My Embarrassing Love Affair

It was love at first sight. I knew I shouldn't indulge my desires. I'm usually very practical, but I couldn't help myself. In the past I secretly snickered at people who were drawn to these wanton wishes. What was happening to me? Was it lack of excitement in my life? Literally and figuratively I knew it WOULD add spice to my life, but really, it boiled down to the fact that now that I was in my 50s I no longer cared what other people thought.

So I did it.

I whipped out my Visa card, marched over to the register and with only a hint of embarrassment I purchased two adorable, brightly-colored salt and pepper shakers in the shape of a cow. Now the cute little bovine pair is grazing on the occasional oregano and parsley flakes that litter my kitchen counter top.

This was not an easy round up. I had to halt my own negativity for wanting something I didn't need, cart the little bovine pair from where I purchased them in Arizona, carefully wrap them in bubble wrap, cushion them in a sweater, pack them in my carry on luggage and schlep my little herd back to Port Angeles, Washington.

Part of my dilemma is I have very simple tastes. For example my favorite color is beige. How boring is that? I don't even like patterned fabric. With the exception of striped surfer shirts I wore as a child (one blue, one red) almost all my clothing and most of my furnishing consisted of solid colors. Well maybe I did like the occasional hint of color in my wardrobe, but I limited it to my socks and underwear. Yet here I was yearning for a pair of salt and pepper shakers with festive designs on their little cow bodies and heads.

I noticed similar behavior when I attended my high school's 40th reunion. I hit the dance floor (no longer waiting to be asked) and watched a couple of my friends, Jan and Patsy. The pair had always been fun, but when it came to moving to the beat, they had been like the rest of us, restrained and reserved. Now they were hooping it up, throwing their arms in the air and sporting two of the biggest grins I had ever seen.

"You didn't dance like that in high school," I said with admiration.

"We're old enough we don't care anymore," they both replied in unison.

They exemplified William Purkey's quote, "Dance like no one is watching, love like you'll never be hurt, sing like no one is listening and live like it's heaven on earth.

It made me think of those wasted years I spent concerned about what other people thought and said about me and others. Not only did I refrain from sporting splashy colors, I limited my thoughts and behavior to what I deemed "acceptable" and "appropriate." What a waste of fun and creativity.

Peer pressure is a strong force. It did not shackle my thoughts, but I let it govern my choice of clothing and behavior. Of course I was resentful. When I was younger I blamed nearly all the negative things in my life on someone else. Later I learned I had better results when I no longer tried to put my focus on fixing others and try my hand at taking control of my own life. If you have thoughts that smell like manure, here are a few tips.

Negativity is not limited to the behaviors of others, it is rooted in how you perceive yourself. You've heard it a million times, but it really is true. You need to learn to love yourself. You may think you do, but look at your words and actions. How do you treat yourself? Do you say negative things about how you look, act and think?

It is essential that you stop all critical self talk. Self negativity puts a grinding halt to success and happiness. Every time you say a disparaging remark about yourself your subconscious soaks it up like a sponge. Your brain cannot distinguish between self ridicule and an offhand "I was just kidding" remark. Whatever you say or think, the brain just takes it in. It's a big "yes" machine. If you say, "I'm stupid," it writes the "Yes, I'm stupid, program." If you declare, "I will never be happy," the message becomes fact and you will never be happy. The irony is that it isn't your enemies who fling the majority of these toxic statements about. You do it to yourself.

Your wishes, good, bad or indifferent, become your brain's programming. So why not try for something that will bring you joy? That does not mean that everything wonderful you wish for will instantly become reality. But if you surround yourself with positive thoughts and begin a course of action to achieve the things you want in life, you will move your life in a happier direction.

As they used to say on the old television shows, "meanwhile, back at the ranch... "

Here is how things shook out for me and my ceramic cows.

There is no practical reason for those "move along little doggies" to live in my kitchen. My motivation is simply this - I think they are cute and they make me laugh. And that is no small thing.

Why not spice up your own life a little? Take some advice from me and the rest of the optimistic herd. Forget what others think. Dance, love and laugh with abandon. It will be a truly "mooving" experience indeed.

Why You Need to Know Your Baby's Weight Percentile

Parents often wonder if their baby's weight is ideal for his or her age. There are babies who look small yet they are on the normal range, while there are some babies who look big and healthy, but they are actually overweight and not within the normal range. Thus, how would a parent know if the weight of the child is on the acceptable level or not? Hence, in this article, parents will learn the importance of understanding how baby weight percentile works and what are the things that they can do to ensure the optimum health of their child?

