This Week's Distractions

My dad was a master complainer. A king of kvetching. He had a symphony of noises and a palette of winces and scowls to make his annoyance known to all. Dad would never have taken part in a growing fad: purple rubber bracelets carved with the words “A Complaint Free World.” Ten million bracelets are supposedly out there in more than 100 countries, although who knows how many are being worn. The bracelet is inspiration for nitpickers, grouches and grumblers to change their ways. For every day you go without complaining, you keep the bracelet on the same wrist. Reach 21 days without switching and you earn a Certificate of Happiness. Continue reading →

How do all those energetic, do-everything kind of people get going, keep going and just do, do, do all day, every day. Chances are they sleep well, eat well and ... have little mantras that inject that last little bit of spirit when they need it most. Here are some of our favourite mantras - so that when you need to go, go, go, you can. Every journey begins with a single step  - old Chinese proverb, or something said by Maya Angelou? Either way, it's a way of saying; whatever the length or scale of the task, just start and plug away. Little changes can change everything - is your little bit of power economy, of weight loss, of exercise a seemingly insignificant one? Bit by bit, when everyone does a little thing, that thing adds up to a big thing when we all do it. Do your little bit. Because it's not little. Don't let your mind hold your body back Continue reading →

Pros:   Educational, Fun Cons:    None! Describe Yourself:    Parent of Two or More Bottom Line:   Yes, I would recommend to a friend My kids love collecting friendship bands and need help learning their times tables at school - these bandz! are the perfect products. Use them as a reward system if you like or simply get your child to wear one a week like we did to learn the times table with a treat at the end. Its amazing how this drives your child to learn the times table just to get on to the next band. Really clever idea and you can see why schools are keen to use them.  Very good. 5/5 Continue reading →

We love our kids. We do our best to educate them well, we feed them well (mostly), we make sure they get 'stuff' on their birthdays and at Christmas. But do we really need to be their entertainment director too? No, as it turns out. Some British researchers have developed a theory, based on solid research, that it's okay for kids to be bored because that 'stand  and stare' time is important in the development of a rich and fertile imagination. It helps them observe the world around them and develops thinking processes. So next time you hear 'Mum, I'm bored', your response is 'good'. Technology is cool Continue reading →

Starting early on a child's development makes sense - so long as you're not hot-housing and helicoptering! How do you 'develop' your child's skills without overwhelming them? Easy. You go back to basics. 1. Colouring books let kids develop a sense of imagination, an appreciation of fine motor skills and control by needing to stay within lines. 2. Building blocks let kids improve hand eye coordination and stimulate the imagination. They problem solve and develop fine motor skills. Continue reading →