How to Cope with Infidelity

Cheating is something that is not only cowardly and dishonest, but it is utterly disrespectful to the sanctity of a union that is supposed to be based upon trust. With that said, it still happens...it happens everyday, unfortunately.


If you suspect your husband is having an affair, your first reaction may be to react with anger or threats.  A lot of women out there have dealt with a cheating partner and have their own coping strategies. Here are some approaches you can take to getting your world back in control when you suspect your partner of cheating. 

Get the Facts

Try not to act impulsively, before you accuse your husband of infidelity, get the facts. God gave a woman intuition, not just for the mother in her, but also for the spouse, only you know the signs.

Get proof before doing something rash, like packing up the kids and leaving:  As long as there is no harm being done to you physically or verbally,  wait before you leave so you can have your evidence. . . .you will know the truth and won't have to wonder if you made a mistake.

Confront Your Husband

Confront your husbands before doing anything drastic. Talk to your hubby and let him know that you think he is cheating. . . . Explain to him the reasons why you think he is (no matter how small or stupid you think the reasons are) and let him tell his story or explain why he is doing what he is doing. Even if the confrontation confirms your worst fears.

Get Relationship Counseling 

Finding out your spouse is cheating on you emotionally or physically (or both) can be extremely overwhelming. Get professional help, you and your spouse can sort out if you want to keep the marriage or not and see what's really left in your relationship. 

Give an Ultimatum and Be Ready to Move On

If your husband continues an affair despite all your efforts to remedy the situation, it's time for an ultimatum. You can’t mend your relationship with a third party wedged in the middle. You need to make sure there is no contact between the woman and him ever again. If you think they are fooling around, that’s when you pack up and don’t let him explain and you leave while you still have your self respect.

Pray

It is important that you find peace in God.

Allow support from family and friends

While no one can take the pain away, support and love can help you through this difficult time. Don't hold the pain inside.

Forgiveness

This is one of the most difficult of all human behaviors. Forgiveness means you are done with the negative emotion that is harming your life.

Relationships can heal from the horrible heartache of an affair. I'm not saying it is easy, I'm not saying it doesn't require an enormous amount of work and energy, and I'm not saying it is going to happen overnight. I am saying that it is possible.

But, as any couple who has faced this serious challenge, they will tell you that it takes a lot of effort and time and a tremendous amount of courage and commitment. But the important thing is, you will find peace and happiness again.

“There are all kinds of ways for a relationship to be tested, even broken, some, irrevocably; it’s the endings we’re unprepared for.” 

Earth Hour 2012

We only have one planet.  You can help protect it. Participate in the world’s largest single campaign for the planet: Earth Hour. It starts by turning off your lights for an hour at 8:30 pm on March 31, 2012 in a collective display of commitment to a better future for the planet.  Think what can be achieved when we all come together for a common cause.

This Earth Hour we are all dared to save the planet. "I Will If You Will" is a simple promise and a challenge. Dare anyone (your Facebook friends, co-workers, celebrity crushes) to accept your challenge and help protect the Earth or accept the challenge of someone else.

Visit "I Will If You Will" to see all the challenges and create your own.

This Earth Hour all of us should go beyond the hour, so after the lights go back on think about what else you can do to make a difference. Together our actions add up. 

What are you willing to do to save the planet?

Warning Signs of Vision Problems in Kids

Have you noticed your child squinting or sitting closer and closer to the television? A vision problem may be the reason. Eye problem is really very hard to detect especially in the cases of children. My daughter who is only 8 years old has been wearing glasses for 8 months now. And I thought nothing is wrong with her eyes until she told us that she had difficulty reading the flash cards that her teacher used during their Math class. So we consulted a doctor and we were shocked because her eye grade is 250 on both eye. Well it is such a pain to see her wearing eye glasses at a very early age but I was so relieved the she got used to it already and her vision is improving. 

To help catch a vision problem early, be on the lookout for any of these eight signs that your child may need glasses:


1. Squinting 

Squinting is a common sign of a vision problem because doing so can help bring blurry objects into focus.

2. Covering One Eye or Tilting Head

If a child has diplopia, or double vision, she may begin covering one eye or tilting her head to make the double images go away.

3. Sitting Close to the Television

Many moms find that a child's television habits can reveal the need for glasses.  

4. Difficulty at School

Difficulty seeing the chalkboard is another reason to visit the doctor. Similarly, if your normally all-star student starts inexplicably having trouble with schoolwork, a vision problem may be the culprit. 

5. Frequent Headaches

Watch your child for headaches, If you notice this, take him/her to the eye doctor. Headaches can be another sign of a vision problem.

6. Rubbing Eyes

The eye fatigue or strain from a vision problem can also cause a child to frequently rub their eyes. 

7. Trouble with Reading 

If your child mixes up small words when reading, he/she may need glasses for farsightedness. 

8. Holding Reading Material Close to Face

Holding reading material closer than normal is another sign of a vision problem. You will notice that your child is working with  their noses up against the paper when studying.

