The study involved 204 married couples and 99 single adults wearing portable blood-pressure monitors for 24 hours.  The instruments were programmed to take blood pressure readings at random intervals, resulting in a total number of 72 readings throughout the 24 hour period.

The reasoning behind this was to insure the participants were going about their lives in a very normal manner to then more accurately apply the readings within the evaluation.  It was determined that one or two readings per day per participant in a controlled environment would not achieve the true impact both groups would experience by simply going about their daily routines.

The overall conclusion revealed that married couples scored on average four points lower on their blood pressure readings than the single adults.  It also produced another interesting stat: even when sleeping, there was a greater blood pressure drop among the married couples over the non-married participants.

It is a scientific fact that, for those who are experiencing elevated blood pressure during their sleep, there is a greater risk of cardiovascular problems.  This study revealed this to be the case for those who were single over those who were married.

It needs to be pointed out that those who were happily married scored a lower blood pressure average than those who were in an unhappy marriage.   The conclusion of the study reveals that a happy marriage is the best protector of health when compared to both an unhappy marriage and remaining single.

It was also recommended that, regardless of marital status, healthy habits including eating, exercise and regular checkups can be beneficial to lowering blood pressure and minimizing the effects on the heart that come from higher blood pressure.  The study also posited the possibility that people found to be in a happy marriage are better positioned to support one another, both nutritionally and emotionally, thus contributing to the lower blood pressure readings.

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When we first start dating there seemed to be no end to what we could talk about, but after marriage we begin to assume that a comfortable silence is what makes a marriage a good one. However, this is not the case. You have to have good marriage communications if you are going to stay married forever. The fact is, even the uncomfortable talks that may end in fights are better than not talking to each other at all. This is where the 'kiss and make up' part comes in!  If you are having trouble talking, you have to break through and find a way to reach each other.

Often, couples feel so comfortable with each other they forget that marriage is more than just living together. Couples have to think of marriage as a living, breathing thing that needs attention and care. If a marriage is left to chance, it rarely survives. Marriage communications can break down very easily, and when that happens, the spark can begin to go out of the relationship. Couples often miss this fact, and before they know it, they're more like roommates than a married, committed couple!

If there is no communication within the relationship, a couple is tempted to turn to others to fulfill their emotional needs. This could be friends or family, or someone like a new friend of the opposite sex, or even someone at work. Left unattended, the emotional needs can turn into physical ones and this all too often ends in divorce.  Emotional affairs can often lead to physical affairs, and either or both can destroy a marriage. The person each should depend on for both emotional and physical support should be the spouse, not someone outside the marriage.

If marriage communications continue to fail, resentments and issues begin to build. There will always be differences that must be worked out. After all, you are still an individual, but you are now two striving to be as one!  If differences are not dealt with, an explosion is bound to happen. Add that to each spouse finding emotional support somewhere else and it is easy to see why the breakdown of marriage communications can lead to divorce, often before a couple even realizes that they are having a problem to begin with.

When the marriage communications are not what you think they should be in your union, you have to find a way to reconnect with your spouse. Talk to them about how you feel and then come up with some solutions. Couples therapy is always an option if one or both are already feeling as if the marriage may be beyond saving. Any marriage based on love and honor can be saved, even if the couple has drifted apart. They only need the chance to rediscover each other. Sometimes, the lessons learned when this happens can make for a stronger, more fulfilling and long lasting marriage in the end.

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Can a special needs child be home schooled?

Even though there are parents who would respond with a big “yes”, one difficulty children with special needs will face is the necessary time and attention needed to make homeschooling possible. Each state offers resources for parents when educating their special needs children in the public school system.  This may or not be the case when desiring to teach your special needs child at home.  In the end, it is up to parents to see that their children get what they need to succeed educationally.

There is no argument that every child is entitled to an excellent education. For too long, parents and children have settled for a  cookie cutter education, because that was what the public school system offered. Home schooling has changed that perception with the desire to reinstate the individual attention each student needs to succeed. The evidence of the success of home schooling of special needs children is still being revealed.

To begin with, let’s look at attention deficit disorder. It is considered by the school system to be a special need. Children have a hard time concentrating and keeping still. School work that is not challenging enough just increases their level of anxiety. Instead of resorting to medicating the student, this situation can be resolved through home study.

Even though being home schooled doesn’t provide an instant fix for educational problems of the special needs student, it does allow a child with special needs to learn in a more relaxed environment, and at a pace that suits them. If reaching them requires three hours one day and four the next, a home school curriculum can work well with the child. As a result, their grades won’t suffer simply because they can’t keep up in a more traditional classroom setting.

Parents know their children better than anyone. No one else will take the time that is warranted to keep him or her on track with their education. For example, your child may be a visual learner or more inclined to learn with a hands-on approach. In a classroom of thirty students, it is hard to create a lesson that will challenge both the visual learner with those who can read and comprehend more easily. Quite simply, there isn’t enough time to give to each child individually.

With the help of tutors (if needed) and counselors, students with special needs enjoy a fulfilling educational experience at home. No longer do they have to suffer through being picked on or frustration because they “just don’t get it.” The home school environment is conducive to helping them learn the way that feels comfortable to them. And that individual attention is what sets homeschooling apart from the more traditional classroom setting more than anything else.

If you can honestly answer that you have the time and energy to teach your special needs child at home, there is every reason to believe that your child will succeed!

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Let’s get to it, shall we?

