It was five years since I had become a mother, and I felt like I had slowly been losing more and more of myself. I looked in the mirror one morning and saw a tired, crazy woman, and I just wanted to cry. And just like that my new journey into becoming a “do less” mom began. I remember the first time I tried it. I had rushed to get my kids from school after work, arriving home completely shattered(散架了).

    I made myself a lovely cup of hot tea and headed to the sofa, I lay down and closed my eyes. At this point, all three of my kids stopped speaking and just stared. My eldest broke the silence and asked, “What are you doing mommy?” I replied: “I'm resting.” It took the kids a few more minutes to realize I wasn't going anywhere and they did eventually leave me alone. They even figured out that they should probably take their coats off. I did not cook dinner that night--we ordered in. I did not put on a wash; instead, I told the kids they had better not get their clothes dirty during dinner because they are wearing them again tomorrow. We skipped the bath and watched a movie all on the sofa.

    To my amazement--no one died. The house did not fall apart. The kids were happy and fed but most importantly, when I looked into the mirror that night, I could see that woman I remember. The fun, silly woman who truly thinks she is still 25 years old, who loves ice cream and traveling and music and drinking wine. And I went to bed a bit happier that night knowing that although the road is still long, I am finally on the right track.

    University Room Regulations

    Approved and Prohibited Items

    The following items are approved for use in residential rooms: electric blankets, hairdryers, personal computers, radios, televisions and DVD players. Items that are not allowed in student rooms include: candles, ceiling fans, fireworks, waterbeds, sunlamps and wireless routers. Please note that any prohibited items will be taken away by the Office of Residence Life.

    Access to Residential Rooms

    Students are provided with a combination(组合密码) for their room door locks upon check-in. Do not share your room door lock combination with anyone. The Office of Residence Life may change the door lock combination at any time at the expense of the resident if it is found that the student has shared the combination with others. The fee is $25 to change a room combination.

    Cooking Policy

    Students living in buildings that have kitchens are only permitted to cook in the kitchen. Students must clean up after cooking. This is not the responsibility of housekeeping staff. Kitchens that are not kept clean may be closed for use. With the exception of using a small microwave oven(微波炉) to heat food, students are not permitted to cook in their rooms.

    Pet Policy

    No pets except fish are permitted in student rooms. Students who are found with pets, whether visiting or owned by the student, will suffer an initial fine of $100 and a continuing fine of $50 a day per pet. Students receive a written notice when the fine goes into effect. If, one week from the date of written notice, the pet is not removed, the student is referred to the Student Court.

Living Music in the Home

    Living music in the Home is a Waldorf-inspired resource for parents and teachers who wish to share the joy of music with their children and student. We provide musical training for adults so they can make music in their homes and classrooms.

    NEW! In addition to our online offerings (see below), we are now offering in-person parent-child music classes in western Massachusetts. We invite you to come to join us for BabySong and ChildSong, offered at the Cottage Garden.

    CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

    CLICK HERE FOR REGISTER

    OUR ONLINE COURSES

    Finding Your Inner Voice

    Instructor: Michelle Prindle (about)

    Available: March 17

    This course offers instruction in vocal (唱歌的) technique that will help parents and teachers to find their inner voice. The course removes modem misunderstandings about the voice. It offers advice on overcoming psychological boundaries to joyful singing. This is done through practical, confidence-building exercise that parents and teachers can practice in their own homes along with the videos and audio files provided. The course also offers a variety of songs for singing with children.

    Mood of the Fifth

    Instructor: Dan Prindle (About)

    Available: March 17

    This course begins by giving parents and teachers a solid foundation in the basics of western music theory that are necessary for understanding music in the mood of the fifth. These include the fundamentals of music theory (basics of pitch and rhythm). The course then continues to define the mood of the fifth, describe its elements and give a variety of examples. This course provides the necessary knowledge for parents and teachers to fully understand this often unclearly defined concept.

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    Author Spot

    This is a regular page devoted to new and experienced authors. Click here to    see the questions and you simply reply as you wish. To appear on Author Spot, your book must be already published. Please enclose a color photo of yourself plus a color photo of your book cover.

    Top Tips

    Are you an expert in your field? We welcome “Top Tips” on any subjects such as working from home, building up a business, writing — please contact us if you have an idea and look at the top tips posts on this site to see how to craft your own.

    Press Releases

    Do you have some news about your business, company or charity? We are always on the look out for great press releases to publish on our site. Simply submit your press release here or email it to ali- son@ feature world. co.uk.

    Opinion pieces and Reviews

    Got a subject you feel strongly about? Or would you like to review a book for us? We are happy to look at all other opinion pieces or reviews as long as they fit with the general ethos (思想信仰)of the site.

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    We reserve the right to edit submissions — although as they are personal to the writer,we endeavor not to do this.

    Any questions? Contact us here.

    The printing press has a long history. It was invented in Germany by Joannes Gutenberg around 1440, and brought to England by William Caxton in the 1470s.Yet the basic technology of printing remained the same up to the end of the 18th century, requiring two men to operate a wooden screw press by hand, producing about 200 impressions an hour. The 19th century was the period in which this process was mechanised, automated, and made many times faster.

    A key moment in the development of mass newspapers was the development of the steam-powered printing press, adopted by the times in 1814. The new presses were able to print per hour around five times the number produced by the machines. The editor, John Walter, had the machines fixed secretly at night, so that when his printers reported for duty the next morning the majority of them found that they were out of work. The Times went from a circulation of 5,000 a day in 1815 to around 50,000 in the middle of the century. This was not caused by the steam press, but neither could it have happened without it.

    Later developments improved this effect: the Applegath machine achieved 5,000 impressions per hour, and the Hoe press, an import from the United States, reached to 20,000 impressions per hour. Increase in the speed of papermaking in this period brought down the cost of printed materials both for the producer and the customer. In 1896, the Daily Mail was sold at the cost of only half a penny, and by 1900 it was selling nearly 1,000,000 copies a day.

    If print production was completely changed in those years, then so was its distribution. The appearance of the steam railway meant that for the first time newspapers could be distributed across the country on a daily basis.

    A small robot may help children who are recovering from long-term illnesses in the hospital or at home. These children may feel isolated from their friends and classmates. The robot takes their place at school. Through the robot, the children can hear their teachers and friends. They also can take part in class from wherever they are recovering.

    Anyone who has a long-term illness knows that recovering at home can be lonely. This can be especially true for children. They may feel left out. Now, these children may have a high-tech friend to help feel less lonely. That friend is a robot. The robot is called AV1. AV1 goes to school for a child who is homebound while recovering from a long-term illness. And the child's school friends must help. They carry the robot between classes and place the robot on the child's desk.

    A Norwegian company called No Isolation created the robot. The co-founders of No Isolation are Karen Dolva and Marius Aabel. Dolva explains how the robot AV1 works. She says, from home, the child uses an iPad or a phone to start the robot. Then they use the same device to control the robot's movements. At school, the robot becomes the eyes, ears and voice of the child.

    So, it sits at the child's desk in the classroom and the child uses an iPad or a phone to start it, control its movement with touch, and talk through it.

    The student can take part in classroom activities from wherever they are recovering — whether at home or from a hospital bed. The robot is equipped with speakers, microphones and cameras that make communication easy.