Secrets of Writing For Children - Poetry - Begin With a Grin

 

Writing poetry for kids is great fun and can be very profitable too. Do you think you could never write a publishable poem? Remember that silly chant you made up for your favorite three year old? The one that made them laugh and shout 'again! again!' That was poetry for children and you can write many, many more. There's always a market for children's humor so - let's being with a grin. How would you begin a funny poem? Your first line is very important, if you can attract attention immediately you are on to a winner. Writers call that first sentence the 'hook' for obvious reasons. In a poem, especially a humorous one, it is more important than ever as you have a only short time to get across what you want to say.

Take a look at these two beginning lines:

First this one -- Once upon a time a little furry cat - yep... boring.

Now try something like -- A cat spat at a rat, the rat spat back. It's already more interesting. Apart from the punchiness of the words, there's a good chance that something is going to happen and kids will want to know what.

Take a minute to find out.

A Cat spat at a rat
the Rat spat back.
Drat said a cross cat
and gave the Rat a smack.

Bully said a big Dog,
try someone your size.
Drop that fatty Ratty
or you'll get a big surprise.

A passing Horse said nay
I'm not allowing that.
Just look at you, you nasty dog
you're bigger than the cat.

No one made a movement,
they just stood still and glared.
Until their mothers came for them
then everyone was scared.

I had no idea what was going to happen to the Cat and the Rat when I first began writing that poem. Which shows you that as long as you start with interesting words your brain will take up the challenge. Starting in an unusual way is good for the writer as well as the reader.

Short and snappy work well for the nonsense poem -- try starting with just two words, two words that create a picture in your mind. I recently opened a dictionary and picked two words at random -- arachnid and egg. Not an obvious poem and I struggled with it but came up with:

An egg-head
arachnid
wanted to be marr-i-ed.
he was bright
but too timid
in his spider web he hid.

Not wonderful, but it does show how much better you could do with words you choose for yourself. Maybe I'll think of an ending to our shy spider's problem one day but lets concentrate on beginnings for now. If you can't think of something that conjures up a strange picture how about a first sentence that starts with some action: A lion nearly ate me. That should get some attention lets try it.

A lion nearly ate me.
a tiger tried to too.
It's lucky they were in a film
and not outside a zoo.

I'm sure you get the idea. Start your children's poem with words that grab your reader and you're halfway there.

Use Braces And Always Have A Grin On Your Face

 

Your smile is the reflection of your personality and it says so much about you. It is the common way to communicate your feelings no matter what language you speak or which place you belong to. Many people have low confidence just because they feel that their smile is not impressive enough. As striking smile affects your social professional and personal life, dissatisfaction regarding your teeth structure can make you spun out. There are many oral problems that can affect one's smile; crooked teeth string is one of them. It is something that affects confidence level the most. Crooked teeth may happen due to many things such as any oral disease, accident or instinctive tendency etc. As misaligned teeth affect not only oral but psychological health too it is mandatory that this problem should be fixed as soon as possible. There is no particular treatment for crooked teeth in dental science except braces. Braces are something that can help people to some extent but level of improvement totally depends on nature of your teeth, hardness of gums and grip of tooth roots.
From the perspective of psychological health, braces are helpful in boosting your confidence up. If you are suffering from the problem of crooked teeth then you might have experienced the frustration of not having a beautiful smile. You start feeling inferior as your friends, classmates and colleagues tease you for your ugly teeth structure. Obviously it's not your fault if you are like this only but you start feeling guilty for your bad looks. Braces help you in coming out of this psychological trauma as it lines up your misaligned teeth array. From vanity viewpoint misaligned teeth can affect the charm of your face. No one will be considered beautiful with crooked teeth and ugly smile as perfect beauty can never be defined without generous smile. That is the reason why people who have everything to look beautiful i.e. toned body, good skin and attractive features except gracious smile use braces to get ideal looks.
Braces are the perfect thing to realign your crooked teeth therefore; many eminent dentists are also suggesting people to use braces. Today millions of people are using braces to recreate the spark of their smile. Usually they are seen sharing their experience with others that how they got rid of crooked teeth by using braces. These braces are good for everyone and helpful in getting a dream smile. There is a misconception regarding braces that it works for kids only, conversely it is effective for every age group provided your teeth are in a condition to move from their place. Braces are effective in aligning your teeth properly if your gums and jaw bones are not too hard to accept the displacement of teeth.
Using braces is also uncomplicated; as it is an undemanding treatment one can decide to have it without any doubt. All what this treatment procedure requires is the patient's support in following the guidelines provided by dentist.