Maintaining the Laundry

Depending on the number of people in your home, laundry can pile up if not attended to on a regular basis.  This being the case, here are some suggestions to help you keep on top of the laundry and guarantee the availability of clean clothes.

For example:  laundry for babies is cleaned in a different way than adult laundry.  It is not advisable to use fabric softener for baby laundry, but it’s fine to use with adults’ clothes.  So choose a day to do only baby laundry so it will be kept separate from laundry done for adults. Other than that, consider purchasing a laundry hamper that separates the colored clothes from the dark and whites.  Then, wash clothing based on the fullness of each type clothing in the hamper.

While you are sorting and addressing any potential stains by pre-treating them before washing, take in some TV or listen to some music to take your mind off the drudgery.

Keep in mind that it only takes a moment to pluck a piece of clothing out and check it for stains, squirt it with pre-treater, and then put it in the dirty basket, ready for the wash.  Folding can be done the same way.

Once you have folded the clothing from the dryer, instead of placing the clothes in a basket, place them in the individual bedrooms on the bed. This way, it must be put away before retiring for the night and you won’t have a laundry basket full of clean clothes all the time.

As much as most clothing is wrinkle-free and needs no ironing, there are still those items that will need the touch of an iron to remove wrinkles.  If you have things that need ironing, do it when the laundry is clean and hang it up immediately to avoid them becoming wrinkled all over again.

Maintaining Your Sanity

After you have gotten your house in order and the goal is to now keep it that way, maintaining your sanity may not be as easy as maintaining an organized home!

However, what I’ve discovered is that if you put your home on a schedule, things won’t overwhelm you.  This way, you’ll know that vacuuming will be done on one day and that laundry will be done on another.  You’ll find yourself walking in to any room in the house and smiling to see such a clean and organized room whenever you turn on the light.  And you’ll know that YOU are just as special as the company coming to visit are when it comes to having a clean home.

You’ll have peace of mind knowing that if the phone rings announcing that company is coming, or there is a knock at the door, you can rest assured that your entire home is ready!

Most of all, you’ll have the appreciation of your family, and know that you’re setting up good habits for your children to observe and repeat when they grow up and move into homes of their own.

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Maintaining the Bathrooms

Alright, let’s take some window cleaner and a clean cloth or paper towel to the mirror, but only where it’s gotten toothpaste spray.  Don’t do the whole thing—that’s a waste of time and cleaner.  Just concentrate on where it’s dirty.

You can take the same cleaning cloth or paper towel and do a quick wipe out your sink and faucet, removing the toothpaste and shaving cream residue.  This can gunk up a clean bathroom quicker than anything else.  As an alternative, I use one-half of a disposable (flushable) bathroom wipe—one half is enough for the counter, sink, and one other area of my choice.  I typically choose a part of the toilet, and that way the whole toilet is cleaned by the week’s end.

Next on your ‘clean sweep list’: Swish out the toilet bowl with a quick flick of the brush.  No cleaner is necessary.  We’re just doing some easy maintenance here.

If you shower every day, take your pouf or wash cloth and use some of the leftover suds from your cleanser to wipe down the sides of the shower or tub.  It only takes a minute, but it will prevent having to bend over the tub and scrub it out periodically.

Once a week, sweep your bathroom floors and catch the hair that collects there.

There we go!  That’s easy enough, right?  Let’s move on to the study, shall we?

Maintaining the Study

Remember how hard you worked to free up that desk top space?  Don’t put papers on your desktop to just collect.  When a bill comes in, put it in the bill-organizer on your desktop or pay it immediately and put it in the mail.  You might consider opening the mail right over the trash can—that way, whatever is garbage doesn’t collect on your desk, but hits the circular file immediately.  Consider having a cross-cut shredder in your study for shredding pre-approved credit-card offers or other identification sensitive mailings.  Most identity theft takes place when information is gathered from credit card applications that were stolen from the trash.  A shredder is truly a worthwhile investment.

Now take a duster to your bookshelves at least once a week.  Run your duster over the area between the ends of the books and the edge of the shelf.

Next on the agenda is your computer.  Wipe down your monitor weekly with window cleaner and a rag.  That’s it!

In part three, we will finish up by first moving to your laundry room.

You’ll find it easier to keep your house tidy by remembering that it only takes a few minutes each day to maintain your now-organized household!

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One of the best gift ideas that is also the least expensive gift is to offer the new parents some free time with their baby when the baby first comes home from the hospital.  When they get home, feel free to go see the new parents, but do not focus on and hover over the baby. Instead, see what they need done otherwise to help them adjust to the new addition. Offer to do dishes, cook meals, or do some light housecleaning or laundry to help lighten the load. They will love you for it. Give them free time with the baby and you have given the perfect gift.

Another idea may include gifting them with some movies to watch at home.  They may not want to go out and leave the baby with someone right away, so think about what they can do at home as a couple. Give them certificates to rent DVDs and perhaps a gift basket with some snacks they can enjoy while watching a movie together. New parents may not make it through an entire movie without interruption at first, but they will love that they can snuggle together for even just an hour while baby naps to enjoy some time together.

As the newborn adjusts to its new surroundings and is beginning to sleep for several hours at a time, consider offering the parents some time to go out to dinner or perhaps the movies. That is when you get to be with the baby and give them a great gift at the same time. Offer to babysit for them, but let them know the offer is open when they are ready. Each set of new parents has a different time line for when they feel comfortable leaving their baby for the first time. Be prepared to have them call you very often when they are out, and be very calm and happy when they do. That will make them feel at ease.

