How Much Water Should I Drink?

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How much water am I meant to drink? Is it really eight cups a day?

-- Lily

The notion that we must all drink eight cups of water per day to improve our health is an old one, but it isn't exactly accurate. Although the suggestion dates back to at least the 1940s, the latest to carry the mantel are, unsurprisingly, bottled water companies. Writing in the medical journal BMJ, Glasgow doctor Margaret McCartney pointed out that much of the current recommendations come from events sponsored by Danone, which owns bottled water lines Evian, Volvic and Badoit.

The "8x8 advice" may also endure because, cost aside, it's harmless. And being over-hydrated sure beats dehydration, which can cause headaches, light-headedness, fatigue and other, more serious complaints. Water is essential for proper digestion, kidney function and brain function and is required by every cell of the body. But that doesn't mean we need to sip on it all day.

There may be another reason we've stuck with an inaccurate eight cups -- and that answer isn't nearly so straight forward: the right amount of water to drink is the amount that quenches your thirst.

"When you think about the way that the body handles water, you pee it out. The body regulates water very carefully and doesn't allow it to accumulate. Extra water is immediately excreted," says Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, a professor of medicine at University of Pennsylvania and an expert on fluid management.

What's more, our bodies tell us when we require water -- that's what the thirst mechanism does. Thirst doesn't mean you've reached a dire level of dehydration either. Explains Goldfarb: "When you get thirsty, the deficit of water in your body is trivial -- it's a very sensitive gauge. It might be only a one percent reduction in your overall water. And it just requires drinking some fluid."

Or food: about 20 percent of the fluid we receive each day comes from water-heavy foods like fruits and vegetables.

There is, however, one exception: for those who suffer from kidney stones -- masses of crystals that form in the urine and pass painfully through the urethra -- staying overly hydrated is very beneficial, as it dilutes the concentration of material that forms into the clumps.

The typical U.S. adult downs about four cups a day, which is shy of the Institute of Medicine's recommendation to drink about three liters of fluid for men and 2.2 liters for women. But others disagree with this assessment -- if that's the amount of water a person naturally drinks in response to thirst, that's fine. But there is no benefit to forcing extra water.

Just to reiterate, we're talking exclusively about over-hydration. Beware dehydrating factors like exercise, salty foods and hot weather, and be sure to replace the fluid you've lost. A surefire way to tell if you've replaced your water sufficiently? It's all in your urine. If you're producing pale yellow pee, you've reached a hydrated status. You can keep drinking, but why?

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/03/how-much-water-should-i-drink_n_2398712.html

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Springfield Moms, Dads, and Grandparents Area Family Resources ...

Thanks to Springfield Moms premium sponsor, Sara Freitag, State Farm Agent for providing this information on end of the year IRA contributions.

With the hustle and bustle of the holidays behind you, January is a good month to take a look at retirement savings. Are you on track to reach your retirement goals? Many people aren?t. In fact, just 14 percent of American workers are very confident they?ll have enough money to live comfortably in retirement.1 And nearly 75 percent of retirees said they hadn?t saved enough and would have saved more if they could do it all over again.2

If you don?t have an individual retirement account (IRA)?or haven?t thought about your existing account recently?it may be time to take another look at this option.

Benefits of IRAs

The primary benefit of an IRA is the choice you have in where your money is invested. Unlike employer-sponsored 401(k) plans, which may limit your investment choices, you can choose to direct your IRA savings to stocks, bonds, real estate, mutual funds and more. An IRA can supplement your retirement savings, making it a nice complement to an existing 401(k) plan.

IRAs also give you flexibility. Some IRAs allow you to withdraw your IRA contributions (not the earnings) without penalty before you retire. In some cases, such as a first home purchase, you may be allowed to withdraw some of your contributions and earnings without penalty.

Choose Which Type Works for You

Traditional IRAs have been around for some time, but the newer Roth IRA has been an option only since 1997. Both have advantages, depending on your savings structure.

With either IRA, your investment is tax-deferred: You generally don?t pay taxes until you withdraw the money at retirement. With a traditional IRA, all or some of your contributions may be tax-deductible when they are made, but you will pay tax on the full amount when you withdraw funds. Contributions to Roth IRAs, on the other hand, are taxed up front, but you can withdraw them at any time?and after age 59?, withdrawals are tax-free.

Since eligibility rules vary, you may wish consult with your tax advisor as you evaluate your options.

Decide How Much to Invest

For the 2012 tax year, if you?re younger than 50 years of age, you may contribute up to $5,000 (or 100% of your earned income, whichever is less) to either a traditional or Roth IRA?for 2013, you may contribute up to $5,500. Keep in mind that if you have both types of accounts, the contribution limit represents the total you may contribute among all IRAs for the year.

