Happy With Your Kids?
Are you happy with the way that you and your kids get along? If you said no, I’m not surprised. There has always been the family conflict of rebellious, know-it-all kids and parents struggling to understand what they did wrong. The answer is that most likely you have done nothing wrong. Kids are going to push the limits of control. It’s human nature. Of course the kind of rebellion changes with the age of the child. For a toddler it may be biting or screaming. For a preteen it may be not coming straight home from school. And as the kids turn into teenagers the full wrath of rebellion may show it face with opinions, clothing and hair styles, friends, and school work and activity choices. Not to mention the gangs and drug use. Childhood used to be simpler when I was a kid. Maybe because there was much less public communication about all the bad stuff out there in society that today’s kids are exposed to today. Were there bad things when I was a kid? Sure, I just didn’t know about them, so I was naive and protected. Was that a good thing? It was for me. I had a pretty happy childhood. With today’s kids getting on the internet at an ever decreasing age, it’s not surprising that they want to know more about topics that you would rather that they didn’t. Unfortunately we can’t protect our kids these days, like our parents protected us from the big bad world, until they are old enough to understand the differences between good and bad more efficiently. And then there are the ever changing methods of discipline. I got a whooping if I was bad. Somewhere along the line, in an effort to protect children from abuse, parents lost some of the ability to discipline effectively. Since it’s not politically correct to give your kids a whooping any more, parent have resorted to ‘Time-Out’ or saying ‘Or Else’. The problem with these methods, to me anyway, is that ‘Time-Out’ is much too easy to cope with for most kids, and ‘Or-Else’ may not be carried out. Now there is a child who thinks that you are a push over because ‘Or-Else’ never happens. So what is the answer to the problems of today’s parents? I believe if you start at an eary age to teach standards of living, values, etiquette, the religion of your choice, how to give and accept charity, how to love and be loved, you’re doing the best that any parent can do. Let your kids learn by their mistakes like every other kid through out time has. Don’t sweat the small stuff.
Thanks for reading
Shoofly
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Happy With Your Health & Fitness
Part of our happiness is being happy with our body. You don’t need to be a perfect “10″ to be happy with your body. Little things that you do every day, like exercise, eating properly, and sleeping, yes sleeping, can effect our bodies.
Any amount of exercise is better than none. If you are out of shape you can start by walking a little each day. Gradually increase the distance and the speed of your pace. Walking is really the best, most natural exercise. Once you have the walking down you can introduce other types of exercise like aerobics, home exercise equipment, yoga, dancing and the list goes on. The important thing is start doing something. It’s amazing the feeling of accomplishment that you get just by walking. Your heart rate goes up, your oxygen levels increase, your muscles and bones strengthen, and you organs work better because of the increased blood flow and oxygen levels. Getting started isn’t always easy. Sometimes it helps to have a partner to work with you. That way you can inspire each other to stick wtih your program of fitness. Eating properly isn’t always easy either. Alot of us have gotten in the habit of eating foods that aren’t the best for for us. Change a habit today. Eat a piece of fruit instead of a candy bar for a snack. Drink water or tea instead of soda. Try popcorn instead of potato chips. If you change one bad eating a habit a month eventually you will find that you are eating heathier and that the change in your diet was an easy tranformation. Don’t keep unhealthy foods in the house. Temptation is always there when you are out in the world, but if you exercise a little will power, you can make the adjustments to a place where you make the right choices even when you’re away from home.
Sleep is the one thing that we are learning more about all the time. Adults need 7-8 hours of sleep each day. Sleep is important to your health and happiness. A lack of enough sleep can make us be irritable and cause anxiety and depression, it effects our immune system, it impairs our memory the next day, and slows cell development and increases protein breakdown. There are many other factor that are effected by our sleep patterns and quality of the sleep that we get. The quality of our sleep is effected by how much sunlight we get during the day. We need at get at least 30 minutes of outdoor time each day. Indoor daylight just isn’t the same. Experts say that 1 hour of morning sunlight can help your internal clock rest itself and help you go to sleep easier that night. Do you know that caffine and nictine can take as long as 8 hours to wear off. Alchohol may have seditive effects, but it keeps us from REM and deep sleep stages, and can cause you to wake when the alchohol wears off.. Besides limiting the effects that substances have on our sleep we can get in a routine for sleep. Don’t eat a big meal for 3 hours before sleep. Finish your exercises least 5 or 6 hours before sleep. To get you ready for sleep do things that are relaxing like reading, taking a warm bath or listening to music. Sleep in a dark room that is free from distractions like a tv, computer or other noices. A comfortable bed is important too. Keep the temperature cool. If all this fails, and you find yourself awake in the night, don’t lay in bed awake. After twenty minutes or so of not being able to get back to sleep, get up and try doing something to relax yourself so that you get sleepy again.
Thanks for reading,
Shoofly
Filed under Happiness Is | Comment (1)Happy Vegetarian Eating
How happy are you with your diet? Are you finding that you are eating less meat these days? If you are, you’re not alone. A surprising number of people are switching the way they eat to a more ‘vegetarian’ way of preparing foods. Even if you are not eating a vegetarian diet every meal of every day, eating less meat in your diet can have benefits for you and your family. Benefits like better health & lower grocery bills. Meat is typically more expensive than vegetables and grains. And Vegetables tend to have less fat producing qualities, so switching to a vegetarian diet could help you with a weight problem. You don’t have to quit eating meat ‘cold turkey’. Fixing a meal here and there without meat can ease the transition, especially for a die-hard meat eating family member. Although some may say that any diet that includes any form of animal products is not a true vegetarian diet, and that only those who never eat animal products of any kind are truly vegetarians, there are other that think that there are many different types or degrees of vegetarianism that include different types of animal products in small amounts. In addition to eating plant derived products such as vegetables, fruits, legumes and grains, the various types or degrees of vegetarianism follow a diet that contains the following:
Vegan - Adding no dairy, eggs or any other animal product including honey. Vegans may also restrain from the use of any animal products in a non-dietary form, such as leather, silk, wool and fur. Some go as far as to eliminate, as much as possible, all by-products like, rennet, gelatin, lanolin, beeswax and whey.
