Kids lieing is a sign of Higher Thinking

A study out of U of T, says not to worry about kids' lies; they will not turn into pathological liars, it is a developmental milestone. According to the research, one-fifth of two-year-olds lie; half of three-year-olds lie and almost 90 percent of four-year-olds lie. The curve peaks at age 12 and decreases by age 16, where 'only' 70 percent of 16-year -olds lie.

Lies come out of children's mouths for a variety of reasons:

• Fear. When kids are scared of the consequences of their actions, they often lie to cover up. (Are the rules too strict? Are the limits too tight? Does your child feel free to talk with you?)
• To protect somebody else.
• Because the truth is boring.
• To avoid an unpleasant task.
  
• By mistake. Sometimes lies seem almost involuntary, and a lie just slips out, especially if your child gets caught in a misdeed.
  
• For love, for approval, and because kids like to impress people quickly and effectively.

Lie Prevention Techniques (And That's the Truth!)

No, you can't keep your children from lying, but you can make lying a less rewarding activity. Many lies come from self-protection, and you can help by not creating a situation where your kid feels pressured to lie or suffer the consequences.

• Keep the conversation focused on what happened or what the problem is, rather than casting blame.
• Don't cross-examine (“After you left school, which route did you take home? And this was at precisely 3:10 p.m.?”), forget the fierce white lights and the sleep deprivation techniques. Remember that the object of talking with your child is to communicate. Grilling will make him close down, not open up, to you.
• Looking for the positive intent? Lies are a misguided survival technique.
• Lies are easy to slip into, and even easier to compound themselves, lie upon lie.
  
• When your kid has misbehaved, don't trap him into a lie, or set him up in a no-win situation. Confronting him with leading questions is more likely to elicit a lie than talking calmly with him about what happened.
  

Behave Yourself!

Grilling is for barbecues, not children.

• The truth is hard to tell. It's risky to confess (and risk is always hard). If your child confesses a misdeed to you, you need to 1) thank him for the truth, and give him positive reinforcement for his bravery and his sense of ethics, and then 2) deal with the misdeed by applying appropriate consequences. Doing step 2 but not step 1 is as bad a mistake as doing step 1 without step 2. He needs to have positive feedback for telling the truth and he needs consistent consequences. The positive feedback will make the consequence easier to take, and help build his ethical sense.
• Don't reprimand your child for telling the truth.
• Before you talk with your kid about a lie he's told, make sure that he did lie. A false accusation, or not believing a child when he is telling the truth, can devastate.

Found on FamilyEducation.com

Other reasons for a full tummy!

Waistband suddenly feeling tight? It might not just be that you’ve eaten too much. You could be suffering from stomach bloat, which can be triggered by anything from fluctuating hormones to eating reheated pasta.

Often, bloating is caused by irritable bowel syndrome, a condition that affects a staggering one in seven people (caused by an oversensitive gut).

While most people’s stomachs may swell just a couple of inches, others can actually double in girth in just one day, only to ‘deflate’ overnight until the next attack.

So what can you do about it?

RE-HEATING FOOD

For some people, they only get tummy trouble or bloating when they eat pasta, rice or potatoes in a restaurant. This is often because these foods have been re-heated.

It seems re-heating starchy food changes its molecular structure, turning it into ‘resistant starch’. This cannot be digested in the small intestine but passes into the large intestine — the bacteria that helps break it down produces gas, hence the bloating.

Processed foods such as ready meals and part-baked breads such as baguettes also tend to have more resistant starch.

FLUCTUATING HORMONES

Hormonal fluctuations during a woman’s monthly cycle are a common trigger for bloating. But while many women might put it down to ‘fluid retention’, the cause is actually relaxed muscles. During ovulation, the ovaries produce more progesterone and it causes muscles in the abdomen to relax. The muscles in the bowel also relax, meaning they are less efficient at moving food along the gut. This can cause constipation, triggering further bloating. It’s possible to overcome this by eating more fibre.

CHEWING GUM

When you chew gum you swallow more air, which increases the risk of bloating. Sugar-free versions are worse as they contain ingredients which are fermented by bacteria in the gut and may also cause bloating — double trouble.

Eating quickly can also trigger bloating or make it worse. As we eat we swallow roughly the same amount of air as we do food.

