Co-Director of the Academy, Heather Rahael, says the cookbook is an invitation into “the heart of this multi-cultural Montessori community”; a book that showcases favourite recipes and stories alongside photos that capture Montessori moments of “independence, respect, and love of learning”.

Heather also points out that since the inception of the Montessori curriculum in Italy in the early 1900s, healthy eating and food preparation have played integral roles in the teaching and nurturing of Montessori students. “And so a cookbook seemed like a natural project to provide the world with an insight into our community.”

She shares that the first rumblings of such a project came by much happenstance. At the school’s annual Mother’s Day tea last year, parents began requesting and sharing recipes that moved their taste buds. What began as an exercise in sharing recipes among parents and teachers evolved into The Family Table.

Heather says one of the cookbook’s main goals is to rekindle the atmosphere of family life at mealtimes. She notes that the modern trappings of society are also at the root of the breakdown of family bonding moments and experiences.

“Sometimes kids can’t even sit through dinnertime without being on their iPads or iPhones,” she laments of the ways mealtimes are now interrupted in the name of other forms of entertainment.

“With the cookbook, we are trying to promote families spending time together whether it’s during the prep of the meal, or sitting down around the table for family interaction that cannot be replaced,” she adds.

In true Montessori form, the recipes in The Family Table are all shared or passed down and are representative of the diverse backgrounds of the Academy’s students and families alike. Among many classic local recipes are also cosmopolitan dishes, recipes with Eastern flair, and popular international dishes that parents have tried to recreate or added their own unique twist.

Heather also mentions the “Fun for Kids” section, recipes that children can easily have input in and feel a sense of accomplishment and helpfulness in the kitchen. “Food is love and so much of what we consume and how we consume it relates to our family ties. When kids feel included in the preparation of meals, they are proud and are also learning lessons in independence.”

In fact, this sense of independence is one of the yardsticks of the Montessori curriculum. Heather explains that the goal of Montessori education is not to place emphasis on the achievement of high grades. Rather, students are encouraged to explore their varying interests while applying these skills to real life situations.

She gives an example of children who may not be inclined to the technical aspects of academia but who can apply their knowledge in the school’s kitchen preparing and sharing meals and snacks for their fellow schoolmates.

“In modern education, too much emphasis is placed on achieving satisfactory grades. When a child’s education is geared toward scoring the highest marks, their interests are not being fully explored. It becomes ‘I want to get good grades for Mummy and Daddy’. In the Montessori system, we encourage our children to learn at their own pace and explore several learning techniques; not just geared toward high academic achievement.” She has personally seen the ways in which Montessori education encourages children, rather than belittles them or turns them into institutionalised drones.

“Work in our studios abounds daily from cleaning up a spill on the table or floor, to making a shopping list for the snack chefs to purchase at the grocery store; from researching land formations to linking biomes studied last year in South America to the ones being studied this year in North America,” Heather describes the diverse ways learning and teaching take place at the Academy.

She hopes that the cookbook is just a peek into the lives of Montessori children and their families and will bring more understanding to the varying ways children learn, as well as the ways sharing meals can expand children’s experiences. While the Academy continues to evolve, she says their goal remains the same: “To provide families with a unique, authentic Montessori experience for each child.” The Academy, she describes, as a home away from home for all students, a safe and happy space they love to be in everyday, “where they have the freedom to be the best they can be – inspired, compassionate, self-motivated, and nurtured to be our entrepreneurs and leaders of tomorrow.”

“I’ve always loved photography,” Jyoti explained, telling WMN that it was her father’s chosen passion.

“It was in my blood.” Influenced by her father’s work, Jyoti developed her own interest in picture-taking, albeit a very specialised one.

The young radiographer explained that what she practices is, in fact, photography. “When you take a picture of someone you can see… their smile, you can capture the environment [but radiography is] imaging to see inside of people, which makes it even more interesting.” Armed with an interest in radiology, Jyoti found herself among very first cohort to graduate with the Bachelor’s degree in Radiology at COSTAATT in 2011, immediately after which she entered the workforce, enrolling in a two-year graduate trainee course at Petrotrin where she became exposed to ultrasound technology, mobile radiology, operating theatres and the field that would become her specialisation, mammography.

