Want to celebrate Valentine’s Day in a different way? We’ve collected a bunch of unique ideas – special ways to show how much you care about your spouse, family members and friends you
cherish.

Heart-Felt Valentine’s Meal
Make up a batch of heart-shaped pancakes for a yummy Valentine’s breakfast or brunch. Just pour the batter in the frying pan in a free-form heart shape and serve with strawberries and whipped cream.

Balloon Goodies
Insert candy surprises into balloons before inflating them – add a folded-up Valentine’s message then inflate each balloon. Tie with a red ribbon and attach to your loved one’s chair for them
to find Valentine’s morning.

Family Affair
Have the children help you prepare red Jello with cinnamon hearts mixed in, mashed potatoes colored with pink food coloring, heart-shaped cookies and any other creative ways to present your Valentine’s Day meal.

The Gift of Time
Give a hand-made coupon for some work you can do to free-up some time for your spouse or parent. For example, a coupon good for cleaning Dad’s garage or for a full-house vacuuming for your wife. How about a coupon for your best friend – you can walk her dog or baby sit one evening.

Coupon Day
Each of you can create individual notes, say 4 or 6 each, to describe a special surprise – a back rub, a bubble bath, kisses from head to toe, a special meal – fold up the notes and toss them into a jar. You can take turns having fun plucking a coupon from the jar and doing what it says.

Scavenger Hunt
You can prepare this one for your spouse or for your children to enjoy. Write up little notes about how you feel and what they mean to you and place them around the house along with a candy
heart or other treat. Add a riddle at the end of each note about where to find the next note. At the last note, have something special waiting there. For example, you can be waiting for your
hubby in a candle-lit bubble bath with two glasses of wine. For your children, then can find a teddy bear or other toy or treat.

Less Fortunate
Visit a hospital or chronic care home to pass out small Valentine surprises to the residents. They will enjoy the care and attention from something so unexpected.

Alone?
No one special to share Valentine’s Day with? Sure you have! You! Why not pamper yourself with a candlelit bubble bath, then prepare your favorite gourmet meal and rent the latest comedy video. Or treat yourself to a day at the spa, or a day at the gym with a step or aerobics class. Plan for Valentine’s Day at least a week in advance – you’ll find yourself looking forward to your special treats and your quality time with yourself, by choice.

Picnic Fun
Place a blanket on the floor near the lit fireplace with candles on the mantle and have your Valentine’s meal as a candle-lit picnic with a bottle of your favorite bubbly.

A Cereal Surprise
Sneak in love notes and chocolate kisses in your sweetheart’s or children’s cereal.

Notables
Little notes in their lunch boxes, on the bathroom mirror, in his briefcase, stuck on the car windshields, in his underwear drawer.

Messy but Marvelous
Make sure you wear old clothes for this one and plan this escapade where cleanup will be easy (no carpets, please!) Make up a batch of chocolate pudding. Feed each other and wind up
having a food fight! Ideally, this is more fun in your birthday suits, then the pudding won’t go to waste where it lands! <smile> Guaranteed for loads of giggles between the two of you – take a shower-for-two after this one and wash each other’s chocolate-flavored hair!

Take a Letter
Take turns writing a love letter or love poem to each other. Read them out loud.

Valentine Sharing
Plan some community work – help out at the local shelter, volunteer at your local church, work with other volunteers to spread some caring amongst your community.

All in the Family
Spend some quality fun time with your niece or nephew or other child in your family.

Long-Distance Caring
Call your favorite aunt whom you haven’t seen since she moved far away, or your best friend who transferred to another country – let them know you’re thinking of them this Valentine’s Day.

Just For You
Have you wanted that delicate pair of earrings for awhile but kept putting off the purchase? Give yourself a special Valentine’s Day gift

By: Abdul Waheed Noori~

What is love? Love is truly a mystery. Physical beauty is not the sole criteria. Ask a lover about why he/she loves her beloved and you will never get a logical answer. They can never tell you what is the reason behind their love.

