ISurvived the Japanese Earthquake Effect Longdistance relationships can be both exciting and stressful. It isexciting since you don't see each other a lot and when that timecomes, you always make the most with the chance of being together. Itadds to the spice of the togetherness that despite being far, yourare both committed to each other. It is stressful knowing that he'sfar and you will not easily know the things that are happening aroundthe person. You always worry with the safety and health condition. Fridaylast week was a terrible day not only for Japan but in theAsia-Pacific region. There was a reported 9.0 magnitude earthquakebased on the usgs.gov site. It also resulted to a 4-meter tsunamithat devastated the area in Honshu near Tokyo. Myhusband, who was a seafarer, was in Japan during that time. And Iwas not aware of his location right around four in the afternoon whenhe sent me a message with the exact position of their vessel. I wasrelieved when I checked … [Read more...]
CHD
It affects 1 in 100 babies. It kills more babies than SIDS or anyother birth defect. It's the most common birth defect. It kills more children than double allchildhood cancers combined. Congenital heart defects are sadly notrare. Yet, I first heard the phrase from the coroner. My daughterCora was born with an undetected congenital heart defect despite ahealthy pregnancy and a clean bill of health after she was born. Cora died suddenly in my arms while Ibreastfed her. I looked up for a moment and looked back down, andCora was pale, limp and not breathing. Thankfully, most babies live. In fact,over 2 million adults are currently living with a congenital heartdefect. But, many mothers are also blind sided by CHD just like Iwas. I now work to spread the word because I think every pregnantwoman should know about the most common of all birth defects. I wish someone had told me the signsand symptoms of CHD in an infant: trouble breathing, difficultyfeeding, … [Read more...]
Saving in the Summertime: How to Gear Up for the Dog Days without Overspending
Savingin the Summertime: How to Gear Up for the Dog Days withoutOverspending Nowthat the vernal equinox has just occurred, the days are gettinglonger and the weather is warming up. All this pleasantness comeswith lots of excitement about the summer ahead, only a few monthsaway. I don't know about you, but I always find myself planningvacations, updating my wardrobe, and figuring out what on earth I'mgoing to do having the kids around all the time now that they'll soonbe out of school. All this hubbub usually goes hand-in-hand with lotsof spending. Here are a few tips for keeping those summerpreparedness expenditures to a minimum. 1.Buy your swimwear now. Well,technically you should have bought your swimwear a month or two ago,but since all the latest fashions are just coming in, this would bethe ideal time to buy your bathing suits, which are usuallyastronomically priced. Or you do what I do and use the same one ortwo every year. If you invest in solid swimwear, it … [Read more...]
Canning Tips for Beginners!
Canning Tips for Beginners If you have ever grown a garden, youknow that you sometimes you end up with more produce than you knowwhat to do with. You may give some to family, friends, and neighbors,but you probably want to keep the majority for your household.Canning is a great way to preserve all of that produce, and willallow you to enjoy it long after the harvest is over. You may thinkthat canning is a difficult process, but it’s really fairly simpleprovided you follow instructions and have the right equipment. Someuseful tips on canning should help you get through your first canningexperience. Canning Tip #1 It is best to use produce that isfreshly picked and perfectly ripe. Canning fresh produce will yieldthe best taste results. If you use fruits and vegetables that areoverly ripe or not ripe enough, the flavor may not be what you hadhoped for. Also, try using produce that isn’t too badly bruised orblemished, since that can make the results less than perfect … [Read more...]
Easter Time Trivia!
Easter-Time Trivia: 14 Fun and Little-KnownFacts! This year, Easter will take place onthe 24th of April. That’s a lot later than what we seenormally. So, prepare to enjoy a nice warm day for egg hunting, bunnyface painting, family gatherings, and much more fun. To get you inthe mood, here are 14 little-known morsels of trivia in honor of thissweet, springtime holiday. Q. How big was the world’s biggest Easter egg? According to the Guinness Book ofRecords, the world’s biggest egg was twenty feet high and made frommarshmallow and chocolate (yum)! Unsurprisingly, this egg had to besupported by a steel frame. It weighed in at a hefty 8,968 pounds:more than two average cars! Q: How much does the biggest jar of jelly beans in the entire world weigh? A: 6,050 pounds. That’s a lot ofjelly beans! Q: How many jelly beans are made for Easter? A: Sixteen billion jelly beans. That’senough beans to fill an office building nine … [Read more...]
