Ouch. Hit a little bit too close to home there. And it got me thinking.

I now present: Life Lessons: Tips on how to Raise your Kids, from someone who can't even make a decent grilled cheese sandwich. 

1) Underestimating. Your kids are much smarter than you think. Even the ones that pretend they don’t understand and are just a little slow are probably putting on a terrific show. Don’t underestimate what they can and can't do. You actually have no idea.

2) Your tone. You can get any message across to them using the right tone. Trust me on this one. Sarcasm will get you nowhere. Neither will yelling and definitely not threats. You want to get a message across, then pick the right tone.

3) Upbringing. Don’t raise them in a society you don’t approve of and expect them to have your attitudes, thoughts and beliefs. If they’ve grown up around people with a specific lifestyle that you don’t approve of then you have no right to complain. It’s an easy equation really: what the people around them are -generally- is who they will become. Absolutely no surprises there guys.

4) Decisions. When making decisions involve them. Whether the decision directly impacts them or the family as a whole. Truth is they’re what makes up the family. Take their opinions into serious consideration. Don't do things that will affect them behind their back, if you have the balls to do something that will upset them (even if for their benefit) then have the balls to tell them about it beforehand. No use transferring them to another school then telling them about it later, involve them in the decision from the beginning until the very end -- I cannot stress this enough.

5) "Overprotective parents raise the best liars." Do you want that? No? Then simmer down with the overprotective instincts. It's better to know what your kids are getting into then have them do it anyway and lie to your face about it. It's really that simple.

6) Mind-games: Don't. Seriously, just don't. Mind-games are the spawn of the devil when it comes to dealing with your children. It breaks the trust and teaches them deviousness. Parents, please don't.

7) Respect: In my opinion the best raised kids are those who respect others. If your child has grown up thinking it's okay to be rude to the waiter/sayes/teacher or whoever else they interact with on a daily basis then you have failed at raising a proper human being. R-E-S-P-E-C-T, make sure they know.

8) Befriend their friends: Sometimes when you just can't get through to them (which will happen) your kids' friends will be your biggest help --trust me. And while we're at it, stop telling them who and who not to hang out with. They learn from the bad friends as much as they do from the good, and it's what makes them a well-rounded person at the end of they day. So stop sheltering them from the world. It's best they learn now than later, and saves them disappointments and heart break when they’re older.

9) Religion. Teach them about “goodness” before you begin with the rules. All religions are centered around the idea of love, peace and mercy. Be a good example of those traits which will lead to them having a positive association regarding religion and hence lead to the practices (praying, fasting, going to church etc). Your kids will one day reach a certain age where you can't force your opinions/thoughts/beliefs on to them. When that happens, learn to let go. If their foundation is solid, they’ll be on the right track sooner or later.

10) Bad days: Sometimes they just won't want to go to that family gathering, or to tennis practice, and that's okay. It really is. They’re not being rude nor are they being disrespectful, they’re just having a bad day --learn to respect that.

11) Fuss. Stop making a huge fuss about everything they decide to share with you, no matter how big the issue is. Last thing you want is to discourage them from communicating with you. Speak calmly (even if you’re freaking out) and logically (it gets through eventually) and help them sort the issue out, if you can.

12) Learn to let go. Okay, they fucked up. Once. Yes it was bad. Yes you’re still a little scarred, but it's done with and gone now. They’ve learned, you've learned. Learn to let go. So stop bringing it up every other week. it's just not cool.

Last but not least: You are not perfect, and neither are they! So act accordingly. Please.

Disclaimer: I am not a psychologist nor am i some child raising mother. Just some things I've picked up on throughout life. If you have kids (or planning to in the future) keep these points in mind, for the love of God! If you're not a mom or dad or planning on having kids, apologies for wasting a good 10 minutes of your life, move right along.

We all love bubbles , who didn’t love to blow bubbles as a kid? Although after a few minutes you’d find yourself pretty much covered in soapy water but none the less we all loved to blow bubbles and wondered to an extent what type of world exists inside this colorful bubble.

