31 Ways to Brighten your Days!

1. Respect yourself.– When you show concern for your own feelings and actions you are respecting yourself. When you reward yourself with a little special treat because you deserve it, you are showing respect for yourself. It gets hard, sometimes, to identify when you need to take care of the family and when you need to take care of yourself, but you must learn how to do it. And don’t try to look around to see what other mothers are doing, because you have to learn your own unique way of identifying how to show yourself respect.

Work daily to find your balance.

2. Manage your time wisely.– Time is so precious. And until we had children, we didn’t realize how precious it really is. Use your time to organize your day. Don’t forget to include a break for you to rejuvenate at some point in the day, even if it’s only for 15 minutes.

3. Be Curious, not Anxious.– As a mother, you worry about almost everything, but it’s pointless. Most things you worry about, you couldn’t change right now anyway. So, why are you allowing your precious time to be used by things that are out of your control.

For example, worrying about college tuition payments to the point where it’s keeping you up at night and your child is just about to start preschool. Don’t get me wrong.
I’m not saying that you shouldn’t be curious about what the future holds, but until you can really do something about the situation, don’t let it rob you of the life you have right now.
“Be Anxious for Nothing..”Philippians 4:6

4. Use Wisdom to Make Decisions.– Wisdom is having the ability to look deep into a situation and pull out is knowledge and understanding. When making decisions, always look for the meaning and the result of the decision, before you take an action. This saves time, frustration, heartaches, headaches and money. For the best results, talk through your thinking aloud, so you can hear how it sounds to you. It is amazing how different saying something in your head sounds, opposed to saying something aloud.

5. Avoid Gossip.– I’ll never understand gossip. How does anyone have time to mind other people’s business, if you’re taking care of your own business? How? I just don’t get it.
Anyway, gossiping hurts you on many different levels. As a mother, you have to protect your reputation, as well as your children’s reputation. If you are considered to be a busybody or a meddler, how are your children going to have a fair advantage in the community, when all they experience is different effects of your negative actions?

I might sound harsh, but I want you to understand how serious gossip can hurt your family. Be a helping hand to someone in need or just let God handle it.

To read more, I invite you to visit the website: Antoinette Capri.

Thank you for Reading. I enjoyed having you here.

Did you know that 1 out of 8 people over 65 years of age will be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s? Who is going to help them? What can we do now?

Below are 7 Tips to help you give good care to an Alzheimer’s resident or friend:
* 1.  Don’t leave them alone for long periods of time

When an Alzheimer’s resident is left alone, they are a danger to themselves. For example, if they are sitting in a chair watching a movie and you decide to get up to use the bathroom, they may stay and watch the movie or they may try to get up and do something else. If they happen to fall down because they forgot how to balance themselves before taking a step, you will be held responsible for their mishap. In this case, you would remedy the problem by getting someone to sit with the resident while you are out of the room.

* 2. Always allow them to express themselves.

Even though the resident has Alzheimer’s they still want attention and to feel important: like a member of the group.
So whenever the resident is talking, please look at them and respond with a head nod or a gentle “Really.”  If they are unable to speak, sometimes they try to get your attention with sounds or by knocking on tables or themselves. Don’t be
alarmed. They know that it is difficult to understand them sometimes and they may even start hitting you because they are frustrated with themselves and mad because they can’t do what they use to do. Please be patient. They don’t mean to lash out at you. It’s a part of the illness.

* 3. Allow yourself time for getting dressed

Getting dressed can be one of the most frustrating parts of the day, but please don’t get discouraged. Many Alzheimer’s residents like to dress themselves and pick out their outfits. Give them a choice between only two outfits, if you plan on going anywhere today. As you assisting them, tell them exactly what you are doing and why. It decreases their fear factor and helps you get it done faster.
* 4. Look at them when you speak

Whenever you want to say something to them, please let the see your mouth moving. Alzheimer’s residents don’t always pay attention to what you are saying because they could be thinking about other things. So, to be safe, always make sure they can see you speaking and are responding to your requests.
* 5. Stick to a customized routine.