Some final considerations geared more towards the new parents might include a bottle of wine or something else that is adult in nature. They may not drink it for a while, but there may come a night when they break it out for some celebration or just because they can. You know the new mom and dad best, so think about who they are as people and what they like to do other than think about their baby. They will love that you thought of them as a person and not just as the parents that they have become.

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The fact is, there are some easy steps to take that take mere moments a day to do in order to keep your house spic and span.  Everyone can find the time to take 15 to 30 minutes a day and maintain their home in stages.  Let’s begin going room by room, starting with the kitchen.

Maintaining the Kitchen

Here are some suggestions to do daily:

It is important to put dirty dishes in your dishwasher or dishpan under the sink on a daily basis.  Then, when either is full, do the dishes right away.  If you run your dishwasher while you’re asleep at night, you’ll pay lower utility rates and the dishes will be cool and clean in the morning—ready to be put away.

Take a cleaning cloth dampened with the cleaner of your choice and go over the countertops and tabletop once a day.  This will take you mere moments, yet will help keep your kitchen organized and neat.  If you do this daily, you shouldn’t have to scrub or take everything off the counters; just wipe where you’ve cooked or eaten.

Clean your sink daily.  Scrub it with a soap pad or use some window cleaner and a rag—if your sink is clean, you’re less likely to let dirty dishes pile up in it.

Finally, sweep your floors at least once a week.  Just take a broom across it and get the big crumbs.  Then run a damp mop over it to get the week’s dirt washed off—you don’t have to shine it, just a damp mop (the type is your choice).

Maintaining the Living Room Areas

On a daily basis (or as needed) pick up all papers laying around and either throw them away or file them appropriately in their proper location.  If you are diligent about keeping the papers picked up, your room will appear much more organized and clean, even if you haven’t done any deep cleaning.

Once a week, run your duster over the flat surfaces.  It’s a 5 minute job that will make a huge impact in your room(s).

Do a general vacuum once a week.  Don’t bother moving furniture or using the crevice tools; just do the middle areas where you walk.  This should only take 15 minutes, max.

Now take your glass cleaner and clean the TV screen and any other glass that collects fingerprints and dust once a week. Come on, 3 minutes, tops!

Just doing quick and easy tasks gives you the key to stay organized.  Once you get going, things get done!  We will move on in the next article to the bathroom.

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The first thing you need to do is calm down and collect your thoughts.  Remind yourself that, no matter what you do, an hour is not going to be enough time to pull the house together.  Once you have that fact in front of you, the next step is to perform a general declutter.  Since you are not going for the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval, it is not necessary to do a thorough top to bottom cleaning.  After all, it is just company, not the President!

Begin by taking it one room at a time and spend 10 minutes there.  By the time company arrives, you will have pulled the house together and avoided major embarrassment by minimizing the mess.  After they have left, let this moment be the motivation necessary to dig in deeper and not let the house get this way ever again.

On to the next step: Let's begin to win the battle you have been waving that white flag at for too long!

Once again, we're going to declutter, but with purpose.  Begin by setting a timer and putting on some energizing music to get you going.  Decide that you're only going to declutter for 15 minutes in one certain room.  Then if you want to work longer, say, another round of 15 minutes, you can.  But the idea is that you don't have to.  This will help to both get and keep you motivated, even when you feel like cleaning is the last thing you'd want to tackle.

Take one day to go from room to room, just decluttering, spending 15 minutes in each room.  You keep doing this and it may only take five minutes in some rooms, and that’s a good feeling!  Especially since other rooms might take 30 minutes before you can walk through the room without tripping over something.  The point is to accomplish the task with head held high in victory!

Let’s now take day two to revisit your first room and surface clean.  Wipe off counters, sinks, flat surfaces, etc. If the room you are in is the kitchen and there's a stain on the kitchen floor, spot clean that baby!  On day three, pick another room.  Day four, still another.  But, don’t limit yourself to one room per day.  If you find yourself motivated one day and are on a roll, surface clean two rooms!

Once you have become the master and not the slave to a messy house, when the phone rings or there is a knock at the door, you are prepared.  By taking the bull by the horns, your house will always be ready for unexpected company, and that will take a load off your mind and will alleviate any stress.  Now you can entertain guests with a smile!

Remember, it’s better to do a little each day and get the job done, than to stress out in an embarrassingly cluttered environment because you’re too overwhelmed to even know where to start.  Now, go ahead – set that timer!

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You can also find explicit instructions on what to do, what products you should have in your first aid kit and dealing with colds and flus, etc. However, when it comes to issues such as instilling good values, building character and dealing with a child's individual emotional development, there truly is no definitive text. Effective parenting on this level is essentially a matter of the heart.

That is not to say there aren't any books available in this area.  There are in fact many books, written by experts in the fields of psychology and child development, but the opinions expressed are just that – opinions.

Just because these books are written by professionals so-called in their respective fields of education doesn't necessarily equate to them 'knowing it all' when it comes to raising children.  In fact, their writings are often influenced by their particular school of thought, and that can vary widely.

From the 'tough love' approach to the most extreme strategies of liberal child-rearing, you might spend your kid's entire childhood trying to figure out which opinion is the right one for your kids. In the end, effective parenting techniques depend on gearing your strategies to each unique child and his or her needs. The outgoing, strong-willed child won't respond to the same method of teaching as will the more introverted, flexible personality of a sibling. This presents a difficult challenge to any parent.

