Effective Parents Tell Stories

How do you feel when your boss lectures you about something that you did or suggested and ends his talk with, "I own this company, I've been in this business longer than you, and I sign your paycheck. I don't care how good of an idea you think you have just do what I say and keep your ideas to yourself!"? I'm sure you don't feel too good, you are not motivated from such talk and it doesn't build in you a sense of loyalty to the company.

If this is true for you, an adult who is supposed to have some control over your emotions, just imagine how ineffective such lectures are to transmit your values and to convince children of your views.

How then, you might ask, can you fulfill your parental obligation to pass on your values, life's lessons that you learnt the hard way, and prepare them for life without lecturing them? The answer is to tell stories and personal anecdotes that show the values that you feel are important for your children to learn. Story telling is the most pleasant, gentle, and effective way to get your message across.

Here a few tips on how I do this with my children:

*I wait for a time when a few of the older children are just sitting around listening to music,doing homework, or noshing (especially chocolate).

*I lean on a wall in the living room (to be as informal as possible) and say, "Do you want to hear what happened to me today?" (I don't wait for an answer) or "I heard the most unbelievable story today..."

* I never start by saying, "I heard this story about honesty today." I'm afraid if I would start like that they would shut off their ears thinking, "Oh no. Here comes another "goodie-goodie" lecture." I just give a general introduction and jump right into the story.

* Obviously, I also don't end off with a statement like, "and therefore I expect you ....". I just say, "I was so impressed with his courage or his honesty. I don't know how he did it but I wish I would be so strong"

Try it and you'll know that you are successful when, at a later time (sometimes even years later), your children live with those values and even quote you the stories that you told them.

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Pet Lovers

Hey pet lovers! Do you love your pet really much? Especially your little cute chihuahua or your big hairy saint bernard? Are you willing to spend to get them a really comfortable and nice designed dogshirt? Come to VincentStrangioStore where you can find
Dog shirts, sweatshirts, mousepads and other merchandise.

In VincentStrangioStore you can find shirts for almost all kinds of dog, from airedale terrier, Alaskan malamute, beagel, boxer, bulldog, labrador until terrier. All these have their own section where you can choose a lot of designs for dog shirt. The design is really unique because the owner of the site took the photo himself. Then using a state of the art printers he produces the design into a shirt.

I has an innocent look in it which makes it really unique. The photographer must have took a long time to find the right moment and angle to capture this innocent face. In the Chihuahua section beside dog shirt you can also find mouse pad and pillow. Hurry up find the shirt you want for your pet dog.

There are also sections for grouped items. All the items are grouped by their kind such as mouse pads, cards, pillows and custom works. In the card section you can find many card's design based on your favorite dogs.

Most orders will be shipped within 24 hours, for payment the site accepts Visa, Amex or Mastercard.

This is a paid review.

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Babies And Napping

Naptime is a blessing for you and your baby. Here are some tips on how to make this important time as beneficial as possible for you both.

Why Should Babies Nap?

Naps are not just important for their restorative value, although that is their most obvious benefit. Children’s sleep expert Elizabeth Pantley describes some of the other advantages to napping:

• Adequate sleep is important in brain development. Some research has shown that daytime napping may help move new information into a more permanent place in a child’s memory.

• Napping can affect nighttime sleep. A child who needs a nap but does not get one can become overtired and have trouble falling asleep at night.

• Studies have shown that children who nap have longer attention spans and are less fussy than those who do not nap.

• A child’s biology dictates that a nap is necessary after midday, when energy levels tend to drop. (Adults feel the same way, but sleep is not usually an option for them.)

• Sleep releases stress-fighting hormones.

• Napping can help a child catch up on sleep if their previous night’s sleep was disrupted.

When Should Babies Nap?

The answer to this question varies according to the age of the baby. Newborns, easily overwhelmed by their new surroundings, tend to nap frequently. They often have catnaps throughout the day, with a couple of longer naps in the morning and afternoon. Between three and six months, babies settle into a routine of morning and afternoon naps. This age presents the ideal opportunity for you to establish a nap routine that works with your baby’s biological signals for rest.

Young babies between the ages of three and six months generally have one morning nap of about an hour, and one afternoon nap of slightly longer duration, usually closer to two hours in length. Some babies are more comfortable with three shorter naps of about 45 minutes each. The number of naps is not as important as the total amount of sleep and the general disposition of your baby: if Baby is cranky, chances are she is not getting enough sleep.

Morning and afternoon naps continue throughout the first year. Between one and two years of age, most children can go without a morning nap, but still need an afternoon nap. The afternoon nap typically continues until about the age of four.

As for the exact time a baby should nap, that is mostly Baby’s decision. Some sleep experts advise that when trying to establish a nap schedule, you plan to put Baby down about two hours after she wakes in the morning and again after a midday meal. Babies who require a third nap usually take it in the early evening.

