Top Christmas Toys 2010 - 5 Top Christmas Toys Your Child Will Love

Now is the time to start thinking about the top Christmas toys for 2010. You're in luck because the list below saves you a lot of time. Instead of wondering what's hot this year, you'll know for sure by reading the list. You want to pick something to brighten your child's day. You'll achieve that goal with the help of this list, so get comfortable and keep reading.

1. Bananagrams

The Bananagrams game is one of the most popular children's games around. Players use letter tiles to spell words like in a crossword puzzle or Scrabble. The first person to use all of their tiles is the winner. No paper, pencil or board is required.

Your entire family can play together, since the game is recommended for ages 7-years and older. If the kids don't want to include mom and dad, that's fine too. Any child that can read and spell can play this game without the help of an adult. In fact, it's great for beginning spellers.

2. LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle

The LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle is perfect for fans of the boy wizard. This building set is a detailed version of the popular castle from the movies and books. The set is recommended for ages 8-years to 14-years old, but any fan of the series will enjoy this one.

Your child will spend hours recreating the famous castle. The set is huge, and includes several buildings. The library, Dumbledore's office, astronomy room and the great hall are all included, plus more. Your child also gets 9 LEGO action figures, including Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Professor Severus Snape.

3. Barbie Pink 3-Story Dream Townhouse

The Barbie Pink 3-Story Dream Townhouse is fit for a queen. The townhouse is more than 3-feet tall, and comes fully furnished with more than 55 pieces of furniture and accessories. That's great news because it means you don't have to spend money on extras.

Your child will love the detail of the house. Lights and sounds are available on each level, including the sound of the doorbell and the toilet flushing. The chandeliers, refrigerator and fireplace light up just like the real thing. The townhouse is suggested for ages 3-years and older, so all Barbie fans can join in the fun.

4. Mindflex Game

The Mindflex Game puts your child's brain to work. The game features a headset that reads your child's brain waves. Your child wears the headset, and a foam ball levitates as they concentrate on it. The game is suggested for ages 8-years old and older, so you can exercise your brain too.

The purpose of the game is to increase concentration. In this day and age of fast video games, some kids find concentration difficult. With this game, it pays to slow down and concentrate. The games include a speed test, a ball shooting game and other challenges. Mindflex is one of the best Christmas toys for maze and brain teaser fans because they will enjoy the challenge.

5. Melissa & Doug Safari Floor Puzzle 100 Pieces

Melissa & Doug Safari Floor Puzzle is fun for kids aged 6-years to 10-years old. The puzzle is colorful and detailed. With 100 pieces, your child will have hours of fun getting it all together. You might want to get in on the fun as well.

The safari puzzle isn't made of cheap cardboard. You'll get your money's worth because the pieces are made of durable cardboard that's 20 percent thicker than most puzzles. Plus, the pieces are easy to clean so the puzzle looks like new even after repeated use.

Dating Tips for Shy Single People

Shyness is a social affliction. It is a fear of mixing with others. Shy people and unhappy people have one thing in common: they mainly focus upon themselves. But self-focus comes from insecurity and kills interaction. The greatest feelings of self-worth come from our positive effect on others. It has been shown that low self-esteem goes hand-in-hand with individuals who put too much attention inward. Confidence comes by doing something daily that focuses on someone, or something, else in a positive way. My hero Denzel Washington once said in a film, "A person wrapped up in himself makes a very small package!" Indeed.

I often wonder why anyone would boast about being shy, because shyness is a focus upon fear and the self which increases the inability to engage another person in basic interaction. When you are in a situation where you are meeting new people and interacting with others you immediately become less nervous. Life only works reciprocally. If we merely expect from others we tend to get very little until we begin to give too. Many people who have not learned how to share find this giving difficult and simply wait with open hands to receive. Yet it is very clear that the people who give the most tend to receive in abundance. When we focus upon ourself, there is a limited field of vision which obscures the whole picture and gives us just one narrow view of the world - ours. We always expect something from others emotionally, yet are unprepared to give much back.