Apart from the A to Z approach offered by these 'experts', there are certain basics to effective parenting that are most critical when raising a healthy, responsible child.  These would include things such as being consistent in matters of discipline, equal treatment, setting good examples and a firm but loving hand applied to all of your responses to a variety of situations. The difficulty lies in making the necessary adjustments required to effectively address the individual child. In this sense, every parent must become each child's personal psychologist.

Coupled with ministering to the individual personality of each child, you must learn to address the developmental stages, from toddlers right through adolescents on the verge of adulthood. Your job as a parent is to ultimately, step by step, prepare your kids for life as an adult, with the abilities necessary to make 'good' choices, based on sound judgment, experience and values that allow them to succeed as adults. It ultimately comes down to this: There is no magic formula for effective parenting!

Perhaps the best advice on effective parenting, both given and taken, is to rely on your love for your children and let your heart lead you. Throughout every stage of life a child goes through before reaching adulthood, your consistent demonstration of loving care may well be your most valuable asset to the challenge of effective parenting.

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Regardless, a basement (or attic) can often become an ‘out-of-sight-out-of-mind’ room of the house.  If this is the case with you, organizing your basement doesn’t have to be an overwhelming job.  By following these few simple steps, you can once again find what you need when you need it.

To start with, sort through what is obviously garbage and toss it.  No hesitation now!  Don’t find yourself giving it a second thought.  If it has been lying around for longer than you can remember, it is time to let it go!

Next, clear a space on the basement floor, lay down two large sheets, use one sheet for items you want to keep and the other sheet for things that haven’t been used in who-knows-how-long.  Once all of the things in your basement are on those two sheets, we’ll move on.

Let’s now take all of the items on the who-knows-how-long sheet and put them in bags or boxes.  One goes to the garbage, one to the next yard sale and the final selection to your local donation center.  Once this has been done, turn your attention to the ‘keep sheet’.

This should be items that are used on occasions, such as Christmas decorations, or items normally used only in a basement.  For those items deemed used often, keep them handy (such as on a workbench) or neatly hung up or put in drawers.  For things that are used periodically, put them in re-usable boxes or storage tubs.  Then make sure the boxes or tubs are well-labeled so you can easily locate those items when you need them.

It is important to note that any items stored in boxes or tubs be elevated a few inches off the floor.  After all, it is the basement and they have been known to flood on occasion.  Even though it is hoped that this will never happen, the fact is: it does!

One way to accomplish this is to acquire some pallets, possibly from a shipping company or retail store.  Many businesses will be glad to let you take them for free.  You could also use pieces of 2 x 4 lumber to elevate your stuff.  This will prevent a certain amount of water damage.

It also allows for you to treat for vermin in your basement, if appropriate.  Roaches and mice don’t like open spaces such as this—they prefer it when things are tightly against floors and walls where it’s dark.

Congratulations—your basement is now organized!   Remember, you can use these same tips to organize your garage and attic, too!

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With all the elderly care facilities today, it's easy to rationalize this choice. In fact, there are children of aging parents that feel they're not qualified to give the proper time and care required in caring for elderly parents. Others feel that such an arrangement can bring about strained relations among family members.  There is even the fact that their own hectic schedules will become unmanageably disrupted. What most people in this position fail to realize is that, instead of being a burden, caring for elderly parents can be a wonderful blessing.

There is even the feeling among the children that can result in guilt, believing they just don't really want to provide the necessary care. In fact, it's usually more a case of feeling fearful. After all, your parents raised and nurtured you until adulthood, continuing to provide support, good advice, a shoulder to cry on and sharing the good times long after you were out of the nest. Now, it's your turn to give some of that nurturing back.

If you can relate to any of these scenarios when faced with caring for elderly parents, here are a few facts you should know.

First, addressing the ability to provide competent care, there are many avenues by which you can educate yourself in care giving for elderly parents. One way of doing this is by making an appointment with their primary care physician to discuss the type of care the doctor feels your parent needs.

Ask about community-sponsored classes in care giving as well as caregiver support groups. Such venues can boost your confidence tremendously and acquaint you with common problems encountered in a care giving environment. You might also investigate online support groups and forums which focus on caring for elderly parents. You'll learn everything you need to competently and compassionately provide care for seniors.

If you're concerned that having your parent move in with you will disrupt your family life, schedule and activities, you might want to reconsider. Elderly people still enjoy their privacy, too and likely have a circle of friends they remain in contact with and arrange outings, visits and activities on a regular basis. They want to maintain an independent life of their own as well. It's just that, at this point in their life, they need to rely on you to do certain tasks they're no longer capable of performing for themselves. Perhaps you need to remind them to take medications, drive them to doctor's appointments, or help them in and out of the bath.

One of the most important factors when caring for elderly parents is to provide them with a sense of warmth and a loving environment. Sitting with the family at dinner helps ward off loneliness, creating a sense of belonging, which a nursing home, no matter how lovely, simply doesn't provide. Remember how enjoyable it was for you, as a child, to share conversation and laughter around the kitchen table? Don't make the mistake of thinking that your parents have now outgrown this simple pleasure.

One of the amazing realities that occurs when you are caring for elderly parents: you'll soon see that the arrangement is a two-way street. You'll derive as much pleasure as they, recalling times past, reviving old, but pleasant memories. You may also be surprised to learn about your parents' younger years, events and thoughts they never previously discussed. Indeed, you may find their lives to be fascinating, in a way you never imagined, when your Mom was always busy cooking, cleaning, helping you with your homework and dispensing love galore. Dad might have been always working, but also managed to squeeze in a ball game and grill your dates for suitability.

