Who are you?

Image by
stilllearninghowtofly - W W Tribe Psychiatrist
via Flickr How do you want to make a difference?

If you know you want to do something, but find it difficult to answer that question, it could be that you need to sit down and think about what is important to you.

Having a clearly defined set of values can energise you to achieve great things. They will help you to set goals that really resonate with you and say no to goals that aren't yours - you know the ones, the 'I really should . . .' sort of goals that are so hard to get motivated to achieve.

If you have a clear understanding of your core values you will be better able to avoid making reactionary decisions based on other peoples expectations, or your own mood at the time. Instead you can be true to yourself.

When you know who you are you can be clear about the standards of behaviour you expect from yourself and others. It helps you to set boundries and to say 'No' to people, situations and things that don't fit with your values.

There is also an incredible feeling of peace and fulfillment that comes with knowing yourself and being able to make decisions from a clearly defined 'centre'. You are propelled forward toward your goals and you attract people with similar values.

"Sounds great" You say . . . "But how do I find out my core values?"

First of all, schedule in some quiet time to really think about what matters to you. Then print out the Identifying your values workbook from SynergyInstitute.com and work through the steps.

Go for it!!!

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Charity begins at Home

Image via WikipediaIts never to early to get your children involved in your family's charitable giving. Children should be taught that philanthropy isn't just for the grown-ups or the well-off, but something that anyone can do. It is, after all, not about what you give or how much you donate, but about helping those in need.

Here's a list by Rebecca Lucia (from Charity Navigator) of 5 great ways to teach your child about philanthropy:

• Spend time with your child by going through their winter clothes from last year. Any item that was lightly used and no longer fits should be placed in a pile to donate to a reputable local clothing drive. You can teach your child that another child will be able to use this clothing to keep themselves warm this winter.
  
  
• Go through the cabinets with your child and collect canned fruits and vegetables or other non-perishable items that can be donated to a local food bank or pantry. You could also go to the store and have your child pick out food items for your donation. Explain to your child that your donation will prevent other people from going hungry.
  
  
• Take your child to the local toy store and have them pick out an item for a less fortunate child. Many programs that work with children, including shelters and mental health centers, accept new toys year-round.
  
  
• Teach your child about charities and the services that they provide. Help him find a cause that is meaningful to him and make a donation in his name. If your child receives an allowance, encourage her to donate a portion of her allowance to the charity of her choice. Many children are eager to help other children in need, but don't understand how to help.
  
  
• Volunteering is a fantastic way to get your child involved in philanthropy. The opportunities available expand as your children get older, but there are plenty of chances for children of all ages to help. For example, your little ones can help visit seniors in nursing homes, your adolescents can join an environmental group to clean up a dirty beach, and your teenagers can serve as mentors or tutors at after-school programs.

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How to Avoid Gossip in the Workplace

A negative work environment is a less productive work environment. Gossip in the workplace can create an uncomfortable atmosphere for not only the person the gossip is about, but for everyone in the workplace. Gossip can often become likened to the old childhood game of “Telephone”, where one person starts the spread of information, and by the time it reaches the last person, it has evolved and changed into something entirely different. Some bits of gossip may have truth to it, while other bits of information carried on the gossip relay may be false. Either way, gossip is a hurtful means of communication and should be avoided at all cost. Read on to learn more.

How to Crochet a Classic String Bag

Need reusable shopping bags? Want something thats funky, colourful and that you can make yourself? Try this Classic String Bag - its super easy using only chain stich and slip stich!

Materials
2 50g ball of crochet cotton size 10
2.00mm hook

Size
30 x 35cm (12 x 14in)

Tension
10 loops should be close to 10cm (14in)

Notes
1. When making a tube the work is not turned and there is no real beginning or end after row 1.
2. If you leave a length of cotton approximately 50cm (20in) long before making the slip knot, this length of yarn can then be used to sew up the base of the bag without joining in a new piece of cotton
3. After working 10 to 20 loops of the second row or spiral, put a safety pin in the loop on your hook, to stop it unravelling, and connect the chain into a circle. This will make it easier to know where to insert your hook when you come to the end of what is technically round 2.
4. You can be economical with your thread by working the handles first

Handles
Make 6 lengths of chain each 46cm (18in) long.