A shy person worries constantly about the REACTION of others and what they might think; whether they are WORTHY enough in that situation and how they will be TREATED because of their low self-esteem. Being so focused upon themself and their perceived treatment, they have little to give to others, which keeps the shy one in the same situation - being sidelined, alone and feeling excluded.

There are 6 main ways to overcome shyness, listed in order of importance:

1. Be proud of yourself and appreciate who you are, regardless of your 'faults'. You cannot be acceptable to others if you reject yourself. How can they affirm what you yourself dislike and reject? If you learn to accept your faults as well as your strengths, to cut yourself some slack, others will too. If you have to change yourself in any way for the potential date, that's the worst start to a relationship. You will always be trying to please and feel inadequate for it.

2. Shift the focus from yourself and push it outwards. When you shift your focus, you learn to relax more. Everything does not appear to be such a big deal. Relaxing comes through many forms: making a phone call to someone for an easy chat - they might be so grateful for your contact; going for a walk; listening to your favourite music; doing some puzzles; talking online to someone; sending a simple email to that valued person; reading a book and, above all, accepting everything that is happening at that moment instead of getting stressed about it or trying to control it.

3. Ask as many questions as possible. It doesn't matter how difficult this is, learn to ask questions, especially with a potential date. Any question is indicative of curiosity and is a doorway to dialogue and interaction. It does not matter how simple and trivial the first question is, that is vital to open that door and it shows your interest, making you seem less one-dimensional and more engaging.

4. Do not always wait for others to act, chances are they are shy too! Pluck up the courage to make the first move sometimes. If you don't try to engage the people you are interested in they will never know your feelings and others will beat you to it. Belief and desire need courage and conviction around them to get the required results.

5. Join in activities, like a local activity club, dating club, or becoming a volunteer. These are the surest ways of boosting your self-esteem and getting that date as you remove the focus from yourself and give the attention to others to reinforce them. You will feel wonderful seeing the results of your actions and the difference you're making to others. Most important, people will suddenly want to know you because they feel valued!

6. Begin to appreciate your world and what you have today and see the difference as your life changes in front of you. Don't take life for granted and the blessings you have. Stop and smell the roses so that you too can smell much sweeter!

Improving Concentration For Better Performance and Increased Memory

Concentration is the capacity to think or focus one's mind or physical activity in whatever direction one wants to. For example, sportsmen need a lot of concentration to play the game. Their primary focus must be on the game; otherwise, they tend to lose. We cannot concentrate on things at all times. Many times our minds waver or we are scattered by many thoughts passing by. The good news is that many techniques can be used to improve concentration to help us perform better.

Concentration is needed in almost everything we do in our day-to-day lives. From cooking, driving and eating to performing major tasks at the office, we need a focused mind to finish the work. Even children need to improve concentration to excel in their studies. Without this, many times we can even meet up with fatal consequences. For example, many fatal road accidents happen when the drivers lose concentration. Therefore, improving concentration is very vital in everyone's life.

Improving concentration through meditation

Meditation is often considered as the best option for improving concentration. It helps us to improve concentration by training the mind to focus on one single object or thought. It is like mental training or an exercise through which we can train our minds to improve concentration. Practice makes everything we do perfect; hence, regular meditation can help us in a great way. Get training through an experienced master and start meditating regularly to improve concentration.

Memory games to improve concentration

Many memory games will help in improving concentration. For many centuries, chess has been considered as a mind game used to improve concentration. Watching the players in a chess match reveals people deep in thought concentrating on the game's moves. This game is a memory game that helps in improving concentration. Many other games such as word puzzles, Sudoku and mind maze are some of the games that help players concentrate on one particular aspect such as words, numbers or spatial relationships.