A HEALTHY DIET

Anything “healthy” is often a cause of bloating. High-fibre foods, such as cereals, beans and pulses cause bloating by fermenting in the gut. Healthy snacks are another problem. Many people spend all day snacking on large amounts of fresh fruit, nuts and seeds — all of which ferment in the bowel and cause problems in both healthy people and those with irritable bowel syndrome.

Dieting can also cause bloating if you stick to a high-protein diet such as the Atkins or Dukan. People wonder why they are bloated and constipated, yet they are on a high-protein diet so getting very little fibre, which is what we need to go to the loo regularly.

ANTIBIOTICS

A lack of ‘good’ bacteria in the gut can lead to bloating. Good bacteria helps to stimulate the digestive process and keep the gut cells healthy. But taking antibiotics, or suffering from food poisoning, can disrupt the delicate balance of bacteria, causing bad bacteria to proliferate. It’s thought that probiotics can help restore the balance of good bacteria again.

STRESS

Stress is one of the biggest triggers for Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

UNDIAGNOSED COELIAC DISEASE

Coeliac disease, which is an allergy to gluten, can cause uncomfortable bloating, although it’s not clear why. Whereas irritable bowel syndrome is basically a plumbing problem, allergies are caused by a problem with the immune system. The problem is the symptoms can be very similar to irritable bowel syndrome and many patients go undiagnosed for years.

Other common symptoms that might help differentiate coeliac disease from irritable bowel syndrome include unexplained anaemia, fertility problems and joint pain.

If you think you have a food intolerance or allergy, keep a food diary for seven days, noting when exactly you ate, what symptoms you had (if any), when they appeared, and grade them from zero to four in terms of severity.

Found on DailyMail.co.uk

How to look fantabulous in a photo!

A lot of people I know HATE having their picture taken because they don't think they look good! Pish-posh! You should LOVE how you look... but it's always nice to look tip-top. Here's some help.

Practice, practice, practice!
Have a photo night! Spend a couple of hours having a friend or loved one take snaps of you with a digital camera so you can get immediate feedback on what looks hot and what…not. Put a big mirror on the wall so you’re not winging it “blind.” Once you find a pose that works, make it your trademark.

Find your game face
Every time you’re in front of the mirror (alone), test out some smiles and different head positions. Find the side of your face that flatters you more. Once you've found the right look? Keep practicing it whenever you pass the mirror, until it feels – and therefore will look – natural.

Wear the right colors
Even a casual brunch with the girls can end up with snapshots being posted on Facebook, so be proactive about purging your wardrobe of clothes in unflattering colors. How to find the right color? http://www.ehow.com/how_3249_choose-colors-flatter.html

Get your make-up right
If you know you’re going to be photographed – assume you are at any weekend brunch or night out with the girls, party, group dinner or corporate “Away Day” – wear more than just a tinted moisturizer and gloss. Use concealer and heavier coverage foundation, eye makeup, lipstick and blush, and escape to the ladies' room to “powder your nose” with blotting papers every hour or so.

Strike a pose
For full-body shots try the classic Red Carpet Pose: angle your body three-quarters towards the camera, one shoulder closer towards the photographer, and one foot in front of the other and your weight on the back leg.

Look thinner
If you’re expecting to be photographed on a certain date or at a certain event, avoid carbs and water-retaining high-sodium foods, to avoid bloat. If you’re being shot torso-up, tense your arms to give them mroe definition, as long as you can maintain a smile. If you can arrange for the camera to be a bit above you so you’re looking up, that’ll slim your face.

Look taller, if you need to
If you’re petite and are being shot with your tall friend, stand on something (seriously) or sit down together so you won’t look like a mouse beside a giraffe!

Get the light right
Bright, diffused light as in a photo studio is flattering; outdoor high-noon conditions are not. Flash is also not ideal in most settings, as it’ll bring out shiny skin like nothing else. A cloudy outdoor day is perfect for making you look good, even if the weather is dreary. See if you can postpone the office picnic to an overcast day. Just kidding. (Or not.)

Hide the evidence of bad photos
Been tagged in a Facebook photo where you look… not your best? While you can’t wow in every shot, you can bury the evidence of less-than-stellar pics. Just Untag yourself. It won’t delete the shot since the photo isn’t yours, but it will hide the trail by getting your name out of people’s Mini-Feed updates.

