Cowboy or Cowgirl Sleepover Party - Guest Post by Ryan

Whether they dream of racing through the wide open plains on a stallion or bull wrangling on the ranch, a lot of kids go through a cowboy or cowgirl phase. You can turn this period into an amazing fun filled theme party with a few easy games, like broom stick barrel racing, a squirt gun sharp shooting competition, and of course a bit of lassoing! Here are some activities that you can plan out before you invite your child's friends to come over in their best denim, with bandannas, cowboy hats, and if you are making it a sleepover, some cowboy or girl themed fun kids pajamas By the end of the party everyone should be yelling "Hee-Haw"!

1. Broom Stick Barrel Racing

This activity will show off everyone's imaginary horse riding skills. All that you need to set it up is a broom stick and several large cones or piles of stacked empty boxes. In a backyard, driveway, or nearby park, arrange the cones or boxes in a tight course that the little ranch hands will have to race around. Here is the catch - they will have to complete it as quickly as possible without knocking over any of the cones or boxes. If they do knock anything over, they will receive a time penalty of 5 seconds. To make the course more difficult, you can add balloon 'rattle snakes'. Just get some long balloons and then put a few dozen dried beans in each one so they will rattle when shaken. You can tie these off after they are blown up and place them throughout the course. Whenever someone steps on the 'rattler' they will be 'bitten' and receive another time penalty of 3 seconds. The fastest rider can get a prize, like a toy harmonica or a sheriff's star for coming in first place.

2. Sharpshooting Contest

Any cowhand worth his or her salt will know how to shoot. This activity lets the kids show off their marksmanship skills and water guns. Beforehand, freeze a few small trinkets like cowboy toys or wrapped candy in small plastic containers. Then, right before the activity, remove the blocks of ice, or just place the containers so that the opening is facing the kids. Once everyone is ready, an adult can load up the water guns with warm, but not hot, water. An easy way to do this is just to run a bathtub faucet at a warm temperature to fill up the squirt guns. Only an adult should do this step to prevent kids from getting burnt. The objective of the game is to melt the ice cubes by squirting them with warm water until the toy or candy is completely free of them. Depending on how many water guns are available, the kids can go one at a time and see who is the quickest, or they can go against each other in a head-to-head competition.

3. Lassoing a Rocking Horse

If you have a rocking horse toy in the house, now is the time to bring it out. If not, you can use a cone from the barrel racing, a tee ball tee, or any other small pole that will stand up by itself - this will be the runaway stallion that needs to be lassoed. Then, get a hula hoop and attach a length of string to it. About 10 feet away (make the distance shorter for younger children or further for older) from the 'horse', mark a line that the cowboy kiddies will need to throw from. The next step is to divide the kids into two groups. Each member of their group must get the hula hoop around the horse, and if they miss, they have to pull the hula hoop back to their side of the line using the string and throw again. The group that has each member lasso the horse in the least amount of throws wins. If there is a tie, a fun thing to do can be to have a lasso off where one person from each team throws at a time. If both make it, then the 'horse' gets moved two feet further back and the next two people go. The first team to miss loses.

From roaming the ranges to lassoing wild steer, a cowboy's life sure does seem like a fun one. By throwing a cowboy or girl themed party with activities like broom stick barrel racing, ice cube marksmanship, and a lassoing competition, you can give your child and their friends a taste of what it would be like to be a cowboy. So tell your kids to saddle up and get ready to party!

Reviews of His Sins

WRITER'S DIGEST REVIEW OF HIS SINS:

'His Sins' spans three generations of a struggling family, focusing on the fate of the women who ally themselves with ambitious, emotionally distant, and selfish men. Ms. Behnish creates compelling, complex and intricate characters, particularly in the case of Elsa, who the reader follows from before birth until the cliffhanger ending. The social and political events of the time periods covered by this novel come into play in realistic plot twists and scenarios that help develop character and build tension. Each generation is convincingly drawn - they all have different ways of speaking, thinking, and navigating their worlds. It's quite impressive that Ms. Behnish was able to carry some of the concerns of the first generation into the third without making all of the characters similar.

