The Practice of Swaddling

Swaddling a baby by wrapping it snugly in swaddling cloths to restrict movement has been practiced since around 4000 B.C. in Central Asia. Migrating people used back-pack cradle boards to carry babies, and thus started the practice of swaddling. As migration continued from generation to generation, swaddling became a permanent part of their lives. In Biblical times, a newborn baby was washed, rubbed with salt and oil, and then wrapped with strips of cloth. This kept the baby warm and was thought to ensure that the child's limbs would grow straight. By the late 15th century, babies were swaddled for the first 8 or 9 months of life. The baby was wrapped in linen bands from head to foot, with a stay band attached to the forehead and the shoulders to secure the head. This was thought to ensure the baby would grow up without physical deformity.

In the 17th century, opinion started to change regarding swaddling. More and more physicians and surgeons began to dispute the idea that wrapping a baby tightly in swaddling helped develop straight limbs. And because babies would be swaddled and then left for long periods without washing or comforting (particularly with wet nurses), it became associated with neglect. This sentiment grew, starting in England and then spreading later to Western Europe. By the end of the 18th century, more and more people in the Western world rejected swaddling. Many Eastern and tribal people, however, continued to use swaddling throughout this period.

Today, the practice of swaddling is coming back into favor. At birth, the sudden freedom of movement can be distressing to a baby. The thought behind modern swaddling is that it simulated the closeness of the womb. Since the early 1990s, medical studies have shown that placing a baby on its back to sleep reduces the risk of SIDS. A swaddled baby sleeps better on its back, so swaddling has been recommended more and more to new parents. Swaddling also prevents newborns from waking themselves with their startle reflex. Studies had described two main effect of swaddling babies: they are calmer with fewer movement and get more REM sleep. Swaddling a crying infant decreases blood pressure and pressure in the brain, both of which become elevated at the onset of distress. A distressed baby calms down and relaxes when swaddled. Colic is alleviated when a baby is swaddled and held upright on the shoulder so that food can be properly digested. Make note however that a swaddled baby should never be left to sleep on its stomach because of the restricted movement.

To be effective, a baby must remain snugly wrapped in the baby blanket while asleep. Modern swaddling is done in cotton receiving blankets, cotton muslin wraps, or specialized baby blanket swaddles. Loose or ineffective wrapping using a too small baby blanket can be kicked off by a restless baby. In these cases, the risk of SIDS increases as the baby blanket can cover the baby's face. There is also a danger when too heavy or multiple baby blankets are used to swaddle a baby. This can cause overheating in the baby and increases the risk of SIDS. By the time a baby is learning to roll over, parents should stop swaddling. When rolling, the baby needs the use of its hand and arms to adjust their head position.

There are several things that should be watched when swaddling a baby.
Tight swaddling can increase the risk of hip dysplasia.Tight swaddling can lead to life-threatening hyperthermia.One study showed a fourfold increase in developing respiratory infections in swaddled babies.One pediatrician found the flattening of the occipital aspect of the head in babies wrapped tightly and laid in traditional cradles.Swaddling can be linked with a prolonged recovery from weight loss after birth. This is thought to be caused by the fact that swaddling does not allow skin to skin contact between the mother and child. Skin to skin contact reduces the stress of being born and helps maintain the baby's body temperature.Swaddling can cause maternal behavior to be weaker because there in less interaction between the mother and the baby.

Swaddling is still practiced worldwide, but has more acceptance in some countries than others. It is still practiced more in non-industrialized cultures, but seems to be gaining some popularity in the U.S., Great Britain, and the Netherlands. As in all things, it is the parent's choice as to whether they swaddle a newborn. Most hospitals swaddle newborns, so if it seems to calm the baby, life will be much easier if the practice is continued when the baby goes home. There are many baby blankets available now to make swaddling easier, so make sure to find the baby blanket that works best for you.

Beth Moore is a quilter that turned her passion for baby quilts into a website - BabyQuiltComfort.com. Currently, the site offers a wide variety of baby quilts, crib sets, baby blankets, and baby gifts. In the future, hand made quilts will be featured on the site as well.

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Do Slimming Pills and Supplements Really Lead To Weight Loss?

We are now a nation of overweight people.

The terrible truth is that it has now become normal to be fat. In fact, more than half of us are now either clinically obese or very much overweight.

