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New Year Celebrations Across The Globe

Champagne, blowing of horns and the New Year Ball – these are as familiar to most Americans as Santa Claus – and symbolizes festivity probably just as much as Jolly Old Saint Nicholas himself does. On the 31st of December, thousands of people gather around Time Square in New York City and millions around the country stay tune to their televisions for the annual New Year’s Eve celebration. Since this will happen in a few days’ time, I felt compelled to write a piece on the New Year traditions from around the world.

Have you ever wondered what other people from different continents do while we’re counting down the last few seconds of the clock and even as we’re toasting champagne glasses with all the good cheer that we hope to have all year ‘round? Well, wonder no more. In this article, I will attempt to shed some light on just how other people from across the globe celebrate the coming of the brand-new year.

First off, I will begin with myself. For one thing, I didn’t grow up in the United States. I was born and raised in Asia, and to us, the New Year should be celebrated with a bang. Literally. Aside from blowing party horns, I grew up to the tradition of clanging pots and pans to make a lot of noise. This will supposedly ward off evil spirits so that we can have a fruitful year. The Chinese people do the same thing, only they use firecrackers. Needless to say, they should be lit up by sober people. You don’t want to light up a firecracker when you’re in your cups. Seriously. It’s not worth losing an arm over.

Another tradition related to the New Year has something to do with food. Again, in my case, 13 round shaped fruits should be present at the table. The Chinese celebrate their New Year by eating sticky treats called Nian Giao. The Irish have their pastry called bannocks. The Dutch serve their famous olie bollen for the celebration. Brazilians eat lentil soup. In Spain, one must eat one grape for each of the twelve times a clock strikes at midnight. These foods are usually consumed for good luck in the coming year.

Then there are the others. Wearing pink underwear brings forth good fortune in love. Jumping nonstop when the clock strikes 12 will make you taller in the coming year and since I am vertically-challenged, I have actually done this in the past. Wearing polka-dotted clothes will mean you will have a prosperous year.

From writing down bad things that happened during the year and burning that paper to burn away bad luck to wearing white to breaking old dishes on friends’ doorsteps, we surely have a lot of strange traditions associated with the New Year. Whether you choose to follow these or not, remember what the New Year is about: a fresh start to become better and a chance to move on from the negativities of the past.

May you truly have a Happy New Year!

Tis the Season to Be Stressed

There are a lot of articles written and advice given during the holidays about how to handle stress.  Google “holiday stress” and there’re thousands of pages of information. While the holidays can be a difficult time stressful situations occur throughout the year and it’s important to develop a long term plan for dealing with them.

The best strategies to use while the stressful situation is occurring are ones which can be done anywhere at any time.  They’re simple, immediately applicable and unobtrusive.

The best way to handle stressful times is to find out what works for you, practice it and do it consistently.  People are unique and different things work for different people. There’s no one size fits all strategy.  In some combination use the following ideas to craft an individualized plan.

 

* Breathe – Inhale for a count of 5.  Hold for a count of 5.  Exhale for a count of 5. Hold for a count of 5. Repeat 5 times.

* Physical activity – Do something physical, it’s a great way to relieve tension.  Bathrooms are great places to do toe touches, jumping jacks or run in place.

*Affirmations – Create a few short, positive sentences you can keep repeating to yourself.

* Quiet Time – Take a 10 – 15 minute time out.  You can find quiet places once you start looking for them.

* Gratitude List – Make a mental list of the things you’re grateful for right at that moment.  Don’t complicate it, look for small things.  Gratitude lists don’t have to be full of big life affirming issues, being grateful for a comfortable pair of shoes is good too.

Remember, the idea is to find the right combination of techniques which work for you.  You’re trying to establish a strategy for a lifetime, so be patient and give them a fair trial over a reasonable period of time. If none of them work there’s always the Internet.

 

– – Article contributed by Nicole Abbott – writer, educator and psycho-therapist.

Better Parenting for Great Results

Let’s forget that your kids are your “kids” for a moment. Instead, what if they are long-term projects that blend a bit of art, some science and a lot of vision and effort on your part? What you would get is a realistic approach to bringing up wonderful men and women. This is not to say you should not have an emotional connection also, but those emotions should be one of several driving forces to do a great long term job raising them.

The most difficult part of this is actually letting go of the ego somewhat. You have to commit to getting better and being in charge of the outcomes, even if they are not necessarily what you would like.