A daily routine of tasks and activities is soothing to your resident. They usually become fixed on their responsibilities of the routine, which helps you organize the day. Outside appointments and visitors tend to get them off track, but if you
pre-schedule everything; your resident should follow along with ease.
* 6. Don’t argue with them.

If your resident is upset about something that is not true, really didn’t happen, or something they saw on television, please don’t argue with them. They are confusing information and it’s probably a scary feeling. When you argue with them you could be confusing them more or reminding them that they are
confused in the first place. Just allow them to calm down naturally and then change their focus towards something else.
* 7.  Be Gentle & Kind

You probably have noticed a central theme in all of my tips today and that is to “Be Patient.” The funny part about that phrase is that it is easier said then done.
Dealing with a resident with Alzheimer’s is like dancing with a bear. You just never know when the cuddles will turn into a growl.  Your best bet is to always be gentle, kind, and alert. Always treat them with dignity, respect, and love and you’re doing the best job ever.

Click Here to Download your “31 Ways To Brighten Your Days”ebook. Get it in 5 minutes.

Learn more, go to Antoinette Capri’s Website

Loneliness is defined as being sad that you are alone. What makes
you sad? Are you alone because you want to be or are you alone 
because you think others don’t want to be around you?

Stop torturing yourself and find ways to make being alone a new 
adventure! Look, people only want to be around other people that 
make them feel good or happy. So, if you’re sad and lonely, why 
would anyone want to hang around you? Think about it!

Here are 3 things you can do when loneliness creeps up on you:

1) Learn a new card game.

Solitaire is the most popular card game made for one person,  but all the others are designed for two or more. Get a card game manual from the bookstore or the library and teach yourself how to play many different card games. Chances are, you are bound to use one of them in a social group one day.

2) Learn a new language.

If you learn how to communicate with more than just one group of 
people you will broaden your spectrum of acquaintances and open 
up your life to new experiences. Join a language course online or 
go to your library and study for free. Foreign language will come 
in handy for friends and for a new job.

3) Learn what makes YOU happy.

How are you going to be around others if you don’t know what you want to do? Visit different restaurants, take in all types of entertainment, listen to different kinds of music and write yourself letters of endearment. You may think this is crazy at  first, but once you start doing it a couple of times, you will start to realize how necessary and good it feels to have close attention paid to you like you would want from someone else.

Remember, don’t ask of others what you are not willing to do for yourself. Loneliness is just a state of mind and if you change your mindset, you can change your life.

Don’t forget to Download your “31 Ways To Brighten Your Days!” ebook today! 

Get more, Go to http://www.antoinettecapri.com

Children are very inquisitive and open to new learning experiences at all times. They like to use their natural senses to gain more information from day to day and explore new ideas as they come to mind. However, as a parent, some knowledge and exploration of your children can leave you breathless and amazed. In this article, I have listed 7 questions that may make you uncomfortable discussing with your children and responses that might soften the blow.

1.

Question: Where do babies come from?

Answer: Babies come from Heaven and are placed gently in a woman’s stomach so she can experience the joy of seeing her child come to life.

2.

Question: Why do babies come from Heaven?

Answer: When there is a job that needs to be done that only a special new child can do, a baby has to be born.

3.

Question: What is Heaven?

Answer: Heaven is a place where unbelievable ideas and dreams live forever and you can only see it when you stop living on Earth. You must live your life so well, that you want to go where dreams and visions live forever.

4.

Question: Why do we have plenty of money and others are poor?

Answer: We all must live life at different levels because our experiences give us lessons that will be helpful to someone else in the future. Just because you have money now, doesn’t mean you will always have money. Prepare yourself for anything to happen, so that when bad times come, you can make it through to the good times again.

5.

Question: Who am I?

Answer: Who do you think you are?

            What do you want to be?            Why?

            You are going to spend your lifetime asking that question, but the best way to find out is to ask God. He created you and he has all the answers.  We ask God in our prayers.

6.

Question: Who is God?

