Does Hugging Improve Relationships?

Who hugs everyday? I wish I hugged everyday. We don't necessarily need hugs everyday, but really think hard about the last time you hugged. Don't worry, you are not alone!

Definition: Squeeze (someone) tightly in one's arms, typically to express affection, appreciation or to demonstrate your love in one's relationship

Science of Hugging - Research by various hugologist arrived at one conclusion that hugging encourages positive pair bonding, and allows one person to imprint on other through scent and mirroring. It's been recommended that hugs should be held for at least 20 seconds to be most effective. Another explanation is that through the physical pleasure of hugging, our brain is programme to release oxytocin to feel happiness, triggering other feel good memories and lowering anxiety. Oxytocin hormone is also present when you are engaged in sexual activities with your partner and when you are give birth.

So, open your arms today and send a simple message to your loved ones! HUG!

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Related articles

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• Wondering if Your Relationship Will Last? Why Your Levels of the 'Cuddle Hormone' May Be the Decider (alternet.org)
• Hugging and Kissing (greatlittlefortune.wordpress.com)

Teaching Kids About Failure

This week’s discussion topic from Education Nation is inspired by Jon Dudas’ article Failure is Required for Innovative Learning, which highlights challenging teaching methods that accept failure as a pathway to learning in the science and technology classroom. The method, which has been implemented in Merrimack Middle School in New Hampshire as part of their STEM curriculum (science, technology, engineering, mathematics), rigorously guides students through the processes of problem solving, so that they accept error and ‘failure’ as the pathway to solutions and success and learning through real-life experiences.

“…Let’s ask students to embrace failure as a fundamental part of learning”

Schools such as this one in New Hampshire highlight how far education has developed in the last century in the West, and moved away from rote learning where children are spoon fed information that they must memorize for exams. Speaking as someone who has worked education, I believe that trial and error is a golden rule for making learning stick by pushing boundaries of knowledge. When failure happens, the teacher is on hand to help students understand why their method didn’t work. Experimential learning is relevant across the curriculum, from learning a second language to physical education.

Too many times I have witnessed young people holding back from experimenting with ideas and testing their understanding because they are frightened of failure. This is a very real learning block for children, and is born out of a culture that pushes for success and does not accept failure as a route to achievement.

“Let’s ask kids to try and fail without fear”

Experiential learning happens from birth: learning to walk, learning to eat, learning to get dressed. As parents we are our children’s’ first teachers; on hand to guide our kids through the world so that they become independent, happy people. At what point is this fear of failure learned so that they need to be re-taught at school? Children spend their first years figuring out the world for themselves through trial and error, and it’s an indescribable joy to watch your child get it right. Let’s not hold back from failure and accept it as a natural part of life.

Mommy Money Saving Tips: 1

In today’s downturn economy, all moms & dads are having to find new ways to be efficient with a tight shopping basket budget. This doesn’t necessarily mean that luxuries like family vacations and weekends away should immediately get the axe. If there’s one positive outcome from the global financial crisis that has hit thousands of families and households across the globe, it’s the crafty and creative ways parents have found to save money and still keeping a sort of lifestyle.

When I heard of house swapping, I thought that it sounded too good to be true. Friends of mine who live in Manchester have swapped all over the UK to some great locations: Edinburgh for the fringe Festival, weekends in Brighton, and they are now getting ready to swap in San Francisco!

House swapping became popular within the last decade. It’s a very simple concept and relies on a culture of trust and respect for other people’s property by exchanging homes for an agreed period of timethrough a registered third party (such as Home Exchange ). People even swap cars and pets! There are thousands of house swappers across the globe. If you live in London or New York then your property is almost certain to attract other house swappers from around the world.

For families with kids it can be an ideal arrangement if you swap with another family who are willing to trade homes for a while. Apart from the registration fee which can be as little as £35 / $50 for a yearly online subscription, house swapping is absolutely free, meaning there are no hotel bills.

How it Works

Register your home with a house swap service and start looking at the other listings of people whose houses are available for the time you want to spend away. If they are looking for a house or apartment in the same area that you live in and at the same time you want to travel, then you can contact other house swappers and fix arrangements for your free holiday!

Other benefits of house swapping

• House swapping offers the chance to really get to know a culture away from corporate hotels

• Save more money on restaurant food when you’re on holiday by having a kitchen to cook in

• Have peace of mind that your house is being looked after while you’re away. Arrangements to look after pets can also be agreed

• If you’re a large family, then house swapping offers the space and room to relax that a hotel or self-catering apartment may not.

3 minutes starts now. 1

White Lie?

One of my favourite pastimes is a cup of black tea and a couple of pieces of organic dark chocolate. I’m sure many of you would agree with me that dark chocolates bitter qualities is definitely a somewhat acquired taste. But is dark chocolate as unpopular as fake chocolate? Please do not adjust your screen or refresh the page, that was not a typo. I did indeed type fake chocolate. For any die hard chocolate fans out there you will know that I am talking about white chocolate because by definition white chocolate is not technically chocolate.

Excuse me?