Semi-Vegetarians - Adding dairy, eggs, fish & sometimes poultry, but not any other kinds of meats. Since eggs, yogurt, cheese, and milk are favorites in a lot of households already, keeping them as a main stay in the transition makes it that much easier. Eating a meal that includes fish or poultry occasionally also helps to ease a change in diet.
Pesco-Vegetarian - Adding fish. It may seem odd to some of us to eat fish but not dairy or eggs, but to some it just another way to transition their diet to less meat. Or maybe it’s because of an allergy to eggs or lactose intolerance. In any case, fish can be a good source of HDL and Omega-3 fatty acids. But it is important to choose the right fish to get the benefits and not a fish that can potentially contain harmful toxins. Try to find fish that are wild caught and not farm raised. Northern Ocean or cold fresh water fish are usually the healthiest choice.
Lacto-Ovo-Vegetarian - Adding dairy and eggs. This is the most common type of vegetarian in the western world. Some Lacto-Ovo Vegetarians may avoid certain types of cheese that use rennet or gelatin because they are animal by-products, and may also only eat free-range eggs.
Lacto-Vegetarian - Adding dairy. Milk products from goats and cows that are organically raised are the favorites. As the progression to vegetarian eating happens, an enlightening occurs about the way that most animal products are produced. Animal farms don’t always feed the animals the best diet or they are kept them in a pen where they stand or lay in waste products. Products from free-range animals on organic farms are best.
Ovo-Vegetarian - Adding eggs. Once again the free-range, organic farm raised hens are the favorite source for eggs. Eggs can be used to create a number of menu items that take on the quality of a ‘meat’ meal for the transition.
A healthy diet that includes all essential vitamins and nutrients can be obtained eating only plant based foods, as practiced by the vegan dieter, by careful menu planning. A combination of grains, legumes, and vegetables can provide all of the essential amino acids, iron, and minerals that we need, along with exercise, to maintain a healthy, strong body. There are many places to research balanced vegetarian meal planning, along with great tasting recipes that will satisfy even the pickiest eaters.
Thanks for reading,
Shoofly
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Happy For A Moment
Have you ever done something that made you feel exhilarated? It could be something as simple as flipping an egg without breaking the yolk, or as complicated as solving a complex mathematical problem. It doesn’t really matter what it is that gives you the feeling, it’s the outcome, that you get ‘the feeling’ that is important. And, the way that you feel it and the way that I feel it aren’t necessarily the same. For some it’s an internal sensation, like butterflies in your stomach. For others it’s external, like hair rising or goose bumps. The point is, that it is a great feeling, and it’s one that we don’t want to lose. But, it is all to often, in a fleeting moment gone way too fast. Or is it? Of course, the butterflies or goose bumps go away, but the knowledge that you had that moment stays with you. Even the memory of that event can bring back the feelings and physical experiences over and over again. Sometimes a great feeling of exhilaration happens because of something that someone else does for you or says to you. A family member, friend, teacher or co-worker doing or saying something positive can have a profound impact on your emotions. A great example of this is shown in the video called “Who I Am Makes A Difference Movie
- The Blue Ribbon Story“. Go view this movie. I know that you will get a special feeling from it.
Thanks for reading,
Shoofly
Filed under Happiness Is | Comment (0)Hello World!
Welcome to How Happy Are You!
I want to talk about happiness, and our level of happiness. And the things that can make us happier in our daily lives. Everyone wants to be happy.
Happiness is essential to the wellbeing. Without happiness you can not effectively function at anything to your full capacity. Sure, you can go thru the motions of daily life, have a family, go to work or play. But, do these things make you really feel happy? Are you performing to your full potential? I’d venture to say no, they’re just the things that you do everyday. I’m not trying to say that you don’t get moments of happpiness, even extreme pleasure from them. Having a family, being athletic, creative, or a having a great job can be very rewarding. It’s just that they don’t bring you the inner happy feeling that stays with you.
What is happiness?
Happiness is an inner peace that comes with the knowledge that you are aware of yourself and your surroundings, and that you’re OK with them. That doesn’t mean that everything has to be perfect. There is always going to be something in your life that needs attention or changes. But, to be aware of what needs to be fixed in your life, to be able to accept that you can, or can’t fix what’s wrong is important to your daily happiness status. Your surroundings don’t have to be fancy, plush, or expensive to make you happy. In fact, some of the happiest people in the world have humble dwellings and little or no personal possessions. Perhaps that is because once you realize that possessions and wealth don’t bring you happiness, they become less important. That is not to say that you can’t be happy with wealth and possions. What is important is to find happiness regardless of them.
How do you find your happiness?
That’s a good question. It takes a lot of soul searching and total honesty with yourself. There are many book and training courses the have been produced on this topic. Like Marcy Shimoff’s ‘Happy For No Reason‘ or Janet Attwood’s ‘The Passion Test‘.
So, with that being said…
How Happy Are You?
Thanks for reading,
Shoofly
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