Home Improvement

The Narcissist and His Family

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 02:49:59 -0600

Question:Is there a "typical" relationship between the narcissist and hisfamily?Answer:We are all members of a few families in our lifetime: the onethat we are born to and the ones that we create. We alltransfer hurts, attitudes, fears, hopes and desires ' a wholeemotional baggage ' from the former to the latter. Thenarcissist is no exception.The narcissist has a dichotomous view of humanity: humans areeither Sources of Narcissistic Supply and, then, idealised andover-valued or do not fulfil this function and, therefore, arevalueless, devalued. The narcissist gets all the love that heneeds from himself. From the outside he needs approval,affirmation, admiration, adoration, attention ' in other words,externalised Ego boundary functions.He does not require ' nor does he seek ' his parents' or hissiblings' love, or to be loved by his children. He casts them asthe audience in the theatre of his inflated grandiosity. Hewishes to impress them, shock them, threaten th...

When Family Members Are Reacting Differently to the Loss of Your

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 05:51:31 -0600

The loss of a family companion animal is difficult, and my heartgoes out to you. We come to love our animals and feel a deepsense of loss when they die. Some people tell me they've feltmore grief over the loss of their dog than of any human being intheir life. It's not always recognized by others, but thosewould only be people who have not lost an animal companion theyloved. Or I should say, who loved them. They give us theunconditional love that helps us thrive. When we find out our pet is going to die, we each reactdifferently. Each of us experiences grief in a different way.Maybe your partner is angry, and you are tearful, and you areboth dealing with the impending death of your animal companionin your own way. The stages begin with denial shock and thenmove on to rage, I believe, but it's a spiral, or an onion, notlinear. It comes in waves and doubles back and differentfeelings are layered in there. It is normal to not 'hear' that your pet is going to die andit'...

Organizing Your Home Office and Paperwork

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 06:06:17 -0600

Organizing your home office can truly be a hair raising task!By home office, I mean any area of your house which you paybills in, write notes, send cards, store paperwork, etc. Somepeople are lucky to have a separate room for this purpose, andothers section off an area in a room with perhaps just a desk.Either way, this article will deal with organizing this area ofyour life. When organizing your home office, the first and foremostpriority is going to be all that paperwork. The worst thing thathas happened to me is when looking for a bill, a phone number,or important information...I just can't find it! Even though Iknow that it HAS to be in there....somewhere. There are several different ways to organize your importantbills, paperwork, and documents. I suggest you choose the onethat best fits your budget and your lifestyle. The first method is perhaps the easiest method. I call it thefile-away billboard method. First you will need to get yourhands on a filing cabinet....

10 Tips for a Winning Work from Home Job Search

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 05:19:53 -0600

Do you feel like you are losing the struggle to balance work andfamily? Have you decided that the one hour round trip commute inrush hour traffic, the choking exhaust fumes, and the testydrivers with their salutes are WAY overrated? If so, perhapsyou're considering joining the ranks of the ever increasing workfrom home elecommuters. Why has telecommuting become so popular?For one, it provides parents with much more flexibility thanconventional employment. Parents can stay home and still workwhen a child is home sick, are able to be home waiting whenchildren return from school, and can be available for many ofthe conferences, plays, games, and events that many parents areforced to miss because of demanding work schedules. So how does one prepare for a work from home job search? Theanswer is - with great care and even more patience. "It takesmuch longer to secure a work from home position than atraditional job" says Pat W. a home-based working Mom of , whoworks as a Medi...

Home Improvement: Top Returns For Your Home Remodeling Dollar

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 02:41:50 -0600

Home improvement projects do not always payoff as an investment, but then we seldom undertake a project for purely monetary reasons. More often than not we want to remodel a kitchen or bathroom, convert a garage or do some other project simply to make living a little "better". The increased value of our home is of secondary consideration. Nevertheless, it is a consideration and is a very effective way of increasing the value of a home. The goal of most home improvement projects is generally to add more space or light to an existing room or to improve and modernize the house or apartment utilities such as kitchen, bathroom, garage, or heating. Home improvement projects such as these not only preserve or even enhance the value of a property but often add a higher degree of safety.Return On Investment - A Brief GuideThe following is presented as a guide only to assist you in deciding which project to undertake first if money is a consideration and multiple projects are being planned....

10 tips to make your home child-proof

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 02:46:17 -0600

Accidents in the home are a major cause of unplanned hospital orclinic visits, and homeowners with young children need to takespecial care to guard against mishap. Here are the top actions that safety experts recommend they take to "child-proof"a home: Power points. Ensure that all unused plugs haveplastic safety guards inserted to keep out little fingers. Blind cords. These should be wound round a fixture relativelyhigh on the wall, as trailing loops can choke and even hang asmall child. Bookcases. Make sure these are firmly fixed tothe wall with brackets so that they cannot fall over when usedas standing aids or "stairs". Stairs. Safety gates should beinstalled at the top and bottom of staircases - and keptproperly closed at all times. Decks and balconies. Railingsshould be close enough together to ensure that a child cannotsqueeze through them. If they are not, plastic mesh at least mhigh should be firmly fixed to the vertical railings and thefloor. Med...