Playing games such as these regularly will improve concentration power drastically. We need concentration in our daily work. If we loose our ability to concentrate, then the consequences might be very embarrassing. We have all seen absent-minded people around us. Students fail to excel in their exams because of lack of concentration. Workers get into accidents when they lose their concentration at work. Therefore, improving concentration is very vital. We have to train our minds to concentrate and focus on what we do.

Many people, luckily, recognize the importance of better concentration, as they are always looking for ways to improve concentration. Having a healthy diet, practicing yoga and breathing exercises can help in improving concentration a lot. Regular physical exercise and overall mental health also helps in this. Thus a balanced lifestyle, with some daily techniques such as meditation and memory games, can help improve the concentration and, with it, enhance the performance levels in our day-to-day lives.

Alzheimer's Care - Choosing a Memory Care Facility For Your Loved One

Putting a loved one in a nursing home is a difficult decision regardless of the circumstances. In the case of Alzheimer's, most research shows that at some point in the progression of the disease a nursing home becomes the right decision for the family. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, there are nearly 2 million people currently living in some form of nursing home. Over 90% of these residents are over 65 years old and most require 24 hour supervision due to some physical limitation or dementia. However, due to the increase in "familial Alzheimer's", aka Early On-Set Alzheimer's, there are many people in their 40's and 50's that are now requiring long term care.

A memory care facility is a specialized nursing home that provides - in addition to a room and food - full time medical (nursing) care and in-house rehabilitative services, along with close supervision to provide some measure of physical protection for the residents. The home will not be designed as an acute care facility, but the goal at an Alzheimer's care facility should be to help people maintain, as much as possible, their daily independent functioning.

It is obvious that when choosing a care facility or nursing home it is first necessary to consider the needs of the individual for whom you are providing Alzheimer's care. You must determine what special care needs the facility can provide. What type of therapy is available. Ask if these needs and therapy are handled by in-house staff or outside care. What are the qualifications of the individuals who provide these.

If you are choosing a nursing facility for someone who is presently at home, ask for referrals from your physician, Area Agency on Aging, Alzheimer's support group, friends, and family. Other factors such as location, cost, the quality of care, services, activities, size, religious and cultural preferences, and accommodations also need to be considered. Above all else discuss this with your family. Most families will not all agree on a place or the costs, but get a majority consensus as this will ease the burdens later on when you, the primary caregiver, need to time off an want someone else that is willing to help step in for a while.

When you've located a few facilities that you'd like to consider more thoroughly, plan on visiting each one, both with scheduled and unscheduled visits, and at different times and on different days of the week. As you walk around, take note of what you see, hear and smell.

* Is it a peaceful atmosphere or does there seem to be an underlying level of chaos?

* Do you hear residents crying out or moaning very loudly for more than a minute or two? (Some of this is the disease and to be expected.)

* Do you notice call lights continually flashing or bells dinging where residents are asking for help their room?

* Do the caregivers and nurses respond quickly to aid the residents or do they ignore the calls for help?

* Are there scheduled activities for the residents?

* Is there an activities staff or do the caregivers hand them puzzles and cards?

* Do you see staff members interacting with residents or do they leave them in their rooms or parked in wheelchairs in the hall without paying much attention to them?

* Do the common areas and bathrooms look and smell clean?

* Are the residents rooms and bath areas clean?

* Are the residents dressed appropriately for the season?

* Do they look clean and is there any sign of an untreated cut or bruise?

* At mealtimes, do you notice caregivers helping residents who have difficulty feeding themselves?

* Do they stay with them until they've eaten most of their meal or do they stop after only a few bites and move on to someone or something else?

* What is the quality of the food and do the residents appear to enjoy it?

* When residents become agitated, how does the staff respond?

* What security does the home provide to protect residents?

* Is there a numbered keypad to enter and exit? Does everyone coming and going seem to know the code?

* What systems or physical barriers are around the facility to make sure no resident wanders away?

