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Balancing Act Archives |
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August, 2006: Family Snack Smarts |
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July, 2006: Cooperative Co-parenting |
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June, 2006: Street Proofing Teens 101 |
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May, 2006: Harmony is in season: Harmony is in season: Warm Weather Activities To Bring The Family Together |
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April, 2006: Caregiving: Sensible Steps To Success |
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March, 2006: Healthy Eating In A Fast Food World |
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February, 2006: Stress Busters to Stay Lighthearted |
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January, 2006: Brain Gain in Life's Later Years |
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December, 2005: Holiday Budget Planning |
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November, 2005: Combating Childhood Obesity |
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October, 2005: Eating Away at Colds and Flu |
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September, 2005: Avoiding the Aches of Osteoarthritis |
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August, 2005: Growing Older, Eating Wiser |
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July, 2005: Nutrition Tips for the Healthiest Summer Ever |
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June, 2005: Long-Term Care Facilities/Nursing Homes - How Do I Choose the Right One? |
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May, 2005: Nutrition and Your Baby: Introducing solid food to the menu |
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April, 2005: When Baby Comes Home For The First Time |
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March, 2005: Stepping into the Role of Stepparent |
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February, 2005: Pumping Fitness into Your Day |
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January, 2005: Remedies for Financial Holiday Hangovers |
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December, 2004: Time Out: Making the most of the holidays |
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November, 2004: An Ounce of Prevention: Type 2 Diabetes |
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October, 2004: Dealing with Peer Pressure |
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September, 2004: Long Distance Caregiving |
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August, 2004: The ‘Be-tween’ Transition, 2004 |
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July, 2004: Easing into summer vacation |
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June, 2004: A family-friendly balance for working fathers |
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May, 2004: Communication Tips to Help Young Minds Grow |
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April, 2004: Tips for Making the Tax Season Less Taxing |
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March, 2004: The Dieting Merry-Go-Round |
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February, 2004: Keeping Your Financial Future in Check |
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January, 2004: Here Comes the Flu |
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December, 2003: Communicating with your Teen |
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November, 2003: Eating for Energy |
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October, 2003: Work-life Balance: Making it Work for You |
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September, 2003: The Homework Zone |
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August, 2003: Health Hints to Ease Your Family in to the Fall Season |
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July, 2003: Stay Alert and Stay Safe - Streetproofing your kids |
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June, 2003: Summer Activities for Stay-at-Home Kids |
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May, 2003: Helping Older Relatives Stay Active |
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April, 2003: Spring-cleaning: For the home, the family, and you |
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March, 2003: Choosing a Summer Camp |
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February, 2003: Baby couch potatoes: Tearing your kids away from the TV |
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January, 2003: Resolution Solutions |
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December, 2002: Holiday Stress Blasters |
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November, 2002: Beating the Winter Blues |
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October, 2002: Making the most of family mealtimes |
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September, 2002: Generation Relations |
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August 2002: Vacation Relaxation |
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July 2002: Swimming Safety |
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May 2002: Stuck in the Middle. The Sandwich Generation |
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April, 2002: Supporting Your Child's Social Success |
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March, 2002: After the Spring Break ... Take a Break For Yourself |
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February, 2002: Keep those loving connections alive |
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January, 2002: Ringing in a Balanced New Year |
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December, 2001: Holiday Safety Tips |
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November, 2001: It's Flu Season |
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October, 2001: Halloween Safety Tips |
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September, 2001: Back to school |
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Easing into
summer vacation
After months of waiting, summer is here—a time to relax, kick
back and enjoy a retreat from the working world. But sometimes organizing
time away can leave you feeling like you need a vacation from your vacation.
Many people find the tasks associated with making summer plans such
as calendar juggling, tying up loose ends at work or making plans for
the kids, more stressful than relaxing. So for those in the midst of
planning time away, here are a few tips that may help reduce stress
and ease you into the summer season.
JUST FOR YOU:
Don't over schedule yourself. You may want to see
and do everything, but you'll wind up returning from vacation exhausted.
Decide on, and then stick to a budget. Remind yourself
that impulse buys and unnecessary splurges reverse the relaxing effects
of your vacation if you're forced to face credit card bills at the end
of the month.
Plan ahead at work. Finish work-related projects and
follow-up on any pending phone calls that may happen while you’re
away. Leaving with a clean slate will help you stay focused on your
vacation assignment: to rest and recharge.
Leave your work, at work. Leave computers, palm pilots
and any other reminders of work at work. Leave a number where
you can be reached for emergencies only.
Be realistic. Accept that parts of your time off will
work out better than expected, while others are bound to fizzle. Take
a deep breath, and take it all in stride.
Remember to relax! It's important to schedule inactivity.
Set aside a few hours a day to stop and smell the roses, read the paper
or put your feet up.
FOR YOUR FAMILY:
Let kids choose. Allow kids to create a short list
of activities and the chance to realize at least one. Whether it’s
a restaurant choice for a special occasion or a location for a family
outing, children savour the chance to have their say and feel a part
of the decision-making.
Post a summer schedule. Mark upcoming activities on
an oversized calendar and post it in an open area. Refer to it often
and have kids check off each activity as it happens. This will help
set expectations and prepare children for the transition from one activity
to the next.
Put a little structure into summer. A daily routine
gives most kids a sense of security. Keep family meals, bedtime and
daily outings at a consistent time. The ‘familiar feel’
to each day will help kids adjust to summer schedules and reduce anxieties.
Nourish interests. Investigate children’s summer
courses and programs. Most libraries, community centres, local parks,
etc. offer summer activities that fight boredom and encourage kids to
explore new interests.
Need more information on parenting? Your Employee Assistance Program
(EAP) can help with a child to elder care resource and referral service
that is geared toward enhancing the quality of family life. Call your
Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to see if you are eligible for the
child to elder care resource and referral service at 1 866.468.9461
or 1.800.387.4765.
This newsletter is meant for informational purposes only and may not necessarily represent the views of individual organizations.
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