Five reasons to pick up some fresh cherries at the farmers' market

1. Cherries can reduce joint pain: The red pigment in cherries is created by anthocyanins, which have been shown to reduce the inflammatory markers in the blood. This could create a reduction in inflammation of your joints, and ultimately, a reduction in pain.

2. They're the ultimate food for your heart: Cherries contain high levels of quercetin, a plant flavonoid that could have the ability to reduce cholesterol, blood pressure and free-radical damage to your arteries.

3. Reduce your chances of gout with cherries: The quercitin in cherries, combined with their high levels of vitamin C, could decrease the amount of uric acid in the body. When uric acid accumulates, it can deposit in the joints as painful crystals, resulting in gout. Try snacking on some cherries after a heavy protein meal to avoid this painful accumulation!

4. Cherries help protect your eyesight: Cherries are high in lutein and zeaxanthin. These are two powerful antioxidants that specifically target the tissue of the eye. Making sure you consume enough of these antioxidants may aid in the prevention of age-related macular degeneration, which would help your eyes stay healthy for a long time.

5. They could help you fight obesity: Cherries are a source of vitamin C and plant sterols. These two features together have shown a synergistic effect on the reduction of fat in the body, not to mention the high fiber content to eliminate unwanted toxins.

Found on MSN Lifestyle

How to get a Brighter Smile!

If you've been wanting a whiter smile but get lost in all the toothpastes, gels, rinses and various methods... it can be a challenge to find what's best for you!

So here's what to do...

1. Consult with your dentist before choosing a treatment plan.

Not all tooth stains are created equal. Different stains must be treated differently, and not one whitening system can attack all forms. Talk to your dentist about your dental history and eating and drinking habits before you explore at-home or dentist-office treatments.

2. Use paste for a quick-fix single-shade upgrade.

Whitening toothpastes do not contain bleach, and therefore, are the mildest smile-whitening method. However, since they only utilize gentle abrasives, pastes will usually only improve the color of your teeth by one shade.

3. Splurge on a dentist visit for immediate results.

For a couple hundred dollars, you can be in and out of your dentist’s office, fully equipped with a visibly whiter smile, within an hour. The secret is in the light treatments administered by professionals. Whitening agents are applied directly to your teeth in conjunction with heat, light, or even a laser. Do not try this at home.

4. Don’t abuse whitening strips.

Overuse of whitening gel strips can lead to ultra-sensitive teeth. Be sure to limit strip use to the duration designated on the packaging, and be cautious if you’re already prone to sensitive teeth.

5. Don’t drink colored beverages or eat acidic food after whitening.

No matter which treatment plan you choose, there are a few guidelines you’ll need to adhere to in order to make your new, bright smile lasts as long as possible. First, when drinking anything other than water—and especially tea or coffee—use a straw when possible. This limits your teeth’s exposure to stain-causing beverages. Second, avoid citrus-based foods to ensure your tooth enamel remains as strong as possible.

Helping your kids survive college/university!

Budget -- hard: Get them to draw up a weekly budget, listing all their known income and projected payments. The difference is how much they need to earn, or how much they can spend on partying.

Get insurance: The average student takes thousands of dollars worth of possessions to college. If the goods are not fully covered by your home insurance or the college's own policy, they'll need to arrange their own.

Wise up on travel: Walking and biking are free. But if they're taking a car to college they will end up as an unpaid taxi driver. Get them to ask friends to contribute towards gas.

Be a discount pro: Many stores offer student discounts but don't advertise about them -- so ask.

Pick up a recipe: Cook your children a meal and you feed them for a day; teach them how to cook and you'll be feeding them for life -- and saving them money at college.

Check paystubs: Even part-time workers should receive at least the minimum wage. Students also need to check how much tax the employer has deducted -- especially if they have more than one job.

Consider an allowance: If you don't trust them, or they don't trust themselves, students could hand their per-term loan/grant payment to Mom and Dad, to be doled out as a weekly or monthly allowance.

Stay on track: Learning to manage finances is part of the college experience. And as 18-year-olds are officially adults, parents are not legally responsible for their debts unless they have specifically guaranteed them.