Tuesday, November 24, 2009

How to Deal with Cancer

How to Deal with Cancer
When a person is diagnosed with cancer, the most difficult part for the concerned person and his or her family is to come to terms with the situation. Here is some help on how to deal with cancer.People undergoing cancer diagnosis have to cope up a lot both emotionally as well as physically. On one hand, there are strong emotions like fear of death, anxiety, anger, guilt, helplessness and so on. On the other hand, there are so many different types of tests, biopsies, etc., which are an integral part of the cancer diagnosis and treatment that it leave the patient in a very depressed state. Then there is physical pain and change in physicality that is associated with cancer. When the person is not aware of how to deal with cancer, then the situation worsens further.

How to Deal with Cancer Diagnosis?

When a patient is diagnosed with cancer, it has some adverse effects on the patients personality as well. They develop a tendency to isolate themselves from the rest of the society. It is the most natural reaction as they do not know where exactly they are standing at that point of time, or what the future has in store for them. They do not how to face the world and try their level best to hide their illness from everyone around them. But actually you should speak up and you will find so much of relief. Even your friends and family will really prove to be supportive and helpful in the hours of need. You can then deal with the situation in a much better manner.

Many times certain fears exist in their mind as they do not have adequate information with them. Therefore, the first thing that should be done is to have a thorough discussion on the issue with the medical team. You should ask all sorts of questions that arise in their mind at that point of time freely, without any hesitation. Reading some good books that have proper information on the disease also proves to be helpful in this regard. Read some books that are based upon cancer survivors as well. You can join some cancer support group and talk to people who have actually gone through it. You can call up an information helpline and speak to them. When the mind is free from any doubt, then dealing with the situation becomes slightly easier. One gets a sense of better control in the situation.

Do all such things that you like doing the most. Spend some good times with yourself. Watch all those movies that can make you laugh. Do some meditation to get in touch with your inner self, which in turn will help you to handle all your emotions more effectively. Appreciate all the things around you with a positive mind and count on your blessings. You will start realizing that life could not have been better than this.

How to Deal with Cancer in the Family?

Cancer patients often even avoid informing their friends and family about their illness in the fear that how they will react to the situation. They are often afraid of the fact that their loved ones may be over-sympathetic towards them which is totally uncalled for. Such patients are so overwhelmed with the stress that they tend to take it out on their friends and family. In that case, you should provide unconditional support and understanding towards the concerned person instead of retaliating.

Sometimes, they become self-destructive and try to cause harm to themselves. In such a situation, take very good care of the person and spend as much of quality time as you can with him or her. As a result, the patient would not feel lonely and those thoughts do not get any scope to stay in the mind. However, make sure you do not treat them differently or intrude yourself into their space. Too much of concern may hurt their dignity. Help them do all such activities that they can do on their own.

Cancer does not mean that it is the end of road for the person suffering from it. If the patient and the family members know how to deal with cancer, it could be a new beginning for all of them. Never lose hope on the doctors as they will take all possible measures to heal up their patient and give back the normal life which the person rightly deserves.

Lunch Ideas for School

Lunch Ideas for School
Are you looking for lunch ideas for school that will provide your kid with proper nutrition? If yes, this article will give you information on healthy lunch ideas that will be loved by your kid even if he is a picky eater.Obesity has become a problem not just among adults, but also with school going children and the main culprit for this is unhealthy eating habits. As parents nowadays have a busy scheduled, they often do not have time to monitor what their kids have for lunch at school. Due to this, many children tend to indulge in fast foods like burger, pizzas, french fries, etc., on a daily basis.

Though some children receive lunch from their school, the nutritional value of these foods are quite debatable. Moreover, as the school lunch is not a favorite among children as much as the taste is concerned, it is likely that they opt for their favorite fast foods. This has become a great concern among parents because too much of fast foods is not good for the kids' health and has become a cause for many serious health ailments in children. Hence, it is important that kids eat meals that are healthy and nutritious. Read on kids lunch box ideas.

Though parents are able to watch their kid's eating habits at home i.e., during breakfast and dinner, what he/she eats at school usually go uncontrolled. This can be totally avoided by making sure that they pack a lunch for their kid. However, as nowadays almost both parents go to work, making lunch in the morning can seem to be a hassle. However, this is not as difficult as people think and can be made with proper planning. Here are some lunch ideas for school children that can be prepared easily as well as quickly. Read more on kids lunch ideas and healthy meal ideas for picky eaters.