While in the course, one of her seniors, whom she credits as having “mentored and coached” her, encouraged her to pursue a specialised study in mammography. Encouraged by her mentor as well as her father, Jyoti completed her mammography course at branches of the Medical Technology Management Institute (MTMI) in New Jersey and Michigan soon afterward.

Breaking down the appeal in what she does, Jyoti explained that, “We [radiographers] are the eyes for doctors in order for [them] to make diagnoses to help patients determine what’s wrong with them.” She explained that while doctors are the ones who make the diagnoses and are sometimes charged with the task of sharing some not-so-nice news, in her position, she cherishes the ability to connect with the patients.

“Meeting people, hearing different stories and sharing with them,” Jyoti listed among the highlights of her job.

“Mammography is used to help women save their lives by telling them that they’re breast cancer free or detecting it early,” she explained. Jyoti describes the last two years as ful_ lling and enriching; “Each patient you meet is a different experience. You’re doing mammograms every day but each patient is what makes it different.” The 28-year-old radiographer related how she forms these bonds with the patients; “There are persons who will touch you in a very special place, there are some that will have long-lasting impressions on you and there are those who will motivate you as they will see you as a young person working in the field.” She emphasised the importance of providing personalised service, care and attention, features that she makes an effort to offer in her everyday practice and, as a result, for which she is complimented. Jyoti told WMN that hearing comments such as “your bedside manner is great” and “keep smiling” renew her on-the-job enthusiasm.

Of the more than 3,000 patients that she’s seen over the last two years, Jyoti said many of them had developed a fear of mammograms. The comforting luxury in the services offered at Pink Hibiscus is the fact that the old concept of the popularly painful mammogram has been overhauled in favour of the digital imaging technology which causes significantly less discomfort.

She explained that the physical pain as a result of the heavy compression in the traditional mammograms has the common effect of “turning women away” from venturing to have their breasts examined, which can, of course allow complications to develop undiagnosed. But with the greater emphasis on the digital procedure offered at the clinic, much of this pain is minimised.

“We are the only centre in the English-speaking Caribbean to have this technology,” Jyoti told WMN, explaining that persons from Latin America also travel to Trinidad to receive treatment at the centre.

“Digital imaging [ensures] early detection,” she said, explaining that the advanced technology, apart from creating a more comfortable experience for those undergoing the procedure, can detect a pea-sized cancer at stages 0 to 1.

“It is an x-ray but one with a low radiation dosage, which produces clearer images, the outcome of which is a better prognosis… with [a broader range of] treatment options,” Jyoti informed.

“One of the best things is that I know that I can reduce a woman’s fear of having a mammogram done just by being gentle, patient, kind and empathetic with them.” Jyoti continued, “By being knowledgeable about what I do, I can then impart [that knowledge of] the advancements in the technology to them. I explain to them what we’re going to do [in layman’s terms], avoiding terminology, making them comfortable and welcoming them.”

It is important to Jyoti that the patients are comfortable and that their fears are assuaged. Especially dealing with women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer, you see them often and you [have to] give them that smile, that touch to let them know that they aren’t alone.”

So, what’s next for the ambitious and nurturing radiographer? Well, this year, she completed the certification course in breast ultrasound and plans to work at attaining the clinical certification in the field very soon, allowing her to a qualification for another imaging modality to her profile.

“Many of my relatives jokingly tell me that since I’m so involved in the medical profession that I should turn the ‘RR’ (registered radiographer) into ‘D-R’ by completing full medical studies.”

At the age of 28, the possibilities are endless. Jyoti moves forward with an appreciation for what she does, but not without some new goals in mind. “I’m looking at conquering other imaging modalities,” Jyoti explained.

“A simple thing as doing just a mammogram only touches many lives; it is a very dedicated skill, one that is difficult to learn and in order to manage both the image-taking part of it as well as patients and the quality of service given to them, it takes a lot. I’m pretty young in the field, but the lives that I’ve touched and the positive impact that I’ve had has been tremendous.”

“My first official training in the Beauty world was Hairstyling at Lasalle College in Montreal, Canada.” She says this experience allowed her to meet, interact with, and study alongside different peoples from various parts of the world, and is one that she holds dear to this day. Upon her return home from her Canadian study, she practiced her hairstyling skills at Turning Heads by Josephine George.