Love does not measure qualities, nor sets any standards. In love, you should not think about whether you are on the giving end or the taking end. Giving always gives more pleasure in love than anything else. Loving allows us to put the needs and desires of our lover before our own needs and desires.

If you love someone then you should know that t is about understanding, caring, forgiving, forgetting. giving, doing and sacrificing.  Also it is not just about wanting them; it’s about wanting them to be happy. It’s not about wanting to possess or control them; it’s about wanting to save them from bad stuff to happen.

Love is also forgiving and understanding of the fact that we are all humans and we do make mistakes. There are many imperfections in a loving relationship, but the difference is that those imperfections are understood, accepted, and forgiven when they cause hurt. This is a true sign of true love and forgiveness is one of the deepest forms of love that can be expressed.

Loving someone is not as easy as we think. We have to forget ourselves for loving someone. We have to dedicate ourselves to them. We have to be ready to be with them in every thick and thin. We give them unconditional care. We try to give them whatever they want without any selfish motive. If there is any need we are ready to sacrifice for them, even our love.

Everybody has the right to love but one or two out of ten are able to do love. Most of the people by mistake think their infatuation is their love. Infatuation may be because of physical attraction, same thinking pattern or same aim. But infatuation does not go for long. As soon as we find a better person we again fall in infatuation.

I would like to end this article by mentioning the following quote, “We rarely fall in love but we often fall in infatuation.”

A few years ago, I found a website that helped me understand what it takes to lose weight and gave me the motivation to do it. I have looked for it again for my own benefit and that of our readers — unfortunately, I cannot find it. I did include all that I learned and listed what worked for my diet on our weight loss tips page so hopefully it can help you too.

Taking it from there, it would have been much easier to lose weight if I had known right from the start just what foods were low calorie and low fat, and what to combine for meals. We all know that most fruits and vegetables are beneficial, so this list excludes most of them.
Low Calorie / Diet Food List

I have compiled a list of low-calorie (and mostly low-fat) foods that were easy to prepare and healthy. Sometimes I will make some tasty sandwiches and add them to my list of meals.

You can make your own list of meals & sandwiches and write down the calories that you figured in a weight loss journal. This way you don’t have to add them up every time you eat. Keep in mind, these are not foods low in carbohydrates, just low in calories. I found that by reducing the calories per day and adding some exercise was the easiest way for me to lose weight.

Prepackaged, frozen meals - Weight Watchers has “Smart Ones,” there’s Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice, and now the South Beach diet. I buy whatever looks good and/or is on sale, not because I am following a particular diet. These foods are healthy and offer variety.

Canned soup – Read the labels. Companies usually list more than one serving per can, so the calories and sodium are more that what you see at first glance. Healthy soups are costlier but the cans are larger and they’re chunkier. Regular soup is fine as long as you keep track of calories, fat calories, and sodium.

Fat-Free hot dogs or chicken patties – These take some getting used to but they’re filling and guilt-free. Some brands are unpalatable and simply not worth the extra money.

Lean lunch meat - A sandwich with lean lunch meat and some mustard or fat-free mayo will get you by until your next meal. It may cost more but there’s no denying the difference between lean and regular. Again, read the labels.

Rice cakes – Plain rice cakes are only around 35 calories. Unsalted ones have very little sodium and are healthier. Other flavors are available and quite good. Even though they have a few more calories, they’re worth the extra treat.

Bullion cubes - Dieting often makes you feel chilled. Drink bullion cubes dissolved in hot water to warm up and get a little food content. The only downside is that they’re packed with salt, so don’t get carried away.

Reduced calorie crackers & chips - These are good snacks that satisfy a need for crunchy foods. By keeping this craving under control, you’ll reduce the chance of binging later on. Yes, you need to count the crackers and chips if you’re counting calories. My favorites are reduced-calorie Cheese Nips, Wheat Thins and fat-free Pringles.

Breakfast and granola bars - Crunchy breakfast bars come in many different flavors and can be eaten as a fast meal if you’re eating several times a day or as a satisfying snack.

Low fat cottage cheese – Add a 1/2 cup of cottage cheese to your diet to balance it out. You’ll get dairy benefits and only about 80 calories.

