5 Ways Kids Who Eat Breakfast Excel

How many times have you heard, "breakfast is the most important meal of the day"? Here's why, in terms of small-fry. Kids who eat breakfast...

1. Do better in school

2. Have more focus and concentration, more energy, and better eye-hand coordination

3. Have fewer behavioral problems

4. Are more likely to meet their nutritional needs overall

5. Have an easier time staying at a healthy weight

"Mornings can be hectic in any family, and getting kids-much less adults-to eat something can be a challenge. But just look at the payoffs!" says pediatrician Jennifer Trachtenberg, MD, mom of three and proud author of her first book, the new, super-useful Good Kids, Bad Habits: The RealAge Guide to Raising Healthy Children.

"So if you can't make the morning meal happen at home, send kids off with healthy on-the-go breakfasts to eat on the way," says Dr. Jen. "The night before, have them help you fill plastic zipper bags with things like nuts, raisins, and Os cereal; orange slices; low-fat granola; cheese and crackers; sliced apple ‘sandwich cookies' filled with peanut butter...or anything else reasonably healthy that you know they'll eat, whether it's ‘breakfast food' or not. A chicken sandwich on whole wheat? Fine." Just aim for three things:

Plenty of fiber and protein - it will keep kids full and energized until lunch.

Minimal sugar - too much can send their energy soaring up, then crashing down before the morning's half over.

Some healthy fat, especially the kind called omega-3s - turns out that kids who eat more of them do better on short-term memory tests (and ace pop quizzes!) than kids who eat more saturated fat (think butter, bacon, sausage, pastries, full-fat milk and cheese).

One easy way to get good omega-3 fats into your kids: sprinkle walnuts or almonds on their cereal.

Another: Hard-boil a batch of omega-3-enriched eggs, which are widely available now. On a high-speed morning, give the kids (yourself too) an egg and some whole-wheat crackers in a plastic zipper bag. You'll all be good to go till lunch.

THERE'S NOTHING OLD-FASHIONED ABOUT OATMEAL

In fact, there's growing evidence that it may be an ideal way to start the schoolday. Kids who eat oatmeal for breakfast-versus cold cereal or nothing at all-remember things better and pay more attention, handy for, say, studying math and geography. One reason may be that oatmeal is digested slowly, supplying the brain with a steady stream of energy.

5 productivity killers & how to fend them off

Written by Brandie Kajino (from shine.yahoo.com)

We've all been there, the pen that won't work, the phone that doesn't quite fit the bill and a chair that wobbles just enough to send ya right over the edge. In the biz of organizing (and pretty much the whole world), they're known as the formidable "productivity killers." You're just trying to get stuff done, and these little things can drive you crazy! So, what can you do about them? Lots! Here are a few suggestions:

1. Broken things: This might sound silly, but what do you do? Stop procrastinating and fix them. Take some time around lunch or on a conference call and fix those small things. Mark it on your calendar if you have to. Fix the thing so you can funnel your creative energies into actually creating and getting things done.
2. Inexpensive office products: When you work from home, sometimes things can be tight in the beginning, and you just want to get started. So, buying less expensive products are sometimes the answer in the short term. Whether you are just in the beginning or now picking up speed in your business and career, I have one piece of advice on office products: Buy the best you can afford. You'll save money in the end, because you won't have to buy replacements when the cheap stuff breaks. Your business, your career and you are worthy of the best so don't short-change yourself.
3. Temperature isn't right: Too hot? Too cold? Ugh, no fun. While there are some things we can't avoid, like seasonal changes (or say, menopause) there are things which can be controlled when it comes to temperature. Keep your thermostat at a temperature that is comfortable. If you are budget (or environmentally conscious), keep the temperature lower and dress in layers. Also, if you're too cold, get up and move around, or even consider a standing desk to keep the blood flowing.
4. Can't find what you need: I have been known to get all in an uproar when I can't find my keys (which rarely happens anymore, thank goodness). It's no fun when you need to accomplish a task and you can't find what you need. Assigning a home to everything is essential. Don't know where to start? Start with the thing you misplace the most.
5. Disruptions: The phone rings, the doorbell rings, toddler wrapped around the leg, dogs barking and Twitter bells in your ears. Sometimes it's all too much! Try: silencing phones and instant messaging programs (silent, not vibrate) when working on a hot project, post hours (or a "No Soliciting" sign) above the doorbell to inform visitors, communicate hours to family members and/or hire a babysitter to take care of the little ones a couple times a week.

