This Food Was Labeled “Too Ugly” But Just Wait Until You See The Good It Does

Source: Better Homes and Gardens

Food waste is one of the most insidious global tragedies of the modern era. While people in the developed world die of obesity-caused illness, one in four people in Sub-Saharan Africa are undernourished. In the midst of this tragically skewed distribution of sustenance, an astounding third of all food produced in the world is lost or wasted, according to The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). When converted to money, this amounts to a horrifying figure of one trillion dollars – which is, frustratingly, much more than the $3.2 billion that the World Food Project determined it would take to feed all 66 million hungry school-age children.
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It’s easy to see the injustice in these numbers, but unfortunately coming up with a solution is much harder. Feeding the 5000 is one organization dedicated to addressing the problem of food waste. According to their research, forty percent of food in America does not get consumed, due to cosmetic flaws or simple over-abundance. They estimate that three billion hungry people could be fed if we simply saved our food instead of throwing out what’s left over or unwanted.

Feeding the 5000 is redistributing food that would otherwise be unused back into the community – and they’re doing it in the coolest way possible. The organization has taken the traditional soup kitchen model, and turned it into an event that more closely resembles a music festival. The meals they host feature live DJs, cooking tutorials, and a group of people who truly get excited about the difference they are making in the world. They take food that has been determined to be unfit for sale due to a cosmetic flaw, which is still safe, nutritious, and tasty, and create a feast for the masses. Then, they teach others how to create similarly tasty, healthy, and inexpensive meals at home. Afterwards, those in need leave the event with as much free food as they would like to take with them.
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 I found this idea to be super exciting, but was not sure how to help since there were no upcoming events near me. However, I found a quick and easy way to contribute by educating myself on their website and signing their Food Waste Pledge. I encourage you to do the same, and to come up with your own way to combat food waste and inspire others to share the nutritious wealth.

Source: Better Homes and Gardens

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How To Deal With Top 3 Parenting Challenges

No matter what approach we take in raising our children, they are bound to act out at some point in a way that we consider to be unacceptable. All parents know the feeling – your head fills with confusion, your heart fills with shame, and you wonder just where you went wrong that led to your child’s decision to hit her sister, talk back to his teacher, or throw a kicking and screaming fit over a cookie at the store. Thankfully, you are not alone. Rebecca Eanes, the founder of Positive-Parents.org, asked over nine thousand mothers and fathers which behaviors their children exhibited that truly made them lose their cool, and the results were refreshingly familiar. Here is my favorite advice (compiled from her website, as well as Love and Logic, other experts, and personal experience) on three of the big ones: aggression, tantrums, and back talk.
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Aggression

There are very few things worse than watching your child hurt someone else – so how do we deal when it happens?

-Do not meet violence with violence. Traditional discipline dictates that a child who hits should be hit or spanked himself. However, this only shows the child that hitting out of anger and frustration is okay. Furthermore, it will keep the child in that reactive fight-or-flight state, during which she cannot effectively examine her behavior in a reasoned way and learn how to do better next time.

-Listen and empathize. Let the child tell you why he kicked his friend, and tell him that you understand why he felt frustrated and hurt. Calmly explain that kicking is not acceptable and will not be tolerated. Then, discuss non-violent ways that these feelings can be handled in the future.
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-Set firm limits that you are willing to enforce. Be clear about the consequences for aggressive behavior, and make sure that you follow through every time. For example, do not tell your daughter that if she kicks her brother under the table she will lose her dessert, and then cave in and give her a scoop of ice cream after her attitude turns around. Similarly, don’t tell your son that you won’t take him to the pool anymore if he hits, knowing full well you’ve already paid for six weeks of swim lessons. This teaches them that your rules are just empty threats, and encourages them to manipulate their way out of facing the consequences of bad behavior.

