Parties can cross the age barrier, but it is best to sort out the children first, if they are happy then you can relax and enjoy yourself and so can your guests.  After the little ones get back from the Trick or Treat run, you can settle them down with a few suitable DVD’s and some games.  Once they are settled the grown ups can do some activities of their own.  It is good to have some joint activities too, pumpkin carving is great fun, but can be dangerous for little ones so why not try Pumpkin Painting instead.  You can always use some downloadable games that can just be printed out when you need them too.  If you are going to have active games for the adults, it is better to do those before too many drinks are served or they can get a bit carried away.

Spooky decorations are a must when you are having a Halloween Party, you can do an awful lot with not much effort.  A few dangling things, blacked out windows, black light bulbs and pumpkin lanterns go a long way towards creating the right atmosphere.  Do make sure that stairways and uneven paths are properly lit or you might end up with accidents you hadn’t planned.

The children will no doubt have loads of candy and treats to go through and won’t be much interested in ‘proper’ food, but you might get them to eat some ‘Witchy Fingers’ open rolls, or some ‘Witches Wart Muffins’.  Adults tend to prefer something rather less ghoulish, so perhaps bowls of steaming hot spicy pumpkin soup would go down well.  You can always ask your guests to bring a plate of food as well, especially if you are hosting a neighborhood party.  Most people are more than happy to contribute a dish, and it makes for less work and clearing up too.

Once you have covered the creepy decorations, some monster music and suitably spooky food, you have all the ingredients you need for a super spooky Halloween party.  There are lots of place online where you can order all the stuff you need to make your party a success and have it delivered direct to your door, my personal favorite is Halloween Funny Stuff, where there are lots more ideas for your Halloween Celebrations too.

Have a spooktacular time!

The act of walking the course increases your heart rate and boosts your circulation - it is a form of aerobic exercise. Some Swedish research has shown that walking around the course whilst playing a round of golf provides up to 70 percent of the effort that would be expended in an aerobics class.

Walking is an excellent form of exercise although, without a dog to walk, it can sometimes seem a little pointless! Combining a walk with a round of golf puts purpose back into your exercise.

Cardiologist Edward Palank reports that golfers who walk rather than ride around the course were found to be in a better state of health with lower levels of of bad cholesterol and static levels of good cholesterol. Those golfers who took a ride on their golf cart did not show these same positive health results.

According to Golf Science International, four hours of golf playing was found to be comparable to attending a forty five minute fitness class.

The Northern Ohio Golf Association calculated that when a golfer walks a course it is roughly equivalent to walking for up to four miles.

If you are used to taking a golf cart around the course try first of all walking alternate holes so that by the end of your round of golf you should have walked a total of nine holes.

If you have an unfit golf partner who insists that you ride along with him or her, make sure that you only ride the cart path. Walk down to the fairway to your ball.

If nothing else, you will be preserving the grass of the fairway and saving it from golf cart damage.

www.goodgolfnow.com

We all have different memory strengths and weaknesses which are linked to our preferred learning styles. The memory retrieval process relies on neural connections - the pathways that link relevant memories together to give them all more meaning. When memories are gathered in different ways and the pathways are not reinforced it can make memory retrieval almost impossible - and that’s when we forget!!

Any Google search will provide you with numerous tips for improving memory. Some of these tips will offer you pills and potions; others will provide you with online games and exercises designed to boost your capacity to remember.

When looking to see which memory improving tip may help you, it’s important to understand how memories are formed, stored and retrieved in order that you might be better able to judge whether that particular tip is going to be helpful to you - or not.

The easiest things to remember are the things in which we are interested and about which we already have some knowledge. The mind knows how to deal with things it already knows about - It will have pathways to follow and storage places for that ‘type’ of knowledge.

Each time you learn something new about that particular subject your memory is strengthened and reinforced and it is for this reason that studying is best done in short, regular bursts. This allows the memory mechanism to settle and then re-energise.

When learning something new your mind will not know what to do with new information. Initially it will want to leave it in the short term memory to see if you use it again. If you don’t, that memory will be wiped after a short while (It’s not called short term memory for nothing!) However, if that memory is retrieved it will be moved to the longer term memory banks and new memory paths will be formed. This is why repetition of anything new to us is so important.