Healthy Lunch Ideas for School Kids

As children can be very choosy about what they eat, parents usually find it difficult to feed them a nutritious meal. However, with a little bit of creativity and intelligent planning, you can actually provide your child with a healthy meal that he/she will surely love. It is also important to add variety to the lunch so your kid will look forward for having a lunch that is brought from home. If you do not have the time to cook lunch in the morning, using leftover food for your child's lunch is also a healthy idea. If you are finding it hard to think about new and innovative lunch ideas, here are some simple lunch ideas for school that you can prepare in no time. What is more interesting is that some of these lunch ideas can be easily prepared by the kids themselves. Read more on easy lunch recipes.

Sandwich with Ham and Vegetables

The good thing about sandwiches is that they can be made easily with the leftover food at home. Thought this sandwich is made with ham, if you do not have ham, you can make it with chicken or by grilling vegetables like mushrooms, tomatoes, bell peppers, eggplant and even sprouts available at home. Read more on sandwiches.

Ingredients
2 cups cooked ham, finely chopped
12 slices bread
1 teaspoon onion, grated
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1/3 cup mayonnaise
Butter- as required for the bread
Directions

Take the finely chopped ham, celery and onion in a medium sized mixing bowl and combine them with mustard and mayonnaise. Mix well and set aside. Spread butter on a slice of bread and fill it with the salad mixture. Place another slice of bread over it and cut them diagonally before packing.

Bean Salad

Salads are also great lunch ideas for kids and can be made in very less time. Just like sandwich filling, even salads can be made by mixing different types of dishes found in your refrigerator like salad made with fruits, meat, vegetables, pasta, rice, etc. Read more on salads.

Ingredients
16 ounces kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup celery, finely chopped
1½ tablespoon while wine vinegar
2 apples, chopped
1/4 cup mild green chillies, chopped
1½ tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup green onion, chopped
Salt - as per taste
Dash of hot sauce
Directions

In a mixing bowl, mix beans, celery, chillies, green onions and apples. Add hot sauce, salt and vinegar oil to this mixture and mix well. Cover the bowl with a lid and keep it in the refrigerator for half an hour. This can also be made at night and packed for lunch on the next day to save time.

Tortilla Wrap

If your child is bored of eating sandwiches all the time, surprise him with a tortilla wrap for lunch next time. Here is a tortilla wrap recipe that your child will definitely love.

Ingredients
25 cm large flour tortilla
3 teaspoons Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 cup baby spinach leaves
3 teaspoons red onion, chopped
2 ounces cooked turkey, sliced
1 ounce Cheddar or Swiss cheese, sliced
3 teaspoons mayonnaise
2 thin slices, tomato
salt and pepper- as per taste
Directions

Combine mayonnaise and Parmesan cheese in a mixing bowl and set aside. Take a tortilla (flavored or regular) and spread this mayonnaise and cheese mixture evenly over it. Fill one third of the tortilla with turkey, sliced cheese, tomato slices, spinach and red onion. Sprinkle little salt and pepper over it and roll the tortilla tightly. Chop them into half and pack them in the lunch box.

You may like to know more on:
Healthy Chicken Recipes for Kids
Healthy Recipes
Healthy Foods
Apart from these foods, you should also encourage your child to drink milk or fruit juices during lunch hour to ensure that he/she does not indulge in carbonated drinks. These are just some of the lunch ideas for school and you can surely come up with your own ideas as well. Another important thing that one has to remember is that you should keep in mind your child's likes and preferences while packing lunch. This does not mean that you have to fulfill all his/her whims and fancies. Rather, just by adding some creativity to the foods that they like, you can come up with lunch ideas that are nourishing as well as delicious.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Indoor Fountains

Indoor Fountains: Enhance your Interior Décor with Wall Fountains!
If you are looking for a work of art for an empty wall in your home, consider an indoor wall fountain. Pre-designed options offer copper, glass, art and more. Interior fountains range in price from simple and inexpensive to grand and unique works of art.With the ability to purchase a pre-designed fountain for the interior that mimic commercial copper, tempered and glass wall fountains, you can benefit from the tranquility of water flow in a work of art!

Interior decorators may choose to have a specially designed, custom-built wall fountain: something unique. And a company called Bluworld Innovations can create one. However, with many do-it-yourself homeowners and business owners, a more affordable option is to take a look at what pre-designed interior (exterior, too) fountains are available.

If you’re interested in a fountain piece that hangs like a painting or tapestry, wall fountains are worth checking out. Made with a variety of materials such as slate, copper, glass, pebbles and river rock, wall fountains blend naturally, enhancing the Feng Shui as well the décor in a room. see: http://www.best-in-garden-fountains.com/indoor-wall-fountains.htm

For contemporary spaces, where fussy works of art or decorative objects are excluded and more simple and linear choices favored, these types of hanging fountains are perfect. Prices range from around $200 for a small vertical fountain to around $3,000 for large double and triple panels.

