Using essential oil to improve your life

I look to you

Yep..you do need to look to someone especially when spirits are down.down...

Review of "13 the New 18"

A funny book about raising teenagers.
by BETH J. HARPAZ

The perfect gift for parents whose kids are driving them insane. (Kids like reading it too, though the author never meant to write a children’s book.)

Hardcover, published by Crown available Jan. 27
Buy online from Amazon.com or these booksellers or your local indie bookseller (Beth’s faves are Powell’s, Tattered Cover and Community Books in Park Slope).

ABOUT THE BOOK
Beth Harpaz figures there’ll be no Generation Gap when her kids become teenagers. After all, she grew up in the ’60s and ’70s. She’s seen everything! But when her son has a bar mitzvah and turns 13, suddenly her life goes from hosting pizza parties for 12-year-olds to monitoring the MySpace page where he claims he’s 22 (even though his photo shows him standing next to Bugs Bunny at Six Flags). She joins Facebook to spy on him, but he refuses to friend her. (No matter, she finds hundreds of friends of her own and ends up addicted to it.) She remembers being teased about her “highwater” pants as a kid, but she just can’t accept her son’s argument that without $100 sneakers, he might be bullied for having uncool shoes. As she tries to decipher lyrics to rap songs and text messages with mysterious codes like NM JC, she starts wondering if she’s failed as a mother, or if all of this is just a normal part of growing up in the 21st century. When she finds some scary secrets in her son’s room and starts getting calls from school about his behavior, she’s afraid to ask the Perfect Mommies she knows for advice, so she turns to a variety of unconventional sources: the Sopranos, Erma Bombeck, and most of all, Google, her guru and oracle. By the time her son turns 14, he’s grown out of a lot of the things that worried her – and she’s learned a lot about raising teenagers.

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: “Harpaz has an engaging voice, and her outlook on everything from teen fashion to Facebook is fresh and funny.”

FROM “13 Is the New 18″: “I wonder sometimes if there’s something to the old superstition about the number thirteen. Maybe that superstition was originally created by the mothers of some tribe who noticed that in their children’s thirteenth year, they suddenly became possessed by evil spirits.”

Mom Movies

There are times when you just want hearwarming movies on motherhood to make sense of our daily battles and remind us of the little joys of motherhood ;)

Heart Matters

Read somewhere (made me realise....how true the statements below are.

I guess, I understand now why they say "Love is not love if it alters when alternation comes.."
I need reminders such as the one below too..

The Art Of A Good Marriage by Wilferd Arlan Peterson
Happiness in marriage is not something that just happens.
A good marriage must be created.
In marriage the little things are the big things.
It is never being too old to hold hands.
It is remembering to say "I love you" at least once a day.
It is never going to sleep angry.
It is at no time taking the other for granted; the courtship should not end with the honeymoon, it should continue through the years.
It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives.
It is standing together facing the world.
It is forming a circle of love that gathers the whole family.
It is doing things for each other, not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice, but in the spirit of joy.
It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.
It is not looking for perfection in each other.
It is cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding and a sense of humor.
It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.
It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow old.
It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.
It is establishing a relationship in which the independence is equal, dependence is mutual and the obligation is reciprocal.
It is not only marrying the right partner, it is being the right partner.

Do we grow together or outgrow each other?

We outgrow many things in life..our shoes, our favourite teddy, out favourite shirt, favourite song, etc..my question is do we also outgrow people we love? (or used to)Found the following article which is quite a good read..

Recently Heather began a discussion about outgrowing our spouses. In one of her latest articles she discussed how we can outgrow friendships and in the same manner may also outgrow our mate as time passes by. Ironically I have been thinking along the same line of similar terms.

However, my mind has been rather focused on long term marriages that end. What is it after twenty years of marriage that would make someone want to give up and leave? After spending much of their efforts and time together, do these couples really want to throw in the towel now?

Long lasting relationships take a lot of work, love, and care. They can be very rewarding and satisfying. So why after the years of making it work, would one want to stop?

It is much easier for me to accept the break-ups of newly married couples. I can understand that their expectations were not met and possibly they were not ready to give the relationship the nurturing that it needed to grow. These couples at times I feel simply did not give the relationship the chance that it deserved or perhaps they "jumped" into it too soon.