However, after some time she says hairstyling became something she would only practice on herself and family members. “I was in my teenage years and searching for what was for me,” she explains of trying to find her true passion. For three years, she studied Business Management and although her plans were to eventually work in an executive office, life had other plans for her. She began working at Piarco International Airport as a customer service representative, and eventually took her career to new and literal heights by becoming a flight attendant for Caribbean Airlines.

“Life took a sobering turn when I got pregnant,” she says of the unexpected turn of events. After giving birth, Lauralee decided to utilise her time at home to the best of her abilities and enrolled in some cosmetology courses.

“A couple months after having my son is when I took the microblading course and then an individual eyelash extensions course,” she shares of her newest venture. “Once I started practicing and saw the feedback I got on Facebook, I thought I can make this into a promising business.” Her microblading business, “Secret Beauty”, promises to save women countless hours in makeup prep time as microblading offers a permanent fix which leaves women with eyebrows that are “always perfect and camera ready”.

As Lauralee explains, “For many women, the ideal of perfect, glamour ready eyebrows is unachievable. For these women, no amount of plucking, pruning, shaving, or shaping can help them achieve the effect they desire most.” Lauralee’s goal with Secret Beauty is the share the secrets of the growing international trend of microblading.

Today, Lauralee chats with WMN about her business, what drives her passion for microblading, the evolving roles of women in our society, and the changes she hopes she can make through her contributions to society as a mother, an entrepreneur, and a young woman.

Q Tell us about Secret Beauty – how did it come about, what’s behind the name, why do you feel passionate about this?

Secret Beauty came about when I saw the opportunity to start my own business venture.
As easy as the name sounds, it was not my first option. I was thinking before along the lines of ‘Microblading by Lauralee’. The name Secret Beauty speaks for itself. Clients who have had microblading done want it to be kept secret!

Q What services do you offer? Currently, Secret Beauty offers microblading and eyelash extensions.

Clients can look foward to new services added to the list before Christmas 2016.
Just an idea of the services to look out for: dermaplaning and microdermabrasion facials and tattoo removal. And to the semi-permanent makeup list: advanced microblading, which the client will be able to choose a couple other eyebrow techniques, permanent eyeliner, permanent lips as well, lip liner and full lips.

Q For those of us who may not know, what is microblading in your terms and why should people seek this out?

Microblading is the use of a hand tool with fine needles in the form of a blade. This is used to manually implant pigment under the epidermis, which leaves thin, realistic hair strokes.
The best thing about microblading is that it is 100% smudge and waterproof, unlike regular make-up that claims to be! Whether it’s a hot or rainy day, your eyebrows are guaranteed to be perfect all day and all night long.

Q Eyebrows are what define one’s face. With microblading you can be picture perfect, liming with the girls or tanning at the beach. The latest phones are waterproof why shouldn’t your eyebrows be too?

Secret Beauty will design the perfect eyebrows to suit your face and to your liking. The client’s approval is most important at Secret Beauty.
Microblading sounds fun and easy but there are a lot of safety factors to consider. At Secret Beauty safety is definately number one. All equipment used at Secret Beauty is one-time usage. This is to ensure diseases are not spread and nothing is contaminated. I am certified in Blood Borne Pathogens and this course has definitely opened up my eyes. This course is detailed on how to prevent the spread of different diseases and viruses in a work environment.

Q How have your customers reacted to the results of your perfect brows?

I clean up the client’s face and then send them to the mirror instead of handing them a hand mirror. I love to see their reactions. Priceless! Their reaction is always like shock and awe, even the person with them is like ‘me next!’ With microblading there is not much downtime so my client leaves feeling good and looking good and heads to lunch or early dinner right after.
Personally, I am always excited to see the final result of my work. I can’t wait for the last soak and to wipe away the excess pigment and see those beautiful eyebrows every time. It amazes me every time, like WOW I did this!

Q Who is your target market for Secret Beauty?

Both men and women, ages 18 and up can get microblading done. For senior citizens in their ‘70s and ‘80s who have trouble filling their eyebrows on a daily basis, microblading is perfect for them as well.
Secret Beauty can provide what would look like an ‘eyebrow lift’. As my 76-year-old client says, ‘The older you get the more everything drops’. Her husband can’t stop complimenting her on how young she looks with her new eyebrows done by Secret Beauty.
Microblading can be a good life-changing experience for some clients, especially for alopecia clients who have lost all their hair.

