Experts Say You Can Do This

Experts say: A bare lightbulb sparks your creativity and inspirational ideas

Since experts say that a bare lightbulb really does spark your creativity, I recycled an old bulb today to make my bare lightbulb creative in itself with a touch of beadwork.

Experts say: There's a good way to give bad news

 There may be a good way to give bad news, but I'm not sure I did it the good way and you can learn from my mis-steps. 

I could have done better giving some bad news to my daughter today. First of all, I was pretty straight forward. I started off by saying I have some not so good news to tell you. To which she jumped to the wrong conclusion about another possible bit of bad news and I had to reassure her that it was not that about our ill cat with a heart condition so that approach took us off in a whole other tangent of upset. In reality I had to inform her that a treasured teacher that she was very attached to and counting on would not be returning to school next year after all.

What I learned that I was supposed to do was to start off by asking some general open ended questions to establish some rapport..such as how are you doing today or how is it going? I was not supposed to just jump right in and say I had some bad news. But I guess it wasn't the end of the world.

You are also supposed to figure out if the person has the right perception of the situation and clarify things I guess after and this is really important, listening...

What the key take-away is in being the bearer of bad news is that you should really be in the job of listening and acknowledging feelings and along with validating their feelings, you can give the concrete reasons as to why they may be reacting that way. Such as, I can see why you'd feel disappointed about "x" because of "y and z."

It never feels good to give bad news but maybe with these tips, you can ease the burden.

Experts say: Perhaps you should get a credit union credit card

 

I found out that my credit cards were bank owned and in fact unethically run and you can see here that they are not recommended by Suze Orman who feels you should consider using a credit union credit card. You can find the link to the credit cards Suze Orman recommends here.

Experts say: Pay off your debt in baby steps

Here's a clip from ABC's Good Morning America where financial expert Dave Ramsey reveals how people he coached to reduce debt have done:

Debt Guru Dave Ramsey on GMA

If you like what you see, and want to take his advice on how to get out of debt, you can check out his babysteps here.

I think you'll have to make a decision on doing what he says and paying off smaller debt to feel a sense of accomplishment or paying off higher interest debt first. Financial experts disagree.

For me personally, I started off paying off higher interest debt first but a couple other things happened that I factored in so I changed my plan and paid off credit cards for companies that I thought were unethical and unappreciative of my business...Whatever works for you, just do it.

Experts say: Autism is on the rise. Here's what I know...

Experts say: Autism is on the rise. Here's what I know...I have become an accidental authority on Autism and Asperger's Syndrome and those that know me have often said that I should write about it. I haven't really because I respect my daughter's privacy but I do feel drawn to help others. A conversation with a new acquaintance today who has some concerns about her two-year-old motivated me to sum up a few simple ideas in the way of general advice I would give:

1. Seek out a developmental pediatrician. If you have any questions about whether or not your child is on the Autism Spectrum (there are more severe and less severe symptoms), seek out testing from a developmental pediatrician as soon as possible. The earlier the diagnosis, the easier to make an impact with treatment although it's never too late to make inroads. It can take 6 months to even get in to see the developmental pediatrician, depending on where you live, so don't put it off.

2. Get a diagnosis early. Ideally by pre-school age, it's best to have a diagnosis so that teachers understand your child better and you can work with the school to develop an Individual Education Plan to better meet your child's needs. Having a diagnosis will give you more patience and those that work with your child more patience. Your child may have inappropriate coping skills for which they need help, but they are good kids at heart. Note too that in years past, a child may get to be ten-years-old before being properly diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome (sometimes referred to as high functioning autism) because they are very verbal but the sooner these kids are identified as needing some support and help, the better for them as well. Sometimes too with early intervention, the child's symptoms may improve so much that they might not even appear to be on the Autism Spectrum anymore.

3. Keep an open mind. The diagnosis is not the end of the world so don't despair if your child is diagnosed as having a developmental delay or being on the Autism spectrum. Doctors are hesitant to label a child too early for good reason but without a diagnosis, you can't help the child as well. It's important not to be too defensive and closed off to the idea that anything can be wrong as that's not going to help your child. Know too that often these kids have what is called "comorbid" diagnosis which means that they may have more than one thing going on. They could have ADHD for instance so don't be surprised if the diagnosis is challenging as no two kids on the spectrum are identical in their manifestations of Autism.

4. Consider speech and occupational therapy. There are autism behaviorists who can help, but also don't overlook speech therapy and occupational therapy. Speech therapy can especially help address concerning behaviors where the child is unable to use their words when stressed so they hit or otherwise act out. A good speech therapist can help them use expressive language better so they can verbalize instead of act on a two-year-old level even when they are much older. Occupational therapists can help with handwriting and ball throwing etc. (fine and gross motor skills).

5. Make time for yourself. Know that while you will be judged based on your child's behavior, you are a good person and are doing your best. Read up so that you can be informed and better able to ask good questions of the doctors and educate both doctors and teachers about your child. But make sure you take time for yourself to help balance your life and follow your gut with regards to your child as you will hear a lot of different advice and nobody but you really knows your child.

Experts say: Get your ducks in a row and make a daily plan or "control journal"

I have been inspired to revisit my Plan of the Day routine which is based on the Control Journal concept of flylady.net. It takes some time to set up your plan, but once you do, it's a no-brainer to keep up with the housework. You can use my example below as a template for your own.