Caring for elderly parents can be a wonderful opportunity for you to get to know your parents in a fuller, richer way. Embrace this blessing! The rewards may well astonish you.

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Before starting, keep one thing in mind so the mess won’t overwhelm you and you decide to give up: slow and steady wins the race!  It didn’t get this disorganized overnight and it will take some time to gain control over the mess.  However, once you have accomplished this task, it will be much easier to keep it neat and clean in the future.  Remember, even an elephant needs to be eaten ‘one bite at a time’!

Let’s begin by taking a look at your desktop.  How does your desk look?  Can you see the top?  Are you convinced it even HAS a top?  If not, let’s start here.  Take one small area of your desk—to the right of your monitor, for starters.  Sort through the paperwork you have—determine what can be filed (in folders and then a filing drawer), what can be thrown away, and what you need on your desk (bills that are due).  Don’t short change yourself and be honest with what you can do without.  The less you have on your desk distracting you, the better you’re going to feel.  Remember—small steps here!  Now work on the area to the left of your monitor.  Leave space to be able to adjust the volume on your speakers and get to your printer.

This might be a great opportunity to get yourself a bulletin board and put it to use.  It doesn’t have to be a fancy bulletin board with ribbons—a standard corkboard with pushpins will do nicely.  If you have paperwork that you don’t want to file away (yet) or things that you need to keep in front of you for memory-jogging purposes, a bulletin board is a great addition.  A bulletin board is a great place to ‘stick’ things that won’t be cluttering up your desk, but are still in easy reach when needed.

Now it’s time to take a good look at your bookshelves.  Are they organized so you can find things?  Let’s not go overboard and apply the Dewey Decimal system here!  Just as long as you can easily find things, that’s what counts.  My shelves are alphabetical, but that’s me.  Are your shelves dusty?  Don’t take all the books off the shelves to dust them—it’s rarely dusty under the books.  Simply dust from the edges of the books to the edge of the shelf.  Done!

Next thing on the list is to look down at your floor (no, not out of shame).  How’s the floor look in this room?  Can you walk and not kill yourself?  If not, use the laundry-basket method we’ve already discussed in previous organizing articles and sort through what you’ve got, what you need, and what you don’t need.  Once you can see the floor, run the vacuum.  Again, don’t worry about the edges; just where you normally walk and roll your desk chair.

One final thing to do: dust the furniture in this room.  Run your duster over all surfaces and pick up whatever particles may be lying on all the flat surfaces.  You’d be shocked how quickly dust builds up where your computer is involved.  You may even take a look at how the fans are in your CPU.  If they are gathering dust, it would be a good time to give your CPU a blowing out party.  You can buy a can of ‘air’ at the local computer store to do this task.

Alright! Another room in your home completely organized!

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1)  The Lazy Susan

Not only are they inexpensive to purchase, they help keep spices, bottles and condiments neatly arranged and at your fingertips.  Some of the best places to employ a Lazy Susan include the pantry, in cabinets and on the kitchen table.  This has to be my top recommended organizer. They're absolutely life savers when it comes to staying organized.

2)  The Plastic Basket for Storing Lids

Plastic containers don’t have to be thrown away when the contents are gone.  Once they have fulfilled their primary use, they can be ‘recycled’ as storage units for plastic lids.  They keep me organized and save tons of time in the kitchen, especially when searching through that large pile of lids for the right one for my containers.

3)  The Triple Swing-out Towel Holder

These can be installed under your kitchen and bathroom sinks to save space and keep your sink area uncluttered.  Their primary use is to hold towels, cleaning rags, trash bags, etc.

4)  Storage Hooks

By placing a few strong adhesive hooks in the laundry room, you can then use them for hanging coats, clothes, etc. on. Hooks can also be used to hang up mops, brooms and other cleaning supplies as well.

5)  Plastic Baggies with Zipper Locks

One of the best little inventions to come along in ages are Baggies.  These plastic jewels are perfect for storing small toys, puzzle pieces or any little items that go together in one spot.  The two-gallon sized ones are my favorite because they can hold so much.

6)  An Inexpensive Labeler

These don't have to cost a lot to do the job.  When your containers and shelf spaces are labeled, it is a great way to teach children how to keep their items organized.  Trust me; after you have used a labeler, you'll wonder how you ever got along without one!

7)  A Compartment Tray for Your Junk Drawer

Occasionally, everyone opens their designated ‘junk drawer’ to search for something!  By having miscellaneous items assigned to their own little compartments, it will save you time and frustration when searching for that something ‘special’.

8)  A TV Remote Holder

Without a doubt, when the commercial comes on and you want to mute the sound or change the channel, how much time have you wasted looking for this little item?  You can make or purchase a holder for your remote, or you can simply put some Velcro on the back and stick it someplace near the couch.

9)  Laundry Sorting Bin

If keeping your whites separate from the dark or colored clothes is your goal, these bins can help keep your dirty laundry separate, so that when you're ready to wash the whites, they're all in the same spot.  Finally, no more digging through a giant hamper to find the right clothes!  This can make laundry time so much simpler!

10)  Two-tiered Spice Racks

These cabinet organizers can save both time and hassle in the kitchen when looking for that special spice.  How many times have you searched for the oregano, only to find it hiding behind the cinnamon?  Or you thought you placed the black pepper in one location, only to find it behind the paprika?  Need I say more?

Well, there you go!  These items are by no means all the great organizing tools out there, but they're my top ten choices for time saving and hassle free living!