So I’d like to take this opportunity to talk a bit about the bubbles we personally create in our own lives! Odd idea? Yes but not quite since these are bubbles that are not made from soap and water but are bubbles that are crafted and created by our own minds and our own experiences in life!

So the question here is “How do we create these bubbles? And what do we mean by these bubbles?”

The bubbles are usually the problems we face in life, and I am quite sure you’ve come across a few people who are quite cornered in their lives with specific problems and their whole world revolves around these problems or issues that they face.

What happens is they think too much or are too much concerned and focused in a single path direction that they do not see but these issues. So they become pretty much captivated and no matter how much you may try to drag them out of these problems or issues they are just so dug in it.

So what’s the matter? How could they face or deal with such a situation? That’s an interesting question that definitely deserves an answer!
We all face problems that come in all shapes and sizes throughout the different periods of our life. The trick is how we handle the problem and how we evaluate it.

That in no way an attempt to belittle the difficult experiences you encounter in your life, on the contrary the more you learn how to deal with your problems the more control you have over your life and the more you are able to properly assess and deal with the different situations.

So basically the whole matter relies in asking yourself the right questions. “What is the problem?”, “How is it affecting me?”, “Should I ask for help?”, “Are things really as bad as they seem or is it just me?”

Before you begin you need to get yourself out of the bubble, calm down, try to relax and try to find away to distract your thoughts and clear your mind from the problem you are facing at the moment and when you achieve that state of mind, you are good to go!

So ask yourself ‘HONESTLY’ what’s really wrong because a lot of times we tend to exaggerate and not be accurate about the situation even to ourselves for a number of different reasons that differ from one person to the other. So find the right answer.

Now that you know what’s really going on, comes the second question, how does this affect you? Does it make you nervous? Mad? Worried? Based on the answer for this combined with knowing what really bothers you, bit by bit the shroud of your bubble begins to unveil and you begin to realize what’s happening to you. The last two questions can really be answered together as based on how bad it ‘REALLY’ is you can easily decide if you need help, yes or no?

Then the bubble’s true size begins to come to realization and you begin to see what’s really going on and what you should do!
Again I am not in any way trying to tell you what to do or that the answer to any problem is simple but we do face a lot of problems which we do blow out of proportion and they do take up a lot of our time and energy..

Believe in yourself and your abilities, learn from others and ask for help when you need it.

Remember that with all that happens in our life there’s even more that happens in our heads.. A great deal of our lives is all in our state of mind and how we try to push it..

So remember It’s not all about the bubble it’s about how you deal with it..

I know I have disappeared for a while and that is because I have been ill for a good week or so as of Easter! It’s one hell of a combination between the change of weather, ACs, everyone catching a cold and spreading it…you know the drill!

So while sitting home nursing the cold and bidding it farewell, I was living on this natural home remedy that fixed me up in no time. It’s basically a jar full of lemon slices, ginger and honey that you keep in the fridge for months and months and it doesn’t go bad. The longer it stays the more concentrated the potion gets and it beats any Panadol, vitamin C or antibiotic out there.

Won’t go too deep into the benefits of each ingredient as am sure most of you know why they’re good for you generally especially when you’re sick, will get right to the recipe then.

You will need:

- 1 large jar

- 5 lemons without seeds, sliced.

- 1 ginger root peeled and shredded.

- Half a jar of honey.

How to:

1- Slice lemons and place in jar.

2- Shred the ginger so it’s more concentrated and add to jar.

3- Add honey to the mixture and close jar tightly.

4- Let it stand overnight before placing it in the fridge.

5- Place a spoonful of the mixture in a mug and pour hot water onto it.

It is no news that our overall wellbeing (expressed- among other forms- by a fit physique) is the product of a complex interplay of factors ranging from environmental pollution and stress levels, to exercise and metabolism rate. Understandably, some factors lay beyond our control. The good news, however, is that we have control over A LOT of things; one of which is most certainly exercise.

Just like the quality is equally important to the quantity of calories we take in (remember: not all calories are created equal!), well – guess what? It is just the same with workout. It is important to know the different types of workouts and the purpose each serve to get the best results possible in the optimal amount of time. Below are four major exercise categories to alternate in your weekly workout routine.

