Marlon Roudette - New Age (Musical Monday)

If love was a word

I don't understand

The simplest sound

With four letters

Whatever it was

I'm over it now

With every day

It gets better, it gets better

Are you loving the pain, loving the pain

And with every day, every day

I try to move on

Whatever it was, whatever it was

There's nothing now

You changed

New Age

I'm walking away

From everything I had

I need a room

With new colours

Welcome To The Weekend Blog Hop

Welcome to the Weekend Blog Hop where you can link up your favorite post of the week. Thank you for joining us and linking up. We are happy you are here and hope you will always come around. We have had a great week and now it's time for us to increase our followers by Blog Hopping all through the Weekend. Come and make new friends and find some interesting blogs to follow. You are free to link up to 3 different post or just your main blog. Happy Hopping.

The Pirate Story - On The Lighter Side Of Life

 A pirate stumped into a bar, and the bartender said, 

“hey, I haven’t seen you in a while. What happened? 

You look terrible.”"What do you mean?” said the pirate, “I feel fine.”

"What about the wooden leg? You didn’t have that before.”

"Well,” said the pirate, “We were in a battle, and I got hit with a cannon ball, but I’m fine now.”

The bartender replied, “Well, OK, but what about that hook? What happened to your hand?”

The pirate explained, “We were in another battle. I boarded a ship and got into a sword fight. My hand was cut off. I got fitted with a hook but I’m fine, really”

“What about that eye patch?”

“Oh,” said the pirate, “One day we were at sea, and a flock of birds flew over. I looked up, and one of them shit in my eye.”

“You’re kidding,” said the bartender. “You couldn’t lose an eye just from bird shit.”

“It was my first day with the hook.”

Fresh Food Corner: Watermelon

Forest Gump might say, Watermelon and Summer go together like "Peas and Carrots" and we have to agree. 

Watermelon is thought to have originated in the Kalahari Desert of Africa. The first recorded watermelon harvest occurred nearly 5,000 years ago in Egypt and is depicted in Egyptian hieroglyphics. The great missionary-explorer, David Livingstone, found large tracts of watermelons growing wild in central Africa.

Watermelon is 92% water and they were a source of water for thirsty traders, who began to sell the seeds in cities along the ancient Mediterranean trade routes. By the 10th century, watermelon found its way to China, which is now the world's number one producer of watermelons. Watermelon arrived in North America courtesy of European colonists and African slaves. Today, by weight, watermelon is the most consumed melon in the U.S and they are available in many sizes and varieties in supermarkets everywhere.

Eating watermelon is not just fun - it is healthy too! Watermelon is chock full of lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that fights free radicals which are highly reactive molecules that damage cell membranes, attack DNA, and cause disease. Tomatoes are often associated with lycopene, but watermelon contains higher levels than fresh tomatoes.

Watermelon can also help maintain cardiovascular health. Watermelon has amino acids, citrulline and arginine, that help maintain the arteries and blood flow. A 2-cup serving of watermelon is also an excellent source of Vitamins A, B6 and C. These vitamins provide optimal eye health, help the body cope with anxiety and panic, and bolster your immune system's defenses.

Age to introduce: 8-10 months. Small, seeded pieces of watermelon are a terrific finger food - maybe a little messy, but oh so sweet! 

Toddler Treat: WOW Watermelon Soda

Exotic soda flavors are soaring in popularity, but many of them are filled with unhealthy artificial ingredients and high fructose corn syrup. Why not try making a homemade watermelon soda that the whole family will love?
This recipe will take a few minutes to make, but it's quite simple and the fresh watermelon flavor is totally worth it. To make the soda, you'll make watermelon syrup and add sparkling water or club soda to it. Enjoy quick access to watermelon soda all summer by making a batch of the watermelon syrup and freezing it in So Easy Baby Food Trays (or ice cube trays). When thirst heats up, simply drop a cube into soda water. It's an instant refresher!


