more easy than the habitual complicated life!  Let us manage our time wisely and live a better life!

Being tall is one of the wishes our children have in mind! Even us as an adult would like to grow more even just an inch or two.  In my own experience, my height when I graduated high school is only 5 feet and 1 inch, then when I graduated college my height is already 6 feet!  Everybody was shocked because way back in high school I am always first in the line and when we already have our reunion I’m already one of the tall students.

The secret is STRETCHING!  I do this almost every time I have the chance to do it!  I stretch every time I wake up before getting up from bed and before sleeping.  Before getting up from bed I usually stretch myself as if I am trying to reach upwards, with my legs trying to touch the other end of the bed.  Before doing this you must first mark your height to the wall so that you will have a basis on what your height is before starting these activities.  After 5 minutes stretching while on bed, you also make a separate routine stretching exercises at least 10 minutes in the morning, and 10 minutes in the afternoon.  Then observe your height weekly by going back to the wall where you marked your height!  This is really true!  Even 25 y.o. to thirty can still make it to grow a minimum of 1 inch.  Try it now!  If it worked for me then surely it will worked for everybody!

1. )  10 minutes stretching (superman position stretching - as if reaching upwards) while lying in bed when you wake up.

2.)   Leg stretching 5 minutes

3.)   Arm stretching 5 minutes

4.)   10 minutes stretching (superman position stretching - as if reaching upwards) while lying in bed before sleeping.

Follow these steps and monitor your height weekly.  I tell you, there will be increase in your height in 1 to 2 weeks.

For many of us that enjoy the great outdoors and wildlife, there is an area close to home that we often overlook when studying nature…our own backyards!  Yes, some of the most interesting forms of wildlife, the feathered and furred, can be found right outside your back door.

My own little wildlife haven is nestled in the suburbs, just outside center city Philadelphia.  It is a residential area bordered by busy streets and heavy traffic.  The street outside my door is bursting with traffic at least 16 hours a day.  However, the roar of buses, cars, and trucks, has little or no effect on the many animals that make our home-their home.

Unfortunately, in this day and age, because of over-development and crowding, many animals have learned to adapt and live in close proximity to people.  And for those of us that enjoy sharing our space with these intelligent and sometimes industrious creatures, we can derive much enjoyment from them, if we are careful and observant.

On almost any given morning just before sunrise, my yard plays host to a multitude of varying animals.  Some like the raccoon have been busy all night searching for food, while countless feisty squirrels are just awakening to start their busy day.  When the raccoon is about to retire for the day, the squirrels are starting their day.  The squirrels day is a busy one and their survival depends upon their success.  The chilly days of autumn are becoming shorter now and this triggers the squirrels instinct to find and store food for the long winter months ahead.

Another patient but busy little body is the eastern cottontail rabbit.  Every morning scattered about our lawn is a family of rabbits chewing away on a vast menu of grass and other green goodies.  Like the squirrels, the rabbits have become accustomed to my wife and I, and politely ignore our presence.  I find it fun watching the tiny newborns as they romp and eat alongside their mother.   Its also interesting to see how easily they get along with the more energetic and industrious squirrels.

Not all of our backyard wildlife are frequent visitors.  For example, I like to classify some of these critters as interlopers, or species,” just passing through.”  We don’t always see the raccoon or the opossum as often as  the rabbits and squirrels, but nonetheless, they make their presence known, and we see enough of them to enjoy their antics.

The slow moving opossum with its lack of keen vision saunters about our yard as though it is intoxicated, but this hardly impedes its ability to find food, even under the worst conditions.  The raccoon, that clever little masked bandit, is readily adept at opening trash cans to get whatever morsels it might offer.  One of my daily chores each day is to place the lid back on the trash can and replace the scattered food the raccoon refused to eat from its menu.  He is smart enough to sense that I like him, and on some nights will raid my trash can while I am watching him.  His antics are hilarious and we really enjoy his company.

Then there is the colorful variety of birds that fill our yard with their melodic chirps and beautiful songs.  We have robins, mockingbirds, blue jays, sparrows, juncos, finches and catbirds.   One of my favorite birds is the mourning dove.  Its song is sad and doesn’t seem to fit the beauty of this friendly bird, that returns each year to use the same nest to raise its young.

Sometimes, on occasion,  we have the opportunity to see an owl or hawk interrupt its journey to seek rest in a nearby tree.  They are a large and imposing figure as opposed to the songbirds, who immediately sound the alarm and vacate the area until the raptors move on.

In the winter months we miss our feathered friends when they migrate, but leave plenty of food in our feeders for those too old or weak to make the long journey.  This provides us with an opportunity to share the company of our avian friends all year long.

The natural world is fascinating and has much to offer us if we know where to find and enjoy it.  In this case, there are no travel plans needed, no reservations or expense, you need only step out your back door to discover and share one of nature’s greatest treasures.