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Sunday, February 11, 2007

Relationships: Five Little Things You Can Do to Cultivate a Peaceful and Happy Home Life

Today's typical couple is busier than ever. Whether you're working overtime, shlepping the kids around, traveling or fulfilling social obligations, life at home can be a chaotic scene. But is this any excuse to let good-old-fashioned manners and consideration go out the window? Of course not. A peaceful and loving home starts by showing respect and courtesy to your spouse and children. Here are five little reminders to keep you on good behavior!

1. Remember your manners.

Kindness and consideration go a long way. Don't interrupt when another family member is speaking. Make please, thank you, may I, and excuse me part of your daily repetoire. Apologize if you've accidentally hurt someone's feelings. Give others the benefit of the doubt.

2. Eat meals together.

Sure, life on the run has everyone grabbing a quick meal when they can, but quality time is the key ingredient to a happy family life. Even if it's just once a week, schedule a day when everyone can sit down together at the table and enjoy a home-cooked dinner and some good conversation.

3. Be a unified parental front.

If Mom and Dad can't agree on what the rules are, let alone enforce them, you can be sure that your kids will have the upper hand and the two of you will be left feeling ineffective and resentful of each other. Lay down the law and present yourselves as a Unified Parental Front!

4. Listen to each other.

Sure, Moms and Dads often know best, but that doesn't mean shutting your mind to what your children have to say. Listen to each other with open hearts and minds, and start your children on the path to positive communication and great relationships.

5. Never go to bed angry.

Sure, disagreements happen from time to time, but there is no better indicator of a secure and loving home than agreeing to put differences aside when the lights go out each night. Explain to your children that even though you and your spouse don't always see eye to eye, it doesn't mean you don't love each other. Same goes for the kids!

Now more than ever before, we must instill solid family values in our children. The best way to teach them to respect others is to show respect for each other in our own homes.

Copyright 2005 Dina Giolitto. All rights reserved.

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Kentucky Derby History

The classic American horse race, the Kentucky Derby is the oldest consecutively held Thoroughbred race in America. It is run annually on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Along with the Preakness in mid-May, and Belmont in early June, it is the first jewel of the coveted Triple Crown of Thoroughbred racing, which has been won by only eleven horses since 1919. Triple Crown winners include memorable names such as Secretariat, Seattle Slew, Whirlaway, and Affirmed.

The first Kentucky Derby was held May 17, 1875, before a crowd of 10,000 from around the city, state and surrounding areas. In that race, a field of 15 three-year-olds ran a 1.5 mile course which was won by H.P. McGrath's Aristides. Although the first Derby was held at 1.5 miles, the distance was changed to the current 1.25 miles in 1896. The Derby field is limited to three-year-olds; fillies carry 121 pounds and colts 126 pounds. So far, only three fillies have won the Derby: Regret in 1915, Genuine Risk in 1980, and Winning Colors in 1988. The Kentucky Derby has also produced countless statistics and bits of trivia over the course of its history. The largest field was during the 100th running in 1974 when 23 horses ran. The smallest fields were in 1892 and 1905, with only three horses in each race.

The fastest Derby was run by the legendary Secretariat, who covered the 1 1/4 miles in 1:59 2/5, the only Derby winner to finish under two minutes.

Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr who built Churchill Downs in Louisville, wanted his track to have a race that would rival Englands Epsom Derby. After visiting England to study both its tracks and its races, he established the Kentucky Derby, which was first run on May 17, 1875.

However, the Derby was just another regional race until 1902, when Colonel Matt J. Winn took over the track. Although he had seen every Derby since the beginning, Winn know little about horse racing or running tracks. But he was a very good promoter.

After rising money to same Churchill Downs from bankruptcy, Winn began making frequent trips to New York, then the center of American racing to persuade owners to enter their horses in the Kentucky Derby. His persistence paid off. By 1920, the Derby had become the best-known race in the North America and it was attracting the top three-year-olds from all over the country.

The first race in the Triple Crown, The Derby is run on the first Saturday in May. A whole week of festivities know as The Kentucky Derby Festival is built around the race which, like the Indianapolis 500, has become as much a happening as a sporting event. It attracts crowds of well over 150,000 spectators and is watched on television by millions more, many of who are otherwise not interested in Thoroughbred racing.

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10 Essential Ingredients For Setting Up The Perfect Home With Roommates

Have you ever wondered how to set up the perfect home when living with roommates? Well the wait is over. As you'll discover creating the perfect home is a bit like baking the perfect cake - it's all about the ingredients.

The key to setting up the perfect home with roommates is finding the right combination of ingredients for you. This combination will be different for each household as roommates have different ideas, thoughts and personalities.

It's never too early or late to create your perfect home. You can plan your home with your new roommates before or when moving in, or alternatively with existing roommates to decide how you would like to live in the future. It's a good idea to sit down with all of your roommates to discuss and find the perfect combination of these essential ingredients. This way you can make sure that all roommates are happy and everyone's idea of the perfect home is created. Also, taking the time and planning how you would like to live, can save you time, money and hardship.

Simply, take these 10 essential ingredients, give them a bit of your own personal touch and you'll be able set up the home that's right for you.

1. Dwelling Type
Do you wish to live in a house, apartment or townhouse? The type of dwelling determines not only the rent but also the amount of maintenance that needs to be done. For example, when living in a house you will need to make sure the lawn is mowed and the garden kept tidy.

2. Lease
Will each person need to be on the lease or will the leaseholder sublet to other roommates? This is an important decision as it can have serious legal consequences for each roommate.

3. Rent
Does the rent include expenses like telephone, electricity and household items or will these be extra expenses and paid for separately? You will need to decide how and when the rent will be collected as well as how much money needs to be put aside for common household items like dishwashing detergent or light bulbs.

4. Extra Expenses
Will expenses like telephone, cable TV and/or Internet be divided equally or on a user-pays basis? When implementing a user-pays system, you will have to decide how everyone's usage will be calculated, for example, each roommate may need to enter their own pin number when using the phone.

5. Conflict Resolution
How will disagreements and disputes be handled in the household? Having a plan will allow conflicts to be solved quickly and easily.

6. Grocery Shopping
Do you wish to share grocery shopping expenses and buy items as a household or prefer each person be responsible and buy their own food and grocery items?

7. Household Chores
How will the house or apartment be kept tidy and clean? Will each person be accountable for a few chores or will everyone tidy up after themselves? You may like to set up a roster so each roommate knows which chores they need to do.

8. Furniture and Shared Household Items
Will roommates need to bring their own furniture and how will common living areas be furnished? You may also wish to create a plan on how to deal with damaged furniture and breakages.

9.Entertaining
Do roommates need to check with each other before throwing a party or can friends of roommates come and go as they please? Roommates with different social habits often have different ideas about entertaining so having some guidelines may come in handy.

10. Special Household Rules
Do you wish to make any special household rules, for example, roommates need to give 2 weeks notice before moving out? It's important that everyone knows these rules before they move in and agree to follow them.

These 10 key ingredients brings your household back to the drawing board and lets you put the pieces of the puzzle together one piece at a time. It clarifies what's important to each roommate so that you can create a home that runs smoothly and happily. So, just remember, when you take the right ingredients and the right roommates, you can build the right home for you.

Happy Roommate Hunting

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