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Cautionary Tales For Children
Wonderful witty poems great for reading to your children. The stories and rhymes will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
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Research has shown how important YOU are to your children and how as a dad the things you do, and keep on doing, really count, whether you live with them, or you are a single dad and are only able see them once a month, once a week or more, what you do really matters. This site is dedicated to all dads but will be of special relevance to the single dad. Remember, you are half the reason your children exist and they need you whether you live with them or not. As their dad, you have what it takes to make their lives successful and fulfilling no matter how often you see them. This site is about all the positive things that we as parents have to offer our children.
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Food of the gods
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By Chris Barnardo
Over the next few weeks, confectioners the world over will be counting on the annual Easter related, chocolate eating binge. Incredibly, more chocolate is consumed over these few days than during the rest of the year put together. Given the huge part chocolate plays in our lives and the foods that we snack on, it’s amazing to learn that the solid chocolate we know and love didn’t exist before the middle of the 19th Century when Fry & Sons of Bristol, England, mixed Sugar, Cocoa Powder and Cocoa Butter to produce the world’s first solid chocolate bar. Chocolate is a wonderful thing. Ranked as the single most craved food in the United States, chocolate is not technically addictive, although knowing this is not much comfort when fighting off those chocolate cravings that can strike at any time of day or night.
. . .
But chocolate isn’t all bad, in fact chocolate can be downright good for you. The darker the chocolate, the better it is, but not for nothing the Mayan’s called it food of the gods.
. . .
Next time you want to justify a small square of that silky heaven to yourself, remember these top ten tips on the benefits of chocolate, and Enjoy!
Chocolate is:
- Nutritious
Chocolate is actually a nutritious food containing 20% protein, 40% carbohydrate and 40% fat. As it is derived from plants, it has many nutrients found in other plant foods. It is loaded with essential minerals like magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc, copper, potassium and manganese. It also has Vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, C, E and pantothenic acid.
Stimulating
Chocolate has tonic substances caffeine, theobromine and theophylline which stimulate the mind and body. High in carbohydrates with a fairly low glycemix index, it is an energy food.
Mood elevating
It has been reported that caffeine and other chemicals in dark chocolate can improve your mood and ease premenstrual symptoms. The chemical phenylethylamine in chocolate has been found to trigger feelings similar to “falling in love.” and eating chocolate can boost serotonin levels in the brain, helping you to feel happy.
Anti aging
The antioxidants present in chocolate can help prevent cell damage and reduce the effects of aging and reduce the risk of cancer and other age-related chronic diseases. One study discovered that chocolate has four times the antioxidants found in tea
Stress relieving
Many of chocolate’s ingredients like magnesium and phenylethylamine work positively in the body to promote relaxation, fight stress and prevent stress-related illnesses.
Intelligence enhancing
A British professor found that drinking cocoa drinks rich in flavanols improves blood flow to key areas of the brain and that the effect lasts for two to three hours after drinking the chocolate.
Cholesterol reducing
Chocolate is made of cocoa butter that contains oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat of the type that is also found in olive oil and that has been shown can lower LDL and total cholesterol levels in the blood.
Tooth decay preventing
Tests show that antibacterial compounds called tannins found in chocolates actually prevent tooth cavities from forming.
Reasonably priced
I ask you... what else can you buy in portions costing from a few pence to a few pounds that can bring so much happiness and goodness into someone’s life?
Fabulous Tasting
A mixture of bitter and sweet tastes that get to work straight onto your taste buds, all wrapped up in a silky smooth solid that melts at exactly body temperature to release its flavour just when you need it.
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MicroBlog Archive
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WEEK 13, 2009
How to stop arguing: Part 2
How do you stop an argument if you are already in one, here are our top ten tried and tested ways of halting an argument in its tracks
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WEEK 12, 2009
How to stop arguing: Part 1
Ten reasons actually why people argue (and that's not including what they argue over) to help you avoid the argument traps and habits
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WEEK 11, 2009
Getting ready for a new arrival
When you become a dad for the first time your life changes dramatically,so here are ten top tips on how you can prepare practically for the new arrival
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WEEK 10, 2009
Don't say goodbye...
Ten top tips for dealing with all the goodbyes a single dad has to say and keep on saying.
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WEEK 9, 2009
Can I do that again?
