By Manuel Cruz

It’s a true fact that if you send your kids out to school in the morning with a nutritional breakfast inside of them. They will have the energy that they need to get through the day as well as giving their brain the goodness that it needs to help with the process of learning.

Regardless of anything you may otherwise believe, all kids absolutely need breakfast. Without it, they stand the risk of drudging their way through a sluggish morning devoid of any nutrients and minerals that feed the body and mind with energy.

You don’t need to be super creative when planning breakfast for your children, but you should know that there are plenty of options and possibilities and shouldn’t lose sight of this fact. Let’s take a look at some of the things you may want to consider.

If you have waffles for breakfast, why not make extra sometimes? That way you could freeze some to use at a later date. This could come in handy if you are running late. Just pop a couple of them in the toaster and then add a topping of your choice.

The most important part about breakfast is making sure that you’re consuming foods that are good for the body. Don’t neglect this small point, as the energy the right foods give will be a great contributor to a great day.

A couple of slices of toast in the morning are a good alternative, topped off with a bit of jam, a glass of fruit juice and away you go. Or if you prefer the cereal in the morning, why not try a slice of fruit with it?

A glass of milk contains plenty of vitamins and goodness that your kids need. If you are running late, why not give them a breakfast bar to keep them going.

It will seem a long time from breakfast to lunchtime, so it is vital that you make sure that you send your kids off to school with a nice full tummy.

By: Heather Laurie

When I was a young wife with no children I had some limitations to preparing my home and feathering my nest. I would take all day to accomplish what most could do in a hour or less. I would have to work, stop and sit for an half an hour. Then repeat again and again.

I wasn’t very organized about my home making and I was brand new to the idea of having my own home. I loved to cook complicated meals and impress my new hubby. He in turn would come home and pamper me. He would finish up any last chores. He also had plenty of energy to help me with any big projects. Life was different but pretty easy.

Then I had my first child. . . My tiredness went from moderate to extreme and my medical problems made life a bit more difficult. Then for several years the Lord raised his hand and protected us from much of the medical problems I had been having. My health took a turn for the best!

That time has passed and I am dealing with chronic health problems yet again. The difference is now I have 5 children and a much larger house to manage. Those lovely children also have special needs that I need to tend.

Now I am the happy home maker with 5 children to help (or hinder depending on their mood [smile]) I still greatly enjoy impressing my wonderful hubby with a new recipe. I still want a feathered nest, clean home, and good food on the table. I realize now that in order to accomplish this I have to have a plan. I cannot just hope to get a vague amount of work done and believe the kids will naturally tidy up their area. So I have a plan!

1) ALL people in the home must help with home cleanliness.

2) I MUST cut down on the amount of stuff we have.

3) A menu is a MUST for my chronically tired mind. At the end of the day I am often so tired, I am just doing what I need to do to get through the day. If I have menu then I don’t have to try to remember what all we have, what recipe to use, and then make it all. On particularly bad days the crockpot is a great helper!

4) Everything MUST have a place of it will be on the floor.I don’t have the energy to constantly go through a pile of misc. stuff on tables, stairs, around the door. If it doesn’t have an owner and no clear purpose in the home it heads right back out the door.

5) You and your husband MUST come to a MUTUAL understanding of what you can do and what you can’t. This can also be adjusted as to whether you are actively sick, such as an MS flare or experiencing the less exhausting long low chronic nature of your illness. This mutual understanding will help on bad days when you have used up all your strength keeping the home together and didn’t have any left to clean.

Your visions of a clean, well tended, comfortable home do not need to leave because you are dealing chronic fatigue. They may need adjusting. You definitely need to talk this subject over with your husband so there are not unrealistic expectations between the two of you.

Have you found a printable menu, or chore chart? Please share any tips and ideas how to keep a home while dealing with fatigue!

Heather Laurie is a christian wife, and mother to 5 children and 2 angels. She suffered with an unknown illness most of her life recently finding out she had lupus and a genetic disorder. Her children also have that genetic disorder. The Lord has led Heather and her husband Chris through these experiences to create a ministry dedicated to serving those with special needs. You can find them at Laurie Family Ministries or Special Needs Homeschooling.

What’s Cookin’ in Your House?

If the answer is “not much” (or what I call around my house “scrounge night” – meaning whatever you can scrounge up!) a free online cooking class may be fun and helpful. Check out Free Culinary School to learn not only some fancy stuff but also basics like how to butcher a chicken or peel and prep garlic.

Love Flowers?

You don’t have to want to start a business to learn a new skill that can be fun, such as floral arrangements. Check out Distance Education for some free flower arranging classes.

Become the Family Photographer

Many times when we live with illness we may not be able to participate in family football, but we can take the photos! Take some time out for yourself and improve those photo skills so you can record the entire extended family’s special moments.

Photographycourse.net offers free classes. They say:

This Free Film and Digital Photography Course offers free photography lessons and tutorials ranging from the basics of film, optics, cameras and light to web page layout and digital photography. Our courses are pack full of photography tips and advice, built for the novice and professional alike. Perfect for those wanting to know more about film and digital photography.

