David Power’s Neighborhood

Yes, my friends it has been awhile!  Let's just say that I had some personal things and changes come up and had to take a break!  But I'm back, in charge, and ready to write once again!

Ahhhhhhh teens!  Yes, they're fun aren't they?  Well sure they can be, but sometimes they can also be trouble!

Think about what they are feeling though.  At this age they have discovered their self independence and want to be a little more independent now.  They start to push us parents away and don't talk to us as much or maybe they don't give us as many hugs and kisses as they used to.  That's OK, this is all normal.  They can't be your little baby forever.

It drives you crazy how they act.  It drives you crazy how secretive they are.  It drives you crazy how they dress.  Etc....

Hey, we have all been teenagers.  Think back to how you were.  I'm sure that you weren't perfect and I'm also sure that you can take the lessons that you learned from your own experiences as a teen, good and bad, and use those lessons to help raise your own.

I'm glad to be back and writing......

Until next time!

Hey there sunshine

Skipping Breakfast is the leading bad food habit for teenagers. According to the American Dietetic Association, more than half of male teens and more than two-thirds of female teens do not eat breakfast on a regular basis. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Eating breakfast can upstart your teen’s metabolism, which helps with weight control, mood and school performance.

You can ensure that your teen eats a healthy breakfast by making the foods readily accessible to him. Make it a part of your routine to put breakfast on the table and sit with your teen while you both enjoy a healthy breakfast. Or, if time is a problem, go for the grab and eat on the way breakfasts that are now on the market.

The next unhealthy food habit teens have is increased foods from 'other' food group. Think of the food pyramid, the 'other' food group is the smallest smallest section at the top with what is supposed to be the least amount of servings. Teens tend to eat too much high fat and calorie snack foods that are categorized in the 'other' food group.

You can help teens break this habit by having fruits and healthy snacks available more often then having high fat and calorie snacks available. It is easier to grab a bag of chips at the grocery store then picking up a bag of oranges and remembering to wash, quarter and put them out on the table during snack time. But the benefits to your teen’s health are worth the effort.

Increased eating outside of the home is another bad food habit teens have. Teens hit the fast food restaurants much more often then they did when they were younger. This tends to be because of school, sports and work schedules overlapping regular meal times.

To circumvent this bad habit, talk to your teen about only eating fast food once a week. Then make dinner and healthy food available to him when he has the time. This is as easy as fixing a plate for him and allowing him to heat it up when he gets home from his sports practice. Or having sandwich fixings ready when he gets home from school and has to run off to work.

Last, but not least, in this list of bad food habits is soft drink consumption. A study looking at American youths aged 6-17 found an increase in the prevalence of soft drink consumption from 37% in 1978 to 56% in 1998. You can help your teen choose a healthier drink by having fruit juice and water available and not buying soda. Or try fruit flavored carbonated water instead of soda. My teens really like these.

One common denominator for getting teens to eat healthier and avoid these bad food habits is your active role in providing healthy foods. When you get in the habit of making these foods more readily available to your teen, you will see a change in their eating habits.

So let's start this year off with better eating habits and not just for us, for our kids!

I want to wish all of you a great Christmas Eve.  I have a new blog post up at Steve's Sales and Leadership Development Blog

See you after the holiday.

Steve
Persuasion Expert

For some reason this story has captured my attention and pulled at my heart.  I've been following the story since it broke and can't seem to quit thinking about how horrible it is.
Though this happens many times a year, this story about little Caylee Anthony has really got me thinking.....
In the animal kingdom it is normal for a mother to kill or maim their young, and though we are merely animals we are also human.  We have feelings and sympathy and we know right from wrong.  But what happens when a human mother kills her own children?  What goes through her mind when she is holding their head under water or wrapping her hands around their throat taking their life away?  What are they thinking?
I've met a girl in my lifetime who took her new born baby and threw it in a dumpster to leave it to die.  I talked to her a little about it and her explanation was that she wasn't thinking straight at the time.  She thought that the baby was dead, but then the baby started to cry after she dumped it and she left the baby anyway because she didn't want to take care of it.  Selfish!! 
The baby was found by somebody and was saved.  She went to jail for a while, but was only a child herself so she didn't serve much time for this crime.  I always wondered what happened to her and wondered if she ever had any other children.  Maybe I'll check into that some time.  She was always a little off mentally and I'm sure that is the problem with any woman who kills her child.  You would have to be wouldn't you?
The mother of Caylee Anthony has been arrested in this case and is being charged with her murder, amongst other things.  This mother didn't even report her missing until after a month after she had disappeared!  She was leading her life like normal and was even out partying with her friends while her child was missing!  Unbelievable!!  Even if she is found not guilty of this baby's murder she should still be found guilty of neglecting her child at the least.  What mother would have her child missing for a month and not report it?  A guilty one???
These are my thoughts:
Being a mother is not a right!  It's a privilege.  Children are miracles and should be thought of in that way.  You have been given the privilege from your God to raise this miracle and soak in the happiness that this miracle will give you along the way.  I believe that you are special when you can take your love and share it with a child, and that means natural mother's and adoptive mother's....You are all special when you share your love with a child, and if you can't share your love and only have hate or regret for your child, reach out and give that child to someone who can!  You will be blessed further down the road eventually.
Take Care!
Merry Christmas.....and love your children unconditionally!

My internet is back up and running and I think that we are all unpacked.  Well, most of the stuff!  Love our new place!  The energy here is fabulous...should help with my motivation with writing and other things!

Will write soon!!!!

Talk about a loss of momentum! Anyway I am finally back online and will be commenting again on my blogs and web sites.  It's good to be back.

Steve

I should be back and up and running by next week sometime.  I'm in the process of moving back down to the San Diego area and the Internet will be down for a few days to a week.  I am also the victim of the economy crisis and the company that I work for is making cutbacks because of it.  I am one of the cutbacks.  I have until December 31st and then my job is gone.

Wish me luck in the ole' job hunt.....I hear it's horrible out there!  I'm a little scared and stressed to say the least, but I have a lot of support from my family.

Just gotta stay tough!  Hey, maybe the Government will bail me out?????  :)~

Until next week!!!

I am going to apologize in advance for my absence, but I am moving my computer and shifting internet service today and tomorrow and will have limited access to Internet for the next 36 - 48 hours.

I will catch up with everyone when I return.

Have a great week.

Sell something.

Steve

As Matt Shields can attest, computer viruses can be nasty.  Here is one you might see in the near future...

Snopes says this virus is real.

You receive notification that a UPS or FedEx package had the wrong address. You are asked to print out an invoice. Don't. Blip the message without opening it.

This virus has been around since mid-July, but it is likely to be sent out, big time, at Christmas.

Forewarned is forearmed.

Steve

Persuasion & Influence