Cherry tomatoes - Besides the other fruits and vegetables that I like, a medium cherry tomato is packed with flavor. There are only about ten calories in four medium (2 oz.) cherry tomatoes.

Light yogurt – Light yogurt has more calories than what I’d like, but it’s a treat. Pick your favorite flavor and reward yourself when your sweet tooth kicks in.

Popcorn - Surprised? I don’t mean the prepackaged popcorn that you pop in the microwave, most of it is packed with calories and sodium. What’s healthy is the old-fashioned, natural kernels that you need to pop in a hot-air popper. This gives you control of what is added. Still, you need to eat in moderation.

Currently, you can find healthy mini-bags such as Orville Redenbacher’s Smart Pop® that you just pop in the microwave. This will add only 100 calories to your diet and quench your desire for munchies. A perfect snack.

Pickles - Load up on dill pickles and dill slices. This makes a nice “side dish” or snack and helps fill you up without giving you calories. Other pickles, such as “bread and butter” give you calories, so make sure you read the label.

Cool Whip – Are you an ice cream addict? Next time you have a craving, eat some frozen Cool Whip Light instead.

Sugar-Free Jello - Available in a large variety of flavors, you’re in for a refreshing treat. Prefer pudding? look for Jello pudding cups that contain a mere 60 calories per cup.

Light Bread - Wonder light bread has only 40 calories per slice. Regular bread is around 60 per slice. That means eating a sandwich with light bread will save you 40 calories — another slice of light bread!

Condiments and spreads - Did you know that mustard has zero calories? The calorie content of ketchup varies by the brand. Either way, you need to count and add them to your daily list. Mayo is packed with calories so it’s best to stick with the fat-free version (Kraft is my favorite brand.)

Butter or margarine is another no-no but you can find brands that offer fat-free spread although they sacrifice taste. Look for low-cal sprays for tasty veggies and grilled-cheese sandwiches. For a welcome change, spruce up a salad with healthy salsa sauce instead of salad dressing.

Beverages – Water is very beneficial to feeling full and satisfied. Your body needs extra water when it’s eliminating fat, so stay hydrated. Tea, diet sodas and sugar-free drink mixes add variety. Fat-free hot chocolate is perfect for chocolate cravings and warms you up on a cold winter day.

Let me tell you something – if you are doing the Atkins Diet, you might be doing it WRONG. I have been on diet forums for years, have consulted thousands of people on low carb diets, and I am seeing it again and again.

People don’t know how to implement a low carb diet. Very often people fail to lose weight or to adapt to the low carb life style. Many people give it up after a couple of days because they don’t know how to do it right. The Atkins Diet is the most famous low carb diet, but it is full of pitfalls just waiting for you to walk into.

Rule #1: Calories DO count. You must count both carbs AND calories

Some of you may believe that losing weight is just a matter of reducing carbohydrates. In fact, many do. Hunting for hidden carbs and totally neglecting the calories you eat is setting you up for failure. The only reason that low carb diets work is that they reduce your appetite. You end up eating fewer CALORIES, and lose weight.

The problem is that not all people start eating fewer calories after switching to a low carb diet. The only 100% bulletproof method of losing weight is by counting calories. Don’t rely on simply reducing carbohydrates. Eat less carbs AND less calories. Count calories! It is much easier to restrict calories when you are on a low carb diet, because you won’t feel as hungry as with high-carb diets.

Rule #2: Going straight to 20 grams of carbs per day is a NO-NO

The Atkins Diet has you eating only 20 grams of carbs a day during the first two weeks on the diet. After that, you are advised to gradually increase the number of carbs you eat. I strongly urge you to reverse the order of events. Start eating 80 or more grams of carbs per day, count calories and then reduce them more if you want to.

My reasoning for doing so is very simple. During the adaptation period you will lack energy because you have taken out the carbs, and you need time to make the fat burning enzymes to use more fat for fuel. If you suddenly start eating a super low amount of carbs, you will feel totally out of energy, because your body cannot manufacture quickly that many fat burning enzymes. However, when you reduce the carbohydrates GRADUALLY, you give your body a chance to adapt to the diet without the misery of being lethargic.

