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The idea of dieting scares many people for a variety of reasons, but it shouldn't if you change you way of thinking about losing weight. Here are some ideas to help you get started: - Look it losing weight as making lifestyle choices to better your health. You choose to walk every day. You choose to eat more fruits and vegetables.
- Get fit with a group of friends or family members. If that is not possible, then join a health club that meets your needs, which will then improve the chances of meeting people to help encourage you.
- Journal what you eat and the calories. When you are more aware of what you are eating and drinking because you see the results in a notebook or journal, then you are more likely to better decide if you really want to eat or drink.
- Hang around with positive thinking people. That DOES make a difference and will likely help you stick with your life style choices.
It is best to consult your physician when it comes to your health and weight. Also, it is best to lose weight slowly and not quickly.
Often times, when you and your child are out and about, your child says something cute, and you say to yourself, "I will remember that forever." or "I will write that down when I get home." Chances are you may forget what your child has said by the time you are home. You may soon regret forgetting what was said. Another scenario, you may see or read something unique special, and you think to yourself, "Oh that is good. I will remember that." Once again, when you are trying to remember what that unique moment was, you may have forgotten already. Carry a journal or notebook with a pen, small enough to put in your pocket or purse. As soon as you hear or see an observation, you can record it as soon as possible. The journal will become a recording of your experiences and adventures. This will be a treasure to share with your children.
Many people now use Email as a form of communication. Often, it's for personal or business. It is possible to get hundreds of Emails in your Inbox, which can be an overwhelming task and even a time waster to go through them. Here are a few ideas to help you organize your time when checking your Email. Set a time limit and enforce it. Use a timer that will ring at the set time. This will force you to delete emails that are not worth reading or taking your time. Once you do that, then it is time to read the most urgent or with highest priority. And if you are on groups, such as Yahoo groups, be sure to be on digest, so that it will not take much space in your Email. Once the timer rings, stop checking your Email.
Often times, we may over eat that we do begin to do it unconsciously. When we realize what we are doing, it may be hard for us to cut or reduce our eating habits to moderation portion. You may have noticed that you overeat chocolate, fried foods, or even drink too much diet soda. Once you realize that habit or habits, then now is the time do something about it. So, how should you go about improving your diet? Some would recommend to go cold turkey. Although going cold turkey may work for some, others would say reduce bit by bit, which I also recommend. First and foremost, you should always consult your doctor to see if you need to follow a diet. They will be able to advise you best on this situation. For example, you drink too much soda, and you would like to reduce the amount you drink. Each time you have a soda, drink one extra glass of water. So if you have two sodas during the day, be sure to drink two extra glasses of water. A few days later, try to cut your soda intake in half, and then replenish with water. Keep doing that. Eventually, you should drink more water and less soda. The point is for you to eventually replace excessive food with water or skim milk--whatever you prefer, until you have moderate portions. Not only will your body feel better, but also healthier!
I tackled the kitchen last week, and I am proud to say that the kitchen is STILL organized and clutter free. How? You ask. The secret is to clean up a bit every day and not save it for later during the week. Not only is it a little cleaning, it just takes seconds--which could be done during television commercials, for example. This is what I did. I wrote a list of what needed to be done in the kitchen, which included reorganizing cabinets, washing dishes, cleaning the floor, and getting rid of unnecessary clutter. I started from the top down, meaning the cabinets working my way down to washing dishes, cleaning out the refrigerator, and then finally cleaning the floor. I ended up getting rid of dishes I no longer used, donating them to a thrift store. I reorganized my recipe files. I recycled cardboard boxes that was taking up space in the refrigerator. Not only does the kitchen look better, the air is fresher. Remember the key is to clean bit by bit everyday, not letting anything stack up for later.
Tip 1: You may know this already, but sometimes it helps to get a reminder. If you don't know this already, then you have learned something new today! Never go to the grocery stores hungry. You will buy unplanned or unnecessary items, known as impulse buying. It is best to have eaten your meal or snack first, that way you go on a full stomach, and be less tempted to do some impulse buying. Tip 2: A former car salesman informed me that when you are shopping for a vehicle, do the car shopping at the end of the month. Hope these tips help or have been good reminders for you!
Preschool children are curious by nature. The world is a new place to them. They are excited to see and try new things. This includes talking to strangers, which can be an uncomfortable experience for parents because despite educating your preschooler, he or she may talk to strangers again. One of the most important things to remember is that there are good strangers and bad strangers. Good strangers are what you can consider "community helpers," like police officers, firefighters, mail carriers, and even teachers. You can explain to your preschooler that those good strangers are available for help, if they ever need it. Bad strangers may be anyone you do not know or are not community helpers. Explain to your preschooler that he or she must always ask you, dad, or caregiver if they can talk with a grownup they do not know. Constantly remind your children about strangers to be sure it is enforced. Be creative when teaching them about stranger danger.
