How To beat insomnia?

Are you currently struggling with insomnia? 

Don't let your lack of sleep ruin your daily life. 

Follow these 10 tips and get a good night's rest !

1. Keep regular hours

Going to bed and getting up at roughly the same time every day will programme your body to sleep better. Choose a time when you're most likely to feel sleepy.

2. Create a restful sleeping environment

Your bedroom should be kept for rest and sleep. Keep it as quiet and dark as possible. It should be neither too hot nor too cold. Temperature, lighting and noise should be controlled so that the bedroom environment helps you to fall (and stay) asleep.

3. Make sure that your bed is comfortable

It’s difficult to get restful sleep on a mattress that’s too soft or too hard, or a bed that's too small or old. If you have a pet that sleeps in the room with you, consider moving it somewhere else if it often makes noise in the night.

4. Exercise regularly

Moderate exercise on a regular basis, such as swimming or walking, can help to relieve some of the tension built up over the day. But don't do vigorous exercise too close to bedtime as it may keep you awake.

5. Less caffeine

Cut down on stimulants such as caffeine in tea or coffee, especially in the evening. They interfere with the process of falling asleep, and they prevent deep sleep. The effects of caffeine can last a long time (up to 24 hours) so the chances of it affecting sleep are significant. Have a warm, milky drink or herbal tea instead.

6. Don’t over-indulge

Too much food or alcohol, especially late at night, can interrupt your sleep patterns. Alcohol may help you to fall asleep initially, but it will disrupt your sleep later on in the night.  

7. Don’t smoke

It’s bad for sleep. Smokers take longer to fall asleep, they wake up more frequently, and they often have a more disrupted sleep.

8. Try to relax before going to bed

Have a warm bath, listen to quiet music or do some gentle yoga to relax the mind and body. Your doctor may be able to recommend a helpful relaxation CD.

9. Write away your worries

Deal with worries or a heavy workload by making lists of things to be tackled the next day. If you tend to lie in bed thinking about tomorrow's tasks, set aside time before bedtime to review the day and make plans for the next day. The goal is to avoid doing these things when you're in bed, trying to sleep.

10. Don't worry in bed

If you can’t sleep, don’t lie there worrying about it. Get up and do something you find relaxing until you feel sleepy again, then return to bed.

Source: http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/insomnia/Pages/insomniatips.aspx

How To make a delicious pizza?

Fancy making a tasty pizza for one or for the family?! Check this easy, step by step guide.

This recipe takes no longer than 30 minutes !

Ingredients

For the dough

- 400g/14oz strong white flour

- 100g/3½oz semolina, plus extra for dusting

- 2 tsp salt- 15g/½oz fresh yeast, or 1½ tsp of dry yeast

- 275ml/9½fl oz water- 50ml/2fl oz olive oil, plus extra for oiling

For the topping

- 2 tbsp tomato sauce

- pizza toppings of your choice Shopping list Top

Method

1. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, semolina and salt. Stir in the dried yeast (or crumble in the fresh yeast, whichever you are using). Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture. Pour most of the water into the well along with the olive oil and bring the dough together with your hands or a wooden spoon. As the flour is incorporated the dough will start to take shape. Add the remaining water if the dough feels tight or hard.

2. Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and knead for 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Cut off a small piece of the dough and stretch part of it as thinly as you can. If you can see the shadow of your fingers through the dough - the light should shine through the dough like a window pane - without the dough tearing, it is ready to prove.

3. Knead the cut piece back into the dough and shape the dough into an even ball. Place in an oiled bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and allow to prove in a warm place for about 1-1½ hours, or until it has doubled in size (the temperature of your kitchen can affect the timing of this).

4. When the dough has risen, take it out of the bowl and knock the air out. Divide the dough into two equal portions, and shape each portion into a ball. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and allow to prove again for about 15 minutes.

5. Place a pizza stone or an upturned baking tray into the oven and preheat to its highest setting.

6. Dust the work surface liberally with semolina. Roll out one piece of the dough to form a circle that will fit on your pizza stone or baking tray.

7. Transfer the pizza base onto a plastic chopping board (or another upturned baking tray) dusted with semolina. The tray will be used to slide the pizza base directly onto the pizza stone.

8. Cover the surface with half of the tomato sauce and toppings of your choice.

9. When ready to bake, slide the pizza directly onto the pizza stone and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the base is golden-brown and the toppings are bubbling. Repeat with the remaining dough, tomato sauce and toppings.

How To cook Ostrich egg?

Have you ever tasted ostrich egg? No?

Let's have a try !

What do we need?

50 ml milk

400 g minced meat (mix)

ground pepper

breadcrumbs

oil

1-2 tablespoons of plain flour

marjoram

1 pc egg

garlic

1 pc bun

Instructions

Boil egg until it's hard boiled. Cut the egg into small cubes and soak them in milk. Pour milk as needed. Peel garlic and chop finely.

Minced meat mixed with bun, add the hard boiled egg, flour, garlic, blend. Add salt and pepper, to your taste and finally combine with the breadcrumbs. Stir mixture thoroughly. Boiled eggs cool down and peel. Wrap each egg with the meat mixture and coat in bread crumbs.

Heat a frying pan to the oil and eggs to fry it slowly.

When it's ready, cut eggs lengthwise, sprinkle with finely chopped parsley. Suitable side dishes are potatoes. It is very tasty , really.

Sources:

http://recepty.vareni.cz/pstrosi-vejce/

http://www.babinet.cz/images/14367/06d20eebbc72fa487f0610d0a35b5b60.jpg

How To keep a glass of water in the upside?