Tantrums

Ah, the tantrum – enemy of grocery lists everywhere. Sadly I have yet to come across a magical fix, but I have learned the following:

– Contrary to popular belief, most children will not throw a tantrum in an effort to manipulate their parents. Rather, a temper tantrum is how a child deals with overwhelming emotions that are too difficult for him to understand or express.  It is only when you give in to your child every time she throws a tantrum that she can learn to use this behavior as a means of control.
Why Every Child Should Talk Back to Their Parents

-Understand that tantrums are involuntary and inevitable. A child’s prefrontal cortex is not yet fully developed. This is the part of the brain that regulates emotion and social behavior. Unfortunately, this means that tantrum prevention is futile – and effective tantrum management varies widely from child to child, since tantrums are as wildly diverse as the children throwing them.

-The most commonly recommended techniques for managing a tantrum are to completely disengage by ignoring it and walking away, or to actively empathize with the child, trying to calm him down and work through his feelings. For my child, I find that either of these approaches will work well as long as I distract him with something else. However, he is a one and a half year old with little kid problems, like a stacking ring that falls off his head or a purse he is not allowed to open – so he is much easier to redirect than an older child might be. As I explained above, every child is different – find a method that works with yours, and don’t beat yourself up when the tantrums continue to happen despite your best efforts. It’s in their nature.
Research Shows that Problem Children make Better Adults

Back Talk

My child is not much of a talker yet, but he can already sass with the best of them. When I tell him no, he will often listen (hooray!), and then look at me and make an angry, aggressive noise with a pout. We are really just hoping for him to listen and obey at this age, so we let his back pre-talk slide. While his attempts at back talk are harmless and a little bit cute now, they will become less so as he grows older – so I found some advice to ready myself for this battle.

-Differentiate between problematic back talk and a valid complaint. Teach your child to voice her disagreement and address conflicts with authority in a respectful manner, so she does not feel that talking back with an attitude of disrespect is her only option when she wants to be heard. When she does have a problem with you, listen respectfully. Do not chalk it up to back talk and shut it down just to avoid conflict and assert your authority.

-Construct clear boundaries. Explain to your child that he may tell you why he thinks a rule is unfair using a calm tone, respectful language, and a willingness to understand that although you will listen, he may still not get his way. Give your child a firm understanding of what kinds of speech and behavior will end the conversation. Respectfully disengage when these ground rules are broken, using a phrase like “I am not open to arguing about this issue when you use unkind language”.

-Reassure your child that even people who love one another very much disagree often, and that no one makes perfect decisions one hundred percent of the time. Tell him you are trying your best to do what is right for him because you love him very much.

Every child is different, and each one will require a unique style of parenting in order to grow into a happy, healthy, and productive member of society. Do what feels right to you, and don’t beat yourself up when you get it wrong. We all do – and all we can really give our children is our best.

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Four Reasons to Let Your Relationship Go

George Eliot once said “What greater thing is there for two human souls than to feel that they are joined… to strengthen each other… to be at one with each other in silent unspeakable memories.” At our deepest core, each of us crave a life partner to share this kind of connection with. Sometimes, however, we become so desperate for this soul-level partnership that we might settle for less than we deserve. While most relationship struggles can be overcome with hard work and compassion, there are some things that will stop even the most promising of connections from being able to grow. In these situations, it is best to simply abandon ship.
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Here are four signs that your relationship is not worth saving:

1. You, alone, are doing all the work.

Relationships are very difficult to keep going, and both partners need to be one hundred percent invested to make it work. No matter how much effort you are putting in, your partnership will not last unless your significant other is working equally hard. You both need to be giving it all you’ve got. The tremendous amount of compromise, forgiveness, and affection that a healthy partnership requires is too much for one person to bear alone. If you are in a one-sided relationship, it might be time to leave and find somebody who is willing to share the weight and treat you with fairness and respect.
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2. Your life plans are incompatible.

He wants to settle down and start a family, and she wants to travel the world. She wants a big house in the suburbs to fill with children, and he wants to spend the next ten years doing missionary work in Africa. I’ve seen it a million times – partners who are deeply in love, but are not headed to the same destination. If one partner drags the other along unwillingly, they will both be dissatisfied in the end. One will have made an unfair compromise, and the other will be with a partner who deeply resents them and does not share their love of the life they’ve built together. Eventually they will be forced to part ways.In Brain Drain, The Breakthrough That Will Change Your Life, Charles F. Glassman wrote “Before you find your soul mate, you must first discover your soul.” To find a partnership that works, be true to your soul and seek out a person whose life path matches your own.