Several variables will impact how much you?re able to contribute. For example:

?Those 50 and older may generally contribute $6,000 per year to an IRA.

?Your Roth IRA contribution eligibility is determined by your income level.

?Your Traditional IRA contribution deductibility may be impacted by your income level.

?Rollovers from other accounts are possible, though you may incur a transfer or termination fee from the company that holds your IRA.

Fund by April 15

Whatever your IRA choice or contribution level, you have until the federal income tax return due date?April 15, 2013?to fund your account for the 2012 tax year, but why wait? Make a savings resolution and start today!

To learn more about IRAs, contact your State Farm? agent.

Submitted by Springfield Moms premium sponsor Sara Freitag, State Farm Agent.? For more information on her services, please visit our Mom's Choice Directory.

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Neither State Farm nor its agents provide tax or legal advice. Consult your own tax or legal adviser regarding your circumstances.

12012 Retirement Confidence Survey, Employee Benefit Research Institute, March 2012

22012 University of Michigan Health and Retirement Survey

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Source: http://springfieldmoms.org/ask-your-insurance-agent-look-at-iras-for-2013/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ask-your-insurance-agent-look-at-iras-for-2013

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Living on Love: Home is the Heartbeat of Family {A Resolution for ...

This little mantra has slowly been repeating itself in the back of my mind over the past few months. I can't remember where I read it first, but the concept is exactly right. Home - the place where my family lives and thrives - is the heartbeat of our existence.?

Instead of making a list of resolutions for the new year, I am choosing only one: To create and maintain a loving home. As cliche or simple as this may sound, it's important to me. As big and endless this goal seems, I've narrowed it down to four simple principles:

Simple aesthetic - This is probably the most challenging part of this resolution. Our home is certainly messy. Sometimes the good messy - traces of projects being made, meals being prepared, messes created by a curious toddler, etc. Sometimes it's the bad messy. The kind that drives my husband insane. The kind of messy that makes you realize you still have too much. So, to achieve this simple aesthetic, we will be boxing things up, rotating our toys and books in and out, giving away things we don't use, and making sure everything we do have serves a purpose and has a place. (You know, a place where it can be put away.)

Creative possibilities - We have a house that is too big for us. We don't use a lot of it, in fact. We have an entire craft room that is an unbelievable mess. So much so that nothing can really be done in there. I want to create spaces - whether it be the craft room, playroom, or dining room - that invite us to be creative. A place for art projects. A place for sewing. A place for rolling out dough and chopping vegetables. A place for writing. A place for reading. A place for painting. A place for singing. A place for gluing pasta onto construction paper. A place for making messes.?

Peaceful environment - Not completely different from the simple aesthetic I have in mind, this one has more to do with decor and design and attitude. I'd like our home to be a place of rest and comfort. I'd like my bedroom to be a haven - a place I can't wait to escape to each night. I want our living room to be a place to relax and retreat. Our dining room - a place to enjoy food and each other and guests. Our home should be our favorite place. While I do love our home, it's not quite there.?

Loving hearts and minds - It goes without saying that I could always be more loving, more patient, more forgiving, and more selfless. I want my children to grow up with a mama who is fully ready to love them (and put up with their antics) at the start of each day. I've come to realize the importance of taking time for me. Whether it's a hot bath, a few minutes of quiet time, or reading through some of my favorite poetry, I need to take time each day to relax and unwind so that I can be present and patient and loving and every other good thing for my girls. (Oh, and for my husband.)

I'm excited for what the new year brings! Happy new year to you, friends!
-L

Source: http://www.livingonloveblog.com/2013/01/home-is-heartbeat-of-family-resolution.html

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Looking for work requires more than four hours a week ? Business ...

Some workers aren?t terribly diligent about finding work once they are laid off and deemed eligible for unemployment compensation. It may not be reasonable to spend eight hours a day seeking a new job, but a court has ruled that a good-faith effort to find work certainly requires more than a handful of hours a week making phone calls and searching the web.

Recent case: Mai lost her teaching position when her certification ex??pired and she didn?t pursue renewal. She filed for unemployment benefits and initially received them. But when officials questioned her, it turned out Mai wasn?t doing much to find a job. She testified that she spent about three or four hours a week looking for work. That wasn?t good enough: Her benefits were cut. (Diallo v. Depart??ment of Employment and Eco??nomic Development, No. A12-0273, Court of Appeals of Minnesota, 2012)

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Professional Property Management and Maintenance | Celeste Bright

Owning real estate can be a lucrative and memorable venture as you monitor the development and success of your investment over time. This can also be a very stressful process with money to collect, tenants to find, and areas to update and maintain. If you own a property but also have other responsibilities and projects, you probably don?t have the time to properly manage your investment. Look to hire a responsible property management and maintenance company to help correct this problem. Property managers can help in the process of finding tenants, receiving rent, and communicating with the residents of the property. We always work diligently to be the source of the finest property maintenance services you can find anywhere. We know that unique forms of real estate require unique procedures and we can think outside of the box. Call us today for a great solution to your property maintenance questions.Property Manager Utah

Rental Management

Source: http://celestebright.com/professional-property-management-and-maintenance-2/

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Small Business Q&A: Art It Out Therapy Center - East Cobb, GA Patch

Respect and love. It?s rare to read, watch or hear a leading news story that highlights goodness.

