Category: Family
It is a known fact that smoking is extremely dangerous to your health. Health professionals and government officials have taken various measures in order to educate the public of the different unfavorable effects of smoking to our health. Yet, there are millions of people, who are addicted to their smoking habit. Smoking not only affects the smoker, but also the people around them especially your family. Here are just some ways on how your smoking habit can affect your family.
Increase in Health Risks
One of the ways how smoking affects your family is through their health. While it is true that smokers increase their risk of developing a variety of illnesses and diseases, this increase in health risk is not only confined to them and it extends to the rest of your family members. Studies have shown that second-hand smokers have an even higher risk of developing cancer and other health ailments compared to the smokers themselves. The term second-hand smokers refer to people who are exposed to the smoke emitted by smokers and their cigarettes. The reason why they are at a higher risk is that compared to smokers, the smoke that they inhale is not filtered. And because most of the harmful chemicals and carcinogens are found in the cigarette smoke, prolonged exposure to the smoke is just like making your entire family smoke a cigarette with the filter torn out.
Negative Influence to Your Children
Another way how smoking affects your family is by creating a negative influence to your children. As they grow up, your children look up to you and subconsciously model their behavior to mimic their parents. In fact, studies have shown that children that have taken up a smoking habit during their teenage years are those coming from families where one or both of the parents smoke as well. Even though government officials and school administrators do aggressive efforts to discourage teenagers from starting a smoking habit, seeing their parents smoke can be a whole lot more influential and a factor for them to actually become smokers themselves.
Depletion of the Family Income
With the nations across the world still feeling the effects of the financial crisis that struck them, many families are still coping in stretching the family budget. Smokers unknowingly spend hundreds of dollars each month in order to satisfy their habit by purchasing cigarettes, lowering the household income which is used to purchase basic commodities, pay your children’s tuition fees and your mortgage payments. This depletion of the family income can oftentimes result in tension between you and your spouse regarding financial matters, which can eventually lead to constant arguments, the latter having a psychological effect on your children in the long run.
As you can see, the effects of smoking can be far reaching. Being a parent, you would want to make sure that you are able to keep your family safe, protected and their needs supported. Quitting your smoking habit would not only benefit your health. It would also ensure that your family would remain happy, harmonious and healthy.
On December 13, 2013, Igbozue Connecticut USA held an all night family party. It was an opportunity for the Igbozue men to thank their wives. There were many reasons for these men to do so. It is the women who provided, among other good deeds throughout the unfolding year, hospitable homes when members of the group host monthly meetings.
Igbozue family night is an annual event. This particular event was surprisingly different from earlier ones in three main ways: the event-threatening snow, the big fat cake from ‘IWAC’ and the win or lose anxiety of the raffle.
Igbozue Connecticut USA is a non for profit organization that encourages social interaction among the Igbos- one of the major ethnic groups in Nigeria.
The men presented their token gifts and the women received them in full admiration. In an all out display of gratitude, the women danced glowingly in a way that only Igbo men would understand.
IWAC, Igbo Women Association of Connecticut which is the female counterpart of Igbozue Connecticut, had something under wraps for one of their members who had retired and is about to move. They wanted to honor her with a gift. Halfway through the party, it was still a toss-up if the recipient will show up.
Then bingo, she showed up. The dancing crowd went wilder as the Dj played ‘Udor Akpuenyi’ (one cannot pull an elephant on a leash) by Sunny Bobo.
Not familiar with the rhythm of the music, children danced exuberantly in missteps while the oldies danced in measured steps to the beat and lyrics.
The Honoree, Professor Omaa Chukwurah, is a founding member of IWAC. Many misty eyes and cracked voices emerged as peers gave testimonies and recounted their interactions with her. Then it was time to devour the cake.
The indefatigable DJ, Joe Anyafulu had the music right. He delivered soul and highlife music that made guests dance most of the night.
Attendees said that it was a party to remember. Men bantered and laughed heartily while women held conversation and smiled. What started as a shaky night later became one of the organizations most memorable Christmas events.
The raffle generated lots of excitement. There were five winners. Mrs. Eneh won the first prize of a Godiva gift basket containing gourmet chocolate bar and glass tea cups. Mrs. Lolo Anna Okonkwo won a Christmas wreath. The Oredo family from Stamford won a set of Wild-Eye table knives and spoons and the fourth prize, ‘How Broccoli Head Lost Thirty Pounds’, went to Mrs. Pat Anekwe.
The event took place at the executive-inn and suite in Meriden Connecticut. It began at 8 pm with the breaking of the kola nuts, ended at 12.30 A.M with a toast of Champaign. Members came in from different places within the state of Connecticut. A guest came from as far as Stamford. My spouse and I came from Sandy Hook.