However, couples who live their lives together for years and then spilt, intrigue me. Could it be that the two have outgrown each other? Is it that their life events have taken them into different directions with different needs? Is it that their mate no longer satisfies them emotionally? Has aging brought on a new perspective on life?

I have found that in many cases, the relationship has not really changed that much. There is typically not an affair or any other major event that brings on the divorce or the leaving of one or the other mate.

In my next article I will address some reasons why I feel that these couples decide to end their years of life together.

Source: Family.com
by Lyn Newton

Its Official..one person is infected with H1N1 in Singapore!!

It is all over the country's official newspaper and forum sites..people are buzzing about the first case of H1N1 in Singapore. While the alert level remain at yellow, many fear the worse..the 22 year old female, an undergraduate, has returned home from New York just yesterday and is now in the island's CDC - Centre of Coomunicable Disease - to be isolated.

Though prepared for the exercise, my sense is many are not prepared for the actual situation - SARs hit us hard years ago. The haunting presence of SARs is once again revisited when the outbreak is annouced. Many still go about their daily actvities..but hospitals and clinics have stepped up measures.

In the article from al Jazeera, 50 cases have been confirmed in Australia as well...but I'm going down under for the break..I pray for the smooth ans safe journey..

Raising families

Raising healthy, happy, positive families is the most important job we are given in life and it requires three basic components, love, understanding and communication. Research identifies communication as an essential building block of strong marital, parent-child, and sibling relationships. Family communication is a powerful component in family functioning. Parents who encourage their children to express their thoughts and feelings openly and honestly are more likely to have children who are able to come to them if they have a problem and know that they will be supported and loved.

Family communication is the way verbal and non-verbal information is exchanged between family members and encouraging and nurturing a child’s communication skills will give the child confidence and self assurance in expressing himself. Often children want to tell their story and talk over each other and they need to be taught that this is not good communication. Children need to be taught that effective communication comes from listening and responding to what others say. It is up to parents to teach by example, listen to your child and respond appropriately, with respect, not condescension.

Meal times are a good time for a family to interact with each other and conversation at the dinner table should be encouraged. Parents should do everything they can to prevent dinner from being a negative experience. It is time to turn off the TV and discuss what the family has done that day. If good dinner family communication is established in childhood, teens will be more likely to take time to join in special occasion dinners with their family.

Open honest discussion within the family will allow parents and children to discuss all subjects including sex. It will allow parents to monitor what their children are hearing about sex, drugs and crime and how they are reacting to the things they are hearing. Parents will have to opportunity to correct any misconceptions the child may have and give the child the chance to ask for guidance and advice.

Being encouraged to communicate honestly and openly creates an atmosphere that allows family members to express their differences as well as love and admiration for one another. Parents and children will find they have a greater understanding of each other in an environment that is filled with love.

Raising healthy, happy, positive families is not rocket science it is common sense. Encourage communication, understand what your child is thinking and feeling and let them know you love and respect them and you will achieve a healthy, happy, positive family.

Natural recipes for beauty

Recipes For Beauty Products and Homemade Beauty Products

We all want to look our best and beauty products help us to look and feel the best. But often it happens that we don’t have time to visit a salon or we always cannot afford buying expensive beauty products. Homemade beauty products help in this case. You only need to know the recipes for preparing these beauty products; you are all set to use them according to your convenience.

Today, the market is flooded with a wide range of beauty products – starting from hair to toe – we get beauty products for each and every part of our body. However, homemade products have their own specialties, as you get the pure and chemical free products to use, means less harm on your skin as well as hair.

Beauty products for your hair

Here are some quick recipes for taking care of your hair. The ingredients are easily available; you will perhaps find all of them in your kitchen.

Hair Conditioner: Beat one egg yolk and mix a cup of plain yoghurt into it. Rub this mixture before washing your hair and wait for 30-45 minutes. Rinse well and finally wash it.

Hairspray: Take a lemon and cut it into 4 pieces. Place them in a pot with 2 cups of water. Boil it until the water becomes half. Cool, strain and keep it in a spray bottle. Keep this spray in refrigerator to use it for a long time. If you find the spray is sticky, you can add a little more water into it.

Hair Color: Coffee gives a warmer glow to brown hair. Brew a cup of coffee and cool it completely. Then strain it and rub it in your hair. Leave it for 20 minutes and then rinse it out.

Beauty products for your face

Face masks can moisturize your face skin and make it glow with beauty. Here are some recipes for preparing facemasks.

