Public holidays and school vacations mean a chance to let your hair down and celebrate. By making smarter spending choices, you can have fun as a family without racking up unexpected costs.
Instead of going out to a restaurant, take your family to a beautiful local picnic spot, beach, dam or public swimming pool. Enjoy some tasty home-cooked picnic food and snacks, and let the kids run a little wild in the great outdoors. Much more fun, at a much smaller cost!
Are you planning a long journey in your car this holiday season? Driving long distances with children can be a nightmare, but you can “shorten” the trip and “lengthen” your temper by playing car games with your children.
The purpose of most car games is to direct attention outside the car. This not only prevents carsickness, but also eliminates the feeling of being cramped into a small space. Depending on the type of game, it can also be educational, as your children will notice and learn new things. Last but not least, they have you right there with them to explain things and give more information on their many questions.
Here are a number of games that you can try:
Prediction
A great game for shorter trips, up to about a half hour, is Prediction. Have each child guess how many of an item, for example red cars, they will see before you arrive at your destination. This will keep them busy the whole way, watching and counting. All the red cars count for a single total; this is not a contest to see who can see the most red cars, with individual scores and arguments over who saw each car first. You can pick almost anything for this game: churches, Volkswagen beetles, cellphone towers, almost anything except traffic signals and road signs, which present no challenge, so do not demand the children’s attention. Or have the kids pick something to count.
Alphabet or number game
For longer journeys, there is the alphabet or number game. This one is a contest, to see which child can first see all the letters of the alphabet, or the numbers from one to 20, in order, on passing signs. The letters have to be the first letter of a word. So each child has to find a word beginning with A, then one beginning with B, etc., up to Z. Except the letter X can be anywhere in the word. The first child to spot a word gets that word, and the other children can’t use it, so they have to keep a sharp eye out. Sometimes words are on passing trucks! As for the numbers, they can be on license plates, signs, truck identification numbers, or anywhere. They can be embedded within a long number, so a child looking for 19 can find it in the number 4919058. You can set whatever target number you want, nor set a highest number at all.
What did I bring on my trip?
Start this game out by saying, “I’m going on a trip and I’m bringing…”. The first player should name an item that starts with the letter “A”. After “A”, the next player will say the same thing but with the letter “B”, and so on.
Guess the number
Let your child think of a number between a stated range of numbers. You try to guess the number by asking questions. Here’s a sample of how it might go: Your child: I’m thinking of a number between 1 and 100.
You ask: Is it more than 50? Your child: No. You: Is it an even number? Child: No. You: Can you divide this number into three equal parts? And so forth. After you have guessed the number, let your child guess a number that you are thinking of by asking similar questions.
One benefit of this game is that, by asking questions about numbers, it helps the child to develop an understanding of some concepts, characteristics and meanings of numbers. If your child doesn’t know the difference between odd and even numbers, this is an opportunity to explain and help them understand.
Guess what I am
One person states that he or she is either a person, place or thing and the others then ask questions (are you blue, can you speak, do you bark, can you be eaten, etc) until they guess what the person is. Children take turns in stating what they are.
Name that tune
In this game, one player thinks of a song that everybody knows and hums its first few notes. The other players try to guess the name of the song.
Cow game
Half the people in the car watch the left side of the road and the other half the right side You keep a count of all the cows you pass throughout the day. But every time you pass a cemetery on your side of the road, you lose all your points. The winner(s) at the end of the day’s drive gets a treat!
My father owns a grocery store
One player begins the round by stating, “My father owns a grocery store, and in it he sells [something that begins with the letter A, for example apples].” The next player states, “My father owns a grocery store, and in it he sells apples and [something that begins with the letter B, for example bananas].” It goes around and around with each player having to recite the entire list and then adding a new entry for the next letter of the alphabet.
If someone misses an item or gets completely stumped, they’re supposed to be “out” or you can give clues to keep things moving along.
“Grocery store” can be changed to anything that’s appropriate to the age of the children. For examples teens may want to change it to “My father owns a music store…” in which they have to name bands, song titles, album titles, etc.
Our Employee Wellbeing Programme (EWP) is available 24 hours a day if you want to know more about keeping well on long trips.
Remember the adage that says families who play (and pray) together stay together? Here are some ideas to help you plan some fun activities with your family.