Q You are also a mother apart from a businesswoman. What do you think of the always-changing roles of women in society? How do you believe you defy expectations?

I think the modern woman has definitely embraced the changing roles of women. We are expected to move seamlessy from being wife, mother, homemaker and breadwinner or co-breadwinner, all of which we continue to do with grace. Even in the wider community, we assume the roles of counsellors, mentors; we are literally leaders everywhere.
While it is said that men are the head of his home, in reality women have increasingly been charged to carry that mantle.
I defy these expectations by keeping myself grounded and giving the best of myself daily, whether at home or in my business and being able to successfully find a balance between the various roles.

Q You mentioned that you would like to spread messages of “hope” to women in TT. What are some of these messages and how do they personally resonate with you?

Don’t give up on your dreams! It took me quite a few years to find something I am passionate about and want to work hard at, and see it succeed.
From hairstyling, business management and even trying to open my own clothing store, none of which I was passionate about.
Microblading was definitely it for me, seeing how happy my clients are is a big part of it.

Q Is there any social or cultural change you feel strongly about? Are there ways you hope to change society (whether small or big)?

I am passionate about many social ills, from violence against women to abuse of our most precious assets, our children. It is absolutely heart rendering to think of the wrongs that are perpetrated against the vulnerable but what is most worrying is that society has not been able to curb these issues; they continue to occur at an alarming rate.
Changing society is a big challenge, a collective effort. In my own little way, I try to demonstrate the values of integrity, hard work and dedication that I was taught in every aspect of my life and in so doing hope to influence others. I would want to have a positive influence on young women like myself to strive for excellence in every area of their lives.

Q Last words or thoughts?

Microblading is still fairly new in Trinidad and Tobago – I hope to bring awareness to this great service.
You can find Secret Beauty on Facebook @ secretbeautybylauralee.

I remember when my son was an infant, he had already developed food allergies that I was unaware of, so he vomited, a lot, after every meal. It got to the point I was over the moon if I didn’t smell like vomit.

Forget my pre-baby, always well-dressed, smelling good self. I threw her out the window assuming things would settle down when he got older and I could return to form. HA! While I no longer reek of vomit, let’s just say the things I have to deal with on a daily basis makes any semblance of looking cute and coordinated, impossible. To be honest most days the only thing I can find the time or energy to do for myself is have a bath. The tantrums (when I say that, I mean, my son finding himself onto the floor or running head first into a wall or _ ailing his limbs onto the doorframe in an attempt to hurt himself and not the regular shouting and screaming and tears, although I have those to deal with as well at the same time) are scary and require the strength and composure to physically restrain him from harming himself.

I’m already his 24/7 therapist and have had to be dragging from one doctor’s and specialist appointment to another. I’ve learnt so much I even briefly considered, pursuing a medical degree, since it feels like if I’m halfway there already. I already work closely along with all the professionals that interact with my son. I try to learn all I can and ask as many questions as I can get away with so I can help him myself. I’m always doing research on new studies, new findings, new pharmaceutical trials. Honestly except for the chance to have a bath or a nap the rest of my day is devoted to doing something for my son. So who exactly were the parents studied by these researchers? And what exactly were they doing with their autistic children? I came to the conclusion I’m already a super parent and any further demands on me might cause diminishing returns. I have a lot of super powers.

Don’t believe me? I can make money for food, medication, and doctors’ visits materialise out of thin air. Then I can change the composition of money from paper to elastic and make it stretch. I can manipulate time and squeeze more than 24 hours into a single day. I have the power of a Buddha to remain calm when yet another person says my son doesn’t look autistic and all he needs is more licks and a lot of prayer. I already have all these super powers how much more ‘super’ can I be? After this, what’s left, divinity? I’d like to take my cape off for a moment at take a rest for a bit. I’d like to enjoy my child like other parents get to. Last week started off with a bang, an extended meltdown that ended with him assaulting a child at school, because heavens forbid, the other child tried to play with his best friend. I was forced to resort to good old fashioned bribery (never underestimate the importance of an ice cream sundae to a five-year-old) to get him to behave before the school loses patience with him and kicks him out. That doesn’t mean the good behaviour extends to home, it doesn’t logically follow of course. So from daily tantrums and fights lasting for four hours just to get him to bed or refusing to eat anything other than ramen or ice cream, I had a single moment of bliss with my son. In a seven-day period, I had a few seconds of Ahhhh. His teacher asked for a picture of him for a class project and they cut out the too small picture of his face and stuck it on a picture of a body wearing a kurta. It was cute beyond words and he was extremely proud to show it to me. That was it, for the entire week.

