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January 28 2010
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LAURENT BILLIET
info@lamaisonchic.ie
DESIGN
Laurent is a qualified interior designer, member of the Irish Association of Interior Designers. He has worked with his residential and commercial clients to achieve exclusive and personal interior designs suiting their needs and lifestyle. For more information or if you would like to visit the 3000sqft showroom in Oranmore, please contact Laurent on 086 2242328 or visit www.lamaisonchic.ie
ROLLERCOASTER Temper tantrums
Temper tantrums are a feature of the toddler years, and indeed some would say they are a feature of adult life as well! Tantrums are outbursts of temper and/or aggression that are usually a response to not getting one's own way. Temper tantrums tend to peak in the two to three-year-old age group, hence the term 'the terrible twos'. World leaders could learn a lot from observing parents negotiating with and finding solutions to their toddlers' tempers. The ability of most parents to resist the temptation to aggressively impose their will on their weaker, smaller, but fiercely angry and often irrational child shows huge measures of restraint. As any parent will admit they are not always as cool in dealing with these tempers as they would wish, but most parents do find solutions to this challenge without resorting to aggressive behaviour. How you deal with tantrums will influence the way your child deals with life's stresses. Even though tantrums can be difficult and frustrating for you they do provide an opportunity to teach your child how to deal with frustrating situations and help him develop skills he will use for the rest of his life. Let's take an extreme example of a toddler whose parents cannot cope with his tantrums and at the first sign of trouble look to appease the child by letting him do whatever it is he wants or give him what he is looking for. This child quickly learns that he has power over his parents and can bully them; he learns that he can and will get whatever he wants and he learns that he does not have to wait for anything. The problems really start for this child when he leaves the family environment to go to playschool, school, visit friends, etc. The lessons he has not learned will come to the fore at this stage. He won't know how to deal with someone who says 'no' to him, which will inevitably arise. He won't know what to do when he can't get whatever he wants. Finally he won't understand why the other children won't play with him -- because he continually tries to impose his will on his playmates. On the other hand, those parents who managed the child's tantrums in a consistent way and did not generally give in, will have taught their child a number of valuable lessons: how to cope with small amounts of stress, the need to respect others, the need to wait for what you want, and how to deal with not getting your own way, all very important lessons for life.
With La Maison Chic
Decorating a rental apartment
Are you renting an apartment? Just because you're renting doesn't mean you can't create your dream home. Most rentals are decorated to be very neutral so that they will not put off any prospective tenants. Consider your home a blank canvas to which you can add your personal touches, personality, colour, and style, to turn bland and boring to appealing and exciting. Here are some ways you can decorate your home without overspending or upsetting your landlord. Paint is the quickest and least expensive way to dramatically change any room. Consider just
painting your focal walls -- the wall behind your bed, your sofa wall, fireplace wall, or a wall that you look directly at when entering your home. An entry wall can be very dramatic. If painting is out of the question there are other quick and easy ways to add colour. Purchase a couple of large canvases, paint them your favourite colour, and hang wall-towall for a fabulous look, or purchase an inexpensive folding screen and replace the plain fabric with one from your colour scheme. Since most apartment walls and floors are a neutral colour palette, don't be afraid to add
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pattern with fabric. Add it to your windows, bath, bedding, and pillows. Bring in a variety of patterns and mix and match two or three. Start with a large print, add a plaid, check, or stripe, and finish with a co-ordinating small print. These are all items you can take with you to your next home, so splash out if you find a fabric that you really love. Lighting can make such a big difference in how you feel in your home. In your kitchen, under cabinet lighting is great for both function and accent when the ceiling lights are off. Place small accent lamps inside your bookcase, any open shelving, or on your kitchen breakfast bar. Add picture lighting to artwork, use lights to accent your floor plants, and light any dark corners to brighten up a room. You can also jazz up
your rooms with removable wall treatments. Buy inexpensive mediumweight fabric and hang from drapery rods, attach to the walls with small staples, or wallpaper your walls with the fabric using liquid starch. When you move out, just peel off and wash the starch off the walls. Just double check to make sure the walls have at least a satin finish, although most will be semi-gloss. Either way, make sure you test this before covering a wall. Another fun wall treatment is removable wall words and designs. You can have any saying or words printed in any size and colour and find a design for every style of home. They rub and peel right on, even with textured walls. Use room sized area rugs to completely change
the look of any room. Purchase a decorative area rug, paint your own floor canvas, or have a remnant bound. This will make a tremendous difference in how you feel when you walk into the room. To dress up your vertical blinds, purchase ready-made panels or valances to add colour and pattern in all your rooms. Window treatments really help finish a room. You can purchase discount fabrics and make no-sew treatments with seam tape and decorative drapery clips. This treatment is nice for both valances and panels. For a quick, easy, and inexpensive cornice box, purchase the foam cornice boxes from a craft store and simply cover with your fabric. Accessories make a room. Since you can take them with you wherever you go, buy things that you love and want to keep. To give your rooms that punch or colour, think bigger versus more, plus less to pack when you move. If you would like to receive our newsletter, send an email to info@lamaisonchic.ie
Top 10 tips for dealing with a screaming toddler
Tantrums are normal for a small child and are a way of communicating his or her needs and wants. Your child is not throwing the tantrum to 'get' at you -- reacting with anger will not make you or your child feel any better. Easier said than done, but try to see these episodes as opportunities to teach your child how to handle his anger -- one of life's most important lessons. Slapping a child in the middle of a tantrum, while relieving some of your tension, will not help him calm down and will probably prolong the tantrum. Look at those times your child tends to have tantrums -- is there anything you could do to avoid them? If you know a tantrum is on the way, how about trying to distract your child -- humour can be a great antidote to anger. Try to remain calm during the tantrum. Make sure your child is safe and ignore the outburst as much as possible. When the tantrum is over get on with what it was you were doing. A short comment is sufficient to signal the end of the tantrum. Some children are exhausted after tantrums and need to rest. Give them an opportunity to do this. Some children are scared by their outburst and may need reassurance that everything is all right after a tantrum. A hug and explanation that mammy/daddy loves him will reassure him that life as he knows it has not been damaged by his tantrum. Don't be too harsh a critic on yourself. All parents lose the cool at times and deal with situations in ways they are unhappy with. Try to get a balance and keep working at finding the approach and solutions that suit you and your child best. For more information visit www.RollerCoaster.ie, Ireland's No 1 website for parents.
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