1. Strength/Resistance – Often also referred to as weight lifting, weight training or just “weights”, it is designed to improve the capability of our muscles and bones. It is a myth, therefore, that this type of exercise is only suited for men (we all could use a healthy bone and skeletal structure after all). While Cardio alone will make you look like a smaller/slimmer version of your former self, adding resistance will let you rock that swimwear. On top of improving muscle strength, bone density, posture and shape, strength training revs up your metabolism as muscles burn more calories than fat at a resting pace.

2. Flexibility – originating from the word “flex” (the act of bending and contracting a muscle), this type of exercise aims at improving your joints’ and muscles’ range of motion – therewith improving circulation and posture as well as relieving muscle tension. Stretching and some Yoga exercises are examples of flexibility workouts.

3. Endurance/Stamina – Also known as cardiovascular training or simply “Cardio”, this kind of workout is a key component in losing weight. It also increases your cardiovascular efficiency. That is, with the same amount of oxygen inhaled, your body will be able to do more – once at a time, of course. You will be able to run without running out of breath so soon, hence the term “endurance”.

4. Balance/Coordination – Often forgotten or neglected, exercises that help improve balance and coordination are often practiced in Yoga classes (how often have we heard of working that “stabilizing muscle” when maintaining a one-leg stand?) and in some dance classes, coordinating body movement to different tempos or beats, for instance Ensuring you get enough of all those workouts, therefore, is the smartest, safest and most efficient way to get the body that you want and you deserve.

I have always been a believer in hard work, but the results I have seen (from personal experience as well as observing others) that you get from circuit training (a mixture of at least three of the above) are reason enough to start shifting my – and hopefully your- training paradigm: from hard to simply smart.

. Congratulations to Candice Glover, this year's American Idol winner and the first female winner of the show after Jordin Sparks six years ago.

. And more congrats may be in order for Beyonce and Jay Z who are reportedly expecting their second child.

. P Diddy released a Funny or Die spoof where he reveals that he is a huge fan of period drama Downton Abbey and claims to be the first black cast member of the show. The video shows Diddy superimposed onto existing scenes from the show.

. Chris Brown's LA neighbors are complaining about a mural outside his home that they claim is frightening for the neighborhood children. The artwork depicts cartoonish monsters with bloodshot eyes and sharp teeth.

. Kanye West premiered his new song New Slaves Friday by projecting the video onto 66 different buildings in North America, Europe and Australia. New Slaves is the first single from his upcoming sixth album.

. Everyone I know is obsessed with Kendrick Lamar and I'm no different - check out his new video for Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe here:


. Nine Inch Nails are going through a bit of a shuffle, with bassist Eric Avery leaving the band one day and guitarist Robin Finck joining the next. NIN's tour will start up again in July.

. And Philip Anselmo (of Pantera and Down) is releasing his first solo album Walk Through Exits Only this July. 'It wasn't about doing a paint-by-numbers thrash or heavy metal record,' Anselmo explains about the album. 'It's an angry album that only I could do.'

What do you mean we'll no longer see Beckham running on those beautiful green football fields, flaunting his sexy skills and looks that has captured the heart of the world?

The now 38-year-old footballer, who has played for the likes of Manchester United, Real Madrid, AC Mila and the LA Galaxies, has turned down his latest offer to stay at his current club Paris Saint- Germain.

After winning the the French title with the club, Beckham chose to turn down his latest offer in order to finish his career on a high!

On the matter Beckham said: "Over the years when I've seen players retire, when you ask them they said 'you'll know when you're ready'... I think I know when I'm ready. It's difficult because I still think I can play at the top level ... but I've always said to myself I want to go out on top."

When asked when exactly he thought it was time to call it quits, he joked: "Probably when Messi was running past me in that home game!"

With the Great Gatsby fever taking over the world, we had to share none other than Lana Del Rey's hauntingly beautiful single for the movie "Young & Beautiful"

Put this on repeat and enjoy!