Sat 21 Mar 2009, 19:13 PM | Posted by admin
Tags: Lifestyle, Women
 Everyone needs a hobby.
Do you believe this? It's true. In fact, the busier a person is, the more that person really needs a healthy, tension-relieving, fun way to relax. For busy women in today's jam-packed society, the notion of a hobby can sound like a waste of time. Yet even though we may feel we are too busy to allow ourselves some well-deserved downtime, we still crave it on the inside. Recently on my site, I polled my women visitors about their use of time. The question was “Time, time, time! There's never enough time to...”. The clear winner, at 26 percent among the choices offered, was “enjoy my hobby.” The next choice, at 21 percent, was “keep up with the housework.” All the other choices just trickled in after that. Hmm. Caring for the caregiver
As responsible women, we understand our obligations to others. My question is, do we understand our obligations to ourselves? How many of us fill all the cups around us only to find our own is bone dry? Some symptoms of a lack of self-care may be:  snapping at the kids (or whoever else happens to intersect with us at that special moment)
feeling resentful
experiencing undue worry or lethargy
just going through the motions
the nagging sense that we mustn't quit, because we know we might not get started again
a decrease in time spent on personal grooming
an increase in our personal appetites (smoking, drinking, eating, television viewing or other inappropriate/nonproductive behaviors or excesses)
Now, I can hear you already. You're saying, “Throwing a hobby into the fray isn't going to fix all those problems.” You are right. Those challenges are as complex as the women struggling with them, and the solutions are probably going to be complex as well. However, according to the Hobby Industry Association (HIA), 60 percent of U.S. households participated in hobbies and crafts in 2002. All of those women can't be wrong! Great reasons to get a hobby
Why should you indulge in a regular hobby that you love? Here are a few reasons to start you pondering. • Share with your children. Teach what you enjoy to those you love.
• Spend quality time with friends -- or better yet, make some new friends by joining a hobby club.
• Reap personal renewal. Hobbyists often comment that they feel refreshed and revitalized after a hobby session. Could you be more efficient if you applied your brain to something else once in awhile?
• Get something productive back for the time you spend. Enjoy crafts? Make your own gifts. Like to read? Knowledge is yours for the taking. Love to garden? Feel the satisfaction of making things grow.
• Take ten. When the outside pressures turn up, taking a few minutes to turn to a hobby can help you diffuse the pressure inside of you and maintain the calm you desire.
• Nurture your creative side. No matter how you feel about your creativity (or perceived lack of it), allowing yourself the chance to practice your God-given creativity can really fill your cup -- you know, the cup you dip into to fill all those other cups around you.
Ready to do yourself a favor? Take a walk through a craft store. Or a library. Or ask a few friends what they enjoy doing for a break. Think about the things you loved doing as a kid. Give yourself the chance to stay on top by taking a break.
Thu 19 Mar 2009, 20:49 PM | Posted by admin
Tags: Lifestyle, Women
From the time immemorial, the rich hues from henna plant have graced the hands, feet and hair of the men and the women with diverse cultural and ethinic backgrounds. Ever since our inception, we have been the front runner in spreading this age old treasure to the entire world. No Indian wedding is ever complete without the Mehndi. Whichever part of the country the bride may be from, her hands are adorned with the lovely red hue of the mehndi. 
Mehndi is associated to lots of things - a good dark design is a sign of good luck for the marital couple. It is common for the names of the bride and groom to be hidden in the mehndi design; and the wedding night cannot commence until the groom has found the names. Some examples of popular traditional images used in mehndi designs are the peacock, which is the national bird if India, the lotus flower, and an elephant with a raised trunk, which is a symbol of good luck. The art of Mehndi has existed for centuries. The exact place of its origin is difficult to track because of centuries of people in different cultures moving through the continents and taking their art forms with them and therefore sharing their art with everyone along the way.
 Mehndi designs have traditionally fallen into four different styles. The Middle Eastern style is mostly made up of floral patterns similar to the Arabic textiles, paintings and carvings and do not usually follow a destinctive pattern. The North African style generally follows the shape of the hands and feet using geometrical floral patterns. The Indian and Pakistani designs encompass more than just the feet and hands and generally extend further up the appendages to give the illusion of gloves and stockings which are made up of lines, paisley patterns and teardrops. Lastly, the Indonesian and Southern Asian styles were a mix of Middle Eastern and Indian designs using blocks of color on the very tips of their toes and fingers. All of these styles remain popular today but have also been joined in popularity by celtic designs and chinese symbols. The point once again is to have fun with designs and experiment with them until you find something that you feel really passionate about.
In India, it is used at celebrations like weddings and other special occasions which are traditionally associated with transcendence and transformation. It is used for worship and work but not for the sake of vanity. It is traditional for the bride to get together with her friends and have them spend hours applying the henna to her skin and give her marriage advice in tandem. The patterns used for weddings are much more intricate and time consuming (than the everyday wear) and therefore the bride's friends have lots of time to give her advice on erotic activities for her wedding night, sexual pointers and tips during the hours that it can take to complete the design. The bride's henna must be more beautiful and intricate than anyone else's of course since it is, after all, her special day.