No one will argue that a first time parent will make some goof ups but with each child, a parent becomes much better at handling situations and being focused on stuff that are definitely more crucial. Yet, the first kids often turn out fine anyway, because humans are adaptive and resilient.

Self Improvement Tricks to Becoming a Better Parent

Find instruction on what is possible. For instance, AllProParent.com offers totally free parent training on how to attend higher education ahead of time and complete a full bachelor’s degree at no cost. It also has the strategy to how top level sports athletes are built.

Join an Facebook group of parents focused on high achievement kids. This will be parents who are proactive and trying to boost outcomes from an early age. You can learn a whole lot and draw inspiration from groups like this.

Never stress about a single day. You will get very good days and terrible days. Take a break and return the following day better than even. One day off is just not going to undo your time and efforts.

Remember to have a real reason, not simply “because I said so” – “Because I said so” is what people with no parenting plan say. It really is grasping at straws and using the excuse that you need to demand respect. Earned respect is far more powerful.

Whether you use online groups, on-line parent education, Vimeo or local in person groups, make sure you keep learning and getting better. And have a real plan and end result you are trying for, as outstanding is less common unintentionally.

The best advice is to begin early and keep pushing towards your goals in a calm, steady and intentional manner. When your kids grow up this way, they are used to it and they expect nothing less than high acheivement from themselves, and your job is easier.

Home Dehumidifier Fundamentals

When built properly along with the proper air conditioning and air-flow, a cellar should stay fairly dry. But some basements are particularly vulnerable to dampness because of the inadequate design and air flow. Dampness like this is a perfect breeding ground for mold and mildew, specifically in basements where old publications, clothes, magazines and suitcases are saved.

Once the humidity level will go over 50%, water vapor in the atmosphere can cause furniture to warp, humidity to condense on wall space and flooring surfaces and promote expansion of mildew. It will likewise speed up wood rot. Family members with allergies will find a basement dehumidifier is vital to lessen the medical dangers associated with toxic mold and fungus.

But prior to going off to buy a basement dehumidifier, consider using some time to check out the reason behind the high moisture, and then fixingthe underlying problems. For example, your home should ideally be the very same temperatures as the rest of your residence, rather than an isolated heat sector. Try adding weather conditions-stripping to the home doors and windows. When the home is uninsulated, you must weigh the expenses of adding insulating material against those of operating a basement dehumidifier.

Keep in mind if you have a variety of basement issues, you may want to call a Basement Waterproofing company as they sometimes offer services and include basement dehumidifiers for free or a reduces price. It never hurts to ask.

Buying a cellar dehumidifier will need just a little organizing. Be aware of cubic footage from the cellar space that it will be going to. Also you will need to decide on obtaining a permanently put in system versus a portable dehumidifier. An other shopping point is always to take into account are the dimensions of the device- will it easily fit into the room you are planning for it? Also bear in mind that some designs are noisier than others, so ask for a demonstration before you purchase.

A dehumidifier operates on a single concept that chillers and air conditioners do. They pass the humid air flow more than a bank of cool coils and during this process get a good portion from the dampness via condensation. This condensation drips off the coils into selection pockets inside the dehumidifier. Meanwhile the dried out ventilation, warmed somewhat from the extraction of humidity, is instructed from the system back into the space. Thus the moister is greatly reduced.

Since the dehumidifier is incorporated in the cellar and out of the way, lots of people overlook it but it may need servicing. It is essential to vacant and clear the selection compartment in the unit periodically, normally it will likely be vulnerable to bacterial growth. Some businesses manufacture basement dehumidifiers which have no internal assortment container, but merely a hose that may be run to a flooring empty, and these really are a perfect answer to the situation as they need less frequent attention.

Don’t Clean Your Gutters Yourself – Dangerous!

Here in Akron, gutters start filling up with leaves in Fall. What most don’t realize is that cleaning gutters alone is hazardous and homeowners are safer hiring contractors to do this job. It’s just dangerous to clean gutters yourself. People think it is not a big deal, but it is. Many don’t want to hire a professional to clean their gutters and think it is easy to clean the gutters themselves. Many are uncomfortable inviting strangers into their home to work on their property, but hiring a professional is important for work like this. It can be awfully dangerous to try it yourself.