The epidemic of obesity that has swept through North America, the UK and Australia has brought with it a host of major health problems from diabetes to heart disease. Nowadays, being overweight and being sick has become the rule rather than the exception. It is now the norm.

Why are so many people now overweight?

Well, we don't need to be rocket scientists to understand that the reason is because we're consuming more calories than we burn. The fast paced, fast food lifestyle that so many of us are forced into fills our bodies with too much sugar, fat and salt.

Calorie-rich fast foods, convenience foods, snacks, candy bars and drinks laced with sugars and corn syrup all contribute to the pandemic of obesity that has now become the norm.

Rather than face this simple fact, many people prefer to bury their head in the sand(witches) and look for easy options that will enable them to continue with their old lifestyle yet magically reduce their weight.

Slimming supplements and slimming pills are now a multi-million dollar and multi-million pound industry full of hype and promises of an easy solution to being overweight.

What the manufacturers and purveyors of these products fail to advertise, of course, is that there is no real credible evidence that they work. In fact, everything seems to point to the fact that they make little or no difference when it comes to helping you reduce your weight, become slimmer or healthier.

Heavy marketing and advertising hype aside, these products simply do not have any reliable supporting clinical research to back up their amazing claims.

Despite this fact, people continue to buy these pills and potions in desperation, continuing to fuel the huge and ever-growing market for easy weight-loss products. What they refuse to accept is that while they are feeding the bank balance of manufacturers, they are simply wasting their own money.

We can lose weight naturally, without pills and supplements by becoming aware of what we eat and why we eat it in the way that we do.

Avoiding processed foods and sticking, as much as possible to whole foods, fresh fruit and vegetables can bring things back into balance. After all, when was the last time you saw someone get fat by eating too many carrots or apples?

Eliminating all simple sugars and eating complex carbohydrates, which help balance our blood sugar levels and stabilize our moods, can accelerate our weight reduction. In addition, we also need to avoid all hidden, saturated and trans fats.

It also helps, of course, if we engage in a regular program of exercise in order to burn off some of that stored energy that we call fat.

The real secret of weight loss lies not in gimmicky pills and supplements, but in altering our relationship with food. Hypnosis is an excellent way to achieve this.

Through the medium of hypnosis we can re-align the subconscious mind so that it works in harmony with our wishes, making healthy eating as natural as it was meant to be. And when we eat in the way that nature intended then we automatically reduce our weight, becoming slimmer, fitter and healthier.

Peter Field is a leading British hypno-psychotherapist, Fellow of the Royal Society of Health and creator of the revolutionary new 3 Step Hypnosis-Slimming System.

http://EzineArticles.com/6504357

The 4 Most Commonly Used Room Dividers and Their Uses

The best room divider is, of course, a wall. But let's face it; building a permanent wall isn't always feasible or affordable. Whether it's your home, school, church, business or office, room dividers can create new spaces, add just the right touch to décor, give privacy and reduce noise.

There are four room dividers that are most commonly used. In order to help you to know which may be the best option for your situation, I'll list them below and give some of the more appropriate uses for each divider:

1. Screens
Screens are extremely versatile and can be used both at home or in a business / public situation. Because screens are lightweight and free standing, they can be easily setup and taken down or moved around. Screens also are usually the most decorative of the room dividers.

Screens are best used for situations when you only temporarily need to divide a room or when decoration is important (like when used at home). Screens do not block sound well, so these are not the best option if you need divide a room for separate discussions or presentations. Also, because screens are lightweight, they should be used away from large crowds to prevent them from being knocked over.

2. Portable Panels
Similar to screens portable panels are able to be easily setup, taken down, and can have casters to make them easy to move around. However, portable panels are sturdier and block light and sound better than screens, thus providing more privacy.

Portable Panels are best used for situations when you need more privacy for groups, but the division of the room needs to change from time to time (thus making fixed dividers impractical). Portable panels are not decorative and don't usually work well in homes, but are sturdier than screens allowing them to be used around large groups without worrying about them being knocked over.

3. Fixed Folding / Sliding Panels
Fixed panels are sturdy, solid dividers that are mounted to a wall and possibly set in runners on the floor or ceiling. These room partitions are essentially portable walls providing full privacy.

Fixed folding/sliding panels are best for rooms which need to be divided in the same way each time. They are often used for dividing conference rooms, classrooms, or church halls. Because they can extend from floor to ceiling, they are great for dividing a room for separate discussions or presentations.