The weight chart for babies is used as a reference to know whether your child belongs to the normal range or not. Weight is regularly measured whenever parents go to the doctor or pediatrician for a monthly check-up. Using a baby weight calculator, parents can determine the percentage of growth of their child, as compared with the national averages. The percentile calculator for baby's weight is based on the World Health Organizations' Growth Chart.

For example, if your baby get 50% baby weight percentile, this means that there are 50% of babies of similar gender and age as your baby, are living in a most favorable growth environment. This allows you to know the percentage of your child's weight gain as compared with the national averages.

Using a Baby Weight Percentile Calculator is easy. Parents only need to provide information about their child's birth date, gender and their baby's weight in kilograms. It is important to note that when it comes to this data girls are0.3 kilogram lighter than boys, while boys are also 0.3 kilogram heavier than girls. Moreover, you need to mention the gender in calculating the weight percentile because boys are heavier than girls. It is also necessary to mention the birth date because there are also variations on the ideal weight score particularly on the first two months of the baby. For children between 50 to 60 months, the difference of the ideal weight score may be around 0.4 kilogram to 0.5 kilograms.

Moreover, knowing this information will allow the parents to know if their baby is having a healthy pattern for weight gain. Parents will have an idea if their baby's growth is stable or it is drastically changing every month. If you think there are some radical changes in the child's weight, it is better to consult your pediatrician immediately, so proper medical attention will be given.

The Baby Calculator's Baby Weight Percentile is based on the World Health Organization's Baby Growth Chart. If you want to find out how your baby is growing as compared with other kids, you can use it as a reference. This is very helpful for parents so they would know if they are giving the proper nourishment and care for their baby. A good weight pattern gives parents an assurance that their child has no any medical condition that they have to worry about.

Timely Antique Repairs Will Appraise the Value of Your Antique Furniture

Most antique furniture is known to be crafted by hand and this is also one of the main factors that make antiques priceless. When it comes to restoring and repairing antique furniture, it is very important for you to hire a wood craftsman schooled in the traditional ways of making furniture. Only such craftsmen possess skills and sensibilities to ensure that your antiques are not damaged during the restoration process. Reputed companies that offer antique repairs are capable of fixing all types of intricately carved furniture without letting anything affect the value of your valuables.

What Type Of Repairs Can Be Carried Out On Antique Furniture?

Depending upon the historical period during which your antique chair or table were made, most of these designs are prone to have some inherent design weaknesses, due to which the furniture may suffer from splits along the grain of the wood or a disjoint in the struts. Other problems that antique furniture generally encounter are, discoloration, chipped carvings, fading of the varnish, dust accumulation within intricate filigree on the furniture, etc. All these problems can be resolved easily and successfully only if you choose to take your antiques to a qualified and experienced antique repairs expert. After initial assessment of your furniture, they will suggest a suitable solution to ensure that your antiques get better to serve you for many more years.

Importance of Restoring Antiques

Antiques are very difficult to restore and any attempt at doing it in an unprofessional manner can reduce the value of your antiques. Professional restoration procedures involve many steps which is sometimes time consuming and expensive depending upon the level of antique repairs your assets require. Whether your furniture is valuable or not, restoring the finish and repairing damages can greatly improve the usefulness and beauty of your furniture. Older wood finishes get readily damaged by aging and dampness which can make your antiques unsightly. Therefore, it is important to maintain your valuable piece of furniture by getting them polished and repaired regularly.

Important Things to Consider

If you are planning to restore your old furniture and antiques, the first thing you need to do is, choose a good antique repairs professional to perform the task. Because, only they understand the importance of using traditional products such as lacquer or shellac for finish. You need to ensure that your chosen restoration service provider uses only authentic materials and products that do not reduce the value of your antiques. They should also use safe methods for stripping and cleaning your furniture and use the traditional staining methods to bring out al l the highlights in your antique piece.

How Much Is Adoption?

There are so many endeavors that can be taken for granted but child adoption is not one of them. For someone who is considering adopting a child, there are a lot of things that he should bear in mind. To make sure that you are happy with the choice you make, some questions would need to be answered. What kind of background is the child from, how much is adoption, and what kind of age range are you looking at?

All these questions will be considered delicately before taking that decision. It is equally important to know the laws guiding adoption of babies in your state so you don't in any way breach the law. However, if you are really considering your budget, you also want to know how much is adoption to know what you should be spending from the onset to the final conclusion of the deal. This article is going to give you an insight of what you are likely going to spend when you are considering adopting a baby in your family.

