Your Helpful Home Tips July 2013
Brought to you by: Spears & Associates Kris Spears ND ACN Exec Success Coach - (361) 438-7947 - krisaspears@gmail.com
Creativity can strike at the most unusual times
Make apologies meaningful, apologize less often There are plenty of everyday situations that call for an "I'm sorry," or at least a "sorry," like running into someone in the hall or stepping on someone's toe in the break room.
It's a classic story. A businessman has racked his brain for days trying to come up with a solution to an important problem. Suddenly, while dangling his feet in a swimming pool, the answer comes to him like a bolt of lightning.
But if you find yourself apologizing every day for every little thing in the office, the apologies become meaningless. Try not apologizing unless it's a more serious matter and you'll feel better.
Several studies show that the "a-ha" moment has occurred when the discoverer was away from work and relaxing.
A study by three Australian scholars explains why. In Refusing to Apologize Can Have Psychological Benefits (and We Issue No Mea Culpa for this Research Finding), they say apologies act as a transfer of power from the offender to the victim. By refusing to apologize, the harm-doer retains a sense of control. But that means you don't have to admit you've done anything wrong and don't have to do anything different.
A study in Psychological Science shows that walking away from a problem to do simple, routine tasks and letting the mind wander in the process, can spark new creative connections or approaches to solving dilemmas. A lot of great ideas occur at transition times when people are waking up, falling asleep, bathing or jogging. For morning people, it's more likely to happen in the evening, and for night people, it's more likely to happen in the morning, according to a study by MJJ Labs in Atlanta, which was quoted in The Wall Street Journal.
It's not always a good idea. The psychological rewards often don't justify the cost. Apologizing can go far toward righting a legitimate wrong and in some cases, can save a lot of money. A study in The Lanset shows that among patients who filed malpractice suits, many said an apology from the hospital would have been enough. At the University of Michigan Medical Center, full disclosure of medical errors and an apology reduced its number of lawsuits by 65 percent. In business, there are benefits for taking the blame. When someone accepts responsibility, they're showing they are in charge. If they fix the error, they are showing they are capable.
A study of college students shows that viewing the color green helped to make new ideas appear. Another tactic is building time into a daily routine for mind wandering, like when you take a walk, run, gaze out a window or do a routine physical task that doesn't require much thought. Can anyone become more creative?
When you don't often apologize, your apologies become more valuable. People notice them and think better of them.
Studies show that they can, although those who have had stimulating experiences may do somewhat better.
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Health in the news Finding drugs that lift depression within hours The problems with depression drugs like Prozac and Celexa: they can take a month or more to provide relief, and they don't work for everyone. New, fast-acting drugs work in an entirely different way and can provide relief in hours or days. The fast-acting treatments being studied include ketamine or scopolamine, using the existing medications in a new way. They all work on the brain's NMDA receptors, which are involved in learning and memory. They also interact with the neurotransmitter glutamate, the levels of which are out of balance in depression. Several drug companies are developing new drugs that are based on ketamine. It will be at least a couple of years before the new drugs hit the market, but some doctors are already using ketamine off label for depressed patients.
What you should know about your allergies
Prevent mower injuries Now that summer's here, there's an accident-prone activity taking place once or twice a week in your yard. In 2011, 3,780 children age 14 or under were treated in emergency rooms for mower injuries, says the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Some advice from the American Academy of Pediatrics and other groups:
The spring tree and grass allergies are just about gone, but the real hay fever season is coming up.
1. Don't allow kids under 12 to operate a push mower or those under 16 to drive a riding mower.
Normally, you wouldn't look to CNNMoney.com for medical advice, but they have analyzed how allergies can affect your pocketbook and have come up with interesting observations.
2. When kids are old enough to mow, teach them safety steps.
* Employees who didn't get treatment lost more than two hours a day of productivity on their jobs.
3. Don't allow children to ride on mower as passengers.
* If you regularly take over-the-counter pills, get a skin-prick test to pinpoint allergens and fine-tune your treatment.
4. Keep kids off the lawn when mowing.
* Shots. If your doctor suggests immunotherapy, weekly shots for up to eight months (tapering down to monthly), the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology reports that patients saw 38 percent lower costs over time for doctors and drugs.
5. Pick up potential flying objects, like stones and toys, before mowing.
* The best air cleaner is an air conditioner. Or a $50 HEPA air purifier will work, especially for smaller rooms.