4. Office Partition Installations
There are a wide variety of office partitions available. People are most familiar with cubicles and reception partitions with counters, but the options extend well beyond that with different shapes, sizes, and materials. These dividers can be decorative, such as decorative glass, or utilitarian, such a corkboard.

Office partitions are best used when you don't want a full wall or you want the flexibility to change the layout of the partitions from time to time. They are not easily moved, but can be installed and uninstalled as needed. So, they are more permanent than portable panel, but less permanent than a wall.

There are many situations where you may want to have a larger room available, but be able to divide it as needed as well. Dividers give you flexibility to change the layout of a room when you need to.

Mary P. Sargeant is an author and the Marketing Communications Coordinator for Dallas Midwest. Dallas Midwest in an office furniture outlet offering a wide range of furniture solutions for offices, schools, churches, libraries and more carying everything from wood podiums, to conference tables, to fabric office chairs and everything in between.

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6 Things Every New Homeowner Should Know

Your first home has gone from a long-term dream to a reality. Here are six things every new homeowner should know to keep that dream from becoming a nightmare.

(1) I cannot stress enough the importance of maintenance. There is a ton of maintenance that goes into any home. Painting, plumbing, lawn care and the lists go on. A good way to get a feel for your homes needs, weaknesses and strengths is to take a look at the home inspection report provided to you when you bought the house. This can be a great guide in figuring out just what problems you may run into and also to start your list of home repairs to be done in the near to far future. Maintaining your home on a regular basis can prevent small problems from turning into large costly problems.

(2) The foundation will naturally develop hairline cracks over time. You will want to inspect the basement walls of your new home and locate these cracks to make sure they are not allowing water through the wall. Keeping a close eye on these cracks over time, will allow you to stop them from becoming larger cracks that, if not fixed, can seriously damage the structural integrity of the house.

(3) The roof should be checked yearly for broken or missing shingles, moss and leaks. If your roof is more than twelve years old, a professional inspection should be done and the necessary repairs or replacements should be made in order to maintain the integrity or your roof.

(4) Know where your home's electrical panel is located. This will be very important in case of a power outage. Check the breakers and test which circuits are connected to which outlets and switches throughout the house. Labeling these breakers will be a real help in the future. Noting the amperage of the breakers will help you to avoid overloading breakers. Check for rusted circuit breakers yearly. Circuit breakers that are rusted can prevent a circuit from shutting off when being overloaded, potentially causing a fire.

(5) Homeowners insurance is a must have! There are many different types of insurance available from many different providers. Do the research into the different types of policies and the different needs and concerns that you have for your home. Some examples are replacement coverage and flood damage coverage.

(6) Know where the main shutoffs for gas, water and electricity are. Knowing where these are would be crucial in an emergency. Locate and label the shutoffs for each of these and become familiar with them.

Using these six simple guidelines can help protect and maintain your investment for years to come.

Megan Perry is a writer who looks forward to sharing her knowledge and advice with readers. For more on owning a home, Five Star Mortgage offers new homeowners insurance tips.

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Why Summer Community Service Programs Are A Hit With Teens

With all of a teenager's energy, it's no surprise that constructive ways need to be found to channel it. Every summer the news documents incidents of crowds of teenagers, with little to do, who exercise bad choices by joining in mob actions that are often destructive, and sometimes dangerous. Fortunately however, there are regional, national and even worldwide summer community service programs with leadership committed to helping teens get involved doing things to help others as they are helped to grow and mature.

Preparing for the Future by Developing a World View
Helping teenagers to understand that being responsible extends beyond themselves is one part of good summer community service programs. It's easy for a teen to become self-absorbed. Unfortunately, it's a natural extension for someone who hasn't had to deal with any real responsibilities for their whole life. That's where summer community service programs give teens the ability to learn that humanity often needs them to look beyond their needs and look to the needs of others. These programs allow the teen to develop relationships with a team of volunteers and with others beyond their own borders, and from that they can realize that, if by no other way, every human and every community is attached by our connection to this planet. Being able to contribute to a global community, teens can expand their own horizons and reach a changed perspective of the world and those who live in it.