Why Americans Still Can’t Use Their Cell Phone to Buy a Soda
Why AmericansStill Can’t Use Their Cell Phone to Buy a Soda Astechnology advances, we learn more about the world, discover curesand treatments for illness, and make living easier. Even when atechnology such as the car, computer, or cell phone is invented, thattechnology is constantly being improved. Cell phones are nowsmaller than ever and can access the Internet and work as a GPS,among many other uses. TheiPhone, one of the most diverse cell phones, has over 350,000 appsthe individual can choosefrom. An iPhone can do things like turning on your car,unlocking the doors, and changing the radio. However, not everycountry has the same technology available or technologicaladvancement available. For example, something most Americansprobably haven’t heard of is the mobile vending machine. Whatis a mobile vending machine? Don’tconfuse this with a vending machine that dispenses cell phones (thesedo exist, though). Essentially, you can use your iPhone to buya coke … [Read more...]
Pay off your Debts and Achieve Heavenly Savings
Payoff your debts and achieve heavenly savings Asa true Christian you are supposed to serve only one head and that isGod. However, when you are in debt, you are actually serving twoheads – your creditor and God. Moreover, according to Christianity,you should also pay back what you owe. Thus, you should pay off yourdebts and also start saving as per your affordability. It is alwaysgood to avoid being anxious as the Heavenly father will take care ofyou. So, if you are in debt, you can take debtconsolidation helpand become debt free fast enough. Achievingheavenly savings Inthis modern world, people are increasingly getting interested ingetting the maximum out of the things available to them. However,there is an interesting parallel between your savings account to beopened at your local bank, and the dividends that you may acquire asa Christian. As per Paul’s statement “Instruct those who are richin this present world not to be conceited….Instruct them to dogood, to be … [Read more...]
Flashcards as Learning Devices!
Flashcards as Learning Devices When I was growing up my mom liked todrive home important lessons with some big and inevitably creased andcrumpled flashcards. These lessons covered everything from “A isfor Apple” to the right-of-way rules before our driver’s tests.We tended to lose as many as we kept, but little by little, thesesimple tools and this simple process actually helped us learn. Andthere is more and more evidence supporting the idea that flashcardsare still an effective learning device. Why Flashcards? When I’m teaching my own kids, Inotice that they can pick up new ideas pretty quickly, but as soon asthey are in hand they get misplaced somewhere in the mass ofdeveloping neurons. Getting them to hold on to these new concepts orideas was the real challenge. My kids were doing okay in school, butI believed they could do better. And I remembered what it was likewith those old, creased and crumpled flashcards. They worked for me.Why not try it with my … [Read more...]
Easter Around The World!
Easter around the World We live in a very big and diverse world that isalso sort of small and similar. Looking at the celebrations for Easter aroundthe world, there are some differences, but also lots of similarities betweendifferent countries and how they celebrate. Certainly, not everyone in ourworld is Christian and believes that Jesus was sent from God to absolve thesins of the people; other religions have different traditions based upon theirown beliefs. Some Easter celebrationtraditions from near and far: France Mardi Gras or its English translation, FatTuesday, is the last day of partying and revelry before the solemn Lent seasonin France. The church bells which normally ring throughoutthe year are silenced from the day before Good Friday until Easter Sunday. Asthe bells toll on Easter morning, people kiss and hug, celebrating Jesus'rebirth. The children are told that the church bells havegone to Rome to gather eggs for their nests. The eggs are placed … [Read more...]
How To Protect Your Children From Obesity!
Howto protect your children from obesity We all know that the childhood stage is the perfect stage for learning. It is a period where they easily absorb information like a sponge. That is why most parents focus on teaching lessons, building up values and good habits. This could also be the best time to teach them healthy eating. Obesity is an issue that most parents would not want their children to have. Early cases of obesity lead to low self esteem for kids, early signs of diseases, lack of energy, inappropriate weight loss concerns, and are usually associated with laziness and even stress. Common complaints of adults would go something like, “I wasnot used to eating vegetables” or “I usually eat fast food, it’s what I grew upwith”. All these can be blamed for poor diet management when we were kids. Sodon’t allow this to happen to your own children. As parents you have fullcontrol over exposing them to healthy eating. Here are further tips on how topromote it. Try to … [Read more...]