Kudos to flylady for her expert help in getting us all organized and you may want to subscribe to her daily email reminders to help get you started. And also for me, kudos to Gail Vaz Oxlade who also is an expert that helps me even add in to my daily planner time to check finances.

Feel free to use my plan and customize it for yourself.  I like the 15 minute concept: you can do anything for 15 minutes per the flylady and I agree. If you follow this type of plan, you'll never feel behind in your housework again.

Download Plan of the Day

 

Experts say: What's for Dinner? Here's a monthly meal planner

Experts say you should plan your meals and I've already posted one weeks worth of recipes and the accompanying grocery list.

You can download my template and customize this as you wish. But I got extra ambitious and made a 4 week monthly meal planner Excel spreadsheet which will even calculate calories for you if you fill in your calories.

I've put in two months worth of recipe ideas, starting with today, and I'll follow next week with week two's detailed recipes and shopping list. You can change the date at the top and it will automatically change the dates for you.

Hope this helps! Oh...and I did not protect this spreadsheet so you can do with it what you want. If you mess it up, you can always re-download it. Happy planning.

Download Monthly Meal Plan At a Glance

Also check out my week 1 detailed meal plan here.

Experts say: Plan meals. What's for dinner? Here's my week 1 meal plan.

Experts like the Flylady say that for a variety of reasons, you should plan your meals ahead. You'll save money, eat healthier and lower stress, not to mention enjoy yummy meals!

Here's my week 1 shopping list and meal plan. Never wonder what's for dinner again. 

Download Week 1 Recipes and Shopping List (modified 6/2/10)

On the menu this week:

Monday: Fajita Shrimp over rice; Tuesday: Baked BBQ Chicken; Wednesday: Baked Cavatelli; Thursday: Vegetable Quesadillas; Friday: Indian Glazed Salmon; Saturday: Sloppy Joe Meatloaf; Sunday: Pineapple Chicken Kabobs

On the download, I have gone the extra mile and typed up a weekly shopping list for all 7 meals in the order you should find them in the grocery store (i.e. like ingredients are combined and grouped logically by veggie aisle etc.), along with complete recipes and directions so you can make the meals ahead and freeze them or make them as you go. Check back for future weekly meal plans.

Note: My salmon recipe is simple but tastes gourmet. You will fall in love with this recipe and no other salmon dish will ever compare. It's the best!

For a month at a glance meal planner in Excel that I made up which will even log calories for you if you input them, you may want to check out my accompanying monthly meal planning post.

Experts say: Salmon can save your life; here's a favorite salmon recipe

 I won’t go into all the health benefits, but to name just a few things salmon can do for you:

Reduce inflammation which helps fight heart disease, diabetes, some cancers, and arthritis; prevent stroke-causing blood clots, reduce blood pressure and prevent heart attacks, slow Alzheimers; lower depression and aggression and the list goes on!

This is the most delicious salmon recipe and once you try it, you won’t want to order salmon at restaurants because your home-cooked recipe will be better!

Indian-Glazed Salmon

From Sunset Magazine, April 2005 (recipe not on their website currently)

Prep and cook time: 45 minutes

Makes: 4 Servings

Notes: Grind fennel seeds by pulsing in a blender or even better, crushing in a mortar

Ingredients:

4 pieces boned salmon fillet (6 oz. each, about 1 in. thick)

2 sweet onions, peeled and slivered (1 lb. total)

2 Tablespoons butter, melted

3 Tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground fennel seeds

½- ¾ teaspoon cayenne/red pepper

½ teaspoon ground cardamom

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Lemon wedges

Directions: 

1. Rinse salmon and pat dry. Line a 12” x 18” baking pan with foil and set pieces skin side down, 1” apart in pan. Scatter onions around salmon.
2. In a small bowl, stir together butter, brown sugar, coriander, fennel seeds, cayenne, cardamom, cumin, salt, pepper, cloves and cinnamon. Stir in lemon juice. Brush mixture evenly over tops and sides of salmon pieces.
3. Bake in a 400° oven for 15 minutes. Turn oven to broil; broil salmon 6 inches from heat until top is bubbling and well-browned and fish is opaque but still moist in the center of the thickest part (cut to test), approximately 4-6 minutes.
4. With a spatula, transfer salmon pieces to a serving dish (leave skin behind) and surround with onions. Sprinkle with cilantro and garnish with lemon wedges.

 

Per serving: 418 calories (207 cal.) from fat (30% cal. sat. fat); 32 grams protein; 23 grams protein; 21 grams carbohydrates; 1.9 grams fiber; 456 mg. sodium; 106 mg. cholesterol

 

Note: I usually find that four minutes of broiling is enough. I skip the cilantro and lemon wedge garnish and it’s just as yummy.

Experts say: You Can Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness essentially means really paying attention in the moment but also has to do with meditation. I have been researching what experts say about mindfulness as a means to recognize when I feel stressed, what it feels like and what I can consciously choose to cope with stress in the healthiest manner. This is a great freebie video from Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of Full Catastrophe Living, from a workshop he did for Google employees. It's long but interesting and he does lead a meditation and addresses a question for a woman that experiences what always happens to me when I try to meditate, I fall asleep!
!