Answer: God is a wonderfully, undefined, loving spirit that watches and protects us, even when we don’t know he’s there.

7.

Question: If we don’t know he’s there, why do we pray?

Answer:  When you are a believer in him, he is a believer of you. God is Goodness & Mercy and he guides and protects those that believe in him.

To sum it up, never be afraid to answer any questions that your child may ask, even if you don’t know the answer. When you don’t know, don’t feel embarrassed. Let your child know that you don’t have the answer, but you both will find out together. By doing this, you will build a bond and a trust in one another that will last a lifetime.

Click Here to Download your “31 Ways To Brighten Your Days”ebook. Get it in 5 minutes.

Get more, go to http://www.antoinettecapri.com

Enjoy yourself.

What is stress?

By definition it means to put strain on something or somebody.

For instance, in speech we stress a point, meaning put more effort and energy in making a subject as clear as possible to the receiver of the message.

In vocabulary, we stress the sound of a letter to give it more sound and emphasis; making the word sound different or more powerful.

And in music, we stress certain notes to give a song a stronger sound or a different feeling.

So, it makes sense that stress can do the same thing to our bodies.

When we overwork, overexert, overextend, our bodies we put a strain on our systems that causes them to fight back and when they fight back we feel pain.

Headaches, backaches, muscle aches, stomachaches, sore joints, weight gain, weight loss, and fatigue are all signs of distress in the body.

But guess what?

You can fight back in a good way that will leave you energized, refreshed, renewed and ready to take on the world!

Want to know how?  Really?  You sure?

Ok. Ok. I’ll stop messing around.

It’s KINDNESS!

Would you believe that taking a bad situation and making it a good situation may increase your life by about 5%?

Some experts say that people who are kind and generous to others during the course of their life, usually live 4-5 years longer than people that are mean, nasty and stingy.

So, how do we become kind to others, but still maintain our respect and dignity?

Simple.

Always try to create a win-win situation.

What is a win-win situation?

ok. Let’s say you have a deadline to meet by 2pm and you just received an emergency phone call from another client that must be handled immediately and the time now is 12:45pm?

What do you do? If you help the client on the phone, you won’t meet your deadline and if you finish your work, you may lose your client?

Here’s my solution.

Answer the phone call. Let the client give you all the necessary information (write it down while they are talking); then ask to place them on hold.

While the client is on hold, breathe in your nose and out through your mouth (3) good times. Now it’s time to prioritize.

Check your workload and determine what absolutely must be done today, what work has a grace period and what work can be completed in the morning.

Return to client on the phone, satisfy their needs and then wish them well.
 
After the call, reassess your plans and stay focused. If you start to feel overwhelmed, softly hum a few notes of your favorite song to yourself or try deep breathing again for 30-45 seconds. 

Now you know you have a lot to do and a very short time to do it.
This is generally when people will start to ask you all kinds of questions, want some advice, send you text messages or try to take you to lunch. 

DON’T GET FRUSTRATED OR UPSET!

Just breathe in your nose and out through your mouth and kindly let everyone know you have a deadline and you can’t talk right now.
ASK them to write it down (so they don’t forget) and you will get to them as soon as you can.

If they still don’t get it, just start humming. That should do the trick.

If that doesn’t work, then you have a security issue that needs to be handled with the superiors. If you are the superior, you may have to find some new help.:-)

Bottom line, stress can be managed and controlled.  If you always try to look for the win-win situation, be kind, learn to control your emotions, and stay focused; you will master any situation that comes your way.

Practice kindness in every situation that you face until it becomes your second nature. It’s not easy, but it can be done. In time, you will see yourself growing stronger, wiser and more confident than you’ve ever been in your life.

To your personal maturity and success,
A. Capri

By the way, Click Here to Download your ebook ”31 Ways to Brighten Your Days.” Get it in 5 minutes.

Great to use with your Kindle or Nook.

P.S.   You are a one-of-a-kind GEM, so let your light shine!

P.P.S  Please tell me what you think of this post in the comments section below. THANKS!