For a slightly different look, consider hanging an art wall fountain (literally). Produced by Harvey Gallery, waterfalls overlay actual oil paintings. With works that look like Picasso, Renoir and Monet, fountain pieces entitled: Koi, Vineyard, and San Francisco Nights, encompass bold and exciting painting design, as well as color. The flow of water combined with some of the fountains optional lighting (tiny holes of light within to create the feel of stars and such) creates something special.

And finally, waterwall fountains and windows, made with tempered glass. These waterfall fountains offer a distinct and elegant feel, combining an artistic contemporarily shaped water feature with natural deep-etched art images on glass.

Indoor Wall Fountains

Indoor Wall Fountains
This article contains information about indoor wall fountains, their advantages along with a few tips to maintain the same…Indoor wall fountains are an excellent way to get nature right next to you in your house or in your office. I personally feel that a wall fountain is a unique piece of art that changes from one moment to the next. Keeping conventional art pieces is a good way to decorate but one tends to forget about its existence in a couple of months. But with a fountain close to you, you will always be greeted by its gentle noise and beauty that is bound to make you feel good deep inside.

Choosing an Indoor Wall Fountain

I guess the easiest decision that you have to make is whether you want an indoor wall fountain. The difficult part begins after you have decided that you do need one as you will have to choose and pick a fountain from a wide range of exquisitely designed range of fountains.

Before you go to store and get very confused, it would be wise if you envision as to what you want. One of the first things that you should decide are the placement of the fountains. You could decide if you want to place it in a corner or along the hallway or you could even decide to place it in your favorite room where you gather and enjoy an evening with friends and family or your study where you need to work and be at peace mentally. You could even decide a place for the fountain depending on Feng Shui or Ch’i if you believe in these sciences that advice as to how to fill your house and life with positive energy. See! The list is endless and if you decide to go to the store before making up your mind, you sure are going to end up a really long time in the store trying to decide.

The advantage with indoor wall fountains is that can be used is almost all places. These fountains often come with a contemporary look and are made using metal, slate or stones and have a great impact on increasing the aesthetic look of the room in which they are placed. Depending on big a wall fountain you require, you can choose between a one, two or three paneled fountain. Further, they are also available in both horizontal and vertical styles. A vertical wall fountain would be ideal for a room with high cathedral like walls while a horizontal fountain would be apt for a long hallway with low ceiling. But, if your requirements are much smaller, then you can also buy smaller fountains that will be perfect for entryways and smaller offices. It is very important that you choose a right shape and size wall fountain or the entire set up will look very awkward. You can take advice from the professionals who work for the stores and they will be able to guide you.

Once you have decided on the size and the type of the indoor wall fountain that you require along with the fountain itself at the store, you will next have to work out as highlight the fountain. No doubt, the fountain will make an impact on its own, but if you do try and change the décor around the fountain a little, the transformations that you will find at the end of the day in the room will be phenomenal. Alternatively, you can decide on choosing a fountain with halogen lighting that will help accent the flow of water thereby increasing its beauty enormously.

Maintaining an Indoor Wall Fountain

Maintaining your indoor wall fountain is the easiest step as they require minimum attention. You have to ensure that water is refilled periodically and that the water fountain is wiped clean once every few days. The fountain needs to be cleaned to remove traces of any algae growth or mineral deposit once in two months.

Some of the other things that you should ensure is that you should never turn on the fountain without water in the basin as it heats up the pump and the pump could get damaged. You can place rocks at the bottom of the fountain as it will reduce the sound of the water sound and the amount of water that is splashed. Usage of distilled water will prevent mineral deposits from accumulating in the fountain.

Well, if you have just discovered indoor wall fountains, then the possibilities are endless and the best part is that this is just the beginning…

The Making of a Home with Laminate Flooring

The Making of a Home with Laminate Flooring
Laminate flooring is one of the recent innovations in interior design.The most remarkable feature of laminate flooring is the no maintenance or low maintenance feature."Affordability. Durability. Elegance. Throw in ease in its installation, too and you have just found the best floors to walk on all the days of your life."

That’s how David of Berkeley, California felt when he shopped around for flooring materials to install in his 4-room Victorian-inspired home, two months before he brought over his wife, Anne, who hardly contained her excitement and surprise, to see the house the first time. David believed that the home was the finest expression of his love to his wife, and their young son, so he left no stone unturned looking for the best materials for his home. Laminate flooring was recommended by his colleagues at work; even his mother-in-law who saw nothing but David’s receding hairline and extended belly, mentioned about it, too.

There could really be something about laminate flooring, David thought, so he had it installed in his home. Even his kitchen flooring was all laminate flooring, as David figured out that it can best withstand spills and scuff marks compared to other flooring materials. He never regretted his decision ever since.

What’s all this fuzz about laminate flooring that it became the most popular flooring choice in Europe and the US, even in distant shores like Asia?