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For many adopted children, they see their adoptive parents as their real parents and have no desire to 'fulfill' an inner need to meet their birth parents.  For others, the opposite is true.  One cannot rule out genetics playing a big roll in this scenario. As the adoptive child ages, they can experience a 'calling' of sorts to find and meet their birth parents, if only to satisfy a curiosity as to what their genetic mother or father looks like.  Either way, the question is: Just because the adoptive parents are not 'genetically' related, does that not qualify them to really be the parents more than the biological ones?

As the saying goes "blood is thicker than water", does this apply to adopted children?  Genetically speaking, it most likely does have an effect since there is a definite 'connection' established due to the genetic relation that binds the adopted child with the biological parents.  Even though they were given up at birth and made available for adoption, there is still this connection that was established at birth.  There’s something special about giving birth to your own children, and seeing the similarities they have to members of the family. That’s the “normal” course of things; but there are always exceptions to this rule.

There are times you’re separated from your family, there are times parents and relatives aren’t there for you, or there are even times you’re not able to conceive children. There are a variety of reasons why it happens that birth parents aren’t able to take care of their children or that the parental role would be taken up by someone who isn’t part of your “real” family. So, the question is asked again:
Can it be said that birth parents are the “real” parents more than the adoptive parents?

The answer is obviously difficult to come up with, and the best we can think of is “yes or no”.

So, why would the answer be “yes”?

It is likely because the primary role of parents is to nurture and raise children to be self-sufficient, capable adults.  And anyone who does this should be considered a parent according to this rationale.

Why would the answer be “no?”

Because the biological parent and child share genes, and genetics make up a significant part of who we are. Our lives are heavily influenced by our genes, which determine how we look, certain mannerisms we exhibit, any conditions we might have, as well as all environmental factors that interact with our genes.

It would be hard to say that abusive birth parents are really parents, but at the same time it’s difficult to stop acknowledging them as parents altogether.  This could then be considered nothing more than a symbolic sense of being the parent. In the end, the most important thing is that the parental role is filled in a child’s life, and once the child has 'come of age' it is then up to them to decide who the “real” parents are.

And any 'real' parent will understand.

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Today we will be getting at the closet and dresser areas.  Two words of caution before starting: Baby steps!  Remember, it didn’t get this disorganized overnight and it will most likely take a herculean effort to get it done!  Okay, ready?  Let’s get going then!

Begin by carefully opening your closet doors.  Whether you have a walk-in style closet or the more basic type, it is most likely you have extras in there!  The main reason can be as simple as not wanting to turn loose of all those nice clothes or you waiting to be able to get back into that dress or those pants that used to fit!  Whichever it may be, it is time to down-size your clothing collection.

If you have “fat clothes” and “skinny clothes,” now is the time to be realistic and get rid of anything that you cannot wear RIGHT NOW.  It obviously hasn’t done you any good to hope for a different size two months from now so far (and, be honest: that has been way longer than two months, right?!).  It is time to pick out the best of what you have right now and will wear right now and keep only that.

If you’re retired or staying at home and no longer a part of the working world, now would be a good time to get rid of your work clothes.  You can either donate them to a men or women’s shelter or even sell them online.  It is imperative you do whatever you can to minimize the number of outfits in your closet.  One of the benefits of doing this is that, when you keep only what you love, you’re likely to take better care of them.

Phew!  Now that you’ve purged your closet of things unworn and out of style, take a good look at what’s left.  It is time to organize what’s left by style of clothes.  In other words, put blouses with blouses, skirts with skirts, shirts with shirts and pants with pants.  Make it easy on yourself to find clothes in the morning!  You can even organize the blouses or shirts into long sleeve and short sleeve locations.

Okay, you have done well Grasshopper!  But, it is not time for you to go just yet!  Take a deep breath and turn to your dressers.  We are going to employ the same procedure as your closet; we are going to go through and get rid of that which you don’t wear often and don’t love.  By doing this, you’ll be better able to close your drawers and keep what you have from looking rumpled!  Pitch, donate, or sell—it’s your choice.

Now you only have one area left to address: your bedding and window treatments.  Are you still okay with your decorations, or does your room still contain those big orange flowers of the 1970s?  In addition, when was the last time you washed your bedspread and curtains?  You might find that employing a quick trip through the washer and dryer can renew even the dingiest of bedding!

Strip everything off, take it to the laundry room, place it in the washing machine and apply lots of hot water and bleach (make sure your bedding is made to withstand the normal amount of bleach so as to not lose its coloration).  Take it from the washer, place it in the dryer and once it’s dry, take it all back to your room.  While you are making the bed and re-hanging the curtains, take a look around.  If you still don’t love it, make plans to replace it.  Remember: your room is to be a haven for you and a place you love to unwind and spend time in.

Congratulations—your master bedroom is done!   You have a special, organized sanctuary in which to retreat from the stresses of life.  Also, keep in mind that all of the steps you used to organize the Master Bedroom are easy to repeat in other bedrooms, too—let’s not neglect those!

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Okay, let’s take a walk into your bedroom.  Now, take a good look around and be honest; does it appear messy and cluttered?  If so, let’s get started.  First on the list is getting the bed made.  This includes the possibility that you may change the bedding to start fresh.

Next on the list is picking up all those clothes lying around or draped on the back of a chair.  Hang up clothing that goes in the closet, fold and place all clothing that belongs in the dresser and place the rest in a laundry basket for washing.

