Chocolate Chip Muffins recipe

Chocolate Chip Muffins ingredients list:

¾ lb chocolate chips.
1/3 lb of soft butter.
4 medium eggs.
2 ½ cups of flour.
1 cup of sugar.
¼ cup of milk.
1 tablespoon of baking powder.
½ teaspoon of vanilla extract.
½ teaspoon of salt.
Instructions for Chocolate Chip Muffins:

Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) and butter your muffin pan.

Beat the butter and the vanilla extract together to form a light, airy mixture.

One at a time, add the eggs, and beat gently.

Add ¼ cup of the sugar after each egg and mix thorougly.

Put the baking powder and salt in the milk, then add to the mixture.

Fold in the flour and the chocolate chips.

Pour the mix into your buttered muffin pan, filling each cup two-thirds full.

Bake for 25 minutes or until muffins turn golden brown.

Recipe by: Muffin Recipes

Can The Cause Of Acne Be Linked To Diet

Written by Wendy

Can acne be caused by the food we eat? It is suggested that sensitivity to progesterone can cause flare ups when certain products are consumed. The foods, such as dairy, organ meats and wheat germs are known to contain male hormones. Would these people need to avoid such foods for the rest of their lives? Or be reduced to a life dependent on various anti acne treatments in order to protect their complexion?

Other possibly hazardous or potentially problem foods include several that are high in iodine - such as leafy veg like cabbage and spinach, peanuts and shellfish. The best way to determine what works well for helping manage your acne is to experiment with your diet - but only make small changes at a time, otherwise you won't know which change had the impact. If a particular food makes your acne flare up, you'll know to steer clear of it in the future.

If you have a special sensitivity to a food, small amounts of anything - even soft drinks, chocolates will not make a major difference.

One of the more widely spread (and often believed) myths about acne is that it is caused by dirt or grime. It's more likely to be because of oily skin, in which case simply washing regularly with either a mild soap, special acne skin cleanser or even antiseptic soap and warm water can make a big difference to controlling and managing oily skin. And don't forget to keep your hair clean - again, depending on your skin type, your hair can also become extreme oily if not cared for properly.

Acne is actually the second biggest skin condition, only being pipped at the post by premature aging or wrinkles. If you're anything like me, you'll notice new pimples appearing right before an important engagement or meeting you have to attend - or worse still a job interview or even a date. In this case, the culprit is usually testosterone (at least in males) which is produced by the adrenal glands, and when you're under any form of stress (such as the conditions I just listed above) your adrenal glands go into overdrive. There are treatments for this as well, so if this applies to you, make sure you tell your dermatologist about it.

This skin disorder can be controlled but not cured. Mild cases may be helped, in varying degrees, by over-the-counter acne treatments, but many cases will require treatment by a physician.

A vitamin A deficiency can lead to skin problems. Not all cases of acne call for professional attention. An occasional blemish or pimple could be called "drugstore acne". Topical antibiotics prevent about fifty per cent of blemishes, and are a significant breakthrough for treating average acne. However, if an acne sufferer misuses the over-the-counter medications, it may not work. You have to follow instructions carefully and not switch from one product to the other until after a six-week trial. Only then will you be able to decide the degree of any one product's effectiveness.

There is acne surgery. It can open and clear blackheads, whiteheads, pimples and cysts. These blemishes could only be opened by a physician. Never scratch, pick or squeeze acne lesions; this will worsen the condition. Some pointers - do not use greasy or occlusive cream to cleanse your face which can clog the pores, soap and water are best Avoid creams with hormones or corticosteroids added, beware of huge doses of vitamin A-they can produce serious side effects.

Help Your Child Climb a Mountain of Emotions

Handling children can be a difficult task at times. We feel like they’re not listening to us; they feel like we’re not listening to them. Good listening and speaking skills are essential to successful parenting. Your child’s feelings, views and opinions have worth, and you should make sure you take the time to sit down, listen openly, and discuss them honestly at a noise level you both can tolerate.

It's a natural tendency to react at 100 decibels (shout level) rather than to respond at 65 decibels (normal hearing level). An elevated voice level accomplishes nothing except to raise tempers and frustration.

What causes this emotional elevation? Many factors are in play to make what could be a positive experience into a gut wrenching one. We all bring our own childhood baggage into our adult life and, often, our children bear the brunt.