Developing as an Individual and a Team Member
It's important to realize that in the program our individual acts make a difference; however, working with a summer community service program and with a team, a person can learn that the community is capable of so much more than a single person working towards the same goal. The benefits of teamwork and what can be accomplished enhance the larger community. And they can also learn that, at times, an individual's positive efforts inspire the entire community because good works can be contagious. That's because they often learn that the first step to success comes from simply getting started. After the start is made, others are encouraged to contribute their efforts as well. The teenager can both grow as an individual, and also leave with a huge sense of achievement for what they and their team accomplished.

Memories for a Lifetime
As a trip that will be remembered as the experience of a lifetime, being a part of summer community service programs enables teens to be involved in a truly memorable trip. Not only will they have built friendships with those on their team but with those who their team interacted with during the program. They will come to know the people whose lives they have impacted, and will return home a more confident global citizen. The teenager may also develop a greater respect for the world in which we live and the things that they hold important in their life.

Learn that we spread our legacy through the works we offer when we offer to assist others is an invaluable lesson with youth development programs. It's in this way that we pay it forward.

A great way for your teens to learn leadership skills and other valuable lessons is by getting involved in community summer programs. Terry Galloway knows that going to youth development programs every summer means teens can be involved by helping those that need it.

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Neighbours From Hell

Neighbourhood Bullies

Probably most decent people have experienced or at least have heard about the effects that a bully targeting you from within your immediate neighbourhood has on his or her victims. The law tends to close its eyes to complaints as police are at a loss to know who is telling the truth and the courts need hard evidence of criminal activity before it condemns the accused.

Mischief Makers

That lets bullies out. They can create their mischief in secret at any time night or day and mostly with things that are completely unexpected. Such as letting a loud fire cracker off under your window or chucking a rock on the roof at 2 or 3 a.m. You fly out of bed with heart pounding thinking something has exploded within your house and then lie awake for most of the night in panic.

Your garden suffers unbelievably as his or her focus shifts to stealing your plants, smashing your pots, taking away tools and harvesting your vegetables that you worked hard all summer producing.

Every action of this nature is stressful and the intimidation felt keeps you inside for most of the time. You don't want to confront the abuser again as an attack previously led to you being called unprintable names and threats sent you into another panic attack. So what do you do?

If you have lived in the place for a long time and have friends and support in the area you probably don't want to move. You might also have children who attend a local school and who are being also abused and intimidated by your neighbour and the kids.

No Help from The Law

The police are useless although they attend every time you call them. Getting the evidence, such as pictures of such an offence, proves impossible. The way to treat them, therefore, is possibly by changing the law to allow registers to be publicly displayed and for such criminals to be treated in the same way as paedophiles are.

The stress and shocks received at their hands can and does drive people to suicide. Others might die of a heart attack and many will move rather than continue to deal with it. The consequences can and do change people's lives as well as their relationship with family members and neighbours.

Having put up with this kind of behaviour from one of my neighbours it is not without experience that this report has been written.

There is no escape from the Neighbour Bullies it seems unless you catch them in the act of damaging your property, have a recording of their threats or you move.

http://EzineArticles.com/6508942

Three Online Resources to Support Homeschooling Parents

So, you decided to home school your child. It may be because you dislike the environment of the schools available or you decide to home school owing to religious/moral reasons.

Homeschooling entails a big responsibility and commitment - and you as a parent and homeschooling teacher needs to ensure that your child learns effectively at home.

Whatever the reason, your success as a homeschooling parent will depend not only in finding a curriculum that best fits your child but also on other resources that will support your child's learning process.

Here are some support options available online for homeschooling parents:

1. Homeschooling Groups

There are a plethora of homeschooling groups online. Many of these groups have meet-ups and educational 'field trips' together.

There are also homeschooling co-ops. Homeschooling co-ops are similar to school because they are centered around classes and subjects. And, many of them run like a school where a child goes from class to class.

Some join homeschooling groups or co-ops to add a socialization element to their child's education while other's join them to diversify the subjects the child is learning.

2. Online tutoring

Online tutoring can enhance your child's home schooling.

This is because children may not always respond positively to their parents while learning. This is what a trained online tutor provides - extra coaching to revive your child's interest on their academic studies. A child may respond more positively to a different teacher with a different teaching style.

There are many types of online tutoring. Some parents use it for one-on-one tutoring. This allows the child to focus on subjects or concepts you are not as well versed in. This would also encourage him to ask questions to the tutor ensuring that your child is receiving a well rounded education.

Many online tutors produce progress reports and updates for parents. This enables the parent/teacher to tailor their lesson plans.