Food and drink were plentiful. On the dinner tables were the usual suspects of goat meat, bitter leaf soup, fried plantain, jollof rice, moi-moi, roasted fish, chicken and rice. There was salad for the health-conscious attendees.
The President of the association, Mr. Polycarp Okeke was thankful to participants and praised them for supporting the group despite the bad weather and he reminded guests to drive home safely.
When you come home, you are tired, your child with autism is tired, your family is exhausted, everyone wants to eat. You want to prepare the meals that are to be kept simple for your autistic child and the whole family. But, how?
You may not want to eat off of good china, but having the family set a time for dinner brings the whole family together. It creates closeness, conversations, connecting in the days events and it encourages the family to understand one another in a positive way.You are concerned about meals that you want to keep simple and can be prepared easily. In addition, the concern for proper nutrition and time saving effort.
Parent(s) and caregiver(s) have to decide what would be enjoyable for meal-time preparation, that can be kept simple for the whole family to enjoy. Having a child with autism may be challenging for the family at meal-time.
In order to fix healthy good meals for your family and your child with autism, is to understand the needs of your child and the rest of the family at meal-time, this will allow you to keep the preparation for meal-time simple.
One of the things you can do, is, create an environment for your child or children, by being aware of the different ages and what each individual child can eat. By you understanding how they grow and develop, this will educate you on the appropriate foods to serve them. Keeping the preparation for meals simple, will bring your family together easily.
Remember, to keep in mind and be observant with your child who has autism, for his or her eating habits, so you can try to coordinate it with the rest of the families schedule, or make changes to prepare meals that are kept simple.
To keep your meals simple in preparation, present your children with a variety of nutritious foods. Encourage favorable attitudes toward food, good eating habits, and not being afraid for them to try new foods to taste and evaluate.
Be sensitive to the needs of your autistic child, of his or her dislikes of certain foods. Each person in your family has a unique personality and may react to foods in a different way. This can be an education for you and your child.
Remember, that you are feeding children, so they should have their portion as a child and not as an adult within the family. Do not put too much on their plate. They can always ask for more if they desire.
It is wise when preparing simple meals with an autistic child in your family, to try to encourage them to participate in helping you at meal-time, with your supervision. For example: bringing food to the table, setting the table, clearing some of the dishes to the kitchen, when you are finished. Educate your child as to what foods you will be eating at meal-time and perhaps, tell him or her, what the foods contain as nutritional value.
Keep your meals simple for preparation and fun. Serve your meals in a bright and attractive room that is not dull. Be creative, arrange the foods on the plates in interesting and attractive designs, according to their textures colors, shapes and flavors.
Eat with your children and let them know how good the food tastes, or what their thoughts are about the foods that are on their plate, and what they think of the taste. Join in on their conversation. Respect them if they say they do not care or like the foods that they have received, and try to introduce another kind at a better time, or prepare it differently.
Give positive input and feelings to your autistic child and family. Allow your child to leave food on the plate if he or she does not want it. They have choices too. Sometimes if you make your child clean up his or her plate, they may become overweight or rebel against those foods in the future.
Enjoy your child by keeping your meal-time preparation simple with fun and filled with enjoyment.
Castles have always been historically attributed to the monarchy that ruled a specific area. They were from their inception an expression of wealth and power. In modern times they are not instantly associated with monarchs but still do hold a similar type of admiration. In fact, people the world over still glorify the beauty and stateliness that may be found with a well built castle. If you would like to create your own castle there are a few things you will need to do to make this dream a reality.
Required Tools and Materials
Cranes
Heavy machinery
Bricks
Stone cutters
Stones
Metal
Cement
Sand
Instructions
1)Before you can proceed you will need to obtain the required paper work. To do this you will need to contact your local government or state building agency to find out what the exact requirements are. These will normally vary by state. In general you will be expected to meet safety standards, get environmental clearances and so forth. Do not start to construct your castle until you have acquired the essential documentation and permits. Continuing without proper clearance may lead to fines and certain penalties, which could include the destruction of the newly erected structure.
2)You will need to figure out how much you will be spending on the castle. This amount will best be calculated by the professionals including the engineer and contractors. Essentially you will receive a breakdown of the amount of material you will need to finish the structure. You should always make allowances for additional material. It is not abnormal for the pre-determined amount to surpass expectation.
3)You should choose a site that has a large acreage of land and good vegetation. The most ideal place for a castle is consequently the countryside. The more attractive the area the more gorgeous the castle. This basically means the castle will appear even more inviting and prominent amidst lush fields and meadows. However, you should still choose a location that is close enough to present day conveniences.
