Posts by curzom:
Getting Family Portraits on the Cheap
March 11th, 2010Family portraits used to be a common thing many years ago but are quickly beginning to fade out of popularity. This is not likely due to the fact that families do not want portraits anymore but because of the high cost of such portraits at a time when many individuals have less money due to the economy and job loss. Because it is so much harder to make ends meet these days families are having to give up some of life’s luxuries and family portraits just happen to be one of those things. And then not only do you have to pay for portraits to be taken but you also have to pay for frames to display them in as well which is just another added expense. There are ways to have great family portraits in your home though without having to spend way too much money to do so. If you can save money on your family portraits it won’t be so bad buying frames for displaying them and you can put your portraits on the wall so that you can show off your family to all those that will see. Here are a few ideas as to how to get great family portraits on the cheap.
One way to get a portrait of your family without spending a fortune is to look for deals at portrait studios in your area. Often the studios located in discount department stores such a Wal-Mart will offer a great deal around the holidays. In many cases you can get a rather large package of pictures for under $10. These packages usually only include one pose but if your main goal is a photo of your family together you can definitely get that such a low price and plenty of pictures to hand out to the whole family. In many cases it is recommended that you make appointments for portrait studios offering such deals so you may want to call and schedule a sitting before heading out to the studio of your choice.
Another great way to get family portraits for cheap is to take pictures with a camera wit a timer and develop the film at a store that offers different size photos. You can also develop the film and then use the negatives to order different size pictures. Depending on what sizes you want and how many of them this can be as inexpensive as you choose it to be. In most cases though you will get more pictures and in the sizes you want for less than if you were to buy a large package from a portrait studio.
Finally, one of the best ways to get portraits of your family together is to have someone take pictures with a digital camera and then you can print them up yourself. You can get any size pictures up to an 8×10 size and it will surely be the cheapest way to go.
It is great having family portraits but in the past could be very expensive. Take advantage of today’s technology and spend less on pictures without losing quality.
Jane Michael is a successful webmaster and owner of popular and comprehensive corporate gift basket web site. For more article and resource on condolences gift baskets visit here.
Domestic Violence, My Thoughts As a Man
January 12th, 2010Today is white ribbon day in Australia, a day to remember all the women who suffer (and have suffered) domestic violence and abuse at the hand of their husband or partner at home.
On this day, that really should not exist, I want to share with you my thoughts on domestic violence.
I want to share the one thing I have discovered that if men took heed to, then domestic violence would end.
But before I do, I want to share with you a little bit of my story.
When I was 10, I went to live with my dad and step-mum for a period of 5 years. During that time, I suffered physical and emotional abuse, the likes of which I will not share as it is not relevant to this article.
As I reflected on this abuse, over the years since, there was one underlining theme or point that became clear to me. And it is that I want to share with you.
I learnt a 2-part lesson from the abuse I suffered and I will phrase the 2-parts as though I am talking to my dad.
Part 1 is…
“Just because I did something that made you angry, does not mean that I did something wrong.”
My dad did not understand that. His thinking was that, if he is angry because of something I did or said, then I needed to be punished… and punish me he did (with a leather cat of nine tails!).
But, this attitude really implies that it is my fault that he is angry. In other words, I am responsible for his anger because I ‘provoked’ it.
But…
And this is where part 2 comes in…
“If you are angry at something I have done, then you are the one who needs to deal with it and not take it out on me.”
One time he was so angry with me that he threw me against the wall. My head and feet were level with the floor! This is not a man in control of his emotions.
So, being angry to the extent that it leads to an act of violence really is a loss of control over one’s emotions.
Now, you are probably wondering what all this has to do with domestic violence? Well, men need to understand that:
1. If their partner makes them angry, it does not mean that they have done something wrong.
When I was raising my daughter, there were times when she did things that made me angry. But having understood parts 1 and 2 above, I resolved to determine first if my daughter had done something wrong or if the anger was my fault in the sense that I over-reacted, misunderstood her intent or motive, took it wrong, and so on…
And I can say that 99% of the time, I was angry with her not because she had done something wrong but because I took it wrong, over-reacted, misunderstood her, and so on…
2. If men are angry with their partner to the extent that it leads to an act of violence, then they do not have control of their emotions and hence are the ones who need help to deal and manage their anger.
There is nothing wrong with being angry. Sometimes our spouse will ‘make us’ angry.
But an act of violence against our spouse or partner is more than an expression of anger.