Ingredients:

• 5 cups of seeded chopped watermelon
• 5-6 Tablespoons superfine sugar
• 2 Tablespoons lime juice
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups of sparkling water or club soda

Directions: Puree the watermelon in a blender or a food processor. Pour the watermelon puree into a fine strainer set over a bowl. Let it stand for 20 minutes until the juice has drained through. Stir the watermelon gently one or twice, but do not press the puree or the syrup will be cloudy. This will yield about 2 cups of watermelon juice.
Stir the superfine sugar, lime juice and salt into the watermelon juice until dissolved.

To serve, pour ¼ - ½ cup watermelon syrup with ½ cup sparkling water in a glass. Top with ice and enjoy!

Makes 5-8 servings.

Michael Bolton - When a Man Loves a Woman

 When a Man Loves a Woman   (Musical Monday)
 
Song Text:

When a man loves a woman can't keep his mind on nothing else
he'd trade the world for the good thing he's found
if she is bad he can't see it she can do no wrong
turn his back on his best friend he puts her down

When a man loves a woman spend his very last dime
trying to hold on to what he needs
he'd give her all his comforts sleep out in the rain
if she said that's the way it oughta be

When a man loves a woman yea
I give you everything I've got oh oh
trying to hold on to your precious love
baby baby please don't treat me bad

When a man loves a woman deep down in his soul
she can bring him such a misery
if she is playing him for a fool he's the last one to know
loving eyes can never see

Welcome To The Weekend Blog Hop

Welcome to the Weekend Blog Hop where you can link up your favorite post of the week. Thank you for joining us and linking up. We are happy you are here and hope you will always come around. We have had a great week and now it's time for us to increase our followers by Blog Hopping all through the Weekend. Come and make new friends and find some interesting blogs to follow. You are free to link up to 3 different post or just your main blog. Happy Hopping.

Please Forgive Me

How mean can a man be to his wife/partner and the mother of his kids? How many times can a woman forgive a man who has broken her (not only her heart) in so many ways? These and more are the questions I usually ask myself when I hear or read some related stories like what I have here. The story was published in a local newspaper and originally written in German. After reading it, I decided to translate it to English for my readers. This is of course, a real story:

Dear Elisabeth, dear Eva and Max,

Dear Readers, at this point in my life I want to stand up and admit to the world that I am blithering idiot.

I am really such a retard and I am carrying such a great load of guilt on my shoulders. I have done the worst thing a human being can do, I have destroyed a family. I have lost the most valuable thing in a man’s life - -his wife and family.

My wife had all the right reasons to leave me because I have destroyed all the love she had for me. I did not betray her or have affairs with other women, what I did was even worse. I destroyed her heart and all her dreams. I was never able to give her what a wonderful woman like she  deserves to have, love, attention, understanding, harmony and lot’s more. I was never a friend or gave her a shoulder to lean on. I never gave her strength or cared for her well being.

All of those things she had given to me all along, only that I did not recognize it nor appreciate it. It’s only now that I realize what I have done and believe me, dear Readers, I am not proud of what I did, not at all. Dear Readers, if you see Elisabeth (Lilo) please give her a gentle hand shake and a warm smile and believe me, she deserves it. I am begging you, if she knocks open the door for her and if she falls down, help her to get up again. Do all the things that I failed to do for her and you will see the most wonderful person she really is.

And I would like to give all of you men out there some advice, do not make the mistakes I have made. Fight for your wife and for her love every day, because she is the most valuable thing in your life or you will carry a big load of guilt as well.

I hope that one day my wife will be able to forgive me and I will do everything in my power to change and not be that terrible person I was all along.

I want to say thank you to my sister in law and brother in law for taking my wife in when she needed someone to take care of her.

I apologize to all the people I have hurt and done wrong too.

My only hope is to be there for Elisabeth one day and be a friend to her.

Let this be a lesson learned to all of you Readers as well and do not follow  my foot steps because the result is a great burden and lot’s of pains (which I deserve). 

I know that we are not supposed to judge, but what do you think of such man/men and what would you do if you were  Elizabeth.

