Tips for making family movie night a success

    We say this a lot, but we think it's worth repeating: It's important to get involved in your kids' media lives - and your kids will love it too.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} what's a good way to stay involved with your kids' media picks and create an opportunity to discuss them? Host a family movie night! Some tips for making it work:

    Schedule it.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Turn off cell phones and avoid multitasking during the show.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} If you've pot little kids, pre-select a group to choose from. Avoid watching the same movie over and over again. If you've got teens, tell them you'll watch anything they choose as long as they return the favor when it's your turn. Obey a “no complaining” rule.

    Choose a location (场所). Hang a sheet in the backyard, prepare the necessary equipment, and sit on beach chairs to enjoy a classic like The Wizard of Oz.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Talk about it. The next day, make time to chat about what you watched. Kids might be interested in learning more about Hollywood's history.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} Talking with kids about how movie characters handled fictional situations can be a way to form your family's values or get kids to open up about their lives.

A. Make it a theme night.

B. Take turns choosing the movie.

C. This can be simple or complicated.

D. Make it a regular date and time and don't break it.

E. Visit the library to follow up on interests excited by the movie.

F. But helping them become wise media consumers can be easier said than done.

G. Or spend the family movie night on the road during vacations or at the grandparents' house.

    Now, if you want to be charming, then you'll need to build self-confidence, but becoming more outgoing is actually pretty easy. To get to a point at which you feel comfortable talking to complete stranger, follow these steps.

    Encourage your curiosity about people{#blank#}1{#/blank#}I wonder what his parents look like. I wonder what her favorite color is. Is he from around here? Is she the girl I saw at the movie theater last week? It will take some conscious effort, but you can't be outgoing if you don't care about people.

Smile at others. Make it a goal to smile at one person a day. It can be anybody, and it can be the most subtle(微妙的) of smile. A quick glance paired with a smile—then run away if you want!{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Eventually, you will want to get to a point where you smile instinctively whenever you make first eye contact with someone.

    Ask people questions. The standard ”how are you?” doesn't really count, because people use it as a greeting rather than a real question{#blank#}3{#/blank#}This is where the curiosity and interest in others come into play.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}This is key to being a good conversationalist. If you don't make enough eye contact, the other person will feel invisible and the sense that you're elsewhere mentally. If you make too much, they'll feel uncomfortable. Is that specific enough for you?

    Note your body language{#blank#}5{#/blank#}To show that you're outgoing and welcome conversations, keep your body open, you head up, and a smile on your face. Resist playing with your phone or otherwise occupying yourself.

A. Master eye contact.

B. Never hesitate to smile at others.

C. Most of communication isn't verbal.

D. The more you do it, though, the less scary it will be.

E. Make eye contact when you're asking questions about people.

F. Wherever you go, try to observe people, and ask questions about them.

G. If you've already exchanged eye contact and smiles with someone, start off with a question,

    We are humans, and we all make mistakes. The mistakes that we make are not usually on purpose, whether it is breaking a vase, or not completing a task.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}This article will provide you with ideas as to what to do once a mistake has been made.

    Admit that you make a mistake as soon as you discover it. Delaying it longer will only make you feel worse, or may drive you toward making the wrong decision to try and cover it up.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Do not play the “blame game”. Most people are smart enough to realize that this is just a poor attempt to protect yourself. Perhaps you gave a task to another person and it was never completed. But is it really the entire fault of the person you gave the task to or is it partially your fault for not following up? Keep this in mind before placing the blame on someone else.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Maybe you broke your mother's favorite vase, or even forgot a friend's birthday. Just an apology can sometimes be viewed as a “quick fix”, and apologizing and asking to be forgiven gives the person opportunity to forgive you.

    Offer some compensation(补偿) for loss, damage, or injury caused{#blank#}4{#/blank#} By doing this, it may soften the blow to the person we've disappointed.

    Learn from your mistakes. In the case of a job or a task, write a "to-do" list with the deadline before leaving the meeting. As for forgetting a birthday, put the birthday on an electronic calendar for next year.

    Do better next time{#blank#}5{#/blank#}We should try to understand what happened and try to make sure that it won't happen again.

A. Take responsibility.

B. Never repeat your mistakes.

C. Apologize and ask for forgiveness.

D. People's faith in us can reduce quickly.

E. So sometimes it is necessary to write a letter to say sorry.

F. But not everyone knows how to admit making a mistake.

G. Offer to immediately complete the late task or pay for the vase.

Why Do We Get Angry?