You can even start by eating 150 grams of carbs a day for the first week, and then reduce them to 100 grams for the second and so on. You won’t be so fatigued, and because you count calories you are losing weight.

You should expect a period of about one to two weeks when you won’t have much energy, but this will pass. Don’t give up just because you lack energy. This is temporary. If you listen to me and gradually reduce the carbs, you will experience a much less-pronounced drop of physical and mental performance.

Rule #3: Calories control your bodyweight, NOT carbohydrates

If you eat less calories than you burn, you are going to lose weight no matter how many carbohydrates you consume. You don’t need to go super low on the carbohydrates to experience the typical loss of appetite that is so important to be successful at dieting. I eat about 50-80 grams of carbs a day year-round, and I have single digit body fat %. That’s because I control both carbs and calories.

You won’t be able to eat just 20 grams of carbs for a long time. It is too impractical, hard-to-do and unnecessary. You will do fine eating 80 grams of carbs a day, as long as you count calories.

Rule #4: Don’t give up your coffee

Atkins advises that you avoid caffeine and only drink decaffeinated coffee. This is totally unnecessary. If you are used to drinking coffee, just continue to do so. You will have a much easier adaptation period. Coffee makes your body burn more fat, and helps you adapt to fat burning faster. Coffee also suppresses your appetite, and has a mild thermogenic effect (you burn more calories).

Last but not least, coffee is very addictive and hard to give up. I know a couple of people who gave up the Atkins Diet just because he says to stop drinking coffee! I am telling you – coffee will help your weight loss efforts. It is totally unnecessary to give it up.

Rule #5: Don’t avoid milk and yogurt products

Eating plain yogurt is associated with weight loss for some mysterious reason. Researchers speculate that it is the Calcium in milk products that helps with weight loss. Whatever the reason, milk and yogurt are good for your health and weight loss. They have some carbs, but as I told you, there’s absolutely no need to go super low on the carbs, if you control your calories.

Here’s a little known fact, most low-carb dieters don’t know. Plain yogurt has 3 times less carbs than labeled! The reason is simple. Yogurt has billions of healthy bacteria called probiotics, which thrive on glucose. These probiotics eat up the carbs in milk, and turn it into lactic acid. Now, when manufacturers measure carbs, they do so by the method of “carbs by difference”. They measure everything else (protein, fats, water..), and what’s left is ASSUMED to be carbs. But what’s left is carbs + lactic acid. To know the real number of carbs in yogurt, divide the number of carbs on the label by 3. Do so only for PLAIN yogurt. Avoid all artificially processed and carb loaded yogurts. Eat plain yogurt!

Rule #6: A low-carb diet is a high-fat diet

By definition a low carb diet is a high-fat diet plan. Some people turn the low-carb diet into low-carb and low-fat diet. What a mistake! First, if you eat a high-protein low-carb low-fat diet, you are going to get hungry. Second, eating less fat will slow down the adaptation to fat burning and extend your misery. Third, your body needs fat and the fat-soluble vitamins to digest the proteins you eat. Without the fat you are going to get sick, upset your stomach and become severely constipated.

Women should be very careful to eat enough fat. Many women don’t like to eat meat or eat only very lean meat. They must find a way to get more fat in the diet by ways of high-fat cheeses.

Fat should represent more than 50% of the calories you eat.

Rule #7: Don’t be fooled by the quick initial weight loss

Most of the weight that is lost during the first two weeks on a restrictive diet is WATER. On a low-carb diet, you are going to lose even more water. The rate of weight loss is going to slow down after the first two weeks. Be prepared, it is perfectly natural to happen. Don’t expect miracles.

Let’s sum it up. Count calories. Hunting for hidden carbs, and neglecting the calories is a major reason for plateaus. Restrict carbs gradually. Eat more fat to control your appetite. Don’t go super low on the carbs. Go as low as you feel comfortable. As long as you control calories you are on your way to success.