Bag
Work 244 ch.
Row 1: 1ss in 8th chain from hook, *5ch, miss 3ch, 1ss in next ch, rep from * to end of chain (60 lps)
Row 2: 5ch, 1ss in next chsp (this is the space of the first lp made in row one and changes rows into rounds). *5ch, 1ss in next chsp, rep from * in a continuous spiral until approx 35cm (14in) in length has been completed, or until the thread runs out. Fasten off

To complete
Sew the bottom of the bag by flattening the tube and joining the two halves together.
When the bag is flat there should be 30 loops on each side of the bag. Securely attach one end of a handle chain into the 5th, one into the 7th, and one into the 9th loop.
Plait these three lengths of chain 6cm (2 1/2in) from the bag until 6cm of the chain is left.
Securely join the three ends into the loops, missing 12 loops free in the centre.
Attach the remaining 3 lengths of chain to the other side of the bag the same way.
Place a little sewing stitch at the end of the plait to hold the strands together and prevent unravelling.

You may like to slide some clear plastic tubing over the handles to make it more comfortable to carry!!

**This bag is easily adapted using double knitting cotton and a 4.00mm hook. Begin with 120ch, whcih will give you 30 loops at the end of Row 1. When attaching the lengths of chain for handles place one chain in loop 2, one in 3 and one in 4, leaving 7 loops free in the centre of each side.

This pattern is taken from 'How to Crochet' by Pauline Turner

How to Choose an Ethical Investment

Socially Responsible Investing is all about investing your hard earned money so that it earns a positive social and financial return.

There is a dizzying array of investment options out there so it goes without saying that investing with your values can take a bit of research. The good thing is that these days there are more and more ethical options to choose from when it comes to managed funds and more Investment Advisers are clued up on the idea of ethical investing.

All the same, it pays to do your own research and preparation. After all, you want to be investing with your values not with someone elses!!

Firstly you need to decide on the type of companies whose activities you consider unethical. As a general guidline this would be:

• companies whose operations cause disease or death
• companies that make their profits by destroying or damaging the environment
• companies that treat honest people with disregard and disrespect

Once you've ruled out companies that fit those criteria, you need to decide on activities you do want to support with your investment. When doing this you should focus on the company's products and/or services. Any company can give a percentage of its profits to a worthy cause, that doesn't make it ethical!

If caring for the Environment is of real significance to you, than perhaps you would want to look for companies that make a sincere effort to keep their environmental impact to a minimum, Or it may be more important to you that the business you invest in treats it employees with respect by paying fair wages or being family friendly.

As well as simply screening for companies that fit your values, you might also like to consider Shareholder Activism as a means of effecting change. As an investor in a business you are also an owner of the business. So why not try and effect change from within. For example, if you find a business that makes a worthwhile product but has a lousy environmental record, you could get together with other shareholders and lobby for change.

In this age of Global Capitalism, corporations have a huge influence on our quality of life and increasingly have more power than Governments to make real change. So it really does make sense to think hard about where you invest your money if you wish to make a positive difference to the world

How to Shop at a Farmers Market

Shopping at a farmers' market is not the same as shopping at a supermarket. You'll enjoy the experience more and get a lot more out of it -- more than you're expecting, perhaps -- if you keep a few things in mind. . . read more

How to make a Green Cleaning Kit

There are so many good reasons to start cleaning green. It costs less than using conventional cleaners, its kinder to the environment, and its non-toxic so kinder to your body too!

You only need a few basic ingredients to clean the whole house.

What you need:
Baking Soda - abrasive, water soluble and anti-fungal
White Vinegar - a deodoriser and sanitiser
Liquid Castille Soap
Tea Tree Oil - anti-fungal, antiseptic
Salt
Spray Bottles

Creme Cleaner
1/2 cup Baking Soda
Liquid Castille Soap

Mix the two together to a texture like frosting.
Great on baths, showers and handbasins.

All purpose Spray Cleaner
Fill a spray bottle with half white vinegar and half water. This is also a good floor cleaner.

Mould Killer
2 tsp Tea Tree Oil
2 cups Water

Shake together in a spray bottle and spray onto mould in showers, on walls, ceilings . . . in fact pretty much anywhere!

Window Cleaner
1/2 tsp Castille Soap
3 T White Vinegar
2 cups Water

Microwave Cleaner
1/2 cup White Vinegar
1/2 cup Water

Bring to the boil in the microwave. Baked on food will be loosened so you can easily wipe it off and the microwave will be deodorised.

Toilet Cleaner
1/4 cup Baking Soda
1 cup White Vinegar

Sprinkle Baking Soda around toilet bowl. Pour over White vinegar. Scrub with a toilet brush.

Oven Cleaner
3/4 cup Baking Soda
1/4 cup Salt
1/4 cup Water

Mix ingredients to a thick paste. Moisten oven surfaces with a damp cloth. Spread paste over oven surfaces. Leave overnight, then remove with a spatula and wipe clean.