Tips to Help Your Child Succeed in School

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Parenting Tips to Help Your Child Succeed
in School
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by Alvin Poh

Encourage Your Child To Read

This is the most important thing that you can do to help
your child succeed in school.

There are many strong evidences in various countries,
showed that students who have done well in schools
and later in life are avid readers.

And one example that is very closed to the heart of many Singaporean parents are the achievement of Natasha
Nabila Muhammad Nasir, the top PSLE student in 2007.

In the Straits Times interview last year, Natasha said the
following:

"The secret of my success (being the top PSLE student
in 2007) is reading. I have been reading since I was two
years old and I think that has helped me a lot. Through
reading, I gained a lot of knowledge."

In another interview done by the National Library Board
on her success, Natasha said:

“Through reading, I gain insights to many new things -
current affairs, cultures of other countries and much
more. I also find that reading improves my vocabulary
and this has helped me immensely in my writing skills.”

In many of our parenting talk, I can't emphasis how
importance is for parents to help their kids to develop a
good reading habit as early as possible during their
early childhood years.

If you have a baby, read aloud to him or her right from
the start. Babies love to hear your voice, look at pictures
and touch the pages. As your child grows older, make
reading together part of your daily routine.

Talk With Your Child

Take advantage of everyday opportunities to talk with
your child. For example, talk to your child when you are
walking, riding in a car, eating dinner or shopping.
Children who aren't drawn into conversation or
encouraged to talk often have problems learning to
read, which can lead to other problems in school.

Monitor Homework

Identify a special place in your home for your child to
study. If the space at home permit, have a study room
for your child, otherwise create a study corner when
your child can focus to do his / her home work or do
some serious study without getting distracted by noises
from children playing outside at the playground or from
the TV. Set a regular time and check in once in a while
to see if your child needs help.

Monitor TV Viewing And Video Game Playing

Set limits on the amount of time your child spends
watching TV and playing video games. When your child
is watching the TV, spend time watching it with him/ her
and talk about what you are watching together.

In our home, we seldom watch the programs on TV
because we feel that there aren't many good programs
that are family friendly and suitable for young children.
Generally we either purchase or borrow from the
National Library, DVDs movies or cartoons that are family
friendly and have good education values that help to
build good characters in our children.

I often highlight to parents that they need be aware of
what their children watch on TV. The mass media has a
powerful influence on the mind of your child and their life
values.

Encourage Your Child To Use The Library

I sincerely encourage parents to go to their local library
together with their children regularly. Make it a regular
family outing where you borrow books for your children
and also for yourself. If parents want their kids to be
good readers, they must set an example of being
readers.

Help Your Child Learn To Use The Internet Safely
And Effectively

Today, the internet is an important tool for children to
seek out information that help them in their studies,
school work and communication with their teachers and
friends.

Having said that, the internet also contains a lot of
inappropriate content and contact. Hence it is
importance for parents to guide their children on the
proper use of the internet and teach them how they can
protect themselves from falling prey into the bad guys in
the cyber world.

When your child is still young, spend time online with him
or her so that you can guide your child properly. If you
don't have a computer at home, check to see if your local
library has computers that you and your child can use.

Encourage Your Child To Be Responsible And To
Work Independently

Help your child choose activities that build his or her
knowledge, responsibility and independence; monitor
what your child does after school, in the evenings and
on weekends.

Encourage Active Listening

Listen to your child's ideas and respond. This type of
give-and-take at home is likely to help your child
participate and be interested at school.

Setelah seminggu Ramadhan...

Cepatnya masa berlalu. Pejam kelip mata, dah nak masuk sepuluh hari Ramadhan berlalu. Dalam kepenatan dan keletihan berpuasa...rasa syukur jugak kerana dah berjaya menjalani ibadah puasa ini. Sebelum ini, rasa risau sgt, takut2 tak larat nak puasa. Bukannya apa, dahlah ada sejarah low bloood pressure dan gula rendah...biasanya kalau Ramadhan nie, daily activities ni agak terbatas cos kena make sure gula dlm badan maintain jer sampai ke buka puasa. Tapi sekarang nie, sejak perut lebih mancung dan tersorong2 daripada hidung nie, dan sementelah selera makan jadi double, risau takut flat jer sepanjang hari berpuasa.