What it is and what it is not. Laminate flooring looks like real wood, but it is not. It is made of high-grade fiberboard, soaked in melamine resins and done in layers to withstand moisture and traffic abuse.

Two layers down, laminate flooring has fiberboard as foundation layers. Right on top of these layers is a paper design, resembling closely hardwood for customers wanting laminate wood flooring, or it could also resemble stone or tiles, depending on demand. The uppermost portion of the floor plank is made of clear layer of melamine resin for durability and resistance against moisture, stains and general wear and tear.

Four (4) major reasons why laminate flooring is "everyone’s choice":

Price is right. Laminate flooring is ideal for those who, like David, may have wanted the look of real wood on their floors, but are on a tight purse- string budget – laminate wood flooring is a way lot cheaper substitute. With its natural real wood-look, it can spruce up and lend a certain degree of class and style even to a room with sparse furnishings.

Worry-free installation. Do it yourself? Yes, you can! How to install laminate flooring is no longer mind boggling with its "snap-on" system. In previous years when glue and staples were used to install laminate flooring, installation time was more than 24 hours and positioning the planks together would challenge the mind. Also, the planks, which were glued together, should dry up first before they can be walked on. Today, the planks simply click and fit, thus they can be walked on right away.

Durable. Laminate flooring does not dent easily under heavy traffic, unlike real wood.

Elegant. Laminate flooring comes in a wide array of visual choices that suit any room motif.

And if these are not enough to stir your excitement towards laminate flooring, here’s more:

> Warranty: 10-15 years from date of purchase;
> Size: wider than any other floor boards, thus it easily covers a wider area at least cost;
> Resistance to fading: laminate flooring is resistant to harmful UV rays of the sun, which cause discoloration and fading;
> Easy to Clean: Your ordinary kitchen mop can clean spills easily and a few brush strokes can liven up its looks.

With all the benefits far outweighing minor deficits (if any), millions of homes, including David’s, could not have gone wrong when they chose laminate flooring. Is it not about time, you do, too?

Furnishing your home

Furnishing your home
Furniture is an important part of your house. Just as you dress up yourself you have to dress up your home with furniture.The important thing to remember is whatever furniture you choose to go in for should match with the designing style and the wall paint. Do not make the room over crowded with furniture. When buying furniture for your home, you may want to think about versatility. Look at items that have more than one purpose. Shopping for secondhand items and putting them to new purposes can be a cheap way to put a spark in an ordinary room.

Types of Furniture to choose from
Secondhand furniture -- or your existing furniture -- can be updated with painting or a refinishing. This will save your from spending a huge amount in buying new furniture and will also give you an added advantage of changing your furniture which will match any new design style that you wish to go in for or if you have changed the wall paint. Experts suggest reviving an old sofa or chair with fabric slipcovers give you the flexibility of mixing and matching colors from time to time, perhaps when the seasons change.

Area rugs and plants can also change the feel of a room. It will give the room a fresher look. Plants placed in nice pots and lit from beneath so the light can bounce up off the leaves gives the room a very energetic look.

Use the following guidelines while dealing with furniture's in decorating your home:
Try to have a simple and neat furnishing.

Other Ideas in Furniture
Adequate storage space is an important factor while decorating your house. Kitchen cabinets, beds with storage space under them, built in furniture (cupboards, seating, tables etc) all utilize space well and hence try to go for it.

Go for cane, metal, modular furniture, which looks light and airy and can be moved around now and then also. Just as you think of furnishing your indoor have you ever thought of furnishing your outdoor as well. Today is the time to enjoy nature and a simple life. Thus relaxing in our garden or chatting with friends and relatives is a welcome thought. Whether you have an acre or an apartment balcony, you've got what it takes to create an outdoor space that is cheerful, relaxing, and functional.

If you have a big lawn or garden then a nice table with chairs would encourage lunch a la fresco or a dinner under the moon. There are many options for a good quality table and chairs that are not plastic. If you are more inclined to relax outside and lay under the sun while reading a book. A variety of lounge furniture is more your style. Reclining chairs, lounge chairs, folding chairs and benches would be a handsome addition to any outdoor area.

Once that new furniture is in place it is time to accessorize. Decorate your outdoor room the way you would indoors. Some of the most popular and satisfying additions are potted plants and flowers. Or, consider some brightly colored dinnerware and glasses to entertain guests. Candles are also a good way to cast a soft glow when you are dinning outside.

Now your outdoor area is furnished and accessorized. It is time to enjoy the spring breeze and nature around you. Sit down and relax, drink your ice tea, a glass of chilled beer and enjoy yourself in the cozy comfort of your beautiful garden or lawn.

12 Foods to fight cancer

One of the easiest things for a person touched by cancer to address is their diet. Our view is that a Rainbow Diet is the most helpful diet...