Memory pathways, as with any other type of pathway, remain clear and passable only with regular use. This is why, if we do not use a particular memory for a while, it is possible for the pathway to become ‘choked’ preventing easy retrieval of the data we need. You will be familiar with the phrase ‘it’ll come back to me’, well that is precisely what happens when we reapply ourselves to a subject we have neglected for a while, our initial efforts are spent in reopening those neural pathways to retrieve the treasure trove of knowledge and data we stored there some time ago.

Making memories vivid is one of the best way to reinforce the memory mechanism. Now I’m not suggesting that you actively seek out extreme experiences in order to boost your memory! But, there is a lot you can do to make memories stick.

Always try to use more than one sense when remembering something new. Get a very vivid visual image - if you have to make it a silly or outrageous image, it doesn’t matter. This is your personal memory, no-one else can see it. Attach a sound to the memory. Attach a feeling to the memory and you can even try to attach a smell to the memory. All of these steps go a long way to really making that memory stick.

Take an organized approach when trying to remember things. Don’t be scattered about the process of remembering. Give yourself a chance of getting things filed in the right place. Often writing things down will improve your ability to remember as once again, it involves another sense.

Use ‘aides memoire’ mnemonics, acronyms, rhymes and pictures - whatever works for you best.

At the end of the day we are each of us unique and the way we show up in the world is unique to us and the way we remember is also unique. The best tip I can offer you is to try different techniques to discover which one really does help you in improving memory function - and then practice it every day.

You might  think that a Pro teacher would be critical and patronising, but generally they are honest, positive and very helpful- after all they want you to come back, and to tell all your friends what a good teacher they are.

Lessons at your local course aren’t as costly as you might believe and they are well worth it because your game will improve quickly and you will be less frustrated, making the game so much more fulfilling for you.

One of the most important things is being honest about your game.  The Pro will ask you what you want to work on - driving, chipping, putting or bunker play perhaps.  If you are not sure where you would get the most benefit have a playing lesson.  Play nine holes and let him assess your game as well as giving you on course advice and help.

You should isten carefully and follow the instructions, don’t be afraid to make notes. You might have doubts if the Pro suggest that you change your stance, your grip or your swing but give it a chance.  The Pro usually  knows best, he has spent many years learning how to spot faults.  It never ceases to amaze me how I can be struggling with something for weeks and two minutes with my teacher sorts it all out!  Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t worry  if the question or concern seems stupid  - that’s what they are there for.   If you don’t understand, tell them so. You should never finish a lesson with unanswered questions.

You can use a lesson to concentrate on one thing  or several. You might start with driving, get the right grip, stance,  swing, and follow-through in one lesson, and then practice.  In the next lesson you might work on your putting or short game which is my own personal bug bear.

You invest a great deal in your clubs and equipment, not to mention green fees or club membership so  doesn’t it make sense to learn how to get the most of them and enjoy your golf.  A few short lessons can improve your game beyond all recognition - try it and see.

Read more about golf techniques at www.goodgolfnow.com

Poinsettias are a plant that we now associate with Christmas, they are often used as decorations or given as gifts.   These beautiful winter plants are native to Mexico. They were named for the first US ambassador to Mexico, Joel Roberts Poinsett, who brought the plant from Mexico to America where they have become a part of the traditional Christmas.

The Twelve Days of Christmas refer to the twelve days between Christmas Day (December 25) and the Feast of Epiphany (January 6), or Twelfth Night. This is believed to be when the Three Kings arrived with their gifts for the baby, Jesus.  In many countries this is when gifts are given, rather than on Christmas Day

Mistletoe is hung in many houses over Christmas. It is the plant of Frigga,, the Scandinavian’s goddess of love, and has come to be associated with love and romance. It’s from this that the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe has grown.  Mistletoe is also a protector and should be kept in the house all year.

Holly is also another very important symbol of Christmas. In the Christian tradition the red holly berries symbolize Christ’s blood and the sharply pointed leaves stand for the thorns in his crown.

The Yule log is a huge log which was used to keep the fire burning during great festivals. It comes from Northern Europe where the log would be placed in the hearth and continue to burn throughout the festive period, until it turned into ashes. Bringing in the Yule Log was the start of the festival and the tradition goes far back in history.

The tradition of hanging stockings up over the fireplace also goes back to European history. The story of St. Nicholas (Santa Claus) tells that he was a kindly Bishop who left gifts of gold coins in the stockings of three poor maidens, who had no money for their wedding dowries. They hung their stockings to dry over the fireplace, and to their great surprise, they found bags of gold in them the next morning. Now we hope to find little treasures and good things to eat in our stockings at Christmas.