Tapi alhamdulillah, setakat nie masih boleh bertahan. Maybe berkat keazamaan yg kuat untuk berpuasa. Ramai kawan2 kat campus cakap, "don't kill urself, u don't need to fast", tapi hati nie nak jugak rasa nikmat puasa di bulan Ramadhan. Yelah...setahun sekali, bukannya mcm sale seasion kat malaysia nie...setahun entah berapa kali tah!

Mula2 dah plan, tak payah masak susah2 bila puasa nie...beli jer kat bazaar Ramadhan nanti. Makanan berlambak2....tak terpilih nanti. Tapi sebab tak suka makan masakan yg dah sejuk or dah lama dimasak, tiap petang masak jugak. Menu berganti2 tiap hari, walaupun taklah sehebat ayu kat germany yg masak nasi briyani gam, or kak jo kat ireland yg masak mcm2.

Then ada jugak terfikir nak suh husband jer lah bangun siapkan sahur...tapi setakat nie tak pernah lagi pun suh dia. Buat sendiri, bangun awal, masak additional lauk or panaskan lauk, prepare the dining table, then baru kejutkan dia. Tak sampai hati pulak. Kat mulut nie memang selalu jer bising asyik cakap jer " bang..org lain bergilir2 tau bgn pagi siapkan sahur...bla..bla..bla". Mulut jer nampak jahat, tapi tak sampai hati, pendek kata, masih taulah tanggungjawab isteri..walaupun dlm Qur'an takder pun mention antara kewajipan isteri bgn masak sahur (alamak! sounds feminist pulak..bahaya nie).

Last week kebetulan semester break, so takder class. Tapi this week, dah start kena gi kelas semula. Aduh...cabaran terbesar nie. Terpaksalah skrg nie menyusahkan husband lebih daripada biasa (walaupun selama nie pun mmg selalu nyusahkan dia). Terpaksalah dia hantar ke kelas dan jemput. Tak sanggup nak naik komuter panas2 terik time puasa nie. Takut terpengasn dlm train, tak pasal2 pulak.

Problem terbesar sekarang nie...tgh kemaruk yg amat untuk berkemas dan maintain rumah zero-habuk. Sebenarnya sedar, ini memang menyusahkan diri sendiri dan memperbodohkan diri, tapi tak boleh tahan. Agaknya nilah org kata pembawaan mengandung kali ni. Kalau boleh alas meja kat living room tu tak boleh senget sikit pun... everything must be perfect. Every now and then...mata melilau jer tengok keliling living room tu..apa yg tak kena, apa yg berselerak (padahal tak berselerak pun!) Yg peliknya..bahagian lain dlm rumah tak lah dihiraukan sgt..walaupun nak jugak kelihatan kemas dan bersih. Mungkin sebab dok habiskan masa selalu kat living room and dining ..so tempat2 nilah yg jadi mangsa. Kalau boleh everyday nak mop lantai, nak lap book shelves dan almari2 kat living room nie. Hehehe....

Kalau nak buat semua mmg boleh...tgh poser pun tetiba bertenaga..tapi lepas berkemas sakan nanti tak larat nak masak pulak. Ataupun family members dlm rumah nie tensionlah..asyik kena bebel jer..."Cici, keep ur pencil case, Afafita pick up the paper, Bang...buku ni pas baca jgn lupa simpan balik...". Tak taulah sampai bila mcm nie....

Chichi pun poser gak. This year penuhlah sampai petang. Last year, the first two week, time asar bagi dia minum segelas air. Then the last two weeks, dia puas terus, takder minum time azan asar. This year...dia poser mcm org besarlah. The first few days...melepek jerlah..serba tak kena. Tak boleh silap sikit. Nak meradang. Then, dia cuba2 mintak jugak minum time azan..tapi tak bagilah. Masalah dia nie, tak reti nak tidor kalau penat or lapar. Tetap nak main or do something. So, kenalah Mama dia paksa tidor....siang hari. Tu pun nangis2 dulu before tidor. Isy..isy...kalau kita org besar dpt tidor...nikmatnya rasa.