Once that is done, let’s get going on clearing off the top of your dresser(s) and the headboard of your bed.  Sort through whatever is there, be it papers, jewelry, etc. and return all those items to their proper locations.  Now that you can see the tops of the dressers and headboard, take a duster or dust cloth and thoroughly wipe down all surfaces.

Now that that has been accomplished, let’s take inventory of all those ‘extra items’.  For example, do you have too many jewelry boxes?  How about all those baskets that are supposed to be used to organize things?  It is even a good idea to go through your clothes to see what is and what is no longer being worn.  If the extra items are in good shape, consider donating them to charity or placing them in a neutral corner to be sold in a future garage sale.  Keep in mind, the idea here is to de-clutter your room!

Go through your perfume bottles to determine which ones are your favorites and which ones you just don’t use anymore.  Let’s face it: there’s no sense (scents?) in keeping 35 partially used perfume bottles on your dresser if all they do is collect dust and make things look messy.

The next place to clean is the floor area.  Are you able to walk freely in your room or are you tripping over items?  If so, use the laundry-basket method and pick up the things on your floor and return them to their correct location.  Now give the floor a good sweeping or vacuuming!  Don’t worry about moving the bed or dressers—just sweep or vacuum where you can easily walk.

One final thing to address today is your windows.  Are they difficult to see out of?  And, what about those window ledges?  Go and get your rag and window cleaner and give them a quick once-over.  You’ll be amazed at how much dust you pick up and how clean your window glass and ledges will look after that!

There!  That wasn’t so bad was it?  In part two, we’re going to go inside the closets and dressers!

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Let’s begin by doing a once over walk-through as if you were a visitor.

Take your time and observe any clutter.  If you see the clutter, it is likely your family members and guests do as well.  To make this room inviting, we’re going to reduce the number of *things* in this room and make it more homey.

Clutter can consist of many things often overlooked as simply ‘the way it is’.  Even if it is magazines or newspapers laying about, or several pairs of shoes here and there, it can add up to a large amount of clutter.  Once again as has been recommended in previous organizing articles, grab some laundry baskets or boxes and begin placing all items that don’t belong in the family room into them.

The idea is to then take these things to the areas of the house that they belong, in order to make your de-cluttering that much easier.

If you’re not going to have time to read those magazines or newspapers, get rid of them by taking them to the recycling center in your area.  Why hold on to them if you’re not going to read them, right?  Take all the toys in the basket to their owners’ rooms and have them place them where they belong (in an organized manner, of course!).  Shoes should be returned to the room where their wearer lives.

Now that you’ve delivered the baskets or boxes to the appropriate locations, go back and continue to look at this room as a visitor sees it.  You should see a marked improvement, but you’re not done yet!

The next to do on your list is to tackle the furniture.  If you witness fingerprints and dust deep enough to write a ransom note in, it is time to get out the dust cloth! However, if you can’t even see the top of your furniture, you will need to take care of the flat surfaces first by removing all papers, etc.  The fact is that flat surfaces collect papers, no matter what the surface is: tabletops, armoires, desks, or floors.  Once you have removed all unnecessary items from all flat surfaces, you’ll be more likely to keep them clear later. Once your flat surfaces are clear, give them a once-over with a furniture polish (if appropriate) or glass cleaner (if appropriate).

Next on the list is to run the vacuum—don’t worry about getting the edges and moving furniture—just vacuum the places you can get easily.  Chances are if you can’t reach the areas easily, no one has been able to deposit large amounts of dirt or tracks back there, either.

Let’s now turn our attention to the TV set.  Can you see your TV through the dust and fingerprints?  If not, give it a once-over with the rag and some glass cleaner and do the same with your stereo cabinet.

One last area to inspect: all the corners of the room.  Are there any cobwebs in the corners?  If so, grab a feather duster and knock ‘em down.

You have successfully tackled your family room and it is ready for family and visitors to admire.  Congratulations!  Now purpose to keep it that way, okay?  It was a lot of hard work but, if you stay on top of the clutter, it will be much easier to maintain in the future.

And, don't hesitate to enlist the family's support by encouraging them to pick up after themselves!

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Everybody knows that, in order for a vehicle to run it needs fuel, right?  And that fuel is in the form of gasoline or diesel, correct?  Put that stuff in the tank and it is converted by the engine into energy that then enables the engine to run and provide power to the drive train and thus move the vehicle from point A to point B.  If you put anything else into the tank other than what the manufacturer recommends, you risk damaging the engine.

It makes me think of a nasty prank people would play on an unsuspecting individual.

They thought it would be ‘funny’ to place sugar in the gas tank and, as anyone knows, this would disable the engine.  Well, just as you would not think of doing this to your car, neither would you add anything else to the tank, lest you damage the engine and then find yourself walking!

It is like this when it comes to what we put into our ‘tank’ called our stomach.

Whether you believe in God or not and simply want to defer to medical science makes no difference in what I am about to say.  But, for the sake of conversation, let’s assume that when I refer to the Manufacturer of our bodies, the point is made.

According to the Manufacturer’s specifications, the body is in need of energy in order to propel it from point A to point B.  And, as such, the energy placed in the ‘tank’ needs to be converted into the energy necessary to move the body.  It is a scientific fact that, by design, the body requires certain nutrients to optimize its performance each and every day.  Just as the example of the gas in the tank of the vehicle being one recommended by the manufacturer is necessary to properly energize the vehicle to do what it was intended, so it is with our human bodies.