REVIEW BY MENTAL HEALTH THERAPIST

'His Sins' is a captivating novel about how some decisions have the capacity to withstand lifetimes and generations. We follow one man's decisions and see how the ripple effect lasts generations affecting not only his children, but his children's children, and their children also. It makes us think twice about the lives we lead, and the intentions we hold dear to our hearts. It warns us of our motivations and how they not only affect our own individual lives, but also the lives of those we love most, and even the lives of those we will never meet. 'His Sins' makes us remember that what we do is important, and what we feel is even more so.

Why Are Some Boomers Happily Retired While Others Are Not?

To many people, retirement is a shock and doesn't seem to be quite what they expected. Not having planned ahead, they don't know what to do with themselves. Time drags and they feel they have no purpose and wonder why they retired. This doesn't have to be the case.

Many realize after retirement that their social life was tied up with their professional life. This is particularly true of men who sometimes don't have close male friends. As a result they are lonely and have feelings of isolation. Planning for retirement is necessary for mental, psychological and financial reasons. But often people spend more time planning a two week vacation than they do for their retirement.

Crucial to retirement is to have a social network, a purpose, to continue lifelong learning and to have interests and/or hobbies. It will be vital to cultivate friends to do things with, i.e.: golfing, walks, playing bridge or just socializing. Social interaction is the main difference between enjoying retirement or not; or being happy, healthy and active.

Some delay retirement because of insufficient retirement funds, or at least the fear that there won't be enough money to live as they want to and perhaps be able to travel as well. Planning to be financially comfortable in retirement should be started young - in your late twenties or early thirties at the very latest.

The retirement phase of life is a different lifestyle. How do you handle leisure? Do you get bored easily? What can you do to derive satisfaction from your retirement years? Some couples find too much togetherness in their relationships can present problems. Both should develop their own interests. It is necessary to be involved in life so time doesn't drag. Those who are the most satisfied in retirement have found things to do outside the home that are meaningful to their life. And they are the ones who are maintaining a healthy lifestyle by being physically active.

For those who have planned for their retirement and are financially secure, travelling can be satisfying and educational. Travelling is being actively involved in life and it is meeting others who have similar interests. There are many different types of travel options - enough to meet all individual tastes and styles.

Others who have planned for their retirement and have looked forward to it, are enjoying a lifestyle where they have freedom and time to spend with their friends, to enjoy activities they previously had little time for such as pursuing educational interests, learning an instrument, a new language or becoming more physically active. Perhaps they have always wanted to run a marathon - maybe now is the time to do it. Possibly they wanted to volunteer, spend more time with grandchildren, write their memoirs, get involved in genealogy, plant a garden or have more time for reading. There is no limit to what you can do if you have the time to do it.

A successful retirement depends on being adequately prepared. It is also necessary to determine what you want to do in this phase of your life that will give you purpose. But before you take that step, ensure that you have a strong social network in place. After that, enjoy your retirement and all the things you'll be able to do with the extra time you have. Retirement should, and can be, a very happy phase in your life.

Boomers and Travel

Many boomers consider travel as part of life and not just a luxury. And for this reason, many travel often.

Boomers' parents saved their money to make their one big lifetime trip. But many boomers began travelling as students so now as experienced travellers, they look for exotic experiences. Many have already done what they consider the mundane, i.e.: exploring the United States, most likely by backpacking, so a bus trip across the States does not appeal. With a been-there-done-that type of attitude, they're now looking for adventure that is either challenging or at least intellectually stimulating.

Growing up with the attitude of being young forever and not wishing to trust anyone over thirty, many even now, don't want to associate with seniors or anyone older than themselves when travelling. They don't see themselves as old no matter what the calendar may say. They feel young and often act much younger than their chronological age. Their preference would be to travel with people younger rather than older than themselves.

When travelling, boomers want options where they can feel as if they have some control over their travel experience. They don't just want to sight-see, they want to sight-do like going gold panning, river rafting, on a safari, walking the high arch of the Harbour Bridge in Sydney or even bungee jumping, as one seventy year old recently did.