The rest of the week was made up of a series of tantrums, fights, meltdowns, screaming, shouting and tears, with sleep and school the only respite.

Daily, when I send my son off to school I remind him to be obedient to the teachers and he replies “I’ll do my best”. I can assure you parents of special needs children are doing the best they can. It’s a bit unreasonable to ask them to do any more without offering some support, sometimes it’s taking all our energy to keep everything together. I’d love to be the perfect parent for my son and be everything he needs, but all I can do is my best. As long as both he and I are honestly doing our best I can’t ask for anything more.

So, how can we organize our makeup collection? I’ve compiled a few of my favourite methods of storing makeup, and will be including some great tips on maximizing small spaces! The best way I’ve found to store most makeup items is in clear, acrylic organizers. This allows your makeup to be seen clearly, so you can save time guessing where you put something.

It helps to actually categorize your items, so keep all your lip products together, face products together, eyeshadows together etc. If you have a particularly large collection, break it down further.

So, for example, split your face products into foundation, blush, bronzer, highlight and so on, keeping each category in its own place.

Mason jars are an excellent way to store items such as pencils, tools and brushes. You can repurpose glass jars by removing the sticker and cleaning it thoroughly with soap and boiling water.

If you want it to match your room, you can tie a ribbon or strip of fabric around the neck of the jar. Feel free to get creative with decorating your mason jars. If you want to store cotton or cotton buds, be sure to cover the jar with the lid to keep dust out.

If you have large palettes, you can either store them upright like books on a shelf, or stack them like magazines on your desk. Alternately, you can store them upright in a napkin holder or letter organizer for a neater and more accessible appearance.

If you have limited desk space, these next few tips can help you to make the most of it. A lazy susan makeup organizer can help you to save space, especially if you have a lot of loose bottles or jars strewn across your counter. That can create quite an untidy look, and you probably end up accidentally knocking things over while searching for particular items. A lazy susan will give you access to all your products with ease.

Another way you can maximize a small space is with shelving. Shelves will be great for items that you don’t use every day. You want them to be accessible when you decide to use them, but you don’t want them in the way on a daily basis.

Items like nail polish, perfumes that you don’t use daily, palettes that you don’t use often and other similar items. Shelves are also a great place to put decorative items such as framed photos and candles.

The last space saving tip is a “Do-It-Yourself” item.

Magnet boards have gained a lot of popularity over the years, because they can be customized to suit any space, and they’re generally pretty easy to make. You’ll need a picture frame, a thin sheet of metal to _ t the inside of the frame, straight cutting shears if you need to cut the metal, fabric to cover it, a hot glue gun, small magnets to attach to your makeup items and rubbing alcohol.

If you don’t have the appropriate tools to cut a metal sheet to _ t in your picture frame, alternately, you can use a metal cookie sheet, and cover it with fabric for a similar effect. The size you use will depend on how much makeup you want to display.

Use an appropriate glue to adhere the fabric to the metal sheet, ensuring you pull the fabric taut for a smooth _ nish. Place the covered metal sheet inside the picture frame and use your preferred method of hanging or adhering your creation to the wall.

Next, wipe down your makeup products of choice with rubbing alcohol to remove any residue. Attach magnets to the back of your makeup items with hot glue; use more than one magnet if it’s a large or heavy product. Now you’re ready to arrange your makeup for easy access!

Enter Bono: The first Man of the Year among the magazine’s Women of the Year, all to be honoured at a November 14 ceremony in Los Angeles.

“We’ve talked for years about whether to honour a man at Women of the Year and we’ve always kind of put the kibosh on it. You know, men get a lot of awards and aren’t exactly hurting in the celebration and honours department,” said Cindi Leive, Glamour’s editor-in-chief.