Happy Father's Day - Gifts to Make Him Grin

Have you ever felt a hint of sad nostalgia about moving on from childhood? Have you ever secretly wished your Christmas stocking could be full of toys again? Isn't it a shame how we all grow out of them, whether it be our treasured teddies that eventually get sent to the jumble sale or our Lego sets that somehow end up at the local childrens' home. How great it would be if we could extend that sense of fun and childhood curiosity into our adulthood. We could spend our weekends playing Connect 4 or Operation, furnishing our dolls' houses, or making cute animals out of plasticine and Play Doh! If we could only amuse ourselves like children again, just imagine how much money we'd save, as we'd no longer have to go out shopping to get our thrills.
There are, however, those who would argue that certain members of the population really don't grow out of their toys. Ask any dad what he loves most about having kids, and although he might try to disguise it, there's no denying what he loves best, and that's playing with the toys! Whether it be a Thomas the Tank Engine train or a kids' air hockey table, he'll be addicted. Yes, it's official, men love their toys and will spend hours engrossed in the latest gadgets simply because they never lose that youthful curiosity. So when it comes to choosing Father's Day gifts, rest assured that nothing will make him grin more than a few well chosen fun-packed boys' toys.
Bringing Out The Little Boy With Father's Day Gifts
With Father's Day gifts like the state of the art spud gun, you can really bring out the mischievous little boy that's been hiding inside your dad all these years! At less than a fiver each, you can afford to buy one for every member of the family, and for fun in the garden on Father's Day, it beats paintballing hands down!
If he's into his cars, he may just love the awesome zero gravity remote control car. No ordinary sports car, this little number will amaze your dad, as it defies gravity by driving up walls and across ceilings! Alternatively, there are fun-filled Father's Day gifts he can simply plug into the USB port of his PC or laptop, meaning he can even have fun in the office. The 'USB Whack it game', for instance, is sure to have dad grinning from ear to ear whilst he tries to bash the coloured plastic heads with the hammer as they light up at random. Meanwhile, you can watch his whacks get more and more frantic as the game gathers pace!
Getting Creative
There are also Father's Day gifts that bring back the creative child in your dad, the child who would spend long hours in his bedroom building Lego houses or making steam locomotives with his Meccano set. Now as a grown up, he can rekindle his creative streak with the irresistible 'Build your own Lamborghini or Porsche' kit, complete with all the scaled down body parts so he can enjoy his own little piece of craftsmanship.
If he's more of a footballer, and happens to be a Manchester United or an Arsenal fan, why not reward his team devotion with a unique 'grow your own pitch' kit, so he can grow his own little piece of history right on his own window sill! But for the ultimate in Father's Day gifts for the creative dad, why not consider his very own book '101 things to do in a shed', full of endless creative ideas to keep him busy in his little den all year round.
One More Day Of Childhood
If your dad could be given the special gift of living one more precious day of childhood, what do you think he would choose to do? Spend the day playing football with his friends in the street maybe? Perhaps an afternoon go-karting at the local fair? Now, with an exciting range of experience days that can be given as Father's Day gifts, life can be even more exciting than those crazy days of childhood.
So why not treat your dad to an afternoon's kayaking off the beautiful Pembrokeshire coast? Alternatively, if he enjoys the freedom of the ocean waves, he could even find himself surfing in Newquay. Or for something completely different that he'll never have even considered before, invite him to have a try at the awesome experiences of segway riding or aqua sphereing? Experience days make ideal Father's Day gifts for dads who have everything. They are also a great way to surprise him on his special day and are guaranteed to have him grinning in anticipation.

Cross-Cultural Communication: Grin and Jump In!

Multiculturalism is a reality in North America and for those of us who do business globally. The US has more legal immigrants yearly than all the other countries in the world combined. Also there are vast cultural differences among "native" North Americans living in the US and Canada for several generations, as you know if you've done business with a New Yorker (better be quick!) or with a Texan (better stand at a 90degree angle to your male companion).

Culture is not ethnic or racial. It is learned and of course each culture is different. Treat everyone like a unique individual, as you would like to be treated, don't get hung up on stereotypes. Develop your emotional intelligence so you can be more intuitive about how to communicate with, negotiate with, and provide services and products for people from cultural backgrounds other than your own. I offer some tips below, and yet they are not universal in these cultures.

