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Category: Encouraging Family Focus

This Category was previously called Family and Children. I do have a Category called Good Parents Tips/Info for Parents and Children. I do want to Encourage Families to be Closer and Spend More Time Together than many Australians do. Families can be so Enriching. These days, there are Families with 2 or even 3 Generations of Working Parents who have not or do not spend much time together. Lets see if we can change that, hey? Because this decision is new (27th Dec) I will be deleting and adding some Posts:)

Published on Leave a comment on How Blue Light Affects Your Sleep And What You Can Do

 By Maureen Salamon from WebMd.Com 2020

Have you ever woken up to bright morning skies feeling energized? A big reason for your mood is the high-intensity blue light coming from the sun. Among the visible light spectrum, blue wavelengths have the most powerful effect on your sleep-wake internal body clock.

Both natural and artificial blue light can boost your alertness and mental sharpness. But too much of it may keep you awake when your body needs to wind down.

Sunlight

Need help waking up in the morning? Open the blind or get outside to feel more alert.

Light From Screens

Their “blue” light has a powerful effect on your brain. Turn them out about 2hrs before bed.

Artificial Light

Bright lights after dark signal our brain to wake up. In the evening. In the evening. Use dim light, and block outside light.

Block Out Light To Get Good Sleep

How Blue Light At Night Hurts Sleep

Your eyes aren’t good at blocking blue light. So almost all of it passes straight through to the back of your retina, which helps your brain translate light into images.

Exposure to all colors of light helps control your natural sleep-and-wake cycle, or circadian rhythm.…

Published on Leave a comment on Whats The Verdict? Kids Playing Outside Like They Did Years Ago Is In. Its OK!

By Janet Vargas - Natural Health Researcher

So don't be frightened of germs because there are Good Germs as well, kids are missing out on that benefit their Immune System. It’s much Safer than text books say – just one of many practices grandparents and their grandparents encouraged, and their kids were healthier than children Today. No they weren’t mistaken – less educated but not silly. We have been, to take so much notice of information we have been brought up with medical influence. TV and TEC are not Baby Sitter, but we have substituted them for Good Healthy Outdoor Play, Aye?

Encourage Your Kids To Get Their Hands Muddy Or Sandy - Its Good For Them!

And today’s Medical System always scaring us into Antibiotics and Vaccines  - half of which are not appropriate for or country here in Australia. We are not in a Third World Country, and people who live in the Islands are healthier than we are without a Medical Establishment, who are always finding more ways to rake in more profits.

I don’t think there are many of us who remain ignorant to the likes of Big Pharma after 2020 – what a boost to the Industry.…

Published on Leave a comment on Some Positive Traits To Have – Be Sure To Read This!

By Brad Aronson

I Found These In An Article Called 'How to be Happy: Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Happier'......This Will Also Help You With Parenting, Providing A Healthy Environment For Your Kids. These Positive Traits We Can Develop Make Us More Cheerful And Raise Stronger Kids.

Wow - I Can Learn These Positive Traits
(A Step At A Time)

See the positive

Researchers have found that we’re happier when we see the positive. This doesn’t mean we live in a dream world where we don’t see problems. It means we notice the positive. The good news is that we can train our brains. over time, to more often see the positive.

Here are some ways we can be Positive

Perform at least one act of kindness daily.
As you start performing acts of kindness, you’ll notice more and more opportunities to be kind. A study from Michael StegerOpens in a new window showed that kind acts increase happiness, and performing kind acts starts shifting our mindset to a more positive outlook.

As far as acts of kindness go, think small. A “thank you note” in your spouse’s lunch, an email to one of your kid’s amazing teachers, etc.…

Published on Leave a comment on Did You Know The Truth About Veggies – That You Can Regrow Some Of Them From Scraps?

YES IT'S TRUE! I HAVE WITNESSED THIS PHENOMENA SEVERAL TIMES ON YouTube VIDEOS AND CERTAIN WEBPAGES IN RECENT YEARS......YOU CAN FIND LOTS OF THESE THROUGH GOOGLE IMAGES. IT'S FUN, IT REALLY IS! YOU SHOULD TRY IT SOME TIME. I JUST POSTED AN ARTICLE ON USING OUR OWN SEED FOR GROWING SOME VEGGIES AT HOME AND THOUGHT I WOULD ADD THIS POST FOR GOOD MEASURE AS WELL FOR YOU.