If we place anything in our ‘tank’ that is contrary to the Manufacturer’s specifications, damage is sure to follow.

The amazing thing is: unlike a vehicle that has sugar placed in its tank experiencing an almost immediate reaction and shutting down, our bodies aren’t so quick to respond.

In fact, we can often go many years placing the wrong fuel into our tanks before damage shows up.  It could start out as a simple ‘misfiring’ of the ‘cylinders’ that develops into a full-blown case of heart disease, diabetes, clogged arteries, obesity, etc.  It could even result in the cause of many diseases that fall under the category of cancer.  Regardless, over time things begin to show up that eventually get our attention and then it’s time to take our bodies to the ‘shop’.

The bottom line is this:

Just as we would not think we could get away with putting anything in our vehicle’s tank contrary to the manufacturer’s recommendations, we don’t give it a second thought about putting food contrary to our Manufacturer’s specifications into our stomachs!

Maybe it’s time we view our bodies a little more like we view our vehicles if we want to get from point A to point B?!

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Knowing this to be true, consider helping your baby learn new skills with toys! Purchasing infant learning toys can be fun for the baby and parents too. All department stores have educational toys for all ages with some sitting out for you to play with before buying. Check them out and look for the right one to teach your baby new skills from the beginning of their life.

While still in the womb, babies recognize sounds and sensations.  From the day they are born, babies need to learn new touches, sounds, and words. Baby educational toys for newborns will help them to recognize these things as they play with them. When you get your newborn baby educational toys, you give them the headstart they need to adjust to their new surroundings.

Many believe that talking to your baby before they are born is actually received by the baby.  As such, language developments continue after birth and your baby keeps learning by hearing sounds. Buying the child infant educational toys that talk and play music will increase their language skills as they grow.  Hearing is critical to a baby’s health; if you notice something is not right consult your doctor right away.

Another item to consider is getting your newborn a doll, as their first doll can be an educational experience all in itself. Infants learn to cuddle through touching and can teeth on them too. Look around to find the right one. The toys are available for boys or girls so they will both enjoy this new learning experience.

The beauty of doing this is evidenced due to the different shapes on the face and head helping them learn textures skills. Try getting a doll with different touches of clothing like silk and cottons. Getting one with knotted feet gives baby something to teeth on. Make sure that, when selecting your baby a new doll, it doesn’t have any harmful parts such as buttons that may come off and cause potential choking.

You might consider purchasing your new baby a toy frog that sings to them. These little frogs are cute and cuddly and will sing when it is touch in the right spot, teaching baby new touches and sounds as they begin their journey through life.

With technology today, videos are now being made for newborns on up. Be sure to check the age ranges on these because they come in different age groups. These videos are to teach the baby new sounds and as they start to watch it they will begin putting the pictures and words together, programming their brains to think and reason.

You can even find teething rings that emit sounds when your baby chews on them.  They are a different method of teaching your new baby different textures, music sounds. Some even come with mirrors to teach them to know who they are and see their own expressions. The easy grip made with baby in mind is designed to teach them how to hold things.

Another popular toy for your newborn are crib mobiles.  They come in many different shapes and play music to your baby while sleeping. Crib mobiles teach the baby movement by turning sounds from the music, and the colors and shapes keeping their attention. Learning is the key for your newborn.

When it comes to bath time for your baby, there are bath toys available that make sounds and can be played with by your baby while in the water.  The toys that are musical attach over the tub or sink and the baby learns to reach for them. Toys made for the water are usually sponges that you can wash your baby with, teaching again the different textures.

It is vital to ensure that, when buying your new baby toys they are childproof before letting them play with it. Buy according to the age group shown on the box to stay within their field of growth and knowledge range. By teaching  your newborn from the day they are born you will give them the start they need that will stay with them all through their lives.

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Even though living together is becoming more commonplace, most everyone still gets married and most have children together.  The obvious conclusion is that they end up being parents!   So knowing how to parent effectively is something both worth knowing and worth learning. However, even though there is much available to guide the parent, a lot of the learning comes from just being a parent! As such, there’s no one size fits all template for being a good parent.

As much as you might encounter examples of good parenting out there, every set of children and parents are different, so you can’t take some other family’s model and fully apply it to your own. You have to figure out what works for your family, drawing from your experiences and from common sense.

Even though it goes without saying, being a parent isn’t easy. You have to take care of someone who depends on you, fulfilling their needs and giving them guidance while paying attention to your own life as well. You’re playing the role of protector, role model, nurturer, friend and disciplinarian all at the same time. When you put it all into perspective, good parents are really amazing people indeed.

So what does good parenting consist of?

To put it simply: Good parents raise their children to be law abiding, productive members of society. Some people confuse good parenting with just providing their children with everything possible like food, money and possessions; and that would not be wrong.  However, as good as this is, this can actually inhibit children by not allowing them to fend for themselves. In order to survive in the world, one needs to be able to stand on their own two feet.

Once a child leaves home, influence often comes in the form of social relationships. In order to form proper relationships, one needs to be reasonably kind, yet firm. And, in order to be kind and yet firm, people need to have that demonstrated and instilled in them while still living in the home; and this is where parents come in.

There’s bound to be many bumps along the way, sometimes you’ll feel like putting your kids up for adoption but in the end you stick together because you love each other. Loving your children and showing them the right way is at the heart of good parenting. Be there for your children when they need it, don’t overindulge them and equip them with the tools necessary to be self-sufficient.

The time will come that, when they have their own children, they will do the same, thus preparing the next generation to be good parents as well.

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