How to Motivate Your Child to Read

Image taken from http://n8tip.com/been-meaning-to-catch-up-on-reading-heres-how

The ability to read was, for many years (centuries???), withheld from the common citizen. Free access to information was something our ancestors had to fight for for a long time. It is thus a legacy we have to be thankful for and should try and make the most of it.
Instilling our children into reading is one of the best ways to continue with this legacy and to provide them with one of the best tools there is to succeed in life – being self-sufficient, which is something you can get from books.
Not only that, but also the possibility of hours and hours of fun reading comics, novels, sci-fi, etc.

However, as we all know, it isn’t always easy to motivate children to read.
Here are a few guidelines based on the recommendations of the America Reads Challenge (Europe may have a somewhat different reality, but these guidelines might still prove useful)

1 – Talk with your child about what you are reading: Share interesting newspaper and magazine articles, point out beautiful words from books and introduce new vocabulary;
2 – Provide a good selection of books for your child so that he or she can always find one of interest;
3 – Have your child pick out books in addition to the ones you choose;
4 – Discuss the books with your child as he or she reads them. Ask questions about themes, characters and how the story might relate to real life;
5 – Help your child build confidence by allowing him or her to reread a book several times;
6 – Reward your child for reading new books.

I would add a 7th step that I think is quite important – give the example; if your child knows that you have the habit of reading, he or she will get curious about it.

You can check this and other useufl articles at http://www.ehow.com/how_1931_motivate-child-read.html

Motivating Others

Sometimes, when you have people under your responsability, it’s hard to keep them focused and commited to their obligations and goals.

Being a leader is not an easy task, nor it is suited for everyone.

It is no shame to admit that you don’t have what it takes to be a leader. It is OK. You have your own weaknesses and you have your own strengths. You not be a great leader, but you are surely great at doing something else. Not being able to lead doesn’t make you any worse than your pears.

However, sometimes in our lives, for one reason or the other, you are faced with a situation in which you have to manage, run, take care of a group (big or small). When those times come, it comes in handy to have some basic notions of how people work in matters of motivation.

This book can provide you with lots of helpful tips on how this works. The concepts it shows can give us a better understanding of the things one must pay attention to when leading others.

Still, even if you never come to need it, it is always some useful piece of knowledge.

(If you like the ebook, remember to buy it afterwards. Support the authors)

Working Out

Women are constantly being pressured by the media and society in general to look pretty, thin, sexy, tonned, fit, within certain proportions, etc.

Well, men are feeling that kind of pressure too more and more nowadays.

However, some (most?) of us can’t afford to go to the gym or hire a personal trainer. That kind of leaves us on our own with trying to shape our body. There is nothing wrong with that, as long as we know what to do and are able to not overdo it, which is usually the biggest risk we run.

The ebook I’m presenting here can be a great aid in with planning your working out routine. It focuses on the major muscular groups – arms, shoulders, chest, abs and lower back, back and legs. Maybe you’ll need to invest in a couple of dumbells or barbells, but you’ll only have to pay for them once. Or you can try and adapt the exercises using other kinds of weights you can easily find at home – some books, bottles, etc.

You can get it here.

Just follow the instructions there, don’t overdo the exercises, don’t add more weight than specified in the book, and stop immediately if you feel any pain.
Mind you, you should see your doctor before starting any exercise routine on your own. I will not be held responsible if any harm should arise from following this book’s exercices.

(If you like the ebook, remember to buy it afterwards. Support the authors)

DIY repair jobs at home

From time to time some things get broken around the house. When that happens, you have two choices – either fix it yourself or call someone to do it, in which case you’ll have to pay for the service.

So, unless you are incorrigibly lazy, you will probably want to do it yourself – not only because it is more fun and uplifting when we can fix things for ourselves, but also because the current world economic situation is not suited for unnecessary expenses.

This ebook covers all kinds of repairing job one usually has to face at home, ranging from wallpaper removal, repairing cornices, fixing floorboards, restoring door furniture, fixing drawers, and lots of other stuff.

Now you can actually be the handyman of the house =)

You can get the ebook here.

(If you like the ebook, remember to buy it afterwards. Support the authors)

Goodbye hair

Are you spending hours in front of the mirror pitying yourself? Is it starting to take you less and less time to count all your hair threads? Do you feel like you are losing your charm due to the loss of the hairstyle that made you famous some years ago? Are you in denial and wondering why the world has brought such an injustice over you?

Well, you can stop the drama now. No, I am not going to offer a miracle cure for baldness. But I am going to provide you with a link where you can get some scientific information on hair loss, its causes, the different kinds of hair loss and the various treatments available.

It is worth the read, not only to clear some of the myths we usually hear about hair loss, but also to help us understand what’s behind this “monster” that scares a great number of men. It may even give you a different point of view on the subject and leave you with the feeling that hair loss doesn’t necessarily mean lack of charm, sex appeal, handsomeness, or personality.

Take a look at it here.

A Husband’s Guide to Lovemaking

Yes, I know! When it comes to in-bed activities we are all the best there is and the best there will ever be. We all have that adult movie star stamina and endurance (and we can also perform in that weird position where you put one leg on one side of her, and the other leg goes…). Oh, and we always get them exhausted, right? Right!

Nonetheless, I believe this book may come in handy for some of us (very, very, very, very few, I’m sure) who think they can still improve something in their mating skills.

I’m guessing the ladies will all be thankful if we [ALL] read this interesting book. (after all, they’re the ones who keep saying we always miss “the point” of it; maybe we should give them the benefit of the doubt).

Get it from here, and enjoy the results ;o). Let me know if the missus found it worth the read.

Illustrations to Colour – Oceans & Dinosaurs

Ever wondered how to keep your kids busy during the holidays?

Well, here’s a suggestion that may help discover (or not =P) the artist in your child. Two neat books featuring lots and lots of images your youngsters can colour as they please. One of the books is related to oceans and its wildlife, and the other depicts scenes with dinosaurs.

I know it’s not exactly the latest Playstation model, but sometimes the simpler things can be huge fun (I mean, we all liked dinosaurs at some point in our childhood. Kids nowadays like dinosaurs too, right? They do… right?).

You can get the Oceans colouring book here.

You can get the Dinosaurs colouring book here.

Tie knots

It is commonly accepted that a tie gives a man a very distinct look.

It is also commonly accepted that making a tie knot is one of the biggest challenges most men will face during their lives.

I found this nice video on the Internet that teaches us how to properly make 5 different tie knots:
- the Four in Hand;
- the Windsor;
- the Half Windsor;
- the Shelby;
- the Bow Tie.

You can download it here and start practicing in front of your mirrors ;o)

Advice for the Big and Tall Male to Upgrade His Look in Comfortable Attire

This first post is on dressing well.

We all know that first looks are usually the ones that last the most. More, you only get one chance to cause a good impression of yourself.

I found this article quite interesting and I think it might help those of you who were vertically endowed and are constantly struggling to look good in your clothes.

Check it out here