The simple explanation is that extraordinary events are newsworthy and common events are not.

Coverage of the lethal mayhem at a Newtown, Conn., elementary school earlier this month put mental health on the public agenda.

Community response following the unexpected violent act includes examples of the healthy feelings of respect and love expressed to those who are grieving.

Art It Out Therapy Center founder/director Teresa Woodruff believes that most children will hear about the classroom horror in Connecticut and suggests to parents, ?Tell your version of the event, keep it simple, make your child feel safe. Tell them they are safe. You can talk about what their school plans are for emergencies, you can validate their fears.?

Woodruff is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Board Certified Registered Art Therapist, Trauma and Loss Clinical Specialist, Certified Anger Management Specialist, and a Georgia Certified Art Teacher. Her belief is that teaching a child how to express feelings appropriately is the most important thing for sound mental health.

Teaching children and adolescents appropriate ways to release stress is the most common therapy goal at Woodruff?s practice. A reusable, kid-sized volcano model is the visual aid of choice for the therapists.

Baking soda is spooned into the hollow of the volcano, representing storing stress inside one?s self. Vinegar is used to represent new stress. New stress, when added to existing, stored stress, causes a physical reaction.

Playing with the volcano science experiment demonstrates how unexpressed feelings can grow to be destructive to self and others within eruption range.

Appropriate outlets for stress are talked about during the play session; creating art, writing in a journal, and exercise are things young people can do to release stress.

Art It Out, located in the Governor's Ridge office complex on Powers Ferry Road, was the first art and play therapy private practice in Cobb, according to Woodruff, who also gives notice that Georgia College in Milledgeville now offers a Master of Arts in Art Therapy. The program started this fall and is the first master level degree in art therapy offered in the state.

Woodruff is a member of the Georgia chapter of American Art Therapy Association. She is a painter who first used paint and paper to express herself at the age of five.

Woodruff employs three contract therapists, and one part time administrative assistant who is responsible for majority of back office work.

Q. What's the best thing about your job?

A. ?Working with kids and seeing that the therapy helps them.

Q. What is the best thing about East Cobb?

A. I love the families. They truly care about helping their children. I always give homework and the kids and families always do it.

Q. Why did you choose to open your business in East Cobb?

A. It?s a short commute, I live nearby. Once I started here, I developed relationships with school counselors in the area and other health care professionals in the complex. We work well together, is why I stay here.

Q. Why did you pick this kind of business?

A. I started out as an art teacher in a public school. I realized that children had problems and I realized that I wanted to help individuals with their specific problems, so, after two months of teaching, I went back to school to get my masters and became an art therapist.

Q. What are some of the services you offer that people may not know about?

A. All we do here is use art and play therapy. We believe in behavior modification. Learning social skills and learning how to express feelings appropriately helps most children.

Q. When did you start your business?

A. I started my own practice in 2008. I worked by myself and then in eight months I hired the next therapist and we?ve kept growing. ?

Q. How did your business get started?

A. In 2007, I had just graduated from the University of Louisville with a Masters in Counseling with a concentration in Art Therapy and came home and looked for a job.

There were no art therapy jobs available, so, I decided to create my own work.

I made cold calls to Cobb County school counselors and local psychologists.

I called counselors up and said, ?Hi. This is who I am and what I do. Let me bring you breakfast and I?ll tell you about how I use art to help children learn how to express their feelings.?

Networking and marketing work.

Q. Do you have advice for anyone who'd like to start a small business in this area?

A. Find your niche. Find something that is not offered or is not common and is something that you can be good at. People will come.

Q. Is there anything else you'd like our readers to know?

A. Teach your children that it?s OK to have feelings. It?s OK to be sad. It?s OK to be angry, and then, model appropriate ways to be sad or angry.

Children learn from what they see, and, adults can model positive feelings.

Model what it is to feel love and respect for other people. Teach through example.

Source: http://eastcobb.patch.com/articles/small-business-q-a-art-it-out-therapy-center

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Sheena Monnin Ordered to Pay Miss USA $5 Million; Beauty Queen Shocked By Ruling

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/12/sheena-monnin-ordered-to-pay-miss-usa-5-million-beauty-queen-sho/

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