Get Connected Tuesday Blog Hop

Welcome to  Get Connected Tuesday Blog Hop. We are very happy to have you here. A special welcome to all my first visitors. If you are already a part of this hop, we are thanking you so much for your help in building Get Connected Tuesday Blog Hop and making it a success. Come and Get Connected and stay Connected. With this hop, you will increase your strength, followers, readers and connect to other bloggers in which ever way you like.
This hop is now hosted by Reflexions and World Bloggers Community(a new community for bloggers world wide). 

This blog hop is for family friendly websites only.

James Blunt - Goodbye My Lover (Musical Monday)

Hello everyone, it's Musical Monday. This week, I'm sharing the love from James Blunt - "Goodbye my Lover". 

This song gets to me irrespective of how many times I've heard it. I love it, I love the lyrics, it's a music to my soul.

"Goodbye My Lover"

Did I disappoint you or let you down?

Should I be feeling guilty or let the judges frown?

'Cause I saw the end before we'd begun,

Yes I saw you were blinded and I knew I had won.

So I took what's mine by eternal right.

Took your soul out into the night.

It may be over but it won't stop there,

I am here for you if you'd only care.

You touched my heart you touched my soul.

You changed my life and all my goals.

And love is blind and that I knew when,

My heart was blinded by you.

I've kissed your lips and held your hand.

Shared your dreams and shared your bed.

I know you well, I know your smell.

I've been addicted to you.

My Orange Mood (Fashion and Beauty Friday)

Anything orange brightens up my style these days. Weather I'm going formal or dressing down, I always combine my outfits with some orange accessories and girl, I feel like a sunshine!!!

Source:  Pinterest

Source:Pinterest

Welcome To The Weekend Blog Hop

Welcome to the Weekend Blog Hop where you can link up your favorite post of the week. Thank you for joining us and linking up. We are happy you are here and hope you will always come around. We have had a great week and now it's time for us to increase our followers by Blog Hopping all through the Weekend. Come and make new friends and find some interesting blogs to follow. You are free to link up to 3 different post or just your main blog. Happy Hopping.

Speaking Languages and Memory (Research Article)

 Since I'm multilingual and raising multilingual kids, I always look for articles that have to do with speaking more than one language. The advantages of speaking more than one language abound. So if you are raising TCK's, bi/multilingual kids or if you are speaking more language yourself, here is the reason for you to speak more.


 Speaking Foreign Languages May Help Protect Your Memory

ScienceDaily (Feb. 23, 2011) — People who speak more than two languages may lower their risk of developing memory problems, according to a study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 63rd Annual Meeting in Honolulu April 9 to April 16, 2011.

“It appears speaking more than two languages has a protective effect on memory in seniors who practice foreign languages over their lifetime or at the time of the study,” said study author Magali Perquin, PhD, with the Center for Health Studies from the Public Research Center for Health (“CRP-Santé”) in Luxembourg. Perquin is helping to lead the MemoVie study which involves a consortium of partners from different hospitals and institutions.

The study involved 230 men and women with an average age of 73 who had spoken or currently spoke two to seven languages. Of the participants, 44 reported cognitive problems; the rest of the group had no memory issues.

Researchers discovered that those people who spoke four or more languages were five times less likely to develop cognitive problems compared to those people who only spoke two languages.

People who spoke three languages were three times less likely to have cognitive problems compared to bilinguals. In addition, people who currently spoke more than two languages were also four times less likely to have cognitive impairment. The results accounted for the age and the education of the participants.

“Further studies are needed to try to confirm these findings and determine whether the protection is limited to thinking skills related to language or if it also extends beyond that and benefits other areas of cognition,” said Perquin.

The research was conducted in Luxembourg, where there is a dense population of people who speak more than two languages.

The MemoVie study was supported by The National Research Fund (FNR) from Luxembourg.