4)You will need to make a moat. No castle could be complete without this notable feature. Once you have dug the moat combine the cement, gravel and sand to form concrete and place around the edges to hold its completed structure in place. You can add fish and stones to your moat to make it more visually interesting.
5)You can start to construct your castle by making a solid foundation. A large cement mixer can be employed to lay down the concrete at the base of the structure. If you would like a courtyard place a bit of dirt in an appropriate area, preferably in the middle of the foundation.
6)Following the blueprints, the stones can be arranged using mortar or cement to secure them. The stones you opt to use should be very large and uneven. Once the stone walls are done you can install the doors, guard towers, windows and so on. Your castle is now ready for use.
Tips and Warnings
1)Look at castle designs from many different locations. You can adopt specific features and create a look that encompasses many stylistic aspects. There are older modeled castles that used only holes for doors and windows, however if you would like the additional privacy that windows will provide then indicate this in your plan.
2)You should determine where you will install the water and electrical conveniences before proceeding. When the castle is completed the wiring can be installed. Be sure to check that the wiring is working properly before you start using the electricity in the castle. It is best that you employ a professional to perform the installation of all electrical wires.
3)Get the best materials available to increase the longevity of your castle. Employ the best people to help you build your dream home as this will save you money in the long term.
Summer vacation is the perfect time of one year for people to hold their annual family reunion. Therefore, summer family reunion is very popular.
Each year, we have experienced our reunion with all kinds of activities such as planting a tree, organizing a family softball /volleyball game, enjoying the sunshine at a beach and so on. Would you want to spend this family reunion in a meaningful and economical way during such recession time? Here below is a one-day gathering timeline and activity outline.
Activity outline of this summer vacation
1.Morning~noon: Drive to get together around noon
2.Afternoon: Have a simple lunch and then enjoy genealogy slideshow made with memorable pictures, from the new babies to the proud grandparents
3.Night: Hold a Night BBQ along with talent show to bring your own karaoke music
You do not need to go out farther and do not need to pay for the recreation ground to save your budget. Certainly, you can incorporate some other activities to plan a two-day reunion.
Create a genealogy slideshow
1>Things to be prepared
1.A computer with PowerPoint installed, or some other photo slideshow software
2.Pictures of family members
If you have a computer with Microsoft PowerPoint installed, you can make a family album to remember and cherish the special moments of each member in your family history. And you do not need to buy and learn to use other photo slideshow software.
2>Steps to create a genealogy slideshow
Step 1: Collect pictures
You should ask other family members to provide pictures.
Pictures on special events or funny pictures about your family members would be OK. Pictures and video clips of both new babies and grandparents are required.
Step 2: Save all the digital pictures and the scanned ones in a new document with a name of family album
Step 3: Create a family reunion slideshow with PowerPoint and you can start the album with the pictures of your forefathers, and then the younger ones, at last the kids.
Step 4: Add a number of vivid caption bubbles to describe the pictures and bring more life to this slideshow.
Step 5: Add video clips to your slideshow
You can add some family video clips that you have collected from the family member to spice up your slideshow. Click here to know how to add videos to PowerPoint presentation.
Step 6: Add music to your slideshow
Click the article How to Add Music Song to PowerPoint Presentation to know the details.
Recommended sweet songs
Here is a list of songs that really show an appreciation and love between or for family members, you can choose one of them to add to your slideshow.
“Butterfly Kisses” by Bob Carlisle
“Then They Do” by Trace Adkins
“Find Your Wings” by Mark Harris
“My Front Porch Looking In” by Lonestar
“I Will Be Here” by Steven Curtis Chapman
Well done! A meaningful genealogy slideshow is completed ahead of your family reunion.
Enjoy the genealogy slideshow
Family members can enjoy the genealogy slideshow that you created after lunch. You can view it on computer with your family together. I also want to suggest you view PowerPoint slideshow on wide screen TV or plasma if you have a big family.
To view PowerPoint slideshow on TV, you need to save your PowerPoint to DVD. There are many ways to burn PowerPoint to DVD. An all-on-one PowerPoint to DVD burner named PPT2DVD is recommended. With the built-in burner of this PowerPoint to DVD converter, you can make duplicated copies by burning the output DVD folder or image (iso) file to blank DVDs without converting it again. Then you can disperse it to your relatives for long preserve and memory.
During the Night BBQ and talent show, you may also take vast amount of pictures. In the same way, you can create and distribute the slideshow to other members. You can also make karaoke music DVD with this method.
Enjoy it and have a nice summer family reunion.