The basic thing you should know is not all agencies are the same. They operate in different ways under different licenses. There are licensed private agencies, foster care homes and independent agencies. The agencies vary a lot when it comes to the fee they charge for adoption. While the price for private agencies can go up to $5000, most foster care homes might even be free of charge to adopt a child. But there are so many things that will be required to do which of course will need you to spend money. A lot of things are factored into the cost.

First, adopting a child is not like you are buying a car and fixing the necessary papers then the deal is closed. It entails more than that. There are court fees to be paid, administrative fees and other miscellaneous expenses regarding the adoption. In case you want to follow all the legal proceedings, an attorney will be hired which of course will mean paying legal fees. By the time you are through with all this, you will realize that child adoption does not come cheap. There are many parents who have been waiting for years to adopt a baby they can love unceasingly.

Some of these parents are waiting to have the right amount of money they need to adopt a child and also take care of him properly. So coming back to the question; how much is adoption? The price can start as low as $100 to as high as $50,000. It depends on the agency you are working with, your situation and your geographical location.

Causes of Primary and Secondary Bedwetting

Most children wet their beds at night at a certain age. Parents need not be alarmed as most cases are considered as normal part of their growing up. However, parents have to understand the reasons or the causes why their children are suffering from it. They do not have to blame their children or to think that their kids are lazy or just disobedient. Children in general do not like to wet their beds on purpose and they would also want to stop it as much as their parents would like to.

Child bedwetting problems are those who have been suffering from the problem without any break for a long period of time. Children who are unable to keep themselves dry in the night may have underdeveloped nervous system. They are not able to recognize the signals that they have to wake up in the night when their bladders are full. This problem may be compounded by the children's inability to hold their urine the entire time when they are sleeping.

Children may not be awakened even if they are emptying their bladder while they are asleep and they may also be producing a bigger amount of urine in the night. Other times children exhibit poor toilet habits when they are awake at daytime. All of these may contribute to primary bedwetting problems among children.

Secondary bedwetting among children is characterized by being dry for sometime before the bedwetting occurred. Children may be suffering from medical conditions or emotional problems that are triggering the bedwetting. At times children also experience daytime bedwetting as well. This may due to urinary tract infections that need to be diagnosed and treated. Some children may have other medical problems aside from the urinary tract infection like anatomical abnormality that affects the organs, the muscles or the nerves that are involved in the releasing of urine from the body.

Some children who urinate frequently and wet their beds at night may also be suffering from illnesses like diabetes. Other causes of secondary bedwetting causes neurological problems and other diseases affecting the nervous system. Children who are undergoing very stressful lives at home and who are affected emotionally may also exhibit bedwetting problems. Children who are not able to sleep properly because of problems like obstructive sleep apnea may also suffer from secondary bedwetting.

Parents may need to bring their children to the doctor for proper diagnosis, medication and treatment if necessary. Although these conditions do not usually affect the majority of children, parents need to be sure that the bedwetting problems of their children are not caused by any medical condition or any health condition.

Why It Is Essential That We Understand The Process Of Cremation

Nowadays it is essential that we educate ourselves on the process of cremation. No longer is the process seen as a barbaric way to say goodbye to someone we love. It is now seen as a respectable yet far more affordable way of saying a final farewell.

Over the last ten years or so holding a burial service for a lost loved one has become far too expensive for most families to afford and many have had to turn to cremation as a cheaper option. Even before the recent recession, the cost of burial plots, headstones and coffins had soared and had made them far too costly for the average family to afford. Now with most families feeling the pinch, holding a burial service is just far too expensive and cremation rates have soared.

Any good funeral home will now provide a range of cremation services to suit every family's needs and budget. From a simple direct cremation service to a more elaborate affair, your local funeral home will be able to advise you on all aspects of the arrangements and if necessary take over on your behalf.

Huge savings can be made when you hold a cremation service as opposed to a burial service and increasingly more families are opting for this cheaper alternative for their loved ones. The option of being able to keep their ashes in the family home or scattering them in a favoured place of the deceased also makes cremation a far more personal option when it comes to a service.

Urns to store the ashes in can be purchased through the funeral home or alternatively online where you can save even more money. You can now even purchase specially made jewellery that small amounts of ashes can be kept in on your person. There are plenty of different options to choose from so shop wisely.

Losing a loved one can be extremely emotional and for many people even the thought of having to organise their funeral service can seem daunting. For this reason employing a funeral home is essential to help with all the arrangements. Whether you decide on a traditional burial service or opt for a more affordable cremation service a reputable funeral home will be able to assist you and take over all the arrangements on your behalf leaving you to mourn with other family members at this sad and emotional time.

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