3. You push each other away when things get hard.

Even if you come back together beautifully during the good times, this is a huge red flag. You are likely not past the toughest times you will face as a couple. There are a million more struggles waiting for you down the road, and some of them will be far too much for you to face alone. Learning to lean on your partner during the hard times can be a difficult skill to master, especially if you have a strong sense of independence. It is absolutely necessary, though. These struggles are the “make or break” points in most relationships. Coming together during a challenge will strengthen your love and sense of trust in one another. Pushing your partner away will weaken your bond and breed insecurities, which could ultimately cause the relationship to come undone.
Improve Your Relationship by Asking Your Partner These Questions

4. You do not accept one another’s authentic self.

Everyone has flaws. One of the best parts of being in a committed relationship is knowing your partner will love you despite them. Your significant other should be a soft place for you to fall, even if your make-up is running down your face and your hair is a hot mess. That’s not to say you shouldn’t work on your shortcomings – both of you need to be bringing your best self to the relationship. However, if your partnership is going to be a happy one, your best needs to be enough. Sometimes your partner’s best self might be running an hour late, burning dinner, or leaving muddy footprints on the kitchen floor. Sometimes your best self might be irritable, pretentious, or hopelessly scatterbrained. Life is hard, and you need to be able to lean on your significant other to get through it – even when you’re at your most unappealing. A partner who makes you feel self-conscious and guilty when it comes to your flaws will lower your self-esteem and chip away at the trust in your relationship. As Thomas Merton said, “The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them.”

Deciding to let go of a partnership is always difficult. However, by breaking free of a relationship that is keeping you down, you are opening yourself up to the possibility of a stronger and safer one. Be strong, and do not settle for less than you deserve. There is someone out there who will put in the effort, share your dreams, let you cry on their shoulder, and love you for exactly who you are. Go and find them.

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4 Things Your Star Student Needs to Hear

It takes more than intelligence to get ahead in today’s world. The pressure to succeed can push parents and their children into long hours of studying, toxic levels of stress, and crushing feelings of inadequacy and isolation. Today’s educational and professional landscapes are more competitive than ever, and well meaning parents and teachers can drive their high achieving students to the brink. By giving our children a tremendous amount of academic support with little to no focus on their mental and emotional health, we are putting them in a dangerous place. A survey of students by the American College Health Association found that 45.6 percent of students reported feeling hopeless, and 30.7 percent reported feeling so depressed that it was difficult to function during the past 12 months.
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What can we do to help our success-driven students, children, and loved ones?

Here are four lessons you need to teach the star student in your life that could help to keep them from burning out:

Prioritize Your Health.

In order to perform at their best, your student needs to be physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy. This includes leading a full life and managing their academic stress. An excessive level of stress can have a tremendous impact on the human body, and will ultimately hurt your student’s academic performance. By encouraging your child to take a lighter course load, you may fear that you are keeping him from achieving his full potential. In reality, however, you may be doing just the opposite. Stand by your word – allow your daughter to put off her homework to go for a run, and excuse your son from doing an extra-credit assignment so he can catch up on his sleep. Encourage your students to put their health first, and scholastic aptitude will follow.
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Manage Your Time Wisely.

Time management has, unfortunately, become somewhat of a buzzword. Many students are told constantly that they need to master this concept, but given few tools to do so. Good time management is a skill that every student needs continuous and tangible help in developing. Most high achievers are inclined to over-schedule themselves and wind up with more commitments than they are realistically prepared to handle. Utilizing every moment productively may be a smart method of time management, but it is not a wise one. Help your student to plan her day, week, and month, and ensure that she builds in a block of time in which to do nothing but relax. Explain to her why this is important, and help her to maintain this sense of balance.
Research Shows that Problem Children make Better Adults

Don’t Be Afraid to Lean on Others.

Many top students mistakenly feel that asking for help is a sign of weakness and incompetence. By contrast, most high achieving adults rely heavily on a strong support network, both in their personal and professional lives. Like time management, building and maintaining a support system is a skill that will serve your student well in his future career. Help him to develop it, and stress the importance of leaning on others and allowing others to lean on him. Encourage him to form study groups, engage in community service, and talk to others about his fears and frustrations. Isolation can make stress much more unbearable than it has to be.