Citrus fruit mask: Take 1-tablespoon of honey and 2 tablespoons of orange juice. Mix them with 1 apple puree with ½ teaspoon sage. Mix all the ingredients well and then heat the mixture for few minutes in microwave. Apply this pack evenly on your face and keep for 20 minutes. Then wash clean with a warm washcloth. This mask is suitable for all skin types.

Cucumber mask: Take ½ cucumber, 1 egg white, ½ teaspoon of lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon of apple mint, and make a mixture of these ingredients using a food processor or a blender. Keep this mixture in a refrigerator for 10 minutes. Then apply it on your face and keep it for 20-25 minutes. Rinse off with hot washcloth and then rinse with cool water. This mask is very good for oily skin.

Other beauty products

Recipes for teeth whitening product:
• Take 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of salt. Make a paste and apply this on the yellowish tint.
• Take the inner white part of orange skin and rub your teeth with it. This will help you get a lovely white shine.

Recipes for home made perfume:
• Place cheesecloth in a bowl and fill with 1 cup of flower blossoms of your choice (Lavender, Lilac, or any highly fragrant flower). Pour water over the flowers until they are completely covered. Cover the bowl and keep it overnight. Next day, take out the water by pulling the edges of the cheesecloth and gently squeeze the scented water into a small pot. Simmer the water until one-tablespoon amount is left. Cool and place it in a bottle. You can keep this perfume for 1 month.

You don’t need to use costly beauty products to maintain your beauty. You can achieve professional results following the recipes for beauty products and using these products.

Woman, you're not invisible!

It's a sad but true fact that so many women over forty feel invisible. Changing this has become my passion.

One of the things that inspired me to do what I now do, after having had an executive position with a telecom giant, was an experience I had one day following one of my seminars.

An attractive, well dressed woman came up to me and told me that the thing she hated most about becoming older was that she felt invisible. She explained how, everywhere you look, you see woman in their twenties and thirties being presented as role models for beauty and style. Rarely do you see mature women in TV and print ads and some of the fashion magazines feature teenagers as models. There's only one magazine devoted entirely to the mature woman - More Magazine.

Just because we're getting older doesn't mean we have to become an invisible part of society. It doesn't mean we we have to let ourselves go, gain weight and start looking frumpy. My late aunt Josie, while in her eighties, looked like she just stepped off the cover of Vogue whenever she went out.

A woman can still look great as she ages if . . . she learns how to do it.

Many of the makeup techniques that work on a twenty or thirty year old, are a disaster on the face of a forty five year old woman. Unfortunately, many older women have not yet learned this. As we age, one of the makeup secrets we need to know is that "Less is better."

Mistakes in wardrobe are even more apparent. Recently, I was asked by a national magazine to comment on some celebrity women. Here's what I had to say about an outfit that Kim Catrall, who I happen to adore, was wearing:

"Belly bearing cutoffs and lace up top are not for the over forty woman. Longer, boy cut shorts and a fuller cut tank with a built-in bra would give her the same bare look."

Below are some fashion anchors every woman over forty should have in her wardrobe:

- A "Little Black Dress" - Black/Navy Pencil or A-Line Skirt - Black/Navy Slacks/Trousers - Black Cashmere Sweater - White Shirt - Comfortable yet Chic Black 2" heels - Classic Trench Coat

Fashion tips: Pants with clean lines, no pockets, no pleats look best on almost every woman because they are slimming.

Black or navy will make you look thinner, but add some color with accessories to give your look some flair. Elastic waist pants or skirts are to be avoided at all costs because they flatter no one.

Develop a signature. Wear a favorite ring or special bracelet all the time. Something people will always identify and remember about you.

The scarf should be a wardrobe staple. Learn how to use it and wear it many ways, such as, looped through your pants as a belt, or tied on the handle of your handbag.

If you want to learn all my insider techniques for looking fabulous after forty, fifty, sixty and beyond, visit: http://www.lookingfabulousafter40.com

Until next time, keep looking your best and claim your power.


About the Author
Georgia Donovan, The Clothes Doctor, is a fashion stylist and image consultant, whose mission is to help women reach their fashion potential and raise their fashion consciousness. To subscribe to her free newsletter for mature women, visit http://www.lookingfabulousafter40.com or http://www.theclothesdoctor.com