Boost Your Child's Brainpower With Sudoku!

In less than a year the Sudoku bug has infected huge numbers of the population, and it is fast spreading across the world! Why has a simple logic puzzle become so popular, and how can your kids benefit?  Sudoku puzzles were first published in the US in the 1970s and are sometimes known as "Number Squares". They have been popular for many years in Japan, where the name "Sudoku" (meaning "single number") was coined.

The current craze was started late in 2004 when a UK newspaper started publishing the puzzles. Within weeks the puzzles were picked up in other newspapers and Sudoku became the pastime of choice for commuters, parents – and even kids!

From a parent’s point of view, Sudoku puzzles are perfect for long journeys, waiting rooms, and rainy afternoons. They are being found more and more in the classroom as teachers wake up to their benefits and use them as time-fillers for children who finish early, as a whole class activity, or as “homework”. Indeed, the UK government-produced Teachers magazine has recommended that Sudoku puzzles are used in the classroom as brain exercise!

As well as developing your child's logic and reasoning skills and concentration, Sudoku puzzles, if done at the right level, build your child's confidence. Children of all abilities enjoy the challenge of a Sudoku puzzle if the puzzle is age-appropriate. Bear in mind that many of the puzzles published in newspapers are too difficult for younger children, so it is worth seeking out puzzles made especially for kids. Children as young as five years old can try the 4x4 grids, then build up to the 6x6 grids and finally the traditional 9x9 grid.

Why is Sudoku so appealing? Firstly, although Sudoku grids usually use numbers, your child does not need mathematical skills to solve the puzzles – only logic. Using logical reasoning appropriate to his/her age, your child decides how to place numbers into a Sudoku grid. There is only one correct answer for each puzzle, no guessing is necessary, and the rules are easy to learn.

The more puzzles you do, the better you become. Each puzzle typically takes a child about 20-30 minutes to complete, and gives them a real sense of satisfaction when finished! And that, really, is the secret of their popularity. You feel good when you finish one! And then you want to try another one, and another ….

Celiac Disease and Diabetes

Managing one health problem can be difficult, particularly when it involves sticking rigidly to a restricted diet.

Having Celiac Disease and Diabetes is unfortunate but not impossible. There are strategies to combine both diets with the minimum of fuss. Living with multiple health problems can complicate things. As a diabetic, balancing the levels of carbohydrates, (starches and sugars) with the level of insulin requires thought and discipline. You should always consult your doctor and dietician for specific advice.

People with Type 1 Diabetes are at greater risk of developing Celiac Disease. It follows that they will need to manage a diet which controls both conditions. The diets do sit perfectly well together, but it needs careful planning. In principle, the same rules apply to your diet, whatever the problem.

As a Diabetic, you need to eat a well-balanced diet. The one area of difficulty is managing your carbohydrate intake with gluten-free versions.

You can find gluten-free carbohydrates in

• wild rice, 
• buckwheat, 
• maize, 
• millet, 
• sago, 
• tapioca, 
• corn flour, 
• soya, 
• polenta, 
• flax, 
• sorghum, 
• linseed, 
• whole wheat flour, 
• carrageenan, 
• channa (chickpea flour), 
• quinoa, 
• arrowroot, 
• wheat starch, 
• corn 
• pasta and 
• pure rice noodles. 

Here are 5 rules to ensure you get the most out of your life:

1. Become well informed about both conditions. 
2. Be clear what you can and cannot eat, what alternatives there are and where you can get them. 
3. Plan ahead - always take a supply of suitable gluten-free carbohydrates and insulin with you. (Planning ahead includes involving school, friends and other organizations of your needs). 
4. Take control of your life, you are a person who happens to have celiac disease and diabetes.
5. You are not defined by these conditions. Confidence grows out of knowing what you can and cannot eat. 

Instead of tackling the conditions as two sets of restrictions, combine the needs of both. Gluten-free pasta is available, as are gluten-free versions of bread.

Live life to the full. 

Try new things, push out the boundaries and the sky is the limit!

The Five Best Gifts to Give Your Family

When we think of giving gifts, we usually think of things to buy for people. Yet if you think back on gifts you’ve been given, it might not be the material gifts you received that are foremost in your mind – it might be the kind of gifts that deeply touched your heart and soul. It might be various ways, other than material things, that people expressed their love to you.  There are five gifts of love that we can give to our families that can make a huge difference in their lives.  

THE GIFT OF CARING AND COMPASSION  

When we have the courage to face conflict and tell the truth, we not only provide our family with a role model for courage, but we provide opportunities for our loved ones to step up to the plate in the face of our truth and learn to be courageous too. We all yearn to feel cared for, yet many of us withhold caring and compassion for others. A profound gift we can give to our loved ones is to listen with our heart, to understand and accept rather than to judge, and to stay open to learning rather than to protect against being hurt. Think about the last time someone actually listened to you and gave you understanding and acceptance. The feeling of being understood and accepted with caring and compassion is one of the best feelings in the world. Instead of focusing on getting this from others, why not focus on giving it to others? You might be surprised at how wonderful you feel in giving this gift to your family. 

THE  GIFT OF COURAGE  

One of the best gifts we can give our loved ones is our own courage. This means being having the courage to stand in our truth, to be honest about what we want and don’t want, what we will do and won’t do, what is and what is not acceptable to us. It means having the courage to take good care of ourselves, even if others don’t like it. It means not succumbing to our controlling behaviors that come from fear: anger, withdrawal, compliance, resistance, but instead being honest and above-board about ourselves. It means being willing to face conflict rather than give ourselves up to avoid it.  

THE GIFT OF SERVICE  

 We are on this planet to learn to love ourselves and each other and to help each other. One of the best gifts we can give our family is to role model this by doing service. Helping others fills the heart and soul in ways that nothing else can. If children do not see their parents doing service and helping others, they may never learn the great joy and fulfillment that comes from giving. One of the best gifts we can give to our family is to provide ways of doing service.  

THE GIFT OF CREATIVITY  

All of us are born with various ways of expressing our creativity. Expressing creativity is a profound way of connecting with Spirit, since expressed creativity is a direct expression of Spirit. Providing your family with many ways of expressing their creativity is a great gift. Creativity can be expressed in so many ways – cooking, crafts, building things, music, art, movement, telling stories, writing, humor, photography, and video – the possibilities are endless! Creative family projects are especially wonderful in creating family closeness.  

THE GIFT OF LIGHTNESS OF BEING  

A lightness of being – fun, joy, laughter, playfulness – is a great gift to give to others. Lightness of being is infectious – our laughter and playfulness can help others take life less seriously and “lighten up.” Lightness of being is one the results of all the other gifts – of caring, courage, service and creativity. When we give these gifts, we feel a wonderful lightness within, the lightness that is the result of fully giving from the heart. Our own lightness of being can bring lightness into our whole family. Children love it when their parents are playful, fun loving and joyful. Laughing together as a family is one of the most precious experiences in life. We need to focus on giving these gifts each day, not just during a holiday season or special occasions. These gifts are far more important than any material thing we can buy for someone. In fact, we might not be so focused on material gifts if we frequently give the gift of love – of caring, compassion, courage, service, creativity, and lightness of being.