    Anger seems simple when we are feeling it, but the causes of anger are various. Knowing these causes can make us examine our behavior, and correct bad habits. The main reasons we get angry are triggering（触发）events, personality traits（特征）, and our assessment of situations. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Triggering events for anger are so many that to describe them all would take hundreds of pages. However, here are some examples: being cut off in traffic, a deadline approaching, experiencing physical pain, and much more.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} The reason why someone is triggered by something and others are not is often due to one's personal history and psychological traits.

    Each person, no matter who they are, has psychological imbalances. People who have personality traits that connect with competitiveness and low upset tolerance are much more likely to get angry. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Also, sometimes pre-anger does not have to do with a lasting condition, but rather a temporary state before a triggering event has occurred.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Sometimes even routine occurrences become sources of pre-anger, or anger itself. Sometimes ignorance and negative (消极的) outlooks on situations can create anger.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}However, anger can easily turn violent, and it is best to know the reasons for anger to appear in order to prevent its presence. With these main reasons in mind, we can evaluate our level of anger throughout the day and prevent cases of outbursts by comprehending the reasons for our feelings.

A. Our attitude and viewpoint on situations can create anger within us as well.

B. But some types of situations can help us to get rid of the occurrence of anger.

C. Anger is rarely looked upon as a beneficial character trait, and is usually advised to reduce it.

D. Anger is a particularly strong feeling and maybe people think that they have reasons to feel angry.

E. Having these personality traits implies the pre-anger state, where anger is in the background of your mind.

F. Understanding these reasons will control our own anger if we are willing to evaluate ourselves with a critical eye.

G. Not everyone acts the same in response to events, and that is why what triggers one person may or may not trigger another.

    We all have times in our lives when we just have too many things to deal with.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Well, that's crazy, because if you get ill then you're going to be able to do nothing. Here are some ideas to take care of yourself.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Living with clutter(杂乱)and never being able to find what you need when you need it causes stress. Take time to develop a system and then use it. Instead of keeping all the things you need to do in your head, write them down on a piece of paper.

    Devote 30 minutes per day to personal development materials. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} And negative ones will disappear. If we want to be successful in work and life, we need to develop the habit of feeding our minds in a positive way. So take in good inspiring information.

    Say no to anything that is not important to you. Give yourself permission to concentrate on what's important. Getting the unessential, tiresome responsibilities off your schedule will give you more time and space. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Take 5-minute mini-breaks every hour. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} So no matter how efficiently you work, you should always let your mind wander or end up spending time doing other things when you try to keep going hour after hour. Instead, break up each hour by getting up from your chair and walking outside to take a 5-minute break.

A. Get organized.

B. Write a daily gratitude list.

C. You can't stay focused all the time.

D. Fill your minds with positive thoughts.

E. Besides, it will reduce the pressure that you feel.

F. As a result, we often forget to look after ourselves.

G. Eating healthily is one of the most sensible things you can do for yourself.

How to live with someone in chronic pain?

    Do you know that 100 million people in the United States suffer with chronic(慢性的)pain? Living with someone in chronic pain can be demanding at times because the person doesn't feel well and wants your help to feel better. Yet you are powerless to do much about stopping their pain. As a result, much of the relationship can become focused on pain which is depressing for both of you. But people in pain need emotional support. They need to know that you understand their feelings. So, express it in your words and show it by your presence.

    Now, realize, there is a fine line between helping and hurting when talking with people in chronic pain. You help by encourage pain free talk, by focusing on tfie positives of your relationship and other aspects of the person's life. Instead of asking, "How is your pain today?" ask, "How is your day going?" Then, focus on what is going right or is positive despite the pain. This isn't ignoring the reality of their pain, rather focusing away from the pain. Constant conversations about pain increase pain. The more attention you give pain, the more it multiplies pain.

    The more you do things for the person in pain, the more likely they are to become disabled by their pain. For example, if your partner can move, get up or get their own drink, let them. Even if it takes a while to accomplish something, movement is good for chronic pain. The goal is not to do things they can do for themselves. Otherwise, you are enabling sick behavior. Therefore, encourage, but don't enable! You don't want anyone's identity to be developed around the pain.

    Remember, chronic pain has caused your partner to limit his behavior and not do the things he used to do. He is dealing with loss and has to find a new normal. Talk about what can be done to improve functioning despite the pain. You may have to get creative! Can you throw a ball to the grandkids sitting down? Maybe you can find a more comfortable position for closeness.

    Finally, do all you can to help him remain social even though the pain may lead to a cancellation with friends now and then. When that happens, you are supposed to keep inviting him to gatherings as he wants to remain active and involved. The worse thing a person in pain can do is get separated from others. Not only will they become depressed but it is much easier to lose hope. And there is so much you can do to improve functioning and get on with your life.

    In sum, chronic pain can cause relationship tension, but a focus on small things that turn down the volume on pain and improve your day to day functioning will help your relationships.