“But it started to seem that that might be an outdated way of looking at things, and there are so many men who really are doing wonderful things for women these days. Some men get it and Bono is one of those guys,” Leive said in a recent interview.

And how’s that? Well, not just by talking the talk and wearing a feminist T-shirt, she said. Not that there’s anything wrong with that stuff, of course.

Instead, the U2 frontman has turned his attention, his high-volume voice and presence as an activist, squarely on women and girls who need it the most, those in extreme poverty around the world. Last year, Bono and his One campaign launched a “Poverty is Sexist” movement, armed with facts and figures.

Roughly 62 million girls are denied a right to education around the world, according to a One report, and half a billion women can’t read.

In a letter to world leaders, Bono and numerous other celebrity signers, from Robert Redford to Shonda Rhimes, called it an outrage that girls account for 74 percent of all new HIV infections among adolescents in Africa.

“The idea that a man who could select any cause in the world to call his own, or no cause at all, is choosing to work, and not just for one night or at a special event, but consistently — day after day and month after month — on behalf of women is incredibly cool and absolutely deserves applause,” Leive said, noting Bono’s AIDS-fighting Red campaign as well.

So how did the man of the hour take the news? Bono’s wife, Ali Hewson, had some thoughts, Leive said.

“Apparently he turned to his wife and broke the news and she told him, eh, I think you still have some work to do,” she laughed.

Bono said that the battle for gender equality won’t be won unless men step up and lead alongside women.

“We’re largely responsible for the problem, so we have to be involved in the solutions,” he said.

Among Glamour’s other 2016 honourees are fashion designer Miuccia Prada, IMF chief Christine Lagarde, ISIS kidnap survivor Nadia Murad, Black Lives Matter activists Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi, and model and body activist Ashley Graham.

Glamour will feature them all in the December issue. Rounding out the winners:

SIMONE BILES: At 19, she has 10 world championship gold medals and five medals from the 2016 Olympics.

Since Rio, she’s been writing her memoir, “Courage to Soar,” out this month.
But it hasn’t always been easy. She was in foster care when her biological grandparents adopted her. In 2013, her gymnastics confidence crumbled and with the help of a sports psychologist she learned to trust her talent — and enjoy the ride.

GWEN STEFANI: It’s been quite a year for this mom of three.

There’s her work on “The Voice,” her divorce from Gavin Rossdale, her romance with Blake Shelton and her first solo album in a decade, This is What the Truth Feels Like, which is also her first to debut at No 1.
“Sometimes to be woken up again in life you need to go through some really bad, hard times,” she told Glamour. “I feel like I got woken up this year.” Leive said of Stefani, “She’s always kind of been like the spirit animal for every girl who just wanted to be herself.”

ZENDAYA: Girls, Leive said, “love her, they relate to her.” Why? “Because she stands for a forthright approach to life.” has more than 33 million followers on Instagram, using her social media presence to support efforts to end hunger and stop the spread of The former Disney star AIDS. At just 20, she is a strong voice against bullying and a positive one in helping girls embrace their own standards of beauty.

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and the person who should be beholding that beauty is you,” Zendaya told Glamour.

She was propelled further into the spotlight last year after the Oscars when Giuliana Rancic remarked on “Fashion Police” that Zendaya’s dreadlocks made her look like she smelled of patchouli oil or weed. Rancic later apologized on air.

EMILY DOE: Former Stanford University athlete Brock Turner was convicted of attacking her while she was passed out near a trash bin on campus in January 2015.
Turner’s six-month prison sentence sparked national outrage and ignited a debate about campus rape and the criminal justice system.
She has chosen to remain anonymous but wrote an essay about the experience that received wide attention. She has written on the subject again in the December issue of Glamour.
“Her voice literally went around the world,” Leive said. “Her words and the eloquence of her writing really made everybody stop in their tracks and pay attention.”

Make healthy choices your priority because it’s time for a new way of thinking.

No matter how big or small your goal, whether it’s losing 5 or 50 pounds, walking a mile or running your first marathon, making change requires planning and SMART goal setting. I first learned about the SMART thinking process doing an Events Management course a few years ago.

The same principles apply in the fitness world as well, because all truth is parallel.

Basic guidelines that made for successful event planning can be applied to your fitness goals.

Follow these guidelines to setting SMART goals and you will be surprised at what you can do: Specific.

