Category Archives: Just a PERFECT Thought

The Importance of Children Hygiene

02 Thursday Aug 2012

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Why is children hygiene so important?  The Webster dictionary definition for the word, “hygiene” means a condition or a practice conductive to health.

In other words, proper hygiene contributes to a healthier lifestyle.  A healthier lifestyle means less doctor visits, less dental visits, and less cost for medical expenses.

Who pays for the medical bills?  Some people have health insurance through work, private insurance policies paid by individuals, or governmental programs.

Teaching our children at an early age about good hygiene is important.  Such as washing their hands after school, after going to the restroom, after playing, and before eating meals.  Bathing on regular basis, meaning at least every other day.

Here is a great article from the Mayo Clinic on the importance of washing our hands.  It contains many helpful tips on the “before” and “after” washing of the hands:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hand-washing/HQ00407

Many of us take proper hygiene for granted.  We learn at an early age the importance of washing our hair, washing our bodies, washing our hands, and brushing our teeth.  But not everyone in our society has the means or the financial benefits to practice proper hygiene.  It can be costly to buy shampoo, conditioner, body wash, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and household cleaning products.

With a struggling economy, people losing their jobs, losing their homes to foreclosure, losing their cars to repossession, and losing their dignity, they are faced with many financial hardships.  We have all looked down our noses at someone less fortunate than ourselves. Making comments, in our heads, such as, this….. “Why don’t they wash their hair?”  “Look how dirty that kid’s hands are, why doesn’t the mother care?”  But in reality, we have no right to judge.  We take proper hygiene for granted, but others less fortunate may not have the same luxury.

Governmental programs help the needy buy food, clothing, medical care and provide housing, but is it enough?

This shouldn’t be a dilemma, but in reality it is.

Written By:  Ask Ms Mandi

Senior Citizens Want to Feel Pretty too…

31 Tuesday Jul 2012

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Senior Citizens want to feel pretty too….. but sometimes they are forgotten at the make-up counter.  The cosmetic lines may target younger women for their make-up lines and older women for certain skin-care lines.

Certain creams reduce and may even eliminate some fine lines and wrinkles.  Whereas, other facial creams, lotions, and serums help to prevent wrinkles and prematuring of the skin.  Subsequently, older women want to feel pretty too. 

First, make-up isn’t only for the young.  Make-up is used to make us feel and look prettier, by enhancing our best features.  Older skin may also benefit with the use of make-up.  Foundation helps to protect the skin from sun damage by adding sun screen protection.  Some foundations actually sit on top of the skin, creating a younger looking appearance. 

Second, when the eyes are enhanced to brighten the eye-area without a lot of eye liner, eye shadow, and mascara, it will brighten up the eye area without making it look overly made up and heavy.  A brighter eye makes a person look more awake and alert.  However, older women should stay away from frosty / glittery shadows.  A matte shadow is much better and won’t insinuate those fine lines and wrinkles on the eye-lids and around the eyes. 

So….. women over 55 years old….. don’t be afraid to stop by the cosmetic counter the next time you are out and purchase a few cosmetic items for your every day cosmetic bag.  A few simple steps and you will feel beautiful again.

Keep your life young and stay beautiful!

Written By:  Ask Ms Mandi

Picking up the Pieces

11 Wednesday Jul 2012

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How much does somebody have to lose before the pendulum starts to swing the other way?  How many times have we said to ourselves:  “Nothing more can happen”, but only to find out that there is always more that can happen.

A failing business can be devastating to the owner, as unemployment becomes the only means of financial survival.  A repossessed vehicle can be detrimental to an individual, while they now find it difficult to accomplish, the once simple, daily tasks that were once taken for granted; such as grocery shopping.  Losing your home to foreclosure can be traumatic to the family as a whole as they walk away from the memories and dreams built inside the walls of their home.  Arguing sets in and the family begins to drift apart, slowly but gaining speed.  One parent moves out to leave the other behind to clean up the shattered pieces of their once perfect life.  Once perfect but now all they are looking for is normalcy, when normalcy used to be so mediocre. 

Tears fall.  How does one explain to their children that they have to leave their life behind to start over in another life.  Walking away from their childhood home is hard, but watching as the life they knew and loved split apart in separation is even harder. 

Picking up the pieces…… that is all any one of us can do…… pick the pieces up and glue them back together.  The life you once had may be gone, but you can be whole again by building a new life.  Stay strong.

Written By:  Ask Ms Mandi

A Stranger

12 Saturday May 2012

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Falling in love is a great feeling.  Being in love means you are blessed.  When do they become a stranger?  It starts out with little things, like he/she stops kissing you when they leave the house, he/she stops saying “I love you” before bedtime, he/she stops looking at you with that sparkle in their eye.  Subtle changes.

If one of you stops trying, the distance grows more and more as time goes on.  He/she stops sleeping in your bed, he/she starts finding fault in everything you do, he/she stops loving you.

You now have a stranger in your heart.