Family comes first
Years from now your children may not remember what car you drove, how much money you made or what your clothes looked like but they will, for sure, remember the fun times they spent with you and their siblings. By investing some of your time (and sometimes money too) in fun activities with your family you will be richly rewarded by thankful children who will never forget these times spent together. One rule though: lock those cell phones away and teach them the art of one-on-one communication!
Fun things to do without breaking the bank
Fun things that may cost a little
These are but a few suggestions and although it may not appeal to everyone, the main aim of having fun is doing it together! Go ahead and create some lovely family time memories for your children.
Sources
100 Fun things to do with your family. Retrieved from: http://www.parentportal.co.za/Fun%20activities%20 Gauteng.aspx
100 Things to do during a money free weekend. 2008. Retrieved from: http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/07/17/100-things-to-do-during-a-money-free-weekend
Alcohol consumption not only poses the risk of the obvious discomfort of inebriation such as nausea, vomiting and suffering with a hangover. Regular consumption can pose very real and serious risks to health.
Illnesses directly linked to excessive alcohol consumption include cancers of the mouth, throat, liver, stomach and intestines, stomach ulcers and internal bleeding, diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney disease, problems with libido and fertility, weight gain, osteoporosis, brain damage and mental health issues.
Low-risk guidelines
Low-risk guidelines are general guidelines for safe alcohol consumption, or consumption limits that shouldn’t pose any serious threat to the general health of the consumer.
The low-risk drinking guidelines advise that men drink no more than four standard drinks on any day and no more than 14 standard drinks in a week.
Because women are generally physically smaller and have proportionately less water in their bodies, they have a lower tolerance for alcohol as the alcohol becomes less diluted in their blood compared to men. Evidence also exists that female stomachs are not as well supplied with the enzymes needed to break down alcohol. The low-risk drinking guideline for women is two or less standard drinks a day with no more than about seven standard drinks in a single week.
The guidelines advise at least two alcohol-free days per week, for both men and women.
What is a standard drink?
In South Africa a drink containing 12g of alcohol is considered standard. This is equal to a 340ml malt beer. A 340ml cider contains 16g of alcohol, while a 25ml tot of spirit such as brandy, whisky, vodka, cane or whisky contains 11g of alcohol. A glass of wine (120ml) also contains about 11g of alcohol.
The alcohol content of alcoholic beverages is listed on the container; therefore read the label to know exactly what you’re drinking.
Driving in South Africa
The legal blood alcohol limit in South Africa is 0.05%. A standard beer or a single tot of a spirit can bring you to this limit. Drinking and driving can pose serious risk to the driver and others on the road. It is also a criminal offence that can see you lose your license and make you liable to pay hefty fines and even serve jail time. It isn’t worth any of these risks to drink and drive. If you have had a drink, get a lift from a friend or phone a taxi.
Sources
alcoholism.about.com
Reader’s Digest Good Health Fact Book. 1996. Reader’s Digest Australia
www.ara.co.za
www.arrivealive.co.za
ww.discovery.co.za
www.knowyourlimits.info
www.saps.gov.za
If you’re one of the lucky ones that can go on holiday this year, follow this advice to ensure you’ve got everything you need.
It is time to start thinking about what to take along on your upcoming holiday or trip and what to leave behind. If you’re travelling by air, remember to check luggage weight restrictions with your travel agency or airline.
What you pack depends largely on where you are going, but the following items are essential to ensure a joyful vacation in any location:
Some planning beforehand (yes, that list!) ensures that you have everything ready well in advance of your travel day to ensure a hassle-free departure and a well-deserved break.
Our Employee Wellbeing Programme (EWP) is available 24 hours a day if you want to know more about healthy holidays.
The fragrance industry isn’t heavily regulated. By making your own perfumes, you eliminate your exposure to harmful chemicals and help save the environment.
Making perfume is a simple process. Water, alcohol and essential oils are the three most common ingredients. Vodka is often used as a carrier oil, but use only high quality 80- or 100-proof vodka, which is virtually odourless. Essential oils are found in pharmacies or health food stores, and your perfume can be kept in a small glass or plastic container with a sprayer or in vintage perfume bottles often found at flea markets.
Find your favourite fragrance
Scented oils have three different notes. The base notes, such as vanilla, cinnamon and sandalwood, stay longest on your skin. The middle notes, such as lemongrass, geranium, neroli and ylang-ylang, add to the scent for a while but not as long as the base notes. The top notes, such as rose, lavender, jasmine, bergamot and orchard, do not last as long as the other two notes, but add to the scent significantly. When making a perfume of more than one scent, add the base note oil first, then the middle note oil, and finish with the top note oil.