It is blaming our partner for making us angry, it is an act of punishement for our partner making us angry, it is a way of releasing the strong anger feelings that want to find expression.
All of which are wrong!
When our spouse makes us angry, before we do anything else, we should ask ourselves: “why did what you did or what you said make me angry?” And go from there!
So men, let us be men and take responsibility for our actions, let us seek help if and when we need it, let us refrain from blaming our loved ones for our own problems, let us stop punishing those around us because we can’t cope with our anger.
Domestic violence is not about ‘it’s all your fault!’ It’s about us men not coping!
Serge M Botans
More thought provoking material can be found at Inexpensive eBooks which is one of my web sites.
Five Things Parents Fail to Do When Transitioning Their Child From Weight Loss Camp
December 8th, 2009Parents of an obese child have difficult decisions to make regarding the health of their child including sending them off to a weight loss summer camp. After all, these weight loss camps can be rather costly and being away from the child for a period of time can be gut wrenching. When your child returns, you’ll need to transition them back into the home life but make sure they don’t lose any of their knowledge. There are five reasons kids tend to fail during the transition time; make sure you don’t let it happen to your child.
Failure 1 – Parents Expect Too Much
It’s important to remember that your child will lose weight differently than you will. The weight they lose tends to allow the child to “grow into their body”. If a child attends a summer weight loss camp, they are bound to make long-term lifestyle changes. While your child did lose weight at camp, never expect them to be absolutely thin when they come home. Losing weight takes time.
Failure 2 – Failure To Change
If you choose to send your child off to weight loss camp, it’s imperative that you change during the summer as well. Remember that they are leaning how to eat right and exercise so you need to be doing the same thing. There’s a reason for your child’s obesity so look to yourself for that reason. Determine what you need to be doing before your child gets home and expect failures on your part.
Failure 3 – Failing To Remove Junk Food
Before your child returns to the home, make sure your kitchen is junk food free. Avoid white bread and pasta. Ensure that you have healthy foods in your cabinet like vegetables, fruits and whole grain foods. If you like chips, replace them with nuts and seeds. Remember that your kids learned a lot about how eat correctly so you certainly don’t want your pantry full of junk food that will tempt them.
Failure 4 – You Are Too Strict
Even though you want your kids to eat healthy, you also don’t want them to always eat these foods. It’s fine, from time to time, for your kids to eat sweets such as their birthday or a friend’s birthday. The counselors at the weight loss summer camp should have instilled some decision-making skills in terms of the kinds of foods they eat. However, your kids should have some junk every now and then.
Failure 5 – Allowing Your Child To Watch TV All The Time
Many parents are guilty of allowing video games or TV shows to baby-sit their children. However, you can change that. Make sure you keep your child active in various activities that don’t involve these things. Instead, encourage your child to join a team. If you can, enjoy these activities with your child. You can also go walking with your children, allowing you to catch up on all the things you both missed out on while your child was gone during the summer at fat camp.
Joe Busch specializes in writing articles related to healthy weight loss for kids. He focuses on proper diets, exercise, and weight loss camp. Parents with children that struggle with their weight should consider what used to be called a “fat camp” to jump start the process.
Helping Kids Lose Weight – is a Weight Loss Camp the Answer?
December 8th, 2009The obesity rate in children is increasing every year without fail. In the 60′s around 4% of children between the ages of 6 and 11 were classified as obese. These days that figure has grown to 17% and is continuing to rise. There are lots of really desperate parents trying to find out how they can help their kids get rid of those unsightly pounds. Obesity is a major problem because it can put you at more risk of suffering from other illnesses.
Some teenagers are undergoing the knife in order to get rid of their obesity. However long term results for these types of surgical procedure are not known because of the age of the patients.
There are a huge number of diseases which can affect children who are obese. It’s very important that we all find out about any solutions which can be used to deal with this epidemic. Unless we find a way of resolving this then we will quite easily be facing the unhealthiest generation yet. The obese section of the population are at a greater risk of developing certain diseases such as joint problems, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and metabolic disorder among plenty of other medical conditions. All of these can have long term health impacts.
It’s not just children which need to learn about the importance of good nutrition and proper exercise. It’s important that parents also learn about how to live a healthy lifestyle. There’s actually a lot of false information out there because food manufacturers are trying to mislead people. There are lots of companies which suggest their products are good for you, or healthy for your kids. However the reason they say this is to sell their food rather than because it really is healthy.