Written By:  Ask Ms Mandi

Warning Signs that your Teenager may be Experimenting with Drugs

26 Thursday Apr 2012

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As parents, we do not want to admit our teenagers are using drugs, but we need to keep our eyes open.  Elementary school years are the years of innocence.  Jr High School may be another story, all together.  Teenagers may go through drastic changes once they hit 7th and 8th grade and high school may be even worst. 

As parents, we need to watch our teenagers for warning signs of possible drug use:

1.  Sudden changes in mood / attitude

2.  Bursts of anger

3.  Isolation from family (spending a lot of time in their room)

4.  Drop in grades

5.  Lack of interest in normal activities

6.  Changes in appetite

7.  Changes in sleeping habits

8.  Lying

9.  Change of friends

10.  Skipping classes / truancy / tardiness

It is our job as parents to keep a close communication with our teenagers / children.  Stay involved in their lives and know where they are and what they are doing when they are not home. 

It is also important to let your kids know you “do” trust them and they can come to you to talk when they need to.  Don’t get your feelings hurt if they don’t talk to you about everything, but stay positive and let them know you are there for them when they do want to talk.

Written By:  Ask Ms Mandi

 

A Memoir: Becoming Forty

23 Monday Apr 2012

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How hard is it for women in their 40’s?  Would one say that it is harder for an aging man or an aging woman?  Being a woman, myself, I can not speak for a man, but turning 40 is probably one of the hardest years of all.  In my opinion, while you are in your 20’s, you are still going to school and learning about yourself.  During the 30’s, you are starting to or have settled down with a husband, buying your first house, and possibly having your first child.  During the 40’s,  you are already established, but questioning your mortality. 

This is when mortality became an issue for me, since there are fewer years left during our lifetime than already lived.  Everything becomes more important; such as, your marriage, your career, and your hobbies.  If you are not happy at this point and time in your life, then now is when it is time to change it. 

Write your bucket list and start enjoying your life.  We as women in our 40’s are still beautiful, it just may take a little more effort and work.  We need to re-assess our diets and our exercise regime.  A diet that worked a decade ago, my not have the same effects in our 40’s.  Women of 40 are still beautiful.  Who knew that we may be even more beautiful than we were in our 30’s and 20’s.  We are now confident in our skin, taking better care of ourselves and living life to our fullest.

Written By:  Ask Ms Mandi

Cleaning the Floor

19 Thursday Apr 2012

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I probably sweep my kitchen floor more than any other chore in my home.  What a pain.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have some floor device that cleaned your kitchen floor for you.  You could turn on a switch, like a light switch and all the dirt, dust, and debris vanished in thin air.  A vacuum in the walls or baseboard that sucked all the dirt away, sounds plausible to me.  They have a vacuum in the walls for our carpet, why not an automatic system to clean our kitchen floors? 

Anything to make the life of a Riverside County Housewife easier is a plus with me, how about you? 

Written By:  Ask Ms Mandi

Memoir: A Riverside County Housewife Continues

11 Wednesday Apr 2012

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The day of a Riverside County Housewife:

Good Morning

Alarm clock goes off at 6am.  Drag myself into the kitchen for a cup of coffee with cream and sugar.  Get into the shower.  Make breakfast for my girls and take them to school.  Turn on computer and write.  Write.  Write. Get a Red Bull.  Write.  Write.  Pick up girls from school.  Help them with homework.  Write.  Make dinner.  Work out. Kiss everyone goodnight.  Read the bible.  Get into bed. 

Goodnight.

Written By:  Ask Ms Mandi

Getting Started

09 Monday Apr 2012

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The hardest part is to “just” get started.  We all have heard of the word,  procrastination, but then there is a time to put that aside and “just” get going.

Every writer knows the term, “writer’s block”.  Every day life can stifle any creativity a writer may be trying to find.  This is when it is time to take a step back, take in a deep breath, and open your mind.  Let you mind wonder where ever it wants to go…. it may amaze you what you may discover. 

A good writer is inspired by an open mind…. and this means that you don’t control what your thoughts may be, just let them flow and with in the process, your creative mind will be free to inspire you into writing something great.

Written By:  Ask Ms Mandi

Wanting to Be a Writer

29 Thursday Mar 2012

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I remember growing up, as a little girl, and my mom telling me that I could be anything I wanted to be when I grew up.  This sent a sense of confidence throughout my heart, knowing that I could be anything I wanted to be.  I decided then, that I wanted to be a writer. 

I learned later, that my mom’s words were not completely accurate.  I could go to college to learn to write, but could I really be a published writer? 

To become a published writer takes more than an education, more than talent, and more than ambition.  It takes the right agent to believe in your work and to actually read it.  It can be frustrating to send out queries to hundreds of agents, without a single interest in reading your manuscript. 

Maybe my mom should have said that I can be anything I wanted to be when I grew up, but it wasn’t guaranteed that hard work would equal success.

Written By:  AskMsMandi