Spring has finally arrived...at least that is what the calendar says. Many parts of the US had a long winter and are ready for winter. Sure the weather may bring a cold or snowy day, but it will not last as long as the winter days. Regardless, stay Positive. Your positiveness will be contagious! When the weather gets warmer, enjoy it by being outside when possible. We all need it. Here is to a healthy and happy Spring!
Recycling should practically be part of your life. If it is not, then it should be. Teaching your children to recycle is important because not only will they be helping the environment, they will be helping themselves. They will learn not to waste products they are using. This will help them become more aware of their own actions. You can almost recycle anything now days, from cans to newspapers to clothes to tires. You can even recycle workable items that you no long want or sell. Groups like Freecycle.org is a great example of this type of activity. Recycle at home. Children mimic their parents. Be sure to recycle aluminum cans, newspapers, plastics and card boards. Encourage your children to recycle their products as appropriate. Encourage your schools to recycle and talk about recycling. We all can make a difference. It just starts at home.
For the next four Tuesdays, I will be blogging about Spring Cleaning since Spring is around the corner. Here, I hope to give you tips and ideas to make YOUR spring cleaning easier and more efficient. Today, I would suggest to write a list of the top three to five areas that need to be cleaned or organized. (I know there are many areas, but if you list more areas, it may become overwhelming.) Once you finish your three to five areas, then you can make another list to complete. In your current list, prioritize what you is most important to you for cleaning, starting with 1 as the most important. My top three are: 1. Kitchen 2. Bathroom 3. Living Room I will then study each room and decide what I would like to improve about those areas. That should be your next step as well. I will also try to "guess-estimate" how long each room will take me. Be sure to "guess-estimate". Start with one area of the room, and work in small chunks. Set a timer for so many minutes to work uninterrupted as long as there are no emergencies. Do not start in more than one room. That could become overwhelming. Be sure to finish one room at a time, and cross that room off once you have finished. I will give you my thoughts on Thursday as I tackle the Kitchen.
There will be a period when your child will begin to be exposed to certain things you may not approve of or that may have happened already. I am not talking about the world, itself. I am talking about the Internet or television. Your child may be a preschooler who knows how to navigate on the computer which exposes him or her to programs that may or may not be appropriate. Your child may use the TV remote control which exposes him to inappropriate viewing. Use parental controls on the computer and television. You, as a parent, decide what kinds of websites and shows to block when your child is utilizing the technologies. You will need to create a certain password that your child cannot know or guess it. Be sure to pick a password that you can easily remember, write it down, and hide it in a safe place. If your child does see something inappropriate on television or the computer, be sure to briefly talk about what he or she saw. Explain why it is inappropriate. It is up to you to decide how detailed you should be. Take your child's age and interest into consideration.
Emails communicate messages. There are people who get hundreds of messages per day. Often times, emails are for personal or professional purposes. Jokes, notes, documents are often sent via email. However, often times there are "Urgent" or "Scenario-type" messages. But you are not sure if these are valid or hoaxes. What shall you do? Should you believe the email? Should you question it? If so, how? One excellent way to question an "Urgent" or "Scenario-type" message is to use Snopes.com. This is a great website to verify email claims of almost any type of situations to decide if you should believe that particular email. It is a good idea to always verify a story that is forwarded via email, before you send off the wrong information to someone who may believe it.
We, at Allizon.com, wanted to give you some encouragements by providing some quotes. These are quotes for you to think about and use with your heart and mind. Mothers are the basic foundation for families and societies. You are constantly busy taking care of everyone, that it is easy to forget about yourself, thoughts and opinions. Enjoy these quotes. Ponder them. Discuss them. Even turn them into artwork and hang up in your home. - "Wherever you go, go with all your heart."-- Confucius
- "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." --Dr. Seuss
- "Success is getting what you want; happiness is wanting what you get." --Author Unknown
Volunteer as a family. Make it age appropriate for your children. There are many benefits when you volunteer as a family. You spend time together, you help make differences, and you gain new experiences. Be sure to make it age appropriate, meaning don't take children where you as a parent wouldn't feel comfortable. Maybe a more appropriate opportunity is giving gifts to less fortunate children closer to their age. You decide. Before and after the experience, be sure to discuss with your children how they felt, what they have learned, and reactions to the experience. Make volunteering a traditional event in your family.