It's natural to pass judgment based on our own feelings and experiences based on our own upbringing. However, communication is about forgetting our past and being receptive to our child’s feelings and emotions and allowing them to express themselves openly and honestly without fear of glass-shattering screaming from us. By reacting emotionally, we send our child the message that their feelings and opinions are invalid. But, by calmly asking questions about why the child feels the way they do, it opens a dialog that allows them to discuss their feelings further, and allows you a better understanding of where they’re coming from.

Getting your child to open up will give you an opportunity to work out a solution or a plan of action with your child that perhaps they would not have come up with on their own. Your child will begin to believe that you do understand and truly care how they feel.

It’s crucial in these situations to give your child your full and undivided attention. Put down your newspaper, stop doing dishes, or turn off the television so you can hear the full situation and make eye contact with your child. Keep calm, be inquisitive, and afterwards offer potential solutions to the problem. When offering solutions, allow your child to comment on them. Doing so will further the dialog between you and help to arrive at a workable compromise.

Compromising is the toughest part of parenting because it forces us to give some weight to our child's opinion. Remember, your child may lack the knowledge to form an accurate opinion but they will cling to what they believe is the right thing for them. It's your job to persuade them with a logical argument not a dictatorial statement.

During this process don’t discourage your child from feeling upset, angry, or frustrated. Our initial instinct may be to say or do something to steer our child away from their position, but this can be a detrimental tactic if done emotionally. Again, listen to your child, ask questions to find out why they are feeling that way, and then offer potential solutions to alleviate the bad feeling. The key is to remain calm and not allow yourself to also become upset, angry, or frustrated. You must be the leveling force.

To our children, their negative experiences or feelings are like huge mountains to overcome. We may see their problems as molehills but, to our child, they are far from it. You can be their guide to climbing their mountain by actively listening and participating with our child as they talk about it. Showing them the right path demonstrates to them that we do care, we want to help and we have similar experiences of our own that they can draw from.

Remember, respond - don’t react the next time you need to help your child climb a mountain.

Yours for success in life!
It's a natural tendency to react at 100 decibels (shout level) rather than to respond at 65 decibels (normal hearing level). An elevated voice level accomplishes nothing except to raise tempers and frustration.

What causes this emotional elevation? Many factors are in play to make what could be a positive experience into a gut wrenching one. We all bring our own childhood baggage into our adult life and, often, our children bear the brunt.

It's natural to pass judgment based on our own feelings and experiences based on our own upbringing. However, communication is about forgetting our past and being receptive to our child’s feelings and emotions and allowing them to express themselves openly and honestly without fear of glass-shattering screaming from us. By reacting emotionally, we send our child the message that their feelings and opinions are invalid. But, by calmly asking questions about why the child feels the way they do, it opens a dialog that allows them to discuss their feelings further, and allows you a better understanding of where they’re coming from.

Getting your child to open up will give you an opportunity to work out a solution or a plan of action with your child that perhaps they would not have come up with on their own. Your child will begin to believe that you do understand and truly care how they feel.

It’s crucial in these situations to give your child your full and undivided attention. Put down your newspaper, stop doing dishes, or turn off the television so you can hear the full situation and make eye contact with your child. Keep calm, be inquisitive, and afterwards offer potential solutions to the problem. When offering solutions, allow your child to comment on them. Doing so will further the dialog between you and help to arrive at a workable compromise.

Compromising is the toughest part of parenting because it forces us to give some weight to our child's opinion. Remember, your child may lack the knowledge to form an accurate opinion but they will cling to what they believe is the right thing for them. It's your job to persuade them with a logical argument not a dictatorial statement.

During this process don’t discourage your child from feeling upset, angry, or frustrated. Our initial instinct may be to say or do something to steer our child away from their position, but this can be a detrimental tactic if done emotionally. Again, listen to your child, ask questions to find out why they are feeling that way, and then offer potential solutions to alleviate the bad feeling. The key is to remain calm and not allow yourself to also become upset, angry, or frustrated. You must be the leveling force.

To our children, their negative experiences or feelings are like huge mountains to overcome. We may see their problems as molehills but, to our child, they are far from it. You can be their guide to climbing their mountain by actively listening and participating with our child as they talk about it. Showing them the right path demonstrates to them that we do care, we want to help and we have similar experiences of our own that they can draw from.

Remember, respond - don’t react the next time you need to help your child climb a mountain.

Article by: Jim DeSantis