Get Connected Tuesday Blog Hop

Welcome to  Get Connected Tuesday Blog Hop. We are very happy to have you here. A special welcome to all my first visitors. If you are already a part of this hop, we are thanking you so much for your help in building Get Connected Tuesday Blog Hop and making it a success. Come and Get Connected and stay Connected. With this hop, you will increase your strength, followers, readers and connect to other bloggers in which ever way you like.
This hop is now hosted by Reflexions and World Bloggers Community(a new community for bloggers world wide). 

This blog hop is for family friendly websites only.

The Third Culture Kids (TCK's)

Third culture kids are those who have spent a significant part of their developmental years in a country that doesn’t belong to their parents’ home culture. The phenomenon of being a Third Culture Kid, or TCK, is becoming quite common these days.
According to Matthew Neigh, Executive Director of Interaction International, an organization for TCKs, Third-Culture Kids represent the single fastest growing population in the world today.

As an Expat Woman, I started to look at what is going on in the life of my children and others who are also TCKs.  I began to compare them to their peers who are non TCKs or who their parents do not have any expatriate background. From my findings, it is interesting to know that it is not always easy for the kids just as their expatriate parents. These children though small/young already know that they are living two or more different kinds of lives - the life which they live in their host country and the life which they live at home as regards to their culture or behaviour of people of their home country. All these are at times not always easy for the kids in question. The good thing to know as an Expat Mom is that the advantages of being a TCK over-weighs the disadvantages.
However, I must say that the parents have to play a big role in creating a very good path for these kids to learn how interesting the world is.

These are some of the good things to know about the TCK's:

*They tend to have more in common with one another, regardless of nationality, than they do with non-TCKs. 

*They are often bi/multilingual (familiar with several languages)

*They adapt easily to situations. Due to their sociocultural adaptability, it is said that they get well along with anybody and are more welcoming.

*When given enough academic support by parents, they tend to perform higher than their peers and often make good careers. 
*They are flexible and learn to become more comfortable with change. They are exposed to different ways of thinking, habits and attitudes.

*Third-culture kids are well-travelled, familiar with several cultures, able to enter new cultures more easily, self-sufficient, and have higher level of self-esteem.

According to  Rebecca Glicksberg Skipper ,  Adult TCKs actively seek ways to expose their children to the world’s range of countries and cultures and purposely teach and model the valuable and enduring message that differences among people are cause for celebration, exploration, and respect.

Do you have the TCK's or are you one yourself, what are your experiences? Please share with us.

Twinkle Twinkle Indian Desi Styles

It Musical Monday!!!

This is not just any type of song, it's a Nursery Rhyme and yes you heard me right.

It's Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (Indian Version).

This is a rib cracker, if you want to have some giggles, just sit back and watch this video.

Welcome To The Weekend Blog Hop

Welcome to the Weekend Blog Hop where you can link up your favorite post of the week. Thank you for joining us and linking up. We are happy you are here and hope you will always come around. We have had a great week and now it's time for us to increase our followers by Blog Hopping all through the Weekend. Come and make new friends and find some interesting blogs to follow. You are free to link up to 3 different post or just your main blog. Happy Hopping.

THE BEAUTIFUL MIND

Stephen is autistic. He did not speak until he was 5. His first words were “pencil” and “paper”. When he was 11 he drew a perfect aerial view of London after only one helicopter ride. Now Steven is taking a helicopter ride over the city of Rome, what he does is truly a wonder.
Check out this amazing video: THE BEAUTIFUL MIND – allow 5 mins to run.
(This video is mind blowing, I have never seen such creativity before and not to talk of somebody that is autistic.

Get Connected Tuesday Blog Hop

Welcome to  Get Connected Tuesday Blog Hop. We are very happy to have you here. A special welcome to all my first visitors. If you are already a part of this hop, we are thanking you so much for your help in building Get Connected Tuesday Blog Hop and making it a success. Come and Get Connected and stay Connected. With this hop, you will increase your strength, followers, readers and connect to other bloggers in which ever way you like.
This hop is now hosted by Reflexions and World Bloggers Community(a new community for bloggers world wide). 

This blog hop is for family friendly websites only.