Drink, drink and drink some more. Hydration is critical in preventing heat-related illness. Consume water before, during and after your workouts. Be aware of the early signs of dehydration: fatigue, heat intolerance, flushed skin and light-headedness. Symptoms of severe dehydration include: difficulty swallowing, stumbling, sunken eyes and dim vision, diminished sweating, numb skin, muscle spasms and delirium.

Be aware of the temperature and humidity and adjust the time, intensity and duration of your workouts accordingly. For example, exercise early in the morning or at dusk, and move at a more moderate pace when the temperatures are high.

Wear light-colored and loose-fitting clothing. Stick with materials that breathe, like cotton, and wear a hat and sunglasses when the sun is bright.

Opt for an indoor workout on the very hottest days. Escape the heat while enjoying an exercise class or weight-training session. No matter what activity you choose, your hamstrings always need a good stretch when you’re done.

The following stretch targets the back of your leg, from your hip down through the hamstrings on the back of your thigh, into your calf muscles and Achilles tendon. Extend one leg, placing the heel on a step or on the floor in front of you. Bend your supporting knee as you hinge from your hips and lean forward slightly.

Keep your chest lifted and tip your pelvis forward so that your hips and tailbone stick out behind you. When you feel a mild stretch down the back of your leg, hold the position for 15-30 seconds, breathing naturally. Reverse and stretch the other leg. If you’d like more support for your back, you can place your hands on the supporting thigh.

One of the major obstacles to successful weight control is lack of understanding. In plain terms, ignorance may be bliss but it certainly does not lead to shedding of excess pounds.

Glandular Problems

For example, many overweight people claim that their problem is due to their “glands”. They believe that they have some kind of metabolic disease that causes them to pile on the weight. In fact, only occasionally is this so. In a very small proportion of overweight people a simple blood test, arranged by a GP, may show that the thyroid gland is under active. In such a case thyroid hormone replacements may help the weight problem. But I must stress that thyroid problems are rarely the cause of excess weight.

Diabetes and Excess Weight

A much more common link between excess weight and metabolic disease is Diabetes. Middle-aged and elderly people who are overweight are far more likely to develop type 2, that is non-insulin dependent, diabetes. Often, merely shedding the excess weight leads to good control of the disease. Diabetes is a serious condition, which significantly increases the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke.

Excess weight and obesity are major health problems. In the UK, one in three adults are overweight, and one in six adults are obese – which means they carry surplus body weight of 20% or more.

But Why Are You Overweight?

One of the most common remarks I hear from overweight clients is: “But doctor, I hardly eat anything at all. My weight has nothing to do with the food I eat.” Ridiculous as such a comment may sound, there is a grain of truth in it. Since the end of World War Two, the amount of food we eat has actually lessened, whilst at the same time our average body weight has risen. Whilst this may seem a puzzle, there is a very simple explanation.

During the past few decades we have watched more and more television, we spend more time in front of computers, we use cars where before we used our feet or bicycles, and we use lifts and escalators instead of stairs. We have become less active. So, although we consume less calories now than a few years ago, we also burn up far fewer calories than before.

What we weigh depends on a simple balance: the calories we consume against the calories we burn. Or, put more simply, food versus exercise. Yes, we may not seem to eat very much, but if we are couch potatoes we still end up piling on the weight.

This is one example of poor public knowledge about excess weight. Another has to do with the best way to shed those excess pounds. Ask most people and they will tell you: “Diet”. Again, there is some truth in the answer, but it is far from complete.

And What Can You Do About It?

For a start, most people’s idea of “diet” is to go on some kind of masochistic hunger-driven eating plan, which forbids all of their favorite foods. Yes, as long as you stick to such a program you will probably lose weight, but at what cost? Anyone who has followed such a regime knows that it is impossible to stick to it for long, and when the diet is eventually abandoned all those pounds come tumbling back on even faster than they went away.

With experience, and with professional guidance, some people eventually learn that the only way to diet sensibly is to follow a healthy, balanced diet with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, not much fat, and moderation in all things.

