It can be quite a struggle to get your kids to a study every day after school. But homework is a fact of life for school-age children. As parents, one should aim to make learning at home, and not a burden.

Mostly, parents require their children to do homework after school but children are already tired and stressed during this time. Studying right after they arrive home will no longer be effective, they need to take a few minutes to relax, eat, change clothes and get organized.
Good study habits should already be formed at the start of the school year.

Here’s how:

Establish a routine that your child can follow. Study time should take place at the same time every day, so that he’ll learn how to schedule his activities. This also gives him a sense of control over how he spends his time.

Make him study in blocks of time, with breaks in between. No matter how short, breaks can be very relaxing and invigorating. It can also help him get back into the mood. Plan the schedule with your child.

Turn off the TV Homework must be finished before watching TV, with no exceptions.

Pick a good place The study area should be away from distractions, with a table and chair, good lighting, and comfortable temperature. To keep your child from having to get up every few minutes, the area should already have books, notebooks, and paper and other supplies in place.

Be advance Have your child study his notes as if he’ll be having a quiz the next day (even there won’t be any). This will help condition his mind, and increase memory retention. Once he develops this habit, he will find it easy to prepare for succeeding lessons.

Spend time with your kids The input we give during study periods will help form a bond, and hopefully make studying more enjoyable. Offer lots of encouragement; for sure, your child will love the attention – and the fun!

Back when cotton was cotton (e.i. pure), it was safe to bleach almost all whites. Nowadays, fabrics are more complicated: many have built-in optical brighteners that enhance whiteness but turn the fabric yellow if its expose to bleach or even strong sunlight.

How do you know if brighteners have been added? The care label won’t tell you, but if it says “no chlorine bleach,” that’s usually a giveaway. In those cases, be sure to launder as instructed. For whites that are washable, treat fresh spills by quickly soaking them under cold running water while rubbing the spot with your fingers, then launder. Heat causes yellowing on some optically enhance whites, so air-dry if label says “no chlorine bleach.”

I know you never thought that apples and soup can actually go together, just admit it now! Well, it’s time to reconsider all old prejudices you might have had and give apples a chance to make their way into your healthy, weight-conscious diet, by means of this delicious apple soup with potatoes and Brie cheese. It’s a hearty, tasty dish that will give you a totally new experience as far as taste is concerned and that will leave you looking for more such apple recipes.

What you need:
- 1 cup yellow onion, chopped
- 1/4 cup leeks (whites only), sliced
- 4 large apples, cored, peeled and quartered, and 1 apple cored and thinly sliced for garnishing
- 6 small potatoes, peeled and sliced
- 4 ounces brie cheese, cut into small cubes
- 2 cups chicken broth (check the sodium levels on the packaging)
- 3 cups fat-free evaporated milk
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

How you do it:
Put the onion, apples and leeks into a cooking pot and sauté them over medium heat until they soften. This should not take more than 5 to 7 minutes. Add the chicken broth, together with the salt and thyme, and wait until it all starts to boil, then reduce the heat and allow the soup to simmer gently for about 15 minutes, then turn off the heat and put the soup aside to cool.

In the meantime, mix the potatoes and the evaporated milk in a separate dish (preferably a saucepan) and cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes, checking to see when the potatoes are tender, stirring frequently. When the potatoes are cooked, blend in the potato mixture in the soup pot. Puree the soup in a blender until it is smooth, and add the pieces of cheese while you’re pureeing. Finally, heat the pureed soup again, pour into individual bowls and garnish them with the sliced apples. Serve immediately.

Removing photographs from self-adhesive albums

• to pry them up, use a thin craft spatula
• use a warm blow drier to melt the gum between photo and the page
• run waxed dental floss between the photo and the page
• if none of these work just simply cut the photos out of the album

Repairing damage photographs

• Make use of the Adobe Photoshop on your computer. Scan your photo and use it to erase stains and correct color.
• Don’t try to restore cracks, tears, or scratches on your own. Look for a photograph processor who offers digital restoration. They will produce a new negative by taking a picture out of the old one. They will add contrast to faded areas and lightens stains. Surely you will get a brand new old photo.