A Small But Necessary Home Improvement-The Sink

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 02:39:13 -0600

It doesn't matter if you are fixing the sink in your kitchen or your bathroom, you can have an easy job of it or it can be a major headache. It all depends upon the valves and hoses that lead to the sink. Most homeowners are capable of turning off the water valves under the sink with just a few turns. But if the valves are old, or if they have never been shut off since installation, turning them can cause them to break, and you will have a leak on your hands. You can prepare for this by having someone stand by the main water turn off and turn off the whole house supply of water if you break off the valve under the sink. In a development, this main shutoff is usually near the curb and has a lid with a small hole in it. The hole allows the water company representative to open the lid with a small metal rod. In more rural areas, the main valve may be located in a well house or other exterior assembly. Make sure you locate the main shutoff before you get started on the job.Clear your ...

Family Meetings 101

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 02:23:05 -0600

Family meetings provide opportunities for feelings to be airedand validated. They also allow younger children to feel they arean important part of the decision-making process when it comesto family vacations and other major and minor family functions. Before the first meeting commences, set a few ground rules suchas: Speak in a calm tone. Avoid name-calling, finger-pointing,and sarcasm. Turn off the TV, radio and telephones. Alloweach person to voice his or her concerns and ideas. Listen toall opinions before making a decision. If a person voices acomplaint, they must also bring to the table at least onepossible remedy to the situation.Locations for future family meetings may also be brainstormed atthe first meeting. Here are a few examples: Circle Time Very simply, sit on the floor together, in acircle. Designate an object as a "talking token". This can be asmall stuffed animal, a necklace to be worn, a hat, or any otheritem that will be passed around. Who...

Home Improvement Ideas: Floor Heating Systems

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 02:53:02 -0600

If you are cold or feeling a bit chilly, it could be your home. Heating is a serious issue to consider when purchasing a home, or even if you are building your home. If you are purchasing a home, you will want to know how old the house is since this can affect the plumbing, heating, cooling and general condition of the house. The last thing you want is to purchase an expensive home and later find out that it needs an abundant amount of repairs, or the heating or cooling system needs replaced. The quality of your home is one thing you want to maintain especially if this is the home you have decided to stay in for a long period of time. You will want it to be leak-free, have great plumbing and electricity, sealed windows and a quality heating system. You might want to consider floor heating systems available today, though they are not a new concept. I first learned about them a few years ago when friends decided to build their dream home. Floor heating is one of the primary features the...

Family Memory Journal

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 05:06:33 -0600

A family memory journal is a fun, easy way to preserve familymemories. A couple of years ago I was sorting through a pile ofunused journals many given to me as presents! and was tryingto come up with a way to put them to good use.One day after a family gathering, I sat down and wrote a shortdescription of the gathering in one of the unused journals. Iwrote where the gathering took place, the occasion we werecelebrating, the names of the people who had attended, andanything about the day that had stood out in my memory. I didthis for the next couple of family get togethers and then juststuck the journal in a drawer somewhere. It didn't seem like that big of deal at the time, but probably ayear or more later I pulled out the journal again and looked atthe entries I had made. It was really fun reading them again. Ihad already forgotten some of the things that had happened, orthoughts that I had at the time that fortunately I had thoughtto write down.I've been really for...

Fun & Fast Family Portraits

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 02:56:01 -0600

Publishing Guidelines: Feel free to publish the followingarticle in its entirety in your ezine, website, or printnewsletter. The resource box must be included with an activelink. Please send a courtesy copy of the publication in whichthe article appears to: deborahfiveminuteparent.com Word wrapto , wordsFun & Fast Family Portraits By Deborah SheltonMaking self-portraits and pictures of family, friends, and evenpets, is a great way to connect with children and it's a lot offun!. There are so many imaginative ways to create a person'simage. Try these techniques, then invent some of your own. Traditional. Drawing the way most of us are used to: withpencils, crayons, markers, paint and paper. Just because thisuses traditional supplies doesn't mean that your picture has tobe traditional. Try out Picasso's abstract style or even aminimalist portrait think stick people with a little moredetail. Crafty. This is where all of those scrap pieces of fabric andmisce...

Home Improvement - Increasing Home Value

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 02:41:08 -0600

Through kitchen remodeling and home improvement you can increase the value of your property. It is both an attractive and practical way for anyone to do it. Most of us spend a great deal of our time in our kitchens, whether cooking, working, relaxing or simple eating our meals. That is the reason why the comfort factor, attractability and practicality of a kitchen are so important. Kitchen remodeling should give you the kitchen you want without costing an arm and a leg, and the best part is that you can choose the exact design you like and get the kitchen that suits your personal taste and needs. As home improvement should be beneficial to your needs, both now and in the future, adding a practical and attractive kitchen can improve your home's value.It is possible to improve your life's quality by making remodelling improvements, especially if a great deal of your time is spent in your kitchen. The best aspect of this is that it shouldn't cost you a great deal to change your current k...

Family Bonding Activities for Thanksgiving.

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:21:29 -0600

Permissino to reprint and change title. -------------- There arethree main themes for Thanksgiving: gratitude, the harvest, andfamily. We can lose track of these things when we're busypreparing for company and big meals, and Christmas shopping, andthe kids are out of school too! Here are some ways you and thefamily can share some time recapturing the meaning ofThanksgiving, or even start some new traditions.Let each member of the family make a list of things they'regrateful for. Read the lists before the meal and save them formemories in years to come. Start a "thanks" journal you'll keep all year. Instead ofwriting down problems and concerns, write down the things you'regrateful for. Think harvest! Make a trip to your local Farmers Market orProduce Row to take photos, have fun, and support the people whofeed us all! Spend the long weekend on family projects such as making aFamily Tree. For help, visit ancestry.com, or check out the...