Some vision problems have no warning signs and can cause permanent vision loss if left untreated. This is why regular eye exams are the best way to ensure healthy vision for you and your family.

Weekend Eats: Four Cheese Lasagna

I've cooked Lasagna a dozen times before, but it was just last December that I finally perfected it. It's a well known fact that my hubby and my kids loves pasta and cheese, so just imagine how happy their tummies are whenever I cook Lasagna for them.

Everytime I try to cook something, I always always make it a point that I search for recipes. I look for it on food magazines, food blogs or just simply search the internet. I would usually pick 3-4 recipes and combine them all together so I could have everything that I want summed up in one yummy recipe. This recipe is a product of that, so I hope you would try it.

Four Cheese Lasagna

For the red sauce:

1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onions
2 cloves of garlic chopped

1 can of crushed tomatoes

2 cans spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup of water

2 tablespoons  brown sugar
1 teaspoons dried Basil leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

• Brown the ground beef, onions and garlic in a pot until they start to cook. It takes about 6 to 9 minutes to brown the meat.I use a medium low temperature to brown the meat.
• Add the crushed tomatoes, spaghetti sauce  and water. stir and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Add the rest of the red sauce ingredients, then cover and simmer in low heat for 30- 45 minutes.

Bechamel Sauce:

5 cups whole milk

¾ stick unsalted butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour salt, to taste
ground white pepper, to taste
pinch of ground nutmeg

• In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the butter over a medium heat until it becomes frothy. Don't let it turn brown, it will affect the flavor.
• With a wooden spoon, stir the flour into the melted butter a little bit at a time, until it is fully incorporated into the butter, giving you a pale-yellow-colored paste. This paste is called a roux. Heat the roux for another minute or so to cook off the taste of raw flour.
• Using a wire whisk, slowly add the milk to the roux, whisking vigorously to make sure it's free of lumps.
• The resulting sauce should be smooth and velvety. If it's too thick, whisk in a bit more milk until it's just thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
• Remove the sauce from the heat. Season the sauce very lightly with salt and white pepper. Be particularly careful with the white pepper — and the nutmeg, if you're using it. A little bit goes a long way! Keep the béchamel covered until you're ready to use it.

Assembling the lasagna:

1 box lasagna noodles, cooked al dente

• 1 small container cottage cheese
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 
  

• Preheat oven to 190 degrees C.
• Ladle enough red sauce to cover the bottom of a 3-qt ovenproof baking dish.
• Arrange a layer of noodles atop the sauce, then add another layer of red sauce. Drizzle roughly one-third of the béchamel sauce evenly atop the red sauce.
• Spread 1/3 of shredded mozarella, cheddar, parmesan and cottage cheese
• Repeat the previous step two more times until you have three layers in place.
• On top would be the remaining mozzarella, cheddar, parmesan and cottage cheese.
• Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 40 minutes.
• Remove foil and bake for about 10 more minutes, or until the cheese on top has browned slightly.
• Remove lasagna from oven and cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Cheese really stars in this lasagna, it can be prepared ahead of time and baked later. I sometimes make up a couple batches and freeze them. I just take it out from the freezer and pop it in the oven whenever the fam bam gets hungry.

I have tried many different Lasagna recipes over the years. This is the culmination of all the trial and error, a recipe that needs to be shared with the world.

Have a Happy and Blessed Weekend Everyone!

Who Run the World? GIRLS! Celebrating International Women's Day.....

Annually on 8 March, thousands of events are held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate their strengths and achievements. A global web of rich and diverse local activity connects women from all around the world ranging from political rallies, business conferences, government activities and networking events through to local women's craft markets, theatric performances, fashion parades and more. In some places like China, Russia, Vietnam and Bulgaria, International Women's Day is a national holiday.

It is also known as the United Nations (UN) Day for Women's Rights and International Peace. Thousands of events celebrated not just on this day but throughout March to mark the economic, political and social achievements of women. Organisations, governments, charities and women's groups around the world choose different themes each year that reflect global and local gender issues.

Each year the United Nations declares an overall International Women's Day theme. Their 2012 theme is “Empower Rural Women – End Hunger and Poverty”, recognizing the critical role and contribution of rural women. While internationalwomensday.com website's theme is "Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures".

The International Women’s Day logo is in purple and white and features the symbol of Venus, which is also the symbol of being female.  The faces of women of all backgrounds, ages, and nations are also seen in various promotions, such as posters, postcards and information booklets, on International Women’s Day.  Various messages and slogans that promote the day are also publicized during this time of the year.

The day aimed to help nations worldwide eliminate discrimination against women. It also focused on helping women gain full and equal participation in global development. So make a difference, think globally and act locally !! Make everyday International Women's Day. Do your bit to ensure that the future for girls is bright, equal, safe and rewarding.

To all women in the world..... this is our song!

Happy International Women's Day!