How to Pay Off your Credit Cards

In this age of instant gratification, credit cards often seem like a 'must have' item. As long as you can pay them off in full each month, then there isn't anything wrong with them, but for those of us without that self-disciplined approach to personal finances they really are a disaster waiting to happen!

If you have credit card debt that is costing you money on a monthly basis, then here's how to sort it out once and for all. Be warned - you WILL have to start being financially savvy and, depending on your past financial indiscretions, this could be a long term commitment!!

The first thing to do is to STOP SPENDING! Remove your credit cards from your wallet, cut them up or, if you can't stomach that, freeze them in a block of ice at the back of your deep freeze . . . anything to keep them out of reach!! If you 'need' one for internet purchases, hook yourself up with a Mastercard (or similar) debit card and use your own money!!

Work out exactly how much it is that you owe. If you have a mortgage you may be able to transfer this amount to your mortgage and pay it off at a lower interest rate. If you do this make sure you pay the same amount each month to your mortgage that you would otherwise be paying to your credit cards to get the balance out of the way as soon as possible! If this isn't an option for you, shop around and find who is offering the lowest fees on their credit cards. You may be able to organise to transfer your balance. If you do transfer your balance to another card or add it to your mortgage be sure to get rid of your original cards so you don't end up with more debt!!

If transferring your outstanding credit card balance is not an option, then work out which card charges the highest interest rate and start paying that off first. If you haven't set yourself a budget yet, now is the time to do it. Work out how much you have to pay to meet the minimum payment requirements for all your cards. If you have any extra cash available once you have covered all your other expenses then use it to pay some extra on the card with the highest interest rate. When that is paid off, apply this amount to the next card in line and so on until all your cards are paid.

Remember to ALWAYS pay your cards on time - credit card companies charge hefty late fees if you don't!

Once you are debt free and have all that spare money at your fingertips start a savings plan. Make sure that you include an amount for short term savings so that you have the cash for those impulse splurges!!

If you have any tips for paying off credit card debt or would like to share your getting out of debt story please leave a comment. We'd love to hear form you!!

How to Teach your Child Empathy

Image via Wikipedia

Empathy is an extremely important skill for our children to develop. Simply put, it is the abilty to understand the feelings of others and to respond in an appropriate way. It is one of the most primary of moral fundamentals as it defines our relationships and the way we interact socially. Unfortunately, it is not something that develops on its own- Instead it is a skill that must be taught, encouraged and developed.

Children who are not taught empathy grow to be callous adults who have difficulties forming good relationships with others. Having a capacity for empathy now helps your children relate to others better. The benefits are many, the least of which will help them to achieve more in school.

Scientific studies suggest that children under the age of 18 months are not able to understand the concept of empathy, but by modelling the behaviour you want to encourage in them you are providing a good foundation to build on as they grow.

HOW TO HELP...

-Young children need to learn to name their emotions.

It helps them to make sense of their emotional world and is the first building block in learning empathy. Naming emotions allows you to talk about them with your child. You can begin to help your child understand what to do with their feelings and teach them such important concepts as how their actions affect others, consequences etc.

-Keep an eye out for opportunities to practise empathy with your child.

You could encourage your child to befriend the new boy or girl at playgroup. Talk about feeling lonely and being friendly and how that would make the other child feel. With older children you can discuss social issues and ask questions like, "How would you feel if . . .". Or 'What would you do . . . ". Perhaps you could let your actions teach the lesson. Take on some sort of volunteer work as a family, or offer your family's services to weed your neighbours garden when they are not well.

-Teach your child the basic rules of politeness.

Saying your pleases and thank yous is a concrete way to show respect and caring to other people. It didnt do us any harm!

- Children also need to learn to read non-verbal clues about how people are feeling.

They need to be taught how to read facial expressions and body language- You could play a sort of 'Emotional Charades' game - where you model an emotion and your child has to guess what it is. Role play is another good way to hone this skill.

-Give your child chores to complete each day.

Research has found that children who learn responsibility also learn altruism ( unselfishness/compassion ) and caring.

The most important thing you can do to teach your child empathy is to model it yourself.

Try not to use anger to control your child. Easier said than done, I know, but by treating your child calmly yet firmly and above all fairly you are teaching your child an important lesson about caring and respect.

Take an interest in your child's social world- Ask specific questions about the people in your childs daily life. This reinforces the importance of relationships with others.

After all, no man is an island...