Thu 19 Mar 2009, 20:28 PM | Posted by admin
Tags: Health & Fitness, Lifestyle, Women
 All of us have varying degrees of sensitivity of the skin. There are some of us whose skin seems invulnerable to allergies and irritations, while some have skin which develops rashes with just one light prick of a pin or a needle.
Regardless of how sensitive or seemingly insensitive our skin is, it is important to know that all of us are vulnerable to getting allergies and skin irritations. It may take a split second for that irritation to develop on the skin, or it may take a few days; the point is, allergies can build up and break out in time. An allergy can happen to you when an ingredient in the cosmetics that you are using does not agree with your skin, causing your skin to become red and sore. Other symptoms may appear, and these symptoms can worsen, which would make it necessary for you to see a doctor about it. These skin allergies can be caused by using a product without testing it, or through the continual use of a product, letting the allergy to develop and erupt over time. Some allergies to products may appear years after you have been using the product safely. Because allergies are caused by ingredients that the product contains, you should always make it a point to read the labels carefully before buying cosmetics. Here are the important terms that you need to recognize when checking labels: Alcohol Free. It means that the product you are holding does not contain ethyl alcohol, although other types of alcohol may be present. Expiration Date. The expiration date is the deadline for the product use. It means that the product should be consumed or thrown away before this date. However, the way a product is used may make it expire before the indicated expiration date. Fragrance Free. The product does not have a smell; however, fragrances may have been added to mask the odor of the chemicals the product contains. Hypoallergenic. This is supposed to indicate that the product is less likely to cause an allergic reaction. However, all products, whether hypoallergenic or not, can cause skin problems over time. Natural. Natural means the product is created with ingredients taken from plants or animals. Noncomodogenic. Noncomodogenic cosmetics are products that are not supposed to contain anything that can clog skin pores and cause acne.
To prevent skin allergies from developing, you should learn to use your makeup and cosmetic products correctly and carefully. Keep your cosmetics tightly-lidded and store them away from the sun. Wash your hands before putting on makeup and do not share your cosmetics with anyone else. Do not put additives like water or saliva to your makeup. If your skin starts breaking out, do not put any makeup on. If the color of the makeup changes or it starts having an odor, it is time to throw them away.
Thu 19 Mar 2009, 20:21 PM | Posted by admin
Tags: Health & Fitness, Lifestyle, Women
A lot of us have come to believe that the best way to unwind from the stress brought about by the daily grind to work and to whatever activities we have that makes our schedules jam-packed is to escape to the spa. True enough, the services we get at a spa are designed to pamper us from head to foot, making each trip a relaxing indulgence that is truly worth getting addicted to. Sometimes, however, we do not need to go to the spa just to rest and loosen up. We can do that inside our very homes. One way of getting the spa atmosphere at home is to just sit with your feet soaked in warm water mixed with spa salts and essential oils. This is an instant, do-it-yourself foot spa. When the skin of your feet is all soaked and soft, you can scrub away at the calluses and thickened layers of dead skin with glee. Afterwards, you can treat yourself with a nice pedicure. For some people, the idea of relaxing at home is never complete without food. Why not cook yourself a nice dinner for one? Immerse yourself in the therapeutic rhythms brought about by the pounding, dicing, slicing and mincing that comes with the preparation of food. Make the experience a little more sensual by adding fragrant herbs in your food and by using aromatic mood candles instead of the glaring fluorescent lights. This experience will surely leave your stomach filled and your soul refreshed. Another great way of relaxing at home is taking off your watch and just lounging about the den all afternoon. Spend the afternoon eating your favorite snacks while vegging out on a daytime soap opera or a rented movie. For once, keep your mind focused on something that is not even remotely related to work. Perhaps you can try lying in bed with head directed towards the foot of the bed and your feet up on the headboard and flat against the wall. Let your arms rest at your sides away from your body and breathe deeply. Savor the relaxing feeling of blood flowing from your legs to your head. It is a great way to de-stress the body. If you find yourself awake early in the morning and you do not have to go to work, start off your day with a cup of piping hot coffee and drink it while sitting at your porch. Prop up your feet and take your time reading the morning paper. Or you can just sit back and breathe the morning air while watching your neighbors jog or walk their dogs. The body needs to relax every once in a while so it can continue functioning properly, without falling to any illness brought about by stress. Going to the spa for some time off for yourself is always a good idea. However, the idea behind relaxing is spending some time not really doing anything and just letting the body rest. You can always do this at home if you do not feel like going to the spa.
Mon 23 Feb 2009, 12:48 PM | Posted by admin
Tags: Lifestyle
Love is holding hands in the street.
Marriage is holding arguments in the street.
Love is cuddling on a sofa.
Marriage is deciding on a sofa.
Love is talking about having children.
Marriage is talking about getting away from children.
Love is going to bed early.
Marriage is going to sleep early.
Love is a romantic drive.
Marriage is a tarmac drive.
Love is losing your appetite.
Marriage is losing your figure.
Love is sweet nothing in the ear.
Marriage is sweet nothing in the bank.
Love is a flickering flame.
Marriage is a flickering television.
Love is 1 drink and 2 straws.
Marriage is "Don't you think you've had enough!".
In short, Love is blind,
Marriage is an eye opener!!!
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