Search Results for: blog start with something pleasant

Avoiding the Unpleasant

We’ve probably all had the experience at some stage of finding certain people rub us up the wrong way. Undoubtedly then we try and avoid them. We make sure we don’t get into conversation with them, or we’re always busy and have something else we need to do or somewhere else we need to be when they are around. We avoid those people and the circumstances which we find unpleasant. It can even happen that we start to void and pull away from our spouse, especially if it is starting to be an unpleasant experience. For example if you are … Continue reading →

Starting a Motor

I don’t really remember when I was really young. My parents often ask me about this or that family vacation and I truly have a hard time remembering. Sometimes they show me pictures which help my memory a little bit but I am largely unable to mentally recall much of my time when I was young. Part of my problem is reflection. I don’t really take the time to remember my past because my present is so busy. It is hard to commit time to remembering games in the backyard with my brothers when I’m concentrating on managing a 400+ … Continue reading →

The Start of Smiles

After over 30 days of horrendous crying, or (more pleasantly) a furrowed brow and a look of confusion or dissatisfaction only being quelled by breastfeeding, my son smiled at me this week. It was quite intentional as I sat that wonderful morning in my office chair, in front of the glowing ambiance of computer screens signaling the near and inevitable dawn. It was in this modest location, on a day like any other, that my son smiled at me. My wife doesn’t believe it but it truly did happen. He was, perhaps, a bit groggy from his recent pre-dawn feeding … Continue reading →

My Life as a Pets Blogger, Part II: Oh, The Tales I Hear

In Part I I talked about how I’ve come to claim myself as a writer via my Pets Blogging position with Families.com. The responses are very different than they once used to be when I simply said, “I’m a writer.” Is My Pet Normal? Take last week when I went to get my haircut for instance. Once the hairstylist heard I wrote about pets, she did what many do: assumed I’m some sort of expert. Before I knew it she was confiding in me about her cat Seymour. She started with anecdotes about him playing fetch. I’ve heard of cats … Continue reading →

Start With Something Pleasant

When it comes to business conversations and sales pitches, I do not agree with the idea that starting out with “good news, bad news” or a potentially negative thought or comment is a good thing. I belong to the other school of thought, which is, start a conversation by saying something pleasant… I really do feel strongly that in the world of business, pleasantries and friendly conversation are a strength. When you walk into a room for a meeting, a networking event, or a contract negotiation, I know that some people think that a person should come off as stern … Continue reading →

Synchronous Movement Helps With Bonding

Want to build a stronger bond with your toddler? One way to do that is to incorporate synchronous movement into your lives. Researchers have found that there is something about moving together, the same way, at the same time, that causes the bond between people to strengthen. It is time to play some music and dance with your toddler! Researchers at the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behavior at McMaster University did a study that involved 68 babies. Their study revealed that synchronous movement caused the babies to form social bonds with the person whom they shared the synchronous movement … Continue reading →

Don’t Forget to Take Care of Yourself

As a mother it is natural to put our children’s needs above our own. While there is nothing wrong with this, it is important to remember to take care of your needs as well. Your kids need a healthy mommy to take care of them, which means like it or not, you can’t push your needs aside anymore. You have to take care of yourself, so you are still around to take care of them in the future. As a woman yearly exams are crucial. It doesn’t matter how old you are, how healthy you think you may be, there’s … Continue reading →

How Do You Define PDA?

Recently my volunteering friends and I discussed PDA (public displays of affection).  My two friends talked about their husbands’ discomfort with PDA.  Well, I could relate to that: it tends to make a lot of people uncomfortable.  But then I learned that what they meant by PDA was hand-holding, hugs, a quick kiss. My one friend said it took her husband years before he would hold her hand in public.  The other said that when she and her husband meet up somewhere, when her husband arrives all the other women in the room get a hug, or sometimes even a … Continue reading →

Picking Pumpkins Part I

The summer heat has gone away and in it’s place we find ourselves with cooler temperatures and falling leaves. We are surrounded by autumn inspiration in the changing color of the leaves and the autumn harvests of pumpkins. Having seen pumpkins in the stores for several weeks, I knew there was something better to be had from a local organic pumpkin patch where we would be able to pick our own pumpkins. We had been anticipating our autumn trip to our favorite apple orchard and pumpkin patch for several months. Now that autumn is finally in full swing and halloween … Continue reading →

More Toddler Discipline Part I

There was a time in my son’s early toddlerhood that the threat of a time out in the corner was enough motivation to help keep my son’s behavior in check. When he did act out in such a way that warranted a time out, he took his punishment well without much protest or defiance. Recently, using time outs as a way to curb his bad behavior has become quite ineffective. Instead of going in the corner and waiting quietly for his two minutes to pass, he now whines, hits and kicks, will not stay, or will not be quiet. Instead … Continue reading →