It's watermelon time! Watermelon is not only fat free and great tasting, it's a real heavyweight in the nutrition department. A standard serving of about two cups (85 calories) has plenty of vitamins C and A. It has potassium, which is essential for the body's maintenance and plays a vital role in the response of nerves and the contraction of muscles. Watermelon also has a healthy dose of lycopene, an antioxidant that helps the body fight cell damage.
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Brought To You By Kris Spears ND ACN Exec Success Coach Spears & Associates 119 S. 8th Street Aransas Pass, TX 78336 (361) 438-7947 krisaspears@gmail.com http://BestHealth4U.me
Use up summer vegetables in bits-and-pieces pie
Summer Sudoku
This egg pie will suit the palate of even the least adventurous eaters. Tailor it to the tastes of your loved ones while using up those garden vegetables and bits and pieces from the fridge.
How to solve To solve a sudoku, you only need logic and patience. No math is required. Simply make sure that each 3x3 square region has a number 1 through 9 with only one occurrence of each number. Each column and row of the large grid must have only one instance of the numbers 1 through 9.
Just about anything can go in this pie but there are some must-have ingredients. You must have at least 5 or 6 eggs for a 9 inch pie. But, if you have oven-ready custard cups, even 2 eggs will do. You must have some cheese. Your favorite will do. You must have some stuff to put into the pie mixture.
Bits-and-pieces breakfast pie 5 to 6 eggs 1 small zucchini diced 5 pieces of bacon, cooked and diced 1 cup diced sandwich ham 1/2 cup onions Three fresh green onions, diced. 4 ounces cut up polish sausage. 3 cups of Mozzarella cheese, diced 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese diced 1/4 cup cottage cheese
The difficulty rating on this puzzle is easy.
From this list, substitute almost anything you have on hand. You'll need a lot of your favorite cheese (at least 3 to 4 cups). Use as much or little onion as you would like. Instead of cottage cheese, you can use milk. Use diced beef, chicken, or any other meat. Sweeten the mixture with a splash of nutmeg, if you want. Tomatoes can be mixed in but they are pretty on the top. How to make: Spray vegetable oil on pie pan. Preheat oven to 350. Mix up the eggs first and then add milk or cottage cheese. Next add the rest of your ingredients. Pour the whole thing into your pie pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until the center is set. Cut like a pie Page 3
Tech-inspired bathrooms Today, there's a huge desire for bathrooms to be more efficient and welcoming of personal technology. It cuts across all generations and demographics as consumers become aware of tech devices and their ease of use. Bathrooms are becoming the gee-whiz spaces of tomorrow. It's not just because they're filled with gadgets, they're taking cleanliness to new heights. Gen Ys have grown up with technology and are accustomed to having it. In a new home, they want touchless faucets, toilets that open when you approach and close when you walk away, toilets with built-in bidets, programmable thermostats to let them set preferences for temperature, timing and water pressure, medicine cabinets with built-in TVs, music in the shower and tub, and heated floors. There's a growing confidence among homeowners. They are investing in their homes and exploring options. The desire for bathroom solutions coincides with the popularity of home improvement shows on television. By viewing them, homeowners become more aware of what's available. They want to integrate thoughtful design into their digital dwellings. The bathroom is becoming a sanctuary from life's demands where people want to be uninterrupted and alone.
Company softball teams can be fun. With rules. When the big softball game is between Kitchen Maid Sons of Pitchers versus Blood Bath & Beyond, what can you really expect to see? Not history in the making. Yet, company softball lives because it is a culture onto itself and there are rules. Remember one thing that makes company softball fun -- or at least mildly amusing -- is that anyone can play. Yes, anyone. But according to the Wall Street Journal's Jason Gay, the exception to that rule is the boss. If the boss does want to play, Gay recommends reminding him that it costs $750 per person to play. In advance. Per inning. Now once the roster -- which includes everybody -- is established, next we have a few unwritten rules of play. 1 No one cares how much time it took to get that washboard on your gut. Wear a shirt. This goes for girls and boys. This isn't a swimming pool. 2 The pitcher must throw strikes. Right over the plate, big and slow. 3 Bunting sucks. Don't. 4 If your only job is to make screeching sounds in the name of being a cheerleader, then you are buying drinks. Remember that.
Your Helpful Home Tips Kris Spears ND ACN Exec Success Coach Spears & Associates 119 S. 8th Street Aransas Pass, TX 78336 (361) 438-7947 krisaspears@gmail.com http://BestHealth4U.me
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