Your goal should be clear and easy to understand.

A common goal, “get healthy,” is too general.

There are so many ways to get healthy. How do you want to do it? Is it losing weight? Start exercising? Stop smoking? Break it down and it will be easier to manage.

Let’s pick weight loss and make a SMART goal out of it together. For example, “I will lose weight.” Measurable.

A goal to “lose weight” is not enough. How will you track your progress and how you will know when you have reached your goal? Making your goal measurable means adding a number.

Attainable.

Before you can add a number, you have to know how high or low you want to go. It’s good to ‘shoot for the stars’, but don’t be too extreme or “doh hang yuh hat too high”.

Likewise, a goal that is too easy is also not very motivating. Only you know your limits.

Let’s take our goal above. What percentage is attainable for you? Research suggests that a 5-10% weight loss is attainable for most overweight people.

A measurable, attainable goal could be, “I will lose 7% of my body weight.” Relevant.

Set goals that are important to where you are in your life right now. Don’t set a goal that someone else is pressuring you to attain-that isn’t very motivating.

Examine our goal so far. Does it seem relevant to you? If so, let’s keep going. If you are not concerned about weight loss or this is not a good time in your life to focus on that, choose something that IS motivating to you.

Time-bound.

Include an end-point. Knowing that you have a deadline motivates you to get started.

Since healthy weight loss is about 1-2 pounds per week, set your deadline accordingly. For our example, we can use 3 months. “I will lose 7% of my body weight in 3 months.” Now we have a SMART goal! With a goal like this, it’s a good idea to set a few more action-oriented SMART goals so that you have a game plan.

Here are a few examples:

• I will walk 5 days every week for 30 minutes each.

• I will drink water instead of soda every day this week.

• I will bring my lunch to work instead of eating out 4 days this week.

Becoming a better version of you starts by being SMART!

But beyond sympathy, there is need for empathy in marriage. Here we are focusing on more than productive thoughts towards each other, but seeking rather to share emotional realities. As one biblical writer puts it “rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn” and doubly so, with one’s life partner. However we must never lose sight of the benefit of two – “if one falls down, his friend can help him up… though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves”. So, in addition sympathy and empathy, we should also be applying “inclusion” in our marital context.

“Inclusion” for relational therapist Martin Buber, involves crossing over to “the other person’s side” in mind and emotion, without surrendering or giving up one’s own stance on the issue – as can happen in case of intense empathy. Here we remind ourselves that marriage is not a union but a fusion, where the expression, management and merging of “individual differences” form a vital cornerstone in the building process. “Inclusion” seeks to honestly and continually add the facts and experiences of my spouse to my own, as we strive to implement a third, joined perspective. Inclusion encompasses sympathy, empathy and reconciliation of my inner world actualities with that of my spouse – one integrated marriage being enjoyed.

Yet going still further is the acid test of marital compassion. A marital compassion in which I not only thinking, feeling and including, but also “becoming”. I constrain myself to become whatever my spouse needs for him or her to achieve fullness or wholesomeness. This is perhaps more easily seen and understood in the sphere of disabilities with marriages. For example, I become my husband’s eyes for his blindness or his lifelong nurse for his bed-ridden condition or his everpresent driver after his driving years are finished, and vice versa.

However marital compassion is also essential for other, less noticeable, individual deficiencies. The deficits that do not just result from poor, unlearnt behavior, but from actual human flaws of character – the ten to five percent of my spouse that did not, and perhaps will never, change! I become the “central bank” for my “easy-spending” spouse, the “maintenance manager” for my “use-and-discard” partner, the “spiritual backbone” for my “materiallyminded” husband or the children’s “academic coach” for my otherwise-inclined wife.

Marital compassion is an acid-test because it often involves becoming something in additional to one’s natural leaning. It is a personal, longterm commitment as the only solution that closes otherwise, “impossible” gaps and allows the marriage to continue going forward. Though a lot of time, energy, effort and sometimes money may be expended, this may not always be readily recognized or appreciated by the other party. The good book says “God made him sin who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God”.

Marital sympathy, empathy, inclusion and compassion are all indispensable carriages of the relationship train that kept us on the marital tracks leading to the desired destination of fulfilling fusion -saying “we can do it, we will do it and we will do it together!”