An online tutor can also help your child in developing good study habits. Companies which offer high quality tutorial services usually employ effective learning methods like mind mapping and visual learning.

3. Social Networking

Today, when a homeschooling parent comes across a problem or questions he or she can simply post it on various social networking sites to receive answers quickly. For example, the parent can post the question on Twitter or via Facebook by updating their status. They can get answers back instantly from other homeschooling parents.

Let these tools help you as meet the challenges and success that comes with homeschooling. Happy trails on your homeschooling journey!

Prime is a content management strategist for Ahead Interactive (http://www.aheadinteractivetutorial.com/), leading provider of live, video-powered online tutorials. She writes articles on productivity and stress management to help busy working women cope with overwhelm.

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Saying No (Gracefully) To The Wave Of Requests To Volunteer At School

The minute your children start school, the requests for volunteer help start rolling in. And since there is nothing more critical than your child's education, it can be very, very difficult to turn down the requests. After all, there is a definite correlation between active parental participation and school performance.

But getting it right is another matter.

Whether you're a stay-at-home mom, work-at-home mom, or work-outside-the-home, there's just a boat-load of guilt that comes with this territory. You can feel guilty you're not doing enough, guilty you're doing too much and shortchanging your family of quality time? guilty for saying no? guilty for saying yes? So what's a mom to do? Fundamentally it comes down to committing to do fewer things, better. When you take on too much, you don't end up doing anything as well as you could. So, if you struggle to say no without guilt, here are five simple strategies to help:

1. Follow the rule of one

Allow yourself to participate in one volunteer event per school year. Do that one event well. Whenever someone asks you to pitch in, if it's not the one you agreed to help with, simply say, "I've already committed to work on Project X and that's all I can really take on this year."

2. Put a policy in place

If you struggle to balance your checkbook, let's face it, you'd make a lousy swim team treasurer! Make it a policy to only take on volunteer projects that are a good fit with your skill set. When someone asks you to lend a hand with something you're not terribly good at, all you have to do is say something like, "Oh, I'm the wrong person to ask for help with that? I'd make a mess of it." You can also make it a policy to only volunteer time that involves interaction with your children. Shelving the library books vs. chaperoning the school trip, for instance.

3. Beg for time

Swap your "sure, no problem" for "that sounds really interesting; let me think about it and get back to you." Then use the time to determine whether or not you really want to take on the task.

4. Script some no responses in advance

Sometimes it's easier to have a canned response than to figure out how to respond in the moment. A good one: "my heart says yes, but my calendar says no."

5. Use email

If you feel the pressure to say yes in-person, use strategy #3 and then deliver your no via email or voicemail.

Using these strategies will help you hone in on the volunteering you really want to do, have time for, and that means something to your and your child!

Buttoned Up is dedicated to helping stretched & stressed women get organized. Co-founders Alicia Rockmore & Sarah Welch team up with a group of Gurus to give you tips & products for all your messy, stressed needs & introduce "imperfect organization." Visit http://www.getbuttonedup.com/ to see which Guru matches your style & get info on Everyday Life, Life Essentials & Life Events

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How To Find A Bargain At The Local Markets

Some weekends we go bargain hunting down at the local markets, and last Saturday it was the turn of the arts and crafts market. A customer was talking to one of the stall holders, and the first question he asked was could he get a certain product for half price!

The stall holder was somewhat surprised at this request. Whilst you can expect to negotiate prices from market traders, asking for half price is not going to win any friends in some countries, whereas in other countries that is an accepted part of the process.

Sometimes you'll find stall holders have marked-up their products knowing customers are seeking large discounts. They may catch unsuspecting tourists who don't even think to negotiate the prices, and then happily part with the price as marked.

Finding a market stall that is owner operated gives you a far better chance of being able to negotiate the sale price, though when looking at new products, you'll have less chance of finding bargains.

Our local market has many stalls selling second-hand goods, often purchased from garage sales in the area, reminding me of the saying: "One man's trash is another man's treasure". Some of it really is junk, though if you look closely you'll occasionally stumble across a bargain. When that happens, you need to have a poker face.

The secret is not to show too much interest when you find a bargain. We wait for the market trader to make a quick mental calculation based on how much they have paid to purchase the item, and how much profit they think they can make on the item. Often they have really little idea of what a customer would be prepared to pay, and it's a case of the first person to speak loses!