Back to College

Not sure what you are interested in? Browse what colleges offer free classes online at Education Portal or see 250 Free Online Courses from Top Universities.

Considering a Class, But Don’t Want to Invest Much Time?

Check out 5Min . Whether you want to learn how to make great fried onion rings or how to stock a first aid kit, you can do it in less than 5 minutes. (Use with discretion. This site is secular.)

Whatever your interest, (want to learn to play the guitar or the piano) just Google the topic and “free online classes” and lots of options may just come up. As video is becoming more popular online, there is a wide variety of classes online all for free!

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Maybe you are going to a party and looking for some amazing free printable watermelon carving patterns. There are some pretty impressive designs such as the watermelon swan pattern (video below).

Other popular free watermelon carving patterns can give you some impressive watermelon centerpieces that will leave everyone asking, “How did you do that?”, including the often carved watermelon basket designs.

Here are some web sites where we have found watermelon carving stencils online that can help you make a beautiful watermelon centerpiece:

• Watermelon peacock carving (watch a video)
• Watermelon baby carriage
• Watermelon carving patterns (variety of sources)

Here’s a product in the media. One only has search the word stevia to find hundreds of online sites, posts and forums committed to promoting the acceptance of stevia.

Our storyline is new but our information covers years and is the summary from dozens of familiar online sites, blogs and editorials dedicated to advancing stevia as a natural sweetener.

This natural sweetener is most currently supposed to be positioned to save the beverage industries lagging sales as reported in 2009, Beverage News. Natural stevia enhances flavorings and that is expected to be the catalyst to mainstream, and serving as a spike for a flavoring revolution for flavoring water and all other bottled beverages and food items.

So what’s leading this tipping point? There are basically several components.

1. GRAS Stevia (RA97 Extract) allows you to call it a natural liquid sweetener. Before the GRAS approval by the FDA stevia was only able to be called a dietary supplement, and that’s really big.

2. People have eventually learned that we’re drinking more calories than ever from drinks, juices and sodas that are either flavored artificially, or are sweetened using high fructose corn syrup, particularly for kid’s beverages that amount to nothing more that sweetened water. Combine these two significant details and developments and you have a product, whose time has come.

Stevia is a plant from South American that is naturally two to three hundred times sweeter than sugar and has 0 calories. That’s where our original headline comes from: sweeter than sweet.

It’s also good for children, since it been documented to prevent tooth decay. Diabetics are just as excited over a natural sweetener alternative as well.

When it comes to your health, for many people stevia is a great health choice. It’s been reported to both help reduce obesity as well as to lower blood sugar levels. There are no known reports of any government agency in any countries indicating any public health concern whatsoever in connection with its use in foods or beverages.

There are many favorable and exciting health benefits and it is completely non-toxic. Stevia, also known as Stevia Rebaudiana or Stevia Rebaudiana Bertoni, is one of the most health restoring herbs on the earth.

Here’s a short perspective on sweeteners. Are you one of those people who count calories and prefer to stay away from artificial sweeteners such as Splenda or Equal?

Stevia is the safe, all natural alternative to sugar and chemical sweeteners, such as NutraSweet. The sweetness of Stevia is much different compared to the sweetness of other natural sweeteners, sugar, or artificial sweeteners. It really tastes great.

Are there any effects from stevia? The key isolate of Stevia, stevioside, is considered safe and without side effects. There are no known side effects associated with the use of this natural sweetener reported as of this writing.

Diabetics love stevia too. Stevia is an ideal choice for diabetics and is becoming increasingly recommended for those suffering from diabetes. Aspartame makes diabetes worse along with sugar, while stevia is used to treat it in Germany, and Japan. Individuals suffering from diabetes, hyperglycemia, or obesity, or other serious ailment should consult with a qualified medical doctor prior to using stevia.

The sweet leaf as it is often preferred to be used for diabetes, obesity, cavities, hypertension, fatigue, depression, sweet cravings, and infections.

This herb is also considered healthy for other reasons, but most importantly for diabetics: stimulating the release of insulin and normalizes the response to glucose, particularly in type 2 diabetes, and is also used as a therapeutic remedy for hyperglycemia.

There is hardly a day that goes by where I don’t view a couple of advertisements for stevia. As stevia becomes more familiar and popular because of advertising, shortly it will become a go to product for everyday use and.

It is often available in most super markets as well as on the internet. The natural sweetener has been available in powder form and is now available as in liquid form that is easy to carry and use. Google stevia and view more information about the sweet leaf.

George Napoli is CEO of stevialiquidsweetener.com and knows all about stevia. He has researched stevia and flavoring since 2004 and GRAS stevia is the basic ingredient for his natural liquid sweetener and line of natural flavoring drops used to flavor water, teas, coffees, dairy and dessert products at www.yumdropsflavoring.com.

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By Vincent Pham

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