Healthy Easter Ideas
Healthy Easter Ideas Ancient origins aside, Easter is now allabout the chocolate. For almost everyone- especially kids- chocolate bunniesand chocolate eggs are the whole point of the festival. While that’s a lot offun, it’s not too healthy. Easter ranks right up there with Halloween when itcomes to tooth decay and unhappy, candy-filled tummies but it doesn’t have tobe that way. Here are a few healthy Easter ideas to enjoy with your kids: Egg painting.Not all eggs are made of chocolate. Hard-boiled hen’s eggs can be painted withpatterns, faces, or anything else your kids feel like. They keep well in thefridge so you can hold the painting session a few days in advance and thenenjoy a yummy, protein-rich Easter breakfast. Boil the eggs for at least five minutes.Really big eggs will take longer and it’s always best to err on the side ofcaution- too hard is better than too runny. A simple non-toxic watercolourpaint can be made by adding a few drops of food coloring to water. … [Read more...]
Easter Celebrations-Bringing Up Joyous Moments of Life
Easter Celebrations-Bringing Up JoyousMoments of Life Kids cannot resist anymore fromreceiving the gift items and the coming Easter festival will cheer them up withlots and lots of goodies. Let it be bunnies, carrots, chickens, eggs and othergoodies, it is full of fun and joy for the children. People usually lift hugebaskets with full of gift items to their kith and kin and the Eastercelebrations would give them with golden opportunities to spend time with thefamily. It is a customary way to hold Easter egg hunts and how many of you haveparticipated in it? It is a good way to bring back the childhood days and makethe most out of them. There are many kinds of gift items thatcan be distributed on this auspicious day. It is a good idea to club all thesegift products together in a gift basket and distribute it to the children.Certain people have the traditional practice of rolling out eggs from a hill onEaster Sunday morning. So, do you have any customary practice of this … [Read more...]
“Easter: Why the Egg?”
“Easter: Why the Egg?” By Erin E. Schmidt Whyis the egg the symbol of Easter? Henswill only lay eggs when they’ve received at least 12 hours of light a day.Before electric lights, this meant hens only laid eggs in the six months of theyear when the earth gets the most sunlight, from the spring equinox to the fallequinox. Fresh eggs were a natural sign of spring in the time when they wereonly available during the warm months of the year. Like seeds, the egg is alsoa symbol of the beginning of life. Accordingto some historians, the egg was adopted as the symbol of Easter becauseChristians traditionally abstained from eating eggs during Lent. On Easter,they could break their egg-fast and eat them again. Eggs, according to St.Augustine, are also a symbol of hope, because the egg, like hope, is somethingthat has not yet come to fruition. Anotherconnection Christians make with the egg is the phoenix. This mythical birdbuilds a funeral pyre for itself and dies. From its ashes, an … [Read more...]
Congenital Heart Defects
Congenital Heart Defects Congenital heart defects are the most common type of birthdefect, with 1 in every 125 babies—that’s over 35,000!—in the United States bornwith a congenital heart defect each year. But what are congenital heart defects, exactly? A congenital heart defect is a structural abnormality of theheart that is present at birth. Thesedefects, which alter or block the flow of blood through the heart, can range inseverity from mild to life-threatening. Thereare many different types of congenital heart defects, and they can include structuralproblems of the heart valves, the walls of the heart, or the veins and arteriesthat carry blood to and from the heart. Congenital heart defects manifest themselves in the earlyweeks of pregnancy—when the fetus’s heart is developing—and occur when theheart develops abnormally or incompletely. Doctors and scientists are not entirely sure what causes congenitalheart defects but believe that both genetic and environmental factors play … [Read more...]
Guest Post – What is CHD
Whatis CHD? This acronym stands for Congenital Heart Disease, (sometimesreferred to as congenital heart defect). Just so you know what it is, CHDoccurs for babies when the blood vessels nearest to the heart muscle do notadequately develop prior to birth. Having your child diagnosed with it may befrightening, but you can take comfort in knowing that almost all children bornwith CHD live to be active, contributing and completely functioning members oftheir communities. So take a deep breath and smile, it is most likely going tobe o.k. The symptoms of CHD include obvious change of normal skincolor, blue or even pale gray skin color, breathing rapidly, abdominalswelling, or extreme puffiness of the eyes, or legs and shallow breathing whilethe child is being fed, resulting in inadequate weight gain. Now that yourchild has been diagnosed with CHD, what do you do next? You will want to haveyour child tested to learn just what type of CHD is present. CHD can take manyforms. Some … [Read more...]