Think twice before you dismiss your kid's quirkiest comments, because children approach life with such an open mind, that there is often a great deal of sense in even the strangest things they say.
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WEEK 8, 2009
Food of the gods
Chocolate isn't all bad, in fact it's mostly good, see our top ten reasons why chocolate is good for you
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WEEK 7, 2009
The last thing I remembered was...
Everyone has their own way of recognising the importance of the moment, but here are my top ten tips, conveniently sorted in to Mind, Body and Soul.
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WEEK 6, 2009
Caring for a sick child
Caring for a sick child is never easy, but if you are divorced or separated then you might find these top ten tips helpful
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WEEK 4, 2009
Another Place at Breakfast
Introducing a new partner to your kids in the right way can make things so much easier for everyone, read our top ten tips for getting it right
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WEEK 3, 2009
What's better than a New Year?
We can learn some good lessons from the traditional values upheld at Chinese New Year, we pick 10 customs that would be worth following.
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WEEK 51, 2008
Christmas without your kids
Every parent's nightmare and many single dads' reality, is a Christmas Day without your kids. Here are ten top tips on how to have a great Christmas even if you aren't able to see your kids on the day itself.
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WEEK 49, 2008
Finding dad a date
Finding a date is never easy, but it is doubly hard when you’re a single parent. Read the first part of James's story here
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WEEK 48, 2008
Christmas and the kids
10 top tips on how to make the most of the Christmas season with your kids when they don't live with you.
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WEEK 46, 2008
Tackling a teenager
10 top tips on how to maintain a sense of fairness and discipline and yet still managing to remain friends with your teenager through those difficult teenage moments
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WEEK 45, 2008
Reliable routines
When parents split up their children’s routines are the first casualty. New routines need to be set up quickly; we've ten top ideas here
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WEEK 44, 2008
Rules for Rules
With the right kind of rules kids feel confident, here's our ten top tips for getting getting the rules right in your home
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WEEK 43, 2008
Smack or snack
Post separation discipline can turn out to be a problem, so here are our ten top tips for basics of discipline and how to get things working smoothly in your home
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WEEK 41, 2008
Ten great first dates
Where you choose to go on your first date says a lot about you as a person and how you think, so make the most of it with these top ten tips for a great first date venue
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WEEK 39, 2008
How to encourage your kids to read more
So, everyone knows how good reading is for their children, but how do you encourage them to read, or read more. Here are ten top tips to get you started and get your children reading books.
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WEEK 37, 2008
Ten ways to be positive
Ten practical ways to be positive when it's tough, from the queen of positive thinking, Dawn Stannard
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WEEK 36, 2008
10 ways to grow your kids' creativity
Developing your children's creativity is your job and a very important part of their upbringing, here are ten ways you can help them develop their creativity
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WEEK 35, 2008
Relativity: When dark days feel like months
When you are experiencing the trauma of a serious relationship break up, ironically Time seems to slow down, dragging out the pain and making things much worse.
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WEEK 34, 2008
Feeding the machine
It's Randomised Variable Interval Reinforcement that makes gamblers gamble and traps normal people in destructive manipulative relationships where they feel unlovable
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WEEK 32, 2008
Burning Building
Internet dating is like being in a burning building looking for someone to help get you out, but the only people who can help you are trapped in the same building with you
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WEEK 31, 2008
How far have we come?
Humans have been evolving for 1 million years and it's been 10,000 years since Cro-Magnon man developed the family unit, how far have we really come?
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WEEK 30, 2008
Who put that cup there?!
What is it that is so seductive about blame? No one is immune to its satisfying qualities and its effects ripple through society at every level. Our kids are an easy target...
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WEEK 29, 2008
Winners and Losers?
A thoroughly modern school sports day, that's more about taking part than about making one winner and loads of losers out of us
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WEEK 28, 2008
Living apart together
Society is changing, and more and more people have two places they call home, so why is Shared Residence still such an issue?
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WEEK 26, 2008
Mummy says we need a haircut
Do you feel like you're being told what to do by your ex-partner? We explain a little of what's going on and how you can deal with it.
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WEEK 25, 2008
Alchemist's Dream
Single parents achieve the alchemist's dream of putting separated things together to turn lead into gold for their kids
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WEEK 24, 2008
Happy 100th Birthday, Father's Day
100 years after the first Father’s Day, is this day just another “Hallmark Holiday” or a special time we can use to say what we really mean.
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