This approach, providing it is combined with regular moderate exercise — such as walking for 30 minutes 4 days a week and weightlifting 3 days a week — does in fact, yield results.

Note the important features: a healthy balanced diet and exercise. Without exercise it is virtually impossible to lose weight and, even more importantly, to maintain a healthy weight. Which brings us on to another area of ignorance. Maintaining weight is the name of the game. Almost anyone can lose weight. The trick is to keep it off.

The tendency to be overweight is a lifelong condition. Like diabetes or high blood pressure, you don’t “cure” it – you aim only to “control” it. Unless you continue to work at it, excess weight has an unpleasant habit of coming back. But the process really does not have to be unpleasant. Good healthy food in moderation and reasonable exercise help to shape a fitter and more energetic body, which makes for a more enjoyable lifestyle.

Don’t Believe the Hype

Finally, one more common piece of ignorance. Many like to believe that you can “cure” excess weight and obesity with pills. Sadly, no magic bullet is yet available, nor is it likely to be for many years to come. The answer for the foreseeable future will remain the same: eat less, exercise more. Don’t allow yourself to believe the common points of ignorance to do with obesity. Instead, arm yourself with knowledge. If you need extra help, see your doctor, practice nurse or local slimming club.

Losing weight is simple, which is not to say that it is necessarily easy. But don’t make it even more difficult by believing that which is not true.

For heart patients, a diet change is usually prescribed before medicines. The National Cholesterol Education Program of the National Institute of Health recommends the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) diet to reduce cholesterol levels, the main culprit causing heart disease. The specific target of any diet plan for heart patients is to reduce intake of saturated fat, which increases cholesterol.

Basically the TLC diet aims to limit the amount of meat and dairy products a patient takes in. Animal fat is replaced by unsaturated fats, contained in olive, canola, or peanut. If you follow the TLC diet to a tee, you will be consuming less than 200 mg of cholesterol per day. This calorie intake will be just enough to maintain your desired weight and you will avoid gaining weight.

Here is what the TLC diet plan looks like:

Food group

Number of servings

Portion size
Lean meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, and dry peas     No more than 5 ounces total per day     5 ounces maximum per day of lean meat, poultry, or fish

Substitute ¼ cup dry beans or peas for 1 ounce of meat.
Eggs     No more than 2 yolks per week     1 whole egg. Egg whites or substitutes are not limited.
Low-fat milk and milk products     2 to 3 per day     1 cup nonfat or 1% milk

1 cup nonfat or low-fat yogurt

1 ounce fat-free or low-fat cheese (3 grams of fat or less per ounce)
Fruits     2 to 4 per day     1 piece fruit, such as apple, orange, or ½ a banana

½ cup canned fruit

1 cup berries or melon

¾ cup fruit juice
Vegetables     3 to 5 per day     1 cup raw leafy greens

½ cup cooked or raw vegetables

¾ cup vegetable juice
Bread, cereals, pasta, rice, other grains     6 to 11 per day     1 slice of bread

½ hot dog or hamburger bun, bagel, or English muffin

1 ounce cold cereal

½ cup cooked pasta, rice, noodles, or other grains
Fat and oils     6 to 8 per day     1 teaspoon monounsaturated oil, such as canola, olive, or peanut

1 teaspoon polyunsaturated oil, such as corn or safflower

1 teaspoon soft margarine (one that does not contain hydrogenated oils)

1 tablespoon salad dressing

1 teaspoon mayonnaise

2 tablespoons nuts or seeds
Sweets/snacks     Within calorie limit     Snacks that are low in fat or made with unsaturated fat.

This chart was adapted from the food guide pyramid.

Article Summary- This article focuses on the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) diet that is prescribed for heart patients by experts in the field. A basic guide to the TLC diet is outlined, with examples of the food that should be consumed by people suffering heart problems. The main aim of diet plans for heart patients is to reduce cholesterol intake.

By: Abdul Waheed Noori~

Most of the people think that it is not possible to love someone with whom you met on internet. They give many arguments. In some ways they are right, but sometimes their arguments fail and yes some people find true love on internet. It may start from chatting someone, or someone who is in your social community list, etc.