The question that I am most frequently asked by women, when they feel frustrated with their situation is: “How can I find a happy balance in both work and home life?” As a life empowerment and financial coach, my approach to help my female clients find this happy balance is to have them first examine their life situation. Remember, everyone’s situation is different. It is important for people to understand themselves, their life stage, financial and family status.

Their values and attitudes and what they aspire to would impact on their life path. You have to be careful that you do not compare your life or your needs with that of other people. There is an old saying that the grass looks greener on the other side, but as you know this is not always the case.

Achieving a happy work and life and family balance may be an elusive goal for many women depending on their circumstances and expectations. As with any goal setting activity, you have to be clear with what you want and also be realistic.

The responsibilities of a wife and working mother are far different from a single parent or woman living at home with siblings. It is critical therefore to understand that there may be some imbalance in the different aspects of your life. As your family situation or demands at work change, adjustments have to be made. You would have to decide what are the most important aspects of your life at any given stage.

Below are some simple steps to help you find that happy life balance: Carve out quiet time to do some introspection and meditation

Write down all the things that bring you great joy and happiness
• Place them under the aspects of your life where you need to find that balance
• List the obstacles in each area and strategies to overcome them
• Prioritise what you must do on a daily basis
• Highlight where adjustments can be made and take action
• Find some time to exercise to stay healthy
• Seek support from loved ones or get someone to assist with chores This process requires patience, commitment, faith, enthusiasm and belief that you can achieve that happy life balance.

This quote from Thomas Merson states that

Happiness is not a matter of intensity, but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony.

Jennifer Gibbons-Joseph is a Certified Life Empowerment and Financial Coach of Conec Professional Life Coaching Services Ltd. Contact her by emailing coneccoach@gmail.com or phone 766 2148/271-5020.

If you are looking for a tree for the table top, living or bedrooms or entryway the alternative Christmas tree is the ideal solution. In addition to which you will be able to show off your creativity to friends and family. These trees can be made from store bought materials or from recycled or repurposed materials.

Hanging Wall tree There are many styles of alternative Christmas trees but the most popular modern style is the hanging wall Christmas tree. These can be made from a wide variety of materials, pallets, recycled wood, drift wood, wall decals, lights, tape, jewellery, paper the list of materials just goes on. The beauty about it is that you can also add ornaments and lights to your design. Here are some more alternative wall hanging and other tree styles.

Book Shelf Tree This can be done with glassware, books or even boxes. Position these items on the shelves in the shape of a tree. Which ever items you choose to form the tree should be of similar colour. A tip is to cover the books in the colour scheme of your choice to create the tree arrangement.

Book Tree Stack books from the floor starting with a wide base, in the shape of a tree. You can also make a miniature tree by opening books and stacking them on top of each other.

Chalkboard Tree If you have a chalkboard or an area of a wall painted in chalk board paint this is a great way to have your Christmas tree. Simply draw a tree on the board with chalk. You can decorate the tree with paper ornaments or store bought ornaments by taping them to the board.

Cork Tree Collect all your wine corks and create a table top tree, secured with glue.

Knickknack Tree Hang all the knickknacks lying about the home or office, photos, jewelry or trinkets, on the wall in the shape of a tree.

Ladder Tree If you have an old ladder, repurpose it and make it into a Christmas tree.

Paper Tree You can make paper trees from music sheets, newspaper or decorative paper. There are many styles for either table top or floor mounted versions.

Pallet Tree Paint on the shape of a tree on a pallet, decorate as normal and hang on the wall. This makes a great statement.

PVC Tree White PVC pipe pieces fitted together on the wall in the shape of a tree. Ornaments can be placed in the cubbies for a pop of colour.

Wood Here is a chance to upcycle, recycle or repurpose old wood pieces, twigs or drift wood. Simply nail the pieces together in the shape of the flat or 3-dimensional tree. This tree can hang on the wall or be planted in a pot for indoor or outdoor use.

Decorate the tree as you would to a pine tree.

Wall Decal Tree These are easily applied to the wall, windows and doors and can easily be removed and are available in a wide variety of styles and colours.

Wasabi Tape Tree Create your own wall mounted tree by taping off the silhouette of the Christmas tree on your walls with wasabi tape. This is a very eye catching, budget friendly option for small spaces.