Cleaning your gutters yourself has a lot of inherent dangers to it. You can be working on a ladder which may be an old ladder from the garage, and every step the frame shakes and wiggles.. It can be hard to get it to work right and stand up properly. However, if you are working with a contractor, they will have a brand new ladder to work with. They can stand it up correctly, and will handle the cleaning of the gutters easily. All of the contractor’s equipment will be up to date and of professional quality, so homeowner’s need not worry about rookies.

If you are cleaning your gutters yourself, you can also get exposed to dangerous stuff inside the gutters. You never know what it is in your gutters, and you have to be prepared for just about anything Including gross debris from who knows how long, combined with twigs, leaves and pine needles. Anything can fall into the gutter and touching it with bare hands is never recommended. Professionals will come ready with equipment and heavy gloves gutter cleaner will be able to clean them safely , because they will have a face mask on, which will prevent them from breathing in chemicals or flinging a twig into an eye when they get the gutter cleaned. It can be really difficult to have someone clean out your gutter if you are accustomed to doing it.

You should be prepared to offer them your best support for when they clean it, though. Horror stories of critters living in the gutters aren’t made up and if there’s been a history of them at your home, let your contractor know. Tell them about all the intricacies and details of the gutter. It could be dangerous for a worker if they find out a surprise while gutter cleaning. You want them to be prepared for every eventuality when they are cleaning your gutter. Contractors are good at what they do, but they still need your support to succeed.

Absenteeism and Schools

There are many studies conducted by university researchers and professors who pinpoint the negative effect run-down schools have on low test scores and absenteeism in students in the United States.   A study conducted at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found that dilapidated schools were a big contributor to low scores and absenteeism in schools. Broken windows, classrooms with no green views, dirty bathrooms, or windowless classrooms were found to be a major cause for truancy which in turn plays a major role in students’ low scores. Not every school has the budget nor the space to have green spaces around the school, but having broken windows, plaster, or ceiling tiles falling on the students is a major safety concern and a big cause for students to be absent from school.

What is a Chronically Absent Student?

A  chronically absent student is a student that misses more than 18 days-excused or unexcused-of school in a year.

The Myths of Chronic Absenteeism

According to the National Forum on Education Statistics, there are 4 myths about chronic absenteeism we need to be aware of, if we want to find a meaningful solution to the problem.

  1. There is a perception among parents that a missed school day once in a while doesn’t reflect badly on a student’s performance.
  2. Unexcused absences are the only ones that are a problem. It is Ok if they are excused.
  3. Pre-K and Kindergarten are more like a daycare, therefore absences are not that important during those years.
  4. Attendance is only important in later grades.

How many times a year are our children missing school? Every day, teachers cover material that will not be reviewed later in the year.  If your child is missing school because of an illness, they are missing material that perhaps they will need to know for a test. Grades do matter for the school.  If your child is missing school, their performance can be hurt by their absenteeism.

Why attendance is Important

  1. A student that consistently misses school is more likely to drop out of high school and/or never attend college.
  2. Missed opportunities. If a student is consistently absent from school, gaps in learning will make it more difficult for them to graduate and/or to achieve the levels of education they are capable of achieving.
  3. The social interaction students achieve by attending school daily can make them form bonds with their peers, increasing the likelihood they will attend school regularly.
  4. Graduation becomes more difficult as the school administration’s punishment for missing school makes it harder for students to acquire the credits they need for graduation.
  5. Absenteeism can become a habit from kindergarten, and the ill outcomes a child experiences due to absenteeism can be felt as early as first grade.

What Contributes to Poor Academic Performance?

The roots of poor academic performance are as varied as the student body of many schools in the United States. From dilapidated schools, absenteeism, disabilities, lack of proficiency in the English language, unengaged teachers, and/or homelessness, the causes for poor performance can be one or many of these causes.

The physical state of the school matters.  As stated earlier, the research about the effect dilapidated schools have on students’ performance is clear. The broken windows, broken bathrooms, and loose plaster on the walls negatively affect students’ performance. Furthermore, safety in school matters. According to the 2017 School Crime Supplement, students that experienced a hate-related word directed to them felt more fear attending school than those students that did not which led them to avoid school, stay home, or skip classes altogether.

What is a Hate Word?

According to The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES),

Hate-related words are having to do with one’s race, ethnic background, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or disability. For many students who are recipients of hate words or bullying, absenteeism is an easy choice to make. If teachers and school administrators do not take steps to ensure the safety of all students, absenteeism will be a problem affecting students and students’ performance perpetually.