Control your frame of mind
Certain scents can alter your mood. Geranium oil is very effective in treating stress, fatigue and anxiety. Ylang-ylang oil is good for relaxation and is a reported aphrodisiac that calms the senses. Jasmine and lavender are restful and promote sleep, and sandalwood and grapefruit are known to fight fear. For a confidence boost, try cypress or rosemary while frankincense, rose and bergamot are uplifting and soothing. To improve your memory, try black pepper and peppermint.
You can try several of the many natural perfume recipes online and make perfumes as gifts as well if you like. Who wouldn’t love their own signature perfume, especially if it’s named after them?
Our Employee Wellbeing Programme (EWP) is available 24 hours a day. If you want to know more about things affecting your mood call us on the EWP number.
We all love a day at the beach, but fun can easily turn into tragedy if you don’t follow the basic safety rules.
Tragic water accidents in the sea happen quickly, mostly due to a lack of safety knowledge. Understanding the ocean is very important – the more you know about how waves, wind and tides affect conditions in the water, the better able you are to keep yourself safe or even rescue others from danger.
Basic rules to obey
Remember never to:
If you and your loved ones obey these basic beach rules you will stay safe and enjoy your seaside holiday.
Sources
Beach safety. Retrieved from http://www.redcross.org/prepare/disaster/water-safety/beach-safety
How to stay safe at the beach and in the sea. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-37152592
(Revised by M van Deventer)
Blue bottles are common to our beaches during high tides and when north easterly winds blow. The blue bottle is infamous for its very painful sting. Even dead bluebottles and detached tentacles can cause uncomfortable pain.
The bluebottle is often confused with jellyfish by its victims, which may lead to improper treatment of stings, as their venoms differ. It is therefore important to know the appearance of the bluebottle so that you can avoid its stings.
According to Wikipedia the bluebottle is also known as the Portuguese man o’ war (Physalia physalis), blue bubble, man-of-war, or the Portuguese man of war. It is a jelly-like, marine invertebrate of the family Physaliidae.
The common name comes from a type of Portuguese war ship of the 15th and 16th century, the man-of-war or caravel (Caravela in Portuguese), which had triangular sails similar in outline to the bladder of the Portuguese man o’ war.
But what is actually a Bluebottle sting and how can it be treated?
The sting
Though rarely deadly, a bluebottle sting can be dangerous to children, elderly people, asthmatics and people with allergies as it can cause fever, shock and respiratory problems.
Medical attention is sometimes necessary when there is intense and persisting pain, an extreme reaction, a rash that worsens, a feeling of overall illness, a red streak developing between swollen lymph nodes and the sting, or if either area becomes red, warm and tender.
Generally contact with the tentacles will cause a sharp, excruciatingly painful sting and will leave whip-like, red welts on the skin which normally last about two to three days. The intense pain should subside after about one hour. However, the venom sometimes travels to the lymph nodes and causes a more intense pain. Scars and blisters may occur.
Treatment
Prevention
The safest way to avoid stings is never to touch these animals with bare hands and not to enter water where they are present.
Our Employee Wellbeing Programme (EWP) is available 24 hours a day if you want to know more about Blue bottle sting.
We all get stressed out at times; it’s part of life. However, it does help to know a few stress-busting, quick relaxation tricks to fall back on when the going gets tough.
Stress and relaxation
Stress has a definite body-mind connection. What we do to relax our bodies will positively impact our minds, and vice versa. There are a legion of relaxation techniques that we can employ to balance stress and its effects through this body-mind connection. Although the stress might not disappear immediately, being relaxed and grounded will make it easier to deal with it.
The following relaxation techniques may be just what you need:
Deep breathing
All relaxation techniques combine deep breathing with relaxing the muscles. When we are stressed we tend to take shallow breaths that hinder the uptake and flow of oxygen to our brains and other parts of our bodies.
You can do deep breathing exercises anywhere and at any time when you start feeling stressed out. Just start breathing in slowly and deeply through your nose while counting from one to five and let the breath escape slowly, counting from one to five again. Keep going until you start feeling calmer.
Deep muscle relaxation
With this relaxation technique you stretch different muscles in turn and then relax them, to release tension. Muscle tension is a common symptom of stress and contracted tense muscles not only limit movement and energy flow in the body but may also worsen the fatigue that often accompanies chronic stress.