If you want to read more visit:
http://www.education-world.com/a_issues/chat/chat166.shtml
http://parentcenter.babycenter.com/0_the-caring-child-how-to-teach-empathy_67936.pc
http://life.familyeducation.com/parenting/friendships/29483.html
http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/teach_kids_empathy.htm

How to Make the Most of 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar'

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle is a great book. It also happens to be my two year old's current favourite. One of the really fantastic things about it is that it lends itself to all sorts of investigations, experiments and learning opportunites. So this weeks 'How to. . .' list is a compilation of fun activities you can do with your pre-schooler that are based on The Very Hungry Caterpillar.


CRAFT
There are some great craft activities you can enjoy with your pre-schooler.

Painting or colouring butterflies and caterpillars

Make a butterfly mask

Make an egg carton caterpillar.
You will need: paint, paint brushes, glue, construction paper, pipe cleaners, cotton balls, and egg cartons (oddly enough!)

Cut the egg cartons into sections of three. Then, glue the egg carton to a sheet of construction paper and paint the egg carton. Allow the carton to dry. Next, glue some cotton balls to the top of the carton. Place two pipe cleaners into the front of the egg carton. Draw on eyes and a face. Of course you can decorate it with other things - glitter, sequins, buttons . . . whatever takes the fancy of your pre-schooler!

MUSIC & MOVEMENT
You could find some appropriate music and dance around like a butterfly or a caterpillar

Click here for a great site with songs and poems about caterpillars and butterflys.

SCIENCE
If its the right time of year and you have a vegetable garden, it could be a great time to pop out and have a look at the white butterflies hovering around your cabbages and cauliflowers and their offspring eating them!

Or you could grow some Swan Plants and observe the life-cycle of the Monarch Butterfly.

You could do some blind taste tests of some of the foods the caterpillar ate. Your pre-schooler can try and guess what each thing is. Talk about texture, smell and taste.

Get some picture books from the library about the life cycle of butterflies.

MATHS
Cut out 11 circles from different coloured paper. Decorate one to be the Caterpillars face, write the numbers 1 - 10 on the other circles and work with your pre-schooler to put the caterpillar together with the numbers in the right order. Or alternatively you could draw 1 -10 spots on each circle instead of writing the numbers.

Make caterpillars of varying sizes and talk with your pre-schooler about bigger and smaller, putting the caterpillars in order of smallest to biggest or vice versa.

VOCABULARY
Talk about the days of the week with your child

Make cards of the different letters the foods start with and talk with your pre-schooler about the sounds and which food starts with which sound.

This is by no means an exhaustive list. Feel free to add any other ideas you might have in a comment attached to this post!

Have fun!!

For more ideas and for activities for older kids head on over to:
* http://www.teachingheart.net/veryhungrycaterpillar.html
*http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/pages/452.shtml

How to make a healthy packed lunch

Image via Wikipedia If the idea of taking your own lunch to work sounds dull, boring and a bit like hard work then think again. It doesn't have to be soggy tomato sandwiches and a banana every day (unless that's what you like!!). Here are some ideas to help you get creative with your lunches.

To make sure your packed lunch is a healthy one, make sure you include something from all the groups below - and make sure to mix it up a little so you don't get bored.

Breads and Cereals
Bread - ciabatta, panini, pita pockets, wraps, buns
Crackers
Muffins or Scones
Pasta or Rice Salad
Sushi

Fruit & Vege
Fruit - fresh, raw, stewed, dried
Salad
Vege sticks - carrots, celery, cucumber
Olives

Dairy or Dairy Alternative
Cheese
Yoghurt
Milk or Soy Drinks

Meat or Meat Alternative
Meat - ham, chicken, fish, last nights left over roast meat
Egg
Beans
Tofu
Nuts

Making your own lunch might sound like just one more thing to do in an already busy morning, but there are ways to save time. If you have lunches to prepare for the whole family you can try the assembly line approach - line up all the slices of bread, butter them all, then add fillings. If you have older children they can help you here and save even more time. And kids are more likely to eat something that they helped prepare - or at least have no excuse if they don't like it!!
You could also try making your lunches the night before. You could cook extra dinner and have the left overs for lunch. Or prepare meals such as soup or casseroles in advance and freeze them. Thaw them overnight and you can heat them up at work - or if you don't have facilities to do this, invest in a thermos and simply heat them up in the morning.

You can keep your lunch fresh by taking a frozen drink packed in your lunch box - but be sure to wrap it so it doesn't make your lunch soggy as it thaws. Another way is to use frozen bread - its easier to spread and will be thawed by lunch time.

To spice up the whole packed lunch experience you could organise a 'Packed Lunch Club' with other like-minded work colleagues where you all bring something to share each day. Or try and find a pleasant spot to eat and have a picnic.

For more great packed lunch ideas go to Kiwi Families or FabulousFoods.Com

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