Imperfection is Okay.

Perfectionist students can be very tricky to manage. It is difficult for them to learn by making mistakes, even though errors are among the most common and effective learning tools. It is also very hard for them to accept feedback, because they are so deeply invested in achieving that elusive idea of perfection. Although it is not realistic to expect a perfectionist to change their very nature, it is important to give these students a sense of perspective. Myra Woolfson of the University of Nottingham’s counseling center encourages you to tell a perfectionist student “Remember: you are not your results. A degree classification is not a judgement of your merit or the guarantee of a terrific life. If you don’t do well, it doesn’t mean you won’t find interesting or satisfying work.” Help them breathe.

Remember that even the best of students are only human – and they need to be reminded of this daily. Use these four lessons to help your child fight burnout and become not only a successful student, but a successful human being as well.

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10 Signs Adulthood is Sneaking Up On You

You would think that every boy grows up to be a man eventually, but the sad truth is that many avoid this transformation at all costs. The same goes for girls becoming women – and who could blame us? Being a college kid sounds like much more fun than being a reliable parent or a diligent employee. In fact, many of us miss the moment when we have crossed over to the other side. One day you might just wake up and wonder – when did I start clipping coupons and gardening? Where did all these kids come from? When did I buy a mini-van and become a responsible member of my community?
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Don’t let this transformation catch you off guard. Here are ten sneaky signs you might be entering real adulthood:

Your circle of friends is shrinking.

Remember that giant crowd of girls you used to hit the bars with? Where did they all go? Some might have gone shrieking off into the night in a drunken haze, while others sneak away into their own adulthood, filled with responsibilities and limitations. Don’t worry, though – your adult friendships, though fewer, will be equally close and rewarding. If you have ever called a friend in the middle of the night with a question about your baby’s rash and poop consistency, you are already there.

You’re excited to talk to your mom –

and not just because you need money. As you gain independence, it is natural for your parents to loosen the reigns a bit. Your dad will become less of an authority figure and more of a friend. Your mom’s quirks will start to seem adorable, rather than humiliating. You’ll realize they’re really kind of great and fun after all.

Pregnancy announcements are met with joy, rather than panic.

You don’t ask if she’s going to keep it. You don’t ask if he’s absolutely sure it’s his baby. It is and they are, because they’ve been married for two years now and live in a three bedroom house. They might have even thrown one of these adorable announcements up on Facebook. Speaking of which…

You’re one step behind on social media.

They lost me at Instagram, and now, according to my teenage cousin, nobody’s even doing that anymore and everyone’s on Snapchat. I’m still using Facebook with all the other moms, politely liking each other’s baby pictures and inviting one another to book clubs and family nature hikes. I’m at peace with that.
Friends Who Grow Up Together Stick Together

You share your feelings with your partner –

and not by screaming and throwing dishes. You have experienced enough of life to understand the value of emotional expression and having a soft place to fall. You are no longer afraid to be vulnerable with your significant other.

You don’t go out on weeknights.

Now that you have an important and grown up job, a good night’s sleep is starting to sound infinitely more appealing than a hangover. You also might be starting to tire of crowds, noise, and strobe lights. As Lorde put it, “I’m kind of over getting told to throw my hands up in the air…so there.”

In fact, “going out” in itself means a whole different thing.

For the reasons described above, and thanks to your blissfully strengthened financial resources, you might be more likely to find yourself at a fancy restaurant than a bumpin’ club. This one really hits home when you return to go to bed and realize your babysitter is on her way out to start her own night – and that you have a babysitter.

“Bros before hos” is over.

So is “chicks before dicks.” You and your partner are in it for the long haul now, and you need to be one another’s first priority.

You embrace little weekday pleasures –

think morning commute playlists, healthy and affordable lunches, and the new coffee special. Weekdays solidly outnumber weekends, and you might as well find little parts of them to cherish. Don’t wish your life away waiting for Friday. Live it now.