Afafita pulak, baru first day poser, trus demam teruk dan kena tonsil bengkak pulak. alahai...tgh mlm bwk gi doktor aik ubat.sebab dah menggigil2 demam. Risaulah. Dia selsema, sakit tekak..mmg takleh nak practice poserlah. This year sebenarnya firt ime dia nak try poser cos baru nak masuk 5 tahun this year. but after a week, dia dah try semula puasa. tapi setengah hari jer. lagipun tonsil dia blm btl2 baik lagi.

Erm..mcm2 hidup nie. Mudah2an Allah bagi kesihatan dan kekuatan yg berterusan untuk menjalani ibadah puasa ini dgn sempurna. Amin....

Anak-anak yg keletihan dan kelaparan berpuasa..melepek jer kat rumah

Hadiah dari Kin ...

Kin memang sahabat blogger yg baik hati, pemurah dan kreatif!
Ada hadiah lagi dari Kin...
Walaupun segan sebab takder hadiah nak bagi kat Kin...
tapi sebenarnya happy sesangat tiap kali dpt something from Kin
Thanks a zillion, Kin!

Boleh tak nak hadiahkan semula kat Kin..
sebab kita memang suka singgah blog Kin!

50 most romantic things to do with your spouse

Untuk pasangan yang baru dan telah lama kahwin, kalau ada yang bersesuaian boleh dijadikan amalan bagi mengeratkan hubungan, dan mendamaikan perselisihan. Kadang-kadang yang diminta oleh pasangan ialah PERHATIAN (dan selalunya permintaan ini tidak diberitahu, depa expect kita faham-faham sendiri). Jika tak terpenuh, akan diperuk dan dijeruk dalam dada yang kalau tak kena cara boleh end up dengan perselisihan, marah dan rajuk.

1. Watch the sunset together ( hehe, yang ni nak kena gi Port Dickson, Lumut ke Pangkor ke...)
2. Whisper to each other
3. Cook for each other
4. Walk in the rain (awas, kalau pasangan jenis mudah demam kalau terkena hujan, jangan dibuat. Unless, jaga orang sakit boleh dianggap sebagai romantic juga)
5. Hold hands
6. Buy gifts for each other
7. Roses
8. Find out their favorite cologne/perfume and wear it every time you are together
9. Go for a long walk down the beach at midnight
10. Write poetry for each other
11. Hugs are the universal medicine
12. Say I love you, only when you mean it, and make sure the know you mean it
13. Give random gifts of flowers/candy/poetry etc
14. Tell him/her that he/she's the only man/woman you ever want. DON'T LIE
15. Spend every second possible together
16. Look into each other eyes
17. Very lightly push up his/her chin. look into the eyes, tell him/her you love him/her, and kiss him/her lightly
18. When in public, only flirt with each other
19. Put love notes in his/her pockets/handbag when he/she isn't looking
20. Buy her a ring
21. Sing to each other
22. Always hold her around her hips/sides
23. Take her to dinner and do the dinner for two deal
24. Spaghetti?
25. Hold her hand, stare into her eyes, kiss her hand and then put it over your heart
26. Dance together ( hehe, or rather lipat kain together?)
27. Let your spouse fall asleep with her head in your lap
28. Do cute little things like write I LOVE U in a note so that they have to look in a mirror to read it
29. Make excuse to call them every 5 minutes (isk, rasanya ni bukan romantic. Menganggu pasangan tengah buat kerja)
30. Even if you are really busy doing something, go onto your way to call and say I love U
31. Call from your out station spot to tell them you were thinking about them
32. Remember your dreams and tell her about them
33. Always tell him/her how handsome/pretty he/she looks
34. Tell each other your most sacred secrets/fears
35. Be Prince Charming to her parents
36. Brush her hair out of her face for her
37. Hang out with his/her friends (sesuai ke untuk pasangan Muslim?)
38. Go to mosque together
39. Watch DVD together and remember the parts he/she likes
40. Learn from each other and don't make the same mistake twice
41. Describe the joy you feel just to be with him/her
42. Make sacrifices for each other
43. Really love each other
44. Let there never be a second during any given day that you aren't thinking about them, and make sure they knew it
45. Love yourself before you love anyone else
46. Learn to say sweet things in foreign languages
47. Dedicate songs to them on the radio
48. Fall asleep on the phone with each other
49. Stand up for them when someone talks trash
50. Never forget the good night kiss, and always remember to say 'sweet dreams'


(copied from kak akma's blog....takper ye kak?)