* Is the overall atmosphere similar to a homelike environment or more like an institution?

* If your family member is still coherent and able to converse, are there other residents with whom they may socialize?

* What is the staff turnover rate?

* What is the ratio of nurses to residents and caregivers to residents?

* Do they work 8 or 12 hour shifts? This is an important point since familiarity and routine is a key element to your loved ones comfort level.

Before signing a contract for care at a specific facility you should fully review the contract and know your rights and responsibilities as the family and also those of your loved one as the resident. Review the admissions agreement carefully and have anything explained in detail that is not fully understood. Spend $150 or so to have an attorney review this for you if necessary. Do not sign any paperwork that has not been fully explained. The admissions contract should, at a minimum, contain the daily or monthly room and meals rate, any specific reasons for discharge or transfer from the facility (these items should apply to your family member if they do them or to anyone else in the facility if done to your loved one), and the policy regarding payment of the daily room rate if the resident goes to the hospital or the family brings the resident home for a short period of time. Is there a reduced or prorated rate or do you continue to pay full price to keep the room/space available?

You may question if you're really making the right decision to place your loved one in a facility at all. This is an agonizing decision that you will routinely question, but remember, you can do no more than your best. If you have done that, then you should not continue to ask more of yourself and know that you have done the best, as an Alzheimer's caregiver, for your family member.

For Your Pediatric Office, Toys Will Make The Waiting Fun

Everyday at your clinic, mommies and their kids wait for their turn. You know the children are urging their mommies to let them out of the clinic and your secretary is becoming frantic with all the restlessness and the crying. But with attractive toys at hand, the waiting will be fun. Here is why.

Don't lose business

When kids start pestering their moms to leave the clinic, you know you will lose business and will have to reschedule another consultation, which may take Weeks. As a physician, this will be uncomfortable. The schedule was arranged weeks in advance and was determined the patient for the day. By patients, it means days or weeks of waiting for the next round. If you have the latest pediatric office toys, but you will have all the consultations carried out on schedule. Install the pediatric office toys faster and save you and your patients the inconvenience.

The new toy is suitable for your office a touch of hometoo. Children in pain can forget their troubles for a while. Moms can rest easy reading the latest fashion magazines while waiting for their child's name to be called. Your secretary will have a peaceful day and you don't lose any business.

Oh the toys they will love

You can choose several pediatric office toys for your clinic. You can get toys to suit different ages. For toddlers, get the small deluxe block kids' play table. Kids can have fun enjoying each other's company and forget the time. For the shy ones, a giggle fun mirror will set them off laughing. The older tykes will go for the fire engine play center. For 7 to 10 year olds, puzzles and a tic-tac-toe panel will keep them busy. The magnet express wall panel will have no peace.

The gaily colored pediatric office toys are designed to foster children's motor and cognitive skills. They will have all fun finger painting and setting up the pyramid. All those toys will also help them develop social skills when they play with other children. In the meantime, moms can chat each other up. The next problem for the moms and the kids, though, is leaving your clinic because the kids would not want to part with those toys. At least, they are all bound for home.

Shopping for the toys

If your schedule stops you from doing rounds at the shops, go online. You can order the pediatric office toys and have them shipped to your office. Not all items are shipped for a fee. Some items like the magnet express wall panel, child's mirror sculpture maze, and the Zigidy Zac Wall Panel are shipped at no extra cost.

If you have kids, ask them which of the toys shown online have promise. You will be amazed at their expertise. They love toys and will know what other kids will go for. As a doctor, you'll know what pediatric office toys will amuse the kids of all ages, so get those now.

Flash Dog Games For Girls

We all know that kids of different sex have different tastes in playing games. In the earlier days, the toys were made especially for girls, like kitchen and doctor sets, dress up the dolls and others, while the boys had their green army men. Girls also like to have some story line in their games with puzzles and time management features. Today, you can find variations for girls and boys in online virtual games as well. Although some girls love to play the action games dog games like Dog Police, most of them prefer to click the soft spoken games like "Puppy Fetch", "Way to home", "I lost my Puppy" and "Grooming the Dog".