The market stall holder may ask:"How much would you like to pay?" Rather than answer, I'll just give a quizzical look. Or the other option is that the stall holder may say:"That's ten dollars", in which case I'll also give a quizzical look.

Have you ever noticed how in these situations, after a few seconds that silence becomes awkward and uncomfortable? It only feels that way if you let it feel that way. I've been in situations where they'll say, "OK, I can knock two dollars off!".

You see, the first person to speak next loses.

A favorite trick is then to walk away. If you hear them shout after you, you know that you've got a chance of a further reduction of the advertised price.

The great thing about a finding a bargain is that you made a purchase at a price that you feel is below what you would have been prepared to pay. It's nothing to do with what other people would pay. And often it's nothing to do with the real value of an item.

Part of the fun in finding a bargain at the local markets is in the search, not the purchase. Another part is the price negotiation, and the satisfaction that you believe that you've saved money on an item that you have been searching for a while to find.

We've found that by chatting to the stall holder, taking an interest in what they do, and who they are, will often lead to discovering some surprises and some true bargains, as they open up to you and reveal some hidden gems that they may have "forgotten" about and are not on display.

Have fun, be relaxed, take an interest, and you could soon be finding some great bargains at the local markets.

http://EzineArticles.com/6502718

Say No To Family Events This Year

As the summer comes to an end, only a few things are constant in the coming future; cold weather and family gatherings. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Eve. At some point you won't be able to skip that dreaded family event. Uncle Steve will ask for a hundred dollars, your sister in law will have six thousand questions hoping to figure out why her husband is dysfunctional. (if you're lucky) You're Mother and Father are a year older, crankier, more blunt asking constant questions about your job, love life, and health. Stress is at an all time high, you never know what will be said, or what odd behavior will occur to make you think; this is it for me, no more family events. If you feel this way you're not alone, family events are the most stressful times of the year. According to a Harvard Poll done in 1996, it was considered that family gatherings are one of the ten most stressful events. Family can be overbearing, selfish, and most important, oblivious to the turmoil they cause you.

You Can Choose Your Friends but you can't choose your family:

Family is special. Beside being infinitely annoying, they have been around since the beginning of your time. Have known you through all the hard and good times. They attended all of your events,and supported you when you needed that helping hand. That sounds great, but why do they cause so much stress? Why do we continue to participate in these yearly events? We must be masochist or insane. " I absolutely can't stand holidays, because it's ground hog day. I know exactly what's going to happen and the end result. It's never pretty," Says Judy Holmes A New Jersey Homemaker. Why do we feel responsible for engaging ourselves, we know what's going to happen. If you don't go, if you don't entertain these stressful events does this make you less loving or less family oriented? Try telling Mom, that you're not coming over for Thanksgiving because you'd rather sit home with a microwave turkey and watch the game. Conniption is not the word. We feel pushed, manipulated and coerced into attending. What to do.

It's Simple, don't go:

I know that sounds crazy, It's definitely not the PC thing to say. But, don't go! The only way to alleviate the stress of the holidays is to be absent. The problem is people tend to not see their family all year and cram all that time in 2-3 days. If you can possibly set aside some time during the course of the year, spending one on one time with Grandma, taking Dad and Mom out to lunch a couple times a month you won't feel bad about missing the gatherings for Christmas and Thanksgiving. That's what keeps us coming, its guilt. The guilt of not fulfilling family objectives, the guilt of the possibility of never seeing these people again is overbearing. The guilt of feeling disconnected or being looked upon as not being a part of the family is tough to swallow. As the holidays roll around don't feel bad about not going to the family gatherings, just give your time throughout the year and you will be fine. What do you think about this method?

Five Things To Do For the Holidays

Stay Home:

Staying Home is not a bad idea, you get a few days off work why spend that time over eating and listening to rhetoric from all sides of the family.

Take A Trip:

Go on a vacation, rates are never cheaper during the holidays but the most opportune time to take a vacation. Because most have paid time off work, if you accompany your holiday with vacation pay you can create a longer vacation.

Create A Party With Friends:

Invite friends who share your passion, make an event with people that actually don't annoy you.

Go To A Sporting Event:

Nothing makes a better holiday excuse than, "I have front row seats, sideline tickets to the game."

Work:

Spend the time working, this sounds counterproductive. Some people do like their jobs, use this time to catch up or figure out new ways to gain that bonus or strategize on how to gain on your competitor. This is an opportune time because you know others are not on the same page.

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