Alamak...otograf

Actually tak berapa reti dan suke tulis otograf nie...waktu zaman sekolah bolehlah layan sebab byk idea..tapi oleh sebab dah hampir 15 tahun tak tulis otograf..try jugaklah yer.

Nama Penuh :
ummu wafi

Nama samaran :
aper yek...ummuwafi or mama mia or afafita

Umur Sekarang:
masih muda...baru 32

Adik Beradik :
5 orang...anak sulung (tgk orglah)

Status :
status apa ni? status kewangan ker..status perkahwinan?
mmm....status kewangan, masih blom jadi jutawan
status perkahwinan....isteri org, ibu kepada 2 anak nak masuk 3

Tarikh Lahir :
bintang Tauruslah

Tempat Lahir :
Oversea..bukan kat mesia

Asal :
Johor

Tempat Kediaman :
Malaysia

Hobi :
bertenet, membaca (especially magazines), berangan, window shopping

Cita-Cita :
Cita-cita abadi sejak azali nak jadi doktor..tapi sekarang kalau dpt title Dr (PhD) kira oraitlah..
amin...

Makanan Kegemaran :
seafood, fruits

Minuman Kegemaran :
banyak...apa yg sedaplah

Warna Kegemaran :
earth tone...(brown, cream) purple

Sukan Diminati :
jrg bersukan..tapi suka renang, gymnastic

Barang-Barang Yg suka Dikumpul :
mcm takder....
tapi lately suka kumpul notebook yg dpt free time gi seminar or conference

Harta Sekarang :
takder harta sgt...
kereta bukan harta, sebab kereta hutang
rumah sendiri takder
family kira hartalah jugak

Nama sekolah Rendah :
SKPR, JB

Nama Sekolah Menengah :
SIGS, JB

Orang Yang Dikasihi :
parents
husband
anak2

Kawan Yang Paling Rapat :
kawan rapat bertukar2 ikut fasa dlm hidup
sekarang nie mcm kak akma, kak maznah, ayu
husband kira oklah gak

Kenangan Manis :
banyaknya...
but mostly time study undergraduate dulu
time mula-mula kenal husbandlah..heheh, time kawin,
first time dpt anak....
entahlah..banyak

Kenangan Pahit :
tak dpt nak recall sekarang nie

Muzik Yg Di kegemari :
mcm mcm.... yg penting lyric and melody mesti sedap

Lagu yg Diminati :
banyak gak...

Tokoh Yg Diminati :

ramai...
al-Ghazzali
Ibnu Khaldun..
etc..

Tempat Yg Ingin Dilawati :
takder yg specific...
tapi nak gi rumah ayu..
and europe

Harapan Masa Depan :
berjaya dlm hidup dunia akhirat
berjaya menjadi seseorang yg dpt membantu menegakkan Islam
berjaya menjadi ibu kepada anak2 yg berjaya...

yg benar,

Mengapa Wanita Istimewa.....

Mengapa WANITA sangat Istimewa.... ..

Mama dan Papa sedang menonton TV, seraya mama berkata. "..i letih
la..dah lewat ni, i nak tido lah...."
Mama pun pegi dapur nak tutup tingkap dapur, nanti masuk pulak
lipas...leceh pulak nanti..dah tu, ade pulak rice cooker dalam
sink..rendam lepas makan tadi..basuh jap...
susun pinggan kat rak, lap dapur..terpercik kena sambal masa masak
tadi...check air panas dalam flusk..takut habis pulak nanti malam anak
nak susu...memang dah kering pun flusk ni, jerang la air...sementara
tunggu air masak, nampak pulak bekas gula dah kosong....salin la
gula...check bubur untuk anak nak hantar ke taska esok..nasib baik ade
lagi...ishh. ..ni lauk bila ni, semalam...dah beku dah...basuh la
kejap....pegi yard, masukkan baju kotor dalam mesin basuh...penat dah
ni, besok je la basuh...sidai kaian lap je lah...
tik...bunyi air dah masak...salin air dalam flusk...ok settle...