Simple puppy fetch flash dog games do not involve any deadlines or other rigid rules to engage in play. Usually the boss or a big dog throws an object, namely a Frisbee, bone or stick and the puppy has to fetch it back to him. You will help the puppy to reach the object and bring it back to the boss. There may be some simple obstacles like trees, logs, cats and rocks on the way to reach the focus. The cute little puppies found in this dog game fascinates the girls a lot and they keep moving forward to next levels easily and quickly.

Girls are always thrilled to solve the simple maze puzzles. Hence, finding the way to get back home, the game "Way to Pet Shop" is likely to attract young girls. They can effortlessly play with their mouse. Move the mouse to proceed with the puppy. One should avoid crashing on anything on your way home, which is the single rule involved in this game.

There are some other games where you take care of the puppies and train them, as you do with your real dogs at home. So many girls of deprived of a pet, due to lack of special place, lack of time to care for them or even allergies may be a cause to avoid pet puppies at home. Dog games could maybe provide these young girls with a an outlet for their desire to play with a pet puppy or dog. Usually, the girls take care of the dogs like they would do with their dolls and it is real fun to be with these animated dogs online.

You could try introducing the "I lost my puppy" game to your lovely daughters and they will adore it. Perhaps they will even thank you for it. It is a simple online dog game where the girls need to observe the features of the puppy on the given photo and identify the exact one from the crowd of puppies. It is a good test for memory and improves the observing skills of your daughters. Within 20 seconds, they have to fix up with the appropriate puppy that is portrayed in the photo.

Motivating the De-Motivated - A Guide to Corporate Team Building

In 2006, research conducted by UK based HR Management Company Right Management revealed that in comparison to six other industrialised nations, the British workforce was the least motivated, with less than a third of the sample stating that they felt fully engaged and fulfilled at work. This shocking statistic translates per annum throughout the UK, into billions of pounds of lost revenue. Now consider the huge economic downturn since the research was first published and it is safe to assume that this issue will not have improved significantly since. So what is the best way that you can ensure that your business doesnt suffer with a de motivated and dispirited work force?

The answer is quite simple, corporate team building.

The activities are specifically designed to increase team cohesion, communication and confidence, to nurture the feeling of working together to achieve a shared goal and to enable workers to realise that all members of the team have an important part to play in achieving that goal. All of these attributes are equally desirable in the workplace and the research behind these events shows that a team who takes part in a company team building activity, is able to then translate these attributes successfully into the workplace.

What kind of events can be organised?

The answer whatever you feel would be most enjoyable and effective for your team. Companies such as Chillisauce can organise a huge variety of activities, from a simple treasure hunt, or a murder mystery evening, through to the more traditional activities such as raft building and 100 team challenges (a form of problem solving) as well as more adrenaline pumping activities that include activities as diverse as tank and military vehicle driving, circus skills and survival and commando training.

There are a growing number of team building activities now based on popular television series, such as The Krypton Factor, The Crystal Maze, Dragons Den, The Apprentice, Strictly Come Dancing or Its A Knockout, ensuring that any workforce is able to find an activity that is suited to the budget of the company in question as well as the catering to the specific demands of the workforce in question.

Team building activities have many positive effects on a team. It can lead to building leadership skills within your team; it can improve communication between team members and thus make a team more effective. It can increase self confidence within a group, team members can learn how to negotiate more successfully, they will improve their judgement on matters and the talent within a team can be optimised all leading to an improvement in productivity and profitability.

With many specialist companies now dedicated to providing businesses with a expansive variety of team building events at a price that suits all budgets. Given the current economic situation and the de-motivated British workforce, the question you need to ask is not if your business can afford to arrange a corporate team building event, but can it afford not to?