Can you turn a full glass of water upside down and not spill it? You need to try a glass, water and a sheet of paper.

Fill the glass to the brim with water and place it on the surface of the paper. Beware of attaching paper is the most important step in the attempt. Then turn the glass upside down. What will happen?

Water will not flow out, keeps in a glass with paper, because at "the bottom" effect atmospheric pressure. Anyway, so you can "keep" 10 m high water column, because the pressure 10 meters of water is roughly equivalent to atmospheric pressure.

Sources:

http://alik.idnes.cz/zabavna-fyzika-pokusy-s-vodou-pro-deti-dyg-/alik-alikoviny.asp?c=A121104_165152_alik-alikoviny_jit

How To make the most out of your wardrobe?

If your wardrobe is full of clothes you’ve had since you were a kid or full of things you’ve never worn, these 9 steps will help you to makeover your wardrobe without spending loads of money:

1. Wear different colours – wearing a different colour everyday e.g. red on Monday, blue on Tuesday, and yellow on Wednesday etc. will make you search through your wardrobe for different clothes that you may have not worn in a long time.

2. First In/Last Out – “the majority of people wear 20% of their closet 80% of the time”. This strategy will stop you from wearing the same few items over and over again.

3. Write down what you wear – Write down what you wear and how you feel about it. It will help you identify which clothes you like more than others. This strategy is ideal for those who have a ton of clothing but feel like they haven’t yet hit upon a cohesive style.

4. Ask a friend – it sometimes just takes another opinion to help you decide what you like and what you don’t like.

5. Choose a ‘uniform’ – choosing some simple clothes that work for you and styling it up with different accessories is a good way to save money and not worry too much about your clothes.

6. Use magazines for inspiration and not for ‘spending manuals’ – magazines are a good source for information about fashion and what clothes are in at the moment. But don’t go and buy a top you like because it’s in a magazine, go home and find your top that is similar and wear that instead. You’re very likely to have a top of the same style in your wardrobe.

7. Downgrade your wardrobe – if you haven’t worn that nice, fancy dress that you bought over a year ago, you’re probably never going to wear it if you’re saving it for a special occasion. However, if you stop thinking about it as too fancy, you’re more likely to wear it. So downgrade it to a smart/casual dress rather than a ‘fancy’ dress.

8. Document your duds – If you have a few clothes which are very similar with little variations then make sure you wear all of them! A good way to do this is to take a photo of all of them and look through a photo album and decide which to wear that day.

9. Use the Gold Wardrobe Ratio - This is for people with cluttered wardrobes. For every three items in your wardrobe, get rid of two.  Once you have all of your essentials, you’ll probably find it hard to get rid of some of your clothes but it will be worth it.

How to Slice an Onion without Crying?

Don't let onions get the best of you. These vegetables (red, white or yellow) contain sulfides that you release into the air when you chop, dice or slice them. Sulfides aggravate your eyes; your body responds with tears to flush away the irritants. Save your tissues and your tears by learning how to slice an onion without crying.

 Try different techniques until you find the one that works best for you

Instructions

1) Place the onion in the freezer for 10 minutes before cutting it.

2) Soak the onion in water before slicing it.

3) Use a sharp knife that cuts cleanly through the onion. Avoid dull blades, which release more onion fumes.

4) Don’t remove the onion's root until last. Since this section contains the highest concentration of sulfides, it will irritate your eyes for a shorter time if you cut the rest of the onion first.

5) Cut the onion in a well-ventilated room.

6) Set a candle next to your cutting board : the heat will attract the onion fumes.

7) Breathe through your mouth instead of your nose while chopping onions.

8) Cover your eyes with onion goggles, safety glasses or a snorkel mask.

9) Learn proper knife-cutting techniques so you can slice onions quickly and safely.

Sources :
http://www.ehow.com/how_2027460_slice-onion-crying.html
http://www.craftylittlegnome.com/2011/11/how-to-cut-onions-without-crying.html
http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/968139/in-a-pickle-how-to-cut-onions-without-crying.html

How To save money easily?

Here are some smart tips to save money!

Ever heard the phrase 'every penny counts'? Yes every penny does count so here are some top tips to save your pennies! 

1. Write a shopping list- by doing this you can cut out unnecessary buys which increases your shopping bill. It can also help you cut out unhealthy impulse buys

2. Sell your clutter on eBay- what you don't need may be use to someone else and can help you make some extra cash

3. Consider 'own brands' often for the essentials- milk, bread, pasta etc a supermarkets own brand is often just as good as pricey brand names.

4. Purchase large items such as furniture near the end of the month- shops often have sales targets to meet and are more likely to offer you a discount at the end of the month to reach their target

5. Shop around when purchasing phone contracts and insurance- compare prices and often by making a company aware of what you have been offered by a competing company can help you achieve the best deal

6. Don't always buy designer items- paying high prices for a brand name can be swapped with non branded items that are often identical replicates at a cheaper price

7. Cook with fresh ingredients- often cheaper than eating out and packaged meals

8. Purchase flights, train tickets and bus tickets in advance. This is often cheaper than on the day

9. Swap clothes with your friends- can save a fortune for a night out and has the same feeling as wearing a new outfit!

10. Finally, plan your finances- know exactly what you need to pay out that month and how much money you have to cover this and what is extra to spend and save. Live within your means- this avoids over spending!

Sources: http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/bills/article-1591904/50-ways-save-money-.htmll