There are many reasons why people are looking for love online. For a start, people hooking into the romantic cyber-world are generally open to a relationship, and not looking for some quick thrills. They’re usually serious about their quest for love.
Chatting on the web can fast-track a relationship. It can strip away the superficiality of appearance and reveal the real person.

I know that many people consider that online dating is a waste of time. But I personally know some couples that got acquainted on the Internet and nevertheless they are happy and they really love each other. That’s why I think that people shouldn’t be afraid of online dating.

I know a guy who fell in love with a girl just chatting with her for few days. His love start getting deeper and deeper. The  girl also had feelings for him and they started relationship. Although it is hard for them for some reasons but they are caring, understanding and loving each other!

Every kind of way to find your partner have it’s advantages and disadvantages. Online dating is quick but it is also true that sometimes dangerous if you got the wrong person. But before the internet, there was phone pal or pen pal whom you really don’t know or see the person but many time it works. So yeah internet dating works.

The Sunday Times proved the point saying that “email relationships can be far more intimate than normal dating.”
Online dating has been one of the biggest success stories of the world wide web. And the reason why is pretty simple: it works. People do find love online – in ever increasing numbers.
If someday you find someone loves you and you also feels for them, I would like to say, it’s your feelings that really matter. So don’t be afraid and try it; Don’t miss the opportunity!

HUMPTY DUMPTY
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall
All the king’s horses
And all the king’s men
Couldn’t put Humpty together again

LITTLE JACK HORNER
Little Jack Horner sat in a corner eating his Christmas pie
He put in his thumb and pulled out a plumb
And said what a good boy am I

ONE   TWO  THREE   FOUR  FIVE
Once I caught a fish alive
SIX   SEVEN   EIGHT   NINE   TEN
Then I let him go again
Why did you let it go?
Because it bit my finger so
Which finger did it bite?
This little finger on the right
Jack be nimble
Jack be quick
Jack jumped over the candle-stick

Pussy Cat Pussy Cat
Pussycat, pussycat,
Where have you been?
I’ve been to London
To visit the Queen.
Pussycat, pussycat,
What did you there?
I frightened a little mouse
Under her chair.
BIRDS OF A FEATHER
B  Birds of a feather will flock together
And so will pigs and swine.
Rats and mice will have their choice,
And so will I have mine.
DING DONG DELL
Ding, Dong bell, Pussy’s in the well.
Who put her in? Little Johnny Thin.
Who pulled her out? Little Tommy Stout.
What a naughty boy was that,
To try and drown a pussy cat.
Who never did him any harm,
But killed the mice in his father’s barn.

In her early twenties, she made insomnia work for her by studying late at night. She took a tremendous load of courses, worked a couple of part-time jobs, dated heavily and still had hours and hours left over. About once a semester, usually at finals week, she’d break down entirely and get whatever flu was going around: it was her body’s main strategy for getting some rest.

As Elizabeth got older and settled down, insomnia settled down too. Maybe it was having someone else to cuddle with, or maybe the anxieties of her youth diminished. Anyway, she has maybe three nights a month when she can’t sleep, and gets up to read in the living-room.

Elizabeth was pretty lucky, though. She found ways to cope with her body’s insistence on staying awake. But millions of people experience insomnia, and when you have a demanding job or a fussy baby, a night of not being able to sleep can feel tortuous. And once you’re in your thirties, insomnia has a strongly negative affect on your looks (hence the term, “beauty sleep”). Undereye circles, blotchy skin and bleary eyes are only three of the drawbacks of insomnia.

Insomnia is caused by so many factors that you can have one reason or six, each one potent enough to keep a person awake. When I can’t sleep, I consider the following possible causes:

Common cause of insomnia and sleep deprivation disorder

1. Caffeine. Some people get jittery after a single cup of coffee and others can drink gallons with no discernable effect. In some situations, drinking moderate amounts of caffeine (which includes tea and cola, by the way) seems to have no effect until you’ve been at it for several days in a row. If I can’t sleep and don’t have a pressing reason for anxiety, I think back over the past several days and unusually realize I’ve been hitting the iced tea by the gallon. Leaving it alone for a few days usually puts things right again.