Before I give you the nitty gritty details here are some facts about the addictive confectionary. The word Chocolate itself originated from the Aztec’s word Xocalati translating to ‘bitter water’. The Aztecs were known to produce a drink by mixing cocoa beans with chillies, achiote and cornmeal. Twice as many women eat chocolate than men and indeed dark chocolate can be good for you (Yay!). In moderation of course which is around 1 to 2 pieces of organic (minimum 70% cocoa solids) and with no filling e.g. peanut butter.

I can’t believe it’s not… Chocolate?

So where does white chocolate come from if it is not real? White chocolate comes from the cocoa bean, which is the same as any other chocolate out there, except only the fat (which is turned into cocoa butter) from the cocoa bean is used. After the beans have been extracted, roasted and crushed the chocolate liquor is pressed to draw out the cocoa butter. The brown cocoa solids which give chocolate its brown colour are separated. The butter is then combined with milk, sugar and other flavourings such as vanilla to give it the correct taste. But as a result, white chocolate does not contain the antioxidant properties other chocolates would normally contain such as phenylethylamine, theobromine, thiamine and riboflavin.

So there you have it folks, whether white chocolate is real or not is up to you to decide. Personally I’m a sucker for white chocolate and raspberry cookies. So I’m happy to class white chocolate as real chocolate.

Last Minute Fact.

“The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog”

The above sentence uses every letter of the English alphabet. So next time you want to see how fast you can type or you just want to test out your calligraphy remember the sentence above.

Yoga For Kids: helping them deal with stress and anxiety

What are the benefits of yoga for kids?

Introducing yoga early in life can have positive effects on a child’s emotional and social development, as well as their physical well-being. Yoga for children teaches positive self-esteem and builds confidence, self-love and acceptance of who they are through visualization techniques. It teaches children that they are all unique and special. Yoga can help children with behavior issues, by teaching concentration methods and making them aware of their surroundings through relaxation, and training the mind not to wander off into daydream or anxious thoughts. Yoga provides a safe exercise routine for children with physical disabilities, and those with weight issues, by learning how to deal with cravings and false hunger pangs.

A typical yoga class for kids

The class will begin with a warm up by getting children to take of their shoes, find a suitable floor space and sit with their legs crossed. They will start the class feeling relaxed, and then guided through a visualization exercise with their eyes closed which helps quiet the mind.

Breath awareness will be central to the class, and children will learn to breath steadily and from different parts of the body as they relax and as they move and stretch in and out of postures. Breathing techniques will help them learn how to relax and focus by simply watching the breath. Yoga can also help children who suffer from asthma or other respiratory illness, but it is important to disclose any medical issues like this to the instructor so that they can support your child in the best way.

Children are not taught how to make perfect posture, but how to stretch safely and have fun at the same time. Associating posture with real world objects such as trees, space ships and animals promotes an atmosphere of fun and humor into the class, and some instructors bring their own props to help with these visualization methods. Different postures will include standing, sitting, balancing and bending, whilst reminding children to breathe in and out gently though the nose.

Guided relaxation through visualization exercises encourages creativity as well as concentration:  teaching children to free their minds of worries and anxieties, and taking them on adventures within their own imaginations. This could be floating on a cloud, or swimming amongst fish.

Classes usually finish with a reawakening exercise that brings them back to the present. This might include lying on the floor, wiggling fingers and toes, and standing up slowly.

Remember, Yoga for kids should be fun, creative, confidence building, and relaxing for all children regardless of shape and ability.

Further Reading

Yoga Bugs run groups around the UK

www.yogabugs.co.uk

Yoga Journal the benefits of yoga for kids 

Check out this sun salutation to help get you in the yoga mood :)

Related articles

• Kids and yoga (workoutmommy.com)
• Yoga: Could Your Kids Benefit? (enlightenedlotuswellness.com)
• Kids Yoga and Relaxation for Fear, Anxiety, and Worry (kidsyoga101.com)
• Schools sued over yoga program for kids (todaynews.today.com)
• Face Painting Gallery - Yoga For Children Book - faces by Lorraine (thestorybehindthefaces.com)

Toddlers & Tiaras

Photo: Taken by Toddlers & Tiaras

Mom "She's my beautiful little girl, all grown up."

It's important to support extra curriculum activities outside of school. For some parents, baby beauty pageant competitions is their thing.  Beauty pageant is an international competition which reflects the support from a lot of parents.

For the performers (the children) usually are given a series of tasks to perform, including fashion features on stage, and other talent performances. Then a panel of judges will award scores to each beauty pageant on a score card based on their performance and answers.  Sounds like America's Got Talent show, except the age limit is taken down a lot lower.

The winner will walk away with a cash prize starting form as little as $100 USD to thousands of dollars. How would you compare this to a Sunday Creative Art class or a horse ridding school? Let's take a look at the losers... for an adult, losing can be a traumatic experience but they have developed the communication skills and coping mechanism through adulthood to deal with the set back & rejection. How about for the young beauty pageants? Does anyone know how a young child deal with these difficult emotions and how would they learn to communicate this to their moms & dads?

[polldaddy poll=5842939]

Competition: Solve the Riddler

$10 USD to the first right answer submitted in the comment box below:

What goes around the house, and in the house but never touches the house?

Goodluck

Mr Riddler

Competition expires soon!