Some Kitchen Scraps Can Be Regrown

SHOULD BE GOOD FOR YOU SAVVY ECONOMISTS, GARDEN AND NATURE LOVERS OUT THERE AND YOU CAN HAVE SOME FUN WITH THE KIDS AS WELL. YOU MAY LIKE TO TRY SOME EXPERIMENT FOR THE NOVELTY:)

TRACY MORIN has an article with a similar title on Mashed.Com She writes:

Whether you can't get to the store, are looking to pinch pennies, or just want to enjoy the process of growing your own produce, why not repurpose whatever vegetables and herbs you can find in the kitchen, encouraging regrowth through scraps you'd otherwise throw away?

For example, green onions and other vegetables, like romaine lettuce, bok choy, cabbage, leeks, and carrot-top greens, are renowned for their powers of regeneration — just add to a container of water and watch 'em come alive.…

Published on Leave a comment on Veggies You Can Grow In Your Garden Easily Without Buying Seeds Or Seedlings

WE HAVE TO BUY ALL OUR VEGGIES FROM THE STORE OR SEEDLINGS FROM THE NURSERY TO GROW........OR WAIT A MINUTE, DO WE? HAVE YOU SEEN SOME OF THE WEBPAGES OR YOUTUBE VIDEOS ON GROWING SOME VEGGIES FROM VEGGIE SCRAPS? I'VE SEEN THEM MANY TIMES - GREAT FUN FOR KIDS - AND I FOUND SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT TODAY. A GIRL CALLED AMARA SHOWS US 6 VEGGIES WE CAN SIMPLY GROW WITH SEEDS FROM PRODUCE WE'VE BOUGHT OR GROWN. AND MAYBE IT'S A BLUFF THAT SEEDS HAVE TO BE TREATED (For Commercial Enterprise) YOU KNOW? IF THAT WERE REALLY SO, HOW ABOUT ALL THE ORGANIC HEIRLOOM SEEDS ETC SOLD BY DIGGERS GARDEN CLUB, EDEN SEEDS AND OTHERS THAT ARE AVAILABLE FOR MANY YEARS NOW? AND WHAT DID PEOPLE DO BEFORE THERE WERE SEED COMPANIES? NOT TO MENTION, HAVE YOU HEARD OF A GROUP OF PEOPLE CALLED SEED SAVERS? INTERESTING, ISN'T IT? SHALL WE SEE SOME OF AMARA'S HANDIWORK?

Amara is a writer, and writing is her passion. She loves gardening and enjoys it as her hobby.

Many people love gardening and enjoy it as their hobby. Well, this hobby can be even more worthwhile when it also yields fresh organic vegetables from a home garden.…

Published on Leave a comment on Why Attitude Is More Important Than IQ – Good Things To Know

When it comes to success, it’s easy to think that people blessed with brains are inevitably going to leave the rest of us in the dust. But new research from Stanford University will change your mind (and your attitude).

Psychologist Carol Dweck has spent her entire career studying attitude and performance, and her latest study shows that your attitude is a better predictor of your success than your IQ.

A Fixed Mindset Versus A Growth Mindset

Dweck found that people’s core attitudes fall into one of two categories: a fixed mindset or a growth mindset.

With a fixed mindset, you believe you are who you are and you cannot change. This creates problems when you’re challenged because anything that appears to be more than you can handle is bound to make you feel hopeless and overwhelmed.

People with a growth mindset believe that they can improve with effort. They outperform those with a fixed mindset, even when they have a lower IQ, because they embrace challenges, treating them as opportunities to learn something new.

Common sense would suggest that having ability, like being smart, inspires confidence. It does, but only while the going is easy.…

Published on Leave a comment on Outdoor Activities For Kids: Like Some Ideas? Read Some Of These!

By Natalie: A Mum and registered Dietitian with a Passion to help Parents Create a Home Environment where they can Raise Healthy Kids!

Lots Of Ideas For Children's Play Outdoors.
See What You Find!

When the weather is nice, it should be easy to get your kids to go outside to play. Right? But kids can be surprisingly reluctant to skip out the door for playtime. It hasn’t always been like this!

Many kids in the upcoming generation are replacing outdoor play with indoor, sedentary activities like iPad games, texting, or social media. They’re also more involved in knowledge-based downtime like homework and studying than kids from past generations.

How Do Kids Benefit From Outdoor Play?

Studies have shown that kids who spend more time outside might be happier and more relaxed. Time outdoors can even improve short-term memory, concentration and cognitive skills. (It’s almost like nature makes us smarter… amazing!)