2. Stress. If you’re worried or tense, insomnia comes along as part of the package. You can try a couple of techniques to relieve your tension enough to get to sleep.

a. Promise yourself you’ll deal with whatever it is the very first thing in the morning. If you’re like me, putting off paying a bill or making an unpleasant phone call can worry at me until I can’t sleep. Promising to solve the problem helps you to temporarily shelve it (but you’d better keep that promise, or you’ll never trust yourself again!)b. Setting aside a daily time for worry can help you contain it. Take ten minutes out of each day and worry like crazy. Make lists of the things you’re agonizing over, then rate each item from 1-10 on a “likelihood of happening” scale. When you find yourself worrying at other times of the day or night, remind yourself that you’ll worry tomorrow, at 3PM and set it aside.

c. Imagine yourself taking a bundle of worries and locking them inside a cabinet. Take your time and be thorough. They may try to wiggle away or sneak out, but gather them all together. You may decide to put rubber bands around them or have them sedated. You might want to tie them together and roll them up like a fire hose. Be as creative as you can when picturing your worries and the way you’re going to handle them. Will you stow them in an iron-bound trunk? A cedar chest? A garage or barn? Visualize the type of lock you’ll use and see yourself locking the door or cabinet. Sometimes, just elaborating on this exercise is enough to put yourself to sleep.

d. If nothing you try seems to work, consider visiting a therapist to help you learn more about reducing your anxiety. Medications have proven very effective.

4. Hormones. Insomnia can result from hormonal fluctuations. Keeping an insomnia diary can help you figure out if sleeplessness is linked to your menstrual cycle. Sleeplessness is also one of the symptoms of menopause. If you’re generally content with the way your hormones are performing, you may choose to induce sleep by having an extra glass of wine at night, or a hot bath. If hormones are causing you real problems, try herbal remedies or go have a chat with your ob-gyn about the latest in the medical community’s understanding about women’s sexual health.

5. Sugar. Eating late snacks or desserts can cause insomnia as your blood sugar races around trying to find something to do. Replace sweets with sugar-free snacks and see if it helps. Eating a meal late at night can also cause insomnia, either because of the rise in blood sugar or because trying to sleep before your meal is fully assimilated can give you indigestion.

6. Exercise. Studies have shown that when people exercise later in the evening, they also tend to have a harder time getting to sleep.

7. Too much alcohol. If you drink a lot, sleeplessness occurs when the body rebounds from the depressant effect of alcohol on the central nervous system. This happens to chronic alcoholics, but also to people who don’t usually drink much but make an exception at a bachelor party and have more than a couple. Typically, alcohol makes us sleepy, but as the alcohol is metabolized by the body, the change wakes us up. Too much sugar can work the same way in reverse, first making us high and lively, then sending the blood sugar into a crashing low. Sugar is often a major cause of sleeplessness in children. They get hopped up on popsicles and won’t go down for a nap. When a grown-up tries to get them to nap anyway, the blood sugar crash comes along, and the result is a screeching, wailing, but exhausted child. Fun stuff, huh!

We’ve all seen the commercials for pain relievers and cold medicines with “sleep aids”, which often consist of either decongestants or alcohol. There are also herbal remedies, usually containing chamomile, which is a sleep aid know world-wide since medieval times. Valerian root ( to see an example of a .) smells stinky, even ground and in capsule form, but it’s also effective and gentle. Of course, there are always pharmaceutical remedies for sleeplessness, but they should be last resorts, because they tend to be habit-forming and have other side effects.

If you don’t have to go to work the next morning, insomnia can be pretty manageable. You might find that with punchiness comes creativity, so I wouldn’t rule out getting out of bed to sketch, bake or plan next year’s garden. Also, not having the stress of counting the hours until you have to get to work can often calm you down to the point of relaxation. If you’re expected at work the next day, you could call in sick the night before. Then, if you can’t get to sleep, you can stay home and rest the next day, and if you can get to sleep, you can show up the next day.