Boomers like luxury at a bargain price but with the assurance of good value. But there are also boomers who stay at hostels around the world. No longer is it just the youth who backpack; boomers are returning to the things they enjoyed in their youth. Perhps it is a denial on aging. And does it make any difference whether it is or not?

Boomers are travelling with friends, family or are taking their grandchildren on special trips. There are also theme trips such as golf holidays to specific areas, spa trips to luxury resorts, wine tasting trips or educational trips with the intention of learning a language through total immersion with the land and the people. There are also volunteerism trips where part of the trip is spent helping at a school or an orphanage, eco-tourism trips which includes nature and environmental excursions to see waterfalls and bird watching. Adventure travel is also popular which includes hiking, snorkeling, scuba diving and skiing. And of course, cruises have long been popular choices.

RV travel is popular with boomers also. It offers a variety of experiences, control about where you go and where you stay and allows complete flexibility. It is a free spirit way of travelling. It can be used as a home base for visiting historic sites, local points of interest and tourist attractions. It is a home on wheels without the necessity of packing your suitcase with every move you make.

As boomers redefined young adulthood and retirement, according to statistics they are also redefining the travel industry. Because of their numbers, their travel demands are determining what the industry offers. Boomers want new experiences, not the same-old, same-old. They are more interested in adventure and international travel than were their parents. They want educational and experiential travel, i.e.: a cargo ship cruise or a trip to the Galapagos. And many are looking at their bucket list when they consider places to travel.

Many boomers believe that 'To travel is to live' which is a quote by Hans Christian Andersen. And they are doing it in large numbers.

How to Be a Healthy and Active Boomer

When we look around, we can see that many boomers are leading healthy and active lives. They are growing older with a vitality that our parents didn't possess.

Boomers have redefined aging and retirement. They were the ones who redefined young adulthood and they're doing it again as seniors. Although some may find it necessary to accommodate their needs, they're not going to sit back and rock on the porch with their feet up.

Most take their well-being seriously and because of this they usually take care of their health by walking, playing golf, swimming, bicycling and although they may be taking ballroom dancing lessons instead of attending music extravaganzas such as Woodstock, they are active participants in life. Most also still have a sense of adventure and although they may continue to be risk takers, they keep caution in mind more seriously than their younger counterparts.

Boomers who were incredibly independent in their youth continue to be self-sufficient and now may garden, do canning or become involved in crafts. Or they may take yoga, do water exercises or join a walking group. But staying fit and being mentally active is high on the list for most boomers. They are also the ones who encourage the continuance of family traditions.

The majority of boomers are comfortable with a computer at least as far as having an e-mail address. And many have a cell phone. But there are also many who do search the net, are active on facebook and other social media sites and own other technology based paraphernalia such as an ipod. And since many boomers are single, there are those who have tried online dating. In general, socially their time is spent with close friends and family.

Statistically this generation is living longer than their parents or grandparents. Some of the ways to stay healthy are: - Do not smoke.

- Keep active by maintaining your strength, flexibility and cardiovascular abilities.

- Eat a balanced diet.

- Control your weight by eating properly and exercising.

- Get regular screenings. Women should have regular mammograms and pap tests and men should be checked for prostate cancer. Other screenings can include such things as a periodic colonoscopy, regular blood pressure checks and blood tests to check cholesterol levels.

- Protect yourself from the sun by using sunscreen.

- Have regular dental and hearing check-ups.

- Stay interested by continually learning something new - continue to challenge yourself.

- Get a pet (even if it's only fish). They won't exactly give you unconditional love but they are interesting to watch and much easier to leave when you travel (and there are no kennel fees).

- Travel as often as you are able.

- Get out amongst people and enjoy what life has to offer.

- Join a book club, a walking group or an environmentalist group - whatever interests you.

There's a song by Todd Hunter which says, 'Life is good, life is great, life is asking you to participate'. That is the best we can do to ensure that, as boomers, we remain healthy and active. Get out there and live; don't vegetate.