Choirs of Angels are supposed to have sung to celebrate the birth of Christ but it is St. Francis of Assisi who is believed to be the originator of Caroling tradition. The name ‘carol’ comes from the Greek ‘charaulein’, originally a Greek dance, later it also came to imply a song. By the 17th century, caroling was restricted to Christmas time and is often used as a means of raising funds.

The day after Christmas Day has come to be known as Boxing Day, there are two reasons for this.  On is that the alms box of the Church was opened on Boxing Day and the contents distributed amongst the poor of the parish.  It was also the day on which gifts were given to servants as they were busy preparing feasts for their employers.  On Boxing Day the ‘great family’ would eat what was left over and the servants would be given their Christmas Boxes, and if they were very lucky, half a day’s holiday!

You can find out much more about Christmas, with ideas for all your Christmas festivities at Christmas Calling.

As a small business owner you are no longer restricted in your marketing efforts to local networking events.

Once you have your business website established on the World Wide Web you can have prospects approaching you from all four corners of the Earth. (I’ve often wondered where that phrase comes from as the Earth doesn’t have corners…..)

A website is more cost effective than traditional promotional materials as there is no printing or storage costs and updates can be made with not much more than a mouse click.

You cannot answer your telephone 24 hours a day, but a web site will sit in the background, attracting and servicing visitors for those same 24 hours every day, for 7 days a week and 52 weeks of every year.

Having a website means that your business is always open for trading – and you don’t have to pay overtime.

Your website establishes your brand and identity in the world of the Internet. In its simplest form it is like an interactive brochure – although more complex sites can even handle financial transactions whilst you sleep.

It is possible to establish a web presence without breaking the bank. Websites for Startups is a company that specialises in providing low cost, professional web solutions for startup and small businesses. Their startup package makes it easy for you to get your business on the Web.

If you really think about it you’ve probably heard your women friends comment that “He always loses weight faster than me!”

Yes — it’s a fact — men do have an easier time of it when it comes to losing weight. It might also be true that they can keep it off more easily as well. If losing weight and keeping it off was all about willpower, you could write me a comment and say, “Sure, Ron, where’d you get that idea! You must be nuts!”

But it’s not about willpower — it’s more about the way we’re built. Men are usually taller and often more muscular, so they burn more calories just by being up and around.

Weight loss is about consuming fewer calories than you’re burning! If you’re 6′2″ tall and you weigh 250 pounds you’re going to burn more calories than someone who is 5′4″ tall and weighs 135 pounds — provided that both people consume the same amount of calories.

Therein lies part of the weight loss problem — couples will often eat the same-sized portions at their meals. If you’re a 5′4″, 135 pound woman, you are probably consuming more calories than your body will burn if you’re eating the same exact thing as the 6′2, 250 pound man. He’ll be losing weight while you’re probably gaining weight.

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My name is Ron Rink. Since I had a second heart attack in 1983, I’ve been a strong advocate of a healthy lifestyle. I’m no expert, but I have studied this subject extensively. Today, I am a healthy, vigorous person — and it’s because of my lifestyle. I hope you’ll read my posts and join me in some good, healthy living!

Also see: http://www.wecould2.com

http://www.theleaderinside.com

by: Ron Rink

“You have to take a negative and transform it into a positive.” That’s the simple mantra that the Dalai Lama repeats over and over again in his teachings.

He said, “Every day brings the possibility of a fresh start.”

So many of the quotes from the Dalai Lama carry a logic that is undeniable. He stressed again and again, how good acts can be as powerful as the laws of quantum mechanics. He continuously argued for the power of the mind: “Nothing is good or bad but as thinking makes it so.”

It all depends on how we choose to look at it.

At times, in our business lives, and in our personal lives, the powers of external circumstances can seem overwhelming in their force. But, we always have the power within us to choose what position we’ll take. The final answer to the resolution of any problem, and the method we’ll use to solve it, can come from no one other than ourselves.

I’m not necessarily promoting the concept that we have to push down whatever frustration or grief happens in our lives. I’m not advocating that we need to pretend that such things don’t exist. But I do think that we have to decide for ourselves whether we’re going to concentrate all our attention on our frustrations or whether we’re going to focus on the good things we have in our lives.

The Dalai Lama often talks about the choices he made. Should he be angry and complain about the difficulties that being in exile has brought to his life, or should he be grateful for the way it has made it possible for him to bring the message of hope and peace to the world. It’s about deciding whether the glass is half empty or half full.