Most babies indicate they are ready for a nap through a variety of signals, discussed later in this article. If you try to put a baby down when he is not tired, chances are pretty slim that he’ll fall asleep. Heed Baby’s signs and try to work with his natural sleep cycles and you’ll find a good basis for a nap routine.

How Long Should Naps Be?

Sleep is a critical component of babies’ mental and physical development so it is important that they get enough of it. Babies will usually become tired on their own and will sleep when they need to, but some parents like to create a schedule. Do what works best for you – let Baby dictate sleep time or set a schedule. The key is to make sure that your baby gets the sleep she needs.

The amount of naptime required decreases as a baby gets older. At four months, a baby needs about 4 to 6 hours of naptime. At six months, babies tend to nap a little less, needing about 3 to 4 hours. By his first birthday, Baby needs about 2 to 3 hours of naptime and he may get it from one nap or two. Once she is into her toddler years, your little one will need only one nap of about 1 to 2 hours.

Sleep Signs – Knowing When Baby is Ready for a Nap

Learning your baby’s sleep signs is extremely important. If you do not recognize them or choose to ignore them, the “sleep window” will close and you’ll end up with a cranky, overtired baby who cannot fall asleep.

Signs to look for include:

• rubbing eyes
• yawning
• slowing down and quieting down
• fussiness
• thumb sucking or reaching for a pacifier or sleep toy
• wanting to nurse or have a bottle

In an ideal world, when Baby is ready to sleep, you would be able to put her down and let her fall asleep. For some parents, this does actually happen. For the unlucky ones it does not. Depending on the sleep habits of your baby, you may want to establish a nap routine that resembles, but is not exactly the same as, your nighttime routine. You might read a short book, play some soft music, or rock the baby to sleep. If your baby seems ready to drop as soon as his head hits the mattress, skip the routine and just put him down. You might be pleasantly surprised by his ability to drift off by himself.

When Baby Won’t Nap

There are a variety of reasons why a baby won’t nap. If a baby is rested and getting up earlier than you prefer, there is little you can do. If you feel that your baby is not getting the rest she needs, you may need to change your routine.

Often, resistance to naps comes when babies are overtired. Make sure to heed your baby’s sleep signs, as discussed above, and get her to bed when she is starting to act tired.

If your baby wakes early and is in need of more rest, try getting him to go back to sleep. Depending on your philosophy about babies and sleep, you can rock him or just gently pat him on the back and let him fall back to sleep on his own.

Make sure Baby’s sleep environment is conducive to sleep. A dark and slightly cool room is best.

Older babies may be waking early simply because they do not need as many naps as you are giving them. Try dropping a nap and see if that helps.

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Internet Poker

Do you like playing games online to help you get rid of your boring daily routines? Do you really love playing card games, especially poker? Visit Internet Poker Sites, a site where you can play your favorite poker games online! The site offers you lots of poker room. Each room has different bonus to give. But if you to that poker room through the link provided by this site the bonus can increase. Suppose you play in Poker.com, they will give you an offer of a 100% up to $200 bonus if you win, but if you go to there through the link provided at Internet Poker Sites and then on the site you enter bonus code IP600FRE, you will be able to get a 100% up to $600 bonus. They also give you reviews of all poker sites should you want to look for a new playing site. They based the review on facts, and they even give you very useful info such as how many players are playing on the site at peak times, the software they are using, customer support and the bonuses offered there.

Now, for those of you from US, you probably already knew that a new gambling bill have been passed on the 30th of September and as the result of this new rule, top poker online games like "Party Poker" now no longer accept players from the US to play real money. But not to worry, because Internet Poker Sites has done their homework, therefore they recommend the following sites for US players: Bodog, Absolute Poker. The reason why these sites are recommended is because they have lots of ways of depositing money such as nucharge, Instant Check/echecks, Credit Cards, ePassporte, Wire Trf, Western Union, Click2pay and eWalletXpress and other ways. For the complete reference please go to US Poker Sites.

Now which US Casinos still accept US Players, and what is the best way to deposit your money? To find the answer you can go to US Online Casino. There are several ways to deposit your money instantly. Here are the list of various ways for you to do it, choose what is best for your needs:

• NUcharge, allowed you to sign up and deposit within a matter of minutes using credit cards. This is the best part, some online casinos like Bodog Casino now accept NUcharge as a method of payment. As you all know NUcharge is an online phone card which you can refill using your credit card. The amount of your phone card will be deducted as you play online casino.
  
• eWalletXpress, this methode is the same as an ewallet just like neteller.
  
• click2pay, this is an ewallet similar like neteller, but currently not accepting any new USA Customers.
• epassporte, this is also another type of neteller, but the use of this payment method is limited for poker sites only.
• EcoCard, this is a pre-paid debit card that is known to be working very well.
• Wire Transfer, the most common way to do it is to go to your bank and wire the money directly to the casino where you want to play.
• Credit Card, the is probably the easiest way, but to do it you must have a credit card first.
  
• Western Union, you go to a Western Union office, pay there with cash and ask to transfer the money to the casino.

This was a paid review.

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