More often than not the obesity is caused by underlying emotional problems. This is why individual one on one counseling is so important. This counseling will address the individual patient’s needs. It’s also important for the whole family to support whoever it is trying to lose weight; motivation will make it easier to actually change your lifestyle.
One of the easiest and most successful methods to resolve the problem of obesity might actually be a weight loss camp. These camps are staffed by experienced counselors who can offer support to the child and help them understand how they can change their lifestyle for the better. The best thing about these modern camps is that they are taught a series of activities and changes which they can continue even when they leave camp. If your children don’t like the idea of staying at a camp then they can attend many of the day camps. These camps are also successful in the sense that they remove children from the environment that has led to their obesity problems, which allows them to focus solely on their health without the distractions in their day to day life.
There are lots of parents which need to learn more about their children’s diets. Quite often children just need a confidence boost and this is something that a modern fat camp can offer.
Joe Busch specializes in writing articles related to healthy weight loss for kids. He focuses on proper diets, exercise, and weight loss camps. Parents with children that struggle with their weight should consider a weight loss camp for teens to jump start the process.
How to Get Combat Childhood Obesity: Get the Entire Family Involved
December 8th, 2009When a child is young, they are impressionable. How the family eats will pass down to the child. It is, for that reason, the family must be concerned with their diet as a whole, especially if the child is obese or overweight. It’s not uncommon for a child to have overweight/obese parents or siblings. A child cannot combat his/her obesity problem on his/her own; they must have the support of their parents and siblings. The entire family must be willing to change their lifestyle and eating habits. A way to get your child back into shape is to use a weight loss camp that can assist them into forming a new diet plan.
It’s thought the reason behind the rise in numbers for childhood obesity is based on children choosing the foods they want to eat. 20 years or so years ago, parents would make the family supper and children would eat what they wanted from it and eat little of the food they didn’t want. Children were more likely to choose smaller portions of their food but they never had a say so in what was being served.
Over 18,000 questionnaires were sent home with results showing that four in five families allow their child to have a say so in what they eat. This study showed a strong link of children who have a healthy eating habit and parents who choose their meals. The more families ate together, the less chance the child would become obese.
Other studies done showed children who have a low self-esteem were prone to becoming obese. Many medical professionals have challenged this theory. Was low self-esteem the cause behind obesity or was it obesity the cause behind low self-esteem? The focus behind weight loss summer camps is to take a practical look at the connection between a child’s self-esteem and their overeating.
It cannot be questioned that childhood obesity is a growing problem that’s exploded in the past 20 years, which is why there is a vast number of fat camps in the United States. It’s a burden not just for the obese children but the health care system that must care for them, as they become adults. After all, the number of adults who are now being diagnosed and suffering with the different types of diabetes has grown significantly.
It is believed that 10 percent of the United States children population was classified as overweight/obese in 1980. In 20 years, the numbers tripled and now stand at 30 percent. It is these staggering numbers that has brought much discussion to the childhood obesity crisis.
Since parents are a big reason to their child’s obesity problems, it is them who must help the child get past it. This means telling them what and when to eat and getting them off the couch to exercise. It’s going to take much more than just one person egging them off; the entire household has to follow suit. If a child is unable to have sweets, it’s only going to be tempting for them to sneak these foods if he/she sees them under the counters.
The best thing you can do for your child’s weight loss diet is to throw out any food that doesn’t conform to the child’s nutrition plan. Since junk food isn’t healthy for anyone, it’s not a crying shame to get rid of it from the home entirely. If your child loves to demand food while at the grocery store, you would be better to leave him/her at home. If you have a teenager in the home, taking them with you so that they may understand labels and ingredients might serve a good purpose.
Make sure to establish a family meal plan that doesn’t include fried or sauced over foods. Start a low fat diet for the entire household. If you can change the eating behaviors of the whole family, the overweight child has a higher chance to succeed in their weight loss attempt.
Don’t let the child sit in front of the television all day and night. Instead, go walking with him/her. If your child is driven to school, consider dropping him/her off at the school’s curb rather than the front door. Put together some weekend activities that involve a lot of walking, swimming and more but make sure it’s something he/she be willing to do so that they don’t drag behind… not wanting to join in on the fun.
Joe Busch specializes in writing articles related to healthy weight loss for kids. He focuses on proper diets, exercise, and weight loss camps. Parents with children that struggle with their weight should consider what used to be called “fat camps” to jump start the process.