I know there isn’t any sort of esoteric philosophy that can cure a migraine headache — we will feel the pain and we probably won’t be looking for the good in the headache while we have it. But the headache, when viewed from the perspective of what’s going on in the world, will seem less important when we relate it to all the people in the world who would gladly trade their circumstances for that headache.

These truths are as simple as the truths of birth and death, but they seem to have a particular application for those of us in North America. America, and the world, took a terrible loss when the terrorists attacked us and took the lives of thousands of innocent people. However, it’s not so clear anymore that continuing to dwell on the loss is going to truly help anything, especially not those courageous and innocent souls who lost their lives. There may be some advantage to those who have been left behind, but even that may be losing its purpose to some extent.

In one of the stories told by the Buddha, he asked, “When felled by an arrow are you going to quarrel about its origins, or are you going to pull it out?”

If we move a little and see things from another perspective, the view looks different. If you imagine yourself in another person’s being, you’ll find that you look different than you did before. At any moment you can imagine that this day is your last — or that person is your mother —- or that enemy is you — and you will find that your outlook on life can be altered accordingly, and with great ease.

It’s All In How You Look At It!

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Ron Rink is a person who loves peace and is always seeking a beautiful, inner peace. He has found that Buddhist teachings have shown him a way to achieve that goal. He lives a lifestyle following the teachings of the Buddha.

To see more of his writings please visit his regularly updated blogs at: http://www.buddhistbelief.com and also at http://www.theleaderinside.com

Be in Peace.

Fortunately I recently learnt a trick to nip the flashback in the bud. I look out of my left eye as wide left as possible, as far right as possible with my right eye. This seems to exert the brain sufficiently that it is incapable of continuing to replay “the video” of your bad memory. You can also use this to ease your stress before an interview or before the dentist.
Try it , it works every time!

Get another 101 Success & Self-Development Tips at successtheory.com (Free)

Throughout the Nineteenth Century Lace Schools existed in many parts of the Midlands of the United Kingdom where lacemaking was a thriving industry.  The Lace schools were not schools as we know them but places where the children, often as young as five years old, were sent to learn to make lace.  Boys and girls would both attend the schools until they were competent lace makers, sometimes staying until they were fifteen years old.

Most of the schools were not pleasant place to be, the rules were strict, the conditions harsh and the children were expected to work from 6.00 a.m. until the light was no longer fit, with only short breaks for Breakfast and Lunch.

Each of the children would be expected to produce a certain amount of lace each day, depending on their skill and in the main, this was measured by the number of pins they moved in a day.  More complex pieces were measured differently but as most of the lace made in the schools was ‘lengths’ and a figure was set, often as many as ten pins per minute, or six hundred an hour!  The first pin of the day was always a ‘Striver’ pin, which was different to the others, usually marked by a bead attached to the top and the count began from there.  Children who did not complete their allotted number of pins were kept behind until they had , and punishments were fierce – including having your nose rubbed on the pins which must have been unbelievably painful.

Because making the lengths of lace was quite repetitive the girls would sing songs, more like chants, which counted the pins as they went, often putting in a new striver pin at the end of each round. Lots of the songs worked on counting down, for example

Needle Pin, needle pin, stitch upon stitch,
Work the old lady out of the ditch,
If she is not out as soon as I,
A rap on the knuckles shall come by and by.
A horse to carry my lady about
Must not look til twenty are out

Each girl would sing part of the song, and then there would be silence until the required number of pins was worked – these silences were called ‘glums’.  When the lace maker who had sung the verse had finished the right number of pins she would sing out ‘my glums done’, and the next one would take over.  There were even little rhymes for announcing the completion of a glum

Tip and Stitch turn over,
Let it be hay or clover,
My glum’s done.

Many of them also taught the lace makers to work in a rhythm which always produces better lace for example ‘Jack be nimble, Jack be quick’ and ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, little star’. The most well known one is probably ‘One, Two, Buckle my shoe…’ which also tells a story to anyone familiar with lacemaking. Each number would be chanted with the placing of the pin.

“One, Two Buckle my shoe” – The lace maker gets ready to go out, “Three, Four, Knock at the door” – She (or He) arrives at a neighbours house, lace makers worked together to save on the cost of candles, “Five, Six, Pick up Sticks” – Pick up your Bobbins,
Seven, Eight, Lay them straight – Lay your Bobbins straight, “Nine, Ten, Big Fat Hen“ the completion of a circle or element in the lace and so it goes on..

Find out more about lacemaking at LacemakingBobbins.com