You would NEVER say something like “YOLO” –

not only because it’s obnoxious and you look silly doing it, but also because you no longer agree with the spirit of the phrase. The fact that we only live once is not an excuse to do something stupid. It’s a reason to open that 401k and invest in quality furniture. Exception – you get bonus adult points if you say YOLO while doing something of that nature.

Being a grown-up is actually pretty great. I get to eat as much candy as I want, and I don’t have to ask permission to go to the bathroom. I do have to take my toddler with me though, and apologize to the woman in the next stall when he pops his head under the divider to say “hi.” Life is all about trade-offs, and I’m pretty pleased with the ones I made when I crossed over into adulthood.

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Baby Eli Was Born Without A Nose And He’s Adorable!

Back in March of last year, a beautiful baby boy named Eli was born, but there was something different about him- he was born without a nose.
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The extremely rare condition is called ‘congenital arhinia’, and affects only 1 in 197,000,000. It is so rare, there have only been 43 reported cases worldwide since 1931.

Congenital arhinia is “partial, or complete absence of the nose at birth.” As you can imagine, it makes breathing rather difficult, and it is impossible while a baby is feeding. Because of this, Eli needed a tracheotomy, and at the age of 5 days old, he received one.

Facebook/Eli’s Story

“I had been in labor for 23 hours with him. To be honest I thought I was hallucinating when I noticed that he didn’t have a nose,” Eli’s mother, Brandi McGalthery told USA Today.

At the time of his birth, doctors were uncertain if Eli had sinus cavities. However, when Eli reached the age of three months, his mother shared this information on Facebook:

“Our sweet Eli no longer has microcephaly (abnormally small head/brain), his body is producing testosterone on its own finally (no hormone therapy for us!), AND (drum roll, please) HE HAS MAXILLARY SINUS CAVITIES! Those are located in his cheekbones. We are still uncertain if he has ethmoid cavities (the ones behind his nose), but we are so thankful for all of this wonderful news! We are so blessed!”

Facebook/Eli’s Story

At the age of 7 months, Eli met another child with the same rare condition- a young girl from Ireland named Tessa Evans. 2 1/2 year old Tessa immediately found a friend in baby Eli, as you can see in the photo below.

AL.com

Later that year, Eli celebrated his first Christmas. The 9 month old met Santa Claus and “he went straight for the beard,” said his grandmother, Norma Mayzes.

The world has fallen in love with this beautiful miracle, and Eli seems to have fallen in love with the world.

Diply

By Raven Fon

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Can Money Buy Happiness? New Study Sheds Light on The Subject

Most of us would agree that money, in itself, does not buy happiness. However, its purchasing power can go a long way towards making life more pleasant.

It has always been my personal opinion that the inclination to deny any connection between cash and happiness is a luxury reserved for those who have always had enough to get by. Anyone living paycheck to paycheck – like most Americans – will likely admit that an unexpected deposit in their bank account would do wonders for their mood. It is easy to understand how money can provide a sense of security and relieve stress. However, there may be even more to the connection between cash and contentment than that, according to a new study.
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A University of Cambridge study that was recently published in Psychological Science examined the correlation between happiness, spending, income, and the tendency of a subject’s purchases to be an expression of their personality. For example, the purchase of a bicycle for an athlete or a donation to a political movement for an activist would be strongly linked to each subject’s authentic self. The study examined more than 76,000 bank transaction records, delving deeply into the nature of each purchase as a representation of the spender. The results determined that the link between happiness and personality-fitting purchases was even stronger than the link between happiness and total spending and income. Put more simply, choosing to purchase something you love is even more important than having enough spending money to comfortably do so.

They also determined that the more closely a subject’s purchases fit their personality, the higher the subject rated their overall life satisfaction.

“In summary,” concluded the authors, “when spending matches the buyer’s personality, it appears that money can indeed buy happiness.”
Research says money CAN make you happy…if you

This study is especially relevant because it went beyond the obvious effect of financial security on our sense of happiness. By accounting for the link between available spending money and happiness as well, the authors were able to prove that our spending choices are even more important than our ability to spend a lot. As Will Rogers brilliantly warned, “Too many people spend money they earned…to buy things they don’t want…to impress people that they don’t like.” Don’t be one of those people. Know yourself, and use your money to reflect who you are.

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