1. I repeat, do not expect everyone in a culture to be the same!

2. In South Texas, if you're talking to a male, they will often stand at a 90 degree angle to you.

If you move to reorient, a "dance" will begin. This is a markedly non-intimate position, and often the eyes are cast down to the floor or out across the floor. South Texans generally say "Pleased to know you," while Mid Westerners say, "Pleased to meet you" or "Pleased to make your acquaintance." In social settings in South Texas, it is not customary to shake hands with women. Other San Antonio cultural customs -- in San Antonio society, we have the haute hug - two women will parody a hug, not touching any part of their bodies, and just patting one another lightly on the back. As a sign of affection, when you shake hands, sometimes you cover the other person's hand with your left hand and pat or squeeze with warm eye contact. This is particularly done with respected older people.

3. Be aware that most of the world does not greet by shaking hands.

4. People from Asian cultures bow in greeting, but the bows are different.

People from Cambodia and Laos bow with both hands together in front of the chest, as if praying. In Japan, the depth of the bow signifies the level of respect for the other party. Many Koreans prefer bowing and if they shake hands, the right hand is supported at the wrist by the left hand to show respect. Thais bow with palms together about chest-high with their fingers outstretched. And, there are exceptions. The Taiwanese usually nod the head in recognition rather than bow.

5. Some cultures naturally greet by hugging.

Native Hawaiians hug each other, exchanging breaths. The custom is called "ha." Ancient Hawaiians, incidentally, actually bumped heads together. Mexicans use the abrazo. Greeks and Italians often hug with or without shaking hands first.

6. Some cultures kiss!

If your Cuban male client kisses you on the cheek, you know you've made the short list. Immigrant men from the Middle East often shake hands with a slight nod or bow and then exchange kisses on both cheeks. Men from the Middle East usually don't shake hands with women, nor do they introduce the woman with them. Do not attempt to shake hands with a Middle Eastern woman unless -- and here's where the EQ comes in -- she extends her hand to you. Men in Eastern Europe, Portugal, Spain and Italy will often kiss male friends on the cheek.

7. Pakistanis (largely Muslims) greet with salaam, which is the equivalent of our "hello."

The salaam is done by bowing with the palm of the right hand on the forehead. Salaam means "peace" or "Peace be with you."

8. Postures also have meaning.

Ready to settle in with your Middle Eastern client? You may be most comfortable sitting back in your chair and crossing your legs. Well, don't! In the Middle East, one of the most insulting things you can do is sit with your legs crossed so the bottoms of the feet are pointed in the other person's direction. The foot is the dirtiest part of the body and the sole of the shoe is the dirtiest of the low. To show someone the bottom of your foot or shoe means you're looking for a fight!

9. Even handshaking cultures do it differently.

Many Britain's prefer a brief but firm handshake. The French prefer a light grip while sharing a single gentle shake that's quickly withdrawn. Germans will give a very firm handshake -- just one "pump" then quick withdrawal. More than one shake with Germans or French is considered aggressive. Italians will shake hands and then hug friends or kiss them on both cheeks.

10. Bear in mind the other person may be trying to accommodate your culture, so don't assume they will use their traditional greeting.

For example, if you start first, for instance bowing, and then see a hand extended for a shake, and switch to that, the other person will then have switched to a bow and this becomes awkward. For many cultures such "awkwardness" will kill the relationship early on, which means the deal is off.

11. Greetings are critical first moves in relationships.

Begin with a polite word or two, such as "Mr. and Mrs. Takida, it's so nice to meet you at last," and then hesitate for a moment to see what they want to do and are comfortable with. Then mirror their gesture, be it bow, hand shake, abrazo (hug) or nothing! Use your intuition! When in doubt, err on the side of conservatism.

I look forward to the day when we abandon our collective need for safety through homogeneity and reclaim our natural curiosity about what is not like us. We then will no longer need to "manage" diversity, and will have no need other than to engage it and open ourselves to receive its gifts

Recreating Your Grin With Smile Design

Recreating Your Grin With Smile Design

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, up to 80% of Americans are not happy with their smiles. Since there are a greater number of safe cosmetic treatments today than ever before, this statistic is truly troubling. Many dentists even offer a service called smile design that can rebuild the appearance of your smile, top to bottom.
Make a List
Go ahead; make a list of everything you don't like about your smile. In all likelihood, there is a solution to each problem you point out. With all the techniques available today, there is no reason why you should remain unhappy with your teeth. Some imperfections that patients often seek to change are:

• A "gummy smile" that shows a disproportionate amount of gums to teeth
• Cracked, chipped, or worn teeth
• Missing teeth
• Slightly crooked or asymmetrical teeth
• Gaps between teeth
• Stained or discolored teeth

Building an Action Plan
Once you've decided what your initial smile goals are, your cosmetic dentist will perform a thorough examination of your teeth and gums. After it has been determined that your mouth is healthy, photos will be taken at different angles to use as a reference. Together, you and your dentist can go over every detail of your teeth and mouth, determining which features can be improved or changed for the better. The result will be a collaborative plan that you feel comfortable with.
Finally, meticulous measurements will be taken of your face to establish the best tooth size, shape, and color to complement your individual features. Your dentist will then explain the various techniques and methods that will best achieve your goals. Below are a few treatments that might be recommended:

• Dental bonding
• Gum recontouring
• Teeth whitening
• Porcelain crowns or restorations
• Orthodontic measures such as Invisalign® Clear Braces
• Dental implants or dentures
• Porcelain veneers

Concerns over Cost
Many patients shy away from the idea of cosmetic dental treatments because they are afraid of the potential costs. While few procedures such as dental implants might be covered by insurance; others are not. It's up to you decide how valuable your smile is.
Here's some food for thought: 99.7% of adults rate their smile as their most important personal asset. If this is true, wouldn't that smile deserve an investment? Since dental care can often be paid for on a payment plan, it's not much different than other investments you make to improve your future. Why not call your dental office and ask about smile design? Your new smile and confidence could improve your life in unimaginable ways.

 

 

Wedding Photography - Grin And Bear It

So you've attended the hen do (most of it a blur), you've managed to buy a halfway-decent present from the hugely long wedding list - and do so on time, a feat of organisation - and you've found the slightly twee country church where the ceremony is taking place. You've squeezed into your 'good' dress, despite it clearly shrinking since you last wore it two years ago to the races. Your heels are on, and killing you already. The service is over blessedly quickly, and you've already told the bride she looks radiant. If only you could have a drink, and perhaps find a quiet corner to sit down for half an hour. But before you can relax, there is one more ordeal to get through - the wedding photo-call.

Those readers who are model-thin, with the kind of flawless cheekbones which always look good on film, stop reading now. Any other ordinary mortals concerned about their double chin, or big bones, read on.

Chances are, this wedding is taking place in the summer, so first things first: summer make-up. To avoid looking red, shiny, and sweaty, carry a compact in your handbag, so that you can discreetly apply powder as and when necessary. Avoid heavy eye-makeup and aging matte lipstick. Go for youthful, natural hues and a lighter lipgloss to avoid that over made up look. Modern make-up has better staying power than it did twenty years ago, and usually has a sheerer formulation, so if you haven't had a make-up update for a while, now is the time to treat yourself.

As for clothing: we all do it, but wedding photographs are not the place to hang on to an image of yourself which is a few years out of date. Instead of dressing for our look and figure as it is, we all reach for the outfit which we see as an old favourite. Inevitably we end up squeezing ourselves into it, sure that if we just wear several pairs of control pants it'll 'look fine'. Too often we sacrifice style because we don't want to admit to ourselves that we have put on weight, or that what looked spot on in 1987 doesn't look quite right in 2012 (even if we haven't put on a pound in the intervening years). So take advantage of the huge increase in personal shoppers in the past decade, and book an appointment with a professional. This doesn't have to be a huge expense - many department stores don't charge, so long as you spend a minimum amount - and takes the worry out of hunting for an outfit. Putting yourself in the hands of someone who really knows what they're doing not only minimises your own stress, it will also introduce you to styles and colours you never knew you could wear, giving you a style update which will see you through not just weddings but informal events too, if that's what you want.

Finally, remember the basic rules which models use to good effect: stand up straight (bad posture adds pounds), tilt your head up slightly to avoid double chins, and turn slightly side-on to the camera, to slim your silhouette. And, above all, smile!

Wickwoods Country Club, Hotel and Spa is located amongst glorious landscaped gardens in the heart of west Sussex.
Offering an unrivalled lifestyle membership, Wickwoods has undergone a million pounds worth of investment over the last couple of years.
With comprehensive facilities covering everything from a heated pool, sauna, steam room, gym and even floodlit tennis courts, Wickwoods is popular location for spa breaks as well as a year round conference and special events venue and a top choice for brides to be looking for luxurious Sussex wedding venues.