It’s Up to Us To Facilitate Outdoor Play

There’s a REAL need for active, outdoor play. Now more than ever. The more outdoor activities you can encourage and facilitate for your kids, the more they’ll reap the physical and emotional benefits of such play.…

Published on Leave a comment on Tips On Balancing Real Life And Technology – We All Need This Aye? Especially Kids!

Take Care with PC and IPad Use

Sometimes Tech-Life can impose Artificial Values in Life when it comes to Lifestyle. Don't find yourself missing out on LIFE.....Hey? TV is noted for that. The Net involves your participation, so the addiction can be even more powerful to the point of crippling.

This Link will take you to a Website whose motto is to

"WATCH LESS - LIVE MORE'

The use of IPads can be very addictive....sometimes even more than a Computer or Laptop. Misuse or Overuse of one of the above mentioned can end up stressing you or your family out when you find yourself addicted:

You can't stay away from it - you find yourself unable to moderate the use of it.

They interest you more than other things.

You find yourself restless when they are not in use.

You begin to lose interest in other activities.

Previous interests become boring or you loose motivation.

Your way of thinking starts to change because you are used to Tech-Mode.

You often spend much more time online than intended.

You make yourself promises only to break them.

You find it difficult to engage in other things - but you must.…

Published on Leave a comment on The Value And Advantages In Having A Hobby/Hobbies

IT'S NICE TO HAVE A HOBBY: SOMETHING YOU'RE INTERESTED IN, SOMETHING LIGHT-HEARTED. EVERYONE "BUSY BUSY" SEEMS TO BE THE WAY OF MODERN CIVILISATION SINCE THE TURN OF THIS CENTUARY, HEY? BUT IS THAT HEALTHY FOR US OR OUR KIDS? NOT REALLY. NO. SOMEONE SAID TO ME A FEW YEARS AGO "SOME PEOPLE DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY LOVE, TO DO IT?" IT'S SO TRUE THAT SOME DON'T KNOW THEIR PASSION, TO PURSUE IT. THERE ARE BENEFITS WHEN YOU DISCOVER WHAT IT IS, LIKE MANY HAVE EXPERIENCED FOR MONTHS OR YEARS. WE HAVE A FRIEND WHO HAS JUST DISCOVERED HIS AND IT'S REALLY GREAT TO SEE. LIFE SHOULD NOT ALL BE WORK, CHORES AND TV OR SOCIAL MEDIA. TRY AND THINK YOUR WAY AROUND THAT. FEEL FREE TO LOOK FOR IDEAS AND EXPLORE. BE KIND TO YOURSELF, HEY?

6 Reasons To Get A Hobby

By Jaime Kurtz, Ph.D., PsychologyToday.Com

You're Really Not Too Busy.

Over a couple of generations, we have somehow misplaced their free time.

Various things contribute to this, but for many of us, being legitimately busy simply isn't one of them. Instead, we habitually waste time, creating the illusion of busyness.…

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Published on 2 Comments on Children Learn From Growing Things – Let Them Explore, Hey? It’s Good For Them.

I FOUND SOME GOOD FAMILY RELATED MATERIAL ON THE VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT WEBSITE THAT'S REALLY GREAT. I'VE BEEN RESEARCHING NATURE A LOT - OUR NEED FOR REGULAR EXPOSURE TO IT SOME WAY/WAYS THROUGH THE WEEK.

Children Love To Learn How To Grow Plants - Why Not Let Them Try? You May Be Surprised!

IN MY PRETEENS, I WAS FASCINATED BY PEAS AND BEANS EMMERGING THROUGH THE SOIL, WHEN MY MUM WAS TENDING HER VEGGIE GARDEN AND WOULD HAVE LOVED TO HAVE A FEW PLANTS OF MY OWN TO GROW. MY FEELINGS ABOUT THIS WERE NOT VOICED UNTIL I MENTIONED IT TO HER LATER IN LIFE (MY 40'S OR 50'S).

IN RESPONSE, SHE SAID "Oh Janet, you never said anything about it. I would have been happy to share some with you - I didn't think you were interested." I WAS ACTUALLY INTRIGUED. IT'S A GREAT INTEREST FOR KIDS OF DIFFERENT AGES, FROM LITTLE TO TEENS and A GOOD CONTRAST TO THEIR TECH INTERESTS - HELPING TO PROVIDE A BALANCE FOR THEM, HEY? AND HEALTH BENEFITS TO BE GAINED TOO, A WIN WIN!

The Government Says:

People of all ages can enjoy gardening, but children in particular will have lots of fun and gain special benefits. …