baru teringat tak semayang lagi...on da way nak g bilik, papa tgk tv
lagi...nampak pulak beg anak untuk hantar ke taska...check. ..baju 2
pasang, towel...towel kecik utk selsama...calamine lotion untuk sapu
ruam...pampers
4 keping....alamak. .telupa pulak masukkan botol...basuh botol jap...ok
settle...

ternampak pulak beg g keje...emm.. besok nak pakai beg polo coklat lah,
asik2 pakai beg hitam ni je...salin jap barang2 g beg coklat...cek sume
6 poket beg, takut la tetinggal apa2..leceh pulak..selalunya barang yang
tertinggal tu la yang nak pakai nanti...hishhh sempit la beg ni...hangin
je...nak kena beli ni beg baru...rasenya 25 hb ni Sogo sale nih...mana
flyers tadi ek...ha ni die..ok, catit jap kat yellow sticker, nanti
lupa..ok settle...

Tetiba dengar suara papa..."..u buat apa lagi tu..tadi kata nak
tido.."...." ..yelah nak tido la ni..nak smayang jap..."

masuk toilet..buat apa2 yang patut...cuci muka dulu..2 jenis lak
tu...adoi..gosok gigi...smayang. ..pakai toner...pakai treatment
cream...nak lawa and maintain punya pasal lah ni...
nanti orang kata baru anak satu dah macam anak 4 pulak...huhuhuhu. ..

bukak almari...emmm. ..pakai baju hijau ni lah besok...gosok kejap..check
baju papa, baju papa pun kena gosok jugak ni...kat bilik belakang...
la, napa komputer ni tak tutup ni..gelas kopi pun ade lagi, dah bersemut
dah..ishhh ...g dapur, basuh, sambung gosok baju...gantung
elok2...kemaskan baju gantung2...masukkan seluar papa yang dah kotor
dalam tempat kotor...ok settle..

dgr suara papa lagi..."..i dah ngantuk ni.."..dalam pada nak masuk ke
bilik...owh. ..pokok aku dah nak mati ni ha..lupa dah 3 hari tak
siram...ok, siram jap...check jap pintu ni...sah tak kunci lagi...grill
pun tak tutup..ni kalau tak check ni, senang2 je mat indon masuk rompak
umah aku...bukak lampu luar..

ni mainan ni sepah2...masukkan la dalam bakul mainan budak ni...banyak
nya...sampai bawah meja makan pun ade...adoi.. ..ok dah ...

ok dah boleh baring...adoi sakitnya pinggang...cium si comel ni
kejap...selimutkan die...la..napa basah ni...emm, tukar la pempers
ni...tak bagus la brand ni, nanti nak tukar lain la...nanti g Sogo 25 hb
ni beli la skali...ok sayang tido k...kalau boleh jangan la bangun tgh
malam ni eh..tido sampai pagi k...gud nite..sweet dreams...

aaahh...sedapnya dapat baring...mana pulak lotion sapu kurus aku
nih...ha, ni dia...sambil sapu lotion kurus,,,setkan alarm...setkan
program kerja besok...pg kul 9.30 ade meeting..
ahh...boring. ..panas pulak lotion nih..dah la...emm..sedapnya lelapkan
mata...Ya Allah...terima kasih untuk rezekiMU hari ini,...mohon
keberkatan dari mu tuhan...papa pun bangun tutup tv..."...i dah ngantuk
sangat ni...nak tido lah...citer pun tak best malam ni, bola pun
takde..."... selang seminit ...dengar suara papa berkeruh...dah agak
dah....

So?....apa yang peliknya..??

Anda tahu kenapa wanita hidup lebih lama?...SEBAB ADE BANYAK KERJA NAK
KENA BUAT....tu yang tak boleh nak mati cepat tu...


Tak kira la wanita berkerjaya atau surirumah... setiap wanita adalah
istemewa dengan cara mereka sendiri...

Kalau lelaki mengakui kebenaran ini....hormat dah hargailah
mereka...untuk keperibadian dan kebolehan mereka untuk berdikari...

(anecdote ini saya dapat dpd suami saya melalui e-mel...it's true..beginilah routine kita kam Hawa tiap malam sebelum tidor...ada jer yg dibuat dan diuruskan sebelum betul2 dpt melelapkan mata....)