Regardless of the level of vigilance from school Administrators and teachers, bullying and hate words directed at specific students are still prevalent in many schools. It is impossible to detect the gravity of hate words being used, or the specific bullying some of these students experience unless the school’s administration takes steps to find out such information.

Nelson-Kennedy Ledges State Park

Nelson Ledges is a state park located in Garrettsville, OH in Portage County. A state park with 167 acres to explore, this place is surely one of the more picturesque and exciting parks to visit. Nelson Ledges is not a big park, and although you can explore different trails depending on your physical fitness, the park is beautiful because of the caves, the waterfalls, and the uniqueness of the place.

These are the four different trails you can take that will take you to different parts of the park. 

• White Trail – 1 Mile – Easy

• Yellow Trail – 3/4 Mile – Moderate

• Blue Trail – 3/4 Mile – Moderate

• Red Trail – 1/2 Mile – Difficult

The terrain in many areas of the park requires you to be careful and to wear appropriate shoes if you want to truly explore the park. Playing around is not advisable, and if you want to take your small children to explore, make sure they are always supervised by an adult.

September in the park is a combination of the end of summer and the beginning of fall. The color of the changing foliage is beautiful, and although this time of year is a bit dry for the falls to show its beauty, it is still a worthwhile trip for you to make.

Parking is plentiful and there is a bathroom you can use before you start your hike. The bathroom is a state park bathroom and far from nice.  If you have children with you, they may not want to use it at all. 

The state park is free, but if you want to have access to the quarry, there is a small fee to pay.  The entrance to the quarry is through a campground, and that’s where you pay your entrance fee.

Nelson-Kennedy Ledges State Park
Address: 12440 OH-282,
Garrettsville, OH 44231
Phone: (440) 564-2279

Have fun and explore this beautiful state park during this time of year.

Lonely Hearts Club No More – How To Beat Your Valentine’s Day Blues

In a few weeks’ time, Valentine’s Day will be upon us. While this is something that most people in a relationship are excited about, this doesn’t mean that single people don’t get to enjoy the holiday themselves. Sure, most of your friends are dining in fancy restaurants with their significant other, but you don’t have to stay at home and wallow in misery over the fact that you are without a partner. Instead, use this time of the year to enjoy the holiday by yourself. In this article, I will share with you five ways in which you can avoid Valentine’s Day blues. So, listen up ladies and gents. Let’s begin…

  1. Organize a party. You can’t be the ONLY single person amongst your friends. Why not get together for the holiday? You can invite single men and women and just socialize for the evening. Play games. Flirt a little or a lot. You’re single and the possibilities are endless, so you might as well enjoy it while you can.
  2. Get a makeover. That new hair color you’ve been dying to try out, but couldn’t seem to find the time to do so? Why not schedule your salon visit on Valentine’s Day? While you’re at it, get some mani and pedi too. What about that dress you’ve been saving for a special occasion? Go ahead, wear it. Don’t wait for a special day. Dressing up and seeing how great you look will immediately boost your confidence. Be radiant. Be beautiful.
  3. Watch a movie. This is perhaps one of my most favorite stress reducing activities of all time. It doesn’t have to be romantic, especially if you’re a little down about being single. Comedy and horror movies fit the bill as well. Why not have a movie marathon? The combination of laughter from funny movies and your heart pumping from the horror scenes is quite a fun experience.
  4. Volunteer at a shelter. If you love animals, why not spend the day helping out at the animal shelter. Your fluffy friends can use some company, too. Pets give unconditional love and we all need that. Who knows? Maybe you’ll find one little puppy that you adore so much you’d want to take it home.
  5. Travel. It doesn’t have to be to another country and don’t even have to ride a plane – unless you want to. You can select a nearby state and drive there. Choose a place with sights that you actually want to visit – whether it may be a picturesque park or an art museum. The idea of traveling for leisure will get you excited about the day instead of the holiday and you can enrich your mind with the things that you learn from the experience. 

There you have it. Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be spent in a sad state just because you’re single. When the ideas above are not particularly interesting for you, you can always have fun by yourself with tons of comfort food and Sex in the City marathon or whatever your favorite television series is. The important thing is that you stay happy and smiling throughout the day.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Common Household Items and Their Not-So-Common Uses

A while back, I wrote a piece about the other uses of baking soda aside from baking. As I was writing that piece, I started to wonder what other household items have different uses aside from the obvious ones and so my search for such items began. Needless to say, the internet is a huge network of stored and shared knowledge, so I have found quite a number of such items. In this article, I will share the results of my search with you in the hopes that you will find some useful tips in them. Who knows? The next time you run out of shaving cream, you might store a common household item that you can substitute for it.