One of the best things you can do with your children is have them make homemade gifts when gifts are necessary. By having your children make homemade gifts, your children will put a lot of thought into the gift. He or she will want to come up with an idea, collect materials to make the gift, and spend time putting it together. This will show them that their time is special. Materials for homemade gifts are usually not that expensive. These are materials that can be found throughout your home. For materials that you don't have, ask family or friends or purchase at a discounted store. Some ideas for homemade gifts include: making cards for all occasions, putting items in a basket (see http://www.allizon.com to purchase baskets or items for baskets), making coupons, writing letters, painting pictures, and planting flowers. Ideas are endless. As long at the gift comes from the heart, it is worth the effort of making and giving!
Gas prices are more higher than ever before. It could even get higher by summer time. With gas prices going up, some products and services may go up as well, costing you more money. However, here are some ways you can save money: - Carpool to work and running errands. You and a friend can take turns driving to the location. Carpooling saves not only gas, but wear and tear on your vehicle. If public transportation is available, that might be another option.
- Walk to short distance places. Here you will be multi-tasking because you can bond with a loved one, exercise, and complete your task.
- Pay bills online. Here you will be saving on gas and stamps.
- When you grocery shop, be sure to scan advertisements to find where the sales are and use coupons. Be careful, sometimes buying in bulk may or may not save money. Do your homework.
- Time to work on last year's resolutions, meaning if you are a smoker, now is the time to reduce smoking or even better yet--quitting! When we work on ourselves, not only do we feel better, but we also may save money. How cool is that.
- Don't eat out at restaurants as much. Cook meals together at home. Not only is it cheaper, but you will get to spend time with family.
Don't forget to talk with others on seeing how they are saving money. While you are saving money, don't forget to have fun once in a while. It is healthy!
This year Daylight Saving Time is Sunday, March 9, 2008, at 2 a.m., in the USA. Don't forget to change your clocks to one hour ahead. However, some regions do not change their times like Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Not sure if you should move your clocks ahead or behind? Remember this saying, "Spring ahead" when you are changing your clocks in Spring. When changing clocks in the Fall, think "Fall behind." As a rule of thumb, you should replace batteries smoke detectors and other important appliances.
It should take a few days to get adjusted to the new time. It is understandable if you feel a little bit out of routine.
Often times, you may not like it when telemarketers call your home. You may find it annoying for a variety of reasons, such as: they selling things you are not interested in or calling at odd hours. It is common to get phone calls by telemarketers on a daily basis. Thanks to a government website, National Do Not Call Registry, you can register your phone number on a do not call list AND telemarketers must stop calling you. The National Do Not Call Registry is run by the Federal Trade Commission. It may be up to a month before telemarketers stop or limit their calls to you. In the mean time, you can tell a telemarketer, "Take me off your list." So, if you want to stop the phone calls, go ahead and check out the National Do Not Call Registry. It is free!
You have always wanted to donate money to many causes, but you do not have the money to donate as much or often as you want, or you may not afford to donate at all. However, you CAN donate. No, I am not just talking about time. (However, you can donate your time if you like). I am talking about labels and caps. Yes, labels and caps. Many schools and some organizations may collect labels and caps to help raise funds. Check with your local schools. There are many different kinds of labels that may be collected by those institutions. Here is a list of some labels and caps that accept collections from schools: Go ahead and search for other labels and caps programs as well. If you use these products and they are being accepted by your schools, be sure to follow the rules of how to collect them and donate as often as you can or want! This is way of donating generously without hurting your budget.
Women today have more responsibilities than ever before. We are expected to marry and raise a family; some women have to work outside there home as well. Many people, including your children and friends, come to you to solve or help solve their problems or fulfill requests. The demands of modern life can take a toll on anyone--leading to stress physically or mentally. Besides eating healthy, physically exercising, or talking with someone, there is another way you can relieve stress. That is write a letter and then rip it up. The purpose of the letter is to allow you to put your frustrations and stress on paper, so that you are able to "see" them in front of you. After you feel your letter is complete, rip it up. Do not allow anyone else to see your letter. Rip it up into a lot of pieces, until you feel you have ripped it up enough. Be sure to toss it away. Writing and throwing the letter away should help relieve some stress.
You may work full time outside the home, full time in the home, part time in both places, or any kind of combination. Many have expectations that women should be a "Super" woman. Anytime something needs to be done, society expects women to complete the task. However, that should not be the case. Women are people too. We have needs, wants, dreams and the like just like everyone else. So, I am going to tell you something you may already know. It may shock you, confuse you, or even scare you. Ready? Don't be afraid to say No when someone asks you to do an extra task when your schedule is already full or you don't feel like it. I know it sounds so simple, but it is tough for many women to do say it. Practice saying, "No." It takes time. I mean some may be able to do it right away, others--it may take time. You will feel better and more relaxed.
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