Autogenic training (AT)
Autogenic means “generated from within”. AT is a technique that teaches you to self-produce a feeling of warmth and heaviness throughout your body, thereby experiencing a profound state of physical relaxation, bodily health and mental peace.
Massage
Massage is probably the oldest therapy known to man, and it is a simple yet very effective technique against stress. It reduces the heart rate and blood pressure, relaxes tense muscles and calms the mind. Combining massage with carefully selected essential oils can work to soothe all the senses.
Reiki
Reiki, although similar to massage, is actually an energy exercise that aims to revitalise the life force and balances the body’s energies. The reiki practitioner “opens” him- or herself as a channel for the universal life energy to pass through the body and into the hands. Reiki is said to be very effective in the treatment of headaches and lowered immunity, but also has great benefits for the treatment of anxiety and to enhance mental clarity.
Meditation
Meditation enables you to reach a deep state of calmness while remaining fully alert. Because the brain waves during meditation are similar to those during sleep, it can be a useful aid in treating insomnia. Other health benefits are improved circulation, lower blood pressure, better memory and better concentration. Sit or lie in a comfortable position, close your eyes and concentrate only on your deep breathing. Block out all other thoughts, feelings and sensations.
Visualisation
It’s a really easy and effective technique similar to meditation. You “transport” yourself and your mood to somewhere relaxing and calm while listening to your own deep breathing and taking your mind off whoever or whatever is causing you stress.
Yoga
Yoga has been described as “moving meditation”. Yoga postures exercise the whole body, also the internal organs. While doing the postures, the practitioner focuses on breathing throughout. This leads to a deep feeling of calm and tranquillity that balances energy and is mentally soothing.
Hydrotherapy
People have used water as a way to calm moods and relax muscles for centuries. A warm bath filled with relaxing spa products or just plain sea salt and bicarbonate of soda will relieve muscle pain and tension and help you relax.
Sound therapy
Music can have a tremendously relaxing effect on both your mind and your body, so make use of it to help you relax. Slow, quiet or soothing classical music is particularly good and can help slow your pulse and heart rate, lower your blood pressure and decrease your levels of stress hormones. Sounds from nature such as water dripping or moving or waves breaking on the shore, birds singing or the wind blowing gently also induce a sense of peace.
Sources
Alexander, J. 1999. The Five Minute Healer. Gaia Books
Autogenics. Retrieved from: http://www.guidetopsychology.com
Good Health Fact Book. 1996. Reader’s Digest. www.autogenictraining.org
Harris, S. Top 10 quick and easy ways to relax. Retrieved from: http://www.webmd.boots.com
Lark S. Integrative medicine: relaxation techniques for relief of anxiety and stress. Retrieved from: http://www.healthy.net
Selby, A. 2009. Quick and easy stress busters. Duncan Baird Publishers
Revised by M van Os
Key to the success and enjoyment of any trip, especially when you have chronic disease, is being and staying healthy. Having access to all your medications can potentially be a matter of life and death when you travel from home. Preparation and planning will ensure your health is not compromised while you travel.
Before you pack
Your first stop is you doctor or specialist. Ask him or her for a letter that explains the nature of your condition or illness, and the medicine needed to treat it.
Get a detailed prescription for all the medicines – brands as well as quantities – you will need while you are travelling. Ensure that the prescription allows for ample supplies of all your medicines to ensure you won’t run out if your travel plans are disrupted or extended.
If you need to carry needles or syringes with you, also get a letter for this from your doctor. You should also discuss this with your particular airline, as different airlines have different security regulations.
Also discuss with your doctor how travelling through time zones will affect the way you take you medicines.
When you pack
At least some of your prescription medicines should be packed in your carry-on luggage. Some advise that all prescribed medicines should go in the carry-on luggage, but you could run a risk of being stuck without your meds if your carry-on luggage goes missing. The best route is to split your prescribed medicines between your luggage, with some of everything going in both the cabin and the check-in luggage.
All medicine should be packed in the original, labelled containers or packets to avoid problems at customs.
Make copies of the prescriptions and pack these copies with the medicines. Also leave a copy of your prescription/s with someone at home.
Our Employee Wellbeing Programme (EWP) is available 24 hours a day of you wanted to know more about travelling with chronic medicine.
Sources:
healthinsurance.about.com
www.smartraveller.gov.au