Disclaimer: What I share to you is a result of my search online. I will state what I have tried personally, but since this is quite recent, I have not tried a lot of them. If you have, feel free to comment down below as I’m sure there are readers who are curious what works and what doesn’t. 

  1. Brown sugar and honey as facial scrub. I have actually tried this one. I make my scrub by mixing a tablespoon of honey with brown sugar. It feels sticky, I won’t lie, but it does manage to get your dead skin cells.
  2. Coffee grounds as fertilizer. If you’re one of those who actually drink fresh ground coffee every morning, then you’re in for a treat. I read somewhere that coffee grounds can be used for compost, so it does work well as fertilizer.
  3. Use cornstarch to untangle stubborn knots. I have never actually tried this, but please let us know in the comment box down below if it works. Apparently, sprinkling a bit of cornstarch in knots help untangle them.
  4. Olive oil as shaving cream. This goes out not only for the men, but for women as well. Isn’t it annoying when you’re busy and you just have enough time to shave and when you open the bathroom cabinet, you realized you ran out of shaving cream? Well, here’s the solution: use olive oil instead. Olive oil nourishes the skin, so that’s an extra moisturizer after you shave.
  5. Spoons help out with the bags under your eyes. I first saw this idea internet make-up guru Michelle Phan. If you’re having trouble with puffiness under your eyes, you can use chilled stainless steel spoons to sooth the puffiness away.

There you have it ladies and gents, some household items with alternative uses. Do you know of other items around the house that can be useful in another way? Share your ideas by commenting down below.

Holiday Savers – What To Do With Your Holiday Feast Leftovers

When I was much younger, my mother would say something in an attempt to make me finish my food. She would say, “There are a lot of starving kids in the world who need food and here you are wasting them!” I’m pretty sure a lot of us have heard this statement or a variation of it during our childhood years (I can’t be the only one!), and while I can certainly tell my mother that those children’s bellies would not be filled if I do finish my food, I have learned that wasting good food is never a good thing, especially now that I pay for my own.

According to the EPA, more than 36 million tons of food is wasted annually in America. Now, I don’t have the documents to support this statement, but I’m pretty sure a lot of those wasted food were leftovers from dinners/parties that sprout like mushrooms during the holiday season. Since I believe wasting food is not really a habit we like to cultivate in our households, I will share with you, dear readers, some recipe ideas that will hopefully put your leftovers to good use.

Disclaimer: I do not claim these to be my own recipes. I have just found these recipes online and collected them over the years. These are merely recipe ideas and you would need to research for the correct measurements and complete recipe and instructions on the internet.

  1. Christmas Pudding Crumble. You will need butter, flour, apple, pears, cranberry sauce and demerara sugar. This would be great for those of you who made too much Christmas pudding as well as cranberry sauce. I tried this last year and all I had to buy was the demerara sugar since everything else can be found in the household.
  2. Chicken Tomato Wrap. This is perfect for those days when you want to just whip something up when you’re feeling peckish. You will need honey Dijon salad dressing, mayo, leftover chicken breast, green pepper, tomatoes, tortillas, lettuce and Swiss cheese.
  3. Cranberry Meatballs. This is another way to recycle your cranberry sauce. You will need cooked meatballs, cranberry sauce, orange juice, sugar, pepper and ginger. Simple yet delicious.
  4. Turkey Cranberry Arugula Sandwich. Another leftover recipe idea for snack time. Ingredients are load bread, mayo, Dijon mustard, leftover turkey breast meat, cranberry sauce and baby arugula leaves. Try this recipe if you’re trying to get your kids to eat veggies.
  5. Creamy Turkey Turnover. Let’s admit it. Even after you’ve had your Christmas dinner and sent some leftovers to your relatives and friends, there’s still some turkey meat left. This is one good thing to try out with your leftover meat. You will need thawed puff pastry, leftover turkey meat, frozen peas, mushroom pasta sauce, egg and poppy seeds and voila!

There you have it, dear readers – five recipe ideas that will help put a new flavor into your leftovers. While consuming all your leftovers do not mean that all those starving children will have their bellies full, you can at least help the world in your own little way through waste reduction this season.